"Farewell to Fownes"

The hand coloured poster (part of) for the special gig in Brighton on Wednesday night. I nabbed it off the pub wall (The Prince Albert, Trafalgar St), where the gig took place, on my way past a spewing Eighties Matchbox fan on my way out, only to bump into another fan pissing up the wall of someones house. Lovely!

O.I.B Records Presents...

The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster.
A Special Intimate Show... Ghoulish Horror Punk Rock Up Close & Personal.

With Scissors.
Blinding Hardcore Carnage. Think Converge & The Locust In A Fist Fight.

From the safety of my stage height bench, over looking the small, cramped, instrument strewn stage, I was only yards away from the psychobilly boys from Brighton. It was hot in there and probably even more so being nearer to the ceiling. At least I had a lone mirror ball to keep me company. I must have had the greatest view of the stage and crowd alike from where I was perched. I was well propped up on that bench for on one side I had my best friend Jac and the other the lady drummer from Breakneck Static.
Although it was Eighties Matchbox headlining, the whole evening was mainly, and understandably so, focused on a certain Mr Fownes, lead guitarist both with With Scissors and Eighties Matchbox. He has himself a new job see. Something to do with some nails of the nine inch variety. He must feel very privileged to be invited to join the American industrial rockers, who began Nine Inch Nails when Rich was just five years old!

After an interesting band (first of three) called Breakneck Static fronted by the tiniest (as in small, not tinny) and screechiest of Japanese girls, and rather cute to boot, on came Rich with his other band With Scissors. A hardcore, psychedelic, experimental (their words, not mine) band from Brighton. The red headed lead singer of which spent most of the performance screaming his lyrics in amongst the crowd. Very loud, fast and aggressive to say the least! I stood through their whole set wondering how on earth they manage to remember the tracks for each gig! Very complicated (to me anyway). You gotta see it to believe it! Awesome stuff!! Rich is one of the most animated guitarists that I have seen! You can just tell that he absolutely Loves it up there. It seems this might have been Rich's, also of Eighties Matchbox, last performance with With Scissors for some time too.

With trusty glitter ball still spinning madly and the rest of With Scissors already gone, Rich seemed to hang around alone on stage and for a while I thought he might just stay there and wait for the rest of Eighties Matchbox (his other band) to join him and begin his last ever gig with them. But after sticking up on his speaker stack the set list for his next performance, then he was gone too. They all came on together about fifteen minutes later to the sound of cheers and claps, mostly wishing Rich well. With the rest admiring Guys new haircut (when I read With Scissors on the poster stuck on the outside of the pub, I didn't think they meant literally;) and over sized, shoulder padded plaid jacket. When did he chop off all that hair? The last time I saw them was at the New Years Evil gig. He looks good though. Toms hair seems to have gone the other way as my friend Jac pointed out and as she also pointed out, as she does every time we see these guys, Marc Norris looks more and more like a Cenobite from Clive Barkers "Hellraiser". I think he'll be happy with that comparison;)

After an audience aimed, semi retarded (in a good way) 'Hellooo' from Rich, the psychobilly Brighton band began with their first track "Mister Mental" (remember Shaun of the Dead?) with that screeching, piercing intro that I absolutely Love! They continued through fifteen tracks in total (see track list below) including an encore that saw Rich walk away from the stage after an absolutely fucking rocking performance of "Presidential Wave". Quite fitting really, since he will be off to the USA soon.

Their set, as was the venue, pretty good! Excellent in fact! Downstairs is a normal pub and upstairs just a small room with a small stage and an even smaller bar. Most of the band were down in the pub when Jac & I arrived, drinking and having a smoke and everything else normal people do. Except, where was Guy? He never seems to hang around with the others and always seems to turn up last all on his oddy nocky. Probably still in the barbers ten minutes before the gig;)
The lighting on stage was fantastic too, so my camera could pick up the band. There were (as usual) a few problems with Guys mic, which meant he had to steal Rich's mic (as usual). The speaker stack next to Rich got knocked over and someone threw a plastic glass across the small crowded room and it walloped me in the neck. I didn't even blink! And for some reason, since reading the posts from Sheik-Yerbouti over on the EMBLD Forum, I was convinced there was going to be some sort of clash between the Sheik and Symren (bass). The main reason being because there was this guy in the audience who looked like it might have been him! Travis Bickle seemed like a puppy in comparison to the way this guy just stared at our band from near to the middle......just under that glitter ball! And, if I'm not mistaken, did I see a real life Gingerbread Man stage dive into the crowd? I know he's a big fan of EM and has supported them in the past (New Years Evil...I was there), so it might have been.

