OK, so this may not be a big deal for anyone else outside of the UK. Fine, it may not be a big deal for many folk INSIDE the UK as well, but it’s a big deal to me.

I have a little confession to make. I was a bit ashamed before, but now it’s time to come out of the closet. For the past 3 months, I’ve been hopelessly, pathetically addicted to a show that I’d never have considered watching in Australia.

I’ve been watching the X-Factor religiously.

I always thought it was the worst kind of commercialised crap that had ever hit our screens. I hated Simon Cowell, the guy who was in charge. I’d NEVER have watched a show like Australian Idol, or American Idol, or Popstars. I was a *serious* musician, with *integrity*, and thought that most of the folk who entered and won these shows were buffoons with less talent than a trained snail.

But by some fluke, I happened to be watching during the first show, the mass audition show where they auditioned 75,000 hopefuls, and somehow it captured my imagination. Right from the start, I picked my favorites. Honestly only 2 amongst the 100 or so who made it through to the second round really inspired me to vote for them (those being Brenda and Journey South, for anyone watching and/or interested).

Those two, my favorites, made it through to the semi-final tonight, and I was patting myself on the back for that. “Sure can pick em, can’t I?”, I was smugly muttering to myself.

I was sure that both of them would be going to the final next week, along with the other favorite I picked up along the way, Shayne (who reminds me in some ways of Crazy Canadian Pat in China – wonderful voice, sexy as hell, and seems to be just a lovely guy).

But no. My pick of the bunch, Brenda, is out. They’re all wonderful singers, but Brenda is the best of the lot. And the look on the announcer’s face as she read out the results, showed that she was as gutted as me.

No more Brenda. I can (almost) have my Saturday nights back again.

Gutted. Shocked. Outraged.

So I was hanging with a techie friend, and I asked him to teach me how to write messages in binary. He laughed at me, and scoffed, “do you know how long it TAKES to write a message in binary?!”

I then proceeded to count on my fingers exactly how many digits are required to write one letter in binary (5, in case you were wondering), and I said to my techie friend, “I bet YOU could write a script which would translate ordinary letters into binary!”

Then before I know it, that’s his challenge to me, to go away, learn how to code up a script which will allow me to translate from letters to binary code. My first ever script. I had to get it in writing here on the blog, so that I felt more pressure on me to go and learn how to use Python.

Let the geekiness begin!

D’you ever have days, or moments even, when everything is just right about the world?

Last night I was walking to my bus stop from work. I had a nice productive day playing with trial versions of new PDF writers (does anyone have any favorites they’d like to suggest?), and putting together the bare bones of a database to make our lives easier. I was already feeling pretty good, if a little tired. Not enough sleep, the usual.

Edinburgh is starting to come to life again after the Festival. It’s like, “OK, we’ve had our rest now, time to start getting festive again”, and festive this town has become. There are fairy lights everywhere. A ferris wheel has been put up next to the Scott Monument (aka Thunderbird 4), and there’s just a party atmosphere. Click here for an incredible photo of the Scott Monument at night, with the ferris wheel behind it. This photographer’s a bit clever, I reckon. See how amazing the place looks? That’s what I get to walk past every night after work!

Anyway, as I was walking along Princes Street (the main shopping strip for the New Town), I hear the sound of voices raised in song. I go a little further, and the voices get louder, until I arrive at a shop that I’d never think about going into – The Gap. Just inside the door, before the first row of clothes, there is a sight to be seen. A glorious sound to be heard. A foot thumpin, hand clappin, hip swingin sound which makes me stop and stare, and listen, utterly enraptured. For there inside The Gap, is a 6 or 7 piece gospel choir, belting out a song about Glory Glory, and Laying Their Brother Down, and the like. They’re laughing, and clapping, and stamping their feet, and grinning their heads off as the crowd gather outside, peering into The Gap.

