More food discoveries!

I am finding weird ways to procrastinate. One is writing cover letters for internships. The other is making food. (The third is blogging and piggy-backing off Chris's posts.)

Crumpets.

They are amazing. Especially with peanut butter. The Scottish ones are easier to eat with, since they're flatter and more like pancakes in shape, so you put butter and peanut butter on top, roll/fold it up, eat. Mmmm.

They also work with (sounds a little weird, I know) pate. I've only tried it with the Scottish crumpets, but I might just give the regular ones a go.

....Okay, okay, back to studying, I know.

How to make UK ramen!

My dear flatmate Brad just showed me how they do ramen here (or Super Noodles, as it's branded). First and foremost, they have awesome flavors, including bacon! So, already, win. For cooking, though, you only use half a pint of water. With that, and boiling it longer, the gluten comes out of the noodles, thickens the water that hasn't yet evaporated, and you get actual NOODLES! I prefer this greatly to the soup-with-noodles-floating-in-it that results from US ramen.

Delightful discovery of the day!

First day at Parliament with legitimacy!

Hello, people! I owe you a London post, and it will come in due time because it was an AWESOME weekend, but between exams and papers I will have to wait a bit before I have time to sit down and write it all out.

Anyway, an awesome weekend was followed by a very horrible yesterday where I had both a cough and the cranky mother-in-law of headaches, to the point where I lay on the bed to rest while watching the Olympics and promptly passed out during the ice dance. At least I got a full 10 hours of sleep!

Today was pretty chill, though. I FINALLY got my security pass so I don't have to get frisked at the public entrance every time, and began tackling the various tasks available. For the record, I am working with Cathy Jamieson, whom is also running for MP this coming May, and while it hasn't been finalised yet, I will most likely be researching healthcare in the more rural areas of west Scotland, where her constituency is. I'm looking at cancer rates and treatment options, but I'm also curious about mental health and out of hospital treatment plans, so hopefully I can narrow that down to something more coherent. I will also be helping out occasionally for her election campaign, so I can't wait to get out there and explore the area.

Also, the cafe for MSPs and staff is adorable and has yummy food! And coffee is always a couple of hundred feet away.

Studying in the middle of this kind of blows, but I'm looking forward to tomorrow when Cathy comes in :)

First day of work

Howdy, y'all!

So, I've been sick. Blehhh. Slowly but surely, though, I'm getting better! This is a crazy week, though, 'cause we've got finals on Friday, Monday, and a paper due that next Friday.

...and on top of that, WORK STARTED! I was anxious as all hell this morning, understandably, but I have Direction and a Project, so I'm overjoyed, frankly. I got in, and they had a little folder for me with a briefing on the Forth Road Crossing, summarizing the issues that I should be looking into, with all the fancy reports currently put out by the SPICe (Scottish Parliament Information Centre). With the MSPs out, for the most part, it was supremely quiet. I got lunch with Kieran (I think that's how it's spelled) who's been there for about 6 months. He grew up in Glasgow, and is a fellow enthusiastic-young-dude. Besides making coffee and a few exchanges besides lunch, I got to just dive into the policy stuff!

(speaking of which, the rest of this post will be a lot about bridges. Surprise!)
I might as well summarize the basics of the project, since everything I do will probably be about this! Sooo basically, there are two current bridges over the Firth of the Forth, the big ol' estuary where the Forth river meets the North Sea. The picture below is taken facing northeast, looking out towards the open sea to the east of Scotland.

(photo property of Transport Scotland, our dear national transportation agency)
Farthest east (at the top of the picture), we have the Forth Rail Bridge, completed in the 1890s. It's big and red, made of tons of little triangles, and famous the world over for its incredible construction given its age.
The next bridge down (that looks a bit like a grey Golden Gate) is the Forth Road Bridge. This little thing is responsible for all the trouble that has to be solved. Constructed in 1964, it was supposed to last for 100 years. Instead, the main cables (the ones holding up the vertical cables) have corroded significantly, and the total strength has already deteriorated 8-10%. It also has to be repainted every single year at this point. While they've installed dehumidifiers (pumping dry air between the wires that make up the main cables) to prevent further corrosion, current estimates are that shipping trucks and such will have to stop crossing in 2017.

