Saturday, June 17, 1989

It's My 20th Birthday... and a Farewell to Hull ...

Well, today is my birthday. And also Viv's father's birthday. And my friend Molly Sherman's birthday. And my friend Ted's brother Chip Schaeffer's birthday. And the Queen's birthday (observed.)

So on this, obviously one of the most important days of the year, I turned 20, and had only 2 1/2 hours of sleep at the same time. All the same, it was going to be a "big day" today (as Greg always says.)

I ate breakfast with my parents at the Beck House Hotel (which is conveniently only about a block away from The Grange.), and we dined at a leisurely pace as we chatted and got caught up on a number of things.

Afterward we packed up all of my gear, gave Sam my Social-Political Structures paper to hand in for me so that I could leave a bit early, along with a few other things I gave to him, and also bid farewell to Shannon the Hamster (Lorna, another hamster owner, agreed to care for her). Walked around the residence and bid farewell to J.P., Neil, and other people that I saw walking about.

Next we took a walk up to the Cottingham Road site so that my parents could see the area a bit, and also to return my library books. (Pictured above is a photo I snapped of my parents and sister along that walk.)

At noon, we hopped on the train and I said farewell to Hull for the last time, as we departed for a stop in York. While on the train, we met up with Dave Hart and his parents, who were going to York as well, so we traveled with them for a bit. It was a slow train and we didn't get to York until nearly 4 p.m., but it was another beautiful day and we still were able to see a lot.

We watched some crew races on the river (pictured is Mom and Dad watching the race), walked the shops, went through the Jorvik Viking Centre (third visit for me... my parents enjoyed it). Dad and I climbed up to the top of, oh, what's the name of that castle on the hill there again? Anyway, we climbed up and took some great photos.

At 6 p.m. we went to Pizza Hut for my birthday dinner, which marked the first time I drank a beer with my parents in public (or anywhere, for that matter). In a few days, it won't be legal for me to do that in public for another year.

While there, Dad committed a humorous faux pas. When the waitress asked him if everything was alright, he replied, "No, that will be all" (not listening to exactly what she had said.) I laughed, anyway.

Walked past the minster, and along the wall for awhile (pictured is Mom, Dad and Angie walking the wall), looking at the city until 8.15, when we returned to the train station. Dad called Dr. Morrison, while Mom and I bought drinks.

Another funny moment: Mom asked for a hot tea with a little milk, and when her order arrived, she received a hot tea and a little milk carton. Again, I saw the funny side of this.

We had a hectic train ride, constantly worrying if we were on the right train or not (the Brit Rail men did their best to confuse us). But in the end, we arrived in Liverpool only slightly late, where Dr. Morrison picked us up and drove us back to his house.

I took my parents through my photo albums over some drinks, and got to bed around 2 a.m. Almost didn't seem like a birthday, but it was a great day. Mom and Dad gave me a Beatles shirt on the train, which was nice, and Dr. Morrison and Fiona gave me a Liverpool F.C. scarf and hat. Love 'em both! (Pictured is me and Mom in Dr. Morrison's dining room, modeling my new winter gear over drinks and looking at my photo albums.)

Wednesday, June 14, 1989

Should It Be This Hard to Buy a Plane Ticket? ...

Today was spent anticipating the pending arrival of my parents in England, although I won't actually see them until Friday. They will be visiting with Dr. Morrison first.

I also got Viv's airline ticket squared away today, although it was a very close call. First, the Student Travel Agency wouldn't accept a check from me (probably not a bad precaution to be taking), so after confirming her flight (leaving July 14, returning August 14, from Manchester), I walked to the bank to cash Viv's check.

However, after finally getting my cashpoint card back from Lloyd's Bank, the nice lady there told me that it would take until Monday before Viv's check cleared. That sent me into a bit of a panic... I'm not going to be in Hull on Monday. Fortunately, she made a few phone calls on my behalf and we worked it out, so that I was now able to pay for the plane ticket upon returning to the STA.

Now that that was over and done with, I took a little walk into town, along the traditional route through Newland Avenue and Spring Bank Road (both to and from downtown Hull), buying up a few more of those things that you just can't find in the States... including two more old Elvis Costello singles. I also bought a Batman: Death in the Family comic book for face value (50p). Its current value in the States is $10 - good deal!

Upon my return I checked out a few books from the library to prepare for my Social/Political Structures essay on The Media this Friday. I did some preparation, but not a lot, tonight.

My parents called me after dinner... for the first time in a long while from the same time zone! They had arrived safely and were now at Dr. Morrison's house in Neston. Everything went smoothly on their journey, which is definitely good news.

And what day would be complete without coffee and sharing bad jokes with Sam?

