Summer III

All this week I've been attending a course on the music business. The course was advertised in a local newspaper and when I saw the article I phoned up, not expecting to find any places left on the course. I did manage to reserve a place though and the first class was on Monday.

As the course was being held in a training centre on the other side of the city I've had to commute by train. I've also had to get up early which is not what I've been doing so far this summer.

I'd never really had to catch trains by myself before, but after figuring out how trains work I've enjoyed travelling in this way. The seats are comfortable and trains seem to pass through interesting, scenic places which makes it fun to look out the window during the journey. I've also stocked up on podcasts to make the travelling more bearable.

Once I had arrived at my destination on Monday I had to find the training centre. I asked in a shop then an information centre and after walking around a town I didn't know managed to locate the training centre. By this time I had realised that the course might not be as hi-tech as I first thought, as it looked like we would be learning everything in a room which had only some tables and a flipchart at the front. I sat down and waited for the other attendees to arrive, there only being two. The teacher arrived and the course began.

Basically, the course consists of listening to the teacher's many anecdotes, gained from his experience in the music industry, and watching movies such as The Filth and the Fury. And I've enjoyed the past few days, as we often end up talking about music and bands which I am quite interested in. Hopefully I will look back and feel I have learned something too.

On Saturday I'll be leaving for Nerja, Spain. The family took our holiday in Nerja last year, and I was quite surprised as I enjoyed our stay. Or at least I think I did. Holiday memories sometimes seem more fun than the actual holiday - I often spend all holiday waiting to return home. There's an internet café on the beach front which I frequented last year. I did think about attempting to leave the internet alone for a week, but I couldn't and ended up checking my emails most days. The same will probably happen this year.

Summer II

I still don't have a job, which is kind of annoying. I haven't applied to too many places, but I didn't expect it to be as hard as it is to find some work.

I need some money, mainly so I can buy a DS Lite. I sold my old silver DS on eBay, half because it had a small problem with the touch screen and half to raise some money for a Lite. But now I'm stuck in a period where I have no DS at all.

I wasn't sure whether to go for the Lite. They do look awesome, especially the black version, but I did think it was rather shallow of me to want a new console just for its looks. But then I told myself that my old DS was broke, and the Lite does have better battery life.

I would like to find a job very soon - being around the house all day is pretty boring. I find myself wracking my brain for fun things to do. These have recently included drawing, making music on the PC and watching TV. If only I had a DS; things would be so much simpler. I've even started to exercise due to my lack of activity and movement so far over the summer.

I do still have around 2 months left of summer though, so hopefully I can make something of them.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

When I first heard that the Red Hot Chili Peppers were to play in my hometown I was quite surprised. Basically, the biggest rock band in the world were playing a show in Sheffield, a town which doesn't normally attract too many successful bands. I rushed out of the house straight away to get my ticket, and even at £40 I didn't give the purchase much thought.

Whilst talking to a fairly distant relative of mine a few weeks later I received an offer to go and see the band and perhaps meet them - the guy knows Flea. Of course I accepted the offer. I was pretty excited.

The day of the show (6th July) grew closer and I couldn't quite believe that I might be able to meet the band, basically the first rock band I ever listened to, one of the greatest bands ever.

On the evening of the show our family group met up and caught taxis to Don Valley Stadium. Outside the stadium I got rid of my ticket and collected a VIP pass. We entered the stadium and took our seats, which were quite far away from the stage, but in the end it worked out that we'd be able to watch the show from the side of the stage!

The show was amazing, and the size of the crowd unexpected - 45,000. After watching the band from such close proximity we met up with Flea who took us to meet the rest of the band. We talked to Flea for a while, got given a free t-shirt, took some photos and left. It's hard to describe how exciting the event was and so I won't try, but it was seriously the best day ever.

Summer

I have been looking forward to this summer for a long time. It is the time in between the end of my school career and the start of (hopefully) university - a fairly long gap. There are certain things I have been planning to do in this space. These tasks include finishing a certain video game I have been playing for a while, playing some shows with my band and getting my podcast off the ground. I have also been looking forward to simply doing relatively nothing for 2 or 3 months. Now the break is here I am not so sure whether I want to just spend my summer doing not very much, as I can see I will get quite bored.

I am currently looking for a job that will enable me to use my time constructively by earning some money. Also, some income will be necessary to enjoy the summer, which I didn't really consider up until recently. I have realised that many of the things I wish to do this summer will not require me to do nothing for most of the break; a job will be feasible as there will still be space left to complete whatever other tasks I have planned. I am quite a task-oriented person and I see the summer as a time when other commitments are gone, allowing space to enjoy yourself as well as getting things done which might not have been possible before.

I am very grateful for the weather. The sunshine really does make you feel different and often makes things such as walking more enjoyable. By the end of the summer I will have probably had enough sunshine though.

A big event which will occur this summer is the day when I receive my A level results. If I get the grades I need I will be taking Japanese Studies in the autumn at Sheffield University. If I do go to university I may have to start acting slightly more like an adult. I don't fully know what to expect though as many past students say that the work isn't too hard and that it will be the best time of your life (isn't that what they said about being in school?). Even so, I am going to try and enjoy this summer, perhaps my last as a child?

Summer is often the time you remember most as a child I suppose - it's the time when you leave the house and do things. You can stay up late and not worry about the next day, night-time falls later than any other time of the year and you get to wear shorts - it's the time you look forward to for the whole of the year.

Hopefully during this summer I will combine having fun, with a job, with getting done some of the tasks I've been saving up all year, with relaxing.

Further reading: Wikipedia article on Summer