Wednesday, June 29, 2005

June 29th?!?!? How the heck did THAT happen? How are we already more than halfway through the year 2005 and only 1 month 11 days away from my quarter-century-all-down-hill-from-here birthday? (OK, I know it's not htat bad, but egads!!)

Anywho, its Wednesday (AKA Hump Day) and its raining, thus I am not taking my lunchtime walk with Helene. I am, however, going ot partake in a large amount of punching after work. Oh how I love boxercise! Is it slightly concerning that I enjoy punching pads so much?

A big thank you to Anne, recently returned from Canada bearing gifts of Light Peanut Butter.

So Friday night with the workmates was quite an evening. Wine was had, then vodka, then more wine. All the while we found our way from an Aussie bar to a local pub to a scuzzy club and finally to a class Irish pub (Drop Kicks!). Conversation remained sophisticated and I am qiute sure no one said or did anything that they later regretted (ahem..)

I managed to actually make money on Friday night - a mere £5, but still... After the workmates had gone home/back to scuzzy club, I met up with Kelly & EMily and we hung out at Drop Kicks. Kelly & I decided to leave at a decent hour (2.15) and were on our way out when Kely stopped to talk to a stag party and we ended up chatting for a wee bit to these lads from London/England. Anywho, for some reason or another they decided that the bachelor was going to be a woman the next night and were collecting women's clothing for the cause. They asked for my lacy tights, and I refused on the basis that they cost my £6 (albeit, they did have a few rather large holes in them) Anyways, one of the lads (who worked for the BBC) offered me £5, so, being the smart business woman I am, I proceeded to remove my tights and hand them over. Ah, but this was nothing compared to Emily's haul for the night - she made £80...and didn't have to part with anything...... Nor did she leave the bar. Americans - no wonder they're the epitome of capitalism.

Anywho, the rest of the weekend was pretty quiet. Saturday was gorgeous so I spent the afternoon lounging in the grass with my pasty Irish bloke. Hehehe - oh how he burnt..on one side...that is the funniest :) Sunday involved more lounging and a charity BBQ which was so not worht it, but anywho... I also got hit by an American football - right on teh noggin, thanks to GRand's perfect aim.

I had taken Monday off as a holiday so spent the day doing errands and walking A LOT. I swear I walked at least 7 miles or 11 kilometres. I walked so much my hip hurt yesterday to the point I could not go to the gym. Jen clued me in to the fact that hip prob was likely due to my carrying a one-strapped bag over my shoulder all day.. Ahh!



A summary of June highlights:

1. Jen MacPhail moves back into 4H Canon Street (yes, that's right Ms MacPhail, you really are the highlight of my month :)

2. Our resident mouse/mice appears to have succumbed to the mouse posion we left out and about.. RIP

3. Work moves from being 'meh' to 'bearable', largely due to desk moves that now have me seated across from some great co-workers. One of whom enjoys teasing me about my Americanisms. In fact, I believe

Friday, June 24, 2005

Yah it's Friday!! Yah I am going out with workmates to get p*ssed to tonight!! And to top it all of I ahve another long weekend lined up (i find it is the only way I can survive work!)

RIght, so this has to be a short post, I'm at work and only a few mins left of lunch. I know I promsied that once Emily stopped working at Scot Eq I'd be back to blogging regularly during my lnuches. I did not anticiptate, howver, that other people may actually want to socialise with me. So, three times this week I powerwalked with fellow Bond Girl, Helene, adn yesterday ahd lunch with former colleague, Scott.

