surveys that i can add to my blog are fun...

name	reshae
birthday	july 9, 1981
birthplace	oshowa, ontario, canada
current location	morgantown, wv
eye color	blue
hair color	blond
height	5' 5
right/left handed	right, though i do a lot of things left handed
heritage	dutch
shoes you wore today	black heels...bad idea cause i have a LONG way to walk to my car after work tonight
your weakness	french fries
your fear	getting in the way of myself
your perfect pizza	extra cheese and pineapples
most overused phrase on IM	lol
thoughts first waking up	i HATE my alarm clock
best physical feature	eyes
bedtime	11pm, but i never make it
pepsi or coke	COKE...pepsi sucks
mcdonalds or burgerking	mcdonalds (mcflurries and mcgriddles..yum)
chocolate or vanilla	chocolate
single or group date	single
ever been called a tease	not to my face
do you play an instrument	violin, some piano
ever been drunk	uh, yeah
do you think you are attractive	i have my moments ;)
do you get motion sick on moving objects	sometimes on planes and rollercoasters, but i'd never admit it haha
do you shower daily	ABSOLUTELY
are you a health freak	no...though i go through very short phases of being healthy
do you like thunderstorms	LOVE EM
what country you most want to visit	anywhere in europe, scotland...check!! England...check!! bring on the rest!!
CREATE YOUR OWN! - or - GET PAID TO TAKE SURVEYS!

are there any elligible bachelors out there?

ok...what's the deal with passive-aggressive guys? i mean, really...are there guys out there who are just simply happy when you call them back, instead of giving the third degree and a huge guilt trip for not calling them back sooner? here's a short play-by-play of the conversation from just a little while ago:

boy: did you work lastnight?
me: no, i worked during the day.
boy: so what did you do last night? i called you.
me: i went out with some friends.
boy: well, i called you and you didn't call me back.
me: yea, i got in late, i called you after work today
boy: well, because i didn't hear from you, i figured you made other plans.
me: no, we made plans, i just was busy.
boy: well, because i didn't hear from you.....BLAH, BLAH BLAH.

news flash boy, i'll call you when i call you.
i'll be honest..i don't have it in me to deal with this. i dealt with this enough with my ex and i'm NOT in the mood to get into anything remotely like that again. boo passive-aggressive boys.

are there any men around?

ps. this boy isn't the west-virginian from the previous post.

you know you're in west virginia when...

many things over the last 18 months have made me feel like i am in west virginia. many stereotypes fulfilled. however, last night i had the pleasure of meeting a gentleman, born and raised west virginian, named Buck. Buck Wheat. now, to be fair, he is actually quite attractive and has a fun sense of humor. his real name is William Wheat, but 'Buck' has been past down as a nick name for 5-or-so generations. to his dismay, the 'little rascals' put a more-than-slight damper on the familial pride of carrying such a name. and also, to his credit, he understands the humor of both his name, and the state in which he was raised. though as someone from 'up north' i have to chuckle at such a situation;) (sorry hallie) and in truth, i'm sure drinks at Crockett's next week will be just as much fun if not more.

a few more pics!!

here we stand at Stirling Castle...wow!!


in reference to speed limit in mph near Loch Lomond...haha

case of the mondays

how many days left till i'm done???

yumm yumm

The Bees (u.s.)

CD: Starry Gazey Pie
Song: "Starry Gazey Pie"
Label: Self-Released



""When I was a kid, there was a cookbook in our house called: 'Cornish Favorites' It was from the region in England called Cornwall. Primarily fishing villages. One of these villages, Mousehole, is famous for 'Starry Gazey Pie.' It is a potato pie, with fish heads protruding from the surface of the pie, looking skyward, hence the name 'Starry Gazey Pie.'" "

-- Daniel Tashian, The Bees (U.S.)

in all seriousness though...great CD!! highly recommended...and if anyone can find the lyrics for this cd on the internet, please let me know. i will be forever in your dept. i've been trying and can't find them anywhere!! thnx so much!!

