Today the wind is violent enough to strip the bark off the trees, and I'm surprised it hasn't yet. Not a lot of rain, but it's blustery enough to make you feel like any contact your feet have with the pavement is a blessing. Everyone's hair dances above them like spirits trying to escape from the tops of their heads.
At least it's not raining.
Thursday, November 30
SUSA Champs!!! Wahey!!
I have excellent, important news: Today's 91-0 rugby victory over Stirling University made us, the Edinburgh University Ladies Rugby Football Club, the rugby champions of the Scottish University Sports Association. Not only that, but we are undefeated and not a single try (or even point) was scored against us. What does this all mean? We (1) get a fancy trophy, (2) are going to have an awesome night out tomorrow after our Christmas Dinner social, but more importantly (3) go into the BUSA Playoffs. (BUSA = British Uni. Sports Assoc.) There's two playoff rounds, quarterfinals, semis, and then the finals at Twickenham(!!!!) in London. Oh, we're so gonna make it. It's a tough road, but we're going into BUSA with the best record we've ever had, the only shut out win of SUSA we've ever had, a lot of talent, and a deep bench. Having lots of awesome subs is the most important, especially since last year we lost against (I think) Leeds Metropolitan Uni by 3 points with four starters injured and off the pitch (including the fly-half with a dislocated knee). I'm so excited. The first match is sometime in early March... which gives me enough time to start a weights program after Xmas break. Bring it on.
Here's me jumping in the line out (first pod, with superlifters Bunty and Lucy) during warm-ups:
And here we are, after the match! (note the bloody knees, their pitch was really gritty, argh):
I'm so excited. I think I'm going to go have some cookies to celebrate.
Here's me jumping in the line out (first pod, with superlifters Bunty and Lucy) during warm-ups:
And here we are, after the match! (note the bloody knees, their pitch was really gritty, argh):
I'm so excited. I think I'm going to go have some cookies to celebrate.
Friday, November 24
Thanksgiving
I attended what is perhaps the oddest combination of events yesterday. Of course, Thanksgiving is not at all a British holiday, so classes and business as usual were all in order and on schedule. A little after 5pm, I headed over to the Princes Street Gardens to watch them switch on the Christmas lights, which was supposed to take place at 5:15. Things were running late, as is expected with these sorts of events, so the "program" started at 5:20. This "program" consisted of several exhibitions by local figure skaters/ice dancers of various skill levels, including a synchronized skating team called Starz! and a snowman who lazily zig-zagged around waving at people for 3 minutes to music. Eventually the fireworks went off and the 7-year-old 4th place winner of some recent competition threw the switch and all the lights in the trees and rides nearby came on. A lovely spectacle, but I had icicle stumps for feet by the time it was all over.
I stumbled home on my immobile feet and began helping to cook Thanksgiving dinner. Some of the girls in the other flats organized a big dinner for all of us on the floor. Obviously, since corners had to be cut and various jobs delegated, the end result wasn't quite traditional. Our flat was in charge of vegetable dishes, so my two English flatmates took it upon themselves to make cooked carrots, leeks in cheese sauce, and baked parsnips. I don't even know what parsnips tastes like. Anyway, I couldn't stay for the actual dinner itself, so I did miss out on the chicken, peanut butter cookies, and parnsips. Yep, that's what happens when you leave Thanksgiving to the Brits. I got some of the leftovers when I came back from my previously scheduled evening plans.
Last night, I attended the Edinburgh University Amateur Boxing Club's Fight Night 2006 to see one of my rugby teammates make her boxing debut. It was a sold out event, with music and an MC and a real ring and referees in silly white pants and bowties. When Leah entered the ring we yelled and cheered, and then cheered her all the way through the fight. The bell rang, signalling the end of the final round and we anxiously awaited the judges' results... drumroll, please... it wasn't scored because it was a ladies' exhibition match. What?! That's some real old bullshit! That disappointment aside, Leah fought a great fight and it was the most exciting fight of the evening. I sort of expected to see a hint of the "majesty" or "beauty" in the sport that is always mentioned in movies like Rocky or Million Dollar Baby, but basically it was just a bunch of guys trying to give each other black eyes. In terms of gracefulness, I still prefer rugby.
