Dang

It has been a long time!

I'm not so good at keeping up with stuff. But what can you do?
Here is some stuff from the past week!



Chips and Cheese! We got these on Burns Night (last Sunday) after going to the pub to get some celebratory beers. We thought there would be stuff everywhere but it just ended up being a quiet, but fun, night. These were really amazing. They had vinegar and salt on them and mmmmmmm.
We also had chips and cheese last Friday after Nice and Sleazy where we went to meet Linda's friend, and danced all night until 3:30 in the morning. Best time ever. So I guess we really got them on Saturday. Technicalities.



This is Kelvingrove Park. I took a walk there on, I want to say, Tuesday maybe... Anyway, it was raining, cold, and windy. I thought it was a nice walk, and the park was mostly empty.






Crazy and weird how much those photos look like mirrors of each other. Maybe that's just me. The first is the walkway through the park. The second is the River Clyde.


The giant puddle in the middle of the park. I had a hard time not jumping in but I had my classy lady shoes on and that would have been awful.




I don't think this accomplished what I was going for. Stupid trees. Anyway, play ground with U of Glasgow in the background.

This week kicked me in the face. I feel like I worked a lot, but also that I didn't do enough.

I don't know if I have blogged about the way courses work here, but its pretty daunting at first. In most cases, as in my courses, you have three lectures a week. These lectures are not mandatory, so you can choose whether you want to go or not, and nobody will know the difference. I hear that exams are MUCH easier if you go though, so I haven't missed one yet!

Then in addition to lectures, you have a mandatory seminar/tutorial. These are smaller groups with a tutor, and you must do the reading for the week and then be able to participate. In my lit class I have two of these tutorials! That means 5 class times a week.

Anyway, this week I had my first Scottish History tutorial, and for some reason I have been TERRIFIED of this class. I did ok today though, and I read all the primary sources and three of the suplementary ones. This took about 5 hours. Uggggh. My saving grace is that literature goes really quickly for me, and I can annotate a poem with some pretty good stuff in about 10 minutes, then look at it more once I get to tutorial. Otherwise I would be doing about 4 hours of homework a day. I don't really want to do that.

Nothing really crazy happened this week. It has been, of course, a lot of fun, but nothing really extraordinary. I am also horrible at taking pictures, so even if something did happen, I have no record of it.

Why is CharLee blogging instead of being out this fine Friday night? I don't really know the answer to that actually. I should be out. What the hell?
Truth is, I am in a food coma. Tonight we made Mexican food, nachos and guacamole and rice and enchiladas and chocolate-peanut butter birthday cake. Oh man, so good. I made the enchiladas good and greasy.

I am now going to assess the Friday night situation, so I leave you with an image of THIS cupcake! I got it yesterday. It was no where near as good as The Shoppe, because you know that is my most favorite place of all time, but it is SPARKLY! That's right. Just look close. It has sparkles.

Oh hey!

How is everybody doing? I am doing alright, kind of bored for the evening so I am finally going to catch up on my pictures. The best part is they don't have to go in any sort of order so WOO!



Here is my new haircut! I think Linda did an amazing job, fo' reals. And I did an amazing job of wearing ALOT of eyeliner.


Kate, Linda and myself being ready to go to the late late Hogmanay (New Years) Party. That was on the 16th. It still kills me how excited everyone was, and how they acted like it was actually the new year. Since I didn't celebrate New Years, it was really nice. I love how much I hear the Proclaimers over here.



Here is my kitchen! Its pretty nice for being communal.


Here is the front of my house, maybe rather unimpressive, but its an apartment building, so whatever.




Here is part of the main building at school.


Another part of the main building.


Sort of a crooked picture but you get the idea.




For that wonderful Mr. Eecakes. Is this sexy myspace enough? I don't know. That is the main building in the background.





This section is the chapel. Its really gorgeous, I have been meaning to check out the insides.


Unicorn and Lion. Very Scottish.


More main building. Here I will say that I do not have any classes in the main building, but I walk by every day!


This is a look down Gibson St. I live here!


Stairs. I just want you all to imagine dragging 5 months worth of luggage up these stairs.


Partay in my room. I look distraught, or something. Linda looks enamored with that can.


Czech it out! I'm just chillin.



And now for our family portrait:



Very classy indeed.


If Linda and I had a band, this would be our publicity picture. We need a band name and instruments, and we are gold.



WOO!

I wish there was more to say, but I'm afraid I've just been studying a lot. I will probably do more of that tomorrow. Classes still seem really intimidating, but I think I am settling in a bit.

Glasgow Playlist: If you listen to these songs, they may not make much sense to you, but you will be listening to what we are listening to, and therefore getting part of the experience. Also, I don't think I will organize them as they should be organized until after I feel it is at its completion.

The Proclaimers: I'll Be (500 miles) - this is basically the national anthem.
Kraftwerk: Das Model - just get into it.
Beyonce: Single Ladies
Incredibad: Stork Patrol - youtube it, Thanks Linda.
The Strokes: Last Night - we are going to make a musical.
Paul Simon(or Jens Lekman): Call Me Al - maybe its just me, but I love it.
Jens Lekman: Black Cab - most of the cabs around here are black. And Jens Lekman, I mean c'mon.
David Bowie: Changes - singalong at Curlers
Hot Chip: Ready for the Floor
Pixies: Monkey Gone to Heaven - I just really like this song, ok?
Pavement: Shady Lane - For Linda!
Devendra Banhart: At the Hop (for Kate, cuz you know she tastes great?)
Broken Social Scene: Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl - For emotions
Okkervil River: Another Radio Song - just for me, because I listen to it whenever I'm alone.

Thats all for now. It will get bigger and awesomer and probably evolve. Just get into it ok?

