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Here's a link to So You Wanna...

Holy Cow! I can't believe it, I am actually busy! Who would have guessed? OK so here's a Top Ten List (I love top tens) of the exciting, interesting and slightly crappy things that have happened to me in the past week:

1. OK, so I am about to rejoin the world of the employed! I've been offered a position with an employer in Charlottetown who *may* have some influence up in Ottawa. I'll be working in a Communications & Marketing capacity, which is right up my alley! Anywho, I best not say any more until I actually start working, but YAH!!! I am employed and it will, I am positive, be a challenging position with great opportunities! Kudos to PEI's hidden job market. A combination of luck/timing, who you know and a decent reputation - that's what you apparently need on PEI!(the last of those being an optional quality)

2. I got a belated birthday card! I love it when birthdays are dragged out well into the next month. Fondly recollect the year that I had four birthday cakes over the span of a month and a half!

3. I was working out at the gym when I was hit (not literally) by a business idea that I truly think would succeed in Charlttetown. And then, lo & behold, I got a telephone call from a long lost friend (OK, so it wasn't that long - we hadn't relly corresponded since I left PEI) and that made things even more interesting because he is looking to go entrepreneurial now. I am excited, for now I will leave it at that.

4. I made granola. And then I got really ballsy and made bagels. I am slowly transforming into Bohemiam Girl. Sidenote: Don't bother trying to make bagels- they take ages to make, best to just buy them at the store! Granola, on the other hand, is super easy and yummy !

5. I registered for Hip Hop/Club Dance classes - they start at the end of October. Monday nights for one hour, I'll be grooving and moving. I can only hope the pounds start to slide off at a faster rate than they are now. I'll probably be the oldest person there, I don't want to have title of 'Oldest & Biggest'! Oh, but I guess I won't be the only quarter centuarian since Rana is joining me! There's comfort in numbers (the 2 of us, not the 25 years of age)

6. I had a hair appointment with my regular hairdresser. I was sooo looking forward to getting my mop cut and highlighted. My appointment was yesterday, at 10.00 am so after the gym I didn't bother styling it, I just blow dried it into a mass of coarse hair. And then I go to get my cut, only to discover my hairdresser had bogged off to Halifax for the day. To say I was slightly annoyed would be an understatement. I had to wake up at 6.45 am to go into town with Jim (I am using his car at the moment) and ad no other real reason to be in town. After I left the hairdressers rather harried and decided I needed to shop to alleviate my bad mood and also because I have no work clothes to wear to my new job and going naked is not an option (hey, I'm no Jamie Oliver). Of course then I was self concious of my mop while walking past every mirror in the clothes stores. Sigh.

7. Anyways, I bought some clothes. I bought a skirt that was supposed to be $30, but rang up for $20 at the register. I also scooped a Buy1 Get 2 free deal(yes, that's right, buy 1 get 2 free!!!) at Bluenots and got a colol Canadian tee and two black, ribbed tanks that are flattering to my current figure! My mood was significantly improved by ths point so I then proceeded to buy a new toaster for the house. We need one and this one is good for bagels!

8. I came to the conclusion that I am a very lucky person. I already knew it, but this knowledge has been reinforced as of late. I think I'll have to save further comments on that at the moment - I will post moreabout that in my upcoming Reflections post!

9. I went to the Organic Harvest Dinner and proceeded to stuff myself full of good, wholesome food. The dinner was delicious - absolutely diving - especially the carrot soup and nice juicy, free range chicken. It was graet to see such a large turn out in support of the Island's organic farmers. But let's face it, us Islanders also like to eat and a buffet is pretty hard to pass up! The only problem was really logistical - there were at least 160 people there and the buffet food was only set up in two areas. This resulted in super long lines, plus you had to take your rolll, salads, cup of soup, sides and mains all at the same time.

10. Did I mention I have a job? Er, yes I guess I did! Did I mention I now need to buy a car? No, I am pretty sure I didn't! So if anyone out there is selling their car or knows of someone selling a car, please email me. OK - we're talking about people with cars on PEI here... Also, I am going to be picky and only consider Hondas, Toyotas and (maybe) VWs. No American cars for me thanks very much, I've discovered they aren't particulary trustworthy

That's your top ten count up for the week. I am now going to go for a jog!

