Don't you know who you are?

It finally happened; I order pizza from pizzahut.co.uk for collection. I go to pick it up, 2 blocks away and there is a moment of confusion when they figure out which of the THREE "Macdonald" orders waiting to be picked up is for me. Ah, Scotland.

It's amazing how many things here so fit my personality; things that always made me stand out a bit in the US seem commonplace here. First of all, there is a large contingent of individuals who blast music from their car. This always made me stand out in the US for playing things like "Phantom of the Opera" so all the world can hear, and I know what you're thinking, There are people here who blast their music, too, right? but oh! not like this. It's not simply a round of rap music being heard throughout neighbourhoods. The best experience I had was when someone was stopped at a light and was blasting the soundtrack from Pirates of the Caribbean. I have also heard Pink, Bruce Springsteen (the night of the Boss's concert in Glasgow) and the obligatory rap music.
After the music, the tattoos are the next thing that stand out. I realise that a lot of people in the US have tattoos, but the ones here are more like mine. Let me explain: I have been berated by tattoo artists in the States for having random tattoos with no artistic flow to them. My tattoos tend to be randomly placed symbols wherever there's room. Not only do tons more people in Scotland have tattoos (much older generations) but they are similar to mine in that there is little flow and simply lots of random images. I love it.
Also, people drink a lot of cider. It's not just a girl's drink. It's readily available on tap in any pub and takes many many forms. Strongbow is still my favourite.

So, filling in on my life currently; I'm sitting in my flat on a Saturday afternoon watching the first Harry Potter film. It's brought back a lot of great memories. I'm going through a bit of a Harry Potter regression since the sixth film was released last week. It reminds me how comfortable and at home I feel when surrounded by the Hogwarts world.

A brief review of the Half-Blood Prince film (spoilers): The biggest complaint I've heard from people was the added scene of Bellatrix attacking the Burrow. I actually approve of this addition for a few reasons. Mainly, there is a psychological haunting throughout the book of HBP that is hard to convey in a film. I thought it was extremely appropriate, in lieu of this opportunity, to have a random attack during a happy time. It served to remind the viewers as well as the characters of the need for "constant vigilance" to use Mad-Eye Moody's expression. The viewers were forced to not get too comfortable in the happy world of the students. I also fully appreciate what they could do with Severus Snape. Now that the seventh book has been released, they were able to show a bit more of his allegiance. They always hinted at it (like when he instinctively protected the "Golden Trio" in the third film from Lupin) but this was pretty obvious that he was the unsung hero. Being able to show his face when he killed Dumbledore added a lot. Overall, quite pleased with the film and they have consistently improved. This was by far the best one yet.

I enjoyed being in Scotland when it was released. Not only was it a great opportunity to meet/bond with the other staff/students in the department, but it was great to finally live in that setting. Something about it just seemed so much more familiar; the various colloquialisms and habits that are now daily for me had never been in my life before. Not only that, but a few days later, we went hiking in Glencoe in the highlands, where Hogwarts is filmed.

The hiking experience made me really feel like I was settled in Scotland. We hiked through Hogwarts-territory in the pouring rain then retired to a climber's pub with a pint and a steak pie in front of the fire. So perfect...
I forget now that I'm living in a place that I dreamed of since I was a little girl. Every once in a while, it hits me, but on the whole, I have my daily routine settled in and feel quite comfortable.

I'm currently watching the first Harry Potter film while drinking a Strongbow and eating my pizza. It's been the first time I've watched this movie in about 4ish years. It's taken me back very far. I remember liking Harry Potter (particularly Snape) before this film came out. When it was released, I went to see it with my little brother and our neighbours. The introduction of Diagon Alley warmed my core. I felt like it was a happy beautiful place, mostly because it reminded me of our trips to the UK when I was little. From that point on: Harry entering the wizarding world for the first time, I have always felt at home and with a friend while reading/watching Harry Potter. Also, the kids are adorable in this film. I'm going to watch them straight through, which may be weird to watch them grow up at this point.

All I've got planned for tomorrow is to go to the city centre in the afternoon to go buy a copy of Peter Pan (for a book I'm working on) and look for some dice for someone... :-P
I'm a few chapters away from the end of the Deathly Hallows. This really is a fantastic book. That's all for now...back to my film :) Pip pip and cheerio!