superchilled

Do you recognise this image?

2012-02-03T11:10:00.000+11:00

Do you know where this image is from?

As soon as I stumbled upon it searching for a different image entirely it is very clear to me where it comes from.

I'm hoping most of you also know - so post a comment and tell me where you think it is from.

Happy New Year, oh but wait it's already February.

2012-02-03T08:16:00.001+11:00

I've been absent both here and from home for a few weeks now. Nothing like a trip around the world to start the year. But a sure fire way to make January fly by. Literally.

During that time away I learnt a number of ways to BEHAVE BADLY as a TRAVELLER.

1. If you are from Russia,
Take your newly found 'lady of the night' to one of the classiest restaurants in town. Be loud to ensure everyone notices you and pop your 2 large bags of McDonald's take-out right in the middle of the table. Keep it there right through the sensational dinner. Better still, get your mate to do the same with you. All class. Departing early, leaving the girls to enjoy the rest of their meals in relative silence is your only saving grace.
CHI CHA restaurant, Cusco, Peru

2.
From Germany
When your tour guide, who has literally just finished a 4 day mountainous trek (which you missed because you didn't turn up on day 1) is going to the first proper bathroom he's seen in days, demand that you really need to get going for the next leg that you're catching up with, and that he's wasting your time. Sensitive.
Machu Picchu, Peru

3. From Israel

If it's a popular national park hike in serene surrounds, be sure to have a loud and animated conversation that drowns out the sounds of wildlife and running streams for the entire duration of the walk. Ensure than EVERYONE on the track hears you and only you, even though nobody else seems to need this volume to be heard by their fellow walkers.

El Chalten, Argentina

4. From everywhere English speaking: when a local doesn't understand what you're saying, turn the volume up! Surely if you speak louder everyone will understand. Intelligent.

5. I'm not sure where from but smoking cigars relentlessly in a large hotel lobby/restaurant open space to the point that everyone reeks of smoke is the definition of wanker.

El Calafate, Argentina.

Perhaps I'm just over sensitive.

Oh and Happy New Year.

J'ai SUPERFROID

2011-12-31T11:37:00.005+11:00

Right now I'm wearing this t-shirt. It translates "I'm super chilled" though I guess it could also be read "I'm super cold", and I guess different people may have different takes on that. I bought it when I was in fact quite chilled in the French Alps a day or two ago, though I'm about to be wearing it in Rio. Does that make it a whole different class of chilled? I don't care. On the flight here I finished the first book I've read in years, "exit through the wound" by North Morgan, who I know as London Preppy. In the back of the book the publisher, Glasshouse Books, states "Glasshouse books has a simple mission statement. To publish books for people who don't read."

I tick that box.

When I started the book I was unimpressed. Not only was the main character straight rather than gay, yet the same character from london preppy's blog. Some of the work was pure cut and paste from the blog, and there was so much drug use I felt I was at work. But it grew on me. Certain bits have been updated for current consumption, which disappoints, but despite this I enjoyed it and in the end I was just burning through the pages under a narrow beam from my reading light as everyone else on my flight slept.

And on this Iberia flight from Madrid to Rio there are pieces of tape holding together the mirror and ventilation filter in the one toilet I've visited. I hope the engines and fuselage are more convincingly held together, but then this is a Spanish plane and we are deep in GFC2.

The reason I referred to the book is that it reinforces an opinion I've developed recently that I need to stop caring what people think. I have no reason to be self conscious and if people don't understand me they can ask. I don't need or want to explain myself. I'm calling it self respect. And I'm going to be more demanding with it in future.

Which brings me to an issue I've been grappling with for a few years now. A good friend disowned me for personal reasons, his not mine, some time back. A friendship I enjoyed greatly and have missed, and the demise of which I do not and will probably not ever truly understand, though I am certain there is miscommunication, misunderstanding and a deal of emotional content that's difficult to decipher. My mistake then was to allow it to happen and not enforce a face to face discussion, even if the end result were to be the same.

But now I'm giving transparency the flick. If you want to know what I'm thinking, deserve to know it first, then ask. I'm taking no prisoners, jumping into 2012 and running with it, not waiting for anyone to catch up. Keep up or make your own way. Be sure to have fun though. I certainly will.

Gazing into the www sky

2011-12-06T01:21:00.000+11:00

I remember as a kid our long summer holidays to the Myall Lakes where we would camp at the edge of the lake, our own sandy beach, our own space. Days were spent in or by the water, swimming, skiing, sailing, windsurfing or just mucking around. In the evenings as the sun set slowly over the lake I'd stare at the stars emerging in the deepening blue sky. I was at the edge of the earth with the vastness of space just an arms-length away. So insignificant and yet so connected at the same time. The potential possibilities of what I could achieve felt infinite.

There was no internet back then. There was no verb 'to google'. Billions of stars then and now but now there is a whole new world that you and I both can explore through the screens we are focussed on right now.

While I may have felt the possibilities were endless then, right now they are ever so much more real. If I want to contact someone - I can. There was a movie that moved me, so I emailed the director and had a conversation. There was something that irked me on a TV show & newspaper article, so I tweeted in response and had myself heard. When I'm not happy with something politically, I can move and shake and do something about it. Easily. And then there's this blog, while a little less fashionable these days, it is my own little publication that is read regularly throughout the world (by some very special people). A very small sandy beach in the huge ocean that is the world wide web.

And while I love watching the sunset and gazing at the stars, for me it is all about the connection. The people who come into my world and share experiences, reflect on them and gain from them, returning to the world a little better for it. Hopefully.

And right now I'm physically exhausted from the people who have come into my world of late. And I love it.

It's Time - Get Up video

2011-11-27T23:34:00.002+11:00

I love this. It's beautiful and powerful.

Click here to support the cause.

Noosa Triathlon Chaos

2011-11-05T02:11:00.000+11:00

Me - far left - at the bike-run transition.

Last weekend was the focus of my training for much of the year. The Noosa Triathlon.

And what a weekend it was to become!

The first thing one notices when you arrive in Noosa on this particular weekend of the year is the mass of bicycles EVERYWHERE. And they're not just standard bikes. They're the carbon fibre / time trial / über expensive variety in all manner of shapes, colours and weights.

While they may be the first thing you notice they are by far not the predominant feature. The hot, fit men that abound is enough eye candy to create visual diabetes. And while I'm tempted to say I'd be happy to made ill from the abundance, that's a little too close to the bone for me for this particular weekend.

Pre-race preparation is all consuming - a combination of physical preparation / equipment organisation / hydration and rest. I find myself phasing out of conversations as I focus on my race plans and preparation in my head.

But this year things, all kinds of things, go horribly wrong, from way in advance right through the weekend. We'll start with my brother having to withdraw as result of his bike-car crash earlier in the year. A fews days before the weekend I develop a sore throat and cough, this was not in my pre-race plan. As the weekend arrives we discover that my partner and his team are in fact not registered for their team event. A technical glitch that wasn't a fun discovery for the team especially for the cyclist who had her own newly purchased über bike all prepped up with no place to ride. On Saturday Qantas grounds its entire fleet and our exit from Noosa becomes uncertain. Not that I'm too worried as staying in Noosa longer is never really a problem.

But wait, there's more.

Sunday, Race Day arrives and at 5am I'm awake and in preparation, pre-hydration and setting up gear in the transition zone. My race starts at 6:52. The swim is good, but I'm feeling a little congested with the cold I've developed, so not perfect. The cycle is hard work, more than I remember, but at the same time I'm feeling pretty strong and confident and I push myself hard. My legs don't feel as fast as they have been in the past few weeks though, not the strength I'm used to. Transition to running is easy, but by 2km the run hurts and there's 8 to go. I know I'm in a good position though with one or two ahead of me. But each km feels harder and harder. I'm loving the hose spraying locals who rain on me but the rehydration stations aren't frequent enough. It's getting close to the end, just 3 km to go. I'm feeling a little faster, but it' still hard work and then the next thing I know I'm in an ambulance, sirens and all, what the hell happened?

The ambulance officer comes in and out of blur. He asks me if I can see clearly yet. I wonder if he can read my mind but realise this is not the first time he's done this. He tells me what's been happening, I've collapsed, dehydrated with next to no blood pressure but never unconscious, though I recall nothing. He updates me on what's happening next and I close my eyes because it feels better that way. But that prompts him to ask me if I'm okay , or "keep with me" which he doesn't actually say but I hear it, so I keep my tired eyes open as he buzzes around me keeping going. We shake and shudder and wind our way to the emergency department by which time I've had 2 1/2 litres of fluid and where I then have another 2 more before leaving later that afternoon, somewhat dazed and very tired but still a little bit thirsty.

My support crew doesn't hear about me nor my whereabouts until 2 hours after I was due at the finish line. They're accordingly freaked out, but happy to discover I'm alive and deliver loads of big hugs when I get back to Noosa. It's big Pizza dinner, a lot of fluids and early to bed. How we get home is something for tomorrow.

reunited

2011-10-17T00:36:00.004+11:00

I did it.

I made it to the school reunion.

I had extremely low expectations, but they were blown right away. I had a ball, in fact I was with the last few people to leave. The fellow colleague I'd had huge issues with some 15 years ago came directly up to me and apologised for her behaviour back then. I wasn't sure how things would go there, so it was extremely refreshing and quite fun. There were some really interesting people with whom I could have chatted individually for a whole evening, and some amazing life stories. Of course not everyone was completely engaging, but people were generally a whole lot more mature and more outwardly focussed. It was of course punctuated by me coming out multiple times, which some people had to take a little moment to compute. I got more attention from the girls than I ever did, which was fun, as with their compliments. I left with a sense of warmth from people who actually gave a damn.

I'm very glad I went. I'd sworn never to go to another school reunion.

Changing one's mind isn't always a bad thing.

It's My High School Reunion

2011-10-07T23:20:00.000+11:00

The last high school reunion I attended was hideous. I couldn't get away fast enough, literally. I wanted to leave but was driving my good friend who, very unusually, got drunk, was less inclined to leave and blah blah I got home later and more infuriated than ever. The people there reverted to their high school personas and maturity and one previously good friend treated me as if I was not even in the room. Flabbergastingly childish. We've not spoken since, her choice. There were, I recall, two women with whom I chatted who were standouts from that crowd. They had both married early, had kids, worked and studied all at the same time, and were switched on and real. They were the only saving grace. The bimbo women who battered their eyelashes and giggled about how much work it must have been for me to study medicine et al, bored me to tears, as did the men's bravado about who achieved what materially in their lives.

"Never again", I said.

I lied.

I have accepted the invitation to the follow up reunion some 15 years later. This time I'm hopeful some of those missing from the earlier reunion will enlighten my opinions, and perhaps a good dose of maturity might enter the room this time. Though I'm setting my expectations to basement on this one. The chosen restaurant is not bad, so at worst it's an ok meal with bad company, many of whom have no name embedded in my memory. I'm curious if the woman who has chosen not to speak to me for over 15 years will be there and if so will she make eye contact? My good friend who got drunken and disorderly last time has his act in gear and will be a fun sparring partner I expect this time. I'm not taking The Frenchman, as I love him to much to force this upon him. It would be quite the coming out event though if he did accompany me though as most won't know I'm gay (I assume). So I'll be flying under the radar, and that can be fun. I really don't care what people think any more. I'm more interested in finding out out the paths people have taken in lives less ordinary, and I believe there might be a few of those, though if truly wise they probably won't be there.

All Tied Up

2011-09-17T00:44:00.001+10:00

I was chatting with a good friend the other day how I never wear ties any more. I have a boat load of them from the days when I did, but they slowly phased out of my day to day wardrobe. Sometimes I miss them.

We threw about a few ideas as to why they were invented in the first place, none of which turn out to be correct. My friend suggested I post about the history of the tie. So Martin, here is your post. I'll keep it brief, though that could itself be a whole other post...

It seems Ancient Egypt had the first known neck tie - a rectangular piece of regular cloth wrapped around the neck and draped over the shoulder a bit like a shawl. It represented social status. China had a form as well, noted from around 220BC. But the modern tie stems more from a fashion statement by the military in Croatia in the 17th century which was noted by the French and copied. They must have found the Croatians sexy.

The ties were worn in a lot of different shapes and styles with loads of different ways to tie them.

Up until the 19th century, the styles mostly included country symbols and were tied in ways that represented the social status of the wearer. I wonder if a certain knot indicated sexual persuasion...

The modern necktie developed its shape in 1924 when New Yorker Jessie Langsdorf patented a style of cloth and cut, made in 3 parts which were sewn together to form the now worldwide fashion item.

And maybe, having researched some of the uses of it (ie the photos for this post) I might have developed a new interest in Ties, and the men who wear them.

