Answer me this.

The pub quiz was a fund raiser for my niece’s school's PTA. Disappointingly, it seemed that only my sister brought along extra people. The only other representatives were the PTA itself. They weren't the only ones in the quiz - it was a public bar, so plenty of non-associated people were there, so the numbers were good.

One of the PTA members was this super cute, petite, blonde woman, who looked roughly my age and drew my attention for a good portion of the evening, until I saw the wedding ring. Shame.

The quiz was great fun. I always enjoy a pub quiz. I'm not bad at them, but it's a team effort and we managed to come second, losing out on first place on the penultimate question. Still... 

Doing the do.

I dreamed of K last night. I don't know what prompted it, but in the dream, we never drifted apart after sleeping together and instead formed a great FwB thing. We'd visit each other every few months and do what FwBs do, and it was all very chill and fun.

There didn't seem to be a point or a conclusion to the dream. I woke before anything like that happened, if it was even going to, but my sleep quality last night was awful.

Great success!

Well, the good news is that I am hangover-free this morning, despite drinking from 3 PM until midnight, and having several sambucas and tequilas, courtesy of my nephew.

I'm still muggy in the head and I am literally only awake about 30 minutes. I'll need a lot of coffee today, and despite my lack of hangover, I'm still glad I took today off work.

I was also a little apprehensive about the party. The last time my sister hosted a party, I spent the entire evening feeling out of sorts: lonely and a couple of other, vague, unidentified feelings. That didn't happen this time around, and the party was great, so all-in-all a great success.

Cheers!

Double birthday party today and it's going to be a very drunken affair. I'm not looking forward to tomorrow, though I do have the day off work, just in case. I can't remember the last time I was drunk, properly drunk, not just tipsy drunk. The last time I was tipsy drunk was probably out with KfW2 for lunch and drinks a few months back.

But otherwise, I've not drank that much alcohol this year nor have I been out a lot. 

Who dis?

I was lying in bed this morning, browsing Reddit when I came across this picture: 

It's someone called Ava Moore, but I know nothing more than that other than she looks very pretty and gives me vibes of someone I know, but can't put my finger on.

Let's go.

Despite work being an absolute clusterfuck at the moment, I've just signed off for a long weekend. None of it is my fault, I was just managing the solutions, and I've left those in other, capable, hands.

After my trip to see Superman yesterday, I had toyed with going to see Fantastic Four today, but apathy has kicked in. I have a double birthday party to attend on Sunday, which might get messy, hence the day off on Monday. But it should be fun. 

Is it a bird?

I'm just back from seeing the new Superman film. It's not bad. Rachel Brosnahan is lovely though.

Planning ahead.

I think the loneliness is really kicking in at the moment. There are some social things happening soon, though not all of them are going to be "meeting new people" events. There is a pub quiz and a work thing, though the work thing will probably be spent most just bantering with Quiet Girl. I've not seen anyone at work in a long time who has piqued genuine interest.

There is, of course, Quiet Girl's friend, though I don't know if she's going to be in attendance this year nor can I say for certain that her interest was real, or if it was a drunken dream that masqueraded as a memory. And I don't know if I'm intrigued because of the uncertainty or if I am genuinely interested. I don't think I am. At least not in dating. Maybe something physical/casual? I don't know.

August is looking very quiet. I have extremely tentative plans with KfW2, but that's it, and I can't arrange anything until she comes home from holidays at the end of the month.

Wanderlust.

More desire, of a sort. Wanderlust has returned, presumably as a result of watch the video below: 24hrs Flying First Class from Australia to England. Partly driven by a desire to see E again, and possibly London Girl (see, I'm already semi-planning the trip in my head). And I'd love to do it first class, but do you know how much that would cost? £15,000. Fifteen grand! 

I wish I had the money where I could spend £15k on flights alone and not have to worry about anything.

Desire.

For some reason I woke up this morning with this desire to have a reunion of sorts with some Primary School friends. Only six people, though, including myself. The others consist of two guys (G and OSF) and the three women would be three women that I've blogged about before: one who reminds me of Cristin Milioti, a elfin-faced brunette woman (who was probably my first crush) and an athletic blonde (that everyone else seemed to crush on).

I've not seen any of the women in at least 20 years beyond Facebook posts from the latter two, but I have a gut feeling that it'd be a fun night out.

And I can't underestimate how strong this feeling was for the reunion. And before USHW pesters me elsewhere, no, I won't be reaching out to the women. I don't have contact details for OSF. I might give G a call though. It's long overdue. 

Heh.

I was trawling through some old emails earlier. I was looking for something related to FA2, though I can't actually remember what it was now. But I came across an email conversation with USHW that involved me making animal noises, which brought a smile. I'll not share the context.

Plans.

The end of the month is shaping up to be busy. I have a double birthday party to attend, a pub quiz and my work's summer party, with Quiet Girl. And I am wondering if QG's friend will show up, after last year's potential approach. I'm looking forward to it.

Stringing along.

Ages ago, I can't remember when, I blogged about QC3 wearing a strappy/stringy top but I could never find any pictures to show what I was trying (badly) to explain.

But today, I found this picture of Sarah Michelle Gellar that triggered a memory of that post and, well, here we are. These are the tops that QC3 used to wear... and wear well.

Lovely day.

I got another invite from my sister for another BBQ last night. I was quick to accept. The weather was glorious and I get on well with my sister. I've drank more in the past few days than I have in months. I'm feeling it a little today, but the weather's still nice so a couple of hours in the garden, chilling with a book will do the trick.

Pondering.

There was an outside chance that The Crowd were going to get together last night. As part of some messaging that was going on on Wednesday, FC suggested an impromptu meeting at CB Pub.

That would have worked in my favour. I could have done the walk with Nerdy Girl then met up with The Crowd afterwards.

But S was quick to cry off. to be fair, travelling to Bristol was a good excuse. GM though was another matter.

"Busy" He used more words, but that's what it boiled down to.

"Maybe we can schedule something in a few weeks?" I countered.

"Dunno, I don't get a lot of free time and I've just gotten a new puppy."

I get that people are busy, but that's the whole point of arranging something in the future, isn't it? To avoid conflicts. 

It kinda feels that he's avoiding any socialising [with us], and it's felt that way for some time. 

Next time.

I cancelled my walk with Nerdy Girl on Tuesday as I was feeling unwell. I had been feeling really queasy all day long. But we rescheduled for today. The weather was fantastic, so we did our walk and ended up, predictably, at CB Pub for a bite to eat and a drink. The pub was rammed.

I think the next time, we can definitely make an attempt at our original long-distance route.

Oh?

I wasn't looking forward to today. Without going into details, I was not expecting to hear from my sister, and that would mean she was putting in no effort on a day where, in my opinion, she should. A lack of effort would feed into my loneliness, and I've mentioned before that any time I see my sister, I'm the one making the effort.

But, no. I got a text message early from my sister inviting me to dinner, and that was a great start.

I was disappointed by KfW2's message, sent into one of our group WhatsApp chats instead of being sent directly. I never heard from G either, which is more than a little strange. But I also got a message from V, surprisingly. 

Tick.

I've been productive over the past few days, chalking off some tasks, hitting some personal goals and I'm feeling quite chuffed with myself.

My sleep continues to be awful.

But I'm due to meet with Nerdy Girl tonight for a walk. I'm looking forward to it because I've not seen her in weeks and the weather's great. While my foot injury is healed and I should make an attempt at our longer route, I'm more tempted by the shorter route and finishing at CB Pub for a drink and chat.

I can offset that by walking to and from CB Pub, just over a mile in each direction. 

