Tuesday, August 5th, 2003
at 12:04 p.m.
Whoa.
Oh GOD.
Last night was. . .quitea night.
I'd been looking forward to it since we came, having Laura take me out and show me around the pubs and clubs in the area, and meeting all her friends.
I rested for a bit after coming back from Richmond, then dressed up and headed out.
First stop, her friend Vince's house, for the 'getting-to-know' stage. Her friend Ellie was totally crazy - an 80s girl, her friend Lara was really sweet and fun, and her friend Vince likes to 'take the piss' (make fun) but he was a softie at heart. We got to know each other for a while and bonded while sipping kahluas and milk, then headed to their first spot, the WeatherSpoons, where I got double vodkas and red bull for only �1. That's about $1.65. How afforable, ehh?? From there we moved onto their regular place, the Hobgoblin, which I wouldn't mind having as MY regular place too, for the time I'm here. It's got great ambience with really cool people around, an inviting atmostphere, and a great beer garden out in the back. Groups of people who all know each other through at least someone were milling about everywhere, and in no time at all I was having hugely giggly and gregarious talks with all sorts of really cool people. I'd soon formed my own little group of people, and not even Lara, Ellie, or Vince were included. You just get introduced and if you find somehing in common with that person you just stick around! In all honesty, I've never felt so interesting in my ife. Everyone here is enthralled to talk to an American, particulary a San Franciscan, since amazingly enough nearly everyone I talked to who had been to the U.S. had been there, and said it was their favorite. They seemed sincere, lol. S I was of course the expert of everythig American, and so to them everything I said was interesting. It was quite an ego boost, to be sure! Aside from just having that connection though, I found genuine ones with various people over things like writing, or acting, or singin, etc. It was so much fun, and because I take mindless drinks from my glass as I have in-depth conversations (I've found that most people do this), I kept refilling my glass. At the Hob (short for its full name, the HobGoblin) I tried their specialty, the Snakebite, which is half Stella Artois and half cider, with some Rubina mixed in as well. Delicious! By the time we decided it was time to head over to Reading (a crackling college town) I was well on my way, and we'd grown in numbers. We had a group of about 15 by this time, and as it was far after 9:30, we got on the train for free!
The train as a really fun affair. We were swapping seats, giggling, teasing each other, yelling at someone jokingly, and generally goofing off. I aready felt so included, which was really a testament to how cool these kids are.
When we got into Reading, I was really buzed. The streets all seemed more colorful than they probably were - more crackling wit energy form the college kids - but who knows?! I felt so alive with this group of really fun and interesting and inclusive English kids, and that alone was quite a natural high. To me, that enthralled moment of walking down the unfamiliar street really seemed to signify the start of an entirely new type of social life; pub culture!!!
We arrived at the purple turtle where Laura's friend Paula had insisted the whole night I go with her. I didn't show any resistance at all because. . .
"We were to have our first taste of. . .Absinthe." [Cue crazy Moulin Rouge music). Not the type of absinthe they had then of course, and not even straight. What we split was a mixture of absinthe, rubena, and something else, but mmmm was it good! It didn't make me hallucinate (like I said, today's version is vastly tamer) but it did increase my buzz. Lara came to get me and we went next door to ths awesome club, called The Fez. It's all Arabian styled and interestingly lit and intimate, with great dance music. Lara and I put down our purses immediatey and danced around them, really feeling the music pulse through us. Yes we were definitely buzzed, and again I felt like a kid in the candy store not having to worry about IDs, and being underage, and having a whole bar at my disposal, so I suppose that didn't help the cause, lol. Oh wait, it DID help my cause. . .(I got my cause confused for a bit ; )
I just sneezed a HUGE sneeze, but anyway.
I went downstairs a bit to rest in between songs, and I found Laura and Vince chatting with some gorgeous English guy who immediately attracted me, and hard. He looked like Andy Roddick, you know,that tennis player? The one Mandy Moore's with. Yeah, he looked just like him. Somehow we launched into a passionate conversation about America across Laura. It was so passionate, which is hysterical because we were in total agreement. We were just trying to add more and more points I guess. Finally Laura had had enough and she extricated herself to go to the bar with Vince, and left us to our own devices. That was her first mistake! I vaguely remember turning to my left and leaning over to Lara, who was talking to someone else, and whispering to her, "Would it be wrong if I pulled Tom? Would that be so wrong?"
She was greatly amused, of course, because she remembered our conversation earlier that evening about 'pulling.' It had involved nearly everyone we traveled with over to Reading on the train, and I'd been completely incredulous. In turn, they'd been extremely entertined by my incredulousness.
Basically, just like drinking is so casual over her, with the pub culture, so is hooking up. Essentially anyone can go up to anyone else, and with hardly a preamble, a person a can just start kissing person b, without any fuss at all. Then, 10 15, 30, or so minutes later you can just stop and thank the person, and go on your way. Apparently these people couldn't even count how many people they'd all 'pulled' but they guessed it was in the hundreds. The hundreds!!!! They also said that the average per night could be around 5. So you can see how I could be incredulous! I think my mouth just hung open in shock, even though I've heard all this before.
So when I leaned over and asked Lara that, she thought it was hilarious. She told me to go for it, and have fun.
And I did! The passion in the discussion helped too. . .
