Sunday Pub Lunch and Reeling

Trying to take self-portraits at the pub

In the morning, I sent the Tall South African off to spend the day with a girl I'd introduced him to, who he has developed some complicated feelings for.  I introduced them because I was sure they would click with each other, and I was just kind of curious to see what would happen.  I have to admit, even I have been surprised by the power of their attraction, but that was why I figured they needed some time to themselves to figure it all out.  I think she's a bit more into him than he is into her, but I figured I already get to spend so much time with him, some time for them to spend one-on-one would be good for them.

Showing off her traditional British pub lunch

I went to have lunch with my college roommate before she had to fly off to Cairo, where we could have a better (and less hung-over) conversation than we'd had the day before.  She was running late in the morning, but finally she joined me at Notting Hill, and I took her to one of my favourite pubs, where we sat outdoors and had a Sunday roast.  The only problem is that the service at this place is so slow, that I barely had 10 minutes to eat my burger before we had to leave to get her on the train to the airport!  

Still, it was nice to see her and catch up with her, hearing about her relationship which is making her ridiculously happy, and hear all about her marathon training, which makes me ill to even think about.  

After lunch I went back to my flat, where I called the Young Dutchman to talk for a while in the afternoon.  I feel like ever since he started working for Google, I never get a chance to talk to him anymore, and I really miss him.  

Then in the evening, after some debating with the Tall South African about whether I should join him and the crush for dinner and drinks, or do my own thing, we decided I would do my own thing, which turned out to be going to a reeling event at a friends' house.  Yup, we practised doing Scottish country dancing in their living room, which was totally random and yet an insane amount of fun.  Tish had invited me, and while she and many of the others there were quite good dancers, I was often paired off with the Blonde Dutchman who was as bad at reeling as I was.  Yet it was hysterical, for what we lacked in talent, we made up for in enthusiasm!  The Blonde Dutchman absolutely had me in stitches at times with his antics, he really is a heck of a lot of fun.  

We did that for about two hours, before I left at around 9:30 PM to head back to my flat, where I met up with the Young Dutchman to talk to him about his day (talk about a confused little boy, as he doesn't know what to do about this girl), and then because he had to go catch his train, switched over to having a phone conversation on the train and all of the way until he was back at his place at 1 AM.  Definitely yawning a bit today, but I still think entirely worth it for the amount of fun that was had!  

Kim's Birthday Scavenger Hunt

I never heard Joel leave in the morning, but when I finally woke up (with a head in pounding agony), the air mattress was rolled up and there was no sign of him.  I learned later that he got his phone stolen on the DLR, probably because he was feeling as rough as we were and wasn't paying attention.  

The Tall South African and I struggled up in the morning, as we both had promised we would go meet friends.  Anyone who worries we got up to any hanky-panky while drunk and in bed together cannot imagine the force of this hangover.  I really cannot remember ever feeling quite so wretched.  

Walk like an Egyptian by an obelisk

The Tall South African had to go and meet the friend who introduced us for coffee, and I had to go meet my old college roommate, who was in town, passing through on her way to Cairo for work.  I don't even remember much of that morning outing, other than that I went to the wrong hotel at first, and then finally found the College Roommate and an old friend of hers at the correct hotel (which had the same name and was confusingly located around the corner).  We wandered down to Covent Garden and decided to have lunch outside, and I have to admit the food helped with the absolute stomach-churning nausea.  I have no idea what I talked about though, I was probably babbling and still feeling slightly drunk.  

I walked with them down towards the Tate Modern for a while, and after agreeing to meet my College Roommate for brunch the next day, I left them to go home and shower (something I had been too sick to do in the morning).  Somehow managed to get myself changed and dressed, and then went out to re-convene with the Tall South African for a friend of mine's birthday party, which turned out to be a spectacular scavenger-hunt pub crawl.

The Tall South African and his team solving the puzzle at the first pub

At the first pub (which was actually a boat docked on the Thames, aggravating my nausea with it's rocking), they divided us up into teams by having us pick a card out of a deck of cards.  They then gave us logic puzzles to solve to figure out where the next pub was.  Once we figured it out, we went off to the next pub, but we had also been given a list of scavenger hunt challenges to complete.  Among the list of challenges:

1.  Video your team performing a conga line with five random strangers

2.  Fit your entire team into a phone box

3.  Take a picture of your team inside a bedroom of suite at the Savoy Hotel

4.  Film a video of your team performing with a busker

5.  Walk like an Egyptian by an obelisk

6.  Find a dead US president

7.  Arrive at a pub wearing your other team members' clothes

8.  Arrive at a pub wearing your clothes backwards

9.  Video your team performing the opening rap to "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" to a bartender

10. Take a photo of your team with a trophy animal

11.  Take a photo with Webb Sewer.

12.  Salute the future king

13.  Photocopy a body part

14.  Arrive at a pub wearing your underwear outside your clothes

15.  Make a "Gangnam Style" video (I had never heard of this before this event, but apparently it's a YouTube sensation!)

16.  Ride a Routemaster bus

17.  Find three squares on the Monopoly Board

18.  Bring the Stars and Stripes to the final pub

19.  Bring the birthday girl a present from a Soho sex shop

20.  High-five a stranger in uniform

21.  Have your entire team do a shot of tequila

There were more, but I can't remember them now.  All of these required photographic or video evidence, to prove that we'd done it.  Anyway, at the first pub, we solved the logic puzzle (along the lines of "Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini and the birthday girl are drinking lager, ale, Guinness, and cider at the Wellington, the Cole Hole, the Walkabout, and the Carpenter's Arms.  None are having the same drink or are at the same place.  The person at the Wellington orders in German, Stalin can't stand the black stuff, Mussolini can't stand Australians..." and so forth.  When you solved the puzzle, it revealed that we all needed to go to the Cole Hole.

Riding a Routemaster bus

So we walked there, stopping along the way to take a photo walking like an Egyptian next to an obelisk, and when we saw a wedding party coming out of a hotel to get on a Routemaster bus, asking them if they minded if we took a quick photo.  We then swapped clothes to arrive at the next pub, where we wandered around a bit wondering where everyone else was, as we had been so quick in arriving we beat everyone else!  (To keep things moving along, there were also points awarded for making it to the next pub at a certain time, which kept everybody moving, normally a problem with pub crawls!)

Our team at the second pub

Squeezing into a phone box

At the second pub, at the appointed time, everyone was given the next puzzle to solve, which helped us draw a picture of a maple leaf, indicating that our next challenge would be found at the Maple Leaf pub (a relatively famous Canadian pub nearby).  On our way there however, we stopped at the Savoy Hotel, where we tried talking our way into a suite, but instead settled for taking a photo in the lobby in a suite of furniture.  We also took a photo of us high-fiving one of the chambermaids in her uniform, and then on the street stopped to cram the entire team into a phonebox (quite a tight squeeze!)

