famous london fog saved my ass part 1
Since I was so sick last week, I got an extension on my final project for the TV module (incidentally, my favorite course of the whole MA program). Anyway, the project was due yesterday to the Postgraduate Office. The office was set to close at 4:30 pm and not reopen until jan 2nd for the holidays.
I decided to do a story on Chlamydia in the UK (see previous post "Slutty Brits"). I had called at least 12 hospitals and the NHS spokesperson. No one was available. Though a nurse informed me that there was a Chlamydia office at the hospital by my house. So I went to interview them. Carried my 20 pound tripod and 30 pound camera down the hill, onto the tube, around the uni and into the hospital. After all this, the lead CHLAMYDIA NURSE tells me she is not qualified to be an interviewee on a Masters project. I assured her that it didnt matter, that her quote was important. But she just offered me brochures and refused to be on camera.
So I dragged myself back to campus. After numerous tries at stories (Smoke Radio just won an award and they are always on so someone must be there! WRONG. University Security guards are always here, they will tell me about security over the holidays! WRONG. The librarians will give me an interview! WRONG) so i was screwed. It was now 5pm and I was completely without options. So I sadly dragged my equipment and my sorry self to pricky's dorm room. I walked in, threw my stuff on the floor and said "I have no story." And then pricky kicked into action. "Of course you have a story, there's always a story..." and he got on BBC web. The lead story was fog delays at Heathrow. Well look at that.
"I would love to do this story, its amazing. But it's so far and I have all this equipment." And he said the magic words "dont worry, I will come with you." And off we went - to get the story like true journalists. Pricky showed me how to take the bus to Heathrow, which takes a while but saves some money. I learned a valuable lesson on that bus - never sit upstairs if you're alone. This time pricky was there to save me, but if I had gone alone I dont know that I would have even made it to Heathrow. We were sitting right by the stairway of the bus (double decker london bus) and 3 white punks come up the stairs. The 1st guy looked right at me while I was laughing at something pricky said. And then he started (with his ghetto english accent): "ahhh, ya know them pearly whites get me goin' ay..." and i ignored him. But I have seen this situation before and I knew that a.) they were likely drinking, b.) they were bored and c.) there were more of them than us.
They sat in the back row and I thought that would be the end. I was wrong. He just continued yelling from the back row. Since I wasn't responding - he decided to come sit in the seat directly behind me. I was sitting next to pricky and they obviously assumed we were "together". He kept trying to talk to me and he was getting relatively obscene. "You know you need a real man" (right. and a creepy, drunk, ghetto lil white boy is exactly what I consider a "real" man...). I needed a tactic. "How old are you?" I asked.
"Me? Well I'm 24."
"How old do you think I am?"
"like 19, 20 yeah"
"I'm 26!! Too old for you."
At this point his friend came and sat next to him. Another opportunity for me.
"Aww look, your friend got lonely without you."
"Naw babe, ferget 'em, I'm trying to get on you."
"well I think you need to get on him, he obviously missed you."
Now I don't exaclty remember who said what or exactly what happened, but suddenly pricky turned around and said "no, you're a bitch!" to one or the other (or maybe both) of the punks.
And very quickly, the 2nd guy jumped up and said "dont you talk to me like that". He was trying to fight and convince pricky to get off the bus. I was hoping and praying that pricky would just sit down and ignore them til they got off. I know its customary for the guy to stand up for the girl, and normally that would have been great, except I needed this story, I needed a cameraman, I needed to not end up on the side of the road, calling the police and cleaning wounds. And I really didnt want pricky to get hurt. So I silently prayed that pricky would turn back to me and continue our conversation until they got bored and left.
No such luck.
He stood up. STOOD UP. 3 violent, horny drunks and he stands up to fight them. I pulled him back down. "Don't". "How bout you just go?" I said to Drunky Mc HitsAlot .
Words were exchanged and then they (yelling obscenities and making sexual references) were all walking down the stairs. Someone said something then Drunky (suddenly in slow motion in my head) pulls back, his mouth in a pucker, and propels forth a "pitooee" spit. Not very effective as neither pricky nor I felt anything. But pricky jumped up and reached down the stairs to hit him. They all ran and got off the bus.
"What is wrong with you!?" I asked. "Why would you try to hit them? They were just drunk and looking for trouble!"
"What could they have done?"
"They could have hit you!!"
(smiling)"...yeah I guess I didnt think of that."
