[b]Wednesday, February 14, 2007 — 5.46 PM[/b]
For the first time, my blog will have a slightly different account of the night. It’s 5.46 — probably 5.47 now — and I’m heading out to see my old art school friends for a dinner at Betty’s.
[img]https://www.leighlo.com/uploads/random/2007/02-OutWithFriends-01.jpg[/img]
[i]Jessie is gorgeous. Always has been, always will be… even if she doesn’t think so.[/i]
Really, the reason for an all-of-a-sudden meeting is because Nikki — the tall girl from Minnesota (Hey, that’s where [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonny_Lang]Jonny Lang[/url] is from!!!) — is going back to America in a few days time.
I can’t but help think that we could have done this earlier as she’s been “vacationing” here for at least 4 or 5 weeks now.
“Vacation”, mind you, is a loose term as she’s been staying with family and visiting with & helping friends. She’s probably also done her fair share of partying since she’s been back as it would hardly be Nikki without some measure of that.
[img]https://www.leighlo.com/uploads/random/2007/02-OutWithFriends-08.jpg[/img]
[i]Nikki is heading back to America next week. Shot by Jessie Cadden.[/i]
Usually these last-minute get-togethers yield the usual three who are pretty much good for any or most of our friendly little gatherings. We who make up the usual three are the same ones who turned up to Damo’s opening a few weeks ago and of whom were each mentioned or shown through photographs at least once in that aforementioned blog. They are Emily, Dee, and myself.
This time, however, Dee has TAFE to attend tonight, so Em & I are the only two usuals who should be arriving along with Skevi (who I’ll no doubt call either both Skevi & Evi throughout this), Nikki, and Jessie. None of this will stir you in the slightest as you’re unlikely to know who they are anyway.
Aside from Dee who is accounted for, the rest of our photography group from uni who probably won’t end up turning up include Alex, Margaret, BJ, Leyla, Diane, Josh and Jinx.
Alex is probably either shopping or having wild hot monkey sex with her surfy boyfriend overseas (Despite how I word this, I do like Alex, and this is still how I’d describe it if I were talking to her).
Margaret might show up, but it’ll be or it’d be short lived as she’d likely have to run back to her boyfriend Clay for something or another. Margaret is (I hope she still is, anyway) one of my close friends and is one person whose name I still have trouble spelling right (thought I think I got it right this time). Most of the time, I can’t but help think that her boyfriend Clay is — in some form — holding her back from having or leading an independent life of her own, or at the very least, enjoying herself. It’s probably just me, but this is my blog so I’ll say what I want.
Beej (BJ) is in Melbourne. I haven’t heard from her in ages and every time I try to get in contact, I end up getting nowhere. I’ve almost lost hope in ever going out (as friends) with her again…
Leyla is working. Fair enough.
Diane is probably looking after her kids. Sadly, Diane is probably the one person we all love who we forget to call for these mini-reunions.
Josh… who knows… who cares…
Jinx… same sort of thing, but I bet God (his and a whole bunch of others’ God) would know exactly where he is.
Oh, and there’s also Damo, but getting him out to an event is harder than getting everyone else to come to the same event. Don’t ask me why… I seriously don’t know.
[img]https://www.leighlo.com/uploads/random/2007/02-OutWithFriends-03.jpg[/img]
[i]Emily at the dinner table. Shot by Jessie Cadden.[/i]
It’s now 6.07 and the 333 bus I’m on nearly has me at the stop I need in Darlinghurst to meet my friends, old but soon to be rekindled.
I’ll see you on the other side of coffee, dinner… maybe even a nice white…
[b]Wednesday, February 14, 2007 — 6.32 PM[/b]
Skev just went insane at the thought of her old crush from Uni who is coming for some bizarre reason or another.
[b]Wednesday, February 14, 2007 — a bit after 7.00 PM[/b]
Wine to take note of for next time:
Brown Brothers
Crouchen & Riesling
Vintage 2006
[i]It’s sweet, but I couldn’t be sure what everyone’s taste in wine was so I went with something light that would start the night off. Evi seems to like it, as does Paul. It’s not bad at all. Probably a bit too sweet, but I would definitely buy it again.[/i]
[b]Wednesday, February 14, 2007 — 9.10 PM[/b]
Well, it’s 9.10 and after walking down a shortish stretch of Crown, Oxford, and Liverpool, I’m practically back where I started writing my blog entry: I’m sitting on a 333 express bus going down Oxford St (only this time, I’m heading towards Bondi and not vice versa).
Dinner was good.
[img]https://www.leighlo.com/uploads/random/2007/02-OutWithFriends-09.jpg[/img]
[i]Paul at dinner.[/i]
The gay waiters were extra gay, which is the only way they could possibly be without me suspecting that Betty’s has been stormed by aliens and taken over in a vicious hostage attempt.
Also, I don’t know whether it’s the fact that on the bus ride here I was sitting on the back of the bus a bit higher (because the 333 express buses are made of 2 buses with an accordion bit in the middle, the back bus is more like a stadium seating bus) or whether the road is just that much more badly paved on this side of the road, but I’ll be lucky to read my writing from the bumps and jiggles when I get back and try to transcribe this.
Anyway, I digress. We were talking about the night, or rather I was telling you about it from my perspective making the bold assumption that you seriously give a damn (well, you’re here reading this right?).
