What's new

in my life / this page / the world ?

29th February 2000
I've just spent 2 hours scanning 29 new pictures to add to the picture gallery, so I hope you enjoy them. Most are LUUMS or CCYO pics, I'll try and add a couple more soon. I can't believe it took me so long to find the scanner in the university...
There's only four months to go until I am no longer a student, but don't worry - I have a cunning plan to fill the Void and avoid getting a proper career: I'm going to work in Leeds for 6 months or so, and then take off to the USA, where the streets are paved with crack^Wgold and the rocks are big. I intend to visit every major climbing area, learn to ski/snowboard, hitch rides everywhere, have fun and games and hopefully not get shot for looking at some redneck's pig funny. Wish me luck! I hope to be on my first big wall in a year's time...
So, any merkins out there want to offer me food, lodging, lifts, gear, drugs, casual sex, guns. etc, just drop me a line at [email protected].
Cheers m'dears!

26th October 1999
I seem to be updating this less and less frequently as time goes by :(
Well, the term is almost halfway through and what have I achieved? I've had lots of fun with the climbing club, particularly the weekends away. This year we've got loads of enthusiastic new members and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves which is great.
Academically - well, I've been to most of my lectures - you can't say fairer than that. I do need to get off my arse and work a lot more (so what's new) especially for my 3rd yr project as I'm lagging on that which is a Bad Thing.
Looking forward to the weekend - Templehead all-nighter on friday, some random party things on saturdy, going to see Blair Witch Project on sunday.
Site-wise, I've removed links to the Binky page from the index page, as the band are no more, and removed the pagecount guestbook/counter as it was broken. I've also added a rather nifty weather thing to the top of this page.

25th August 1999
I'm now over two decades old. Already I can feel my joints creaking, although that my have something to do with the fct that on the way home from Po Na Na's last night I climbed everything in sight, and ended up dropping 4 meters from above the door of the chemistry building when a university security car went past. My feet are bruised from landing :(
Top night out though - went to see Human Traffic and got incredibly inspired to go out dancing so we nipped into the Social for last orders and walked into town to find a club that was open. Ended up at a salsa night at Po Na Na where we drank tequila and aftershock. Mmmm. It all finished a bit early though (2am).
I'm having a party on saturday which should be good. Then it's off to scotland with my brother possibly to do the Cuillin ridge on Skye, or maybe just walk up a mountain or three.
Only 3 weeks till the start of term...

2nd July 1999
Well, another term over, the holidays have started. Glastonbury festival was absolutely fantastic, now I have to find some money to pay my rent with...
I've remade the site, got rid of the frames and added a picture gallery which has some very nice pictures in. I might try to persuade my family that a nice camera is what they want to give me for my 20th birthday next month.
Can't think of anything else amazing to say right now so I'll go. Bye.

27th April 1999
I'm so lazy... 2 months since I last updated this. Well, it's a new term here in Leeds. Only 1 week more of teaching this year before we get our study break then EXAMS. Luckily they'll all be over in a month so the stress will be short-lived, then it'll be 3 weeks of sunny summer, climbing and visiting friends before the results are published at the end of term.
Easter holiday was very nice indeed. Went to Capri, It., for a family holiday. Beautiful place, the playground of emperors or somesuch. Spent a day in Roma, went to the Vatican and saw the Sistine Chapel. Which was nice.
Spent last weekend SPA training at Almscliff and Brimham. Lovely weather both days, and we had the crags to ourselves for a couple of hours each morning - getting there at 9am has its advantages. Now I know how to rescue people off single pitch climbs, which I'm sure will come in handy. Fantastic bouldering at Brimham above the Fag Slab area. Better than sex. Honest.
Ciao, John.

24th February 1999
I still get a kick out of writing '1999'. Never mind....
It's been a long time hasn't it? What have I done in the last six weeks? Nothing much to be honest.
Binky gig went very well (we made money!), but the one on friday has been cancelled. Poo. Karen from CCYO is off to Australia next week, so last Saturday I took the train down to Ely to go to her birthday party and say goodbye. That was good.
Been climbing. Fell off at Almscliff and did something to my foot but that's nearly healed now. Sam and I set a problem at the Uni Wall which as far as I know is unrepeated, so I'm pleased about that. Still can't do the ones other people set though...
Oh yes, failed two (provisionally 3) modules last semester so I shall have to resit. Bugger.
Right, lectures call. Bye.

