John and Mary returned from the Hebrides. They told of us a typically rainy and windy but beautiful western coastal Scotland.
We invited John and Mary over for dinner - Tim prepared a whole chicken on the grill! Very good. Afterwards, being SO close to the end of the month - we had some champagne, some wine, some beer and then went to the pub. August 29... close enough. The gang at Sam's was happy to see us - it has been a while! Jim, the caretaker, joined us. We listened to the jukebox and drank pints and had a genuinely good time!! Then, as we do, the four of us (wee Mary didn't pub it with us) went to the Coach. If nothing else, it is a chance to catch up on some local gossip, discuss the news, etc. We talked about the palace being broken into. John and Mary's lap top was stolen. We finished our drinks and then walked back to the palace. It was approaching 1:30am, but that didn't stop Tim and I from stopping over at Jim's flat for 'just one more'. We shot the breeze and played with his dog, Hector. This dog as thee most human-looking eyes we have ever seen on a dog! This dog was a very emotive human in a past life!
We've lived here one here, and a night like this made it really feel like a family, like home.
8/29/2005
Falling off the wagon
8/28/2005
One day I hope to run for president.
Okay, that is a joke, but my friend Susan always says, 'well, if I were queen of the universe...'
It does seem easy to be an armchair president, but more and more, those that run for office shouldn't be elected and inversely, perhaps, those that wouldn't even consider a run for office would make some of the best leaders.
Take Iraq: The democratic coup d'état de jure
It could have been one article this morning or it could have been a series of articles, but the issue of Iraq is all over the place and I was inspired to blog political - something I haven't done for a while.
There are no easy answers to the very complex matter: whether we like it or not, we've engaged in a significant military and political engagement for certain (depending on who you talk to) purposes, and the question is, what do we do?
It seems to me that the US Congress, for sure our President and his people, and quite a few of the American people need one large collective history lesson. What is happening in Iraq is nothing new in our history. Hell, it is nothing new in any (arguably, but probably) empire's history. [See Britain's 40 year role in Iraq's history from the early 1900's up until about the Second World War.]
What the collective history lesson might provide is a sense of what we have done, WHY we've done it, (then a debate of whether or not it is right or wrong could ensue) and How we've done it (learn from failures--which there have been more of-- and successes.
We've been trying to lay down democratic principles and liberate and 'free' peoples (rarely, but sometimes it is Americans) for a long time...and in doing so, it just so happens that we usually benefit in some regard or another... hmm, go figure. Sometimes we are drawn into situations more that others... a quick glance.
Great Britain forced its 13 American colonies to pay taxes but did not give them representation in the British Parliament. This and other injustices led the colonies to declare independence on July 4, 1776. Independence was achieved in 1783, when the Treaty of Paris was signed with Britain.
War of 1812 (1812–1815) British interference with American trade, impressment of American seamen, and “war hawks” in Congress calling for western expansion into British territory led to war. At the war's conclusion, trade issues remained unresolved, but Britain gave up some of its territorial claims on the continent.
Mexican War (1846–1848) The U.S. annexation of Texas, and its stated desire to acquire California and other Mexican territory, precipitated this war. Mexico was forced to give up two-fifths of its territory. This land eventually became the states of California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.
Civil War (1861–1865) Economic and political rivalry between an agrarian South and an industrial North grew into a civil war fought over slavery and states' rights. Eleven states seceded from the Union to form the Confederate States of America. The Union victory led to the reunification of the country and ended slavery.
Indian Wars (colonial era to 1890) U.S. expansionism led to numerous military conflicts with the indigenous inhabitants of North America, forcing them to give up their land. The massacre at Wounded Knee, S.D., in 1890 is generally considered the last of these conflicts.
Spanish American War (1898) The U.S. supported Cuba's desire for independence from Spanish rule, and seized the opportunity to expand U.S. powers in other parts of the world. At the end of the brief conflict, Cuba gained its independence, and the U.S. gained several former Spanish territories: Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
World War I (1914–1918) Rivalries over power, territory, and wealth led to the “Great War.” In 1917, the U.S. joined the Allies (Britain, France, Russia, Italy, and Japan), who were at war with the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and Turkey), after German submarines began sinking unarmed ships.