Yeah. I'll do that. 

20 years.

Today is the 20th anniversary of the London bombings. A day that I spent trying to get a hold of G who worked and lived in London at that time. Luckily he was OK, but as a coincidence, that was a day he'd forgotten his phone and left it in the house. He walked past the scene of one of the bombings only 15 minutes earlier.

I also received a snotty message on MSN from K who seemed miffed that I'd not been trying to contact her to find out how she was.

"Yes, Ruuude. I'm fine. Nice of you to ask," was what she had messaged. Or at least that's close to it. She was nowhere near any of the trouble. I knew that. She knew that I knew that. ho hum. Women, eh?

Hurrah!

In a dramatic turn of events, the weather this coming week is meant to be great. That's in stark contrast to the forecast on Friday where it was meant to rain for most of the week. The reason that the weather is important is the fact that I've taken a week off work, and the good weather means that I can spend some time in the garden, chilling with a book.

I have other stuff I want to do (or at least start) this week, but the weather being good should help a little. Plus, who doesn't like sunny weather? 

Blast from the past.

It's SBF's birthday today, according to Facebook. I've not thought of her in ages. Her social media presence is practically zero and MMBF hasn't mentioned her in ages either. Nothing else worth noting, but Happy Birthday SBF. Still stunning looking.

Well suited.

I'm currently rewatching Elementary, the reimagining of Sherlock Holmes featuring Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu. It's OK, but I just wanted to voice my appreciation for the range of trouser suits that Lucy Liu's Joan Watson wears. Regular readers to this blog will know that I love a woman in a good fitted trouser suit.

Do it.

The little time we spent chatting alone on Monday night has only really given me a taste for more. 

I should message KfW2 and suggest something, but it'd likely be August before we can even think about it because she's off to France with her family at the end of next week.

All I Really Want.

KfW2 was on time, but she arrived with friends. This wouldn't be an issue if we saw each other more frequently, but when we're only seeing each other a few times a year, our time is at a premium. However, they were nice, we had a couple of drinks then they went on their way to the gig. So minimal disruption to my plans, but disruption nonetheless.

KfW2 and I stayed on at CB Pub for another few drinks before we ambled down. The conversation was interesting once her friends left. She admitted something. Something that she was worried about, that was out of character for her, that she'd apparently not told her husband. My take was that it was concerning, but probably not as bad as she was making out. She seemed to take that on board.

She asked me if she'd lost weight. I replied "yes" instantly because I had noticed it and was wondering how to bring it up.

"I see it in your face a little, " I explained.

Not the whole truth. I think she was a little less... busty... than I remember, too.

The conversation carried on. KfW2 continues to surprise me by knowing what to say because she mentioned that she was glad I invited her to the gig, not just to see Alanis Morissette, but to spend time with me.

"I love the time we spend together," she shared.

 I reciprocated the sentiment. We both know, but it's always nice to hear (and share). I've been feeling quite lonely and isolated this year, so it's reassuring to have someone say that.

The gig was good, but could have been a little better. We got a decent view and the sound was amazing for an outdoor gig. But the set list was missing a good few of my favourite songs, sadly, and it felt a little impersonal due to there being no real interaction with the crowd.

By the end of the gig, we had to return to CB Pub to meet KfW2's friends so she could get a lift home. At this stage, my stomach was really starting to play up, so the final drink we got wasn't really sitting well with me.

But we parted ways as they went off to get food. I got a hug and another reminder that she loves my company.

And that was it... something I've been waiting over six months for.

And despite the fact I only had about 4 drinks last night, I feel like it was about 10. I should have taken today off and had a lie in. Oh... and it did rain a little, but not enough to put a dampener on the evening.

Let's go.

I called KfW2 last night to nail down arrangements for later, as I promised I would on Thursday. She didn't pick up. At the moment, I'm going to assume our tentative plans haven't changed: meet at CB Pub for drinks around 6:30, then head to the gig after an hour or so. That means me leaving the house shortly after 6 PM.

The weather has changed, but not improved. There are no longer warnings for thunderstorms, but the rain seems to be pretty persistent from the time I'm meant to leave the house.

And, as of this moment,  it looks like I've avoided CC inviting herself along. I'm pretty sure the weather is a factor here. Princess CC wouldn't want to get wet.

Well then.

I had a dream last night about a night that actually happened. I might have already blogged about it, but I wanted to type this up before the details fade away.

I was out at a pub, with BW plus AM, QC1 and their respective partners. An old flame of BW's was out as well. We were out to see the band I posted about over the weekend, at the bar where I met R2.

But the main memories of the night were that I spent most of the night dancing away with a friend of BW's ex-girlfriend. From memory, she was an attractive brunette woman with a great figure. In the dream, it was TV weather forecaster Lucy Verasamy.

Ultimately, just like real life, nothing came of it beyond a quick kiss and lots of knowing looks from AM and QC1. 

But now that I think back, my vague memory of the woman in question, I do get Lucy Verasamy vibes off of her. Is that the influence of the dream of did they have similar vibes from a physical perspective?

Weather with you.

Moving quickly on, I have another gig to attend tomorrow night, this time with KfW2 as my guest. Currently, the plan is to meet at CB Pub, have a few drinks then head to the gig. I'm calling her later to finalise the plans.

I've seen what's likely to be the setlist and I'm kinda disappointed, but I'm also still super excited. The weather's meant to be awful, too. I've been keeping an eye on the weather for a few days and despite it being changeable, it's stubbornly meant to be raining from mid-afternoon through to the end of the concert.

But still... an artist I've wanted to see for many years and some time out with KfW2? I can't wait. 

Ho hum.

Sadly, the gig tonight is sold out. I'm not sure how I feel about going to such a gig on my own, but I still would. I've been to much larger gigs by myself - music, comedy etc. so this wouldn't be out of the ordinary except for the size: a few hundred people, tops.

And Quiet Girl wasn't in touch either. So it looks like it's an evening on the sofa or gaming for me. 

Taps foot.

One of my favourite bands is playing tonight, in CB Pub. I tried to get M to go to it, but he's not in the city this weekend, sadly.

Additionally, Quiet Girl suggested she'd let me know where she was going this weekend. There's a music festival on with plenty of gigs across the city this weekend. We're both fans of the genre, so she said if she was heading to a gig, she'd let me know. I've not heard anything from here, though. Not yet, anyway.

If there are any tickets left, I might go to the gig by myself, you know. 

Oh la la!

It's the weekend. It's been a long week and so to celebrate, here are some old pictures of Gillian Jacobs and Alison Brie when they were in Community.

Schlurring.

For years, while it was never a competition, KfW2 always complained that I drank her under the table when we went out for our adult days out. That's true. My tolerance is much higher than KfW2's, especially when gin is the drink. But she always thought I was sober, too. I wasn't, of course, but seemingly I didn't give off that vibe and was able to chat without issue.

However,  the past two times I've spoken with KfW2 she's been quick to call out that I've been drunk. And correctly too. It might only have been five pints this afternoon, but seeing as I've not been in the pub and awful lot recently and I don't drink in the house on my own, my tolerance is really low.

"You're drunk."

"Am I?"

"Yes, I can hear it in your voice." She laughed.

I protested, but she was correct.  Not drunk, but definitely tipsy. Five beers on a mostly empty stomach will do that.

However, we did make tentative plans for Monday's gig. And that's a start. 

Urgh.

All too quickly, the drunk-but-cute girl mentioned in my last post has already changed her mind about attending the work social event. The numbers are dropping, but we should still get enough people to justify the day out.

