2001 - Bristol - Vega$, Djr

New Years Eve: Jules Ms Scarlet put the night together, the theme was cross dress. I'm kind of out of role on his picture but earlier in the evening I had a bosom to put Jordan to shame.

At work, January see's me pick up a secondment, which see's me leaving my videoconferencing team in the hands of Mike Dbry -aka Brutus.

2001 - Bristol - Kelvin Sharky

New Years Eve: the man just looked... bad, you know what I mean?

2001 - Bristol - Anne

New Years Eve: Can you believe this is the same girl who appeared as a foxy Nurse at Halloween 1999? Out of shot is the huge fat beer-belly (stuffed pillow) and the shellsuit.

2001 - Bristol - Simon P

New Years Eve

2001 - Bristol - Kelvin Sharky, Anne

New Years Eve

2001 - Bristol - Simon P, Becky Blue Eyes, x

New Years Eve: Simon won the "best (bottle) blow job" contest... as judged by the wo(men) recieving the pleasure.

2001 - Bristol - Djr, Kelvin Sharky

New Years Eve: I like Kelvin's combo of M&S undercrackers with his stockings...

2001 - Bristol - The Men

New Years Eve

Top row: x , Vega$, Djr, Simon P, x

Bottom Row: Kelvin Sharky, x, x

2001 - Bristol - Djr, Claire

New Years Eve: Claire is Jules MsScarlet's sister.

2001 - Bristol - Djr

New Years Eve

2001 - Bristol - David M

4th January. Jo Cubas Cafe. David is one of the two crazy Frenchmen that I got to know whilst writing God Seed and Living in Flames, back in 1996/97. He moved back to France in late '97 and I'd not seen or heard from him since... strange business involving his g/f Louis at that time... but he was back in Bristol visiting Philippe. I was really happy to see him but... that tension was there, something was still not right between us.

2001 - Bristol - Claire

4th January. Jo Cubas Cafe. Sometime in 1998, Philippe met Claire and a pretty special relationship develops. She's a unique and independant woman, and it's always a pleasure to spend time with her and Philippe.

2001 - Bristol - Louis W

19th January. I'd had a call from a freelance journo doing a piece on videoconferencing and sustainable development. I went to meet him at Temple Meads. He turned up in a dark and very smart suit. I was there with punky blonde hair and a jumper. He looked me up and down, smiled, and said, "Right... I shouldn't have bothered dressing up then."

We both laughed and a strange kind of instant friendship was formed. He completed the interview in a couple hours, his plan had been to catch a train straight back home to London... instead, he and I wandered around Bristol like a couple of school kids who've just made friends.

2001 - London - Suzanne

3rd February. It was at Sky & Paula's wedding ceremony, in Glastonbury, that I met this tall, slender very demure woman, dressed all in pink with ink black hair. We got chatting and swapped details before I bounced back to Bristol. I saw her a few times in London - she had a strange scene going on... yoga with people like Madonna... and living in half-demolished houses, investing her time and money into rebuilding them.

2001 - London - Louis W

February. Louis invited me across to London to go partying with him and his friends. This was the start of a number of regular trips to London for me, dumping my stuff at his pad off Columbia Road, or meeting him directly at the bar in Angel Islington, he used to Dj Friday nights. Ultimately, I'd end up back at his pad and enjoy the joyful slumber on the Sofa From God.

This is the night I went to FABRIC - and to my unforgetable delight, discovered Timo Mass was playing a set... the same man responsible for my amazing night at Twilos in New York City. Needless to say I had a similar incredible night at FABRIC, with Louis and his pals keeping close when necessary.

2001 - Bristol - Zed

22nd February. On Coffee.Net. There had been a period of months when Zed and I did not speak. Our friendship had floundered on stormy rocks. But slowly, cautiously, we circled back towards each other; for me there was too much beauty, too much emotion invested to be able to simply walk away.

