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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
And that's pretty much all I can recall from the dream.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
And seeing as I posted about Jessica Alba earlier, and it's been a while, here's a Jessica Alba appreciation post.
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.
I don't think that picture in yesterday's post has done me any favours. It's not that I'm now pining after Recruitment Bird, but it has kicked off quite strong feelings of loneliness and a memory of meeting a couple of girls in the pub around the time of RB where I admitted I'd recently met someone and was hopefully going to see her again.
"Oh, I love that feeling!" exclaimed one of the girls.
And that's kinda what I'm feeling right now. I want that feeling. I want to meet someone, to be attracted to them, to be excited by them. I've not felt that in years. I know Chloe and Quiet Girl's friend were reasonably recent, and that I've toyed with at least seeing if there was something physical but not really considered them dating material but I'm struggling to recall anyone who's properly excited me, probably since before Covid. And even then? CH? CB?
And that's depressing in itself.
I saw a photo posted by actress Daniela Melchior on Instagram earlier today and it instantly brought back memories of one of the nights I spent sharing a bed with Recruitment Bird. After a bit of kissing and wandering hands on the sofa, she dragged me upstairs, not to her room, but to the house's spare room.
After a bit more kissing and handsy stuff, she disappeared and returned in some nightwear and she looked amazing in it. It's a look I love, but I don't recall any other women I've been with who wore something like this to bed: shorts and a strappy vest top.
And here's the picture I mentioned above: stunning.
There's nothing worse than having to get up for work earlier than usual... except when it turns out to be pointless and you'll have to do it another day. And that day is tomorrow, and it's even earlier than it was today. Sigh.
And then my new boss continues his pattern of being a dick. Not to me, but to a junior colleague. But it's the same shot he tried to pull on me last week by contradicting himself repeatedly.
Hopefully he realises that he's being a dick and adjusts his behaviour accordingly, but I'm not holding out much hope. These people tend not to realise how bad their behaviour is.
On the plus side, I've been quite productive today, including arranging a consultation to see about my foot injury. That's not for a few weeks yet, but there's plenty to keep me busy from now until the end of the month.
Facebook tells me it's K's birthday today, so Happy Birthday, K.
Shame you were bonkers, and a recent re-reading of some MSN conversations with F only re-enforces that, otherwise we coulda had a lot more fun.
While this weekend with KfW2 is a washout, another socialising opportunity has arisen: a work thing, potentially with Quiet Girl, Stalky Guy and maybe a few others. It's the night before the gig with D, but as I've said before, Quiet Girl is always good company.
After Nerdy Girl and I had done our walk, we nipped into CB Pub for a drink. I was explaining to NG that I had a few gigs to attend over the next few months and regaled her of D's invite to Willow Avalon.
I explained my thought processes, including making my decision on seeing her pictures.
"Lemme see the pictures!" she demanded.
I searched for pictures on my phone and showed them to NG.
"Are there any tickets left?" she beamed.
"I dunno, probably."
I doubt she'll go, but it'd be good fun if she did.
KfW2 called about half an hour ago.
"Sorry, I forgot to call you back last night. I've got a meeting in ten minutes, but you have me 'til then... go!"
"Errr... OK. Well, fuirst things first... we were meant to be going out this weekend for dinner and drinks, right?"
"Were we?"
"Yeah, we pencilled it in a few weeks ago. I've had Covid since, otherwise I'd have been pushing you to confirm."
"Oh. Err. My son is home this weekend and he's taking me out to a cocktail making class for my Xmas present."
"..."
The conversation flowed more about family stuff, but clearly the thing here is that there will be no dinner and drinks with KfW2 this weekend, and even if I'd spoken to her last week, we couldn't make plans if her son was home.
Back to the drawing board.
KfW2 called me on Friday, and I returned the call and sent her a message. I called her on Monday evening. She never returned the call. I called her again last night and she did pick up the call.
"Is anything wrong?" she asked.
I'm guessing the fact that I've called her several times in a row triggered something in her brain.
"Nope, just calling."
I heard background noise.
"Can you talk?"
"I'm at the in-laws."
