:: Chris Turner's Journal ::

:: Tuesday, December 31, 2002 ::

Busy Busy Busy!

I'm rushing around like a blue-arsed fly at the moment, trying to get everything done...so much so that I even forgot to finish yesterday's entry (hence it sounds so lame!). The new computer is holding up well, however.

I'm off out tonight, like most people I guess - down to the Running Horses with Andy & crew. It's a ticket-only affair, but since Dave (the landlord) is a personal friend, we're all in. It should be a good laugh.

Unfortunately, we have The Return of the Family tomorrow (New Years lunch) and I'm dreading it. I can't stand my shit-headed little cousin Stuart, though I try - I really do. He's just an absolute turd. Still, needs must - I had to sacrifice going out with friends for this, so I hope the lunch is worth it. I still haven't made any plans for Thursday - doubtless something will crop up - and I have to ring Charlotte soon regarding those show tickets.

Anyway, I'm off for a bath! Time to get all polished up for tonight. Whoever reads this, have a great New Year! :)

:: Plod 17:27 [+] ::
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Forgetful Little Me

Oops! I forgot to write in my little journal yesterday. Oh well...can't be perfect :)

Today saw my plans for sneaking off to the Science Museum to see the new James Bond exhibition fall flat - we couldn't get through to anyone at the booking office, so we ended up not going. I suppose there'll be other times. Instead, I ended up in PC World with my father, and we bought a new computer (which this is being typed on).

:: Plod 21:03 [+] ::
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Dreaming of Electric Sheep

Well, I've spent the day working at a rather unusual hobby - programming. I'm determined to write a program that will allow me & my friends to play RPG's online, and I've been going flat out on a Star Trek program. I made one a few weeks ago (much of it based on someone else's work), but I want this one to implement the full features of a pen-and-paper game. I'm also building it from scratch, so it's pretty heavy going. All around me are notes and scattered papers from my exploits. However, I've made good progress (especially considering it's the first day), and I'm sure I'll find a way to finish it. I wish I had my PC from Sheffield, though - it would make life a lot easier.

Speaking of friends, it looks like I'll be crashing over at Andy's for New Year's Eve, after drinking copious amounts of alcohol at the Robin Hood (which is fast becoming a favourite haunt - I learnt to skateboard on Robin Hood Lane when I was a kid). We'll all be getting together for it, so it should be a blast. I'm also meeting up with everyone tomorrow at Paul's flat for a solid day's gaming - should be fun.

I'll settle down to some work in the New Year - I'm not going to even pretend to do any before then. Besides, if my exam's on the 21st of January (God help me), I'll forget everything if I start revising now. Still, I suppose I should get on with some dissertation work. After my one exam (yes, one), I'll have nearly 3 weeks off, so I should be able to get plenty done then. I've also got to write that bloody application form to UCL soon for an MA course. I'll make a start tomorrow night and post it on Monday.

:: Plod 23:51 [+] ::
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Festive Frippery

Finally, I find time to scribble in my little journal. Needless to say, its been a busy few days over Christmas!

Christmas Eve went exactly as expected. Nothing spectacular, nothing great - and really not much to say about it. Except that I sunk a couple of good bottles of plonk with my father.

Christmas Day, however, tells something of a different story. I'm usually one for family occasions (loathesome though they are, sometimes), and this is the one day of the year where we all get together and pretend we all like each other and are interested in what we're all doing for a living. "Yes, I do so admire your hedge..." and "Ooh, you must tell us where you bought -that- carpet...". All bloody day. You get the idea. Anyway, dinner was nice - and it was pleasant to see the family (well, half of it) again. Still, no bugger asks me about university - except when I'll be going back. And they think I can't read between the lines :)

For Boxing Day, I was invited over to ex-Liz's house for a festive lunch. Toad in the Hole. It was nice, though it wasn't made with real toad (sausage meat, I think). With a few of Liz's friends, we played games (2 rounds of Trivial Pursuit - which I soundly won), munched snacks, watched films (Muppets Treasure Island is awesome, even the 24th time around) and had fun. Even if I did end up getting covered in sodding glitter and looking like a right pansy. Damn crackers. Anyway, much fun was had by all - even if Liz didn't get me a present.

Today (which is somewhat more recent in my memory) was also fun - but very tiring. I decided, in my wisdom, to take Liz up to London to get her out of the house, and fill up my day with something more practical than watching repeats of Only Fools and Horses on UK Gold (by the way, I thought the new episode on BBC1 was crap the other night). We plundered shops, fought through crowds, went hand-to-hand with fearsome monsters - aye - a swashbuckling adventure of mighty proportions. Fun all the way - I ended up with a stack of lovely DVD's, which will go beautifully with my new DVD player. I was very, very happy to get one for Christmas :)

So, after all the mania of the last three days, I've finally found time to write this little entry. If you've noticed a change in authoring style, it's because I'm -bloody- tired, and just about to hit the sack. I hope whoever reads this had a good Christmas too! Until tomorrow, goodnight!