Giving the chambermaid at the Savoy a high-five

After that, we went on to the Maple Leaf, where we arrived wearing all of our clothes backwards, and once inside took a photo with a trophy animal (a black bear), and laughed as the first team attempted the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" rapping challenge.  

Arriving at the Maple Leaf with our clothes on backwards

With a trophy animal

Upon leaving the Maple Leaf, a terrible discovery was made by Sweetheart, Roofie and his brother, when for some reason somebody tickled me.  Now, the thing is, I am VERY ticklish.  Normally, nobody but my brother knows this.  (It was one of his favourite ways to torment me as a kid).  And so of course I went into my usual hysterical giggling spasms, which only encouraged the boys to do it more.  We'd already solved the puzzle of the next pub, and their team didn't have to solve it, as they absolutely tickled it out of me!  

Saluting the future king

We then continued on with our challenges, going to Covent Garden, where we found a busker who was willing to make a video singing with us (we did a video of all of us singing "Happy Birthday" to the birthday girl), while continuing to wrack our brains about how to do the rest of the challenges.  The "Salute the Future King" challenge was proving to be quite difficult, as while there were many photos of William and Diana everywhere, it turns out that Charles isn't quite so photogenic.  We finally found a postcard of him however, at a place that also let us make a photocopy of all of our hands.  

We then went on to find the dead president on a car (Ford IS dead, right?), and convinced a family to do a conga line with us for that video.  We found the US flag in a shop and bought it for £2 (also surprisingly hard to find a US flag in the middle of London), and then after doing some more searching, realised we were running out of time to make it to the final pub, and so dashed off there.  

Find a dead US president

Once there, we engaged in the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" rapping challenge, and then completed our final challenge by having the entire team take a shot of tequila.  The thought of doing that on my hangover made me absolutely ill, but somehow I survived it and we completed our list!  

The entire team doing a shot of tequila, with the Tall South African in the background

At this point, we generally hung around the final pub for a bit, swapping stories and looking at other people's pictures.  I'd made sure that the Tall South African was on a different team than I was (although he was on the same team as a friend of mine who has a huge crush on him), and so I laughed as I listened to his tales of their adventures.  

With the Tall South African and the Stars and Stripes at the final pub

As we were standing around outside the final pub, Roofie called me over to him, and asked if I was drinking beer.  He asked to see my glass, and I handed it over without thinking.  Once the boys were sure that I wasn't going to spill my drink, they then suddenly attacked me in another tickle fight!  No idea why they found that so funny, but I couldn't believe I'd been so dumb as to walk straight into it!  At least once they realised I was in serious danger of falling on the ground, I was laughing so hard, they took pity on me and stopped tickling me!

My team at the final pub

Mostly though, we just stood around talking about how the whole thing was so well-planned and organised.  It all been done by the birthday girl's boyfriend as a present to her, she hadn't done any planning at all.  And I thought it was incredibly sweet, such a romantic gesture, better than any flowers or chocolates this guy could buy!  

At this point, we were all directed to leave the third pub and go to a burrito place for dinner.  The group I was with got incredibly lost getting there, but after a few phone calls we figured out where we were supposed to be.  I walked along the whole way with Roofie's brother, who I know is quite fond of me, but sometimes I wonder quite HOW fond.  He's a good-looking guy, and very funny, but I sort of assume such a guy wouldn't be into someone like me.  Something strikes me about the way he talks to me at times though which makes me wonder...

When we finally made it to the restaurant, we found that they were prepared for us, and had set aside a room in their basement for us to chat and eat.  The staff thought we were all hilarious, competing for points and arguing why we should be given credit for certain things...  And then the grand prize?  A teeny-tiny plastic trophy cup.  Ah, but I think it was more about the competition than the winning!

The entire group in the burrito restaurant

At this point, a lot of people were heading off to a nightclub bar (O'Neils in Chinatown), but the Tall South African, myself, and a few others just weren't quite up for it, but also didn't want to end the night quite yet.  So we decided to go get a quiet drink somewhere, yet finding a place for a quiet drink in Soho on a Saturday night is a nearly impossible challenge!  Yet, there was this place that I'd been to with the Young Dutchman at 3AM once that I remembered, and was quite proud of myself when I managed to lead people there, and it turned out to be exactly what we were looking for.  Nearly fell asleep on the table at the end of the evening, but we'd had such a good time...(The next morning, the Tall South African told me that I talked in my sleep quite a bit through the night, I think a side-effect of the sheer exhaustion.  It was funny, as I didn't recall any of my dreams until he told me what I'd been talking about, and then I was finally able to put it all in context for him.  How funny, I'd never known I talked in my sleep!)

Dinner with Joel and the South African

I'd exchanged messages with the Tall South African last week discussing a potential plan for him to come down to visit me this weekend, but given that we'd only texted about it, and I hadn't heard anything from him in a few days, I wondered if we were still on.  So when Joel said he was free for drinks on Friday (hurrah!), I quickly accepted.  How I've missed catch-up time with Joel!

Yet, to my surprise, a few days later the Tall South African called to finalise our plans.  Oh, we're still on?  Ooops!  Oh well, drinks with BOTH Joel and the Tall South African then!

I spent pretty much the entire day frantically cleaning, and was glad I did when the Tall South African called me to say he was getting out of work early.  I barely got things tidied away before he arrived, but luckily it all came together at the last.

He arrived just before I needed to leave to go meet Joel, and he even offered to stay behind to give me some one-on-one time with Joel.  I like how he's perceptive like that.  Yet, I felt bad about leaving him, so I took him along anyway.

We met up with Joel, and had some beers in the bar at the club.  I didn't even notice, but the Tall South African later noted that we went through five rounds, meaning we each had five pints of beer.  This becomes important later...

At one point in the conversation, it slipped out that I often have nicknames for the boys in my life, and although I call him the Tall South African here, I often refer to him by another name in conversations with friends.  Which of course meant that the Tall South African wouldn't let up until he knew what it was.  And so finally I gave him a hint, saying, "Well, you know how you have a bit of a reputation with the ladies, and there was that famous Italian lover..." to which he replied, "Oh yeah, Casablanca."  

OMG, I just DIED laughing!

Ummm...I had to explain to him that I did not refer to him as a north African city, and I really think he was confused until Joel took pity on him and gently corrected him to explain the man was called "Casanova".  (I was laughing too hard to speak).  

