r/Glasgow Tools

travellingcats

Reddit URLhttps://www.reddit.com/user/travellingcats
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  • I lived in a student flat in one of the tenements this time last year. It was so magical to see the snow falling outside and even more magical to see my tight English flatmate finally relent to the Scottish winter and put the heating on for more than few minutes. by travellingcats (Sat 2nd Mar 2019 8:51am)
  • This is depressing as I’m in the same boat. I worked abroad for the past year and so a lot of my references are outdated or only speak french. My flatmate found a job at tinderbox within two weeks and so I’m not sure where I’m going wrong. The money situation is starting to get really dire and I’m starting to panic about it slightly now. I’ve had people recommend the hydro to me so I’m going to apply there and see how that one goes. I’m just worried that I won’t get regular shifts and so will be in a bad position money wise. by travellingcats (Fri 3rd Jan 2020 7:08pm)
  • Yes, there are openings everyday but there’s generally anywhere from 20-100 applicants for that job due to the number of students who are job hunting. It’s disheartening but i honestly think that it’s just a part of life nowadays. I’m struggling with the job hunt too but I think that’s because last job in Scotland was in 2018 as I worked abroad for a while. I’ve been living off savings since I came back this summer but things are starting to get tough now. I’ve been trying hotel chains lately so hopefully that’ll lead to something soon. by travellingcats (Fri 3rd Jan 2020 7:13pm)
  • I’m pretty “out there” in terms of how I dress. I love wearing outfits inspired by the 60s and 70s and I’m passionate about makeup so I always have bright eyeshadow and heavy eyeliner. The whole look isn’t unusual in the west end but I tend to get weird looks and comments in other parts of the city. I’ve noticed that young women actually tend to be the worst for comments about my appearance. The alternative girls are judgemental and bitchy if you aren’t alternative enough for them but the girls who dress in more standard fashion can be downright nasty. It’s just rough because it feels like you can never win. I’ve also dealt with the typical old bastard types of men. (I’m gay and so I’m very used to creepy comments or outright homophobia) It just seems to hit harder emotionally when the judgement comes from other girls. by travellingcats (Thu 30th Jul 2020 10:43pm)
  • An old guy once shouted “stevie nicks!!” at me when I was wearing a pair of flared trousers and I consider that to be one of the best compliments I’ve ever received by travellingcats (Fri 31st Jul 2020 9:55pm)
  • I genuinely think that things are much worse for men in terms of fashion. There are so many “aesthetics” that girls can base their outfits on nowadays and there are whole subcultures associated with different looks. I do get abuse for some of my outfits but I also get other girls asking where I got my top or if I can do their eyeliner for them. Men don’t get that that kind of positivity at all. If a man wears something outside of the standard jeans, t shirt and trainers combo he is made fun of relentlessly or people just assume he’s gay. It sucks for both genders obviously but I feel men do sometimes get the shorter straw in this case. by travellingcats (Fri 31st Jul 2020 10:08pm)
  • Thank you :). It took a lot of time and confidence for me to settle into a style I like and I do still regularly switch things around. I went through a bit of a goth phase myself and I still lean heavily towards darker colours and more dramatic styles. I also tend to dress a little bit more conservatively in Glasgow and reserve my crazier outfits for Edinburgh since I get fewer comments there. I think it’s down to the fact that posh Edinburgh students tend to whisper behind your back rather than outright have a go at you for your fashion sense. by travellingcats (Fri 31st Jul 2020 10:15pm)
  • Alexandra parade, at the end nearest to the station. by travellingcats (Tue 8th Sep 2020 10:49pm)
  • They’re biased towards me moving there and so I’m looking for more honest opinions from strangers on the internet by travellingcats (Tue 8th Sep 2020 10:54pm)
  • That’s very true. I used to live in one of the old tenements towards the Finnieston end of argyle street. On one hand, about half of the building was home to well off, artsy types. On the other hand, there was an abandoned flat below us that had been empty for years and a guy who was quite obviously selling some very illegal substances above us. The whole city is full of contrasts like that. The flat is on Alexandra parade so it’s further away from Haghill. I was a big fan of the hipster coffee shops on argyle street so I have a feeling that side of Dennistoun might suit me. by travellingcats (Tue 8th Sep 2020 11:02pm)
  • I’m doing US foreign policy and it’s just very depressing. The stuff on the Middle East is absolutely soul crushing. I steered clear of Chinese politics because I thought US based stuff would at least have a glimmer of hope but I was very wrong. The walk sounds amazing so I’ll 100% try that at some stage. Sounds perfect for a break from politics. by travellingcats (Sun 1st Nov 2020 8:40pm)
  • I completely understand the concern but I’m in desperate need of something like this. Solo outdoor activities, like hillwalking, aren’t being restricted under most tier levels. We’re about to enter the worst winter in my living memory and I’m honestly terrified for my own mental health. I’m very strict with everything else covid related and I wouldn’t think of going to places with high levels of covid. The reason I asked for more remote trails was to lessen the risk of coming into contact with anyone else. I wouldn’t consider this if I wasn’t taking all the necessary precautions. by travellingcats (Mon 2nd Nov 2020 6:38pm)
  • My wee goth heart loves the sound of an abandoned cemetery by travellingcats (Mon 2nd Nov 2020 7:06pm)
  • How easy is it to distance yourself from other people on the trail? I don’t necessarily mind seeing other people but my main concern is close contact with others due to covid. by travellingcats (Mon 2nd Nov 2020 7:05pm)
  • This is part of the reason why I’ve decided to wait a few years before going for my masters. There is no way that I want to teach in this way. My plan is to try and find something to tide me over until 2022 and only then will I even consider going into teaching. by travellingcats (Tue 17th Nov 2020 8:29pm)
