Monday Affairs and Glasgow Plusses and Minuses

I was right, there were many fine days to come. Today was a good day, at least.

I exceeded all expectations and made it to the city centre by 12:30 to collect the tickets for Clannad's concert. We (me and Anna-Riitta) even got quite ok seats even though the guy on the phone didn't ask for my preferences. After that I apparently lost the track of time at Virgin Megastore and spent 2 hours listening to Global Underground DJ mixes that were on sale. By the end of those two hours I had come down to two compilations I wanted to buy, one mixed by Sasha and the other by John Digweed, but then just before marching to the cashier's desk I realised that ok, for £9.99 I could get food for the whole week. So in the end, I didn't buy anything, just wasted two hours at Virgin Megastore :P But that's what I always do back home, especially in bookshops. I walk in the Akateeminen Kirjakauppa (Academic Bookstore), browse all kinds of titles for ages, and in the end, either buy them all or walk out of the store empty-handed.

After the trip to the centre I had my second lecture on onomastics. Today it was about bynames, meaning nicknames given to people back in the 14th century or so, to distinguish them from other people with the same name (back in the medieval times there were only like six boys' names in popular use: Richard, William, Edward, Henry, Geoffrey and Walter). So people got names like Richard the Lionheart. The topic sounds absolutely tedious, I know, but actually I found myself jotting down notes eagerly like a Real Student, or the sort of student I am back in Helsinki :P So maybe it wasn't tedious at all. Maybe I have to take that course for credit. However, I would still have been more interested in place-names, but that part of the course was covered already in the autumn. Damn. Well, I have books on the topic.

In the evening I met some friends at a nice pub called Drum and Monkey. Glasgow is full of places to hang out, so there's at least one good thing about this city :P Oooh well, there are many other things as well. Let me just make a list for you:


What's good about Glasgow:

- Lots of pubs, clubs and bars. And they're all SMOKE-FREE!! So all ya non-smokers don't have to care about cigarette reek here, whee :)

- The University is absolutely gorgeous. You can imagine Harry Potter flying around on his broom (is that the word?) in the inner yard. Actually I don't know if Harry Potter even has a broom, but you got the idea anyway.

- Kelvingrove Park is absolutely gorgeous as well.

- I live close to the Uni, the park and the West End.

- My flat and flatmates are ok. My room is cosy and warm, and my bed is comfortable.

- People at the Uni are all friendly and helpful.


What sucks about Glasgow:

- Shops close at 6PM. This city is for early birds only. I'm not one. Hey, take a look at the time stamp at the end of this post ;)

- There are no zebra crossings. This is true!! Either you walk 1km to find the nearest traffic lights, or just run across the street praying that you won't get hit. 'Cos here, it's the cars that rule. The drivers never give you way, even if you were already crossing the road.

- It's rainy and windy all the time. I knew this beforehand, so I don't really have the right to complain, but still, this is more than I can bear.

- Glaswegian accent sounds absolutely horrific. To be honest, it just pisses me off, partly because of the fact that I find it so difficult to grasp. I'm not the only one, most Brits are of the same opinion. I remember vaguely that Glaswegian accent was voted the most horrendous British English accent by Brits themselves. Where does this illogical, incomprehensible English derive from? Industrial past and the patter of the working classes, I guess.

- The tower blocks in the outskirts of the city are appalling. And there are many! Generally speaking, Glasgow isn't a postcard darling, but it's got a great attitude.


Ok, there was a list for you.

In the evening there was a farewell party to this German girl Mira whose room I'm occupying now (this was hers before), and after that I went upstairs to Sara's room to watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with Sara and Sam. I'd give that 3 stars out of 5.

Right. This post must have made a really interesting read. I'll try harder next time.