September 27, 2006

• Plug In Baby!

  ….. Ahaaaaaaaa!!! Finally I get connected! I’ve been arsing around with different wires and password-encoded wireless signals trying to get this set up all week! Finally I can recount my first, highly eventful and definitely trying, week back in Preston, as I sit in my shiny new dorm room eating chips and fried chicken. First off, it took me 3 and a half hours to get here cos the bloody M6 motorway was beset with queues every 5 minutes. This is a journey that normally takes me 2 hours or so (1 hour 45 mins one time)  and the delays meant I missed the dorm’s office opening hours. Luckily, security let me in and gave me my keys, despite this being against regulations! Its refreshing to experience common human decency instead of anal, by-the-book bureaucracy for once! And the long journey did give me time to listen to all 4 Muse albums (in no particular order!) No sooner was I unpacked than my fencing coach Paul calls me demanding a night out! It would seem he’s been looking forward to reliving the fencing club social glory that was my 2nd year! He was most disappointed to learn that I’ve abandoned my alcohol-powered psycho-antics and gone all straight edge! We hit The Warehouse (not Balex and Kate’s dorm but a nightclub of the same name) for their alternative rock night. I had a good time, alcohol free, and the second floor suited me perfectly. (Its the emo/alternative/punk floor!) Thankfully Preston does have a couple of places that cater for my music tastes, inspite of its largely chav population!
  I jumped back into fencing that Saturday, taking on the most gifted fencer at Paul’s club. I felt the rust pretty badly, mainly in my movements as my  right leg gave out on me during our match! I managed (just) to scrape a 15-14 victory! We have been fencing outside the Student Union this week, to drum up interest in the Fencing Club. Sabre Dave and I have put on some truly barnstorming sabre fights and I’m finding my form starting to return. I’m jumping in at the deep end this coming weekend by entering the Ashton Open, which often attracts some of the top fencers in the North-West of England! On Sunday I drove Paul and some others to a competition (as his clutch had broken) and this is where the fun begins again! The rain was torrential… so bad I could barely see 10 feet ahead. We had just turned off the motorway, onto the slip road, when I had to drive through a huge pool of water that pulled my car to a near halt! That was when some doosh-bag white van man rammed into the back of me! Hit and ran too, so no insurance details. Any Britisher will know of the reputation white-van-men have in this country… as my Mum was married to one for all of 18 months I can honestly tell you its all true! They are arrogant wankers!!! This experience just compounds that impression! The summary of the long and boring process that followed the crash was that I drove my battered car back to Preston but am basically looking at a write-off! Bloody hell!!!  Still, I have fully comprehensive insurance so hopefully they’ll pay out.  This might turn out OK actually… My car was due for the scrap heap soon anyway and I do need extra money…!!
  I’ve been feeling pretty crappy, health-wise, too! Standing around in the rain surveying the damage to my car and waiting for a white van to pull over and swap insurance details (which never happened) has left me with a stinkin’ cold and fencing with said cold has me aching all over! Luckily classes haven’t started yet as its still Fresher’s Week. In for our first Japanese meeting tomorrow… I’m not looking forward to it! My already lame Japanese abilities have been further compounded by a summer of noone to speak to and inspite of my efforts to study nikyu grammar this summer, I know that Takako’s presence will have me freeze up and forget everything in a heartbeat! No doubt the others will be fine too! I swung by Balex and Kate’s apartment during the week, as you may have read on Balex’s xanga! I was indeed shot in the arm by a “mystery” sniper and have sworn to hunt down said sniper and cut my initials into his torso!
  Thats pretty much the sum of this week.  Wish me a better week, beginning this Friday! I could do with some luck at this weekend’s competition. I’m gonna try and enter foil and sabre… I’m a foilist traditionally, but I do love the sabre action! I guess I should do a full update on fencing sometime, so ya’ll know what I’m on about. Well it’ll have to wait… I gotta shower…

  Peace Out! sXe forever!!!
  
  

  • 7:15 pm
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