Can Peter’s Friends Be My Friends?

I kept telling myself that one day, soon, something will happen that will be so good, that I will have no choice BUT to write about it. And last night, just around half past ten, it happened. That’s right, I watched the greatest film known to MAN/WOMAN/CHILD/HORSE (SEA AND LAND). Peter’s Friends. Ever heard of it? If you haven’t, stop reading RIGHT NOW and watch it.

(Sorry, I’m being so bossy).

It was my dad who asked if I wanted to watch it with him, but I was already tucked up in bed and ready to sleep so I thought I’d just watch the beginning to see if it was something I would like…1 hour and 47 minutes later, I was dancing around to the credits. It’s probably one of the best depictions of friendship I’ve seen – even better, dare I say it, than Friends.

So basically, a group of friends (or, to be more precise, a crazy cat lady, sex maniac, over-protective mother, alcoholic, and a nice guy) who haven’t seen each other for a while get together for new year. Fights and fall-outs; make-ups and break-ups, and a secret revealed two minutes before the bells is probably the height of excitement in this film as nothing much really happens. The characters (played by Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson, Imelda Staunton, Kenneth Branagh, and Stephen Fry – isn’t that just the best cast in the world?!) start from a place of self-loathing and end in a place of self-loathing with a bit of loathing each other in between, but in no way is it depressing. Funny and heart-warming, the film ends with the thought that you may not like yourself, your friends might not like you that much either, you might not like them, but you all still want to be in each other’s lives because, you know, you LOVE each other.

I actually felt so warm and fuzzy inside after watching it that I sent my friend a recording of the opening scene – “Some friends, you know you will have for the rest of your life. You’re welded together by love, trust, respect or loss…or, in our case, simple embarrassment.” This friend then replied, “Fuck off, Josie.”

I feel he would like this film.

Anyway, enough gushing. Time to get on with this damn essay.

Another Friday Night, Another Cup of Tea

I MISS DRINKING! Although, considering I have a wee tipple before going to my bed pretty much every night (yes, I’m drinking alone, but no, I’m not an alcoholic – I like the taste and it helps me sleep and also, isn’t a glass of wine a day healthy? SO STOP JUDGING), I’m hardly in the position to say that I actually miss alcohol, so really, I miss getting drunk. Ah, that blissful state of fuzzy wuzziness. Yep, it’s the fuzzy wuzziness I miss.

The fuzzy wuzziness.

Boredom levels have reached a new high (or low?) at the Spar. I was stacking Coke bottles the other night and got so excited (too excited) when I saw a Share one with…and then the name of a friend! Oh my goodness, this is a Dear Diary moment!!!! I immediately took a photo and sent it to him.

I don’t think he was as amused as I was.

BUT THEN, half an hour later or so, I was stacking some more Coke bottles when I saw ANOTHER friend’s name! Freaky or what? So I went and got my other friend (in coke bottle form) and put them next to each other. Aww, sweet. And that was the moment that my awe-inspiring plan was born – Tonight, I will find all my friend’s names and get a picture of them all together! Oh my goodness, this is going to be so much fun. 

Turns out, it wasn’t. Three crates of coke later, I only found one other name, although I did find “Bobby”, which I thought I could use to my advantage since there is a sub-group within our group of friends known as “The Boabies” (Scottish slang for penis). But alas, my awe-inspiring plan just looked sad:

Hey my little coke bottle friends! Looking gooooood!

And then I had to explain myself to the owners:

Owners: Josie, why did you open three crates of coke?

Me: Oh yeah, that – yeah, I didn’t realise that one was already open and then I forgot that I had opened another one…

(Quick thinking or what?)

Owners: Right…

Pffft. They were looking at me as though I was crazy, but imagine if I’d said “Oh that, I was just trying to find my friends!” They would have at least considered letting me go and so it is with this blog, that I do give you another example illustrating the necessity to tell a little white lie to people one barely knows.