One of my classmates, Danielle, and I were given the 8 till 10 breakfast show to do each weekday morning which we had to pre-record as if it were live. I also produced and presented a two hour blues show on my own called ‘Big Rory’s Blues’. This was a fantastic chance to gain further experience, not to mention demo material. Apart from a play list of current music which we were given we were left pretty much to our own devices to produce ‘Morning Glory’ as we called it. It was great fun getting on air and just talking about stuff that interested us for a couple of hours a day. However, it did result in us having little ‘off air’ chat because whenever either of us started to tell a story the other would interrupt with “save it for link material”.
All this work did not, surprisingly, have much success in curbing my social habits. My flatmates and I organized a big party on the second of December to get us ‘in the mix’ with the student party scene. There are six of us in the flat and we spent a week planning how we were going to make it top the unofficial leader board of flat parties. The result was that over 65 people turned up to a party which included a laser and strobe light show, my record decks, which a lot of people enjoyed having a play with, the all important ‘second room’ for the more chilled out chats, and obviously a lot of drink.
The party was going exceedingly well until about midnight when the constant traffic through the door into the living room wafted the product of a smoke machine into the path of a smoke detector, thus setting the fire alarm off. Our contingency plan for this situation involved burning toast and hiding all evidence of the smoke machine. Very luckily for us this worked well enough to convince the fire brigade and residential security that it was a hungry guest needing a snack that was to blame.
Once satisfied that there was no fire and that there would be no more toast we were left to it and the party continued on its alcohol fuelled journey to 8am on Sunday morning. Overall, it got a healthy 9 out of ten in the leader board with everyone saying it would have got a ten if it wasn’t for the fire alarm spoiling the momentum a little. (No smoke machine next time I think will nail it). I think my distinct lack of ability at competitive sport is evident to anyone who knows me but my friends have told me that I have taken this party rating thing very seriously so maybe I have found my niche.
Just a few of the other things which I have been involved in since I last wrote was to form part of a team on a 90’s TV quiz show organized by 2nd Year students. I have to say I was rubbish. I don’t know where I was during the 90’s as I didn’t recognize the teenage mutant ninja turtles, I couldn’t name any stars of Baywatch and I didn’t know who wrote the ‘Macarena’! Actually, come to think of it I was on Auskerry so that’s probably a good enough excuse. A particularly exciting development for me this term came when I went for a meeting with a senior editor at BBC Radio Newcastle. It looks like I will be starting a part time job/work experience placement with them in early January driving programmes at weekends and helping out with phone-ins. I’m really excited about this because if it comes off it will be fantastic experience and may lead to future employment. As you will have gathered by now, I absolutely love university life, but, in the last week of term I was really looking forward to getting home. The trip home began on the Saturday morning after a heavy night out, a last ditch attempt at consuming cheap drink I suppose. Anyway, I left Sunderland at half ten, and after a pleasant journey I arrived in one piece, on time, in Aberdeen. After spending months in a place where you don’t expect to recognize anyone I was not in the ‘looking around to see if there’s anyone I know’ frame of mind. So when I was spotted by four friends all in the space of five minutes after leaving the railway station I was quite overwhelmed.
The trip up on the boat was spent with my mates having a laugh and reminiscing about old times at home. We all agreed that going away has been a really important step in our development into adulthood, as well as a fantastic experience. I think no matter where you have been, or how much you love it, there’s nothing quite like the feeling you get from getting back to familiar territory and home comforts. Mum summed this up well by describing me as “bouncing around like Tigger”.
Being home has so far been excellent; the only disadvantage of this new life for me is that wherever you are you miss someone but that seems a small price to pay. Folk have told me that next term will be the hardest; I’m not convinced, I know what I’m going back to, I love it - and Easter isn’t that far away is it?
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