Where did all the November go?

I don't usually agree that bloggers should have to explain absences to their readers.  Sometimes life gets in the way, and sometimes we bloggers just need a break and some privacy.  Still, since my reasons for not writing a blog post for nearly three weeks in November are quite interesting and exciting (for me, at least) I thought I'd let you lot in on what I was up to for most of last month.

1. I wrote and recorded a mock weekly podcast for a uni assignment.  If you're curious about what I sound like, or if you just need a good laugh, you can listen to it here.

Source: here

2. Then Craig decided to have a birthday, so we went for a nice dinner at Field on West Nicolson Street, and then threw him a birthday party.  My extremely talented friend, Emily, made an unbelievable cake, fit for a birthday boy and a Breakfast King.

3. I headed along to Oliver Bonas Edinburgh's Christmas event with Lianne and Gillian to have a first look at their new Christmas lines (and, of course, drink some prosecco and eat a mince pie or two!).

4. I got to see one of my newest favourite bands (posing as a different band, obviously) play live at the Glasgow Barrowlands: The Reflektors (AKA Arcade Fire).  It was a surreal and amazing night!

5. The next night, I went back to Glasgow to see my beloved Frightened Rabbit play the O2 Academy.  I stood at the back like an old lady, and complained about my sore back a lot, but they were brilliant, as always.

6. Somewhere in between those two gigs, I stayed up until 2am writing a review of the Reflektors gig, and had it published online.  You can have a look here.

Source: here

7. Whilst researching another uni assignment, I carried out my very first face to face interview (with Daniel from the band Very Well).  It was scary, of course, but also surprisingly enjoyable!

8. In a strange but wonderful series of events, I also got to interview one of my top favourite Edinburgh musicians, Dan Willson from Withered Hand about his upcoming album.  He was so lovely, and gave me loads of information to use!  I turned the interview into a news piece for uni, which you can read here.

Source: here

9. I perfectly demonstrated my ability to turn into a massive stress head when I had two deadlines due for the same day.  Sorry, Craig!

10. Craig, my sister and I took a much needed mini holiday to Bristol to stay with some of the coolest people I know - our oldest childhood friends.  We had a great weekend seeing the sights and relaxing, and our hosts totally spoiled us!

11. I made my first visit to Scottish Parliament since a high school trip, and sat in on an Education and Culture Committee meeting.  I felt like a total fraud being there, but it was actually quite a lively and interesting meeting to sit in on.  I wrote an article about what went on (for uni again!) which you can see here.

Source: here

12. And, finally, I went to an awesome house gig, hosted by  Song, by Toad and played by American singer songwriter, Charles Latham.  House gigs are always a little bizarre, but they are also a lot of fun, and this one was no exception.  And if you haven't heard of Charles before, you should check him out!  He's talented, funny and cynical - my favourite combo.