The truth about life as a househusband
Josie was here at the weekend and we saw a homeless man upside down with his head in a bucket and a woman in a cafe who'd forgotten to take the label out of her top. We didn't tell her....we couldn't after we'd sat and giggled for a few minutes. At least her top was a size 8 and cost £18 from Per Una. If I left a label in my clothes it would paint a less flattering picture of my wardrobe. It rained all weekend, and then today we had a 21 degree sunny summers day. I ate my lunch in the Princes St gardens under the castle and enjoyed the fact that I live here.
Chocolate is fast becoming a staple of my diet. This is a new development and one I don't like very much. Before I moved here I could avoid it for weeks and weeks without even thinking of having any. Now it is an almost every day event, mainly because I have no willpower in the face of housemates brownie buying habits.
I just read this,
The truth about life as a househusband and thought, wow. I too have to look up my postcode. I keep my life going through an assortment of lists of things to do and reminders on my phone. Sometimes I even remember my phone number.
Found that Alien Rock is 4 minutes away from my house...yes, only 4 minutes. Got chalky and gave myself sore hands bouldering last night which I have never really done. My climbing shoes really hurt too and the boy whose name I have forgotten pointed out that I must not be as hardcore as I used to be. Bear in mind I haven't gone climbing regularly for a few years, my feet aren't used to the tiny shoes and my hand-skin must have softened up. I can in no way be described as hardcore. Yesterday though, I gave part of a group presentation in class and found the union. Must be a student. If I'd had a beer rather than pasta and coke I would have myself convinced of that too.
And I join the ranks of the employed again....
Only for a day and a half per week, so if you were at all concerned about my career in academia, it's fine, I think I can handle it. It looks interesting and is relevant to my course which is ideal.
Beyond the forest
Some day, I really fancy going to
Romania
Obviously, I always think about the things I can't do, at the point when I have the least money and seriously can't think about doing this kind of stuff for a long time. In a spectacularly unproductive day off, I have uploaded music, visited M&S lingerie department to discover that the bits that need lingerie have "shrunk" (!!!!), and discovered a proper Frenchy shop with baguettes and French food and stuff. All the stuff in fact, that when I got to France in 99 it took Anna and I several hours to decipher and actually buy food. Supermarket shopping was not a speedy activity around that time of my life. The guy running it informs me that re-stocking will happen in a few days as it was kind of empty, but looks like it sells a decent baguette. And I went for a 'chat' the results of which I can't divulge until Monday. I also acquired free chocolate on the way home.....one of the brilliant things about Edinburgh. There are many, my bus whinge of yesterday is forgptten as I didn't have to take the bus today.
Edinburgh 101
It takes ages to get anywhere on the bus.
It's easy to fall asleep on the bus. Do not laugh at anyone you see doing this, it is probably me.
Some days, it feels like Scottish is a different language. Very foreign....or very Scottish. Same thing to me sometimes.
It takes ages to get anywhere on the bus. Bus drivers make up the routes themselves and the 8.20am bus is always early and the 8.30am bus is usually late. I have a natural tendency to be late...this doesn't help.
new things
I have been learning new words......went to the Stand last night for a £1 comedy night. Yes, this is a bargain, 8 or so new and not so new comics talking filth and making controversial statements such as "Lost is shit" and talking of the joys of sex on ecstasy. Bargain at £1. This is where I learned the term "Nedi". Now, having lived in Scotland for over a month, I know the definition of "ned", I think it is what we in the Isle of Man would call a scally. I think nedi is even better....although I don't think I've ever spoken to any, their comedy potential is unlimited. We laughed a lot, and occasionally made noises of complete disgust. I also managed to work for a few hours today....paid work not the studenty academic kind that I am here for (yes....£ into the account instead of just OUT). And I made Skype work and talked to Tae in Japan, which was cool. Leanne my housemate thought I had flipped....they all know I am a little too obsessed with my computer and she may have thought I was having a conversation with it. If I could.....
My great achievement of the evening though was to get a proper climb done. Pumped up lower arm muscles mean that even though I am thinking creatively and have brilliant stuff to blog about, I just can't. My little arms are too weak to type more than is strictly necessary.
Ben Lomond a couple of weeks ago
Putting photos on suddenly looked a whole lot easier than it used to be. No messing around with Hello and Bloggerbot and some other things that frequently went wrong and resulted in 12 different programmes opening whenever I connected my camera. so here we are. Sally, Mike,me & David on top of a Scottish mountain on a non-rainy Thursday at the end of September.
Nostalgia
I've just been reading Caroline's blog, and remembering how much easier it is to keep a blog when you have something going on in your life! Not that my exciting move to Edinburgh is not 'something', it's just that drunken Scots and pub nights have less exotic appeal than tango and drunken Bolivians. I do miss Bolivia. However, Charlotte and I didn't brave the world's most dangerous road on a mountian bike. Oooh no. We're much tougher. We did it on a bus remember.....I am not too cool to admit that that particular bus ride was the scariest night of my life. Imagine. 2 English speakers, 2 Germans and a busload of Bolivians who probably deal with that sort of thing all the time and think it's no scarier than one of the myriad stray dogs baring its teeth at you. I think that scared me too. Back to the bus and the mud and the near tipping-over experience. And all because we were being cheap and hardcore and thought that the plane was cheating. Also highly expensive at $45. Worth every penny for the way back! Was that really a year and a half ago? Talked to a guy from the climbing club for ages last night. Japan is now a definite for my list! I'm so excited about the potential for going travelling again. Caroline, if you read this, come back soon and get a boring job so I can calm my itchy feet damnit.
