Bondi Rescue tattoos???

This is the latest on Twitter; girls are tweeting Hoppo that they are gonna get Bondi Rescue tattoos.

As a heavily tattood person I can honestly say... what the fuck is wrong with you???

This is gonna sound harsh but Bondi Rescue is a TV SHOW!!

OK, it's a great TV show but that would be like me getting Come Dine With Me tattood somewhere and meaning it more than an ironic, smutty sense...

IF you have been to Bondi and been rescued by one of the guys (or a family member/close friend has), then yes, go ahead and get a fitting tattoo to remember that. But the name of the TV show???

Getting just Bondi (again, if you have been there; I am under the impression that Bondi is a little like Los Angeles... not everything is what it seems...) is OK. Not Bondi Rescue though. Wont you feel a bit of a dick when you are 40 and the show is long gone and forgotten?

Do these girls not realise how painful it is to have a tattoo removed? Or expensive??

I have always said I have never regretted any of my tattoos but there are a few that I cannot wait to get rid of...

Look at it this way... I discovered Cozy when I was 12. I saw him in concert, bought all of his records, followed his career for the next 5 years, then mourned his untimely death for 13 years. I have had a long time to think about getting his portrait tattood on my arm. It would be a fitting tribute to a man I love and miss dearly.

Or I could watch a TV show a few times a week for 6 months and then get the show name tattood on the back of my neck!

WHAT?!!

My artist would laugh them out of the studio if they requested that!

We are just luckily that the sort of person who would want to get a totally un-thought-out tattoo like this is not old enough to get tattood legally...

Melissa and Poppy - wannabe stalkers

More from the Bondi stalkers! On Facebook this time.

Melissa posted on Harries' wall that he needed to get his twin brother to be her friend again and to stop ignoring her (remind you of someone?). When a few of us commented that it was a rather... "interesting" request (ie, STALKER!! STALKER!! STALKER!! Though we were all too polite to say it outright...), this Melissa got all defensive and was like "woteva haters".

What a cunt.

Anyway, a few more intelligent comments from the gown-ups in the group when Poppy showed up with the wonderful "SHUT THE FUCK UP U DICKHEADS". I said that this was the reason that children should not be allowed on Facebook unsupervised and then she said (get this!) "I'm 32 actually".

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

No fucking way is she 32 unless she is long-term care in the community and then, again, SHE SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED ON THE INTERNET UNSUPERVISED IF SHE IS GONNA BEHAVE LIKE THAT!!!!

What a pair of morons.

So what have we learned?

Apparently, it is completely acceptable to stalk and harass people until they block you and then drag their family into it.

32!

Inbreds.

Dear work colleague

On behalf of everyone in the entire office, we would just like to say that we really appreciate the amount of time you spend in the ladies' loos fixing your make up and ensuring your hair is "just right". Of course, we would appreciate it more if you just occasionally washed your hands after going for a piss.

It is so nice of you to wear such interesting perfume! It does not hide the smell of sweat and shame the you exude but good effort.

No one knows as much gossip as you. None of it true, of course, but at least you are trying.

There are no words to describe your kindness for banging so many of the men in the office. Without you, they would be reduced to going home to their wives and girlfriends after a difficult day in work.

We all love the fact that we can always find our missing property on your desk; makes it so much easier for us when you gather everything together for us! So helpful!

The entire floor feels so grateful that you decided against taking that high-powered legal job that they were apparently so desperate to offer you. It must have been a tough decision to give up such a huge wage to stay in our little office.

Congratulations on the pregnancy! Yes, it will be difficult working out who the father is but we are all here for you. You are right, Jeremy Kyle would be a good move re your acting career. We would all be honoured to be in the audience of that taping.

And of course, where would we be without your always sunny exterior! It is a shame it often hides behind that sour expression but we know how stressful the job can be.

You will always have our support.

Your loving workmates

XXX

Going Raw (again)

I really enjoyed my raw kick but, as always, things changed and it became difficult to maintain (plus I missed carbs).

But I'm back!

I had a blow-out curry and beers last night and so today raw starts again...

Breakfast has been a small mango, half a papaya, half a dragon fruit, a banana and a satsuma plus a bottle of water (left over from the gig on Sunday; I don't normally buy bottled water). I have also prepared lunch - lettuce, red pepper, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and olives with good oil (hemp) and balsamic vinegar (yeah I guess that wont be raw but whatever). I purchased a couple of those salad shakers the other day so lunch is in that. Unsure what I will have for dinner yet...

I am tired of being tired, tired of waking up with backache because of yet another rough night's sleep...

I will keep this up for the summer and see where I end up.

