Our sixth month has begun here in Scotland and I'm sad to say that there is not much news to report. I know it’s been a while since I posted and really, that nothing is new probably seems unlikely. But really...there’s not much! I did not get the job that I interviewed for and I have not had a single phone call or email from any of the other places I’ve given resumes to. I have also yet to hear anything at all from the office placement company I registered with. I’m tired of being upset about it all though so I’m not going to go on and on about that.
The weather here has been wonderful in the past couple of weeks. It was 15 and 17 degrees this week and though it rained a bit this morning, it’s sunny and the sky is clear right now. The daylight is lasting longer and longer every day which has been really nice and there are daffodils and crocuses popping up in the parks.
Brandon’s been practicing like mad for a contest that’s coming up on the 17th and I’m excited to go along to watch him play. It’s a solo competition in Glasgow and it’s a graded contest which will add points to his rank in the Competing Pipers Association which is good. He’s nervous, but I think he’s going to be great. Maybe I’m a little biased.
Our visitor calendar is starting to fill out nicely as more people begin making plans and booking their trips to Scotland. We have people arriving in April, May, June, July and October and we are both really excited to share some of our favourite places, food, and experiences with everyone. The first people to come are my parents and they arrive on April 8th. I don’t think I can express how unbelievably excited I am for them to come. They’ve never travelled outside of North America and as much as I’m happy that they are coming to see us, I’m thrilled to think of all the things they’re going to see. And even though it isn’t until August, I plan to help them celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary while they are here. More selfishly, I’m excited that they’re coming because that means I can finally go and try on some wedding dresses with my mom!
One thing I’ve been thinking a lot about lately is how daily life requires self censorship. How often do we keep our true feelings or thoughts inside so as not to cause conflict or hurt someone’s feelings? True, sometimes it’s necessary to hold your tongue out of just plain politeness. And even here in my blog posts I censor what I say because of who might be reading and what might be assumed in my words. Not that it’s a bad thing – being appropriate and smart with the words you say and write is very important. But sometimes I wish that I was brave enough to say what I really mean and really feel without the fear that I’ll have to apologize for it. And really, what is a blog for if not to express what you’re feeling to the world? Writing this is as much for me and Brandon as it is for all of you who follow it; maybe more so. I probably won’t be changing how I write or how I react to people at work or at pipe band. It’s just something I’ve really been thinking about.
I’m just home now from drumming practice. All five of us tenor drummers got together with our lead tip and two other snare players for some intense work on our medley. It was so productive and so helpful for all of us and I’m finally starting to really understand all the music and feel it when we play it split up and on the drums. Now I need to be more confident and just play it already. A few weeks ago I was dreading the idea of playing in so many competitions – nearly every weekend from May till September has some kind of event. But now I’m really starting to look forward to them.
This week we have two days off together and I think on Wednesday we might try another quick jaunt on the train to find something interesting to explore. There is a palace at Linlithgow which is just twenty minutes or so away and we get in free with our Historic Scotland passes. Picnic lunch, coffee to go, and we are set!
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