Glum and Glummer

Posted on 2007/07/22 17:01:20 (July 2007).

[Friday 20th July]
Today was enshrouded in another cloud of glumness, exacerbated somewhat by some fittingly glum weather. In the afternoon the rainclouds made it look so dark that I thought it was evening already.

I left work around 6:30, and during the usual end of the day "what do you want to do about dinner" call with Chie, we decided it might be nice to meet up somewhere and go for a drink. So I headed over to Chancery Lane. We were unsure as to what to do for dinner, so as it was close to the station headed into the Cittie of Yorke. We got a drink to start off with, as we found out they didn't do food in the back bar (on Fridays?) any more. I think we initially planned to go to the other bar where they were serving food, but somehow that never quite happened. My mood seemed to be really rather crappy, Chie quickly lost patience with it, and so we came to a mutual decision eating out probably wasn't that great an idea.

So instead we just headed back home. I really didn't feel like getting back on the tube, and really needed some "fresh" air (if that description is really applicable in central London). So Chie got the tube, and I took a long walk back, in an attempt to clear my head.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that long walk completely solved the existential crisis with which I've been wrestling the past few days, but it did seem to help somehow or other.

When I got back to the flat, Chie was out at the gym, but when she got back we had a little bowl of pasta, I spoke to Vera on the phone, and eventually by bedtime I felt much better. No real reason really, the gloom just seemed to have lifeted.

I still don't know what exactly caused this onset of misery, but perhaps as Nigel suggested on yesterday's post it has something to do with this weird weather we've been having. It occurred to me that I don't actually get out in daylight that much - just my short walk into work in the morning, and then I don't leave the office until the evening (and sometimes quite late).

John, I think that a period of glumness (which is a grand word for such a negative state) comes on us all every so often, and when we look back on it we can't put a finger on just what it was that sparked it off or kept it going, and (worse still, perhaps) what shook us out of it. I think it is just one of those things, like when a fly dive-bombs into our freshly-poured pint (been there, done that) or we drop a favourite cup. Inexplicable. Hope you are continuing to feel more chipper (or is that "chipperer"?)... :-)

Posted by Bryan at 2007/07/22 18:06:06.

Yes I think you're right Bryan, just one of those things... and the remainder of the weekend was quite nice entirely free of any glumness.

On an almost unrelated note, I just found a site called walkit.com, which informed me the walk I did from Chancery Lane back to my flat was about 3 miles. So looking back, something positive there - at least I got a good dose of exercise (albeit not of a very strenuous nature)!

Posted by John at 2007/07/22 22:13:28.

Well I seem to remember another walk done to overcome glumness and generally shite mood... It was around 17 miles and if I remember correctly you were there too!! :D
I am sure you do remember that Nottingham - Caste Donington "walk" in the early hours of the day!

I wish I was there we could have gone for some drinks together the times when I felt that way and you were around it helped me coming out of that state!

Posted by Lox at 2007/07/22 23:18:33.

I don't recall that being about overcoming glumness so much as a simple necessity of getting home in the absence of any available taxis!

...the thing is, it is in fact the substantial hike at the end of that night out which makes it memorable...

Posted by John at 2007/07/25 13:09:30.

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