I continued to take down some of the decorations in my room today. It looks so barren now.

Wow. My time in Hull is nearly over.

Wednesday, May 17, 1989

Almost a Private Screening of 'Twins' ...

Since I didn't get to bed until late, I intended on sleeping in, but woke up unintentionally at 9.15 a.m. - too late to grab some breakfast, to dazed to go to class, but too awake to fall back to sleep.

I went through my usual routine until noonish, when I set off for town. I bought a ham salad sandwich at the deli along the way and stopped at a new record shop, which was quite cool. The only things I bought were a cassette of "Pictures at an Exhibition," a blank tape, a cherry 7Up.

I also bought a ticket to see the movie "Twins." Up until the movie started I was the only person in the theatre. I thought I was going to get an exclusive showing until two more people showed up right as the film started. I thought it was an entertaining film; glad I saw it.

Caught the bus back to The Grange for dinner, and then spent the vening watching TV and writing, as well as starting the tape for the next Radio St. Hilda's Top 20 (new format!) Hope it's a success.

Later, Sam stopped by and we talked for awhile, though not nearly as late as we did last night.

Today's fabulous quote is by Jodie: "It's not the size of the wand that's important, it's the magic that's inside." (She might not be the first person to have said it, though.)

(Pictured is Hull City Hall, in downtown Hull.)

Wednesday, April 26, 1989

Today Is Film Day ...

After breakfast I went to a fruitful lecture on food distribution in the third world. A very interesting lecture, I thought. Following the class, I returned to continue rearranging my room, as I was not completely satisfied with how I left it last night. Now I think I am completely satisfied.

Shortly before noon I set off for town, stopping at the University Union to get some flight information. I made my way into town alone again, walking down Newland Avenue, stopping at shops and buying a Batman comic book (part 2 of "The Many Deaths of The Batman.") It was a nice day for a walk, so I didn't mind going alone.

I ate lunch at McDonald's (only 99p), bought some toothpaste and headphones for my Walkman (since Shannon on Monday got a hold of my other ones and rendered them useless.)

From there I dashed to the movie theater, where I saw "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen." Overall I liked it, and thought it was technically brilliant. But I think that I was expecting more.

Returned by bus for dinner, showed J.P. my new room design watched "Buck Rogers" and "Rapido," and then it was back to reading. That's pretty much all this day had to offer.

Friday, April 21, 1989

It's Official: I'm Going to See Elvis Costello! ...

Arose bright and early today and following breakfast, I went to my Social/Political Structures seminar, after which I stopped at the library to check out some books on the Spanish Civil War. After a failed attempt to round up someone to go into town, I caught the bus and ran my errands on my own, picking up the photos I had dropped off.

Unfortunately, as I feared, one of my film rolls did not develop... of course, it was a roll of photos from Spain, so that was disappointing. Fortunately, in her letter from yesterday, Viv said she could get me copies of some of the photos she took if my photos didn't take.

I went into the Central Library and checked out a few books, bought another book at Brown's Book Shop, and then I bought a ticket for the bus trip offered at Gough and Davy to see Elvis Costello at Newcastle on May 24. Lorna said she may go to the concert, but if she doesn't, and if I can't find anyone else interested in going, then I'll go alone. But that doesn't bother me. At least I know now that I'm going to get to see him. I'm definitely looking forward to that show!

I returned to a relatively uninteresting evening of watching television, and then I spent a good bit of time talking to Sam. Watched an episode of Sgt. Bilko, a special on Hillsborough, Cheers, a documentary on Adolf Hitler, and a movie called "Downhill Skiier" with Gene Hackman and Robert Redford.

Most everyone else went out tonight - there was a benefit event at the Student Union for the victims of the Hillsborough disaster last weekend (see the poster that I nicked above). But with me now short on cash, I decided it best to stay in, so when the movie was done, I went to bed.

Wednesday, April 19, 1989

Pretty Much a Hermit ...

I spent today mostly on my own. No class today (and I've not been all week), so I went on some errands. Picked up my food grant at the Cottingham Road site, then deposited all of my money into the bank (including the £120 that came from home yesterday). After all was said and done, I ended up with slightly less than £1 more in my account than I had before I deposited these checks... except that now I have no more outstanding bills!

Anyway, I walked into town, stopping to buy a Viz and an ALF comic book, as well as a book and a Batman comic in another shop. Also bought some food for Shannon (should last the term), tapes for Liz, dropped off my film from Spain for processing, and ate a 99p lunch at McDonald's.

Also bought batteries for my Walkman, took some photos of Hull, then headed to the movie theater to see "Dangerous Liaisons" on my own. Fabulous movie! I quite enjoyed it. It probably would have won Second Best Picture of the year.

