I know I should be finally updating you about my disasterous trip to Portugal but there are some more pressing matters at hand today. The weather.
For nine months, I have remained pretty accepting of Scottish weather. The freak January snow aside, I have survived and enjoyed living in this rather chilly country. My arrival in August meant a well needed escape from the heat and humidity of DC and I was never happier to embrace the 60's. Autumn is my favorite season so I enjoyed a prolonged one this year. And winter is winter. Frankly, it gets colder at home but for not as long. And the infamous Scottish "rain"? Hardly an issue. As stated in past blogs, it rains almost daily but rarely for the endless day(s) as seen in the movies. I have needed an umbrella twice...maybe...
It was two Fridays ago that I finally lost the plot (is that the phrase?). After a brief tease of nice weather (see Spring Break- Part 2) it has been cold. Scarves, winter jackets, gloves, hats cold. I picnicked a few weekends ago with Lou's family (sans Lou) at the lovely Glen Clova and all of us ended the day bundled up. So when I entered school on May 7th, I just lost it. I complained and whined and desperately begged anyone and everyone to give me hope that Spring would finally show its sunny face. This was May after all. Unfortunately, all my colleagues were feeling the same way.
And then last Saturday it happened. Hardly tropical weather but made it to the upper 50's and it was beautiful. Knowing that consistent weather is not a Scottish trait, I didn't have much hope that this break would last. And I was right! It got even better. The past three days have been in the mid-70's. Many of my colleagues have actually been caught complaining about doing work because it is so hot. But not me. I hated my kids so much on Tuesday but come Wednesday, very little dampened my spirits. I've been wearing skirts and flops at every opportunity. I'm outside as much as the midgies (little awful bugs that sent me inside today after only a 20 minute walk - did I say awful?) will allow because I know come Monday, I could be bundling up again.
As for now, I'm going to enjoy the Barbeque Weather (as people phrase this type of weather here) tomorrow by going to a Farm Fair (sort of like a Four H Fair) in Cupar with my friend Jenni. I might get burnt and eaten by midgies but I'll do it all with my toes hanging out and a spring in my step.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
The April Update 2 - Calm Before the Storm
Glad to think the worst of the worst was out of the way at the beginning of my spring break - and that is my two days of food poisoning - I was happily picked Cindy and Mike from the airport on Tuesday, April 6. Only a bit late, I was entertained at International Arrivals by a group of teenage footballers who came through customs a few at a time and were greeted by wild applause from waiting parents. When one of the kids showed up with a HUGE trophy it became evident that I was about to be disappointed by the appearance of Cindy and Mike. And sure enough, when Cindy and Mike finally made it to me, they were trophy-less thus confirming my suspicions. There had surely been a competition in customs and my friends lost to a large group of lanky Scots-boys. I could barely contain my disgust as I hugged them in greeting and escorted them out to the car.
My good friends had spent the better part of a day travelling from Baltimore so I thought the best thing to do once they arrived was immediately force them to sit for another 3 hours as we ventured up to Loch Ness. It may seem cruel but in reality, I have come to discover when people first arrive in Scotland from the States, they are more or less useless from the travel and time difference. Instead of wasting a day of rest, I thought we should cover some ground that first day to get us where we needed to be for the 7th. It turned out to be a good mood and Marvin got us to our B and B in record time (though he couldn't actually find our B and B - Cindy had to call and have them talk us in). Our family room was more like a huge suite where I had my own set of bunk beds and Cindy and Mike shared a huge king bed in a room with a full kitchen and hot tub out back. It was called the Great Glen B and B and all three of us would highly recommend it for those traveling up the Loch Ness way. Perfect location on a beautiful farm, reasonably priced, and a yummy breakfast. It was also only 5 minutes from the Loch Ness cruise we wanted to take in the morning.
When thinking of Loch Ness, the legend of a sea monster naturally comes to mind. Before actually seeing Loch Ness, I really couldn't understand how hard it could possibly be to NOT find a sea creature in a lake. And then I saw the lake. Over 20 miles long and as deep at 755 feet at its deepest (more than two Statue of Liberties with base put together). If you were to look at Loch Ness on a map, it almost separates the top third of Scotland off from the rest of the country. It holds the most volume of water out of all the Scottish lochs and, as if its sheer size isn't enough, it is BLACK. So though there are many dedicated scientists (and fanatics) who spend all their energies searching this massive black lake for a mystical sea creature, I have a much better understanding as to why very few people have claimed to glimpse it. Really an amazing body of water worth spending an afternoon exploring. And that's what we did. We took a rather chilly 30 minute boat ride down part of the lake before getting off to explore the Urquhart Castle ruins for an hour. A 30 minute boat ride back - this time opting for the lounge inside the boat - and we were on our way to the Isle of Skye.
Along the way, we came across Eilean Donan Castle. I loved this castle! I'm sure you've seen pictures of it (and I'll post some as well so you can have a look see - wait! - my camera was dead by then so Cindy and Mike will have to hook me up). This is probably the most photographed castle in Scotland and is used in many movies (so obviously I was intrigued). There's nothing like touring an old castle, reading about historical battles on one sign and finding pictures of Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert shooting Highlander on the opposite wall. My type of castle tour! Put this stop on your list.
We finally made it to Skye which now has a bridge connecting it to the main land. For years, you would have to have taken a ferry to Skye - maybe 300 meters. When the bridge was finally built, the toll was something ludicrous like 5 pounds one way. Needless to say, that fee was eventually eliminated and Skye remains one of the only Hebrides you can reach without needing a ferry. We drove about an hour north to the lovely Portree where we staying in a B & B I was hoping would be walking distance to town. Oh, well. Armed with Rick Steves, Mike found us a nice little restaurant right on the water in downtown Portree called Sea Breezes. At this point in the day, we realized how hungry we were! Known for its seafood, I bravely ordered the special of the day - langoustines. Oh my...they are basically mini-lobsters and absolutely delicious. Just writing about them now makes my mouth water and I think I am going to have to hunt down another restaurant where I can enjoy them for when my parents visit. Cindy enjoyed some mussels (so did I, she gave me one!) and Mike...well I can't remember what Mike had. Hm...
The biggest surprise in the evening came when we looked for a pub to whittle away the hours. Even Rick Steves warned us that there wasn't much of a night life in Portree but seeing how this is the major town on this touristy island, I think all three of us thought Rick didn't know what he was talking about. Oh, but he did! After wandering about, we found the one pub that looked open and, luckily, found it had a roaring fireplace, football match on TV, and a nice selection of whisky for me (as there was no other hard liquor to be had). Mike had the double excitement that night of driving in Scotland for the first as well driving my car for the first time. But he did great and we all crashed pretty hard in our family room knowing the next day would be long one.
Up and fed by 8:30ish, we hit the road and let Rick Steves do the steering. We visited most of the major sites on Skye that day starting with Kilt Rock. The Western Hebrides get significantly more rain than any other part of Scotland so we were very nervous our only real day on Skye would be miserable. Though some rain crept into our day, for the most part it only served to decorate the sky with beautiful rolling clouds. We were quite lucky. My car didn't appreciate all aspects of driving around the Isle but managed much better than I would have expected. We stopped by the Museum of Island Life where thatched cottages housed told the history of the island at the turn of the century. Perhaps the most exciting part of this excursion was that we heard islanders using Gaelic to chit chat in the gift shop while waiting for us to buy postcards. Still considered by many to be a dying language, there has been a recent effort in trying to preserve the language by enticing younger generations into using it more regularly. As of 2001, there were less than 60,000 Gaelic speakers left in the world.
Meandering about, we managed to plan everything perfectly so the real rainy bit of the day coincided with our trip to Tallisker distillery. I definitely whisky but mainly just the smoky and peaty ones. They are very warm and toasty in my belly. And Tallisker is a very smoky single malt. Yum Yum! Dinner was at a pub down the street from Tallisker before heading back the B & B. There was a brief consideration of heading out to that lone Portree pub again but we were knackered and decided to call it a night.
We spent much of the next day meandering back to Fife. Though I had hoped for more time to show off my neck of the woods, the trip back from Skye was longer than expected and we didn't get a good start after poking around the shops of Portree. Lunch was at pottery store half way home and by the time we reached Fife, I figured we could still venture to St. Andrews. Though all the shops would be closed, I figured we could still walk through the ruins of the cathedral, one of my favorite places to visit in the city. Alas, disappointment. Who knew they could lock up ruins! But it was a gorgeous evening and we were able to meander along the coast enjoying the warm breeze and sunset. The temperature differential between Skye and St. Andrews (really opposite sides of the country - look on a map) was significant. I think the three of us were sad to admit hunger was getting the better of us and head back to the car.
I took us to Anstruther where Jen and I had okay fish and chips at the award winning Fish and Chip Bar. The line was out the door and I really had my heart set on trying the Wee Chippy as recommended by Andrea and Brian as well as being the locals' favorite. Cindy put up a bit of resistance knowing this other place has won tons of awards but I was driving and won that dispute. The Wee Chippy is just a counter where you place your order, watch your food get dumped in a big box, and pay. Most of the customers were locals - you could tell by their level of informality with the staff and their annoyance with our cluelessness during ordering. But 3 fish dinners and an order of onion rings (I like to live on the edge!) later, we parked ourselves outside hoping the Wee Chippy was not a mistake. This is what fish and chips should taste like!! Everything was so good. Plus we didn't have to wait in a long line and were able to eat while watching the sun set over Anstruther harbor. When we finally got back to my place, Mike consulted with Rick Steves and it turns out Lisa Mueller is quite the good tour guide of Fife. Just saying...for those on the fence about having a good time over here that is...
Two days of sight-seeing in Edinburgh were highlighted with an ambitious ramble up Arthur's Seat on Saturday afternoon. Before I talk about that rather difficult hike, let me convey how beautiful the weather was. Mid-60's and bright sunshine. It was lovely at the time, and looking back, I am glad I took advantage of it while we had it. Because, since then, it has been freezing. Literally, Edinburgh got snow this morning (May 13th). I have been fine with the weather this whole year but last Friday I finally lost it and was in a temper about it at school. I WANT SPRING!!! SUN does not equal SPRING. I suppose, if forced to choose, I would prefer this cold raw weather to the 90 degree weather DC got a week or so ago but still. So this one weekend sightseeing with Mike and Cindy was the most perfect weather I've had all year.