It's not about the clothes

2011-09-03T00:24:00.000+10:00

There's no wonder designers hire sexy models like Mr Zagorski here, to wear their wares. Sometime the clothes are so good they need nothing to sell them, but more often than not they need to borrow a little sex appeal. Take these particular board shorts he's wearing - put them on anyone else and you'd not look twice. Young Maxwell wears them and suddenly they're more appealing and you're thinking "I could wear those", and the advertising ticks the box, and hopefully your wallet.

I recall going to an event as a teenager with my brother who was competing nationally windsurfing. Lots of the guys were wearing these cool new surf clothes, they were mostly elite windsurfers and accordingly fit & tanned. I was much less fit & fantastic, but I liked the gear they were wearing (really the guys themselves too if I'm honest). The next day I decided to track down where I could get some. When I got to the store the staff told me of the event they had loaned out much of their stock for the night before... So all these guys were effectively models for the clothes for the night. I kind of felt like I'd been tricked and lost interest in buying anything.

Product placement does work, I just try to take less notice of the product and more the placement these days...

The Art of Unproductivity

2011-08-19T07:48:00.000+10:00

I'm an on-the-go kinda guy, a day isn't complete unless a thousand things have been accomplished and I've arrived in bed late more because of the time rather than me actually wanting to stop. Thursdays are not quite that kind of day. This is the day I look after my now 2 1/4 year old daughter. Getting a handful of things done, outside of looking after the young one, becomes a major feat. Forget hundreds or thousands. From the outside, having the day off work to look after a kid seems bliss, and sometimes it quite frankly is, but it is also a challenge in the mastery of multitasking. I met a friend for lunch at a cafe with my daughter this Thursday. She had woken (and hence so had I) early and was a little more tired than planned by lunch time. ie Slightly grumpy & not so sociable. Not the best start. Tiredness brings on a little bit of food aversion, or at least a bigger tendency to play with it, and make noises when things aren't going precisely her way. Conversation was a little stuttered with my very forgiving friend. Through my mind is going a constant checklist - is she eating enough, am I going to need to use the bathroom, is there a change table there, are we disturbing the other cafe patrons, what did my friend just say, do I need to get toys out or will she cope without, is letting her watch Dora the Explorer on the iPad a bad parenting decision. Oh and there's more but after we get home, having sun all the way there in the car to keep her awake, and she decides she isn't going to sleep her usually early afternoon nap, I go into a meltdown. It's the time I was counting on to get stuff done.

One has to cut ones expectations and learn to enjoy being just a dad, playing silly games, drawing and building with blocks, running around in circles, dancing and singing like you've never done before. And it is a lot of fun.

When you let go of everything else.

Pitbull / Marc Anthony - So Eurovision, So Gay?

2011-08-08T01:10:00.003+10:00

I heard this track on the radio a week or so ago and felt like I'd heard it before. It sounded like a Eurovision song but I couldn't quite pick which one it was. I Shazamed it to find out and "Pitbull featuring Marc Anthony" was the answer. Now I've just looked at the video, and the the chorus is just so camp and so Eurovision, I'm wondering what it all means. Of course I'm not spending any real time thinking about it, but it's funny, it's not the image these guys usually project as far as I am aware.

August: The End is Near

2011-08-02T01:59:00.005+10:00

August is the month that defines my year. It's not that anything special happens in August, it's just that when it comes around it's the sign that the year really is closer to the end than the beginning. People start talking about Christmas even Christmas parties. August is the last month of our winter and the time we start to look forward to a nearing spring and the summer it in turn heralds. And before you know it by the time you've thought about August it feels like the end of the year is here. But wait, there's so much to be done before summer comes along. And I still have that 6 pack to procure before it's warm enough to be meandering shirtless. Maybe it will happen this year. But it's August, have I left my run too late? I'm telling myself it's just another day in another year, which only has boundaries because we have constructed them. But it doesn't work, it's the end, the year is officially not new, not young, and there's so much to be done.

Populate or perish?

2011-07-27T02:13:00.000+10:00

Imagine you're in an empty warehouse. Immense open space, and you.

Sitting on a chair.

If we add a little magic, you can populate the environment around you in any way you choose. You may make it into a neat forest, with you resting on a day bed in the middle, or reclining in a hammock. It could be the ultimate dance party with a selection of people - will they be men or women? a mix, hot & sexy or guy/girl next door types, maybe a very specific kind of party goer? Perhaps just one person dancing only with you.

It might become a theatre, a cinema, a Googleplex. Perhaps an oasis like resort with waterfalls and plunge pools. It might be a mammoth sauna / bath house or a vast dark space with just a string quartet playing under a spotlight . The ultimate warehouse residence with mezzanines, grand staircases, designer art, a butler and a resident chef catering for your impromptu dinner parties. Maybe it's a library with walls of books.

You're going to create something entirely different from me or anyone else and this would be different now from if I asked you 1 hour ago.

People often think they know what you are thinking. Chances are there are a thousand other things happening in your head one of which might be close, but the reasoning behind it might not connect at all with what they are thinking. Just as you really have no idea of their thoughts or the reasons behind them.

It easy to stereotype or assume thought patterns, but if one keeps an open mind, you can travel to whole new worlds through the people around you. You just need to ask loads more questions, assume nothing and not build walls where there aren't any.

What kind of worlds will you find?

I'll have what He's having

2011-07-23T00:46:00.004+10:00

I reader has kindly recommended this video, and I can't think of any reason not to agree. A little bit of hotness for the start of the weekend.

Is there a point? I don't know. And tonight I really don't care. Click below and watch a little pretty.

Just because it's sexy

2011-07-22T03:07:00.002+10:00

47 seconds

Training Partner?

2011-07-19T06:00:00.001+10:00

I've lost my training partners.

I've lost my coaches.

Some have moved out of the area, some are temporarily in the Northern Hemisphere, some just don't train any more. And too many have been hit by cars. On bikes. Bloody Drivers.

My brother is still out of action in a training sense from his accident, and my swim coach is in hospital in a coma.

I've always been an independently motivated guy and so I go on and push myself to go better, harder, faster on my own. But I like people and I like working as a team, or even just working independently but connecting with someone along the way. I miss them all. The people who would just be there and do stuff, and push hard, and sometimes not but still have fun along the way.

And so I'm looking out for new people to fill the void. They may or may not look like the guy in the picture, but so long as they challenge me in some way I really don't mind. I just have no idea where I'm gonna find them.

June 2011

2011-06-30T10:30:00.000+10:00

Wandering around Paris it really seems the city of love is more a city of unhappiness. Almost all the faces one encounters looks like it's just been told bad news, or is pissed off with everyone around it. Maybe the high temperatures in recent days have been a catalyst for discontent, but I have never really sensed a great 'love' any time I've been in Paris. I know scores of people who rave about how they want to return here, and dream of living in Paris, but I really don't get that feeling. Don't get me wrong, I thinks it's a great city with a lot of positives, great food, loads of things happening (often closed the day or time I turn up, we'll call it bad planning) , but the sense I get is that the people who actually do live here are dreaming of being somewhere else too. Oh and the traffic is awful, (but the trains are great).

There are a host of hot men, but I don't get a sense of there being much of a sporting environment here. Which is something I would need to work on.

Pack up my wheels and...?

2011-05-27T08:00:00.001+10:00

I'm ready for a break. Ready for some change. I've been on the merry go round for months and the 1 week break in Byron Bay was great, but enough to make me want more, not be ready to go back to every day life. I want to buy that one way ticket to anywhere and see where it leads. I want to seek the people who make me think and grow, and leave the people who stifle creativity and expression.

At the same time I want to cure my dog who has cancer and is deteriorating daily. He's the best natured labrador you could imagine, allowing my daughter to pull toys and food from his mouth, lie all over him, climb over him, as well as hug and kiss him as she too grows attached to him and searches for him whenever she arrives home. I don't want to leave him, I don't want him to leave us.

Watching a loved one dying, a little more each day, is a kind of living grief. You feel joy that he's here with you and sorrow knowing the time you have with him is increasingly short.

So I want to run away and stay where I am.

Byron

2011-05-10T01:16:00.000+10:00

I'm hooked.

I've just completed my 4th triathlon and I'm already calculating how to better my times and be more competitive, even though I came home with gold.

It has been our tradition to head to Byron Bay to compete in their Ocean Swim race the first Sunday in May each year. It's usually a fun weekend and a last hurrah to summer as the heat disappears northwards.

This year it was a fun week, and a distinct end to summer. The triathlon follows on the next Saturday and this year I decided to hang around and do it. It was very worthwhile. While I used to enjoy the ocean swims because of the competition as well as the eye candy, triathlons have an exponentially improved eye candy quotient. Sometimes distracting but always welcomed. The race itself is a lot more taxing both physically and mentally, and I love it. My legs may hate me for it but I love the feel of getting faster and becoming the runner everyone thought I wasn't. Including me.

There are loads of interesting people in or passing through Byron and the beaches and surrounding hinterland. A week spending time watching the waves and turning off the world is an excellent option, even if there is some serious energy expenditure bookending it.

It also turns out there are a hell of a lot of gay guys getting into triathlons.

Who'll be joining me next year?

Holes in all the right places.

2011-04-06T01:35:00.003+10:00

There's something about things that have holes that I just love. It could be the peak at something you're not supposed to see, a view of something sexy, the ability to poke your fingers into them and feel around. The curiosity as to how they formed - intentional, accidental or just with repeated use.

When I first met the Frenchman he had a pair of jeans with large holes in the legs which showed off his very sexy knees. It's one of my enduring images (and tactile memories) of those fledgling days of our relationship.

People too have holes, and I'm not talking about orifices. The imperfections they frequently try to cover up. In my work I have to poke and prod into these holes in people's lives because they're the bits that, while frequently labelled trivial, often have significant impact on their lives and health. Often in ways they have no idea of. While it can be dangerous territory to explore, the discovery of these perceived or real imperfections is often valuable for the people who harbour them. The truth is everyone has something they feel is imperfect or needs to be sheltered from the rest of the world. More often than not it's something that gives us individuality and makes us interesting and if embraced can make us better people.

For some of us being gay is that imperfection.

Butterfly Kiss

2011-03-29T01:42:00.000+11:00

The best thing about being a dad is being able to spend loads of time playing. Getting out the lego and making things, drawing things, throwing balls around, dancing crazily around the house singing and making up the words. Repeating words or phrases and having them come back at you in increasingly refined form, sometimes days later, getting spontaneous hugs and kisses, and laughing uncontrollably at reactions you never anticipated.

Here you have a few shots of the two of us playing. Much fun.

For those following my brother's recovery (a cycling accident), he's home, out of his neck brace and going well with a lot of work still ahead. I'll be competing without him, sadly, at the Sydney Triathlon in 2 weeks. Training continues at pace.

40 40 40 104 104 104 hot hot hot

2011-02-02T01:46:00.004+11:00

It's F*#king hot. It's 1.30am and it's still 32C. The last few days have been peaking at 40C (104F) and staying there for a while. I've put lunch time runs and cycles on the shelf for the moment. But the water is my constant companion. I went skinny dipping in a rock pool by the ocean here at midnight which was sensational - not just the cooling off but the stunning phosphorescence in the water. It was like an underwater fireworks display. At 35 degrees outside it was nice to just float around for a while until I actually felt cold. It's one of my favourite things to do in the middle of summer. Pure bliss.

My brother has made it home from hospital and is rapidly on the mend. He's on a mission it seems. Hopefully his body will keep pace with his head.

It's been a good day.

Hit the Sand

2011-01-29T01:32:00.002+11:00

It's been an intense week and it's time to hit the sand and celebrate the weekend. For those following the progress of my daughter Amélie, she is now 20 months old and loving rolling in the sand until she's coated like a lamington, then diving in the water and splashing about, and repeating it all. I'm going to be joining her over the weekend and at one point we'll be racing in the far north of Sydney. It should be fun. I hope you have a fun filled weekend. Hopefully I'll see you at the beach!

Telephone Calls from Disaster

2011-01-25T02:08:00.000+11:00

You know those telephone calls you get? They come out of the blue on any normal day, in the middle of doing normal things. But they're not anything normal. They're entirely extraordinary. They're phone calls you never want to answer but you don't know it until you do and then it's too late.

I got that call on Friday morning on my way to do a house call. My normal Friday work day. The patient I was going to see was dying, but the call was about my brother. He was hit by a car training on his bike. He was in the emergency department.

