In addition to this lovely blog here, I have also been writing for my beloved Purple & White as the International Correspondent (I am fancy). If you are interested in reading any of my articles, you can find them at:
http://www.millsaps.edu/p&w
I wrote five article, but only two of the issues they are in are uploaded, so check out October 1st and October 29th.
Hopefully the others will be uploaded eventually and I will add them. Or maybe I'll just do a post with the articles if anyone wants to read them
P.s. Two posts in one day?? CrAzY.
.jpg)
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
mo' procrastination
ONLY ONE MORE EXAM UNTIL I AM FREE (until grad school)
I keep meaning to write about Belfast, and it keeps getting away from me, so here are just a few quick impressions it left on me:
- SO COLD. Well, that's the Republic too right now. I did not think it could/would get much colder until it DID and now going outside is the most miserable thing imaginable, which is why I spent most of my time holed up in my little room in the apt, drinking mass quantities of tea and cider (which my sweet beau brought me all the way from ye olde U.S.). Oh yeah, Belfast. Well I bought an awesome hat at the Christmas market there that basically doesn't leave my head ever. Which is good because I also need a haircut something fierce. But that's another story.
- ANOTHER terrifying experience. I would really like to go somewhere that doesn't involve me risking my life in some kind of really high-elevation adventure. In this case, it was the Carrick-a-Rede bridge, a rope bridge suspended high over the OCEAN. And once you crossed it there was no way to get back from the little island thing but to cross it again. NOT. HAPPY.
- The Giant's Causeway is one of the coolest naturally occurring phenomenons ever. Definitely a highlight.
- It is unreal to me the separation that still exists there. Only 3% of the population actually lives in undivided neighborhoods. Everywhere else the Protestants and the Catholics live separated. In Belfast there are these huge walls, really high that they call the Berlin Walls of Belfast because they close off the neighborhoods to one another. There are these gates that close automatically at 10 p.m. and no one can get through after that time. All in all, it was very eye-opening that stuff like that still happens in a place like the U.K.
- I like pounds, as in the money. The coins are really cool and they feel good in your hand. Euro paper money is still way prettier though.
Some other thoughts: Brian is here (yay!!) and it seems like he is going to end up doing in a week and a half almost all the stuff I've done in a semester. We did a weekend trip to Cork and the Blarney Stone/Galway and the Cliffs of Moher, and we did the Guinness tour, Jameson tour, and literary pub crawl. He is in Belfast now visiting our favorite Northern Irelander, Jack of course. Once I (FINALLY) finish my Irish Lit exam we are off to England and Scotland.
WHICH MEANS I ONLY HAVE THREE MORE DAYS IN IRELAND. Where has it gone?
I am considering starting a blog about my life in general when I get back to the states. But I'll probably be really bad about keeping it up.
I keep meaning to write about Belfast, and it keeps getting away from me, so here are just a few quick impressions it left on me:
- SO COLD. Well, that's the Republic too right now. I did not think it could/would get much colder until it DID and now going outside is the most miserable thing imaginable, which is why I spent most of my time holed up in my little room in the apt, drinking mass quantities of tea and cider (which my sweet beau brought me all the way from ye olde U.S.). Oh yeah, Belfast. Well I bought an awesome hat at the Christmas market there that basically doesn't leave my head ever. Which is good because I also need a haircut something fierce. But that's another story.
- ANOTHER terrifying experience. I would really like to go somewhere that doesn't involve me risking my life in some kind of really high-elevation adventure. In this case, it was the Carrick-a-Rede bridge, a rope bridge suspended high over the OCEAN. And once you crossed it there was no way to get back from the little island thing but to cross it again. NOT. HAPPY.
- The Giant's Causeway is one of the coolest naturally occurring phenomenons ever. Definitely a highlight.
- It is unreal to me the separation that still exists there. Only 3% of the population actually lives in undivided neighborhoods. Everywhere else the Protestants and the Catholics live separated. In Belfast there are these huge walls, really high that they call the Berlin Walls of Belfast because they close off the neighborhoods to one another. There are these gates that close automatically at 10 p.m. and no one can get through after that time. All in all, it was very eye-opening that stuff like that still happens in a place like the U.K.
- I like pounds, as in the money. The coins are really cool and they feel good in your hand. Euro paper money is still way prettier though.
Some other thoughts: Brian is here (yay!!) and it seems like he is going to end up doing in a week and a half almost all the stuff I've done in a semester. We did a weekend trip to Cork and the Blarney Stone/Galway and the Cliffs of Moher, and we did the Guinness tour, Jameson tour, and literary pub crawl. He is in Belfast now visiting our favorite Northern Irelander, Jack of course. Once I (FINALLY) finish my Irish Lit exam we are off to England and Scotland.
WHICH MEANS I ONLY HAVE THREE MORE DAYS IN IRELAND. Where has it gone?
I am considering starting a blog about my life in general when I get back to the states. But I'll probably be really bad about keeping it up.
Friday, December 4, 2009
yum?
Eggs make up 75% of the things I actually COOK in this country. I am pathetic.
If you are what you eat, I am turning into:
a) fried egg sandwich
b) toast
c) cereal, specifically special k and no other kind
d) tea
e) crisps (either lightly salted or salt & vinegar)
f) tomato & basil soup
g) bagels and cream cheese
h) pasta
i) some combination of the above
BECAUSE THAT IS ALL I EAT!
I am pitiful-slash-need to learn how to cook.
If you are what you eat, I am turning into:
a) fried egg sandwich
b) toast
c) cereal, specifically special k and no other kind
d) tea
e) crisps (either lightly salted or salt & vinegar)
f) tomato & basil soup
g) bagels and cream cheese
h) pasta
i) some combination of the above
BECAUSE THAT IS ALL I EAT!
I am pitiful-slash-need to learn how to cook.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Où est la rue du trois frères?
I haven't been able to put my thoughts about Paris down in my blog yet because I'm not sure any words I pick can do it justice. But here is my trip in a nutshell.
(Disclaimer: if I use the words amazing, incredible and beautiful a lot, please forgive me. I need to spend some time with a thesaurus.)
Early morning. Watching the sun rise in Paris. First stop was the Lourve, but just to pick up the tour bus. The architecture is INCREDIBLE. I can't believe they were going to just tear down the building at one time because they couldn't think of a use for it. Anyway, we picked up our hop-on, hop-off bus and were off!
Places we saw:
a) the Lourve
b) the Seine
c) Notre Dame
d) the square with the Egyptian obelisk ferris wheel (don’t think I ever caught the name)
e) Champs Elysees
f) l’Arc de Triomphe
g) the Moulin Rouge
h) the Musee d'Orsay
i) the Rodin museum
j) Galaries Lafayette
k) the Eiffel Tower
l) ALL OF PARIS (from the top of the Eiffel Tower)
m) a MILLION pieces of incredible, amazing, beautiful, iconic (oooh! a new word) art
and a bunch more stuff that either doesn’t have a cool name or I can’t remember it.
We rode the tour bus around the whole route and then started hopping off and on to go to all the museums and attractions. Luckily my travel companions also wanted to do a lot of nerdy museum-going, so that was our main objective, along with the cathedrals and Eiffel, of course.
Basically I just wandered around the museums in a Heritage-fueled excitement/stupor. Luckily, Grace is an art history minor, so she was like my own mini tour guide, especially in the Musee d’Orsay. Grace also took a class on Gothic cathedrals, so we had a lot to talk about at Notre Dame (flying buttresses!). Some of my favorite pieces that we saw include Le Penseur (aka the Thinker), Victory at Samothrace, La Liberté Guidant le Peuple, Ballerinas Resting… and a lot more.
Things we ate:
1. Baguettes. A lot of baguettes. Free breakfast at our hostel was cereal and baguettes, so we stashed extra in our purses to eat for lunch. I probably at 6-7 baguettes in 2 days.
2. Crepes! You can’t go to Paris and not eat crepes, duh. Especially with Nutella.
3. Delicious sausage sandwich thing, with cheese melted on this really swank cheese melty device… on a baguette of course.
4. The French version of a hot dog, which is two weenies in a baguette (I told you I ate a lot of baguettes).
5. Pizza? It was good.
6. Wine!!
Food gave me a good excuse to practice my French. Since I am somewhat of a failure at learning languages, the only conversations I was able to carry on were asking vendors how much things cost, asking for directions/where something was, and being very grateful. I said “merci” more than any other word on the whole trip. (At least I was polite!)… Still, I really enjoyed using the language in a non-classroom setting and it made me want to go further with my French learning. Maybe after I graduate I’ll spend some time trying to pick it back up again.
As for the Eiffel Tower, have I mentioned that I really hate heights and/or enclosed spaces that are high? Which is why going up into the Eiffel Tower (the tallest structure in the world for 40 years when it was built, dontcha know) in a GLASS ELEVATOR was not fun. In any way. I mean, rationally I realize that millions upon millions of people go up in that thing and they all come down safe and sound, but I am not rational. Thank God for Grace, who all but held my little scared hand on the way up. Anyway, I did eventually ascend to the very top and the views WERE worth it. It was gorgeous. We went at night, and all the lights were breathtaking. And when we got down again we watched the light show and it was a great end to the trip.
So after two days of walking EVERYWHERE, my dogs were darn tired. Actually, at the end of the second night (after going up the tower) Grace and I were extremely pitiful. We were both walking veeeerrryy gingerly, trying to put as little weight as possible on our poor swollen feeties. I’m sure we were hilarious to any onlookers. Also, we made the mistake of getting up on this big cement ridge to watch the Eiffel Tower light show. A mistake because in order to get down, we had to jump. Grace went first and as soon as she landed on her bruised feet and started wincing, I KNEW. I knew what was coming for me and there was no way to avoid it. So I jumped down too. And then we limped our sad asses back home.
Fun facts!!
The Lourve started with just 12 pieces of art, including the Mona Lisa, which is the most popular tourist attraction in it now.
The Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World’s Fair. A few years later, to top structures like Eiffel, a man decided to make a structure that moved for the 1893 World’s Fair. It was the Ferris Wheel! (Also, Eiffel the man helped design the Statue of Liberty).