I had to say though, the entire evening was a reminder like that, of however much I enjoy the Tall South African's company, he's just not intellectually stimulating or quick the way Joel is.  It was so much fun to be bantering with Joel again, remembering that this is how it goes when you're both really on a level.  And I'm not sure if Joel was pleased or disappointed to discover that he doesn't have a nickname.  In an incredibly strange coincidence, right in the middle of this evening, I received a short message from a friend:  "So the south African seems nice and all but I vote for Joel.  He's the only friend you have never developed a pseudonym for."  I suddenly realised she was right, that's true.  I wonder what that means?

We also had a bit of an interesting discussion where I talked to Joel a bit about his introversion, and how challenging that must be for his extroverted girlfriend, and how he drives her a bit crazy as a result.  Joel seemed absolutely stunned as I described how their conversations went, saying, "Do you have hidden recording devices in our bedroom?  How on earth do you know this?"

I was equally surprised that he was so unaware, because it was so obviously apparent to me.  How does he not realise this?

We then decided to go in for dinner, after I had the staff set up a table.  I ordered the wine, which somehow ended up as a bottle of white and a bottle of red (which again, will become important later).

Joel actually started an interesting discussion about politics, and I started going off on a rant about Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, calling him a traitor and all sorts of names.  I think Joel was amused, as despite my general disdain for US politics, I find the topic still gets to me.

Overall, we had a great dinner, and then we decided to head on to the Lansdowne.  (My head is quite fuzzy at this point).  Once there, we ran into the Young Dutchman, Kellogg Boy, and the Norwegian, among others.  I remember chatting to the Norwegian quite a bit, and then with Kellogg Boy, who wrapped me up in an embrace that almost struck me as excessively close for a guy with a girlfriend.  I mean, we've always been close, and he often wraps an arm around me and holds me in for a conversation, but somehow it felt a bit different here...

Kellogg Boy and the Norwegian ran off to catch the last train after midnight, but then the Young Duchman, Joel, the Tall South African, and a few French friends all went to the Connaught Hotel.  The group got split up and we had trouble finding everyone, but we did, yet half of us didn't even get a chance to order drinks before they closed there too.

At that point, everyone was arguing about where to go next, and Joel, the Tall South African and I jumped in a cab to the 151 on King's Road.  (Everyone's favourite dodgy nightclub!)  I had to pay the Tall South African's entrance charge as well, but we got in and went downstairs.

Joel ended up buying us beers, but unable to get attention at the bar, he pushed me to the front saying, "we need someone with boobs", gave me his credit card and told me the pin number (which ironically, is about the only thing I remember from that point in the evening), and I have to admit the strategy worked, as I was served almost right away.  Strange, huh?

Joel and I then retreated to a corner of the bar, and the Tall South African seemed to realise that we needed some alone time, and so went to hit on other girls.  I'd often heard him tell tales of how he can swoop in on a guy hitting on another girl, and instantly take her attention away from the other guy, but I have to admit, seeing it work right in front of me was amazing.  Who knew he wasn't lying about his hidden talents?

Mostly though, I enjoyed talking to Joel, where he told me at one point, "You are the only person outside of my family who really 'gets' me.  I'd really like you to meet my family at some point..."  I don't know, it almost irks me, that the one person in his life who understands him, who makes him laugh and who he always wants to see, he never views as more than a friend or a "chum".  I'm not even really sure what I feel, but in the course of the evening, we were discussing why, as a single girl, I have so many male friends.  What on earth is it about me that makes everyone adore me, but not desire me?  It was a puzzle for which I have never been able to find a satisfactory answer.

We both ended up doing shots (why?), and then finally when the club closed at 3 AM, we headed home.  We lost a cab, hailed another passing car, and only later on realised that we hadn't hailed a cab at all, but some guy in a car who drove us home for £20.  That was random!

When we got back to mine, we still had Joel with us, and so I realised with the two boys, I was going to have to share a bed with one of them.  The question of who was quickly solved when the Tall South African just shucked his clothes off and flopped into mine, and so I helped Joel set up the air mattress, and then crawled into bed with the Tall South African.  Probably wiser, given that I've already shared a bed with the Tall South African on numerous occasions, whereas I don't know how Joel would take it.  

In the end, it was an awesome, epic, fantastic night, with two of my absolute favourite boys in the world.  The hangover the next morning was one of the absolute worst in memory, yet when I was chatting to the Young Dutchman about it later, I had to acknowledge that I still thought it was entirely worth it, I'd just had such a good time with the Tall South African and Joel, not wanting the evening to end.  When can we do it again?

Aborted Night Clubbing

After I bailed on going out with Tish last Friday night, I'd agreed to go with her to a record launch party happening tonight.  Interestingly enough, I'd already been invited to the party by the guy running it already, but with Tish's second invite, I figured I definitely needed to go.

I agreed to meet Tish at a bar in Soho, and then we would go on to the nightclub where this launch party was being held together.  I found myself texting back and forth with the Tall South African as I picked my way through the crowded Soho streets, having a little chat as I told him about my plans for the evening.  I think the thing he doesn't realise, is how much more active my social life is than his.  I always have things happening and going on, while he lives out in the countryside, with nothing happening until the weekends.

I was a bit late arriving at the bar, but given that Tish is rarely on time anyway, I wasn't worried about that.  Indeed, Tish was not yet there, although her flatmate, the Blonde Dutchman, was there with a friend.  We exchanged the traditional three kisses (as you do with Dutch people), and before too long Tish arrived and got us both drinks.

We went and found seats, and attempted to make conversation in the noisy bar.  I never quite understand why so many people like over-priced bars like this one, but the others seemed to like it.  More people arrived, including the painfully-shy-around-women chap who is good friends with the Young Dutchman.  I've never quite clicked with this chap, due to his shyness coming across as snobbishness, but the Young Dutchman has always been keen for me to make an effort.  So I try, I honestly do.

Slowly, I have to admit this chap seems to be warming up to me.  I would never normally invest this much time and effort into someone I don't instantly click with, but I do it for the sake of the Young Dutchman.  More people arrived, including Lotte, and disappointingly right after her, her fiancée   (I was relating this story to the Tall South African later, and he admitted that he often feels the same, excited to see Lotte but disappointed to see that she has dragged her fiancée along with her once again.  Does that girl go anywhere on her own?)

Finally, at around 10pm, we managed to herd the cats out of the bar, and get going to this nightclub (where the party had begun at 9pm).  Once there, we were told to queue, despite being on the guest list (something we never do), and then when we got to the head of the queue, despite that we were on the guest list and it was only 10:15pm, they wanted to charge us £20-a-piece cover charge to get in.  Are you people insane?

