Tuesday, May 23, 1989

Almost Won 2,000 Quid! ...

Today I thought of a good quote Doug once said... well, actually it was from Bloom County. But we used it the night before we left for England, and for awhile it was sort-of our catchphrase for awhile:

Doug: "Hey Dewey, pass me a donut."

Rick: "It's not my job."

If you must know what it means, you need to read more Bloom County.

Well, today was a marginal success of a day, though it is sure to be overshadowed by tomorrow. I spent a bit of the morning in the library typing part of "The Feast" until I got tired of doing that and sat down to read The Times. I checked my stocks in the stock game I'm playing to see if I won, and I came incredibly close to being £2,000 richer. I needed to score +25 or better with my six stocks. With my first five stocks, I had a +26 score, and only needed that last stock to not move at all. Unfortunately, that last stock was a -6, bringing me down to +20. So close.

Next I went and picked up my Geography essay from Mike Walton, and I got a 60, which now gives me an even more solid B in the class. I am currently holding what I believe to be 2 A's and 3 Bs in my classes, which is brilliant! I still can't be sure, though, and I still have four more exams to take.

Anyway, following that and the news, J.P. and I walked up to Cottingham Road to hand in our course selections for the fall at Millersville. We were given the run-around, so we both ran separate errands in the meantime (I checked on return flights for Viv) before we just handed in our course selections under the door.

I then went to Lloyd's Bank and discovered that I had a £200 overdraft available. Nice! So I took out £20 and sent my Access bill. I also bought a turkey salad sandwich before returning to The Grange.

A lazy evening was spent taping music, watching "Moonlighting," and talking to Sam for several hours while listening to some New Age music, taping it for him at the same time. Good conversation, of course. I didn't get to bed until about 2 a.m.

I am wired for tomorrow!

Monday, May 8, 1989

Malthus Essay Due at 3 ...

I arose bright and early to eat some breakfast, take a shower find no mail awaiting me yet again, gather my books then go to the library to put the final touches on my Malthus essay.

It went rather well, and by noon I had completed a rough draft that I was pleasantly satisfied with, so I took it to the typewriter, and by 3 o'clock I handed in my final copy.

I bought myself a well-deserved candy bar in celebration of the completion of the essay, and then I went up to Poetry and Drama class for a discussion on Bertolt Brecht, which was OK.

Returned to The Grange for dinner, and afterward returned to my room to begin writing the final copy of my Twilight Zone-esque short story, "The Feast." It's basically about a man who dies, and must complete a simple test to prove himself worthy of entering Heaven, and all he must do is eat a meal. Of course, it has an ironic twist to it. I hope to make it the first in a collection of short stories. It's going to be fun doing this, I think. Hope I stick to it.

Later, Buffy stopped by my room and we talked for a bit, and then I went into the telly room with Sam and the others to watch "It Came from Outer Space," a low-budget 1950s sci-fi movie. We then watched a rather boring episode of "Miami Vice," ordered a ham pizza, and then watched (and trashed) "Prisoner of Cell Block H." Afterward, Sam and I returned to my room for a coffee and chat.

I did receive my registration materials from Millersville University, so that will give me something to do. I showed Sam the registration materials and tried to explain the process to him.

Sam suggested I bring any of my original writing along when I come visit his home this weekend. He said his literary group is holding a meeting on Thursday and I may get a chance to join him. Great! I informed him that I could premiere one that I've been working on. It'll be good to get some feedback.

Today's fantastic quote: My harsh reply to Jodie not understanding Bloom County, "The reason you don't understand it is because it is written on a fourth grade level." Ouch! That was uncalled for!

Saturday, April 29, 1989

Phone Calls from America ...

This was a day of not leaving The Grange Halls, so you know that it's going to be an exciting entry in my journal! Not too bad of a day, although I spent most of it on my own.

During the day I finished up my letter to Viv and started making a tape for her, to commemorate our six-month anniversary (a little bit late, but it's the thought...)

While I was writing the letter, I got a phone call from Greg back in America, which made my day. Among other things, he said that he was going to be going to Millersville University in the fall, so we are planning (and will) room together next year. That was great news!

Other news was general Camp Hill gossip, movies, his plans for coming to Europe (now tentatively June 10th), and music, which was highlighted with a discussion about The Who reunion tour, of which he has 10th row seats to see them in Philly this summer.

