Too Many People for Drinks

Tonight was the usual "Last Wednesday of the Month" drinks at the O&C, which I usually look forward to, but not this month...

Because on Sunday, a random girl from Clubland decided to send out an invite to a bunch of her friends for "Cheeky O&C Drinks". Given that one's club in Clubland is supposed to be your "home away from home", inviting people to a club that is not yours is the equivalent of inviting people over to someone else's house. It's just not done.

So I was stressed about what to do, not wanting to engender bad blood by giving the girl the lecture she desperately needed about proper social behaviour (I was glad when a friend I complained about this too asked me, "Was this girl raised by wolves?" reinforcing my opinion of her social cluelessness), but also terrified about what would happen if the club got over-crowded.

When I arrived, there was only the Wild Welshman, Callum, and two work colleagues of the Wild Welshman having drinks, so I joined them, and just enjoyed chatting with the Wild Welshman for a bit. He shared some of his wine with me, and I bought another bottle later. I like how we always have that easy understanding...

We were joined after a bit by four more O&C types, as well as Piers, who the Wild Welshman had apparently invited. Then a large crowd of Inter-Club faces arrived en masse (I have no idea why they weren't stopped at reception) and congregated at the bar. The bartender signalled to me to move them along to the Upper Drawing Room, so although it was like herding cats, I managed to get them all moved on out to the other room.

I then returned to the bar to fetch my handbag, and all seemed to go well for a while until even more people arrived (thankfully mostly newer O&C members who I recognised from last month's drinks), and I kept having to shuffle people around.

Yet at around 9:30, people just drifted back to the bar, which upset our elderly bartender (as I heard from quite a few folks he had been complaining too...the fact that a lot of people didn't realise it was a cash bar probably didn't help). I found myself trying to talk and catch up with quite a few people, but by 10:30 I was just flipping out from the stress and the numbers. The Wild Welshman had already left earlier, with promises that we should meet early for drinks on Monday, and then two friends from the Oriental Club were also leaving, so I saw no particular reason to stay. Hence I just slipped out without saying good-bye or making my apologies to anyone, I figured they could handle themselves and I'd just had enough for the evening. Let's hope something like this doesn't happen again any time soon!

Mother Goose

This evening was the "Mother Goose" run of the hash, where everyone was supposed to dress up as characters from nursery rhymes. I had always planned on skipping this evening's run, because I didn't want to pay £5 for a run that I thought wouldn't be much good, and the rain and cold weather further put me off. Still, I needed to give a cheque to Caroline, so I showed up after the run was over. I was feeling pudgy and sluggish after so much eating out for the Thanksgiving week while everyone was here, but managed to cobble together an outfit that I didn't look too terrible in.

When I arrived, people weren't yet back from the run, but I didn't have to wait too long before the crowds started streaming in. Oxford Boy was there (wearing a ridiculous little Bo-Peep outfit), but I actually found myself getting drawn in conversation with Nobby's Nuts, who insisted on buying me a drink. As a result, I ended up chatting with him for a bit, and ended up making my way around the room quite a bit before I found myself in conversation with Oxford Boy. After a bit, he pondered where the bulk of the group was, and told me that we needed to go downstairs to find the others. I wondered if by "we" he meant for me to join him, or if it was just a figure of speech. So I waited for him to move off for a bit, but as he reached the bottom of the first flight of stairs he looked back at me to see if I was coming with him, so I took that as a "yes". I guess we're a team again tonight...

Then again, maybe not. When we got downstairs, he pretty quickly introduced me to a random new runner, whose first time it had been tonight. I didn't quite get it, thinking, "Now you're pawning me off on other people?" But hey, the new guy was rather cute and obviously needed somebody to talk to, so I just went with it. Turns out this was the guy who was sub-letting Tara's flat and living with Blunder, and so had come along at Blunder's invitation. The guy had a girlfriend (pity!) but seemed nice enough, if a touch on the dim side. Still, fine conversation for the evening and I felt good for being welcoming to a newbie.

I lost track of him after a while (I think I started talking to Princess), and then found my way back into conversation with Oxford Boy for a bit. I found myself telling him stories of having everyone in town this past week for Thanksgiving, and of going to the American Thanksgiving service at St. Paul's. Which made him ask me if I were a religious person, and he seemed pleased by my answer that I do go to church semi-regularly. Back to when he once told me he was "very" Catholic, which I don't quite jive with, but perhaps just being religious is good enough for him...

I then thought a bit about the advice I'd read of praising guys more instead of always playing it cool around them, and so knowing his vanity, when the conversation turned to where I live in Shepherd's Bush, I told him I remembered that run because he showed up in a suit and looked so dashing in it, I would always remember it. It must have been the right move, because he seemed absolutely delighted, not embarrassed at all but just thrilled to be told that. I guess we all need a little ego boost at times, and this boy definitely enjoyed getting one from me.

I then spent some time trying to chat with Caroline, but everyone kept interrupting us, until finally the pub was closing and a group of us all left to walk to the pub. Caroline and a few others went to Leicester Square, while Oxford Boy, Princess, Hangover and others went to Picadilly Circus.

As we walked towards Picadilly Circus, Oxford Boy wrapped an arm around me, holding me close to him as we walked. I couldn't quite do the same due to his backpack on his back (it made for an awkward reach-around), so I reached up and took his hand as it rested on my shoulder. Very sweet and good company. We walked to the Tube that way until we got through the barriers and had to say good-bye to Princess. At which point I gave Princess my usual kiss on the lips, and then began an absolutely hilarious sequence where Princess was chasing Oxford Boy around attempting to kiss him on the lips as well. I was absolutely doubled over, gasping with laughter, as Oxford Boy laughingly yelled out, "No! I'm too close to being gay!" Oh my gosh, you know those instances where you're worried that you're laughing so hard you might actually die because you can't breathe? It was that funny, it was killing me...

Oxford Boy and I then went down to our trains together, and had to split at the north-south platform divide as we were going the opposite way. He gave me a hug and a kiss, and said that we needed to go clubbing sometime. Ah, so perhaps we're back on to hanging out on our own again?

The next night Caroline actually caught me online, bemoaning how nobody had left us alone, as she'd wanted to ask my opinion on something. She said, "So I know you and Oxford Boy are quite good friends....has he said to you at all how he might feel about me? The background is that we went out one night a few weeks back, got very drunk and ended up kissing while singing kareoke. It wasn't much of a kiss, just a little one, and since then we've met up a few times but nothing happened. I figured we both kinda had a silent but mutual understanding that we were just friends, until he asked me out for dinner the other night, which just confused me. I don't know whether it's just him being friendly or more....?!"

Interesting detail, although I replied to her with absolute honesty, which is that I thought Oxford Boy is a boy, and as such doesn't have any game plan. He asked her to dinner because he was having fun. He wanted to go clubbing with me for the same reason. There is no deeper message, it's just a lack of impulse control. I explained to her that he's like a puppy, and while one shouldn't throw fake balls for puppies that confuse them (that's just mean), it's fine to pat a puppy on the head and be nice to it, even if you have no intention of playing fetch for hours with it. Puppy does not need to sit in a corner just because you don't want to play ball. But all the puppy is thinking about is, "Will you play fetch with me?" Puppies aren't looking for much more than that, or having many more deep-seated thoughts.

I talked to her as well about just understanding what motivates men, and realising you can't change it, but just have to work with it. To which she replied, "How are you single with insight like that? I mean that's insight women works for months and years to gain!!!" Gosh, if only I knew, my dear...

That night when I arrived home, I found myself chatting online with a friend from high school, who has just gotten divorced from her husband, and is already seeing someone else. She caught me online and asked, "Question: If you go on 4 lunch dates, one movie date, 2 dinner dates,join someone for Turkey Day w/ a lot of friends and hang out at night at bars and clubs together, does that mean you are dating?" Ummm, I'd say it does, so I asked her the basics: "Has he kissed you?" Oh yes, a lot. Okay then, I'd say it's a dating relationship, even if it isn't a boyfriend-girlfriend thing quite yet... How does she move that quickly, when I can't seem to get any boys to kiss me these days?