Anyway, there were no head butts, no more plastic cups and all seemed to finish rather well, with Guy hugging Rich just before laying into "Giant Bones" and saying thank you for everything he has done for them over the past two years. Quite a Lovely moment! And Rich even taking time to introduce his little mum who was there up at the front proudly cheering on her son. Eighties Matchbox left the room and Rich went off (I presume) to celebrate with his mother;)

So, what does this mean for the future of Eighties Matchbox? Disaster or the beginning of another new line-up with even more mental tunes, superb live shows and even shorter hair-do's, where Guy is concerned? I for one, know for a fact that I would be absolutely gutted if they split up now Rich has left. But they say that ain't happening and are already auditioning for a new lead guitarist. I really hope that they will go on to bigger and better things. I Love this band and will stick by them whatever! Since the early days when Mr Huxley was around and the last few years with Mr Fownes, I just haven't been able to get enough of them!

Thanks for a truly memorable gig guys!

Good luck with NIN Rich and good luck Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster!


Track List;

Mister Mental
I Could Be an Angle
Charge of the Guns
In The Garden
Mission From God
I Rejection
Love Turns to Hate
Under My Chin
Chicken
Man for All Seasons (Missing from my videos)
Psychosis Safari
Celebrate Your Mother
Giant Bones

Encore...

Horses Can Swim
Presidential Wave

I managed to capture most of the gig on video. Check out my Youtube link at the top right corner of this page. Unfortunately, I had to delete "Man for all Seasons" as my poxy 2gb memory card was running out! There are a couple of With Scissors tracks on there too.



Jason








(C) JPT 2008.........

"Interpol & The Dead, Dead Cold of Night"

Jac at Interpol's Alexandra Palace gig on 30.11.07.


Seems the plague cannot be avoided after all. Who am I trying to kid? Dodging germs and family members & friends whom I think might have a 'germ'. Opening my Mums front room window less than one inch on a Saturday night to let out any bad things that might get into my body and kill me. The same thing goes in my car, in my flat...even though I am all alone. If the window is open even for just a few millimeters, means that I won't catch a cold or even worse flu or a terrible chest infection...then death!

It doesn't really work does it? It's all in my mind isn't it?

I have behaved in this way ever since I was first told of my HIV infection back in 1987. You ask any one of my friends and family and they will tell you just how paranoid I am about germs and the like. My mum used to joke that anybody getting in my car with shower before they did so. The first thing that I would (and still do) is to look see, upon entering a house, whether a window might be open. If it isn't open, I will then open one just a few millimeters and then I find that I can relax a little better. But if it is a house where I don't feel comfortable about opening a window then I will just sit there worrying the whole time, breathing in such a way that won't let the germs in...and if god forbid I hear that someone has a cold in the same house a me, my mind explodes and I can't breathe nor think straight and all I want to do is leave and breathe in the air out in the street!

It really drives me mad sometimes. I'm not as bad as I used to be in the earlier days/years of my HIV infection, but it is still there with me, this bloody paranoia of getting a bug that I can't fight off and kills me dead!

So, I have this thing going on right now! I woke up yesterday morning with the sorest throat ever and a runny nose to boot. And this morning it is, I'd say, twice as bad as it was and I am beginning to ache over my body and I feel hot. It'll all be over in a week or so won't it? Or I will be dead by Christmas!

O.C.D Heaven...

I'm sorry if I worry you, but this is how it makes me feel inside my head. I know I will get better soon. I got a similar thing just after I finished my Hep C treatment and it went away after a bit. But it still made me think terrible thoughts.
I'll keep an eye on my chest and temperature and that is all I can do. I am most certainly not one to go to the doctors about it, like the majority of people do when they get a bug, clogging up the doctors waiting rooms with snot and germs, coughing and sneezing all over the place, infecting everyone else in there. The doctors can't do anything anyway! I have never gone to the doctors when I have a bad cold. I sort it out myself with stuff to relieve the symptoms and just rest indoors and stay away from everyone. Unless of course I think I might have a chest infection, where I will completely bypass my local GP and shoot on up to the RFH and see my HIV specialists.