I went back to my room after the extensive call and completed the first side of the tape for Viv before dinner. After dinner was TV time, and at 8 p.m. watched yet another Charlie Chaplin film, "The Circus." Sentimental, pathetic and immensely entertaining, as all of his movies with The Tramp are.

Following that, an episode of "The Young Ones" was on, but we actually opted to watch something more serious, the World War II drama "Escape from Sorbibor." It shocked many of us into the harsh realities of Jewish treatment in Concentration Camps. It was a true story about the only successful mass escape by Jewish prisoners, and it was brilliantly done. The film shocked, disturbed, and enlightened me, and I really felt good in the end when they were escaping and had killed several of the Nazis. Excellent.

The film ended at midnight, which is when I went back to the phone to call my parents and discuss various topics, including their plans to visit me at the end of the term. Final dates have been set, and they will be arriving at Heathrow on the 14th of June, and we will all be leaving to head back to America on June 23. It's a bit shorter than we originally planned, but still plenty of time to show them England (Scotland will not fit in.)

Of course, we discussed various other tidbits about home to keep me informed on the goings on. The Pennsylvania Lottery jackpot is at $115 million, the highest ever for a U.S. lottery, and the second highest ever in the world. Gee, what I could do with that kind of money!

Following our talk, I returned to my room, and although it was late, I was not tired and decided to finish up Viv's tape, then listen to it in bed. Didn't get to sleep until after 3 a.m.

Sunday, March 26, 1989

Mixing It Up with The Old Man ...

Woke up very late today... 1 p.m. in the afternoon, to be exact. Played a few games of Patience before Easter lunch. It wasn't much to scream about... some icky bean and potato casserole followed by a pretty good steak and chips (as in potato chips).

Spent most of the afternoon on the terrace writing postcards, reading The Satanic Verses, and acting silly. Dinner was sandwiches... great.

Viv and I played umpteen games of Gin Rummy, and for quite awhile she was clobbering me. Then we played a first person to 10 series and I narrowly beat her, 10 to 9.

Following that, we got together the students in the Residencia for an international game of "Up the River, Down the River." For our international French and German friends, I ran the game in Spanish. So now I still can't speak the language, except to play this drinking game (and to order mas pan y mas agua, por favor... more bread and water, please.):

• "Tres bebe dos." (3's drink two [times])



• "Nueves regulan cuatro" (9's give four)

Well that was all fine and dandy, but just as the game was breaking up, The Old Man came up to the room to complain about the noise. After he left, everyone except Viv and me (who are broke until the banks open again on Tuesday) left for a pub. We cleaned up the room a bit, interrupted by The Old Man three times (one time he told us that the lady next door had called the police).

We're still not sure if he suspects that we aren't brother and sister.

Well, the evening didn't end there, no siree bob. When everyone returned from the pub at about 2 a.m., we sat in the room talking and making coffee when The Old Man came up again and yelled that we should be in our own rooms and in bed by midnight.

On this point, Kurt (pictured right) blew up and began a spirited argument with The Old Man. In the room at the time was Angie, Raquel (who had just returned earlier today from Germany), Geronimo (cool French dude who looks a bit like my friend Bill Lattanzee back at Millersville, and who later hit it off with Raquel), the guy whose name escapes me but looks like Lou Diamond Phillips and my friend Duncan Campbell from Camp Hill High School mixed together, Viv and me.

Well, after the row, I went downstairs to Dave's room, my place of residence for the evening, and after getting rid of a cockroach, I went to sleep.

Pictured above: I am leading a game of Up the River, Down the River with the students at the Residencia. Note that I have my trusty Spanish translation guide to make sure everyone understands what to do. The second photo is of Kurt, celebrating... who knows? Sunday? Both photos are courtesy of Vivienne King.

***

• Number One Song in Britain This Week: "Like a Prayer" - Madonna
  
• Number One Song in America This Week: "Eternal Flame" - The Bangles


• Eurochart Hot 100 Singles This Week: "Like a Prayer" - Madonna (it hit #1 this week, and would stay there until June 10.)
  

Wednesday, March 15, 1989

Beware the Ides of March ...

Woke up bright and early again, and Viv stopped by so that we could make our way again to the little bakery across the road for an inexpensive breakfast. We traveled by Metro back to the Residencia and as they all left for their lessons, I remained behind once again on Viv's bed, this time to write some postcards to friends at Millersville.