Additionally, I got no sleep last night and I've been feeling really off all day long. It's not just lack of sleep but a low-key general nausea, too. I took a few hours off work, so hopefully I'll feel much better tomorrow. 

Another blast from the past.

I've spent the last few weeks trying to arrange a team building thing for work. It's not team building per the more obvious thought like trust falls and guff like that, but doing something, like ten pin bowling then dinner and, if time allows, drinks.

I did the same when I worked alongside Stalky Guy and KfW2. I might be an introvert. I might have social anxiety issues. But I am social.

Anyway, I've kept my distance in the new team (I say "new" but I've been here for years now), not wanting to step on anyone's toes in the existing social status.

This time, however, I stepped up because no-one else seemed to be making any efforts and it's been a slog. Getting agreement or suggestions from people is like pulling teeth. But I persevered and we were due to do something on Thursday.

And then it all got pulled out from under me, mainly because two bosses had a clash. Not something they HAD to attend, but something they wanted to attend. And because of that, the other five of us have our plans changed.

However, a side effect of our plans changing is that we've extended invitations to other people, people in teams who work alongside us. And the newsworthy reason of this whole post? The drunk-but-cute girl from this post is supposed to attend. I don't think I've ever spoken to her, so that'll be interesting.

Phew!

It's an even warmer day today than it was yesterday. I've managed to get out for a short-ish walk (about a mile and a half) and I am soaking with sweat. I need to get out into the garden after work, too, cos it's starting to look messy. 

Hurray!

I've just been for my follow-up appointment about the long-term foot injury I have been complaining about and it appears that it's fully healed.

I think the consultant was surprised. I think I was surprised, even though I knew that I am pretty much pain-free, but I was still expecting some residual pain... you know, like being 90% of the way there, but not completely.

So, I'm pretty chuffed. I also got some exercise in, too. A 3 mile walk, no less. With the weather being great, I should get in touch with Nerdy Girl and attempt our 6-mile route next week and really test out the foot.

Remember? (cont'd)

E replied at 3 AM my time. It was interesting because she instantly knew the name of the guy that I'd spotted yesterday and it was the name that I ultimately remembered. But humourously she couldn't remember the name of the guy she slept with. At least not immediately. Another message came through a bit later when she had apparently eventually remembered his name, too. Fun times.

Remember?

When KfW2 and I were out for an adult afternoon just over 18 months ago, I surprised her by recognising a woman that we (me and my friends including G and BR) hung around with. She was a uni pal of G's. We briefly chatted, she introduced me to her partner (a stunning blonde woman) and her kids and she went on her way.

I explained who she was and how I knew her. KfW2 was incredulous.

"You recognised her after all this time?"

"Yeah."

"How?"

"I dunno. I just have a good memory."

And I do. Or I did. As I've posted on this blog, there are things I've simply forgotten about or am misremembering some details. But on the whole, it's still not bad. And, you know, this blog helps, too, to keep things fresh or remind me of things.

So, in a similar vein, I walked past a guy at lunchtime. He was familiar. He looked like he knew me, and it only took a few seconds for me to place him. He was one of the senior guys at the temp job where I met E. That's 25 years ago. I wanted to chat to him, but could I remember his name? Nope.

I got back to the office and texted E. It was 1 AM where she lives, so she was most likely asleep. I asked her did she know the names of the guys in the office. She'll definitely know the name of one guy - she slept with him a few times. But it's the other guy I'm interested in.

She's not yet replied, but I don't think she needs to any more. His name's just popped into my head.

Talent spotting.

It's 15 years to the day where I sat very close to local celebrity/model Orlaith McAllister in a hotel. I think a group of us from work, including S, had nipped out to watch some footy. A World Cup match, maybe? Regardless, I sat within a few metres of her, but never saw her as I had my back to her, all while S had a good perv.

OM is not my type, not in looks, but I admit to a little crush on her. I have seen her in real life at other times and she is very pretty in the flesh, but still... an element of frustration involved.

Sigh.

I took yesterday off work as a last-minute thing. I explained that I wasn't feeling well, and that was the truth. I didn't sleep particularly well and ended up with, at best, two hours sleep. With plenty of time off in the bank, I decided that I wasn't in the frame of mind to battle my way through a full day's worth of work.

I managed to get some chores done around the house, which helped, but I still haven't reached out to the tradesmen I need to do some upgrades to the house. I'm being swamped with work and family stuff even though I can go online and submit a form. I don't even have to phone them. I'm still feeling a little overwhelmed with it all at the moment, so if I can get some of this family stuff done, that'll free me (mentally) to think about my house. 

Waist of time

In recent days, both V and CH have appeared on various social media sites. V has appeared at her local country club looking really good. CH appeared as a result of her work. The notable thing was that CH was wearing a waistcoat. I've mentioned before that I like waistcoats on women, usually as part of the three-piece suit, which is super hot on women, IMO. But still, waistcoats are hot. 

But getting back to the actual photo, while I had my crush on her, I don't think that photos ever did CH justice. Kinda reminds me of CAB that way, too. Attractive, yes, but not photogenic.

Something to look forward to.

I'm going to blame my lack of willpower about helping CC on USHW. That might be harsh, but we were swapping messages yesterday and I mentioned that I wanted to get out of the house more, not just for exercise and fresh air but to socialise as well. And CC just happened to be the first person to afford me that opportunity.

Saying that, she got wind of my upcoming gig that I'm taking KfW2 to and decided that she might like to go to it, too. Classic CC... just inviting herself along. I fucking hate that. I should reach out to KfW2, just to remind her about the gig. It's less than 3 weeks away.

But the more noteworthy point about my conversation with USHW was that we've agreed to meet and we have a tentative set of dates in mind towards the end of the summer. We still need to finalise the details, but we can do that over the next few weeks. It'd be great to see her again and at least maintain our "every ten years" timescale for meeting in person.

Food for thought

I was going to open this post with a few vague innuendos about beds and screwing and mention CC, but I can't be arsed. So, dear reader, let me explain that, unsurprisingly, CC messaged me again asking for a favour. And I didn't fob her off with an excuse this time. I decided I would actually do her the favour of building some furniture for her project house.

In return, she bought me dinner. Delicious tacos. Mmmm...

Oh, and in semi-interesting news, her project house is a house I've been in before... about 20 years ago when QC1 asked me to help her look for houses in my area.

Oh dear.

CC called me in work. I missed the call because I didn't see the notification pop up. She was very snotty in her IMs.

"Call me"

So I did. Barring passing each other at work a few weeks ago, we'd neither seen nor spoken to each other in months. And I wasn't exactly missing her.

She cut right to the chase. 

"Are you busy tonight?"

"Yeah, I'm heading to my sis's"

"Oh, I needed you to do me a favour and help build/move furniture".

I suspected she was going to suggest meeting for dinner, not ask me for a favour after not seeing me for months. That's CC for you. I guess I should be glad I'm not attracted to her, or else I'd be in trouble. As USHW always said: I'm a sucker for a pretty face. That's not to say that CC is unattractive. She ticks a lot of boxes for my physical type. I'm just not attracted to her.

And speaking of USHW, she appeared in a dream last night. She was my "+1" at a wedding out of town, but somewhere along the way she disappeared and then I was playing footy with some people from work. And then USHW was back and... well, that's about it. I don't remember too many other details. My sleep pattern is still fucked though. 

Motivation.

One of the guys in work was talking about a local company who do bathroom remodelling. That's one of the things I have on my to-do list. The sums of money he was talking were surprisingly more affordable than I had realised (though still not a small amount of money). I should get them out to give me a quote on the work I'd like done to my house, and see if they have any interesting alternative ideas.