I'm horrified, but the voice of my sister-in-law is calm so it mustn't be too bad. But then, they hadn't let her see him yet. I'm rifling through the possibilities - and I don't like the connection of car and bike with my brother in between. I have many questions but none of which can be answered right now. Shit. I'm thinking more words but I'm a little uncertain of where to go and how concerned to get. He's in another city and I'm due to see a host of patients myself. I don't know whether to cut and run or hold off and wait for more news. I don't really concentrate well with my patient but I get by.

More news and he's alive - he's concussed but has some fractures. Okay that's not so bad.

He has 18 fractures, many involve his neck and back. Oh god that's not so good. Can he move? Does he have any spinal cord injuries...?

He can move, but he's in a lot of pain oh and he's punctured his lung. Brilliant.

It turns out the driver who pulled out in front of him from a stop sign "didn't see him" (he was wearing fluoro yellow) and was upset about his car mirror being smashed up. Lovely.

He'll be months in a neck brace and his Iron Man Triathlon in March is off.

I'm at once pissed off at the bloody driver and trying to be the supportive medically trained family. Thankfully he's in good care. But it's just so unfair.

People, keep a look out on the roads!! I don't want to be the next casualty.

summer hotness

2011-01-18T02:09:00.000+11:00

It's not really a new year , just a continuation of the last one with a new number, and a whole lot more chocolate. Where the hell did it all come from? The cupboard is still chock full of the stuff. It is certainly making me train harder to keep lean. So come Mardi Gras I'll be back to peak form though probably not be anywhere near Mardi Gras itself.

Wandering through The Beresford hotel (so packed you could lift up your legs and still be standing) a few Sundays ago, the first time in a LONG time, I discovered the gay world is actually a whole lot more attractive than I realised. Straight men had been increasingly attractive to me compared with their gay counterparts. Perhaps its because the guys who turn up at the Beresford are a generally a little more gay-as-a-part-of-their-life rather than gay-as-a-career. Or perhaps I've just been away for too long, but regardless, it was refreshing.

This time of the year is certainly peak hot-man season, and everywhere I go I'm pleasantly distracted by men looking somewhat like those above. I've almost fallen of my bike run into a pole or swum into a wall with quite some regularity. The price of hotness. Curiously I've found through my work that the most beautiful people typically have the biggest psychological baggage. It's sad but at the same time reassuring. Yin & Yang always keeping the world in balance.

Having been especially social and entertaining for much of the summer to date, I'm now looking forward to some minimalism. Some time watching the waves roll in, and perhaps picking up a book or two and taking myself offline a little more. Time will tell if it actually happens, and I need a really good book to take me away from it all. Suggestions most welcome.

My plan for your New Year

2011-01-01T01:34:00.007+11:00

For New Year's Eve and any night out on the town these are going to be your bodyguards. In fact you can take them wherever you want really, they're yours.

When you wake up on New Year's Day and every day this year this will either be you or your lover preparing to make your breakfast. Your pick.

Your home will be kept spick & span by your own personal house man. He comes with his own gloves.

If you get into any difficulties through 2011 and need support, these are your men. They'll be there through thick & thin to keep you moving upwards. Even though sometimes you'll want to just hold on for a bit.

If you get into a hot spot and need someone urgently. Here he is. Just don't ask him about his hose.

And at the end of each day this is how you will be greeted at the door. Time to smell the roses, or lilies or quite frankly whatever you want.

Have a fantastic 2011. Thanks to all of my regular readers for continuing to come back and read Superchilled. It's great to have you here. It's great to be here and 2011 is filled with extraordinary possibilities. Let's make them come to life.

How do YOU celebrate?

2010-12-28T00:02:00.004+11:00

I'm sure by now everyone's had a toast thrown their way, "Merry Christmas; Cheers!", "To The Year ahead", "To the Year that was!", "To the Holidays!" and countless others. New Year Celebrations are classically the time when even non drinkers will clash their glass filled with something sparkling against those of others, with fireworks or loud music filling the surrounding air. And while the gold standard is usually a French Champagne, it's certainly not everyone's celebratory choice.

So I'm curious to know how YOU will be celebrating this New Year. Will it be a shared bottled of Veuve (in a a bath perhaps), a beer or three, a glass of adam's ale (water that is) or perhaps something not consumed from a glass. Maybe a celebratory activity - a nude run down a public space or a skinny dip at midnight, a night in with friends or a night in the sack. Perhaps a dance party or quiet night in the wilderness under the stars. The options are as wide as the sky is limiting. So tell me what you're doing and how you're doing it. And if it's with a beverage, what will you be sipping and who will be sharing?

Regardless of how you do it I hope you have a great celebration. I'm looking forward to a week of down time and exactly how I'm celebrating is not entirely fixed, but will certainly include some of the above.

Smashed Sprint

2010-12-06T23:52:00.003+11:00

I'm smashed.

Those who've been following superchilled will know I've been embarking fiercely into triathlon competition. This weekend was my second race 'TriTheGong', in my home town and a sprint distance triathlon - ie 750m swim, 16km cycle and 5km run.

I'm not sure I like the hellishly early starts (I was up a bit after 4.30am) as I'd prefer to be going to bed then than getting up, but I was up and racing by 7.30am as was my brother and primary competition. The race was hard - I pushed myself harder than my first race in Noosa and tried to increase pace to fit the 'sprint' title. It turned out that I did very well, managed a podium finish in my age category, beat my brother by 2 min (he beat me in the prior race) and had a great time.

I really didn't expect to be so high in the rankings, but it shows that when you tackle the areas that need work and persevere you can make progress. So right now I'm feeling shattered and contented all at once. I'm going to have a break from competition for a little bit now, but I'm loving it. There will be more.

Has anyone else tried triathlon competition?

Keen to try?

I'm curious.

This Side of the Wall

2010-11-24T01:23:00.000+11:00

I don't like barriers. I don't like being unable to get past things. I don't like not getting my way, but I like less not being able to express myself, or not be listened to when I'm trying to communicate something. Even if I am wrong. On those rare occasions.

I usually try to break through barriers, jump over them, knock them down, or mobilise other people who can make it happen better than I can. With my triathlon competition I have been breaking through my own barriers - yes I can run, yes I can be competitive yes I can put it all together and work through all the physical pain that threatens to be a barrier but can too be overcome.

But sometimes barriers can't be broken or cleared or overcome.

People erect impenetrable barriers. They lock me out.

Sometimes the reasons seem clear, sometimes I have no idea, but what I find entirely frustrating is when I try to shed light on the issue and the barrier is based on misinformation that noone has attempted to clarify, or the person is blocking any discussion, period. A brick wall defending their brick wall.

I have an eternally optimistic view that people will want to reconnect, clear the barriers to open up their world.

But then sometimes when these barriers have been erected for such a long time they become dark places that I don't want to go. The people behind them become obscure, distant and fading memories. Sometimes I wish them the best, sometimes I wish them the worst, but mostly I wish for clarification, resolution. But if the effort required to achieve this is so much, I wonder if it's all worth it and should I just push the barriers farther away and put in their place people who are transparent with their honest thoughts, who want to be on this side of the wall, not creating new ones, the people who replace darkness with light.

I have trouble letting go of the barrier-breaking me.

Kylie + Hot Guys Miming = too much fun.

2010-11-16T01:23:00.003+11:00

I just stumbled across this while web surfing and I thought I have to post it.

3min 42s

Get Outta My Way (Boys) Tribute from Jeremy Lucido on Vimeo.

2:20:08

2010-11-09T01:17:00.002+11:00

Two hours twenty minutes and eight seconds.

That's how long it took me to finish my first ever triathlon, in Noosa.

Swim: 1.5km Cycle: 40km Run: 10km

I stuck to my game plan, did a great swim an okay cycle and a better than planned run to a sprint finish and had an awesome time! I'm hooked. The transitions were fun the whole thing was fun actually. And Noosa was just chock full of hot men. HOT FIT MEN.

I'm definitely going back, so long as I can get into the event again which has reached epidemic popularity. With good reason.

All the training to get there was worth it. I'm fitter than ever, feel great all round and am confident I can do another one of these triathlon things and soon. In fact I'm lined up to do one much closer to home (in fact in my home town) in early December, a sprint distance triathlon which should be quite interesting. So I have to get back in training again... I've avoided running for a week. I'll call it recovery.

My brother beat me in the race - by just under 3 minutes, but I think I can improve for the next one. I just need to get into training mode again. Though this time will be easier. I think.

Triathletic Toddler

2010-10-26T00:23:00.002+11:00

Run at race pace, repeat, then cycle, vary the intensity, some hill climbs, some flat grinds and then into the pool and pump the water, hard. Check the bike, get the transitions right, race tactics sorted, gear, nutrition, hydration, stay well, don't overtrain, don't under-train...

While training for an actual triathlon is intense in its own right, coordinating work, family life & the actual training is the behind the scenes triathlon; only considerably more intense. Just like a triathlon you have to work at each element to make it fit in with the others or they all fall into chaos. And so goes my life of living at the edge of my capacity. It's been a lot of fun, though in the past few days I've found what it's like just over that edge, my body has spoken and it said 'too much' so I've been forced into relative rest for a few days (you see you can never really truly rest if you're serious about triathlon). While you can rest from training it's a lot more tricky to rest from work and family especially as the growing toddler (above) doesn't know what stop means (a bit like her daddy). Now confidently walking (and swimming of course) she is taking her own directions, sometimes on her tricycle making her technically the triathletic toddler.

And now my race is just 5 days away. It's been a long road and I've done the best I can for the time and limitations I have, I think. But it's not over yet, there is still more work to be done and a race to be won, or at least to be pushed to the edge. And then I will really rest, and the rest will be sweet, fleeting, but sweet.

Faster Higher Stronger Smarter

2010-10-17T23:48:00.005+11:00

It's been a long time between posts. It's not like nothing's been happening because it has, so much so that I've seriously had no time to even think about posting. There was a brief shot on location in Hollywood, some political lobbying in Washington DC and a little bit of altitude training in between. Amélie has started running around, and saying words and doing things that make as stand in awe, or just laugh, a lot. Our house is undergoing renovations, so we are living in a construction zone, but the progress is awesome and I'm looking forward to the finished product.

I'm training as hard as ever, actually possibly harder, to the point of trying to manage the pain as much as the training. Training smarter. But the pain gets less and less, and the fun more and more. I found myself at the pool after training the other day surrounded by all manner of beauty in the form of elite athletes and surf life savers (the iconic ones). In the showers.

Fun indeed.

And the fun promises to continue. Racing, training and a great summer ahead.

Drinks on the deck set to be a new and improved regular event as the summer heads on in.

I can feel it now. I can feel it in my legs now too - a huge inter-city cycle and later run today mean it's time for a nice, long rest.

Keep well until next time.

Utah Rocks

2010-10-01T23:42:00.002+10:00

sunrise: monument valley

We've just crossed from Utah through Arizona and into Nevada heading back to Las Vegas. The sun is lowering on the horizon and I can't wait to get back.

We've been exploring Utah's national parks where the USA's 'everything is bigger here' continues. We had a ball. Non stop exploration and activity, but that's not about to stop. I've been told Utah has America's cutest men, but the cutest we saw were European men in the parks. I've subsequently been updated that you have to go farther north. Sigh.
We sure did see an abundance of grey nomads in their RV's the size of trucks. Actually I'm sure many of them WERE trucks. Anyhow, I'm glad we can tune into Vegas radio and tone down the country song quotient which is fun for a while, just.

There's a surprising amount of nothing out there. I thought that was a typically Australian thing, but there were an abundance of huge mountains, deep wide valleys, monster canyons and great roads with not much else along them. Great for getting away from it all. Not so great when you need fuel!

I ran at altitude in Bryce Canyon national park today. I was the only person running and got loads of attention for it. Stunning scenery is a good distraction when you're hurting. The training for Noosa must continue.

And so as the sun sets in the west, Las Vegas awaits. We have a stack of activities planned and I can't wait.

(note: this was written in transit a few days ago)

The Road to Noosa

2010-09-16T01:40:00.002+10:00

Run, Cycle, Swim. And repeat.

I have days when I love running, days like Monday when I feel my legs twitch with abundant energy, ready to get out there and pound the pavement, grass and sand. I arrive home to a sunny warm day and get into my running gear, pop in my earphones and off I go, the last stretch along the beach with waves rolling in making me feel like I'm in an ad for something. Something good.

And then there are the days when my brain says "must do the required number of sessions for the week" and my legs say "get stuffed". Invariably the brain wins, and the legs suffer to be tortured with the addition of cycling to the mix. At the end though the somewhat prolonged shower is heavenly relaxation.

