February 10th, 2007
In every life some rain must fall
Hey pals. Gack. Still living the dream/nightmare. Feel a lot better about the recent Unpleasantness, not entirely cured but I’m definitely over the worst of it. Zillions of mails in my inbox, prolly won’t get to them all but thank you sincerely to everyone who wrote with kind words.
Losing your girlfriend, house and job all at the same, weeks before Xmas is a terrible thing but I can sort of see the funny side and can laugh at most of it . It’s still like she died though. Since breaking the news to me I’ve seen her once for less than an hour. The only communication has been ‘when are you moving out’ and the practical shit like changing over the bills. Other than a badly composed letter of repeated clichés that were just copied from the desperate love letters that I sent her, I’m still none the wiser as to why it happened. She just walked out.
I was a wreck. Heh, I had two weeks left in my job when she told me and I think everyone there thought I was gutted about losing the job. That’s funny. I was crying in work and blaming it on a sinus infection. Jesus I was crying in public, on the bus, walking down the road, everywhere. One day I came home and just walked from room to room at a brisk pace for hours with my coat still on, wringing my hands and bawling. Making the most pathetic squealing noises. Completely gutted.
But I clung to the hope of resolving it before the 25th December. Like a sap.
I tried to get a small xmas tree but none suited my mood. I wanted a 12 inch one just to put on the mantelpiece but couldn’t find one. I always whinge about how corny Christmas is but it was impossible to escape the sentiment. I had offers to spend Xmas day with people but I declined. I had been dreaming about spending it with her for months, facing into 2007 where I’d take a few months off to work on comics, the last throw of the dice before getting another crummy job and starting a family. I bought myself 2 games and some weed and settled in waiting for her to call. I held the phone from the 23rd to the 26th, waiting for at least a ‘Happy Christmas’.
But she didn’t call or text me and I knew it was over. That was the new departure. And instead of crumbling I felt something constrict and freeze inside me and all the pain just went. In a flash I changed. Back to the angry bastard I used to be before I met her. And that was that. I thought I was over it.
I finished packing up my shit. Threw away tons of stuff to save on space. This is another killer, the house was more or less completely finished when she decided to kick me out. I bought a new desk, new office crap and was completely settled in. I had pictures hanging on the wall. I thought I’d be there for years.
She wanted me out by the 8th January. The only place I could I get short term was one of her friend’s house. So I took it. I was feeling good. New year, survived xmas and was determined to get over it. But the moving out day was without a doubt the hardest thing I ever I’ve ever done. Having to leave the house that we put so many hopes and dreams into. The two people that helped us move in moved me out. In the car over I was completely devastated again. Fuck, it was poxy.
I had been in the new house before. My main memory of it was last summer, me and Hayley and two other couples sat out in the garden, had a barbeque. I was toasted from being in the pub all day and then at the barbeque I smoked tons of grass. Everyone was happy, the sun was so bright and it was a rare social occasion out with her friends that I really had fun.
But the last time I had been there was the week before we moved into the other place. We had no bed yet and her friend was away for a week so we stayed there at night and painted the other place during the day. Amazing summer days. So giddy and full of hope and relief after the long legal wranglings. It’s like somebody else’s life when I think of it. It snowed the other day and I looked out the back for the first time since moving in. And there where the chairs, all grey and dingy. Gicky Tallaght snow in clumps around it. All so different.
But I’m a million times better about everything now. I’ve started a comic about the whole thing and it’s really helping. It’ll take me ages to put my brain back into ‘single mode’ though. But I’m ready to move on. Trying to shake the new cynicism about love will be hard, trying to accept that what we had and what I held so dear was obviously nothing special. It’s like being told the truth about Santa. How can you believe in stuff anymore?
So that’s the last of my gay feelings for a while. Thanks for listening. You fag.



















February 11th, 2007 at 12:30 am
glad to hear your on your toes again bud. (tallaght snow is a load of wank allright, good call)
February 11th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
Maybe a convenient hen party will help with the ’single mode’ issue. Glad to hear you’re doin better Bob. Things can only go uphill from here. Or, maybe down i’m not sure.