So, figure skating and boxing, cooking and then having left-overs for Thanksgiving. Not a bad night.
In other news, I saw the sun today! Yes, it's really been that long.
I stumbled home on my immobile feet and began helping to cook Thanksgiving dinner. Some of the girls in the other flats organized a big dinner for all of us on the floor. Obviously, since corners had to be cut and various jobs delegated, the end result wasn't quite traditional. Our flat was in charge of vegetable dishes, so my two English flatmates took it upon themselves to make cooked carrots, leeks in cheese sauce, and baked parsnips. I don't even know what parsnips tastes like. Anyway, I couldn't stay for the actual dinner itself, so I did miss out on the chicken, peanut butter cookies, and parnsips. Yep, that's what happens when you leave Thanksgiving to the Brits. I got some of the leftovers when I came back from my previously scheduled evening plans.
Last night, I attended the Edinburgh University Amateur Boxing Club's Fight Night 2006 to see one of my rugby teammates make her boxing debut. It was a sold out event, with music and an MC and a real ring and referees in silly white pants and bowties. When Leah entered the ring we yelled and cheered, and then cheered her all the way through the fight. The bell rang, signalling the end of the final round and we anxiously awaited the judges' results... drumroll, please... it wasn't scored because it was a ladies' exhibition match. What?! That's some real old bullshit! That disappointment aside, Leah fought a great fight and it was the most exciting fight of the evening. I sort of expected to see a hint of the "majesty" or "beauty" in the sport that is always mentioned in movies like Rocky or Million Dollar Baby, but basically it was just a bunch of guys trying to give each other black eyes. In terms of gracefulness, I still prefer rugby.
So, figure skating and boxing, cooking and then having left-overs for Thanksgiving. Not a bad night.
In other news, I saw the sun today! Yes, it's really been that long.
Wednesday, November 22
Oh, nothing important...
No, really, nothing exciting is going on in my life, I just realized that October had about 20 blog entries while November has something like 4. I'm just trying to make up for the disparity.
We had a rugby game today against St. Andrew's, and beat them 29-0 or 37-0 (I forgot to count). Either way, we shut them out. It was a scrappy game on a very muddy field, the kind that just sucks your feet in and makes it 20 times harder to run. Now we're all knackered and can't move, myself included.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the good ol' US of A, but tomorrow is only the first of two Thanksgiving dinners I'm actually going to be attending. I'll be honest, I don't mind, even though it means I'm going to have to cook twice.
My hair is growing out in a lovely shade of sandy blonde, and now I've got between 1.5 and 2 inches of it. Roots, anyone?
Um... that's about it. I'm sitting at my desk eating chocolate buttons. I've got to finish a paper before I go out tonight. That's my exciting Scottish life for you all!
Oh, and I'm going to Barcelona for a few days in December after exams. Que bueno!
We had a rugby game today against St. Andrew's, and beat them 29-0 or 37-0 (I forgot to count). Either way, we shut them out. It was a scrappy game on a very muddy field, the kind that just sucks your feet in and makes it 20 times harder to run. Now we're all knackered and can't move, myself included.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the good ol' US of A, but tomorrow is only the first of two Thanksgiving dinners I'm actually going to be attending. I'll be honest, I don't mind, even though it means I'm going to have to cook twice.
My hair is growing out in a lovely shade of sandy blonde, and now I've got between 1.5 and 2 inches of it. Roots, anyone?
Um... that's about it. I'm sitting at my desk eating chocolate buttons. I've got to finish a paper before I go out tonight. That's my exciting Scottish life for you all!
Oh, and I'm going to Barcelona for a few days in December after exams. Que bueno!
Saturday, November 18
Who needs better blogging motivation than Insomnia?
