HALLOWEEN!!!!

This story begins with a care package. When my mother sends me packages they often contain odd trinkets but the past package contained glorious surprises. The theme of the package was Halloween!

I adore Halloween! It is my favorite holiday, just saying. My room is currently decorated with 'Jack-O'-Lantern' lights and on my door there are multiple spiders plus a witch that bops up and down. So, if you couldn't tell I'm a little in love with the holiday. I should get back to homework but felt the need to share this and the video below.

Hurricane…Silent Disco…Flying Away

So, you probably all heard about the hurricane that decided to make its way up the east coast. This hurricane was named Irene and it caused a lot of additional trouble for people who were flying to and from the United States myself included. I had gotten into bed and was about to go to sleep when I heard the front door close and two of my flat mates’ doors close as well. I heard the doors open and close again and talking outside in the hallway. It did not sound like happy talking so I went out to see what was wrong. Three of my flat mates were supposed to fly out the next morning…all of their flights were canceled. One was able to get out early that morning but the rest had to wait until Wednesday the 31st. I checked my flight and it was canceled too…so the next day (or later that day depending on how you look at it) I went down to the airport and book a new flight. The earliest they could get me out was on Tuesday the 30th. I took the flight and hung out in the city a couple of extra days.

On my second to last night in Edinburgh, I went with a coworker of mine to what is called a ‘silent disco’. Here is how it works: Imagine going to a club with all your friends but instead of music being blared through the speakers you are given headphones that have multiple channels on them that you can flip through. A separate DJ controls each of channel, sometimes they play good stuff and sometimes they do not. So, your listening to music, dancing, and singing along when you look around and see others breaking out a moves that can’t possibly go with the song you’re listening to. If you take off your headphones off then all you hear are people dancing but there is no music to solve this issue you put your headphones back on and have a great time. The idea is odd but somehow in a bizarre way works in practice. It was a great time!!!

Currently, I am sitting in my dorm room which is mostly half unpacked boxes and my stuff spread all over the room. I am taking a break…mostly I just do not want to unpack. A large part of me is still in Scotland. I wake up and keep thinking: ‘why am I not walking down Cowgate or up to Bristow Square’. Right now, my heart and mind are in Scotland and body well it is back at school… Obviously, since I am back in the United States I arrived safely and without any problems. I ended up flying from Edinburgh to Amsterdam to Detroit to my final destination. I am back sort of…It’s going to take awhile to get used to being back. 

Short Ramble

The Perfect Day. Does it actually exist? Is it possible that there is a day without crinkles in it? Is this simply an idea that has been feed to us since we were children to make us more cynical than we would be normally as human beings? Think about it.

One thing that I love about Edinburgh is that I can walk out my door, down the street, and without meaning to find something extraordinary. For example, I was walking home from Underbelly when I looked up at the top floor of a building where light was emitting. I have walked by this building at least a million times and never notice until then that the top floor had stained glass windows of different icons. I had to stop and study them just for a moment. Another example, on my break I decided to walk around and headed toward Grassmarket when I taken back by the sight of the castle at night. I have been here a month and the view still makes me take a step back.

In America, we have historical cites like Boston, Philadelphia, and New York to name a few and they have rich history but they don’t come anywhere near the cities of Europe and the UK. Here in the UK, history is everywhere you just need to look.

Does a perfect day exist? I think that it is does. I think one came across my path this week. 

Mini History Lesson

So, I have not added anything in awhile which is mostly because I come home exhausted after work and do not want to type anything out. It is crazy how time just fades into itself. Minutes become hours that become days and eventually weeks. I have lost all sense of time. I do not feel like I have been here for almost a month. I still have so much to do!

On June 30 of 1997, JK Rowling first published Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Since then, the series has been translated in sixty-seven languages and sold four hundred fifty copies!!!! As I sat in back portion of “The Elephant House,” a little café on George IV bridge better known as the ‘birthplace of Harry Potter’ I couldn’t help it but understand why J.K. Rowling was so inspired. There on the hill was the Castle of Edinburgh with an arena next to that could pass for a Quidditch arena. Looming in the shadow of the castle there used to be a lake (Nor’ Loch was drained in 1759 when it was transformed into the Princes Street Gardens) which when drained contained the bodies of three hundred women. All of the women had been accused of witchcraft and when drowned were proven innocent. I feel I should also mention that the Edinburgh Castle is located on what used to be a volcano.