And I am sure I will update you regularly!

Super Injunctions

For commentary on specific cases, please see my Twitter feed.

I think this whole super injunction business is a load of crap. The public has a right to know what these celebrities, politicians, journalists, etc, are getting up to as these are the people our kids look up to.

If my favourite musician was into kiddie porn, I would want to know so that I would stop buying his music and supporting such a vile person (this is just an example, of course, but you get the idea).

Same as if my nephew's favourite footballer is a philandering bastard who places no value on the emotional welfare of his wife and kids... I wanna be able to explain to my nephew that this is not normal behaviour that can just be hidden away.

There are, of course, certain times when a super injunction would be necessary. When Freddie Mercury was dying of AIDS, the media absolutely hounded him, his family, and friends. This information was really not in the public interest and so protection in that case would have been useful. Of course, there was none and the media made his last few days as much of a misery as they could.

But that footballer (I am not not naming him because of the injunction; I am not naming him because I have always thought he was an arrogant dick who does not deserve space on my blog. One of the girls from school fancied him; she's a lesbian now... jus' sayin'...) has no right to request a judge protect his children from his affair when he did not bother to protect them himself. It's not like it was a drunken one night stand (not justifying it but shit happens)... he kept going back and sticking it to that ugly trollop for 6 months! Anyone notice how she's a real fucking Jordan wannabe? NASTY!

I would happily see all injunctions lifted so that we can see exactly what these people are hiding. If it ruins a few careers, so be it. They should have thought of that before they did what they dun...

Groupon = dodgy as fuck?

So I was desperately searching for a pedicure yesterday but apparently no place is open of a Monday. Also, how come so few South Welsh salons bother to have decent (or any) websites?

Anyway...

In my google trawls, though, I stumbled upon Groupon. I had heard of it before; you (allegedly) get sent a deal where you can get huge discounts off stuff. They were offering discounted spa days so I figured I would sign up. Of course, it was false advertising as there were no spa days. I immediately tried to delete my account but could not. So instead I unsubscribed from the emails. Since then, I have been absolutely flooded with emails.

What the fuck?

I figured I would have a look at what wonderful things they were offering me.

A photo shoot with one photo for £29 at a 91% saving. Great! Except who would actually pay £300 for that in the first place?

Here we have a makeover, photo shoot and photo at twenty quid. This is the average price, according to google...

OK so maybe this was just a snafu on their part and they normally have really good deals?

NAH!

£19 glasses at Glasses Direct. Well if you bother to visit the website, you can already get glasses for £19.

£875 instead of £1652 at the Westin Dragonara Resort in Malta. Same price on many travel websites...

And my favourite?

A robot vacuum cleaner for £179! You can find them as low as £121 online.

Deals, my fucking arse!

I have now tried unsubscribing 3 times and still the shit keep coming.

Groupon! Get away with your nonsense!

I mean this in the politest way possible but...

... I am not an employment agency!

I swear I receive 3 or CVs/Resumes a WEEK from people who have read the blog!

What job are you expecting to get? Cleaner? Spell-checker? Bodyguard???

I do not employ ANYONE! Got that? Not a single person!

And the thing is... even if I was looking for staff, I would not employ any of these people who are submitting the CVs. Since when did it become acceptable to put pictures of cartoon animals on your CV??? I also do not think it is very professional to be submitting your CV at 3 am with a rather badly (read: drunkenly) written covering letter.

I could go in to specific detail but I really can't be arsed. Suffice to say, any media graduate who spells INTERNET wrong is not going to get far in life.

Please stop submitting your CVs or I may be reduced to sharing them on here with my own special brand of commentary.

And you really would not like that...

Rush - Birmingham NEC Arena 22nd May 2011

So last night was my third Rush gig. My brother-in-law, nephew and I all trekked up to Birmingham for £60 (each) worth of pure indulgence.

Things have been rough the last few months; after a severe bought of depression, I got very ill and lost my hearing. That is now returning but the darkness was still lurking at the sidelines. Of course, within seconds of them hitting the stage, it was all so much easier...

It's funny... Rush has always been the band to cheer me up. They aren't exactly a happy-go-lucky pop band but I find a level of hope in their work. I just need to remember as soon as I start moping to stick some Rush on. Not always easy to do that though...

To be fair, we had crap seats. My bro was online as soon as the tickets went on sale and we still ended up way back. It's OK, though; Rush's use of screens means that there is not really a terrible view anywhere. We were set next to a North Welsh woman who was on crutches. She was making a big show of struggling to get around until the band started playing and then she was up and dancing like a maniac. Funny that... Even when she was sitting down, she was pointing and throwing devil signs (!) at the stage. Kind of annoying but you can't feel too negative towards her... like a "special" kid kicking the back of your seat on a transatlantic flight.