Hmmmm… I knew I should have written the rest down…
To sum: I LOVE PARIS I WANT TO GO BACK NOW AND ALWAYS.
(Disclaimer: if I use the words amazing, incredible and beautiful a lot, please forgive me. I need to spend some time with a thesaurus.)
Early morning. Watching the sun rise in Paris. First stop was the Lourve, but just to pick up the tour bus. The architecture is INCREDIBLE. I can't believe they were going to just tear down the building at one time because they couldn't think of a use for it. Anyway, we picked up our hop-on, hop-off bus and were off!
Places we saw:
a) the Lourve
b) the Seine
c) Notre Dame
d) the square with the Egyptian obelisk ferris wheel (don’t think I ever caught the name)
e) Champs Elysees
f) l’Arc de Triomphe
g) the Moulin Rouge
h) the Musee d'Orsay
i) the Rodin museum
j) Galaries Lafayette
k) the Eiffel Tower
l) ALL OF PARIS (from the top of the Eiffel Tower)
m) a MILLION pieces of incredible, amazing, beautiful, iconic (oooh! a new word) art
and a bunch more stuff that either doesn’t have a cool name or I can’t remember it.
We rode the tour bus around the whole route and then started hopping off and on to go to all the museums and attractions. Luckily my travel companions also wanted to do a lot of nerdy museum-going, so that was our main objective, along with the cathedrals and Eiffel, of course.
Basically I just wandered around the museums in a Heritage-fueled excitement/stupor. Luckily, Grace is an art history minor, so she was like my own mini tour guide, especially in the Musee d’Orsay. Grace also took a class on Gothic cathedrals, so we had a lot to talk about at Notre Dame (flying buttresses!). Some of my favorite pieces that we saw include Le Penseur (aka the Thinker), Victory at Samothrace, La Liberté Guidant le Peuple, Ballerinas Resting… and a lot more.
Things we ate:
1. Baguettes. A lot of baguettes. Free breakfast at our hostel was cereal and baguettes, so we stashed extra in our purses to eat for lunch. I probably at 6-7 baguettes in 2 days.
2. Crepes! You can’t go to Paris and not eat crepes, duh. Especially with Nutella.
3. Delicious sausage sandwich thing, with cheese melted on this really swank cheese melty device… on a baguette of course.
4. The French version of a hot dog, which is two weenies in a baguette (I told you I ate a lot of baguettes).
5. Pizza? It was good.
6. Wine!!
Food gave me a good excuse to practice my French. Since I am somewhat of a failure at learning languages, the only conversations I was able to carry on were asking vendors how much things cost, asking for directions/where something was, and being very grateful. I said “merci” more than any other word on the whole trip. (At least I was polite!)… Still, I really enjoyed using the language in a non-classroom setting and it made me want to go further with my French learning. Maybe after I graduate I’ll spend some time trying to pick it back up again.
As for the Eiffel Tower, have I mentioned that I really hate heights and/or enclosed spaces that are high? Which is why going up into the Eiffel Tower (the tallest structure in the world for 40 years when it was built, dontcha know) in a GLASS ELEVATOR was not fun. In any way. I mean, rationally I realize that millions upon millions of people go up in that thing and they all come down safe and sound, but I am not rational. Thank God for Grace, who all but held my little scared hand on the way up. Anyway, I did eventually ascend to the very top and the views WERE worth it. It was gorgeous. We went at night, and all the lights were breathtaking. And when we got down again we watched the light show and it was a great end to the trip.
So after two days of walking EVERYWHERE, my dogs were darn tired. Actually, at the end of the second night (after going up the tower) Grace and I were extremely pitiful. We were both walking veeeerrryy gingerly, trying to put as little weight as possible on our poor swollen feeties. I’m sure we were hilarious to any onlookers. Also, we made the mistake of getting up on this big cement ridge to watch the Eiffel Tower light show. A mistake because in order to get down, we had to jump. Grace went first and as soon as she landed on her bruised feet and started wincing, I KNEW. I knew what was coming for me and there was no way to avoid it. So I jumped down too. And then we limped our sad asses back home.
Fun facts!!
The Lourve started with just 12 pieces of art, including the Mona Lisa, which is the most popular tourist attraction in it now.
The Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World’s Fair. A few years later, to top structures like Eiffel, a man decided to make a structure that moved for the 1893 World’s Fair. It was the Ferris Wheel! (Also, Eiffel the man helped design the Statue of Liberty).
Hmmmm… I knew I should have written the rest down…
To sum: I LOVE PARIS I WANT TO GO BACK NOW AND ALWAYS.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
I am a Blog Failure
So, according to Tayto I have not updated in two weeks and one day. And I feel bad about this. My reasons (excuses) for this terrible lapse include:
1. I went to Paris. And then peed my pants about it a lot.
2. I went to Belfast. Not so much pants-peeing, but still really cool.
3. I had to write a 10-page paper.
4. I had to rest my brain after writing said paper.
5. I had to write an article for Molly.
6. I had a lot of online tv (i.e. Glee) to watch.
7. I am a horrible journal keeper and apparently blogs fall into that category. At least I'm consistent.
8. I had to keep procrastinating on my 5 grad school applications, including the 10 or 11 essays. Ugh.
Okay, that's enough of that. I promise to have a real update tomorrow and will try to be updated by the end of the week!! After all, I have some exams to procrastinate studying for...
(Just kidding Mom and Dad).
1. I went to Paris. And then peed my pants about it a lot.
2. I went to Belfast. Not so much pants-peeing, but still really cool.
3. I had to write a 10-page paper.
4. I had to rest my brain after writing said paper.
5. I had to write an article for Molly.
6. I had a lot of online tv (i.e. Glee) to watch.
7. I am a horrible journal keeper and apparently blogs fall into that category. At least I'm consistent.
8. I had to keep procrastinating on my 5 grad school applications, including the 10 or 11 essays. Ugh.
Okay, that's enough of that. I promise to have a real update tomorrow and will try to be updated by the end of the week!! After all, I have some exams to procrastinate studying for...
(Just kidding Mom and Dad).
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Top Chef Dublin
Tonight's dinner:
canned tuna (that I wrestled out through a tiny hole cut with a knife - the can opener is broken) on crackers (my bread was moldy, threw it out this morning) with a side of the BIGGEST can of pineapple bits (this one had a pop top thingy, thank God) I've ever seen.
I NEED GROCERIES.
In other news, I think I only have one more day of classes.
"But Kathleen, classes don't end until November 27th, surely you are mistaken?"
Ahh yes, but I don't have classes on Wednesdays, I am leaving this Thursday for Paris and therefore missing the one class I have Thursday and Friday. Then next week there is a University-wide strike to protest budget costs on Tuesday, and I'm leaving Thursday for Belfast (again, Thursday and Friday classes getting nixed). So that leaves just next Monday. Whoops. What's up, exam week?
canned tuna (that I wrestled out through a tiny hole cut with a knife - the can opener is broken) on crackers (my bread was moldy, threw it out this morning) with a side of the BIGGEST can of pineapple bits (this one had a pop top thingy, thank God) I've ever seen.
I NEED GROCERIES.
In other news, I think I only have one more day of classes.
"But Kathleen, classes don't end until November 27th, surely you are mistaken?"
Ahh yes, but I don't have classes on Wednesdays, I am leaving this Thursday for Paris and therefore missing the one class I have Thursday and Friday. Then next week there is a University-wide strike to protest budget costs on Tuesday, and I'm leaving Thursday for Belfast (again, Thursday and Friday classes getting nixed). So that leaves just next Monday. Whoops. What's up, exam week?
Saturday, November 14, 2009
to market, to market
So in most of the cities we've gone to - Galway, Cork, etc. - the laylies and I have always tried to check out the weekend markets. Each one is different and features delicious foodz, homemade crafty things and fun art. Yet in almost three months, I still hadn't been to any Dublin markets. UNTIL NOW. And my life has been drastically improved since experiencing it.
All the markets of the day were in the Temple Bar area, where they run every Saturday, regardless of weather. The first one we (Kendra and I) came upon was the book market (and we all know how I feel about books, don't we?). There were several booths with new and old books, records and cds. Some highlights included The Cat Lover's Pocket Bible, Now That's What I Call Music 8 on vinyl (what???), and the UK edition of Northern Lights/The Golden Compass (I came thisclose to buying it despite the TWO U.S. copies I have at home...).
Next up we were on the hunt for yummy foodies. We easily found the fruit and veg stands, but spent a bewildered few minutes wondering if that was it (it wasn't much). So we kind of just wandered around until somehow we stumbled through an alleyway and tapped the correct pattern of bricks behind the Leaky Cauldron - uh, I mean turned a corner - and found ourselves surrounded by homemade deliciousness of all kinds. We then proceeded to make between two and five laps of all the booths, basically drooling on ourselves and everything else. The smells! The sights! Breads, crepes, rotisseries, lamb skewers, noodles... Mediterranean, Indian, American... Delish. Since we are both completely incapable of making such a serious decision as what to have for lunch, we decided to dwell on it while checking out the artsy part of the market.
There we wandered among jewelry (so many pretty and funky silver rings, especially loved the ones made out of antique spoons), knitted goods, clothes, paintings/photographs and SCARVES. At which point my willpower broke down and I purchased a GORGEOUS orange, gold and black pashmina with a peacock design. I plan to wear it every day for the rest of my life.
Back to foodies! After three more laps and lots more drool/indecision, lunch was finally purchased. Mine was a barbeque angus burger (burgers being another one of my great loves) on a delicious baked roll thing, and hot apple cider with a shot of apple brandy! YUM. Kendra ate rice and curry with the same to drink.
After exhausting the Temple markets we wandered through vintage shops and fun stores around George's St. and Grafton St. before returning home full and happy.
Next week: PARIS!!!! Eeeeeeeee!!!!
After that: Belfast!!! Oooooohhh!!!
After that: Studying. Oh.
After that: Brian gets here!!!! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHhhhhhhh!!!