Tish was absolutely mortified at this, for she'd invited all of these people out, and there was no way she was going to ask us all to pay a £20 cover charge.  First of all, being girls, we almost never pay a cover charge anywhere, and definitely not before midnight!  She called the guy who organised the party and got him to come out to the street, where he apologised for the mix-up, but there was really nothing he could do.  Quite frankly, I was thankful, as I wasn't that keen on a night in a nightclub!

I almost thought to make my excuses at that point, but as usual I struggle to leave crowds early.  So I found myself walking with the Blond Dutchman, while Tish ran ahead to another club to see if we could get in.  The Blonde Dutchman kept talking to me about how he prefers to be in charge of planning his own evenings, and asked me if I'd been along to some party he arranged recently.  Funny, because I had not been, but I think this guy sees me so much he thinks I'm more part of his crowd than I am.  Truth be told, although he's a great flirt, I barely know him.

We finally ended up at a local pub, where we got drinks (two large glasses of wine were MUCH cheaper than they'd been at the bar, and much bigger too), and we just hung out, chatting and talking to each other.  I enjoyed sharing jokes with the Blonde Dutchman (he has SUCH a dirty sense of humour!), but mostly got dragged into talking with the painfully shy guy about his family trust.  I know his family is well-to-do, and he has quite a bit of financial resources behind him, so I don't doubt he'll do okay with women someday despite his shyness.  Alas, not so interesting to me...

Finally at around 12:30 AM, I said my good-byes to everyone to dash out to catch the last Tube (so much for an early night), and was surprised when I was subjected to a few catcalls leaving the pub by some random drunk guys.  I walked quickly, acting as though I didn't realise those catcalls were for me, but of course I knew.  I always find such things to be both flattering (boys think you're attractive enough to call to on the street), but yet also bizarre (does such a thing ever work to get them female attention?)  And so off I went, home as quick as I could, glad to finally get home!

September Younger Member's Drinks

This evening was the September Younger Member's drinks.  After being out of town for the August ones and really dropping the ball on planning, I didn't do much better on these, only sending out the invite on Monday morning for Wednesday drinks, and hence I was expecting a very small crowd.

Much to my surprise, when I arrived there was already a sizeable crowd, that only grew as the evening went on.  In the end, I would easily estimate that there were some 40-odd younger members crowded into the bar.  The Wild Welshman turned up for his first drinks in over six months, and seemed absolutely stunned at the crowd.  "How did you do this?"  I like to imagine that it's my incredible charm, but I really think it's more just one of these things that snowballs.  The more people that come, the more people want to come, and hence it all works out.

I was also grateful to see Amelia, who I had spoken to about joining the Younger Member's Committee, and so I was able to introduce her to the Wild Welshman, who welcomed her politely, although I think he was mostly just stunned at the large numbers of people.

The Tall South African had said he would call me this evening, and I'd hoped to be home early for that, but when I felt my handbag buzz, I realised it must be him.  I went to the phone booth to chat to him, but he said the connection was bad, and I had to admit I was sweating to death in there.  So I finally gave up and went outside, and spent nearly 45 minutes pacing up and down on the pavement outside talking to him.  I just needed a breather, and it always makes me smile to talk to him.

We talked about our concerns about mutual friends, the challenges of relationships, and just all of the usual nonsense that makes the both of us laugh when we talk to each other.  Finally though, I realised I needed to go back inside, and so bid him a goodnight.

When the Wild Welshman was leaving at around 10 PM, I took this excuse to leave with him, as I had also promised the Portsmouth crew that I would call them, as apparently everyone was home sick this evening.  Had a great time talking to my niece, and occasionally my brother and sister-in-law too (although let's face it, I mostly chatted with my niece!)  Always a great way to end an evening!

Timon of Athens

Anyone remember that Internet Date I went on about 2-3 months ago?  (Yeah, I'd kind of forgotten about it too).  When I got out of my gym session this morning, I was surprised, although not unpleasantly so, to discover he had texted me to say he had a spare ticket to "Timon of Athens" this evening at the National Theatre, and would I like to join him?  It was kind of random from a guy I hadn't heard from in so long (when he'd suggested we stay in touch, I just thought he was being polite), but why not, eh?  So I texted him back to say I'd be delighted, and we agreed to meet at the theatre for a pre-dinner drink at 7.  

I met up with him at 7pm, as agreed upon, and at first it was a reminder of all the reasons we hadn't quite clicked.  Slight awkwardness and a mild disconnect as we made polite conversation before the play.  He has this strange tic of shrugging his shoulders in response to things and saying, "Eeeeeh", which I found kind of weird.  He also told me that he was moving to Sydney in 6 weeks, which I thought exciting and so we chatted about that for a while, along with his regret about having to give up his lovely flat.

 It was funny, as he already had a drink, but went with me to the bar for me to get one, and when we got there and I asked for a glass of wine, I glanced at him to question what size glass I should get (as in how much longer would we be drinking?)  When he said, "large", the bartender then said, "That's very generous of you, sir", now implying that he was going to pay for it (which had not been my original intention.  After all, we were not out on a date, right?)

But now it seemed awkward to pay, and luckily he did step up to pay, so that kind of dealt with that bit.  But he suggested that we get a bottle of wine from the bar upstairs to have during the interval, and so I insisted on paying for that one.  £18, and then I felt like at least I was pulling my weight (and he didn't protest that one!)

We went in for the play, and when I also mentioned he needed to let me know how much I owed him for the ticket, he protested that it was his treat, but I still felt glad that I'd asked.  As I caught a glimpse of the tickets and saw that they were only £12, I didn't feel too badly about that.  

The play, "Timon of Athens", is a Shakespeare play about a guy who is very generous to all of his friends, but ends up sort of giving all of his wealth away, and so when he needs to pay his creditors, he goes back to all of his supposed "friends" to ask them for help, and he finds that nobody will answer his plea.  Some friends they were!  

At the interval, we then found ourselves having our wine and chatting about friends we had gone "above and beyond" for.  I told him about when the Young Dutchman lived with me, and he told a similar story about a female friend who had stayed with him, except he was so concerned about having his common space messed up with a mattress and her things, that she had actually shared his king-sized bed with him.  Now, having shared my bed with boys before and nothing romantic happened, I will accept the idea that nothing happened here either, but doesn't that strike you as kind of weird?

We went back in for the second half of the play, where Timon, now penniless and homeless, was cursing all of his former "friends", and upon discovering a secret cache of gold, gave it to some revolutionaries to have them go and wreak havoc on Athens.  I thought it was interesting that they gave the chief rabble-rouser an Irish accent, which I wonder if that is a detail your typical American audience would pick up on.  

And then there was this moment, when some comment was made about women and the trouble they cause men, when he gave me a playful little poke, almost being a bit flirtatious.  And at this point in the evening (perhaps influenced by how much wine we had consumed), I also remembered that he hadn't lied on his profile, that he was 6-feet tall, blonde, and rather good-looking.  And there was a reason he'd suggested keeping in touch.  He actually was quite good fun.  

