Saturday, December 6
Germans - TeeHee
Does anyone else worry that the recent cannibal convicted of killing and eating another man, and the couple convicted of a satanist ritual murder 18 months ago were all German? Even the young welsh 'vampire' claimed that a German girl he knew was a vampire and tried to get her to bite him.
I blame everything on the Germans.
Not really, the Americans are just as much to blame.
Oh, and Aussies. Forgot about them.
And how can I leave out the French?
Xenophobic? Moi? How can I be xenophobic? I just used a French word...!
Story
I was bored a little earlier, so I decided to do a little bit of creative writing. Before posting it here, I think I should explain it a little. One of my housemates, Pete, has been set an assignment, as part of his English degree, to write the opening 500 - 1000 words of a novel, being as descriptive as possible. He keeps telling us all that the first sentence is going to be just the word "Cancer" and a full stop. On the tube coming home today, and I had the idea of spoofing it a little bit.
It was with this in mind that I started writing, but it turned very dark, very quickly. I guess it's just the kind of thing which I write. I'm a dark person. Not really, I'm pretty cheerful, but I like to write and express dark themes whenever I get anywhere near being artistic and creative, which happens once in a blue moon. I've no idea where I'm going with this just yet, although there's a couple of possibilities running around my head.
Anyway, here it is:
Cancer. James hated his star sign more than anything in the world. He just didn’t conform to it. He wasn’t moody, and he wasn’t sensitive. He was quiet, but permanently. He didn’t ever take offence at anything anybody said, but carried on with his life, muddling along and keeping out of everyone else’s way. He kept his emotions to himself, a trait which could not be further from the norm of those born between the 22nd of June and the 22nd of July.
That was James. An inconsequential being, wandering this Earth, searching for an existence that was always beyond his reach. An existence that promised happiness, glory, love and, above all, the acceptance that he craved so much.
It wasn’t that James was rejected by society, more that he was ignored. He was one of those. One of those who you observed but did not see. Heard but did not listen to. Communicated with but did not speak to. A nobody. An existence, but not a life.
James worked in an office. A dull, meaningless job, where as long as everything got done there were no complaints and no praise. His cubicle was grey. There were no decorations, no attempts to implant his personality onto his workspace. Others in his office had practically renovated their cubicles, covering the walls with keepsakes and “amusing” posters. James had no personality to give to his cubicle. He was as grey on the inside as it was.
Anyway, James had no desire to connect his workspace with himself. He worked because he had to. He did not work because he enjoyed his job or because he wanted to make a difference. What difference can one man make anyway? He will be laughed at, ridiculed, mocked, abandoned, or worse, ignored. James saw no point in even trying.
James may not have been noticed by many, but those who did become aware of his existence, and tried to make contact with him were generally shot down. James did not want to go out for drinks with them, or to do lunch, or to do anything which the vast majority would have considered normal. James was quite content to live life alone, and not to partake of any activities that would involve meeting with people.
James would bring his lunch into work in a small Tupperware box, clear with a blue lid. It was the exact size to fit in his sandwiches, a packet of Walker’s cheese and onion crisps and a Penguin chocolate biscuit. James was not a man of extravagant tastes. Perhaps he would switch to prawn cocktail crisps once in a while, but it had to be a special day.
After work, James would blend into the rush hour mob of workers and return to his apartment. James’ apartment was also spartan, but at least it wasn’t grey. James did have an eye for decorating his home, and spent a large amount of money on it. He had gone for the minimalist look, with plenty of aluminium and glass surfaces throughout.
Friday, December 5
Fucked
I'm so fucking tired right now. I've been at uni from 9 this morning until 6 this evening, and I worked solidly for all of that time, except maybe 40 minutes on the internet earlier. I didn't even stop for lunch! Although that was down to my lack of money more than lack of time. Damn, I've got no money.
Plans for the weekend? Fuck all. Writing at least one essay, possibly two, doing some other work, and trying not to spend any money. How very, very boring. I don't even have any beer in the fridge to crack on with.
I think I'm becoming a little ill from not eating very much this week. I'm feeling absolutely freezing right now, even though our house isn't overly cold. Detox my fucking ass. I'd rather get fat and use the blubber for insulation.
The Dailyish News Round-Up
Europe Praises Steel Tariffs Repeal - A follow-up on this story. My favourite part: "US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick said the tariff decision had been made independently of the EU retaliation threat." Yeah, right. Of course it was.
Pictures Of Russian Train Blast - Does anyone else experience the same type of consumer-voyeurism that I get whenever pictures like this are published? Because it is do distant from me, and I am in no danger, I tend to look at the pictures for the sake of looking. It's like they are not real.
An Arresting Sight - Another article about the number of arrests under the Terrorism Act 2000 vs the number of convictions under the Act. It also highlights the abuse of police resources in arresting these terrorist "suspects". Plus, the author is a fellow at King's College.