We headed up Arthur's Seat in the late afternoon so we could watch the sunset. It's not an easy walk. I've done it before, in 1997 and though it sucked then. But surely, I am in better shape now, right? Apparently not. So after huffing and puffing, we did reach the top and had a beautiful view over the city. I could even point out my Lomond Hills (I live just off the base of the East Lomond). We took an "interesting" route back down that required a bit of rock climbing skills but felt quite proud of our efforts. In a fine moment of spontaneity, we ventured into a vegetarian restaurant recommended by, you guessed it, Rick Steves. I can't remember its name - I'll get back to you. It was delicious and hit the spot. We even enjoyed a little dessert in a post-hike celebration.
Sadly, Sunday came quickly and I was soon dropping Mike and Cindy off at the trust Travelodge next to the airport. They left too early the next morning and I had yet to prepare for my trip to Portugal. There are certain people you can vacation with well and Cindy and Mike are two of those people. I think after 10 years of raiding the lake house together we know what to expect from spending so much time in each other's company. I loved having them visit and was sad to see them go. Had I known how the rest of the month would turn out, I would have been even sadder and begged them to come with me. But, at this point, I was still optimistic and excited about my first jaunt to mainland Europe in this year abroad. Looking back, the best I can say about that trip to Portugal is that I am finally in a position to look back on it. bum bum bum
My good friends had spent the better part of a day travelling from Baltimore so I thought the best thing to do once they arrived was immediately force them to sit for another 3 hours as we ventured up to Loch Ness. It may seem cruel but in reality, I have come to discover when people first arrive in Scotland from the States, they are more or less useless from the travel and time difference. Instead of wasting a day of rest, I thought we should cover some ground that first day to get us where we needed to be for the 7th. It turned out to be a good mood and Marvin got us to our B and B in record time (though he couldn't actually find our B and B - Cindy had to call and have them talk us in). Our family room was more like a huge suite where I had my own set of bunk beds and Cindy and Mike shared a huge king bed in a room with a full kitchen and hot tub out back. It was called the Great Glen B and B and all three of us would highly recommend it for those traveling up the Loch Ness way. Perfect location on a beautiful farm, reasonably priced, and a yummy breakfast. It was also only 5 minutes from the Loch Ness cruise we wanted to take in the morning.
When thinking of Loch Ness, the legend of a sea monster naturally comes to mind. Before actually seeing Loch Ness, I really couldn't understand how hard it could possibly be to NOT find a sea creature in a lake. And then I saw the lake. Over 20 miles long and as deep at 755 feet at its deepest (more than two Statue of Liberties with base put together). If you were to look at Loch Ness on a map, it almost separates the top third of Scotland off from the rest of the country. It holds the most volume of water out of all the Scottish lochs and, as if its sheer size isn't enough, it is BLACK. So though there are many dedicated scientists (and fanatics) who spend all their energies searching this massive black lake for a mystical sea creature, I have a much better understanding as to why very few people have claimed to glimpse it. Really an amazing body of water worth spending an afternoon exploring. And that's what we did. We took a rather chilly 30 minute boat ride down part of the lake before getting off to explore the Urquhart Castle ruins for an hour. A 30 minute boat ride back - this time opting for the lounge inside the boat - and we were on our way to the Isle of Skye.
Along the way, we came across Eilean Donan Castle. I loved this castle! I'm sure you've seen pictures of it (and I'll post some as well so you can have a look see - wait! - my camera was dead by then so Cindy and Mike will have to hook me up). This is probably the most photographed castle in Scotland and is used in many movies (so obviously I was intrigued). There's nothing like touring an old castle, reading about historical battles on one sign and finding pictures of Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert shooting Highlander on the opposite wall. My type of castle tour! Put this stop on your list.
We finally made it to Skye which now has a bridge connecting it to the main land. For years, you would have to have taken a ferry to Skye - maybe 300 meters. When the bridge was finally built, the toll was something ludicrous like 5 pounds one way. Needless to say, that fee was eventually eliminated and Skye remains one of the only Hebrides you can reach without needing a ferry. We drove about an hour north to the lovely Portree where we staying in a B & B I was hoping would be walking distance to town. Oh, well. Armed with Rick Steves, Mike found us a nice little restaurant right on the water in downtown Portree called Sea Breezes. At this point in the day, we realized how hungry we were! Known for its seafood, I bravely ordered the special of the day - langoustines. Oh my...they are basically mini-lobsters and absolutely delicious. Just writing about them now makes my mouth water and I think I am going to have to hunt down another restaurant where I can enjoy them for when my parents visit. Cindy enjoyed some mussels (so did I, she gave me one!) and Mike...well I can't remember what Mike had. Hm...
The biggest surprise in the evening came when we looked for a pub to whittle away the hours. Even Rick Steves warned us that there wasn't much of a night life in Portree but seeing how this is the major town on this touristy island, I think all three of us thought Rick didn't know what he was talking about. Oh, but he did! After wandering about, we found the one pub that looked open and, luckily, found it had a roaring fireplace, football match on TV, and a nice selection of whisky for me (as there was no other hard liquor to be had). Mike had the double excitement that night of driving in Scotland for the first as well driving my car for the first time. But he did great and we all crashed pretty hard in our family room knowing the next day would be long one.
Up and fed by 8:30ish, we hit the road and let Rick Steves do the steering. We visited most of the major sites on Skye that day starting with Kilt Rock. The Western Hebrides get significantly more rain than any other part of Scotland so we were very nervous our only real day on Skye would be miserable. Though some rain crept into our day, for the most part it only served to decorate the sky with beautiful rolling clouds. We were quite lucky. My car didn't appreciate all aspects of driving around the Isle but managed much better than I would have expected. We stopped by the Museum of Island Life where thatched cottages housed told the history of the island at the turn of the century. Perhaps the most exciting part of this excursion was that we heard islanders using Gaelic to chit chat in the gift shop while waiting for us to buy postcards. Still considered by many to be a dying language, there has been a recent effort in trying to preserve the language by enticing younger generations into using it more regularly. As of 2001, there were less than 60,000 Gaelic speakers left in the world.
Meandering about, we managed to plan everything perfectly so the real rainy bit of the day coincided with our trip to Tallisker distillery. I definitely whisky but mainly just the smoky and peaty ones. They are very warm and toasty in my belly. And Tallisker is a very smoky single malt. Yum Yum! Dinner was at a pub down the street from Tallisker before heading back the B & B. There was a brief consideration of heading out to that lone Portree pub again but we were knackered and decided to call it a night.
We spent much of the next day meandering back to Fife. Though I had hoped for more time to show off my neck of the woods, the trip back from Skye was longer than expected and we didn't get a good start after poking around the shops of Portree. Lunch was at pottery store half way home and by the time we reached Fife, I figured we could still venture to St. Andrews. Though all the shops would be closed, I figured we could still walk through the ruins of the cathedral, one of my favorite places to visit in the city. Alas, disappointment. Who knew they could lock up ruins! But it was a gorgeous evening and we were able to meander along the coast enjoying the warm breeze and sunset. The temperature differential between Skye and St. Andrews (really opposite sides of the country - look on a map) was significant. I think the three of us were sad to admit hunger was getting the better of us and head back to the car.
I took us to Anstruther where Jen and I had okay fish and chips at the award winning Fish and Chip Bar. The line was out the door and I really had my heart set on trying the Wee Chippy as recommended by Andrea and Brian as well as being the locals' favorite. Cindy put up a bit of resistance knowing this other place has won tons of awards but I was driving and won that dispute. The Wee Chippy is just a counter where you place your order, watch your food get dumped in a big box, and pay. Most of the customers were locals - you could tell by their level of informality with the staff and their annoyance with our cluelessness during ordering. But 3 fish dinners and an order of onion rings (I like to live on the edge!) later, we parked ourselves outside hoping the Wee Chippy was not a mistake. This is what fish and chips should taste like!! Everything was so good. Plus we didn't have to wait in a long line and were able to eat while watching the sun set over Anstruther harbor. When we finally got back to my place, Mike consulted with Rick Steves and it turns out Lisa Mueller is quite the good tour guide of Fife. Just saying...for those on the fence about having a good time over here that is...
Two days of sight-seeing in Edinburgh were highlighted with an ambitious ramble up Arthur's Seat on Saturday afternoon. Before I talk about that rather difficult hike, let me convey how beautiful the weather was. Mid-60's and bright sunshine. It was lovely at the time, and looking back, I am glad I took advantage of it while we had it. Because, since then, it has been freezing. Literally, Edinburgh got snow this morning (May 13th). I have been fine with the weather this whole year but last Friday I finally lost it and was in a temper about it at school. I WANT SPRING!!! SUN does not equal SPRING. I suppose, if forced to choose, I would prefer this cold raw weather to the 90 degree weather DC got a week or so ago but still. So this one weekend sightseeing with Mike and Cindy was the most perfect weather I've had all year.
We headed up Arthur's Seat in the late afternoon so we could watch the sunset. It's not an easy walk. I've done it before, in 1997 and though it sucked then. But surely, I am in better shape now, right? Apparently not. So after huffing and puffing, we did reach the top and had a beautiful view over the city. I could even point out my Lomond Hills (I live just off the base of the East Lomond). We took an "interesting" route back down that required a bit of rock climbing skills but felt quite proud of our efforts. In a fine moment of spontaneity, we ventured into a vegetarian restaurant recommended by, you guessed it, Rick Steves. I can't remember its name - I'll get back to you. It was delicious and hit the spot. We even enjoyed a little dessert in a post-hike celebration.
Sadly, Sunday came quickly and I was soon dropping Mike and Cindy off at the trust Travelodge next to the airport. They left too early the next morning and I had yet to prepare for my trip to Portugal. There are certain people you can vacation with well and Cindy and Mike are two of those people. I think after 10 years of raiding the lake house together we know what to expect from spending so much time in each other's company. I loved having them visit and was sad to see them go. Had I known how the rest of the month would turn out, I would have been even sadder and begged them to come with me. But, at this point, I was still optimistic and excited about my first jaunt to mainland Europe in this year abroad. Looking back, the best I can say about that trip to Portugal is that I am finally in a position to look back on it. bum bum bum
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
The April Update - 1
I knew this month would fly but I definitely had no way of predicting the utter chaos my Spring Break would turn into. We all know (thanks to Maria) that it's best to start at the very beginning and in this case, that was Friday, March 26. Though my spring break wasn't meant to start until the following Thursday, Jen Sohl was on her way to visit me for the week of her Spring Break which, obviously, fell a week earlier than mine. I start on this Friday because it seems to be the last normal event I can recall over the past month. My staff at school had arranged a going out night in a neighbouring town where we enjoyed a tasty dinner, good conversation, and a fair amount of drinks. So many, in fact, that I was almost hung over. There was no headache or upset stomach but my body just knew something wasn't quite right. So it was in this almost hung over state that I headed to the airport at 9 AM to pick up Jen the next morning.
