28 November 2013

Happy Thanksgiving!

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!


It doesn't feel like Thanksgiving here.. at all. Obviously, because it's an American holiday. However, it's been interesting to celebrate the holiday simply as a holiday and with hardly a peep about all the commercial craziness that comes as part of the package now at home, with Black Friday, shopping weekend and now, of course, Cyber Monday. So it feels rather wholesome and authentic, and toned down!

A few American friends and I got together to celebrate the holiday last weekend, since the holiday falls on a weekday and it's business as usual here today! ;) Classes and seminars go on as usual and essays are due in a week. There's a lot going on, but we made sure to squeeze in a day for celebration. We made chickens instead of a turkey because our ovens are so tiny! The menu consisted of mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, roasted veggies, stuffing, potato rolls, roasted beets with goat cheese and pistachio vinaigrette, cranberry sauce, roasted shallots and PIE PIE PIE!! It was so amazing. Oh, not to mention the wine and a valiant, if not totally successful first-time attempt at hot buttered rums. ;)

It was so nice, and wonderful to celebrate with some pretty awesome people. I think we would all prefer to be home with our families and close friends today, but I'm so happy that we were all able to get together and have such a great time in spite of being so far from home!

So I'm thankful for the group I've fallen in with here in Edinburgh, and for Edinburgh in general... so far, overall, the experience has been great and this is a first-rate city in which to live and study. I'm also so, so, SO thankful to my family and friends back at home, and around the world, who have always been and continue to be so supportive, encouraging, loving and inspirational... no matter where they are or I am. I couldn't ask for better peeps!

Much love getting sent out into the world today!

I hope that everyone enjoys a really wonderful, happy holiday.

Cheers!
Kate x

I think the top of my Dovecot Studios mocha (in a sweater!) says it best today:


22 November 2013

Artsy going to London:
Top 10 before the 25th!

Planning a trip is one of my favorite things to do. It can be tedious at times, what with train timetables, check-in and check-out times, connecting flights, the 'taxi or bus?' question, and, of course, figuring out the goings-on at my destination! And all the while, tedious though it may seem, it all underscores the whole reason I love to travel: let the good times roll! The more I know about what's going on, and the earlier I have the technical travel considerations taken into account, the more I enjoy myself when I get there--wherever 'there' happens to be.

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As is often my style, I've booked a solo trip to London just before Christmas in order to take in the city's holiday atmosphere. (Any Love Actually fans out there? This is serious stuff!) I thought it would make a nice treat to myself after the completion of my first term of grad school (even though I'll still be knee-deep in essay writing, but a leisure trip to my favorite city is simply necessary!). I'll maybe do a bit of gift-shopping and check out some of the first-rate art shows and performances going on. And in true art student fashion, I hope to hit every single one of the events I've listed below, but of course I may end up getting stifled a bit... already looking at sold-out tickets for some things, but c'est la vie, right? It's London! There are always a million things going on! Duh!

I've got the hotel and train booked already, and I've got a running list of all the amazing events, markets, exhibitions, and festivals going on for the holidays... not to mention that just seeing Harrod's with their Christmas lights up will be worth it. I'm staying just off Hyde Park, so I'll definitely see Winter Wonderland and check out whatever the Serpentine Gallery has on.

I thought I would share a portion of my list of go-to artsy things that I will try my very mightiest to attend while in London. In any event, anything I do get to/see/am inspired by I will surely share on the blog!

--Top 10 artsy London events to check out before Christmas!--


1. Richard Serra, Drawings for the Courtauld - at The Courtauld Gallery 

until 12 Jan 2014


Twelve of Serra's recent drawings which he created specifically for the Courtauld.

2. Paul Klee - at Tate Modern 

until 9 Mar 2014


It's obviously about the artist Paul Klee, but what you might not know is that I did a massive senior research paper on Klee as an undergraduate at Wisconsin. I spent a lot of time studying his use of spiral motifs... but now I'm pretty pumped to see this large-scale exhibition at one of my favorite art museums.

3. Beyond El Dorado - at The British Museum 

until 23 Mar 2014


Power and gold in Colombia... did someone say "gold?"


4. The new Tate Britain 

ongoing


Restored rotunda, new cafe, reopened riverside entrance... I'm there. Not to mention they reopened their national collection of British art from 1500 back in May and I've wanted to see it ever since. Now's my time!

