For those who were wondering, Living in London has it's pros and cons for Dave:
Pro: The underground is very very handy during weekdays. If your waiting more than 5 min your pretty unlucky.
Con: Despite this, it's consistantly packed to bursting point during regular going to and from work times.
Pro: A packed tube allows you to rub against pretty girls completely guilt free and without getting slapped!
Con: 90% of tube users seem to be male. The other 10% generally aren't pretty.
Pro: The room Dave was renting was clean, tidy and less than 30min away from his job.
Con: The 2 housemates were less than friendly. The girl said little more than hello, and sometimes not even that. The guy... well, having lived there for over a week, Dave still hadn't even seen him.
Pro: The near non-exsitance of his housemates made the shower rush far easier.
Con: The temperature on the shower tended to jump from one extreme to the other without warning.
Pro: Dave's new job was paying him to play around with numbers making pretty graphs.
Con: ... erm....
Pro: The people at Dave's job were friendly, fun and smart. The guy who was his direct line manager was full of life and pretty damn sexy. The work he did actually mattered, unlike a Thesis.
Con: ... OK, I got nothing, I like my new job.
Pro: Dave's new job gave him £27K per year.
Con: Tax, NI, student loan repayments, a room in London, travel expenses, food and a Jean in Liverpool meant he had approximately £0 per year spare from that.
Pro: In addition to 25 days holiday they also gave him 40 study days every year.
Con: They actually expected him to study on those days.
Con: The general public in London are generally souless. They will not step aside if they see someone wants to get past. They will not apologise if they barge into you. Smiles are rare.
Pro: You can sing really loud and no one will even look at you. Looking at fellow humans is forbidden.
Con: Jean and everyone Dave knew and cared about were all up North, sitting around the pool eating liver.
Pro: Jean would be heading south in a few months.
How's u?
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Fairwell Echo
After 5 years of going door to door, it was finally time for Dave's last knock. Like the majority of previous knocks, it was a crazy old lady who didn't read the paper.
And so, with a card and a gift, a few hand shakes and hugs and a drink or two, Dave said his final goodbyes and set off for pastures green.
A few days later, the following letter arrived at the Echo:
"Dear Echoers and Jayne.
Just wanted to say a huge "Thank You!!" for the gift and the card. Speaking of the card, Ann the feeling is mutual, if only I weren't married, Brian, me too, Lisa any day now I swear and thanks and best wishes to you all.
Looking back I've seen so much working here, alcoholism, violence, verbal abuse, nudity... but enough about Brian... I've knocked on thousands of doors, spoken to thousands of people and got around 10 of them to sign up to the Echo. It's been good... mostly...
Jayne, should you ever try to replace me, the new kid's going to have some pretty big shoes to fill. I've been consistently the cheapest employee of the Echo, bar none. In addition, I can read maps, find the car and ALWAYS remind people when its time to go home... usually at around 6:30pm... I used to be responsible for switching on the light in the car too, but that proved too much to handle.
Kate, I know how much you like that Internet thing, so I've put my email and my Blog at the top of the page. No excuses.
I'll miss you all, but I'll be in touch.
Now hopefully this letter will reach you before the redundancies start...
Dave."
And so, with a card and a gift, a few hand shakes and hugs and a drink or two, Dave said his final goodbyes and set off for pastures green.
A few days later, the following letter arrived at the Echo:
"Dear Echoers and Jayne.
Just wanted to say a huge "Thank You!!" for the gift and the card. Speaking of the card, Ann the feeling is mutual, if only I weren't married, Brian, me too, Lisa any day now I swear and thanks and best wishes to you all.
Looking back I've seen so much working here, alcoholism, violence, verbal abuse, nudity... but enough about Brian... I've knocked on thousands of doors, spoken to thousands of people and got around 10 of them to sign up to the Echo. It's been good... mostly...
Jayne, should you ever try to replace me, the new kid's going to have some pretty big shoes to fill. I've been consistently the cheapest employee of the Echo, bar none. In addition, I can read maps, find the car and ALWAYS remind people when its time to go home... usually at around 6:30pm... I used to be responsible for switching on the light in the car too, but that proved too much to handle.
Kate, I know how much you like that Internet thing, so I've put my email and my Blog at the top of the page. No excuses.
I'll miss you all, but I'll be in touch.