After the film, I caught the bus back to The Grange, ate dinner, then began to make some tapes for Liz that she had requested, stopping by the TV room to watch "Thirtysomething." I was pretty much a hermit today.

Sunday, April 9, 1989

Piccadilly at 3 a.m. (The Journey from Madrid to Hull, Part Two) ...

The train from Longfield to London rolled into Victoria Station at about midnight. However, I told the ticket agent on the train that I had boarded the train at a different station, so I ended up paying about half as much as I should have for the train ride to London. That was necessary, as I now realized that I needed to account for every pence that I had until I returned to Hull tomorrow evening.

At 1.30 a.m. in Victoria Station, after a coffee, rest, and a repacking of my bag into a locker so that I wouldn't have to carry it around all night, I made a decision regarding my fate for this evening. Rather than just sit at the station all night, doggone it, I was going to explore this city and try to salvage potential misery into fortune as best I could.

So I began my trek walking down Buckingham Palace Road to go - where else? - to visit the Queen and the Royal Family. Well they were tired and not accepting foreign visitors at this late hour, so I didn't stick around too long. I walked from the palace down Birdcage Walk on the St. James' Park side, toward Parliament Square to say hello to Mrs. Thatcher.

In the square were your typical landmarks... Big Ben, Parliament. Next I continued down Whitehall past 10 Downing Street, which was heavily guarded. So I assumed there would be no lodging for a wayfaring American here, either.

I continued to walk down Whitehall to The Mall, which brought me back to St. James' Park again. At this point I decided to take a break, sat at a park bench, popped a cassette tape of Emerson, Lake and Palmer's "Trilogy" album and listened to that here until it was done. I was tired at that point, but I got up and continued to walk, because that was the best way to keep warm, and by now it was quite cold outside. I headed back past Buckingham Palace and along Green Park to the Wellington Arch.

Here, I got a bit confused, and instead of going down Piccadilly, I ended up walking down Park Lane and through Mayfair... indeed, the wealthiest neighborhood in London, and I could clearly see why with the posh homes here. I was feeling rather safe in this neighborhood, though I must admit that throughout the night, I never felt threatened or unsafe... try doing this in New York City!)

I passed the Roosevelt Monument and soon found my way back to Piccadilly, which brought me shortly thereafter to Piccadilly Circus, where even though it was after 3 a.m., it was quite crowded here. I found myself wandering the streets in this vicinity, walking nostagically passed the Prince Edward Theatre, where Viv and I saw the musical "Chess" last December... and in the nick of time, too. It turned out that the cast performed its final show at the Prince Edward this very evening.

I then decided to make my way back to Piccadilly Circus and grab a donut and some coffee at the Dunkin Donuts there. I warmed myself up a bit here in the eatery, and even chatted a bit with the security guard there, named Dave. I parlayed my saga to him, and he offered to try and find me a place to crash for the rest of the evening after he went off duty at 5 a.m., if I wished, rather than continue wandering around the city. I told him I'd think about it and possibly come back at that time.

I also chatted with a nice fellow from Belgium, who only spoke a little English and was sitting in the booth seat across from me at the Dunkin Donuts. Despite the language difficulties, we had a nice conversation about world travel, before I set off once again on my own late night travels.

Continued walking a ways down Piccadilly, passing several airline offices (Zimbabwe Air, Aeroflot, Iran Air (picture of Khomeni inside), Libyian Arab Airlines (portrait of Khadafi inside), just to name a few that you don't often see in America.

I returned to the Dunkin Donuts at Piccadilly at 5 a.m. to see if Dave was serious about his offer; however I couldn't find him anywhere. So I continued my explorations up Regents Street, where I passed Hamley's toy store and a Lloyd's Bank that had its burglar alarm going off. Well that was splendid timing. I looked at the building with interest and curiosity, and then saw across the road a female cop, who summoned me to come over to her.

The cop asked me a few questions about where I was going and other things, and then said she was just concerned because I looked confused and she was trying to help me out. Not confused, just curious about the blaring alarm, which didn't seem to bother her much. She was very nice and we talked for a minute as I briefly explained my situation, before I continued my streetwalking past the BBC building, and up Portland Place to Regent's Park.

By now, it was starting to get lighter, and it was approaching 6 a.m. The park was closed, so I ventured down Marylbone Road, passing Madame Tussaud's, and then back down Baker Street. Still no sign of Sherlock Holmes' house at 221B. Made my way down Oxford Street, and now, on the brink of daybreak, I found myself in Hyde Park. They had a stack of wooden lawn chairs here, so I unfolded one and relaxed for awhile. Still a bit cold, so I didn't stay here very long.

