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.

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).

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)?

Sunday, March 5, 1989

Spooky Messages from Beyond ...

Again, I set my alarm for 8 a.m., but still missed breakfast after turning off my alarm. This time though, I woke up a bit earlier than I did yesterday. No real necessity to wake up that early, though, because everyone else was still asleep anyway.

After lunch, as I so often do on a Sunday afternoon, I watched "Lost in Space." Then a little while after that, we got a group together to play a rousing game of Risk. We also built a Ouija board today, following a theological discussion, and we got some strange messages from someone apparently named "Elleanor Cunom." Lee and Johnny both accused me of moving the pointer, but if anyone was pushing it, it wasn't me. Whatever the case, it freaked out a lot of people, especially when it referred to the Bible when we asked if it had any messages for us... John 3:16 - not the most original of verses. However, she said she was in Hell, so perhaps we should take that verses' advice.

Anyway, following dinner, it was much the same as yesterday, hanging out in St. Hilda's, though I did go back to my room for awhile to work on my report a bit and read.

We watched the first part of "Billionaire Boys Club" starring Judd Nelson. I had watched it in '87 when it was on TV back home, and I thought it was pretty good, so I wasn't opposed to watching it all again. When it ended at 12.05, I headed back to my room and went to bed.

Pictured is the outside window of my bedroom at St. Martin's. It was a prominent location right along Beverley Road... perfect for displaying my large photo of Ollie North.

***

• Number One Song in Britain This Week: "Belfast Child" - Simple Minds
  
• Number One Song in America This Week: "Lost in Your Eyes" - Debbie Gibson

Friday, March 3, 1989

10 Days Until Spain ...

Today started another low-cost weekend for me. I went to my Social/Political Structures seminar, which was on the media, so I was able to contribute quite a bit to the discussion.

After class I walked into the library (next door) and checked out some books to begin my Literature essay on Brecht. I also played a lot of Blackjack in Kenny's room today.

That evening, everyone went out, but in the interest of saving money, and because Viv was going to be calling, I stayed in and worked on my essay. I read "Mother Courage and Her Children" while waiting, as well as watched an episode of "Cheers."

When Viv called, she had a bit of bad news. She found out that I would not be allowed to stay at the student residencia where she was living, so now I would have to find my own place to stay while I was there. Considering I'll be there 28 days, that could be rather expensive. I may have to rethink what I'm going to do.

After Viv and I hung up I went and watched "The Twilight Zone." Then, as people began to return for the evening, I hung around with John and he bought me a pizza... which had pepperoni, but also mushrooms. I hate mushrooms. But I was hungry, so I scraped them into one corner of the box... and gave that corner to Paul, who was more than happy to eat them.

I spent the rest of the evening in the Common Room, where Lee, Lorna, some other girl and I sat, talked, and watched "Batman" until 4 a.m., at which time I shot off to bed.

Monday, February 20, 1989

Emotionally Draining Day at The Grange ...

Today I helped Viv pack her things, then we waited for her parents to arrive and take her home, where she will stay until flying down to Madrid to continue her studies. We exchanged our goodbyes when they arrived, and by 2 p.m. they were off to Skegness.

I went to my Poetry and Drama class thereafter, but as you might expect, I wasn't really into it today.

After dinner I hung out around St. Hilda's, where I played cards with Kenny, Lee, and Little John. It wasn't long before I found myself out £1.50.

I watched some TV for awhile, and later on Viv called me from home to tell me that everything was OK with her. Came back to the TV room and watched "Kiss of the Spider Woman" starring William Hurt, which was an excellent film.

Afterwards, Sam (pictured) invited me over for a cup of coffee and we talked for awhile... which was great. We always seem to have interesting and topical conversations. I really needed that distraction today.

Eventually, I made my way down the hall to my room for some sleep.

Monday, December 26, 1988

A Lazy Boxing Day ...

Another late rise for me today. I woke up at about 11 a.m. and had some breakfast. Viv and I went for a walk to the beach early in the afternoon. It was a windy but beautiful day outside. I was able to get a lot of really good black-and-white photos of the area.

After buying The Daily Express newspaper and a blank tape, we returned to Viv's house and ate some lunch. I then made a tape of various songs from the "Now That's What I Call Music XIII" album Viv's sister received for Christmas.

