Dear George Lucas,
When next you decide to try to squeeze more money out of Star Wars by re-booting the franchise-- and don't pretend you haven't thought of it! Re-boots are all the rage these days, so we all know that after the 3d re-re-release, that will be the next step. So anyway, when you re-boot the franchise, I have a request: Jeff Bridges for Obi-Wan Kenobi. He's played a Jedi in at least two movies* already, and most recently in Tron: Legacy he showed that he can look badass and commanding in a robe. He also can grow a beard like a champ.
So please, remember: Jeff Bridges for Obi-Wan Kenobi!
Love, despite everything,
Ayla
(Yes, I saw Tron: Legacy last night. It's a fun movie whose poorly-written dialogue was compensated for by badass action sequences! Also, it has an excellent soundtrack, as it was scored by the inestimable Daft Punk. Which is perfect, because I'm pretty sure Daft Punk lives in the grid in real life. Anyway, Jeff Bridges absolutely rocked it, playing a character he last played almost 30 years ago and doing it with style.)
(Also, I'm currently in Michigan for the winter holidays! My time has been mostly taken up by lying around, playing video games, and/or hanging out with friends and family. And drinking.)
*Men Who Stare At Goats and The Big Lebowski, obviously.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
NUIG's bureaucracy must not like me
This semester has been a doozie for administrative issues in my life.
First, there was the thing where I didn't get registered with the university-- when I went and asked about it, it turned out that my PhD program wasn't even in their system. (That one wasn't just me, of course, but all 13 of us in the TCC program; still, I was the one who discovered it.) Then, there was the part where my login information for the university's computer system got mysteriously blocked. I wasn't able to use the NUIG wifi or any of the school's computers. Computer services never did figure out what happened, but eventually they fixed it and reset the password.
Now, there is yet another problem with my stipend. We normally get our monthly stipend transferred around the 23rd of the month, or if the 23rd is on a weekend then the nearest Friday. Since this month the 23rd was on a Saturday, I figured it would come on Friday 22 October. When that didn't happen, I thought "Well, maybe they're rounding it back, and I'll get it the Friday after the 23rd." Which is today! But I checked this morning, and still no. This wouldn't be too big a deal-- except this is a really skinny month for me, what with my annual €150 immigration registration fee. (I usually have about €150-€200 left over at the end of the month, so this fee pretty much tapped me out.)
So this morning I emailed Marie, the Moore Institute's most excellent secretary, asking if she knew what was going on with the stipend. This is the response I got:
Hi Ayla
I have spoken with Research Accounts and there has been an error over there where your end date had been set to 2010 in stead of 2012. They had done this with all the students but managed to correct all the others except yours. Darran is going to arrange to transfer your stipend into your bank account but tells me that unfortunately this may not happen until Monday as the person in Accounts is out today and he’s not sure if anyone else over there will do it.
Wow. Administrative errors strike again. This is not the first time that I have had problems with my stipend. I'm pretty annoyed that there is apparently only one employee in the university who deals with Accounts. "Oh, he's out today, so you can't get the paycheck we've owed you for a week." What the hell, NUIG.
Oh well. This is exactly why I have a credit card: emergencies. I actually used it for the first time ever this week-- to buy groceries. And it's possible that the money might get transferred this afternoon anyway. You know, if someone in the Accounts office decides to do it.
After all, it would be nice to have money for the weekend... because it's Halloween! Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday. Even though my costume this year isn't exactly an original for me, I still love any excuse to dress up. I love seeing big groups of people wearing costumes. I love dead leaves and crows and spooky trees and pumpkins. I love Halloween!
First, there was the thing where I didn't get registered with the university-- when I went and asked about it, it turned out that my PhD program wasn't even in their system. (That one wasn't just me, of course, but all 13 of us in the TCC program; still, I was the one who discovered it.) Then, there was the part where my login information for the university's computer system got mysteriously blocked. I wasn't able to use the NUIG wifi or any of the school's computers. Computer services never did figure out what happened, but eventually they fixed it and reset the password.
Now, there is yet another problem with my stipend. We normally get our monthly stipend transferred around the 23rd of the month, or if the 23rd is on a weekend then the nearest Friday. Since this month the 23rd was on a Saturday, I figured it would come on Friday 22 October. When that didn't happen, I thought "Well, maybe they're rounding it back, and I'll get it the Friday after the 23rd." Which is today! But I checked this morning, and still no. This wouldn't be too big a deal-- except this is a really skinny month for me, what with my annual €150 immigration registration fee. (I usually have about €150-€200 left over at the end of the month, so this fee pretty much tapped me out.)
So this morning I emailed Marie, the Moore Institute's most excellent secretary, asking if she knew what was going on with the stipend. This is the response I got:
Hi Ayla
I have spoken with Research Accounts and there has been an error over there where your end date had been set to 2010 in stead of 2012. They had done this with all the students but managed to correct all the others except yours. Darran is going to arrange to transfer your stipend into your bank account but tells me that unfortunately this may not happen until Monday as the person in Accounts is out today and he’s not sure if anyone else over there will do it.
Wow. Administrative errors strike again. This is not the first time that I have had problems with my stipend. I'm pretty annoyed that there is apparently only one employee in the university who deals with Accounts. "Oh, he's out today, so you can't get the paycheck we've owed you for a week." What the hell, NUIG.
Oh well. This is exactly why I have a credit card: emergencies. I actually used it for the first time ever this week-- to buy groceries. And it's possible that the money might get transferred this afternoon anyway. You know, if someone in the Accounts office decides to do it.
After all, it would be nice to have money for the weekend... because it's Halloween! Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday. Even though my costume this year isn't exactly an original for me, I still love any excuse to dress up. I love seeing big groups of people wearing costumes. I love dead leaves and crows and spooky trees and pumpkins. I love Halloween!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
PhD students need to rock out too
This weekend, I went to a rock concert.
I went with a friend of mine, who is also a doctoral student. I'm studying Irish-American theatre history; he's looking at the Roman empire around the 4th and 5th centuries. We both are the recipients of a prestigious fellowship and have presented at numerous professional conferences. In a few years, if all goes well, we'll both be professors. And this weekend, we went to see the Northern Irish heavy metal/punk band Therapy?, at a small crowded sweaty bar. We headbanged, screamed along with the songs, threw up the horns, and generally rocked the fuck out.
Really, I spend too much time being a Responsible Adult, focused on spending my time in grad school being a Young Professional. I spend so much mental energy learning to be an academic that I sometimes forget that I have a whole 'nother side... a side that likes to go to rock shows and headbang. Letting that side out once in a while is good for the soul.
I went with a friend of mine, who is also a doctoral student. I'm studying Irish-American theatre history; he's looking at the Roman empire around the 4th and 5th centuries. We both are the recipients of a prestigious fellowship and have presented at numerous professional conferences. In a few years, if all goes well, we'll both be professors. And this weekend, we went to see the Northern Irish heavy metal/punk band Therapy?, at a small crowded sweaty bar. We headbanged, screamed along with the songs, threw up the horns, and generally rocked the fuck out.
Really, I spend too much time being a Responsible Adult, focused on spending my time in grad school being a Young Professional. I spend so much mental energy learning to be an academic that I sometimes forget that I have a whole 'nother side... a side that likes to go to rock shows and headbang. Letting that side out once in a while is good for the soul.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
has it been two years already?
"I, Ayla Zachary, a qualified and registered elector of the _4th_ precinct in the township of _____ or village of Spring Lake or of the _____ ward of the city of _____, in the county of Ottawa and state of Michigan, apply for an official ballot, or ballots, to be voted by me at the election or elections as requested in this application."
-from my absentee ballot application
I've decided to vote in the upcoming midterm election.
Politics is something that I'm always, theoretically, interested in. (Let's deconstruct that sentence! Two possible meanings: "In theory, I am always interested in politics" or "I am always interested in political theory." Yes. Both are true.) However, due to the nature of my life and of myself, that interest tends to slip firmly into the theoretical and away from the practical most of the time. I read the news, but not every day; my first resource tends to be BBC News, and on any given day I'm most likely to have an Irish or EU news story brought to my attention. Most of the time I spend in front of the computer is during my work day, when reading news websites feels like procrastination and is something I try not to do. Also, I don't have a television, so I'm not going to stumble onto it that way.
This means that my attention to and knowledge of U.S. politics tends to be really lacking these days. For example, with the upcoming midterms, I didn't even realize that Michigan was having a gubernatorial* election! It didn't occur to me that Governor Jennifer Granholm's term limit would be approaching. Then, this week, I suddenly realized what is at stake in this election-- in addition to my home state's chief executive position, there's the risk of the Democrats losing the majority in Congress. And suddenly I became interested to the point of distraction in the current American political situation, obsessively consuming analyses about what's been going on in the U.S.A. for the past year.
