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!

Murray Wins!

Watching the game with The Blonde

I had a ton of work to do today for various Managing Directors, before a big meeting that was happening in Boston on Monday, but there was no way I was going to miss one of the most epic games to be played, tennis history in the making.  So when The Blonde called me up at around noon to ask, "Do you want to meet me in Sloane Square in an hour to watch the Andy Murray-Novak Djokovic final?"  Of course, how could I miss it?

I quickly changed and made my way down there, where we made our way to the Duke of York Square, and found that we hadn't been the only people with the brilliant idea to go watch the tennis.  We finally found a spot near the back actually on the sidewalk, but close enough to the edge that none of the roving police officers made us move.  

With the boys in the chairs they brought

We were soon joined by two boys we know from various club events, two of those classic guys who are ubiquitous on the scene, always out everywhere, and who neither of us have ever really been interested in.  But they are always good company, and on this occasion they even brought folding chairs, which they put us into so we could sit, and then the two of them stood for the entire match!  What gentlemen!  (And of course, this is how life goes with The Blonde, where men are always fawning to do nice things, just because).  

Luckily before the boys showed up, I did get a chance to gossip and catch up with The Blonde a bit, who has moved on to yet another new romantic interest.  I swear it's hard to keep them all straight at times, and it amazes me how fast she moves!  

So two weeks ago, she'd been seeing a guy who had a 5-year old kid, who I think she'd gone for despite his obvious drawbacks due to his attractiveness.  I think I may have met this chap at a party once, and I do agree that he's quite attractive, but the kid (with a woman he wasn't even married to) did strike me as not the best.  Yet, as is always the case with these things, every guy that I say "no" to, The Blonde says "yes" to, and so she'd been seeing him for the past few weeks.  Although she was quickly getting annoyed with him, as his version of "dating" more often seemed to be asking her to come 'round (or coming over to hers) late at night and staying over.  Even The Blonde knows that when your relationship consists almost entirely of booty calls, it's not a relationship.  The latest insult being when he cancelled dinner plans, then asked if she wanted to come over to his for dinner, and then asked her to pick up a pizza on her way over.  

Her original plan for the day had been to meet the guy this afternoon to hang out, but with Henley yesterday, he'd called her earlier to say that he was too hung over and couldn't make it.  As she (rightly) pointed out to me, "All of you were at Henley yesterday and you've managed to drag yourselves up and out by this hour, what on earth is his problem?"  He even called while we were talking but she ignored the call, showing a surprising amount of backbone that I don't normally see from The Blonde.  

The massive crowds watching the screen in Duke of York Square

But that may have been because she now had a new interest, a guy that she'd gone on a date with last week after meeting online.  They'd had a fun time, talking until the restaurant closed, but hadn't kissed, perhaps due to a lack of chemistry.  Yet, whereas that's usually the point where I realise a lack of chemistry will kill everything, The Blonde will always ignore such warning signs.  So she was excited when he had expressed an interest in hanging out today, although The Blonde found that there was one small wrinkle:  He was friends with Guy #1, the one she was currently sleeping with!  (Another reason I think The Blonde might do well to hold out a bit longer before letting men into her bed!)

I was later to learn that after the game, she'd met up with this boy, telling me, "He and met me and we went and had a picnic (and a cheeky snog!!)  I do like him, but at the same time there's def something that holds me back too.  But I can't quite put my finger on what it is..."

Although I don't like sharing too many stories about the Irish Boy, I was at least able to show her a few of his messages, which I think are at least an example of how things should be with a boy.  He continues to write the most lovely and charming things every day, making me smile and laugh.  After his last message where he apologised for a delay in responding, I assured him that I no longer feared he was simply going to stop writing, that I was quite confident we would stay in touch until we saw each other in person again.  To which he replied:

"I can guarantee you that your messages are some of the most enjoyable, and most anticipated elements of my week, and you can also GUARANTEE that you will keep hearing from me!!!

And thank you for the extensive compliments! Because, I can say for certain that it will be a long time before I have the pleasure of sitting beside as stunning a lady as you!!!"

I do worry at times that he might be an even bigger player than the Tall South African, for it doesn't make a lot of sense that a charming, handsome, intelligent, good-looking man like that would be single and so into me.  Yet, for whatever reason he is, and he's enamoured of me, so whilst he's safely off in Dublin, I'll continue to enjoy the attention for now.  

