Friday, June 16, 1989

My Last Full Day in Hull (and the Parents Meet for the First Time) ...

I woke up early for breakfast today and spent the morning studying and preparing for this afternoon's big Social/Political Structures essay-exam. At one o'clock I picked up the exam question and - joy of joys - it was exactly the question I expected on the media (after I cleared up the topic with Ian Welsh).

Because of that, I was able to jump right in and work until dinner. We brought our food over to Jane's room to eat, where she gave me an early birthday card... one of the most creative cards I've ever received. (pictured is Jane's hand-crafted card, the outside and the inside.)

By the time my parents arrived in Hull at around 7 p.m., I already had 1,000 rough words completed. It wasn't until 10.30 p.m., though, that I picked up where I had left off and continued working on the essay.

Before I returned to my essay, I grabbed all of my things and packed them into Dr. Morrison's car, and then we waited for Vivienne's parents to arrive. When they finally came, it was quite an event. We checked my parents into their Bed and Breakfast (business card), chatted extensively, and brought a pizza back from Prima's to eat in my room. We were going to eat at the restaurant, but we were told it was going to be a two-hour wait for a seat, which didn't seem like something we wanted to do.

But it worked out. It was enjoyable eating in my room one last time, and talking to everyone. It was great that my parents got an opportunity to meet Viv's parents, and they seemed to get along quite well.

Well, at 10.30 p.m., Viv's parents had to leave for the ride back to Skegness, and my parents and Angie returned to their room for a night's rest. As for me, the night was still young. Unfortunately, I had to spend my last few hours here working on an essay.

During the evening Jane

Well, it went smoothly but slowly, and as midnight chimed in my 20th birthday (as well as Mr. Schofield's, as we both share the same birthday!) I battled to overcome chronic lethargy to finally complete what I consider to be my best essay... granted, it wasn't finished until 5.30 in the morning.

Zonked out straight away.

Thursday, June 15, 1989

A Last Night's Pleasure in Hull ...

This was a day to prepare for tomorow's big Social/Political Structures exam and essay. I'm not too worried about it, but I want to have lots of notes and a rough outline to work with before I get the essay question. I'm also banking that the question is going to be what I expect it to be.

I took a walk up to the Cottingham Road site, where I dropped off my room release form to Jo Sallis (I can't get my "hall caution money" back, since it was actually Dr. Morrison who paid it.) Then I stopped in the library there to do some studying. They have much better books on the media up at that library than back at the Inglemire Site.

Following a good study session, I checked out a few books to take back to the room, but detoured to the comic book show, where I bought Death in the Family, Part 1, for £2.50. I now have the complete set, and bought it for a grand total of £6.25 (about $10). That set back home is worth about $45. Quite a good deal, I'd say.

I tended to get sidetracked from studying when I returned to The Grange. It wasn't long before I found myself down at the pub with my mates (Sam, Jane, Barry, Helen, Sean-oh, and Martin) and not my false and shallow ones, who shall remain nameless. It was great enjoying a last night's pleasure in Hull. We went to the Haworth pub and it was quite fun.

We left a little prior to 9 p.m. to return to Sean's room and watch "A Company of Wolves," which is a very bizarre movie starring Angela Landsbury retelling the story of Little Red Riding Hood.

Following that, there was a party in St. Martin's Hall, though it was not radio broadcasted like the advertisements all around The Grange had suggested (pictured is one of the advertisements). I only stayed for a few minutes with Sam. I also talked to Chris for a bit, before heading off to bed. (Chris always wears a headband, which has led to the rumour that he has the word "Elvis" tattooed to his forehead.)

I had a clever moment today when I wrote a note to Sam inviting him down to my room for a coofee, using an old Ollie North poster of mine. He liked the note, even though he's obviously not the biggest fan of Ollie.

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.

Tuesday, June 13, 1989

Whoops! (The Sound of Jupiter Blowing Up) ...

I averted a near catastrophe today, simply by going to get breakfast this morning.

While talking to Buffy, she casually mentioned that she'd see me later on at the exam today.

Today?

I didn't say anything, but I thought the exam was tomorrow. So I went to check it out, and she was right! I warned J.P., who was under the same impression that I was, and we rushed over to the library to study. Fortunately, I had already gone over two of the topics quite well already, so it wasn't a major push to get prepared. but man, the exam could've passed me and I would not have even known it until it was too late!

