The Advantages of Living in Edinburgh

J.K. Rowling's new book, "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" was released today. I was under the misconception that the midnight release was scheduled for tonight, and I missed it. Through my adamant googling abilities, I discovered that she was holding a tea party at the National Library of Scotland--right down the street from my office! I called the library to inquire about Joanne's whereabouts.

I'm sure I sounded crazy.

"Um, hi. I'm just curious...Is J.K. Rowling, uh, holding a tea party at the library today?"

After being transferred numerous times and being placed on hold, I spoke with the most helpful employee who informed me that her next press event was being held at the Advocate's Court on the Royal Mile. Right down the street. Dalaney and I left work to wait in the freezing outdoors. Eventually the paparazzi showed up and we knew we were in the right place. We huddled together with about 5 other university aged girls representing the local, non-profit Harry Potter Alliance. It was priceless.

I'm going straight to Waterstone's after work to purchase my personal, beloved copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard. I love Scotland!

Candida krusei

I'm not going to sugar coat this.

Scotland food sucks.
Everything is fried. Even pizza!

The only two things that I will miss food-wise are Kinder chocolate bars and caramel shortbread.

Caramel shortbread, commonly refered to as "millionaire's shortbread," consists of a thick layer of chocolate and caramel. Paired with a shortbread crumb crust. It is delicious.

Kinder buenos are hazelnut cream filled wafers. Made by Ferrero, which should explain a lot. I plan on bringing home tons of these.

If I stayed here much longer though, I would have to sell the Prius to sustain my expensive, addictive eating lifestyle.

Youth Against Fascism

I have officially failed at my blogging duties.

Where should I even begin? My Parliamentary internship is nearly complete. I've fallen in love with Edinburgh, Scotland. In my backpack escapades across Europe, I have traveled to Dublin, Florence, Pisa, Venice, Athens, and Paris. With more cities to come! I fly back to the homeland on December 16th. I've even managed to maintain and represent my Southern heritage across the Atlantic.

My favorite person in the world stopped by the UK last week. We had a blast. She even did my laundry.

Since I've last posted, America has elected a new president.

Just not them.

Also, I am very unhappy with the results of Saturday night's Holy War. Boo you Max Hall. Okay, I admit it. I am a dirty fair-weather fan.

I will leave you with the following imagery:

The Real-Live Flat

Our heavy duty door which requires a chump key.

My room.

A brief look into my mind.

Getting lost in a foreign country is NOT fun.
I am predicting the demise of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's career quite soon. Poor Labour party.
I am finally unpacked. Finally.
I miss free movies. And spending dollars.
I bought a lotto ticket.
I love knowing what people think. And why they think that way.
Americans should utilize the train system more often.
I could get used to having H&Ms on every corner.
Internet is critical to survival.
I love Dani Richards.
I refuse to ever transcrible another word again.
And I'm pretty much obsessed with my life.

------Pictures-----

Edinburgh at sunset.
Cooking class demonstrations at the Parliament.
North Bridge.

The Edinburgh Castle.

My dream come true.

Kristin, Dalaney, and I at the National Muesum of Scotland.
The real, but not live Dolly the cloned sheep.

I love this city.

I wouldn't mind writing a book someday. Or being richer then the queen of England.

So, I totally ate at the Elephant Cafe tonight.
Elephant Cafe= birthplace of Harry Potter aka J.K. Rowling's early writing atmosphere.
Gosh, I love Scotland.

And I can dance a mean ceilidh now.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceilidh

I am officially a Loo connesuir.

Within the historic, stone walls of European public restrooms are innovative luxuries unknown to the average American.

Like I mentioned before, I love that the stalls are fortress like. Each bathroom is like your own small room.

Hands down, this is my favorite. If you look closely, you will see both a straightener and a curling iron. All you have to do is insert a pound into the slot and you are granted access to either tools for 90 seconds.

The writing does affirm that the styling instruments do reach temperatures hot enough to sanitize them. So, basically anytime you need a quick hair fix, a solution is just "a hop an' er skipper away."

This is for you, the woman who birthed me.

A few sibling pictures taken right before I left..

Gus, finally home from the groomer.

My super model little brother.


No one was happy...

And then they look up.


I love Parker's face here.


We are so disfunctional.

Home away from Home

I will never understand my mother's television interests. While tropical storms are brewing in the Atlantic, she is physically and mentally capable of watching the Weather Channel for 72 hours straight. The reports exhaust me because they always broadcast the same material over and over. I tease her most about watching TLC's infamous, "House Hunters." Over the span of sixty minutes, viewers follow a couple as they tour three varying houses for sale. Our family makes small bets about which of the three houses they will select to rear their future children in. Honestly, it is painful.

