Reading Week is a break where students are meant to take the week to catch up or get ahead on homework that takes place in the middle of the semester. I will tell you about all the not homework things I did, because lets be real, I only did a small amount of homework.
Tuesday October 22nd:
Reading week started with me saying goodbye to my family at the train station and then trying not to cry in front of the taxi man as he drove me to my dorm. Since my family had to be to the train station by 6:15 am I really needed a nap before my tattoo appointment.
It was a damn good nap.
Nevermore tattoo in Stirling is an amazing shop. A husband and wife duo that really prides themselves in their work and wants to make sure the tattoo is done well. They are very funny and easy to interact with, making it a comfortable and easy experience. Well, as comfortable as getting tiny needles shoved into your skin for a couple hours can be.
My flatmate Lina came with me and there was much discussion of Ducks and if they would be good pets or not between everyone in the shop. We decidedly landed on probably not, but had some funny conversation on the way to getting to that conclusion.
This tattoo is the biggest one I have gotten so far and I plan on getting a sleeve eventually and John really gave me the feeling of how I want to go about getting the sleeve with this design.
After getting my tattoo, my flatmate and I went and got pizza for lunch and then went to the Mall to get our Halloween costumes. I ended up finding the perfect elements and am overall very satisfied with the outcome. I will post pictures once we are all dressed up!
Wednesday October 23rd:
I tried really hard to get a lot of homework done this day. By "really hard" I mean I made a to do list and got all the stuff out and then only got through one step before it was time to go see the new Joker movie.
I do however count the reading of the article for my critical review a success. A little step to the bigger project. Even if I had about four other things I had planned on getting done.
Commentary on the Joker movie:
The Joker movie was fantastic. Most of you probably have heard that or think that, and I don't need to tell you again, but I gonna talk about it anyway. This character film changes the game for blockbuster movies. There are so many characters, specifically comic book characters, that could have this in depth look of how they are. It is so refreshing (to me) in the wake of the superhero/comic book formula that has taken over the movie scene in the last ten years.
This movie is also especially important in the social commentary that it brings to the public's lips. It is undeniable to see the connections of how mental health and how we view and support it is in the fictional world of Joker and our world. Perhaps it is because it is nearly the same. We ignore and shame mental illness, both directly and indirectly and it forces these major situations to happen. The lack of empathy in society can create monsters. The Joker just acts as an extreme example. It doesn't speak to all mental illnesses, of course. I am not saying that mental illness is inherently evil because it definitely isn't, but that in the wrong conditions, can be pressure cooked into the things we fear.
The best example of this I can think of is the School Shooting issues we face in American society and the way it has brought Mental Illness to the public.This movie is important in addressing that to an extent and it is really smart to use a massively well known character to do it.
In short, I really liked it.
Thursday October 24th:
I was so lazy on Thursday. I slept late, I laid in bed most of the day and I didn't regret a minute of it. Most of the day went to binge watching The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix. It was great for putting me in the spooky mood for Halloween and is just weird enough to keep me interested. It definitely is a show with a specific vibe and I am into it. I got through all of season one. To put that in perspective, it is a total of 11 hours.
However, while I watched I cleaned my room and did laundry. I had some productivity, just very minimal.
Friday October 25th:
Friday was my fun day out with my friends Lina and Nora. I went back to Edinburgh for the third time in two weeks, and we planned on going to the National Museum and then walking the royal mile with hot beverages and an open mind.
The National Museum was as great as I remembered from 2016 and I was happy to have gone back. Neither Lina nor Nora had been before so it was fun to take them there. We spent a little over three hours there and only made it through a third of the museum. It is a massive place with many themes to explore.
These were some of my favorite parts.
We then went to Elephant House which is the coffee shop credited as the location where the first Harry Potter book was written, and go take away sips. The steamed chai milk there is amazing.
We then walked the Royal mile roaming huge piles of wool scarves and looking at the beautiful old town architecture. We went into a couple of shops I have loved exploring in my handful of visits and then ended up at the World's End Pub to have a drink before going to dinner. I promptly left the bag of trip gifts I had purchased on the floor there on our way to dinner. Something I would not realize until leaving the dinner restaurant.
For dinner I took my friends to the restaurant my family and I had found the week before, that we ate at two times in one week. It has fabulous food at a reasonable price and is just off the royal mile. Pibroch Scottish Restaurant is divine and as evidence I shall tell you that my family bought the embroidered napkins they sell. Yeah. That good.
My friends liked it as well and I would gladly eat there a dozen more times without falter.
We then discovered my blunder and walked the block back to the World's End Pub where three very nice drunk Scottish men turned my bag in for me and I was able to retrieve it with no problem and then froze our asses off getting back to Stirling.
Saturday October 26th:
The next morning Nora and I went and saw Up at the campus movie theater and I laughed and cried at the greatness of it all over again. It had been a bit since I had last watched it and it was a good emotional release. I love some cathartic pass times as you guys have probably figured out by now.
Afterwords I went to the Library and worked on my Critical Review some more. I got the most homework done this day, not as much as I had planned but that is a reoccurring theme in my life. This time though it was because I had to read the article three more times to feel like I truly understood it. A time consuming development that was a little frustrating, but necessary.
Once back at my flat I got ready to go to Karaoke at the William Wallace with Lina, Moe and Moe's friends that were visiting. Karaoke was just as fun as usual, but this time I got offered a job to be a filler for when they aren't getting requests in and a man told me through his tears that he wanted me to record an album. Man, I love drunk Scots. They are really good at giving you a confidence boost.
Sunday October 27th:
This day was also more relaxed and involved Season two of Sabrina and lots of video chatting. I skyped Jeff and we watched our shows and videos we like to watch together and it was very nice. Made me very happy and relaxed.
I then video chatted my parents while Jeff went to the grocery store before returning to chat with him more.
While skyping Jeff I also water-colored some of the pictures I have been taking as inspiration throughout my time here and it was really nice to take that time to reflect of the scenery I have gotten to experience. It was also very nice to be creative.
While lots of people went to other countries for reading week, I was glad I took the time to relax and take a minute for myself. I think it was what I needed before all the essays I have due. It is gonna be a busy and stressful November and I am glad I got the time to settle back into myself.