aftermath

leaving parties are funny things - all about one person, yet you can spend a whole night talking to other people entirely. they always remind me that i should get out more, talk to people more and generally be sociable - and that there's nothing like a few drinks and a dancefloor to get to know your workmates better (no, not like that!).

at chucking out time, we shuffled up the road to a club that is somewhat low-key and studenty, but has the advantage of being right there and having a bar. the music tended towards the studenty, up itself side of soul/funk rather than the yaypartydance northern soul, but it could have been worse (it could have been techno, as i pointed out to someone). we did rather stand out tho - i found myself grinning and mourning at the same time for being at least ten years, and probly 15 years, older than the general clientele, and that we had become the people i used to stare at and slag off: office types on a night out.

but music makes me feel better (and a couple of jd&cs helped too), reminded me of better times. and i did enjoy the sight of C, beer in hand, boogying around on his own like a man in another world - awbless! take the office and the family responsibilities away and see the bloke, it seems. R was on good form, with my favourite line of the night: putting his arm round me, he said 'you're what my mother would call a handsome woman, we need to find someone for you'. something of a backhanded compliment (handsome??? i know i'm not pretty, but i like to console myself with 'striking'), but it made me laugh - and hey, a hug freely given is always nice. D was also free with the hugs - and the thanks for the cakes 'and for all that sensible subbing' (gee, sensible, there's a word a girl likes to hear!). it was slightly odd being the only person on my side of the fence there - all the rest were reporters - and i did find myself thinking it would be nice to be with someone at the end of the night (no prizes for who was top of my list - no, no-one mentioned here), but i wandered home feeling a lot less crap than in a while.

oh, and tho i'm sure you won't believe me this is out of focus because i was in a hurry, rather than hammered. three jd&cs ain't enough to knock me over, but the sound of a group of drunk blokes coming down the street behind me is enough to make me hurry to snap and put the camera away before they catch up and start asking what i'm doing.

and the night starts yesterday, btw