Now we found ourselves at February 1988. There was a girl, let’s call her Serena, and the big question careering around my head was, “Should I ask her out?” The answer, obviously, was, “Yes!” Read on to find out what actually happened.
Monday 1 February 1988
After having those two days off last week due to my ankle sprain, college came as quite a shock today.
Things must have been getting heavy as I confessed/whinged to my diary that, “I haven’t been doing enough work since November 86.” I had been attempting a “simple problem” this evening, and I couldn’t do it.
In an attempt to motivate myself, I think, I boldly claimed that I was going to make up for lost time, using what I termed “fallow” times of break and lunchtime.
Tuesday 2 February 1988
In Physics, we built an amplifier from a transistor. It changed 50mV to 2.5V which was an amplification of 50 times. “Amazing, eh?”
I noted that we had a “bollocking” in Maths, then quickly backtracked a called it a “gentle reminder.”
Wednesday 3 February 1988
No mention of last week’s injury as I was once again selected somewhere near the college first XV. I made a valiant attempt at a pun, noting that we “played rugby on a bog,” but then gave up by continuing, “i.e. a pitch so wet that puddles abounded, and mud was more common than grass.” Surely, some reference to the Somme would have been pithier and used less ink.
More importantly, I complained that “I am slowly losing a grip on myself, I cannot find the time for homework ‘cause I am always too tired.” I wonder, was I really suffering from burnout, or was this just me seeking excuses?
Thursday 4 February 1988
I made a note today that our milkman had been killed on Tuesday. He had been travelling back to his base after his round and had been mowed down in his milk float by a lorry.
I coped OK with Physics, by applying my grey cells to the problem and thinking about what the task required of me. Both Maths and Industrial Studies were boring.
Friday 5 February 1988
Another day out at a higher education campus. This time it was Coventry Poly. I met a lad from sixth form at Birmingham New Street. In the existential crisis that my attendance at Shrewsbury Sixth Form College was, I had always seen this lad as being a bit aloof; that it was a little beyond my ability for me get to know him. God knows, this probably applied to most of the people that I met there. And in any case, he probably viewed me in exactly the same way.
Well, don’t you know, we hit it off and had a rare old time of it. He went to view his chosen faculty and I mine then we met up on the way back. It turned out that his grandparents lived on our housing estate. We made it back to Shrewsbury for 3:40 pm, which meant that I was able to make the 4:15 pm bus home. I’m not sure that I ever spoke to him again.
It being Comic Relief Night, I secured my spot on the sofa and stayed there until 2:30 am. What or who I watched, I did not make a note and I have no recollection.
Saturday 6 February 1988
I went with Milly to [Shrewsbury] Town 0-1 W.B.A. It was, I noted an awful game in which Town didn’t look like scoring.
At Anfield, Liverpool were frustrated by West Ham to a 0-0 scoreline.
Sunday 7 February 1988
Today was a “goodish day.” It rained a lot this “avvy” but not this morning – so at least I didn’t get wet on my paper round/bill collection round.
In college news, I had finished reorganising and was “ready to get stuck into revising.”
Monday 8 February 1988
It was a bloody awful day because nothing happened.
Then, in the next handful of words, I reported that we won the first round of a quiz in college 305 to 240. By we, I mean Andy, myself and “a beautiful girl [let’s call her] Serena.” I was absolutely smitten by Serena, so much so that with the date fast approaching 14 February, I came upon a good idea of sending her a Valentine’s card.
And, finally, I closed the sandwich with another instance of the b-word. Yes, apparently, we had started covering nuclear physics and it was “boring or what?”
Tuesday 9 February 1988
It was parents’ evening tonight and I went with Mum. The upshot was that I would pass if I do all the work – no shit, Sherlock.
In football news, Everton beat Middlesbrough 2-1 in their FA Cup replay so would now have a home derby as their fifth-round tie.
Wednesday 10 February 1988
In what would be the first of two this week, I had a trip to Sheffield today. I was looking at Sheffield Poly today. I didn’t note it, but I think that I had a lift there with Dad and got the train home again.
I did note that it snowed on the way home. And I remember that I found a black scarf on the seat next to me after its owner had disembarked at Stockport station. It smelled… gorgeous.
I was “very tired” when I got home.
Thursday 11 February 1988
I was not a happy bunny today. I complained bitterly about the bitterly cold day, “Man, what a bitch of a day. It snowed last night, and it was very, very slippery this morning.” So, that’s just getting into college. Physics was (actually) OK, our Maths teacher was not in and Industrial Studies was boring.
Friday 12 February 1988
Had a driving lesson which was, “not to (sic) bad, but I’ve been learning for 5 months.” I guess there’s always a hint that the instructor could have been stringing me along to keep the regular income. Of course that’s utter nonsense on my part, because of one thing. Namely, who’s going to want to sign up to learn to drive with a bloke who can’t get his students through the test?
I then went all philosophical, “I’m frustrated at not doing what I should be doing for personal satisfaction???”
It all boiled down to the fact that Physics, Maths and Industrial Studies were clearly not the A Levels for which I should be studying. Grief, every single lesson was either boring or an absolute horror in terms of my inability to understand what the heck was going on.
I have expressed regret that I didn’t do A Level English Literature, but I do wonder whether it was the subject material or me. Having said that, when I have studied Humanities subjects with the OU, I really enjoyed the topics.
There’s a lesson here; a piece of advice from a fifty-something. If you are or know, a teenager doing A Levels currently and it’s not a source of enjoyment, then change.
Saturday 13 February 1988
Sheffield again then. This time, it was Bramall Lane for Sheff Utd* v Shrewsbury Town. Town only went and won. I recall that the pitch was a little churned up through the middle, but that the wings were fine. I’m not 100% sure, but it may well have been Mickey Brown who scored the goal. But then again, it may have been Victor Kasule… or anybody else, tbf.