When I finished writing post cards, I started writing "A Day in the Life" for Michele back home. I thought it'd be a nice way to give her a snapshot of what a typical day is like living in Hull. I was in the process of writing this letter when everyone returned for lunch, which was pretty good if you like fish.

Following lunch, Angie, Raquel and others continued to hunt for a new flat... and some of the French students weren't shy about it at all. They were looking at places in the paper right in front of the owners of the Residencia... the owner is a throwback from the Franco Era, very stern and disciplined. Also, apparently, rather cheap and a lover of fish.

After going to the bank, Viv and I took the Metro to El Retiro (pictured above), a large park located right in the center of Madrid. It was a beautiful day and we were able to take off our jackets and enjoy the sun, the trees, and everything about the place. My only complaint was the large concrete road that cuts right through the center of the park. In Retiro you can rent boats, enjoy an outdoor lunch, even have gypsies read you your future, or as we did, lay in the sun and relax for awhile.

There's also an art museum in the center of the park, but we didn't go in, because foreigners are required to pay admission (Spaniards are not). Strange. (Pictured below is the building we did not enter.)

After a relaxing afternoon in the park, we ventured back out into Madrid and took in other sights. We marvelled at many of the buildings and stopped at one of the dirtiest cafeterias I've ever been in. I've been told that in Madrid, cleanliness is not next to godliness.

We weren't exactly sure where we were at this point, until we happened to stumble upon Gran Via. So we returned to my room for a bit before returning via Metro to the Residencia for dinner.

After the meal I caught a few minutes of an episode of "ALF" dubbed in Spanish. That was an interesting experience. He's quite popular here, but it looked strange to me being dubbed. From what I saw, I wasn't able to identify what episode it was. Also interesting were some of the commercials. Apparently, nudity is OK to sell products on prime time television in Spain.

Later that evening, Viv and I left once more for Gran Via, and I got an early bed tonight.

Wednesday, February 1, 1989

Rick's Cafe ...

For the first day of February, and since we had no classes today, J.P. and I made our way into Hull by walking through the shops along Newland Avenue. Our goal was to buy some of the books that we need to read for Literature class, however, we ended up buying everything but.

I found a great poster from "Casablanca," featuring Humphrey Bogart, Paul Henreid and Ingrid Bergman standing in front of Rick's Cafe Americain. (Editor's Note: This poster, now framed, still hangs in my living room.) I also bought four Peanuts books, the remaining James Bond books I needed (Casino Royale, From Russia with Love, Octopussy), and various other provisions. It was a good sortie, despite failing on our intended targets.

We took the bus back to The Grange Halls, and there were these two knobhead kids sitting in front of us who almost got their necks broken. However, we decided against this action since there were legal implications and we did not wish to create an international incident. Returned home with our contraband, and soon after headed off for dinner.

After dinner, when I probably should've started reading "Mrs. Dalloway," I instead began to work on a new tape for Chris Mulvihill and my friends at Millersville University.

At 10.15 p.m., Viv and I went down to watch "Thirtysomething" on our hall's new huge color TV. Took care of Shannon the Hamster, then went to bed.

Friday, January 13, 1989

'Individuals Pursuing Their Interests' ...

Today is the start of what has to be a strictly budgeted weekend. Fortunately, this is more easily accomplished when you have an essay to complete.

I started the day with my Social/Political Structures seminar, which was actually pretty good. Then I went to the library, read the newspaper for a bit, and then began research on my essay for Social/Political Structures. My subject is the role of the individual in society, based upon a quote by Margaret Thatcher:

"There is no such thing as society. Society does not exist. There are only individuals pursuing their interests."

I worked diligently until about 3 p.m., when I returned to The Grange to take a break and relax, and see what everyone else was up to. Ate another "Thanksgiving Dinner that Could Not Be Beat," in the refectory, then returned to the room to get my notes a bit more organized for the essay. I was also able to finish reading "Heartbreak House" by George Bernard Shaw for my Poetry & Drama class, before Viv stopped by and we put our work aside to settle down for the evening.

Everybody probably thinks I'm some kind of a bonehead because I don't go out much anymore. But what can you do when you're counting your pennies?

