Three Twisted Knots

So I went to the pub, the Harp and Something or Other. It was sort of a bizarre cross between a builders bar and what my mum would have called an “Oirish” pub. That’s a pub that’s trying so hard to be Iris it falls off the other side and ends up being a parody.

But I did meet someone, a lady called Giada, and that crazy guy was on the radio again, so I got local gossip from two sides.

There were three other women in the bar, and I didn’t really meet any of them. One was a bit of a surly redhead (she’s in the back in this sketch) who sat next to me for a little while and didn’t say a thing. I guess I didn’t say a thing either, so we are even. I hate being the new person in town. The other two seemed to be having some kind of argument—an argument that made one of them actually drop her mobile to the floor and crunch it under her shoe! Coming from where I’m coming from, the idea of destroying actual technology is just … wrong. I think about how valuable that stuff is. Not just the monetary value, the whole thing.

Giada made pleasant conversation, though I’m not sure I understood all of it.

She did recommend I try an organic cider, which turned out to be an excellent recommendation. Not sure I’d want inorganic cider, whatever that is, in any case….

And she was good for a little bit of gossip as well: apparently, in addition to the rioting in the streets, Officer B&A getting tasered, and some nut job getting elected mayor, there have been kidnappings. And also apparently a murder. I joked that it wasn’t all that different from London. And nobody said anything when Electric Avenue came on the radio and I bragged that I’d actually been there. Not that Electric Avenue is all that big a deal. It’s not even very big.

A big guy and a short woman came in. The guy started the redhead talking—apparently they work together or something, but I’m never thrilled with women who only come to life if there’s a bloke in the pub. That said, I think she did say something to the two women having the argument, before the phone-stomper stomped right out of the pub.

The short woman had a lab coat on, and she seemed to know the remaining one of the par in the phone-stomping argument. I suppose I’ll meet a few of them eventually: can’t expect this to be like a tiny little village in Back of Beyond, Fair Elfland, Whateverworld, can I?

The big guy didn’t stay too long, and the redhead left shortly thereafter. By this time I was into my second pint and realising I’d had very little to eat that day.

Giada and I continued making smalltalk; I told her my move hadn’t been all that difficult and that I liked my flat, and she told me there were good movies at the movie theatre. Heh. “movie theatre” sounds so funny. But I’m sure they’ll understand me if I say “cinema”. Won’t they?

Aside from Giada, I talked to nobody, nobody approached me, and I guess everybody seemed a lot more reserved than I expected a bunch of Americans to be. Aren’t they all meant to go berserk over my charming accent or something?

Then again, I recall being right miffed at the fellow on the ferry who just wanted to listen to my accent and didn’t give a shit about anything I said.

After I finished my second pint, I made my way slightly unsteadily out the door, just as a big crowd of people who looked a bit friendlier than the first lot came in. Of course, I was realising that I was possibly actually a little bit tipsy, so being in a roomful of strangers probably wasn’t such a hot idea. I’d go and make a mistake and all of Alec’s warnings about how to handle friendships here would be for nothing, because I would fuck it all up and everyone would think I was mad.

Drank about a litre of ice water when I got home and woke up feeling great. So I went down into town and found a little store that sold art supplies! I brought home a box of pastels and some new art paper.

I can’t remember the last time I had real pastels to work with. I’m going to have to get the hang of the iPhone’s camera so I can start working from photographs again.

I miss Nathaniel. I hope he will come and visit soon. Even Nualla would be a welcome distraction, as long as she didn’t bitch at me too much.

As for the rest of today, who knows? Maybe I’ll go out again. Maybe I’ll stay home and order a pizza. OMG PIZZA.