bits of string

[devi]

It was a funny, ambiguous week. Coursework panic at school. Running around South Ken with no time to take a lunch break. An election where everyone I talked to seemed to feel they'd 'voted wrong'. But after all that, yesterday came like a reward.

A Tube Walk first, from Bank to London Bridge and from Barbican to Farringdon. Even though I think the less obvious, less scenic Tube Walks are often better - places you'd never go to otherwise, and more surprises - this one was great. It rained on and off, between bursts of sunshine. We crossed three bridges. Crossing bridges in London makes me feel I'm at the heart of things.

Sitting outside The George pub at London Bridge, with drizzle coming on, we had the 'what would you do if civilisation crashed?' conversation again. Every time I go out lately I seem to end up talking about the Apocalypse. katstevens said she'd be the DJ in our post-apocalyptic commune, if mzdt could build a bicycle-driven DJ booth. So long as you didn't have to pedal at the exact RPM of the records it might just work.

myonlyhome said I was the first person to get her username, and we enthused about the Magnetic Fields, and I told her about the chocolate-hurling incident at the Festival Hall gig. Then, when she saw the Lost Things Saved In Boxes badge miss_newham made me, she told me her grandmother had a box in her house labelled "Bits of String Too Short To Save".

haggisthesecond was encouraging as usual, and told me about the Worst Novel Ever, and sadly I can't tell you about it, but trust me - it was hilarious.

We walked through some of the prettiest parts of London. There was a wedding going on at St Paul's full of people in spectacular hats. I had a fish-fight with tjej and miss_newham and lost. We ended up in a sunlit, cosy pub in Farringdon where I found cloudy, appley cider, talked to sherod and took a straw poll: should I go on a nightclub expedition with almost total strangers? The general opinion seemed to be yes.

When the tube walk dispersed I wandered around the South Bank for a while, waiting for my phone to ring. Went into Tate Modern to stare at Rothkos with my eyes blurred, and passed a party down on the riverbank at Festival Pier, hundreds of people dancing on the edge of the water.

Then, starting in Bermondsey and ending up in Brixton, the nightclub expedition with almost total strangers. Going on expeditions with almost total strangers is great. Not least because, if it goes well, they stop being strangers. It's really quite amazing that I hadn't met julietk before, because she knows pretty much everybody I know. But now I have, and she's got blue!hair! and three beautiful rats (who are sane and gentle and don't bite!) and knows about Stuff from counselling to quantum physics, and is generally Very Cool.

Today has been a day of sleep and films and work (maths tutoring! Thank goodness for penguin mints) and fluffy stripy bedsocks. I've made a playlist for sleepy Sundays, soft music to curl up and dream to.

It's working. Goodnight!

[Poll #490194]

Comments

[tubewalker.livejournal.com]

I nicked a bit, hope that's ok? You rule. (http://www.livejournal.com/users/tubewalker/71560.html)

[uon.livejournal.com]

(Uh, hello, by the way. I'm one of the strangers you met in Bermondsey, although I mostly lost contact with people inside the Massive heaving crowds. Hope you had a good night!)

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

I certainly did! Good to meet you too.

[fraxl.livejournal.com]

1) this post makes me miss london even more than usual. *snif*
2) i have decos to send to you! and that cable thingy! and your notebook! and some cloves!
3) worlds collide: you met julietk, who i've never met, but is tied to kittygoth, who i do know. weird.

[fraxl.livejournal.com]

and er... there's sposed to be an _ in that kitty_goth

[verlaine.livejournal.com]

this post makes me miss london even more than usual

September! ;)

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

Yay parcel! And that *is* spooky.

[elethe.livejournal.com]

I have been humming Bedsitter to myself all morning, yet I have only just seen this post.

Odd.

Now it has gone from Background noise to right at the front of my brain.

And my head hurts.

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

I don't think I even know Bedsitter! Hope it goes away soon :/

[elethe.livejournal.com]

It's because of that girl's username.

One of those coincidence days. Again.

[miss-newham.livejournal.com]

Am I really the only person to say no? Perhaps I'm looking at the question differently...

[gnimmel.livejournal.com]

It would depend what the expedition was. Nightclub-finding would have to involve people I knew really well. Abandoned-tube-station finding, or searches for the Secret name of London, or matters of that ilk, however....

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

I'd join you on a search for the Secret Name of London any time!

[juliet]

It was very good to meet you! Clearly we should meet up for a South Ken-based drink sometime soon. Although sadly I won't be able to bring the rats :-)

I have, on occasion, gone on expeditions with near-total strangers. I'm not sure I would right at the moment, for various reasons to do with mental tiredness - but I certainly think it can be a good thing, and, as you so rightly, can lead to knowing more fun people which is to be encouraged. Hurrah for expeditions!

[shermarama]

" katstevens said she'd be the DJ in our post-apocalyptic commune, if mzdt could build a bicycle-driven DJ booth. So long as you didn't have to pedal at the exact RPM of the records it might just work. "


Hmm. I've got to build something for a third year project next year...

[accasha.livejournal.com]

hmm obviously saturday was obviously meeting new people day. I spent the day on a pub crawl with over 60 strangers who were all fab and lovely and some of whom are now closer to friends (in case you're wondering they're all members of join me (www.joinme.info)). I can't recommend doing stuff like that highly enough....after all if people seem mad you can always run away....and you never know you may have a great time