For those who have never seen Edinburgh Airport, it is the perfect size. One one end of the terminal is a little International Arrivals area and on the other is an area for Domestic Arrivals. Each end is punctuated with a newstand and Costa Coffee for those waiting for their loved (or not) ones to arrive. Between these two waiting areas are the ticket counters. It's maybe a 3 minute walk from one end to the other. And that's about it. So you can imagine my surprise when I show up in time for Jen's flight and she does not walk out of the Domestic Arrivals section of the airport. And before you jump down my throat, she was domestic because she first flew into London. So I wait and wait and wait. I go to baggage claim, I go to International Arrivals, I check my email and phone 10 times, I go outside, I come inside, and I wait. It might be worth noting that Jen had the unfortunate timing of arriving during the British Airways strike but when I checked her connecting flight online at home (her one BA flight), it was on-time and in fact, had landed when I arrived at the airport. Turns out I should have checked her other flights because the other two were the ones that caused the real problems for Jen. And Jen should have checked my phone number when she called me the day before to tell me her flights were delayed/cancelled because that caused the real problem for me. Turns out, I have message waiting for me on my cell phone in the States letting me know she was going to be about 4 hours late. At the time, however, I certainly didn't know where she was and resigned myself to wait in the airport for all the other flights from London to make their way to Edinburgh - about 1 an hour. But sitting in an airport for 4 hours, people watching, working on Sudoku, eating a panini, and drinking coffee is quite enjoyable - especially in an almost hung over state.
Jen and I had a great week while she was here. My friend Jenni joined us that first weekend to poke around St. Andrews and Jen learned how to drive on the wrong side of the road as she ventured up to Pitlochry, Glamis Castle, and Edradour Distillery. Quite finished with driving (for the most part), she planned on spending two days in Edinburgh poking around. Yet more craziness came in the form of SNOW!! and sleet during those last few days of March. The weather was awful so Jen braved Edinburgh one day and simply braved Freuchie on another day. I brought her to enjoy fish and chips in Anstruther and she even met my class on our last day of school before my Spring Break. We spent an afternoon driving windy, windy roads through Trossachs National Park on our way to Oban where we enjoyed the tastiest seafood dinner at the Sea Temple (highly recommended). There were no more than 8 tables in the entire place - it was built in the former public toilets of a seaside park in Oban that you would never ever find unless someone told you where to go. Reservations definitely needed. The next day we took the ferry from Oban to the Isle of Mull where we were to spend the night. It was recommended to head over to Iona, a small 3 mile wide island off the southwestern tip of Mull that houses an ancient abbey and lots of sheep. The most amazing part of Iona, however, are the beaches. White sand and crystal blue waters that cry Caribbean! Granted, they are probably not warm and inviting but absolutely beautiful and unexpected.
The next morning I indulged in a Swedish massage at our hotel - something I have wanted since before I came to Scotland. Shoulder surgery dashed all those hopes last July so this was a treat I was not going to miss. Thinking the world was looking to be a good place, despite random snow storms and delayed flights, Jen and I headed back through rollercoaster roads to get home before her flight the next morning. Now I also don't get motion sickness so I figured the roads must be particularly nauseating for me to start feeling a bit queasy. I knew Jen was trying to sleep to ignore her own discomfort but she managed well and we finally made it down to flat, Fife land. But I didn't feel better. In fact, as soon as we got home, I was welcomed with the realization that I still don't get motion sickness. Yay! But I do get food poisoning (or at least that's what I reckon). And I was sick! You probably don't need details but in the course of 14 hours, everything in my body had left my body by any means available. The worst part was that I definitely could not drive Jen to the airport and she had to cab it 25 miles! to catch her flight. That is not a cheap fare. There are not many people you want around when you are sick as a dog and I was so grateful that out of all of my visitors, it was her. She took great care of me and took care of getting herself home from a foreign country. Not having to worry about her while I was sick was a blessing - thank you Jen!
After two days on the couch - caught up on a lot of TV - I managed to pull myself together for the first real week of my Spring Break and the arrival of Cindy and Mike. But you'll have to wait until tomorrow for that story. I loved my visit with Jen as we never really get to see each other very often. I am constantly amazed at those people in your life who you may not see or talk to often but when you do, life continues as though you were never apart. I guess that's what family's all about.
Two more interesting facts from this first week of Spring Break (that wasn't actually my Spring Break):
1. My niece, Ana Joan (AJ), was born on March 31!! Elisa was in labor for 48 hours but the world's cutest baby made it all worthwhile (for me at least). Tim is constantly looking up statistics and analyzing baby percentiles while Elisa simply enjoyed a week or two of passing diaper duty on to her husband. I imagine AJ is simply dying to meet her favorite aunt.
2. On a lesser note in terms of the world, but much grander in regards to my own effort (as the birth of AJ required no effort from me), my students successfully participated in their Dance Festival on March 29. We spent over a month of PE time choreographing a dance to "I Gotta Feelin'" by the Black Eyed Peas. The sense of relief when we were done was indescribeable. Elisa may have been in labor for 48 hours but I spent over a month coercing 23 rather unique students to pull off a 3 and half minute routine. Now that is exhaustion.
For those who have never seen Edinburgh Airport, it is the perfect size. One one end of the terminal is a little International Arrivals area and on the other is an area for Domestic Arrivals. Each end is punctuated with a newstand and Costa Coffee for those waiting for their loved (or not) ones to arrive. Between these two waiting areas are the ticket counters. It's maybe a 3 minute walk from one end to the other. And that's about it. So you can imagine my surprise when I show up in time for Jen's flight and she does not walk out of the Domestic Arrivals section of the airport. And before you jump down my throat, she was domestic because she first flew into London. So I wait and wait and wait. I go to baggage claim, I go to International Arrivals, I check my email and phone 10 times, I go outside, I come inside, and I wait. It might be worth noting that Jen had the unfortunate timing of arriving during the British Airways strike but when I checked her connecting flight online at home (her one BA flight), it was on-time and in fact, had landed when I arrived at the airport. Turns out I should have checked her other flights because the other two were the ones that caused the real problems for Jen. And Jen should have checked my phone number when she called me the day before to tell me her flights were delayed/cancelled because that caused the real problem for me. Turns out, I have message waiting for me on my cell phone in the States letting me know she was going to be about 4 hours late. At the time, however, I certainly didn't know where she was and resigned myself to wait in the airport for all the other flights from London to make their way to Edinburgh - about 1 an hour. But sitting in an airport for 4 hours, people watching, working on Sudoku, eating a panini, and drinking coffee is quite enjoyable - especially in an almost hung over state.
Jen and I had a great week while she was here. My friend Jenni joined us that first weekend to poke around St. Andrews and Jen learned how to drive on the wrong side of the road as she ventured up to Pitlochry, Glamis Castle, and Edradour Distillery. Quite finished with driving (for the most part), she planned on spending two days in Edinburgh poking around. Yet more craziness came in the form of SNOW!! and sleet during those last few days of March. The weather was awful so Jen braved Edinburgh one day and simply braved Freuchie on another day. I brought her to enjoy fish and chips in Anstruther and she even met my class on our last day of school before my Spring Break. We spent an afternoon driving windy, windy roads through Trossachs National Park on our way to Oban where we enjoyed the tastiest seafood dinner at the Sea Temple (highly recommended). There were no more than 8 tables in the entire place - it was built in the former public toilets of a seaside park in Oban that you would never ever find unless someone told you where to go. Reservations definitely needed. The next day we took the ferry from Oban to the Isle of Mull where we were to spend the night. It was recommended to head over to Iona, a small 3 mile wide island off the southwestern tip of Mull that houses an ancient abbey and lots of sheep. The most amazing part of Iona, however, are the beaches. White sand and crystal blue waters that cry Caribbean! Granted, they are probably not warm and inviting but absolutely beautiful and unexpected.
The next morning I indulged in a Swedish massage at our hotel - something I have wanted since before I came to Scotland. Shoulder surgery dashed all those hopes last July so this was a treat I was not going to miss. Thinking the world was looking to be a good place, despite random snow storms and delayed flights, Jen and I headed back through rollercoaster roads to get home before her flight the next morning. Now I also don't get motion sickness so I figured the roads must be particularly nauseating for me to start feeling a bit queasy. I knew Jen was trying to sleep to ignore her own discomfort but she managed well and we finally made it down to flat, Fife land. But I didn't feel better. In fact, as soon as we got home, I was welcomed with the realization that I still don't get motion sickness. Yay! But I do get food poisoning (or at least that's what I reckon). And I was sick! You probably don't need details but in the course of 14 hours, everything in my body had left my body by any means available. The worst part was that I definitely could not drive Jen to the airport and she had to cab it 25 miles! to catch her flight. That is not a cheap fare. There are not many people you want around when you are sick as a dog and I was so grateful that out of all of my visitors, it was her. She took great care of me and took care of getting herself home from a foreign country. Not having to worry about her while I was sick was a blessing - thank you Jen!
After two days on the couch - caught up on a lot of TV - I managed to pull myself together for the first real week of my Spring Break and the arrival of Cindy and Mike. But you'll have to wait until tomorrow for that story. I loved my visit with Jen as we never really get to see each other very often. I am constantly amazed at those people in your life who you may not see or talk to often but when you do, life continues as though you were never apart. I guess that's what family's all about.
Two more interesting facts from this first week of Spring Break (that wasn't actually my Spring Break):
1. My niece, Ana Joan (AJ), was born on March 31!! Elisa was in labor for 48 hours but the world's cutest baby made it all worthwhile (for me at least). Tim is constantly looking up statistics and analyzing baby percentiles while Elisa simply enjoyed a week or two of passing diaper duty on to her husband. I imagine AJ is simply dying to meet her favorite aunt.
2. On a lesser note in terms of the world, but much grander in regards to my own effort (as the birth of AJ required no effort from me), my students successfully participated in their Dance Festival on March 29. We spent over a month of PE time choreographing a dance to "I Gotta Feelin'" by the Black Eyed Peas. The sense of relief when we were done was indescribeable. Elisa may have been in labor for 48 hours but I spent over a month coercing 23 rather unique students to pull off a 3 and half minute routine. Now that is exhaustion.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Belfast - The Fulbright Way
As you probably could see from my pictures that I have been to Belfast not once, but twice over the past three months. To say I have "done" Belfast, however, would be quite wrong as there are still many museums, churches, pubs, and theaters that were not blessed with my presence. It would be fair to say, however, that I have a MUCH MUCH better understanding of history behind the years of violence that still haunt this broken city.