always changing

so, sometimes i feel like my life is nothing but drama. sometimes i feel like the only thing interesting going on is that my dog ate half of a cookie dough roll and threw it all up two days later. these last few days i've been very pensive and introverted. which usually also brings along a semi-depressed state. last week i was better...excited about making positive changes, getting out of my comfort zone b/c i know it's good for me. this grand idea has manifested itself in two somewhat obvious ways. 1) i started finally using the exercise ball i bought a few months ago, and after not being able to move after the first day, i did not give up, but continued to exercise for almost a whole week. i ate better and tried to only drink water. (i hate water). 2) i decided that i'd ask my current man of interest out on a date. however, after asking a mutual friend for his number, i still do not have it in my posession. i suppose she still hasn't seen him to get it from him, but this is all reminding me so much of 4th grade note-passing, i feel like she should give him a napkin with the question "will you go out with reshae" and a box for 'yes' and 'no'. after having answered, he will give it back to Suzie-Joe to give back to me. (funny, her real name is Sue-Ellen) ABORT, ABORT, ABORT. oh well. at least i tried right?

in all honesty, 1) exercising has been very enjoyable, and i have not given up, though i'm not sure that i'm as rigorous as i should be to actually see any results...ever. but i'll keep trying. any drastic change in lifestyle and i'd give up by the afternoon. and 2)i'm disappointed about said 'hot EMT' but i will survive...i do believe.

for those of you interested in seeing pictures of scotland, i am still waiting for a few before i compile them together. however, i will post one to give a glimpse. (not that pictures do much more than that anyways!!)


here we are waiting for the train to take us to Glasgow

(almost word for word)

samantha: i have to tell you, the fireman was everything i thought he would be.
miranda: what is it about firemen? why are they always so cute?
charlotte: it's because deep down inside all women just want to be rescued.
Carrie (as narrator): for every single, independent woman, that is something you'd never admit to thinking, let alone say outloud.

could charlotte be right? hmm. damn it... i don't want her to be, i really don't. hmm.

have you ever?

Have you ever wondered which hurts the most? Saying something and wishing you hadn't? or saying nothing and wishing you had?

Don't be afraid to tell someone you love them. If you do, they might break your heart...if you don't, you might break theirs.

so sometimes i can be longwinded...who knew!! today i'm back to normal

Word of the Day for Saturday December 31, 2005

Hogmanay \hog-muh-NAY; HOG-muh-nay\, noun:
The name, in Scotland, for New Year's Eve, on which children
go about singing and asking for gifts; also, a gift, cake, or
treat given on New Year's Eve.

This is Hogmanay, the gifting of another year, the coming
of midnight, the darkest hour, before the turn towards
dawn.
--John F. Deane, "The music of what happens," [1]Irish
Times, December 28, 2000

The biggest celebration in Britain was in Edinburgh, where
Hogmanay drew about 200,000 people to a free street party
in the city centre.
--"Archbishop of Canterbury calls for greater generosity,"
[2]Irish Times, Saturday, January 2, 1999
_________________________________________________________

The origin of the word Hogmanay is unknown.

a few more thoughts from experiences abroad

well, this is one of the last days from my trip that i wrote on...:)

Jan 4. (Wednesday)
Left the house ON TIME> at 8:45am. It was great!! Then we had to return to get cheese and a knife…but we were out the door on time. Haha

