Melinda's Edinburgh Journal

Last Lecture

2004-12-03T16:04:00.000Z

Awwww - today was the day of my last Scottish history lecture...so sad. I really enjoyed it. Prof. Boardman was talking about Renaissance art a bit today and put up this picture of what he described as Saint "Someone I forget" tickling Jesus - SB: 'Like, he thought, maybe I'll try and cheer him up.' Check out painting here:

Chuffed!

2004-11-27T15:49:00.000Z

I'm going to see Franz Ferdinand in Glasgow!!!!!!!

M.

p.s. Loads has happened, stay tuned for updates.

Liverpool Photos!

2004-11-19T17:39:00.000Z

Click here!

Mrs. Fedder

2004-11-19T16:11:00.000Z

So, my sister is coming tomorrow, and I am incredibly happy about that, but also extremely stressed out. Most of you know me well enough to know that I am all about showing people the BEST time and I always want things to be perfect. Up until about an hour ago, I was having a terrible day just because of the stress (dirty house, no food, no shampoo, no hot water, tons of essays, need to do laundry etc. etc.). Well, then I get a note through the mail slot saying that I have a package. Who is it from??!?! Two guesses.

The Lovely Mrs. Fedder has outdone herself again (my mom cannot even be bothered with one package, she's always like 'I'm such a bad mother!' which of course she isn't, she's lovely, just busy). but Mrs. Fedder not only sent me pure American chocolate (Hershey's!) but colored pencils, and had taped on a sharpener by herself!! That's what REALLY blew me away - now THAT is thoughtfulness people - to anticipate a lack of a proper pencil sharpener.... wow, I am so impressed.

Anyhow, I really appreciated it so thanks Roberta and fam - love you all! I'll be sure to make a run over to Honeysuckle Lane over Christmas break to give you proper gratitude hugs. =)

The point is... I'm feeling better. Isn't it nice how presents do that? That's why everyone feels so gorgeous over Christmas - there's just thoughtfulness and love and generosity in the air. It's beautiful.

Well, I best stop wasting time and get on those essay, eh? Miss you guys - see you soon. (Barely a month left!)

Hope This Works...

2004-11-16T13:45:00.000Z

How to make a melindaupenn

Ingredients:

3 parts intelligence

3 parts courage

3 parts instinct

Method:
Layer ingredientes in a shot glass. Add a little wisdom if desired!

Personality cocktail
From Go-Quiz.com

Film Review: Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

2004-11-16T13:36:00.000Z

So I went with Christina last night to see the sequel to Bridget Jones's Diary. I had a few drinks beforehand and was in a chick-flick mood, so all the signs were in favour of the movie. However, it was a bit unoriginal. A lot of repitition from the first one and it was quite predictable. Yet, there are genuinely funny moments and Hugh and Colin are as gorgeous as ever. Still a feel-good flick. So basically I got out of it exactly what I expected - a few cheap laughs and a warm and fuzzy feeling. I'm a terrible film reviewer. Basically, if you're a girl or you really liked the first one - go see it, if not, skip or wait to video.

Cheers!

HELP!

2004-11-14T17:51:00.000Z

So, Becky is coming and I wanted to do a bit of the Highlands with her.

I have three choices:
1. Take her to Inverness, go on a cruise of Loch Ness, explore Urquhart Castle for two days.
2. Take her to Fort William, explore Glen Coe region for two days.
3. Take her on a massive train journey on the West Highland Way (supposed to be one of the most scenic rail journeys in Europe), part of which is the Hogwarts Express, from Glasgow to Mallaig, a small fishing village. Stay the night there and then get a train early the next morning to Fort William to do some exploring there then back to Edinburgh.

Which option? I'm leaning towards three, but Loch Ness is supposed to be amazing.

Help me out! Cheers, M.

Appeal for mail.

2004-11-14T17:25:00.000Z

I have definitely not received enough mail during my time here. There have been a few attempts, some postal mix-ups, but basically I have only the Fedder family and my grandmother to thank. I feel like a failure abroad. Isn't a measure of your social success equal to the amount of post sent your way by loved ones? Haha, I'm only kidding, of course, but some mail would be nice (the fishing doesn't end).
My address, to avoid any further confusion, is:

431 Fraser Court
Romero Place
Dalkeith Road
Edinburgh EH16 5BJ Great Britain

It's a lovely address, don't you think?

Well, this weekend has been an uneventful one. We did go to Establishment on Friday, which was good fun, besides the fact that I had been bold enough to wear Pamela's 4-inch high black stilettos - which my feet promptly thanked me for during the massive queue. But a good time was had by all, thanks to cheap drinks and fantastic dance music (I eventually just took off the shoes, cuffed my jeans and went for it, American style). Last night was quiet, spent some time watching the classic chick flick, Bridget Jones's Diary, with Pamela and Paul (going to see the new one on Monday, I believe). The days have been spent mostly curled up with Jeremy Bentham, daydreaming about the economic implications of the greatest good for the greatest number. Ah, yes.

My sister is going to be here in less than a week!!!

More politics.

2004-11-13T17:34:00.000Z

I suppose this goes out more to my Scottish friends than my American ones, but definitely take a look at this website (esp. the gallery) - Thanks Tom, by the way - www.sorryeverybody.com.

And what about this Arafat thing? I don't even know what to think about that yet.

Yeah, I pretty much have nothing to say.

Happy Birthday Laura and Justine!!!

I am going to miss this place.

2004-11-11T16:35:00.000Z

Last night, I was sitting in my living room, trying to get some reading for Celtic Civilisation done. I found myself there with a can of Irn-Bru, a Penguin bar and consciously turning football (Celtic vs. Rangers) on the television - and really watching it. I then realized exactly how much I am going to miss it. I've really become accustomed to the lifestyle and culture here - I love it's quirks, it's slang, it's odd brand of humour (and even the spellings). Note: pure Scottish humour = the show 'Chewin' the Fat'... if you get the chance, watch it - hilarious!!

Slang that is classic: chuffed, muntered, gutted, mengin, all the terms for drunk (pished, slaughtered, mashed, etc.), quality, magic, pure, kirsty's infamous 'are you havin' a laugh?!', so many more!!!

Plus, of course, all the people - my fabulous flatmates - they all look so innocent!! Paul and his love of musicals. Bari - who 'feels' everything. Charlie - who is just indescribable. Christina - mad philosophical debates into the wee hours. Devon - mad political debates into the wee hours. All my professors - esp. Prof. Boardman (Scottish history) who segued today into Edward II and the 'red hot poker' issue as well as attempting to capture the phrase 'warrior-poet' - "Agh, he's coming at me with a rhyming couplet!!!" The list goes on.

That being said, I do miss you all very much, esp. my mum!!! Christmas will be quite a joyous occasion, although I wouldn't be surprised if you heard of me moving back to Scotland in the future....

Guy Fawkes Night and Haggis

2004-11-08T09:17:00.000Z

So, they have this holiday here in Britain to commemorate the failed attempt of Guy Fawkes to blow up the Parliament building. November 5 is Guy Fawkes Night or Bonfire Night. On Friday, like a good British citizen (as I am doing my best to emulate one during my stay) I climbed a gigantic hill, dodging amature fireworks until I got to the top, sat on a ledge with my friends and spent hours singing songs from musicals, watching an insane amount of fireworks and admiring the view of the castle. It was magical. Although I don't know how great the reason for celebrating is. That'd be like us, if the attack on the Twin Towers had failed, throwing around paper airplanes every September 11th. Bit morbid. But it's all part of the British charm.

More info on that: http://www.bonefire.org/guy/

Oh! And thanks to Kirsty, I had my first taste of haggis. It was actually pretty good. Everyone had me so scared. But I am definitely glad I gave it a shot. May even have it again...

11 days until Becky comes to visit!!! =)

WILD!!!

2004-11-03T20:37:00.000Z

Ok, as if this day couldn't get any more surreal... I just got a friend request and a message (through www.thefacebook.com) from my elementary school boyfriend!!! Now, for those of you who aren't familiar with my past, I lived in Colorado for basically, elementary and middle school, then moved to Pennsylvania at the end of 7th grade. The only person I keep in contact with in Colorado is my former best friend for years from there, Shannon (who just got married!). So getting an e-mail with Josh Reilly's name on it was a TOTAL SHOCK. Anyhow, I sent him a return message and I'll keep you posted on what I find out. Still... such a random thing! The world is so big but so small at the same time.