Admittedly, when I made one little mention that I'd been out with the Friend from Kindergarten over the weekend (having gone to high school with us, she knows both of us and sees us frequently when she's in London), she instantly butted in with, "You two should date already!" And to be fair, I occasionally think about it. But it's almost back to what I was telling Caroline: You can't change men, you have to accept them as they are. And along with the incredible intelligence, wit, curiosity, loyalty and understanding of where I come from, do I also want to take on the refusal to go anywhere you can't wear trainers, the almost scary gambling, the height obsession and the incredible "guy-ness"? And as I said to her, I have no idea how on earth to suddenly change the relationship I've had with someone since I was four years old. I guess I just keep hoping life will work out the way it's meant to work out. With a new guy or with the guy I've known since I was four. We'll see.

But she left me with her parting advice, "I was not attracted to the ex-hubby in the way I should have been, and it is amazing finding people to be truly attracted to." Food for thought.

An Hour of Squash

I was due to play squash with Sophie this evening, and we'd scheduled an hour to play, so we could really work up a sweat. Given how much I'd been eating in restaurants this past week, and how bloated I feel in general, I was looking forward to the workout.

I wondered if we would get one however, as on one of her first hits, Sophie managed to hit the ball up into the tiny gap above the heating vents, and the ball got stuck up there. I'd often come close, and seen the balls stuck up there, but had thought it took such precise timing and accuracy to get a ball up there, that it would never happen, but now Sophie had done it on one of her first shots.

Thankfully, when I raced back to the locker room, I was able to find another squash ball in my bag, so we were able to continue playing. Imagine if I hadn't had a spare, however!

It was a good rally, although as usual I was beating the pants off of Sophie. You could tell she was getting frustrated with continually losing, and got quieter as we continued to play and she tried to focus more. I will admit, my game was getting lazy, and I was hitting some questionable shots. I really need to practice more.

I could also tell that Sophie was desperate to win, and getting a bit anxious and upset due to her continual losses. So on the final game, I was getting tired and had missed a few shots, and it ended up with a tie score heading into the match point. Did I purposefully throw that last point? Perhaps. But Sophie was so excited, cheering and jumping up and down, that I knew it was the right call. Her whole mood for the evening changed, as she became more talkative and started smiling again.

We then changed, showered, and headed to a Mexican restaurant near Embankment that we'd said we would visit last week. The food was relatively good, with some pulled pork that was particularly good. It was more expensive than our £10 meal two weeks ago, but at $25 it still seems normal compared to the £50 at Automat after our first game. We talked a bit about her upcoming birthday in January, and just the usual boys and life chatter. I realised once again how much like me Sophie is, for as much as she loves her usual party-girl life, she also rather would like to find a boyfriend. Yet, much like me, is unwilling to compromise when she just doesn't fancy otherwise suitable candidates. I desperately think that there's something I'm supposed to learn from Sophie, but for the life of me I can't figure out what it is yet.

I had her flipping through her schedule for the next month, and as expected she was booked nearly every day, although I was surprised to find that I was actually more booked up than she was. Not like it's a contest, but I always think of Sophie as the person with the busiest social calendar out there, so it's surprising to think that I could surpass it.

I felt like I was struggling more to entertain her than usual, although she did laugh quite a bit at my usual witty remarks and comments. Still, I was somewhat glad when it came time to head home, as it was getting late and Sophie was in a bit of a funny mood. Or maybe I was. Hard to know sometimes, but I was glad to go home and head to bed...

Everybody Goes Home

I woke up at 6 AM, got to play with my niece for a bit, and all too quickly it seemed like the call came from the cab, saying that they were outside and ready to take my brother's family to the airport. So there were hugs and kisses, and we waved them off into the cab, as I fought back tears. As my mother said, "How lucky are we, that saying good-bye to our family makes us sad instead of relieved?" Yes, that's true, but it still sucks saying good-bye.

My parents and I then cleaned up the rental flat, carried groceries over to my flat, and then just hung out at my flat for a bit having lunch and chatting about this and that. Too quickly, it was 2 PM and time for THEM to leave. The cab came, I took them downstairs and hugged them good-bye, and swore to myself that I wouldn't cry this time. At least this time I knew that I'd be seeing them in less than a month at Christmas!

Once everybody was gone however, I sat in my empty flat for maybe 30 minutes before I realised I was feeling sad and down in the dumps now with everyone gone. It was funny because my cousin had recently sent me an article explaining how introverts are ("Caring for Your Introvert" in the Atlantic), and it talked about how "Extroverts are energized by people, and wilt or fade when alone. They often seem bored by themselves, in both senses of the expression. Leave an extrovert alone for two minutes and he will reach for his cell phone." Gosh, that sounded familiar...

And so I texted my Friend from Kindergarten, basically asking the classic kid question, "Can I come over and play?" And what I LOVE about my Friend from Kindergarten, is that with any other guy you would worry that this was too forward or too weird to just suddenly declare you wanted to travel an hour across town to hang out on a Sunday night, but with this guy he just said, "Sounds great. Here's my address."

As soon as I got out on the Tube, I felt better, and was just perked up by the prospect of seeing my Friend from Kindergarten.

When I arrived at his new place, I have to admit I was stunned. He opened the door and I walked into a massive living room easily larger than my entire flat, with a stunning view of Tower Bridge all lit up at night, which he could admire from his floor-to-ceiling windows or out on his balcony. The whole place had tons of closet space, a beautiful kitchen, and two bedrooms, all to himself. I was amazed that he could have an entire bedroom in central London, just for guests. What luxury!

We sat and chatted at his place for a bit, and then he suggested we go out for a drink. So we walked for a bit and ended up in a really cute, cozy pub near where he lived. I liked it as there were candles on all of the tables with tons of wax in them, like you might find in an old-fashioned Italian restaurant. It wad warm red walls, big comfy sofas, and worn wooden tables with mis-matching chairs everywhere. Instantly, I was fond of it.

He bought the first round, we found a nice table in a corner, and sat down to chat over our pints of Guinness. I'd always known that my Friend from Kindergarten made more money than I did, but it was a really interesting glimpse into his job, his lifestyle, and his worldview. He's a trader on the DAX (the German stock exchange), and in the current economic situation, traders are often blamed for the stock market collapse with their excessive risk taking. But as I chatted to him, I realised that his job inherently rewarded risk taking, and that he and all of his fellow traders made their money by taking excessive risks with millions and billions of dollars. I assume my Friend from Kindergarten is good at it, for even with some upcoming rounds of layoffs at his firm, he's already been reassured he's quite safe. And he certainly has enough money to ride it out. But as he talked about playing poker and fantasy football, and how in Vegas they give you chips to bet with so it doesn't feel like real money, I was incredibly struck how on some level my friend is just a professional gambler. One who is apparently good at it, to be fair, but still a guy who makes money by having nerves of steel and a great appetite for risk.

We stayed for two more rounds as we talked about Mormonism (he'd recently seen a documentary about it), and just various things that interested us, as we're both the types who will read Wikipedia for fun. Sometimes I'm not sure if we're friends just because we have such a shared history together (talking about friends from high school can sustain our conversation for a long time), or because we actually have such similar intellectual curiosities. Whatever it is, it's always fun to spend time with him.

He then confessed that he was desperate for Chipotle for dinner, and so wanted to make the trek out there, several Tube stops away. Since I miss Mexican burritos as well and it was on my way home anyway, I went with him. Not like I need any more food at home (I've got tons of leftovers!), but we bought two burritos each, one for dinner now and one for lunch the next day.

