Lady Luck

Urban - First Bar of the Night

I am SO hungover.

I woke up dead this morning.

Where do I even begin?

So, I was at this conference a while back about Human Rights. Halfway through a speech on the government's approach to MSMs (Men who have Sex with Men - that's apparently the new terminology, but it sounds more like a packet of sweets), female sex workers and the war on HIV, this stunningly smart individual stands up behind me and starts taking the speaker to task over the lack of support for the wider LBT community.

Turned around so fast I got whiplash. Firstly, because you never hear that issue raised, and secondly, well, she was very well dressed.

At the end of the conference I made a beeline over there and got chatting. Offered to take a look at her organisation's strategic documents and offer some advice - smooth, huh?

Forget LGBT, I have long since known that I am this:

The problem with being attracted to smart people, is that they're often smarter than you are.

My perfectly innocent proposal eventually turned into some flirty texting, at which point I put down my phone and ran through all the reasons that wouldn't be a good idea. Eventually I ran out of excuses and we set a date to talk through the papers. I reasoned I could always pull the professionalism card if I needed a get out of jail pass.

Things did not start well.

Two hours late! I was literally about to go home - the entire phone network was down. Couldn't call anyone, couldn't text them - hence I waited so long. Sitting there thinking 'Great, stood up at Christmas, stood up in the New Year.'

Turns out she did have a good enough excuse, and had been trying to contact me.

Soon forgiven. 

She is smart as they come, funny, entertaining; though the sexual dynamics were a little interesting. We're so similar in some ways, it's disquieting. Similar views on relationships, life and neck ties. 

We talked until the bar closed, then went down the road and continued talking until that bar closed. 

By which time I was a little (read: LOT) drunk and so was she.

We were the only two customers left. She had said it was a friendly bar, so I decided to test just how friendly. We ended up snogging across the table. I must say, it was one of the best drunken (read: SOBERING UP FAST) kisses I've ever had. 

Très yummy. Only, once I regained my senses, I had this song going round and round in my head.

That would never happen here. It's not Uganda. Still, I do have a history of indiscretion when I've been drinking and the urge takes me, or when I'm sober with a model on my arm in a dodgy part of town. Self-preservation out the window. 

I just think this is such a fantastically progressive country compared to so much of what's going on at the moment. It hasn't fallen to any of the silliness of Uganda, Ethiopia, Russia, the Bible Belt or even the UK's UKIP. You still get bigots and homophobes, but it's not state endorsed. There's a place for people, like my date, to stand up and speak out. She's one of about four out activist lesbians in the country and she's brave as all hell. Quite well supported, too. They ask her to speak at ministries and NGOs. There are so many reasons to love living here, and that's certainly the icing on the cake. Long may it continue.

Anyway. I crawled home at 4am. 

It's now 1:30 and I'm still struggling. Gotta sober up so I can go out and do this again tonight. Off to a social networking soirée. Think I might stick to Fanta.

My Couchsurfer's three days has turned into six. Nice guy, but looking forward to getting my house back. Lady Luck has offered to come over and cook for me. I don't think that's a euphemism, I think she actually does intend to cook.

I'm happily entertained at the moment. No strings, no expectations, no melodrama. Possibly food.

Just what the doctors, and nurses, ordered.

Alka-Seltzer?