5. Body Language - at Saatchi Gallery 

until 16 Mar 2013


At the contemporary art gallery, an exhibition devoted to art of the human body.

6. Coriolanus - at Donmar Warehouse 

from 6 Dec 2013 to 8 Feb 2014


Tom Hiddleston stars in the title role of this Shakespearean tragedy.


7. Barbican Design Market - at Barbican Centre 

from 28 Nov to 22 Dec 2013


A selection of designers and top-notch craftspeople selling unique items that will make unexpected gifts this holiday... and if anything, at least worth a look at what all these designers are up to!

8. Spitalfields Winter Festival - Spitalfields Market 

6-17 Dec 2013


Music! Music in Spitalfields!

9. Pop Art Design - Barbican Art Gallery 

until 9 Feb 2014


An exhibition focused on the role that design played in Pop Art, which burst onto the art scene in the 1960s. Over 200 works are represented by household names like Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg and the Eames brothers, among others.

10. Elizabeth I & Her People - at the National Portrait Gallery 

until 5 Jan 2014


An exhibition exploring the Elizabeth I and Elizabethan merchants, explorers and nobility through portraiture, their lives and history.




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Planning on going or are already in London? Anything you would suggest seeing? I LOVE recommendations! Comment below with anything from the must-see to the quirky to the 'hey, why not?'

I can't wait to revisit London, and I can't wait to share what I see.

Cheers!
Kate x

20 November 2013

art on the street

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Finally got these up! Apologies for the delay... street art in Old Town, an ever-changing sprawl! There were some changes since the last time I had walked by, but it was colorful and exciting!

As for me, I'm in the throes of essay writing, so work has become more strenuous even as classes near their endpoint. Hard to believe is almost the holiday break already! The postgraduate schedule is slightly more freeform than I'm used to! ;)

Cheers,
Kate x

15 November 2013

Edinburgh City Centre Top 5

Ahh!! The British English spelling it taking overrrr! Well. Sometimes, and sporadically at best. Truth: It's actually a bullet point in my "general guidelines" handbook for my program that all submitted work must be in British English. So you bet I'm cultivating all those colours and honour, centres and litres. Confusingly, the 'c' becomes and 's' in practise, but the 's' becomes a 'c' in offence (or defence). And then there are the double consonants in past tense, like in travelled and controlled, the occasional focussed and that pesky programme (not past tense, but that extra e!?)... And many more...

Anyway. It's fun. It's like I get to do something that at home makes me a pretentious turd, but here is required to get a good grade (aka, marks). But whatever: this is totally off the topic I want to write about.

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On my walk back from the library tonight, I was stopped by an English guy who asked me where the Royal Mile was. As it happened, he had been headed in the totally opposite direction, so it was good he asked. And of course, since we suddenly were walking in the same direction, and he was probably feeling a tad bit sheepish, he expressed the--what I've come to consider as typical--intrigue that I'm American and giving him (ie. someone from the UK) directions. So it happens. And happens... and happens. Kinda like the one time in London some guy shoved his mobile phone in my face and said, "Please talk to my friend about how to get here from this other part of London!" and I got on the phone and the guy said, "I'm from London and I'm talking to an American about how to get around London."

Anyway. My "I'm a local... but not" moment got me thinking about living in the City Centre (which is what this part of town is actually called, encompassing the Royal Mile and thereby Old Town, as well as New Town and very near-lying areas. It's easy to be annoyed by the constant crowding on the narrow sidewalks (pavements!) of the Royal Mile, or the sound of bagpipers at all hours from all directions (or worse, the bagpipe rock that gets funneled through the souvenir shops' stereos) -- but there are a few things that are really, really great about living in the middle of everything:

Top 5 reason I love living in Edinburgh's City Centre


1>> Personally, I find Edinburgh an outwardly friendly city. Especially downtown. Just about everyone I've ever spoken to, whether in shops or on the street or in a coffee house... they're all brilliant and nice and helpful. If someone isn't... well... they're a poop, and not by any means an indicator of the general feeling.

2>> Being in the center of the city means that pretty much anywhere I want to go, I can probably walk or, at most, take a short bus ride there. So I walk a lot--sometimes to escape the center of the city, but it's that everything is equidistant from the middle is the point I'm trying to make. It's awesome.

