Commuting.

Now that I'm at university I am commuting a lot more than during my sixth form years. There are two reasons for this -both quite obvious if you've read any of my previous posts- which are: I no longer live in my family home, which means no more getting dropped off, and I live in one town and my university campus is in another.

At the start of this academic year I was unsure of how far my finances would stretch. Because of this I opted to travel into Luton the cheapest way possible; which resulted in me buying a month-long bus pass for £80 that let me get on any bus and commute anywhere within the county of Bedfordshire. My bus journey was the whole bus route, which was an hour give-or-take depending on the traffic. At first it was mind and bum numbing torture, but by the end of the month, although still bum numbing, I did start to enjoy the bus ride. I started to enjoy it so much that when I noticed we were getting close to my destination I used to wish that the journey had taken a little longer.

That made my change in transport at the end of the month quite bittersweet. During the time I was commuting on the bus, I had calculated that it would be possible for me to start getting the train to uni and not end up with an overdraft by the end of term. So I decided to start getting the train instead; because they came more frequently -roughly every 20 minutes as opposed to every hour- and the journey was shorter, which meant less waiting around in the cold and getting home quicker when it started to get dark earlier.

A photographic summary of my commute: platform, music and a hot beverage of some kind.

So far I've been enjoying my new commute for the most part. Coffee and hot chocolate is more readily available; I don't have to panic about missing the train I planned to get; I get home quicker; and there are more seats available. Baring all that in mind I can hardly make a valid complaint about anything else.

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I also commuted the two years before I changed schools for sixth form, which coincidentally was on the same train line. I enjoyed that commute as well, aside from how crowded it would get with other school kids once we reached Radlett. Thanks to that daily commute I made myself some pretty good friends and made a lot of memories, some good, some hilarious and some quite cringe worthy.

Over all I've enjoyed all my commuting over the years. Most of all I've enjoyed my journeys on the London Underground -a.k.a. the Tube- either to go to a concert, go shopping or just randomly explore that marvellous city.

I'm not really sure why I chose to share my commuting experiences and opinions with you. It probably isn't a very good post but for some reason all I wanted to write about today was how much I love commuting -for the most part- on public transport.

October Favourites.

1. Big and baggy jumpers: In my opinion there is nothing more cosy and perfect for autumn than jumpers. Just the thought of wearing a oversized jumper, with a vest top underneath, leggings and fluffy bed socks while lounging on the sofa watching TV with a mug of a warm drink cupped in my hands -with the sleeves of the jumper pulled over them of course- makes me feel all warm and satisfied. Those are the sort of days I really look forward to.

All I need now is a long weekend, -or the Christmas break, but that's quite a while away yet- some praline syrup to add to my mochas and a stack of DVDs!

2. My university course: I know it's still early days but so far I'm loving my BSc course and loving my uni life in general. The independence is great, the content is great and the majority of the staff are pretty great too. I'm particularly loving my courses 'specialist unit' which is 'Psychology & Criminal Behaviour'. So far it's been fascinating and the added knowledge the lectures bring is equally as interesting, if not more so sometimes.

3. Commuting: For the past month I have mainly been commuting to and from uni on the bus. At first I found the journey long and tiresome, but now I've started to really enjoy it -although it can still make me yawn a few times regardless of the time of day. The funny thing is, now that my month's bus pass has expired and I know what my timetable is like, I will no longer be getting the bus. I'll now be commuting in on the train because it's easier, quicker and the trains come more frequently. It will work out to be a little more expensive than the bus, but it'll be worth tweaking my expenses.

4. Woolly hats: Similarly to jumpers, I think that woolly hats are perfect for this weather and that they help to make an autumn day feel a little bit more perfect and complete. You may find that second part a little strange, but it's true! It's hard to explain, but I just feel that woolly hats and autumn go hand-in-hand, and that when I'm wearing one I just feel really happy and autumnal. Woolly hats just complete the 'out and about' autumn look and they make you feel content as you walk down the street in your own little autumnal world with toasty ears.

5. Dry roasted peanuts: this one is simple enough. They're just such a quick and easy snack, not to mention delicious as well!

6. Gel eyeliner: I've been wanting to try out gel eyeliner for a while now, but never been quite brave enough to invest in some. That has all changed now though! With the Boots giftcard I got for my birthday I bought myself some gel eyeliner, and I've got to say that I'm loving it so far. My first attempt wasn't great -it was okay but nothing special- which I guess is to be expected; and my second attempt went really well. So I think I'll be sticking to gel from now on instead of liquid.

7. The Hard Rock Café: Although I've only been once I just had to include the Hard Rock Café in this month's favourites list. Everything about the place is amazing! There's rock n' roll memorabilia everywhere, the music they play is great, the food is really good and the drinks are to die for -especially their Pickled Tink cocktail. The experience and the meal are both without a doubt worth the wait and worth the crowd.