:: Plod 21:36 [+] ::
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Shopping In a Winter Wonderland

Today was the last madcap chase for Christmas presents. I ended up going with my dad round to Bluewater (huge shopping centre just round the corner from us) and I felt deeply uninspired to get anything. It's not that I didn't want to part with my hard-earned student cash (ha ha)...I just didn't see anything I really wanted. In the end, I decided that people would have to settle for a box of chocolates or toffee each (Thornton's is oh-so-useful). Highlight of the day was finding a huuuge pork pie for Christmas day. Yum.

I actually went round to Liz's house last night to see how she was and do some catching up with her face-to-face. It was weird...almost like nothing had changed - except for the fact that we're no longer going out. We were still quite a huggy couple (her less so than me) and I still like her - but I certainly don't love her. Whatever feelings there once were like that have obviously gone. We talked a lot and watched tv, but on the whole it was a good night.

Anyway, I'm off for now...busy preparing for a game on Sunday. Should be good, but I have some preparation to do. It's certainly more fun that sitting around watching Christmas telly! :)

:: Plod 22:10 [+] ::
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A Night at the Wrong 'Un

Whew! I just returned from a brilliant night out with friends - Andy, Martin, Rich, and Gaz all managed to turn up - as well as Paul and Fern. It was really nice to see everyone again. Naturally, I had to stick to drinking coke (but hey, I pushed the boat out. It wasn't diet), but much fun was had all the same. Andy even got me a present, but I won't open it until Christmas Day. It feels like two paperback books to me, though.

We're all going to meet up again within the week and get down to some serious gaming soon. And we're going to spend some money in the sales :) On that note, though, I'm off to bed...I'm thoroughly worn out! I need to prepare for my guitar lesson early tomorrow, anyway. Goodnight, little diary!

:: Plod 00:21 [+] ::
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Strumming around the Christmas Tree

It's great to be home...I feel so relieved. No work, no stress - just relaxation and fun. I've spent all day lazing around, and it feels wonderful! I'm not even going to touch any work until after New Year. It's so rare that I just get some quality time with my guitar - I cleaned her up good & proper, too. I've booked a lesson for tomorrow, so I'm sure Shane will give me plenty of stuff to get my teeth into.

It also looks like I won't be able to afford an amp this Christmas - I'd really like a bigger one, but the sort of price bracket I'm looking at is around £300 - £400, and I just don't think it's feasible. Maybe after graduation this summer, though.

I'm off out to the Wrong 'Un in my home town of Bexleyheath tonight to meet up with Andy, Paul, Fern, Martin, Rich & Gaz, so that should be fun. I haven't seen them since September. On that note, I'm off to play my guitar some more! I hope whoever's reading this is having a good time too. Bye for now!

:: Plod 15:52 [+] ::
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Arrived Home

Today I finally finished that bloody essay. I don't think it's exactly the best thing I've ever written, but hey...I'm sure I'll get over it. I had to grab a cab up to the history department to make the deadline in time (bloody expensive, I can tell you) but at least it got there in the end. Then there was the mad dash to pack all my stuff, find tickets (I lost them three times since "finding" them the other night) and clear up the house as best I could - though not much got done.

The journey home was uneventful...left Sheffield at 4:30pm, and arrived home at just before 8:30, so all in all, not too bad. I slept most of the way home, since there wasn't much else to do. I made a special effort to remember to pack my personal cd player (and even a couple of cds!) but, sadly, failed to pack any headphones. Bugger.

It's nice to be home, though I'm not sure how it'll be now I haven't got Liz around. She seems to be on a bit of a crash course at the moment - she seems to be continually getting drunk, and I've never seen her do that in all the time I've known her. I don't know if it's suddenly because she feels "free" or something (not that I ever stopped her doing anything), but it doesn't seem much like the Liz I knew. I certainly don't feel like getting back with her right now, and that was something I'd been giving some thought these past few weeks. I'm pretty sure we're off for good. I'll give her a call tomorrow.

I've also been able to pull a few strings with some friends from the West End, and it sure does sound promising. Charlotte (who's coming to London to work briefly from the 5th of January) said she'd like to see a bit of London with me, and I've come up with the perfect idea. I'm lucky to have a mind that retains small details, and I distinctly remember her saying on Monday night that she's a great fan of ballet. Well, yours truly, through various connections, has managed to pull off quite a spectacular coup. Knowing that it would make her very, very happy (even if it's not something I'm much into), I've managed to get 2 tickets to see "Nutcracker" at Saddler's Wells theatre in London. Any 2 tickets, any seating area of my choice, anytime between the 5th and the 15th. It's so useful to have connections sometimes :) Anyway, I'm sure it'll be appreciated - the Saddler's Wells Company are one of the world's most reknowned ballet companies. Like I said, not something I'm into - but it'll be something nice to do.