Now hopefully this letter will reach you before the redundancies start...
Dave."
Monday, June 08, 2009
2005+
In 2005, Dave and Jean got married and Dave could not have been happier.
He also started his PhD and visited China. And, of cause, he started writing a blog, so perhaps it would be best to simply read on from there now.
For Dave, just a week before his 25th birthday and a fortnight before his new job started, it was time to look forward now, not back.
The new era was coming. He would face it head on.
He also started his PhD and visited China. And, of cause, he started writing a blog, so perhaps it would be best to simply read on from there now.
For Dave, just a week before his 25th birthday and a fortnight before his new job started, it was time to look forward now, not back.
The new era was coming. He would face it head on.
2004
19 years, 7 months, 5 days and Dave's wait was finally over. He officially had a girlfriend and she was everything he could hope for and more. She was fantastic. She was, of cause, Jean.
Everything changed. Dave's life had purpose. It was like someone had hit a big on switch, or replaced a flat battery.
It was wonderful.
Jean had tuition fees to pay, and no gal of Dave's would need to struggle by herself or rely on her parents. Having quit his job some months previously, he had to find a new one. An early morning Daily Post sales person.... and a teaching assistant... and a student mentor... and Santa's little helper at a local grotto. Dave was working 7 days a week, while getting his Uni work back up to acceptable levels of above 80%.
The world was his Oyster, and for the first time in his life Dave found he could eat sea food.
Everything changed. Dave's life had purpose. It was like someone had hit a big on switch, or replaced a flat battery.
It was wonderful.
Jean had tuition fees to pay, and no gal of Dave's would need to struggle by herself or rely on her parents. Having quit his job some months previously, he had to find a new one. An early morning Daily Post sales person.... and a teaching assistant... and a student mentor... and Santa's little helper at a local grotto. Dave was working 7 days a week, while getting his Uni work back up to acceptable levels of above 80%.
The world was his Oyster, and for the first time in his life Dave found he could eat sea food.
2003
2003 was year crammed full of ups and downs.
It started with a fairly major up, moving to Kili, one of Dave's all time favorite places. Within a day or two of moving in, however, came the first down.
Major toothache, which eventually led to the removal of Dave's two back teeth.
The ups were rather general, the downs more specific and as such seemed to weigh on him more in his quiet times. He enjoyed his nights out, seeing friends, hanging around Uni without actually doing any work.
He hated his job, data entry. He worried about his brother, who had got into some bother. He was hurt by revelations. He was ashamed of himself for getting far too close to a girl he knew nothing about. He was starting to majorly suffer from lonliness.
Although he often tried his best to hide it, and indeed sometimes succesfully forgot about it, there was a cloud growing on his shoulder.
Until one day a ray of light broke through.
"Hello, can I sit here?"
Dave had been sitting outside Uni, waiting for Aline (as usual), when a cute little Chinese girl had approached him. Wait, that can't be right. A girl? Had approached him? That had never happened before. 'Aaahhhh! How to respond?!?!?!'
"I've seen you in class, I just wanted to know your name."
"Dave"
True to her word, that was ALL she wanted, her friend showed up at exactly that moment and she left, without even repaying the favour.
A few days later a class had changed without Dave's knowledge, probably due to a lack of attendence of a previous class. Only one other person showed up. The same cute little Chinese girl. Her name was Jean.
Since they both clearly had an hour free, Dave suggested a quick drink. She accepted, and there began a beautiful friendship.
It started with a fairly major up, moving to Kili, one of Dave's all time favorite places. Within a day or two of moving in, however, came the first down.
Major toothache, which eventually led to the removal of Dave's two back teeth.
The ups were rather general, the downs more specific and as such seemed to weigh on him more in his quiet times. He enjoyed his nights out, seeing friends, hanging around Uni without actually doing any work.
He hated his job, data entry. He worried about his brother, who had got into some bother. He was hurt by revelations. He was ashamed of himself for getting far too close to a girl he knew nothing about. He was starting to majorly suffer from lonliness.
Although he often tried his best to hide it, and indeed sometimes succesfully forgot about it, there was a cloud growing on his shoulder.
Until one day a ray of light broke through.
"Hello, can I sit here?"
