Fireworks on TV

Given that 4th year starts at 8.30am tomorrow, I decided not to go through to Edinburgh to see the end of festival fireworks this year. http://www.stv.tv/content/out/edinburgh_festival_2008/fireworks/index.html

STV were showing the fireworks at 10.20pm, just an hour and 20 minutes after the fireworks concert started.

However it is awful. The music takes priority over the fireworks, it is split up by the adverts, and talking bits and mini-documentaries about the fireworks, orchestra and music. It is nothing like the real thing, standing in the rain in Edinburgh and unable to hear the music except on a walkman, talking to friends and hearing the loud whooshes and bangs as the fireworks trace across the sky. the TV show is more about the concert than the music sadly........

Guess next year I'll just have to travel through and brave the packed M8 or packed trains.

Roadtrip

Stefan, our crazy german from work* is moving to St Andrews to study Phoilosophy or some other subject suited to the rarified air up there. On Thursday, his girlfriend, Sarah (who also used to work with us all), and I helped him load an Arnold Clark van with some (by no means all) of his stuff to move up there. It took us almost 2 hours to load the van because of
a) a spiral staircase with a lift in the middle
b) lots of heavy boxes
c) 2 sets of steps down to teh car park from teh flat
d) the narrow path from teh front door to the car park then between teh cars to get to the van
e) the scary landlady who wanted to engage us in conversation and for us to help her find a new tenent.
f) Stefan kept trying to force us to eat Snickers

With all this complete, Stefan and Sarah went off to St Andrews, and I went home for Lasagne.

At 10pm, I picked up Butcher boy from work (note the recurring pattern) and we set off by Ka. Buther Boy had come eqiuiped with Haribo, Capri Sun and his MP3 player and phone so we mixed music and comedy podcasts. 1h50 minutes later, and an exciting tour of Fife later (Butcher Boy also wanted me to learn to slow for roundabouts), we arrived in suburban St Andrews - we had to detoour through the town then out to the modern houses where Stefan will be living. Itw as weird - very quiet, no one about, mowed lawns, neat gardens, nice cars and very nice houses - a long way from the West End (or City Centre) of Glasgow.

Afetr unloading the van and receiving a guided tour of the very well appointed house, and commenting on how the heating seemed to be running full blast, we took our leave (after another Snickers) and headed back. This time the SatNav took us via Leven and Kirkcaldy, which made for an interesting change of route back down a nice fast twisty road, and past the Smirnoff warehouses to the Forth Bridge and then across to Glasgow, were I dropped Butcher Boy off at around 3am.

All in all a fun road trip to end my summer holidays.

Tonight is Sarah's goodbye party as she is off for a year in Germany, which leaves the badminton plans totally up in the air. We could get one of Butcher Boy's flatmates to come, but they are both very good, and I would just be humiliated.....

*He actually left work over a year ago, but we still see him at Cheesy, Rev, badnminton, the pub so it seems like he never left.

Edinburgh Fringe visit 2

Today Butcher Boy and his flatmate Rob (who was also a former colleague of us both) and I went to Edinburgh to once again take in some comedy. This time we saw 3 shows, all of which were recommended or chosen by butcher Boy himself.

Well what can I say, but he scored a 3/3 in terms of good choices.

Special mention to the St Georges Med School Revue for their irreverent and politically incorrect sketch show of jokes, gags characters and such like. Who knew that Austrian incest, imprisonment and rape could be so funny, or that Australian diagnostics was so unusual. They are only on until Monday, but if you get a chance I can only recommend that you go - Sweet Grassmarket in the Apex City Hotel. There is swearing, sexual content and deeply politically incorrect jokes, but they are hilarious. Well done to them for bringing it on tour!

http://www.edfringe.com/shows/detail.php?action=shows&id=314

Norway

I am now back from my 3 days away in Norway (and a weekend at Mum & Dad's before that) which was rather nice and relaxing and consisted of looking at the sea, walking round on deck, observing Fijords and reading many books, as well as food and thinking....so all quite relaxing for 72 hours :) Below are some of my better pictures......

A quick note from England

Just a quick note to say that I will not be posting much this week as I am off on a Cruise to Norway for 2 and a half days. It should be fun, and either way I'll let you all know later in the week.

On a related note, I have now left my summer job and am preparing for placement 1 on 2nd September - the reason why the 2nd not the 1st of September will be explained in a future post I think. anyway I am currently in Torrential (rain) Tyneside and stealing Mum & Dad's slow internet to type this - I suppose I am slightly happy that my new 13mbps internet connection was connected on Friday, along with a shiny Be box to connect through.

Contrasting Comedy

Today I went across to see stuff at the Edinburgh festival (as opposed to doing stuff at the festival). I went to see 2 Fringe shows, both comedy, of very different styles.

The first one was Roy Walker from Catchphrase, who did a very good show at the Assembly Rooms, it was all about his life and career with many anecdotes and jokes, and jokes that other comedians had taught him. He was 'teatime on a Saturday' style comedy throughout. He even finished off with a game of Catchphrase, and his 'Car Park Catchphrase' from the Chris Moyles show. Sadly I was not quick enough to win a T-shirt.

One of Roy Walkers comments was that Comedians of his era told jokes, while Comedians today have more of a narrative style. So it was wirth Richard Herring, whose 17th Fringe show (The Headmaster's Son) was focussed very much on his life, wityh lots oif self analysis, some risquee subjects and the feeling that itw as half therapy and half a comedy show. All very funny but equally sometimes uncomfoirtable and disturbing.

All in all a good day out, some nice (half price) food and good comedy. Part 2 is next Friday!

Meet Katy

Hi everyone....

I've been a bit quiet here recently, with working almost full time and getting ready for the festival and such like I've been a bit busy and life has been bobbing along.

However, one big change has happened so meet Katy....

Yes, I'm sorry to disappoint those of you thinking that I had a girlfriend, but according to my sister, my new car (or Ka) is called Katy. It's great, and after only 4 days I'm noticing how much easier life is, and because i have only had to fill it up once so far I haven't noticed the big expenditure, since most of the 500 miles covered this weekend would have had to have been done , by train or bus, if I had not had the car. It does make the trip home from Edinburgh with lots of stuff easier, if not quicker.

One downside is that I can only park near my flat between 6pm and 8am, which should be ok once on placements, but until then means I have to park a 10-15min walk away outside the parking zone, since my flat wa sonly converted from offices in 2004, after the date that the council decree they will give parking permits for....... and because that 'free' parking is in the 'East End', I'm a bit worried about the car.