On Saturday, the moment came; my last night out (for now, anyway). I'll get to that in a moment, but first I just have to tell you what a complete and utter wuss my cat is. Saturday morning I went to hang out the laundry, but the garden had several magpies flapping ominously about, so I decided to take Xander out with me to scare them away.
It certainly was scary...for Xander, who got within a metre of a magpie that weighed maybe half a kilo, let out a yelp of fear, and sprinted back into the house. Some knight in shining fur he is!
*****
So what made me decide that there would be a "last night out"? I think I've just reached that stage. The Zelda Fitzgerald who vowed in 1998 to let the good times roll has now turned into a model of temperance. I'm just tired is all, and having fun isn't much fun anymore.
Anyway, it wasn't a bad night. It wasn't an especially good one either. I went to The Crypt, the club which has replaced Necro, solely because I wanted to catch up with a few people one more time. But there was all the attendant problems of uncomfortable chairs, loud music, and almost passing out on the bus home because there were no seats left and I was too dizzy to stand up (you'd think someone would have offred me a seat - I'm practically a senior citizen compared with most of the people returning from a night out at 4am).
But yesterday was what really confirmed that it's the right time to stop going out. I felt just awful, a wrethchedness that seemed out of all proportion to my only real sin of mixing drinks. I couldn't even enjoy the real estate guide in the paper, which for someone like me, is akin to a straight man being unable to ogle the bikini models in Ralph. Even after an early night last night I still feel a bit out of sorts today.
So I'm happy to pass the social baton on to a new generation. I've had my fun, but now I'm over it. Things in life are really changing, and I'm much too excited to miss waking suddenly to discover you're not in your own bed, but on a bench on Hunter St and the bus isn't due for another hour. In front of The Bill on a Saturday night with chai tea and Xander is all the social life I need!