Urgh.

Well... I don't know how or why, but I ended up watching the entire first season of that TV programme I mentioned in this post. That's 22 episodes of roughly 45 minutes each. And my initial gut feeling about the programme wasn't wrong. It was awful, but it was moreish. And it wasn't in a "so bad it's good" kinda way. It as genuinely awful.

And then, without knowing, I'd completed the first season and had started the second season. And it was worse. All the supporting characters from season one were gone, and they were the high point: the rookie Roe, the solve-it-all IT/science girl, Tanya (didn't like every procedural have one of these after NCIS had Abby?), the grizzled vet, Mike, the experienced cop, Nina and the knows-everyone ME, Joanne. All these characters (and actors) were a bigger draw than the two leads who had zero chemistry with each other despite being former romantic partners. And, yes, they were an item again by the end of the first season which was obvious from the start of the first episode despite the lack of chemistry on show. The writing was that predictable.

I'm clearly in the minority here. The IMDB ratings for season 1 never dropped below 7/10 for each episode.  But I don't know how. In fact, looking at it, all the episode scores across all 4 seasons a re at least 7 except, tellingly, the final episode. I'm betting cliffhanger with no resolution.

But, yeah, 15 minutes into episode 1 of the second season when it was obvious the better characters weren't coming back, and I clicked "close" with no desire to go back. Now I need something new to watch.

'Tis the season...

I sent a message to KfW2 earlier to see if we can't rearrange our postponed dinner and drinks night from about six weeks ago. My first suggestion was the end of November. I'm wary about getting into December because of Mr KfW2's work patterns (he works in retail) and the crowds.

KfW2 was quick to reply to say she'd check but she thought she already had plans that weekend. I then replied and said that I was essentially free between now and Xmas. And that's true.

G's home this month, I think, but KfW2 is already booked up until the 21st November, so there's unlikely to be overlap. There's likely to be one final work event before the new year, but I reckon it'll be mid-December. I do have a night out with my sister and bro-in-law a few days before Xmas.

And currently, that's it. AM still hasn't been in touch about the night out she suggested a while back. The Crowd (Mrs FC specifically) also mentioned a night out,  but they've been quiet, too.

Oh, maybe I should say to KfW2 that I can also probably do a Thursday night between now and Xmas, given the amount of holiday time I still have to take.

Work it out.

In three weeks time, I have a work trip. Sadly it's the not the same kind of work trip that I did in 2005 and 2010 that involved international travel. But I will be going out of town and staying overnight in a hotel and eating and drinking and the company is paying for all of it. It should be fun.

And in another note, as of about 2 weeks ago, I will not be working a full week for the rest of the year. Depending on how I use the rest of my holidays, I might not even work the second half of December. There's no work party this month, but there could be one in December and, if that turns out like last year, that could mean drinks in CB Pub with, amongst others, Quiet Girl.

Time flies.

Facebook threw up some memories today. GB had posted pictures from about 14 years ago and the very first picture is one of CH and myself looking very cosy together. I wouldn't say she was cuddling up to me, but we are very close.

It's also the first night I recall things not being entirely above board with regards to us being tactile, and what that might mean. Well, probably not the first night. I'm sure our chemistry was established by then, but I can't remember how tactile we were before the night in question. If I remember correctly there was at least 1 kiss that lasted too long and at least 1 incident where her hand was on my ass. I also recall getting quite a few text messages from CH because I was 15 minutes later than I had said I'd be there.

Oh, and separately, that was the night where CC admitted to having a crush on GM. Nothing ever came of that, though. At least not that I'm aware. 

Forgettable.

I started watching a programme on Netflix called "Unforgettable". It's a police procedural about a girl who remembers everything and it's fucking awful. But yet I can't stop watching. I'm only six episodes in and there are four seasons. I want to stop but I just can't. The main character isn't particularly likeable and the programme just doesn't have any real hook or character to it like NCIS, House or Elementary. The show's main character has complete recall but her mum has some kind of dementia which just feels so lazy to me. 

Just one more episode though...

Getting in position.

I was at my sis's yesterday for Sunday dinner. I was also quite drunk by the end of the evening, thanks to some beers and gins. I was not feeling on top of my game this morning when I woke, and I had a semi-remembered dream that involved FA2. Specifically, me having sex with FA2, trying to encourage her to do Reverse Cowgirl.

I'm pretty sure that it was a position that we never attempted in real life. I think I've posted before about trying to get FA2 to share more about what she actually liked in bed, but it was something she wouldn't do. I think every "new" position we tried apart from Missionary was a result of me mentioning it or manoeuvring us into it during sex. And yet even if she seemed to enjoy something we did, she never seemed to want to repeat it.

So, yeah, the dream involved fucking FA2 in Reverse Cowgirl which meant that when I woke, I was feeling groggy due to the alcohol from yesterday and horny as hell. I needed "The Cure" as FA2 called it. Which is nothing more than a fuck.

So after a couple of rounds me "me time", I took the day off. 

Sure bet?