Geddy looked as stunning as always. I really do love that guy.

Neil's drum solo was slightly heavier than the last few years and I much preferred that.

Alex was just Alex. Damn, he looks good as Amy Winehouse...

It wasn't particularly loud (at least not for me) but the videos and lights were impressive. And as always, the best thing about a Rush gig? No queues for the ladies loos...

My nephew was bored shitless (I caught him playing a game on his phone at one point). I knew he should not have come along.

Another annoyance was my brother-in-law's brother-in-law. He managed to get one (ONE!) front row ticket and really rubbed it in. Then afterwards he had the nerve to complain that Geddy obscured his view of the drum riser. If I was in that position, I would not have been able to see anything past my t-shirt raised over my head...

Anyway, great show all in all.

Really doesn't take much for Rush to put me in a good mood.

Of course, it would have been even better if I had got to spend the next four hours after the gig sitting on Geddy's face but we can't have it all...

Set list -

The Spirit of Radio

Time Stand Still

Presto

Stick It Out

Workin' Them Angels

Leave That Thing Alone

Faithless

BU2B

Freewill

Marathon

Subdivisions

Intermission

Tom Sawyer

Red Barchetta

YYZ

Limelight

The Camera Eye

Witch Hunt

Vital Signs

Caravan

Love For Sale (drum solo)

Closer To The Heart

2112 Overture/The Temples of Syrinx

Far Cry

Encore

La Villa Strangiato

Working Man

Lovely email from Maribel Grill

My name is Maribel and I'm an HR manager with IDS Ltd.
I would like to take this time to welcome you to our hiring process and give you a brief synopsis of the position's benefits and requirements.
If you are taking a career break, are on a maternity leave, recently retired or simply looking for some part-time work , this position is for you.
The successful candidates shall possess excellent organizational skills as well as the ability to efficiently multi-task. The ideal candidates shall have a strong focus on day-to-day operational excellence , and a personal style that builds trust and induces loyalty.
The candidate shall be self-motivated, proactive, able to learn and adapt quickly.
Occupation: Flexible schedule 2 to 8 hours / day. We can guarantee a minimum 20 hrs/week occupation
Salary: Starting salary is GBP 1500 per month plus commission , paid every month.
Business hours: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, MON-FRI, (your local timezone).
Region: United Kingdom.
Please note that there are no startup fees or deposits to complete your paid training evaluation period.
We offer team members flexible schedule, accommodating telecommuted and in-office assignments, and accessible entry-level positions for recent graduates and those looking to start a new career with a stable company with foreign capital. Working for us provides employees with a challenging and fast-paced work environment that is sensitive to the needs of our employees.
If you are interested in learning more and taking this position with us, the next step in our process is to fill out our application form and to schedule and pass an interview.
To request an application form, schedule your interview and receive more information about this position please reply to this email with your personal identification number for this position IDNO:-B2WRN0QLVL.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. I look forward to reviewing your application paperwork.
Sincerely,
HR department IDS Ltd.

****************

I won't be giving you my bank details.

****************

I am afraid you are not qualified for this role.

Breathing easier...

...because... I cleared another debt today! Woohoo!

This one was with Monument. At the start of the month, I owed them £527. I managed to pay off a lot following pay day and was left with £190 to go. I figured I would clear it next month but then something strange happened...

I have obviously been off sick for a fortnight now as I am deaf (still deaf but I return to work tomorrow). Last week, I decided to run some errands and ended up at the tip, dropping off some broken old garden furniture. While I was dropping some stuff in the wood bin, I noticed a few trays of printers blocks at the top of the skip. My sister likes the trays because she hangs them on the wall and fills them with knick-knacks she has collected. I asked the site manager if I could have them and he said I could for a "donation" to the tea fund. I gave him £8 and he got the trays of stamps out of the skip for me. So I take them home and don't think much of it...

My sis said she would definitely have the trays so I just had the blocks to get rid of. I decided to have a crack at selling them. I put a font set on ebay for £15 Buy It Now with a note saying if there was any interest, I would sell more. They sold within 4 minutes.

OK, I thought...

So I listed another few sets but there was no more interest. Til I woke up the next morning... I had sold them all overnight (at £110).

Hmm... right then...

I listed more determinedly, with practically everything selling within 24 hours. I have so far made £654.65 and I have another £590 worth of listings on ebay with watchers.

Not too bad for £8 and a bit of dumpster diving...

