happy thanksgiving!?

whoa! sorry guys, long time no write. i have been enjoying a week of fun activities so lets start from the beginning. so on thursday i was walking towards the bus stop stopped and waited for the bus when i realized the other guy waiting for the bus, totally puking at the bus stop, and yes he had drunk too much of a good thing, i could smell it, so i kept walking found the next bus stop and went to the cameo to see if i could score tickets to pan's labyrinth as well as get a guinness and listen to some sufjan stevens (there was a dj playing the music) so good times after the whole bus stop incident. i also got some thanksgiving calls...tlc's as francesca says! on friday i went to the bank (imagine that) i'm still waiting for my pin number so allister (we're on a first name basis now, and i found out he was going to glasgow this weekend so now i can ask him next week "so how was glasgow?" when i pay him a visit on friday of this week!!!) on saturday i got up and made pancakes and then steve showed me where the sea was, don't ask me which one i don't know! and that was cool because we live about a 10 minute walk, if that from the sea, cool beans! on sunday i went to a thanksgiving extravaganza and i made not one, not 2 but 4 freakin' sweet potato pies! so 2 for the house and 2 for the party! good times had by all, i met a fellow minnesotan, totally a minnesotan to a T! so it was great craic, i'm so glad Amanada invited me! monday pretty boring. tuesday, my friend Yavuz (he's from Turkey, and was one of the potential flats i looked at but in the end i couldn't stay in a hostel through december, and have had a few drinks with) invited me to a dinner party, so i made banana creme pie, yum, i'm so sick of making pies now! and there were 7 of us total and everyone was of middle eastern or mediterranean descent so i was like the most exotic person there!!!LOL. i never thought that would happen, so it was a bit intimidating but it was great because they know more country history then i do, even though they were all british and i was not! and on wednesday, i am sad to say that the strides forward we were making at work were knocked back a few steps today. i was just ecstatic that people were saying hello to me and have a nice weekend, and how was your thanksgiving but crabby pants kevin had to ruin it. there is a staff christmas lunch provided by the council on december 18th and he made a fowl comment about how we shouldn't invite the temps because it's a waste of money etc. excuse me? sorry i didn't know i was sub human, and that's the awful truth, that's how the people of the Edinburgh city council see as, as leeches who don't do anything, so they don't have to say hello to you. but i'm pretty much over it, i was just a bit disappointed in humanity. so i will go home, have a piece of pie and go to bed early as the dinner parties have me tired out, and i just can't wait until friday when i can go bother allister, oh how cruel life can be! LOL. so take care everyone, i don't think any of you are sub human i'm hoping to receive some post at some point this week, UUUUUUU! i love mail, but who doesn't?

xoxo,
christie

post-birthday depression?

Thank you, thank you...for all the birthday wishes via mail, email, telephone, telepathy. I totally appreciate it. the birthday was a great success, i woke up on saturday morning, made myself vegan pancakes then went for a walk on the cycling trails by my house. After that i came home ate some pancakes then i went with my flatmate Amamanda to meet her friends for lunch. came home talked on the telephone with some people wishing me a happy birthday then i went over to Marie's friends house, who lives just down from me. Marie is the German girl who took over my bed in Dublin. So thank you thank you Marie. Then on sunday i was feeling a little bit crummy as i started getting a cold. but i managed to make a vegetable tart for my flatmates to share with me!!! also we watched a film called Code Unknown by Michael Haneke, a german film director who directs in french. i don't get it either. so it was a pretty interesting art film that makes you go what???? and pretty much shoots at the same distance from everyone so not a lot of difference in the film, but the subject of classism, racism, sexism, etcism is tackled in the film. so that's what has happened so far in my life over the weekend. so birthday a success, thanks again everyone, i will be celebrating thanksgiving this weekend with my roommate and a few of her friends. bye bye.
xoxo,
christie

a very merry un-birthday to me?

