To The Deen!

This is a photograph of the Blue Stane which lies just outside the Protestant kirk in Crail. Legend has it that the de'il himself hated the kirk so much that from the Isle of May he picked up a rock and flung it with all his might at the offending building. But in mid-flight the rock broke up and the largest piece fell short of the target. This largest piece is the Blue Stane and it is believed (or at least believed to be believed) that the hollow at the top of the stane was caused by Auld Nick's thumb which can STILL BE SEEN TO THIS VERY DAY...

So, besides the superstitions of my home village, what's up? Well, I can very honestly say that I am incredibly excited because I leave for Aberdeen and my new flat tomorrow! I'll try to update the blog as soon as I'm comfy in my new home, and still too busy to wonder about how I'm going to finance myself without interfering with my studies (ahem: I will accept PayPal at siroccothemod@gmail.com very happily. In return I can... write you a national anthem? That might not be a bad idea actually... hmm...).

Until then: ciao!

Romance In NS General

This is a photo of the North Sea, taken from atop Kilminning Rock.

Two well-known NationStates forum regulars, Allanea and Rejistania, have announced that they're tying the knot which is wonderful and I wish them both the very best. Congratulations!

In other news, even though I promised I would I would get at least one new issue into the game before I headed back to university I have failed to do so, and with the date of departure (24th of August) approaching I am going to be too busy to get it done. But never fear! My new flat has internet access so I should be able to get something in the works after I've settled down. The fact that I have ready access to the internet poses another question however: should I return to my post as moderator? The reason I retired in the first place was because I couldn't access the internet from my room in the accommodation the university gave me. It's a thought worth thinking over and I shall return to it later once I've properly got my slippers by the fireside (or large brown radiator anyway).

Another interesting thing that's cropped up is the current discussion over the diminished number of nations in NationStates. At the time of typing we have 76555 nations which is fairly low, even during the summer months when our players remember there's an outdoors. One result of this is that UN proposals require a lot less support to achieve quorum. The political aftermath of this should be pretty interesting. If you wish to have your say, check out Safalra's thread in the technical forum.

That's all for now. I'll maybe get one last post in tomorrow before I leave for the Deen to say goodbye. Hopefully not for long!

Euroslavia Returns

Yet another edited photo of Kilminning Rock.

Euroslavia, who retired his position as game moderator in April, has announced that he has returned to once again take up his position as a member of the NationStates staff.

Euroslavia originally left so he could focus on his career, namely selling clothes. But eventually he could no longer tolerate his employer who was, it seems, an "emotionless bitch". After leaving his job he was called by both store managers begging for his return, claiming that he was the heart of the store and his colleagues were quitting too, inspired by his departure.

Euroslavia admits to feeling some satisfaction about this.

Asked about his plans for NationStates after coming back into the fold Euroslavia stated "I'm hoping to have new experiences, torturing the peons of NationStates, as well as becoming the NS Mod dictator, and ruling with an iron fist of fury."

Welcome back, Euro!

The Fifth UK NationStates Meet

The picture above is of forum moderator Erastide and former forum and game moderator Tactical Grace. Erastide in front, TG behind.

I myself was sadly unable to attend the meet because it is way too far away. I need more Scots to be interested in these get-togethers damn it! Anyways, there are more photos of the NationStaters who attended to be seen and also an official thread to be read.

If I get wind of more photos I'll be sure to post links here.

Preparations

Another photo of me grimacing into the camera.

I have a lot on my plate right now. I'm going to be moving back to Aberdeen in just over a week which will involve shifting all my things a hundred miles north to the new flat. I'm very excited and cannot wait to be back with all my uni buddies, with a proper housewarming. Lo, I say, there shalt be pizza and films (I'm leaning towards Monty Python and the Holy Grail but I think Ghostbusters might be a good one too). Should be fantastic.

When I came home for the summer my room was being used to store things and I thought I'd be here temporarily so I just dumped my stuff. As it happens, I've been here for a month more than planned so now I'm having to round up all the things that have got spread out, decide what I'm taking and what I'm leaving behind, and on top of that, actually FIND it all under the rubble of miscellaneous junk that was put in my room while I was away at Sidmouth. I'm not sure why they did this as they knew I was coming back. It would appear that my family can only handle the notion that I am either a) here or b) not here - oh look! STORAGE SPACE!

As a result, I'm afraid I will not be able to complete my Cyber Nations article until I'm settled in Aberdeen and also kinda depends on my having internet access in the new flat which is something I'm unsure of. The most I can promise you guys is that I will try to get a new issue out before I head back to the Deen.

Will let you know how things turn out before long, but until then I leave you with this Doctor Who strip which fans may or may not find amusing. If you haven't seen series three yet, don't click it as there are spoilers.

Sidmouth Folk Festival

I'm sorry to say I have no photos of my time in Sidmouth to share with you as my camera is irreperably broken.

I very much enjoyed Sidmouth, the travelling less so. It took me 28 hours to get there due to awkward bus times, and by the time I managed to get some sleep I had become a living zombie, awake for 37 hours. I tried to sleep on the bus, God knows, but it was far too uncomfortable.

I don't really want to go on too much about the festival because I rather doubt anyone reading this will care much. So I'll just condense the experience into these points.

1. England is too hot. I tried my best, but my nose still got sunburned.
2. Almost everyone thought I was Irish for some reason; only two people guessed correctly my Scottish origins.
3. Horny sixteen-year-old English girls love my accent.
4. English ceilidhs are great fun. They're similar enough to Scottish ones for me to fare reasonably well but different enough to confuse the hell out of me. The first one I went to had a very slippery floor and my shoes have little grip. I spent a lot of that one on my arse.
5. The melodeon, though pleasant at first, will slowly drive the non-folkie insane over a week-and-a-half period.
6. Morris dancing is weird. Very weird.
7. I heard/saw a number of musical performances that I enjoyed muchly. Amongst them are: The Spooky Men's Chorale; Toothless Mary; and Whapweasel.
8. When camping in a hot place you ought to definitely invest in a tent with a silvery covering to reflect heat. Waking up every morning felt like being broiled.