The subject pretty much says it all. It has been a busy week and an even busier two days... yesterday and today was the Irish Theatrical Diaspora Conference. I wasn't sure if it would be all that useful or relevant for my work, but I figured I should go anyway. Man I am glad I did! It was excellent; even though the period talked about was all at least 50 years ahead of my work, there was a ton of useful stuff. I haven't been to a real, professional conference before, and the level of engagement was just fascinating. Plus some of the Big Names in theatre studies were there, and I got to talk to them. (John P. Harrington, who I've cited a billion times, was interested in my research and made a point to talk to me a couple times! *nerdysquee*) Also, my favorite professor from the MA, Patrick Lonergan, just had a new book come out, and Lionel did the speech to launch it. Which was fun. And, of course, the free food... NUIG really does a good job with the food and wine at its functions. We got wine and champagne and finger food at the book launch last night, and really delicious sandwiches today for lunch. (I had a sandwich that had brie, fresh basil, and some sort of pancetta! Delicious!)
It was fun to socialize a bit with Lionel and Patrick, really. Patrick especially is hilarious, because he's a huge nerd-- in one of his speeches about the conference history, he managed to reference both Harry Potter and Star Wars. (Last year in the MA, he made frequent references to Star Wars, Star Trek, and Buffy. In an Irish Literature class.) Also, it's just really nice to talk to academics, because I know I'm not boring them when I talk about my research!
It's funny, really... the go-to topic in academic smalltalk is "how is your research going?" I got asked that SO MANY times in the last couple days. Though Nessa complimented my hair first... and Lionel complimented my shoes, which was almost kind of weird. Anyway last night I went out for drinks with a PhD from University College Dublin, and I was up too late and slept very poorly, and consequently have felt tired all day. The conference folks are going out for drinks tonight, and I feel like I should go-- if only for a chance to drink with Patrick Lonergan!-- but I'm not sure I'll be able to make it out. I'm pretty exhausted.
Showing posts with label my nerdy social life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label my nerdy social life. Show all posts
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
weekend update
Wow, I actually had an interesting weekend, for once!
Saturday I wasn't planning on doing anything, but then my friend Bri invited me over for movies with some friends from the Medieval Studies department. I brought over a bottle of shiraz and some Fererro Roche dark chocolates. We watched American History X (a totally appropriate Valentine's day movie) and talked about racism, and then watched Music and Lyrics and talked about how good Hugh Grant looks without a shirt. (Conclusion: very.) Nothing exciting, but it was nice to be out with friends for Valentine's day.
I'm not sure if I've mentioned it here before, but I am in the NUIG Orchestra Society. We had a concert last Monday, actually, playing a Schubert symphony. Anyway, yesterday, we had an extra-long rehearsal. Usually we meet for 90 minutes on Monday nights, but Hugh (the conductor) wanted us to take a whole afternoon because we were learning new music. We're playing some Mozart pieces, which we will eventually combine with two choirs. The rehearsal was in Esker Monastery, about 20 minutes outside of Galway. That was cool. It was a beautiful secluded building, and the monks kept popping their heads in to tell us that the music was lovely. There were some snags, because none of the parts I had were actually written for B-flat clarinet. (NB: your garden-variety clarinet is in the key of B-flat and probably 98% of music is scored for it.) One was written for an A clarinet-- this isn't too unusual, I have run into A clarinet scores before. But two were written for C clarinet! I've never even seen a C clarinet. Transposing that is easy, though, and the pieces were really simple, so I was able to do it by sight. Transposing from A to B-flat is a lot more difficult, though, and the piece had four flats already. Luckily, Hugh knew someone who lived nearby that had an A clarinet, so we took a 10-minute break from rehearsal and went to get it. And man, that was so fun! I'd never played an A clarinet before. It's just a little bigger, so that took some getting used to, but the tone is just gorgeous. Hugh is going to try transposing that movement to B-flat, but I'm hoping that we can just find an A clarinet for me to play. Yay music.
Anyway, after rehearsal we all went back to Hugh's house, and he made dinner for all 25 of us! We ate lasagna and drank wine and hung out with his wife and two little kids. Overall, it was a really nice night. I'm really happy that I decided to join Orchestra Soc. I've been playing the clarinet for 13 years, and when I'm not in an ensemble I start to get stir-crazy.
Saturday I wasn't planning on doing anything, but then my friend Bri invited me over for movies with some friends from the Medieval Studies department. I brought over a bottle of shiraz and some Fererro Roche dark chocolates. We watched American History X (a totally appropriate Valentine's day movie) and talked about racism, and then watched Music and Lyrics and talked about how good Hugh Grant looks without a shirt. (Conclusion: very.) Nothing exciting, but it was nice to be out with friends for Valentine's day.
