Lovely Dutch Girl's Quarter Century

Wow.  Now THAT was a party!!

This evening was my friend the Lovely Dutch Girl's 25th birthday party, and unlike when the Tall South African had his earlier this year, she actually planned ahead.  We'd all received invites in the post, there had been numerous reminders, and we were all gearing up for an "Alice in Neverland"-themed party.  And with so many options to choose from for this theme, we were all quite assured that costumes were compulsory.  

The bartenders

I had made plans to meet a friend for tea in the afternoon, and so popped around to her flat at 5 PM to have tea and discuss her plans to potentially move to New York.  Given that I knew I'd have to go straight from hers to the party, I brought the makings of my costume with me, that of a fairy (given that Tinkerbell was a known inhabitant of Neverland).  Mostly because I already had the fairy wings, bought for £1 over a year ago for another party, so I figured if I wore them again I'd be down to 50p a wearing!   

   

As I walked from my friend's place to the party, I saw I had a message from the Irishman, saying, "Going as a "Fairy" eh??? Again I am compelled to ask whether this will be a real fairy, or a "Mean Girls" inspired fairy??? I'm certainly hopeful I see some photos, especially if you go for the latter type of fairy! Either way, I have no doubt you look stunning!!! 

Thank God I didn't encounter any real fairies in the woods, and all that I seemed to encounter was a few more racy thoughts about a certain American, who has a propensity to dress as a fairy, and no doubt a very sexy one.  ;-)"

I'd known that he hadn't written as much this past week because he'd been off in the woods on a family holiday, but it still did make me feel better to hear from him.  It just brightens my day when I do.  

I arrived at the party and was greeted with a glass of champagne from one of the shirtless waiters standing at the entrance, which amazed me.  She'd hired waiters and bouncers?

Oh, but it was about to get even better.  When I made my way into the back garden, the whole place was done up like an enchanted fairy land, with twinkling lights, flickering candles, and little bunnies hidden in the shadows of the garden.  It was absolutely magical, and stunned me with the effort she had obviously gone to for this.  

Neverland

Everyone seemed to have gotten the memo about coming in costume, to the point that many people came up and spoke to me, and it was only upon hearing their voice that I realised who on earth they were.  This of course did lead to the unsettling experience of finding myself talking to people who obviously recognised me, and it taking me a good 10-15 minutes of conversation to figure out who they were and how I knew them.  Of course, at the point I eventually figured it out, I would want to interrupt them and excitedly exclaim that I knew who they were, but turns out you can't actually do that.  

Costumes

After getting stuck in conversation with dull people for a bit, I was delighted when the Young Dutchman and Kellogg Boy arrived, and came and greeted me with such enthusiasm that I knew they were as delighted to see me as I was them.  I had a good time chatting with them and quaffing glasses of champagne spiked with raspberry vodka, although I tried to keep it tame, as I wasn't keen on drinking too much this evening.  I think I've learned enough from these sorts of parties in the past!  

With The Blonde

The Blonde arrived, and although I took a few photos with her, I didn't get much of a chance to catch up with her, as the Tall South African had brought along his girlfriend visiting from Italy, who didn't know anyone, and was obviously somewhat lost.  I was trying my best to look after her, but it was the usual case of a painful introvert dating an extreme extrovert.  Not shy, mind you, but just obviously overwhelmed by the crowds, which the extroverted Tall South African was totally missing.  And it's tough, because with introverts I love and adore like Joel, I have no problem looking after them, but with ones I don't know at all, it's tricky to wonder how much you need to take care of them.  

Birthday cake (and treats!)

My good intentions to try to head home at a reasonable hour proved to be for naught, as suddenly at 1 AM I realised that all of the trains had gone already, so I might as well stay.  The cake had come out, I'd only spilled a little bit of the incredibly staining berries on my all-white outfit (tricky stuff to wear to a party!) and had generally just missed all of the canapés, making me think it had been a bad move to miss dinner.  

The band

Sometime after midnight they made us all retire indoors and the band had to stop playing (yes, there was a band!) and things turned into the usual way these parties go, with very drunk boys hitting on me, as it had reached that point in the evening and they'd had enough alcohol to get up the courage.  One guy in a tiger costume had a go, who when he said hello earlier in the evening, I'd totally forgotten that I'd met him back in June at a dinner party the Lovely Dutch Girl had hosted.  It took me about 20 minutes to place him, where I finally remembered that he'd been funny and charming but had smoked, so that was a no-go.  And now he was drunk and hitting on me, even more of a no-go!

With the Tall South African's Italian girlfriend

Everyone was just generally hanging out trying to decide whether to stay or go, and so I found myself in a bedroom of the house, chatting with Kellogg Boy, the Tall South African, and TSA's Italian girlfriend, who seemed as sweet and lost as ever.  It's funny, because the Tall South African is such a player (cheats on this poor girl all the time), and yet is wonderfully devoted to her whenever she is around.  And yet she is so timid and retiring compared to his bold and outgoing personality, it was a bit of a puzzle.  But who knows what attracts people to each other?  When the chemistry hits, I guess you just go with it.

It was an interesting party

I felt badly about not chatting to the Young Dutchman more, but he seemed to have his hands full trying to hit on two girls at once, and also dealing with the Lovely Dutch Girl, who had disappeared for a while, apparently because she was upset that a guy she'd invited to the party because she liked him had gone home with someone else.  Having met the guy in question, I was surprised that she was giving him a second's thought, but again, I obviously have no idea what attracts people to each other.

Kellogg Boy as the King of Hearts

Finally, I concluded that it was late enough (2:30 AM!) and time to go home.  I made plans with Kellogg Boy, the Tall South African and the Italian girlfriend to meet up for coffee the next day, went and found the Young Dutchman, gave him a kiss and promised him that we'd talk the next day.  And then finally walked out, found a cab, and £15 later was at home in my own bed.  

A hug from Tinkerbell!

A lovely enchanted evening, but now it was time for bed!

Hog Roast

The theme of this evening seems to have been "being trapped in conversation with horribly dull people".  I swear, it's making me not want to go out any more, as I really have so little patience for boring people!

After staying up too late to talk to the Irishman the night before, I had to drag myself up and into the office to meet with an MD at my company.  Had a good meeting, although I was falling asleep at my desk for most of the day, and was dragging by the time I made it out in the evening.

I got to the In and Out Club, left my bag at the front desk, and grabbed a drink.  I first started chatting with a couple who I vaguely recalled meeting at a drinks reception at the Oriental Club, and then was delighted to be greeted with a warm kiss from the Young Dutchman, who I had been looking forward to seeing.