Anywho, last weekend was grand! I went to see Batman Begins with Sean andhis fellow Irish friend, Dave. The movie rocked! Waaaayyyy better than previous ones, save for the casting of Katie Hollmes as the love interest. THe only disappointment is that I came to dsicover Batman doesn't really have any superpowers - he is just a man in a cape with some fancy gadgets. But maybe this should be more inspiring - to suggest that mortal humans can be superheroes. Oh, OK, so its just a cartoon and i am reading too much into it :)

Saturday was gorgeous outside so Kelly & I headed to the park, checking out shops in Stockbridge on the way. We were joined at the park by Grand and Jen and started playing frisbee with my cloth frisbee (really, it works and is good for wimps like me) Eventually, Grand pulled out his football (american style) and we threw that around. I surprised myself by acutally being able to lob the ball in the general direction of my target. My catching abilities, however, leave much to be desired#

Saturday night we went out on the town and had a grand time - back to the old standby Drop Kick Murphy's. Unfortunately, teh kick butt band that usually plays was not there . The band playing were good and nbice eye candy, but I missed the soloby the old band's fiddler, because when I say 'old' band, I am also talking about the median age of its members... There were times when it was questionable whether the fiddler would make it through the night standing.

Sunday I can't even remember what I did - bullocks I suck. Oh now I know, I spent the day shopping with KElly...window shopping in my case.

OH - time is up so here are a few last, quick words for a few of yas:

Sahra - CONGRATULATIONS Biker Chic!! I am now officially the square of the family...not that there was really ever any doubt.

Raeanne - I wil be in touch about September - but will def still be here and would love to see you - either pop down to London or have you come up here! We will talk

k, that's all for now folks - have a fabulouso weekend, see yas on the other side of it!

Thursday, June 16, 2005

'Act Honestly, Love Tenderly, Walk Humbly' words of wisdom from one of the Catholic churches I pass by every day on my way to work. Actually, come to think of it, it may be one of the only Catholic churches in Edinburgh. In any case, wouldn't it be nice if we all followed these simple guidelines?

OK, so the G8 Summit is coming to town in the first week of July. OK, specifically it is coming to Gleneagles, which is 30 miles outside Edinburgh, but all the protests and events being planned in line with this meeting of the most powerful are going to happen in Edinburgh.

I wonder, does anyone over there (in North America) know just how MUCH is going to go down in that week?

OK, for startes Sir BOb GEdolf (creator of Live Aid and former member of Boomtown Rats, who really could use with a haircut), has arranged for a number of MASSIVE concerts to be held during theG8 Summit. Appropriately, the concerts will be called Live8. There will be one in Hyde Park , London, Paris, Rome (i think) and a few other European locations. There is only one being held in N American, in Philly. Superstars lined up to perform at the concerts include Madonna, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, and Paul McCartney to naem but a VERY few. And these concerts are meant to raise awareness of the plight of poverty in Africa first and foremost, so tickets are being given away in a lottery. People text in to a number and a random lottery distributes the tickets. Each text cost £1.50, which is donated to the charity Make Poverty History.

THen there is the MAke Poverty History March, also organized by Bob. HE has called for 1 MILLION people to march the streets of Edinburgh to raise awareness of the poverty in Africa. 1 Million people! !How is that going to work - the population of Edinburgh is only hlaf a million!!

Anywho, I know its a noble and worthy cause- marching to eliminate poverty , but wouldn't a March to Make GREED History be so much more productive??? I mean, really, the main reason we have such devastation in Africa is because the Western world is unwlling to give up its lifestyle, which is heavily reliant on third-world labour wages, being able to exploit the environment in far off lands such as Asia and Africa and living a disposable lifestyle. I'm sorry, but throwing money into the pot for poverty hardly sems the place to where we could make a major difference. Because, you konw, if we gave $5, $10 or $100 towards the cause of poverty, what would it really mean to our lifestyle in the long run? Nothing. Without sacrifice, I can't see change happening. But that's just one girl's opinion - and what do I know? I am, after all, drinking a Diet COke as I write this, so am being rather hypocritical aren't I?
'Act Honestly, Love Tenderly, Walk Humbly' words of wisdom from one of the Catholic churches I pass by every day on my way to work. Actually, come to think of it, it may be one of the only Catholic churches in Edinburgh. In any case, wouldn't it be nice if we all followed these simple guidelines?

