June June June

Hi Everyone, just for fun I thought I'd start my entry off with an exciting complaint about the weather: It is frigid. Absolutely minging. Everything I thought winter would but shouldn't be, it is. Cold. Rainy. Windy. Incredibly miserable. It's so cold and humid the hand towel in the bathroom won't even dry. I asked someone when summer was going to get here. Referencing the few warm days had at the end of April, he said it was already gone. I can't believe I shipped my winter coat home. Actually, I can, but I regret it.

Anyway.

I've been up to nothing too exciting here, just working working working. And isn't that exciting. So I'll tell you about my trip to Venice then. I and several teammates from the rugby team went along to the Mirano (note: not Murano) 7s tournament, in a small town near Venice. The pictures are up from the tournament, with a lot of unflatering ones of us (in the light blue). We flew in Thursday morning from Liverpool and spent the afternoon toodling around the village nearby our hotel. Since the tournament was Saturday, we spent Friday, Sunday, and Monday in Venice itself. It was only 5 euros return to Venice, though on the slowest bus imagineable. Highlights of the tournament included:
-taking 2nd overall
-streaker on a bicycle
-large box of fresh fruit
-watching rugby all day, in a tournament atmosphere (which I miss from home!)
-getting to play 7s

Venice is a beautiful city. Saying that, I would never go there in the summer, for three reasons: the tourists, the smell, and the heat. It was already plenty warm and crowded when we were there, and I could tell that any warmer and the canals would smell quite a bit. Nonetheless, I had an excellent time there and would love to go back and explore more of Italy.

Being in Italy reminded me a lot of California -- it drove home really how much the southern part of the West Coast has a mediterranean climate. And of course I love the Italians. Good food, talking with your hands, not getting places on time... all things I can identify with. Ah, the motherland.Yeah, yeah, yeah... pictures to follow.

In the midst of all my working for the summer I'm trying to plan some weekends before the Edinburgh Festival rushes up in August and takes up all my time. Things have started going so fast here, since I started working. The weeks zip by as each day blends into the next, and weekends are even quicker. Before I know it it'll be time to go home. I'm finally starting to feel 'ready to go home' but I'm not ready to leave Edinburgh yet. Don't think I'll ever be really ready to leave this city, but by September I think I'll be really ready to go back home. Anyway, I'm planning trips to Paris and Dublin before I leave, and also probalby some places in England and Scotland.

Right, I need to sleep now so I can be functional at work tomorrow. I hate starting at 7.30am.