Yet I barely got to talk to him before I somehow got pulled into conversation with the Former Head of Inter-Club (nice guy, but a tad bit dull) and some random girl who was also in our conversational group.  I kept looking for opportunities to escape and perhaps mingle a bit more, but I just couldn't see a way to extricate myself from the conversation.  Hence, I was stuck there, being polite until finally I was able to use the natural turn of it being time to go get food to extract myself.

Only to then land into conversation with the current Inter-Club Chairman and Annoying Guy, so quite frankly a step down!  I kept trying to keep making painfully polite conversation with them (always a challenge when Annoying Guy is there, but he seemed blithely oblivious as he went on talking about how great his birthday party was going to be this year and making rude comments about who was going to get laid), until I was finally able to grab some food and search for a chair.  I did at last find a seat at a table with Hong Kong Guy (yay!) and the Former Head of Inter-Club (sigh, so boring!) and a few guys who I didn't know, but I always like talking to new people.  I was having a good chat with one of the newbies, who turned out to be a member of my club, so I was chatting to him trying to persuade him to come along to club events more frequently.

Then, right while I was in mid-conversation with this guy, a rather socially clueless man who I am acquainted with pulled over a chair and inserted himself right in-between us without so much as a by your leave!  I was a bit shocked by this, and the other chap and I continued our conversation over him for a while (I don't know if the man who had pulled up his chair was attempting to join the conversation or what, as he really just sat there like a lump the entire time), but needless to say talking over someone sort of ruins the tenor of conversation, and we eventually gave up.

I quickly finished dessert to escape, and made my way over to where the Young Dutchman and Kellogg Boy where (Kellogg Boy had finally arrived late), but I barely got to chat to them for two minutes before I was interrupted by some German guy who wanted to talk about Obama's recent appearance on the Jay Leno show.  (No really.  Trust me, I was as confused as you are).

Now, this might have been okay, except that this guy then kept railing on about "Chairman Obama" and how "Obamacare" was going to ruin everything in the US.  There are very few issues that drive me into a blind rage, but unfortunately US healthcare policy is one of those.  I tried arguing with this guy for a bit, getting more and more annoyed at his obvious idiocy, and also wondering why Hong Kong Boy's girfriend and Kellogg Boy were doing nothing to rescue me.  It was when the guy finally started doing Hitler salutes that I realised quite how drunk he was, and there is absolutely no point in arguing with drunk people.  At least also at that point there is no need to be polite, so I just walked away from the conversation, searching out someone, anyone else to talk to.

I eventually made my way back around to Hong Kong Boy's girlfriend and Kellogg Boy, who apologised for their lack of interference, but they said it had just been too humorous to watch, as I tried to deal with the raving idiot.  Thanks guys!

The chap in question had the gall to write to me on Facebook the next evening, "I hope no offence was taken yesterday!"

I dithered for ages on how to respond to that, given that quite simply, he'd been absolutely horribly offensive.  Yet you feel like when somebody says, "I hope I didn't offend you," some sort of rules of social nice-ness obliges you to assure them that they didn't, even when they really did.  

I finally settled on replying, "You probably don't quite remember what was said last night if you hope no offence was taken, but we'll chalk that up to the impact of too much wine. Have a little less in the future and I'm sure we'll be fine!"

Really, it was the best I could come up with without just calling him out for being an arse.  As let's face it, that wouldn't help anyone.  At best, I can only hope that it's put him off talking to me in the future!

I spent some more time chatting with Kellogg Boy and Hong Kong Boy's girlfriend (finally, interesting people to talk to!), and Kellogg Boy thanked me for his postcard that I'd sent him from the US.  All of a sudden, I felt bad about not sending one to the Young Dutchman as well in my fit of pique.  but somehow we got dragged up onto the balcony upstairs and separated, and I found myself trapped in conversation with more dull people where I just kept casting about for something, anything, that might get more than monotone responses.

I don't know.  When people start responding to all of your questions with one-word answers, are they just doing that because they really have nothing to say on the topic, or is it because they're desperately hoping you'll go away?

At last I got a welcome unexpected surprise when The Blonde showed up, having just come from dinner with her mother.  I got to meet her mother briefly (a very nice woman), and we chatted for a bit as she showed me the text message she'd received from the chap she'd been flirting with in the bar the night before.  To be honest, after the number of drinks he'd had, I was impressed that he'd remembered her at all, much less to write such a coherent and nice text message!  (I learned later that they made plans to meet up on Friday for after-work drinks.  I will say one thing about The Blonde...she moves fast!)

Eventually the Young Dutchman came over to say goodnight, and noted that we hadn't really gotten a chance to hang out and catch up, and so suggested to me that we try for next Thursday instead.  I was glad at least that he'd noticed that we had really missed each other..as always, parties are a terrible place to catch up.

When Hong Kong Boy and his girlfriend were leaving too, I decided to make use of their gravitational pull to exit myself as well.  As the girlfriend went to get her bags, I was talking to Hong Kong Boy a bit about his back problems, and just as a joke advised him, "Stop sleeping on the couch so much!"  To which he shrugged and replied, "Yeah, but it's the only thing that makes her happy..."

I'm so aware that their relationship is in serious trouble, although I do wonder how it will work out.  She always just seems so angry at him anymore, even though it's just more general frustration that for some reason is all being directed at him.  Yes, he is disorganised and works too much and basically needs someone to look after him, but that's how it is with any guy.  You cannot expect to date a man and want him to be more like a woman.  And so he sleeps on the couch, they never have sex, and she just I think wishes he would shape up and get his act together, but her anger at him will never accomplish that.  To be fair, he could do more to eat well, drink less, and just get his act together and be a better boyfriend, but he always just strikes me as this lost little dog, unsure of why his master is so irritated with him.  With a little bit of kindness and training, they really could be fine, but I wonder if they'll get there...

Finally we left the club and made our way home, where I got to bed by only 11:30 PM, and was quite happy for that.  Enough of the boring conversations, I was glad to be home talking to nobody...better company than dull people, really!

Victoria Run

This evening's run was from Victoria, and I had invited the two girls I'd had drinks with on Thursday to come with me.  They arrived and I introduced them around to a few people, and then we set off on the run.  It was a decent run, although without enough loops or checks, and so I lost the crowd towards the end of it.  I took a shortcut to head straight back to the pub, expecting to be back early, but after only 40 minutes of running everyone was back already.

I didn't get much of a chance to talk to the two girls however, but instead found myself in conversation with The Blonde.  She pointed out a guy standing at the bar, and whispered in my ear, "I think that guy standing over there is incredibly fit.  I want to go over and talk to him, but I'm so nervous!  Do you think I should?  God, he's so good-looking!"