Dave had been sitting outside Uni, waiting for Aline (as usual), when a cute little Chinese girl had approached him. Wait, that can't be right. A girl? Had approached him? That had never happened before. 'Aaahhhh! How to respond?!?!?!'
"I've seen you in class, I just wanted to know your name."
"Dave"
True to her word, that was ALL she wanted, her friend showed up at exactly that moment and she left, without even repaying the favour.
A few days later a class had changed without Dave's knowledge, probably due to a lack of attendence of a previous class. Only one other person showed up. The same cute little Chinese girl. Her name was Jean.
Since they both clearly had an hour free, Dave suggested a quick drink. She accepted, and there began a beautiful friendship.
2002
Aline had moved into the beautiful Kili House, built on church grounds in Mossley Hill, surounded by fields. It was fantastic, and Dave quickly became a regular visitor while he had the chance. They would all be going to Uni soon.
Having considered several options and going through a rollercoaster of decisions, Dave finally settled on the boring stay in Liverpool option, Macca would be same town different Uni and Aline would be moving to London.
Dave had decided, however, that to get the full Uni experience you need to leave home, and had thus applied for a place in the halls of residence.
With just weeks to go, things rather suddenly changed. The halls were full, Aline didn't make it into London and would be staying in Liverpool and a spare room was available at Kili from Jan 03.
Funny how things work out.
Having considered several options and going through a rollercoaster of decisions, Dave finally settled on the boring stay in Liverpool option, Macca would be same town different Uni and Aline would be moving to London.
Dave had decided, however, that to get the full Uni experience you need to leave home, and had thus applied for a place in the halls of residence.
With just weeks to go, things rather suddenly changed. The halls were full, Aline didn't make it into London and would be staying in Liverpool and a spare room was available at Kili from Jan 03.
Funny how things work out.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
2001
Having aced the AS-levels, school became one long sit off for Dave. He could average around 50% in the second year and still get straight A's, and since his subjects were Maths, Further Maths and Physics, there was little fear of him dropping below those levels. The teachers didn't even pretend to try to make him work harder and he became almost untouchable.
Almost.
He did at on point get threatened with expulsion for wearing a Disney tie, though that was from a member of staff who didn't know him and who got annoyed when Dave point blank refused to take it off without being told why it was necessary to do so. But otherwise.
The Eastern European duet became a solo act mid-year when Maris returned to Estonia. Dave had never really got to know her all that much, she didn't do his subjects and hung with the more "cool" crowd.
Alina, on the otherhand, was a Maths girl and, due mostly to Macca at first, Dave started to get to know her a fair bit. And then a bit more, and a bit more and he soon found he really liked her...
...bits...
Almost.
He did at on point get threatened with expulsion for wearing a Disney tie, though that was from a member of staff who didn't know him and who got annoyed when Dave point blank refused to take it off without being told why it was necessary to do so. But otherwise.
The Eastern European duet became a solo act mid-year when Maris returned to Estonia. Dave had never really got to know her all that much, she didn't do his subjects and hung with the more "cool" crowd.
Alina, on the otherhand, was a Maths girl and, due mostly to Macca at first, Dave started to get to know her a fair bit. And then a bit more, and a bit more and he soon found he really liked her...
...bits...
2000
3...2...1....
...
... oh well, no end of the world... maybe in 3000...
Since the world wasn't ending, Dave had some time spare and decided to pass all his GCSE's and master the Rubik's cube. Then he needed to find something to do with the other 360 days of the year.
Like every other underage teenager, he partied. Unlike the others, however, despite popular belief to the contary, he generally didn't drink much and the dancing had got his weight down to a less life threatening level of between 12 -13 stone.
Having never been drunk, however, Dave felt he might be missing something. And so, once apon a time in the Flute and Firkin, he decided to find out with Macca's help.
Drink, drink, drink. Not much effect. Drink, drink, drink some more. Still naught. He decided to more or less forget it and go dance.
And then it hit him like a ton of bricks.
The rest of the night is hazy, though it involved staggering around, being sick and asking Macca to call his mum while he went to sleep on some steps. Thankfully Macca decided not to leave Dave for dead and instead helped him home.
Dave never really found the appeal in being drunk, nor the later hangover. His returns to that state were few and far between from then on, an average of less than once a year, and brought on only by a genuine miscalculation in amounts of alcohol or temporary depression.