We sat having our dinner burritos, and I asked him about the mustache that he was growing. At this point it had reached quite epic proportions, much to my surprise, as I'd never thought of my Friend from Kindergarten as being the kind of guy who could grow significant facial hair. I guess you discover a lot of things about the guys you know during the month of November.

I was impressed with his dedication to having a scratchy upper lip for a month, and his personal connection the charity he was raising money for, so I gave hm £20 towards his charity. You have to do that every now and then, I suppose...

Finally went home, sad to come back to an empty flat, but glad to have had a great evening out. Thank goodness for friends like that.

The Return of CBDG

I've been trying to figure out a time for myself, Tristan and Doro to get together for drinks, and after realising that I'd spoken to Joel several times this past week without him giving me an answer on when he was free, I started harassing him via e-mail. Which got me a call right as I was wrapping up my workday, as we went through his schedule and I figured out that it was all rubbish from now until Christmas. Such a pity, but I figure the two of us will find time at some point... He asked me about my love life, so I told him about the whole deal with Oxford Boy, and how I can't figure out what I did wrong there. How was it going so well, and then suddenly going to badly? Joel told me not to worry about it, that it was probably nothing I did, and it was all in the boy's head. Not like I was really worried, but it's always nice to get validation from Joel. He promised to call me before he left for Greece at the weekend, so perhaps he can advise me more then.

So I got to the run, and there was no sign of Oxford Boy, but I amused myself by talking to other people as everyone was arriving. But I still got the shock of my life when I was tapped on the shoulder, and when I turned around, saw a face I hadn't seen in months! It was Cute-But-Dumb-Guy!! CBDB was a guy who had been coming to the hash over the summer, a guy who actually lived in Norwich but who kept coming down to London during the week to work on projects for the London Olympics. (I should reference entries from the summer where he was so sweet and doted on me, but alas I was terrible about writing for a bit there). And as the name implies, I found him to be very cute, but rather dumb. Yet, for whatever reason, he seemed to enjoy talking to me, and although he didn't have the witty banter of a lot of guys, he laughed at all of my jokes and my stories, and seemed to enjoy just being near me. And I realised why lots of men like bimbos, good-looking girls who laugh at their jokes and dote attention on them. It's actually rather nice. And so I have to admit, I enjoy the company of CBDB as entertainment for the evening.

Yet it was funny, when CBDG first appeared out of nowhere like that, it took me a good couple of seconds to figure out why on earth this cute guy was so excitedly greeting me. I'm normally so good with names and faces, but I almost blanked there for a bit, and only as I faked it, pretending I knew who he was, did it all slowly come back to me. Even, thank goodness, his name after a minute or two. (I hope he didn't notice that I forgot!)

And so, even without Oxford Boy, I figured maybe this would just turn out to be a good, chill evening hanging with CBDG. After all, I do like him, he seems to love to talk to me, and did I mention that he's cute? But as we were in the outdoor circle, just getting ready to head off on the run, Oxford Boy turned up, racing to drop off his stuff to be ready to go for the run. And as he saw me as we slowly jogged out, he gave me a big hug and kiss, and we went the first couple of paces out of the pub with our arms wrapped around each other. Even as we started running, he kept pace with me, obviously wanted to spend time with me for a bit. (Only thing is that he's a MUCH faster runner than I am, so there is no way I could keep that pace for long!) So maybe we're all good?

Overall it was a good run, where we went up hills to admire the view from the top of Primrose Hill, and even went across the famous crosswalk at Abbey Road (from the Beatles). Eventually we returned to the pub, where I couldn't even spot Oxford Boy, but did get myself involved for a bit in conversation with his very tall friend who had shown up, who I'd met once before (on the very first evening I met Oxford Boy). He's sweet, but a bit dull, so I found an excuse to depart temporarily, and move on to conversation with CBDG, who actually was quite entertaining as he told me about all of the logistical problems involved with arranging parking for everyone for the Olympics.

It came time for us to move outside for the circle, at which point CBDG paused and asked for my e-mail so that we could connect on Facebook. Of course, giving my Facebook e-mail revealed that I'd gone to Oxford, which seemed to startle CBDG for a moment. I hope that doesn't put him off.

We then moved outside but it was cold out, so I ran back inside to grab my fleece. Instead of returning to CBDG's side for the circle, I stood with Oxford Boy because I hadn't had a chance to talk to him all evening. In retrospect that was a mistake, because I didn't really get a chance to talk to Oxford Boy, I think CBDG felt slighted, and Oxford Boy was kind of annoying anyway.

When we returned inside, CBDG left shortly afterwards, although at least I managed to spot him going and say good-bye. And we're going to be FB friends now, right?

Now that CBDG was gone, I went over to join Oxford Boy and Sthweetheart in conversation, and as we sat there chatting I realised that Oxford Boy was actually rather irritating. He kept pestering Sthweetheart to share some of his dinner, which Sthweetheart rightly refused (hey, it was his), but as soon as Oxford Boy wandered off in search of some chips, Stheweetheart proceeded to feed me dinner from his plate. Not that I was really starving, but I was somewhat hungry, and so happy to have dinner. Mostly though, I was feeling like an idiot for not paying more attention to CBDG while he was there.

A little while after that, Oxford Boy and his friend decided to leave. I felt like now was probably a good time to leave as well, so I should join them as they walked to the station, but for some reason I wanted to stay. Perhaps slightly miffed at Oxford Boy for being so irritating, and for taking me away from the guy I should have been paying attention to? So they left, and I stayed.

Half an hour later, I felt like a genius for staying, as Kitty and Princess randomly showed up. I tackled Princess from behind and gave him a big hug, as I was really genuinely happy to see him. Just was delighted, for some reason.

I also chatted to Kitty for a bit, and the big news was that apparently she has a boyfriend now. The story is really romantic, as Sthweetheart related it to me. Apparently Kitty and her cousin had gone out for a drink in their neighbourhood, and at the bar they went to there was nowhere to sit, except at the end of a table with these two guys. Kitty's cousin hit it off with one of the guys, while Kitty did with the other one. Later on, Kitty texted the guy her cousin had been hitting on (as her cousin more cleverly had gotten the guy's number), which led to that guy passing Kitty's number on to his mate, and then asking Kitty out. I had not realised Sweetheart and Kitty were so close just because they are neighbours, which is how this whole story came out. Sweetheart gives me some valuable advice, where he points out the guy only called Kitty because he knew there was a connection, he wasn't coming out of nowhere. You have to give boys that kind of encouragement. Good point.

Finally I headed home at closing time at 11:30 AM, with Lindsey J hanging onto me the whole way back to the Tube. Somewhat because it was chilly out, but also because I think Lindsey is becoming closer to me, a fellow American who remembers her name. When we got to Camden Town, I parted from Kitty and Princess, and I didn't kiss Princess on the lips (as is our usual pattern) but didn't even think about it until later. I wonder why that was.

Once I got home, I found CBDG on Facebook and sent him a friend request, which he accepted in the morning but made no further response to. Damn. I definitely mis-played that one. Hopefully I can make up for it later...

Clubland Has Talent

As it was Remembrance Day today, everyone was wearing their poppies, and at 11 AM on 11/11/11, everyone was supposed to stand for a moment of silence. I forgot about this however, and popped into the bank at 10:45 AM. Which then meant right as I was talking to the bank teller, a clock gonged for 11 AM and everyone stopped what they were doing and stood silently for 2 minutes. It was kind of fascinating actually, as this entire busy bank branch was suddenly frozen in time for two minutes.

In the evening I was supposed to go to "Clubland has Talent", a talent show where members of our respective clubs would be performing. There had been a big debate among the girls online about what to wear, as the dress code was confirmed as "black tie" only at the last minute. So we all generally went for cocktail dresses, and I wore a purple satin cocktail dress.

