When I’ve had spare time lately, my life has been either taking pictures or editing them. I don’t know that I’ve ever had a hobby suck me in so completely. And as I did report on here,I did win a prize for best use of color in my first and only competition to date. I’ve also had several friends ask me if I sell prints and some suggest that I should. I’m completely unprepared for that possibility at this point in time. I gave a print on one photo to my manager and his new wife, and I gave prints to another friend for her birthday. A couple of people, I set up so that they could pay for their own prints (no profit for me) via MPix. Maybe I need to start giving the whole prints thing a thought…

In between work and photos, I’ve been quietly planning out my next trip to Scotland at year’s end. I’m much looking forward to it even though part of it is a retread. Breaking my two year stint of being in hostels on New Year’s Eve, I’ll spend this one in a hotel in the Grassmarket on the Royal Mile. It’s by all reprots a kind of funky hotel with a pub on the main floor and all, but on the Royal Mile, just one steep climb from the largest New Year’s Eve party. I’ve also got my street pass reserved, so I get to take part in everything except the Torchlight Procession. For that part, I’ll be stuck in a plane on my way there.

Following the posh (for me) hotel, I’ll be back to more or less basics. I just didn’t feel up to totally forging my own trail this time, and I want to see the Scottish Highlands, so I’m booked for a six day Haggis Tour. A mini-coach with other backpackers and touring the highlands and the Scottish islands for six days. Nights in hostels. The whole yarn, just without trying to navigate the rails and buses thing.

I still have three nights and two days un-planned when I get back to Edinburgh before my flight back. Maybe St. Andrew’s this time. I’ve also seen there are day trips down to Hadrian’s Wall… hmmm… time to mull on it.

Somewhat on the lines of trip planning, I’ve been figuring out what to do with the hoardes of photos I take. For like four years now, I’ve owned a 20gig Archos, a portable hard drive that plays music and was a repository for my photos. It’s getting a little shakey, and a good day of photos for me… well, it’s a scary volume, so I started fearing that my fidgety Archos might not tide me through the trip. So, I bought a new toy, a 100 gig Vosonic. I can plug in my compact flash cards and offload photos on the fly. Like my Archos, it plays MP3′. It also plays videos, and has a great battery life. Oh, and it uses the same 2.5″ hard drive as a notebook PC, so I can upgrade it to a larger one if I choose to later! The oh wow factor with coworkers has been high. So far even though it’s mainly been an mp3 player, I’m quite happy with the purchase and look forward to having it on my trip.

I also got a new travel bag for my camera. I’m still using the more conspicuous one for day to day, but that may change after I make serious use of the new one. It doesn’t scream “camera” quite so much and it’s just generally lower profile.

And on other fronts… hmmm… I’m not jinxing myself right now, but I may have some exciting (to me) news later. Or not, and then you’ll just have to wonder what it might have been.

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Last week, I interviewed for and received an offer for a job at a company in Roswell. It was very nearly the same job I have now. That was one of the things that ultimately factored into my decision not to go. It was a very small company, and believe me, I heard the pros and cons from that from everyone plus some of my own concoction. I think that I would have done very well without the rules and layers of management that come with a large corporation, but right now I need that stability in my life. Maybe once I’ve finished operation eliminate debt I will be more willing to go out on limbs, especially if they are limbs that provide something truly different than what I’m doing now. Still, it was incredibly nice to land a job on the first interview I’ve had outside of Equifax in six years. I’ve interviewed internally, but interviewing somewhere that they only have what’s on paper and what you tell them and getting an offer is a whole different thing. This little boost to the ego did allow me to go discuss a raise with my manager. The layers of management mean that the answer has yet to filter down to me, but the confidence boost is still appreciated.

When I come back from London, I’ll have a new kitten! Pandy can never be replaced, but the house has seemed very empty without the pitter-thud of cat-feet since she’s been gone. Bear has stayed with my parents as he is a very social cat and would not adjust well to being alone all day while I’m at work. This past weekend, a neighbor back home found a SMALL black kitten in their yard. This gutsy little stray is probably about 5 weeks old. My Mom was going to add him to the small crew of outdoor cats she has if he would stay. I helped her bring him home and knew he was to be mine. Haven’t come up with a name for him yet, but my Mom who will have the next couple of weeks to get to know him is working on it and so am I. Bear has met him, of course, and isn’t sure what to think. He hasn’t really been around kittens in years. Our youngest indoor cats at home are around 4 years old. Bear is between 5 and 6 years old. Bear is still so playful that I think once he realizes the newcomer will play with him, he’ll enjoy his new company.

Spent the evening cleaning the house. A side-effect of not having the cats around is my delaying cleaning that should be done. Without the added pressure of tidying up after the cats, I’ve slacked off too much. So, making up for lost time before I sneak out of the country next week. It’s much nicer to come back to a clean house!

