Tryna learn, 1?

"Even people whose lives have been made various by learning, sometimes find it hard to keep a fast hold on their habitual views of life...when they are suddenly transported to a new land, where the beings around them know nothing of their history, and share none of their ideas..."

That's George Eliot above - a quote from Silas Marner, which I'm reading now. It's not so true, that all the ideas here are different. I haven't, also, found that many of my habits have changed, or that my 'view on life' has, either. I'm certainly seeing new things and meeting new people all the time, but my contact with them usually only reminds me of my usual habits, rather than replacing them (purposely dodging people on the other side of the sidewalk excepted). I suppose it's mix and match.

So what's happened in the last few days...?

I signed up for some 'societies' aka clubs. I joined a literature society, with which I'm attending a poetry reading tonight; a writing society which publishes a journal biannually, to which I'll be submitting to; a 'water of life' aka whisky society, which holds tasting classes and visits distilleries; and a linguistics society, which holds lectures on the art and science of speech and then goes to a pub to discuss it. In fact a common theme amongst all the societies is that everyone ends up at a pub one way or another. The poetry reading is being held in one.

So I'll have some clubs to bounce around at my leisure. Meet some people, sample some spirits.

I didn't feel too well yesterday. I had gone to bed at midnight after a quiet night of reading. Woke up at 9 to go out to buy a duvet cover (finally got one!), and when I got back I was feeling weak. Not sure why. So I went to class and then went for a little jog, hoping a little exercise and some fresh air would relieve my symptoms.

WOW. I went for a run and aimed myself for this kind of mountainy-looking thing. It turned out to be Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh's extinct VOLCANO and one of the Seven Hills of Edinburgh. Needless to say I was tired out by the time I got to its base. I had been running uphill on the sidewalk the whole time up to it. So I caught my breath and walked up these really neat stone steps. The view was amazing. I could see almost the whole of Edinburgh, and beyond it, too. There were these great snow-capped mountains off the the left and the city right before me - a city of churches and arcades, etc, etc ;). A lot of the little wow-factor culture shock things have lost their charm after being here a little over a week. "Wow, that building is still really old," or, "Oo...people still say 'cheers!'" But this really blew me away. I wish I'd had my camera, but I'm bound to go back soon in any case. Tendrils of mist rolling off the crags around me and everything.

It felt strange that such a natural and untouched landscape could exist so close to such an urban, old city. Puts Central Park to shame, anyway.

So that was cool. What else? Classes. Burr, it's been a touch-and-go week as far as that's concerned. Got myself settled as far as books and things for now (check the statement, pops). Also I thought I knew where all my classes were: nope! Walked into a lecture today on business principles and ethics or some nonsense whilst searching for my Scottish Lit lecture. It apparently moves location every Thursday. So I found the right hall, and it was a different professor giving the lecture than the one from Monday and Wednesday. On top of that, he was talking about some critical essay I'd never read, at a mile a minute, speaking so quickly that I could hardly internalize any of the de-contextualized mumbo jumbo he was horsing on about. So it was a whirlwind fifty minutes, to say the least.

BUT I think I got my s*** together and now know what the hell I'm doing. I had a class called a 'tutorial' after that class, which is a much smaller, eight-person cell that discusses the works in close-reading. So that felt like F&M.

Ate lunch at a little cafe serving what it advertised as 'comfort foods.' Very nice little place. I went to pay and the proprietor told me that the card machine wasn't working. So I had to pay cash, of which I had 2 pounds. So I told him and he said it was fine, as long as I came back tomorrow. Realistically I guess there wasn't much more than that he could have done, and of course I'd like to think I'm a trustworthy-looking fellow, but he didn't even ask for any information or anything. In the long run, I imagine, the extra three pounds I owe him probably won't sink his business. Regardless, the food was very good and I'll be going back anyway.

Guess I'll make dinner. I miss you all and hope you're doing well. To fellow fummers, hope the start of term isn't too buzz. Hope 249 is still standing. Heard the fire alarm went off again last week haha. Standard. Without fail every kid here who finds out I'm in a fraternity becomes instantly enraptured with my explanation of how it works. Must be how I act when they start talking about haggis or whatever haha.

One.