2001 - London - Helen J, Natalya

24th February. It was mid-Feb when I got a phone call from the matriarch of the Jenkins Corporation. It had been over a year since we'd seen each other. Her opening words were, "David, I've moved to a new flat. Got a new neighbour. She's seen your photo on my wall and wants to meet you. She's Russian."

I was on a bus the following weekend. Hello Natalya.

2001 - London - Mave, Louis W

March. Another weekend in London. More clubbing, this time Turnmills. Another delicious doze on The Sofa From God.

2001 - Prague - Dominic Mr Random, Nice Guy Tony, Sam Goldfinger, Kelvin Sharky

March: We relocated Game from my flat to the fabulous basement room of the House of the Big Shoe hotel (Jan let us use it for free)... the guys had been playing Walkers in the Wastes for almost a year now in reality, and this was the final session, which was also occuring in Prague within Game. They'd tracked Rheinhold Blair down to his hotel...all they had to do now was kill him.

It's around now that Dominic M gained the moniker "Mr Random", and Sam P became "Goldfinger".

2001 - Prague - Sam Goldfinger

March: our first night, the plan was to grab a snack and then head out clubbing. Sam even shared an order to ensure we didn't get too much food. We went for the huntsman's platter. My god, they must have butchered half a farm to put all that meat on the table. The other lads got equally as large servings... so, stuffed, we trundled back to the hotel and discovered that the bottles of champagne were only 75 pence. Unbelievable... but true.

Everyone got hammered in the hotel room.

2001 - Prague - Nice Guy Tony

March

2001 - Prague

March: It was a much anticipated return to Prague, my first morning I climbed the hill toward the castle. This picture gives a hint to the freezing fog that enveloped the city that day.

2001 - Prague - Djr

March: Down by Charles Bridge. After writing Oracle last year, I was aching to get back to the city. I'd had a wicked time last October and as soon as I stepped off the plane this time I knew it was going to be just as good.

Only one thing made me gutted was that Voja was no longer working at Saint Nicholas Cafe and through badly managed communication I was unable to meet up with him or Marketa.

Second night Sam and I headed out to ROXY - having to bribe the local barman with Tequilla before he would tell us where the damned place was - once inside - o - oooO OOOOOoo - music like - o - OOOoo tunes.

Tunes tunes tunes.

Goldfinga and I smiling like babies as we're dancing and the woman are so damned freindly. Guys don't like the touchy-feely UK clubbing thing. However, I meet a guy called Simon and his girlfriend... later, Simon comes over and says,"My girlfriend wants to fuck you... up for it?"

Meanwhile I meet Maria, a Russian, and later I'm with her and 3 other girls in a Skoda with Goldfinga coming up a little bit too strong at six o'clock in the morning - we get to another club and the bouncers don't want to let me or Goldfinger in cos we're not Russian.

The girls cajoule. The bouncers regail. Inside is like being in the start of the film BLADE...... an utterly mega atmospheric. Later some 7 foot muscle monster says something to Goldfinga - very aggressive - Goldfinga don't understand, he smiles, loved-up..... the 7 foot muscle monster headbuts him in the f@*king face - I watch it happen and I keep seeing it go through my mental eye in slo-mo. Nasty nasty nasty. But Goldfinga seems to recover well.

Sam and I get out at some point... randomly trying to find our way back through the freezing fog to Charles Bridge...some Nuns were staring at us like we were demons when we rode the tube back to Stare Mesto.

Somehow managed to complete the Game session despite almost no sleep.

2001 - Prague - Basement of the House of the Big Shoe

March: It had only been 5 months since I was last in Prague, with Ramona.

On the last day there, Jan, the owner showed me the room he had built beneath the foundations. It was massive - with a ante-chamber complete with sofas and coffee table. I knew when I saw it that this was the perfect Game room. I vowed then to bring the Players across to Prague to use it....and, it happened. Jan even let us use it for free.

2001 - Prague - Charlotte and Jan Rippl

March: these two owned and ran the hotel. A great couple who made you feel more like welcome friends staying in their home.

