Hey Y'all..well is Thursday evening and I am still at work.,.but not working..and not on the clock. Just waiting to meet up with JEn so we can godo something especially unique to SCotland..shop at the mall!! There is a mall about three mins walk from where I work..I've avoided visiting it during lunch..namely due to my dedication to blog writing and email and lack of funds to spend at any shop.  Yep..but tonite, instead of seeing CATS or going to Glasgow, we've opted to go mall shopping...

BUt can you blame us..we've got a big weekend ahead..Tomorrow nite one of hte girls from work is having her leaving do so drinks are to be had uring the day at local pub and into the night. Tom Jones is also playing just outside the castle so may take a wander over to listen to the SexBomb king do his thing.

Saturday - this Shanadian's first (and last?) driving experience in the UK. It just occurred to me that I will have ot shift with my left hand. Shifting (wink wink to those who know the doublemeaning there) has never been my specialty..lets just jope I catch on quickly....

We're driving around Scotland..up to Iverness and through the Highlands..lots to see, plenty of miles to be clicked. Return to Edinburgh Sunday evening. Me thinks its time to call in a sickie..you know in all time I've worked anywhere..I've only ever called in sick once..and I wasn't sick, but had good reason to miss work.

My exciting news for the week is that my friend Pam, who I met in Dublin, but is Scottish and has spent last year in Australia..is returning to her home country tomorrow!!! Just in time for flat-warming next week..Plan of Action..how to convince her to move to Edinburgh (At moshe lives in Pitlochry..about halfway between here and Inverness)...

I need A Plan..Jen is Plan Queen..we will strategize, but where is Don Wagner when you need him??

K..off I go to shop..wish me luck!

 

 
Today I am sore all over and super tired and yes, I am feeling sorry for myself .Have just opted out of a leaving lunch for one of the girls on the team b/cI feel too ill and achy..plus its Chinese, which is not all that appealing to me even on the best of days. So am all alone and counting the minutes go by.
 
Soreness all over relates to 3 activities/incidents.
 

1. Engagement in Exercise. Reintroducing my body to cardio machines has resulted in  sore limbs. Legs in pain due to StairMaster & TreadMill, arms in pain due to me being pitifully week and convincing myself the rowing machine would improve upper strength
 

2. Data Entry Job. All I can say w/regard to this is..thank goodness I won’t be doing        it for the rest of my life. I sympathise with people who have to sit in front of a computer every day, every hour and I’ve only been here a month and half.  Sore back, pain in hands, eye strain (I have permanent bloodshot eyes here..surprised/disappointed Keri hasn’t hit on me yet considering how much I resemble a vampire)
 

3. Flossing.. or Lack Thereof. Have been having mild tooth pains as of late, so last     night decided it best I get back into regularly flossing…All was going well (and by well I mean bloody & painful..),until a piece of floss got stuck in the bottom part of a back molar..you know..the part you eat with. Well, with a bit of tugging (thank goodness I’d built up my arm strength with that rowing) I was able to get the damn piece of string out, but along with the floss came a piece of my tooth. So..my mouth really hurts and I can’t afford a dentist..I wouldn’t even know where to find one if I .
 
And, of course, to top it all off I am suffering from lack of sleep. Could go into reasons why, but am sure I have before am sure you all know the reg reasons someone can’t get to sleep (i.e. drinking too much, thinking too much, working too much)
 
 
OK ....enough complaining for one blog!

On positive note – us gals are going out on the town tomorrow night ..which town we are unsure of yet. We will either be taking in CATS in Edinburgh or hopping on a train to Glasgow so we can see SAM ROBERTS!! Live & cheap in the Barfly.  I hope you know who Sam Roberts is....especially if you are from Canada.  Yes..its OK,you can be jealous  ..even though he did play at Myron’s in the winter… 
  
  
  
A comment posted on my blog by Sister Sahra last night:

Subtlety does not suit you! I'll let the cat out of the bag instead of suffocating the poor thing. I'm freaking getting married! Still a little shell shocked 'cause marriage was never a goal for me. But there ya go! As dear sister put; leave it to me to do something so traditional in such an unconventional way. As in no one really knows my fiance, we skipped dating completely, we threw caution to the wind to actually follow our hearts(which in todays world is not so common) and I don't believe anyone thought I'd ever get married! -Sahra p.s. quite sure I'm not considered "Good Wife" material;)
 
In response to comment:
 
Sigh..wish I could say I resent first remark re: subtlety..but the  truth is I resemble it. TO be fair however, I think I was doing a pretty good job of being elusive about the whole engagement announcement…
 
Personally think it better that marriage was not a goal…people who have goals about things like love may be less likely to actually come across the real thing.  Some things in life are invented or developed, others are discovered. I believe love is something that is discovered.
 
