Archive: June 2006
"Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows"
Thursday, 8th June 2006, 20:47 GMT
According to BBC Weather, it has been a glorious 27c today and a sun index of "high". As I write this it is getting a cooler 16c, but for an English evening, even that isn't "cool"! According to the 24 hour forecast it will return to its 28c high by around 2pm tomorrow and yet again I will be enjoying the delights that is the summer camp British 5 day heat wave!
Since the last entry, which explained the end of exams, I have literally completed nothing, apart from sunbathing and paddling in our new paddling pool at the back of our humble abode. The ice cream man is a mere 30 seconds walk away at all times and must be making a large hole in my bank balance with his lovely 99s. Nevertheless don't despair, I'm not completely wasting my brain away as I'm currently listening to the audiobook of Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time, which is re-enlightening me in my physics of the A-Level years and is utterly fascinating stuff, just as addictive as the book itself and cannot wait for the next round of sunbathing to begin to carry on part 2 of 4 of the splendiforous thing that is the Universe.
Dom Sloan and Andy Holland - ©2006 andyholland.co.uk
So a few details about some interesting happenings in the past few days... Tuesday saw the biggest night of the term, where basically everyone I've met in the past few months was out in force in Leamington to celebrate, in style, the end of exams. Firstly we got the 30-40min bus ride into the royal spa town and headed to Moo Bar for the fast-track tickets into Sugar (one of Leamington's nightclubs). In order to get such fast pass tickets however you first have to buy 3 drinks, be that vodka lemonade, vodka orange etc etc, each of which is £1.50. Then onto Weatherspoon's for a lovely surloin steak dinner and onto the final destination, Sugar for a night of dancing, drinking, dancing and (did I mention drinking?). It was a fab night for all involved, even if some people (me excluded) weren't too well off the morning after. The picture shows (excluding me) one of the worst affected!
Lastly to report is the personal record breaking of being awake for 40 hours, without even a wink or a shutting of the eyes for the purpose of sleeping. It broke my previous personal record by nearly 8 hours and was simply the weirdest experience for a long while; normal brain function is completely lost after such a period of non-sleep and you start thinking very strange thoughts!
Anyway must catch up with the evening crew and see if there are any future plans for the rest of the holiday.
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"The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow"
Saturday, 3rd June 2006, 14:07 GMT
Well the stress is over for yet again another year; exams have finally (after what seems an eternity) finished and the 3 week summer camp atmosphere begins! For last 2 weeks (as seems every year at this time) I've been cramming like mad to get the vital knowledge needed to pass the 1st year at Uni and hence be able to go onto year 2. Hopefully this task of passing is complete and I can rest till this time next year, when I will have booked my place on a year-long German "vacation" from Uni-Life. In general the exams weren't too bad and went as well as could be expected from the minimal time I was organised for them.
Nevertheless as a reward I get to enjoy 3 full weeks of doing nothing, i.e. enjoying the world cup in the 25º sun on giant screens on the Spanish feeling piazza, followed by (where appropriate) a siesta before the real drinking begins! Not only have we Alton Towers and a inflatable-bungee-jump-happy BBQ organised, but also have the best of American TV to watch whether the weather isn't quite as glorious as today. After my exam this morning (yes it is Saturday) at 12:30 I had a bite to eat and lay in the sun for an hour or two, before going inside to catch the England friendly, which was, to say the least, the most relaxing day for a long while and is making me look forward to a Mega-Spanish holiday.
So apart from the sunbathing (perhaps shadebathing), the BBQs, the booze, Alton Towers and TV, what else are the three weeks to bring? Well, to my delight, probably nothing, i.e. a lovely relaxing 3 weeks to finish of the speedy year that has been the first year at Uni. It has been a fantastic year and the socialite in me has simply loved meeting the thousands of people that grace my Uni world on a daily basis for a simply "hi" or "nod". The last three weeks will therefore be in celebratory style, mirroring the two-week fresher period at the end of September 2005.
And how excited am I about the next episode of Doctor Who, I simply love the 2 parters that leave you on the edge of your seat for the week in between 2 Saturdays! Now that Lost season 2, Desperate Housewives, 24, Invasion, House, Bones, The OC, Joey etc etc have all finished I can catch up on the best of British TV, whilst quickly getting up to date with Prison Break, ready for its season 2 premiere in September! On the note of September, which will be around the same time I move into my Leamington house with 6 lovely ladies, I will be more "officially" leaving the lovely town that has been my heimat for the past 19 years (uni-life is simply too intermittent to be counted as "officially" leaving) so that is one event which will be down on my calendar for 2006.
On that thought-provoking passage I'll leave you to get on with your daily routine, hopefully the reading of this blog has been a nice break in the sometimes too-fast paced life that is England 2006!
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