It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

So today has been a day where it's just snowed and snowed and snowed. This week looks set to be freezing, but I think we've seen the worst of the snow now. I went to the library last night and the snow started when I was just about to leave at around 1am, and I don't think it's properly stopped since. We've got a good thick layer of snow right outside our door, and it's still going now.

Today in general has been pretty mediocre. I got a bit down earlier about my university course, because I just felt like the fun was being zapped out of it thanks to a few modules that I'm not enjoying. But soon, after confiding in some friends, I realised that things weren't all bad and that it would be best to just grit my teeth and get on with it, even if lately there's a lot of hard work involved.

It was this bad feeling which made me want to venture into Hanley for some retail therapy- sure, I don't have enough money to buy things at the moment but window shopping is always fun! So Sam and I walked to Hanley in the snow, through Hanley Park once more which again looked really nice in the weather conditions.

But it was when I got into Hanley that I began to get all excited. We got there at about 4pm when it was just going dark, and all the Christmas lights were on, with Christmas songs on in the shops and neon Christmas signs flashing in the shop windows.

A scene like this made me realise how Christmas is coming in 25 days, and how quick it will come round. After all, this is the last day of November and we're beginning to edge into the advent month. Which only means one thing...I can start eating chocolates from my TWO advent calendars tomorrow! I don't think I'll ever grow up...

Good customer service.

You know when you go in a shop, and you are greeted by the worst customer experience ever, how does that make you feel? When you see that the person behind the till hasn't smiled in months, and that they talk to you like a piece of dirt on the bottom of their shoe, it hardly puts you in a good mood does it?

Over my lifetime, I've worked in three different shops, and it goes to show that working in retail can work in one of two ways. It can either be really fun and chilled out, or it can be totally stressful and annoying. I've experienced both sides of the coin, but despite that, I don't let it get to me. I know that retail is something I would rather not get into as a career path, because I can't handle the fussy customers, and even worse, the sometimes miserable staff.

So it was a nice surprise today when I went into a shop and the person that served me was a genuinely nice person. Not to sound like an old man but I find that a lot of shops I go into, the staff are rude and miserable, but when I walked into Iceland today to pick up a pack of £1 chicken kievs (seriously), I got to the till and got served by the friendliest woman in the world.

Not only was she asking me about how my day was going and making fun of my stupid purchase, but she was also asking me if I was a student and how my studies were going. At the end of the day, it was all small talk, but for someone to even show an interest was much better than being served by a grump.

So I walked out the shop with a smile on my face. I don't even know what the cashier was called, but either way, I salute her for her friendliness because it really did brighten up my day.

Chinese food.

I know what you're thinking...here I go again with ANOTHER blog post about food. But today's post is about food because it's probably the only thing that has given me much joy today. In fact, today I've barely done anything. I got out of bed at around 2pm, sat on my computer, revised a bit of law...where was the chance for me to smile through all that? It's just been one of those days where I've sat on my arse and achieved next to nothing.

It looks so bad yet tastes so good!

But anyway, on a happier note, today Sam and I decided that we'd go for a meal somewhere, because we're running pretty low on food. But as the day went on, I didn't really want to leave the house because it's still freezing cold outside! So instead of going out and spending quite a bit of money on some fancy food, we decided to opt for a Chinese takeaway.

The reason for this is simple- Chinese food is the best type of food. I think it's because there's so much variety and you can pick and choose so much from a Chinese takeaway, without spending an extortionate amount. Plus, you can simply ring the takeaway place up and do whatever you want until your food arrives, which on a lazy Sunday is so much better than cooking!

I opted for a chicken curry from there, and some of you will probably be like 'why get an Indian dish from a Chinese menu' but I have my reasons. Chinese curries are awesome, never too spicy or too mild, they're just in between and taste amazing. Plus you get so much food, it's difficult to complain. I sure didn't when I was nomming it all up.

So right now, I'm full up, and feel as fat as a whale thanks to all those calories I consumed. Which is a perfect start to the night, because I need to go to the library as I feel bad that I've not done any work at all this weekend. Looks like I'll be venturing out into the cold after all then...

Snow.

This week, the whole country has been gripped by extremely cold weather. Being slightly up north here in Stoke-on-Trent, it's got colder as the week's gone on and being in a student house, don't I bloody know it!! Our house is rubbish when it comes to coping in the cold, so much so that there's no other option than to stick the heating on and watch our money drain away. At least it's keeping us warm though.

But after a hectic night out at Super Friday last night, which ended in me walking a ridiculously drunk friend home which was both funny and challenging, I woke up this morning to find that last night it had snowed. At Super Friday I remember sitting in the cold and it began to snow, but nothing too significant. But by looking outside, I realised that we'd had some significant snow, as the roads, paths and cars were covered in the white stuff.

I don't know what it is about snow that makes it so special. At the end of the day, it ends up getting iced up and slippery to walk on, causes loads of vehicle accidents and traffic and annoys everyone. But when it snows, the child within me comes out. Sure, I don't go outside and have a snowball fight like I used to when I was younger, but the snow makes everything look much more amazing. Being in a place like Shelton, the snow really covered up the grime and made the place look a lot better, if I'm being honest. And with Christmas just around the corner, it made the snowfall just that little bit more special.