Zzzz.

This sleep thing is still an issue. As reported before, getting to sleep isn't an issue, but waking at 530 AM and struggling to get back to sleep is an issue.

However, the new mattress does appear to be paying dividends. My back is noticeably less sore than before. I still need to be more active, and that's proving more difficult to motivate myself into. I'd like to both get out of the house more and get back into the yoga. I don't know if that would help the sleep issue, but it's something I should be doing regardless.

Cramping my style.

I've had really bad stomach cramps all day today. The really unfortunate part was today was an office day, so not only was I out of the house, but it was also a longer day. Back home now, still suffering, but at least at home and not expected to work.

Oh dear.

Is there anything more depressing than reading your feed on the front page of LinkedIn?

Well, of course there is, but the sight of thousands of people trying to pretend that the corporate clog actually means something is soul destroying. 

Urgh.

I'm really tired. I've been waking regularly around 5 AM for the past few weeks and struggling to get back to sleep. That's giving me roughly about 5 hours of sleep a night and it's catching up on me. There's other stuff going on and some that's requiring my attention and I'm feeling quite overwhelmed by it all. None of it is serious, but it's just inconvenient and sorta timely, so it needs done.

I need some time off. I have a week already booked at the start of next month, but I need something before then. And maybe not just time off, but maybe I need to do something fun/distracting with that time off? I'll need to ponder that. 

I also have the gig with KfW2 at the start of next month before my week off, which I am already looking forward to, but I need something sooner than that, too.

Just chat.

One of our regular work nights out last night. Only Stalky Guy and I were in attendance from anyone I was friendly with in work. It was a bar I'd never been to before and it was excellent. Great vibes, open, airy, bright... I'll definitely be back another time.

Stalky Guy was all chat. And it was he who brought up Quiet Girl's friend who I think made a move on me last year. He didn't know that, mind you, even though if she did, she did it in front of both he and Quiet Girl herself. At least, that's my recollection.

But while I do have my reservations about Stalky guy's company at times, especially around his social skills, he was OK last night. Maybe that's because it was just the two of us, who knows?

Out, half a dozen drinks, and back home for around half past nine. And regular readers will know that I often like to post pictures of celebs who look like or give off vibes like the people mentioned on this blog, so here's another. The girl in this music video gives me Quiet Girl's Friend vibes. And it's just such a great song into the bargain. A real summer tune.

 

And if you're in the UK, the actress in the Lynx advert with the dog who attacks her date. She also gives off serious QGF vibes.

Oh?

For the first time ever, maybe, I dreamt about CB last night. A group of people from work, including GB, were travelling. We were joined by another group that included CB. GB got all conspiratorial and was teasing me about my crush on CB.

"You have a crush on her!" 

"Well, yeah, I've never made that a secret!" 

"What will you do if people find out?"

"Errr... nothing?"

"What will you do if I tell CB?"

"Dunno. Thank you?"

GB wasn't getting the rise she wanted. But the dream was pretty much that. GB teasing me, threatening to share the not-secret secret and we'd keep bumping into the crowd of people with CB, but never interacting directly with her.

Slightly frustrating. But I've not thought about CB in I don't know how long. Ages. So the subject of the dream surprised me somewhat.

Flying high.

The travel bug has hit hard over the past few days. I've been semi-looking at Canada as a possible destination: Toronto or Vancouver for a week or so.

I've not really thought about either of these places before but they've been in my mind. I can't even think of anything specific to these cities that I'd want to do or see. Compare that to New York where I could list off ten things to do/see without even thinking about it.

So, yeah, Canada. Hmmm.

Break up.

I'm slowly starting to adapt to the mattress. I'm falling asleep quicker (though the past few days have seen me out and about, working in the office which has really taken it out of me). But I'm waking around 530 AM and not really falling asleep again.

Anyway, I had a dream last night that featured FA2. In it, we were dating, but I was trying to break it off with her as gently as I could, but every time I tried to have that conversation, she would seduce me. I woke before any kind of resolution but I've not thought about FA2 in ages.

However, as I was typing the above, it came to me that this Friday is the anniversary of our becoming an item. We went to a bar, had a few drinks, ended up back at hers, I stayed over and we had "the chat" the next morning before going for another round or two.

We always disagreed on the date. She said it was the Friday, when we went back to her place and had sex. It had been building up to it all week, mind you. In my head, it was the Saturday, once we had "the chat".

Did I know that subconsciously? Is that why I had that particular dream?

Well?

Not that I plan on turning this blog into some kind of celebrity gossip blog or anything, but I saw these photos of Hayley Atwell promoting the latest Mission Impossible. Is it just me or has she lost a lot of weight? Moreso in the first and last photos here, less so in the second.

 Also... I never knew she had tattoos. I do like a woman with a few tattoos. The positioning of Atwell's is where I wanted to get my second, if I ever made a decision on what I wanted to get tattooed.

Low energy.

I met with Nerdy Girl this evening - rescheduled from last week. I was feeling low energy, having spent the past two days in the office. I contemplated postponing again but with the weather being good and still wanting to get up off my fat ass, I decided against it.

Nerdy Girl turned up, somewhat agitated. Work issues, she explained. Nothing bad, just a problem she can't solve. We did our lap. Usually we'd grab a bite to eat or hit CB Pub for a drink. But tonight, I could tell she wanted to get back to her house to have another crack at the problem.

That actually suited me down to the ground. We parted ways and I got home.

Oh, and in other news, somewhat randomly, Mr QC1 passed us in the park. He's an avid runner, but I've not seen him (or QC1) in over a year.

Hmmm...

Quiet Girl has been off work for the past week. We have big bosses over and everyone has to go into the office on Wednesday, so I was planning on seeing if she was going to attend the next work event in just over two weeks time.

But her out of office has changed. As I said, she was off last week, due back tomorrow, but now she won't be back until the start of June. It has me pondering. Last-minute holiday away? she does like travelling. Or is it something more personal? That's not a good thing, usually.

I'm genuinely toying with the idea of sending her a WhatsApp.

Party over here.

The gig was great. High energy, great music and just fun, too. That's not always the case, even with music I like. But the band, TerrorVision, put on a good show.

And the saxophonist/back singer wearing a figure hugging catsuit thing caught my eye too. Imagine Bernadette from The Big Bang Theory in a robot catsuit, and you kinda have that vibe.

Sadly the night ended earlier than I would have liked - the band took the stage at 8 PM and played for 90 minutes. Rather than stay out for a few drinks, D and his wife returned home. It's about an hour's drive, so understandable.

If you've not listened to TerrorVision before, I recommend them. 

Satisfaction.

I didn't sleep particularly well last night. I don't know if it was the heat, the back pain or the new bed. Or all three?

I did wake with this phrase going through my head: "Cuddling, kissing, touching. Fucking. Lusty sex... Sleepy sex... Morning sex... Shower sex..."

I don't know if it's word perfect, but I think it's part of a conversation I'd had with someone ages ago. It's probably USHW as I can't think of anyone else I would have that conversation with, unless it was something posted on Reddit, but it feels more personal than that. A conversation with a specific person rather than a post for many people to consume.

But it got me thinking about sex, and in this weather where I'm always more frisky than usual, that's only going to end one way.

Zzzz...

My new mattress has just been delivered and I've wasted no time in getting it onto the bed and ready for tonight. Now, tonight I'm out with D and likely to have a few drinks, so whatever happens tonight will not be a good yardstick.

I am anticipating a few nights before I get used to it. I'm not great at sleeping in strange beds, and this one is strange to me. It's part of the reason I don't often stay over at KfW2's (that and I am an introvert). 

