After our day spent in Narnia, we went back to the wee flat for fish 'n chips and ice cream and wine... and EUROVISION!!
If you are not familiar with Eurovision, then I'd say you haven't yet lived. It's an international European song contest. Each nation has their own contests to find the song they are going to enter, and then there are qualifiers, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finally, the Finals. The country that won the previous year hosts the next year's contest-- this year, it was in Norway. My flatmate was there. We looked for him in the crowd, but didn't see him. Anyway. Each country performs their song, and everyone at home phones in to vote for their favourite. Then the popular votes from each country are paired with 'professional' rankings from each country, to decide how many votes each act receives. After all the performances, they actually go through calling every country to get their votes, and keep the tally live on tv. It's all very exciting. And someone wins. And then they sing again. And then that's it until next year.
It really is quite an experience. If you ever live in Europe, or any of the other countries that aren't in Europe exactly but are included in the mayhem, then you must watch it. Or just check out some of the previous entries on YouTube. You won't regret it.
This was our second annual Eurovision party--both times held in Paige's flat, although last year it was in Aberdeen. She was thrilled that last year's winner got to perform again... as you can tell by the excited expression on her face. We all could hardly contain ourselves. It was good times, for sure. As always, the photos can be found here, at the very end.
This is the 2009 winner, who Paige loves:
This is the 2010 winner, who actually deserved to win:
Seriously. Check out some of the videos out there. You won't regret it, unless you are looking for actual good music. But for a laugh, you can't beat them! =D
Friday, 17 September 2010
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Narnia, aka Stirling University
Who knew? ;)
The three of us girlies in Aberdeen went down in late May to visit Paige in Alva-- largely so we could all watch Eurovision together (more on that tomorrow). Since none of us had really seen much of her new uni, we forced her to take us on a tour-- which was great, because she hadn't seen most of it, either. =)
Stirling University is a fairly new Scottish university, all things considered, and the architecture leaves much to be desired. The setting, however, is breathtaking. We'd all noticed it on the bus between Stirling and Alva, but none of us had wandered around it. We had gorgeous weather, and needed to be home in time for Eurovision, so it was a perfect day to wander in the great outdoors on campus. The postbox says it's Narnia, and we believed it! We found lots of gorgeousness, hidden glens and cottages, tumble-down cemetaries, and more.
After spending time out on campus, Paige showed us around her office and her building. They have a great collection of Scottish art... which wasn't there. Ha. They had several things up in other places, and we got to enjoy it. Plus Paige showed us the window she gets to design in the entryway with all the other art, when it's at home. And her office... dang. Bunnnies galore cavorting just outside, and a view of the Wallace Monument. Lovely. Makes being in the office not so bad when you have beauty and distration so readily available. ;)
And we had a good time with each other. Although I'm sure you can't tell that from the photos.
The three of us girlies in Aberdeen went down in late May to visit Paige in Alva-- largely so we could all watch Eurovision together (more on that tomorrow). Since none of us had really seen much of her new uni, we forced her to take us on a tour-- which was great, because she hadn't seen most of it, either. =)
Stirling University is a fairly new Scottish university, all things considered, and the architecture leaves much to be desired. The setting, however, is breathtaking. We'd all noticed it on the bus between Stirling and Alva, but none of us had wandered around it. We had gorgeous weather, and needed to be home in time for Eurovision, so it was a perfect day to wander in the great outdoors on campus. The postbox says it's Narnia, and we believed it! We found lots of gorgeousness, hidden glens and cottages, tumble-down cemetaries, and more.
After spending time out on campus, Paige showed us around her office and her building. They have a great collection of Scottish art... which wasn't there. Ha. They had several things up in other places, and we got to enjoy it. Plus Paige showed us the window she gets to design in the entryway with all the other art, when it's at home. And her office... dang. Bunnnies galore cavorting just outside, and a view of the Wallace Monument. Lovely. Makes being in the office not so bad when you have beauty and distration so readily available. ;)
And we had a good time with each other. Although I'm sure you can't tell that from the photos.
