Interval to Come to an End Shortly!
Hi there!
I must apologise, for I’ve not updated Grand Old Library for several months now. Since finishing my exchange to the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, I’ve been particularly busy. I’ve seen some amazing things travelling (to the UK, Ireland, Spain, Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic) and I’m all the more enriched (yes) for it.
Since arriving back in Melbourne, I’ve been busy preparing for the upcoming semester (which may be my final one), purchasing furniture (surprisingly, this has taken some time), moving back in to my house, and catching up with people. I have also managed to fit in a trip to Tasmania (my home) to visit my friends and family. I’ve posted below a photo of Hobart from Mt. Wellington, which I think is pretty lovely.
With regards to this blog, I’ll be updating it far more frequently from here, so you know, please check back every now and then!
Until next time!
A New High Score!
Hello! As you may be aware, it has been quite a while since my last post, and a great deal of criticism has been levelled at me as a result. I can deal with it, though (bastards). Of course, it goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway…), but a LOT has happened in the world since I ranted at you about bad coffee in Glasgow and, indeed, the UK (a problem which still pervades my sense of wellbeing).
However, news of one decidedly important event reached me yesterday. Yes, I was understandably shocked to discover that a new high score was set on a video game by a locksmith in his friend’s basement in Portland, Oregon recently.
The locksmith, a man virtually named Jon (his name is John, or James – note the inconsistency between the headline and body of the article), achieved the score (a big one: 41,336,440) by shooting more virtual asteroids and virtual flying saucers from a virtual spaceship than any other person, ever. He achieved the score in a mere 58 hours. An incredible feat! I’m not convinced, however, that you appreciate the enormity of the accomplishment. To put it in perspective, please consider that it took NASA and Bruce Willis, in the 1998 film Armageddon, a whole eighteen days to work out how to destroy ONE virtual asteroid. A bit of a lacklustre effort, really…
In light of all this, it is good to see that the Australian news media is getting it right, and covering the stories that matter, with a level of accuracy you’re unlikely to find elsewhere. With unimportant events like elections, healthcare reform and nuclear disarmament amongst the world’s superpowers occuring, it’s heartening to know that stories about locksmiths getting high scores on video games in basements are still given prime position coverage.
Brilliant.
Coffee.
I miss coffee. Well, to be clear, I miss good coffee. I miss baristas who realise the immense importance of their occupation. I do hate to say it, but it seems baristas here (UK) are not aware of their important role with regards to the provision of rejuvenation, hope and happiness to the populace (maybe I’m missing coffee a bit too much?). Of course, it must be said that I am basing my generalisation on the apathy of UK baristas on my experiences here so far.
From my observations, there does seem to be a greater prevalence of chain coffee outlets in the UK than in Australia. They appear to have made a concerted decision to heartlessly and consistently serve up Hell in liquid form. I suppose I’ve taken good, freely available, coffee for granted in Melbourne. That’s something that is going to change. I suppose it just annoys me that I cannot recognise the difference between a latte and a flat white here. They both seem to arrive with about five centimetres of foam, every time.
Despite my experiences, I’m quite willing to accept that I have possibly been visiting the wrong places, over and over. Perhaps there is an abundance of quality coffee to be found in places that have thus far evaded me. It may also be that I take coffee a bit too seriously. However, if anyone can recommend me a good coffee store or café in Glasgow, I would be eternally grateful.
In the meantime, I’m off for a cup of tea; please excuse me…
Arrival in Scotland.
Hello again. Well, since last time we spoke (that’s obviously what we do, you and I) I’ve arrived in Glasgow, Scotland. I left Australia on January 29, and arrived in London many, many hours later. Upon arriving in London, I caught the tube to a station near my uncle’s house, so that he could pick me up. We went back to his place in Fulham, where I was later able to see my aunty and cousin (who has recently achieved a degree of internet fame through a few parody songs he and a couple of friends wrote and performed). It had been over a decade since I had seen them, so it was great to catch up with them. It was a really brief visit, as I had to leave early the next morning to catch a train to Glasgow. I look forward to heading back there soon!
Upon arriving at Glasgow Central Station I encountered a rather angry Scottish taxi driver, who was somewhat enraged at the fact that he was at the front of the taxi rank, and I had jumped in and asked him to travel ‘only as far as Strathclyde University!?’ I tipped him £2 for my trouble, not that he really deserved it. I had no idea that the centre of Glasgow is such a small area, and as it turns out, my university happens to be within walking distance of Central Station. I know that now, so I hope I don’t further enrage the local taxi drivers during my time here.
I arrived at my university accommodation to find that there was no-one else there, which I found somewhat surprising given that my apartment has 6 bedrooms (and only one bathroom, and one toilet!). Shortly after, one of my roommates arrived and informed me that the others had left a few days earlier on a roadtrip to mainland Europe. They arrived later that evening. As I gradually get to know them (there’s another Australian, 2 Americans and 2 Canadians) it seems more and more likely that it should be a fairly fun semester living together.
On my second day in Glasgow, I went to meet the exchange coordinators and the folk in the university registry, so that I could register for classes. As it turned out, this proved to be an extremely tedious procedure, and it wasn’t as simple as filling in a page specifying my individual unit preferences. No, instead, I had to work out what classes I wanted to study (from a bloated and uncooperative online catalogue) and when I wanted to attend them (which was hard to work out as often such information was not readily available in the catalogue) and then submit my preferences to the coordinator of the faculty. I’m still waiting for them to be confirmed or denied. Who knows what will happen!
There’s not so much in the way of other news. Oh, I am convinced I’ve found the world’s worst mattress. It’s right next to me! It’s in my university bedroom! It has springs like knives! I have to sleep on it at night! It’ll be interesting to find out what major back problems I can pick up during my semester at Strathclyde. I think I might make it a priority to visit a chiropractor upon returning to Australia. Hmm.
Anyhow, I think I will leave this post here for today. I have a few emails to send, and some readings to get through for my classes (which I’ll be sure to tell you about in coming posts).
Good night, good morning, good evening, good whatever!
Genesis.
Hello! Well, as you can see, this is the first post to my new blog. Welcome! It is hard to know precisely what this blog will become, but I can only assume it will become an assemblage of incomprehensible thoughts (and hopefully some coherent ones too…), interesting things, accounts of travels and experiences, etc.
So, whilst this first post is a little lacklustre, the blog can only improve from here. Soon, I will be embarking on a semester long student exchange trip to Glasgow, Scotland at the University of Strathclyde. The exchange is part of my degree, and hopefully it will be interesting and eye-opening. It remains to be seen, but for the purposes of this blog, I am sure there will be much to write about.
For now, however, it is bedtime.