"I'll call you later."
"No, I'll call you on the way home. Are you sure you're OK?"
"Yeah, everything's grand."
And guess what? This makes me sad. The longer we're not in contact, the less likely we're going for dinner and drinks this weekend, because that's why I'm calling. We can chat at the weekend over dinner and gins.
So, D suggested I looked up someone called "Willow Avalon". That's who we're going to see in a few weeks time. And I did. And I am glad I did. She plays Country and Western music. It's not a genre I tend to like that much but...
So you know, I might actually enjoy a few hours of Country and Western music.
I finally remembered to contact my private healthcare provider today to get the ball rolling on this foot injury that I've had for about a year. Everything I've read online points to Plantar Fasciitis, but I'm a nerd not a Doctor, Jim.
So hopefully they'll get back to me soon and I can make actual, real progress into healing , which will hopefully lead to me being out of the house more i.e. walking and doing exercise.
D sent a text message. Did I want to go to a free gig in a few weeks time? Yeah, why not? D's music tastes and mine can align, but not often. but still, trying something new and get out of the house? Count me in!
Coincidentally, Nerdy Girl sent a text about meeting this week, so we're due to meet tomorrow evening for a walk. I don't think my foot has healed sufficiently to get back into the full 6 mile route, but it'd be great to see her again. We've not seen each other since a few days after Christmas.
And I need to get in touch with KfW2. This coming weekend is when we'd tentatively arranged to meet for dinner, but we've not spoken since then. She did call on Friday, during the day, but I was in meetings at work and couldn't take the call. So hopefully we can actually arrange this. I'll call her once I've had something to eat.
I've nothing to say, but I just wanted to get some typing in to get used to my new keyboard, which is lovely. I know it's difficult to get excited about such things, but I did say I was a massive nerd and loved gadgets.
And my old keyboard was doing my head in after a accident that involved me spilling coffee over it a few months back and meant the backlight didn't work on some keys and the same keys could be a bit temperamental when it came to typing.
There's nothing worse than ordering something online then staring at the delivery status and watch it get gradually pushed out. My new keyboard (yes, I am a massive nerd who likes gadgets) was originally meant to be delivery from around 1PM, but now the delivery window says 4PM.
Gimme my new stuff!
Apparently two blog favourites, Alison Brie and Morena Baccarin, are appearing in the live action adaption of "Masters of the Universe". I've no interest in Masters of the Universe, but I do have an interest in seeing both actresses in films.
Facebook has just informed me that my favourite local band is playing CB Pub at the end of June. Last year, I attended with M. I might reach out to him to see if he fancies it this year. AM and her hubby also like this ban, so i might reach out to them to see if they're interested.
But something else to look forward to.
One of the more interesting symptoms of the illness that I've had over the past two weeks was the sudden and absolute disappearance of my libido. Don't get me wrong, I'm currently single and haven't had sex in a while, so it's not like I have a partner who's feeling neglected, but I do regularly and frequently masturbate.
But not in the past two weeks. I've not given any women a thought until last night/this morning where I woke with CH on my mind, but still, it must be years since I last had a period this long where I never thought about sex or needed to ease the pressure. In fact, the last time I can recall was probably mid-2015, so that's a decade ago. I've not thought about CH in a long time, so her appearance in my thoughts this morning in an x-rated way is kind of surprising.
I was in touch with Nerdy Girl a few days back. I've not seen her since the end of December, but a couple of illnesses and this foot thing still steadfastly refusing to go away and the weather have meant that I wasn't interested in going for a walk.
But she's in London for a few days and said she'll be in touch when she gets back. I forgot that I've got work stuff all next week, so it'll be at least a week until I see her, but I'm looking forward to it.
I think I'm pretty much over this illness. Most of the symptoms were gone a few days ago, but one persists and I'm still wiped out nearly all the time, despite sleeping well. Let's hope it continues to get better over the next few days.
So the Friday evening thing is postponed. I hadn't even had a chance to share that I wouldn't make it, but Friction Guy posted a message explaining that he's dealing with some family stuff at the moment, so he wouldn't make it. We'll reschedule, but my gut feeling reckon it'll be the end of March.