14th January 1999
In the middle of exam crap at the moment. Thankfully I finish on Tuesday afternoon then it's 5 days of freedom so I think climbing is in order. Went to the Uni wall the other day, about the only bit of climbing I've done for the last month, and discovered that I was amazingly strong, so 'being out of training' is not necessarily a bad thing...
Bought some new shoes - Salomon Extempero or something like that. They rock anyway.
Bye bye for now, John.

8th December 1998
I seem to be doing a lot here recently.... Karen has just emailed me pictures from the CCYO Edinburgh tour last summer, so here they are for the world to see (not sure whether this is a good thing or not):
Awww bless. Ickle Natawie asweep on wer bus.
A climbing picture! Me on something chossy in Holyrood Park... erm don't try this at home because it's not allowed.
Holyrood park: Jon, Phil, Nats, Me, Katie
Happy people: Me, Nats, Katie, Karen.
The gang after the final concert:(BR)Me, Nats, Jon. (FR)Karen, Becca, Katie, Ed.
Ed!
Nats drinking caffreys and white wine very fast... mmm mmm.
Nats, Jon, Me, Katie, all playing cards.
Ed asleep on the coach... bless.
Sweetie lips! And some odd younguns in the background.
Be warned: the pictures are all large (~100K) JPEG files - slow connections need not apply.
Nearly the end of term! Only 3 days to go...

7th December 1998
What a fab weekend I just had. The Ugly Bug Ball and the post-party party which followed were fantastic but I can't be bothered to type the full account, suffice it to say you had to be there. I slept for 14 hours today and missed all my lectures. Again. Oh bugger I'm going to fail my degree.

4th December 1998
Well, it's certainly been a while since I last updated all this... what have I been up to? Much climbing and climbing-related socialising would seem to be the answer. Went to Almscliff last wednesday and fulfilled a long-standing ambition to climb Great Western (HVS 5a and scary as fuck). Fantastic route. Gaz seconded me, took a rest a metre from the end of the traverse and hung in space unable to get back on the rock. Doh. Spent half an hour rejigging the belay so I could climb down 2 metres and get the gear he didn't reach. By the time we had packed up the sun was well down and it was freezing. Fell off the Crucifix (6b variant where you ignore the horizontal break and kind of layback it) with my toes in a ickle jam and bruised my heel so now I limp and will do for a week. Oh well. And today the weather is marvellous yet again and I've been stuck in lab all day while various climby types frolic on the boulders having a fantastic time the bastards.
Had a couple of gigs with the band as well - Grimbsy last weekend was fun even though hardly anyone turned up. Next one is sometime in January can't remember the exact date but I'll stick it on the Binky page when I do.
Party tonight with climbers. Party tomorrow with climbers - the Ugly Bug Ball so I have to sort out some kind of costume before tomorrow night. Though perhaps I could go as the Millenium Bug (not my idea I have to say but a good one nonetheless ;). I haven't been out with my house for ages. We're going to have a house xmas meal next thursday so that should be fun. Term ends in one week exactly although I'm staying here to make the most of the good weather (ha yeah right like there'll be any) and kind of tidy up the house perhaps or maybe do some work (naaahhh...)
Not been breaking for a few weeks now much to Toby's disgust. Been spending too long at the Leeds Wall or various other climbing places. Think I might be getting a bit obsessed with the whole rock thing. Not too many scars on my hands though so I can't really be overdoing it (my achy shoulder and leg say otherwise although god knows why they hurt - probably something to do with not warming up properly when climbing outdoors although I have been making the effort to stretch etc when I'm at the wall so I don't have the nasty sore elbows and things that plagued me a year ago.)
Anyway, must go and do something exciting like going home and eating. Bye.

4th November 1998
I had my hair cut. Mmmmm its all fluffy and stroky. I raised a grand total of ninety of your finest english pounds for the imperial cancer research fund. Which is good.
Halloween party was fun. I was about the only person there not in fancy dress - antony was the best with a sheet over his head with eyeholes cut in it. Very comedy it was. Lots of punch was drunk by many, although we still have vodka jelly left in t' fridge for consumption some other time. And lots of beer left behind. Bonus.
Breaking tonight - body moving body grooving. It's so good. Everyone should try.

23rd October 98
Hello all. I'm getting my hair cut - all in aid of cancer research. After 4 years of long hair, I'm going short. Mmmmm.... velvety. The deed will be done next friday, at the house halloween party. All offers of sponsorship to [email protected].
The lakes trip with the climbing club the other weekend was great - had a fantastic time. Even got some climbing in. This weekend: Malham! Never climbed on limestone before, should be an experience. Taking some freshers out too. Fools.
Oh yeah... going to start breakdancing classes - Toby went last week and had a wicked time. He's been showing me the moves all week. Busting and grooving... yeah!
Ciao for niao; I'm going home for a gig.