hi everyone-

just wanted to blog as i have no intention of doing it this weekend. so i finished up my week of work today. pretty uneventful but on thursday on the bus ride back to the main office the other temp started talking to me. so in the end now we are friends, or coworkers that talk to each other, since no one else will talk to us! so we were taking the bus back and we got off a little bit early to walk down princes street to waste some time and we passed a shop called debenham's and jean (that's her name) was telling me how much she liked the shop and i told her about how my flatmate had just gone there the other day and gotten all sorts of great deals, so she said "oh we have to go in then!" so we totally killed like an hour of company time shopping and she bought a sweater so i made up the alibi that she purchased it the previous day after work and was going to return it today after work as she didn't like it that much. so that was part one of the exciting day. part 2 happened after i got home from work i got on the bus to go to this great supermarket that my flatmates had been raving about so i got home put a load of laundry in and then got on the bus, as soon as i got on the bus i was putting my bus pass in my purse when someone through a bleeped bleep bleep rock through the window of the bus...right where i was sitting! no worries guys i was looking the opposite direction so no glass in the eyes, i got a cut on my nose and one on my hand but i am a okay, just annoyed and even more apprehensive about public transportation (read the blog about getting out of london!) so friday is kind of different in this city, as when you work for the city friday ends at 3:40pm not 5pm, interesting...i'm not sure if that makes sense but oh well. so tomorrow is my birthday, thank you, thank you, you can hold your applause, and i turn 24 years old. marie is coming from dublin, she's the flatmate that took over my bed at the beginning of october. so i will probably go out with her at some point. also my friend ruth, in dublin, had her baby Joey Irwin, she went into the hospital at 10:30am on wednesday and by 3:30pm Joey was born, everyone is healthy! i was hoping for the baby to be born on saturday so she would feel obligated to name the baby after me but you know! so that's about it for now guys, i'm making myself a vegan chocolate cake for my birthday cake and possibly some pizza, so ciao for now.

xoxo,
christie

hump day??

today was better guys. i even got paid to ride on the bus for an hour! uuuuuu! still not much work though, i will report more in a few days. i want my dinner now!!!

xoxo,
christie

the 14 or the 23?

hello all!

now i can get into to asking myself questions like this, bus number 14 or 23? which one should i take to work. if i take the 14 i have to get up earlier, if i take the 23 i can get up later and it is quicker into town but it drops me way the heck over in a not so convenient place so i have to walk for 15 minutes. oh what will our hero do??? so that's about the excitment of my day. it's monday and i just finished my first complete day of being a paper pusher. that's right guys what are you doin'? "makin' copies..." that's what i did the whole morning besides fall asleep at my desk reading about the city council's big move! as they didn't have any work for us this morning, good god i'm glad i took the ginseng this morning, i don't know how i would have functioned, oh wait i didn't!

so i made photo copies and then i did some data entry, not so challenging, i liked it better at the translation and interpretation center, at least i felt i had a cause. so hopefully things will improve, also there was another temp. there for this big project that we are supposed to be working on, but she's kind of, oh i don't want to say it but like an office nazi and wants to be in charge so i'm just like, that's cool man i'm just here for the ride, and the higher wage than minimum. so hopefully things will improve.

my flat's good. the roommates are fine. not too much to cheer about there. hopefully my stuff will be there when i return tonight. my roommate amanda is like this crazy christian/mormon/jewish religion, i'm not sure what to think, but she's only there for a few more weeks so if she turns crazed it won't be too bad because she'll be out of there. but i think we are going to make gnocchi for thanksgiving dinner, but i'm not positive. since both of us work we're not so sure. steve, well steve is quiet but hey that's cool, so it could be a lonely winter, we will see.

so sorry guys the positive attitude is not so much here, sorry i really wanted to burn the new tenacious d cd onto my pod but the internet cafe wants 2pounds, i think i will go to grassmarket street where it will be free. so ciao for now guys, oh yeah i have my "national insurance number meeting" on november 28th. so that's about all for now.