I decided to do a story on Chlamydia in the UK (see previous post "Slutty Brits"). I had called at least 12 hospitals and the NHS spokesperson. No one was available. Though a nurse informed me that there was a Chlamydia office at the hospital by my house. So I went to interview them. Carried my 20 pound tripod and 30 pound camera down the hill, onto the tube, around the uni and into the hospital. After all this, the lead CHLAMYDIA NURSE tells me she is not qualified to be an interviewee on a Masters project. I assured her that it didnt matter, that her quote was important. But she just offered me brochures and refused to be on camera.
So I dragged myself back to campus. After numerous tries at stories (Smoke Radio just won an award and they are always on so someone must be there! WRONG. University Security guards are always here, they will tell me about security over the holidays! WRONG. The librarians will give me an interview! WRONG) so i was screwed. It was now 5pm and I was completely without options. So I sadly dragged my equipment and my sorry self to pricky's dorm room. I walked in, threw my stuff on the floor and said "I have no story." And then pricky kicked into action. "Of course you have a story, there's always a story..." and he got on BBC web. The lead story was fog delays at Heathrow. Well look at that.
"I would love to do this story, its amazing. But it's so far and I have all this equipment." And he said the magic words "dont worry, I will come with you." And off we went - to get the story like true journalists. Pricky showed me how to take the bus to Heathrow, which takes a while but saves some money. I learned a valuable lesson on that bus - never sit upstairs if you're alone. This time pricky was there to save me, but if I had gone alone I dont know that I would have even made it to Heathrow. We were sitting right by the stairway of the bus (double decker london bus) and 3 white punks come up the stairs. The 1st guy looked right at me while I was laughing at something pricky said. And then he started (with his ghetto english accent): "ahhh, ya know them pearly whites get me goin' ay..." and i ignored him. But I have seen this situation before and I knew that a.) they were likely drinking, b.) they were bored and c.) there were more of them than us.
They sat in the back row and I thought that would be the end. I was wrong. He just continued yelling from the back row. Since I wasn't responding - he decided to come sit in the seat directly behind me. I was sitting next to pricky and they obviously assumed we were "together". He kept trying to talk to me and he was getting relatively obscene. "You know you need a real man" (right. and a creepy, drunk, ghetto lil white boy is exactly what I consider a "real" man...). I needed a tactic. "How old are you?" I asked.
"Me? Well I'm 24."
"How old do you think I am?"
"like 19, 20 yeah"
"I'm 26!! Too old for you."
At this point his friend came and sat next to him. Another opportunity for me.
"Aww look, your friend got lonely without you."
"Naw babe, ferget 'em, I'm trying to get on you."
"well I think you need to get on him, he obviously missed you."
Now I don't exaclty remember who said what or exactly what happened, but suddenly pricky turned around and said "no, you're a bitch!" to one or the other (or maybe both) of the punks.
And very quickly, the 2nd guy jumped up and said "dont you talk to me like that". He was trying to fight and convince pricky to get off the bus. I was hoping and praying that pricky would just sit down and ignore them til they got off. I know its customary for the guy to stand up for the girl, and normally that would have been great, except I needed this story, I needed a cameraman, I needed to not end up on the side of the road, calling the police and cleaning wounds. And I really didnt want pricky to get hurt. So I silently prayed that pricky would turn back to me and continue our conversation until they got bored and left.
No such luck.
He stood up. STOOD UP. 3 violent, horny drunks and he stands up to fight them. I pulled him back down. "Don't". "How bout you just go?" I said to Drunky Mc HitsAlot .
Words were exchanged and then they (yelling obscenities and making sexual references) were all walking down the stairs. Someone said something then Drunky (suddenly in slow motion in my head) pulls back, his mouth in a pucker, and propels forth a "pitooee" spit. Not very effective as neither pricky nor I felt anything. But pricky jumped up and reached down the stairs to hit him. They all ran and got off the bus.
"What is wrong with you!?" I asked. "Why would you try to hit them? They were just drunk and looking for trouble!"
"What could they have done?"
"They could have hit you!!"
(smiling)"...yeah I guess I didnt think of that."
Wow, I don't think I will look at Shashank the same way now.
Hun, don't forget to let me know if you're in Paris at the same time as me ok?
Posted by
Anonymous |
4:42 PM
i think u guys would have made a story outta that then(safety in the bus or something lik tat) and there if it wasnt for the blows that were likely to come up...
funny post!!!
Posted by
Anu |
12:05 PM
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