Something for the weekend
Aug. 18th, 2003 03:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lprovenI've had a lot of work on this week, which is pretty unusual for me, but should help stave off insolvency a little longer. But it did mean I was ready for Friday night.
Well, kinda sortof. In the end, I went out for a quick couple of after-work drinks with my client, making me about 1½h late for stage 2 - going home, getting changed, and getting out again. Instead of my planned Cheap Curry™ in Tooting, I grabbed 2 pasties from the West Cornwall Pastie Co. in Wimbledon Station. I actually got time to eat one 30min later, after dashing home, showering, changing, and legging it for the Tube. My appetite continues to shrink: last year, 2 of these pasties was a snack. Now, I can only eat one.
Met![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mmcpoland and drpete for her birthday drinkie in what used to be the Flyman and Firkin on Shaftesbury Ave. We used to go drinking there a lot, 10y ago; I held my 1-year-on "I'm still alive!" party there on the first anniversary of my bike crash, and my mate John (of whom more anon) held several bashes there too. First place I met the future Mrs alexpiom, for example. Now it's an O'Neills, but with some actual Irish staff and draught Murphy's. I'm almost getting to like this chain; the last couple of traumatic meet-ups with kjersti have been in O'Neills pubs. Still, no more of them for a while, I think... it's too much to take.
Then off to Dead & Buried, since She had said that They were going to Perversion instead. Spent most of the night talking with the newly-single Sam-the-triker, which was very pleasant. I appear to have agreed to go touring Europe with her, on 6 wheels between us, next year sometime. Also nattered with Nic D and_ladylazarus_ and bencurthoys and rataxis and sheridanwilde. Good night. I miss gothery; I need to do more, if only I can find ways to avoid Stuff™. Nightbus home for 5am.
Saturday dawned bright and early. Well, about 9am anyway. This not-sleeping thing is weird. Up, showered, washed and dressed half an hour early for my lift to John & Dr Bev's wedding party. Said lift then failed top appear 'til 45min later due to a traffic jam near Wimbledon. I warned them, too.
This was my first sight of Howard's latest car - a 4yo black Jaguar XJR. 4l and 340bhp, with a white leather interior and 80s indie on the stereo. Very impressive, to be honest, even if not my sort of thing at all. Slightly less comfy than it might have been crammed in with Howard, Mike, Charlie and Yvonne, but hey.
A splendid display of inept navigation - not by me, for once - found us in Horley 45min later, where we checked into the guesthouse, and waited for a taxi. And waited. And waited.
Arrived at the 3pm party at about 4:15, beating several people to it, includingdrpete and mmcpoland and Sarah-the-jeweller. (Anyone who's seen my necklace, made from a screw which formed part of my left ankle for some months, has seen her work.) Apparently, several people lost bets on me as I was less than 2h late. Pah.
The party was fun. I knew half or more of the people there - John's mum, dad, sister, several of Bev's college mates and almost all John's mates. (Includingmeryc and hsw.) Those I'd arrived with knew me and John and Pete and Moz, mainly... and no-one else. So by about 9pm, as the evening deteriorated into pogoing, headbanging and air guitar (so nice to see the young people enjoying themselves, I feel, even if it is through a veil of damp hair - *G* and indeed \m/ )... many people departed for the last trains to London. A great evening. I was there when John & Bev met; their wedding, on Friday, was on their tenth anniversary. Aaaaaaah.
Their first dance was a bit too emotionional for me to handle, though. I had to go outside for a few moments alone. That was going to be me in a year, that was, once. I didn't wish to spoil their happiness by crying at them. Many thanks to the wonderful Chris Bell for consoling thoughts and supportive hugs.
I was the last one back to the guesthouse and the first one up and at breakfast. This is not normal.
Sunday, Howard, Mike and I returned to their old Uni-days stomping grounds of Guildford, where we pottered around the shops, had a very pleasant pint, natter, pint, read of Sunday papers, pint and and lunch on the banks of the Wey in the sun. Three miersable old bachelors together, discussing life, the state of the world and any young women within viewing distance.
After a lift back to the Smoke, I took to the Tube forGOC Islington for mr_tom's flatwarming party, no thanks to sneerpout who returned my messages to give me directions after I had actually arrived at the party. Cheers, Alison. :¬) (I mock unfairly; she had her phone off.) I was, of course, fashionably late, by a scant 5h or so.
Here, I found many of the usual suspects -flickgc, childeric, swisstone, jhaelan, kitty_goth, mouseboks, julietk, shadow_jess and undoubtedly many more. I also had the pleasure of meeting mr_flay properly. I met various non-LJ types, too, some of whom were also significantly cute, which is a Good Thing. I drank everything in sight and a very pleasant evening resulted.