Joel called me as I was getting ready, and so of course I much preferred to sit and chat to him for a while about what he was getting up to this evening (nothing), so I got behind schedule and realised at the last that I didn't have time to meet the rest of the crowds for drinks at the Lansdowne first, and so hence just went directly to the Savage Club.

I was one of the first arrivals to the pre-dinner drinks, and so spent my time just standing around chatting, quite bored. I did see the Navy Boy, who is a nice chap I know from the Army & Navy Club. I always see him with a girl who is also in the Navy who I assume is his girlfriend (although come to think of it, I have no confirmation of this other than that I see them together frequently), and they are both lovely people. He'd specifically asked me if I were coming to this event, and so I found myself seated on a table with them.

When we sat down however, there were quite a few late arrivals, including the Navy Boy's girl. Since my own designated spot had empty chairs for late arrivals on each side, I instead went and sat with the Navy Boy, which gave us a good chance to catch up.

The dinner itself was a tad bit odd, with cinnamon on smoked salmon for the starter, which was truly bizarre. The main course was good however, and there was plenty of wine for the table, which the Navy Boy was good about pouring for the girls. What a relief, as it's always awkward when a boy doesn't pour the wine, but a gentleman like the Navy Boy took care of things.

The Navy Boy's Girl and another girl arrived late, midway through the main course, and she greeted me warmly and assured me that I needed to stay put chatting with Navy Boy. It was weird, but something about it suddenly made me wonder what their relationship is. I mean, they ARE a couple, right?

We then sang "God Save the Queen" before the Loyal Toast, the first time I've ever done that. Luckily I'm getting better at the words, and no longer automatically sing "My Country 'Tis of Thee" when I hear that tune.

Then came the entertainment, which at the start consisted of us all singing along to a pianist playing World War One songs. I suppose it shows that I grew up with different television shows in my youth, because although they gave us song books with all of the lyrics in them, I just didn't know the tune to so many classic songs like "Doing the Lambeth Walk". The first song we sang however was "If You Were the Only Girl in the Word (And I Were the Only Boy)", which made me think of the scene in Downton Abbey recently where they sang that song. So at least I knew the tune to that one!

Then we got on to the more formal entertainments. The first act was a very sweaty overweight violinist who I feared might expire before he finished his piece. The second was a girl from the O&C singing two songs, the third was an older chap from the Savage Club who did a funny story in Cockney Slang, and then a girl from the Carlton singing a song from "Chicago". Finally however, and absolutely bringing down the house, was a chap from the Savage who sang a few songs in the style of Bertie Wooster. And even though I hadn't originally thought him particularly handsome when I'd first seen him, I have to say there is just something about a man who can sing. Every boy should find excuses to sing to girls, because there really is just something about it that makes a man seem attractive.

Then the dinner came to an end, so we all headed downstairs for post-dinner drinks. I talked to Will as we headed downstairs, and I apologized for so thoroughly ignoring him at his hockey game last week. He told me not to worry about it, and really just seemed thrilled that I'd shown up at all.

Back in the bar, I chatted to the American Guy I Once Hooked Up With for a bit, and we kept up the conversation well enough for a bit, as each of us probably thought the other was the most interesting person to chat to there out of a bunch of less than stellar choices. But after a bit you could tell that we were even boring each other, so in that wonderful way of mutual understanding, I bowed out of the conversation and tried to circulate for a bit. I chatted to Navy Boy for a while, but in truth I found myself with no motivation to stay on once he left. So when it was midnight and time to go if I were going to make the last Tube, I slipped out without saying good-bye to anyone.

As I walked to the Tube, I texted Joel: "Bah, rather dull company on the whole this evening (says the girl leaving the party at midnight). Rather wish I'd been more insistent that we do something instead. Oh well! Next time!"

At 1:40 AM he replied to me, "Sorry to hear that, Miss, but u do have urself to blame if u hang out with people less cool than me, which of course is everyone other than me. Will call 2morrow as will be in office and needing some amusement, which can usually be provided by finding out wot u did the night before. X"

That's so Joel, always managing to end the night on a good note and make me wish I'd spent it with him instead!

Or Maybe Not

So after the weirdness of last Sunday, I was interested to see Oxford Boy at the run this Tuesday, to see what it would be like. I was sure I would know more once I'd seen him...

I arrived at the run a bit early, and when Oxford Boy arrived, I gave him a smile from across the room, as he did back to me. Yet, even as I was chatting and talking to other people I realised I was paying far too much attention to where he was in the room, and who he was talking to. Dammit, I do not want to be one of THOSE girls, who is just paying attention to the cute boy in the room.

Soon enough it was moot however, as we set out on the run, and I found myself chatting to Princess about squash. Turns out he'd love to play, so I said we definitely should. Seems like I've got lots of people to play with these days!

Overall the run was a good one, if a bit wet. (It had been raining right before we arrived, but luckily the skies stayed relatively clear, if misty, for the entire run). I passed Oxford Boy at a few points on the run, and then saw him when we had a drinks stop by the river's edge. Since it had just been Bonfire Night on Saturday, they passed out sparklers to everyone. He was being like a dork, waving his sparkler around, so I just continued chatting with others, drinking my G&T, and enjoying the flaming sparks going everywhere.

It was then a short run back to the pub, where when I arrived an American girl I know offered to buy me a drink, but I passed on her offer to buy Oxford Boy a drink (figuring I owe him after how many he's bought me). He was grateful, although I wonder if that sent the wrong message, that we're more mates than any sort of romantic interest. Because once I got him a drink he sat down, but I didn't really get a chance to sit down and talk to him, too many people seemed to want to say hello.

Although finally he stood up again and we chatted about our respective Friday plans (he was going to a poker game organised by some work mates), and we actually seemed to be getting a bit flirty again, but too soon it was time to go outside for the circle. It was so chilly outside that I huddled with a few others under the heat lamp, and I ended up with Snotty Bot hugging me in the way that girls will do, where you just stand with your arms wrapped around each other. Oxford Boy stayed nearby and joined in the group's conversation, but I think he felt a bit left out since somebody else had their arms wrapped around me.

Then somebody needed a cheque written RIGHT THEN, so I had to depart the circle, go get my bags, find the chequebook, and sort everything out. By the time I finished with that and went back outside, I ended up not being near Oxford Boy at all. So when the circle finished, I was out of a drink and I figured it was Oxford Boy's turn to buy so we could get back into conversation, but he was outside and I didn't want to be one of those clingy girls who goes and pesters.

So instead I bought a round for Sweedy (I was buying all the rounds tonight), and then ended up chatting to Princess and Pork Pie, who I haven't actually had a good chance to chat to in ages. I noticed as well that when Oxford Boy returned inside, he fell into a deep conversation with Caroline, but I tried to ignore that as I'd sworn I wasn't going to be one of those girls who followed a boy out of the corner of her eye as he made his way around the room.

Instead I just spent the evening talking to loads of other people, finally finishing out the evening talking to the American girl who had offered to buy me a drink at the start. She's really sweet and I like her, and so I was definitely glad for the chance to catch up. Although as it got late, I noticed out of the corner of my eye (damn, I swore I wasn't going to do that!) that Oxford Boy was leaving with Caroline. But I figure they'll at least come over to say good-bye before they go, right? Yet no such luck, they both leave without coming over to say anything to me. To be fair, I was way on the opposite side of the room and it would have been a real struggle to fight their way over, but still, I felt it was telling.

Hence it wasn't long after that when I figured it was getting late and I was tired, so I grabbed my gear and made the rounds to give kisses to everyone. As is our habit, Princess kissed me full on the lips and reminded me that we were going to play squash together, so that perked me up a bit. So grateful for old reliable-types like Princess to make a girl feel better...