Next I continued through the Serpentine to Hyde Park Corner. Next I passed by the Wellington Arch, Green Park, and marveled again at the numerous ducks and fowl congregated in St. James' Park (right). Amazing.

I took another stroll past Mrs. Thatcher's home, this time in the daylight, then finally made my way back to Victoria Station... stopping along the way at a small restaurant where I had a very nice English breakfast for only £2.65.

Next I decided to look for a grocery store to find some food that would get me through the return trip to Hull. I ended up walking down King's Road and through Chelsea (the place that Elvis Costello didn't want to go to...), as well as South Kensington, before finding a grocery store. Where do these people shop? I also walked past Harrod's along the way.

Well soon I found myself on Knightsbridge, which brought me back to Hyde Park Corner. Made my way down Grosvenor Place back to Victoria Station. This time I decided to stay close by, since it was finally getting close to the time when I could catch my bus. I went into a little shop and found a Spanish flag that I bought (something I couldn't find while I was in Spain. Odd.) Gathered my gear from the locker at Victoria Station, and I was at the bus station before 2, a half-hour before the bus left.

Finally, a chance for some extended rest!

But it was not to be. I took a few short naps along the way, and had a cup of chicken soup, which was nice. But I spent a good bit of the trip talking to the guy sitting next to me on the bus. Although I never got his name, I know his name must have been Bob. For some reason, he looked like a Bob to me. So he was Bob.

Well, the bus arrived in Hull a bit early (a little before 7 p.m.), and I caught a local bus (the fare had risen to 38p) back to The Grange. On the bus were Abbey and Cat, also returning to the Grange from their travels over Spring Break, so we chatted about where we had been until we arrived at our destination.

Boy, after all of that, I was glad to finally be back in my room! My only real meal of the day was that breakfast I had had back in London. Fortunately it was a filling as it was.

And then I saw Sid and J.P. when they arrived, a full day later than I had initially expected to see them. They were both relieved to see me, and then gave me a full account about what had happened.

It turned out that J.P. did come to the airport to meet me yesterday. Heathrow Airport, instead of Gatwick. The rest of the ordeal was simply us not crossing paths at the same time. Had I stayed at Sid's house, they did eventually return that evening.

It seemed like they were more worried about the situation than I was. At this point, with it all now in the past, I was OK with how things transpired. It turned out to be a much more interesting experience than I had anticipated.

Sid gave me back my bag-o-things that I gave her to watch while I was gone... and then J.P. hit bottom. We walked into his room and discovered that someone had broken into his first-floor room by smashing his window, then taking the stereo that was on the table next to his bed. Quite a bummer, especially since it wasn't insured. So the stereo that Doug bought, then J.P. bought from him, was now gone forever.

On the upside, I had a nice large stack of mail, including another package of Snappers from Millersville. So I reminisced with everyone, gave them some of the highlights from my month in Spain, then returned to my room.

Although you'd think I would've crashed at this point, I pulled out The Snappers and started reading them to get updated on news at Millersville. I finally fell asleep at about 2.30 a.m. - nearly 40 hours after I last had a night's sleep, crushing my old record of not sleeping, Camp Hill High School's "Wizard of Oz" cast party in 1986. Not exactly a record that I will be looking to try and break.

This has certainly been one of the most interesting days of my life, and quite an ending to one of the most interesting month's of my life.

Pictured top is a postcard that most accurately depicts the first half of this particular day!

***

• Number One Song in Britain This Week: "Like a Prayer" - Madonna
• Number One Song in America This Week: "The Look" - Roxette

Monday, March 13, 1989

From Hull to London to Madrid - the Adventure Begins ...

Whew! What a day! It all started at 7 a.m. when I woke and gathered my wares for a full day's journey to Madrid, Espana. At 10 to 8, I caught a local bus into town, but of course I caught one that was not going directly to the station (first time for that, of course.) So I got off the bus at the closest stop and walked about 200 yards with my large duffel bag to the bus station.

At first I had trouble finding the right bus, but I was able to figure it out in time, and climbed aboard for the journey to London. I got my first opportunity to cross the Humber Bridge... the largest suspension bridge in the world, and it felt like the bus was going to be blown over the edge, the wind was that strong.

During the ride I ate a sandwich, read some more of "The Satanic Verses," and enjoyed the scenery of the journey. The bus arrived in London, on schedule at 1.05 p.m. It was such a nice day I wished I had allowed myself a few hours - heck, a few days - here in London. But I couldn't, so I hopped on a shuttle that took me to Victoria Station, where I caught the Gatwick Express train down to Gatwick Airport. During this ride we passed by the site of the rail disaster at Purley - the crash that nine days ago killed 9 people. (Seems like lately I happen to pass by every British disaster site within a few weeks of the incidents.)