It is almost two in the morning on Wednesday August 24, 2011. I should be asleep but I do not have to be at work until five in the evening so I have plenty of time. Right? :P

The other day, I walked up what is known as Arthur’s seat. It is in fact named after Arthur from Camelot. The view was fantastic! I could see the entire city and the ocean. Although, I am in a city I constantly forget how close to the ocean I am. Unfortunately, my camera was being stupid. I plan to walk up again and take pictures. I met someone the other day that had never even heard of Camelot and so I had to briefly explain it to him. If you take anything away from my blog please let it be that you will go and read about a boy named Arthur who became king and his magic sword Excalibur.

Another must in Edinburgh is walking up Calton Hill. Calton Hill is located so that you have a perfect view of the old town and new town. The new town was created as a solution in the 17^th century when the city was suffering from the plague. Originally, three streets  (George, Queen, & Princes) it now has obviously expanded farther as the city’s population has grown. On Calton Hill, there is a monument that looks as though it should be in Greece, an Observatory, Headquarters to the Scottish Parliament, and several other important monuments.

Braveheart…Liam killed a cat…Nessie…

Scotland is a beautiful country. It has an extremely bloody history but remains a breathtaking country. Today, I got up a little too early for my liking and went on a daylong bus tour of the highlands.

First, I feel I should explain where I am located. I am going off the assumption that not to many of my readers are familiar with a map of Scotland (refraining from making a snarky comment). The city of Edinburgh is not only the capitol of Scotland but also the second largest city in the country. The largest city in Scotland is Glasgow, which is about forty-five minutes away by bus. If you were to look at Scotland the country looks like an hourglass with a belt wrapped around the middle. Edinburgh is located on the eastern part of the belt so it is technically in southeast Scotland.

Heading north from Edinburgh we pass the imposing walls of Stirling Castle. I wish had been able to actually go in the castle and check everything out but was not . However, I did go by the Monty Python castle from Holy Grail. Continuing north, the tour guide informed us of the true history of William Wallace… Mel Gibson is an idiot. Braveheart actually refers to Robert Bruce the King of the Scots. Then we passed the skirt of the Trossachs (Rob Roy country) it was breathtaking and brings me to a story.

One night after shooting the movie Rob Roy, Liam Neeson was driving back down to Glasgow and hit a cat in a small town. He stops the car and sees a cat lying in the road deeply breathing. Clearly, it is hurt and Liam simply wants to put the animal out of its misery. He goes into the trunk of his car and gets out a flashlight that he kills the cat with. Liam is very upset about the whole ordeal and makes to put the flashlight back in trunk. An old woman comes out and starts to argue with Liam saying you just killed my cat by beating it to death for no good reason. He explains that he simply wanted to put it out of misery. They cause such a commotion that a cop comes by and tries to sort things out. The cop goes to the front bumper and sees a mark clearly indicating that Liam had indeed hit a cat but as he walks around, the cop sees that the cat is still under the car. Liam did indeed kill two cats that day.

From the Trossachs we crossed the wilds of Rannoch Moor and onto dramatic Glencoe, site of the massacre of the McDonald clan in 1692. The tour was able to walk around in the gorgeous Glencoe on a rare sunny and beautiful day. WARNING: If you have the last name Campbell you are not welcomed in this area.

The tour continued past Fort William and Britain's highest mountain, the mighty Ben Nevis before following the Great Glen and stopping in the village of Fort Augustus by the shores of mysterious Loch Ness. After a bit of lunch, I took a short boat trip on Loch Ness and went hunting for Nessie. Nessie was shy and did not feel the need to make an appearance. Too bad…

The return journey passes south along Loch Laggan stopping at one of the Highland villages along the way where I had amazing fish and chips. After one last sight of the spectacular Forth Bridges, the bus arrived back in Edinburgh.

If you are in Scotland and enjoy history or just want to see the country, take a tour bus but do one of the longer trips. The three to five day trips sound amazing. It is so worth it.

“The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain.” ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Local time: 22:10 (10:10 pm)

Edinburgh, Scotland - In my flat.

It is about 12 degrees (54 degrees Fahrenheit) outside and pouring rain right now.Truth be told, it has been pouring all day. The club across the road is playing Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey which seems to fit the atmosphere of the city tonight. For such a beautiful city, Edinburgh is easily one of the prettiest cities I have ever seen; it has a hauntingly dark past. Think about it! All the major cities of Europe have dark pasts.

