A day off is welcome on a tour like this, but it requires such a sudden change that it often leads to problems. Low blood pressure, sure, but even more dangerous than that, it leads to a shift in attitude that is harmful to one's pocketbook.
Yesterday, I spent about five hours meandering around Edinburgh, from the New Town to the Old Town and back again, popping in and out of cafes, shoppes, and potato shops. I was able to escape with merely one baked potato and two cups tea, but the temptation to consume was overwhelming.
When I'm in tour mode, I never want to spend money. Every little trinket at a souvenir shop means business money lost, and tours less successfull. Gas over here is about $10/gallon (think about that the next time you fill up your truck), and a day off means hotel expenses, overpriced restaurant meals, and bottled water. Thankfully, I've got some wonderful friends here in Edinburgh who have lent me their sofabed and cooked me a fabulously delicious homemade macaroni and cheese meal for dinner.
Sidenote: Do any of you put catsup on your macaroni? Everyone else at dinner was doing it, so I figured it wasn't just a trick. And it turns out, it's yummy.
But back to tour mode...
I had to keep reminding myself that despite being in Scotland right now, the mortgage is still due tomorrow. So my pounds and my credit card remained in my pocket. The closest I got to a splurge was on the walk home when I spied a charming little dress shop called Cookie, with it's red doors open to me on a delightful cobblestone street.
It wasn't a fancy dress shop. Cotton sundresses demurely lined the windows, and I just had to go in. Sundresses, my friends, are my achilles heel, especially now that I've read reports about the fabulously hot weather in Louisville. There is very little better than skipping down the street in a proper cotton sundress and a big floppy hat, one hand wrapped around a strawberry ice cream cone, and the other wrapped around FWT's strong hand.
I only tried on one dress, and I reluctantly put it back on the rack, as it cost £65 -- just over $100. But I tell you, it's getting harder to remind myself that this is not a vacation. Thankfully, we're back to gigging on Wednesday night, so I'll return to business frugality and stress. In the mean time, maybe I'll pop back in there this afternoon -- just to browse, you know.
Yesterday, I spent about five hours meandering around Edinburgh, from the New Town to the Old Town and back again, popping in and out of cafes, shoppes, and potato shops. I was able to escape with merely one baked potato and two cups tea, but the temptation to consume was overwhelming.
When I'm in tour mode, I never want to spend money. Every little trinket at a souvenir shop means business money lost, and tours less successfull. Gas over here is about $10/gallon (think about that the next time you fill up your truck), and a day off means hotel expenses, overpriced restaurant meals, and bottled water. Thankfully, I've got some wonderful friends here in Edinburgh who have lent me their sofabed and cooked me a fabulously delicious homemade macaroni and cheese meal for dinner.
Sidenote: Do any of you put catsup on your macaroni? Everyone else at dinner was doing it, so I figured it wasn't just a trick. And it turns out, it's yummy.
But back to tour mode...
I had to keep reminding myself that despite being in Scotland right now, the mortgage is still due tomorrow. So my pounds and my credit card remained in my pocket. The closest I got to a splurge was on the walk home when I spied a charming little dress shop called Cookie, with it's red doors open to me on a delightful cobblestone street.
It wasn't a fancy dress shop. Cotton sundresses demurely lined the windows, and I just had to go in. Sundresses, my friends, are my achilles heel, especially now that I've read reports about the fabulously hot weather in Louisville. There is very little better than skipping down the street in a proper cotton sundress and a big floppy hat, one hand wrapped around a strawberry ice cream cone, and the other wrapped around FWT's strong hand.
I only tried on one dress, and I reluctantly put it back on the rack, as it cost £65 -- just over $100. But I tell you, it's getting harder to remind myself that this is not a vacation. Thankfully, we're back to gigging on Wednesday night, so I'll return to business frugality and stress. In the mean time, maybe I'll pop back in there this afternoon -- just to browse, you know.
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