(no subject)
The rest of the Pride weekend was excellent, although I did not partake in any late nights or even any alcohol as I really don't like spending a fortune on drinks and I like my sleep. Plus, the weekend is very important to a lot of people and I am very aware that it's just a lot of fun for me and if I hadn't been involved through line dancing I probably wouldn't have been there at all - I'd have gone walking for the weekend like I did last year. (And it would probably have rained as much as it did last year.)
So on the Sunday afternoon we danced in the village outside a pub called Churchills as the road outside was closed for the weekend so we had plenty of space. I really enjoy our outdoor dancing sessions but it gets harder as the afternoon goes on because the spectators get steadily more and more drunk and more inclined to try and join in, walk right through us while we're dancing, or generally make a nuisance of themselves and interrupt the dance. Still, the audience is always very appreciative of our performances which is nice. At the very end I caught a glimpse of a girl I know from school, Carly, waving at me from the crowd. She was in Manchester for the whole weekend as she seems to have a lot of lesbian friends, and she saw me in the parade apparently but I didn't notice.
I was pretty exhausted after the dancing so I spent a while looking around the Lifestyle Expo (in which I saw the LGBT section of the Conservatives and lolled because they were all clean-cut young men, was given a leaflet by the LGBT Green Party as they were all short-haired hippy women - clearly the party for me) and the sales section (I really wanted to adopt a dog, and steered clear of the leather stall) before going home. James and I watched Memento that evening.
On Monday we had agreed that we would Do Something Together As A Couple because we'd not spent any time together in weeks. We're both busy people apparently. As James can never suggest something he wants to do that doesn't involve a Playstation or a laptop, I decided that we would go walking in Edale for the day. Thankfully the weather was beautiful.
I had expected that James would moan the whole time, but he actually really enjoyed part of the walk. He liked going uphill, and I chose the route because it has a rocky scramble near the end which he really enjoyed because it's like mild rock climbing. In fact, he liked it so much that he refused to wait for me and went tearing off by himself. My legs were weaker than usual because of the weekend of dancing I'd had so although I was walking quicker than most of the other walkers around, I still couldn't keep up with him. The people I passed gave me pitying looks as though I'd been dragged out for the day by him, instead of the other way around.
At the top, James had to lie down to recover from his speedy climb whereas I was comfortably worn out and feeling a bit irked because he wouldn't wait for me. He also doesn't understand the dynamics of walking the way I do - he didn't notice the view, or the lovely heather, or the general niceness of being out in the fresh air on a clear day. All he wanted to do was listen to his iPod and I wouldn't let him.
On our way down the hill we saw dozens of paragliders on the opposite ridge all flying in the same area at the same time - must have been some kind of organised event. They were lovely to watch - like little flecks of colour against the blue sky. James went much faster than I did down hill too. I'm not sure it was an experience I'll be keen to repeat any time soon. I suggested that fell running might be more his sort of thing.
That evening he took me out for dinner which was lovely. I managed not to over-eat for once! We were both exhausted by nine thirty so we went to bed early, and that was the end of the Bank Holiday weekend.
On Tuesday I didn't have line dancing after work because we skip a session in the week after Pride, so I went to the gym instead. Yesterday James and I went to see Scott Pilgrim vs The World which I mostly really enjoyed (although I prefer my heroines less passive) and this morning I got up at 6am so that I could go to the gym before work. I feel like I deserve a medal for that. The extra exercise seems to be working though as I have lost another kg and now weigh less than I have in at least a couple of years.
Work is extra quiet as three of my colleagues are on holiday, leaving only me and Jill in the office as well as our manager. We have a School Away Day next week and I have been asked to give a presentation about my job to the other admin staff as part of "Role Awareness". It's good practice for me, but also rather scary. The strangest thing will be that I'll be giving this presentation in front of a load of people that I consider to be my friends. I think I'd prefer an audience of strangers to be honest.
Tonight I'm seeing my friend Leila for a quick dinner, tomorrow evening I'll be at the gym again, and then on Saturday morning I'm off to Durham for the weekend with my mother! I've never been to the city of Durham, I've only been through it on the train, so I'm very much looking forward to seeing the cathedral and the castle etc. It's only a weekend jaunt but should be fun.