At Gatwick I checked in, had my baggage searched, and bought a sandwich before waiting an hour for my flight. At 3.55 p.m. the gate opened and a short while after I were on board the British Airways 737 bound for Madrid. It was a nice flight, and since the plane never really went too high in the sky, I was able to get a panoramic view of the South Coast of England, the English Channel, Northern France and Brittany, the Bay of Biscay and the Northern Spain landscape.

The flight arrived on time at 7.30 p.m. - a 1.45 flight (Spain is an hour ahead of Britain). After breezing through customs and getting my luggage without having to utter a word of Spanish, I met Viv, who was waiting for me at the gate. It was the first time I had seen her in three weeks. It was also comforting to know that I wouldn't have to worry about the fact that I speak practically zero Spanish.

After relaxing and chatting for a few minutes, Viv and I caught a bus back into the city, and I was able to catch my first glimpses of Madrid. The traffic was terrible, but at first glance it looked similar to many big cities I have visited before.

When we got off the bus, we were immediately challenged by the aggressive Madrid drivers as we made our way to the Metro station. We caught this train back to Viv's residence, which is located right next door to the Iraqi Embassy (and me with my copy of the evil "Satanic Verses" in my backpack. Oh no!)

When we got into the residence, I said my hellos (excuse me, holas) to my friends from back in Hull. They included Liz Ortega (Viv's old roommate), Kurt Dross, and Kurt's girlfriend Angie. Afterward we ate some dinner, then Kurt, Viv and I caught the Metro to try and find a cheap hostel where I could stay. Kurt said he knew of a cheap one, so we went there... the Hotel Garcia. It was cheap, and it looked a bit dodgy on the outside, but it was a nice room, and it was quiet.

After I settled in, Kurt and Viv left and I played some solitaire, listening to Neil Young, relaxing in a country that no hablo ingles. Following a busy day like this, I had no problem whatsoever getting to sleep.

Thursday, March 9, 1989

A Day to Work ...

I spent most of today putting the final touches on my essay so that I could hand it in tomorrow. Anyway, the day began like many others, with breakfast, and was followed by a trip into town, where I purchased my coach ticket - £12 return to London. That was a much better price than the £18 one-way fare by train using my student discount rail card. Quite a savings... worth the extra time it'll take for the trip.

While in town I also bought sore throat losenges, batteries, a Spanish Phrase Book, and shampoo, with just enough cash leftover to take the bus home. I averted near catastrophe when I accidentally got on the wrong bus. Fortunately, I was able to switch in time. I guess my mind was elsewhere.

Well, like I said, the rest of my day was dominated by writing my essay. I took periodic breaks, and I let Shannon the Hamster crawl around for a bit. She is getting quite tame. She didn't try to rip up the carpet and most of her efforts were put forth to try and climb up onto the bed or up my leg.

I worked on my essay until 3 a.m., getting all but the final two pages of my re-write completed. I even managed to do some late-night laundry in the process.

Pictured is an ad for the upcoming Macc Lads Tour, featured in Viz Comics.

Saturday, February 18, 1989

My 150th Day in Britain ...

Wow, did I sleep today! I awoke mid-morning to prepare for lunch, then go into town. I tried to get my Elvis Costello concert tickets, but they wouldn't accept my Access card for payment. I'll have to try again some other time.

Then Viv and I went to a Book Fair in town, which turned out to be more antique books than second-hand paperback books, but we managed to find a few we wanted. I bought D.H. Lawrence's "The Rainbow" while Viv bought "Jane Eyre" and "The Spanish Verses."

After we left the book fair we shopped around town some more, and I bought some batteries for my stereo before we caught the bus back home. After dinner we took a long nap (from 6-9:30 p.m.), and after we awoke we did an old favorite and visited Double Happiness for some sweet n sour chicken.

I worked on a mix tape for Viv to give to her before she leaves for Spain. Her last day in Hull is Monday. Fortunately, I should see her again in about three weeks. I also worked a bit more on the tape I'm making for my parents. Went to bed after midnight.

Oh, on TV today we watched some Saturday morning cartoons, as well as an episode of ALF (where he is mistaken for a burglar.)

In sports news, Hull City played Liverpool in the 1988-89 F.A. Cup Tournament here in Hull. Thought it might be interesting to catch that game, but decided to pass. It's the fifth round of the tournament, and 16 teams remain in the single-elimination tournament. Liverpool was clearly the favorite, but Hull actually jumped out to a 2-0 lead before falling to Liverpool, 3-2. That would've been quite the upset. I listened to some of the game on the radio. Shame... it would've been pretty cool to see the local team go deeper into the tournament.

