Results

I suppose all that work last year was worth something, after all. I've received my results from the University of York, and I now have an MA! It's official. And perhaps most surprisingly, it feels good. It hasn't exactly been on my mind a lot recently. It's odd how quickly you can move from one phase of life into another, but my time in York seems distant now. Actually being awarded a degree brings it into focus a little.

So what are the practical implications? Two-fold, actually. 1) I get to write Craig Hopton MA on my correspondance (though I won't); and 2) I can select "obtained" instead of "expected" for my Masters degree on job application forms. As you can tell, this is quite a monumental occasion.

I suppose everyone else I know from York must be getting their results too. Well done all - you've worked hard and you deserve it.

Exercise

Have a look at this story. Apparently, I live in one of the three fittest regions (Macclesfield) in the UK. Well, strictly speaking I live in Congleton borough, but my jogging route takes me into Macclesfield borough, so I think that counts. Don't you?

Oxford

This is Oxford's newest hotel: Malmaison. In the foreground is Becky - say hello, Becky. You might be thinking, hmmm, that hotel looks suspiciously like a prison. That's because it IS a prison, or was, I should say. HMP Oxford was closed in 1996. The Council had to decide how to preserve this piece of heritage and in the end chose to sell it to a hotel chain. A great idea - the result is a wonderful piece of architecture. The hotel rooms are made up of two or three cells knocked together, and use the original three-inch thick doors. All the old stairs, exercise yard, corridors have been kept intact. Go Oxford.

Goostrey to Wembley in Eighty Days

What an astonishingly exhausting day. Some people will go to the most extraordinary lengths to see the bands they idolise - and now I'm one of them. I'm not sure I've ever done so much travelling or been on so many delayed trains. Goostrey-Wembley is not a journey I would recommend to anyone.

When Becky and I stepped off the tube at Wembley Park we were rewarded by the sight of the new Wembley Stadium with it's glorious arch stretching across the skyline (I should stress that I didn't take this picture!). Ah, football... but of course we had to turn aside and proceed to the much smaller Wembley Arena next door.

We stood pretty near the front, feeling very chuffed with ourselves, until we discovered we had to stand waiting a further two hours before Muse came on. By this point the crowd was rabid. We barely had any room to move. And when the first chord was struck, everyone surged forward crushing us in a heaving mass of 17-year old A Level students. We didn't last long before we were fighting our way to the back!

All in all, it was an excellent show. The audience alternated between a state of possessed exuberence and bored dehydration. I was no exception. Unfortunately, Muse themselves didn't seem very excited by the occasion, but that didn't stop them putting on a good performance. Yes, we all had a good old sing-song. And next time I go to Wembley, it'll be with Three Lions on my shirt.

Why politicians should sack their aides

The news that Blair has publicly admitted that western intervention in Iraq has been a disaster may come as a surprise to some, but it will be welcome to most, if only because it will allow Britain to continue its work in Iraq more fully aware of the challenges our troops face. Even more surprising is that he made the comment in an interview with David Frost!

But don't jump out of your seats yet. Blair's spokesmen are already trying to pull the plug on Blair's remark, saying "he was simply acknowledging the question in a polite way before going on to explain his view" and didn't actually agree with the remark that Iraq has been a disaster. Well, judge for yourself:

Frost asked him whether Western intervention "has so far been pretty much of a disaster"?
Blair replied: "It has".

Just a polite acknowledgement? Or an honest and open answer? Which would Blair's spokesmen rather we interpreted it as?

A nice image for you

Story in the Daily Mail yesterday:

"I thought only women got osteoporosis - until my back exploded on the dance floor."

Muse-ic

I'm going to my first ever rock concert next week. I haven't been this excited since I was more excited than this.

A review in The Times today says, "Ablaze with kaleidoscopic lights, supersized video screens and a hydraulic riser mounted on what looks like an upturned Dalek, their retro-futuristic stage show is unlike anything seen since the heady heyday of 1970s progressive rock". Oh, goody! "The cumulative effect here was rather like being force-fed an endless supply of overrich chocolate cake". Mmmm, yummy!