One cool thing this evening, somebody must have picked up one of my letters from the mail table by mistake. At some point this evening a letter from my friend Michele Beauchamp back at Millersville University was slipped under my door. That was a nice bit of a surprise!

From Michele's letter:

Here it is, finally, a letter from me...

I'm glad you like it there so much. What do you think about Doug coming home? Did you talk to him much to find out what was going on? ...

I thought about you a lot this semester. I wanted to write or something, even started a few letters, but got tied up in something or other and never finished...

The only tapes I listen to anymore are the ones you made for me before you left and the Genesis albums you taped. Although I don't know any of the names because I never wrote the song or album names down. Silly me.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that even though you're not physically here, parts of you are lying around, bothering everybody...

This semester has been really awful. I had to take features editor at The Snapper - against my will - I really hate it. I can't write the way I want because I don't have time... As an added plus, I had to get used to my R.A. job. That took a lot out of me. I almost got fired because of an investigation Shannon did for the paper on security in the dorms. I wasn't involved at all, but Resident Life said I should have told them there was going to be an investigation, then a story, so they could have been prepared, which would have defeated the purpose...

I really enjoyed those articles you sent. They were well-written and took up space beautifully. Thanks! Keep them coming ...

Remember Steve Miller? No, not the guy with the band, the guy who teaches English at Millersville. He will be teaching a course on the Bronte sisters at Humberside this summer, and I'm pretty sure I will be taking it. I'll only be there for three weeks, but I'm pretty excited. I think the course begins sometime near the end of July...

I hope the holidays went well for you. I'm assuming you were with Glen's family... I hope you are taking care of yourself. I miss you and think of you often. Write if you get a chance.

Thursday, December 8, 1988

Snapper Day! ...

Got my first shipment of The Snapper, the Millersville University student newspaper. Man, it was great to get that package! Thank you, friends at The Snapper (Shannon and Michele, mainly). J.P. and Doug also enjoyed taking a look at life back in Millersville (where Doug will be returning in a month), and I got to share a bit of American college life with Viv through those pages as well.

*Reading the paper* Heh heh, good old Dan Waterman, still sparking a furvor on campus. My first week as a freshman last year, he got me involved in a protest of Joe Biden when he came to campus during the Judge Bork hearings. Then Dan caused near riots last year when, as a student senator, he voted against school funding for Veritas, a gay and lesbian organization. It wasn't so much that action that caused the firestorm (since the measure passed overwhelmingly), but rather the letter to the editor he wrote following that vote that got everyone on campus fired up. Well, it looks like he's bringing it up once again!

Reading the papers made me start to miss some things about Millersville. Can't get a good greasy Sugar Bowl stromboli around here! I also got a letter from Grandma in the mail with Christmas money... $25 (or, after fees and exchange rates, about £2 - a joke!) That'll come in handy.

Blew off class in order to work on my report (and read a few Snappers). I spend a good deal of my day working on the report, and I got the rough draft finished, as well as the first two pages of the final draft. I spent the rest of the day doing this, with breaks to see Viv.

Wednesday, December 7, 1988

Halloween in December? ...

Pearl Harbor Day... although for George Bush it was three months ago (ha ha!).

I was planning on spending the day working on my Geography report, which is on the subject of the Central Business District. So I went to the library and got some books out and did some writing, but not too much. Hardly any, actually. I'm not really worried, though.

I got the package from my Grandma Reitz that I was expecting (finally!) It was postmarked Oct. 13. Good old quick service, huh? Her package had a Halloween card in it, as well as a lot of food (hooray!) (Pictured is the letter I received from Grandma, after I told her the package had not yet arrived.) I also got a letter from Shannon (my friend from Millersville, not my hamster.)

I ate a bit for dinner, then I hung out with Viv for the evening. Shannon is doing great (my hamster.) So is Shannon the person (from Millersville.) Maybe I should pick less confusing names for my pets.

Watched "Dr. Who." It was the third and final installment of "The Silver Nemesis."

Friday, October 7, 1988

The Big London Tour Thing Begins

Karin’s birthday is today. I woke up with visions of London in my head. Doug came in to my room (yes, it turns out he had a good time at the party last night) and we got ready for our trip. Again, it was windy as we walked up to the Cottingham Road site to check with Dr. David Foster and see if our food checks were in, to cover the cost of our lunches (which Millersville University room & board covers, but Humberside does not). The checks were in, so we went to the bank for some money.

