Another sock swap contest...I have to blog 10 things I'm thankful for. Seeing as I'm fairly fresh off the airplane I have a light hearted list of things to be thankful.
1. That I didn't break my knee when I fell down the stairs at the airport.
2. That the USDA didn't find anything in my bags when I went through customs. (for the record I had a vanilla bean from Mexico)
3. That Aurio decided we can be friends. (he's not always happy for people other than his mommy to hold him)
4. That my sister's 130 pound dog didn't wake me up by whaking me with her tail or head butting me this morning. (she's getting old...that's was my saving grace!)
5. That my sister makes a lovely cup of morning coffee.
6. ;ll;,k <----Aurelio is thanksful for his new Radio Flier Rocket and I am thankful it has an on/off switch.
7. It's snowing big beautiful fluffy snowflakes in Chicago!
8. That my sister and I are the same size and that she let me have clean clothes to wear so I don't have to unpack yet (poor planning of my part...should have had an outfit ready).
9. That I can sleep during the 3 hour car ride from my sister's place to my mom's. (I was up at 7 and suffering some serious jet lag).
10. Mostly I'm thankful that I get to see my entire family very very soon!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
More airplane blogging...
This was the hardest it’s ever been to leave Dublin. It’s weird because I’m coming back in just 8 weeks, but I think the problem is that it made everyone realize that this adventure is coming to an end. It’s the first any of us have really had to admit it. Last night I was clearing out my room so Alma can move in. It’s always strange to see your personal space to bare and naked. I won’t see Alma again in Doublin probably. Especially strange because I’ve only known her since September, but she’s become a very special friend to me. She gave me an organic vanilla bean from Mexico and a precious little woven keepsake box. Inside the box was a beautiful necklace made of the tiniest little snail shells. It’s gorgeous! Katharine cried last night which made things a little hard at the time because it hadn’t really hit me so much yet. It’s strange knowing we won’t be roommates in a few months. She’s been a good roommate. I must have hugged Taryna 5 times this morning before I really left. I’m so glad to have her for a friend. I mean who else am I going to sit and knit with and watch Oprah?!?! Kevin took me to the airport this morning which was extra sweet…bitter sweet though. But it was a comfort to have such a good friend to keep me smiling on my way out there.
I ended up on a great flight! Ok, that’s not the right word….a great plane. Flight was annoying like long flights are. The plane is an Airbus 330-300 so four seats in the middle and two on either side. No one sat next to me…love that! I don’t know if it’s a new plane or what, but it has personal on-demand TV and movies! Woohoo! I had all these grand intentions to watch movies the entire time, but I didn’t. Ended up just watching Hairspray and Over the Hedge. So here’s my big dork moment…I’m always curious if planes have GE engines. Upon take off I could tell the plane has GE engines. GE engines have a wine to them when they get fired up. (Thanks John) So then later during the flight I felt silly because when I looked out the window there was a big GE logo on the engine casing. Guess I could have figured it out a lot earlier if I had bothered to look out the window. Oh well, I was too buys watching movies.
I managed to knit a little cell phone/iPod case during the flight. It’s cabled, so I had to get a little creative. I had the cute little wooden needles that can double as hair sticks. No scissors and no cable needle though. I used a bobby pin for cabling and the knife from my lunch to cut the yarn when I needed it. Oh, and the bobby pin also doubled as a needle for doing a mattress stitch seam and for picking up stitches for the flap. Innovative knitting 101, I suppose.
This flight seems like it’s never going to end. Captain says we lost time due to strong head winds, so I’ve officially been on the plane 8 hours. As far as I’m concerned that’s about 5 hours too long. I’m ready to get off this plane!
I ended up on a great flight! Ok, that’s not the right word….a great plane. Flight was annoying like long flights are. The plane is an Airbus 330-300 so four seats in the middle and two on either side. No one sat next to me…love that! I don’t know if it’s a new plane or what, but it has personal on-demand TV and movies! Woohoo! I had all these grand intentions to watch movies the entire time, but I didn’t. Ended up just watching Hairspray and Over the Hedge. So here’s my big dork moment…I’m always curious if planes have GE engines. Upon take off I could tell the plane has GE engines. GE engines have a wine to them when they get fired up. (Thanks John) So then later during the flight I felt silly because when I looked out the window there was a big GE logo on the engine casing. Guess I could have figured it out a lot earlier if I had bothered to look out the window. Oh well, I was too buys watching movies.
I managed to knit a little cell phone/iPod case during the flight. It’s cabled, so I had to get a little creative. I had the cute little wooden needles that can double as hair sticks. No scissors and no cable needle though. I used a bobby pin for cabling and the knife from my lunch to cut the yarn when I needed it. Oh, and the bobby pin also doubled as a needle for doing a mattress stitch seam and for picking up stitches for the flap. Innovative knitting 101, I suppose.
This flight seems like it’s never going to end. Captain says we lost time due to strong head winds, so I’ve officially been on the plane 8 hours. As far as I’m concerned that’s about 5 hours too long. I’m ready to get off this plane!