So, today was our day to go to see stirling castle. And I’ll be honest. It was amazing. We could actually walk around and inside buildings and grounds that were have been used and reused by royalty since the 1100s. trying to understand and experience the significance of that is mindboggling. Never have I even set my eyes on anything that really has come from that long ago. And only bible stories and history books can compare. But they mean nothing compared to actually standing on coble stone stairways that were walked on centuries ago. Even before William Wallace of braveheart. And this castle was magnificent. A castle, which was used more often as a safety fortress (as opposed to a palace that was normally lived in) was usually set either atop a hill/mountain or on an island. This castle, stirling castle, is set atop a mountain, on the highest mountain for miles around. Along most walls of the fortress a view of land can be seen for which seems to be forever. Unfortunately, it was unusually foggy this morning, and we weren’t able to see near the view that is there…however, even what we could see was phenomenal. Architecturally, the structure had been changed many times, which was obvious by differences in stone structures, additions and some rubble (and the tour guide helped point out and explain inconsistencies in building structures). But even the most recent changes (other than a main hall that had been re made to look just like it would have in the 1200’s), in some of the structures, were made by kings in the 13 and 14 centuries. Also, even in this century, the fortress was used by military, until 1964, during which time a whole protective front was added. 1964, the military finally left, and renovations and excavations have been carried out to find the true dates and stories behind all of the statues, structures, and changes. It was truly fascinating.
Now…for some, seeing a castle is cool, and then it’s over. However, when I was young…with my bro, we’d pretend to be in the ‘old days’ which was defined as nothing more than we read about or saw in movies. However, to stand in a cubby where soldiers centuries ago stood, or where women years ago stood baking bread was humbling, and even though I’m not Scottish at all, I felt a part of history…that there is a connection to this crazy thing we call life on this earth. Even more strange, then, I suppose is coming back down the hill, getting back into our little Nissan, and driving home to a house with heat, electricity, indoor plumbing, ipods and laptops. later tonight, i held a pin worn on a kilt and sporran that is older than the united states of America. Seriously, it’s older than the country I live in. It’s beyond crazy. The kilt the man had, in his house, was made of the tartan of his family line, a kilt for ‘hunting’ from back in the day…that he still owns, and wears for special occasions with pride. We as Americans (or Canadians) don’t understand what that is about. And I have a new appreciation for people from the ‘old country’ who are trying desperately to hold on to the country and culture they came from, finding themselves in the middle of a giant ‘melting pot’. Americans these days don’t have that kind of loyalty or pride or pull to their families or to their lines of heritage. Yes, I’m proud that I’m Dutch…I guess, but what does that really mean for me? Not much.
On the flip side of that…when there is so much loyalty, anyone else who isn’t part of that line is always considered ‘outside’. And while I have been treated with nothing but genuine hospitality and care while I’ve been here, I’m not Scottish and no matter how many years I’d live here, I’d always be an outsider. The US does have a sense of acceptance and validity for other cultures (even though it continues to struggle). However, I can’t imagine that any African American, Japanese or Brazilian could come here to live and feel a part of the culture here. Just as my blond hair and ‘accent’ stand out like sore thumbs, so would any difference from the Scottish culture…in small town Scotland anyways. It seemed that Glasgow and Edinburgh were much more diverse and perhaps would be more welcoming and accepting of other cultures, however with such a strong tie to one’s heritage and history…not sure how that works. Even in speaking with a couple scots tonight, it was clear that there is a ‘rival’ between Scotland and England still after all these years. They have an amazing and dramatic history and those differences are not forgotten easily.
That is not to say that I think that the people here are snobby or rude, or close minded even. Like I stated, we have been treated with nothing but warmth and kindness…however, we are visitors, and we will be returning to ‘our’ countries in time.
To get back to the day and off the tangent…after stirling castle, we went to Loch Lomond (lake lomond) to see it’s scenery. After a short stop for coffee in Lomond, and a slight ‘tour’ of the area (as we were slightly lost) we made it to the water…a beautiful sight, however foggy and cold!! We then headed to Tesco (a scottish version of Target) and bought some great alcohol…for the bottles..hehe. we then headed home to clean up and get ready for dinner with andy and marion Hamilton…where we ate spaghetti, drank lots of wine and ate a delicious chocolate cheese cake. We were able to catch up on /learn lots of Scottish history…and andy brought down his kilt and sparron, Charlie and bow tie to share!! What a treat. They were seriously such generous hosts and we had a delightful time. (yes I just said delightful…it’s so European!!) now we are back at Julie’s house to sleep, and I’m getting very sleepy.
But before I go to bed, I’m trying to remember all of the things that they say here in Scotland that is different than the states…so I’ll be adding and refining as it all comes back to me…it’s always slow I know!!
‘off in the head’ – crazy
Beany- hat/tuuk/ toboggan
Dodger – bad
Quid-buck
Toilet-bathroom
Wee-little (use it all the time)
10 stone (as measurement of 14 pounds) so if someone is 10 stones, they are 140 lbs.
Cresh-nursery
I’m so bad…there were tons and I don’t’ remember. Boo
k…time to sleep. One day left.. I’m sooooooo sad. 

tomorrow starts the beginning of the end...or is it really the beginning of the beginning?

well...today is my last day of freedom. tomorrow the 4th of 4 semesters of grad school begins. and i'm not exactly thrilled. however, i'm trying to be optimistic and i plan on taking each day at a time. thinking of the next four months, with no free time other than a grand trip to GR for a concert is less than appealing. one day at a time. it's my new motto.

anyways...as i have a few errands to run today, i'll leave with another 'day' of scotland. this post is from our trip to Glasgow, the 2nd largest city in Scotland...and it too was fabulous!!

