春が来ば。。。

Returning to Edinburgh Life

Buccleuch School near the B-school

Ok, I finally broke down and tried fish and chips again -- not too bad...

For all of my complaining about the quality of life shift from NorCal to Edinburgh, there are a number of things I'll miss this September when the MBA course ends. There really is just about everything you could ever ask for in the way of historical presence. I try to vary my walks to incorporate different Georgian buildings, and more often than not, there are inscriptions  to clue me into their past. One building on Cowgate seems to date comfortably back to the 15th century and was some type of stone-masons meeting hall. The photo above is of a more recent stone "parish school" no doubt attached to a church which like many others in this city, have become property of Edinburgh University.

Courses back in full force

Chinese New Year's Celebration

Gothic Rocket Ship :: Sir Walter Scott Monument on Princes St.

2012 is off to a fast start. The Edinburgh Student Council had a vigorous meeting, several student competitions are beginning including the "Edinburgh Apprentice", and countless meetings and other activities promise to keep things interesting this Semester. January was much calmer than December with clear and cold blue-skied days.

2012 in Edinburgh

Coffee Stand in St. George's Square: Large Double Cappicino is  2 pounds 70

Spitfire on static display at EDI (Edinburgh Airport)

EDI Tower

Sleet and freezing rain greeted me on my return to Edinburgh in early January, after a hard transfer through Heathrow. I barely made my connecting flight through Heathrow despite having a full 2 hour layover! The reason was the woefully inefficient passenger security procedures. Every stage had problems.  It took about 45 mins. to clear a malfunctioning passport check line.  It took a full hour to scan my carry-on luggage. I  had to change terminals which took about 30 minutes, and was like being in a pin-ball machine as the bus careened to-and-fro. When I arrived in Edinburgh, I quickly hopped in a cab, and sped off to my apartment.

Now back at school, I am readjusting to student life in a medieval city.  The wind rips through the narrow streets, often at 50mph gusts which acts as a extra power boost in some cases, and a sudden impediment to forward progress in others. All of this dramatic weather makes calm, sunny days like today all the more valuable.

Holiday Cheer

I love the top picture, which was created by Cheryl and Jim for our Bradley family newsletter.  What a creative pair they are, and I was taken aback by each well-crafted headline and eye-catching article.  They also have considerable photoshop skills!

The lower picture is of our family gathering in Cameron Park.  It was great to see my grandparents again, and they are both doing well considering that they are 87 and 88 this year!

Tomorrow I leave for Japan for a 12 day stay, and I'll return by Jan. 10th to SFO.  I haven't visited since the earthquake in March.

End of Term MBA Celebrations

 

The winter holidays are always special and full of indulgence and in many cases, overindulgence, but this year is distinct in that as school-mates, the 2012 MBA class has just completed a series of team-building exercises and course exams.  Now that they are finished, its time to celebrate! 

Snow and Sailing in Edinburgh

 

I awoke to a beautiful sight: the crags outside my window were adorned with the first Winter snow. I went out to Port Edgar for one of the few remaining winter races, and raced on Hardslog and Hence Forth, both very competitive boats although rigged somewhat differently.  Hence Forth was very well laid out, but some controls such as the outhaul and spinnaker pole track were in new locations for me. On both boats I worked on the foredeck and got plenty of spinnaker packing practice. Although the morning race started out very cold, the temperature seemed to rise into the low forties (F) and my fingers soon thawed.

I found that last week's race footage aboard Hussy had been uploaded to Youtube by Rachel.
Here's the link.