As she continued to fret about this guy and check as to whether he was wearing a wedding ring, I looked over.  I had to admit, he sort of had a Damien Lewis-type look going on, although to be perfectly honest, I thought his friend standing with him was much fitter, and who I will admit I'd noticed when we entered the bar.  I wasn't nearly as keen as she was, but far be it from me to deny my friend an opportunity to hit on a cute guy.  So when she suggested we move over to the bar to at least be in proximity to them should an opportunity for conversation open up, I happily went with her.

It didn't take too long, actually (when The Blonde is around, men tend to notice her pretty quickly), and before too long, the plan went exactly as expected.  The Blonde happily fell into conversation with her Damien Lewis look-alike, and I took his friend, who was a bit shorter and more Zac Efron.  Still, more my style anyway.

It turned out that they both worked for the London Underground, and were out with a bunch of their colleagues for after-work drinks.  The guy I was chatting to was Welsh, under 30, and recently training for a triathlon in two weeks.  He reminded me a lot of CBDG, between the working for a transport company, the good looks but dumb conversation, and just overall sweet nature but lack of intellectual vigour (although perhaps that was due to the fact that they were on round number five by the time we had started talking to them).

I felt a bit badly that I wasn't chatting more to the girls I'd invited, but they seemed to be doing well off on their own, and I had to admit I was enjoying my conversation with these guys, particularly now that one had bought me a drink.

When the circle started outside, we dragged them out with us.  The Blonde kept up her conversation with her ginger boy, and I had a fun time joking around with the Welsh Boy.  We both knew that we'd been paired off because my friend liked his friend, but as a result it sort of took the pressure off of us, and we just had fun goofing around.  He took a picture with me on Snapchat, some new app that all the kids these days are into, which further convinced me that he must be quite young, as the only other people I know who use that app are the Tall South African and my 22-year old cousin.  I laughed, as it didn't escape my attention that the photo he took with me, he sent to a whole bunch of male friends, while he then subsequently took one of just himself and sent it to a few female friends.

We continued to chat for a while, before The Blonde came back and pulled me aside, apparently she'd just snogged her Ginger Boy outside.  "A bit too teeth-y" was her review, although perhaps that could also be put down to the fact that at this point they were up to round number 8 (and the boys had gotten me a second drink as well).

I mingled and talked to a few other people, the girls I'd invited left, and finally when the hour was growing late, Princess suggested we make a move, and so I gladly left with him.  The boys had left a little bit before us, and I hadn't seen where The Blonde had gone, but I got on the Victoria Line with Princess and chatted to him on the train while we waited for it to leave.

Just as the doors were closing, two boys raced down the stairs and jumped through the doors, making it into the train just as it was pulling away.  What a surprise, it was Damien Lewis and the Welsh Boy!  They didn't see us, but when I asked Princess if I should go talk to them, he gave me a little wink and told me to go ahead, although he was going to stay where he was.

So I went over, made some crack, and they recognised me instantly.  The Welsh Boy was quite drunk at this point, although slowly working on sobering up, as he'd gotten a sandwich and a pastry from somewhere.  Perhaps in an indication of how drunk he was, he then insisted on feeding me parts of the sandwich, straight from his fingers into my mouth.  Really flirtatious though, which was a bit of a relief to know that I'd had as much of an effect on him as The Blonde had on his friend!

Finally my stop came, so I gave him a kiss on each cheek good-bye, and he was quite friendly about it, I almost thought he might go in for the full on kiss on the lips, but he just missed that one.  Still, after I gave him a huge friendly good-bye, I just gave a wave to his friend, so there could be no doubt about where my preferences lay!

Although then after all of that, I came home and found the Irishman online, and so told the story of being a wing-woman to him, just trying to make him laugh, and having him do exactly that to me when he regaled me of tales of playing wingman to some of his more inept friends.  And within moments, I was reminded of why no other man can really catch my attention these days, as he had me laughing, truly side-splitting giggles, within minutes.  When I commented that I was looking forward to returning to Dublin and seeing the most handsome Irishman who lives there, he replied, "I'm not sure if Pierce Brosnan still lives here."

When I protested that Pierce Brosnan was indeed witty and glib, I was sure I knew a handsome Irishman who made me laugh a lot more.  Which got the response, "I had no idea Colin Farrell played humorous roles in films?"

Maybe it's just me, but that boy seems to have a direct line into my brain into what will make me laugh. I always just find myself grinning like an idiot after one of our little chats.

The Blonde is always much more goal-oriented than I am when it comes to dating, and so had gotten the Ginger to take her number and arrange for a date on Friday.  On Friday however, I heard from her very early in the evening when she sent me a message:

"Well that was an utter waste of time! Felt no attraction at all to the Ginger this time and was struck by how immature he was! Ended the date early and now on my way home.... He also let me pay for the drinks and wanted to split our food bill - unimpressed!!"

On the one hand, I have to admire the way she is constantly optimistic and sees opportunity everywhere, picking up men in bars and getting them to ask her out on dates.  Yet when I can always tell from the get-go that they won't work out, it makes me wonder, "What is the point, really?"

I'm not sure if either one of us has got it right, but it's interesting to see how the two very different approaches play out...

Away Weekend Sunday

Getting ready to go on the final run!

In the morning when I woke up, I realised I had nearly overslept breakfast, I had been sleeping so soundly from exhaustion.  That's a good thing though, as it's hard to get a lot of sleep in bunk rooms!

I quickly got dressed and went to eat, trying to pack in the protein for the run ahead.  I went back to my room to pack my things, and then once we were all checked out, gathered with everyone out in the parking lot waiting to start the run.  We ended up standing around for quite a bit, waiting for Roofie to come back from setting the run, and for Roofie's Brother and the others staying with them to arrive.  They finally made it, we circled up, and then set off on the run.

I was surprised when shortly after we set off, Roofie's Brother fell into step beside me, and continued to do nearly the entire run with me.  Every time we reached a check or a pause where I assumed he would wander off and talk to others, he would simply slow up and go back to running with me.  I struggled a bit to pace with him while having a conversation with him, as I didn't want to be panting while I talked, but I still wanted to chat with him.  So when the conversation faltered, I wondered if it was because we don't really have that much in common, or simply because we were both tired and out-of-breath?

