Merry Christmas...2 days late!

I'm alive and well. Christmas went well with G's family. I'm still at his aunt's with the whole family hanging out.

I won't lie...it's been slightly boring for the most part. We sit around. The boys (5 of them) play video games. I sit and stare blankly, play on the computer, and take naps. I finally went outside yesterday for a 'run' which was difficult considering I haven't run since March. However, it was really nice to be alone with my iPod. Unfortunately it was absolutely freezing and I forgot my running tights. So I was running through a crisp winter's day wearing shorts, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt. eek. Needless to say, I only ran for about 15 minutes before I needed a hot shower.

That didn't go to plan either. I went in his aunt's main bathroom which doesn't have a power shower (allows you to have a hot shower 24/7). Instead the hot water comes from a tank which has long since emptied for the day. :( After my shower they informed me the other 2 bathrooms have power showers. boo.

G got me some lovely gifts as did his mom. I felt a little cheap because I only got her a nice box of chocolates and a picture frame. But let's be real, I haven't known her that long and G is absolutely rubbish at giving me info on what she likes. His gift to her was a CD she picked out and sent to him and a book (David Beckham Autobiography) that keeps getting passed through the family as a joke. Clearly my crap present was much better.

We went to the M&S sale today. G's mom, aunt, uncle and cousin went as well. I got a silk and cashmere pashmina for £15 which was amazing, and a new pair of brown flats. Super cute!

I should have gone to Next with G's uncle because they were having a sale and I like their clothes better than M&S. Sadly I didn't know that's where the 2 men went. The 2 ladies were hard a work rummaging through the sales. G's mom specifically said not to let her buy anymore clothes as she didn't need them (This is most definitely true...way too many clothes). Of course she left the store with £130 of stuff...a new pair of gloves, a glove and scarf set to have as a gift, pashminas, new trousers, a new jacket, and who knows what else. Ridiculous...I like a sale, but it's not a bargain if I didn't need it. :) And it clearly looks like the credit crunch hasn't hit this family.

Will write more tomorrow. Plus all of you should be celebrating.

Interviews

I had 2 interviews this week.

1 I didn't get which is completely cool with me because I didn't really want that one. The second one I had my interview on Thursday at 4:30pm (which actually was 5 due to the panel running late). This meant my interview was from 5-6pm on a Thursday. haha

I had to prepare a PowerPoint presentation on a topic I knew NOTHING about and present for 10 minutes. Topic = Internationalisation of Scottish universities and outward mobility of Scottish students. hahahahhahaha. Although it sounds intense, it is a really cool subject.

The interview was interesting and difficult, but I felt confident with my answers. On Friday at 2:30 I still had not heard from them and figured the worst. I mean it was the Friday before Christmas so if they wanted me they would have called me to get it all squared away. Between 2.30 and 3, they called to say they couldn't make a decision between me and 2 other people. So now I have a second interview on 6 January.

Luckily this time they have sent me the project funding proposal and more information on the organisation. It's funny because during my presentation I suggested alot of the things the project is trying to accomplish, so perhaps that helped me into the final 3. Also I was a really good bull shitter at mixing my prior work and academics to answer questions. It all really does fit though is the weird thing. And as an international student, I have loads of opinions on how they should be treated and the services offered.

So overall I'm really excited about the project and the organisation. It is a 3 year project on which I would be able to have alot of input, so let's all cross our fingers! woohoo

PS I have written Christmas cards. They just haven't been sent. VERY sorry!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Allison!

Allison's birthday is 9 December. It's already that day here in my part of the world. :)

On Friday I survived the graduation ceremony. The rest of the day was spent eating and hanging out with classmates. To really celebrate we had a nice dinner at a rooftop restaurant with views of the castle. Absolutely lovely!

Graham escorted me to all the events, and was a witness for my graduation. I have a few photos, but my friends have millions. At the dinner Graham and my supervisor had a nice chat which is really cool.

Work sucks. Not really - it's just kind of boring. But the people are super fantastic! Really like how nice they are (I'm just waiting to find out they are major gossip whores or are serial killers).

Christmas is almost here! Hopefully my mom will leave a comment about what she wants after this post.

Off to sleep! Will update tomorrow. I'm going to try to keep a blog during the day to better document a day in the life of me.

Thank you Thank you Thank you!

I am absolutely loving the comments. Tangela is still MIA, so we will all disown her.

My graduation is tomorrow at 11 AM Greenwich Mean Time. If you want to watch a webcast of the ceremony, you can go to this website.

www.registry.ed.ac.uk

I have fallen a little behind on my article writing. I have been super tired after work, and I've had tons of job applications to find and sift through. Unfortunately all that work has resulted in only 1 application being submitted this week. :( There are so many that are awesome, but once I make it through the person specification I always find some requirement I don't meet. It's annoying, but with the economic climate people want EVERY SINGLE requirement met. boo

Wish me luck for tomorrow and in the job hunt!!!

Answer to Jackie

My blog is only showing 2 posts because I changed it. ha. I changed it to make it easier to view the posts.

So now you just go to the month you want and all the blogs for that month are there. Sorry if it isn't as efficient as I thought. :(

Katie - I very much remember our flight with the yummy shrimp, avocado, and tomato salad. So delicious. Oh and the chocolate profiteroles. :) I flew British Airways recently, but I can't remember the food. It was nowhere near the same level of deliciousness.

Ryanair on the other-hand charged my £2.50 ($3.68) for a tiny bottle of water.

Comments?

Hello all! Where are my comments? No one leaves any and it makes me sad.

G and I went to his Mum's this weekend for a family get-together. It was really fun. I got to meet his stepsister, brother-in-law, and step-niece. All very lovely. We went down on Saturday by plane which went fine. I had to use my driving licence because my passport is with the Border Agency.

While there, my cold really acted up. I was so sick on Sunday that I turned down a shopping trip. So you know I was basically dead. ha. We flew back to SCO that night, but I was almost kept at the airport. The girl checking us in said I couldn't use a US driving licence - only EU ones. So I kindly told her I came down on my driving licence. There was a debate between she and the girl next to her that came to the conclusion that I would not be allowed to use my driving licence. Graham was getting a little huffy, but I tried to stay really calm and nice. I was hoping this would make her take my side.

I kindly informed her of our phone call to Ryanair (the airline) before coming to the airport and their claim I could use the licence. I reminded her I came down there on my licence. I also informed her that my passport is with the Border Agency. Finally a supervisor showed up who in a matter-of-fact manner said 'yeah it's fine'. WOoooooooo!

We finally met back up with G's brother and his girlfriend who were just about to come over and see what was going on! Honestly...only I have crazy shiz happen to me in airports. :(

Monday night G and I saw Mary Poppins at the Playhouse. OH. MY. GOD!!!!! It was absolutely amazing. Really. The scenery and special effects were soooooooooooooo good. I cannot brag about the show enough. It is a West End show that is currently on tour around the UK.