M.

Just a note

2004-11-03T20:26:00.001Z

AND I'M, BY NATURE, A FUCKING OPTIMIST!!!!!!!!!!!!

Away Messages

2004-11-03T20:03:00.000Z

Just want to remember this moment in time and how excited all my friends were about the upcoming four years...

Beccerweccer: Ben: congratulations to president bush on his first election win

deannalorraine84: praying for a miracle

vidrotime: shooo-wee...i don't want dem gays gettin' married, gotta vote for bush!! daaammnn, these lines were so long! now if you eexccuuuuuuse me, i gotta go home and fuck my sister! praise the lord!

Starf1sh25: It is a dark day for America...welcome to office President Moron..and welcome to the beginning of the end for the rest of us... I am ashamed to be American today... in fact, I think I am moving to Canada...

charmed by u 03: "Never argue with an idiot. They'll drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience." there are apparently more uneducated people in this country than i could've imagined

JroseM11: 4 more years of nothing.. I'm so exicted for more of my friends to go to war, and more of my family to lose thier sjobs.. and if I'm lucky, there might be a job left for me when I graduate, only if the US hasn't become so involved in a war that doesn't concern us and gone so far in debt because the president was on vaction!!! Was a change too much to ask?

banky983: Six o'clock - TV hour. Don't get caught in foreign tower. Slash and burn,
return, listen to yourself churn. Lock him in uniform and book burning,
blood letting. Every motive escalate. Automotive incinerate. Light a candle,
light a motive. Step down, step down. Watch a heel crush, crush. Uh oh,
this means no fear - cavalier. Renegade and steer clear! A tournament,
a tournament, a tournament of lies. Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives
and I decline. It's the end of the world as we know it. It's the end of the world as we know it. It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.

Way to go guys. I think we have all collectively captured the mood. As for my away message:

melinda167: I'm officially moving to Scotland when I finish my degree. I do not want to be a part of anything that administration does. Cheers, America - well done, again.

Halloween and Election Day

2004-11-03T16:16:00.001Z

I did not stay in or go see a movie on Halloween. It was pointless saying so, I knew I'd eventually be dragged out. So I put on some cute cowgirl outfit and we were off to a club called Frankenstein's (quite appropriate, I know) for some food, drink and dancing. Then we went to a goth and rock club where I stood out to the max called Opium (£1 drinks!!) for the rest of the night. A fantastic time was had by all and climaxed in a hilariously Scottish singing of The Sweater Song by Weezer in the middle of Cowgate by Lucy's boyfriend Sean. *I have a re-enactment of this on video from our flat later that night*

But, now on to more important things... I did, in fact, stay up the entire night watching election coverage. It is amazing the coverage you get over here on the American election. I went to a newspaper shop which housed all major international papers (Le Monde, El Pais, Die Zeit, etc.) and every one's main headline was Bush vs. Kerry yesterday. The BBC had coverage all night and I was there, on the floor of my flat with a blanket, a pillow and the pink special pillow Tash's mom sent me (named 'Gretchen') nervous as all hell. Three cheers for Pennsylvania though - that made me proud. But this ultimate shit, with knowing that Bush won but not being entirely certain, is a complete pain. How did it all go wrong? Philadelphia county was brilliant - 80% Kerry, but Lancaster County was quite disappointing - 66% Bush. But we all knew it would happen. It's weird though, people over here cannot even understand why people would vote for Bush. They see him in an entirely different light. He's a war-mad idiot, not the protector of America. I think that's how many Kerry supporters also see Bush, but it's hard to explain how Bush supporters view Bush to a foreigner (most confusing sentence ever). I don't know. I went to bed at 8 AM and woke up at 3 PM - my mind is not in a clear state. I have a Scottish history due on Monday and all I want to do is mourn for the future of our country. Maybe this is karma. We didn't protest enough against the war in Iraq and now we're getting punished for it. Like, we have to finish what we started and with all the same material. No fresh start for America, no way. We've got to push it through to the end with a fucking asshole at the healm of our ship. Now I don't even know what I am saying. I'm just upset. Aren't we all? A lot of us knew that Bush would win, but still wanted to hold on to the teeny bit of hope. It's gone now and I have a dreadful feeling about the whole thing.

St. Andrews Photographs

2004-10-31T13:55:00.000Z

I realized just now that the photos to Saint Andrews were not viewable. Why didn't anyone tell me? Anyhow, I fixed it and now you can access them by clicking below.

LINK TO ST. ANDREWS PHOTOS

Trainspotting

2004-10-31T11:31:00.000Z

Happy Halloween everyone! It's not quite the same in Britain, but it's here. There are lots of parties tonight, all welcoming fancy dress (the British phrase for costumes) and I haven't yet decided whether or not I will indulge. I don't have a costume for one. And another, it just wouldn't be the same as home. Halloween was always such a blast at Penn - remember Tash's tinkerbell costume last year? Honestly, how could I top that? I may just go watch this film, it's supposed to be quite good, "Shaun of the Dead" - bit of a horror genre mocking flick, I think. Or maybe Pamela and I will go see "Saw"... she's been wanting to do that.

Anyway, my flatmate Pamela brought Trainspotting, the film, back from Fort William (she went home for fall break). It has been on our telly NON-STOP since then. It's quite ridiculous but such a BLOODY BRILLIANT FILM! It's amazing. The cinematography is unbelievable. Plus it's fun to watch now because it takes part mostly in Edinburgh so we're all like "oh that's the street *insert name of club/bar/pub/etc.* is on!" And don't even get me started on the soundtrack.... FANTAAAAAASTIC! It's been a Danny Boyle/Ewan McGregor-worshipping festival in the flat as of late. In short, in you have not yet seen this movie, do it immediately! Besides the hard drugs, it will give you a little bit of a glance into what my life is like (the accents, the city, etc.).

Note: Apologise for shameless use of British slang in this entry - watched a bit of Harry Potter last night and cannot help it.

Oh... and Begbie. BEGBIE!!!!

With God On Our Side

2004-10-30T13:08:00.000+01:00

I'm in Edinburgh University's main library (which is nothing, NOTHING compared to the wonders of Van Pelt, or the Fine Arts, or even the Dental) and it is about 1:10 PM on Saturday. I've come to write my Celtic Civilisation essay, but I felt a little diary-like release might put me in a better mood to start with the academics (since I haven't really done any since I've arrived). I'm actually looking out of a window at a row of houses that look like they could easily be from the 19th century - with the stone and the multiple chimneys and the grey. There's a kirk (church) with a clock in the tower behind them which just adds to the old time aesthetic. It's quite nice, really. The trees are turning brilliant shades of gold here, as I'm sure they are in Pennsylvania. The sky is a creamy shade of grey and despite the lack of sun, there is pleasant weather outside. Overall, a perfect Edinburgh Saturday. And I'm stuck in the library.

No bother though. I will tell you one thing that's really been preying on my mind lately and that is the election which will take place in *gasp* three days. According to my BBC news source, Bush is still leading in the polls. For those of you from glorious Solanco High School, you will remember Matt Jackson, no? He randomly IMed me yesterday and we got talking about politics. For those who do not know, Matt is a marine and is presently stationed in Japan, although he said he will probably be going to Iraq shortly. He has already voted...for Bush. He had his reasons, and I suppose they were alright ones, but I obviously do not agree. He informed me that the military was pretty split down the middle about the election. I'm guessing that is how the entire country will be. It's quite nerve-wracking... sometimes while watching the news I get a large feeling of dread about the whole deal. I did my part though. I hope you all did yours. Note: I extremely encourage political commentary on this blog!

Oh, I forgot to mention the meaning of the title of this blog. The BBC is doing a lot of specials on America as of late, and one of them is about the moral stance and political history of George W. Bush and it's called "With God On Our Side". It looks intriguing really, and is supposed to examine how much using Christianity as a political platform affects a candidate's success.

