Soliloquy of a Mad Passion

Reflections of 2011

2011-12-31T13:09:00.000-08:00

The year is taking its last breaths. The light of the future is starting to shine through the gaps in the tapestry of time. Again, we begin to reflect on the past year and make promises with ourselves for the upcoming 12 months.

This morning on my way to the gym I heard "Hey Jude" on the radio. Suddenly I felt an emotional surge at the sound of the familiar chords and lyrics. I love this song, and I have a few key memories surrounding it, and the Beatles in general. But today, the Lyrics "Hey Jude, don't make it bad take a sad song and make it better...so let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin, you're waiting for someone to perform with. And you don't know that it's just you, hey Jude, you'll do, the movement you need is on your shoulder."

This is such a perfect example of the power we all have to look back at our lives with gladness instead of sadness, and to look to the future with a power that is all our own and not dependent on outside sources. 2011 was, overall, a hard year for me. I struggled a lot this year to wade through some severe personal downs and a soul-sucking, coma-inducing job. I lost my last paternal grandparent and I gained 15 unwanted pounds. I had moments of disillusionment and anger, lethargy and apathy.

But when I look back, I also realise that 2011 was a year filled with some amazing highs as well. I ushered the New Year in with a bang in New York City with some wonderful people, I visited new countries and caught up with old friends. I celebrated the wedding of a beloved cousin, the engagement of a close friend, and became more open with my thoughts to those around me. I cooked delicious food and saw amazing things. I visited new parts of Scotland and made new friends. I learned to deal with my problems in a constructive way and I finally grasped the thread that will lead me into the next stage of my life.

Because of all these things, I cannot look back in anger on the year that has been. I can only take my song and make it better, which I what I am working towards for 2012. I have decided to return to school to undertake my PhD in Anthropology. Specifically, medical anthropology-I will be studying the effect of a nationalised standard of bioethics on traditional health care systems in Mexico. Presently, I am waiting to be accepted at the institutions I have applied to. All are in the UK, so I am planning to spend a few more years across the pond. But due to visa restrictions, I will be staying in California from now until I return for University in the fall.

This brings with itself a new host of challenges and opportunities that take me to the second bit of lyrical wisdom that John and Paul offer. The movement I need to get where I want to be is here, with me. I will be accepted into a University, and I can get funding to pay for my research. I will take the time I have in California to re-connect with friends I have not seen and to spend more time with my extended family. I will take the time to write more, and practice my Spanish for my upcoming time in Mexico. I will get back into shape and I will find a job that allows me to do all of these things while I'm here.

I feel like I'm at the edge of a great precipice, but instead of feeling frightened of the fall, I feel enthused and empowered to take the leap and arrive at the next stage of my life with a proud stance and a happy heart. There is no room for fear when you have pure intent and confidence in your abilities. I might not get through 2012 in perfect form, but next December 31 I will look back and take the good with the bad, and hopefully the song of the year will be just a little bit sweeter.

Remember to look back at the year that has been with an open heart. Regret is a useless feeling and a terrible thing to get stuck in. I will look back at 2011 and remember the lessons learned, the laughs shared, the love felt, and the pages turned in my own story. I hope the same for all of you, and I hope that song of your year has some sweet and soothing lyrics to carry you into 2012.

<3 K

Remember, Remember the month of November

2011-11-12T09:19:00.000-08:00

"So dull and dark are the November days.
The lazy mist high up the evening curled,
And now the morn quite hides in smoke and haze;
The place we occupy seems all the world."- John Clare, November

I cannot believe that it is already November. Not to mention the fact that it is almost the MIDDLE of November! 2011 is passing so quickly, it seems like last week I was wandering the streets in sandals, whereas today I find myself thinking about my menu for Thanksgiving and pulling on my boots in the morning for warmth. The leaves started turning weeks ago, and now they are layering the ground like a springy carpet. You won't find any crisp leaves primed for crunching in this country. There's too much moisture in the air thanks to both the rain and the infamous Edinburgh Haar. According to Lonely Planet, "A distinctive feature of Edinburgh's weather is the 'haar', a dense, chilly fog that often blows in from the North Sea when the wind is in the east. " Yeah, that pretty much says it. The haar helps Edinburgh keep up her mysterious je ne sais quoi.

Edinburgh Haar, Picture courtesy of Edinburgh Spotlight

Autumn has always been my favourite season. I love sweater weather, fall colours, the smell of winter and smoke in the air and the magical feel that the shift in the seasons seems to infuse into the everyday mundane. It's easier to smile when the world around you is so colourful!

Edinburgh is a city that thrives in the Fall. The bright blue sky contrasts with the fiery leaves, the gray stone buildings seeming to pull more character from the overcast skies than fading into the backdrop of the city. The air is crisp and the wind is brisk, necessitating the use of layers and the return of rosy cheeks and cold noses!

The Balmoral Hotel and Register House seen from a bus on Leith Street

National Archives of Scotland

I know that some people find autumn to be a bit depressing-a reminder that the year is coming to an end, life in someways is coming to an end, and the sun will be moving farther and farther away from us until midwinter passes. But for me, autumn is the time to start celebrating the beautiful things that the end of the year brings us-different foods, different fashions, trips to see friends and family, and the best of the yearly holidays! Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year!

If I had my way, Fall would last much longer each year-I'm sure no-one would mind shaving off a few weeks of Edinburgh's sad excuse for a summer and brutal winter in order to spend a few more weeks walking through an autumn wonderland!

<3 Kim

What Sundays Are Made For

2011-10-23T13:02:00.000-07:00

Sundays are my favourite day. They're lazy and quiet and open to all opportunities for doing whatever you want. To me, Saturdays are the day to clean and do laundry and go grocery shopping. On Sundays I get to do fun stuff like:

lay in bed
lay in bed and drink coffee
lay in bed and drink coffee and do the Los Angeles Times Crossword online
go to yoga
lay on the sofa and watch random movies
talk to my parents (still laying on the couch here)
bake new recipes
cook things that take more than 30 minutes to make
paint my nails
go hiking (thats one I only do in Cali)
read a book

Ahh, Sundays! Today I did 5 of the above things. I started the day feeling very lazy, and as the sun is not shining on Leith today, I decided to lay in bed drinking coffee and doing the LA Times crossword until almost 11 am. Due to this, I missed yoga so just did some incline walking instead. woo-wee! This afternoon, I decided to conquer my new food processor and a recipe I've been wanting to try for ages: GOLDFISH CRACKERS! Oh, the Pepperidge Farm Goldfish cracker. a feat of snacking engineering and one of the only food items from the US that I really miss. Problem is, I do not have a fish-shaped cookie cutter so I made cheesy heart crackers:

the dough is sooo easy to work with!

Baking up some cheesy yum!

Tasty and cute! They turned out really well, and I know I'm definitely going to make these again!

After chatting to my parents and baking the hearts, I needed to use some pumpkin puree I had leftover so I decided to try a recipe I found for pumpkin cornbread. I know, it sounds a bit weird, but it is SO good! And it makes for a really nice and moist cornbread. I ate it with homemade vegetarian butternut squash chili, while watching Toy Story 2 on TV. And the girl was happy!

Almost ready

Sundays...just the thing I need to recharge after one week, and just the thing to ease me into another boredom-filled week at work!

Ok I'm off to go read a book-might as well get as much as I can out of the last few hours left of my Sunday! Happy Week everyone!

<3

Fête des Vendanges

2011-10-16T06:06:00.000-07:00

So I have this friend named Chris. Chris is from Simi Valley, but he lives in the small city of Neuchâtel,

in Switzerland. Chris has visited me in Edinburgh three times since I moved here. Not specifically to see me, but because he loves Edinburgh. And after meeting his girlfriend Stephanie in Edinburgh on New Years Day 2009, the city continues to hold special a sentimental spot in his heart. Anywho, Chris has been asking Adam and I (who he also met New Years 2008/2009 through me) to come visit for aaaaaages. So this year we finally did!

Over the last weekend of September, Adam, Emma and I flew to Geneva on Friday afternoon and spent a few hours walking around there before heading to the Neuch. A giant jet of water spewing up in Lake Geneva is the city's only claim to fame. The excitement was palpable. not really. Geneva is the quietest city I've ever been to. And as I later found, the Swiss in general are a quiet people.

Trying to be excited about the Geneva Jet, as I like to call it. Adam isn't feeling it.

After a while we jumped on a train and headed for the Neuch. Trains in Switzerland, like clocks, are efficient and always on time! It was a nice change from the UK where random breakdowns and delays occur far too often.

Every year Neuchâtel hosts the Fête des Vendanges, or the Wine Festival. It's a huge event, people come from all over to drink wine, eat food from street stalls, buy random souvenirs, listen to live music, and dance the night away under a shower of confetti in the middle of the street. For the stoic Swiss, this is the time to let their hair down. And indeed, they do.

People fill the streets from 8 pm until 3-5 am on Friday and Saturday nights. Wine is sold in plastic cups, and what with all the people around and the random confetti-bombings, you better drink fast or else your drink will be either 1) all over you or 2) filled with confetti. Neither option was desirable, so we just drank fast. Chris here demonstrates the only way to save one's drink:

Chris, Adam, Stephanie, me, Emma (and top of random guy's head)

Once the confetti started raining down we got down to some serious dancing. It was an insane, hilarious, magical event. Confetti falling everywhere, people moving everywhere, the beat of the music defying anyone to not dance-it was like taking a step out of reality into a universe where rain was made of paper and glitter.

Once morning dawned, the Neuch was a different place. Quiet and sleepy streets winding across the landscape, butting up into Lake Neuchâtel. The buildings are quintessentially continental European. Rising taller than they are wide, painted in vivid colours with eaves and shingling that you would expect to only find on a gingerbread house.

This part of Europe has given the world so many images of a time and way of living through literature and art. I still love seeing it for myself.

On Saturday, while the other Fête revellers slept, we toured the town, breakfasting at a cafe in the square with delicious pastries and visiting the castle, a lovely church, and generally taking in the view.

Pondering my ethnographic future...

View of the Neuch from the Castle

What a happy building!

Saturday night, we had a traditional Swiss dinner at Chris' flat-Raclette! Raclette is a type of cheese, and also a dish indigenous to parts of Switzerland. The way it is often served involves an electric table-top grill with small pans, known as coupelles, to heat slices of raclette cheese in. Generally the grill is surmounted by a hot plate or griddle. The cheese is sliced, accompanied by platters of boiled or steamed potatoes, other vegetables and meats. These are mixed with potatoes and topped with cheese in the coupelles that are placed under the grill to melt and brown the cheese. It was AMAZING! And a really enjoyable way to start the night!

Ready for Raclette!

On Sunday we went hiking in the Jura Mountains to the Creux du Van, a beautiful natural rock formation. The mountains lie between France and Switzerland and although the Jura aren't as high as the Alps, that hike was HARD! Probably the steepest hike I've done, and slippery ground to boot! But there were little amusements along the way...

Goats just chillin' on the trail

Creux du Van

Doing ballet on top of the Creux du Van

France is over there

After a the hike, and a filling but delicious dinner of fondue, I was well and truly wine and cheese-d out. After a relaxed last night, Adam, Emma and I headed back to the UK on Monday. As we walked through the town, vestiges of the festival were still present, slowly being torn down for another year.

As Stephanie and Adam waved us off (he left a few hours later) Emma and I settled in for another efficient train ride back to the airport.

One more vacation over, summer behind us, and good memories to hold onto until Christmas! Viva la Suisse!

<3 Kim

Aphrodite's Isle

2011-10-02T05:53:00.000-07:00

Summer 2011 was full of vacations for me. Being so close to so many places, and with a job that gives me 6 weeks paid vacation plus national holidays, how could I resist? Now, before you all start hating me for getting that much vacation time, let me remind you that my job is really VERY unpleasant, and without a chance to escape for long weekends, I might have gone insane by now!

So this year, as the mania of the Edinburgh festival was winding down, I flew off to the Island of Cyprus for 4 days of sun, sea, and Yara time!

On Aphrodite's Beach

The first thing you must know about Cyprus is that it is FAR away from the UK. Context: Cyprus is closer to Lebanon than to any part of Europe. Yet, when you step off the plane and start driving across the small island, you immediately feel like you're in Southern California. The terrain is SO similar to Simi Valley, it's kind of disconcerting. Especially because the climate was so different. Hot, just like I had expected but also very humid. Walking outside was like walking though a bath. Definitely conducive to a slow island lifestyle!

But Cyprus is also very Greek. The Greeks and the Turks, amongst many other civilisations, have fought over Cyprus for centuries. The Northern part of the Island is still under Turkish control, while the southern part is part of the European Union. There is so much history in Cyprus, so many old ports, ancient roads, and crumbling ruins that when you walk around you can actually feel just how powerful the ancients were, and just how devoted they were to this tiny island and it's claim to fame: Aphrodite.

Aphrodite's Rock

According to Greek mythology, Aphrodite (the Greek Goddess of love and beauty) was born when Cronus cut off Uranus' genitals and threw them into the sea, and from the sea foam (aphros) arose Aphrodite. According to the Cypriots, this sea foam was off the coast of Cyprus, and they claim their land as her birthplace. There are temples to Aphrodite all over the island.

Aphrodite's temple in Limassol

Such posers!

I had such a good time visiting Yara and meeting her mom and sister. They were so welcoming and generous, and Yara's friends were a lot of fun. We lounged around by the beach, visited ruins and mosaics in Limassol and Paphos, ate delicious Mediterranean food, and tried not to move too quickly until the sun set each evening!

The view from Yara's flat

Paphos Mosaics

Climbing the ruins

It was such a nice way to spend bookend the summer, especially since Edinburgh experienced the WORST summer ever this year. It's nice to know that I'll always have the Mediterranean to save me from the rain and cold! :-)

<3 Kim

The Summer That Was...

2011-09-04T12:37:00.000-07:00

Sunshine over Edinburgh

Summer is coming to a close up here in Edinburgh-and the summer of '11 has been full of adventures, goodbyes, and schizophrenic weather. As is the annual fashion, there was some gorgeous weather in May and June that lulled the residents of Edinburgh into a false sense of security that THIS summer might be better than last year's...So we took advantage of the weather with a picnic in the Meadows.

Sylvia was very proud of her Tabasco
Too cool for school
Smiles

We basked. We gossiped. We ate. I even got a bit of colour on the half of my body that was facing the sun. It is these memories that keep one going when the rain comes pouring down for a week following three days of sun.

July brought the graduation and inevitable leaving party of my friend Tanya. So we toasted her leaving Edinburgh for the next stage of her life at a gorgeous cocktail bar called Dragonfly.

Cocktails!

So a Mexican, American, and Kenyan walk into a bar...

August brought the Edinburgh Festival. I did theatre reviews this year for the Edinburgh International Festival. Including this amazing opera, Thaïs. All music and singing-no acting. Definitely a different opera experience. You can see my reviews at www.playstosee.com.

Á l'opera

August also brought the worst possible weather one can imagine for summer. Climate change is really not doing Scotland any favours. Except maybe ensuring that there will never be a drought on this waterlogged island. anywho...

I have almost lived here for three years, but I still find new things around Edinburgh that make me smile...

Random alleys always make me smile...

It is these random finds, the small intricate details in the architecture, the new angles and small closes off the main streets that allow Edinburgh to maintain an air of mystery and magic centuries after being built.

Sunset around 11 pm

So now summer ends, the sun sets a bit earlier, and even though I know the fall will bring hurricane-like winds and rainstorms that strike like ninjas, I also know that there will be a few more new discoveries, and maybe an indoor picnic or two! And so life goes on...

<3 Kim

Tattoo-riffic!

2011-08-23T13:29:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I attended a world-renowned, everyone-should-do-once, Edinburgh-only event:

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Held only in August every year, the Tattoo is "...an annual series of Military tattoos (military display/ military performance) performed by British Armed Forces, Commonwealth and International military bands and display teams in the Scottish capital Edinburgh. The event takes place annually throughout August, as part of the wider Edinburgh Festival." (Thanks Wikipedia!)

Walking up to the Castle

Held on the Castle Esplanade, the scene is set for the Tattoo as early as June every year. The massive bleachers go up, security is everywhere, and tickets go on sale. The show is only held in the evening, and after seeing some of the impressive lighting displays and the dramatic backdrop that night provides to the performances, I cannot imagine the Tattoo having the same effect during the day.

Me and the Castle...waiting for sunset!

The show is opened by 9 bands of pipers. Many from Scotland, but there was also a pipe band from the British Marines and the Nepalese Gurkhas! I love bagpipes, and the intense melodies created by nine bands was a stirring way to begin the show.

Following the pipers, there were performances by military bands from the Netherlands, Germany, Brazil and the rest of the UK. Also, there were military presentations, such as a demonstration about how the Navy deals with piracy, and dancing by traditional Scottish dancers.

Dutch Group

Navy Demonstration

German Group

Everyone lined up

Every group that performed was unique and impressive. The Germans wore traditional lederhosen and played Alpenhorns, the Dutch band played while riding bikes (that bit was scary), and the Brazilians had Carnival dancers. But it was definitely the lighting, perfectly synchronised with the music, that helped make the performances really touching. By the end of the evening, the theme had come back around to Scotland as you can see below:

The Celtic Dragon

The Scottish Royal Standard

The Saltire- St. Andrew's Cross

After the touching last performance of "Scotland the Brave" by the Piper Bands, the Lone Piper ended the evening with a stunning solo song from atop the Castle.

The Tattoo was, by far, one of the coolest, most touching things I have ever experienced in Scotland. Seeing such a carefully studied tribute to Scotland, and other nations, was really enjoyable and really helps you understand why Scotland is such a proud nation, and why the Tattoo is one of the most popular events in the country.

Just to give you a taste, check out the video I took of "Scotland The Brave" by the Pipers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEvJw0dSjzs
Disclaimer: I rarely take video with my camera, thus the sideways bit...ooops!

<3 Kim

Season of Change

2011-08-07T05:39:00.000-07:00

Sometimes weeks, months, seasons go by without any huge changes that impact our lives. Things sail along in the harmony of routine. Sometimes boring perhaps, but equally offering a sense of security and foundation.

The summer of 2011 has not been one of those seasons. Beginning with the wedding of my dear cousin and visit of one of my Edinburgh friends to California, to the death of my dear grandmother in early July. August will take me to another new country, and summer will hopefully end with less grief and more positive moves for my future.

I had an awesome trip to the US over Memorial Day through mid-June. It began with my friend Yara visiting, which was exciting for numerous reasons. She was my first friend who I met in Edinburgh to visit my home in California, and she (being raised in Cyprus and Lebanon) loves and appreciates the sun, sea, and outdoors more than the lure of Hollywood (thank goodness...I can't handle LA for more than a day at a time). We spent a lot of time with my parents as well, and I'm pretty sure they would adopt her if she suddenly found herself in need of a new family! Later this month I will be travelling to Cyprus to see her and her family, sunshine ahoy!

Yara and I in Ventura

After her trip came the wedding. My lovely Lauretta married Ed, her longtime boyfriend who has been a part of our family since she was 16. The wedding was amazing, set in the stunning mountains surrounding Yosemite National Park. The couple, so clearly in love and easily moving into the next stage of their relationship, made their special day such a beautiful testament to all of the people and things that they love. I had so much fun with my family, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins...it was definitely a special trip!
The Bride and Groom

Fam at cocktail hour

Jesse and Grandma Barnes

Aunties and me!

The last leg of my trip was a bit more bittersweet. I went up to Seattle for a few days to see my family and friends up there. It was so nice to see my Auntie, my lovely friends, my cousins and Uncle, and my Grandma-but it was also very hard. I had not seen my grandmother since she had her stroke, and when I got there she was ill and in quarantine, still unable to talk, and having a hard time both communicating and getting around. It was devastating to see her that way, after so many years of knowing and loving her personality and idiosyncracies-now both shadowed by silence, confusion, and forced submission to her confinement while sick.

Getting Pedicures for Grandma's birthday

Hot tub fun!

While I spent much of my time with her not knowing what to say to a person who cannot respond back, and feeling both awkward and uncomfortable, small moments reminded me that my grandmother was still inside the shell. Her strong hands that would squeeze mine, her laugh, and her long hugs. THese helped bolster me, and made it easier to continue telling my one-sided stories. And I'm so glad that I did.

