What gives?

Okay, as I sit here in my flat in Edinburgh it's gray outside. And 55F (13C). It's JULY!!!! I want to wear sandals! And skirts! And not have to wear socks all the time inside so as not to be cold! Nicaragua was clearly too warm, but I really could use a little summer here in Scotland. Everyone keeps telling me this is the worst summer ever. Thus continues my run of *fabulous* luck since moving to Scotland I suppose.
Anyway. Nicaragua update coming soon. As soon as I need another dissertation reading/writing break. Which is likely to be very soon. And hopefully job and next year's plans next week!

Deep in the Heart of Texas

Well isn't air travel fun? After a pretty terrible arrival/check-in experience at Gatwick, I finally got to Houston (9+ hours by the way, ouch!). Then I ran to immigration, where I was greeted by an enormous line. Why is it that the US-citizen line in US airports is so often longer than the non-EU line in the EU? Then I ran to get my bag and tried to make it through customs, only to have an employee who looked at my connecting boarding pass say, you'll never make it. So I went back to the baggage claim and got my boarding pass for the next flight to Managua, 24-hours later, and had the woman there tell me that if ran I might just make it. Then again the baggage recheck man, said I'd missed it. So I got myself rebooked on the next flight, scrounged up some American change to call Annie and ask her to call Quaker House to tell them I wouldn't be arriving as planned, and then caught the hotel shuttle to the Marriott Greenspoint.
My room had two big, fluffy double beds and a tv and all the standard, could be anywhere in the US, gear. But it also had wireless internet, meaning I could catch up on some emailing and blog. And remember that there really is never anything on TV. Though I did hear a wide variety of amusing American pronunciations of "Glasgow" and hear the sentence: "this has just gone to Glasgow, now just the UK". Ahhhh, I guess the New Yorker subscription people are not the only ones who aren't aware the "the UK" is made up of places in including Scotland!
So now it's easy listening jazz and a snached breakfast bagel for lunch in the lobby until it's time for me to head back to the airport and, hopefully, to Managua.