I had my interview at Northumbria University on Wednesday. It took me three and a half hours to get there and in order to be there on time, I had to leave my house at 8am.
The train journey up there wasn't too bad I suppose. It was a nice day, which meant that travelling didn't seem like such a big deal. I was thankful when I did finally get there though.
I arrived an hour early, which gave me time to eat and walk to the University. I wasn't nervous due to the fact that all of my other interviews had gone so well. I was hoping that this one would too. I had a little trouble actually finding the place, but luckily, the tutor got in the same lift as me and then we saw each other again at his classroom. He told me to wait while he got his colleague.
Once he'd found him, I was led into a small, quiet room and they introduced themselves, before asking me to show them what I had brought. While doing so, they asked what had made me choose Northumbria and I spouted off some crap about what the University website had said and how it appealed to me. I was already stumbling over my words.
While looking through my stuff, they asked me about my influences and I attempted to sound intelligent by listing one or two. However, I sounded like I was trying too hard and I was. In addition, one of the tutors kept picking up on some of the errors in my work, such as text that should have been left aligned instead of justified. He also kept asking me "What's it meant to communicate?", to which I had pathetic answers.
I told him that I have a love of typography and he asked me who some of my favourite typographers were. I couldn't list any. I was pathetic.
After showing them my paper-based work, I told them that I had some digital work to show them as well.
"Well, sure, but do you have something to show it us on?"
"I thought you would?", I said, confused. I mean it's a graphic design studio - there's computers all over the place.
Eventually they decided that I could use one of the computers but I already knew I had probably been given a big "No" next to my name because the interview had gone terribly. I showed them some of my digital work, but they weren't really that impressed and I was still stumbling.
After a few minutes of showing them it, I was then led back to the small room.
"Well", one of the tutors said "I think you've twigged that we can't tell you if you have a place or not right now"
"That's ok"
"Usually it takes about three weeks and UCAS will send you a letter"
I know it'll be a no.
I said goodbye to them and the tutor offered me the chance to ask some of the students what they thought of the course and I said ok, as he went back into the room. However, I felt awkward just walking up to some random students so I headed for the exit instead, very disappointed and very pissed off at myself for being so shit in the interview. They were very reasonable questions the tutors were asking and I couldn't answer them. Pathetic.
I headed back to the station after just 40 minutes of being in Newcastle, ready to travel three and a half hours all of the way back to Liverpool. I managed to catch a train that was due in. The journey back seemed far longer.
I was so very glad to see Radio City Tower as I pulled into Liverpool. It welcomed me home. I was glad to be back.
My Mum called me just as I was walking out of the station. She invited me for a drink with her and Gary in a small bar so I accepted and headed there. I wasn't there long with them, but Gary did buy me a drink and we talked for a bit. I was eager to get home, however, because I was really looking forward to talking to Hannah and arranged our date for the next day. However, Gary and my Mum ended up having other plans. They went to see some guy they knew. Gary said he just wanted to say hi and that they weren't stopping. But that turned into the three of us being in his living room. I felt really uncomfortable because it's not like I even know the guy, at all and I really really wanted to get home.
Gary asked the guy to call me a cab instead to take me home. I waited and waited and waited for it. I must have waited at least 20 minutes for it. It seems longer when you're dying to get home.
Finally, it came and it then took me 20 minutes to get back. When I did finally manage to get home, I was disappointed that Hannah wasn't online. I waited until 9:30pm for her to come on, but she didn't. I decided that the only way to arrange a date now would be to call her instead and so that's what I did.
However, I ended up calling a different Hannah. A Hannah who's number I had had for ages. I had met her last year for a quick drink in Waterstones. She had gotten freaked out at my scars and then I never heard from her again. It really annoyed me that she didn't even have the respect to say she wasn't interested. And now here I was accidentally calling her and not even realising.
"Hello, it's Neil", I said to her, still thinking it was the Hannah I was trying to call.
"Hi", she said, in the most unsurprised of voices.
"Are you coming online?"
"Er. I might in a bit?"
"You might? But...we have to arrange a time for tomorrow?"
"...ok?"
"So you gonna be online?"
"Yeah"
"Ok, talk to you soon"
"Bye"
A few minutes later, I got a text from her, asking who I was. "It's Neil! I'm waiting for you to come online!", I replied, to which she replied:
"I'm online right now. I thought you said your name was Ian. I don't know anyone called Neil."
At that moment, I paniced a lot. I thought maybe the Hannah I was supposed to be meeting had taken me for a ride and I had been the centre of a horrible joke and that the girl I had just called was just a random number that Hannah had made up.
Panicing, I tried to think what had happened and then after a few minutes, finally realised what I had done. It was a relief. It was also very strange to not only speak to a girl who I'd met and never met again, but to then have her say she didn't even know who I was just annoyed me more. I text her saying "Ah, I know what I've done. You do know me. I met you in Waterstones once and then never heard from you again."
Surprisingly, after I sent that text, I didn't hear from her again.
I found Hannah's real number and called her. I had never talked to her on the phone before so I was quite nervous. She answered and I said hello and told her who it was. This time I was greeted with a much warmer welcome and my fears subsided that I had been taken for a ride.
It turned out that the reason she wasn't online was because she had no electricity and she had been sitting in the dark since 8:30pm! She said that her Mum had forgotten to put money in the electricity meter and that she had gone to her boyfriend's, which meant that poor Hannah was now sitting in her room with only candles for light, being very bored.
We talked and talked, though and I kept her company for nearly 90 minutes. It was lovely talking to her. We flirted and laughed. It was nice. We also tried to arrange to meet up, but because she wasn't sure when her Mum would be back, she couldn't say what time, but she was very insistent that she *would* meet me. I was glad.
I said goodnight to her and we both went to bed. I felt pretty excited that I was going on a date the following day.
To be continued (in the next entry)...
