Football or Die

When I finally got someone on the phone at the box office to order us two tickets for the football game, she asked where we would like to sit. Since I'm so used to going to Phillies games and requesting to sit in the shade, I did the same for this football match. The lady at the box office laughed at me. I guess I should have known better - after all it is Scotland... there is no sun.

We went to see the home team, Hibernian, play against Dundee. We both wanted to buy a football jersey, but were unsure which one to get. We liked Dundee, since that's the name of the street we live on, but then the Hibs were the home team (although, technically Edinburgh has two home teams: the Hibs and the Hearts). We decided that it all came down to which section we were sitting in. James and I joked that we should buy one of each jersey, and then decide which one to wear after we sat down and saw which team's big drunken Scottish fans were surrounding us. Then we could determine which jersey would be less likely to get us hit, or killed. The Scots are super serious about their football.

The game was at the Easter Road stadium on the outskirts of Edinburgh. So in the afternoon, James and I took an Ocean Terminal bus into Leith and walked along Constitution Street. We ate lunch in a pub called the Cameo, where we were able to watch a little bit of football on the TVs. Then after lunch, we headed over to the stadium to watch the real deal.

The stadium was a lot smaller than I was expecting it to be. The field also seemed smaller than it looked on TV. But since the stadium was cozy, our seats were closer to the field. Although, we were underneath an awning, and the awning posts obstructed some of my view of play. We were in the section that stood for the duration of the game. I didn't mind though, because it made it much more exciting. Every time there was a goal or a penalty kick, everyone in our section went wild, which made the game that much more enjoyable. One thing I learned is that the Scots aren't afraid to yell at their own team when they are sucking... and when I say yell, what I really mean is curse. I heard the f word constantly coming from all around me. Every other word out of their mouths was f this, and f that - it was like the Sopranos... except I'm pretty sure the Scottish were cursing like that long before Tony came along. In the end, the Hibs lost, but it was still a fun experience!

That night was the first reading and exhibition of our book "DUO" at the Forest Cafe in Bristo Square. It was BYOB, so I brought James (Brother) and a bottle of white wine (Booze) along with me. I didn't read my story, but a lot of my classmates read. Everyone's piece was on display in the gallery out front, alongside the fantastic illustrations done by our ECA peers. I hope that was the first of many of my own book readings to come! We went out to Odd Fellows afterward and met up with other MC kids. Little did I know that would be my last trip to Odd Fellows (sad face). They have officially changed its name to... The Fat Cow. A tragedy.