So after the play, we went for another drink at a nearby bar (another bottle of wine, although he bought this time), and then when we sat down at a booth, he surprised me somewhat by sitting next to me in the booth instead of opposite me.  Okay then....   So we continued to chat and have a great time, and the more I laughed, the more I found myself very, very, very confused.  I mean....we'd already agreed there was no chemistry between us, right?  Except....damn, he made me laugh a lot.  And then he made some comment about noticing that my shirt could use another button done up, and I teased him about how he'd noticed.  So we were kind of admitting there was some level of attraction there...although since he was moving to Sydney in six weeks, what was the point?

He then walked me to the Tube (where I was surprised to learn that he was a Rhodesian Boy, born in Zimbabwe and had only moved here at the age of 7, making me wonder what it is about me and Africans), but didn't attempt to kiss me or anything, just let me go when our trains arrived on opposite sides of the platform.

When I got out at Shepherd's Bush at around midnight, I got a text from Joel, so I figured he must be awake and maybe I could call him for advice.  Yet, there was something in his voice when he answered that made me realise it was a bad time (had he answered the phone when he was asleep?  But how had he fallen asleep so quickly?)

(I later learned that Joel had been in the middle of an argument with his girlfriend.  And then answered the phone in the middle of it.  Is it any wonder she actually kicked him out that night?)

I took ages trying to figure out what to write to him once I was home, to try and convey my somewhat confused feelings, and finally went with:  "Just texting you to let you know I'm home safely, and to tell you what a fantastic time I had tonight.  Have now spent ages trying to come up with a suitable final line, but I get the sense you get it anyway.  Sweet dreams..." to which he replied, "Shame that you never got to see the flat.  C'est la vie."

I laughed so hard, because he OBVIOUSLY got it. That implication that I found him attractive, and would have been up for a little bit of fun, perhaps.  But that's life that the opportunity was missed.

So I then dealt with this by writing to Qatari Boy when I saw him online.  Yet he wasn't hugely responsive, which was explained when Caroline suddenly popped up and started chatting to me.  "Just thought I'd complete true chain. I'm chatting to the Chap. Who is chatting to Qatari Boy. Who is chatting to you."

 Made me laugh but also explained Qatari Boy's distraction, as he was chatting to the Chap much more than me.  So I engaged with Caroline for a while and told her the story of my evening, and finally Qatari Boy got enough sense into him to shower me with a few compliments, which is all I'd really wanted.  Still no suggestion of getting together, but I've started to despair of that anyway.  Qatari Boy is good for banter, and that's it, really....  Thank goodness Internet Dates who make more of an effort to see me than he does!

Inter-Club Committee Handover

This evening I'd agreed to meet a few people for an Inter-Club Committee handover meeting, as I'd foolishly put my hand up at the last Inter-Club meeting and volunteered to actually run the show on this thing.  What was I thinking?  It's not like I'm overloaded with free time.  But I think it can run a lot better than it currently is, so I volunteered.

I was running about 5 minutes late, so when I arrived at the Army & Navy Club, all of the boys were all already present.  Which given that they were all seated around one tiny table in a large empty room, means that perhaps I noticed more what happened next:  All the boys stood up as soon as I walked into the room, as all well-trained gentlemen should.  Yet, where do you ever really see that sort of behaviour outside of Downton Abbey?  And alas, I the poor American girl, found myself wracking my brain to remember my grandmother's copy of Emily Post, to remember what the proper etiquette was for women.

So while I comfortably greeted all of the boys with kisses on each cheek, and we all sat down again, I was then a bit puzzled as to what the appropriate behaviour was for when one of the boys had to leave early, and all of the men stood up to say good-bye to him.  As a woman, I don't stand, right?  So I remained seated, and he came over and kissed me on each cheek to say good-bye.  Hope that was the right thing to do...I need to brush up on my etiquette, really!

The first item on the agenda had to do with Irritating Boy, who apparently really misbehaved at the dinner after the last meeting, where I'd left early because I found his behaviour so intolerable.  Apparently he had really behaved in a lecherous and inappropriate manner with the one girl who stayed for the dinner, who had never met him before and so had no idea what she was in for.  At one point, he even commented to another boy, "I'm going to destroy her".  The poor girl was so uncomfortable, that at one point when Irritating Boy went to the loo, she took the opportunity to flee straight out of there.

I was a fan of banning him immediately, but the boys seemed to want to give someone the opportunity to speak to him about his behaviour, and give him one last chance.  If there were any more complaints, he would be gone, but he still got another chance to correct his behaviour.  Although I wasn't a fan of this approach, the boys seemed to think that a "man-to-man" talk could change things, so I had to go along with it.  Yet I always wonder with men like that, do they really think their approach with women gets them anywhere?  I can't imagine what woman would ever go for a man who so aggressively  inappropriately, and quite frankly meanly, pursued them.

After we got through the rest of the items on the agenda (including a really cool new website), we ended the meeting and went for drinks in the bar of the Army & Navy Club.  Had some champagne, chatted with a few people, and realising how long the night was going on, I found myself wishing that I had taken a bit more time with dressing before going out, as it was turning into quite the evening and I had just thrown on a suit that was now turning out to be quite warm...

Some of the boys decided to call it a night at that point, but somehow I found myself agreeing to stay for dinner with Justin and Gavin, the Inter-Club Chair whose club it was.

We then had an interesting conversation at dinner, where the Inter-Club Chair related the story of how he met his wife when he was 19 and she was 26, they got married when he was 22 (and she was 29), and they now have an 11-year old son (and I think a daughter too).  So from this I conclude that he's now 36?  (And his wife is 43?)

So bizarre when I realise I'd always assumed my first long-term relationship didn't work out due to the age difference, as he was 20 and I was 25 when we met.  Yet, hearing this story, I realise that it was just that he was immature.  I wonder what my life would be like now if that had worked out?  Would I be married with kids already?  Scary thought.

The chef came out to speak to us at one point (since it was a Monday night, I guess things were rather slow in the kitchen), which was rather nice, to talk to him a bit about the food.  I was even more impressed then when dessert was brought out, which had been described on the menu as "British chocolate garden".  It was a chocolate stick fashioned to look like a branch, with large white chocolate butterflies resting on it, nestled in a valley of raspberries and flowers.  I wish I'd had the bravery to take a photo, it was one of the most amazing desserts I've ever seen.  (Almost a pity to ruin it by eating it, but it was also stunning to eat as well!)