Three weeks after returning to the UK, my Grandmother passed away. I was devastated that I could not be there for my family, that I was not there to say goodbye in person. But I know that wherever she is now, she is so much better off than she was here. She can probably talk, and laugh, and walk without aid. And I hope that her and my grandfather are dancing through eternity together to the sounds of never-ending big band music.

Christmas 2007

Although the sadness is still raw, especially when I write about it, I find it cathartic to do so. My paternal grandparents were dynamic, fantastic people. I'm so glad that I have so many memories of them left, and I have them to thank for my love of travelling, cultural appreciation, and experiencing new things.

On a happier note, my newlywed cousin is also expecting her first child. More apropos timing could not be possible. One life ends and another one just beginning. I know that her child will be welcomed by loving parents, surrounded by an extended family full of equal love, laughter, stories, and strength. My maternal grandparents have nurtured a large family that keeps growing. We are all family by birth, and I am happy to say that we are friends by choice. This side of the family gives me my love of large families, the knowledge that different beliefs and lifestyles can be celebrated, and the reality check that drama queens sometimes need!

If there is one thing that I know now that was a less defined belief before June, it is this: family really is an amazing thing. Family has the power to build you up, appreciate your uniqueness, accept our differences, and move through all stages of happiness and grief with a strong, yet intangible thread binding it together. Family is also what you make it. I have some family members that feel like strangers, who do not attempt to nourish the relationship, and some friends that are closer than blood and bonded to me as such. These things happen in life, and all we can do is try our best to be understanding to those who cannot appreciate the human familial bond, and hold on all the more to those in our lives who do.

My fabulous family!

After a winter/spring of maddening routine, I am still living this summer of change. Lets hope August doesn't let me down!

<3 Kim

On the Road to Morocco...

2011-06-26T10:13:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer *I have finally written this post because my Mother keeps hinting that it's overdue. And I'm thinking that maybe if I post more regularly, she'll stop hinting about her desire for grandchildren...* just kidding Mom... :-)

So there's this airline called Ryanair. Ryanair is like the Saturn cars of airlines. After takeoff, once you've reached cruising altitude, you realise that you're whizzing through the skies in a plastic box! But it's ok, because you get there in one piece and you can't beat the price!

It was thanks to Ryanair that I got to go to Morocco over Easter Break. From Edinburgh, you can be in Africa in 3 hours and 40 minutes. Brilliant!

My travel partners were flatmate Kate and friend Emma. We arrived in Marrakech on a warm Tuesday evening, and immediately took note of the pink-ness that surrounded us. Traditionally, the buildings in Marrakech were built out of clay made from the Moroccan soil, which is pink in tone. These days, both the traditional and non-traditional methods of building are used, but it is law that all building have to be painted the traditional pink. Interesting, no?

Our first evening we walked into the old town, also known as the Medina. Our first meal was amazing, I had a lamb tagine with dates and almonds. I will never question the art of tagine again. The conical lid allows meat to slow cook into an amazingly tender meal, and the dates and almonds added layers of texture and taste that were out of this world. Happy Kim!

The Medina-home to stalls selling food, tourists, snakecharmers and henna artists.

The Koutubia

We spent the next day wandering the old town. We visited the Kotoubia (the main Mosque in Marrakech), Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs, and a restaurant that had a resident tortoise doing laps around the restaurant. I named him Harold.

Homes are art in Morocco. It's so intricate

Yeah, my ceilings look like this too...

The peaceful courtyard in the middle of the Palace

Storks nest all over the old buildings in Marrakech

Caleche rides...we did this!

Dans le caleche

Palace Ruins

The Saadian Tombs

Go Harold Go!

Day 3 was spent in the new town. We visited the beautiful Majorelle Gardens, which are a haven for colours that are not pink, and a bit of a shrine to Yves Saint-Laurent, who lived here for a while. It also ended up stopping us from going into the Medina that day, which proved to be more than a little lucky.

Oh, to be a French Designer...

Colour!

Meow...

Majorelle Gardens? Or a jungle? hmmm...

Loved the colours

Cactus Garden...spot the travel companions!

That afternoon my phone was ringing non-stop, unbeknownst to me, in my bag. By the time I answered it, to the frantic voice of my friend in the UK, I knew something was wrong. There had been a suicide bombing in the Medina that afternoon. A man had gone into a restaurant frequented by tourists and had set off a nail bomb. 14 people were killed and the middle level of the restaurant was blown completely out. We were scared, but extremely lucky that we had not been near that area. Tourists were advised to stay clear of the medina, and we definitely did.

Cafe Argana and...

Cafe Argana, post-bomb

Luckily, we were distracted the following day first by the royal wedding on the only english channel we got in our apartment, BBC News (how appropriate!), and then we popped off to the spa for a traditional Hammam. In a hammam, you get to sit in a steam room, then you get scrubbed down very thoroughly by a woman, washed up, covered in a body mask, rinsed down, and then you get to sit in a robe and contemplate how many layers of skin you just lost. It was so fabulous!

I call this "Cat and an Old Car" prints on sale now!

We spent the next day taking a road trip over the atlas mountains to see Aït Ben-Haddou, a kasbah that is also a Unesco World Heritage Site. The trip through the mountains was beautiful, the kasbah was gorgeous, and had amazing views, and it was nice to get out of the town for a day. Note #1: Marraech really is not a town that needs more than 3-4 full days to get the feel of it. A week was more than we needed. Thus the day trip!

Oh hi! We're in the Mountains! That's a small kasbah behind us!

Gorgeous Mountain

Love the desert!

UNESCO knows their stuff...

View from Aït ben-Haddou

other view from Aït ben-Haddou

On top of the World

Architecture of a Kasbah

How quaint! Gotta love those mountain towns!

The last few days of our trip included wandering through the souks (markets) and bartering for deals, eating amazing French and Moroccan food, finding the only places in Marrakech that sold wine and doing our part for the Moroccan wine industry, and laying out by the pool on our last day, which happened to be one of the only sunny days we had. Note #2: Rain follows me wherever I go. I may need to see someone about this. It's starting to become an issue.

A street off the souks

beautiful

I loved this chair

Emma is Bedouined-up and ready for a desert adventure!

The outside of a school

getting rained on!

I love the sun...

To sum up, Morocco is an amazing country! Yes, there were some scary bits (bombing, and the taxi drivers were a bit of a treat), and some annoying bits (being blonde and white in an Arab country=men shout to you and yell inappropriate things no matter HOW loose and demure your clothing is). But overall, the people were fantastic, the food was a treat, and being so ensconced in such a completely different culture is such an eye opening experience. I love it.

Proof that terrorism is not acceptable no matter what your religion

I wish you all beautiful life and beautiful travels.
<3 Kim

I blend right in...

April prepares her green traffic light and the world thinks 'Go'

2011-04-26T03:11:00.000-07:00

~Christopher Morley, John Mistletoe

For all the horrible, terrible, soul-sucking months of winter that Scotland throws at those of us who live here, once spring comes, you start to forget just how bad the winter was in a haze of vitamin-D induced euphoria. Then there are the flowers. The lovely, lovely flowers...

And the sun! And trips to the Royal Botanic Gardens! And...and...what was I complaining about all those months?

Today I'm off to Morocco for a week. I'm feeling very calm. No rush, no last minute worries. This is what happens when you take afternoon flights instead of 6 am flights. I need to remember this, and plan my future travel accordingly.

So prepare for a taste of Northern Africa next time I write! And everyone enjoy the Royal Wedding! I myself will be sitting in the Marrakesh medina watching snake charmers at that time...

<3 Kim

Londres otra vez y en primavera

2011-03-30T10:32:00.000-07:00

Time marches on and it’s another blog written from another train headed south…March almost over, the clocks have sprung forward, and the mythical sun has deemed the British Isles worthy of her presence.

It’s about time, eh? This winter was definitely loooooonger than the last two I spent in Edinburgh. Multiple reasons for that, I know, and many of them explicitly NOT related to the weather or the position of the earth in relation to the sun. Luckily for me, the first day of spring also corresponds with my birthday, meaning that I am able to ring in new life for the earth with a new year of my own life. Poetic, I’m sure. There are cherry blossoms on the trees outside my window as the train crawls into York station, a lovely pink burst of new life. I love flowers, and have started buying them for my flat on a regular basis. I usually buy the ones that are close to their Tesco “expiration date”, both because they are strongly discounted and because I feel like these beautiful buds deserve the chance to brighten a home just as much as the newer ones. There is nothing WRONG with these flowers, but they have been deemed as having a shorter life span then their packaging claims, or else one bud has snapped off and the bouquet is deemed too damaged to be sold full price.

Fittingly reminiscent of our cultural obsession with youth, I think. We want the youngest, most flawless people in our movies and TV, and we want the least damaged fruits-flowers-pets-cars-partners. Personally, I cannot comprehend a life of perfectly undamaged goods. How boring and lacking in character! Character is the one thing that we continue to develop throughout or lifetime, slowly formed by every experience, run-in, and life-affirming event we dance through. The minute we are born we slowly begin to die, one day, one year at a time. It is what we do with the life between birth and death that defines us, and the people and things that we cherish that will remind others of us once we are gone. And if you think about it, all of our worldly goods, no matter how new and shiny and perfect they are now, will someday end up in what anthropology calls a ‘midden’, which is really just another name for a DUMP, mingled with other material goods into a stratified history of society that future archaeologists will dig through with careful excitement, hoping to find the secrets of a society long gone, lost in the sands of time.

Now, I’m not trying to preach about the evils of consumerism. (Anyone who has ever helped me move or stored boxes of my belongings when I move overseas knows that I am a leeeetle bit of a packrat.) I’m just saying, we should value the things we own, see the beauty in items that have already lived one life and still have life left in them instead of immediately throwing them out when the newer model comes out. Think about how ugly the world would be if we were constantly tearing down old buildings to build new, more structurally relevant ones? Or fervently fixing any flaws or cracks that creep into our useful possessions? There would be no amazing Roman architecture left from the time before Christ to draw millions of people into Rome each year, no cracked Liberty Bell to remind us of the struggles that our ancestors went through in order to build a new nation.

This week my family is emptying out my Grandparent’s house in South Carolina to get it ready for rental. A sad, nostalgic time spent revisiting Al and Helen’s past through their material possessions. Unbearably emotional for my parents, Aunts, and Uncles; and unbearably emotional for me, because I cannot be there to help them and to touch the physical remains of my grandparent’s lives together as they were left by my Grandma when she left for the west coast in 2009, not knowing that she would never return to her home. Now the life that was so neatly stored and displayed and lived in the house by the lake will be boxed up and moved to Seattle, for my Grandmother to have near her and for the family to take to their respective homes, bringing new life and purpose to old items that hold memories and sentiment of the last 83 years of my Grandmother’s life and the too-short life that my Grandfather lost 15 years ago.

How much will these items lose by being moved from their home? Will the shadow of sentiment diminish with the passage of hands and time? Yes. But I know that my family will try its hardest to retain the most meaningful pieces, the most fabulous memories, for years to come.

This has turned into a much more depressing and wandering piece than I initially intended. I was going to share news of my birthday, news of the arrival of spring. But I suppose in a circuitous way I have done both of those things. I am 27 years old. I have ushered in spring with the addition of another notch in the belt of my life. And I will, I know, continue to live, continue to collect items of consequence and (hopefully) of character. This is what we as humans do. We give meaning to the most meaningless events and we attach emotion to the most lifeless items. But it is our choosing of these items, our reactions to these events that make an impact.

Remember this the next time you casually toss out an old scarf, or carelessly knock a chip out of your dining room table. Or when you walk past the discounted flowers at the grocery store. What material goods do you want to define you, to define our culture 300 years from now? Would we treat items with such careless abandon if we knew that someone, somehow, would be able to equate their state of being with us personally when they are dug out of the midden? I don’t know…

But I do know that this plastic inflatable man will not be the defining object in my life. He was a good party favour, but I’m pretty sure I won’t be leaving him in my closet for my future family to find when I have gone.

A birthday "gift" haha

<3 Kim

In Like a Lion...

2011-03-13T03:00:00.000-07:00

If by "lion" you mean freezing hurricane-like winds, snow, and hail then yes, March has definitely roared right across Scotland for the past 13 days like a big freakin' African lion!

This is what the weather has felt like lately

It started off ok, with a few days of sun and temperatures ABOVE 40º (practically summer, in my book!), but the arrival of my friend Sylvia straight from the scorching summer heat and sun of South Africa brought the Edinburgh winter back for a few more weeks. You know, just in case Sylvia needed some instant winter gratification. I was much nicer to Sylv, welcoming her back with wine and a blood orange olive oil cake instead of Baltic breezes.

The cake was amazing, I highly recommend trying olive oil cakes. They are like a pound cake, but with oil instead of butter. They are amazingly moist but light, and the mix of fruity olive oil and blood orange makes this an amazing treat. Especially topped with a zingy glaze and some fresh fruit. Oh the yum!

Back to March...

I always connote March with spring, mild temperatures, flowers starting to break through the ground, lighter clothes and lighter days. Alas, that is the March of California. Here, March brings hope after the long, cold, dark Northern winters. It also brings this:

Makes you scared to go outside, eh?

So even though the weather outside is frightful, having friends and parties is so delightful! As the Anthro girls slowly trickle back into the country, and the sun slowly starts rising earlier in the morning and setting later in the day, life is getting a little bit better. It is easier to raise your head to see what is ahead of you when you aren't burdened by eternal night. This is especially important as I will be celebrating my official entry into my late 20's next week, and birthdays are a time for focusing on the future.

Persian Dinner Party with Kate, Siobhan, and Sylvia

I always find it easier to take on lifestyle changes when it's brighter outside. So fingers crossed for some healthier living this spring! If March has come roaring in like a snowy white lion, I hope I can channel that energy to help me focus on myself, my Spanish, and my goals for the future! That is the kind of lion I want to have surrounding me for the next 18 days, until April can take over with it's own special nuances and age old adages...

Happy Weekend!

<3 Kim

2 down, 10 to go!

2011-02-28T12:38:00.000-08:00

Months that is, in 2011.

I cannot believe that tomorrow it will be MARCH! Third month of the year, full of fabulous things, like Mardi Gras, the beginning of spring, and my birthday! It seems like New Years was just a few weeks ago, and living through January and February is the hardest part of the year in Edinburgh. Dark, cold, miserable, and seemingly never ending, it makes me so excited to know that the literal darkest part of the year is over!

The other day I saw a flock of birds flying North, and the sun has been shining on Edinburgh for three whole days! Hope springs eternal! I am so excited to not have to wear boots 24/7 any longer! And it is amazing how much brighter everyone's outlook is when the sun returns!

I have really enjoyed the past month, writing and catching everyone up on the last 10 months of my life. I hope you have enjoyed it as well, and while I cannot upkeep a daily blog, I will try my hardest to write as often as I can!

He had been eight years upon a project for extracting sunbeams out of cucumbers, which were to be put into vials hermetically sealed, and let out to warm the air in raw, inclement summers. ~Jonathan Swift

Happy End of Winter!

<3 Kim

Resolutions

2011-02-27T09:21:00.000-08:00

In January I decided to make some of the dreaded resolutions for the year.

A desire to better oneself is normal in January, right? After two months of gluttony, revelry, and debauchery what could be better than some introspection into the things about ourselves that we want to change? Although that introspection may make you want to dive into a bottle of wine to pretend you never ventured into the dark territory of self-improvement and never saw the bits of yourself that are going to be HARD to change.

I have one or two hard ones, but some of the rest were much easier to take on.

Actively learn Spanish
Cook or bake a new recipe every week
Start writing again
Learn how to make really good yeast bread.

Spanish? Check! I'm really enjoying my Spanish class, and I am definitely looking forward to going further with the learning. I would love to do some immersion learning time in a Spanish speaking country to help me become fluent!

New recipes? I'm doing pretty good here too...It can be hard to remember or take the time to follow a new recipe, especially when you're tired/don't have the ingredients/just want to make your basic stand-by dish to get dinner over with! So I usually try to cook or bake something new on Sunday, when I have more time to do so.

Start writing again? Check! Not only have I been doing the blog, but check out my theatre review from Richard III:
http://www.playstosee.com/page.php?sad=play&id=104

Learn how to make yeast bread? errr...It's too soon to tell. I have issues with yeast breads. The wee buggers don't seem to like me enough to want to rise! Soda bread serves me well, but I really want to be able to make my own baguettes! Good thing there is still plenty of time left in the year!

So we'll see how the rest of the year goes! If all goes well, I'll be able to write a whole blog without using a translation website, and I'll get through the hundreds of saved recipes that I've been wanting to make for ages! And maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to stop buying bread! :-)

Happy Sunday!

<3 Kim

New Year...New York

2011-02-26T09:32:00.000-08:00

As I was winging my way east towards Manhattan on December 29th, the two people who I was flying to New York to spend New Years with were in two very unideal predicaments.

The blizzard on Manhattan stopped Yara, who lives there, from getting back after christmas. She was stuck in London until the 30th. Adam, coming from Scotland to meet us, had his flight cancelled and had to fly to Boston before taking the Greyhound up to meet me in New York.

Luckily, my lovely cousin Autumn had gotten back to New York before the blizzard, and she was able to save me from sleeping in the airport for the night! After many hours of ridiculousness that I won't bore you with, I arrived in Manhattan after midnight, keeping my poor cousin awake far later than I should have gossiping.

The next day, after a bagel and coffee at my FAVOURITE bagel place in NYC, I wandered the city before picking up Adam at the Bus station, we then whiled away some time in a bakery where I introduced him to the magic of sweet potato-pecan pie before Yara arrived.

Tal's Bagels...yum!

See...Sweet potato pecan pie!

Adam falls instantly in love

Ah, the magic of friends reunited after a long absence! I'm sure Yara's neighbours thought we were all insane. We are a dangerous force when we're together. That night we had dinner and dessert with Autumn at some amazing places who's names I will never remember, followed by a day walking the city, visiting too many after-Chrstmas sales, and getting ready to ring in 2011.

Cousins!

For the festivities, Yara had arranged for the three of us, plus seven of her friends, to have dinner, plus an open bar, and dancing with a DJ at a restaurant on the lower east side. It. Was. Brilliant. The food was amazing, the company was too much fun, and the music kept us going all night long!

Yara, The Birthday Boy, and Faha

Champagne and party favours

Our whole group

<3

On the way home we had to amuse ourselves waiting for the few and far between night subways to arrive...

Hey there Homeless man!

What way? THAT WAY!

hmmm...

How you know it's the end of the night...

New Years Day was celebrated with some greasy food, Central Park, and the Guggenheim Museum...a good mix for those of us that felt less than 100% after too much champagne.

New Years Phone calls with the parents

Colouring while we wait for food!

Central Park

Aww my loveys!

The Gugg

The amazing exhibit we saw

That night we got to meet some of Adam's friends who live in NY, and I got to see Autumn again. The food was memorable only for it's lack of deliciousness, but it was a nice relaxed way to spend my last night.

The next day I flew home. After one last bagel and a stop at Bloomingdales, I cried my way through one last call from my parents, a bus and subway ride, and through the last goodbyes at security.

It was a fabulous way to ring in the New Year, and helped me realise that as much as I love the west coast, New York really is pretty awesome!

Back in the Review Seat

2011-02-25T10:26:00.000-08:00

Tonight I'm going to review Shakespeare's Richard III for the website I do theatre review for, PLaystosee.com. I haven't reviewed anything in AGES, and I've never read nor seen Richard III...So I need to do some research!

Oh, Wikipedia, how I love thee!

"Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591, depicting the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England...It is widely considered to be one of Shakespeare's greatest plays.

After Hamlet, it is the longest play in the canon...The play is rarely performed unabridged; often, certain peripheral characters are removed entirely. In such instances extra lines are often invented or added from elsewhere in the sequence to establish the nature of characters' relationships. A further reason for abridgment is that Shakespeare assumed that his audiences would be familiar with the Henry VI plays, and frequently made indirect references to events in them, such as Richard's murder of Henry VI or the defeat of Henry's queen Margaret."

Hmmm...should be interesting! I've never seen nor read ANY of Shakespeare's histories. I hope it is as interesting as his other stories!

I'm looking forward to doing this again. I've missed using that part of my brain! If only they would pay me...haha oh well...

Ok off to the Theatre!

<3 Kim

Finally!

2011-02-24T10:30:00.000-08:00

Some decent Mexican food in the UK!

London made my night last night! Well, Adam did, because as we walked by this place he was like "that's supposed to be the best Mexican food in London" so of COURSE we had to go! And it was good!