He stuck to dancing.
Towards the end of the year, the start of AS-levels brought with them some new faces to LC, including two pretty girls from Eastern Europe who were an instant attraction in the largely male student population. An Estonian and a Moldovan named Maris and Alina.
Although undoubtably a pretty pair, Dave did not see the appeal of that either. He was put off by the flocks around them, and in particular found it annoying that they distracted Macca.
Still, first impressions don't always hold...
...
... oh well, no end of the world... maybe in 3000...
Since the world wasn't ending, Dave had some time spare and decided to pass all his GCSE's and master the Rubik's cube. Then he needed to find something to do with the other 360 days of the year.
Like every other underage teenager, he partied. Unlike the others, however, despite popular belief to the contary, he generally didn't drink much and the dancing had got his weight down to a less life threatening level of between 12 -13 stone.
Having never been drunk, however, Dave felt he might be missing something. And so, once apon a time in the Flute and Firkin, he decided to find out with Macca's help.
Drink, drink, drink. Not much effect. Drink, drink, drink some more. Still naught. He decided to more or less forget it and go dance.
And then it hit him like a ton of bricks.
The rest of the night is hazy, though it involved staggering around, being sick and asking Macca to call his mum while he went to sleep on some steps. Thankfully Macca decided not to leave Dave for dead and instead helped him home.
Dave never really found the appeal in being drunk, nor the later hangover. His returns to that state were few and far between from then on, an average of less than once a year, and brought on only by a genuine miscalculation in amounts of alcohol or temporary depression.
He stuck to dancing.
Towards the end of the year, the start of AS-levels brought with them some new faces to LC, including two pretty girls from Eastern Europe who were an instant attraction in the largely male student population. An Estonian and a Moldovan named Maris and Alina.
Although undoubtably a pretty pair, Dave did not see the appeal of that either. He was put off by the flocks around them, and in particular found it annoying that they distracted Macca.
Still, first impressions don't always hold...
1999
A life time of doing nothing had started to take it's hold on Dave, and this year, at 15, probably saw his weight peak. He didn't check the scale, but certainly over 13 stone. He spent as little time in front of a mirror as possible, but looking back at the pictures of him around that time is freightful.
It was not the best time to start noticing girls and left his confidence shot.
He was awful at all things sports, always had been. "Fun" activities were often far less fun for the guy certain to be picked last and laughed at throughout. Doing them less, of cause, made things worse.
Towards the end of the year, however, he finally found his excerise.
Dance.
Dave originally started dancing because he just couldn't stand drinking, at all. Hated the stuff. But with everyone else getting drunk, he wanted to fit in. How better to seem drunk than dance around like you don't give a damn?
Funny thing was, he soon discovered he didn't give a damn. Dancing around like a madman was fun. It very quickly became his only real reason for going out. While everyone else was sitting around like a bunch of bores, downing glass after glass of foul tasting awfulness, Dave generally had a whole danceful to himself.
Happy days.
It was not the best time to start noticing girls and left his confidence shot.
He was awful at all things sports, always had been. "Fun" activities were often far less fun for the guy certain to be picked last and laughed at throughout. Doing them less, of cause, made things worse.
Towards the end of the year, however, he finally found his excerise.
Dance.
Dave originally started dancing because he just couldn't stand drinking, at all. Hated the stuff. But with everyone else getting drunk, he wanted to fit in. How better to seem drunk than dance around like you don't give a damn?
Funny thing was, he soon discovered he didn't give a damn. Dancing around like a madman was fun. It very quickly became his only real reason for going out. While everyone else was sitting around like a bunch of bores, downing glass after glass of foul tasting awfulness, Dave generally had a whole danceful to himself.
Happy days.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
1998
More SATS? How often did they do these things?
This time around Dave was clued in, he knew the score. The maximum result on the standard tests would be a 7. Additional tests would then be provided to try to achieve an 8. You needed to get a 7 on the normal tests then pass the extra to get the 8. Sorted.
Maths... do u really need to ask? It was a shame it only went up to 8.
Science... 7 ... ish... probably... maybe 8
English.
English. The English SATS results began Dave's life long hatred of Shakesphere. Dave passed the additional test, he answered well enough to get an 8. And on the standard tests he achieved the 7... except for the Shakespeare part.
It isn't even English!!!! Grrr!!!!