I shouldn't write for too long, but I will try and at least start describing my trip to Ireland. Well, it turned out that practically every room in Dublin was booked on Saturday, so I had to find a way to get to Dublin on Sunday morning without neccessitating a room. The flights were no good and the railway was no help, so that left the bus. So I took a ridiculously long bus ride overnight to Dublin (including a ride on a very nice Irish ferry) and arrived extremely early in the morning. I wandered around to find my hostel, got there, dropped off my luggage, freshened up and went off to explore, all by myself.

I walked through Temple Bar in the early morning chill, through a deserted Trinity College and past a stunning Christ Church Cathedral. I found a place called Bewley's to have a very large, very delicious breakfast, bought a map and planned my day. It started with a trip to the Guinness Factory.

The Guinness Factory really was an enjoyable experience and I learned a lot about the process of making lager. You got to smell all the stages of brewing: the barley, the mash, the yeast. You learned about thelife and investments of Arthur Guinness - quite good ones. I found the section on advertising to be particularly interesting - did you know the Guinness Book of World Records was invented to settle bar disputes? And of course, there was a free pint at the end of the tour in their Gravity Bar, which is home to an almost 360 degree view of Dublin. It was perhaps the best thing I have ever tasted.

After the Guinness, I decided it was time for a walk. It was about noon and I ventured past the cathedral and past Dublin Castle. Dublin Castle has very strange opening hours, so I didn't go in, but it was a beautiful building from the outside. I went into a little cafe, for a muffin and some hot chocolate (I'm actually addicted to hot chocolate in autumn/winter) and then decided to visit Trinity College and see the Book of Kells, which is made all the more interesting as I have just studied Celtic art in Celtic Civ and the Book of Kells is supposed to be the last and most quintessential piece of Celtic art.

Once inside the Book of Kells display, you are led through a rather interesting maze of facts on Celtic art, the practice of script writing in monasteries, monastery life, Christian symbols and their meanings, etc. Plus you view a few lesser manuscripts. There are also some wonderful poems on the act of writing, written by monks, which are quite nice. Anyhow, it all leads up to the climatic viewing of the Books of Kells, which is extremely impressive in its artistic stylisation and massive amount of detail. Plus, the colors are extraordinary. I really enjoyed it.

After viewing the book, you then go into Trinity College's Old Library - which is really just as impressive. It is stacks and stacks of old, old books, alphabetised and all leather bound. On either side, there is a row of busts of famous philosophers, authors, doctors commissioned by the college many years ago. There was even a Dr. Gilbert, who I will have to look into the history of at a later time. Many of the others were more familiar names: Plato, Socrates, Jonathan Swift (Trinity Alum), etc. Down the center of the library was a collection of satirical cartoons which I really enjoyed - they were all about Napoleon! Oh, it was fantastic.

Afterwards I was feeling a bit restless, so I decided to go for a stroll in Saint Stephen's Green. What a magnificent, gorgeous piece of land. The colors of the trees, the ponds and the greenest grass you have ever seen. I stayed there for quite a while, just meandering.

It had started to drizzle, just a bit, by this time and I decided to stick it out anyway. I went for a walk in the Georgian section of Dublin and admired the architecture there. The rain had stopped and I proceeded to Temple Bar. There was a quite funny street comedian performing, his name was David McSavage, I believe and I stayed there and listened for a while. Then I proceeded back to the hostel for a proper shower.

After my shower, I headed out to find some food, took a long walk around Dublin (knowing this would probably be my last chance to do so) and then headed to Temple Bar (not the area this time, the actual bar) for a pint. It was a nice one and I met some rowdy Australians, but nothing too great. Besides, I was entirely knackered and wanted a bed more than you can imagine. So I headed back a bit early, met some nice people at the hostel and slept a beautiful sleep.

I'll stop there and resume with Monday morning and the beginning of my tour of Southern Ireland the next time I feel like writing. Until then,

M.

I Love Guinness.

2004-10-29T17:25:00.000+01:00

Ok, I don't have a lot of time to write, although I promise to do so shortly. Ireland was absolutely FAAAAAAAAN-tastic. The scenery was unbelievable and I had a really good time. And a note, the Guinness tastes at least a million times better in Ireland. So much so that in the span of 4 days/3 nights, I drank 13 pints of Guinness (approx. 1.6 gallons) as well as a few shots of Irish whiskey, some Bailey's, some Murphy's (smooth, like) and had an Irish coffee. I was really trying to imitate the authentic Irish lifestyle. I think I did a pretty good job.

More details later, mates.

Ireland, Here I Come.

2004-10-22T21:06:00.000+01:00

You lot were no help at all with Dublin. Oh well, I think I have a fairly good itinerary planned - Guinness Factory, Book of Kells, Castle, Museum, The Cobblestone pub... We'll see how it goes.

Anyhow, I'll be gone from tomorrow to Wednesday, so don't be expecting any updates. But when I comeback - I should have a mouthful (I will, after all, have kissed the Blarney Stone). Not sure if that is a proper metaphor, considering I have to type, but you all understand.

Have a lovely weekend - and fall break for those of you at Penn or Edinburgh!!!

Sigh.

2004-10-21T21:50:00.000+01:00

"Oh no, here comes that sun again
That means another day without you my friend."

First Odd Dream of the Semester

2004-10-20T17:56:00.000+01:00

Well, the first one that I remember, anyway. In my dream, I was Sean Connery's bodyguard and I had to protect him. There was also a Sean look-a-like who was supposed to stand in for Sean in case there was a situation where he would potentially be in danger, but the look-a-like was a rebel and wouldn't do a thing I told him to. I told him to go wave to fans, and he told me to fuck off and it was quite frustrating and the whole time, the real Sean Connery was very apathetic and almost seemed depressed. I had no idea what to do. So in my dream, it faded into another scene where I was in some crazy cobblestone basement with tennis courts and a full bar. Now, I waited in line for the bar for some time with my sister Becky and when I got there I order a Schmirnoff Ice Peach Lite - I remember this quite well - BUT THERE IS NO SUCH DRINK - but there should be...mmmmm.... Anyhow, I got my drink (because in my dream it existed) and watched all these little girls play tennis. My other sister Katie was there, but she was lying on the floor in a sleeping bag and refused to get up. Becky and I kept trying to get her to go play tennis, because for some reason we knew she could beat them but she wasn't having it. And that's when I woke up. Not terribly exciting, but still random. Please post your interpretations. =)

Simply Do Not Have The Time To Do This Blog Justice

2004-10-19T17:56:00.000+01:00

Hiya! (Typical Scottish greeting) Well, as you can imagine, Liverpool was fantastic. An unremarkable city, but I WAS ON PENNY LANE!!! Haha, immense Beatles fan freakout. Actually it was terribly cool. We went to the Beatles Story Museum where I learned more than I ever expected to know about the Beatles, and then went on a great vintage bus for the Magical Mystery Tour, which took us to all the Beatles Liverpool hotspots. Then, on Sunday, we visited the docks and the Maritime Museum, which was far more interesting than it sounds. Overall, it was fantastic. I will probably detail this more later, assuming I find the time to do so.

Last night, we celebrated Lucy's 18th birthday by going to a club called Why Not? It was the usual debauchery, but a complete blast, as everyone was in the high spirits which only a special occasion can bring out. Took some pictures of this one.

I am going to go on a tour of southern Ireland next Monday-Wednesday (it's our fall break), but I will be spending Sunday in Dublin. Any suggestions for things to do (besides drink Guinness)? I'm sure there's plenty, but it's always good to get advice from friends.

On to the semi-exciting news, I have posted more pictures! Here are the ones of my trip to St. Andrews:
CLICK HERE

Note: These do not yet have proper captions, and although I tried my best to put them in chronological order, they are not. Will fix both these problems ASAP.

I'm A Terrible Blogger

2004-10-13T17:41:00.000+01:00

I know, I know - I haven't blogged in days... but there are many reasons for this. 1) I have been quite busy, academically, socially and otherwise. 2) I've been extremely sick, thus staying in bed. 3) I've spent all my time on the internet searching for airfare for my darling little sister Becky so she can come see me. Note to everyone: Buying airplane tickets is a HUGE PAIN IN THE ASS!!!

Anyhow, I can't write now - still searching various travel websites.. but here's a little teaser about things I'm going to write about in the (hopefully) near future: My first game of Shagtag, the opening of the Scottish Parliament, and the awesome time I'm going to have in Liverpool this weekend!