Called Tortilla, I would equate it to a Baja Fresh or Chipotle. Yes, I know, it isn't Mexico-Mexican, but it's CALIFORNIA-Mexican which is just as good in my opinion!

I got a Carnitas burrito bowl, and Adam got a Pollo burrito. To wash them down we got cold Pacifico beers. It was just like being at home! I never see Mexican beer here either, so it was a double happy surprise! There were pictures on the walls of Mexican restaurants and Taquerias throughout California, which was kind of funny, but also fitting. At least they were admitting to be what they were: A California Fusion Mexican joint! I loved it!

So even though my train was cancelled, then delayed, and it is London Fashion week so there were SO MANY people everywhere, I got my own little piece of tastiness that reminded me of home! Good times!
Delicioso!

<3 Kim

Goin’ to the End of the Line!

2011-02-23T08:54:00.000-08:00

Well it’s alright, everything will work out fine, well it’s alright, we’re goin’ to the end of the line…maybe someday down the road a-ways (at the end of the line) you’ll think of me and wonder where I am these days…

OK so The Travelling Wilburys probably weren’t referring to the East Coast Rail when they wrote that song, but today, I am riding to the end of the line! Edinburgh Waverley to London Kings Cross, to be precise. I have a meeting this afternoon, and I usually go by plane, but the flight times weren’t very good, and as my boss is out of the office, so I’m going by train this morning and back by train tomorrow.

Edinburgh Waverley-London Kings X

Travelling by train is such the norm for people in the UK and Europe. Trains are fast, (mostly) efficient, and easier than flying. You are taken from cit centre to city centre, no need to book it out to Edinburgh airport or schlep it on the tube for an hour into London. I say trains are mostly efficient because sometimes they get delayed, or cancelled, or other such nonsense that irregular travelers handle with panic and regular travelers handle with aplomb.

My train got cancelled this morning. I was supposed to leave at 8 am, arriving in London at 12:45, leaving plenty of time to get to my meeting at the Royal College of Physicians London at Regent’s Park. Now, I will be arriving around 1:45 for my 2:00 meeting, and will have to grab a cab to Regent’s Park so I’m not late. Oh well. Such is life.

Well it’s alright, Remember to live and the live, the best you can do is forgive …

One plus to the train is that you get some nice views. Living in the middle of a city, even a small as Edinburgh, you start to miss the wide-open spaces and views of nature. The English countryside is quite flat, green, and welcoming. Today, as I roll along down the East Coast, there is a light fog resting over the hills, melding into the North Sea, blending the grey sea and grey water-heavy air into a thick blanket of cotton wool, so you almost forget that the edge of the earth is even that close. Then we move inland from Berwick-upon-Tweed*, and small copses of scraggly trees pop up ever half mile, seemingly random gatherings across the countryside. The fog follows, creeping it’s fingers through the leafless trees, but not quite obscuring the fresh green grass, holding in it’s tiny stalks the promise of spring, another six weeks away.

Entmoot in action over to the left? Also, please note the boy sleeping in the reflection...haha

The tree gatherings remind me of the Entmoot in the Lord of The Rings, Twin Towers**. If these trees met together to talk, I imagine they would sound like some of the most notable of Brits: A willowy but strong Dame Maggie Smith, a charming yet bald-topped Patrick Stewart, a stalwart, deep-rooted Brendan Gleeson, a straight-standing Colin Firth, a roguish and leaning Rupert Everett, and a slightly skewed but beautiful Helena Bonham-Carter.

What would this Brit-Entmoot discuss you ask? Probably the news from their various corners of the UK and Ireland, and the controversial new development of a possible high-speed line between Birmingham and London, cutting through some of the most pristine land left in England.

“Luckily”, Maggie would say in her clipped Scots drawl, “Scotland still has the monopoly on natural beauty in the UK.”

True story, Dame M! Way to represent for the Scots!

As you can tell, the mind wanders on the train…Especially since East Coast Rail has cancelled the unlimited wireless service that they used to have. Probably a good thing overall, but it means that I am unable to get any work done….ah well! Instead I am listening to the family next to me discuss the horrors of Facebook and Twitter (I agree, for the most part, but would be lost from so many people without Facebook!)

The sun is failing to break through the fog and there is still a gentle haze, like a soft focus lens covering the countryside, allowing the meandering streams, soft rolling hills, quaint towns, and spindly trees to retain some of their mystery as the behemoth train charges through their territory, ripping the air open with a roar of the engine and the rhythmic clack of the wheels on the tracks.

Well it’s alright even if the sun don’t shine, well it’s alright, we’re going to the end of the line!

Update: My train got into London 15 minutes late. Making me late to my meeting. So stick with your cars, America. These trains are only good for a casual trip through the countryside and the occasional Ent Moot spotting.

Hasta luego,

Kim

*pronounced “Berrick”

** An Entmoot is a meeting of the Ents, or treeherders, to discuss very important things (AKA the attack of Isengard/War against Saruman.) Don't judge me! :-)

It's only Tuesday?

2011-02-22T09:48:00.000-08:00

This week has been a bit manic, and it's still only Tuesday!

I actually just had to stop and send an e-mail right as I finished that first sentence. I'm tired. haha

It's been a busy work week, and tomorrow I'm off to London on the 8 am train for a meeting in the afternoon. I'll spend the night, getting a chance to catch up with my good friend Adam, then come back to Edinburgh on the 8 am train on Thursday. Then straight to work. Then I think I'm reviewing Shakespeare's Richard III on Thursday night.

Now I'm even more tired. Is it Friday night yet?

Esta noche, mi clase española está en 7 p.m. El sigh. :-)

Ever wonder why life is either brainlessly boring or ridiculously busy, why there is no in between? The universe is laughing at me right now...

<3 Kim

Christmas in Cali

2011-02-21T11:54:00.000-08:00

I was only able to take one trip back to America last year. Once was not enough. It's a shame my transporter hasn't come through the mail yet...

Sunrise in Simi Valley

But it was a really good trip! I arrived on a sunny afternoon, and proceeded to enjoy a further two sunny days until...

A sunny day for a hike

...the rain hit. And stayed. For a week and a half. I come to Southern California for two and a half weeks out of 52 and it rains. That's what you call irony.

But I did get to enjoy a lot of time with friends, family, and the magic of Disneyland at Christmas!

My Dar Dar

Yay!

Haunted Mansion

Space Mountain!

I was also lucky enough to see my Friends James and Nathan perform with their band, The Terns. They're all sorts of fabulous. :-)

The Terns

The annual Barnes family get together was a lot of fun, and it was so nice to see all the family! Even though they kept making fun of the way I talk now! (you know who you are! hahaha)

Grandparents! awww!

The Fam!

Love my cousins! (and those not pictured too!)

I got to spend some time outdoors, despite the weather, and my Dad and I were able to go hiking and kayaking, two of my favourite things!

Christmas Eve Hike

Coffee and Kayak, what more do you need?

Sea Lions sunning

Grant's Park in Ventura

For Christmas, I made a Middle Eastern meal for my parents, brother and Auntie Peggy. Delicious, and not too heavy. Which was good after weeks of indulgence!

Wearing our cracker crowns around our Middle East Feast!

Right before I left, My mom and I took Auntie Peggy to a surprise Afternoon Tea á la Britain. It was lots of fun, and soooo tasty!

Ladies that lunch

Cute tea cups!

It was sad leaving California, but it was made a smidgeon easier by the fact that I left California to go to New York. That, and the fact that I met Paula Deen at LAX and was able to act like a silly fan right in the middle of the bathroom. Special. But she was so nice!

On to New York!

California Girls

2011-02-20T10:30:00.000-08:00

We're unforgettable!

At least, according to Katy Perry we are...And I really like Katy Perry, and people always act so impressed when I tell them I'm Californian, so I'm going to assume that it's true!

It still amuses me that people hold such preconceptions about America, and California especially! The two most common conversations that I have with people about where I'm from are as follows:

Conversation #1

Random person "OMG you're from California! What part?"
Kim "about 20 minutes from LA"
Random "So do you see famous people like ALL the time"
Kim "Um, no. I'm not really looking for them though. I've seen a few. Oh, but I met Paul Deen at LAX over Christmas"
Random "Who?"
Kim "She's a cooking celeb in America"
Random "oh...ok"
Kim (internal groan) "But I live pretty close to where the Kardashians live. A girl I went to high school with actually works for them."
Random "OMG that is so COOL!"

*sigh*

Conversation #2

Random Person "You're from California? So why would you ever move here?"
Kim "I came here to do my Master's degree, and decided to stay for a bit to work."
Random "If I lived in California I would never leave! Don't you miss the sun?"
Kim "Errr...right. Yes I do, especially during the winter."
Random "Wow. I would love to live in California. Let's switch places."
(note: I live in the same place as this person...which 'place' are we switching?)

*sigh* again

It's kind of funny, and doesn't bother me, I just wonder whether I'm not living up to my potential as a Californian Celeb-Spotter and whether I've insulted the state in some way by moving away? It just goes to show how romanticised a place becomes through the lens of the media, or through the rose coloured glasses of tourists! It was the same sort of preconception that convinced me to move to Scotland, and specifically to Edinburgh, over anywhere else in the UK. After a time, you realise that no place is magical on it's own, it is the gloss of newness and difference from our known world that makes a place mystical and special. Los Angeles is a shiny, glamourous place, yes, but that's a tiny part of California, and California has a lot of problems. And Scotland is gorgeous, and some parts are still magical (Seriously...everyone should go to the Highlands!) but it's a nation-state just like any other, with amazing people and places, and problems of it's own.

My point? I love being from California, and I'm equally happy that I am able to take some of the magic of Scotland, and a Scottish perspective, into my being. I am not just a Californian, I am a traveller and an Honorary Scot.

Can I get that on my passport?

<3 Kim

Yo-yo-yoga

2011-02-19T12:25:00.000-08:00

Today I tried a new style of yoga. I usually do a class of Hatha yoga. This type of yoga is typified by the use of breathing, meditation, and postures to relax and to purify the body. I love this kind of yoga, especially when it's Vinyasa Hatha yoga. In this class, you move from one pose to the next with synchronised breathing and movement. Sun salutations are a basic vinyasa that most classes use to start the class and get you warmed up. This yoga is more of a 'workout', and you can work up quite a sweat if it's a fast vinyasa class.

Today, I was feeling much more yoga-y than usual, and decided to try a 90 minute Iyengar yoga class. According to Wikipedia (yes I googled Iyengar before I went to the class), Iyengar yoga is "a form of yoga known for its use of props, such as belts, blocks, and blankets, as aids in performing asanas (postures). The props enable students to perform the asanas correctly, minimising the risk of injury or strain, and making the postures accessible to both young and old. The development of strength, mobility, and stability are emphasized through the asanas."

Sounded interesting...In my head, I was picturing this:

But knowing that this is NOT India, and that this would mostly be a class for older people, I figured I would risk it.

The class was definitely different. Each pose was done carefully and with precision. Held for longer than you would in other forms of yoga to ensure precise posture and execution of each pose. The instructor explained why and how to open the chest, turn the leg this way, pull up the spine, etc. The pace is slow and deliberate and calm. The room was lovely warm and quite, and it was a peaceful experience. You don't have to use props in Iyengar unless you need them, and luckily I didn't really need them as I'm quite flexible. Until we got to the shoulder stand...

Now, I do these all the time, but the instructor INSISTED that we use blocks under our shoulders and necks and a belt around our arms. Talk about weird. and awkward. the instructor had to put the belt on for me once I was halfway in the pose. The band pins your arms together behind your back, allowing what? I have no idea. But I'm pretty sure it was the best shoulder pose I've ever done.

I left the class feeling relaxed and happy. So even though I think I'll stick to Hatha, and regardless of weird belts and slow moves, it was a nice way to start the day.

Namaste!
"The Divinity within me perceives and adores the Divinity within you."

<3 Kim

Let It Snow...

2011-02-18T10:18:00.000-08:00

So remember how it snowed on my proverbial Thanksgiving parade? Well...The Uk decided to take up the theme and turn it into a country-wide event. It snowed. And snowed. And snowed. Airports closed and remained closed. Trains were delayed and cancelled. Buses were delayed, rerouted, and swerved up and down the roads. Streets didn't get gritted, as there were not enough gritters to get the entire bloody country. Sidewalks came after the streets, and were therefore more treacherous to walk on than the roads. People couldn't get into work, so it was pretty quiet in the office. Quiet is synonymous for boring. It was far from ideal.

At least it was pretty though...

If there is any one thing that makes me want to leave the UK, it is snow. The snow compacts into ice, and everything is uncomfortable and everywhere is hard to get to. Add to this temperatures of -16º c and really, all I wanted to do for the two weeks between Thanksgiving and leaving for California was cuddle on the couch with tea, comfort foods, and delay the need to leave the flat as much as possible.

And to be fair, although the snow has left *knock on wood*, it's still cold and gross. The couch awaits me! :-)

Have a good night!

<3 Kim

Braindead

2011-02-17T10:21:00.000-08:00

My brain has vacated the premises due to exhaustion. I shall return in witty and verbose form tomorrow!

Until then, take this opportunity to think of any question about life in the UK that you would like answered. Why are their teeth so bad? Why are they so obsessed with keeping calm and carrying on? Why do they add unnecessary letters to words like 'hemmorhage' or 'pediatric'? (haemorrhage? paediatric? really?!?)

Buenos Noches,

Kim

Thankful for...

2011-02-16T10:35:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving!

I decided to throw another Thanksgiving dinner last year after the one in 2009 was such a success. And because I love Thanksgiving. The food, the sentiments, the camaraderie! This year I invited quite a few people, thinking that only a few would be able to make it, since this is around the time that people are studying for exams and the like.

Little did I know, the idea was so popular that I had 12 people RSVP to come! I think the novelty of a holiday called "Thanksgiving", the need for a good get together, and the fact that I made it into a potluck in which people could bring traditional or non-tradiitonal items made this an irresistible event! As it was, I was the only American there, and almost everyone asked me what kinds of traditional food they should bring. They all wanted to get into the Thanksgiving spirit!

I borrowed chairs and tables from my work, set everything up all nicely, basted a turkey, made two kinds of stuffing, a pumpkin pie and pecan pie, and chilled some cava. And then...

The snow hit. A few people had to cancel as the buses weren't running in some parts of town. I was so glad though that so many people DID still show up though! There were East African International Relations Students (x2), A Belgian IR student, Greek Lawyers (x3), and English working girls (x2). It was a great mix of people!

They came bearing potatoes, roasted vegetables, homemade cranberry sauce, more pies, baklava, wine, and smiles galore! I wish I had gotten photos of everyone, but alas, hosting requires mucho attention!

The Table

Me and the Turkey...She performed very well!

The food was amazing, the conversation was top notch, and the debates with the Greek Lawyers were highly enjoyable (for me, at least!)

Debating...obviously I was making a point here!

Two of my favourite things...wine and Pumpkin pie!

We even went around and talked about things we were thankful for!

Good Holiday, good times! Only 9 and a bit months to the next one!

<3 Kim

So what's this...Myanmar?

2011-02-15T12:10:00.000-08:00

Actual conversation had yesterday at my work after a meeting about International Strategy:

Unnamed person (UP): So...what was this Mee-ann-maaar he kept talking about?
Me: Um, you mean Myanmar. It used to be Burma. Now it's called Myanmar.
UP: Oh, so how do you spell that?
Me: M-Y-A-N-M-A-R (In my head thinking, OBVIOUSLY you never read any of the papers that you EDIT before they go out because Myanmar was mentioned multiple times in the paper for this meeting)
UP: You are so good at this
Me: um, thanks.

All I can think is, this is either an empty sentiment, or one that is slightly insulting if the UP thinks that knowing how to spell Myanmar is one of my most impressive traits.

I won't even get into the conversation about how the UP "couldn't find India on a map to save their life"

Welcome to my job.

But on a happier note, I've been thinking about all the countries I still want to visit. At the present time, these are (in continent-based order):

Canada
Costa Rica
Cuba
Puerto Rico
Jamaica
Haiti

Brazil
Chile
Argentina

Morocco
Egypt
Ethiopia
Ghana

Israel
Syria
Lebanon
Jordan
Iran
India
Thailand
Laos
Vietnam
Cambodia
Malaysia
Singapore
Indonesia
The Philippines
Japan
Tahiti

Russia
Turkey
Greece
Italy
Romania
Hungary
Czech Republic
Sweden
Denmark

Not too much to ask for, is it? Haha...I better keep working s that I can afford all of this!

Any thoughts about this list? Where would you go if you could go anywhere in the world?

<3 Kim

Sunday Funday

2011-02-14T10:41:00.000-08:00

I've decided that there are not enough Sunday night dinner parties in my life. Actually, there aren't enough dinner parties in general, but there is something special about a Sunday night dinner party...

On Sundays people are just so relaxed, and looking for a relaxing evening to prepare them for the work week to come. You drink a little less wine, eat a little less food, and are more content to have a relaxed conversation than you might be on a Saturday night, where the weekend hype is still going strong, the alcohol is flowing a bit more freely and the conversations are off the wall.

Both types of dinner parties are great, but tonight's was just what I needed to ease me into the coming week.

Kate and Emma came over to catch up and chat about our upcoming trip to Morocco. I decided to make a tasty dinner for us all. Seeing as the weather is (still) grossly cold, it had to be comfort food! And what's more comforting than homemade chili and cornbread? Not much, methinks!

Kate and Emma

I made the chili vegetarian, using three types of beans instead. Adding a bit of coco powder along with the chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika gave this chili a great depth and flavour.

The cornbread was the perfect complement, especially with honey butter! And as cornbread is a very American thing, my friends had never tried it. It's always fun introducing people to new foods, and it went over really well!

Mmm Tasty!

So dinner was fab, excitement for Morocco is growing, and now I have leftovers to eat! Yum!

Until Tomorrow,

Kim

p.s. my valentine's day plans are the following:

Meh!

2011-02-13T14:03:00.000-08:00

My computer is running so slow! I was going to write about my dinner party tonight, but can't wait an hour for photos to upload! Must. Get. Sleep.

More tomorrow!

Good night All!

<3 Kim

Smitten...

2011-02-12T10:45:00.000-08:00

Kitchen...Is what I'm thinking about. Because I'm not too sure what to write about today...I'm mostly thinking about all the cooking and baking I need to get done tomorrow...

My flatmate Kate and I are having our friend Emma over tomorrow to discuss our upcoming trip to Morocco in April, so I offered to make dinner. The plan is 3 bean vegetarian chili and cornbread, honey butter, and salad.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/01/hibernation-fare/

I'm also planning to make some treats to take to work on Monday for Valentine's Day...I really WANT to make these:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/02/white-and-dark-hearted-brownies/#more-7169

But don't have the freezer space or time to undertake the whole process (sad day) so I think I'll do some sugar cookies, maybe half chocolate, half regular with red food colouring thrown in, cut with a heart cookie cutter? Gotta live up to my work colleague's expectations of my baked goods! haha

BTW, in case you can't tell, I love Smitten Kitchen! This blog is amazing, and I'm a bit addicted to it...The author Deb, along with posting great stories and recipes, always inserts a photo of her adorable son into each post...he's too cute!

I'll let you know how the food turns out :-)

Hope you're all enjoying your Saturday!

<3 Kim

Brother does Britain!

2011-02-11T12:04:00.000-08:00

Last October brought my brother Derek to the Isle of all things Brit...

Edinburgh Castle and us!

He came to visit with his friend Danielle from his work. She has friends who live in and near London, and obviously Derek has me way up in lil' old Edinburgh.

They landed in London and spent a few days there before heading up to see me, and as luck would have it, I happened to be in London for a meeting while they were there, so I got to spend some time with them before they even got to my part of the Island!

Rabbit Kung-Fu London!

Us in front of Big Ben

When they arrived up in Edinburgh, bundled up against the 'cold', I met them at the train station and we went off for a nice dinner at a French restaurant owned and run by French people who were hard to understand...and I thought the Scottish accents were bad!

It was really nice to have Derek here, and Danielle was a nice contrast to his quiet, easygoing self. She is constantly excited and chatty, whereas Derek is not what you would call overly verbose. :-)

Derek and Danielle in front of Arthur's Seat

I love showing people Edinburgh when they've never been here before, and for Derek it was a chance to do things he enjoyed doing on his last trip, and some new things we never got around to.