It's 6.15am and I can't sleep, so I suppose a nice update-y blog is at least somewhat better than lying in bed and staring at the ceiling.
I'm absolutely loving being in Edinburgh, it's a fantastic city. Pretty much every day when I'm walking down the street I look around and just think, wow, I'm really here. The city is gorgeous, with the various styles of architecture and long windy streets. Sure, it's frustrating that the same road changes names with every bend, every three or four blocks, but to be honest it's just part of what makes Edinburgh funky and unique. (For example, the street I live on is South Clerk Street, then Clerk Street, then Nicholson Street, then South Bridge, and then North Bridge as you travel northwards from my flat, all in less than a twenty-minute walk.) And speaking of walking, that's about all I do here to get around. If it's raining hard (which doesn't happen nearly as often as I thought it would) or I'm going some distance away or I'm really really lazy I'll consider hopping on the bus, which is easy as pie as it's only £1 and the busses go everywhere. But other than that, I walk, especially since I have all my classes down at King's Buildings (called "KB" for short, they're all the university science and engineering buildings). They're a 25-30 minute walk south of my flat, so I spend a good hour or so on foot every day. Now that it's November, it's cold and windy a lot, but after a couple of minutes at brisk pace you warm up and, to be honest, it's really quite enjoyable. It gives me time to think and listen to new music and look at the sky and the cool buildings I walk past.
On to the weather. As previously mentioned, November = wind + chill + chilly rain. Though I have gained an appreciation for walking, I haven't yet extended the same warm feeling towards the weather. The bad news is that it's going to get colder. A lot. (And maybe even some snow.) The good news is that I bought an amazing red scarf that's about 6 feet long, 18 inches wide, and practically an inch thick. To top it off, it's fuzzy and soft and was cheap at H&M. Essentially, this is going to allow me to spend the winter looking like a yenta or a furry red mummy from the neck up. But there's more bad news: the days are short and getting shorter fast. It's dark if I get up too early in the morning, the sun starts setting around 3:30, and it's dark before 5pm. Gaaaah.
It's getting late into the semester and everyone is swamped with work. Essays, projects, presentations, and just plain old studying (or "revision" as they call it here) for exams are in the house. I myself am lucky enough to be similarly blessed, with an Ecology paper and Stats assignment both due Monday, on top of everything else. Wahey.
I'm keeping up decently with the news and zeitgeist at home via any news that's big enough to break on the international version of BBC, a few of my favorite columnists (Mark Morford, Dan Savage, and a few others), and online episodes of South Park. I do miss California (and its weather), UCLA, NorCal, wearing flip flops in the rain (I think my feet would fall off or shatter if I did that here), my friends, my parents, my pets, burritos, sushi, dim sum, and plenty of other stuff about home in general. But y'know? It's worth it just to be here.
That's my life. It's not in shambles. (Although I am in dire need of a pair of slippers... my feet are constantly cold...)
I'm absolutely loving being in Edinburgh, it's a fantastic city. Pretty much every day when I'm walking down the street I look around and just think, wow, I'm really here. The city is gorgeous, with the various styles of architecture and long windy streets. Sure, it's frustrating that the same road changes names with every bend, every three or four blocks, but to be honest it's just part of what makes Edinburgh funky and unique. (For example, the street I live on is South Clerk Street, then Clerk Street, then Nicholson Street, then South Bridge, and then North Bridge as you travel northwards from my flat, all in less than a twenty-minute walk.) And speaking of walking, that's about all I do here to get around. If it's raining hard (which doesn't happen nearly as often as I thought it would) or I'm going some distance away or I'm really really lazy I'll consider hopping on the bus, which is easy as pie as it's only £1 and the busses go everywhere. But other than that, I walk, especially since I have all my classes down at King's Buildings (called "KB" for short, they're all the university science and engineering buildings). They're a 25-30 minute walk south of my flat, so I spend a good hour or so on foot every day. Now that it's November, it's cold and windy a lot, but after a couple of minutes at brisk pace you warm up and, to be honest, it's really quite enjoyable. It gives me time to think and listen to new music and look at the sky and the cool buildings I walk past.