Monday, November 19, 2007
Sock it to me questionnaire...
I'm doing my first sock swap and I have to answer theses questions.
- How long have you been knitting? Do you consider yourself beginner, intermediate, advanced? My mom taught me to knit a few years ago. The only reason I thought it was cool was because I found out Julia Roberts knit sweaters on the movie sets. Mom came over to Ireland to visit me this July and I relearned. She dragged me to knitting club and I'm hooked now for good. I'd say I'm intermediate. Definitely not advanced yet, but past the beginner stages I think.
- How long have you been knitting socks? I've not been knitting socks long. I've done a lot of practicing. I've started the toe several times. I can't say much about the socks I'm knitting now or else some one's Christmas present wont' be a surprise. Any of you who are thinking...man I hope she's not knitting my socks...relax...I promise I will send you a great pair of socks!
- What are your favorite fibers to work with? I like to work with wool or wool blends. I suppose I'm an amature when it comes to fibers.
- What is your favorite color? I like the colors of autumn...red, orange, yellow, brown. I also really like pink. I'm going to cut to the chase on this though...I think we're basically saying what color socks we want by saying our favorite color. I love surprises and will be happy with whatever you choose! I like wearing rich colors. Not really into pastels all that much. Still...I can't imagine being disappointed with anything you pick.
- What are your current WIPs (works in progress)? Currently I'm knitting something small for my new niece. I can't say exactly what it is since sometimes her mommy and daddy read my blog!
- Name your favorite yarns, (brand, fibers, colors, etc.). I knit a sweater with Debbie Bliss Merino Aran in a taupe color with raspberry accents. It was lovely to work with. I would like to knit sometime out of a naturally died, hand spun yarn. Sounds so elegant!
- What are some yarns/fibers that you stay away from. Anything that feels like it's been made of recycled soda pop bottles! I don't really like the trendy eye lashy stuff either.
- What is your family situation? (Married, kids, pets?) Baxter is the most wonderful dog in the world! He's the real man in my life. Ha Ha! I have a wonderful family, but no husband and no children of my own. I had a cat - Jack - who my mom adopted when I moved to Ireland.
- Name some of your hobbies. I really enjoy outdoor sports and activities. I like cooking and eating good food. Wine has become more of an interest and I like trying different beers too. I also enjoy board games. I'm moving back home on Wednesday and look forward to hanging out with my dog more than just about anything. He's my pride and joy!
- Name some of your favorite movies? Little Miss Sunshine, You've Got Mail, Once
- Do you like to read? I wish I enjoyed reading. I try to read books on occasion, but I can't remember the last book I actually finished. Magazines are nice because you don't need a long attention span for them!
- Do you collect anything? That's actually kind of a hard question to answer. I suppose I'd say no, but my guess is other people might disagree. I like kitchen gadgets. Especially if they are red. My yarn collection is growing. I suppose I have lots of stuff that could be categorized as a collection, but I still don't count it as one.
- Do you own an iPod or mp3 player? I'm an ipod nano girl.
- What are your favorite type of knitting needles? I have a set of Addi turbo circular needles that I find delightful to work with. I like the colorful nylon/plastic needles though. They're so cheerful!
- What knitting notion could you not live without? Stitch markers. On one surf trip, I forgot stitch markers and ended up ripping a receipt into little strips and twisting them around my needles.
- Who are some of your favorite designers? I have to say....I really like Joelle Hoverson's patterns in Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I don't know that I have enough experience to give all the designers out there a fair chance though.
- Do you subscribe to any magazines? (Knitting or otherwise.) I don't subscribe to any knitting magazines, but I do subscibe to Outdoor Magazine. Before I moved to Ireland I had Cooking Light. That's a great magazine!
- When is your birthday? August 25
- Do you have a "wishlist", (on Ravelry, Froogle, or Amazon)? Nope...no wish lists.
- Do you have a Ravelry ID? According to antsy....I signed up on November 1, 2007,I am #51769 on the list, 1897 people are ahead of me in line, 7966 people are behind me in line, 83% of the list has been invited so far.
- If you had a sheep, what would you name it? A boy sheep....Arnold. A girl sheep...Ilene. Those seem like nice sheep names.
Nearing the end of an era...
I've just boarded my plane in the Netherlands and in about 2 hours will be back in Dublin. This is the 44th plane I've been on in the last 435 days and marks a sad closing of sorts. It was my last eruo-trip with Big John. We've had at least 16 trips covering more than 12 cities in 8 countries. Ironically, we've nevber really hung out in our home town together. Another fun stat...I have only 4 more spaces for stamps left in my passport. So, in less than 48 hours, I'll only have 3 stamp spots left in the passport and I'll be boarding flight number 45.....home sweet home!
(just a note: I wrote that on the plane and posted it when I got home. The dumb guy at passport control in Dublin used a whole new stamp spot to stamp me back into Dublin. That was annoying since they usually just stamp on the Visa page. So now I have 2 real spots left and another place where a stamp could fit even though there are already 4 on the page. 3 Spots left. Also...now it's only really a little over 24 hours till I'll be on my way home sweet home.)
