In vain I have struggled, and it will not do...

I've just spent the last hour trying to get my pictures from the Highlands up on the web, figuring that I should do something semi-useful if I'm staying in on this fine Thursday evening. Obviously, I have failed in my objectives. Not only did I fail to load a single picture (I blame Snapfish.com's fancy uploader thingy), I still have a ridiculous number of photos to put up in general. I edited the photos THREE times, forcing myself to heartlessly chuck out any pictures that don't meet the standard of "absolutely breathtaking." I still have 160 photos to upload. Grr. I'm putting up a couple of the best photos here in the blog, just as a teaser...











Ok, I need to stop now, before I upload 155 more photos in utter frustration. This is harder for me than it is for you, trust me.

And on a COMPLETELY unrelated note, I just found this link; 'tis quite hilarious:
The Nietzsche Family Circus

cheers, more later...

A Wee Scottish Rugby Moment (and dinner!)

A moment on the sidelines during a prolonged period of stopped play at the game today...
Me: Should we bring some water to them on the field?
Wee Jen: (in thick Scots) Nae, there's enough of it coomin' doon from the sky.

(Obviously, it was raining. A lot.)
Here's some pics from today's game, courtesy of my rookie sister, Anne/"Armchair." We're in the green and navy:

Bob (my rugby mum), getting the line out:


You can actually see how hard it was raining here (click on the pic to enlarge):


Frankie, going for the line out:


That's Bob (my rugby mum!) in the front pod:


In cool news, I found a Chinese grocery today! And the best part is: I FOUND PORK STICKY BUNS. FROZEN. And that means that I can steam them for 15 minutes in my rice cooker and feel like I'm having real dim sum. (They also had frozen shumai, but I can only carry so much, and I was on a mission for soy sauce.) The soy sauce was for tonight's teriyaki chicken dinner. Very tasty. Unfortunately, the Chinese grocery doesn't sell ginger, and neither does Tesco. I was about to give up when I stopped in a little tiny hole-in-the-wall grocery on the way back to my flat. To be honest, those sorts of groceries are a dime a dozen here, there's two down the block from me. But I did get this for only 10p:

(Like how you can still see the pork sticky buns in the background? Yeah, me too.) Obviously there's a little arm missing that I used for dinner tonight, but still, I think 20 cents is a pretty good price for a piece of ginger this size. When I got it, I took it up to the counter and put it down in front of the guy at the cash register. He just sort of looked at me, so I just looked back at him. He stared at me like I was stupid for about 20 seconds, before he finally shook his head and said, "ten pence." I'm still not quite sure what to make of this exchange.

Also, found this helpful animation about chavs. Ok, so they're not neds, but it's still kinda funny. If you can understand what they're saying, that is. In Me Burberry Animation.

Rugby update

Turns out, I cannot play this Sunday because I don't have an approved transfer from my home club. Basically, I need a form from SCRFU (or USAR?) saying I'm not banned from playing rugby or anything. Great. I need to figure out how to get this "transfer" to happen (*ahem, anyone from UCLA WRFC listening, know who to talk to in SCRFU...?), otherwise if I play, I might be banned for 3-4 matches, which isn't really worth it.

That sucks.

Sunday is... (drumroll please)

Sunday is our first rugby match. We play the Murrayfield Wanderers at Murrayfield, at 2pm (1400). Yes, that's right, MURRAYfield, the home of Scottish Rugby. In true Murray fashion, I'm starting at 8-man. Oh, the irony. (Note: inside UCLA Rugby joke.) I'm not nervous..... yet.

And in news slightly related to the previous discussion of neds, I saw this article online: "Bobbies on the beat to double in blitz on city centre violence"

I had to read it, since one of the things I love about this city is how safe I feel walking around late at night. On several occasions I've made my way home alone from a night out, and felt way less threatened than in any American city I've been in. To be honest, the article is kind of dry and boring, so just skim it and read the best part -- the comments afterwards. Don't read all of 'em, just 2-9, 12, 13, 15, 16, 24, 25, 29, 31, 32, and 34. They're short, and either insightful or amusing. (Or, best of all, written in Scots.)

Top 5

These are the five songs I've heard the most since arriving in this country:
5. "Cash Machine" by Hard-Fi
4. "Candy Shop" by Fiddy
3. "9 to 5" by Dolly Parton
2. anything by The Killers or Jack Johnson (it's a tie)
aannnd....
1. "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash (especially in the Highlands)

Very strange. Also, on an unrelated note, the other day I saw an eight-year old who could school me at football (soccer). He was doing backheels and stuff that I still haven't even mastered. I guess it's a good thing I play rugby then.

I want to live where the sun hits the sky...

Well, maybe not really, but the weather here has gone from very nice to absolute insanity. As I would say in Scots, it's "mental." The past two days it's been raining on and off, which is expected. Ok, fine. What ain't cool is that often times the sun is shining the whole time. Argh! Apparently this is quite normal, as all I got was a "Yeah, and...?" from the Scots guy that I met in my Ecology class. Oh, and on top of the rain, the wind today is strong enough to knock you over. All the Scots guy had to say about the weather was not to worry, it's definitely going to get worse. Woo, this field ecology class is not looking like a warm prospect.... Apparently it's not the rain that gets to you, it's the endless grey skies in winter. Mmm, fun.

