Who Knew?

That a slice thinly-sliced portion of ham with an egg over easy was divine? I didn't know about this gem until lunch today. MBA and I ate at a little pub around the corner from school, and I was actually impressed with this British dish. Yum!

I also learned something else I didn't know -

It's now posh to serve cocktails out of antique tea cups. Who. Knew. I sure didn't. But none of the tea cups you're serving out of should match. Color coordinate? Yes. What a trend!



And where did this trend begin???

America. During the Prohibition. Just in case little snoopers were peeping inside your salon to see whether you were drinking bootleg or not, you looked like you were sipping tea instead of whiskey or what not.

And where did I learn this piece of trivia?

The antiquarian and purveyor of fine goods at Still Life on Candlemaker Row. I was musing over a set of Victorian hand-painted china (okay ..... drooling might be the better word). And, he told me that tea cups are becoming quite popular for people in my age-range. Only, everyone else is serving cocktails out of their tea cups.

Who. Knew.

You heard it here first folks.

Signing off - Ashli in Edinburgh.

This one's for you Hil:

"Rightly or wrongly, most people consider language as an index of culture, breeding, upbringing, personality, sometimes even of intelligence, decency, and integrity. Under the circumstances, it is unwise, not to say harmful, to pay no heed to your language." - Mario Pei

~ Interesting cultural observation

Someone else has noticed Lynchburg. Amazing.

Tutu

Somewhere in storage back in America I have a stack of fascinating articles written by Desmond Tutu. (Hopefully there's no nasty bugs crawling through my beloved journal articles). In a course entitled Foundations of Law, we studied Tutu's commitment to end the apartheid in South Africa. Tutu is a Nobel Peace Prize winner in addition to the recipient of many honorary doctorates. MBA is at one of those ceremonies -- as I write -- granting Bishop Tutu with yet another honorary doctorate. I'm a little bit jealous of not being at the ceremony ..... oh to live the life of the student once again.

(Kidding -- I do not want to go back to school).

I Feel a Bit Behind

When I read things like this:

Contact the Owner. Speaks: English, French, Spanish, Russian, Italian, German.

Uuuggghhh.

Feast for the Eyes

Paris Breakfasts

Maybe Paris has a way of making people forget.

Paris?
No. Not this city.
It's too real and too beautiful to ever let you forget anything.
~ An American in Paris ~

Weekend Review

While Matt explored the Isle of Skye and saw things like this:



I ordered home delivery Indian food and graded papers, visited Mary King's Close, had tea with my friend Trudy, dined with Rebecca at Zizzi's, met a friend for a strawberry milkshake (truly was only strawberries and milk -- no ice cream!) and sat outside in the passing sun, and worked a bit more.

Matt's pictures of the Isle of Skye are breathtaking. He had a fantastic trip but said that there was no way I could survive in the smelly hostel room which he and a few other walkers inhabited over the weekend. Gross!

* Picture Courtesy of MBA Himself

Dreaming .....

Picture courtesy of Laduree -- of which I intend on frequenting very soon!

Without Further Ado .....

MBA and I get to live in Paris for a month this summer. I'm so excited!

Matt will be studying French.

I will be studying the good life. Cheers!

"As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly." - Proverbs

I'm working on a memorandum on the role and treatment of religious holidays in public schools. One source suggests that teachers should "avoid asking students to explain their beliefs and customs." Mind you, this dialogue would be taking place during instruction on religious holidays and the like. Clearly intimidation or making students feel uncomfortable should be avoided, but not encouraging them to analytically articulate a paradigm??? What kind of education should the public school encourage -- think about some things but not other things???

Moderns and their desire to compartmentalize .....

Brilliant

After stopping by the tailor this morning, Matt and I enjoyed croissants and pan au chocolat alfresco on a picturesque cobble stone street. More importantly - this all took place in the glorious sunshine. What a fabulous start to the day!

If I had a day to myself -- without any responsibility and no work and maybe a money tree -- I would .....

Catch up my reading on Europe a la Carte.

Have high tea at the Balmoral (preferably with my mom - but this is a "day to myself").

Read in the gardens.

Dine at Martin Wishart.

Oh. Oh .....

And maybe have a massage or spa treatment, too.

And -- perfect weather. Mid-sixties and sunshine all day.

Yes. Then, that would be the perfect, unrealistic, but very fun day.

My Life Has Changed

I have a replacement for Pandora: Last FM.

No silly licensing laws. Sheer listening pleasure. Currently tuned to Robert Randolph and the Family Band. So happy.

When In Doubt ......

Ask Emily Post!

Am I the only one that is a bit too happy that the world of Emily Post now has a blog? They even have etiquette tips on how to decline your boss as a "friend" on Facebook. The Post's are so hip.

Hello Fellow European Lovers!

This website is for you: Joobili.

Inspired???

"Ample ability is of little account without ample opportunity." -Napoleon Bonaparte

"The media profit from fear mongering through sensationalized headlines. Nothing gets viewers to tune in to a news program like fear: fear of war, fear of disease, fear of death, fear of harm coming to loved ones." - Benjamin Radford in Media Myths: How Journalists, Activists, and Advertisers Mislead Us

Book Reviews

#1: Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell

Stars: ***1/2

Very fascinating read about what makes one successful. While Gladwell's thesis is so sensible no one will argue with it (Success is made by a combination of things: family upbringing, when you were born, the era you were born into, how hard you work, and a bit of plain 'ole luck), his synthesis and display of the information is quite captivating.




#2 The Reader, by Bernhard Schlink

Stars: **

Morally dubious with no epistemological backbone. However, it is a page-turner and would be a great book for a long-haul flight. It may or may not provoke good thought.

What is inside the pages???

Of this book: The Civilized Shopper's Guide to Edinburgh and Glasgow.

I'm interested to find out!

Listening To:

NPR

Currently Reading

1. Real Clear World

2. Problem of Pain (sans the weird cover)

3. Front Porch Republic: Place. Limits. Liberty

4. Notes from a Small Island

Matt's 10k

Matt Pre-Race

I promise Matt's in this picture - he's wearing a blue shirt - he's behind the lady in the center who also happens to be wearing blue. Looking for Matt in this race was a bit like trying to find Where's Waldo.

Supportive friends: Rebecca, Hannah, and Ash with Hotel Missoni in the background.

This is what happens when you're 5'4, behind a crowd of people taller than you, and trying to take a picture of your husband crossing the finish line: a picture of MBA's legs.

And more of his legs during the race.

Thankfully, Rebecca (who is practically professional at photography and a good five-six inches taller than me) photographed the race as well. You can see more pictures on her blog here.

Bonnie Scotland and How Far Did We Walk?

A few pictures from our 12 mile hike on Saturday (yes - you read that right. MBA took me on a 12 mile hike):

There are some really smart lambs in these parts. They even read. Who knew??

Eteaket

How in the world do you even say the above word????

I have no idea ..... but I am blogging from there!

Check out this new, hip tea shop in Edinburgh: Eteaket.