(just a note: I wrote that on the plane and posted it when I got home. The dumb guy at passport control in Dublin used a whole new stamp spot to stamp me back into Dublin. That was annoying since they usually just stamp on the Visa page. So now I have 2 real spots left and another place where a stamp could fit even though there are already 4 on the page. 3 Spots left. Also...now it's only really a little over 24 hours till I'll be on my way home sweet home.)
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Things I'm going to miss about Dublin...
I am just dying to go home, but getting sentimental about leaving at the same time. I've had a running list of things in my mind that I'm going to miss and figure I'll jot them down...in no specific order of course...
Aldi Bio-detergent capsules, random surf weekends, Zach - the neighbor's dog, the hustle and bustle of Grafton Street, Patagonia gear sales, knitting club, Taryna yelling at her computer, being within walking/biking distance of anything and everything, weekend trips all over Europe with John, the fireplace, digestive biscuits, chats over a cup of hot chocolate with Kevin, sharing dinners with Alma and Taryna, pubs, the Cake Cafe, (list to be continued as thing come to mind)
And here are the random things I'm looking forward to when I get home...
Baxter, Seeing Anja Louise, celebrating Aurelio's first birthday, Arni's junior salad, going to the River, going through Mom's yarn stash, taking walks down town, Cafe Vienna, Mom's cooking, seeing old friends, seeing if Tide Coldwater is as good as Aldi bio capsules, sleeping in my own bed, the Goodwill, McCord's strawberry coke with real strawberries, (list to be continued as things come to mind)
Aldi Bio-detergent capsules, random surf weekends, Zach - the neighbor's dog, the hustle and bustle of Grafton Street, Patagonia gear sales, knitting club, Taryna yelling at her computer, being within walking/biking distance of anything and everything, weekend trips all over Europe with John, the fireplace, digestive biscuits, chats over a cup of hot chocolate with Kevin, sharing dinners with Alma and Taryna, pubs, the Cake Cafe, (list to be continued as thing come to mind)
And here are the random things I'm looking forward to when I get home...
Baxter, Seeing Anja Louise, celebrating Aurelio's first birthday, Arni's junior salad, going to the River, going through Mom's yarn stash, taking walks down town, Cafe Vienna, Mom's cooking, seeing old friends, seeing if Tide Coldwater is as good as Aldi bio capsules, sleeping in my own bed, the Goodwill, McCord's strawberry coke with real strawberries, (list to be continued as things come to mind)
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Prague
Random things happen sometimes that turn out to be fantastic. I signed up for Facebook a few weeks ago thinking I was going to get 5 free itunes. That didn't happen, but it did put me in touch with some old friends. I suppose that's the purpose of Facebook and MySpace and such. Anyway, turns out this guy, Scarpacci, is in Prague. So we were able to get in touch and met up in Prague while I was there. Ended up being the most fun hanging out with him.
I can see why people love Prague. It's gorgeous! The food is really good. Well, except I had one strange meal. Not bad, but really strange. A chicken breast with apples, caramel sauce and melted cheese. The caramel sauce looked for all the world like brown gravy. It was a mind game every time I took a bite! "This is going to taste like rice and caramel" take a bite..."Ooh, yeah that's not brown gravy. That tastes like caramel." It was an exhausting experience for my taste buds. The only bad thing about Prague is that despite the small size of the city, it's remarkably easy to get lost! I don't know how many times we walked in circles or just entirely in the wrong direction for 5 minutes before we realized we didn't know where we were. Oh well, got to see more of the city that way, I suppose!
When I'm flying I almost inevitably get so bored that I start reading the airline magazine. I try to save it till I'm really bored though. So when I reached this point on my way home from Prague, I grabbed it from the seat pocket. Usually I've already read it, but I haven't flown Aer Lingus for over 2 months, so this issue was new material for me. Then it clicked and I frantically flipped to the movie listing pages! Guess what flight are on my flight home next week! Hairspray and Transformers. I've seen Hairspray, but I'm excited to see it again. It will be hard to control myself from singing along with all the great songs. I haven't seen Transformers, but everyone said it's pretty good. Woohoo! Exactly 7 more days till I'll be on my way home to see my family, my dog, my friends and hey....I'll have good movies to watch on the way!
I can see why people love Prague. It's gorgeous! The food is really good. Well, except I had one strange meal. Not bad, but really strange. A chicken breast with apples, caramel sauce and melted cheese. The caramel sauce looked for all the world like brown gravy. It was a mind game every time I took a bite! "This is going to taste like rice and caramel" take a bite..."Ooh, yeah that's not brown gravy. That tastes like caramel." It was an exhausting experience for my taste buds. The only bad thing about Prague is that despite the small size of the city, it's remarkably easy to get lost! I don't know how many times we walked in circles or just entirely in the wrong direction for 5 minutes before we realized we didn't know where we were. Oh well, got to see more of the city that way, I suppose!
