thanksgiving

have a true blue uhmurikaan friend who works in "defence". we've been acquainted for a bit now but i'm no closer to knowing what exactly it is he does, apart from that it's top secret and classified, so maybe it's better that i don't know. but in true uhmurikan stylez, he was so kind as to host a thanksgiving 'do for the motley crew of london transplants and those passing through the city. in fact, this dinner was in honour of another uhmurikan friend who was visiting and the true catalyst for a feast of epic proportions. was expecting something small and homely but ohmymama our host with the most had roped in uhmurikan #3 to decorate, and there were whispers of one of the english guests having cooked i.e. outsourced the hardest bits to an amazing caterer who somehow conjured up thanksgiving fare so authentic even the uhmurikan crowd was impressed. the bird was ceremoniously carved by a friend who hold dual uhmurikan/brit citizenship because that seemed the most fitting, giving the confluence of guests and occasion. then again, he was also the only one who seemed to know how to carve without someone ending up in A&E (or "the ER" as was the vernacular - a little too flippantly - bandied around in the course of the night).

eyed the numerous cans of bud light suspiciously propped up around the table only to realise that the scene was set for post-dinner beer pong for those who could stand after the turkey binge. turns out there was no ball to be had, so beer pong quickly evolved into flip cup (love reductionist games!) and the beer turned even faster into vodka. the boys challenged the girls, with the stakes being rather revealing, but all we needed was an unpracticed russian to join the line up for the tie-breaker and the girls cruised to victory. if one ever needed a lesson in concentration, try flipping a cup with everyone yelling - not for the sort who cracks under pressure!

before the party games, there was some serious girly h2h with all the girls in a huddle. part of me feels admittedly smug and self-satisfied to be spared the feeding frenzy at the savannah, and other part sort of recoils in horror at the sort of questions they ask with no qualms at all. having been out of the dating game (pool?) for longer than i'm comfortable to disclose, i wonder if it's always been this way, or whether the game's evolved as we get older.

more photos on fb in various states of sobriety as the night wore on, all untagged, of course. because privacy is such an underrated commodity ;)