Later on, I got a call from Dr. Morrison. An old friend of his and her husband, who live in Edinburgh, have graciously offered to let J.P. and I stay at their home during our travels, and so we went over the details about our impending arrival tomorrow.

After watching James Bond's "Octopussy" on TV, I called the Granthams to confirm my arrival and let them know when we expected to be there.

Afterward, Viv and I played a game of Scrabble. I won the first game we played, but she beat me this time around. Only the second person ever to beat me at the game (the first being Little Johnny, who's amazingly good.)

Then it was time to take a hammering at Monopoly. We finished that game at about 1.30 a.m., when I finally went bust. Viv, who took over playing for her Mom, won the game.

Next I gathered my stuff together for my journey to Edinburgh tomorrow, then went to bed.

Pictured: #1: I'm relaxing along the beaches of Skegness. #2: Another view of the coastline. #3. The Daily Express newspaper that I purchased this day. Obviously, the Pan Am Flight 103 tragedy was dominating the news coverage... although there was still room for a photo of young Prince William and his cousin!

Friday, November 25, 1988

Another Fine Day in York ...

Woke up to the thunderous sounds of J.P. pounding relentlessly on my door until I responded. So now that I was up, Viv and I went over to the refectory for some breakfast, and then it was time for another trip to the city of York.

J.P., Doug, Neil, Little Johnny, Viv and I caught the bus to York. It was a really nice day for the trip, and I was able to get a number of really good photographs. Shortly after we arrived, J.P., Neil, John and Doug broke away because they wanted to hit the pubs, and Viv and I didn't, so we were on our own for the day.

After stopping at the bank, we went to the Jorvik Viking Centre museum (which I liken to "Hershey's Chocolate World, but with Vikings and a Less Pleasant Aroma.") It was an interesting museum (I had been there with my high school group in '87), and there was no line to get in! When I went in '87, there was a huge line, but being a group, we were allowed to cut to the front.

After that, we ate at Wimpy's, and then hit Record Mania, where I found another Genesis single that I needed, "It's Yourself." I also bought some rock postcards to hang in my room, as well as a "Steamboat Willie" postcard and a copy of "The Times." We walked around the different shops, walked through York Minster (much less crowded then the last time I visited), and went to the York Art Museum.

After the museum we walked along the wall surrounding the city (farther than I walked last time), and then just perused the town until we stopped at a cafeteria for some dinner. After that, we casually walked back to the bus station, where eventually we met up with the rest of our crew.

So we waited for our 5.45 bus. And waited. And waited.

Finally, we were told that the bus was not coming and that we'd have to take an alternate and much longer bus route back to Hull. This was caused by an East Yorkshire Bus strike, so we did what we had to do to get home. We had some very interesting conversations with other passengers on this bus, and a "relieving" stop for some at the bus stop in Driffield, where we changed to the bus that would take us back to Hull. We finally made it back to Hull around 8 p.m.

Turned out the bus drivers had gone on a wildcat four-hour strike, right around the time we were needing their services. Convenient, huh?

Little John let me use the record player in his room so I could listen to my new record and the "Sussudio" EP I bought a few days ago. He played some Macc Lads as well. Afterward I returned to my room to rest and write, and spent the remainder of the evening with Viv.

*****
(Pictures: Top photo, is a narrow street known as The Shambles, which dates back to medieval times and featuring several small shops. York Minster is in the background. Second photo, a flamingo table at the York Art Museum. Note photographer in the mirror. Third photo, Viv outside York Minster. Fourth photo, the wall surrounding York. I will include other photos of York over the next few days, since not much happened photo-wise during that time.)

Saturday, November 19, 1988

A Record Day ...

Woke up at 10 a.m. to head down to the big Record Fair. Might be the last one Doug gets to go to. Doug and I gathered our weighty pound coins (always feels good to have a pocket full of them in your pocket... I'm now quite used to using those coins instead of dollar bills) and left to go crazy downtown.

It was a singles day for me at the Record Fair. I bought two Genesis EPs ("Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" and "Mama"), a Peter Gabriel EP ("Don't Give Up"), and a core of 7" singles... 15, to be exact. Nine of them were The Police, and five were Sting... they were all singles that had non-album songs on the B-sides and were hard to find nowadays. The other single that I got was Captain Sensible's "Wot." It's a great song from the early MTV days, but I could never find the song until I came over here. Awesome!