3>> Living on and spending a lot of my time around the most-visited area in all of Scotland, one obviously runs into a ton of travellers--of all kinds. Students, tour groups, elderly couples, backpackers, holiday-makers, newlyweds--you name it. And one funny benefit to being American and finding yourself in, say, a coffee shop or cafe (especially something really highly recommended on TripAdvisor or having anything whatsoever to do with Harry Potter) is that any curious (or lonely) travellers might be more willing to ask you if you're travelling too. And then when you say no, but kind of yes, it often opens up a pretty interesting slice of conversation. I know enough about the city to be able to direct someone somewhere, but I'm also still travel-minded and am curious to know where they're from, why they're in Edinburgh and where they're headed. And I think sometimes they like to have a chat for a couple minutes. I remember those kinds of situations well -- it's great to be in an area where conversation can naturally start and flow a bit easier.

4>> There are a ton of coffee shops in the middle of the city, with plenty of roasters and artisan foam art to go around. This is a HUGE plus for me. Prices can seem a little out there, so choose accordingly, but... in the end... a good cup of coffee is a good cup of coffee. And for the sake of inclusion, I'll throw in "cool bars" here, too -- it's easy to get to just about anyplace in Old Town or New Town and not have to worry about how long it will take to get back afterward.

5>> The Royal Mile and Old Town is a wedding party destination--plenty of hotels and bars and restaurants, so whether it's a hen/stag party or the actual wedding, there's a lot happening. But the thing about the actual weddings? SATURDAYS=KILTS!! At no other time are you more likely to walk down the street and see at least half a dozen dudes fully-decked out, sporran and all. It's awesome. I'll never get tired of it.

And oh, bagpipers... I forgive you. It makes me think of Braveheart and sometimes that's okay. Cliche, but... that's the whoooooole point.

<3!

Cheers!
Kate x

14 November 2013

Oh hazy day.

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There has been so much sun! Kind of hazy sometimes, a little lower in the sky than I'd like, but sun sure is the flippin' sun and I'm totally okay with it being around more than I expected this time of year. On Tuesday, feeling buoyed after a class presentation that went really well, and greeted by the sunshine when I left the art history department, I thought it high time I made a reprise visit to Calton Hill.

I checked in to the Collective Gallery, a contemporary art pod, but they only had one video piece going and I wasn't super impressed. Meh. So we'll skim over that part, but it's worth the trek to the top for the views. Even on days when it's kind of hazy and glary and difficult to see without watering eyes! I wanted to stop by the construction perimeters on Calton Road that have an ever-changing slew of spray art paintings by street artists--some with particular talent. A post coming soon on that. It changed a lot in the two months since I saw it last.

It's been a very busy, but good week. I've gotten excellent feedback on both an independent presentation for my history of Scottish architecture class, and also the group work I've been involved in with my other class receieved good feedback as well. Internship all day tomorrow. Essay due in three weeks. Lots to do, but it's under control and I feel good about this term overall -- as it stands. :)

Cheers!
Kate x

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12 November 2013

Stockbridge Market

I determined that Sunday would be a real day off for me: no research, no writing, no work. I admit I ended up doing a bit anyway as the day wore on, but my intentions were good. ;) It was a gorgeously sunny day. The wind was light I could actually feel the sun, and it was the kind of day where I just have to get out of the flat and walk. I left without much of an idea where I was headed other than in a general northerly direction. This seems to be a pretty common area to walk to when I've got some exploration time on my hands (okay, to be honest, I set aside time on purpose for this sort of thing; there's always something "important" that I could be doing, but often coffee and a stroll is just better).

Stockbridge is an area north of New Town in central Edinburgh that feels a little more like a village than a city -- a far cry from Princes Street or the Royal Mile. For one, it has a nice (read: less congested) shopping street with charity shops and high end gift boutiques together with the basic convenience shops and some sweet little cafes and coffee shops. It also has a residential area that I discovered during one of my very first walks around the city, called the Colonies. They're really amazing little rows of townhouses, quaint and kind of bohemian-looking, in some cases with the laundry out to dry on lines in front and wild plants in the yard left to their own devices. I like that sort of thing. They're very close to the Waters of Leith and are quite a creative community unto themselves -- they host an annual Creative Colonies event which was held after the Stockbridge Market last weekend.

