Well, it turned nipple-achingly cold this week. Finally! Still no snow, but a good dose of some cold weather. Excellent stuff.
This past couple of weeks, I have mostly been:
-Sending care packages to Japan. Yup, the kind folks over there sent me some stuff over the Xmas period, so it was high time to reciprocate. Not because I felt I had to. But, for example, I know sending a bunch of face masks and magazines over to Tame-chan will make her day, and that warms the cockles of my heart. Have another couple to send to some of my people over there, but those are still being worked on. Care packages are important. They need to show you care!
-Hanging with my family. We had a kick-ass get-together last Saturday night at my Auntie's house, and practically everyone who mattered was there. It was a huge night, bigger than anyone had reckoned, and I got to see some people I haven't seen in literally years. Be warned: strawberry champagne is not your friend after 5 Asahis.
-Buying new albums. After I write this, I am going to go and acquaint myself with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs most recent album, as well as Isobel Campbell's Mercury-nominated effort. I picked that one cause I like the name, 'Ballad of the Broken Seas'. I had a near meltdown in Fopp on Saturday. I limited myself to £20, but seriously! so so so many albums that have my name on it right now.
-Getting Burnsy. As some of you know, Burns was my thing in Japan, organising the annual supper for the last three years (with a lot of help from my friends). It was always a hit, and I was touched that the folk this year were determined to keep it going. It looked like they had a massive time of it, complete with haggis I flung that direction, and my only wish was that I could have been there to witness Bessie's song, Nate's drunkeness, and Anya's gyrations (apparently). However, I still seem to be a fount of expertise on all things Burns (not to insult the true conniseurs out there, I'm speaking in relative terms). I am the only Scot in our school office, and as such, haggis-buying duty for the lunchtime mini-Burns Supper, fell to me. So I currently have 5 large veggie haggi languishing in the fridge. Veggie cause of the various special diets that our students observe. The event is on Thursday, and while I don't expect quite the same amount of inebraited cosiness and familiarity, it'll still be awesome to introduce such an important part of Scottish culture to the international community.
-Praying for miracles. Get well soon, Rowan.
-Spending money on break-neck hodilays. Yup, I did it, I took the plunge. Saturday 10th March will see me land in Japan for exactely 8 days of graduations, pokers, Awa Odoris, catchings-up, reminiscings, and snugglings. I think I will not be doing myself any emotional favours by going back so soon, but I can't resist, and I promised the chillurn I'd be there to see them graduate. Ja, ikimasu!!
-Thinking healthy. My body hates being idle, and feels the cold ever more. So it's now time to get my ass back in gear, and shift a few pounds. Not feeling fat, but not feeling fit, and I'm bored with not exercising. Am drinking stupid amounts of peppermint tea (my tummy loves it), but the folk at work drink tea something like 5 times a day, and I just can't handle that!
Gotta go listen to Karen.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Working Girl
Happy New year! Hope yours was good. Me, I ended up at Rachel's impromptu house party in trendy Cockburn Street, after silly-bad weather called off the traditional street party celebrations in Edinburgh. It was a good time, I met lots of lovely people, though I really only knew Rach and her boyfriend Jake. I guess it was somewhat lonely, and I'd have given anything to see Joe suddenly appear and start dancing in his special Joe-style, or for Nate to come in with a pack of cards. But that notwithstanding, it was a jolly old time. Didn't last long though, was back in the flat by 1.30am listening to the rain outside.
However, 2007 should be interesting. I started my new job on Wednesday there. Hmm. It is mostly good, I think. The people in the office (I work with three others, another girl about my age, and two guys of 'family' age) are lovely and welcoming, and helpful as far as they can be. I am stoked to have people of all nationalities wandering in and out of the office to say hi, or ask me something. And I have suddenly inherited an address book with about 140 Edinburgh families in it, all of them keen hosts for our students, and all of them keen to chat and get to know me. It's daunting but nice. What is not nice is the prehistoric computer system we use. Holy crap, I can see there being computer-related defenestration issues on the horizon...
What is novel is getting up in the morning to put on business casual wear, hop on a bus with 50 other commuters, grab a coffee from Starbucks, and read the Guardian while I kill half an hour before 9am. I walk past the same church at the same time everyday (I know it's the same time, because the chimes always go off as I pass), I sit in the same seat in Starbucks, and before long, I'll be passing the same faces on Shandwick Place, as they make their way to their own places of work. Edinburgh is like that: a village where sooner or later, 'six degrees of seperation' doesn't seem so far-fetched.
After my first day on Wednesday, I walked out into full-on rush hour in downtown Edinburgh, and had 'New York Minute' by the Eagles playing in my head.
I like my job, but I'm not sure I am a 9-5 office girl at heart. This is for sure a road I am keen to explore in my professional life, but I'm also envious of Dave, about to move to Cairns to do some rafting work, and opening up his own business. For now though, a steady income and an ordered schedule will do me a world of good. Edinburgh still isn't sitting right with me, and it's partly because things were so crap for so long after I got back. My new job is going to do a lot to sort my head out, I think.
But today, I've been feeling kind of blue, and missing my old life. I wonder if I'll ever stop missing it, or at least stop missing it enought that it doesn't warrant a mention in this blog?
However, 2007 should be interesting. I started my new job on Wednesday there. Hmm. It is mostly good, I think. The people in the office (I work with three others, another girl about my age, and two guys of 'family' age) are lovely and welcoming, and helpful as far as they can be. I am stoked to have people of all nationalities wandering in and out of the office to say hi, or ask me something. And I have suddenly inherited an address book with about 140 Edinburgh families in it, all of them keen hosts for our students, and all of them keen to chat and get to know me. It's daunting but nice. What is not nice is the prehistoric computer system we use. Holy crap, I can see there being computer-related defenestration issues on the horizon...
What is novel is getting up in the morning to put on business casual wear, hop on a bus with 50 other commuters, grab a coffee from Starbucks, and read the Guardian while I kill half an hour before 9am. I walk past the same church at the same time everyday (I know it's the same time, because the chimes always go off as I pass), I sit in the same seat in Starbucks, and before long, I'll be passing the same faces on Shandwick Place, as they make their way to their own places of work. Edinburgh is like that: a village where sooner or later, 'six degrees of seperation' doesn't seem so far-fetched.
After my first day on Wednesday, I walked out into full-on rush hour in downtown Edinburgh, and had 'New York Minute' by the Eagles playing in my head.
I like my job, but I'm not sure I am a 9-5 office girl at heart. This is for sure a road I am keen to explore in my professional life, but I'm also envious of Dave, about to move to Cairns to do some rafting work, and opening up his own business. For now though, a steady income and an ordered schedule will do me a world of good. Edinburgh still isn't sitting right with me, and it's partly because things were so crap for so long after I got back. My new job is going to do a lot to sort my head out, I think.
But today, I've been feeling kind of blue, and missing my old life. I wonder if I'll ever stop missing it, or at least stop missing it enought that it doesn't warrant a mention in this blog?
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