We left the show and headed to the bank so that Doug could refuel, then it was off to Cottingham Road, where I bought a newspaper and some chicken kiev at Haworth Fisheries. While we were walking back, we saw Little Johnny, Big Jon, J.P. and Paul walking on the other side of the road, heading to the bus stop to go to Beverley. I asked Little Johnny if it'd be OK if I borrowed the record player he has in his room so that I could play some of the records I had been purchasing. He said sure, then tossed his keys across the busy four-lane road, and I made an absolutely spectacular catch.

I returned to my room just as Viv was arriving and she began to do some school work while I ate my chicken (garlicky!) After eating, Doug and I went into John's room (a very trusting lad he is!) and we took turns playing the records that we had acquired over the past few months. "Twilight Alehouse" was first... an interesting old Genesis tune. I like it. The biggest disappointment was the Genesis "A Trick of the Tail - Outtakes" record. Interesting stuff, but the quality was quite poor. I guess that's the risk you take with a bootleg.

After awhile I returned to St. Martin's to take a shower while Doug remained in the room listening to his records. After dinner I returned to Johnny's room and I was able to tape some of my records. So I can now listen to some of the music I had purchased. Stuck around until Johnny returned, and hung around a bit more to listen to some of Johnny's music. He was very interested in letting me hear a band called The Macc Lads. Very rough and vulgar, but pretty funny at the same time. Their song "Beer and Sex and Chips and Gravy" was quite entertaining. This is what my band Yokel should be more like.

A bit later, we went down to the telly room where we watched "Time Bandits," one of my all time favourite films. Enjoyed that for a good couple of hours, and afterwards Viv and I returned to my room for the rest of the evening.

Sunday, November 13, 1988

The Yank Scores a Goal

I woke up about mid-morning today and caught a few cartoons on the telly. After lunch, J.P., Big Jon, Little Johnny and I, along with a few others, went up to the Cottingham Road site to play some football (the English variety, of course!) The game was going well for awhile, and we were quite close, the score being 5-4, thanks in large part to a great performance by our star goalie, Turlek. I even scored one of our goals! How sweet is that?

But then Turlek decided that he didn't want to play goalie anymore, so he came out and J.P, Little Johnny, Paul and I were left to circulate in the position. It was not good. Twenty minutes later, the game got out of hand and we lost, 12-4. Yikes, what a joke. It was fun, though!

I walked back to The Grange, only to remember upon my arrival that I had left my room key in J.P.'s room, and J.P. had gone from the game to a pub, so I was locked out. Viv hadn't returned from her trip home yet, so I didn't really have anywhere else I could go. I sat in with Doug for awhile, then visited Sid for a bit. Once J.P. returned, rather than head right back to my room, we decided to have a brief water battle. After those shenanigans, I returned to my room, and after dinner I rested in my room, awaiting Viv's return.

At 8.30 Viv arrived with her parents from Skegness. She brought along with her some pictures of her home, growing up, etc. So that was pretty cool to see. Later on, we watched "The Breakfast Club" on TV. Always a great film to watch. Fell asleep finally around 3 a.m., exhausted from the day's football match.

***

• Number One Song in Britain This Week: "Orinoco Flow" - Enya
• Number One Song in America This Week: "Bad Medicine" - Bon Jovi
  

Saturday, November 12, 1988

A Day in York

Oh what to do today, with Viv not around. Managed to wake up relatively early, about 9.00 a.m., got dressed and showered (though not actually in that order... see, this is why I need to write my journal in pencil!) But we had some fun planned... a group of us were planning a trip a bit north to the City of York.

I had been to the city back during my Camp Hill High School class trip back in the spring of 1987, and it was one of my favorite stops along that trip. So I was looking forward to returning... back then I had no idea I would be returning so soon. That was probably the moment where I started to think that I'd like to someday come back to Britain and study so that I'd have more time to spend in places like this.

Anyway, at about noon we caught the city bus, which meandered from Hull to York. It's about 40 miles away, and we finally arrived at about 1.30 p.m. The train would've been faster, but the bus was much cheaper. For a couple of poor college lads, the bus was the best option.

Once we got there, we walked around the various shops for awhile until Big Jon, Paul, J.P. and Littly Johnny went to a pub. Doug and I decided to continue walking around the very picturesque town, taking in the very crowded sights and sounds of York (lots of Christmas shoppers already!)