The big finale to the song comes, and the crowd outside, myself included, burst into spontaneous applause. I could feel the end of the song coming, and I was deathly afraid that these more reserved British might end up just moving along and not drawing attention to themselves by clapping, but they proved me wrong, and I love them more for it, cause it was a genuine, joyous reaction to the music. Some of these “reserved” Brits even went up to the singing folk, once they’d finished singing, and said things that the rest of us were all thinking – “thankyou, you made my night”.

I could have stayed and listened all night, but my bus was coming. So I had to bail. But I bailed with a massive cheesy grin on my face.

I love this town.

Isn’t it funny how you can walk past an amazing sight every day, and stop registering just how amazing it is?

Every morning, the view as I step off my bus to work is a sight which should dazzle and amaze.

Edinburgh Castle is one of the most impressive edifices I’ve ever seen, and yet I found myself the other day looking at it and not really registering what I was seeing. I really need to spend more time exploring and enjoying this city, and less time sleeping in on my weekends and taking the amazing history and architecture for granted. But it’s difficult to be a tourist once you’ve settled down somewhere – it requires either a whole different mind set, or a friend visiting with whom you must don the tourist-hat.

There are so many things that I absolutely have to do before I leave this place – visit the Castle, get to Edinburgh’s beach (I know it has one!), visit Roslin Chapel, see the Camera Obscura, ride the ferris wheel, go icescating in the Winter Wonderland, visit Adam Smith’s gravesite, walk through the Greyfriars graveyard, visit the museums, see Dynamic Earth, take an up-close look at the Scottish Parliament, climb the Scots Monument, see a red squirrel, visit Mary King’s Close, climb the Salisbury Craigs, and from thence to Arthurs Seat…

I’m about to sign a year contract for work, so I have to set myself the goal of doing these things within the year, or else I’ll just get complacent. I shall see them all, and I shall blog about them, and if I don’t, then you email me or leave a comment, and you say “get your arse in gear, and go be a tourist while you still can!!”

I’m relying on you!

So y’know how I was talking about the job interview for the charity organisation in Skye? Well guess what?! I GOT THE JOB!!!

Yay!

I’m now the proud bearer of the title “Development Co-ordinator”, which is a fancy way of saying that I get to tinker with their website and learn how to stretch my database skills a little further to get their databases all up and running. Think I need to take a course or two in PHPSQL – anyone know any good outfits in Edinburgh who run training in such things?

Anyway, I had my first day on the job today, after five blissful days off (spent altogether wisely – which is to say sleeping in till the crack o’ noon). And what a day it was. Granted, the CE had warned me the night before that it was going to be a bit of a crazy day. She called me in fact, to tell me as much, and suggested that I come in a few hours later this morning, to make up for the fact that they were having a charity fundraiser gallery do tonight, and they hoped that I could make it and participate.

I joined a gym last friday, and had planned on getting some exercise in after work, but compromise being my middle name, I countered with “how about I come in on time and spend extra time at lunch to go to the gym”.

The CE, not to be outdone on the compromise stakes (we’re liking her, people), parried with the suggestion that I come in at ten. And have an extra hour for the gym.

Bargain struck.

So anyway, today at work was spent mostly being told boring but neccessary things like, “here is where we keep such and such a file”, and “this is how we check the messages on our answer machine”. Had my gym session (loved it, but I still miss Brad!), came back to be told a few more odds and ends – part of the role is PA to the Chief Exec, which I’ll admit to never having really properly done. But honestly, it’s just being organised for someone else. And I’m an expert at managing other people’s lives, so it’s really not far out of my way!!!

However, after work came the fun part! Party!!! Sort of. Ahem. There’s this artist who was inspired by the organisation’s centre in Staffin, Skye, and by the landscape around it, and has painted a heap of pretty pictures (cultured, I am!), and is selling them all with the proceeds going to the Charity. Anyway, the exhibition is this week, and as such, lots of wine and tasty canapes have been served to folk as can buy rather expensive paintings (for a good cause!). Long story short, very good night, but looong day. I was glad to climb in a cab and go home.

*happy sigh* New job, YESSSSSS!