Worst Day Yet ...
This won't go down as one of my better days in Hull. I had no classes today because Roz Billington felt it pointless to have a seminar in Social/Political Structures today.
I did a bit more reading, and checked some books out of the library for both of my essays... no big deal. Then I just loafed the afternoon away, playing for J.P. the "album" of joke songs that my friend Scott and I recorded (met with lukewarm reviews), as well as some Cosby. Then we played a game of Risk, where J.P. and I finished in a standoff (which I think I would've won).
That evening, I debated, but eventually decided to join everyone and head over to the Student Union. It was alright... nothing spectacular. I spent £1.25 to get in, and that was it... I didn't have any money to buy drinks. I mingled with a few of the Spanish students there, and actually did a fair amount of dancing.
After walking back to the Grange afterward, the lot of us (Kenny, Andy, Big Jon, Turlough, Kenny's brother Andy, two Spanish girls and myself) went to Kenny's room to chat and have coffee.
It was here that I got annoyed.
Kenny and Big Jon decided to make it a "Trash Doug" evening, and ragged on him about being a homosexual, making fun of his poetry. I got very annoyed at them and stuck up for Doug quite vehemently. I didn't appreciate it one bit... the guy hasn't even been around here in over four months. Why suddenly pick on him now?
I left and returned to my room, where I wrote a letter to Viv. I think I'll be writing one to Doug as well.
Now more than ever I want to leave this place.
Showing posts with label Andy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Andy. Show all posts
4.28.2009
4.15.2009
Saturday, April 15, 1989
Tragedy at Hillsborough ...
It was a day of sadness and tragedy today. 93 Liverpool football fans were crushed to death in an overcrowding incident at the F.A. Cup Semi-Final game in Sheffield, which is about an hour's drive from here.
I found out about it after a relatively uneventful day, which had been highlighted by my own little game of soccer with Little Johnny, Andy, Paul, Big Jon, J.P., and some other guy I didn't know beforehand. I played horrible, as usual, but it was good fun. It was also very cold, and we were all quite exhausted and thirsty following the game.
Upon returning, I took a rest, then tried to take a bath, but the water was too cold, so I gave up.
It was then that I went over to St. Hilda's and found out the news. Everyone was in the TV room watching the live footage from the field. The death toll had already been confirmed at 52 fans when I first arrived, but during the next hour it climbed into the 70s. It was hard to comprehend exactly what was happening, but it was truly devastating.
How the Hillsborough disaster happened (BBC.)
Following dinner, Turlough had an evening of watching TV, catching news updates on Hillborough, as well as distracting our thoughts by watching an episode of Bilko, a special on Charlie Chaplin (it's his 100th birthday celebration), then we watched his classic movie "The Kid," among other things. I don't think I moved for about 4 hours.
Next I tried to call home, but there was no answer. I'm sure Mom is worried, and even though she knows I don't really follow football much, or have any money, she's still worried about me because of it.
This was a very maudlin day. I didn't see anyone take it harder than Chris from Liverpool did. He was in tears, and though I didn't ask him, I believe that he may have had friends or family at the game. Rough day for everyone.
It was a day of sadness and tragedy today. 93 Liverpool football fans were crushed to death in an overcrowding incident at the F.A. Cup Semi-Final game in Sheffield, which is about an hour's drive from here.I found out about it after a relatively uneventful day, which had been highlighted by my own little game of soccer with Little Johnny, Andy, Paul, Big Jon, J.P., and some other guy I didn't know beforehand. I played horrible, as usual, but it was good fun. It was also very cold, and we were all quite exhausted and thirsty following the game.
Upon returning, I took a rest, then tried to take a bath, but the water was too cold, so I gave up.
It was then that I went over to St. Hilda's and found out the news. Everyone was in the TV room watching the live footage from the field. The death toll had already been confirmed at 52 fans when I first arrived, but during the next hour it climbed into the 70s. It was hard to comprehend exactly what was happening, but it was truly devastating.How the Hillsborough disaster happened (BBC.)
Following dinner, Turlough had an evening of watching TV, catching news updates on Hillborough, as well as distracting our thoughts by watching an episode of Bilko, a special on Charlie Chaplin (it's his 100th birthday celebration), then we watched his classic movie "The Kid," among other things. I don't think I moved for about 4 hours.
Next I tried to call home, but there was no answer. I'm sure Mom is worried, and even though she knows I don't really follow football much, or have any money, she's still worried about me because of it.
This was a very maudlin day. I didn't see anyone take it harder than Chris from Liverpool did. He was in tears, and though I didn't ask him, I believe that he may have had friends or family at the game. Rough day for everyone.
3.26.2009
Sunday, March 26, 1989
Mixing It Up with The Old Man ...
Woke up very late today... 1 p.m. in the afternoon, to be exact. Played a few games of Patience before Easter lunch. It wasn't much to scream about... some icky bean and potato casserole followed by a pretty good steak and chips (as in potato chips).
Spent most of the afternoon on the terrace writing postcards, reading The Satanic Verses, and acting silly. Dinner was sandwiches... great.
Viv and I played umpteen games of Gin Rummy, and for quite awhile she was clobbering me. Then we played a first person to 10 series and I narrowly beat her, 10 to 9.
Following that, we got together the students in the Residencia for an international game of "Up the River, Down the River." For our international French and German friends, I ran the game in Spanish. So now I still can't speak the language, except to play this drinking game (and to order mas pan y mas agua, por favor... more bread and water, please.):
Well that was all fine and dandy, but just as the game was breaking up, The Old Man came up to the room to complain about the noise. After he left, everyone except Viv and me (who are broke until the banks open again on Tuesday) left for a pub. We cleaned up the room a bit, interrupted by The Old Man three times (one time he told us that the lady next door had called the police).
We're still not sure if he suspects that we aren't brother and sister.
Well, the evening didn't end there, no siree bob. When everyone returned from the pub at about 2 a.m., we sat in the room talking and making coffee when The Old Man came up again and yelled that we should be in our own rooms and in bed by midnight.