Gathered around the hare in the circle

We talked a bit about his childhood in Bournemouth, various construction projects, and where he'd spent time as a kid.  He told me why he was wearing the same shirt from yesterday, which nobody else was because they were all sweaty and gross at this point.  He said that Sister Fister had insisted they had to wear them, and so he had sprayed his with deodorant and air freshener to try and make it smell okay, but I have to admit running alongside him, it all did smell a bit odd!

Pointing out the way to the beach mid-run!

One question I really wished I could have asked him (but of course I couldn't) was why on earth he's friends with a girl who is so demanding, insistent on her own way, of an incredibly mercurial temperament, and just in my view, rather irritating.  Every time I spend time with her, I try to figure out what it is that other people see in her, but I'm utterly baffled.  She's just so exhausting and draining, constantly surrounded by drama, negativity and complaints.  The classic "drainer" as Joel would say.  And I do think we judge people somewhat based on their friends, which really does make me wonder about him.

Yet of course at this point, his incredible fondness for me is certainly not in doubt.  It's all quite puzzling, as I'm not at all sure what he wants.  Still, I have to say I do enjoy his company, so it was quite fun to run along with him!

Going up this hill was insane!

We did fall out-of-step with each other when we reached a massive uphill, a zig-zag straight up the side of a cliff that was more than I could do at a run.  At least today I had remembered to bring a bottle of water with me as I ran, which I was incredibly grateful for, it was so hot and we were all dripping with sweat!

Finally at the beach with a beer!

After that there wasn't too much more to do, and I joined The Blonde for the final run along the beach until we got to the spot for our picnic.  It was great as we came down the final stretch of boardwalk, those who had arrived before us made an arch with their hands clasped overhead, and so The Blonde and I held hand and then ran through the arch, like a triumphant pair finishing a marathon.  I was dripping with sweat when I got to the beach, but at least today I had a lot less hesitation about stripping down to my sports bra and running shorts, and diving in the ocean.  Ah, it felt so nice!

At bat playing rounders after going swimming in my sports bra and running shorts

We had some beers and made sandwiches for lunch, and then I went with a new girl, Polygamist, to go get ice cream.  Quite a decadent treat, but there's something about ice cream on the beach in the summertime.  We had to eat quickly as it melted all around us in the heat, but it was fun to chat with her, a nice person I think could turn into a good friend, or at least someone who I very much enjoy conversation with.

We then played cricket (which I didn't understand), and rounders (which I sort of did) for a while, which was good fun.  The boys of course argued about the rules, while the girls mostly just tried to catch the ball and stay in the game.

Playing rounders

After a bit, the South African Rugby Player was leaving, and came over to me to say good-bye.  He kissed me right on the lips, which I didn't really want him to do, but I didn't protest.  It did make me worry however, is that how Roofie's Brother feels with me?  I hope not.

Finally The Blonde and I decided to go and catch the 4 PM train, and so started making our own good-byes.  Let's face it, the only person I was really worried about saying good-bye to was Roofie's Brother, who after he expressed disappointment that I was going and implored me to stay, gave me a nice kiss on the lips good-bye.  When confusion in talking to others caused a delay, he then kissed me again before we were off, a very sweet gesture.

Beer at the beach

Just as we were about to make our way up the hill, I saw the Scottish Lawyer Guy, and so also stopped to say good-bye to him, wrapping him up in a big hug and kiss.  Much more the way I hug and kiss my brother, holding on tight with affection, but of course he made it a bit joke about how much he likes holding on to me.  It was quite adorable, really!

We got back to the hotel, got our bags and had enough time to change our clothes (as I was still wearing the clothes I'd been swimming in the ocean in, and my underwear was soaked), and then we had the cab driver call us a cab to the station.  We arrived with 20 minutes to spare, and so had time to grab some snacks for the train and run into a few other people who were catching the same train.

Playing rounders with Luke, an 8-year old who asked if he could play with us

On the journey I managed to get seats at a table with The Blonde, and we talked about all of the news from the weekend, and bemoaned that there hadn't been more interesting scandals.  We were talking about how excited we were that Nobby's Nuts was going to become a father, and then I was surprised when The Blonde said, "Well, he already is a father, but for *real* this time, you know?"

Wait, what?

She seemed a bit embarassed to have let it slip when I obviously didn't already know, but apparently Nobby's Nuts had an affair with a girl about a decade ago when he was doing his "selling books" job in the US (as weirdly a lot of people in our running club seem to have taken these summer jobs where they were selling books door-to-door in the US), got the girl pregnant, and she decided to keep the baby.  He obviously came back to the UK, and apparently has minimal, if any contact with his son, who is now about 10 years old.

I'd always had somewhat mixed opinions about Nobby's Nuts, and this was a shocker.  After all, what can you say about a man who abandons his child?

Yet, I do have a friend who similarly had a child and now the father is no longer part of the kid's life, yet I get the feeling she distinctly prefers it that way.  So perhaps it was best for all involved that he removed himself?  Still, I couldn't help but feel slightly unsettled by that revelation.

The final group picture

When we got back to Clapham Junction, we ran into an Irish chap who had been out on the run with us, and stopped to chat with him for a bit, which resulted in me having only 2 minutes to dash down the platforms to make my train.  I made it just as the conductor was blowing the whistle to shut the doors, so got there just in time!

When I got home, all I wanted to do was collapse, but I had to shower and change to go out again to meet a friend who was visiting from South Africa.  Normally there is no way I would have gone out, but it's not like I'm about to visit JoBerg any time soon, and this was my only opportunity to see this guy on this trip.

Since it was a Sunday night, nearly everything was closed, but we went to a McDonald's so he could have dinner, and I had a chocolate shake while we talked.  It was good to catch up and hear how things were going, although I said a silent prayer of thanks when at around 10:30 he announced that it was late and he needed to go.  I hopped on a bus back home (as one going right by my house happened to be passing by), and got home to absolutely crash!

Away Weekend Saturday

The whole group before the run

In the morning I finally got out of bed at 8 AM, because there wasn't much point to staying in it.  It had been a restless night, sleeping in a room with 7 girls, some of whom snored lightly, and all of whom seemed to need to get up and make repeated trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night!

I went into breakfast, where I couldn't find an open space at a table, so I just sat by myself at a new one.  When other people commented that I was sitting by myself, I laughed, "Ah yes, this is entirely what my childhood was like, sitting at the lunch table all by myself..."  That got such an "Awwww, oh no!" reaction from people, I found myself having to reassure them all, "It's a joke!  Don't worry, I was not shunned in my childhood!"  Although I think one guy felt so bad, he immediately got up and came over to sit down with me!

We then changed into our swimsuits to go to Splashdown, an indoor water park nearby.  It was strange, because I'd never been to an indoor water park before, but it made sense that in England, the weather is generally so rubbish that if your water park wasn't indoors, it would only really get to be open two weeks a year.