2001 - Prague - Kelvin Sharky

March

2001 - Prague - Barbora

March: she worked at the hotel, and looked after several of the smaller apartments near to the hotel that Jan used to cater for any overspill in bookings.

2001 - Prague - Sam Goldfinger, Kelvin Sharky

March: At the end of the three days in Prague, we had completed one the most spectacular sessions ever, Walker in the Wastes, tracking down Rhinehold Blair to Prague, to this very hotel, and murdering him in cold blood right when Kelvin and Sam are standing (Jason Finn and Harris McDonald). This is when Kelvin's character Harris McDonald was almost killed in a powerful explosion in a remote countryside retreat.

2001 - Bristol - Rose

March: On Coffee.net. Rose was the maker of fine Americano's... now left to run the place alone since I'd poached Jon Simpks (in Feb) to come work in the videoconference service...albiet Jon was now working for Mike D. February also saw Graham Rbrts start working in the videoconference team, so there was four of them now. Meanwhile I was still involved in my secondment.

It's around now that On Coffee began to experience problems between the managers (James & Rhianon) and the owner.

I was still spending most of my time in the cafe, writing short stories or working on my secondment. It was here that I met Rebecca, the dentist from South Africa who had a really strange thing about "one night stands". So back to the Happy Flat I took her.

There was also a Spanish girl (Ellen) who was spending her last week in England... she was the one I'd met at Lakota one night in early 1998 and had to practically stop her pulling my pants down in a dark corner of the club... anyways, we both recognised each other in the cafe and so went back to the Happy Flat to finish off where we'd left it back in '98.

Finally, there was Sarah, the girl I'd first met at the Boston Tea Party writing group in late 1998... she turned up at the cafe wearing this knee-length boots of shiny black PVC... Nnnnnnn.... another trip back to the Happy Flat.

2001 - Glasgow - Akr

30th March. Things start to slide. I fly up to Glasgow to spend some time with my sister. She's over the moon, now she can show her brother 'her world'. Only, I make some mistakes and we find ourselves in Ibrox, in a high-rise flat with crap music and crap people and my mind is not feeling too good. AKR has seen me do something and I can see the crestfallen look on her face... it never went away (even now in 2004 I see it in her eyes). Next day all I want to do is leave. Get an early flight and get out of there. AKR is upset. It's all gone terribly wrong.

2001 - Newcastle - Dad, Djr

April. Dad is now unable to walk any distance unaided. Even getting him from his armchair to the dinning table is a major task. It was this trip that he slipped over backwards...his weight yanking his grip from my arms. He the hit the floor, and could not get back up. I was horrified. He was totally helpless and unable to use his legs to push himself up. We had to call a medical crew who came round to winch him up off the floor... just so he could sit with us as the dinning table.

2001 - Bristol - Mick T

April. Mick has finally found a career. This one is in The Force. He's not played Game for years but it's still a pleasure to meet up with him.

2001 - Bristol - Daisy

April. It was a random encounter in On Coffee.net, with the French girl I'd totally adored in the early months of 1998.

She was involved in a catering business, and although it was nice to catch up again...we never saw each other again.

2001 - Happy Flat - Zed

Zed was still learning to sing.

2001 - London - Tim

April. One half of the deviant duo Tim & Dan who I met at the Gershwin Hotel in Manhatten, back in November 1998. Here Tim explains what his doctor said to him about drinking after he collapsed with alcohol poisoning after a friends Stag night.

2001 - London - Dan

April. Much to Tim's distress, Dan was under no such restrictions, and enjoyed his freedom to the full.

2001 - Berlin - Jim

I fly out to Berlin and meet Ramona's brother David, and his friends Jim and Maurice. It is a great trip. The first two days I share with them, then they leave and I have two days solo. Really got into black German beer and sausages.

2001 - Budapest

Then disaster. Kelvin and I fly out to Budapest and go through hell. What a shit-hole. Memory: taken back to a 'private club', kidnapped, held to ransom, robbed, followed, sprinting across a bridge that spans the Danube, barricade ourselves in hotel room, 24 hours living on snacks in the minibar.. getting out fast, wondering if the taxi is connected to the same gang, the joy of taking off, hello British Airways.... F@*k you Budapest.