Friday already! End of the work week, well for those of us that are employed anyway. In which case I guess I am one of 'Them" (unemployed), since I am most certainly not on of 'us' (the employed). Nonetheless time has flown by at light speed this week, due namely to the fact that being unemplyed is a tough and underpaid job. I've been relatively busy on the prowl and this time it isn't for a boy, it's for a challenging job and..er..a paycheque to boot.

And how successful has my 'prowling' been? Well, given that this is PEI and given my assumption that I would probably end up working at a restaurant or Wal-Mart for the interim time I am on PEI, I'd have to say my expectations have been exceedd a hundred times over. Possibly to the point where I may have to consider a more permanent stay than initially planned. Not that anything has really happened yet, but there seem to be plenty of great opportunities out there and I''ve only been home for a week and a half. Yes, it turns out that spending 6 years at UPEI was a worthwhile investment in ways I didn't count on until my return to the Island's employment marketplace.

Anywho, aside from the job-hunting, I've been filling my days with lots of other exciting things like emailing, blogging, exercising and reading. OK, OK, maybe they don't sound so interesting to most of you, but when you've been deprived of free Internet access for over a year, being able to email at free will is a luxury. Of course constant access is also proving slightly hazardous to my,er, complex (for wantof a better word). I have emailed almost every single person on my Contacts list at some time over the past week and half and have only heard back from 1 single person (Thanks Gary!). The other three people I've heard from are Kelly, who had time to write even whilst travelling around Europe (to be fair she had a question about money), Jane (who wrote from the cruise ship she is working on) and Rana! Anyways, I know I am impatient and so I keep slapping myself on the wrist (figuratively speakign) and reminding myself that I took ages to write friends back while in Scotland due to lack of Internet access, not because I was trying to dismiss them (ever!)

As for the exercising. Oh how happy I am to be back at the AFC! THe gym at ScotEq was adequate but not entirely appealing and the classes, aside from Boxercise, hed no appeal to me whatsoever. There was no Myrtle-equivalent to realy get you into the workout andmake you sweat until you starting fearing a total meltdown. Yah! Exercising is fun again!

And reading - oh how I have missed reading. What with the constant social goings-on in Edinburgh and the ever constant presence of the TV in th livingroom, I didn't indulge in reading much over the past six months or so. Now I have loads of time and no interest whatsoever is trekking down to the basement to watch a television program, which is almost half adverts/half mediocre entertainment these days. My one exception willbe Desperate Housewives, which premieres on Sunday. Anywho, hello to reading and nurturing the mind. For now Harry's got me hooked at Hogwart's, but am looking for some heavier, more insightful reading in the near future and have a few recommendations to follow up on.

So, aside from those exciting activities, my days and evenings have been pretty quiet. And I am just fine with that - paece and quiet is what PEI is all about. I am still doing the Scottish dancing on Wednesday nights and now looking into adding Latin or Hip-Hop dance classes to my weekly schedule. I'm also spending a bit of time writing for myself. I am loving it.

Last night was an exception to the quiet evenings rule. I went out with my friend, Adam, who I hadn't seen in ages and has apparently discovered the secret weight loss. And I quote:

Adam: yeah, I didn't lose the weight the way I wanted to'

Shannon: Oh rally, well ohw did you lose it? (variety of disturbign thoughts/possibilites fly through shannon's head)

Adam: wel, basically I've just been eating better. I haven't been snacking, I cut out white carbs and I just eat when I am hungry.

Hmmm. I did not pursue this conversation any further. I am not sure what tee correct way to lose weight would be for Adam, but I was impressed with his 'not the right way', so kuds to him!

Anyways, we went for a quick drink at the Pilot House then headed to a house party where I knew basicaly no one. But it was fun nonetheless as everyone was friendly and I discovered I am not the only girl with crazy spiky haircut. Eventually we made our way to The Wave to watch/hear Sloan and to remember that,a t 25, I am getting OLD. Anyways, it was a great evening which included a free drink from the bartender becuase he ran out of Diet Pepsi for my drink and also included run-ins with some of my fav Island peple - Natasha, Sheena and Candace plus some folks I hadn't seen since uni days -Fred MacPhail and Lisa Duffy! The night ended with a cab ride home to Long Creek - total cost $32. Lalala

My litte thought of the moment: it's only been a week and a half, but already my mind, body and soul are starting to rejuvinate. I needed something that I simply couldn't get in Edinburgh. I don't konw exactly what it was, but I can feel it starting to seep back into me since I've returned home. It's a brilliant feeling. Maybe theere is just an Essence of the Island which can't be bottled and exported, it can only be experienced by being here.