Squash with Sophie

After last night's ass-kicking at squash, I was looking forward to playing this evening with my friend Sophie, who had never played squash before. Mostly though I was looking forward to catching up with Sophie, who is such a great friend.

As we got to playing, Sophie was terrible at first, although improved a bit with time. (The first shots didn't even hit the back wall, but after a while she got better). Still, I had to direct my shots straight at her for her to return them, but at least we were able to get some good volleys going. Still, it reminded me that I need to play more, as I enjoy the game so much and want to get better at it.
Play with Sophie. She's terrible at first, but improves a bit with time, although I still have to direct my shots her way for her to return them. I need to play more.

We didn't keep score, but promised to next week when we played, and set a time up to play straight away. Then we showered, changed, and headed out looking for dinner. Sophie suddenly got the brilliant idea that we needed to go to this place she new on Dover Street, called Automat. Not the cheapest place ever, but not stupidly expensive, and I had to admit the ambiance as we walked in was really nice. Instantly, I loved it, even as it was bustling on a Monday night.

Sophie surprised me by wanting cocktails after she had just been talking about how she needed to watch her budget, but I was fine with going along with that. The first two cocktails I ordered, it turned out that they were missing some key ingredient, so Sophie finally suggested a passion fruit cocktail that was on their specials list, while she got a champagne and Cointreau one. I had to admit, although I'm not normally a cocktails kind of person, in a proper cocktail bar where they know what they're doing, cocktails can be incredible. I really enjoyed my passion fruit cocktail, and would actually consider coming back to this place for another one, it was so good.

We then got burgers and split a bottle of Malbec, and just spent our time chatting for ages about boys, gossip and life. I once again was reminded very clearly of why I like Sophie so much: She is exactly like me. And it's a bit scary to realise that Sophie is turning 36 with no boys on the horizon, and if I don't change things, that's exactly where I'll be too.

Because just like Sophie, I'm rather attractive, funny, witty, and outgoing, always the life of the party and everybody adores me. People constantly ask, "How can a girl like you be single?" But I'm single for the same reason Sophie is, which is to say I don't meet that many boys I like. As I said to her, "You meet your friends' husbands, and while you're happy for them, you're not in the least bit jealous of them to be saddled with those guys for the rest of their lives." It's sad but true, I can't think of a single married friend of mine, where I think, "I wish that were me." I sometimes think married people have not been putting enough effort into convincing us of the advantages of the state.

And Sophie is just like me in that she tries hard to keep her nose clean, even as it seems like everyone around us is getting up to a lot more than we are. (Yet, we both wisely seem to realise that we'd rather indulge in the gossip than become the subject of it). She told me a hilarious story about a late night in the Savile Club library, where C (who Natasha has been sleeping with), tried to put the moves on her. She of course demurred, only to then be interrupted by SM and C's twin brother looking for a place with a bit of peace and quiet. Apparently this led to SM having a meltdown at the Halloween party we both missed, with the twin brother's girlfriend yelling at SM to stay away from her boyfriend. My goodness, so much drama!

Sophie then told me herself that all of this good behaviour while the world goes on around you, means that she's slipped up a few times with the worst ones possible: Married men. And she seemed to feel quite guilty about it, but was saying, "In a weird way, they're such a safe choice, because you know they won't tell anyone about it, and you don't have to worry about getting attached." Bizarrely, I think she had a point.

Goodness knows I've been propositioned by more than a few married men, but that's really been a line I swore I would never cross. Hearing this from Sophie, who is basically me a few years down the line, did worry me quite a bit. Maybe I need to find a nice boy just to keep me in line...

She also made another good point about how we are so alike, in that we have multiple groups of friends. She noted that most people we know in Clubland center their social circles around the clubs themselves, whereas we are always out and about with different groups of friends. I'd never really thought about that, but I think she did have a good point about keeping things varied.

Finally, after spending way too much money and having way too much wine, we headed home, with promises to play again next week. I wrote to the Young Dutchman on my way home about my fun evening out, telling him that Sophie was a pretty good substitute for him, but no real match for the original. Still, it was just such a great evening with Sophie, and I can't wait to play again next week!

Sunday Squash Game

This evening, as planned, I met up with Oxford Boy at the club to play squash. It was funny because it was one of those perfect nights at the club, where all of the staff I knew where there, and I was reminded of why I love my club so much.

Bizarrely, I ran into this guy I know, Tom, on the Tube, who I hadn't seen in quite some time. When I came down to the train platform, it turned out that he'd been shopping at Westfield, and was now heading home after surviving that experience. Since we were going in the same direction, we got onto the crowded train together, and rode all of the way to Green Park together. Nice to chat to him, although he seemed distracted, it was on me to keep the conversation going. A male friend of mine has told me that sometimes men are overly distracted by women's chests, which makes it hard for them to focus on the conversation. I almost wondered if that was what was going on here, or just the guy hadn't seen me in a while and so didn't know what to say to me.

When I got to the club, I waited for Oxford Boy at reception, chatting to the banqueting manager while I waited, and then right as Oxford Boy came up the steps, the banqueting manager said to me, "And I assume this is your squash partner here?" Indeed it was...

So I showed him where the changing rooms were, got changed myself, and then we set out to play. After an hour of playing, I absolutely got my arse kicked. At least by the end I was only losing by 3 points instead of 8, but it was still pretty embarrassing. He was pretty good about playing against someone he was so obviously better than, but I was absolutely dead by the end. I almost wonder if I should go for lessons, as my game so obviously needs work.

After the game, we showered, grabbed drinks from the bar (I paid, saying that he'd always been so good to me it was finally my turn), and I gave him a tour of the club. And I always love bringing people to the club, because people are always in such awe the first time they see it. I showed him the library and the grand function rooms, and then took him out to the terrace, my favourite part of the club. It was dark up there, the floor lights were on, and the view out over Parliament was just spectacular, it was perfect and romantic. He was in awe of it, and then suggested that we sit up there to finish our drinks. I almost wondered if he wanted to stay out there because it was so pretty, dark and romantic, but he didn't even come in close or make any kind of move, and we just sat in chairs opposite each other, drinking and talking.

Finally I was getting chilly, so we went back inside, at which point he mentioned that he could go for dinner. We grabbed a table in the coffee room, had dinner and dessert (he couldn't resist the sweet trolley), and ended up just chatting and laughing until about 11 PM. We went to pay the bill, and the cashier recognised me instantly, and I was once again charmed by how well the staff know me. I suggested splitting the bill, which I almost wonder if it was a mistake. Should I have just paid, because it was my club? I couldn't quite be sure, but there was something weird about this evening. Maybe it was just that we'd been drinking water at dinner, yet something felt...off.

So we gathered our things and left the club to walk to the Tube station (where I kept myself on the inside of the kerb as we walked, determined to make him into a gentleman even if he didn't realise what was happening. As I realise from spending time with Joel, it's partly the lady's job too to step to the right position when walking, as much as it is the man's job to stay at the outside).

We got to the Tube and realised we were taking different trains, at which point he kissed me on each cheek and thanked me for a lovely evening. Leaving me thinking, "That's it?" I mean, I suppose it's nice to always make new friends, but it does rather seem odd that this guy is always so keen to spend time with me, but never makes a move...

Tristan's Birthday

Despite late night the night before, I had promised my friend Natasha that we would go to our friend Will's hockey game at noon today. So I dragged myself out of bed, exchanged a few e-mails with her to confirm that we were still on, and got myself up to Maida Vale for the game.

I arrived right at noon, and managed to find her pretty quickly in the park, where she bought me a tea and a pastry for us to split from the park's little concession stand, and then we went to go watch the game.

It was a bit strange, as the field for the game was enclosed by a large fence, so at first Natasha and I felt like we were observing creatures in a zoo. However we found the gate onto the field, and snuck onto the playing field so we could stand right at the sidelines and cheer.