Thanks Buffy! (And thank you, breakfast!)

The exam was alright, but of course, not without my complaints. The T.S. Eliot question was horrible and I mangled my way through it. I don't recall ever studying any other poems by Eliot, so I didn't know them. Even though the question asked for other examples, since I didn't know any of them, I just tried my best to apply everything to "The Waste Land." Admittedly, it didn't turn out too well. The other questions went reasonably well, so I'm sure I passed.

After dinner, I rewrote the lyrics to "Attack of the Killer Stinkbabies from Venus." Then I watched the news, and spent most of the evening watching TV (Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Moonlighting (final episode ever!), the news again, and coverage of the Royal Premiere of the new James Bond film, "License to Kill." From the clips I've seen, it looks to be a good one!

Sam and I again had coffee, and as I sit writing this at 1.05 a.m. GMT (7.05 p.m. EST), I imagine that my parents and sister are now at JFK in New York, preparing to board their plane. I'm quite anxious to see them. Haven's seen them in nine months. G'night!

Monday, June 12, 1989

Last Monday in Hull, Ever ...

Not another dull and boring day? Y'bet! Woke for breakfast, but went back to bed a minute later and missed it... figures. So I compensated, and after a failed visit to the bank (they are still not ready with my cashpoint card), I bought mounds of food on my Access card. Ate cheese and other delectibles with coffee 'n Sam (who just returned from home), and we caught up on some of the weekend's activities.

When dinner approached, I wasn't too hungry, but forced down some grub, because I knew that later on I would be hungry if I didn't eat now. Studied jolly hard for a good long time because "The Waste Land" is one hell of a difficult poem to figure out.

Watched a bad film with Sean Connery called "Zardoz" (Sam likes it), during which time Viv called me and we straightened out a few details. It was good to hear her voice again. I told her about her parents calling me, and that I still haven't received the money for the plane ticket. I hope it comes soon!

Finished watching the rest of the movie, then went back to Sam's room for a coffee, after which I tried to go to bed early, so as to have a full day tomorrow.

Sunday, June 11, 1989

A Few 'Classic' Songs Written Today ...

As per usual, today after breakfast I bought the Sunday Times and read it while listening to The Beatles' White Album. A good way to start off a lazy Sunday.

The warm weather has returned, so after lunch and an episode of "Lost in Space," it was time for a bit of sunbathing. I took a few photos outside, read some of my Viz comic, and soaked in the rays.

When I got bored with that, I came back to my room and felt inspired to write a few soon-to-be Yokel classic songs... brilliant tunes with titles such as "Fascist Tendencies" (inspired by the Tienamen Square massacre last week), "Attack of the Killer Stinkbabies from Venus" (inspired by schlock horror-thriller movies from the '50s), "March of the Stupid People" (inspired by stupid people marching), "A Violent End," "I Hate You You're So Ugly" (sort-of a follow-up to last year's "I Don't Like Ugly People"), "Dead Meat" and "Baby I Love You More than Beer" were among the many that emerged from this marathon music writing session.

The evening continued charming, with converations in Jane's room and a phone call from Viv's parents (they're coming to visit on Friday, but are unable to care for Shannon... oh what to do now?) I also did a bit more studying of T.S. Eliot's "The Wasteland" (a toughie).

At 11 p.m. I called my folks. All systems are go and they will be leaving for England in just two short days. Tonight I tried to go to bed a bit earlier than I have of late.

***

• Number One Song in Britain This Week: "Sealed with a Kiss" - Jason Donovan
  
  
• Number One Song in America This Week: "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)" - New Kids on the Block
  

Wednesday, June 7, 1989

Farewell, Guitar (And 10 Things I Still Worry About) ...

Woke up far too early, ate breakfast, and then at 9:30 a.m. took my Modern Prose Fiction exam. A few of the questions were not what I'd expected, and on the last question, I failed to catch one of the key instructions... that we were not to repeat use of any author more than once... and I did. Hope that doesn't mess me up too much. Overall, I think I did alright.

After the exam, which used all of the three hours I was given, I returned to The Grange to relax, eat lunch, watch the news, and talk for a bit with Jane. (Jane is pictured here in the center, along with some of her friends. Chris is sitting next to her, Vicki and Ian are standing to the right, and I believe the guy to the left was named Sean.)

Later, she bought my guitar from me for £25. A good deal for her, and a good one for me as well, as that is now one less thing I need to worry about before I leave England.