The game itself was intense, even as it was won in 3 sets, as it really went back and forth for each point, with some incredible rallies.  It was definitely an opportunity to watch two evenly-match champions, fighting it out on absolutely equal footing.  Some of the games of Wimbledon had been boring, watching a number-1 seed absolutely demolish an unranked player, but this was very obviously an equal contest.  Although I was incredibly grateful to Andy Murray for winning it in straight sets, as I kept getting e-mails about work all throughout the game (from people in other countries who did not realise the significance of what was happening), and I doubt I could have held them off for too much longer.  

It was funny in the crowd, as although we were only watching the game on screens and were not sitting in Centre Court, every time a serve came, there would be some fierce shushing going on in the crowd, as everyone whispered, "Shhhhh!" as though Murray could hear us and we might be ruining his concentration if we didn't obey the Wimbledon maxim of "Quiet please!"

Yet, the moment of the win, it was amazing to be in that square with all of those hundreds of people, sharing in the joy of that moment.  Murray didn't make it easy, with the game going to the Championship point three times, everyone sitting on the edge of their seats before realising they needed to sit back down again, as Murray would lose the advantage.  So it was almost with disbelief when Djokovic returned a volley into the net, and we realised that the 77-year wait was over, a British man had won at Wimbledon once again.  

The moment of the win, with the cheering crowds!

Everyone was cheering and clapping, and just generally going nuts.  I found I had goosebumps and was shaking, I had been so tense.  Thank goodness Murray had won, I doubt I could have held out for much longer!  I found it funny when one of the BBC commentators interviewing him afterwards said that the game had been "torturous to watch", and Murray quipped in reply, "Imagine playing it!"

The happy crowd at the end of the game!

At that point, the group was making plans to go for drinks and to dinner (where I later learned Qatari Boy joined them, a shame as it would have been nice to see him), but I knew that I couldn't hold of work for any longer.  A shame to have to miss out on the rest of the celebrations, but what an amazing day, and an amazing win by Andy Murray!

Princeton Dinner at the Caledonian

This evening, due to a last-minute invitation by the Young Scotsman, I had agreed to attend a dinner being held at the Caledonian Club to host some younger members of the Princeton Club who were currently over visiting from New York.  Since I didn't have any Friday plans, I'd agreed to come, and so had quickly done my hair and put on one of my new floor-length dresses.

For some reason (which still escapes me), I grabbed a pair of shoes which I had bought back when I was first living in Boston, a pair of strappy silver sandals I had gotten from a charity shop for a Halloween party sometime in 2001.  They were in my "shoe repair" bag, but I couldn't immediately see or remember what was wrong with them, so I just grabbed them and put them on.

About halfway through the walk to the Tube station, it suddenly became apparent what was wrong with those shoes when the right one completely broke.  Straps snapped, heel came off, it was all just a wreck.  Except I was about a 10-minute walk from home and was already running late, so what to do?

Realising that I wasn't that far from the Hammersmith shops, I hobbled along, trying to ignore the strange looks from people passing-by as I obviously struggled with my broken shoe.  Thankfully before too long I made it to a Marks and Spencer's, where I dove for the shoe aisle, looking for something that might do the job (and which wasn't too expensive.  I found just the thing with a pair of black patent-leather T-strap shoes for just £19.50.  Not like I really need yet another pair of black shoes, but I was desperate.

So I rang them up, and had the lady at the counter help me peel off the price tag so I could put them on right away.  I debated for a moment keeping my broken shoes so I could get them fixed, but I realised that was a truly pointless exercise, they were goners.  So I told the woman at the counter to put them in a rubbish bin if she had one (I probably bought them for $10 over 12 years ago, I think I got some good use out of them!) and raced out of the shop, moving much quicker in my nice new shoes.

My shoe disaster meant that I only arrived at the Caledonian Club right at the end of the champagne reception, so I didn't get to catch up with anyone I would have liked to.  I was just able to grab a glass and then head straight up to dinner, where I found in the disaster of a seating plan, I was seated in-between two girls.  I spoke to the man in charge of later, pointing out that when you've got more girls than guys, having a girl on one side is allowable, but on both sides is inexcusable.

Particularly harsh was the fact that I'd been informed earlier that they were having trouble balancing the seating plan, and I was asked if I would be okay sitting with people I didn't know.  I had put in the cheeky request that as long as I was seated with a cute boy, I'm sure I would be fine.  Sadly, on my table was Joe Ansbro, a former Scottish international professional rugby union player, as well as a nice young man I'd met and gotten on well with at a dinner at the RAC a while ago.  But instead I found myself inbetween two girls, who sadly didn't even have good chat to recommend them, they were both quiet and mousy and challenging to talk to.