We went into York Minster, and it was very impressive. However, I felt that there were just too many visitors in the church at that time to really enjoy it. I did get some nice black-and-white photographs outside of the minster.

Afterward, we walked along the wall that surrounds York, during which time we crossed paths with the rest of our group. Doug and I then walked down the steps off the wall and walked around town some more, taking in more of the sites of York. When we have more time (Our next trip here will likely be on Nov. 25), we will be able to take in more of the sites.

I bought a cheap Mike + the Mechanics EP, "Nobody's Perfect," for 99p, and the sheet music to The Proclaimers song "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" so that I could practice it on my guitar back in my room. But later, as we were on the bus home, I realized that the inside page was missing, so I didn't have the full song. Bugger all!

Anyway, after walking around York a bit longer, Doug and I found the train station where we were to pick up the bus. We grabbed some dinner there while we waited for the rest of our group to arrive, and I also bought a copy of "The Times." We caught the 5.45 bus and headed back to Hull, where we finally arrived at about 7.30 p.m.

After returning, I took a brief sortie out to Double Happiness for some delicious chips 'n gravy, over to the "offie" to buy four cans of Tennent's Lager, as well as a bottle of Cloberg (Yugoslavian wine) for later use.

Later, we had a casual, less intense water battle, which ended when we decided to retire to the television room in St. Hilda's to watch the Eddie Murphy-Nick Nolte film "48 Hours."

Afterwards I returned to my room to write my latest article as the foreign correspondent for The Snapper. It was a criticism of the IRA, the Irish Republican Army. It may ruffle a few feathers. Well, good night.

(Photos: #1 - Me along the wall in York, near York Minster; #2 - York Minster, as seen from the wall; #3- Doug in York; #4 - A street artist paints a portrait on the sidewalk in York.)

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)

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!

Monday, October 24, 1988

‘…it was a Monday…’

Well, this day was significantly less confusing… thought not at first. It didn’t really get started until noon because I was sick, and also because I didn’t really have anything else to do. I grabbed some lunch at the refactory and slowly got ready for class.

We went to Poetry and Drama class, where J.P. were placed in a group with a girl we thought looked like Margaret Thatcher. After class, we went for dinner, and then I went up to see how Liz and Viv were doing. Viv (pictured) was, again, very friendly toward me (platonically, folks!) Liz was doing a bit better, but basically still hurt from losing that guy she really liked.

Later I left the room and traversed the halls a bit to visit others, but afterward I returned to my room. It wasn’t long afterward that Liz stopped by again, and she and I had another lengthy discussion. However, it was during this visit that Doug stopped by to tell me that he had talked to Viv and told her where he stood, and that he was not interested in being any more than friends, and that his feelings wouldn’t change.

Well when he left, it gave Liz and I an entirely new topic of discussion. (I had since told Liz of my affection for Viv.) She then left my room to return to her own and talk to Viv, while I remained in my room.

After awhile I was shanghaied by some friends to join in a game of Scruples in Bits’ room, but I took a detour first to pay a visit to Viv. That may have been a mistake. She was in a confused but not quite upset state, almost angry at how many people knew about her dilemma. It was an awkward situation for me, being in that room at that time, and I really wasn’t quite sure what to do.

A few awkward minutes later, we all left for Bits’ room for that game of Scruples. Viv and Liz didn’t play, but Paul, J.P., Bits, Sid, Little John, Lisa, Neil Roberts (from south London), Irish Johnny (from Ulster), and I played. Sid was the eventual winner. During the game, Viv and Liz left to visit some other friends. After hanging out in St. Hilda’s for awhile, I wrote a note to Viv and Liz inviting them to stop by my room if they so wished, and placed it on their door.

Sure enough, a little later on, a tap came on the window and it was little Liz. When I went out to let her in the building, I saw Viv walking down the hall. They both came into the room for a little while, but then Liz left. It was then that Viv told me she had changed her mind about us. Needless to say, I was very happy to hear that. Things are looking pretty good right now. Cheers!

