Bailey and I have been taking quite a few photographs lately. He recently went out and splurged on a new Canon 5D Mk II with 24-70mm f/2.8 lens so he’s always looking for opportunities to justify the expense. (I somehow managed to lure Bailey to “the dark side”. Up til now he’s been a Nikon boy.) Coincidentally, he’s also scored a casual job at the Australian Centre for Photography, an organisation that is part gallery, part school. It was through [...]
This month saw the long awaited relaunch of Do It Yourself Dinner Parties. This concept grew out of Greig becoming bored with calling around friends to invite them to dinner, then having to worry about who does and doesn’t get along with who and who does and doesn’t eat what. He decided that, short of never inviting friends to dinner, there had to be an easier way. Hence, DIYDP was born. Greig sharpened his programming pencil and came up with [...]
Things have actually been a bit on the quiet side lately. I’m not sure if it’s because everyone is recovering from Mardi Gras, we are recovering from New Zealand or I am just recovering. Or getting old. Nah. Probably not the last. So, this month was spent doing all those quiet things like socialising and dining. We had a lovely dinner with Scott & Phillip in their beautifully renovated terrace right in the heart of Surry Hills. Their lives seem [...]
After surviving two weeks in New Zealand, Greig and I landed back in Sydney on Mardi Gras Eve. Sadly the timing did not allow us to participate in the planning or building of any floats this year. In a moment of weakness, Greig did however agree to participate “on the ground” in Geoff & Joal’s “Tradies” Mardi Gras Float. This involved a group of gay tradesmen – plumbers, electricians and the like – to pull their stubbies down to their [...]
We actually spent most of this month in New Zealand. More on that elsewhere. Mitch is turning . . . ummmm . . . I’m not sure, actually. In any case, he had drinks to celebrate the occasion at The Dolphin Hotel on Crown Street. This was actually an interesting event. As far as I’m aware it’s the first time Mitch has allowed his gay friends and his “not gay” friends to all gather in the same place. It was [...]
Well, it didn’t take too much to recover from New Years. I have only just realised that for the past few years (“few” meaning roughly around ten) there has been absolutely bugger-all on in Sydney for New Years. Sure, you can always join the drunken crowds in the “alcohol free” zones around the city and try your hand at “glassing” a few passers-by while watching what may well be the most spectacular New Years fireworks display on the planet, but [...]
Every year Greig and I go to the Candlelight Memorial to remember all those friends that we’ve lost to AIDS. This year was a much quieter event for two reasons. 1) ACON had arranged a large charity fundraiser on the same night, and B) It was pissing down. In any case, we went along. With the fewer familiar faces there Dot was forced to coerce me into being one of the “readers”. It’s not something I’ve done before so now [...]
It’s no secret that Greig is an excellent cook. In fact, I may go so far as to say that his desserts and sweet things are the stuff of legends. (But I may also be biased.) After a couple of random posts on Facebook about his lovely Pine Nut Brittle, he was challenged to a cook-off by Warren Mc. Well, not actually a challenge – more an excuse to get a stack of friends in one place, drink lots and [...]
Let’s get the crap out of the way first. Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Sleaze Ball. Fail. Holding it in The Forum (one of the least loved venues in Sydney) was probably the worst thing they could do, but when you forget to book a venue (again), I guess what options do you have? And while offering discounted tickets to anyone under the age of 25 did attract more younger people, it probably broke discrimination laws and quite frankly, [...]
It seems that we celebrate an anniversary this month. It’s exactly twenty years since Greig and I finished building Studio A at 2RDJ-FM in Burwood. Remarkably, twenty years on it’s still working. Mostly. After Kent’s memorial gathering in July, a bunch of us wandered up to the studio to see how the old girl had aged. And aged, she had. Most of the equipment that Greig and I had installed all those years ago all those years ago is still [...]