Ash the Mighty

As you can read below, I’ve been without internet access for a few days. Well, I now have access, in a way. They still haven’t managed to turn on my broadband (not until next Tuesday, probably), but I got tired of waiting. Instead, I went and picked up a copy of AOL and installed it, making use of my laptop’s modem (I didn’t think I would need a modem in my PC, so there isn’t one!). I’m on their one month free trial (which I hopefully won’t even need entirely, as my broadband will hopefully be up and running long before that), so can check my e-mail at least. It is of course slower than I could ever imagine, especially after having being spoiled by broadband for the past several years, and it also costs per-minute (thanks to the outmoded billing system for telephones in Britain), but at least I don’t have to haul my butt all the way to the department just to check my e-mail!

Other than that, not much exciting is going on. I’m almost entirely moved in to the new place, and “after” pictures will be added to the “before” gallery as soon as I get some things straightened up and put away. I’m also working still on my Vikings paper. It’s like slogging through a bog pit . . . just so slow going and need I even mention boring as hell?

Wahoo! It’s considerably later now. I’ve been outside playing in the rain. Rain is really REALLY normal here, but for some reason the sky decided to open up with a truly Arizona-esque storm, and I loved it! As my good friend Chris (from Colorado) said: “Looks like someone out there knows how to make us feel like we’re at home.” If absolutely nothing else, you just don’t get thunder and lightning here. I don’t know why, but it really doesn’t happen. Well, today it did. It still is, in fact (I would still be out there, but it got kinda chilly), and every time I hear that rolling boom I can almost convince myself that I’m back in my beloved desert listening to a monsoon storm. It’s amazing, and I love it (and Spence, I’m thinking of you, buddy! Remember that amazing storm back in the day with Ashley? Well, it’s a lot like that!)

That’s all. I’m all dry and warm now, so it’s time to go get wet and cold again!

Slainte.

“I see the lightning from the storm down in Mexico
And I see my speedometer doesn’t work
I cross the desert and disappear into the tumbleweeds
I tip the bottle and bite the lime

I hear the thunder from the storm down in Mexico
And I leave the border far behind
I feel the dust coat my teeth and turn my sweat to mud
I tip the bottle and bite the lime”
~The Refreshments – “Nada” — Arizona Band!

I’ll be offline for the next 10 to 14 days starting at 11am GMT (that’s 3am AZT). The reason is that because of the move, I have to get my phones all transfered over, and a “charming” little nuance to the British Telecom system is that I won’t be able to get my broadband switched on for the said 10 days to two weeks. Fun fun fun.

This isn’t to say that I won’t be checking my e-mail — I will be. Just not terribly often, maybe once a day or so. It’s just kindof a pain to go all the way into the department just to check e-mail on those crappy crappy machines (you’d think with all the money I give these people they would be able to afford a couple of machines which are in fact younger than I am). So anyway, the point is you guys either need to call me on my mobile or at home, or else be patient if you send me an e-mail.

Slainte.

“Hey, you know they’re all the same.
You know you’re doing better on your own, so don’t buy in.
Live right now.
Yeah, just be yourself.
It doesn’t matter if it’s good enough for someone else.”
~Jimmy Eat World – “The Middle” — Arizona Band!

While in general flats that advertise themselves as being “fully furnished” in the UK really DO come with just about everything you would need to live in a place, they don’t necessarily come with everything you may want (especially if you’re a postgrad with just disgusting amounts of books and supplies that need resting places!).

So, I took a load down to the new place and after lying down for a few minutes to recover my strength (it was a load of books, after all), I set off in search of a few sundry items that I thought could really come in handy. Specifically I needed a dish drying rack, a couch cover, a table cloth, a small bookcase for my DVDs and what not, and a set of plastic drawers since my “desk” is really just a big white table. I set off down Dumbarton Road (see map) to see what was nearby, in a vague hope that I wouldn’t have to hoof it all the way back up Byres Road past my old flat to hit the Woolworths and what not in that area. While I was walking, I really did discover a whole new Glasgow!

Byres Road is unlike pretty much every single other part of Glasgow. For one thing it appears to be the very heart of the West End, an area known to be rather trendy and rich in the first place. The street itself is very wide (though still always busy), and the shops are spacious and, let’s just say it, American. There’s a Woolworths, Safeway, Starbucks, Subway (as in the sandwich shop), and KFC. Not that I’m complaining. I couldn’t live without a Raspberry Frapuccino every once in a while, but it’s still a street that if you squint and are careful not to walk into the road (at least not without looking both ways first, Martha!), you could almost convince yourself you’re somewhere on the east coast or something.

But then you get down into other areas, like I did today. You have to understand that my world was pretty much limited to Byres Road and the City Centre (which I usually took the subway to get to). I’ve hardly seen a LOT of Glasgow. Anyway, so Dumbarton Road is so cool and need I say different in almost every way. It’s much narrower for starters. There are still some familiar shops like Woolworths (which is one of the places I needed to go), but there are also out of this world shops that simply must be a hold over from the late 60s or something. I especially like the fact that on one street within three hundred yards I passed no fewer than four different tanning salons. I guess news of skin cancer hasn’t reached the people of fair Glasgow yet.

Long story (relatively) short, I did finally find almost everything I needed. It took a lot of wandering and a certain amount of bad directions, but I found myself a Comet (for electronics) a Woolworths (for a bit of everything), an Argos (for a bit of everything else), an OK furniture store for a new (and actually comfortable) desk chair, as well as a Safeway which is much cheaper than the Byres Road version, and also a Sainsbury’s which is also a supermarket. I also found a McDonald’s which I somehow managed to avoid visiting, I have no idea how . . . it smelled SO good!

So I spent a lot of money today, and my poor feet are exceedingly upset at me. Oh, and I apparently agreed to host a Cinco de Mayo celebration at my new place. Why am I so lucky? Because margaritas are really expensive in the bars here and I’m apparently the only one with a blender. At least we’ll get to christen the new place!

Slainte.

“Headaches and heartaches will end, bring me aspirin my friends.
What I need is some laughs to get me back on the road.
Then I’m back on the mend, back in the saddle again, and I’m the winner of the barstool rodeo.
Now I don’t get sore, I don’t cry anymore, I’ve seen the barroom floor a time or two before.
I know I’m gonna pull through, I’m just a little hung over you.”
~Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers – “A Little Hung Over You” — Arizona Band!