Jan 3 (Tuesday)
Day in Glasgow.
Walked to train station, (45 seconds from mom's apt) and took train to Glasgow. The train station at Glasgow central was fabulous. Dark oak and cute shops with glass ceiling.
Who knew you’d have to pay to pee?? All public ‘toilets’ are 20 pence to use the bathroom. You walk through a turnstile as if getting on the subway or on a roller coaster ride…hehe
We walked around on Buchanan street…amazing. Tons of people, all walking around. Many of the ‘streets’ are not for cars… just cobble stone or sidewalk for people to walk around. We went to eat lunch at Kwikies…got panini’s and rolls…but for one quid (buck) you could get pizza out of a machine. Ha
Then we walked all the way to the Glasgow Cathedral on the east side of the city the latest additions (other than modernizing it with electricity for public use) was sometime in the 1300s. St. Mungo’s tomb was under the main sanctuary.
Then we went to the Museum of Religios Life…which was nice, but a little strange and unsettling as Christianity is set up along side many other religions…Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, native American religions, etc. Are we just one of the others? Hm…topic for another day.
Then we walked to the ‘oldest house in Glasgow’ and walked around…a three story building which was quite large and impressive.
Then we walked back to Buchanan Galleries (instead of taking a double-decker bus which we wanted) and decided to find out about tickets to a pantomime for later that evening. So we got to see George’s Square (by the information center) and then we went over to the Pavilion to get tickets for a 7:30 show. We did a little bit of shopping but the mall closed down on us at H & M, so we had to leave. Then we went to eat at a Lauder’s pub…where we tried Scottish beer, but they didn’t have chicken, burgers, or shrimp, so we got salads and fries with bacon (Canadian bacon). The pantomime was Aladdin…and was set up mostly for children…but it is something that people have been going to for years. Older adults and grown ups grew up going to pantomimes every year…and so it was fun to be a part of it and experience what so many children have and do experience every year. After the show was another ride home on the train (subway) home back to Troon. Good conversation was had with mom both at the cathedral and on the way home to Troon.
Never enough time to be in a big city!! Another great day!!

p.s. my camera has been found...it's still in scotland. so as soon as i get it in the mail pictures will adorn this blog site...yesssss.

i can't believe it's almost over

well, i have safely made it back to the good ol' US of A. where people drive on the right side of the road and are generally less welcoming. it's strange when something that's been long expected is over, or almost over. i still have a 5+ hr road trip tomorrow before i can settle back in. it seems both like it's been ages since i left and also as if it's over way too soon. so it's mixed feelings of happiness and contentment at a trip well spent, sadness in leaving mom and a grand country, happiness that living out of a suitcase is almost over, and fear at what the up and coming days and weeks bring with school starting in a short 2 days.

fortunately, the trip home went much more smoothly than the trip to scotland, but unfortunately, my camera has been at the moment misplaced and as it is not with me, it will be a week before i get it and am able to post pictures. and i still have to find it. it's not at mom's in troon, so hopefully it was placed in sheonaid's bags by accident and she'll swiftly send it back over to my side of the country once she herself makes it home to sunny colorado!

i'm sitting in my family room in rochester, with a sleeping dog at my side (brayson) and another dog quiet in another room (zeke)...glad that they have settled down, and glad to be with my baby. a bit pensive about the craziness of life...and more specifically, how my family is so scattered once again. aaron, is currently in ireland, mom still in scotland, dad here, sheonaid in colorado and me, soon back in wv. exciting for all our ventures, and yet still strange at the distances.

anyways, enough strange sadness for now...i'll end with a list of things done on new year's eve in scotland...a great day in Edinburgh. i wanted to do this in order, but i don't have enough brain function to finish the flights over to scotland which ended up taking a whole 10 hrs longer than they were supposed to. boo bad weather and flight regulations! with the help of sis and mom, we finished dec. 31 already!

