Men in Kilts

Sorry to disappoint, but this week was far less eventful than the previous weeks. It has mainly been filled with lots of cleaning and working and planning for future weeks. Also, Autumn is completely on it's way. It has been cold, rainy and windy almost every day. Not that bad though, I actually quite like the cool weather and for a place with a high amount of humidity, I still feel that crispness in the air.

I was walking down the street the other day and saw a man that I see regularly walking around my neighbourhood. He walks around wearing a fishing vest, a kilt and boots with his sheepdog walking along his side. This particular day he was holding an open wine bottle at nine o' clock in the morning :) I love seeing him. He's got long hair and a beard as well and is about in his fifties. So classically Scottish. Also there's this boy at the grocery shop who I think has a crush on me. However, I can't understand a WORD he says. It's a complete foreign dialect. Absolutely crazy...I think he just rambles on about having to stock shelves and stock groceries. I basically just follow the inflection without actually knowing what he's saying. He seems satisfied with it. Slowly I'm getting used to the dialect, but I still can't passively take part in conversations. I still have the occasional conversation where I only know part of what is being said because I've missed a few words here and there. I definitely cannot just sit back in a pub and indirectly insert my opinion into the conversation because I lose it as soon as I stop actively listening. It's a bit frustrating, but there you go. One day it will click.

***Skip the following paragraph if you don't want to hear politics****
It's funny to see people get so involved with the healthcare debate. When I first came here and it wasn't really an active issue in America yet, I heard people occasionally ragging on the NHS and it's few problems. However, once America started discussing and insulting the NHS, people here jumped to it's defence. They are actually really proud of it and I think the people here realised that it is actually nice to have free/inexpensive health care, even with the private options that some take. Anyway, it's been interesting to watch and I wish all of you Americans good luck in dealing with the crazies that I've seen "bearing arms" on the streets. Also, in case you haven't been, start watching Rachel Maddow on MSNBC; she's doing a great job of summarising everything
*******Done with politics*********

Yesterday I went to the Worlds Piping Championships. It was so fun to watch. It was like a giant, Scottish version of marching band competitions (obviously). Simon Fraser University in Canada won it again. It was really fun to just wander around and see all the groups there rehearsing and performing. Really amazing skill. Speaking of bagpipes, I love living next to the Oran Mor, but I've decided that it's a bit depressing sitting at home on Saturday night with a bottle of wine and Star Wars and hearing a bagpipe wedding party going on just outside my window. Ha ha.

I'm currently getting ready to do a bit of travelling now. I'm heading off to St Andrews next Sunday for a week-long "summer school" for incoming PhD Astronomy students in Scotland. I'm really curious to be going there as I also got an offer to go to that university. It seems like a nice place to visit, but from what I have heard, I made the right decision. It still should be fun to go and meet people. We have a proper ceilidh on Wednesday which I'm really looking forward to as I haven't been to a real ceilidh here yet. (ceilidh = scottish dance/party...sort of a classier hoe-down :) )

In a month I'm off to Budapest, Hungary for the LIGO/Virgo meeting. I'll be gone for a full week and I already have my room and flight set up. I'm really excited about it and should be updating more on it as the time approaches.

That's all for now, folks! Read the information on Health Care and fight for Public Option! Believe me, it's really nice to walk in and out of a clinic without paperwork or money being exchanged.
See you next week!