Stockbridge Market itself is really, really, really (did I say really?) nice. I knew it existed, but had totally forgotten about it and apparently never walked by Jubilee Gardens on a Sunday. Needless to say, after ambling around kind of haphazardly after a quick cup of coffee, I was really glad to find this! It's not huge, but it's not tiny either, and it packs a punch in the little tree-filled park with vendors stocking fresh fruits and veg, artisan cheeses and chocolate, fresh "street food," gourmet pastas and oils, fresh seafood and meat, local craft beer, soaps, bread, and some arts and crafts as well. I bagged some excellent croissants and brie, along with some fruit. There's a pretty wide range of edibles and wares for the size of the place, and they had a great setup with a coffee van (you'll see!), some tables and a decent guy+guitar to keep everyone entertained.

It's definitely on my calendar every week now, as it runs year-round! And in the summers on Thursday. So all the more to look forward to. And of course... the snaps:

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I love these guys: Steam Punk Coffee Company... based in North Berwick, which is a suburb of Edinburgh, they're not really accessible to me as a regular stop, but a Volkswagen bus with an espresso machine setup in back? YES PLEASE! And a good latte it was too. They're supposed to be there every week, though, so at least I can get a fix every now and again. ;)

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I love a good market. I should get in the habit of keeping a list through the week of things I'd like to look for, either here or at the Edinburgh Market that still goes on near the castle on Saturdays.

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The weather has been marvelous. I have zero complaints, and am soaking up every second of sunshine I can get before the "worst winter in decades" hits Scotland. (Please. I'm from Wisconsin.) ;) Tehe!

Cheers!
Kate x

10 November 2013

St. Andrews in a whirlwind

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Last Wednesday, for an outing with my history of architecture class, I tagged along on a whirlwind tour of St. Andrew's best-known ruins. I honestly think we spent more time on the bus to and from there than we spent actually in town, but I got the general idea. It was like a preview trip, and perhaps when the weather is nicer, it would be nice to go there and spend a day shopping or walking along the beach.

Of course, we were there to talk architecture, which at the cathedral and nearby castle is mostly medieval with some Renaissance additions. So to share just a few random snaps...

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The weathered stone is still fascinating. Here, entrance remains to the main cathedral. The stone is so softened and run down, but you can still make out the texture of the original design, which at one time would have just been stunning. Below, a detail of a Celtic cross shaft and also a detail from the 8th century (!!!) Pictish sarcophagus depicting a hunt, designed for a king (although which king or if a king at all was interred here, we don't know). Just marvelous. I geek out over things this old--the fact that the carving remains so sharp after all this time is amazing.

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The cathedral itself is quite fascinating... conservators grass is neatly trimmed around the bases of the old columns, and it's interesting to see where original doorways were walled up, extensions were made in different styles, and where wooden screens might have originally stood.

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We climbed tall St. Rule's Tower with its super-narrow, maddening and seemingly unending spiral stairwell to the top where we could look out over the expanse of the city, the hills in the distance, and of course, the North Sea. We were there late in the afternoon (which really counts during the time of year that the sun is set by 4:30!) and it was quite cold and windy, so although the light was less than ideal for photos, we at least had some interesting skies.

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...and then it got dark! C'est la vie. St. Andrew's, I'll be back.

Cheers!
Kate x

09 November 2013

Be unapologetic!

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I've had a lot on my mind lately. BIG SURPRISE. I've been blogging a little bit more personally lately, but hey... it's a personal blog! I've got a lot of time to think. In fact, I've got all day, every day to do nothing but think. Such is the postgraduate life! But joking aside, and academics aside, I've been thinking a lot more about choices, paths, and outcomes. Spurred by anxiety over schoolwork, but also about what comes after this year, I realize I've been hung up on what seems like the "right" thing to do. What makes the "most sense?" What if I suddenly become interested in studying American art -- then why am I in Edinburgh? Why Scotland in the first place? Why this, what if that?

First, I will declare: I'm giving up on "right." Right is stupid. And obviously I'm not talking about doing the right thing as in, doing the morally good thing. No. What I mean by "right" is the perceived thing that somehow rationalizes or justifies why I'm doing something. Even though I don't totally buy the left-brain/right-brain theory, let's just use that for the sake of an example. In case you want to read up on this, try here and then here. In the most summarized of summaries: the right brain is supposedly the creative side; the left brain is logical. (Whatever.)

The right brain wants to do what it wants. In my case, I like to draw and I think I'm fairly good at it. I like to blog, take pictures, jot nonsense in my Moleskine, wander around quiet neighborhoods for no other reason than to see them, listen to loud music, travel, etc. Left brain gets all up in right brain's business and insists on time management, budgeting money, thinking about the future, success, and doing what seems "right."The two sides just don't get along.