Friday, February 10, 1989

Tour Tickets (and a "Tour Shirt") ...

Ah, Friday! Viv and I ventured into town to go to the downtown street market. One of the vendors there is a lady that will take a picture you provide for her and draw it on a T-shirt for you. Liz recently got a great shirt made of her hero, Freddy Mercury. I was impressed with its quality.

I decided it'd be fun to have a "tour shirt" made of my band Yokel. So I created a front and back design using our "Shut Up and Listen to Our Lousy Album" cover on the front, and made up some tour info on the back. Went into the market, found the lady, gave her the picture and placed the order. It should be done and ready next Friday. (Pictured: The drawing I gave to the artist)

After walking around a bit, I found a place that was selling an Elvis Costello Concert Ticket and Bus Transportation to the Newcastle City Hall show for £18. I'll have to see if I can get anyone interested in coming along to see the show.

We returned home for dinner, but then headed back into Hull to see a movie. This night we went to see "Short Circuit 2." It was entertaining enough.

After we got back to the room, I called my parents and talked to them for awhile. Then Viv and I hung out for the rest of the evening.

Tuesday, February 7, 1989

Spike: the Beloved Entertainer ...

With no classes on the agenda, I decided to sleep in today, but much later than I had planned. I did get up for some breakfast with Viv, but then I went back to my room while she went off to study, and I fell asleep until 12.30.

At 1.30 I walked into town and bought three more Peanuts books for my collection. But the main reason for my travels was to pick up a cassette of Elvis Costello's new album, "Spike: The Beloved Entertainer." Interesting album cover. Overall, I quite liked it. Viv didn't care for it. I'm looking forward to seeing his concert in Newcastle in May. That should be a great show.

I took the bus back from downtown Hull to the residence, ate dinner, and then Viv once again studied. I read a bit myself, then put aside the seriousness and went to visit J.P. I helped him make a tape for his friends, along with Paul. In one skit, Paul and I played Mujahadeen Rebels who mistakingly though that J.P.'s room was Kabul. It was spontaneous and quite funny.

That's about it.

Friday, January 27, 1989

A Plane to Spain? ...

Well, I woke up early again for my morning seminar with Roz Billington and the Social-Political Structures crew. Good fun, as always - a great way to prepare for the weekend.

Later on, Viv and I caught the bus into downtown Hull, where we proceeded to shop for essentials, such as the Elvis Costello songbook that I bought. OK, we bought some grocery provisions as well.

We also started to gather some information about travel to Spain. Next month, Viv's course in international business studies has her going to Madrid, Spain for the rest of the course year. Of course, it won't be much fun spending the rest of the year without her, but it does provide me with an opportunity to visit someplace new and exciting.

And it looks like it's all go for me! Conserve, conserve young warrior! If I'm going to pull off a trip to Spain, I'm going to have to really tighten the belt and save my money. But after crunching the numbers, I think it will be possible.

I still need to decide which is the best way to travel there... either by plane, train or bus. I may only have one option available to me, actually. Traveling by train or bus means going through France, and since Americans are required to obtain a visa to travel through the country, it may be easier to travel by plane... not to mention faster, even though it's probably more expensive. Sure, it's probably not too difficult to get a visa, but it annoys me that France is requiring that I do this, so I think I just want to bypass their country altogether... at least until they lift this absurd requirement.

Anyway, following our shopping bonanza, we returned to dine in the refectory, watched a little telly, and played with Shannon the Hamster for a bit. I got a letter from home today, with $25 in it. Thanks Mom and Dad! It's going straight into the Spain Fund.

One month ago today it was December 27. It doesn't mean anything, except that I was in Edinburgh.

Sunday, January 22, 1989

The Sunday After ...

I woke up (surprisingly) at 11 a.m. this morning. Felt relatively well, despite getting very little sleep. Ate a marvelous breakfast, and then read for awhile until it was about time to leave Dr. Morrison's house and head back to Hull.

Just then, Mike Unger (pictured) stopped in to see how the Burns dinner went. He normally goes to this celebration, but unfortunately he had to attend a dinner where Peter Ustinov was speaking. I do believe he made a good choice. One amusing thing he told me that was an utter surprise. Even though he attends the celebration of Scotland's most revered poet, and even though he's the editor of one of the country's largest newspapers, and even though he lives less than two hours from the Scottish border... Mike has never been to Scotland! That just seemed so impossible to comprehend. He's been to many places all around the world, but said it just never came up as a destination of choice. Wow!

Well soon after, Dr. Morrison and I left for Hull, and we only got stuck in one traffic jam along the way. Once we arrived at The Grange halls, Dr. Morrison joined me for dinner in the refectory. That was a sorry mistake, although he got a little sample of what I am forced to eat every day.

