Thug Life.
Outside the stadium before the game, I saw there was a food stand selling hamburgers and stuff like that. Remembering the train wreck of a cheeseburger I had in Portsmouth, I chose not to get one at that moment. But Bill ordered a cheeseburger and I saw it had melted cheese and also grilled onions. My mouth fell open. I gave in and ordered one after the game. While it was miles better than the dog food at Portsmouth, it still wasn't close to my definition of a cheeseburger. I expect a cheeseburger to come with all the fixings and be juicy and messy. It's gotta be so big you struggle to take the first few bites. You get exactly that at Burger Shop and 7Bone. Having said that, my expectations were exceeded in Southampton.
And speaking of pregame, we stopped for a few drinks in a pub filled with fans of both clubs before game time. I was already starting to feel cold considering I had a brain fart and didn't come prepared for cold weather. There was a jumper sitting near us while we were drinking. It was there the whole time we were drinking. No one ever came up to grab it. So as I was leaving, I stuffed it into my bag without really looking at it. Ironically, I never needed it during the game. But when I finally did look at it later back at the train station, I found out it has a Crystal Palace logo on it, though it is a little ratty and scruffy. That was a nice surprise.
Now about the game. It was great. Southampton won 1-0 after the Palace keeper made a mistake by blocking a shot but letting the ball get away from him, thus letting a Southampton player pounce on it just a few yards from goal. While the competition on the pitch was exciting, so was the battle in the stands between the home fans and Palace supporters. The game is just half the battle; each set of supporters are just ripping into each other the entire game. For someone like me who just likes to observe, it's hilarious. It's funny how a person, like the kid in front of me, can get so wound up and angry at other supporters for singing. This kid was giving Southampton fans the finger and getting legitimately mad those people were singing just one song and making fun of the Palace fans. I don't understand it; it's such a stupid thing to get angry about. Me, I was laughing the entire time.
Imagine thousands of people chanting "you've only got one song" or "fucking useless" to thousands of other supporters. Imagine these same sets of people singing "you sing when we tell you to" or "we sing when we want." It's hilarious on one hand, and incredibly stupid on the other hand. But having said that, it was a totally different atmosphere being in that section. It made things that much more exciting and it was a fantastic time.
4/3 - Speaking of Burger Shop, I made a snap decision and hopped off the bus in Parkstone to get a lunch special there, which includes a standard burger or veggie burger with homemade chips for £4.99. In short, it was a brilliant decision to stop there.
I sat by the window, and the weather today saw periodic sunshine. When the sun got around a cloud, it shone threw the window where I was able to soak it up. The warmth was incredibly comfortable. Combine that with different genres of music like reggae, hip hop or alternative and that resulted in one of life's simple pleasures. It was an absolute pleasure to eat my way through a juicy burger while soaking up warm and friendly sun rays and some good tunes, and closing my eyes for a few minutes at a time. It was literal bliss.
I made another snap decision to get a ticket to the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra tonight at the Lighthouse, just down the road from Corfe House. It's fun to watch the conductor's movements as well as the members of the orchestra. The violinists are like a machine moving in unison.
5/3 - I played more rugby today. I can see now it's nothing like American football. And if there's one thing for sure, I've signed up for something that will test my cardio and also beat me to hell.
Bring it on.
Lately, I've been in want of something. It's something I miss from my time in California. It's not family, adopted grandparents, traveling buddies, a dog-like heifer, old and new friends or having a car. Though I do miss those things and people. No, the thing I miss most about California is having a motorcycle. Riding on two wheels with a hot engine beneath you is an absolute thrill. I miss pulling the throttle and hearing the engine rev up, roaring, while holding on to the handlebars to deal with the acceleration.
I see many motorcycles a day here, and it makes me envious each and every time. I ride by a used motorcycle dealer on the bus every day, and I'll stop by eventually. Now that I think about it, I'll do it tomorrow or Monday.
That's all I want. A motorcycle (motorbike to the Brits).
I've had vague thoughts of buying one, hopping on the ferry to Cherbourg and riding around Europe. It would be the ultimate adventure. I'd go to the Alps or the Pyrenees mountains and navigate those steep, winding roads. I can imagine riding through meadows with a giant mountain rising in front of me or passing by a never-ending cliff, all while listening to uplifting, melodic trance music.
The thing stopping me, as with all things in this country, is the cost. I'd be able to get myself an older bike no problem, but the insurance cost here is absurd. I looked it up a few weeks ago and that place quoted me nearly £800 per year. Yes, that's just one place but I'd expect similar results elsewhere.
I could rent a bike, as it turns out, but I need to be 29 years old, have insurance and have nearly £2,000 as a deposit. So there's that dream out of the window. Perhaps Tim could do it for me...
Damn this whole being-only-24 thing...
(Update: It looks like there's a place that will rent to people aged 21 and over. I shall investigate this in a few days.)
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