On this point, Kurt (pictured right) blew up and began a spirited argument with The Old Man. In the room at the time was Angie, Raquel (who had just returned earlier today from Germany), Geronimo (cool French dude who looks a bit like my friend Bill Lattanzee back at Millersville, and who later hit it off with Raquel), the guy whose name escapes me but looks like Lou Diamond Phillips and my friend Duncan Campbell from Camp Hill High School mixed together, Viv and me.
Well, after the row, I went downstairs to Dave's room, my place of residence for the evening, and after getting rid of a cockroach, I went to sleep.
Pictured above: I am leading a game of Up the River, Down the River with the students at the Residencia. Note that I have my trusty Spanish translation guide to make sure everyone understands what to do. The second photo is of Kurt, celebrating... who knows? Sunday? Both photos are courtesy of Vivienne King.
***
Woke up very late today... 1 p.m. in the afternoon, to be exact. Played a few games of Patience before Easter lunch. It wasn't much to scream about... some icky bean and potato casserole followed by a pretty good steak and chips (as in potato chips).Spent most of the afternoon on the terrace writing postcards, reading The Satanic Verses, and acting silly. Dinner was sandwiches... great.
Viv and I played umpteen games of Gin Rummy, and for quite awhile she was clobbering me. Then we played a first person to 10 series and I narrowly beat her, 10 to 9.
Following that, we got together the students in the Residencia for an international game of "Up the River, Down the River." For our international French and German friends, I ran the game in Spanish. So now I still can't speak the language, except to play this drinking game (and to order mas pan y mas agua, por favor... more bread and water, please.):
- "Tres bebe dos." (3's drink two [times])
- "Nueves regulan cuatro" (9's give four)
Well that was all fine and dandy, but just as the game was breaking up, The Old Man came up to the room to complain about the noise. After he left, everyone except Viv and me (who are broke until the banks open again on Tuesday) left for a pub. We cleaned up the room a bit, interrupted by The Old Man three times (one time he told us that the lady next door had called the police).
We're still not sure if he suspects that we aren't brother and sister.
Well, the evening didn't end there, no siree bob. When everyone returned from the pub at about 2 a.m., we sat in the room talking and making coffee when The Old Man came up again and yelled that we should be in our own rooms and in bed by midnight.
On this point, Kurt (pictured right) blew up and began a spirited argument with The Old Man. In the room at the time was Angie, Raquel (who had just returned earlier today from Germany), Geronimo (cool French dude who looks a bit like my friend Bill Lattanzee back at Millersville, and who later hit it off with Raquel), the guy whose name escapes me but looks like Lou Diamond Phillips and my friend Duncan Campbell from Camp Hill High School mixed together, Viv and me.Well, after the row, I went downstairs to Dave's room, my place of residence for the evening, and after getting rid of a cockroach, I went to sleep.
Pictured above: I am leading a game of Up the River, Down the River with the students at the Residencia. Note that I have my trusty Spanish translation guide to make sure everyone understands what to do. The second photo is of Kurt, celebrating... who knows? Sunday? Both photos are courtesy of Vivienne King.
***
- Number One Song in Britain This Week: "Like a Prayer" - Madonna
- Number One Song in America This Week: "Eternal Flame" - The Bangles
- Eurochart Hot 100 Singles This Week: "Like a Prayer" - Madonna (it hit #1 this week, and would stay there until June 10.)
3.10.2009
Friday, March 10, 1989
Some Much-Needed Comic Relief ...
I went to my early morning Social/Political Structures seminar, where we watched a video on racism in the media, and then held a discussion (minus Roz Billington). It was pretty interesting.
After lunch, I checked out some books that I figured I would need to read over vacation, then returned to my room determined not to do any more work today.
Today is Comic Relief Day - the third annual - which is a day to do goofy things for the benefit of various charities. It's been quite successful thus far, and quite fun. My unscientific poll determined that 50% of the British population was wearing a Comic Relief red clown nose today (it's also known as Red Nose Day), as well as various t-shirts, hats, etc., with two-thirds of the proceeds benefitting African charities. The remaining one-third remains in Britain. From what I heard, by the end of the evening the effort had raised over £10 million.
Well, with my goofy attire (hand-drawn Yokel t-shirt, nice pants, my "kick ass" boxer shorts over those nice pants, a cap, a tie and goggles I borrowed), I set off with J.P. to the Student Union. We left a little early so that we could get in for free, before they start collecting admission at the door. It was good fun. I drank two pints of bitter and a gin & tonic, and we played a few games of poor-man's pool (you only use the cue ball). We danced, talked, and had a grand time.
While we were there that evening I managed to find two red noses. I wore one for the rest of the evening, and I gave the other to Big Jon, who was dressed in drag... as were J.P. and Neil.
At one point we got on the stage to dance, during which time a girl named Emma started to dance with me, which caught me by surprise... for about two minutes. Also, a girl that was snogging with Kenny absolutely insisted that she wanted to wear my Yokel t-shirt. (Hey, a fan!)
Also, a scuffle broke out on the dance floor that somehow involved Little Johnny, Mousey and Paul. Fortunately it broke up before anyone got hurt or thrown out of the Student Union.
I left the Uni at about 1 a.m. with Big Jon, Matt and Steve, returning to the Common Room where we watched some of the Comic Relief special on TV, as well as an episode of "The Young Ones" and "Monty Python's Flying Circus."
I finally returned to my room at about 3 a.m., where I found a note on the door telling me to call Viv at 9.30 a.m. tomorrow morning.
Pictured celebrating Comic Relief Day are (top photo) me, Big Jon (in drag), Kenny and Andy; (bottom photo) the hottest couple in St. Hilda's, Sid and J.P. (also in drag).
I went to my early morning Social/Political Structures seminar, where we watched a video on racism in the media, and then held a discussion (minus Roz Billington). It was pretty interesting.After lunch, I checked out some books that I figured I would need to read over vacation, then returned to my room determined not to do any more work today.
