Alternative therapies and the Great Gay Question

Yes, I’m the great alternative therapy user today. Which has to be a good thing as I was up last night feeling really sick. Goodness knows what it is, but it’s not a great way to spend the hours of 3 and 4 in the morning. Not with the plan to get up early and collect my blood form from the surgery when they opened at 8am – as they were kind enough to leave a message on my ansaphone yesterday that it was ready for collection. The doctor must assume I’m still alive then. Good.

And I didn't feel so great the rest of the day actually – I skipped breakfast (a shockingly rare event) and had two mugs of hot, sweet tea at my desk (another shockingly rare event x2). Which helped, though food was a no-no till 3pm. When I ate 3 dried apricots, 2 chocolate finger biscuits and some rice. In that order. Maybe I should have demanded “patient care” rights and an anti-sickness pill when I popped into the surgery to collect the ruddy form, but frankly I felt too sick to put up a fight. That’s the power of the doctor – when you need them the most, you’re too ill to express it. Darn it.

Still, I had my reflexology appointment at or lunchtime, which must have moved some of my apparent toxins through to the outside world. And Emily (reflexologist) also bought a copy of “A Dangerous Man” (http://www.flamebooks.com), which came with a free copy of "A Stranger's Table". And she's such a nice woman too. Hope she continues to do my feet after she's read it ... And talking of which, the Blessed Clayton (now his official title - at http://www.myspace.com/dwbsoho) has emailed me to say he's enjoying Michael and finds him very similar to the boys lurking outside his Soho shop. Hurrah! That's certainly perked me up - thanks again, Clayton (sorry, B.C. for short). Oh, and my boss has read the first ten pages and kept giving me faintly astonished looks. As well as having an interesting conversation about how it feels to be inside the head of someone like M. I can see my work review is going to be a riot.

This afternoon, I was supposed to be giving blood (help! I soon won’t have any left at the rate the buggers are taking it …), but I cried off in the end due to health. Self-pity’s a marvellous thing.

Tonight, Lord H is at the Worship Committee (which he hates with a vengeance, but feels morally obliged to go as the friendly face of finance), and I've just come back from my kinesiologist (http://www.kinesiology4health.com) – who has performed wonders with my Chakras and I am now a New Woman. Still not blonde though, curses. Apparently, I am now aligned with my emotional blueprint and must try to keep in step with it. Weird, I know - but bizarrely I do feel better. So let's not knock the weirdness just yet. And it was fun to do.

At home, I am videoing "Life on Mars" as I have no time to watch it, m'dears. Too busy blogging and such like. And Clare from The Friday Project (http://www.thefridayproject.co.uk) - who read yesterday's blog (if you're reading again, hello, Clare!) has emailed me to say she hasn't got my synopses yet. Oh dear, perhaps the TFP taste monitor took one look at them and held up its hands in horror. I have replied to ask if she would like them sent in another fashion, and await a response. Or the inevitable rejection - argghh!!

Oh, and Lord H had a good time at the homosexuality and poverty session at theology class last night. It was as has been obvious for many, many years: the laity really don’t give two hoots about who people sleep with, and it’s only the church leadership (and the media) which makes such a fuss about it. All the course attenders agreed that the sexuality issue is completely irrelevant as God’s got way more important issues to deal with – an agreement which apparently surprised the course leaders (again, another obvious fact: the church leadership never ever listen to the wisdom of their flock. Well, hey, tell us something we didn’t know …). Interestingly (and very sadly) though, two people in the group did say that, even though they had no problems with gay or lesbian people being part of their church, they would in fact advise any who turned up that they might be better placed elsewhere as their own local leadership was likely to make things difficult for them. Lord preserve us indeed. This issue always makes me soooo cross. I get quite tearful thinking about it. Why can’t people stop persecuting other people just because they have different desires from them? Aren’t we all human in the end? Pause for enraged yelling at the narrow-mindedness and stupidity of our so-called church leaders: Argghhh. Well, even though I’ve got (other) problems with church, at least anyone will be welcome at St Peter’s – as Lord H said, we’re 90% gay there anyway. Even the straight folk. Indeed, that’s been the High Church way for centuries …

Oh, and Jackie (http://jackieluben.blogspot.com) and Jennifer (wo-)manned a Goldenford (http://www.goldenford.co.uk) stall at the Farmers' Market in Guildford today, and sold copies of all our books, hurrah! Including one copy of "Pink Champagne and Apple Juice" to Julia from UniSWriters - thanks, Julia. Hope you like it!

Today’s nice things:

1. Reflexology
2. Finding my blueprint(!)
3. Clayton's email.

Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com

Freshers' Week Day One

The beginning of the Week from Hell. But actually it hasn't been too bad - yet. Both our talks today went well, and the damn DVD worked. Hurrah. The campus is stuffed with bright young people holding maps and looking puzzled. 'Twas ever thus. It'll take them six months to get used to the layout. It's not intuitive. Welcome to the adult world, people ...

Gave blood this afternoon - and for once I didn't have to take the extra test as I wasn't borderline anaemic. Phew. Must be all those dried apricots I'm eating. Better keep it up then.

At home, Lord H has bought me "Psychologies" magazine - as it has an article to help me find out if I'm depressed or just low. Actually, reading it made me feel worse, as I couldn't tell which I was. Do I have flashes of contentment or joy, or not? Haven't a bloody clue, Mr Smug Article Writer. You tell me. I think I'll put the whole mag to one side for a while - though I usually think it's okay, I simply don't have the energy at the moment.

Have just finished Lucy Ellman's "Doctors and Nurses" - bizarre in the extreme, but I got used to it in the end, though I was skipping through it rather than reading in depth. She's probably a genius, or a rather good scam artist, but I wouldn't want to read another one.

Today's nice things:

1. The chocolate biscuits and chat at the blood doner van
2. Being at home and being able to flop
3. Getting Day One over.

Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
http://www.goldenford.co.uk