I graduate on Friday. Thank God. Still need a job. Life is good.

Come Home to Scotland

VisitScotland has just launched its new Homecoming 2009 advert. If you were ever going to come visit me, 2009 is the year. There are loads of special events going on next year from January to November.

Many Scottish celebrities are in the videos. Go here to see it. On the website there is a list of details about the celbrities featured because honestly most people outside Scotland wouldn' t know them. BUT the advert is targetted to Scots encouraging them to invite their family and friends over.

As a 'Scot' I extend an open invitation for 2009. Come visit!!!

I was stalked

Yes I was officially stalked online by my now current workmates. ha. Today a few people came for interviews for some position. None of us in my pod knew what they were interviewing for, but the interviews took place in the meeting room next to us.

Anyhoo, James who sits in my pod mentioned looking up the interviewees on Facebook. Then he and Chris (who works on our floor) said they had looked me up too. I thought they were joking. Then Chris asked if I had a prom photo as my profile picture. I said NO of course not. Then we they searched for "Tiffany Burch." I got to see the girl with the prom photo. haha. She was even from Hattiesburg, MS! What are the chances??? I'm pretty sure Chris was disappointed that I wasn't the prom photo girl because her photo is really terrible, and it would have made for good banter.

So I kind of felt creeped out, so I asked them why they looked me up. James said it was so they would know who I was when I showed up. But I don't exactly believe that because he was critiquing all the girls who came for interviews today. Sooo I'm pretty sure they were just trying to check me out before I got there.

Weird though that it was 2 guys who didn't have anything to do with my hiring (at least I don't think they did)haha. And I'm pretty sure Chris is married and James lives with his girlfriend. RIDICULOUS! So I'm guessing the whole floor was told of my arrival for Monday morning...who knows. My work said they would take me as their temp last Wednesday, so that did give them 3 days to mull over my arrival and possible looks.

My photo is one from months ago and I look about 12. Check it out on Facebook...it's still there!

Response to Katie's Comment

Girlfriend! My pay is like 1 pound over minimum wage. By no means is it good pay. It pays my rent and expenses which is all I have for now, BUT I have my student loans starting in March. Booooo!

So. I may move back if there are no promising prospects by then. There is also the option of doing a funded PhD in San Francisco. While it would put off me paying my debt, it would allow me more job prospects in my field. I really want to work in the international health field, and doing admin for the tourist board isn't exactly doing that.

I applied for 2 more research assistant positions here in Edinburgh. Pray pray pray that I get some interviews. Dear Lord I'm getting tired of applying. It takes at least 30 minutes to an hour for each. :(

Why does the US education system do this to us? Scottish people go to university for free (or at an extreme discount). AND you don't have to pay back your loan until you are earning a certain amount of money which is good if you need to do an internship to get experience. Getting experience is a luxury for me haha. Unfortunately it's the reason most people won't hire me or my classmates who are still unemployed.

Sigh.

Katie Likes Po-Boys

You absolutely must check out this photo of Katie! The girl was definitely celebrating the New Orleans Po-boy Preservation Festival.

This photo makes me want a shrimp po-boy like it's nobody's business. Dammit! The Scots only have 'prawns' which are ridiculously small shrimp. And they have no idea how to do a proper fried-shrimp. :( These unfortunately are things I have adjusted to in order to survivor this dark cold country.

I survived my first day as a temp. It seems like they want the job to go permanent, but I just can't do that to myself. I don't have a load of college loan debt just to be an Admin Asst. Ya know? I might actually enjoy the job if I didn't have the debt. Why did I even bother going to university if these are the only people that will hire me???

DVD Contest

Below is a link for a DVD pack contest from Comcast (Memphis telecom company). Anywho, I'm sure they'll send you junk email, but you can register to win a pack of DVDs. I love Weeds, so maybe I'll win that! woohoo

http://www.memphisflyer.com/comcast/

Feathers

I am really loving accessories right now. They are cheap. They make simple clothes look exceptional. Credit crunch = cheap clothes, but it doesn't mean a lack of style.

Here are some really cool head accessories I found.

Christmas List from JCrew

I have been thinking about stuff I would like for Christmas from JCrew. It is mostly cute clothes that I could wear at work and beyond. This may sound lame, but I currently have about 2 work clothing items. Soooooooooooo without further ado here is my Christmas wishlist...

1. Quinn Cami. I will need a size 4 in light pewter please. ($78)

















2. Cool necklace. Saw on the site for $89, but they are sold out. Pretty sure I can make this myself.3. Solid Silk Elizabeth Halter. On sale for $59.99. I like either Fresh Clover or Classic Navy in a small.
4. Solid Harlow Blouse. On Sale for $59.99. Ivory or Fresh Guava. Size 4.5. Merino Melanie button-cuff cardigan. $59.50. Size small. Color melon, bright tangerine, or heather grey.6. Dream Stephanie Cardigan. REALLLLYYYYYY love this one. $88 (mix of cashmere). Small. Color shown = light spearmint.
7. I really like the trousers as well. Favorite-fit stretch vintage bootcut cord. $69.50. Aubergine, sea salt, or pine bough.
8. The necklace is cute too, but I can make it. It is just ribbon and beads.

blah blah

Hello all! I am currently in Paisley to teenager-sit Graham's cousin. ha. He's 15 and his parents have gone away for the night, but don't want to leave him home alone. It's actually not the safest city, so I don't blame them. Graham and his brother Phil have also come over, so there is currently a massive video game festival happening downstairs.

I however am nursing a nasty cold/sinus infection/ear-ache/chest congestion situation. Ugh. I really really really hate being sick. Needless to say I'm kind of a party-pooper. Therefore I have taken it upon myself to stay out of the way and in bed. woohoo! Celebrating the end of my 3 month vacation with a weekend in bed sick. :(

Start work Monday at my temp job. It has several perks...

1. I will have money coming in instead of only flowing out.
2. I will feel like I have some sort of purpose other than lounging about.
3. It will push me even more to find a 'real' job (which I am looking for but finding difficult)
4. There will be humans for me to talk to each day.
5. I will shower more frequently.
6. Clothes other than PJ's, jeans, and t-shirts will be worn.

Other than that life is gravy! Miss ya love ya

Homeless Guy Hits Taxi

My life is by no means normal. Let's just be real about that.

Yesterday on my walk home from the university, I saw a homeless guy walk into a taxi. No the taxi did not hit the man. EEk. The dude took the taxi's wing mirror off and slammed into the ground. A guy near the scene called 999 (our 911), but I had to speak to them because his accent was too thick. Because the homeless guy was blatantly drunk, I had to ask him some questions which he took ages to answer.

