Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Picture your self on a train in a station, with tangerine trees, and marmalade skies...
...is how a well known song by the well known band The Beatles goes. Now I started to ponder the situation that is presented to us in the above line the other day. I decided that marmalade skies would indeed be a benefical addition to our lives, just so long as there was an adequate supply of toast shrubberies. If at this point you do no understand what I am talking about, or think I am insane, then you are most likely the type of person who would ask, "So what is Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds all about anyway?"

Ok, ok, I'll shut up now and post some semi-intelligent stuff about my life.

I've decided I want to go to Uni this year instead of a defered entry, which is what I currently have. The reasons I want this are many fold, foremost amongst them are a desire to move away from the putrid piss-stain of a town that is Hastings. The prospect of cheap bar prices at Aberystwyth has not swayed my decision in anyway. However, I will be greatly saddened to be leaving behind all the lovely wonderful people I know that live where I am now. I may just have to steal them all and keep them in my cupboard at Uni, in order to ease the pain of leaving them. *Note to self: Buy large cupboard, steal people.*
Of course, this all depends on whether or not there are any places available this year...

[Sarcasm mode = On]
Soon I shall be enjoying sitting my A2 exams. What a wonderfully delightful time it shall be. I am sure I will enjoy it muchly, and when it is over I will cry because I will not have any more super mazingly fun exams to do anymore.
[Sarcasm mode = Off]

Summer is just around the corner! Woo, yay, hoopla and other associated exclamations of joy. I am looking forward greatly to summer. It is a happy time where I get to do as little as possible, and sustain myself with nothing but ice lollys. \o/

I am running out of things to say now, so I am sure you will be pleased to discover I will shut up now. Until next time that is.

See you soon, o' faithful of blog readers.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

So what would you change about Hastings then?

www/20six.co.uk/johnhumphries

Gary McGrath said...

Good question. I've been told quite a few times that Hastings is actually quite a nice place; to which my response has usually been, "try living here".

There are several things that I do not like about Hastings. Firstly, there is the crime. I've been told that there are worse towns, but I certainly can't believe that Hastings is one of the best. The Observer always seems to be cramed full of negative stories about crime happenings, which makes for a rather depressing read. The few positive stories that show the good side of the town always huddle together near the middle of the paper, instead of being put on display on the front page, where they deserve to be. This may not always be the case, perhaps I just choose to buy the Observer on the wrong weeks.

There is little to do in Hastings. There are plenty of attractions - the castle, caves and what-not, and these are all well and good, but are only really of great interest to those who are visiting the town. For us locals, to go into town in the afternoon means that we spend most of the time discussing what to do, before coming to the conclusion that there isn't anything really, although in summer the park is a nice place to go, especially now it's been renovated. Shopping is also something I find difficult here. Not that I like shopping, don't get me wrong I avoid it like the plague like most self-respecting males, but when i do go shopping I find that there doesn't seem to be a great deal of choice, and have in the past ended up travelling to Eastbourne or Brighton to find good shops.

And then there is the sense that hasting just feels so run down, as if it has passed its peak and is now settling into its old age. There are currently attempts to make the place better, but I do find the logic behind some of these questionable. In an effort to improve post 16+ education, it was somehow decided that it would be a good idea to close ALL 6th forms in the area, even the good ones, and make them all into one single tertiary college. I am doubtful as to the "progress" that would be gained by shutting down institutions that have already been proven to do well, and are constantly improving.

There are, however, some things I like about Hastings. The old town has a unique character - an interesting place to wander around and vastly different from the lifeless town centre. The train station now feels safe as oppossed to the old building, and despite the complaints against it, I kind of like the blue glass on the new building. Also, Hastngs is in a good position - if you get bored with the town then there are numerous places of interest near by. In the end, I'm not really sure how I could change Hastings, since there will always be someone who will complain. If I was going to change it, then I would focus on what it is meant to be - a seaside town. The changes that re currently being made to Hastings seem to be focussing on turning into somewhere "hip" and "trendy". In my mind, this isn't what Hastings is about. Hastings is a dieing breed of English seaside towns, and whilst it needs modernising in some respects, this shouldn't be at the expense of its unique character and history. Oh, and I would also round up all the trouble makers and push them off the east hill, and whilst I feel it would make the town a thousand times better, it might be a bit too radical for most people. Perhaps I've just been around here for too long, or perhaps it's just my cynical ways that lead me to view the town the way I do. Maybe when I've been away from it for a year I'll be able to pass better judgement upon it.