I was hoping to visit Ros up in Kidderminster during this week (today to be exact) and Helen too, but won't be now as I really don't want to pass this on to anyone else! Especially this close to Christmas and so soon after Ros (& Helen for that matter) came out of hospital. Sorry girls! Sorry for being such a germ:(

It just occurred to me that my goal of 3600 miles for the year on my bike might not be accomplished now. I am up to 3320 miles at the time of writing this (Tuesday 4th December) and need to complete 290 miles by Jan 1st 2008! What with two knee injuries in the last month and now this poxy germ, I think that it might be a little difficult to complete. That'd be just over 10 miles per day, everyday until Jan 1st, starting tomorrow! Doesn't sound like much come to think of it. Is it possible? I don't rightly know, but what I do know is that I am going to do my best and reach my goal...or die trying!

It doesn't matter if I don't reach my goal does it? I mean, it's only a number right?

The photo is of (as if you hadn't already guessed;) my best (female) friend Jac. I took it on Friday night inside Alexandra Palace in North London. We met up with a couple of friends (Phil & Rob) to see a band called Interpol. Jac & I have seen them before a few years ago. The gig was alright, but the venue was far too big and the place was pretty full! We much prefer much smaller venues where you can almost (if you really want to) touch the band members. But it seems that Interpol have gotten a bit bigger over the years what with three albums under their belt now.
Jac disappeared for half an hour, making her way down to the front in the 'Mosh pit', whilst the others and I stood at the edge quite happy just to (discreetly) tap our feet to the beat.
They played some of their older stuff which I prefer and Jac's two Faves also..."Not Even Jail" & "PDA". My fave "Stella Was A Diver and She Was Always Down" wasn't played! Oh well. But, you can hear it below and see a rather nice video for it too, all at the same time...



Ok, what do you say to a 7ft man who, halfway through a gig, stands directly in front of you and blocks your view and goodness knows how many more, completely? Exactly! But not Phil. He reached up and tapped the man on the shoulder and motioned with his head to move somewhere else...which the tall man did and then strangely proceeded to walk right to the edge and face directly away from the band and play with his mobile phone. Strange or what!



Jason








(C) JPT.........3337.8

"My Kayaking For September 2007"

Jac (My bestest friend) @ The Buffalo Bar in Islington to see "William".



As you can see, not a lot of kayaking during the month of September. The main reason being that I have been doing loads of cycling and have been more or less relying on my Thursday night pool sessions in Ealing to do a bit. Plus I missed one session in Sept due to the fact that I couldn't walk! I wanted so much to go but was in far too much pain!
I don't even have a photo related to kayaking to post with it, so I thought I'd stick another pic of my best friend Jac up as this is what I did last time...besides, I think she looks far much better than I do;) Apology's for the fact that the photo wasn't even taken in September. I took it on 9.10.07 (Jac's Birthday) when we went gigging.


Thursday 6th September 2007 @ 21:00pm, I managed to get Jac to come along and promised that I wouldn't tip her in;), The pool was very packed with other boats which is unusual and made the whole experience a little disappointing, Jac got out early and sat on the side watching, if the pool was more quiet she'd have had a much better time. It was her first ever time in kayak too. I hope she goes again:)

Thursday 13th September 2007 @ 21:00pm, Ealing Pool, Lee & Ian, 1hr 30mins, no Jac this time...don't suppose we'll ever see her there again bless her little cotton socks;)

Thursday 20th September 2007 @ 21:00, Ealing pool, 1hr 30mins, Ian, Lee had cold, Ian has new boat, I was using a pair of hand paddles from the states tonight and found them to be quite good fun. So easy to roll with them...I think they were a little too big really and could do with a smaller pair. Ian's ankle is getting better and hopefully he will be able to come cycling with us again.



