Last evening it was the final of the tv-show Britain's Got Talent. I don't really care about competitions like this, but a lot of people do and the bar was packed when the winner was gonna be announced. It seemed like most people wanted one of the dance groups to win, which they also did, even though I liked these guys better. Poor Susan Boyle looked so nervous she looked like she would mess herself, so maybe better that she just got the silver medal.Of course there's not only talent in Britain, but lots of "talent" also in Sweden, and especially in my great home town of Örebro. This guy is a doorman at small pub where you go to start off a night with some cheap pints. He really likes the "power" his badge gives him and always asks you how much you had to drink when you get there to see if you're too drunk, even if you are totally sober, and then says "hmm, ok....but take it easy tonight!" He also always used to ask for ID from one of my friends (who at the time were 23) to let him in, even though he used to go down there a couple of times a week, and they also lived in the same building across the street from the place. You would think he would remember him and his age, but well he gotta do his job, right. Judging from his participation in the tv-show he does some stuff on the side, when he's not keeping everything under control in the pub. But I think there's no need to say he didn't make it through to the next round. Enjoy his performance!
Last night I did my second shift in the bar in four days, but luckily it was a lot more relaxed than the Friday one. However, it was still quite a lot of people in there since it was the North East Tyne-Tees derby between Newcastle and Middlesbrough, but I had some time to watch the game. It was a very intense and important game for bothe teams, but Newcastle won finally with 3-1 and moved up over the regulation line, yey! And my own Örebro also won their home game too! One thing I have experienced working behind the bar in the college bar is all the weird, disgusting drinks people sometimes order, which I never ever heard about before. First we have the Snakebite, which is half a lager and half a cider (and usually topped up with blackcurrant cordial), and is quite alright. Then you have Shandy, lager and lemonade, which I never tried but it doesn't sounds good. But last night I got to mix the nastiest drink I ever heard someone ask for seriously. A guy asked me to pour up half a pint of lager, put a shot of Amaretto in it, and then top it up with coke!! Mate??!! And also, girls, if you order like three doubles of Malibu, then mix it with diet coke instead of regular won't matter! Furthermore, don't get me started on the flavour of crisps! Salt and Vinegar?! Melted Cheese and Bacon??! Steak and Ale???!! Makes me wanna puke! Well, it's still a great and cool job to be behind the bar, and I get to talk to a lot of people and try out something new.
Today I picked up my first marked summative essay. Before I have just got back my formatives, which is essays or essay plans that you have to do but that is not marked and therefore not that important, so I was quite excited to see how the result, if I had failed totally or done well. I received a 53 %, which is pretty low but still ok and one of the comments on it were "an interesting essay, abd you have raised relevant points" so I'm pretty satisfied it anyway. After that I went downtown to cut my hair at my regular shop, for the third time, for £7.90 (and then they don't even have student prices on Fridays). This time I was cut by the same girl who cut me the first time and did a very good job. It doesn't hurt that she also looks like a blonde doll, but she talks like a bald drunk, which is a mix I strangely somehow find quite attractive. She talks with a very distinctive local accent so I understood half of what she said, but that didn't really matter as long as it didn't concerned my hair. She asked me in the end if I wanted it 'squared or ... (the other word I didn't hear or understand even when she repeated it) in the back', and the latter meaning just a straight line in the back (who the hell wants that unless you're a hooligan or something?!) so I said I wanted the other thing which ended up perfectly.
Yesterday it was Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday as it is also called here (or Fat Tuesday in Sweden), so we were served two small pancakes as an extra desert for dinner. Pancakes are always yummie, but I would much rather have dad's mashed potatoes and pork with a Swedish "semla" after it. Still cool to experience other traditions. There was also a carneval-like voodoo-party at a club arranged by the International Student Association, but I skipped that tradition and just went with the British one. Maybe a good idea since I today have felt a bit under the weather, as they say here.
