*insert witty tagline here*
Ehlo mah friends…. Ah em going to ze south uf Frahnce fohr uh week of holideh avec mah family eh mah faihr laydeh, Hanne!
We well beh rahding ze bahkes evuhry deh!
In ze meantahm jooh cahn read-uh ze layhtest specifeecashun forh XHTML 2.0 wheech wuhz juhst relees-ed bah ze W3c. R0×0r zeh b0×0rs!
Eef jooh do naht uhnduhrstand what eez zeh XHTML, zen jooh cahn reydh ZIS!
Phew… what a day!
I spent the day delivering magazines door-to-door, to help promote an up-and-coming Bath lifestyle magazine. My cohort for this escapade was none other than John Wyman! I found him to be a very pleasant and interesting chap. The labour was quite intense at times, pulling a cart of magazines up sections of various hills in and around Bath (including the notorious Bathwick hill.. argh!), but as we drove around I got to see a lot of the surrounding countryside that has otherwise been mostly inaccessible to me (due to my lack of private transport and general laziness ;-))… once Hanne moves over here we’ll have to rent bikes and go cycling around the various villages (and, of course, their pubs!). It was also incredibly hot today, thanks to a somewhat unfamiliar clear, blue sky and blazing sun! Not expecting this “unseasonable” (based on what it has been like these past few days) weather, I put jeans and a shirt this morning… doh! Oh well… at least I made a bit of money to stave off the wolves at the door for a few more days. Also, John offered me some more work if I want, in the event that I don’t secure a “proper” job in the near future. rah!
A few days ago I received my results breakdown. My final semester went quite well, however my project did not receive as high a grade as I feel it deserved (”only” 61%… grr). My average for the final three modules was 69%, which is pretty decent, however as we know it was not enough for a 2:1, therefore the average over the course of these four long years rests at 58.8%… rah! It’s not much, but it’s mine!
Now the going gets tough in terms of job-hunting. Over the weekend I must have applied to between 20 - 30 jobs. I’ve received about 8 responses so far, the majority of which have said “oh.. you didn’t get a 2:1. You suck!” (or something along those lines). The remaining responses just said they’ll get back to me (which, I suppose, is similar to the first responses). oh well… something will come along sooner or later… maybe…!!
In a few short weeks Hanne will be moving to England, so I really would prefer to have a job before she gets here (so we have an idea of where we can go and live). If she arrives and I still don’t have a job then we’ll just get a short-term contract in a house in Bath, get some temporary work while we both apply for those “proper” jobs, and take it from there. I also have the additional problem of finding someone to take over my contract for my room here… so, if you’re looking for a SINGLE ROOM in BATH, UK, APPLY NOW! The rent isn’t too bad, the amenities are plentiful, and i’ll buy you a beer!
right… now I need a siesta. Hasta luego!
Woo! I am no longer a student!!
Yesterday was the official graduation ceremony, in which we all dressed up in silly gowns and pointy caps and were then given the honour of shaking the university chancellor’s hand… I’ll never wash it again!@# My family and I then went for a nice meal in the Moon and Sixpence (very good food), followed by drinks in the function room of RSVP, which I’d rented out for friends and family so everyone could all meet in one place. All in all everything went smoothly. I didn’t trip on my way to collect my degree, I didn’t spit on the chancellor as I shook his hand (tempted as I might have been), and my fly was firmly up, preventing me from exposing the family jewels to the congregation. What more could I ask for?
And I still don’t have a job! But I was accepted for sponsorship by the Royal Signals… huzzah! So I’ll continue pursuing that military career and see how it goes, though I really need to work on my physical fitness if I want to stand a chance.
I just spent the past week in Wales with my brother, visiting my grandparents, uncle, and hound, which was as relaxing as always (despite getting lost on a mountain walk with my uncle, brother, and Tequila, resulting in a 5 hour trek around the countryside near my grandparents house). I’m off on a cycling holiday in France with my family and Hanne in just over a week, so until then i’ve gotta sort out quite a few things in my life (such as getting a job and somewhere to live when Hanne moves to England)… the clock is ticking!
