the new computer

three weeks ago, i was told i was going to get a new computer, as mine was apparently quite old. fine by me. until i got it. it's a bit of a disaster. 

as we mostly work on a distant server, the system has a tendency to crash a few times a day. for me, it's generally about 3/4 times. but within 20 minutes, the new computer had already crashed 4 times and it had taken me all that time to write a 2-line email as everything kept stopping. i finally got it to stop doing that when i connected the internet cable, which the IT guy had said was useless as the wifi was excellent. i beg to differ.  the drop down menus also caused some problems: although i could get them to appear, clicking on any of the commands didn't work. i couldn't flag anything or categorise or change text colour, highlight or all these other things that we take for granted. thank god i use a lot of shortcut keys so i could at least copy/paste.

then i discovered that although the IT guy said i was set up to print it didn't actually work. and of course, he'd forgotten to set up the internet phone system, so i couldn't call or pick up the phone either. on top of that, the computer runs on Windows 8, which is just weird - as all new systems are the first time around, to be fair, but i ended up on some shopping window that i just couldn't get out of and when i finally managed, couldn't close down. it also took me 10 mns to figure out how to turn off the damn thing - and i tend to be quite computer savvy. i definitely need an induction session. 

the bad news is that the IT guy is off on Monday, so i have another whole day of things being useless to look forward to!

the dentist

you know how in movies, they can always identify an otherwise unrecognisable body using dental X-rays? well, i always wondered how someone could ever identify me in such a situation, seen as there were no such information for me. but that was before. i went to the dentist yesterday and while the new girl, who replaces the dentist who'd taken care of me since i can remember, seems fine, she did insist on double-checking. so, X-rays.

go Wales!

in an excellent match that i unfortunately completely missed (but saw the highlights of later on), Wales beat England 30-3 and won the 6 Nations tournament. way to go!!

the party

our improv leader had invited me to her birthday party. this would be an opportunity to see the group outside of the sessions (i had no doubt we'd make up most of the guests), and thus hopefully connect with them on another level, i.e. talk about ourselves. 

i had a great time. guy 1 eventually showed up although his timing was a bit off as i was in the middle of a conversation with another guy i'd just been introduced to (and who was interesting!). but once food got served, i managed to sit down next to him and we actually got talking. when we'd both finished our plates, he said he was going to get some more. i wasn't particularly hungry anymore but he took my plate and said he'd get me something. what did i want? ... 'surprise me', i said. which would of course lead to disaster but if he was flirting, i thought that would at least get the point across that i was ready to play. he came back with pretty much everything i hadn't picked the first time around, which presumably showed that he'd paid attention. plus, as someone else said, he mostly brought back zero-calorie food, showing he was attentive to the fact that, as a woman, i probably wanted to be careful. unfortunately, most of that was what i hadn't been interested in, but it was funny and full marks for trying! 

later, i was caught up in a conversation in the kitchen. i was thinking i should probably go back to the main room and continue talking to guy 1 when he came in - on his way out. he had to get up early the next morning. we talked for about 10 minutes before he said he had to leave. and we were right back in the awkward place we'd been at the play the previous week - we just looked at each other and said goodbye. no air-kissing (the norm in these parts). on the one hand, it was weird, but on the other, he didn't seem comfortable so i felt it would be strange if i did air-kiss him, although for me it was weirder not to. it also presumably sent the wrong message but that should be fixed quite easily with the email i will send him tomorrow, in which i'll suggest meeting up for a drink.

anyway, the rest of the evening went great and i only got home at 3am. 

the play

guy 1 has been MIA for a few weeks - busy with rehearsing the play he's in. one of only 4 characters, he's not only got a lot to learn but also 3 rehearsals a week which understandably means he can't also come to improv sessions. too much drama! 

and so finally, came the night where a group of us went to see the play. it started off a bit hectically as the person who had the tickets (all 17 of them) was late. she showed up 1 minute before the official curtain rise... anyway, the play was great. both guy 1 and another improv regular did a really good job and the two other actors were also very good. the set was brilliant and altogether, good fun was had by all. 

when it was done, we went to congratulate the actors on their performance. but once i'd told guy 1 how great i thought he'd been and he'd expressed that he was happy i'd liked it, we both just stopped. we didn't know what else to say. and it's not like we were alone - everyone wanted to talk to him. so we just kind of left it at that. but he should be at improv next week so we'll hopefully be able to catch up then.

guy 3 = ironman?

guy 3 turned up at improv the other night. in one of the warm up exercises, we had to greet a person like a long lost friend, a classic that is getting a little boring, seen as we do it almost every time. so rather than just hugging him, i physically threw myself at him, as if i'd been running from across the street or something. it turns out he is pretty solid. it actually hurt when our bodies collided - well, it hurt me; i doubt he even felt it. and that's just wrong, really. no one needs that amount of muscle.