This happened before the last election, too-- for the month leading up to the November '08 Presidential election, I was passionate about reading the news every day. Then Obama won, and my interest waned again... it was rekindled a little when he took office in January '09, but then slipped again. I'm sure after this election is overwhen Republicans take control of Congress I'll go back to my normal state of self-absorption and mild disillusionment. But right now, voting in the midterm election seems like the most important thing I can do, as an adult citizen of the world.
*To tie into a recent post here, I'd like to point out that truly excellent word. Let's all say it together: GUBERNATORIAL. Fantastic.
-from my absentee ballot application
I've decided to vote in the upcoming midterm election.
Politics is something that I'm always, theoretically, interested in. (Let's deconstruct that sentence! Two possible meanings: "In theory, I am always interested in politics" or "I am always interested in political theory." Yes. Both are true.) However, due to the nature of my life and of myself, that interest tends to slip firmly into the theoretical and away from the practical most of the time. I read the news, but not every day; my first resource tends to be BBC News, and on any given day I'm most likely to have an Irish or EU news story brought to my attention. Most of the time I spend in front of the computer is during my work day, when reading news websites feels like procrastination and is something I try not to do. Also, I don't have a television, so I'm not going to stumble onto it that way.
This means that my attention to and knowledge of U.S. politics tends to be really lacking these days. For example, with the upcoming midterms, I didn't even realize that Michigan was having a gubernatorial* election! It didn't occur to me that Governor Jennifer Granholm's term limit would be approaching. Then, this week, I suddenly realized what is at stake in this election-- in addition to my home state's chief executive position, there's the risk of the Democrats losing the majority in Congress. And suddenly I became interested to the point of distraction in the current American political situation, obsessively consuming analyses about what's been going on in the U.S.A. for the past year.
This happened before the last election, too-- for the month leading up to the November '08 Presidential election, I was passionate about reading the news every day. Then Obama won, and my interest waned again... it was rekindled a little when he took office in January '09, but then slipped again. I'm sure after this election is over
*To tie into a recent post here, I'd like to point out that truly excellent word. Let's all say it together: GUBERNATORIAL. Fantastic.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Quick update
Just a note, following up on my last post detailing my Immigration woes-- yes, I was finally able to register. I got to the GNIB office at 4:30 in the morning, a full three hours before they opened... and I was the fourth person in line, there were three guys there ahead of me! I brought with me a blanket, travel pillow, leftover pizza to eat, and a travel mug of hot tea, as well as a fully-charged iPod, so I was as comfortable as I could be for the long cold wait. Which was still pretty damn uncomfortable.
And then of course I had to deal with The Shouty Lady, the one infamously mean GNIB officer. But in the end I got registered, so now I don't have to do that again... for a year, anyway. *sigh*
And then of course I had to deal with The Shouty Lady, the one infamously mean GNIB officer. But in the end I got registered, so now I don't have to do that again... for a year, anyway. *sigh*
Thursday, October 7, 2010
There has to be a better way
I'm starting to think that Galway's Immigration office is guilty of human rights violations.
(Backstory: if you're a non-EU or non-EEA national, and you want to stay in Ireland for more than 90 days, you have to be registered as a legal immigrant. Registration permits you to stay for up to a year. If you're a student, as I am, it's not terribly difficult-- all you need is a few pieces of easily-obtainable paperwork. Fine. I could do without the accompanying €150 fee, of course, but overall the process is fairly easy. One of my first blog entries was about my first registration.)
So I have no beef with the Garda National Immigration Bureau, as a whole. I don't even have beef with any specific employees; they are generally pretty friendly. I have a major problem with the administration of the Galway GNIB office, though.
This is the fourth year I've had to go through the registration process. The past three years, it has been like going to the DMV or Secretary of State's office or whatever-- you go to the office, take a number, and wait until you're called. In the past I've had to wait for up to 3 hours, but whatever, it happens. This year, however, they are giving out all the numbers as soon as they open their doors at 7:30 am, and since they can only process so many people per day, if there are more people than that they don't get in. Yesterday, I arrived 20 minutes before the office opened; there was already a huge line, and I didn't get in.
[Here it is worth mentioning that the GNIB office is a 35-minute walk from my house, or about a €10 cab ride.]
Today, I left the house at 5:30am, arriving just around 6am. There were already probably 35 people in line when I got there, standing or sitting on the sidewalk outside the office. I sat, in the cold, on the cold pavement, for an hour and a half until they opened. By this time there were maybe 15 more people behind me. The single employee that was working let in about 20 or 25 people, but then stopped the rest. "I can only see this many people today," he said. "Come back tomorrow, or maybe next week, and try again." More than thirty people, more than half the line, were turned away, after waiting outside in the pre-dawn cold for hours. I am young, strong, and healthy, and I found the experience miserable-- there were small children, pregnant women, and elderly people who had been waiting. For hours. Outside. In the cold. Thankfully it wasn't raining today, but in Ireland it often is.
On Monday I'm going to try again. I'm going to leave my house at FOUR O'CLOCK in the morning, to walk for 35 minutes, to get there THREE HOURS before they open. Because apparently that's what you have to do, if you want to register as an immigrant. And when I get there, I just have to hope all my paperwork is in order and they don't arbitrarily decide I need something extra. One of my friends was turned away three times in a row, after going through the same thing I did. There has got to be a better way-- more employees would be a start. Maybe if you know you only have 25 slots available, have people make appointments. Whatever it is, leaving dozens of people out in the cold for hours only to be turned away is not the right way.
(Backstory: if you're a non-EU or non-EEA national, and you want to stay in Ireland for more than 90 days, you have to be registered as a legal immigrant. Registration permits you to stay for up to a year. If you're a student, as I am, it's not terribly difficult-- all you need is a few pieces of easily-obtainable paperwork. Fine. I could do without the accompanying €150 fee, of course, but overall the process is fairly easy. One of my first blog entries was about my first registration.)
So I have no beef with the Garda National Immigration Bureau, as a whole. I don't even have beef with any specific employees; they are generally pretty friendly. I have a major problem with the administration of the Galway GNIB office, though.
This is the fourth year I've had to go through the registration process. The past three years, it has been like going to the DMV or Secretary of State's office or whatever-- you go to the office, take a number, and wait until you're called. In the past I've had to wait for up to 3 hours, but whatever, it happens. This year, however, they are giving out all the numbers as soon as they open their doors at 7:30 am, and since they can only process so many people per day, if there are more people than that they don't get in. Yesterday, I arrived 20 minutes before the office opened; there was already a huge line, and I didn't get in.
[Here it is worth mentioning that the GNIB office is a 35-minute walk from my house, or about a €10 cab ride.]
Today, I left the house at 5:30am, arriving just around 6am. There were already probably 35 people in line when I got there, standing or sitting on the sidewalk outside the office. I sat, in the cold, on the cold pavement, for an hour and a half until they opened. By this time there were maybe 15 more people behind me. The single employee that was working let in about 20 or 25 people, but then stopped the rest. "I can only see this many people today," he said. "Come back tomorrow, or maybe next week, and try again." More than thirty people, more than half the line, were turned away, after waiting outside in the pre-dawn cold for hours. I am young, strong, and healthy, and I found the experience miserable-- there were small children, pregnant women, and elderly people who had been waiting. For hours. Outside. In the cold. Thankfully it wasn't raining today, but in Ireland it often is.
On Monday I'm going to try again. I'm going to leave my house at FOUR O'CLOCK in the morning, to walk for 35 minutes, to get there THREE HOURS before they open. Because apparently that's what you have to do, if you want to register as an immigrant. And when I get there, I just have to hope all my paperwork is in order and they don't arbitrarily decide I need something extra. One of my friends was turned away three times in a row, after going through the same thing I did. There has got to be a better way-- more employees would be a start. Maybe if you know you only have 25 slots available, have people make appointments. Whatever it is, leaving dozens of people out in the cold for hours only to be turned away is not the right way.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
And now for something completely different
Instead of an update about my life, here is an update about one of my favorite things in life: words. I love words-- not just because of their literal meaning, but because of the way they look written down, the way they sound, they way they feel in your mouth when you pronounce them. I learned a new word today, and it just too wonderful not to pass on.
Petrichor: A pleasant, distinctive smell frequently accompanying the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather in certain regions.
This is why I love language.
A few of my other favorite words, to use, to write, to say:
-ephemeral
-bracken
-gloaming
-crepuscular
What are some of your favorites?
Petrichor: A pleasant, distinctive smell frequently accompanying the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather in certain regions.