Jason








(C) JPT 2007

"My Cycling For September 2007"

Me during my 100k marathon in Ruthin 16.08.07



Another month and another cycling post...yipee! Looks like I passed the 3000 mile mark for the year and I'm beginning to wonder if I will manage the 3600 by the time this year is up on December 31st? 550 odd miles in two & a half months? You betcha!!! Although I have been cycling and stuff, both my ankles have been playing up whether it be walking or cycling or just sitting in doors doing not a lot of anything! Walking though mainly causes the pain. I'm more or less ok cycling just as long as I don't put my feet down at traffic lights or at gates into RP etc, ie; impossible! But I still do it because...because I can.

So, what else have I been doing? I had meself a fibroscan at my haemophilia centre in Hampstead the other week and got a score of 9.6. They were happy with it, so I am too. I wasn't expecting the scan, nor did I particularly want one, but I had it anyway because...because I can.

Jac & I went up the hill...actually, we went up to North London on Tuesday to see a live band called "William". It was her birthday too. We had a great time although we nearly missed the last train back to Waterloo and then nearly missing the last train back to Twickenham too!
Again, Jac fell in Love with the lead singer Gavin and got me to take a photo of them together. Good band! He sings without his shoes because...because he can.

What else, what else, what else? Oh, yes, I went to Preston to this years Haemophilia Society AGM. I'd never been to one before and I gotta admit that if certain other haemophiliacs weren't there, I'd probably not bothered going. Ros was there as were Matt and another typeIII vWd Helen. She is pretty cool as she is a fellow Blakes 7 fan and she has a vein in her arm that vibrates! Now if that ain't cool, then what is?

Anyway, here are the stats for last months cycling;


Sunday 2nd September 2007 @ 12pm, Phil, RPx1 and a half, 17.43 miles, sunny and warm, dry, av 11.6, max 32mph, 1hr 30mins, temp 20, wind 14. Total 2727.95 miles...(2334.5 miles since Cateye)

Wednesday 5th September 2007 @ 17:00pm, RPx2 with small diversion to Jac's work to say hello and pump her back tyre up, warm and sunny, 25.36miles, av 13.2, max 28mph, 1hr 55mins. Total 2753.31 miles...(2359.9 miles since Cateye)

Friday 7th September 2007 @ 18:00pm, 19.83 miles, RPx1 and diversion to Mums for dinner in garden, sunny the dark, warm, dry, av 13.4, max 27.1 mph, 1hr 29mins, temp 22, wind 5. Total 2773.14 miles...(2379.7 miles since Cateye)

Sunday 9th September 2007 @ 12:30pm, Phil, HH & LH, 21.73 miles, 2hrs 31mins, warm, sunny & dry, Phil crashed a few times including one on BKB...he's fine I might add!, av 8.6, max 34.2 mph, temp 24, wind 7. Total 2794.87 miles...(2401.4 miles since Cateye)

Wednesday 12th September 2007 @ 18:00pm, RP on the road, 17.97 miles, warm, dry & sunny, 1hr 14mins, av 14.6, max 36.8 mph, temp 21, wind 4. Total 2812.84 miles...(2419.4 miles since Cateye)

Friday 14th September 2007 @ 18:00pm, BP, 10.17 miles, av 14.8, max 22.9 mph, 41 mins, dry/dusk, temp 19, wind 5. Total 2823.01 miles...(2429.6 miles since Cateye)

Sunday 16th September 2007 @ 09:30, Ruthin North Wales, Lee, Phil, Merida MTB Mountain Bike Marathon Series Final, Lee & Phil both did 50k and I did 100k, 58.04 miles, av 8.2, max 35.3 mph, 8hrs out and 7hrs pedaling in total, finished @ 17:25, sun, strong winds with clouds and rain later...see blog entry for 21st September to read about the ride. Total 2881.05 miles...(2487.6 miles since Cateye)

Sunday 23rd September 2007 @ 12:40, Home to Central London (Hovis "Freewheel" Bike Event) via A3 & Vauxhaull Bridge (going)/Waterloo Bridge (coming back), 40.58 miles, av 12, max 30.4 mph, mostly sunny and very windy coming back, 3hrs 22mins pedaling...back home at 5pm, temp 21, wind 14. Total 2921.63 miles...(2528.2 miles since Cateye)

