2001-05-03

Wednesday.

Glasgow. Crappy weather. This is where that new coat came in handy as well as my tendency to buy mens clothing. Ben wore my jacket. Looks better on him than it does on me, him being a man and all.

The bus ride was ok. The bus wasn�t as comfortable as the one to St. Andrews. I felt less comfortable for sure. For a couple of reasons.

There isn�t much between Glasgow and Edinburgh. More frightening sprawl. I listened to my newly purchased Matador compilation hoping to add to my energy level. I don't think it worked.

What did we do first? We found Borders. I�d completely forgotten that I�d seen it on Saturday. I had walked right by it thinking �hmmm�there�s a Borders where that news agents used to be� The one where I bought my �up yer kilt� key chain. But by Wednesday all this had escaped me. And we had to ask where it was.

We went to Borders and got tickets for James Ellroy. And then back up to the subway to check it out. And back to Borders to have a look-see. I did something I swore I wouldn't do and that was buy the international edition of USA Today. It was that or the Wash Times, and I don't read that moonie propaganda. Then we saw this guy that Ben knows. I had some soup while they talked. The guy seemed sort of hopeless. The soup was good though.

Then on to the IMAX and another transportation fuck-up. Let's just say it was a long walk to the science centre. The next time I see Ben, I will know the territory. I don�t care where we are. I will know my way around. I will be on top of the situation. No more wandering around. We found the science centre. A really interesting building. I think that when it's all finished the place will be really cool. Even though it�s right in the middle of a bleak part of the city. It's got to be better than dynamic dearth. I really liked the architecture. And I enjoyed sitting in the cafe reading that shitty newspaper. They had coke in 8 ounce bottles. That�s the best way to have coke, you know. It was my first IMAX movie and it was ok. I could see the potential for amazing things. Great theater. I hope I get to go back.

[Why the fuck does NPR have to do a thing on people born in 1971??? It's not helping my shitty mood at all. Please try to define me. Thank you for putting the last 30 years into context for me.]

Another long walk to a subway station, then back to Buchanan Street. I was really hungry, and it was at this point that I pined for the US where you can get what you want the way you want it. Not pre-made and full of mayo. Evil, evil mayo. It was definitely a food=enemy situation. I just wanted something simple. Shit. So I got some bread to hold me over through James Ellroy.

[I know this entry sucks, but I suck today. ]

James Ellroy is a freak and an egomaniac, but entertaining nonetheless. The concert hall is gorgeous. I'd love to go back there for a musical program.

P>

I was cranky. I was hungry.

I got some chips.

I was still cranky.

We were in line to get on the bus and this guy was asking for change so he could afford the fare. The fare was three pounds. I have him what I had in my pocket, which was a two pound coin. I think I made his day. He was bascially like "fuck this, I'll go get some chips and catch the next bus". Good for him!

The bus when straight up Cathedral Street. My old street. I wasn't expecting it, but as soon as we turned out of the station, I knew we were headed that way. One Strathclyde building after another. And I'm thinking, "that's where I had class on Fridays" "That's the building where I went for history" "That's where we used to sit outside on sunny days..." I made this horrible noise, which Ben told me to stop making. And then BOOM! Birkbeck Court. Looking exactly the same. It was ok. I got over it pretty quickly. I think. Maybe not.

After that, my head just started to pound. I started thinking about what I'd done the night before. I realized how easy it would be to feel completely ridiculous so I started to do just that. I kept thinking �what have I done? have fucked things up?� and then I realized that I hadn�t and that I had done the right thing and I tried really hard to keep it together. I thought �well if it�s going to take extra energy to not feel like a freak, then that�s where my energy will have to go.

[NPR is really making me ill. Can't we just forget the fucking 80's? It wasn't all that great. See? This is a perfect example of how looking back makes me want to puke.]

Where was I? Oh, yes, feeling like shit on a bus to Edinburgh.

We got back. I called Lee. I ran out to Blockbuster with Ben. I got back. I finished my crappy book while everyone else watched tv. I didn�t feel social. I went to sleep.

Apologize for this entry. Mood not great.

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