Cheers, mates. M.

On Commenting

2004-10-03T20:10:00.000+01:00

For those of you who are new to reading blogs, if you wish to comment, but don't wish to register (BECKY) then just click on "Post Anonymously". Also, in reference to something else I've written on my blog specifically aimed at my sister, I don't think that all bloggers are self-involved. It was just a discussion we had. Most people who blog are just either expressing themselves creatively or informing their friends of neat things or any of a number of perfectly respectable reasons for blogging. I know that using this medium makes it hard to interpret sarcasm, but I'm trying my best, so please don't get offended. =) Cheers.

Edinburgh Pictures

2004-10-03T14:18:00.000+01:00

Photos link:
http://photos.yahoo.com/melindaupenn
Greyfriars Bobby full story link:
http://www.greyfriarsbobby.co.uk/story/story.html

First Adventure: St. Andrews

2004-10-03T13:15:00.000+01:00

Ok, I am well aware that I have been letting the blog slip a bit, not updating regularly and what-not. For that I apologize, but I have been busy, so this should be a relatively interesting post. Plus, I have pictures!

So, I last wrote on Tuesday therefore I will start with Wednesday. I am fortunate enough not to have any classes at all on Wednesday and I had decided to get a bit of exercise in. I went to Holyrood Park in the morning (home to Arthur's Seat) which is quite a walk in itself (because I went to the main entrance, opposite the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where the queen chills when she's in Edinburgh) and then just started walking on random trails. Now, the park is full of craigs (typically used in the north, a craig is a form of the word "crag" meaning "A steep or precipitous rugged rock." Courtesy of the Oxford English Dictionary, www.oed.com) and these craigs have many trails on them. Here, in Britain, they do not call huffing and puffing up trails of dirt and rock "hiking", they call it "walking" - so do not be fooled when you are asked to do some walking, wear proper shoes. So after quite a bit of walking (approx. 2 hours) around various craigs in Holyrood Park, videotaping good views, and listening to The Smiths on my MP3 player, I decided to head back down to town, grab a bite to eat and then head off to a beginners fencing lesson. The first thing I learned is that fencing is much harder than it looks. For one thing, you must keep your knees bent at all times and your feet perpendicular to eachother. Also, the "on-guard" position consists of contorting your arm and wrist in a quite uncomfortable way. Then there's the lungeing (sp?). But it was quite fun, nevertheless, and I will be continuing it. Not to mention, one of the older members of the fencing squad was ridiculously good-looking.

Wednesday night I met up with Christina at a pub called The Abbey for dinner. We got gigantic cheese and bacon burgers (note: in the UK, bacon is more like ham), chips and salad, plus beer (of course) for approx. £3 each (not including beer). I adore pub food. Anyhow, we ate the monstrous meal and had noticed that the pub was really filling up. Not to mention the appearance of 4+ identical green and white striped shirts. Possessing the intuitive minds that we do, we finally deduced that we were in the midst of the start of a football game: Glasgow Celtic vs. Milan, as it were. We stayed for a good 20 minutes amid the drunken, rowdy crowd, and I must have heard the phrase "fer fuck's sake!" at least 45 times. It was quite an extraordinary experience and I definitely plan on going for another game, getting a proper table with a good view of the screen, and staying for the whole time.

Thursday, I had a ludicrous tutorial at 9 AM, followed by another at 10. Tutorials are like recitations, except attendance is required and it's where you really get graded. Really boring stuff though, and too early for me.

Thursday night I spent trying to get back all of my lost sleep from the night before (the girls had come back roaring drunk) as well as much of Friday morning. Speaking of Wednesday night, one of the girl's boyfriends has a little brother who came over quite late on Wednesday, when I was forced to get up and shut off the music, making the poor, pissed girls apologize all over themselves. His name was Nicky and upon finding out that I was American he proceeded to ask me the most hilarious questions, such as: "Do you live in a big house, like the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?" "Do you live, like, in the ghetto?" (West Philly, yo) and my favorite, "So do you own chains? Big ones?" Apparently, because I'm American, I'm supposed to have a large collection of bling.

Friday night I went out with Nicole and Christina to the movies. We saw Wimbledon - ADORABLE - I need my own Paul Bettany. Before the movie, we had some ridiculously expensive cocktails and a very posh bar called The Slug and Lettuce. And after the movie, we headed to a bar/restaurant called Negociants, where I ate my first Sticky Toffee Pudding. It was like heaven in my mouth. Really. If you ever have the chance, eat it. Delicious.

Despite going to sleep after 4:30 AM, Saturday morning, I woke myself up at 8 to meet Christina and catch a bus to St. Andrews for the day. The bus ride was quite nice, and we got excellent views of the Firth of Forth and the Fife countryside - including green pastures with sheep and cows, quaint stone cottages, the sea, and fishing villages. It was incredibly picturesque. And that was just the ride!

St. Andrews is a small town, and I don't think I would've liked to have spent more than a day there (so glad I decided not to study abroad there, by the way), but it is incredibly beautiful and perfect. The weather was absolute shit in Edinburgh, but it was sunny and cool in St. Andrews. There were beaches, with kids and dogs playing in the sand. There was the cathedral and the castle. There was perfect stone houses covered in ivy with flowers on the windowsills. There was the golf course. It is picture perfect, no doubt about it.

We went first to St. Andrews Cathedral and the graveyard surrounding it. The graves were centuries-old and included some pretty famous people, including the philosopher Adam Ferguson - former professor and namesake for one of our university buildings. Typically, graveyards make me a bit uneasy, but I was just bowled over by the beauty of this one. I'll post pictures of it soon.

The remains of the cathedral were also quite breath-taking (due to the Reformation, everything medieval in St. Andrews consists of ruins - the cathedral, castle, etc.). We climbed to the top of St. Rules tower, which consitsed of extremely narrow and steep winding stairs - reminiscent of our trip to Prague and the Great South Tower there, remember girls? From the top, the views of the town and coastline were fantastic and there was a great, rough sea breeze.

After that, we headed to the medieval St. Andrews Castle. These were also ruins, but terribly gorgeous ones. The grass was so green (as it is in most of Scotland) and the sea an intense gray-blue - it made for excellent photographs. We climbed around the ruins, poked into old rooms, took loads of pictures, listened to history lessons from a ridiculously knowledgable staff, and marvelled at the beauty and age of it all. We also got to climb in very small mines / countermines used in the old days to try and infiltrate the castle / stop enemy forces. The history of the place is fantastic. Read about it here: http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/standrews/standrewscastle/.

After that, we walked along the coast, past the British Golf History Museum, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, and the Old Course. We decided to play a round at the Himalayas Putting Green, right next to the Old Course, and just as immaculately manicured. St. Andrews is, after all, the home to the sport. Well, I am the first to admit that I am a terrible golfer (actually, not really a golfer at all, I've only putted and gone to the driving range a couple of times) and Christina is not great either (sorry hun, but you're not) so it was spectacular when the group of Scots behind us (two young attractive guys with what appeared to be their fathers) started to joke around with us. They were all terribly charming and quite good-natured, which was important because on some of the holes, we took as many as 7 strokes (not to mention the photographing and videotaping). I had been doing a bit of golfing with bags on my arms, and one of them remarked, "Oh, her handicap is just because of all those bags" to which I smiled and replied, "Yes, that must be it because usually I'm really good." It was loads of fun and definitely great to say that I did at least partial golfing in St. Andrews.

Speaking of the bags, they were filled with my first souvenir purchases since arriving in Scotland. I got a two things for myself, plus a few postcards. I bought a book on the rules of golf - which is fantastic and another thing, which some of you may figure out if I send you a letter. *wink* It was great because I have been searching for this mystery object for years, and I got to buy one in St. Andrews!

Anyhow, that's pretty much all that's been happening around here. I'll be spending today doing schoolwork (bah) and hopefully seeing Girl With A Pearl Earring tonight at the Film Society screening. Hope all is well at home.

