Friday, May 27, 2005
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart...
Just a quickie!
First of all: wow. What an amazing match. I remember saying back in March that "if you weren't absolutely gripped by [the] Chelsea-Barcelona game then you must be dead inside" ... well, Liverpool-Milan blew that one away. Such a range of emotions, the whole game changing in the blink of an eye, and finishing with a courageous and fully-deserved win on penalties (fully-deserved winners of the shootout, I mean. You can't really say who deserved to win the game, it was all so surreal!). Walking back home and hearing people shouting and singing all around put a huge smile on my face. It was a magical night; literally, in that you felt like you were in a bubble and that it wasn't quite real.
I'm actually off work today. Don't ask me why, I didn't ask for it. And no, I haven't been sacked before anyone asks. My work just has a couple of random days off every year. It's a lovely day, so I've been wandering aimlessly around the common taking pics. I will flickr some more soon, promise.
Finally, the very best of luck to anyone who's doing exams at the moment. See you on the other side! :)
First of all: wow. What an amazing match. I remember saying back in March that "if you weren't absolutely gripped by [the] Chelsea-Barcelona game then you must be dead inside" ... well, Liverpool-Milan blew that one away. Such a range of emotions, the whole game changing in the blink of an eye, and finishing with a courageous and fully-deserved win on penalties (fully-deserved winners of the shootout, I mean. You can't really say who deserved to win the game, it was all so surreal!). Walking back home and hearing people shouting and singing all around put a huge smile on my face. It was a magical night; literally, in that you felt like you were in a bubble and that it wasn't quite real.
I'm actually off work today. Don't ask me why, I didn't ask for it. And no, I haven't been sacked before anyone asks. My work just has a couple of random days off every year. It's a lovely day, so I've been wandering aimlessly around the common taking pics. I will flickr some more soon, promise.
Finally, the very best of luck to anyone who's doing exams at the moment. See you on the other side! :)
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Adventures with Flickr
Right, well, everyone seems to be using Flickr for their online photos these days, so I've joined in. I've uploaded my pics from Cornwall last week. They are here. Enjoy :)
More pics will appear in due course!
Also, I recently treated myself to a gadget. It rocks!
More pics will appear in due course!
Also, I recently treated myself to a gadget. It rocks!
Monday, May 16, 2005
The Über-Update!
Well, it’s always heartening when you get badgered for not updating your blog for ages. So here, after an annoyingly long time (I’ve been very busy I’m afraid), is what I’ve been doing and thinking recently, presented in a handy bullet-point style. Hurrah!
- Poker and Politics night (5th May). After attending the Union’s fortnightly poker evening and being knocked out predictably but not wholly embarrassingly early, I joined Jon, Rob, Hannah, Rach & Hallam watching the general election coverage round Bob’s house. The BBC didn’t disappoint on the ludicrously overblown graphics front! I was pleased with the result, too – Labour remain in power but with a much-reduced majority, the people having clearly told them to watch their step from now on. Blair says he will listen; let’s hope he does. In particular, and much as I distrust him, George Galloway’s victory sends an un-ignorable anti-war message. Blair won’t try anything like that again in a hurry.
Keeping Al Happy Edit: Al was joint winner of the poker and got £90. Woo!
- Chemistry Ball (6th May). An amusing start to the evening as I arrive back from work to find I’d forgotten my keys and locked myself out. After an agonising wait for one of my housemates to turn up, I throw on my suit and leg it up the road to Jon’s, where our taxis are already waiting. Thereafter it was a pleasant but not particularly exciting evening. Always good to get suited up and ogle girls in posh dresses, though ;-)
- Generator (7th May). The Union’s new Saturday night indie event, complete with live bands. I thought I’d better check it out, as people had held mixed opinions. I can see why, too – it wasn’t awful, but it could’ve been better. In particular, the attendance was pitiful. There was a fair crowd for the headline band (a worthy but not-particularly-special Joy Division-esque crew by the name of The Editors), but afterwards people drifted off, leaving the dancefloor disappointingly sparse.
- Rock Lite (9th May). Take note, Union officials: this is how you run a rock/indie night! But then, maybe I’m slightly biased, seeing as my friends run it ;-) All the same, twas a damn good evening. Strongroom and Envy & Other Sins, the subject of a previous blog entry of mine, again teamed up to provide the live entertainment. I’d gone round telling all my friends to come and see E&OS as they were so good last time, and they were just as good this. Someone chuck them a contract, sharpish! The one downside to the evening: after the bands, Bob was left DJing till 2am, mostly just to us lot. He played a blinding set, and we were as enthusiastic as we could be, but it was a bit sad. I guess it’s just the coursework and revision season :-(
- Trip to Cornwall (10th to 13th May). My folks were spending the week on a caravan site by the sea in the middle of nowhere. How could I refuse? It was extremely windy, but I did get to re-visit the Eden Project (I last went in the summer of 2002 to see Beth Orton and Spiritualized with my good friends James and Maz) and go for a tramp along the cliff-top paths (not sure the tramp liked it, but he had it coming). Photos coming soon :-)
- Saturday Nexus (14th May). I love Indie Fridays at Nexus, but I’d not been to a Saturday rock/emo/punk/ska/metal night since the first year. Surprisingly perhaps, I really quite enjoyed it, though I suspect the good company had something to do with it. Thanks guys!
- ‘Survival Sunday’ (15th May). As Ben said at half-time: “Well, I’ve survived so far!” ;-) Together with Bob, Manchester Jon and Al, we headed to the Mitre to await Saints’ fate. More on this in the post below.