Liverpool travelled to Watford and won 4-1.
I arrived home at 7:30 pm and watched Jasper Carrott on TV with bed soon after.
*Sheff Utd finished third from bottom and therefore had a chance to avoid relegation in the play-offs. They did not avoid relegation.
Sunday 14 February 1988
One for the romantics…
No, not Valentine’s Day, a game from Division Two of the Football League as Middlesbrough defeated Aston Villa at Ayresome Park by 2 goals to 1. It was, “quite an entertaining game.”
Monday 15 February 1988
The day after the day before. In form time at college, I watched from across the room as Serena opened the Valentine’s Day card than I had posted the week before.
Playing in the quiz with her today was a sweet torture for me, “I wish I could tell Serena it was me wot sent her the Valentine’s card.” We lost the quiz, and I lost me chance to tell her…
Following yesterday’s live game, we had a live Villa fan to goad. Small boys, eh?!
Tuesday 16 February 1988
“Hmm,” I start… nah, I won’t go there.
We had a Maths test. I reckoned that I did OK. Result on Thursday.
In other news, I managed to get into an argument with perhaps the only substantive* new friend I made in my entire time at sixth form. He was prone to flying off the handle, so I guess I should have seen it coming. I admitted that “I was in the wrong, but bloody hell it was like WWIII.”
*by substantive, I mean someone that I saw outside of college or college events and who wasn’t just an acquaintance I sat in lessons with.
Wednesday 17 February 1988
Rugby this afternoon at Oswestry. “We lost severely.” I don’t know why the flip I bothered with Rugby. I wasn’t mobile enough to get around the pitch and being as short-sighted as I was meant that I could never really see well enough to get to where the ball was. That said, I was a prop-forward so all I had to do was, literally, follow the pack around.
In football, England played Israel at Wembley a game which ended with no goals, but it did see Steve McMahon make his England debut.
Thursday 18 February 1988
“Not much happened today.” No mention of the result of Tuesday’s Maths test, but I did go to Nationwide to open a Flex-account*. Woo- and indeed -hoo!
*Soon after arriving at university, this was jacked for an account with Barclays who were on campus and therefore much more readily accessible.
Friday 19 February 1988
A nice day out in Liverpool visiting the Poly. This was one of those rare days when I was in conversation with, wait for it, girls. And even more shockingly, without the presence of more confident associates. It was just me and the three of them, sat on a train all the way from Shrewsbury to Crewe – change train – and then on to Liverpool.
Saturday 20 February 1988
The clash of the STFCs as Shrewsbury Town played Swindon Town at Gay Meadow. The home team won 2-1 but I noted that, “Swindon are a bunch of dirty bastards.”
This was the game that, as they were leaving the pitch, Swindon’s Chris Kamara punched Shrewsbury’s Jim Melrose so hard that he broke Melrose’s jaw. Racial provocation was suggested, but Kamara was eventually charged with and found guilty of GBH.
It was “a nice day, Summer seems to be just around the corner.” It’s February!
Sunday 21 February 1988
FA Cup football today on TV as Ray Houghton’s goal was enough to win the fifth-round tie at Goodison Park.
Monday 22 February 1988
½ TERM HOLIDAYS. REVISE!
I got up and had breakfast. Then pretty much spent the morning waiting for 12:30 pm and the FA Cup’s sixth-round draw. Liverpool were drawn away at Manchester City.
In the evening, I watched the second episode of Red Dwarf. It was called Future Echoes – it’s the one where the ship is accelerated to a speed faster than the speed of light and the crew witnesses events from the future.
This was followed by Moonlighting, which starred Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis as the private detective duo Maddie Hayes and David Addison. This evening’s episode was called Los Dos Dipestos and did not feature La Shepherd for some reason or other.
Tuesday 23 February 1988
Today’s entry was a dead loss, as I reported that I “did nothing.”
Wednesday 24 February 1988
Today I had a go in the family car, Mother had obviously got up early to take Dad to work so she could run some errands. As easily the more patient of the two with this novice driver, I was happy to have some extra practice with her.
We went to my grandmother’s, via the supermarket. It was Dad’s mother – I knew this because although we called them both Granny, if it had been Mum’s mother, I would have mentioned Grandad too. So that’s that sorted.
In the evening, I went out with Dad to the pub. Called the Royal Oak and situated in Hook-a-gate, it was a real old man’s pub. It’s a private dwelling nowadays and there’s no surprise in that because old men plural might have given it a better chance of staying open as a pub. Thank you, Egon Ronay.
Thursday 25 February 1988
Today, I was mostly procrastinating. I walked the dog, and wrote up my diary for the week to date… what do you mean they’re not contemporaneous entries?
I then tried to do some homework, but had to admit defeat, because it was, yes, you’ve guessed it, “SO BORING.”
Friday 26 February 1988
Dad was off today, I stayed at home. Wow. Just wow!
Saturday 27 February 1988
The Brother’s birthday today. I celebrated with a trip to Selhurst Park where Shrewsbury Town notched a fine 2-1 away win. I had a close encounter with a Crystal Palace ‘hooligan’ as I got shoulder barged as I was jumping on the coach after the game. I arrived home at 9:45 pm to find that Liverpool had beaten Pompey 2-0 down at Fratton Park.
Sunday 28 February 1988
Today it was cold and windy, and my bicycle was broken. And nothing much happened.
Monday 29 February 1988
“College this morning, ugh!” That said, it was actually OK. The weather was cold, but there was no snow (at least).
Red Dwarf was on again tonight and I watched it “after commencing my revision programme.” No Moonlighting mentioned, so I must have swerved it tonight. Shame that, bloody good TV, Moonlighting.