Today is Comic Relief Day - the third annual - which is a day to do goofy things for the benefit of various charities. It's been quite successful thus far, and quite fun. My unscientific poll determined that 50% of the British population was wearing a Comic Relief red clown nose today (it's also known as Red Nose Day), as well as various t-shirts, hats, etc., with two-thirds of the proceeds benefitting African charities. The remaining one-third remains in Britain. From what I heard, by the end of the evening the effort had raised over £10 million.Well, with my goofy attire (hand-drawn Yokel t-shirt, nice pants, my "kick ass" boxer shorts over those nice pants, a cap, a tie and goggles I borrowed), I set off with J.P. to the Student Union. We left a little early so that we could get in for free, before they start collecting admission at the door. It was good fun. I drank two pints of bitter and a gin & tonic, and we played a few games of poor-man's pool (you only use the cue ball). We danced, talked, and had a grand time.
While we were there that evening I managed to find two red noses. I wore one for the rest of the evening, and I gave the other to Big Jon, who was dressed in drag... as were J.P. and Neil.
At one point we got on the stage to dance, during which time a girl named Emma started to dance with me, which caught me by surprise... for about two minutes. Also, a girl that was snogging with Kenny absolutely insisted that she wanted to wear my Yokel t-shirt. (Hey, a fan!)
Also, a scuffle broke out on the dance floor that somehow involved Little Johnny, Mousey and Paul. Fortunately it broke up before anyone got hurt or thrown out of the Student Union.
I left the Uni at about 1 a.m. with Big Jon, Matt and Steve, returning to the Common Room where we watched some of the Comic Relief special on TV, as well as an episode of "The Young Ones" and "Monty Python's Flying Circus."
I finally returned to my room at about 3 a.m., where I found a note on the door telling me to call Viv at 9.30 a.m. tomorrow morning.
Pictured celebrating Comic Relief Day are (top photo) me, Big Jon (in drag), Kenny and Andy; (bottom photo) the hottest couple in St. Hilda's, Sid and J.P. (also in drag).
3.06.2009
Monday, March 6, 1989
Spain Trip, On or Off? ...
Sort of a frustrating day, which started off badly when I received a depressing letter from Viv. She's not adjusting well to being in Spain. I began to have second thoughts about going there myself, mainly due to the cost. I began contemplating a flight home over the spring break holiday.
I went to the Student Union travel office to inquire about the possibility of transferring my flight from Madrid, and then returned home to eat lunch and watch some telly.
After a fruitless literature class and following dinner, a few of us went to the Gardener's Arms for awhile. We stayed there for awhile, then Big Jon, Little Johnny, Andy and I returned to St. Hilda's to play some Trivial Pursuit, which Jon won (I placed 2nd). The game was highlighted by Andy's inability to score even one wedge for his game piece, and Johnny's answer to the question, "What planet takes 248 years to revolve around the sun?" Sorry, Johnny, the answer is not "Earth." (It's Pluto.)
At 10 o'clock, Viv called and were were able to talk about some of the problems she was having adjusting to life in Spain. But we were able to work out a plan that should allow me to stay in Madrid for the full length that we initially planned. I may be able to stay at their residence for a fee (or, if we are sly, perhaps not...)
Following our call, I put in a call to my parents back in Camp Hill to find out how their trip to Colorado went (it was beautiful, of course), and to update them on my upcoming trip to Spain. They told me that it was snowing there right now, and already they have about 10 inches on the ground. It figures. That's about 9.95 inches more than we've had so far this year here in Hull. It was a nice warm day here today.
After the phone calls, I headed to the TV common room were I watched some "Miami Vice," then roamed around visiting folks before returning to watch an episode of "Prisoner of Cell Block H" in Jane's room, with Lee and Jon. Finally, at about 12.30, I went to bed.
Pictured is a magazine I picked up, the March 1989 issue of Cut. Wow, an Elvis Costello cover story, a Lou Reed feature, AND harsh words for Labour leader Neil Kinnock. How could I NOT buy this (and keep it, 20 years later)?
Sort of a frustrating day, which started off badly when I received a depressing letter from Viv. She's not adjusting well to being in Spain. I began to have second thoughts about going there myself, mainly due to the cost. I began contemplating a flight home over the spring break holiday.I went to the Student Union travel office to inquire about the possibility of transferring my flight from Madrid, and then returned home to eat lunch and watch some telly.
After a fruitless literature class and following dinner, a few of us went to the Gardener's Arms for awhile. We stayed there for awhile, then Big Jon, Little Johnny, Andy and I returned to St. Hilda's to play some Trivial Pursuit, which Jon won (I placed 2nd). The game was highlighted by Andy's inability to score even one wedge for his game piece, and Johnny's answer to the question, "What planet takes 248 years to revolve around the sun?" Sorry, Johnny, the answer is not "Earth." (It's Pluto.)
At 10 o'clock, Viv called and were were able to talk about some of the problems she was having adjusting to life in Spain. But we were able to work out a plan that should allow me to stay in Madrid for the full length that we initially planned. I may be able to stay at their residence for a fee (or, if we are sly, perhaps not...)
Following our call, I put in a call to my parents back in Camp Hill to find out how their trip to Colorado went (it was beautiful, of course), and to update them on my upcoming trip to Spain. They told me that it was snowing there right now, and already they have about 10 inches on the ground. It figures. That's about 9.95 inches more than we've had so far this year here in Hull. It was a nice warm day here today.
After the phone calls, I headed to the TV common room were I watched some "Miami Vice," then roamed around visiting folks before returning to watch an episode of "Prisoner of Cell Block H" in Jane's room, with Lee and Jon. Finally, at about 12.30, I went to bed.
Pictured is a magazine I picked up, the March 1989 issue of Cut. Wow, an Elvis Costello cover story, a Lou Reed feature, AND harsh words for Labour leader Neil Kinnock. How could I NOT buy this (and keep it, 20 years later)?
3.01.2009
Wednesday, March 1, 1989
'Vote for Jon Whalley, 'Cuz He's Jolly' ...
