Rest in peace Gordon Duguid

Paul’s and my friend, Gordon Duguid died last week in Tasmania.

He was hit by a truck on a highway and it sounds like he walked in front of the truck on purpose. Paul and I have been very sad since hearing this and are feeling a long way from home being over in London, far from the friends and family who remain to wonder why.

Gordon’s memorial will be in Brisbane on Monday, December 24, at 9.30am at the Centenery Memorial Gardens, 353 Wacol Station Road, Sumner Park, Brisbane. Paul created a group on Facebook called Friends of Gordon.

We miss you Gordon. And wish you’d been able to ask for help.

This is Paul and Gordon playing in New Farm Park (with slow shutter speeds).

Why Gordon? Why?

Why Gordon? Why?
Why couldn’t you ask for help Gordon?
Why did you forget you had people who loved you Gordon?
People who cared
People who would have dropped everything and come
If only you had asked?
Why didn’t you call them Gordon?
Those friends, or family, or acquaintances, even,
Who didn’t like to see you suffer.
Why did you feel so sad, Gordon?
Why did you feel so alone?
Why did you make that decision, Gordon?
Why did you dress in dark clothes and step in front of that truck, Gordon?
Why?

Work Christmas Party

Last night I went to my work Christmas Party. It was good but the venue was small so we were very squashed in. The canapes were good but there didn’t seem to be much of the promised fish and chips. I think they should have had enough food for everyone, especially if they’re giving out free alcohol.

Me and Paul

Weekend activities

On Saturday I caught up with my friend Meryan; she was in town briefly. It was really nice to see her and we chatted about the state of our respective relationships, the need for visas to stay in countries, and what’s happening with our lives, etc. It was really nice.

That evening Paul and I saw the Golden Compass at the cinema. It was very good except they left the last scene from the book out of the film! I couldn’t believe it. I was sitting in the cinema saying, “It can’t end there! It doesn’t end there!” I can only guess that the second film, the Subtle Knife will begin with that scene!

It was still early evening when the film ended but we went home because it was FREEZING. It’s been quite cold lately.

Yesterday, I found the latest editions of the magazines Bust and Bitch: Feminist Response to Pop Culture in Borders in Islington. I’ve bought Bust a few times since being here but Bitch is very hard to find (they are both from the US). I even emailed them about getting hold of it in London but they weren’t much help! Lucy bought me a Bitch bag when she was in Portland earlier this year!

Today, Sunday, we had planned to go to the craft exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and then shopping, but we left the house so late we just went into town and shopped – we got some more thermals each from Uni Qlo (did I mention it’s been very cold lately?) and headphones for our mp3-players.

This morning I talked to my two sisters and heard all about my grandfather’s funeral which was on Friday. I’d been feeling bad about missing it so it was good to talk to them about it.

I was thinking we could start a facebook group for Gordon that all his friends on facebook could join. And we could add photos and everyone who is a member of the group could see the photos. It’s kinda funny though because Gordon wasn’t on Facebook and I’ve been wondering what he would think of us making a group about remembering him there of all places. And we have found some photos of Gordon which I might put on Flickr.

Tomorrow night is my work Christmas party. No doubt many people from work will go crazy with the free alcohol and they’ll be very hungover at work on Tuesday and we’ll have to listen to their stories about how drunk they got.

I’m also catching up with Madeleine and Claire this week. I haven’t seen them in a couple of years. Should be good.

Well, it’s ten to one on Sunday night so I have to get up in six hours for work. YIKES. Paul is listening to some hard-house/trance and dancing around our bedroom – lucky for him he is on holidays so can stay up as late as he wants.

More on Gordon

This news story is apparently about Gordon.

I don’t think we even have a photo of Gordon.

More sad news – We'll miss you Gordon.

At work today I received a phone call from Paul. He was crying. His good friend Gordon has died in a car accident. The last we’d heard he was traveling around Tasmania. I couldn’t believe it. I got off the phone and cried and cried. I left work straight away and came home and held Paul while we both cried. I think Gordon was only 29. Too young to be taken from us. Paul and he had a lot of good times together. When I moved out of my flat I’d lived in for years in New Farm, to move in with Paul, Gordon took over the flat. He lived there for a while and he would often come round to visit, or we’d go round to see him. He was a good person, and he cared a lot about the injustices of the world. He liked to make music too. He had a little niece, Matilda, who he cared about a lot. I never met her but he wanted to teach her to play music. Now, she won’t get to know him. I often felt that he was a fellow lost soul – trying to make his way through a harsh world. Now, we will never get to see him again. Or talk to him again. It’s times like these I hope there is an afterlife.

