Big Weekend

Welllll...

I took a bus from London to Nottingham Thursday, so that I could practice with the frisbee team Thursday evening. I spent Friday doing... nothing...that I recall, and kicked off the weekend Friday night with my friend Sophia, whom I met in Vienna (if you haven't heard that tale, we'll get there eventually). Her boyfriends 25th birthday was one day last week, and they were celebrating Friday night. I went along, and as they're both medical students, met about 40 other meds, and ended up conversing most of the night away with a girl named Katrina.

Saturday was nice, by Nottingham standards; it wasn't raining. So, Katrina and I went for a walk through Wollaton Park, the ancestral grounds of either the Wollaton or Willoughby family, or both. We also went down to the Nottingham Canal and Castle Marina to check out some of my beloved narrowboats. Found one for sale for a mere 80,000 pounds... Went out for a pint with Dave from Fling at the Happy Return that evening, then to a house party at our friend Helen's house. Helen is also known as Fish, but that's another story I'm infamiliar with.

Sunday...I spent a greater portion of the day posting, as I recall, till about 2 pm, when I headed off for frisbee practice and some track training afterwards. My body is still sore in places I'd forgotten existed. Came home and showered, then went back to Dave's to grab him, his housemate and our fellow flinger Rod, and Dave's guitar, and headed down to open mic nite at the Happy Return, once more, to meet up with James and Harp, also from Fling. We got there about 8.30, and after a few sips of Kingston's Press Cider to start the evening, I took to the stage and played for about an hour... everything from my standard "Can't You See" by the Marshall Tucker Band, to Kenny Chesney, Jimmy Buffett, and the Generic Love Song. Eventually played a duet of "Sweet Home Alabama" with a phenomenal British piano-playing chap, who actually played the entertainer from underneath the piano... Left the HR at midnight, and went to the Fanoose takeaway for a Kebab, which I got for half price after playing the cook a Jimmy Buffett's "He Went to Paris". At least, I think that's what I was playing... I'll go ask him tomorrow: he recorded me.

Today, my friend Danisha and I went walking round; again to the canal, but west to Beeston marina. I really love those narrow boats. I promise I'll get some pictures up soon as I'm able. We walked goodness knows how many miles, ending up in Beeston city centre, the long way, and hitting the Sainsbury's grocery store, where I bought all the ingredients necessary for a good pot of chili and a batch of brownies, and we feasted at my old house tonight: myself, Danisha, Sophia, Katrina, James, Juan, Giuliana, Alexis, Tung, and Alejandro. I made so much, though, that Tung will be eating the stuff through the weekend. He seemed to like it, fortunately. We sat around after dinner for nearly 3 hours, laughing hysterically about one thing or another. Which was good, as we'd all eaten too much and severely needed to burn a few calories. It would seem that everyone enjoyed themselves and the meal. Even Sophia, who's highly critical... ;) James did, for what it's worth, eat half of the entire [double] batch of peanut butter brownies. Take it all around, we all went our separate ways satisfied.

Tomorrow, it's back to London for a few days for Yeny's birthday. Beyond that, I'm uncertain.

So, to recap: Tex-Mex dinner done Arkansas style with English available ingredients, peanut butter brownies a la Carol Brown. In attendance: 2 English, 1 American, 1 Mauritian, 1 Anglicised Greco-Barbadian, 3 Mexicans, 1 Malaysian, 1 Peruvian. It's a cosmopolitan world, allright. This is why I love England, and Nottingham in particular, so much.

Any rate, have a fabulous week. Eat Thai.
jeffro