Tuesday, May 9, 1989

Creative Writing ...

I got mail! I got mail! The Snapper staff sent me some materials, including three more papers and two letters, so I looked through them this morning.

I only had one article, divided into parts, on life in Hull, England. Although it now looks poor and irrelevant to anyone who doesn't know me, I still qualified for a blurb on the front page. And my first photo was published as well!

After reading I took a shower, then began work on completing my short story. I was intent on finishing it, so I passed up the Geography seminar to do it. No loss. It ended up being about nine pages long.

Then I went to Social/Political Structures class and sat next to Sam, listening to a prophetically bad Ian Welsh lecture on slightly-to-the-left-of-socialism topics that annoyed me. It was not good. Sam was OK with it, though.

Returned to The Grange to show J.P. the Snappers, then we lounged about outside, getting caught in Big Jon's water battle. After dinner I wrote for awhile and then watched "short news," since the BBC is on strike again.

Went up to Buffy's room and talked to her for awhile, and then at 9 p.m. watched "Moonlighting" followed by "Thirtysomething" in St. Martin's. After that I found Sam, so I talked to him awhile over coffee, and I premiered my story to him. He seemed to quite like it, saying that it held his interest throughout. I was happy.

I went back to my room at midnight and began to write my next story, titled "Night Train." Hope it turns out as well.

Today's fabulous quote is from a slightly drunk Sid (pictured above), while at a pub talking to locals: "I'm a student - I know everything!"

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.

Sunday, April 23, 1989

Carbon Copy ...

Today was a virtual carbon copy of my lazy Saturday. Watched "Lost in Space," read a bit more, played some cards with Kenny (pictured), and put together the last bits of my final letter to The Snapper, which included an article I wrote on the Hillsborough disaster.

Later that evening, we all sat in the TV room and watched the movie "Tom Jones." Man, I sure hope things pick up around here soon!

***

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

Saturday, April 22, 1989

Watching Loads of British Telly ...

A little bit of baseball was not to be today, as rain washed away any hopes of that. Today was pretty much a lazy day with more TV, dream of doing school work (I skimmed through one Spanish book), and general nothingness.

That evening, J.P., Sam (pictured in his room) and myself watched loads of TV, including "Yes, Minister" and "Not the Nine O'Clock News." Then they both helped me put the finishing touches on a cassette tape I am making for the gang back at The Snapper in Millersville.

Things got dull after that, so I came back to my room and fell asleep. Oh, how I wish I had some money!

Wednesday, April 12, 1989

How to Drink and Be Merry at the Student Union, and Not Pay a Single Pence ...

Following breakfast, I was treated to receiving two more issues of The Snapper in the mail, as well as a few photos of my friends back home - mostly of Michele (who now has long hair!)

I went to an exceptionally dull Geography lecture, then found out part of my final exam schedule (last exam is scheduled for June 13), then returned to waste the rest of the morning.

Later that day, after reading for a bit, writing some more and dinner, I gave Jane some letters that I was requested to give to her from Spain. After that I went to J.P.'s room, where we hung out a bit before heading over to the Student Union to celebrate Big Jon Whalley's birthday.

J.P. and I came up with a way to spend absolutely no money this evening and still have a great time... and it worked!

Step One: We drank a few rum and cokes in J.P.'s room before we left.

Step Two: We made sure to arrive early, before they start collecting admission at the door, so we didn't have to pay to get into the Uni.

Step Three: We loaded up J.P.'s backpack with bottles of the home brew that he made in his room, and snuck that into the Uni. And that's all we drank all evening. It was actually a pretty good batch he made, and after a few rum and cokes, it really didn't taste all that different from the beer we would've purchased.

We had a good time celebrating Jon (and Sharon's) birthday. I took my camera, but it was too dark to get any pictures in here.

The only thing about home brew is that you need to stop drinking before you get to the bottom of the bottle, because there's usually a collection of heavy sediment laying there that will gag you if you drink it. But this provided us with a unique opportunity for laughs and hijinks.

As we neared the end of each bottle, we would pour the undrinkable sediment into an empty pint glass at our table. Eventually, the glass was reasonably full... enough that it looked like a barely touched glass of bitter.

Now the trap was set to teach a lesson to a pint-nicker. We got up, went over to the dance floor, leaving the enticing, unattended brew sitting there, all alone. Sure enough, we returned to the table a short time later, and the glass had vanished. We didn't see who ended up taking it, but whoever it is might not be feeling so well in a little while if they polish the whole thing off!

When we got back to the halls, we caught an episode of the new Twilight Zone on TV, about "The Shadowman," and then I went back to my room and slept very soundly.

Tuesday, March 14, 1989

Exploring a Little Bit of Madrid ...