Here, however, is a list of the worries that I still do have:

1. What am I going to do with my hamster Shannon?
2. When am I going to get that letter from Viv with a check so that I can buy her plane ticket?
3. How am I going to get all of my stuff back home?
4. Money... though I'm not worried quite so much.
5. Exams
6. Housing and registration at Millersville next fall. (Will they get the registration form that I stuck under the office door?)
7. Finding some posters for Mrs. Rogoff, my former high school English teacher who gave me $20 for that quest before I came to England.
8. Finding a job when I return home.
9. Getting my cashpoint card back from Lloyd's bank before I leave here.
10. How can we get a Republican majority back in Congress?

This is pretty much in decending order, and I think I can let George Bush worry more about #10.

Getting back to the day's events, I got a letter from Debbie's parents, which was a nice surprise. That's about the extent of the rest of the day's events.

Tuesday, June 6, 1989

Armed Robbery at Barclay's Bank ...

I am in-between exams today. I had been collecting shilling coins throughout the year, since they don't produce them any more. I decided today to chuck in my shilling collection and just spend it. I bought food and a newspaper, as well as a stamp to send a letter to Rachel (I had to send it to Chris Mulvihill actually, because I don't have Rachel's address.)

Next I went to check on flight costs, and then I bought the Human League's 45 of "Human" with the instrumental version on the back. Scott and I will have to come up with a parody song when I get back home.

As I was walking back to The Grange, I witnessed the aftermath of an armed robbery that had taken place at the same Barclay's Bank that had eaten my cashpoint card a while ago. What a shame! (But I thought they didn't have guns in Britain!)

Returned to my room, relaxed, and honestly, I thought about studying. After dinner, and after watching "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" and "Moonlighting," J.P. and I studied for tomorrow's Fiction exam.

I broke away at about 11 p.m. to call my parents and finalize more plans with them for their arrival in just a few days. Unfortunately, they told me that Greg's plans to come to Europe fell through because he couldn't find anyone to travel with him. That's a disappointment.

Came back to J.P.'s room and continued studying until I fell asleep sometime after 1 a.m. I sure hope I studied enough.

Monday, June 5, 1989

'Half-baked' Geography Exam ...

Still haven't received that much-needed letter from Viv, or my cash point card from the bank. I did, however, get a package from Dr. Morrison with my photos from our trip to Wales. It was nice to take a look at them.

During the morning I studied the Geography reader that J.P. had dropped off at my room, I only stopped for a bit when Sam stopped by to chat briefly, and then when I went to the shop to buy a sandwich for lunch.

Then in the afternoon I took the Geography exam. The exam was a pain. I didn't feel that they gave us enough time to thoroughly answer each question. "Half-baked" is my phrase for the day. I'm sure I answered every question well enough to pass, but I could've done more. Geography will probably end up being my lowest grade.

That evening was spent relaxing. At 9 p.m. we watched the movie "Dune" on TV, and surprisingly about 15 people stopped in and watched, with very few people leaving before it ended. Of course, I loved it (5th time I've seen it), and after it was finished, Sam came back to my room and we had a coffee and a chat. He stayed until a little past twelve, at which time I suddenly found myself going to bed.

Sunday, June 4, 1989

Tiananmen Square Massacre, and the Death of the Ayatollah ...

Wow, what an eventful day, though not too much on my part.

Reports are that thousands of protesting students were shot dead in China, then hundreds of people were reportedly killed when a gas pipe exploded in Russia, destroying two trains. Oh, and the Ayatollah Khomeini finally croaked. I wonder where he is now?

As for me in my own little part of the world, I spent the day revising for tomorrow's Geography Exam. But the day started out when I actually woke up in time to grab some breakfast (insane!), then walked up and took out £5 to buy the Sunday Times and the new Viz Comics to read in the morning.

Ate lunch, studied, chatted with folks, hung up the clever Calvin and Hobbes study signs that I made, practiced a little guitar (I think I'm getting better), and then watched the events of the day on the news, followed by "The Cosby Show."

After all of that I called my parents for a further assessment on our itinerary for their impending arrival. Everything is still all go, and I'll call back on Tuesday to confirm a few more things. Nice conversation, though. I'm anxious to see them in person, and to talk to them free of charge! I also told Mom to call Greg and see what is up with him, and if he is still planning on traveling to England.

