Building Demolition in Dundee

Today Joni and I went to see some flats be blown up in Dundee. It was pretty awesome. We stayed on the Fife side of the bridge. Parked up on a grass verge and walked down the central reservation to join the small crowds gathered watch.

 One moment there were 4 high rise flats

 Next there was a missive dust cloud. It was so sudden we almost missed it! And about 20 seconds after the buildings came down we heard the rumble.

 And the dust cloud just get bigger! Its going to be window cleaners out in force in dundee tomorrow!

Joni and some dust. 

An ode to a day off.

Now don't get me wrong, i love having people to visit, i really do. And i love visiting my family. Reports I don't enjoy so much, but I do love my job. But today was my first day off since (and i will check my calendar here...) the 26th of June and it has been amazing!!

I watched 2 hours of crap TV in bed after Joni went to work. Then i gardened with Tay. I watched more crap TV with lunch, baked a cake and then watched Sex and the City 2 while I waited for Joni to come home. Pure awesome (not the film, that was complete trash). 

I need more days off. The draft of my report i handed in to Paul was total rubbish. I am dreading having to sit down with him on Monday so he can give me "corrections". And the reason for this uncharacteristic rubbish-ness was the fact that I was sick to the teeth of staring at that stupid report. Its been driving me mad! But, now that i have had a day off, i feel ready to face it again. 

And do you know whats even better? Tomorrow I get another one!! 

A post from a few days ago

Wrote this a couple of days ago when i was in a place with no internet. Forgot to post it until now.

24/07/11 22:50

Been for an emotional trip to see The Stanelys this weekend. It might be the last time we see them before Jenny’s wedding, which is very sad. Just as we thought we had moved closer, its time for them to head off again. M&D were around too, which was very sad. Its defiantly the last time they will see them for a while. I couldn’t watch them say goodbye, I’m not really good at goodbyes. I tend to make inappropriate jokes.

It was wonderful to see them. I particularly enjoyed going for a “wild Scottish Adventure” with Freya (14) and Charis (11). I remember them being born, and now there we were chatting about what they want to do with their lives and what options they have picked at school. It was pretty amazing. Got them all set up with Facebook now so we can keep in touch. Charis has taken to it like a duck to water, so she can keep us all in touch. Freya (the typical teenager) is a little more reluctant, but she will get there. Soon as she sees the pictures of Emma (little sis) in Chavos etc Im sure she will be filled with ideas! Even Aunt Kate has Facebook now which should be funny to watch at least. It a bit like my Dad getting Facebook, although he seemed to get the hang of it.

Back to work tomorrow afternoon, after lunch with M&D. I have got to stop avoiding writing this report. I promised myself I would have a full final draft ready for my supervisor, Paul, on Friday, which as its Jonis day off Thursday actually means Wednesday night. I just have not done enough work on it this last week. Its terrible, but I’m just sick of it. Iv barely been in the lab in weeks because of it. And I had the most ridiculous phone-conference-call thing with 2 of my industrial sponsors last Wednesday. I wish Paul  had been around for that – he could have helped me explain to them what im doing for the 4^th time. They just seem to have no idea whats going on. On the plus side I did manage to completely blind-side them with science, which is always fun. Say stuff they don’t understand and they will trust you to know what you are doing, regardless if you are just making it up! “Oh yes, I trying to alter the reaction kinetics so encourage growth in the (100) plane whist halting growth in the (001) plane.” (Just to make you feel worse btw, yes I do know what that means and it is what im trying to do… sort of :-P).

An Update

****WARNING This blog post includes some ramblings about the new HP film. 

These may class as spoilers even if you have read the book. 

Read at your own risk****

So i don't blog much. This is mostly because I think my life is pretty repetative so i don't know if would be interesting for the rest of the world to write about or not. As it happens i am on full report-writting-avoidence mode right now so i thought i might do a little blogging. 

July has been full of people visiting. I won;t bore you with the tales, if you care you know all about it already because you were probably there.  Surfice to say Jonis parents came and Jenny (sister) and Ben came for about a week each. Both were great fun, although i do sort of wish they hadn't followed straight on from one another. Particular highlights include Edinburgh Castle with Jonis parents and seeing HP7II with Jenny and Ben. 

Speaking of which, i feel a small review is in order. First up want to say i loved it. The Harry Potter books were exactly my generation - I was the same age as Harry each year when i read the books and i have loved them ever since my Granny bought us a box set of the first two when i was 12 years old. My Harry Potter life has spanned reading them in the sunshine after exams, walking to Asda at midnight to buy one the moment it came out (i think it was the 6th) and enjoying every one of the films (even when the acting was a little ropey to start with!) 

I completely agreee that when you make a novel into a film things have to change. They are two compleatley different mediums of entertainment and as such you can never just turn a book into a film word for word. Books have way more time to say what they are going to say, but can also rely on a persons imagination, where as films have to fit into a short space of time but are really visual. Saying that, there have been changes over the Harry Potter films a didn't agree with (Hello - what happened to Padfoot, Wormtail, Moony and Prongs??) and there was one in the final film i didn't like. And that was the HP v Voldy fight. 