But the hope is that by early next week, I should be getting longer, better, sleep in a more comfortable bed.

 Woohoo!

Random musings.

Years ago, CC and I were sitting in a bar close to where we worked chatting. KfW2 came up in conversation. I think this was shortly before she was due to get married. Or maybe it was shortly before our work's Christmas party. Whatever it was, KfW2 dressing up was the actual topic of conversation.

I commented about KfW2's hair. She had a tendency, if she was getting dressed by herself, to simply pull her hair back into a pony tail or something. If she was getting dressed with a friend, then she'd spend more time on her hair.

So I voiced the opinion that she always looks better with her hair worn down, not pulled back. And I think that's typically true of most women. I don't know why.

Now, I'm kind of doubting myself already because this picture of Morena Baccarin isn't that bad. I mean, FFS, she's stunning, isn't she? No, Ruuude, stay with it. So, yeah... hair pulled back = bad, right?

But if it's slicked back because it's wet, then why's that different? Why's that hot?

Rock me, Amadeus.

I'm going to a gig tomorrow with D and his wife. It's a band I've been a fan of for many years. I've seen them before, in the late 90s. D was in attendance that night, too. As was FBS and, I think, QC3.

I'm looking forward to it. It should be a great gig, and we'll maybe hang around afterwards for a few drinks. I assume D's wife will drive, so there's no rush home. At least I hope there isn't. The weather's still brilliant over here, so I think town will be buzzing.

Bed time!

I've just been told that my new mattress will be delivered on Friday. Yay! I'm looking forward to a hopefully more comfortable mattress and better quality sleep and maybe it'll help with my back issues, too.

Next week.

Nerdy Girl's cancelled tonight's walk as she's not feeling well. I have to say that I'm not feeling great myself - somewhat nauseous and light headed. So we've postponed until next week.

I think I'll go and chill in the garden with some tunes and a book for a few hours once I log off.

Walky, talky.

With the weather being great, I've already arranged to meet Nerdy Girl for another walk. Just waiting on confirmation of when, but it'll probably be tomorrow evening.

And I really should call KfW2. We've not spoken in a few weeks.

Hmmm.

A night of broken sleep, but I semi-remember talking to a brunette woman in a city that's not my own. Maybe London or Manchester? And I think the woman was known to me. I was getting CH or CAB vibes - a brunette that I was attracted to who had a great figure. I don't recall a lot more from the dream than that, why was I talking to the mystery brunette? Why was in a different city? Who knows?

It's been a while since I thought or dreamed of either woman, and I'm not gonna lie... I was a bit wistful.

Bah.

S never got back to me. I'm disappointed, not in the lack of pub time but the fact he's said nothing at all. That's what stings.

Tick, tock.

I've yet to hear back from S, and the longer it goes on without a reply, the less likely I am to pivot to the mindset of leaving the house. I'm disappointed, but at the same time, I've got a couple of bottles of nice beer in the fridge that should be ice cold by now, so if he's not in contact, I can still enjoy a few beers in the garden.

I could chase him up, but I'm feeling quite low energy at the moment.

Let's go?

Sitting outside CB Pub last night, in the sunshine, chatting with Nerdy Girl and getting an eyeful of cute women also sitting outside the bar has put me right in the mood for sitting outside a bar, having a drink and getting an eyeful of cute women.

So I've messaged S to see if he's busy on Friday.

Not so bright.

I didn't suggest the coastal route to Nerdy Girl. While it was bright and sunny, it wasn't actually that warm, so going to the coast would have been even cooler. We did our usual short lap (still 3 miles though), ending up at CB Pub and we had a few drinks while chatting.

She's taking her girlfriend to New York for her birthday in the summer, so I shared some places that I thought were interesting and had found during my own New York research.

The convo didn't flow as well as it does normally. I think we were both low energy, but wanted to get out of the house. So mission accomplished for that.

Anniversaries

Do you know what completely passed me by? The 20th anniversary of this blog. It was at the start of last month: April 7th. At the time, I genuinely didn't think it would last the year. I really didn't have the attention span for it, nor did I think I would get any value out of it. I'd tried keeping a diary before with no success.

But I did. It enabled me to order my thoughts, it was my own sounding board the very act of typing something out helped figure out what I needed to do, and as a side benefit, it allowed USHW to keep abreast of what I was thinking or feeling without actively engaging her in a conversation about it.

I have been fairly open on the blog, but there have been some things that I've just not mentioned, or have been touched upon but never in details: some family stuff that's ongoing, some work stuff from about four years ago and some other personal stuff. But in general, I think I've been somewhat of an open book compared to me IRL.

And a lot of times, something that was posted on the blog did end up being covered in a lot more detail with USHW in a separate email conversation which often helped. Unless we were talking about Sports Girl or CH, because we could never figure out what they were thinking.

But 3825 posts later, here we are. It'll likely be 4000 posts by the end if the year if I keep up this posting rate, not that the numbers mean anything.

What does the future hold?

Pondering out loud.

Actually... it's bright but cool here. Maybe we could do the coastal route for our walk tomorrow? If the weather stays like this, I think I'll suggest that to her. Otherwise, we'll probably do a lap and end up having a drink at CB pub.

Maybe not.

Yeah, fuck it. I'm going to take Friday off instead. I'm also meeting Nerdy Girl tomorrow for a walk. Might even consider trying our long route too seeing as my foot is slowly, but definitely surely, getting better.

May the fourth etc.

And I've just realised that it's Star Wars Day. If you're an American, that is. I think the rest of the world uses a proper date format.

But who am I to argue, and it gives me the excuse to post some pictures. 

Every day is SUN day.

I'm contemplating taking tomorrow off work. The great weather's meant to continue throughout the week. Plus it's a Bank Holiday here in the UK. My work doesn't give me it off as standard, but they're pretty good at letting people take last-minute time off if there are no urgent deadlines.

But then, I might wait until Friday. Friday would be better, wouldn't it?

The list (cont'd)

Actually, having done a little bit more research into the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve as mentioned in my last post, I've realised that I've actually been there before. It was part of a road trip that E and I had done when I went out to visit her. I got some really nice photos from it, too. But we passed through during the middle of the day, so I didn't see the night sky.

The list.

Years ago, USHW and I talked about our bucket lists. A lot of mine were travel related. And I guess I've added a few things to that list in the interim. I've spoken about New York, for example. And another that I've just added to my list is the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, in New Zealand.

I've been to New Zealand before and I love it there, and I'd go back in a heartbeat if I could cobble together the time and money. Plus, E lives there.

But the reason for the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve being added to the list?

Who wouldn't want to see something like this with their own eyes? 

Phew, wot a scorcher!

It is a scorcher here today. I'm sitting at my PC, working, and wistfully staring at my back garden. In a few hours, I'll be able to go out and enjoy it, plus do some work as I blogged about yesterday, but I hung a wash out earlier and it's roasting. It must be 20 C.

Sigh.

I had a dream last night where I was in the car with my sister. I can't remember the details of how or why we were travelling, but I was taking a phone call from KfW2 who was telling me she couldn't make it to the gig we were planning on attending.

Upon hanging up, I then ranted at my sister about all sorts of things, including some people's lack of effort (from my perspective).

Suffice to say, I was in really bad form this morning after that, and feeling pretty lonely as you might expect. KfW2 and I are meant to be going to a gig together at the end of June and I think that the real-life aspect of the dream hit home harder when I woke.

Oh yes.

