Stand Up, Standing Up and Stood Up

It's nearly the end of March, with under a month to go until the new cricket season begins. Another Summer of building innings, application and frustration over technique whilst watching the skies in case of ever-present rain showers. The Winter of waiting is nearly over for another year, and I simply cannot wait. With players in abundance, no more battling with the management and a whole host of enthusiasm, this year is going to be ace. I can feel it. (If the snow disappears...)

But more recently, there have been a few things to tell you of. We'll begin in Cambridge a few weeks ago where I found myself in a pub watching an open mic stand-up evening. It was slightly strange, having only been to "professional" shows so to speak, and the standard was obviously lower than those of Jimmy Carr and Dara O'Briain. None the less, it was an enjoyable evening but it could really have got a whole lot worse. Over the years, I have written up anecdotes, (in my head - they're not written down anywhere!), that I once thought would be pretty good as stand-up material, and as the name suggests, "open mic" means you can just get up, do your bit, and sit back down again. A few JD and cokes deep, one small part of me was tempted to get up and do something, but judging by the acts that had gone before me, I'm not sure I would have gone down so well. So instead, I sat very firmly in my seat and laughed at others! I'm fairly sure Jim Davidson would have been considered light-hearted in this establishment, so my stories of PGL as a 12-year old and falling in a pond might not have cut the mustard. None the less, it was an enjoyable evening and certainly different to the weekend evenings that I have had lately, which have all involved large quantities of whisky and loud music. That's 1 - Stand Up.

Part 2 is 'Standing Up'. I use this very much in the "stand up for yourself" vain, as much of the last week has been used writing up a press release for Bedford Cricket Club joining the Sports Charter. I believe it's been in the local paper, but I'm not sure as I haven't checked. The Sports Charter is an initiative that gets sports clubs, associations and leagues signed up to tackle homophobia and transphobia in sport. Naturally, it's an issue close to my heart, and I'm pleased to say that Bedford CC is the first sports club in the county to sign up to it. Yesterday evening, I was invited along to an independent film showing at The Pad nightclub to be presented with the framed charter. It was a very small event, with not many people turning out, but we blamed the snow! The film itself, 'Kick-Off', was a film that was supposed to show the homophobia in football but it wasn't really very good at all. I think it was a comedy, and the message was there I suppose, but the way it went about telling the story was a bit ... stereotypical. The best part of it was thinking I knew one of the cast members, but then realising I didn't after all. All 99 minutes of it, I was sat in the most uncomfortable chair, trying not to fidget and point out the most obvious flaws, but to no avail. It was certainly a very different Saturday evening to the ones I've been used to recently however!

Before that film showing, I was talking to a chap who runs the local group called BeLGBT. We didn't get off on the right foot over social networking sites, over the issue of LGBT History Month, but he did seem interested in "recruiting" me to help "fight the struggle". He obviously notices how passionate I am about LGBT issues, and I would love to help all I can, but I have one main concern. I am concerned that if I do volunteer to help, I'll have to throw everything at it. I'm not really the sort of person anymore to do things half-heartedly. It's either all or nothing. I'm concerned that if I play the "all" card, I'll fall into the trap of being known as "that gay guy who campaigns". Although it's obviously a cracking cause, I don't want to be classed as that. It's one to think about...

The 3rd and final part speaks for itself. "Stood up". I haven't been on a date for ... years, (for probable obvious reasons), but yesterday I took the plunge and accepted an invitation only for the chap to not show up. I was planning to meet him for a drink or three after I had finished with this independent film event, but after showing up 10 minutes early, I sat in this bar waiting for a full hour and a half before giving up and calling it a night. Not a word from the guy since, which is rather rude... But oh well. There is literally zero point in sitting back and worrying about these things! I can be proud that I at least made the effort!

Otherwise, not a lot has happened. No crazy stories of buying 50 jagerbombs at once, coming up against a national organisation in the press, buying everyone at the bar a shot of Sambuca or camp dancing to 'Lets Have a Kiki'. Instead, stand-up evenings, independent film showings and an albeit failed date.

 Am I becoming an adult? Surely not...