Increasing my Scottish vocabulary:
"Neds" = the Scots equivalent of the English term "chav." ("Neds" is an acronym, but I can't remember it. Something like N? Educational Deficiency S??) The guys in tracksuits and trainers who hang around outside of chip shops. They are also usually "plamphers." Closely related words: chancer, dodgey geezar, tosser, David Beckham.
And to decipher the previous entry:
Trainers = sneakers
Chips = french fries
Chancer/Tosser = creepy guy who hits on girls in clubs
Dodgey geezar = a sketchy dude
David Beckham = King of the Chavs (I think he's their role model/fashion icon/speech therapist...)
Plampher = um.......... I'll save that for a later entry.....

A familiar place

I went somewhere familiar today. It gave me great comfort, and now I know where to go when I feel homesick.

It wasn't that hard to get to. I just had to ride the bus for about 10 minutes. When I got there, the sky was windy and dramatic, threatening to rain. The fields surrounding me smelled of manure (uck).

I went up to the building and went inside, noting the comfort and familiarity of the decor. I was even able to find some souvenirs to take back with me.

Oh, Ikea, how I love you.

Now I have knives and plates and pans for my kitchen. I have stylish bedsheets and boxes with which to organize my drawers and closets. All I had to do was ignore the exchange rate and schlep all the stuff back on the bus with Scots glaring at me for taking up the "Reserved for Elderly Patrons" seats with my bags.

Sigh, class starts tomorrow.

Rugby and Class Stuff Starts

Received this in an e-mail about one of my classes:

"The first Ecology (note new name 'Principles of Ecology') class will meet on Wednesday 20th September in the Peter Wilson Building (Agriculture) at 10 am. As you will be going out into the field please come prepared and dress appropriately." (italics added for emphasis)
Woohoo, looks like I'll need my new wellies!!

Class starts Tuesday, rugby started Friday (can't feel my legs), and things are starting to take off here. After two weeks of settling in, traveling, and running errands, I'm ready to settle down to a more scheduled routine. Albeit my timetable is pretty crazy, but it's a routine nonetheless.

And now a little note about The Rugby:

The team here is really nice and welcoming, the way every rugby club should be in my opinion. Fortunately for me, they're a small-ish team and could use some more forwards, particularly another second row (lock) and an 8-man. I'd be totally happy to play either (despite my lack of field sense as an 8) or even just anything in the forwards. Or even anything in the backs. Y'know, as long as I get to play rugby, I'm pretty much set.

After the first practice (or "try rugby day"), we went out to one of our sponsoring pubs and had dinner and drinks, then did a scavenger hunt and went out to our sponsoring club. All in all, an excellent social and I'm glad to have found a team that likes to both go out on the town and play hard.

I've already got a rugby "mum" (the UK equivalent of a vet) who is really cool and is named Bob because she used to have dreads. It's kind of funny that she's my mum because she's a second year and exactly a month older than me. I guess it was a short pregnancy.

And other stuff:

There was the Fresher's Ball last night, which marked the end of Fresher's Week. It was alright. Well, a lot of people there were having a great time, but it's not really my sort of deal. It was very Freshers-week-y, meaning it's a lot of new kids excited to be at university, running around and getting drunk and chatting w/ everyone under the sun. That's fine, but I'd rather settle in and make friends from clubs, teams, or classes. Anyway, it was held in Teviot (pronounced tee-vee-ut), in the old student union, and there were a ton of floors and rooms for drinking or dancing, including a Library Bar, which I thought was a really cool idea. In one of the upstairs rooms they had a ceilidh (traditional Scottish dancing, pronounced kay-lee) going on, which turned out to be ill-fated. It was a packed, sweaty room, with more girls than guys and every guy I danced with I asked, "So, do you know how to dance this one?" replied, "No, I've no idea what I'm doing." I've got to find some real Scots in Edinburgh. I'm sure they're around somewhere. This place is full of the English (who aren't bad) and Americans (who also I guess aren't all bad). But seriously, if I'm anywhere within 15 minutes of the University I don't hear a word of Scots.

Ok, and I promise really soon I'll put up some pictures of my room and flat and Edinburgh, as well as a long travel entry about my trip to the Highlands.

God Bless the WWW

FINALLY! Oh, Internet, sweet internet at my flat!!!!

It has arrived.

One catch: ResNet blocks AIM and Skype and MSN. Argh!!!

Argh

So I STILL don't have the internet at my flat, after three bloody days. The computer/internet campus registration process here is dumb. You have to send an e-mail to ResNet, and then they send you one back saying you're connected. So... yeah... send the e-mail Monday and still no....

Bastards.

I've just been slightly busy here, running around doing errands. Fortunately, though, my to do list is quickly getting very short. All I gotta do now is buy food, open a bank account, get a job, and join some clubs. (I could complain and postulate on each of these, but really, it's rather boring.) Still sounds like a lot, but trust me, it was four times as long when I started. Also, it doesn't help that I keep getting distracted from my tasks by things like cool thrift stores and poster sales...