I started out by going on the rides that looked a bit more "tame", without sudden drops or things that would cause your stomach to fall out from under you.  Of course, this made me a bit embarrassed that there seemed to be 5-year old children with swimmies on their arms who were more brave than I was when it came to choosing rides!

On the beach with The Blonde

I went down a two rides that required inner tubes to go down them, walking up past Roofie and his brother who were going on other rides, and they always called out to me every time they saw me.  In fact, it was kind of a running joke throughout the day, how every time they spotted me whilst they were standing on line for another ride, they would always call out to me or chat with me using hand signals, or otherwise somehow take notice of me.  Which was strange to me, since they didn't do it for anybody else, but I suspect that they both have a great deal of affection for me that they don't have for anyone else.  (Well, Roofie's Brother does anyway, I think that Roofie just likes me because he knows how fond his brother is of me!)

I then came inside and went down the lazy river, went down one that was fast and scary, and then found a few that were right about my speed.  I kept running into others, but didn’t really bother to try and go on rides with people, I just went with whatever took my fancy.  A few other girls were even more nervous than I was about “scary rides” and were always going in groups, which was kind of funny.  I ran into Sister Fister at one point, who was having an absolute panic meltdown about the fact that she didn’t know where Roofie or his brother were.  Which was so strange to me, as why did it matter?  Just go on the rides and have fun, don’t act like you’re their babysitter!  I really don’t get that girl at all...

Showing off our shirts with The Blonde

Finally when it was time to get the crowds together, it took ages to round everyone up, as it was like herding cats but worse.  My hair was a mess after being washed in the shower, but there was nothing for it I suppose…  Kind of a shame that we had to spend so much time standing around instead of going on more rides, but such is the nature of things with large groups, I guess. 

We got back to the hotel, changed, and then we went on our run.  It was hard and quite hot out, with Roofie seeming to have chosen every possible steep hill and set of steps he possibly could to climb.  At one point he actually chased me up a long set of steps, yelling behind me that I’d have to do a shot of tequila if he caught me.  I was absolutely wheezing when I got to the top, it was such a hard and fast climb! 

I was so worn out from that one, that at the next set of steps (after we’d been running for about 40 minutes), I took a shortcut with All Fours, who graciously bought me a water at a beachside stand when we found one.  It was so lovely and cool on such a hot day, we stood there for a bit drinking our water, and then to our surprise, the group all came running right up to us.  We had taken a shortcut right back onto the trail! 

We must not have been the only ones who were hot, sweaty and out-of-breath, as everyone spontaneously decided to stand around for a bit catching their breath, I shared around my water, and everyone just generally had a breather.  Too soon we had to keep running however, and so continued on uphill in the heat. 

At one point Roofie told us it was all downhill from that point, which we found it was downhill and then a very looooooong jog along the marshes of the marina back to the beach.  So I ended up walking and running with Roofie’s Brother and Mile High all of the way to the beach.  Both were good company, although I mostly talked with Roofie's Brother about the area. 

With The Blonde, dressed as hula girls

When we finally arrived on the beach, all hot and sweaty, some people just dove right into the water.  I debated waiting for the car with our swimsuits to arrive or to walk back to Roofie’s flat to get mine, but then decided to join in the idea of a few others and just strip down to my underwear and dive in.  After all, I was wearing black cotton knickers, which when paired with my black cotton sports bra might look something like a bikini, right?  

The ocean was perfectly refreshing, just what I needed after that long hot run.  Definitely worth the swim!  Although when I got out, I found after much wandering around that the car with our bags had not arrived (despite that those who had not been running had hours to take care of this) and they were just scrambling to arrive with food, much less bags.  Too much faffing about, apparently.  

So after a while, it did occur to me that I was just wandering around in my knickers, and so I put my shirt and shorts back on, uncomfortable as it was on my salt-encrusted skin.  Those who hadn't been running at least had managed to bring their swimsuits with them, although I was rather surprised by what people chose to wear.  Lots of bikinis on women who maybe should have reconsidered that idea...even I have flatter abs!  

Food finally arrived, and I mostly spent my time just lounging on the beach, gossiping with The Blonde.  She asked if the Tall South African ever slept in my bed, and I told her that he did sometimes when we were just too tired after coming home late to bother setting up the air mattress.  Yet she seemed entirely disbelieving when I told her that nothing ever happens between us, that our relationship is about as close and platonic as it can get.  I think she is so used to men always trying something in bed (perhaps because they know she'll usually give in), that she seemed surprised at the idea that we would sleep together and just sleep.  I know most people don't really believe that we don't have a sexual relationship, as we are so close to each other and spend so much time together.  Yet, after I'd talked to The Blonde for a while, she seemed rather convinced that I was telling the truth.  Although let's face it, I don't really care if she believes it or not.  The one nice thing about the Tall South African is that the two of us are utterly clear on what the deal is with each other, even if the rest of the world doesn't get it.  

She then asked about what was going on with myself and Roofie's Brother, and I explained that we still had *whatever* it is that is going on between us, but that for me at least, it was just a little bit of entertainment and amusement value.  The attention is nice and he amuses me from time to time.

We then just started gossiping about everyone around us (dangerous game!) and she helped me put my finger on what it was that I don't quite like about the South African Rugby Player.  Just like Nobby's Nuts was before he got married, he's just a little bit too desperate.  Too much into too many women, without being really clear about who he likes and doesn't.  Just one of those guys about whom you think, "He really needs to get laid", but his general overly enthusiastic pursuit of women turns them off.

Admittedly when we got onto The Blonde's own romantic life, she started puzzling with me over the fact that with all the guys she had dated in the past year, nothing had worked out.  And so it did make me realise that the both of us are quite a pair:  Me the girl who barely dates anyone, and she the girl who dates everything that comes along, but we both still remain single.  Of course, I have my own ideas about why things don't work out with the guys she dates, but I'll leave those for another time.

With all the hula girls

We then heard a bunch of shrieking nearby from a bunch of runners, and when we got up to investigate, we learned that two of them had gone off for a walk down the beach and gotten engaged!  I was a bit surprised, given that I knew it was exactly this time last year when the same girl had been moving in with a different guy, she'd only been with this latest one for six months.  Although when I chatted to them both later, she told me about how they'd actually dated before when they were younger, but it hadn't worked out due to distance.  And now that she was the ripe old age of 31, she was wanting to get married, and they were living together already and had talked about it, so here you go.  Admittedly I have a hard time imagining knowing anybody well enough to marry them, so I'm probably not the best person to judge when the time is right.

