There were just a few great things about my journey home tonight.
1 - I don't think I will ever get tired of sitting at the front of the DLR and pretending it's me driving the train. When it shakes and bumbles along I feel like I'm on a lego toy train going to deliver little plastic cubes to plastic people. It almost annoys me when I'm asked for my Oyster card - who the hell asks the driver if she has a ticket?! I don't need a ticket! I'm driving the bloody train! I like to call out 'All Aboard' on occasion and sometimes frown when we slow down and shuffle about to look at the tracks. The DLR is a brilliant invention although I do have to wonder sometimes why it has lights on the front of it when the only driver is highly unqulified little me... Next time you're travelling on it and a shortish brunette girl is sitting at the front saying 'Chuffa Chuffa' just smile at her and tell her she's doing a great job.
2 - I never really appreciated how magical an atmosphere a football game provide until I moved to near a football ground. Charlton turns into an incredible place as soon as there's a game on - a thousand cars suddenly turn up and socialise bumper to bumper along the narrow roads. The police arrive on masse and gather around smiling welcomingly to everyone and trying to pretend it's a good thing they have to be there. For just one evening a week there are people, everywhere on the streets. People leave their houses and just gather outside. Especially on an evening like tonight - it's just amazing. And then there's that earthly rumbling, booming of the thousands of fans chanting and roaring and living for the game. Aside from the fact that it's actaully phenomenal to hear thousands of people chant 'Charlton' as one with not a single 'T' pronounced, it's quite a moving feeling. As close as the modern girl can get to standing on the edge of a Greek or Roman battle field and feeling the raw power. What a feeling. Almost makes me want to watch football...well it would if it wasn't for -
3. - if it wasn't for, THE CRICKET YESTERDAY!!! Sweet, sweet victory. Sweet, sweet victory over the Australians. Bliss.
4 - I suppose tonight was also good because it meant I survived last night. And last night was yet another example of my attempts at dating. It turns out I'm quite appalling at dating. Really quite appalling. I spent the evening with an Oxford, yes Oxford, graduate with a charming smile, excellent pronunciation and vocabulary and a good knowledge of the England batting line up. Perfect? No, but then I'm a realist. And yet I somehow managed to end the evening by exiting a train he had not and inadvertently leaving him on the tube. How this happened I'm not entirely sure...I can only say that without a doubt neither of us quite meant for it to happen but it did! I got off and headed for the exit and by the time I got to the stairs I turned round and saw him staring bleakly out of the train window as it pulled away...not exactly the romantic ending I'd hoped for!
Ah well. Tonight was amazing anyhow.
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