Due to the nature of me being a poor, cheap student, I (of course) walk to my errands instead of taking the bus. The bus isn't too expensive, only £1 a ride, but most of the stuff is within walking distance so it's ok anyway. Yesterday, however, I started walking until 9am and basically didn't stop except for meals and couple of quick meetings, and then went dancing late into the night. I'm getting all the exercise I didn't do over the summer in now. I really want to figure out on Mapquest exactly how far I ended up walking, since I went across town about 3 or 4 times. (That or you can send me a pedometer for my birthday.) I figure it'll be good for me, especially since the rugby trials are on Friday. Yes, "trials," not "try outs." Go figure, them Scots is strange.

The weather here has been GORGEOUS. It's absolutely mental how nice it's been. It sprinkled a couple of times yesterday, but it's been sunny, clear, and warm the whole time. I'm trying to enjoy as much of it as I can before it starts to get really cold.

Ok, I'm off to the Sports and Societies fair and to look for a job at the Centre for Sport and Exercise (the student gym, which you have to pay for! how lame is that?).

More later!

p.s. I finally have a cell phone here!But don't think I'm gonna waste my money calling you in the US ;) Download Skype and we'll talk. Actually, it's sort of ironic, it's 5p for calls to the US, 7p for calls to Europe, and 15p for calls in the UK. Funny.

From Scotland with love...

Hi all, busy times here!

I finally got back to Edinburgh from the Highlands last night, ran around getting my key and a sheet and duvet for the first night and had to pick up the rest of my luggage (a.k.a. clean clothes) this morning. Not so bad. Picked up my student ID, registered w/ the university, and got a free trip to Edinburgh castle today as well, so it was productive. Tomorrow I have the meeting w/ the school of Biological Sciences and I have to set up a meeting w/ my director of studies and get a proper acceptance letter w/ my address here so I can open a bank account. Whew! I also need to get some dishes and food, but unfortunately that seems to be second priority compared to everything else (including getting a cell phone and finding a job!)

I'm doing good, in a good sort of busy-stressed way. I just have a lot to do, it's all do-able, I have plenty of time, so it's just a matter of taking care of everything. I think I'll be making a trip to the Ikea nearby on Wednesday to pick up some room and kitchen stuff. My flatmates are very nice and (from the limited contact I've had with them) they seem quite polite and continetious. Rosie is from Worcester, Leila is from Canterbury, and Mysara (I'm not sure I've spelled that right...) is from Singapore. I feel sorry for some of the other Americans from our UC group, because they got stuck with all or mostly American roomates, instead of Brits. That's annoying, and I feel lucky I get to stay w/ foriegners (well, they're foriegn to me). Fortunately one roomate brough pots, another brough an electric kettle, and another brought a toaster and microwave. Hooray not having to buy kitchenware! I already have one mug, but 2 of everything else should do me. I'm torn whether to troll the charity (thrift) shops up and down the street outside my building or wait for Ikea and split the 6 for £4 glasses deals or something. I may be living off of cereal and apples the next few days too... Just so much to do! It's like starting university over again. But with more stuff to take care of. And having to do it all in another country where you don't know if Tesco or Marks & Spencers has the cheaper food. (For the record, it's definitely Tesco.)

Lastly, a note on other stuff I did in the Highlands that I forgot to tell you about earlier:
-Swam in Loch Ness (very VERY cold!)
-Saw standing stones (all over the bloody place!)
-Found out a bit about the Campbell Family History ... and, er, it's not that nice... (more later)
-Saw "heery coos" (again, more later)

I'll post pictures of Edinburgh and the Highlands and stuff once I get the freakin' internet at my flat. I should have it in a few days, but it's sort of a strange process here. You have to send an e-mail w/ your name, address, and computer operating system version to the Resnet office, and then they send you one back w/ the details of how you can get online. How you're theoretically supposed to have the internet in the meantime... I don't know. But I guess that's what the library is for.

miss y'all!

The HIGHlands

Hi Everyone! A quick note before I have to dash onto the bus to go see more of the Isle of Skye! Orientation was great, meeting other Americans and getting prepared to settle in and start class. But for the last 3 days I've been doing a backpacking tour of the highlands and its FANTASTIC! Briefly, I've:
-picked fresh blackberries
-eaten haggis (yum!), neeps, and taties
-heard bagpipes while walking the hills
-seen amaaaaaaaaaazing views
-bought super awesome wellies (with wellie warmers) and gone mucking
-scampered through the heather
-seen more castles than you can shake a stick at
-learned a shitload of scottish slang

...and a bunch of other stuff. pictures and more later!!

cheers!

O, Brave New World!: Arrival

Hi everyone, just a quick note to let you know I made it to Edinburgh in one piece. I wrote a longer, more formal and witty sort of "I've arrived" entry, but it's on my computer and I'm in an internet cafe right now. (I also don't feel like fighting with the strange configuration of British keyboards.)

To me, it doesn't sound like anyone in this town speaks English. But to be fair, they look at me as if I don't either.

More later.

Cheers!