Fond Memories & Changing Times

I've uploaded more pictures to Facebook, this time they are ones from the graduation ball we had at Warwick to celebrate three great years (actually only 2 for me, as my middle year was a great one spent in the USA) of studies.

And it got me thinking about what a great time I had at university. Such a life changing experience, and one I shall certainly miss. I miss it already. Not in the sense that I desperately want to go back; no, having no work to do at the weekend puts me off that idea. But just because it was fun, and I met such wonderful people.

Graduation Ball was a terrific night, getting all dressed up in tuxedos and ball gowns, implementing various stages to get our hair all ready *nameless*, and getting ready to party 1920s style. The ball had a 1920's kind of theme; big 5 course meal (not bad), charleston dances, speak easys, big brass bands. It really went down great. And they had a great DJ to top the night off. I think the funnest part was learning how to do the Charleston, and then continually failing to master it!

After the grad ball there were just a few short days left before that was it; university life over and done with. We had some fun those days, playing some football and frisbee, having some bbqs. But I really wish we'd had more time. More time to just kick back and relax, and enjoy each others company before we parted ways. Alas, some of our exams fell right at the end of the term, and before we knew it, our lease was up, boxes were packed, vans were arriving, and we were moving out.

It saddened me to learn that one of our favourite nights, Top Banana, is no more. Warwick has now deemed Monday nights "Manic Monday". No more midnight pounders, no more Spank the Monkey. I never did get one of those toys. In honour of Top B, I made a playlist to share with the UW-Madison student population via the newspaper blog. I'll link to it tomorrow when it's live.

I also still have the bookmark for Warwick Webmail on my home tab, even though that is no more. Not only can I no longer access it, not being a student, but it has also been shut down, as the University switched to another service. Still, I like to keep it there, for posterity's sake.

Anyway, here is the public link to the Graduation Ball pictures on Facebook, we do look rather spiffing;

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=231260&id=511178313&l=9a311e226d

And here are a couple of videos I filmed, demonstrating the talents of the Charleston Dancers... enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw-QsfJcF7Y]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j88wyoUlv3M]

Drive In Movie Theatres

Yesterday we drove past a drive in cinema. A huge screen, with a huge car park, for cars to just drive in, park, and enjoy a film. It looked a little scruffy, but I just thought it was great, and I really wish we had them in England. Just something different. Mind you, it'd probably rain too much in the UK. Plus I guess you have to make sure you have a nice clean windscreen, otherwise you'd be wondering what that big smudge was on Johnny Depp's face!

The Arrival of Autumn

Fall is one of the nicest times of the year here in Wisconsin, as the trees turn from their summer long greens to vivid colours of yellow, orange, red, and if you're especially lucky, even purple. The newspapers are filled with scientific reasons about why this happens, and what the perfect conditions are... but who cares?!! Just enjoy the gorgeous scenery. Some trees have 'turned' already, which may be a little too soon, but most are only now beginning to change.

The arrival of autumn also means that winter is not that far away. Saturday night in particular, walking home to the apartment, I got the feeling that the cold, and the snow, were just around the corner. With the stars glistening in the clear sky, and the wind rolling in off the lake, the biting atmosphere forced me to don a coat and sweater (something you have to avoid for as long as possible here in Wisconsin, so you have layers left when the real cold starts, and I was reminded of what winters are like in Wisconsin.

I feel 'in my bones' that it's going to be a bad winter. That will certainly be true if the weather this summer is anything to go by. Wisconsin experienced 40 tornadoes in two months, when the yearly average for the state is 21. Couple that with the stifling humidity when we first arrived, and the tremendous thunderstorms with marble size hailstones, and you have yourself some crazy weather.

I remember the thunderstorms last time I was in Madison, but we didn't have the first one until spring. Just a few weeks ago we had an almighty one right outside our apartment, so close that the flash of lightening and thunderous bang came at exactly the same time, and raised all the hairs on my legs with the static energy.

