It's late, and I'm sleepy, but before I forget... Last night I was coming home from a supercool club that I happened to be ROCKIN' with my SUPER DJ SKEEZ, and it involved waiting for a night bus on Oxford Street. So I braced myself for all the noise, intimidation, urination, arguments, vomit etc. one becomes accustomed to in the West End of a Saturday night.

One of the ever-present irritations is unlicensed mini-cabs constantly soliciting for fares. So I wasn't at all surprised when one pulled up next to me as I waited in vain for the N10. "Want a cab mate?" No, thanks for asking. "Discount for the gay community!"

Well!

In any case, if I had been after a taxi, what on EARTH made him think I'd get into a beige cavalier? We're talking SERIOUS clashing with my slacks, honey.

Work is not good for this website, at least. Apologies once again for the 7 day hiatus - it's not that anything interesting has happened to me (living in one of the world's cultural capitals, unlike Laura who inhabits a rural corner of the Carolinas and still has more crazy things happen to her in a week than Malcolm in the Middle manages in a year).

Best thing of the last week: turning up at Barnes station to get my regular morning train into work, I arrived as a train on platform 4 disgorged its regular troupe of morning commuters. Only when the train started rolling again did I hear the pumping, whooshing sound of hot vapour and looked up to see it was a bloody steam train!! And it was beautiful! I dunno if it was some massive hit on my nostalgic historical subconscious or what, but I felt profoundly moved as the black engine and green carriages chhh-da-kfffed their way towards Barnes Bridge.

I might have just experienced a peek into the future of pop. Next door, visible from my bedroom window, Simon and Yasmin Le Bon's children are singing beautiful three part harmonies together, as a gorgeous summer day sinks into twilight. Ah, it's good to be alive.

So I went to see "the most important female star in the world" (copyright the idiot of a warm-up chap) on Saturday - the one and only Beyoncé Knowles shaking some booty at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith.

It was only a recording of 6 songs to be shown on CD:UK, but they made us pay for it in time spent. "Turn up at 5 on the dot", they said. So we did. And then went to the pub for the next hour and a half. Suddenly, movement! The pub was fortuitously directly across the street from the queue, and we manged to queue-jump our way back into the front and soon were quaffing Guinnesses in the Riverside bar.

But that didn't mean we were soon watching La Knowles strutting her stuff. Another hour or so passed before we were allowed into the studio - more standing around, waiting for our idol to make her first appearance. Which was FANTASTIC - her Nirvana-go-disco stomper "Crazy In Love", Beyoncé wearing a thoroughly indecent red leather dress. It was so fantastic, she then played it again. Whoot!

Trouble is, she isn't happy with the little red number, and goes for anoither costume change. She then does this 4 more times, each time leaving us to twiddle our thumbs and try and avoid the exhortations of the warm-up guy. This truly is a job for the desperate. However, he does unearth at least 2 amazing singers among the crowd, who entertain us in the quiet times. Shame the only thing people can do these days is the warbly nonsense perfected by Beyoncé herself.

But it's fun. I leave the show tired and hungover (nothing like getting the headache before you even get to sleep) and desperate to download Crazy in Love. Not that I'd do that, of course - what kind of criminal do you take me for!?

Sorry about the gap between postings - the main reason is that I somehow managed to delete my cookie (as it were) and had no idea what my username/pasword combination was. Hurrah for belated trial and error!

I also wrote the following little piece to explain where I've been. Have a read.

In case you're wondering why I've gone quiet, it's
because I'm working again - two weeks holiday cover as
an assistant/receptionist. It's just like old days!
Actually, it's pretty much the good things about old
days, as my administrative skills (which aren't the
strongest) are much less important than my people
skills. I'm a people person!

It's a wee bit galling, mind. I like the office, the
people, and the job's not at all bad. But, you know,
I've been fearing having to take a step (or two, or
three) down the career ladder to find a job I'd really
like, and this isn't making me feel any surer that
great things are imminent. But it's ca$h, it keeps me
off the streets, and at the moment pragmatism and
diligence rule over daydreaming and pies in the sky.