I've been home for one week now. One whole week of rest & relaxation, one whole week of peace & quiet, one whole week of unemployment and non-income.

Don't get me wrong, I have been busy...spending money and emailing everyone under the sun! Oh, how wonderful it is to have unrestricted access to email and Messenger again. I have found a new addiction to replce my candyaholism!

OK, well it hasn't all been about purchasing Asics sneakers that I can't afford and writing novel-length emails to friends I haven't seen in ages - I have been slightly, er, productive... The Atlantic Fitness Centre and I have become fast friends again. It's such an enjoyable gym to go to, because people know each other so it's quite social and of course Myrtle's step class is always good for an early morning laugh as she tends to single out some of the men for a bit of teasing (i.e. taking the piss in UK terms).

I have also taken up dance classes at Beaconsfield Carriage House (7 - 9 on Wednesday nights if anyone is interested). Scottish & English Country Dancing for all ages and experiences - no partner required (phew, cause I think the last eligible male under 40 was claimed about two years ago....).

I kid you not, the first dance we learned was, and I quote ' The Canadian Barn Dance', which I presume must have been developed by some Canadian that migrated to the UK and decided that our nation should eternally be associated with barns. I'd actually done the dance before so was able to get through it without looking like a complete idiot. The English country dancing though - now that's quite a different story. It requires grace and timing - neither of which I was adequately supplied with upon birth. In any case, it was a brilliant evening and I met some wonderful, friendly faces, so I will be returning, no doot aboot it (that's Canadian speak spelled out phonetically for the amusement of all Americans and Europeans reading this blog) .

Thursday I caught up with Rana over a Baha Beachbum at 42nd Street Lounge. The chat and drink were equally enjoyable! Saturday evening I drove into Charlottetown, armed with a Yorkie bar and some German chocolate. I was on my way to a Scottish-themed night being held at Natasha's friend's place. Sarah is a Scottish girl who has been living & working in PEI for the last four months on a co-op work term. She had prepared mince and some sort of oat-based dish. Natasha had the haggis, neeps & tatties under control (it's a good thing the customs at Halifax airport are so lax, or it may have just been tatties and neeps). So I brought some European chocolate, which I could not and did not indulge in. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and edible evening with great company and delicious Scottish cuisine.

Other things have happened over the past week - some of which are significant, others of which are not significant. If you want to know more you can email me : )Yes, yes this is a desperate attempt to get moer email..now that I have unrestricted access I am soliciting replies and mail from any and all...as long as it is nice and in English!

Another day, another two blogs created. Evidently I hav too much time on my hands these days as illustraetd by the creation of two brand new blogs.

The first is entitled The Shan Weigh In, and as you may have guessed from the rather obvious title, it is a blog about my healthy living plan. OK, I know most people won't be interested in reading this, if any at all, but its namely a blog for me anyway - another incentive to stick to my regimen. After all, I don't want to go reporting that I've sipped up and gorged on the five ponuds of chocolate I hauled home from Europe! Furthermore, witha blog dedicated to this subject, I intend not to bore readers of All Shanadian with any more tales of woe about my weight and candy obsession. If you really want to know how I am doing in my endeavours you can just click on the link!

The second is entitled Earth to Shannon and I have to give my big sister, Sahra, all credit for the blog name! Thank you Sahra :) I hope this blog will be of interest to more readers. It's my first attempt to write publicly about something that isn't entirely personal, something that we all have avested interst in understanding more about: - the environment. This is something I have found myself becoming increasingly passionate about ove the past couple years. I wanted to create a diaolgue about this broad reaching topic in the hopes of keeping myself actively involved in learning more about various issues/concerns. I'm also hoping that it will generate more comments and ideas from readers.

So, that's it for the moment - please excuse the 'construction state' of these new blogs - I'll be working to develop them over the next few days.