ITV Reporter Attacks Military 'Spin' - Another response to the alleged shooting of 54 Iraqis by US troops. Very revealing, and I guess that fog of war still hasn't lifted.
Woman Is Trampled At Wal-Mart - All for some ultra-cheap DVD players. The best part of the story? "We want her to come back as a shopper," said Wal-Mart spokesman Karen Burk.
Friday!
Oh, deep, deep joy. I fucking hate Fridays. Up at 7 in the morning, leaving the house at 8, travelling in rush hour, working solidly from 9 till 6, then travelling home in the rush hour. Plus, I have no money, until I ring my Mum a little later, so I can't even go out tonight. Fucking Fridays.
Did we like the random news post I put up yesterday? I figured that I tend to read 90% of my news online anyway, so I'd link to the stories that I personally find most important and most interesting. I think I'm becoming more political recently, and I get interested in a lot of things that are going on in the world right now, so there could be some very random news stories from time to time. I'll try to keep things short and sweet for those posts, and if you want to read those stories, go ahead.
Anyways, time to get back on with my Evidence tutorial work. Deep, deep joy.
How To Write An Essay, Rob-Style
1.45 pm - Arrive back home from uni.
1.50pm - Aim to start writing an essay that is due in tomorrow.
1.51pm - Start playing Minesweeper.
2.15pm - Realise you haven't had lunch yet. Continue playing Minesweeper and hunting for tunes on Kazaa.
2.30pm - Make and eat lunch.
3.00pm - Take first look at essay question.
3.01pm - Throw essay question on floor in frustration. Play on Minesweeper.
3.15pm - Start making notes on essay question.
4.00pm - Realise you've been doing the wrong notes all along. Throw notes on floor.
4.01pm - Play Minesweeper.
4.15pm - Start making the right set of notes.
6.00pm - Finish notes. Break for dinner, Simpsons and Hollyoaks.
7.30pm - Start writing actual essay.
7.31pm - Play Minesweeper.
7.40pm - Connect to internet.
8.10pm - Return to essay.
8.11pm - 11.30pm - Combine writing with Minesweeper and Kazaa. Reward yourself after every paragraph with a couple of games of Minesweeper. If it is a particularly long paragraph, play Minesweeper for 10 minutes. Also, constantly check on Kazaa.
00.10am - Finish essay.
00.11am - Slump back in chair and relax.
00.12am - Realise that although you've done the essay for tomorrow, you haven't done the tutorial work.
00.13am - Say out loud "Screw it." Play Minesweeper.
00.30am - Post to your blog and go to bed. To rise again at 7.15am.
Thursday, December 4
The Dailyish News Round-Up
'Terrorist' Suspects - What has happened to the 500 people arrested so far under the Terrorisim Act 2000? 2 have been convicted, 77 have been charged under the Terrorism Act itself, and many of the others charged for different offences, including credit card fraud and immigration irregularities. To me, this is a disgusting abuse of power. As the report says, it seems that the police and other authorities are merely 'fishing' for those who they suspect of other crimes, and using the Terrorism Act as a cover. Also, media sensationalism about various arrests made in the past couple of years have not been found to be true, or at least have not been followed-up on by a charge and conviction. The government is using the Terrorism Act and these arrests to reinforce the fear of terrorism within the public at large, so that they can get away with a multitude of other wrongdoings.
Bush Backs Down Over Steel Tariffs - The best news I've heard from the other side of the pond in a long time. Finally, the WTO and pressure from its members has had an effect on the US. The first of many, I hope.
America's War On Nature - The subject of the Kyoto Treaty has come up recently on RAGE, and the absence of the US from the Treaty has provoked a lot of criticism. However, it seems that most of the environmental damage being done to America is controlled and accepted by its government, since the worst pollutants are, shall we say, 'friends' of the Bush administration. Ain't nothing like corporate power.
Can US Back Up Firefight Claims? - It seems that inconsistent / just plain wrong reporting has once again been coming from the US forces in Iraq, this time concerning a recent firefight. The US forces claim 54 dead, whereas hospital reports tell of less than 10 fatalities. The fog of war is still lying heavily in Iraq.
Wednesday, December 3
I Like Lie-Ins
Thank Christ my criminology tutorial was cancelled this morning. There wasn't a hope in hell of me getting into uni for that one. Although I should be doing the work for it right now. Oh well.
I should also be doing the work for my German tutorial as well. Fuck it, I'm off to do some work. No, really, I am.
Tuesday, December 2
Boring!!!
Teehee, a title with double meaning. See below.
What's all this fuss about the Paris Hilton sex tape? I've just watched it, and it's crap. Crap quality, and not much actually going on. Boring!
All this in an effort not to do some criminology work...
