Two sides of the same coin

Edinburgh. I live here all year, and its generally a lovely place. For one(ish) month of every year however my feelings aren't as clear cut. The month in question is August. Festival Season.

I have mixed feelings about the festival(s), on one hand I love it, the city has a buzz of excitement, theres lots of extra things to see and do, extra money available if you're willing to work for it, and can be lots of fun....On the other hand there are thousands of people EVERYWHERE. They are often either confused or downright rude too which doesn't help, and this means I also hate the festival(s).

You can see my dilemma. B-Man came up with a good plan recently (which I'm sure the council would throw money at! hahahahahahahahaha) that the people who live in Edinburgh really deserve something to make up for the fact that they are expected to hand over their hometown to complete strangers for a month. Not monetary compensation or anything grandiose (especially as we would all probably end up with approx. 10p) but something to say thankyou. Maybe the performers could organise somethings amongst themselves, and just have a few extra shows before it all kicks off with free tickets only for Edinburgh dwellers?

I'm sure every city has a similar issue if they have a large tourist season, so maybe we should just educate the tourists - make them pass a test on the border all about buses, how not to walk into people with your backpacks or stand in the middle of oncoming traffic maybe?

I'm off to be a tourist next month myself...the big question is, should I give them a taste of their own medicine or be a shining example of good tourist behaviour and not be a pain in the ass???

The Joy..

I had a day off today. For reasons I'll explain later that's been somewhat of a miracle lately so I spent my morning watching bad TV and playing games online. One big discovery was that early morning TV on some of the higher-numbered channels I found is a little odd... I came across a programme called "The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross" and had to share an extract with you all. Not only because of his massive hair but also because of the way the guy talks and describes what he is doing...

Stick with the colour information at the beginning and you'll see what I mean!

Barbies revelation

Living in a city that I didn't grow up in can be quite a challenge. Not just because I'm still not 100% on where each part of the town is in conjunction to the rest of it, but because as an adult, getting out and making friends is a very hard thing to do. **important note** I'm not making any false claims - my local geography knowledge does lie somewhere between medium-bad and utterly useless!

Firstly, please dont get me wrong here on the friends issue. I have some wonderful friends, many I have known for decades, (which when I think about exactly how long is a little scary and makes me feel old!) but the vast majority live a great distance away from where I am now. I moved to Edinburgh in 2005, and contrary to my actual "normal" nature, I can be a bit of a wallflower in person, social situations often get me exteremly nervous and I become introverted which I'm told can come across as aloof and snobby. This doesn't help.

I've now lived here 6 years and its taken me a while to even start to build up a circle of friends. I do feel like I'm getting there but its taken patience, a bit of alcohol(quite a lot on a few occasions!), and a few pep talks from the ever trusty B-Man!

So, my advice for anyone who has those desolate, stranded feelings? Get up and do something about it! Strangers are not going to come knocking on your door seeking out friendship, and striking up the odd conversation about the weather on your daily commute probably isn't going to bud into a lifelong friendship. Join clubs, meet friends of friends you already have, go to work social events. It may sound cheesy and cliche but it actually does work. I have proof. Right here :)