Finish with a Bang

I feel rather sick.

Saturday 30th December 2005
My recollections are vague, because I drank so much alchohol. I remember a call from John M at 1800, inviting me to a new year's drink in the pub, where there are several comrades and friends. I go with some of them afterwards to a small late night party, and afterwards I sit with John, alone in his home - he is exhausted and very drunk, but I think just wants some company.

At 0230 we get to discussing the nature of art as opposed to design (aesthetic/decorative versus utilitarian/functional), when he suddenly starts snoring and didn't wake till 0700.

Sunday 31st December 2005
I wake up in John's spare bed at around ten. I read downstairs till he appears at midday, to cook us some breakfast, talk philosophy, play internet poker and relax on this, one of the rare days when he's not juggling three dozen political and academic committments.

At 1900, Lee gives us a lift to a party held by his friend Francis. Thirty members of working class families from an estate, crammed into a tiny flat filled with pounding music, screaming children, bawdy jokes and really really cheap finger food.

I circulate among the crowd of strangers, using my one social skill - getting people to give impromptu tutorials on whatever specialist knowledge they have. I can't usually do friendly, and cirtainly not fun, but flatteringly inquisitive I can do. Lee can socialise (or as he says, "talk bollocks") with just about anyone - he's a social chameleon - and John has a lifetime of practice being polite. I can get people to hold forth on what interests them. In this case, mainly a grandfather who's spent his whole professional life driving trucks and lorries - a lot of expertise.

I also drank quite a lot of vodka and lemonade, ate a lot of snacks, and quickly got somewhat drunk and dyspeptic. That always happens at parties too.

After 90 minutes or two hours, John and I left for another, different type of party. Same food, but served with cocktails and the chit-chat of middle class intellectuals who read The Guardian. I did extract a spiel from a young sociology student, but she was so ignorant and stupid it was hardly worth it.

Monday 1st January 2006
For some reason I stayed until 0200, watching four married couples bicker and eventually throw food at each other. There was cracker pulling, games of charades, and communal dancing to the Greese soundtrack.

I left with a minimum of fuss, got some completely unnecessary chips on the way home, and plugged in my depleted phone to recharge. Simon's been trying to get in touch while the battery's been dead for a day.

I feel rather sick from so much bad party food and different flavours of alchohol. I also feel sad, for reasons I can't quite determine.