under control
so, to update a load of stuff from way back when.
mid august i finally got around to starting to volunteer at newhailes, which is a national trust for scotland place. i'd enquired about starting (and visited the place) early in july, soon after coming here, but it took forever to get a reply from them. i've since been there once or twice to volunteer; the first couple of times i went there were to chat with the estate manager. if he wasn't nice then i'd have given up then, but because he put a lot of time into showing me around i almost owe it to him to go there a few times. however then again all the time it took to get started might have simply been wasted, if i'm not here long.
my parents came up for a weekend in august, when they stayed in the flat. they stayed in my room as it happens, and i was able to sleep in the little room. we didn't get on. i found little of interest with my mam, and dad was permanently behind his camera. when he spoke he made himself look like an idiot. he said of a portrait of hardeep singh kohli that "he didn't look scottish" -hardeep was wearing a lilac turban, adidas tracksuit top (and colour co-ordinating trainers) rolled down rugby socks and a 21st century kilt. it didn't help that there was a stanza of a robbie burns poem on the frame, or that the exhibition was called 'as others see us', or that everyone else in the exhibition was white, and also scottish. or even that i'd actually been out earlier on in the week to see hardeep in stand-up.
dad also asked if the new town was 'architecturally special' after i'd asked him to stop taking photos of dull modern architecture and suggested that he might prefer the new town instead. there were other incidents, such as dads remark that sounded a bit like he thought edinburgh was in england, mistakenly.
i've not answered the phone calls from them since then, by the way.
i enjoyed a few fringe and festival shows -my two favourites were 'double art history' and 'the man who planted trees'. i also got to see gigs by starsailor and by jeffrey lewis and the junkyard. there's a chance i'll go to see nick cave play in the city next month, but probably only if i'm here and have a job. i've seen a couple of films, and also the show at the theatre, with kathryn, and they've been fine. before we saw the last film she sent a text to say 'we're going as friends, just so you know' or so you don't get the wrong idea, or something. it wasn't something we got around to talking of that evening.
work is quieter now, but it was never all that busy. i've been pre-occupied with applying for jobs at times, but it's got to be done. the job itself hardly matters, we're just hanging around, sometimes chatting to people. they all go away at the end of the day though, so it hardly matters if the visitors are nice or not, it's unlikely that you'll meet them again, or recognise them in the street another day.
we've an installation that visitors can contribute to and so i asked a lot of my foreign friends to write in and say some things (that i'd suggested) in their own native languages. several replied saying they would, but only one or two have done anything so far, and now that it's a bit late it hardly matters if other people do. that's been disappointing. but i love the exhibit.
i've been out to volunteer with a local group that meet up on weekends, like the wntcv did, but because i work some weekends i knew i'd never get out with them very often. the two times i was out with them were half-days -not enough work to fill the day- and disappointingly easy days at that; a stroll in the park. no feeling of success or of achievement. no strain, no dirt, not tired, no sweat..
that's about it really. there was a job interview up in the highlands, at fort george, near inverness, so i went up there, but i didn't get the job. didn't sell myself well enough. felt out of practice as well. but it was a nice experience, and i wouldn't have been there this year without having been offered the interview. hopefully there'll be more, hopefully one will turn out good. i almost feel like i'm leaving this place already, to be honest.
mid august i finally got around to starting to volunteer at newhailes, which is a national trust for scotland place. i'd enquired about starting (and visited the place) early in july, soon after coming here, but it took forever to get a reply from them. i've since been there once or twice to volunteer; the first couple of times i went there were to chat with the estate manager. if he wasn't nice then i'd have given up then, but because he put a lot of time into showing me around i almost owe it to him to go there a few times. however then again all the time it took to get started might have simply been wasted, if i'm not here long.
my parents came up for a weekend in august, when they stayed in the flat. they stayed in my room as it happens, and i was able to sleep in the little room. we didn't get on. i found little of interest with my mam, and dad was permanently behind his camera. when he spoke he made himself look like an idiot. he said of a portrait of hardeep singh kohli that "he didn't look scottish" -hardeep was wearing a lilac turban, adidas tracksuit top (and colour co-ordinating trainers) rolled down rugby socks and a 21st century kilt. it didn't help that there was a stanza of a robbie burns poem on the frame, or that the exhibition was called 'as others see us', or that everyone else in the exhibition was white, and also scottish. or even that i'd actually been out earlier on in the week to see hardeep in stand-up.
dad also asked if the new town was 'architecturally special' after i'd asked him to stop taking photos of dull modern architecture and suggested that he might prefer the new town instead. there were other incidents, such as dads remark that sounded a bit like he thought edinburgh was in england, mistakenly.
i've not answered the phone calls from them since then, by the way.
i enjoyed a few fringe and festival shows -my two favourites were 'double art history' and 'the man who planted trees'. i also got to see gigs by starsailor and by jeffrey lewis and the junkyard. there's a chance i'll go to see nick cave play in the city next month, but probably only if i'm here and have a job. i've seen a couple of films, and also the show at the theatre, with kathryn, and they've been fine. before we saw the last film she sent a text to say 'we're going as friends, just so you know' or so you don't get the wrong idea, or something. it wasn't something we got around to talking of that evening.
work is quieter now, but it was never all that busy. i've been pre-occupied with applying for jobs at times, but it's got to be done. the job itself hardly matters, we're just hanging around, sometimes chatting to people. they all go away at the end of the day though, so it hardly matters if the visitors are nice or not, it's unlikely that you'll meet them again, or recognise them in the street another day.
we've an installation that visitors can contribute to and so i asked a lot of my foreign friends to write in and say some things (that i'd suggested) in their own native languages. several replied saying they would, but only one or two have done anything so far, and now that it's a bit late it hardly matters if other people do. that's been disappointing. but i love the exhibit.
i've been out to volunteer with a local group that meet up on weekends, like the wntcv did, but because i work some weekends i knew i'd never get out with them very often. the two times i was out with them were half-days -not enough work to fill the day- and disappointingly easy days at that; a stroll in the park. no feeling of success or of achievement. no strain, no dirt, not tired, no sweat..
that's about it really. there was a job interview up in the highlands, at fort george, near inverness, so i went up there, but i didn't get the job. didn't sell myself well enough. felt out of practice as well. but it was a nice experience, and i wouldn't have been there this year without having been offered the interview. hopefully there'll be more, hopefully one will turn out good. i almost feel like i'm leaving this place already, to be honest.