j4: (kanji)
[personal profile] j4
Sorry I didn't make it to [livejournal.com profile] spb's party. Feeling too anti-social for partying, and far too tired to sacrifice all Saturday night's sleep.

Decided to go and visit my parents instead. It's a 2-hour drive, nearly all A14 and M1, first time I'd driven that far on my own (and first time I'd done motorways on my own). I didn't get lost, I didn't do anything stupid, and I did get a chance to listen to lots of tapes (The Shamen, "Boss Drum"; Alisha's Attic, "Alisha Rules the World"; Mary Chapin Carpenter, "A Place in the World"; Kate Bush, "The Kick Inside").

As always, I felt my spirits start to lift a little as the landscape started developing contours. Cambridge's flatness really does depress me; I need mountains in my life! In the meantime, though, even the rolling Wolds country helped a little bit, especially with the setting sun pouring red-golden light over the fields and hills.

My parents fed me nice food (tuna steaks marinaded in lime & ginger, with new potatoes, asparagus and broccoli) and lots of wine. We watched "Who Wants to be a Millionaire", and bits of the Old Grey Whistle Test on DVD; and we talked, and generally just relaxed. I got plenty of sleep, and then spent Sunday sorting out Stuff in my room. Sifted through heaps of paper and threw out loads of rubbish: council tax bills from rented house in Oxford; letters about fire extinguishers in College; heaps of random crap from St Aldate's, etc. Also put aside piles of books to go to charity shops.

Most of the stuff I've got rid of was Oxford-related -- papers from my time as a student, or books that I bought because I thought they'd come in useful some time while I was studying English. Somehow I feel as though I don't need to hang on to it all any more. I'm still hoping to go back Oxford in the not-too-distant future, but if I do it'll be on different terms, for different reasons. It won't be to reclaim the opportunities I missed as a student, but to start a new chapter of my life.

Date: 2004-03-08 05:35 am (UTC)
sparrowsion: tree sparrow (tree sparrow)
From: [personal profile] sparrowsion
A14 and M1

Recognise any of these?

Date: 2004-03-08 05:52 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] j4.livejournal.com
Hah! Yes. Though the account on that page doesn't really do justice to the whole "oh shit, it's a roundabout... no it's not, it's a... um, so I turn left here... oh, hang on, turn right... what the fuck?" shenanigans.

Wonder if [livejournal.com profile] hoiho's enjoying this one (http://www.cbrd.co.uk/badjct/40-404.shtml). Looks almost as much fun as the Girton interchange.

June 2025

S M T W T F S
1234567
891011121314
15 161718192021
22232425262728
2930     

Most Popular Tags

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jan. 28th, 2026 12:31 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios