:: Chris Turner's Journal ::

:: Wednesday, April 30, 2003 ::

Busy

Busy busy busy...

...will be back in Sheffield this Sunday, so hopefully I'll have a decent update ready by then :)

:: Plod 18:19 [+] ::
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New Writing

I've added a monologue I wrote recently, called "The Painter". It's a simple piece, but I won't explain too much of it here. You can read it over at [eversong], where I store all of my works (though for some reason the archive is going a bit cranky). I hope you enjoy my little character study.

:: Plod 23:46 [+] ::
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Entertainment

Last night I went with Chris to see The Woman in Black up at the Fortune theatre on Drury Lane (Covent Garden to those of you who know London). It was great the second time around - the first time I went was a few months ago with my friend Liz, and she was terrified. Chris thought it was awesome - if you want to know more about it, look for it on Google and you'll see all you need to. The only downer of the night was some stupid American woman (who took up nearly 2 seats) who kept talking and laughing strangely...weird, in the middle of a horror story.

Today has been much quieter, however. I've watched The Godfather pt. II, and I thought it was good...but not as good as the original. Some film afficionados say it's better, but I like the fact that the original is more self-contained. Tomorrow, I'm seeing ex-Liz for fun and frolics...not too sure what we'll end up doing, but it'll be nice to see her again.

I'm planning to start writing up my play very soon, so I'll keep a record of my progress in here. It's hard to get online at the moment - my father's very busy working away on eBay...we made £600 this week alone (that's just under $1000), not including the fairs we did last weekend. It's all worth it in the end.

I'm missing being in Sheffield at the moment...I want to see my friends again and go and do things. It's funny - when you're at home, all you want is to be independent - and as soon as you're away for a while, you want to see home again. You can't win.

:: Plod 17:49 [+] ::
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Another Sunny Day

It's a beautiful day outside, and I'm off out to do some errands in a couple of minutes. I've set myself up an eBay account, so I can start trading stuff online - I've helped my dad out so much over the last year, I think I've got the bug. I guess we're a trading family. Who knows - I may even make money to help out with my student lifestyle! Watch out for items being sold by "mr_flump" - because that's me. Like the name? I wanted "Mr Floppy", but it was already taken.

Tomorrow's a busy day, unlike today, and Friday's pretty manic. It doesn't leave me much time for writing, but I suppose I'll get a chance this evening. I like having several projects on the go at once.

:: Plod 13:59 [+] ::
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The Lost Play of H.W.E. Armathwaite-Jones, Esq.

That's the working title of my latest radio play that I began planning today. It's a light-hearted attempt at comedy - an arena I haven't really ventured into before, except in poetry. It shouldn't take long to write up and submit to various production houses.

It begins with a package arriving at cab driver Thomas Wainwright's house, 10 Manor View Gardens, addressed to Mr. H. W. E. Armathwaite-Jones, Esq. Inside is a bound play manuscript and a congratulatory letter, informing Mr. Armathwaite-Jones that his play has been accepted by Partridge Comedy Playhouse Productions for production into a full-blown stage show. Unfortunately for the eager producer, Armathwaite-Jones' play was penned in 1897, and the author has long since departed his former address - indeed, even this life, such has been the delay in returning his manuscript. In trying to notify PCPP of their mistake, Wainwright is mistaken for Armathwaite-Jones, and told that his play, "Plurimus Perturbo" (lit. "Great Muddle" in Latin), is in fact destined to become a smash-hit in London's West End. Wainwright cannot help but be caught up in the hysteria "his" play generates, and soon adopts Armathwaite-Jones as his alter ego. The play does indeed turn out to be a sensation, but as talk of a movie of the stage show being made begins to circulate, Wainwright is forced to go to ever greater lengths to maintain the lifestyle expected of the sensational playwright, and keep his true identity hidden. Can a London cab driver pretend to be the mysterious H. W. E. Armathwaite-Jones for long in the glare of the media spotlight?

:: Plod 23:47 [+] ::
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Thanks for the Cards

Before I forget, thanks to all those of you who sent me birthday cards, whether physical or electronic - they were all read and much appreciated :)

Don't forget to let me know when yours are so I can add them to my address book. Also, don't forget that I have an irregular newsletter that you can sign up for at the left-hand side of the page. I've been writing a lot over easter, and plan to upload it all here when I have the time.

Now I'm in even more of a hurry than I was before!

:: Plod 10:24 [+] ::
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Apologies

Sorry I haven't been updating my journal - updating is proving to be more difficult than I expected (damn dialup modem), but all's still well down here, and I'm enjoying my easter break. I'll be back to posting again daily as of May 4th, the day I return to Sheffield, but until then it'll be sporadic. I'm sure you'll all cope somehow :)

I'm off out into Bromley with Paul today, and I'm hoping to get to see The Woman in Black with either Chris or Charlotte later this week, depending on who wants to come. WiB is the finest stage production I have ever seen, and I'm dying to see it again. Anyway, I have to go and get ready - why do I always seem to update my blog when I'm about to go out? Confusing. I'm supposed to be on a train in 40 minutes, so I'd better get a move on.

See you soon!

:: Plod 10:19 [+] ::
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Happy Birthday to Me

Well, it's my 21st...and it's probably the quietest birthday I ever had. A couple of cards, a rather dodgy set of cufflinks and a text message from my ex girlfriend.

Yahoo.

:: Plod 09:52 [+] ::
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Rushing to Get Ready

Well, I'm currently packing all my stuff to go home...I've had ages to do it, so in traditional Chris style, I'm packing it all in the last 30 minutes. I've said goodbyes to Chris and Amy, but not to Alice - I'm not sure where she's got to, or even if she's awake, but hey - I think I'll manage.