As we were watching the game, I suddenly realised that one of the guys on the field looked very familiar. I joked to Natasha, "I could almost swear that guy standing over there looks just like my friend Tristan." At which point the man in question, upon hearing his name, turned around. It WAS Tristan! So was hilarious that I'd inadvertently shown up to his game. I had to swear to him later that I wasn't stalking him!

However most of the fun came from chatting and gossiping with Natasha, who was a font of information. I hadn't realised how much scandal there is going on that I hadn't realised. SM (who had always appeared so sweet and innocent to me) had slept with Will (the chap whose game we were watching) and another guy? CL slept with the twins' flatmate? One of the twins, D hooked up with someone else at his Halloween party, despite having a girlfriend, and Natasha herself has been sleeping with C, a guy who I'd just thought she was good friends with. I am so oblivious. Also it suddenly became clear as to why nobody believes I'm NOT sleeping with the Young Dutchman. We're just too close for people to think otherwise, particularly when all of this drama is going on all around us! And it was funny, because she said to me something that a lot of people were saying to me last Thursday about the Young Dutchman as well: "He loves you, you know. He honestly really does."

It was strange, because she said it so seriously, as though trying to convince me of something. I just told her I knew he loves me. That's not exactly news. So why are people treating it like it is?

She then asked me if she should go on holiday to France with C and potentially sleep with him (C had only booked one hotel room), although she has recently been getting involved with her ex again. I told her, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." It's really up to her, but I guess I'd sort of figure that with nothing definite, when you're on holiday, all bets are off.

I talked to Natasha a bit about Oxford Boy, telling her the story of the night before, but I wonder if I shouldn't be talking about it. I always feel like that jinxes it.

Overall it was a good game (even if it was funny to see boys playing field hockey),with Will's team winning by a final score of 2-1. Kind of a pity as it was Tristan's birthday, and he could have used a win as a present, plus he gets into such a foul mood whenever he loses. Standard for boys being competitive, I suppose, but I still would prefer for Tristan to be in a better mood. Tristan invited me to everyone for drinks at a local pub afterwards, so while Natasha went off to go home and get changed for the evening ahead, I joined Tristan walking back to the pub.

(I later heard from Natasha that Will had been asking what was up with me and Tristan, and she was assuring him that we were just friends. Although I could see how he would ask that, as Tristan and I are indeed close. Sometimes a pity I think that there's nothing more there, but so it goes).

When I got to the bar to buy a drink, I suddenly realised that I have absolutely no cash on me. After all, Oxford Boy had to give me cash to pay for the cab last night, and I had yet to visit an ATM that morning. The lady bartender at this place was so great though, ignoring all of the men standing at the bar and said to me, "Ladies first!" So I ordered what I desperately hoped might be cheap, mentally praying that I might have enough spare change to pay for it, while desperately trying to send frantic telepathic ESP messages to Tristan to beg him to pay for me. Which he does, without question, as though of course he was always going to buy me a drink. What an awesome guy.

I then went and sat with Tristan and his team (felt a bit bad about not sitting at all with Will, since it was really his game I'd come out to see, but I just preferred to be with Tristan), and joked around with everyone there. Tristan had warned me that the behaviour could get a bit "laddish", so I was prepared for cursing worse than at the hash, but in truth everyone was absolutely wonderful to me and excellently well-behaved even though I was the only girl in the entire pub. I love it when men can be gentlemen like that!

They had this tradition where they would write out their votes for the "Man of the Match (MoM) and "Dick of the Day" (DoD) on scraps of paper, so much of the time as we were sitting there was spent with people thinking about what to write. The team captain then surprised me by asking me to read out all of the votes. I did my best to be an engaging public speaker, which was easy since the material they'd given me to work with was really hilarious. Everyone seemed to enjoy my reading, and all said that I did a good job. To the point that everyone was saying perhaps they needed to get a guest speaker to come every week and read the votes!

As we finished our drinks, Tristan then suggested that we head home together (we actually live in the same direction), so I walked with him to the Tube, where we then discovered that due to planned engineering works we were stuck out in the middle of nowhere, but Tristan had this cool app on his phone called "Get Me Home", where it would use GPS to figure out where you were and figure out what buses you needed to go home. I totally need that!

So I then took the bus home with Tristan, chatting all the way. Since we were standing the whole way, I made the observation that I had not realised Tristan is so tall (over 6'2"). It's funny the random things you still discover about your old friends all that time..

I got home, ate (for the first time that day!) took a shower, and then made my way back out to Tristan's birthday drinks, arriving an hour late. (I have no idea how he did it to make it so on time). The bar was incredibly crowded, so after huddling in a corner for an hour we made our way with the crowds to Battersea Park to watch the bonfire and fireworks. As it cost £10 to get in, I wondered if it would be worth it, but we ended up randomly in the PERFECT spot for the fireworks, as they exploded right over our heads. I love fireworks, and for 20 minutes was incredibly happy, with my mouth wide with awe.

After the fireworks, we made our way down to another pub in Clapham Common. It was quite a walk, and my feet were killing me. (Did not help that I'd gotten a huge blister the night before, running around in those ridiculous heels. Once we arrived, there was nowhere to sit, and so I sort of wanted to leave and go to Ealing, since I'd promised Natasha I would join her at a party there. However, before I could think of doing that, this lovely girl in the group (although all of Tristan's friends are lovely, really) bought me a drink. So I figured I was stuck at this pub for at least two rounds, as I need to buy her a round back. But when I did finally get a chance to buy her a round back, there was another guy in our group, so I bought him a drink too, which gots me in for a third round, as he buys me a round back as well. Ah, the complexities of British drinking culture! Everyone was buying Tristan tons of shots as well, which was hilarious, as he started to look progressively more green as the evening progressed. Finally at around 11:20 PM, I decided to leave, as I was so late for this party in Ealing.

Then because I wasn't paying attention, I got on a train going the wrong direction. Luckily I went only two stops before I realised it, but I had to change, go back the right way, and transfer two times, so that by the time I got to SheBu, it was already midnight. Time to get out and go home, I think.

I texted Natasha to apologize for my absence and explain that was was heading home. She then immediately called me, and we actually have a nice chat. She told me me it's okay that I didn't come, and that I probably made the right call not to come to Ealing, as the crowd wasn't that interesting.

I finally hung up the phone, exchanged a few e-mails with a friend in the US, and then got a text from Joel at 1 AM: "Sometimes I wish I just had u casually in my pocket for those many times when I need u. Like now. x"

Ah yes, the drunken text, I'm so glad that I don't just do it to Joel, that he does it back to me too. I wrote back with some silly nonsense, letting him know I was a bit three sheets to the wind too. But it was just a wonderfully sweet note on which to end the evening...

A Day with Oxford Boy

At last Tuesday's run, Oxford Boy remembered that we work in the same area, so I went into the office to meet him for lunch. (On a side note, this guy sitting near me at the office happened to need some info I had, so going into the office worked out from an actual work perspective. Bonus!)

Even though I hadn't heard from him, I headed to the pub where we said we'd meet. He was late, but I got a Diet Coke and waited at the bar. Turns out he HAD been e-mailing me, warning that he'd be a few minutes late, but my spam folder at work was a bit hyper-active!

As per usual, I was a bit blown away by how good he looks in a suit. As we ate lunch, he kept putting his glasses on just to read the menu, which reminded me of this guy I know who does that. Can't see, but refuses to wear his glasses. In truth, I think Oxford Boy should just go for the glasses, as with all things he looks ridiculously good and smart when he's wearing them.

I was worried how we'd fare without any alcohol to help smooth over the rough edges of our conversation, as that had pretty much been what had destroyed my date with the dentist boy and made it so awkward. Yet for the most part the conversation really flowed, and we kept laughing all of the time, so it was a really enjoyable afternoon. I insisted on paying £10 towards my lunch (I've yet to pay for anything with Oxford Boy), but he picked up more of the tab, so perhaps it was still all good...

