Thursday 28 June 2012

Should the United Kingdom still be united?

With the Queen visiting Northern Ireland to congratulate them on how the peace time reforms are going, which is a brave move seeing as though half of Northern Ireland is militantly anti Royalist, but still shakes hands with Martin McGuinness of ex IRA fame who seems to have mellowed from the violent bombing days to try & do something useful in today's day & age of politics, a move which I whole heartedly approve of, but there are plenty of people in the country who don't want to be in the UK do not recognise the Queen as their sovereign & do not want to be ruled by Westminster either (can't say I blame them). Scotland wants a referendum on opting out of the UK & be ruled from Holyrood, I'm not surprised there either seeing as though we caused so many wars & a whole lot of poverty there. There is also a lot of ill feeling in Wales but generally they are not quite as militant about it & if you want to go the whole hog you also have an independent front in Cornwall too (possibly the least English county in England, which I love it for). So where do we take it from here? Do we give it to them, let them make their own mistakes, find their own funding, generate their own industries in an economic climate that would make it hard for any new economy to prosper, but would at least give them a chance? Do we keep us all together until the time when it is easiest for us all to prosper & hope the government doesn't screw us over any more, making them resent Westminster even more? It is a tough one, but I have got to admit I don't want to need a passport to go to Scotland, Cornwall, Ireland or Wales, but do see them as Celtic lands with traditions, histories & languages different to our own. But then again I don't want to be ruled by Westminster at the moment either, can we have the 7th Century Kingdom of Mercia back please?

Tuesday 26 June 2012

Natwest fiasco

I was stuck in this, for four days I did not have proper access to my account, but hats off to the people at the front facing level, it was frustrating to have to wait half an hour to get my money to pay my dues. I'm just glad I got off lightly, did not get blacklisted, have a house deal collapse or have to spend a short stretch in prison for none payment of fines like some people did. It does make you wonder though why a company so big wouldn't have made sure that they had the software/hardware to deal with such a situation if it arose, although in the short term it may seem a bit pricey but the damage that they are now going to have to put right are is going to cost more & the customers that they have lost & are losing because of it is going to cost them way more. Companies should not cut corners or eventually they will fall on their asses,. Local councils working on the highways agency is another case in point of this as they are using cheaper materials to resurface our roads with & we are now in the midst of having millions of potholes in the road & are having to resurface the roads every couple of years which they didn't have to do before. Its just with  Natwest with the recent scandals you would have thought they would have learnt their lesson from complacency, but it appears not & they feel that they are immune as they already one thing go wrong so nothing else could possibly go wrong. It is the wrong attitude to take & you are only doing yourselves more harm, sort it out & plan for if the worst should happen & hopefully in these uncertain economic times you won't go under.

Thursday 21 June 2012

Solstice Morning

Last night the celebrations commenced with going to see Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra, which was really enjoyable even if the small of my back hurt afterwards, but a small price to pay for the most anticipated birthday present of this year, this however meant a trip to London (oh the hardship of having to stay in a hotel & not have to cook) which meant Solstice morning arrival in a strange place I didn't see the sunrise as it was cloudy & slightly moist out, but still made the effort which for me is not easy as I am not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination. If only I could have remembered where City Henge was erected & knew how to get there I may have travelled out to it. Perhaps I should have bought some bourbon biscuits & created a henge of my own in the dryness of my hotel room, though I doubt it would have the same effect as being outside. I don't seem to have been the only one in the square who was also observing it as there was a couple on the doorstep to their own flat as well as I what I am assuming there was a Witch in her back yard doing the same as there was a basement flat with Kitchen Witches in her window, her/him light was on but she/he was not out in the square & a cat came out from the corresponding yard (OK it may be that I have jumped to a conclusion on that one but it was nice to think there was a few of us out there). But across the country many people have braved varying weather to welcome the sun in & who can blame them. However you guys celebrated it I hope you had a good one. All the best Pagan Chaplain

Monday 18 June 2012

Don't be the bad man

If life has been a little shit to you & people piss you off or ride rough shod over you do not make yourself look like the bad man, by all means seek justice/karma whatever, but don't make yourself look like the bad man, you will not garner support by doing it. It is a hard thing not to do, I'm certainly not perfect & I have learnt from bitter experience this. Quite often the wrong doer will slip themselves up especially if you do the stuff you need to underneath, but if you yell, point fingers at all their inadequacies & call people rather unpleasant things in a way that is far from dignified then people will think what a prick & it will have the opposite effect of what you want. Be clever, keep your head & things will work out well in the end.