When I'm flying I almost inevitably get so bored that I start reading the airline magazine. I try to save it till I'm really bored though. So when I reached this point on my way home from Prague, I grabbed it from the seat pocket. Usually I've already read it, but I haven't flown Aer Lingus for over 2 months, so this issue was new material for me. Then it clicked and I frantically flipped to the movie listing pages! Guess what flight are on my flight home next week! Hairspray and Transformers. I've seen Hairspray, but I'm excited to see it again. It will be hard to control myself from singing along with all the great songs. I haven't seen Transformers, but everyone said it's pretty good. Woohoo! Exactly 7 more days till I'll be on my way home to see my family, my dog, my friends and hey....I'll have good movies to watch on the way!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
We did it!
Harriet - quite possibly the nicest Welsh girl in all of the world - taught me and Mary to crochet tonight. We are quite proud of our granny squares. I'd say my square is more of a rhomboid! I'm going to miss knitting club a lot when I'm gone.
I'm pretty homesick today. I think it has to do with a beautiful little girl who I'm dying to get to see! I keep looking at all the photos of Anja Louise. The last time I was home was when I found out Annie was pregnant. That puts it into perspective for me!
I'm ready to go home and see everyone. Very ready....
She's Here!
Anja Louise Schap - 5 lb 13 oz and measured 18 inches
I was in Prague for the weekend and had a wonderful time. Even more wonderful though is the birthday of my new niece! She's absolutely beautiful in the photos! Now I'm even more excited about going home and seeing her for myself! Now I can go crazy with girly colors! So exciting! Congratulations to Martin and Annie!
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Tim Deeter
Tim Deeter is the best hair stylest in Lafayette, Indiana. Possibly even in the world! My sister-in-law just got her first Deeter-cut and loves it! I ended up getting my haircut in Dublin and was not thrilled at all. Tim would have never let me walk out looking like that! So this reminds me, I need to get an appointment to get my hair cut soon after I get home. Tim works at the Design Team. If you decide to go for a new style, let him know I sent you! He should know someone is telling the world how fabulous he is!
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Wine & Wonder
The Cake Cafe is quite possibly the best cafe in all of Dublin! The have amazing sandwiches and they serve things on and in mismatched antique dishes. Even Wedgwood! Recently there was a wine tasting series. Last night Kevin and I got to go the Wines of the Mediterranean class! Now, I've got a developing passion for wine since living in Europe. My first influence were the vineyards near Toulouse in the south of France. Then, living in Portugal for 6 weeks and studying wine there really taught me a lot. Unfortunately, I know more about the chemistry than the tastes of wine. I'm starting to be able to pick out scents like floral and spicy. My shining moment last night was when I thought the wine smelled kind of like pie filling and the expert later told us he thought it smelled like preserved berries! There was a lovely mix of people - younger and older - and everyone interacted throughout the evening. The wine was good. I can't say anything really stood out at me as a top notch wine, but having the chance to try wines from an area I'm unfamiliar with was great. We tried 3 from Greece, 2 from Italy and 2 from Spain. The funny things was that at the end, we were asked first to vote for our favorite. Then, we had to guess the prices. As it turns out my favorite wine was also the most expensive wine! What can I say...I have expensive taste! There will be another series of classes after Christmas, so for all of you in Dublin - contact the Cake Cafe for more details!
Tonight is knitting group and alas...I don't have a project suitable to take. I'm thinking it's about time to start either a pair of convertible mittens or a pair of wrist warmers. I started socks the other night, but that's going to take way too much concentration. I've got my Irish Hiking Scarf that I should be working on. Maybe that's the best bet. It needs to be done by Christmas for a certain beautiful friend of mine back home!
Tonight is knitting group and alas...I don't have a project suitable to take. I'm thinking it's about time to start either a pair of convertible mittens or a pair of wrist warmers. I started socks the other night, but that's going to take way too much concentration. I've got my Irish Hiking Scarf that I should be working on. Maybe that's the best bet. It needs to be done by Christmas for a certain beautiful friend of mine back home!
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Fun Games Fun Times...
Well, first off...the Honey Show yesterday was a bust. Harriet and I had so many wonderful knit things to sell and no one to sell them to. It was the wrong audience. Thanks to Miriam for buying one of my hats. I hope it looks cute on your grandson!
I've discovered a few new games. Zigity and Dicewords. Zigity is right up my alley! It's a card game and it takes very few brain cells to play! It's made by the same company as Cranium - another great game! Dicewords is well...not a good game for me. You have to be able to think of words and spell them. It's kind of combination of Scrabble and Boggle. I know some people who would kill me in this game! Mostly Martin, Annie and my friend Kristy. Last night there were four of us playing Dicewords...two native English speakers and two non-native. My housemate Taryna from Malaysia was blowing us out of the water! I don't know how she does it, but she can thing of all kinds of words! Alma, from Mexico was doing great too! Kevin and I were struggling a bit. Kevin won though becuase he had one word worth over 100 points. 'Bouquet' was his last word that put the rest of us out of the competition. Kind of anyway. He was thinking bouque might be a word, but I helped him and told him to put the T on the end. So really it was my word and he should have won. On the other hand the game was lasting forever and we were all ready for it to end.
