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.