Durham oh Durham oh Durham

Durham has it all.

Yesterday we (my parents and myself) arrived in Durham. It's a beautiful little city--cobblestone streets, little shops, a Cathedral, a castle, a river on each side, and lots and lots of trees! (go to www.flickr.com/photos/bobokickinashead for pics)

It's intimidating. I've done this whole school thing before, which I think makes it harder when you have to start at the bottom again. I'm not sure of the layout of the land, how the buses work, or where to go when I need something from the University. Come to that, I have no idea where anything is on campus!

The past two days we've tried to set up my bank account, get a phone, and get a student ID card. None of which has actually been accomplished. It's a lot of doing and not a lot of getting done. Frustrating, really. But, I am here well before orientation commences. The first session is a college tour and dinner at a local pub, tomorrow night.

I'm looking forward to classes merely because I know how that all works! You do your reading, you discuss it, you give a presentation, and then you write a paper! Done and done! This whole living at college thing, well that's a different matter. Must get used to a whole new system of living, communicating, and commuting.

It'll be a transition, but obviously a manageable one. One that is easier with each new postgrad I meet. We seem to all have the same thought process: don't fail out, don't fail out, don't fail out! As Katie would say, think positively! So: I'll get all A's, I'll get all A's, I'll get all A's! Here's hoping!

Creepy, Crawly

Everyone who knows me has had to deal with my quasi-extreme hypochondria. I'm like the medical student who diagnoses himself with every disease he learns about, only I do it perpetually. In any case, either because my hypochondria causes a good amount of paranoia, or maybe I also am paranoid (I'd rather not have two neuroses, so I like to think my hypochondria kind of bleeds to affect other perceptions...), I have a tendency to come up with bizaare scenarios in my mind.

For example, my new paranoia is that my bungalow room (not necessarily the whole bungalow) in England will be haunted. My ghost encounter aside, I've always been terrified of the supernatural. My best friend growing up had parents who either loved ghosts, or loved to terrify me, because it seemed as though every time I went over they would be watching Poltergeist. Murderers, rapists, tax evaders--fine. Ghosts? I'm over the moon terrified.

And England, as Eddie Izzard so aptly put, is where the history comes from. Therefore, everything there is old. Including dorm buildings? They must be. Although that brings up another question, why do we assume that all ghosts are from the 1700/1800s? Can't there be new ghouls?

Either way, as long as I don't know for sure that the rooms are supposed to be haunted, I should be fine. My imagination will run wild, yes, but as long as my fear isn't confirmed, I should be able to sleep through the night in my room.

Alternately, it looks like they have some pretty comfortable couches in the library.