Despite feeling a little hungover, I went into Hanley with Sam and Nat, my friend from home who had come up for the weekend. On the way, we walked through Hanley Park which looked so picturesque. The best thing about it was that we were in the park at the time the sun was going down, which resulted in the beautiful picture embedded in this post.

I know that a lot of people moan about snow, and if I was a driver, I'm sure I'd have the same attitude towards it. But snow in this country is something we don't see everyday, so when we get a pretty decent snowfall, I never take it for granted.

Post.

Even though I've lived in this house for almost three months, I've barely got any post. I think the main reason for that is that I am usually a cheap skate and rarely purchase things online, and think the only time I've had post before today was when I ordered a Public Affairs book for my course off Amazon. And trust me, I wasn't happy when I got that book, because it was then I realised how much I'd have to learn by the end of the year!

Swear this photo isn't posed at all

A few days ago however, still in iPhone fever, I ordered a case for my iPhone off Amazon. I did this because, to be honest, I'm quite clumsy when it comes to phones. I once dropped a Motorola phone down a toilet, trod on an old Samsung phone which made it no longer of use, and dropped the phone before this one many times when I was out. So if any phone needed protection, it was this iPhone. I decided to choose an Otterbox phone case, which was suitable because it looked really chunky and protective of the phone.

I ordered the case on Wednesday night, and the site told me to expect it around the 30th November. But this morning, my housemate Bell came up the stairs to tell me that my case had arrived. And a mess was almost formed in my pants.

The case is perfect, and fits my iPhone amazingly. In fact, it feels that if I were to drop my phone, it would bounce straight back into my hands unharmed (obviously I'm not going to experiment this!). And it really looks cool on the phone! I was scared it would be quite bulky but it isn't and fits in my pocket perfectly. And as for the enjoyment of getting post in a package with my name on...I think I'm gonna order more things online from now on.

Cooking up something good.

I think this has to be my fourth post of the blog based around eating, and for that, I feel like I'm putting across an image of myself being a greedy pig. That is pretty true, because food makes my life complete, and I never stop eating. I'm surprised I don't weigh about 40 stone with everything I eat, but ah well, I'm sure it will come back to bite me one day.

We made short work of this

Today has been a mediocre kind of day. It started off quite bad, as I went into my lecture to pick up an assignment result, but found out that the disk that I had put my assignment onto had been lost. Arggh! Luckily I have everything saved on my computer, so it's okay, but still it's a bit crap. 

But other than that small issue, today I planned to cook up a risotto for dinner. I decided this this morning (because I literally live by plans) and I was actually sad enough to get quite excited about cooking it. If you didn't know already, I really enjoy cooking, even if it doesn't always work out. Being a student, I've found out that I have to do things myself, and I feel I'm coping really well, especially food wise.

But anyway, before I go off on a tangent, I got in from work today and went straight ahead with cooking up the risotto for Sam and I. Being a man (seriously...I am...), I'm gonna be honest and say I find it difficult to multi-task, and had a pan with the rice in, another pan to cook some bacon and another one on to soften the vegetables. Yet I managed to get everything cooked, and the risotto was soon served...even if I did cook enough to feed a large family.

Overall, the risotto was great, and filled me right up. The satisfaction of making and eating good food is something I never take for granted, and this was the case with this meal. And I promise this post isn't me blowing my own trumpet, because Sam thought that the risotto tasted amazing...or so he says.

Getting something positive out of a hectic day.

Waking up at around 8am this morning was a nightmare! I'm not used to early morning starts (despite having two a week on my course) but I'm usually fine with them. Yet after having about three hours sleep last night, I felt awful this morning. And it was freezing cold, which almost made me stay in bed and hide away from the day.

(c) devilibrarian

But looking back on the day, I'm so pleased I didn't choose that option because I got loads done, uni assignment wise anyway. I've decided to do a story for one of my assignments about student nightlife in Stoke, but focusing on an area where student nightlife isn't so popular. This meant me choosing to venture into Stoke this afternoon, which is about a 15 minute walk away.

But once I got there, disaster struck. Nothing ever goes smoothly with me, and today was no different. I got to the pub where I wanted to interview the staff, but the staff told me that I'd be best talking to the manager, who wasn't going to be in until 3. So I went over to a shop called Aisle of Brides (yes, it's a brides shop, and yes, it was embarrassing walking in), but not by personal choice- supposedly the owner of the shop created the idea of student nights in the area. But when I got there, I was told that the owner was on holiday...until next Tuesday, the day of my deadline.

Being as though the time was only about 1.45pm, I decided to walk home with my head hung low. Expecting the worst in the story, I actually didn't want to go back out again...but, being as though I wanted to get things done today, I did.

And when I got to Stoke and began interviewing people, I started to feel at ease with everything. The people I interviewed were beyond helpful and really passionate about what they'd promoted, and I really enjoyed talking to them. I even got offered to go to a meeting of the trader group to get more information, but it was just a shame that this was organised a day after my deadline.

I finished interviewing at about 5, and went home and straight away got typing the story up. I'm not entirely happy with it so far, but I've got five days to get it in order. Which is completely different to the last assignment, where I had only a few hours to get it done thanks to my procrastination. Hoorah for being organised!

iPhone goodness.