This is why I love language.
A few of my other favorite words, to use, to write, to say:
-ephemeral
-bracken
-gloaming
-crepuscular
What are some of your favorites?
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
I might as well just open a hostel in my living room!
You know, when I look at other 'blogs maintained by other friends, my life just seems plain boring.
"But Ayla," you say, "you live in Ireland! That's a foreign country! Depending on who you ask, it might even be in Europe! How can that fail to be exciting?!"
Well, yes, I live in Ireland, which is a foreign country to an American like me, and may or may not be in Europe. But it is also a fairly prosperous English-speaking first world country. A lot of things are different from the United States, but they're all fairly small things. My overall lifestyle isn't all that exotic-- the biggest differences are things like when I buy cheese, I buy Charleville instead of Sargento brand. (Or, more likely, Dunnes store brand instead of Kroger store brand.) I look "right, left, right" instead of "left, right, left" before crossing the street. And I don't even try to order a whiskey sour, let alone a complicated mixed drink, when I'm in a bar.
Plus, I'm in grad school, and that is pretty much the same everywhere. I sit at my desk, I read books, and I write things. I could really be in any desk in any English-speaking country; the only reason I'm here is that NUIG has the faculty and resources that specialize in what I'm interested in.
Of course, I shouldn't be complaining about my life being boring: my friend Sara was just here for two weeks! As I'm sure I've mentioned before, having visitors is always refreshing, because they get excited about things you take for granted and give you a fresh perspective on your boring ol' life. When Sara was here, we went to the Galway City museum, which I had never done! We also did lots of shopping, ate lots of good food (both in restaurants and home-cooked), and went to a lot of bars. We even went to a club, something I had also hitherto never done in Galway! The verdict: clubs anywhere are overpriced, and the dancing isn't any better than the dancing you'd get at a regular bar. Still, at least now I can say that I've been to one.
Sara had to fly back to Detroit, by way of JFK airport, on September 11. Yeah. I was nervous that she'd have a security nightmare to get through, but she said it wasn't too bad. Though she added that the security personnel looked rather on-edge. She made it back safe and sound, though, which is all that matters.
AND! Speaking of visitors! My cousin Maggie and my aunt Barb are coming to visit me this weekend! Maggie is currently living in St Andrews, Scotland, working at THE golf course as a chef; Aunt Barbie is visiting her there. They decided to take a couple days to come visit me in Galway. They get here on Sunday, and I am super excited, because they are some of my most fun relatives to hang out with. Time to roll out the futon again!
"But Ayla," you say, "you live in Ireland! That's a foreign country! Depending on who you ask, it might even be in Europe! How can that fail to be exciting?!"
Well, yes, I live in Ireland, which is a foreign country to an American like me, and may or may not be in Europe. But it is also a fairly prosperous English-speaking first world country. A lot of things are different from the United States, but they're all fairly small things. My overall lifestyle isn't all that exotic-- the biggest differences are things like when I buy cheese, I buy Charleville instead of Sargento brand. (Or, more likely, Dunnes store brand instead of Kroger store brand.) I look "right, left, right" instead of "left, right, left" before crossing the street. And I don't even try to order a whiskey sour, let alone a complicated mixed drink, when I'm in a bar.
Plus, I'm in grad school, and that is pretty much the same everywhere. I sit at my desk, I read books, and I write things. I could really be in any desk in any English-speaking country; the only reason I'm here is that NUIG has the faculty and resources that specialize in what I'm interested in.
Of course, I shouldn't be complaining about my life being boring: my friend Sara was just here for two weeks! As I'm sure I've mentioned before, having visitors is always refreshing, because they get excited about things you take for granted and give you a fresh perspective on your boring ol' life. When Sara was here, we went to the Galway City museum, which I had never done! We also did lots of shopping, ate lots of good food (both in restaurants and home-cooked), and went to a lot of bars. We even went to a club, something I had also hitherto never done in Galway! The verdict: clubs anywhere are overpriced, and the dancing isn't any better than the dancing you'd get at a regular bar. Still, at least now I can say that I've been to one.
Sara had to fly back to Detroit, by way of JFK airport, on September 11. Yeah. I was nervous that she'd have a security nightmare to get through, but she said it wasn't too bad. Though she added that the security personnel looked rather on-edge. She made it back safe and sound, though, which is all that matters.
AND! Speaking of visitors! My cousin Maggie and my aunt Barb are coming to visit me this weekend! Maggie is currently living in St Andrews, Scotland, working at THE golf course as a chef; Aunt Barbie is visiting her there. They decided to take a couple days to come visit me in Galway. They get here on Sunday, and I am super excited, because they are some of my most fun relatives to hang out with. Time to roll out the futon again!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Excelsior!
Well, I am back from my summer vacation in Michigan and Chicago. It was lovely! Beach time, good food and drinks, great friends-- pretty much everything a vacation needs to be.
After I got back, I spent a day getting back on my feet and then jumped back into the swing of things... for about four days. And then...
My friend Sara arrived! She is currently visiting me for the next ten days! Admittedly it would be a little more exciting if I hadn't just seen her two weeks before, but still. I love having friends visit-- it makes me look at my city in a whole new way. Plus, I like it when people stay with me. I'm a person who needs a lot of alone time, and overall I love living by myself, but waking up and having someone to chat with over your morning coffee is something that I miss. And having that kind of companionship, even (especially?) on a temporary basis, is really nice. It's like having a roommate, only without being slowly driven insane! (Well, maybe that's just me.)
Ok, off to exploring and adventure! Excelsior!
After I got back, I spent a day getting back on my feet and then jumped back into the swing of things... for about four days. And then...
My friend Sara arrived! She is currently visiting me for the next ten days! Admittedly it would be a little more exciting if I hadn't just seen her two weeks before, but still. I love having friends visit-- it makes me look at my city in a whole new way. Plus, I like it when people stay with me. I'm a person who needs a lot of alone time, and overall I love living by myself, but waking up and having someone to chat with over your morning coffee is something that I miss. And having that kind of companionship, even (especially?) on a temporary basis, is really nice. It's like having a roommate, only without being slowly driven insane! (Well, maybe that's just me.)
Ok, off to exploring and adventure! Excelsior!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Ulster road trip photos-- FINALLY
I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long. I've been really busy, and plus I didn't feel like I should update until I could put up my photos from the road trip. And since I took over 200 of them, well, it took me a while to finally get them sorted out.
But I did! And I put them on Facebook! You can see them all here!
After whittling it down from more than 200, I still put up 67 photos. So I'm not going to post them all here, simply because it's already taken most of the evening to get them up in one place. You should go look at them on Facebook, if you want to see them all. But I will give you some highlights...
The intrepid explorers:
Up next: adventure in Scotland! My lovely mother is flying over this week-- on July 21, my birthday!-- and we are going to Edinburgh and St Andrews together. I am almost inexpressibly excited! I have wanted to go to Scotland since I was a little kid, and going with my mother on my birthday is just too good. And then, as soon as we get done over there, we're flying back to the 'States together, for my summer break. I get to spend pretty much the whole month of August in Michigan and Chicago this time, and man am I looking forward to it. Excitement abounds!
But I did! And I put them on Facebook! You can see them all here!
After whittling it down from more than 200, I still put up 67 photos. So I'm not going to post them all here, simply because it's already taken most of the evening to get them up in one place. You should go look at them on Facebook, if you want to see them all. But I will give you some highlights...
The intrepid explorers:
Up next: adventure in Scotland! My lovely mother is flying over this week-- on July 21, my birthday!-- and we are going to Edinburgh and St Andrews together. I am almost inexpressibly excited! I have wanted to go to Scotland since I was a little kid, and going with my mother on my birthday is just too good. And then, as soon as we get done over there, we're flying back to the 'States together, for my summer break. I get to spend pretty much the whole month of August in Michigan and Chicago this time, and man am I looking forward to it. Excitement abounds!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Dang, an update
Ooh hey, new layout! I think this is more thematically appropriate, don't you? Also more relevant to my interests, as I have a bit of an obsession with old maps.
Anyway, in case you were wondering-- the road trip was fantastic. I took over 200 pictures, so I'm still kind of sorting through those... someday I'll put 'em up online. There are a lot of gorgeous ones, owing nothing to my skill with a camera and everything to the rugged natural beauty. Anyway, Jenn and I spent our four days hiking, climbing, and/or rambling around on mountains and cliffs in Ulster. It was a wonderful time. Also full of firsts for both of us-- first time renting a car, first time driving on the other side of the road! I was really nervous about driving for the first two days, but by the end of it I was feeling confident and enjoying myself a lot.