ALSO! If you do not read DINOSAUR COMICS, you should start now.
I love you Ryan North.

Anyway, thanks for checking it out dudes and ladies! And a special shout out to Linda's family and friends, glad you enjoy my blog too!

WOO!

It's OBAMATIME!

We've got our purple dresses on, on the way to get some curry, and then time to watch the inauguration! YES!

Just wanted to say WOOOO! AMERICA! (If you know me then you will know exactly how I said that.)

How are all of you stateside spending this day? Curry and purple dresses?

Whoa! Its Kate and Linda! FRIENDS!

So I have realized, and probably told everyone, that I actually feel like this is where I live, and it is not foreign to me anymore. It is as though I moved down the street from Capitol Hill. Down the street and over an ocean.

For this reason, I haven't been taking many pictures of my surroundings. A problem which I intend to remedy this weekend.

In the mean time, here are some hot pics about how I'm living.


We eat on Linda's bed. This night we had lentils and rice. It was really good. And also, we ate digestives. We eat a lot of digestives.




I get really excited about eating on Linda's bed. See, I'm not afraid to put unflattering pictures of myself on the internets!



Appetizer by Kate. Apples and SERIOUSLY VINTAGE cheddar. It is crumbly and delicious, the cheddar that is.




Kate gets into cooking some pasta. I heated that bread, yessir.



Delicious dinner of baked pasta, brussels sprouts, and garlic bread that I heated. That beer right there is made for girls. It is called "Sweetheart Stout," is only 2% alcohol, tastes like chocolate and has a cute pinup looking girl on the can. What more could the ladies ask for?




Kate and Linda are pretty stoked about it.




So much so that Kate turned into a viking! LOOK AT THAT BEARD!




Another sunny day in Glasgow (weird?).




Another delicious dinner of "egg in a bread hole." Anyone who knows what this is actually called should clue me in.

So there you have it. This at least lets you know two things: I have been eating well, and I have made friends! SHOCKING! I ALSO LIKE TO USE CAPS FOR EMPHASIS!

In other news, I got all the classes I wanted. I am currently taking Scottish Lit, History of England and its Neighbors in the late Midieval Era and History of Scotland, the Stateless Nation. I am going to know so much about Scotland.

Classes look like they will be hard. Each has 3 lectures a week, plus 1 seminar a week. Lectures and seminars are each an hour long. Also, ScotLit has 2 seminars. One for language and one for literature. I think I am most excited, naturally, about my Scottish Literature class. This week I am reading David Lindsay's Ane Satyre of the Thrie Estaitis which is a drama written around 1552 in the dialect of Scots. I am reading in Scots! It is actually a lot easier than I thought. Though I do still get lost.

Another issue is that I have been sick since Monday, the first day of lectures, and it seems to be getting worse. Its fairly depressing because I want to be out doing so many things, but on most days I end up spending a fair amount of time in my room. BAH! I plan on doing a whole lot of things tomorrow, even if I still feel ill. I have been trying to tell myself that I have more than 4 more months here, so there is time. I don't want to be cooped up in my room though.

I don't have pictures, but last night I decided to make beer battered mushrooms. Whoa they were so good. If you want, when I get home, I will totally make you some. Kate and Linda seemed to like them too. Linda cut my hair for me, she liked them so much. Pictures of that tomorrow!

It seems like there is something else I am forgetting to mention, but I can't seem to figure it out, so I suppose this is the end of the blog. Tonight I am going to an international club night at a pub down the street. Should be fun times.

Coming up soon: Linda, Kate and I compile the Glasgow playlist. Beautiful.

My flat

Wooo! Glasgow! Apparently these are the only photos I have uploaded thus far. Soon I will catch up to real time. This would have been last Wednesday, so almost a week ago. The picture above is the view from my flat window.



This is a panorama of my room, its pretty big. I don't know if I managed to illustrate that.


Me, in case you forgot what I look like.


This is the pretty decorative light and border on my ceiling. So lovely.

More Edinburgh and Homestay

Here are some more photos from Edinburgh. Just in case you didn't know, if you click on them, they get bigger!

More Hogmanay festivities.

In front of St. Giles




A close is an alleyway. I thought this one was pretty awesome.



At Edinburgh Castle


Graveyard for soldier's dogs. It was starting to get dark, I guess.

Later that evening we went to a musical called "Sunshine on Leith." It was based on the songs of the Proclaimers, much like Mamma Mia is based on Abba songs. I thought this one was more fun, however, because I love the Proclaimers.




Black Medicine Coffee, awesome. This is the last place in Edinburgh we went before we were shuttled off to Penrith, England, which is in the lake district, for our homestay.


Penrith Castle. The ruins, anyway.

LAKES! I believe this is Ullswater.




Some cool tree roots. I hadn't noticed Kate's elbow til just now.



Aria Force (waterfall, Linda says England's mini-Niagra)


Overlooking Penrith, England.



Hadrian's Wall. Constructed by Roman Emporer Hadrian to keep those damn Scots out.



Linda, our Homestay Host, insisted we take pictures atop the wall to demonstrate the scale for you people back home.


Graveyard at Lanercost Priory, which had graves dating back to the 14th century. These are sections of Lanercost Priory.

Lunch at a pub, near Lanercost Priory. Linda, the lady in the front, was our Homestay Host.

Things I didn't take pictures of that I wish I had:
1. Linda's house, and our games of Scrabble.
2. Dinner party with Linda's friends.
3. Walking around Penrith and Keswick.
4. More lakes.
etc.



I think that is going to be all for tonight. Tomorrow is my first day of class. WOO! I'm pretty excited.
Tomorrow (hopefully), Glasgow pics.