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Friday, September 26, 2008

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.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

------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.



Saturday, September 20, 2008

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

Thursday, September 18, 2008

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.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

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.

Monday, September 8, 2008

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.

Friday, September 5, 2008

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.


Thursday, September 4, 2008

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.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

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.