Moving house takes a while to recover from. For the last couple of months, I've been immersed in unpacking boxes, acquiring furniture (I'm in my first unfurnished flat and am revelling in not having to put up with someone else's ugly furniture. Although it would be nice to have a sofa) and losing my flat-pack virginity (the first time went smoothly so I thought it was easy and couldn't see what all the fuss was about. The second time involved cursing, bruised knees and having to ask a friend to come round and help me out of the awkward position I was trapped in. By the third time, I realised that it's quicker to do it on your own as long as you focus on what you're doing and know exactly what to put in which hole.).
I've also fallen utterly in love with my flat. I can tell this is the case because I've been taking photos of it to show all my friends, smiling when I look at it, pining when I'm away from it and, most tellingly, spending a fortune on silly presents for it - heart shaped fairy lights,flower shaped fairy lights, candles, fake fur throws, cushions, fake flowers, incense, net butterflies - all classy stuff. There's a danger my my male friends may start growing breasts if they're over-exposured to the girliness in my flat (hmmm, maybe *I'll* start growing breasts...). But I love it - almost as much as the sea-view from my door. Yep, Brighton rocks.
I didn't realise how little time I spent doing stuff that isn't work (ie, having a life) until the move. See, Brighton appears to be the friendliest place in the world. I knew about six people in the area when I moved here. Now, I know at least 20 and seem to be having an actual social life - something which comes as a shock to the system after years of spending most of my time at press events rather than purely recreational nights out.
Recently, I've been to see Thalidomide: A Musical (ace, funny and very un-PC) and School 4 Lovers (a hip h'opera - a new mate of mine is an opera buff and, having never been to the opera, I asked if he could introduce me to something that wasn't too intimidating. It's fair to say that a Mozart opera interspersed with DJing and MCing that includes a scene where a couple get all operatic while simulating sex in various positions is suitably non-intimidating) I've played endless games of pool, hog-tied the barmaid at one of my local pubs (fully-clothed, with her permission and purely for entertainment. It seemed like a good idea after Sambucca and a four hour training course in bondage. And it probably was - we both got free drinks afterwards) and simulated striptease at the Ignobel Prize Tour (long story. But trust me, it was in context. And I got given a dried bull penis by way of thanks)
I'm not even going to think about how much I've drunk. See, the downside of doing a couple of days a week in London and the rest in Brighton is that when I'm in London, I want to catch up with London mates which generally entails meeting for 'a drink'. 'As I'm not there all that much, I'll often meet several London mates for 'a drink' over the course of a night then stay on the sofa of whoever's unfortunate enough to be with me for the last drink of the night. The following day goes similarly, except that I get the train home - often receiving a text message en-route from a Brighton mate asking me if I fancy a nightcap when I get back. After two days of not seeing my Brighton mates, it seems churlish not to go out with them once I'm back. And so the cycle continues. I'm now actively finding non-drink-related things to do with mates so that we can all protect our livers. Obviously, the best place for us to debate exactly where we should go rather than spending all our time drinking is, err, the pub.
I'm sure it'll all work itself out.
Of course, I still need to pay the rent, but luckily work has been as intense as usual (if not more so). I've been commissioned to write another book ('I'd rather be Single than Settle' - about the joys of single life, so if if you have any good stories about why single life is a good thing, please email) them to me) and a magazine-style seduction guide over the next few weeks. There are three other books simmering away (including some follow-ups to previous books. I was dead excited to discover I've sold over 100,000 books now. I almost feel like a proper writer, though I still think I need to do a novel to fully qualify.)
Scarlet's also going really well. We've just got in to Tesco and Superdrug as well as WH Smith so it's getting mainstream (in distribution at least. Given this is currently on the website and I've just done a course on bondage for the next Emily-at-Large feature,it's fair to say it's still not exactly traditional)
And I'll be going in to record my next audible.co.uk show soon (for a free sample, click here). There are now two more shows on the site since the last time I posted. The former has an interview with Susi from Eternal Spirits corsetry plus reviews of the Lelo, the Aneros prostate massager (I co-opted a male friend to try it and report back) and ID Sensation Warming Liquid sex aids. There are film reviews of Hoxton Honeys and Cathula 2, book reviews of 26 Nights: A Sexual Adventure, Tongue and Tied and The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty and web reviews of The Penis Project and DazeReader.
The latter has an interview with Eddie Timon from The Erotic Review, plus reviews of the Babelight (a torch, keyring and vibe in one), Cyberskin Chasey Lain pussy (reviewed by a male friend) and the Je Joue sex toys. I also reviewed the films Apocalypse Climax and The Perversions of the Damned, the books Ear Candy: An Erotic Audio Sampler, The Pearl: Lady Pokingham, and Kiss Your Ear: Spice Series One, and the websites Found and Pillowbook (all films mentioned are available to stream on Dirty Movies For Girls and all books are available on Audible)
Looking back, I can see why I've been a tad busy to go to the beach every day...