Carlton Hill, a Green Tie, and Love

Carlton Hill

So guess which two I tagged along with this weekend. That's right, these two loonies again.

Above: Left=Jordan, Right=Sara, Scene=Titanic

So the general impression I got from our pictures on Carlton Hill is that Bryan always looks into the distance while Sara and Jordan ignore gravity.

Above: Someone forgot to pay their gravity bill

Above: Hey you! Get down from there!

I'm not as cool as these gravity-less girls. I've never jumped in a picture before, and I wasn't about to start here.

Above: Half-white/half-Philippino men can't jump

And then it began. I swear this wasn't on purpose. I think Sara and Jordan just like taking pictures as if I was contemplative.

Above: Thinking deep.... dish pizza thoughts

Here was our  view of what we saw around us during the climb to the top.

Above: Pride Rock Anyone?

Above: Postcards in Progress.

Above: Nelson's Monument, HA HA!

I walked a little faster than the girls did, and sat down on this rock. Then they did it again! I'm really just sitting.

Above: Bryan's Castle, Equipped with Moat.

Above: After I Discovered Them

Finally we went to the amazing structure at the top. The great National Monument. A grand Athenian structure modeled after the Parthenon, meant to be symbolic of Scotland's greatness. It's vast catacombs were to.....wait, there's almost nothing built.

Above: Lazy Scottish Work

Apparently the had some funding, built a bit, and then realized they could not finish it. Now this shell of an incomplete building is a symbol of Scotland: half-assed, ancient, and covered in drunk college students.

Above: Man, those are some tall pillars though.

Above: Sara and Jordan discovering nothing at all.

Jordan/Sara did it again. I promise this is the last contemplative Bryan shot this post.

Above: I wonder how far I could fly a paper plane from here?

And then the unthinkable happened...

Above: They got to me.

Eventually they got to me, and I did a jump photo. As you can see, I need some work! I can't tell If I'm jumping or falling to my death.

A Green Tie

So the second part of our adventure was shopping. The girls wanted to go lingerie shopping for their boyfriends. No, of course I did not hang out with them in the lingerie section, nor did I have any interest to. Yes, that did mean I was stuck in a retail store waiting on a group of girls to decide on clothes for their boyfriends. It was going to be a long haul.

This is a break down of what happened in my head. These times may not necessarily be accurate.

Hour 1: Messing around the food court. No deliria yet. Found some Jelly Babies. If only I had known last week, this place is significantly closer....

Hour 2: Explored every floor of this six story retail center. Starting to explore again. Why don't they have any bathrooms anywhere?

Hour 3: Legs Ache. Think for a moment, realize shoe center would have best seats. Sit there, befriend shoe salesman. We talk, he's friendly. Let's me use private bathroom.

Hour 5: Check out to see what the girls are up to. Find one of them examining something skimpy. Awwkward. I do a 180 and get out of there. They're not even close to done.

Hour 8: Stare at this amazing mannequin with the shimmering tie. It looks like money. It's black except when the light hits it at a very specific angle, then it has a green sheen. I drool. I walk around the store and end up  looking at the mannequin again. I can't escape the tie.... it's hypnotic.

Hour 13: The tie originally cots 30 pounds, but was marked down to 17.It's 100% silk and and extra 50% magic. I bought it under the condition that they teach me how to tie a full Windsor. They weren't doing anything and I had to wait for the girls, so they taught me! I got my money's worth.

Hour 21: The girls finally get out. They considered the shopping a failure, and hadn't really bought anything. I was the big buyer that day, which I did not see coming.

Above: SHEEEN 

Now I've learned a new life skill, tying a Windsor knot! Afterward I learned several other knots. My favorite knot is Saint Andrew's knot. It's so symmetrical. The Windsor is large, but less beautiful. Anyways, a Saint Andrew's knot seems like a perfect fit to go with a green tie that I bought in Scotland.

Above: Bryan's Windsor Knot

Valentines

I was thinking about what gift would be appropriate for Valentines since shipping to France is complicated and expensive. But what could I do that showed I cared? Simple, do something that clearly required time. Given my tools, a webcam, I made my Valentines gift. Can you read it?

Above: Click to Enlarge

I used Paint.Net, the best free image editor out there. I'd recommend it to any cheapo who ever wanted photoshop. 

Caiqian really loved the picture. It is now her laptop background. Life is good.