xoxo,
christie

CAUTION: hot babes dancing

So this is what the caution wet floor sign says in the hostel i am staying at, i thought it was quite funny so i took a photo to tack up on my wall at home. oh i love people with a sense of humor! so not too much going on today i got up at about 11am so i just squeaked into the kitchen at the hostel for lunch and then i went in search of some buttons as i bought a sweater for work at a charity shop and it has like the ugliest buttons i have ever seen in my life. i am also pretty bored so i am trying to keep myself occupied. i also went to the museum of scotland today, wow rick steves was right, it's a great museum. i also went to the loathian and highlands police museum. wow sounds exciting doesn't it. well it was because there was a business card holder made out of a body snatcher's skin. after the guy was convicted of killing vagrants they hung him and then donated his body to the school of medicine where his skin was removed and then sold on the street for a schilling a square inch. and some guy got a really large piece and had it tanned and turned into his business card holder. oh the greatness of the scots! look at all the things you guys are missing out on by living in other parts of the world. no skin business card cases for you, you have things like maritime museums with ships and stuff, or art museums. so now that i am done rambling i had to report those 2 things before i forgot them. oh yeah and i went to a film yesterday at the film house Kekexili: Mountain Patrol. i want you all to try and say Kekexili out loud. as i had to try and order a ticket to it yesterday. a great documentary about the tibetian antelope being hunted to the brink of extinction for it's wool. gross lots of bloody pelts in this film but an interesting film alright. i also forgot about in the royal museum there was all this cool interactive stuff for children but they had this one on cloning and GM stuff and gave quizzes and took surveys like do you think we should genetically modify bananas to contain vaccinations for people in third world countries, talk about introducing super germs into this world!!! so it opened debate and ideas with in myself about whether or not i believe in cloning or genetically modifying things, so some things to ponder...what do you think? to clone or gm or not? how do you feel about dolly and GM corn? when and where should we stop? craziness. so alls good at saturday afternoon in edinburgh:)

xoxo,
christie

so what is there to do around here?

Hello once again people. so the election results are in. and hopefully that cracked pendulum that was swinging way too far to the right is now making it's way in some other direction:) i read in the paper that hillary clinton is in again, that over 30 seats were one in the house and senate to the democrats and that we elected a communist representative? also new Hampshire, maybe vermont, i get them confused sometimes, elected their first ever (second nation wide) african american govenor. as well there is the first ever muslim senator as well as a buddhist senator, solid progression out of the stone age. maybe we'll think about renewable energy like air or sea water. LOL.

that aside if you haven't heard i have a home to move into on sunday the 12th, if you are important i sent you my address, if not well email me and i will send it to you:P i start work at the Edinburgh City Council as an administrator on monday the 13th, i know it sounds really cool but basically should be office space style, and because my customer service skills are so great i got the job because of that. so this job is supposed to be for 4-5 months so fingers crossed it all works out, but if not i'm sure i can go and work at bean scene. a coffee shop i applied at but turned down because it was minimum wage and i wanted to make a little more then squeaking by.

in other news i am getting really antsy to get out of the hostel. i don't know what to do with myself and there is only so much fascade i can put on when i am around all the peeps. also i was asking my roommate Kat what there was to do at night, to see if she had any ideas, and she was like well...there's drinking, and oh yeah drinking, and you can play a drinking game, or perhaps drinking and a book and on the weekend you can go to a pub and drink.

so not a lot going on at night and just trying to keep it real with like reading and knitting and trying to eat dinner late and cook for a really long time, but again only so much aussie interaction i like in the kitchen. so yep. surprise surprise but i'm not going to drink tonight, too late i met steve my roommate and gave him the deposit and got my keys. uuuuuuu! so i will probably watch my split peas boil tonight and make some soup. stellar. so that's about all for right now. haven't tried a deep fried mars bar but will pass the word along when i do. cheers.

oh yeah i set up a meeting to meet and get myself a NHS number. National Health Service Number. Stellar you are number 6,003,657,047,207,470 to register which means you will have a meeting with someone who decides if you can stay in the country for the rest of your work permit on this date and time and we don't care if you work or where you live this is where you will have to go and tough cookies if you don't have a car and the bus doesn't go there. so wooo...more to come on that exciting saga as the NHS number getting goes on, good news though once i have one that means if an employer wants to send me to the UK to work, it's easy-peasy as i will already have the number. so now i'm done .02 in done and dusted. sine.

xoxo,
christie

i don't think there are elections going on in the US?...

hello everyone-

hope everyone performed there civic duty so that jan, dick, rosemary, and marge's efforts weren't in vain! (LOL-those are the moldy oldys i worked with when i was an election judge). so guys i know you're all interested as to what i decided to do about a jorb here in scotland. after much deliberation and speaking to fam and friends i have decided to stay in the city and not take the veg cook job. so that's about all. oh yeah, and i worked today with the temp agency. i took a one day job working for the edinburgh interpretation and translation services. so basically filing, phoning institutions to confirm a interpreter for things like doctors appts. and housing issues. so that was an interesting time. the day flew lots to do. what a cool service to provide for people. so got to here some interesting accents and had to spell things the UK way like instead of the z sound we make they make the z sound zed. interesting. so it was a good time but it was just one day. so i won't be at it tomorrow. so hopefully there will be a long term gig coming up here. so that's the words birds. enjoy the election i'll check back in tomorrow to see who controls the senate and see if a certain he should not be named is a lame duck!LOL did you get the harry potter joke in there? sorry guys i live in a bubble.

xoxo,
christie

did u see anything?

i forgot to tell you guys about some fun stuff that's been happening here in the city.

