Rávo's World

Sloganise me!

I still need to write a post about my amazing Continental adventure, but in the meantime, I felt I'd share some spam with everyone. Unfortunately the sloganiser has not entirely got the hang of accents, so you will just have to imagine it in its rightful place, but otherwise...behold!

Hmm...I suppose I should stop before I get carried away!

Hugs, kisses and giggles,
Rávo

With love

An exciting exciting post should be happening rather soon. But right now, I only have one thing to say:

To the love of my life,

Today is the day to celebrate love, romance and affection, and I just want to dedicate an entry to proclaiming just how much I love and adore you.

You have picked me up so many times when I have fallen down, and I will never forget even one of those times. You are everything I could ever ask for and you are the most gorgeous thing alive.

I know this is a very difficult time for you, but this time it is my turn to offer the hand to pick you up, and I promise not to let you down.

Happy Valentine's Day

With all my love,
Rávo

World AIDS Day

Given my recent altruistic inspirations, it seems fitting to make a comment or two about the date. 1st December. World AIDS Day. What can I say that you haven't already heard? Probably nothing. But remember that it's people like you as well as people unlike you who are affected, directly or indirectly. Brothers, mothers, boyfriends, baby daughters. Bus drivers, artists, scientists, nurses, lawyers. Normal people. Unusual people.

Whatever, enough of the preachy sanctimonious. The point is many of them are enjoying great lives when 20 years ago they wouldn't have had the chance. That's something to be pleased about and proof that there's lots of hope ahead.

Do what you can.

Hugs and kisses,
Rávo

Attempting to install comments

I realised that I am just an attention whore after all, so am attempting to install a comment system in my blog. Unfortunately, because I opted for a locally hosted database-free blogging system that's not too mainstream, none of the comment tools are automatically set up to be compatible with Thingamablog.

As a result, it's been a bit of a technological struggle. I gave up on blogkomm - it looks good, but I just couldn't get it to work right with Thingamablog, and it was trying to make me convert all the entries into php, which I have no problem with but meant things kept randomly stopping working.

I'm now experimenting with Blogtools. This hosts comments elsewhere so I'm not sure how it'll look. This post is mostly a test to see if it's already integrated or not!

Hugs and kisses
Rávo

ETA: Well, we seem to be nearly there. I have to re-upload the stylesheet each time I tweak the template, but it looks like the comment facility might now work. Send me your messages of love!

Spam reduction

The trouble with the fact that they caught and shut down some humongous spam engine that was responsible for some very large proportion of the spam everyone was getting is...

...that now I don't get any e-mail at all! No chance to pretend that someone has e-mailed me with their love/fangirling/criticism/threats of violence.

I suppose on some level I actually quite liked having people trying to sell me Viagra. At least it felt like attention.

I am a quean at heart. People remind me of this fact frequently. Sorry...it's in my nature.

Hugs and kisses,
Rávo

Better

I'm aware that I'm running the risk of turning this blog into some kind of pseudo-political soapbox, for which I apologise greatly. Normal service of drooling, slurping and chattering on about Francisco Bosch's peachy backside will be resumed shortly. However, I just had to say something about Boyzone's new video!

Day-ummmm.

But also...what took you so long? Statistically, I'm sure a randomly chosen singer in a boyband is far more likely to prefer the sight of naked men than, say, a male investment banker, mechanic or chef is. Rather like randomly chosen people from other careers such as dancers and tailors, in fact...

And yet prior to now, boybands have been universally featured in heterosexual relationships in their music videos, smooching with the laydees. Which is fine, if they like that. But if they don't...who are we kidding here?

Boyzone, having a gay singer and much less to lose than your average starting-out boyband, were pretty much ideally placed to break the public into this idea that when you line five pretty boys up in pinstripe suits and have them croon about sweet love and roses and kisses, they're probably not all imagining Keira Knightley whilst they're doing it. I wholeheartedly applaud them! It was hot. The male model was lovely, Stephen looked adorable, and although I'm not convinced about the actual song, I'm sure I can watch it with the sound off whilst playing something more to my personal tastes. I'm sure if you like that kind of thing, the lady bits were hot too! I'm also glad that the female actresses were age-appropriate - it would have been just creepy had they all been early-twenties types, but they were beautiful, mature ladies and it was much classier.

Should you wish to see the video, the BBC have put it on their site. Enjoy.

Congratulations Boyzone! May your single go triple-platinum! And may your future videos be even gayer and even steamer!

Hugs and adoring smoochies,
Rávo

The Irish O'Bama Song

My new ambition is to choreograph a dance piece to accompany There's No One As Irish As Barack O'Bama. How amazing would that be? Really?

Why, yes, I am pro-Obama. My only reservation is that he's perhaps not raving liberal enough. But enough politics. Regardless of your political leanings, it's a marvellous song.

And in case anyone cares, I think he should get a mutt, of mostly poodle origin for the sake of his daughter. Don't underrate mutts!

I think my website needs updating. One of the links is dead, another I think is out of date. I need to actually write some of those essays I promised. And I think some of you would probably appreciate it if I wrote a short biography. Not that it's likely to contain more than this blog does, but perhaps not everyone is familiar with my family, my work or my early life.

Hugs and kisses,
Rávo

Liverpool

It never would even have occurred to me to go to Liverpool before now.

Except that the most lovely Francisco Bosch has been cast in a lead role in the ENB's performance of The Sleeping Beauty on the afternoon of 27th November!

Funny what urges crushes can give you. Like the urge to be in Liverpool on the afternoon of 27th November.

Can I go? Please please please please please can I go?

No?

Pretty please?

*sulk* Fine, then. We'll just have to hope that he wows the audience so spectacularly that he's cast into a performance in London that I can go to then, won't we?

Until casting information is published, I am sulking. Yes, even though I am still the happiest boi in the world. I can be the happiest sulking boi in the world.

Hugs and kisses (as long as you get me tickets to see Fran),
Rávo

Happy day

Today, Ladies and Gentlemen, has been one of the happiest days in my life, ever.

There is very little that beats the feeling of trusting someone completely and utterly, and knowing they do the same to you, and seeing solid, tangible proof of that dedication right there in your hand.

Love you, Brannon.

Hugs and kisses,
Rávo

Twink Code...?

Owing to general tipsiness, I felt the need to construct my Twink Code.

As follows:
T5 C0 L6s h++! d- a(+) w-v c- y++ k+(++) s-v q(+)

Should anyone come across a comparable code for expressing kinks, I might be persuaded, after some good quality alcohol, to construct a similar one.

*giggle*

Hugs and kisses,
Rávo