World War II (1939–1945) The Axis powers—Germany, Italy, and Japan—attempted to dominate the world. The Allies (U.S., Britain, France, USSR, and others) fought to stop them. The United States entered the war in 1941, after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. Germany surrendered in 1945, and Japan surrendered later that same year, after the U.S. dropped the atomic bomb on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Korean War (1950–1953) Communist North Korea, supported by China, invaded non-communist South Korea. UN forces, principally made up of U.S. troops, fought successfully to protect South Korea. The Korean War was the first armed conflict in the global struggle between democracy and communism, called the cold war.
Bay of Pigs (1961) The U.S. orchestrated the invasion, an unsuccessful attempt by Cuban exiles to overthrow Fidel Castro's communist regime in Cuba.
Vietnam War (1961–1973) In 1955, communist North Vietnam invaded non-communist South Vietnam in an attempt to unify the country and impose communist rule. The United States joined the war on the side of South Vietnam in 1961, but withdrew combat troops in 1973. In 1975 North Vietnam succeeded in taking control of South Vietnam.
Dominican Republic (1965) President Lyndon Johnson sent marines and troops to quash a leftist uprising in the Dominican Republic, fearing the island nation would follow in the footsteps of Cuba and turn communist.
Lebanon (1982–1984) U.S. troops formed part of a multinational peacekeeping force to help the fragile (and Israeli backed) Lebanese government maintain power.
Grenada (1983) President Reagan invaded the Caribbean nation of Grenada to overthrow its socialist government, which had close ties with Cuba.
Panama (1989) President George H.W. Bush invaded Panama and overthrew Panamanian dictator and drug-smuggler Manuel Noriega.
Gulf War (1991) Iraq invaded Kuwait, and a U.S.-led multinational force came to Kuwait's aid and expelled Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's forces.
Somalia (1993) A U.S.-led multinational force attempted to restore order to war-torn Somalia so that food could be delivered and distributed within the famine-stricken country.
Bosnia (1994–1995) During the Bosnian civil war, which began shortly after the country declared independence in 1992, the U.S. launched air strikes on Bosnia to prevent “ethnic cleansing,” primarily by Serbs against Bosnians. The U.S. became a part of NATO's peacekeeping force in the region.
Kosovo (1999) Yugoslavia's province of Kosovo erupted into violence in the spring of 1999. A U.S.-led NATO force intervened with air strikes after Slobodan Milosevic's Serbian forces uprooted the population and embarked on the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian population.
Afghanistan (2001) The Taliban government harbored Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda terrorist group, responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. After Afghanistan refused to turn over Bin Laden, the U.S. and UN coalition forces invaded. The Taliban government was ousted and many terrorist camps in Afghanistan were destroyed. U.S. and NATO troops remain in Afghanistan to support its fragile new government.
Iraq War (2003– ) The U.S. and Great Britain invaded and toppled the government of dictator Saddam Hussein. Troops remain in Iraq to combat the insurgency that formed after Hussein's defeat.
And never mind what we've done in other Latin American countries like Honduras, Nicaragua or the SE Asian nation of the Philippines, then there is Iran in the Middle East - and Africa, if no other direct link, there is at least Liberia. Funny how these issues and others were not mentioned on the link above?
Regardless, there is enough information about the conflicts, the interests of nations (superpowers or otherwise) and the debates that were had in the Oval office or halls of Congress where I would think that there should be a better educated class of decision makers. The old adage about hindsight seems to be thrown out the window a bit here - and it is a shame, because a lot of people are suffering, dieing or worrying as a result (and that is not just the people in Iraq).
If I were Queen of the world... I would start with education.
8/27/2005
A bomb?
It's not everyday that I get a phone call from Tim, who is in his office on the other side of the palace as our flat that he tells me about a bomb that has been discovered on the estate. Apparently the ranger, Cameron said that they have discovered a unexploded German bomb in the river behind the house. They are going to try to pull it out, and on the off chance that it should ignite, all the windows on the back of the palace would shatter. So, he said we should stay away from the walking trails and stick to the front of the house until morning.
Good to know - I'll do that.
End of August is approaching
We are approaching the end of our self imposed fast from Beer!! As August 31st approaches, I am reminded of the evening we last shared beers and smokes with our Scottish friends at Sam's - It was Cath's birthday!! We'll be in there again soon - presumably Wednesday for Quiz night! I am down about 6 pounds or so(really, not my ideal, but my acceptable goal which was to lose a whole stone - 14 pounds)
8/26/2005
Barcelona
The flight to Spain was just over two hours. The hot sun of Barcelona was awaiting are arrival. We made it to our 'hostal' by 7:30pm and were struggling in broken espanol to order a meal at Pitel Lo 15 minutes later. I am very guarded when I travel and I felt especially cautious since I didn't have a grasp on the language and I couldn't expect as many English speakers in this country as I had in the UK or the Netherlands. However, I soon relaxed and realized that my broken Spanish was enough to get excellent service from all the friendly and beautiful Catalunya people.