If you know me well enough, you'll know that I've been banging on about wanting an iPhone for months. I was tempted ever since Sam got one around August time, because before that, I was never interested in a smart phone. But being as though the iPhone can do everything, I was easily tempted.

The only problem was, I already had a phone, which I got on a 24 month contract about a year and a half ago. However, this phone had begun to irritate me- it's a touchscreen phone but it's so over sensitive, it starts texting and calling people at its own freewill. So it had to go, and today, I chose the day to go and finally get an iPhone.

The iPhone is clearly winning the battle with work here!

Being as though one of my lectures was cancelled, I ventured into Hanley in the afternoon and went to T-Mobile to sort it all out. The guys in the shop were great, gave great customer service, and said the best choice for me was to get an 8GB iPhone 3GS, which I eventually opted for. However, walking up to Hanley I was dreading what was going to happen. I expected to get there and them to all be sold out, or that I would end up walking away empty handed. And that almost came true.

Because there I was, seconds away from getting the phone when the guy behind the till told me he needed to do a credit check. As I'd moved house, none of the information I was giving him was matching with what he had in front of him, and so I failed the check. But just as I was about to throw a strop and blame the man for ruining my life, his manager came over and talked it through with him- and they accepted that I could get the phone(even though the guy threatened to 'kick my head in' if I didn't pay for the contract- all in jest of course).

Once I had it, I quickly rushed home and began using the phone. And let me tell you- it's awesome! I literally have been stuck to the phone for the last five/ six hours, working out all the functions, adding contacts and downloading pointless apps just because I can. I know there will be loads of people out there who say 'Blackberry's better!' or 'it will only go and break in a month!', or think I'm making a big deal out of it, but I don't care. The iPhone is god, end of. It's just with deadlines approaching for my assignments, I've chosen a bad time to get it...

Total Wipeout.

Today I set myself a task of getting uni work done. In fact, on Friday, I told myself that I needed to spend the next week cracking on with work- after all, I have five deadlines to meet in the next few weeks. But as always, things didn't go entirely to plan.

With a nice early morning start which involved a cold shower, a rush to get out the door and a sit through a two hour lecture from 9am onwards, I felt geared up ready to get some work in order. When I got back into my house at 12ish (following a trip to Ember Lounge, as you do), I opened up my laptop and started working away.

One of my assignments is to write a news feature, and this involves doing a 1,000-1,200 word article about a subject of our choosing. I've chosen to do it about the future of Stoke-on-Trent, and how the council are putting students needs before local people. With only two weeks of the deadline left, I decided to try and get this one out the way first, and actually found a lot of research.

But I would have done more if it wasn't for Total Wipeout. I don't know if you're familiar with the show, but it's based around contestants trying to defeat an almost unbeatable obstacle course. I've been a big fan ever since I saw the US series on Living TV a few years ago, and it always makes me laugh. This is probably the best video I've found to sum up the madness of the show:



So as a distraction from work, I somehow happened to stroll along Total Wipeout videos, and played them again and again. Don't ask how it happened, 'cos it did. But by the time I'd finished watching them, it was nearly 4 o'clock and time for work, where I told myself that at least I got some of my assignment out the way. But still, these videos may have made me smile at the time...but due to them disrupting my plans of getting work done, I'm not really smiling about them now!

Dance move failures.

I haven't really had time to update this blog much the weekend, but I was really busy helping my parents set up my sisters 21st party ready for last night. There were balloons to blow up, banners to stick on the walls and guests to take photos of, and blogging couldn't really fit in between. Add the fact that I didn't get in until about 1am last night and was pretty drunk, it just wasn't gonna happen.

We failed at this dance move almost as hard as these people

So last night, the party went on, and actually went really well. I never know how to feel about family parties- I threw an 18th party a few years ago and had a really good time, but the nervous feelings about who is coming and the preparation beforehand is something I never want to repeat. My sister went through the same process, but she had a good time, even if the DJ lost her playlist and resorted to playing cheesy music.

So to cope with the cheesy music, I drank Strongbow. Gotta admit, when it comes to alcohol, Strongbow is my drink of choice. But the fact that we had drank some before we even got to the party and I felt tipsy before 7 felt strange. So I decided to drink even more- big mistake!

I can't completely blame myself, though- at the party, I invited a few friends of my own, and my friend Nat (who I talked about in a previous blog post) came along. A few glasses of wine went to her head and she went into drink buying mode, buying me and my housemate Sam some alcohol whenever she could. This resorted in, what could be classed as, one of the most embarassing moments of my life.

To end the night, Linzi chose Dirty Dancing's 'Time of my Life', a typical party ending track. Being as though we were all up dancing anyway, the song came on and Nat called for me to jump into her arms to imitate the film's winning dance move. It sounds stupid now but at the time, we thought it was a good call! But as she picked me up and I outstretched my arms, Nat fell over and I pretty much landed on top of her.

It would have been okay if we had just got up and brushed it off, but Nat stayed lying on the floor, laughing her head off as I stood up. And it was just as the point as my Nan and Grandad came over to say bye to me, which resorted in my Grandad whispering in my ear 'behave yourself!' before leaving the party!