Which is why I found myself playing a game that I sometimes do, called, "Let's Drink Until You're Interesting."  Please note, this is NOT a very smart game to play.  The unfortunate thing about it, as I told Kellogg Boy the next day while we were at Henley, it IS effective.  Somewhere around the 3rd glass of red wine, the dull conversation of the people around me actually started to seem interesting and entertaining, even though I knew on some level that it was still the same tedious drivel as before.

The more I drank, the quicker the dinner went, until thankfully the speeches were over and it was time to get up and go downstairs to the bar.  When I stood up, I realised I was in trouble (there's something about the swaying of the room that only happens when you stand up to alert you to how much you've had to drink), but was also too far gone to really care about it at this point.

Down in the bar, the crowds were all celebrating because a couple who is well known to our group had just gotten engaged, and everyone was buying them champagne to celebrate.  Very funny, as the man is one half of a set of twins, who both started dating lovely girls at the same time.  Now that one set is engaged, I'm sure there's going to be a lot of pressure on the second one to follow suit!  The announcement didn't come as a surprise to anyone really, except perhaps the bride herself who noted that despite how they've been living together for a year, the chap managed to make it a complete surprise and catch her off-guard.  They are a really lovely couple though, and they are one of the few where I have no doubts they will have a long and happy life together.  They just suit each other so well.

My memories of course become very fuzzy at this point, except to note that I did find myself deep in conversation with the American, where he surprised me by announcing that he thought to run for office (his long-term ambition is to be a politician), he thought he'd have to run as a Democrat.  Given that he usually stands for all the Republican, flag-waving, chest-thumping cruelty that I abhor, this announcement came as quite a shock.  He explained it as his liberal social views (pro-gay marriage, abortion and the like) were very Democratic, even if his small government views were very Republican.  But without the social issues he realised, there was no way he could manage to get elected as a Republican, so being a Democrat it would have to be.

Somewhere around 3 AM, it finally occurred to me that I had to be on the 9:12 train from Paddington in the morning, and so I really needed to go home.  I'm not sure if I said my good-byes to anyone, but stumbled out to the night bus (I really should have gotten a taxi), and made it all of the way back to the Hammersmith Bus Station.  Where, in a sign of how intoxicated I was, I decided that I needed to go to McDonald's at that point for a hamburger.

Imagine my surprise then, when at 3 AM I ran into someone at the McDonald's who I knew!  Charming chap from the club, and we had a good time teasing each other about how we had just been out at fancy dinners, both of us at different events, and now here we were at McDonald's at 3 AM.

We both knew we had to be at Henley in the morning, so we ate our burgers and then big each other adieu, while I walked back home.  Once I got there, in my drunken state I was very tempted to write to the Irish Boy, but some teeny rational part of my brain made me write out the e-mail and leave it unsent on my desktop.  And then I took a shower (why?) and collapsed into bed.

Happy 4th of July!

Despite that I saw Joel just last week at my birthday, he surprised me by saying that we should meet again for drinks only a week later, because we hadn't gotten enough one-on-one time with each other.  Given that I often struggle to nail Joel down more than once a month, this was surprising, particularly when he so urgently called me over the course of a few days trying to catch me to arrange it.  I feel like something is going on with Joel, but in a rare circumstance, I find myself lacking my usual ESP with regards to him, and so I'm not quite sure what it is.

In the morning he called me, which always makes me nervous with Joel, as he's far too often calling to cancel.  Indeed, when I answered the phone, the first thing he said was, "It's not a complete disaster!"  (Not quite the words any girl hopes to hear when you're supposed to be going out that evening).  Apparently he'd forgotten to wear a suit to work and now needed to go home anyway, and so suggested that instead of meeting at the club for drinks, we instead meet at his place for pizza and beer.  Actually quite a nice alternate plan, so I agreed.

In the afternoon, I went to the gym, accepted many kind wishes for a happy 4th of July from those people who remembered I'm an American, and then went and bought some Sam Adams beer at the store.  It was insanely expensive (£1.99 per bottle of beer!) but I figured we needed to have a real American beer today.

I got quite a laugh then when a few hours later Joel called to push back our meeting time (as I had suspected he might) and then urged me to bring some beer, which I told him I'd already taken care of, that the American lagers were currently cooling in my fridge.  To which Joel laughed and said, "Well, that's because you are just the perfect human."

