island life

Visiting my parents on the Island this week. So far it's just Dean and I which means loads of rest.

It also means little Island anomalies--like stocking up on vintage books in "downtown" Parksville, dropping prawn traps in the bay with dad, spotting three bald eagles and a slew of sea lions.

Tonight two sisters, one bro-in-law and three little ones carrying influenza will descend on the house. better soak up the peace while it lasts--I'm off to do some knitting :)

jet lag

5:30am and I've been tossing for nearly 2 hours. I've given up on sleep even though I now possess the most incredibly wonderful bed on the planet (I think Dean would agree with me that's it's approximately 30 sq feet of heaven right in our bedroom).

Being home has really been about food. While devouring my custom eggs benny (brie & avocado) at Barney's yesterday Jules agreed with me that the food is the thing you miss most when you're in the UK. So to make up for those three months away we have already dined out three times: Earls' thai noodle salad, Cactus Club's yam fries and west coast pocket, Barney's for me and Minato sushi for Dean... surprise, surprise. Then to top it all off Beth and Jessica put together a remarkable spread at Joe's last night.

In only 1.5 days back we've been lucky enough to see a good many friends and fam, get reaquainted with our old apartment (which the renters left in impeccable shape!) do a load of laundry and achieve some semblance of organization.

the A-list, starring Dave "Monty" Montgomery

Yes, it's true we're home. We're thrilled to be back, but a little bit of our hearts remain in Aberdeen (it didn't hurt too much, don't worry)—thus, this is a post in honour of a few of the people who made our time there very special.


On our second to last night we got the crew (minus one) together for one last meal. It came up during our conversation that someone very dear and near (he lives across the street) to us has not yet received a mention on the blog.

with three months of non-mentions to make up for he's now getting his very own post.


this is our lovely friend and neighbour Dave Monty. Dave works for Aberdeen's city council, but his true passion is real estate. He's well on his way to being Aberdeen's own Donald Trump (with better hair). He's half Irish and half canadian, and if you ever forget that he was born in Canada, he'll put on a Roots hoodie to remind you. Dave has a gorgeous girlfriend named Cheryl who had to miss out on our farewell celebration to visit family in N.Ireland (priorities, sheesh!). Standing at a towering 6'2'' and weighing in at 200lbs (okay I made that up) Dave is a star hockey player (not the Canadian kind, the grass kind) and a keen investement advice giver.

we like dave.

Front Lawn Fresh Cuts vol.XI

your final update from the Granite City

On the Reading List: a triple pack of British mags acquired in Edinburgh: InStyle, Marie Claire and Living Etc, all for 6 quid!

On the Playlist: Last night our friend Manos played us some Waylon Jennings ("the #1 outlaw of country music")—the song of choice? Amanda, of course!

Current Obsession: Paperchase. It’s actually an ages old obsession, but it was revived with a visit to the Edinburgh shop. Stocked up on kraft paper Christmas cards, a 2007 “diary” (planner) and a few other lovely treats.

Design of the Times: Willy Guhl concrete Loop chair has struck my fancy this week. Check it (and other classics) at twentytwentyone.

Have an ’Art: Mimi Ko's photography (below) is absolutely stunning.

Blog Log: freshly blended—not only good for fabulous paper products, but also a great blog.

Crisp of the Week: McCoy’s Flame Grilled Steak [3.25 out of 5 stars]

Scot Slang of the Week: glaikit— verb. stupid or vacant. usually in reference to a person.

Insider Scoop: myspace might be all the rage back home, but over here the cool kids are all over bebo.

Countdown To: THREE days to HOME.

To Do List: pack, enjoy one last dinner with friends, call a cab.

Lastly: this is the end of my Scottish Fresh Cuts. The move back to Vancouver will mean I no longer have unholy amounts of free time so Fresh Cuts will no longer be a weekly event. I always stumble across goodies I want to share though, so watch for the occasional fresh cut at the end of regular posts.

not so fresh

deadlines, packing, last meetups with friends mean this week's fresh cuts (also know, by dean, as Wednesdays with Amanda) keep getting shoved to the backburner. tomorrow, friends, tomorrow.

