Winky Binky (5.26.07)

Set my alarm to go off at 8:15am...finally got out of bed at 8:45am. I have a SeaFari boat tour today at 1pm but before that I though I would have time to join Shannon on her hik of Arthur's Seat. Though it became apparent that I wouldn't get back for the SeaFari in time, so I went and had breakfast at the cafe next to the hostel. It was a traditional Scotish breakfast- sausage, bacon, hashbrowns, over-easy eggs (or maybe there were over-hard), toast, beans and haggis. Skipped the beans and bacon, eggs were okay, not my normal style, and haggis...well that wasn't my favie. It is made of sheeps heart, liver lungs, mixed with onions, oats, and spices. Yum. ;)

After that I decided to go along Princes street again, didn't really have time to do anthing more interesting. After an hour of that, caught my bus to the New Haven Harbour and went to the lighthouse where the tour meets. the weather seemed to be holding out, was sunny most of the time with a few clouds. the tour took us out into the bay where we went by the Incheith Island, which had a lot of small, square rooms build on it. They were strategically placed to make the island look like a battleship from a distance to scare off enemies. Then we went around to the Incholm Abbey, another little island. here we saw our first seal chillen on a rock. We also saw a Puffin flying. saw more seals throughout the tour, and obviously lots of birds, but no more Puffins. :(

After the boat tour I caught the bus back to the City Center and went back to the hostel. Ate lunch there, chatted with Alex. He's off to a mates wedding today down near Leicester. Went out to the shops of High Street to find some Scotland souvies, ended up on Victoria Street which had some cooler, local shops. Then ended up at the bottom of the Castle, walked up loads of stairs to the main street leading to High Street and made my way back to the hostel. Ate dinner, took a nap, then at about 10pm Shannon and I went out to this place called Winky Binky to hear some live music. We had trouble finding the place, eventually i found it - again a little doorway with equally small signage. The bar was underground, we ordered our pints and sat at this table and enjoyed the music. Was a rock band doing covers which was cool.

The place started filling up and when I was coming back from getting us another round of drinks, a guy in his mid-late 30's, was sitting at our table talking to Shannon. His name was Thomas and we found out that he was there for his mates "wetting". This is when you go out with your best mates right after you have a baby. The guys were nice, and it was funny to see all these guys out and showing us pictures of their kids. They went off and did their own thing, then this younger guy started talking to us and we chatted with him and his two friends Amanda and her brother Mark. Nothing flirty, just friendly chatting. At 1am we decided to call it a night and headed home.

Edinburgh, Scotland (5.25.07)

The last two holiday weekends i kept saying that I would go somewhere, but lack of planning left me in Bristol both times. So when i knew we had another 3 day weekend at the end of May, I was determined to go away for the weekend. thought of going to Paris or Barcelona at first, but then looked at Edinburgh. Seemed like a cool place, and when I was looking at the Edinburgh info site, I saw that Pixar's 20 Years of Animation Exhibition was going on at the National Scotish Museum. If that isn't a sign from God, then I don't know what is. Booked my flight and 4 nights at a youth hostel (should be interesting- staying in an 8 bed female dorm). Packed up my stuff Thursday night, luckily Alex leaned me his duffle bag for the trip, all my bags/suitcases are too big. The one bummer was that my flight left so early on Friday that the bus to the airport wouldn't leave early enough to get me there in time for checking in, etc., so i had to take a cab. Cost 18 pounds :oP oh well, lesson learned. Cab came and got me at Sublime at 4:30am (ugh) which meant I was up at 3:30am. and of course I didnt get to bed until about 11:30ish so I got about 3 hours of sleep.

At Bristol Airport I checked in fairly quick and had about an hour to kill. Wandered about the shops. Flight started boarding, got on, and right after take off i was fast asleep. In Edinburgh I collected my bag and then found an info desk to collect this 3-day Edinburgh pass I bought online. Gets you into places for free, free public transport, discounts at restaurants and shops. the lady behind the counter was really nice and informative. I caught the airport bus (free) and got off at the city center, checked my map and found my hostel on Cockburn street (okay, you all can stop laughing now). Along the street were a ton of cute shops that I knew I would check out later. Almost walked right past the hostel, it just has a single doorway squished between a cafe and shop, and their sign was also quite small. I checked in, but it was too early to go to my dorm (about 9am). I left my bag at the reception and went to catch a tour bus that the lady at the airport recommend I take. Figured it would be a good way to get a tour of the city and it's points of interest.