Since getting back, it's mostly been business as usual. My friend Quincy, who lives in New York City, was visiting Galway this weekend, so I spent some time hanging out with him. And my friend Jenn broke up with her boyfriend on Sunday, so I spent some time hanging out with and consoling her. Tomorrow I'm going to a symposium (ie, two lectures, some discussion, and then dinner with bigwigs, with a liberal sprinkling of schmoozing throughout) on Imperialism and Media. This weekend, I'm helping out with a conference ("Empire and Education") at the college-- registering attendees, setting up rooms, directing visitors to the College Bar, etc. Grunt work, but that's what being a grad student is all about, really. After that, back to business until the end of July...
Anyway, in case you were wondering-- the road trip was fantastic. I took over 200 pictures, so I'm still kind of sorting through those... someday I'll put 'em up online. There are a lot of gorgeous ones, owing nothing to my skill with a camera and everything to the rugged natural beauty. Anyway, Jenn and I spent our four days hiking, climbing, and/or rambling around on mountains and cliffs in Ulster. It was a wonderful time. Also full of firsts for both of us-- first time renting a car, first time driving on the other side of the road! I was really nervous about driving for the first two days, but by the end of it I was feeling confident and enjoying myself a lot.
Since getting back, it's mostly been business as usual. My friend Quincy, who lives in New York City, was visiting Galway this weekend, so I spent some time hanging out with him. And my friend Jenn broke up with her boyfriend on Sunday, so I spent some time hanging out with and consoling her. Tomorrow I'm going to a symposium (ie, two lectures, some discussion, and then dinner with bigwigs, with a liberal sprinkling of schmoozing throughout) on Imperialism and Media. This weekend, I'm helping out with a conference ("Empire and Education") at the college-- registering attendees, setting up rooms, directing visitors to the College Bar, etc. Grunt work, but that's what being a grad student is all about, really. After that, back to business until the end of July...
Friday, June 4, 2010
Road trip!
So, um, I'm taking a road trip! This coming week, from Tuesday to Friday!
My friend Jenn and I are renting a car and driving up north.* We're going to County Donegal, which is in the Republic of Ireland, and County Antrim, which is in Northern Ireland. This is exciting to me for a number of reasons! I have never been that far north here, and it's supposed to be absolutely gorgeous... plus, I have never been to Northern Ireland, and even though it's on the same island and you don't need to show your passport or anything to cross the border, I'm still excited to be going to what is technically a different country. Also, we are driving there-- I have never driven in this country! I'm really excited (though admittedly nervous) about driving on the other side of the road. And we got a manual, so I get to try shifting with my left hand!
We're going to be mostly doing outdoorsy stuff-- hiking on Slieve League, Ireland's second-highest cliffs (and Europe's 6th-highest); walking the beaches at Malin Head, the most northerly point of Ireland and a haven for whales and basking sharks; hiking from the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge to the Giant's Causeway. We also might stop by Derry to see some of the city, particularly the murals. We're not staying in Derry, but Jenn has been there before (and she did her MA on Northern Irish stuff, and is really knowledgeable about the history) so she can show me around the cool stuff. Woo!
I'm also currently engaged in planning another trip-- my mother and I are going to Scotland!-- but that is a subject for its own post. Suffice to say, interesting times are afoot for this summer!
*Not to be confused with Up North, which everyone from Michigan knows is a place. No, I just mean "in a northerly direction." Though in Ireland, The North is a place-- Northern Ireland, part of the UK.
My friend Jenn and I are renting a car and driving up north.* We're going to County Donegal, which is in the Republic of Ireland, and County Antrim, which is in Northern Ireland. This is exciting to me for a number of reasons! I have never been that far north here, and it's supposed to be absolutely gorgeous... plus, I have never been to Northern Ireland, and even though it's on the same island and you don't need to show your passport or anything to cross the border, I'm still excited to be going to what is technically a different country. Also, we are driving there-- I have never driven in this country! I'm really excited (though admittedly nervous) about driving on the other side of the road. And we got a manual, so I get to try shifting with my left hand!
We're going to be mostly doing outdoorsy stuff-- hiking on Slieve League, Ireland's second-highest cliffs (and Europe's 6th-highest); walking the beaches at Malin Head, the most northerly point of Ireland and a haven for whales and basking sharks; hiking from the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge to the Giant's Causeway. We also might stop by Derry to see some of the city, particularly the murals. We're not staying in Derry, but Jenn has been there before (and she did her MA on Northern Irish stuff, and is really knowledgeable about the history) so she can show me around the cool stuff. Woo!
I'm also currently engaged in planning another trip-- my mother and I are going to Scotland!-- but that is a subject for its own post. Suffice to say, interesting times are afoot for this summer!
*Not to be confused with Up North, which everyone from Michigan knows is a place. No, I just mean "in a northerly direction." Though in Ireland, The North is a place-- Northern Ireland, part of the UK.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Ireland's semi-annual Week of Nice Weather
Oh man, my weekend was crazy-go-nuts awesome! Well, ok, it wasn't that crazy. But it was warm! Thursday through Sunday it was in the 70s and sunny, which is about a semiannual occurrence in Ireland, so I had to take full advantage. (Today it's in the mid 60s, and weather.com says it will be back down to the 50s by Wednesday... sigh.)
Thursday:
-I woke up feeling crappy stomach-flu-y, so I laid low most of the day. Then in the evening Jenn invited me to come meet her, to sit outside a cafe and drink a glass of wine. I turned down the wine, but met her anyway.
-And it was warm and lovely, and I was suddenly very happy that I'd come out, and decided that my day couldn't get any better-- I was wearing short sleeves and a skirt! In Ireland!
-And then, who should walk past us down the street, but Cillian Murphy! (You know-- the main guy in 28 Days Later, the Scarecrow in Batman Begins, the bad guy in Red Eye, the tranny in Breakfast on Pluto...) He was in Galway for the 35th anniversary of a local theatre company that he was in, back in the day. Anyway, he walked past us about four times, and each time we squealed with excitement. I can happily report that he is just as gorgeous and dreamy in real life as in the movies!
Friday:
-I went out in the evening with Jenn. First to a bar, because one of her co-workers was having a birthday party there. I had never been to this particular bar, and when we walked in it looked kind of dingy and smelly, the kind of place where old men would watch football. But then we kept walking, out the back door and into the beer garden, which was absolutely lovely! Trees and plants, picnic tables, tin-and-tarpaper-roofed awnings, and another bar outside. I think it's my new favorite place to go for warm nights.
-Also, since it was a birthday party, there was chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting! And, since there were no plates, everyone ate their slice of chocolate cake with their hands. Eating chocolate cake with your hands is a highly underrated activity!
-After it got fully dark (11 or 11:30pm), Jenn and I continued on to a bonfire party. The bonfire party was down by the beach, and we met lots of random people. Including one Serbian guy with an accent that made him sound hilariously like Borat; at one point, he pinched my arm and said I was too small and needed some skin on my bones. (Yes, skin.)
Saturday:
-It was a beautiful sunny day, so I put on shorts and a tank top and went out to the Market!
-I bought a blended iced caramel macchiatto (yum!) and then picked up some Matar Paneer from the crazy Irish Hare Krishna dude who sells vegetarian Indian food.
-Then I sat on the grass outside the medieval church, drank my icey coffee and ate my Indian food while reading a book.
-After I finished eating, I did my shopping, picking up some fresh veggies (including beets! Beets are hard to find here for some reason!) and fresh fish at the Market. I also did some regular shopping at the grocery store, and in a fit of summer-induced madness bought some new sandals. (I'm only going to wear them like twice a year, so the purchase was probably unnecessary. But they were only €10 and are super-cute.)
Sunday:
-I went to the beach!!!! Woo! I can't stress how happy this makes me. I've only worn my bathing suit one other time in Ireland, during last summer's Week of Nice Weather. Jenn and I lay on the sand, reading and chatting and just enjoying the sun, for almost 4 hours. We tried to swim, but couldn't get more than knee-deep-- the water was just too dang cold. (In case we'd forgotten that Ireland is in the North Atlantic...) My feet were almost cramping from the cold after only a few minutes in the water. Still, it was a wonderful time.
-After getting home and eating dinner, I cleaned my apartment. I had planned on doing it earlier, but the day was just too nice to waste it inside-- you have to take advantage of every minute of sun on this damn island. So I did my spring cleaning in the evening. I started around 7pm and finished around 11, having thoroughly dusted, scrubbed, and mopped all the winter dirt out of this place. It's nice to finally have that done, and to have a sparkling clean flat again.
Today I'm staying home because I'm finally getting wi-fi installed! The internet man is supposed to come somewhere between 1 and 5 pm... I'm guessing he'll show up around 6:30 or so, that's how Irish service tends to work. Still, I'm excited!
