Special Post #45: Accommodation Series #15: The Hall Theorem

part two of the longest awaited post in the history of this blog. In this post I start the story in the same way any good teacher would, with the theory.

#3: Pizza & Planning

Sophie, Julie and I had been talking about getting a house together for a while, but it was awkward to organise house viewings when none of us lived in Guildford (ok, technically I do, but it's kind of become my second home to Switzerland in the last 7 months).

We organised a few international Skype chats to talk about places we’d like to live, which usually involved me getting a takeaway from the local pizzeria (no shortage of choice!) but it was all a bit slow moving...

#4: Meanwhile… 2 Forces Meet

While this was all happening, a couple of my other friends were getting a house group together. Katherine (who I know from MADTV) and her 2 housemates needed another person (or 2) and came to me. Since I had already paired up with Julie and Soph at the time, I put them in touch with Mike Frazer (also of MADTV fame).

^ Mike Fazer, also called: the lazer, eyebrows, “that man off the telly” and many more…

#5: The Wheely Bin

Back with Sophie and Julie, we were still struggling to agree on houses, and decided that we’d really need a 4th person for this whole thing to work. So we started looking for a 4th person… to no avail. We were alll a bit stuck with what to do, then Sophie made the decision for us.

Because she is on an un-paid placement, she decided that since living on campus would be the cheaper option in long run, that she’d settle for that. So she essentially abandoned Julie and I to fend for ourselves! (I’m going to make as big a deal out of this as I can because I know Sophie reads this blog :P) She screwed us both over for her own selfish gain! Ok, I’m only joking… It all works out in the end, just keep reading.

Julie and I briefly toyed with the idea of finding 2 other housemates before we realised we both are massively short of any friends who want to live with us… So we decided on the next best thing…

Guildford council wheely-bins are surprisingly spacious, and come in two different sizes. They offer location-flexibility in a waterproof, easy to access package. Sorted.

But, just as Julie and I had resigned ourselves to the fact that we were without a paddle, I got an offer…

coming soon: part six “proposition 101”

Special Post #44: Accommodation Series #14: The Prequel

part one of the longest awaited post in the history of this blog. This first post comes some way in explaining why it’s taken me so long to get these words on here… sets the scene for the posts to come.

#1: The Prequel – House 63

As many of you have guessed by following this blog, the last few months of my life have been a big crazy. And while House 63 has been somewhat of a base for my life, it’s also probably been where I’ve spent least of my time.

Between Switzerland, London, Amsterdam, Italy, Weymouth and boat trips I have seen sweet little of my existing housemates. The extent of my interaction seems to be notes on the front of my door saying when I’ll next be around. Time in the house consists of unpacking, packing and sleeping (sometimes not even the latter if I’m rushing off for the weekend). So it’s quite shocking to think that in a few short weeks I will be leaving this place for greener pastures, having never really lived here…

Ironically I am around in the coming weeks, just in time for me to start packing my things. And now I’m around for once, my housemates have coursework and exams and dissertations… we are destined to never socialize together. In many ways it’s hard to miss what was never fully realised, but even the possibility will soon be impossible.

But then looking forward, mid-July is a new start and a new life in many ways. I’ll have stopped going to Switzerland every week and I’ll have new housemates and a new house to contend with.

So let’s start at the very beginning…

#2: The Hall Theorem

Let’s not be mistaken, this is the start of another new era. My final year at university starts in October and back in March I started to look at houses for my final year…

Initially I always thought I'd live on campus in my final year, since the university let final year students apply for rooms not occupied by fresher's. And indeed I applied and got offered a place, but it didn't feel right. For me, the freedom of living in a house with a few mates is far better than going back to halls. I liked the idea of meeting new people, but it's a lottery as to weather they'll be nice. I count myself exceptionally lucky to fall into Cathedral Court House 2A in my first year at the University of Surrey, I still stay in touch with Sophie and Lauren and I can't imagine my university life without those late night chats in the kitchen and random objects appearing in the hall after drunken nights out.

But living in a house last year and this have been such a blast that going back to halls feels like a step in the wrong direction, so I was very keen to find some housemates and find an amazing house we could call our own for what is sure to be one of the most exciting years of our lives...

coming soon: part three “Pizza & Planning”

A Thousand Words

^ my new camera

^ Sophie and I book our first flights for the Inter-Rail trip… the adventure begins!

^ Sophie Jones trying her best to defeat the climbing wall’s toughest feature… the rock boob!

^ Julie gets hungry at Charlotte’s 21st Birthday party

^ Charlotte and I waiting for the bus :)

^ Graeme and Mum get acquainted with Victoria’s bottle of port

^ Switzerland never fails to deliver stunning views

^ literally translates to “dessert buffet”, or as we say in England “heaven”

^ A weekend in Switzerland turns into a day in Milan!

^ Merely 3 hours after sitting at the breakfast table wondering what to do, here we are at the Duomo!

^ The view (courtesy of Hywel’s iPhone)

^ Life. It doesn’t get any better than this.

^ On Sunday Hywel and I relaxed on the balcony with a few beers

^ Until sunset and beyond

^ Lugano at night

^ Dad’s birthday party in the church. ‘M’ theme resulted in everything: Maps, Morris dancer, Magician and Moon-face…

• Happiness. 9 out of 10
• Tiredness. 1 out of 5
• Free Time. 2 out of 5 (I’m in Guildford all week next week!)
• Last Meal. Massive burger and Oreo milkshake at GBK… for breakfast :p
• Song of the day. Taylor Swift – Story Of Us
• Another song of the day. Avril Lavigne – Smile
• Thought for the day. Not all those who wander are lost
• What I’m Doing Now. Wondering when I will get this accommodation post finished, amirite?

