The Best Day

Verdict: A really, really great day with friends and romance and fun. Best weekend.

Ciarán came up to the loft around nine and woke me up. We went down and had breakfast (he had an omelette, I had three sausages, rashers and toast, which is an extremely unusual breakfast for me as I don’t think I’ve had a fry for years). We lay down and chatted for a while and then got dressed because he had to go to Maths grinds.

His dad drove us there, and Ciarán walked me to Stephen’s Green before going back to grinds. That was considerate. I texted Jerry and said I was on my way to the gate, but then I turned around and Jerry was there looking amazing and running towards me. It turned out that Jerry gets out of grinds just as Ciarán gets in, and Ciarán had caught Jerry on the way out and sent him after me. I only learned this when Ciarán texted me and said it, though; I would fairly readily have believed that Jerry had just used his ninja skills.

So then Jerry and I hugged (second hug-giver of the day) and walked out into town. We went to Hodges & Figgis and had a really lovely time. I read a book about humans from the perspective of aliens, and Jerry read one about dancing dads. He also looked through the Scrabble dictionary, which seemed intimidating.

After a long time, we moved on and went back to the gate of Stephen’s Green, where we found Fez and Gabi and some others. That was exciting, and so more hugs happened. Turns out Fez is somehow 18 now and actually has a tattoo on his wrist, a real one. It says I SHALL ENDURE.

 There was also this cool girl there I didn’t recognise who had a ukulele. Okay, the ukulele was Fez’s but she played it. She played the four chords of the four chords song and we all improvised and sang badly. One of the songs I initiated was Mr. Brightside and that was a hit, which made me happy. It was a different experience from the Friday four-chords song because this time no one actually knew the order. Still awesome though. We all danced like crazy (I paired off with Fez) and just had a great time.

Then the girl asked if anyone else played the ukulele and I was like hell yeah. So then I played Ho Hey by the Lumineers (which actually went well, I played way better than I did during Bootcamp). I also played The Cave and maybe something else, then repeated the first two because I wanted to. People sang along, it was fun. Just after I stopped playing ukulele, Ciarán appeared from grinds and more hugging ensued.

Dáire was there with a table and some guy who looked like AVPM Harry Potter but didn’t actually like Harry Potter. The table has a name that I’ve forgotten, and dreams of getting to 5,000 Facebook friends. Currently, I think it has over 2,000.

 Ciarán and I were about to leave and I mentioned that I’d be spending my CTYI money, so suddenly Fez stuck €20 down my top (slightly), and when I protested Dáire also held out €20 to me (jokingly). I was like “This is insane, don’t you know not to offer me money? Because I will take it.” So then I got him to give me a fiver instead because I actually have a chance of paying that back, though he says I don’t need to.

Ciarán and I went to get drinks and then went to McDonalds. I tried in vain to connect my iPod to the stupid wifi that required a phone number and confirmation code but it wouldn’t work. When we were ready to leave, I texted Jerry who said they were all downstairs in Burger King.

Unfortunately, the secret staircase was locked, but anyway we went down and saw the whole CTYI crowd. Jerry had a black shirt and cool hair and they really, really suited him, someone needs to give that boy a round of applause for his style. I took a wooden dagger from Gabi and mock-stabbed various people with it. Not strangers, obviously. That might’ve been cause for concern. Hugs all round, of course, because CTYI.

All the nerds together. Where does Jerry even GO for these pictures?

After a while there, we all went to Forbidden Planet. I’m not the hugest fan of the place, but I wasn’t going to rain on everyone else’s parade. Ciarán carried my bag quite a lot of the way. I feel bad about that now because he was unwilling, or must have been because he refused to do it later. Sorry, Ciarán.

And after that, we ignored Ciarán’s pleas for CEX and went to the Rock Garden. Ciarán tried to call me over to a particular part and I was like “No, I’m not a dog” and stayed with the others. He came around. We had lots of fun, though it smelled like beer/weed (stronger than usual).