A few things have led me to reconsider, and I'm happy to say that I have shucked my anxiety (or at least the swollen, stupid part of it that was stressing me out) because of these things:


1>> A Deepak Chopra quote that one of my friends on Facebook posted yesterday:

"If you obsess over whether you are making the right decision, you are basically assuming that the universe will reward you for one thing and punish you for another.


"The universe has no fixed agenda. Once you make any decision, it works around that decision. There is no right or wrong, only a series of possibilities that shift with each thought, feeling, and action that you experience. 

"If this sounds too mystical, refer again to the body. Every significant vital sign- body temperature, heart rate, oxygen consumption, hormone level, brain activity, and so on- alters the moment you decide to do anything… decisions are signals telling your body, mind, and environment to move in a certain direction."



2>> A blog post by the beautiful Henna at hennablossom.com featuring the "Recipe for a Long and Happy Life" by Ruth Bernhard featuring 8 encouraging (and TRUE!) things to remember every day:

1. Never get used to anything 
2. Hold on to the child in you 
3. Keep your curiosity alive 
4. Trust your intuition 
5. Delight in simple things 
6. Say “yes” to life with passion 
7. Fall madly in love with the world 
8. Remember: Today is the Day!



3>> This video that speaks to the difficulties everyone has and being real. "There is no harder, there is just hard." A bit about being true to ourselves and everyone around us from Ash Beckham:



4>> A note from artist Simon Ling about painting from an article in The Guardian

"...you should stick with what you are interested in and screw everybody else."



Much of this sort of thing I've heard before, of course (we all have), but I felt like I couldn't ignore messages coming from all directions. I know who I am, and I know what I like. I also know what I don't like. I know the moment I see it, or hear it, or feel it. But everything is constantly changing, including me. I change my mind all the time! And there's no reason to be anxious about a future that will never, at any point, be a fixed, static place. Worrying about whether what I'm doing is the correct choice or not, or worrying if what I'm doing fits someone else's mould of what is acceptable isn't going to propel me anywhere but backwards. There's absolutely no reason not to trust my instincts, to do what I want to do--ESPECIALLY at the very moment when I start wondering what other people are going to think or how I perceive it's going to affect me in the future.

Also, the answer to "Why Scotland for school?" is answered most honestly and succinctly with: Scotland sounded like it would be fun! ;)

Cheers!
Kate x

08 November 2013

The one that got away

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I've found myself listening to The Civil Wars' self-titled latest album quite a bit. Ever since iTunes radio stuck "The One That Got Away" in regular rotation, I took the hint. Their songs are catchy, combining a little bit of a folky twang with indie, admittedly a little bit of sentimentality, and female and male vocals alternated between the two performers. It reminds me a little bit of a less bluegrassy Alison Krauss and Union Station. It strikes me as perfect fall music, hence the cup of tea, and, though you can't see it, warm scarves and a lot of academic readings scattered all over the place... ;)

I think I might be battling a cold or something; I've been rather lethargic for the last couple of days. But this could have to do also with the colder weather and clear need to hunker down with school work now that deadlines are fast approaching. I might also be missing home a bit, too, or at least the people I associate with home (Ironically, some of them aren't even living there at the moment, but I think that's beside the point!) I get so, so nostalgic sometimes for certain times and particular people in a way that feels very similar to homesickness. Saudade at its most maddening! However, I have also realized (yet again; does this just happen over again every time I leave home?) what I really appreciate about home, and there's a real value in that. I think being on my own, far away and frankly out of touch with some people I consider myself quite close to, gives me a perspective on them and myself and on my future that is really useful.

So I'm not really homesick in that I want to go home... yet. I do look forward to January when I can go home! But I think this time of year, when I spend more time indoors or go through phases of listening to melancholy (occasionally nostalgia-inducing) music, it's easy to start remembering how things were before I hopped to this most recent stepping stone. Happens every time. It's a perspective from which to view future decisions, because it becomes so clear what means the most to me. And what was that study about recently, regarding nostalgia not being bad? ;)

Cheers!
Kate x

05 November 2013

Remember, remember...