Due to the poor results in Shakespeare, Dave failed to achieve the 7 required to get his 8, and thus ended up with a lowly 6. Two grades lost because Shakespeare can't write properly. Darn.
And, since the SATS mattered to LC, the results saw Dave banished from the top set for English. He was dropped down to set 2, where he would live out the remaining College years.
In terms of computer games, Dave was getting too old to spend all day playing games. He was 14 now, it just didn't thrill him like it used to. It was time to grow up, study harder, experiment with alchohol, meet girls and...
... hold on... OH MY GOD!!!!
ZELDA IN 3D?!?!?!?!
HOLY SH*T!!! Ocarina of Time was FANTASTIC!!
Fudge it, plenty of time to get alcohol poisoning later. Bring on Zelda.
This time around Dave was clued in, he knew the score. The maximum result on the standard tests would be a 7. Additional tests would then be provided to try to achieve an 8. You needed to get a 7 on the normal tests then pass the extra to get the 8. Sorted.
Maths... do u really need to ask? It was a shame it only went up to 8.
Science... 7 ... ish... probably... maybe 8
English.
English. The English SATS results began Dave's life long hatred of Shakesphere. Dave passed the additional test, he answered well enough to get an 8. And on the standard tests he achieved the 7... except for the Shakespeare part.
It isn't even English!!!! Grrr!!!!
Due to the poor results in Shakespeare, Dave failed to achieve the 7 required to get his 8, and thus ended up with a lowly 6. Two grades lost because Shakespeare can't write properly. Darn.
And, since the SATS mattered to LC, the results saw Dave banished from the top set for English. He was dropped down to set 2, where he would live out the remaining College years.
In terms of computer games, Dave was getting too old to spend all day playing games. He was 14 now, it just didn't thrill him like it used to. It was time to grow up, study harder, experiment with alchohol, meet girls and...
... hold on... OH MY GOD!!!!
ZELDA IN 3D?!?!?!?!
HOLY SH*T!!! Ocarina of Time was FANTASTIC!!
Fudge it, plenty of time to get alcohol poisoning later. Bring on Zelda.
1997
Out of all the many, many certificates Dave achieved over his life to date, this year gave him his all time favorite.
Dave, along with the rest of the top Maths set for his year and the year below, had been entered into the Mathematical Junior Olympiad, a national maths contest for kicks and giggles. Not surprisingly, he did well, recieved a Gold Certificate, got entered into the next round and obtained a bronze medal.
But that was of little importance.
The special certificate was one that simply stated Dave was "Best in School 1997." It didn't say at what. Just Best. In general. Nice.
97 also saw Dave turn to the terrible 13. He had offically been declared a "teenager" and everyone knew teenagers were no good low-life to be feared and avoided.
It was a sad time.
Though on the plus side, Nintendo brought out a new console, the glorious N64.
Mario in 3D!!
Dave, along with the rest of the top Maths set for his year and the year below, had been entered into the Mathematical Junior Olympiad, a national maths contest for kicks and giggles. Not surprisingly, he did well, recieved a Gold Certificate, got entered into the next round and obtained a bronze medal.
But that was of little importance.
The special certificate was one that simply stated Dave was "Best in School 1997." It didn't say at what. Just Best. In general. Nice.
97 also saw Dave turn to the terrible 13. He had offically been declared a "teenager" and everyone knew teenagers were no good low-life to be feared and avoided.
It was a sad time.
Though on the plus side, Nintendo brought out a new console, the glorious N64.
Mario in 3D!!
1996
For a computer game geek there was noticably one thing missing for Dave.
A computer.
Being in Liverpool College made this fact painfully obvious. Not having a computer was simply not done. It was unacceptable behaviour.
And so after several weeks/months of nagging, Dave finally became a PC. Afterall, it would help him with his school work... right...?
Eskimo Bob, University College, downloadable music, TV and films, newgrounds, Ultima Online....
The internet is a lovely place to live.
"... school... work...? ... what's that... ?"
A computer.
Being in Liverpool College made this fact painfully obvious. Not having a computer was simply not done. It was unacceptable behaviour.
And so after several weeks/months of nagging, Dave finally became a PC. Afterall, it would help him with his school work... right...?
Eskimo Bob, University College, downloadable music, TV and films, newgrounds, Ultima Online....