Have been woefully slack on photography the past week and a half. I accidentally screwed up my camera. Trying to clean it, I snapped a flat cable that went to the rear controls. Was quite peeved with myself. I managed to find the necessary part on E-bay and got it working again Thursday night of last week. In the interim, I somehow foolishly convinced myself to also get an upgrade camera. Should arrive Thursday. Assuming I can learn it swifly enough, My Olympus C-5050 will be going to London with me next week. And, assuming I like it as much as I expect I will, my Dad will get a surprise of my old camera as a gift. He’s mentioned a few times wanting a digital and my Olympus C-3000 is really a nice camera – beyond the beginner’s needs in features but still capable of quite simple point and shoot.

There are times that I believe I have all the worst of my families. Parts of my family are incredibly tight with their money, probably beyond reason. Other parts can spend money like drunken sailors. So, how do I combine these disparate personality traits? Like some sort of bi-polar disorder, I swing from sitting on my money to tossing it out the car windows at high speeds. In the course of a month, a new camera and a trip to London (airfare, hostel, transportation, etc.). Put a fork in me, I’m done!

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And this was the point where I realized I wasn’t thinking straight. I got to the parking area, clad only in my sweater and jeans. There is a courtesy shuttle (for $2) to the top, but I had missed it and would have to wait a few minutes, and then I’m somewhat cheap anyway. So, I decided I could hoof it the top. Ohmigod, I don’t remember such a strenuous workout in my life. It was only a little over half a mile, but by the top, I felt like my eyes had bulged out of my sockets. I was breathing the thin cold air in with large gulps. I could hear the air escaping in bursts. Near the end of the ascent, I passed two people coming down – one helpfully told me it was nearly over. I must have looked like I would collapse without encouragment. I guess walking 4 miles a day on average doesn’t equal up to one sudden ascent at 4,784 feet. This is almost making me re-think that trip to Machu Picchu that I want to make one day. Ears popping and exhaustion does not sound like a vacation.

Speaking of vacations, I’m still very much undecided. I have no question that I need to take some time off of work in the next month or I’m just going to pop. Friday, I had all but decided that next month, I would go to London again. I could find flights for the last full week in May for about $500 – and then the seats at that rate ran out. Bummer… So, Saturday, I reverted to my once upon a time scheme to drive out west, specifically to see RCPM in Mexico in mid-May. Even though I could fly out way cheaper, I had decided to leave mid-week before and make a fast jaunt out, and then take the whole following week off for a leisurely descent back to real life. And then I started second-thinking it. I mean, I would spend more on gas and overnight accomodations on this trip than going to London, even at a slightly higher rate than originally planned on. I checked, and I can still find flights for around $600. I found a decent rate at the same hostel I stayed in last time. So, why can’t I decide?

What’s option 3? You knew someone like me who over-thinks everything had more options right? That’s taking a full week off work (plus memorial day) and spending some time at home with the folks. I have some projects around the house that need finishing, and I could make time to do some sight-seeing in warmer climates in central and southern Georgia. Save some money that I could use on some projects here, like that wood floor I want to put down in my dining room, eh?

Which will it be? I swear, I’ll have to toss a coin to decide at this rate…

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There’s not a lot to do anyway. Run the vacuum and clean the kitchen counter. And clean the tile floors in the foyer and kitchen. Oh, and a little TLC in my bathroom. I mostly finished my bedroom last night. The more I read that, the more work it sounds like.

I am going to the UK again at the end of the year. I bought my plane ticket Wednesday night. I am looking forward to it. I’ve just got to iron out my plans a little more. I arrive in London (best prices for flights from here to there) on Dec. 28th, early morning. I don’t fly back until January 5th. In the interim, I plan to go to Edinburgh, Scotland for their New Year’s celebration. I think most of my time will be there. A friend recommended a Hostel that was showing up with no online availability, but I e-mailed them and it turns out that’s because they have special pricing for that period. They are very close to where the street party is and the price includes tickets to the street party and all plus a free bar the on New Year’s Eve. I could stay somewhere cheaper a little further out. The difference being between a Hostel and a Hotel… hmmm… Decisions, decisions. It’s also a 6 night stay. I was only planning to be there 5 nights and to spend a little time in London. I guess I could stay 6 nights and consider the London stop not as important… Or I could eat a night’s stay, i.e. pay for 6 but only stay 5… hmmm… Still thinking on it, but I am looking forward to it!

Well despite my best efforts, the house is not cleaning itself.

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Had a nice Christmas at home with the family. Spent a full week with my parents. I think that may be the first time since I moved to Atlanta 6 years ago. Every trip home that was very long usually included a trip to see other family…
Still, it was very nice.