Jodie told me that on the first day of every month, you are supposed to say "Rabbit" before noon to get good luck. Never heard that one before. It's silly, but I'll try it out anyway. Couldn't hurt.
There was a student demonstration this morning because Education Minister Kenneth Baker was in Hull today. Needless to say, I went to class and ignored the ramblings of the left, as did about a handful of other students.
After class I went to the library for awhile, returning to hang around St. Hilda's until J.P. and I went to see "Die Hard" (my fourth viewing). I still love that movie! After we caught the bus back and ate dinner, I returned to my room to write letters and wait in case Viv called. By 7.30 p.m., I decided that she wasn't going to call this evening, so I went over to J.P.'s room, where he and some others were getting ready to go to the Student Union. At first I said no, but then I decided to go, and had a pretty good time. Played some pool for awhile, even winning a game.
But it was here that I hatched my brainchild to disrupt the political scene at Humberside College of Education. Nominations and elections for next year's student government are coming up, and while I won't be around to run for office myself (and my political leanings would've made winning virtually impossibly anyway), I convinced Big Jon Whalley that he should run. It was here, over a few pints, that his campaign for Union President officially kicked off.
Being his campaign manager, my first order of business was to start spreading the word: "Vote for Jon Whalley, 'Cuz he's jolly." Since Labour will have it's own candidate hand-picked already, and labelling someone a Conservative is a death knell here, I suggested Jon run under the ambiguous "Progressive" title. It sounds interesting and appealing, yet actually means nothing. Perfect! If he actually wins, I will have left my mark on this godforsaken Union. Heh heh!
Later I walked back to The Grange with Kenny, Corrinne (pictured, right, courtesy of J.P.), Mousey and Paul (while Andy walked a bit ahead of us), and it got a little strange. While people were lying down in the streets, I was singing proudly and loudly with Kenny.
When we got back, we hung around in the common room at St. Hilda's until I returned to my room to let Shannon run around in her hamster ball. During this time, I fell asleep, and when I awoke about a half hour later, Shannon had managed to break out of her ball and got herself stuck in a box in my closet. It was 2.30 a.m., so I put her back in her cage and went to bed.
I'm completely deaf from the Disco tonight.
Pictured at top are some protesters from a Student Loan demonstration a few months back, one that turned into a riot. If they spent half as much time actually studying as they did causing their civil disobedience to get a free ride through college, perhaps they would have earned a scholarship. Probably not, though.
Jodie told me that on the first day of every month, you are supposed to say "Rabbit" before noon to get good luck. Never heard that one before. It's silly, but I'll try it out anyway. Couldn't hurt.There was a student demonstration this morning because Education Minister Kenneth Baker was in Hull today. Needless to say, I went to class and ignored the ramblings of the left, as did about a handful of other students.
After class I went to the library for awhile, returning to hang around St. Hilda's until J.P. and I went to see "Die Hard" (my fourth viewing). I still love that movie! After we caught the bus back and ate dinner, I returned to my room to write letters and wait in case Viv called. By 7.30 p.m., I decided that she wasn't going to call this evening, so I went over to J.P.'s room, where he and some others were getting ready to go to the Student Union. At first I said no, but then I decided to go, and had a pretty good time. Played some pool for awhile, even winning a game.
But it was here that I hatched my brainchild to disrupt the political scene at Humberside College of Education. Nominations and elections for next year's student government are coming up, and while I won't be around to run for office myself (and my political leanings would've made winning virtually impossibly anyway), I convinced Big Jon Whalley that he should run. It was here, over a few pints, that his campaign for Union President officially kicked off.
Being his campaign manager, my first order of business was to start spreading the word: "Vote for Jon Whalley, 'Cuz he's jolly." Since Labour will have it's own candidate hand-picked already, and labelling someone a Conservative is a death knell here, I suggested Jon run under the ambiguous "Progressive" title. It sounds interesting and appealing, yet actually means nothing. Perfect! If he actually wins, I will have left my mark on this godforsaken Union. Heh heh!
Later I walked back to The Grange with Kenny, Corrinne (pictured, right, courtesy of J.P.), Mousey and Paul (while Andy walked a bit ahead of us), and it got a little strange. While people were lying down in the streets, I was singing proudly and loudly with Kenny.When we got back, we hung around in the common room at St. Hilda's until I returned to my room to let Shannon run around in her hamster ball. During this time, I fell asleep, and when I awoke about a half hour later, Shannon had managed to break out of her ball and got herself stuck in a box in my closet. It was 2.30 a.m., so I put her back in her cage and went to bed.
I'm completely deaf from the Disco tonight.
Pictured at top are some protesters from a Student Loan demonstration a few months back, one that turned into a riot. If they spent half as much time actually studying as they did causing their civil disobedience to get a free ride through college, perhaps they would have earned a scholarship. Probably not, though.
11.20.2008
Sunday, November 20, 1988
A Good Day to Stay Inside ...
Well, it snowed today. I thought that was pretty cool. It was also very cold today, so since there wasn't anywhere I had to go today, the only time I went outside was during the brief moments it takes to walk from St. Martin's to St. Michael's and back. (Pictured is St. Michael's hall, from the point of view of the front door to St. Martin's. This was taken on that "snowy" day.)
The first thing I did today was eat the classic English Sunday lunch in the refectory: Roast beef, mashed potatoes, and Yorkshire pudding, which wasn't too bad. Then I returned to my room to finish reading "The Importance of Being Earnest" (it had been a couple of days since I last picked it up.)
When I was done I took one of those brief walks outside and crossed over to Doug's room, and gave him the book so he could read it. Oh, but when I got their I found some of the guys were in the midst of a game of Risk, so I jumped in to help Big Jon, who was struggling big time in the game. I salvaged what I could and helped make him a minor threat in the game, but his losses before I had gotten there were too great. Andy was the first player wiped out (naturally).
After the game came dinner (makeshift), then some studying and reading of the newspaper, followed by a little writing. Dad called this evening, so I got to talk to him for a bit and find out what was going on back home in Camp Hill.
