Introduction:
Now first off let me explain the title. It's actually a backwards quote from a Marianas Trench song.
In the song Sing, Sing the words are "i'm finding it very hard to drink to my continued success".
This being a reverse of that and really not that accurate but why i thought of it will become clear later.
This post will chronicle my friday night's adventure's, misadventure's and lack there of.
You see it was PG's second outing in celebration of her 21st. Several old friends would be there and an even larger number of her old friends.
I apologise that this will be a VERY long post. And i apologise for any offense i may cause to those involved or any reader that may take offense to my opinions or poor writing.
Also for a "guide" to who's who, please refer to this previous post which explains some of the characters involved.
And so the story goes:
Day+ Prep:
It was a day like any other really. Other than my dad was home so i got up at 11 instead of 9. Less puppy duty for me. So off i trot, from the bed to my desk. Whip out the study material, and then do little else after that.
So around 4 o'clock i slowly started to get ready. A quick cold ironing of my clothes, the steam beast of an iron that we have was low on water. Then i took a shower, shaved, brushed teeth and got dressed all within about 20 minutes. In all my prep and even checking my carrier bag i forgot my passport. I often do this. I keep it on my desk at eye level, when i'm sitting, just so i always know where it is, but i forgot it again, as always.
So slight rush out of the house to get the train. I said i would be fine with about 40 euro or so. Why i thought this was beyond me, that arbitrary figure suposidly factor the cost of at least one drink, hah!
So i had to walk up the hill in Drogheda in the humid weather. It had been stormy and raining on off all day. A rather dreary and uncomfortable stickiness to the air. Not easy to walk up that hill when wearing a t-shirt, shirt, blazer and non-restricting tie. It's a deep routed habit of mine to ALWAYS wear a t-shirt. Even when wearing my uniforms tunic i wear a t-shirt. I'm rather sensitive to touch sometimes so the idea of knowing where my nipple's are kind of frightens me. It should never happen!
As i reached the top of the hill i stopped at the petrol station. 2 800ml Lucozade sport's bottles for 1 euro! How could i say no!
I climbed the second smaller hill into the station and to my chagrin the ticket station was now closed, as it was 6 o'clock. So i had to use the electronic ticket machine.
BIG MISTAKE, and one i couldn't avoid. An adult SINGLE into Dublin was 15 Euro.
They currently have Adult 10 euro return, off peak.
So i whipped out my student card. Student Single to Dublin..... 10 euro 50 cent. 50 cent more than a return! for a single direction, single use! Disgusting.
I had no choice but to pay it. This would mean i had LESS than 20 euro to myself to spend on the night. And had to reserve a tenner to be able to get home the next day.
So i'm on my way in. Music playing out of my phone. I availed of the good signal and further tested the new applications i added to my phone. Being able to read my favourite blogs on the go with RSS feeds is so damn handy! But thats all for another post...
So i was to meet up with Budsey and Cleo just before we went to PG's thing in Captain A's. Originally this was going to be in Anseo on Camden street, which would have been pointless for me as it's quiet a walk from Westland Row(Pearse station) and past Captain A's at that. So it was switched to the Porterhouse. Which i knew well at this stage from Wednesday nights before debate's in the Society.
Now once in the porterhouse i said my hello's and then sat with very little to say. It's not like i didn’t have much to say it's just me being me, words never came to the front of my mind when i wanted them. I hate when this happens. You want to be apart of things and yet you sit there silent, only listening, because it's all you think you can do. I couldn't think of many questions and so on. It was unpleasant and awkward to say the least.
Then we moved on to Captain A's for 8. Now PG had texted me earlier saying they were running late or something but her claims seemed to be pre-emptive or something as they were already there.
Diner:
So it was a slightly set menu with her parents paying. Set in that there were several choice's but far to few for a restaurant like Captain A's, you'd expect more variety normally. Basically every main course option was a type of burger.
Now this was alright but at the same time i was still at a loss for words. At several times i was left out of ever conversation around me and had little to contribute. Beside me Budsy was snapping away the odd photograph. Across the way Cleo was texting ahead to her Boyfriend and Avril was more involved with the group of friends surrounding PG.
One of PG's friends bought here a plethora of Hen night style gifts so a Dare book was passed around as a bit of a laugh. But none of them was ever acted upon, mainly because they were stupid. And from my point of view really really "common" and loutish. "Start a snogging competition" and all those kinds of retarded suggestions that would only appeal to drunk people.