1) wednesday was pub night at the jekyl and hyde but (where the bathrooms are behind book cases and you have to find them!) this was a bunac meeting. so a bunch of canadians and americans meeting and doing the same sort of thing i am doing. including 2 minnesotans, one of which graduated from st. scholastica in may 2006. when i told them i had started this in june. the girl said, it was just too long to go both places ( and i thought what else do you have to do!!!!?) so that was sort of interesting but also kind of weird because the conversation was very forced and was basically about traveling only or job searching. but the cool thing that happened is we started seeing smoke outside the pub and went out, and there was a car on fire. the guy who was driving it suddenly smelled smoke so he pulled over, and wasn't hurt but it his car was gone, completely. hope he had insurance.

also good news, right now. i don't have lice as of yet and i treated my scalp one night with olive oil and tea tree oil (hippy treatment for lice) and it really moisturized my scalp so i am hoping that is the only problem.

i also saw holyrood palace, where the queen mother was when earleen charlie and myself were in london. i didn't go in but i walked by. they also have a brand new parliment building right near it that is pretty cool looking, super post modern! one day i will hike arthur's seat which is right next to the palace.

i think that's all maybe some more exciting news tomorrow.

to Fife or not to Fife that is the questions.

hello hello? so here's the q for you hope you all have some a's or an a or an idea. so the job hunt/home hunt has been going well so here's the word i have 2 options but i'm not sure what to do so i need some input.

option a) stay in edinburgh, move in on the 12th to flat on chancelot street (10 min) outside the city work for the city council with 3 surveyors helping them file things at 6pounds an hour+ holiday monday-friday 9-5, job ends in april

option b) move to fife work for the pillars of hercules organic farm cafe. live 1.5 hours from edinburgh, in a small village(20 minute walk from the farm). Help them develop there all organic all vegetarian menu for 5.80 pounds and hour + holiday, 35 hours a week.

so pros and cons for a: live with some cool people, live in the city meet more people my own age have kind of a crap job but i can supplement by being able to go to hogmony (new years eve, day). 2 art house theaters i can go to. must by a monthly bus pass and commute, a little, if you can call it a commute. and i can volunteer at the forest, this ultra alternative cafe where i would get a free meal and meet more arts fartsy people.

pros and cons of b: live in a village, the owner of the farm said he could find me accomadations (not so sure what they would be). help develop the menu and work in the kitchen but also have to do the things i did at down to earth and the coop like stock shelves, use the register, wash dishes, serve customers in the coffee shop. but i get to work in a kitchen and make food, that's organic with cool people who believe in similar things as i do. but probably not talk to too many people besides my coworkers. but i can slip out in march and go to italy for a month. uuuuu!

so i'm going to call farmer bruce, and see if i can work for 2 days and see how i like it. and perhaps see my accomidations. so that's the plan i guess. write me with what you think either blog or email. thanks guys for listening to me. hope to hear back soon.

xoxo,
christie

p.s. by the way the forest (coffee shop from a) has a dark room so i could potentially develop some film and photos there.

lice it's everywhere!

hi everyone. hope the title caught your eye. yes in my hostel the girl who sleeps above me found she had lice last night. so i am just hoping a praying i don't have it. so we will see.

so what did fra and i do while she was here. well first we went to the botanical garden. great little stroll around town. the second day we went to the roslynn chapel. the da vinci code and the apprentice column. i no be amazed and wowed. we also went to the sir walter scott monument where we climbed the 287 spiral stair case steps to the top of the monument. we also found the forest. an ultra hip ultra cheap vegetarian place where all the cool kids hang out. other things include going to the national portrait gallery for the the famous photographer something possibly harry benson, can't remember. so that's about all sorry guys i'm super busy with the job and place to live search so that's the shortened version. hope to hear from you all soon via the email or the blog.

xoxo,
christie