***
Well, it snowed today. I thought that was pretty cool. It was also very cold today, so since there wasn't anywhere I had to go today, the only time I went outside was during the brief moments it takes to walk from St. Martin's to St. Michael's and back. (Pictured is St. Michael's hall, from the point of view of the front door to St. Martin's. This was taken on that "snowy" day.)The first thing I did today was eat the classic English Sunday lunch in the refectory: Roast beef, mashed potatoes, and Yorkshire pudding, which wasn't too bad. Then I returned to my room to finish reading "The Importance of Being Earnest" (it had been a couple of days since I last picked it up.)
When I was done I took one of those brief walks outside and crossed over to Doug's room, and gave him the book so he could read it. Oh, but when I got their I found some of the guys were in the midst of a game of Risk, so I jumped in to help Big Jon, who was struggling big time in the game. I salvaged what I could and helped make him a minor threat in the game, but his losses before I had gotten there were too great. Andy was the first player wiped out (naturally).
After the game came dinner (makeshift), then some studying and reading of the newspaper, followed by a little writing. Dad called this evening, so I got to talk to him for a bit and find out what was going on back home in Camp Hill.
***
- Number One Song in Britain This Week: "The First Time" - Robin Beck
- Number One Song in America This Week: "Bad Medicine" - Bon Jovi
11.14.2008
Monday, November 14, 1988
Oops!
This day can best be summed up by the word "oops." That's not to be confused with "Whoops," which Doug described as the term you would use if, say, Jupiter blew up.
Anyway, the day started out just fine, waking up at 8.30 a.m. when Viv came to my room to say goodbye before she headed off to her day of classes. As soon as she left, I fell right back to sleep. I woke up again at about 9.30 a.m. when Doug stopped by. He had a good laugh when he saw me in my sweatpants and messy hair, then told me that we would meet at the bus stop at around 10.45 a.m. on Cottingham Road and head into town. He left, and I fell back to sleep. (Pictured: The actual bed where I kept falling back to sleep.)
So at 12.15 p.m. I woke up officially, well past the time I was supposed to meet up with Doug. Feeling enormously guilty but unsure of what to do, I took a shower. When I returned to my room Doug had stopped by and dropped off a piece of graph paper... and replacement lead for my mechanical pencil! (Journal returns from being written in black ink to once again being written in lead pencil.) So I guess Doug wasn't too upset with me for oversleeping. I went to grab a sandwich for lunch, then went over to his room to make amends.
I returned to my room to eat my sandwich, then started reading "The Cherry Orchard" by Anton Chekov for my Poetry and Drama class. Went to class at 3.15, discussed "The Cherry Orchard" and all of its brilliant significance, then came back to The Grange at 4.45 and got in line for dinner. After dinner I did a little map drawing using the graph paper that Doug provided for me, and then we started to get a group together to go see the Robin Williams movie Good Morning Vietnam. I'd already seen it twice when it came out in the U.S., but definitely worth a third look.
I went to get Viv, but she wasn't in and I wasn't sure where she was. I figured she must have been out with other friends, so I left and got Sid, Andy, Paul and he headed downtown to the movie theater.
After we returned from the movie, there was a rather harsh note left for me under the door by Viv. She was very angry that I did not get her to go to the movies. So I did the only logical thing... I explained myself in a harsh note back. I think the evening can be concluded by a quote by H.I. McDonough (Nicolas Cage) in Raising Arizona... "I'm in dutch with the wife." Whoops! (Yes, whoops!)
This day can best be summed up by the word "oops." That's not to be confused with "Whoops," which Doug described as the term you would use if, say, Jupiter blew up.Anyway, the day started out just fine, waking up at 8.30 a.m. when Viv came to my room to say goodbye before she headed off to her day of classes. As soon as she left, I fell right back to sleep. I woke up again at about 9.30 a.m. when Doug stopped by. He had a good laugh when he saw me in my sweatpants and messy hair, then told me that we would meet at the bus stop at around 10.45 a.m. on Cottingham Road and head into town. He left, and I fell back to sleep. (Pictured: The actual bed where I kept falling back to sleep.)
So at 12.15 p.m. I woke up officially, well past the time I was supposed to meet up with Doug. Feeling enormously guilty but unsure of what to do, I took a shower. When I returned to my room Doug had stopped by and dropped off a piece of graph paper... and replacement lead for my mechanical pencil! (Journal returns from being written in black ink to once again being written in lead pencil.) So I guess Doug wasn't too upset with me for oversleeping. I went to grab a sandwich for lunch, then went over to his room to make amends.
I returned to my room to eat my sandwich, then started reading "The Cherry Orchard" by Anton Chekov for my Poetry and Drama class. Went to class at 3.15, discussed "The Cherry Orchard" and all of its brilliant significance, then came back to The Grange at 4.45 and got in line for dinner. After dinner I did a little map drawing using the graph paper that Doug provided for me, and then we started to get a group together to go see the Robin Williams movie Good Morning Vietnam. I'd already seen it twice when it came out in the U.S., but definitely worth a third look.
I went to get Viv, but she wasn't in and I wasn't sure where she was. I figured she must have been out with other friends, so I left and got Sid, Andy, Paul and he headed downtown to the movie theater.
After we returned from the movie, there was a rather harsh note left for me under the door by Viv. She was very angry that I did not get her to go to the movies. So I did the only logical thing... I explained myself in a harsh note back. I think the evening can be concluded by a quote by H.I. McDonough (Nicolas Cage) in Raising Arizona... "I'm in dutch with the wife." Whoops! (Yes, whoops!)
11.10.2008
Thursday, November 10, 1988
Sack Edgar Page, Part 2
He did it! Bush won Pennsylvania! And California! Also, I was happy to see that Sen. John Heinz won re-election in Pennsylvania by a comfortable 2-1 margin. The final score: George Bush - 426 electoral votes (54.5% of the popular vote), Michael Dukakis - 112 electoral votes (45.5%).
