Interviewed

So, as I have stated previously, Kellie and I do not yet have internet in our flat. In the interim, we have been walking to the Potterow student center to the use their wifi connection. This afternoon, as we were checking email and posting pictures on facebook, we were approached by two reporters and asked to take part in a story they were doing about meat-eating among students. Apparently, with rising food prices, some students have turned to cheaper types of meat, particularly organ meats. They proceeded to produce five styrofoam containers filled with cooked bits of organ meat - sheep's heart, cow's liver, kidney, etc. We were asked to try some of these items and tell them if they would be something we would consider eating. Very odd. Of course, the oddness of this situation was nothing compared to the foulness of the meats we were asked to try. Words cannot describe their grotesqueness. After we provided the interviewers with our objective opinions of the dishes, we were asked to pose for pictures... with the trays of organ meat... in the middle of a student center crowded with new university students, who looked on at us, these silly Americans, as if we were mad. After it was all over, Kellie and I could not get a cup of coffee to wash the taste out of our respective mouths fast enough. Another strange Edinburgh afternoon.

Tour d'Flat

Finding Our Flat

P.S. Yes, we have arrived safely. No internet yet. Will post more soon.

Our Bags are Packed...

This week was, in a word, hell.  You never really understand just how much stuff you have until the time comes to clean out your apartment and shove all of your worldly possessions (minus a year's worth of clothing) into a 72 square foot storage room.  Everytime you take a load to the unit, you breathe a sigh of relief.  But everytime you return to take another load, your stuff seems to have bred.  It's scary, really.  It took a lot of energy, but by 3:00 on Friday afternoon, our stuff was effectively sorted: 72 square feet of it stored in Austin, a carload of it coming with us to Dallas, and the rest of it either donated or tossed.

So, our bags are packed.  Over-packed, perhaps.  But packed nonetheless.  We got to Dallas on Friday evening for a weekend of relaxation with family and friends.  Last night, my Dad and Kate hosted a bon voyage celebration for us at their home.  It was a lovely occasion, and a great way to say goodbye to many of our friends in Dallas.  Then, today, we attended another farewell soiree with Kellie's extended family.  So many goodbyes this week.  So many people that I will miss.  But, although I will of course miss my friends and family, I take comfort in the fact that we will be able to stay in touch.  Conversely, I have begun to realize those things I will miss about Austin, my home for the last three years.  Here are some of my top picks:

(1) The Alamo Draughthouse
(2) The Crown and Anchor
(3) Riding the Town Lake trail
(4) Whole Foods on Sixth Street
(5) Fantastic Tex-Mex (e.g., Chuy's, Trudy's)

Just to name a few.  One can keep in touch with one's friends and family, but places are a bit harder.  But, so it goes.  That's part of what I take to be both the miracle and tragedy of life, time's arrow.  We move irrevocably forward, never turning back.  We can never revisit those times that have passed.  They remain in our memories, to be sure, but they can never be re-experienced.  That is the tragedy.  But the miracle is that, because our experiences are, in essence, once in a lifetime, they are infinitely precious, for each moment occurs once and then never again.  There is something beautiful about that, I think.  When you realize this simple fact, even the most mundane moment becomes something truly extraordinary.

By the way, something about traveling makes me reflective.  I'm not sure why.  In any case, we leave tomorrow afternoon.

Prophecy

Sorry for the lack of posts lately.  There really hasn't been much to say, other than that, yes, we are still quite busy preparing to leave for Edinburgh on September 8.  In the midst of all the stress and anxiousness over the move, fortune has seemingly smiled on us... in the form of a cookie.  This was the fortune we received from a cookie at Pei Wei last Sunday evening:

Perfect, no?

It's Real

We finally purchased plane tickets for our upcoming journey to Edinburgh today.  We are officially leaving on September 8 at 2:20pm. I'm actually rather pleased as we managed to get quite a good deal for the tickets, less than a thousand for both of us.  Not bad considering the price of travel these days.  It's funny, but buying the tickets makes the whole thing finally seem real.  I mean, we actually have an itinerary now.  I finally have my visa and Kellie should have hers by the end of the week.  It's really happening, we are really moving to Edinburgh.  It's crazy how, with enough passion and planning, a silly pipedream like living in another country can so quickly become a reality.  This all started because of my fascination with the UK and my exploring the websites of UK universities late at night.  Now we have plane tickets.  It's real.

A New Purpose

Well, the wedding is over, and was of course lovely, but alas, there is no longer need for a wedding blog. So, I think I will turn this into a travel blog where Kellie and I can post stories about our upcoming travels in Scotland and beyond. Look for such content around the end of August or so. Word.