Anyways, I got here. I did fly to Glasgow and took a bus down to the city of Edinburgh. I left on a Friday and did not get to my flat until three am on Sunday, but again, I got here. I had to be at work for ten later that morning. Since Sunday, I have been running around the city and having many adventures.

As an intern, my job is to run around and do whatever is needed. The jobs that fall under this title are in a wide range. For example, earlier this week I went in search of purple suede seat cushions. I was sent out by twenty-three but could only manage to get fifteen from the local store chain near by. I went on a search and found six more at the same chain store thirty minutes by walking across town. It was a lovely walk. Another day, I was sent to by twenty pounds (as in money) worth of playing cards. Other jobs include going to get a photo framed, arranging flowers in the VIP bar, house managing, or painting the theater* I work in.

During the year, when the fringe festival is not going on, the theater I work in is a parking garage. As you can imagine, the venue is rather odd but somehow manages to work. I spend the majority of my time there. Either working for shows, doing odd jobs, or seeing as many shows as I can. The last couple of nights, I have seen at least two shows but not tonight. Tonight, it is cold and raining. Anyone who knows me knows that I love rain but tonight I somewhat just want to chill, read a book, drink tea, and write this out. I have seen some amazing shows! In fact, the most original show I have seen so far is: THE LOUNGE ROOM CONFABULATORS. It is a show based out of Australia and takes place in your lounge room, literally. Coming from a family of storytellers, the show hits home for me.

Well, that’s all folks! 

*I will not be writing theater the UK way as I find this dumb to do unless you are from the UK.

“When you have lemons make lemonade.”

July 30, 2011
Local time: 18:35 - (6:35 pm)
Shannon Airport, Shannon, Ireland.

I am sitting in the Shannon airport waiting for my next flight. Maybe two dozen passengers sit on the chairs lined up against wall or stand in the single hallway airport terminal. When it comes to airports, Shannon is probably one the smaller ones. A typical day of flight traffic has maybe twenty planes come and go.

As you read this, you might be saying. “What are you doing in Ireland? I thought you were going to Scotland through Amsterdam.” Don’t worry; your confusion is totally normal. If you had told me that I would be in Ireland, yesterday I would have laughed. I wasn’t supposed to be here! I was supposed to be in Edinburgh this morning at 10:45. Clearly, that didn’t happen.

So, what happened? Let me start from the beginning. After a quick breakfast/brunch and leaving the house and I was promptly dropped off at BDL (Bradley International Airport) where I waited for my flight to board. To past the time, I called my grandmother and cousin. Finally, I was on the plane and ready to start the first leg of my journey…or so I thought. Due to an incoming storm in NYC, my flight was grounded because of flight traffic. The passengers of the plane, including myself, were told to get off the plane until further notice. Therefore, I waited... Then, I realized that I was probably not going to make my connection to Amsterdam.

After a long talk with the lady at the desk, we finally decided that there as a slim chance that I would make my connecting flight and if not I should go to Kennedy and try to get a flight there. I arrived at JFK (Kennedy Airport) to find that my connection had left. There was another flight for Amsterdam at six but it was already booked. It was such a mess there was no way to get me to Edinburgh on time. Finally, hope arrived. It came in the form of Shannon airport in Ireland. The catch? I had to wait until ten pm and it only two in the afternoon. I took the flight and waited.

Fast forward to eleven thirty at night and I am sitting in the airplane waiting for the flight to take off. Remember that guy, in high school who never really grew up and could get away with being annoying and rude because he had all the right friends and was athlete superstar? Well, I am sitting between him and a very nice woman. Let us just say, neither of the guy or myself wanted to be near each other. Otherwise, I had a lovely chat with the woman. The flight passes and I am able to get some sleep.

I wake up in Shannon, Ireland and my connecting flight to Edinburgh is gone. Again, the airline books me a new flight. This time, they book me a flight to Glasgow (a city near Edinburgh) and a bus ticket. I check in my bag and have seven hours to pass. Field trip? I think yes!! I end up getting on a bus into Shannon and end up going to the Bunratty Castle. It is fantastic! I was in a real castle! In Ireland!!! I get some tea with an amazing slice of apple tart. I head back to the airport and that where I am waiting for my flight to board.