Planes, Trains and Faxing Machines

Posted by Alex | | Posted On Monday 20 September 2010 at 17:23

I know. I know. I only posted two days ago, and nothing exciting has happened in between. Or has it!? No, regrettably I haven't become 2nd-in-line to the throne of Sweden, nor have I won the lotto jackpot. So, why the blog?

Well, let's see. Last week I was informed by the wonderful staff at Cardiff that I had committed the heinous crime of not handing in my Erasmus forms. If I didn't get them in pronto, I'd be unable to receive my Erasmus grant. Now, considering I'm banking on that grant to be able to pay my rent, or possibly let me eat as many bags of dolci made by Mulino Bianco (See last post for a description of this wonderful bakery!), it would be a massive shame if I weren't entitled to it.
"What was their excuse", I hear you cry! Well, it turns out that they think it has been delayed (by two weeks) or lost in the post. I, and my parents, firmly believe that some numbskull has it sitting on their desk in a pile marked to do. So, I hastily filled out new forms at the bus stop this morning (missing a bus in the process as I needed my bank details) and had it faxed over. To make sure this idiocy continued no longer, I also emailed them. Seems everything is now in order, but, just wait until October when they suddenly lose my Learning Agreement...

In happier news, what have I done:

  • I am now signed up to take part in NaNoWriMo which means even though I have Uni, and musical reviews to write, in November, I will also be attempting to write a 50,000 word Novella. I will post the draft synopsis at the end of this post - let me know what you think, and if you think it's utter tosh, I will attempt something else.
  • I bought a train ticket to Como. I know I've been on about Turin, and Genoa, and lately La Spezia, due to the mention of Cinque Terre by one of the girls here, but they're all so expensive to get to. Even Florence is an unavoidable €40+ one way. So, Lago di Como here I come!
  • I rode a different bus today. Not all that exciting. However, I propose you try it. Get a map of your local bus routes, and rather than your regular bus, hop on one which takes a different route. Usually I'll use the #3, which goes right through the Centro Storico, or the #7 which uses the Via Matteoti which is quite nice. Today: the #6, which goes through the newer parts of town like Ticinello and Pavia Ovest, both of which aren't all that pretty...Still, it gives another side to this place, right? So, I suggest you try it!
  • I psyched myself up to do an outdoor vlog today, in response to one I saw on youtube about how we should go outside and just film and who cares about people's reactions. However, this is Italy, and people look at you funny just for the way you rush places, or the way you walk down the road hoping not to die...SO, as I totally wussed out today, I guess I'm going to go with my second plan and try to do one on the way to Como. I have two hours on the train, 2nd class, so I'll need to entertain myself. I just wish I had bothered to shell out a bit of dinero on a Flip camera, rather than having to use my regular old digicam. Ah well - it'll be fun?
And that, as they say, is that. Well, apart from the fact that I have probably eaten my weight in Pan Carré. It's bread meant for toasting, but it's so nice. As much as I like the fresh bread they make here, it's really quite expensive; Pan Carré solves all of that. Think Bimbo, that awful, plasticky Spanish bread...and you're pretty much looking at the same kind of thing.

I shall keep you informed of any wonderful things that may occur in my life, but, for the most part it's just waiting for University to start next Monday. Eeek. Ciaooo.


No, I didn't forget. Here's that synopsis. Mind you, it is still in the very early larval stages. It has a long way to go before it becomes a beautiful butterfly...or a rather dusty looking moth.

City of Angels (working title)

There is a city. It is a city that floats. They call it the City of Angels. In the days of old, the land on which the city stands was worshipped as a kind of paradise. In modern times, it is a bustling tourist city. The rich come here to escape the smog-filled air of the ground below, and the not-so-rich come here to make use of the loose laws, and looser women in the Red Light District. Whether it's special business, or seedy pleasure, all walks of life come to the City.
Everything rapidly changes, however, as the City begins to fall slowly towards the earth. The task of stopping it crashing into the ground below falls to Max Madison, the curator of the Civic Museum, and one of the last people left on this sinking ship.

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