So this was a massive failure on my behalf, and I even have a large bruise on my knee to prove it. But ah well, I was having fun, and luckily not very many people seemed to care at the time...it's just proof that drinking at a family party isn't big or clever.

Having a computer whiz as a housemate.

Tonight I've been rushing around, trying to get things sorted. I've made something photo based for my sister's 21st birthday party (I'm sure I mentioned this in an earlier blog post? Oh yes...yes I did) which is tomorrow night, but it's been one hell of a task to get it all finished. And for that, I *sarcastically* thank my printer.

Because earlier, when I wanted to print out an application form to apply for a TV licence refund, it worked. Earlier when I had to print out an ink allignment page after installing a new ink cartridge, it worked. But when I desperately need the bloody thing, it just sits there in its glory and refuses to work. And it is then when I want to either throw it out a window or smash it up with a sledge hammer.

Luckily, however, our house has a handy man. Whenever's something gets broke, Mr. Sam Eddy (pictured) is usually there to fix it. Whether that be a downed internet connection, a broken bed or something simple like an oven lighter, Sam always has a solution which makes it work. And today, he was around when my printer decided to give up on me.

I won't bore you with what he went through to get it working, but at the end of it, my documents printed and I was saved from strolling down to the library in the fog to get my work printed. And for that, my sisters present is complete, and I can therefore stop stressing over it. Phew! Roll on tomorrow night.

That Christmas feeling.

Even though Christmas is over a month away, today I managed to get in the festive feeling thanks to my housemates.

Our amazing Christmas tree!

My housemate Lou is really excited about Christmas, so excited in fact that right now she is watching The Grinch downstairs with our adopted housemate, Mel. She had been telling us this week that she was going to buy decorations and put them up as soon as she brought them...little did I know, she was being serious!

So, here I am, walking in through my front door after a shift at work when I open the living room door...and what greets me is what can only be described as a 'winter wonderland.' There's a sparkly tree in the corner, stockings hanging up on the wall, white powder spray obscuring the window, Christmas tunes blasting out of the laptop and pretty much every single object covered in tinsel. And it's all thanks to Sam, Mel and Lou, who are all covering parts of the room with their decorations.

Even though most people would probably question why we've decided to put decorations up this early at this point, I seriously didn't care. There were still more items to put up, so I tried my best to help, but I was a little bit useless. Either way, when it was all done and dusted, the living room looked amazingly festive. And the excuse for the early decorations? The Coca-Cola advert was on TV this weekend, so Christmas was now officially here.

I love Christmas, and can honestly say it's my favourite time of the year. I think no one can ever outgrow Christmas, no matter what they say. The presents, the dinner, the coming together of family, there's seriously nothing better. But these decorations have made me want Christmas to come sooner- shame that I have assignment deadlines to meet before it all though!

Cancelled lectures.

Now don't get me wrong, I like my course. I really do want to be a journalist and I'm enjoying most things about it so far. But a few days ago, I got the news that this week's Wednesday lectures were cancelled.

Despite enjoying the course, it's always nice when you hear that you don't have to go somewhere that you had planned, and can instead spend the day inside. And today was a good day for that, because the weather was vile. It decided to tip it down all day, and not only that, but it was freezing cold. So instead of waking up at 8am to experience a cold bathroom and a cold shower, I casually got out of bed at 11 when the house was nice and warm and I even had time to make a bacon and sausage sandwich!

I feel today has been quite productive aswell. Not only am I cracking on with my sister's second birthday present and nearly have it complete, but I managed to come up with some ideas for upcoming assignments, type up some lecture notes and start obtaining a few facts and figures for my news feature assignment, which has to be in in about three weeks. Better to start early I guess, even if I am still afraid I'm going to type it all up last minute. But I'll see about that.

Usually, having a day off makes me lazy, and makes me stay in bed most of the day and achieve next to nothing. But today's been alright, and with no work on top, it's been pretty relaxed. Which makes tonight more than worth it, as I'm out at Gobble, which should be a good night! However, shamefully, I've got a lecture at 9 tomorrow...I'll let you know how that goes!

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Things falling into place.

The lost key saga is finally over. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find the set of keys I lost, but today, my landlord came over and gave me a set to cut. I was expecting to pay about twenty pound for a set, but didn't realise that a shop down the road lets you cut a set of four keys for £8.50. Bargain, don't ya think?

My new set of keys. That are all gold.
Confusing much?

Overall, today has been a really good day. Things have started to fall into place with everything, and I'm starting to feel a little bit better about things that I probably wasn't feeling so good about yesterday. I've been having a few concerns over my course lately, and today I got into my Theory and Practice lecture feeling a little bit worried about an assessment that was planned for the lesson. But when it got down to it, the assessment wasn't too difficult, and I was pleased with the writing I produced. Just got to wait and see now how I did, but hopefully it's good news.

I also managed to retrieve my student card I lost (told you I lose everything). Last week, I went to Gobble and dropped the card in there, but having a 'beer mind', I didn't even realise until I was told. This was a bit of a worry when I was going to the library and had to use it to get in, but now it's all sorted and it's back in my possession...for now anyway.

So, yeah, today's been a good day all round. New keys, assessment went pretty well and I got my student card back on top. Hoping that the good day extends into the night, as I'm set to go to the Ember Lounge to watch the comedy club later!