Well, the weather has turned out brilliant. It's sunny, bright and warm here. I gave my lawn a cut, which took an hour. Tomorrow, I'll complete the job with some raking, weeding and feeding. I'm in the office on Thursday so I won't be in the mood to motivate myself to do anything on Thursday and if the weather holds up (it's meant to), then I can chill on Friday. I recently bought a load of books to read and I do love sitting in the garden with some tunes, an ice cold drink and a book.

Oh no!

Stalky Guy messaged me to tell me he couldn't go to the work event on Friday. He was super-apologetic. However, that suits me down to the ground. The weather is supposed to be great this week, so I can spend a few evenings tidying up the back garden, and then maybe actually use it at the weekend. Also, with Quiet Girl not going and anyone else interesting not going, I'm not that inclined to show up.

I kinda want a new BBQ too, so I could maybe do some shopping for one of those.

Sun's out...

The weather over the next was supposed to be rubbish, but a quick glance at my phone weather app and it's now changed... and what a change! Great weather for the next week and a bit. That's going to make going for a lunchtime walk a lot easier to motivate myself into. And I'll also get some gardening done, which I've wanted to do for a few weeks plus it gets me off my arse and away from the telly/PC.

Eh?

I had terrible sleep last night. I groggily woke this morning with the vague memories of a dream. It possibly involved travel, or maybe it was just sunny/Summer. It did involve my sister's university friend, though I don't know why. I've neither seen her on Facebook nor the dating apps in, I dunno, a year or more maybe? Weird.

I need coffee.

Wanderlust

According to Facebook, MMBF is on holiday in Mexico. Mexico's not somewhere I've ever considered as a destination for travel, but the way things are going at the moment, I'd love a week or two somewhere sunny and warm.

It's also GWTNA's birthday today too.

This is the day.

It's a day of anniversaries. 33 years ago, I started a new job that introduced me to QC2 (and later Friction Guy, FBS and Opinionated Guy).

But the actual reason for this post is that today is the 20th anniversary of me meeting USHW in person for the first time. If memory serves me correctly, it was around this time, too: half past four on a warm, sunny Friday evening outside Notting Hill Gate tube station. I wouldn't say that this is where our friendship began... we'd already been communicating on MSN Messenger (remember that?) for about six months and USHW had been prising more and more personal information out of me.

I knew she was doing it, of course. She was never subtle about it nor did she claim to be. But my various online presences and personae all had one thing in common - I rarely gave anything away about myself beyond some basic facts. I was renowned for being enigmatic. So I think she rather viewed it as a challenge.

We've only met twice, which is something I've always been really disappointed in, but there were extenuating circumstances that prevented me from pursuing more.

In fact, we were sharing a bed the first time we met. We were definitely friends at this point. And, actually, we're not that far away from the tenth anniversary of our second/last meeting, too.

Anyway... I thought the date was worth mentioning. USHW and I don't communicate that frequently any more, and I do miss her and think of her regularly. For a long time, she was a very dear friend, an outlet and probably the person who knew me (knows me) better than anyone on the planet, including FP and KfW2. Nothing was off-limits in our conversations, and I know that people say that, but in this case it was true. I think people who know me might be shocked at how open I was and the conversations we'd had.

I know she still passes by the blog regularly so Happy Meeting In Person Anniversary, USHW!

Just stuff

It's been a great weekend. I watched some films, played some video games, saw my sister for a bit, had a good chat with KfW2 (over the phone, naturally) and gotten a lot of chores out of the way. I'd love to take more time off, but I have deadlines and at least it's going to be a short week. And I'm due to be meeting Nerdy Girl this week for dinner or a walk, depending on the weather. And there's a work event next week as well. So stuff to look forward to.

Let's gooooo!

I spent this morning walking around a retail park trying to find a new mattress. I was successful, but good mattress are expensive! I'm looking forward to hopefully better quality sleep. The only downside is waiting four weeks for it to be delivered.

Another positive to take away from this morning is that I walked over four miles with no foot issues. This means that, if it continues like this, I can think about doing a walk at lunchtime. It's something I've wanted to do for a while, but the foot was an issue. A couple of weeks of that, and I'll move on to something else: more walking, return to my yoga or something else.

And I should also ponder returning to our original route the next time I'm out with Nerdy Girl. It's six miles. Maybe that's for a few weeks' time though.

Awww...

Quiet Girl pinged me just as I was about to log off for the evening last night. She won't be in attendance for the next work event, which is disappointing because she's good fun. But her presence won't be missed as much because Stalky Guy and his pals are leaving early, so we'll only be there for a few hours anyway.

Potential.

Stalky Guy has put his name down for the next work even in two weeks time. Nothing from Quiet Girl, though. I might as well stick my name down. I think Stalky Guy has talked a few of his pals into attending, so at least I'm not gonna get stuck with him on my own.

Smile!

As a man of a certain age who's been going to the dentist regularly for a long time, you'd think that if something was out of the ordinary that I'd know about it, right?

So why has no-one told me, until today, that I have an extra tooth? Weird, right?

Chill.

I've decided to take some time off over the Easter weekend. I don't really have any plans, at least not for anything fun. I am planning on going mattress shopping on Thursday. My current one is knackered and is probably a factor in my back pain issues.

Actually... there is an outside chance of going to the pub with my sister and bother-in-law on Thursday. I should ask them tomorrow about that.

But regardless, I'm looking forward to the time off and not thinking about work for a bit.

Let's go again.

Amazingly, KfW2 was on-time. Part of the reason I don't like booking things is that she can be late. Her friends have regaled me of tales of her tardiness and she once shared a story where she was hours late to a date, and he was still there when she arrived. I have to say that she's never been really late for anything we've arranged (except one time where she was 45 minutes late, but that was a dinner reservation and I've posted about it before).

We hit the ground running, conversationally. I was worried it might be a bit stilted seeing as we've not spoken in person for so long, but no. We ate, we drank and left the restaurant to go to the pub where QC2, Friction Guy and I would frequent back in the day. It's changed a little since then, but still has the same vibe. We drank more, watched football and played pool. And we talked.

I didn't bring up my recent frustrations because KfW2 talked first about how we've not seen a lot of each other over the past few years and that was something she wanted to fix. She talked about seeing each other more regularly, perhaps even monthly. While we didn't come up with any concrete plans, just the way she talked about it, I didn't think that bringing up the frustrations made any sense. It can be revisited if these plans don't come to fruition.

It ended sooner than I would have liked, though we were four hours in by this stage. I think we were starting to find our conversation/banter groove again just as KfW2's husband came to pick her up which was a little frustrating. But I am hopeful that KfW2's chat about seeing each other more frequently actually means something.

The only slightly negative thing to talk about was when I was talking about being lonely and effectively not seeing anyone since Christmas, she told me to pick up the phone and go see her, and she was quite adamant about that.

However that reminds me of my sister's solution, which involves me making the effort and that's part of what makes me lonely. It's not the lack of company that is the issue (not completely anyway), but sometimes it's other people's lack of effort. Me getting out of the house to visit my sister or KfW2 (or anyone) when they don't visit me is not going to solve the problem when I'm the one who makes the effort most of the time anyway.

But I'm really pleased with how things went yesterday and gives me (us?) something to work towards.

Where?

I realised this morning that it's been months since G was home. The last we spoke about his visits, he was hoping to be back once every month or so. But the last time he was "home", that I know of, must have been mid-January. He's due a visit soon, I think.

Better late than never. Maybe.

I finally got a response late last night - after 11 PM. She was busy with work. No apology. So the suggestion: not Friday... not Saturday... but Sunday.

FFS.

