Wanna go home? Why, honey? When? We may never get this chance again.

So I have been trying to squeeze as much out of my life as possible lately. I'm wringing it dry.

Couple of notes, an outline sort of, of my life.

1. I will be taking Paul's (Irish guy, hot chocolate guy?) picture on Wednesday when I go in to say goodbye. He thinks Another Bullshit Night in Suck City is a great title. I agree. I think it also happens to be a fantastic book.

2. The guy who runs the quizzes we've been going to has turned out to be a much larger jerk than any of us ever dreamed him possible of being. "Our friend is leaving the country to go home, could you maybe say a goodbye to her after you announce the winners?" "Sure." And then he didn't. (There was something else, but that's not a story I care to tell.)

3. My cousins are awesome.

4. I miss you all very much.

5. No one wore mustaches to the mustachio bashio. LAME.

6. Not lame? Watching the sun rise over the ocean... from an extinct volcano. I'm going to miss Edinburgh.

7. The sun sets at 9:30-ish and rises at 4:45.


My life lately has involved plaid skirts, sweatshirts, street magicians complementing my handshake and my eye color, being chatted up by thirty-somethings, obnoxious quizmasters, casually naked men wandering into pub quizzes, lots and lots of pubs, and friends, and laughing. It has also involved mustaches. I'm really excited to see my family in three days, but I'm really sad to leave behind everyone I met here. Don't worry, I'll be coming back as soon as possible. I love you.

Ok, picture time!

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

This is Ben. Ben thinks he's a pilgrim.

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

This is Will. He is one of my favorite people on the planet and I'm going to miss him SO MUCH.

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

This is Beth. I feel the same about Beth as I do about Will.

We might go skiing in Italy together.

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

This is the face I make when I realize I know too much about Britney Spears.

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

This is Jordan. She lives in Vancouver and does not watch Degrassi.

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

This is David Hume. He didn't actually dress like that.

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

Robert ordered a gin and tonic.

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

Kevin ordered a whiskey.

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

He is the scary-skinniest person I've ever met. This is at Aspen, by the way.

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

This is the Meadows. It feeds my soul.

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

They suit us.

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

Cara turned into a floating head.

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

Jessica and Owen. They're so cute together.

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

This is Cara's roommate.

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

Because we're tough.

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

MUSTACHES

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

They trapped me!

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

Seriously. Sunrise. From an EXTINCT VOLCANO.

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

CARA

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

Sun's up.

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

Pheasant! (Who just thought of Danny?)

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

There were hundreds of them and they weren't afraid!

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

Scaling Arthur's Seat

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

Almost at the top now!

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

Castle. Roughly 5:30 AM.

From Eagle Flew Out of the Night

I love my camera.

The sirens sang so sweet and watched the sailors going down.

Today, I saw a three-legged dog and a rabbit on a leash, waiting patiently for a bus. Today, I entered a John Irving novel. I've also decided that Sunday is my adventuring day. Monday-Tuesday, those are my reading days. Monday at 2:30 (14:30) I also have a creative writing workshop with my fellow writers. Wednesday, I have class until 1 (13:00), then I get hot chocolate. Thursday, I have class at 2 (14:00) and that ends at 4 (16:00). Friday, I have class at the same time as Thursday, but after class, at 4 (16:00) I go for hot chocolate.

And turn off the lights, but that's just me.

Saturday is for nothing-ness.

