7/11/2010- Oxford

7/11

After a breakfast of a bagel, sausages, bacon, and a croissant with jam, my friends and I hung out at campus. For psychology, we had to do a psychology essay and questioning session- we wrote and performed an experiment about self-esteem and test grades and went around asking students a series of five test questions and then asking for what their level of self-esteem and confidence was after the test. This provided information that would correspond together and my lab partners and I analyzed the results and wrote an essay about the result.

Free Time: At 12:30, we had free-time. We had lunch at Delicatessen, we bought laundry detergent at Sainsbury's, etc. Then, we went to Alice's Shop, and though we had troubles finding it, we eventually made our way there and I bought a postcard there about England. Then, we continued to shop around until we had to be back at campus, around 5pm. I quickly did my laundry brights, and then I finished writing the essay and graph for my psychology homework.

Evening: Dinner was at 6pm, and following that was the FIFA final- Spain vs. Holland. My best friend and I were rooting for HollSpa, since we couldn't choose which team was our favorite. People there got very involved, and people brought in flags and noise-makers and bought face-paint for the occasion. My friend and I had our faces painted with the Dutch flag on one cheek, the Spanish flag on the other, And a huge HOLLSPA on our foreheads. It was really fun supporting both teams- and we even made up a chanting song! xD




Before I went to bed, I quickly did my writing homework- writing a longer piece with just dialogue between two people. What I did is I just used the previous The Alibi story (which I posted here in an earlier diary entry) and gave it a special twist. Here's how it went:


One Officer, Two Suspects, Fifteen Minutes

"I was hanging out with my friends, relaxed, walking-"
"You were NOT relaxed!"
"Don't interrupt!"
"Just because YOU have an alibi, Sophie-"
"It's the truth, I swear!"
"Those who say they swear tend to be the liars in criminal investigations."
"What makes this a crime?"
"Fine. Tell YOUR story, then. Enlighten us with your stupid lies."
"I was walking down the streets of Oxford and-"
"Being vague won't help, either."
"We were lost! I think we went off a side street near the Covered Market- somewhere around Cornmarket street; could that be right?- but my friend Jessica got us completely lost by trying, and failing, to follow her iPhone's GPS instructions. Confused, we turned around and tried to retrace our steps. My other friend, Sam, wanted to go to a tourist shop. We stumbled upon a stationary store-"
"Oh sure, completely unplanned."
"I bought a notebook- yes, I have proof, both of you- at Ryman's- yes, including the reciept- and I found a jewelry store- what was it called?- and I purchased a green locket- I think I saw it in my dorm room last night...- and headed back to campus, arriving around 5:15."
"Now may I speak? Thank you, officer; finally. They- well, as you say, Mr. Blackwell, she is the only important one-"
"What do you mean, important? What did I do?"
"Defensive tone, just as I expected. I've told you, all of the evidence points to her."
"You're talking to Mr. Blackwell like I don't even exist!"
"She was running-"
"What!?"
"-hurriedly down Cornmarket Street- yes, I admit that that one part of her story is correct.- It was like they- sorry, she - had to do something important. She was telling them to run, and then to sprint as fast as they could. They entered Ryman's at precisely 4:30, as if on a tight schedule, and I waited outside as innocently as I could."
"Innocently?! You were spying on us!"
"They came out with a few heavy bags- far heavier than if they had just bought notebooks- and ran to Past Times, entering the store at 4:45. The locket was around her neck when they left, though I assume there's something different about it-"
"What the heck? I got that thing for fifteen pounds! It was on sale!"
"Again, officer, defensive. Don't you find it peculiar that it took her exactly fifteen minutes to leave one shop and enter the next? And then she just happened to purchase a locket for fifteen pounds?"
"That was just a coincidence, Mr. Blackwell! Don't listen to David!"
"Anyway, as I was saying, she arrived at St. Peter's College at 5 o'clock, another fifteen minutes later! It was as if there was something she couldn't miss. I waited, hidden behind the metal gate, and watched as they rounded a corner around the building. She told them- her friends- to 'Stay there.' I could hear her voice, even though she was attempting to whisper, and a few minutes later, we all heard a scream. Her friends were confused, and she came back soon after. It was a loud, abrupt, piercing scream. The people walking by thought nothing of it, but I knew something was wrong. They checked in at the college at 5:15, after Sophie had gone back to 'see if everything was alright.' Exactly fifteen minutes."
"But what is the significance that I happen to be fast at shopping?"
"You are the only person who can answer that, Sophie Calaway."
"Am I?"
"Sorry?"
"How long did this interview take?"
"Excuse me?"
"I think you know the answer, David Baker."
"What do you mean?"
"Fifteen minutes."
"Not anymore."



That's it! I really like that piece. :)