Hey, things are still going really good here, let me know how it is back in Texas. School is going, classes really haven't been all that tough so long as I stay on top of the reading and the schedule is awesome. Last weekend, 6 of us went to Stirling, which is a small town right on the edge of the highlands. It was a gorgeous day, its worth staying here through all the nasty weather to catch those incredible days when the weather is perfect and the sun is shining. We went first to Stirling castle, which was pretty impressive and a lot more like what I expected than Edinburgh Castle. It was on top of a hill with incredible views (some are in the pictures). I toured the castle, walked around the great hall, the chapel and the palace. The great hall and chapel were very impressive. The palace was in the middle of a lot of archaelogical work and was stripped down, so although we could walk through it and learn a lot, it was little more than an immense (and impressive) stone building with no furnishings. After the castle, we went to Bannockburn Battleground (remember Braveheart). This is where Robert the Bruce soundly defeated the English. Today, there is little to see, except for a couple of monuments, although it would be easy to imagine (and an incredible image) thousands of Scots up against the English running across what is today open fields. I found a fly-shop in Stirling! Picked up a bunch of flyers and Dr. Beaty and I are tentatively scheduling a trip to the loch this friday, where I hope to catch a bunch of trout. Ha, we also ate at Pancho Villas, a Mexican restaurant that really was pretty reasonable. I miss Mexican food! Finally, we went to the William Wallace memorial, which is a very impressive tower built on a hilltop that provides amazing views of the surrounding mountains. Catching a glimpse of the highlands makes me very excited to get up there, I believe I'll go the next weekend with suitable weather. Next saturday we are still planning on going to the Ireland/Scotland rugby game, weather permitting, although we are counting on buying tickets from scalpers (people swear they are easy and cheaper at the stadium...we'll see). Well, thats about it, I'll let you know how things are going.