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
What Not To Wear?
Right, friends. I need some help. What should I wear to my viva? My sister has told me I dress like a grandma. Luckily I've got friends with great fashion sense who give me clothes they don't wear often. So I have choices... I just don't know what goes together, or what goes with me. So I need your help.
Here are the options (or mix and match between what I put together, because I can't be bothered to take photos of every single permutation):
These trousers are a little itchy. They're linen, but they feel like wool. And they show off what my grandma always refers to as my 'child-bearing hips'. She means it as a positive thing. I think. I would not wear them with a shirt tucked in like this, though... that was just to show the trousers.
Those are all the same trousers... just different shirts. Obviously.
Please ignore the fact that I'm wearing a green tank that doesn't really go with everything. I do have different colours, and will match them appropriately to whatever I end up wearing. I just couldn't be bothered with changing all my undergarments everytime.
Modelling is obviously not my calling in life.
I'm not really as mad as I look... the dang cat kept getting in the way and knocking over my camera. It's not easy to do this all with a self-timer.
This is a skirt. A long, slinky, floor-length skirt.
Yes. I need to iron half these things. I just couldn't be bothered doing it first, and besides, the iron and board are in Kenny's room. So pretend I'm nicely pressed, please.
Same linen trousers as above, but different brown shirt here and below.
These are fuzzy velvety trousers. I like them. They feel nice.
That skirt is purple. Like, a very nice plum. It's lovely, although it doesn't come out so well in these amateurish photos. That photographer isn't getting a pence for them.
Clothes sizes crack me up. This skirt is a 12, and it fits better than some of the 14s and 16s above. And that's not because they are too big, either. Weird.
I also have an orange shirt that matches this:
For this and the next dress, I do have sweaters to wear over them. It's not quite that warm here anymore.
This is probably my favourite dress I've owned in years. I love it. Love it, love it, love it. But that doesn't mean it's right for this. I just have to make it an option. =)
Ignore the jeans; it's the top I'm adding into the mix. Cos I like it.
So. What's the call? What should I wear? And what should I never, ever put on again and find a new home for immediately? If there is something like that, I need to know it. I can take it. Just be nice. =)
Here are the options (or mix and match between what I put together, because I can't be bothered to take photos of every single permutation):
So. What's the call? What should I wear? And what should I never, ever put on again and find a new home for immediately? If there is something like that, I need to know it. I can take it. Just be nice. =)
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
Muppet References Galore!
I can't help but sing when I'm on the move...
'Moving right along, dug-a dun dug-a dun, footloose and fancy-free...'
I was singing this to myself a lot on the way to and from my Edinburgh mini-break. And then on the way home, it was this one:
'Someday we'll find it, the Rainbow Connection--the lovers, the dreamers and me.'
The photos might not be great, but the views truly were. Whether it's from bus window or train window, wherever in the country I'm headed, Scotland takes my breath away with its gorgeousness. The skies, even when cloudy and rainy, are always dramatic. When the sun comes out, the colours couldn't be more vibrant. And it's always green. Always. I love the beauty of this wee corner of the world. My pictures of it are here, if you want to see what I'm talking about.
'Moving right along, dug-a dun dug-a dun, footloose and fancy-free...'
I was singing this to myself a lot on the way to and from my Edinburgh mini-break. And then on the way home, it was this one:
'Someday we'll find it, the Rainbow Connection--the lovers, the dreamers and me.'
The photos might not be great, but the views truly were. Whether it's from bus window or train window, wherever in the country I'm headed, Scotland takes my breath away with its gorgeousness. The skies, even when cloudy and rainy, are always dramatic. When the sun comes out, the colours couldn't be more vibrant. And it's always green. Always. I love the beauty of this wee corner of the world. My pictures of it are here, if you want to see what I'm talking about.
