becoming a local

Some cliche red phone booths on Princes Street.

It's late again, and I still need to get in an episode of Prison Break before I go off to sleepytown, so yet again, I have compiled a Top Ten of my day, in no particular order:

1. Woke up at noon. We all seem to be sleeping really late and staying up til ungodly hours...our bodies are clearly retaliating.

2. Walked up to Princes Street to take care of some business. Passed a very cool store that, Mom, you will definately want to see when you come. I think it was called something like Feather Black, maybe. But it is like a European Crate & Barrell or Pottery Barn. Looked cool, though I didn't go inside.

3. Finally invested in a cell phone. I'm pretty sure I totally got ripped off, but at this point, I don't really care. Europe's entire system of cell phone usage and plans is COMPLETELY different than America's. Pretty much everything is Pay-As-You-Go, with weird plans named after animals (Dolphin, Camel, Raccoon, etc.). SIM cards are a big deal here. Your entire plan is built into your SIM card. Your phone number is determined by your SIM card. The name of your soul mate is probably etched in there somewhere, too.

4. I registered online with the US Embassy, so if the President needs to get ahold of me...

5. I finished opening my Scottish bank account at HSBC. I feel like Jason Bourne!

6. We had another American night and stopped by ScotMid (the grocery) for some frozen pizzas, salad, bread, and - dare I say - a bottle of Chardonnay. So I guess maybe it was actually a French night?

7. A few more items were added to the flat, including a bath mat, some lamps, ice trays, a French press with 4 matching mugs, and some operating blow dryers. Our trips to the store result in very random assortments of things we remember at the time. We haven't quite mastered the art of a list yet, even me.

8. We visited a store we heard of, which was supposed to be similar to a Target, called Argos. Perhaps the strangest thing I've encountered thus far. We enter the store, which is about the size of our entire flat, and I think maybe we've stepping into the wrong place. There's not much in there. We stand around observing the pros, and we eventually figure out the system. Get this: There's several rows of countertops, all with huge catalogs of every product available at Argos. You go through the catalog and write down the codes of the items you want. You take your little paper of special numbers to Counter A and pay for your items. Then you are given a ticket number. You wait by Counter B until your ticket number is called and all the items you "purchased" have been gathered by the employee and are ready to be picked up. How cool is that?

9. I purchased a Coke at one point (didn't have Dr. Pepper in that machine), and it has quite a different taste than back home. It's more like carbonated iced tea. Doesn't really taste like Coke at all.

10. After dinner, I was pleasantly harrassed by Grant on Skype trying to get me to start his designs again. I was told I would be paid in pounds from now on. I think that was a fat joke.

11. You know I can't resist one more...I'll keep it short. I heard a Lily Allen song playing in Woolsworth (like a Walgreens) this afternoon. Made me smile :) Later I was asked directions by an old lady...just another milestone in becoming a local.