On to the weather. As previously mentioned, November = wind + chill + chilly rain. Though I have gained an appreciation for walking, I haven't yet extended the same warm feeling towards the weather. The bad news is that it's going to get colder. A lot. (And maybe even some snow.) The good news is that I bought an amazing red scarf that's about 6 feet long, 18 inches wide, and practically an inch thick. To top it off, it's fuzzy and soft and was cheap at H&M. Essentially, this is going to allow me to spend the winter looking like a yenta or a furry red mummy from the neck up. But there's more bad news: the days are short and getting shorter fast. It's dark if I get up too early in the morning, the sun starts setting around 3:30, and it's dark before 5pm. Gaaaah.
It's getting late into the semester and everyone is swamped with work. Essays, projects, presentations, and just plain old studying (or "revision" as they call it here) for exams are in the house. I myself am lucky enough to be similarly blessed, with an Ecology paper and Stats assignment both due Monday, on top of everything else. Wahey.
I'm keeping up decently with the news and zeitgeist at home via any news that's big enough to break on the international version of BBC, a few of my favorite columnists (Mark Morford, Dan Savage, and a few others), and online episodes of South Park. I do miss California (and its weather), UCLA, NorCal, wearing flip flops in the rain (I think my feet would fall off or shatter if I did that here), my friends, my parents, my pets, burritos, sushi, dim sum, and plenty of other stuff about home in general. But y'know? It's worth it just to be here.
That's my life. It's not in shambles. (Although I am in dire need of a pair of slippers... my feet are constantly cold...)
Friday, November 10
The Week of Silence
Sorry, everyone, for being so remiss in updating you all to my every doing. In my defence, this is how I felt this week:
Yep, my bag lady reputation is unrequiteably international. Hoo-rah. (It only works it if you say it like Jamie Foxx in "Jarhead.")
SO I've done lots of stuff this past week, like:
-Climb up Arthur's Seat to watch the fireworks across the city for Bonfire Night, and fortunately climb back down before the brush fire (caused by a stray firework getting blown into the dry gorse. "No DUH" say the Californians.)
-Ended up in the wrong lecture (NOT AGAIN! I swear the universe is shifting on me as the days get shorter...)
-Had my first radio broadcast on Fresh Air (Aherm, if you missed it, you can catch it every Tuesday on www.FreshAir.org.uk from 9-10.30pm GMT!)
-Been in battle with a nasty cold that's trying to convince my lungs to escape from my chest via coughing fits
-Ran headfirst into a Dundee Uni player during a rugby game in an attempt to do something useful (instead giving myself some nasty headaches); but we still won 12-0, so all's well that ends well, eh?
-Attended the Edinburgh Uni Men's Rugby Ball with the ladies' team, in all its vomitous squalor (them, not us)
-Shared a lovely (and gratis) evening meal with the lovely ladies of my rugby team, (pre-men's rugby ball). It was much more civilized.
-Err, and lots of other stuff I'm sure!
But when not feeling like crap, I'd say I clean up quite well! For contrast, here's some of us ladies at the rugby ball (note the terrible lack of sobriety in the background):
Coming up in the next few days (so you can pre-emptively live vicariously through me) I'm going to the Scotland v. Romania Rugby Match at Murrayfield (THE Scottish Rugby Stadium), playing a rugby game in Glasgow, and then going to see Art Brut in Glasgow. Quite a bit of rugby and quite a bit of Glasgow! Sometimes I wonder what city I live in!
Last thing, I swear. I've also discovered the TV show Little Britain which is hilarious. I highly recommend it, it's a great show about Brits spoofing Brits. (You can find links to it here, but shhhh...) The best quote? "Fancy a holiday and all the seats to the Arctic are booked? Why not try Scotland!" Ahh yes, winter is soon to be upon us here.
