From Blackpool to Lancaster to Rome

We’re going to Rome:-D It’s all booked now. It’s so exciting! We’ve managed to get a private room in a little hotel right in the centre of the city. You have breakfast on the terrace, which overlooks the Colisseum, they have Spaghetti parties every other night, with Spaghetti and wine for 2 Euros - we can afford that! We went to see ‘Angels and Demons’ (in case you’re interested, it wasn’t good!) the other night, I was trying to figure out all the places I wanted to go out of it!

Watch out Lancaster – we’re coming back! It’s hard being in Blackpool – the commute is a killer for our time together, quality of life and money (petrol’s setting us back at least £250 a month). We’ve had a little talk and we think it makes sense for us to be back in Lancaster. We’ve started looking at properties there and we’ve been struck by our property hoodoo. We found a perfect flat, then we were told it was £200 to apply! We accept that letting agents rip you off, but I thought the £75 Blackpool ones charge was bad. We just don’t have £200 to give away (if you’re denied they keep the money, go figure if it’s in their interest to turn down the first few people who apply on a popular property!), I don’t appreciate being ripped off. Giving up on letting agents we got the local paper, and went to view a ‘spacious’ 1 bedroom cottage in the city centre. It all sounded good, until we got there – spacious!?! I cannot believe a building company would build something that small (and it was modern, not ye olde cottage), Raine said it was a duplex bedsit, and that about explains it – we have a friend who lives in a bedsit and he has at least as much floor space as that place had. The kitchen didn’t have room for a fridge, a freezer and a washing machine. So, if you know of anywhere to let in Lancaster let us know, we’d prefer to have our own place (but we’d share with the right people), two beds would be best but we’d definitely consider a spacious one bed.

It was my mum’s 50th birthday last weekend. We got her tickets to see a stage show of ‘Dinnerladies’ (the Victoria Wood comedy). We also threw her a party. Paul came up for it, I made a meal and then we all went into town – to Gay Pride (at my mother’s request!). She was desperate to buy us a rainbow flag; I compromised with a rainbow friendship bracelet. We managed to catch the end of a free show at ‘Funny Girls’ (a cabaret bar, with men dressed as women doing dancing acts). I’ve never wanted to go there, but the show was really good. It would make me think about going in the future. The dancers were really talented – it was amazing what they could do; but at the same time they didn’t take themselves too seriously, so it was funny.

In the evening we took Paul to Wah Wah’s for noodles. We’re all planning a surfing trip to Hawaii in 2013! Long distance planning, but it’s for his big birthday and we’re going to need plenty of time to get the cash together. We got some hassle on the tram back from Blackpool... from a guy wondering why gay Pride exists, and why the council closes off the streets for it. He was sure that most of the people there weren’t gay - they were just showing off. He really annoyed me, more than I should have let him. It made me wonder how many people were thinking the same sort of thing (or worse...I’ve heard my own family say worse), I wondered a majority of people were saying things like that – as we left the Pride enclosure you could hear people making horrible comments.

Despite an absolutely epic workload I’m managing to fit in gym sessions. I’ve lost 9lb now. I feel really good for it. I can tell my fitness levels are increasing massively, and I suspect I’ve lost a bit more than 9lb because I’m gaining quite a bit of muscle (and muscle weighs more than fat). My dad and I are going to Tai Chi every week... I didn’t think it would be so complicated to master. I’d like to do Bodycombat classes, too – it’s kind of like intense boxercise - it incorporates a load of martial arts in a non-contact workout... I’m going to see if I can drag Raine along to the Saturday morning class.

This weekend is Blackpool’s first North-by-Northwest festival! As someone who’s always wanted to go to South-by-Southwest I’m amused by the name, but I suspect the acts won’t compare! It’s a good concept, though – five venues around town will be putting on acts, and it’s just £2 to get into all the venues. It’s running over three days but we’ll probably just go on the Saturday. There’ll be a few of us, so if anyone else fancies tagging along, let me know. We’re going to the theatre in the afternoon (to see David Mamet’s ‘Oleanna’), so we won’t be at the festival until the evening.