Shadows on Calton Hill

These included two great Edinburgh traditions: Afternoon tea and a ghost tour!

Afternoon tea is one of my favourite British activities! You get a pot of tea of your choice, and a three tiered tray crammed full of goodies like sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, and little chocolates, cupcakes, and tarts. Not too shabby for an afternoon "snack". (Although it must be said, after one of these teas, I usually can't eat again until late at night or the next morning!)

Mmmm Tastiness! Nice pinky action!

Tea for two and Coffee for me!

Edinburgh is supposed to be the most haunted city in Britain, and this belief is easily reinforced by the old, winding, cobblestone streets, damp grey weather, buildings older that the United States of America, and the history which is easily accessible from any local in any pub around! Just ask about Mary King's close, and you'll learn all about the fact that during the plague, whole closes (or side streets) were boarded up if the plague was reported with the inhabitants INSIDE the closed up street. Left to die, this was the method for containment. Mary King was an unfortunate victim f this method. A child, she was left to die inside a close right off the Royal Mile. Once the plague passed, and the close was re-opened and cleaned up for new inhabitants, reports of hauntings began to roll in from anyone who lived in Mary King's house. Apparitions of floating limbs, sounds of a child crying, hair pulling by an invisible hand...

Eventually the close was abandoned again, and has been preserved to remain as it was during that time period. Still covered, you can now visit the close and leave Mary King's ghost a toy, as many peple do, to try to appease this sad, lonely child spirit...

Ghost tour faces

We went on one of the tours that takes you into the vaults below the city...talk about creepy! pitch black and full of tunnels and little rooms, it would be so hard to navigate without a guide, and impossible without a flashlight! Many of the ghostly sightings reported tend to be in these vaults, but the ghosts must have been on a break that night, because I didn't see or feel anything. What a shame. (sense my sarcasm).

It was a really nice trip, and made it easier to deal with the fact that I hadn't been to the US or seen my family in TEN MONTHS! But October marked the beginning of the end of the year, and the upcoming holidays...

Until Next Time!

~Kim

Sittin' Waitin' Wishin'

2011-02-10T12:29:00.000-08:00

Here I am, sitting in my office on a Thursday evening, waiting for either A) my boss to get out of her present meeting to tell me what tasks she wants me to do for her in the upcoming days, or B) 6 pm, when I have a Public Liason Group meeting starting. Which will come first? To be honest, it will probably be the 6 pm meeting! And I'm wishing that it was tomorrow at 5 pm, when I would be well on my way home to start the weekend!

What is it about working that turns every single person into a minute-counter, wishing-for-the-weekend person? I'm a firm believer that people should only do jobs that make them happy, but here I am, sitting in a pencil skirt and nylons, waiting for a meeting to start that I will have no interest in. Why do I do it? Well, it's all for the big C.V. Curriculum vitae by name, resumé by trade.

My job drives me nuts atleast 50% of the time, the other 50% can be quite interesting, and I'm finally being allowed to undertake tasks that are somewhat challenging and new (therefore interesting) for me. Is 50% enough for happiness? Definitely not! So what makes the suffering, boredom, and sometimes uncomfortable clothing worthwhile? THIS WILL LOOK SO GOOD ON MY CV!!!! I am getting insider experience into the running of an international educational charity. I am working first hand with the President and CEO of this charity. And as it is my job, literally, to know everything that is going on in all of the different departments, I have a unique view of the inner workings of this College, and the inner NOT workings as well!

So yes, I'm a bit of a hypocrite to my own work ethic. But that work ethic also includes doing the best job I can, doing it efficiently, and realising that sacrifices sometimes have to get made for things to get done. So I'm sacrificing my 26 year old self to the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, with the hopes that someday this will help me land a much better job, in an area much better suited to my personality (and my dislike for rigid work hours). For now, that's got to be enough.

p.s. What happened to the days where you KNEW that you could totally be a ballerina for a living? Career Day was a joke!

<3 Kim

White Girls on the White Sand

2011-02-09T12:56:00.000-08:00

The last part of my trip to Kenya was spent on the Coast of the Indian Ocean in Mombasa. Of all the things to do in Kenya, the three things that I wanted to do the most were 1) See Nairobi, 2) Go on Safari, and 3) go to the beach and get some sunshine!

Nyali Beach, Mombasa

Seeing as the first two parts of the trip fulfilled wishes #1 and 2, And I was there for such a short time, I was so thrilled when Lucy and I figured out a way to also throw in a short trip to the Beach! We arrived home from Safari around 2 pm on Thursday, re-packed, and re-charged electrical devises, and got on a bus at 10 pm to go to Mombasa. Sleeping on a bus is not fun, people, but the price couldn't be beat, and the fact that taking the night bus gave us two full days in mombasa made it worth it! Sometimes on vacation, you have to suffer a bit for something better!

We arrived in Mombasa at 6 am on Friday, and took a collection of tuk-tuks, matatus, a ferry, and a bit of walking and bartering to get to our cottage. It was right on the beach, with a walled garden overlooking the Indian Ocean. Absolutely gorgeous. Full of trees and monkeys, it was a shady respite from the already hot weather. We dropped our stuff, went to breakfast, and then hit the beach.

Tuk-Tuk ride

View from our Cottage

Unfortunately, our pasty whiteness attracted far too much attention, and the Beach Boys were all over us all day. Now, don't be confused, these aren't your Beach Blanket Bingo type Beach Boys, they are charming, young men who speak every language a tourist might speak. they try to sell you anything and everything-from carved toys and souvenirs, to drugsd, to their company. If you say no enough, they will leave you alone, and if you get forceful and a bit rude, they'll leave faster. Lucy isn't good at being rude, and so we spent half th morning being chased down the beach.

Eventually, we snuck into one of the resorts lining the shore (the kind where everything is all-inclusive so that outsiders can't buy anything since everything is just charged back to your room). We found a nice girl who was willing to overlook our lack of room number for a hefty tip, and spent the rest of the afternoon soaking up the sun on lawnchairs, taking (fast) dips in the ocean, and eating sushi served to us 20 yards from where the fish was caught. Bliss...

My view from the Beach chair

Sushi and sun in the resort that saved us from the Beach Boys!

Camel ride on the beach anyone?

Snail as big as Lucy's Feet!

...Until we had to leave to return to our cottage. The tide had come in and we were stranded, our part of the beach inaccessable. So we had to sneak into another resort to try to get to the main road.

Unfortunately this time we obviously didn't blend in very well, because the security guard came after us and Lucy had to do some fast talking in Swahili to get us out. Thank goodness for her Swahili skills! Home we went!

That night we ate at the 'African Pot', a Kenyan restaurant. I got to try all of the national dishes, and we were serenaded by a man singing some amazing renditions of Beatles songs alongside a synthesized keyboard. Ah, memories.

Cheeky Banana-stealing Monkey on our terrace!

Fishing boat early in the Morning

The next day, after a run-in with a cheeky monkey who daringly came into our cottage and stole banana peels straight out of our garbage, we headed into Mombasa town. We walked along, finding an amazing bakery for breakfast, and then went up to Fort Jesus. It was built as a defensive fort by the Portuguese fort built in 1593 located on Mombasa Island to guard the Old Port. It is built in the shape of a man, or a large cross. Ownership of the fort went back and forth nine times between the Portuguese, the Muslims, and the Kenyan Government.

One of the four turrets, the oldest part of the Fort is carved out of Coral Reef.

View from the Fort into the bay

Cannon and watchtower

Wall paintings by the Portuguese

After the fort, we were offered a traditional Somali coffee by our Fort tour guide...Somali Coffee aka Nescafe instant coffee. Unimpressed. LOL. So we went off and found a Moroccan coffee house, bliss!

Moroccan Coffee House

We wandered the town some more, and ended up at the spice market/market square. I bought some great spices and scarves. As we were escaping, yet again, from some men trying to get us to visit their friend's shop and fell into a bakery/restaurant owned by the most interesting man. He was schooled in the UK, loves Edinburgh, and has studied religion, anthropology, law, etc. etc. He collects postcards from all over the world, and has some very interesting ideas about life in general. Hanging out in his café for a few hours was a great respite from the city.

That night we caught the bus back to Nairobi, arriving at 6 am. After some sleep and some last minute shopping and visiting, it was time for me to head back to the airport early the next morning. It was sad saying goodbye to Lucy, especially because I didn't know when I would see her again.

Visiting Kenya was one of the most eye opening, beautiful, and exciting vacations ever! Africa is an amazing, dynamic continent, and my trip definitely whetted my appetite to visit more of it, and more exotic places, and I'm so glad that I was able to go while Lucy was there and experience such a big part of her life.

You never know where the world may take you, so always keep an open min and remember this African proverb:

"Tomorrow is pregnant and no-one knows what she will give birth to." - Andrew Uwaoma

<3 Kim

Just Another Manic...Tuesday?

2011-02-08T10:06:00.000-08:00

My plan today was to write about the last leg of my trip to Kenya. My plan was tweaked by the fact that A) I didn't leave work until 5:15, meaning I didn't get to this until 5:45, meaning that I don't have enough time to do a good shake-down for you. and B) I don't have a notebook with me that will provide much needed detail into said third blog on Kenya.

So unfortunately you fabulous people will have to wait until mañana because I am off to mi clase española! Si, I am taking a Spanish class. I'm pretty sure that being able to order another beer and ask for the bathroom is not enough Spanish skill for a girl to have. Thus, to class I go.

So, I leave you with the words of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the man who inspired the name for my blog and who makes me giggle with his introspective yet joking satire on poets:

A Soliloquy Of The Full Moon, She Being In A Mad Passion

Now as Heaven is my Lot, they're the Pests of the Nation!
Wherever they can come
With clankum and blankum
'Tis all Botheration, & Hell & Damnation,
With fun, jeering
Conjuring
Sky-staring,
Loungering,
And still to the tune of Transmogrification--
Those muttering
Spluttering
Ventriloquogusty
Poets
With no Hats
Or Hats that are rusty.
They're my Torment and Curse
And harass me worse
And bait me and bay me, far sorer I vow
Than the Screech of the Owl
Or the witch-wolf's long howl,
Or sheep-killing Butcher-dog's inward Bow wow
For me they all spite--an unfortunate Wight.
And the very first moment that I came to Light
A Rascal call'd Voss the more to his scandal,
Turn'd me into a sickle with never a handle.
A Night or two after a worse Rogue there came,
The head of the Gang, one Wordsworth by name--
`Ho! What's in the wind?' 'Tis the voice of a Wizzard!
I saw him look at me most terribly blue !
He was hunting for witch-rhymes from great A to Izzard,
And soon as he'd found them made no more ado
But chang'd me at once to a little Canoe.
From this strange Enchantment uncharm'd by degrees
I began to take courage & hop'd for some Ease,
When one Coleridge, a Raff of the self-same Banditti
Past by--& intending no doubt to be witty,
Because I'd th' ill-fortune his taste to displease,
He turn'd up his nose,
And in pitiful Prose
Made me into the half of a small Cheshire Cheese.
Well, a night or two past--it was wind, rain & hail--
And I ventur'd abroad in a thick Cloak & veil--
But the very first Evening he saw me again
The last mentioned Ruffian popp'd out of his Den--
I was resting a moment on the bare edge of Naddle
I fancy the sight of me turn'd his Brains addle--
For what was I now?
A complete Barley-mow
And when I climb'd higher he made a long leg,
And chang'd me at once to an Ostrich's Egg--
But now Heaven be praised in contempt of the Loon,
I am I myself I, the jolly full Moon.
Yet my heart is still fluttering--
For I heard the Rogue muttering--
He was hulking and skulking at the skirt of a Wood
When lightly & brightly on tip-toe I stood
On the long level Line of a motionless Cloud
And ho! what a Skittle-ground! quoth he aloud
And wish'd from his heart nine Nine-pins to see
In brightness & size just proportion'd to me.
So I fear'd from my soul,
That he'd make me a Bowl,
But in spite of his spite
This was more than his might
And still Heaven be prais'd! in contempt of the Loon
I am I myself I, the jolly full Moon.

Buenos Noches!

Kim

Safari Shakedown

2011-02-07T13:24:00.000-08:00

The second section of my trip to Kenya was one of those "You HAVE to do this once in your life" Events...A full-on, 100% authentic, African Safari!

When Lucy and I were talking about what to do while I was there, she asked if I wanted to go on Safari. "YES! Of Course!" I said.
"I can get us a deal on a three day Safari" She replied.
"Three days..." I answered with trepidation. "Sooo....you just drive around and look at animals for three DAYS?!?!" (In my mind I was thinking "Oh man, how boring must that be! One day is enough!")

People, I couldn't have been more WRONG!

Going on safari is the best thing ever!

You are taken by a guide, who is all at once your driver; finder of animals; finder of best-possible-view-of-animals; fountain of knowledge for all things Safari, Eastern Africa, and life in general, and your protector from said animals and any sort of unsavoury people who might try to bother you/sell you anything they can on the streets.

The Safari started in Nairobi, our guide picked us up early in the morning and we drove to the Maasai Mara, one of Kenya's many national parks, and one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. On the way, we drove through the Great Rift Valley, which runs from Syria to Mozambique.

Our Safari Bus!

Maasai Warrior by the road

We checked into our campsite, and went off for an evening safari to start the event off right. Right away, I was hooked. Driving around looking for animals is intoxicating! You get a hint of a hoofprint, a shadow by a bush, and that's it- all you can think about is finding the next member of the Big 5 (Elephants, Lions, Water Buffalo, Leopards, and Rhinos).

Outside the tent/cabin

Posing in the Bus, of course

Queuing for Lion-Action

The next day, we left early and spent the entire day int he Mara. We drove all over, seeing all the different aspects of the terrain, and the different animals that call the Mara home during the Wildebeest migration. Serengeti, Mountains, River Valley, all were unique and beautiful.

Ostrich Daddy protecting his eggs

Elephant mudbath

Safari Stunnas!

We were there at the perfect time. The "Circle of Life" is nowhere more true to life than the African plains. The Wildebeests lead the way through their migration. The animals all follow each other, Wildebeests and Gazelles eating the grass, Lions, cheetahs, and Leopards eating the small animals, Vultures and Hyenas eating the carcasses left over...it puts the food chain into a stark relief that most of us fail to appreciate today thanks to Costco and Vons.

Wildebeest Migration...It looked just like the scene in the Lion King, no joke!

Thomson Gazelle, Wildebeest, and Zebras coexisting

Rhino Mom and bebe

Zebras

Water Buffalo

Grant's Gazelle's

Giraffes-My Fave!

Cheetah Mom and Bebe

Hippos!

Our last day, we left the camp around 6 am for an early morning ride. The Lions hunt in the morning, and almost all the animals are more awake in the early hours of the day, choosing to siesta during midday.

Sunrise over the Mara

Chillin' and waiting for some Buffalo!

Awww!

Everything we saw was so much more impressive than anything you see n TV or in a zoo. The animals live their lives, catering to no one but their natural instincts, ignoring the buses full of chattering humans, focusing completely on survival in all its forms. If you want to understand the basic laws of nature, see it in it's purest form, and have a spiritual experience different than any other, I cannot imagine a better way than by immersing yourself into it like you do on Safari.

"There is something about safari life that makes you forget all your sorrows." ~Isak Dinesen

Amazing.

<3 Kim

Party on Down to Kenya

2011-02-06T12:05:00.000-08:00

Best Vacation Ever? Quite possibly. I figured I might as well put that out there right away. Visiting Kenya was one of the coolest, most unique, stimulating, and memorable vacations I've ever taken. Having friends who are undertaking research in exotic locations really does make travelling easier. No excuse, and not time like the present when you have someone there, who knows the culture, and you know they are there for a very limited time.

While I love travelling all over Europe, and I have been to Central America as well, there is something so alluring and daunting about visiting Africa...There is so much tension, passion, volatility, beauty, corruption, diversity, and history throughout, and all of these things permeate the diverse culture groups, nations, and regions. It can be a bit overwhelming (to say the least) to try and understand the historical and current situations in any given country, let alone across the whole African Continent.

Eastern Africa is wholly a different world from Western Africa, Southern Africa, Central Africa, etc. After state lines were drawn, and colonial rule ended, the tensions between cultural groups who had been forced to live under the laws of a country that they had no input in creating, or who had their tribes split across national lines with no thought given to the lives and locales of the native population, grew and strife has been present in varying forms ever since.

My friend Lucy has been living in Nairobi, Kenya since November 2009. She is studying maternal healthcare in refugee groups in Kenya, specifically the Somali refugees who have settled in Nairobi.

I went to visit Lucy in September 2010, arriving at 6 am after a loooong flight!

Miss Lucy et moi

Nairobi is a very diverse city. People come from all over the country, from so many different tribes and regions, to try and earn a living in Nairobi. Full of hope, and crime, and a constant tension between the government and the people, with so many humanitarian organisations all over the place, with impressive wealth and crippling poverty encompassed within abutting neighbourhoods, Nairobi reminds me of any other big city in the world, but it has a dangerous touch and an underlying will to survive and thrive that I think is unique to developing countries.

I really enjoyed driving around the City and seeing all of the unique aspects of life in Nairobi. We visited the Giraffe Conservation Centre, the Elephant Orphanage, and went to a show at the Cultural Centre where we saw performances from lots of the cultural groups across Kenya. It was fascinating to see the recreations of these tribal traditions that have been performed for hundreds of years.

Roadside Shop

At the Giraffe Centre

Mmmm tasty!

At the Elephant Orphanage

The food was also diverse, we ate at a very western bakery and cafe, an Ethiopian restaurant, and bought some of the freshest, most flavourful produce I've ever had in my life for pennies.

One of the most memorable parts of Nairobi though has to be the Maasai Markets. Homemade items of amazing quality and even better prices are laid out stall by stall in a sprawling layout. Sellers chat to you as you walk by, trying to get you to purchase their wares. Bartering is expected, and an art form in Kenya. You never take the first price offered, everything is up for negotiation, and if you're skilled enough you may come away from a stall with three blankets, two bags, a small carved hippo, and a new friend for 2000 shillings. After starting out being offered one blanket for 1000 shillings. It's an exhilarating experience, and one that definitely improves with practice. Lucy is amazing at it, but I was dismal at first, ending the week adequate, but nowhere near as good as she is!

After leaving Nairobi, we headed off on Safari for three days. But that's a whole post of it's own...

On the way to Safari...

The Great Rift Valley

Until then,

Kim

When it's Summer in the City...

2011-02-05T12:04:00.000-08:00

Summer was full of visitors for me...Everyone wanted to get a piece of Scotland in 2010! And really, if you're going to come visit, it's either got to be July-September, or Christmas-New Years. Outside of that, there's a good chance you'll experience the type of weather I was writing about the other day...And the only redeeming factor about the winter visits is that Edinburgh does it RIGHT for Christmas and New Years! They go all out with events, festivals, carnivals, Christmas Markets, torchlight processions, etc.

Moving on, because I know you know how much I hate the crap weather right now, back to the sunny(ish) days of summer!

Early July brought the Lovely Amy and her boyfriend Matt to Edinburgh.

I had never met Matt before, and apparently Amy had told him that he was going to have to impress me. HAHA poor him! But he passed with flying colours, and put up with Amy and I ganging up against him for the week. Smart man. They're first night in town, I hosted a wee dinner party for Amy, Matt, and some of my friends. It was impromptu and tasty, just as a summer dinner party should be!

After spending some time in Edinburgh, Amy and Matt rented a car and drove the highlands for a week. Talk about brave! Amy had to remind Matt what side of the road he was supposed to drive on when he forgot what country he was in...

While Amy and Matt were up north, I had two more visitors for one full day-Dannika and Lara from Seattle!

They were at the tail end of a long European vacation (jealous? I was!) And arrived at my flat tanned and happy at 1 am in the middle of the week. After very little sleep (we hadn't seen each other in AGES!) We spent one very full day wandering Edinburgh, trying to get the feel for the whole city in 24 hours. I think we did a pretty good job. We even got to flirt with a handsome Scottish bartender!
Whoops! Eyes Closed!
After I got my American fix, August brought Lucy and Siobhan back from their respective fieldwork sites for a vacation! It was so good to see my Anthro girls back in Scotland again, but just made us all realise how much longer there was before they were going to be back for good!

It was a fun few weeks though, topped off my a performance by Siobhan's boyfriend Corey's band Earl Grey and the Loose Leaves.