Let me explain...

In a face to face fight (like in the film) Voldamort would have kicked Harrys butt. That (i felt) was the whole point. He was more powerful than Harry, a more experience dualer. Harry had other things on his side - friends, love, cunning, bravery bla bla. I loved the way JK wrote the ending - A packed room, everyone watching, Harry finally gets his chance to talk, to show Voldamort just how badly its about to go, and to give him chance to redeem himself. Than just one spell each, done. Simple yet incredibly powerful, it had the hairs on the back of my neck all tingly. The films version, yes i understand it more visually pleasing, but it just doesn't fit with the characters. (it also doesn't fit with the whole premise of the Elder Wond but thats another story). 

But never mind. Over all it was amazing - and i did love the inclusion of the epilogue from the book - there is nothing like a fantastic series all tide up with a neat bow at the end. I hate a series that doesn't end properly. Cliff-hanger endings are all well and good mid series but when you have reached the end have the guts to finish it properly.

And that was a brief update of what I'v been thinking out. Next up a visit to see The Stanleys and Granny up north. Could be the last time a see The Stanleys for a while. 

Beth & Sam go North, and other things.

After the trip to London it was a fairly uneventful few weeks, apart from the whole buying of a car. Here he is:

Being all black and shiny we decided it was defiantly a boy, and have named him Vox. To say it has made a bit of a difference would be the understatement of the century! Even buying food has suddenly become massively better. We go  so carried away in the big supermarket last weekend the bill nearly hit three figures, opps!

Something else the car allowed us to do was go on a trip to Glasgow. Now i know one or two Scottish people read this blog so i apologise for what is about to come but.... Glasgow is a horrible place! The people were miserable and mean, and the town is scummy - even the bank was scummy! How anyone can even think its can compete with Edinburgh is beyond me. The only good thing about it was contemporary arts gallery in town, which was pretty interesting. Me and Joni being sad arty types we enjoyed looking at the British Art Show there, which we had already seen in Nottingham. It was interesting to see is curated in a different place - to see which pieces looked better, and which didn't work as well.

So it was sitting in an art gallery in Glasgow that i finally got the call from Argos about the bed being delivered (yes, the one i ordered 25 days previously!) and i missed it! But i called them back straight away only to be informed that the reason they were calling was to tell me that a part was missing from the bed and it wouldn't be delivered until the 7th August. To which i replied in a calm and straightforward manner, no it won't. I bought it under the agreement it would be delivered by wednesday so it would be delivered by wednesday. Unsurprisingly the guy got quite confused. So i yelled at him. A Lot. Lucky he was quite nice and passed me over to a manager, who also lucky was very helpful. She informed me that the only missing parts were the lights and so consequently i was sent the rest of the bed on wednesday, as originally promised. Still waiting on the lights... (in reference to the previous argument with Argos, i sent them another letter, telling them to dam well not fob me off. Im awaiting a reply).

So bed arrived and flat scrubbed to the cleanest its ever been Joni and I played delighted hosts to our first ever non-family guests! Beth is one of my best (and most riotest) friends from uni. It was amazing to have her and Sam stay - one of the best weekends we've had since we moved here. Helped in no small part by the glorious weather. I am sunburnt! Sunburnt from a weekend is Scotland! Amazing!

We did lots of fun and exciting things - wondered for hours around Edinburgh, and St Andrews, and Tentsmur beach. And we discovered a new place - Loch Leven, which has the coolest little castle on an island in the middle of it. Very awesome. I was super sad to say goodbye to them both. I hope that Sam enjoys his amazing trip in Mexico. Im not sure I have the heart to tell Beth that this is exactly what happened to my Dad - Offered a summer placement in Africa and 4 years later he was still there, digging up rocks. Hope she enjoys Mexican food!!

London

(Worte this on the train home) 

I don’t blog very much because most of my life is quite boring, but this week me and Joni have been on a mini holiday to London which was fantastic, so I can tell you all about that!

Tuesday

It all started a bit early for my tastes – train at half 7 in the morning, leaving poor Tay alone for the second time in a week. I was a bit worried when we get back he will think James is his new owner! Then when reached York some idiot decided to jump in fount of a train, causing everything south of York to be delayed or cancelled. But it was ok, we got into London only an hour late and the sun was shining and our hotel (Super cheap, not to cheerful) was very close to Victoria Station. Quick stop to drop of the bags and get changed and we headed out into town.

As the weather was so nice we walked along the river to Parliament, and had ice cream sitting in the shadow on the London eye, very picturesque. We also managed to find a rooftop bar and garden on top of the south bank centre which was very nice, but reminded us of how expensive London is!

For a nights entertainment we had booked a table in a very good restaurant, Roux at Parliament Square and it was amazing! We had like 6 courses and each one was a perfectly crafted bundle of amazingness! We had Asparagus soup with parmesan foam (actually foam – it looked like fairy liquid, tasted like heaven), and Veal and Suckling pig and the most AMAZING Blackberry and Apple Soufflé which was massing and so soft. Joni had Salmon and Pigeon, also totally delicious. And you know what, nowhere near as expensive as I thought and totally worth every penny. My first real experience of fine dining and it was a good one. Can’t wait to do that again.

