On the way to town on the train, I swear I fell in love. I saw a girl on the train who was amazingly cute and looked absolutely my type of person to talk to. She was sitting just two seats away from me in front of me and I couldn't help but keep looking over at her. For most of the twenty minute journey, she just looked out of the window. I was actually trying to make some sort of eye contact. It's not like I have the courage to talk to her even if she did notice me, but it would of been nice to make her know that I was there. I know it's not that likely, but man, I hope she gets on the train and sits near me again in the future. Even then I won't talk to her, but for those twenty minutes, it makes my day to see such a gorgeous girl. It's a highlight!
I met Abigail in town and we walked up to town together. It was quite nice having someone who I already sort of knew on the course. I mean, before today I've only met her twice, but we talk on MSN so we've kind of got to know each other via that for the past two months.
Once we got to college, we just hung about for a bit outside the classroom where I thought we'd be, but I got it wrong and it was somewhere else and when we went into the room there were already people in there. A quick look around proved that aside from Abigail, there were no girls. I was sadly proved right about that. I'd been thinking that for most of the time I've been away from college. There was one female there, but she's like 45 or something so I don't count her as a girl.
Of course, since no one knew each other, the room was pretty damn silent. There was no tutor in there yet and everyone was just sat in silence. It didn't bother me that much, but it bothered Abigail and she commented out loud about how quiet it was, but it didn't really make anyone start talking.
Finally after about 15 minutes, the tutor arrived. I thought that it would be Brian, but it was someone who I've never met before. His name was Bronek Kram. Yes, I spelt that right, his name is Bronek Kram. As he rightly said "it's one of those names that looks better backwards" - Mark Kenorb.
He's a nice enough guy, but my God, he talked so much about the common sense stuff about the college, like health and safety and not eating or drinking in places etc. Just common sense stuff! I really don't know why the college insists on making people sit through an hour of this talk. Anyone entering the building will be well aware of the fact that you're supposed to be on time and attend all the time etc. You don't need to make people sit there being bored out of their minds. It was twice as worse for me, since I had all this last year as well.
He went out the room for 15 minutes to get some forms or something and he sat this guy called Stuart with me and Abigail and paired up the rest of the 7 people with each other and then told us to find out three interesting facts about each other. Bah. I hate the forced getting to know each other part. I left the room while he was gone and went to the toilet instead, then came back, asked Stuart for an interesting fact about himself, which he didn't give and that was it.
In total, there are 15 people on the course, but only 9 in total showed up today. Upon looking at a list of people who should be in but weren't, I noticed that there were two girls names on the list. Yes, I realise it's pretty silly of me to be concerned about whether there are nice girls on my course, but I don't care, it's part of my educational experience!
When Bronek came back he went around everyone asking for the interesting fact that they'd learned about the other person, but no one was that bothered really, least of all me so I just told him about myself instead, saying that I like Photoshop to which he replied "Oh oh, using some important words there". Urgh. Patronising. I just wanted to get on the computers and get going. I knew we wouldn't be doing that today though.
He then proceeded to give the class a tour of the college, with me plodding along bored as hell at the back. It was coming up to 10:30am at this point and I knew that Jamie and Fisher were in their graphics classroom one floor above me so I text Jamie to see if he was on his break and thankfully, five minutes later he came to rescue me from this boredom. He told me that he had 31 people on his course and half of them are hot girls! I was very, very jealous. Needless to say, he's a happy boy. I must go and see for myself at some point.
Me and Jamie walked over to the shop close to college and met Claire half way and I gave her a hug, before we walked on and found Fisher and we talked for a bit, before walking back to college. There, we met a guy called Mike who is on Jamie's course. It's not this Mike by the way, a different one. This Mike, upon Jamie asking, said that he didn't drink or smoke. I liked this guy already! Finally someone who doesn't do either like me. Yes, I realise I got absolutely pissed a few weeks ago, but that was the one occasion when I ever will. He said that he goes to Le Bateau's though.
