Back in Action

It's August in Edinburgh and things feel like they've not moved in 4 years.

Case and point(s):

1. The freaks are back on the street, and still working the same lines, chillin in the same places, and shootin the same shit.
2. I am back at my usual spot of the Edinburgh University Library, using my same old account (which should have by now, a year after my graduation, expired), and working on the same old thing.
3. Still waking up next to Toph in the same bed.
4. Jamie is still working at Alien Rock.
   

The grass is lush and green, the tents up are in the George Square Gardens, and the Royal Mile takes about an hour to walk down. Undoubtedly chippie prices will have risen accordingly. There are some things which don't change, and to tell the truth, I don't mind at all.

Things which have changed:

1. What the hell is this monstrosity in the middle of the meadows? Who needs a fucking "artisan" bakery? What do they sell? Limited edition signed loaves? Why have so many Starbucks sprung up like fungus after spring rain? How many lattes can one city really consume?
2. Why have the old shops I could afford to shop at gone out of business to be replaced by "artisan" bakeries? I hear people talking about how bad the economy is - but that obviously only affects selected individuals!
3. Barney no longer works at Alien Rock. The place will never be the same. I can't even do 6A+ comfortably on a slab any more. The shame! The shame!
4. There are a lot of unfamiliar faces on the swing scene - and they are using the horror of all horrors, Facebook.

Some pictures will help to contextualize everything... but that must wait till after I have done some work (yes, I come to the library, and the first thing I do is update my blog).