Tired of being all salty and sticky, I found another girl who had gone swimming, and suggested we sneak off to Roofie's nearby flat to take showers.  She seemed mildly reluctant, but once she got out of the shower there, she exclaimed, "This was the best idea ever!"  Well worth walking several blocks along the road completely barefoot!

We soon after changed into our fancy dress costumes, and when I returned to the beach, a slightly inebriated but very enthusiastic Scottish Lawyer Guy exclaimed with surprise, "You look absolutely gorgeous!"  It made me laugh, particularly when he felt the need to clarify, "No really, you're really beautiful without looking all slutty like the other girls."  Realising that his drunken comments were only making things worse, he eventually gave up after a few more comments when I was just beside myself with laughter.

We hung out on the beach, made a BBQ, and as the sun was setting, Roofie suddenly pointed at me and exclaimed "You!  You'd be perfect for this!"  What was this now?

Being the MC for the talent show

Apparently I had suddenly been volunteered to be the MC for a talent show, with everyone showing off their costumes.  Not sure what the acts were (none, really) or who wanted to do a show (nobody), I just did my best to be witty and funny and pull people out of the audience to put on acts.  I did my best with no rehearsal, no clue and no idea what I was doing, but everyone told me later that I did a great job and was really funny.  I suppose it's really handy that I just love speaking in public, have a loud voice, and am good at thinking on my feet!  We had such a good show going that we even had a guy who played guitar asking if he could join the talent show, where he did a brilliant little act.  And everyone just seemed to laugh themselves silly in the moonlight on the beach.

Everyone in costumes

Finally it was 11 PM and it was getting quite cold and dark out there on the beach, so we called a bunch of cabs to take us back to the hotel where we could change.  It took forever for the cabs to arrive, and matters weren't helped by Blunder loudly playing music and just acting like the slightly retarded individual who has been dropped on his head a few times that he always is.  Which got him into a fight with Hairy Helmet who turned into an aggressive rage machine, not helping matters at all.  His girlfriend kept trying to calm him down, making me think that she must be really desperate to have a boyfriend to put up with him...

As we waiting for drinks, the Scottish Rugby Player and two others invited me to join them inside for drinks, but I was just too tired after a such a full day, and I kind of didn't want to give any encouragement to the Scottish Rugby Player.

Back in the hotel bar

When we finally got back to the hotel, I just wanted to crash into bed, but was somehow dragged back out to the hotel bar, which then led to being dragged out to some nightclub in Bournemouth.  It was like I had been talking to the Irish Boy, about how we hate nightclubs, but always seem to get dragged out to them about once a month or so.  I guess this was my night this month.

After £1.50 for the taxi, and a £6 entry fee to the club I was feeling a bit tapped out, so I didn't drink once I was inside.  I really just wanted to go home almost as soon as I got there, but I figured I might as well dance enough to make it worth the entry.  Roofie's Brother never showed (although he explained it all to me while we ran together the next morning).  Finally at 2:30 AM I'd had enough, and luckily The Blonde read my mind and was trying to find me to leave at the same time I was searching for her.  Sometimes she really is a great friend, coming through for me when I need her!  We got get her some dinner at a local kebab place, and then managed to catch a cab back to the hotel for £7.  It had been a long day, so I was flat in bed by 3 AM!

Away to the Away Weekend

Polygamist, The Blonde, SN3, me and Climax after we arrived at the hotel

This weekend was my running club away weekend in Bournemouth, where we were going to the beach for the weekend to run and play games and just have fun.  After a good gym session in the morning, I got nearly nothing done at work all day, and due to not having done enough packing in advance, was nearly late to make the train with everyone else.  (To be fair, must of the blame must be placed at the feet of the Irish Boy, who was as usual entertaining me far too much with his usual mix of witty and entertaining chat).  It was such a hot day as well that I had become quite dehydrated, and scrambled into Waterloo station with a pretty massive headache.  Luckily the train was delayed, and so I had time to grab some water and paracetamol.

I managed to find the group, and when our train was announced, although we couldn't exactly find seats right next to each other, we managed to find a large group of seats close to each other, and so spent the journey chatting away.  Yet the train was so delayed, our original 2 hour trip took 2.5 hours, meaning we didn't even pull into Bournemouth station until 9:30 PM!  Yet I had good company for the journey, talking the whole way with Climax, SN3, The Blonde, and two girls who I recognised from the running club, but didn't know well.  Scottish Lawyer Guy drank heavily the whole way, leading us to later comment that his drinking seemed to be getting out-of-control again, after having improved a little a while back.  Such a shame, I hope he gets it together soon.

On the train

When we got to Bournemouth, we grabbed a cab from the train station, checked in at the hotel, and then found the P-trail leading us to the first pub, a short distance away from the hotel.  Luckily most of the crowd was still there, and so we went around saying hello to people.  I found Roofie's Brother perched on a balcony about two feet above me, and was then quite pleased when he leaned down and kissed me on the lips to say hello, obviously quite glad that I had finally arrived.  Nice.

The group had been at this first pub for a while, so pretty much as soon as we arrived, we moved on to the second pub.  Once there, I spotted the South African Ruby Player, and so I went over to say hello, but quite pointedly gave him a kiss on each cheek.  I had a good time talking to him for a bit about what he'd been up to recently, apparently some military training, training him so he could train other recruits in survival skills.  It actually led to an interesting discussion about his varied career, ranging from the South African military to being an official beer taster at the Carlsberg brewery when he lived in Copenhagen.  Turns out he's a really interesting guy, actually.

Outside, I was glad to see Lucia, who I hadn't seen in ages.  Turns out that she recently had a really bad break-up, and has moved home with her parents.  To tell the truth, I hadn't been aware of the latest guy she'd been seeing, but I did have some sympathy for the obvious tough time she was going through.  As we chatted, it quickly became apparent to me that she was quite drunk and struggling to hold up her end of the conversation, so I took over and just started talking more to save her the trouble of having to talk.

Since we hadn't had dinner, The Blonde and I made a quick dash over to the Tesco across the street before it closed, picking up sandwiches to line our stomachs before we drank too much.  We then moved on to the next pub, where somebody bought me a drink, and I just stood around chatting to more people.  We got urged to move on to the last pub before it closed at midnight, and so I joined a few of the older guys there, where one of them got me yet another drink.  However, once they stopped serving we made our way back to the previous pub, where most of the group still was.