2001 - Solihul - Lucy Mmm

April: I was in Solihul to meet members of the new team I'd joined as part of my secondment. We were sitting in the hotel dinning room when a girl walked in on her own. One of those moments when you look at somebody and get a really intense vibe of mutual attraction. She sat alone at the table next to ours. The Agency people were talking shop, talking work... I was zoning out. I finished my meal, exused myself and left them to get drunk and put all the problems with the Agency to rights.

I went to my room and started to work on a short story... but I couldn't shake the girl from my head. Damnit. I grabbed my laptop, some paper notes and headed downstairs. The Agency people had relocated to the bar en-masse... all of them had that half-lidded, slack-jawed look of people who'd already had too much. The bar was crowded, noisy... but there was a small sub-lounge, with thick glass walls and a few empty seats. I settled down in there. A few moments later she walked in, and Lucy Mmm walked into my life.

Even better, she lived in Bristol, so I got a lift back with her the next day.

2001 - Ashley Road / Bristol - Vega$

May: Matthias has turned his hand to designing three -dimensional virtual worlds through a new chat-room software called Blaxxun. He's creating worlds out of Twin Peaks scenarios... such as the Black Lodge. He even tracks down the backwards-speaking dwarf from Twin Peaks and begins to correspond with him.

Since 1999 I've been using 2-D chat rooms, which is where I met Ramona. So I get into Blaxxun. But Ramona can't get in with her PC. And in a way this starts a whole chain reaction...

2001 - Joe Cubas cafe - Djr, Ramona

May: The BBC documentary filming is almost finished, Ramona comes over to England again to see me.

I originally said yes to being part of the project back in Oct 2000. I said yes because I believed it would allow me to showcase my writing. That had originally been the idea, even to Chris the Director. But then Chris learned about my on-line lifestyle, the chat rooms, Ramona. So he edited my writing down to an almost insignificant part of who I was, and dwelled instead on my 'cyber romance'. I was furious. It was not a romance. She was not my girlfriend. I had not had a girlfriend since Michelle in 1997. But I was powerless to stop what he was doing.

My head is a mess. I've lost all my confidence after the hell of Budapest; the important relationship with my sister has been badly damaged; my friendship with Zed is damaged; my father's health is declining; my secondment has been changed mid-flow by higher-management and a ton of crap work is dumped on me. I want out. I'm not trying to make any excuse here. The way I handled it was bad. I walked away...from Ramona. No words. No explanation. No apology. I climbed into a shell and locked myself away. Ramona freaked out. Transatlantic phone calls start hitting my freinds with what a bad man I am. It gets messy.

2001 - Ashley Road / Bristol - Djr

Something Matthias made: Carbo-mesh mask with liquid kevlar-polymer venee; smart-goggles with IR and digital enhancement; Hybrid breathing & filtration system for damage reduction during urban respiration.

I seek solace with Matthias. Meanwhile the rest of my life shuts down. Or rather I close it down. I make the dumbest phone call of my life, to Jo, "I think we should only be friends." I pushed her away.

Memory: C-B steps into her world and I've suffered with the consequences of that for years now.

2001 - Bristol - James The Gent

July: Boston Tea Party. James is a guy I'd known from the Agency since around '99 ... he was now working as a librarian. Lovely bloke.

2001 - Bristol - Lucy Mmm

5th August: One thing I cling to is Lucy. I get into "Tears of Crocodiles"

She calls me one night after midnight telling me to come round to her place, there's a party. It takes a while for me to get there. When I walk in, there's a ton of people I don't know and no sign of Lucy. I ask around and some guy says she's gone to bed. I nudge open her door and see's she's crashed out... so I slip into the room, get undressed and snuggle up next to her. It's totally pitch dark but I've been here a dozen times before so can navigate okay. Then the bedroom door opens a crack and Lucy sticks her head through, whispering "David?"