He told me to let him know if I was going to this house party we had both been invited to later, and I promised him I would, but first I had to meet Joel for drinks after work. He had after work plans too, but said maybe we'd see each other later.

I had difficulty leaving the office on time, but figured since I was meeting Joel for drinks, that would be okay (as Joel is always late). Hence, you can imagine my surprise when I emerged from Underground at Green Park, to discover a text from Joel saying he was already there, exactly at 6 PM. Joel is NEVER on time!

So I dashed to the club as quickly as I could, arriving 10 minutes late to find Joel standing outside. He gave me his wallet to pay for drinks while he stopped at the facilities, which I joked with the bartender was a foolish idea. But I think it charming that Joel just hands over his wallet, so sure that he needs to be the man and pay for me.

We engaged in our usual banter, insulting each other's dating lives, while I explained my theory that he just gets swept along into relationships, without ever really charting his own course. He kept laughing and dodging the questions, which is my usual indication that I'm right.

We got into a bizarre argument about money, savings, and banks, where I revealed I didn't understand the concept of an "overdraft". Joel told me that it was a certain amount that the bank would allow you to spend even when your account was empty, which didn't make any sense to me. Why not use your credit card? Why would the bank do that? Why not just have it paid out of your savings account? And Joel seemed just as frustrated with me, not understanding that some people don't have savings, with him arguing that on some level, my savings were inherited (as my parents paid me an allowance when I was little that I diligently saved). It was so weird, as we were talking to each other as though we were on different planets. Which in a sense, we were...

After a while I was surprised when we were joined by Karishma, who Joel had (re)met back when we were having drinks at this same bar back in September. They'd become Facebook friends (after I told Joel who on earth this random friend request was from), and apparently had gotten into a discussion where Joel had invited her to join us this evening. No wonder he was so insistent on meeting here for drinks! Random, but cool.

After I plopped a second bottle of wine down on the table, the conversation veered into some dodgy territory (discussing how smoking makes men "taste" bad), which seems to surprise Joel, which amused me. Joel always seems to think I'm so sweet and innocent, which is mostly true although with some notable exceptions. Joel suddenly up and left at 8:30 to go to some house party, leaving me to chat with Karishma. At one point she asked me why the two of us aren't together, as we're obviously so close and have such good banter. That amused me, as I'm sure a lot of people think that, totally leaving out the fact that Joel is still currently dating someone else. Sure, he doesn't want to be, but until Joel figures out what he really wants out of life and learns to steer his own ship, I'm not going to get caught up to be dashed on the rocks.

Karishma then wanted to go get some dinner, but I figured I might as well now go to this party with Oxford Boy. So I nipped downstairs to visit facilities before heading out, when I got a call from Joel. Luckily I was in the business suite, so I was able to actually chat to him a bit as he thanked me for a lovely evening. The conversation then became a bit strange, as while talking to me he ran into an old friend of his on the street, and I mentioned that Karishma had asked why we're not together. I just said it because I found it funny (it's kind of ridiculous, when you think about it), but I wonder if that freaked him out? Oh well, we parted hurriedly, with promises to get together again next Friday.

Outside the club I texted Oxford Boy, and he texted back to say I should come join him and his friends where they're having dinner. As they were just over in SoHo, I walked over there, and managed to find them in a restaurant just as they're paying up. I chatted to him, his gay best friend, and this random female friend of theirs who was over from Dublin for the weekend, complete still with her suitcase.

We left the restaurant, and I thought at this point we would go on to the house party, but they then decided to go on to bar at Wahaca. Oxford Boy gets me drinks (I love how he always pays), and it's loud in the bar, but I have fun chatting with his friends. I figure we're just going to hang there, but at 11 PM, Oxford Boy asks if we're going to this house party. Now? Okay, sure, why not?

I take his arm to make it through the bustling crowds Leicester Square, kind of annoyed that I have to ask, as he doesn't automatically realise that's what I need. Then I think to myself, "THIS is what I'm complaining about?" Jeez, my standards are high when it comes to men.

We make it to Tufnell Park at midnight, where to not arrive empty handed, we stop at an off-licence where he buys a bottle of vodka for us to bring as our housewarming present, and then we walk the not inconsiderable distance to the party. Again, he fails to give me his arm, and I struggle along in heels, as my feet are absolutely killing me. But we make it to the party, which is still going strong. I wonder if anybody noticed we arrived together, but I pretty quickly ditched him to talk to Caroline and hang out with other people.

Around 4 AM, it was time to go home, as the party was dying. However when I turned on my phone to call for a cab, it was completely dead. I knew iPhones had short battery lives, but this was ridiculous! But Oxford Boy came through for me and called a cab for me on his phone, the sweetheart. When I then mentioned that I would have to get the cabbie to stop for cash on the way home (I had only £5 on me), he then just handed me £20 cash from his wallet. Then, while we waited for our cabs to arrive, he pulled out a guitar and started randomly singing songs to me, including the "Four Chords Song", which just made me laugh my head off when I recognised it.

Our cabs arrived, and I headed off into mine, listening to the driver rant about The Knowledge all of the way home. (I think the reason he hasn't passed the exam yet is that most London cabbies know how to make more pleasant conversation!) Got home and texted him that I was home safely, and said I would see him on Sunday...

Magdalene in the City Fan Club

This evening was a Magdalene in the City event, which I always look forward to. Since it was taking place in Canary Wharf, I made plans to have drinks with Joel beforehand (since he apparently lives in Canary Wharf now), and then go to the event.

I always get nervous when Joel calls me before we're supposed to meet up, as it usually means he is about to cancel on me. So you can imagine my trepidation when at 4:30 PM my phone rang... Indeed, he'd slipped or done something bad to himself again (he'd been on crutches the last time I saw him), and so was now going to the hospital instead of to the event. I was bummed, obviously, but knew I was sure at least to still see Doro and a few other familiar faces there...

So I was a bit bummed then to get a text from Doro as I was walking to the Tube, saying she wasn't going to make it. When I informed her that Joel had cancelled as well and now I was going to have to have enough fun for both of them, she replied, "Am sure your two fans will help you. ;) Could you please let them know I won't make it?"

When I inquired about my two fans, she wrote, "The two guys you always meet?"

Oh yes... And indeed, once I arrived (marveling at the people in suits streaming out of the sterile glass-and-steel office, realising that people like that have to go to the office EVERY DAY), I was shortly joined by Fan #1, one of my favourite people. You might recall I wrote about these guys before, and so I was thrilled that even if I was to be abandoned by Joel and Doro, I was obviously now still going to have a fun night.

We chatted a bit and I asked him about the kids (2 years old and six months now), and just this and that, until the panel session that had taken place before the drinks reception let out, and we were joined by Fan #2. I must say, I like Fan #2 now that he's had a kid, and ever since we had that random run-in and heart-to-heart in the Bond Street Tube station.

Apparently College had brought a bunch of current students down in a bus for this session, and so the Master came too. When he walked in, he spotted me and gave me a friendly nod of recognition, which impressed the Fan Club.

In fact, this became a running joke later in the evening about how I know EVERYBODY, to the point that Fan #2 tried to introduce me to some random old bloke (who I will admit, I didn't recognise), but as soon as he spotted me he claimed to remember me and know me. I suppose it really helps to be a pretty girl sometimes, as all of the old men will make it a point to know you!

Mostly though, I chatted to the Fan Club, bringing people I knew into the conversation throughout the evening (people I'd met at the Magdalene dinner I'd hosted, or even people obviously needing someone to talk to, who turned out to have been at Magdalene at the same time as the Fan Club).