With £80, some change, and the weekend ahead of us, Doug and I departed for London. At the bus stop we met Sindy Bajaria, or Sid as she is usually called, took the bus into the Hull Train Station, and then caught the noon Intercity train to London. Thanks to the BritRail Youth Pass we picked up yesterday, thee ticket was £25.75 return, as opposed to £39.00 without the pass. It’s already paid for itself!

After a changeoff in Doncaster, we arrived at King’s Cross station, about three hours after leaving Hull. From there, Sid went to her home outside London, and Doug and I headed down to the Tower Records in Piccadilly Circus.

The big purchase of the day, and one that put a smile on Doug’s face, was tickets for the Duran Duran “Big Tour Thing” concert, scheduled for December 23 at Wembley Arena. (That’s his favorite band.) Tickets were £12.50 each. I also bought the Talking Heads album “More Songs About Buildings and Food” on cassette for £2.99.

Once we left Tower Records, we began to walk wherever around London, ending up on Oxford Street. After dining at a Wimpy’s, we went into HMV Records, where I purchased both albums by The Proclaimers on cassette – their new one, “Sunshine on Leith,” and their first album, “This Is the Story,” for £5.99 and £2.99. That’s one of the bands here that I’m really starting to like a lot. From there we continued to walk blindly, where we stumbled upon a Virgin Records Megastore, where I bought a cool Genesis book for £2.50.

At about 7 p.m. we decided to head to Sid’s house on the outskirts of London, where we were staying for the weekend. At Victoria Station we caught the 7:30 p.m. train (£3.20) bound for Longfield. Sid picked us up there and drove us back to her house, where we spent the evening watching the telly, eating rice, chicken & curry. The three of us talked for awhile, and at one point Sid asked Doug and I if we minded sleeping together. We had a good laugh at her odd wording.

Not long afterward we went to bed to get a good night’s sleep for our “big day” in London tomorrow. After talking to Doug about various topics, we finally fell asleep.

Sunday, October 2, 1988

Discovering Double Happiness

The day began for me around 10:30 a.m., with Doug coming to my room to see how I was doing. Apart from my sore throat, I was fine. Doug (pictured in his room) also mentioned to me how depressing his room is. I am trying to cheer him up, but it’s difficult when the person doesn’t seem to want to be cheered up. But then again, I still think this phase will pass him in a week or two.

Around noon Doug and I went to lunch (which they actually do serve here on Saturdays and Sundays), and it actually wasn’t too bad today. The biggest problem I have is the fact that we are limited in our portions. I was used to Millersville, where you go in and eat until you are full. Here you are given a budget, and if you go over, you have to pay the difference. As a result, I couldn’t even afford the bread and butter to go with the meal, which was quite frustrating.

We were originally planning to make a trip up to the City of York, but we decided to take it easy instead and just hung around the residence. One thing I did was fulfill my promise to start running, and so I joined Karen on a four-mile run, which is quite a distance to start running the first day back. Needless to say, she is in much better shape than I am, so I was completely unable to keep up with her. Oh well, the important thing is that I keep up with it. I also did something that I was never able to really do before… run a well-paced final mile after slowing down to a walk. I guess that’s something.

I came back, took a shower, ate dinner, and then fell asleep for awhile. I was awaken some time later by three girls (named Jo, Jane and “?”), who came into my room and started talking to me. It was quite odd, but after awhile I was finally coherent enough to figure out what was actually going on. So we all sat and talked for awhile, during which time two other girls, Sara and Louise, came in to talk as well.
A little later on we all went over to see Doug and J.P. to see if they were interested in heading over to the Welcome Back Disco being held at the Student Union (about a 10-15 minute walk from the Grange). When it became apparent that Doug and J.P. were planning on staying at The Grange, the group of us (minus “?”) headed over to the Disco. That turned out to be good fun, and I saw several people that I now knew, as well as some that I met for the first time that evening.

Aftter dancing and chatting a bit at this dance, we decided to leave and walk over to the nearby Hull University Union. It was much bigger, but also much more crowded. In fact, it was annoyingly overpacked, so we didn’t stay very long. It was a nice complex, however.