Cycling is reliably fun. I'm used to the lycra cycling gear now that I never used to wear and which makes me look like a pro. I'm also used to the Frenchman's chant "be careful on the road" usually following more reports of people who have crashed their bikes. Tightened helmet and flashing lights I'm off; and when not I'm cycling on rollers in my living room with considerably less gear, but all these points of pressure have given me new understanding of neuroanatomy and I'm very thankful that the rather regular genital numbness is only transient.

The pool however is a stress free event, no concerns, no worries, I can't get enough. Love it, it's my superchilled element. Needless to say, it's the area I least need to be in preparation for this triathlon that rapidly approaches.

I have a laundry basket filled with sweat-scented shorts, shirts, singlets, towels, bike gear and hyperchlorinated swim gear. There are a collection of grease stains on too many of my clothes, showing up along side young Amélie's food bits at times when I least expect them.

Despite the super-training I've been increasing in weight. I expected to lose a few kg but have gained 3.5 . But I feel leaner than ever.

Oh, and my brother's training is also going well, which means I have to train harder! I'm the underdog right now but I need to make sure I'm not after the race! I'm not sure I have the numbers I need just yet, but I have until October 31st. The road to Noosa continues.

Stone Age Gay

2010-09-07T02:35:00.000+10:00

I've become one of those old people!

In the past few weeks I've discovered I'm doing things I only thought old people did. I start the car and find ABC Radio playing, the once-popular 2Day FM with it's nauseating gossip and overplayed K & J-O has been usurped by diverse ranges of subject matter a wide range of music (not always my choices but at least diversifying) and intelligent DJ's. Oh and politics is actually interesting, at least more so than the details of which celebrity did.... oh who cares.

I'm enjoying father's day - as a father. And I'm supporting my parents probably more than they support me, which is at once confounding and liberating.

I'm also celebrating anniversaries that have numbers like 15 in them. Bloody hell, 15 years with The Frenchman! Bring on 15 more I say.

I'm also finding the years going a whole lot faster, am buying safer cars, am managing home renovations, again, and training for mid-life crisis triathlons with one eye on the prize, and one eye on managing the joint aches and pains that seem to be hindering my launch at the said prize.

And I'm loving it.

I see the younger editions coming out, and envy the bodies that have a surprising absence of wrinkles and folds, but not the self confidence issues, financial crises or relationship dramas to follow.

Youth is wasted on the young it's true, but life as an old fogey ain't so bad.

telephone frustrations

2010-08-30T01:50:00.000+10:00

We've all had bad experiences with call centres, and I'm certainly no fan, but there is a book of telephone etiquette for the everyday phone owner / telephone receptionist just waiting to be written...

Voicemail: "I can't come to the phone right now, please leave a message after the..."

It's your mobile phone - it's in your pocket / backpack or somewhere very close to you.

Try: "I'm not answering this call right now..."

Voicemail: "My phone is switched off at the moment, so please leave a message"

It rang 10 times before it diverted... it IS switched on.

Try: "I often ignore my phone, please leave a message, I MAY get back to you."

Answerer: "Can I put you on hold for a moment? "

Me: "Actually it's urgen... [chiming 'hold' music cuts in].

Preferred option: "I'm putting you on hold, I'm not sure when I'll be back if ever" or "Please hold, I'll be exactly 13 seconds" and be exactly 13 seconds.

Voicemail: "Please leave a message, then press hash, spin around in a circle, press 2 followed by 4 followed by 3, press hash again, repeat your message and..."

Try: "Don't even bother, just hang up now."

Oh, and while singing voice messages can be a lot of fun, especially when you have multiple household members taking part, it doesn't always sound so fun when your doctor is phoning to leave a message about those test results. [yes yes, first hand experience for these]

Of course, if the person on the other end is the guy in the photo above, one tends to not notice all of the above. Lucky buggers.

With one exception: taking a call while you're in with your doctor (ie me) and continuing a personal & banal conversation (in fact anything that's not life & death) is very uncool regardless of how ruggedly handsome you are.

Anyone else with telephone peeves?

Extreme training

2010-08-21T16:00:00.001+10:00

With just over 10 weeks to go until Noosa Triathlon I'm stepping up my training. I have a lot of improvement needed in my run times and a little extra speed in the cycling too, with my swimming yet to return to its normal standard (so I'm working on that too). So far I've been getting faster - esp in the running, and my calves are paying for it. But it's nice to see some stepwise improvement. I would like to make those steps a little bigger though... so I'm increasing everything. Surprisingly I've also gained some weight despite getting leaner - I guess those legs need more muscle for all that extra activity.

The weather is strangely warm here at the moment too - daytimes are like mid-spring which makes training easier and it feels like everything is locking into place. Now if I can just manage to run sub 4minute km's...

Election Boredom

2010-08-20T23:24:00.003+10:00

Today is (Federal) election day and I can't wait for it to be over. There has been more coverage on the mechanisms of the campaign than on the policies themselves. I feel like we're being educated on spin. The chosen topics for debate have been BORING, nauseating even and often irrelevant. Gay marriage / relationship recognition has been publicly approved, but both major political parties are ignoring that and won't support it. We are electing the whole government but it seems like there are just 2 presidential candidates. I'm just really scared we will get Tony Abbott as our new PM, who has declared himself the lovechild of prior PM John Howard & MP Bronwyn Bishop... ouch. He claims to be gay friendly - but is as likely to support anything that promotes equality for the gay & lesbian community as he is to skip a photo opportunity.

Anyway - all Aussie readers of superchilled - please vote responsibly.

My First Aussiebums

2010-08-19T00:44:00.001+10:00

I'm converted! Its been years in the making but finally this week I ordered online and purchased my first ever item from Aussiebum. There has been a hint of summer in the air and a scent of decaying speedoes in the bathroom so onto the site I went, selected a pair I'd seen in the flesh (or on the flesh...) earlier in the year and a few clicks later, a day or two for mailing and today it arrived. Awesome packaging, very well made and a perfect fit!! So I'm very happy. I just need to test them out in the water now, and then wear them in races to win in style!

So to celebrate the scent of summer and to move away from the politics that has been featuring here lately here are a few more Aussiebum samples. Oh, and the ones I bought are somewhere in this post; but I'm not telling which...

Greens: the ad they should have

2010-08-16T00:35:00.008+10:00

41 seconds

From the TV show Gruen Nation (nee Gruen Transfer) where they had an ad agency come up with an ad for and anti the greens... this is the pro one - and I love it. Unfortunately the ABC won't release it to the Greens to be used in their campaign. So here it is on the web.

Australian Democrats : I wish they got more airplay.

2010-08-09T23:42:00.001+10:00

Democrats release GLBTI action plan: click for details.

At least someone is looking at our community as an equal part of Australia, not a minority to be kept at bay. And in this Federal election despite majority community support for gay & lesbian rights, none of the 2 major parties is interested in true equality.

I'm not quite sure why the Australian Democrats fell out of view, but they're still there, and should be a greater part of the Australian political climate than they are right now (in my opinion). The have always been strong supporters of the gay & lesbian community and remain so as detailed in today's press release. They have a stack of great policies (which are a little more sensible than the Greens', who are also similarly gay friendly, obviously) and are SO much better than the main and so conservative political parties who are putting me at once to sleep and in a state of heightened anxiety. As a gay man having Tony Abbott as a leader is really scary. I like that he exercises regularly including doing ocean swims - but that's about it.

I think we all need to vote for people like the Democrats & the Greens who treat the gay & lesbian community equally with the rest of the community, and at the same time write to our local members and aspirants to tell them that we need better representation. And not just token representation.

Links

Democrat GLBTI policy

Greens LGBTI policy

Labor GLBTI policy: nil

Liberal GLBTI policy: nil

1. on the grass 2. In the gym...

2010-08-09T01:42:00.006+10:00

Where the bloody hell has all the time gone?

I had visions of loads of posts - a renaissance of kinds, which has obviously stuttered somewhat. I've been cycling, swimming and running, as per the plan, and then things like work, parenthood and logistical variances eat into all the other time in the day. And when the weather is as stunning as it was today - there's no way I'm staying inside. So I too was lying on the grass contemplating the beauty of it all today. At least for a while.

Some readers have asked about the yoga video posted below, and there certainly is a little more intense man-to-man physical contact in there than one might normally expect in a traditional yoga class... which leads me to the question... Has anyone had more of a workout in an exercise class / training session than you initially expected?

Nude Yoga

2010-07-28T23:55:00.001+10:00

It seems Nude Yoga is popular based on the emails I had following a post on the subject some time back. Recently I had an email from the maker of a naked power yoga dvd coming out soon. I can't say I know too much about the video but here you get a chance to check out the preview yourself.

Japanese Cuisine?

2010-07-26T23:27:00.001+10:00

Wandering the Shinjuku district of Tokyo last week I stumbled across this sign for a restaurant (?). I thought maybe someone had scratched off part of the sign, but it was exactly the same on both sides. I couldn't read the menu but wonder what their specialty is...

Go Go Go

2010-07-25T23:03:00.001+10:00

It was HOT, damned hot. The Northern summer has roasted & toasted me, and spat me out. And it feels good. Back in the Southern Hemisphere it's cool and I'm loving it. I feel like I've been warmed up to withstand the local cool, superhot here at superchilled. But it's extra so because I'm on a mission, one that I thought I'd no chance at. But more of that later.

During our travel...

Our luggage travelled better than we did

We discovered translations that made us question our safety

and some that made us laugh.

And then there were the ads that encouraged us not to smoke.

And that was just in Japan. There's more. And a restaurant that sells, well, I'm not quite sure what but it deserves its own post.

On arriving home an email arrived...

It seems I've won the lottery. Not a fake Nigerian one, and not a million dollars.

A lottery for a competition entry (bizarre but true) and the result: I'm competing in the Noosa Triathlon in October!! So I'm back in training - full on - until it hurts.

More to come.

Launch into USA

2010-06-28T00:34:00.003+10:00

I want to know the places to go - the roads to crash on, the national parks to get lost in, the cafes to tantalise one's tastebuds in, the stores one can't help but melt plastic in, the Cities one must not die before passing through, the museums to sleep in, the Architectural wonders to sick my Canon onto, the humanity to lust after and the experiences to die for in The grand ol' U S of A.

That's right I'm asking you your most memorable experiences, places and all of the above that you'd care to share (GPS positioning most welcome) as I plan a trip to the place I swore I'd avoid during the Bush Administration and now have an obligation to fulfil and return to. It will be in the early fall (autumn for non USA-ites) and I'm very excited about the potential. Don't forget I love to swim, so swimming locations will be greeted with all manner of appreciative gestures.

It's your chance to tell me where to go.

I'm counting on you!

All dressed up with no place to race

2010-06-09T23:00:00.000+10:00

As you may know I have been in training... (see One Step Closer ) Finally doing all training for all three disciplines of the triathlon I had decided upon racing in Noosa in October for my first (and rather large) event as an individual triathlete. My brother also entering the event in the same age category made it a must-do event and has given me extra motivation to train hard.

Entries opened last week, and as it's a very popular event we had both arranged to log on exactly at the time it went live, but the site crashed and entries rescheduled for this week. Same story this week, we log on - but it won't let us in.. try and try again (for hours) until FINALLY I'm in and I'm entering the race until I get to the screen half way in that says "entries now closed".

NO!!! It's not possible! I've been trying all morning, even had my brother trying for me until he had to leave his office. I've been training and getting equipment arranged and training tips and running a LOT - and running is not something I'm in love with. But no they've closed it - have all the entries they wanted. This really sucks. I'm so pissed off I don't know what to do. So pissed off I really want to tell them where to stick it, and so happy that I didn't organise flights and accommodation already as I'd been very close to actually doing.

It turned out my brother had another friend logging on for him while he was out of office. SHE got him in! So he's already won. And I'm trained up with no pace to go. Time to look for other races to start my triathlon career, but it's not going to be quite the same. Bastards!! So now I'm thinking of all the money I'll save and where I can go instead...

Sex and the City 2 - review

2010-06-07T03:00:00.001+10:00

It began with sparkle. A LOT of sparkle, the New York Skyline, the glittered the high heels, jewelled couture and it kept on coming, literally into the dialogue. But unfortunately Sex and the City 2 didn't sparkle for me.

Having wandered into SATC1 a few years back not really expecting much I was quite blown away with a movie that exceeded the TV series in terms of cinematography, storyline and fashion. The characters had developed and in the end I'd been on a journey, albeit it a very glamorous one.

The Gay Wedding, the opening event in the movie was so over the top it was a caricature and not an especially positive one. It seemed to be trying so hard to be both correct and comfortable with the whole wedding concept that the natural flow with the well known gay characters was lost, and the feeling was more discomfort. Surely by now BIG would have met Carrie's best gay friend on enough occasions to be unsurprised with men flirting with him?