All the markets of the day were in the Temple Bar area, where they run every Saturday, regardless of weather. The first one we (Kendra and I) came upon was the book market (and we all know how I feel about books, don't we?). There were several booths with new and old books, records and cds. Some highlights included The Cat Lover's Pocket Bible, Now That's What I Call Music 8 on vinyl (what???), and the UK edition of Northern Lights/The Golden Compass (I came thisclose to buying it despite the TWO U.S. copies I have at home...).
Next up we were on the hunt for yummy foodies. We easily found the fruit and veg stands, but spent a bewildered few minutes wondering if that was it (it wasn't much). So we kind of just wandered around until somehow we stumbled through an alleyway and tapped the correct pattern of bricks behind the Leaky Cauldron - uh, I mean turned a corner - and found ourselves surrounded by homemade deliciousness of all kinds. We then proceeded to make between two and five laps of all the booths, basically drooling on ourselves and everything else. The smells! The sights! Breads, crepes, rotisseries, lamb skewers, noodles... Mediterranean, Indian, American... Delish. Since we are both completely incapable of making such a serious decision as what to have for lunch, we decided to dwell on it while checking out the artsy part of the market.
There we wandered among jewelry (so many pretty and funky silver rings, especially loved the ones made out of antique spoons), knitted goods, clothes, paintings/photographs and SCARVES. At which point my willpower broke down and I purchased a GORGEOUS orange, gold and black pashmina with a peacock design. I plan to wear it every day for the rest of my life.
Back to foodies! After three more laps and lots more drool/indecision, lunch was finally purchased. Mine was a barbeque angus burger (burgers being another one of my great loves) on a delicious baked roll thing, and hot apple cider with a shot of apple brandy! YUM. Kendra ate rice and curry with the same to drink.
After exhausting the Temple markets we wandered through vintage shops and fun stores around George's St. and Grafton St. before returning home full and happy.
Next week: PARIS!!!! Eeeeeeeee!!!!
After that: Belfast!!! Oooooohhh!!!
After that: Studying. Oh.
After that: Brian gets here!!!! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHhhhhhhh!!!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
A day of old and new loves
First off, I (+friendys) visited the Jameson Irish Whiskey factory on Halloween - at 10:30 in the morning. Perfect time for some whiskeyz if you ask me. The tour was great. We learned a lot about why Irish whiskey - particularly Jameson - is different from other whiskeys, like Scotch or American versions. We heard the words "triple-distilled" approximately 583920932 times. Then Grace and I were chosen to participate in a whiskey-tasting/comparison session, where we compared Scotch, American and Irish whiskey. Scotch (we had Johnny Walker Red Label) was the worst, because it has a smokey taste due to peat being present somewhere in the distillation process. American (Jack Daniels) had a much stronger woody flavor, while Irish was the sweetest. Jameson won, duh. Actually we were encouraged to choose Jameson as the best by our guide (I mean, we WERE in a Jameson factory), but I think I like Irish and American nearly equally. They each mix better with different things (i.e. Jack with Coke but Jameson with Sprite/ginger ale). Also, the Irish apparently drink their whiskey with cranberry juice, which Brian tried once and it was nasty. Weird! After the free shots during the tasting we got a free drink and a diploma!
Fun facts!!!!!
1. Ireland and America are the only ones that spell the word properly: "whiskey." Everywhere else spells it "whisky."
2. Jameson has hints of vanilla and honey because they don't use new barrels, but only barrels that have previously aged port or bourbon.
3. Jameson is the best-selling Irish whiskey in the world.
4. Jameson is a mix of malted and unmalted barley. Scotch only uses malted. They told us what the process of malting does but its complicated to explain/I can't remember it exactly.
Then lunch was on tap at the oldest pub in Dublin, The Brazen Head. Yum!
As for the afternoon/evening, I can sum it up in two words: RUGBY ROCKS. We went to a Leinster v. Cardiff (an English team, boooo) match. Leinster, of course, was superior in every way and won easily, and it was incredibly exciting. My interpretation of rugby can be described in the following formula:
American football
- forward passes (laterals only - Millsaps should know something about that)
+ way more pileups
- sissy pads and helmets
+ awesome cheerleader lift moves when throwing ball inbounds
- sissy timeouts (or at least as many of them)
+ brutality
- inches of fabric on shorts (shortyshorts are popular)
__________________________________
rugby
And its awesome.
Fun facts!!!!!
1. Ireland and America are the only ones that spell the word properly: "whiskey." Everywhere else spells it "whisky."
2. Jameson has hints of vanilla and honey because they don't use new barrels, but only barrels that have previously aged port or bourbon.
3. Jameson is the best-selling Irish whiskey in the world.
4. Jameson is a mix of malted and unmalted barley. Scotch only uses malted. They told us what the process of malting does but its complicated to explain/I can't remember it exactly.
Then lunch was on tap at the oldest pub in Dublin, The Brazen Head. Yum!
As for the afternoon/evening, I can sum it up in two words: RUGBY ROCKS. We went to a Leinster v. Cardiff (an English team, boooo) match. Leinster, of course, was superior in every way and won easily, and it was incredibly exciting. My interpretation of rugby can be described in the following formula:
American football
- forward passes (laterals only - Millsaps should know something about that)
+ way more pileups
- sissy pads and helmets
+ awesome cheerleader lift moves when throwing ball inbounds
- sissy timeouts (or at least as many of them)
+ brutality
- inches of fabric on shorts (shortyshorts are popular)
__________________________________
rugby
And its awesome.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Cork, etc
So since some people (Taylor) have asked (repeatedly) to see the amazing fully sequined floral leggings, here is a picture:
Its not the best picture, but I didn't carry a camera that night and its the only one I have... for now. Just know they are much better in person.(Also, that's my friend Susan wearing tights as pants.)
Also, we went to Cork this past weekend! It was a fun, short visit where IFSA treated us to a SWANK hotel and I never wanted to get out of bed-slash-wanted to ship it home to sleep in every night.
One cool thing we did was climb to the top of this church in the center of town to ring these famous bells (we played "Three Blind Mice," although other options included "Final Countdown" and "Died in Your Arms Tonight") and see AWESOME views of the whole town. The only thing that wasn't great about it was the climb involved MORE creepy, super steep, narrow-as-hell, claustrophobic stone stairs. I had flashbacks to Blarney and didn't like it. But the view was worth it:
Also, we had to wear these awesome noise-blocking headphones because the bells were so loud when you were right next to them. Styyyylish:
It was also the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, which is the real reason we went there. Lots of music and fun:
Fun fact: Guinness is basically the sponsor of life here in Ireland. Jazz festivals, rugby championships, pub crawls, even hospitals. Guinness is everywhere. Oh, and I can drink it now!! After some practice, I have acclimated to the taste and even (gasp!) kind of like it.
Its not the best picture, but I didn't carry a camera that night and its the only one I have... for now. Just know they are much better in person.(Also, that's my friend Susan wearing tights as pants.)
Also, we went to Cork this past weekend! It was a fun, short visit where IFSA treated us to a SWANK hotel and I never wanted to get out of bed-slash-wanted to ship it home to sleep in every night.
One cool thing we did was climb to the top of this church in the center of town to ring these famous bells (we played "Three Blind Mice," although other options included "Final Countdown" and "Died in Your Arms Tonight") and see AWESOME views of the whole town. The only thing that wasn't great about it was the climb involved MORE creepy, super steep, narrow-as-hell, claustrophobic stone stairs. I had flashbacks to Blarney and didn't like it. But the view was worth it:
Also, we had to wear these awesome noise-blocking headphones because the bells were so loud when you were right next to them. Styyyylish:
It was also the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, which is the real reason we went there. Lots of music and fun:
Fun fact: Guinness is basically the sponsor of life here in Ireland. Jazz festivals, rugby championships, pub crawls, even hospitals. Guinness is everywhere. Oh, and I can drink it now!! After some practice, I have acclimated to the taste and even (gasp!) kind of like it.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
top ten again
Top Ten Best Things about Ireland (halfway through version):
10. the sequins, ha!
9. the sheepies
8. the castles! (and architecture in general)
7. the beautiful countryside and greeeennnnnnn
6. the food (when I can actually afford to eat it)
5. the boozes
4. the irish pub music
3. the literary history
2. the O’Rourkes
1. the time to think and explore / the independence of being away from everything
and as a bonus, the Top Worst Thing:
1. pretty much everything about the euro/dollar exchange rate (except the euro is WAY prettier than American moneyz. Just saying.)
10. the sequins, ha!
9. the sheepies
8. the castles! (and architecture in general)
7. the beautiful countryside and greeeennnnnnn
6. the food (when I can actually afford to eat it)
5. the boozes
4. the irish pub music
3. the literary history
2. the O’Rourkes
1. the time to think and explore / the independence of being away from everything
and as a bonus, the Top Worst Thing:
1. pretty much everything about the euro/dollar exchange rate (except the euro is WAY prettier than American moneyz. Just saying.)
Sunday, October 18, 2009
what are the odds?
I was on the same bus three separate times today. Once on the way to meet Grace and Kendra for dinner. Once on the way home from dinner - over an hour later. It was the same bus. I am sure. Then Grace and I went back out and the bus we caught home? It was the SAME BUS - almost 6 hours from the first time I was on it. Same bus, same 4 discarded tickets, same opened Fanta bottle spilling all over the floor. THE SAME EXACT BUS, THREE TIMES.
Creeeepyyyyy.
Creeeepyyyyy.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
senioritis
I'm getting pretty bad at keeping up this whole blog thing. I always do this with journals too - I start one every couple of years and write in it for some length of time, sometimes a month, sometimes 5 months, but inevitably I ALWAYS stop. The entries get fewer and further between and then eventually stop. I actually brought a journal to Dublin too... and I've written in it all of six times. I don't like that trait about me. Almost all my life I've wanted to be a writer, so why do I forget to write??
Anyway, I haven't had much to blog about lately. I've hit that point in the semester where things are starting to be due and I just DON'T want to do them. In fact, I'd rather do almost anything BUT my homework.
