I miss the NBA...

Sooo I'm sitting in my bedroom at Flipper's house in my boxers and a sweater at 2 in the morning with nothing to do when I remember I had this little obligation people at CSPAN like to call 'blogging'. I'm sure my parents are wondering where I am or rather where The Isle of Man is but I assure everyone I'm safe and sound under the roof a nurturing family (this means lots and lots of food and chocolate).

I'm gonna rewind a bit and tap into the Edinburgh vein. Those of you who have read some of my previous blogs might recall my accounts and descriptions of one Mr. Phillip Lebert Francis (how to pronounce the surnames is still in debate, I'm in the camp that believes a heavy French accent must be used). To say the least that city was a blast and I absolutely understand why he has missed so much school (you also might recall that Phil did not attend the last 6, yes count them 6, weeks of school and was totally MIA with some ailment. I was quite worried getting off the airplane that he would forget to meet me at the airport but low and behold his 6'8 frame bumbled across the terminal to meet me). Not only is Lucy, his girlfriend, awesome but the city of Edinburgh is on par with any I've ever been to. The architecture itself makes Edinburgh a place worth visiting and the nightlife was the most fun I've had overseas. It's questionable about whether this is because of the actual scene or because of the company I kept, but to give yous peoples a glimpse into it I'll focus on a single night.

We decided that watching the Man U v AC Milan Championship League football match was a must. Not only is Man U my team (and it has been for years, I'm not a bandwagon fan) but this match is a clash of the titans from arguably the two biggest football countries in the world. I'm not going to go into details but Man U won on a stunning extra time goal from Wayne Rooney. Anywho our venue of choice was a local establishment by J.D. Weatherspoon (it's a massive British chain) called "The Standing Order". Why might a bar be named such you might ask? Well the answer to that would be because it's build in an old bank. To paint the picture, I was a bit surprised to be walking through an entrance with massive stone columns out front. The inside was spacious, the drinks were cheap as can be especially in a city like Edinburgh, the crowd was raucous, and the game was a shoot out. This might not sound exciting to some, but if you're a sports fan it's about as good as it gets. Watching your team on the biggest stage possible going toe to toe with another colossus in a slugfest to the finish with cold exotic (hey, I'm American... anything not from North America is exotic to me) bevies and some good banter set the tone for a great night out.

How might a night get any better than this for a person like me? Well that answer lies (lays? eh whatever) in the form of two (or is it one?) characters from the mind The Great Robert Louis Stevenson in the form of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Confused? You should be. There's a bar in Edinburgh that spawns exactly from that character called Jekyll and Hyde's. I'll admit theme bars do sound a bit corny but when it's two in the morning and you're on number 7 of the 'Seven Deadly Sins' drink list because you want the 'I committed The Seven Deadly Sins' t-shirt, have been taking shots out of test tubes with corks, and couldn't find the bathroom the first 30 minutes there because it's hidden through a secret passageway in the bookcase next to your table... things are looking pretty good. Basically Austin needs a place like this, it was way more fun than I can ever explain.

Although it might seem unlikely, I did actually do things besides drink and watch TV in Edinburgh. I cooked fajitas for Lucy, Phill, and her brother one night to bring a little Texan flavor to the scene. We also did a bit of a walking tour through old town and up to the castle and even managed to survive the certain stomach issues of an all you can eat Chinese buffet. On top of that Phil and I beat FIFA World Cup 98 on the Nintendo 64 no less than 5 times which I think is an amazing feat and puts us in the ranks of great football nations such as Brazil, France, and Germany, and of course England.

If I was forced to give advice to anyone thinking about going abroad in the UK it would be to do it in Edinburgh if you have the option, I guarantee you won't regret it.

So let's take a quick train ride and a not-so-quick ferry ride across the sea to the Isle of Man. I'm came here expecting something along the lines of Baytown, Texas. From what some of my friends have said about it and the numerous allusions to sheep raping Phil made I came here expecting nothing. However despite all the negative swirl about this place it's really quite nice. It's quiet, secluded and a great change of pace. Did I mention there seems to be an endless supply of food and chocolate here? Flipper's house is very nice and around 200 years old which is hard to find back in the US. It's in the quaint village of Castletown which is named aptly as it is literally built around a castle. The streets are narrow and cobbled with vintage houses and shops lining the sidewalks and the sea rises up between buildings in canals with boat after boat waiting for the tide to take them out to sea. It's quite an view to behold and I couldn't ask for a better place to spend my last week of vacation before heading back to Leicester to slave away at my final papers.

In a flash update I'm going to be attempting to cook King Ranch Chicken tomorrow night for the first time ever. It's not that I doubt my aptitude in the kitchen, it's that I question the ingredients I can get on an Island anyone near England.

Anyways I'm off to bed or something.

Chris

P.S. Pray for the Spurs, my friend from back home is really talking up the Nuggets.