Thursday 14 June 2012

Having belief in yourself

Two posts in one day, woohoo, more to do with the fact that I was supposed to have don one of them yesterday but got sidetracked. So today's meant to post today post is this. As mentioned in my previous post I go to the Pride Proms, which is performed by the BGSO. Each time they pick something that is a bit tricky, they end up stressing, why I'm not entirely sure as they usually pull it out of the bag, this time being no exception. But one of people's main problems mine included if the truth be told is having belief in your self that you can do something. Confidence that you can do something goes a long way in helping you to do it. When I fail in something, it is usually when I don't believe in myself in what I am doing, OK sometimes things don't work out quite as well as anticipated but don't let that put you off, learn from it & then prepare yourself for the next time you have to do it knowing that you not to make whatever mistake it was again & you are approaching things differently rather than hide away, concentrate on what you do well & not what you make mistakes on & you will find you make fewer mistakes & are less likely to fade into the background. The ones who appear confident are the ones that shine & the ones that get noticed in the things that they do & who they are. So go out there be confident & people will appreciate & notice what you do more. Be bold

Other things that fall on your Birthday

It happens most years, perhaps I should get used to the fact that I'm not meant to celebrate my birthday, One major thing that seems to always fall on my birthday are major footballing events & people wonder why I fail to be excited by England matches when half the time it means my birthday plans get sidelined again. I'm 32 now & am yet still waiting for a chance to celebrate my 30th as the opening ceremony of The World Cup fell on that day with England's first match being the day after, last year it was not football admittedly but it was the Pride Proms which clashed, this year it was England v France, come on please leave my birthday free of things, my birthday also consisted this year of the money I received for my birthday going on a pair of shoes which goes with my other birthday present of a suit to go to my cousin's wedding in. So hopefully next year on my 33rd birthday I can celebrate my 30th & have it all about me for once.

Friday 8 June 2012

Men Crying

I cry, simple as, I cry for many reasons, usually through laughter, but there are times I cry because I'm upset, I have had a lot to deal with in my past & it is a good emotional release mechanism to have. I find bottling up my emotions counter productive, it leaves me irritable, snappy & a thoroughly unpleasant person to be around & it would only take something minor to unleash a tirade of abuse on some unsuspecting person in a way that is disproportionate as to what they have done, making them feel crappy & possibly perpetuating said cycle with them. I find it all self destructive & could lead to abusiveness in some people. If you have something inside you that is upsetting you, let it out, if it is something another person can help you with seek them out. Crying is not weakness, it is a release, the thought of manning up take it on chin will just build up resentment, don't be ashamed. If I'm angry I also cry if I get to a certain point, because if I don't I tend to end up with something of an Incredible Hulk complex & someone of my size that is a scary prospect, if I'm angry & I start to cry don't taunt or push me I'm merely trying to stay in control, the best thing to do is walk away & leave me to it. But to many people men crying is taboo, it is something that girls do, men shouldn't cry, this is bollocks, if they did cry perhaps there would be less idiots in the world. So next time you need to cry whether you are a man or a woman just do it it brings relief, if need be do it behind closed doors if you are really that bothered by what other people think, there are worse things you could do.

Wednesday 6 June 2012

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Confession time, I have post traumatic stress disorder, which leaves me with the overhang of depression for the summer months, so what was so traumatic to cause it, well first off I was indecently assaulted when I was 13 years old by a girl who was a year to a year & a half older than me, then at the age of 21 there was the fact I was almost murdered by spiking from a jealous ex & then there was the mugging at 23 which if it weren't for alternative medicine I would have been left blind in my right eye. It leaves you questioning life & its worth, it leaves you feeling like is your life actually worth living? What are you living for? There are days when you just don't feel strong enough to cope, today is one of those days. I go about my day doing the best I can to cope, to help people out where possible so I don't feel quite so worthless. I'm not my usual talkative self today, I'm sorry, but I kinda needed to write, thought it might do me some good. I'm not the only one in the world that suffers from it, though at times it doesn't feel like it. It takes a lot to come out of the loony closet, if you know someone who has mental health problems, don't shy away from them, it is at that time they need their friends most

