T-minus one year.

My student visa expires exactly one year from today.

I hereby resolve to do and experience as many new and amazing things as possible within the next year, because there's no guarantee that I'm going to be able to stay in Scotland for any longer.  And then there's the Mayan apocalypse, too!

Seriously though, I want to continue making my time here count.  I think I've done a pretty good job so far, what with climbing Ben Vane, biking across Tiree, and other major and minor adventures that have happened.  But I want to make sure I keep it up!  The loftiest goal of all would be to have a uniquely interesting thing to report to this blog every day over the next 365 (or 366, this being a leap year), but I know that that's probably not realistic.  But it's one I can strive for, at least!

EDIT: Here is the official Mayan Apocalypse/Student Visa Expiration Bucket List:

Places to Go:
Mull, Iona, and Staffa.
Islay and Jura.
The Uists.
Shetland.
Aberdeen/anywhere north of Fife and east of the A9. This is the only part of the Scottish mainland I have never visited.
Wales.
Cornwall. I've already been to John o'Groats, but I'd like to be able to say I've been to Land's End, too!

Things to Do:
Go on a winter hike with crampons.
Visit The Real Mary King's Close.
Visit the National Museum of Scotland.
Jump into Loch Carron.
Walk the Water of Leith walkway.
Walk the Great Glen Way.
See a ballet.
See an orchestra concert.
Read all ten books currently sitting on my bedside table.
Get my MSc.

People to See:
Becca, Kat, and Chaz in Yorkshire.
Brian, Carol, Craig, and Kathryn in Nottinghamshire.
Shaina when she's in the Netherlands in February.
Tracey when she comes to visit me.
Sima. Either I will go to Russia or she will come here.
Musical acts I'm fond of, if and when they visit Scotland or northern England.

This will probably get added to as I think of more things, and I'll be checking things off as I complete them, preferably with photographic documentation that they've been done now that I have a camera again!

Cheers, y'all.