And so it is....just like I thought it would be. I am home sweet home - a bittersweet state of limbo between where I was and where I am going. Bitter because I've left a life, a home and some of the most fabulous people one could wish to know. Sweet because, well, PEI will always be home, familiarity is sometimes a comfort we take for granted and because my family is here and they are all such wonderful company. No really, they are. I actually like living at home. How crazy is that? But it's nice to be in a house again, its even nicer knowing that my respective elders pretty much take me as I am :)

Anyways, I've only been home for four days and, in some ways, it has been extremely easy to settle back into life on the Island.

For instance, my first full day back and I was already at the AFC signing up to reduce the size of my gut and butt! So far I have stayed clean - no candy, chocolate, fatty foods or eating. According to the scales this has already resulted in 2 pound weight loss! I have no intention of easing up on the workout sched or eating plan. I am in it for the long haul!

I also popped into the School of Business to catch up with some familiar faces. It was great seeing everyone again, especially the 2 Js - Joan & Janet :) Two very inspiring women !

Gettingback on the road was a piece of cake, although looking at the gas prices was not so enticing. They have gone up almost doublefold since I left. Holy shite. PEI dearly needs a public transit system. It seems ridiculous to me that they spent $1 Billion to build the Bridge, yet have no public transit system whatsoever.

Ah, but there are those tricky little things I have to get used to. In Edinburgh I trained myself to walk across the streets with the flow of traffic -s ometimes this meant standing in the middle of the street while traffic whizzed by in both directions. I tried the same trick on Queen street only to find a driver come to a dead stop to let me walk across. And I keep saying 'cheers' and 'falt'. I can't help it, it just comes out!

OH - and there is no one left. Everyone I ever really knew on PEI is gone - with the exception of Rana, Natasha and (maybe?) Adam. So, yeah - no trivia crew, no Kelley Building crew. So I am thinknig fast on my feet about how to keep myself entertained and avoid being completely lonely. AS a first attempt, I went to dance classes last night- Scottish & English Country dancing! It was SO fun and I met some really nice people of all ages. So I am definitely keeping that up.

OK - time for a list or two - I haven't done one of those in awhile!

Things I Miss About Edinburgh (or anticpate missing in the near future)

• Friends to do things with - Brandon, Anne, Grand, Ailbhe, Margaret, Beth, Helene, Derek, Michelle, Gary & Rachel and, of course, all those who left before I did - you know who you are!
• Things to do - Like quiz nights, ceilidhs, hot chocolate at Garfunkels, wandering the city until a candy shop appears at your feet, dancing until all hours, going to the park for lie down
• Being able to walk everywhere or use public transit
• Being a two minute walk from Tescos
• Being able to add up the cost of a purchase in head without needing to remember to add on 17% tax
• Having a steady income from a job (it should be noted I do not mis the job itself!)
• My mobile and texting!
• All the nice-looking youngish men
• The anononimity of it all
• The regulars - Walk About, Drop Kicks, maybe even Filthys!
• The chocolate & candy & Woolworths pick n mix

Things I Will Not Miss About Edinburgh

• The small washing machines and fridges
• Our flat guest - Mr Mouse
• Being a two minute walk from Tescos
• The cobblestone streets - nice to look at, a killer on the feet
• Texting rules that I never learned
• My job - enough said
• The long , dark winters

Things I Love About Canada/PEI

• I get to drive!
• Bigger washing machines, a clothes line & dryer if required
• A normal-sized kitchen that is fully stocked
• Cheap gym memberships
• Going to town and knowing I will likely run into someone I know.
• The chocolate is not as good, so less tempting to indulge
• The green, open spaces & peacefulness
• The friends & people that are still here are fabulouso and so welcoming of a returnee
• The peanut butter and salad dressing
• Mom's vegetable garden
• Desperate Housewives new season is on TV now ..no waiting until the new year!
• Tim Hortons - not that I visit it, but I know it's there if I ever feel the urge
• last but by no means least - NO SMOKING LAWS!