In my inability to say anything, and not exactly having much fun. I "lurried" into as many soft drinks as i could. 1200 ml's already from the humid train ride. A large glass of fanta down, diet coke down, 2 of water down. Half way through my burger i had to pop off to the bathroom. I wasn't involved in any talking at the time so i just backed up my chair, didn't say anything and went up the stairs.
Now i remember Captain A's from my childhood. I remember the party after my sisters communion, the only one in our family. I also remember a dinner with our Lesbian "Aunty" at a slightly earlier stage where we discussed "The Simpsons", without yet seeing it, just knowing that we weren't supposed to due to how "rude" the early episodes were. How naive people were, i know i was merely a post-toddler but i thought it was supposed to be a naughty show at the time, South Park was still 9 or so years away...
When back from my "constitutional" i sat back down and it wasn't as if i'd missed much. The skinny friend of PG's across from me had removed all the sauce from her Chicken burger and only eaten a third of it and half the chips, and finished. Every one else was close to finishing with scraps still linning their plates.
I thought, oh i'm a man, it's only a mushroom burger and a few chips. I boasted that one time i ate a whole 16 inch pizza to myself. Now that was 4 years ago the night DS left for Scotland for the first time. I have rarely done such a thing since, although some of the meal's in Oz were of equal size. I remember the joy of squeezing in the best damn Pancake's i ever had after a feast of a meal in a restaurant on Circular Quay in Sydney. This was not one of those occasions.
With maybe 20 chips left and a bit of my burger bun left, i put up my white flag. It was the soft drinks, it was the glucose of the Lucozade sports drinks. It was a damn big burger!
There was a long enough wait for the cake. And at that stage the live music was about to start.
After the rapidly melting Meringue and ice-cream PG, Avril and one or two of her friends Resigned to the bathroom to re-aply their war paint. It was at this point it verged on the ridiculous.
What felt like 20 minutes, at least 4 live songs later, had past. The live bad weren’t half bad. What was left of us sang along or bopped about. A bit of Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl and other classic's.
In Discussing PG's Extended absence i said to Budsy "There's no Adventure in Constant Preparation." At that point i was not to know this observation would sum up the entire evening.
I tweeted that very bit of philosophy on my phone, i was so bored i actually had time to read the world of twitter!
Then PG and Avril Returned. We were all ready to go. The next location on our "war path" had changed. It was originally Eamonn Doran’s. A place i have also yet to vist. After there it would be onto Copper Faced Jacks as the evening had always been planed to be.
But instead it was changed to Flannery's on Camden street due to Doran’s being in Temple bar and most of the gang wearing High Heels....
The walk with Cleo:
So i was on point with Cleo. The rest of those not taking a taxi 8 minutes up the road were slowly clacking along behind in their torture devices.
It was here that i discovered i had fuck all animosity left for Cleo. I really didn't care about my old negative obsessive bitter thoughts. She was just a blank thought to me. I wasn't a close friend or jilted lover. She was just Cleo, or her real name, whatever. We didn't talk about much either. She even repeated facts she had mentioned many a time before.
I also shared a bit of Small talk that i had mentioned once or twice to my parents over the past couple of days, but it was so benign i can't even remember what it was, boring either way.
Flannery's:
Once in the door i went straight for another trip to the bathroom. About a mile away at the back of the place.
The group had gathered in a TINY alcove beside the front door. Already spilling out into the doorway.
Glow sticks were all the rage for some reason. And the music wasn't half bad.
It was all a bit cramped though. And soon Budsey moved off to talk with Cleo and her Newly arrived Bf. I was stuck with the rest of the group and despite small attempts here and there to talk the music was a bit much to keep up much of a conversation.
Then even more of PG's friends arrived. Some i never caught the name of who didn't even stick around, and then also Prickmister himself my successor.
Now i won't go into to much detail but he's basically a bastard and PG should never of agreed for him to be present. But he had arrived with one of Her long time friends, so there was little complaining to be done, except it was already known that he was in a grumpy strop.
Now Mr Hightower Prickmister was exactly faithful while with PG and decided to inform her of this mere days after they finally did the horizontal mombo. And just about a week before she went of to Spain for the 2 weeks or so at the start of the summer. Months later she's still muddled over this 6 foot 4 + prick who frankly i would never think was suitable for anyone.
At one point when the upstairs was opened up i asked him LOUDLY in his ear to check if there was seats and so on up stairs that our group could move to. He did pop up but then came back soon after and never said anything, to anyone. We were basically causing an obstruction and we were cramped and un-socialable in a corner.
PG couldn't mingle with everyone and were we all getting split up. However for some reason this was a stop off point. Despite the possibility of getting comfy with good music if we just stayed in the right place.