It was after 11 PM by the time I got back into the house from the work event, and I had a good time. It was nice to see Quiet Girl, and I did get a chance to share the family news from a few weeks back. I got chatting to a few people, which kinda scratched the socialising itch that I've had for a while.

Also in attendance was Casino Girl. I've posted about her before here and here. I was up doing some casino stuff and chatting to her. When I returned to our table, QG raised an eyebrow.

"You're getting on well with that girl"

"Eh?" 

"Was she not flirting with you?" 

"I don't think so. She was just being nice. It's her job."

"Hmmm..."

"You disagree?"

"It looked like there was more to it than just being nice."

"I'm not gonna lie, I think she's cute, but she's also married if that ring's anything to go by."

"Ring?" QG looked at Casino Girl. "Oh. I guess not then."

And the night trundled on.

I was a little more drunk by the end than I would have liked, and I'm feeling really lethargic today, but I still had a good time. 

In the balance (cont'd)

Quiet Girl has decided that she will go to the ball*

I'm glad because I'd like to spend some time out of the house. And, just like last week, the pub offers opportunities to meet new people, chat to random people and, of course, Quiet Girl is good company.

I might even share the family news from a few weeks back. I'm not sure she knows. 

 *Work event. 

In the balance.

"Are you still going tonight, QG?" I asked over IM. We'd not swapped messages all week, and my pessimism around her attendance was ramped to 11.

"Mmmmm... TBD"

She followed up with an explanation.

"I had a crappy day yesterday. So I'll see how I feel later."

She's done this before and I was able to talk her into coming out. But I likely won't find out until mid-afternoon.

Wonderful.

I sent a message to KfW2:

"What are your plans for the weekend?"

It wasn't an invitation to maybe grab a drink, but a more general question. KfW2 loves Halloween, so I was betting there'd be a party or dressing up involved. I was right.

"I'm having a party, you should come up. But if you do, you have to dress up."

She knows I won't. She's invited me before. They tend to be two things: mainly family affairs and dress up parties.

"I'm at my sis's on Saturday, plus I don't have any costumes anyway!"

It's not a lie as such. I will be at my sister's at some point over the weekend. It's just not likely to be Saturday night. 

"I'll loan you one!"

"I'd look fantastic as Wonder Woman!" 

And now I'm thinking of KfW2 in a Wonder Woman costume. 

Shhhh...

For the past few days, I've had this niggling thought that Quiet Girl will decide not to attend this month's work night out. There's no reason for it. Quiet Girl, in the little we've arranged things, seems to be quite reliable. But we've had conversations in the past where she's admitted to cancelling meeting ex-colleagues because it would be her and one other bloke, in the pub.

At the start of the summer, QG was happy enough to sit in the pub with me while her husband wandered elsewhere. So maybe it was particular to the guy? Who knows. Maybe I'm simply over-thinking things as usual.

As far as I can tell, this Friday would be similar. While we would be surrounded by colleagues from across the company, it'll just be the two of us from our core socialising group. Would that give her the same concerns? It might... which is why I've not drawn attention to it. 

I admitted to USHW earlier that I was looking forward to Friday night, for the company and for the view. And with it being the night before Halloween, maybe lots of people in fancy dress.

What I can say for sure is that it's extremely unlikely that we're going to do our usual thing and end the night in CB Pub.

Que?

I'm strangely optimistic about this coming week for some inexplicable reason. There's nothing planned (so far) apart from the work event on Friday with Quiet Girl (and perhaps others). There could be more paperwork from the family stuff, but I'm waiting to hear back from a few people first.

And that's it. So I've no idea why I'm in such a good mood and actually looking forward to this coming week. 

About last night... (again)

A few weeks ago during one of my phases of surfing the online dating apps, I saw a profile that set something off. I knew that I recognised her, but I couldn't put my finger on where or how. The pictures gave off vague Nigella Lawson vibes. I stared at the pictures for a while, and the name definitely rang a bell, but the details eluded me.

I closed the app and went about my day. As sometimes happens, that train of thought ticked away in my subconscious and the answer popped into my head an hour or so later: she was FBS's husband's business partner. I don't think I'd ever met her, but I'd seen plenty of photos of their business online and some TV clips, too.

So, randomly, in the taxi home last night, FBS started talking about her. I admitted that I'd seen her on Tinder which strangely never drew any comments from either D or FBS herself.  But the conversation had changed from FBS sharing stories of a woman's disastrous online dating experiences to something else. A slight tonal shift but a shift nonetheless. FBS was describing the horrible time she'd had on Tinder and something else... was FBS trying to set me up with her or something?

She never said anything outright and I'd never offered my opinion on her as someone I'd like to date (attractive, but has kids and lives too far away for me). So by the time that D and I stepped out of the taxi, the moment was gone.

About last night...

It was a great night in the pub with FBS, D, Friction Guy and Opinionated Guy. I wasn't as drunk as I had feared, though I was still quite drunk. While I always enjoy our catchups, it felt like we laughed more last night than normal, though for no real reason. Age is catching up with us and so our health was the main topic of conversation. Out of the five of us, I am the only one not on regular medication.

