2.23.05

last night was a cozy, comfortable one. i put my head down and plowed my way across the city in what may be referred to as a raging hail storm in order to meet emily at the last drop for a 6.45 dinner. i ran into angie near our building, at the top of the links. i thanked her for the tea she'd given me and watched our coats become plastered in white hailstones. sweet belgian accent.

emily and i were predictable: nachos and tap water for her, a pint of smooth ale and sausage and mash for me. we ended with hot honey frothed milk and irish coffee. very warm, curled up on the cushioned seats against old walls. a french couple sitting next to me had a spat, petulantly telling each other to 'fuck you.' they left together, simmering. a group of middle aged scottish couples plopped down at the tables in front of us and proceeded to occasionally include us in their conversation, asking us if we ate chips. they poured themselves large glasses of wine.

i like these kinds of pubs. the tables are six inches apart at most; everyone's warm, close, and usually somewhere on the road to drunk. it's like the st. albans post office with the added social lubricant of alcohol. we're usually the only actual students there, though most aren't much older. it's the closest i get to feeling like home.

later on, near midnight, it snowed. the entire city, my flatmates included, ran out into the parks that surround my building and threw snowballs at each other until 3 am. it was only slightly surreal. this morning i picked my way through the melting, slushy meadows into george square, moving faster than everyone else: i am an expert at snow.

i can't see through this weekend to next week. amazingly, it will happen anyway.