OK, so the G8 Summit is coming to town in the first week of July. OK, specifically it is coming to Gleneagles, which is 30 miles outside Edinburgh, but all the protests and events being planned in line with this meeting of the most powerful are going to happen in Edinburgh.

I wonder, does anyone over there (in North America) know just how MUCH is going to go down in that week?

OK, for startes Sir BOb GEdolf (creator of Live Aid and former member of Boomtown Rats, who really could use with a haircut), has arranged for a number of MASSIVE concerts to be held during theG8 Summit. Appropriately, the concerts will be called Live8. There will be one in Hyde Park , London, Paris, Rome (i think) and a few other European locations. There is only one being held in N American, in Philly. Superstars lined up to perform at the concerts include Madonna, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, and Paul McCartney to naem but a VERY few. And these concerts are meant to raise awareness of the plight of poverty in Africa first and foremost, so tickets are being given away in a lottery. People text in to a number and a random lottery distributes the tickets. Each text cost £1.50, which is donated to the charity Make Poverty History.

THen there is the MAke Poverty History March, also organized by Bob. HE has called for 1 MILLION people to march the streets of Edinburgh to raise awareness of the poverty in Africa. 1 Million people! !How is that going to work - the population of Edinburgh is only hlaf a million!!

Anywho, I know its a noble and worthy cause- marching to eliminate poverty , but wouldn't a March to Make GREED History be so much more productive??? I mean, really, the main reason we have such devastation in Africa is because the Western world is unwlling to give up its lifestyle, which is heavily reliant on third-world labour wages, being able to exploit the environment in far off lands such as Asia and Africa and living a disposable lifestyle. I'm sorry, but throwing money into the pot for poverty hardly sems the place to where we could make a major difference. Because, you konw, if we gave $5, $10 or $100 towards the cause of poverty, what would it really mean to our lifestyle in the long run? Nothing. Without sacrifice, I can't see change happening. But that's just one girl's opinion - and what do I know? I am, after all, drinking a Diet COke as I write this, so am being rather hypocritical aren't I?

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

So here I am back to lunch at my desk. It is a sad turn of events that marks farewell to my favorite American friend(OK, my only American friend at the mo), Emily. I am trying to put a positive spin on it though - have decided I will spend two daysa week at my desk, blogging and the such during my lunch. Will spend the other three days taking a hlaf hour walk thus avoiding the restaurant temptations and getting some much needed exercise and sunshine.

Before I go any further, I absolutely must apologise to my immediate family for the lack of phone calls and emails since April. A combination of holidaying, busy life and, mostly, abysmal spending fund, has lead to this state of affairs. I promise to be better in the future with emails, however phone calls will be kept to a minimum.

OK - so on to the current state of affairs in Edinburgh.

What's Been Going Down as of Late

As mnentioned above, life has been pretty crazy lately. With the sun shining and light in the sky until 11 o'clock at night, one has much more interest in going out and doing things (like drinking and jogging - a healthy combination).

Hostel Canon Street has also been super busy since the latter partof May, with Megan & Scott staying over for five nights, and then two fo Lindsay's friends couch surfing for the following four days. After their departure it was the MacPhail duos turn to test out the comfort of our IKEA couches - lucky them, they also got to enjoy the company of our resident mouse (I have christened him Mickey) . Jen is still with us (yeah!!!) , trying to sort out a job for the summer.

I *may* also be seeing an Irish guy (I know, I know!). In an unusual twist, this one is actually very nice and honest and funny. He is ex-army (ahem, ahem), but to his credit he now spend shis days taking care of old people and claims to love it. He has also had the wisdom to discover and feed my candy addiction....always a plus! I won't say much more than that - let's just say he is not at all like some of his fellow countrymen and that is extremely refreshing and promising.

This weekend past I went to ALnwick with Emily for a day trip. It is a wee town in Northern England, but it has a massive castle where HARRY POTTER was filmed, plus scenes from ROBIN HOOD. We were pracitally celebrities just by association with the location! EMily & I did the unthinkable - we hitchhiked. OMG - how dangerous! But what would have been mnore dangerous was walking on the road from the train station to Alnwick - bloody three miles of twists and turns and no shoulder. A lad who did not look old enough to be driving picked us up and drove us right to the castle..it was great! I now want to go out for a day of hitchiking - don't care where I end up, just want to see how fun it can be!