I had semi-planned to spend Sunday afternoon chilling, watching footy and golf on TV, but this obviously changes everything. I could have just said that I had plans. I was tempted. I still think that I've been side-lined because the good weather has brought other opportunities. But it's been over 15 months since we last did something like this, probably over 18 months since it was just the two of us and it has been a struggle to get to this point, so I caved, booked the table (which she should have done, but that's another rant) and we're all set.

I really should say something on Sunday though. It's not on that plans change at short notice for the reasons she gave. I feel that I've spent too much time juggling things like deliveries etc. around this weekend because KfW2 can't pick up the phone a few days before our plans, which is something she's done before.

But the spectre of CH hangs over me, and it's not like KfW2 take criticism well either.

And it really does remind me of the same thing that happened in August 2022.

Big Sigh.

After chasing up KfW2 yesterday, I'd heard nothing by the time I was leaving my medical appointment this evening, so I called her. She didn't pick up. After the appointment, I was walking around the city centre. It was a glorious day. The weather app said it was 20C. I don't know if it was that warm, but it was warm enough. 

If we were to go out tomorrow or Saturday, while the weather was good, that would be brilliant - some food then hit a beer garden somewhere.

But her silence is concerning. I'm convinced she's forgotten or double-booked and is afraid to say because of my reaction. I think it's the latter. She mentioned something about doing something with the kids if the weather was good. That's CH levels of mucking about. And I'm already disappointed. I don't like leaving things to the last minute, and she would still expect me to book a table.

It reminds me of that day in, I think, August 2022 where she'd gone quiet in the days leading up to the dinner, still wanted me to book a table, then got upset because she didn't like the time of the booking, even though it was literally the only table I could find. So then she decided on a place near her house and then CC invited herself along.

But I'm tired. And there's a feeling of, I don't know, a combination if disappointment, sadness and loneliness. Getting a friend out for dinner and drinks shouldn't be this much work, especially when she suggested the date.

Hmmm...

For the past few nights, I've had adult-themed dreams that have featured FBS. I can understand the why - I always get a lot more frisky when the weather is good and this is the best spell of weather so far this year, so adult dreams are almost expected. 

As for the who... that's different. I know FBS and I have a past, and I'll be honest, I do sometimes erm... think about her.

But three nights in a row?

So, sigh.

I chased up KfW2.

"Are we still meeting on Friday?" 

"Let me get back to you. I don't know if Friday or Saturday will suit better."

I'm assuming that she's forgotten at this point and is scrambling. It's doubly frustrating. She was the one who chose this date, so to be unsure only two days before is not something I wanted to hear, especially after spending over a year trying to get her out.

Let's see what she comes back with. I can do either day. It's not like my diary is full, but at the same time, she doesn't know that.

Let's go?

Another work event at the start of May, so I immediately asked Quiet Girl if she was going. She's undecided at the moment, but I think she enjoys the events, so there's a good chance she'll go. I hope so. I don't want to be stuck with Stalky Guy.

And every time I try to get QG out, I wonder if her friend will come along. Her friend is fun and there is still that question hanging over me from last year's summer party, but that's not the reason I want to get QG out. It's simply that QG is good fun.

Hmmm...

I phoned KfW2 earlier. I'd not heard from her and we're meant to be meeting for dinner and drinks on Friday. Despite her protestations that she was taking me out as much as I was taking her out, I still need to do all the work - find somewhere to go, book it etc.

But I can't book it until she tells me when she's available. Early dinner? late dinner? Who knows? So it's frustrating when she goes AWOL a few days before we're due to meet. Now, one missed phone call is not AWOL, but she has done this before.

In all likelihood,  I could probably make a booking 24 hours before we're due to go out, but we run the risk that it's fully booked and then it's a scramble to find something else. I know that's happened before.

I'm sure I'm just being pessimistic and she'll be in contact soon.

See you again.

I was at my sister's yesterday for a bit of a BBQ, given the good weather. Within minutes of me arriving, my niece came into the kitchen and demanded to know why I hadn't seen her in months. Four months actually. She wasn't wrong, but I think I've posted about this frustration before: if I don't make the effort, I don't see anyone, even family.

"You know where I live. What stopped you coming down to see me?" I quipped.

My niece made some excuses.

"Well, you can't expect me to always come and see you if you never make the effort."

This was said in a light tone, but it wasn't really directed at her. My sister and brother-in-law were also in the kitchen.

I don't know if it landed, but only time will tell.

 

Memory time.

Facebook reminds me that it's 14 years of Facebook friendship with CH. Despite how it all "ended", I still think back on CH fondly. I'd love to know what was going on in her head those times she was pushing boundaries. Would she ever have gone through with anything had I gone along with her boundary pushing or would she have backed off? I always assumed the latter.

Anyway, here are a couple of pictures of Alison Brie including one with Anna Kendrick, back in the days where AB did give off serious CH vibes.

One step at a time.

I met with Nerdy Girl and we did our shorter route, starting and ending at CB Pub, and then we adjourned to a local pizza restaurant for food.

It was good because the advice that the consultant gave me last week seems to already be paying dividends. Usually by the end of the short walk (roughly 3 miles), I'd start to feel pain in the foot, but not last night. The pain is still there, but the stretching, insoles and splints do seem to be working. There's less pain in the mornings, for example, even though I'm not wearing the splint all night.

I did manage to fall asleep while wearing it last night, which is a first, but I woke a few hours later and couldn't get back to sleep.

And the chat with Nerdy Girl was as good as it usually is.

I've also spent the past week or so trying to manage my portion sizes with my food (reasonably successfully), so going for pizza was the first time I've had a "big" meal in probably two weeks. I've not weighed myself yet, but seeing as the injury treatment seems to be progressing, maybe I should progress my weight loss efforts, too?

Bend me, shape me...

One of the accessories advised by the consultant is an inflexible splint. I ordered one off Amazon and it arrived yesterday. I'm not gonna lie, going to bed with that thing strapped to my right foot  was extremely off-putting, to the point where, at 3 AM, I removed it because I wasn't getting any sleep.

I'm already knackered this morning, but I hope that when I strap it on again tonight, that I'll be too tired to let it keep me awake. The consultant suggested I use it nightly for like three weeks. Oooft.

As I said in my last post about the injury, there's a possibility of surgery. I think that might be a little more probable that the consultant realises because, despite the fact I've basically sat on my ass for the past year, I am actually quite flexible.

Timing.

After my dream and semi-memory of an old classmate in this post, she almost inevitably pops up in my Facebook feed and time has been very kind to her. I still never really knew her well enough that I'd reach out or add her on Facebook, but I thought it was worth the comment given the timing.

Stuff to look forward to.

The clinic have been in touch and my MRI scan is due in two weeks. two weeks yesterday, in fact. That also means that it's two weeks today until KfW2 and I go out. Never had an MRI before, so while I'm not saying that I'm looking forward to it, it is intriguing me.

Step one.

So, I guess the good thing is that the consultant told me what I expected to hear: Plantar Fasciitis. He's recommended an MRI to rule out any lasting or permanent damage and a follow-up consultation in a few months time.

He's also given me some stretching exercises that I've been kinda doing anyway  and effectively told me to bin off all of my shoes and buy new ones. The brand he recommends are, on first look, about three or four times more expensive than the shoes I tend to wear. Hmmm...

Oh, and also some aids - insoles for shoes, splints and stuff like that.

He hopes the splints, insoles and more importantly, the stretching should take care of the issue, but if not then we'll have to look at other treatments that might include surgery. But at least the healing journey begins.

Rear ended.