Barcelona is the capital of Catalunya, Spain's largest and most northern state or region. They were their own sovereign nation for almost 500 years, so the ethnically different Catalunyans (French/Catalan/Spanish mix) definitely is separate from Spain, although a part of the Iberian nation.
We weren't sure where our first night would take us - but being in the gay friendly neighbor hood of Eixample, we decided to check out a few gay bars. Well - being in the vastly different Meditteranean culture - it was apparent that we were going to have to get used to the very late nights out or perhaps just miss out on some of the nightlife. The bars and discotecs didn't not typically open until 10 or 11:00pm and certainly weren't busy until after 12:00pm. But we were impressed when the bar filled up and we were able to enjoy with a loud group of handsome dark men a drag show. Despite the fact we did not understand most if any of the banter, I think we could sometimes take a guess about what they were talking about. It's amazing how tone of voice, body language and other non-lingual communication can communicate a message. The bar was called Crazy and that describe our first night - very fun.
During the week we really beached it a lot more that I think we had originally planned. It was just so alluring to us - the hot sun, the sounds of the ocean, the beautiful people and just the liveliness that a beach and the nearby bars conjured up kept our attention. The water was great - we split time between El Churiguitos and a spot in the sand during big chunks of 2 of the 3 days we were there. We probably walked between 12 and 15 miles over the 3 days - Park Guell (Guadi design) was very interesting and a wee bit of exercise to boot! One of the highlights of the trip had to be the bike tour - it took us to Placa de Reia, Sant Juame, the coronation place of Ferdinand and Isabel, Sagrada Familia (thee Guadi attraction to see and probably the biggest attraction of Barcelona) La Rambla - probably the best known and most historic neighborhood - down the beach and into Barceloneta.
Outside of the touristy things - the best part about our trip (as is usually the case) is finding and frequenting the cutest and best little coffee shops. The Outside Cafe and La Brocheta gave us many great memories, conversations and cups of java!!
Overall - we would back, and probably will be going back next spring. What a great city!!
Maybe it's a good year to be out of the classroom...
Because I'd want to laugh but have to tell students to turn there shirts inside out - From the LA Times Culture and Liesure section this week...
They wear cynicism proudly
T-shirts with rude slogans are hot, but schools and many parents aren't happy with their kids' smarmy attitude.
By Becky Yerak
Chicago Tribune
August 26, 2005
CHICAGO — Hi, loser.No, not you. That's the slogan on a popular T-shirt sold to teenagers as part of a booming trend in "attitude" clothes that is doing exactly what it was designed to do: amuse the kids wearing them while appalling their parents and teachers.With the back-to-school shopping season in full swing, teens are snatching up the T-shirts from companies such as It's Happy Bunny, which features a cute cartoon rabbit offering commentary such as "You're ugly and that's sad." Across the country, T-shirts with acerbic, flirty and downright raunchy messages are reproducing like rabbits.It's one financial bright spot in an otherwise lackluster back-to-school season in which the National Retail Federation forecasts that sales will drop 8% this year.At Wal-Mart Stores Inc., for instance, "attitude" tees are up 50% over last year, when the world's biggest retailer sold 20 million of them. And online, searches for the rude rabbit whose T-shirts spout such barbs as "I know how you feel. I just don't care" are up 558% in the last two months on Yahoo Shopping.
Continue
8/20/2005
Some of the Fringe Best I think!
Tim and I went to 2 fabulous Fringe Festival comedy shows this past week!!!
The first, Topping and Butch, were a couple of gay men doing some caberet mixed with political commentary -- it was awesome!! Despite the very cramped seating, they had as laughing out loud and singing along with outrageous songs -- poking fun at terrorists and people who live in council houses! "Never mind" (a song) was my favourite part!
The next night, because we had SO much fun, we decided to take the advice of some friends and see Pam Ann -- I think we laughed louder and harder, OH MY GOD. She was fucking hysterical. Her routine centered around airplane travel and she wasted no time ripping on flight attendants, Easy Jet and economy class passengers!! I'd see her again.
The Review will do them more justice than I.