The R.E.M. Post

2004-09-28T21:23:00.000+01:00

I decided to title it that because I have like, three points related to REM to bring up in this entry. 1. While I was still in America, over the summer, I was listening to a classic rock station. REM came on it! I would like to know when REM became classified as classic rock?! The more insane thing is that I was talking to one of my flatmates, who is, obviously, from Scotland and she said that she heard the exact same thing. REM came on a Scottish classic rock station! Is it just me or does this seem bizarre? 2. I had never heard REM's "At My Most Beautiful" before today (I borrowed Lucy's Best of REM cd) - it is painfully gorgeous! For some reason, it just hit those inner chords that make my heart ache. Fantastic. 3. I thought I had three points, but I realized that I only have two - sorry! Maybe I should retitle the post...

I mentioned before that they do indeed have The OC on television over here, but the greatest thing is their commercial for it. It shows all these scenes, says various things about in the OC, sex is always on the menu and other such nonsense, but then at the very end of the advertisement, this woman says in this shockingly commanding voice: "Welcome to the OC bitch." This description hardly does it justice but it is the most hilarious thing.

Pamela's friend Alex, from Fort William, stayed with us yesterday and today. I didn't go out with them all last night, so I only really got to talk to him today. We got talking about me being from America and eventually the question "so how do you like Scotland?" came up (because it always does) and that was when the conversation because really awkward because of course I was like, "Oh it's fantastic, and gorgeous - I just love it here" and then he was like "What are you talking about - Scotland's shite." How are you supposed to proceed after that? Anyhow then I went on to talk about the lack of history in America and how everything over here is so old - and he was like "that's cuz we're too poor to build anything new." The whole conversation went pretty much like that, for about half an hour. It was really terrible - but I must have somehow saved myself from sounding like a complete arse, because about five minutes before he had to leave to catch his bus back to Dundee (where he attends university) he was like "I have to say, you're really attractive" which TOTALLY caught me off guard because then I just stuttered for about 30 seconds and was like "well you're really cute too" which wasn't a lie, he was, sort of young Mick Jagger-esque, but the whole scene came COMPLETELY out of the blue. So then it was like "well you better go catch your bus... I'll probably never see you again." Really odd day. I'll have to figure out how to handle conversations like that in the future - Johanna, prepare yourself as well.

I met this guy, Sam, from UPenn about a week ago. He's in my Scottish History class. When I met him, I had no idea what was going on - I almost missed the first meeting of Scottish History, and would've, if he hadn't told me about it. We got to talking and then he says, "Wow, you're really unorganized. Not at all what I'd expect from a Wharton student." I was like, Bullet Through The Heart! Ouch! I felt so insulted. But it was true. I had lost a lot of my Wharton-ness. I've gotten a bit more together since then, but I am still only a fraction of the anal-retentive uber-organized completely OCD Wharton freak I used to be. It changes you over here. The professors, the students, the adminstrators, nobody here is organized - it's strange how quickly one can adapt his or her behavior to the environment.

I love walking down the streets of Edinburgh. The buildings are just gorgeous. The people (for the most part) are gorgeous. And you're pretty much just surrounded by beauty. What is even better is walking down the street with my MP3 player on, because then that just adds music to the mix, when pumps up the enjoyability factor even more. Some of the best ones I've been listening to are:
"New Slang" -The Shins
"Instant Pleasure" -Rufus Wainwright
"Women's Realm" -Belle and Sebastian
"Sex Bomb" -Tom Jones (this one would explain how I get an odd sort of strutting to my walking sometimes - people are probably like, what the fuck is with her, but my hips just go completely mad to this song!)
Try it sometime!

"Yeah you're worth the trouble and you're worth the pain
And you're worth the worry, I would do the same
If we all went back to another time
I will love you over."
-Belle and Sebastian, "Like Dylan in the Movies"
***These lyrics can make almost any landscape incredibly beautiful - one of my favorite verses of all time.***
Note: I know I went through like, a B&S overdose last year after the concert, but I can't help listening to them here, now that I'm actually IN Scotland - they fit perfectly.

Did you know that Edinburgh used to be know as Dunedin - which is incredibly close to Dunedain - Tolkien friends Holla!

There was no point to that last comment.

Guns 'n Roses is immensely popular over here. They are played and mentioned EVERYWHERE. It's crazy - although I must admit, I do like some of their stuff. Sam has this one poster with Axl Rose wearing a kilt - it's fabulous. Also, a note on fashion, most of these kids dress like they're rock stars - it's amazing. Ripped jeans, goth accessories, dyed hair, leg warmers for christs sake. I feel like the odd one out in my amazingly conservative clothing. But it's cool, I like it - in fact, I'm incredibly jealous of their boldness.

I had Scottish History today and took to reading the multitudes of phrases inscribed on the wooden desk in front of me. The three most amusing for today were:
"Edward 1st fucks the Scots pussy"
"Long live the Irish (crossed out) English (crossed out) Scots (crossed out) Irish Kings"
"The Scots fuck Edwards Army at Stirling Bridge"
You have to admire their passion for history.

Jump (For My Love)

2004-09-27T20:42:00.000+01:00

One thing I forgot to mention about last Friday night was absolutely magical! The DJ at Siglo played the song Jump (For My Love) which is the song that Hugh Grant dances to in Love Actually - you know the one! Well, I was taking a dancing break with my friends at that point and we were just standing by the bar when the song came on. So I start doing all the cheesy Hugh Grant dance moves and bump into this insane guy doing the same thing - we had a total Love Actually dance-off in the middle of the club - it was FANTASTIC!

Speaking of music, the whole scene is quite different here. Indie music is REALLY big (seems like an oxymoron, that sentence) as well as really cheesy music, i.e. Queen and Meatloaf. In fact, Queen's Don't Stop Me Now is like one of the hottest songs - I hear it all the time when I'm out - it really is a marvelous song though - I encourage everyone to start listening to it right away. Also, I heard a terrible remake of a Pink Floyd song today, I forget which one, done by the Scissor Sisters - dear lord someone please murder them for that. Jesus, sacrilege!

I really don't sound like an intelligent person in these blogs. I read over them earlier, and I sound like a 16 year old girl just babbling. It's hard though, to form a cohesive entry when really I have no point - it's all just the things I would e-mail friends anyhow. But I am constantly surrounded by teenage girls (haha, if only I were a guy) so maybe that has something to do with it as well.

I actually suppose that not many of my friends would truly recognize my behavior here. Yes, I am the same old Melinda, deep down, but there's a new conservative and quite reserved aspect to my actions nowadays. It's difficult to explain, but the feeling that not only you are being judged when you're out in the outside world, but also your country is being judged by you as a representative of it (this is the world's most awkward sentence!) can really have a large effect on your attitude. You all know me, in America, I'm loud, quite brash at times, arrogant, etc. I don't really give to much thought as to what others think. Here, I often feel quite restricted in my actions and speech, I'm very sensitive and self-conscious as well. Then I feel like I'm becoming boring. So, here is the question I pose to you: better to be boring and not offend others, or be loud and (let's face it) American and possibly send a bad (although accurate) message about the behavior of Americans?

It doesn't help that I absolutely cannot explain the George W. Bush phenomenon. So many Brits have asked me, how did this obviously stupid man get elected? What am I supposed to say - because our country is full of idiots who vote for the party, or because Al Gore is a tremendous bore, or because America is just full of idiots, or what? I suppose the 2000 election wasn't that bad, but if he gets re-elected, I'm just going to die of shame. Maybe I'll be sure to keep a Scottish accent when I return, lie, change my name to Kaelin McGregor, change my citizenship, and start a whole new life without an asshole as my president (although there is Blair to consider...) tough choice.

Alright, now I have to figure out which places in the UK I am going to visit. I would appreciate ANY help or opinions on this matter, so please e-mail or post your thoughts. Here are some of the places I've been considering:
Glasgow, Liverpool, Dublin, Ft. William, Stirling, Sherwood Forest/Nottingham, London, Aberdeen, Isle of Skye, Inverness, Speyside Trail (whisky distilleries), York, Loch Ness, St. Andrews, Loch Lomond, any suggestions? Especially good would be other places in Ireland, I'm hoping to spend my fall break there.

Well, thank you any help and thank you for reading all of my babble. Miss you. Cheers.

