no, I still haven't finished those essays.

...But in honor of my last few days in Scotland for the next month or so, here's this thing I wrote on an early-morning bus to Glasgow a few weeks ago (which I found in my notebook and am now typing up instead of doing my essays. Good work!)

Things I adore about living in Scotland (2.0)
-The sound of seagulls
-mist--especially when it's pink because the sun's rising (or trying to).
-the x24 bus to Glasgow--and the fact that I can put myself on a bus to anywhere without going broke.
-the stark, vast landscape
-the smell of the ocean
-the minimal daylight that's awakened a renewed sense of CARPE DIEM, the likes of which my high school self would be proud.
-good ale
-red leaves, wet cobblestones
-again with the sunrise--but seriously, wow. the glowing red sky above the blank hills and a line of trees.
-hearing church bells on the hour
-wind. But I figure liking it is more of a survival technique.
-electrical sockets that switch off. Genius. Why hasn't America done this yet?
-the ever-so-sensible metric system.
-tea and biscuits
-LIVING SPACE! APPLIANCES THAT WORK! MY OWN CLOSET!
-Sheep :)
-finally adjusting to the climate

At this point, I believe I started to get a little carsick, so I stopped listing. But I'll continue briefly just now.

-"mingin"- my flatmate says it all the time, and I love it. It means something akin to gross, nasty, weird, old, dirty...all those things. It's possibly the greatest word I've ever heard.
-also "yous" in the Scottish accent. It's refreshing, and novel, and so much more pleasant than the New York variety.
-the fact that saying "what up?" (in my very American accent) gets more of a laugh than any joke I could make.
-being able to pay in exact change. always.
-chocolate. It's just better here.
-narrow roads lined with little houses with little doors and windows.

Yup. I'm thankful to be here. And also thankful to be coming home for Christmas :)

With that, I'm gonna get back to the grindstone...
But I'll leave you with this video. Because it's awesome, and cheesy, and everything I love.

Catch yous later!