The internet is a lovely place to live.
"... school... work...? ... what's that... ?"
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
1995
The start of a new era.
Under the advice of Mrs Taylor, Dave had applied for a scholarship at the prestigious Liverpool College, had passed the test and been accepted.
Dave had been fearful of actually accepting the offer, however. He would know no one and be generally surrounded by people with a very different up bringing and far more money. Although the kids arround him thus far had not been great, it was a case of "better the devil you know." Dave's parents were proud of him just passing and more or less left the final decision up to him.
Then Alan stepped in.
He took Dave to one side, and said, without a trace of humour, "Don't be stupid. Don't waste this chance. Don't end up like me."
And so Dave's life at LC began. He knew no one and had zero social skills at making friends. For the first few weeks/months he just sat quietly in a corner by himself.
The first thing he learnt at LC was the importance of his SAT results. The school used them as the sole decider as to which "set" a child was placed into, and generally only those in the top sets would recieve a decent education. Having 5's gave Dave a ticket to the top set in all subjects.
Having a 6 was apparently unheard of. The teachers were impressed. Several of the kids seemed jealous, almost to the point of anger in one or two cases.
"You must have sat an extra test! You can't get a 6 on the normal test," he was informed in an accusing tone. In all honesty, Dave had no idea if that was true or not, and really hadn't cared. This seemed to be a rather annoying response though.
Eventually, Dave did start making friends. The main one being a little boy named Macca and his sidekick Skish. The trio spent most of their school time together, communicating mostly in an endless stream of popular quotes flawlessly joined together to discuss comics, games, TV and films almost exclusively.
"I miss you so much it hurts sometimes."
Under the advice of Mrs Taylor, Dave had applied for a scholarship at the prestigious Liverpool College, had passed the test and been accepted.
Dave had been fearful of actually accepting the offer, however. He would know no one and be generally surrounded by people with a very different up bringing and far more money. Although the kids arround him thus far had not been great, it was a case of "better the devil you know." Dave's parents were proud of him just passing and more or less left the final decision up to him.
Then Alan stepped in.
He took Dave to one side, and said, without a trace of humour, "Don't be stupid. Don't waste this chance. Don't end up like me."
And so Dave's life at LC began. He knew no one and had zero social skills at making friends. For the first few weeks/months he just sat quietly in a corner by himself.
The first thing he learnt at LC was the importance of his SAT results. The school used them as the sole decider as to which "set" a child was placed into, and generally only those in the top sets would recieve a decent education. Having 5's gave Dave a ticket to the top set in all subjects.
Having a 6 was apparently unheard of. The teachers were impressed. Several of the kids seemed jealous, almost to the point of anger in one or two cases.
"You must have sat an extra test! You can't get a 6 on the normal test," he was informed in an accusing tone. In all honesty, Dave had no idea if that was true or not, and really hadn't cared. This seemed to be a rather annoying response though.
Eventually, Dave did start making friends. The main one being a little boy named Macca and his sidekick Skish. The trio spent most of their school time together, communicating mostly in an endless stream of popular quotes flawlessly joined together to discuss comics, games, TV and films almost exclusively.
"I miss you so much it hurts sometimes."
1994
Earle JMI didn't make a big deal out of SATS. In fact, they made so small a deal, that Dave was actually off with a cold that day and had not realised he'd missed anything. When he got back, he was sent to a small room by himself to do the little test he missed.
His results meant absolutely nothing to him. 5 for English, 5 for Science, 6 for Maths. Seriously, whats that out of? Is that good? Awful? He drew a blank, but then if the teachers didn't care it was nothing to worry about.
More importantly, the Super Gameboy had arrived. Having never had a Gameboy, mainly due to the fact that he was always at home playing on the TV, the Super Gameboy gave the best of both worlds, the Gameboy on the TV! And so Dave was opened up to a whole world of new games.
More Zelda. Whoo!
His results meant absolutely nothing to him. 5 for English, 5 for Science, 6 for Maths. Seriously, whats that out of? Is that good? Awful? He drew a blank, but then if the teachers didn't care it was nothing to worry about.
More importantly, the Super Gameboy had arrived. Having never had a Gameboy, mainly due to the fact that he was always at home playing on the TV, the Super Gameboy gave the best of both worlds, the Gameboy on the TV! And so Dave was opened up to a whole world of new games.