  • We’ve all received emails over the past week to say we can be tested before going home and are strongly encouraged to do so. I highly doubt that they would roll this out for us and then backtrack to say we have to stay. I absolutely know for a fact that parents would 100% bend the rules to bring their kids home, I know that mine would/will do that no matter what I have to say about it. I reckon that the government knows that people will break and bend the rules over the Christmas season and that the testing measures and the three weeks of tier four are to try and limit the impact of those three weeks as much as possible as everyone (not just students) starts to travel. by travellingcats (Tue 17th Nov 2020 8:25pm)
  • I would argue it’s the older generations. Absolutely fed up of my generation getting the blame for rising cases when wee morag either refuses to get her nose in the damn mask or just refuses to wear one at all. by travellingcats (Tue 17th Nov 2020 8:31pm)
  • Dunno if you’ve looked at the news lately but there is a wee something called a pandemic happening right now and the council haven’t exactly been great at keeping on top of things for the past seven months. You can see why I was wanting to try a different route. by travellingcats (Fri 27th Nov 2020 3:24pm)
  • I had a feeling that was the case. I’m tempted to talk to leave a note or something but I don’t want to gain a reputation for being THAT neighbour since I’ve only just moved in. I might try and ask some of my other neighbours what the situation is whenever I next see them if the council isn’t doing bulk uplift. by travellingcats (Fri 27th Nov 2020 3:22pm)
  • Thought about that but the issue is that it’s not coming from my block. All blocks in the tenement share the back close and so the stuff is mostly coming from two specific blocks. I would leave a note since I can’t get into their block to chap the door but I feel that’s a bit bitchy and impersonal. by travellingcats (Fri 27th Nov 2020 3:34pm)
  • Maybe I’m too optimistic but part of me is hopeful that this will be the last lockdown. The vaccine is here and that’s going to improve things massively. Cases were already going down after the three week lockdowns for some places in the central belt. Those lockdowns were only eased on the 11th and I doubt cases will skyrocket too much over the course of two weeks, even with people visiting each other on Christmas Day. The next three week lockdown after the 26th might slash case numbers even more. I’ve got high hopes for a bit of normality by April. by travellingcats (Sun 20th Dec 2020 10:48am)
  • There’s a great wee outdoor market that’s running on the weekends in the southside. I got some Christmas presents there a few weeks ago and loads of stuff was reasonably priced and from local businesses. Kelvin way would be prime location for something like that. The Tchaiovna people had a tea stall last time I was at the southside market and small, specialised food businesses like that would probably coin it in if they set up shop once a week on Kelvin way. It’d be such a good way for local businesses to earn some extra revenue in a safe way after the pandemic. by travellingcats (Tue 22nd Dec 2020 1:08am)
  • As lovely as this is, I don’t think we should forget how horrifying it is that low paid workers are taking it upon themselves to try and help others just keep their heads above water. No one should have to give up a week’s salary to stop people from going hungry in a country like this. by travellingcats (Sat 26th Dec 2020 12:55am)
  • I’m tempted to try this now. My neighbours have moved out and they didn’t bother to hire a skip so there’s piles and piles of old furniture, mattresses and other assorted bits and pieces. Might just say I saw a rat and hopefully something will be done by travellingcats (Sun 24th Jan 2021 10:51am)
  • Can I join?? I genuinely think lots of us would like to get in on this by travellingcats (Mon 25th Jan 2021 2:24pm)
  • I like your way of thinking by travellingcats (Mon 25th Jan 2021 6:53pm)
  • The rehoming process for dogs is often so unnecessarily long and complicated and I’m willing to bet that this is pushing animal lovers towards puppy mills. You were clearly thinking about the welfare of the pets you already had. Taking on a puppy with no issues is far more responsible than taking on a rescue dog that potentially has issues with aggression. One thing I’ve learned on the internet is that there’s no nuance at all here, either you’re scum and you’re entirely wrong or you’re perfect and can do no wrong. People need to learn about nuance in situations like this. Losing a pet (even a brand new pet) is a horrible thing to go through and I’m surprised people are even taking the high horse in this situation, especially as you reported the seller and did all you could to stop this happening to other dogs. I certainly wouldn’t be beating myself up over the situation since the seller does sound like a professional scam artist. by travellingcats (Sat 30th Jan 2021 12:03pm)
  • This one sounds incredible. I adore animals and I really miss my own cat who currently lives with my parents. I think having an animal around would be the best thing for me at this stage and even better if I’m helping someone out by travellingcats (Sun 31st Jan 2021 1:30pm)
  • Definitely not. My parents are from the east coast and they are always shocked (and irritated!) by the friendliness of Glaswegians. I lived with them over lockdown and I was shocked by how snobby and aloof their neighbours are. Friendliness is definitely a Glaswegian/West coast trait. by travellingcats (Thu 18th Feb 2021 10:24pm)
  • Solid advice, only issue is that the price is already as low as it can reasonably go. I’m hoping that is enough to draw someone in. We’ve had a fair amount of interest but the landlord doesn’t allow anyone without a UK-based guarantor and so we’ve been let down a few times because of that. It’s frustrating, but I keep telling myself we will find someone eventually. by travellingcats (Tue 9th Mar 2021 12:23pm)
  • You’ve hit the nail on the head. That’s the exact situation I’m in right now and it’s something I now realise I probably should’ve considered when moving. All I can do now is hope something comes up. by travellingcats (Tue 9th Mar 2021 2:29pm)
  • 1. Moving back in with parents. 2. Not exactly because.... 3. I’m in a joint tenancy agreement and so I need to find a replacement myself as my flatmate doesn’t want to move out. by travellingcats (Tue 9th Mar 2021 3:57pm)