Thanks, Tom!
Well, kinda sortof. In the end, I went out for a quick couple of after-work drinks with my client, making me about 1½h late for stage 2 - going home, getting changed, and getting out again. Instead of my planned Cheap Curry™ in Tooting, I grabbed 2 pasties from the West Cornwall Pastie Co. in Wimbledon Station. I actually got time to eat one 30min later, after dashing home, showering, changing, and legging it for the Tube. My appetite continues to shrink: last year, 2 of these pasties was a snack. Now, I can only eat one.
Met
mmcpoland and drpete for her birthday drinkie in what used to be the Flyman and Firkin on Shaftesbury Ave. We used to go drinking there a lot, 10y ago; I held my 1-year-on "I'm still alive!" party there on the first anniversary of my bike crash, and my mate John (of whom more anon) held several bashes there too. First place I met the future Mrs alexpiom, for example. Now it's an O'Neills, but with some actual Irish staff and draught Murphy's. I'm almost getting to like this chain; the last couple of traumatic meet-ups with kjersti have been in O'Neills pubs. Still, no more of them for a while, I think... it's too much to take.Then off to Dead & Buried, since She had said that They were going to Perversion instead. Spent most of the night talking with the newly-single Sam-the-triker, which was very pleasant. I appear to have agreed to go touring Europe with her, on 6 wheels between us, next year sometime. Also nattered with Nic D and
_ladylazarus_ and bencurthoys and rataxis and sheridanwilde. Good night. I miss gothery; I need to do more, if only I can find ways to avoid Stuff™. Nightbus home for 5am.Saturday dawned bright and early. Well, about 9am anyway. This not-sleeping thing is weird. Up, showered, washed and dressed half an hour early for my lift to John & Dr Bev's wedding party. Said lift then failed top appear 'til 45min later due to a traffic jam near Wimbledon. I warned them, too.
This was my first sight of Howard's latest car - a 4yo black Jaguar XJR. 4l and 340bhp, with a white leather interior and 80s indie on the stereo. Very impressive, to be honest, even if not my sort of thing at all. Slightly less comfy than it might have been crammed in with Howard, Mike, Charlie and Yvonne, but hey.
A splendid display of inept navigation - not by me, for once - found us in Horley 45min later, where we checked into the guesthouse, and waited for a taxi. And waited. And waited.
Arrived at the 3pm party at about 4:15, beating several people to it, including
drpete and mmcpoland and Sarah-the-jeweller. (Anyone who's seen my necklace, made from a screw which formed part of my left ankle for some months, has seen her work.) Apparently, several people lost bets on me as I was less than 2h late. Pah.The party was fun. I knew half or more of the people there - John's mum, dad, sister, several of Bev's college mates and almost all John's mates. (Including
meryc and hsw.) Those I'd arrived with knew me and John and Pete and Moz, mainly... and no-one else. So by about 9pm, as the evening deteriorated into pogoing, headbanging and air guitar (so nice to see the young people enjoying themselves, I feel, even if it is through a veil of damp hair - *G* and indeed \m/ )... many people departed for the last trains to London. A great evening. I was there when John & Bev met; their wedding, on Friday, was on their tenth anniversary. Aaaaaaah. Their first dance was a bit too emotionional for me to handle, though. I had to go outside for a few moments alone. That was going to be me in a year, that was, once. I didn't wish to spoil their happiness by crying at them. Many thanks to the wonderful Chris Bell for consoling thoughts and supportive hugs.
I was the last one back to the guesthouse and the first one up and at breakfast. This is not normal.
Sunday, Howard, Mike and I returned to their old Uni-days stomping grounds of Guildford, where we pottered around the shops, had a very pleasant pint, natter, pint, read of Sunday papers, pint and and lunch on the banks of the Wey in the sun. Three miersable old bachelors together, discussing life, the state of the world and any young women within viewing distance.
After a lift back to the Smoke, I took to the Tube for
mr_tom's flatwarming party, no thanks to sneerpout who returned my messages to give me directions after I had actually arrived at the party. Cheers, Alison. :¬) (I mock unfairly; she had her phone off.) I was, of course, fashionably late, by a scant 5h or so.Here, I found many of the usual suspects -
flickgc, childeric, swisstone, jhaelan, kitty_goth, mouseboks, julietk, shadow_jess and undoubtedly many more. I also had the pleasure of meeting mr_flay properly. I met various non-LJ types, too, some of whom were also significantly cute, which is a Good Thing. I drank everything in sight and a very pleasant evening resulted. Thanks, Tom!
