Just stab me riiiiight ....there.

I'm relegated to my room tonight, which has taken on an uncanny resemblance to a prison cell to accomodate my situation. Normally, number 27 is a cozy safehaven from the social obligations of a long day. Tonight though, the cement walls and the cot reqiure more imagination than I can muster to appear as anything but institutional--not to mention, the mattresses in Castle Irwell come from Strangeways, a nearby prison that features but a few horror stories being the local execution locale up until capital punishment was ended.

Strageways has been the site of a 100 hangings since its official opening in 1868, not to mention an array of all the other wonderful events that happen within prison walls. Of course the locals have been happy to share a few stories with me, a favourite being about the Strangeways ghost:

The condemned block, which housed the prisoners awaiting execution is reputed to be haunted by the ghost of one of the hangmen who officiated there. Staff on night duty have reported seeing a mysterious man in a dark suit carrying a small briefcase. He is always seen walking along wing 'B' from just outside the condemned cell towards the central control area. When they try to follow this dark suited man, he vanishes just before the old iron staircase leading up to the main office.

The ghost apparently looks exactly like a long serving hangman of Strangeways, who also wore a dark suit and carried a small briefcase. The breifcase is said to have held his hangman's gloves and the black cloth hood he used to mask his victims with before dropping them to their death.

Cue Unsolved Mysteries theme song... and sweet dreams to me on my mattress.

On an only slightly lighter note, a handful of my house mates paid a visit to a tattoo and piercing parlour this afternoon. Results included:

One titanium barbell stabbed through a tongue,
A belly button punctured twice by another, slightly smaller, titanium barbell
One more puncture wound from a stud located in the style of a Cindy Crawford mole
And ink imbedded into the skin on a lower back, styled after a panda bear.
_______

And four ripped off house mates that didn't even get a discount from the guy who is putting his kids through university on the whims and misguided rebellions of Salford freshers