Last night: Reunion of friends old and new.
5 Americans, an expat residing in London and a Nottingham lass, also currently from London, who I found to be very well-spoken and quite charming.

Combined, I have known these 6 people for a total of 120 years and one day. I love them all.
Some of the best times I have ever had were shared with the people in this picture and that includes last night.
We started at Richmond' best pizzeria. This is my second Pizza Event in the last few days- a big thanks to all my friends for the great pies . Susanne sent me pie on New Years- now today- ! I think pizza pie is my new favorite food, as it will henceforth always remind me of good people.



Some long-simmering issues from the Colonial period were finally laid to rest to the satisfaction of all parties, but I will use this blog to get the last word on one thing:
-American football is much better than soccer. Soccer is like ice hockey played on grass, without fights involving sticks, which is the best part of hockey.
I'm not sure if anyone plays hockey anymore- there are rumours of 'professional' leagues, nothing confirmed.

Of our group I am the only non-drinker and the only non-smoker. Nottingham Liz had gone 18 months without "sucking a fag" but decided to have a cigarette after meeting us.
Richmond has that effect on people- or maybe it was the company.

By last orders, she'd smoked an entire carton of Benson & Hedges as well as two packs of Marlboros- she truly understands the spirit of American indulgence.
I had twenty-five cups of coffee and a gallon of water. I may never sleep again but I sure as hell am gonna pee ten times in the next hour.

As we were settling up to leave the pizza joint, one very young waitress who had overheard our huggy, laughy crew re-living old times looked at us and said: " twenty years from now I will having reunions with my friends".
I think this was a beautiful thing for her to say. If you can have happy reunions with friends you've known for twenty years, well then, you've had a lucky life.

On a famous staircase at the ultra-posh and historical Hotel Jefferson, where our Limey friends were staying. Ever seen Gone With the Wind? Then you have seen this very staircase.
We went back to their hotel for continued drinking- by this time I had switched to the hard stuff-soda. The sugar and caffeine rocks my world.

I forgot the flash on this. I think my friend in the foreground looks pretty in this pic , but I always think she looks pretty.

My friend with the shorts on was in great peril of exposing his 'bits' to a camera-wielding blogger, which is never a good idea. (Trust me, it's not)
This is the Men's room adjoining the hotel bar. The urinals have motion detector devices that emit a burst of rosy air freshener when you approach them so you don't have to smell your own urine while you void. I have never before seen such a thing, but I assume the stall-toilets have the same feature- something I wouldn't mind having at home. For the cats too.


Wed. night was also a good night. A young child picked my name out of a jar containing those of all in attendance at a new friend's home - I was pick #1 and was given my choice of any cookie or brownie I wanted from a heavily laden tray of chewy fudgy goodness.

Having a sweet kid tell you you can have any cookie you want is a good feeling- and yummy too.