Finally the police arrived only to find the homeless man trying to flee the scene. Ridiculous. After a few minutes with the homeless guy pushed against the wall, he was forced into the patrol car and taken away. Finally the ambulance arrived only to be told he was gone.

I had to give an official police statement which took forever to complete via the officer's tiny PDA on which he was writing. It was freezing cold and windy to boot. Boo :(

Currently I am suffering the wrath of a nice winter cold which is seriously starting to piss me off. I also thought I would be home from December 22 to January 6, but thanks to American Airlines not taking my debit card I didn't book it last night. This morning I thought I should contact the temp agency to double check about my assignment next week (this was the money paying for the flight). Anyhoo, come to find out they gave my job to someone else. Talk about being pissed and upset! Well this hooker definitely was that. I ended my phone call politely, but after a few minutes realised I had no reason to be polite. So I calmly called back to state my frustration at the situation. I was assured I was an alternate and told there may be a possible position for me.

So the short story is next week I start working for the tourism board as an Admin Assistant. I'm happy to have an income, but still demoralized by the job search process. I'd really love to do something in my field...is that too much too ask? Must be because I am having absolutely NO luck. Just mailed 2 applications and emailed a third. Have a bunch to do tomorrow as well.

For now, I will not be home for Christmas as I had hoped because I now have to work those 2 weeks I would have been home. But hopefully in the spring sometime I can venture on home. :(

Love and miss you all!!

The Weekend Review

Here is a quick summary of my weekend...

1. Friday night I was dead tired from working all day at The Hub. We didn't actually do much except serve wine at a drinks reception and decorate for a party that evening. So in the world of catering it was a very EASY day. On the other hand standing for 8 hours with only two 15 minute breaks really kills the legs and feet...especially have a long shift the night before.

Graham got here on Friday. Kind of felt bad for him because I was piled up in my bed when he arrived. AND I made him cook our dinner. hehe

2. Saturday...did another shift at the rugby match. Scotland played South Africa, and after leading for most of the game they lost by 3 points.

On a positive note I made £6 in tips. haha. That's huge! I would have made more but the cashier next to me and our runner all split our tips. The poor boy who ran around to help us get drinks deserved some money because I definitely got cross with him a few times.

Working as a cashier was much more fun than pouring pints because the people are hilarious. I had to card quite a few people, but one guy actually thanked me. haha. He said he was starting to feel old because no one had asked him for his ID in a while. You know I'm here for the people...just making people feel good about themselves.

3. Saturday night I had intended to just lounge on my couch which I did for a bit. BUT then my flatmate came home with his brother who is visiting. My flatmate completely does not understand the idea of if someone is watching the TV you let them continue watching their show and/or ASK them if the channel can be changed. Oh hell no! That's not what he does. He came in, changed the channel, ignored our request to watch a movie that we were about to watch when he arrived, and then became a know-it-all per usual. So G and I went to my room and hung out. Really is annoying to pay rent but mostly spend time in my room because I hate all the following...
- football (soccer)
- science fiction
- murder mysteries
- boy blow-em-up shoot-em-up style films
- superhero movies
- and the list goes on

4. Sunday I bought a cute new pair of flats. It was time. I have been wearing a brown silk pair I got at Old Navy last Christmas, and well they have just fallen apart. The sole is worn. The inside has NO support or cushion. And the silk on the toe is gone. So basically I look homeless when I wear them, but I have no other options except high heels and sneakers. I have worn all my flats out by walking everyday. haha. I guess I have to start investing in them since I don't have a car.
(I will take a picture of the new pair on my feet ASAP.)

5. I am developing a cold which completely sucks. My throat feels like sand paper and I keep coughing. :( This is made worse by the fact I'm supposed to give a presentation on Wednesday to the new MSc students about my dissertation. eek. I hope I don't cough the entire time. That will be terrible.

That's all for now. Much more to come!!!

Work Work Work

I did my catering shift last night and one today.

Last night was for Barclays Wealth to have a debate about how they should address the financial crisis. Nice...spend a ton of money to figure out how to save money. Right! They had MASSIVE flower arrangements with only roses. Filet Mignon with veggies arranged in a really fancy way. Fancy little desserts and starters. There were drinks and canapes with a bagpiper before the dinner. ha.

We got to eat the left over food which was amazing. And I got to leave early. So all in all a pretty good night.

Today I just worked a drinks reception and set tables for an event tonight. I love doing nothing. We just walked around and chatted while putting out some glasses.

Other than that life is bland. My supervisor, other research colleague, and I met on Wednesday. Everything is progressing well with my article. They are really impressed with my work, so they asked me about a PhD. Unfortunately I'm not from the EU or UK so I can't get funding here. :(

However, my research colleague worked at UC San Francisco for a long time and has connections there. In addition to that my supervisor is a big name in tobacco control. They recommended a fellowship at UCSF, but it is for post-docs. So my research colleague, Nathaniel, emailed some of his former workmates about any jobs, projects, PhDs, etc I might be able to do. Maybe something will come of that and I'll be on the West Coast. No closer to any of you though (except for Jena).

But that is just a random idea floating in the air. I applied to another post at Oxford (hopefully this time they will hire me instead of telling me I was great but the other person did better on their VERY subjective test) and I applied to a charity here. I have about 3 more due on Monday and loads next week. busy busy busy week

I Hate Doing Catering

So as an unemployed person I'm forced to do such jobs as casual catering. Boo.

These people call you literally the day before or day of the event and ask you to be a paid slave. Yesterday I received a call about working Friday. I thought "wow I got 2 days notice". After this brief respite I received my second call from Adam the recruiter to ask about working tonight. I said that would be ok as I am available and need the money.

I went down to the office at about 4:45 to talk to the lady, and she said the shift would be from 3:15 to midnight. In my head I thought no problem. But this morning I had the reality check that I signed up to work from 3:15 to midnight and 8 AM tomorrow to 5 PM. Plus a Saturday 10:45 -6 shift. What the hell was I thinking? There is no way I can do that much physical labour with only about 5 hours sleep tonight. So I called as early as I could this morning to ask if I could cancel one of the shifts.

The bitch got rude with me. But you know what? F them. I mean what do they expect if they call you less than 24 hours before the shift starts? And I'm desperate for money so of course I am going to agree until I really sort it out in my head.

So now I have to go to town to buy new black shoes because the ones I usually wear are actually black trainers and they said I can't wear them tonight because it is a 'high profile' event. Which means I now have to go pay like £50 to make £30 tonight. Ugggghhhhhhhhhh. See being employed actually makes your poorer. :(

On a more positive note, the place I have to work tonight is called Hopetoun House. Here is a photo!