Shib left the next day, and that was also moving day! I left my lovely flat (sniff) and moved into a two person flat with Kate, who I had lived with in my other flat. I really did NOT like the person who moved into my flat, and was so tired of having new flatmates so often, so I decided that the move was for the best. Kate and I get on really well, and the flat is nice a comfy, so I'm not too sad about having left...even though there is no lift and the bus is much farther away...Extra exercise is good right?!?!

Anywho, Kate and I threw a superhero party the week after I moved in. Meet Flame Girl and Lightning Girl!

We're so Fab!

Although it was sad when Lucy and Shib had to go back to Kenya and Poland, I only had to wait two and a bit weeks until I saw Lucy again...this time on her turf...

<3 Kim

The Seven Bridges Road

2011-02-04T12:36:00.000-08:00

"There are stars in the southern sky, southwards as you go, there is a taste of thyme sweetened honey down the Seven Bridges Road."

Is it just me or is that song such a lovely example of a poetic nod to the place we can always call home? When I hear this song, it immediately makes me think of being in California. Yes, I know Steve Young wrote this about The South (capital T Capital S), but in my opinion, this song has such a larger applicability. We all have that place, whether it is the home we grew up in, or the city we feel most kindred to, or anywhere that includes THOSE PEOPLE that just make you feel ok, and comfortable, and when you are in that place, for just a few days, or even minutes, everything is alright with the world. We all need to have this type of home. Not just the place when your possessions reside, but when your heart resides.

"Sometimes there's a part of me, has to turn from here and go, running like a child from these warm stars down the Seven Bridges Road"

Story of my life much?

I feel like I've been "that child" for a long time now...Since last summer I've been thinking quite often about whether, and where, I will make a home. Do I want to stay in the UK? I really have no idea. Am I ready to move back to America? Possibly. Back to California? Again, I really don't know. Every time I hear about someone taking a big step in their life, like getting married, or having a child, or buying a house it makes me feel even more acutely how far I am from any of these things. But does that really matter? We live in such a large, complex world, why do I think that achieving these three 'milestones' will suddenly launch me into adulthood? I have a Master's degree, and numerous years of good work experience. I pay my bills and budget and save money, I travel and I try to do things that will benefit the future that I want. I'm not crystal clear on what that future IS, but I know that it includes travel, and learning, and growing a vegetable garden and writing a book.

Perhaps, like the fluid concept of "home", the concept of "grown-up" is something that doesn't have to be defined in a concrete manner. Perhaps being a "grown-up" is one of those things that no one ever talks about but everyone knows...they know that there is no such thing, and that milestones can be whatever you want, you can buy a house, have a marriage and 1.5 kids, or get three PhDs, live in a box for research, and give birth to another Middle Earth for a future generation to turn into a blockbuster trilogy!

So here's to the dreamers, and schemers, and mortgage-evaders! We need to run like a child from the warm stars of comfort every once in a while, because then when we come back, home really is sweeter...

<3 Kim

Dreich* And Some Weeknight Roasting

2011-02-03T12:08:00.000-08:00

If I needed any reminder that it is still winter in Scotland, today's weather would do it. Snow this morning, followed by hurricane-force winds and driving rain throughout the day and evening. A day for warm boots, long wool coats, and a hat to keep off the rain. "What about an umbrella?" You may ask-Well, they are utterly useless in this country. Why do you think there are so many sheep in Scotland? THEY NEED MORE WOOL!

Although, at least wool is fashionable...

So, back to the topic at hand. Needless to say, I arrived home drookit, lie a hielan shep straight oot the burn!**

The only alternative? A tasty dinner. Cooking helps me relax, and take control after a day of fighting tooth and nail to not get blown straight to Shetland! I spent a good 30 minutes in my Investment Committee meeting today figuring out what I was going to make for dinner...It started like this:

Roasted Eggplant and tomatoes, spruced up with just a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper.

This was the first time I roasted tomatoes, and I have to say, they were AMAZING! They take on a sweetness and depth that fresh tomatoes never have. These do their thing alongside the eggplant, which roasts down into a silky, flavourful bite that anyone who claims to not like eggplant would have to be crazy to resist! Let the eggplant and tomatoes get a bit charred and you have the makings of a stunning antipasto. OR...

You can add the roasted vegetables to some sauteed onions, garlic and artichoke hearts, toss with whole wheat pasta, and mix in some fresh, peppery arugula and creamy British Stilton cheese. 100% awesome. 100% warming and satisfying.

What was the deal with the weather again? Oh...right...who cares?!?!

Á Bientôt,

Kim

Scots Vocab lesson:
*Miserable, cold and wet (weather)
**Dripping wet like a Highland sheep straight out of the stream

Sunny Days and Transatlantic Tears

2011-02-02T11:33:00.000-08:00

AKA, A Tribute to Miss Saab...

May 2010 was the month that my dear friend/flatmate/voice of logic Yara left Edinburgh to move to New York. After two gruelling years in Edinburgh Law School, she was finally free to take on the job of a lifetime: Legal Advisor for the Lebanese Delegation on the UN Security Council. That's right. The United Nations Security Council. That, my dear friends and family is an impressive 25 year old! I have no doubt that if anyone can be the change they want to see in the world, it's her!

At Yara's Going Away Party

Yara is a fabulous person, one of those once-in-a-lifetime friends. I am so lucky to have her, and I'm so glad she came into my life! Being Lebanese raised in Cyprus, Yara, like myself, has a predisposition to sun-worshipping, and a severe dislike for the cold, wet, nasty aspects of life in Scotland. Luckily for us, the last day before her big move happened to be one of the most glorious days of summer! (yes, let's not talk about the fact that we had our summer over and done with by the end of May...sad day!)

The last day...Sunny and warm and the perfect send-off!

At the airport...there are tears in this picture!

I miss this girl like whoa! But I'm so glad that she is doing such amazing things! Overall, I have to thank Edinburgh Law School, the Mediterranean Gastronomic Society, and a questionable Lebanese friend in common for bringing her into my life!

Edinburgh Law School...the Beast!

So let's raise a proverbial glass to my dear friend, and may she have many sunny days to come!

Pierogi with the Pope

2011-02-01T10:06:00.000-08:00

Krakow was the capitol of Poland from 1038 to 1596. The first written record of the city dates to 966 AD, when it was already a notable commercial centre. But legend has it that the city was founded by Krakus, a mythical ruler, who built Krakow above a cave that was occupied by a dragon, called Smok Wawelski. People have been settled there since, and as such, Krakow is an old, OLD place, where myth is intertwined with history, religion is handfast with strong cultural ties, and the deeply engrained traditions of Poland-both on a regional and national level, are blatantly recreated, showcased, and immortalised for the tourists, and (I hope) for the younger generations as well.

There has been a trend in the past 50 years of migration from Poland to the UK. There are strong Polish communities throughout Britain, as many Poles come to the UK riding on the European Union's wave of open workforce opportunities. It was this Diaspora, and their migratory habits, that took my dear friend Siobhan to Krakow for her PhD fieldwork, and which led to me visiting said friend for a long weekend in June 2010!

Oh hi there Shib!

One of my favourite thinga about Europe is that there is so much HISTORY! Everything has a story, or a slew of stories, and in small towns that are over a thousand years old, these stories are are mish-mashed up against together, one leads into another in Krakow as you slowly walk around the main square...the strictly Catholic St. Mary's Basilica is linked to the medieval market filled with flower stalls and "pretzel" sellers, which is linked to the side streets full of Polish and Italian restaurants, and numerous cafés branching off of the main Market square, which can bring you around in a circle until you finally find yourelf bumping up against Wawel Castle where the Pope is buried, and then you're back around to the dragon, who's cave can be seen from the castle.

Said Basilica

The Main Market Square

Wawel Castle...THere are 4 different periods of architecture squished together into one fantastic building

Back in the main square...Art Installation avec Kim and Shib

One of the best things about Krakow is that everything is very inexpensive-not cheap, because the things you buy are amazing quality, but what you get for your zloty is AMAZING! This comes in handy when you're a foodie who half-chooses vacation areas based on cuisine. The pierogis! Steamed, fried, served with bread (or ON bread) and grilled onions! The pretzel bread (which is quintessentially Krakow) that you buy for like 30 cents on the street! The cheese! The ice cream and waffles (and waffle sundaes)! and the vodka!

I love it when coffee comes with a treat! Cafés are a BIG part of daily life in Poland...

I think my face says it all...Fried pierogis served on a PLATE MADE OF BREAD!!! Needless to say the whole thing was not able to be consumed!

At the "Singer Bar" Where every table is a sewing machine table complete with sewing machine...and flavoured vodkas!

The infamous Krakow Bread rings aka pretzels...super cheap and delicious...this is breakfast/snack on the run for the Krakovians (and tourists)!

Ice cream at the amazing Wedel chocolatier in the main square

Even though I only spent three days in Krakow, it definitely gave me a feeling for Eastern Europe, and the unique cultures and sentiments that exist in this part of the world. Communist Socialism has left a hefty mark on Poland, and Catholicism continues to be a dominating influence. With Poland's semi-integration into the EU (they are part of the European Union, but not on the Euro) And the opening of the borders, the influences of Eastern Europe and the West sometimes clash. Religion, sexuality, education, old traditions and responsibilities with new opportunities...It's very similar to what the US went through in the early 20th century...minus the Communist bit, of course. And it's quite exciting to see how the Polish people have adapted to the huge changes of the past 20 years both within their country and outside their borders.

Art installation in an old square

Anti-Krak sentiments?

Kim and Siobhan :-)

Poland was such a great experience, and I would really love to see more of Eastern Europe, Perhaps road trip from Poland down into the Czech Republic, then into Slovenia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and end up in Turkey? Hmmm...Sounds like a plan to me! ;-)

Until next time,

Kim

Overduepost.com

2011-01-29T09:44:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, It's been like 9 months since my last post...I've been uninspired, tired, and then I literally forgot the name of my blog, the e-mail I use for it, and it took me two days to figure it out!

BUT I'm here, and now my Mom can stop saying "you haven't written in SO LONG" (Love you Mom!) because I plan to....wait for it...Blog EVERY DAY for ONE WHOLE MONTH!!!!! Yes, I am going to do a NaBloPoMo! Dumbest acronym ever, but it stands for "National Blog Posting Month" which is actually November, but some people do it all year round, with different themes for each month. And I figure, what better way to get everyone caught up with what I've been up to for the past 9 months, and what better way to kick-start my creative spark? I know, I'm such a smart kid! (er...) But

But still, It's been an insane 9 months...I lost my last close friend in Scotland to the wild streets of New York; I went to Poland; I worked and realised that surgeons aren't as fun as they appear to be on Grey's Anatomy; I got to see two friends from Seattle in Edinburgh; I moved; I took many business trips to London; I went to Kenya; I met some new friends; I hosted my brother who came to visit; I found a new fave author; I threw an Thanksgiving for one American (me) and 9 non-Americans; I realised just how much the UK shuts down for, and how much I hate snow/ice; I spent two weeks in "the worst rain in a decade" in Cali; and I rang in the New Year with two of my favourite people in new York City!

I'll take these Items one at a time, and post some of the thousands of pictures I have (esp. from Kenya), so please be patient, and please accept my apology for being MIA for so long! It wasn't you, it was me! :-)

Until February first then,

Love,

Kim

Shine

2010-04-17T12:17:00.000-07:00

Things, they are a changin'

Last Monday I started a new job. As of 9 am on 19 April, I am the Executive Officer at the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh. In this position, I will be working with the CEO and President, programme managing various projects within the multiple committees of the College of Surgeons, running a few groups of my own, and traveling to meetings and events across the UK as a representative for the college. It is a proper, full-time job, with a nice office for myself, lots of vacation days and lots of opportunities for movement within the college, or into new things with the contacts I will make. It's not exactly what I saw myself doing, but I'm excited and looking forward to the new challenge! So far I like it, the people I work with are all really wonderful, and there is definitely a lot of work to do, but I think I can handle it.

The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

I wanted to stay with the Social Justice Foundation, but because they couldn't get their funding settled, I had to find something else. And now that I'll only have to commute for 15 minutes on the bus within Edinburgh, instead of 2 hours to Glasgow, I'm even more excited!

So now that I'm a full time worker again, and I don't have to worry about things like making the rent, I'm feeling much more confident about life in general. Spring has come with some nicer weather...By "nicer" I of course mean that for every three sunny warm-ish days, there is only ONE rainy cold day! What an improvement!

Soon I'll be looking for another flatmate, as Yara will be leaving at the end of May to move to New York to take up a position on the UN Security Council! I'm starting to get sad about her leaving, but c'est la vie, we all move on eventually. I'm just glad that I have been able to find such a good job, so that I can enjoy the next month until she leaves!

So life continues to shine on, as it should, in the most (un)pleasantly unexpected and anxiously anticipated, deliciously surprising ways.

Until Next Time...

Kim x

Paris, Ma Chérie!

2010-03-29T02:52:00.000-07:00

Bonjour ma famille et mes amis!

Paris: City of Light, love, and my 26th Birthday!

at 6:10 am on March 20, 2010, My friend Yara and I were taking off from Edinburgh Airport, whizzing our way south to Paris for a lovely 4 day vacation. I'm lucky that my birthday falls right at the end of Yara's courses, before she has to start manic studying for her 8 law school exams. I'm also lucky that I have a friend/roommate who is up for the adventure!

Yara and I and the famous tower

Me, Carine, Yara and Roy at my birthday dinner at "Le Loup Blanc" (the white wolf)

We stayed with a longtime friend of Yara named Carine, who is a Lebanese transplant to Paris. And as I soon found out, there are a LOT of Lebanese transplants in Paris...Because Lebanon was a French Mandate for years, there is a strong French influence in Lebanon, including the schools, architecture, place names, and food. And until recently Lebanese were easily able to get French passports when they moved to France. So I actually spent my entire vacation with a group of Lebanese. They were all lovely, very nice and accomodating to the tourists, and spoke perfect English (thank goodness as my French has definitely fallen to the wayside) along with French and Arabic. When they fell into speaking either of those languages, I was able to let my mind and eyes wander, seeing things and noticing parts of the people and places around me that I usually would have missed. So overall it didn't bother me if I had no idea what they were talking about, I was able to get lost in my own little bit of Paris, which is a pretty cool place to be. And It turned out that this allowed me to take some really amazing photos, which I'm glad for, since I rarely focus on the artful composition of pictures, preferring to fill my pics with the people I want to be in each one.

Some of the Lebanese: Yara, Cyrille, Carine, Roy

Paris is a very flat city, with a hill in the north east in the region called Montmartre being the only uphill walking we did. And it was worth the walk! At the top sits the famous Sacre-Coeur Basilica, one of the most breathtaking buildings I have ever seen.

Sacre-Coeur Basilica
Paris is a large city, but you can literally just walk in any direction and see interesting things, both the "tourist attractions" and the more off the track, real places that a bit of willingness to get lost leads you too. This was how Yara and I found a great little shop for breakfast in the Latin Quarter that served crépes filled with cheese, ham, and an egg, The Hôtel de Ville, a hidden gated park, and a shop where I found a beautiful present for my wonderful mom.

This being my second trip to Paris, and Yara's first, we definitely made our way through the entire city. The Eiffel Tower, Champs-Élysées, Notre Dame, The Louvre, Moulin Rouge, Sacre-Coeur, along with a picnic in a park, an hour and a half wait for the best food ever at a locals-only restaurant, and coffee at the café from the movie Amélie.
Inside the entrance to the Louvre
View from the Parc des Tuileries
Outside the Café from Amélie.
The street I want to live on: The street of Bakers!

It was an amazing trip, and I'm so glad I was able to go! It enhanced my memories from my last trip to Paris with my Grandma in 2002, and gave me some amazing memories to build onto my mental picture of Paris with. Sleep deprivation in a bar in the 3rd arrondissement, walking in the rain through the Parc du Champs de Mars, learning random words in Arabic, eating the best Camembert in the world, and singing silly songs on the metro.

Happy Birthday to Me!

I'll write more when I have more interesting shenanigans from life in Scotland. For now, you may have realised that yes, I did get my visa (and passport back) to stay here for two more years. Luckily, or else I would have had to hitchhike to Paris! Work is a tad up in the air, but more on that next time...

Lots of love and Bisous! (kisses)

Kim

New Decade

2010-01-15T10:49:00.001-08:00

November, December, January...speeding along like the train I so often ride these days, blurring the landscape of my life into a melange of colour. Before it was a sea of greens and blues, now it has become a sea of white, shadowed with blue and grey since the entire United Kingdom has been snow-blanketed for weeks.

November wound down with an American style Thanksgiving, complete with an herb-roasted turkey and an international mix of friends. I was the only American present, surrounded by a Lebanese, Mexican, Canadian, Polish-Canadian, and a Kenyan. It was a lot of fun, and nice to share the tradition with non-Americans who had never experienced it before. And Thanksgiving also corresponded with the arrival of the Edinburgh Christmas carnival and Market! I love it!
Panagia, Tim, Alicia, Yara, and Tanya at Thanksgiving
Edinburgh at Christmas

The first weekend of December I headed down to London to see Adam's new life and to go see Regina Spektor in concert. She is AMAZING! It was a really fun weekend, and a good way to get me into vacation mode.

Adam and I at St. Pancras Station in London

My Dance show was the day after I got back from London, and was so much fun! I really missed the rush of dancing on a stage for an audience!
Ready to Perform!

After all this plus working hard at settling into my job, including interviewing some really fascinating people, I boarded a plane and flew south and west for a lovely three week trip to California. I arrived to torrential rain, ironically. Three days were spent in the Bay area visiting family who I hadn't seen in a long time, and the rest of my time was dissected into family-friends-sleeping-work. It was a great trip, and much less stressful than my last visit, since I had more time to do the things I wanted to do.
Darleen, Shawn and I
Christmas Party with Friends

Christmas was great, especially since I hadn't been with my family for Christmas for the past two years. For Christmas dinner I made a Mexican Feast (since I miss real Mexican food so much in Scotland) including home made chicken mole, salmon and shrimp ceviche, chilis rellenos, mexican beans, rice, salsa, guacamole and chips, plus Mexican chocolate pudding. It was a delicious feast! And I ate as much of the leftovers as I could before heading back to the UK.
Grandma and I
The Fam
Christmas Feast

When I arrived back to Edinburgh just in time for New Years eve, I found myself arriving in a winter wonderland. Fat snowflakes fell fast and thick to the ground as I walked to the airport bus. It took forEVER to get home, with all the ice and snow. I have never seen a major city covered with so much snow in my life. I met up with my cousin Stephen later that day, then with my friend Chris and his girlfriend Stephanie. We all went for drinks at a pub on the Royal Mile, then up to the top of Calton hill for the Bells (midnight). They shoot fireworks off Calton Hill, and you have an excellent view from the top across the city and of the Castle, where even more fireworks explode from at midnight. It was beautiful, and exciting. there were so many people, and everyone was yelling out HAPPY NEW YEAR at the top of their lungs.
Stephen, Stephanie, Chris and I on NYE
Happy New Year!

Fire Art Installation on the Royal Mile January First

A few days later I returned to work, and I've been settling back in. The snow and below freezing temperatures have made it hard to motivate myself to leave the house, much less motivate me to take the (slowed and delayed) trains to Glasgow. Luckily, it has FINALLY warmed up to a balmy 46 degrees (7 celsius) and the snow has started to melt.

Frozen Britain taken by satellite

I just sent in my application for my next visa, so please pray and send good wishes my way! I really want to be able to stay here and work for the next two years!

Besides this basic play by play, I don't really have much to add. I'm just trying to plan as far ahead as possible, which tends to be about three days in advance, seeing as work is continuously changing and all travel plans are on hold until I get my passport back with the decision of the UK Border Agency!