We then started walking back to the hotel, while some of the group wanted to go out in Bournemouth proper, and so started getting cabs to go there.  I just started walking back to the hotel, thinking I'd lost Roofie's Brother and everyone, but turned around to find them right behind me.  I slowed up to walk with them, and we made our way back to the hotel.

It turned out that the hotel had a 24-hour bar, so we stayed to have a few more drinks, before eventually I concluded that it was late and we had a bit day ahead of us in the morning, so I just wanted to go to bed and get some sleep.  I found Roofie's Brother and gave him a sweet kiss on the lips, and then gave Roofie a kiss on the forehead to say goodnight.  That definitely got a protest, as it couldn't have been lost on him that I was much more affectionate with his brother, although I think with most women it's the other way around!  Strange, because personally I have never seen Roofie that way, despite his reputation for being quite the ladies man.  For me, it would definitely be his brother, every time.

At last, I made my way back to the bunk room I was sharing with seven other girls, changed into my pyjammas, and figured I'd get a few hours sleep before our big day in the morning!

Kennington Run in the Heat

I got absolutely nothing done at work on Monday, as I spent almost the entire day just chatting online with the Irishman.  He assured me that he was managing to multi-task and get quite a bit done, but I have no idea how!  Anyway, I was relieved that the tenor of our conversation suggested that as Catholic as he might be, he was very interested in doing some rather scandalous things with me.  Now if only I could actually get to see him, as all the talk is getting me hot and bothered, now let's have some follow-through!

Although the weather lately has definitely been contributing to the "hot" problem...  It's been boiling lately, and I've just been wilting in the heat.  Yet, somehow when the sun is out it seems like great weather for a run, so in the evening I headed down to Kennington, where Pork Pie had set this evening's run.

As I left the Tube station, I got the best surprise when I heard a familiar voice say, "Hey, stranger..." and it was my friend Nat!  I hadn't seen her in years, as she got married a year ago and moved outside of London.  It was a bit strange, as we used to be in touch all of the time (we worked for the same company and once even had a joint birthday party together), but seem to have drifted apart a bit since she quit the company.  I wondered if she would feel awkward about having not spoken to me in ages, but I decided to set the tone by just being overly thrilled and excited to see her, and she responded in kind.

When we got to the pub, I was delighted to see Roofie's Brother, who after I'd pretty much ignored him all week (I'd been too enamoured with the Irishman) seemed more eager and pleased to see me than ever, greeting me with a big kiss and sticking close to my side.  Yet, the one time I should have been delighted by that, I was quite distracted, as my hopes for a south-of-the-river run came true, and Matt was there!  I was so excited to see him, and got an extra treat when Devo appeared as well.  The crowds had all really come out for this run!

We set out in the blazing heat, trotting along and pacing with each other.  I managed to catch a few shortcuts and stay relatively with the group, but as we kept going, this was proving harder and harder to do.  Finally, at one point when we had been running for a good 45 minutes, we realised the train was turning left when the pub was most definitely off back to our right.  A quick conference with Pork Pie, the hare, revealed that the trail was about to go on a 2-mile loop, but if what he was saying was true, we should be able to figure out a shortcut to take off some of that distance.  It wasn't an official shortcut and it wasn't marked, and Pork Pie of course had to keep going with the larger group run.  But I assured him I was clever and would figure it out, and so I led a group of brave explorers with a piece of chalk, and we started marking out our own shortcut.

I have to admit, I was quite surprised when this little experiment worked out, and just right where I thought we should, we ran back into the trail, successfully completing our loop.  We then followed the trail back to the pub, dripping with sweat and exhaustion, but ahead of the main pack, who all arrived back a short while later, looking even worse for wear than we had been.

As soon as I saw Matt, I offered to get him a drink, although in this heat we weren't up for anything stronger than lager shandies.  I then chatted with Nat for a while about married life and what she was up to these days, and I think we were both incredibly surprised when Pork Pie bought us drinks, insisting on it, not even giving us a choice.  Given that Pork Pie is notorious for not buying drinks, it came as quite a surprise, but we were glad to take advantage of his unexplained generosity!

After the circle, I would have happily chatted to Matt more, but somehow got stuck in conversation with Roofie's Brother and All Fours, talking about plans for the Away Weekend.  How ironic, I finally get an entire evening to chat to Roofie's Brother, and I'd much rather have preferred to talk to Matt instead!

At last when the hour grew late, Roofie's Brother suggested we make a move, and so we said our goodbyes and left together.

It was a long walk back to the station, and so I took advantage of the opportunity to ask him about his moving plans, which I learned were now up in the air, as he said, "I'm not sure my job is going to be there in a few months, so I don't want to sign a 12-month lease."  I danced around the issue a bit, trying not to press but interested to learn what he was willing to share.  At the very lease, sounds like what I've always previously suspected is true, that part of his unwillingness to have a relationship or move anything forwards is due to how unsettled the rest of his life is.  Not really a good excuse, but I can tell when a man would use that rationale anyway.

We got to the station and ran into a few other runners, and then debated whether to take the Bank or the Charing Cross branch of the Northern Line.  I got on the Bank branch with him to travel and chat some more with him, but then when the other train pulled into the station he pointed out that it would be a shorter journey for me.  I wonder if he was trying to push me away when I'd been so prepared to travel with him, or if he was really just that clueless that I'd prefer to spend a while longer with him (after being so keen to be near me all evening!)

My pride comes before everything however, so I placed a quick kiss on his lips, and then dashed across the platform to the other train.  If he didn't want to be with me, I was definitely going to have a shorter journey home then!

Late One At The Run

I can't remember the last time I stayed out so late at a running club...  2:30am before I got home!  I was e-mailing back and forth with Roofie's Brother the next morning, after he wrote, "Don't know about you but right now I'm not sure last night was worth it..."  In retrospect, it definitely wasn't, but we're all big kids who could have gone home at any time.  Nobody made us stay, so we've only got ourselves to blame for the lack of sleep!  

I'd still been recovering the day before from an insanely late night working on Sunday, and so I had a pretty chill day at work, just trying to catch up on things.  I was only too eager to get involved with a conversation with Irish Boy then who seemed to be okay with a slight distraction from work as well.  He was moaning about wearing a three-piece suit in an office without air-conditioning, it did sound quite brutal!  But how nice that he's the kind of boy who wears three-piece suits to work...

Running along the old rail lines

I feel like our conversations are always slow detective work on my part, trying to learn more about him.  I like most everything I learn about him, but I know so little!  Today at least I got that he goes to the US on all of his holidays, and is planning a big trip to Chicago at the end of August.  And he's been to New York several times and loved it.  So all good signs...

