The Boys come to town, seed theory, their sage dating advice, and some disasters of my own Part 2

Ok. so I think I left off on Saturday? So saturday the guys went off to Wembly early in the morning to go look around there, and I couldn't even make myself get out of bed after club egg utnil at lest 12. So I opted to not go with them. Instead, Jen and I had some serious grocery shopping to do. I mean, SERIOUS. SO we went to Sainsbury's as soon as we were able to get our lazy butts out of bed and bought up all of the giant list of things we needed. I'm serious. WE HAD NO FOOD LEFT. So when we got back we got all of our stuff sorted out, put it away and everything and were good to go. Then we got lazy kinda so I just made a PB and J sandwich. haha. We just bought all this food and I couldn't even be bothered to make anything decent to eat. All on another day. Then I went to the gym. I just could NOT sit still any longer. It is one of those days (it was the first rain that we had had during the day since we have been here and I have to say I was NOT thrilled). But yah I really just didn't know what to do with myself. Arti called earlier in the morning to ask if we were still on for dinner. I called him back, told him yes, and then Jen and I went to the gym. At the gym did our little workout, came home, showered, and crawled in bed.
Ok. Yes, I know that it was a Saturday night, but I honestly was happy to be in bed and was really just ready for the night to end right then. RIGHT THEN. so I think I might pretend that it did?
Hahahahaha. no I'll finish. But seriously, I tried my hardest to make it end. The boys were still in Wembly, and they were supposed to be my buffers for this dinner with arti. Fail. Jen and Thania were going to come with me but when they found out the guys were gonna come, they decided to go see Sex in the City 2 (vomit) so that was another fail. So now I am trying frantically to get out of this dinner with an almost complete stranger and Bella is nowhere to be found to make a phone call telling him I am deathly ill and projectile vomiting. But alas. I have shot myself in the foot by agreeing to this dinner and for fear of looking like a huge jerk, I go.
So I call Arti and tell him that I don't feel so well and ask if I can just meet him at 9:30 for a late dinner (I really don't feel like spending that much time with him). So then I take a nap, get dressed in the most dowdy thing I can find, and then get to the tube station, hoping that I'm late and he thinks I stood him up and that he just leaves (even though I can't bring myself to not go because it would be so mean and I would cry if someone did that to me). I get there and give him a call. And he is there. So i wait where I am until he finds me.
We say hello and I'm actually feeling a little better about being there and we walk around Picadilly Circuis for a little while till we find a little Italian restaurant that we both feel will be good so we walk in. It is this adorable little restaurant called Bella Italia that feels like a little place right out of an italian village. It was actually a rather nice walk over (besides the rain) because we talked and I got to know a little bit about him. Arti is actually from Poland (leave it to me to not be able to find a British man in the UK). He lives here and so does his older brother, and his parents and his other 4. yes FOUR brothers and sisters live in Poland still. Oh and did I forget to mention he is 30? Hahah. yah. 30. oops. Well. I'm pretty sure that was the point in our conversation in which I decided to enjoy dinner and then never see him again (he clearly thought this was a date even though I had told him I was planning on bringing other people and they couldn't make it).
So we go in the restaurant and walk down to the seating in the basement and sit down at this cute little table. We talk a little more (although I'm seriously getting strained for stuff to talk about here) and then we order our food. I try to order a glass of wine, and arti, attempting to be a man i guess, cancels my order and orders a whole bottle. OK. listen up. Two things really peeve me off when dining with boys. Excessive PDA, and WHEN YOU TRY TO ORDER FOR ME. I don't care if it is food or drink, I will order what I want. If I didn't suggest ordering a whole bottle of wine, it is because I only wanted a glass. Guys.....I may be taking a shot in the dark here, but its cute when you open doors and pull out our chairs. It is chauvinistic (in my opinion) when you try to make decisions for us (even if they are small ones like what you think we should eat or wear). We are capable human beings. (hahahahaha quincy later commented that "that bottle is not all he thought he was buying," and I actuallly think its really funny. Clearly arti completely misread me if he thought that was the case).
So I ordered a fussili pomodorini...which was fun to say even though the waiter looked at me like I was bat shit nuts...and it was actually surprisingly delicious. That night was the first that I had gone to a proper sit down restaurant for a nice dinner since I have been here and, as a major foodie, I have to say (apart from the disaster date which wasn't supposed to be a date) it was a lovely experience. I am on the hunt for "must go to" restaurants in London so if you know of any, lemme know! So back to dinner. We talk over dinner just chit chat. What I'm doing with my life...how busy I am (my excuse for not answering phone calls) What he is doing with his life (nothing--he is a 30 year old man pursuing a 20 year old foreigner...lets get real). Before I know it, I have consumed half a bottle of wine (ok, so I know I didn't order it but I mean....if you put it in front of me its not like I WONT drink it....it was good wine) so thanks to my tank like abilities for not letting me get drunk. We finish eating. There are some awkward silences but nothing too bad...except arti tends to stare when he has nothing to say. And I don't really very much like being stared at. So there is that.
We head out of the restaurant and I am going to Oxford the next day at 9 am so I have a pretty early morning so I tell him I have to head home. He walked me to the tube station. And then, of course, leans in for a kiss. To which I respond by turning my cheek. Nothing like a nice friendly kiss goodbye (forever) on the cheek :) Goodbye Arti....nice knowin ya