This inspirational man.

When it comes to idols, I can't really say I have any. I don't really look up to many people, and that's not me being self-centred. Well, I didn't, until I came across this YouTube video today. If you can watch the whole of this video without smiling, crying, or feeling some form of emotion, then you really are not human.



Watched it? Okay, well here's what I think about Nick Vujicic. This guy is the exact meaning of the word inspiration. I cannot begin to imagine all the name-calling, the set backs and the sadness his condition has caused him earlier in life. But despite that, he's still a happy guy and as he says himself- 'he loves life.' I think the best part of this video is when he uses his foot (which he calls a chicken drumstick) to play a drum, and he is totally making fun of himself. But he doesn't care, because he's past caring about what other people think or say about him.

Watching this actually made me consider things in life. There are people out there who are constantly judged, just because they look different to everyone else. I've always said this- appearance isn't everything, it's the personality that counts. But even with this attitude, there are still people that I judge myself, and I'm only being honest. Everybody does it, whether they are comfortable admitting it or not.

I think what I find more inspirational about Nick is that he can laugh about his condition and act like it is normality. And he doesn't ask for sympathy at all- he says that his life was tough in his childhood but never delves into the bullying he probably suffered as a result. Instead, he looks to the future and deals with things that come his way.

I'm an optimistic person, but I don't know how I'd be if I was in the same situation. I'd like to think I'd be the same, but who knows. What I do know though is that Nick Vujicic's inspirational words really made me smile today, and kept me smiling throughout the day.

Looking through old photos.

So today has been a pretty bad day. Not only have I failed to find the keys I lost, and think that they are probably on a train to London somewhere, but I've had people nagging me, had to put off plans to see one of my best friends and had a scary train journey back to Stoke on top. In fact, I was really tempted to post a depressive post stating that nothing had made me smile today, but that would just make me rant. And anyway, this blog is supposed to be about happy times, don't wanna buck the trend, do I? Or do I!?

Me and my sis. I'm wearing a Crash
Bandicoot t-shirt FTW.

But then I remembered- something DID make me smile today. In two days time, my sister turns 21, and she's having a party thrown for her on Saturday. For the party, we're constructing something to do with photographs (I won't reveal too much in case she reads this!), so this has meant pulling out the box of old photos from the loft and flicking through to find the most fitting.

And in that box, I found some real gems, not only of Linzi, but of me too. Obviously none of these photos were too flattering- I found one photo of me on a beach when I was about 10, and I'm so pale, I'm near enough camouflaged into the sand! You seriously wouldn't have known I was standing there if it wasn't for my red speedos. There was also one of me and Linzi, on holiday, and we're both flexing our muscles- except we don't have any, and I'm in swimming shorts so my ribs are sticking out and I look like a living skeleton.

I had a right laugh with my family over this, and it kept me occupied for a couple of hours. It actually made me reminisce about my childhood, where things were normally care-free and I could just act really stupid for no reason. But when I asked myself whether I would rather be in my childhood now, I thought no thanks. I'm actually happy living my life as a student, even if I can't access my own room in my own house right now.

Baby showering.

Just to clarify before you read on, this post does not talk about me smiling whilst being showered in babies. So get that sick thought out of your head!

A few months ago, I learned that my good friend Bex (who also tells me that she reads this blog- hi Bex!) was pregnant. By finding this out via text whilst I was queuing up for Nemesis at Alton Towers, I remember being really excited for her, even though it came as a massive surprise at the time. But it's been a few months since I was told, and the baby is only months away from arriving in the world, so Bex decided to throw a baby shower.

This baby shower was the main reason I went home this weekend. I've known Bex since the beginning of high school and even though I'm at uni and she's in Tamworth, we've kept in touch and she's kept me updated on how the pregnancy is going.

Before tonight though, I'd never been to a baby shower before. I didn't really know what to expect, but when it came to it, it ended up being a really good night. There were a few people there from school who I managed to catch up with, loads of food to be consumed and we even played some baby shower related games, such as 'guess the baby food' where we had to try cold baby food and guess the flavour that it was- yum.

Overall, I had a great night and enjoyed seeing everyone again. The mood of my night rapidly changed though once I got home, as I found out that I can't find my house/room keys for the Stoke house anywhere. Fun times ahead for me...

Seeing a chav get put in his place.

I don't normally like train conductors. I usually find them patronising, and hate how they think they can treat people like dirt. I'm sure letting people off isn't in there job description, but being a nasty piece of work isn't either.

Are you gonna bang doe?

However, today, I actually had positive feelings towards one. I was heading home on the train to Tamworth, when the train conductor came through the aisle. He was a really kind guy, chatting to everyone whose tickets he checked and having a laugh, and he even had a chuckle at the disgusting photo on my railcard. There he was, doing his business, until he went a few rows behind me.

Sitting there was the biggest idiot in public. He'd already annoyed me by playing his gangster rap really loud on the train (he obviously hadn't heard of the invention of earphones), so I didn't have a positive vibe towards him anyway. The train conductor came up to him and asked him for a ticket, as he does because that's his job, when the chav replied 'ain't got one.'