Tuesday 5 June 2012

Drag Queens

I'm starting to find the older I'm getting the less entertaining drag queens are getting, or is it that there are too many around doing the same old thing. There are some who are funny in their own rights as comedians, but that has more to with the fact that they actually have some talent, but the scene does seem to be saturated with drag queens that do little more than mime badly to songs & yet some people still go mad for them. What is the appeal? Is the art of drag just heading into one trick pony territory? What happened to art of satire with them? Are current crop getting lazy & thinking all you have to do is put on a frock, do bad make up & flounce to Lady Gaga is enough? Because the only time that is entertaining is when a child raids their mothers bedroom, bursts in into the living room, proud as punch because they are emulating their favourite popstar & that is only funny because its cute, if you are an adult inject humour into it, be topical or at least be interesting. The original cabaret was controversial & was aware of the current climate & not just musically, in general & they had stuff to say even if it was put it in a funny, mocking way. Congratulations to all the drag queens that do still do that, to those that don't, try harder for goodness sake or you will degrade the cabaret seen as a poor shadow of what is was & what it stood for.

Sunday 3 June 2012

Jubilations to A Diamond Bird or Am I Much of a Royalist

As well as it being the second day of Birmingham Pride, I doubt anyone would have been able to avoid frenzy that is the Queen's diamond jubilee (at the point of seeing the word frenzy being typed my other half suggested sea monster or giant pooh), we do seem to have gone mad for a monarchy that half the time we want to see fall flat on their face or want to see abolished. Royals today don't seem to have the power they once did but at least they are not trying to kill each other to try & get the crown, so is it any wonder that she managed a diamond jubilee? I tend to find I have a love/hate relationship with the monarchy, they do have some uses & they do generate a fair amount of income as well as being a figurehead for the country & as far as rulers go they don't appear be the dictators that there are in other countries. But then I also feel that they are only their because a couple of thousand years ago a power hungry idiot wanted to suppress a nation by uniting it make it seem a positive rather than an egotistical power trip, but then again if they hadn't somebody else would, plus is our Queen really our monarch or is Michael Hastings our true King? Liz has done her bit for her country & she has over seen many changes in our country both better & worse & never seems to be out of the public eye for us to to scrutinise her, So you have to give her her dues as not many people can do that without crashing & burning, I doubt I would have coped as well in that position. So congratulations or something, have your expensive party & enjoy yourself.

Friday 1 June 2012

Birmingham Pride, Fun & Games or Something More?

I have been going to Pride for 14 years now or is it 13? I can't remember but it has been a long time, to begin with it was nothing more than a good day out for me, the politics of it were pretty much lost to me, things have rather changed, perhaps that is because ever since 2004 I actually got involved with it. It gets under your skin, the politics, the showmanship, the community. One thing is for sure it doesn't just happen, even with the little bits that I get involved in there is stress & I'm only a very minor player in the event, I would hate to go through what some of the main contributors to Pride have to go through. Although I still enjoy Pride it is more for business than pleasure nowadays, supporting the Pagan group, the interfaith network etc. I have also made my flying monkey outfit ( the theme for our float is safari & I decided to go tongue in cheek). The year they cancelled the march as they saw it as not important so protest march was set up, I was involved & I was front page news in the Pink Paper (well more my friend Lorna who had a banner saying Hated by the Daily Mail, but I was standing next to her with a banner saying it's a matter of Pride) after that time the politics really kicked in & it felt more important to march & this year the LGBT Interfaith Network are doing a rallying speech in support of gay marriage instead of a vigil (possibly more to do with the time of day because very few people want death with their lunch). A couple of years the community area was almost squeezed out until it was pointed out they would lose the council funding if they did & one year made it difficult so the community groups had to hold the pride organisers to ransom, which is not fair for either side. For goodness sake play nice with the community & they will play nice with you. But until all is equal & people start treating each other with respect, Pride will still be needed. We will get the tourists that come to gawp at the gays & want to create trouble, their will always be those who are there just to have fun (which to be honest even those on business should get a bit of fun out of it), there will be those who are there for the original if somewhat masked spirit of the occasion. Keep safe have fun & fly my pretties, fly.