This is my first full day in Madrid. Since Viv and everyone had classes today, I was restricted somewhat for things to do.

Anyway, Viv came to my hotel room at about 9 a.m. and shortly after we went to the little bakery across the road for some breakfast croissants, which were cheap, tasty and filling. From there we came to the Residence where Viv is staying - but not for long. (Pictured right is the Residencia. Photo courtesy of Vivienne King)

After they left for class, I stayed in Viv's room to work on various projects. She shares a room with Angie and a girl named Raquel, and the room is about the size of my single room back in Hull... just to give you an idea of how small it is. Basically, everyone here is disgusted with the Residence, and are actively looking for other places to live. (That would work for me, if they found a place where I could stay for free!)

So through the course of the day, I wrote an article for The Snapper on the Channel Tunnel, or the Chunnel, that they recently started building to connect Britain with France, and I also wrote a letter updating my recent article on the IRA. Everyone came back for lunch at 1 p.m., and we ate at about 1.30 p.m. At 3, everyone went back to class, and I continued with my writing until about 5 p.m.

When everyone returned from class, Viv and I went out on a walking tour of the area. It was a mild day and I only had to wear a sweatshirt. I brought my camera along and we explored the vicinity. She showed me where her lessons are, and then we walked past the stadium where the Real Madrid Futbol Team plays, the Ministry of Defense (heavily fortified with guards armed with machine guns), a shopping center, large buildings, and other sites. We stopped at McDonald's for cheeseburgers and a bookstore for post cards. Pictured is one of the photos I took during the walk.

After that we returned to the Residence and listened to my Steven Wright tape until dinner (fish), then finished listening to the tape after dinner. It was then that Angie, Liz and Raquel said that they had found an apartment that was ideal, but didn't know for sure if they could get it until tomorrow. Everyone was happy with that new, and later a "party" was held downstairs in the common area of the residence.

Viv and I left a little while after the party began, because I had to get to my room while the Metro was still running. Got off at Gran Via, the stop closest to my hotel, then went in and relaxed for the remainder of the evening.

Thursday, February 23, 1989

More Snappers! ...

I woke up early for breakfast today, but after eating I returned to my room and fell asleep until about 11 a.m.

My parents package that included my Sam Kinison/Steven Wright tape came today, along with £60 in travelers checks... all going toward my upcoming journey to Spain. I hope I won't have any trouble cashing them in!

After I took a shower I started listening to the tape... when a knock came at the door. It was a lady who brought me a package with more copies of The Snapper! Yaaaay!

Sam stopped by for a visit while I was opening it up, but unfortunately, my attention was focused on my new collection of Millersville University student newspapers. Later, before heading to class, J.P. and I listened to the tape, then went to class, where we discussed D.H. Lawrence's "The Rainbow." When we returned after class we continued to listen to the rest of the tape, with breaks for dinner and the news.

Later that evening I watched "Mona Lisa," a bizarre movie starring Bob Hoskins. It was interesting partly because it was filmed in London and Brighton, and I had been to several of the places featured in the film.

Came back to the room, let Shannon the Hamster roam for a bit, then read for awhile before going to bed.

Wednesday, February 8, 1989

A Field Trip to Leeds ...

Today we had the first of a two-part field trip for Geography class, this one to the city of Leeds.

Before we left for the trip, I got my mail, and the timing was perfect... I received the latest copy of The Snapper courtesy of my friends back at the newspaper in Millersville. I took the newspaper along for the bus ride to Leeds. I got to read my first commentary article that appeared in the paper, and I learned that Sam Kinison was coming to perform at Millersville. Man, I was outraged (since I couldn't be there!) During my freshman year we listened to Kinison over and over again... and now to know that I'm missing him when he would've been within walking distance of my room! Well, what can you do...maybe he'll schedule a return engagement next year.

Anyway, Leeds was OK. Slightly interesting, but really just a big industrial town. We took a look at some of the areas where urban revitalization is taking place. Kind of neat to see how they can turn old, abandoned areas into new and useful homes and offices. (Picture #1 is J.P. looking at some of the reclamation projects in Leeds, where an abandoned factory was turned into upscale condominiums.)

Next we went to Saltaire, a small town near Bradford that was build in the mid 1800s as a self-sufficient community for the workers as the Salt Plant, a textile mill operated by Sir Titus Salt. Interesting planning concept there. We toured the Plant - it's not used as an industrial plant anymore, and there was actually an art exhibit there featuring works by David Hockney. Overall it was a small, somewhat bizarre, but overall nice town. (Pictures #2 and #3 are from the Saltaire visit.)

After that we boarded the bus and headed back to Hull, and after dinner, J.P. and I wrote letters to the editor of The Snapper, mainly to trash some pathetic political cartoons in the newspaper. We then broke from the trashing to watch M*A*S*H, but still giggled profusely at the brilliant witty words we wrote in our letters.

