The next blog party (February 2016)

February 2016's post for the Secret Life of Bloggers Blog Party will be here tomorrow. I'm working on it right now but it won't be done in time for tonight, as I have some other things to do this evening. It will be here, though!

Moving to Canada

No, I don't mean me and I apologize profusely if I scared anyone into thinking that I'm moving to Canada! Nope, I'm not traveling to Canada anytime soon, let alone moving there.

What I'm referring to are the predictable people who say they're going to move to Canada if their preferred candidate in a United States presidential election fails to win. This has gone on for so long that it honestly isn't funny anymore.

Why? Because in reality, it's an empty threat: most Americans do not move to Canada if their political team doesn't win an election. In addition, I think it's petty because the best way to ensure that your team does win is to remain in the United States, convince people to vote for your side and also remember to participate in elections yourself. Quitting the country doesn't achieve anything.

"Where The Weirdest Internet Links Come From" - CollegeHumor

This CollegeHumor video addressed the "clickbait" (and often gross) links at the bottom of some articles on the Internet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ksuf5gcB3Q

While it isn't covered in the video, an aspect of social media I find annoying is when "gross" articles appear in my feed, even though I have never clicked on any such articles before. I stick to what I want to read.

"Hackensack" - Fountains of Wayne

I heard this song for the first time a few days ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zymzPvpHHto

It's "Hackensack" by Fountains of Wayne. I find it hard to believe it's from the same band who sang "Stacy's Mom". "Hackensack" has a completely different feel to it. Both are great tracks, though, and come from the same album, Welcome Interstate Managers.

I once mentioned Fountains of Wayne in this post.

Evening showers

For years on end, I've taken my showers in the mornings; however, in the past couple of weeks I decided to switch and take them in the evenings. Why? For the purposes of me sleeping better.

For much of this college course, I've had difficulty sleeping on the nights when I've had to awaken early the next morning, which has led to me receiving less than a handful of hours of sleep for a day's worth of classes. Since I've started taking showers before I go to bed, I've been able to fall asleep after only a few minutes in bed rather than been struggling to sleep at 2:00am.

I'll keep this up for the time being to see how it goes; when it's time to be in bed, I should be asleep rather than fighting for sleep.

The severe headache

As I've posted here a few times recently, I've been suffering from a cold but that the cold is on its last legs. The cough is the part that still lingers but it, too, is growing weaker. Not weak enough, however.

This afternoon, I went for a walk. While out, it was cold and raining somewhat and I coughed quite a bit while out and when I returned, the coughing had caused a small headache, which soon progressed into a major one. It became so severe that I had to ask my brother to go to one of the local stores - in the early evening, too - to purchase and energy drink that has helped in the past when I've had a severe headache.

Between my cold and this headache, I haven't had much of a pleasant time recently! I'm feeling better now and my head doesn't feel too bruised from the headache.

Easter break 2016

I am back in Northamptonshire for the Easter break. Rather than go down on a Saturday as per usual, my grandfather and I instead decided to come here on Good Friday. This Easter break, as with the last, is two weeks in length. I'll be back at college at the start of the second third of April.

My second second term ends

There's no error in the title of this post: Today, the second term of my second college course concluded and the next two weeks are the Easter break. When I return to college next month, I will be starting my final term there.

It's nearly been two years since I had my original interview at a campus in a town just outside Nottingham, followed by taking a peek at the campus near to the city centre. My college journey is close to its end whereas my university adventure is on the verge of beginning.

Rob Ford

I was shocked when I saw this article appear in my newsfeed yesterday:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-35872594

Rob Ford was the mayor of Toronto, being elected there in 2010. He became prominent in the news in 2014, in the months leading up to the mayor election of that year, due to his drug use and erratic behaviour. Ford withdrew from re-election when it was discovered he had a cancerous tumour. That cancer has since killed him.

On one of the days before his death, I thought about Ford and wondered what he was up to. He was a councillor in Toronto and had intended to run for mayor again.

