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.

Oh, hello again!

Guess who showed up on Bumble (Tinder-like dating app) earlier? Not Wet Leg girl... sadly nothing there from her past few appearances. No, it's my sister's university friend! This is the first I've seen her on the dating apps in ages. Possibly this year.

I have, of course, swiped right. Though this is an exercise in futility, isn't it? I've swiped right on her every time I've seen her with no positive outcome.

A man can hope though, right?

Disclaimer: I've no idea what I would do if we actually matched. I've mentioned before that I am private. The fact that I'd be on a date with someone that I share mutual friends could be weird to me. RB did admit during one of our evenings that she knew MF and GWTNA, though that didn't put me off. MF and GWTNA weren't close friends though. Would it be different if it was family? A close friend?

Six Degrees.

It's been a while since I posted about how small the place is where I live. Not small, geographically, but socially. The amount of times I see people who are friends of friends who share other friends, or I spot someone on something like Tinder who goes on to be a friend of a friend. There are loads of examples that I've posted about before: CB with MFF, QC2 with MMBF, RB and GWTNA/MF, to name but a few.

And now I add another. Another woman on Tinder is a friend of a friend.

I think I've posted about the friend before... fit, attractive blonde girl from school. We've always had a bit of banter between us, but our paths rarely cross these days, mainly due to the fact she lives in Scotland somewhere. Or maybe the north of England.

Regardless, she posted a 'happy birthday' message to a friend of hers who has, reasonably frequently, popped up on my Tinder feed, though I don't remember seeing her recently to be honest.

Er... and that's about it really.

Time flies

A digest email from LinkedIn reminded me that it's been six years since CH left for a new job. I've barely heard from her since then, but that's not massively surprising given how things were when she left and our last-minute reconciliation.

Would things have been any different had she left a year earlier when we were on much better terms and she was sending me gushing text messages expressing how awesome I was? Somehow I doubt it. I know she's still in regular contact with OK, GWTNA and MMF, often seeing them socially. I still think she didn't know how to handle a male/female friendship and that was causing her as much angst as her other feelings.

Just stuff.

One of my Facebook memories today is a picture of me and GWTNA. She has this really interesting, sexy, dishevelled look going on in it. It reminds me of Nerdy Girl's Whatsapp profile picture that has the same kind of vibe to it for the same reasons. It also reminds me, for some reason, of Jenni Lee, ex porn star and, the last I heard, homeless person.

Reminiscing.

Many years ago, a new girl joined our team in work. Cute, brunette, petite.

On a work night out, as we were leaving the restaurant, I motioned her to walk in front of me.

"What a gentleman you are!" she declared.

"Even if I told you that I only did that so I can see if you have a nice ass?"

She laughed over her shoulder and swayed her hips. She did have a nice ass.

We got along well enough, but she moved on to other opportunities a short time later.

Years later, on our first (only) proper date, RB asked if I knew her. It turned out that RB and I used to work for the same company, at the same time, albeit only for a few months before RB went for a career change into, well, recruitment. RB, MF and the girl with the nice ass had all attended college together and started on the same day, but RB and GWTNA had fallen out. It's not surprising. GWTNA was pretty headstrong, as was RB come to think of it. 

In fact, GWTNA and KFW later fell out (over GM), and wrongly in my opinion as GWTNA was dating someone else at the time, but screwing GM on the side. I don't know the exact details of why GWTNA and KFW fell out. I don't think KFW and GM ever hooked up. 

RB never explained why she had stopped being friends with GWTNA, but both of them are, as they say, bonkers.

I'd forgotten all about GWTNA's relationship with RB until she popped up on Facebook today in pictures with her kids and her husband... the guy she cheated on with GM.

A new chapter starts.

Call it the magic of Christmas or call it the magic of alcohol or whatever you want to call it, but whatever it is, it worked.

It was the work's Xmas party and I wasn't in great form. I couldn't really put a finger on why I wasn't in great form, but there was none of the usual socialising that I tend to do during these things.

CH was very visible, pretty much being on the dancefloor from the end of the meal for a good few hours, often on her own.

I, myself, was very drunk. When talking to KfW2, the subject of CH came up. Specifically, I'd be talking to a friend of CH's (GWTNA) who'd been asking me why CH and I hadn't been dancing. When I confessed that we didn't really talk any more, that CH had fallen out with me (rather than the other way around), she was sympathetic.

"You two were good friends. You should go talk to her," she suggested.

I replied that it had crossed my mind and it was this conversation that I relayed to KfW2.

She suggested the same thing, but I was dubious. CH is a very stubborn woman, especially if she thinks she's been crossed. I didn't want to risk a full blown argument - CH could do that, I think.

So, I went about my night, messaging people, chatting and doing an awful lot of drinking.

On my way to talk to JB, I noticed CH, on her own, looking for something so I approached her as she turned around. Initially, we didn't say anything. I just hugged her. I told her that I had missed talking to her and that I'd heard her news and was so glad for her.

We spoke further - she explained that she had gone through a rough patch at the start of the year. I explained that I had too, which was why I wanted to talk to her and that I was disappointed she hadn't shared that with me. We chatted for a bit, but the important pieces had already been said. No-one really apologised, we just acknowledged the breakdown in communications and moved on. A message I sent earlier that evening, to SG I think, I think suggested that I'd never see CH again. I don't know whether this is true or not - CH's availability is always in question - but if we do, it'll be as friends.

She'd claimed that, regardless of my approaching her at the party, she had included me in her goodbye email. It's tradition in my place to send out an email to those who've made a big impact on your life/career as you move on to pastures new, and apparently I was going to be in receipt of hers, if not specifically mentioned.

GB returned to the table from dancing and was delighted that CH and I were talking again.

Also, worth point out that CH's tactility came back instantly. There were lots of kisses, back stroking and vague not-quite-arse grabbing. All the things that made nights out with CH enjoyable but frustrating.

And with that, the night ended... for about five minutes until KfW2 talked me into going to the after party. And so, the night finally concluded at 4AM, drunken and emotional (due to a conversation with KfW2 about loneliness).

Suffice to say, the next day wasn't great. I had an actual hangover for the first time in ages and the lack of sleep hit me hard (I'd been out late on the Wednesday for one of the early Star Wars screenings with SG).

I had another sleepless night last night, so I'm pretty much running on empty right now.