More Zelda. Whoo!
1993
This year was somewhat of a blank to Dave.
Perhaps it was of little real importance or interest... or perhaps it was to do with the scar he still carried on his forehead... hard to say...
The family home was being fixed up so the crew had moved into a new place for a little while. A flithly little place, until Dave's mum got there, after which you could eat off the floor and Alan often did.
Anywho, one day, while lying in bed, Pea decided it would be fun to hit Dave over the head with a plate. The details are somewhat sketchy, but Dave succesfully dodged the attack 2 or 3 times and then was not so lucky.
Ouch.
Perhaps it was of little real importance or interest... or perhaps it was to do with the scar he still carried on his forehead... hard to say...
The family home was being fixed up so the crew had moved into a new place for a little while. A flithly little place, until Dave's mum got there, after which you could eat off the floor and Alan often did.
Anywho, one day, while lying in bed, Pea decided it would be fun to hit Dave over the head with a plate. The details are somewhat sketchy, but Dave succesfully dodged the attack 2 or 3 times and then was not so lucky.
Ouch.
1992
The N.E.S, poor little thing, had held it's own against a computer twice its size, sexier and more reliable for 2 years now and was still going strong, a sign of the genius that is Nintendo. However, all good geniuses know when it's time to move on and hence a child was born.
The Super N.E.S. (S.N.E.S.)
All the big boys were back and badder than ever, Mario with his new friend Yoshi, Mega Man all X'ed up with ultra cool Zero and Zelda with the ultimate RPG to date, A Link to the Past. And lets not forget the birth of the finest racing car series of all time, Mario Kart.
In his school life things had also changed for Dave. He had finally made a friend who was nicer than the staff. In truth, Dave's friends had often been few and far between. His family not included, his friends to date could be counted on one hand. Kids were often not fond of the overweight computer game geek, and his newly found need for glasses probably didn't add to his "cool factor." That said, an overweight computer game geek with a pretty darn high IQ was often not fond of a bunch of street kids growing up in the heart of Toxteth, so the feeling was often mutual.
And then Ahmad arrived. A friendship that would last for many years to come.
The Super N.E.S. (S.N.E.S.)
All the big boys were back and badder than ever, Mario with his new friend Yoshi, Mega Man all X'ed up with ultra cool Zero and Zelda with the ultimate RPG to date, A Link to the Past. And lets not forget the birth of the finest racing car series of all time, Mario Kart.
In his school life things had also changed for Dave. He had finally made a friend who was nicer than the staff. In truth, Dave's friends had often been few and far between. His family not included, his friends to date could be counted on one hand. Kids were often not fond of the overweight computer game geek, and his newly found need for glasses probably didn't add to his "cool factor." That said, an overweight computer game geek with a pretty darn high IQ was often not fond of a bunch of street kids growing up in the heart of Toxteth, so the feeling was often mutual.
And then Ahmad arrived. A friendship that would last for many years to come.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
1991
Big changes were happening in Dave's little world. It was time to move away from the school he had spent his early years in to a place far far away. Nearly a whole two streets away in fact! Yup, it was time to move to Earle Road Juniors, later known as Earle JMI after it merged with his old infants, possibly making the move rather less significant.
Earle JMI had some of the best teachers ever, and Dave generally felt closer to them than most of the students. Mr Franklin and his fantastic story telling, Mrs Taylor and her entusiasm, Miss Evans, Mr Rolf, Miss Dale... the list goes on.
At home things were changing rather drastically too. Dave's clan purchased a Mega Drive and were introduced to the world of 16-bit and a blue hedgehog in red snickers that runs faster than the speed of sound. Whatever they were smoking when they came up with that idea, it proves drugs might not always be that bad.
Earle JMI had some of the best teachers ever, and Dave generally felt closer to them than most of the students. Mr Franklin and his fantastic story telling, Mrs Taylor and her entusiasm, Miss Evans, Mr Rolf, Miss Dale... the list goes on.
At home things were changing rather drastically too. Dave's clan purchased a Mega Drive and were introduced to the world of 16-bit and a blue hedgehog in red snickers that runs faster than the speed of sound. Whatever they were smoking when they came up with that idea, it proves drugs might not always be that bad.
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