Yep, my bag lady reputation is unrequiteably international. Hoo-rah. (It only works it if you say it like Jamie Foxx in "Jarhead.")
SO I've done lots of stuff this past week, like:
-Climb up Arthur's Seat to watch the fireworks across the city for Bonfire Night, and fortunately climb back down before the brush fire (caused by a stray firework getting blown into the dry gorse. "No DUH" say the Californians.)
-Ended up in the wrong lecture (NOT AGAIN! I swear the universe is shifting on me as the days get shorter...)
-Had my first radio broadcast on Fresh Air (Aherm, if you missed it, you can catch it every Tuesday on www.FreshAir.org.uk from 9-10.30pm GMT!)
-Been in battle with a nasty cold that's trying to convince my lungs to escape from my chest via coughing fits
-Ran headfirst into a Dundee Uni player during a rugby game in an attempt to do something useful (instead giving myself some nasty headaches); but we still won 12-0, so all's well that ends well, eh?
-Attended the Edinburgh Uni Men's Rugby Ball with the ladies' team, in all its vomitous squalor (them, not us)
-Shared a lovely (and gratis) evening meal with the lovely ladies of my rugby team, (pre-men's rugby ball). It was much more civilized.
-Err, and lots of other stuff I'm sure!
But when not feeling like crap, I'd say I clean up quite well! For contrast, here's some of us ladies at the rugby ball (note the terrible lack of sobriety in the background):
Coming up in the next few days (so you can pre-emptively live vicariously through me) I'm going to the Scotland v. Romania Rugby Match at Murrayfield (THE Scottish Rugby Stadium), playing a rugby game in Glasgow, and then going to see Art Brut in Glasgow. Quite a bit of rugby and quite a bit of Glasgow! Sometimes I wonder what city I live in!
Last thing, I swear. I've also discovered the TV show Little Britain which is hilarious. I highly recommend it, it's a great show about Brits spoofing Brits. (You can find links to it here, but shhhh...) The best quote? "Fancy a holiday and all the seats to the Arctic are booked? Why not try Scotland!" Ahh yes, winter is soon to be upon us here.
Thursday, November 2
Of Utmost Importance!
Listen up, people! Yours truly has just gotten her own radio show on Fresh Air! It's called "Rhymes With -Unk" and is on Tuesday nights, 9-10:30pm here, which means it's on 1-2:30pm in California and 4-5:30pm on the East Coast. I expect you all to listen! No excuses! Just go to www.FreshAir.org.uk to tune in. (And if you want, you can be a creepy stalker and check out the webcam on there as well.)
Regarding the name of my show:
I'll play mostly old funk and punk
Maybe even a li'l crunk
(Though I think it's mostly junk)
NO, I won't show up drunk.
Also, philosophical musical discussions
about which I've thunk.
Anything I'm missing? Maybe an interview with a hunk?
Regarding the name of my show:
I'll play mostly old funk and punk
Maybe even a li'l crunk
(Though I think it's mostly junk)
NO, I won't show up drunk.
Also, philosophical musical discussions
about which I've thunk.
Anything I'm missing? Maybe an interview with a hunk?
Halloween and STUFF
Halloween, here in Scotland, is a much more pagan celebration than in the US. Rather, there is a pagan celebration for Halloween. Tuesday night, I and a few friends went to watch the procession, which snaked its way down from the Royal Mile to The Mound. You're supposed to follow the parade down to a stage for a little theater, where Winter battles and defeats Summer or something symbolic like that. There were four main groups: green nymphs, red devils, black wolves (some on stilts, some as drummers with really cool white face paint), and some white angelic/druid-y looking people in flowy robes. Oh, and there were also a few people in blue who ran around the whole procession hitting people in the crowd with large branches. I'm not even kidding. Anyway, each group put on it's symbolic bit of theater, most of which I had a hard time seeing as I was buried halfway back in the crowd. However, I did eventually get a little closer in time to see the battle between two green men wearing only kilts and weilding a variety of weapons, including swords, sticks, and a flaming ball on the end of a length of chain. One defeated the other by choking him with his bare hands, then a blue lady came onstage, revived the dead one, and "married" the victor. Oh, and there were giant, flaming antlers as the backdrop on the stage and crazy pagan drumming and singing as the soundtrack. It was pretty sweet and like nothing I've ever seen, to say the least. Best part? This happens again, and in about three-fold size, in May. The closest equivalent I can draw for you readers at home is that it was like a Berkeley Co-op party. Except about 40,000 times cooler. And with less nudity.
