Breath Of Life

The life and times of Mr Mark Allen....

Friday, February 03, 2006

Botched Blood, Balls, Swordfish, 'Wok' n Roll

Blogg-tannians,

Salutations! Wow! Wow! Wow! Had a call from the brilliantly dizzy but intantly loveable SARAH CLARRY who I travelled around half Australia with in 2000 and haven't seen her since. She is now a physio student in Newcastle. So hopfully will be seeing a lot more of her (ooer - U know what I mean!)

When one is travelling you meet someone, decided you want to go in the same direction and spent 24-hours-a-day with them - eat, drink, sleep, laugh, explore and cry with them....then never see them again. Its strange.

Anyone who has gone travelling for months on end knows all about it. Its an experience only available to fellow travellers.

The two (or three sometimes) of you share something, in a certain time and place which only you experience and it will always be special. That happened a lot during my three years of global trotting! One doesn't stay in contact with many people. Its just not done. Its a part of life which is usually left there.

Anyway. It was lovely to hear from you Sarah and it will make next biopsy slightly more bearable knowing I have someone to go drinking and shopping with afterwards. I may even let you practice your physio on me.

This week two major life-marks in the life of Mark! 100 days since my transplant and 8000 visitors to my blog! Yippeeee!

I am either still alive, or this is some kind of Truman Show for the undead and you are all actors and actresses. If so, you are very good. Some better than others. Can I see that scenery move?

Tuesday I poppped into Lichfield and actually bought nothing from Tudor Tunes....is that a record (record....geddit??) I sat in Couch Potato and chilled (pretending I was cool or something!) I can't pull it off can I?! NO - says everyone! Thanks!

I went for a blood test in Burntwood on Wednesday and it was done by the lovely Jane, who I am told is Purdey's mum. She is a friend of LC and CC's mum. Gosh this is complicated. Stay with me on this one......Anyway....it was interesting.

I got loads of gossip about you Louise - (just joking...but I would never have thought you did THAT, gosh!) At THAT age....with HIM....on a...ok enough already...(!) Saturdays rock now by the way!

Oh yes. 'Natural Blues' by the God that is Moby. What a powerful, moving video (the one where he is old and watching his life slip away in front of him, seeing his youth and people from his past). It is a tear-jerker I can tell you!

Bizarrely I watched it on the evening I was meant to be going to look at a cineam which has been set up in an old-folks place. And I didn't know the Moby video was about old people. Bizarre? Well I thought so.

Not as bizarre as a room where someone was writing a letter to me not warming up and strange noises. But, well, I wouldn't spend a night there ALONE! lol..brrrrr

Thursday I went to Brum with Ian. I think we visited every record shop, clothes shop and coffee shop in the city. We also had a as much as you can eat deal at The Big Wok restaurant. So much choice. Tip: Don't have too much starter!

I spoke to the waitress about the 'Year Of The Dog' (well, she was cute and most un-canine!) and she said it would be a lucky year.....yay!!! But perhaps she just thought I asked the way to the toilet.

It all brought back memories of when I was going out with Oria (the Japanese girl in Walsall) we used to frequent the China Town area of Brum quite a lot. Not that I could find most of the places we went to now.

What did I buy? Lots of CDs.....We went to Swordfish and all the old haunts. One place had CD singles from 10p each! I got CDs albums and singles by Republica, John Lee Hooker, Dodgy, Arctic Monkeys (new single was only £1.80 and had a couple of tracks I hadn't got on), Blur ('Tender') and Deepest Blue among others.

I also got a 12" vinyl version of Kayleigh to give to James and Jude for their daughter Kayleigh. (It cost all of 50p!) I got a vinyl version of Erasure's The Circus for 50p from a Charity (say 'charidy'!) shop. As you know I devour such items!

Ian gave me acouple of videos of my appearances on Midlands Today. (thanks!) Don't ask to see them I look TERRIBLE. Especially in the pre-transplant ones.

When I got home I had two bits of news 1) Mr Waterman was coming to visit and 2) Newcastle had DROPPED one of my blood samples and Burton (which analysed some of it) had let it clot!

Andy W and I went to the Park Gate and had a good chin-wag. I was falling asleep by the end. It wasn't because Andy W is boring (perish the thought!) It was just a day in Brum took it out of me!

He has been to visit his parents and his Mum asked him to cut rhough a wire that was LIVE (never be said he isn't a LIVEWIRE - perhaps she was trying to tell him something??????!

After you come home from a day in a big city you always feel dirty don't you. Glad I don't live in one anymore! But...when I am driving and getting about better (very soon I hope) Who knows where I may end up.

Talking of which. Transplantation in Newcastle is 21-years-old this May and they are having a big ball. Its an excuse for me and a guest to get tarted up and eat posh nosh and pretend we know not what a yam-yam is!

So I had to go to Burton Hospital by 8.30am on Friday to get more tests done. When I got there (through freezing fog) they hadn't got my records. Then they didn't know what to do with it and what to test it for.

It just went from bad to worse. I was sitting in this room, sandwiched between two coughing people and here was I thinking. I REALLY don't need to catch anything right now.

Talking of health. I have been going for my bike ride every morning, except today (Friday) because it would have meant getting up before 6am and it was brrrrrrrrr freezing!

From Burton, (great little town and football club) Mum and I went to see Uncle B and Aunty J (the latter edited this blog when I was in hospital and told you about my transplant!) Little did I realise they were armed with cameras.

So you can see the results on my profile and on 'marksucks' (if I manage to put them on tonight, that is!)

Talking of pictures I am in the BURNTWOOD POST this week (courtesy of Sarah T) with a picture too! - Its better than I expected. Anyway. If any of you get the paper can you save me a copy?

Yet again we didn't get The Mercury. I will have to nick a copy from Estate Agents in Lichfield. But its the wrong edition and sometimes hasn't got my village news bit in it. So I have to guess my lineage! (Note: have got a copy now thanks!)

Oh yes....rewind...I went to start my ECDL Advanced this week at Tamworth College (evening class) - spent two hours reading through the study books. I think I will need a sharp drink before going to the IT room!

I got a cheque through the post today from the EXPRESS & STAR for the full amount they owed me. It just proves that persistanmce pays off. NO NOTE OF APOLOGY THOUGH.

I would have thought at least Duncan or Diane would have phoned me up. I shall write to them saying 'Thank You' anyway.

The weekend is packed (insert own Simon Hughes joke here) so will probably do you another update soon! Until then I will love you and (reluctantly) leave you. Although......I will see some of you tomorrow lunchtime in Lichfield, tomorrow night in Stafford and Sunday at the pub. (Usual suspect of course!)

The night out in Stafford will be my first real proper sleepover night out in England for SIX YEARS. It is a major milestone. I left the UK in 1999 and when I came back I was too ill to do anything like this.....wish me luck and hope I survive to tell the tale. (Excuse me for sounding like a teenage girl....excuse me while I hold that thought, but sadly not the girl! lol)

MWAH!

PS: Caroline, Debbie and Dan (sounds like a comedy act!) I do still hope to meet up with you next week. Text me!
PPS: Nice to see you in Lichfield CC, you do look cute when you are intensly texting! lol

BOOK: Midge Ure - If I Was, The Rough Guide To Cult Pop
MUSIC: Moby - Play, Animal Rights, Dodgy - Free, Peace, Sweet, DM - Playing The Angel

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