  • Maybe I’ll be downvoted for this, but at least they tried to bin it and didn’t just dump it elsewhere. People are always quick to blame people doing the littering but I genuinely think the blame lies fully with the council, who refuse to install more bins or empty existing bins regularly. That’s the only way to solve the issue long term. People are walking outside more because it’s the only way they can socialise under covid restrictions and having a take out coffee with a pal is one of the few “fun” things left for people to do. No wonder the bins are full. by travellingcats (Mon 15th Mar 2021 10:56am)
  • I do this regularly too and I rarely notice any change. I also think the recent addition of charges for bulk pick up of rubbish has a lot to answer for. Previously, bulky uplifts were free but they’ve now introduced a fee. I’ve noticed an increase in fly tipping since then. For example, My neighbours are currently renovating and they’ve been dumping rubbish outside in the shared back court. It’s a complete tip but we can’t force them to do anything about it. No one wants to pay the fee so we’re stuck with piles of junk in the back court. I phoned the council and they told me I should pay the fee myself if I was that bothered about it. There’s no sense of accountability from the people who are paid to keep the city clean. by travellingcats (Mon 15th Mar 2021 11:20am)
  • It’s so reckless that a rescue would advertise that. My cat is fourteen has been responsible for the death of countless birds, mice, shrews and even a lizard. She even brought home in from the garden once. We live a good distance away from a river so no idea where that one came from. All of this was with her living indoors 90% of the time and with a bell on her collar. Cats are surprisingly vicious wee animals and they’ve even wiped out entire species of animal. There’s no reason to let them outside to kill other animals. Not to mention the risk of cats being attacked by foxes and dogs, hit by cars or taken by “well meaning” people who mistake them for strays. My cat is now only allowed outside if she’s got someone in the garden with her and she’s perfectly content. Why would any rescue want their kittens to go outside? by travellingcats (Tue 16th Mar 2021 5:50pm)
  • Last straw for us was when my cat was bitten by a larger animal, probably either a small fox or a dog. She’s very fluffy and it was a small puncture wound so we didn’t even notice until it had become infected. One emergency surgery, two rounds of antibiotics, a cone of shame and nearly £700 later and we decided it was cruel to keep letting her go outside unattended. As far as I’m concerned, any rescue that wants their cats to go outside should be willing to pay the vet bills if and when something like that happens. My cat is also perfectly content to watch birds from inside. I feel no guilt about the decision to keep her indoors. by travellingcats (Wed 17th Mar 2021 8:56pm)
  • Fiery irn bru would be God tier. I miss that stuff so much. by travellingcats (Tue 23rd Mar 2021 9:30am)
  • My back court used to be like this and all my attempts to ask for a bulky uplift were ignored. Eventually, I went onto the “pest control” section of the council app, said I saw a rat darting out from one of the piles of rubbish, added a few photos of said piles of rubbish as evidence and everything was gone within a week. I don’t feel guilty about the lie because technically the stuff would eventually attract rats sooner or later. by travellingcats (Mon 29th Mar 2021 4:51pm)
  • I think it has the potential to be nice in colder weather. I went to krakow a few years ago in January and most places still had their outdoor seating in full swing. I had an awkward amount of time to fill before a tour so I sat for a while outside a cafe with a coffee and a book. I was underneath a massive umbrella and a patio heater and I was wearing warm clothes so I was almost too warm in spite of the fact that the streets were still icy. The sound of the rain against the umbrella and the cobbles was just perfect. I’ve always thought something like that could work brilliantly in Glasgow. Imagine if there was a fire pit in the middle of the tables or a personal heater for each table? Maybe even some nice lighting for the dark evenings? I think some kind of set up like that could really help to brighten up the city in the winter and I personally could see myself really appreciating heated outdoor spaces. by travellingcats (Fri 2nd Apr 2021 5:42pm)
  • I actually have a bit of a theory on this one. I’m 22 and I adore my grandparents. However, I have noticed a bit of a mean streak in them. They are lovely to me, but that loveliness often doesn’t extend to others around them. They say horrible things about lots of different people and I’ve noticed a similar phenomenon amongst others in their age group. I think the internet and the media are to blame. My grandmother is an intelligent woman, she can read huge books in the space of a week and has extensive knowledge about a range of subjects. She also left school at age 14. No one has ever given her lessons on how to be savvy online. No one has ever taught her the difference between a broadsheet and a tabloid. If the daily mail tells her that immigrants/young people/LGBT people/travellers/the EU/the left/whoever is fully responsible for everything wrong in society? She’ll believe it. She’ll believe it because, in her eyes, she read it in a reputable source. That generation just never really had a chance to develop the critical thinking skills that many (but not all!) people from younger generations were able to develop. There have also been enormous cultural shifts in recent decades. Take LGBT rights for example, Scotland was infamously tough on LGBT people in the 1980s. People should literally either move to London or stay in the closet. By 2015 Scotland was considered one of the most LGBT friendly countries in Europe. That is a seismic shift in attitudes. My grandparents were in their thirties in the 1980s. Do you really think they suddenly became LGBT allies in their 70s? That’s obviously a more extreme example, but I think it highlights the ways in which older folks often get stuck in their own ways. This effect wouldn’t be an issue- anyone can change their view when presented with new information but older people often live in their own little bubbles- surrounded either by people their own age who hold the same views or by younger family members who refuse to challenge their behaviour, saying things like “oh he doesn’t mean it- he’s just stuck in his ways”. Add online echo chambers to that and you end up with pensioners making life a misery for everyone else, like in this article. Of course, I don’t mean this to be an attack on older folks. Again, I adore my grandparents. However, I think we need to maybe re-examine the ways in which we treat older folks in our society. Can you imagine if younger people were vandalising cycle paths? We wouldn’t let anyone else get away with this behaviour and we are doing a disservice to older folks for letting them get away with this behaviour, especially if they aren’t showing signs of dementia or other conditions. It’s infantilising to say we should just let them get away with it. I’ve written screeds here but yeah, it’s an issue that irritates me no end and I think it’s something we need to talk about more. by travellingcats (Wed 5th May 2021 11:06pm)