Things I Am not So Fond of about Canada/PEI

• The Island accent. I am sorry but compared to the lovely, lilting accents of the Scottish & Irish it's just not that pleasing to the ear
• Having to figure out GST & PST - what taxes are on what items and how much more is it going to cost me
• The lack of temp agencies & jobs in general
• The chocolate, which is not as good as European chocolate
• The lack of friendliness at pubs/bars - people are just way more amiable over in Scotland - especially the males. Maybe its because they've conumed five pints by teh time five o'clock rolls around. Who knows?
• Genetically Modified foods - banned in Europe

K, that's all I have time for at the moment, but I'll be back in a wee while to post final thoughts on Edinburgh experience. Hope you are all enjoying your lives, whever they may be taking you!

Well, that's me back on good ol' PEI! Flight was pretty non-eventful - highlight of the trip was not having to pay ANY excess baggage despite being two times the limit! Ah, gotta love complacency , it saved me $100 or 50 pounds (back to keyborads with $ sign so reverting to this currency)! Also, I got to spend the entire flight catching up with Natasha instead of watching mediocre movies. I did buy the headset but didn't end up using it. I also did not end up starting Harry Potter. Whoops. Ah well plenty for time for that now.

OK, well I haven't been home long enough to have contemplated my time in Edniburgh or be reflective..I'm not even sure its a post anyone wuold want to read, but i"'ll probably write it anyway.

For now I am just going to go out and enjoy teh sunshine and heat and maybe haev some fresh corn on the cob!

So this is it - my last blog post from Edinburgh/Scotland/Europe. Since I've started this blog I've done 227 posts - that's pretty good for a year and a half of living eh? And yes, I will be continuing to post after my return to PEI. Sadly I can guarantee more frequent and probably mre creative posts in the future due to lack of employment and social circle :)

Sad & Lonely Shan Planet. Sigh. I can't believe I am spending my last afternoon in Edinburgh ALONE. I am going to try not to read too much into that and remind myself that half of my favorite people/friends have left the country already.

Notes from the past few days:

Tuesday - Wandered around town, did some shopping, enjoyed the last of Edinburgh's summer adn sat in Princes Street Gardens reading 101 Things to Do Before you Die, which I had just purchased at FOPP. It is the coolest book with ideas and instructions on how to go about dong some rather outrageous and exciting things such as doing a runner from a restaurant, gate crashing a fancy party and meeting someone with the same name as you.

SIDENOTE #1 - There are too many Shannon Courtneys out there. A week or so ago I recieved an email from a guy named Andrew, whom I had no recollection of ever meeting. I opened the email anyway. This dude was just writing to let me know he had a friend with the same name - a male friend! And he had attached a picture of his friend, Shannon Courtney, for my benefit and requested I write the guy. What a laugh! So, of course, I did email Shannon and let Andrew konw I'd done so and heard back from both. Maybe the first step to meeting someone with the smae name as me and checking off one of those 101 things to do....

Tuesday evening I went to see Crash with Helene, Derek & Beth. An interesting movie, not entirely amazing but disturbing enough. Afterwards Beth and I went to the 3 Sisters for a few bevys of the non-alcoholic nature and had a lovely chat.

Wednesday - Met Raeanne at the airport - another Islander in the house :) It was great to see someone from home, especially Rae Rae! We had a bite to eat at the Last Drop then wandered and wandered and wandered some more. Eventually we stopped again for another bite then headed to Stockbridge to do a pub quiz withBrandon & Ross. Predicatably we bombed but who cares - it was fun anyways!

Thursday - Met Chris & Wendy at the airport - two more Canadians in the house! They had cute matching suticases with huge Canada flag stickers on them. We met up with Rae at the hostel and I proceeded to lead them down the mile (both Rae & Chris asked me if it was really a mile long. I don't know - I am not a details person :) Anyways after a quick stop for a free sample at the Fudge Kitchen we proceeded to climb Arthur's Seat. This is when I decided that wearing sandals was not the wisest idea :) Following on our hike up the hill we sat down for a Chinese buffet - Saigon Saigon one last time and yes, it was 2 for 1 !! In the evening I took them to the Walk About because the drinks are cheap (£1) on Thursday night. Chris quite enjoyed this deal and consumed 5 pints of Stella. Stella is one gal in high demand. We ended up at Finnegnan's Wake where the band that usually plays at Drop Kick's were fiddilng away. It was brilliant EXCEPT that my feet decided to give out on me. I was in pure agony and am still in quite a bit of pain - teh pads of my feet are always burning. Blah - I need insoles in a bad way.

