Thursday, 21. June 2007, 15:46:22
Manchester, Virgin Trains, university, travel
I once again have gone for far too long without posting anything. I got my exam results back (really quickly) and I have passed everything! Now I can spend the rest of the summer without having to think about anything academic. I'm quite looking forward to next year. I'll have somewhere nice to stay, and the courses I have chosen sound like they'll be really interesting ( as a side note, I can't actually remember what my choices were, but I remember thinking at the time that they were interesting).
I haven't particularly enjoyed living in student halls for the past year, so my trip to Manchester yesterday to get everything in my room packed into boxes was very satisfying. It was nice to think that next year, I will have a proper kitchen with a clean oven, and that I won't have to wonder whether the mark on the carpet was a result of drunken ironing, or is something altogether less pleasant. Also, not having TV Licensing threatening to throw dead horses at the flat will be nice.
This post has been a bit rambling so far, but if you know me then the text might make sense. I am pretty sure that the video below will make no sense but I just put it in to try out embedding video from DailyMotion. I took it last night on the train back from Manchester.
Friday, 2. March 2007, 15:38:56
accident, fairtrade, yahoo, Virgin Trains
...
It has been almost exactly one week since the derailment of a Virgin Pendolino train on the West Coast Main Line. I posted a piece on the accident a few hours after it happened, but I think a follow up post is required. Sadly, one woman died in the accident, but it is important to look at the bigger picture. There were over a hundred people on the train, and because of the modern design of the carriages, there was only one fatality.
The accident was particularly unsettling to me, as I had travelled on the same line just a few hours before, and the fault which caused the derailment was probably present then. Anyway, I think it is important to look at the accident with the knowledge that it could have been much worse. The fact is, British railways are pretty safe.
One effect of the accident was a huge increase in the number of visitors to my blog. I have, for some reason unknown to me, made it to the top of the Yahoo! search list for the terms "cumbria train accident". I don't really know how I feel about this. On the one hand, it is great to get visitors to my site, but on the other, there are many far more useful sites for those search terms.
Aside from all the drama of train derailments and blog visitors, I have been trying to cope with the stress of two essays in quick succession, and the task of co-ordinating two weeks of celebrating fair trade. I got through the first week just about all right. The film night which we ran was a bit muddled, but I think I have learnt the mistakes I made, and I should be able to get any future ones going well. The main problems were the quality of the sound, the fact that all the films were in Spanish and the subtitles were projecting off the screen, and the fact that we hadn't really thought through the programme or the format of the debates. Anyway, it happened and we only have two events left to do. On Sunday there is a Quiz Night, then on Wednesday, there is a reception for staff members. I'm actually quite nervous about this one. I have to give a talk to the Vice-Chancellor, several Deans of Faculties, a city Councillor, and several professors and other people doing Fairtrade things.
But now I really should be getting to the shops. I have to stock up on organic milk and other groceries for the weekend.
Friday, 23. February 2007, 23:13:48
accident, Cumbria, Virgin Trains, train
It is terrifying to think how close you can come to major accidents. Earlier today, I travelled from Manchester to Edinburgh on a Virgin Voyager service. A short time ago, another Virgin train travelling on the same line
de-railed. Details still seem to be sketchy, but it does not appear that there have been any fatalities. Hopefully this will not change. What would be most unsettling would be if this was because of a fault in the track. It's just surreal to think that I could have been a passenger on the train. I'll update this post tomorrow when there is some more information on the accident.
WIDGETIZE