Viv still studied all day.

Tuesday, January 24, 1989

Three months ...

I spent this Tuesday like most any other, except that my attendance was not required in Literature in Context class. So I did some work today in the library. I finished up my article for The Snapper on Three Mile Island, and I must admit that I'm quite proud of how it turned out.

In the interest of saving money, Viv and I celebrated our three-month anniversary by heading towards Double Happiness, which unfortunately, was closed. So instead of Chinese, we settled on a pizza and some chips that we brought back to the room. A rather uneventful day.

Pictured is the copy of Viz magazine that hit newsstands around this time. When things got dull, you could always count on a little rude humor from the pages of Viz to lift your spirits.

Tuesday, January 17, 1989

Writing an Article for The Snapper ...

Busy day of classes today. I went to Literature in Context class, ate lunch, then went to Geography. Next I headed over to pick up my grant check (£87... that'll come in handy!), then it was off to Social/Political Structures class.

After that I had a stint in the library to do some research on an article I'm working on for The Snapper. I'm doing a look back at the 10th anniversary of the Three Mile Island nuclear accident. The anniversary isn't until March 28, but I need to work ahead in order to get it to Millersville in time for the corresponding issue of The Snapper.

Next I came back to the halls, ate dinner, then, thinking that the movie "Halloween" was on TV tonight, I told everyone that it was. So I went and got a bottle of cider, and eventually made my way to the TV room ... only to discover that I was wrong; "Halloween" was not on TV tonight. We were in the mood for a little fright night, so that was a bit disappointing.

Finished my cider and then went back to my room with Viv for the rest of the evening.

(Pictured: Just for fun, a fake ad for "Up Tub" from the latest issue of the bimonthly Viz Comics. Always a great time when the next issue hit the stands and made its way around the halls. Note Michael J. Fox's "quote.")

Thursday, December 15, 1988

Back to Liverpool ...

I woke up to have breakfast with Viv, and then at 9:00 a.m., I walked to the Inglemire campus to pick up my "Earnest" paper. I received a lousy 55! I think that will probably transfer to a "B" in our system, but I'm still disappointed because I thought I did a pretty good job on that paper!

Anyway, I took a shower and then finished packing, getting ready for 26 days away from Hull, traveling to various points in Britain. To start, I'm heading back to Liverpool to spend some time with my exchange family, the Morrisons. After lunch with Viv I went back to my room and by 1 p.m. I was finished packing, so we waited together for Dr. Morrison to arrive to pick me up. I will see her a few days from now when we meet up in London.

Before he arrived we had one last mail call, and I got a nice package from Grandma and Grandpa Reitz. I've received a number of cards and some cash gifts from relatives for Christmas, and that will certainly come in handy!

Dr. Morrison came a little after 2 p.m., and before we left I showed him some of my photos and a few of The Snappers before we bid farewell to The Grange Halls. We stopped at the bank so I could deposit my checks into my account, and then Dr. Morrison showed me where his son Glen's flat from last year was located. Then we took off for the "cross country trip" from Hull back to his home in Neston, south of Liverpool.

This was actually the first time I had been in a car since October (I'm pretty sure I've never gone two months without being in a car before!), so it actually felt a little bit odd (driving on the left side of the road notwithstanding.) We stopped at a Happy Eater restaurant along the motorway for coffee and sandwiches in preparation for the journey to Liverpool.

We arrived at Dr. Morrison's house at 7 o'clock, and at 7.30 we left to visit Mike Unger, a friend of Dr. Morrison's. He's a very interesting fellow, and the editor of the Manchester Evening News. Also, he knows Michael Crawford (of "Phantom of the Opera" fame), and his cousin is Jim Unger, the cartoonist who draws the comic strip "Herman." Since we talked about my interest in newspapers, he offered to take me on a tour of his newspaper, and so we scheduled to meet at his office on January 4th at 2 p.m. That should be interesting and fun! He also gave me a "Guardian" 1989 diary, which I will put to good use.

Following that visit, we went for a delicious Mexican meal at The Hacienda. Best meal I've had in awhile. Following that we stopped at the home of some other friends of Dr. Morrison's (their name escapes me, but they were a nice older couple.) We talked about a lot of things, including someone they know that could get me inside Parliament for a rare peek at the British political system. That would be awesome!

We left there and came home to greet Fiona, and later her boyfriend Dave, who stopped by a bit later. After talking for awhile, I went to my room, where I started reading this bizarre book Dr. Morrison recommended called "Ikon," by Graham Masterton. Then I went to sleep.

Pictured: Dr. Ian Morrison, his daughter Fiona, and Rick outside Dr. Morrison's home in Neston.

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.

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!