I've started thinking about doing a PhD. My adviser here is talking to me about it and my adviser from Purdue has a few projects I might like too. I have to get a lot more details on all fronts before I get too excited. If I go to Purdue, the GRE is in my near future. Ugh. Who wants to have to take the GRE at this stage? Or ever for that matter? If I do a project here, I need to know where I might live. Can I mostly live back home and travel back and forth? What's the funding like? Can I do it through Trinity or UCD instead of DIT? Do I even want to do a PhD? If I did it at home, where would I live? Apartment? House? Lafayette? West Lafayette? And here, I thought I'd just be going home to find a nice cushy job. Now I have all kinds of complications.
For now though, this thesis project needs to get done. Only 6 more weeks! How scary is that? Right....back to work!
I've discovered a few new games. Zigity and Dicewords. Zigity is right up my alley! It's a card game and it takes very few brain cells to play! It's made by the same company as Cranium - another great game! Dicewords is well...not a good game for me. You have to be able to think of words and spell them. It's kind of combination of Scrabble and Boggle. I know some people who would kill me in this game! Mostly Martin, Annie and my friend Kristy. Last night there were four of us playing Dicewords...two native English speakers and two non-native. My housemate Taryna from Malaysia was blowing us out of the water! I don't know how she does it, but she can thing of all kinds of words! Alma, from Mexico was doing great too! Kevin and I were struggling a bit. Kevin won though becuase he had one word worth over 100 points. 'Bouquet' was his last word that put the rest of us out of the competition. Kind of anyway. He was thinking bouque might be a word, but I helped him and told him to put the T on the end. So really it was my word and he should have won. On the other hand the game was lasting forever and we were all ready for it to end.
I've started thinking about doing a PhD. My adviser here is talking to me about it and my adviser from Purdue has a few projects I might like too. I have to get a lot more details on all fronts before I get too excited. If I go to Purdue, the GRE is in my near future. Ugh. Who wants to have to take the GRE at this stage? Or ever for that matter? If I do a project here, I need to know where I might live. Can I mostly live back home and travel back and forth? What's the funding like? Can I do it through Trinity or UCD instead of DIT? Do I even want to do a PhD? If I did it at home, where would I live? Apartment? House? Lafayette? West Lafayette? And here, I thought I'd just be going home to find a nice cushy job. Now I have all kinds of complications.
For now though, this thesis project needs to get done. Only 6 more weeks! How scary is that? Right....back to work!
Friday, November 02, 2007
Entirely Frustrated!
Oh my gosh! So I have to use the school computer lab to do SPSS (statistics) stuff.
I'm at Kevin St and getting more and more frustrated by the minute.
First off, this college houses a decently large number of students and
only 12 computers in the lab. They are pretty much always full, so
it's not like they aren't being used ya know? More would get used if
there were more available. 2 of the 12 computers won't let anyone log
in right now. A third computer is connected to the scanner and you're
not to use it unless you're using the scanner. So really there are only
9. More complaints...The tables in here are ridiculously high for the
height of the chairs. I have to raise my shoulder AND fold my leg
underneath my bum and sit on it to be an a comfortable height to type
and let me tell you...this is not a comfortable way to sit! And
then...active X controller is turned off and you need it to run gmail
properly, so I'm looking at my gmail in HTML view. Then, because
everything is jacked up, the system won't let me open the SPSS data
base that I started the other day. It was an email attachment and they
said I don't have permission to open attachments. Are you kidding? I
mean these are all simple things that a school of technology should be
able to handle.
It's going to take more than one bar of chocolate to get through today!
I'm at Kevin St and getting more and more frustrated by the minute.
First off, this college houses a decently large number of students and
only 12 computers in the lab. They are pretty much always full, so
it's not like they aren't being used ya know? More would get used if
there were more available. 2 of the 12 computers won't let anyone log
in right now. A third computer is connected to the scanner and you're
not to use it unless you're using the scanner. So really there are only
9. More complaints...The tables in here are ridiculously high for the
height of the chairs. I have to raise my shoulder AND fold my leg
underneath my bum and sit on it to be an a comfortable height to type
and let me tell you...this is not a comfortable way to sit! And
then...active X controller is turned off and you need it to run gmail
properly, so I'm looking at my gmail in HTML view. Then, because
everything is jacked up, the system won't let me open the SPSS data
base that I started the other day. It was an email attachment and they
said I don't have permission to open attachments. Are you kidding? I
mean these are all simple things that a school of technology should be
able to handle.
It's going to take more than one bar of chocolate to get through today!
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Knit & Stitch Show
Today was the first day of the Knit and Stitch Show at the RDS here in Dublin. Talk about a little slice of heaven! I'm not sure how I managed to walk out of there without buying any new wool. Well I do...poor student budget and plenty of yarn in the stash! My one little splurge was to take a workshop on spinning silk. Ruth MacGregor taught the class. Lucky for me, I'd used a drop spindle when I was little so it wasn't so new to me. The top-whorl spindle is a bit different though. So now I have a few meters of lime green silk yarn! I bought some more in red and purple. She says if I spin it and then ply it, I'll have enough for a scarf or mittens. I'm thinking mittens. Really bold, colorful mittens!