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Remember, remember the 5th of November. So the saying goes, and it is indeed Guy Fawkes Day/Night... also known as Bonfire Night. Tonight there's to be a big fireworks display at Meadowbank Stadium, and although I'm probably not going to go into the stadium, I may traipse around outdoors (weather permitting) to see if there's a spot to catch them from.

November is also Crunch Time. I feel it deserves capitalization because, as of yesterday, my first essay is due in one month. It so happens that I just wrote the first page yesterday, and although I would like to call that a coincidence, it was more a result of sudden panic. (When was the last time I even wrote a research paper? I don't know.)

My classes also finish up at the end of this month. (This seems awfully quick.) I believe my internship will probably continue more or less through the break, or as time allows, but I think it's good to spread it out. Where that's concerned, I have no set routine at all (yet), but plenty of work to do (eventually). But the overall routine of this semester has been, well... almost nonexistent.

Differences I've experienced in the academic setup alone are vast and varied -- more than I expected, and not necessarily bad. Just different. For a 12 month program, it has not been nearly as demanding as I presumed, but perhaps that says something about my previous experience at university, or about my workload prior to returning to school, or... I don't know what. But having two classes that meet 11 times apiece, once per week for an hour or two, and one graded essay at the end for each, plus an internship... I mean, I kind of chuckled along when a friend of mine at home went, "That's it? You do that for two semesters, then write a 15,000 word paper, and you get a Masters degree?"

"Well... yes."

I'm well enough into the year (but it's only been about two months, amazingly) to know that my work load next semester will be tougher than this one. That's probably good, seeing that I hadn't been in school for several years and now have sort of been eased back in, as it were. My conscience is constantly reprimanding me for not taking it seriously enough--for not reading and taking notes and writing for four or five hours every day. There are days when I feel like all I do is grab a cup of coffee, wander around, take pictures, go to a gallery or two. Of course there are other days where I hole up in a corner at a coffee shop for a few hours with my laptop and academic journal articles, highlighter at the ready, and pore over whatever it is I'm supposed to be poring over. Those are the days I'm reminded that I'm a student, so it goes both ways.

We also had a "reading week," which was essentially a week off halfway through the semester in order to, well... read. And organize. Or something like that. A lot of people went on trips (myself included), but then in addition to this week off, there was a strike by three university unions against a pay freeze for staff, so my fullest day of class last week was entirely cancelled. As an undergraduate I would have rejoiced at the opportunity for a day off... right now, I'm irritated that I haven't had a proper class in two and a half weeks.

Tomorrow, and there is no complaint here: my Medieval and Renaissance Scottish Architecture class is headed to St. Andrew's for the afternoon. BOOM. Just love it.

So the beginning of November marks a point where academics take precedence. I might not be posting quite as much on the blog while I (attempt to) hunker down and do some real work, but I'll keep the updates coming as much as possible!

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Photos are from yesterday afternoon as the sun began to set. The view is from my kitchen, overlooking New Town, the Firth of Forth and the hills of the Kingdom of Fife! One of my favorite times of day, even if it is coming a bit earlier these days... ;)

Cheers!
Kate x

04 November 2013

Samhuinn

I'm a few days behind, but I thought I'd do just a brief Instagram/phone photo roundup of my Halloween... most notably my makeup and the Beltane Fire Society's Samhuinn on the Royal Mile. The link takes you to their blog with a ton of photographs and some videos of the event, which are far, far superior to anything that I was able to get in the crowd--with my phone. ;)

It was a really exciting evening, the Celtic New Year, where summer gives over to winter. Also known as Halloween. :) Mainly, two groups representing summer and winter (I was on winter's side), stood at opposite ends of a portion of the Royal Mile, and with lots of drumming, torch-bearing, and some serious swagger, they advanced toward one another and then battled it out in the street, in front of St. Giles High Kirk. Winter inevitably won and then the groups continued to dance and partake in performative rituals on a stage with fire-throwing and more drumming and... it went on and on. But it was a true spectacle, and the crowd was huge. I'm glad I went to see it. Dressed like this:

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 I fit right in! ;)

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 And a few quick snaps to give you the idea of how elaborate some of the costuming was:

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After the Samhuinn festival, I went to a Twin Peaks themed party at the Edinburgh College of Art's student bar, called The Wee Red Bar... they had it decked out just like the Black Lodge. A fitting end to a surreal kind of evening!

Cheers!
Kate x

 P.S. And happy November! It's starting to really feel like fall here in Edinburgh... with some occasional wintry wind.