One suitcase is full and 2kilos over the limit.

today, after my final coffee with Claire, unlocking my phone and making a reservation for 7 at the local Italian, I will practice the science of equal distribution.

letter to Costa coffee

dear Costa brothers,

your coffee sucks. The only reason I continue to drink your coffee is that you have (had) the best location in all of Aberdeen. I could come and buy my nasty americano and sit for hours writing to a great soundtrack without distraction.

so imagine my dismay when I learned today that you deserted the building with the most character in the north east of scotland and reopened in the centre of the mall. I gave your new location a chance. the nice busboy forced me to buy a coffee and promised me this new location was actually quite peacefull and quiet. I believed you for a moment, committed to a sit-in beverage. The moment I sat down, however, the incredible obnoxious Christmas display began its inane routine with echoed across the entirity of Bon Accord Centre.

I'm really disappointed Costa. So I've moved to Kilau. Their coffee is good and their music is better. They give me free wireless and a place to plug in my laptop (I even posted my Edinburgh photos there), thought it is sadly filled with loud uni students drinking irn-bru. I hope you're happy.

we heart edinburgh!

Got in late last night after our two-day tour of Scotland's capital. It had all the components of a fabulous weekend away:

comfy B&B: check!
wicked architecture: check!
good highstreet shopping: check!
gorgeous old town (winding streets, narrow passages, cobblestones): check!
handsome husband: check!
bestest friend: check!
bagpipes, tartan and William Wallace: err, check!

pics tomorrow.

chuffed!

A story I wrote last week is up for the reading at Relevant Mag online.

Also, if you haven't noticed, I've been uploading all our photos in reverse chronological order. I've just posted pics from our las day in Vancouver and our very first weekend in Aberdeen. Check them out!

other reading: An afternoon spent researching a project for Campus Crusade led me to this article about the nearly 10 years of war in the Congo. I've certainly heard about it but had no idea it was so extreme—but isn't that always the case? This is a fascinating read.

Front Lawn Fresh Cuts vol.X

your mid-week source from the Granite City

On the Reading List: The Autograph Man by Zadie Smith, purchased at Shakespeare & Co. in Paris—I'm only 30 pages in and already she's rivalling John Irving and Tom Robbins for favourite author!

On the Playlist: a conversation with a new friend this week reminded me how much I like Aqualung, so I dug Strange and Beautiful out of the itunes archives.

Current Obsession: Convincing our Scottish friends to visit us in Vancouver :) Every time I think about home these days, I smile, and having them come hang out there would be even better.

Design of the Times: A host of original work by Scottish designers and artisans can be checked out at Papa Stour. They're dang expensive, but I’m a big fan of the textiles.

Have an ’Art: Spotted the work of Brazilian artist Vic Muniz in the pages of Living Etc. and thought it was pretty amazing. Check out the Rebus Collection from 2003.

Blog Log: My new favourite spot for gastronomic inspiration: Chocolate & Zucchini, tales, advice and recipes from a Montmartre kitchen.

Hipsters on the Web: (okay I stole this one from Dean) Clap Your Hands Say Yeah has a selection of new tracks for the sampling on their myspace page!

Crisp of the Week: We're stuck on Somerfield Salt&Vinegar. When you find something you love, why look for anything else? [bumped up to 5 out of 5 stars]

Scot Slang of the Week: well, it’s not really slang, but among other British affectations Dean is trying to work into his vocabulary (joining the ranks of “chuffed,” “gutted” and “mingin’”) the latest is “just now” at the end of sentences. I, on the other hand, am perfecting the art of when to add “a wee” before nouns (“a wee cup of tea” is perfect usage).