Anyway, I woke up early for no apparent reason. (Viv woke me up and told me that she had missed her first class.) So I just took it easy until 10 a.m., when we took the bus into town to do some shopping. I only bought a newspaper. Then, instead of taking the bus back to The Grange, we walked back, hitting several shops along the way (record, book, music, etc.) I bought another James Bond paperback ("You Only Live Twice") for 20p, and some water balloons (gotta be prepared for the next water battle.) We then returned and rested.
There was another march by the Save Edgar Page lefties that we were tempted to water bomb... but we didn't. They canvassed Humberside College quite extensively to get marchers... but only two from our college went. Ha ha! There would've been more, however, the secretary of the Humberside College Labour Club (a guy named Martin, who seems to be intimidated by me for some reason), got his group lost and never made it to the march. I should laugh, and yet I do.
That evening a group of us (Viv, Kenny, Liz, Little Johnny, Andy, two of Viv and Liz's friends and I) went to see the movie "Buster" starring Phil Collins. Others (Big Jon, Sid and Neil) went to the other theater to see "A Fish Called Wanda." I thought "Buster was a pretty good movie, with an interesting plot (based on the true story of a guy who led the biggest train heist in British history, then went on the lam for years before getting caught.) I thought Phil Collins was impressive in his cinematic debut as a leading man.
Afterwards, most of us went to McDonald's for chocolate shakes, and then it was back to The Grange. Viv came over to my room for awhile, and stayed until I got too tired and fell asleep.
(Pictured is a close-up of my room door after the election. I had posted updated results as they rolled in. For fun I put a curly-wigged photo of myself as "Gern Blanston" on the ballot as well. A few people wondered what was up with that. I still wonder that myself)
He did it! Bush won Pennsylvania! And California! Also, I was happy to see that Sen. John Heinz won re-election in Pennsylvania by a comfortable 2-1 margin. The final score: George Bush - 426 electoral votes (54.5% of the popular vote), Michael Dukakis - 112 electoral votes (45.5%).Anyway, I woke up early for no apparent reason. (Viv woke me up and told me that she had missed her first class.) So I just took it easy until 10 a.m., when we took the bus into town to do some shopping. I only bought a newspaper. Then, instead of taking the bus back to The Grange, we walked back, hitting several shops along the way (record, book, music, etc.) I bought another James Bond paperback ("You Only Live Twice") for 20p, and some water balloons (gotta be prepared for the next water battle.) We then returned and rested.
There was another march by the Save Edgar Page lefties that we were tempted to water bomb... but we didn't. They canvassed Humberside College quite extensively to get marchers... but only two from our college went. Ha ha! There would've been more, however, the secretary of the Humberside College Labour Club (a guy named Martin, who seems to be intimidated by me for some reason), got his group lost and never made it to the march. I should laugh, and yet I do.
That evening a group of us (Viv, Kenny, Liz, Little Johnny, Andy, two of Viv and Liz's friends and I) went to see the movie "Buster" starring Phil Collins. Others (Big Jon, Sid and Neil) went to the other theater to see "A Fish Called Wanda." I thought "Buster was a pretty good movie, with an interesting plot (based on the true story of a guy who led the biggest train heist in British history, then went on the lam for years before getting caught.) I thought Phil Collins was impressive in his cinematic debut as a leading man.
Afterwards, most of us went to McDonald's for chocolate shakes, and then it was back to The Grange. Viv came over to my room for awhile, and stayed until I got too tired and fell asleep.
(Pictured is a close-up of my room door after the election. I had posted updated results as they rolled in. For fun I put a curly-wigged photo of myself as "Gern Blanston" on the ballot as well. A few people wondered what was up with that. I still wonder that myself)
11.07.2008
Monday, November 7, 1988
April is the Cruelest Month
This was a frantic day spent working on THE PAPER!!! I woke up at 8.50 a.m., went to breakfast, then went straight to work on my 2,000-word essay on T.S. Eliot's "The Wasteland." I worked straight from 9.15 to 3.45 (I overshot my deadline by .45, since it was due by 3.00), and only took a 15-minute lunch break.
It was an intense, but valuable experience. I had a bit of a scare when handing it in because I wasn't sure of the system, and with it being late and all. But Viv and I made it to the office in time to drop the paper off, so it appears that a volatile situation has been avoided.
After dinner, I spent some time with Viv, followed by a disastrous/victorious game of Risk. It was disastrous because Kenny (pictured) and I were wiped out in the first round (being the reigning champions, our team was picked on and targeted by the rest of the players.) Rather than sit and watch, I joined J.P.'s team, where we built a stronghold in North America, and when J.P. had to leave, I was able to score decisive victories over Kenny (who had taken over for Little Johnny and wanted to go to bed), and then Andy. It wasn't long after that when I went to bed myself. Tomorrow's the big election day!
This was a frantic day spent working on THE PAPER!!! I woke up at 8.50 a.m., went to breakfast, then went straight to work on my 2,000-word essay on T.S. Eliot's "The Wasteland." I worked straight from 9.15 to 3.45 (I overshot my deadline by .45, since it was due by 3.00), and only took a 15-minute lunch break.It was an intense, but valuable experience. I had a bit of a scare when handing it in because I wasn't sure of the system, and with it being late and all. But Viv and I made it to the office in time to drop the paper off, so it appears that a volatile situation has been avoided.
After dinner, I spent some time with Viv, followed by a disastrous/victorious game of Risk. It was disastrous because Kenny (pictured) and I were wiped out in the first round (being the reigning champions, our team was picked on and targeted by the rest of the players.) Rather than sit and watch, I joined J.P.'s team, where we built a stronghold in North America, and when J.P. had to leave, I was able to score decisive victories over Kenny (who had taken over for Little Johnny and wanted to go to bed), and then Andy. It wasn't long after that when I went to bed myself. Tomorrow's the big election day!
