#<- bc i feel like the nando fans would find this funny

[bright-and-burning]

spot the difference (1/?)

[wanderlustlondon]

8 July

in case you lost track of what day of the week this was it was a saturday

I woke up super early to go to the shopping center, hoping to find something to wear to pride. I didn't see anything worth my money, but I did finally invest in a fan!!! I came back to my room to get ready for pride and just decided to wear my new primary dress and put some space buns in my hair. pride seems the kind of thing you need to be out there for. i met up with john and megan at pet a manager and we went to find a spot on the parade route.

john ended up meeting up with a high school friend (what are the odds), so megan and I found a great spot not too far down the route. the parade was so much fun and full of so much positive energy and love, it was just a great time to be alive tbh. at one point the girls in front of us at the barricade told us we could have a turn in front which was super sweet. especially since the girls next to us kept screaming and shoving to see their friend they claimed was in the parade. whatever. being in the front is even more magical, you get free stuff!! it’s all super cheesy junk, but you feel so much more involved and you’re really a part of it.

we watched the parade for 2 1/2 hours before going to pret for some chair lattes, where we drank outside and watched the parade from afar. we decided to just go home for dinner since it was so crowded down there (we were at oxford circus from the start of pride until the very end!!)

meg and i went to nandos and decided to be adventurous by eating outside and getting the wing roulette. neither of us are crazy about spicy, but we went for it anyway. while we waited we talked about love lives and friendships and she told me straight up i need new friends, which is sad she’s not the first one to say it. when our food cam the mood instantly lightened up. we got mostly spicy wings which was hilarious with megan, she was actually putting ice on her lips and fingers and kept sa dying they were going to fall/blister off (she was also tipsy from her one cider at dinner).

we went to tesco to buy some ice cream and wine but ended up leaving with a cheesecake and some vodka lemonades, which is also totally fine with me. we struggled getting our vodkas open without a bottle opener, but i’m a champ and got it open with my dorm key (proud? embarrassed? to be determined). we chugged the lemonades and at the cake straight out of the time. while meg was in the bathroom i took a swig of someone’s open vodka that was left on the table, just trying to catch up to her level of fun

riley and john ended up coming to join us with some beer, and they said we could have whatever we wanted if they could have the cheesecake (dude it was 2 pounds you go for it). we played kings corner and bullshit and finally, it was my time to shine, with euchre. i was the only other one who knew how to play it besides john, but i was also already v intoxicated. tbh that it made it even more fun. we did guys vs girls and it was just a great time with lots of laughing. we just chatted and played games for literally hours. at one point a girl (i think her name was anna) came in with pink moscato and i said it was my favorite drink so she poured me a huge glass??? (she drank the rest by herself so LOL bless). but then all of a sudden i had a beer in one hand and wine in the other and I didn’t know who i was anymore (which i said out loud and john got a kick out of it)

i finally reached my confidence peak during euchre when i was talking polite shit to people and they told me numerous times that i was a lot of fun, that i was awesome, the best, the greatest, drink ali was perfect, a bunch of things like that. (also at one one when i went to the bathroom i swear i heard one of them say dude alias so lit and someone else (john??) said i know i love it!) they really seemed to enjoy having me around, and enjoy seeing me drunk and honestly, I’m glad they appreciated me for my weird self bc I was really not much different than normal, just louder. 

at one point I yelled at john when ocean avenue came on his playlist, just bc none of my college friends know it but he did (it was just like a IM SO GLAD YOU KNOW THIS SONG TOO) and john looked me dead in the eye and said “remember when you complained about the people yelling at 1 am? do you see why they’re so loud?? you’re one of them now” and then I smiled my head on the table and megan tapped my bun and john stroked my ear (??) and laughed and then john said it’s fine and he told me again that I was really fun(ny). after that though I was a lot better at not yelling and just being quietly funny, and they still said they liked having me around so i must be a pretty swanky person

as soon as I got back to my room i texted them all and said how much i appreciated them as human beings and they all said we would for sure still be friends in la crosse and john got real philosophical on me which idk I’ll have to look into it again to see if it even makes sense or if it’s just john’s drunkness. but I’m glad my drunk texts are just letting people know that i appreciate them and i can go to sleep happy knowing i’m friends with some of the most fun people england has to offer

**addition, at one point john said “don’t give into peer pressure” so i said “i did in bath and look at me now I’m double fisting!” and he said “I’m so proud of you, we’ve done great work” and he kept saying how glad he was that i learned how to let go and just enjoy myself and he just makes me very happy I’m glad I could entertain for awhile

***also if you would’ve told me a year ago that I’d be drunk playing euchre with john divney in a kitchen in london while having him tell me how much he likes having me around, i would’ve straight up laughed in your face but i am so so glad this crazy and unpredictable life is mine and everything is going to be a lot different from now on