Monday, 13 September 2010
Mini-Break and Maxi-Dog
Way back in May, I took a long weekend for a mini-break to stay with Paige. This time, though, she wasn't in Alva... she was in Auld Reekie. The Capitol. Edinburgh.
Nope, she didn't move. She has a friend at Stirling Uni who lives in Edinburgh, and has a monster dog. Hazel. She's seriously scary... or her tongue is, anyway. It's faster than the speed of light, I swear. Other than that, and her need to tear up with her teeth every growing thing she sees, she's a sweet puppy. So Paige was there flat- and dog-sitting, and as she had just finished a major presentation for uni, she was totally up for a weekend of some fun. And Papa John's pizza.
Oh, Papa John. I wish you were here in Aberdeen. But you aren't. So I have to go to Edinburgh to get you. Paige and I had a perfect plan: delivery. Because they SAY they deliver. And there are two different branches. It's a big city, sure, but not that big, surely. Ha. How wrong we were. They don't deliver to where we were. Pretty much if you aren't in a one-mile radius of their store, you can't get delivery. Which is flippin' ridiculous. Our dinner plans were thwarted by their dastardly delivery deviousness... so we went to Waitrose and bought a for-two curry dinner. It was delish.
The next day we were determined to get our pizza. We spent the day in the city, at the Elephant House for coffee and studying and wandering around. Then we walked out to where the PJs is... about a fifteen minute walk from Princes Street. Not too bad. The plan: get our pizza take-away to-go and then get a bus back to the flat. First part worked fine. Got our pizza (two of them, actually), and headed back to a bus that would take us home. Part two didn't really work out so well. Apparently you aren't allowed to take food on a bus. Really? Because I see people eating on buses all the time. But this driver wouldn't let us on. Grrrrrrr. Here we are, walking around the capitol in the chilly May evening with two big pizza boxes, not to mention all our other bags. Now what?! I was ticked. Seriously ticked. Paige decided we'd just get bags to put the pizza in... which we did. At Whittard's. She bought a pretty reuseable bag that fit her pizza, and got the sales person to give her the biggest plastic carrier bag they had, which *just* fit my huge pizza. On the bus we got. Finally.
By the time we got to the flat, the pizza was no longer hot. But does that matter? Not so much. PJs is just as good cold, and we had a microwave to zap it if we wanted it hot. What did matter, however, was the fact that they forgot to put in the garlic butter dip. WHAT?! Oh good grief. I could not believe it. On top of the rest of the disaster, that was the final straw. Papa John, you have some serious making-up to do to me if you want me to love you like I used to. I'm so disappointed in you.
Other than the pizza debacle, and the monster dog, we wandered around the nice suburb where we were staying. There's a big private school there that Hogwarts could have been partly modeled on. And there is a big park with a pond and lots of water birds and a gorgeous view of the city. We saw swans, and mallards, and other birdies whose names I don't know. We enjoyed the sunset, and the walk. It was lovely.
Mostly we just hung out and laughed a lot. It's just what happens when we get together.
All of the photos can be found in my All Around Amie site here. (If for some reason you can't access it, let me know and I'll send you an official invite. Hopefully it'll just let you in.)
Nope, she didn't move. She has a friend at Stirling Uni who lives in Edinburgh, and has a monster dog. Hazel. She's seriously scary... or her tongue is, anyway. It's faster than the speed of light, I swear. Other than that, and her need to tear up with her teeth every growing thing she sees, she's a sweet puppy. So Paige was there flat- and dog-sitting, and as she had just finished a major presentation for uni, she was totally up for a weekend of some fun. And Papa John's pizza.
Oh, Papa John. I wish you were here in Aberdeen. But you aren't. So I have to go to Edinburgh to get you. Paige and I had a perfect plan: delivery. Because they SAY they deliver. And there are two different branches. It's a big city, sure, but not that big, surely. Ha. How wrong we were. They don't deliver to where we were. Pretty much if you aren't in a one-mile radius of their store, you can't get delivery. Which is flippin' ridiculous. Our dinner plans were thwarted by their dastardly delivery deviousness... so we went to Waitrose and bought a for-two curry dinner. It was delish.