More sad news – We’ll miss you Gordon.

At work today I received a phone call from Paul. He was crying. His good friend Gordon has died in a car accident. The last we’d heard he was traveling around Tasmania. I couldn’t believe it. I got off the phone and cried and cried. I left work straight away and came home and held Paul while we both cried. I think Gordon was only 29. Too young to be taken from us. Paul and he had a lot of good times together. When I moved out of my flat I’d lived in for years in New Farm, to move in with Paul, Gordon took over the flat. He lived there for a while and he would often come round to visit, or we’d go round to see him. He was a good person, and he cared a lot about the injustices of the world. He liked to make music too. He had a little niece, Matilda, who he cared about a lot. I never met her but he wanted to teach her to play music. Now, she won’t get to know him. I often felt that he was a fellow lost soul – trying to make his way through a harsh world. Now, we will never get to see him again. Or talk to him again. It’s times like these I hope there is an afterlife.

London's not so bad!

After last night’s rant I thought I do actually like lots of things about London so I might list them, to remind myself why I live here:

Tate Modern
Institute of Contemporary Arts
Victoria and Albert Museum
Tate Britain
British Museum
Greenwich Observatory
Masque of the Red Death
Lots of people, so lots of job opportunities
Lots of people from all over the world.
Big nightclubs
Trains that go under the ground (when they’re running)
Lots of shops (particularly bookshops)
Forbidden Planet
Cyber Candy
Gay is the Word bookstore
the Fantasy Centre
Waterstones
Foyles
Borders

Covent Garden
Soho

lots of restaurants

Ok, that will do for now. It’s important to try to be posi! Don’t wanna spend my life being negi!

London’s not so bad!

After last night’s rant I thought I do actually like lots of things about London so I might list them, to remind myself why I live here:

Tate Modern
Institute of Contemporary Arts
Victoria and Albert Museum
Tate Britain
British Museum
Greenwich Observatory
Masque of the Red Death
Lots of people, so lots of job opportunities
Lots of people from all over the world.
Big nightclubs
Trains that go under the ground (when they’re running)
Lots of shops (particularly bookshops)
Forbidden Planet
Cyber Candy
Gay is the Word bookstore
the Fantasy Centre
Waterstones
Foyles
Borders

Covent Garden
Soho

lots of restaurants

Ok, that will do for now. It’s important to try to be posi! Don’t wanna spend my life being negi!

This country shits me sometimes!!!

I just found out today that there are NO tube or bus services on Christmas day. That’s right, NO public transport. All day!

WHAT THE HELL???!!!???

And, no, it’s not like I live in a cultural and religious backwater, I live in London. Hang on a minute, it actually does feel quite backward sometimes (like having no public transport on Christmas Day or walking down the street and seeing lots and lots of garbage bags just lying around on the footpath).

I’m quite sure that they could find enough non-Christians in London to run some kind of skeleton service on Christmas Day. Sometimes you’ll be getting a train somewhere in London and there will be an announcement about delays on the Circle line because of a shortage of staff (wtf?). Maybe, they need to hire more people. There’s certainly no shortage of workers in London. But then again, the tube lines were all sold off so that’s probably why the maintenance is soooo behind and why they don’t have enough staff.

I actually emailed Transport for London today and complained about it. Their response was this is the only day there are no services and it’s the only garanteed day off for TfL staff. Poor excuse if you ask me. I reckon they’re just too scummy to pay holiday rates on Christmas Day.

Grrrrrrr.

Paul and I are having lunch with friends on the other side of the city and now we’ll have to hire a car or take a taxi to get there and back.

They still have Sunday trading laws here! That even apply in the MIDDLE of London. Shops can only open for 6 hours on a Sunday. I cannot believe that. In the middle of London, one of the biggest, busiest, culturally-happening places.

Gee I miss Australia sometimes.

Did you know that the UK has only had a minimum wage since 1999? I couldn’t believe it either. Now I understand why people go on about the Harvester Judgement so much in Australia.