The conductor then offered the guy to purchase a ticket on the train, but the passenger replied 'ain't got money.' Both then began arguing, with the conductor rightly pointing out that if he can't purchase a ticket, he can't travel, and he needs to pay a fine. And the conductor was such a nice man, he was telling the guy to pay the fine at the next station, where there's a cash machine for him to get money out, and then he could simply hop on the next train and all could be sorted. But the chav was having none of it.

Then things began getting personal. Even though the conductor wasn't singling him out, and this time was genuinely doing his job, the chav began raising his voice, saying how the conductor worked in a 'dead-end job' and telling the conductor that in a few years time he would 'go to university, and then get a job earning ten times as much' as the conductor does now. He then raised his voice even louder, saying that the conductor needs to get a better job than the 'f**king s**thole' he works in now.

This was when the conductor pulled out a gem. He calmly let the chav finish his stupid rant, before stating "I went to university actually. I went to Cambridge and got a first in Chemistry. And this is where I've ended up, with a job I love, making money. That's life" before walking off.

Like probably every other passenger in the carriage, I wanted to pat the conductor on the back. He wasn't taking anything from that idiot, and the chav's ranting and swearing got him a £20 fine. For the rest of the journey, the chav slouched in his chair and stayed quiet. Just how I wish he'd stayed the whole journey.

Finding money I never knew I had.

These days, my money just seems to go. Even though I have a job, I never seem to be able to save any more, despite setting a budget (which I always go over). And to be honest, I blame myself for this. Instead of letting my money sit there, I end up blowing it on stupid things like alcohol and Wright's pasties (curse you Wright's for having a shop literally down my street!).

(c) hitthatswitch

Last night, I went out with about twenty pounds to Gobble, our Wednesday night event in the on-campus LRV. It was a great night, and it was good to see people out who I hadn't seen in a pretty long time. But waking up this morning, I looked in my wallet and realised I had about £3 left from the night. So I'd basically blown £17 on a night, and I can only remember drinking a cider and black and a shot. I swear I get robbed and I just don't realise.

Opening that wallet was soul destroying. Not only did £210 go out my bank account the other week for rent, but I must have spent over £100 in the last two weeks on clothes and food. So to know I spent more money wasn't a great feeling.

But, the tables seemed to turn half way through the day when I looked in my washing pile. I was merely sorting through my clothes, getting prepared for going home the weekend, when in the bottom of the basket was £2.60 exactly.

I know it's not a lot, but finding that money was a great feeling. Money is literally everything nowadays, and being a student, I struggle enough with finance. So to know I had that little bit extra was really reasurring. Even if I did spend one of the pound coins on a chicken and ham slice from Wright's later in the day. I never learn!

Catching up with a friend.

Me and Nat in a finer moment

Being at university really distracts you from friends at home. Sure, I still keep in touch with (and miss) people, but when we're all off at university/ work, doing our own little things, it's hard to physically meet up with someone.

Earlier this week, I heard the news that my friend Nat was over in Stoke doing training at the BHS Restaurant in the city centre. For the past few days, we've been aiming to meet up, but haven't found time. But today, I managed to finally meet up with her in Hanley, where we went for a Starbucks.

Nat is a really good friend of mine. I feel she has the same sense of humour as me and she's hilarious, always making me laugh with her little catchphrases and sayings. Ever since I met her in year 7 of high school, we've stayed in contact, even though we're both doing different things in life in different areas too.

And catching up with her today was what made me smile, probably because I haven't seen her in quite a few months. We had loads to talk about, practically stayed in Starbucks until it closed and then walked around The Potteries- which she's never been in before, so I helped in popping her Potteries cherry.

A few minutes later, we ended up getting the bus and heading home. Nat's staying in Newcastle, so I had to get off the bus before her. But it was a great day and a great catch up- and as she's going to be here for the next few days and that I'm going back home on the weekend, I'm certain I will meet up with her again.

Random train passengers.

If you follow this blog daily (anyone here that does that...no?), then you'll be correct to think that I didn't post a blog yesterday. I have good reasons for the lack of post, because yesterday I was without internet and couldn't post anything. But fear not, today I'm going to post what made me happy yesterday, then hopefully get another post written for tonight. You lucky, lucky people you!

So, anyway, yesterday afternoon I found myself waiting for a train at Stoke station. It was freezing waiting on the platform, man flu seems to have returned and I generally felt like someone had steamrolled my head. I had about 50 layers on as well, but the weather up north isn't friendly. After waiting around for what seemed like forever finally, the train I needed pulled up, and I got on board.

Where the magic happened ;)

Being rush hour, I knew it was almost impossible to get a seat, so I took the nearest one I could. My friend Sam was on the train with me, and we sat at a table seat, expecting the journey to just go quickly and calmly.

Little did we know that I had chosen a seat opposite a drunk guy. At first, he was quiet, until suddenly I asked Sam the question: "what day does Emma go to college?". To which the drunk man lifted his head up, stared directly at me and uttered "Tuesday."

I stared right at him, smiled and then looked away, trying to stop myself from laughing, until I caught his eye again, where he continued- "I know that because it's my eldest son's birthday."