Anyway, I left with Louise and Sara, and we headed back to The Grange. Sara was wearing her Bros. jacket – “rubbish music” as she calls it. I have to agree with her on that one). But before returning, we stopped at Double Happiness, a Chinese take away restaurant located a few blocks from our residence... and at that moment defined my new staple in the food department… chips ‘n gravy. Chips ‘n gravy from a chinese restaurant are outstanding! We finished the walk around the corner and back down to The Grange, where we each returned to our respective rooms for some sleep.


****

• Number One Song in Britain This Week: "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" - The Hollies
  
• Number One Song in America This Week: "Love Bites" - Def Leppard
  

Saturday, October 1, 1988

Beverley, and "How About Some Coffee?"

It was another amazing, fun-filled day. Woke up much later in preparation for our visit to Beverley, a small town about 10 miles north of Hull. Doug and I took the bus into town, and once we arrived proceeded to walk through the shopping district. We had to wait awhile to enter Beverley Minster because a wedding was going on that the time. Actually, we soon found out it was the largest wedding ever held in Beverley Minster, as over 600 people were in attendance. (Who knows 600 people?)

We shopped until noon, when we found a pub to have some lunch. Doug and I both had chicken kiev, which was excellent. I'd never had it before, but now it's one of my favorite dishes. Afterwards we shopped a bit more, where I bought a mug (now I have two for coffee with guests in my room!), tacks for my wall, Q-tips and more candy bars. I can't get over how inexpensive candy bars are over here. I've been buying Twix bars for about 18p (roughly 25 cents each) whenever I see them.

Doug and I trekked back to Beverley Minster (pictured above, with Doug admiring the main entrance), and with the wedding now concluded, we were free to walk around for a bit. Although it wasn't quite as magnificent as Chester's Cathedral, it was still very impressive. We walked inside andh outside, snapping several pictures (naturally) of the outside of the minster. After that, we caught the bus (one way trip cost 1 pound 5 pence) back to Hull. It was about 3:30 p.m. when we left Beverley, and when we returned, I was rather tired. So after a meal at the Grange, I came back to my room (located in St. Martin's one of the three buildings that makes up the Grange) and slept for awhile.

I awoke at about 8 p.m., wrote a bit in my journal, and then went to J.P.'s room over in St. Hilda's (the building on the other side of the Grange) for a little get-together he was having. Doug was there, along with David Hart, one of the students from Juniata, and a few other folks. We sat and talked for a bit, but then decided to take the party on the road. We eventually stumbled onto a gathering in a room on the second floor of St. Martin's. There were just a few people there, but after we showed up, more people began to come in and out, including the hall resident assistant, Steve. To be drinking in a room, with the RA right there drinking with you, is unheard of at Millersville! In addition to having a conversation with Steve, I met a lot of people here, including two guys named Alex and Ian, a girl named Jane, and then Karen, who is from Bristol. She came to the party later, and I started a good conversation with her after finding out that she's a long distance runner. Having run cross country for four years at Camp Hill High School (and not at all ever since), she sparked my interest in finally getting out there to run again.

We talked there for awhile, but when several rugby players arrived, it got annoying, so I unsed my new catch-line, "How about some coffee?" And she accepted, so we headed down to my room for some coffee and continued conversation. Again, I discovered that she is also a conservative, which provided for some interesting conversation. As we were sharing our various running stories, she invited me to join her on a run tomorrow, which I gladly accepted. That should be good. If I have someone to run with, I can do it, so I'm jumping at the opportunity. I just hope I can keep up! I think it will take me about two weeks of continuous distance running to get back into shape. Anyway, I was glad to meet Karen (another attractive, intelligent, interesting and friendly girl.)

After I left and returned to my room at about 4 a.m., it took me very little time to fall asleep. Well, tomorrow's Sunday, so it should be peaceful. I just hope that Doug cheers up soon. Between J.P., Doug and myself, Doug is having the roughest time adjusting to life here. Perhaps he's just trying too hard, but I think he'll adjust in due time. "Take it as it comes," I reiterate.

Friday, September 30, 1988

Good German Girl vs. 'Bad Taste Disco'

Woke up early for breakfast to get ready for a little time in Hull. After a shower and some toast, Doug, J.P. and I hopped a bus to center city Hull, which we found to be a pretty nice section of town. When we arrived, we went through the various shops and took in the scenery. Through the course of the trip, I bought a much-needed towel and washcloth, as well as a cassette tape at the HMV music store: Elvis Costello's "Out of Our Idiot." That's a hard one to find in the U.S. - a collection of mostly previously unreleased songs.