By this time it was 11am and Abigail and the rest of my class were talking in reception so while Jamie and Mike went back to class, I decided I had to go and mingle with my class to get to know them a bit better. They all seemed a bit, well, dazed and confused. I guess it's only natural, since for all of them, it's their first time in the Arts Centre. I quite liked the fact that it wasn't new to me. It felt like I had some sort of dominance over the group in that respect. Just to test how pliable they were, I asked when we were due back upstairs in the classroom and someone said 11:05am and it was coming up to that, but no one was really moving. However, I said something like "Right, let's go", and started walking back to class and they followed me! It's nice to be followed. To be the leader.
How strange, that me, someone who for God knows how long found it difficult to talk to people so much is now able to make a group of people follow him.
Once back in the room, Bronek carried on his blurb about the college. We got given a timetable. Tuesday, Thursday & Friday i'm in college. All three days are full days. I was really hoping it would actually be five days, since I'm all for getting as much work done as possible. As my tutors, I have Bronek, Brian and Tony. That's not bad at all, since I already know Brian and Tony and they're cool.
Bronek said that we'll be enrolling tomorrow at 2:15pm but for now, that was it. I pretty much knew that we'd be going at 12pm and we did. On the way out, I stopped off at Student Services to inquire about getting financial help with things like travel expenses and she gave me a form, but said that there wasn't that much help available for someone over 19 which I think is pretty crap. I'm not eligable for things like EMA, which sucks.
As we were getting ready to leave, he pondered over giving us some work to do and I was very eager for it to show him what i'm capable of. Of course, everyone else didn't want any work so early on so he didn't do it, but I told him if he told me what to do, then I'd happily do it. He liked my enthusiasm, but declined.
Me and Abigail walked over to a group of her friends outside college. She told me their names, but I've forgotten them. One of them, I know, was Kate, since Abigail had shown me a picture of her, since Abigail knows i'm single and very much looking and she said that Kate was single. She's quite cute too. Ginger hair, always a plus! I also seen Sarah, from Dave's party and I said hi to her as she passed me. She said hi back, but I think she was kind of confused as to who I actually was. Abigail knows Sarah, as well as Dave.
Abigail and her friends went to have lunch in a nearby bar but I said that I was going home.
I stopped off at Furniture Gone Mad on the way home to use the toilet. Gary was in there on his own. I wished him a happy birthday for tomorrow, before asking him if he needed any help in the shop today but he said no and that he'd call me when he needed me.
Caught the train, came home.
So, a pretty damn boring day today, but it was important for me to go in today to check out who was on my course. I've been dying to know. There's one or two who look competent computer-wise, but really, the rest seem a little new to it. I asked Stuart if he'd had any experience with Photoshop and other such programs and he said that he'd used Photoshop, but only to mess about with photos. I asked him if he'd ever made anything he was proud of but he said no. This applies to Abigail too. Sandy, the woman has hardly no computer skills at all apparantly and i'm not sure about the rest of the class. However, like I said, there's one or two in there that i'm pretty sure will be not only computer minded, but have a creative streak in them as well, which is of course not only what I want, but what the course demands.
So, a whole new course, a whole new class. I'm just hoping that since i'm on this course for the next two years, there will be people on this course like my 'old' friends from the last course. Currently however, i'm swinging towards no to that question, but then I've only spent two hours with them so I may well be wrong. I hope I am. And of course, there's still the other six people that didn't turn up today that I've yet to meet.
If all else fails, there's always the guys upstairs, i.e. Jamie and Fisher, along with Stan who starts Photography tomorrow. Dave however, will not be returning to college this year, instead claiming to be taking a year off and working with his Dad instead. Sadly, the truth is that he wasn't good enough to get onto either graphics or photography and didn't like the thought of going on to a new course.
Day 2 tomorrow.
