Saturday, December 17, 1988

Christmastime in Chester ...

Started the day off with another lie-in. Got up at noon, and at 1.30 p.m., Dr. Morrison drove me into Neston to meet with Dave and take the bus to Chester. It was quite crowded, being a Saturday so close to Christmas, but interesting nonetheless.

This time I remembered my camera and took some pictures, but it got dark quite early (only four days until the shortest day of the year!), so a lof of the pictures might not come out.

Got some Christmas shopping done as well. I bought Viv's Christmas gift (which I will not release at this time, in case wandering eyes happen upon this document before Dec. 25.) I bought a going away/Christmas gift for Doug, and one for the Morrison's (a box of Chocolate Brazil Nuts.) For myself I bought the Peter Gabriel "Sledgehammer" remix maxi-single, which I haven't seen anywhere else. We also at lunch at McDonald's.

Came back home on the bus, then walked a bit to get back to the Morrison's house, where I was almost immediately graced with a phone call from, Duncan, one of Glen's friends, who asked if I would be interested in going to a pub with him, Steward and Sean. I did join them after eating dinner and wrapping my gifts, but I told them that I had to be back earlier than they were originally planning in order to make a few phone calls.

I had a good time out at the pub with those guys, and when I returned I discussed my rail plan with Dr. Morrison, as I was leaving for London tomorrow. Then I called Sid, where I was going to be staying while in London, and let her know my plans for arriving tomorrow. J.P., Doug and Viv were already at Sid's house, so I had a chance to talk to them as well. We worked out a plan that they would meet me in Leicester Square at 3.45 p.m. I hope I make it in time, because we're going to see "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" at the Odeon Theatre in Leicester Square.

Next I called my parents back in Camp Hill tell them that I was in Liverpool and that everything was fine. After a short break, I decided to surprise my friend Greg Swartz and give him a call and see how he was doing. Of course with Greg it's always a good conversation, and he updated me on what was going on at Camp Hill High School, how he made the Distinguished Honor Roll, his obsession with Europe, politics (of course) and how he organized and spoke at a Dan Quayle rally in Harrisburg for the election, the Clapham Junction train crash, and, of course, about the little man with the thin mustache who has secretly taken over the United States.

Following that I watched a little more telly and relaxed. I then joined Fiona and a friend of hers in a game of Dingbats, to which, after a stalemate, no one won.

Looking forward to heading down to London and seeing Viv and my friends again tomorrow. Should be fun!

Tuesday, September 27, 1988

Last Night in Neston

Took the day at quite a leisurely pace. Woke up late in the morning in preparation to enjoy my last full day in Neston before heading east to Hull and start my sophomore year in college. I ate breakfast, read the paper, and then I rested. I introduced Dave to a tape of my band, Yokel, a sort of jokey heavy metal power trio featuring me on bass and lead vocals, along with my friends Greg Swartz on lead guitar and Steve Benner on drums. We aren't very good, but we had a lot of fun recording "Shut Up and Listen to Our Lousy Album" in one day. Both Dave and Sean thought it was "brilliant" -- something I would have never thought to call it.

When Fiona arrived home from school, we all went out for Chinese food and ate it at home. Afterwards, Fiona went back to school and Dave went home, during which time I listened to the Beatles and did a little writing.

That evening Dave came back, and we trekked down the road a piece to the Wheatsheaf for a little socializing. There we met up with Albert, an old school mate of Dave's. We chatted for a bit about various topics, then successfully played some of the "fruit machines," where I ended up 2 pounds. When Fiona and Dr. Morrison arrived we continued to chat and I snapped a few photographs. When Zoe arrived a short time later, we started to play some games. We started with "Buzz," which is a numbers game, and then we played a word game that Dr. Morrison (pictured above at the Wheatsheaf that night) suggested.

Afterwards, the lot of us went back to the house, where we watched a few of Glen's home movies until Dr. Morrison went up to bed. Then Zoe and I challenged Albert, Dave and Fiona to a rousing game of Pictionary. We lost, but it was a darn close game (I blame the darn British rules...) We followed that up by having a chat, and then 2 a.m. rolled around, so I thought it was time to call home to say hello to Mom and my sister Angie (since it was only 9 p.m. their time). Last chance on the Morrison's dime! Dad was on a business trip to Ohio, so I'll have to catch up with him another time.

Still not tired enough to go to bed, we watched Dr. Morrison's video of Billy Connolly, titled "Billy & Albert." He is apparently a popular and quite hilarious Scottish comedian. I may have to pick some of his stuff up. Well after that I was finally ready for bed and headed up, leaving Dave and Albert in the television room. Another good night's sleep awaits...

(Pictured left: At the Wheatsheaf are Rick, Zoe, Albert, Dr. Morrison and Fiona.)

Monday, September 26, 2008

The Fantastic Chester Pub Crawl Birthday Extravaganza

Woke up at half-eight when the phone rang. It was Glen's friend Sean (pictured), curious about what plans we had for our day in the picturesque City of Chester. I was still suffering from "just woke up" and was relatively incoherent.