And Sunday I adventure. Today, I went to Leith, down by the waterfront. I saw a sailor with no face -- taking the idea of the unknown soldier to extremes, perhaps -- the church where William Burns seduced Daughter Alice the choir girl tattoo artist, the aforementioned three-legged dog and Peter Rabbit. There was a sun-shower and a rainbow, making Edinburgh officially a fairy-tale city. Graffiti soothed my already-chilled nerves and compelled me to not be afraid. I saw the Waters of Leith, which does sound like an Irish song, Brian. (Leith is pronounced "Leeth," not "Layth" or "Lieth.") I saw seven buses with Paul Rudd's face on them -- pictures to follow. Elvis advertised "Books, CDs" and an old man in suspenders and a scally cap painted the outside of a bar moss-green.I met a German shepherd named Harley, like the motorcycle. I found the Blues Brothers in a storefront, against a tartan background, and on a shelf above some Navajos. Dizzy Gillespie is alive and well, or at least inspiring pubs in Leith. Vinyl Villains reminded me of James; it's his type of record store. Oh, there are some giraffes outside an enormous cinema, along with a giant foot, giant hand, and something that looks inexplicably like a dismembered neck? Some people like Morrisey; others think he is, uh, a very dirty word. And thus they deface posters of him. I won't be posting that particular picture here, but it will eventually make its way to my facebook, I'm sure


For those of you who were riveted by my ineptitude, and I know you exist (cough, KJax, cough), you will be disappointed to hear that neither of us mentioned it when I went in yesterday. So that was... good. He also gave me the directions that led me to the waterfront. I asked him for the best way to get to the docks, and he was telling me about buses and said if he hadn't knocked out the wifi the day before, he could show me on a map. To which I replied, "I have a map!" Also that I would like to walk, instead. And he showed me on the map how to walk there. He also pointed out which area of Leith he lives in. We chatted about gentrification and performing bears for a bit -- I was reading Hotel New Hampshire, bien sur -- and he almost chastised me for not using my "Loyalty" card. (Seven drinks, get the eighth free!) Something to do with me wanting to pay for my hot chocolate, and him thinking I didn't have to...

Oh, and did you hear the one from Friday morning? "I'm going to start putting alcohol in your hot chocolate," he said, joking. And what did I say? "I don't actually drink." Followed by, "But the one time I got drunk, I got really good at Trivial Pursuit."

Because yes, I am that cool.

Waiting for the other spoon to drop

So I suppose I should tell you about Juice Monkeys now. It is where I get my non-Dunkin Donuts hot chocolate, and it is not white. It is chocolate-chocolate. With whipped cream.

So the first time I went there, I was thinking, "Awww, this place has a name that reminds me of middle school." The second time I went there, it was for the free wifi. The third time I went there, well:

So there's this Irish boy. (Famous last words...?) He's from Galway, and is super cute. He's always smiling, and he likes some excellent music, like Jeff Buckley. But not just "Hallelujah" Jeff. No, the first Jeff Buckley song I heard him play was "Forget Her," which is wicked legit. And he has read the Brontes and has an opinion on them -- which is to say he prefers Austen, but an opinion is an opinion -- and he writes.

Needless to say, I've developed something of a crush on him.

So when I'm home, I drink a lot of hot chocolate. And with the wifi, I've been drinking quite a bit of hot chocolate. Which would be fine, but it offers me lots of opportunities to make a fool of myself. Like the time I asked him what he studied and he told me had a masters in psychology. And I, of course, dropped my spoon. Which is one thing. But I bent down to pick it up, and I fell off my chair.

I had been waiting, you know, for the other spoon to drop.

Which it did this afternoon. And rather spectacularly, I might add.



I stopped in for a hot chocolate today after class with Kevin from New York and Robert from Milwaukee. Lucky Charms (copyrighted by SFerry, 2009) was working and he told me to take a seat and he'd bring my chocolate over in a minute. So he brought my hot chocolate over and I hung out drinking it and talking sports and politics with Kevin and Robert (Yes, Courtney -- that's what I said, too!) When it was time to leave, there were two people placing an order at the counter, but I hadn't paid. He told me I could just pay him next time and I smiled and thanked him very politely. And I left gracefully as possible.

Which isn't very.

As I pulled open the door and held it for Robert and Kevin, my shoulder banged against the wall. And a light switch. Which turned off all the lights in the front of the shop. But there were three or four switches and I was forced to immediately weigh in my head the value of my two options: trial and error, which could be spectacular or disastrous, and just running away.

I promptly fled.