FBS asked a guy sitting at the next table to take a picture of us, and I think it might actually be a decent one. I might ask her for a copy of it and see if it's any good. 

Let's go!

The chat about tomorrow night is ramping up. I wouldn't say that it's getting outrageous in terms of planning or anything, but it does feel like everyone's low-key excited to be meeting up.

FBS has posted several messages over the last few days about it and the latest, arriving just now, is a picture of her with a beer in her hand.

"Practising for tomorrow night!" 

In a conversation with USHW recently, I shared that my ability to drink had taken a real beating: weight loss and lack of socialising (i.e. pub time) had "ruined me". Only a few years ago, I'd happily drink half a dozen pints on a Wednesday night and not give it a second thought.

Now, on a night out with FBS, D etc. I reckon I drink about half a dozen drinks, and I am far too drunk. I don't like being drunk. I like having drinks. I like being tipsy. But not being drunk.

But I'm still looking  forward to it.

Pushing my buttons.

I saw a picture of actress Rachel McAdams earlier, though I don't think I've ever seen anything that she was in. It was what she was wearing that was what I noticed: a blue, front-button long dress. The reason that caught my eye was that I don't remember anyone else ever wearing one apart from FA2.

FA2 had a brown one that I loved. Well, not it specifically, but taking it off as part of foreplay. She wore it the night we christened BW's house after being in the pub. I remember it fondly: unbuttoning it from behind, from the bottom up, from the top down and even starting in the middle, when she had her belly button pierced.

It's the one piece of clothing I can recall her wearing a lot, presumably because she knew how much I liked taking it off. Plus, it was a dress. She didn't wear those often. 95% of the time it was jeans and a jumper or t-shirt/bodysuit, depending on the time of year.

Three's a crowd?

The chat in the WhatsApp group with D, FBS etc, has kicked off ahead of our proposed night out this coming Friday. Not a lot has been said, apart from D, FBS and myself all confirming that we're going out. Nothing from Friction Guy as yet, but to be honest, I think that we could make a night of it even if it's only the three of us. And I think if the other two can't attend, we would actually head out.

That'd be quite a good night out, I think. I recall the night where it was only me, FBS and Opinionated Guy and it was great.

Fail!

I had one of my recurring dreams last night. In it, I've failed my exams at university and I am trying to hide this fact from my parents. I can't remember the exact details now, but I do remember waking several times this morning before falling asleep again and the dream continuing.

When I woke properly, I was really glad. I think it was actually stressing me out even though I was asleep. So the realisation that I was awake and it was only a dream was a huge relief.

Size is everything.

I should have been doing some paperwork off of the family stuff from a few weeks back, but if I am being honest, it's overwhelming me a little. When I'm overwhelmed like this, my first thought is to back off instead of doing the logical thing: taking the big problem and breaking it down into more easily manageable parts.

And as part of that procrastination, I was looking at houses on the local property websites.

And for some reason, that turned into a memory from nearly 20 years ago when I was looking for a place to live. This would have been shortly before I moved in with Useless Flatmate. I went to view a place in a nice area. More accurately, I went to view a room in a flat. A double room, claimed the advert.

I had space requirements: not just room for a double bed and storage, but space for a desk where I could put my PC, too. 

Before I could actually see the room, the person who lived there explained the circumstances: she owned the flat but she spent most of her time in England and was only home once every month for nearly a week. Therefore, I'd have the run of the flat, mostly.

That all sounded promising. Then she showed me the room. It was not a double room per the advert. You might have been able to squeeze a double bed in there, but that would have only left space to walk round the bed and that's it. Fitting a desk and office chair in would have been impossible.

I mentioned that to her and she got super defensive. Not that it mattered. As soon as I saw the size of the room, I knew it wasn't for me, even with the free reign for most of the month. It's not like the entire flat was big. It was cozy. There wasn't even anywhere I could have set up my desk in the living area. Not that I wanted to. I'm a gamer, so no-one wants to hear me talking into my headset if they're trying to watch TV.

Anyway, I said that I wasn't interested due to the size of the room and let her be. I did notice that she updated her advert. If I recall the details correctly it no longer said "double room" but simply listed the dimensions and called it a "good sized room". 

House it going?

I was expecting to hear from CC today. She had mentioned that she wanted to go and look at kitchens and she knew a guy who did kitchens. As it happens, a new kitchen is the next phase of my house plan. I have a rough idea of what I want, from a functional perspective, but no idea about any of the bells and whistles.

So I know where I will put my oven, fridge, washing machine, sink and dishwasher, but I couldn't tell you what colour the kitchen will be, what the tiles will be like. And the only way I'll make those decisions is by going out and looking at kitchens.

So, yeah, I was expecting to hear from CC, but she's not said anything. Part of me is disappointed because I'd like to kick off this phase of the house renovation, but after about 5 pints last night, I'm feeling very lethargic today.