Angry Black Bitch

Ya'll. This blog is soooooo great! I literally piss myself laughing sometimes when I read it. The Angry Black Bitch is a straight-talking girl from St. Louis who is not afraid to mess up her afro in order to get across her point.

Check it out here! It is also listed in my links, but I thought I would give this site a shout out!

Hot Chocolate - Winter Is Here

It's most definitely winter here in Scotland. Freezing cold temperatures. Torturous winds. And hot chocolate. yummy! I just made my first official winter cup of hot chocolate. Don't get my wrong I have not been abstaining from the drink, but just purchasing it sporadically while in the city. My mom and I used to make the easy type...you boil some water in the microwave and then add the powder. While I added the powder to mine, I had to heat milk on the stove. My first time to use milk, and now I know why...milk really stinks when you heat it up. It reminded me of people warming up baby formula. SICK!

Nonetheless, my hot chocolate is delicious!

Today I was an absolute bum, so now I'm paying for it a little bit. I'm editing the first draft of my article. I have already edited it and submitted it to my supervisor, but it definitely needs work. I had kind of hit a wall with writing and doing research, however yesterday I got some needed energy. I attended the presentation of a research fellow in my institute who does similar work which was super useful for me.

I also need to get quite a few job applications done tonight. Luckily many of them are just a CV and cover letter. I have a template for each that I manipulate and re-arrange depending on the type of job, qualities desired, etc.

Quantum of Hotness

Last Sunday (2 Nov) Big G and I saw the new James Bond flick Quantum of Solace. Holy bejesus, Daniel Craig is so f-ing HOTTTTTTTT! I don't care how old that son of a gun is, he's smoking. I would do unmentionable things to him, but considering my mom and boyfriend read this I'll stop there. ;)

If you didn't see the Bond film released a year or so ago, definitely see it before going. Quantum continues on the story line of the other one, but unfortunately is lacking a strong plot. DEFINITELY want the next Bond to come out ASAP. Hollywood's need to make you wait over a year for the next film is in full swing with this film. They haven't even started filming the next one :( boo for Hollywood/UK filmmakers. What the hell are they waiting for? There are loads of women eager to spend £7 for a cinema ticket and £6 on a bucket of coca-cola and some salty popcorn (cause the sweet kind is gross and butter-flavour isn't an option in this third world country). I may be unemployed, but I'm getting snacks at the movie.

The product placement in the film is however extremely disgusting. Yay Ford for placing 3 of your car brands in the film...Ford, Land Rover, and Aston Martin!! Marketing Department - Gold Stars for all for polluting my film with your crap vehicles.

Aston Martin's are of course the signature Bond car, and Range Rovers are very British. But damn. Pretty much the only kind of car Mr. Craig drove was a Range Rover. I am guessing the filmmakers aren't too concerned with the environment or CO2 emissions...or petrol prices for that matter.

Quantum is released in the good ol US of A this coming Friday according to Perez Hilton (I don't care what you people say...his disgusting use of Paint and crap gossip is currently my daily addiction). So check it out if you have some spare change. If not, wait til the next one comes out and rent this one. By then the economy may be out of the toilet and on the way up. Here's to hoping!

Girls Aloud Album is #1

So my new band Girls Aloud's album is now number one in the UK! I am claiming this victory as my own due to my dream. It was clearly my singing and dancing abilities at the concert I dreamed about. Their (our) single "The Promise" is number 3 here. Check it out here!!!

I am going to personally claim this as thanks to me because I have no other employment options at the moment. ha. I worked the rugby game last night pouring pints. Awesome! There were some amazingly hot Kiwis (New Zealanders) there because it was NZ versus Scotland. Of course Scotland got murdered because the All Blacks (NZ) are the best in the world. MASSIVE men, but some of their faces look about 12. Before the game a pipe band paraded into the stadium in front of the SCO team's coach. I hope they have extra large coaches for these guys because their legs are massive. However, one of my work-mates said they only come from their hotel...which is probably one of the fancy ones in the city centre which is about a mile away. ha.

I am working another rugby game next week, so that's some extra cash. We pour 12 pints at once with MDUs (multi-dispensing units). They are awesome. You fill a tray with 12 plastic pint glasses, lift a lever to put the cups near the taps, push a button to fill them half way, push it again to fill them completely, pull the lever to lower the glasses, and there you have 12 perfect pints! Amazing. The six hours I was there went fairly quickly because we were CONSTANTLY pouring pints. We were really busy before the game. By the time we caught up it was half-time. Eek. Despite it being cold and rainy, people stood in the queue to get a beer for ages. There is no way I would have done that...especially since the beer was £4.50.

So I guess that's all for me now. I just turned in my rough draft of my article. Well let's say it's really rough, but I'm not really enjoying this now. I kind of just want to be done with this topic and working on something else, but they have paid me so I have to get something out. I think I'm too stressed about this lame job search. Graham thinks as soon as I get my visa I should have an easier time, but I am also starting to look for jobs in the USA (much to my disappointment).

Girls Aloud

Last night I had a very strange dream. I dreamed that I was a member of the group Girls Aloud. Don't ask me why. I'm not a die-hard fan. I haven't listened to them in a while or read about them in a gossip mag. Who the hell knows.

But last night I was a member of the band. A bunch of my friends were there, but no one seemed to know how big Girls Aloud is. We sang a few songs, but I didn't know the lyrics. haha. So the other girls would focus on singing while I did some background bits and dancing. hahaha.

To make the dream even weirder, for some reason it was daylight outside during our concert. I left the building during a break to go find someone or something...I'm really not sure. While I was outside I came upon a swimming pool. Being Scotland it was super windy which led to these HUGE WAVES coming out of the pool. I had to grab a tree to keep my feet on the ground because of course I was wearing some senquined goodness. In addition to my costume, my hair was teased to within an inch of its life and had about 4 cans of hairspray. (getting ready for the concert was also part of the dream).

I then woke up very confused as to what the hell caused me to have that kooky dream. Could my true career calling be to infiltrate Girls Aloud? Should they let me join the group? If so, I have to get skank-tastic ASAP, get some extensions, loads of sequins, and a rich footballer boyfriend. (Sorry Graham, your time is up...unless you put on those football boots and get a contract with Man U).

But to enable you to better visualise my time as a member of Girls Aloud here are some photos of them before me and while they had the honour of Tiffany being a band member. :) Those hookers will be calling me tomorrow to arrange a time to meet! Can't wait.


















Some artwork a la Perez Hilton (he's the master of using Paint). This photo doesn't highlight how hot I looked last night, but the paps weren't really being generous and retouching the photos. :(

A little fall photo update

It opens in a new window and you have to push play. Sorry about that.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Loving the Hat Trend

People hats are IN for the winter. Go to your nearest Macy's or Belk's to buy yo-self the hottest one you can. They are the centrepiece of your outfit, so simple tops and bottoms are encouraged...AMAZING!
I was recently given one by the Big G as a 'late birthday gift.' (will post a photo soon). The boy was super late, but he's getting an executive pardon due to not really knowing me until he crashed my birthday party. :)

So back to the hats. For real folks, hats are amazing. Here are just a few reasons...