SO! Given how long it takes to build something like a bridge, that doesn't leave much time to act. This is where the third and final bridge comes in. The bottom bridge in the picture (with the three vertical pylons) is the proposed cable stayed bridge that would be built if the bill I'm assessing passes. It should take about 5 years to build, and the funding should be freed up by 2011 if everything works out. This no margin for error, though. So far (for one day, lol) my research has been to find out, first, if there is anything to do to ensure that the current road bridge stays in commission, and second, to look through the bill and find out what concerns haven't been addressed. Today, therefore, consisted of me looking through a whole bunch of bridge coatings to fix the paint problem and trying to see if there are any projects old enough to have proven the dehumidifier systems (there's not, really).

The more interesting and... sorta sad bit was looking through constituent objections. There were maybe two or three issues that could be sorted out; for instance, increased traffic on a road with several blind, right-angle corners could be fixed by installing some fish-eye mirrors, I thought. Besides that, though, they were all issues with the compulsory land purchases that would have to be made for the various service roads, however temporary they may be, and the tales of how constituents' children would have to deal with all the dust kicked up and their quiet lanes would no longer be suitable for playing. I spent plenty of time on Google Maps looking at each place they mentioned, scoping out if this thing could be moved at ALL, but these kinds of issues would be encountered wherever the bridge would be placed; there are adorable little hamlets all across the Lothian coast. *sigh* It'll be an adventure getting through all of them, and I hope there will be some that can actually be solved.

...I'm excited to go in tomorrow. :D

Last day of classes!

Yes, five weeks of classes are over! Now comes two weeks of juggling an essay, prepping for two exams, and throwing ourselves into the world of Parliament. Timing couldn't be better: given the small space of the classroom, we've been passing various seasonal ailments to each other so everyone is or has has been sick at some point.

Work starts next Monday, but until then, this weekend's trip: London!

Hello from Birmingham!

I am currently writing this while in a food coma courtesy of dim sum followed by a nice Chinese New Year's dinner. :)

Before setting out, we had an appointment visiting the Parliament media office and getting a little tour of the building itself. We got to meet with a chill guy called Eric, whom shared little tidbits about the MSPs he knew, and about the building itself. In particular, the £80,000+ reception desk that nearly cost one MSP his career for having to defend its construction during a press conference. We then got to visit the debating chamber up close, and other various parts of the building such as the walkways and committee rooms. Scotland has had its share of ghost stories, and the Parliament was no exception: There was one story involving the Union of 1707, a crazy relative, a roasting spit, and some poor kitchen boy.

So after all that was over, I lugged my backpack over to Waverley, and got there rather early, so I got some time to mill around. Note: there are no public rubbish bins (trash cans) in the station, due to the possibility of someone leaving a bomb in one. If you want to dispose of stuff, you hand it over to one of the staff behind the counters in the shops.

If there are any kids reading this (highly unlikely), I have just this to say: Vandalism is bad. Vandalism is not cool. Theft is not cool either. In fact, stealing the signal cable from a train station is definitely not cool. It causes trains to divert and makes night time commuters very unhappy.

I did get there in the end, thankfully, and it was nice to hang out with old family friends again. It was also nice to stuff my face with homecooked Chinese food. =P I will be back in Edinburgh tomorrow night, and to all those who get to spend Valentine's Day with their significant others, I salute you and envy you.

Sickness, and the battle with it

Soooo I got a wee bit sick. It all started when I left my window way open (which is right above my bed). This always makes my throat feel constricted and inflamed for a while in the morning, but this time it didn't go away. I think the best description of it is basically a "throat infection."

Today, then, was the day for combat. I woke up a smidge hungover alongside the typical spacey-ness that accompanies sickness and set out to load up on drug-store goodies. Unfortunately, this required a trip across town to the Barclays ATM, which is a mixed blessing: any OTHER ATM charges me a $5.00 transaction fee, so every shred of my rational being says I MUST make the trek to it. To do otherwise would make me a lazy weenie.

Once I got the money, though, I was able to get 2 litres of OJ, multivitamins (enough to last 'till I leave, honestly), and some mouthwash with numbing goodness intended for just my situation.

Since then, the day has been a blur of naps, 1.5 L of OJ, tea, Muppet Show, and Monty Python. Turns out the magic bullet for the throat has been a pack of fantabulous cough drops from the corner store, so I'm finally able to swallow and yawn without too much trouble. I'm just so so so glad that I get to deal with this on a weekend with nothing planned, once I've finished the work for the next however-long.

Tomorrow, though, I hopefully get to go to church with Lauren and then go have a little Valentines picnic at the Meadows. Hope the health situation facilitates that a bit! Now it's bedtime. :D

Got the pass, met the MSP!