I'm pretty sure that I've mentioned in the past that I think Quiet Girl has a nice ass. And if I've not mentioned it, I'd definitely said to USHW. QG's a thin girl, so not a lot of curves, but a nice ass. I love watching her walk. She wears jeans well.

And so, at the work event tonight, I positioned myself behind her when we were walking from the office to the venue for 20 minutes, and thoroughly enjoyed the view as she ambled along, then climbed a few sets of stairs.

Of course, better than that, she's also good company. We found ourselves sitting beside each other during the event, making silly remarks and just having fun.

A good night.

Oh?

For the first time in a long time, I remembered a dream I had last night. The details are long gone, but I didn't get a chance to blog about this until now. Some of the basic components were that it was at a Christmas party, I was looking for someone. During my search, I bumped into CH and a girl that I went to school with, and some HR girls, including GM's ex.

The girl, who I don't think has been mentioned on the blog before, was a thin girl with a huge rack. We were were in the same class, friendly, but not close. As I think back, she gives off Judy Greer vibes.

Anyway, the girl from school pulls me aside and talks about how we'd hooked up (this never happened in real life), pulled up her dress to show off her g-string and impressively flat stomach, and asks for another go. When I turn her down to find the person I'm looking for (unidentified), she throws a huff and leaves.

And that's pretty much all I can recall from the dream.

Can you do me a favour?

I had another, out of the blue, text message from KfW2 on Friday afternoon. Could I do her a favour?

No other details, so I was a little reluctant to reply, in case she wanted something that same evening. I did eventually ask for details though, once I'd had some food.

"Can you babysit tomorrow night?"

I can't remember the last time KfW2 asked me to babysit. It must be a couple of years. It feels longer.

She typed up a huge explanation of why she was asking me, but ultimately, it didn't matter. She needed a favour, I had no plans and I hadn't seen her face to face in 15 months, and longer for her kids. I've also wanted to do more stuff, to stop sitting in front of the TV or PC and be more social. And I guess I need to add my usual reference from USHW about being a sucker for a pretty face.

I regretted it the next day.  That had nothing to do with KfW2 or her kids, but more me and my reluctance to leave the house. Laziness? The weather (it was awful)? Something else? Who knows.

However, I did force myself out of the house, on the bus and down to KfW2's. I had a great time with the kids. They adore me. And KfW2 and her hubby returned home early, so I got a little bit more time with them before I returned home for the best night's sleep I've had in weeks.

Yeeehaw.

D picked me up and we arrived at the gig. Despite the venue being half full, we were both of the opinion that the crowd probably wouldn't get any bigger. After all, she was (is?) an unknown, only releasing her first album a few weeks ago. And, sadly, she only played about 45 mins, and a good chunk of that was her interacting with the crowd - she was really quite good at that.

To be fair, the tickets were probably only around £20, but still, I'd expect an up and comer to try and stand out a little. It's not a complaint, just an observation. I don't think I'd feel hard done by if I'd spent the money myself.

But, long story short, I had a good time, catching up with D was great and the music, though not really my taste, was good.

And then, just as D dropped me off home, I got a demanding text message from KfW2 about doing dinner. So once again we have a date agreed upon: 11th April. This was KfW2's idea, so here's hoping that means that she's not going to forget.

Bloody hell.

The last time I weighted myself was, I dunno, maybe early in the pandemic. If memory serves, then I was roughly 2.5 stone heavier than I'd like to be. And that's heavier than I perhaps should be.

Today, for the first time in years, I stepped onto my new scales. i bought them in Black Friday sales, with the plan originally to step on them at the start of January and see what my goals were going to be for this year.

Various illnesses and other life stuff has meant that I didn't get around to doing that until today... just now. And I am officially the heaviest I've ever been. I'm about 3 stone heavier than I'd like, but I'm a little surprised I'm not heavier given that I've been eating crap and pretty sedentary for the past year.

Next week, I got to finally have my foot looked after. I have to go private because I cannot get through to my GP, and I am lucky enough to have health insurance with my employer.

All the things I've done before are my plans for weight loss - exercise in the form of walking, cycling and yoga. I'll have to start calorie counting again, too, which I dislike a lot but is a necessary evil.

Let's see what I can do in the next three and a half months, and what the numbers are like at the end of June.

Where did you go?

It's ten years to the day that GM brought Foreign Girl out for an afternoon's drinking and partying. I don't think her and GM talk any more - nothing wrong per se, they just drifted apart. She's disappeared off Facebook too. We were Facebook friends for a couple of years. I don't actually think I can remember her name.

But I recall that being a great day, somewhat drunken, and then GM admitting a few days later that Sports Girl had thrown an almighty huff later at FC's house because she assumed, rightly or wrongly, that GM and FG were getting it on. I know they had in the past, but I don't know if it was an active thing by the time she came to visit or if it was happening that night.

But I seem to recall it being a great day.

Go me!

I'm all proud of myself. Last night, I came across a leaflet for a local artist/photographer. Hang on, let me backtrack a bit. A few years ago, my sister bought me a framed photograph as a Christmas present. I loved it. It was pretty much the perfect present: something that I liked that I would never have thought about buying myself. My house is functional. I've no qualms about buying tools, household items etc. but anything purely decorative like art or plants is a blind spot for me.

So, ever since, I've been looking out for something similar. So a while back, I found someone who was doing the type of stuff I liked. I think it was a weekend when E was last home and we were out hunting for gifts for her to take home. I got a flyer from the woman at the market and promptly lost it.

Until last night when I was doing some tidying up. 

I browsed the website on the leaflet, saw a few things that piqued my interest and looked at where I could buy. The best place for me was to return to the market that runs every weekend.

This morning, I found it difficult to motivate myself to actually leave the house. I toyed with the idea of messaging Nerdy Girl to see if she wanted to meet for a coffee at the market, but decided against it.

Then, twenty minutes later, I just did it. I grabbed my earbuds, phone and keys and got the bus into the market.

I was unsure how much the art cost, but I am sitting on some cash that I got for my past few birthdays and Christmases. Fortunately, they had was I was looking for, and it was very reasonable, so I bought two pieces and returned home after getting a coffee.

So pats of the back for me.

Bloody hell, time flies.

Facebook reminds me that it's 5 years this weekend since my employer told everyone not to come back to the office, and we've been that way since. FP and I were in CB Pub for a last hurrah, obviously unwisely, but I to remember that we both needed it at the time.

And then KfW2 visited on the Sunday as we got our official text messages from work with the news.

Five years. Sheesh.

Yes!

KfW2 called me yesterday afternoon. Apparently she had tried to call me earlier in the week, but the call failed. I say "failed", but what happened was that she dialled someone else because her phone does weird things when she tells it to "Call Ruuude".

We got chatting and KfW2 random asked "Why are you not at work?"

"I am at work"

"Why did you pick up the call?"

"Because we haven't spoken in ages, and I wanted to chat."

We continued the conversation and agreed that we wanted to meet ASAP for dinner and she even said that she wanted to talk more, which I have to say surprised me. But maybe that was just a reaction to my comment about not talking as frequently as we used to? Regardless, it was really nice to  hear (and at least over the past few months, I've been as much at fault as her for the lack of phone calls).

I had to cut short the conversation because I had a meeting to go into , but I promised that I'd call her next week. And I will, and I'll try and pin her down for dinner.

Mrs Ruuude

And seeing as I posted about Jessica Alba earlier, and it's been a while, here's a Jessica Alba appreciation post.

 

 

 

Oh la la la!

Inspiration struck! Regular readers will be unsurprised to hear that the actress mentioned in this post was, in fact, Jessica Alba. The film was Idle Hands.

 Yup. No wonder I was instantly taken with this clothing combo.