Question Time

I can't wait to work for the Scottish Government. But since I have to while the FBI customer service is taking their time with my criminal record check (boring, I know - but hey, they have debited my credit card, so at least they are processing my request), and I can't start work before I am all cleared, I visited the Scottish Parliament today again. For the third time. And I got told off twice before even entering the premises. First, I parked my bike in an inappropriate position and locked it to "Government furniture" (which was a sign that said "Scottish Government"), and then I went for the exit to enter the building - although I swear that that exit used to be the entrance the last time I had visited.

Anyway, I had booked one of the very popular tickets for the First Minister's Questions session, where Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) ask the First Minister questions. The First Minister is the big boss of the Scottish Government, like the chancellor in Germany, the prime minister in Westminster, or the US president. The questions he is asked by the MSPs of the opposition parties are neither nice nor neccessarily very productive. But it is great to witness how he deals with them (or doesn't), and how the different factions respond to each other's polemics. These sessions are all filmed and available online, but to be there and experience the atmosphere, the ridicule and hostility is great fun.

Winners and Prizes

Now, that I got my blog mojo back and the comments keep coming in I'll have to think about the grand prize for the 1000th comment. As I am not rich yet it will have to be something hand-crafted or homemade. A poem, a jar of pickles, a loaf of sourdough bread, a sonnet, a German cake, a short story, a painting, a dinner, a photo collage - any preferences or other  ideas?

Saving the World (Scotland) - Day 0

I got confirmation about my new job in December, but it's only sinking in now. Whenever I told friends and family that I got the position they reacted way more excited than I was feeling in that moment, and it was almost as if I needed their reaction to remind me of how much I had actually wanted it, and that I had been working towards it, in a way, for about two years. But I was feeling a bit numb. Satisfied that I got the job, yes. But still a bit unsure whether it really was what I wanted to do, or if I had only focussed so much on exactly this one job so that I wouldn't have to figure out something else. And I already missed all the free time that my travels, unemployment, and self-employment allowed me.

Little Helpers: Pocket

Have you ever found yourself wanting to check the weather forecast quickly, doing a short detour to Facebook, and ending up finding all these interesting articles that you're starting to read although you don't really have the time for them just now? Well, you could just bookmark them, but then you'd have to have some kind of system of bookmark folders or labels to find them again later. I did have that, but it wasn't great and always took some effort to place the URL somewhere where I'd find it again (if I even remembered to look for it later). One place for all the stuff that you want to read later would be really useful, wouldn't it?

Durham

Before starting to work again I am trying to get as much dancing in as possible, and so I went to DJam, a dance workshop in the northeast of England, in the university town of Durham just south of Newcastle. I shared a cheap hotel room with two other dancers from Edinburgh and we had a jolly good time. Over the course of four days I danced my feet off, but also got a chance to have a look around town which lies prettily on the river Wear and features a cathedral, a castle, one of England's oldest universities, and many wee alleys and secret staircases - well worth a visit.

My Second Dance Performance

...happened only one hour later (enough time to change).