I now officially have my security pass! It shouldn't be a huge deal, but it really feels like one; I now have full access to a seat of government 24/7, which is kinda trippy. My picture is rather cute, also!

Also, I met my MSP! First, some background on how the MSPs are elected: 73 of them come from districts that work exactly the same as our House ones; small area, and whichever candidate gets the most votes wins. There are 56 votes, though, which are allocated proportionally (the voter picks a PARTY for this, rather than a particular candidate). There are 8 regions for this proportional list vote (with 7 seats each, hence 56). SO! back to the relevant bit: David Stewart, my MSP, is one of the three Labour MSPs from the Highlands and Isles region (massive in area, but still about 1/8 of the population). The three of them work very closely together, so while I'm officially under Stewart, I'll probably get to dabble in anything concerning Labour's presence in the north.

The "local" office is up in Inverness, which basically the furthest-north city. It's about 5 hours by train, but they can get my travel paid for so I hope I can visit a few times! They tend to spend Mondays and Fridays in Inverness (as all the real parliamentary business is carried out Tues-Thurs) so I could probably stay a weekend there at some point. :D I've got to imagine the hostels aren't as expensive up there as they are in Edinburgh!



Also, fun thing, I might get to work on the Firth of Forth Bridge project: It's this landmark of a bridge that was built at the end of the 19th century that still serves as the rail link between Edinburgh and Fife across the Forth river. Needless to say, the thing is in need of renovation, and David serves on the committee to figure out what to do in the case of the classic bridge as well as the other crossings that have been built over the years.

*excited!*

Argh it's February!

We've been here a month!

And while it's been generally awesome so far, now that we're getting to know our MSPs and with just over a week before we start working down at Holyrood, I think things are going to get much more exciting. :)

That is all. Short post, but paper writing calls.

P.S. I will be down in Birmingham this weekend with family friends, since it's Chinese New Year, and I never realised just how much I missed good Chinese food until this past year. Mmmm...

The only homesickness...

It's interesting: the only homesickness I feel is for HOME-home. There's no culture shock or anything; I just really love the South Bay and my family. USC's great, don't get me wrong, but whether I'm in Los Angeles or Edinburgh, there's a certain comfort and sense of belonging in Mountain View and the surrounding area that I just can't recreate. There's nothing I'd like more than a sunny drive up to Alice's on Skyline right now (ideally with the fam) and there's nothing that could possibly substitute for it.

Again, I'm having the best time ever, but there are some things that just can't be replicated without familiarity and fond association. :)

One Month Roundup!

(By Chris)

Well, it is a mere day short of one month in Scotland! I figured this would be a good chance to run down some of the things I've noticed. First, the lame things, 'cause it's a much shorter list:

• Prices. I definitely had an oh-shit moment the other day when I checked my bank account, but most of that was one-time stuff (coat, gym membership, phone, etc).


• Her Majesty's Royal Mail decided that I was to pay over 75 pounds in customs fees for a box that essentially had t-shirts in it. The Royal Mail may send that shit home, 'cause I don't plan on spending $125 or so on such things. *grumble* Unfortunately, since Levi's cost about fifty quid over here anyway, I'm going to have to make do with limited pants. *shrug*


• ...man, I thought I'd be able to come up with at least one more complaint besides expenses, but I guess not.


• UPDATE 7/2/10: Actually, there's broken glass everywhere. They trust people with open containers and all, which is generally nice, but the amount of glass beer (and even wine) bottles that are crushed around on the roads and walks makes me a little antsy while walking around in sandals. Something to be aware of, for sure.

So! Things that are awesome:

• The frickin' haggis. At first when I saw recently that the FDA would reexamine the ban on haggis importation, I didn't care a whole lot; now I do. The stuff is so hardy and meaty and cheap and wonderful, I just have no idea what I'd do without it. I got back from the farmers' market just now (set in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle) and a stall there was selling venison haggis! It was even more flavorful than the normal kind. While I still prefer the sheep variety, the fact that someone could actually cover operating costs on a stall selling stewed deer offal just makes me happy.


• The beer. Most pubs have cask/"real" ales, which are dispensed through a hand-pumped tap. The nozzle goes all the way to the bottom of the pint glass, aerating the whole thing as it's filled up. Everyone always lauds a Guinness from the tap, but imagine a beer that actually TASTES like something being even MORE light and aromatic. Love. Also, the cheap beer here instead of Keystone and Natty is Stella Artois and Carlsberg, both of which are considered modestly-classy imports at home. It almost feels sinful to use the stuff for pong or any other games, but we have no choice!