Senioritis: I have it.
But I did win a t-shirt in a literary pub crawl quiz last week! Whoo!
AND I finally bought the fully sequined floral leggings!!!! and wore them out to the clubs last night!!!!
(Yes, they were a big hit.)
Anyway, I haven't had much to blog about lately. I've hit that point in the semester where things are starting to be due and I just DON'T want to do them. In fact, I'd rather do almost anything BUT my homework.
Senioritis: I have it.
But I did win a t-shirt in a literary pub crawl quiz last week! Whoo!
AND I finally bought the fully sequined floral leggings!!!! and wore them out to the clubs last night!!!!
(Yes, they were a big hit.)
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
musings
I can't believe I have been in this country 51 days and at UCD 37. So much time has passed already, it kind of makes the neurotic side of me go "Whoa!! What have I been doing? I need to get out, do things, experience, etc, etc while there's still time!" But the other side of me is content to just sort of be. Be here, and let that mean whatever it means in the end. Maybe I leave this country not having seen EVERYTHING there is to see. Although part of me screams about the money that it took to get here, and is taking every day to stay here, and that I need to see every freaking thing to make it worthwhile, that other part of me is happy in a way that I'm not.
Before I got here, I thought my study abroad adventure would involve making the best friends of my life, going here there and everywhere as much as possible, and generally just doing things constantly. However, the actual experience is much more... sedate (is that the right word? I'm not sure). And while I have made awesome friends and had some awesome times (which I'm sure will continue to be awesome), I think the most important thing this trip has given me is the chance to get to know myself.
At Millsaps, everyone knows everyone and people are in many ways defined by what they do. Hi, I'm Kathleen and I work for the P&W, I'm an LXA sweetheart and a KD, I do Wellspring and CMT and am in such-and-such honoraries. There, now you know who I am. But not really. I think I got so caught up in the things I was going to do as a senior - the things that would define me and make me worthy. But being here, on a campus where I can go an entire day and not see a single person I know, has let me lose all those things that formed my identity in Jackson and re-learn the things that I truly want to define me.
Hi, I'm Kathleen, and I like to read. Particularly modern-era poetry/fiction and fantasy and mystery stories, but really I'll take a shot at almost anything. I'm a bad cook who wishes to be a good one. I appreciate architecture despite knowing nothing about it. I like to look out the window while in cars, buses, trains. I am a scaredy-cat. I really like that I am Irish and that the O'Rourkes have such a strong family bond. I like to make things with my hands (like books) and draw silly doodles, but I don't consider myself an artist. I love a boy named Brian. I have a great family who is always there for me. I also have a great KD family who never fails to make me laugh. I am a huge nerd who likes things like dino hats and Harry Potter jokes. I think like my dad but feel like my mom. I want to be a better writer than I am. I want to be a deeper person than I am.
Nice to meet me.
Before I got here, I thought my study abroad adventure would involve making the best friends of my life, going here there and everywhere as much as possible, and generally just doing things constantly. However, the actual experience is much more... sedate (is that the right word? I'm not sure). And while I have made awesome friends and had some awesome times (which I'm sure will continue to be awesome), I think the most important thing this trip has given me is the chance to get to know myself.
At Millsaps, everyone knows everyone and people are in many ways defined by what they do. Hi, I'm Kathleen and I work for the P&W, I'm an LXA sweetheart and a KD, I do Wellspring and CMT and am in such-and-such honoraries. There, now you know who I am. But not really. I think I got so caught up in the things I was going to do as a senior - the things that would define me and make me worthy. But being here, on a campus where I can go an entire day and not see a single person I know, has let me lose all those things that formed my identity in Jackson and re-learn the things that I truly want to define me.
Hi, I'm Kathleen, and I like to read. Particularly modern-era poetry/fiction and fantasy and mystery stories, but really I'll take a shot at almost anything. I'm a bad cook who wishes to be a good one. I appreciate architecture despite knowing nothing about it. I like to look out the window while in cars, buses, trains. I am a scaredy-cat. I really like that I am Irish and that the O'Rourkes have such a strong family bond. I like to make things with my hands (like books) and draw silly doodles, but I don't consider myself an artist. I love a boy named Brian. I have a great family who is always there for me. I also have a great KD family who never fails to make me laugh. I am a huge nerd who likes things like dino hats and Harry Potter jokes. I think like my dad but feel like my mom. I want to be a better writer than I am. I want to be a deeper person than I am.
Nice to meet me.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
I forgot...
to blog about this ridiculous/awesome/intense-as-hell debate Kendra and I went to about about the Lisbon Treaty (all the talk here until Oct. 2, when they will vote on it).
But Kendra blogged about it! So just read hers.
http://kendraanne.blogspot.com/2009/09/on-that-point-madam.html
(I used to know how to make that all cool where you just clicked on her name instead of the URL, but I can't remember now. So there you go.)
But Kendra blogged about it! So just read hers.
http://kendraanne.blogspot.com/2009/09/on-that-point-madam.html
(I used to know how to make that all cool where you just clicked on her name instead of the URL, but I can't remember now. So there you go.)
Monday, September 28, 2009
Who needs Oktoberfest...
when you have O'ROURKETOBERFEST!??!?!
So when my parents were here and we were traveling about we stayed with the O'Rourke/Tierney clan, whose daughter was engaged. Somehow the bride-to-be's visit ended in a "you should come to the wedding!" and me with a "YES." Well, this wedding just happened to be this past weekend and against all odds, I managed to make it!
I caught a ride to Wexford with some other Dublin O'Rourkes, including my third cousin Claire who is a fresher here at UCD. "Uncle" Eamon (who is really my second cousin once removed or some crazy thing like that) found someone who had an extra bed in the hotel for me to stay in... The only problem? All I had was her first name, no surname, phone number, room info or anything. Luckily (and somewhat sketchily), the hotel receptionist gave me the key anyway.
The wedding commenced at 3:30, but as it was a FULL CATHOLIC MASS it was not over until 5:30. However, it was beautiful and sweet and awesomely wedding-y, so it didn't seem two hours long at all. There were a few bumps in the road - for example, the symbolic candle the bride and groom lit went out immediately (whoops), but luckily they occurred in a funny/charming way, not a this-marriage-is-doomed way.
Look! Here's the blushing bride:
After the wedding was over there were family pictures, and since the only people I actually knew at this shindig WERE family members, I took this time as the perfect opportunity to photographically document the NUMEROUS SASS/EDGY HAIRPIECES.
Can I just take a moment to discuss this? Irish weddings are apparently the MECCA of sass hair accessories. Flowers, feathers, art deco thingys, even netted hat dohickeys... all present. In fact, the mother of the bride, mother of the groom AND maid of honor all had some form of sass-in-the-hair going on. At one point I counted 27 heads of hair that were bedecked in some way. (Hey, I said this was a full Catholic mass! And what with all the up-and-down, saying peace, getting communion, etc., there was a lot of time to look around...)
Just a small sampling of the sassitude:
I personally channeled Blair Waldorf with an understated, minimally feathered, chic black headband, but in hindsight I really should have cranked the sass-o-meter WAY up.
But anyway, back to the reception. There was champagne and strawberries and then we all moved inside this castle-esque hall for the dinner. Or so I thought. Actually, first there were speeches. The best man acted as MC, and introduced the father of the bride (my favorite "uncle," Eamon - that man is hilarious).
Then the father of the groom gave a speech.
Then the best man gave a speech.
Then the groom gave a speech.
Then the bride gave a speech.
Then the priest gave a speech.
At this point everyone is starving and through at least one (but probably more) glass of wine, so I think the priest's speech was mostly ignored. But all the other ones were lovely and/or funny.
Finally! Dinner was delicious and then there was more wine and then there was the first dance and the father-daughter dance. And then there was an awesome band that played into the wee hours of the morning.
And can I just say that the O'Rourkes are party animals? When I finally gave up the ghost at 4 a.m. and crawled my happy ass to bed, the bride and groom were still up running around, the PARENTS of the bride were still up running around and all sorts of Irish tomfoolery continued long after I hit the hay.
Weddings rock!
P.s. Look I got the pictures to work! Yay! Check out more sass on facebook.
So when my parents were here and we were traveling about we stayed with the O'Rourke/Tierney clan, whose daughter was engaged. Somehow the bride-to-be's visit ended in a "you should come to the wedding!" and me with a "YES." Well, this wedding just happened to be this past weekend and against all odds, I managed to make it!
I caught a ride to Wexford with some other Dublin O'Rourkes, including my third cousin Claire who is a fresher here at UCD. "Uncle" Eamon (who is really my second cousin once removed or some crazy thing like that) found someone who had an extra bed in the hotel for me to stay in... The only problem? All I had was her first name, no surname, phone number, room info or anything. Luckily (and somewhat sketchily), the hotel receptionist gave me the key anyway.
The wedding commenced at 3:30, but as it was a FULL CATHOLIC MASS it was not over until 5:30. However, it was beautiful and sweet and awesomely wedding-y, so it didn't seem two hours long at all. There were a few bumps in the road - for example, the symbolic candle the bride and groom lit went out immediately (whoops), but luckily they occurred in a funny/charming way, not a this-marriage-is-doomed way.
Look! Here's the blushing bride:
After the wedding was over there were family pictures, and since the only people I actually knew at this shindig WERE family members, I took this time as the perfect opportunity to photographically document the NUMEROUS SASS/EDGY HAIRPIECES.
Can I just take a moment to discuss this? Irish weddings are apparently the MECCA of sass hair accessories. Flowers, feathers, art deco thingys, even netted hat dohickeys... all present. In fact, the mother of the bride, mother of the groom AND maid of honor all had some form of sass-in-the-hair going on. At one point I counted 27 heads of hair that were bedecked in some way. (Hey, I said this was a full Catholic mass! And what with all the up-and-down, saying peace, getting communion, etc., there was a lot of time to look around...)
Just a small sampling of the sassitude:
I personally channeled Blair Waldorf with an understated, minimally feathered, chic black headband, but in hindsight I really should have cranked the sass-o-meter WAY up.
