I'm getting a haircut!

Because I'm gonna get married!!!!

We came, saw, and sorta conquered

Daria made it up to Manchester on Wednesday. This was great and fine (we hadn't seen each other in THREE years - isn't that incredible?!)...anyway, great and fine EXCEPT 200,000 Glaswegians descended upon the city as well. Manchester hosted the UEFA Cup finals between Glasgow and Moscow. We toured the city, stuck between great architecture and massively drunken football fans (the newspapers reported that stores were running out of alcohol by 2PM, almost 6 hours before the game even started).

We were able to check out the Roman ruins, John Rylands, the Manchester Museum without too much difficulty. It was quite amusing to walk from the carnival atmosphere into the quiet.

After our sight-seeing, we tried to head off to Heaton Park - not originally a trek, but it became one once we discovered the fans had shut down the tram service within the city. After walking half-way across the city, we made it to the park, met Catherine, and enjoyed an evening of wine, talk, and fish cakes.

As Daria and I headed to Piccadilly Station to catch her train, we saw the effects of Manchester's night of booze, riot, and football. The city was completely covered in rubbish, giving off a stench of fermented food, old alcohol, and urine. There was blood stains on the streets, and sorry-looking men nursing their wounds. The video footage is something completely different; angry fans (one of the three video screens had failed) chasing and beating officers, chucking glass bottles, smashing cars. What was supposed to be a "£25 Million" windfall has most certainly become a deficit. Incredible.

Ah, I pleasant break

I think I'm ready to get back in the saddle...

You have those times when you contemplate large, epic posts; ones covering everything from architecture and religion, PoMo and Neogothic, etc., etc. Then you realise there's one thing's missing: you.

I will keep little updates now, although, as with most posts before this, no promises. Catherine and I are off to Brighton tomorrow. I expect there will photos aplenty. Stay tuned.

I think I just missed Simon Cowell

Not that I feel much remorse. He's in Manchester for a "Britain's Got Talent" search, and as I passed the Palace Theatre, I saw large groups of people gathered outside. Awhile later, when I was several blocks away, I heard cheering. As this was only at 10:20, I doubt they had a winner.

That's the best guess I have so far.

Sigh...my brush with fame.

NotW: Getting Personal

Border Control shake-up set out

Truth be told I haven't looked too deep into this, but obviously it's something that hits me quite deeply. My VISA renewal needs to be in by the end of the month, and I'm curious about what I'll need to do regarding fingerprints et. al. (perhaps I'll have to fill in a whole new form....sigh)

Full Disclosure

You do notice after awhile that you haven't updated in awhile. The difficult part is realing that you're not blogging because of time, or lack of events; it's a deep shame that permeates every part of you. Failure in one part seeps into every aspect of your life: suddenly, you can't do anything.
The amazing part about this is the failure to rationalize, or accept positive thoughts.

Here are the facts: I lost my Master's, failing in my compositions by 5 points. Had I gotten the minimum, I would have graduated with honors. Had I gone for only a PGDip rather than a Master's, I would have received high honors.

Luckily for me, the school allows all one-year students to resubmit failed portions. My composition teacher is gracious enough to provide me with some more lessons. I have until September, so the key now is to get off my duff.

Goodbye, Stockhausen

From the NYT