The final count down has begun - 10 days of work left...
It appears as though I have neglected posting anything on here the past while, so here is the latest news from Edinburgh.
Like I mentioned in my last post, Jack Law was out to visit a couple weeks ago for a few days. We didn't accomplish all that much aside from a couple nights at the pub and a magnificent, white-trash style dinner of KFC, but I couldn't have wished for much more.
I had a couple more visitors this past weekend as well. Susan and Joan were over from Dublin for a couple of days after finishing their exams for the year. They only had a couple of days before they had to start their next rotation in the hospital (they are med students), so it was a quick visit. I took Friday off and we toured around the city, then we went out for an amazing dinner at Namaste - an Indian/Nepalese place a couple blocks from my flat. Nepal had just been declared a Republic, abolishing Royal rule, so it was fairly fitting to check it out. As if we all hadn't been to enough of them when we lived in Dublin, we went out to an Irish bar that night and saw some of Edinburgh's Finest. This included a group of girls who couldn't manage to walk 50 meters farther to get to the bar and chose to relieve themselves in the street instead (and a busy, public street at that)...
Everything is lined up for my first couple of weeks travelling with Diana at the end of the month. We have timed thing perfectly and will be in London for Canada Day. There is a huge 2-day party in Trafalgar Square to celebrate with all the Ex-pats. It has got to be one of the largest celebrations in the world (definitely the largest outside of Canada itself).
I booked my ticket to attend Smukfest - a Danish music festival the second week of Aug; everything seems to be falling into place.
Also, I have been talking with Jodie this week (we road-tripped down the Oregon Coast in Oct '07), and she is pretty much confirmed to come out and meet up with me this fall to travel around a bit. We are looking at about 3 weeks in Italy (and surrounding areas, time permitting). By that point I will have been backpacking for just over 3 months straight, so it will be the perfect time to see a friendly face again. Plus, we have to work on our Amazing Race skills a bit more - In a race around the world I think we could beat anyone. Once she takes the month of October off of work and books her flights we will start firming up some plans. Currently RyanAir is offering free flights all over Europe, so there are really not many limitations on where we can go. You still have to pay taxes on the flight (and baggage fees), but that is always less than C$50 for a one-way trip.
I haven't taken too many pictures in the last while, but I will put a few up on my FaceBook when I get the chance.
Big Brother started up last night over here (a three hour Launch Show). It is a much bigger deal than at home, much to my disappointment. As soon as the house guests are introduced they become the most famous people in all of the UK. It is not a matter of being on a show 2-3 hours a week like it is anywhere else - There is the regular show which is aired a couple times a week along with the Live Eviction Shows. These are supplemented with Big Brother's Little Brother ("insider scoops on upcoming twists and the very first in-depth interviews with evicted housemates"), Big Brother's BigMouth (chat show with 'celebrity' guests to talk about the show - 4 nights a week), Diary Room Uncut and Big Brother: On the Couch (psychology show analyzing the show - an hour every week). This is all topped off with 6 hours (midnight - 6am) EVERY night of Live Video Streaming from inside the house. Oh yeah, they have a variety of Special Episodes worked into the mix along the way as well. You might say, "well just don't watch that channel", but here's the thing - it is aired on the 3 most popular channels; like NBC, ABC and CBS all showing the same thing non-stop for weeks on end... For this reason alone, I'm happy to be leaving the UK as soon as possible. I really hope my flatmates aren't fans of the show.
These last two weekends are going to be pretty quite I think; just trying to get everything together, avoid watching or talking about Big Brother, and enjoy sleeping in the same place for more than a couple nights at a time (to become a rarity over the next 4-5 months).
Like I mentioned in my last post, Jack Law was out to visit a couple weeks ago for a few days. We didn't accomplish all that much aside from a couple nights at the pub and a magnificent, white-trash style dinner of KFC, but I couldn't have wished for much more.
I had a couple more visitors this past weekend as well. Susan and Joan were over from Dublin for a couple of days after finishing their exams for the year. They only had a couple of days before they had to start their next rotation in the hospital (they are med students), so it was a quick visit. I took Friday off and we toured around the city, then we went out for an amazing dinner at Namaste - an Indian/Nepalese place a couple blocks from my flat. Nepal had just been declared a Republic, abolishing Royal rule, so it was fairly fitting to check it out. As if we all hadn't been to enough of them when we lived in Dublin, we went out to an Irish bar that night and saw some of Edinburgh's Finest. This included a group of girls who couldn't manage to walk 50 meters farther to get to the bar and chose to relieve themselves in the street instead (and a busy, public street at that)...
Everything is lined up for my first couple of weeks travelling with Diana at the end of the month. We have timed thing perfectly and will be in London for Canada Day. There is a huge 2-day party in Trafalgar Square to celebrate with all the Ex-pats. It has got to be one of the largest celebrations in the world (definitely the largest outside of Canada itself).
I booked my ticket to attend Smukfest - a Danish music festival the second week of Aug; everything seems to be falling into place.
Also, I have been talking with Jodie this week (we road-tripped down the Oregon Coast in Oct '07), and she is pretty much confirmed to come out and meet up with me this fall to travel around a bit. We are looking at about 3 weeks in Italy (and surrounding areas, time permitting). By that point I will have been backpacking for just over 3 months straight, so it will be the perfect time to see a friendly face again. Plus, we have to work on our Amazing Race skills a bit more - In a race around the world I think we could beat anyone. Once she takes the month of October off of work and books her flights we will start firming up some plans. Currently RyanAir is offering free flights all over Europe, so there are really not many limitations on where we can go. You still have to pay taxes on the flight (and baggage fees), but that is always less than C$50 for a one-way trip.
I haven't taken too many pictures in the last while, but I will put a few up on my FaceBook when I get the chance.
Big Brother started up last night over here (a three hour Launch Show). It is a much bigger deal than at home, much to my disappointment. As soon as the house guests are introduced they become the most famous people in all of the UK. It is not a matter of being on a show 2-3 hours a week like it is anywhere else - There is the regular show which is aired a couple times a week along with the Live Eviction Shows. These are supplemented with Big Brother's Little Brother ("insider scoops on upcoming twists and the very first in-depth interviews with evicted housemates"), Big Brother's BigMouth (chat show with 'celebrity' guests to talk about the show - 4 nights a week), Diary Room Uncut and Big Brother: On the Couch (psychology show analyzing the show - an hour every week). This is all topped off with 6 hours (midnight - 6am) EVERY night of Live Video Streaming from inside the house. Oh yeah, they have a variety of Special Episodes worked into the mix along the way as well. You might say, "well just don't watch that channel", but here's the thing - it is aired on the 3 most popular channels; like NBC, ABC and CBS all showing the same thing non-stop for weeks on end... For this reason alone, I'm happy to be leaving the UK as soon as possible. I really hope my flatmates aren't fans of the show.
These last two weekends are going to be pretty quite I think; just trying to get everything together, avoid watching or talking about Big Brother, and enjoy sleeping in the same place for more than a couple nights at a time (to become a rarity over the next 4-5 months).
posted by Trevor Schofield at 12:03 p.m.
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