We head to the Middle East and it feels like we're in an advertorial. So many products placed, a walk through advertisement for a hotel that goes on and on and on and on... There are wardrobe changes that are so obvious, it feels like a fashion show. But I don't like a lot of this particular show. The sex scenes, while few and fleeting, did feature some particularly attractive men, but they were mere interludes.

Still there are the main characters who are at times warm and fun, but at times holding onto lines that really should have been let go in the 90's. We're taken on a cultural tour of muslim customs that is so cringeworthy it's embarrassing. There's nothing subtle here at all.

It may be a reflection of the truth, of how as we age we don't always do it gracefully or intelligently and how we don't always have everything under control. But while I had fun watching much of it, as the credits rolled I was remembering more the previews at the beginning and wishing I had elected to see one of those instead.

iconic drenching

2010-06-04T22:10:00.003+10:00

In Aussiebum city today it wasn't quite the picture postcard day for wearing nothing much out in the open. Bucketing rain, kinda like you were pressing fast forward on the rain, but it still didn't ever stop. Except for short periods enough to get you thinking that was it, and then you'd be out in the middle of the open and get drenched in seconds with the next onslaught.

And doesn't the rain bring out the WORST EVER drivers?!!? I was hitting the horn well above average frequency at the bloody stupid people out there. Stay in bed people. I have things to get done.

Contemplating

2010-05-29T01:03:00.000+10:00

Older

2010-05-24T02:14:00.001+10:00

I'm known for my birthday parties. I've sent people on mad car rallies across cities, thrown them into starring roles in short films, had them shooting photo essays, learning to jive with same sex partners... and combinations of the above. Which brings me to this year where instead of the 6 weeks ahead planning of old, I've given 6 days of warning and little if all planned. I guess having a 1st birthday party to plan a week ahead of mine takes the focus off me. And I've been quite happy to be in the shadows this time around.

The youngster turned 1 a week ago, the date seemed to be a springboard for exponential development for her. She's learning so much so quickly it's hard to keep up. But fun trying. From a babe of complete dependence a year ago into a girl with character and charm today. She's obviously the apple of her daddy's eye, and more the focus of my attention than my birthday planning has been.

I've been writing this blog for a few years now, and my life has changed progressively over that time. People routinely assume that becoming a parent has 'turned your life upside down', but they just frustrate me. I guess I'm a big planner, and there have been expected changes which have been planned for and a lifestyle modified somewhat, but it hasn't really changed in most respects. It certainly has become richer. There are other factors that have equally changed my life involving most significantly changes in personal relationships with friends and family, and these to me have had a greater impact on me than parenthood I feel. Having said this though, other people have commented on positive changes they see in me in this past year that I guess I'm not quite so aware of at this point. Introspection isn't something I have a lot of time for these days. Perhaps that's a good thing.

So happy birthday me. Today's the day. And I really don't mind what happens or how I celebrate it. I hope you all have a great 24th of May. Do something to celebrate it for me, tell me what that was, and I'll be more than happy.

Byron Bay Ocean Swim Weekend

2010-05-03T23:27:00.002+10:00

pre-race preparations

The crowd assembles at the beach at the start of the race.

This weekend was spent in Byron Bay, as is our tradition for the first weekend in May. The annual ocean race there attracts keen swimmers, and those just keen to jump in and do the 2.2km from Wategoes Beach to Byron's Main Beach with around 2000 other competitors. The beach was crowded with speedo clad guys & girls before the race as the various waves headed out in age groups. It's hard to know where to look, with Byron in true form throwing a combination of spectacular scenery, crystal clear warm water with perfect waves, and stunning men (and women I'm told). These photos taken by one of our group while I limbered up for my swim. Its always hard leaving Byron Bay, and though it's the second time we've been there this year, I'd happily go back again and again. Thanks to our entourage for making it a fun weekend and looking after Amélie while we swam! She had a ball too. Before we know it she'll be competing too .

Stockholm and Swedish things

2010-04-26T01:22:00.002+10:00

While I'm quite a fan of Sweden, perhaps a little biased by the men, it's been by accident more than planning a bit of a Swedish weekend starting off Saturday night with a trip to the Theatre to see, you guessed it Stockholm. I'd long forgotten the storyline from the subscription guide last year and hadn't read any reviews, in fact I'd forgotten the name of the play until Saturday. So when it began with a striking couple speaking of themselves in the third person followed by a host of unexpected twists and turns, I was hooked, totally captivated by the whole mix of colour, music, intensely physical choreography and developing story of a beautifully dysfunctional relationship. The sex scenes were really hot, even if they were straight. I was truly taken away into the story, which is for me what theatre is all about and I'd highly recommend it apart from the fact that Saturday night was the final performance. Oh and while there were Swedish themes - it was not actually Swedish.

Update: Stockholm will reappear at the Riverside Theatre in Parramatta from May 26 - 29th. Details here.

Which brings us to Sunday, and with rain descending we headed to the cinema to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I had heard it was good, but wasn't sure of detail. It continued the Swedish theme - a Swedish movie, subtitled in English, though I understand some Swedish which is useful yet distracting. The movie was totally gripping. Loved it, as disturbing as it was at times, I didn't want to miss a second. It was a little saddening to hear there are plans afoot to make a Hollywood version of it already... what's wrong with appreciating the original? Even if you have to read subtitles it's still extraordinary.

Unplanned Heaven

2010-04-19T01:34:00.000+10:00

Weekend Forecast: Cool, Rainy.

Work: Rostered on - Saturday

Social plans: nil.

The weekend looked uninviting.

The reality - a whole different story.

Unexpected guests from near and afar, time spent at the beach in the sunny weather that replaced the rain and hot guys who appeared randomly making the weekend even more stunning. Add in there some games of tennis, scrabble, cycling and more bodysurfing and swimming with the youngster, throw in a mix of meals of different varieties and locations and I'm at the end of an awesome unplanned weekend.

I'm not planning the same again.

Next weekend perhaps.

Taking hold, and letting go

2010-04-17T01:56:00.000+10:00

Amélie holding onto my dad's hand - in Hospital.

My dad came out of hospital today. It's a place he's not really frequented in his life but managed to be in for 12 days this admission. He was wheeled to the exit and into the passenger seat of my mum's car - another place he's not generally found - and home with a few walking-frame-navigated distances into a modern apartment now adorned with various mobility aids and hospital style elevated chairs. They all look so out of place. My dad has always been a powerhouse, the guy who lifts cars, fixes everything, climbs into ceiling spaces to install lights and the like, and to see him walking slowly and deliberately with his new titanium reinforcements now inserted into his fractured femur is a little disconcerting. It makes you think about life's responsibilities...

I was driving home afterwards thinking, if something serious happened - would I be able to sort out my parent's affairs, organise appropriate farewells. Would I cope emotionally? I've not ever contemplated life without them, but fragility is just a short mis-taken step away. I see photos of my daughter with my parents and I wonder what memories she will have of them, will they be anything like those I have of my grandparents? My niece the other day asked of my grandmother "...the lady with the purple hair?" but oh, she was so much more than that, the emotions and experiences that are imprinted in my being from her are a powerful influence to this day. And then I see how different my life has been from that of my parents, how I'm partly in their world, but with a foot in another world and Amélie in turn will have her own path...

It does make one look at things with a different perspective. Issues that may have once been all consuming in various relationships become minor details that are insignificant in the grand scheme of things. One's transience becomes a whole lot more obvious. But it's not necessarily a negative thing. I think it's more a reminder that each day is something to be grasped by the balls and run with. There'll be plenty of time to sleep when I'm dead.

One Step Closer

2010-04-10T15:01:00.003+10:00

These are my newest fashion accessory... Well, sporting accessory at least, and calculated from a test cycle just now these babies have improved my speed by approximately 4%. I literally ground my last set of pedals to pieces, so to replace those rather last century leather strap contraptions I've joined the real cyclists with clip on ones. Now that I'm cycling in addition to swimming and running I'm going to be asked a lot more now when I'm starting competing in triathlons... that hasn't been decided upon, but I'm tempted. But where to begin?

It's a sensational day today. I'm so glad not to be working, and prior to the cycle I hit the water for an epic swim with some friends a little farther south of home. Right now I'm enjoying babysitting the sleeping child and watching the waves roll on in while the Frenchman has gone in for a dip himself. Ah bliss...

Oh Yes We CAN!

2010-04-02T22:32:00.004+11:00

On April 1st I posted the article below which detailed a study identifying how gays & lesbians were shown to perform below par with their straight counterparts. It was of course an April Fools Day joke. Did anyone notice?

The whole idea of the actual poster series (openartistmovement.com) is to demonstrate people who are gay, successful and empowered. I personally love this image both for the hotness factor and the retro reference. And yeah, we can too.

No We Can't

2010-04-01T11:15:00.004+11:00

A recent study at The Royal London Institute of Gender Studies, released today, establishes that gay men and lesbian women perform on average, well behind their heterosexual counterparts in a range of physical and intelligence testing over a wide range of testing protocols. Associated with the study was an assessment of workplace performance where those who identified as gay or lesbian were shown to have significantly lower income and workplace ranking compared with their age matched and culturally similar heterosexual counterparts. Interestingly the study showed that those who identified as bisexual performed, on average, well above both their homosexual and heterosexual counterparts in all testing. The formal results, to be released later today, are expected to cause quite a stir in the scientific as well as gay and lesbian communities, but a spokesperson for the International Bisexual Alliance has already stated "It shows we really do have the best of both worlds."

I wore my sunglasses at night

2010-03-16T00:35:00.005+11:00

In fact we all wore our sunglasses at night. It was a hoot, the whole evening. One of those spontaneous ones that just develops like a snowball on a powder snow mountain - you roll, you fall you laugh as the powder fills your lungs - you get up, keep going and don't stop laughing.

A text in the mid afternoon was the first snowball, a final dinner for a good friend and one time flat mate returning to her Melbourne nest after some months in Sydney, the location - who knows, we'll work it out as time approaches, perhaps a movie after. The second snowball, a call from other friends - are we keen to see a movie (the same movie) - perhaps do dinner before? Hmm.... yes sure, we're in - in fact we have it planned but for dinner - you choose the restaurant & we'll be there.

The restaurant is Japanese and hip, there are people waiting for hours for tables but we're in and the food is waiting for us. The conversation is a thousand miles an hour, the food constant and mouthwatering, we're laughing, there are photos, there are shared and unidentified morsels. I think there was wine. We don't stop. We talk all the way to the cinema, we wear the polarised glasses well before we get into the 3D cinema - it's completely nerdy and we're on such a high we don't care. In fact they're so bad they're fabulous.

We laugh through the movie, though not everyone in the cinema does, and run in the pouring rain that greets us as we leave, still wearing the sunnies, still on a high and it feels like we're in our own little movie, the rest of the world the extras.

Saying goodbye to our Melbourne-bound friend is the sad end to the screenplay, it was a great film and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

It can't come soon enough.

Mannervescence

2010-02-21T00:34:00.003+11:00

Those in Australia will have seen the stunning 'schweppervescence' ads (see below). I'm waiting for the next campaign more along the lines of the above photo.

I'd drink to that.

A Single Man

2010-02-16T23:52:00.005+11:00

I was lucky enough to be invited to see a preview of A Single Man at the Open Air Cinema in Sydney on the weekend. Sitting outdoors with Sydney Harbour, The Opera House and Harbour Bridge before you is always a great way to spend the evening, but with a screen that pops up and plays a movie as divine as A Single Man, it's perfect. But then there was the rain... Thankfully ponchos were provided to keep us less wet, I've worn quite a few of these over the years, but the rain didn't dampen the impact of the movie. Beautifully filmed, exquisitely acted and moving, right from the start, with an element of tension right through. I highly recommend it. Tom Ford's directorial debut is an impressive display of his diverse talent.

A Superchilled 4 stars.

absent gay men

2010-02-11T01:02:00.001+11:00

Eight and a half months into parenthood, life continues at pace, an accelerated pace. The tiny helpless baby is now manipulating objects, connecting with people and three times the size of day zero, pulling heartstrings even more than at birth. I've been thrilled at the excitement people have had to be a part of the experience and similarly surprised at the lack of interest from many gay friends. Though some other gay dads have been awesome (though not uniformly) it's our straight and lesbian friends who have taken a much keener interest. The greatest support and excitement has come from the straight community including colleagues, patients and local community. The overwhelming response from gay male friends has been their absence. I sometimes wonder why that is. Sure there is the maternal factor, but the straight guys are also more involved and supportive. Some friends haven't even seen our daughter since she was born. I understand it's our choice to do the whole parenting thing, but with an increasing trend to gay parenting I have wondered what the issue is? Some guys still think parenting needs to be with a man and a woman - though we have 2 men and one woman - or a married family unit. Some may have issues with their own paternal ambitions having been given up long ago, others may just have no interest in kids at all. Issues from prior relationships with women and children may be a factor for others. Maybe this is just my own experience, does anyone else have an opinion or experience of this?

