No Longer Week 2

So I've been told by some family members that it is no longer Week 2 and my blog could benefit from an update or two.  Turns out it's already Week 8 or something!  Week 6 maybe? ...I'm not sure why they count them here.

This isn't a very good update though—more of an update to let you know of an impending update.  Below is just a few highlights of things I've gotten up to since the last update.  Sadly, it is pictureless.  But before the sun sets on Sunday, there will be a better update with some pics.  That's the Winger Guarantee.

After the last update I didn't do a whole lot except readings for a couple weeks.  Then came a very busy few weeks where the deadlines across all our classes were in a 5-day span.  In that time I managed 2 essays, a palaeography transcription, and a Latin assessment.  Oh yeah, and my birthday was in there somewhere as well.  After a day of Old Norse and working on my essay, I took the evening off and went to a pub with my flatmates in Dundee and a few course-mates living in St Andrews even made the trip up to Dundee to join us.  It was quite a nice break, and I was far enough into my assignments that I felt I could afford an evening of not working.

I also got some mail!  Big thank-yous to Kim, Baba, Oma, and Erin for the post! As well as to all the kind emails.
P.s. A postcard is kinda cheating, Erin!
P.p.s. It was still appreciated though!
P.p.p.s. Back to the update.

I also put out a short paper through the University of St Andrews History Society's Historical Journal (that whole thing is its actual name!)  It is geared toward a slightly wider audience (i.e. undergrads) and most of the edits they had me make were to make the paper fit a strict essay structure.  Something the postgrad teachers seem to discourage.  If you're interested, it's about a group of rune-stones in Sweden and their (potential) historical value, and can be read HERE.

The Dundee University Big Band has had a couple more gigs as well.  We played at The Steeple Church which rents out some of its space to the local swing dance society.  The Swing Dance society was having a weekend-long swing-dancing workshop and we provided the music for their Riverside Stomp (one of their fun dances, as opposed to workshops).  It was a rad time.  Last week we also played at The Cooler.  It's the biggest gig we do in terms of audience and we do one a semester.  We played 3 sets and despite the reduced-price drinks we were all pretty beat by the end.  After clean up we all shared a last drink before parting ways for the night, and I got home around 1:30 after having spent 8 hours at the venue from door to door (Between 4 and 5 hrs of combined playing time).  This was the Wednesday of the week of Halloween and some of the band dressed accordingly (with puns too!) Pictures to follow in a day or two.

Unfortunately I'll be missing the next gig as it's on a Friday at 1:30 and I don't finish Old Norse in Crail (half hour past St Andrews) until 12:40 or so.  But the one after that is for last year's grads and should be pretty fun.  There has also been talk of following the example of the Danish orchestra in eating peppers of record-breaking hotness while playing a spicy Latin number—I have mixed thoughts on this.

The History postgrads hosted a no-teachers-allowed Halloween party in the Undercroft for Halloween with a tonne of free candies and some drinks too for only £3, which I went to as an unconvincing Rasputin.  The costume theme was villains and there were some pretty good ones.  My favourite was probably someone dressing up as George R. R. Martin.

Tomorrow is Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes Day) and at this point most Brits don't even seem to know whether they're celebrating the fact that the Gunpowder Plot was foiled, or the fact that someone stood up to Parliament and the King.  And some people see it as an entirely Anglican vs Christian thing.  Happily however, most people just enjoy the sparks of bonfires and sparkling of fireworks.  I do not yet know whether masks are encouraged or frowned upon, but I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

And that's all for now.  Pictures coming soon.