French Toast and Jam

2004-09-26T17:27:00.000+01:00

Jam is the greatest! I just love jam. Last night, I stayed in, because I was completely knackered (tired) from the night before. Well, my [homosexual] friend Paul stops by with his flatmate around 11 and we decide to watch Cruel Intentions and comment on the gorgeous guys - Ryan Phillippe for me, Joshua Jackson for him - "It's Gregory!". Well after the movie was finished, I decided that I really wanted French Toast and Paul decided that we had to watch the movie The Rules of Attraction, which I had never seen before - odd film by the way, and we never did finish it so I still have to watch the ending. So I made the French Toast (which for some reason, I always feel compelled to capitalize) but we had no maple syrup. Paul says that typically, in Scotland, they eat French Toast with salt - same with oatmeal! I was like, nooo, we Americans like our breakfasts sweet! So we decided to substitute raspberry jam - and oh my gosh it was so good - you HAVE to try it. Anyhow, the whole thing led to another crazy long night (I think I went to bed about 5:30 AM) proving that even when I stay in, I still don't sleep. Ah well, such is life.

I was watching Friends this morning, part of Season 6, I believe, and I realized how much I really really really miss all of my friends from home. "I'll be there for you...cuz you're there for me too...do do-do do do do do do doooo." There just is no replacing any of you! You're all so special and dear to me and I can't wait to be back in Philly seeing everyone again. Like old times. Sigh.

Ok I'll try and stop being so boring and melodramatic and discuss something of at least a little educational value. Hmm... Dirty Sanchez. Some of you may have heard this phrase before to describe an absoluely filthy sexual act, but here it is the name of a foursome of Welsh men, who are basically the UK's equivalent of MTV's Jackass. I've only seen the show once, but it was disgusting - drinking vomit and other such nastinesses (that's a word - I decree it so!). Well, the EUSA (Edinburgh University Students Association) hired them to perform at Pleasure Dome Launch, one of the Freshers' Week events. I didn't go, but I knew some folks who did. What apparently happened was after a performance of revolting proportions, one of the members of Dirty Sanchez broke a beer bottle and started to mutilate himself onstage. Then proceeded to cut the hands of Freshers with the same beer bottle. I was absolutely astounded when I read about this in the university paper. Fucking crazy.

So I was sitting in the International Office the other day and picked up a copy of TIME Magazine. It had an article about up-and-coming European cities, and Glasgow was one of them - namely for its music scene. I completely agreed, of course, Belle and Sebastian, Snow Patrol, Franz Ferdinand, etc. I'm really looking forward to going there to visit (it helps that my friends from Glasgow are always raving about it as well) and perhaps it might even be somewhere I could look for an internship/job in the future. I don't know. I really am loving Scotland to death, but Edinburgh is on the small side of cities (half a million people), and Glasgow is HUGE. We'll see - I'll let you know how the trip goes. But anyhow, read the article if you can get a hold of it.

Paul is a law student and the other day we were watching the news and discussing political stuff. Human rights came up and he said that Americans are protected by the Constitution and our basic rights are 100% protected and Congress could never take them away. Whereas, in Scotland, they were granted their human rights, but if Parliament wished, they could take them away in a second, because they're not written anywhere. How scary is that?!

Did anyone else know that the term "scuttlebutt" meant gossip? My mom used that word on the phone this morning and I was like "WHAT?!?!?!" Haha, actually it was more just like "What?" but I like to exaggerate sometimes.

Geek friends, is there still going to be a Lord of the Rings musical?

Well, I was going to do some work, but I think I'll just go watch 21 Grams instead. Love you all and miss you tons!!! Cheers.

Another Night Out and Bridget Jones

2004-09-25T21:23:00.000+01:00

It's Saturday night, about 9:30, and if I were any sort of proper student, I would be preparing to go out again. But I'm nowhere near a proper student, thus I am sitting in the Microlab and typing for all of you. A little later on, I may watch Pleasantville with one of my flatmates, maybe do some reading for class - I am so boring! Actually, it's just making up for the absolute madness which was last night. I'll recap...

So, you read about the boredom last night, well, once we went out (that is, myself, Christina and Nicole - the girls from DC) the boredom was completely gone. We had a couple cheap drinks at Potterrow (a student union building) then headed for the Three Sisters Pub. It was entirely packed, full of Stag parties, we guessed. In Scotland, bachelor parties are called "stag parties" and bachelorette parties are called "hen parties". I don't think they really do the whole stripper thing, but they sure do go crazy in the pubs. So anyhow, we danced to some really great music - everything from Help! by the Beatles to Yeah by Usher, Ludacris, etc. - and made some interesting acquaintances - hah - but it was definitely a good time. Well, we partied there until it closed at 1 AM, then headed down the road (we were on Cowgate) to a club called Siglo which was open until 3. It was so cute, we went up to the door and the bouncers just kind've stood there so I was like "well, do you need ID?" and the one was like "No...just a snog!" We laughed and headed in without snogging the bouncers, needless to say, but it was cute nevertheless. We then danced for 2 more hours in Siglo, making the acquaintance of quite a few adorable Scots (I, for some reason, am an attractor of the really mad ones - I don't know why, but it's how it always goes), even though we could barely hear them over the music. The walk home at 3 AM was lovely, but what was even better was the grilled cheese sandwiches I made when I got back to the flat...mmmmm....

Today, since I didn't get to sleep until after 4, I slept, then read quite a bit, then went to a showing (The Diet Coke Film Festival showing, to be exact) of Bridget Jones' Diary - LOVE THIS MOVIE! Actually it made me miss our own Brigit, because she looks quite a bit like Renee Zellweger (this Scottish man did a really adorable introduction before they showed the film, and he pronounced Renee like "Rennie" - so odd). But a wonderful film, and a really chill day. Then back to the flat for more reading, Pamela's welcome-home from Fort William (inclusive of an eating of her mum's homemade carrot cake), and a massive group devouring of Chinese takeout. Now I'm here. Quite uneventful really. Supposedly, the UK's top ten films include Gladiator, Bridget Jones, Love Actually (because nobody does romantic comedies quite like the British), Pulp Fiction, Dirty Dancing, Pretty Woman, Lord of the Rings, and that's all I can remember at the moment. Interesting list though. If someone in the States has the Diet Coke list of America's top ten films, I'd be interested in hearing the results.

It was another pretty nice day though, and Arthur's Seat was calling me again. It's about 800 feet high, just daunting enough for me to not want to take it on all by me onesies (ah, Pirates of the Caribbean slip). Speaking of which, my flatmates bought this most excellent poster of Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow for the living room - yummy. Anyhow, pretty uneventful stuff today but I want to write about a couple topics in the future: Dirty Sanchez, Glasgow in TIME Magazine, and human rights in Britain. Will do later, I promise. Cheers.

That Pre-Clubbing Boredom

2004-09-24T20:56:00.000+01:00

I am definitely experiencing the pre-going-out boredom that attacks many of our kind on Friday nights. It's too early to leave, but too late to do anything else. I've already eaten, I've already showered, there's nothing.

On the bright side, today was GORGEOUS! Probably the most beautiful day we've had so far. I wanted to climb Arthur's Seat so badly, but then I got a headache unfortunately - but someday soon I will! Oh gosh, there is so much I want to write in here, but I'm afraid I'm not going to get to it all. I still have to straighten my hair, anyway.

One thing, if by chance, any one can make it here by next Thursday - Tiffany - that's right, "I think we're alone now..." Tiffany - is singing at an 80s roller disco hosted by one of our student unions - should be a good time.

I had the most excellent time at a nightclub called City this Wednesday. Apparently this club was made popular because Justin Timberlake decided to pop by and dj at an MTV movie awards thing a year or so back. Anyhow, the club deserves it - it was absolute madness. I saw briefly the most gorgeous human being in the world, sporting a black suit jacket and fantastic hair, but was to chicken to talk to him - AAAAGGGHHH the stinging pain of regret. So I've decided no more of that - I'm a charming American redhead - I will talk to whom I please. =) We'll see about that tonight.

Fun slang - to "pool" (or "pull", I'm not quite sure) a guy means to make out with him. It was fun trying to figure that one out at first. My flatmate: "Yeah so I pooled this one guy" Me: "where did you pull him and why?" Flatmate: "what the fuck are you talking about?" Actually I don't think it happened like that, but I'm sure you can use your imagination to figure it out. Also, supposedly this one club has a thing of Tuesdays called Shagtag - I'm so dying to find out about that one. I'll put it on my to-do list.