Apologies
It seems that Honestly, I'm Sober was inaccessible for a while earlier. Needless to say, it wasn't my fault! It was all Blogger's. Honestly.
There's a couple of new photos up as well. Pretty boring ones, fairly random.
Bad, Bad Boy
I just received this in an email from my tutor in German Law, whose classes I have missed for 3 weeks in a row:
Absenteeism
Dear Rob,
you have missed the last three classes without giving any explanation. According to the School's policy on student absenteeism, I will have to report this to your personal tutor, if you do not provide sufficient explanation. Your tutor may then take further steps.
Could you please provide reasons for your missing the classes and tell me whether you intend to come in the future before I take these steps?
Ahhh, crap. I had to send a grovelling little reply to him, and hopefully everything should be OK. For one of them I was ill, and for the other two I was still in bed. Oops.
And I'm down to my last £16.30. Not a good thing, seeing as tomorrow night a load of us are going out for a meal to celebrate Phil's birthday. Just a water to drink for me, thanks. I am really going to have to ring up my parents to get some money from them. And I really hate doing that. Bugger.
Also, a couple of new photos on the Photos page. I took them yesterday afternoon when I was out on a walk around Hampstead. I had got bored of writing my essay...
Monday, December 1
Dinnertime
Is 7 satsumas, a king-size Snickers, a packet of Revels and a packet of Maltesers a healthy dinner for a Sunday night? I think it is. Although I did have a big meal whilst watching the football at the pub. And yes, this is the same me who has no money whatsoever...
I missed / skipped another tutorial today. I think my body is telling me that I need a 3-day weekend. Either that or I should just go to bed earlier on Sunday nights... Today's exciting escapades? Writing an essay for Advanced Criminal Law. As I've said a few times before, it is my favourite subject, so I really want to write a half-decent essay for it.
He says, posting here and not writing the essay.
Sunday, November 30
Updates!!!
I've finally got round to updating the pages on the left, specifically The Bio, The Lists, The Music and The Literature. I've updated them to the new layout, and made a few changes to the content. Nothing too major, but if you haven't had a look at them before, go check them out.
I've also (finally) made a photo blog for myself, which can be found at http://goonerukpics.blogspot.com, or by clicking 'The Photos' link on the left. I promise to update this as soon as possible, and to put some random pictures up there whenever something that I see amuses me. I've removed the RobCam archive, as this will now be incorporated into the photo blog.
RobCam is still here though, and has also got a new pic. Yes, two new pictures in one week! I'm spoiling you. This particular picture was actually take about a week ago, before I shaved the whole beard off. It looked alright, but was starting to annoy me. I prefer the short, stubbly look anyway, which is what I am currently sporting (pic soon!).
It's now nearly 3am, so it's time to go to bed... Night everyone.
Lazy Saturday (Again!)
What a lazy, lazy day. I managed to roll out of bed around midday, and have pretty much sat on my arse doing nothing ever sense. I haven't even left the house... Well, it was cold and raining outside. Plus I have absolutely no money at all to buy / do anything with. He says, going to the pub tomorrow to watch the Arsenal game.
Money-wise, I'm doing terribly. I have around £40 to last me the next two weeks, of which £30 is going to be on Tube tickets. I'm so screwed. Don't think I'll be eating a lot of extravagant food for the next fortnight. Come to think of it, don't think I'll be eating any food for the next fortnight. Tell a lie, my freezer is well-stocked, because I took advantage of as many special offers at Sainsbury's in the past few months as possible. Always one step ahead, that's me.
I could ring up my parents and ask for a bit of money, but I really, really hate doing that. It seems that every time I ring them I'm wanting something... Although I did ring my Mum to wish her a happy birthday today. And I sent her a ridiculously lavish present. £35 worth of body oils from Ren, a really cool little shop just off Piccadilly. Ridiculously expensive stuff. Oh yes, and I've got to do my Christmas shopping with the complete lack of money currently in my account.
I do have a very nice new £90 jacket though. It's very nice. And I wear it all the time, so it's worth it.
I could do without eating for a week actually. I reckon I've put on a little bit of weight since coming back to uni. It's definitely noticeable around my waist. And I'm too lazy to do any exercise, so it looks like not eating is the answer. And seeing as I can't afford to drink either, I could probably call it a detox. My body probably needs it. I've had a breakout of bitching spots recently, which I think is my body telling me to eat more good food, and lay off the fast food...
What else? I'm on my own in the house tonight, because everyone else has gone out to Beano at ULU. I'm fairly sure that I'll get woken up by their return at some ungodly hour, but so be it. I'm fairly noisy when I come in late (it's the alcohol's fault, honestly), so it's to be expected and accomodated. Unless they're exceedingly loud, in which case I will retort by putting my stereo on fairly loud at whatever time I get up tomorrow... I'm a bastard, I know.