I freeze... "Lucy?!!"

If Lucy's sticking her head through the door, who the hell am I spooning in her bed? Moment of cold horror... and silent panic as I try to disengage without waking the sleeping woman.

2001 - Bristol - Djr

1st September. I finally start to get myself back into form after feeling really messed-up and freaked out about everything that had been going on since April... Budapest, Dad, Ramona... and the whole secondment getting changed without warning...

I was at Jo's house in Cheltenham. I've bought this copper hair dye. It says on the packet in bold capital letters: DO NOT USE ON BLEACHED HAIR - COLOURS MAY BE INSTENSE I ignore the advice and end up looking like somebody shoved a neon f@*king spotlight up my arse.

I quite liked it though... especially when I had to deliver a concluding presentation to senior members of my Division about the results of my secondment. I don't think one person was looking at the whiteboard... all eyes were fixed on my hair.

Meanwhile, Game continues. Jo becomes a player. Uttati Asfet is the big campaign. They travel to Tonga Islands, New Orleans and then the Sudan.

2001 - Bristol - Zed

14th September : Boston Tea Party. Zed is 17... she started college two days ago and she's just got a job this day, across the road, at a cafe called Cha.

It's around now that I started a regular weekend thing of spending a Saturday or Sunday morning in town, eating a tasty pie at Cha, and reading the New Scientist for much of the day.

2001 - Bristol - Djr

The red hair lasted a week. It was around now that I started hanging out with Zed again, and some of her mates at a pub on Park Row.

2001 - Bedford - Abbie P

29th September: I also see a lot of Abbie, making the journey to London and catching a regional train to Bedford. We have fun but I find myself starting to want something more serious, and I'm sensing she doesn't want to have anything serious with me.

2001 - The Happy Flat - Nice Guy Tony's kid brother

October: I don't normally terrify young teenage lads but it was Halloween, so I made an exception.

2001 - Happy Flat - Ana C

8th December: I'd met Anna months ago, during the early phase of my secondment; I'd arranged a meeting in Bristol and instead of holding it in some stuffy office, I held it in the Boston Tea Party. All I knew was I was meeting somebody called Ana C... then in walked this four foot Portugese minx who was just soooo incredibly flirtateous.

My secondment came to an end in November. Typical Agency practice was that a new role would be found for me to slot into, and so I'd swing into another period of secondment. Except, I wasn't into typical-anything. I had a mission in mind... and that involved videoconferencing and the next stage that needed to happen if videoconferencing...and Virtual Communications was really going to make a difference. This quest was going to consume the next three years of my working life and put me at serious odds with some big players in the Agency...

...but more immediately was Mike Dbry... who had been running the team during my secondment, who had been getting very comfortable in my role... and who had blithly assumed like many people I'd simply follow the money-promotion trail and move onto another secondment. When I told him I was coming back to my old post he flipped. I couldn't do that, he told me. Yes I f@*king can, and I am.

Mike was so incredibliy bitter about that. He began to infect everything around him with a sourness... and when I did return, I discovered that a whole ton of work-things had been left to slide. It was around now that Sam Goldfinger turned nasty, joining the Mike D camp... only Jon Simpk seemed impartial but I found that even he was not on my side. It was a really tough time for me, I'd worked my arse off to make videoconferencing what it was... and now I was being condemned for wanting to come back and finish the job I'd started.

2001 - Happy Flat - Ana C

8th December: back into videoconferencing, I maintained contact with Ana and so she eventually came to spend a couple days with me in Bristol.

2001 - Jesmond Dene / Newcastle - Akr, Kelvin Sharky

Christmas: Before I know it the year is almost over. I'm back in Newcastle; Kelvin and Jo drive up with me. They both fall in love with Jesmond, my family, the Norweigan house.

Memory: running through the dark in Jesmond Dene. Waking up next morning to find the sky had dumped a ton of snow.

A few hours later I'm running through the snow with the kids next door, I stumble on a hole hidden by the snow, and drop, writhing in agony with ripped tendons in my ankle.