Then guess who I saw down at the Hermatige Braid during my Ecology project on Wednesday morning? I'll give you a hint, they were dancing around a bonfire, naked, and several still had body paint.
OhMANohmanohmanOHman I am going to FREEEEEZE when winter actually gets here. The past couple of days, the weather has been unusually cold (in the 30s) and I've been just holding on. As soon as I stepped outside on Tuesday, all intentions of holding out and keeping my winter coat in my closet until the mid-November flew away about as quickly as a plastic bag in a tornado. I do have more jumpers I can pile on underneath my coats, thank goodness, so I'm not at a complete loss for future warmth, though I could probably do with a few more thermal shirts.
Also in the climate front, the days have already begun to be massively shorter. It's only November 2nd, and the sun doesn't rise until about 7:30am, and begins to set around 4:30pm. It is completely dark by 5:30. You look out the window at 6pm and you think, "Agh! Where did the day go?! It's night, I have to start getting ready to go out! Oh, wait... it's only 6:04. I've still got 4 hours..." Before I know it, the sun's gonna be up at 11am and down again by 2:30pm, or something like that. It'll be as light at 3pm as it is at 3am. I don't know. I'm just trying to prepare myself for the worst. Sigh, I hate being 55 degrees North.
And now for something completely different, how come no one told me that habeas corpus got shot in the face by George W? (And Congress, for that matter.) I just found out about it yesterday! Sigh, I don't miss having to put up with that kind of crap at home, but it's almost worse putting up with it over here because I have to make a sheepish attempt at explaining it and be the immediate terminus for ridicule of All Things American. It's a similar feeling to the one I get when people decide to tell dumb blonde jokes around me, even when they insist I don't qualify as one.
Then guess who I saw down at the Hermatige Braid during my Ecology project on Wednesday morning? I'll give you a hint, they were dancing around a bonfire, naked, and several still had body paint.
OhMANohmanohmanOHman I am going to FREEEEEZE when winter actually gets here. The past couple of days, the weather has been unusually cold (in the 30s) and I've been just holding on. As soon as I stepped outside on Tuesday, all intentions of holding out and keeping my winter coat in my closet until the mid-November flew away about as quickly as a plastic bag in a tornado. I do have more jumpers I can pile on underneath my coats, thank goodness, so I'm not at a complete loss for future warmth, though I could probably do with a few more thermal shirts.
Also in the climate front, the days have already begun to be massively shorter. It's only November 2nd, and the sun doesn't rise until about 7:30am, and begins to set around 4:30pm. It is completely dark by 5:30. You look out the window at 6pm and you think, "Agh! Where did the day go?! It's night, I have to start getting ready to go out! Oh, wait... it's only 6:04. I've still got 4 hours..." Before I know it, the sun's gonna be up at 11am and down again by 2:30pm, or something like that. It'll be as light at 3pm as it is at 3am. I don't know. I'm just trying to prepare myself for the worst. Sigh, I hate being 55 degrees North.
And now for something completely different, how come no one told me that habeas corpus got shot in the face by George W? (And Congress, for that matter.) I just found out about it yesterday! Sigh, I don't miss having to put up with that kind of crap at home, but it's almost worse putting up with it over here because I have to make a sheepish attempt at explaining it and be the immediate terminus for ridicule of All Things American. It's a similar feeling to the one I get when people decide to tell dumb blonde jokes around me, even when they insist I don't qualify as one.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
