hello my fellow sinisterines... i've had my voice for a while...but i've been putting off posting...but here goes. my story involves ( & it is a true story ) 7 pairs of socks, cheech & chong , super furry animals, tigermilk & 1 lost suitcase. a couple of years ago i went on my 1st ever holiday abroad...my destination was the sunny & very beautiful Cancun in Mexico ( end credits of True Romance... Clarence & Alabama on the beach ) all was well...i didn't freak out on the plane or anything...it was a very long flight but everything was fine...until i got to my hotel...& i found my suitcase missing...after some frantic searching i was more or less told i had no chance of getting it back , after alot of carefull thought, i decided i was not going to let this spoil my holiday. instead of getting all aggessive with the tour rep , i did the opposite ...i was very polite & understanding much to their shock...& this tactic worked! i also underestimated the sympathy factor ..., everybody in the hotel knew me as '' the poor bloke that had his suitcase stolen '' a fantastic conversation opener! ...i didn't even have to try...girls were actually approaching me...it really was incredible that having something bad happen can actually bring out some good, after a while i have to admit i was sort of glad my case went missing. anyway i swiftly received my compensation...'' i'm sorry sir we can only give you £250 to replace the essentials, you can claim more when you get home '' practically my whole suitcase was full of clothes bought from charity shops except a few band t-shirts and my socks & boxers which i get from Marks & Spencer...i was in tears... of joy! i couldn't believe it. if you think things couldn't get much better i'm afraid they did...,with 2 days of my holiday to go they found my suitcase ...which at first sight looked to be fully intact .. but on closer inspection had a few items missing namely 7 pairs of socks ..., my prized cheech & chong t-shirt ,a super furry animals t-shirt & ( B & S content at last!) a cassette of tigermilk that a friend of a friend taped for me...i hadn't even played it... to this day i still haven't heard tigermilk all the way through...when the cd pops through my door next month i shall be hearing it for the first time...i can't wait! as for the person who stole the above items...i can't help but think '' you cool bastard '' & thanks. signing off from my first posting... richard. actually ...reading back on this posting ...i sound like one of those lucky bastards ...where everything goes right all of the time...i assure you this is not the case...i'd better give you a bit of background...when i was 4 i lost the hearing in my left ear & my parents were told by the doctors that i would be completely deaf by the time i was 12..., when i was 8 ...all of my teeth had to come out...so where are we...oh yes i'm 10 i'm nearly deaf and i've got no teeth ... i was not a pretty sight...but things always have a habit of evening out ...my hearing actually got better rather than worse, i was playing football 1 day and i headed a ball & the sound just flowed back in...it seriously freaked me out, i'm now 30 ( only just ) & at the moment i'm content i guess thats about all anyone could ask...i have good days & bad days but lately the good days seem to out number the bad ones...but who knows whats around the corner, if theres one thing i've learnt its not to take anything for granted. i also have a full set of teeth...but for many years i wasn't allowed to eat chocolate... ,i was the original charlie bucket from charlie & the chocolate factory...i was allowed chocolate on my birthday, this explains my fondness for chocolate now..., enough...i think you get the picture...until next time ...i've got the odd celebrity story to tell ...like the time sonic boom phoned me at home.... '' i see a handfull of hope spinning in time this i'm told is mine '' east village '' mine '' +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the reborn Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail "sinister@majordomo.net". To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to "majordomo@majordomo.net". WWW: http://www.majordomo.net/sinister +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "tech-heads and students" +-+ +-+ "the cardie wearing biscuit nibbling belle & sebastian list" +-+ +-+ "jelly-filled danishes" +-+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+