two steps from misfortune

Death Cab For Cutie's "Transatlanticism" will forever remind me of puking my guts up in Edinburgh. I've got a stomach bug, and so far have thrown up the bathrooms of the hostel, princes street garden, the art gallery, the Scottish museum, the royal Scottish museum and the surgeons hall. it's not as bad as it sounds. Edinburgh has very clean bathrooms. And it means that I'm seeing a lot of Edinburgh. I don't feel that sick, I just can't keep anything down.

Apart from my gastro adventures in Scotland, what else is happening? Before i left London, I spent a few days with ms watts, went back to the natural history museum (I want to move in there and live with the stegosaurus), read lots of books(Persepolis. You all have to read it) and did my best to behave. Then I got on a bus at Victoria Coach Station, and nine hours later found myself in Edinburgh. I'm staying on The Royal Mile in a hostel started by Deacon Brodie's son. I went to bed early on sunday night, so that I would be ready and raring to go on Monday morning. Unfortunately a few hours later my stomach rebelled and I- became intimately acquainted with the hostel toilet. Wasn't going to let that stop me, Monday morning found me in The Museum Of Scotland. Saw the Lewis Chessman, who are possibly the funniest game pieces ever, and the Maiden, which is smaller that I thought. The view from the top of the Museum is amazing. The bathrooms are immaculate.

In the afternoon I went on a three hour walking tour of Edinburgh. We mostly stuck to the Old Town, meandering through Grassmarket and various Harry Potter locations. I nipped into a pub to be sick, and confirmed my suspicions that Edinburgh is my kind of town - bookshops, pubs and chippies everywhere. The pubs not on the Mile tend to be quiet pubs, like my beloved Shakey. I'm looking forward to Emma being here, and I'm determined to come back one year (next year?) for the festival.

Today I went to the Art Galleries, had a nap in Princes' Garden - which used to be a Loch and is now a quiet haven in a city rife with prefestival construction. After that I went to the Surgeons Museum, which. Well. Gross and fascinating. They have a pocketbook made from William Burke's skin. And all sorts of embalmed body parts. Awesome. Again, lovely bathrooms.

Tomorrow I'm going to attempt to get to Holyrood, and do the Arthurs Seat walk. I also want to nip into the Oxford Bar, home of Rebus & Rankin. Then I'm off to Glasgow for three days, during which my prime objective is to nab me a Sean Biggerstaff. After than, Manchester, Birmingham, Stratford-upon-Avon, Cardiff.

And then, back to Europe for PUKKELPOP, quite possibly the most awesome festival line up ever. All my heroes (except Idlewild and BRMC) are playing, and I'm going to be there!!!! Don't have a tent yet, but still. I'm on my way, and maddywatts is coming too. Anyone else up for it?


spinning:
Man Plus - My Kind Of People
Idlewild - Century After Century

reading:
Ladies Of Grace Adieu - Susannah Clarke
Hallam Foe - Peter Jinks

trying: not to buy a dress with unicorns printed on it.