  • I never said they didn’t. In fact, my comment never, ever said anything along the lines of “young folk = good, old folk = bad”. All I said was that older folks often seem to get away with things that younger people don’t, not that younger people don’t vandalise things. I think the attitude of “young people are cunts” has been massively inflated over the past few years. All age groups are cunts. We just let older folks away with a lot more. The article itself says that younger people were initially blamed for the vandalism of cycle paths. I think that illustrates my point. Fingers are always pointed at young folks and I, as a young person, am sick of it. by travellingcats (Thu 6th May 2021 12:21am)
  • Oh I definitely think that physical decline has something to do with it. My grandfather had issues with back pain and became very irritable and bad tempered. He wasn’t acting like himself at all. When he finally sought help and went for regular chiropractor visits he suddenly became much nicer almost overnight. I actually volunteered in a nursing home when I was in school as part of one of those schemes that tackles loneliness in the elderly and I do remember the ones with physical health issues being more impatient and irritable. I think there’s often a degree of stubbornness that comes with age and so physical issues are often ignored. Remember that statistic a while ago about how older, single or widowed men are more likely to die from health issues than married men? I’m willing to bet that has something to do with this. I also think that the loss of a partner is an emotional thing and can create some feelings of anger. There are a lot of factors to it and I think the stuff I outlined in the original comment only forms a small part of it. I think counselling for the elderly is a path worth following but I doubt many would stick to it due to the way mental health was spoken about when they were young. by travellingcats (Thu 6th May 2021 10:56am)
  • I 100% think it’s down to print media too and I absolutely agree on the point about tabloids. I actually just finished writing a dissertation on newspapers and I noticed that even broadsheets seem to be buying into more “culture war” type stuff. Print journalism is a struggling industry and so I think a lot of newspapers deliberately pander to the beliefs of the people who are buying actual print copies of newspapers, who often tend to skew older. I could honestly write novels about this, it’s something I’ve thought about a lot over the years. I don’t think old people are inherently nasty or cruel. I think they’ve just been conditioned to think a certain way and struggle to break out of certain mindsets due to feedback loops and echo chambers. The internet just makes things much worse. by travellingcats (Thu 6th May 2021 1:47pm)
  • Similar story here. We were burgled. My flatmate caught the guy in the act. Called the police and they blamed us for “not keeping the flat secure”. Someone was home at the time, the lights were on, the door was locked and to top it all off, it was a rented flat so we had no real power to change the locks or really do anything that would improve safety without the landlord’s permission. I don’t know how we could possibly make the place “more secure”. My flatmate was understandably traumatised afterwards and one of the officers essentially made fun of her for feeling scared. I didn’t feel safe or protected at all during that time and I’ve been critical of the police ever since. by travellingcats (Thu 13th May 2021 7:11pm)
  • What about level two to level three? I’m really confused as to whether or not that’s allowed and I’m struggling to find any information on the exact rules. by travellingcats (Mon 17th May 2021 10:42am)
  • Thank you for posting the one helpful reply. I was under the impression that staying in level 3 meant that Glasgow/Moray are still under tighter restrictions (eg- no drinking indoors, no overnight stays etc...) while the rest of the country was able to relax restrictions. I couldn’t understand why people were cancelling plans since I hadn’t seen that rule on travel explicitly outlined. I’ve also seen a few folk on social media making the journey into Glasgow today so I was unsure what the rules actually said. by travellingcats (Mon 17th May 2021 1:13pm)
  • Not so fun fact about the M8: Fred West lived in Glasgow for a while and was even married to a Glaswegian woman (who he later killed along with her daughter). During his time in Glasgow he worked in an ice cream van and “accidentally” ran down and killed a toddler. Gruesome stuff. What’s this got to do with the M8? Well, he had an allotment in Glasgow. That allotment is now underneath the M8. Neighbours often reported that he had a section of the allotment that he never grew plants in and that they’d hear strange noises from his shed at night. I absolutely think some archaeologists centuries from now will be baffled by the discovery of dismembered female remains underneath an ancient road. by travellingcats (Wed 26th May 2021 10:11am)
  • Well, In all fairness there have been notable protests, just not over covid. I went to the BLM rally at Glasgow green last summer, the Sarah Everard vigil in Kelvingrove park in March and the free Palestine march earlier this month. I weighed up the number of cases at the time of each event, tested myself after each event (only exception being the BLM rally) and decided each time that I valued my right to protest certain events. I was careful and I’m proud I showed up. I followed the rules to a T in all other areas of my life. There was no spike after any of these protests and I saw each one as a risk worth taking. I absolutely believe that we are living in an era where our right to demonstrate and protest is under attack and I believe that people are aware of this. I could absolutely see a similar protest taking place. Even my lefty pals are starting to get frustrated by the restrictions. I could absolutely see some kind of anti lockdown protest happening in the near future, especially if another lockdown comes into effect in the winter. by travellingcats (Fri 28th May 2021 7:48pm)