The boys then went on for one more post-dinner drink, but I needed desperately to stop by my own club, as I'd promised the Assistant Secretary that I would have a go at signing up for this card pilot program.  I was pleased when I ran into the bartender (a crusty old man who has been behind that bar for 37 years, and is therefore not always welcoming to change), and he was delighted to try out this new system with me.

Finally having accomplished all of the items on my list of things to do, I headed home, where I was surprised when the Young Dutchman's brother popped up online.  He originally popped up just to apologise for not seeing me for dinner once more before he went back to the Netherlands after he was in town for the Olympics.  But somehow the conversation kept going, and we ended up chatting until nearly 4 AM.  The conversation ranged from him promising to cook me dinner at some point, talking about how he gets very moody at times (ah, he's so young!), and him asking me, "Have you ever done psychedelics   You really seem like the type, if you don't mind my saying..."  Gosh, who knew I appeared to Dutch people like the sort that would use mind-altering drugs?

Finally though, sleepy and exhausted (and mindful that I had to see my personal trainer in the morning!), I said my good nights and went off to bed...

Rainy Brunch

I woke up this morning to discover quite a few texts, a Facebook message and a missed call from the Tall South African, obviously made while he was drunk the night before.  And I have to say, it really made me smile, even as a part of me wished I'd been awake to get his call the night before.  There's something about knowing that a drunk boy wanted nothing more than to talk to you when he was deep in his cups.  And it's good to know that he does the same back to me that I've occasionally done to him!

I texted him back (he always does the same to me the morning after), and engaged in a bit of back-and-forth banter.  Good way to start the morning.

I also saw I'd missed a text from EmJay at around midnight asking if she could stay at mine, as apparently she'd been out somewhere and the girl she was staying with said she couldn't go back by herself.  So perhaps it was good that I'd been asleep anyway...  As I was leaving for brunch, my phone rang, and it was EmJay, sounding a bit upset and wanting to know what I was up to.  Given that I was just on my way out the door, there was no way I could accommodate her, and I have to be honest I wasn't feeling particularly inspired to either.  I try to be a good friend, honestly I do, but there is only so much whining and moaning I can tolerate.

I got to Andy's, where humorously, I was 10 minutes early for once, and the boy himself had just woken up. Quite the change from our usual way of doing things!

Right on time, we were joined by Zhan and Brianna, and then we went for brunch at Jamie's Kitchen in Notting Hill.  Quite the long wait for our breakfast (and given that I hadn't eaten, I was starving!), but the food was good and we had a good chat about the US elections.  I kept trying to explain to everyone, that although it looks at this point like Obama has the presidential election in the bag, I remain very nervous about the Senate election, and Elizabeth Warren's race in particular.  I very much hope that she wins that one...

After brunch, the rain really started to come down, and in no time it was absolutely pouring outside.  I stopped to get groceries on the way home, and was quite annoyed with myself when I miscalculated the cost on an item, and then added insult to injury by having to carry the offending item I over-paid for home in the pouring rain, and getting absolutely soaked in the process.

Got back to my flat, soaking wet and cold, and texted the Tall South African with my irritation at this state of affairs.  When he wrote back, laughing, that he was doing very well to be tucked up in bed with his duvet, I realised that this was an excellent idea, and spent the rest of my afternoon doing the same.  Miserable day outside, but a good day to be tucked up inside where it's warm!

Bavarian Luncheon

With Caroline in our costumes

After a mad panic this past week to get numbers up for the Bavarian Luncheon this Saturday, the day had arrived.  Hopefully we'd finally gotten enough people...

Chatting with Swiss Boy

I had tried on my dirndle when I was home in the US, but unfortunately the darn thing just wouldn't zip up.  So I came up with an outfit involving a vest and a skirt and a white blouse, and braided my hair in two pigtails.  Yet, once I did that, I realised I looked like a Britney Spears-esque sexy school girl, and so instead used a fake hairpiece to braid my hair up and over in a more German style.

When I got there, I was greeted by the Wild Welshman, and I ran into his brother right as I arrived as well.  I was glad to see him back, looking well, and back in his liederhosen.  I also saw the Wild Welshman's girlfriend, and so greeted her warmly and made sure to introduce her around to people.  It's so funny, as I had quite a few people say she was not what they would have expected him to date, and I have to admit she isn't what I would have imagined either.  Yet, he likes her and she seems nice enough, so I was happy to make sure she felt welcome.

I was quite excited to see the Swiss Boy arrive, and he made sure to introduce me to his friend, the Rugby Doctor.  The guy had a broken wrist (his cast looked painful), and he also informed me that he'd torn his ACL three times.  Apparently after the last tear, he'd just given up on repairing it, and was now living without an ACL in that knee, but still playing rugby.  I couldn't believe it, this guy was an emergency room doctor?  He definitely looked much more like a rugger!

In the bar with Piers

I had a nice time sitting at lunch across from the Swiss Boy and the Rugby Doctor, and next to the Wild Welshman's sister.  I had to admit the Rugby Doctor was cute and charming (although I later learned he had a girlfriend), and I always enjoy the company of the Swiss Boy.  Which I suppose is why I was somewhat distressed to learn that he's shortly off to Dubai for three months.  I will miss him while he's gone, for sure.

With Caroline

The luncheon seemed to go well, and when we played the usual "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean" game, the other table screwed up horribly, but the Wild Welshman's brother and I decided to show them how it was all done.  And we were doing quite well with the game until the Wild Welshman's brother screwed up, and I wasn't sure quite whether to stick with the correct timings or join him.  I joined him, although bad choice, as of course it meant we ended up one beat off.  Oh well!

After the event finished, we went up to the terrace for drinks.  It was a relatively warm afternoon, so it was nice to get a chance to enjoy one last event up there for the summer.  Met a new guy, I think named Jacob, who had just joined and this was the first event he had come to.  Introduced him around, I hope he liked meeting people!

When it got cold out, we went back down to the bar, to be somewhere inside and warm.  When Caroline needed to go to the loo, she told me that Doro's boyfriend had totally clocked my chest at one point, but I didn't even notice.  She said she'd caught his eye right after he did it, and the boy turned bright red.  How funny, as I don't ever even notice these things!

Piers doing well for himself!

Back in the bar, I spent ages chatting with Piers, who I find a lot easier to chat to now that he has a girlfriend.  I was surprised to learn that he was somewhat resentful of a chap in our social circle, but seemed to ease up a bit when I explained how painfully shy with women this guy was.  It was like he never even knew, where my entire life seems to have been spent trying to put this guy at ease.

With the Swiss Boy

Finally, I'd had enough, so I begged off with Piers, and went up to the terrace to say good-bye to Swiss Boy.  I will miss him when he's in Dubai...