Friday - the rainiest, coldest day I've experienced in a LONG time. I had a lunch date with Beth who generously offered to take me to a fancy place for lunch as a birthday/leaving pressie. It was delicious and thorougly enjoyable. Thank you Beth :) The poor girl has been having a rough time of it lately as she discovered that there are bed bugs at her flat. After lunch I met up with my Canuck visitors and we went to a pub for haggis. it was definitely a day of eating. Sigh.

I said my goodbyes to Helene at her flat. Sigh, it is getting harder and harder. I also had to say goodbye to Rae, but I know I will see her soonish...back in Canada.

That evening Chris, Wendy & I had dessert and then a bit of cider at Drop Kicks.

Today - Did some last minute shopping with Chris & Wendy then saw them off. I hope I will see them again soon as they are brilliant company and both very lucky to have found each other....

Got roped into doing a market research survey about electrical goods and then wandered in here.

So that's where I am now - no last prophetic wordsfrom Edinburgh. It's all a bit too surreal and sad at the moment. Not to mention expensive. I'll do the whole contemplative/reflective post from the comforts of home sweet home.

Well here I go again, throwing myself into the unknown, but familiar. ReadyI am not, but I'll cope. Singing off key from Edinburgh one last time......

Hey Hey! OK, so its my last Monday in Scotland. And I am not workign. Happy happy joy joy! I am, howver, considering my finacnes (or lack thereof) for the first time i..er..a wee while. IT not encouraging. Sigh. No the plus side is the exchange rate and opportunity to get my taxes back. We won't talk of the negatives.

IRonically or maybe just plain stupidly, I planned to stay in Edinburgh until Sept 11 so I could make more money working. And thens eomwhere along the line I decided I should finish on 2 Septemebr. And then i decided I wanted to stay at my flat until the weekend - three days into September. I didn't realise my landlord would charge £60 for three nights. Sigh. So, as noted above, the irony of my foolproof plan to make moer money by staying longer has backfired and I am quite suer by week's end I will haev spent more than the difference of a flight on Sept 2nd. But then agani, I wouldn't get to see Rae & Chris & Wendy and that, well folks, that is pricelss. You can't put a pricetag on friendship and so I am very very very happy to be here for the week! I am also eternally grateful to Ailbhe & her flatmates for letting me stay with them!

So, this si teh last weekend review I wil be writing from Scotland. I will have to break tradition and be concise as I am at the library and trying to do other rather important things like book my bus to the airport on Sunday. So here it goes:

Friday night - Leaving do/last drinks with workmates. Started at the Ritz where many coworkers joined. Even Mark & his wife, Mrs Mark, joined despite Mark being on holiday. Gonzo joined us too- I let him have a few sips of my wine even though I think he may be underage. The rst of the muppets stayed at work to guard fellow colleagues' workstations. Mrs Piggy really wanted to come out, but we all know she has a drinking problem so we chained her to the desk to be sure she didn't get away. Anywho, most everyone left to go home to their respective partners (sigh) or beds, or both (double sigh) after the Ritz. It was just me, Michelle & Helene, but that's OK - they are my fav workmates (plus Derek & Mark of course!) More wine was drunk adn then Brandon joined. Eventually the workmates left so Brnadon & I joined Ailbhe and her former workmates for more drinks. IT was a godo night until I had to go home ot my empty flat. Last night in the flat and I was all by myself. Obviously I HAD to play teh Scissor Sisters one last time on my stereo!

Saturday = Pakcing & Moving my crap to Ailbhe's. I thought I had packed most everything on Thursday night. OH how wrong I was. Bloody hell, the amount of stuff accumulated over one year..not all of it mine mind you, but I had to get rid of it all. It was devastating to say goodbye to so many clothes and jackets. Luckily, Grand & Brnadon provided some muscle to assist in moving the dresser & boxspring out. OH, who am I kidding? they didn't assist - they did it all! And ethn some old lady started eyklling at us for leaving the furniture by teh rubbish bin and threatened to call the Council. Brandon & Grand just stood there silent and possibly a bit fearful. I *May* have did a bit of talk back - nothing rude but reallyit wasn't her business and my landlord had instructed me to do it this way in any case. Gads. i hate when peopel start yelling about things just for the sake of it. I vow never to be that kind of old woman (or young woman for that matter).