I haven't talked about my thesis much if at all, but for anyone wondering if I do anything for school...I DO! My literature review is basically done and I'm working on setting up my statistics data base. Joy. I'm still collecting data...I'm the obnoxious person who calls at dinner time to ask if you will participate in my survey. Well, only if you're a breast feeding counselor in Dublin. I'd say most of you are safe from my call! I have two calls to make tonight. Maybe a few more if I'm lucky.
I haven't talked about my thesis much if at all, but for anyone wondering if I do anything for school...I DO! My literature review is basically done and I'm working on setting up my statistics data base. Joy. I'm still collecting data...I'm the obnoxious person who calls at dinner time to ask if you will participate in my survey. Well, only if you're a breast feeding counselor in Dublin. I'd say most of you are safe from my call! I have two calls to make tonight. Maybe a few more if I'm lucky.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
New Addiction...
I've started knitting. Actually, Mom taught me to knit a few years ago, but I never really got into it. She taught me again when she was here in July. Since then I've been going to knitting club on Tuesdays in Rathmines at Cafe Moda. Laugh all you want, but it's great fun! I've gotten to be friends with this really cool girl named Harriet. She's a super knitter. I bet there's nothing she can't do! The rest of the gang is hilarious! Several of them have blogs that they actually keep up to date and last night they inspired me to be better about blogging.
Here's my attempt at upgrading this blog from a simple travel tales blog to a real, updated, open to the public blog. If you look to the right, you'll see my works in progress (WIP) list with photos. I've also added a list of things I've finished. My little brother has a blog now. Well, as it turns out he's had it for a while. It's an exercise journal type of thing. All you have to do it look at it to see I have the most physically fit brother on this planet. He's a stud. He's also the best foster dad for my precious Baxter. Baxter has enjoyed nearly a year of pampering by my Martin and Annie.
Back to the knitting...I actually knit myself a sweater. I'm going to start calling in "the jumper" though because in Ireland sweaters are generally called jumpers and since I knit it in Ireland...well...you get the idea. That's all for now folks!
Here's my attempt at upgrading this blog from a simple travel tales blog to a real, updated, open to the public blog. If you look to the right, you'll see my works in progress (WIP) list with photos. I've also added a list of things I've finished. My little brother has a blog now. Well, as it turns out he's had it for a while. It's an exercise journal type of thing. All you have to do it look at it to see I have the most physically fit brother on this planet. He's a stud. He's also the best foster dad for my precious Baxter. Baxter has enjoyed nearly a year of pampering by my Martin and Annie.
Back to the knitting...I actually knit myself a sweater. I'm going to start calling in "the jumper" though because in Ireland sweaters are generally called jumpers and since I knit it in Ireland...well...you get the idea. That's all for now folks!
Monday, July 09, 2007
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Surf's Up!
For once, I was not looking longingly at the car with cool sports equipment tied to the top! I actually got to give surfing a go! The boards they gave us through the surf school were practically pontoon boats! Huge foam things. Even when there wave died, I could still manage to balance a bit. Might even get to go back next weekend. Hopefully the waves will be bigger and I'll have more exciting stories to tell about getting creamed by waves. Who knew I'd be surfing in Ireland!
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Something for the environment...
Living in Europe, I think I might be exposed to a little more environmentalism in my every day life than I was at home. In Belgium you will be fined if you do not sort your recyclables form trash! In Dublin, McDonalds has drop boxes for battery recycling. In Portugal there weren't any simple trash bins. Every bin had 4 parts...plastics, glass, cartons and trash. In my house there are toggle switches for every outlet in the house so that even if something is plugged in (such as the stove) the power can be turned off when not in use. We have to turn the hot water heater on and off before and after showering. At the Patagonia store, you can even recycle your clothes. The grocery store prints on your receipt the percentage of your purchase that's Irish grown/raised/produced.
Have you ever calculated your carbon footprint? Your carbon footprint is a representation of the effect your human activites have on the climate based on the amount of greenhouse gas produced. This is measured in units of carbon dioxide. If you want to feel guilty about the way you live try this... http://www.earthday.net/Footprint/index.asp My carbon footprint is rediculously high because of all the air travel I do. (Sorry World)
So, I'm going to stop flying any time soon, I don't have a hybrid car, and I forgot to turn off the hot water heater this morning. I'm pretty sure we have to live our lives without feeling guilty, but we still have to be good stewards and take care of what we've been given. The world happens to be a pretty big thing to take care of! Here are just two things that are worth looking into.
Those curly-q lightbulbs really do save a lot of energy. They aren't that expensive anymore and you can get them in different strengths to match the light output form normal lightbulbs. Plus they last forever or something close!
Tide coldwater detergent is not a hoax! It's got enzymes in it (which are biodegradable) that break up stains in cold water. The enzyme will die (actually they denature) in hot water. In europe it's referred to as biological detergent and it's quite popular. Most brands have a biological version.