So now I have all this spare cash I did not expect to have. I decided on a whim to pay off Monument and I have also bought myself a few little bits (vinyl, mainly).

As for Monument...

This was one of those where they stopped me in the shopping centre and offered me a credit card. I was already spiralling into serious debt and took the card out hoping it would tide me over til I got some money from Phil's book (of course, that never happened...). They accepted me and gave me £2000 limit that I ran through very quickly whilst on Motorhead's UK Inferno tour. Of all my debtors, though, they were probably the easiest to work with when I started getting myself sorted out. They froze interest for a year and agreed the reduced payments that I could afford. They also charged me the least interest.

I believe Monument changed after I joined them, though. They went from an OK company to one of those that charges 3000-odd% interest to desperate people for the pleasure of some plastic. They are now out of business and are just running down the debts of people like me. Once they are cleared, they will be gone.

Such is life...

I now only have to pay about £2k to Barclaycard and then I am FREE! Aside from my loan with HSBC, of course, but that is slightly different. I don't have an overdraft, my one working credit card is on nil balance with £3000 limit, and my MBNA and La Redoute accounts have definitely been shut down. Oh and I can't remember if I mentioned it but MBNA finally agreed to pay that bank charge from January and that is already in my account. Hell, for the first time in years, my bank balance at the middle of the month is more than 3 quid.

Things are looking up...

Ginnifer Goodwin - Idiot?

Yeah, yeah... I avoid the controversial vegan stories, etc, but this one is a good one...

I had never actually heard of this actress but apparently she was a vegan who was quite well known in the community, doing a lot of good promo for the cause.

Then she decided not to be vegan any more.

Her choice. Whatever.

But then... she did the above interview on Jimmy Kimmel and happily laughed along with the usual anti-vegan jokes. For someone who used to be so vocal, why then go back on everything you said you believed in? OK, again, it is her choice but why support attacks on others who still have the dedication to be vegan?

She claimed that she had to start eating bacon (amongst other things) because of "health" reasons; ie, she "needed meat". That one statement confirms how ignorant she is. Vegans can get all of the nutrients they need from non-animal sources. It just shows she couldn't be bothered to educate herself. Great.

Wonder how her health will be after she starts packing in all those animal fats again. Would you like a side order of cancer with your burger, ma'am?

The other annoying thing was she stated that many of her family members became vegan because of her but now that she isn't, she is trying to encourage them to go back to eating animal products. She must remember how difficult it is when you are getting silly comments from others so why would she then do it herself?

I'm glad I had never heard of this fatuous fickle fool.

I hereby promise if I ever give up being a vegan, I wont be a complete cunt about it.

Rape

Very interested in this SlutWalk thing that has been going on the last few months. Basically, women are marching for their right to dress however they like without fear of being raped. It is all too easy for people to say that women who wear short skirts are "asking for it". That's bullshit. Women should be able to feel safe when they go about their business, no matter what they are wearing. It is time to end the victim-blaming mentality and start going after the men who think it is acceptable to dominate and violate women (and men) in this way.

There are certain issues in my past that I have chosen not to broadcast, mainly because I knew it would be used against me. But here is my story.

When I was living in LA, I had a group of very close girlfriends and we would all hang out and have fun together. One night, we all decided to go out to dinner and then go play some pool, do a little dancing, you know... what college kids in their early 20s do.

We were at the pool hall/bar (Q's in Pasadena; I think they are gone now) when a male friend of one of the girls showed up. She said they had classes together and that he had asked her out (she had a boyfriend) and now they were pretty good friends.

By this point, I had had maybe 2 beers. I can handle my drink so this was nothing for me. This guy then bought me another beer and I really started to feel it. This was unlike me but I put it down to the fact that it was hot and I was tired from spending the day in uni.

After that point, my memory gets very patchy.

I kinda remember trying to play pool but that is it.

My next clear memory was waking up inside a Metro station in Hollywood at about 5am. I was on the floor by the stairs. I was in agony but was unsure why. I recognised where I was so I made my way to the platform and caught a train back to my part of Hollywood.

At home, I jumped in the shower and then went to bed. I woke up a few hours later and went to see my boyfriend and did some shopping (back in Pasadena).

At that point, I started getting funny little snatches of memory. Nothing significant; a white sports car, a leopard print clock...

I couldn't work it out so just carried on with my day. I was still in pain but thought maybe I had fallen down the stairs or something.

The next morning, I had a shower and realised I was covered in bruises. Not bruises consistent with a fall down the stairs; I had clear hand prints all over my chest, arms, legs...

I called the mutual friend and asked her what had happened.