And the weather is so nice now I really wish I had booked off the whole week to make the most of it.
So on the Sunday afternoon we danced in the village outside a pub called Churchills as the road outside was closed for the weekend so we had plenty of space. I really enjoy our outdoor dancing sessions but it gets harder as the afternoon goes on because the spectators get steadily more and more drunk and more inclined to try and join in, walk right through us while we're dancing, or generally make a nuisance of themselves and interrupt the dance. Still, the audience is always very appreciative of our performances which is nice. At the very end I caught a glimpse of a girl I know from school, Carly, waving at me from the crowd. She was in Manchester for the whole weekend as she seems to have a lot of lesbian friends, and she saw me in the parade apparently but I didn't notice.
I was pretty exhausted after the dancing so I spent a while looking around the Lifestyle Expo (in which I saw the LGBT section of the Conservatives and lolled because they were all clean-cut young men, was given a leaflet by the LGBT Green Party as they were all short-haired hippy women - clearly the party for me) and the sales section (I really wanted to adopt a dog, and steered clear of the leather stall) before going home. James and I watched Memento that evening.
On Monday we had agreed that we would Do Something Together As A Couple because we'd not spent any time together in weeks. We're both busy people apparently. As James can never suggest something he wants to do that doesn't involve a Playstation or a laptop, I decided that we would go walking in Edale for the day. Thankfully the weather was beautiful.
I had expected that James would moan the whole time, but he actually really enjoyed part of the walk. He liked going uphill, and I chose the route because it has a rocky scramble near the end which he really enjoyed because it's like mild rock climbing. In fact, he liked it so much that he refused to wait for me and went tearing off by himself. My legs were weaker than usual because of the weekend of dancing I'd had so although I was walking quicker than most of the other walkers around, I still couldn't keep up with him. The people I passed gave me pitying looks as though I'd been dragged out for the day by him, instead of the other way around.
At the top, James had to lie down to recover from his speedy climb whereas I was comfortably worn out and feeling a bit irked because he wouldn't wait for me. He also doesn't understand the dynamics of walking the way I do - he didn't notice the view, or the lovely heather, or the general niceness of being out in the fresh air on a clear day. All he wanted to do was listen to his iPod and I wouldn't let him.
On our way down the hill we saw dozens of paragliders on the opposite ridge all flying in the same area at the same time - must have been some kind of organised event. They were lovely to watch - like little flecks of colour against the blue sky. James went much faster than I did down hill too. I'm not sure it was an experience I'll be keen to repeat any time soon. I suggested that fell running might be more his sort of thing.
That evening he took me out for dinner which was lovely. I managed not to over-eat for once! We were both exhausted by nine thirty so we went to bed early, and that was the end of the Bank Holiday weekend.
On Tuesday I didn't have line dancing after work because we skip a session in the week after Pride, so I went to the gym instead. Yesterday James and I went to see Scott Pilgrim vs The World which I mostly really enjoyed (although I prefer my heroines less passive) and this morning I got up at 6am so that I could go to the gym before work. I feel like I deserve a medal for that. The extra exercise seems to be working though as I have lost another kg and now weigh less than I have in at least a couple of years.
Work is extra quiet as three of my colleagues are on holiday, leaving only me and Jill in the office as well as our manager. We have a School Away Day next week and I have been asked to give a presentation about my job to the other admin staff as part of "Role Awareness". It's good practice for me, but also rather scary. The strangest thing will be that I'll be giving this presentation in front of a load of people that I consider to be my friends. I think I'd prefer an audience of strangers to be honest.
Tonight I'm seeing my friend Leila for a quick dinner, tomorrow evening I'll be at the gym again, and then on Saturday morning I'm off to Durham for the weekend with my mother! I've never been to the city of Durham, I've only been through it on the train, so I'm very much looking forward to seeing the cathedral and the castle etc. It's only a weekend jaunt but should be fun.
And the weather is so nice now I really wish I had booked off the whole week to make the most of it.