tis april; we get more sun now.

It seems that these updates have become a monthly thing. This was not exactly my original intention, but these things happen.

I have a little paradox where I don't like to write blogs if I'm not happy, lest they become a pile of complaints. But I'm generally happiest when I'm busy, and thus, don't have time to blog. I think you can see the circle forming. Today I'm embracing the free time that eventually should be used to study for finals (or enjoy the sunshine), and I'm going to write an update. Can't promise anything glorious though.

I sit here at my desk on a Sunday evening, eating my dinner, listening to music and trying to reflect on what has happened since I wrote last. Classes concluded two weeks ago, and today is the last day of the Easter break. There has been substantially less rain, which has been great, although, it was in the weeks leading up the break that this weather transition occurred, so the process of finishing up assignments was more difficult than usual.

Now I am adding to this again and it is Wednesday. I will not lie, it's been a bit of a rough week - mainly just lonely because my friends here are mostly busy (perhaps using their time wisely and reviewing material for finals), and my closest friends are several thousand miles away, many of them already completed their finals, and moving on to their summer plans.

Today is looking up though. After accidentally sleeping in (I hate sleeping in), I made myself breakfast, wrote a bit in my journal, then went to pick up one of my final papers from my professor. When she handed it to me and commented on a "job well done, first class paper", the shock that filled my face and my voice kind of makes me laugh now. I did not expect to do so well on it, even though I'd poured a lot of time and effort into it, I am not a history student, and thus, am never sure if I have written a history paper properly.

Then on the way back to my flat, the mailslot that I tend to check more-than-daily finally contained a parcel slip addressed to me. Then I had the pleasure of picking up a parcel from a dear friend and former housemate in Guelph; I was ecstatic to say the least. The bike ride that followed was also lovely - even though it terminated with me racing home to beat the rain, only to have all the clouds disappear and the sun shine brightly as soon as I made it to the top of the 5 flights of stairs to my flat. I have a real problem with being inside when it is sunny outside. Actually, it is kind of an issue right now. I need to go enjoy the sun for a bit, and then I'll resume writing. I'm determined to finish this by this evening.

cycled the Glasgow Green paths by the river Clyde.

I find it comical just how many things in this city claim to be the biggest or the best. This claims both of those. It also exemplifies how many things are on Closed Circuit Television in this country.

these pictures lack some depth because they were all taken with my cell phone.

And now it is Thursday morning. (this entry is quite progressive, and possibly reflects the length of my attention span).

So. I guess I need to think back to the highlights of March before delving into the details of April. Saw two concerts in March; first one was Laura Marling, a UK folk singer - it was quite a lovely concert. I'm a big fan of bands that make good use of a cello, double bass, and the occasional horn. She performed with her band in the Glasgow O2 Academy, which used to be a cinema. The interior architecture was almost as lovely as the music. The other concert in March was Noah and the Whale, an... alternative UK band, who happened to be playing in Edinburgh on my birthday. To be honest, the full instrumentation of the previous concert built up the expectation that they would have the same, so I was a little disappointed when they only had the standard guitar, bass, and - well, I shouldn't complain too much, they did have a violin.

Laura Marling & band

Noah and the Whale.... just the drumset pre-show. This venue was a lot less picture friendly.

Ah, I forgot. There were three concerts in March. I also went to the Scotland BBC symphony orchestra live recording of Rhapsodic Brahms. I made a point of intentionally coughing while the announcer was explaining the last set of pieces.

I believe this was during the intermission. Perhaps before the show even, I don't recall.

Also in March, I made a study break trip up to the highland town of Pitlochry. The weather was quite lovely that day, and I was tired of being in the library - so it seemed like the most logical option. 
Here are some pictures:

a hydroelectric dam

in the retirement village area of the town

now for some hillwalking.

starting to work my way up Craigower. it was a pretty gentle ascent.

this is a slightly messed up panorama.

oh hey, I made it to the top.

the view was more spectacular than the camera was able to capture (even with the self-timer... hah).

this shows what the different mountains are. you can see a lot from the top of this little guy.

exploring the plateau at the top of the hill.

this would be a potentially spectacular place to watch the sunrise.

heading back down the hill, entirely satisfied.

a nice looking stone wall. I believe I took this picture with you in mind, Sandy.