I was teasing him about a comment he made about how good the shopping was in the US, where he said, "And I say that as a hetrosexual man!!! The shops are brilliant!!!"

I teased him a bit about some of his more "metrosexual" interests, but assured him that after spending so long kissing him, I was quite sure he was straight.  To which he said, "I have a wide range of interests!!! But beautiful women like yourself is up there at the top!!! I think our special evening has rebutted any suggestions that my interests lie elsewhere!


It was certain one of the most enjoyable evenings I have ever had!!! In fact, I was the lucky one that evening, considering the stunningly beautiful chairwoman I was allowed to kiss!!! Do enjoy the run, and I too agree that the contents of that evening will be repeated asap!"

Running through the woods into the setting sun

It sounds so stupid, but now that there seems to be this funny, handsome, interesting, charming boy in the world who is so into me, I find myself thinking all of the time, "So what is wrong with him?"  (I mean beyond the obvious, that he lives in Dublin and uses an excess of exclamation marks).  God, I really do wish I could see him again soon, as I feel like that would resolve so much in my head.  Plus, all the chat is fun, but I much prefer kissing him in person!

So it was time to go out on the run.  It was a gorgeous and warm sunny day, although it would prove to be almost too hot for running.  I had almost forgotten about Roofie's Brother, and so shot him a quick e-mail in the afternoon to ask if he were coming, to which when I got to the pub, he said he couldn't make it for the run.  Oh well...

The old train platform of Crouch End station

The run turned out to be very long and hilly, as we went up and down the hills of Highbury.  We ran along an old disused railway line, which has now been converted into the Parkland Walk, a kind of "rails to trails" conversion.  It was neat, for as we ran, we actually ran along the train platform of the old Crouch End station, and eventually came out on a road with a beautiful view over the London skyline.

The crowds stopping to look at the view

Still, all of the up and down hills really killed me, and when we finally got back to the pub I just about wanted to collapse with exhaustion.  We'd run nearly 9 km, which isn't so bad in that I regularly do 10k runs at the gym, but then at least I'm just running on a flat treadmill!

Pretty view from the bridge of the London skyline

When I got back to the pub, I got quite the surprise when there was Roofie's Brother!  Too late to run, but still there to socialise.  He'd obviously recently gotten a haircut which I complimented him on, which got me the reward of a nice big kiss to say hello.

I spent most of my time before the circle chatting with him, as we talked about the upcoming Away Weekend trip to his hometown of Bornemouth.  I'm curious to see this place and enjoy the weekend away, given how much I've actually been enjoying running these days.  Plus, it will be fun to see where Roofie's Brother grew up, and see a bit more of where he came from.

I also got to hear stories of a recent group trip to a wedding, in the same city in Portugal where I had been playing polo in August.  I was very glad in retrospect that I didn't go, but instead stayed in London to go to Henley and see the tennis final.  Much better time!  Still the stories of the group's madcap adventures definitely made me laugh, including just the general insanity of Scottish Lawyer Guy.

I went inside briefly to get another drink, where I was pleasantly surprised when a guy who was a visitor that week happened to be at the bar, remembered me from a conversation ages ago, and insisted on buying my drink.  How sweet!

Looking at the pretty skyline view

It was to start a pattern for the evening, when I got chatting to a South African guy who is also going through the citizenship process right now, and he bought me a drink, and then his friend did as well...all of my good intentions to stay for "just one drink" were quickly going out the window!

Finally the pub was closing for the night, so I assumed we were all heading to the station to go home, but I had forgotten that we were with Scottish Lawyer Guy and the Ginger Lawyer, who lived locally and didn't have to worry about any trains.  So instead of going onto the train and going home, we somehow got steered into a late-night jazz bar.  Where then the drink tally included a beer, a jagerbomb in Red Bull (thank you Roofie's Brother!) and at least two gin and tonics.  At least you'll note I wasn't paying for any of this, as I hadn't bought myself a drink all evening since the first one of the night.  Sometimes it's dangerous being a pretty girl...too many boys buying you drinks!

I spent quite a while chatting intimately with Scottish Lawyer Guy, as the music in the place was loud and it was hard to hear, so we just were talking cheek-to-cheek, whispering in each other's ears.  He's grown a beard recently and it tickles a little bit, but I like how it looks on him.  When I told him so, he laughed and assured me that my opinion mattered a lot to him.  It's very funny with us, as we so clearly like each other, but also know the very real things that keep us apart:  He drinks and smokes too much, and knows I won't tolerate it.  Even at one point I did say, "If only you'd quit the smoking, then you'd be perfect.  I mean you're a Scotsman, so you're pretty close to perfect, but the smoking is definitely your one flaw..."  That comment made him absolutely throw his head back and roar with laughter, as only I seem to be able to make him do.

He filled me in on the news that the girl he'd been telling me about on our run two weeks ago had broken up with him, which he was rather bummed about.  He also was reconsidering how at the time, when they hadn't been sleeping together, he'd taken it as a sign that she was holding out for a more serious relationship.  Now, in retrospect, he was thinking that perhaps it had been because she just wasn't that interested.  I felt bad for the guy, but as usual he seems to have moved on quickly, with another girl who he noted with glee who had slept with him on the first date, and he was a lot more interested in her as a result!

At some point (I don't quite remember how) I found myself chatting to the drummer who had been on stage, a rather cool girl who was a student in London, studying art but doing drumming as something else to do.  She seemed interesting and promised to add me on Facebook, so we'll see if that ever happens.  Of course, the boys were more interested in getting her contact info than I was, although if they really wanted to, they could go chat to her themselves!

Finally, having acknowledged that I'd thoroughly missed the last Tube (it was now nearly 2 AM), I thought about getting a nighbus home, but I figured I'd saved money from all of the boys buying me drinks, and I just wanted to go home straight away.  So I booked a taxi on the Addison Lee app, and although the price (£31!) made me realise that staying out late had proved to be quite an expensive mistake, I still booked it.

The cab arrived quickly, and I begged the driver to wait a moment so I could tell my friends I was going, and then dashed back to say good-bye to everyone.  I caught all of the boys except for Roofie's Brother, and when I went inside to see him, he surprised me by jumping out from behind a column and startling me, laughing his head off saying he'd seen me coming and wanted to trick me.  Rather funny, although indicative of the state we were in...definitely too many drinks!

Although at least on the upside, I got lots of big kisses as we took advantage of our tipsy state to indulge a little bit, although I really did have to go.  And yes, was perhaps feeling slightly guilty about kissing this boy after so enthusiastically chatting to the Irish one just hours earlier.  But at least it didn't go too far and I went home, quickly making it into bed by 2:30 AM!