Our friends at the British Council put together a fairly packed weekend for not only the Fulbrighters (all from the USA) but other exchange teachers from Australia and Canada. When we arrived Thursday morning at the Ulster Museum nestled in the middle of the botanic gardens outside Queen's University, it was so nice catching up with those I haven't seen since our October trip to Stratford-upon-Avon. We were treated to a rather unorthodox lunch (the food was on a buffet table and we were sitting in chairs sans tables on the perimeter of the room balancing food and drinks on our laps) before the exchange teachers listened to a number of lecturers from Belfast. One gave us a rundown of the educational history of Northern Ireland - needless to say religion still plays a major role in school segregation. In fact, only something like 12% of schools in NI are integrated. Our other lecturer gave us a brief overview of the history surrounding the issues between the Catholics and Protestants. As I was soon to discover, most people from NI were optimistic about how far the country has come towards making peace with its violent past but every single person was also quick to reveal their own religion - even to a room of complete strangers. Interesting...
The rest of the day was spent on a bus tour that was even better than the double decker ones I love so much. That was because it was chilly and we were on a nice, toasty bus just for us with our own personal tour guide - a very elderly woman from NI with the driest sense of humor. I was quite tired at this point as I got up at 5:00 to catch my flight and wanted nothing more than to sleep after our large group dinner at Pizza Express. Peer pressure got the better of me, however, and I was dragged along to...I can't remember the name of the pub...one of our Fulbrighters, Brad, and his son found where they could jam along with a makeshift music group. Even in England and Scotland you would be hard pressed to find any pub where strangers congregate with random instruments on a regular basis to just play. What a great Irish tradition! Just like senior year of college, when I would come home so tired from class on Thursday nights but Dara would force me to go out, I was so very glad to partake in the gossiping and music making. I even had an odd 10 minute conversation with the locals at the bar where I think I held my own but really have no idea what was being said the whole time. The NI accent is quite different than the Scottish one. The only truly troubling part of the evening was our lively discussion during dinner about the status of our income taxes and whether we get a break for living outside the country or not. I was sure I didn't but now I'm going to have to bring my taxes to someone else when I get home - any suggestions?
Friday was a bit interesting as each of us was paired up to visit a local school for the whole day. Our large bus from Thursday brought many of us - myself included - to our schools while the rest of the teachers took taxis. Lucky for me, at least at this point of the day, I was able to avoid the taxi fiasco of 2010. The taxis were late or in the wrong place, charged people when their services were paid for by the British Council, and I believe there were more than one tiffs between driver and passenger that ended in a stony silence. I certainly did not dig for more details but it was the talk of the town when we all caught up with each other later that night.
My school was a Catholic School about 30 minutes outside of Belfast, St. James in Newtownabbey. My visiting partner was Ena from Jamaica who is in England for a 3 month administrator exchange. She is the Head Teacher at a school with over 1,000 students and has individual classes as large as 45 students. I couldn't even begin to imagine. We were welcomed for the first hour or so by Mr. McKeague, a wonderfully warm head teacher who spent much time introducing us to staff and enthusiastically talking about his school, students, and teachers. The rest of the day we were brought around the classrooms by...I am losing my mind, why can't I remember any names anymore...who was the equivalent of an ESOL teacher. My favorite part of the day was seeing the emphasis placed on music and art in the classroom. While visiting a P6 classroom, Mr. McKeague and our wonderful host teacher performed a mini-concert for us. The students played the tin whistle (and even prepared a surprise Yankee Doodle for me!), Mr. McKeague sang to the class while playing the guitar, and two of the teachers played the harp, yes, the HARP! After lunch, the whole school gathered to put on an entire school concert for us where each grade sang, recited poetry, danced, and played instruments (again, I'm back to the harp - they have a harp program at the school!). What an amazing celebration of talent! And I left feeling like a celebrity after all the attention we received throughout the day. We really should, as educators, visit other schools on a more regular basis.
Though having avoided the taxi drama, our own came after the assembly when we discovered the students are dismissed at 2, not 3 on Fridays. Our bus was due to pick us up around 2 but seeing how it had multiple other schools to visit and we were definitely not the first ones dropped off, it was unclear as to when we were going to be picked up. To top it off, no one from the British Council was on the bus so each time I called to see what was happening, I ended up talking to someone who had no idea where the bus was and could not contact our driver. Deep breath... After waiting like idiots on the street for about 35 minutes, very cold Jamaican Ena realized we could walk to one of the other schools where some of our exchange partners were also still waiting for the bus. By the time we made it there, the bus had finally arrived but this was, for me, the only major screw-up I felt happened all weekend. (so all things considered, it was a fairly well run weekend for us)
I was convinced our late departure from the schools meant we were no longer going on the Black Taxi Tour Melissa had planned for some of us later that day. Fortunately, I was wrong. What is a Black Taxi Tour you say? Well, when we were on our Thursday bus tour of the city, we were brought around to look at some of the propaganda murals all over the city. We also drove through the Peace Wall in West Belfast which divides the Catholic Falls Road area from the Protestant Shankill Road. Our funny tour guide suggested a Black Taxi Tour where we could actually learn the history of the Peace Walls and can get out and walk around both sides. There are over 90 Peace Walls in Belfast whose purpose is to simply prevent the Catholics and Protestants from having easy access to one another, especially at night. The Falls Road/Shankill Road one is one of the largest walls and is a few miles long and some 25 feet high. There are a limited number of cross streets that allow people to drive from one road to the other and all of them are gated and locked around 6:30 each night. Isn't that crazy? I think so many people think that issues such as these can only exist in areas of Afghanistan or Iraq but this is the UK. It just seems to be a strange reality for 2010. Especially in a city where everyone keeps saying, "Things are really so much better." And I was told things are better by someone who should know, our Black Taxi tourguide, Tom. Tom grew up on the Falls Road side of life and went to school having to circumnavigate burning buses on the street. Every few years, the British army would raid his household, cart of him and a few of his four brothers to be questioned about their knowledge of IRA activities. They would be gone for up to 3 days and his parents were never told where he was taken or when he'd be back. How nerve wracking for a parent (and a teenager!). But, to Tom, this was part of growing up. I learned so much from that tour and have some great pictures. I could probably write a blog and half on the information I learned but I won't. I'm happy to pass on what I have learned if you ask, however.
Upon returning, we headed out for dinner and ended up at the Crown Liquor Saloon, an old bar owned by the National Trust. Much of the place is still gas lit and there are booths that are essentially little rooms so your party can, well, party in private. There are even buzzers in the booths to page a waiter or waitress to come get more orders. It was there I decided I would partake of my first ever half pint of beer. Knowing that Guinness is the least offensive to my palate, I spent the next 45 minutes really nursing it. It was only when I was being threatened with abandonment from my tired friends that I downed the last little bit. Smooth going down but what an odd aftertaste. We met some nice Welsh at the next bar, ran into some old friends, met some new ones, and headed home quite exhausted. So it was to my utter dismay to discover it was only 11:15 by the time I walked back into the hotel room I was sharing with Mindy. But that meant we were able to chat and get a decent night's sleep before our big trip to the Giant's Causeway. But, at this point, that will be another blog.
Monday, March 15, 2010
The Wedding Weekend - Part 2
Did I mention my quest to find shoes for the wedding? DSW is pretty much my go-to store to find whatever pair of shoes will get the job done for any given event. I have stopped by DSW on the way to a wedding, all decked out in make-up and a loverly dress, simply to find a pair of shoes to wear that day. It always works and I always love the shoes. My goal for this dress were to find a close toed, silver pair of shoes that had a little bit wider of a heel (and weren't 6 inches tall). Melissa came with and managed to find a few pairs that tickled her fancy before I realized, to my complete dismay, that DSW had failed me. There were absolutely no shoes that fit the bill. As I forlornly meandered one last time through all the rows, hoping something might be adequate, I spotted them. They certainly did not fit my criteria (as they are quite strappy and open-toed) but absolutely adorable and I cannot wait to wear them again for Sabrina's wedding this summer. I figured with a simple pedicure, I would suck up the cold and wear these ridiculously summery shoes with my strapless, knee-length blue dress. This may not seem very interesting to most but I think there are enough of you out there who can appreciate the satisfaction I felt knowing I had bought the perfect shoes.
I digress...the reception was amazing and Megan looked fantastic doing the rounds. I think the Brazil wedding was obviously wonderful because she was actually getting married but I would imagine this night, being able to share her joy with her friends and family, was also very special for Megan.
I stayed up late with Mike and Sarah yet again because I was trying to check in for my flight on-line. And was unsuccessful. It was frustrating. Sunday proved to be my most remarkable adventure of the weekend and I am still amazed at how well everything fell into place. Sarah and Mike made me a yummy pancake breakfast. I got into a fight with the airline who tried to tell me I couldn't check in on-line because the other leg of my flight was cancelled. Their computer could not comprehend how I could be in DC when I didn't fly on their flight to get there. I was going to have to just hope for a good seat when I arrived at the airport - absolutely unacceptable so I fought the good fight for about 40 minutes. And won - window seat assignment secured. Whew!
The real race began as I left to meet my sisters and Mieke for dim sum in Rosslyn. Jen was confident this place would not have any wait so we were just planning on meeting up at 11:30 so we could slide in and I could slide out a 1 to meet Holly. Imagine my surprise when there were at least 50 people waiting outside the restaurant when I arrived. It was Chinese New Year's. That still makes me giggle. And we were worried about people out and about for Valentine's Day! Erica saved the day, however, by getting there 20 minutes early so we didn't wait long before being seated. And Mieke saved the day by taking all the ordering upon herself. And so it was I was 10 minutes early heading off to meet Holly.
Long story short, I spend an hour driving to meet Holly (with no delay), an hour chatting with her and baby Ben in Barnes and Noble, and an hour speeding back to NoVa to meet Corey, Nate, and Kate for dinner at the Silver Diner. (side note: There was a man sitting at our table in B&N listening to I'm Yours by Jason Mraz over and over again. When I commented how much I loved the song, he tells me he's looking for a certain version of the song and turns his computer towards me. Thinking I am seeing a rare Jason Mraz video, I am a little shocked to see the image of a soldier whose body has been blown off from the waist down trying to crawl down the street. I wasn't sure what to do with that.)
So to the Silver Diner where I cleaned out my car and packed before chowing down with good friends. Then Corey drove me to the airport by 7:30, I went through security by 8:00, sorted through all my mail by 8:30, and was asleep by my window seat (on a 1/4 full flight - no joke) at 10:15. It may not seem like a rough day of adventure, but there was no way, on paper, this day should have worked out. I was happy to see my friends but even happier to be home. The next week proved stressful for various reasons but, ultimately, despite being told I was crazy for doing so, I was really happy to have gone home for Megan's Wedding Part Deux. And for those I saw, I love you all and will be seeing you in a few short months.
