"She said a good day ain't got no rain...."

Oh hey, a second blog entry before the end of the month? Amazing.

The words to the Paul Simon song are in the title of this entry simply because I disagree with them at this present moment, regardless of my love for the song. The song "Slip Sliding Away" was stuck in my head as I cycled home this evening (and had nothing to do with the conditions of the roads). Walking up the stairs to my flat I realized that while weather can have a profound impact on mood, good weather is not always a pre-requisite for a good day. Today had substantial periods of rain, (got caught in a couple of those whilst cycling), but today was genuinely good. 

People are important. Today was good because I spent time with people that I've grown to care about, and it was a reminder that I do have people here, and I have established connections - and I can indeed enjoy the month that I have left in Glasgow. I can do it. It is nice to feel empowered. I get a little discouraged sometimes, but I think that is a relatively normal human phenomenon.


Today was the first day in a while that I packed full of plans. It started with getting up in decent time (partly due to strange noises in my wall as my earplugs worked their way out of my ears - I think maybe the flat next to me is leaking or something? They've been doing a lot of maintenance-type work on it, but last night it sounded quite akin to a noisy printer running, but lasted the duration of what would be 10 000 pages. So unless someone was printing several theses in quintuplicate*, I think something else is going on in there. Anyhow, the earplugs were relatively effective until morning). 

I had a solid breakfast - essential for any day, and went to the Lord Todd building to use the computer to do some job-hunting. I've been trying to limit mindless computer usage, and have found that the use of computer labs and libraries instead of my laptop has been particularly effective. (Oh, the printer noise begins again.... this time a bit more rapid and irregular. Almost sounds like someone using a handsaw and drumming a djembe at the same time. Or maybe like a washing machine with a terrible agitator?) 

Following the computer time, I went climbing with Mel for a couple of hours. It felt a bit different since the bike trip - my leg muscles are jacked, and my arm muscles are weaker from lack of climbing as of late, so, they are a little sore, right now. But it was good to be back there. Their printer is broken, so I still don't have a membership card, but they took my picture, and told me I can try to pick it up next time.

After climbing, and a random cycle adventure (I've been discovering the National Cycle Network trails within Glasgow. Some are better laid out than others... there is one that goes all the way to Loch Lommond which I may try out eventually) I went to hangout with and catch up with my friend Keira in the East End. We hadn't seen each other since before the break, so it was quite lovely to catch up. 

Sometimes I overthink things, and make myself feel like a failure. Today, I've tried to focus on accomplishments. I really have developed some solid friendships here, and I'm quite thankful for that. I ended up staying at Keira's flat from the afternoon into the evening and missing the jam session for the ukulele band that I've recently joined (yep). Worth it though. And there will be more jam sessions, so it is okay. Things are looking up. I just need to stay positive, I think. And potentially study more... hah.

Back at my flat now and realizing how late it is. Finally received my birthday carepackage from home, and I'm excited to use my new earplugs to sleep tonight.

I still need to sort through trip pictures before posting them. But I have some from this past weekend in London:

iconic.

classy. this city is so clean.

buckingham palace was pretty close to the bus station. so I figured I should check it out. it was 7am, so it was not very busy. but it was the same day as the London Marathon, so many things were cordoned off.

it was okay because I had somewhere to be at 11:30 anyhow.

I wonder if that sign meant that this guy had to stand there all day though.

the Canadian gate.

And the Canada Memorial. I felt slightly patriotic.

This one is for you, T.J.

the weather was spectacular on Saturday.

the Thames.

skyline. and an airplane. or aeroplane, rather.

classy lamp post.

i laughed.

so fancy.

i like bikes.

amusing.

Johnny Flynn played a free gig inside the Rough Trade East record store.

and then another one outside for the queue. quite lovely.

the East End of London catered to my tastes. artsy.

some signs have yards, and some have meters.

this sign makes me feel empowered.

this building is beautiful.

I was a fan of this street. And also wore my rainboots in vain. There was a lot of sun; the BBC Weather mislead me.

Ah. Yes I did go here....

well. this sign is a falsehood.

can't stop the crazy Beatles fans. Although, they think they have the power to stop traffic. Really, they just angered motorists. It was really crowded here, even though it was a Sunday afternoon, and rainy.

according to the studio website, the barriers are not there anymore, so maybe I'll have to go back and actually cross it. (there is a live webcam. i just tried looking for myself in the archives, but they only keep the footage of the day, and after that it is just notable pictures)

Abbey Road Studios.

and the wall out front.

I like bricks.

an advert on the tube/underground/subway.

That's for now. The captions are a little punchy because ought to be in bed.

peace.




*this is a possibly fabricated word that I've introduced to my ESL friends. I believe I prefaced it with "Is that a word? Oh wait, I'm the native speaker. I declare it to be a word."