Description
Two years of taking the Fringe by storm with their saucy satirical songs and outrageous outfits have done nothing to soften the biting wit of award-winning comedy duo Topping & Butch.
Review
Were there a prize for the best title on the Fringe, this show would surely take it. It's indicative of the depraved, filthy double entendres of which this duo are capable at their best, or worst
Despite the leather S&M get-up and the portentous doom-inspiring music that heralds their arrival, this is suggestive comedy at its most coy-innocent. Their genuinely warm banter and affectionate teasing ensures that everything is perfectly safe.
A little too safe for many tastes, though. What Topping & Butch serve up is the most traditional kind of intimate cabaret revue. It's as if the past 40 years of comedy never happened.
Their signature tune, Never Mind, is the most obvious manifestation of this. Bang up-to-date topical, new verses are added almost daily to stay abreast of breaking events, but the style is pure Ned Sherrin. Although they may be industrious, they are hardly cutting edge – but as the song goes, Never Mind.
They are unashamed of being populist, though, and revel in it. Only they could have an irony-free Sale Of The Century style fanfare and get away with it. They clearly love the stage, and that good feeling easily diffuses out to the audience.
Topping – whose eyebrows must be up for a double act award on their own – is the older, avuncular one. (Well, if you had an uncle with a penchant for kinky red kilts). It's he who best handles the double entendres, his supposed bass-voiced gravitas making them all the more naughty, in the same way Humphrey Lyttleton does on I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.
Butch is more playful and more obviously cheeky, a slight counterpoint to Topping's nominally more grown-up persona – and it's their relationship, and boundless energy, that gets them over the wobblier moments.
It's unlikely their old-style act is ever going to appeal to the comedy purist; but the fact a couple in the front row came along to this – their seventh Topping and Butch show - wearing home-made in tribute to the duo suggest they're doing something right.
PAM ANN
Direct from a sell-out month-long season at London's Bloomsbury Theatre, ten sold out weeks at The Soho Theatre and an arena tour with Cher, the infamous trolley-dolley Pam Ann is now extending her routes across the UK.
This uniformed vixen is a cunning mixture of social satire and larger than life inter-continental lampoonery. She pokes fun at economy, dishes dirt on other airlines, and terrorises us with safety demos.
When tickets for her recent London season went on sale the queues outside the venue could be seen by jumbos heading for Heathrow. In the last year she has sold out venues from Sydney to New York and redefined the term "Jet Set" when Elton John booked her as the inflight entertainment on his private jet to Venice for David Furnish's 40th birthday party. She has also appeared with Anne Robinson on BBC1's The Weakest Link Celebrity Special.
Are you sure you ordered vegetarian when you booked your ticket?
PAM ANN AIRLINES - WORLD'S MOST EXPERIENCED AIRLINE - "The fact is we don't make the same mistake more than three times".
8/16/2005
'Short hands and deep pockets' on a tough subject
I'm posting this week's Harper's Review today. It's amazing to me how much humanity exists everyday. Everytime I read this column I am set off - to contemplate my role, people's role; it is so complex, so broad, so deep and yet so hard to capture with these words.
It sounds silly to even say that I know, but I can't help but wonder how much or how little each person should/needs to be aware of and or doing something about in the world they live in/sleep in/create/take away from/absorb.
Do I care about my immediate surroundings? My state? My country? The whole world? How many battles can/should I pick? What constitutes help? Actual hours volunteered? Letter writing? Dontating Money? All three, or more?
The thought that I am not doing "enough" for 'mankind' frequently enters my mind; I am not sure what to do with it.
WEEKLY REVIEW
The United Nations warned that 2.5 million people will dieof hunger in Niger if the country does not receive foreignfood aid immediately. President Mamadou Tandja respondedthat "the people of Niger look well-fed." Mauritania,Burkina Faso, and Mali were also facing major foodshortages. A study found that the worldwide percentage ofland stricken by drought has doubled within the last 30years. The Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely inCalifornia. Iran decided to start producing enricheduranium, and the Environmental Protection Agency wasworking on ways to limit the radioactivity of the plannedYucca Mountain, Nevada, nuclear-waste dump for the next 1million years. Wildfires were burning all across Europe.In the south of France, fire-fighting helicopters woke aneighty-one-year-old man from his nap; the man opened fireon the aircraft with a rifle and, when police came toarrest him, he beat them with saucepans. Jeanine F. Pirro,the wife of Republican fund-raiser and convicted taxevader Albert J. Pirro, Jr., announced that she would runagainst New York Senator Hillary Clinton in2006. President George W. Bush approved a $286.4 billiontransportation bill containing 6,371 separate projects,and 39 people in China died after eating contaminatedpork.
