Cheers!

Last week, I questioned Ideas Girl about the lack of work events over the past few months. She promised to see if she could arrange one for this month, but i held out little hope. However, on Monday, IG pinged me and said that she'd gotten permission. Could I suggest anywhere? I gave off a couple of suggestions and left it at that.

24 hours later, I was chatting to Stalky Guy "complaining" about IG going quiet when an email from our organising committee landed in my inbox.

Next Friday then.

I quickly messaged the usual group of people about going out. IG was saying that the funding was our social events was being slashed, so it makes sense (to me) that we get numbers out to show that we still want these events.

Quiet Girl is on holiday, but I sent her a text message. She was quick to reply. She wants to come out, too.

Hopefully next Friday will be fun. 

Cautiously optimistic.

So the guy came out yesterday and took some measurements for the work I want done. I'm clueless when it comes to even guessing what this type of thing costs, but I had a random number in my head. I was chatting to G about it on Saturday. The number is my "I can definitely afford this" number. Any more than that and I would have to put some thought into maybe tailoring the work - getting less done or something. However, randomly, in a general conversation, the guy mentioned my number when chatting about something else.

"Oh, your work will be less than that," he was quick to clarify.

But he couldn't give me the quote there and then. He had a couple of things to do first, but he'd call me back.

Well... he did this morning. However I don't have the final price. He's given me the quote for the things I want done, but I also require some building work that he can't give me a figure for. If this extra work adds another 20%, then I'll be more than happy. That'll still be under my number and affordable.

I've got an email out there for another quote, but the base price from yesterday's guy seems fine to me, the materials are good quality (I did some online research) and both CC and S have used this company before, so I have confidence in the quality. 

The work won't be done until the end of the summer, which is disappointing, but the important bit is that it's done before the winter sets in. 

By the power...

I've said before that I'm not a He-Man fan in any shape or form. It was a cartoon from my childhood that I never got that excited by.

 

But, you know,  I might be tempted to go to the cinema to watch this for obvious reasons.

Checking in?

Remember the WhatsApp chat I mentioned a few weeks back? There's still no activity in it. The people who have started it have taken no responsibility at all for trying to arrange something. Why even bother?

Family ties.

I went to my sister's with a view to chat about some family stuff and ended up at my Dad's doing a clear out of the roof space.

We've thrown out a lot of stuff over the past few weeks. My Dad is a hoarder - though not one of those hardline ones that you see on TV. However, we did still throw out several TVs that were at least 30 years old.

I also found (and kept)  a few things from my school days. Specifically, FP and I arranged our end-of-school social - a party at a local nightclub with a live band and a DJ. As part of the clearout, I found some posters we'd created. We had grander schemes than just inviting our school which didn't really work out. But FP and I still ended up selling hundreds of tickets. Not bad for a Tuesday night.

I should photograph them and put them on social media. 

Happy talk?

We were only out for a few hours, but G is always good company. Our family situations, with respect to some family members, is almost identical, so we were swapping news and information based on that.

Additionally, he was telling me stories of his recent family holiday, which involved New York. I've posted before about NY being somewhere I'd like to visit, so I told him I was jealous and got some suggestions from him about things to do etc.

As I said above, we were only out for a few hours - a couple of drinks in total - but it was tough leaving the bar. I could easily have sat there for another few hours, putting the world to rights. 

Woah.

Another out of the blue text! This time from G.

We're going to meet for a coffee or a drink later this afternoon.

Very unexpected (I wasn't expecting him home again until next month) but very welcome.

Oddly optimistic.

Out of the blue, I got a text message from KfW2 last night.

"I still haven't forgotten. I think I'm free soon."

It's related to me "demanding" to take her out for food and drinks for her birthday. I'm delighted. For the past few years, this is something that drags on for months. And she insists that it's a joint day out to celebrate her birthday and mine. I don't really like this aspect of it. I want to treat her. We don't buy each other gifts, but pre-Covid, we would buy each other dinner.

But it's entirely possible that we could be doing something within a few weeks. Yay! 

WTAF?

Remember a while back I said I'd like to go to more gigs? Well, I've not done too badly, since I made that a goal. I could do more, and I will, but I've been to more gigs in the past 12 months than probably the previous decade.

Anyway, a band I like will be in town in September. I've just found this out. Tickets are already limited availability. I checked anyway.

£236 

Two hundred and thirty six pounds. 

What the actual fuck? 

Dream Girl.

Last night was a bit of a strange mish-mash of dreams. Plenty of people featured, but the context around most of them has already faded. The one aspect of the dream that I do still, sort of, remember featured CH.

We were at a bar, chatting. I think I mentioned something about the number of people who had been convinced that KfW2 and I were dating over the years. Not people who knew us directly, but those who kinda, sorta knew us and saw us out and about together.

In the dream, CH said something like:

"Yeah, I get that. I often have to correct people about my relationship with a close friend." 

I looked at her.

"You, dummy." She punched my arm.

Then she pulled me in and gave me a long, lingering hug.

I think there was more to it, but that's the bit I remember.

I do miss CH sometimes, but I think that's more the ambiguous touching/flirting and my attraction to her that went on rather than who she was as a person or a friend. Or the fact that it was clear that she had feelings for me. I can't remember the last time I had that, and it would be nice if I had that again. As a friend, I don't think she brought that much to the table.

But here are a few photos of Alison Brie in her "squint and she kinda gives off CH vibes" era. (I think it's definitely the smile.)

 I think my head might have exploded had CH worn a dress like that second picture.

Let's go!

Yesterday I sent off my first request for a quote for a big piece of work for the house. It's something I've tried, on and off, to get done for about 5 years. I've pivoted slightly this time. Instead of repairs, I'm just going for full replacement.

I got an email back, quite quickly, saying they'd call to arrange a date and time. Just waiting for that call to come in. 

Once I get that sorted, I'll see if I can get a second or third quote. But, much like the heating upgrade I got done before Xmas, if the first quote comes in around a figure I have in my head, I'm likely to just go ahead with it.