Those are the things I can think of for now. I'll keep a list of things I think are worth looking into and you can let me know if you have things you think are worth looking into.
Take care and keep in touch.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
10 minutes at a time...
Today I ran a 5 mile race. Here were my thoughts...
Pre-race: I haven't run 5 miles since...right...this is just asking for failure. Well, there are walkers. I can always join the walkers. No. You will run. Oh great! I have to go to the bathroom. Bad timing. There's no time now. Dang it. Now I have to run 5 miles just to get to the bathroom! I'll just run it 10 minutes at a time.
Mile 1: I hope I can keep pace without my ipod. Those ladies are twice my age and wearing spandex pants. Hmm...well...more power to 'em. I wish I had my ipod. You know, you can always tell the good runners, but the mediocre runners like me...they all look like athletes so they are hard to pick from the crowd. Humph. How do people run without music blasting in their ears? Ok, so far so good. It's cold, but surely it will warm up soon. Oh good...mile 1 in 10 minutes almost exactly!
Mile 2: I can run 3 miles. If I can get through this first two, then surely I can coax myself through 3 more. Woohoo...half way mark! The rest is all downhill. Well, except that it's not down hill. It's uphill. That stinks. Hey, I know where I am now. Home is just down that road. I could cut out now and be home in 10 minutes. That's not going to work, my bike is at the start line. Drat. So how much further? Hmmm...Martin always said to focus on your arms when your legs get tired. Maybe that will help. Yeah! There's the 2nd mile marker. 10 minutes and a few seconds. Not bad.
Mile 3: Ok, now I just have to make it 3 more miles. I can do that. I've done it before. Pace is right on track. At this rate, I have to run for 30 more minutes. 30 more minutes! I wish the pavement was even. Maybe the sidewalk is more even. Nope. Ok, this is kind of fun right now! I'm starting to pass a few people. Uh oh...mile three is a slow one. 10 minutes and several seconds. Pick up the pace!
Mile 4: Well, I've officially run my farthest in Ireland. Any bit over 3 miles is a Ireland record I wonder if anyone else in this race can say their cross training includes rock climbing and ballet! Ha! Here's hoping uniquely trained muscles and enthusiasm make up for lack of endurance! Some old fart directing race traffic just told me to put some effort into it. Jerk! I am putting effort into it! I thought those guys were just supposed to say things like "Good job! Keep it up! You're almost done!" Again, just over 10 minutes for that mile.
Mile 5: Only a mile left. Alternating the focus on legs and then arms seems to help take my mind off the rebelling muscles. I've come this far, there's no stopping now. Still have to go to the bathroom. Ha! everything is in miles and now they have an 800 meter mark. What's 800 meters? You shouldn't mix metric and imperial units in the same race. OK. Put the peddle to the metal! There's the finish line!
Finish Line: 50 minutes 16 seconds. Not competitive by any means, but at least I ran the whole thing. I think I'm going to collapse. Oooh. How nice. Old ladies passing out water and snacks. Maybe I'll survive after all. Now, who wants to race me to the bathroom!
Pre-race: I haven't run 5 miles since...right...this is just asking for failure. Well, there are walkers. I can always join the walkers. No. You will run. Oh great! I have to go to the bathroom. Bad timing. There's no time now. Dang it. Now I have to run 5 miles just to get to the bathroom! I'll just run it 10 minutes at a time.
Mile 1: I hope I can keep pace without my ipod. Those ladies are twice my age and wearing spandex pants. Hmm...well...more power to 'em. I wish I had my ipod. You know, you can always tell the good runners, but the mediocre runners like me...they all look like athletes so they are hard to pick from the crowd. Humph. How do people run without music blasting in their ears? Ok, so far so good. It's cold, but surely it will warm up soon. Oh good...mile 1 in 10 minutes almost exactly!
Mile 2: I can run 3 miles. If I can get through this first two, then surely I can coax myself through 3 more. Woohoo...half way mark! The rest is all downhill. Well, except that it's not down hill. It's uphill. That stinks. Hey, I know where I am now. Home is just down that road. I could cut out now and be home in 10 minutes. That's not going to work, my bike is at the start line. Drat. So how much further? Hmmm...Martin always said to focus on your arms when your legs get tired. Maybe that will help. Yeah! There's the 2nd mile marker. 10 minutes and a few seconds. Not bad.
Mile 3: Ok, now I just have to make it 3 more miles. I can do that. I've done it before. Pace is right on track. At this rate, I have to run for 30 more minutes. 30 more minutes! I wish the pavement was even. Maybe the sidewalk is more even. Nope. Ok, this is kind of fun right now! I'm starting to pass a few people. Uh oh...mile three is a slow one. 10 minutes and several seconds. Pick up the pace!
Mile 4: Well, I've officially run my farthest in Ireland. Any bit over 3 miles is a Ireland record I wonder if anyone else in this race can say their cross training includes rock climbing and ballet! Ha! Here's hoping uniquely trained muscles and enthusiasm make up for lack of endurance! Some old fart directing race traffic just told me to put some effort into it. Jerk! I am putting effort into it! I thought those guys were just supposed to say things like "Good job! Keep it up! You're almost done!" Again, just over 10 minutes for that mile.