The night after going out to City, we got one of the guys in our house to dress up like a woman, makeup and all, and it's all on video. Perhaps I'll post it someday. A little immature, I know, but I'm pretty much a freshman again - so forgive me! His name is Bari, and you don't pronounce it like "Barry", its like "baaaah-ree". So ridiculous. He deserves it just for having a name like that.

Bah, that's all the pointless gibberish I can think to talk about. I met with Liz Simpson from the Penn-Brown-Cornell Centre in London (she came up to Edinburgh the other day) which was quite pleasant - they're going to reimburse me for 75 pounds of entertainment/travel costs! Hurrah! No seriously, I need the money. I spoke with my darling mother the other day and she was like "I checked your bank account the other day... yeah, you've spent about $500 since you've been there." GOD DAMN THE EXCHANGE RATE! YOU BRITS WITH YOUR STUPID STRONG ECONOMY! Actually I can easily just blame George "I'm a complete idiot" W. Bush for flushing our economy down the shitter. Ah, the cursing is coming out tonight, even without alcohol lubrication. It should be an interesting night.

Well, I do miss you all so much and hope to hear from you soon. Night!

Do It

2004-09-21T17:46:00.000+01:00

First day of classes... how exciting! (Read as if you were Prince John in Disney's Robin Hood, i.e. "A crown... how exciting!") This is exactly how I felt about getting back to classes. Honestly, I was so ready for it. Unfortunately, today was not a day of REAL classes, but of first meetings, where you fill in forms, get schedules of lectures, etc. But it was something! Finally, a release from the unbridled chaos of the last week. You all probably think I'm terribly boring, but I need some sort of routine - or else, my life just turns into madness. I don't know what to do with myself and I end up becoming a completely worthless human being. Sigh.

Anyhow, I met for my Celtic Civilisation and Scottish History courses today. It's mostly visiting students taking them (surprise surprise) but I think it will be fun. The material will be interesting anyway. I meet for History of Economic Thought tomorrow. We'll see how that goes.

Other than that, my day has been terrifically mediocre. Did some laundry, sang along to Pinkerton with Lucy, ate some salad. It is all stuff that has to be done, but to write about it would be utterly pointless (and I have undoubtedly proved).

Yesterday, I went out with Christina again. We got Tapas, which were DELICIOUS! and got some drinks before seeing Dodgeball at a really impressive theatre off of Princes Street. I hadn't seen Dodgeball when it was in American theatres, despite the great cast (Ben Stiller!) it had looked like it could have been disappointing, but I am so glad that I saw it, because it was absolutely hilarious. I haven't laughed that hard since Anchorman (haha really long time, huh?). If you haven't seen it yet... do it. *I hope that you read that last part in the voice of Ben Stiller from Starsky and Hutch* Do it.

Contact Details

2004-09-20T18:37:00.000+01:00

Just in case anyone is wondering, I can be reached in quite a few ways now.

1. By Post

Melinda Gilbert
Fraser Court 431
Romero Place
Dalkeith Road
Edinburgh EH16 5BJ
Great Britain

2. By Electronic Mail

amelinda@wharton.upenn.edu
s0457343@sms.ed.ac.uk

3. By Phone

Mobile: 07910388218 (in the UK, add country code +44 when calling from outside the UK)
Room: 01316679533 (same thing)

4. By Commenting on this Blog

Just do it!

Hope to hear from you. Cheers.

Finally Got Drugs!

2004-09-20T18:19:00.000+01:00

My first hurdle to happy Scotland living (besides homesickness) has been reached - I now possess real sickness. I think it's just a flu bug, but still, it has definitely cramped my style. I suppose it was to be expected however. For the past three days, I've spent much of my time walking up and down the street in the blustery (and I mean BLUSTERY) wind and rain. Ah, the legendary Edinburgh weather. Just a note to my friends in the States - you do not know how lucky you are to have RiteAid, CVS, etc. all within easy reach. It took much walking, but I finally found a proper chemist today and got some drugs (and some sleeping pills - my roommates are so much more energetic than I and this girl needs her sleep). One odd thing though - I actually had to tell the pharmacist what my symptoms were so she could figure out what medicine I needed. I knew what medicine I needed - my usual Nyquil/Dayquil defense - but they wouldn't let it go and proceeded to "diagnose" me. It's all fine, I mean, I eventually got the medicine I needed, but still, unnecessary hassle.

Yesterday, I spent most of the day up on Princes Street shopping, but not buying, with two American girls I met here - Christina and Nicole - both from American University in Washington, DC. They're very interesting and I am super jealous of their knowledge of politics. One highlight of the day was a trip to Marks & Spencer (my first!) and the consumption of a delicious cheese knot, which they sell there. Oh, and a jam doughnut! I will definitely be visiting there again.

Not much else has happened as of late. I skipped the Freshers' Ball, much to the dismay of my flatmates, but spent a lovely night in watching Romeo and Juliet, taking a bath and writing in my journal. Speaking of which, I was reminded of how amazing William Shakespeare was. He's just incredible. Totally blows my mind. Just thought I'd mention it. Oh, and I've experienced a rebirth of my love of baths. I seriously had not taken one in years, and I think the tally is up to 3 this week!

Anyhow, the weather is shitty again, but I've put on a hat and scarf and gloves and Christina and I are going to tackle it so that we may eat Tapas. Cheers.

Another Attempt To Catch Up

2004-09-18T14:09:00.000+01:00

Ahhh... a fresh new day - and if it weren't for those 5 glasses of water I drank at 6 AM, I'm pretty sure it'd be a hungover type of day instead. But no, the weather is gorgeous, I'm awake and feeling good, and there is a definite end in sight to this week of madness. Don't get me wrong, I love to party as much as the next girl, but an entire week of doing nothing but? Believe me, it gets old.

So, back to reliving the past few days.

13 September 2004 - Monday: Slept for an absolutely insane amount of time again and then did fairly random stuff during the day - nothing too exciting. At night, it was the Freshers' Launch Party at Teviot, so the girls and I got all dressed up and headed there. The queue was intimidating, but we stood it out. The party was so-so; I think we were all starting to get a bit tired.

14 September 2004 - Tuesday: To tell the honest truth, I have completely forgotten what I did during the day on Tuesday. Probably random shopping and stuff. At night was the Skool Disco party (read: girls and guys get dressed up in their school uniforms - which most of us [Americans] do not have - basically Catholic School children bumping and grinding night). We got all dressed up (again) - although I looked more like a headmistress than a student, and headed for it. We were all determined to get absolutely pissed that night, so we started it out pretty well. I met some 3rd- and 4th-year guys and we got to chatting. I really enjoyed the company of one Brit I met, forget his name, but our conversation was fairly amusing. It went something like:
Him: "All Americans are so rude."
Me: "Fuck off!"
Him: "I think I've got the black lung, pop..."
Me: "Orange mocha frappachino!!!"
etc. etc. etc.
Completely pointless stuff, of course, but amusing nontheless. Then we went upstairs to dance madly for hours, until the girls and I were about to cut our feet off due to the pain. But it was a good night, we stumbled in about 4 AM, and invited a bunch of guys to our flat for a bit of a chill out session. I don't think any of us went to bed until after 6 AM, but everyone had a good time.