He left shortly afterward, and it was back to face the reality that I had a paper due tomorrow. So I began to work on the paper a bit later, with Viv graciously offering to help me, after watching an episode of "Cheers."

Hey, the Super Bowl was on today, and though it started a bit late here (time zone differences and all), I was still able to watch it on Viv's TV in my room, which was very convenient. We continued working on my paper during the game (and offering some explanations of the game of football to Viv.) We were actually able to get a lot of work done. The San Francisco 49ers beat the Cincinnati Bengals, but it was a very good game and won by only 4 points in the closing minutes - one of the best Super Bowls I've seen in years!

It was very, very late when the game finally ended (almost 4 a.m.), so when it was over I fell asleep.

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• Number One Song in Britain This Week: "Especially for You" - Kylie Minogue & Jason Donovan
• Number One Song in America This Week: "Two Hearts" - Phil Collins

Wednesday, January 18, 1989

'Say You'll Accept the Charges, Grandma!' ...

Today is my Mom's 40th birthday. Woke up early as I always do (Ha!) to have some breckie. Then went to my Geography class at 9.15 a.m. Following that we got a group together, and then went into town separately to see the film "Young Guns."

First Viv and I shopped around. I bought some provisions for Shannon the Hamster, as well as 3 blank tapes. We went to the afternoon show since it was only £1.20 for students with ID. It was actually quite good... certainly a better film than I expected... and rather violent. From what I've heard, its actually supposed to be one of the most accurate accounts of Billy the Kid's life made yet.

Well, we came back in time for dinner, and afterwards it was plop time in the TV room. We settled in, only to discover that Dr. Who's season had finished, so no episode was on tonight. They don't show reruns like we do in America, so once it's done, it's done. Later on we watched an episode of "Thirtysomething," which was pretty good. Compared to most of the soaps they show here in Britain, "Thirtysomething" has a considerable amount of substance.

Afterward, I called home to talk to Mom and wish her a happy birthday. Unfortunately, she wasn't home and Grandma wouldn't (or couldn't) reverse the charges. So I was cut off rather quickly and didn't get a chance to talk to anyone at home. I tried to call again a little bit later, but didn't have success and I gave up. I'll just try and call them again the next time I visit the Morrisons.

Viv and I took Shannon out for her daily ritual, and shortly thereafter the day thus endeth.

(Pictured: Statue of Queen Victoria in downtown Hull.)

Thursday, January 12, 1989

Photos Finished ...

Contradictory to my effort to control spending, I went into town by bus twice today. After my 2.15 Prose Fiction Class, I want in and picked up both J.P. and my film, as well as a cool flip folder photo album to hold my new pictures. In all, the bill was £32. Wow!

I returned home in time for dinner, and then afterwards spent some time putting the pictures in order, then showing them to people.

I thought a lot of my photos turned out quite nice from the trip. The photo album starts with my trip to The Wirral and Chester before Christmas, then to London, Brighton and Canterbury. I have a few photos from Christmas with Viv's family in Skegness, then on to Edinburgh, Inverness/Loch Ness, and then New Year's in St. Andrews. Also included some photos from Stratford-Upon-Avon, Plymouth and Penzance. Still a few slots left in the book...

Instead of doing my class work, a group of us decided to go into town to catch a film. We decided to go see "High Spirits," a bizarre but funny film starring Peter O'Toole, Steve Guttenberg, Daryl Hannah and Beverly D'Angelo.

I enjoyed it, and the theatre was packed (but it usually will be on £1 night.) Before leaving the theatre I swiped six of the free "Willow" posters that they had available in the lobby, then made our way back to the bus stop.

We finally got to the halls around 10.30 p.m. and, still not feeling like doing any work, Viv and I just spent the rest of the evening relaxing.

Photos: Some of the pictures I picked up from the photomat today: #1: The Tower of London; #2: J.P. takes a little nap on the train; #3: Urquhart Castle, Loch Ness; #4 (as written on the back of the photo)... Tourist Rick in front of Shakespeare's House, Stratford-upon-Avon, January 6, 1989.

Wednesday, January 11, 1989

Ninjas and Superspies ...

Woke up for breakfast and then headed to my 9.15 Geography lecture. Once that piece of necessary business was done, my classes for the day were completed and I had the rest of the day for myself.

J.P., Big Jon and I walked into Hull, stopping at a junk shop, where I bought a rare old Mike Rutherford 45 single record "Working in Line/Compression (non-album track)" for 40p. Great find! Then I priced various film processing stores until I decided to trust my pictures from my recent travels to Just Films. Next I mailed Greg Swartz his Letter of Massive Proportions, then returned in time (2 p.m.) to begin another adventure, this one involving "Ninjas and Superspies" with Colin and Barry. It's quite a fun role playing game, not too unlike "Top Secret." We stopped at about 5.15 p.m. for dinner, to resume again next week.

