Musings...

There are seagulls here and some kind of hawk, too.

I’ve heard both birds through my open window in the mornings. Most of you wouldn’t understand why I even notice that. Mom probably would. When I was in NJ for those couple of days before coming to Glasgow, mom and I were out shopping for some last minute things for my trip. We were in the Target parking lot and there was a swarm of seagulls and I remarked that there aren’t any seagulls in Nashville. And, its weird, because you don’t really notice that they’re not there, but when you’re in NJ and they’re everywhere, you realize that you haven’t been noticing them and so they must not be there. And then on the morning of my flight, mom and I were sitting on rocking chairs on her front porch and there were several hawks (or some type of small bird of prey) across the street causing quite a racket. Mom was telling me how there’s a bird’s nest above her bedroom window and one morning a hawk was trying to eat the eggs, so she shooed it away… hehe. Hmm, so yeah, lately, in the morning, when my window is cracked and the birds fly by, they make me think of mom. Which is a nice change; because they used to make me think of Mr. Quinty, and then I’d always feel quite guilty about not being able to properly identify the bird…

Speaking of guilt…

I once read this article (and by read, I mean that it was in a magazine lying open on the bathroom sink and I glanced at it) about how all of the new technology and new forms of communication available have given us all a new form of guilt, or maybe, more to feel guilty about. It used to be that you felt bad for not returning all of your messages right away, but now, on top of that, you have to check 4 email accounts, update your twitter and facebook status, respond to comments, and blog about your day.
This article reminded me of when I was younger and used to try to keep a diary. I’d almost never write in it and whenever I would open it, I would start every entry remarking on how long it had been since I had written and trying to catch the reader (myself?) up on everything that had happened since I’d last written. I felt guilty for not writing in my diary. Just as I feel guilty for not having yet blogged about my Scotland adventure. But I guess, in this case, I’m not just letting down my future self. Several people have asked me about the blogs, expressed interest in reading them and learning all about my trip. I’m letting them down by not posting details about my daily existence over here in the UK and really, although I could give you a thousand excuses as to why I haven’t yet written anything, quite frankly I haven’t got anything better to do and should really focus on catching my readers up to date. (I would like to note, and here seems a good as place as any, that my version of Word doesn’t recognize ‘blog’ as a word.)

And if you’re wondering why I’m blogging in word…

Well, that’s as good a place to start as any, I’d say. There’s no point in going about things in chronological order, I’ll just continue to throw them out there. In my third floor flat on the south west side of the bustling city of Glasgow, Scotland, I do not have internet access. While Glasgow is an old city, it has managed to transit into modern times relatively successfully. Judging by a Coca~Cola billboard I saw yesterday while on the bus, I’d say Glasgow has made it well into the 1980’s. Ok, I take that back, maybe mid-90s. When I turn on my laptop in my flat, it can detect several wireless signals (as I had hoped since there are several apartment buildings around me in close proximity to each other), but each and every one of them is security protected. And, I really can’t complain about that, my internet at home is security password protected, too. (As should yours be! Or people like me will come along and try to mooch free internet off of you!). There are 2 signals that I can occasionally pick up that aren’t password protected, but these are very-low and usually won’t stay connected for more than several minutes at a time. If I walk out to the main road, there are several cafés and internet cafés nearby. The cafes require that you purchase something in order for them to give you an access code for one hour of internet usage. I haven’t been to the internet cafes yet, as I’m trying to avoid paying for internet, obviously. The trouble with most of these places is that they close around 6pm so that their employees can go home to their families. 6pm in Glasgow is noon in Nashville… and I’m at work until 5pm. Hmm. The next option I investigated was to see about getting internet set up in my flat (much like I have at home). Sure, I’d have to pay for it, but at least I wouldn’t have to leave home to use it, and I could be sure that I would always have a strong signal. Thwarted again: internet companies in the UK require you to sign a 12 month contract in order to get internet access.
And so, here I sit. On my bed, typing in word. Tomorrow when I get to the lab, I’ll copy and paste this all into a blog (if you’re all good boys and girls) and post it online. Yes, I have internet access at work. I had to leave my laptop there for two days and let them install several programs on it and reconfigure the internet settings, but it works. Thankfully!!
And maybe you’re wondering “why the whole page about the problems with the internet? We want to hear about Glasgow?!” Well, because this is what is relevant to me in the here and now. I was counting on having the internet not only as a source of communication, but also as a source of entertainment. I was going to watch videos on netflix, tv shows on the web, update my twitter with entertaining comments, put photos up all the time, and, of course, be able to webcam with Ben and to see my cats daily. I have internet at work, but that’s not where I get bored! I have work to do there! It’s the evenings, when all the shops are closed and I’m sitting in my flat with nothing to do that get to me, and I’ve only been here a week! The tv gets 5 channels, and they’re all dull, I’ve already finished one book and started a new one, and I’ve achieved all new high scores on every game my computer has to offer!! I’m sure it’ll be fine though. I think it’s just been made a little worse because I’ve been sick and had no energy to do anything But lie around. Once I’m better, I’ll be able to go out and explore and find new things to keep me busy. In the meantime, I’m going to ask my new co-workers if they have any dvds I could borrow to occupy my evenings. And soon Ben will be here to visit. Right after he leaves, lacey will be here. So, maybe that’s enough bitching for right now.