A suicide car bombing in Baghdad killed 4 people, and themayor of Baghdad was ousted by Shiite militants. InJerusalem the biblical Pool of Siloam, where Jesus cured ablind man, was discovered by sewer workers. Thousands ofIsraelis rallied against the Gaza pullout in TelAviv. "God will hear us," a rabbi told the crowd. A fewdays later, Israel began its withdrawal from Gaza,lowering a road barrier at the Kissufim Crossing as 200people looked on. The barrier didn't work, so Israeliauthorities finally rigged it shut with some wire.President Mahmoud Abbas announced that the Palestiniangeneral election will be delayed until January 2006, andPalestinian authorities forced hundreds of volunteers tostop making a 2,460-foot sandwich. The U.S. Army firedfour-star General Kevin Byrnes, head of the Army Trainingand Doctrine Command, for adultery. Cream puffs with 560calories and 47 grams of fat were selling briskly at theWisconsin State Fair. Pfizer patented a drug that curespremature female orgasm. Twelve headless kangaroos werediscovered on a golf course near Melbourne, Australia. InBrazil thieves tunneled 656 feet into a bank in order tosteal up to $65 million, and police in New Hampshire found10 stolen Segway scooters in a garage; apparently thethieves had been unable to sell them.
In Baghdad, U.S. troops were being killed or maimed by asniper they had nicknamed "Juba." A British puppeteer wasordered to stop using a Saddam Hussein puppet as thesausage-stealing villain in his Punch and Judy show, andan Air Force colonel in Denver, Colorado, was in troublefor vandalizing cars that sported pro-Bush bumperstickers. Up to 2,000 dolphins gathered off the coast ofWales, but no one knew why. A study found that 1 in 25fathers was unknowingly raising another man's child, asituation referred to as "paternal discrepancy," and aChinese artist was criticized for grafting the head of ahuman fetus onto a bird's body. "I thought putting themtogether like this," he said, "was a way for them to haveanother life." Women in Sudan were committing adultery sothat they could be arrested and thus obtain a divorce;Sudanese men are often resistant to divorce because itrequires them to return a bride's dowry. "He wasn't caringfor me," said Ding Maker, an imprisoned woman whose dowrywas 90 cows. "I don't mind staying here." A Florida manwas cited for painting "die you miserable bitch" on theside of his house; the words were directed at hisseventy-three-year-old neighbor, who has cancer. A SouthKorean man played a video game for 50 straight hours, thendied, a man in Australia was charged with bestiality witha rabbit, and a man wearing an AC/DC T-shirt wascriticized for dancing on Ronald Reagan's grave.
-- Paul Ford
8/14/2005
Corrections!
Good coffee and baby names
We started this morning at 8:00am with some freshly ground Malawi bean coffee from Dunn Brothers. We then filled up the thermos, stopped at Tesco for some sandwiches, fruit and granola bars, and headed south to St. Abbs Head for a 2 hour hike.
It's day 14 with no beer and cigarettes -- holding out nicely, but seeing no obvious weight loss just yet. I was never very good at the patience thing.
Big Brother is over - thank god, I was sick of pretending not to be addicted to it. Yeah Anthony - the little hottie won. (the picture)And the nerd Eugene still got half the prize money - what a great compromise. 
I finished Rule of Four, finally. Started strong faded fast, don't waste your time. I started reading Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire (Fergusson). Thirty pages in, and I'm digging it.
My sister emailed me that she is having a girl!! I am very excited for you - only a bit sad that I won't be there right away when she is born, but I'll see her before her first birthday. She asked for some name suggestions.... hmmm. I like Lila, or Violet, or Victoria or Tristan. Eve is nice. Something a little different like Maisy perhaps? I also like Olivia, Claire or Marissa. I'll pass them along to her.
8/09/2005
"Healthy" August
Perhaps it was good, in hindsight, to pick August as the month that we don't drink and smoke, because the Fringe Festival is driving up all the prices!! Anyway, Day 9, and we are doing great. Not sure if any weight is coming off -- but we are enjoying the change of scenery and different activities filling our days and nights! I'm not gonna lie to you though, we are both looking forward to a cocktail and a smoke come August 31!!!
