HRML: What should I do? Long, sorry.

Is there anyone you can stay with, who lives closer? Get a hotel for the night?

L
xx

Wouldn't be able to afford a hotel for the night. Not sure about staying with someone. That might be a possibility, I could ask around. There are a couple of ladies who live quite near work, but I have a feeling their spare rooms will already have been booked up by The Usual Suspects.

Could one of the people you normally give a lift to drive on friday so you can leave stuff in their car?

Coudl one of the two collegues that you give lifts to be designated drivers for the night?

Is there someone who lives about 1/2 way to work that you could drive to on Friday morning and get a lift in for the rest of the way? That will half the time you need to drive on Saturday morning to pick your car up.

Any opportunity to pop home between work and party? or can you get a lift home and leave your things in their boot?

Good suggestions, but not workable I don't think. Of the two colleagues I regularly take, one doesn't drive and the other doesn't have a car. The only person I know who lives half way is the deputy head, and I don't want to go there! ?

No chance of going home. I live 45 minutes away and the meal starts 40 minutes after the kids are dismissed. The only people who live near me are the girls I give lifts to.

I have a similar-ish dilemma as I work 30 miles away from home. It's our 'do' tomorrow. I'm going to get the train in, well, it's a lift to the station then two trains and a bus. Last year I left my car at work overnight and got buses over the next day to collect it. It's only a 40 min drive but over 2hrs on public transport ? I'd leave the car and get it the next day.

If you drove into work and picked up the car on the Saturday, do you have to go on the morning ? Do you need the car first thing or could you pick it up later on the Saturday or even on the Sunday ?

No, I need it Saturday morning. We're having a party Saturday night and I've ordered all the food from M&S. I need the car to collect the food. I'm at the gym at 10.30am and am collecting the food straight after that (got an 11am-12noon time slot for collection).

Dammit, I never have a social life normally and now everything's happening on the same weekend and making things difficult! ?

I think youre waaaaaay overanalysing this. just take the car and leave it. forget the gym the next day. come on, live a little.

I'd skip the gym that day so that you have some extra time in the morning.

Do you actually want to drink?

If so I would have a word with the head about the register issue and try to come up with a combination of clothes for the day that would work.

If not I would dig my heels in and refuse to drink just because your work mates want you to when it's such a PITA for you.

Drop the gym.

Get your H to pick up food (so you can go the gym later).

Forget the gym then you have extra time in the morning. Get drinking ?

H doesn't drive

I could try and rearrange my gym session, but it's one that's been rearranged twice already (once through my plans changing and once through her plans changing) so would feel a bit guilty about swapping it again. And that would still only buy me an extra half hour in the morning as I still have to be at M&S for the food between 11-12.

*sigh* I feel a bit like BGB yesterday when we were all making nice suggestions for his wife's Christmas present and he was saying no to all of them! ? I hope you don't all think I'm being ungrateful.

If you're un-hungover enough to go to the gym and do stuff the next day I'm guessing you're not a big drinker, in which case I'd just drive.

I'm not worried about being hung over (I'm one of those annoying people who can drink loads and be fine the next day) but I am a bit worried that I may still be over the limit when I go to collect the car, or that I'll be knackered after the late night on Friday and not be able to drag myself out of bed.

Maybe I'll just leave the car at school, watch how much I drink, and try not to stay out too late. Doesn't sound like much fun though does it? ?

Anyone know how long it takes for alcohol to leave the system? I vaguely remember something about an hour for each unit consumed... is that likely to be accurate?

OK, I think I'd try and do the Friday without the car. See what you can sort out with registration and choose clothes that you can leave at work.

I'm often in the same situation as you and often end up driving just because it's easier. However you've come up with quite a few options so I think deep down you do want to have a drink. I'd go with:

a> drive to work, stay at someone's house, collect car Sat am (may have to sort out public transport or taxi if you need to leave early and they might not be up!)

b> public transport to work, lift, taxi or public transport home (cost dependent), collect car Sat am but don't drink too much or too late

c> drive there and back

You're right, it is one unit per hour to get out of your system - after you've stopped drinking.

Come on, you said the meal start just ater the kids go home. even i couldnt start drinking in the afternoon and go through until 4am, not anymore anyway ?.

make it easy for yourself, enjoy it. you dont need to approach this like a damn risk assessment ?

Oh God, am I being all 'teacher' about it?!? ?

To be fair, we are talking a good 12 hours of drinking Nick. We get rid of the kids at 12.20pm, the meal is at 1pm, then it's a pub crawl til we stagger home on the last train, or the night bus if we've missed the train. Last Christmas, when I was driving, we left the pub at 12.30am and only then because I was getting fed up of being the only sober one and insisted I wanted to go home! The head was buying rounds of sambuca and jagerbombs...

Champagne, you're right, deep down I do want to drink. I haven't been out drinking properly since last January (went on the wagon to lose weight for the wedding) and I want to let my hair down properly. Our staff is quite a young one and they're a scream! I want to feel properly part of that this year.

I m afriad you are. its just a night out. ok, you have to do soemthing the next day, but you really do not NEED to go to the gym. its just a night out, its not a trip to everest base camp ?

Ok, I would drop the gym and then get the person who is taking you to collect the car to pick up the food on the way to collecting the car. That means you wont have to rush around. Simple !

What is everyone else doing with their laptops/clothes? I would get public transport in in the morning, and leave my laptop/clothes at someones house who lives close by and arrange to pick them up on sunday/monday.

Hope you have a good night!

Noone's taking me to collect the car. I'd be using buses and trains to get there. I don't really want to drop the gym. I'll have to pay even if I don't go because she can't fit me any other time (we've had to shuffle around to get this appointment in) and you can't carry sessions over into another month.

I think I'm just going to leave the car at work and suck it up on Saturday morning. Thanks for all the suggestions guys.