1. Your head stays warm.
2. You look mysterious.
3. You can mix and match to help creat new looks with your old clothes (good for the credit crunch).
4. They make them for all head sizes.
5. They don't make you look fat and even fit on 'fat' days!
6. Individuality is enouraged.
7. Hats are timeless and super stylish!

Here are some photos of my favs:
For the couple that likes to wear hats together.





LOVING this look!
















Now start the looks from ASOS. Love this website although it is a UK one. Sorry! But I bet there are similar items in the USA.
















For when you just need fur.

Work Work Work

Today I'm working on tons of job applications as usual. Job hunting SUCKS!

I am also working on my article for my research. Coming along OK, but I have a deadline tomorrow for my first draft. Honestly, it will probably be Saturday because I've had a ton of job apps due this week (even though they will all say 'sorry you aren't qualified' or not reply at all).

This said, I have one of my catering gigs this Saturday for a rugby match. You know some crazy drunk Scots are going to come to that. Woohoo! And I can't wait to see them and laugh my ass off. The last time I did a catering shift it was for a horse race and I worked in a corporate box where 50 people partied all day. Those people got so drunk. Honestly, I did not know that 50 people could dry a bar up. We ran out of gin (mind you they drank about 4 bottles of the stuff) in addition to a whole host of other things. Crazy. At the end of it all one man tipped me £10, but they made me split it. ughhhhhhh. Fortunately the boxes upstairs made alot so I still got a £5 tip. Oh well, at least everybody got something.

I'm going to buy The Food Doctor book today. I'm really unhealthy right now because I don't eat properly and don't exercise enough. My skin, hair and nails are all awful. I've gained weight (boo). I'm kind of moody with hot flashes. haha. And I get headaches and stomach aches regularly. That said, it's time to sort out my nutritional intake and get back to exercising. So today after I'm done with my job app for the day and some of my article I'm heading off to Waterstones to buy this book. Hopefully my skin will clear up soon, and I can shed some of these added pounds...especially since I have the family weekend with the Nichols at the end of month. A sister has to be looking her best! :)

PS I went as Sarah Palin for Halloween. The funny thing about it is at one point I only had on my glasses with my hair pulled up (no skirt suit or flag pins) when a guy at the party said "are you Sarah Palin?" hahaha. We looked up a pic online and I looked ALOT like her. I'm taking that as a compliment as she is very attractive...especially after having 5 kids. Hope my body is rocking like that! (Below is the photo we found online).

G's B-day Part 2

Looking time-worn and OLD in Ayr. bahahhahahahahha.

So we just got back from G's birthday celebration. It was really fun. A bunch of his friends were there to help celebrate one year closer to the BIG 30. Woohoo for 27! haha. (he's going to kill me)

Anywho, we had chilli, coca-cola, salad, loads of desserts, and chips and salsa for the American themed festivities. We watched some Fox News because Paul thinks the channel is hilarious due to its obvious bias for the Republicans while constantly saying it is not biased. (I do think it makes for hilarious journalism). Then we watched last night's The Daily Show because we get the re-runs due to being 6 hours ahead.

In addition to all this revelry we watched a little online video. While the video was made after September 11 about America and is touching, the visual effects and the seriousness of the singer are absolutely hilarious. Supposedly the guy is a stunt guy. bahahhahaha. Check it out here. According to the website, this song is "the new American Rock Anthem." Please do let me know what you think about this lyrical masterpiece.

Graham's Birthday

Today is Guy Fawkes day in the UK in addition to being Graham's birthday. woohoo. He is the big 2-7!! haha. Old man. I am about to head out for a combination Obama/Graham party.

Everyone in the UK is optimistic about the new US President Obama. No matter which candidate you voted for remember it is now time to unite. We will never all agree, but this is the positive about democracy - we are all allowed our opinions and voice without fear of persecution.

Yes we can!!! (no matter your party this is an awesome USA cheer, because YES WE CAN move forward and get our nation going...even though i don't live there) haha

Updates!!!

Work/Visa Update
Last Thursday I submitted my application for the new visa. Woohoo! It arrived on Friday thanks to UPS and their quick deliveries, but my app fee still hasn't been taken from my account. I am wondering if this means the application process is taking a while. boo!

Anywho, I also found a part-time job, but the people need my passport. UGH! If I had only called these people 5 days prior I would be working and getting a visa. :( Thankfully the guy said they will still be hiring in December when I get my visa and passport back. The 'real' job search is a nightmare, but luckily I'm not the only one having issues. (I was starting to have self-esteem issues.) 2 other girls I know are just as miserable about it all.

In the meantime, I have a catering shift this Saturday and next for some rugby matches. That should be fun. Serving drunken rugby fans...just hope they are hot to make the time go by faster!

Personal Updates
Today is election day, so get out there and VOTE!!!

We are having an election party/G's birthday party tomorrow due to the time difference here. By the time results start coming in we will all be sleeping snuggly in our beds. G turns 27 tomorrow. OLD MAN! haha. I'm still a fetus compared to him.

But back to the election party...Paul, one of G's friends, really wanted to have an election party even though he's English. In the UK people laugh at the Republicans' claims that Democrats are 'liberals' and 'socialists'. The USA honestly doesn't have a liberal mainstream party, but there are the Libertarians which are much more liberal than the Dems. (if you want to read about a more liberal stance go to Patrick Rhamey's site). And socialism is in no way about to make its way into the USA, so claims that Obama is a socialist are absurd. No matter your party and/or presidential choice, you at least need to keep yourself educated on political terminology and stances. But then again, those people calling Obama a socialist are ignorant and choosing to remain so.

At the end of the month I'm going down south to G's mom's for a family weekend. I've been to a few other family functions, so I feel pretty comfortable. There will be a few extras that I haven't met before, but Southern charm has its perks. Meeting new and strange people is one of those!! Hopefully the weather will be nice because we are only there for one night.

I am still living in my 'new' flat. It's going well. I do wish I could decorate more as the flat is VERY minimalist, but it's not mine and I don't know how long I'll be here. That said, my bedding is absolutely lovely. VERY high count cotton duvet cover that is super soft and cosy. Unfortunately it does wrinkle quite a bit. But you know, whatever.

We had a Halloween party on Friday. I went as the crazy radical Sarah Palin. What a freak. Why did McCain have to pick her? He was actually a decent choice for president until he had a stroke and picked a wacky, barely educated, freak. Enough said. But pictures are to come from that party. G went as the Hitcher from "The Mighty Boosh". Click here for a similar picture of his character. The show is absolutely hilarious, but very British. If you like Flight of the Conchords you just may like this show. :)

More to come! Promise I have crazy stories.

