Too Little Radio
I got into Student Radio in the third year, and in retrospect I wish that I hadn’t left it so late. When I arrived at the University and was considering what societies to join, the radio station did cross my mind, but I decided against it for two reasons: firstly, I didn’t think I’d be any good at it (yeah, pathetic, I know) and secondly, my belief that playing the bass was all that I wanted to do. As a result, I only really got heavily involved in two societies: the one mentioned above, and the Band Society. Which I suppose should be:
Exactly The Right Amount Of Bass Playing
On a positive note, through the University’s Band Soc I joined a band called *Siamese*. Okay, we weren’t the greatest band on campus, but we weren’t bad at all. Over the course of our three years together we played 17 gigs and recorded a 3-song CD in a proper studio, and had a boatload of fun. My bandmates were thoroughly decent chaps, though our drummer Chris did get a bit violent when drunk. All in all, most satisfactory, and I wish that I’d immersed myself more deeply, rather than always pining for my band back home.
Maybe Too Much Time On The Computer
Though I had been on the Internet once or twice before, University was my first full-on exposure to it. I think I spent a lot more time on Usenet and IRC than I really had to, especially in the first year. At the time, it didn’t seem like a problem, but in retrospect it was basically time wasted. On the flipside, I do find myself wishing that I had started a blog back then.
Too Much Time Chasing The Wrong Girls
I’m not sure whether this is relevant here, because it’s actually been a curse of my teenage years, rather than specifically my time at University. Basically, I didn’t have a very good idea what I wanted from a relationship, so I wasted too much time pursuing leads that were doomed from the beginning. Had I known then what I know now, perhaps I wouldn’t have been as lonely.
Too Much Computer Games
In my second year, I used to come home at lunchtime to play *Tomb Raider*. Even if I had just two hours between lectures, I’d get on the bus, come home, spend an hour playing, and then get back on the bus into campus. Tragic. Fortunately, this problem was localised to the latter part of the 2nd year, and I had the whole thing under much better control in the third year.
Too Much Time Spent On That Dead-End Society
I’ve mentioned this before, and I see no need to repeat myself here. It’s obvious that the time that I spent as President of that society was entirely wasted.
Too Much Ranting About My Housemates
In my first year, I lived next to a guy called Matt. We got on really well, and became the best of friends. Halfway through the first year, there is a frenzy when everyone makes their plans for accommodation for the next year. Matt and I decided that we’d get a place together, and we didn’t care if we ended up paying a little more than if we’d shared with more people, ‘cos it would be the most kick-ass bachelor pad ever.
However, there was one other chap on our corridor, called Henry, who was clearly struggling to find someone to live with. Foolishly, we took pity on him and invited him to live with us. However, this plan spiralled out of control, as he, in turn, took pity on a girl on his course who was struggling to find someone to live with.
Matt and I spent most of the second year complaining at eachother about Henry and Jenny. How his poor personal hygiene, coupled with the fact that he never opened his window, meant that a stream of warm, putrid air seeped out of his bedroom whenever the door was even slightly ajar. How when Matt walked through into the sitting room every morning, Jenny would be sat watching *The Big Breakfast*, and this doesn’t sound too bad but when it’s every single day and she’s always sat upright in the same chair and she’s silent and motionless, it starts to get creepy. How Henry had a tendency to make a lot of noise around the house late at night, banging doors and plugging things into wall sockets in a very loud and bangy way. Yeah, I know, it’s all really petty stuff, which is why I wish we’d spent a bit less time getting worked up by it.
Too Little Time In The Bath
In my third year, I discovered the joy of taking a pint of Guinness and a harmonica into the bath on Sunday afternoons. In retrospect, I wish that I’d discovered it sooner.
Conclusion?
I think that I did a pretty good job of balancing time between work and play. However, I then pissed my play time up the wall. I came away with exactly the degree that I was looking for, though looking back on the relationships that I formed and the way that I developed as a person, I’m not sure that I achieved as much as I could have. Though, at the end of the day, I matured a lot as a person and I had a bloody good time (in years 1 and 3, at least), so maybe I got everything that I needed.