  • I think this is an argument for introducing more green space to a city. There is a lot of disused land in Glasgow. Surely some of it could be used as a dedicated space to host these events? I always thought that the disused meat market area in dennistoun would be prime location for a site like that, since it’s close to the centre and has train stations very close by. That said, I am thought the whole appeal of living next to Glasgow green would be the live music perks in the first place? You’re getting free tickets on occasion? Sounds like a dream to me. by travellingcats (Thu 3rd Jun 2021 9:06pm)
  • Any idea when it stopped broadcasting stuff? I have this vague memory of hearing it play some classical music as a child but I’ve always assumed it was some kind of imagined memory or a dream or something. I was born in 1998 so if I did hear it, then I’m guessing it would’ve been around 2002-2008. by travellingcats (Mon 2nd Aug 2021 6:49pm)
  • Huh. Childhood mystery solved then! by travellingcats (Mon 2nd Aug 2021 11:42pm)
  • As a femme lesbian, I’m sad to say this still happens. I’ve been refused for this exact reason in three different occasions. I’ve been knocked back with no explanation countless times, even when I’ve shown up with my male, gay friends. Funnily enough, I’ve heard from a lot of butch lesbians that they also regularly get knocked back. Polo seems to want the “right kind of gay” on the dance floor, and it’s an absolute minefield to get in if you don’t conform to a certain stereotype. My fashion sense has evolved into something slightly more gender neutral over lockdown, so I’ll be interested to see if I still get knocked back regularly or if I now find it easier to get past the bouncers. by travellingcats (Fri 3rd Sep 2021 5:40pm)
  • Katie’s bar would be my top recommendation. As far as I’m aware, they aren’t owned by G1. I’m also fairly sure that they’re branded as a lesbian bar, but the place is very welcoming and I’ve never once had an issue whenever I’m there with my male friends. They do regular drag shows, Karaoke nights and quizzes too. It’s one of my favourite wee LGBT haunts. by travellingcats (Fri 3rd Sep 2021 5:46pm)
  • I’m hesitant to even make a comment about this, but I know for a fact that Janey Godley is not a very nice person. I personally know some people who were/are involved in the comedy scene and they can all attest that she’s not exactly known for her kindness. I also know that a relatively well known figure on Scottish Twitter was blocked by her when they stated that they found some jokes she apparently made relating to the Alex Salmond trial to be in poor taste. I personally didn’t really pay much mind to her until I casually posted something on Twitter about how I didn’t find her all that funny and about how I’d heard through the grapevine that she wasn’t a very nice person. Her fans found my tweet, threw abuse my way and called me a liar. Janey Godley herself replied and also called me a liar. That made the issue 100x worse. I was a 21 year old student with under 200 followers at the time. She drew unnecessary attention to my account and it honestly made me feel really anxious for a while. I didn’t expect her to find the tweet. I’ve tweeted worse things about lots of other comedians, actors, musicians etc.. and their content before and I’ve never once had that kind of a reaction. A quick search of her name on Twitter shows that she seems to just block anyone who dares criticise her. Sure, she gets a fair amount of criticism. Sure, some of it goes too far (no one deserves to get death threats after all). However, genuine critique just part and parcel of any kind of creative work. Not everyone will like you, your opinions or your creative endeavours in life. It’s important to come to terms with that. Anyway, rant over. I’m off to scour my account for any identifying details, just in case Janey Godley or her fan base find this comment and I wake up to find I’m public enemy #1 again. by travellingcats (Mon 6th Sep 2021 11:20pm)
  • Trust me, I don’t. This happened a while ago, so it’s now just a funny story that I sometimes tell at parties. I do wonder if she’s regularly searching up her name on Twitter and getting hurt by what she sees. She seems to take criticism very personally and it’s no way to live. If that’s the case, then I do feel sorry for her in a sense. Sure, the Twitter incident was horrible at the time, but I can at least laugh about it now. My account is now private, so it won’t happen again anyway. by travellingcats (Tue 7th Sep 2021 12:34am)
  • I didn’t “tell” her anything. Like I said, I tweeted something on an account with very few followers. Yes, I mentioned her name, but I didn’t tag her. The tweet got maybe three likes. It wasn’t threatening. It was me, stating my opinion of her. Like I said, I’ve tweeted stuff before about other actors and comedians and I’ve never once had that kind of reaction. Do you get offended whenever people say James Corden isn’t funny? Do you get upset whenever someone says that they don’t personally enjoy Quentin Tarantino films? Do you get angry whenever someone says that they feel disappointed by the latest JK Rowling novel? Do you get irritated whenever someone replies to a Reddit thread about a negative reaction with any other public figure? That’s the kind of thing I’ve tweeted/posted about in the past. I don’t go around firing abuse at celebrities online. Being in the public sphere means opening yourself up to fair criticism of your work. I absolutely disagree with the people who put unnecessary abuse out there, and I think it’s a shame that Godley does seem to attract a certain aggressive crowd who don’t like her politics. My point is that there’s a massive difference between tweeting “I personally don’t find this person funny and I have heard that others have had negative encounters with her” and tweeting “this person isn’t funny and deserves horrible things”. I tweeted the former statement. As for the story at parties thing? Well, lots of people have negative encounters with people in daily life that they look back on as a funny story. I’ve told funny stories about horrible customers at my work, things my parents did to annoy me, nasty lecturers at uni and poor encounters with strangers on the internet. What makes this particular story about a negative celebrity encounter any different? Just to reiterate, I never once tagged her or told her to her face that I didn’t find her funny. I’ve no idea how she found my tweet, considering my account was so small. I wouldn’t have tweeted it if I felt she would’ve seen it and reacted that way. Hope that clears things up. by travellingcats (Tue 7th Sep 2021 10:39am)