I'm enjoying being a dad, its a hell of a lot of fun. My sense of community though, is changing.

Beached As

2010-02-02T01:06:00.002+11:00

Brilliantly composed this image has all the elements I crave for a chilled out time by the beach. I think I might book this in for next weekend. The week though - hellishly busy!

Mardi Gras 2010

2010-01-30T00:00:00.001+11:00

Sydney Mardi Gras organisers have sent a promo for this year's Mardi Gras, below. If you're tired of the northern chill maybe you should think about heading down for bit of southern hemisphere warmth and hospitality. You know you want to.

4min 3 sec

Rough Looks

2010-01-19T01:29:00.001+11:00

There's something about the unshaven look coupled with sparkling visual clarity that just takes your breath away, as these photos demonstrate. Of course if you're still breathing you may decline to vote - otherwise you may like to pick the man who takes your breath most away.

Michael Fitt

Michael Brent

Luke Guldan

Rodrigo Guiaro Diaz

Rough Look 5

This one's for you Geoff.

Small strokes, big steps and Bondi.

2010-01-11T00:58:00.006+11:00

As a kid I grew up in a seaside suburb, but I never really spent a lot of time at the beach. Sure there'd be days we'd head down for a swim, but not as a regular thing. I was more inactive, a little overweight, and more introverted really. I could swim, but I never competed save for the yearly school swimming carnival and now and again the next level if I freaked a good lap time there. Training? Did people really do that? I certainly didn't feel at home at the beach or wherever there were swim squads or other sporting pursuits.

So today is a life far removed from my childhood. Above and below are photos of Bondi beach today (somewhat modified as you can see) after the ocean swim that was today's competition. I started swimming in senior high school when I realised I was a bit overweight and needed to do something about it. Training on my own I started cycling to school (it wasn't all that close to home) and then after school to the 25m pool which had me gasping at the end of each lap. It gradually grew from there, still without any formal training, occasionally with friends but no real physical challenge. Then in preparation for the gay games in 2002 in Sydney I agreed with a friend to train for it - actually go the whole hog, squads, gym, the works. He didn't continue but I kept on and ultimately competed successfully (it was a lot of fun but some seriously hard work too). I had broken my own self created mould. I'd become a competitive athlete. With time my love for things aquatic continues to grow, I live by the water, swim daily whether it be in the waves with crowds, on my own with the sharks, in the pool with fellow trainers or with with 7 month old Amélie who just this weekend got to try on her new goggles (and loved them). And on days like today compete with people who used to be completely foreign to me. I'm still that other guy too, but I do more things now and I love it.

Life is a series of small steps. Sometimes though we need to take bigger steps and see where we land. The start of the year is a great chance to take some new steps, then see where we are come December.

2010

2010-01-04T00:34:00.004+11:00

Will we be saying twenty ten, two thousand and ten or perhaps two oh one oh?

I think I like twenty ten best, easy, fast and kinda cool.

I'm starting back at work this week after some time off but I'm not too stressed about the idea of it yet. That may all change as I walk in the door Monday morning... I certainly will be looking forward to more time away from work though over summer, with time at the beach, surfing and swimming a distinct priority.

Over the break I headed to Byron Bay which has to be one piece of heaven. It's certainly the place to go to people watch - if you like watching gorgeous men (think washboard abs and board shorts barely holding on) - but has a fair share of eateries, beaches and surrounding points of interest as well. I'm going back, definitely. Can I go now?

For those following young Amélie, she is now 7 1/2 months and developing at rapid pace. She's been to the beach a few times, even got dumped in a freak wave but didn't miss a beat and has been ever keen to return (arms and legs go wild whenever we talk about going there or when walking there). It seems she's caught my love of the water, which is perfect. She may well be swimming before she's walking, but time will tell.

I have no specific plans for the blog this year, but am happy for any input as to likes and preferences for the year ahead. I'm going to busy this year outside blogging with a host of events focussing significantly on Amélie as one might expect, but life goes on outside of parenthood and I'm keen to continue being active in all spheres.

Right now I'm updating my music collection and scanning in old cd's to add finally a little diversity to my iTunes collection. Any new and interesting music suggestions are welcomed while I'm at it.

Happy New Year. Let's see what we can all make of it.

Small footprints, big impacts.

I wish you all a fantastic year

Merry Superchilled Christmas

2009-12-24T23:43:00.000+11:00

I'm lying naked in bed in the far north. It's warm and the sound of the ocean is lazing its way into the room. It's certainly not the White Christmas of last year. Santa has made a comeback this year though and any time now will be heading down our chimney to deliver gifts for the newest addition to the family. We had been debating the institution of Santa this year, and whether he would be alive and kicking for Amélie's first Christmas. The stranger danger, the stupid red hot suit, the lying to your child issues have been put aside and we're embracing the unique childhood fantasy that is Christmas time. And I love it. There are stocking out already filled with gifts as with evidence of a hastily departing man in a red suit. Santa has been kind to us all and delivered the most gorgeous men to the beaches and quite frankly everywhere around here, so I'm thanking him every day, tomorrow Amélie will get to have her own fun.

Let the games begin.

Merry Christmas everyone.

So THAT was Christmas

2009-12-16T23:28:00.001+11:00

I've had Christmas already.

No I mean it, I've had it, celebrated, eaten the celebratory food, opened the gifts, sat back and chatted with relatives about life the universe and almost everything, including all too often medical problems. We've celebrated early as my family is essentially flying off to various corners of the earth for Christmas day and it was the last time we could get together before parting ways. With a little'un in tow there have been a lot of gaps: the events and discussions that happened while I was getting her off to sleep or feeding etc, which just adds to the mayhem of what is already a chaotic day, the end of which is filled with sighs and exasperated collapses into lounges back at home.

This year has also seen me take our daughter, holding her in her front pack (where she's sitting strapped on the front of me) to the kids Christmas party we hold for patients at our practice, with The Frenchman coming as well. It was a little daunting, as it's the first time we've been together at an essentially public function locally as a couple with a kid... and certainly a lot of attention was directed our way. Some quite invasive questioning also followed from people who were at least interested in our set up, but after a while one does tire of explaining everything. I guess this is what it's like being a frontrunner in this part of the country where co-parenting is as common as carbon neutral coal.

Now that the big events are over, it's plain sailing to the actual Christmas Day, and I'm quite looking forward to it.

Awesome Weekend

2009-12-06T23:55:00.004+11:00

So I've woken up at 7am, at the latest, every day (including Friday) this weekend, and it has been such an intensely FULL weekend. I love it. I absolutely loved it, not all aspects mind you, but the overall rating is certainly way up there. The not so fab bits, well, they weren't all that bad in the grand scheme of things. The fab, oh so good.

I feel like I need a shower, though I've only recently had one. It's that feeling you get when you've been at the beach much of the day, a little bit of sun and wind making the skin feel that little bit, hmm, summerised. It was my first ocean swim for the year, and I powered through it and surprised myself with a placing. Big smile from me the rest of the afternoon. And what an afternoon. Weather they pick out for postcards and travel ads. Cocktails on the deck watching the waves, the setting sun, and a summer barbecue to finish it all off. The Frenchman managed to find the solitary blue bottle in the whole of the ocean on this perfect day today, and it attacked him like a frenzied shark (well, ok , it hurt). But he made it through like a trooper, finished the race and achieved a lot more.

Saturday night I escaped to see Jay Brannan in concert. He was fantastic. The warm up act was so so, and everyone was chatting like it was just background music at a bar (and in that time I caught up with friends and met someone from way back who quite surprised me). Then Jay came on and he had everyone's complete attention. There were no conversations happening, full on focus on the man of the moment on the last performance in his world "I suck at life" tour. I love his humour, though some may not. His music is a lot of fun, sometimes moving, some times hilarious, and the live performance was sensational, a natural and easygoing performer with stunning vocal ability. I'm so glad I managed to get there and had some friends who took me in.

Amélie had her first sleep over without her mum on the weekend. Stressful for her mum, but exciting for her dads! It was a lot of fun. She's always a lot of fun and so easy. It's so easy in fact it feels like I'm not really being a dad at all, it's supposed to be hard work isn't it? I mean there's a lot to do, but once I'm awake, it's not so hard.

I'm voting for more of these weekends, and more of the people who take them that step above the ordinary.

photos from the bondi to bronte ocean swim site

Are you Mr Green Card USA?

2009-11-25T22:28:00.007+11:00

Have you got your Green Card yet?

In Australia you might think this is your medicare card, but if you're interested in working & living in the USA it's essentially your entry permit. Lavi Soloway has informed me of the nearing of the closing date for the green card lottery, which is your chance to get one of those elusive green cards drawn essentially from a hat. The USA is now also withdrawing the HIV positive ban on those entering the states which may make a big difference for those affected.

Those who are looking to make it big in the States, or just to live and work there for a while or ever, should consider applying. There is more information here to get you started, thanks also to Lavi.

Good luck!!

Superheated Superchilled

2009-11-21T02:22:00.003+11:00

With the temperature at midnight 32C (90F) it's certainly an early blast of summer (or rapid-fire global warming). Going shirt-off is definitely the way, but when you're working it's not always the easiest thing to do. Having breakfast this morning at my regular, diggies, it was very VERY hard to head back to work. The heat just makes you want to sit and chill, order more drinks and watch the passers by who are increasingly frequent (and gorgeous) in the warmer half of the year. There are predictions of warmer days ahead this weekend - I'm not fond of anything 40+ but it seems it's something I'm going to need to get comfortable with. I just need to find someone who is keen to go skinny dipping one of these warm nights. There's nothing like it on a hot summer night!

Midnight Running

2009-11-15T22:44:00.005+11:00

Saturday night around midnight, Federation Square Melbourne. There is a buzz on the street with people out and about, eating, drinking and stumbling home. I'm headed back to the hotel after a progressive dinner in a few funky restaurants and find myself in the middle of a group of women, the tallest comes to about my armpit. I rapidly find out they've been celebrating (we'll call her) Sharon's 30th birthday. Sharon rapidly approaches (are they kidding me?! surely this is a 40th celebration, and I'm being kind) and before I know it I have an intoxicated, overweight woman hanging off me with closed eyes and pursed lips pushing in my direction. The emergency evacuation buzzer alarms and I'm out of there before you can say "gay man's nightmare". I hear the words "he's shy" from the group she's with as I'm running across the busy street narrowly avoiding cars and trams. She has good friends.

Summer Beach

2009-11-04T22:19:00.004+11:00

Summer is rapidly approaching, the pools are filling up with lap swimmers, the gyms with those chasing the ultimate 6 pack and the beaches increasingly decorated with fine examples of this pursuit of physical perfection, or at least the perfect wave, with similar results.

My posts have been a little more serious of late so to break the ice, and to banish it to drinks only for the summer, I'm asking what the example of said pursuit above might have encountered to result in his facial expression?

Write what you think in the comments. Then relax and enjoy the sunshine as nicely demonstrated below. (or if you're in the northern hemisphere, revisit your recent summer memories...)

The Pinnacle Foundation launches

2009-10-31T23:46:00.001+11:00

The Pinnacle Foundation launches in Sydney on Tuesday November 17th.

Superchilled interviews Founding Director Sean Linkson:

Superchilled: What will the The Pinnacle Foundation actually do?

Sean Linkson: It will provide educational scholarships to high-potential, disadvantaged LGBT youth who might not otherwise be able to achieve their educational goals, and hence their full potential.

SC: Why was it started?

SL: As our website (www.thepinnaclefoundation.org) says, way too many young LGBTs fail to achieve their full and glorious potential because prejudice and hate impose disadvantage and impediment. The Pinnacle Foundation aims to remove impediment and create advantage. Pinnacle is about creating an enduring legacy that will produce wonderful, fully-expressed and educated LGBT people who will make a mark on their generation in ways that we can’t even imagine.

SC: What made you get involved?

SL: We were inspired by an organisation in the USA called The Point Foundation that does a similar thing. We thought why not do the same in Australia?

SC: What has been your role in The Pinnacle Foundation?

SL: Along with the love of my life Philip and dear friend Paul, we are founders and directors of Pinnacle – all volunteer of course. As a charity we seek to put as much of our donations to helping Pinnacle Scholars, that’s why no one takes a salary and all goods and services are obtained pro-bono wherever possible. There’s a whole bunch of corporations that have been very generous to us. Paul, Philip and I can’t do everything of course so we are helped by an amazing group of volunteers on our management committee. Check them out under ‘Meet the team’ on the website – they’re all incredible.