I then called the Young Dutchman as I was heading out of the station, and learned that he was having an early night.  Inspired by that, although there was another party that I could have gone to, I decided to turn in early as well.  For once!

Friday Night In

I was supposed to go out tonight night with Tish, who had invited me to an event while we were out at Nick's birthday the night before.  Yet, as I sat on the couch, I was just feeling entirely too exhausted to even contemplate going out.  Everything still ached from the gym the day before, and I just couldn't seem to get it together.

I then saw Qatari Boy online, and all my best intentions about leaving it up to him to get in touch deserted me.  Perhaps was feeling a bit low about my complete strike-out from the night before.  After all, one guy I liked didn't even bother to take my number, and the other I had the distinct feeling had nothing more than a professional interest.  Indeed, unwilling to be patient, I wrote to him at mid-day, and got the following reply:  "Indeed, last night was good fun and thanks again for the tour!  I actually plan on joining the club, so I’ll definitely reach out in the near future.  Have an excellent weekend and talk soon".  Perfectly polite and indicating no further interest in anything other than a networking connection.  {Sigh!}

So, when I saw Qatari Boy online, I asked him if he had any Friday night plans, he said no, and we started engaging in some of our usual flirting.  And at one point I berated him a bit about not getting together with me, and he mentioned he'd had a lot on his mind lately.  To which I replied I knew that and had some theories about it, which piqued his interest.  So what did I know about him? 

"Well, if I've picked up on a few things, I would think coming back to London, the probably attendant upheaval of the job that comes with it making work more manic than usual, and I've even got a sneaking suspicion that there may even be some unresolved issues with a girl who is not me. In short, a lot to be on anyone's mind. 

 All which have very little to do with me, but still result in me feeling a bit ignored at times, and hence thinking you need to be reminded that a distraction is more what you need than waiting for everything to calm down. 

Hence, although it's tempting to trot out the excuse, "Things are complicated right now", I'd much rather go with, "But you really seem to take my mind off of it." Now, I figure I've just proved myself to be frighteningly insightful, or way off-base, one or the other..."

 His reply?  "I'd go with first, along with my sympathies to the Police force that has missed out on their best best detective". 

Really, reading men's minds is much easier than you think.  And so I was rewarded with a suggestion that we needed to go to the cinema next week.  We'll have to see if he follows through on this plan, but it's more than I've gotten in the past.  

Later on, Tish texted with the actual details of the drinks meet-up, and I had to apologise as there was no way I could make it out at that point.  Such a shame, as it would have been good to go out on a Friday night, but next time, perhaps! 

Drinks Reception and Nick's Birthday

I'd been in such agony after my workout with my personal trainer on Tuesday, that I'd done almost nothing on Wednesday besides like on my couch with everything hurting.  But now that it was Thursday, it was time to go back again, where she once again put me through quite the wringer with weights and a core workout.

In the evening, I'd promised Doro I'd meet her at the club at 5:45pm, and although I was five minutes late, she had champagne waiting for me when I arrived.  Gosh, I am going to miss this girl!

We had a good time chatting and catching up, as I heard stories about her travels in Vietnam with the beau, and how she was preparing to head off to Heidelberg in just a few weeks.  I got us another glass of champagne, and then we headed up to the drinks reception happening upstairs.

I tried to stick with Doro at the start, but too quickly I lost her as I got pulled into conversational groups with other people.  I suppose it's both my talent and my curse, that I am so good at circulating...  I was continually greeted by people who looked vaguely familiar, but I had no idea what their names were, or even worse, they greeted me like an old friend, and I couldn't even remember ever meeting them.  I was enthusiastic and friendly with everyone however, so hopefully I covered it well.

At around 7:30, the Assistant Secretary found me to have a little chat with me and give me the microphone.  I gave a short and sweet speech, getting everyone to give a little cheer for Cambridge (since I assumed numbers were higher there), and when I realised people in the back of the room were starting to talk over me, wrapped things up.

I then went over and joined three people that looked interesting, a couple and a reasonably attractive guy.  I chatted to them all for a bit, obviously flirting more with the reasonably attractive guy, who was also rather bold and funny.  Talked to them for ages, and then when they asked where the loo was, I took them there as an excuse to show them the library terrace.  The boys were impressed with the view, but I was just also getting this sense that the cute guy wasn't about to ask for my info or pursue anything, so I just left them kindly, and went back to the drinks reception.

Once back at the reception, I joined another group, and found myself chatting with a nice American guy who does work very similar to what I do for a rival company.  As we chatted, all of the signs were positive (no mention of a girlfriend, about the right age, lives here, studied in Germany), yet even as he took my card, it was more of a polite exchange, I never got the sense that he was actually going to call.  I just don't get it.  I thought I looked nice that evening, I was my usual social self, but why wasn't I getting any vibe from these guys?

I then took the group on a quick tour of the club, and after I dropped them off at the end in the bar, I decided to pop down to the loo.  Where I ran into Doro, and also at the same time got a text from the Tall South African, apologising that he wouldn't be able to make it to Nick's drinks, which we both had been invited to later that evening.  This prompted Doro to ask about him, so I chatted to her for a bit about him, reassuring her that although our relationship was quite platonic at this point, I was really happy with that, because I really knew where I stood with him.  She seemed pleased at least to hear that, because she would be upset if she thought a boy was leading me on.  No, just a good friend, but a really great one, actually...

I then got on a bus to take me to the next party, which I made it to right at 11:15, just in time before they were supposed to move on to a nightclub at 11:45.  Which was just perfect, as it gave me time to get in, say hello to everyone, and get credit for making an appearance, without having to actually stay too long.
I was enthusiastically greeted by everyone, including the birthday boy who was quite drunk.  Irritating Boy was there as well, and being irritating as usual, making more comments about how I look in a swimsuit.  I was just really skeeved out, and kept doing my best to avoid him.  Why does that boy not get it?

Just when I was about to make my apologies and leave, Caroline called to ask when we were heading off to the nightclub, Raffles.  So I felt like I couldn't leave until she made it, the birthday boy HAD negotiated free entry for the girls, and for once in her life Lotte wanted to stay out without her fiancée.  So at that point, I sort of felt like I had to stay on for a bit.   

Once inside the club, I could instantly see why it had been free entry for women, as the club was just packed with guys.  Yet, as Caroline pointed out to me, although we still get into clubs for free, we're starting to feel like we're among the older patrons. So yeah, these clubs are full of cute guys, but they all looked to be about 21.

Another girl bought a bottle of wine and gave me a glass, and then Caroline dragged me up onto one of the podiums in the middle of the nightclub to dance for a bit.  Good fun, and Calvin Harris was some good music.  Yet, at 12:45, I decided to try to get out of there, and did well to leave then, as the bus across the street practically went straight back to my flat, but the last one went at 12:49 AM!  Got home safely though, after overall a decent Thursday night out...

