Working the core.

D prompted FBS for some dates where we could go out, but it transpires that she's not available until the start of July, with travel plans and family commitments.

I messaged D separately and suggested if he wanted to meet for drinks, seeing as he's in town, I'd be more than happy to meet up. He said that Friction Guy was going to the same day time thing that D was, so there's a real possibility that he could also tag along.

Out of all of us who worked in the same place all those years ago: me, D, FBS, Friction Guy, QC2 and Opinionated Guy, I'd say that me, D and Friction Guy would be the core group (from my perspective). It'd be nice to head out, just the three of us. It must be 20 years since that happened.

Back to back.

I did another few hours at my Dad's house today. It's good to see the work having a real impact and the back garden looks presentable again after years of neglect. However, the fact of the matter is that my back is in worse shape than I realised.

While I woke this morning in better shape than I had anticipated, it didn't take too long for the discomfort to kick in. Specifically, the walk to my Dad's house. It's not that far: just under a mile and a half and it's pretty level. So, not that taxing a walk. But my back was already starting to give me grief.

So three hours later with some mild physical labour and the return journey and I can barely move. I definitely need to call my GP and see about getting this fixed.

FFS?

OK, so I take it back. No sooner had I posted my last blog entry than my sister texted. She was already on her way to my house to pick me to head to Dad's.

We got a couple of hours work done, but there's much more to do. A lot more than I had realised. My back's also taken a beating. So while I can feel a slight burn of sunburn (it was a really nice day here), I can also feel my back start to stiffen and become sore. That's not going to be great tomorrow. 

FFS.

Today didn't get off to a great start. Remember that 4 AM call? Well, technical issues meant I couldn't get online. I gave up after two and a half hours. I went back to bed, tried to sleep (unsuccessfully) and got up at 9 AM. I was able to log on, but the call had long ended and all the tasks required of me had been done by other people.

I sent an email to my manager. I'm not expecting fallout to come my way, but it's always best to be transparent. The fact I couldn't log on or get any kind of tech support is worth reporting regardless.

I also had to phone my sister. She was meant to call and let me know if she was going to be at my Dad's house. She's the only one with a key. I was semi-surprised not to have heard from her by now, so I called. She wasn't feeling well, had yet to decide if she was going to go to Dad's and would let me know.

But now I kinda feel like I can't do anything myself. I could do some gardening or go shopping, but a call could come in at any time. That's frustrating. My sister is always like this: unreliable and uncommunicative. It doesn't help when you're relying on her to make a decision/plans and she can't communicate.

Quick Digest

I did call KfW2 at lunch and we spent 20 mins or so, chatting. I think that's the the first time we've spoken since I was at her house about 2 months ago. Our calls and texts are getting more infrequent, and she doesn't really interact on social media any more (not that I am massively active on Facebook). I should follow up over the weekend see about getting her out properly for food and drinks.

I also did get the gardening done. Well, about 80% of it. I have some tidying up to do, but the equipment I need to do it is at my Dad's house. I'm meant to be heading over there tomorrow, so I could get the work done by the end of the weekend.

FBS has already replied to D's text message saying she's unavailable on the day that D's suggested for drinks, but she's not offered up any alternatives.

And finally, thanks to some guy in work who's been a massive PITA over the past few weeks, I have a work call to attend tomorrow morning at 4AM. FFS. These use to be fairly regular when I was in the same team as Stalky Guy, but in my current team, these are almost unheard of. 

Let's go!

D's just sent a message. Do we want to meet for drinks at the end of next month? I've checked my diary and I've got nothing on, so I've replied that I'd be interested.

Blast from the past.

Years ago, when I was an active participant in online dating, I got a message from a woman on OK Cupid. That was unusual. Women, in my experience, never open a conversation or make the first move. It was a "proper" website, too. Not an app. So there was no "match" to indicate a message was incoming.

Anyway, she seemed pretty, had decent curves and great, colourful hair. When I shared her pictures with USHW, she admitted to some hair envy. We messaged for a bit. She seemed fun, had a decent sense of humour but there wasn't that level of attraction that wanted me to take it further. The conversation fizzled out after a couple of days, IIRC.

Another point worth mentioning that is pertinent is that pretty much every bar in my hometown these days has some kind of music act on: guitarists or DJs. And they're loud.