We ate lunch at Wimpy's, a fast food restaurant named after the famed Popeye character (and referenced in the Genesis song "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight" - "...chewing through your Wimpy dreams.") After that it was a leisurely walk through town. The last shop we went to was a fabulous Army-Navy store. Doug bought a flag and a pin, and J.P. bought a hat and a Soviet-type pin. I didn't buy anything on this trip, but I'm sure I will be back.

We caught a bus back to to the halls, where we then went out to open up our bank accounts. The school brought in representatives from various banks who were clamoring for the students to open their accounts with them. They offered various incentives, from 10 and 20 pounds, to a fancy filofax to organize your life (they are all the rage here.) I went with Lloyd's Bank, as did Doug. They just gave us the filofax, but I quite like it.

I then went to the International Students meeting, where we learned all about how to be normal. We then ate dinner, came back for the rest of the meeting, and then went to a reception. The reception was very nice. I got to meet a lot of people from abroad, but the highlight came when I met two girls from Germany and one from Holland. I sat and talked to them for awhile, their names being Karin, Suzanne, and Liesel-something (it became "Lisa"), along with Doug and J.P.

Doug and J.P. then left for the "Bad Taste Disco" event, of which I also had a ticket for, but chose instead to stay behind and talk some more, promising to catch up with them later. However, that was not to be the case. The four of us went in Karin's car (with the steering wheel on the normal side!) to get some pizza. Then we took it to Sue and Lisa's flat and ate it with some wine. One thing I've learned is that over here they eat pizza differently. Instead of slicing it, they cut it into bites and eat it. Odd.

On Monday when we ate pizza during our pub crawl in Chester, I sliced it and ate it like a normal pizza, and they found that to be odd. But they ate it the same way I did as well. (Oh, another humorous memory from the pub crawl that I forgot to mention before: Dave offered me a bite of his pizza, which I appeared to fulfill, but then at the last second took a monster bite, leaving him almost no pizza. I wasn't even hungry at that point, but hey, anything for a laugh. Anyway...)

I sat and talked with Karin, Suzanne and Liesel-something about anything and everything, but mostly on cultural differences, the Olympics and horrible landlords. After a couple of hours there, Karin and I left the flat and I was faced with the choice of going to the Bad Taste Disco, or just going home. After a frustrating decision-making process (and noticing that Karin's car arial has been bent up), I decided to return home. When we arrived at the Grange, I invited Karin in for some coffee and she accepted. It was only when we got to the room that I realized that I only had one mug (The Beatles "Blue Meanies" mug that I bought in Liverpool), and no spoon. Fortunately, she drinks her coffee black, because I didn't have any cream and sugar, either. So, being forced to improvise, I made coffee, gave her the mug to use, and stirred the coffee with the opposite side of my toothbrush. In the end it worked out fine and served as a humorous memory of this evening.

We continued to talk for about an hour more, during which time I learned that she was also a conservative (they're everywhere!) We talked a bit of politics, travelling, and whatever else we could think of until she had to leave. Since neither she nor I has a telephone, we could only exchange addresses. Turned out to be a great evening... looks like I made the right choice in taking a pass on the Bad Taste Disco. I wonder how that went?

(Photo taken by J.P.: Doug and Rick take a moment to rest near a fountain in downtown Hull. The backstory on this picture: Back at Millersville, Doug saw a photo in the exchange student brochure of two travelers in this pose, it was his goal to recreate that moment for himself.)

Thursday, September 29, 1988

Coffee with One Cool Cat

Six a.m. this morning marked the one week anniversary of Doug's and my arrival in England. I woke up around 8 a.m. to wash up for breakfast. Hey, having a sink right here in my room is quite handy! After breakfast we met up with Dr. David Foster, along with the other American students at Humberside College of Higher Education, to prepare us for life at the college. We met a few nice folk from Juniata College (located about 2 1/2 hours from Millersville)... one in particular, Katherine (Kat), whom I talked to for most of the walk on our way to see Dr. Foster.

