flatmate night out

It has been a busy last couple of weeks for me. They have been filled with finals (the past two weeks I have had 4), doing things that are fun before you go (eating at favorite restaurants, going out with friends, parties, talks, pictures, etc.) and doing things that are not fun before you go (laundry, packing, getting things sorted in Copenhagen, changing addresses, etc.) but undoubtedly a highlight was the 10/6 Brighton Street Flatmate Night out.

10/6 Brighton Street is inhabited by Mei Wong (the room to my right), Hamutal Meridor (room to my left) and me. In my 7 months here, we have been talking about going out on the town together and never had gotten around to it, until the other day. Just a couple of quick points about the flat dynamics that might make you feel like you know how things run around here a little bit better:

• Mei feeds us (and by us, I mainly mean me....because I am usually quite hungry) a lot
• Hamutal provides the wonderful smell of fresh coffee in the morning
• I provide, what I think is witty banter....which is much of the time met with blank stares
• I like scaring Mei. A lot. I think it is funny
• Mei does not like me scaring her. At all. She thinks it is dumb
• Hamutal is my source for new music and good movies - many of which we see
• I am generally the source of odd smells and inappropriate comments...but they let me slide
• They both take care of me
• They never cease to brighten my day
• I enjoy coming back to my flat because of them
• I will miss them a lot

That said, here are a couple of pictures from our night out and our time together.

mei (left) and hamutal (right)

mei and me having a confusing drink

a pat on the chin from hamutal

a pose for chinese new year

out for a laugh

mei looks pretty and i look like a car thief

me, avishai (hamutal's brother) and hamutal at a jazz club

basketball update

Here is a quick blurb about what is going on in my basketball life. Coming to Edinburgh, I was looking forward to playing different sports -- and I have taken up (term used loosely) squash and football (soccer) since coming. They have been fun, but I also have been playing some basketball.

I joined the University of Edinburgh basketball team upon arrival. I did want to note that basketball is not the main sport played in Scotland. Football, rugby, golf, squash and others usually rule the day with basketball being a distant 5th, 6th, or 7th. That said, I had more anxiety shooting a left-handed layup during tryouts than I had experienced in the last dozen years on the basketball court. I got over the short bout of nervousness and did make the club.

I ended up on the team and we would usually have 1 or 2 times on the court per week (be it a game or practice). We played against other Universities in Scotland such as University of Glasgow, Aberdeen, Stirling, etc. The team was made up of all kinds of nationalities with a few Americans, Canadians, Scots, an Australian, a Greek, and a few others.

Our team went undefeated in our League -- 7-0 -- and we won the Scottish League Championship. Hooray!



team photo











We just recently traveled to Sheffield, England to participate in the British playoffs (we were 1 of 16 teams in Britain to make it this far) and we lost by 6 points for our first defeat of the year. We played quite well and, that said, I would say that the better team won.

My basketball is not quite over yet as I am also participating on the Scottish University National Team. This is a group of 12 players from colleges and universities all over the country that are selected to represent Scotland in a tournament at the beginning of April. There will be a 4 day tournament where the University National team from Scotland will play similar teams from England, Ireland and Wales.

I have heard from people who have played on the team before that it's a good week that is filled with games during the day and camaraderie between all teams in the evening. The words "pints" and "pubs" come up often when speaking of the latter.

This will most likely be one of my last shots at competitive basketball -- and with certainty, it will be my last go in international competition -- so I am trying to savor my time on the court.

I'll leave with a few competition pictures. Until next time.




poking a scot in the chest while on defense











looking for a steal












awkward, awkward stance

diving / falling

family trip to edinburgh

My Mom, Dad, Justin and Sarah all came for a visit to Edinburgh starting on Feb. 16th. Jet lag didn't seem to hit any of them too hard and we got right down to business of enjoying ourselves from the start. My parents came in a day early and they walked around the city for a bit, napped, and then we went to a place for dinner called the Cambridge Bar.

This is a fairly famous bar in Edinburgh because maybe the most famous writer in Scotland today, Ian Rankin, has a character in his book (Rebus the detective) that frequents local drinking establishments with Cambridge bar being on the top of his list. We did not see Rebus, but I will keep on looking.




mom and dad at cambridge bar

















Sarah and Justin got into town a day later and my friend Laura, who is in the MBA class with me, let them use her flat so a big thanks to Laura. It helped a lot. Again a little bit tired, the day was filled with some napping, walking around, and then a dinner at a nice restaurant on George Street (in the New Town area of Edinburgh, a cool spot) called Browns.



dinner at browns












Friday night my friend Ana, also an in my course and from Mexico City, was celebrating her birthday so Justin and Sarah got to meet some of my friends and we all sipped some tequila (some quicker than others) in honor of her birthday.

Saturday was see the Edinburgh Castle / Royal Mile / Scottish Parliament / walk around and look at scarves and each fudge day. All of those things were accomplished as well. For someone coming into town, the Edinburgh Castle is fairly cool and it provides some nice views of the city. There is a road that is about a mile long stretching from the Castle at the top of the hill to the Scottish Parliament at the bottom (also, there is a famous place called Holyrood Palace that is at the bottom, and I would put more about it, but I don't know anything other than it is famous and Royal). This mile long stretch has shops, pubs, restaurants, and all things Scottish.



family at the castle














castle from a distance















the royal mile













mom eyeing fudge













sarah eyeing scarves














the fantastic debate room in the scottish parliament











Sunday was the trip to St. Andrews. St. Andrews is not only a famous place for golf, but it is also a quaint little town located about an hour north-east of Edinburgh. On Sundays, the Old Course (the most famous in town, and maybe the world) is closed for play and they let people walk it. That's right, we got to go on the greens, fairways, tee boxes and rough of where some of the most famous golf moments have occurred. It was fantastic. The weather was decidedly Scottish in being a bit cold, windy, and off and on rainy. It was quite a scene to see people walking their dogs on the "Road Hole" and see the clubhouse where golf started. It was a nice time to be sure in St. Andrews.



wandering around the 17th















dad on #18 green














view from the 17th tee box - a blind shot on the road hole













view of the course and the city














justin and sarah on the 18th bridge












The night was capped off by a wonderful dinner at Daniel's Bistro in an area of Edinburgh known as Leith. This is right on the water and the food, service, and atmosphere were great. Also, I have not mentioned how much we have eaten to this point. As most of you can guess that know either me or my family, meals are never far from the mind or mouth, so we stopped to eat, have a pint, or just a snack early and often.