6th October 98
Well the new term gathers speed as inorexably (sp?) as one of those big boulders that Indiana Jones runs away from. Bastard department put me on Thursday lab, which was great, then changed me without warning to Friday lab. So I lose my three day weekend that I had been looking forward to. Never got to Almscliff: rain, and heavy rain it was too, but I did lead several 6b routes at the wall (and had a complete epic on the 'nice and easy, it doesn't even overhang' 6c opposite them. Brimham last Sunday with club - Right Wall VS 4c, took me half a bloody hour to lead, Sally and Jessie didn't find it fun either. Pete seconded it later on in 4 minutes. (Earlier today Pete did the full traverse of Henry Price; ~100m of fingery pumpy stuff which he's been trying for a year now. Hats off to him). It rained at Brimham, so not much else got done, nice bouldering though.
Had a full night's sleep last night for the first time in three weeks, as a result I got out of bed refreshed and alert. God what a rush it was! Making breakfast with my eyes wide open, leaving the house in time to make it to lectures, staying awake in every lecture this morning! I shall have to do this more often.
Killing time... should really go home and do some work but it's too much bother.
House Hallowe'en party 30th October - fancy dress. Shall have to do some planning.
I'm going now - my stomach is rumbling. Bye.

29th September 98.
My timetable for this semester is an absolute nightmare. I am not a happy bunny. On the plus side, I do get a whole day off (although which day, thu or fri, the department in their omniscience have decided not to inform me.)
Climbing should be taking off with a bang soon. Off to Almscliff tomorrow, weather permitting, then Brimham on Sunday, Lakes the weekend after that. Last week I went down t' Leeds Wall with Sally and Phil and Webster, and got ridiculously pumped on the steep stuff, so I must work on that. I finally bought a harness (big new shiny grant cheque y'see), when my loan comes through hopefully nuts, krabs, slings, maybe a couple of friends if I stop climbing and get a life (boom boom and if you're not a climber then that will make no sense.)
Hmm, what else? House is OK, still not done washing up as everyone else seems to beat me to it, funny that (no it's not deliberate I'll probably have to do it this afternoon anyway). Work is good - lots of money coming my way soon hurrah, plus I got my shift change so I can go packhorse in wed evenings which is nice. I really could do with some sleep actually so I'll go now....

19th September 98
Well hello everybody. I hope you like the new look; it took me long enough to do. The intention is that I will update the other pages a lot less frequently tht this one, which will bear news of what's going on in my life; a way to kill all that dead time between lectures (work? what work? I didn't do any work...)

I'm off back to Leeds on Sunday: I have a job in the Union bar Sunday and Wednesday nights (doh! clashes with climbers@Packhorse on a wednesday, I'll have to sort that out.) On top of that, I'm giving tours of the Uni to freshers for Mon+Tue of next week, in exchange for a free IntroWeek pass, which I won't be able to use as much as I'd like because I'm working 3 nights that week. But I am going to see Gorky's Zygotic Mynci at the Cockipt on Tue 22nd, assuming anyone else I know is going, so that should be a laugh. Actually, I can't wait to get back and see everyone again. Binky gig tomorrow, plus going out with people from CCYO, then another Binky gig on Saturday night, it's actually Keiron the singer's birthday party, so we're playing early then getting pissed. Then I have to get a train back to Leeds for lunchtime the next day to settle in, say hello, and get down to the Union for tour guide induction at 4pm. So I'd better not drink too much, or succumb to the temptations of the lovely Fiona. That's all for now. Bye.

Hello everyone!

There used to be a actual list of names here, but it just got silly, so:
Hello. You know who you are. Sign the guestbook so I know you've been here.

About me

John Frederick Martin Chivall, born 8:20pm 24th August 1979 @ Bridgenorth General Hospital, Bridgenorth, Shropshire, UK. Moved aged 5 to Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire. Attended Park Lane Primary School, Whittlesey; Sir Harry Smith Community College, Whittlesey, 1990-95 (8 GCSEs); Neale-Wade Community College, March, 1995-97 (3 A levels, 1 AS); Now reading Physics with Astrophysics at the University of Leeds.

Ex-member of Fenland Youth Concert Band, Peterborough Youth Jazz Orchestra, Peterborough Youth O rchestra (concert tour to Belgium (1995)). Joined Cambridgeshire County Youth Orchestra 1995 (tours to Edinburgh and Glasgow (1996,1998), Barcelona (1997), Hungary (1999) )

Drummer: Binky, Pravda Blue, lots of things.