I'm reading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy right now, and I read a quote last week which I really liked:

"...if it is true that there are as many minds as there are heads, then there are as many kinds of love as there are hearts." ~Anna Karenina

...something good to keep in mind when we are faced with different people and different choices...we must all act as we see fit, and never judge others for the choices that they make in their own lives. Recognise that love for one is lust for another, logic for one insanity for another, understand this and the world will be a more peaceful place.
Calton Hill

Kim Version 4.0

2009-11-18T17:11:00.000-08:00

Firstly, I apologise for my long, loooooong absence from the blog scene. Ever since finishing my thesis, I have been tossed around from living arrangement to living arrangement, responsibility to responsibility, and from one event to the next like a ship in the middle of a storm. While I feel like I spent a LOT of time having nothing to do since the end of August, I also realize that there was a LOT going on, both in my life and inside of me. Plus, I haven't felt inspired, or the writer's itch in a while. And no one wants to read about my months-long work on the Kim-shaped dent in my red leather sofa, do they? So first I'll give you the basic "What is going on" stuff:

September brought the end of the Edinburgh Festival season...I enjoyed doing Theatre review for the intense two weeks I did it, then there was a major lull until just a few weeks ago when I started reviewing again. I'm hoping to do 1-3 performances a month from now on, and if you want, you can see my reviews here:
http://www.playstosee.com/search.php?txt_search=kimberly+sigmund&search=Search

September also included the visit of my dear Family, and Auntie Peggy. We did all the normal stuff in Edinburgh, visited Glasgow, met some of my closest friends, and spent a few days in the Highlands at my friend's family cabin. It was a nice trip, and I loved being able to show them my life here AND drive a rental car :-)

Outside a Scottish Pub-Kim, Peggy, Derek, Mom, Dad

Bridge over the stream on our hike in the Culags, Northwest Scottish Highlands-Kim, Peggy, Derek

Urquart Castle ruins and Loch Ness

I have also re-entered the world of dance by taking an advanced tap class this term. It's so nice to be able to dust off my old tap shoes and get back into the rhythm of dancing. Tap is definitely like riding a bike, and I love the class! We are dancing in a show on Dec. 6, which will be my first time on stage since 2002! I'm sure my Mom is looking forward to getting a DVD of that. :-)

At the moment, I am living with my friend Yara. My good friend Lucy was our third roommate for Sept. and Oct., but now Miss Lucy has left for her PhD fieldwork, and the landlady hasn't found anyone to take the room. (Both Yara and I are fine with this, and really like living together.) She's in her second year of law school (aka she has no life outside of studying) so I am the non-law part of her life, and she is the much more logical part of mine :-)

Tres Amigas-flatmates Kim, Yara, and Lucy

I have found an internship and a paid job and I am really enjoying them both! The internship (not paid) is with an organization called Social Justice Scotland. They are a think tank that are looking at social breakdown in Scotland from five different pathways that have been seen to be major causes of social breakdown: Family breakdown, Worklessness, Indebtedness, Educational Failure, and Addictions. These include dependence on welfare, gang activity, alcohol, healthcare, etc. It's really fascinating, and I have been taken on as a Research Intern. I get to go out, interview people and grassroots organizations working in these areas, and contribute to the research report that will be sent to the government when it's completed. I have also been able to attend meetings and meet people in the shadow cabinet (part of Parliament), meet really interesting, successful people working in the public, private, and voluntary sectors, offer my idea and suggestions and have them accepted and used. Plus, this will probably lead me into a great career doing something I'm really interested in: using research in order to understand sociocultural issues and finding answers to problems.

The managing director for the Internship, Heather MacLeod, also works for Eli Lilly & Company, a pharmaceutical company that does Investigator instigated clinical research. I have been hired to do final reports on all of their clinical research projects from studies based in Glasgow (although most of these studies took place on the continent). So I do both the internship and the paid work from the same office, and my supervisor for both is the same woman. Luckily, she is lovely, and very nice, and I really enjoy working for her.

Beyond that, a lot has been changing around me as well. Three of my closest friends have now moved away from Edinburgh, making me re-evaluate both my relationships with some people and what I want to look for in mew acquaintances. The three of them leaving was really hard at first, especially because I still didn't know what I was going to be doing in the next few years, and I was worried about not getting a job (thus not getting a visa and having to leave the country), not passing my Master's (which I did, finally found out last week!), and I lost three of my main support systems. I found myself getting irrationally upset about a lot of things throughout the past few months. I feel bad for Yara and Lucy, who had to deal with most of my freakouts as they lived with me. Things are better now, I've realized that I can control whether or not certain things will upset me, and how I will react to them (yes, it took me 25 years to get this). Plus, finally finding a focus, and a purpose here has made a HUGE difference. For the first time in months, I am passionate about something, and excited to be involved with things that I'm interested in, and that I enjoy.

People keep asking me why I moved here, and when I think I'm going to move home. The answer to why is, of course, my education. And although I do not think I will return for the PhD, unless I someday work for a company that wants to fund me to do Doctoral research; the education I have gained, and continue to gain from working in a different economy, meeting new people, reacting to new experiences, and learning more about life, and friendship, and my own self is worth the 8,000 miles, I think. And that partially answers the second question in my mind. Could I learn just as much in America? Yes, I'm sure I could. Could I do good work there, and be a good friend, and enjoy wonderful things? Yes, of course. But there is something magical about Scotland that I can't really explain. It is something that draws the eyes and tugs at the heart. There is a LOT wrong here-there is pain, and suffering, and ignorance, and bigotry, and old wounds against older enemies. But there is also a history of hope, and strength, and beauty, and the passion and drive to create, and to succeed. And there is the land. And the cities. And there is beauty here that you cannot fully appreciate from a photo, or from a well-written narrative.

Scotland is rugged, and poetic, and screaming for creation, begging you to be inspired, and crying to move forward, but still clinging onto the past with both hands. Over a year ago, I wrote about the differences I saw here between America and Scotland. Now I could write an entire thesis on the differences, disparities, oxymorons and juxtapositions I have learned to notice over the past 14 months just within this land of 5 million people.

So in answer to these questions, I came to learn from a university, and I am staying to learn from a country-from its people, its places, and its energy that ebbs and flows with the times and the seasons. And hopefully, I will be staying to make a difference.For how long, I don't know. Two years, five, ten...I can't say. But I do know that to leave now would leave me unfulfilled-empty, and being here makes me feel that I'm doing something real, and it's something I love. I am choosing to make my decisions, and live my life like the following quote:

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." ~Harold Whitman

And I am lucky enough that what makes me come alive is people. Their lives-and all the good and bad within those lives is what makes them real, and shapes their culturally relative views and decisions. Here is where my inspiration stems from. To study humans, and write about them. Will I write a report that will help millions of people improve their lives? Or will I write a novel based on my experiences? I don't know yet, but sometimes it is better to not know-because then you can jump in with no apprehensions, misconceptions, or subjectivities. So here I am, the new version of me. Confident but not cocky, and ready to move forward and change the world, one revelation about human nature at a time.

<3

Endings and Beginnings...

2009-08-26T15:14:00.000-07:00

It is August 27, 2009. I have officially been done with my masters degree for one week. Its hard to believe that I have already lived in Edinburgh for almost one year. One year seems like a long time when it starts, but when I look back, it has gone in the blink of an eye. And now that the stress has lifted from the back of my mind, I now realize just HOW stressful the past few months have been.

This year was both harder and easier than the last few years that I spent in America. Harder in that, obviously, I have been 8,000 miles away from family, and friends, and the random comforts and pieces of normalcy that one never consciously thinks about until they are taken away. Also harder in that I was thrown into a full research programme that is not designed to cater to anthropology, instead it catered to other social sciences within the school of Social and Political Studies...Sociology, mostly. So there we were (I say "we" because without a few choice friends in my programme, all three of us might have fallen apart) forced to take classes that were unnecessary, expected to write and work without focus, and learning more about the limits of our own sanity than about new trends or research within our own academic field. Hmmm. Sad, in that there is so much we COULD have learned, but happy in that the degree really is SO MUCH shorter here when all of the classes and the bottle-fed research skills are removed. in essence, we taught ourselves, and each other, and learned a lot more about ourselves as friends, researchers, and people than we might have in any other situation.

Celebratory post-degree "feast" in the gardens

The Glamthropologists: Siobhan, Lucy, and Kim

This year was easier in that I found the research process easy to fall into, as it resembled my undergraduate degree quite closely. Once you fall into the rhythm of research, you are using the same format over and over, just plugging in new data. how unglamorous does that sound? but its true. also easier in that i didn't work while attending school. this has, in effect, made me quite lazy, and I'm honestly not looking forward to getting back into the swing of things in the working world...ah well, c'est la vie!

the weather has been crap this summer-very rainy, and warm (for here) meaning that I feel like I live in a rainforest. Its humid. If not for the cool winds, I would be pining for A/C everyday. the weather is also quite schizophrenic. it will rain for 30 minutes, stop, the sky will clear and it will get very warm...then the clouds roll back in and the entire thing repeats in various patterns. I'm hoping September will be better for the family visit :-)

Edinburgh 11:30 pm

I started reviewing theatre for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival the day I turned my dissertation in. Since then I have been viewing 1-3 plays a day, reviewing them for publishing on the website www.playstosee.com. It isn't up and running yet, but will be very soon, so you can check it out if you fancy seeing my opinions on random performances. haha. THe festival itself is fascinating...the streets in old and new town are choked with tourists...French, Spanish, American, English...babbling and gawking and overall blocking traffic and slowing the flow of people on the sidewalks...and none of them understand our streets...although that makes sense, seeing as many streets here have different names for different sections of the street. Confusing, yes. There are kids flyering everything...and everyone for the hundreds of plays, concerts, comedy shows, street performers, and restaurants. Edinburgh in August is definitely a dream for the professional tourist and a somewhat nightmarish, yet necessary experience for the locals.

View of the crowds up the Royal Mile

Street performer

The next few months will bring a lot of change-more change to add to this already interesting year. For two weeks in September I will play tour guide for my parents, brother, and Aunt Peggy. We'll hang out in E-burgh, then head to the highlands for five days. Then, my good friend Adam will be moving to London, and Yara, another good friend, will return from summer in the Med and move into my flat. October will bring the send-off of my wonderful anthro ladies for their respective stints of fieldwork. Lucy is off to Kenya, and Siobhan is off to Poland. It will definitely be strange to not have three of my best friends here next year-but luckily, Skype is amazing, and London and Poland are quite close. And Kenya? well, I most definitely plan on taking a safari within Lucy's year abroad.

Soon, I'll seriously start the job hunt as well. Not a lot available right now, but I'm not too fussed about finding the perfect job right away. I'll also do a bit of searching for PhD funding, just to keep my options open...you never know what the NEXT year will bring!

At least I still love this city...thats always a good sign! You can always see something new when you walk...different routes, different times of day or night...different shadows and quirks. If I keep my eyes open, I doubt I'll ever bore of this city. It isn't the culture capital of Scotland, or the home of so many inspired writers for nothing!

In the words of Alexander McCall Smith: "This is a city of shifting light, of changing skies, of sudden vistas. A city so beautiful it breaks the heart again and again." (on the side of a building in new town)

Here's to the end of life as a matriculated student, and the beginning of life as a student of the world. Take a deep breath-time to dive in!

Lucy, Me, Adam, Alicia on Adam's Birthday

25 years old...and still a poser!
<3

Midsummer Madness

2009-06-14T15:26:00.000-07:00

May completely gone...and June almost over already. I literally have no idea how this happened. Well, ok, I do know...Time has been flying past me in a roaring blaze of trips, presentations,thesis writing, new flatmates, new opportunities, emotional ups and downs, parties, and planning for the future.

And thats all on top of normal life things.

whew.

After presenting my proposed research for the entire Social Anthropology department in May, I was able to really get going on writing the bloody thing up. 15,000 words of proposed research (that I am most probably never going to do) due August 21. Its a bit hard to get motivated when you know that the project will never come to fruition. Needless to say, I can't wait for August 22nd! :-) I'm liking the process more now that I'm actually doing the writing, much more enjoyable than the research part itself.

The end of May brought sunny skies and warm weather to Edinburgh! (By "warm", I mean like high 60's low 70's) We took advantage of this by spending as much time as possible outside while it lasted. Picnics in the parks, runs, etc. Sadly, it has been rainy and overcast for the past few weeks...and warm. Bit hard to plan for outfits. HAHA.

Lucy and I in the Meadows for a picnic...Notice the SUN shining on us!

May switched over to June with a trip to Berlin with Darleen. Neither of us had visited there before, and it was a really amazing city. Full of open streets and Huge architecture, like the Reichstag and Berlinerdom. Because of the bombings during WWII, Berlin was largely flattened except for major architecture, which is why the streets are so much wider and open than other cities in Europe. It felt much more American than European, walking down streets that wide and spaces so open in front of Monuments that dwarf everything around them and make you feel like an ant. Very intimidating, but also awe-inspiring. And CLEAN! Score one for German efficiency and cleanliness!

Reichtag

Berliner Tor (Gate)

Berlinerdom

outside the Contemporary Art museum...insanely large building!

At the Holocaust Memorial...really symbolically impressive

Checkpoint Charlie-the separation between East and West Berlin. Now its a jarring contradiction of the past and present

Jewish Museum...Les Fuilles Mortes (the dead leaves) represent the victims of the Holocaust

They had bears dressed in different things all over the city...I liked Kaffe Bear!

It was a really nice trip! And a bit of the last hoorah for KimDar's year abroad...Dar left two weeks later to go back to California for the remainder of her Master's. But first, Our friends James and Justin came over to London to visit. I took the train down for a few days and visited...there was a tube strike that week...VERY frustrating! The bus takes HOURS to get anywhere, traffic is worse than death, and London is TOO big to get anywhere on foot. But we made the most of it, and had a lot of fun! the last night there was a going away party for Darleen, which was great!

Justin, Me, Dar, Adam, and James

Since getting back from London, I've been in Thesis mode to the max! I'm 8,000 words in, and I have to have my first draft in by mid-July. I've been working a lot from home, which is both good and bad. Its good because I can wear pajamas all day, but bad when my flatmates get home! My friend Yara moved in with us for the month of June, before leaving for her summer placement in Cyprus. The combination of Yara, Adam and I is quite the circus. We egg each other on and end up in hysterics, doing yoga in the hallway and end up having serious conversations until 2-3 am. This is definitely the most fun I've ever had with roommates.

I have also been offered a position at a new website that does theatre reviews for people in my generation. It isn't paid right now, but potentially could turn into a job in the future. For now, I get into plays and the opera for free in Edinburgh, and I'll have my reviews published on the website! Very exciting, and good for my CV! PLus, Edinburgh in August is literally one long unending festival, with hundreds of plays and performances to see! So I literally won't sleep all of August, but it will SO be worth it!

Note: Midsummer was the longest of the long days of sunlight...Edinburgh by summer= Sunlight from 3 am to 11 pm...with the sky only really being completely dark from midnight to 2:30 am...so crazy!

Since Yara is leaving for two months, we took advantage of an excuse for a party and threw a surprise Birthday/going away for her last night. It was Mexican themed, and hilarious! Adam and I go all out for party themes...so we made sure to do it properly! Yes, I even dyed my hair for the occasion! (not permanent!)

Fiesta Arrrriba!

Mi amiga Yarita!

Yara, Alicia, and I

Overall I'm taking stock and attempting to plan the future as much as I can from where I am-can't look for a job until I finish my thesis, and can't apply for my work visa until I graduate. I'm not sure what the next few months will bring, but I'll be fine! I've got great friends and family, and I appreciate each and every one of you!

<3

All Over Spring Like White on Rice...

2009-05-19T04:06:00.000-07:00

Wow, I just realized that I haven't written for two months...two months that have been jam-packed with a LOT of random people, places, and events.

March went out in a whirlwind of birthday related fun...I threw myself a Tapas party here in my flat, with a lot of good friends from my University programme, my Mediterranean friends, and even my friend from home who lives in Switzerland came up for the weekend to join in on the festivities. It was a nice day, a little bit weird to turn 25, but I've grown to accept my status as part of the "Quarter Century Club".
Adam and I on my Birthday
Alicia, Sophie, Adam, Me, and Chris

Went to California and Washington for about 17 days at the end of March/Early April. It was nice weather, and even nicer to see everyone I got to see, although there never seems to be enough time to see everyone, do everything you want to do, and still find time to relax (I definitely missed out on the relaxation part the most). I'll be back though, so if I didn't get to see you this time, I'll definitely make sure to see you in a few months!
Mi Familia

Recently, the University sent the Anthro postgraduates to the highland for a 4 day workshop preparing us for fieldwork. It was an interesting week, we met a lot of crazy anthropologists (apparently in Edinburgh we are the LEAST crazy of the anthro students throughout Scotland). After that, I recently presented my thesis to the entire department here in Edinburgh. It went really well, now that I HAVE a project! HAHA! In the UK there is no "general education" requirement for public speaking or anything, so I had the upper hand by having past experience in doing presentations and taking a public speaking course.
The town of Kinloch Rannoch (Anthro workshop)

I've been spending a lot of time working on my Master's thesis and trying to figure out what I'm going to be doing in the upcoming years. I have decided to defer my entry into the PhD after this year for two reasons: one, I have no funding, and there is no WAY I am going to self-fund the entire degree and research. Two, I need to do some serious thinking to decide if I actually want to undertake the PhD. One thing I have learned this year is that the PhD process is, itself, a rite of passage that is intense, very difficult, and seems to be set up as a hurdle for those who might want to go on and be real Anthropologists in the future. AS of now, I am very much interested in my research topic, but not quite sure I need to be bothered with the entire PhD process (some of you know how I feel about being forced to jump unnecessary hurdles put in place by institutions).

I have two options for next year now: One, I can work here while I decide what I want to do. Two, I have been accepted into the Creative Writing Master's degree here in Edinburgh. This would be an intensive writing course, and it is apparently quite hard to get accepted into the programme, so I am definitely thinking long and hard about which direction I want to go in next year.

My Master's research/PhD research Proposal has finally been settled on after months of reading, reflecting, and meeting with my amazing (new) supervisor. I am looking at the Hindu migrant community within the UK, specifically Scotland; and how they are attempting to create a unified, cohesive Hindu community and identity within the UK despite the fact that within India there is no cohesive, unified "Hindu" identity. Hinduism is a broad, varied, and highly differentiated culture and religion. The fact that Hindu migrants are consciously attempting to unify themselves in an effort to differentiate themselves from other South Asian migrants in the UK through self-consolidation is a fascinating social process. I want to look at how food (a very important Hindu cultural tool) is used to bring the community together and reify the Hindu communal identity. Also, I plan to look at how the use of certain Hindu food traditions and the disuse of certain food traditions from India is used as a political tool within the community to create dominance and to uphold social and economic differentiation between members of the community. (Remember, in Hinduism, certain people can't eat with other castes or social groups, certain people are vegetarian, some can't serve others because they are "polluted", everyone prepares food in regionally and socioeconomically specific ways, etc.)

more on that in upcoming months...

I am still really loving my life here. I live with an amazing friend, Adam, who is a wonderful person to have around-full of energy and life and always up for anything, but also really focused on the future and passionate about doing what he can to help others. Starting in September, I will be living with my friend Yara, a Law student from Lebanon who is one of the smartest people I have ever met, and who has the most potential to have an impact on the world of anyone I have ever met. She will be moving into the flat here that I live in, as Adam is planning to move away from Edinburgh for a while.

The weather continues to play with my emotions...I have definitely adapted to the cold, enjoying the "warm" days when it gets up into the high 50's and I can walk around in light clothing. (Sad, but true). Unfortunately, Mother Nature thinks it fitting to bless Edinburgh with three to five days of sunlight and warmth, then proceed to throw five days of overcast, rain, and snarling wind in our direction. This is definitely a place where you are well-advised to check the weather report every morning before leaving the house!

This summer is going to see me traveling quite a bit (fingers crossed). At the end of May, Darleen and I are going to visit Berlin for a few days. Neither of us have been there, ant it is supposed to be a fabulous city to visit. In early June, I'm heading down to London to meet up with my friends who are coming over from California for a week. After that, Adam and I are in the process of planning a trip to Turkey and Israel (or perhaps Israel and Jordan, where we have a mutual friend) the plan changes on a daily basis, but think Israel is definitely going to be in the mix. I'm really excited to go to some new places, and especially someplace in a part of the world I have never visited!

Caught up in Hurricane Life

2009-03-14T16:25:00.000-07:00

So much has happened in the past two weeks...The last time I wrote feels like so much longer than almost two weeks...

The last day I updated was also the day that catalyzed the following 12 days of madness that brings me to today...sitting home at midnight on a Saturday because I'm so exhausted and came home straight after the birthday dinner I attended earlier.

Anywho, that fateful Monday: A girl in my kitchen asked me if I was interested in having a girl come see my room who was interested in moving into our building. My answer? "Hell YES!" I have been trying to get out of my contract there for two months...this seemed like a lucky break that someone actually would WANT to move in!

So the girl came, she saw, she liked, and she told me she would let me know her decision the next day.