But anyway, back to the reception. There was champagne and strawberries and then we all moved inside this castle-esque hall for the dinner. Or so I thought. Actually, first there were speeches. The best man acted as MC, and introduced the father of the bride (my favorite "uncle," Eamon - that man is hilarious).
Then the father of the groom gave a speech.
Then the best man gave a speech.
Then the groom gave a speech.
Then the bride gave a speech.
Then the priest gave a speech.
At this point everyone is starving and through at least one (but probably more) glass of wine, so I think the priest's speech was mostly ignored. But all the other ones were lovely and/or funny.
Finally! Dinner was delicious and then there was more wine and then there was the first dance and the father-daughter dance. And then there was an awesome band that played into the wee hours of the morning.
And can I just say that the O'Rourkes are party animals? When I finally gave up the ghost at 4 a.m. and crawled my happy ass to bed, the bride and groom were still up running around, the PARENTS of the bride were still up running around and all sorts of Irish tomfoolery continued long after I hit the hay.
Weddings rock!
P.s. Look I got the pictures to work! Yay! Check out more sass on facebook.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
whoa
As of yesterday, the 19th, I have been in Ireland for exactly one month.
One month ago, my parents and I first went to O’Connell Street, to catch the hop-on, hop-off tour to officially start our Irish adventure. It was so foreign then, the buildings and streets and stores unfamiliar. To go there now is a completely different experience. I know the bus to take to get there, exactly where it will stop off, which side streets to take to get to the grocery stores and famers market, which places sell school supplies and which places sell cheap clothes. I know which direction to walk to get to Grafton Street, Temple Bar, Trinity College. I know the sights, the smells, the sounds.
Dublin and I are getting to know each other.
In other news: Two weeks of school in. One week behind. Many things to read this week!
One month ago, my parents and I first went to O’Connell Street, to catch the hop-on, hop-off tour to officially start our Irish adventure. It was so foreign then, the buildings and streets and stores unfamiliar. To go there now is a completely different experience. I know the bus to take to get there, exactly where it will stop off, which side streets to take to get to the grocery stores and famers market, which places sell school supplies and which places sell cheap clothes. I know which direction to walk to get to Grafton Street, Temple Bar, Trinity College. I know the sights, the smells, the sounds.
Dublin and I are getting to know each other.
In other news: Two weeks of school in. One week behind. Many things to read this week!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Heat wave/Claddagh adventures
So apparently last week/weekend was the extent of Ireland’s summer. “Summer” here means that for one week, it doesn’t rain and the temperature is blissfully warm (i.e. 70 instead of 60). Summer proved to be the perfect time to go to Galway, on the west coast of this lovely island.
Galway offered me my first taste of hostel life, in the form of the Claddagh Hostel. (Note to my mother reading this: it was listed in a guidebook, and therefore clean/legit.) Now I was prepared for some facets of hostel life, like the ten strangers sleeping in one room, one miniscule shower for approximately 25 guests, etc. What I was NOT prepared for was the fact that the workers all cleared out at 11 p.m., which meant that when Kendra and I got back to ole’ Claddagh around 12/12:30 no one was around to unlock the cabinet in which we had stored our bags. Which meant that Kendra and I had no access to a) pajamas, b) face wash, c) phone chargers and d) life. Which meant that we had to sleep in our clothes (read: jeans). And it was pretty much terrible… But it was cheap, and I suppose that’s the point, right? (The next night, we made sure to get everything out of hock in time to snooze in style.)
Galway was awesome, with tours to the Cliffs of Moher (I looove those cliffs), the Ailwee Caves, Doolin and more. But one of my favorite parts of the trip was just sitting on the bus looking out the window as we drove through the countryside. It’s just so peaceful here. Pastoral. There’s just something about watching the animals, the sheep and cows and horses, grazing in pastures, peacefully. They aren’t just being forced and rushed through feedlots in order to fatten up the fastest before going to the slaughterhouse (sorry, Fast Food Nation tangent there). The animals are respected, the land is respected, the farmers and workers and salespeople and businesspeople are respected too. It’s not all about the bottom dollar – at least not everywhere. Americans have gotten so wrapped up in efficiency and economy that they are willing to settle for… well, shit, if it is less expensive and more accessible. It’s so funny because the McDonald’s here are SWANKY. They are super clean, super well equipped (think comfy high stools and nice sit-down tables), and the beef they use is Irish, naturally-grazing beef. And while I haven’t actually eaten at one yet, I have a feeling the food might just taste better too. The Irish just seem to demand better, while we settle for worse.
In other news: I’m sick. But it’s not (snot, ha) the swine.
In other other news: All the people that told us that the Irish aren’t as loud as Americans LIED. At least when it comes to the 20 screaming people directly below my window.
Galway offered me my first taste of hostel life, in the form of the Claddagh Hostel. (Note to my mother reading this: it was listed in a guidebook, and therefore clean/legit.) Now I was prepared for some facets of hostel life, like the ten strangers sleeping in one room, one miniscule shower for approximately 25 guests, etc. What I was NOT prepared for was the fact that the workers all cleared out at 11 p.m., which meant that when Kendra and I got back to ole’ Claddagh around 12/12:30 no one was around to unlock the cabinet in which we had stored our bags. Which meant that Kendra and I had no access to a) pajamas, b) face wash, c) phone chargers and d) life. Which meant that we had to sleep in our clothes (read: jeans). And it was pretty much terrible… But it was cheap, and I suppose that’s the point, right? (The next night, we made sure to get everything out of hock in time to snooze in style.)
Galway was awesome, with tours to the Cliffs of Moher (I looove those cliffs), the Ailwee Caves, Doolin and more. But one of my favorite parts of the trip was just sitting on the bus looking out the window as we drove through the countryside. It’s just so peaceful here. Pastoral. There’s just something about watching the animals, the sheep and cows and horses, grazing in pastures, peacefully. They aren’t just being forced and rushed through feedlots in order to fatten up the fastest before going to the slaughterhouse (sorry, Fast Food Nation tangent there). The animals are respected, the land is respected, the farmers and workers and salespeople and businesspeople are respected too. It’s not all about the bottom dollar – at least not everywhere. Americans have gotten so wrapped up in efficiency and economy that they are willing to settle for… well, shit, if it is less expensive and more accessible. It’s so funny because the McDonald’s here are SWANKY. They are super clean, super well equipped (think comfy high stools and nice sit-down tables), and the beef they use is Irish, naturally-grazing beef. And while I haven’t actually eaten at one yet, I have a feeling the food might just taste better too. The Irish just seem to demand better, while we settle for worse.
In other news: I’m sick. But it’s not (snot, ha) the swine.
In other other news: All the people that told us that the Irish aren’t as loud as Americans LIED. At least when it comes to the 20 screaming people directly below my window.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
today it didn't rain
and I didn't have class!
and I bought many groceries!
and I "worked out" (i.e. ran a few times around the nearby track and then came home to make dinner)!
and now some friendys and I are making plans to travel to Galway, Paris and more!
... but seriously it didn't rain once today.
and I bought many groceries!
and I "worked out" (i.e. ran a few times around the nearby track and then came home to make dinner)!
and now some friendys and I are making plans to travel to Galway, Paris and more!
... but seriously it didn't rain once today.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
a whole week!
So lots of exciting, mundane, interesting, inebriated, cheesy, strange and awkward things have happened in the past week. (But I’ll try to stick to the exciting, interesting ones.)
For one thing, I will never again complain about Millsaps registration (Millsaps financial aid, for sure, but not registration). UCD registration for study abroad arts students makes Millsaps look like a well-oiled machine. I’m still not fully registered, and we’re two days into the semester.
But I do have some classes, and when you put them all together they kind of add up to “How to Write a Children’s Book 101” – they include Hero Tales, Myth and Legend in Irish Literature, Other Worlds in Medieval Literature, Irish Literature in English (…and Paradise Lost, which doesn’t fit as well with the children’s book theme).
For example, on Monday we spent an entire 50-minute class (it was the Other Worlds class) talking about monsters. Which. Is. Awesome.
So basically what I’m saying is, after this semester I will be fully prepared to write the next Harry Potter and become widely acclaimed, rich and famous. And then I will buy an adorable little Irish apartment with an adorable little Georgian door and be able to come back to Dublin whenever I want. And I’ll probably buy lots of new clothes, including many be-sequined things, which are all the rage here. Seriously, I’ve never seen so many sparkly clothes. I plan to return to the states with many fabulous bedazzled things added to my life. Possibly/probably including fully sequined floral leggings. Yes, you read that right. FULLY SEQUINED FLORAL LEGGINGS.
If only I had my sequined/bedazzled/neon dress/skirt/leggings already, I could have worn it this weekend, when one of my housemates turned 21 (a bit anticlimactic here since the drinking age is 18). Where did we celebrate this momentous occasion, you ask? None other than ThunderRoad, the biggest and most obnoxious tribute to Americana that I have ever seen. Paraphernalia includes:
a)giant American-flag sculptural artsy thing on ceiling
b)giant eagle sculptural artsy thing on ceiling next to the flag
c)life-size wooden Native American greeting you at the door
d)American baseball and football flags displayed everywhere
e)3-dimensional Mount Rushmore painting/sculpture on one wall
f)giant Statue of Liberty, wearing an American flag
g)huge screens playing music videos of Bruce Springsteen, Journey, the Eagles, etc
h)bikes, bikers, license plates, road signs, tat signs, pleather
i)plastic tiger print tablecloths
Needless to say, it was quite the place. But it is what the Birthday Girl wanted, and its what she got (it did have free birthday ice cream, so there you go.)
Upcoming posts may or may not cover the exciting topics of:
Things I cook! (A fried egg sandwich being the highest achievement so far.)
Things I wish I could cook but can’t! (Pretty much everything else.)
Things I read for class! (Beowulf is up first.)
Things I read for fun! (Ulysses, since I couldn’t get into the class on it, and the Irish Times.)
Things I buy! (Have I mentioned FULLY SEQUINED FLORAL LEGGINGS?)
