We just came from doing the groceries! At 10 in the evening. Huzzah! They have Maltesers ice cream bars here and they are amazing. :)

Today was mostly spent shopping, would you believe that? We got tired of events and decided to be touristy. So we went to Forbidden Planet, a famous chain of comics stores, and I went agog. I didn't really buy anything, just 2 posters, because the comics are *gasp!* cheaper back home. But they had so many wonderful books, indie books, foreign art books, shirts and posters and toys and lunchboxes and things. Then we looked at some shoes and some clothes, which were too expensive but nice to look at. Then we went to HMV looking for steals. A PS2 here is 99 pounds, so that's 10000 pesos. Is that a good price? But then you'd have to deal with it being a PAL machine, and the plug is that damn 3-pronged thing, and on and on. I have bought only one DVD while I've been here, but there are some I'm considering, including the 2-disc Special Edition of Battle Royale, the 3-disc Special Editions of Black Hawk Down and Panic Room, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet's first film (with Marc Caro), Delicatessen. There is also a 2-disc Fifth Element here.

Then we went to this discount book store where I got this nice design series of books: 9 slim volumes in a handsome slipcase. Originally 48 pounds, I got it for 5.

Yesterday we took the tour bus, and sat on the upper deck in the freezing cold wind. Did you know the Scottish invented umbrellas? They also invented income tax. We were shown the castle that was the model for Hogwarts, the small cafe where Rowling wrote the first few books, and the art school where Sean Connery posed nude to put himself through school. Also, the apartment of Alexander Graham Bell and the dwelling of the man who inspired Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. All very fascinating. Oh, and Neva met Muriel Spark.

Unfortunately, we had some bad news today: The Beta Band cancelled their gig tomorrow. So not only do we have to figure out how to get a refund for our tickets, we also have no tickets for the sold out Sons & Daughters/Fiery Furnaces gig.

Blast.