By this point, I nearly burst out laughing in his face. The feeling of awkwardness overcame me though, as he just simply stared at me, so I turned away and looked out the window, hoping to see something hilarious so I could burst out laughing and blame my humour on that. But I didn't.

A few minutes later, the drunkard went to sleep, and then woke up when he was at his stop. It was then when I let my laughter out, and looking back, it was a funny experience. So thank you drunken train man. You may have made me feel awkward and generally freaked me out, but I salute you. But just an update- I've spoke to Emma and she actually goes to college on Wednesday and Friday mornings!

Immature greeting cards.

Mondays mean a 9 o’clock start, and work at 4, and this post is about the latter. If you don’t know already, I work in the Student Union shop at my university, which is pretty awesome. But today, instead of everyone being happy, I had some right rude customers. I know it’s been a dreadful day weather wise, but surely it doesn’t hurt to say hello, be polite and at least acknowledge my existence, even if I am the douche that works behind the till.

Anyway, with my little rant out the way, work began to go slow at around 5 o’clock. I work two hour shifts (that’s right, TWO whole hours! How do I cope, seriously?), but it’s in the evening time when everyone’s beginning to go home. So by this time, the shop is tidied, the fridge is full and there’s not a lot to do.

Which leads me onto the title of this post. In the corner of the shop is a rack full of greeting cards, and since working in the shop, I’ve barely noticed them. But today, with the shop quiet and time on my hands, I decided to read one. Then another. Then some more.

I don’t know why, but they really made me laugh. And to tell you the truth, these cards contained AWFUL jokes which only people like me would find funny. Want an example?

“Women, do you want something LONG and HARD?” (with a picture of a cucumber on the front)
*Opens card* “4848478644 x 37376437647= ?”

And things like this brightened up my day, which really proves how mediocre today was. And yes, reading this, it won’t seem funny at all. And even with me reading this back, I don’t find it funny either. But it’s late, I’m tired...and at least I found it funny at the time, right?

Quote of the Day

Every week in my Law lecture, a school bell style alarm goes off in the corridor, obviously signalling towards the end of lectures. Most of us tend to ignore it, and pass it off. But today, Sam Beavis came out with the following line when it rang.

Sam Beavis: “Oh you must be f***ing joking! I’m not going outside in this!”

To which the whole class turned around, went quiet, and left it to the select few of us to explain to Beavis that it wasn’t a fire alarm. Nice one pal!

Retro gaming.

Who in the world can say they detest the likes of Tekken and Spyro the Dragon?

Check this bad boy out for size!

It’s actually a rhetorical question, because (in my mind at least), no-one can. When I was younger, Tekken and Spyro used to be all I played on my super-cool Playstation 1. I used to be the stereotypical kid of the 90’s- glued to my PS1 playing cartoon-adventure game after Japanese fighting game. I literally couldn’t get enough- how times have changed!

But tonight, I happened to relive my childhood. My friend, Phil, had been saying for the past few weeks how he wanted to ‘come over to my house and play some Spyro’ (as you do....). Being as though we have a PS2 and a copy of Spyro in the house, I really couldn’t object.

And playing this game really brought back the memories. Yes, it’s a cutesy game, yes, the graphics are crap and yes, none of the game really makes any sense, but still...it’s fun!

And playing this made me realise that the video games of yesterday are pretty much dead. Instead of side-scrolling platformers and senseless fighting games, we now have intensely detailed games with superb graphics. Which I like- it’s just nice to break the tradition every now and again and kick some Heihachi ass on Tekken Tag Tournament!

Drunken antics.

After spending the week in, getting work done and generally just chilling, last night was the night where I decided to go out. Every Friday, our on-campus nightclub hosts an event called Super Friday, which is your usual student night out- cheaper drinks, lots of people, and loads of cheesy tunes. And every Friday (it seems), I'm there.

I don't know why Super Friday is so ace, because it's the same thing literally every week. Pretty much, the same songs are played, the same drinks are consumed and the same takeaway is purchased at the end of the night (bye bye healthy bank balance!). But yet, I still go, and have an amazing time when I do. Last night was no exception!

Not only did my liver get a bit of a beating, but I found myself doing stupid things which only alcohol could be blamed for. I've had flashbacks of these this morning and throughout the day. Waking up this morning, I did my usual- open my laptop and turn on Facebook. There, set as my status was this:

This was set at the point that the Super Friday DJ played 'Survivor' by Destiny's Child and I was dancing with my good friend Emma, so when reading it, sing along in that format. Get what I was getting at? Nope, neither do I. Not only did I totally fail at the lyrics, but I don't know why I thought it was acceptable to share this with the world.

And that wasn't all. I also text a few friends some lyrics, but instead of using the real lyrics, I replaced one of the words with their name. Genius, aren't I?

So getting these flashbacks really made me smile. But not in the sense that I was proud of myself- in the sense that I'm a drunken fool who, when under the influence of alcohol, should be restrained from using a phone.

Ember Lounge's amazing burgers.

Friday’s might just be officially the best day of the week. Not only do I have no lectures (meaning extra sleep for me), but it gives me loads of time to chill out and enjoy myself- because I obviously don’t do that enough!!