Monday, October 17, 1988

Big Decorate the Room Thing

Since our only class is at 3:15 p.m., I only woke up around 10 a.m. The day started at about 10:30 a.m. with Doug and I walking down to Newland Avenue to hit the bank, Herby’s Deli, and Tony’s Textiles, where I bought some things to liven up my room. That included a set of curtains for my windows, a sleeping bag to use as a blanket for my bed, and a red cloth to cover my light (giving it a softer, reddish hue). Got that idea from Doug. Now my room looks pretty sharp. (You can sort-of see some of the design in the B&W photo of the room, including the curtains and comforter.)

At noon Doug and I went downtown so that Doug could buy Duran Duran’s new album “Big Thing” – the album he has been anxiously waiting for. He bought the album on cassette, and then we shopped for about an hour and purchased some other necessities for our rooms.

After we returned from our “Big Thing” excursion, I set up my room with my new items, then headed over to Doug’s room to listen to the new album. I thought it was very good, so I’ll have to tape it from him. Following that, we went to our class, and then went for dinner.

At 7:00 p.m. we planned another Risk match. With six teams playing (Kenny joined my “Flamingo Empire”), we began our quest for world domination. After several glorious battles. The board was down to three remaining players: J.P., John (now known as “Little John,” to avoid confusion with Jon Whalley, or “Big Jon.”) and a severely weakened Flamingo Empire. However, J.P. and Little John underestimated us and chose not to wipe us out, instead choosing to knock each other around in the hopes of dealing a fatal blow.

Quietly, we won a few minor battles, collected our Risk cards, and slowly rebuilt an empire in the Americas. At around 10:30 p.m., we cashed in another set of cards for additional armies, and that enabled us to conquer the world!

Doug, who had left the room when we were weak and assumed we would be wiped out in short order, returned to find us on our final rampage, and was quite shocked at the turnaround (though he said that he kind of expected something like that might happen.)

After that, I visited Viz (Viv and Liz) briefly, then went back to the gang in St. Hilda’s before returning to my room for some sleep.

Wednesday, September 28, 1988

'Coast-to-Coast': The Journey to Kingston-Upon-Hull

Woke up this morning ready for the big coast-to-coast journey (which is not quite as daunting as it would be in the U.S.!) Ate some breakfast, brought my bags downstairs, took some final photos of the Morrisons, bid farewell to Dave and Fiona (who turned 18 today), and Dr. Morrison and I were off!

Our first stop was in the town of Disley, near Manchester, where we picked up Doug Schoener at his exchange parent's home. After loading his gear in the car, we had a tedious trek from Disley back to the motorway, which was plagued with construction. However, once we opened up on the motorway, it was non-stop at 90 mph... well, that is, until we stopped for food.

The scenery along the drive was marvelous, and quite different from what I am used to seeing along American highways. We passed by old farm houses, picturesque moors, and even a rainbow at one point added some vibrant color to the scenery. It took us about two hours to get from Disley to Kingston-Upon-Hull ("Hull" for short), and eventually came upon the largest single span suspension bridge in the world, the Humber Bridge (a toll bridge that I was told loses about 1,000,000 pounds a month in interest fees. Nice investment!) It was not long after that we approached our living quarters, The Grange... the residence where Doug and I will be living during the next year. I am living in the building called St. Martin's, and Doug is in St. Michael's. As soon as we got unpacked, Dr. Morrison bid farewell, I thanked him for his hospitality and generosity, and he drove back to Neston for Fiona's birthday party.

The excitement I'd been feeling up until this point gave way to a sudden feeling of unsureness. Not so much with me as it was with Doug. This was not what he was expecting at all. Check-in was fine, but he (and to a lesser degree, I) were not quite sure what was in store for us. The Grange Hall of Residences, where we were appointed to live, was not quite as nice as what we were used to at Millersville. The size of the room was OK, and it was interesting that there was a sink in each of our rooms, but it was an old, converted convent building with very outdated fixtures. There were actually three separate buildings, and right in the middle is an active church.

Well we decided to give it a chance and went for a meal at the dining hall (edible, but just barely), and then prepared to head to the College's Disco. From there, things started looking up again. Although it was very crowded, we were able to meet a few people and get a taste of the student night life in England... quite a change from a dry campus like Millersville, where open, school-sponsored alcohol consumption was not a part of the experience.

We met this bloke from Suffolk, John Heather, and after awhile decided to take off and head to a quieter pub, where we had a nice chat. Things continued to look up at this point. "Take it as it comes," I reiterated to Doug. "Then you can never go wrong."