  • Once again, I never tweeted anything at her. I mentioned her name, but I never included her handle. I had under two hundreds followers and the tweet got three likes. I didn’t expect her to see it and I have no idea how she found it. I probably wouldn’t have tweeted it if I felt she’d have seen it. What’s the difference between someone tweeting “I don’t find James Corden funny and I’ve heard he isn’t very nice irl” and what I tweeted? by travellingcats (Tue 7th Sep 2021 5:33pm)
  • Max’s bar in the city centre. Huge portion sizes, but oh man they are incredible. by travellingcats (Tue 7th Sep 2021 10:12pm)
  • What a nice childhood memory to have! by travellingcats (Wed 8th Sep 2021 9:41pm)
  • A few years ago, I was walking with a friend through kelvingrove park when he pointed to a guy walking a little bit ahead of us. “Look” he goes “that’s Peter Capaldi”. I was convinced it was just a random guy with grey hair, so we bickered for a bit over whether or not it was him. Eventually, the conversation turned to us discussing the thick of it and politics in general. We mostly forgot about the guy who may or may not be Peter Capaldi. As we started to reach the end of the path, the man, who turned out to absolutely be Peter Capaldi, turned around, winked at us and walked out of sight. I hope he wasn’t too irritated by my insistence that he wasn’t actually himself. by travellingcats (Wed 8th Sep 2021 9:47pm)
  • Just out of curiosity, did they ever catch the person/people who murdered them? As funny as some of the stories on this thread are, it’s very sad that sex workers are often just seen as “less worthy” of attention when it comes to solving their murders. by travellingcats (Thu 23rd Sep 2021 10:11pm)
  • It’s also apparently because a lot of landlords sold their properties during the pandemic because they were having trouble getting people to fill them. Now classes are in person again, students are finding that a lot of former student flats have been sold on and are being renovated or used as homes for non students. A lot of people also applied for “panic masters” due to the state of the job market, so that means that there are even more students than usual who are competing for flats. It’s just a shit situation all round. by travellingcats (Sat 25th Sep 2021 11:59am)
  • I’m honestly considering it. It’s pretty hard to fuck up an ice rink and I’ve wanted to go skating for a while. Besides, even if it’s terrible it’ll be a laugh at the very least. by travellingcats (Fri 1st Oct 2021 9:37am)
  • Thank you for giving me the funniest mental image ever. by travellingcats (Mon 4th Oct 2021 9:22pm)
  • I’ve adopted a new philosophy with self service machines. If it doesn’t scan the first time, it’s free. I’ve never been caught, but the minute I am, I’ll do the whole “oh silly me, I must’ve forgot” spiel. I used to work retail so I refuse to take a worker away from whatever task they are doing just to scan something for me. by travellingcats (Wed 23rd Nov 2022 9:31pm)
  • I’m looking at doing the opposite to OP (going to New Zealand from Scotland) and this was actually really helpful. I was trying to explain to someone today that Australian climate is totally different to New Zealand and your description seems accurate to what I’ve heard lol. I am curious about one thing though; Is New Zealand as similar to Scotland as people say? Are there actually loads of Scottish people in New Zealand or is that just a bit of an exaggeration? I’ve been looking into doing this for a while now and people always seem to say that there’s no real point in going all the way to New Zealand since it’s so similar to home. by travellingcats (Sun 27th Nov 2022 6:23pm)
  • Oh wow amazing! Hoping I can maybe make my own way down there before the end of Southern Hemisphere summer if I’m lucky enough with the visa process. I hope you don’t mind me asking but what’s your flight plan? I was considering spending a night in somewhere like Singapore or Doha to break up the long flight if I end up going. by travellingcats (Sun 27th Nov 2022 9:56pm)
  • Almost everything I want has already been mentioned (legalising drugs, sorting out housing and transport, re-joining the EU..) but I have a few other policies and ideas I’d love to see in an independent Scotland: 1. We need to avoid being a tax-dodger’s paradise like Ireland. I am a hardcore Indy supporter but I genuinely think it’s not worth going independent if we end like that. 2. We should clamp down on airbnbs and dodgy money laundering tourist tat shops in places like Edinburgh, but that’s honestly more of an Edinburgh city council issue. A mandatory tourist tax is an absolute must for independent Scotland in my opinion. 3. Investment in green energy. We have so much unrealised potential in that area. 4. A Scottish republic. A hereditary monarchy has no place in a modern nation. 5. This is more of an ideology I guess. I want us to move away from the tartan tat shortbread image of Scotland. I work in tourism and I hate that we’ve boxed ourselves neatly into a stereotypical, Victorian parody of ourselves. When people think of the Nordic countries, they seem to think of their progressive policies. Sure, they still probably think of vikings and snowy landscapes. There just seems to be more of an awareness that those things are stereotypes. The Nordic nations present themselves as thriving, modern countries. Why can’t we do the same? Same with places like New Zealand. People seem to mostly think of Jacinda Arden or of New Zealand’s progressive policies. That exists alongside things like the all blacks or jokes about sheep. I just want us to be taken seriously on the world stage. I want our policies to be something to be proud of and I want them to be at the forefront of people’s minds when they think of Scotland. by travellingcats (Thu 15th Dec 2022 2:44pm)