...can as they say up here in North England "fock off!!". Although I mean that in the most polite way of course. But today I'm very tired since I had 8 hours of lectures, which is like a full-time job except you don't get paid and you have to sit on your bum and listen to someone talking for almost an hour straight at a time. Normally I have first Political Geography from 9-11am, then Social and Cultural Geography for another two hours right after, and then Governing Cities from 4-6pm. The lecturer in the last module has missed three out of five lectures for various reasons, so today we had a double lecture starting from 2pm. The man is from Glasgow, or something (at least Scotland), so he got a strong accent, which you can especially hear when he say, the rather oftenly used because of the subject, "downtown", which he pronounce [doontoon]. I was a bit bored after some time so I started counted, and I reached 84, so if you account the times he said it in the beginning I'm sure it was a three-digit number in total. Said to Felix, who even fell asleep some time, that it would be a brilliant drinking game, to take a sip of beer everytime he said it. Although the subject is quite interesting I think it would make the lectures much more bearable.
Yesterday I finally got to choose what film to see (since I most of the time watch films together with others), and it was bit more realistic and deep than the lasttwo I have had to watch. I've wanted to see "This Is England" for quite a long time, especially makes sense since I'm here now, but it never happened until yesterday. I knew before that it was about original ska/reggae skinheads and taking place in the early 80s, but I was surprised to see that it turned out to be quite a lot like "American History X", which just made the affection on me stronger. The film is really well done with everything from the great music to the setting of the time and place, and fantastic acting especially by the young Thomas Turgoose in the lead role as 12-year-old Shaun.
Even though I think the film doesn't really break new ground with its theme about racism and who belongs where and why these things might come up, I think it's a topic that always needs to be brought up and discussed to prevent racism to evolve. These things are very current for me as I've have studied 'Race and Representation' in my Social and Cultural Geography module, and discussed 'What is Britishness?'. As a part of this module I was recommended by one of the lecturers to read the book "Even in Sweden", which I have just started to look into but it brings up many things that I'm more familiar with, such as cases from the early 90s, than British examples and which makes it more interesting and easier to understand. I really hope that the recession and crisis right now, which led to many companies having to cut down on employees, such as Volvo and Saab in Sweden, doesn't become a breeding ground for racist thoughts and organizations as it unfortunately often shows out to be (which is described in the book I mentioned), especially with an upcoming parliament election coming up next year (in Sweden). So even though "This Is England" is about this country the story could had taken place anywhere, and the theme is therefore very relevant for Sweden, in this case, and other countries too.
One of the modules I'm taking here is about development, which I've studied a bit before as well. In many cases I think that Britain is an underdeveloped (even though it is a really questioned term) country, and I could make a long list of things that annoys me but I won't. However, one thing that really does is when I want to do my laundry here. First of all I've gotta pay £1.50 to use the washing-machine and £0.50 for the tumbler. I know this might just sound like I'm just whining and that it's normal to pay for this (here and in many other places), but not for me. I'm used to a big, fully equipped laundry room that is free for everyone in the building. With the rent I pay here I think it could be something they could have for free too. Secondly, they don't have drying cupboards here, just tumblers, which you can't use for all clothes. So I've put up a clothing line in my room to dry jeans, shirts etc that I don't want to get shrunk or look worn. On top of it all so were three out of four machines out of order today. Hell, it's the 21st century you island-stuck Neanderthals, aaaaahhh!!!
Yesterday evening it started to snow again, or more precisely hail, and quite a lot so it even hurt a bit. This morning it was even more. It's still not really a problem though, maybe a bit more slippery sometimes but that's it. So I get more and more surprised (or maybe just the opposite) for everytime I see how paralyzed this country get by snow. I mean, it is quite a lot and cover the ground a couple cm, but that they close airports, roads, schools etc. is crazy! It's not like it's as in "The Day After Tomorrow" or something! Yesterday there was a car who couldn't brake and crashed right outside of college. Have they never heard of winter tires? Gonna leave the library now and head back home for dinner, let's see if I make it...
Of course there's not only talent in Britain, but lots of "talent" also in Sweden, and especially in my great home town of Örebro. This guy is a doorman at small pub where you go to start off a night with some cheap pints. He really likes the "power" his badge gives him and always asks you how much you had to drink when you get there to see if you're too drunk, even if you are totally sober, and then says "hmm, ok....but take it easy tonight!" He also always used to ask for ID from one of my friends (who at the time were 23) to let him in, even though he used to go down there a couple of times a week, and they also lived in the same building across the street from the place. You would think he would remember him and his age, but well he gotta do his job, right. 