D says he'll send out a list of dates at the weekend, so we'll go from there.
One thing I've not mentioned in a while (because I've been feeling sorry for myself with this illness) is that I don't recall having issues with my foot injury.
I'd be delighted if that was the end of it. Let's see though.
What type of Introvert are you?
I know I've posted before about my being an introvert, but this popped up earlier and I had to take a look. Huff Post claims there are four types, but if I am being honest, I preferred the first "article" I posted, years back because instead of focusing on types, it mentions characteristics and you take from those what you will.
I think I was able to associate with like 9 out of the 13 traits mentioned.
Whereas in the Huff Post article, I see myself in three of the four types. An interesting, if flawed bit of logic, in my opinion.
It's USHW's birthday today, and I've already texted her separately, but seeing as she gets mentioned on here a lot, I thought I'd share.
So Happy Birthday, USHW, I hope you're having a good one. (I mean, I know you are, but hey ho).
I'm still off work sick. I logged on to work on Monday morning but was still feeling off and hadn't slept well on Sunday night. In fact, last night was the first proper night's sleep I've had in a week. I'll probably take tomorrow off, too, then return to work on Thursday. I kinda don't have any wiggle room on that - if I'm not well enough to return to work on Thursday, tough. But at least at that point, it's only two days until the weekend.
I'm going to message D, FBS etc. tomorrow and let them know I won't be out on Friday. Even if I am fully recovered by tomorrow (which I won't be), I don't want to be going out on Friday and having a skinful of booze after ten days of illness, dehydration etc. Terribly sensible of me, even though I was really looking forward to being social and going to the pub, but there will be other opportunities.
I wouldn't say that I was getting better, but the symptoms have changed over the past few days. In addition to the cough (which still persists, btw), I've had a few days of my hands and feet being permanently cold, though that's back to normal. I've lost my senses of taste and smell. I'm now considering that whatever it is that I've got, is not the same chest infection I was off with at the start of January, but rather Covid.
And my sleep has been better over the past few nights. I'm getting a good few hours per night instead of the one, at best, I was getting on Wednesday and Thursday. But I would still love a complete night's rest.
Regardless, I'm back at work tomorrow. The past few days that I've taken off were not sick days but my own personal leave allocation. I can't afford to use up any more leave, especially seeing as the core symptoms (this cough) is not showing any signs of going away. Plus I reckon I can fudge a quiet day at work.
I've already shared this with FBS, D etc. so the plans for next Friday are in jeopardy. They've agreed to postpone if I am still ill, though I think they should go out without me.
The cough mentioned in my last post has been extremely persistent over the past few days to the point where I've barely had any sleep. And that has had a knock-on effect of me taking some time off work because I can't function when I have the lurgy and no sleep. To be honest, the lack of sleep alone would be enough, but I'm not a good patient and my throat is raw due to the cough.
So, yeah, I've not been well this week. It does seem to be easing, so hopefully I'll finally get a good night's sleep tonight.
For the second time in a month, I find myself with some kind of illness. Overnight, I've developed a cough that seems quite persistent. This is unusual because I'm usually quite resistant to cold-like illnesses to the point where I never really suffer from full-on colds or flu.
I suspect I picked this up at a funeral that I attended on Friday, probably from my sister.
D's just been in touch to ask if I wanted to go to his tomorrow night for the Super Bowl. It used to be an annual thing, coinciding with his birthday, but we've not done it since before Covid. But, yeah, as tempted as it is to go see D, the invitation was too late.
Had he suggested it on Friday, I might have been able to take some time off work, though this would not be guaranteed.
Way back when I was still at school, FP and I would often spend our Saturday afternoons camped at SJ's workplace - a tiny home bakery on the nearby high street. That would have been roughly around the time I mad a massive crush on her. We'd easily spend a couple of hours hanging around and chatting in between customers.
For some reason, that popped into my head this morning. Very random.
And as I am likely to have said before, SJ is one of the few people from school that I'd like to see again that I haven't seen in a long time.
