Weekend in Perth: Friday's tweets explained

Last weekend in May for many (in the UK and US) is a bank holiday: in the US, it's Memorial Day weekend. For UKers, I have no clue. I, strangely, don't get the Monday off - I get the Monday of the previously weekend off. Why? Cos Edinburgh's a bloody awkward place. But last weekend in May is always special cos that's when I'm off to the Scottish Open Volleyball Tournament (SOVT), AKA Perth. Now I have written a few times about it on the blog (here, here, and here) so I will leave it to you to read up on it.

This year, SOVT officials got their shit together and they were on the FB and Twitter (@sovt2011; trying to trend with #sovt or #sovt2011). I used the latter extensively, much to the chagrin of the people around me. "Again with the Twitter?!" was their shout. Shit, I was only on medium usage! Anyway, here's me, from Friday. (NB: real Twitter names were not used and this is indicated with square brackets)

@[autumn] Xxxxxxx, AKA Klaus is wearing leather trousers. #shitchat #sovt

#shitchat is a hashtag I'm championing, cos sometimes when you see or hear something so insane and crazy, you have to call it how you see it. (The black out is because I never write people's Christian names on the blog.)

@[autumn] Here in Perth. Tent up. Made run to the shops and burger on the grill. Have already heard some #shitchat so wknd starting about right. #sovt

And to be honest, most of the shit chat was coming from the kid wearing the leather trousers. Several times, I had to make the shhhh motion to him, like I would a child at school.

@[pal-macca] Looking forward to hearing some of the #sovt #shitchat courtesy of @[autumn]

That's my friend Macca who is now in New Zealand and we used to play volleyball together. Last year she managed, via Twitter, to introduce one of her friends to me at the Saturday night disco. Pretty awesome. She is really the inspiration of the #shitchat hashtag - she's the kinda person that would point at someone and laughingly announce that. I really miss that kid.

@[autumn] Doing the Friday night tradition: BBQ, engaging in #shitchat round the barbie and freezing our arses off. #sovt

I don't know why we just do go to the pub or summat. We just sit around in a circle, around a dying BBQ, shooting the breeze. Every year.

@[autumn] I've a quality box of red on the go. #sovt

Boy and I went camping the first weekend in May with some pals and I bought a box of wine that I barely put a dent in so I decided to bring it along. As for quality... a tangent is needed.

Some Spanish friends were the ones who first pointed out that English speakers (chiefly Americans and British) have a unique ability to make words that are strictly considered nouns into verbs. As in, you want to check a fact online, you Google it. Well, I think (and I could be wrong cos I haven't been in the US for a while and this could be something on the go) that the British are unique cos they can make words that should strictly be nouns into adjectives. Like the word quality. Ergo, my oddly phrased tweet. Later on, we'll see how my bad tweet phrasing gets me in a world of trouble, but for now, onward with the tweets...

@[autumn] Finished the bottle of tequila amongst the group in less than 10 mins. All about the drink, drink, give. Now on the quality box of wine. #sovt

In the last few years, my team has taken to selling shots of tequila round the campsite for charity. We provide salt and and lemon and often take to joining the drinkers. We even some of the bars to that song 'Tequila'. So I purchased a half litre bottle for that purpose. Why I decided to pull it out for us to drink instead, I cannae recall. Maybe it was the quality box of red...

And while on that subject, I want to defend my little box of wine. Everyone was taking the piss out of it - another reason I referred to my wine baby as 'quality'. It was rather tasty despite its humble (read: down market) packaging. And don't you know it was empty Saturday morning! I bet they were sniffing and licking their anti-bacterial wipes as they slagged off my wine. Alcoholics!

@[autumn] Xxxxxx tells a story about a lecturer who says "cunt" instead of "current". #goodchat

My tweets usually hit my FB wall and I reckon I was defriended after this comment came up.

@[autumn] Dyvie's boyfriend thinks the lyrics to Trousersnake's Sexyback is "I've got a sexy back" and apparently he has got a sexy back?!?! #goodchat?

Yeh, I think the drink was kicking in cos this comment isn't really anything, is it? Dyvie's boyfriend is German so he kinda has funny ideas about what people say in English - well, his misunderstandings tickle me. Any of my tweets and FB postings also have to be translated to them. But hell, my comments have to translated to most people, German or not.

@[autumn] I've jumped on people and tackled folks. I'm a drunky bear. #sovt

For my birthday, Boy bought me an adorable jumper with a bear hoodie on it. Most of the time when I wear it, I bounce around shrieking, "I'm a crazy bear!" No lie. I wore it to work once and shrieked that at my rather bemused boss. And yes, I was wearing this jumper on Friday night. While wearing the jumper, I tackled Dyvie and wrestled her to the ground cos she spilled my tin cup of wine (which was later kicked into the gents' loo by her boyfriend - och, the state of that poor cup on Saturday morning was pure shocking). Also while jumper-clad, I ran and jumped on this fellow I know, like I was doing the vault at a women's gymnastics competition. It was most embarrassing cos while I know the guy (he's the boyfriend of a girl I kinda know from the club and he played with the club years ago), I don't really know him like that. In fact, I don't think I really know anyone like that, save my own Boy. So that was dead mortifying and yes, the bear was drunk.

@[autumn] Xxxx: "I normally ken!" SHE'S Italian! #goodchat

Ken (see the British-to-American dictionary on the side for a definition) is properly Scottish word and I love that my Italian friend uses it. In actually, she usually doesn't ken - but don't tell her that.

@[pal-atw] so long as you're accusing them of being racist as you do so in reply to @[autumn] I've jumped on people and tackled folks. I'm a drunky bear. #sovt

I love that my high school bestest ATW was getting in on the act and knows my inane chat.

@[autumn] I can see the moon, as well as the sun coming up

At this time of year, it isn't until well after 2300 and getting on til midnight that the sun fully sets, with the sun rising around about 0300. It's always a lovely sight, even when pished.