  • I think the SNP would gtf anyway in the event of independence. Sturgeon would probably quietly retire. She’d have accomplished her goal and if I was her I’d absolutely want to spend the rest of my life just resting, maybe writing the odd book or giving the odd speech or interview. Whoever takes over after her is unlikely to unify the party. The SNP is an issue party at heart. Some MPs/MSPs are very left wing and some are quite right wing. They’d probably either join parties they feel represent them better or they’d just quietly bow out of politics after they’ve realised their goal of independence. I think (and hope) an independent Scotland would have a thriving and interesting political scene for a few years. New parties would crop up and old ones would disband. It would be an absolutely fascinating time. by travellingcats (Thu 15th Dec 2022 2:50pm)
  • It’s so frustrating that Glasgow is essentially being left to rot. So much wasted potential. This photo feels like a metaphor for that. by travellingcats (Thu 19th Jan 2023 8:09pm)
  • You’ve given me inspiration for my next taxi journey. by travellingcats (Thu 19th Jan 2023 8:12pm)
  • In my uni days, I had some friends that lived in Edinburgh and I’d sometimes go on nights out with them whenever I was home for Christmas or Easter or whatever. I was amazed the first time I realised I could just get the bus back to my mum’s house in deepest, darkest West Lothian at 3 in the morning. Going an equivalent distance from Glasgow at that time in the morning would be next to impossible. Part of the reason taxis have such a monopoly over prices is because Glasgow’s public transport system has been neglected so badly. It still amazes me that the biggest city in Scotland doesn’t really have a reliable night bus service that goes outside the city centre, forcing people to be reliant on price gouging taxis. I’ve lived in both cities now and the difference in public transport between the two is shocking. Glasgow is my favourite city by far, but I just can’t get over how badly let down it is by bus services. I get that taxis are still essential for a lot of people (like the elderly or disabled folks) but good night buses would be so helpful in revitalising Glasgow’s night time economy. by travellingcats (Thu 19th Jan 2023 8:39pm)
  • Got my septum pierced there almost a year ago. I have multiple ear piercings and I thought I’d be okay. Everyone told me it wasn’t that painful. It was excruciating. I had so many issues after it was done. Everyone told me a septum piercing would be less painful than some of my ear piercings and that the aftercare was easy, so I was really surprised by how much had gone wrong with mine. I’d wanted a septum piercing for so long and I was determined to keep it, even if it was bothering me. I went to blancolo a few weeks later for a different piercing and asked the piercer there if she’d mind taking a look at my septum. She said the piercing was “very uneven”. She also said it wasn’t pierced in the “soft spot” of my septum and that’s why I’d been in so much pain. She said re-piercing wasn’t a good idea due to scar tissue. I know blancolo get a bit of shit for being a “piercing factory”, but I’ve never had a bad piercing there. Meanwhile, I paid about £60 to rocknroll for a botched piercing that I’d wanted for years. My friend got a different piercing on the same day as me and all her emails were ignored when she also had issues. I’m really not shocked that they’re facing so issues. Hope they crash and burn. by travellingcats (Mon 23rd Jan 2023 6:07pm)
  • I also got an infection. The piercer in blancolo noticed the skin around the piercing was hot to touch, swollen and “a funny colour”. She gave me a free bottle of aftercare solution and told me to go to the doctor if I started to feel hot. Sure enough, I woke up in a cold sweat a few days later and there were green marks over my pillow from pus. It was grim. I ended up calling NHS 111 at 5 am. I was advised not to take the piercing out since that could trap bacteria in the piercing and make things worse, so I was stuck with a wonky piercing for months. I’m still so glad that I asked for advice at blancolo. It could’ve been a lot worse if I’d just carried on as normal. Tldr- good guys blancolo. Wank rock n roll. by travellingcats (Mon 23rd Jan 2023 9:20pm)
  • I absolutely agree that high street has been neglected, but I don’t think it should be overly catered to tourists. I work in Edinburgh now and I really miss the way Glasgow feels like a living, breathing, working city. Edinburgh city centre feels like Disneyland Scotland. Take a walk down princes street or the royal mile and you’ll see loads of tacky tourist shops selling cheap tat. There aren’t really many nice independent shops or cafes on the royal mile at all anymore. Most residents avoid the royal mile like the plague. That’s not how a city should be. It should be a space for both tourists and residents, with residents prioritised. by travellingcats (Tue 24th Jan 2023 5:35pm)
  • I’ve always felt the areas around the Clyde were wasted potential. I saw a photo floating around ages ago of a cafe or a pub beside the Clyde, right where the grassy verges are now. It reminded me of a place beside the Seine that I used to haunt when I lived in Paris. So many European cities have a river flowing through it that’s a hub of activity for cool bars and restaurants. Paris has a lot of “floating restaurants” on old ships. Glasgow has the transport museum and the tall ship and not much else at all. It’d be really nice if we had a waterfront area to be proud of. by travellingcats (Tue 24th Jan 2023 5:43pm)
  • I’ve always thought it’d be a good idea to put some community services into old shopping centres. Old shops could be converted into stuff like libraries, nurseries, offices, GP surgeries, food banks and more. Obviously those things don’t really earn money so it would never happen, but I still think diversifying shopping centres is the ideal scenario. Stuff like gyms for example will always be in demand and still make money. The weather is shite in Glasgow, so stuff like escape rooms, laser tag or those “battle bar” places with axe throwing and beer pong could be a shout as well. I just wish there was more we could do wit the big empty shopping centres that will start rapidly cropping up over the next 10 years. by travellingcats (Tue 24th Jan 2023 5:57pm)
