Last month I went to the Closing Ceremony of my Department of Defense high school --London Central-- in High Wycombe. The school administrators and volunteers had organised a tasteful celebration and invited alumni and teachers and other dignitaries to witness a bittersweet event.

Before the ceremony I wandered around the base and High Wycombe itself and took some photos to share later. As the base buildings are scheduled to be torn down later this year, there'll be no real reason for me to return to Wycombe any time soon.

I had been to the school 3 or four times since graduation, so I suppose I have developed a different perspective, but I was surprised at some of the comments I received when I shared the photos online: everyone enjoyed viewing them and having memories stirred up, but quite a few people said they'd forgotten a lot about their time there.

Again, maybe it's because of my current proximity to the school/base/town, or because my sister-in-law went to the same school, or because those years were so formative, or because I've managed to keep in touch with fellow classmates, but: hardly a week goes by when I don't think about something funny that happened or some teacher's personality quirks or some old friend's words of wisdom (or B.S.).

I remember a lot about those three years; those memories are clearer to me than those from university or my from my first years working.

And, because they were largely good times, I hope not to forget.
8:12:00 PM

Rip off Britain #32

Last month was the four year anniversary of my move to the UK. You would think it wouldn't have taken me this long, but I've only just come to the conclusion that there are no middle-classed goods for sale in this country. While wandering through Banbury last Thursday I could only find crap stores selling crap junk that wouldn't be sold in the worst white trash mall in America, or goods that are so over priced it beggars belief. I don't think America has anything quite like this country's Market Day traders but "outdoor dollar stores" would come close.

At least I didn't have to suffer the injustice of this guy: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/northamptonshire/6702519.stm

Wrongly jailed after a woman cried rape, Warren Blackwell applied for compensation for his three wasted years in prison. Torn from his family and sent to languish in jail as a convicted sex attacker, the innocent father-of-two imagined he was due a hefty sum for the miscarriage of justice. Instead, he was flabbergasted to learn the Home Office now intends to charge him nearly £7,000 for "board and lodging". The money is for the cost of food and accommodation while he was behind bars, and will be deducted from whatever compensation he receives for wrongly imprisonment.

7:42:00 PM