Sunday 30th September 2007 @ 17:00, Lee, out for a little ride to see how my ankle was after three days of agony!, BP & RP, 23.54 miles, av 13.8, max 26.7 mph, 1hr 42mins, mild and bright, ankle was fine in the end and feels like it is 'back to normal'...thank goodness!, temp 16, wind 9. Total 2945.17 miles...(2551.7 miles since Cateye)



Jason








(C) JPT 2007.........3042.77 miles

"Redcarscometoascreechinghalt"

Jac trying her utmost to join Redcarsgofaster as a band member...Did someone not tell her that it was their last ever gig?



It's so true! Leicester band Redcarsgofaster came skidding to a grinding halt on Saturday night (8th Sept) in a tiny building in the middle of their hometown. The venue was The Charlotte in Oxford St. Redcars were on in the upstairs room and when I say room, I mean quite literally a room...a dark, hot, wood floor room! No stage as such. Just a corner where all their gear was set up and a few speakers. A very intimate affair indeed! Perfect for witnessing a great bunch of guys yanking up the handbrake to their band and playing their last ever gig ever! You see, I was there with my friend Jac who also Love them and when we heard that they were gigging and that it was going to be their last performance...well, we just had to go didn't we. All we had of them in the way of music were six tracks that we managed to find on itunes and nothing else. We heard them once on the radio (which is where we first heard them and instantly fell in Love)...we were sitting in the car one night listening to Xfm and on came "I Am the Storm". The rest as they say is history.

So, we left London behind & drove the 100 miles or so North in a black fast car to the venue. We were a little early (3hrs) and spent most of that time looking for a part of Leicester that wasn't made up of old mens pubs and university campus buildings. We found a place to wait and then before we knew it was almost 8pm. Half the small queue waiting outside to get in were covered in blood and scars of all shapes & sizes! Fake of course...at least I hope it was...I think they must have been seeing the band who were playing downstairs..."Send More Paramedics". They're playing in London on the 14th...I might pop along to see. These guys are also splitting up! What is it with bands splitting up all over the place?

Upon entering the venue, I hadn't realized just how many famous bands had played there! The walls were covered in posters of all the bands that have since 1985...Radiohead, The Killers, Bloc Party, The Buzzcocks, Oasis, The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, Manic Street Preachers, Suede, Echobelly (MMmmm!), Pulp, Kyuss (cool!), Muse, Coldplay, Coutney Pine, Blur Joe Strummer (of The Clash fame), Razorlight, The Libertines and many more. I bought a t-shirt and Jac bough a red wine and upstairs we went. We had got talking to a guy who was there to see Redcars and he really knew his music and was there photographing the band too. We found him at the top of the stairs talking to Redcars frontman James and spoke to them a bit before we went in. He couldn't believe we came all the way up from London to see them! I asked him if he had any cd's of their homemade album...I'd been kind of communicating with the band the week before by e-mail and they said they would be selling them at the gig. They even remembered me from the e-mails and went and got our cd's before they went on...in fact, even before the first two bands ("Tired Irie" & "Rotary Ten") went on. They were very good too...Jac was in her element and was having a great time. Seeing live bands really seems to be her thing and makes her feel happy! I too Love the whole live band scene. And since the smoking ban on the 1st July you can actually breath in there now!

As I said, Jac was absolutely Loving it...and then on came Redcars! She had already fallen in Love with their music over the last year and now she was falling in Love with James the bands singer. We met him briefly just before the gig and he was just such a nice bloke! He looked very young and we had both imagined him to be a lot older looking. Great looking with a wonderful voice...where did it all go wrong? We had to keep reminding ourselves that it was their last ever gig and that we would never (no one would ever...) see this band again! Good job then that I videoed it! Check these guys out by having a listen to them on their myspace page; http://www.myspace.com/redcarsgofaster click on track "Neurath's Figure"...this is a favorite at the moment. Tell me what you think and if you think they're mad for calling it a day with such a great sound under their belts?