Rubbish at growing plants, OK at growing a new life
I have successfully joined a club, gone to the university climbing wall and had drinks with the mountaineering club.....in a pub. I may not have mentioned my complete lack of a social life, but luckily now I won't have to because it seems to be looking up. I'm almost feeling in demand. I said almost. I have things to do at the moment so I'm happy with that. I'm also wondering if I can track down enough Manx people in Edinburgh to start a society, hey maybe there already is one. I already have two on my list. My plant looks like it is struggling to survive in my room, whichs comes as no surprise to me. I don't talk to it, and as apparently I usually over water my plants, I've tried to curb this impulse. The poor thing now probably thinks there is a drought. Even the basil plant and the mint plant are , and I thought they were pretty hardy things. Basically, I can't use the leaves to cook with until the plants perk up a bit. I need plant tips.
2nd time fresher
I love my new computer, it's like a little baby. Sometimes it makes me cry, which is maybe the wrong way round for the analogy to work, and it really annoys me when I can't make it do what I want it to, but otherwise it's all going pretty well so far. I'm about to do a sociable thing and leave the house and go and find the university climbing wall. My climbing shoes have been given a massive shock....I removed them from under the bed, which is at least a start. Now I'm going to go and show myself up, I'm counting on there being lots of beginners there. Also, my second trip to the library is about to take place. Really, the only difference between last time and this time round is the amount of work I am doing. At least this time I know that I am supposed to be reading, I'm pretty sure in my first year at Birmingham, lectures were incidental. Economics being at 9am was a perfectly valid reason not to go, I'm pretty sure I still owe Jamie for my 7% pass margin in first year. The other differences are that I have not shelled out a random £6 to join the French society...don't think I ever turned up to anything they did and I have also not been chatted up by any 2nd years. In dodgy wigs. Crashing the Carwash party. Luckily.
hmmmmf
I left the house this morning at 8.15, expecting to be gone all day. I made packed lunch, medicated myself appropriately (rotten cold...could be interpreted as freshers flu) and got myself out the door in time for the 8.20 bus. Sat on bus. Sat on bus some more. Rumour started to go round that campus was closed.....this was true. Got off bus. Got back on again. My cold and I have only just arrived home. What a Monday. Time for more medication.
2nd apple post
Yes, I like the apple. A lot. My typing speed has apparently gone up by one word per minute, to 53wpm. I know this isn't fantastic, buit it's ok for someone who only spent a few hourrs learning to touchtype. I found my temp agency down a tiny lane in the city centre, and they took a picture of me. That is a new one, but probably a good idea. Except when you have been running to get there because said 'tiny lane' is a little hard to find. Lovely photo they'll have. Still, I need a job so....keeping on looking.
The first post of the brand new apple
Yes, I have been internetless for quite some time now, but this is the first post on the very shiny new apple iBook. I think I might love it. I was pretty impressed with the giant Tesco Extra and my first visit to Ikea....within three hours of moving to Edinburgh, thanks Becky for the trip, but this is like a new baby. And I haven't even looked at the ipod yet. Had my first class and got a student card yesterday. Next Monday I have a field trip to what will soon become a building site, but such is the nature of Urban Studies. I will probably spend the next couple of years looking at buildings that are about to be torn down, or big holes in the ground with the beginnings of foundations in them. Not so different from Douglas promenade then! There is a tiny flaw in the otherwise very perfect new dwelling. The place itself is lovely, I have a balcony, a nice bed, lovely wardrobes, lots of space for all the new electronic equipment that has recently entered my life in a big bang of wires and cables and USB (?) ports. My housemates are lovely too, we have a shared tendency towards TV and crisps, although this may change now I finally have classes to go to. However, our spiders are on the large side! And they are quick and they can run up the stairs. I am rubbish wiith spiders, too many legs if you ask me.
Spent last week somewhere near Loch Lomond, in Aberfoyle, staying at a beautiful place with Sally, a guy called Mike she met in Australia, and David came down for the last part of the week. We had much rain, warm rain luckily, but managed to plan to walk up Ben Lomond on the one day that there was not quite so much weather. Discovered many kinds of new alcohol and had some more haggis. Also fitted in a trip to Stirling castle, the Wallace Monument, Rob Roy's grave and the Ballaquhidder church which holds the bones of many of the clans MacGregor and MacLaurin, who seemed hell-bent on wiping each other out in the cruellest ways possible. Gory stories of arson and heads on sticks. So, looking forward to my next visitors for more trips and touristy things. Seeing a temp agency today to talk about earning some much-needed money, picking up my grant cheque this week too (well-deserved free money) and also playing with the new toys.
