Week Four (Feb. 25 - March 2, 2007)

• I now understand 68.2% of Glaswegian speech in conversations the first time something is said to me (a decline from last week).
  
• On Saturday, Sarah, a co-worker from my office, invited me to go on the Auchentoshan Whisky distillery tour with her and her husband Ian. The distillery, one of the few in the Scottish lowlands, has been (legally) making whisky for 184 years. It was my first visit to a “hard alcohol” production facility and my first time trying single malt whisky. I liked the tour – especially when the guide said they import “very special wood” (Oregon Pine) from the states for the wash fermentation containers. The dram of whisky I tried was overpowering at first, but it was interesting trying to discern the different flavors that it generated. Later in the evening I was invited to dinner at Sarah and Ian’s, and we sampled four or five other Scottish single malts from their growing collection.
  
• After searching for flats (apartments) for the past couple of weeks, the pressure was on for me to quickly grab a place that was available. My most recent viewing late last week was of a flat currently under repair from major flooding caused by the penthouse unit above it. Apparently 40 other units were impacted as well. The rooms were dark, covered in dust and still had holes cut in the ceiling. Considering the complex was only a year old, I didn’t leave with a good feeling, and returned to the office rather dejected. Since my options were limited, I asked to view the flat again once the work was scheduled to be finished a couple days later. Meanwhile, I hoped something else would turn up.
  
• A couple of hours before my next scheduled viewing of the then-repaired water-damaged flat, I received the great news that “something turned up” with the tenant that originally bumped me from my top-choice Meadowside Quay flat on the River Clyde waterfront. The river-view flat is now mine! I’m scheduled to move in Thursday morning, and I’m hoping to post some pictures later in the week.
  
• Friday afternoon, I’ll be flying to Oslo, Norway, for the weekend. I’m a bit concerned because several Scots have told me that Oslo is “extremely expensive,” so I’m not exactly sure what to expect. Fortunately, the flight was cheap and I got a good rate at a local hostel, so most of my expenditures are covered. I’m hoping to get in some authentic Nordic skiing (cross-country) while I’m there.