Events
D&AD Bloomsbury Bowling Bonanza - Brought to you by James Wormald -
We’d just spent a week working on the ultra tiresome, 18 hour days of the D&AD Judging week.
Although Gazz’s perspective of the week is one that you can find through the events page, most of us were staying in the hotel… and I’m guessing (I’ve never NOT stayed in a hotel for one of these things) that although just as long and tiring, if not more so… He didn’t experience quite the same level of unreality as the rest of us.
This really was (and always is) a night for a bit of absurdness to take place. There are 30 or so overworked, sleep-deprived, young ‘professionals’ let loose on a free bar, ten-pin bowling, pool, pizzas, table tennis and fussball.
Having been working long long long days for the past week, and being encouraged to go out at night. Be it to get drunk knowing there was a hotel room to go back to, to ‘entertain’ judges at the event, or simply for a couple to wind down and help you sleep… the nights ended up going on until at least 00:00 – 01:00. Having to be up and down for breakfast for 07:00 the next morning (05:00 if you wanted a decent spot in the gym), it meant the hair bobble could only be loosened slightly. There was after all a full days work and night to get through the next day.
But after tonight, there was NOTHING to get up for. There were three full days which the only thing on the agenda more strenuous than lifting an eyelid, was scratching one. This meant hair could not only be let down, it could be dropped to the floor, and become lost in the stampede towards the melee at the free bar.
The party was at the Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes. We were in the private party area with 5 dedicated lanes to anyone who fancied getting their name down. A couple of racks of pool preceded the major entertainment, sufficiently warming us up. During this stage I seem to have been much more interested in showing off my unsubstantiated ability for trickshots, rather than playing the actual game. However to give me my due I WAS playing a bunch of girls, so I might as well have took my time. It was only when someone mentioned the 8-ball rule of dropping one’s trousers and running around the table that Faye turned into a shark and sank everything in one go.
As one game ended, another was just beginning.
It was a damn close game. 125 to 124 to 123 to 118. I won’t say which was my score, but you can probably guess. (A big thank you to everyone who guessed ‘None of the Above’).
During the bowling, most of my concentration was centered around either actually hitting the first pin (which I managed 1 out of 3 times) or flashing pictures of people just as they released their ball… which I’m sure you’ll all agree, cool as they are, CAN be quite annoying for someone trying to bowl.
Sadly the bar had to close at 12, so we were forced out pretty soon after the end of the bowling… I wish I’d have taken more advantage of the free bar instead of being so hung up on the competition now. This left an extra 20 minutes of ‘sup-up’ time. Spent diligently posing for many photos in various combinations of people and teams, before being turfed out on the street.
Taxis were ordered. I got in one, and went back to mine and Gazz’s flat with a few of the Student Awards guys (Amy, Catherine, Kate and Matt). One included Sanne, Faye, Lewis and Michael who went on to Shoreditch and boogied the rest of the night away. And another birthed Emma, Abosede and Marta. By FAR and away the most interesting journey as after Emma had left, Abosede decided to throw up all over her seat and down the door. Left it a few minutes for the driver to pick up on, then slam on his brakes and DEMAND it be cleaned INSTANTLY at the side of the road. Cue images of Abosede lying, passed out on the back seat with poor Marta desperately trying to clean the alien vomit out of the car and plead with the driver not to simply drive off.
You’ll be glad to know they both made it home safe and sound. Meanwhile Matt and Catherine found each other more use than a couple of pillows as they couldn’t resist their own bodies. And Gazz gave up his bed (again) for the two remaining girls as he got down on the sofa for what must be a grand total longer than he’s been in his own bed since moving in!
All in all… a bloody good night.