Travelling Kiltman

There has been a slight shortage of posts here recently due to my work commitments, and my vacation time over the past three weekends. I hope to have some time in the next couple of days to write some about my recent adventures around Europe

Valentines Day

Yet another Hallmark holiday, designed by the greetings card industry to extract money out of all of us. Except those of us who are alone for Valentines. Thank you very much world, I am painfully aware that I am all alone and dateless for Valentines. I really don’t need to be seeing all these hearts and banners and exclamations of love everywhere I go just now. Wheres my holiday, the one that celebrates being sad and alone!

Like meals for two at the supermarket and single person supplement on hotel rooms, Valentines day is the enemy of single people everywhere. Nobody likes to be reminded of their shortcomings or their failings, or things about themselves that they don’t particularly like. Imagine if you were constantly told all the time that you were overweight. It’s not pleasant is it? We overweight people know we are, and don’t need the reminding. And because of that, most reasonable people in society don’t go around telling people, ‘Hey, you look fat’. Yet this same society has no problem making fun of people who are single, like you are not a complete person unless you have a significant other in your life.

I’m telling you, World, that it is okay to be single, and it doesn’t make me any less of a person…

Hadden Must Go!

I’m back at work today after being away for a long weekend to Edinburgh. The RBS 6 Nations kicked off again this weekend, with a surprising victory for the Irish over the French, and not so surprising victories for England and Wales. It was the latter game I was at, to see my Scotland beat by the Welsh. The game itself was pretty disappointing, Scotland never looked up to competing with the Welsh. We were devoid of ideas, and seemed to lack basic rugby skills. Too many times they ran it straight at the Welsh, only to be snuffed out by the big Welsh pack. Plan A doesn’t work, and they have no plan B or plan C! Frank Hadden, the Scotland coach, survived the fall out of the Rugby World Cup, he survived a less than impressive Six Nations 2008, he didn’t meet the targets in the Summer against Argentina, and we couldn’t beat a South Africa team in the Autumn who were all but begging to be beaten. Time is up Frank, Hadden must go!

Edinburgh as ever was a fun trip, with the Welsh making for a great atmosphere both in the city and in the stadium. Most amusing sight has to be seeing two Welsh boys trying to throw snow up my mates kilt!! Yes, it snowed! It fell for hours and hours after the game Sunday. I wasn’t brave enough to go with the kilt this year, partly due to the weather, and partly due to last years experience with the Welsh!

Second most amusing sight was seeing pubs packed with people at midday on Sunday, all sober, all drinking coffee or soft drinks. Due to some rather archaic licensing laws in Scotland, alcohol could not be sold until 1230. Which results in lots of people in full rugby battle dress sitting around quietly in a pub waiting for a drink. Good times!

Paris next weekend, things can only get better. I’ll be the one holding the ‘Hadden Must Go’ sign!!

I think we’re alone now…

…doesn’t seem to be anyone around

There seems to be a recurring them in my life just now where people I know and like depart my life never to be seen again. It’s the nature of the work that I do now that people are around for limited periods of time, and then they return to their home country, or move on somewhere else. People that I get to know well, and become good friends with leave, and I’m left with a hole where they once were. It has happened countless times to me over the last year, and the sad thing is that they are never replaced. It is really difficult when you get close to people, enjoy their company, where they make you laugh and feel better about yourself, and suddenly they’re gone. With each departing person, I find it gets harder and harder.

The problem I can see at the moment is the conflict between spending as much time as possible with someone you know is leaving because you know time is short, or recognizing that they are leaving and standing off a little. I know that the more time spent with people I like, the more I get to know them, and the better a friend they become. And then I loose them. And sometimes I think it’s just too painful. I know however, that the right thing to do is to enjoy the moment, live for now, hang out, spend the time, because we do not know what the future will bring.

It just gets lonely being alone all the time

Vanilla Ice

This past Sunday I went ice skating. Now I know from past experience that I can’t skate, be in on ice or on wheels. Rollerblading in particular brings back painful memories for me. I was a beginner, and trying to skate along the beautiful Charles River in Boston. Being unsure on my feet, I wobbled quite a bit. Well, I came in for all kinds of abuse and nastiness just because I was a beginner. So, heading into the ice skating, I knew that I’d be all over the place

I went because I have spent many Sunday afternoons alone in my apartment, and it can get depressing. The outing to the rink had been organized as a group activity amongst people I work with. Some of the nicest people I know were to be going, so I knew I’d have great company. I didn’t do very well at the skating, but it was fun to hang out with everyone, and see the guys learn how to find their feet on the ice.

We had a great meal in Utrecht afterwords, at a place called ‘Broadway’. This involved a plate overloaded with many, many types of meet. It was so good!! The only downside to the day was the trains. Ongoing track maintenance had seen me take an hour and a half to get to Utrecht, and it transpired that I would take the same amount of time to return home again.

Home to bed for a few hours before, then up at midnight to watch the Superbowl. Those damn Steelers stole it………