After that I fell back to sleep until about 10 a.m. when Fiona's boyfriend, Dave, called. Shortly after 11 a.m., Sean, Stewart, Dave and I were on our way to Chester.

I was there last night to see "The Running Man," but I didn't get to see all that much of Chester at the time. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera, so I was unable to get photos of town... although in light of how this day went, it was probably best I didn't have it with me. Overall, it was a fabulous day. We shopped in the morning, where I bought the new Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight (88 Remix)" maxi- single. We then at lunch at McDonald's (a little taste of America... except the ketchup is a little sweeter, and they charge you extra for each packet. Weird.)

Over the course of the day I bought a Union Jack flag and a map of Britain (both to hang in my dorm room when I get there), a cassette of the "Buster" soundtrack (excellent!), and a blank tape. We walked and shopped for about 8 hours, including a walk along the top of the wall that surround Chester. The wall was built buy the Romans long ago... and after we pointed out that fact, our running joke became that everything in town was originally built by the Romans. ("Oh look, W.H. Smith... did you know that store was built by the Romans?")

We also visited Chester Cathedral, which was fabulous. I wished I could've stayed there all day with a skeleton key to get into all the crypts, crannies and what-have-yous that are in that place. We then left to search for some museum Dave wanted to take me to in Chester. Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure exactly where it was and we failed in our mission to find it.

Dave (pictured, right) and I finally took a break in the center of town, near the keymark clock that was covered up for repairs, and then entered the pub behind us. While we waited for Fiona and Zoe to arrive we chatted a bit, largely about political and social culture (he's also conservative like me), over a pint. Fiona and Zoe were supposed to arrive at about half six, but they missed their bus and didn't get in until half seven.

We the set off on a traditional British "pub crawl," in celebration of Fiona's 18th birthday (in two days actually... so she's technically two days away from being legal age to drink, although no one here seems to mind much.) During the course of this most festive evening, I was introduced to several British beverages, as we managed to hit, I believe, about six pubs (some of them are a bit fuzzy recollections).

There were several memorable moments during this excursion:

• I sang the sad and depressing "Happy Birthday" song to Fiona, as taught to me by my high school World Cultures teacher, Pete Sanden, who sang it to kids in class on their birthdays. It goes:

“Happy Birthday. Happy Birthday.
People dying in the streets.
Children with no food to eat. But...
Happy Birthday. Happy Birthday."

• Fiona spilled two drinks, one of which resulted in a broken glass, and the other resulting in Dave licking the spilt beverage off of the table.
  
• I accidentally knocked Zoe off of her chair... well, actually, I barely touched her and she fell back off of the "slippy" chair.
  
• Air guitaring "Hotel California" in a pub.
  
• Singing a rousing version of "Bohemian Rhapsody," and later marvelling that a Queen song was played at each of the last three pubs we were at. One more and my theory would’ve kicked in, that this is no longer a coincidence, but rather a tribute to one of the band members having died. (Fortunately, that was not the case, and Queen will continue to “rock you.”)
  
• An Englishman who was convinced that I was English, and merely impersonating an American accent.
  

Some other hazy recollections include Dave blowing up a balloon (I hope it was a balloon) while walking down the street, running through the streets of Chester to get to the next pub, something called "Thumper," and then hitting a pizza place to get some food at five after 11, since the pubs closed at 11 p.m. Although the place was ready to close in 10 minutes, we were undaunted, ordered our pizza, and forced them to stay open until 11:45, when this loud group finally left the empty restaurant and returned to the streets, no doubt causing much celebration among the staff forced to endure our lack of courtesy.

Afterward Fiona and Dave briefly disappeared, and we had no idea where they went. But as quickly as they vanished, they suddenly re-emerged and we could catch a taxi back home. When we returned, Dr. Morrison was quite amused by my current state caused by excessive alcohol consumption, especially when I then took it upon myself to pay him back the five pounds that I owed him. I walked Zoe back to her house, then returned home, where Fiona went to bed and Dave and I sat in the television room, continuing to chat until about 4 a.m. He told me stories about some kid named Philip Ingram at his school, who reminded me of someone I went to school with named Mike Sim. I told him about some kid I went to school with named Mike Sim, who reminded him of this kid he knows named Philip Ingram.

The evening ended with me acquiring from him my new "pseudonym in favor" -- Thermos Fortitude. I don't know what that meanns.

What could have been finer?

Saturday, September 24, 1988

Magical History Tour - A Day in Liverpool

This is my big day in Liverpool – the Beatles’ fan’s Mecca. Woke up a little before 9 a.m. and left a little before 10 a.m. with Dr. Morrison and Aunt Pauline (I guess I’ve adopted her as well!) The first thing we did was take the legendary Ferry ‘Cross the Mersey (a tribute to Gerry and the Pacemakers and their famed song.). Actually, Dr. Morrison drove his car through the Tunnel Under the Mersey while Aunt Pauline and I rode the ferry. Granted, it was a touristy thing to do, but it was fun and worthwhile… and honestly, how can you not be all touristy when you’re in the birthplace of the Beatles?