She explained the girls had all left and I stayed with the guy and then he drove me home but that he had told her we had hooked up.

I was horrified. I had a boyfriend who I loved very much and this guy was hideous.

Back in college a few days later, some girl came up and called me a slut and then stormed off. I had no idea who she was. Then some guys started pointing and whispering. I told em to fuck off and went to class.

I caught up with the mutual friend again and she was very upset. She had overheard the guy telling his buddies that he had roofied me.

I knew 3 beers was not enough to make me lose my memory.

I made the decision not to go to the police, purely because I did not have much I could tell them.

I put out the word that the guy had a tiny penis and that he was a psycho and left it at that. I only saw him once afterwards and he tried to be all friendly but I just blanked him.

So that is the end of it? No. He went on to become a teacher and worked with vulnerable kids in a very deprived part of LA. Again, nothing I could do as I knew the LAPD would not be interested.

I convinced myself that it had been a one-off, an opportunistic event, he was a good guy deep down...

He's in prison now. He raped someone else.

I've never felt like a victim, though. I think, mainly, because I have little memory of anything (a few other things have returned over the last 9 years but I think it may be false memory syndrome because of the trauma). I do believe if I had tried to report it to the police or told any friends, I would have been blamed for it; after all, I was wearing a dress and had had a few beers...

But I was not to blame for what happened. If he had not been there, I would have had another couple of drinks and then called my boyfriend to come and get me, same as any other night.

I still get angry when people try to use sexuality against me though. I view it as an attempt to break me. I am a confidant woman; I know what I want and I don't let the small-mindedness of others affect me. But still they try...

Someone (I say someone but I know exactly who it was) spent an evening using search terms like "fat tattooed slut", "tattoo whore", "irezumi muzan angry slut", "Hoppo blog tart" to find my blog. They know that the search terms show up and I can see them. What's the fucking point? Is every woman who is confident a slut now? Idiot.

OK I appreciate beautiful men and I will go to bed with someone if I really like them. I don't pick up random guys in bars; I am having fun and doing what I want to do. Again, that does not make me a slut! It is a case of living my life and having as few regrets as possible... one of my biggest regrets has always been not doing Cozy Powell when I had the chance...

But anyway...

That's my story. I hope it makes some small-minded people understand that when we are raped, we are not "asking for it" and the way we dress makes no difference whatsoever.

The second girl he raped was 15 and wearing jeans and a loose sweater.

And he did ruin her life.

Job seeking annoyances

Yes... there are more...

I get job emails every day; none of them have any relevance whatsoever to me but I always have a look through in the vain hope that there will be something offered that would allow me to use my education...

I keep seeing a recurring pattern, though...

Two particular companies keep showing up under irrelevant searches and it seems a bit dodgy to me.

The first is MSG. They are a direct marketing company (door to door... see my PGT post for what I think of this type of company). But the thing is... instead of just advertising under sales, the advertise under bar work, customer service, retail sales assistant (door to door and shop work are completely different), and wait staff. So say I want to go back to bar work (I don't) so I search for bar jobs and I get direct marketing??? Hardly makes sense. If I wanted to walk the streets for little money and far too much crap, I would go looking for that directly.

Anyway.

Second company using dodgy practices - The Training Room. They want people to train to be fitness instructors. TRAIN to be fitness instructors. They offer a "Career Loan Scheme" in which they "pay" for your training and then you have to pay them back. How is that a job exactly? Also, they categorise wrong - graduate (I have not spent 8 years in higher education to tell sweaty people to shift their arses), customer service, insurance(!!!), and many more...

Am I missing something or can companies just do whatever the fuck they want these days?

Again, I don't think these companies should be allowed to exploit desperate jobseekers...

What would I know though...

Adventures in the Business, Part 2

On this very special day, I thought I would share another tale...

I was exchanging emails with one particular musician for a while. We had met a few times and he had asked me to email him so whatever. One evening, he asked me to email him my phone number (I did). About a week later, he called to say he was really busy but would call me back later(?). That night he called and offered me a job.

Great! I thought... I was a full time grad student and could do with some extra cash (I was never paid but never mind).

So that's the background.

He went off to do whatever it is musicians do and I stayed home and continued with my normal day to day life.

I didn't have an answer machine at the time so would 1471 when I came home every day to make sure I had not missed any important calls.

So I got home one evening and 1471'd. Last number to call was not traceable so I knew it was an international number. Him.

Early the following morning, the phone rang. Him.

We made small talk for a while and then it started...

"I'm sitting here, watching a porno and rubbing my cock. What are you doing?"

"Well mainly I am being completely horrified..."