Minus the presence of host Suzanne Wang, House Hunters has become a sick reality for me. Kristin and I have no place of residency. We live like vagabonds. When we first arrived, we stayed with a family that Kristin met before I flew in. With the intent of finding a flat soon, we moved into a hostel. Now, we are staying with a couple that just recently graduated from BYU. We set up appointments to view flats. We ride the double decker buses through town earnestly searching for the precise flat address. We meet possible roommates that party until the sun rises. And just like on the television show, we weigh the positives and negatives of each option. Most of the viewings are flats looking for extra roommates to split the costs.Finally, we believe that we have found the one. Tonight, we are meeting with Prisco, our new landlord to move into our own flat closely located to the Parliament building. I will have my own bedroom. We can't move in until next Monday, but I'll post pictures soon.

Day 1 of Euro Adventures

They interrogated me up and down at border control. But, I made it.
Currently, I'm in London at Heathrow. Edinburgh is my next and final stop.
So far, my UK observations include...

+++++
Chewable toothbrushes
Magazine vending machines
Airlines that feed me
Toilet stalls are fortress like

------
Slightly different keyboards..
men in skirts.
6 hour time difference.
Zero Alltel service.

One Man's Treasures...

Treasure Tuesday's are a tradition within the Blair Pack family. Every week, my grandparents celebrate their seniority by loading into their Toyota Camry and venture across the Southeastern Mississippi region visiting local Dirt Cheaps and banking on the extra 10% offered to senior citizens.

For those of you who are not familiar with the topic, Dirt Cheap is the low-end, sister business of Hudson's, a salvage mecca. Parallels can and have been made with Utah's infamous Desert Industry aka D.I. Whereas D.I. caters to cheap, extensive Mormon families through the act of thriftdom, Dirt Cheap encompasses D.I. by a landslide. Besides the occasional nicks and stains, Dirt Cheap sales quality, brand new items at a significantly discounted price. They receive weekly stocks from popular stores such as Target, Old Navy, and Dillards.

My grandparents have an immense talent of finding both useful and useless objects for under a single dollar. It is a running joke among our family and friends to slyly insert a sales price (normally 25 cents) after a compliment is directed towards any original Hudson's item. I love it.

Lauren and I spent a recent afternoon investing quality time with our mothers+ grandparents at Dirt Cheap. For me and the woman who birthed me, it was all too much. We must have seen the same trailer trash sandcastle water dispensers at all four store locations. At one point, I even fell asleep across a tattered futon for sale. Due to adult "lingering," I'm not sure that I have entered the store without at least one wheelchair race across the parking lot.

I like to think that I have been blessed with the gift of shopping knowledge. At any point, I can walk into a store, scan the racks, and know quite suddenly whether or not there are items which interest me. Unfortunately, the rewards of Dirt Cheap are found when opposite tactics take place.

With its odd consumer base and its stereotypical southern edge, Dirt Cheap is simply vulnerable to satire. Yet, I've found that for the most part, that makes it all the more lovable. It is one of the things that I always miss most about home.

For those of you who appreciate price comparisons and/or are interested in purchasing a sandcastle water dispenser, I can confirm that they are cheapest in Petal.

Moto Maniac

Before 2 weeks ago, I had never ridden on a motorcycle. And my gosh, I was surely missing out.

Mopeds fascinate me. When Parker & I were younger, he received an electric scooter for his birthday. He rode it through the cul-de-sac of Crescent Ridge like a cheetah through the African plains while I watched hesitantly from the concrete sidewalk. Honest to goodness, the FIRST time that I stepped foot on that contraption and after reaching speeds of approximately 35mph, I crashed straight into the communal mailbox.

Today, six years later, I've made a new friend..Jonathan Curtis. Mr. Curtis is the fine owner of not one, but two motorcycles. So, of course, when he offered to take me for a ride, I couldn't resist. Although my confidence in gravity is high, I struggled to comprehend the object's ability to stand up straight. We traveled the empty streets of Hattiesburg at speeds exceeding 95 mph. It was exhilerating. All I could think about the entire time is how much more bliss Johnny boy gets operating his transportation in comparison to the bland emotions that I receive driving my own enclosed vehicle.

And now, it's official. Sorry mom. I have to have a motorcycle.

My Best Friend's Wedding, Drew Carey, & Other Tales from the Crypt

Although it was almost a month ago, I am set on blogging about my Western tour of the United States. I faced an unfortunate setback after accidently deleting each and every photograph from my mother's beloved Sony memory card which was used to document the trip. I felt adamant that text could not convey the bon temps. I'm back in business, baby.


My scheduled flight out of New Orleans to Cali was canceled for the night because the pilot forgot to show up to the airport. United Airlines booked me a hotel on the outskirts of New Orleans at the glamorous Hampton Inn. I ordered a 3 course room service meal and laid in bed with my package of Double Stuf Oreos simply restless to see Keith.

Because I didn't arrive in LA until the next day, Keith and I were unable to attend CBS's legendary Price is Right that morning. During the entire trip, Keith teased me that we weren't going back. Eventually, he gave in. Needless to say, it was my favorite day of the trip. And completely blogging worthy. Although Bob Barker is no longer a factor, my life long dream to go to the Price is Right was completed. Besides an hour lunch break, we literally waited in line from 6am until 4pm. I sported my homemade purple polo, "Drew Carey for President." Even though I didn't get "called down," I would have been fine wearing the famous yellow tag nametag for the rest of my life.