Thursday:
-I woke up feeling crappy stomach-flu-y, so I laid low most of the day. Then in the evening Jenn invited me to come meet her, to sit outside a cafe and drink a glass of wine. I turned down the wine, but met her anyway.
-And it was warm and lovely, and I was suddenly very happy that I'd come out, and decided that my day couldn't get any better-- I was wearing short sleeves and a skirt! In Ireland!
-And then, who should walk past us down the street, but Cillian Murphy! (You know-- the main guy in 28 Days Later, the Scarecrow in Batman Begins, the bad guy in Red Eye, the tranny in Breakfast on Pluto...) He was in Galway for the 35th anniversary of a local theatre company that he was in, back in the day. Anyway, he walked past us about four times, and each time we squealed with excitement. I can happily report that he is just as gorgeous and dreamy in real life as in the movies!
Friday:
-I went out in the evening with Jenn. First to a bar, because one of her co-workers was having a birthday party there. I had never been to this particular bar, and when we walked in it looked kind of dingy and smelly, the kind of place where old men would watch football. But then we kept walking, out the back door and into the beer garden, which was absolutely lovely! Trees and plants, picnic tables, tin-and-tarpaper-roofed awnings, and another bar outside. I think it's my new favorite place to go for warm nights.
-Also, since it was a birthday party, there was chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting! And, since there were no plates, everyone ate their slice of chocolate cake with their hands. Eating chocolate cake with your hands is a highly underrated activity!
-After it got fully dark (11 or 11:30pm), Jenn and I continued on to a bonfire party. The bonfire party was down by the beach, and we met lots of random people. Including one Serbian guy with an accent that made him sound hilariously like Borat; at one point, he pinched my arm and said I was too small and needed some skin on my bones. (Yes, skin.)
Saturday:
-It was a beautiful sunny day, so I put on shorts and a tank top and went out to the Market!
-I bought a blended iced caramel macchiatto (yum!) and then picked up some Matar Paneer from the crazy Irish Hare Krishna dude who sells vegetarian Indian food.
-Then I sat on the grass outside the medieval church, drank my icey coffee and ate my Indian food while reading a book.
-After I finished eating, I did my shopping, picking up some fresh veggies (including beets! Beets are hard to find here for some reason!) and fresh fish at the Market. I also did some regular shopping at the grocery store, and in a fit of summer-induced madness bought some new sandals. (I'm only going to wear them like twice a year, so the purchase was probably unnecessary. But they were only €10 and are super-cute.)
Sunday:
-I went to the beach!!!! Woo! I can't stress how happy this makes me. I've only worn my bathing suit one other time in Ireland, during last summer's Week of Nice Weather. Jenn and I lay on the sand, reading and chatting and just enjoying the sun, for almost 4 hours. We tried to swim, but couldn't get more than knee-deep-- the water was just too dang cold. (In case we'd forgotten that Ireland is in the North Atlantic...) My feet were almost cramping from the cold after only a few minutes in the water. Still, it was a wonderful time.
-After getting home and eating dinner, I cleaned my apartment. I had planned on doing it earlier, but the day was just too nice to waste it inside-- you have to take advantage of every minute of sun on this damn island. So I did my spring cleaning in the evening. I started around 7pm and finished around 11, having thoroughly dusted, scrubbed, and mopped all the winter dirt out of this place. It's nice to finally have that done, and to have a sparkling clean flat again.
Today I'm staying home because I'm finally getting wi-fi installed! The internet man is supposed to come somewhere between 1 and 5 pm... I'm guessing he'll show up around 6:30 or so, that's how Irish service tends to work. Still, I'm excited!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
whoa look, an update
Haven't posted in a while. I guess I've been in an activity dry spell-- that is, I haven't had any crazy adventures in quite a while. Mostly I've been either working or sick. Or both. Well, I haven't been terribly deathly ill or anything, but there has definitely been something flu-y going around NUIG, and I've been fighting it on and off for about two weeks now. Mostly it's just headaches and nausea and cold sweats. Nothing incapacitating, but definitely uncomfortable.
I'm feeling kind of yucky today, so I decided to make some really good healthy juice! I took a litre of pressed, not-from-concentrate apple juice, and blended it with some fresh ginger, a chopped raw red pepper, a bunch of raw baby spinach, and the juice of a lemon. The result is juice that is kind of a swampy green color and tastes absolutely wonderful! I'm really fond of juices with vegetables in them, and spinach-red pepper is probably my favorite.
Yesterday, I recorded a new ukulele video! I don't normally post these here, but this one is notable because it elevates my Mac-rock skills-- I used GarageBand to record a fake piano track with it!
I'm feeling kind of yucky today, so I decided to make some really good healthy juice! I took a litre of pressed, not-from-concentrate apple juice, and blended it with some fresh ginger, a chopped raw red pepper, a bunch of raw baby spinach, and the juice of a lemon. The result is juice that is kind of a swampy green color and tastes absolutely wonderful! I'm really fond of juices with vegetables in them, and spinach-red pepper is probably my favorite.
Yesterday, I recorded a new ukulele video! I don't normally post these here, but this one is notable because it elevates my Mac-rock skills-- I used GarageBand to record a fake piano track with it!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
zip, zip, zip
Since last we spoke I posted, I have been in Cork... again! The Orchestra went down to Cork two weekends ago, for a concert. The experience was mostly similar to last year's concert in Cork-- we even stayed in the same hotel!-- with two main differences.
1. We didn't play at the UCC campus, but rather at St. Finbar's Cathedral.
It looks gothic and medieval, doesn't it? It was actually built in the mid-19th century! So only about 150 years old. It's a beautiful building, though the acoustics left something to be desired, very echo-y and hard to hear fellow players. That's the only picture I took of the Cork trip, anyway; the pictures from last year's trip pretty much cover the rest.
2. At the after-party, this time I got to be a part of the trad session! I brought my ukulele down, and it was a total hit among the orchestra. Early in the party, when people were taking turns singing or playing songs, I played an Amanda Palmer song for the orchestra; then, when the session started up, I played along, even though the ukulele is not exactly a trad instrument! It was a ton of fun.
The following weekend-- this past weekend-- we had another concert, in Galway. This one was at St. Nicholas' church, which is actually a medieval church and has a delicious lingering melty acoustic. I love playing there! The concert went well, too... though it was a bit sad for me, because now Orchestra is over until the fall. I love playing music, and having that outlet is something I look forward to every week. Oh well, I guess I'll have to tide myself over playing pop songs on the ukulele.
This coming weekend-- tomorrow, actually-- I am going to Dublin for a conference! The conference, held at Trinity College, is put on by the Irish Society for Theatre Research. In other words, professionals in my field! It's a big conference, one with multiple talks going on simultaneously, and will take up part of Thursday, all day Friday, and all day Saturday. Plus a dinner on Saturday night. I'm giving a paper, though not in an actual talk; instead, it's part of a "working group," a session with maybe 6 or 8 people talking reading each others' papers and giving advice on them. A workshop, basically. I'm looking forward to it; the workshop should be really helpful, and the conference itself sounds exciting. My advisor, Lionel, is actually going to be at this one, too, since he's organizing the working group I'm a part of. It'll be nice to have a familiar face in such a big conference!
Speaking of which, I better get back to reading those papers.
1. We didn't play at the UCC campus, but rather at St. Finbar's Cathedral.
It looks gothic and medieval, doesn't it? It was actually built in the mid-19th century! So only about 150 years old. It's a beautiful building, though the acoustics left something to be desired, very echo-y and hard to hear fellow players. That's the only picture I took of the Cork trip, anyway; the pictures from last year's trip pretty much cover the rest.
2. At the after-party, this time I got to be a part of the trad session! I brought my ukulele down, and it was a total hit among the orchestra. Early in the party, when people were taking turns singing or playing songs, I played an Amanda Palmer song for the orchestra; then, when the session started up, I played along, even though the ukulele is not exactly a trad instrument! It was a ton of fun.
The following weekend-- this past weekend-- we had another concert, in Galway. This one was at St. Nicholas' church, which is actually a medieval church and has a delicious lingering melty acoustic. I love playing there! The concert went well, too... though it was a bit sad for me, because now Orchestra is over until the fall. I love playing music, and having that outlet is something I look forward to every week. Oh well, I guess I'll have to tide myself over playing pop songs on the ukulele.