So, the band came on, did their stuff, played more tracks than they have ever played before in a single gig, laughed and joked between themselves and us and even stripped down to their waists just because they had always wanted to during previous gigs and didn't have the bottle. The gig was brilliant, especially the last track, which I'd never heard before, where they just invited the audience up with them...Jac got right up there and had a ball being James' right hand woman for five minutes. Guitars and cymbals were flying around all over the place whilst James stood up by the window over looking the street outside and scribbled something like "Redcarsgofaster...R.I.P" into the steamed up windows as Phil drummed his nuts off along with Andy's deep bass. Then guitarist Matt lifted his guitar right over his head and went to smash it down onto the drum kit until fellow guitarist David jumped in and stopped him. It was sheer madness for a few minutes...a few minutes I'd Love to relive at least once a week for the rest of my life it was that cool!

Thanks guys for such a memorable gig!

REDCARSGOFASTER ARE FUCKING DEAD...R.I.P.

In other news...My mountain bike marathon up in Ruthin, North Wales is fast approaching. Sunday 16th to be precise. The weather looks set to be pretty bad so I may not do the 100k route...but we'll see. My bike is all ready...I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be and I am looking forward to it come rain or shine. What more could you ask for...a weekend camping in a beautiful part of the world with your mountain bike and you best mate? The only thing missing will be my kayak! I'll tell you all about it when it's all over.




Jason








(C) JPT 2007.........2823.01 miles.

"My Mate Factor VIII"

Me yesterday on Pitch Hill with a very clean Elvis...and look!, I've got my ruck-sack on back to front and I lost my Hep C Badge that was punned to it too! What a wally!



Firstly let me wish my best mate Lee a very happy birthday for Friday just gone. He turned a whopping 36 years old on that day. I've known him for nigh on 26 years and you couldn't even dream of finding a nicer buddy such as Lee has been to me! Cheers dude and thanks Nicola & Evie too for the wonderful BBQ in your new garden. Also hello to Pam (Lee's Mum) who was there too who might be reading this Blog for the very first time.

Right, so on to my Factor VIII level test results...again! This second lot (taken on the 1st August) of doing without F8 for a full 6 days produced some just as interesting results as the last time. This time I went to 4% after absolutely no F8 for 6 days when I am supposed to be less than 1% considering I am a severe haemophiliac! But no! I am 4%. Not 5% like I was last time a few weeks ago...and not less than 1% like I must have been when I was diagnosed back in 1973...but 4%. So...they want to do it all over again a third time in a few months time to see if it changes again. I reckon that the rate I am giving away my bloody blood I shall have less bloody blood in me than a blood bank that has just been bloody robbed!
They (My docs) said that your original haemophilia diagnoses can actually improve as you get older. The normal range for a normal normal person is between 50% and 150% Factor VIII. Maybe by the time I am old and grey (around the 360yrs mark) I shall be a Haemophiliac no longer. Will I become a Moderate to severe as time goes on or shall I remain a severe for as long as I live no matter what my Factor VIII levels are? I was born a severe...therefore I shall die a severe! So up yours ugly!!

Christ! You should have seen the needle they stuck in my vein! And it was a vein I have never ever used in the whole of my bleeding life ever in the whole wide world...ever!! It was just three inches short off the height, length & width of an actual London Underground train! But fortunately not as blunt and as slow;) And did it suck the blood out too! When I cut myself shaving later on when I was back home I bled water! They bloody took it all!

Ok, the weekend. Saturday was spent down on a small section of the South Downs Way just outside Worthing on the South Coast where my friend Matthew lives. He's the creator/founder of the website Blood, Sweat & Tyres. He raises money for the Haemophilia Society by riding bikes over long distances with other riders who are willing to ride along with him and raise a little money on the way. He's the chap and his mate Phil (among others) who I am riding with next weekend across the North Downs Way.

Phil (left) & Matthew on the South Downs Way Saturday.

Matthew, Phil & I did 35 miles in total on what has to be one of the best days weather wise this summer (see photo above). The sun shone the whole time, the route Matthew choose was very scenic and was a very pleasant ride indeed. It was kind of a small taster of what to expect maybe next weekend during our 100 plus miler across the North Downs Way from Dover to Dorking. There will be seven of us riding and an eighth man (My mate Lee) who'll be driving the support vehicle. All seems to be going according to plan and the ride should be hard but very rewarding. I can't wait!