I digress...the reception was amazing and Megan looked fantastic doing the rounds. I think the Brazil wedding was obviously wonderful because she was actually getting married but I would imagine this night, being able to share her joy with her friends and family, was also very special for Megan.
I stayed up late with Mike and Sarah yet again because I was trying to check in for my flight on-line. And was unsuccessful. It was frustrating. Sunday proved to be my most remarkable adventure of the weekend and I am still amazed at how well everything fell into place. Sarah and Mike made me a yummy pancake breakfast. I got into a fight with the airline who tried to tell me I couldn't check in on-line because the other leg of my flight was cancelled. Their computer could not comprehend how I could be in DC when I didn't fly on their flight to get there. I was going to have to just hope for a good seat when I arrived at the airport - absolutely unacceptable so I fought the good fight for about 40 minutes. And won - window seat assignment secured. Whew!
The real race began as I left to meet my sisters and Mieke for dim sum in Rosslyn. Jen was confident this place would not have any wait so we were just planning on meeting up at 11:30 so we could slide in and I could slide out a 1 to meet Holly. Imagine my surprise when there were at least 50 people waiting outside the restaurant when I arrived. It was Chinese New Year's. That still makes me giggle. And we were worried about people out and about for Valentine's Day! Erica saved the day, however, by getting there 20 minutes early so we didn't wait long before being seated. And Mieke saved the day by taking all the ordering upon herself. And so it was I was 10 minutes early heading off to meet Holly.
Long story short, I spend an hour driving to meet Holly (with no delay), an hour chatting with her and baby Ben in Barnes and Noble, and an hour speeding back to NoVa to meet Corey, Nate, and Kate for dinner at the Silver Diner. (side note: There was a man sitting at our table in B&N listening to I'm Yours by Jason Mraz over and over again. When I commented how much I loved the song, he tells me he's looking for a certain version of the song and turns his computer towards me. Thinking I am seeing a rare Jason Mraz video, I am a little shocked to see the image of a soldier whose body has been blown off from the waist down trying to crawl down the street. I wasn't sure what to do with that.)
So to the Silver Diner where I cleaned out my car and packed before chowing down with good friends. Then Corey drove me to the airport by 7:30, I went through security by 8:00, sorted through all my mail by 8:30, and was asleep by my window seat (on a 1/4 full flight - no joke) at 10:15. It may not seem like a rough day of adventure, but there was no way, on paper, this day should have worked out. I was happy to see my friends but even happier to be home. The next week proved stressful for various reasons but, ultimately, despite being told I was crazy for doing so, I was really happy to have gone home for Megan's Wedding Part Deux. And for those I saw, I love you all and will be seeing you in a few short months.
Monday, February 22, 2010
The Wedding Weekend - Part 1
Is it Murphy's Law that states anything that can go wrong, will go wrong? I don't remember but that's the notion I had in mind when I was invited to participate in the Fulbright Exchange. I had just bought my own place (agreeing to be the sole resident for the first full year - that didn't happen), committed to a mortgage that made me gulp, and finally settled in when Ann came to me with the good news. Buying a place or even participating in this exchange are certainly far from "things going wrong" but I think you understand. I was about to give up my new digs to a complete stranger and continue to pay my cringe-worthy mortgage while living abroad in a country that has an exchange rate that really makes me excited to shop at home. On top of all this, my BB, Megan, announced last New Year's that she was engaged to her boyfriend Bruno and honored me by asking me to be in the wedding. So between my new homeownershipness (??) and bridesmaid obligations, it should have been a no-brainer that this would be the year of the Fulbright. And it was!
I am surviving the financial ramifications of paying my mortgage and the UK exchange rate better than could be expected. Go me! Megan's wedding was another issue and I felt awful when it became apparent I would not be able to make the Brazil wedding in January. The US reception, however, fell on my only 4 day weekend of the year and I was determined to make that trip to the states to celebrate with my dear, dear friend. So "blupity blupity' time warp and we are back to President Day's weekend and the start of my (well, Megan's) wedding journey.
The weekend prior to the wedding, most of you will remember that it snowed a whole bunch in the DC (and Northeast) area. Tuesday and Wednesday of that next week saw another foot (?) of snow. Gillian's parents were supposed to fly out to see her on Tuesday but due to two days of flight cancellations, were now leaving (hopefully) on Thursday. When I awoke at 2:30 AM on Thursday, February 11, the lovely internet informed me that my 6:10 flight was cancelled. But to do anything about it, I would still have to make the trek to the airport to check out potential solutions. Convinced I would get to the airport, immediately have to come back to Freuchie, and email Megan I could no longer be a bridesmaid, I was pleasantly surprised when I was put on another flight that only got me in 3 hours later than originally planned. (coincidentally, Wilma and Ron's flight!!).
Five hours in the Amsterdam Airport later, I was settled in to the worst flight ever. My throat started to kill when I swallowed, I think I ate something with onions (and therefore got a bad headache and nausea), my legroom was cramped with an emergency box, I had the chills, and there was a baby crying two rows in front of me for five out of the eight hours in the air. I just had a feeling things were off to a bad start.
But things started to go right...I had very little customs wait and ran into Gillian on my way outside (she was waiting for her parents). So that was nice. I was delighted to have a working cell phone as it was difficult over Christmas to function without one. Melissa, who frankly (that's a gift word for some of you) has been a lifesaver for me this entire year - I owe her a big b-day present next year, was already enroute to pick me up. The fresh air outside the airport relieved me of most of my ill flight feelings. I found my car was 90% dug out for me by Gillian and my kind neighbors. And though I would have still liked to have visited Holly and the boys, she informed me that I would have been arrested for driving in the state of Delaware due to the hazardous road conditions. So I was free to eat Firehouse sub and get to bed early on Melissa's couch. Maybe this blitzkrieg of a weekend wouldn't be that tough after all.
In a continuing trend of good luck, I went to run a million errands on Friday morning and had a small DMV miracle. My car needed an emissions test for an expired (only two weeks - come on!) registration. After a quick trip to a gas station, Melissa and I braced ourselves for camping out at the DMV. Well, I was going to camp out, she was going to go shopping. Four minutes. That's it. Four minutes. I was only in the DMV for four minutes. After waiting a minute in the line that gives you a number to wait in the real line, I was alarmed when A. I saw how packed the DMV was and B. there was no teller who even had a matching letter (much less matching number) to my ticket. In the two seconds it took for me to say to Melissa (who was halfway out the door into the mall), "I'm not sure where to sit," my number was called. As if there wasn't enough resentment towards me from the rest of the customers, I had make it worse by grinning broadly and stating with unintentional lack of tact, "That was only like 30 seconds!" It was awesome!
Back to the wedding...
After a full day of whatnots (and a movie - yay!), I headed to Sarah's where I was a guest in the Brizendine's newly finished attic bedroom. I stopped by long enough to throw on a dress and race over to Megan's parents where they were hosting the rehearsal dinner/buffet gathering-thing. I met Bruno's family for the first time as well as Megan's German relatives. It was also nice to catch up with the other bridesmaids, too. I finally called it a night around 10 and headed over to the Sikfords for a little catching up. I got back to Sarah's around 1 and the two of us, despite the fact I was getting my hair done at 9 the next morning, stayed up until 3:30 talking. It was all good productive chit chat but I was wiped out when I crawled out of bed four hours later. Ugh...
Now, I have been a bridesmaid a number of times. Every time I've been asked, when getting my up-do, to please not wash my hair as it makes it easier to actually put up. So I was surprised when the first thing they did was wash my hair. And my stylist was surprised as well - and not in a good way. More in a "why would you wash her hair before an up-do" sort of way. She did make my hair look pretty in a nice up-do (I'm sure I have a picture somewhere) but at one point, the woman who was getting her hair done behind me stated, "Oh! That does look nice. I was wondering for a while what you were doing to that poor girl's hair."
And now begins the great time crunch. I raced to get my toes done at my usual place in Merrifield. Nancy worked on my toes and was understanding, but sad for me, when I told her there was no time for a leg massage. She gave me pretty feet and a quick manicure rundown (no polish) in less than an hour. It was at that point I realized I brought no cash with me - and they do not accept credit card tips. So I vowed to get back to her the next day with a good tip - $10. I raced to Maryland where we were meeting to get our make-up done. I've never had someone do my make-up so I was keen to see what they would do. After $40 and 30 minutes, I was underwhelmed. It looked fine but lesson learned, right?
Since make-up took so long, we forewent pictures, raced to Megan's grandparents (on awful, awful streets), got changed, threw heavy jackets over our summer strapless dresses, boots on our feet, and headed to the country club. We were treated to champagne and appetizers in a secret waiting room upstairs before getting introduced to the guests. And that took about an hour/hour and half? No one was quite sure about the delay. All I know, is when we were finally whisked downstairs, it was decided that we were going to enter through the front door of the club, not the inside door. What that meant was all of us, in our high heels, with no wraps (because we were not planning on going outside), had to navigate an ice covered parking lot in 30 degree weather (without killing our flowers). I can't believe we look comfortable when we were introduced. The important thing, however, was the Megan looked beautiful and so very happy.
I enjoyed great crabcakes and crab soup, chatted with the wedding party, and drank a few drinks. My favorite part of the night, however, was sitting down with the MEH table and catching up with my friends. I am embarrassed to announce that I only danced to one song. No one danced much but I love dancing at weddings. In fact, I look at it as my workout for the day. I requested my up-do to be so strong that I could crazy dance and not have it come down. I kid you not. "Single Ladies" with Layton was the only song that got me up and, honestly, half the reason it got either of us up was because we had to fetch our own pieces of wedding cake from the table next to the dance floor.
To be continued...I have to go to class...
I am surviving the financial ramifications of paying my mortgage and the UK exchange rate better than could be expected. Go me! Megan's wedding was another issue and I felt awful when it became apparent I would not be able to make the Brazil wedding in January. The US reception, however, fell on my only 4 day weekend of the year and I was determined to make that trip to the states to celebrate with my dear, dear friend. So "blupity blupity' time warp and we are back to President Day's weekend and the start of my (well, Megan's) wedding journey.
