My Birthday
12:16 am - 15 March, 2007
I want to write a little bit about my birthday, while I still remember. If you don't know, it was on 10th March (last Saturday). Many delightful photographs accompanying this entry on can be found my Flickr page. (While I am writing this article, I really should be working instead, or, better yet, sleeping.)
The day started with me getting up. If it didn't let's at least suppose it did. I think I'd opened the only card I had at the time (from Mumb and Dad) in the small hours of the morning, which is where you might say it started. But that was followed by sleep, so I think skipping on a bit is justifiable.
So anyway, I got up. And for a Saturday, that's a fair achievement, especially as I was up well in the a.m.. The reason for this wasn't simply that it was my birthday (although I would have been rather depressed to waste the day lying in bed) but that I had a Wind Band rehearsal at 11am. Despite my general intention to walk this month (since I took the bus everywhere last month, from having a monthly pass) I took the bus on pay-as-you-go. Had I not, I would have been late.
The rehearsal was in the electrical engineering building, up on the fifth floor. It's not the best rehearsal venue we use, but it was still a decent rehearsal.
After the rehearsal, I went and spent a while in my office, doing this and that, and one thing and another. Especially making and receiving phone calls with family members. Eventually, I got to talking to Iain, and he suggested that I meet him and Calvin at the British Museum. I don't recall if I knew the why and wherefore of this, but I decided to meet them, as it would certainly be more fun than sitting alone in my office.
I set out in plenty of time, as I intended to walk. It was longer than I expected, but I think I was only about 10 minutes late in the end. On the way, I gave a beggar £1, who was sitting in an underpass. He asked me if I was having a good day so far, and I responded in the affirmative.
Now, I eventually came upon Calvin and Iain outside of the British Museum, where they were sitting, and took some photos. Now, at this point, I may have presumed that the intent was to visit the museum, but more likely I didn't really consider the reason for our presence in any great detail before hand. In fact, we were there to pay a visit to a game shop, where Calvin purchased a new game (I don't recall what at the moment) and we perused the merchandise.
By this time (we'd arranged to meet at 4, I think) I was pretty hungry, since I had had nothing to eat since breakfast, which was quite an early breakfast at that. So we went to find somewhere to eat, eventually opting for Pizza Express, where you can't really go far wrong (unless you order a pizza with anchovies), for an early dinner. My pizza was called something like La Trifolata and had a bunch of different types of mushroom on it. I wasn't overly fond of the mushrooms, as it happens, though it was still a nice pizza. I had the Chocolate Glory for desert. Hrm. I have the receipt here. I thought the olives were complementary, but apparently not. I covered the bill with the money Mumb sent me for this purpose.
Anyway. After dinner, my plan was to go to the Battle of the Bands gig at the union, in which Ol's band Circus Penguin were taking part. Calvin had to go home first, however, and drop off his stuff and let a friend out of his apartment, but he arranged to meet Iain and me there. Iain and I, therefore, proceeded straight to the union, taking the Picadilly line from, I think, Russel Square.
When we got onto the platform, Iain suddenly asked me where my hat was. It was immediately apparent that I must have left it in the restaurant, so we went back to get it straight away. I was half surprised that the ticket barriers let us back out, although we'd just come in, because I seem to recall not being able to do such a thing on a previous occasion. The waiters in the restaurant told us they'd tried on my 'cowboy hat' and, before giving it back to me, one of them did a quick Michael Jackson impression.
We finally got to the union, hat and all, and Iain and I joined up with Circus Penguin and crew. Ol and Amanda had got me a card and a Somerfield "Best Ever" chocolate cake. There was some doubt that it actually was the best ever, although it was pretty damn good and I was more than happy to take the cake's word for it. Iain said he could get better at his club. From this, I deduced that Iain doesn't belong to any gentleman's club (although this fact is fairly well known, anyway). Calvin joined us, not long after, and between us we took a fair few photos, I would imagine.
I drank 4 cans of ginger beer over the course of the evening. At least two of them were laced with alchohol (rum in one, gin in the other?) and I also had, if I recall, a Bailey's and Southern Comfort and a shot of tequila. I'd had about a glass or so of wine in the restaurant, earlier. I must say, I was in high spirits for the whole of the evening.
At about 11 or so, Circus Penguin were on. They did three of their more recent songs, and sounded pretty good to me. Unfortunately, they didn't win, or rank in the top three, but I'm sure that doesn't really matter because they were great anyway.
After the fact, I walked home, and that's about all there is too it.
It happens that right about now, the Internet connection is out, and that makes me very annoyed indeed. I guess I don't have much option but to copy this somewhere and go to bed.