Shorts were also my most worn attire in my first couple of months here. I recall wearing them mostly all through October, enjoying the extremely mild weather, and thinking winter wouldn't be bad at all. How wrong I was. But this year, though there have been some glorious days for shorts, it has also gotten exceedingly chilly, and miserable a couple of days. The furnaces have been turned on in our apartment, and it appears the winter might be rolling in.

Let's hope there are a few great autumn days left for exploring the countryside. Apple picking and corn mazes anyone?

Settling an argument for "our Nicole"

I love that phrase "Our Nicole". Putting "our" in front of someone's name, to make them part of the family. Such a great Northern England saying. Anyway, I promised by beautiful girlfriend I would write a little blog post about how incredibly beautiful she is, because she doesn't think she is. We, of course, all know how pretty she is. She made delicious cookies today, as tasty and yummy as she is radiant and beautiful.

But, we have been having an argument. Nicole thinks that I "beat up on America" too much. That is to say I am always negative about the US, and never say good things about it. She isn't saying this because she is American, she just thinks I am being very one-sided. I on the other hand, think that I am merely offering constructive criticism, and feel that it is evident in my posts how much I love this country and how much I am enjoying my time here. I think I do write about some of the good things about America; an example- the SAT tests all US students take, aptitude tests which improve student vocabulary and reasoning. We don't have anything like that in the UK, and we should. It's making my revision for the GRE hard, as I have never done anything like it before.

So, I've decided to try another new piece of technology; a poll. My readers get to decide.

[polldaddy poll=3865944]

I hope this works. Its a great way to encourage participation on my blog! I know lots of you read it... at least, I had 83 hits on friday, and while a number of them may have been my Gran reloading multiple times, I am sure not all of them were. So I want to encourage engagement. Comment more! Tell me what you like and don't like. Argue with me, challenge me, criticise me, agree with me! Try it, it's fun! And don't forget to subscribe either, so you don't miss out. If you like the blog, pass it on to your friends. I always welcome new readers. October promises to be a month of posts on the changing weather, the cost of elections, harvest time, Halloween, and much more on life in America. Again, thanks for your time and support.

The Wrong Side of the Bed

Ever have those days, where you know you just got up on the wrong side of the bed. That was me this morning. I planned on waking up early and going downstairs to the gym. My alarm went off, I kept sleeping. When I woke up, I got ready quickly, filled my water bottle, put my shoes on, and grabbed my water. Little did I know I'd forgotten to screw the lid on my bottle... water all over the floor.

After I'd cleaned that up, I went to work out. Thankfully that was fine; no random shutting off of the machines, as has happened once before this last month. I went to collect the Sunday newspaper afterwards, only to find that it was not there. I think someone might've taken it before me. Damn them! The Sunday paper is the best... it has all the free coupons in. I called the subscription line, but it was too late for redelivery.

Most of the rest of the day just consisted of me being grumpy, and me beginning to revise for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Its like high school maths all over again! Gotta get to work on that if I want to get into graduate school.

One interesting sight from today. As Nicole and I were walking home from the Badger Herald meeting, we witnessed a mass march walking up State Street. Only this wasn't any ordinary movement; it was a movement supporting the legalisation of marijuana. November 2nd will see residents voting on whether to allow Wisconsin to issue licenses for medical dope, as is the case in other states such as California. This "weed walk" must have compromised about 1,000 people, young and old, a lot of whom were smoking hemp. The air smelt pretty bad along the road. There was even a poor dog staggering along with his owner smoking. The dog could barely walk straight, and was certainly stoned. I wonder what the police had to say about the march? Too many to arrest, that's for sure. Big protest, will it have an impact on the electorate? Only time will tell.

Meanwhile, California downgrades the possession of less than an ounce of marijuana to the same status as a speeding ticket; just an infraction, punishable with a  fine, not a misdemeanor.

On an entirely different note, I have become addicted to strawberry milk! It's so cheap, cheaper even than regular low fat milk, and it only has 1%fat! mmmm so tasty, low fat milk with a hint of strawberry flavouring. I have a glass now, with a homemade cookie Nicole made for me. Not such a bad day after all :)