Tuesday: My friend Adam texts me asking if I can get out of my contract because one of his flatmates wants to move out. Oh, the coincidence! My answer? "Actually, I probably can get out, I'll let you know". (Adam happens to have a GREAT flat...good sized rooms, great kitchen and living room, cheaper than the Res...and only three people all together!) Later, the girl tells me she wants my room! YAY!

Wednesday: The girl and I do the paperwork to transfer her into my room. Only issue? She needs the room by Monday, So I have to get on it and pack my stuff and find a place to live ASAP!

Thursday/Friday/Saturday: Pack...pack more...be happy that I'm leaving...neglect homework a LOT...attend a Dinner party my good friend hosts for a bunch of us...pack MORE (turns out I have a LOT of crap here)

Sunday: MOVING DAY! Adam and his Mom came in two cars, loaded up my ridiculous amount of stuff, and moved me over...Because the roommate who is leaving has yet to vacate the premises (she's nuts, and doesn't communicate well) I'm staying in Adam's room, and he is staying at his parent's home in Bathgate (30 minutes away). Yeah, he's kind of an amazingly generous friend. I need to bake him and his family a "thank you" cake...

Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday: get settled in as much as possible when I can't really unpack, learn to walking route to school (now a 30 minutes walk each way...nice though, and good exercise) the local grocery store, the ways of the flat, etc. I also completely cleaned and reorganized the kitchen and all cupboards and fridge/freezer...No worries, the two guys I live with seem to find my obsessive need to clean and have things organized as somewhat endearing, or maybe just as entertaining...

Thursday: Adam and I had a few people over for a vegetarian dinner. Made Eggplant stuffed with fruit couscous topped with Halloumi, roasted veggies, and vanilla ice cream toped with homemade plum compote (a new fave of mine)...I have now done little to no homework for like two weeks...need to get on that!

Friday: Sushi night for Alicia's B-day...James made homemade sushi! Yum! Also, Eamon's brother plus six other guys arrived from Ireland today for the Ireland v. Scotland Rugby game tomorrow...That's a lot of loud, sporty Irish people in one flat...

Today: The Irish guys gave me flowers and chocolate as a thank you for putting up with them this weekend! So sweet!

My Flowers

Dinner was again for Alicia's actual birthday...and I think I'm getting sick...I also planned my birthday "party" today...Appetizers, drinks, dessert, then we'll head out to a pub or two...I can't believe I'm turning 25...WEIRD!

Thing's won't be slowing down soon either...Next week I need to catch up on some work, get stuff together for the party, and start getting things together for my trip to Cali! I can't WAIT to come home for a bit! :-)

I'll post some flat pics when I actually move into my new room and there isn't luggage from a bunch of visitors all over the place!

<3

Back to Reality...

2009-03-02T03:02:00.001-08:00

I arrived home this morning at 2 am from our weekend trip to the Highands. No internet, no cell (well, I just chose not to use my cell), no manic city/uni/life in general events constantly overwhelming me. Just great food, great friends, AMAZING scenery, and a change of pace that was severely needed.

Adam's house is in Lochcarron, on the west coast of Scotland right next to the Isle of Skye. The landscape is so beautiful there, it's easy to see where all the great Scottish authors have found inspiration. The mountains are much lower than the ones I'm used to in California, they remind me more of the hills around Simi Valley and the Santa Monica mountains...not too tall, and not too sharp. this part of Scotland wasn't glaciated, and the landscape feels slightly less intimidating compared to the sheer rock faces found in other parts of the island (although none of the British mountains have anything on the Sierra Nevada). There is a melange of complementary life across the mountains-gorse, heather, some evergreens, some deciduous trees, a lot of exposed rock cut through with thousands of streams rushing from the peaks into the loch (lake) below. And a lot of sheep.

While hiking the Culags :-)

There are lochs everywhere. Loch Carron is a sea loch, connecting to the Atlantic/Arctic Oceans, and the Gulf Stream on the west coast of Scotland ensures a temperate environment. It was a little damp, but not overly cold or rainy while we were there. The topography reminded me a lot of the hills around Simi Valley, actually. The deep browns, the exposed rock faces, the sparse tree covering (there has been some deforestation, apparently). The view from Adam's place is amazing. Straight out over the loch to the opposite mountains, the water constantly moving with the breeze, the clouds covering the sky giving a sense of both oppression and safety (depending on you're mood at the time, I guess). The water mirrors the grey sky, but the grey/blue of the water and the sky both magnify the smooth velvet tones of the hills, making you want to reach out and touch them, caress them like the familiar face of a loved one. When random chunks of pure sunlight cut through the clouds, exposing the pure, sapphire hue of the water you receive a small jolt of warmth that cuts straight to your heart. Those small, teasing hints at the potential color the loch hides kept me staring, staring at the scene before me for countless minutes yesterday morning. watching the small changes and the overall strong stability that the Highlands does so well. You literally feel steeped in and awed by the weighty sense of history-both of humanity and nature-that the rugged, soft, safe, sweet, challenging mountains, lochs, and valleys present.

I feel I could wander those mountains, lochs, and valleys for weeks at a time, lost in my own primordial human nature and relying on my sense of wonder and desire to explore and find my own identity reflected back from a loch's depths, hear my laughter welling up from a mountain stream, my strength emanating from the deeply rooted mountains.

The highlands are a magical place, if you open yourself to the possibility of centuries of interactions and contradictions between man and nature. those contradictions and interactions have left faint paths, stirrings of old ideas and new chances to take, if you care enough to stop for a minute and feel for them. I now understand why they are still regarded by so many as such a magical place. I can't wait to go back.

Trip tae th'Hielands!

2009-02-27T00:57:00.000-08:00

Oh, we're off to the Highlands, the Highlands, the Highlands!

I'm quite excited! I slept in (8 am is sleeping in? how sad), did a bit of yoga (note to self:DO YOGA MORE OFTEN!), now I'm drinking coffee and romanticizing the upcoming weekend (I have some sort of Wuthering Heights English Moor in my head, but I know it won't look like that...) We're going to Loch Carron...right next to the Isle of Skye (North west coast of Scotland) It's supposed to be very secluded and beautiful, with a Munro (mountain) right in Adam's backyard!

AND I'm NOW in The Beatles place that I was hoping for yesterday! Things are looking up! Yay for mini-breaks and Paul McCartney induced Euphoria!

<3

Soundtrack...

2009-02-26T12:14:00.000-08:00

the past 24 hours seem to have been tailor-made to complement a soundtrack comprised completely of songs by Ben Gibbard...

It started with a friend bonding moment that involved waxing poetic about The Postal Service and me pulling out my I-pod to allow my friend to re-discover "Such Great Heights" which she hadn't heard in years...And I was instantly reminiscing over the strong feelings this song brings to the fore of my memory...

"I am thinking it's a sign, that the freckles in our eyes are mirror images and when we kiss they're perfectly aligned..."

Later, I was living a "Lightness" moment in regard to some information I received about a certain guy who has been wreaking havoc with my mind for the past six months. I have the closure I need...I hope he can somehow find his.

"Oh, instincts are misleading, you shouldn't think what you're feeling..."

The entirety of today was wrapped up in "Pity and Fear" and I'm SO GLAD that I get to leave town tomorrow...I need a break, and a chance to both recharge and reassess a LOT of stuff...Its a good thing that there will be no internet or cell service up in Lochcarron because my addiction to the web is definitely getting out of control...

"I have such envy for the stranger lying next to me...with no words, a clean escape, no promises or messes made..."

Now I'm in a "Its only a matter of time before we all burn" mood a la "Grapevine Fires"

I am definitely crashing and burning right now...I feel bad for what type of friend and human I have become in the past few months...I've been selfish and negative and have let myself physically and mentally become the type of person I hate...

Actually, now that I think about it, I'm still in a "pity and Fear" place as well...

"A storm at sea, bow cracked and I was capsizing, I sunk below where I swore I would never go, If you can't stand in place you can't tell who's walking away...who stays, who stays, who stays?"

Hopefully when I come home Sunday night I'll be in a "Brand New Colony" frame of mind thanks to friends and fun (and sleep)!

"I want to take you far from the cynics in this town...start a brand new colony where everything will change...the sun will heat the ground under our bare feet in this brand new colony...everything will change..."

Actually, if I'm hoping for things, I hope I'm in a more "Good Day Sunshine" frame of mind come March...

"I need to laugh, and when the sun is out, I've got something I can laugh about..."

p.s. Dar I love you...thanks for listening to me bitch for the past month...

The Name of the Game...

2009-02-25T13:36:00.000-08:00

...Is the Name Game

aka Myspace throw-back

YOUR REAL NAME: Kimberly Renee Sigmund

2. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (Mother and Father's middle names)
Kay Laird

3. STAR WARS NAME: (The first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name)
Sigki

4. DETECTIVE NAME: (Favorite color, favorite animal)
cerulean monkey

5. SOAP OPERA NAME: (Middle name, town where you were born)
Renee Anaheim

6. SUPERHERO NAME: (Second favorite color, favorite drink, add "THE" to the beginning)
the purple coffee

7. FLY NAME: (First 2 letters of your first name, last 2 letters of your last name)
Kind (hahaha)

8. STREET NAME: (Favorite ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
Rocky Road White Chocolate Macadamia (huh?)

9. SKANK NAME: (First pet's name, street you grew up on)
Buffy Birchfield

10. GANGSTA NAME: (First 3 letters of first name plus 'izzle')
Kimizzle

11. YOUR GOTH NAME: (Black, and the name of one of your pets)
Black Callie

12. STRIPPER NAME: (Name of your favorite perfume/cologne, Favorite candy)
Burberry Lindt

:-)

2009-02-24T10:38:00.000-08:00

I feel utterly blah today. I can't be bothered to focus on anything. Not my funding application (due Thurs.) Not my application for the second masters (how hard is it to fill in personal details?) Not my research for the degree I'm CURRENTLY in, and not the idea of dinner of the novel I'm reading. This is bad. I'm falling into a hole of dark despair, some might call it depression. I don't know what to do with myself. I need a break, but life isn't just going to stop and wait for me to pull it together. Fuuuucckkkkk...

I just want to sit here, staring off into space...waiting for something to come along and save me. Great, now I'm depressed and pathetically incapable of saving myself. How utterly Victorian-era AM i?!?!

...

Agoraphobia

2009-02-23T12:37:00.000-08:00

Is starting to sound like a nice way to escape. I'm writing a short story about an agoraphobic. I am trying to understand the madness from the point of view of someone unaware that they ARE mad...Do you ever wonder what it must be like to be completely incapable of dealing with the outside world because you have so much fear of what could be out there waiting for you? What triggers these things? I think my character will have repressed issues from a stress-induces situation. possibly a rape, or an accident, or witnessing something terrible happen to someone else that she couldn't prevent. That part of the story will probably be an underlying current, referred to but never explained. Her window is literally the door into her nightmares...Since she never slept enough to have real nightmares. Fear, anxiety, the rush of adrenaline...the world outside is one never ending horror film, the kind you can't help but watch even though you KNOW something terrible is about to happen. Its a sick hobby, watching the world without interacting. Sick and fascinating.

...

2009-02-22T14:53:00.000-08:00

what a weird weekend...

too much emotional Kim...not enough logical Kim

meh. Pisces is upon us. I have a feeling the next month is going to be crazy!

Polish Night II...

2009-02-21T09:28:00.000-08:00

...Is tonight.

My friend Alicia is making mass quantities of Polish peasant food and a mass quantity of humans will attempt to:

A) fit inside Alicia and Tim's teeny flat
B) bring enough booze to get schnockered
C) eat the mass quantities of food
D) not break anything

Good luck to us! (Especially me...on Polish Night I I was waaaaayyyy too drunk...no vodka for Kim tonight!)

My Family...

2009-02-20T09:06:00.000-08:00

...is kind of awesome...

When I got home from school today, there was a note in my mailbox: "Please pick up registered parcel at Office"

Parcel? I didn't order anything, nor was I expecting anything from anyone...But I LOVE LOVE LOVE getting mail so I of course dropped the "Go straight upstairs and work on fieldnotes" plan for parcel fun instead!

I finally got the box from the Office staff (I say finally because they are never actually IN the office when you need them) saw that it was from my parents, ran (aka took the lift) upstairs, all the while going over possibilities of what it might be...

...Popcorn? my fave moisturizer that they don't sell here? American Peanut Butter? But once I successfully ripped through the packing tape with my key, eagerly opening the flaps of the box, my eyes were greeted with this:

How sweet is this? Not only do I now have some sort of celebratory countdown to take me to my birthday (which is fun in and of itself), but I also have a distraction to get me through the rest of winter! Knowing that your birthday is coming up is one thing, but having physical evidence of the days counting down is another! I know it was my Mom's idea...she loves doing stuff like this (as do I, although I never seem to remember to get it together in enough time...maybe someday) And I am so grateful and overwhelmed that they would think of me so far in advance, and think so well of me to actually do it!

Even if each of the 25 gifts IS only popcorn, or peanut butter, it doesn't matter...because the fact that my family went through the effort to compile, arrange, and send this fun birthday package to me means so much more than a check would have (although the check is always mucho appreciated...lol)!

I love my family. They make me want to be a better person...a better friend, a better daughter and a better sister! I feel so indebted to them for how well they treat me, even at my age and living so far away...It makes me want to make a really grand gesture when I go home...But I feel like nothing I do could ever be enough...Until the day I can buy my Mom her Jaguar and my Dad a huge Sailboat...But I'll try, just the same...because they deserve it!

<3 I wanna go home and hug my parents...is it March 26th yet?!?!?

another day, another...

2009-02-19T16:31:00.000-08:00

...late blog...

what? So I did it again, forgot to blog before midnight...At least this time I had a good reason...

Mediterranean Gastronomic Society, take V.

I led Team Lebanon...and I had an AMAZING group in my kitchen, hand picked, actually. Yara, Panos, Alicia, Tim, and Louisa...We were rockin'!

starter: Lebanese Cheese Rolls (a.k.a. phyllo dough filled with a mix of goat cheese, feta, parsley, and mint, baked until golden)
main: Mini meat pies with yogurt sauce over rice (ground beef, onion, pine nuts, and herbs in hand made pastry with a sauce of yogurt, garlic, and coriander)
dessert: Lebanese rice pudding (arborio rice, milk, sugar, etc. finished with orange blossom water)

Everything we made was amazing! Our team won for best starter and best main dish...I thin the only reason we didn't win the dessert was because some people aren't appreciative of the amazing power of orange blossom water...even though its really delicate and subtle...more of an aroma than a flavor...I want more rice pudding now, just thinking about it!

(p.s. this was the first time in my life I ever tried rice pudding...and it was from scratch...nom nom yum!)

Oh, how I love cooking...almost as much as I love winning! ;-)

<3

So ahead of the times...

2009-02-18T14:29:00.000-08:00

...and by time, I mean I beat the clock! Blog before midnight! Yay me!

this is probably because I'm so tired that I can't focus on school work... stupid text messaging until 2:30 am coming up with brilliant ideas... definitely cuts into a girl's sleep! But c'est la vie... what fun would life be without random bits of inspiration and ideas to make millions?!?! LOL!

I also got my ticket to Seattle today, so I get to see everyone worth seeing in America, all in one trip! I'm excited!

Literally spent 30 minutes sitting in my window today, soaking up sun...mmmm so nice! At this time I also did a bit of writing in my journal...then looked back at some entries from like 3 years ago...its crazy how long ago that was, it feels so much more recent...and its crazy to see what things are now different...and what is still the same...tends to put your life back into context, ground you a bit when you're head has been moving towards the clouds about certain things and memories...

p.s. I'm catching up on Grey's Anatomy...and the one I watched today made me cry! what a sap!

so late...again

2009-02-17T17:26:00.000-08:00

Man I suck at this...I always wait 'til evening to post, because I rarely have anything to say in the mornings, but then I get distracted by life and forget to post! OOPS!

At least tonight the distractions were in the form of some of my favorite things:

Skype video chat with my bearded child molester best bud
skype catch-up with my Fab fave Londoner
skype type-fest with my Lebanese lover
cell phone convo of the year with my Scot-Jew plus additional texting

total time spent: 4 hours
getting out of my quarter life crisis for a few hours: PRICELESS

I may have melted my entire brain with radio waves, and I definitely got NO work done tonight. But friends make it all worth while, and they make me smile, which is so much better than reading ANOTHER book about food and ethnicity :-)

I love you, and goodnight!

SPAM!

2009-02-16T14:12:00.000-08:00

I happened upon this website that another blog I follow posted...

Its the most hilarious product website I have ever visited!

http://www.spam.com/

make sure you check out the "What is Spam" section...

I've never tried Spam, but now I'm a little intrigued...lol

too many thoughts...

2009-02-15T14:26:00.000-08:00

I have so many thoughts going through my mind this weekend, that I have a hard time finding inspiration to write here...

I am not yet ready to display some of these ruminations on the internet, although none of them are necessarily embarrassing, shameful, negative, or offensive...just too tangled to relate on writing...

I need to talk to a few people...and I need to make some decisions...but luckily, the whole purpose of this month long blog exercise is to motivate me into action. Helping me figure out what I WANT, and how I can go about achieving that.

sometimes I wish the world weren't so full of choices...decisions are not easily made by those with complex, conflicting personalities...and as a woman, in a world where I have been brought up to believe that I can do ANYTHING I set myself to do, the overabundance of available choices is daunting...and decisions hard to come by and harder still not to second guess...

I hate to say it in writing...that makes it real, and evidential in a court of law (in case someone ever tries to prove me insane, that is...) but sometimes I wish life now was like it was 100 years ago...where I would already be married, with a husband who worked, and I stayed home to cook and clean the house and care for the kids...How terrible is that? Yes, I might have still been able to attend college, but I could have also been secure in knowing that I was making the right choice because it was practically the ONLY option...To be a wife and mother...a respectable position, but one that I feel (perhaps illogically) I'm over qualified to settle for...I am a product of the 20th Century, one filled with war, and poverty, and suffrage, and literature, and media, and medical and technological advancement at the speed of light...

We have it all, they say...we can be anywhere in the world in 24 hours...we can go to space, we can defy death, and gravity, and women can be more successful than men...but no one can ever have it all, and right now I feel like i'm grasping at straws, trying to find that one piece that will lock it all into place, to allow me to STAY happy...being happy isn't the problem, its being happy with what I choose and continuing to know I've made the right decisions that haunts me. Perhaps this is where my insomnia stems from...I can only know the outcome of the decisions I made in hindsight...who knows how much more I've missed out on by taking the roads I did...

...And I am missing out...I am not complete...

Je suis desolee

2009-02-14T16:35:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post today...i thought about it at like noon, but had nothing to write so I figured I would wait...then i completely got caught up in randomness...Text-a-thons and phone calls recounting the party (which was amazing BTW), skype date with parents, researching different degrees (as I'm having ANOTHER identity crisis...meh), more phone calls, and the world of Jane Austin a la "Pride and Prejudice"...

SO yah...The party was SUCH a success...No one was as decked out as Yara and myself...will post pics when i get some, but suffice it to say I was slutted up real good...lol...Met a lot of fun new people...whom I had fab drunk philosophical conversation with, some not so fun people...I ignored them. Went on a midnight adventure to Bruntsfield in search of alcohol...with a driver who have literally driven 4 times in her LIFE! ahahaha! Realized that I'll always love Jack and diet...I don't care if it isn't "real whisky"! Got home SO drunk I practically FELL out of the cab at like 4 am....and woke up at 9 am...ew

And I have had Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" stuck in my head for two days...I only know like 3 lines! HA!

Happy VD!

3L

2009-02-13T08:33:00.000-08:00

Ok so tonight is the "Anti-Valentines Lucifer, Liquor, and Lingerie Party" That my friend's Adam, Yara, and I are throwing. Otherwise known as "3L" There will be red and black scantily-clad people. There will be booze. There will be a DJ. There will be red lighting. And hopefully there will be some sinful behavior!

Oh, how I love a good theme party and an excuse to wear underwear!

<3

Kim's Baked Therapy

2009-02-12T14:10:00.000-08:00

I'm drained. It's been a LOOOONNNNGGG day.

But I got a lot accomplished, I never got around to other stuff, and I'm SUPER excited about the party tomorrow night. 'Twill be fun. And if it isn't I shall eat my cupcakes and truffles anyways! HA!

