"Best band in Britain"..says me!

this is the first night I've really stayed in and had time to do whatever I wanted...like catch up on the US Weekly gossip (Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillipe split! SHOCKER!), listen to all my fashion podcasts that I've downloaded, and go next door to the shop for a Magnum bar (British version of a Haagen Daaz). I quite like nights in...so peaceful and calming. I thought I would share with you some new music that I hope you'll all enjoy. Kevin's band, The Moth and the Mirror played a gig last Thursday night at a bar called Brel. Brel is located on one of the cutest streets I've ever seen called "Ashton Lane". It's a cobblestone street located in the west end of Glasgow (basically the Notting Hill to its London). Anyways, really great location! There was a beer festival going on in Ashton Lane so the bar was packed. TMATM (abbreviations are simpler) were the head-lining band and I'd say they didn't let the fans down! Even though their sound was coming through an amplifier and they were told to "keep it down" by the Brel management, their beautiful sounds drifted sweetly throughout the lane. Also...a warm welcome was given to me by Stacey (lead singer) and the band when they dedicated their song "Everyone I Know " to me because it is about "someone being far away". Fortunately I am not far away from any of them anymore and I can attend every one of their gigs from here on out!


hope you enjoy!!

adjusting to the rain?

I've been waiting until I was able to post something out of the ordinary, ya know, something more than just "walked around looking for a job today, blah blah blah" and then finally tonight, something happen!! I got stuck in a rain storm!! Ok...so maybe that's not as unusual, but it was for me, due to the fact that I'm living in a city without a car. You don't think about how much the rain effects you until you have to walk a mile in it...literally.

I was on my way to Scott's flat (Kevin's brother) to print off my CV (resume to all you non-British speakers) and I got about half way there and ducked under a bus stop covering and waiting about 10 minutes to see if the rain would let up. It didn't. So, I began to run the rest of the way, and that seemed to get me there faster, but also I was getting wetter. There were huge puddles, or more like rivers running across the sidewalk, that were starting to soak my feet and my jeans and jacket were no longer used as a barrier for the wind and rain, but large sponges that were soaking up every splash of rain. At this point, there was nothing else to do but laugh outloud at the new changes happening in my life. I walked about 1 more block and then decided to turn back around because even though I didn't have that much more to walk and I probally could have gotten Scott to drive me home, it wasn't worth it.

I dragged my self back to Kevin's flat and of course, the rain let up and now I was just wet and cranky. I felt like I had gained about 20 pounds of water as well. As I hung my clothes on the drying line, I immediately put the kettle on and will be enjoying the rest of my night IN! Tomorrow I will begin to invest in my new future here in Glasgow - an umbrella!

Sleepless nights

I'm here! After a long long long day of traveling I made it to Glasgow! Usually the flights aren't so bad for me because I can sleep anywhere, including cramped airplane seats...But this trip was different. Even with the empty seat beside me I was awake for most of the 7 hour flight from Chicago to Dublin, which I blame on the in flight movie service showing "The Lake House" (I just had to watch it!) and I forgot to pack my sleeping pills. It's always a kick flying over to Glasgow with the amount of elderly people going on vacations. My plane was full of them!! They're sooo chatty and the funniest thing was when they all synchronized their watches. so cute! So back to my lack of sleep....because I didn't sleep on the plane, I slept most of the day when I arrived in Glasgow and after 2 days here, I've had 2 almost sleepless nights!! NOT FUN!! Especially when I have to get up in a couple hours and traveled to Edinburgh for my orientation. I just hope I don't fall asleep during that. My Starbucks card from jenna might just come in handy tomorrow.

all in all, I am here safely, with both my bags (not filled to the brim, I might add) and eager to find a job and meet some new people. I should write more but as I look at the clock and it reads 6:48 am and I have to be up at 8 am and I am having an internal war with myself. There's so much to do and I tend to lie awake and think of it all and can never push it to the side and relax. I'm going to try and do that right now. Maybe this blog has helped me pour a bit out and even though all of you can't communicate with me right now, I feel like I've communicated with you and I like that. Now my eyes need to close and my brain needs to shut down. goodnight!

Piles and piles!

The packing has begun! I was beginning to get a bit worried as I rifled through my closet yesterday and tossed out everything I thought I wanted to bring to Scotland. As the pile became bigger and bigger, I just kept thinking to myself, "two suitcases Bethany, just two suitcases." The only downside about going to Scotland in the fall and winter (beside the nasty rain) is that I have to pack all my jackets and sweaters! Oh, and don't forget the Uggs! They all take up so much room in a suitcase. Is it possible to vacuum pack a whole suitcase? hmmm....


At least I'm not going to a third world country. Whatever I forget, I can buy over there, but being a girl on a budget I want to save as much expenses on items I already have, instead of buying another there. Also, I'm not bringing a hair-dryer, curling iron, or anything that needs to be plugged in. Since the outlets are different in Britain, I don't want to bring over all my American appliances and then have to buy 10 converters!! That would be a mess!

The rest of the week before I leave will be pretty low-key. I'm all done with work and most of the errands I have to do won't take too long. I'm looking forward to a relaxing week before the big move!

11 days and counting!

so this is the beginning of what hopefully will be a great way for all my friends and family to hear about my upcoming trip....err, i mean MOVE to scotland! I keep saying "trip", as if I'm going on vacation for a couple weeks and then coming home. I've never moved anywhere. The furthest I've moved in the last 13 years is across the 5-20 bridge and back! Instead of sending out a mass email to people, I thought it would be easier to have a place where I can write about all the exciting things going on while I'm living in Scotland. This should be interesting....

things are starting to get a bit hectic as i prepare to leave for Scotland! I just returned from a wonderful weekend in Napa for my mom's 50th birthday! It was full of great food, good wine and lots of our family friends. I was in a drunken/happy haze all week long!

Since I've flown back, i've had lots of odds and ends to tie up: cell phone, job search, flat search, purchase a incredibly large suitcase to fit all my stuff, and see each and every one of my friends!! I'm trying to maintain a balance so I don't get too overwhelmed and spend the next week or so having a breakdown. I want to seize every opportunity I can before i leave because I know once I am gone, I will miss everything and everyone!