The weekend prior to the wedding, most of you will remember that it snowed a whole bunch in the DC (and Northeast) area. Tuesday and Wednesday of that next week saw another foot (?) of snow. Gillian's parents were supposed to fly out to see her on Tuesday but due to two days of flight cancellations, were now leaving (hopefully) on Thursday. When I awoke at 2:30 AM on Thursday, February 11, the lovely internet informed me that my 6:10 flight was cancelled. But to do anything about it, I would still have to make the trek to the airport to check out potential solutions. Convinced I would get to the airport, immediately have to come back to Freuchie, and email Megan I could no longer be a bridesmaid, I was pleasantly surprised when I was put on another flight that only got me in 3 hours later than originally planned. (coincidentally, Wilma and Ron's flight!!).
Five hours in the Amsterdam Airport later, I was settled in to the worst flight ever. My throat started to kill when I swallowed, I think I ate something with onions (and therefore got a bad headache and nausea), my legroom was cramped with an emergency box, I had the chills, and there was a baby crying two rows in front of me for five out of the eight hours in the air. I just had a feeling things were off to a bad start.
But things started to go right...I had very little customs wait and ran into Gillian on my way outside (she was waiting for her parents). So that was nice. I was delighted to have a working cell phone as it was difficult over Christmas to function without one. Melissa, who frankly (that's a gift word for some of you) has been a lifesaver for me this entire year - I owe her a big b-day present next year, was already enroute to pick me up. The fresh air outside the airport relieved me of most of my ill flight feelings. I found my car was 90% dug out for me by Gillian and my kind neighbors. And though I would have still liked to have visited Holly and the boys, she informed me that I would have been arrested for driving in the state of Delaware due to the hazardous road conditions. So I was free to eat Firehouse sub and get to bed early on Melissa's couch. Maybe this blitzkrieg of a weekend wouldn't be that tough after all.
In a continuing trend of good luck, I went to run a million errands on Friday morning and had a small DMV miracle. My car needed an emissions test for an expired (only two weeks - come on!) registration. After a quick trip to a gas station, Melissa and I braced ourselves for camping out at the DMV. Well, I was going to camp out, she was going to go shopping. Four minutes. That's it. Four minutes. I was only in the DMV for four minutes. After waiting a minute in the line that gives you a number to wait in the real line, I was alarmed when A. I saw how packed the DMV was and B. there was no teller who even had a matching letter (much less matching number) to my ticket. In the two seconds it took for me to say to Melissa (who was halfway out the door into the mall), "I'm not sure where to sit," my number was called. As if there wasn't enough resentment towards me from the rest of the customers, I had make it worse by grinning broadly and stating with unintentional lack of tact, "That was only like 30 seconds!" It was awesome!
Back to the wedding...
After a full day of whatnots (and a movie - yay!), I headed to Sarah's where I was a guest in the Brizendine's newly finished attic bedroom. I stopped by long enough to throw on a dress and race over to Megan's parents where they were hosting the rehearsal dinner/buffet gathering-thing. I met Bruno's family for the first time as well as Megan's German relatives. It was also nice to catch up with the other bridesmaids, too. I finally called it a night around 10 and headed over to the Sikfords for a little catching up. I got back to Sarah's around 1 and the two of us, despite the fact I was getting my hair done at 9 the next morning, stayed up until 3:30 talking. It was all good productive chit chat but I was wiped out when I crawled out of bed four hours later. Ugh...
Now, I have been a bridesmaid a number of times. Every time I've been asked, when getting my up-do, to please not wash my hair as it makes it easier to actually put up. So I was surprised when the first thing they did was wash my hair. And my stylist was surprised as well - and not in a good way. More in a "why would you wash her hair before an up-do" sort of way. She did make my hair look pretty in a nice up-do (I'm sure I have a picture somewhere) but at one point, the woman who was getting her hair done behind me stated, "Oh! That does look nice. I was wondering for a while what you were doing to that poor girl's hair."
And now begins the great time crunch. I raced to get my toes done at my usual place in Merrifield. Nancy worked on my toes and was understanding, but sad for me, when I told her there was no time for a leg massage. She gave me pretty feet and a quick manicure rundown (no polish) in less than an hour. It was at that point I realized I brought no cash with me - and they do not accept credit card tips. So I vowed to get back to her the next day with a good tip - $10. I raced to Maryland where we were meeting to get our make-up done. I've never had someone do my make-up so I was keen to see what they would do. After $40 and 30 minutes, I was underwhelmed. It looked fine but lesson learned, right?
Since make-up took so long, we forewent pictures, raced to Megan's grandparents (on awful, awful streets), got changed, threw heavy jackets over our summer strapless dresses, boots on our feet, and headed to the country club. We were treated to champagne and appetizers in a secret waiting room upstairs before getting introduced to the guests. And that took about an hour/hour and half? No one was quite sure about the delay. All I know, is when we were finally whisked downstairs, it was decided that we were going to enter through the front door of the club, not the inside door. What that meant was all of us, in our high heels, with no wraps (because we were not planning on going outside), had to navigate an ice covered parking lot in 30 degree weather (without killing our flowers). I can't believe we look comfortable when we were introduced. The important thing, however, was the Megan looked beautiful and so very happy.
I enjoyed great crabcakes and crab soup, chatted with the wedding party, and drank a few drinks. My favorite part of the night, however, was sitting down with the MEH table and catching up with my friends. I am embarrassed to announce that I only danced to one song. No one danced much but I love dancing at weddings. In fact, I look at it as my workout for the day. I requested my up-do to be so strong that I could crazy dance and not have it come down. I kid you not. "Single Ladies" with Layton was the only song that got me up and, honestly, half the reason it got either of us up was because we had to fetch our own pieces of wedding cake from the table next to the dance floor.
To be continued...I have to go to class...
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Fundraising Flexibility
I am going to miss having my own class next year. I have long forgotten the joy of a flexible schedule that allows time to throw certain subjects out the window if need be. Case in point (is that the right phrase?)...a few weeks ago, Auchtermuchty Primary School, like many other schools across the world I imagine, decided to hold a fundraiser to aid the victims of the Haiti earthquake. When I suggested the concept of Penny Wars (surely familiar to many teachers) everyone gladly jumped on the bandwagon and we were off and running. When a student enters the school, they are put into one of four houses (for those who think I work at mini-Hogwarts, I sort of do!): ruby, emerald, sapphire, and amber. So Penny Wars was a 4 way competition between the houses (instead of being a grade vs. grade competition). I would ask that Falls Church consider the house system as I can see many positive implications - fundraisers, field days, Spirit Events, etc. So fun! But I digress...
Inspired by Penny Wars*, two of my girls, Emma and Molly, asked on a Monday if they could sell cupcakes that Friday as an additional fundraiser. How sweet and wonderful! Naturally, I agreed. The next thing I know, all my kids wanted a piece of the action - "Can we sell smoothies? How about a toy sale? Let's make bookmarks and sell them!" In the course of one Monday morning, all the plans I made for that week were thrown out the window. The best part about this...it was entirely on my students. Everyone in the class ended up making a baked good. We also sold gently-used books and toys as well as beautiful homemade bookmarks and word finds. They are learning about money so they created the price list for all items (each baked good, against my suggestion, had its own price - hard for adding up totals but great for my mental maths lesson of the week) and ran the 'register' with no help from me.
For those who have talked to me about my class know that they drive me crazy beyond belief. I have some really wonderful kids but there are enough bad eggs that I don't really enjoy teaching them on a daily basis. This is the first year my class has left such a sour taste in my mouth. With less than a week to pull this together, I was very nervous that we were not going to be terribly successful. But my kids proved me wrong and were absolutely focused and passionate about making this work. At the end of the day, we had no toys or food left over and raised over 130 pounds! Additionally, I was able to tweak my targets for the week so they fit into this fundraiser.
First, each class is expected to complete an Enterprise project throughout the year where they raise money, create community awareness, or something of the like. I was very stressed about coming up with something to do and now I don't have to. CHECK! As I mentioned, this incorporated a lot of math and mental math (adding up totals, figuring out change, counting bags of money to deposit in the bank - a lot of how many piles of 10p coins make up 5 pounds). CHECK! As far as art went, we were able to discuss the components of a successful poster (lettering, colors, key words, etc.). CHECK! We also have listening and talking targets. My students had to share ideas, be patient (not a strength) as we brainstormed and organized sale items, and present a "commercial" to each class encouraging them to buy our wares. CHECK! And if nothing else, this was a great exercise in showing compassion.
I had to give up a fair amount of class time (something that would be hard to do at MEH) to make posters, plan the sales, visit the other classes, etc. but it was so worthwhile! It is this type of experience that students bring with them throughout their lives. It was more than just a simple fundraiser - we turned into a mini-business. One my kids took pride in running. Could I have done this at MEH? I'm really not sure. What do you think? This was hardly an exercise in conventional learning but, at the end of the day I was able to check off my targets and my kids had a truly authentic learning experience. In a world of standardized testing, I am not convinced the masses would see the benefit of such an undertaking (especially with 8 and 9 year olds). Is this where MEH is headed through arts integration? All I know is that there is something to be said about finding that spark in your students and having the freedom to let them run with it.
I hope when we compete in the dance competition next month my students are equally inspired. But that'll have to be another story.
*Penny Wars - All copper coins (1 and 2ps) are positive face value points for your house so you want to put tons of those in your own buckets. Silvers (5, 10, 20, and 50ps) are negative face value points so you should put those into other houses' buckets. 50p worth of coppers is cancelled out by one 50p coin. At the end of 1 1/2 weeks, count up all the coins (my class is running the school bank so we had that pleasure) to determine the winner. Amber won since they were the only team with positive points (and because the Amber teachers, namely Janice and Dorothee, encouraged little P1 kids to put their silvers into other buckets - I kid you not. Janice made up for this by putting two categories of movie questions on that week's lunch quiz - I rocked it and she is somewhat forgiven!). Including the 130 my class earned, the school raised about 700 pounds - a record breaker apparently. Yay!
Inspired by Penny Wars*, two of my girls, Emma and Molly, asked on a Monday if they could sell cupcakes that Friday as an additional fundraiser. How sweet and wonderful! Naturally, I agreed. The next thing I know, all my kids wanted a piece of the action - "Can we sell smoothies? How about a toy sale? Let's make bookmarks and sell them!" In the course of one Monday morning, all the plans I made for that week were thrown out the window. The best part about this...it was entirely on my students. Everyone in the class ended up making a baked good. We also sold gently-used books and toys as well as beautiful homemade bookmarks and word finds. They are learning about money so they created the price list for all items (each baked good, against my suggestion, had its own price - hard for adding up totals but great for my mental maths lesson of the week) and ran the 'register' with no help from me.