So when one of my favourite bars in Belfast (the one where I had my actual date with Recruitment Bird) posted on Facebook about a new all-female DJ collective, I nearly passed it by. The "music" scene in my hometown is a scourge if all you want to do is meet friends and chat. But one of those women looks familiar. It has been ten years, but is it?

Yes, it is! The girl from OK Cupid with the hair! 

Whoops.

Bugger. I told KfW2 that I'd call her last night and I completely forgot. We've played phone tennis over the past week. She texted me, for the first time in ages, last Friday around this time. So that started the phone tennis. I've got another half day off work today, so I'll give her a call at lunchtime before I start the gardening. 

Chillax.

It's been a long week, so I've taken an afternoon off. It's not costing me any time because, as I said, it's been a long week - literally. I could have pocketed the time and used it later, but it's a dry day. I'm waiting on a package being delivered - some of those clothes I mentioned a few posts back then I'll head to the local shopping centre to do some shopping (more of those clothes I mentioned a while back).

I have another half day tomorrow, but that's been earmarked for the gardening work that I want to complete when it's still meant to be nice, but a little bit warmer and more conducive to being outside because it's a bit chilly today despite the sunshine.

Not quite right...

I can't remember if I've posted about this before, but I had a random memory earlier today about a Saturday afternoon spent with FBS and a few others in the pub. The night before, I had been at D's house, having beers and playing video games.

I seem to recall D making a point about FBS being out with BW and a few others and why I wasn't with them. D was one of the few people who knew that FBS and I had been fucking. I knew he knew. He knew that I knew he knew, but still, I never really admitted it to anyone.

So, the next day, I arrived at FBS's house, which we'd preplanned. We were meeting D and others in town. Why I was at FBS's and not D's, who only lived two streets over, and closer to my house is lost in the mists of time.

I knocked on the door and BW answered. I can't say I was surprised. I would say that 90% of the time BW went to a bar, he went with a plan to meet a girl. He didn't know about FBS and I, so to the best of his knowledge, FBS was available. I'm willing to bet that he'd tried it on. 

He had kipped on the sofa. FBS was nowhere to be seen. It was silent. I couldn't even tell if she was still asleep. But it was rapidly approaching lunchtime and I wanted to get into town, grab a bite somewhere and hit the pub.

While BW made himself presentable and tidied the sofa, I went upstairs and knocked on FBS's bedroom door.

"Are you awake?"

"Yes. C'mon in."

FBS was lying in bed.

"Get your arse out of bed. It's time to meet the rest."

It wasn't really. We had about an hour or so, but that allowed time for FBS to get ready, perhaps shower and get a bus into town.

"Yes, well, not with you watching. Turn around."

I'd forgotten that FBS had made two surprising claims about her sleeping habits. The first was that she didn't have a "side" of the bed. She just went to bed on whatever side was closest when she was ready. The other was that she slept naked. 

I'd already seen her naked at this point, but this was months after we'd last spent the night together. She wrapped herself in a dressing gown and opened her wardrobe.

"Is BW still downstairs?"

"Yeah."

"OK, I'll get ready. Go downstairs, I'll be 20 minutes."

The thing is, while I am 100% that this happened, some of the details of my memory feel off... not quite right. Like the night with D, playing video games, feels like it was the middle of winter, while the next day arriving at FBS's house feels like today: not quite spring, but dry, bright and just a little cold. Given our recent history and how it ended - I wouldn't say I ghosted FBS, but we didn't spend a lot of time alone once she admitted she wanted more than just casual sex - so me turning up at her house months after we last fucked and being cheeky enough to walk into her bedroom and demand she got out of bed also feels off.

Ah well, it's a pleasant memory nonetheless. 

Confused.

A few months ago, I pondered on the blog about the attractive blonde woman that I knew from primary school selling a car due to moving to Australia and her subsequent (and ongoing) presence in my online dating feeds.

And today, on Facebook, she pops up again, this time with a link to an estate agent, selling a house. A very nice house, too. Is it hers or is she doing someone a favour?

The ongoing online dating presence doesn't seem to align with a move to Australia, and her online dating presence doesn't give off "casual" vibes either which is the only way I could see emigration tie into online dating.