Possibly the best thing about the whole meal (aside from like everything else) was the magical refilling bottle of wine. I have no idea how he did it but somehow I managed to have my class refilled at least 4 times all from one bottle of wine! And a bloody good bottle too. Midnight on Tue found me and Joni giggling our way back to the hotel.

Wednesday

Wednesday was the day of the Big Show, the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition (an exhibition of art works from contemporary living artist, for those not in the know) but that wasn’t until 11am, so we had a few hours to kill in the morning. The day before we had spotted some of those bike-hire stands they are now operating in London. Basically you can hire a bike, cycle to where you want to go and leave your bike at the nearest station. So we decided to give it a go and OMG, such a good way to get around London! We cycled all the way around Hyde Park, got a great view of it and then just left the bikes near the gallery. I think it cost about £2 each and that includes a £1 access charge so we could have used them all day if we wanted. An amazing idea.

The show was pretty amazing, although I think not really my favourite way to see art. The pieces were all very unconnected, as you can imagine as they were all from different artists. And there were so many! The show catalogue listed 1117 items. There were some amazing pieces – and a whole room of architects drawings and models which were really cool. We were thinking we might buy some work if we sound something good (the show is primarily a sale of works, form all sorts of different people. We had a maximum budget of £500, but it turns out this was nowhere near enough to buy something we liked. Both of us kept pointing out pieces we liked around the £3000 mark. Well, at least we know how much to take with us next time, to help start out collection.

We left the show about 2pm, having had nothing except the most expensive coffee&cake ever. So hungry (and so a little bit bitchy for me, as always when I am hungry) we decided to just grab a quick bite before deciding what to do next. Bring on the Subway, then half price tickets for a show that evening and a quick march to the British Museum to pass the rest of the afternoon. And OMG, THE BRITISH MUSEUM IS AMAZING! We were there until we were practically kicked out, just moving from room to room looking at all these amazing artefacts. I could have spent so much longer – I’m not sure we even saw half of the stuff they had on display. I saw the Rosetta stone, which I have never seen before, and so many Egyptian mummies and Greek statues. Just awesome.

Went for a quick Chinese buffet before going to see The 39 Steps, which was so funny! I know – Hitchcock’s Phyco-thriller but it was a comedy. Full on slap-stick farcical funny. It was a cast of 4, at one point with 2 guys playing 5 different characters at once with the clever use of hats and some excellent accents. I think it was made even funnier because it was set mostly in Scotland and their Scottish characters were all just brilliant – so stereotypical, but so true! So Wednesday night found me and Joni once again, giggling our way back to the hotel, past a beautifully lit Buckingham Palace. 

Thursday

Thursday we had till 2pm till our train left, so we decided to visit the Tower of London in the morning. Raining buckets this morning which was a bit annoying, but never mind. We took the tube again over the right side of town. It was a good attraction, the Crown Jewels were amazing and some of the armour they have on display is epic, but I was annoyed by how money-grabbing they were. Maybe it’s just been so long since I was at a proper tourist attraction, so I’ve forgotten how bad they can be, but this place seems particularly awful. Firstly you pay £18 entry. Then you automatically pay £2 “voluntary” donation, then they got all Joni’s details so they could claim tax gift aid, and then they have the check to put donations bins all over the place! And the souvenirs were all so incredibly expensive I couldn’t even get a tacky pen. In fact I’ve gone the whole trip without getting a tacky pen from anywhere we went. Very sad.

So it’s been an amazing trip. I’m really looking forward to seeing Tay. I hope he has coped ok without us.

A Trip North

We were very generously lent a car by a good friend while she was away for a week, so we decided to take the opportunity to venture north to visit the family again. My uncle has been offered a job in Thailand so they are all taking the plunge and emigrating in about 3 months, so figuring its about to become way harder to see them we had better get in as many visits in as possible.

It was a fantastic trip. I'v found as i'v grown up my relationship with my Aunt and Uncle, and with my cousin who are now teenagers, is completely changing and it just gets better and better. Joni and I found ourselves sat up half the night chatting stories with Kate which was just wonderful. I remember my cousin being born, and now they are both like, real sized people with stories and dreams and they are such cool people. Im really looking forward to getting to know them better as we, hopefully, get closer.

Even my granny seem to be on top form. She had something of a 'funny turn' as she likes to put it, a couple of years ago when i last saw her, but she is recovering well. Sounds like she will go to Thailand too. I guess it means i won't see her as often, but then i was only seeing her once a year anyway so its not like she has been a regular presence in my life since i was a child. And i really think life out there could be very good for her. Get her away from the cold and the damp of the Scottish weather, bit of sunshine might do her some good. Live out the rest of her days lounging in a Thai garden with a sun hat on, listening to ex-pats rant about the war. Im jealous!

I really hope we get to see the family again before the go. Its certainly provided us with a real incentive to get on and buy our own car. Now we just have to do something about getting turn down for all the loans we have applied for.....