While I think about it (and I'm sure he'll read this too!), I forgot that I'd given the address of this diary to Simmo. Naturally, he read my comments yesterday (much to my embarrassment!), and assures me that he has no feelings in that direction. I blushed like mad when I read his email...but still! What a way to find out. I feel like a complete prat, but at least an honest prat :)

:: Plod 23:57 [+] ::
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Late Night Working

Well, here I am, still hard at it. I'm beavering away with my essay, and finally making some progress. I expect I'll be finished by around 1am, if not before.

Alice and Amy have gone home for Christmas and left us with a shortfall in the bills - by £5 each. Alice claims (in a note) that she's too poor to pay it, but I see her smoking often enough - and cigarettes aren't cheap. After 3 years, I've heard the "I'm a student, I'm so poor" line so often, it has little impact on me. Chris wasn't too happy about it either. Still, at least we were able to finish off the term with a pizza and a good discussion (I swear, I can talk for Britain).

I had a bit of a scare earlier when I couldn't find my train tickets for tomorrow's journey - it took me 15 minutes to find them, and they turned out to be right next to my desk, where I started my search. Always the way, eh?

The thing that's really on my mind right now is strange. I have this feeling of panic - it's weird. I have this strange suspicion that Chris may have feelings for the same girl that I'm starting to ask questions about. Oh, sure, I don't -know- that he does - I don't even really know if even -I- have feelings in that direction - but the mere thought that we -both- could makes me worry. What if we do? It feels strange...like adrenalin, but not in a good way. I know he's close friends with her, and I'm a comparative newcomer in her life...but still. I have no right to feel like this, I guess. But what can I do? I daren't mention it to anybody for fear of making a complete arse of myself. I sure as hell don't want anything to come between our friendship. Anyway, like I keep telling myself, absolutely -nothing- is certain. Just that we both seemed to talk about her a lot today, and when he received a message from her earlier (a congratulatory message on him having a good review for his architecture project), he was grinning from ear to ear - and he went pink. That was a blush if ever I saw one. I just don't know...but I certainly don't like having all these questions. I need to straighten myself out, and perhaps some time at home will help that along.

Maybe I should also stop getting my hopes up.

:: Plod 23:20 [+] ::
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Eversong - My poetry and writing repository

I added a new page to this site - Eversong - a place where I intend to keep my poetry and writings, and general little scribblings. There's a link at the top of the page. I haven't added anything just yet, but I will later on today. I've also added a load of little features to the site - notice the new guestbook up top? Or how about a handy search engine? I've even added a little discussion forum so that anybody who reads my journal can add any comments or air any views - or interact with me directly. And of course, people can always email me. Anyway, I have work to do!

:: Plod 11:53 [+] ::
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Wasting away when I should be working...

Okay, so, after making dinner earlier, I spectacularly failed to get on with any work. I don't know why I'm having such a chronic motivation problem. Maybe it's because I'm looking forward to going home for Christmas, or maybe I'm just too lazy. Either way, I'm 100% determined to get it all finished tomorrow. I managed to spend the evening watching "The Life of Mammals", "Newsnight" and then some documentary on the life of David Seaman. I'm sure that'll help me earn a BA in History! :)

So...what's on the menu tomorrow? Work, work, work. Hugh Wilford's in Ireland delivering some speech, so I don't have a seminar tomorrow - that gives me absolutely no excuse not to type up my essay, tidy up and pack! I'm going out to the West End pub tomorrow as well with a few friends from my course. It should be good - and I'll get a chance to get revenge on Jon for beating me at pool today.

I'm also strangely peckish for a bag of custard doughnuts. I'll pick some up from Safeways tomorrow. Best food that 79p can buy ;) On that note, I'm off to bed. Goodnight, little diary!

:: Plod 23:59 [+] ::
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Essays and University-Related Stress

Well, it's that time of year again. I'm struggling to find the motivation to type up my latest essay on the use of the atomic bomb in 1945. Every time I sit down at my pc, I just lose the will to write! It doesn't help that we know the essay isn't going to count towards our final scores. I've done all the research for it...I just can't be bothered to type it up. It was supposed to be in on Monday...but...uhhh... :)


Everyone's busy with work this week - it's a nightmare trying to get in touch with anyone. I guess it's understandable, but it does tend to make me feel rather alone at times. Anyway, I'm off to make some dinner.

:: Plod 19:53 [+] ::
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Who's who in my life?