Things I want to buy but don’t! (Everything over approximately 10 euro.)
But not pictures since apparently neither blogspot nor facebook want me to share my photographic genius with the world.
Cheers!
For one thing, I will never again complain about Millsaps registration (Millsaps financial aid, for sure, but not registration). UCD registration for study abroad arts students makes Millsaps look like a well-oiled machine. I’m still not fully registered, and we’re two days into the semester.
But I do have some classes, and when you put them all together they kind of add up to “How to Write a Children’s Book 101” – they include Hero Tales, Myth and Legend in Irish Literature, Other Worlds in Medieval Literature, Irish Literature in English (…and Paradise Lost, which doesn’t fit as well with the children’s book theme).
For example, on Monday we spent an entire 50-minute class (it was the Other Worlds class) talking about monsters. Which. Is. Awesome.
So basically what I’m saying is, after this semester I will be fully prepared to write the next Harry Potter and become widely acclaimed, rich and famous. And then I will buy an adorable little Irish apartment with an adorable little Georgian door and be able to come back to Dublin whenever I want. And I’ll probably buy lots of new clothes, including many be-sequined things, which are all the rage here. Seriously, I’ve never seen so many sparkly clothes. I plan to return to the states with many fabulous bedazzled things added to my life. Possibly/probably including fully sequined floral leggings. Yes, you read that right. FULLY SEQUINED FLORAL LEGGINGS.
If only I had my sequined/bedazzled/neon dress/skirt/leggings already, I could have worn it this weekend, when one of my housemates turned 21 (a bit anticlimactic here since the drinking age is 18). Where did we celebrate this momentous occasion, you ask? None other than ThunderRoad, the biggest and most obnoxious tribute to Americana that I have ever seen. Paraphernalia includes:
a)giant American-flag sculptural artsy thing on ceiling
b)giant eagle sculptural artsy thing on ceiling next to the flag
c)life-size wooden Native American greeting you at the door
d)American baseball and football flags displayed everywhere
e)3-dimensional Mount Rushmore painting/sculpture on one wall
f)giant Statue of Liberty, wearing an American flag
g)huge screens playing music videos of Bruce Springsteen, Journey, the Eagles, etc
h)bikes, bikers, license plates, road signs, tat signs, pleather
i)plastic tiger print tablecloths
Needless to say, it was quite the place. But it is what the Birthday Girl wanted, and its what she got (it did have free birthday ice cream, so there you go.)
Upcoming posts may or may not cover the exciting topics of:
Things I cook! (A fried egg sandwich being the highest achievement so far.)
Things I wish I could cook but can’t! (Pretty much everything else.)
Things I read for class! (Beowulf is up first.)
Things I read for fun! (Ulysses, since I couldn’t get into the class on it, and the Irish Times.)
Things I buy! (Have I mentioned FULLY SEQUINED FLORAL LEGGINGS?)
Things I want to buy but don’t! (Everything over approximately 10 euro.)
But not pictures since apparently neither blogspot nor facebook want me to share my photographic genius with the world.
Cheers!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
awkward in-between time
It is orientation week and it is awkward, as only orientation can be.
But tomorrow we finally get to move into UCD, and I couldn’t be more excited. I am ready to get settled in – and especially to finally be done living out of a suitcase! Hooray!
I am starting to figure out where things are and how to get around, which makes me feel very mature/urbane/cool/not touristy. Today myself and some other ladies managed to get on the right bus, get off at the right stop, locate and purchase phone plans for Ireland, get (a delicious bagel) dinner and return home on the right bus. While that might not sound like a lot, the bus system in Dublin is quite complex and we were quite impressed with ourselves. I’m excited about using this complex bus system to further explore Dublin. There are so many more museums I want to visit and things I want to experience, including but not limited to:
a)The Dublin Writer’s Museum
b)A literary pub crawl
c)CSI Experience (my obsession with CSI is shared here in Ireland – in fact, I am watching CSI as I type this!)
d)The James Joyce Center
e)A tour of Guinness Storehouse
f)The Irish Museum of Modern Art
I guess what I'm most excited about is making this city "mine." After this semester, I will always be able to remember/talk about/reminisce over "when I lived in Dublin." Which I love, because it sounds/is way cooler than "when I lived in Jackson" (no offense Jackson) or "when I lived in Utah" (no offen... well, Utah kind of deserves it). The little hole-in-the-wall pub, the one particular park bench that fits my butt better than any other, the best place to spend Sunday reading, the corner of the library where I suffer through the papers - these are the things that will make Dublin my city.
But tomorrow we finally get to move into UCD, and I couldn’t be more excited. I am ready to get settled in – and especially to finally be done living out of a suitcase! Hooray!
I am starting to figure out where things are and how to get around, which makes me feel very mature/urbane/cool/not touristy. Today myself and some other ladies managed to get on the right bus, get off at the right stop, locate and purchase phone plans for Ireland, get (a delicious bagel) dinner and return home on the right bus. While that might not sound like a lot, the bus system in Dublin is quite complex and we were quite impressed with ourselves. I’m excited about using this complex bus system to further explore Dublin. There are so many more museums I want to visit and things I want to experience, including but not limited to:
a)The Dublin Writer’s Museum
b)A literary pub crawl
c)CSI Experience (my obsession with CSI is shared here in Ireland – in fact, I am watching CSI as I type this!)
d)The James Joyce Center
e)A tour of Guinness Storehouse
f)The Irish Museum of Modern Art
I guess what I'm most excited about is making this city "mine." After this semester, I will always be able to remember/talk about/reminisce over "when I lived in Dublin." Which I love, because it sounds/is way cooler than "when I lived in Jackson" (no offense Jackson) or "when I lived in Utah" (no offen... well, Utah kind of deserves it). The little hole-in-the-wall pub, the one particular park bench that fits my butt better than any other, the best place to spend Sunday reading, the corner of the library where I suffer through the papers - these are the things that will make Dublin my city.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Worship at the Temple
(Temple Bar District that is.)
My first Temple Bar experience actually came from The Auld Dubliner bar (pub), where we wandered in after hearing loud, raucous music seeping out the doorway. Once inside, we were overwhelmed by the musical stylings of Brian Brody, who played old Irish ditties accompanied by the many Irish folk in the bar, singing/screaming along with the fervor of crazed rugby fans. They knew ALL the words to ALL the songs. We did not.
In addition to Irish tunes such as “sad to say I must be on my way, so buy me beer and whiskey 'cause I'm going far away,” and “she’s handsome, she’s pretty, she’s the belle of Belfast city” Brian (who has a great name!) also played such classics as Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” John Denver’s “Country Road,” Something-or-other’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” and some other ones which I have forgotten in the 30 minutes it took to get home. During the country songs, Brian called out to the pub for the audience to provide some “yeehaws,” which my father was only too happy to enthusiastically yell out.
Regardless of the song’s origin, Irish or American, there was much singing along, which got louder and louder as more drinks were consumed. A good/drunk time was had by all!
So for now my future plans include many weekends at The Auld Dubliner, where I will learn all the words to all the pub songs and become best friends with Brian Brody’s (beautiful) girlfriend whom I smiled at tonight as I squeezed past to go to the ladies room. She said “there you go, love” as she moved aside. So what I’m saying is we are pretty much besties already. And when it’s official we will sing/scream together along to all the Irish ditties.
In other news: On the DART tram home there were two men wearing security-style belts and vests that proclaimed RAIL SECURITY (Michael Mohr?). Do with that what you will.
PICTURE POST COMING SOON! YAY!
My first Temple Bar experience actually came from The Auld Dubliner bar (pub), where we wandered in after hearing loud, raucous music seeping out the doorway. Once inside, we were overwhelmed by the musical stylings of Brian Brody, who played old Irish ditties accompanied by the many Irish folk in the bar, singing/screaming along with the fervor of crazed rugby fans. They knew ALL the words to ALL the songs. We did not.
In addition to Irish tunes such as “sad to say I must be on my way, so buy me beer and whiskey 'cause I'm going far away,” and “she’s handsome, she’s pretty, she’s the belle of Belfast city” Brian (who has a great name!) also played such classics as Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” John Denver’s “Country Road,” Something-or-other’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” and some other ones which I have forgotten in the 30 minutes it took to get home. During the country songs, Brian called out to the pub for the audience to provide some “yeehaws,” which my father was only too happy to enthusiastically yell out.
Regardless of the song’s origin, Irish or American, there was much singing along, which got louder and louder as more drinks were consumed. A good/drunk time was had by all!
So for now my future plans include many weekends at The Auld Dubliner, where I will learn all the words to all the pub songs and become best friends with Brian Brody’s (beautiful) girlfriend whom I smiled at tonight as I squeezed past to go to the ladies room. She said “there you go, love” as she moved aside. So what I’m saying is we are pretty much besties already. And when it’s official we will sing/scream together along to all the Irish ditties.
In other news: On the DART tram home there were two men wearing security-style belts and vests that proclaimed RAIL SECURITY (Michael Mohr?). Do with that what you will.
PICTURE POST COMING SOON! YAY!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wednesday at the Horseshoe (8/26 post)
[The internetz on our journey throughout the countryside has been pretty much hit-or-miss, with wifi specifically being miss. For example, I am currently sitting in a closet in the attic at Frank and Kay’s, the only spot in their house with service. So I typed these posts up previously and am uploading them now.]
As I write this, I am in bed at the Horseshoe House bed & breakfast in Doolin, a small town near the Cliffs of Moher (HARRY POTTER SITE!!!!). Anyway, I find the location slightly ironic, as this same night in Jackson, sorority ladies will be fraternizing with freshies, awkwardly interacting at the sketch Horseshoe bar whilst trying desperately not to hotbox.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Jackson and the ole Saps. I really started this whole study abroad thing because I needed so badly to get away, from Millsaps and Mississippi and more. A lot of things changed very quickly, and suddenly what I thought my college would be wasn’t an option anymore. So I had this idea, and against all odds, it actually happened.