SC: How long has it taken to get up and running?

SL: It’s taken four years to get to this point. When you’re asking people to donate time and resources, plus the fact we all have busy day-time jobs, things take a little longer. It’s a labour of love setting up a legal entity with a constitution, registering it as a charity then securing tax deductibility status from the government. Then there’s websites to build and lots of processes and protocols around how we treat applications, support scholarship recipients, screen mentors etc.

SC: In your own life, who has been your most inspiring person?

SL: I see lots of inspiring people every day in my job as a head-hunter, but I also find that ‘everyday’ people can be inspiring too. I love what Matthew Mitcham has done in sport (and Matt, if you read this we’d love you as a Patron!). Michael Kirby will be well known to your Australian readers and he ranks up their on the world stage as a humanitarian. We are very privileged to have Michael as our Patron.

SC: I understand there will be mentoring provided through the foundation in addition to scholarships. Have you ever had a mentor? What influence did they have on you?

SL: Yes, mentoring is a really important adjunct to the funds we provide for the scholarship. Money can pay fees but doesn’t teach you life lessons – that’s where the mentors come in. It’s all part of maximising the potential of our Pinnacle Scholars. Personally, I count anyone who has helped me face the world as a proud, out man as a mentor. That includes the obvious like my parents but I have learned so much from some of my bosses, my friends, various ‘gurus’, godparents, grandparents. I’ll never forget my grandfather telling me as a 9 year old to “never hate anything”. Those three words hit me like a train even then and to this day, some 43 years later, form the very foundation of my life. Another mentor delivered what I call “the line of my life”. He said, “Your life is the universe’s gift to you, what you do with it is your gift to the universe”.

SC: Who will the official mentors be?

SL: We haven’t nominated any mentors yet but we have a rigorous selection process in place that includes extensive probity checks. We aren’t going to let just anyone near our Scholars!

SC: Who can apply for a scholarship / assistance?

SL: You’ll find our criteria on the website, but basically you have to be an Australian citizen over 16 years old and a permanent resident. Applicants must also:

Identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer or Transgender and because of this:
Have personal or social circumstances which provide significant challenges to the person completing their education; or
Have been marginalised due to sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression; and
In the opinion of the Selection Committee:

Takes their studies seriously and has shown academic achievement during their years at school; and
Can demonstrate their commitment to completing Year 12 , a tertiary degree or vocational training;
Demonstrates leadership skills, has good academic results and wants to make a difference in the world; and
Is proud to stand up for the LGBT rights and is dedicated to the LGBT community.

Our first scholarships will be issued in Sydney but we hope to go national in coming years.

SC: Many of superchilled readers are outside Australia, are scholarships available to them?

SL: No. If you’re in the USA you can always try The Point Foundation.

SC: Is there an age limit?

SL: You must be at least 16 and less than 25.

SC: Are there really that many people out there who will need the assistance you provide?

SL: You’ve only got to look how many young people are helped by youth support organisations like Twenty10 orYouth Off The Streets in Sydney. Literally hundreds of young people are marginalised every year because of their sexuality – kicked out of home, bullied at school, bashed and abused by their peers. There are horrible statistics around youth suicide rates that correlate directly to unresolved gender identity issues and sexual marginalisation.

SC: When can people apply?

SL: Applications for 2010 scholarships are being taken now and must be in before end of November.

SC: Who funds the foundation?

SL: Pinnacle is funded purely by tax-deductible donations. Our aim is to get the fund to $5million and use the interest to fund multiple scholarships every year. PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY! We’ll love you forever.

SC: If we jump ahead to 2020, what would you like to be able to say about the Foundation's activities & achievements?

SL: In 2020 we will see a Pinnacle Scholar as President or Prime Minister of Australia. The first openly gay or lesbian leader of our country, and they would have won office in a landslide. We will see Pinnacle Scholars as leading lights in every profession and in every walk of life. They will take over the world and fill it with love and light. Now that’s not too much to ask is it? Lighting the spark within is what we do.

If you're keen to apply for a scholarship or know someone who might be, or alternatively if you think you might make a good supporter, check out the details at www.thepinnaclefoundation.org.

What have I become?

2009-10-22T22:23:00.003+11:00

Walking down the street today under Paddington's greening spring canopy, I realised that things are quite different in my world right now. I was talking out loud about the green trees, and the silver cars and the birdies flying past... There was a baby strapped into her Baby Bjorn holder on the front of me; clipped to my belt a small red insulating bag holding a bottle of formula. Of course the usual wallet and phone were in my pockets; a bib somewhere too. Earlier in the morning, having put her down to rest, I'd immediately cleaned up the bowl I'd fed her from and the various toys & things that were strewn about. The room was ordered again but set for its next chapter of chaos.

I realised that I have become my parents.

At the cafe in the park, where I'd fed her the formula and shared a bite to eat with her grandpa, were left meal remnants as we fled upon the arrival of the fatigue monster, thankfully banished rapidly by the movement of walking (away from that very nice but not quite completed smoothie). And I didn't care.

The thing about it is that you really don't care about that stuff, the incompleted meals, the messed up hair, the food on your clothes. I may become the emaciated crazy guy with the kid, but I'm ready for that role.

A Wild Wednesday on a Thursday.

2009-10-14T01:55:00.006+11:00

I've been chatting with Guy* for 4 years or so. The exact time we started chatting and the exact internet site that we met on is a little fuzzy now, but we've managed to chat every now and again on various electronic media and keep a basic knowledge of what's been happening in each other's lives over that time. It hasn't been intense and there can be months between chatting, but it's regular and warm and it has worked both ways. So on our recent visit to France with a little time to spare we tee'd up a time to catch up. The evening was free and Guy invited us to dinner at the home he shares with his partner. Our first meeting, dinner, in . Perfect. I love the intimacy of dining with people in their homes. You don't have to worry about restaurant staff, fellow patrons nor filter your conversation from prying ears.

Knowing he is a student I was expecting a tiny flat in the middle of nowhere, but the concierge at his sparkling apartment building directed us to the elevator and the 29th floor. He was as handsome as I'd come to know in 2 dimensions, but a whole lot warmer and welcoming. The apartment was grand, and as we walked in there was central Paris before us, the sun was setting over the financial district to our left and the Eiffel tower flashing away directly in front of us. His partner was labouring away in the kitchen where they had both been working prior to us arriving.

I would have been happy with toast really, but we were in France after all and the food was simple yet gourmet. The conversation, a mix of French and English, moved through a host of topics and I really didn't want the night to end. A connection finally made tangible. A fun experience and 2 great guys. A very good Thursday night.

Its been a long time since I've posted a Wild Wednesday Challenge, but one of my favourite things is inviting new people to dinner just as Guy did us. It can be a whole lot of fun. Midweek is great for it too. I'd highly recommend taking up today's wild wednesday challenge and invite someone new to your home for dinner tonight or later this week. There are some great people out there, invite them home!!

*name might not actually be Guy.

Traveling Tracks

2009-09-29T08:25:00.003+10:00

I hold one ear piece up to check which side it fits and then place each in the appropriate ear, turn on the tiny switch at the base and thread the ipod-on-a-clip through my shirt clipping it onto the belt loop at top of my shorts. I press play and look up, it's a whole new world. I'm in a subway, it's Paris, there's a city of people I'm threading through, and they me, there are sounds of trains here and on other levels, people, clattering, footsteps, I can hear them all, but it's a little more distant now, the background sound to my opening credits with a sound track that changes tack every few minutes.

A woman stops and enters my movie. She has a casual Parisian elegance as she pauses, looks at the time and continues off at a faster pace. She's on her way to meet her lover and he's always on time. She wants to arrive just after him but needs a quiet graceful entry at the restaurant so she needs to make time to slow time. She disappears in the tunnel just as a young blonde tourist comes into view. He's standing at the platform dressed in khaki cargo shorts, a white t-shirt and a golden tan. He looks at the map a friend is holding and laughs confidently before turning it the right way around. This is not his first trip to Paris, and while now he speaks in accented English, his French is fluent and unaccented. A combination of an affluent education outside this country mixed with plenty of local exposure. He is staying in an apartment, that he shares with his brother, which has a slightly interrupted view of the eiffel tower. He secretly loves the strobe lights that flash on the hour every night all over it and tries to be in a position to see them without being noticed. He laughs again with his friend and his white teeth glow in the crowd, then the train comes to swallow him up, and he's gone. An older man replaces him. Dark grey hair and a few too many chocolate eclairs have filled out his dark blue shirt. He is standing on the train expressionless. Swaying irregularly in sync with the movement of the carriage. He's on his way home from work in the interior ministry. It's been a busy day, half of his staff away on leave has made it a tough week. He's looking forward to his own week off, just a few days away. He will visit his new grand daughter with his wife. She has been busy preparing meals for their daughter over the past week in preparation for their visit. He thinks of the fluffy little stuffed monkey he has bought for her, wrapped delicately inside his briefcase and a smile edges its way onto his face. The train starts to brake, his smile subsides and he picks up the case as the doors burst open and is flushed out with the crowd onto the platform.

I look down and feel for the button skip tracks, when I look back up, I'm in Athens. A baggage carousel is spewing mostly black but some splashes of red and blue suitcases to a tired looking crowd. A woman is standing in dark orange tights, something of a flamenco look blouse with hair that has been coloured and recoloured a thousand times and is now a mix of reds and blondes all frizzed on a bed of grey. Eye makeup has exploded onto her face, half of which is now blue, it seemed like a good idea when she woke early this morning for the pre-dawn flight here. She feels a little more awake than she did then, but her eyes have looked completely awake all day. She's returning home to Athens where she lives by the port. She had never travelled much until the cheaper airlines started to fly and her weekend in London with an old friend was lot of fun, but more expensive than she had planned. She will have to wait a few months for the next trip now. Work at the port isn't exactly well paying, but her son who lives in central Athens helps out when she needs. She is sure that his flat-mate is his lover but has never had the courage to ask. She invites them both whenever there is an event on just in case. A cute couple in their late 20's walk by pushing a trolley stacked with bags. A fuzz of blonde hair is trailing them on the body of a toddler who has been so out of control, they now have little energy left to chase him. He has run into the security lady, picked up an old baggage tag off the ground but just before putting it into his mouth found another distraction and is running off towards a dog emerging from a fellow passenger's hand carry on the floor. His parents laugh together recalling the man from the Hotel this morning who joked about their son "The Destroyer" as he called him. The dog now freed, the toddler runs laughing towards the carousel with those bags that look like a great challenge to climb.

Madonna's "Give it to me" bounds into the sound track and the rest of the movie is paused while a short film plays out in my head. This one's a real one, unlike the other ones I've concocted in my travels, so my imagination is less essential right now. It is another holiday experience though. The track ends and a new one begins, and so my journey continues.

baby you can drive my car, No.7

2009-09-05T01:05:00.001+10:00

The interviews have been going on and on. But I'm okay with that. The final applicant is the only definite right hand drive guy - which would be kinda useful down-under if I want to avoid head-on collisions. He's laid back, has great arms, to control the vehicle with of course, and looks confident in the driver's seat. He can just drive. I don't care where we go.

I've decided I'm going for applicant No.1 for the working week, and No.7 here for the weekends.

Who are you going to choose? You only get one choice, though - so vote in the new poll on the top right for your preferred driver.

14 years on...

2009-09-01T03:07:00.004+10:00

In Gay years we've been together what, 98 years? It certainly doesn't seem that long. 14 years has flown by, but looking back there's a hell of a lot we've done in that time. We've broken all kinds of new ground for ourselves and the people around us, we've bought and sold homes together and lived in a handful of others, swum probably thousands of kilometres together, many competitively. We've made friends, welcomed new family members and fare-welled others, we've taken hundreds of flights together and tied up the globe with our flight paths. We've driven a car or two into the ground. We've raised our Labrador Norten, of whom we're very proud, and now have embarked on raising a child, which will certainly keep the next 14 yrs and more as busy if not more so than the first. We've grown closer together even when we're apart. It's been one hell of a time and I'm looking forward to the next 14 and beyond.

Happy Anniversary Mr Frenchman, My Frenchman.

baby you can drive my car, No.6

2009-08-26T01:23:00.002+10:00

I think this applicant has certainly got his finger on the pulse. He's ticked all the boxes. Some of them twice. This was a short interview, at least in terms of questions asked. I'm not sure I want to continue the search for a chauffeur any farther...

but I will.

