If bare limbs you like

If driving fast cars you like, if low bars you like, if old hymns you like, if bare limbs you like

Fast cars

With all the bank holidays we have coming up I realise that I now only have a 3-day week, a 4-day week and a 5-day week left in the office.  After that, I have at least 52 no-day weeks. I refuse to entertain thoughts of what I will do after my trip until at least February 2012.

My 80 Gays mini MOO cards

I think I am definitely in winding down mode at work. Walking round the office with a huge grin on my face, telling people how long I have left in hours and handing out my 80 Gays mini cards is not necessarily winning me any friends though.

One of my soon to be ex bosses asked me the other day when my last day was.  It happens to be the day after a big client event at the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden.  I jokingly said that my plan was to go out in style by drinking my own body weight in champagne (which would be a feat in itself), telling a few people what I actually thought of them then hot-wiring one of the exhibits and driving it out into the piazza.  As the colour drained from their face, I realised that some people still don’t get my sense of humour after nearly 6 years of being here.  And for any colleagues reading this, yes, it is who you think it is.

Bare limbs

I’ve never been the best packer for travelling.  The companions to my recent holiday to Turkey will argue that I tend to overpack. I still maintain that 10 pairs of trunks for a week long holiday is not excessive – after all it is only one pair per day, a spare pair, a spare spare pair and the special “tan line reduction” pair (or as my friend Sarah called them the “shouldn’t be seen in polite company” pair).

My traditional approach to packing has been to do it the night before I leave, but this normally coincides with going out for pre-holiday drinks - never a good combination.  I tend to do fairly well with my inebriated packing; I’ve only had one minor mishap packing for a work trip.  Stumbling in at close to midnight with my packing still to be done before having to be up at dawn’s crack for a 7am train to Manchester, I knew I had to pack before I went to sleep as there would be no time in the morning. I packed, I slept, I left early and got the train.  After a very long day working at the client site in Manchester the team checked in to the hotel and we agreed to go change for dinner and meet in the hotel bar. As I unpacked I realised I had packed enough shirts for the week, a selection of matching ties, some casual clothes and the right number of pairs of socks.  However, I had forgotten to pack any underwear but had mysteriously packed 2 Soreen malt loaves…

I won’t fall into the same trap this time.  I have a list of the basics and my philosophy is if I have those, then anything else can be purchased while I am travelling. The basics are my travel documents (passport, tickets & visas), my Amex card, a clean pair of pants and my toothbrush. Who says that the gays can’t travel light?

“If driving fast cars you like, if low bars you like, if old hymns you like, if bare limbs you like"
Lyrics from Anything Goes from the musical Anything Goes