Long Time No Write

I am very sorry about my apparent trip to the dark side of no blog writing.

I am alive and well. Unemployed...which sucks. But well nonetheless. Job applications and working on my article fill my day. Graham and I are doing well. Now at the 7 month mark. Woohoo! ha.

Today I mailed off my application for my Post-Study Work Visa, so hopefully that will go through successfully. Other than that...life is dull.

Went to London 2 weekends ago. So wonderful even though I had an unsuccessful interview shortly before. Boo. It was however with Oxford University and I was the number 2 choice. :( Why couldn’t I be number 1?

Anywho was in London for a friend’s birthday. I absolutely love the city! Good thing since if I ever get a job it will probably be there. Graham isn’t too happy, but it’s only a short plane ride away! :)

ok well back to the 3 job applications I have to finish by tomorrow.

I know I'm bad at blogging

I am terrible at keeping this up to date. So very sorry. :(

Have loads of deadlines for my dissertation, so I spend most of my time in the library.

BUT I have uploaded a video I made of my Ayr holiday photos!!

Quick update...

I finish at the end of August.
I am moving from my flat to a friend’s flat for September-November (maybe longer).
Job...well until I get my visa (probably October/November) I will be a barmaid, shop attendant, office assistant, temp worker extraordinaire.
Graduation is December 5.

Moviestar

My friend Helen Meaher is in a documentary that had its European premiere here at the Edinburgh Film Festival last night. Order of Myths...What a great film! It is a story of Mobile’s Mardi Gras, but examines the segregation that still exists in the city. Helen’s family is an old Mobile family, so they are intricately woven into this story. I think it’s an important film for everyone to watch. Racism is not something limited to the South (although one person at the Q&A proceeded to say the South is backward and makes her nauseous to which I quickly jumped up and shot her down with an account of racism against Muslims and Catholics in the UK...she shut her trap). Racism is a global problem while at the same being an individual one. Each person must examine himself and put an end to the racism within him.

I know racism is a sensitive topic for people...especially if you are from the South. Unfortunately there is a history of structural violence throughout the world. So overall I think this is a brave film for all those who were involved. The cinematography is absolutely beautiful for a documentary. The director, Margaret Brown, did a brilliant job editing the film to the point where some easy targets aren’t landblasted but others are allowed to make a fool of themselves just by being themselves. Margaret is actually from Mobile and her mother was the Mardi Gras queen many years ago, so this film was also personal for Margaret. Her adorable grandfather was interviewed for the film, and is a charming and touching addition to the film.

After the premiere I joined Helen and the other people featured in the film for some drinks. The director was there...as were loads of people from the film industry. CRAZY!!!! No actors, but film distributors, production company staff, etc. What an incredibly interesting and diverse group of people. After drinks they had dinner, but I had already eaten so just joined for the conversation. If ever in Edinburgh and you want an artistically presented (expensive) dinner, go to Abstract. Such a wonderful restaurant! Dinner did not start until about 10, so it was after midnight when we shut the restaurant down. ha. Because the sun doesn’t really set during the summer, we walked some other cast back to their hotel and then took a taxi home. Helen and I chatted until about 3 when we both finally passed out.

So again...Order of Myths.... CHECK IT OUT! It should be released in 50 cities in the States in about a month.

I am still alive

(Just me hanging out at Adam Smith’s grave. If you don’t know who he is, Wikipedia that shit. He wrote “Wealth of Nations”...that’s a start for you!!!)

So although it may seem as if I died, I am still alive. I am elbow deep in my dissertation. I will write a few things now to start with the catch up session.

I am still dating Graham which is going really well. He is wonderful to me, and I cannot ask for more. I have never dated anyone this awesome...I have a knack for picking duds!

My mom, aunt and cousin came to visit. I think they were disappointed with Scotland. Not really sure though, but I guess they didn’t get the memo about it being windy and cold all year round. Also, for future reference I am NOT a tour guide by any means. I had sent messages through my mother that they should come with a list of sites and activities they wanted to do. Did they come with one? NO!! Also my mother was incapable of going through the correct customs line in Scotland. Don’t worry...she went through the one for UK/EU residents. Um do what? How they hell did she mess that up????

But I did have a lovely time with them here. I was quite stressed the whole time due to school and having deadlines and meetings while they were here. During the week they were here I submitted an abstract for the World Conference on Tobacco OR Health being held in March in Mumbai. Amazing. Hope I get accepted so I can have a holiday to India. woohoo!

Other than that I attend a pub quiz every Wednesday night with a group from my program. I hang out with my friends here and there...mostly over coffee or during library breaks. The library is my office. I am starting to get along with my flatmates which is honestly a miracle.

Jobs are on the horizon. Unfortunately I cannot legally work in this country until I have completed my course. On 2 July I am meeting with my supervisor and one question I have for him is when the earliest date will be that he can write the letter saying I’ve completed the course. Hopefully he will agree for it to be once my dissertation is handed in to the administrator. At that point my supervisor will have read it at least twice, so I’m hoping he will have a good idea if I passed or not.

The problem with this is I will not have anywhere to live after August. Until I have the visa I will only be able to take temporary positions. And if i need to take a temporary job here while I wait for my visa, then I will have to lease a place short term. And short lets are quite expensive. So pray for me and getting my visa ASAP!!! Then I can move anywhere in the UK and take up a permanent full-time position that probably pays pennies. :(

Other than that...not much to report. I did see a little boy pee in a passport photo booth at the grocery store the other day. Weird!! The mother of this child was a complete moron who had walked away from him. As soon as she was near the front door he said “I need the toilet. I need the toilet.” He then proceeded to turn toward the outside of the booth and pee all over his basket of candy. bahahahahaha. Tiny little penis on display. So I squealed. Everyone else looked, made a face, and went on about their business. The mother returns only to YELL at the boy and tell him he is embarrassing her. Ummmmm, no I think she was embarrassing him with those pink tracksuit trousers, that fake blonde hair, and her yelling in a busy store. Yeah, I think she was the ass in that situation.

It’s 2 AM here, so off to sleep!!!

Friday

Today is Friday! Thank God for that. I have basically done nothing this week and will soon pay for my procrastination. For now, I'm content.

I just left a training session for my research project. I will be working with documents released in the Minnesota tobacco trials of 1998...and the ones from other cases as well. In order to work with them various databases and search engines must be utilized. I won't lie and say it is going to be easy. Far from it. The training session now has me a little scared, but my supervisor acknowledged that we may be overwhelmed. Jeff (my supervisor) has decided we will all have fortnightly meetings to discuss any issues and concerns. personally I couldn't be more delighted. I like have set time frames to accomplish things and I like have genuine support in new endeavours.