The chills have returned

An early part of my cold that I was sure had passed has reared its ugly head again: The chills. This evening, I started feeling cold immediately before dinner and as a result, it took me ages to eat my meal. I am currently sat in a bedroom with a heater on, as I am too cold to do anything else at this time.

I want to go to college tomorrow to complete some miscellaneous work and to chat to a few people, such as my Employability teacher, but if there is scant improvement to my health, I'll message my teacher to say I'm not coming and I'll stay in bed. What would be the point of coming in sicker than before, on a day when I don't have any timetabled lesson scheduled? I want to go but I won't be much fun if I'm still ill.

Discussion under illness

Thanks to improvements in my health, I was able to complete today's discussion-based assignment without too much trouble. Unfortunately, several other members of the class were also sick; it seems that either whatever I caught has spread or there's some bug going around. At any rate, I think people will be glad for the upcoming break only so they can recover.

NTU Clifton Pavilion

Here's a picture of Nottingham Trent University's Pavilion building at the Clifton campus:

The Pavilion houses the canteen area and a coffee stand, as well as some miscellaneous services.

The offer holders' open day

For this morning and afternoon, I was over in Clifton visiting Nottingham Trent University's campus there for the offer holders' open day. This type of open day is for people who hold offers from the university, as I do.

The campus is massive - from what I could tell, it is bigger than what I've seen of the City Centre campus. More important than that, however, were the two information lectures I attended - one about English and the other about Media.

After attending them, I am more certain about accepting the offer I have for English and Media, rather than the one I have for Journalism. I have more research to perform but I am closer to picking the course I want.

I am still ill, of course, but I want to choose my course sooner rather than later and it was worth dragging myself to Clifton despite being sick.

Exam under illness

As it happens, I am still ill; I have a sore throat, a nose that simultaneously blocked and running and have a nasty-sounding cough. Yep, I definitely appear to have caught a cold. It couldn't have been timed any better, too!

This afternoon, my class had an exam. Two of my teachers suggested that I return home to rest and complete the exam next week; while I deeply appreciated their concern, I didn't want to have the exam hanging over my head during the weekend when I also have a discussion-based assignment to complete on Monday. As such, I finished my exam paper on time and handed it in when everyone else handed in theirs.

I'll receive the results of the exam sometime after the upcoming Easter break.

"Breakfast at Tiffany's" - Deep Blue Something

Here's a song I would often hear back in the days when I frequently listened to Heart radio:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ClCpfeIELw

It's "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Deep Blue Something, a band who are active but were most popular with this one song back in the mid-1990s. "Breakfast at Tiffany's" comes from Home, the band's second album. Unfortunately, Deep Blue Something are considered a one-hit wonder, as none of their subsequent singles enjoyed anywhere near the amount of success as "Breakfast at Tiffany's".

As for Heart, the last time I listened to it regularly was before September 2014.

Where did that come from? (2)

After a good night's sleep, today I awoke feeling greatly improved from yesterday. While I have a minor cough and a slightly runny nose, the bruised head feeling has been erased and I no longer ache. I was able to attend college today without any health issues whatsoever; I helped out with raising money for charity again.

Hopefully, after another night of good sleep, I should feel even better tomorrow.

Where did that come from?

I experienced a difficult night due to aches, a headache and shivers. I'd barely received any sleep when out of nowhere, I started to shiver, despite my being wrapped up in bed covers. I was forced to put on extra clothing and take some paracetamol for the headache. Later, after I had officially awakened, I struggled to make it through my classes today but I was able to remain for the duration of the lessons. When I returned home, I went straight to bed.

I am seriously hoping that I have not picked up a cold or, worse yet, the flu. I have an important exam on Friday and I have the second part of an assignment to complete on Monday, the latter of which is done in verbal form. If I'm sick, my chances of earning high grades will be severely impacted. With any luck, a decent night's sleep will defeat whatever sickness I underwent today.