The tour was cool, helped me determine where things were and whether or not I wanted to visit that particular spot again. We went down Princes Street where one side has a huge park along it, the other side a bunch of shops. Then turned the corner and went around the Edinburgh Castle, went down High Street (the Royal Mile), passed the Nationak Scotish Museum where the Pixar Exhibit is (woo!), then down to the new Parliament building which is the funkiest, ugliest building design for a goverment type building. An hour later the tour is over and I still have about an hour until I can go to my dorm, so I stroll down Princes Street as the shops have at least openned by now.

didn't really feel like going into the shops though, so I made a turn and decided to check out Calton Hill, we passed it on the tour bus. Walked up to the top and got the most amazing view of the city. On my way back I passed a cemetary which I walked through, then crossed the North Bridge and found some cool stores which I checked out, then it was finally okay for me to enter my dorm. In the room I found 2 girls already there, and could see there was 1 more in the bunk below my top bed. Put the sheets on my bed, unloaded my stuff and had to take care of some admin things. I found out the 3 day pass has to be used in 3 consecutive days, and I had already booked a train ticket on Sunday (day 3) to go check out this little city called Linlithgow outside of Edinburgh. Went to the train station to check on the cost of changing the ticket and basically it would cost more than the ticket is worth (was only 4 quid) so at this point I am thinking i will just miss the train and if I decide to rebook later i will.

Went from the train station to the Royal Mile, mainly in search of food, and also to visit the Castle. Got a sandwich to go, and walked up towards the Castle. Did the guided tour, which was cool. Was quite chilly up there at times and even started raining a little. When we got to the top/main center of the tower, we arrived just in time to see the changing of the guards who were positioned in front of this one building. And apparently the guards are not always at the Castle, but for this week and weekend they are, so that was pretty fortunate to get to see them there. After the tour we were free to roam the castle and it's many building. Saw the Royal Jewels, banquetting hall, checked out the cannons, but eventually was getting tired and them to top it off my batteries in my camera start dying. I took it as a sign to bugger off.

When I got back to the room the girl in the bunk below me was there, along with another new girl. the one under me is Shannon from Denver, CO., and the other is Henny from Australia but has been living in London for the past 4 years. We all got on realyl well, chatted away, and made our dinners at the hostel and ate in the common room together. Then we decided to go on the Witchery Ghost and Gouls walking tour that evening. it was a very funny tour. the main guide was quite comical and his companion had the task of dressing in all sorts of costumes and scaring us at times. At one point I got called up to join them because I was accused of being a begar (long side story...) so they had to cut off my hand. I was funny, i totally screamed at the wrong time and wasn't holding the fake bloody hand very well. At the end of the tour us girls went and had a pint, did more chatting and exchanged contact info since Henny was going to be leaving the next morning. So far a pretty good start to my weekend.

We have a Kitchen!

Last weekend the weather was cloudy and rainy, which was a good think really becuase after last weekends party-fest I had not done any cleaning or laundry, so I was able to take care of that. Also, we got a new lodger, Dan. He used to work at the Crown (Chris's pub) and is now working at Sublime fulltime. It's good because poor Nick has been running this place all on his own and needs someone else to manage the bar and staff so he can do other things for the business and also take a break every now and then. So because Dan moved in i think Nick felt inspired to tidy up the kitchen (finally) and the function room. the boys cleared everything out and Leonna and I spent 3 hours on Monday evening cleaning the counters, shelves, washing dishes, etc. It is so nice to have our own kitchen now.

Sunday I wanted to go check out a few local gyms to see about joining. Got Leonna to go with me, and Nick drove us in his "new" car. Went to the Marriott, which Alex recommended. The biggest plus of this place is that it has a pool and huge jacuzzi. The down side is it is rather small, has all the basic equipment you would want, but only like 1 or 2 machines of each. And no classes, like pilates or aerobics. Then we went to Fitness First and that place was much larger and more open, lots of machines and it has classes. But no pool. The other cool thing though is if you are a memeber of one Fitness First, you can go to any of them. So I am torn. Leonna and I got day passes for each place so we can go back the following weekend and check them out.