Insider Scoop: Hogmanay is New Year’s Eve in Scotland. Edinburgh has a Hogmanay celebration to rival times Square. It starts on the 29th and doesn’t stop for four days: film fests, ceilidhs, candlelit concerts, street parties, fireworks (launched from 7 sites), rock shows, theatre, a morning polar bear swim (here they call it the “Loony Dook,” triathalon and dog races! This year’s entertainment even includes the Petshop Boys and Scotland’s newest musical darling, Paolo Nutini.

Countdown To: TWO days until our first trip to Edinburgh and my fifth visit with Lorah Styer in one year. Looking forward to soaking in some history, seeing stunning sights and window-shopping my little heart out.

To Do List: find a flippin’job in Vancouver!

Lastly: Saint Nicholas was good to Dean and I yesterday: I got yet another lovely orange penguin classic and Dean received Nick Hornby’s 31 Songs (thanks Verity!)

PhD wives club

Maybe it's the weather. Aberdeen has never been so pleasant as it was today.

Left the house early to visit a clinic I was never able to find and opted instead to spend the morning traipsing around town.

My traipses brought me to some stellar Christmas gifts for Deano, a lovely 1949 Penguin edition of Aldous Huxley's Music at Night (for me!), the BP Portrait Awards at the art gallery, and the much talked of but impossible to find Kilau coffee shop.

The final stop emerged from the ladies' meeting at church last Saturday. While chatting with a fellow North American we were aproached by a Nigerian woman who introduced herself as Comfort (brilliant name, eh?). The three of us got talking. Turns out we're all here because of hubbies doing PhDs and we're all barely/un-employed and getting a little bored. We met today along with two other American PhD wives and spent two hours getting acquainted. It was lovely and another reason I'm getting sad to leave Aberdeen.

No FreshCuts until Friday—I have to see a man about a broken washer!

free health care?

Deano and I are going to the doctor today... taking advantage of free health care and free prescriptions before we head home for 7 months! Interesting that the appointment landed on the same day that I learned I owe MSP back home a chunk of cash. Will have to dig into that misfortune asap!

No news from this end except to say I have begun the job hunt. Any tips or leads on communication jobs in Vancouver are welcome!


Lastly, Baltic in Newcastle just posted a little documentary about Kozyndan's illustrated panorams in the Spank the Monkey exhibit. Their process is pretty neat. Check it out here,

weekend roundup

Canada in two weeks and this weekend I met yet another slew of people I'm excited to get to know on our return to Aberdeen.

We had a lowkey Friday night to make up for the busy weekend ahead.

Saturday morning I joined about 50 other women at Gerrard St Baptist to hear Stephen's mom (Claire's mom-in-law) talk about hearing God's voice. It was incredible to see women of every age group blending and enjoying eachother's company, praying for one another and encouraging one another. What could be better for the life of the church? Evening brought our St.Nicholas party complete with gifts, mulled wine, canapes and ginger bread!

Sunday got us further acquainted with our friends' parents. Since wife Suzi was in Ediburgh playing hockey, husband Iain invited us to join him for Sunday dinner with his folks out in the country. The afternoon felt like one our truest tastes of Scotland—and not just because his parents are named Dougall and Morag (though it doesn't get more Scottish than that does it?). We had the full meal deal, beginning with drinks in the sitting room, hot meal and dessert, and then coffee and chocolate flake bars to follow. It was no special treatment—Iain's mom goes to this much work every week!

Want to see more classic Scotland? A few photos from our first visit to Footdee are posted.

december one

a new month, a new 20MB.

The full photo account of October's visit to Newcastle is posted.

December 1 also marks the official start of the Christmas season and the first day carols can be played. We didn't have any seasonal tunes with us on the way to the University this morning, so we sang them instead :)

Maybe it's the lights we've had up for nearly 3 weeks, or the SPECTACULAR(ly disappointing) tree lighting ceremony we saw in Old Abderdeen last night, but I'm feeling particularly festive this year.