Another type of tedious behaviour

Earlier today, an article in my Facebook feed about the singer Ariana Grande appeared. The article was innocuous and there was nothing negative present. Yes, I think it's obvious where this is going...

In the comments section, cue "Who" and "Who is Ariana Grande" silliness. Actually, I should call it trolling. Why? Because the people making said comments knew exactly who Ariana Grande is - anyone who follows the Facebook page on which the article made a feature is almost certain to be media-aware enough to know who she is. Rather than a genuine desire to learn, the comments were a trolling attempt; the people took issue with the singer herself and the "who" comments were to imply that she is a has-been.

This was confirmed when I posted a comment about the people making said comments. While several people agreed with me and "liked" my comment, others resorted to posting misogynistic nonsense about Grande and attacking me; others resorted to MRA trolling, as for some bizarre reason, they saw my comment as "white knighting" Grande. Soon afterwards, they followed the previous foolishness up with petty insults. Typical.

Much as I hate to tell someone to "Google it" if they ask me a question, if you're currently using the Internet, you might as well Google something rather than ask someone about it.

Hazy day

A layer of cloud combined with what appeared to be smoke from some fires created somewhat of a hazy day:

Despite the mild haze, the weather was absolutely lovely today; in fact, I'd say that the haze gave the day a pleasantly ethereal look.

The Dalek

I spotted this going up the street where my main bus stop in Nottingham is located:

It's a Dalek, from the Doctor Who series, which originally ran from 1963-1989. Perhaps this Dalek wanted to catch up with the stormtroopers.

The mean-looking black cloud redux

As a short follow-up to the mean-looking black cloud, this is it from another angle:

I do like the way the Sun has illuminated the background buildings and the Nottingham Council House.

"...advice from the comments section"

I've mentioned comments sections so many times on Air Nice-to-Livelands that it's surprising I didn't post this sooner:

Remember, don't read the comments!

Charity event and open evening

Last Thursday evening, the trainee teacher in some of my lessons asked me if I and any of my classmates would be willing to help her with raising money for a charity she's working with. I agreed and so on Friday she presented her project to the class; a few people signed on and so today, two of my class mates and I helped the trainee out for over a couple of hours. We raised between £40 and £50 for the charity, which meant the event was a success and we intend to hold another session tomorrow.

In the late afternoon/early evening, I helped out with an open evening my college was holding. As a Student Ambassador, one of my tasks is to help out at such promotional events when possible. My main task, along with the other two Ambassadors who were present, was to direct people to the gym (where information desks were situated) or to the photography building on the campus; I also spoke to people while guiding them, either about how they came across my college and/or about my experiences as to help them decide whether or not to apply.

The open evening was highly successful; we experienced a high turnout and near the end of the event, I had a fifteen-minute talk with a potential student who wanted to study the course I'm on now. One of my teachers had recommended they speak to me and I think I represented my college and course beyond sufficiently. My performance was praised by members of staff who organised the event, with one remarking that I had been "lovely".

International Women's Day 2016

For International Women's Day 2016, I'd like to share this interesting piece from The Huffington Post:
 

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2016/03/08/questions-men-women-get-asked-jameela-jamil-paloma-faith_n_9398644.html

In a nutshell, the women interviewed in the article are asked questions that men often received in interviews. Many women despair at being asked about their clothes or looks whereas men are often asked about their interests and/or background. I think it's a worthwhile read.

Hucknall's Connect

On my Sunday walk, I encountered a parked bus on the Connect line, a Hucknall-based Trentbarton bus:

The Connect route runs a loop around Hucknall, from the train station around various estates and then back to the station. While I have yet to ride the route, I have mentioned Hucknall's Connect before, such as in this post.

From Hucknall with laughs

I walked around Hucknall today, as I enjoy doing. As it turns out, the first James Bond actor has decided to go with a new title:

"The Connery" it is!

