Month 8

The sun is shining so much more in Edinburgh...well, maybe not shining, but hiding in the clouds for longer periods of time! It is now light until about 8pm, which is SO nice. I love the sun. It lifts my mood and makes me feel like I can stay outside for so much longer. And, it is practically spring here. Last Sunday, it hit 65 degrees! That has to be some sort of record. I should add though that the highest it is supposed to get in the next week is 55 degrees, but the "warm" weather was nice while it lasted! Ian and I took a couple walks out in the sun this month. There are some walking paths thru the city that are so heavily covered in trees and shrubbery that you can't even tell you are in the middle of a city! It is kind of neat.

Last week an oil refinery outside of Edinburgh went on strike. This refinery supplies 30% of the oil for Scotland. Stations started running out of gas (diesel to be exact, but that is what most cars run on over here). And that got Ian and I talking. We were talking about how if something happened and the buses could no longer run, we could still live our lives. We both live close enough to work that we could ride bikes. We could really get pretty much anywhere in town, except the airport, by walking or riding a bike. This is so much different than LA! What would happen if gas stations started running out of gas there? The whole city would shut down! No one would be able to go anywhere. When I think about things like driving, it makes me realize how much more simple my life is here. And, I think that is a good thing. By no means does this mean that I don't want a car, but it is nice to not have to rely on one.

At work, my promotion officially went into affect on the 10th. I don't feel like too much has changed. There are just a few more things I have to think about, but that is really it. The only real hard part is having to deal with partners/employees that are in trouble. And even then, it isn't hard so much as it is uncomfortable. I don't like it when people cry; it makes me feel uncomfortable. So, when I see someone headed in that direction, I tend to back peddle a bit, so I don't have to deal with the tears!

I would like to say that I am bummed out that I missed out on free scoop day at Ben & Jerry's...only the best ice cream ever! I hope some of you out there took advantage of the great opportunity and got it.

I am excited that this next month will allow me to see some of you in Houston. I am definitely looking forward to it. Until next time...
good morning, good afternoon, good evening and good night!