Next comes Sunday (yesterday) and I went for my second ride of the weekend this time with Lee. And instead of the SDW we headed for a small section of the NDW and did 10 miles around Pitch & Holmbury Hills. And what a complete contrast in the weather! Just half a mile into our ride the heavens opened and completely and utterly drenched us and our hills! The trees were next to useless at being umbrellas so we headed off back to the car and almost went home because we were so wet but the rain stopped and the sun kinda came out again and off we went and did another nine and a half miles through water logged single track where the roots are as slippery as eels and the mud was as brown as dark chocolate ice cream! I fell off twice at very slow speeds because I couldn't get my feet out of my pedals quick enough. I blame it on the eels! We had a bite to eat by Peaslake Village and watched the other mountain bikers come and go covered head to toe in mud and water as were we. We did in fact end up having a great time and a good laugh too. I certainly didn't look as clean as I do in the photo at the top of post.

Oh...remember I said I went to see The Eighties MatchBox B-Line Disaster late last month? Well, I went again last Tuesday in London. I took an old friend who used to live down my Mums road in Twickenham as I knew he would like them. Another great live band experience! Very loud & atmospheric! This time I recorded the whole gig on my digital camera and have been uploading it onto YouTube the last several days. If you go to this link; http://www.youtube.com/TheMightyC you'll see all my videos in one place. Check out the gig at London's The Scala. The quality seems to be worse on YouTube than it is on my Mac. I think the uploading process downsizes the file size and therefore the picture quality too. But it's still ok. The highlight of the night was when I stole a poster advertising the gig from one of the inside doors directing us to the stage area. I missed out last time in Brighton as I waited until I came out and well, it was gone! Also right at the end of last Tuesdays gig, Guy (singer in the band) threw some bottles of water over and into the crowd and one of them landed right at my feet. And being the sad case that I am...I picked it up and still got it in my kitchen.




Jason


Happy Birthday to Claire (15th) & Becky (11th) too:)xXx






(C) JPT 2007.........2426.98 miles.

"Drunk on the Blood"

Jac & I at an Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster gig @ The Barfly in Brighton, 25.07.07.



Still don't know exactly what to think about my new health status except that I am 'well happy' and 'well relieved' that I won't be dying a Hep C related death any time soon. Otherwise business as usual...me arm kills me, me ankles kill me, still swallowing mouthfuls of Lovely tablets everyday with plenty of cycling and kayaking and not really a whole lot else besides. Ooh, I did go see a live band on Wednesday and attended another hearing for the public inquiry in Westminster just hours before the gig and I have given a fair bit of blood too (Thursday in fact) in a study that my doctors are carrying out up at the RFH called "Determinants of thrombin generation in Haemophilia: Does this associate with phenotype?". Sounds good eh? I'm not entirely sure what it means either, although I was given some literature to read and did indeed read it, but I still don't really know what it is for except it has something to do with my Factor VIII levels. I know I should probably take more notice of and show more interest in all things blood, especially when it is about my blood, but to be truthful I don't really want to become a doctor or an expert on the red stuff...not even a semi-expert...not even a mild one. I think I will leave all blood related things to the wonderful doctors at the RFH. I didn't even get a tube of Smarties for all the blood that they scoffed!

So, another public inquiry came and went (on Wednesday afternoon) and was dare I say it rather boring. Maybe I missed something, I'm pretty sure I did as I was nodding off to the gentle voice of Professor Ian M Franklin of Transfusion Medicine, University of Glasgow and National Medical & Scientific Director of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service. The social part of the hearings, where likewise infected people get together before or after and, well, basically socialize...this is the part that I enjoy and look forward to the most. Jac & I met up with Ros and Matt (fellow bleeders and infected...both are clear of Hep C but only Matt & I have HIV) a couple hours before the inquiry and sat in a smoke-free pub (pure bliss:) right under Big Ben in Westminster and spoke about all things HIV, Hep C, Haemophilia, Von Willies, blood, painful joints and how Lovely the fish & chips were that was sat in front of each of us. It was a very short hearing (1hr 30mins) and was held from 2pm. Are they running out of people to invite along? Were the panel busy with more 'important' things in the morning? Who knows? It was Jac's first time there and although it could and has been more interesting she still found it so. But she thinks they are wasting their time & money and the whole thing is pointless. We'll see.

