Monday: I was driving to Uni, when I started practicing a song I'm preparing for a later post. Clearly my car, Ernie doesn't like my singing. As we drove through Arundel, my ears suddenly picked up this tapping coming from the engine. When you drive a 20 year old car, any sudden noises are a worry. In fact, I worry sometimes when I fart in the car...
So I pulled over, to see if the tapping noise was just a leaf or a twig or something. Who was I kidding? When the tapping was as metal sounding as that, no twig was going to be responsible. With no break-down cover, and being stuck in Arundel (where everyshop is either an antiques shop, a Sandwich shop, or Pegglers) I was left with very few options. I was in no mood for Sandwich eating, and I was already driving an antique, so I saw no point in staying put.
Instead, I drove my car at the slowest speed I have ever gone in my car, and limped to our Garage in Bognor (W. Jones). After half an hour (which is an age for my driving), I threw my self on the mercy of the garage. They're very good, and I can't promote them enough. Jason (the guy in charge) told one of his guys to leave what he was doing straigh away, and have a listen to my car.
The bloke came out, and said that it sounded like a Hydraulic Tappet had gone. I asked the bloke if it was okay to drive to Chi and back, and he gave that sort of 'Probably not, but you could so it' look, and said 'You'll wanna get that booked in sooner rather than later'. I booked the car in for 9am the next morning, and went to Uni. I didn't risk driving all the way home, so I git Dad to pick me up...
I did get a cool Advent Chocolate though. See my Bebo for more...
Tuesday: Dropped the car off, and picked up the courtesy car. The garage did say that they want to stop doing loan cars, as the last one they loaned caught fire and blew up! Right...
Certainly this is no Sardine tin: my 'nice' courtesy car.
But the car they gave me was in NO danger of that. This was the third courtesy car that I've had, and possibly the nicest. Nice in the way you might call an Aston Martin pleasant. Top of the range 2 litre Ford Focus. It went like shi... very fast. Walnut Dash (alright it was plastic, but it looked nice). Leather trim. And, unlike the last loan car I was given, this was no sardine tin! Michael, I know that you're jealous.
Yeah that's right, it's a Ghia: and I only stalled it three times in the seven hours I had it...
Check out that Walnut dash: Well plastic Walnut dash. Yes it did flex a bit, but it was good to look at.
But no time, to play with the courtesy car, I had an exam to sit. And again, possibly the nicest exam I have ever taken. Paul Tyler, you'd best look away now, because we all know much you think my course is easy. Well the exam was 2.5 hours long on Adventure Environments, and the questions weren't exactly easy. But the exam was open book (so you can read books, listen to MP3's and the like), and because of the subject, for some questions we had to get up and loom at a map, or play with a model.
Now, if that wasn't cushy enough, about half an hour in, they wheeled a trolley in. We were allowed to go to the trolley and get free tea, coffee, fruit juice, and JAFFA CAKES!!! What an exam!!
But what of my car? Last time the garage had my car, they had it for a week. With the courtesy car being as nice as it was, I was quite prepared for the same to happen again (or maybe even hoping...). But just seven hours after dropping my car off, I picked my car up. Ernie has a slight oil leak, and was just completely out of oil. Damn.
Wednesday: A nice long lie in, and then I did alot of revision in preperation for Thursday's Psychology exam. It was a brilliant day just to relax a little. Over the last few months, I havn't really stopped, so this made a nice change. Unfortunatly, I still had to go to Sainsbury's. Yip and indeed ee...
Thursday: After writing over 40 Christmas cards (and I'm still only half way there), I had to go and make sure my friends at Uni got them. And whilst I was at Uni, I thought I'd take a Psychology exam as well. None of us knew what the exam was going to be like. We were all particularly worried about the video analysis part... But of my attempt I can only say this: it was an exam well blagged...
Friday: I took Mum to do some Chritsmas shopping. That's right, I had time to do something other than Uni. It's all over!!! No more assignments. No more exams. No more lectures. For this year anyway. Of course this is th way of things to come.
Saturday/ Sunday: Nothing.
That's right, for the first time since May, I actually had a weekend with nothing on. At all. Not a sausage. Oh, I'm starting to sound like an Advert for Dyson. Well anyway, you get my point. I have been at home ALL weekend. No Uni, no NTC, no Lions, no nothing. I even took the time to wash my car. Again, probably for the first time since May...
Lastly, this week's Christmas gift to you all, is the long awaited video of my Karioke that we were all promised back in September. That's right, this week you can go to my Bebo, and watch a video of me singing Angels by Robbie Williams. Watch out for my subtle air guitar motion in the video...
Also, don't forget to watch out for my advent chocolate suprises. Yesterday, I got a Tardis. No chocolate though, so I do feel a little cheated. And the Tardis isn't even big enough for me to get in, so I can travel back in time, and buy another calendar! Although I have heard that it's much bigger on the inside than the outside...
An apple a day...: It may keep the doctor away, but I have his Tardis! Guess the doctor's smaller than I thought.Have a good week y'all. See you back here at the same time next week!
If you think that my exams are too cushy, why not leave a comment, and tell me to get a real job, and stop dodging the taxes.
If you think that it's about time I had a weekend off, why not leave me a comment, and tell me that I should stop doing everything, and just stay at home the whole time slowly becomming a vegitable.
4 comments:
With the onset of Christmas, perhaps Ernie was singing a classic carol -
"The First No-Oil, the angels did sing...."
I thank you. I'm here all week.
And Nicola's not speaking to you. Not only do you bugger off to London next weekend when she was going to see you, but you also get exams including free drinks cream cakes and even bloody jaffas!!
And you were allowed to read books, listen to mp3s, look at maps, what does she get? bugger all! she dont even get to look at books, they have to memorise all of their essay plan, quotes and references. So YES, YOUR COURSE IS EASY. And you get to escape the cold in January and sunbath in Lanzarote. *sighs and shakes head*
As you may have guessed, Nicola wrote that last paragraph....Hell hath no fury like a welsh lass scorned, as the Bible once said!
Oh, and you'd best add another name onto your christmas card list, my mum and dad were most disappointed that everyone else got a christmas card but they haven't! Best start practicing your woof mate, cos you're really in the doghouse as far as they're concerned! lol.
This comment does seem to be filled with all doom and gloom and complaining, but hey ho, there's always one miserable b******d at christmas, we figured it was our turn!!
We're now bracing ourselves to watch your moment of glory being Robbie Williams.
Lots of love and reindeer!
Abdulla and Company
Dipstick !!
(not you, the thing that tells you Ernie needs more oil)
I thought my car was clever 'cos it bleeps and flashes lights when it needs oil. But Ernie is clearly well ahead of his time, he's had a built in oil warning noise for 20 years, just waiting to be used !!
Just watched the 'robbie' video, the funniest thing I have seen in ages. (why do air guitars always have much shorter necks than real guitars !!)
Finally thank you to Nicola for restoring my faith in the education system. It seems that some people do still have to do some work to gain qualifications !!
(Damn, I think the last bit might have given my identity away ...)
And after having watched your moment of kareoke glory, I have to say that is the best performance I have seen in many a year. Pure Comedy Gold
Not sure if I'll actually see you before Chrimbo, so all the best my good friend, have a good one!
Cheers
Ian, the Camels and the Reindeer (getting warmed up for their big performance in 10 days or so time)
Wow what can I say, seems your christmas was almost as busy as mine. Nobody seemed to get my christmas cards this year. :( On a plus, nice car you got yourself there Andrew, gotta love them foci. I enjoy taking the work one out for a burn every now and then lol, or dads *hides*.
Post a Comment