For those who have talked to me about my class know that they drive me crazy beyond belief. I have some really wonderful kids but there are enough bad eggs that I don't really enjoy teaching them on a daily basis. This is the first year my class has left such a sour taste in my mouth. With less than a week to pull this together, I was very nervous that we were not going to be terribly successful. But my kids proved me wrong and were absolutely focused and passionate about making this work. At the end of the day, we had no toys or food left over and raised over 130 pounds! Additionally, I was able to tweak my targets for the week so they fit into this fundraiser.
First, each class is expected to complete an Enterprise project throughout the year where they raise money, create community awareness, or something of the like. I was very stressed about coming up with something to do and now I don't have to. CHECK! As I mentioned, this incorporated a lot of math and mental math (adding up totals, figuring out change, counting bags of money to deposit in the bank - a lot of how many piles of 10p coins make up 5 pounds). CHECK! As far as art went, we were able to discuss the components of a successful poster (lettering, colors, key words, etc.). CHECK! We also have listening and talking targets. My students had to share ideas, be patient (not a strength) as we brainstormed and organized sale items, and present a "commercial" to each class encouraging them to buy our wares. CHECK! And if nothing else, this was a great exercise in showing compassion.
I had to give up a fair amount of class time (something that would be hard to do at MEH) to make posters, plan the sales, visit the other classes, etc. but it was so worthwhile! It is this type of experience that students bring with them throughout their lives. It was more than just a simple fundraiser - we turned into a mini-business. One my kids took pride in running. Could I have done this at MEH? I'm really not sure. What do you think? This was hardly an exercise in conventional learning but, at the end of the day I was able to check off my targets and my kids had a truly authentic learning experience. In a world of standardized testing, I am not convinced the masses would see the benefit of such an undertaking (especially with 8 and 9 year olds). Is this where MEH is headed through arts integration? All I know is that there is something to be said about finding that spark in your students and having the freedom to let them run with it.
I hope when we compete in the dance competition next month my students are equally inspired. But that'll have to be another story.
*Penny Wars - All copper coins (1 and 2ps) are positive face value points for your house so you want to put tons of those in your own buckets. Silvers (5, 10, 20, and 50ps) are negative face value points so you should put those into other houses' buckets. 50p worth of coppers is cancelled out by one 50p coin. At the end of 1 1/2 weeks, count up all the coins (my class is running the school bank so we had that pleasure) to determine the winner. Amber won since they were the only team with positive points (and because the Amber teachers, namely Janice and Dorothee, encouraged little P1 kids to put their silvers into other buckets - I kid you not. Janice made up for this by putting two categories of movie questions on that week's lunch quiz - I rocked it and she is somewhat forgiven!). Including the 130 my class earned, the school raised about 700 pounds - a record breaker apparently. Yay!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Groundhog's Day - A Day for Movies!
I was going to blog today about what is going on in my class but then Oscar nominations were announced and I have opinions!! First and foremost, any other disappointment in the nominations has been forgiven by the simple fact that District 9 made the Best Picture cut. I felt like somehow this was a personal triumph though I had very little to do with its success - I didn't even pay to watch it in the theater. "Free" on a plane. It won't win. I'm not delusional (but would not be opposed to it winning either) - just grateful for the 10 Best Picture nods this year.
Perhaps I should start and end my Oscar update there but...no such luck for you. Along with District 9, the other Best Picture nominations included gimmes, nice surprises, and an out of left field or two. The Hurt Locker, Avatar, Up in the Air, Precious, Up (second animated film in history to be nominated for best picture - anyone know the first?), and Inglorious Basterds were all among the 10 - no real surprises there. The Blind Side definitely blind sided me. I know Sandra Bullock has been getting rave reviews for her performance but the movie has not been in the thick of things this awards season. I was very surprised about that one. The nomination of An Education was a pleasant addition - wasn't sure it was going to make it so yay them! The completely out of left field picture for me is A Serious Man, the latest work by the Coen brothers. Where did that come from? Looking at IMDB I see it has received a handful of Best Picture nominations here and there (more for Best Screenplay) but not the recognition so many others have earned. I imagine a lot of other movie buffs are pondering this one (or rejoicing even?) but I'd be surprised if there weren't a lot of "Who was robbed?" stories popping up soon (or already as I just checked). What do you think? (side note: The Blind Side has received even fewer award season accolades than A Serious Man so both are a bit out there.)
Best actor/actress - no surprises. Everyone who has been nominated all awards season. Sandra Bullock stands a chance of winning both an Oscar and a Razzie (for worst performance by a female lead in All About Steve) this year - that's pretty funny. And a grand old shoutout to Vera Farmiga - Jersey girl does good. She, the lucky dog, received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for acting opposite George Clooney (she previously made out with both Matt Damon and Leo DiCaprio in The Departed). For those not in the know, Vera went to school with Erica (and I think somehow we were all friends with someone in the Farmiga family in high school - there were a lot of them. Her younger sister, Nadia, was a friend of mine) and acted opposite Tim in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. He might claim that he has played a pivotal role in her success over the years and, frankly, who can argue. I mean, no one I've been in a play with has earned an Oscar nomination. So well done Tim - your protege has done you proud.
Best Animated Picture has one of the best collections seen in this category in years. I thought I knew what all 5 would be but I was wrong. Up - check. Fantastic Mr. Fox - check. Coraline - check. Princess and the Frog - check. The Secret of Kells - um... I'm going to go look this one up for everyone too. Maybe this is a bi-product of not being in the US - am I just a little behind? Oh my...just looked it up. Ha ha!! It hasn't been released in the US yet but actually takes place right in my neck of the world (as of current). The one nomination that confuses me the most is the one about my backyard. Anywho - maybe it's great!
A concern - as the only animated picture to receive a Best Picture nod, I don't see how Up could actually lose here. Maybe someone more in the know could fill me in. Shouldn't it win? Isn't its inclusion in the Best Picture race a testament that it is better than any other animated movies this year? What am I missing...
Other interesting notes: Kathryn Bigelow is the 4th woman in history to be nominated for best picture. She and ex-hubby James Cameron (you can't make this sort of drama up) have the two films with the most amount of nominations (9 each). Thank goodness they're already divorced - this would have caused it otherwise.
The best part for me...I have friends who want to do an Oscar party with me!! I am going to try to tape it, not watch the news the next day, and have people over for a Monday night viewing. Wish me luck! I will be back next year for those who will be missing my stellar Oscar hospitality - it is, after all, MY Superbowl.
(was the game this weekend - who played - who won? I don't really care that much but thought I'd ask.)
Sunday, January 24, 2010
The Good and the Bad
I had a rough week. A parent came in this week and screamed at me in front of my class. Not cool. I won't go into details since the cause of her frustration is a delicate issue concerning her son. She was highly irate and crying, however, and I just happened to be caught in the middle. Though I knew I was not the cause of her outburst, it startled me nonetheless and scared many of my kids. One of the hardest parts about being a teacher is seeing a student (and his family in this case) going through some emotional stuff and realizing there is nothing you can do about it.
On the bright side, my fellow teachers really showed their solidarity in helping me alleviate the situation. Immediately Jenni (the P4 teacher) found an administrator to retrieve the parent and others have been encouraging me to file a verbal abuse complaint against the parent through the union. I won't but it is nice to know all these people have my back. Additionally, my Cameron went home and talked to his parents about the incident. They just so happen to be best friends with Louise and Rich. So Cami's parents called Louise telling her I had a bad day and to take me out for drinks. What a nice gesture. One of my kids even wrote me a lovely card saying how he was so sad that I was yelled at by someone so mean and it made him upset that I might be upset.
And though the whole ordeal exhausted me, I was really proud with how calm I remained the entire time. I managed to tell my kids to continue working quietly and move the parent to the hallway without missing a beat. She didn't let me get a word in edgewise but, frankly, there wasn't much for me to say. So I patiently listened to her until she ran out of steam and stormed off. Her son, at this point, was also in tears but I would be too if I saw my mom acting the way this parent did.
So by Friday, I was ready for a break and just vegged out when I got home. Saturday I went for what I thought was going to be a simple hike with a woman I met through the local exchange club (she went to Australia a few years back). It turned out to be a hike up a mountain (not literally since the "hill" was 100 meters short of mountain status). OMG. I have not worked out seriously in a few months, don't have real hiking pants or walking sticks, and definitely was not prepared to make this trip in ice and 10 inches of snow. I kept thinking to myself "don't fall, don't hurt your shoulder again, keep breathing." It was very pretty and actually a nice trek but certainly not what I thought I was signing on for. After an hour and half of hiking uphill just to get to the base of Ben Vrackie (feel free to check it out online), we stopped for lunch. I felt like I was slowing down the group- not because I physically could not keep pace but because I was so convinced at any moment I was going to slip on the ice (or fall through to my knee - which did happen about 50 times) and really hurt myself so I walked very deliberately. Hiking in the snow probably could be fun under the right conditions and sets of clothing but we had neither. Luckily, it did start to snow and fog settled in before we started the more vertical climb of the jr. mountain (really imagine a mountain - that's what it looked like. I'll get pictures posted soon) so the group decided we would simply head back to the pub. Phew...
As predicted, however, the walk back was even worse as far as slipping and sliding. Miraculously, I never once fell. But I have definitely learned that I am waiting until the spring thaw before going out "hill walking" again. I hope someday soon, I will start trusting the slowly returning strength in my shoulder but that day is not today (or yesterday for that matter). I was glad my body didn't mind the exertion (except for some soreness today), however, and it gives me hope that getting back in shape won't be as traumatic as I think it will be. But I did make new friends who will obviously challenge me.
I ended the day with a nice soak in the tub, another trip to see Avatar (this time with Louise), and finally chatting until 1 with Lou and Rich while enjoying a nice glass of red wine. I feel much better about this coming week - Burn's Day tomorrow! - and hope I don't have more parents come yell at me. Wish me luck!
Check out pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/mue711
Monday, January 18, 2010
Avatar - An Opinion
I hate Titanic. More than that, I resent it. It is a beauty queen - tailor made to answer the questions correctly and look stunning while doing so. It has amazing special effects, great star power, a fair plot line, tons of drama, award winning music, blah, blah blah... Heck, it even put of my favorite groups, Gaelic Storm, on the map (Rose and Jack dancing scene). As soon as it started breaking box office records (leaving some of my favorites in blockbuster dust) I realized everyone was being hoodwinked by this pretty girl. Titanic as a movie was a neat spectacle but really isn't a great movie (to me). And when it took home the Best Picture Oscar (away from the far more deserving L.A. Confidential), well, as you can tell I am still not over that slap to face over ten years later. What I hate most about this movie, however, is that I will watch it when it is on, I will cry when the string quartet continues to play amidst the panic on the decks, and I still get excited when the computer simulation explains to the science teacher in me the physics surrounding the ship's Arctic plummet. Even worse, for many of you at least, I love "My Heart Will Go On." It's a guilty pleasure.