The next day we were determined to get our pizza. We spent the day in the city, at the Elephant House for coffee and studying and wandering around. Then we walked out to where the PJs is... about a fifteen minute walk from Princes Street. Not too bad. The plan: get our pizza take-away to-go and then get a bus back to the flat. First part worked fine. Got our pizza (two of them, actually), and headed back to a bus that would take us home. Part two didn't really work out so well. Apparently you aren't allowed to take food on a bus. Really? Because I see people eating on buses all the time. But this driver wouldn't let us on. Grrrrrrr. Here we are, walking around the capitol in the chilly May evening with two big pizza boxes, not to mention all our other bags. Now what?! I was ticked. Seriously ticked. Paige decided we'd just get bags to put the pizza in... which we did. At Whittard's. She bought a pretty reuseable bag that fit her pizza, and got the sales person to give her the biggest plastic carrier bag they had, which *just* fit my huge pizza. On the bus we got. Finally.
By the time we got to the flat, the pizza was no longer hot. But does that matter? Not so much. PJs is just as good cold, and we had a microwave to zap it if we wanted it hot. What did matter, however, was the fact that they forgot to put in the garlic butter dip. WHAT?! Oh good grief. I could not believe it. On top of the rest of the disaster, that was the final straw. Papa John, you have some serious making-up to do to me if you want me to love you like I used to. I'm so disappointed in you.
Other than the pizza debacle, and the monster dog, we wandered around the nice suburb where we were staying. There's a big private school there that Hogwarts could have been partly modeled on. And there is a big park with a pond and lots of water birds and a gorgeous view of the city. We saw swans, and mallards, and other birdies whose names I don't know. We enjoyed the sunset, and the walk. It was lovely.
Mostly we just hung out and laughed a lot. It's just what happens when we get together.
All of the photos can be found in my All Around Amie site here. (If for some reason you can't access it, let me know and I'll send you an official invite. Hopefully it'll just let you in.)
Sunday, 12 September 2010
Catching Up
Over the next few days, I'll try to post about all the things that have happened in the past five months or so. There have been a lot, but I just haven't taken the time out to share them here. Partly that was due to the fact that I was pushing to get done with my thesis, and I just didn't take time out for much of anything. Since submitting, it's been due to my brain being mush and me not wanting to look at the computer for long enough to compose even a short post. However, I have nothing better to do now, so I'll get back to it. =)
I won't be putting pictures in very often, because I don't have them on my computer. They have been uploaded various places, burned to cd, and deleted from my hard drive. I will put links to where they are in my Shutterfly share site-- All Around Amie. If you can't access it, let me know and I'll make sure you get an invite from that site itself. When it gets to a point in time where I have photos on my lappy, I'll put them in again.
Onward and backward! =D
I won't be putting pictures in very often, because I don't have them on my computer. They have been uploaded various places, burned to cd, and deleted from my hard drive. I will put links to where they are in my Shutterfly share site-- All Around Amie. If you can't access it, let me know and I'll make sure you get an invite from that site itself. When it gets to a point in time where I have photos on my lappy, I'll put them in again.
Onward and backward! =D
Friday, 10 September 2010
Dear Faithful Readers
Hello? Anyone out there? *crickets*
C'mon, y'all. I can see the three of you. Hello! Echo...echo...echo...echo.
Ha. I'm such a joker.
No really.
Faithful friends and readers, thank you for not giving up on my entirely. If you are reading this now, you've at least not deleted me from your blogroll. Thank you for that. I have had loads of things I've done that I wanted to write about, and loads more things that I *should* write about... but I just haven't had the energy or presence of mind to actually sit down and write. Maybe it's just a by-product of being done with the thesis-- I have writer's block now. Better now than then, anyway!
