Free Fun

After a visit from a friend the weekend before last and a busy busy last weekend I have officially got absolutely no money. Did I find that my money was slowly trickling away, but unable to stop it as I had so many things I needed and wanted to do? No. Instead this unfortunate discovery occurred when I went to pay for my bi-weekly food shop in tesco only to have my card declined. Horror of horrors. Fortunately I was not alone otherwise it would have been an inescapable embarrassment. I paid what I do have left in cash that I ran out to get from the cashpoint, at which point I shamefully looked at my bank balance, and my friend paid the rest on her card. This is not only embarrassing, but worrying; worrying as I don't know how I am going to survive for the next three weeks, and worrying because I have no idea how I managed to spend a five week budget in two. It is a good thing I do have a job, although I was not given any shifts last week and as my friend visited the week before I only worked on, but at least I have some small income which will immediately vanish on books for my course and food so I can survive. Another relief is that all the bills are paid and I'm still owed a little bit for them. As long as I remember my phone bill's going to come out at the end of the month I'll be fine.

I am still confused and shocked at how I managed to spend so much in so little time as I haven't bought myself any clothes or shoes or anything else that I usually spend my money on. However as I am about to write what I did last weekend I can only imagine that the answers to my unhappy confusion will emerge. Such as my Saturday which was spent in Swansea eating pizza, going bowling and watching Juno at the cinema. After a bit of a crazy Friday night this really seemed like the only option. And, of course, going out drinking also costs money. I got up late and slightly hungover with the full intention of doing nothing requiring any energy or thought. The first stop was Pizza Express: the same universally, from Edinburgh to Delhi to Swansea. It worked a treat. Then it was a wander around town in which I managed to resist buying a tutu which I am very pleased with myself about as at this point I didn't realised how much I was suffering financially. Then we had a few hours to kill so decided to go bowling. I was with a friend from the pub I work in and he is officially the smuggest person ever to play and booze or pub orientated sports. I reluctantly played pool with him once and of course he beat me. I, thinking I was actually quite good at it, challenged him to doubles at table football and he wiped the little green floor with all three of us, yes even his team mate. Me and my team mate managed to win on a sneaky technicality, exclaiming loudly at the end that the last ball would win the whole match and we, through pure fluke though we put it down to talent, managed to get the ball in. Despite this we all knew it really didn't count and so he still remained irritatingly smug about being the best at everything. This included bowling.

He announced before I had even agreed to playing it that he was "awesome", but I knew from the beginning I was terrible which made losing inevitable therefore easing my naturally competitive nature. Whilst waiting for an alley I suggested playing air hockey which, again, he smugly announced, he was "awesome" at and would definitely beat me. He did. 7 -3. It killed about 2 minutes of a 20 minute wait. I suggested playing the dance game on the arcades, but he vetoed that plan. I'm not particularly good at it, although from his absolute dismissal of the idea I took that I might actually win, but I just enjoy playing it. Still, it was a no. He suggested another game of air hockey. I suspected I would lose again, but I enjoy it so I agreed. I hit the puck first, but instead of hitting it my little wacker thing (I have no idea what they're called) went flying out of my hand and hit against the glass in the middle of the table. We both burst out laughing and I felt completely ashamed. However, I had to persevere and so I continued. He was still giggling away to himself and claims this is why I got the puck in. And the next one. He may have been laughing, but I don't think is a good enough excuse. Especially as the first goal he scored was because I hit the puck in myself. He scored again so we were even, but then I scored the next. When we were 4-4 I excitedly wagered that if he lost we would have to play that dance game on the arcade. He, being the smug winner that he is, agreed. Much to his mistake. I thought I had doomed my chances of winning by announcing this challenge, but the next thing I know it's 7-6 to me and I am running around the arcade like I have just saved the world from Armageddon. Or something equally exaggerated. Unfortunately we ran out of time to play it as our alley became free, but next time...oh yes next time we will have a dance off. And until then I will keep reminding him of the time I beat him at air hockey and he will be forever shamed.

After bowling we went to the Monkey Cafe for a drink before the movie. The Monkey Cafe is one of the nicest places to drink in Swansea. It does food although I have never eaten there and turns into a club at night. It also does Salsa classes on Mondays. The ceiling is covered with lights of various colours hanging in differently shaped lampshades. There are sofas and the tables and chairs are all wooden giving it an Eastern feel. They have a great selection of beers too, one of which being Hoegaarden which might be my favourite. Delicious.

After a cosy drink we went to see Juno. When I first saw this film advertised I though it looked awful. A film about teenage pregnancy? I couldn't imagine how it would be any good. Then I see all these great reviews for it and everyone who I know who has gone to see it say it's fantastic, and the comedy is very off beat, one person compared it to Napoleon Dynamite. I wouldn't go so far as to say it was that quirky, but it certainly had a Wes Anderson feel. The soundtrack was very off tune, light singing, which is a sign of an American quirky comedy movie, but it was a little too much at times. I thought there were some moments which required a slightly different kind of music, especially as the protagonist claimed her favourite singers were Iggy Pop and Patti Smith. The subject itself was anything but controversial and the humour played well with it. I was probably the one laughing the most in the entire movie theatre, but that didn't bother me too much.

Despite the fact I would love to go and see Be Kind Rewind next I don't have the funds for it, so from now on my mission is to seek out fun things to do for absolutely free! It's a challenge, but I like a challenge. The lack of money does have some advantage, however, as I have an essay due in on Friday which is coming along, but very slowly, and I need as little excuses as possible to procrastinate. No play and all work might be boring, but it save Rachael a lot of money.