The mean-looking black cloud

When in Nottingham's market square today, this mean-looking black cloud menaced its way over the city:

A few moments later, directly before I caught Villager 1 home, it unleashed a hailstorm onto the inhabitants below; the hail soon changed into rain.

"Mitt Romney Style (Gangnam Style Parody)" - CollegeHumor

The recent return of Mitt Romney reminded me of something...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTCRwi71_ns

Mitt...Mitt...Mitt Romney style! "Mitt Romney Style" originated during the final weeks of the 2012 presidential election in United States and is a parody of Psy's "Gangnam Style", which was popular that year. Over three years later, I still find the song amusing and even catchy in itself.

The college photoshoot

At college, I was recently made a Student Ambassador. One of the tasks of a Student Ambassador is to help out at open evenings but another, which I recently learnt, is to attend photoshoots for college literature. This afternoon, I visited the photography studio, which was a part of my campus I hadn't entered before, to have my pictures taken. While there, I met three other students, including one who was a fellow Student Ambassador. I am unsure when my photographs will start to appear but I anticipate seeing them soon.

Some Super Tuesday 2016 analysis

Yesterday was Super Tuesday in the United States, the day on which the greatest number of state primaries and caucuses are held. I have some analysis to share.

On the Democratic side, last night's results guaranteed that the contest there will remain for now. While the media, pundits, etc., had all predicted that Bernie Sanders would only win Vermont, his own state, he secured decisive victories in Colorado, Minnesota and even Oklahoma in addition to Vermont, while conceding a minor loss in Massachusetts. Hillary Clinton overwhelmingly won the Deep South and Texas but those victories were expected and states friendlier to Sanders are on the way, as proved by his Oklahoma win; however, Clinton did expand her delegate lead.

On the Republican side, Donald Trump won the majority of the contests while Ted Cruz won two and Marco Rubio won one. Establishment Republicans are opposed to the candidacies of Trump and Cruz, as they believe that if either one of them is their party's nominee, they will lose the main election by enormous margins and destroy the Republican majority in Congress; however, Rubio's win last night is his first so far and he is third in both vote and delegate count overall. The Republican establishment wants Rubio as the candidate but Republican voters appear to be saying otherwise. John Kasich had some respectable percentages but failed to win anything and Ben Carson appears to be exiting the race; barring something drastic, Kasich's chances of winning the nomination are unlikely at best.

Both Clinton and Trump are closer to becoming their parties' respective nominees thanks to Super Tuesday but keys wins by their nearest adversaries in the primaries ensure that the competitions continue.

Bloggers Blog Party - January 2016

Oops - while busy with my now-completed Psychology assignment I completely forgot about January 2016's Secret Life of Bloggers Blog Party contribution. Sorry about that! Here it is:

Monday 4th January: This is Chesterfield's market, taken on the day I rode Red Arrow and The Comet to the city.

Wednesday 6th January: I noticed this spider's web on my bus stop on this cold morning. Water droplets on a spider's web is quite a pretty effect.

Saturday 9th January: I visited Kimberley, Eastwood and Hucknall on this day. Managed to fit a lot of walking it!

Sunday 10th January: I walked around Hucknall (yes, two days in a row! Tested the Amberline route on the previous day) and decided I would visit this new(ish) housing estate in the town.

Saturday 16th January: A mug had been left outside for at least a week; it collected an inch or so of rainwater, which froze and created this cracked ice disc. It melted into the sink.

Tuesday 19th January: As awesome as my phone's camera is, it did not capture how truly majestic this sunrise was, seen here above the Rushcliffe Civic Centre.

Saturday 23rd January: I see this outlet every time I return from a visit to Calverton. I don't usually see it when travelling to Calverton because the Calverton Connection usually sails past before I can see it.

Sunday Janaury 31st: I thought I'd photograph a non-Trentbarton bus for a change. Here is the "Pink Line", a Nottingham City Transport bus.