I had a dream last night that featured FBS quite a bit, and us having sex. I don't really remember any other details, but it reminded me of that brief period when we were sleeping together. The few details I do remember from the dream were that it took place in the house that FBS lived in at that time.
As I've said in other posts, the FBS thing was around this time of year. Or rather, it ended around this time of year, having started somewhere around the end of November. Though my memory is playing tricks on me, because I remember we were both off work the next day (a Monday). When I left FBS's house, she accompanied me to the shopping centre on my way home and as we parted in the afternoon, FBS was going to buy D a birthday card, which would have made it around the Super Bowl weekend.
But we weren't at D's the evening before, so it wasn't actually Super Bowl Sunday.
Anyway, I do have fond memories of that two month period even if I can't actually remember the actual dates. FBS was good fun, even if I wasn't interested in proper dating, and she was great in bed.
I wonder if that was the reason for the dream? My subconscious reminding me of the time of year?
I managed to get KfW2 on the phone, and we've had a nice twenty minute chat, though we don't have a lot of news to share. However, we have tentative plans (you've heard this before) for the start of March.
This week's too early, next week is Valentine's Day (though KfW2 claims she doesn't celebrate it), the week after I'll be out with D, FBS etc. and the following week is KfW2's husband's birthday.
It's interesting that the second weekend in March is when we've seemingly done a few things. I recall taking her out for a milestone birthday back in 2017 on that weekend and I'm sure there are at least a couple of other nights out.
But I hope this pans out. If not, then the count will be 15 months since we last saw each other, face-to-face, and that's really disappointing for me.
Don't tell anyone, but I'm actually really excited.
In the aftermath of last week's Storm Eowyn, my neighbour has need to replace our dividing fence. However, she didn't tell me that the contractor would require access to my garden and that there would be digging involved. That's a concern when you have buried oil pipes running from my oil talk to my boiler.
However, a quick chat with the contractor and there are no issues, and I've even asked him to get me a quote for some fencing that I want done. I'm feeling quite productive today, even if I do have that post-night out lethargy.
"Are you a hugger?" That was Quiet Girl's opening sentence. I absolutely am a hugger, so I gladly took the proffered hug. Stalky Guy was a little reluctant but gave in.
Quiet Girl removed her coat and hoodie to reveal a Community t-shirt.
"I love your t-shirt!" I was quick to say.
And that got us started on a conversation about Community and general TV. Stalky Guy didn't know what Community was, so his contribution was trying to get the subject away to something that he liked. That's Stalky Guy for you.
I've been out with QG twice since last summer when I think her friend was hinting that I get in touch, but QG's said nothing since and her friend hasn't been out.
QG left around 9 PM. Stalky Guy and I last until around 11 PM and we came home. It was nice to get out, it was great seeing QG again and even Stalky GUy wasn't being a pain in the ass. A good result all round, then.
I've got three gigs already lined up for this year, all around the May/June time period. One, I'm attending with D, the other two are up in the air.
I have a spare ticket for one of the gigs, but I don't know who I'll take. I'd like it to be KfW2, but I don't know if she likes that artist. The other, I could end up going on my own, but that's not a bad thing really.
Just stuff to look forward to.
Quiet Girl has confirmed her attendance at Friday's work event. I'm delighted because ever since Stalky Guy was a complete anti-social dick at one of our last nights out, I've been super-wary about attending these things with only him. Because it's not fun and stops me from mingling with the people I know.
And without blowing my own trumpet, I know a lot of people.
So having someone, anyone, join our group is welcome. But the fact it's QG, who's funny, acerbic and, yes, easy on the eye, is just a bonus.
I'm bored, so I've watched the 1998 version of The Avengers (the British TV show now the Marvel one). It's rubbish but a) Uma Thurman was a stunning looking woman and b) her Emma Peel rocks a series of great looking boots. I think I picked this subconsciously because the the boots post fr4om a few days ago.
Uma Thurman still is a stunning looking woman, I think, but I've not seen recent pictures.
I'm feeling a bit down today, though can't really put my finger on it. So here's a collection of attractive women wearing boots. I don't know some of them, but the boots are all great, and a shout out to the boots/short skirt combo that absolutely does it for me.
