AHAHAHA! (1/26)

I have discovered the best joke shop aside from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes:

I can't help but laugh every time I see it now - I suppose that could be because I'm just reading the name, however, I think the fake disguise glasses on the outside are the best part. I have yet to go inside, but if the cleverness of the name is any indicator, this must be a darn good joke shop.

Rabbie Burns Night (1/25)

Tonight was Burns Night, a celebration of the birthday of the great Scottish poet and lyricist Robert Burns (also known as Rabbie). For those of you who don't know who he is (I certainly didn't before I looked him up), he wrote the lyrics to "Auld Lang Syne", among many other things. Although the traditional Burns Night celebration involves the consumption of haggis and the reading of Burns' poetry, I spent the night out to dinner with friends doing neither. However, I did honor The Bard by drinking Rabbie Burns Ale (which tastes a bit like caramel and coffee) at a pub called The Blind Poet, so I figure I did my part.

Homework... (1/24)

Alas, my days are not all filled with great adventures and wonderous new sights. The only new sight I saw today was that of articles I needed to read and analyze for class. Oh well. One interesting thing though: The paper is a different size than American paper. Taller and thinner. Very odd.

Lost Voice (1/23)

Somehow, I managed to lose my voice this weekend. Usually laryngitis is preceeded by a cold for me, but somehow I managed to skip that first step and go immediately to croaking like a frog. This of course made meeting people very difficult (or at least interesting), as I had to explain that I don't normally sound like a choking amphibian. Perhaps I should cut down on the partying a bit. ;) In any case, I did manage to discover my new absolute favorite type of cough drop. Unfortunately, black currant is practically non-existent in the States, but at least while I'm here my sore throats will taste a bit better.

St. Andrews (1/22)

 On Saturday, the ISC (International Student Centre) sponsored a trip to St. Andrews, home of golf, the oldest university in Scotland, and many seagulls. St. Andrews is a really lovely coastal town, and it actually hit me: I'm actually in Scotland! I mean, of course Edinburgh is gorgeous, but the sleepy little old town really had that Scottish feel and charm. We were able to visit ruins of both a castle and cathedral and after climbing approx. 150 stairs, got to tak in the spectacular view from atop the cathedral's tower.

Great Scott! (1/21)

This is the Sir Walter Scott monument in Edinburgh's New Town. It's actually possibe to go up in the tower and, I'm assuming, see a fantastic view of Edinburgh (for £3). I have a feeling I'll make it up there eventually, but for now I'm just going to enjoy the view from the ground.

Sunsets (1/20)

(taken 1/20)

(taken 1/21)

I love sunsets. My favorite time of the day to drive is when the sun is either just about to set or just has, when it's still light out but everyone has their headlights on (which is probably also the most dangerous time to drive, but I digress). I will admit, I miss the sunsets over Arlington Pond, but the ones here in Edinburgh are a completely different kind of beautiful.