Tuesday Wanderings
Just back from a Nando's trip with some of the dudes, (table for six - two sex), where we used our Free Nando's vouchers, woohoo. I think the staff were hoping we might actually spend some money, but alas, the consensus was a No To Frozen Yogurt.
Anyway I had been wandering for over an hour, thinking of things to blog about, when no sooner had I returned than I had to dash off again for free food. So here's a subset of the tedious crap I was going to say...
1) Went to Caffè Nero to talk pseduo-intelligently about sciencey things, thus fulfilling some kind of ambition.
2) Watched punts from various bridges. Usual carnage of course, though I noted the adeptness with which a lot of the punters managed to handle the punts - and, more importantly, the poles - and wondered why I didn't find it so easy. Days of student punting prices are nearly over; £7/hour is really very good value. I suppose the idea is that in one's post-student life one has more money and thus can easily afford to pay more, though at the moment the thought of ever having more money than I have now seems rather unlikely. I must say all the talk in the various media about students being terribly poor has always confused me, because I don't think I am. I do have a rather large loan but hey, why not. Wonder whether I should've taken up gliding or somesuch, given that civilians pay about six times more than students at Gransden Lodge. But I suppose whilst more extracurriculars would be lovely in principle, I wouldn't've got pleasing exam results. Though, as I always say, I suspect being a well-rounded person is perhaps more important to 'potential employers'...
3) Rather excitingly, I walked through a college that wasn't mine - King's. This may not sound very interesting to people who walk[ed] through other people's colleges every day on the way to lectures but it's very unusual for me. Nobody challenged me or asked me for money or anything! Excellent. I still didn't dare to try going in the chapel though, so that remains on the To Do list. Saw a guy in a suit and gown, which confused me because I thought I'd read somewhere that they don't have gowns at King's. Mind you judging by the excitement inspired in his friend at this totally standard get-up, perhaps they don't usually have gowns at King's! :)
4) Not for the first time, I rather resented the fact that there's no backs-like lawned area along the river on which members of colleges other than the river colleges are allowed to go. I suppose if you had friends at John's/Trinity/etc. it would be OK but that raises the question of how (and why) you get them...!
5) Traffic is very noisy; we're lucky we don't really have any here. A personal enemy of mine is the dreadful clattering made by Transit vans. In America such vehicles tend to have V8 engines which may be environmentally disastrous but are at least a lot easier on the ear. I note with displeasure that there are still people driving around holding cellphones. However I haven't yet worked out an appropriate hand signal that suggests 'it's now not only grossly irresponsible but specifically illegal to do that; why not delay your call, or pull over in a safe place, switch off your engine, and return to driving afterwards'. Suggestions?
6) If I'd had a bike and been feeling healthy, I think I'd've enjoyed exploring random bits of Cambridge this last month. Shame 'home' is so hilly and devoid of cycle lanes.
7) Thought of going to the Senate-House again to check on some results, but the last few times I've been past there have been scary constables near the gates and I don't much want to be challenged by them, even if I am allowed to be there.
8) Walked through the Sidgwick site, admiring the new Institute of Criminology. It's a whole other world out there, so inevitably I found myself thinking "pah, New Museums and Downing? They're not very Cambridgey", which simply isn't true and I should really stop demeaning my Cambridge experience. Passed the UL but didn't dare go in (it was rather late anyway, after 6pm - does it close?), so that remains on the To Do list too.
9) Why do people keep looking sideways at me in suspicious fashion? I may be wearing sunglasses so that they can't tell where I'm looking but I can see where they're looking...
10) I often see tourists around with a guidebook called 'England' or 'Great Britain' or suchlike. Strange thought that our whole world is condensed to just a couple of pages of their book, just a few hours of their itinerary...
11) Was passed by a car in Carrot - sorry, Garret - Hostel Lane. Rare enough, and the car was a Defender, which is, "like, way cool" for a reason that I can't pin down. Much as my youthful enthusiasm for Top Gear has cooled in light of a distaste for laddish behaviour, environmental irresponsibility, and disregard for speed limits, I don't think I'd argue too much at them placing it in the 'subzero' category on their 'cool wall'. We all know that what's cool is very, very different from what's fashionable, of course. Good thing too.
That's pretty much it. Things to do tomorrow:
Go to UL; go to King's Chapel; have graduation portrait done (if I can get my shirt ironed - anyone want to lend me an iron better than the college ones? I can't seem to get it clean either but that's another problem...). Oh yes, and I was meant to see a doctor wasn't I...