Well, now I've worked out how to post things, I want to start my journal with a quick list of who's important in my life. I expect these people will crop up an awful lot over the coming months / years.

Firstly, there's me. Obviously. My name's Chris Turner, and I'm from London, England. Born on April 14th, 1982 (that makes me an Aries), I'm currently a history student at the University of Sheffield. My main interests are writing, music and gaming - a somewhat eclectic mix, but...that's what I do. I'm also a keen cricket fan (Kent) which doesn't sit well with most people, since it's not as glamorous as football. I'm a keen guitarist (though not very good!) too.

Chris Simmonds (often referred to as "Simmo") is one of my four housemates. He's one of the best mates I ever had - he's totally dependable, honest and thoroughly nice. We share many of the same interests (music, particularly), hence we ended up living together. However, he can't cook to save his life :)

Liz is my closest friend. Though I don't see her nearly as often as I'd like (she's a busy girl), whenever I do see her, it's special. She's the nicest, most pleasant person I've ever met, and I adore her. She's currently dating Paul, and has been for about 8 months now. He's a software engineering student, but I really don't know that much about him. He's rather shy. Liz herself is a Biology student, so I don't have much in common with her academically - but we have many other common interests. Liz has always been there for me when things have been hard, and I hope she always will be.

Matt Hunt is another close mate of mine. Matt's the kind of guy who doesn't have a bad word to say about anyone - he's always cheery (even when he's not) and will do anything for anyone. We talk a lot (I admit, me more than him), and he's always been a good friend to me. Lots of respect.

There's also another Liz - Liz Robertson - who is now my ex-girlfriend, but we dated for nearly 5 years. We started seeing each other in April 1998, but we split finally in December 2002, just recently. It was for the best, and it was me that ended things. I still really care for her, though (sometimes, I think I may even still love her), and we're still friends. I know Liz inside out, and there's probably nobody who knows me as well as she does. Time will tell with where this relationship's going.

Dawn Walton is my scatty friend from Leeds. Though perpetually concerned about her age (she turned 30 yesterday), Dawn is a smashing lass who I'm always talking to. She's as dappy as they come, but she's also very kind hearted and always ready with a hug for me. She's been through some tough times recently, but things are just starting to look up for her - so I hope they continue to go well.

Cassie Tucker & Fran Roberson - I mention these two together because I rarely see one without the other. We used to be really close (all three of us), but recently seem to have drifted apart. Whether that's due to the pressures of work, or we're just all growing apart, I can't say just yet. I haven't seen either of them for a while, but I expect they'll crop up from time to time.

Andy Simmons is a friend of mine from home, and he's a great mate. He's a fellow gamer, and is a regular down in the Running Horses back home.

Lindsay McCue is an old friend from New Jersey in the United States. We became very, very close a couple of years ago, but distance between us prevented anything further from happening. However, we keep in touch regularly via email and the occasional phone call. If I get back to the States anytime soon, it'll be Lindsay I go to see.

Kelly Snow is another old friend from home. We went to school together, so I've known her since I was 16. I used to fancy her like mad all those years ago, but I never really had the guts to tell her. Times have moved on since then, but we still regularly write to each other, and I enjoy talking to her.

Amy and Alice are my two housemates, and we're starting to get on better than when they first moved in with me & Chris. I do my best to get on with both of them, but I do think I get on better with Amy - I think we just have more in common, and I find her easier to talk to. Expect these two to appear often.

Others that I expect to come across in the course of this journal are:

Ed, Olly & Rich - Matt's housemates, and all friends of mine

Emily Neal - Liz Gavin's housemate - also a good friend of mine

Lizzie Brocklesby, Sophie Wilson, Matt Impey - friends from the Film Making Society (in which I am a Creative Director)

Martin, Rich, Fern, Paul, Gaz - friends from the Running Horses (a regular gaming group)

Naomi Hunt - Matt Hunt's sister

Jon, Jill, Miranda, Andrea - friends from my history course

and last...but not least... Charlotte Westerman - a lovely girl that I met at a barbecue on Sunday. Though, obviously, we are friends, I find something fascinating about her. We seem to share an awful lot in common, and I haven't met someone with her strength of spirit for a long time. Dawn reckons I fancy her, and...well...maybe she's right. But I don't know yet. Time will tell, as always. For now, we're friends - and I'm keen to know her a lot better.

So, there we have it. A cast list. Hopefully it'll come in useful to people who read this journal, just so they have a quick rundown of who's who.

:: Plod 17:17 [+] ::
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Introduction

Welcome to my Journal - a chronicle of my life, kept here on the web for the interest of my friends and family. I often find it easier to write things down than to say them, and this is a very easy and convenient way to do it. I hope you find what's in here interesting and amusing :)

Chris Turner

:: Plod 16:50 [+] ::
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