Studied more in the evening, hung about in Jane's room with the gang, and then let Shannon run about. That pretty much sums up the day.

***

• Number One Song in Britain This Week: "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey" - Gerry Marsden, Paul McCartney, Holly Johnson and The Christians (for the Hillsborough Disaster)
  
  
• Number One Song in America This Week: "Wind Beneath My Wings" - Bette Midler
  

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!

Friday, May 19, 1989

An 'A' on My Essay ...

When I woke up this morning I ate my breakfast, then trotted up to the Inglemire site, where I first talked to Roz about the Social-Political Structures exam-essay. She and I worked out a plan, I think I can deal with. I will get the exam when everyone else does, and then I can give it to Sam to hand in for me when I'm done. That will allow me to leave sooner that day.

Next I went to pick up my Literature essay - and I got a 64! An A! That means I have a good shot at getting an A in the class for the year, which seals up six of my credits - great! Only 24 more to deal with.

This day I spent mostly writing letters. I finished the letter to Deb, and then wrote letters to Doug and Scott, Scott's being written after buying some stamps, a sandwich, and while laying out in the sun, as it was yet another gorgeous day in Hull. I did manage a slight tan, but it'll need some more work.

I wonder what Doug Staz is doing right now? I don't know why that thought just popped in my mind. I haven't seen Doug since our trip to the beach after high school graduation.

After dinner I read a bit of Sky magazine and bought some Whitbread Best Bitter for the evening. Watched "Cheers" at 9 and "Roseanne" at half-nine, followed by various shows, ending with an episode of "Kojak."

A relatively slow day, and with nothing else to do, I went to bed.

(Pictured enjoying the beautiful weather are camera-shy Paul and Kenny, with three of the French students, outside The Grange halls.)

Thursday, May 18, 1989

Evening Coffees with Sam ...

I didn't have class until 2 p.m. today so I ate breakfast and then loafed about. I recopied a story I wrote last night called "A Second Chance." Not quite as good as my first story, and only half as long, but I still like it.

After noon I milled about until class, which was a review session for the Prose Fiction Exam. They had all of the Literature in Context essays corrected except for four of them... mine being one of those not finished. So I'll have to wait until tomorrow to pick it up.

Came back to the halls, wrote a letter to Greg and mailed it. Then after dinner I wrote one to Chris (I received Letter I from him today, two days after receiving Letter II. I also received a nice postcard from Viv.) and started writing one to Deb when Sam came over to my room. We talked over coffee, and I read him my latest short story. We discussed other topics of interest, I showed him my pictures of Spain, and then we went to visit Jodie where Sam picked up a map of Vermont.

Later, we traversed down the hall to Sam's room for more coffee, more conversation, and he organized an integrated assignment that he's been working on for awhile. It is nearly done and has been giving him a lot of problems... not to mention the other students who have to complete it. I didn't leave until 2 a.m., and went straight to bed.

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!

Sunday, May 7, 1989

Time to Hunker Down and Write. But It's a Lovely Day Outside ...

Well, today was the day to finally begin concentrating on my final essay of the year, on Thomas Malthus for Geography, before next month's exams. But there's plenty of time for that, so I walked down to the newsagents after finishing my letter to Larry and JoAnne, mailed it, bought the Sunday Times, brought it back and read it in my room while listening to The Beatles' White Album.

After lunch, it was so warm and nice outside that I took my books outside to work on my essay... and my tan. In the end, my tan didn't turn out too bad, but I got practically no work done on my essay. So after dinner I forced myself to stay in my room to work... only to be compelled to finish writing the rough draft of the short story I'm writing instead.

When that distraction was finished, I let Shannon out of her cage jumped into my books and wrote for the rest of the evening. I stopped writing at about 1 a.m., after getting about 700 words finished. Although it seemed to be going rather well after three cups of coffee, my throat was sore and bothering me, so I quit writing for the evening.

Today's fabulous quote is from Jodie Hafer: "I don't like Bloom County, because I don't understand it."

***

• Number One Song in Britain This Week: "Eternal Flame" - The Bangles
  
  
• Number One Song in America This Week: "I'll Be There for You" - Bon Jovi
  

Wednesday, May 3, 1989

I Can't Believe How Fast These Days Are Going ...

Today was an essay work day, so it will likely read boring, though I must say that it was a highly successful day.

