Nott What You'd Expected...

The Long Day Closes

Post 200. Never thought I'd get this far. Especially with the overwrought, contrived drivel (that's being unfair, it was decent) rhetoric of my first few, gargantuan blogs (check out the trip to the North on our first few days in Notts.... it's a dozy).

This whole blog thing has been nice- therapeutic at times, amazing for my memory, obsessively controlling of my day to day activities, but otherwise for the best. Admittedly, it's been creepy to know that some people know more about me now than ever before, and it's been interesting talking to parents on the phone who, thanks to technology, have nothing else to say ("Yeah.... so we already read it on the blog... anything else going on?")

Technology, it's a beautiful thing.

Yesterday, in homage to my sickness, I stayed in bed until 2pm. Woke up, started trying to fix the DVD (add menus, extra videos), and after 5 hours of work, added 50 minutes of extra video to an already 35 minute slideshow with music. I'm proud of it. Unfortunately, it might be too big to burn.... the new version, which finished burning at 1am today, crapped out right around the 20th minute of video.... no rest for the weary.

We took a ceremonial trip to the UK Express for 'the dolphin'- a huge portion of Fish and Chips, complete with Ale from Boozers (although Sunny wasn't there, so we'll have to check back later for our memorabilia)- Having been the only food I enjoyed all day, I continued to feel like crap, all the while packing for home.

I fit all of my belongings into 3, less-than 50 pound suitcases.... excuse me... 25kg... It's a relief, but also signifies that the year really is coming to a close. I've approached packing with a sort of verve, an enthusiasm tainted with regret for things undone, as well as a confusion as to how I ever could have accumulated so much shit, or why I have so much crap in the first place.

As I write, by this time tomorrow, I'll be in Terminal 3 of Heathrow, through customs, buying Bailey's duty free, and saying goodbye to a place that quite literally has become my home. Some of the flatmates have intimated it, but Nottingham in many ways is more special than Luther will ever be. Luther is an institution. It has its quaint details, but it's still at some levels impersonal... Nottingham is a home, it's a city that I've grown to love and grown to appreciate. The cultural idiosyncrasies are what makes every day an adventure. A shorthanded comment on the street, a glance from a Chav teen mom holding her Nike-clad baby, a sip of Real Ale in a pub, the feeling of the sun on your face creeping through a layer of clouds- little, insignificant things that I'll miss.
In many ways, coming to Nottingham was the same as leaving- leaving the familiar, embarking on a new journey. But now I know what to expect- or at least I think I do. And therein lies the danger. With Notts, it was a new experience. Complete ignorance. I was green. With home, I have an idea- a thought of what it will be like, but will it turn out like the alternate history in Back to the Future? Will Biff be running the Casino? Will the Marlins win the World Series? For a more cultural reference, I could say Bradbury's A Sound of Thunder, but I like Leah Thompson and Michael J Fox too much.
Today, for the last time, I'll buy a tram pass. For the last time I'll taste sweet lady Ale, and stumble home. For the last time I'll hit the 'publish' button and feel good about myself. And that's a tough pill to swallow.

The next time I log in, it will be from my old computer, writing about my return to my old life, about the flight, readjustment, and life in the states. For some reason, it seems too far away. Like 5000 miles?

posted by Kevin @ 11:03 AM