I hope all is well in the States. It's starting to get warmer here and the sun is staying up forever. ha. My mom, my aunt, and my cousin arrive in the SCO on May 23rd!!! I am sooooooooooooo excited. Accommodations for them are at the top of my to-do list. I must must must get them a hotel ASAP. (Again I am a procrastinator.)

Graham is here now, and we have decided on a night in to watch movies. It will be both cheaper and more relaxing. I think he's cooking...at least I hope he is or we're having pizza! So I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Sorry my blog is somewhat bland these days. As soon as exams are over I will be free to move about and enjoy myself again!

love
tippy/tiffany/tiff

Piss Up in Glasgow

So I spent the weekend in Glasgow with Graham to meet all his college friends. I was really nervous, but luckily I arrived a few hours before they did and only had to meet 2 at a time. I made homemade brownies that Catherine-Rose taught me to make. I also made Chocolate Oatmeal Candy...a family recipe which was a great success.

I arrived to Glasgow on the train around 6 PM. We took all my stuff to Graham’s and then went back into the city center. Glasgow is HUGE...about 7 times Edinburgh, so very different for me. Because we had not planned where to eat on Friday we pulled a “where do you want to eat...no where do you want to eat”. I hate that, so finally after an hour of walking I decided on McDonald’s. Graham doesn’t eat McDonald’s, so I figured that would teach him. haha. He didn’t order anything, but ate my fries. :( Unfortunately I won a free cheeseburger on the Monopoly game thing...so he ate that!

At 11:30 Matt and Dom made their debut. Matt is uber-gay. Dom is in the closet...pretty sure! ha. So within 5 minutes of meeting them I had insulted them and given them each a “booty snake”. I stuffed them with brownies and forced them to like me with my hospitality and general good nature (haha I’m not 100% about this, but I feel these aspects of me are commonly loved bahahhhaha). Working my charm as usual! We played singstar that night....OH.MY.GOD. I am horrible at this game. I really wish there had been a video for when Matt and I sang Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”. The dance moves and off key singing were classic!

Hollyoaks is a soap opera here. A while back there was a character named Tiffany whose daughter’s name was Courtney. Dom and Matt decided to start calling me Courtney for the weekend! I now enjoy Courtney as my alter ego. I think I will claim “Courtney did it” anytime I do something mean, out of line, or inappropriate!!!

Saturday consisted of Matt cooking us a proper breakfast and meeting the 4 additional friends. I know Bully and Fiona because they are how I know Graham. Lisa and Bex were girls that did their MSc with Bully and Graham. So now you know everyone’s name! Saturday was full of Graham and I going back and forth to his flat to take all their shit back, let them change, etc. Sadly Graham lives like 15-20 mins from the city centre...by bus or train! Ugh, so annoying.

Finally made it to dinner at an Italian restaurant. This was after we lost Bex and Lisa at the subway station. Graham had to go find them. RIDICULOUS!!! After drinking the most wine and taking loads of photos, it was time for dessert. I ordered Tiramisu and got basically a cake soaked in coffee. Gross. So I was just drunk enough to tell the waiter about it. Mind you this is a country where people are asked if everything is alright and they always say YES! I asked him if that was really Tiramisu and told him that it wasn’t. haha Courtney was in full force for the rest of the night.

We went to a bar that specialized in Bloody Mary’s. They were awful, but I don’t think I was expecting them to be perfect. We then moved on to a bar that had comfy leather sofas and was super nice! I added to my drunken state with Long Island Iced Teas that I was drinking as if they were plain coke. NOT GOOD!! I was completely inappropriate, all over my boyfriend, and bringing Fiona’s out of his shell.

We later moved on to Oran Mor for some dancing. Again, Courtney was in full forced and dominating the dance floor. We danced on the stage...no need to dance with the commoners. hahaha. We went back to Graham’s where he let Fiona and Bully have his bed. Problem is his flatmate has a cat and I’m very allergic to cats. No dice! I broke out in hives and was having trouble breathing due to being relegated to the living room. At about 5 AM I took a nice hot bath to wash off the “cat” haha!

Sunday we had another lovely breakfast cooked by Matt! Then we all just hung out around the city! Matt and Dom left late that evening. Fiona and Bully left around 2-3. The 2 girls left that morning. So Graham went to his weekly football (soccer) game while I napped. We cooked pizzas and just watched movies. Unfortunately I slept through the movie due to my now inflamed respiratory system!! haha

I ended up staying on Monday to go shopping. I didn’t even think to get his keys since he lives so far out, but probably should have done so. I spent 8 hours shopping (alot of window shopping) and reading in Starbucks. I basically loitered there for 3 hours!

The title of this blog comes from Matt’s weekend itinerary. He’s into politics and does alot of organizing of events for the political party for which he works. So for the weekend he had a really cool itinerary with maps, numbers, and details! The title was “Piss Up in Glasgow 2008”. haha. To get pissed is to get drunk. So a ‘piss up’ is basically a drinking event! haha

Now it’s back to work!!! :( I have a dissertation presentation next Tuesday! woooo

Graham and my new gay lover, Matt!!!

Life is Crazy

(Some colored pages from Graham’s family holiday. I let him take my coloring book, and it was a huge hit with his family!)

So sorry to have seemingly disappeared from Earth. I have been crazy busy writing an essay, but that was turned in a few hours ago. Yay!!!

Now I have 2 exams and my dissertation left before entering the “real world” again. ha. I met with my supervisor on Tuesday to discuss a presentation we are supposed to give in 2 weeks. We are supposed to present our research question, aims and objectives. Well, I wasn’t really sure what mine were. :) During the meeting he asked me to submit an abstract for a world tobacco conference in Mumbai, India!!! This is an AMAZING opportunity for me and my CV. haha. I’m not sure if I’ll actually go to the conference as it is in March 2009. But my supervisor would be the second author and he will most definitely go and present it. Supposedly my topic is a ‘sexy’ topic which makes me super happy! So off of the nerd stuff. haha

Things with Graham are going really well! He is so sweet and takes very good care of me. I think he appreciates my Southern charm and hospitality. haha. We’ve taken turns planning our dates, and our last one was his date to plan. I had mentioned needing a beach vacation...preferably in Mexico. So he took me to a Mexican restaurant and told me that was as close as he could get. What a sweetheart! Then we went to see Son of Rambow...it was OK. I’m not a huge fan however of this movie. He went on a family vacation last week to the Highlands. I let him take my coloring book, and it ended up being a huge hit with his family!! It was returned with many colored pages all accompanied by the signatures of the authors! haha. (see the photo above)

I am going to Glasgow (where Graham lives) tomorrow to stay for the weekend. A large number of his friends from college are coming up from London and other places. It should be really fun, but the sleeping situation is really not pleasant. I have to sleep with 2 other girls in a double bed. Probably will need a nap come Sunday/Monday. haha

I see the most random crap in this city. I saw a pigeon the other day that was missing a foot. It sounds crazy because it was!!! It was just hopping on one foot. When I told my friend Marc about it, he said he had seen one like that on George IV Bridge. haha...well that’s exactly where I saw this one! So the damn bird is just patrolling that street. Kind of interesting to know pigeons have their ‘territory’.

