For New Years, Ryan and I went to a little gathering at Paul's flat. Paul being my classmate, as were all of the guests, save Ryan and Tracie, Paul's girlfriend. We had a good time, though the countdown was strangely anticlimactic; we were in the middle of a game of Apples to Apples, and everyone else seemed keen to ignore the stroke of midnight. Whatever. The food was awesome and plentiful, and the flat was frankly awesome. Very spacious just for the two of them! Also, it is stunning the amount of wine that Caitlin, Dave, and Lauren can put away between the three of them.
On January 5th, an elusive goal was finally achieved -- the long awaited Moving Day! With Ryan and Crawford's help, I hauled all of my stuff to the West End, near the university. My flat is in the very nice and very quiet neighborhood of Dowanhill, which is also very conveniently located. It's near school, subway, a ton of restaurants and shops, plus the botanic garden! The flat itself is sort of studio-esque. There's a nice little kitchen, and a bed nook, and a sitting area with two sofas and some shelves and such. And of course, a bathroom and foyer. It's a really comfortable flat, perfect for one or two people. It does tend to get a bit chilly, being in the basement, but I am combating the cold!
The second term has started up at uni, and it's going really well. Better than last term, if I'm honest. I'm feeling more inspired, perhaps! My new Craft and Experimentation class is with Kei, a very entertaining Jamaican writer. He ends all of his sentences with vowels, and is super easygoing in class. He has a sneaky way of guiding the conversation, I think, so that it feels relaxed, but by the end of class I have a solid page of notes on whatever book we've read. It's also exciting doing the weekly exercises, which are more free form, and influenced by whatever we've been reading. Speaking of, the books we've encountered so far!
"Everything is Illuminated" by Jonathan Safran Foer -- I thoroughly enjoyed this book, just as I enjoyed his other (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close). I'd seen the movie first, and several times, but I liked the film so much that I didn't mind that it colored my reading. Of course, many people say that Foer is very up himself. I don't disagree in the slightest -- every interview suggests that he is an arrogant sod, and I don't want to meet him in real life. But that doesn't stop me from enjoying his writing. I'd like to tell you all what Kei said about him, but it's a bit cheeky, and let's be honest; this blog is mostly read by my parents and their friends. So let's keep up at least a facade of good manners, yes?
"The Book of Night Women" by Marlon James -- This book was difficult at first, but once you're in it, you are in it for the long haul. It's a fascinating tale of slaves in Jamaica during colonial times. The entire narrative is given in a slave patois that is challenging but cool, and I think ultimately adds something to the atmosphere. What is even more fascinating is that there is no written record of the patois, since the slaves were largely illiterate, so James invented it based on current patterns and slang. Amazing. That said, this book may be the most violent I've ever read. It pulls no punches. Expect ultraviolence in the vein of Clockwork Orange or American Psycho.
"Don't Let Me Be Lonely" by Claudia Rankine -- Not my favorite. Competently written, and Rankine does some interesting things with images, but in the end, it is a series of vignettes that don't effectively convey a central point. It needed more focus, in my opinion.
"An Elemental Thing" by Eliot Weinberger -- It's like he knew we were dissatisfied with Rankine, and decided to show us how a series of seemingly unrelated segments could work together and be totally AWESOME. This isn't a novel; rather, it's a novel-length lyrical essay. The language is gorgeous, the content simultaneously educational and moving. If you are a lover of poetical prose, try this. I want to absorb parts of this book into my body like oxygen. If nothing else, read the section on stars!
"Hotel World" by Ali Smith -- A central tale told from four different perspectives. Interesting, and a quick read. She does some interesting things with language, and balances poignancy fairly well. I probably wouldn't reread this, but it was certainly worth one good read through.
"The Stone Diaries" by Carol Shields -- This was a total surprise. For a novel, the plot is understated and honestly unremarkable, but somehow, the whole thing just works. I think the whole point of it, really, is the protagonist's absence from her own life, a point that Shields conveys quietly and with great skill. Even though very little seemed to be happening, as a reader, I flew through this book, and was hugely impacted by the end. It felt as if I had lived a whole life, and was now an old woman facing my own mortality. I think this is one to reread.
January 21st was, of course my birthday. (Holla!) Ryan treated me to a really lovely evening. We had a great meal at Rab Ha's, a restaurant of Scottish cuisine, named after the man himself, Robbie Burns. I had delicious haggis-stuffed chicken. Haggis isn't scary at all, people! It's sort of like a peppery sausage. Sort of. After dinner, we went to the Glasgow Film Theatre for a showing of NEDs. This is complicated to explain. NED stands for non-educated delinquent, and is a phrase thrown about referring to some of Glasgow's more thuggish juveniles. It's very specific, though, to Scotland. The film was excellent, taking place in Glasgow in the 1970's, and really capturing class struggle, family relationships, and street violence without going over the top. Great movie. Ryan also gave me some chocolate, and a copy of the book "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas," which I've been wanting to read!
The very next day, we celebrated Ryan's birthday. It had actually been at the beginning of the month, but I'd gotten him tickets to a play on the 22nd, so it was a delayed event. The theatre was in Edinburgh, so finally, we went through on the train to have a look around town! We climbed to the top of the amazing Scott Monument, which is this tall gothic tower with a truly dizzying spiral staircase. There are great views of the city from the top though, so it was totally worth the hike!
Then we took a quick swing through the National Gallery. The building itself was quite cool, and the collection good, but my favorite bit was a temporary exhibition of paintings by JMW Turner. They were truly breathtaking. His command of color and light is wonderful. My particular favorite was a painting of Heidelberg Castle, made even more appropriate since I've been there! But alas, the museum shop was sold out of prints.
Even awesomer in real life. No wonder it was sold out, right?After the gallery, we walked up through the old town and the Royal Mile to have a look at Edinburgh Castle. We didn't actually go in, because it's pretty expensive, but it's still an impressive sight. The castle essentially sits on this massive mountain cliff in the middle of the city, looming over everything. Impossible to miss. Then we swung by the outside of Scottish parliament and Holyrood House, where the queen stays when she's in Scotland. By then night had fallen and our reservations were drawing nigh, so we walked to this truly awesome Japanese restaurant, Izzi, and had a delicious delicious dinner. Sushi. Tempura. Ice cream. Delicious!
At last, it was time for the play. It was at the Lyceum Theatre, a very classy but intimate venue. The show was Arthur Miller's "A View from the Bridge." It was excellent. Truly, truly excellent. The lead actor was compelling and believable, and had a totally rockin' New York accent. Even I thought (mistakenly?) that he might be American. The whole production was spot-on. We had a fabulous time! Thanks, Edinburgh, for a great day all around.
At last, it was time for the play. It was at the Lyceum Theatre, a very classy but intimate venue. The show was Arthur Miller's "A View from the Bridge." It was excellent. Truly, truly excellent. The lead actor was compelling and believable, and had a totally rockin' New York accent. Even I thought (mistakenly?) that he might be American. The whole production was spot-on. We had a fabulous time! Thanks, Edinburgh, for a great day all around.