A little while later I decided to go back to the Purple Turtle next door, and when I got there I ran into Paula and another cute guy I'd been introduced to, Alex. Somehow Alex and I got into this amazingly in-depth conversation and we talked for about an hour. The horrible thing is, I don't think I can really remember what it was about! And it was so intense; we were just wrapped up in our own world, so we didn't even notice Paula slip away. I think we were talking about Los Angeles, and movies, and what we wanted to do, and all kinds of stuff. Well, before I knew it, I'd pulled Alex too! I felt accomplished; I was well on my way to be just like a normal English girl. Go me! Haha. Before I knew it though, four hours passed and the clubs were closing and the last train home was soon departing. We gathered in front of the clubs and I climbed up the high wall that was the perimeter of the graveyard across the street. It was cool to look down and see all the people coming out of the clubs, and soon Lara and Laura joined me. We waited for the rest of the people, told Paula, who was lagging behind, to "come on," and jumped onto the train.
I also kind of remember kicking some guy in the shin when he made a really bad mockery of the American accent, but it was all in good fun on both sides.
A little later I was talking to a guy named Neil about hair. I was bemoaning the botched dye job I recently did (argh - I've had so much practice, what went wrong?!), when trying to return it to my natural color, and also commending him on his cool hair, which was very Conesie-esque. I didnt know anyone else could pull of that look but this guys did! But he didn't even know who Conan was (sad but true) so I can't blame him for copying. Hair led into to other things, and yep, soon I had added three to my list. Yeah. . .but keep in mind this is a slow night according to standard's over here!
When we arrived in Maidenhead, it was around 4, and Neil and I walked together after Laura and her on-and-off again guy, Sam.
I was feeling pretty dizzy though, so I sat down on a bench for a second while they walked on, and I guess I must have hd my eyes downcast for longer than I realized because when I looked up they were gone. I was in the center of a large square with streets gong every which way, and I had NO sense where I was, let alone in relation to the house we're staying at, which I only knew was a good distance off.
I looked around and listened, hoping to hear or see some sign, but it was 4 in the morning, and it was entirely deserted. I sighed, annoyed with myself that I had lagged, but just shook my head and stood. There was really no choice, I had to walk!
Luckily, Laura and Chris live right by the river, so I knew that if I only could get to where the Thames was on my left, I would be going the right direction. Unfortunately logic wan't all there at that time, so when I miraculously did find the river, I was totally unsure that I was going the right direction. The only thing I knew in my state of mind at that time was that it felt right. I plodded along tht river for what seemed like hours and hours, and all the streets that branched off away from the Thames look exactly the same to me, and it was too dark to read street signs. I was starting to rely question if I was gong the right direction, which would have been devastating. To go all that way and have it be wrong. . .but I plodded on. And finally I saw the sign I was looking for that told me I was in the right place: the Maidenhead Bridge, which runs straight from their street. I was SO relieved, not to mention a little proud of myself for finding my way all the way home from the center of a town I didn't know at all, while besotted, and in total darkness! Isn't it true that somehow things always work out? Somehow you always find home, or a bed, or something. At least for most of us it works that way. Not all of us were so lucky last night, but more on that later.
I was so relieved to get there, but when I reached the door the problem was, how do I get back in. I tried to pull on the garage,which hd been unlocked before we'd gotten there, but it wouldn't budge no matter how hard I pulled. Next I tried the gate to the back door, but it was locked so I went around to the other gate, but that too was locked. Next I tried to climb the fence but yeahhh, THAT was a joke, in my state. So finally I doubtfully just tried the front door to rule out possibilities. And would't you know it, stupid me, it opened easily! I went straight into the downstairs apartment-type area Laura and I are sharing for the time-being, and immediately collapsed onto the bed, only noticing that Lura wasn't home yet, before falling deep asleep.
About three hours later, this morning, my parents woke me up telling me to get ready because they were leaving in five minutes. WHA?? Oh yeah. I'd checked a box in a note my mom wrote and left in front of the door saying I WAS up to going with them into Downtown London today, but of course that was then and this as now. No way was I going, at leat not that early, and that was WHEN they were going! I woke up anyway though, I couldn't go back to sleep, and neither could Laura.
She told me that she hadn't gotten home until 7 because she'd spent about three hours in a field with that guy. How delicious! LOL! She was complaining a lot though; apparently her back was bruised so badly it was killing her. In fact, she's been complaining all morning about it! All I have to say is, that's the price you pay for that fun!
Later this afternoon Chris's other best friend, Shell (a really fun lady who has a great ranch in the Triity Mountain in Northern California) is coming with her nephew, who 18 - turning 19 this Frday. I've never met him but I hope he's cool, and won't be some annoying loud American jock. What I mean is, I hope he can mesh well with Laura's friends. I feel like I have, and it's made everything so much more easy and fun!
What song is playing on my iTunes right now: What I'm reading: What I'm Wearing: Back to anecdotal journalism again! - Tuesday, May 1st, 2007
Plan? - Monday, Jun. 19, 2006
FINALLY things are going better!
(This month redefined my understanding of stress and 'hell') - Monday, April 24th, 2006
Just a few more days! - Monday, February 27th, 2006
Another one to chalk up to College Experiences - Sunday, February 12th, 2006