Ailbhe helped me move the rest of her stuff after I made my way to her place with my 30 pound backpack, 15 pounds laptop case and other bags strung haplesslly aroud my neck. I was quite the sight I am sure and I had to walk a ten-minute janut from teh bus stop to her place, but it toko me twenty mins at least!

Finding a cab that will take a mattress was an ordeal in itself. Whenw efinally did get one, I didn't realise we would be folidng teh mattress in half. Who would have thunk it? Folding the ol mattress -tricks of the trade I guess.

Sideote- jsut realised I am not being concise, so will do so fomr here on in

Satuday Night - spent in, too tired and feeling rather sick so to ebd by midnight.

Sunday - late start to the day. Pam (of Dublin days) came down to meet up with Ailbhe & I . She is the link and only way that I everwould haev met Ailbhe. We all went to an Asian festival & had Chicken tandoori. Went home, freshened up then went ot pRinces Street to watch the Fsetival fireworks - was fabulous (note - was going to make a big anaolgy about how fireworks are like going ot live in a new country, but it is rather lame & I haven't really got the time!) . Few drinsk afterwards, then turned in for the night.

Which brings us to today. I have lots of plans so I must depart now. Adios - will write again sometime soon

It’s Friday and yet another ‘last’ to deal with. My last day of employment with Scottish Equitable, last after work drinks with my favorite Scottish people (Helene, Michelle, Derek et al). If this blog had sound effects I would insert a ‘Shannon Sigh’ here.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am LOVING the fact that I will never ever have to process another death case again or tell another client I am sorry for our error and any inconvenience it may have caused. I am so NOT going to miss the 45 minute commute to work or, surprisingly, the constant temptation of sweets and biscuits (cookies) that the Bonds team seems so enamoured with.

But I will miss the people, first and foremost, the monthly deposit in my bank account secondly and the massive amount of holiday entitlement (i.e. 48 days p.a. if I wanted to do flextime). And, of course, my last day of work reminds me that it will soon be my last day in Scotland. I was, unfortunately, less than successful in my attempts to find a Scottish sugar daddy. I was, however, successful in finding sugar, but that’s another story, which I believe I have told many a times.

Anyways, they’ve already given me their farewells and pressies at work – a beautiful necklace (MacIntosh) and box of Thorntons chocolates. I don’t know where they got the impression I like chocolate…But, really, if I get anymore chocolate or candy or anything that even resembles junk food anymore I swear I will go nuts (or possibly turn into a Goodyear Blimp and float off). Insert another Shannon Sigh.

I’m getting to that point in the day where I really don’t want to do any more work (actually this feeling occurs every day), but that today I think I can get away with actually not doing any work!

So, in other news – it is my last night at 4H Canon Street – I have to be outta there tomorrow. I am so lucky to have the generosity of Ailbhe, who is letting me crash at her place until next Sunday. My landlord came by last night and, surprisingly, after a quick tour of the flat he confirmed that we would be getting our entire damage deposit back (minus £60 for the extra three nights I stayed there!). I even think he is giving us back more than we initially paid – I thought we paid in £650, but he thinks it was £700. Jen, if you are reading this, can you confirm how much Kelly paid you? Anyways, Canon Street was fabulous –so many good times had there and such fab flatmates from PEI! In succession – Jen, Keri, Kelly, Lindsay and Jen Again! Many random visitors as well –too many to count in fact. I need to move a dresser and a bed out of a four story building -we are on teh top floor. Thank goodness for strong, male Canadian friends!

Well, that’s about it for now – its been a hectic week, but unless you are a cleaning and packing fanatic and like to hear stories of other people’s experiences in these arenas, there really isn’t much to report. If you are one of the above-mentioned characters., well, I can only say I am sorry. Good luck to you.

In less than two hours I am asta la vista, upwards and onwards to the Ritz Bar & Grill then the Festival Tavern to celebrate my unemployed status! Wish me luck –the wine specials are too good to pass up!!