The castle was amazing, I have pictures to prove it. We also learned that the Queen's last name is Windsor and Prince Harry & William's last names are Wales. Really, it's true. Emily & I then proceeded to check out the town. WE ate a lovely dinner outside a wee cafe and I had Yorkshire Pudding - interesting. I also had strawberries & cream - delectable. A wander into one of the largest secondhand bookstores in BRitain was also on the itinerary - man, that place was too big for me!

We got the bus back ot the train station (i kind of wanted to hitchike, but time was getting on). At the bus station I wasn't sure I had enough money for the fare and confirmed that when I asked one of the locals waiting, He seemd to think EMily & I could get on as 'halfs' by telling the driver we were 14. He guesstimated we were 18 - I promised myself I would reappraise my make-up application and wardrobe choices for future outings. Anyway, teh guy ended up collecting change from the other people at the bus stop for us. How embarrassig! But also nice to know people are willing to help out. ..even in England!

Saturday night we headed to a party at Grand, Scott & Steve's. It was soo Canadian, with Moosehead and nachos and Crown Royal being served up. PLus teh Canadian accents kind of outnumbred very other accent there.

I have more on the updates, but have to go now..lunch is over..here are a few rants I wrote earlier

Random Rants

Well, front page news over this side of the Atlantic is that Jacko has been cleared of all charges. Let the reinvention begin. I wil speak no more of this ridiculaous circus, it is highly disturbing that the world seems to care so much about the outcome of this one trial, while willingly remaining ignorant about much more significant atrocities such as the crimes committed one's own government.

Oh, yes, I am ranting and reading yet again. After a rather long hiatus from reading anything too political, I picked up Michael Moore's latest publication, Will They Ever Trust Us Again?, which is actually a collection of letters/emails written to him from soliders, veterans and their families. I have to say that, as of late, I had become a bit less impressed with Mr Moore -namely because his ever-growing ego was rather aggravating and he was simplifying things that needed to be dissected carefully in order for people to accept them. Basically I thought he was doing his cause of fighitng for the little guy a disservice. It appears, howver, from the perspective of the solider, that he has spoken for those who can't. And I have to say, letters directly from the source are pretty difficult to dispute.

Next time I will talk about the G8 Summit - lots going on over here in preparation- does anyone over there in North America know or care?? I wil fill you in next time

Thursday, June 02, 2005

Hey Hey! OK, so I am back to desk lunch today as EMily has bogged off to Amsterdam leaving me to my own devices (never a good idea) . She's also abducted my flatmates which could lead to a lonely weekend save for the fact that Jen MacPhail is back in town!!!!!!yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's been a month since we left together for Spain and wow has it flown by! So much has happened in the short span of one month we call May. Let's see - Shannon has holidayed in Spain & Ireland, had her heart fully repaired from, what seemed, irreprable damage. She's had a horrible haircut and recovered thanks to the highlighting skill of Miss Smith. Keri Shields has abondoned Europe for the big metropolis of Prince Edward Island. Shannon has welcomed a new flatmate and is now, officially, the worst eater in the house. Other things have been done/accomplished,. said and planned. People have been and possiblities for the future have multiplied.

In short- it's been a (mostly) magnificent month of May!

In answer to Rana's query - you should know me better than that Rana! Stay on PEI? Nada chanca. Don't get me wrong, love the Island, miss my family and the few friends who remain, but too many adventures and opportunities to consider that are not possible to fulfill on PEI. As a rough guideline - i plan to stay on PEI until Christmas , giving me time to save some money, enjoy family & friends and research opportunities for the future - then I will be off!

K, lunch is way over - adios amigos..expect more frequent post in the near future..one EMily bogs her way back to the States.