Hot under the collar

Had a day out yesterday.

It was the latest in a series of PHO meet ups, this time in Birmingham at the Great Barr Hotel. It's a chance for people suffering our particular condition to catch up with how we've all been doing. And it's a good bunch to catch up with too.

I won't mention too many of them (inspiration for codenames and all that !) but it was great to meet them. And our organiser is even more gorgeous in real life than the photo's suggest. What photo's don't capture well is the vital spark a person possesses ... let's just say that if someone had managed to slip her the Red Bull (other energy drinks ... may have similar effects) as threatened, the results could have been highly amusing ;-).

Oh - what was amusing ... Oh myyyy.

As well as the meal (which scored high marks, I was genuinely sad to finish it), there was a tribute act called Forgery ... This is kind of a double act, with a bloke and lady taking turns to do songs from Michael Buble, Beyonce, Robbie Williams and Rihanna. They don't sing together so not a true double act, just one after the other. Really enjoyed that.

(Although, as happens way too often - way too loud, our poor Rihonce had her voice distorted horribly by the audio and it took some of the gloss off a great voice and performance).

Shall I say that our Rihonce was definitely into a bit of audience participation ? I have to admit, I put a little possibly cruel comment on FB which I need to mention - when she came out, I thought she was one of those girls who you throw cheeseburgers at to get them healthy. Think - tall, very thin, verrrrry long legs. And - as I was about to find out : a very healthy sized bum.

Yep. I was the audience participation.

And I enjoyed every second. Well - after figuring out what was going on. (I can be a bit slow). Oh and I milked it for all I could think of too :-)

About the size thing - I don't have a problem with people being overweight. Britain is a land of (relative) plenty, we should have enough to adequately feed ourselves. Although I don't like it when people are so big that they're causing themselves health problems. Where I do have a problem is where people seem half starved. Eating disorders are a serious problem, they cause so many issues all coming from a desire to conform with a body image which is unnatural.

Curves are awesome. Bony is not. And the jibes that push girls into starving themselves are the height of cruelty.

Anyway - the cheeseburger comment was a bit cruel on our Rihonce. Yep. Thin - but built on a tall frame which made her look thinner than she actually was. I'll have that image in my mind for quite some time :-).

Actually - there's another image I'd like to have retained, it's from the end of project dinner that we had last year and it's of the girls in that last project in their party gear. I'm usually good at remembering pictures but that dinner came 1 day after I got my marbles scrambled again by a bump on the head by a cricket ball, so those memories are damaged.

Thoroughly enjoyed it last night and I'll be back for more at the next one. I didn't join in with the dancing for a couple of reasons :

I'm hopeless at dancing - my power legs are a curse there. I can dodge and react but getting them to behave with timing ? LOL. It takes too much to get them moving to have any chance of being in sync or time.
And I was suffering on the inside too - My outsides have improved over the last couple of days since the latest doctor visit but my insides are still compromised by my levels being all askew. Basically, if I look too long off to the side or twist too much, there's a big chance of something going bang and me going OW.
I also have a few too many inhibitions for my liking that I'll need to dump at some point.

I'm hoping that sorts itself out. Can't close without mentioning the raffle - I think my prize (the Pendennis Dwagon) was the Most Wanted and he's gone to a good home. I won a tin of Roses which will keep me going for a little while :-).

Oh - I also have a new nickname that I like and am going to keep. In true Robert Downey Jr film style :

I am Dwagon Man.