In an unusual move for me, I exercised! A lot! John Joe’s double-sided lightsaber had broken into two lightsabers which were perfect for fighting with. Some other people were fighting, so then I took a lightsaber and … I can’t remember who I fought first. But I definitely fought Ciarán, and later on Jerry. Ciarán and I were evenly enough matched, I like to think (he’s stronger but I’m more agile). Jerry, though, had me jumping around like crazy while he barely moved, just batting me away. Impressive. He did get a cut on his hand though which he started sucking the blood out of. That was creepy. Then Jerry and Paddy had a conversation about why blood tastes “so good” (the iron, apparently). I know they were mostly trying to sound cool. It was pretty entertaining anyway. The fights went on for ages and I loved them. I was told to calm down but, y’know, instincts.

We chilled in Stephen’s Green for a while more but then the junkies started getting really rowdy and a lot of the CTYIzens said we should leave. It was my first exposure to them, I guess, and I kinda wanted to stay and see what happened, but then when they started shouting about stabbing someone or whatever Daddy Beavis and Ward let all of us out of the rock garden. Ciarán wouldn’t tell me any junkie stories, which was sad. (Yes, I was slightly emphasising my naivete for comedic value. I do that a lot).

They brought us to something whose name I can’t remember (veranda?), but it’s a hollow cylinder with a roof that they use in American prom movies. We all hung out there for a while, which was really nice. Niamh (who matched Paddy, both looking really great, apparently as Victoria and Becks) took some photos of Ciarán and I (one set we weren’t expecting, and then another posed set. They were cute).

Shortly after that, we had to leave because I was supposed to be home for seven/eight, which meant getting the train at half 6, which meant we needed to be out of town and heading for Nandos by five.

What a face, I know.

So as we left the veranda (?) we hugged everyone goodbye (honestly, CTYIzens give a phenomenal amount of hugs and it is wonderful). It was great to see Mo as well, and Micaiah and Cathy with her friend Vicky who goes to the RIAM for violin and piano. Plenty of others too. Really great.

So Ciarán and I walked to the bottom of O’ Connell Street and got the bus to his house. Kevin, who’d come up from Cork, texted me while on the bus away from town, saying he was in town waiting for me. Sigh. I asked could he get to Nandos and stop giving out to me and he said yes.

There we got ready and walked to Nandos. It turns out this Nandos is in Omni, which is ridiculously close to his house. Strange experience when you’re a culchie.

Nandos has Hawaiian/African/I’m so ignorant of Geography/-themed decorations and great, though unusual, music. Ciarán and I got in and discussed our meal and sauce of choice (decided on no bones platter with Medium hot peri-peri and sides of chips and garlic bread).

I danced during silences or whenever really, and didn't know Ciarán was taking photos. The beauty and grace exhibited here is stunning, really. 

Kay arrived and we hugged, then there was lots of third-wheeling but hey it’s been ages since I saw him last and I think I managed to fit yesterday’s three big things in well (Ciarán, Jerry, Kay). Kay left after a while and Ciarán and I had a nice time being super couply.

We then walked back to his house and I felt really sick, probably because all my meals that day had been meat when usually I eat almost exclusively carbohydrates. Lying sprawled on his bed didn’t work, so I went and sat in the bathroom trying to feel less sick. I told him it was okay if he went and did stuff on the computer while I recovered but he was ridiculously cute and looked after me and it was all very strange and nice. I stopped feeling queasy shortly afterwards yay and then I’m not sure what we did. I think I blogged, and then we just relaxed. We went up to my loft room late (after 12) and tried to chill until 2 a.m. but I was too tired and sent him down before 1. I was really just too tired to function at anything by that point, sorry Ciarán.

Also, this blog consistently pulled over 200 views the past three days and crossed 2,000 views a month, which was cool.

And that was Saturday. It was really nice to both start and end the day in Ciarán’s house, though weird not having Seán or Kevin there too. It’s a difficult decision, because this year has been so incredibly eventful, but that might’ve been the best day of the year so far. 

All photos taken by Niamh or Ciarán.