Despite some rather non-user friendly weather, I've been out and about in London again today as my time off continues, the day's main mission being to investigate some aspects of the North London/Hertfordshire border area where the college that K wants to attend is located. I saw the place itself, which proved to be where I'd thought, and looked into some public transport issues, in terms of what both of us would need to make the scenario workable, and into the rental housing market in the area. One major bonus from my perspective is that I now know I can get from the Northern Line underground platforms at Waterloo to street level - thinking about it now, I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before in the blog, but I've got a phobia about using escalators, so quite a chunk of the Tube, especially in Central London, is off limits for me - albeit by scaling 115 steps (yes, I did count them, saddo as I am!), which would make the potential commute to work substantially easier and slightly quicker, if we were to end up living in the area concerned.
It was getting late by the time I arrived back in 'domicile-ville', so I decided to let indolence win, and go for a takeaway rather than cooking. As it happens, there's a reasonably good Chinese outside the station, so, by no means for the first time, that was my preferred port of call. They have a species of 'open kitchen', so that it's possible to see the chefs at work to some extent, which is where the reality failure kicked in. The youngest of the staff, who's probably around 18, but looks a little younger, and who I've seen once or twice before, is more than passably cute, and caught my eye again this evening. A couple of times, though, he seemed to look my way as much as I was looking at him, which, in my usual desperate style, set the fantasy machine in motion. It wasn't long before logic reasserted itself, fortunately - I can't conceive of any circumstances under which an attractive young man 35-odd years younger than me would ever be interested in the ogre that I am. A total non-starter.
Love & best wishes to all
Sammy B
Whoa!!! Hold on there!!! Wait a minute!!! You've got a cute 18-year-old looking at you?!?!?!! I'd KILL for that!!! Don't discount it. Wink. Stare! You aren't an OGRE!!! And now you know that an older guy is interested. I'd think that is AWESOME!!!! (I visit a far number of "older gay man" blogs and a lot say this is normal. I think you need to "get out" more!)
ReplyDeleteAnd I think I know that restaurant. Hmmmm....new stop next time I'm over!
Oh, and I love ESCALATORS! Even though every time I step on one, I am nearly swept away with terror. Once I am safely on the apparatus, I am fine. Until I have to step off. Then it's another struggle with near-panic. And this from a guy who abseiled off a bridge 875 feet above the landing on an 11mm thick piece of nylon rope!!!! Oh, how our phobias are fickle!
Peace <3
Jay
Hello Jay
DeleteMy 'escalator-phobia' is very deep-rooted and longstanding, going back to when I was 7, in the aftermath of an accident that befell a young child on an escalator I'd ridden on just a few days earlier in my home town - I simply can't use them at all, which can be pretty inconvenient, to say the least, particularly where Central London Tube stations are concerned. The practical upshot is that I mostly use the bus when I'm in town, although I am starting to build up a small list of stations I can use, where I know they have lifts or stairs.
The Chinese takeaway moment was probably down to nothing more than wishful thinking on my part, although I'll undoubtedly be looking out for him the next time I visit the place!
Love & best wishes
Sammy B