• Everyone here drives stick. Seriously, besides the occasional Mercedes SUV, all the service trucks and everything are all standard transmissions. There are these top-heavy maintenance vans toddering along the cobbled wynds and alleys, with a STICK. Props to the Scots. We look like weenies in comparison.


• UPDATE 7/2/10: Parliament! We have a legislature that's only a decade old, and founded on accessibility and transparency. We attended a public petitions hearing, and the connection of the populace to the government is really inspiring (each MSP represents about a 10th the number of people that a House district covers at home).
• Little kids with Scottish/English accents! Seriously, I don't know why this is so adorable to me. But go watch 'Charlie Bit Me!' for an example of the cuteness.


• The cafes! There are independent coffee shops on each corner basically, the coffee is espresso-based (usually, instead of the tureens of swill that we tend to rely on in the States) and they all offer salads, soups, paninis, etc. for totally reasonable prices. They've found the perfect balance of comfort, simplicity, quality, and price. I'm a fan.


• Rock climbing at the gym! This isn't a Scottish thing but more of a University of Edinburgh perk... but they have a rock wall at the gym, and there's nothing more awesome and motivational than that. I'm getting good at it. :D


• Finally, I like the general courtesy. People hold the door for you, and if you hold it for them you get an enthusiastic "Cheers!" and genuine smile. The drivers totally don't stop for you, but the city's walkable and your fellow pedestrians can be quite charming.

Feels like that covers it for now. If I think of any others I'll have to make another real post!

A wee update

Many thanks to Chris for updating about the pub crawl! Things definitely got a little weird after pub...9? 10? Not sure. But I do remember that delicious 2-wiener hot dog from the French food truck. :D

Also: I got up earlier to make breakfast and saw SNOW falling outside the window. Snow! I haven't seen proper falling snow for years!

And yes, I was a very happy camper walking to class. Those from the East Coast weren't so jovial...and then again, I was also kind of glad it had stopped by the time class was over because the walk back home consisted of walking through dirty slush.

Okay, back to paper writing, I promise.

Richard, Loch Ness, and pub crawl!

(By Chris)

Richard was kind enough to come up from London and visit me the other day! We romped about on Arthur's Seat, had an excellent pubby time at the Halfway House, and enjoyed the most crystal-clear day I've seen yet.
We conveniently bumped into a few of the other interns, who kindly took pictures of us leaping about over Edinburgh. Many thanks to Bonnie, Sara, and Heather!
Then, since it was (another intern) Jackie's birthday, we had to go out for a pub crawl! There are 20 places on the 'official Edinburgh Pub Crawl,' and we sought out to do another one for Jackie's 21st, but ended up making it to number 15 before the city basically shut down. All in all, it was a great success.

This is closer to the end. You can tell because there are purses, boas, and legs abounding.

The next morning (poor planning, I know) we headed off to Loch Ness on a bus tour. The landscape was incredible, and there was Snow and it smelled like Pine and Heather and Awesome. Here's Lauren and I with a Bridge! (in Fort Augustine, right on the loch)

Supposedly there's a 1 million GBP reward for photographic evidence of Nessie! So... we had to try.

I'm doing work, too, I promise. :D

Hadrian's Wall

(By Rachel)

It's extremely difficult to remember that I'm actually studying here and have HOMEWORK due in the next week or so, not taking a 4 month holiday. I mean, with 3 lessons a week and this great city and so many opportunities to travel, who wouldn't agree?

Thanks to a previous scheduling mixup, our assignments were pushed back a week, so a couple of us took the train down to Carlisle and then on to Hadrian's Wall. Catching the 6:52 am train seemed like a good idea at the time, and it did give us time to plan the trip to Haltwhistle once we'd hit Carlisle, but most of us spent the travel portion passed out in our seats. :P

We transferred to a bus at Haltwhistle, which took us up to Housesteads where there used to be a Roman fort. For the record, when the road signs say "Severe dip", they mean it. It feels like a mini rollercoaster.



Beautiful day, if freezing cold and windy.



Sheep! Not fenced in, either, so the hike up to the wall was 95% avoiding stepping in sheep poop.



Standing on top of the wall itself.



That thing stretches for quite a bit.



And yes, it's quite a way down on one side if you fall. There was one section where we had to climb down into the gap and then haul ourselves up the other side to continue along the wall. I'm sure the guys thought it was no problem, but lil' me with a purse scrambled for a bit while using the wooden gate as a boost.



But the view was worth it.