Did You Remember? (House Party: Part Two)

 House Part: Part Two features blurry, blurry dancing.  Dim lights + fast moving people = very fuzzy shots.  But it was fun, anyway.


The thing about these ceilidhs is that you meet the craziest people there...

And then you end up dancing with them.

It is quite exciting.

 Fuzzy picture is fuzzy!

Here is my dance partner, Joelle.  She was the "guy" when we danced, which meant that I did all the twirling.  Which meant that by the end of Dance One, I was having walk-in-straight-line-issues.  Actually, my vision was somewhat similar to this picture.

I choose not to explain this picture.  Mostly because it is inexplicable.

 Shoes?  Who needs them?  That's what stockings are for!  Relearning the steps is fun.

Swoosh... swish... step, step.... wee!

And now for some lovely posed shots...

 The downside of no shoes is that floors are slippery sometimes...




All of this fiddle playing and rolicking music brought out the Irish in Karen.  She had no choice. Dancing happened.

 Getting ready for the last dance, which was extra fast and fun.

At the beginning of the night, we were complaining about how all the open windows along the ceiling made the room freezing.  By the end, we were hot, tired, and wanted to go outside and cool down.

The outside part came next...

 Gartmore House is pretty at night, isn't it?

There was a bonfire.  Did you remember the 5th of November?  Can you finish the poem?

We remembered.  With lots of fire, glowy bracelets, and fireworks!

I decided to try to be creative with my camera and take cool shots of fire and explosions and things, but I don't think I succeeded all that well.  I am still learning how to use my camera.  I am but a novice, so I apologize for the sad quality of some of these pictures.

 Little sparks are so cute!

 And then there were fireworks.  It was hard getting shots of them because my camera insisted there wasn't enough light and I had to argue with it and by the time I won the argument, usually the explosion was gone.  Sometimes, I was lucky, though.

 I had to turn the shutter speed waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down, though, so the fireworks came out all wiggly and streamy.  Not a bad effect, I guess.

 I feel like this one looks like a big glowy alien insect.  But that's just me.

 ALL THE FIREWORKS AT THE SAME TIME! This shot was about thirty seconds long.

 Someday I will figure out how to take proper fireworks shots.  I think I just need more light behind me or something.  Hmmm....  Must learn.

 Singing happened (not me, mind you, but I listened).  There were no marshmallows, which I felt to be sadly lacking for a bonfire.  Bonfires are supposed to come with marshmallows.

It's the rule.


And I can explain this picture.  We were given glowy bracelets, and I made Lluvia and Karen run around like crazy people waving their arms so I could pick up the glowy colours.  Didn't turn out the way I expected, but you can see some wiggly lights.  I should've just taken a video of them spastically waving their arms...

 This is actually me with a halo being held over me, but there was no light.

Below is the picture with a flash.  It is a rather interesting picture.  The halo was supposed to make me look innocent, but the red coat and flames behind me... well... they just make the halo look ironic.

 Odd faces are... odd....

 Slightly more normal?  We are trying to show off our glowy bracelets.

 

 Karen tossed her bracelet in the fire.  Some of us thought it might explode.  It didn't.  Some of us might have been just a little disappointed...

 

 I should write something poetic here...

 Suffice to say, it was a good night, well worth remembering.

And not because of some guy who wanted to blow up a building either.

More pictures coming soon!

A Castle for Class and some Kindred Spirits...

This morning I had a Post Graduate by Research Orientation to go to.  It was at "New College" which I had a hazy idea was somewhere behind my building.  The fact that it was called New College led me to expect something modernish and boring.

Was I ever wrong!

This gem is just off of the Royal Mile, out of sight unless you pass behind the buildings to the right on the way to the castle.  Actually, if you cut through the courtyard of my building Milne's Court, you will pop out right next to it!  And this is what it looks like:

 I think it was when I went through the archway that I knew it was not going to be your average classroom building.

The name New College just doesn't really fit in my mind.



I didn't actually have my camera with me when I went to the orientation so I ended up running back up to grab it afterwards and coming back.  Isn't it lucky that this is right behind where I live?


Come on, you're supposed to be glad for me...

Inside the courtyard were all of these lofty towers, some of which are actually parts of my building up along the Royal Mile.  I really didn't want to go inside after seeing this.  What I wanted was to figure out how to get into that tower!  Hmm... I wonder if that  door at the base is locked...

 Oh, and if you back up a bit into the archway, you'll notice a statue of a man who you might find familiar... especially if you are of a Presbyterian bent!


He looks very impressive and important here, doesn't he?


I wish I'd gotten a closer picture of the words on the base, but they were basically honoring John Knox's contributions to Scotland.

 I think he's surveying his very excellent domain. 





















Another view of some awesomely awesome towers toward the entrance of New College.  This is also the College of Divinity, which is why John Knox looks so comfy here.


What a grand place... what a great way to start my day...


I went to class in a castle!!!!

Walking out of New College and up and around a steep, curving path will get you this view.  Pretty nice.  The wind made it feel like you might be carried off over city.


Seriously, when I was walking through the city with bags of groceries later, I was sometimes stopped dead in my tracks because of a blast of wind.  I just stood, waited, and then proceeded once it died down to a manageable level.

And let's not even talk about my hair today...

Oh, as for the kindred spirits, I went to a meet and greet held by the Christian Union.  It was very comforting and enjoyable to be surrounded by a bunch of people who could talk about picking churches and joining Bible studies and prayer.  And there were even Presbyterians there!  From Ireland... I am confused...

My walk back was like walking into a wall of wind, but I survived and now I have an hour to rest before the hall event.  Good day.  Good pictures.

Castle!!!