Then came the gig in Brighton, on the same day as the inquiry. The band Jac & I went to see are called "The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster". They're a Brighton band so the crowd were pretty much up for a bit of matchbox mayhem...and matchbox mayhem was what they got too! What a complete bunch of fucking nutters! Look them up on YouTube and see what you think. You will not like them I guarantee it! I however think they are the dogs bollocks! Jac likes them too and knows what they're like but what happened on Wednesday night was pretty mental and an experience to behold. She said she'd never seen anything like it! The place was tiny (The Barfly) and the band and the crowd were only divided by a foot high step, some speakers and a little bit of shoulder height metal fencing to either side of the stage. If I wanted to tug Guy McKnight's (possessed lead singer & according to people that have met him a thoroughly nice chap) snazzy little neck tie I could have. Jac & I were right at the front by the fence and two very big speakers stacked on top of one another. The three support bands that were on before were soon forgotten about and the whole place seemed to move forward nine feet in anticipation of the bands arrival. Guys first dive into the crowd (there was a lot of diving) was to the brilliant track "Mister Mental". He clambered up the floor speakers on the stage and leaped onto the fence where I was standing and whilst bent over up against the low black ceiling of the venue, glitter covered eyes briefly scouring the crowd for someone to land on he dived right into the crowd still singing until he was pushed around on a see of sweaty hands for a few seconds before he disappeared in amongst the crowd! This happened during almost every track, just feet away from Jac & I. Exhilarating stuff indeed! I filmed a tiny bit of the dive I just described...it should be at the bottom of the post with a few more clips.

God knows what was going through Guys mind as he stood there between tracks seemingly unaware of where he was, saliva freely dribbling out of his open mouth, down his shirt and onto the floor. His eyes were wild like a rabid dog and his chin, body & limbs shivered as if half the world's alcoholic population were taking a giant chemical filled piss right onto his grave! His silk neck tie was either beginning to irritate him or he was trying to hang himself with it as he tried to pull the thing off. In the end he settled for the removal of his rather feminine looking shirt after singing for a few minutes with the thing tightly wrapped around his entire head like some sort of mummified psycho.

Although I would Love to have been just three or for people to my right (in the mosh pit) I was quite happy I wasn't too as I didn't have any factor VIII in my blood at all because the study I was involved with the next morning at the RFH meant that I was not to have any F8 for 72hrs before! Next time I will fill myself to the brim with fake blood and just throw myself in;) Ok, maybe I won't...but I want to! Who knows, it might happen as I have already bought tickets to see them again in London on the 7th August at The Scala in King's Cross.

YouTube clips that I made on Wednesday in Brighton;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5ELJfSbm58

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5ELJfSbm58

Below are my bloods from July 4th. I have no idea what they mean or whether they are any good, so if you no maybe you could let me know?

Bloods taken on July 4th, six months after finishing my Hep C treatment;

Hb 16.2
Wbc 4.72
Neutrophils 2.58
Platelets 127
ALT 23
Bilirubin 13

And in case you are interested below are my CD4 count;

CD4 @ 258 on July 4th 07
CD4 @ 154 on 22nd Jan 07
CD4 @ 202 on 2nd Oct 06
CD4 @ 98 on 9th September 03

And here is my weight taken on July 4th also;

Weight 74.1kg


So there you have it. Very happy (if you know what I mean) and very relieved also. The pubs and clubs (strictly for seeing live bands in) are now smoke free and I am (although I have a lot of pain in my joints) as fit as I ever have been. I got my sponsored bike ride coming up in three weeks which I am well looking forward to and it even looks like the weather is going to get better down here in the South of England in the next few weeks too.
See you when I get back from the Shrewsbury Hep C gathering this weekend. I'm staying with me Lovely friend Ros and her Hubby Ade...thanks guys for putting up with me again;)


Jason

P.s. Happy Birthday (28th July) to my wonderful blogger friend Ample. Have a wonderful weekend my dear:)xx







(C) JPT 2007.........2257.76 miles.