S didn't message at all last night, though per my last post, I'm not that bothered. I seemed to get off lightly in terms of storm damage, just a damaged fence between me and my neighbour... and it's her fence, so she has to replace it.
In other news, it's G's birthday today, so I'll fire him off a message once I get some coffee. Mmmm... coffee.
I had suggested to S on Saturday that I'd meet him tonight for a few drinks at his new, local, favourite bar. However, that was before Storm Eowyn hit. Shops etc. have been closed all day, though pubs are now just beginning to re-open. The wind has died down considerably, though there is still an amber alert in place which means travel only when necessary.
Saying that, if S messages before 8PM, I'll go out. I want to be social. But I'll be passive about it. I'll not chase him up. If he doesn't message, then it'll be movies and video games.
I had a dream about FA2 last night. It took place over a long time - a few years - and it seemed that FA2 and I circled around each other, occasionally having sex then ghosting each other, only to repeat this every few months. We were both seriously into each other. We'd meet up because we had stuff to talk about and were each other's emotional support, but we'd never fully commit to each other.
Weird.
In other news, I've had a few nights of really good sleep and for the first time this year, I've woken up feeling fully refreshed and ready to go.
So, it was lunch with G and we stopped off for a quick drink on the way back to mine. It was great, but it always is great catching up with G, even if some of the news we share these days isn't great for one or both of us.
S also messaged, asking about drinks, but I wasn't in the mood. I did, though, suggest we meet on Friday for a few pints, which he accepted. So it looks like I have something to look forward to next weekend, at least.
G's messaged and it look like we're meeting tomorrow afternoon. I'm a little disappointed because as I said in one of my more recent posts, it's been ages since I've had a proper Saturday night out.
But still, it'll be great to catch up with G and any socialising is better than what I am currently doing (which is none). Saturday night would have meant a trip to the pub, but it'll be interesting to see see what an afternoon looks like. It could still be the pub. It could be coffee.
Posting about G earlier reminded me that I've not heard from Mrs FC or anyone else from The Crowd. Seeing as GM supposedly needs notice weeks in advance these days, I don't think we're going to be meeting this month as was originally promised/suggested.
And once I get this weekend over, I'll be piling the pressure on KfW2 for dinner and regular readers will know that she'll almost always take priority.
Nothing from G about this coming weekend. Originally he'd suggested doing something on the Saturday, either afternoon or evening. Despite saying I was available whenever, I do hope it's evening. I'd like to go out and be social and do some proper people watching. I can't remember the last time I was in the pub on a Friday or Saturday night.
It's a waiting game, I guess.
Our social committee has just announced our first work thing for the year in two weeks time. The bad news is that Stalky Guy is going. The good news is that Quiet Girl is going. Something else to look forward to!
I just got a text message from KfW2 thanking me for her birthday card (yup, I caved and bought the card and posted it and everything) and actually sounding keen and enthusiastic about going to dinner. Let's see if we can take advantage of this.
I should be back to work tomorrow as I think I've shifted the illness. Or at least, I've shifted the symptoms of the illness that were keeping me awake at night, and it was the lack of sleep more than anything that was keeping me off work.
But I also wanted to mention the foot injury. At the start of December, I thought I was well on my way to healing. it had been mostly pain-free for about a week, then I went bowling and it all came back again. I'm in the same position again - I've been pain free for around a week. I'll not be launching into exercise this week, but rather just getting back into the swing of things.
I'll re-evaluate if I manage to get to two weeks pain free.
I feel like tomorrow is the start of the new year - the past week or so not counting due to the illness ruling me out of pretty much anything.
So deep breaths, take it a step at a time.
So, Facebook is telling me that there are rumours of a Jessica Alba divorce. Looks like I'm getting rid of this illness just in time to get onto my fitness journey. Now all I need to do is meet Jessica and woo her.
I don't particularly want to date single mothers, but there are exceptions.
This throat thing is really pissing me off. I had yet another night of little sleep. I was asleep by midnight, awake roughly around 1:30 AM and I probably didn't get back to sleep again until near 6 AM before waking around 9 AM.