Dec. 31. Edinburgh (Saturday)
Slept in til 10am
Went home to mom’s place to shower.
Left by 11:30am
Got coats from andy and marion Hamilton. Sofa was covered in coats, muffs and hats. Looked like closet threw up on couch. Loved the long gold coat. So did Marion, apparently.
Andy = animation
Drove to Edinburgh with great navigation by sheonaid. I was the moral support by sleeping. Mom said 'thank you sheonaid' upon arrival
Found parking on learmonth view off of queensferry (aka. queenberry) and proceeded to ask locals about bus route. returned to car to layer up and get ticket info.
Upon unclear yet helpful instructions about bus route, decided to walk anyways.
Took pics along bridge and got wet from passing car who drove in puddle and splashed my pants.
Rain and wet. Feet squidging in shoes.
Got to princes street and tried to find the royal mile. Labored over directions for many minutes.
Took walk up the street called “The mound” and then walked through 'the close' and stairwell to the Hub (church for tickets). Very medieval.
Pics of me and sheoanid on stairway may have been unclear. Blame mom.
Got tickets after being instructed to stand “in queue” (in line).
Went into Scottish store to buy cute t-shirts—2 for 10 quid.. mine is definitely neon-green
Went for dinner at the deacon’s Inn, upstairs from the bar. Bar had tartan carpet . were not treated well by wait staff. Food was not hot.
Walked royal mile. Starbucks for coffee. Took pics by john knox’s house. walked on cobble stone streets lined by century old buildings.
Made it to new parliament building and palace at end of mile where queen Elizabeth still resides on trips to Scotland. Parliament building was an amazing site with new architectural mastery.
Sheonaid had to pee…so we sped back to starbucks.
Got hit on by Australian boys who liked my gloves. Chatted for a few minutes.
Got hit on by drunk boys singing for money. Thought it was great that we were American. I stated that we ‘literally had no coins on us’.
Went to roses st to enjoy some good pub beer. Had to show ID before entering. Needed proof that we were 21. i used passport.
Struggled with ordering beer in Scotland. Amused bartenders by excitement of Scottish coins and discussion of tipping/bar etiquette.
Discussed family, life/ relationships, religion, etc.
Went to toilets 12 times (probably).
Left over three quid for tip….way more than anyone else ever does.
Went to princes str. Party.
Had to walk several streets to find entrance to party. Showed bracelet to officers to get in. Struggled to find good spot to stand to see fireworks. So many people- felt like human cattle. Joined ‘conga’ lines. Most people were pleasant while a few were rude and scary.
Got butts pinched by rude yet funny drunk boys. Mom decided to put her hand behind her to clearly indicate a “hand’s off” policy.
Ate hotdogs to hold us over. Disgusting. Tasted like …freakin...haggis (ground intestines) FOUL. None of us could finish them.
Moved closer to castle and to massive tv screen to see fireworks and time countdown.
Castle was all lit way across grass, and trees had blue and white lights on them. Beautiful.
Famous Scottish/European music group (texas) was singing and all the locals sang along.
Got cool hats
Wanted drinks. Disappointed that foster stands couldn’t be found. Next time BYOB.
Got hit on by others in the crowd.
Group of people we stood next to were funny. drunk girl tried to jump on friend’s back but didn’t do it well. Sheonaid helped her with her crack. Hmm!!
Screamed count-down with the whole crowd of thousands of people. Amazing experience
Yelled happy new year
Watched amazing firework show
Sang ‘Auld lang sayne’ with everyone else and held hands with big group of people, by Crossing hands and in an up and downward motion. As one would shake a catsup bottle.
Walked back to car and drove home
Bed by 3:45am
Awesomo

a short notice from across the pond

well...yes, i am still alive!! and regret not having posted sooner...however, even though i do have access to the internet, i haven't had much time to use it. so..i will be sure to post plenty so that anyone who happens to come across the blog will be filled in on the trip.

amazing places, people and stories.

booo airline tickets that say i have to go home!!