The 30th of March, I handed in my last history paper ever. (History is not my major, and I'm only taking history courses as electives because of scheduling conflicts. As much as I love learning and reading about history, I do not enjoy studying it, and I have decided that I will not take another history course unless it is compulsory.)




April began with an adventure: cycling the Hebrides isles of Scotland. The plan; train to Inverness from Glasgow, then train from Inverness to Gavre, cycle to Ullapool, catch the ferry to Stornaway on the Isle of Lewis (outer Hebrides), then basically cycling hostel to hostel from Lewis to Harris (they are connected), ferry from Leverburgh to the Isle of Bernaray, cycle across the causeway to the Isle of Uist, then eventually to Lochmaddy to take the ferry to Uig on the Isle of Skye (inner Hebrides now), and then hostel to hostel across Skye, ferry from Armadale to Mallaig, camped overnight near a beach, and then the train back to Glasgow, "the Road to the Isles", an iconic and scenic train route, voted one of the best in the world. Included traveling over what has become to be know by many as the "Harry Potter bridge", since it's use in the film.

The trip was full of adventure and surprises, one of the most challenging being that my cycling partner had falsely led me to believe that she had more biking experience than she really did (and even her enjoyment for being outdoors... I'm not sure what she expected really); this lead to a lot of frustration and necessity for patience on my part, doubling our cycling time and largely removing the time that I had worked into the plan for sight seeing. The scenery was amazing though, and the trip still well worth it. It only makes me want to come back again and do the same route faster and more efficiently in the future. Won't be for several years though.

Here are some photos (sadly, my camera died the 3rd day of the trip, and could only be charged by plugging into a laptop with the cord that I so conveniently left on my desk; so, there will be more photos to follow when I get them from my studious cycling buddy):

it snowed the first day. made the hills look spectacular. this was on the way to the first ferry - from Ullapool (mainland) to Stornaway (Isle of Lewis)

Day 2 - snack break on Isle of Lewis, heading towards Ravenspoint

constantly surrounded by scenery.

and these guys. lots and lots of sheep.

the long and winding road...

most signs in the Hebrides (isles) are bilingual. this particular set, however, is strictly in Gaelic. Stornaway is where we started from on Lewis. Tarbert (or Tairbeart) is where we would be on later on in the week.

and this is quite a bit later - the beginning of the second week maybe. this sign is bilingual, and Lochmaddy (on the Isle of Uist) is where we caught the ferry to the Uig (Isle of Skye) - this photo is from my cellphone

Thats all for now. Just a taste - I need to get the rest of the pictures and sort through them before posting more.

I've also come to the conclusion that I cannot live alone - at least, not at this stage in my life. With two of my flatmates being in their first year, they get an exam exemption if their marks are above a certain point. So, they are both pretty much done, and are around the flat a lot less. My other flatmate is away traveling for the next couple of weeks. The flat feels empty. Sure, I like to have time to myself sometimes, but I miss the bustling of multiple people coming in and out, and the excitement of something almost always going on, and being able to choose whether or not to participate - instead of having to earnestly seek out those opportunities if I want them (this is missed more so from Duntroon and Guelph/Home Street than from here in D10). Basically, I miss people. and being part of community. Going to hang out at Kersland st tonight, and I hope it helps to fill that void a bit.


I've got just under two months left here. In some ways that seems like oodles of time, and it can be a bit daunting. In other ways, when I look at having only 5 weeks left in Glasgow (followed by approx 3 weeks in Eastern Europe before returning to Scotland to fly home), and then look at the list of things I still want to see and do, it becomes a little bit more daunting in the other direction. I've been trying to keep this week chill to recover from the biking adventure. Next week is monopolized by many choir rehearsals and 2 performances. After that... who knows. At some point I should get moving on studying for finals. I was waiting for a rainy day to do that, but the sun keeps poking through the clouds. It will happen eventually. I just pulled my loaf of bread out of the oven, so I'm no longer tied to the flat and can get on with the day. Not sure what the next few hours will hold.

Oh, one more thing to note. It is National Record Day in the UK on Saturday, and I'll be heading to London to enjoy some free concerts from the likes of Johnny Flynn and Keane.


I'll try to blog again before the end of April. No promises though. Until then, I send you all my love, and hope to hear from you soon. 

(this blog was finished on Thursday of last week, but the pictures held up the post; sorry about that.)