Sooooooo then this brings me to Sunday funday. The last day of the boy's stay in London and my amazing trip to Oxford and Blehnheim Palace. We went to Blenheim first, leaving 43 Harrington Gardens, where we are taking classes, bright an early at 9 am. Jennifer, Thania, Sarah, Gabby, Trish, Sam, Quincy, and Gauri all came as well, it was great fun. When we got to Blenheim we broke off into groups to go explore what we wanted to of the castle and its immense grounds. Thania, Sarah, Jen, Gabby, and I went around first to go see all of the Winston Churchill displays (he was born in the palace) and then around the state rooms which had all of the old furniture but also some pictures of the present day Duke of Marlborough and his sons the Lords Blanford and his daughters. So his older son is entitled to the estate and all, but he is only going to take title because apparently he is in and out of rehab all the time and nobody really trusts him to take care of the place. So the younger son is going to take over the estate (way to go younger siblings) so after seeing the immense grounds and amazing palace (and after the disaster that was last night) I decide it is time I went about finding this younger Lord Blanford. Hahaha....maybe I can make Blenheim Palace my future home! Ok all jokes aside, the place is gorgeous. It is hard to believe people still live there because it is like something straight out of a film adaptation of a Jane Austen novel. haha. I expected to turn around and see Mr. Darcy--although it would be really creepy to wake up at night for a glass of water and have to walk around the palace to get it. But they have this amazingly large organ that I am sure sounds amazing and this library with all of these encyclopedias and FIRST EDITIONS of novels like "Treasure Island" and "Pride and Prejudice" (I am a huge book nerd....this library was like a dream for me). After we went outside, we decided to have a walk around the grounds and gardens, which were extensive and BEAUTIFUL. There was a Secret Garden, which reminded me of the movie beyond the name but also because there was just so much beauty there.
After we walked around, we went and had lunch at the Palace cafe on the back patio of the palace and just sat, relaxed, took in some sun, and ate some yummy food. After that, we went back onto the bus that was going to take us to Oxford and I passed out for about 5 minutes, and then we got to Oxford and got out. We were given a short walking tour of the little town, and then we went off to do our thing. Jen and I went with Trish, Gauri, Sam, and Quincy this time. We went to Christchurch, and then to the gardens there, we went to a little baguette shop because a few people got hungry, we went to get ice cream (not a big fan....i know....I dont like ice cream. So sue me) and then we went to Lincoln College and visited the courtyards of a bunch of other colleges (or Unis as they call it here). After all that walking around and picture taking, we went to the Oxford University bookstore and Jen and I bought matching sweatshirts...hehehe....team hot pink :) Then we went to....drumroll please....the TURF TAVERN: Oldest Pub in Oxford! Hahaha. It is this charming little pub with a ceiling that even I thought was low and this Turf Tavern summer ale brew that um....was kinda gross. But hey. You try a little of everything. And now I can say I've been there. We hung out there, got some chips, chatted up the bartender (who let me take a picture of him) and then headed back to the bus for our trip back to London...during which everyone fell asleep. I love naps.
SO I got back, showered, changed, and headed out to meet the boys for dinner and their last night out. I met them at Picadilly Circuis and from there we walked to a pub for dinner and drinks. From there we went to another. Then a club, then a restaurant for more more drinks. Finally (after some dumb incidents I'd rather not repeat) I made it home, said goodbye to them, and went to bed.
Its funny but throughout the entire night I feel I finally got to see a side of the boys that I had never really seen before. It is different hanging out with the guys just me and them versus hanging out with them with me, them, and our other friends. I feel like they are a lot more open with me when they aren't with everyone else. I actually got some pretty funny advice from them in the form of Kushan and Praveen's "Seed Theory," which honestly, the way they use it, doesn't really make that much sense at all. So seed theory.... apparently it is the way these boys land their girls (ps they share girls a lot....which is kinda gross but whatever). So they basically go after their good friends (mistake number one, because you either have to A find a new friend circle after you are through with your little escapade--and these are escapades none of these have ended up as actual relationships with the exception of one--or you B have to deal with awkward whenever you guys hang out). So you go after your good friends and you make some form of substantial contact with them outside of your friend circle. Again, can I point out that when they gave me examples of "substantial contact," they cited facebook wall posts? Again. How does this work? But apparently this contact apart from your plans is the planting of the "seed" that will become your special relationship that will eventually lead to a hookup. A lot of work and time and planning for a very short lived hook up if you ask me. But hey. They are happy with it so whatever. My favorite was Paven....poor poor paven in his antibiotic induced sobriety...is looking at the two of them like they are out of their minds as they try to explain this theory to me.
All in all though, a lovely weekend in London with the boys. I was sad to see them go. So arti had asked me to call him on Monday so we could do something (we didn't have class because it was a bank holiday). What did I do on monday? I did not call him. I screened and rejected all 7 of his phone calls. I went to the gym, watched a movie, and lazed about. Yes, that is right. I had a perfectly respectable lazy monday and I loved it. Great end to a very interesting and fun (and informative thanks kushan and praveen) weekend.

Radhi