Big thanks to Definition of a Man - where I found this applicant.

baby you can drive my car, No.5

2009-08-23T00:45:00.003+10:00

Chauffeur, mechanic... we like the multiskilled and multitalented. This applicant is certainly on the shortlist for the job as my driver. In fact, even if he can't drive he'll still make the shortlist. I'm not shallow, no, no, no, well, perhaps. Just a little.

I'm tempted to stop here... but the applicants are lined up, and I HAVE to see them all.

It's all Greek to me

2009-08-22T00:03:00.005+10:00

We're escaping to Greece next month and need your help.

We're there for a brief stay, but it wasn't planned in advance and we're not really sure where to go. We'll be landing in Athens and leaving from Santorini, but the rest is unchartered. Have you been to Greece? Is there anywhere you'd recommend? Suggest we avoid? Places that are MUST SEE. I need to be able to swim - but I'm guessing that won't be a problem anywhere. Any accommodation and boating recommendations are also appreciated.

Thanks guys.

Baby you can drive my car, No.4

2009-08-19T01:01:00.004+10:00

The search for a chauffeur continues. Today's applicant looks good behind the wheel, but road safety may be an issue with that view-obstructing cap... though in this demonstration below he manages to fix that and show that he's capable of securing my surfboards (I still think the cap needs to go - the rest of the uniform is just fine though).

Is he THE applicant?

The interviews continue...

Weekend Home Holidays

2009-08-17T01:22:00.005+10:00

Conversations of liquid gold, connections with great people refreshed, out of place summer weather, babbling youngsters who steal your heart, meals and experiences shared, escapes into the great outdoors and oceanic meanderings. It was a weekend of great things, the simple thing of life that are so enriching, rewarding, and so much fun. I'm looking forward to the real summer and more time with friends and family just being, and spending time. Doing things spontaneously and not having any particular goal or focus. I have enough tasks to manoeuvre through in my working week. The weekends are going to be mini holidays like this one was - even if I did work for a part of it.

Baby you can drive my car, No.3

2009-08-15T02:50:00.003+10:00

Number 3 for a reason, this applicant is in fact a trio. Three chauffeurs for the price of...?

Obviously comfortable in a convertible, perhaps a little too comfortable, and as for safety consciousness, there a hell of a lot of questions, but if I wanted to go a long way I'd have a series of drivers and 24hrs of the day covered. But I'm guessing they may be seasonal workers. Oh but what a season!

The chauffeur interviews continue...

Baby you can drive my car, No.2

2009-08-13T14:06:00.000+10:00

Now this applicant is a lot more formal, but that does leave a lot more to the imagination. Certainly gives the impression of formal elegance. He looks ready to drive and seems to be familiar with convertible sports cars which is a strong plus. Not as chilled as applicant no.1 but then I guess we haven't seen him on a hot day... I wonder how he looks, I mean drives in the rain.

Baby you can drive my car, No.1

2009-08-11T01:21:00.001+10:00

So I'm interviewing for Chauffeurs. There are quite a few applicants, but I'm having trouble getting past the first. He certainly looks comfortable in a car, the uniform fits, he seems comfortable around the gear stick, and I do have a manual car.

Can't wait for the test drive.

Wonder who will turn up for the next interview...

Tropical Fruit

2009-08-09T22:54:00.003+10:00

My good friend Martin, recently moved to Australia's Northern Territory has started off a new blog TROPICAL FRUIT. Worth a look by clicking above, here, or on the link which continues to be updated in my blog links on the right. I do love his writing.

Do you James take Adam to be your lawfully wedded Husband?

2009-08-04T01:31:00.007+10:00

Are you still with [boyfriend X] ?

We've all been asked it, but I rarely hear it being asked of straight couples.

There is often an expectation of relationship splits in same sex couples. The fact that we have no formal means of being recognised doesn't encourage a sense of commitment, and I expect makes our relationships less valued. I certainly have been pissed off at weddings where my relationship has been considered inferior, even though it has outlasted many of those marriages.

And while I'm not sure about getting married personally, I'd like to be able to make that decision for myself and not have it made for me by a government or religious institution.

The Australian Greens have introduced the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2009 into the Australian Senate. The Bill aims to amend the definition of marriage from a “union between a man and a woman” to “a union between two persons”. This will allow all couples, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, the right to marry in Australia.

The Senate Legal and Constitutional Committee has set August 28th as the deadline for submissions for the Inquiry into the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2009. You can make a submission to the enquiry easily following via the Gay & Lesbian Rights Lobby webpage which goes into more detail about this here, and has an easy to fill out form here which you can link to and fill out online. Even if you don't personally have a desire for marriage, I think it is important that we have the possibility of choosing it and the recognition that our relationships are just as valid and valued as anyone else's.

The majority of the population is now in support of marriage equality, but I know there are going to be loads of religious groups making submissions opposing it. Don't let them win.

Have your say now.

Click here.

You can also vote in the superchilled marriage poll top right.

10 weeks

2009-07-28T01:10:00.004+10:00

Young Amélie is now 10 weeks old and here she is resting on her Papa's shoulder, one of her favourite places. We've been rather busy of late with her, and it's taken a little time away from my usual posting here. But I guess priorities do change, and you do tend to get a little distracted when there is a munchkin about growing and learning and getting increasingly interactive. It's a life changing thing as they say, but it's a very natural change and quite a lot of fun. Some things become more important as other things that may have once been essential to your life just dissolves away and you wonder what significance they ever had.

I've managed to keep up with swimming, it's still quite an essential part of my life. We all go swimming together, though Amélie isn't old enough to get into the water, yet. We all take turns looking after her while the rest swim. I guess she'll get used to the smell of salt and chlorine before she knows what it is. We're counting down the days until she can get in there with us.

It's been a fun start to parenthood. We certainly don't fit the traditional model, particularly in the area where we live where the whole concept of co-parenting is exceedingly new. The local community has been incredibly supportive; there have been some funny questions and statements along the way making us aware that we are in fact breaking new ground here. The fact there are questions rather than silence, gifts of all kinds and positive encouragement from such a variety of people has made it an incredibly positive experience, more than from just a parenting perspective.

P!NK Perfection

2009-07-19T00:35:00.003+10:00

We ventured out to one of P!NK's record breaking live concerts here in Sydney this weekend. It's an uncommon thing but The Frenchman and I have both found someone we'd turn straight for in P!nk whose concert was spectacular. Loved it to bits and would go again if I had the chance. I'd heard great reports and had seen her performing live only on TV in the past but the reality did not disappoint. There was some spectacle I really wasn't expecting and emotional hits which were right on target. Full of energy for the whole of the performance, singing upside-down spinning and still hitting the right notes. The hype was certainly up to speed. Sign me up as a definite fan. Can we do it all again please?

Dine on this.

2009-07-14T01:34:00.003+10:00

The brief: "I want an image of a partially dressed guy tying his shoes, reclined on a table and showing the branding of underwear somewhere in the middle of it all."

Sounds loopy on paper, but it works. At least it works for me. And here he is, thanks to the creatives at Andrew Christian mens(under)wear. And why is he here today? Because you can't always be serious, and distraction can be grand. I also like different takes on things and I don't like being limited. People taking a step outside the ordinary - whether it works or not - (and we're not just talking photography here) are the kind of courageous people we need more of.

Oh and if this is dinner, I won't need dessert.

Arrgghhh!!!

2009-07-07T02:51:00.000+10:00

"Arrgghhh!!!"

Everyone needs someone to talk to. It maybe to debrief on the driver who cut you off on the freeway, or share how great you feel after a great day at work and extend it to the discussion of relationships and complex emotional stresses. Just talking about these things, as trivial as they may seem at the time, can have a marked influence on our quality of life. I certainly appreciate the people who fill this role for me, and ensure that I can be the leaning post for them that they are for me. It doesn't always work both ways though, with my work I'm often the leaning post for people who have no-one else with whom they can share their inner emotions and thoughts. They're not always capable of filling the leaning post role themselves, but as they become more in touch with themselves the more capable they are of finding someone to balance things out with in their own world.

The gay world is one that is often filled with doubts and insecurities and as we grow these are tackled and hopefully we grow stronger and more capable of supporting others within it. A big thanks to those who are there for me. You know who you are.

If you don't have anyone who you can trust, you may find a local GP who can help out - or a counselling service who can provide an ear when you feel no-one else is willing or wanting to listen. For a gay friendly experience try the links below. Life is too short to not share our experiences.

Gay & Lesbian Counselling Service of NSW

Switchboard - Victoria & Tasmania

Gay & Lesbian Community Services - Western Australia

Gay & Lesbian Welfare Association - Queensland

Gay & Lesbian Community Services of South Australia

Late night bursts

2009-07-01T02:13:00.004+10:00

I'm sitting in the living room with the heater turned down, and now it's too cold. Of course I am wearing shorts and it is mid winter. I could spew more CO2 into the atmosphere, or I could pop on some pants. Or I could just be cold, and that's a lazy and easy option. Which I take.

It's a night at home on my own. I've left The Frenchman in charge of the youngster in her city abode and returned home to the coast. Of course everyone else had had their night and was headed to bed. I headed to the pool, swam then came home, worked, researched and did some reading. I love the late night. It's quiet apart from the occasional breaking wave thundering in the darkness and the thoughts in my head. I've read a selection of posts on blogs I check less regularly now, and I've gotten into their heads for short bursts, and realise that I haven't let anyone into mine here for a while. I've wondered whether I have anything useful to say any more, and if everyone is bored with baby stuff. You get into a bubble with a newborn around and your focus is a little narrowed. Its normal and I kinda like it. But I'm conscious of following the stereotype. I'm not a fan of following anything, much less stereotypes. But sometimes you need to start off on the same path before you head off in your own untrodden direction. Just not too long.

Standing on Oxford Street in Paddington this evening in the late afternoon light was stunning. A warm sky, a cool air and glowing light beaming out of eclectic shop fronts inviting me in, the mouth-watering smell of the various foods wafting about as I meandered past. It's a place I've been a thousand times before but rarely has it felt like it did today. I realise it's a whole new place for me now, a whole new world, and I'm loving it.

insomnia & fathering

2009-06-23T23:14:00.004+10:00

I'm in the haze a series of sleep-interrupted nights creates, and my brian is slowed. Slowed to that point where you stare at things for no real reason, and when you realise you are doing it you regain your focus, look somewhere else, and then blur again into the distance. Productive it is not, and as my computer screen becomes that blur I realise another post on superchilled might just bite the dust.

Part of the insomnia is a parenthood thing, part of it is work - but the combination of the two creates one formidable zombiesque state.

One thing that is crystal clear is that entering into co-parenting means you're going to be asked a LOT OF THE SAME QUESTIONS over and over again. It gets to the point where you either just omit mentioning the co-parenting status in the introduction of one's entry into parenthood, step right into a description of what it all means right down to living arrangements, or wait for the questions to fly in, some with an air of "Do you know what you're getting into?" or alternatively "I can't see that this is going to be healthy for the child."And usually dispelled by the end of said conversation. It seems it is always easier being straight where you never have to justify anything, it's considered a natural progression. And the questions more "Why aren't you having kids?" rather than "Why are you having kids?". Despite this the responses to our becoming co-parenting dads have been almost uniformly encouraging and supportive, which is sensational. Certainly being a dad is a lot of fun and the work of nappy changes, feeding & the like doesn't feel at all like work. Although at 3 am one's enthusiasm can be a little less focussed.

And to avoid ongoing sleep deprivation I'm headed to bed.

London Preppy - is he back?

2009-06-17T14:41:00.003+10:00

One of my favourite blogs has been London Preppy - linked from superchilled for some time now. He has lived and died and lived and died a few times, but it seems the messiah returns to the same channel, different time, same quirkiness (or is that bizarreness?) but certainly well written (& at times photographed or videoed) and entertaining escapes from the every day. Catch him while he's still up and about. Click here, or from his blog link in the right column ->.

Many apologies for a decided lack of input here of late. Things are on track for more classic superchilled in the near future.

A Long Weekend of Beautiful Surf

2009-06-09T00:43:00.006+10:00

The long weekend here has ended. Unusually we have not flown away for it. But there's something to be said for staying home. Here was what we woke up to most mornings.

12 seconds - yep that's all.

I even ventured in for a surf myself and a few swims on top of that. It's been a busy time of late getting to know young Amélie and keeping everything else happening in the background. A little time out was fantastic, and for me there's nothing quite like escaping in the winter to a surprisingly warm, crystal clear surf. It's like heaven for me, true bliss. And on the beach and in the surf there have been an assortment of eye catching men. Damn it.

I'm looking forward to more weekends like this. Lots more.