So before I completely and entirely lose track of where I am… or was… or were…
[b]** The mysterious frying pan blinks itself into existence and shakes its handle menacingly at me **[/b]
That’s the second time my imagination has conjured up an animated cooking utensil to molest my thoughts with. I should probably seek help eventually.
It’s 9.24 and we’ve just passed through the junction to collect more passengers.
I’ll pick this up when I start blogging it later on. I’ll even blog what I wrote there.
[b]Saturday, February 17, 2007 — 1.01 AM[/b]
It’s humid and I’m awake and I’m writing, and you can’t stop a writer from writing.
I’m continuing on from the past blog exactly as I said I would. It’s not fake either, by the way. I’m beginning to carry little notebooks and a pen or pencil everywhere I go so I can start blogging in some form wherever I am.
[img]https://www.leighlo.com/uploads/random/2007/02-OutWithFriends-05.jpg[/img]
[i]Me, shot by Jessie Cadden.[/i]
So, this dinner that we had on Valentines is still unbelievably fresh in my mind. It’s a night like this that you don’t want to let go of. You brain lets you hold it and grasp it and embrace it for so long that it doesn’t matter that other things might be happening or changing around you: you enjoyed some aspect of the night and it’s certainly worthy and a benefit for you to hold on to the memories for as long as you can.
Or at least until you can write about it so you can read it and go “oh yeah…” later on.
And while not a lot happened throughout the night, any night with my friends is a night I want to keep a hold on to.
I ordered the nachos like I normally do, and the extremely gay waiter who is very nice and always plays nicely with me had a little wordplay action (ooo baby!) with screwing bottles of wine and what not. It’s always fun, Betty’s… and the Spanishy-sounding waiter is the most fun there, even though the whole staff is good.
I’ve kind of been over the soups there for a while now, but the bread is always good, the prices are good, the staff are good… if you need a place to eat in Darlinghurst and can’t decide between all the bullshit places, Betty’s is easily a place you can be seen at provided your head isn’t lodged completely and firmly up your rectum.
But, I’m here to talk about the company I had, and talk I will.
Hell, you’re unlikely to be able to shut me up!
The company was company. What else can you say about old friends?
[img]https://www.leighlo.com/uploads/random/2007/02-OutWithFriends-06.jpg[/img]
I’d love to tell you about how I missed seeing Jessie’s gorgeous eyes and how she blushes whenever you speak the truth about how pretty she is (though she doesn’t seem to believe it), or how Nikki’s been faring after her tragic accident, or the way Skevi has grown up and become almost lady-ish… or something… can’t describe Skevi like that… it’s not right… or something…
[img]https://www.leighlo.com/uploads/random/2007/02-OutWithFriends-04.jpg[/img]
[i]Skevi when she’s listening. Shot by Jessie Cadden.[/i]
But even if I did mention the things like that, I still wouldn’t really be showing you the connections that we all had, part and parcel, and there’s no way I can. I can’t connect the dots of 3-4 years of friendship and working together that a Uni group like ours brought with it. The work we did to become friends.
I can tell you that there was much discussion between us and we all seemed to be cool, and over the dinner with wine and bread and soup and sadness and laughter and whatnot, those connections were made again even if they were only made for a second or two.
After we all paid our parts of the bill, Skevi & Em headed home while I went and had a drink with Nikki & Jessie at the Gaslight.
I don’t know why, mind you. I had nothing else to do, but drinking isn’t something I really care about.
I guess I wanted to drink with my friends… maybe get to re-know them… or be there for them again… I don’t know… I can’t describe it.
[img]https://www.leighlo.com/uploads/random/2007/02-OutWithFriends-02.jpg[/img]
We talked and drank. Jessie & Nikki had a shot of Tequila each. I told them I couldn’t have one. It’s hard to describe why you can’t do shots for health reasons without sounding like a dork. I don’t care what people think of me, this is true, but I don’t want my friends to feel like I’m making excuses, especially when I’m not.
There was talk about travel and drugs and all sorts of other random crap.
Once again, more crap about me not being able to do something: this time drugs. No Nikki, my nostrils aren’t too small to do coke, but me possibly being a sociopath is more than cause enough for me to not risk going insane and doing something while under the influence I might later regret. Not worth it, in my opinion.
It’s hard to be that person your friends might think you are when you know about all of the problems and flaws that you have… I can’t do a lot of the things my peers can and will do, whether its sexual or drug-related or social or what not. I know this. I’m not good looking and I do have mental issues and all sorts of other crap that aren’t my fault and I can’t do a lot about… it’s just hard to explain it to them without feeling like it’s an excuse… and that sucks.
Especially on Valentines Day in a pub filled with couples doing whatever it is the hell couples do.
[img]https://www.leighlo.com/uploads/random/2007/02-OutWithFriends-07.jpg[/img]
I kind of felt bad for Jessie. She shouldn’t be alone. Neither should Nikki, but Jessie’s relationship didn’t sound like it ended well recently, and I guess I just felt tender with her. I’d always liked her in some way. I guess I always will. I imagine that both Nikki and I are used to people not going for us in relationships. Well, maybe not so Nikki. She’s got a different way of having relationships I imagine, and she can attract the guys. I’m not so lucky in that regard, and while I hate the loneliness more than most people can imagine, I am used to it so days like Valentines Day don’t affect me anywhere near as much as they used to.
Jessie & Nikki are apparently having a last ditch bbq on the weekend. I’ll go to that. Take pictures. Be sociable. Make friends. Say goodbye. Who knows. Maybe I’ll reconnect again.