"Just Chug It"

Tuesday was a sad day for me, with the puddle jumping-in-reverse action, but things got a lot better on Wednesday and Thursday for me. Tuesday night I was up kinda late writing a paper for Wednesday afternoon, and so Wednesday morning I woke up and perfected the paper, went to class, and turned it in. After class I had a few hours before we left for a football game, Fulham v Bolton. My first ever football game! I went with Jason and Justin, and on the way we decided to get some beer to drink on the way, since its really expensive in the stadium, and its legal to drink on the streets here. So we stopped at Tesco (think 7/11 with alcohol) and the boys bought a 4-pack of Carling (500mL cans) and I bought a bottle Baumer's hard cider (568mL). So the boys had 1000mL each to drink and I had my one bottle of hard cider to drink. We got out on the street, and realized that my bottle was not a twist-off top, and we didn't have a bottle opener. So we sketchily looked for a way to open it. Jason ended up banging it on the side of a trash can to get it part way open and then we were going to get it the rest of the way open with our keys. We decided that we wouldn't open it all the way until after we got onto the train, so we waited. However, the train was packed with commuters, seriously packed in like sardines. So we decided not to drink until we got off the train, deciding there was enough of a walk to the stadium from the underground station. No problem. We get off the train, and start drinking, and being the dumb American kids who can't drink at home, we think we're hot shit. We take pictures and pass bobbies (cops) and they don't say a thing, and we continue on our merry way. A couple blocks later we see some more bobbies walking towards us on the street. And then they begin to approach us. I began to think that they were going to card us and make sure we were of age, because I had been carded when I bought my cider. This was not the case. We were in the borough of Fulham, and apparently in the borough of Fulham you can not have an open container on the street. They let us know, and we felt really bad, because we had no clue. The cops were really nice about it though, and told us we either had to finish it in front of them right then, or throw it away. We all looked at each other, and I looked at my bottle, which was mostly full, and we were like...uhhh...okkk...then the second bobbie said, "Just chug it." Swear to God, absolutely serious. I looked at him and said, "I know we're Americans, and chugging is kind of our deal, but I'm a small girl." They chuckled and we proceeded to drink as fast as possible in front of the cops. They started talking to us and asked us where we were from and what we're doing at the game and things. I must have charmed them and they must have thought I was a cutie (cause lets be honest, I totally am..ha) cause the second one looked at me and said, "You're struggling a bit, aren't ya." I said yeah, just a little, but I can handle it. They then decided that they didn't want to make us sick, and there was a little park just ahead, and we could duck into the park and quickly and discreetly finish our drinks and then be on our way. It was the coolest thing ever basically.
So then we got to the match, and it was a really great game. Not to mention we were in the 3^rd row! We were soooo close to the match. And I touched the football! It came right at us and I went to catch it, but it wasn’t quite close enough, and I just barely grazed it with my hand, and it landed in the row in front of us. Pretty efffing sweeeeet! It was round three of the Carling Cup, which means that they have to have a winner, no ties allowed! So when regulation was over and it was tied 1-1 there was overtime! It was such an exciting match, the excitement was intoxicating, and it was loads of fun. Fulham ended up losing in the last 7 minutes or so, so that was a little disappointing, but it sure was fun to watch. We were saying "Come on Fulham" in incredibly thick English accents by the end of the night, compliments of the man sitting behind us (who said it once every 2 minutes or so). After the match we came home and told everyone how we were rockstars because we were told by the police to chug our alcohol.

On Thursday the boys (Jason and Justin again) and I went to tour Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal FC. It was pretty sweet to say the least, and I have loads of pictures. Check out the links at the bottom. And for facebook kids, there is a video as well (eventually). Everyone else, sorry…I’m working on it….Buuuut some more crazy stuff happened to us (read: me) as we were leaving the stadium. We’re walking out, and we have our little gift bags of things we bought, and I see one of them, just hanging out on the sidewalk, as we walk past it I pick it up, cause it looks empty and I figure I may as well throw it away, cause I’m such a good kid and all. I pick it up and notice that it isn’t empty like I thought it was. There was a little book in it….but it was just a complimentary one, like the one we got from the museum tour. But then, I see at the bottom is a little gift box. And then I was like….“Oh, this is someone’s stuff” and as I thought that the car door right in front of us opens and a man in an official-looking Arsenal lanyard leans out. We’re like, is this yours? He says to us, “I think my colleague dropped it, does it have a little gift box in it?” We said yes and I moved to give it back to him, and he waved me off and continued, “The second you picked it up it was yours. Just take it. Hurry up now.” I was flabbergasted (cause I don’t know what’s in it at all) and I was like, are you sure, you can have it back, I just found it. He then said, “Compliments of Arsenal…go on now.” So we left with bag in hand. We waited until we were back on the underground to open it up, and I opened it, and it was a really nice keychain and mini Arsenal shield. Very shiny and wrapped up incredibly well. So it must be rather nice. So I now have this really neat Arsenal thing. And what’s even funnier is that on the way to the stadium I was talking about how I wished I could find a 20 pound note on the ground….this was probably better, but I wouldn’t say no to 20 quid…haha.

Today I’ve done a whole lot of nothing (sorry guys, I hope you don’t think I’m wasting tooo too much of my time over here). I did go to class this morning though! And Jason and I, and Justin too (ironically) have started watching Heroes. We watched the first 2 episodes today. We found a website, called watchheroesonline.com and its got all the episodes….even season 2 already! And tonight a couple of girls and I are going to head out, minus the boys for once. We’ve decided we want to get hit on and not pay for drinks for once (hopefully). If there is one double standard I love, guys buying drinks for girls is the one.

thats all

Cheers!!

p.s. here is the link to pictures... and then the bobbies told us to chug our beer.........