10.15.2008
Saturday, October 15, 1988
'Risk' Taking
Doug woke me up around 10:30 a.m. so we could get ready to go into Hull for a Record Fair. Bad news, huh? I took a shower then caught the 11:30 a.m. bus into downtown with Doug and J.P.. We first stopped at Midland Bank for J.P., then the photo store to pick up a batch of photos. J.P. and I overshot the store and were walking all over Jameson Avenue before we realized our error. Then we finally made our way to the Record Fair.
Awesome find #1: I was shocked and pleasantly surprised when I found one of the record albums I was hoping I’d find here… Prince’s rare, bootlegged unreleased “Black Album”on vinyl, which is what my friend Scott really wanted. So I bought the vinyl copy of the record for £12. I guess I’ll keep the cassette tape I bought in London for myself.
Awesome find #2: Next I found something that I’ve been looking for over a year and a half – the original Genesis “I Know What I Like/Twilight Alehouse” single, and for only £2! I left nearly broke but tremendously happy. Shame I don’t have a record player in my room to check out my find. Hopefully someone in the residence has one I can borrow at some point.
We then found a toy store where we all chipped in £1 for a Risk board of our own. That game has fast become our latest obsession. Next we hit a deli for some sandwiches, then took the bus back home. I went to my room, but it wasn’t long before a game of Risk broke out (already!) in Doug’s room. After awhile, I stopped in to watch. We then broke for dinner, where I had what qualifies as the worst meal I’ve ever had anywhere. So we came back to Doug’s room and split a garlic loaf, which helped.
Then it was back to the game. I helped out Paul Crowley, who was down to one country and on the verge of elimination. Through creation of various treaties, I was able to help him get back into competition, even controlling North America, before we were eventually eliminated. (Sorry, that would’ve been a better story had we won the game.) Then Jon Whalley, who was doing quite well in the game, had to leave, so I took over his troops. I was then able to conquer and destroy Andy Croxhall, and then, after a few aggressive moves, wiped out Kenny Prunty’s army for total victory. Of course, I couldn’t qualify it as my victory, but at least I helped.
It was time for another break, during which time Doug and I took a short walk up the street and around the corner to Double Happiness for some actual food. Man, they have the best chips and gravy there! The gravy has a nice oriental flavor that cannot be beat.
Well, at 8:30 p.m. we started The Game of the Century II (no hyperbole here!), featuring myself, J.P., Doug, Paul, Andy and Kurt Dross, with a slightly intoxicated Jon joining his team for this go-around. Well, Kurt was eliminated in about 5 turns, which left 5 superpowers remaining. J.P. and I had established a non-aggression treaty, so we were able to concentrate our efforts elsewhere. Paul and I got into some fierce battles, but soon Doug went on the offensive and whittled Paul down to three countries, though he chose not to wipe him out. Doug also knocked Andy out of the game during this offensive, which screwed up J.P. strategy.
So J.P. and I got together and decided to sacrifice J.P.’s armies for the win. He took his armies and knocked out as much of Doug as he could. Meanwhile, I took advantage of Doug’s tactical error in not wiping out Paul by wiping him out myself and taking his cards. With seven cards in my hand and J.P. on my side, we had no problem taking Doug over. So I was the victor, with the significant help of J.P. But then, all is fair in love and war, right?
During this game, Jon’s termination of two full bottles of Thunderbird wine and a bottle of Concord wine began to take its silly – and then violent – toll. He told Bonk that he loved him, wore a towel on his head and called himself “The Virgin Mary” (which he did last night as well, even wearing the towel out to a store), and kept asking “What happened to the red armies?” (which were Kurt’s pieces.) He sat in a closet for awhile, continually asking “When can we have a serious talk?” and other humorous anecdotes. Anyway, I’m sure he’ll be in agony tomorrow.
Then I popped into J.P.’s room, where Sindy "Sid" Bajaria (pictured above with me, photo courtesy of J.P.), Liz Ortega (from Manchester), Vivienne Schofield (from the small seaside town of Skegness) and Bits (London, I believe) were hanging about. We sat talking for awhile, and then, when J.P. wanted sleep, Liz and Viv came back to my room for some coffee. It was finally 4 a.m. before they finally decided they needed to go back to their room (they share one of the double rooms.) I loaned Liz my jacket, and we walked back to their room (after some problems with the key) and I bid them good night. Viv seems to fancy Doug, and I think I’m moderately attracted to Liz, but I’m not about to say too much about it yet. Oh well.
Doug woke me up around 10:30 a.m. so we could get ready to go into Hull for a Record Fair. Bad news, huh? I took a shower then caught the 11:30 a.m. bus into downtown with Doug and J.P.. We first stopped at Midland Bank for J.P., then the photo store to pick up a batch of photos. J.P. and I overshot the store and were walking all over Jameson Avenue before we realized our error. Then we finally made our way to the Record Fair.Awesome find #1: I was shocked and pleasantly surprised when I found one of the record albums I was hoping I’d find here… Prince’s rare, bootlegged unreleased “Black Album”on vinyl, which is what my friend Scott really wanted. So I bought the vinyl copy of the record for £12. I guess I’ll keep the cassette tape I bought in London for myself.
Awesome find #2: Next I found something that I’ve been looking for over a year and a half – the original Genesis “I Know What I Like/Twilight Alehouse” single, and for only £2! I left nearly broke but tremendously happy. Shame I don’t have a record player in my room to check out my find. Hopefully someone in the residence has one I can borrow at some point.
We then found a toy store where we all chipped in £1 for a Risk board of our own. That game has fast become our latest obsession. Next we hit a deli for some sandwiches, then took the bus back home. I went to my room, but it wasn’t long before a game of Risk broke out (already!) in Doug’s room. After awhile, I stopped in to watch. We then broke for dinner, where I had what qualifies as the worst meal I’ve ever had anywhere. So we came back to Doug’s room and split a garlic loaf, which helped.
