Homeward bound

I have some goodbye drinks with the Wellington/Melbourne crowd, which was triple radness to the extreme and I realised that I've failed miserably to see some people more than twice in the past year. Stupid old London. Mike dubbed me home from the station on his bike, which was worryingly fun, and we ate fried chicken and watched telly and chortled loudly at midnight, much to Skye's rage (she was trying to sleep). And then I had another round with the Christchurch bunch, sensibly, I thought, an afternooon affair so I'd have time to get home and pack for France. I did get home and pack for France but I was mildly pissed at the time. Good times. Red wine teeth not so hot. Sigh, is so hard being so popular and having to drink so much with so many who adore me.

So Dan and I, like, totally did Toulouse. Failed to eat my own body weight in cheese but probably got reasonably close in drinking my body weight in whisky. The weather was not clement and I'm not a good tourist so there was much sitting inside and watching True Blood, in which little Anna Paquin grows the fuck up and gets to have sex with vampires - a dream come true, no doubt.

Dan and I did manage to leave James' house to get to Carcassonne, a walled fortressy type arrangement, where I saw one of the better torture museums - educational and hilarious. Any century that produces an instrument to torture bad musicians is okay by me (of course, any century that produces nasty instruments to torture women who have sex with the devil is not, so that kind of ruined it all).

We ate some stuff that was yum. Ate more stuff that was yum. Drank semi-dubious red wine with gusto. Met all manner of nationalities, but oddly, very few actual French. All in all, had a thumbs-up time and was completely exhausted from all the telly watching when we got back.

Cue my final night in England. For which Skye'n'Mike'n'I invited Kruse and Bibby (so the old flat was together once more) for a Stratford stylez event of Chinese and zombie porn. It was magnificent. Bibby provided the projector (really, the only reason we invited him) and we ordered far, far too many dumplings, which we still managed to eat most of. Skye'n'Mike thoughtfully made me a t-shirt so I'd remember the good times - it's got a photo of our Chinese takeaway shop on the front. Skye wouldn't let me open the door to the takeaway man in it in case he got offended. And then, with the heating pumped up, it was too hot and they all took off their jumpers to reveal that they, too, had the same t-shirt! Hilarious! Oh, how I shall miss them all. Mike promptly got dumpling sauce on his.

So, a late night and then much pottering around the next day demanding Kruse make my laptop taller than God and twice as pretty and then he manfully carried my pack to the station and plonked me on the tube and I burst into tears because I am good at this, and then I staggered on my way to Heathrow. And then 26 hours and one mildly irked man next to me later (had to keep climbing over him in the plane to get to the toilet) I was home. Twenty-three degrees and I haven't worn socks since. My plan to get off the plane and spend the afternoon napping was dashed by Brandon deciding that there was no time like the present to re-blonde me and I spent the afternoon sitting in his salon catching up on the gossip and complaining about all the couples.

Made some cookies, hung with Ruthie, saw all the lads, and now I'm in welly, crashing at H's. Jess'n'me watched some Real Hot Bitches do their thing last night and now I have to start purchasing some day-glo lycra so we can join in the new year. Probably drank too much bourbon last night as well, but at 6.30am, I'm feeling pretty good. Right. Who wants to give me a job? And some new jeans? I darned mine, but I didn't do so well because the next time I put them on and bent over, well, there was more air on my nether regions than I prefer.

You really can't beat Wellington on a good day.

Almost away laughing

Day three of unemployment. It's starting to take its toll. I am bored. I also have far too much to do and I am ignoring it in favour of watching stuff. I started packing and I have nice pile of shoes in my 'probably shouldn't take home but am all in favour of doing so' pile.

Since it's been a couple of weeks since I last attempted to update my reading audience of six, here is a brief description of my life in November:

Roast with Kruse, Gen and Justin where we get to the bottom of Gen's fisting abilities. Oh the hilarity where words have several meanings.
Em turns 31. Drinks. Get harrassed by locals on the way home from said 31st. Yes, my legs are indeed a stairway to heaven.
Conrad gets a girlfriend! Conrad is smug. Resolve to deflate Conrad.
Quiet drinks with Dan and Nic turn into five bottles. Label for one says it is soft and approachable. Do not feel this way the next day. Must not do again on a school night.
My leaving work drinks, which I didn't want to organise so I gatecrash Mike's, from Sales and Marketing, instead. This goes very well and I end up having conversation with a young whipper snapper, who cannot hold his booze so well, about the supportiveness of different men's underpants. Am told by several workmates they regret not getting to know me better now that they know I am the sort of woman who drinks too much tequila occasionally and gets mistaken for a heroin addict.
The election turns me to the bloody marys (red and green) but to no avail. Instead am cheered by Kruse, Caro, Katie, Gen and Dom and roast lunch and rugby. And then we girly up for a cocktail party at the Skanky Palace (aka Chook and Laura's house). Stop off for a quick pint at Kruse's local. Locals are confused by Kruse's red suit and his bevy of beauties. Gen dances with local eldery crack dealer. She looks stunning (in my dress that we have had to wrap around her about seven times she is that much smaller than me, damn her), the crack dealer less so.
Finally get to the party and fail to recognise Simon, who has had his hair done by Laura and now resembles a member of some Emo band. We talk, we gossip, tell lies and make beer blue. Then Gen and I run away so we can make the last tube - we both have busy Sundays planned. Nerds.
I work on a Sunday.
Last day at work - 50 workmates surround my desk, apparently because I am so popular but we all know they are really just there for the cake. I get nice presents and feel sad so eat more cake than should. Then work till 8 and have satisfaction of finally being the last person to leave the office.
Day one of unemployment - wake up at 6am. Emails from workmate who took over my books start at 8.30am. He will never be as good as me. Spend day in pjs watching Anne of Green Gables and swooning over Gilbert.
Drinks with Em, Conrad and Dan so can say goodbye. Nathan turns up - it's been eight years and he seems to have gained a wife and almost a child. I have not. Conrad still smug about girlfriend.
Day two of unemployment. Em and I go to the British Museum and nerd it up. See favourite vase with Achilles and Penthesileia. We spend 90 minutes admiring stuff and then two hours drinking tea and eating cake gossiping. Much like being back in the university halls.
Day three - am absolutely determined to get up and post some stuff home. Right after trawling in the internet in seach of nothing in particular.

France on Monday. Will attempt to eat own body weight in cheese.