I haven't got much room to bring home all the stuff Mum wanted me to - there's a limit to how much I can physically carry, but she seems to have this vision that I can empty half the house into my backpack and save her the effort of bringing the car up when I leave in summer. It feels strange - I haven't got that much work to do over Easter, but I feel like I ought to. I have a Rethinking History exam on the 27th of May, but I can't really revise for that, and my specialist subject module exams aren't until the 9th - 11th of June - anything I revise now, I'll just have forgotten by then. I hate exams.

Anyway, I'd better get a move on instead of blogging! I'll be able to update this down in London anyway, so nobody will miss out on the pointless ramblings that I stick in here :)

:: Plod 10:13 [+] ::
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Poem in the Works

I had a great writing session yesterday, and I'm currently working on a new poem, "Black and White Carrots". It's a bit of fun, asking the deeply philosophical question - "What colour were carrots before oranges arrived?" Don't think on it too long :)

I'm off to get ready - busy day today, and I need to clean up and pack for going home tomorrow.

:: Plod 09:54 [+] ::
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Lots of New

I took myself into my local bookshop yesterday and picked up a really useful writing guide. Its a compilation of essays and works by other authors on a variety of useful subjects, discussing abstract concepts in writing, characterisation, writing practice - all sorts of stuff. I'm sure it'll help stoke up the creative energies.

It's such a lovely day outside, and I don't have any work to do. It's strange having time to myself. I might buy myself a notebook and go out for the day - maybe sit in the park and watch a few things. It would be nice to meet up with a few friends, but most of mine don't have the luxury of being a History student - they're all still working (ha ha).

:: Plod 10:06 [+] ::
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New Poem

I've written a new poem this evening, called "Sarah, Don't Cry Tonight". It's a love poem - not usually the theme of my writing, but I felt like it tonight. You can find it over at [eversong], my usual poetry and writing repository, and also at Lovingyou.com, where it is currently being featured. I hope you like it - I had to dig deep for it. I may even refine it a little over the coming days, but I'm always hesitant to go back to a poem once I've written it.

:: Plod 00:11 [+] ::
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New Look & Angie's 22nd

Well, I didn't get the ear piercing in the end. I thought I'd either look like a nazi or someone who was out for trouble, so I gave it a miss. When it came down to it, I guess I didn't really *want* it enough to go through with it - plus I couldn't really afford it! The haircut is nice, but the girl in the salon pretty much gave me what I had already. Still, it was nice to be pampered for a bit, and it wasn't all that expensive in the end. I can do whatever I want with it, but I have yet to settle on a style. Whatever I decide, it'll need gel to keep it that way. I don't usually use it, but I'm starting to experiment a bit more - and I'm getting some pretty good results.

Life's quite easy at the moment, now my dissertation is in. All I have to do is keep turning up to seminars and lectures, and wait for the exams to come. I'm going home on Friday, but I'll be able to keep updating my journal from London - Blogger's pretty easy to manage, even on a dialup. I'm looking forward to going back for a while - I miss the big city. Not many people understand my love of my home city, but London is quite unlike any other place you'll ever go to. I suppose it's because I know it so well - streets, how to get to places, where to eat, where to find things, etc - and most people have no clue. It's a huge city, and if you don't know where you're going, it can be very intimidating. It's not as easy to get around as New York - at least there, the streets / avenues are numbered logically, so even if you don't know where you are, you can soon find out. Not in London, baby! :)

We all went out last night to the Art Room to celebrate Angie's 22nd birthday - it's a trendy bar in Sheffield city centre, and I was very impressed. There was a live jazz band playing all night (always good), and I met some really interesting people - including a 2nd year History student called Catherine, who also happens to live very close to me back home. Funny how us southerners all seem to congregate up north!

Anyway, I'm off to get ready for a lecture - joy of joys. "Rethinking History" is quite an interesting module, but we have a single-question 3-hour exam to look forward to at the end of it. My friend Ben, who is now a history teacher and was at Sheffield a couple of years ago, said he totally fluffed his Rethinking exam, and still got a 2:1 (that's what I need to get into UCL), so that's reassuring.

:: Plod 10:41 [+] ::
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New Image

I'm going out for a new haircut and to get my ear pierced. I've wanted a bit of an image change for some time now, so this is my birthday present to myself. It's not totally out of the blue - I wanted this done in my teens, but now I'd like it more than ever. Wish me luck! I hope I don't chicken out at the last minute.

:: Plod 13:43 [+] ::
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Been a While

Its been a while since I last updated my journal. This last week has been frantic - I had to complete my dissertation, and anyone who has ever written a 50-page essay (yes, 50) will understand what it's like! It's worth 30% of my overall year grade though, and carries a lot of weight when the University decide what degree to award you, so I had to get it right. That means the journal had to go by the wayside for a bit :)

I've been going out a lot this week too - seen some really good gigs and had a great time in the pub. Dave's band, Atticus, were awesome at the Boardwalk on Tuesday. I've invited my friend Sarah to the History Ball on May 15th, so I hope she comes. She said she'd get back to me - she wanted to make sure she was still in Sheffield on the 15th, but I reckon she's weighing up the pro's and cons of going with me more than anything else. She's a lovely girl, so I hope she comes.

Other than that, I'm enjoying my free time. I don't have any more essays to write for the University of Sheffield ever again! I'm going home for easter next Friday too (tickets arrived this morning), but I'll still be able to update my journal from down there. All I have to do now is keep up with general work and revise hard for the 3 exams this summer.

BA History, here I come!

:: Plod 11:07 [+] ::
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