have been amazing, if not fairly unproductive from an academic standpoint. A previous post of mine detailed the rise in outdoor (drink-fuelled) activity, and most of the events recorded in this post follow suit.
On Tuesday it hit me that in nearly 8 months of living here, I have been in the woods only once (and even then it was almost pitch black). This realisation inspired a twilight walk with friends through the grounds of Keele hall, across a privately owned field, and into the University-owned woods:
Hopefully the poorly shot photographs do some justice to the grounds, which are surprisingly beautiful. The grass in the field was knee height, and so was quite interesting to walk through (and jump in). The woods were fairly standard in most respects, apart from one thickly overgrown area on the side of a stagnant lake which looked as if it should be inhabited by trolls. Walking back was a bit odd due to the contrast of the aforementioned grounds on one side, and the M6 on the other.
On the way back we decided to have another fire in the woods next Tuesday, which I'll probably write about at some point. This time however we've got a spot in mind (shown above) at the far side of the field, complete with a fallen tree bench and previously built fire which just needs to be rekindled. We might buy a keg of beer as well; 20 pints for £18, fresh from the brewery!
Wednesday led to a lunchtime Philosophy discussion with a friend at the KPA Clubhouse, one of our newest haunts. I've been reading The God Delusion and he recommended me some 'proper philosophy' in the form of Descartes Meditations, along with telling me the story of Descartes' death.
Thursday evening was the first of what I imagine will be many poker evenings. The kitchen table was finally put to some other purpose than a graveyard of abandoned kitchenware, as four of us sat down for a £5 in winner takes all game of Texas Hold 'Em. The most proficient poker player amongst us went out first, opening up the game a bit for the underdogs (me). I was playing well until a couple of silly errors cost me most of my chip stack, shortly after which I went out. Tom went onto win the game after a 50/50 all in by Gerry.
Friday night was probably my best night at Keele so far; it started with a few beers and pizza on the grass outside Horwood F, moved into Rich's room for more predrinks, then through 3 campus bars and into the woods in the wee hours. The atmosphere was great as well due to the amount of people milling around between the two main events (usual Union night and 'Boycott'). After a couple of drinks at the Pig, another couple at the Union (and dancing!), we made our way to the fabled rave in the woods. It was about 4am by the time we arrived, and me and Char didn't stay for long, but it was an amazing experience! Walking through the woods towards a faint beat, seeing the fire through the trees as the music gets louder, and seeing four or five separate bonfires burning with groups of people sitting around each was surreal. Everyone one was peaceful and chilled out (I wonder why), and it felt a shame leaving, even though I didn't want to stay at the same time...
The weekend consisted mainly of recovering from Friday night, attempting to revise, and chilling at Keele hall with some combination of; friends, a football, alcohol, food and music. Here's a couple of pictures (I like the weird perspective in the first one):
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