The sun is staying up so late now. It’s about time since we were experiencing darkness at 4. Now it’s well after 9 before the sun goes down. It has completely freaked my body out, and I don’t know when to eat or sleep. :(

I’m off to do laundry now. Essay writing always leaves me with a load of dirty clothes and a filthy bedroom!!

love
tippy

Date from...??? Who the hell knows but it was crazy

So last night was officially my first date with Mr. Graham. How did it go? Well let's just say it was the most eventful date I've EVER had.

Graham called to say he would catch a taxi to my flat from the train station. Well good thing he did. I got STUCK in my room due to the the door handle breaking. I have no idea how it happened. I just shut the door and it wouldn’t reopen. NO WAY OUT!!! So scary. My flatmates were too incompetent to call fucking security. Really Is that possible? I repeatedly told them the number all the while they couldn’t figure out how to use a phone. Honestly WTF?? Are they in grad school? Yes! Who did they pay? Still nothing, so I called the accommodation people myself. WTF???

Pollock Halls sent over 2 idiots that wanted to argue that it was my deadbolt. I could see the door handle tongue piece was stuck, but whatever. The security guard later insisted that he climb into my room via the window. Mind you I live on the 2nd floor. Um really? Is that allowed? Can you imagine that fool and I sitting in my prison cell playing cards? Because honestly what the hell was he going to do? PLUS PLUS PLUS I had to pee. Lovely.

So while my flatmates sat in the kitchen and gossiped about me, I cried on the phone to a few friends. Marc was an ass and made fun of me. Megan was a sweetheart. Both responses were exactly what I needed to smile and laugh at the situation.The flatmates didn't ask if i needed anything and acted almost offended when I asked them to help me try to get the door knob off. (but this was after i left a nasty note in the kitchen about how they leave food on the counter for days, but whatever).

A few attempts were made to warn Graham of the scene he was about to enter. Unfortunately his ghetto cell phone was dead. Nice work! Eventually he called back to only be informed that our date would be delayed due to me being trapped in my room. Some laughter of course followed my statement.

Upon his arrival he said "if you didn't want to go out you could have just told me." haha It was really funny, but of course my flatmates weren’t impressed.
The flatmates awkwardly exited the crime scene and left Graham and I to a conversation through my door. The hookers were horrible hostesses....no water, food, or conversation was offered to the poor soul. He had no idea what he was signing up for when he asked me to hang out. I'm sure he's second guessed himself and deleted my number. bahahahaha.

In the end Graham got to be a “hero” by helping to pry my door frame open. haha. I was just standing there at the door the entire time. Just like a fairytale...a prince charming saves the day by freeing the fair maiden from her tower of hell. Too bad this maiden isn’t fair and there was no white horse! Frog into a prince? Perhaps.

But my hair and outfit looked good when I emerged. haha. We went to dinner at like 9 (luckily he only had to sit outside my door for 30 minutes before I was freed). We also had drinks after dinner, but by that time it was midnight and he had to work today. Of course the night couldn’t end normally. Graham has an allergy to the cold. Yes, it is a real allergy...wikipedia that shit! We exited the bar to find the weather rainy, windy, and cold. No good for people allergic to the cold! haha. We ran to my house in the rain only to find Graham’s face swollen upon our arrival. Poor thing looked like a wrinkly old man. So sad, yet sooooooo funny.

Today was of course an adventure as well. We got up around 9 so he could catch a train at 10. About 5 minutes after the man’s departure I discovered a large set of keys on my table...um clearly not mine. After immediately thinking FUCK...I threw on some clothes (not very well mind you). My outfit consisted of some jeans, a t-shirt (no bra), and shoes. I grabbed my phone and wallet and started calling him. Unfortunately his phone died last night.

I ran to tesco (about a mile away) and then caught a cab. But the cab got caught in traffic, so i paid, hopped out, and ran to the station. I probably ran passed him in the station because he got on just a bit before me. I bought a ticket and ran to catch the train, but went in the wrong direction. Finally figured out where to go and ran to the train...only to sit there for like 10 minutes before the train left.

Luckily he was on the 10 AM train. I put his keys down in front of him and said “you looking for these?”. haha. I stayed on the train, and we chatted all the way to Glasgow. I could've gotten off, but i figured since I bought the ticket I should go to Primark. haha. I bought 2 swimsuits, a shirt and a belt all for £20. Go me!!!

So now I'm home a few hours later and exhausted!

I'm super sorry

Ok so I know I’ve been MIA. My birthday week was just one big festival. It started Monday the 17th with a dinner at The Apartment restaurant. Super good!! I will post an album of photos...I know you ladies will like that. Then that Thursday I had my big blow out birthday party. I spent most of the weekend with a new man. Yes a NEW MAN!

I like him alot, so we’ll see how it goes. He is a friend of a friend that I met in February. I thought he was funny and cute but that was it at the time. On my birthday Fiona, my friend, told me he had been asking about me and that he wanted to come to my birthday party. Well he came and of course we hit it off. ha. So we literally hung out the whole weekend. He lives in Glasgow (an hour away). His name is Graham, 26, male. haha.

So we are going on a date next week. I’m sooooo excited. More to come on him though. Don’t want to jinx it.

I have also been writing an essay, but I just turned that in. I’m back to a normal state of being, so will update more often. PROMISE!!!

I'm your #1 Bitch

What a weekend! But you know you like it!!! This was at my friend Charity’s birthday party on Sunday. For some reason the club has a “Playgirl” theme on Sundays...RANDOM!!

So Ellie and Anderson came this weekend. We have a FABULOUS time...full of fun and debauchery. If you want the full, juicy details leave a comment. I will send out an email. I do not want to post on here all the juice...eek!

But while out on Sunday night I re-met a guy named Finley. Long story about how we kind of knew each other. We eyed each other all night, but I was too chicken to go talk to him. So Anderson and Ellie distracted his friends and I made my entrance. He complimented my outfit (cause it was “smokin hot” to quote E & A) and we chatted. He was smokin hot too. haha

Anyway, there are of course more details about this. But I have a date tomorrow with him. We are going to Tigerlilly for drinks! My friends are all completely jealous because he is hot. I don’t feel like his personality is impressive, but he gets another shot based on looks. haha. Shallow??? Perhaps I am.