Random link of the day: Weeble’s new video!
Ta ta for now.
More fuel for the Bush-fire: Moorewatch.com (note this site is anti-Moore. Be sure to read all the comments that accompany each article to get a bigger picture from the readers).
I’ve read lots of comments that are anti-Kerry, which are fair enough as from what they’ve been saying then Kerry is just as bad as any other politician, but I still haven’t found good pro-Bush arguments that hold water.
They think it’s all over… It is now!!
Today (ok, actually it was last night) I found out my degree classification. I got a 2:2 in the end, which is what i’ve been expecting. I’m a little miffed that I didn’t manage to pull it up to a 2:1, but a 2:2 from the University of Bath is still pretty good… and considering I went the whole 4 years without selling out and doing any slacker modules such as a beginner language option or a 1st year module in my final year, I’m feeling pretty good.
I only hope I can convince employers that i’m smarter than my degree might first imply 
I coulda had [a first] class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let’s face it.
Marlon Brando (1924 - 2004). R.I.P.
PS I don’t really think I’m a bum… the quote just fit nicely
Anyway… right now i’ve got a killer stomach ache so i’m gonna have a nap. More later!
Yesterday Hesam came over to Bath, from Reading, for the day, which was cool. So we had a wonder around town (in the pissing rain), went up to the university campus, and then watched the Holland - Portugal game (in which Holland were robbed 2 - 1… bah… useless refs in this Euro tournament! They need to make some clones of the only decent referee in the world: Pierluigi Collina!. But I digress…). Oh, and there was a guest appearance by Amit, too!
Inevitably, the subject of George Dubya arose at several points during the evening. I still have trouble understanding how ANYONE can support him or his administration. They’ve ruined America in the eyes of the world (more so than ever before), their economy is in turmoil (just about a 2:1 dollar to pound exchange right now), they’ve illegally invaded and destroyed several countries (most notably, of late, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Haiti to name but three), killed thousands of foreign citizens (3,000 died in the World Trade Centre incident, however, over 6,000 citizens have died in this recent “liberation” of Iraq alone), and, from what I’ve read and observed, they’re all hopelessley corrupt. Why is “the majority” supporting him??? Brain-washing? Hypnotism? Blind faith??
Then again, I can’t complain too much as Blair was idiotic enough to support him. Bush must have made some very tempting promises to get the UK into the mess that is Iraq. I’ve never really bothered with voting before, but I’m definitely going out to the polls next time to cast my vote for someone else (though there is somewhat a lack of decent choice, at the moment… and i’m sure as hell not voting for the conservatives). I’ve also noticed that the majority of people I speak to are anti-Bush, etc. but a lot of them don’t even vote themselves, whereas every Republican I meet does vote… which I guess is how Bush got where he is in the first place. If you’re reading this and you’re living in the US, go out and vote in the upcoming elections! I’m coming to realise how important it is to vote, just to try and make a difference. So whether you agree or disagree with me… just get out there and vote!
This post was inspired by three things:
While Moore does get a little extreme at some points, and I’m not taking his word as gospel, he does raise some very pertinent points. I highly recommend you read this book… I’m also eagerly anticipating his new movie: Fahrenheit 9/11, which is released over here in the UK on July 9th, 2004!
Moore’s homepage can be found at michaelmoore.com. Oh, and for some counter-balance you could also check out Moore Lies, however I find most of their arguments to be pretty trivial.
So, if anyone who is pro-Bush, republican, and/or conservative reads this: please leave a comment and, without getting all abusive as most of you so often do, explain your point-of-view.
Oh yeah… PS: I’m back from Norway 
I’m currently in the process of moving rooms, I get my degree classification tomorrow (*gulp*), and then I’ve got a familiarisation visit with the Royal Signals next Monday / Tuesday… argh. It’s a busy week.