He tried several times to get me to have phone sex but I was just so freaked out by the whole thing; I classed him as a mate at the very most. Eventually he got bored and said he was going to call another girl he knew.

Bye bye then.

KK Downing

I have waited a while to comment on this one because... well... I've been busy.

Ken "KK" Downing was a founding member of Judas Priest and has notched up 42 years service with the band.

On the eve of the farewell tour... he quits.

The band issue a statement that they will tour without him with some kid that frankly I couldn't give a flying monkey's about. They wish him all the best, etc.

KK issues a statement on his own website. He has left the band to to "an ongoing breakdown in working relationship between myself, elements of the band, and the band's management for some time".

Elements of the band = Glenn Tipton.

Management = Jayne Andrews.

We all know that; goes without saying really.

But for Ken to just give up on his band, it must have been unbearable for him.

While I would have liked to have seen him with the band one last time (I was ready to orchestrate that 3-way...), I have no right to say what he should do with his life. I wish him all the best and intend on getting over to his golf course for a few rounds very soon.

Others seem to disagree though...

I am (obviously) still off sick so I am very limited in what I can do. I was bored so decided to read the guest book on KK's website.

Oh.

My.

God.

We thought the Bondi stalkers were bad!

Follows a selection of the best comments over the last few days. I obviously don't drink enough to understand what the fuck half of them are saying...

*****

If you need a girl friend I am here for you mister.

*****

YOU KNOW U HAVE LEGIONS OF FANS WHO WILL DO WHATEVER THEY CAN FOR YOU,WHOS CAUSING THE BULLSHIT?SAY THE WORD

*****

This suck.....Priest whithout K.K is like a word whithout faith,,,,shit..i..damn...WHYY??

*****

KK PLZ TOUR WITH PRIEST I RATHER SEE YOU IN THE BAND THEN ROB. YOU ARE THE ORIGINAL HOW CAN YOU LEAVE? YOU ARE MORE PRIEST THEN ANYBODY EXCEPT FOR MAYBE THE GOD OF THUNDER IAN. I HOPE THIS ISNT SOMTHING WITH ROB . THE BIG HEADED EGO MANIAC. I HAVE FELT THAT YOU AND IAN HAD WANTED TO CONTINUE WITH TIM BUT WERE KIND OF FORCED TO TAKE ROB BACK. IT SEEMED YOU GUYS WERE ACTUALLY HAVING FUN WITH TIM OWENS. ALSO THINK OF DIMEBAG AND DO IT FOR HIS MEMORY ALSO. THANK YOU LOVE CARL.(NOT IN THE GAY WAY)

*****

Ken, Please talk to us ... don't turn your back on us and not communicate anything here. We are all supporting you but we can't if we don't know really what is going on. Was it that bad? Its hard enough that you are gone but your silence is making it like a stab in the back.

*****

If it is with MUCH regret then how could you do it??

*****

There are only two scenarios here.

1) You started promoting the live shows and then turned your back on the fans by not following through with the gigs.

2)You started promoting the live shows and then you were forced out.

Here is the troubling part either it is you or the band has dealt the fans a horrendous betrayal...

*****

Why you didn't tell your fans about leave Priest earlier? You make that decision in December 2010 an you tell about it your fans now! We bought tickets on Epitaph tour to see you, but you cheated us and run away from Priest. And a month ago you write as you happy to be again on stage with Priest. You lie then, because in that time you know, you are was leaving Judas Priest. I appreciate that was you do for Priest in Metal Music, but you go away in deplorable style. Shame on you!

*****

Instead of being remembered for your music, you may in fact be remembered for quiting at the last minute and disappointing many, many people. Seems to me that egos could have been left at the door in this instance.

*****

It is unacceptable to build up this fanbase over the years and then turn your back on us by not giving us any communication, only official "statements" that are actually "spins."

IT IS NOW DAY 8

Every day that goes by is a huge blow to us your fans and what you have built here on this site. Avoidance is not the answer...it only adds fuel to the growing fire.
Many people believe in you and you have let them down.

*****

Now that Osama bin Laden is dead it still want you to come back with YOUR band Judas Priest.

*****

It HAS NOW BEEN 12 DAYS.

No word whatsoever from you. You say in your "Statement" much love and respect but they are empty words. I am not believing it, it is not sincere. Where is the love and respect for us your fans???