Mile 5: Only a mile left. Alternating the focus on legs and then arms seems to help take my mind off the rebelling muscles. I've come this far, there's no stopping now. Still have to go to the bathroom. Ha! everything is in miles and now they have an 800 meter mark. What's 800 meters? You shouldn't mix metric and imperial units in the same race. OK. Put the peddle to the metal! There's the finish line!
Finish Line: 50 minutes 16 seconds. Not competitive by any means, but at least I ran the whole thing. I think I'm going to collapse. Oooh. How nice. Old ladies passing out water and snacks. Maybe I'll survive after all. Now, who wants to race me to the bathroom!
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Is this really Ireland?
There's been no rain in Dublin since last Sunday. I'm starting to wonder if I'm even in Ireland anymore! I can't complain though. The sunshine is more than welcome to stay!
The house across the street just sold and there are people moving in. I'd like to meet my neighbors who have 2.9 million euro to spend on a semi-detached house! Yes...that's right...2.9 MILLION!!! The house was in shambles and a developer bought it and 'flipped' it. The house two doors down is on the market for 1.5 million. It's not worth much, because there is no back or front garden. Isn't that amazing? This may be the only time in my life that I live in a million dollar neighborhood!
A friend of the family is in Ireland on Business this week, so I'll visit him for the weekend. He works for Eli Lilly and their plant is down south in County Cork in the city of Kinsale. I've not been down south yet, but I hear it's beautiful. There's a rugby tournament this weekend, so we're going to that. I have about a zillion guide books for Ireland that should help give us ideas for the rest of the weekend.
I'm working on being the most physically fit American in Dublin. In addition to rock climbing, I've started ballet again. I just take two classes a week, but it's a great workout! I'm also running a decent amount. Running is not usually my cup of tea, but lately it's been fun. I even signed up for a 5 mile race for next weekend. I've been running 2 and 3 miles on a regular basis. I'll have to kick it into high gear on Monday and then hope for the best next weekend.
Other than that, there's nothing to report.
Keep in touch!
The house across the street just sold and there are people moving in. I'd like to meet my neighbors who have 2.9 million euro to spend on a semi-detached house! Yes...that's right...2.9 MILLION!!! The house was in shambles and a developer bought it and 'flipped' it. The house two doors down is on the market for 1.5 million. It's not worth much, because there is no back or front garden. Isn't that amazing? This may be the only time in my life that I live in a million dollar neighborhood!
A friend of the family is in Ireland on Business this week, so I'll visit him for the weekend. He works for Eli Lilly and their plant is down south in County Cork in the city of Kinsale. I've not been down south yet, but I hear it's beautiful. There's a rugby tournament this weekend, so we're going to that. I have about a zillion guide books for Ireland that should help give us ideas for the rest of the weekend.
I'm working on being the most physically fit American in Dublin. In addition to rock climbing, I've started ballet again. I just take two classes a week, but it's a great workout! I'm also running a decent amount. Running is not usually my cup of tea, but lately it's been fun. I even signed up for a 5 mile race for next weekend. I've been running 2 and 3 miles on a regular basis. I'll have to kick it into high gear on Monday and then hope for the best next weekend.
Other than that, there's nothing to report.
Keep in touch!
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Sunny Day
Today was a wonderful sunny day in Dublin. Yesterday our professors said they were unavailable today, so we had the day off. My theory is that they wanted to be out playing golf. One of my housemates suggested we go out to a town called Bray. There's a mountain of sorts there called Bray Head. We packed our lunches and took the train this morning out there. Bray head was...well...a little steeper and taller than we had imagined! We earned every morsel of lunch! The view was beautiful. Well worth the hike. I spent the afternoon in a little town called Dalkey. I go there on occasion to climb in the old quarry, but for the first time I got to explore the town. Lovely little shops, a castle, a few pubs, a church and a coffee shop or two. My friends actually had to work today, so to kill time I bought Pride and Prejudice, planted myself in a coffee shop and read for a while. Let me tell you that this is most surely NOT something I would normally do, but I quite enjoyed sitting there reading and sipping my latte. Kevin picked me up around 6:30 and we drove to the quarry. I climbed two climbs tonight, one called Thrust and the other Dipthong. Thrust is rated as HVS (hard very severe). HVS pushes me to my limits. Dipthong is only severe; comfortable enough but with a few tricky spots. Kevin will be my climbing buddy this summer as Chris and Richie are both jetting off on extended holidays.
Tomorrow it's back to the old grindstone. I'll be in school most of the day...wishing I was out in the sunshine again! We're going to quantify the RNA we isolated the other day. The other day we isolated DNA and RNA from cervical cancer cells. This class is a lot more demanding than the last. A nice change of pace, I suppose. Biotechnology is pretty new to me, so I'll have to work extra hard for the next few weeks. Learning without struggle is not learning at all, right?
Keep in touch!
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