Look at all these beautiful faces. So I said I'd do an update after the next 15 and here it is and yeah it has taken too long but I've been busy. I made a film, and if you haven't already checked it out you should scroll back to the previous blog and watch it because it's great and unique and scary and funny.
This isn't about me though, this is about them. They are great. Once again, an eclectic mix of good friends, acquaintances and strangers. I can't state it more: Go out and meet these people. It restores your faith in humanity after reading about the snoopers charter that cost £300m and Art cuts that couldn't be avoided that cost £10m and Cameron's lies and. Stop. I can't start thinking about it because I'll just end up stomping about the room in a fury. The point is, 90% of people are better than that, 100% of the people I've met.
I am still hoping for a lunatic or two, if purely for the sake of a narrative. Even just someone a bit racist. Instead I've found smart thinking, empathic, funny and cool people at every turn. YAWN. This is Glasgow, this is the violenceopolis. For the love of god someone headbutt me! (Please do not headbutt me.)
But what if you did headbutt someone? Maybe as an ill advised youth pepped up on hormones and societal pressure and hooch? You'd likely get in trouble. If you're lucky you might end up meeting Lesley, who has been one of the more memorable meeters I've met. I do take detailed notes of every meeting, and they will go up in some fashion, but my meeting with Lesley was a special one.
Lesley's on the far left of the middle row above. Looks lovely right? Someone's mum you're thinking. Maybe a teacher? Sure. We get chatting. What is this twitter thing all about etc. etc. Neither of us can think how we ended up following each other. Doesn't matter. Then I ask her what she's been up to:
'I'm just back from a workshop I was doing at a prison, teaching folk to walk on hot coals and bend bars with their necks.'
'Oh cool, so how did you get into wait what?'
We really got into after that. She's a life coach of a sort. She helps people who have lost their way, either through crime or drugs or just through the grind of life. She helps give people focus and she uses mad skills to do it.
The conversation was wild: confidence and beliefs, Tasoism, Buddhism, the fear of living up to potential, how everything is connected, how existence is the universe trying to understand itself. I hadn't had such a speculative and careening conversation in years, and never completely sober in a Costa Coffee on a wet Tuesday afternoon with a complete stranger.
I came out of the chat buzzing. Also, it turns out we are all connected. Kind of. Arwen, who was one of the first people I met, turns out to be on a quiz team with Laura, who I only recently met, despite her being friends with one of my oldest pals in Glasgow. Also, Caitlin and Gav both knew Laura from Uni. They all followed me for completely different reasons at completely different times. Now granted, pretty much everyone I've met so far has been local so these connections are kind of expected, but it'll be interesting to see how this plays out once I hit the road.
Still not sure what I'm going to do about the foreigners. Not in a UKIP way, just in a travel way. I'm on a budget. The UK is doable though. I'll need to route it, and it'll be a mess of stress and organisation, but I'm in deep now, there's no going back.
*Crack's knuckles, opens Excel*
Time to organise.
Postscript: If you do follow me I will inevitably be in touch if I haven't already, but if you happen to live far away and are planning a visit to Glasgow or Edinburgh anytime soon send a DM and we'll arrange something. Similarly if you want no part in this ridiculous sub par Dave Gorman project that's totally cool, you don't have to unfollow me, just say so. I'm not just springing myself on people. Not for this project at least.
SPECIAL THANKS
@yelpglasgow, @JackKFriskey, @peterrooney, @lilcakeparlour, @chezwad123, @SaorsaAlba, @lucy_e_avison, @ewanleckie, @JARock, @AbbyGunn, @LauraKane_, @TalonSword, @WantonItalics, @JustRobKane, @Josephine91
#meetandtweet - Update number 1 - HERE