I went to my 9.15 Geography Class, then grabbed some necessary books from the library and did some research there before taking a break and buying a jumbo turkey sandwich before returning my work to my room. The essay progressed slow, but each paragraph, in my opinion, was a mini masterpiece (he says, proudly tooting his own horn), which I pieced together in the end. Piecing together paragraphs to form a full essay is quite an unusual style for me to follow, but it seemed to work here for me.

I took a break to visit the library (some break!), watched a great "Buck Rogers" rerun (which I found out recently gets higher ratings here in Britain than a new episode of "The Cosby Show"!) From 11-12, Buffy stopped by and we chatted over coffee, her brain fried nearly as much as mine.

At 2 a.m., I had all but a conclusion written and pieced together, and satisfied with my work, which will determine my grade for six credits back at Millersville, I went to bed.

Needless to say, even though I feel pretty good about this essay, I'm still worried sick about it because of how much of my grade is riding upon it, because I've been disappointed by grades on essays I thought I did well on before, and because Donny might find something he just doesn't like about my analysis.

Still, I think it still shows a major effort. Tomorrow I type it up.

Tuesday, May 2, 1989

Another Beautiful Day ...

It was yet another beautiful day in Hull. It was as warm today as it ever was while I was in Spain, so while I did some work finishing up "For Whom the Bell Tolls," going to classes, and research for my essay, I soon succumbed to the weather.

Relaxed and played casual games of baseball before I returned to my room and dug a bit more into my Hemingway essay.

As you can tell, it wasn't a terribly exciting day, and yet another one without any post. Ate some dinner, watched a little TV, and then went to bed reasonably early.

Thursday, April 27, 1989

Disappointing Grade ...

I didn't do anything very exciting today either. Ate breakfast (I do seem to be getting up earlier these days so that I don't miss a meal, though!), took a shower, and then did some reading for the better part of the morning.

At 2 o'clock I went to my Modern Prose Fiction Class. It was on Evelyn Waugh, so I was familiar with the material. Following the class I was feeling pretty good about the essay I handed in a few weeks before on Waugh, because it seemed that I covered a lot of what he commented about during his lecture.

So it was even more disappointing when I received my final grade... a 54. My lowest Lit grade yet! Still not a terrible grade (translates to a C+/B- in American terms), but very disappointing.

Apart from that, nothing of any great significance happened today. Viv was supposed to call, but our phone is conveniently broken, so we have no way other than post to contact each other. Sod it all!

Tuesday, April 25, 1989

Sometimes it Snows in April ...

I woke up early for breakfast again, and post finally arrived (first time since Friday!) I only received my bank statement, however, which told me what I pretty much already knew.

I read Hemingway for most of the morning, then attended my classes. Geography was alright, but as usual it was highly disorganized. Before Social/Political Structures I spent an hour in the library reading, during which time it snowed for a few minutes. (Hey, Prince is right... "Sometimes it snows in April.") It was the first time in ages that I saw any snow close up.

Social/Political Structures was alright - only just enough to keep me attentive. Afterwards it was back for some more reading "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (I'm actually quite enjoying it) before dinner.

After dinner I partook in a little television, some reading, taking care of Shannon the Hamster, and rearranging my room a bit to give it a little fresh change.

Not much else to mention about today. If you have been reading this straight through, this part must be immensely boring.

Monday, April 24, 1989

A Six-Month Anniversary ...

Woke up early enough today to grab some breakfast. I spent a good bit of the day reading "For Whom the Bell Tolls" for my Literature class, after taking a morning walk up to Cottingham Road (pictured), taking photos for The Snapper. When I finished with the roll, I put it in an envelope with other various items for The Snapper folks and mailed it. I also bought some food and coffee at Grandways to keep me going.

Class at 3.15 was alright. We talked about T.S. Eliot's "Murder in the Cathedral." I've been pretty much reading the books that I want to lately instead of the ones I'm supposed to be reading. I spent the rest of the evening reading, until about 9 p.m., when the movie version of Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" came on TV, which I watched.

Shortly after the movie ended, Viv called me. Today is the six-month annivesary of when we officially started going together (October 24), so I was glad we got a chance to talk for awhile on this day. We covered a number of topics, such as plans for her visit to America this summer, and of course, how much we miss each other.

Viv is going to call me on Thursday and I'm going to get her some flight information. Following our conversation, I went back to my room, let Shannon the Hamster run around a bit, and then read a bit more of Hemingway to close out the evening.