Keith and I went to the beach, had a run in with Destiny/Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus, and tore up Six Flags.
Also, LA loves Coldplay. I can honestly say that it played every time that we entered the car.

My next stop was Salt Lake City to stay with Danielle Christine. We completed the usual itinerary: laugh alot, threaten to kidnap small children, sleep in till noon, direction-less driving through the mountains, and makeup experiments. And for those of you who are curious, yes, I ate my fair share of Cafe Rio.

Loriana, Dani, and I left Provo Thursday afternoon en route to Denver, Colorado to watch our dear friend Crystal become Mrs. McCown. I loved being a bridesmaid. The wedding was gorgeous. Along with the groomsmen. And, of course, the bride.

P.S. The PIR episode will air Oct. 1st. The contestant that they call down first is sitting in front of me and we go in for the popular hug. Watch. Laugh.

Let's Put a Smile on that Face

To many of you, I have made the claim that my life has changed for the better. It is true. And this was made possible through the extraordinary talent of Heath Ledger and Aaron Eckhart in their unbelievable Dark Knight performances.

I have this thing for Heath Ledger which most likely stems from my 10-Things-I-Hate-About-You-Generation. And the steamy Aussie accent. After receiving news of his unfortunate passing, I converted my Dell Inspiron wallpaper into a memorial honoring his exceptional acting talents. And it remains today. My friend George and I were at the Sundance Film Festival on the day he died. We scored evening tickets to the premiere of Incendiary, starring Michelle Williams (Heath's baby mamma). Unfortunately, Michelle was unable to appear and was abruptly flown to NY. His death was a huge loss.

And did you know? Aaron Eckhart, a film major, is a member of the elite BYU alumni. Just think, I walk the same paths that he used to get to the JFSB. I eat at the same tables that he used in the Wilk. It's probably safe to assume that he's roasted a few smores at the Bell Tower before.

As a theater employee, I was fortunate enough to preview the movie in advance (Wed. night). And I was not disappointed in the least bit. I wanted to make shirts or dress up, but Ashley & Ross sadly rejected my ideas. So, I opted for all black in order to properly mourn Heath. Many times throughout the movie, I had chillbumps because it is so disturbing. The Grand, along with America's national box office have set all new, impressive records due to the popularity of Batman. You have to see it!

Coldplay ---------------

During my senior year of high school, I was formally introduced to the majesty of Coldplay. Like most pop culture fanatics, I knew and loved their Billboard hits "Yellow" and "Clocks."

Unlike most, the first album that I ever fully listened to was X&Y. A dear co-worker at The Grand who was a typical fan of Shinedown and T-Pain sat me down in her Ford truck and demanded that I listen closely. I was hooked. After listening to "A Rush of Blood to the Head," I made a mental note that life would/could never be the same. With the looming anxiety of achieving high ACT scores and applying for college, I walked tall with the sounds of Chris Martin bouncing in each step.

After arriving at college, my first friendships were formed solely on the basis of our mutual Coldplay dedication. We established a dorm ritual, C.R.S. (or Coldplay Rejuvenation Session) which consisted of sitting in a dark room and listening to Coldplay as loud as possible in order to relieve us from the academic stress. Sophomore year consists of fond memories of watching Brandon's Coldplay Live DVD strewn across JT 26's lovesacs.

Lauren and I arrived promptly at midnight after work for the release of their new album, Viva la Vida. Along with Brandon, I too was cautious at first, but now I adore it. I am eager to make the radical claim that Coldplay serves as a personal spiritual experience. I love Chris's signature falsetto. I constantly day dream about the daily life of Gwenyth Paltrow, Chris Martin's wife. Seriously..Can you imagine?

I slaved over the king of online auctioning, eBay and won a golden ticket to see them live in Glasgow, Scotland on December 12!! I cannot wait. :)

Tributes, Voluntary Submission, & Affection

I am the beloved niece to three blogging fools. And this, my friends, is a much anticipated tribute to them. Aren't they precious?

Pictured above are my Aunt Beth, Aunt Emmie, & Aunt Amanda at my mom's 40th birthday bowling extravaganza. Sunday lunches at Grandma's are never lame due to their surplus of charm and wit. Lest we forget the fashion. Their kids aren't too bad either.

I wish to offer a challenge to each of you. A battle, if you must, for the title of "Hannah's Notably Preferred Aunt." Feel free to offer me large sums of money, feed me extravagant meals, or scratch my back for a complete hour (minus the "gritties").

I'm sorry that you live so far away Aunt Bethany.. I recognize that this puts you in a serious delima. Don't think I haven't factored this into the equation. Nothing makes my day like an unexpected UPS delivery though. Texts are nice too. Just for future reference...

To be honest though, I've just left the lovely home of Mandy Pandy. While visiting with Lauren, she finger fed me grapes and slathered my wheat crackers in crab dip. I think she might be winning..

I love them dearly--even when we quarrel over moral terminology. <3