This coming weekend-- tomorrow, actually-- I am going to Dublin for a conference! The conference, held at Trinity College, is put on by the Irish Society for Theatre Research. In other words, professionals in my field! It's a big conference, one with multiple talks going on simultaneously, and will take up part of Thursday, all day Friday, and all day Saturday. Plus a dinner on Saturday night. I'm giving a paper, though not in an actual talk; instead, it's part of a "working group," a session with maybe 6 or 8 people talking reading each others' papers and giving advice on them. A workshop, basically. I'm looking forward to it; the workshop should be really helpful, and the conference itself sounds exciting. My advisor, Lionel, is actually going to be at this one, too, since he's organizing the working group I'm a part of. It'll be nice to have a familiar face in such a big conference!
Speaking of which, I better get back to reading those papers.
Friday, April 2, 2010
In which Ayla meets a Lord
Oh man, I've been meaning to post this for a week now but haven't really had a minute to sit down and do it. Did you know that grad school is time-consuming?!
Anyway. Most interesting thing that has happened to me recently: I met a Baron!
How this happened was through my PhD program, of course. My PhD, in "Texts, Contexts & Cultures," is part of an inter-collegiate endeavor, between NUI Galway, Trinity College Dublin, and University College Cork. Last year, we had two classes that were teleconferenced-- we had cameras linking all three groups together, with one professor, and we all interacted that way. Since we've all mostly gone off to do our own research, we haven't had as much to do with each other, but last week we had a big group meet-up down in Cork.
Originally the Galway group lobbied to spend the night, but that didn't end up happening, so we made the 3-hour trip there and back on the day. We left at 9:30 am and got to Cork for lunch, meeting up with our UCC and TCD comrades. After lunch, we had a couple lectures, then a couple workshops, which were lively and interesting. The point of these things is not really to teach us anything specific, because there is no way to have a lecture that pertains specifically to everyone's research, but rather to get us thinking in different ways about our own material-- always a useful enterprise. After the workshops were over, we made our way over to UCC's art gallery, where one of the Cork professors was interviewing Melvyn Bragg.
Melvyn Bragg is, as Wikipedia puts it, "an English author, broadcaster and media personality." He worked for years with the BBC, involved in projects that attempted to bring mass media to the working classes-- basically, to make it "popular." Since popular theatre is what I study, I was really interested in hearing him talk about his works. Eventually his involvement with the Labour party got him appointed to the House of Lords! (The House of Lords is kind of the U.K. equivalent to the U.S. Senate. Both governments have bicameral representation, but while in the U.S. it's the House of Representatives and the Senate, in the U.K. it's the House of Commons and the House of Lords.) In order to sit in the House of Lords, of course, you have to be a Lord... so Melvyn was granted the title of "Baron Bragg"!
Before the interview, there was a wine reception that the TCC group was invited to. We were all standing rather respectfully and quietly talking amongst ourselves, when one of the professors hustled myself and a couple other researchers over to meet Melvyn Bragg. He came up, introduced himself, shook all our hands, and asked us all about our research! He was especially interested in mine, and we chatted about it for a few minutes. He's a very genuine, friendly, down-to-earth type of guy. But after he left, one of my British colleagues, Laura, turned to us and exclaimed "We just met a Baron!" Which suddenly made the whole thing feel rather surreal.
Anyway. Most interesting thing that has happened to me recently: I met a Baron!
How this happened was through my PhD program, of course. My PhD, in "Texts, Contexts & Cultures," is part of an inter-collegiate endeavor, between NUI Galway, Trinity College Dublin, and University College Cork. Last year, we had two classes that were teleconferenced-- we had cameras linking all three groups together, with one professor, and we all interacted that way. Since we've all mostly gone off to do our own research, we haven't had as much to do with each other, but last week we had a big group meet-up down in Cork.
Originally the Galway group lobbied to spend the night, but that didn't end up happening, so we made the 3-hour trip there and back on the day. We left at 9:30 am and got to Cork for lunch, meeting up with our UCC and TCD comrades. After lunch, we had a couple lectures, then a couple workshops, which were lively and interesting. The point of these things is not really to teach us anything specific, because there is no way to have a lecture that pertains specifically to everyone's research, but rather to get us thinking in different ways about our own material-- always a useful enterprise. After the workshops were over, we made our way over to UCC's art gallery, where one of the Cork professors was interviewing Melvyn Bragg.
Melvyn Bragg is, as Wikipedia puts it, "an English author, broadcaster and media personality." He worked for years with the BBC, involved in projects that attempted to bring mass media to the working classes-- basically, to make it "popular." Since popular theatre is what I study, I was really interested in hearing him talk about his works. Eventually his involvement with the Labour party got him appointed to the House of Lords! (The House of Lords is kind of the U.K. equivalent to the U.S. Senate. Both governments have bicameral representation, but while in the U.S. it's the House of Representatives and the Senate, in the U.K. it's the House of Commons and the House of Lords.) In order to sit in the House of Lords, of course, you have to be a Lord... so Melvyn was granted the title of "Baron Bragg"!
Before the interview, there was a wine reception that the TCC group was invited to. We were all standing rather respectfully and quietly talking amongst ourselves, when one of the professors hustled myself and a couple other researchers over to meet Melvyn Bragg. He came up, introduced himself, shook all our hands, and asked us all about our research! He was especially interested in mine, and we chatted about it for a few minutes. He's a very genuine, friendly, down-to-earth type of guy. But after he left, one of my British colleagues, Laura, turned to us and exclaimed "We just met a Baron!" Which suddenly made the whole thing feel rather surreal.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Aruba!
Ah, finally, the long-awaited Aruba post. (Sorry about the delay; I've been ridiculously busy. I'm still busy, but I have a day off tomorrow so I'm taking some time now...)
And man, where to start? First off, I had no idea what to expect. Which is a good thing, because it was so beyond my experience that any assumptions would have been wrong. It was a big corporate vacation for the top 10% or so of the company-- about 250 people, plus their guests. This had its pros and cons. Mostly pros, admittedly, but a few things that could be seen as cons from the perspective of this poor bohemian grad student.
First off, the climate was absolutely perfect. It was between 80° and 90° F every day, with a constant breezes. The island itself is more of an arid desert than most of the Caribbean, but the wind off the ocean added just the perfect amount of humidity. After three days, my dry chapped winter hands had healed, and my skin felt gorgeous. The ocean was warm and beautifully, almost unrealistically clear.
We stayed at the Westin Resort, which is probably ties with Halifax's Admiral Nelson as the fanciest hotel I've set foot in. All of our meals were provided: we got breakfast at the hotel buffet, for lunch we had meal tickets worth $40 per person (!), and dinner each night was arranged as a group. The dinners themselves were spectacularly set up, with elaborate settings and decor. Oh, and the food... the food was delicious. For example, one night, we had dinner on the beach, literally about five yards from the ocean; the buffet included both steak and lobster, as well as a raw bar with oysters and ceviche.
The company arranged activities for us. Jim and went on a "catamaran snorkel sail," which is exactly what it sounds like! We got on a catamaran at 9:00 in the morning with maybe thirty other careerbuilder people; the boat sailed up the island to picturesque spots and let us off to snorkel and sightsee. There were three snorkel stops in total, two close to shore and one in deeper water by a shipwreck. (The shipwreck was awesome, and was probably a highlight of the trip for me!) In between snorkel stops, there was an open bar, and around noon a lunch buffet.
On our "free day" Jim and went into Oranjestad, the capital city of Aruba. It was very tourist-oriented, of course, though in kind of a weird way; the shops were either selling cheap trinkets or expensive jewelry! (Jim and I wondered about the number of diamond stores. "I guess Aruba is a romantic getaway," I said. "Is an engagement ring really something you buy impulsively on a vacation, though?" Jim argued. I've since found out that it's more because of the lack of U.S. taxes and duty on diamonds. Still weird to see everywhere.) Still, the city was very pretty, and the bus ride into the city gave us a great opportunity to see a bit more of the island. For our second activity, we were supposed to do another snorkel cruise, but the day it was scheduled for was very windy. Other people who had gone on the cruise in the morning told us that the water was too choppy for good snorkeling, so we decided just to skip it and laze around on the beach. Which, really, was a great decision. :-)
The cons were all directly a result of it being a corporate vacation. Our meals were all paid for, but they were limited to a few restaurants at the hotel. The hotel was wonderful, and the food was great, but by the last couple days we were getting tired of the same restaurants. The fancy resort was absolutely lovely and decadent, but it didn't feel any different than, say, a resort on the Florida gulf. 90% of the people we talked to were Americans, and 100% of them spoke English. I suppose, when it comes down to it, being that American tourist is not something I'm wholly comfortable with. I'm, as mentioned, a poor bohemian grad student! I'm used to staying in cheap hostels and eating cheap local food. The whole time, I felt like I should be working at the resort, not staying there.