This past week has been pretty good. I am realizing that I function better on 5 or less hours of sleep. Sunday night I only got about 4 hours of sleep and was fine on Monday. Monday night I got about 6-7 hours of sleep and was totally knackered on Tuesday. Oh, speaking of Tuesday, I played poker as usual that night and did really really well. Made it to the final table and finished in 3rd place!! I have never made it to the final table, so yay for me. Don't worry, I am not going to become a gambler, it's easy to take risks and play the game knowing there is no real money involved to lose. :)

Wednesday was a fun night. It was Alex Taylor's Birthday, he is one of the guys from Midnight Sausage, and they were playing at this place called Bristol Ram. Went there with Nick, Leonna and JD, had a few drinks and listened to them Play. I didnt think Alex was coming because when I called him he wasn't sounding to enthusiastic about coming out, but he ended up coming, which made me happy. Had more drinks, listened to the guys, then when they were done with their set and slowly starting to pack up their gear, Alex grabbed one of the guitars and totally blew me away when he started playing all these different songs! Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Nirvana....I was amazed. Had no idea he could play, and so well. There really is something about musicians that can turn a girl on, was just totally smitten sitting there watching him play.

Once the guys were packed up, we headed back to Sublime and continued the party there. It was a really fun night. A late one too, didn't head to bed until about 4am. Was a bit tired Thursday morning, but no hangover. yay. Today, Saturday, Leonna and I were supposed to use our day pass for Fitness First and work out, but she got suckered into working at Sublime in the day, and then has to work at her actualy job across the road later this evening. Bummer. Might just go there on my own later...we shall see. tomorrow though she and I are definitly going to the Marriott to use that day pass. Wouldn't want to miss an opportunity to swim and chill in the jacuzzi. Then in the afternoon Leicester Tigers are playing for the Rugby Cup, so I'll go watch that with Alex at the Fish.

Oh, one last note before I go, next weeknd I am going to Edinburgh, Scotland for 4 days. Should be fun, heard it is a beautiful, fun place. and what is really great is the National Scotish Museum has the Pixar 20 Years of Animation exhibition going on, and it will end after that weekend. I took it as a sign from God that that was where I should go next weekend. Will be staying in a youth hostel in an 8 bed female dorm. should be interesting. I figured staying at a hostel was best because a) it is cheap, and b) since I am going alone it will be a good way to possibly meet other travelers my age, especially if i am sharing a room with 7 other girls. I just hope they are jerks. Will let you know after next weekend how it goes.

Alex's Birthday weekend

Alex's 30th Birthday was on Satruday May 5th, so from Friday - Sunday it was a non-stop drinking fest. Saturday we started at the Fish Market, then headed over to the Crowne and had a few drinks, then over the Walkabout for another drink. At this point Alex started sucking away at his scorpion lollipop which amused us all. Then we went to this cool place called the Beer Keller and it was all like german-beer garden style, though indoors. They had a live band and they were playing all sorts
of funny songs, "i am the music man"...and a bunch of "omp-pa-pa, ohmp-pa-pa" stuff. We stood on the benches the
whole time with our huge steins in hand, singing and dancing away. Then we went back to Sublime and had a few drinks there before heading home.

Sunday was pretty much the same. Woke up, showered, then we all met at Sublime because N ick was having an
all-day bbq. except they had a late start and we didnt get fed until after 3pm, but before that we had a
drink at Sublime, then Alex, Jaume and I went back to the fish, started playing mario kart on nintendo for
a while, then we went back to Sublime, got fed, drank a few more pints, met up with a bunch of others, then
headed over to a bar/restaurant called the Hole in the Wall- it;s actually a nice place. Had two rounds
there, and i knicked my glass because it was cool looking, hehe, then we went to this cider house called
the Apple, had a really nice drink in there, then went to this place called Mumu's, had another round in there, and
started playing this weird game where you take a packet of ketchup or mustard and you twist it, then
pass it to the next person, and you keep going around until it bursts. My twist broke the packet of BBQ sauce. Then we went back to Sublime, had another round, which i am not even sure i finished at this point. We were pretty tired and
drunk so alex and i went home and went to bed.

We decided that Monday was our day of rest. We literally sat on the couch and watched TV all day long. No Kidding. The weather over the weekend wasn't as warm as it had been. Was really windy and overcast sunday and on monday morning we woke up to rain. It was hard getting back to work after having 4 days off.