When we got across, Dr. Morrison picked us up and drove us to Albert Dock, which reminds me very much of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, though on a slightly smaller scale. Just a few years ago, this was a very depressed and unsightly area full of abandoned buildings. However, those buildings were renovated and turned into small shops and a Liverpool museum. The result is wonderful. It really gives one a different impression of a city that many people simply avoid because of its reputation, when really there’s little difference between what I saw an many other big cities I’ve visited. Sure, there were run-down areas, but I discovered that the city had much to offer… and not just for Beatles fans.

At Albert Dock we went into the Mersey Maritime Museum. Of particular interest there was the Immigration Musuem, which brilliantly explained how a person would immigrate to the United States… many of whom came here before boarding a ship to America. Following that we went to Mathew Street… the location of the famed Cavern Club, where the Beatles played many of their early shows. On Mathew Street we visited The Beatles Shop, which in a word was “bliss.” I bought two record albums that I needed: “Magical Mystery Tour” (with the full booklet included) and “The Beatles” (The White Album). Also bought a cool mug featuring the Blue Meanies from the movie “Yellow Submarine.” I had to be careful not to blow my whole budget right here and now.

We then ate lunch at an Italian restaurant on Mathew Street, which was excellent… I still can’t complain about any of the food I’ve had. We then took a quick look into the Cavern Club, passed by the Eleanor Rigby statue there (very lonely), and another statue of The Beatles.

That was all nothing compared to the Magical History Tour we took… a small tour bus that took us around to many of the important Beatles sites in Liverpool. We visited the homes where John, Paul, George and Ringo lived when they were little, the schools they attended, where Lennon and McCartney first started writing songs together, the hospitals where they were born, the pubs they were kicked out of, and of course, Penny Lane and Strawberry Field. Needless to say, I took a lot of pictures. I was afraid Dr. Morrison and Aunt Pauline would find it boring, but it was quite the opposite… they found it almost as interesting as I did. I guess they never really thought about taking a tour of a place so close to home until an American showed up on their doorstep.

After the tour, we went back to the car, took the tunnel under the Mersey and dropped Aunt Pauline off at her home. We headed back to the house, where after eating dinner, Sean, Stewart, Duncan and another friend of Glen’s, Vicki, invited me to join them on a trip to The Thatch, a pub that dates back to the 17th Century. It was located in the middle of what I can best describe as “nowhere.” The Thatch was quite crowded but an experience I enjoyed, being in such an old place, mingling with the locals. Afterward, we went back to Vicki’s house for coffee (of course) and a little more chatting. Returned home later and sacked out.

I now know what one of my articles to The Snapper (the Millersville University student newspaper) is going to be – “Clearing up the Misconceptions of Liverpool: City of the Beatles and So Much More.” Cheers!

Friday, September 23, 1988

The Best Beer I've Ever Had

I didn’t wake up until 12:45 p.m. Wow, that’s the latest I’ve slept in all year (or as they say here, I had a “lie-in.”) The Morrison’s must really think I’m a bum… but I haven’t done anything like that since my wild high school summer days when I didn’t have to be at Artworks in the Camp Hill Shopping mall for work until 6 p.m.

Anyway, I took a leisure day to recover from this jet lag. At 1:30 p.m., after a shower and some food, Glen’s friends Sean, Duncan and Stewart stopped in to chat over some coffee and cakes. They wanted me to go to a night club in Liverpool with them, but I decided to take a pass because they weren’t going to be back until 3 a.m., and since I was planning a big day with the Morrisons in Liverpool the following day, I thought that might not be a good idea. So instead I opted to go to a pub with Fiona and her friend, Zoe (pictured) that evening.

Since Dr. Morrison is a general practitioner, he is occasionally on-call, whereby his patients actually call his house in an emergency. So someone has to be in at all times to answer the phone, even if Dr. Morrison steps out for awhile. I’ve learned that house calls are still quite commonplace here in Britain, which is a noticeable difference over American doctors. Fiona got her Aunt Pauline (not a blood aunt, but an “adopted” aunt) to cover the calls. We drove to Aunt Pauline’s house, picked her up, and drove back to the Morrison’s house. During the drive back we saw a rainbow, which was quite nice.

After dropping off Aunt Pauline, Fiona and I walked to pick up Zoe at her house (I’ve never heard that fascinating name before, and she was a nice and interesting person as well), then walked down the road a bit to The Wheatsheaf for a little socializing. They serve a great beer there called Whitbread’s Best Bitter. Perhaps the best beer I’ve ever had. But then, I’m 19, so admittedly I haven’t tried that many brands.

After some time at the pub, we walked Zoe back to her house, then back to the Morrison’s for some coffee with Dr. Morrison and Aunt Pauline (I have been drinking so much coffee the past few days!) I actually got to bed at a decent hour this day, in preparation for tomorrow’s trek to Liverpool.