It was great to spend time with Jim, of course. It's the first time we've flown somewhere, and definitely a new experience overall for both of us. I also got to meet a lot of his friends from work, which was really fun as well. Overall, a wonderful week, and over too soon.
On to a crapload of pictures! Jim and I shared a camera most of the time, so assume all the good pics were taken by him. (Click to embiggen.)
Aruba from the air:
Jim held a parrot!
Pool deck. Beautiful, not to mention comfortable!
Palm trees!
Pool deck from the patio. On the left, you can see the workers setting up what looks like a wedding. Nope. That was for us.
Sun rising over the island, from our balcony. Beautiful.
The resort and beach, seen from aboard the catamaran! The resort is the one with the green column.
The color of the water was just unreal. Beautiful.
Jim and I on the catamaran! Yes, it was really windy...
Aruba from the boat.
Pirate ship!
One of the snorkel stops, and a good shot of the island's trees and rocks.
Jim's album cover!
The Piña Coladas. Oh god the Piña Coladas! Best Piña Coladas I've ever had. They were made of real coconut milk and pineapple juice, for one. Then, the coconut milk and pineapple juice were frozen into a sort of soft serve, and filled in a cup with dark rum. Soooooo good!
Shopping plaza in Oranjestad. Pretty!
Railings at the shopping plaza.
Oranjestad street. So colorful!
I held a cockatoo!
Jim also held the cockatoo. We also got to pet it!
The last night in Aruba, we had a big poolside party dinner with an '80s theme.
Centrepieces at the '80s-themed dinner. Bowls of water with floating flowers and the CareerBuilder logo!
Lizard at the pool deck. Ok, a note on the lizards: they were EVERYWHERE. Like squirrels in Michigan... every time you looked at a tree or bush, you'd see one.
Lizard close-up.
Looking down from the hotel patio. Pretty tree, right?
Do you see anything strange? No? Look closer...
EVERYWHERE!
And man, where to start? First off, I had no idea what to expect. Which is a good thing, because it was so beyond my experience that any assumptions would have been wrong. It was a big corporate vacation for the top 10% or so of the company-- about 250 people, plus their guests. This had its pros and cons. Mostly pros, admittedly, but a few things that could be seen as cons from the perspective of this poor bohemian grad student.
First off, the climate was absolutely perfect. It was between 80° and 90° F every day, with a constant breezes. The island itself is more of an arid desert than most of the Caribbean, but the wind off the ocean added just the perfect amount of humidity. After three days, my dry chapped winter hands had healed, and my skin felt gorgeous. The ocean was warm and beautifully, almost unrealistically clear.
We stayed at the Westin Resort, which is probably ties with Halifax's Admiral Nelson as the fanciest hotel I've set foot in. All of our meals were provided: we got breakfast at the hotel buffet, for lunch we had meal tickets worth $40 per person (!), and dinner each night was arranged as a group. The dinners themselves were spectacularly set up, with elaborate settings and decor. Oh, and the food... the food was delicious. For example, one night, we had dinner on the beach, literally about five yards from the ocean; the buffet included both steak and lobster, as well as a raw bar with oysters and ceviche.
The company arranged activities for us. Jim and went on a "catamaran snorkel sail," which is exactly what it sounds like! We got on a catamaran at 9:00 in the morning with maybe thirty other careerbuilder people; the boat sailed up the island to picturesque spots and let us off to snorkel and sightsee. There were three snorkel stops in total, two close to shore and one in deeper water by a shipwreck. (The shipwreck was awesome, and was probably a highlight of the trip for me!) In between snorkel stops, there was an open bar, and around noon a lunch buffet.
On our "free day" Jim and went into Oranjestad, the capital city of Aruba. It was very tourist-oriented, of course, though in kind of a weird way; the shops were either selling cheap trinkets or expensive jewelry! (Jim and I wondered about the number of diamond stores. "I guess Aruba is a romantic getaway," I said. "Is an engagement ring really something you buy impulsively on a vacation, though?" Jim argued. I've since found out that it's more because of the lack of U.S. taxes and duty on diamonds. Still weird to see everywhere.) Still, the city was very pretty, and the bus ride into the city gave us a great opportunity to see a bit more of the island. For our second activity, we were supposed to do another snorkel cruise, but the day it was scheduled for was very windy. Other people who had gone on the cruise in the morning told us that the water was too choppy for good snorkeling, so we decided just to skip it and laze around on the beach. Which, really, was a great decision. :-)
The cons were all directly a result of it being a corporate vacation. Our meals were all paid for, but they were limited to a few restaurants at the hotel. The hotel was wonderful, and the food was great, but by the last couple days we were getting tired of the same restaurants. The fancy resort was absolutely lovely and decadent, but it didn't feel any different than, say, a resort on the Florida gulf. 90% of the people we talked to were Americans, and 100% of them spoke English. I suppose, when it comes down to it, being that American tourist is not something I'm wholly comfortable with. I'm, as mentioned, a poor bohemian grad student! I'm used to staying in cheap hostels and eating cheap local food. The whole time, I felt like I should be working at the resort, not staying there.
It was great to spend time with Jim, of course. It's the first time we've flown somewhere, and definitely a new experience overall for both of us. I also got to meet a lot of his friends from work, which was really fun as well. Overall, a wonderful week, and over too soon.
On to a crapload of pictures! Jim and I shared a camera most of the time, so assume all the good pics were taken by him. (Click to embiggen.)
Aruba from the air:
Jim held a parrot!
Pool deck. Beautiful, not to mention comfortable!
Palm trees!
Pool deck from the patio. On the left, you can see the workers setting up what looks like a wedding. Nope. That was for us.
Sun rising over the island, from our balcony. Beautiful.
The resort and beach, seen from aboard the catamaran! The resort is the one with the green column.
The color of the water was just unreal. Beautiful.
Jim and I on the catamaran! Yes, it was really windy...
Aruba from the boat.
Pirate ship!
One of the snorkel stops, and a good shot of the island's trees and rocks.
Jim's album cover!
The Piña Coladas. Oh god the Piña Coladas! Best Piña Coladas I've ever had. They were made of real coconut milk and pineapple juice, for one. Then, the coconut milk and pineapple juice were frozen into a sort of soft serve, and filled in a cup with dark rum. Soooooo good!
Shopping plaza in Oranjestad. Pretty!
Railings at the shopping plaza.
Oranjestad street. So colorful!
I held a cockatoo!
Jim also held the cockatoo. We also got to pet it!
The last night in Aruba, we had a big poolside party dinner with an '80s theme.
Centrepieces at the '80s-themed dinner. Bowls of water with floating flowers and the CareerBuilder logo!
Lizard at the pool deck. Ok, a note on the lizards: they were EVERYWHERE. Like squirrels in Michigan... every time you looked at a tree or bush, you'd see one.
Lizard close-up.
Looking down from the hotel patio. Pretty tree, right?
Do you see anything strange? No? Look closer...
EVERYWHERE!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Aruba! (Bahama?)
Just a quick post, because I need to get to bed, having a busy week ahead of me...
... because I am going to Aruba this week! Wow!
The reason I get to go is because of Jim's work. He's in sales at Careerbuilder.com, and every year the company takes the top few salespeople on a holiday to Aruba, all expenses paid. And, they get to bring a plus-one! So, lucky me, I get a free vacation! Well, the company didn't pay for my flight from Ireland to Chicago, but the rest is all gratis. Which is pretty unbelievable, really.
I have never been anywhere even remotely near the Caribbean, so I'm really excited. I have been to Florida once (in January, so it wasn't all that hot!), Texas twice, New Orleans once, and San Diego three times, but as far as southern vacations go that's it. I've never been south of the United States, actually-- all my abroad experience has been to the north or east! (Canada, England, and obviously Ireland.) It's been really cold here in Galway lately-- there has been frost on the ground most mornings for the last two weeks-- so this trip is definitely appreciated.
Aruba is an island, about 21 miles long, off the coast of Venezuala. It's officially part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, though it has its own parliament. The island has an arid, desert climate, which really excites me because I've always thought deserts were beautiful! There's a big national park that I'm hoping to see. I think we have a few scheduled activities, but hopefully we'll get a chance to do some hiking. Of course, as long as I can lay on the beach in the sun I'll be happy!
Ok, now time for bed. I have a big week ahead of me after all!
... because I am going to Aruba this week! Wow!
The reason I get to go is because of Jim's work. He's in sales at Careerbuilder.com, and every year the company takes the top few salespeople on a holiday to Aruba, all expenses paid. And, they get to bring a plus-one! So, lucky me, I get a free vacation! Well, the company didn't pay for my flight from Ireland to Chicago, but the rest is all gratis. Which is pretty unbelievable, really.
