All is quiet on the Brunel campus

But then, it's only 10 pm, Saturday night. I heard some students say there's a Jack Daniels party tonight, so, as Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin fame says in the title of the Rockumentary, "It Might Get Loud."

Here's a collection of tidbits from the last day or so.


We had dinner in the University cafeteria, located upstairs on the main concourse, Friday night. Not many people there, but pretty good food. Robin likes their curry and rice.


Each side of the school cafeteria has a large flat screen showing non-stop, high-energy, sexy music videos. Hey Brunel, Breaking News: these kids don't need excitement encouragement, they need enough downers to bring down to a normal operational level.


The cafeteria is upstair in the building on the main concourse. It doesn't look like a main concourse on Saturday, but there's usually more people here than anywhere else on campus.


There are a couple of small stores just off campus, within 4 or 5 minutes of our residence hall. This is where we do light grocery shopping (very light) and occasionally buy wine.


Just a door or two away from the grocery/wine shop is The best Kebob. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks popular. Or maybe being the only place open on Saturday night makes it look more popular than it really is.


The best Kebob. Big glass windows are ideal for video taping customers.


The kitchen in our flat. Those of you who've been to our house can probably spot the difference between this kitchen and the one we're used to cooking in. I mean besides the posters on the wall asking residents not to burn the place down.

Friday and Saturday in flat 137

We've barely left the flat far two days, still working to create the final examples in Robin's book that's due this weekend. I'm starting to feel like we're at the highest Mt. Everest advanced base camp, waiting to summit, and a howling storm is keeping us pinned down, unable to leave the tent.

Speaking of howling, I was reminded at 4am how much fun it is to be away from home for the first time and being a young, drunk student on a Friday night - singing, laughing, vomiting. Having graduated from a Baptist college, I never had this experience, but it sounded like a nice college bonding thing and I'm happy for them. I also hope they're sick as dogs today. Not because I'm mad, but just because it would be good for them. Peace, love, joy, happiness.

OK, I'll admit it. I wanted to send Clint Eastwood downstairs to deliver his line from Gran Torino: "If I have to come back here, it's gonna get bleepin' ugly." A disturbing movie, but it had its moments.

As soon as we get this deadline wrapped up, we've got some plans for the next week that should be fun. We hope to hook up with our friend Lynn from Oxford some evening soon. We've talked about going to Bath for a day trip. And we might try to get up to Birmingham to see Jay, the exchange student from Turkey who lived with us for a year back in 2000. And, I almost forgot, Robin's classes start this coming week.