Lansdowne iPad Exchange

A little while ago, while chatting online with the Young Dutchman (he frequently seems to enjoy these mini-work-breaks with me) he asked me if he could borrow my iPad for a little while. Although that's an odd request, upon further reflection I couldn't see a reason to refuse it. I could certainly do without my iPad for a week or two, and I had confidence that the Young Dutchman would take care of it. And because the Young Dutchman is so conscientious, he decided to give me his very high-end SLR camera in exchange, so that I would have something of value in the meantime to ensure that I would get my iPad back in one piece.

We decided to set up the swap at the Lansdowne Club on Friday. I spent the day before running around the mall at the Orange shop, making sure the iPad was set up for 3G access. But I got it all sorted, and arrived at the Lansdowne at 7PM to make the swap.

I was surprised when he arrived, as I was used to seeing him in riding gear from when we play polo, not the stylish skinny tie and the classic look of the young European. So we spent some time playing with the iPad, and then the Young Dutchman bought a bottle of champagne and we joined some others outside in the Lansdowne Courtyard, because it was a wonderfully warm night. Of course, it didn't hurt that Sophie had spotted the two of us and instantly insisted we join her table of friends. That's the best thing about Sophie, she's always making sure everyone's getting involved!

I chatted briefly with a chap named Henry, who I'd met at a party nearly a year ago, and so I wasn't surprised when it turned out he'd forgotten that we'd previously met. But then he redeemed himself by suddenly exclaiming, "It was at that house party up in Islington!" Indeed it was Henry, well done!

I then spent most of my time in random conversations, unfortunately mostly trapped with an older chap I occasionally play polo with, the same one I spent that day in Oxford with at the Summer VIIIs races. He's a nice enough guy, but the more I get to know him, the more I realise why he's still 38 and single. Mainly because he's just....dull. Still, we struggled through some conversation and were joined by a rather shy Asian girl who was obviously trying to make new friends. The older chap then had waaaaaay too much champagne, making for some rather amusing conversations towards the end of the evening, but I think we were all relieved to send him home as he started slurring and stumbling at the end. Moderation people, moderation!

It was quite funny as we circulated throughout the evening, as the Young Dutchman was so obviously immediately in love with the iPad. I was surprised at one point when this young chap made a beeline across the entire place to come talk to me, although it turned out that it was one of the Young Dutchman's flatmates, so he'd probably been advised that I was a nice person to talk to. Although it was funny when out of nowhere this young man appears wanting to talk to me! Kind of funny, in a way...

Eventually others in the crowd were leaving, so I thought it a good time to try and make my escape as well. But then Sophie grabbed me, and because I always enjoy Sophie's company, I found it impossible to say no. So I stayed and drank some more champagne (how much had we had at this point?) and talked with some of Sophie's co-workers. One was out with her boyfriend enjoying their first night out after a four-month diet. Apparently they'd done very well on this diet (she claimed to have lost four stone!) although when probed a bit further about how they did it, I was surprised: Apparently nothing but diet shakes, like Slim Fast, for four months. Wow, can I think of any plan that is more guaranteed to fail when you return to eating real food? Still, one can't deny that four months of eating 500 calories a day had an effect.

Then chatted with Sophie for a bit, although as usual I feel somewhat tongue-tied around her. She's so vivacious and dynamic, and I'm somewhat in awe of her, and so I sometimes don't know exactly what to say. How funny that one of the people I like most is one of the ones I find hardest to talk to!

Still, eventually the rest of the crowd was talking about going out to some club to go dancing, and given that it was already 1:30 AM, I figured it was time for me to head home. So even though it was already the second cab in a week, I insisted on piling myself into a black taxi as soon as I got outside. Sophie expressed her disappointment with me, but I promised to stay out partying all night at the ball in two weeks. Let's just hope I can manage to keep my promise!