Anyway I had been wandering for over an hour, thinking of things to blog about, when no sooner had I returned than I had to dash off again for free food. So here's a subset of the tedious crap I was going to say...
1) Went to Caffè Nero to talk pseduo-intelligently about sciencey things, thus fulfilling some kind of ambition.
2) Watched punts from various bridges. Usual carnage of course, though I noted the adeptness with which a lot of the punters managed to handle the punts - and, more importantly, the poles - and wondered why I didn't find it so easy. Days of student punting prices are nearly over; £7/hour is really very good value. I suppose the idea is that in one's post-student life one has more money and thus can easily afford to pay more, though at the moment the thought of ever having more money than I have now seems rather unlikely. I must say all the talk in the various media about students being terribly poor has always confused me, because I don't think I am. I do have a rather large loan but hey, why not. Wonder whether I should've taken up gliding or somesuch, given that civilians pay about six times more than students at Gransden Lodge. But I suppose whilst more extracurriculars would be lovely in principle, I wouldn't've got pleasing exam results. Though, as I always say, I suspect being a well-rounded person is perhaps more important to 'potential employers'...
3) Rather excitingly, I walked through a college that wasn't mine - King's. This may not sound very interesting to people who walk[ed] through other people's colleges every day on the way to lectures but it's very unusual for me. Nobody challenged me or asked me for money or anything! Excellent. I still didn't dare to try going in the chapel though, so that remains on the To Do list. Saw a guy in a suit and gown, which confused me because I thought I'd read somewhere that they don't have gowns at King's. Mind you judging by the excitement inspired in his friend at this totally standard get-up, perhaps they don't usually have gowns at King's! :)
4) Not for the first time, I rather resented the fact that there's no backs-like lawned area along the river on which members of colleges other than the river colleges are allowed to go. I suppose if you had friends at John's/Trinity/etc. it would be OK but that raises the question of how (and why) you get them...!
5) Traffic is very noisy; we're lucky we don't really have any here. A personal enemy of mine is the dreadful clattering made by Transit vans. In America such vehicles tend to have V8 engines which may be environmentally disastrous but are at least a lot easier on the ear. I note with displeasure that there are still people driving around holding cellphones. However I haven't yet worked out an appropriate hand signal that suggests 'it's now not only grossly irresponsible but specifically illegal to do that; why not delay your call, or pull over in a safe place, switch off your engine, and return to driving afterwards'. Suggestions?
6) If I'd had a bike and been feeling healthy, I think I'd've enjoyed exploring random bits of Cambridge this last month. Shame 'home' is so hilly and devoid of cycle lanes.
7) Thought of going to the Senate-House again to check on some results, but the last few times I've been past there have been scary constables near the gates and I don't much want to be challenged by them, even if I am allowed to be there.
8) Walked through the Sidgwick site, admiring the new Institute of Criminology. It's a whole other world out there, so inevitably I found myself thinking "pah, New Museums and Downing? They're not very Cambridgey", which simply isn't true and I should really stop demeaning my Cambridge experience. Passed the UL but didn't dare go in (it was rather late anyway, after 6pm - does it close?), so that remains on the To Do list too.
9) Why do people keep looking sideways at me in suspicious fashion? I may be wearing sunglasses so that they can't tell where I'm looking but I can see where they're looking...
10) I often see tourists around with a guidebook called 'England' or 'Great Britain' or suchlike. Strange thought that our whole world is condensed to just a couple of pages of their book, just a few hours of their itinerary...
11) Was passed by a car in Carrot - sorry, Garret - Hostel Lane. Rare enough, and the car was a Defender, which is, "like, way cool" for a reason that I can't pin down. Much as my youthful enthusiasm for Top Gear has cooled in light of a distaste for laddish behaviour, environmental irresponsibility, and disregard for speed limits, I don't think I'd argue too much at them placing it in the 'subzero' category on their 'cool wall'. We all know that what's cool is very, very different from what's fashionable, of course. Good thing too.
That's pretty much it. Things to do tomorrow:
Go to UL; go to King's Chapel; have graduation portrait done (if I can get my shirt ironed - anyone want to lend me an iron better than the college ones? I can't seem to get it clean either but that's another problem...). Oh yes, and I was meant to see a doctor wasn't I...
posted by Z31 at 8:21 pm
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