I have never been anywhere even remotely near the Caribbean, so I'm really excited. I have been to Florida once (in January, so it wasn't all that hot!), Texas twice, New Orleans once, and San Diego three times, but as far as southern vacations go that's it. I've never been south of the United States, actually-- all my abroad experience has been to the north or east! (Canada, England, and obviously Ireland.) It's been really cold here in Galway lately-- there has been frost on the ground most mornings for the last two weeks-- so this trip is definitely appreciated.
Aruba is an island, about 21 miles long, off the coast of Venezuala. It's officially part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, though it has its own parliament. The island has an arid, desert climate, which really excites me because I've always thought deserts were beautiful! There's a big national park that I'm hoping to see. I think we have a few scheduled activities, but hopefully we'll get a chance to do some hiking. Of course, as long as I can lay on the beach in the sun I'll be happy!
Ok, now time for bed. I have a big week ahead of me after all!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
squash and babies! (not in that order)
Happy Valentine's day! I'm not really doing anything to celebrate it, though I may eat a piece of chocolate later. (That's what counts for hedonism with me these days!) Today I have mostly spent working on crocheting a baby blanket. Why a baby blanket? Because one of my dearest, closest friends is pregnant!!
My friend Brianne, who is my closest friend in Ireland, found out a couple weeks ago that she's having a baby! Luckily, she is in the final year of her PhD; the baby is due a month after her thesis is! I was the first person to know about it, even before the daddy, and she told me that I can be the Fairy Godmother. I take this to mean I have an obligation to cover the kid in crocheted items. Last week, I whipped together a little sweater-jacket-- baby things work up quickly, because they're so small! This weekend, I've turned my attention to a blanket, and I spent a lot of time last night and this morning designing it. I'm excited to have come up with a pattern mostly on my own.
Speaking of things I came up with on my own, the other thing I did today was make some winter squash soup from scratch! I was mostly trying to free up some space in my fridge and use whatever I had lying around, and the end result was really, really tasty. The sage really brings out the flavor of the squash, the curry adds a bit of sweetness, and the cayenne pepper adds some heat that's quite nice on a winter afternoon. I'll give you the recipe, though be warned-- there aren't really any measurements, because I just eyeballed the whole thing.
Curried Winter Squash Soup Ingredients:
-1 winter squash
-chicken stock (or veggie stock, if you want a totally vegan soup, but chicken stock is what I had)
-onion
-a couple cloves of garlic
-red bell pepper (optional, again just something I had)
-olive oil
-sage
-curry powder
-black pepper
-pinch cayenne pepper
-salt/soy sauce
-Roast the squash in the oven until soft, at about 350°. Mine took about an hour; I cut it in half, laid it cut-side down for the first 30 minutes, then flipped it and baked it cut-side up for another 30.
-At the same time you can roast the red pepper! Cut in half, clean out seeds, lay cut-side down on roasting pan until the skin is blackened and wrinkly.
-When the squash is roasted, cut it out of the skin and into chunks. Also dice up the red pepper, after removing the skin.
-Heat olive oil in the bottom of a saucepan and saute the onions until caramelized.
-Remove saucepan from heat, add chicken stock.
-Dice garlic cloves. Add garlic and squash chunks to the saucepan, and simmer on low for 30ish minutes.
-Using a potato masher, mash the squash chunks into the stock! You can also use a blender or food processor to puree the squash with the stock, but I actually like a bit of texture to my soup.
-Stir in the diced roasted pepper, add spices to taste. Simmer on low for 5-10 more minutes.
-Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt! I used thick Greek-style yogurt. Creme fraiche or sour cream would also work. Or, if you want a vegan soup, skip it.
My friend Brianne, who is my closest friend in Ireland, found out a couple weeks ago that she's having a baby! Luckily, she is in the final year of her PhD; the baby is due a month after her thesis is! I was the first person to know about it, even before the daddy, and she told me that I can be the Fairy Godmother. I take this to mean I have an obligation to cover the kid in crocheted items. Last week, I whipped together a little sweater-jacket-- baby things work up quickly, because they're so small! This weekend, I've turned my attention to a blanket, and I spent a lot of time last night and this morning designing it. I'm excited to have come up with a pattern mostly on my own.
Speaking of things I came up with on my own, the other thing I did today was make some winter squash soup from scratch! I was mostly trying to free up some space in my fridge and use whatever I had lying around, and the end result was really, really tasty. The sage really brings out the flavor of the squash, the curry adds a bit of sweetness, and the cayenne pepper adds some heat that's quite nice on a winter afternoon. I'll give you the recipe, though be warned-- there aren't really any measurements, because I just eyeballed the whole thing.
Curried Winter Squash Soup Ingredients:
-1 winter squash
-chicken stock (or veggie stock, if you want a totally vegan soup, but chicken stock is what I had)
-onion
-a couple cloves of garlic
-red bell pepper (optional, again just something I had)
-olive oil
-sage
-curry powder
-black pepper
-pinch cayenne pepper
-salt/soy sauce
-Roast the squash in the oven until soft, at about 350°. Mine took about an hour; I cut it in half, laid it cut-side down for the first 30 minutes, then flipped it and baked it cut-side up for another 30.
-At the same time you can roast the red pepper! Cut in half, clean out seeds, lay cut-side down on roasting pan until the skin is blackened and wrinkly.
-When the squash is roasted, cut it out of the skin and into chunks. Also dice up the red pepper, after removing the skin.
-Heat olive oil in the bottom of a saucepan and saute the onions until caramelized.
-Remove saucepan from heat, add chicken stock.
-Dice garlic cloves. Add garlic and squash chunks to the saucepan, and simmer on low for 30ish minutes.
-Using a potato masher, mash the squash chunks into the stock! You can also use a blender or food processor to puree the squash with the stock, but I actually like a bit of texture to my soup.
-Stir in the diced roasted pepper, add spices to taste. Simmer on low for 5-10 more minutes.
-Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt! I used thick Greek-style yogurt. Creme fraiche or sour cream would also work. Or, if you want a vegan soup, skip it.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
and now for something completely different
Hey reader(s?), sorry about the radio silence on this here 'blog! I've been busy since I got back to Ireland. I've started writing a new chapter of my thesis, which means my days are filled with re-reading my notes, skimming over secondary sources, tearing at my hair in frustration, and occasionally typing something. With all this stress, a girl definitely needs some hobbies, wouldn't you agree?
Well, as luck would have it, I do have some hobbies. One of these hobbies is playing the ukulele! I bought the uke back in September, completely on a whim, and have been teaching myself to play ever since. I have been having a ton of fun with it! I brought it home for winter break, and impressed* all my friends with my mad skillz.
Then, one fateful night, my dear darling ladyfriend Krystal and I went out to the bar for karaoke night. In the midst of lots of singing, screaming, and drinks that may or may not have contained alcohol, we decided that a great way to stay in touch while I'm in Ireland and she's in Michigan would be to start a video 'blog, or "vlog" as the kids call it, where we played songs on the ukulele to each other! The only hitch was that Krystal did not, at the time, actually own a ukulele. Luckily, that has since been remedied, and we have now officially launched project Randi and Yeti. (It's named after what we sound like when we sing. My cat's name is Randi and she has a really loud yowly voice. And 'yeti' is self-explanatory, really.)
So this afternoon, I decided to record my first song for Project Randi & Yeti.
The youtube channel, where all the videos will go, can be found here. And the video that Krystal recorded for me is here, with bonus footage of my friends being silly.
*Does not guarantee that anyone was actually impressed.
Well, as luck would have it, I do have some hobbies. One of these hobbies is playing the ukulele! I bought the uke back in September, completely on a whim, and have been teaching myself to play ever since. I have been having a ton of fun with it! I brought it home for winter break, and impressed* all my friends with my mad skillz.
Then, one fateful night, my dear darling ladyfriend Krystal and I went out to the bar for karaoke night. In the midst of lots of singing, screaming, and drinks that may or may not have contained alcohol, we decided that a great way to stay in touch while I'm in Ireland and she's in Michigan would be to start a video 'blog, or "vlog" as the kids call it, where we played songs on the ukulele to each other! The only hitch was that Krystal did not, at the time, actually own a ukulele. Luckily, that has since been remedied, and we have now officially launched project Randi and Yeti. (It's named after what we sound like when we sing. My cat's name is Randi and she has a really loud yowly voice. And 'yeti' is self-explanatory, really.)
So this afternoon, I decided to record my first song for Project Randi & Yeti.
The youtube channel, where all the videos will go, can be found here. And the video that Krystal recorded for me is here, with bonus footage of my friends being silly.
*Does not guarantee that anyone was actually impressed.
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