Monday was shopping day for the family and get-your-essay done day for me. While the girls shopped, the boys wandered and saw some more of the town. Justin got to see some great views from the top of a hill called Arthur's Seat that many people climb and I believe that my dad got some sights on the Water of Leith walk.

That night, Sarah, Justin and I all went, with my flatmate and friend Hamutal, to a concert by the band called The Magic Numbers. They have quickly become my favorite band. Sarah chatted up the T-shirt guy, as you do, and it ended up scoring us VIP seats in the balcony of the venue. Good work num. The night was capped off with a few drinks at the Villager bar near my place.


Sarah and Justin were off on Monday morning (goodbye!) but Mom and Dad stayed for an extra day. More shopping and eating commenced and we capped off their time here by having dinner with Alisdair and Fiona Seale and their family. The Seale's are friends of family friends in Salem (Jerry and Meredith Craig) and when they found out I was heading to Edinburgh, they contacted the Seales and they graciously took me in as one of their own for my first bit in Edinburgh. I am very grateful to them for all they have done for me and was happy that my parents could see the first friends that I made in Edinburgh and share a meal and a chat with them.


Mom and Dad were off on Tuesday and it was back to work and school for me.

I have finals coming up in a few weeks, need to finalize my dissertation, get my arrangements sorted for my upcoming exchange in Copenhagen, and still need to find that pesky internship for the summer. I'm looking forward to all of it!

I know that probably a rule of thumb with blogs is that the shorter and more concise the better and more readable, and I will probably try to follow that rule in the future, but I wanted to document as much as I could with my family in town. It was great to have them and I am looking forward to when we can spend time together again.

This week = reading, basketball (more on this later), and a party on Saturday by my friend Shadi (the party queen).

Until next time, here are a few more pictures from their trip




family picture
















view from mom and dad's B & B













dad keeping the ladies laughing














pigeon hunting at the train station














in my wee room














mom and dad and cool scottish hats

pinxtos

pinxtos



















more pinxtos













rachel, ben, and pinxtos (all friends of mine)











These tasty fellas deserve their own post. Here are pictures of the wonderful things I ate while in Spain, as noted in the previous post.

view of the bay

miren, me, ben and rachel

me petting a stray, spanish perro












group with city lights

san sebastian, spain

#2. I never would have thought it would last this long.

My last week was one of anticipation as I had both going to Spain to see my friend German Ben, and my family coming into town in a couple of weeks on my mind. That said, I still had to participate in a group presentation (on Wal-Mart...I was the only person in my group that had stepped a foot inside the store), play a little football (soccer....which I now officially really like), and try to figure out my dissertation topic.

On Friday, Feb. 10th I traveled with my friend Rachel Hodgetts down to San Sebastian, Spain to see my friend Ben, who I met when he was a foreign exchange student at Salem. He was (characteristcally) a wonderful host and showed us a wonderful side of the city.

San Sebastian is located right on the border of France, on the coast (Atlantic Ocean). This is considered Basque country. It is a summertime destintation for many in Europe and as we went in February, it was a gratefully a little calmer and cheaper. One of my favorite things in the city, and now the entire world, are Pintxos.

Pinxtos are small portions of food (called Tappas in other parts of Spain) that create a dining experience unlike any I have experienced. You walk into a bar, and spread all along the bar are plates of these Pinxtos. San Sebastian is known for its seafood and many of the small treats have some sort of sea dwelling creature in or on them, but it is not only seafood. So you walk into these bars, you grab a napkin, and without telling anyone, you just start to eat them.

What is the catch, you might say? Not much. They are fairly large portions, cost about $1 - $1.50 a piece, have a lot of choices, and are delicious. Maybe the coolest part of the entire experience is that you don't have to keep track of how many you have, that is the bartenders job!! Crazy!! When it is time to pay, you ask for your check and without fail he or she has kept track of exactly what you have eaten. There can be 50 or more people doing the same time and somehow they keep track. I have no idea how.

One of Ben's friends, Miren, met up with us both nights as she is from the city, and we went out to a few bars, ate at great local places, hiked up a local mountains to get great views of the city, and just enjoyed ourselves.

It was a great time and thanks a lot to Ben.

Trying to keep my nose in the books this week as my family is coming at the end the week.

Also, although he has possibly the best hair in the Big 12, it was probably time for a new coach at the University of Missouri. Bye Quin.

Until next time.

me with a beard on a mountain

first time through

I am a novice blogger, so much so that I don't even know whether that sentence makes sense. That said, I am going to give this a shot so it will help me keep track of what I am doing while over in Scotland and traveling, and it will give people a chance to catch up in an easy way.

If anyone has tips on great ways to set up blogs, manage them, etc. I will take all the advice I can get.

My attempt is to post at least once a week things that are going on and hopefully some relavent pictures. Sometimes, you may get a treat and I may post twice....and sometimes not for months or even years. Don't sweat it.

Apparantly, you can comment on blogs......so do that some too. Interactive = fun.

Hope all is well. Here goes nothing