  • Worked as a covid tester during the pandemic and people were lovely to us at first. Something shifted in late 2021 and people became absolutely disgusting towards anyone in a public facing role. Things reached a breaking point when an old man tried to spit on me. I have had three different public facing roles since then and I’ve had people scream in my face, call me very specific slurs and try to assault me. I now work in an office and people are somehow only slightly less evil over phone calls and email. People can tell me “it’s always been like this” until they’re blue in the face, but I absolutely think things got far, far worse during the pandemic. I think having constant access to things like food delivery services, Amazon delivery and drive through vaccine and covid testing facilities has made people expect the impossible. People demand five star service at the push of a button and get infuriated when it isn’t happening. They don’t realise there’s a human behind the services they rely on. When I was a covid tester, several people became enraged when I said I couldn’t give them the results immediately. I’d explain that their sample had to go to a lab for testing. They just didn’t get the concept of something not being instant. Instant gratification has been a disaster for retail, hospitality and healthcare workers. by travellingcats (Sat 28th Jan 2023 12:43pm)
  • This is why it pisses me off so much whenever someone criticises new build estates and is accused of being a NIMBY. The fact is that essential services aren’t being built to meet the increased population in those areas. It’s irresponsible and historically it’s been established that building estates like that only leads to a host of social issues. by travellingcats (Thu 2nd Feb 2023 12:12am)
  • Someone mentioned the Kelvingrove art gallery, but I’d go one step further. Most galleries and museums have big storage facilities where they keep artefacts that aren’t on display for whatever reason. Maybe it’s too delicate. Maybe its something that’s controversial to display to the public, like human bones or something that’s been looted during a conflict. Maybe the museum just doesn’t quite have the room for it. Maybe the museum is in the process of repatriating the item to its country of origin (side note- the kelvingrove is a pioneer when it comes to repatriation). These storage facilities are often climate controlled and often have a decent level of security in place. The storage facility for the Kelvingrove is the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre (GMRC). The website says: “The 17 purpose-built and environmentally controlled storage ‘pods’ house around 1.4 million objects. In fact, only 2% of our collections are on display at any one time and the majority of the remaining objects are stored here”. Someone already mentioned that an industrial estate is a good shout, since it’s away from the major population centres. The GMRC is located at the south Nitshill industrial estate. It’s perfect. It’s a huge building that’s easy to barricade and to hide in. It has presumably tight security. It’s in a sparsely populated area and it’s unlikely to be very busy when a zombie apocalypse starts. There’s probably at least one food warehouse nearby. I’m unlikely to get bored since I’m surrounded by history everywhere I look. I can’t think of a better place to hide. by travellingcats (Sat 11th Feb 2023 12:21pm)
  • I’ll get downvoted for this, but I’ve got ten ear piercings and all but one have been done by blancolo. Never once had an issue. I even went to them when my septum piercing got infected and they threw in a free bottle of piercing cleaning solution. by travellingcats (Sun 5th Mar 2023 10:08am)
  • I once got in a taxi right out of central after a job interview. I was dressed in my best work outfit and I was holding a leather satchel that made me look like a 1930s mafia don. I got into a taxi and asked if he took card. Predictably, he didn’t. Whatever. I thought. I had cash, I wouldn’t fight it this time. We started politely chatting and he eventually asked what I did. I have a habit of talking shit to taxi drivers just for the fun of it, but this time, before I knew what I was doing, I was talking a pile of shite about how I worked for HMRC. Taxi driver then asked what exactly I did. It took everything I had to keep a straight face as I told him I worked in fraud prevention. Miraculously, a card reader appeared at the end of the journey. I wish I’d recorded the whole thing because I still can’t believe I had the balls to just craft a complete lie like that. by travellingcats (Mon 1st May 2023 12:42am)
  • This is a major problem in a lot of suburbs across Scotland. I called a taxi company once at 1:45pm on a random Thursday. The girl on the phone goes “school run” and hangs up. I call back and I ask which schools get out at 1:45pm on a Thursday. She relented and I got a taxi after she couldn’t answer. I felt like a complete prick but her attitude seriously pissed me off. by travellingcats (Mon 1st May 2023 12:49am)
  • Livingston will take its toll on anyone, even without a long commute. by travellingcats (Thu 1st Jun 2023 10:56pm)
  • To cut a long story short, I went through a rough time of it a few years ago and found myself walking through Maryhill with tears streaming down my face. I walked past a building site and tried to keep my head down so no one would see how upset I was. Sadly for me, one of the builders saw me with tears falling down my face and made eye contact with me. “Hen!” He shouts. “HEN!”. I stop and look at him, ready to have a go at him for whatever comment he’s about to come out with. “Hen…” he says “whoever he is, he’s just no worth any tears hen”. He said it so sincerely that I almost thought he’d confused me for someone else who maybe was going through a relationship crisis but no, he was just a random guy giving out reverse cat-calls. by travellingcats (Mon 26th Jun 2023 10:05pm)
  • I always do this and it actually led me to a decently paid job in tourism since I had a lot of knowledge about pretty areas around Scotland. I still do it sometimes but I always feel a bit pathetic for going on wee adventures alone. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who sometimes just packs a bag and goes off on a random journey somewhere. by travellingcats (Mon 10th Jul 2023 9:29pm)
  • I work in tourism. Its shockingly common for tourists to say that their tour guide’s accent is “impossible to understand” or “horrible to listen to”. I don’t have a particularly strong accent when I’m speaking normally and I can put on a very posh and slow phone voice. Last week I took a call at work and I was asked if I could “speak English”. I immediately hung up the call. It really made me feel terrible. I honestly think that accent discrimination is one of the last bastions of acceptable discrimination in modern society. It’s really not hard to just listen to what someone is saying and to be polite if you don’t catch something the first time. by travellingcats (Fri 28th Jul 2023 12:00am)