Fasten Your Seatbelt

Well... Where do I start. I'm still working in Switzerland week-by-week, but that may all come to an end by the close of June as the project progresses without me to the next phase...

I got an extension on my contact at Sony to get me to the middle of August. Then for the last month before I return to my old life, I'm going inter-railing around Europe. The flights are already booked and hostels are being sought as we speak.... It's all very bloomin' exciting!!

Apart from my weekly outings to the hotter clime, I've spent my weekends doing the normal stuff. Two weekends ago I went to good old home for my Dad's birthday party in church. I don't know how much you will know about my affiliation with the local church, but lets just say it goes back to birth when I played the leading role in the nativity as a baby in arms. Since those days I owe a lot to that church and its inhabitants for giving me so many opportunities to take part and, in more ways than I can imagine, get me exactly where I am today.

The coming weeks and months are going to be a bit shit-hot (if you can mind my French):

- A weekend in Italy in 3 weeks time :)
- A weekend in Guildford for the end of university parties
- A weekend on the boat
- A long weekend in Scotland for Julie's 21st Birthday
- A couple weeks living with Viv in Guildford while I'm between houses
- Sheffield for Grandma's 80th
- Moving into my new house, and living with new housemates!!
- Going to grad ball (there is a pre-requisite that i can get a tux.... Dad? :P)
- Then I believe it's Graeme's Garden Party weekend in London if I'm not mistaken...
- And then it's Sophie's 21st BBQ!

Phew! That takes us up to the end of July... I think the next post will have to be a picture post for the last month, because there's just too much to say... Milan for starters!

• Happiness. 9.5 out of 10
• Tiredness. 0.5 out of 5
• Free Time. 2 out of 5
• Last Meal. Pasta for lunch
• Song of the day. Martin Solveig - Hello
• Thought for the day. Surprises are fun :)
• What I’m Doing Now. Having a mini-battle with uni about my degree…

Dear Life,

Thank you. Thank you for the amazing times of the last few months. For giving me the privilege of working in Switzerland. Allowing me to go to Amsterdam and have the time of my life. Giving me the best friends I can hope for and more.

I know I’ve sometimes been frustrated with you, and it’s easy sometimes to get trapped in stress and not see how it will all work out in the end. I now have faith that when the time comes, you will provide me with a life I can’t imagine. I know I will have to work, I know I will have to try hard and not always do what I might want to, but in the end it will all pay off.

The last few months have been a dream and I know I will wake up soon and have to fall back down to reality, but right now, every day I can wake up with a smile and go to sleep knowing my dreams will not be as good as the last 16 hours… I can’t help but smile when I think how lucky I am to be here and to know a small part of it is because of the endless days I spent working every evening and taking my studies seriously.

If I ever need the motivation again to do the right thing, remind me of this moment: when I look out over the expansive skyline beyond the borders of this balcony, where the alps fall off into the clouds and the Swiss sun creeps slowly over the clear blue sky. This. is. the. moment.

• Happiness. 10 out of 10
• Tiredness. 0 out of 5
• Free Time. 2 out of 5
• Last Meal. Pancetta & gorgonzola sandwiches
• Song of the day. Jessie J – Price Tag
• Thought for the day. Take pride in being whoever you want to be
• What I’m Doing Now. Living the dream

LX317

Another week, another flight to Switzerland. I'm still having the best year ever and travelling over the Swiss alps every week for work.

I know in my last post I tried to justify how little I've been blogging recently by saying what I've been up to, but there is another reason. I'm kind of doing the same thing every week... Work in Switzerland Monday to Friday, then try and live my life at the weekends. That usually constitutes more travel and catching up with as many friends as possible.

Now we're in May it's beginning to dawn on me how this phase of consistency in my life is coming to an end. In 2 months time I'll have moved out of my current house and be living with a friend for 2 weeks before moving into my new house. I know I still haven't got around to that accommodation post yet, but it is brewing. Not only will I be moving out of my current house, but my current housemates and lots of my other friends will finish university and leave Guildford for good. And that smells far too much like growing up for my liking. Friends going out into the big-wide world: travelling, teaching, moving back in with parents... It's scary to think I'll be walking through that door in only 12 short months. And if they go half as quick as the last 12, it'll be coming sooner than I can possibly imagine...

Since I haven’t done a “moments” post for a while let’s get you up to speed.

• Day in London with Charlotte. Went to a vegan all-you-can-eat restaurant, Covent Garden, met up with Beth, went to Camden market, saw Lifehouse live, went home and saw Becky… it literally couldn’t be any better.

• Going to Weymouth town and visiting the cider bar!

• Games night playing Cranium and Twister
• Sat at the bus stop in Lugano in the sunshine after missing our flight…

• Getting a Mercedes convertible as our hire car. Driving in the sunshine by the lake with the top down…

• Going on a pub crawl in Amsterdam

• Hiring a bike in Amsterdam and getting royally lost

• Going to an amazing steak house in Switzerland with the customer and having a horse steak.
• Getting very drunk on a bottle of port on the boat trip and going on a midnight mission to get McDonalds chips.

• Having a BBQ in Birmingham in the glorious sunshine, miraculously meeting up with Adam Hurd and going rowing in the dingy with hundreds of people watching.

• Having my first pint of Guinness on the boat trip.
• Drinking 4 pints of very strong Cider with Katherine on the boat trip, then all staying up until 5am.

And that’s all for this time, I swear I have actually started writing the Accommodation post, and the first one will be ready very soon!

• Happiness. 9 out of 10
• Tiredness. 2 out of 5 (my special power is sleeping on public transport) 
• Free Time. 1.5 out of 5
• Last Meal. Steak :P
• Song of the day. Creed – One Last Breath
• Thought for the day. May the fourth be with you…
• What I’m Doing Now. In Switzerland until the 12th May…