After a briefing on life in Hull (pictured is the park at Queens Dock Avenue in downtown Hull), we were assigned to teachers who were to prepare us in our course load for the year. After a few discussions and some confusion on what we should be doing, I was able to come up with what I thought was a pretty decent academic schedule... three literature courses, a Social/Political Course, and an Introduction to Geography Course. Doug took on the same schedule, since we determined that it was perfect for us.

Once that was finished, we walked around the campus and surrounding area, eating lunch at a pub (since the college does not provide lunch for us, like Millersville does... they give us a cash equivalent so that we can buy lunch, though it's barely enough to buy an insufficient lunch here.) We then bought coffee and newspapers, and just basically mulled around Hull.

Together with Doug and fellow Millersville student John-Paul Cardoso (a.k.a J.P.), who lives in Conshohocken, near Philly. I had briefly met one night last spring by chance at a Millersville University in an apartment just off campus, but hadn't seen since him again until our arrival here in Hull. We headed to a store and bought some posters and putty to decorate our rooms. So they are now a little more decorated. Now I need to find an AC adapter to that I can plug my stereo into a British outlet and not use so many batteries.

After dinner, we gathered a group of Americans (and one Spanish-Englishman) and trekked off to a pub. I started with a lemonade (it's fizzy here), and Doug, J.P. and the Spanish-Englishman (whose name escapes me) disappeared. So suddenly I was the lone Millersville student left with the Juniata students. No problem, though, and soon after, Kat, Buffy and I left the pub to return to the Grange halls. Buffy went back to her room, while Cat came back to my room for some tea. I got to use the coffee maker they provided for us in our room for the first time, though just to make hot water.

Kat and I sat and talked for about two hours, covering just about anything and everything we could think of. I found her to be pretty cool, quite charming and easy to talk to (not to mention, she's quite attractive.) She left my room a little after 10 p.m., and then I did a little writing to catch up my journal.

I still have no idea where Doug and J.P. got to that night. Oh well, I got along just fine without them. I'd say things are looking pretty good so far here in England.

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."

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!

Tuesday, September 20, 1988 – 3:30 p.m.

The Adventure Begins…

I arrived at Doug Schoener’s house in Yardley, PA in preparation for our departure to England the next day, where we will be studying at Humberside College of Higher Education in Hull. We made our way to Thatcher Travel, where we purchased plane tickets on British Airways bound for Manchester, England. It was slightly north of our projectorate – Heathrow – but it should actually work to our advantage, since Manchester is closer to Doug’s European parents (Mrs. Richmond), and just east of mine (Dr. Ian Morrison) in Liverpool.

Dr. Morrison’s son, Glen, arrived at our house in late August in preparation for his year in the United States studying in my place at Millersville University. He was a nice fellow, and very artistic. From what I can tell he has in interest in pursuing his art after college, and has the skills to pull it off. Hopefully he’ll benefit from a year at Millersville.

Back to today, where our biggest concern is our luggage. We had to pack for a full year in the space allotted by the airlines, and we’re not sure all of our stuff is going to meet those restrictions, plus concern about hauling our heavy baggage from here to our final destination. Let’s hope luck is on our side. I’m going to have my parents ship a box of things over to me that I won’t need right away.

At the “last supper” with my parents at Doug’s house, I bid them farewell until they visit me over in England, hopefully, next summer. It’ll be the longest time I’ve gone not seeing my family, so that will be a huge adjustment. But wow, what started as a casual conversation with Doug along the banks of the pond at Millersville last spring has turned into a reality. Little did I know that when Doug mentioned to me that he was returning from a meeting for students studying abroad that I would end up joining him on the adventure. But he caught me at the right time. The weather was warm and sunny, classes were a bit of a drag, my relationship with my ex-girlfriend Deb was coming to an (amicable but obvious) end, and it just seemed like the right thing to do. I guess we’ll see.

I spent the rest of the evening conversing with Doug about what we hoped to see and do while we were in England. His friend Lara stopped by a bit to say farewell. “Love and adventure,” as Doug says, referencing the Pseudo Echo album. “Take it as it comes,” as I say, referencing The Doors song.

(Photo: Back home a few weeks before Rick departed for England are (from left to right) sister Angela, Rick, Exchange Student Glen Morrison, Mom, and Buster.)

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• Number One Song in Britain This Week: "A Groovy Kind of Love" - Phil Collins
  
• Number One Song in America This Week: "Don't Worry, Be Happy" - Bobby McFerrin