But it’s good. It’s what I needed. I needed this is be excited again. About Ireland, of course, but also excited about going back. About returning to a place that, to be honest, has been pretty disappointing to me lately. But the rain of Ireland might just be what it takes to wash away the chip on my shoulder.
In other news: For the past couple nights we have been watching the Rose of Tralee contest on the telly, which is basically the Irish Miss America except there’s no swimsuit section, its more about personality and less about looks, and any girl with Irish heritage can enter – even if she herself is not actually Irish (there were British and Australian and Texan and New Orlean and more contestants). So the current plan is that I have about three more years to find a way to become the Mississippi Rose and go to the Rose of Tralee contest! In case you are interested, the London Rose won this year, and she had a funky hairdo.
In other other news: Anne’s promises of Ireland being a veritable redheaded oasis have thus far proved false. While there have been a few redheads, there is definitely no overwhelming amount. In fact, they are scarce enough that when either my dad or I spot one, we immediately and awkwardly point it out to the other one (occasionally loudly and with finger pointing). We are embarrassing.
As I write this, I am in bed at the Horseshoe House bed & breakfast in Doolin, a small town near the Cliffs of Moher (HARRY POTTER SITE!!!!). Anyway, I find the location slightly ironic, as this same night in Jackson, sorority ladies will be fraternizing with freshies, awkwardly interacting at the sketch Horseshoe bar whilst trying desperately not to hotbox.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Jackson and the ole Saps. I really started this whole study abroad thing because I needed so badly to get away, from Millsaps and Mississippi and more. A lot of things changed very quickly, and suddenly what I thought my college would be wasn’t an option anymore. So I had this idea, and against all odds, it actually happened.
But it’s good. It’s what I needed. I needed this is be excited again. About Ireland, of course, but also excited about going back. About returning to a place that, to be honest, has been pretty disappointing to me lately. But the rain of Ireland might just be what it takes to wash away the chip on my shoulder.
In other news: For the past couple nights we have been watching the Rose of Tralee contest on the telly, which is basically the Irish Miss America except there’s no swimsuit section, its more about personality and less about looks, and any girl with Irish heritage can enter – even if she herself is not actually Irish (there were British and Australian and Texan and New Orlean and more contestants). So the current plan is that I have about three more years to find a way to become the Mississippi Rose and go to the Rose of Tralee contest! In case you are interested, the London Rose won this year, and she had a funky hairdo.
In other other news: Anne’s promises of Ireland being a veritable redheaded oasis have thus far proved false. While there have been a few redheads, there is definitely no overwhelming amount. In fact, they are scarce enough that when either my dad or I spot one, we immediately and awkwardly point it out to the other one (occasionally loudly and with finger pointing). We are embarrassing.
Smoochin’ the Stone (8/25 post)
[The internetz on our journey throughout the countryside has been pretty much hit-or-miss, with wifi specifically being miss. For example, I am currently sitting in a closet in the attic at Frank and Kay’s, the only spot in their house with service. So I typed these posts up previously and am uploading them now.]
Today I kissed the Blarney Stone, an Irish tradition said to bring the kisser the gift of “eloquence” (aka the ability to shittalk/schmooze). Well, I’m not sure if I’ve received eloquence, but I smooched the stone and just about peed my pants/ran away several times. Why, you ask? Because, despite my previous belief, the stone is not just chilling in some courtyard somewhere, but in fact five or six stories up on the parapet of the castle. To get there you have to go up all six (or five) stories in a super skinny stone spiral staircase (check out that alliteration!) which is SCARY. (At least for me, because I’m a ‘fraidycat.) Then, when you finally make it out onto the castle roof, you have to go around the parapet to the Blarney Stone. To kiss it, you have to sit on your butt and lean backwards out over the ground SIX STORIES DOWN. You can see the little people below. I don’t like it. You grab some bars and this worker dude holds on to you and you have to scooch upside down until you can reach it with your kisser. WHILE YOU HANG OVER THE EDGE OF A CASTLE! But I smooched it and I smooched it good. And then I immediately headed for solid ground.
Sidenote: My cousin Moira, when she lived in London, heard stories of local boys climbing the tower to pee on the stone (Bacot?). But at the time I was much more worried about death than pee. So hopefully that is just an urban legend.
Today I kissed the Blarney Stone, an Irish tradition said to bring the kisser the gift of “eloquence” (aka the ability to shittalk/schmooze). Well, I’m not sure if I’ve received eloquence, but I smooched the stone and just about peed my pants/ran away several times. Why, you ask? Because, despite my previous belief, the stone is not just chilling in some courtyard somewhere, but in fact five or six stories up on the parapet of the castle. To get there you have to go up all six (or five) stories in a super skinny stone spiral staircase (check out that alliteration!) which is SCARY. (At least for me, because I’m a ‘fraidycat.) Then, when you finally make it out onto the castle roof, you have to go around the parapet to the Blarney Stone. To kiss it, you have to sit on your butt and lean backwards out over the ground SIX STORIES DOWN. You can see the little people below. I don’t like it. You grab some bars and this worker dude holds on to you and you have to scooch upside down until you can reach it with your kisser. WHILE YOU HANG OVER THE EDGE OF A CASTLE! But I smooched it and I smooched it good. And then I immediately headed for solid ground.
Sidenote: My cousin Moira, when she lived in London, heard stories of local boys climbing the tower to pee on the stone (Bacot?). But at the time I was much more worried about death than pee. So hopefully that is just an urban legend.
Monday, August 24, 2009
the adventure thickens...
So we rented a car.
Have I mentioned that the cars are small because the roads are TINY? And that they twist and turn like mad (“Slow: Dangerous Bends Ahead”)? And that my father, the driver, has never driven on the left before (“Left lane, Russell” being the quote of the past two days)? And that there are super tall hedges/bushes/forests growing on both sides of the road so that every turn is completely blind? And that the Irish drive like madmen???
But, despite all odds, with Dad’s driving, my navigating and Mom’s white-knuckle stressing in the backseat we have made it thus far with all limbs, tires and fenders intact BUT without the left side mirror which was ripped off the car in a very exciting (read: scary) moment today.
Currently I am blogging from Kinsale, a cute little harbor town known for some mighty fine eating.
SPEAKING of eating (nice segway, right?), I am going to gain 5290532709 pounds on this trip if the first week is anything to judge by. After leaving Frank and Kay’s, we drove down the coast, stopping to look at cool/interesting/Irish things along the way to Wexford. There we met up with Niamh (pronounced “neev”) and Eamon (pronounced “ay-min”) who are my mom’s second cousins. They immediately took us in, boozed us up, and continually thrust more and more delicious foods at us until bedtime. All the while Eamon taught us important things about Ireland, such as that hair straighteners are called GHDs, which stands for “good hair day” (and by the way, the Irish pronounce Hs like “haych” instead of “aych”). He also informed us of the vital differences between Dublin northsiders and southsiders.
For example:
What do you call a northsider in a suit?
(pause for dramatic effect…)
The defendant.
(ba dum bum ch!)
They even hosted a little dinner where we got to meet even more O’Rourkes like my third cousins Sinead (pronounced “shin-aid”), Oisin (“o-she-an”), Grainne (“gron-yay”), Ciara (“keer-a”) and Daire (“dare-a”). Needless to say, I didn’t attempt anyone’s name for some time.
Anyway, even though Eamon and ole Russ are besties now we eventually left Wexford behind and spent today checking out some castle-y ruins (the Rock of Cashel was awesome) and some sheep (they literally dot the countryside) and some art (among which was a wicker dragon – ha!).
Have I mentioned that the cars are small because the roads are TINY? And that they twist and turn like mad (“Slow: Dangerous Bends Ahead”)? And that my father, the driver, has never driven on the left before (“Left lane, Russell” being the quote of the past two days)? And that there are super tall hedges/bushes/forests growing on both sides of the road so that every turn is completely blind? And that the Irish drive like madmen???
But, despite all odds, with Dad’s driving, my navigating and Mom’s white-knuckle stressing in the backseat we have made it thus far with all limbs, tires and fenders intact BUT without the left side mirror which was ripped off the car in a very exciting (read: scary) moment today.
Currently I am blogging from Kinsale, a cute little harbor town known for some mighty fine eating.
SPEAKING of eating (nice segway, right?), I am going to gain 5290532709 pounds on this trip if the first week is anything to judge by. After leaving Frank and Kay’s, we drove down the coast, stopping to look at cool/interesting/Irish things along the way to Wexford. There we met up with Niamh (pronounced “neev”) and Eamon (pronounced “ay-min”) who are my mom’s second cousins. They immediately took us in, boozed us up, and continually thrust more and more delicious foods at us until bedtime. All the while Eamon taught us important things about Ireland, such as that hair straighteners are called GHDs, which stands for “good hair day” (and by the way, the Irish pronounce Hs like “haych” instead of “aych”). He also informed us of the vital differences between Dublin northsiders and southsiders.
For example:
What do you call a northsider in a suit?
(pause for dramatic effect…)
The defendant.
(ba dum bum ch!)
They even hosted a little dinner where we got to meet even more O’Rourkes like my third cousins Sinead (pronounced “shin-aid”), Oisin (“o-she-an”), Grainne (“gron-yay”), Ciara (“keer-a”) and Daire (“dare-a”). Needless to say, I didn’t attempt anyone’s name for some time.
Anyway, even though Eamon and ole Russ are besties now we eventually left Wexford behind and spent today checking out some castle-y ruins (the Rock of Cashel was awesome) and some sheep (they literally dot the countryside) and some art (among which was a wicker dragon – ha!).
Friday, August 21, 2009
LITERARY NERDINESS BEGINS!
Yesterday was a day filled with books! (Clearly the best kind of day.)
We (being myself, the Nancy and the Russell) started the day by indulging in a hop-on hop-off bus tour of Dublin where our tour guide Catherine told us all kinds of interesting tidbits about ye olde city, like that the Millennium Spire has 11,000 holes in the top part for the light to come out of. (I didn’t actually hear that tidbit, but my mom swears that’s what she said).