(c) Marshall Astor

Today, after getting up at half 11 (which felt amazing), Sam came back from lectures and we decided to go to the Ember Lounge for lunch. Staffordshire University students will know that the Ember Lounge is (usually) god like, thanks to its tasty food and cheap meals. And today, it really didn’t disappoint.

I ordered a Classic Burger, with extra bacon and cheese and chips, and it literally took just 10 minutes until it was on the table, ready for me to devour. And it only cost me £4- bargain!

This just goes to show that food really makes me happy. And trust me- that burger was one of the best starts to the weekend I’ve ever had, despite having work a few hours later!

A tidy house.

I really made it out to be tidier than
it actually is, didn't I? The ugly furniture
doesn't help...

If you're reading this and live in a student dwelling of some sort, you'll know how much effort it takes to tidy up after yourself. Who wants to spend an hour or so washing up a stack of plates, pans and cutlery which have been hanging around for over a week? Who really cares that the carpet hasn't been hoovered since you've moved in? And what's the big deal about mould covering plates you haven't touched in weeks (after all, you can just throw them away and buy another!)?

When it comes to tidying up, I'm not a good example to use. I'm one of these people who needs to plan everything, and I kind of forget to involve it in my plans at times. And if you recall my blog post a few days ago, my housemates and I threw a Halloween party on Sunday...and the mess of it all was still there this morning, four days later.

But after getting a bit fed up with the bin overflowing and the washing up taking up every inch of the sideboards, the housemates (Belle, Sam and I that is), decided to crack on with tidying up. There were literally three bin bags full of all the crap we had lying around, and loads of dining equipment to tidy up...but I'm happy to say, we got it all done.

I admit, the house isn't at all spotless, but seeing it tidy is a good sign. But this time tomorrow, will it still be tidy? Fat chance.

Productivity.

It's official- the flu that my dad was suffering from over the weekend has hit me, and I feel awful. My legs ache, my head hurts and I can't walk properly (but that could be from sitting on my legs whilst spending hours on this laptop). It is what can only be described as man flu, and it sucks. Worse of all, tonight I'm missing a night out. So instead of dancing to some Gobble tunes, I'm stuck inside with a Lemsip with episodes of Family Guy to keep me company.

Celebrating in my PJ's, hell to the yeah

But beside spending most of today feeling sorry for myself, today has been a good day in the fact that I have pulled my finger out and managed to do some work. I've had a Broadcast Journalism assignment for the past four weeks, and I got the interview done weeks ago but have been slowly editing the audio. Today, after having lectures 9-1 and then popping into Hanley to buy a coat (from Primark, to save the pennies!), I sat down and started finishing things off.


But things weren't so simple. Half way through getting my work done, I receive an email telling me that I have more work on top of what I already have. At first, I stressed, I panicked, but now it's 9.52 pm and all the work has been done.

I think what's made me get my head into this work is the fact that today, it got dark at like 4.30pm, making me think it was much later than it was. This put me under stress, and that's when I work best. So it seems the cold days and the dark nights are good for something, then!

Getting up at 12.

I absolutely adore Tuesdays. I'm not going to bore you by posting the millions of reasons why, because there aren't any. And I'm positive that Tuesday hasn't been the best day of the week all my life, being pretty much the beginning of the week and all. But thanks to my amazing timetable this year, it means lectures don't start until 1pm. What does that mean for me?

My pit

I get to sleep. Until the afternoon. Woo.

Waking up today was much different than yesterday. The night before, I barely got any sleep and woke up in the morning with a headache that lasted all day (all self-inflicted, of course). But instead of getting out of bed at 8.30am (like yesterday), today I crawled out of bed at 12, amassing a total of 10 hours sleep.

And last night, my sleep was amazing. I woke up once after nearly jumping out of bed because I had a dream where I tripped over a pothole, but apart from that, I slept like a log. Which is quite surprising, being as though I've just had a flashback of another dream I had where I was holding my door shut because a murderer was trying to enter my house. Woken up by nightmares? Nah, not me.

But it's a real shame, because tomorrow my sleep is ruined by the fact that I have a 9am lecture. I know I could go to bed early, but my body clock won't let me sleep until 2am at the earliest- damn you student life!

Memories from the night before.

Yesterday's blog post was a little bit rushed, and for that I have a good excuse- I was only minutes away from getting zombied up and getting the Halloween party in full swing.

Sam + I, acting like true zombies. Take note of our decorated gate ;)

Now that the party is over (and trust me, the empty bottles and smell of booze which is plaguing downstairs proves that), it's good to look back and think what a brilliant night it was. It was really good to celebrate Halloween with some cool people, and get to know some others also.

Although the drink has blurred away most of my memories from last night, today I've had flashbacks and they've really made me smile. I think the best memory I had from last night was when a random man from the street approached us when we were standing outside and asked if Steve, Mohammed and five girls were in the house.

Other highlights include drunken jenga, spin the bottle, jamming to an awesome Halloween playlist and getting the whole living room to do the Time Warp. And who said second year students can't have fun?

However, although I admit the amount of drink consumed wasn't clever, I actually surprised myself this morning- I managed to get up and ready for my 9am lecture after four hours sleep. Maybe this wasn't the best idea, because half way through the lecture I felt like I'd been ran over by a truck and the fake blood used for my zombie costume is failing to scrub off completely. But I am here to learn after all!