I am almost done with another book for my summer reading list. It is on the institutions of the European Union - the EU is an amazing, complex system of cooperation and consensus building in a vast and diverse network of nationalities. I am impressed more with each page that I read. I am excited to discuss the significance of such an organization in my classes! I am intellectually charged ;)
Aside from that, I am continuously revising and trying to perfect the Scottish Colloquium that I'll be facilitating again this fall. I have beefed up the dialogue and discussion pieces, and made the 3 smaller, hopefully for engaging, projects, versus the massive research paper of last spring. It's been feeding my internal need to plan-create-make that I enjoy so much about teaching.
On top of that, I have taken on the task of identifying, counting and organizing (both physically and in a database) the books in the library--well, the Scottish/British history, literature and reference portion anyway. I only just started today, but it is fascinating to see how old some of the texts are and to discover the literary treasures that exist.
Time to walk---that beer gut isn't going to walk it self off Ryan.
8/08/2005
Edinburgh Fringe Festival
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival has begun today. Over 16,000 artists will give 27,000 perfermances over the next 4 weeks. Edinburgh is turned upside down with the crowds, the hundreds temporary performance stages and shelters, the street/coffee shop/pub performers, the 1,000's of tourists, and the £70 million infused into the economy.
The first weekend in August is a preview weekend, and John, Mary, Tim and I went to dinner (a wonderful Thai place called Aihuthaya) and then a comedy show. The show, 'Kiki & Herb' was about a pair of over the hill lounge singers, only, they have no sense that they are over the hill. Born in 1930 and having met in the same institution for the mentially retarded, you realize quickly that it is not going to be a politically correct show. The story of how they met (Kiki decides she needs to be the protector of her gay Jewish retarded friend Herb) is woven in between some very unusual renditions of some old and and some obscures songs. Of the more obscure, we heard lyrics like "You're UGLY! What the fuck gave birth to you! You're Ugly! And what the hell is up with that do!" (hair). The political commentary (the performers were American), the exented version on Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and Kiki getting progressively more intoxicated on Jack Daniels proved to be a good combination for laughter.
Tomorrow we are off to see the 'Lady Boys of Bangkok' with Kitty and Donnie, one our our host families. Apparently, these boys use the money they earn from the Fringe and put it towards their real life gender changing surgeries... Should be an interesting show.
Always edgy, Let the Fringe begin.
8/04/2005
One Year
18th century history
A beautiful country
Abottsford House
Alnwick
Bob and Sheila
Bowhill
Broughton Heights
Carling
CC Blooms
Coffee Shops
Dalkeith
Edinburgh
fife bannocks
Fly Fishing
Friends Visiting
Fringe Festival
Gene and Lisa
Glenkinchie Distillery
Habana
Haggis
Henry and Ann
Holly
Holyrood Palace
How The Scots Invented the Modern World
Is Bar
John and Mary
Kitty and Donnie
Marion
Masons
Melrose Abbey
Military Tattoo
My Tim!
Neeps and Tatties
New Friends
Newtown
Princes Street
Quiz Night
Rain!
Sams
SCC Course
Scottish Enlightenment
St. Abb'sHead
Stirling Castle
Tenants
The Royal Mile
The Street
Walking in the Park
Wallace Monument
Whisky
8/01/2005
August and then some
Currently Reading: The Rule of Four, Caldwell and Thomason, The Institutions of the European Union, Peterson and Shackleton Last Movie Watched: Band of Brothers, 10 part series about World War II, in particular, the 101st Airborne Division, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment. Very intense, Very good. August 1st already. It's a mental marker that summer is coming to a close. There is certainly plenty of summer left but it seems like we change, our perspectives on time and life, when August happens.
Back home--Cabin Quest and the Wilke Family Trip occur; two staples in my summer repertoire will be replaced by Fringe Festival shows and the sort. So far, we are schedule to see Kiki & Herb. We are planning on booking the Lady Boys of Bangkok as well. Should be a good month.
I'm committed to losing another stone, so I've given up alcohol for the month. I'd be thrilled for a stone by 31 August, I'll be satisfied with 8 pounds. At 208 now, wish me luck. Correlating with my 'Beer Ban', I'm attempting to quit smoking for the month as well, although I'd prefer to make this ban permanent, we'll see how it goes.
Coming up: We are looking forward to 2 weeks free and clear to travel. Ideally, we'll get to hit Barcelona and other parts of Spain and much of Ireland and Southwest Scotland before 1 September arrives.