*****

If your mother told you to play with your mates you would do it. Now today is two days since America killed Osama Bin Ladin, three days since low Sunday, and one day before Cinco da mayo. That being said, Impress mum, all of Islam, all of Christianity, all of Mexico and South America, all of Europe, all of Asia, All of the fuckin' world, and take your band on the road this summer and next year. Kick Robert Halford in the Balls, Tell Mr. Tipton we are gonna play, Blood Red Skys, Sinner, Dreamer Deceiver, and every other fuckin song that has you on main lead, and tell your mate Ian to get with the program. As far as Scott, he will do what you deside once he sees Rob doubled over, Gleen crying, and the whole word screaming... WE WANT K.K. and no one else! OK, I know my rant is selfish but I'm serious, I am completely manic and depressed thinking you will not be wha-wha ing that guitar bar and making JP fans go wild. Brother Ken, please ... if I had a BILLION dollars I would give it to you. Unfortunately, Glen and Rob want 70%. I swear to GOD I don't knoe what to say except. YOU ARE LOVED AND YOU WILL BE MISSED. I weep.

*****

Kenneth,
I don't want anything but your understanding of the magnitude of the SNAFU that has made real once you retired.

*****

Priest would suck without you. Everyone is screaming ROCK HARD RIDE FREE ALL DAY ALL NIGHT. ROCK HARD RIDE FREE ALL YOUR LIFE. Because of this and it being Cinco da mayo I've started drinking heavy duty with Tequilla. I will continue to drink until #1: Until my liver explodes. #2: Until I can't see straight. #3: Until I run out of denaRO. #4: Until K.K. reunites with Judas Priest. Ken, my life is in your hands. Now you might be sayin'... "This wanker isn't even Mexican and you'd be correct...but I'm married to a Mexican woman, have a fist full of cash, have all read bought three bottles of Petron, and have noting to lose unless K.K. returns to Priest." FUCKIN JUDAS PRIEST IS NOT JUDAS PRIEST WITHOUT K.K. DOWNING! I am going xcrazy and I pray someone can talk to JP management and get off this ledge, Tell Rob and Glen to back off, and give K.K. what he wants. Shit I don't care if its not good business practice or Judas Priest is an Enterprise Ltd. or BULLShit corporate record executive claptrap. GOD Damnit I want this fixed and I want IT NOW. DOn't make me talk to Mike Myers and get DOCTOR EVIL involved. I wish I had the answer...and of course there is one...this crazy world has a zillion problems occuring every second but this problem can be solved. I'm not sure how but I sure know why... BECAUSE JUDAS PRIEST IS NOT SHIT WITHOUT K.K. DOWNING behind the wha-wha- guitar bar. Fuckin a right. I'm thinkin' right now an alien is gonna snatch me, the devil is gonna collect me, a killer a gonna find me, and the world is gonna hate me but K.K. Downing did what he did and retired for a GOOD REASON. I WISH I KNEW A BETTER REASON TO CHANGE HIS MIND BUT I DON'T KNOW A GOOD REASON WHY. Ken, I love you, the world loves you, God loves you, and Judas Priest is you. ROCK HARD RIDE FREE ALL DAY ALL NIGHT ROCK HARD RIDE FREE ALL YOUR LIFE. LIVE LONG K.K. and may you live to see another day with your fans chanting JUDAS PRIEST, JUDAS PRIEST, JUDAS PRIEST.... All most dead from alchol posioning...

School's out for summer!

School's out til a year September!

Yup! Yesterday, I had the final exam for the MSc. I went along completely deaf and in a lot of pain but I had revised well. I still spent the first 10 minutes thinking "Shit... I don't know anything..." but I was fine once I started writing. I only had one major coughing fit so that was pretty good going.

I think I did enough to pass...

OU students are funny; this was my 4th exam over at the All Nations Centre in Cardiff. Every single time, the students all acted like separate tribes that were forced to interact against their will (much like Wolverhampton...). The first 3 exams I had, I made the effort to talk to people and that encouraged others to get involved and everyone ended up having some fun before the exams but yesterday I just could not be bothered so everyone sat in silence. I am glad I don't need to pretend to like these people any longer...

Of course, by the end of the exam, I could hardly stand and was in an incredible amount of pain. Home to the duvet and a bowl of soup. Woke up today just as bad but at least I don't have to worry about college any longer; just prepping for my PhD now. Hoping to start that next September.

So my faith in the British medical profession has been...

...completely annihilated.

I think I have sought medical help less than half a dozen times in the last ten years; only time I have really bothered was when I thought I was dying or when I needed my broken arm setting...

I have never even bothered registering with a doctor since I moved to Newport.

Why?

Well... mainly because doctors don't listen to me.

When I was sleeping excessively (this was when the depression was first manifesting itself), they were not interested and said I probably had a hormonal imbalance (I was tested and I didn't). When I had a severe allergic reaction and could not walk due to the agony in my joints, I was prescribed tablets for my dry skin on my elbows... and, of course, my FMF was misdiagnosed for many years.