So instead we moved off to Coppers at about 1140. This place of Legend. This bastion of supposed culchie slutishness, the let your hair down watering hole of Nurse's and Guards. All lies.
10 euro entry fee. It was empty at 1140! Full within 30 minutes. 2 euro per item in the cloak room. 3 euro for a 200ml glass bottle of Coke apparently.
Avril used this to add her own Vodka too, very economical.
Across the way from us it what was possibly the ONLY seating area in the entire basement was a bunch of sub-par looking female's. Now i don't mean to be rude but even with alcohol i'd have an aversion to those poor ladies.
Our group slowly formulated and we didn't exactly fit the space at that.
So after a while it ended up that i was on bag watch duty. With one or two others still hanging around with Mr Prick in the corner.
I briefly explained to Budsey what had happened between them, emphasising his Prickish qualities, apparently in more than one area, apparently "gifted" in that facility.
As i explained to PG much later on with someone that tall the blood can only control one vital system at once, so can't be expected to be rational when he's got so much blood being used by his "gifted" situation.
At one point, one of the few where he actually said much, he spoke with Avril. And in a sort of "only messing" way tried to insinuate that her Bf who was at some other party in a suburb for slightly crazy reasons, might have the temptation of girls and so on. He was basically being an asshole. And none of what Avril's bf was doing sounded to rational as it was but to say such a thing to her was just being an asshole. FULL STOP.
Throughout that moment i was making knowing stare's with PG about how much of a prat he was and we were also making jokes with our facial expressions about Penis Envy as he had been towering over all of us fishing for change in his pockets, for an extended period of time.
After his awful words to Avril I leaned over and said: "Some people have more Will power than 'others'." But the damage appeared to have been done. Although the negative seed's of doubt were already in her head due to the rather crazy things her bf was doing. For one he was just out of hospital for a seizure related to dehydration or something. And he decided to go on the piss with his mate's at some free gaff. Not with his Nurse Girlfriend on a much safer night out. He may be younger than her, actually the same age or so as myself, but still it was idiotic. Which led me to believe he was either being a complete idiot or who had poor influence from his friends who were giving the usual anti-commitment spiel that you see in Sit-coms and movies.
If they knew or saw Avril they would think twice about such words, but lads will be lads....
Now after a while on the dance floor PG returned and wasn't in the best of moods. The night was exactly a roaring success. And her old school mate's kept trying to force more drink into her and cheer her up. Everything they were trying was basically disgusting me. She was really down and what they were doing was shoving a drink in her face and saying the usual "forget him" "enjoy yourself" "just dance" shite that in effect means fuck all to anyone who is down.
Each time i had the chance to catch her attention i informed her she didn't need the drink. That HE shouldn't be there and that she could talk to me if she wanted. I also tried to imply that her friends weren’t helping and neither was where we were.
Some how however she went off again. As did the rest of the group.
I stayed on bag watch. Frankly i was not in the mood at all. People kept asking me was i was alright. They all didn’t look like that wanted to know or that they could change anything. I gave basic reply's and stayed put.
At one point i went off to get a Kopperberg. I had already had a mixed fruit one that PG didn't like in Flannery's, i had also had 2 rum and coke's of hers that she wasn't going to finish. I wasn't even drunk but i wanted to be just a bit. And i knew a flavored cider would do just the trick.
So through the seething mass of culchies and generally disgusting drunks who were predominantly male. The place was awash with loutish male drunks, and the girls not to better either. It was also full of younger people at that. The place looked 2 wrong songs away from a GAA club riot. There would be no Nirvana or Springstein on this sound system, not tonight! There was however several of the worst example's of U2's music, and the obligatory "Journey" and Galway girl....
Through the battle field of towering Neanderthals’ all in track suits or more low key clothing, me in jean's and salmon shirt with a blazer and purple tie.... I finally reached the bar.
Soon enough i could get the barmaids attention. A first for a place so packed. So i shouted Kopperberg, twice without any specific's as to what fruit i wanted. She eventually returned with a 500ml bottle and a glass with ice. I hand over a fiver. She just looks at me. She then screams at me twice incomprehensibly "7.10". Now she had leaned forward to say this and i was flummoxed. I looked in my change pouch fishing for coins that might have magically appeared. I was truly confused, i was actually expecting change from that fiver!
I said "I don't have it."
The look of scorn on her face was shocking. And i stumbled off annoyed. I'll return to this later.
Now Budsy tried several times to drag me onto the dance floor but sadly i never said yes. I was far from in the mood and frankly the music was really starting to piss me off with how shit, generic, retarded and far removed from melody or popular song it was.