- Poker and Politics night (5th May). After attending the Union’s fortnightly poker evening and being knocked out predictably but not wholly embarrassingly early, I joined Jon, Rob, Hannah, Rach & Hallam watching the general election coverage round Bob’s house. The BBC didn’t disappoint on the ludicrously overblown graphics front! I was pleased with the result, too – Labour remain in power but with a much-reduced majority, the people having clearly told them to watch their step from now on. Blair says he will listen; let’s hope he does. In particular, and much as I distrust him, George Galloway’s victory sends an un-ignorable anti-war message. Blair won’t try anything like that again in a hurry.
Keeping Al Happy Edit: Al was joint winner of the poker and got £90. Woo!
- Chemistry Ball (6th May). An amusing start to the evening as I arrive back from work to find I’d forgotten my keys and locked myself out. After an agonising wait for one of my housemates to turn up, I throw on my suit and leg it up the road to Jon’s, where our taxis are already waiting. Thereafter it was a pleasant but not particularly exciting evening. Always good to get suited up and ogle girls in posh dresses, though ;-)
- Generator (7th May). The Union’s new Saturday night indie event, complete with live bands. I thought I’d better check it out, as people had held mixed opinions. I can see why, too – it wasn’t awful, but it could’ve been better. In particular, the attendance was pitiful. There was a fair crowd for the headline band (a worthy but not-particularly-special Joy Division-esque crew by the name of The Editors), but afterwards people drifted off, leaving the dancefloor disappointingly sparse.
- Rock Lite (9th May). Take note, Union officials: this is how you run a rock/indie night! But then, maybe I’m slightly biased, seeing as my friends run it ;-) All the same, twas a damn good evening. Strongroom and Envy & Other Sins, the subject of a previous blog entry of mine, again teamed up to provide the live entertainment. I’d gone round telling all my friends to come and see E&OS as they were so good last time, and they were just as good this. Someone chuck them a contract, sharpish! The one downside to the evening: after the bands, Bob was left DJing till 2am, mostly just to us lot. He played a blinding set, and we were as enthusiastic as we could be, but it was a bit sad. I guess it’s just the coursework and revision season :-(
- Trip to Cornwall (10th to 13th May). My folks were spending the week on a caravan site by the sea in the middle of nowhere. How could I refuse? It was extremely windy, but I did get to re-visit the Eden Project (I last went in the summer of 2002 to see Beth Orton and Spiritualized with my good friends James and Maz) and go for a tramp along the cliff-top paths (not sure the tramp liked it, but he had it coming). Photos coming soon :-)
- Saturday Nexus (14th May). I love Indie Fridays at Nexus, but I’d not been to a Saturday rock/emo/punk/ska/metal night since the first year. Surprisingly perhaps, I really quite enjoyed it, though I suspect the good company had something to do with it. Thanks guys!
- ‘Survival Sunday’ (15th May). As Ben said at half-time: “Well, I’ve survived so far!” ;-) Together with Bob, Manchester Jon and Al, we headed to the Mitre to await Saints’ fate. More on this in the post below.
Oh when the Saints…
...go marching in...to the Championship...
Well, it was always going to be close, and in the end it just wasn’t to be. After 27 years in the top flight, my adopted club, Southampton, have been relegated.
It all started out rather well. An early Man Utd own-goal was followed a little later by goals against both Norwich and Crystal Palace, and at half-time, though Man U had equalised, we were still in pole position. Most of the drama was reserved for the second half, however. Man U and West Brom scored in quick succession, and from then on it got increasingly desperate. I feel I must apologise to Bob, in that he was the only one really affected by the result. The rest of us were disappointed but didn’t really share his pain as we possibly should. I guess it found me out as someone for whom football is a big interest, but not a passion.
What an occasion, though: a last-day four-way battle to the death, with only one winner. The closest relegation scrap in Premiership history, and it lived up to expectations. Unfortunately, in my opinion the worst possible result ensued. Apart from Southampton I have a soft spot for both Norwich, with their crazy lurid strip and Delia Smith, and Palace, with their consistently amusing manager Ian Dowie and a team that were bordering on the Championship relegation places half-way through last season. West Brom are just dull. I feel particularly bad for Liam and his fellow Canaries fans – from being in the (tediously proverbial) driving seat at the beginning of the day, they contrived to lose 6-0. Let’s be havin’ you lot back in a year’s time ;-)
Well, it was always going to be close, and in the end it just wasn’t to be. After 27 years in the top flight, my adopted club, Southampton, have been relegated.
It all started out rather well. An early Man Utd own-goal was followed a little later by goals against both Norwich and Crystal Palace, and at half-time, though Man U had equalised, we were still in pole position. Most of the drama was reserved for the second half, however. Man U and West Brom scored in quick succession, and from then on it got increasingly desperate. I feel I must apologise to Bob, in that he was the only one really affected by the result. The rest of us were disappointed but didn’t really share his pain as we possibly should. I guess it found me out as someone for whom football is a big interest, but not a passion.
What an occasion, though: a last-day four-way battle to the death, with only one winner. The closest relegation scrap in Premiership history, and it lived up to expectations. Unfortunately, in my opinion the worst possible result ensued. Apart from Southampton I have a soft spot for both Norwich, with their crazy lurid strip and Delia Smith, and Palace, with their consistently amusing manager Ian Dowie and a team that were bordering on the Championship relegation places half-way through last season. West Brom are just dull. I feel particularly bad for Liam and his fellow Canaries fans – from being in the (tediously proverbial) driving seat at the beginning of the day, they contrived to lose 6-0. Let’s be havin’ you lot back in a year’s time ;-)