Anyway. I just sent out this letter to all my email contacts, so if you're already read it, please feel free to skim or ignore or whatever. But I just wanted to update everyone on what's going on and what's going off and what's coming up and all that jazz. So here's the short version of my life right now:
Hi y'all,
I realise that I haven't written an update in years now. I also realise that I've been very, very remiss in emailing pretty much at all. For that, I do apologise. It's not that I don't miss you or think about you or pray for you... it's just that I've been very bad at letting you know that. Partly I blame writing a PhD thesis. Partly I blame Facebook (which is where I mostly keep up with people, so if you're on there and want to keep up with me, please find me!). Partly I blame the time going by faster and faster as I get older so that I hardly notice it's past. Mostly, though, it's just that I've gotten really bad at taking the time. I am sorry.
This note, however, is to let you know that I'm actually finally nearly done with my PhD! I know, it's been six years. You can hardly believe it. Me, neither. I submitted the monster of 100,000 words (give or take a few) on 2 August, and my viva (defence) is in ten days. TEN DAYS!! That's 20 September. Thank goodness it's not the 19th, as that's 'speak like a pirate day'. I'm betting that would be a little awkward. ;) So yup. A week from Monday at half ten in the morning my time (so the middle of the night for most of y'all), I will meet with two readers-- one from my university and one from another university-- to find out my fate. I'm nervous, of course. Who wouldn't be? But it'll be fine. I keep telling myself that, anyway. It'll be fine.
What happens after that, however, God only knows. I have hoped to stay in the UK and work for a year or two, and then figure out where I want to go next-- that plan seems to be in some trouble, thanks to the UK bordery agency still not having dealt with my visa extension that I applied for back in April. Technically now I'm illegal-- but they've had all my documents and application (and my passport, of course....yikes) since then. I'm not sure if they'll count that against me since it's not my fault or not, so I'm trying to find out whether it will be a total waste of my money to apply for the post-study work visa once the university cuts me loose. If I haven't heard back from the original visa application by then, that is. I really want to stay here a while longer... it's home now, after so many years, and I love it. I have been more myself here than probably any other time or place in my whole life. I have friends here who are more like family. I have an unlimited cinema card, and I don't have to have a car. It fits me, and I'm not ready to leave. However, I do realise that I might have no choice. I might get my April visa denied, in which case I won't be able to apply for the other from here. They might not accept my new application because of the delay in the other, but still would keep the huge application fee. Financially, it seems safer to just come back to the States... but that's not where my heart is.
Friends and family, would you please pray with me? About my viva, that it goes well and I'm not so stressed out that I burst into tears? Because that isn't unknown. I know, you're shocked. I never cry at anything. =D And about what happens next, mostly-- not for any specific outcome, but just that I would have a peace about whatever it is that I should do next. Because right now, I don't have peace about any of my options, for different reasons. I have no idea what to do next, and I don't feel like I really have 'choices', since so much of what will or won't happen is constrained by things completely out of my control. I know that God is in control, and that things will work out-- I just don't know how. And I've been in the dark on this for a loooong time. I'm really struggling with that now.
Thank you all so much for your support, love, and prayers over these past few years in Aberdeen. It has been hard and not always pleasant, but it has also been wonderful and challenging and surprising. I have learned a lot, about my research, of course, but also about myself. I can't believe this road is almost over. I seriously doubted over much of the past two years that this day would ever come. It felt impossible-- yet here I am. Thank you for walking it with me, even when you haven't heard from me. I would love to hear how things are in your world, though, and if there are ways I can be praying for you, please do let me know.
I'll let you know what happens in ten days. =D
love,
amie
C'mon, y'all. I can see the three of you. Hello! Echo...echo...echo...echo.
Ha. I'm such a joker.
No really.
