However, I'm reasonably sure I was in London, and I think I can put some of the events into a kind of order:
Eating lots of free food and drinking lots of free drink, hurrah. Being a writer is good, and interestingly, free booze doesn't give me a hangover. However I am not, technically, a scientist, so this theory may not be entirely factual.
Staying in two unfamiliar and decidedly odd hotels. In the first I only saw one other person the whole time I was there. In the second I ate breakfast beneath a six foot embossed metal picture of a peacock, said breakfast brought to me by a russian lady wearing white cowboy boots. I'm reasonably confident this wasn't a dream. There were also lots of enormous photos of a darkish-skinned geezer with a dodgy afro, pink robes and a beatific grin. if I inadvertently joined a cult, please can someone let me know.
Talking to Maude's Creative Writing group who were funny and smart and made me feel that I was experienced enough to have stuff to tell them, but not so old that I might as well be dead. Although the rising hysteria when I realised I was talking to a group of people who possibly were born on or after nineteen ninety* nearly did me in at one point. I wobbled slightly, but I think I got away with it, although for some reason I did do a pirate impression at one point. Hmm.
Apologies for lack of toy-fu at the moment, just as it was picking up steam again. I have a few things on the go at the moment, and a tax bill of behemothic proportions just over the horizon that is causing me to concentrate, uncharacteristically, on getting some actual work done.
* It's just a shock, that's all. Suddenly, being born in nineteen seventy three and remembering the miners' strike on telly, and Margaret Thatcher makes me feel like I've lived through Vietnam, or the Napoleonic Wars or something. That, and the growing grey patches in my beard are starting to give me an air of venerability I'm not sure I can fully back up.
14 comments:
I was born slightly before 1990. Does this now disqualify me from being allowed to read your blog?
1966. As someone who actually grew up in the 1970's, I can tell you it wasn't all it's made up to be.
1964. Pfah
I worked with a couple of fellow Irish girls at Glastonbury, and was reminiscing about my first ever festival experience, Feile '91.
"We were only born in 1987" they said.
Right.
(1975, have had *that* birthday this year)
born after 1990 and in a writing group? that's impossible, surely.
they should be in kindergarden.
sorry about my strange post earlier. i couldn't control my gw greed for a moment there.
toast does play a great role in my life as well.
Even older than GSE, if we're actually being honest about our ages.
>>if I inadvertently joined a cult, please can someone let me know.<<
Yes, you've been recruited into my pop cult. It's like yer regular cult, only with more folktronica and fewer orgies and mass suicides/child sacrifices. Hope that's OK.
Oh that's fine. Can my robes be any colour other than blue? Only I went out in jeans, a blue fleece and blue trainers the other day and realised too late it looked a bit weird.
Oops, sorry about the extraneous 'e'.
I was hoping for 'worshipped as a god', but 'loved' will have to do.
>>I was hoping for 'worshipped as a god'<<
Perhaps donning a dodgy afro, pink robes and a beatific grin might have the desired effect.
James, sounds like you've joined the cult of Sai Baba, a modern day Indian guru-type person who (depending on your point of view) is either a saint, the centre of one of the latest cults of personality, an incarnation of God himself (Shiva to be precise) or just another money-grabbing con-man.
Quite an interesting character and quite controversial. He has ashrams all over India and further afield.
Of course, it may not be him at all (I wasn't aware he ran London hotels...!) but, the pink robes and the afro could be a giveaway, since Sai Baba sports both of these quite often.
I guess if you suddenly start extolling the virtues of meditation, vegetarianism and non-violence then we'll have reasons to suspect some kind of brain-washing.
Oh, and I was born in 1980, so feel nicely in the middle of everybody else!
Have you seen this guru?
Was this your man, James - see link below - or am I really barking up the wrong tree?!
http://www.sathyasai.org/
That's the lad - well done bewilderment!
Technically I'm all in favour of meditation, vegetarianism and non-violence. Sadly, in real life I'm partial to jumping up and down excitedly while bopping television executives over the head with a half-gnawed chicken leg, so I can't see our lifestyles accommodating one another.
Still, good luck to anyone else with whom I have a common interest in spouting utter shit and attempting to make a bit of cash on the side. Sai Baba, I salute you!
I like it when people claim to actually be god. No point doing these things half-heartedly.
Wow, I'm on form tonight! I should start up some kind of Hindu spiritual leaders detective agency, creating detailed files on each guru and just generally keeping tabs on all of them just in case any of them get into organised crime.
It could happen...
I went to one of Sai Baba's ashrams once in Bangalore. But he (that maybe should be 'He') was out. Probably buying a new merc or something.
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