Finally it was time for us to meet, so I set out for Putney.  Yet, because this is Joel, he can't just be like a normal person and tell me his address.  It's one of his stranger personality quirks, but Joel never tells anyone where he lives, to the point where many people have wondered if he's homeless.  Every single time I've gone to meet Joel at a place he lives, he's insisted on meeting me in some public place and then leading me to the location, as though I'm some sort of Red Cross worker who needs to be blindfolded to go meet the hostages.  At least I do get to see where he lives however, as everyone else claims that plans to go see his place always seem to fall through at the last minute.  He's even had entire relationships lasting nearly a year, where the girl has never seen his place.  It's bizarre.

I found myself waiting at the station for quite a bit then while I waited for Joel to turn up, sending him text messages the entire time about how he was a weirdo and he should just tell me his address.  He finally arrived however, we walked to the local Dominos to pick out a pizza, and then realising that we had 10 minutes to wait while it cooked, we went out and enjoyed beers at a pub nearby in the sunshine.

I talked a bit about my job, engaging in my usual tactics to get Joel to talk, making the conversation seem about myself and give him openings to talk about what's on his mind.  Another one of Joel's quirks (and where so many girls go wrong with him), is that he's the classic introvert and you can't just ask him questions outright, particularly about anything personal.  You have to get him to relax and open up, to the point where he doesn't know how he's told you so much.

He talked quite a bit about a friend in Greece who is getting married soon, where he is the best man and he wants to organise a stag weekend in London.  He brushed aside my concerns that women don't go on stag weekends, assuring me it wouldn't be like that, he wanted a mixed group of old Cambridge friends, and he wanted me there.  (Even though, to be honest, I don't know the groom that well!)

When we had finished our drinks, we got the pizza and walked back to Joel's place, which turned out to be a stunningly beautiful one-bedroom garden flat.  I was so stunned that he lived in such a nice place, it came as a real shock.  Who knew this is where Joel was hiding?

We got our pizza and beers and sat out in the back garden, enjoying the sunshine and the space, and the beautiful roses blooming everywhere.  When it got darker and the bugs started coming out, we moved inside and continued chatting, where I got to hear a bit more about his current relationship, a girl who he likes but doesn't see a future with.

Although to be honest, with Joel, that is every girl.  He's a bit like George Clooney that way, in that he's actually quite happy to just perpetually be in relationships that don't lead to marriage and children.  I know he's a bit turned off by the idea due to the fact that his parents are divorced and actively loathe each other, he's only known marriage to end badly and horribly.

Yet it's more than that as well, as Joel hates letting anyone in.  He claims the current girl is fine with his reluctance to talk or share his thoughts on almost anything, although that did make me wonder, "What on earth do you two talk about?"  He apparently even went on a "meet the parents" weekend recently, which I always feel is a bit deceptive with Joel, as I think it leads all the parties involved to think he's more invested in the relationship than he really is.

In the end, as it was getting late, he walked me back to the Tube, talking along the way about how his divorced sister had a girlfriend who claimed their are "givers" and "drainers" in the world, and the problem is that their are too many "drainers" who are attracted to "givers".  And of course, he put me on the "giver" side.  He may be right about that, but I assured him that all of the self-centred "drainers" still do provide me with amusement and entertainment, so I'm happy keeping them around.

When we got to the Tube, he surprised me as well by instead of leaving me at the gates, using his Oyster card to go past the barriers and up to the Tube platform with me,  Where we stood looking out over the city skyline that we could see in the distance, standing together and pointing out the sights, until the train arrived and he put me on it.

I never did quite figure out what was going on in Joel's mind, except that he assured me that he wanted to see me more frequently, that every time we get together he remembers how much he enjoys being with me.  And then when I got home, I found he'd written to me:

"Last night was SO lovely, Miss L, thank you.

You actually became the first person I’ve had round to Putney ever, so I hope this emphasises your substantial importance in Joeland."

As I told him back, I think we're just both quite lucky that the person we like most seems to feel equally the same back about us.  And perhaps this is why Joel likes me so much, in that he doesn't like to let anyone in, but somehow turned around and found me already there, after a decade of just determinedly not letting him go.  And so if I am the only person he lets in, who really "gets" him, well then even if he never marries or settles down or anything like that, I have a feeling I will always be the most important girl in Joel's life...  

The movie set

The fun of the evening didn't end there however, as when I got back home, I found I was blocked from going home by a movie production filming at the end of my street!  So I got to stand around while I saw Kate Hudson and James Franco film scenes for a movie.  Kind of surreal and weird, as so much was set up to happen, from the fake moonlight to the extras standing to the side, ready to walk across the scene at the essential moment.  A strange 30-minute delay in getting home, but quite fascinating watching how movies get made!  Watch out for "Good People", coming to theatres in 2014!