15 September 2004 - Wednesday: I was supposed to have my meeting with my director of studies at 9:30 AM, but, due to a rather unfortunate accident - my alarm did not perform its duty and I missed it. That then launched me into a most severe bout of homesickness (my first ever, I believe) and a day spent in bed watching the second season of Sex and the City. Everytime Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte got together for lunch/coffee/etc. - I just missed all of my friends so much (girls, how are we ever going to graduate and leave each other?!). Anyhow, I indulged myself for most of the day, but then decided still to go out at night. I went for a bit of a walk before partying - just up the Royal Mile, to the castle (it was lit up and bag pipes were playing - how fantastic!). It was Velcro night at Potterrow and the band that was playing is an indie job called Reindeer Section - composed of members from Snow Patrol, Belle and Sebastian and Mogwai. I really wanted to see them, but I got there and ran into Vanessa, a sweet girl from UPenn. We did some dancing and some chatting, but it seemed like the band was never going to get there, so we left and headed to a pub called The Globe. There were a bunch of other international students there (mostly American) and a guy playing acoustic guitar and singing a wonderful selection of fantastic sing-a-long songs. So we drank, and we sang along, and it was great. A more interesting part of the night was the meeting of myself and a Texan (read: staunch Bush supporter) - we managed to avoid a political riot, but it was funny because during the sing-a-long, he was absolutely convinced that I could sing well. Now, I'm sure most of you have probably heard me sing at one point or another, and I will be the first to admit that my voice is complete shit. Complete shit. But he insisted that it was magic. But it makes sense - crazy enough to support Bush, crazy enough to love my voice. =) Anyhow, the night climaxed with the final song of our beloved Scottish performer - and a massive "Hey Jude" sing-a-long.

16 September 2004 - Thursday: Spent most of the day in bed. When I finally did get up, I went to the Societies Fair (like a Club Fair back home). I'm thinking about joining the Film Society (hah - that's an easy one, go to screenings of good movies) and possibly the Scottish Highland Dance Society (so watch out when I come home, because I plan to have some truly severe moves by then). I also met with my director of studies, who was not at all mad about the missed appointment. I'm taking one really boring-sounding class (The History of Economic Thought) but it will be with older students and two great sounding classes (Scottish History 1 and Celtic Civilisation 1A) but it will be with 1st-year and visiting students. Hopefully it all goes well. On the way home, I stopped and got a membership at the local Blockbuster and rented Wilbur (Wants to Kill Himself). I wanted to see this movie during the Philadelphia Film Festival, but didn't get the chance. I knew that I was going to need a quiet night in. I also tried to deal with the ResNet people for ages, but still no luck with the internet in my room (it is so complicated here - I'm so jealous of UPenn people right now, you just have to plug it in!).

Anyhow, the girls were mysteriously gone for hours and hours, so I wrote in my journal (my beautiful old-fashioned journal, thanks Mom), took a bath (yes, a real bath, I haven't done so in years), and watched my movie (which was, by the way, extremely sad but a bit quirky - I liked but only those that really like odd movies should give it a watch). The girls came home a bit later on and I found out that they had been to Glasgow (which is about an hour, hour and a half away). Lucy had brought her car back and they had done all the grocery shopping (how lucky for me, they pretty much take care of everything). We sat then, and chatted, and had hot chocolate, and watched The Guru (pretty funny, but ridiculous).

17 September 2004 - Friday: Slept a lot again (I'm fairly certain I'm still working on Philadelphia time), stayed in bed and read my book (The Pillars of the Earth, a lovely gift from Johanna - thanks, its great so far!) then spent a lot of time in the Microlab starting this blog, e-mailing professors, etc. So boring! But then we had a house meeting with wine and cheese and then my flatmates threw an absolutely killer party (I know for sure because the mess this morning was tremendous). I got sloshed on white wine and then slipped off to bed a bit before all the other guests left (about 4 AM for me, about 6 AM for them) but everyone had a good time.

18 September 2004 - Today: So I am finally caught up. The girls and I did a massive clean-up this morning. Now I'm here. Very unexciting stuff. I think I may try and get a little touristing in today - perhaps visit one of the museums, or the gardens, or the abbey - I don't know! So many choices, absolutely no structure - I'm going crazy! Anyhow, miss you all, more later - once I develop a more exciting life.

M.

p.s. Brigit, they have the OC here, thank god, but their schedule is like, a million years behind us - they don't even know that Anna has left (I accidentally let that one slip during one discussion). Oh well, at least I will still get some of that adorable Cali banter.

First Entry

2004-09-17T18:06:00.000+01:00

Well, I'm not typically the person for practicing the self-indulgent habit of blogging, but in this case, I feel it is necessary. Now that I'm abroad, and now that I've been put up to the incredibly high standards set by Miss Jasmine's Spain e-mails, I feel that I must inform my faithful friends and family of what is going on overseas, and blogging is just simpler than e-mailing. I am going to make no promises, but I will do my best to update this regularly.

So, I have been in Edinburgh for almost a week now - what have I done? I suppose if I were forced to narrow it done to one word, it would probably be... drink. Hah - a little bit pathetic, I know, but it is Freshers' Week (and they do consider me a Fresher here). Every night (with the exception of last night, in which my tired 20-year old body absolutely required a night in) I have gone out to parties, pubs, clubs, etc. It has been absolutely wild and wonderful - but I'm also a bit excited to get started with a semi-normal life as well (classes and such). I have done a little bit of sightseeing though - the castle at night, walked the Royal Mile, etc. but nothing too extensive. So here's the day by day breakdown:

10 September 2004 - Last Friday: Left Philadelphia Airport at 7 PM and embarked on a long and sleepless flight (watched Mean Girls on the plane) to Heathrow.

11 September 2004 - Saturday: Arrived Heathrow 7 AM - had a ridiculously long layover and then flight delays. Arrived Edinburgh Airport approximately 2:30 PM. Caught a terribly expensive taxi to drive me to my accomodation (Fraser Court flat in the Pollock Halls of Residence). The taxi driver was wonderful though - Scottish and proud of it. He pointed out famous pubs, locations, enlightened me on some Scottish history and even told me the tale of his Scottish friend in LA who went to see Braveheart in the theater - then in the middle of it, during the battle scene, jumped up yelling, just like Mel Gibson, to the shock and awe of the other theater-goers. The taxi driver of course, did a wonderful MG impression as well.

Arrived at my flat around 4 PM and promptly unpacked and showered. Called up the lovely Leslie Emmons and took a walk to her hostel on Cowgate. Chilled and caught up a bit with her and her friends from the University of Sussex program and then went out to the pubs/clubs on Cowgate. We started at a pub, which I do not remember the name of, but which had cheap drinks and a lively clientele (sp?) which Jessica then proceeded to offend by asking whether or not we were in a gay club. But still, it was amusing. Then on the the wonderful (and wonderfully crowded) Three Sisters pub for some wild dancing (it was so hot, Leslie could barely keep her shirt on) and a run to the "loo." Then it was off to Siglo (home of the Pole-dancing competition on Thursday nights) and many a Scottish man willing to buy us drinks (yay Absinthe!). We stayed there and danced the night away for quite awhile then Sam (Leslie's English friend she had met the night before) and I went off in search of a cab home and ended up finding some pretty good landmarks along the way (Walter Scott monument, castle at night, etc.).

12 September 2004 - Sunday: Woke up extremely late and proceeded to take a shower. Noticed a family, presuming moving in on my way down the hall. Smiled, waved, etc. Later, as I was trying to get dressed I heard a knock on the door. Turns out, I was in the wrong room and that it was really KATE Gilbert's room. Shit. Finished getting dressed, repacked all my things, and moved to my real room - 431 Fraser Court. But I am now glad I did, because I absolutely adore my flatmates. There is Sam (short for Samantha), a darling girl with reddish brown hair from Edinburgh, there is Pamela, a cute blonde girl from Ft. William, and Lucy, a funny charming young lady from Glasgow - plus there is Kirsty, an absolutely gorgeous girl from Lucy's school in Glasgow who lives across the hall, but pretty much spends all of her time in our flat. They are all great, all Scottish (actually Sam is from Holland and grew up in London, but has lived the past 6 years in Edinburgh), and all 17 years old! I feel ancient. I'll post pictures of them hopefully soon.

Moved in, again, and ate with the girls (Pamela and Lucy were sweet enough to make a delicious pasta dinner - thank god, because I hadn't eaten anything since I'd arrived). We then decided to hit up a couple clubs and the Freshers' Beach Party. We went to Espionage, drank two fishbowls full of fruit punchy liquor, danced a bit, then headed for the beach party. The queue (sp?) was massive and the party was pretty good once we got inside - although they did have a rocking limbo contest going on upstairs. It was a fun first night out with the girls, and Sam acquired a gigantic, beautiful orange flower for our kitchen.

Actually, I think I'm going to stop there. I have some plans tonight and I will start with the 13 September when I post again. Until then, missing you, but having a blast.

M.