from Flying Fantastic to Fiddlesticks

Today was my last day of Friday Comedy Trapeze, so it was bittersweet to do my usual District-Jubilee commute for the last time. One of my classmates, Ally, was getting off the tube at the same time so we chatted and walked together, with her showing off her rainbow-themed attire since I had half-jokingly threatened everyone last week into wearing something colorful for my final class. We arrived at the studio to find teacher Michelle apologetically in her normal workout gear, swearing that she hadn't forgotten but hadn't gone home last night for fun reasons so I easily forgave her.

I was surprised that she had prepared something special — a 90s playlist for doing a special warm-up routine. She had turned the Macarena into a plank-based routine and then had us do some popular dances, including some Australian one none of us had ever heard of. Everyone was having a great time and just as Michelle was joking that my final class was going to be all conditioning, she transitioned us into a beautiful trapeze routine. Although it was way too challenging for me so I practiced the Odette while pausing to dance along to 90s favorites that continued playing all through class.

We ended class and Ally insisted that we do a class photo, and then I invited everyone to join for meze dishes next door at Bala Baya, the beautiful restaurant that we always walk past on the passageway to the studio. I went ahead to grab us a lovely outdoor table and ordered a round of things like hummus and babaganoush and some other delicious things. When the crew arrived Michelle had changed into an absurd outfit for my benefit and we were all cracking up because I had made jokes last week about showing extra skin this week, and she delivered with a long transparent top worn over her sports bra and shorts.

Two other classmates, Raphael and Toni, joined Michelle, Ally, and me for a boisterous lunch full of amusing conversation, including my descriptions of recent pastries and my imploring everyone to visit me in SF. I gave Michelle the gifts I'd been accumulating for her and I was thrilled by her reaction to the shared socks: one each from the polka dot rainbow set and the striped rainbow set so that we have matching unmatched pairs. When it was time for everyone to head their separate ways there were lots of hugs all around and I definitely felt teary as I walked away. I've really loved my Fridays at Flying Fantastic so much.

I did my commute home and found Ben happily gaming after what he said was a good last day of school. Since he got home early for the half day he had also been treated to a sushi lunch out with Bill. James was still hanging out with friends at a nearby park and came home a bit after I did, saying he'd had a good day at school but now was stuck trying to make a decision about going back out again with more of his classmates to a spot further away. He seemed wary of the undependability of the group and ultimately decided to stay home, clearly happily relieved of the peer pressure. He said he was grateful that he had gotten a meaningful goodbye with everyone at school, and shared with us that all of his classmates had been crying, including him. It was really powerful to see sometimes-stoic James open up and comfortably express sad feelings, and accept our hugs with such warmth. It’s impossible to imagine the impact of this year on him, but it’s so obvious that it will be huge and lasting.

We ate dinner and then the dudes all settled into watching Austin Powers while I got ready to head to Kentish Town for a party. My fellow Panravia campmate Charlotte (the one who dressed in all yellow) is moving to China in a month so this was her "leaving do" (going away party). I transferred to a bus at King’s Cross but just as I was about to go stand at the stop, I saw a three-member rock band doing a wildly energetic performance on the street, with a crowd of onlookers growing. On such a beautifully warm afternoon outside of the busy train station, it was such an oasis of music and fun to watch people dancing around and listen to the musicians blast their music, especially when it was their last song and they amped it up to concert level. I was twenty minutes later to my bus than I planned and completely happy about it.

It was a quick bus ride and then from the moment I arrived on Charlotte’s block I could tell it was going to be a great night: she was down on the street carrying a pile of pizza boxes, and two other Panravia campmates were just arriving too. She led us up into her flat and I was immediately stunned. Four people share this huge flat and you can tell that they come from creative backgrounds because it's so unique. A central tiled column is painted with blue snakes and where it connects to the ceiling a wooden chair has been hung at an angle.

For the party they added sheets of thin plastic to evoke waves and water (the party theme). A futuristic red seating pod was positioned near a large wall where they were projecting an ocean documentary. And in every corner and on every surface there were art and treasures and, on top of the fridge, some kind of video screen that showed a constantly morphing image of different faces. Someone had set up a big coloring sheet made of fabric on the large coffee table.

There was a set of exercise rings hanging so I did an inverted split, and then Charlotte was scooping fresh watermelon into a blender and asked me to grab some mint from the garden. So I went out onto her balcony where they have a pot of herbs and grabbed some leaves which she added to the watermelon with gin. Then I excitedly discovered that Thomas had arrived, and had a long fantastic conversation with him about his days being a couchsurfing host when it was still a relatively new website, and which Bill and I had briefly been hosts on too.

There were so many wonderful people: Charlotte and Thomas of course, but also Yon our camp lead and Josh too. I met a very interesting woman who had just flown in from Vienna on a journalistic assignment, and learned that she's a New York Times writer. I met one of the flatmates, Fiddlesticks with long curly hair and a handlebar mustache, who was also at Burning Nest, and his partner PUF ("public universal friend") who's a professional puppeteer originally from Phoenix.

I had a hilarious exchange with a man with an American accent who said he's from Redding, and got excited telling him how I love Mt. Shasta, only to encounter his total confusion because he meant Reading, England (although he's originally from Philadelphia). But the best conversation of all began when I heard that the nature documentary narrator was David Attenborough and said "oh, Church of Dave!" and Fiddlesticks said "you're a member too?!" and then showed off the necklace he had just given to someone sitting on the couch who does a Drag King routine inspired by David Attenborough and needed to be informed about the church. I said, "this is the church for you!" and their friend replied, "that's what they all say!" It was worth un-archiving the overly active Church of Dave whatsapp group to update them.

I really enjoyed spending lots of time with Charlotte throughout the evening, who seemed just as warm and irreverent in the "real world" as she did at Nest, which made me feel joyfully relaxed. There were just so many interesting people and conversations, but by the time it was 1am and I was calculating the long ride home I tried to find anyone else walking to the tube stop and Charlotte introduced me to James, her friend from uni. We said goodbye to everyone and then walked down the street together chatting about the great party. James is a professional disaster analyst, evaluating risks and dangers across the globe from hurricanes to terrorist attacks to volcanic eruptions.

Not telling him where I was from, I asked him, based on his professional knowledge, where he would refuse to live or buy property anywhere in the world. He said Florida for hurricanes and San Francisco for earthquakes. My heart dropped because of course that's what I feared hearing, and he felt so terrible when I told him! I told him not to feel bad and that it just validates the fear I've always had, and that it's been something I've appreciated nearly every day in London that I just don't have to think about. He did have lots of reassuring things to say about the mitigating effects of bedrock and solid building and go-bags, all of which he was happy to hear I have.

We caught the Northern line heading south together and just before I hopped off at Leicester Square to change to the Piccadilly line We exchanged info and I told him to visit SF sometime. He said it's on his list, despite the earthquakes! I had to wait a while for my last train and then got to Turnham Green at 2:40am where a group of Italians invited me to a house party, and I told them “no grazie.” I walked through quiet Chiswick to get home before 3am, passing a fox along my way. It was a much later night out than I expected but well worth it.