But our first real stop of the day was the illustrious Trinity College Dublin, famous alma mater of such notables as Oscar Wilde and Jonathan Swift (but not James Joyce, he went to UCD – yay famous people going to my school!). Also at Trinity is the famous Book of Kells, one of the oldest surviving manuscripts in the world. It is a copy of the four gospels copied out by Irish monks and decorated with super-swank calligraphy, portraits and other various decorations. I had thought we would stand in line for an hour, and then look at the book and then it would be done. BUT luckily we went at lunchtime, so the line was nearly nothing and there was a cool museum-type walk-through display thingy (gosh I’m articulate) all about the history of the book and how it was made. Being a bookbinder myself, I nerded out a little.
Then we saw the book and it was cool and all, but THEN… then we went upstairs to “The Long Room.” I WANT THIS ROOM. This room is almost exactly the epitome of the library I want in my house someday, except without the squishy chairs reminiscent of a Hogwarts common room. It was two reaaaaally tall stories, with Beauty and the Beast ladders to get to the upper stacks and a wrought iron spiral staircase. Each little alcove had a bust of a famous Irish writer stationed at its end – Swift, Wilde, etc. I want those Beauty and the Beast ladders. I want that spiral staircase. I even want those busts. Being obsessed with libraries, I nerded out a lot.
After my parents dragged me out of this glorious place, we had lunch. Irish stew and Guinness, the most Irishy meal I can think of. Okay, actually that’s what my dad ate. I had tomato soup, steamed veggies/potatoes and Harp. Only slightly less Irishy.
THEN THE NERDINESS CONTINUED!
We somehow stumbled upon the Charles Beatty Library/Museum, which contained the personal collection of this dude who LOVED books. He had the most eclectic and impressive personal library I’ve ever seen or heard of, including (but not limited to) illustrated copies of the Tale of Genji (Heritage moment #1) and super super old copies of the Bible and the Koran – like 100 A.D. old for the Bible and even older for other works. This dude was awesome. Bibliophiles unite!
So it was sometime after leaving Chuck’s books that Kay called to let us know she had gotten tickets to see a play at the Abbey Theatre – which was founded by W.B. Yeats and Lady Gregory (thank you MacMac). So we went to see The Rivals, a play written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan sometime in the 1700s and famous for popularizing the term “malapropism,” due to the character Miss Malaprop. Awesome end to awesome day.
This is, without a doubt, the longest and nerdiest post ever.
Oh, who am I kidding? This was just day two! It will probably only get worse from here. Cheers!
We (being myself, the Nancy and the Russell) started the day by indulging in a hop-on hop-off bus tour of Dublin where our tour guide Catherine told us all kinds of interesting tidbits about ye olde city, like that the Millennium Spire has 11,000 holes in the top part for the light to come out of. (I didn’t actually hear that tidbit, but my mom swears that’s what she said).
But our first real stop of the day was the illustrious Trinity College Dublin, famous alma mater of such notables as Oscar Wilde and Jonathan Swift (but not James Joyce, he went to UCD – yay famous people going to my school!). Also at Trinity is the famous Book of Kells, one of the oldest surviving manuscripts in the world. It is a copy of the four gospels copied out by Irish monks and decorated with super-swank calligraphy, portraits and other various decorations. I had thought we would stand in line for an hour, and then look at the book and then it would be done. BUT luckily we went at lunchtime, so the line was nearly nothing and there was a cool museum-type walk-through display thingy (gosh I’m articulate) all about the history of the book and how it was made. Being a bookbinder myself, I nerded out a little.
Then we saw the book and it was cool and all, but THEN… then we went upstairs to “The Long Room.” I WANT THIS ROOM. This room is almost exactly the epitome of the library I want in my house someday, except without the squishy chairs reminiscent of a Hogwarts common room. It was two reaaaaally tall stories, with Beauty and the Beast ladders to get to the upper stacks and a wrought iron spiral staircase. Each little alcove had a bust of a famous Irish writer stationed at its end – Swift, Wilde, etc. I want those Beauty and the Beast ladders. I want that spiral staircase. I even want those busts. Being obsessed with libraries, I nerded out a lot.
After my parents dragged me out of this glorious place, we had lunch. Irish stew and Guinness, the most Irishy meal I can think of. Okay, actually that’s what my dad ate. I had tomato soup, steamed veggies/potatoes and Harp. Only slightly less Irishy.
THEN THE NERDINESS CONTINUED!
We somehow stumbled upon the Charles Beatty Library/Museum, which contained the personal collection of this dude who LOVED books. He had the most eclectic and impressive personal library I’ve ever seen or heard of, including (but not limited to) illustrated copies of the Tale of Genji (Heritage moment #1) and super super old copies of the Bible and the Koran – like 100 A.D. old for the Bible and even older for other works. This dude was awesome. Bibliophiles unite!
So it was sometime after leaving Chuck’s books that Kay called to let us know she had gotten tickets to see a play at the Abbey Theatre – which was founded by W.B. Yeats and Lady Gregory (thank you MacMac). So we went to see The Rivals, a play written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan sometime in the 1700s and famous for popularizing the term “malapropism,” due to the character Miss Malaprop. Awesome end to awesome day.
This is, without a doubt, the longest and nerdiest post ever.
Oh, who am I kidding? This was just day two! It will probably only get worse from here. Cheers!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Day One!
Well, after a 2 hour drive, 3 hour wait, 1 hour flight, 30 minute dash through the airport, second 8 hour flight, second 1 hour wait... we’re here!
Actually, we've been here pretty much a whole day, and so far on the first day I’ve taken in three very important characteristics about this gorgeous, green country that differ from the good ole’ U.S. of A:
1. Teeny-weeny cars!
The biggest car I’ve seen (excepting delivery vans, buses and the like) has been a Range Rover. We were picked up in “the biggest car they (being our relatives Frank and Kay) could borrow”… which was a 5-seater hatchback. But it makes sense to have teeny-weeny cars because there are itty-bitty roads. Also, people drive on the wrong/left/non-right side of the road.
2. Words! Funny words!
We took the “lift” (elevator) at the airport! We “posted” (mailed) letters! I can’t wait to buy an Irish “jumper” (sweater) tomorrow! Yay new slang!
3. Fancy-schmancy buildings!
Forget those suburban neighborhoods that get built in a week because all the houses look cheap and exactly the same. Houses and other buildings are made with brick, stone, stucco and brightly colored paint. Rather than fences there are low stone walls around estates, with wrought-iron gates instead of chain-link. The pride in the construction extends to the pride in the house – outside the driveway of almost every house is a sign proclaiming the name of the home or the family that lives in it.
Also, Uncle Frank and Aunt Kay (who aren’t really my uncle and aunt but it is way too complicated to figure out how they are actually related to me, so I’ll just call them Uncle Frank and Aunt Kay) are super nice/cute/talk in cool accents. Frank officially qualifies for Cute Old Man status. And they keep trying to shove more food/tea down our throats in the cutest, nicest way possible.
Tonight’s dinner consisted of:
First course: sliced melon appetizer and gin & tonic
Second course: salmon, broccoli, potatoes and wine
Dessert course: sliced strawberries, fresh cream and Irish whiskey liquor
Yum!
The other main thing pervading through this day is massive jet lag. So, good night from the Emerald Isle!
Actually, we've been here pretty much a whole day, and so far on the first day I’ve taken in three very important characteristics about this gorgeous, green country that differ from the good ole’ U.S. of A:
1. Teeny-weeny cars!
The biggest car I’ve seen (excepting delivery vans, buses and the like) has been a Range Rover. We were picked up in “the biggest car they (being our relatives Frank and Kay) could borrow”… which was a 5-seater hatchback. But it makes sense to have teeny-weeny cars because there are itty-bitty roads. Also, people drive on the wrong/left/non-right side of the road.
2. Words! Funny words!
We took the “lift” (elevator) at the airport! We “posted” (mailed) letters! I can’t wait to buy an Irish “jumper” (sweater) tomorrow! Yay new slang!
3. Fancy-schmancy buildings!
Forget those suburban neighborhoods that get built in a week because all the houses look cheap and exactly the same. Houses and other buildings are made with brick, stone, stucco and brightly colored paint. Rather than fences there are low stone walls around estates, with wrought-iron gates instead of chain-link. The pride in the construction extends to the pride in the house – outside the driveway of almost every house is a sign proclaiming the name of the home or the family that lives in it.
Also, Uncle Frank and Aunt Kay (who aren’t really my uncle and aunt but it is way too complicated to figure out how they are actually related to me, so I’ll just call them Uncle Frank and Aunt Kay) are super nice/cute/talk in cool accents. Frank officially qualifies for Cute Old Man status. And they keep trying to shove more food/tea down our throats in the cutest, nicest way possible.
Tonight’s dinner consisted of:
First course: sliced melon appetizer and gin & tonic
Second course: salmon, broccoli, potatoes and wine
Dessert course: sliced strawberries, fresh cream and Irish whiskey liquor
Yum!
The other main thing pervading through this day is massive jet lag. So, good night from the Emerald Isle!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
top ten
I leave for Ireland in one week. WHAT.
Top Ten Best Things about Ireland (pre-departure version):
10. the luck of the Irish (which I plan to find)
9. the rich history
8. the accents and cool slang
7. the castles!
6. the natural beauty and all the greeeeeeeeeeen
5. the plethora of redheads
4. the O'Rourke family connection
3. the boozes (known worldwide for whiskey and beer? yes please.)
2. the literary history - James Joyce, W.B. Yeats and much more
1. the literary pub crawls - combining #2 and #3 into the best thing ever!
See you in the Emerald Isle!
Top Ten Best Things about Ireland (pre-departure version):
10. the luck of the Irish (which I plan to find)
9. the rich history
8. the accents and cool slang
7. the castles!
6. the natural beauty and all the greeeeeeeeeeen
5. the plethora of redheads
4. the O'Rourke family connection
3. the boozes (known worldwide for whiskey and beer? yes please.)
2. the literary history - James Joyce, W.B. Yeats and much more
1. the literary pub crawls - combining #2 and #3 into the best thing ever!
See you in the Emerald Isle!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