I wouldn’t say I thought you’d never get married, but was rather surprised (pleasantly so) by announcement..only wish I could have been there to see the shock on everyone’s faces..and for you to see it on mine J
 
I think you are great person material and that is what matters. 

Please avoid the elope option :)

 
Today one of the women at work told me I would make someone a good wife someday.  I have oft been told this, although notably never by a young, single man. In any case, comment usually follows me serving up some sort of home-cooked meal or baked goodies, Today was no exception, as I doled out chocolate chip cookies to workmates (Sidenote: baking was purely of a professional nature…trying to create products to sell during Festival….Keri, Jen & workmates are more-than-willing taste testers).   And how do I react to ‘good wife’ comment? Well ..normally I am flattered….followed by indignant.  Flattered that someone/anyone would suggest possibility of me being good at such a role, indignant that they base suggestion on my abilities to cook/bake (another sidenote..abilities are quite limited over here in Europe and have actually had a few disasters..particularly while in Dublin) . Am quite sure that there are other things I am better at/possess, which would be more important in long-term relationship. For instance..ambition/ability to think, but no one said I’d be a good wife when I completed my Honours degree… 
 
Anywho..why do I bring this whole ‘wife’ comment up now? Because, as of late..in addition to being flattered and indignant, I am also a wee bit freaked out. Freaked out because my mind starts whirring and I start wondering whether comments are indicative of fact that I am at age where marriage is expected thing to do. Well, in any case am quite certain recent events close to home are partly to blame for my paranoia. Rest assured to all..am not considering marriage in near future. I have enough trouble committing to 6-month lease J
 
Oh..but speaking of my Honours paper…have been told by School of Business that they want to do something with it..something other than shredding! I believe there was mention of reworking it (i.e. shortening it and making it way better) and then publishing it! Woohooo..I am excited..is good to be reminded that while my days are now spent doing simple data entry I really am capable of independent thought and challenging tasks.
 
And speaking of six month lease, which will end in mid-January..have decided that I will be booking my ticket home for Christmas soon and it will be  a return ticket. I suppose it’s a teensy bit scary..like Jen says..everything is peachy keen now, but who knows if it will be the same come January or February???  But I guess I see it like this: who’s to say it would be any better back home in January or February? And what does PEI have to offer a wanderlust gal w/university degree? Not a whole lot at the moment, other than familiarity, so I’d just have to pack up my bags and move somewhere else in Canada anyway. Right so..in song lyric conclusion  ‘I’ll be Home for Christmas’  and ‘Whatever Will Be Will Be’.
 
I am back to better eating and more exercise..following on gluttoness weekend of BBQ indulgence and all-you-can eat buffet, I concluded that I was asking for it..weight gain that is. The fact that my pants/trousers are beginning to fit again (after basically hanging off me for past three months) was final straw. Unfortunately, temptations at work are a many..team of 15 females means cakes, cookies, candy, etc. are available every hour of every working day. Sigh. I have not given in to Temptation…yet.
 
Oh..right I almost forgot…So it seems that some people don’t’ realise they can comment on my blog entries (or are simply feigning lack of knowledge to avoid my scathingness  ) Well, if it is the former, then let me instruct ye. See,. At the bottom of each and every post I make there is the word Comment..it is in Orange text and at the bottom right hand corner of the post box. You just have to click on the word, then choose to ‘Post Comment’. Post anonymously as the password and all that is just for people who have blogs already. If you want me to know who posted the comment, just sign off with your name.  There..so now you have no reason not to comment…Andrew :)  and Father :) If you need more instruction than that, well sorry but no can do as am a wee bit too far away!

 This weekend, Keri, Jen & I are thinking about taking a road trip.yes.,.that’s right..I said a road trip….not a bus trip, not a plane trip, not a train trip..an automobile trip. Thanks to this Shanadian having paid the $15 CAD for her International Driver’s Permit back in May.  Apparently the fact that I can legally drive the two-lane highways and backroads of PEI is enough to warrant me permission to drive in the UK..on the other side of the road. Well, at least I can already drive a standard..suppose that’s more than a lot of  North Americans who come over here rent-a-car!! I am grateful that Keri & Jen have expressed their trust in my driving abilities verbally..although real test will come when they must actually get in the vehicle that I am at the wheel of