Seriously though, cupcakes are amazing. The power they have over people is scary. Cute, palm-sized cakes in individual containers with a pile of frosting. Give someone a cupcake and they're quite happy with you and the universe. This could be useful information and tactical defense in various situations. For example:

1) You forgot to pick up the dry cleaning/milk/stamps
2) You lost something you borrowed
3) You RUINED something you borrowed
4) You forgot someone's birthday/anniversary/event
5) You have bad news
6) You are breaking up with someone
7) You ran over someone's pet

OK...the loss of a pet MIGHT be pushing it, but seriously, I think a cupcake can help heal all the other situations. Call it baked let-down therapy.

I think I'll open a cupcake shop in Edinburgh. Call it Kim's Baked Therapy. The name might need work. Too bad "Sprinkles" is taken...

Mmmm....

2009-02-11T16:25:00.001-08:00

Ok so there is a GOOD reason why I am late in posting today/yesterday...

I undertook a HUGE task never before attempted in the land of Kim...

Yes, thats right Ladies and Gents...today I made homemade truffles!

Chocolate Honey Almond and Chocolate Chili...Mmmmmm!

I kind of wiish this was one of those things on my "list of things to do before I die" because this was DEFINITELY an accomplishment!

I love baking/chocolatiering (what is the word for that?) Stress relief 101...make something yum!

<3

Here's what I want...

2009-02-10T12:49:00.000-08:00

I want a supervisor who actually knows how to SUPERVISE! Stop being such a pretentious old DICK and do some EDUCATING!

You work in a UNIVERSITY! A God Damn EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION! I am not paying a ridiculous amount of money to be told over and over again to have more precise ideas, to have my own theories.

If I HAD a theory I would already HAVE A GOD DAMN THESIS!

If I KNEW how to focus my ideas better I would DO IT! OBVIOUSLY I need better feedback to know WHAT I'm doing RIGHT so that I know WHAT to focus on. Stupid son of a bitch.

I need to hit something.

Je ne sais pas...

2009-02-09T14:39:00.001-08:00

what a weird day...

I couldn't sleep well last night (shock of the bloody century, I know), causing me to not be able to drag myself out of bed at the normal time, causing me to skip my workout today before school. Then after school I went on a ROFL-fest/jaunt through the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens (excuse me, SNOW-COVERED botanic gardens) with my friend Adam, had more ROFL-ing in the most wonderful coffee shop I've ever seen in my life, came home to do a smattering of school-related things, made a fab dinner, watched Friends, and discovered exactly HOW MUCH I love dates...the fruit...they're amazing...wished Auntie a happy birthday...more reading...and now I really want a hot bath...something I never do/desire...SO I think I shall opt for a hot shower...at 11 pm...who does that? Then I will crawl into bed with "Pride and Prejudice" because the Botanic Gardens made me think of what Pemberley would look like under the snow...Le Sigh...

Oh, Monday...

<3

Chocolate...

2009-02-08T14:19:00.000-08:00

I want you...I want you so baaaad...

lol I was influenced by the 7.5 minute video on Dar's blog...I haven't eaten chocolate in one week, which is HUGE for me! And I have been thinking of things to make for the Anti-Valentine's Day Lucifer, Liquor, and Lingerie party I'm co-hosting on Friday...

I'm thinking:

Super-chocolate espresso cupcakes with vanilla buttercream (with naughty decoration that cannot be disclosed here)
Vanilla chai cupcakes with chai-spiced frosting (same decorations ;-))
home made balsamic truffles
hazlenut truffles
chocolate dipped vodka chilies

ambitious? yes...and I probably won't get to do them all, but a girl can dream, right?!?!

Sweet Dreams...

Nectar of the Gods...

2009-02-07T14:44:00.000-08:00

I spent an hour and a half today sitting in Starbucks...Why, you may ask is this out of the ordinary for Kim? Doesn't she have an unhealthy addiction to Cafe Estima blend drip coffee? Well, yes I do...but I was actually there because I was doing fieldwork. Yes, I actually have a project for a class that involves me sitting in Starbucks and studying the culture there to teach me about participant observation and how to do ethnographic research...I love Anthropology!

I was supposed to have a "research question" in mind when I began research...and I tentatively did, but as EVERY Anthropologist will tell you, no matter how strong your question, and the theory and evidence behind them, most of these questions will go right out the window two seconds into your research. This, I have always found, it totally true. I prefer to have a general idea of what I want to look at then go at it, participating, observing, asking questions, meeting people, interviewing, and getting a good idea of something interesting going on that can then be theorized on and written up.

Alas, funding bodies and Human ethics committees don't see it this way...I blame medical research, which has slowly killed social research for the rest of us through the slow, choking spread of Human Subjects Protocols, Bureaucratic committees, and miles of University red tape. Damn medical research killing people in the name of research...haha I wish I was kidding!

But the point here is, I get to sit at Starbucks and write about what I see, hear, smell, taste, and do. Also, what all the other patrons see, hear, smell, taste and do...And the baristas. How fun! Plus, its an excuse to do my homework free of internet distraction...(I definitely have an addiction). Yeah, sometimes life is tough...I think I'll go make a Tazo tea... :-)

In case you're interested...I'm studying the discrepancies between three Starbucks within a mile radius of each other. For a company that has built their empire on universal uniformity, there seem to be many variations in stores depending on (I think) area and clientele...prices, offerings, extras...they aren't universal. Interesting? Maybe...we'll just have to wait and see!

February...

2009-02-06T15:28:00.000-08:00

...is really a shat month. Have you ever noticed how the month of February is always the coldest, dreariest, and least pleasant month of the calendar? I wonder why that is...

I assume it is ONLY so dreary in the Northern Hemisphere...in the South, they are at the tail end of summer, soaking up the last of the rays before fall sets in next month...I wonder what that's like. Sometime I would like to go to South America during February to see how the other half live...Instead of chasing wealth, I'll chase the sun!

This also makes me wonder, if the reason behind so many quirks of February is the attempt of some poor schmuck to lighten the burden of FEbruary...the dragging tail end of winter, the sllloooooowwww final weeks before the return of the sun...

Think about it...Groundhog Day-the day Americans gather around a hole in the ground to see if some poor animal will see his own shadow or not...six more weeks of winter? Winter over? Oh! The dramatic build-up! Really...a shadow? doesn't the SUN determine whether a shadow is seen? And lets be honest, it can be sunny as hell and still as cold as a witches tit! But I suppose we can still dare to dream.

Valentines Day, the day of love...what better excuse for a holiday centered around creating a sense of love, companionship, and appreciation for the people we care about than a month where the mercury is permanently hovering around freezing?!?! Just slap a Saint's name on a day...give it a Pope's sanction, and there you go! The perfect mid-month break from monotony and depression (unless you are single and jaded...hehe) to remind us about INNER warmth..awwwww!

Mardi Gras-ok, this isn't exactly the same, Its just the final party before Lent forces the good Souls into abstinance until Easter...But perhaps by giving up your vice, you can focus on how much you miss Wine instead of how much you miss the Summer...Smart Catholics...And Mardi Gras...who cares about the temp when you're three sheets to the wind?

Lastly, the 28 day month...WHERE did that come from?!?! Yes, you might say something about the Romans and their calculations of the planetary orbit blah blah...but they COULD have just shortened January and March into 30 day months, giving February 2 extra days...talk about lack of equality! UNLESS those smart Romans KNEW that February was bound to be shit no matter what, and they wanted to give hope to the masses that they only had to live through 28 days of nasty until March rode in on its White Horse, with spring in its saddle bag!

<3 Happy February!

Its really not fair...

2009-02-05T13:21:00.000-08:00

...when someone who is supposed to be less capable of commitment than you falls into a fabulous, happy relationship...

I hate that! And although I AM happy for my friend, I can't help but feel like I have been left behind, again. Not left behind like discarded for something better, but left behind in the race to pull my life together...This person always seems to be a few steps ahead of me in life...but is only SLIGHTLY older than me. BLAH! Their firsts always came before my own...except for one, the moving-out-of-the-parents-for-the-first-time was mine...seems insignificant when I consider all the other things they have done before me...How childish do I sound right now?!?!

I have a splitting headache...cause unknown...possibly the lack of sleep last night, possibly the hours spent staring at a computer screen (at least I got SOME writing done today), possibly the sugar withdrawls from the detox...LOL!

Anyway...I am jealous. There, I said it. Or typed it rather...I'm jealous because I'm being left behind in the one area that I can't ever seem to catch up in. I'm pretty sure that I'm incapable of actually being attracted to or attracting anyone worth my time. I am probably some sort of asexual abnormality, capable of procreating alone. I now sound like a bad emo song...what the HELL is wrong with me today?!?! I blame the headache...

The one thing that REALLY annoys me is the fact that I am so competitive with this person...because we are far too alike...its a bit scary. This makes me want to run out and pick up a random Rugby player and make him my toy...But I must face facts. I am neither that whorish or that mean. Rugby would probably be an idiot and I would make him the chew toy for my verbal abuse due to said stupidity. Le sigh.

So I'm back to the theme for blog month..Want. I want to find someone who isn't intimidated by me. Does that man exist? If so, send his CV straight to my inbox. Thanks.

This is how I feel right now:

Angry Orangutan Funny Picture

its addictive...

2009-02-04T15:35:00.001-08:00

...the books that suck you in and make you forget about everything else you need to do...

I blame Stephenie Meyer.

good night.

To make up for yesterday...

2009-02-04T08:38:00.000-08:00

...I will attempt to write TWO (yes, count 'em, two) blogs today! I am hoping that by doing one now I can then undertake another one in a few hours time.

I was just reading an article about taste...as in taste in food. According to this author, taste is dictated to us through media outlets such as TV commercials, magazines, supply at supermarkets, and the officiating presence of mass-produced cookbooks. Now, this is quite a grand statement. To assume that taste is not, in fact, something which we develop as children and then carry with us all our lives (which has traditionally been a common theme in Social studies of food behavior). No, this article is assuming that we are so weak-minded that our taste for what is "good" or "bad" can be swayed by the media and popular culture.

I am not claiming that either of these theories is wrong...but I don't believe that either of them are independently correct either. As children, we learn culture through seeing it, experiencing it, and recreating it. We learn from our families and whatever influences our parents expose us to. This leads to patterned behavior, which in food-land, means that we develop a taste for what is yum, and what is not so yum. We also in childhood learn habits, such as eating at certain times of day, eating certain types of meals, and eating certain foods in certain ways. This is where kids (at least in America) learn that sugar= the best and broccoli= not so yum. These habits and beliefs become so ingrained within us that as we get older, it becomes harder and harder to see various ways of eating, and types of unknown products as "food".

On the other side of the debate, research HAS shown that by promoting a product in an attractive way, people will be more willing to buy it. This is especially true in regards to food. We all need it to survive. Most of us like it. So it can be quite easy to be sold on an item of food from a commercial or magazine. Of course, this is assuming that the food being promoted is not SO foreign as to be seen as taboo or inedible by the audience.

And there are always the exceptions to the rules. There are people who are always interested in new types of food. They thrive off of new experiences (culinarily, in this context), and they are always open to experience "New" tastes. Also, there are those people who never try new things, no matter who endorses it or what the product consists of.

These first people go against the former theory, and may be considered victims of the latter. The second group may be seen as champions of the former and enemies of the latter.

But in my point of view, they are both neither here nor there. Being cultured a certain way, most people will always find ways to make the unfamiliar familiar through the addition of comfortable ingredients, cooking methods, or ways of eating. They either will or will not become prey to the media's endless onslaught of ideas as to the edibility and desirability of numerous products. Others will not jump in the car and hit their nearest supermarket for the new fad food because of dietary restrictions, yet they may find ingenious ways to try new foods outside of the mediated brand names who pay for their products to be (figuratively) shoved down our throats. The things that are harder to change are habits surrounding food. When food is eaten, where it is eaten, and in what quantity. These things take conscious effort to change. Taste is much more subtle a thing.

What I'm trying (not so eloquently...i'm tired) to say is that we cannot theorize on the concept of "taste" in regards to food. Our taste buds change our entire life, and with globalization our choices are constantly changing too. Culture shifts are nebulous, and we usually cannot see how an outside influence is changing a group or society until after the fact. Hindsight is 20/20, and Heinz' sight is 360...but that doesn't mean they influence us all in the same way.

So don't assume that you will NEVER eat Escargots...or that the burgers and fries you eat are eaten by some sort of free will devoid of cultural influence. Change happens, tastes change.

Acculturation... Inspiration?

2009-02-02T15:30:00.000-08:00

Acculturation is the act of exchange of cultural features between groups that come into continuous firsthand contact; such as a migrant culture and the alien culture they find themselves within. Original cultural patterns of either or both groups may be altered with continued contact, but one culture usually dominates the other with their norms and ideals.

This is the phenomenon that I want to study for my PhD. I want to study acculturation through foodways. Food is a dominant part of all cultures, and impacting forces such as religion, myth, folklore, taboo, ritual, festival, migration, and rules all have bearing on food choices we all make. Yes, we may not think these types of rules apply to us. But they do. We have been culturally conditioned to believe that some edible items are "food" and some aren't. Some foods are clean, some dirty, some hot, some cold, some healing, some impassioning, some poisoning.

Food inspires me. I love all types, from the raw to the cooked (there's a Levi-Strauss reference for you), from the hot to the cold, spicy and sweet. I love learning how to make new things: new regional and national delicacies, new methods of cooking, new spices, new ingredients. Because inside all the new, exotic, unheard of foods, there is always a connection. A connection to another place, another time, another people. This connection could stem from ritual significance over time, or from the use of a certain spice across the world, or from the creation of the exact same dish thousands of miles apart, known by a different name, but in essence it is the same food.

Adaption to a new culture is often done as a means to fit in, to fight persecution, and to end or diminish the status as "outsider". But this doesn't always happen. In large groups of migrants, holding on to one's home culture is a way of reinforcing ethnic identity and strengthening the group dynamic. while substitutions, alterations, and secession of certain ingredients or methods might change, the essence of the cuisine will remain the same.

To me as an American, this is an amazing concept. America has been a land of acceptance for centuries (at least of foodways, if not always the people who bring them). As such, there is NO real, indigenous American cuisine. It is an amalgamation of influences, ingredients, methods, rituals, and beliefs from all over the world. Yet we still distinguish between "Italian" "Mexican" and "Japanese" cuisines...even though the "Italian" pizza now has a Thai chicken topping, the "Mexican" taco is filled with california avocado and chinese cabbage, and the "Japanese" sushi roll comes with Mexican hot sauce on top. Fusion is everywhere in America. Especially in restaurants.

All of these ideas are the main motivation for my thesis. the blending of traditions across national and cultural boundaries through the neutral zone of a restaurant. We can be anything we want, from anywhere we please, when we eat. Food has the power to transform us through new smells, tastes, and sensations. for the traveller who can't afford to leave their home town, ethnic restaurants can be the window through which they vicariously traverse the map.

Food is inspiration. Acculturation is the means by which we become inspired.

I Want...

2009-02-01T15:02:00.000-08:00

...to change a lot about myself. Why is it that humans are always striving to change things about themselves that they dislike? When did we begin to recognize the difference between ourselves and others as a possible reason for self-change? Probably two seconds after we began to string sounds together into coherent longer groups of sounds that turned into words that we used to state our thoughts and make the categories and comparisons that have come to set us apart from other animals as the "intelligent" ones...

....stupid bloody early Homo sapiens...So this month is the blog-a-day thingy...I'm not officially doing it on the website...but I will try to post something everyday as a motivation for the new changes I am starting to bring into my life tomorrow.

1) I need to get out of this residence I live in. It is literally making me crazy. Crazy being a mix of angry, anxious, and depressed. Terrible mix. I don't want to be the chick that goes crazy and lights herself on fire, running down the street in flames, and ending in the Firth of Forth in the middle of winter. The only good that comes from things like that is a news story. Self-cremation isn't for me.

2) I need to detox. Not one of those silly only drink Tabasco, water, and syrup things...but a detox of sugar, wheat, dairy, and meat. I need better eating habits if I am serious about my plan to live to be 100 years old (another reason I need to escape the Res). I am also supposed to cut out caffeine and alcohol. Really, the caffeine is impossible. I have school work to do. The last thing I need is caffeine withdrawals for a week. I'll just wean myself down a bit...and the no alcohol will be easier. I don't drink that often anyways...

3) I need to find my focus. Focus for my thesis. I need to procrastinate less. Yes, I know a blog is just another possible distraction...but I am hoping the blog will hold me accountable. I may print this one to remind me who and what I am doing all of this for:

my health
my future
my family
my friends
my HAPPINESS

if that isn't worth it, then what is?!?!?

The Door to the Year...

2009-01-27T15:43:00.000-08:00

"January is named for Janus, the god of the doorway; the name has its beginnings in Roman mythology, coming from the Latin word for door (ianua) - January is the door to the year" (wikipedia)

the past month has definitely been one that can be symbolized by doors. In many different cultures and religions, doors are seen as portals:

Door: Hope; opportunity; opening; passage from one state or world to another; entrance to new life; initiation;
the sheltering aspect of the Great Mother. The open door is both opportunity and liberation.

Christian:Christ— “I am the door.” The three doors of a cathedral or church signify faith, hope, and charity.

Hindu:Divinities are carved on door jambs, indicating the deity through which man enters the Supreme Presence.

Mithraic:The entrance to the seven zones of Paradise or the cave of initiation.

Roman:Janus is the god of the doorway and holds the keys of the power of opening and closing.

Zodiacal:The summer solstice in Cancer, is the “door of men” and symbolizes the dying power & descent of the sun, the Janua inferni.The winter solstice in Capricorn, the “door of the gods” is the ascent & rising power of the sun, the Janua coeli. These doors are also associated with the entrances and exits of initiation caves and with souls entering and leaving the world. In Hinduism they are the deva-yana (Janua coeli)& the pitri-yana (Janua inferni).

(Dar-Initiation caves are prevalent in "A War of Witches")

Looking back on the past month, I can see that January has definitely lived up to its name. Not only has it ushered in a new calendar year, but January has also led to new ideas, discoveries, resolutions, decisions, friendships, and pitfalls.

New Years itself was eventful...

Shawn and James arrived in London on December 28th...for Dar and I, it was a giddy, surreal moment-when two completely different planes of life come crashing together, like the layering of two semi-transparent photos together to create a new, slightly weird in its complete normality, picture of your life. this happened the to me the first time i visited Dar in London after moving here...but having Shawn and James here...two completely non-student, non-long term, non-UK kids...really brought the contrast into high relief. It was fabulous.

We all trekked up to Edinburgh that night on the bus ride from Hell...

and then the Hogmanay extravaganza began!

In Edinburgh, the celebration of New Years is still referred to as "Hogmanay" and this city does it right! Four days of events, including the kick-off of the torch ceremony, in which thousands of people with torches trek up Calton hill and light a Viking effigy, then watch fireworks to begin the official Hogmanay.

The next three days are filled with concerts, Ceilidhs (traditional dances), parties, and the big Princes Street Party to officially bring in the New Year. the entire street is closed off to allow thousands of people to wander, socialize, drink, and listen to various bands perform. Midnight brings amazing fireworks...and then the party keeps going!

I was lucky to spend this time with some wonderful people-Dar, Shawn and James of course; and also Chris Taylor, Ken, and many of my Edinburgh friends. It was definitely an experience I will never forget!

January 2nd brought the usual New Years reflections on life and all its subtle quirks and questions...what to do about my thesis, where to go for fieldwork, when can I return home to see my friends and family? will i get funding? where will I live when my lease is up? what was I doing a year ago? how can the Twilight books be THIS good? have I really lived here for four months already? ???????

all these questions and musings are doors, of course...doors into my conscious/subconscious mind...things I worry about and ponder both awake and while sleeping (I'm light sleeper, and as such I often remember my dreams). None of these things are any scarier or worse than other years, or other times, but when you find yourself facing an entirely NEW set of months over which to leave your mark and make a difference, some things just become more important and thrown into sharp relief. This IS the time to make changes, to become self-aware, and to allow the symbolic nature of this time of year to carry you to resolutions for your life. It should be called a New Life resolution....not New Year...a year, in all actuality, is far too transient.

I know I must sound strange and metaphysical...But I do believe that there is powerful potential in the New Year...we just need to find it, hold on, and be willing to go for a ride!

I have met some wonderful people these last few months, and seen some wonderful things...I can't wait to see what 2009 brings!

<3