You need to understand the strength of my distaste towards Titanic to fully grasp my take on Avatar. James Cameron, for those not obsessed with movies, has not directed tons of movies. In fact, I would gander that most of you have seen at least half of the movies he has under his belt: The Abyss (just rewatched recently - good fun), Terminator 1 & 2, Aliens, True Lies (come on, so much fun!), and even Aliens of the Deep (IMAX documentary that we watch in school with our kids). And Titanic and Avatar, obviously. So I am not entirely against James Cameron's movies. In fact, I would highly recommend each one of these (from the first list) to pretty much anyone (except my mother who has a "strict" "not more than 5 dead people" rule). But I liked these movies before I really knew who James Cameron was and before the Titanic resentment set in. Since Titanic, I have had a vendetta out for James Cameron.
So when Avatar - the most expensive movie ever made - started popping up in articles in movie mags about a year or so ago, I wasn't sure what to think. Everyone loved Titanic because, boy, weren't those amazing special effects! Was this going to be another one of those movies where it is really mediocre but because he spent more money than anyone has EVER spent on a movie before, will everyone think it is amazing? When Avatar started receiving rather tepid reviews, I was a bit gleeful. It's horrible to find joy in someone else's potential downfall but, again, I am not over the whole Titanic thing and certainly did not want Avatar to feed into Cameron's already inflated ego (that's for another blog, but trust me, he has one *cough*Kingoftheworldoscarspeech*cough*). But I did want to see it. I mean, I'm still a movie person through and through and it was supposed to be visually amazing. So I went to see it last week with Gillian's cousin Kerenza and friend Dawn.
It was so much fun. I mean really a lot of fun to watch. Though 2 1/2 hours long, you don't feel it. This movie wrapped me up in the new world of Pandora and kept me fascinated the entire time. I have heard many reviews blast the movie for its simplistic and predictable plot. "It's Dances with Wolves on an alien planet." Quite true. In fact, the plot was so conventional that in the first 10 minutes you already know who is going to fall in love, who is going to "change sides", who is the bad guy, who is going to probably die, etc. Ultimately, I think this is one of the more brilliant things Cameron did with the movie - intentional or not. By keeping most, not all, but most of the movie fairly simple, the audience could really sink into this new world - so visually stunning that I wouldn't have wanted a complex super-plot marring my enjoyment of it. I even found myself thinking throughout the movie, "Oh, we're not at the end yet because XY and Z still need to happen and Bob from copying needs to do such and such and Lucy hasn't noticed this or that..." And it made me happy to be able to keep pace with the filmmakers like that. I have watched too many movies where I am working so hard to keep track of characters, plot twists, etc. that I miss out on movie part of the movie. You could not read this story in a book and see Pandora the way it is meant to look. Ugh...now I'm just gushing and repeating. Moving on...
**I realize I was mad at Titanic for being nothing more than a special effects beauty queen so this may sound a bit hypocritical but there was something magical about Avatar that Titanic just missed for me. **
As for Cameron, I am still amazed at the depth of his creativity. Very few people in the world would even dream up some of the things (whether military helicoptery things, 6-legged creatures of the forest, large blue people that you can control while laying in a pod) but even fewer would then have the skill to bring all of that together in a terribly realistic way. I can't believe the movie was almost 80% special effects. There's part of me that even wonders if this should be considered as Best Animated Feature because most of it is (though you wouldn't know to look at it).
Yet beyond this embarrassingly mushy review, it was not my favorite movie of the year. So far, that honor is reserved for District 9. I watched it on the plane ride back to Scotland on a 5 inch TV and it took me into its drama like no other film in 2009. (still need to see some like Up in the Air and The Hurt Locker though). Other favorites of the year include Up, Star Trek, and The Hangover (what a great victory for that movie last night - made my day). And despite my obvious Avatar enthusiasm, I was a little sad for Kathryn Bigelow and The Hurt Locker. This is probably the closest a woman has come to potentially winning Best Director Oscar and I'm so nervous that Cameron's Golden Globes win will hurt her chances. Sigh. This is what poor Annette Benning must feel like regarding Hilary Swank. The two years she would have been a shoe-in, Hilary Swank swooped in with amazing performances. So close...
I'm sure you'll hear from me come Oscar time but feel free to give your own two-cents here as well. I am not going to be offended for those who found Avatar less than thrilling but would love hear other opinions. I also apologize for those who wanted to know more about the movie in this breakdown - my brother throws a fit if anyone ever tells him anything about a movie that he is about to watch. So I am trying to respect (as much as you can in a review) the wishes of my readers to not divulge too much information. Feel free to call or email if you want a complete breakdown of plot, cast, etc. I'm always happy to oblige.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Oh, the Weather Outside...
I can't remember the last time I have been surrounded by so much snow for such a long period of time! On the 17th of December, we had quite the flurry of snowfall here in Fife. So much so that there was concern that we would not be in school on the 18th - the last day of school for the kids before break. Maybe I'm alone in this sentiment but I think that is one of the worst possible days to have a snow day. I mean, I would have enjoyed sleeping in and having a longer holiday but that last day before break is usually so much fun to spend with kids. It's movie and popcorn day. It's craft and puzzle day. It's clean up the room for when we get back day. Fortunately, the December 17th snow was enough to provide a pretty landscape but not enough to cancel school...unlike today.
Since the 17th, I've lived in a marshmallow world. On Saturday the 19th, I did some last minute Christmas shopping in Edinburgh. During a walk from the Royal Mile (by the castle) down to Princes Street (this may mean nothing to many of you), there was a 3 minute period where it started to spritz, then rain heavily, then sleet, then become blizzard-like conditions. In 3 MINUTES all this happened! I had 1/4 of an inch of snow in my purse by the time I made it into the craft fair I was heading to. It was incredibly festive and made me feel like I was in the middle of the song Silver Bells. The area around Princes Street is the main shopping district in Edinburgh so gaily colored Christmas decorations adorned the streets and shop windows. People were bustling about with their holiday purchases. Christmas music may even have been playing (or that could have been me just singing to myself). I loved it.
There was a fair level of panic upon leaving Scotland that I would run into major holiday travel issues. DC was dealing with the biggest snowfall it's received in years. Dulles and National Airports were closed for the better part of the weekend (I was flying in on a Monday). The Amsterdam Airport (a major hub for international flights in Europe) was closed and had to bring in cots for all the passengers forced to wait there for a few days. Could I make it through without incident? Honestly...no. My flight landed 10 whole minutes late at Dulles. How inconvenient. Seriously though, it was my Christmas miracle. Plus, I left behind only a few inches of snow for over a foot of snow in NoVa (Northern Virginia). We were going to have a White Christmas! (only a 7% chance of that in VA)
My wonderful friends dug out my car so I could use it while home. As it turned out, the icy and snow-covered roads were nothing compared to dealing with the traffic issues I so gratefully left behind when I came to Scotland. Despite the torrential downpour of rain on Christmas Day, the snow stuck it out until I left on the 29th. Having enjoyed a snowy few weeks, I headed back to Scotland where I was assured that snow never lasted more than a few hours on the ground. Not only had the snow from before Christmas not melted but Mother Nature dropped another 8 inches or so on Boxing Day. I came back to Scotland with more snow than I left in the US!
My friend Christine had come in the same day I landed to spend the New Year with me. She, unfortunately, did run into weather related delays and instead of arriving at 7:30 AM in Glasgow (I was getting in at 10:30 in Edinburgh the same day so needless to say there already was a complication in us meeting up), she arrived around 3:00 instead. It was better for us meeting up but also meant Christine had been traveling for about 24 hours to get to me. Fingers crossed that heading out tomorrow is significantly less eventful for her.
Since Christine's arrival, the snow has not stopped (nor has the hail!). On Saturday the 2nd alone, we had to have help pushing the car out of our parking spot at Rosslyn Chapel, and pushing it up the hill heading out of the Chapel parking lot (others were having the same troubles too - it wasn't just me). This was before we ended up parked (literally car turned off) for 45 minutes on the M90 (major highway - like 95) due to an accident on the Forth Bridge while so much hail came down that when it stopped, you couldn't see any of the tire marks on the highway. 20 minutes after we started moving, the car slipped so we ended up perpendicular to the flow of traffic on the highway (luckily only going about 20 mph). How we did not hit another car is beyond me (might have something to do with Christine's words of encouragement, "You're doing great. We're going to be fine. You're straightening out. You can do it." She now admits that part of her wanted to react a lot more panicked than that, "We're all going to die!"). It was one of the most stressful drives I've ever taken.
When school started again on Monday (for teachers, Tuesday for kids), there was a general grumbling from all the teachers about why we were open. The hill leading up to school had (still has) about 6 inches of ice packed down and is impassible for most cars. The school parking lot has not been touched - not that we can get to it anyway. Aside from the major roads in the area, plows have not so much as glanced at any of the residential or backroads. Fife has been on the national BBC news for having some of the worst weather/roads. We are out of grit (not sand, not salt but grit) and are having to borrow some from the government because our roads are so bad. Let's not even get started on the sidewalks. (90% of our kids walk to school) So when over 20 schools including the local high school was cancelled yesterday, a very unhappy and frustrated staff showed up to welcome back our kids. Miraculously, my kids were pretty good. Considering my students, this was a miracle.
My travel woes, unfortunately, continued as my car (stupidly parked on a hill, I admit) would not move after school yesterday. I finally got it over the snow hump (after sliding into the car behind me twice) only to not make it up the hill. So I decide to do a K-turn. To make a long story short (too late!), it took three nice townsmen to push my car up the hill enough backwards to allow me to complete the turn.
When it started to snow last night on the way to dinner at Louise's, you have never seen anyone so happy! But it wasn't until 8:45 this morning that we got the official word that we were cancelled today (but I had already called in that I wasn't going in - along with about 5 other teachers from what I understand). I almost think the head teachers in the area are playing chicken with each other as to who can hold out the longest keeping their school open. When the news people are reporting on all the accidents in the area, the national news has reported that we are in major trouble due to the lack of grit (not that it does much - hello, where is the salt?), we are experiencing record low temperatures that are going to last for the next 5 days, the sidewalks kids are using for school are sheets of ice, and none of the roads that people actually live on have seen a plow, WHY is there even discussion about keeping schools open?!
So no school today. And even better, it's been a great excuse to break in my new wellies.
By the way, I'm started to get my pictures put up online. They are not in order and some of my adventures are not up yet but I'm getting there. You should be able to check them out at:
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