So I have been deaf for a week now. I am still in a lot of pain. My mother had enough and dragged me off to get registered with her doctor. I at least managed to see someone within an hour. I tried to explain what was wrong with me and the doctor was very dismissive and said it was obviously just a sinus infection. She didn't even let me get out that my eardrum had burst or I CANNOT FEEL HALF OF MY FACE ANY LONGER!!! Every time I tried to say something, she interrupted me and said she had other patients to see. She refused to give me an unfit for work note so now I have to decide what to do about that too.

I haven't actually registered yet; I filled out the form but did not have the medical. They can fucking shove it. I wont be back. If I stay this bad, I will get the hospital to issue me with a letter at 3am tomorrow morning.

It's just so shit though! I am not some dumb kid who doesn't know what they are talking about! I do a lot of research into health issues due to the problems I have had over the years and to not even be allowed to discuss my symptoms???

Wankers.

And the best thing? She was incredibly dismissive of alternative therapies (ie, ear candling). They always are though.

But I'm done. No more doctors. I may see what the herbalist can offer me in the way of treatment. Other than that? Duvet therapy all the way.

Osama Bin Laden

Or should this one be called "The naivety of Twitter"?

I try not to post about political stuff on here as it just causes arguments but this is a very important issue for me...

I moved to Los Angeles on August 2nd 2001.

Great timing, huh?

On September 11th, I was due to visit my new university (CSULA in East Los Angeles) for the first time to sort out my health insurance and check out the campus so that I would be completely ready for term starting in a few weeks.

My room-mate was attending Santa Monica College and we lived in Hollywood so she would leave for class very early. I heard her go at about 6am and I stayed in bed for a while. Then the phone rang. She told me to not go anywhere near Downtown LA and to put the TV on.

I did, just in time to see the second plane hit.

9/11 traumatised me, largely because I saw it happen. It was not my first exposure to terrorism; growing up in a major UK city in the 1980s meant that I could not fear terrorism and live a normal life so I had learned to accept that if something happened, so be it.

Of course, my room-mate who was already showing signs of mental illness went completely over the edge. I am sure that did not help.

But I never feared terrorism; I continued to live my life. I avoided the London bombings because I was due to be in the city that day but I was not well and decided to postpone my trip.

Now the US government are saying they have finally got Bin Laden.

I am actually glad he is dead. Terrible for a former-Buddhist to say, I know... But he was the figurehead and he ordered the attacks so he should be punished. War crimes tribunals, etc, are all very well but they do not have the same effect as shooting someone in the face.

But now, of course, he will become a martyr to the cause.

I got the news on Twitter about an hour and a half ago (yeah I am a saddo; I check Twitter as soon as I wake up). I had a browse through the comments of others and many were following the same pattern - it's all over, let's bring our troops home, peace at last.

Wake up.

This is just the start.

This will get much worse before it gets better. Killing Bin Laden will just give more of these kids a reason to want to fight against the West. And many of them are only kids.

I have a Bachelors and a Masters degree in American Studies. One of the strongest images from my time writing about all this was video footage of a young teenager waving a gun and shouting "DEATH TO THE AMERICANS!" He was wearing a Chicago Bulls jersey...

I can see there being many more terrorist attacks and more limitations placed on travellers. This will just make their resolution stronger.

Again, don't get me wrong; I do believe Bin Laden needed to be removed but they also need to take out all of the other powerful members and then defeat the masses in battle and (hopefully) prove to disaffected youths that this is not the answer to their problems. But how realistic is that?

I don't see an end to this in my lifetime.

Other nations were trying to overpower and colonise Vietnam for a thousand years. The US tried and had to withdraw because they could not commit troops for the next thousand years.

War creates more disaffected youths who believe that fighting the world super-powers is the only solution to their problems. They cannot match them in combat and so terrorism is implemented to get their point across. This prompts more wars.

The answer?

Communication, education, negotiation.

Is this ever going to happen?

No.

Go read some W.D. Ehrhart.

Ugh... suffering

I came down with a bit of a cold about a fortnight ago. It was annoying more than anything; sore throat, blocked sinuses, headaches, bit of a fever, etc. I got my butt to work (as I have to) and after the second day, I had almost completely lost my voice. I was also struggling to hear but I carried on. Day 3... I was in training most of the day but had developed really horrible pressure inside my ear. I got home and my right ear drum burst. I lay under a duvet on the settee for a few days and now my left ear is going the same way. I am functioning quite well right now but I know this wont last.

Stupid cold.