Forgot to watch Dr. Who again, making it four weeks in a row, so I guess the habit has been broken. Instead I began to read "Howard's End" by E.M. Forster for Prose Fiction class tomorrow.

Sunday, January 8, 1989

From Penzance to Hull ...

Woke up at 8.15 and went to eat some breakfast. I managed to lock myself out of my room in the process, but fortunately it ended up not posing any problems for me. I had a good breakfast, and afterwards I gathered my gear, paid my bill, and began my walk to the train station along the seacoast. (Picture #1)

It was a foggy day, and I was able to get a really good shot of the island, as well as a most unusal shot of a grocery cart in the sea (one of two that I saw... how does a grocery cart end up in the ocean?) (Picture #2)

Caught the train and relaxed. Not much to do really for the next nine hours but read, eat, play some solitaire and enjoy some of the scenery that southern England has to offer. Cornwall is a very beautiful part of England, I must say. I was really glad that I decided to make this a part of my vacation trip.

The train was filled with college students, no doubt doing the same thing I was doing... returning to their respective colleges and universities. The train arrived in London's Paddington Station at around 3.30 p.m., and at 4 p.m. I caught a train that was bound for Scotland. Of course, I was only riding it as far as Doncaster.

A little while into the trip, I noticed that the train was taking, for no apparent reason, a longer route through Lincoln. It ended up adding about an hour to my trip. So I finally arrived in Doncaster, but then had another half hour wait before the train to Hull arrived to pick me up.

I finally arrived in Hull at about 9 p.m., and was safely back at The Grange halls about 20 minutes later. There was no immediate sign of life, but it wasn't long before Viv stopped by my room, just having returned to the halls with her father and dropped off a few of her things.

I continued to unpack and unwind, and later, Viv joined me to wind out the evening. It was a great trip, but it's also nice to be back with friends and get things back to normal again.

(Pictures #3, #4, & #5 are all shots of Penzance.)

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• Number One Song in Britain This Week: "Especially for You" - Kylie Minogue & Jason Donovan
• Number One Song in America This Week: "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" - Poison

Wednesday, December 14, 1988

Rediscovering the Pubs ...

Dr. Whooooooo! Nothing to do today, so Doug and I went into downtown Hull so he could buy some more records (his last hurrah!) and I bought a scarf. We ate at McDonald's and then walked back to the Grange via the longer but more interesting Newland Avenue route.

We stopped at The Final Frontier comic book store, where I hoped to buy Batman #428, where Robin dies. It's selling for $25 already in the States, and it's difficult to find here in Hull. Fortunately, the graphic novel featuring all four books in the Death of Robin series was here, so I bought that, as did Doug. Came back to the room and read it... excellent! Did a good job expressing Batman's anger, vengeance and frustration.

After dinner, which was actually a pretty good Christmas meal of turkey and trimmings, we watched "Dr. Who," which was part one of the four-part series, "The Greatest Show in the Galaxy." It was alright, and has potential, but it could be botched, so we'll see. Well, I'll see. Doug is leaving in less than a week, so he'll miss the last three episodes.

Afterwards, I began writing up some Christmas cards, and a short time later, Sam (pictured) and I went to the Mainbrace Pub... it was the first time I'd been to a pub in ages, it seems. It was refreshing, for I'd almost forgotten how much fun they were. We had a great conversation, talking about topics like Christmas, movies, books, music, and other things. Sam is quite an interesting guy!

Came back at around 10.30 p.m. to finish writing out some cards, then passed them out. When I got to the door of St. Michael's, it was locked, so I waited until it was opened by the next person to use it... and that person happened to be Viv, who was coming over to visit me. She had finally finished all of her essays!

We went back to her room so she could get her Christmas cards, and we passed them out together. We talked to Doug a bit as well, then played some cards before I went back to my room for the night.

My "26-Day British Adventure" officially begins tomorrow.

Friday, December 9, 1988

Relief! ...

Eight years ago today, John Lennon was assassinated. The big story of the day in the news was a horrible Armenian earthquake, which may have killed as many as 100,000 people. But on the brighter side of things... I got my report finished!!! No more work until after Christmas break!!!

Doug and I went into downtown Hull for awhile, and I bought a pare of gloves, a newspaper, and some blank cassette tapes.

After dinner, Viv and I went to the offie to buy two bottles of wine, one of which we consumed this evening in celebration of my work being completed.

Watched "Bilko" on TV.