The First Night Spent

Byrichard

Last night was the first night of many that I will spend at my new flat. At the moment I’ve got two flats in London which is a luxury. I need to move in properly on Saturday morning after a heavy night of partying we’ll see how it is.

What I’ve noticed so far is a fast internet connection ranging from 600 Kbs to slower speeds for extended periods of times and that’s even when I’m two floors above the hub.

I’m within short walking distance of a number of shops like Sainsbury’s, a 24hr McDonald’s and more. It’s also on the 29 bus route and is close to many things of which I have to investigate the matter further.

We’ll see how other nights will be.

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And That’s When Flames Caressed My Leg

Byrichard

Last night after visiting my new flat and getting to know one of the people that live there I came back to the bar in Halls to chat with friends but that didn’t last long as there was a lack of atmosphere. Everyone migrated to the field and that’s when it’d become more interesting.

Whilst some people went to get firewood we broke some branches into more manageable pieces, got some newspaper, and started a fire. I love building up fires so I helped to encourage the flames and attempted to make the fire catch.

After a few minutes it did and some people came with palettes and other flammable things onto the fire. We got a nice big flame going and the fire was so warm we had to be at least ten meters away.

Some were drinking beers, others were drinking wine. I eventually went to get a coke because it’s too warm otherwise.

Occasionally the grass would light due to the heat and start migrating away from the fire and I kept having to put those fragments of fire out. Occasionally the fire was so hot that there was nothing anyone sane would try to put out.

At one point I saw the grass light in a few areas so ran towards there and stamped on it. My body created a little area of low pressure which meant the flame caressed my trousers. It didn’t combust but one or two people did yell a warning.  I walked away.

It’s at about this time that I stopped maintaining the fire. It was burning very nicely.

Eventually, the security guard came and asked who started the fire. “we don’t know” was the answer we gave, of course, after all, it was a team effort and we’ve finished the academic year anyway. He prowled around but there wasn’t much he could do alone.

He would eventually call both the fire department and the police to come and take care of the fire. This was one of the amusing moments. The field is shaped in such a way that there are steep banks down which the fire truck could not come. As a result, we could see the fire fighters trying to work out a way to get to the fire and extinguish it. Eventually, they drove as close as they could before pulling out the fire hose and spraying the fire. Many people cheered this as fourty onlookers had gathered.

A little later the police came and told us to go back into our rooms. Some people stayed on but I went home and eventually went to sleep. Nice way to mark the end of term and uni life.

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Two Things

Byrichard

There are two things to write about. The first of these is that I recently tested the new mobile web version of the TFL website and it’s really good. It’s got a great user interface for a web based service and i think I’ll be using it from time to time when it’s needed.

The second bit of info is that I’m moving into a house with 15 megabits per second web connection. I hope that the antenna is powerful to get up to my bedroom. It’s not hard to test anyway.

It’s a top floor bedroom in zone two of the tube which means it’s cheaper to get around compared to living in zone four. There are quite a few shops close by although I need to scout the area properly beforehand. I may rent a car to move the stuff since it’s easier than doing three or four trips on the tube.

Flat hunting was fun from the point of view that you can choose precisely where you live but in the long run it’s frustrating due to the fast rate of release and take up of flats in a city with over seven million people.

Film students got to the end of an essay last night therefore quite a few were at the SU bar. I didn’t spend much time chatting with them but rather with some other friends. The night was particularly good and relaxed.

There is one key reason for this. Summer’s here.

A Snowboard On The Right Foot And Ski On The Left.

Byrichard

I just remembered that I had a strange dream this morning. I was with some friends catching a telesiège and for some reason, I had a snowboard on one foot and a ski on the other. I had hurried to get ready as my friends were already near the remontée mechanique.

It was a low altitude resort I think because there were a few trees although the powder was quite nice. It was a strange sensation to have such different tools on my feet.

I don’t know why I’m dreaming of such things when it’s summer outside.

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An Interesting Podcast

Byrichard

I listen to a lot of current affairs programs but occasionaly I enjoy listening to more light hearted podcasts. Over the past two or three days I have been listening to John Foster’s Beerschool. This is a podcast aimed at those who want to learn to appreciate more than one type of beer. He also jokes that “the best part about beerschool is of course the homework” which consists in drinking beer.

It covers the San Francisco area speaking about a variety of beers and the breweries and bars where they are served. It’s a great resource for those who may drop by that part of the world and want to experience that aspect of the culture.

Aside from this point I was recently mentioned in their podcast for a comment I wrote about the “Rockstar” program. I was quite amused by this.

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Finding a new flat

Byrichard

There are a lot of people currently in need of a new identity due to their university lives coming to an end and I am one of them. Today I went flat hunting and there are a few things I found out about myself. The first of these is that I really don’t want to live in a box room. I went into a room today and it was so small I would soon hate living there.

Another truth is that I have lived with one wall to a kitchen in the place where I am living for the past three years. What this means is that when the last person is chatting in the corridor is chatting in the corridor I will hear it. When the first person wakes up and goes to the kitchen and moves things I will hear it. The net effect is napping, as would wildlife in order to survive.

I don’t want the landlord living in the same house. There is something wrong with a landlord living in the house, mainly they have authority and ownership. If you throw a party they will come but charge you later for the damage. If they leave all the lights on you will foot the power bill. If they get sky you will also pay the bill. If you enjoy going out then you will not take as much advantage of these things.

I want to be further from the living room. The living room is the worst place to live next too. Of course I love being sociable. Had I not been banned from the local bar I would have gone there every day for three years, almost, due to my friends being there. Recently I’ve been out two or three times in two weeks. Some level of passion died in me when my ban occurred.

I want to be where it all happens. I want to be closer to the centre of town where I can walk to where things are going on. I want to be free to go out without having the consideration of “can I handle a 45 minute ride on a London nightbus”.

There are a number of things I would like from a flat. One of these is having space. I want to have enough space to store my possessions and keep the floor as tidy as possible. I want a clean kitchen and I want some space in the fridge if possible.

I want to make friends with those I move in and see that they are living interesting and diverse lives. I do not want unimaginative idiots who think only of getting drunk (to be distinguished from going out every night to be sociable. They’re two different things). I want to be close to a few shops so that I may go shopping and actually want the food that is on offer. I want to look forward to dropping by and finding a diversity of meals I can prepare.

I want to be able to lock my door, I want good plumbing, none of that bath dripping down into the kitchen as I’ve experienced. I don’t want a tile floor on wooden floor boards. Wood moves and tiles don’t bend that way.

Overall I want to find a flat that would feel like home. I want somewhere where I have a few friends, where I can be social if I want to but when I want isolation and if I need sleep for an early morning job I can.

I’m looking forward to finding a new house and the life it will bring with it.

It’s Like A Night Out In The Savannah

Byrichard

Nights in halls are like nights out in the Savannah. Since the drunk party sound coming through walls is a given that’s the sound of crickets and frogs. It’s constantly there and theoretically you should eventually learn to sleep through it over time. Of course it’s not quite constant enough.

Then you’ve got the sound of banging and shuffling from the kitchen. Now that sound is the thunder storms and rain that will come over and wake you, soak you and make you wish you had a friendly cave to crawl into for shelter.

The third one are lions and hyenas, high up on the food chain and the most nefarious to your health should you not be careful. That’s the argumentative drunks often found before day break. With these there’s nothing you can do but make sure you’ve found somewhere safe to hide away, grin and bear it.

Overall what these three elements mean is one thing, that a proper night of sleep is less likely than snow on the beaches of the South Coast of England.