Chutneys and Oddities #3 Cat

I thought that today as a bit of a change and to prove that in fact I am not a constantly blazing ragaholic who is forever trying to bitch slap life into submission, I would take some time to mention a few of the better things in life. Of course I am talking about the people in my life.

Hopefully amongst all of my nonsensical ramblings, this will provide a background of relief for now is the time for one of my more chilled mentions of some of my closest amigos.

I thought I'd begin with one of my closest friends, Miss. Cat Mitchell, musician and fellow blogger of 'Cat Chat'.

Honestly, if you enjoy ranting and raving, check out her blog too. It's very like mine in the sense of potential anger and grammar Nazism...

Anyway yes, Cat and I have been friends for almost 7 years now.

We met properly in year 10 but we knew each other through friends of friends even before that.

Quickly finding that we shared a passion for music and a hatred for all things incorrect or generally produced with bad grammar, we became almost inseparable.

I'm sure that not all friends could claim, 'Samba bought us together...' but it's true.

Yes Mr. Kier introduced our year 10 brains to the world of samba baterio or 'percussive samba' and good God, if minds could explode and drip out of ears onto their respective shoulders, I'm sure ours would have done. Samba took up a lot of our talking time and we would eagerly await the week's next music lesson in which we would be able to smash the ever loving shite out of the samba instruments once more.

Our music trip to Venice all the way back in 2007 and the 30 hour coach trip to get there was amazing. 

We quickly formed a group of about 6 or 7 and spent our free time wandering the narrow streets and alleys and feeding the local pigeons in St.Marks Square. I can honestly say, being in Venice (which I still hold is one of the best places I have ever visited in my life) with my friends, playing music and eating real Italian pizza is one of the best things I have ever done with my life to date.

Year 10 was also the year in which we became prefects. In year 11, both Cat and myself, along with a select few fellow brown nosers, became senior prefects and were charged with stalking the halls and shouting at small children. One memory in particular is fresh in my mind..."fresh as a bagel from momma's oven" in the words of Howard Moon.

We were passing through the science corridor and found Mr.Baylis's door open a crack. Peering in to say hello, we spotted a van de graff generator sitting upon the table. Beckoning us in, he explained that he was due to use it next period.

Piping up like the good friend she is, Cat excitedly asked Mr. Baylis to shock me using the generator. So, not wanting to miss out on providing amusement for my fellow human beings, I reluctantly placed my hands onto the shiny chrome dome and waited. My hair began to stand on end as the static electricity surged through me. One touch with the connecting rod would discharge the electricity through my body and shock me. Hard.

Thinking it could not possibly get any worse and feeling my palms start to sweat slightly as I wondered what I had gotten myself into, Cat once more piped up with, 'SHOCK HIS NIPPLES SIR! SHOCK HIS NIPPLES!' Mr. Baylis, smiling slightly refused on the grounds that surely I could have him arrested for abusing a student so he offered the rod to Cat. Suddenly feeling a lot more panicked at the thought of my fate lying in the hands of Cat Mitchell, I began to protest.

Eventually, Cat, refusing to carry out her initial threat discharged the electricity through my hands and sent me sprawling to the floor where I lay crippled for some time. 

Just after this, we left and found a fellow prefect (who we both disliked and who shall remain nameless at this moment in time) had not turned up to his 'post' and so we both took much pleasure dobbing him in to our head of year. At which point we both high fived, safe in the knowledge that we had won our 'war' against him.

Throughout the years I've known Cat, boyfriends and girlfriends alike have come and gone and we have both spent time on the phone to one another after each break up just making the other feel better by telling jokes or generally just talking about how we feel. I have always felt that whatever news I have, good or bad, I can always talk to Cat.

I have to be honest, I could go on and on about our joint anecdotes but that would take forever...

I shall therefore end with a story that happened not too long ago...

While out for my birthday (I believe), my girlfriend and I were walking to meet a group of others (Cat being one of them) at a designated point in our local town. After meeting up with everyone and after a great deal of handshaking and hugging, black slapping and chatting, whilst on our way to the pub, an already very inebriated Cat looked sheepishly up at me and simply claimed, "...I pissed on the Disney store..."

I shall say no more. (Actually to be honest, I don't know if this is at all true...I mean I'm just going off of what she said and most of the time that's complete balls but maybe this one time she was telling the truth? You decide.)

I'll end this now as as I say, this could go on indefinately.

Hope you enjoyed reading it and enjoyed the break from the regular rants. Don't worry though, there's more coming...just you wait. Oh yes...

Anyway, yes the point of all this was just to draw attention to the fact that we occasionally seem to take our friends for granted. We seem to text to say hello and will meet up and catch up but I just wanted to make the point that friends deserve recognition for the ways in which they make us smile and laugh. The way they cheer us up when down and the way that they always seem to know what we are going to say. We should cherish them from time to time. So here's number one of the blogs that will pick up how important my friends are to me.

Whatever happens, I'm sure Cat and I will go on correcting bad grammar and spelling for many many years yet to come. She is my partner in crime, a fellow 'Sambista' and kind of like an amusing little sister.

Raise your brew,

Cat, this tea is for you. 

Cheers.