You’re Gay.
Dec.
February 11th, 2007 at 11:18 pm
There’s definitely the makings of a vert decent comic already there, Bob. Not that I’m suggesting that very real private/personal misery should always be turned into art of course…
Still, I found the above quite honest and moving and don’t care how “gay” that sounds.
February 12th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
Man that’s touching shit. Is this going to be another Amperduke? Like a 5 year wait for it to come out?
February 12th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
good things about being a single creative worker type:
1. You can do most jobs in your pants.
2. You can eat pizza everyday (in your pants)
3. You can play video games for horrific lengths of time until people ceasde to exist and become little more than some sort of annoying gas that you’re barely aware of, (well this happened for Half-Life 2, and prescious little else)….oh you can do this in your pants too.
you can tell how emotionally soldered off I am while finished reading this amazing post, all I could wonder was which 2 video games were they? weed and video games are a great way to spend christmas.
saw epic movie yesterday, you should go it’s so terrible that you feel like you’ve been given a new chance at life when you are released.
hope you alright, will give you a ring at stage
lorcs
February 14th, 2007 at 12:09 am
Your pain makes compelling reading bob. maybe we should all be complete bastards to you all the time.
Glad things are looking up - if I’m up your way at all anytime soon I’ll give you a shout for coffee.
Cheers,
Frank
February 15th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Know what you mean about losing the warmness. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned but theres nothing as cold as a man dumped by a woman. Have to say though you’ve handled it with the upmost dignity. if i was in that situation there’d be legs hung onto, tatoos, chairs thru windows, maybe even a human torch outside her place of work.
Cool post though, touching, honest stuff.
On a seperate note my seven year old read your book and laughed out loud. And you still have my scarf!
February 16th, 2007 at 5:24 pm
Hey Bob,
I’m really, really impressed by how you’ve handled this whole situation and I’m really looking forward to seeing it all turned into a comic. (That sounds wrong somehow, but while your whole situation is something that happens to everyone in some form, not many people can write about it in as honest and open way as you have.)
Glad to hear you’re on the mend, these things take time but so long as you’re on the way to looking forward, not back, you’re doing ok. Hopefully I’ll catch you at the comic jam in march if you can make it.
~Kyle
PS: You are gay.
PPS: In what seems like a break with tradition for my comments to you on here, I haven’t mentioned bumlove or bumrape. Damn you Byrne! Your consistent quality writing and illustration appears to be making me mature! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
*sticks fingers in ears*
Chant-mode on:
“WillyWillyWillyWillyWillyWillyWillyWillyWillyWillyWillyWilly
WillyWillyBUMBUMBUMBUMBUMBUMBUMBUMBUMBUMBUM
BUMBUMBUMBUMBUMWANKSTAINPOOPOOWILLY!”
*deep breath*
*repeat as above*
….
I feel somewhat better, and considerably more childish, now…
February 20th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Hey gaylords! Much thanks to you all. Really, it’s appreciated
Ah man this is nothing, you’d want to see the amount of stuff I’ve written on paper, I could squeeze 3 mills and boons out of it.It’s hard going though. More soon if you want.
May 15th, 2007 at 10:53 am
[...] Here’s a page from an upcoming Twisted Tales in full jaysis colour. Still don’t know if they’re running back to back but they’re running and that’s all that matters. I’m moving house tomorrow so prolly no posts for a week or two. Jesus lads, talk about a reversal in good fortune, I moved in here a broken man, absolutely devastated and ruined but I’m leaving as a human. Found love and the wonder of life has returned, all the comic shit is great and all but I’d easily swap it all for just one day with her. Yeah, expect a super gay post soon to balance this one, detailing my epic comeback and the detective work/surveillance that proved Jabba the Slut was lieing and really did have another man the tramp. [...]
March 6th, 2008 at 8:12 am
the insurance companies don’t want you to know…
Information on the life insurance industry…