Have finally made the booking for my accomodations in London for April. I had thought very serious about staying in a hostel. Given that I’m traveling alone, it seemed like a good plan for meeting others. But where the idea of sleeping in a room with others didn’t bother me that much, I wasn’t 100% sure about the whole bathroom/shower thing. So, there you are. I won’t say never. Maybe on a longer trip sometime, I might sneak a hostel in for a night or two to experiment, but I was a bit wary about staying my whole trip in one. So, I’m now booked at the Boulevard Hotel. It’s located very near to the Paddington Tube station at the edge of central London. By all accounts I’ve heard/read, it should be safe and convenient enough.

I’m also trying to work out my itinerary a bit. I don’t want to slavishly plan every minute of my time, but I do want a game plan and to be able to make the most out of my time there. I’m fairly certain I’m going to see Stonehenge now. There are a couple of tours to see it that I’m trying to decide between. The first option is only on the afternoon of the day I arrive. The second option I could do any of the remaining three days. Option 1 – to not only see the stones but to be able to walk amongst them – while they are normally off limits because of the destruction caused by tourists past. This is an evening tour and Stonehenge is the only stop. It leaves at 1pm, which is before I can even check into my hotel. So, I’ve a couple of things to decide or find out. First, any chance of either checking in early or checking my baggage with the hotel? I’ve sent an e-mail inquiry to discover that. The second is a decision between the two not entirely similar options. Option 2 is a full day trip, which includes stops at Windsor Castle, Bath, and a couple of other places in addition to Stonehenge. So, up close and personal with 5,000 years of history or a smorgasbord of English history? I’m really having a hard time with this decision. We shall see.

So, what else is on the trip? At least one stop at the Tower of London. Maybe two if I’m lucky enough to procure a ticket to the Ceremony of the Keys for one of the nights I’m in London. I want to see the Changing of the Guard if I can and at least get to see Big Ben (although probably from the top of a double-decker bus – I’m not that keen on seeing Parliament itself. The British Museum is on the list, maybe an art gallery. I’ve been told by several that the Portobello Market could be quite fun one morning during the weekend. Maybe I’ll find something neat or typically British? I also figure on doing something organized one evening, such as a walking tour, maybe this medieval banquet thing I read about (a friend told me it’s fun but high on the cheese factor), or a pub crawl or Jack The Ripper tour?

Four days. That’s it. And the more I read, the more I don’t think I can only go this once, but I’ll sure treat it like my one and only shot at exploring someplace I’ve always wanted to visit.

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First last night – Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers came through again! I think that makes 4 or 5 times that I’ve seen them at Smiths Olde Bar. I took my digital camera, so I will post some pictures sooner or later (hopefully sooner, but I’m going home this weekend). I can’t wait for a new CD from RCPM. I highly recommend this band. Fun music was what got me hooked, but there are also some balladesque songs that Roger and the band sing/play with some real meaning. Check out the web site I linked above for more. This is the only band that I’ve seen more than twice, and have actually considered making it to one of their Mexico performances which are supposed to be great. I had considered going next year.

The reason I may not go to see them in 2004 in Mexico?

That would be the other news – I bought plane tickets to go to London in the spring! It’s a short trip for my first time across the pond. I’ll leave on April 21st – arriving in London in AM of the 22nd in their time. I fly out at noon on the 26th. So, about four days to see what London has to offer. And from what everyone has said, when I leave, they’ll be much left to do. So, I don’t plan on this being the last trek over. Already I’ve been thinking about where next? I’d like to go to Hogmanay in Scotland one year. It sounds way cool. It’s a huge celebration of the New year!

So far, I’m still ironing out plans for my trip to London (the plane tickets were bought using Christmas money my parents gave me to shop for my gift, so Merry Christmas!). I think I’ll stay in a Hostel, but I’m having a hard time picking. I think I’m down to Picadilly Hotel or one of St. Christophers hostels in London. Checking with friends and people on the boards for recent reviews of any hostels. I’m staying in one both because it’s cheap and I’m just looking for somewhere to lay my head. And because since I am travelling solo, I’d like the chance to meet other travelers along the way.

Travelling solo was a big leap for me. I mean, I’m used to going it alone, but I’ve never done a big trip solo really. There’s always been someone to share those trips with. And I labored over the decision (British Airways was offering a great deal on discount airfare). I had probably driven Brandy insane when she finally commented, “Don’t go if you’re not ready yet.” This well-intentioned idle comment was just what I needed. If I wasn’t ready now, when would I be? Would I ever be? Time to bit the bullet!

Meanwhile at home, Granny’s Thanksgiving cactus has a few more buds on it, but I think I’ve seen (and photographed) the height of it’s bloom). I sent a copy of the better pictures to my dad and his siblings. Hope it meant as much to them as me.

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