The bagpipe band from a distance.
Monday 28 January 2008
Burns Night and other fun times in Glasvegas
The following is a rather lame post but I felt like I should write something, partially because I'm freaking out about this damn application and slept all day therefore up all night.
First, check up with the head docs on the 31st, cross your fingers that pesky blood clot is disappearing. My application for the PhD is also due that day so cross your fingers I got that figured out.
Now, January 25th was Burns Night. Robert Burns is the national poet and a BIG deal here in Scotland (he wrote Auld Lang Syne--the poem/lyrics not the music). On Burns Night everyone dresses to the nines and parties. There are ceilidhs, where men dress in kilts, there's highland dancing, bagpipes, and HAGGIS. Yes dear readers, I ate Haggis. My understanding is it's a mix of various parts of a sheep I don't want to think of, but includes the brains. Then it is spiced and cooked and actually not that bad. However, the really interesting thing about the Haggis is you must present it with a poem before serving. The arrival of the haggis is a MAJOR deal here, and obviously the poem is written by Burns.
The night before I went to a ceilidh held by the International and Postgraduate departments at the University. The traditional ceilidh band played songs and I relearned the Virginia Reel and Gay Gorden as well as many other traditional dances. Then a band of drums and bagpipes paraded around the hall and accompanied some highland dances. I have now decided I will join the highland dance club and learn them.
Saturday night, two friends and I hit the town, we discovered the red cabs feature loud music audible from blocks away and twinkling lights. Let's just say it's amazing. I have also found myself going to one club, Bamboo, multiple times this week for the hip hop and r&b they play on one of their dance floros. Let me tell you. I LOVE it. What I don't love are men who are about the height of my cleavage trying to hit on me. Now, I don't want to seem like a height bigot, and I realize this could be a man's wet dream, but if you don't even look above the cleavage while hitting on me it's gonna be a resounding no. Thanks for playing.
One of my "resolutions" for this semester is to discover more of Glasgow/Scotland. Hopefully, with the help of a few Badgers, I will hit up more clubs then Polo (the one gay club I've been to twice now), Bamboo (the hip hop/rnb club with slight sketchy men that I've been to twice), and the Hive (which I won't bother counting the times I've gone with the team). I will also try to do more cultural things, I did hit up the Kylie Minogue Fashion exhibit at the Kelvingrove Museum a couple of weeks ago, browsed a few of the rooms, and had lunch in its cafe yesterday (well priced and good) with a friend and bought some awesome postcards of amazing pictures. Let's just say "La mariage de convenance" is perhaps the greatest painting ever.
More to come once all these apps and supplements are in, and I promise to carry my camera with me, but unfortunately blogger won't let me add the few pictures I took so I'll just send some from my phone (how nifty!) and they'll be sideways and blurry but totally awesome. Also a belated post about London and the fun that goes on down there.
First, check up with the head docs on the 31st, cross your fingers that pesky blood clot is disappearing. My application for the PhD is also due that day so cross your fingers I got that figured out.
Now, January 25th was Burns Night. Robert Burns is the national poet and a BIG deal here in Scotland (he wrote Auld Lang Syne--the poem/lyrics not the music). On Burns Night everyone dresses to the nines and parties. There are ceilidhs, where men dress in kilts, there's highland dancing, bagpipes, and HAGGIS. Yes dear readers, I ate Haggis. My understanding is it's a mix of various parts of a sheep I don't want to think of, but includes the brains. Then it is spiced and cooked and actually not that bad. However, the really interesting thing about the Haggis is you must present it with a poem before serving. The arrival of the haggis is a MAJOR deal here, and obviously the poem is written by Burns.
The night before I went to a ceilidh held by the International and Postgraduate departments at the University. The traditional ceilidh band played songs and I relearned the Virginia Reel and Gay Gorden as well as many other traditional dances. Then a band of drums and bagpipes paraded around the hall and accompanied some highland dances. I have now decided I will join the highland dance club and learn them.
Saturday night, two friends and I hit the town, we discovered the red cabs feature loud music audible from blocks away and twinkling lights. Let's just say it's amazing. I have also found myself going to one club, Bamboo, multiple times this week for the hip hop and r&b they play on one of their dance floros. Let me tell you. I LOVE it. What I don't love are men who are about the height of my cleavage trying to hit on me. Now, I don't want to seem like a height bigot, and I realize this could be a man's wet dream, but if you don't even look above the cleavage while hitting on me it's gonna be a resounding no. Thanks for playing.
One of my "resolutions" for this semester is to discover more of Glasgow/Scotland. Hopefully, with the help of a few Badgers, I will hit up more clubs then Polo (the one gay club I've been to twice now), Bamboo (the hip hop/rnb club with slight sketchy men that I've been to twice), and the Hive (which I won't bother counting the times I've gone with the team). I will also try to do more cultural things, I did hit up the Kylie Minogue Fashion exhibit at the Kelvingrove Museum a couple of weeks ago, browsed a few of the rooms, and had lunch in its cafe yesterday (well priced and good) with a friend and bought some awesome postcards of amazing pictures. Let's just say "La mariage de convenance" is perhaps the greatest painting ever.
More to come once all these apps and supplements are in, and I promise to carry my camera with me, but unfortunately blogger won't let me add the few pictures I took so I'll just send some from my phone (how nifty!) and they'll be sideways and blurry but totally awesome. Also a belated post about London and the fun that goes on down there.
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