Faithful friends and readers, thank you for not giving up on my entirely. If you are reading this now, you've at least not deleted me from your blogroll. Thank you for that. I have had loads of things I've done that I wanted to write about, and loads more things that I *should* write about... but I just haven't had the energy or presence of mind to actually sit down and write. Maybe it's just a by-product of being done with the thesis-- I have writer's block now. Better now than then, anyway!
Anyway. I just sent out this letter to all my email contacts, so if you're already read it, please feel free to skim or ignore or whatever. But I just wanted to update everyone on what's going on and what's going off and what's coming up and all that jazz. So here's the short version of my life right now:
Hi y'all,
I realise that I haven't written an update in years now. I also realise that I've been very, very remiss in emailing pretty much at all. For that, I do apologise. It's not that I don't miss you or think about you or pray for you... it's just that I've been very bad at letting you know that. Partly I blame writing a PhD thesis. Partly I blame Facebook (which is where I mostly keep up with people, so if you're on there and want to keep up with me, please find me!). Partly I blame the time going by faster and faster as I get older so that I hardly notice it's past. Mostly, though, it's just that I've gotten really bad at taking the time. I am sorry.
This note, however, is to let you know that I'm actually finally nearly done with my PhD! I know, it's been six years. You can hardly believe it. Me, neither. I submitted the monster of 100,000 words (give or take a few) on 2 August, and my viva (defence) is in ten days. TEN DAYS!! That's 20 September. Thank goodness it's not the 19th, as that's 'speak like a pirate day'. I'm betting that would be a little awkward. ;) So yup. A week from Monday at half ten in the morning my time (so the middle of the night for most of y'all), I will meet with two readers-- one from my university and one from another university-- to find out my fate. I'm nervous, of course. Who wouldn't be? But it'll be fine. I keep telling myself that, anyway. It'll be fine.
What happens after that, however, God only knows. I have hoped to stay in the UK and work for a year or two, and then figure out where I want to go next-- that plan seems to be in some trouble, thanks to the UK bordery agency still not having dealt with my visa extension that I applied for back in April. Technically now I'm illegal-- but they've had all my documents and application (and my passport, of course....yikes) since then. I'm not sure if they'll count that against me since it's not my fault or not, so I'm trying to find out whether it will be a total waste of my money to apply for the post-study work visa once the university cuts me loose. If I haven't heard back from the original visa application by then, that is. I really want to stay here a while longer... it's home now, after so many years, and I love it. I have been more myself here than probably any other time or place in my whole life. I have friends here who are more like family. I have an unlimited cinema card, and I don't have to have a car. It fits me, and I'm not ready to leave. However, I do realise that I might have no choice. I might get my April visa denied, in which case I won't be able to apply for the other from here. They might not accept my new application because of the delay in the other, but still would keep the huge application fee. Financially, it seems safer to just come back to the States... but that's not where my heart is.
Friends and family, would you please pray with me? About my viva, that it goes well and I'm not so stressed out that I burst into tears? Because that isn't unknown. I know, you're shocked. I never cry at anything. =D And about what happens next, mostly-- not for any specific outcome, but just that I would have a peace about whatever it is that I should do next. Because right now, I don't have peace about any of my options, for different reasons. I have no idea what to do next, and I don't feel like I really have 'choices', since so much of what will or won't happen is constrained by things completely out of my control. I know that God is in control, and that things will work out-- I just don't know how. And I've been in the dark on this for a loooong time. I'm really struggling with that now.
Thank you all so much for your support, love, and prayers over these past few years in Aberdeen. It has been hard and not always pleasant, but it has also been wonderful and challenging and surprising. I have learned a lot, about my research, of course, but also about myself. I can't believe this road is almost over. I seriously doubted over much of the past two years that this day would ever come. It felt impossible-- yet here I am. Thank you for walking it with me, even when you haven't heard from me. I would love to hear how things are in your world, though, and if there are ways I can be praying for you, please do let me know.
I'll let you know what happens in ten days. =D
love,
amie
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