I have a splitting headache, my eyes are sore and I'm feeling really lethargic. I feel like I've not actually started a new year yet, so I still have to get into my weight loss plan when I feel better again (and I always get lazy/de-motivated when ill).
There are two cats making an unholy noise outside. It instantly brought back memories of the brief period of time that I was sleeping with FBS. It was around this time of year - mid-December through to the end of January, if I remember correctly.
But I think this was the first time. We'd shared a bed a few times, but always semi-clothed and nothing happened, even if we'd been kissing and gotten handsy on the sofa.
Her cats were making a noise not dissimilar to what I'm currently hearing. I mentioned it to FBS.
"They're horny" she explained.
"I know the feeling"
And not that long after, we were both naked and enjoying some foreplay.
So, yeah, cats, I know the feeling.
I'm still in bed, I'm not going into work today and this throat infection and cough, whatever it is, is annoying me. I was planning on going back to work tomorrow, but I really can't be arsed and chances are, I'm not going to sleep well tonight. I've not slept well at all this week.
I need to get out of bed, showered and possibly pop to the shops. I need some medicine for the throat thing and possible a birthday card for KfW2. I've been pondering the card thing for a few days. I can't get her out for her birthday. I'm still waiting to take her out for last year's, and she doesn't do anything for mine any more. Back in the day, I could have gotten her out for drinks, I'd get a card, she might pop into the house with the kids and a small cake. But for the past few years, bar a text message, nothing.
But I know that I'll do it anyway, cos she's my friend. And I'm a sucker for a pretty face, as USHW has told me in the past.
I've taken the day off work. It remains to be seen if this will be a sick day or a PTO day. I didn't get any sleep again last night due to this illness. it's not the illness that's the problem - that's "just" a sore throat and a cough. I'm useless with a lack of sleep and that can often mean sore eyes (when using screens) and a splitting headache.
In all likelihood, it'll probably be a sick day or two and I'll not go back to work until the end of the week.
My sleep over the past few nights has been appalling. I've not gotten a lot of good quality sleep. if that happens again tonight, I'll have to consider taking a day off work because I can hardly keep my eyes open and I have a splitting headache probably due to fatigue.
However, I can recall a couple of dreams, both of which featured something in common - they took place somewhere foreign, hot and sunny. At least one dream was extremely sexual - I'd booked a villa somewhere nice and I spent a week with a companion swimming in the pool, relaxing and pretty much having sex in, on and over everything. my companion was known to me, but I can't remember who. FBS, maybe? USHW? I genuinely can't remember.
But with the weather being miserable at the moment, going somewhere hot and sunny would be bliss right now.
G sent an email last night. He's thinking about coming home in two weeks. Was I available on the Saturday, either afternoon or evening, to meet up? I certainly am!
There's also a potential night out with The Crowd, but no-one's said anything so far.
Not that I'm complaining at the moment. I have a lurgy right now - a sore throat - and am feeling really, really low energy and sorry for myself. I didn't sleep a wink last night, so that's added a splitting headache to the mix and I am not a good patient.
Browsing my Facebook memories this morning and there are photos of me, MF, GB and GM in CB Pub on NYE. It was the night where I last saw CB in the flesh (I think), where GM pulled (or rather was pulled) and where I might have ended someone's relationship.
Long story short, because I'm sure I'll have blogged about this before, but this cute redhead sat beside me, chatted about her perfect boyfriend "except..." and when I suggested that she might want to say these things to her boyfriend, it apparently all ended in a huge fight and the boyfriend leaving in a taxi.
I didn't see this last part myself, but MF's boyfriend at the time had mentioned it after he came back from having a smoke outside.
But looking at the pictures again, and the cute redhead gives off serious Felicia Day vibes.
Happy New Year everyone.
This is a scheduled post. I may be drunk, I may be in bed already, I don't know. I'm just hoping that 2025 is much better than the past few years have been, but I can't say I'm optimistic. I'm just tired.
But here are some attractive women to brighten my day when I sober/wake up and read back.
