Work It

When I say I'm going to the gym, I want people to assume it's because I'm totally into heath and keeping in shape and being the best me I can be, etc.




In reality? I'm a poor grad student, and I can't afford all of the luxuries I got used to by being a member of the working world. You know, luxuries such as soft toilet paper and television. Although I did find a solution to one of those problems. That solution was the University Sports Centre. All of the machines have televisions with a full cable package (not just the BBC) and the gym fee was cheaper than buying a tv and getting the tv license. I can go and watch live tv which I have desperately missed being a poor grad student in a foreign land and not feel so guilty for doing it because look! I'm running/jogging/... okay, walking at the same time! I'm doing something productive, not just vegging out in front of the tv.

Although the kicker in all of it? What do I like to watch on the weekends? High-minded drama? Informative documentary? News?

Oh no. As I exercise, I watch cooking shows. Specific Jamie's 30 Minute Meals, at the moment. I adore Jamie Oliver, and his 30 minute meals blow Rachel Ray out of the water. No shortening names to something cutesie, thank god.

So this is my workout confession. I go to the gym to watch cooking shows. And I have no shame. Although I DO have a great recipe for a Thai red curry with prawns and sugar snap peas now...

In Bloom

When I bought the daffodils, they are all still in the bud, with only the hope that they'll bloom and I didn't waste £1 on blades of green. And if they do bloom, I don't know if they'll be yellow or white or the white ones with the super orange centers... I just didn't know.

They didn't keep me waiting long.



Again, like I said before, how anyone can frown while looking at daffodils is beyond me.

Happy Birthday to Me

I had my birthday earlier in the week. While some people enjoy a big blowout, celebrating for days on end or what have you, I prefer it more low key on the day. It might have something to do with the fact that each time I've tried to do something major ON my birthday, something wrong happens. Usually something very wrong. So, I've taken it as the universe's suggestion that it's cool to do something birthday related before or after the actual day, but on my birthday, just take to slow and relax.

So I did just that.

What did I do on my birthday? Well, I slept in. Then went and had tea with Rachel, as she was out and about in town. And because it was a gorgeous day, I decided to walk to Morrison's for the fresh air. It being my birthday, I needed to treat myself to something.



How about some daffodils? Nothing screams 'welcome Spring' like daffodils. They are hands down my favorite flower because they start to bloom around my birthday. And just look at them -- you can't frown with daffodils.



And I couldn't resist fuchsia chrysanthemums.

But maybe I should be at least a little productive with my day.



I know -- I'll do some laundry. Nothing screams birthday festivities like laundry. But, if I do laundry, I'll earn a snack, from...



The awesome birthday box of American candy goodness that my parents sent me. Including another amazing March tradition that I thought I was going to miss out on... Girl Scout cookies. Oh yes, they mailed me Tagalongs all the way from the States. And they taste so good.

And of course, during all of this, I have atop my head the decoration that splits this apart from any other normal grocery store/laundry/snack kind of day.



Well I had to have some sort of festive something, didn't I? Yet another wonder from the birthday box.

So it was a quiet day, albeit a slightly productive day. And now I'm another year older, and another year wiser apparently. And while people kept asking 'oh which birthday is it?' and I respond with a number higher than the 22 or 23 most of these kids around me have, as I inch closer to 30 I have to admit... I like the me at closer to 30 better than the me at closer to 22. I like my number, and I think it's pretty awesome.

Just like my headband.

Spring Has Sprung

Spring isn't my favorite season (Fall holds that honor) but spring comes in a close second. I love to garden, and I love flowers, and the best part about my birthday being early in March is that it's at the same time that the flowers are just starting to peek out of the ground and spread a bit of color.






And while it's not terribly much warmer, the sun was out for most of the past few days making it at least feel brighter. And those happy little flowers from above made the walk to the Morrison's in the sunshine even brighter.

I didn't have anything I needed at the grocery store today, but it was a good destination for a walk out in the sunshine. I don't trust that the sun will stick around, so I best make the most of it while I can.

Not that I don't trust Scottish weather, but...

I may have to pick up some daffodils the next time I'm there, though. You can't have March without daffodils.

Royal Visit aka Guess Who Shook Hands With a Prince?

Busy week last week in St Andrews. For anyone following the news (or fascinated with all things royal, as my friends back in the States seem to be), Wills and Kate were to make a lovely visit back to St Andrews to kick off the 600th anniversary campaign, as William is the patron of the campaign.

This meant that the school and town needed to make appropriate security precautions. I did NOT realize that this meant that I would have to see K-9 units and mobile CCTV vans and cops on bikes all over town for an entire week, as well as entire buildings of classrooms shut down to clear out a week in advance.

Seriously, when Obama comes to a town there's less prep.

But it all culminated on Friday's visit, with a opening celebration at St Salvator's Quad. Which, as you might imagine of an ancient university is not a huge quad. So, there would be a ballot for the 300 student seats and 90 faculty/staff seats available.

Over 4,500 people applied for these tickets. That's over half the university population.




Bam! Look who ended up with one. Oh yeah. Along with regulations on dress code, since spelling it out for university students on what is and is not appropriate to be seen on tv in at a program with royals involved is common wherever you are.




And while photography was expressly forbidden (and I actually heeded this warning since, as a guest in this country, I'm a little less keen to bend rules than I am in the States -- I don't care to be tossed out of the country Fresh Prince style) I decided to just leave my camera at my flat. This will come back to bite me later in the story, btw. But if you'd like to see what went down, they have a video link up on the BBC News - Scotland page.

Now, this would've been just as cool, but they also blocked off all of North Street so that should Will and Kate wish to wander the street and say hi to the lowly folk, they could. People had been queuing up since 7am, which... I'm sorry, is a bit ridiculous. But then, this is coming from someone who had a ticket for a close seat.

When we were trying to exit the quad, I ended up following the crowd out of the wrong exit and got stuck in front of Younger Hall blocked in by barricades. Which was fine, I'd be able to eventually get out. So I positioned myself behind a bunch of adorable little school boys because they were short and it meant that I'd get to see what was going on, as I am in no ways tall.

I figured they would be walking down the other direction of the road because that's where people had been lining up. I'm foolish to discount the appeal of coming to talk to adorable 8 year old school boys. So of course, one Prince William makes his way to the school boys, which since I'm right there behind them, I get to shake his hand too. It was really nice -- he asked me what I was studying (International Relations) before the girls behind me jumped in with 'Biology!' and he kind of chuckled before saying we were brave for picking those courses and moving along down the line.

He's a lot taller than I thought he was *lol*

But of course, the kicker in all of this is that my camera was sitting on my bed the entire time. The cool thing happens, and my camera is sitting on my bed.

Now that we've shaken hands and are totally BFF, I'm going to insist on seeing a wedding invitation in the post.