There were a few funny moments with photographs as the group had returned for a while. Even a hilarious one where Budsy's legs were raised as she lent back with her arms around others and her dress was raising very high. So to "gaurd" her "virtue" i had lent in and tried to pull her dress down in the private area to save a bad picture. However the picture was taken at that very moment, to everyone's funny bone's tastes.
A lot more bag watching. At one point the Friend that had brought Prickmister with her vengefully deleted contacts from his phone and then dropped it by accident when finished, in turn seemingly breaking it or disabling the battery.
Drunks sat beside me several times but moved off each time members of the group arrived.
By 240 am i was going insane. I had tried to nod off to sleep to ill avail.
Then the culchie music started. Now it was just torture. It was minutes away from either a second Galway girl, A maniac 2000 or god forbid N17!
PG was briefly back and i texted her as she lent on the table, begging for us to go soon. She agreed with me over how shit it was and said she would collect Avril, and possibly go a tiny bit early.
This seemingly didn't happen. And i suffered on, alone till the last songs.
Near the end "i've got soul but i'm not a soldier" closed out the night.
I rushed across the mass of pond scum and other low life to get to the clock room before the rush. And the exited to the street. Soon followed by PG and then the rest.
PG, Avril and Myself then got a Taxi to Avril's in Rialto. We got stuck at the lights several times, especially at the foot of Camden street where nearly every Car in sight was a Taxi. A traffic jam of taxi's for the brief minute where every club and pub had closed at the same time on a main artery out of town, a nightmare really!
We got to rialto quick enough and Avril left the taxi straigt away, seemingly broke.
PG paid 5 euro of 11.45. Then to my horror that barmaid stole my fiver! She never gave it back! She made me pay for 5 fucking euro for fucking Corkage on a drink i refused because i couldn't pay for it! She robbed me and i didn't even realise it at the time assuming i had grabbed the note back! Not good. I needed my tenner and all my change to get the train the next day! So PG had to pay the whole fare. Not good.
Avril's and Nostalgia:
Ah this place. I had been here several times while dating PG after a night out, almost all of which were fucking awful, except for what me and PG did when alone, which even then wasn't the May West sometimes.
Up to the bathroom again. I realised the wall's were lacking wallpaper. The place seemed run down. I noticed Avril's old room was un-used with wall's and floor in poor disrepair.
Then i realised that the tv room was also in this state. Either way i lay on the couch and tried to get to sleep.
As i promised earlier PG popped in and offered tea or toast. "I Don't Drink Tea" "Food going to sleep?" i then asked "Do you want to talk in a bit?" And she said "yes".
This was 420 am as it was. So i waited, and waited. Then close to 5, as the sun started to rise she came in.
We discussed the whole Prickmister situation. Her friends, the evening. And i also mentioned how i was doing in the relationship department. My former bitterness over Cleo, the failure of venture's such as Hattrick, Hope or Daisy.
We talked for a good while and i even mention an idiotic idea that was stuck in my head of a "comfert fuck" as i had though about it, it didn't come out like that but that was the basic idea. I knew it would be rejected but i was attempting to convey that i was there for her, while also trying to convey my desperation and loneliness and how idiotic i was. I also said that it was for "nostalgia's" sake considering what had happened in that very room more than a year ago. You know been there, done that, lost the t-shirt.
Not to be. It got brighter and brighter and briefly she fell asleep. I woke her and sent her off to the double bed she had waiting for her upstairs.
The Morning:
At 1040 it was woken abruptly and slightly rudely by Avril. My alarm had been set for 11 but i had to sit up either way as the couch i was on was the only one available for watching the tv.
PG joined us and she sat with Avril's bf's broken laptop "checking her email's".
Throughout that whole time Avril was discussing her negative worries about what her BF had been up to and so on. She was also surprisingly unfamiliar with the basic concept of Will & Grace, such as Will being gay!
I gave what little advice i could although i felt there was little i could say. I know full well that when worrying about someone who has yet to reply your mind will jump to a million conclusions. And there was little i could do to quell that or stop it. And frankly i was tired.
The battery on my phone then died. So i had to call the parental's on PG's phone. I got a train time and headed home.
I stole my ride on the Luas for economic reasons and still had to pay a disgusting 10.50 one way to Drogheda.
I was Home.
In conclusion it was a shite night. The girl of the hour didnt enjoy herself either. And i didn't have much fun myself.
The aftermath also ment that i got a re-occurance of my rash and a few runs to the bathroom. Alcohol really doesn't like me in many many ways.
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