On The Line

At work today, I spent pretty much the entire day texting back and forth with the Tall South African.  He dragged me out of bed at 8 AM with the text, "What on earth is Romney doing?"

Okay, so this was interesting (I like a boy who will talk about politics), although it necessitated me getting up and checking some poll numbers.  Although how the Romney campaign keeps imploding day by day, it still worries me that these things are being said by a man who would run the entire country.

We kept texting back and forth all day long, even as I struggled to finish a project I was working on.  I knew he was bored, and it was a nice bit of entertainment in my day.  And then he charmed me by asking what my schedule was for the next week, saying, "was thinking we desperately need a catch up."

After all of the annoyance of dealing with Qatari Boy, who never suggests meeting up, it was such a nice thing to realise that some boys really do want to see me.

In the evening, my phone rang, and it was the Tall South African, calling me while obviously sleepy in bed.  Yet, instead of falling right asleep, he wanted to talk to me as a bit of a "bedtime story".  And so we talked about the difficulties of behaving well, of working out, of political madness, and of boys who keep girls "on the line".  I laughed that he teaches me what I need to know about boys so I don't waste so much time dangling on some boys' line.  He laughed, as though I would never actually know when I was on a line to get off of it.

Maybe, but then again, I have to laugh.  For all the girls he has on the line, I'm the one who he still calls all the time, and who he actually wants to see.  So who is on the line now?

Running

In the morning, I had my regular appointment with my personal trainer.  She'd mentioned that we were going to work more on building up fitness, and so we ended up in the weight room with all of the boys, doing lots of weights that totally killed me.  Core exercises still remain a huge challenge, although I don't know why I can't seem to get any stronger there.

I got home and showered, and realised that Qatari Boy had responded to my final line of our conversation last night, where I'd sent a comic about boys being oblivious to girls wanting them to ask them out.  He seemed to find it hilarious, but had obviously missed the sub-text there.  When on earth is this boy going to stop flirting with me all the time and actually ask me out?  It's getting kind of annoying, really...

I then made the mistake of checking a few messages, and too quickly being pulled into dealing with problems at the club with this Saturday's Bavarian Luncheon being undersold.  Ended up sending frantic messages all over the place to try to get more people involved, and wondering why it always comes down to me in the end on these things...

Finally, I desperately needed to leave if I was going to meet my friend Christina on time in the office for lunch, which I couldn't miss since she will be leaving the company soon enough.  The Tall South African then had the brilliant timing to call me right as I was getting on the Tube (on the escalator going down), so although normally I love our usual lunchtime chats, I had to quickly answer, tell him I couldn't talk, and hang up on him.  So you know I was in a rush if I couldn't even talk to him!

I made it to the office and Christina met me, and then we went to our usual burrito place for lunch.  (Gosh I love burritos!)  I talked to her a bit about her new job and the annoyance of boys, and she pointed out to me, rightly, that if I want to meet a guy in time to have kids with him, I need to be doing more, instead of faffing about with all of these boys I don't really date.  I've been miserable with online dating (just don't like the effort), and don't go to speed dating events or anything like that.  She's totally right, but I'm not quite sure what to do about it.

I went back to the office, got through my next conference calls, and then spent ages struggling to connect to a printer to print out a time report so I could submit my expense claim.  The Tall South African called at one point ostensibly to provide me with tech support, but mostly just to laugh at me really...  He does make me laugh though!

I finally managed to leave the office at around 6:30 PM, which was running late, but if things went my way I might still make it to the pub for this week's running club run.  However, as I was trying to find my way to the pub, the Young Dutchman called!  I hadn't heard from him in ages (he's been so busy since he started with Google), so I stopped to talk to him for a bit.  He was calling mostly because he'd gotten my postcard from New York, and just to once again rhapsodise about how great life was at Google.  Apparently Kellogg Boy is thinking of going to work for Google too, and so he was once again putting the pressure on to have me come join them there in the trifecta.  Which, I do admit is tempting, except for the fact that the carefree boy who always had time to play has lately been replaced by a boy who does nothing but work all the time!  So I think I'd have to join Google merely to ever see the Young Dutchman again.  And I'm not sure I'm quite ready to give up my socialite life for non-stop work quite yet.

When I then finally arrived at the pub, the entire group was gone, but Caroline was there, and when I announced my desire to go for a run anyway, she said she'd come with me.

We then had a nice 40-minute job where we mostly gossiped and caught up on our news, in particular with boys.  She's dating another guy (the thing with Sandhurst Boy fizzled out due to how selfish he was in bed),  which kind of stunned me, that in the time I can't even bring one boy up to scratch, she's already dating another one.  How on earth does she do it, and where does she find these guys?

On the run though, we mostly ended up chatting a lot about men and their bedroom technique.  Why are so many boys so rough in bed?  I explain my mixed feelings about Qatari Boy.  As goodness knows, he fits the "rough in bed" mould, but I do feel like I can fix that.  Although will it be like it was with her and Sandhurst Boy, another selfish lover who doesn't realise the need to pay attention to what his partner wants?  Plus, I have to admit his continually not asking me out is kind of turning me off.  I don't know what I want anymore.  Do I want him to ask me out or not?  As I told her, "I'm not even sure I'm going to like him, so all of this worry about whether he likes me might just end up being a total waste."

Back at the pub, nobody really interesting was there, although I ended up talking to Roofie's brother quite a bit.  I thought it was very cute when during the circle, as everyone else was shouting and just behaving in their general madness, I looked around and he caught my eye and gave me a smile, as though we shared an inside joke, just between us.  I like that we had our own special moment, just between us.  Whatever it is.

During the circle, I got called up for coming back to running by Roofie, and I was so surprised when he decided to kiss my scar on my leg....so weird!  But it was good to be back and acknowledged by everyone.

I didn't know many people in the crowds, so I decided to head home early.  I got caught up chatting to Roofie and his brother about PX90 for a bit, as they were surprised I knew what it was.  Yet, for those boys, they seem like the perfect candidates for an intense, at-home fitness program, and they were making me laugh with stories of how much pain they'd been in afterwards.  They're both so sweet to me.  I wonder if it's just our ACL bond, or what.  It's nice though, and I really do enjoy spending time with them.

Still, it was 10 PM, and it felt like time to go home.  So I went out and got on the Tube, and was quite surprised when this random guy sat down next to me and said, "How YOU doin'?"  I looked up, wondering who this idiot was, to realise it was Lex.  Made me laugh my head off.  I'm sure the rest of the Tube carriage wondered why this guy with bad pick-up lines had managed to make me laugh so much, but that's just Lexie's style!