At one point I did get pulled out into a conversation with some old dude, whose wife had gone to Dartmouth. And it turns out that she was from the same year as the trustee who I'd organized the talk of recently, but I COULD NOT remember the Trustee's name. Michael Bloomberg's girlfriend, a class of '77, but the name just wasn't coming to me. Too much wine perhaps, or just one of those facts that you know is rattling around in your head but you're too used to being able to look things up on your phone to bother remembering them.

Yet, this was another example of, "I'm glad I'm clever." I knew the name was in my head somewhere, and all I had to do was chase it down in that brain of mine. So I kept engaging the guy in conversation, getting him to talk more, while internally I was frantically flipping through my mental dictionary. "Nancy? Grace? Gina?" And then all of a sudden, there it was. So at the perfect point in the conversation, I slipped in, "Your wife must know Diana Taylor, who was here giving a talk recently." Boom. Perfect. The guy was thrilled, instant recognition, and then he insisted on getting my card. I LOVE being smart sometimes.

As per usual, the event ended far too quickly, but not before we'd consumed a good portion of canapes (really quite good) and had quite a few refills on our wine from the helpfully circulating waiters. I'd admired the view, and not gotten a chance to talk to half the people I wanted to, but had thoroughly enjoyed the company of the Fan Club. And you know what? In the end, I'm almost glad that Joel and Doro cancelled, as it left me free to enjoy the Fan Club and be the Three Musketeers as usual.

So there was no question that we would be going on for drinks, and I knew that there was a Cafe Rouge in the area. Mostly because I had once been there for a date with an ex-boyfriend. And kind of weirdly, when we came in and asked to be seated, they put us in the exact same table I'd been at with the ex. Which was kind of awesome in a way, as it totally re-did all of my memories of that place. I'll never think of the ex should I ever go back there again, I'll just remember this wild and crazy night.

Someone had the good sense to order some glasses of water, and then Fan #1 settled down to the serious business of choosing a wine. Once we had agreed on red, he said, "Well, I think we should go with what I know will be A's favourite." And as he pointed to one on the menu for the waitresses benefit, even though I couldn't see it, I wondered if he knew me that well. I looked up hopefully. "Malbec?" And he gave me a wink and a smile, as indeed, that's what he'd ordered. I love it when men can read my mind like that. And how cool is it that this guy knows my preferences in wine?

With the important things taken care of, we all ordered steak and pomme frites (so French!) and then proceeded to have an absolutely hilarious dinner, where I just couldn't stop laughing the entire time. At some point, I don't know why, we got out my phone and decided to start texting Doro...the poor girl was inundated with drunken texts, none of which I wrote. Seemed like a hilarious idea at the time, and thankfully it was only Doro who we were bothering, not some cute guy...

Of course, while Doro got the brunt of it, at around midnight one of the guys managed to text Joel, "Am I ok in your eyes?" (Not sure what that was about). To which Joel appropriately responded, "Eh?"

Which at 1 AM inspired me to write, "I think I may have handed over my phone to two great Magdalene men who you should have met tonight. They are awesome, but perhaps more drunk than I am (and I'm pretty drunk). I said they were supposed to meet you, but you bailed. Nevertheless they said you sounded awesome. The Master gave me a kiss tonight. Everyone who loves me was there but you! Will shut up now, those waiters who keep refilling your wine glass are dangerous." A few more ill-advised messages followed at 1:30 AM, and I woke up this morning to a response from Joel: "Oh this is all very funny." My apologies were only met with, "Not at all. These texts are completely normal. I'll never mention them in any kind of loose recourse to embarrassing banter. Really I won't." Ah, thank goodness it's Joel...the best part about good friends is you can make an idiot of yourself with them and they still love you anyway.

Still, it was Doro who really got the worst of it, with the Fan Club texting her about hot they were...it was really funny. At least because it is Doro who is so clever, she wrote me at one point, "Are you still in charge of your phone, Miss L?" Ah, that girl is a smart one.

After we drank our first bottle of wine, we ordered another, and then after that retired to the bar in the restaurant, where the guys ordered something ridiculously strong like brandy... We then started taking funny iPhone pictures, and even convinced the waitress to take a photo with us. Totally random.

Finally at around midnight, although we were having so much fun we would have loved to have continued the party, they shooed us out of the restaurant, and we sort of admitted defeat and it was time to go home. Although not before running into a random girl who was taking photographs outside the Canary Wharf station, and after we randomly photo-bombed some of her shots, she ended up taking photos of the three of us. So totally bizarre, but the best part was that she got Fan #2's card and e-mailed the photos to us the next morning!

Made it home just past 1 AM, texted the Fan Club so they knew I was home safely, and replied to an e-mail the Young Dutchman had sent me. (Ill advised, but thankfully it's the Young Dutchman, so I know he wouldn't care). Even sent a work e-mail, but thankfully was able to keep that one sounding normal.

Went to bed guzzling water with my head spinning, but I don't think I would have changed a second of it. What a fantastic night!

For the Win

I had a late conference call tonight which caused me to miss the run (conf call didn't even start until 7:30pm), and I thought about going to the hash afterwards, but feared it would be too late by the time the call was over to get there. Yet, I will admit it, a part of me really wanted to see Oxford Boy. And see him while looking cute, not all sweaty in running kit. (He really got me that time he showed up in a suit!)

So although I nearly bailed, when the call finished at 8:30 PM I headed out into the night. Not incredibly dressed up, feeling a bit bloated from an overly-large dinner, but still nice enough...

And when I got to the pub, I worried that he might not even be there. Not that I wouldn't mind chatting to everyone else, still, there was only one reason I'd come out like a dorky girl chasing a boy at all. When I got to the pub I spotted him talking to another girl, but I didn't even approach him at first, and just went and talked to Lex. I was pleased then when he came down some stairs to join the circle in another part of the pub, and just as soon as he spotted me, immediately wrapped me up in a hug and a kiss. Good to see you too, then...

The circle went on for too long (as always), and we didn't even stand near each other then, but as soon as the circle ended, he came over, ruffled my hair (normally annoying, but with him I didn't mind), and gestured to ask if I wanted a drink. Well of course! And I know I should totally buy him a drink, except that it's so nice how he steps up and just does it without even asking now...

And so we ended up chatting for the rest of the evening, totally being perhaps a little too obviously flirtatious (i.e. him leaning over me with one arm balanced on the wall above me, and me just looking simperingly adoringly up at him). And he said to me, "We totally need to get together for lunch! You work near me, right?" And just like that, we set a date for Friday. (He even messaged me the next morning to confirm and say how much he was looking forward to it).

And as per usual, I do have my doubts. For one, he's far too young. In the course of conversation, it was revealed that he's only turning 26 this month. And then when I was chatting to Caroline later, she told me she didn't want to talk about K in front of Oxford Boy, because she'd sort of already been out for drinks with Oxford Boy. So he gets around...

But you know what? He's cute, he's fun, and I don't think anybody will be harmed by a little fun with a boy whose company I enjoy. Perhaps he'll drop me when he figures out how old I am, but if he does, so be it. At the moment, I think we could still play it that we're just good friends, so let's just chill out, relax, and see where this goes. At the very least, it's nice to find a boy I like (on some level), who likes me too (on some level).

And if that doesn't work out, I came home to find that Joel had written the most hilarious online dating profile for me. It was so sweet, and so thoughtful, that I definitely thought, "How easy it would be to just end up with Joel..." I mean, I don't really feel that way about him (nor do I think he does about me), but it's nice to have someone who so obviously loves me so dearly.

I then got quite a surprise when Gordon popped up online, and while he just had a quick favour to ask me (seeing if I knew any contacts at Myopia Golf Club), and weirdly the conversation turned to dating advice. I thought it was funny how Gordon said he'd been worried in the past that he was too picky when it came to dating, but now that he's with his current girlfriend (who I will admit, is lovely), he thinks it was the right call. So weird though, to be talking dating advice with Gordon... Finally, late night and into bed!