Then it was back to the game. I helped out Paul Crowley, who was down to one country and on the verge of elimination. Through creation of various treaties, I was able to help him get back into competition, even controlling North America, before we were eventually eliminated. (Sorry, that would’ve been a better story had we won the game.) Then Jon Whalley, who was doing quite well in the game, had to leave, so I took over his troops. I was then able to conquer and destroy Andy Croxhall, and then, after a few aggressive moves, wiped out Kenny Prunty’s army for total victory. Of course, I couldn’t qualify it as my victory, but at least I helped.
It was time for another break, during which time Doug and I took a short walk up the street and around the corner to Double Happiness for some actual food. Man, they have the best chips and gravy there! The gravy has a nice oriental flavor that cannot be beat.
Well, at 8:30 p.m. we started The Game of the Century II (no hyperbole here!), featuring myself, J.P., Doug, Paul, Andy and Kurt Dross, with a slightly intoxicated Jon joining his team for this go-around. Well, Kurt was eliminated in about 5 turns, which left 5 superpowers remaining. J.P. and I had established a non-aggression treaty, so we were able to concentrate our efforts elsewhere. Paul and I got into some fierce battles, but soon Doug went on the offensive and whittled Paul down to three countries, though he chose not to wipe him out. Doug also knocked Andy out of the game during this offensive, which screwed up J.P. strategy.
So J.P. and I got together and decided to sacrifice J.P.’s armies for the win. He took his armies and knocked out as much of Doug as he could. Meanwhile, I took advantage of Doug’s tactical error in not wiping out Paul by wiping him out myself and taking his cards. With seven cards in my hand and J.P. on my side, we had no problem taking Doug over. So I was the victor, with the significant help of J.P. But then, all is fair in love and war, right?
During this game, Jon’s termination of two full bottles of Thunderbird wine and a bottle of Concord wine began to take its silly – and then violent – toll. He told Bonk that he loved him, wore a towel on his head and called himself “The Virgin Mary” (which he did last night as well, even wearing the towel out to a store), and kept asking “What happened to the red armies?” (which were Kurt’s pieces.) He sat in a closet for awhile, continually asking “When can we have a serious talk?” and other humorous anecdotes. Anyway, I’m sure he’ll be in agony tomorrow.
Then I popped into J.P.’s room, where Sindy "Sid" Bajaria (pictured above with me, photo courtesy of J.P.), Liz Ortega (from Manchester), Vivienne Schofield (from the small seaside town of Skegness) and Bits (London, I believe) were hanging about. We sat talking for awhile, and then, when J.P. wanted sleep, Liz and Viv came back to my room for some coffee. It was finally 4 a.m. before they finally decided they needed to go back to their room (they share one of the double rooms.) I loaned Liz my jacket, and we walked back to their room (after some problems with the key) and I bid them good night. Viv seems to fancy Doug, and I think I’m moderately attracted to Liz, but I’m not about to say too much about it yet. Oh well.
10.14.2008
Friday, October 14, 1988
It’s Curtains for Doug. Curtains!
I woke up around 8:30 a.m. for my first class, a Social/Political Structures Seminar that begins at 9:15 a.m., which wasn’t too bad. Following class with Ms. Roz Billington, Doug and I took off for Newland Avenue, where we stopped at Lloyd’s Bank to withdraw a bit of cash from our accounts, then at a bakery where we purchased some garlic bread (our latest obsession). Then it was off to a curtain/blanket store, where Doug bought curtains and a sleeping bag/comforter for his bed. I’m going to have to come back here and get some things for myself!
Well, then it was back to the residence so that Doug could install and check out his new “toys.” After lunch, we more-or-less relaxed. We finally got a hold of a Risk board, so we played a few games of that for awhile. The first game we played, I finished second to J.P., who played quite well. Next, I helped Kenny finish second to Andy Croxhall, a native of Huddersfield and a fanatic for his hometown football team.
Then, after dinner and some supplemental food, we travelled up to Sid’s friend Bits’ room for what was to become the Risk Game of the Century. It all started at 10:30 p.m. with Kenny, Doug, Andy, a friend of Bits’ who’s name I don’t recall, a myself leading our respective troops into battle. There was some fierce battling through the night. Apparently it got a bit too loud for some, as an annoying downstairs neighbor came up to our room to complain about the noise (the nerve!) and then got the hall assistant (who was on our side in this battle) to ask us to turn our radio down. That was amusing, since we hadn’t had the radio on for about two hours.
We completed the game at 2:15 a.m. with Kenny working out of Australia to defeat me at the very end. Once again, I was the bridesmaid. Oh well! After the game, it was off to my room for some much needed rest.
I woke up around 8:30 a.m. for my first class, a Social/Political Structures Seminar that begins at 9:15 a.m., which wasn’t too bad. Following class with Ms. Roz Billington, Doug and I took off for Newland Avenue, where we stopped at Lloyd’s Bank to withdraw a bit of cash from our accounts, then at a bakery where we purchased some garlic bread (our latest obsession). Then it was off to a curtain/blanket store, where Doug bought curtains and a sleeping bag/comforter for his bed. I’m going to have to come back here and get some things for myself!Well, then it was back to the residence so that Doug could install and check out his new “toys.” After lunch, we more-or-less relaxed. We finally got a hold of a Risk board, so we played a few games of that for awhile. The first game we played, I finished second to J.P., who played quite well. Next, I helped Kenny finish second to Andy Croxhall, a native of Huddersfield and a fanatic for his hometown football team.
Then, after dinner and some supplemental food, we travelled up to Sid’s friend Bits’ room for what was to become the Risk Game of the Century. It all started at 10:30 p.m. with Kenny, Doug, Andy, a friend of Bits’ who’s name I don’t recall, a myself leading our respective troops into battle. There was some fierce battling through the night. Apparently it got a bit too loud for some, as an annoying downstairs neighbor came up to our room to complain about the noise (the nerve!) and then got the hall assistant (who was on our side in this battle) to ask us to turn our radio down. That was amusing, since we hadn’t had the radio on for about two hours.
We completed the game at 2:15 a.m. with Kenny working out of Australia to defeat me at the very end. Once again, I was the bridesmaid. Oh well! After the game, it was off to my room for some much needed rest.
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