I'm not sure if I've mentioned it here before, but I am in the NUIG Orchestra Society. We had a concert last Monday, actually, playing a Schubert symphony. Anyway, yesterday, we had an extra-long rehearsal. Usually we meet for 90 minutes on Monday nights, but Hugh (the conductor) wanted us to take a whole afternoon because we were learning new music. We're playing some Mozart pieces, which we will eventually combine with two choirs. The rehearsal was in Esker Monastery, about 20 minutes outside of Galway. That was cool. It was a beautiful secluded building, and the monks kept popping their heads in to tell us that the music was lovely. There were some snags, because none of the parts I had were actually written for B-flat clarinet. (NB: your garden-variety clarinet is in the key of B-flat and probably 98% of music is scored for it.) One was written for an A clarinet-- this isn't too unusual, I have run into A clarinet scores before. But two were written for C clarinet! I've never even seen a C clarinet. Transposing that is easy, though, and the pieces were really simple, so I was able to do it by sight. Transposing from A to B-flat is a lot more difficult, though, and the piece had four flats already. Luckily, Hugh knew someone who lived nearby that had an A clarinet, so we took a 10-minute break from rehearsal and went to get it. And man, that was so fun! I'd never played an A clarinet before. It's just a little bigger, so that took some getting used to, but the tone is just gorgeous. Hugh is going to try transposing that movement to B-flat, but I'm hoping that we can just find an A clarinet for me to play. Yay music.
Anyway, after rehearsal we all went back to Hugh's house, and he made dinner for all 25 of us! We ate lasagna and drank wine and hung out with his wife and two little kids. Overall, it was a really nice night. I'm really happy that I decided to join Orchestra Soc. I've been playing the clarinet for 13 years, and when I'm not in an ensemble I start to get stir-crazy.
Monday, October 6, 2008
What I've been up to, part 3: social life
(In which our heroine makes new friends and says goodbye to old ones.)
On Saturday 27 October, I went to Dublin for a concert. I was seeing Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls, who has just released a mighty fine solo album. I went alone, not having any friends here that listen to her music. I was a little nervous about this, because I've never been to a concert alone, but I know Dublin pretty well and I was confident that I could find ways to entertain myself. I took the train down to Dublin on Saturday afternoon and booked a hostel near the venue. I hadn't made hostel reservations in advance, so it actually took a couple tries before I found one with vacancies. Citi Hostel had availability, though, and it was only €15 a night! (Most Dublin hostels are at least €25/night.) I'll just say this: you get what you pay for. It was the sketchiest, dirtiest hostel I've ever seen in... but, it had beds and a roof, so really what else do you need for one night.
Anyway, I went down to the venue about an hour before the doors opened, and right away made a friend in the queue! I was standing right behind a nice young (18-year-old) Welsh guy named Dominic, and we struck up conversation almost immediately. He too was there alone-- he had friends who originally were going to come, but then backed out at the last minute. We chatted for the hour before the doors opened, and then we became concert buddies, finding places to stand together-- there were no seats, just open standing room. Dominic, as it turns out, was doing a guest DJ set at a goth club after the show... and that club was right around the corner from my hostel! After we'd been chatting for a while, he invited me to the club. I accepted, figuring that since it was so close to my hostel, if it was boring or he got creepy, I could just leave without a problem. As it happens, it wasn't boring at all and he was a perfect gentleman, so we had a fun time chatting and dancing all evening. And now I have a friend who lives in Waterford!
Anyway, as for the concert itself... holy crap.
It was one of the greatest concerts I have ever seen. She just put out a solo album, called Who Killed Amanda Palmer?, and the whole premise of the show was that Amanda Palmer has been killed and this was a wake. There was an emcee who announced the opening acts, saying things like "We are gathered on this sad occasion to mourn the passing of our dear friend..." There was a table onstage with wine bottles surrounding a framed photo of Amanda, and both openers kept up the wake idea, dedicating songs to Amanda's memory. The first opener was a badass cellist called Zoë Keating, who played beautiful haunting instrumental cello pieces, and the second was a guy called Jason Webley. Jason Webley plays the accordion and sometimes guitar, and reminds me of a cross between Tom Waits in weirdo-mode and a crazy homeless man. (I loved him.) After the openers, the emcee made another speech, eulogizing Amanda Palmer, with a background of eerie violin and cello music, while the backup crew did slow interpretative dancing.
My attention was fixed on the emcee saying "But her spirit will always be with us, and perhaps if we all concentrate she will one day appear among us again..." when I felt hands touching my back and arm. I turned to see a ghostly, ethereal female figure, a gray lace veil covering her to the waist and a gray ruffled skirt trailing behind her. She moved slowly and silently through the crowd, between Dominic and I. We both stared, and then Dom whispered "Hi Amanda!" After she had vanished between the people ahead of us, Dominic and I looked at each other, identical giddy looks on our faces, and shared a moment of fangirly glee, pointing and mouthing "Amanda Palmer touched me!" and suppressing uncontrollable giggles. I would like to reiterate that: Amanda Palmer touched me! She made her way like to the front of the crowd, while the haunting violin-cello music played and her crew did their slow dancing. When she got to the foot of the stage, the crew reached down, pulled her up, lifted her over the piano, and set her on the bench. Then she ripped off the veil, flung it behind her, and began jamming on the piano. Best. Entrance. Ever.
The whole show was wonderful. She is an amazing performer with an absolutely mesmerizing stage presence. She played "I Google You," a song that (my favorite writer) Neil Gaiman wrote for her! The last song she did was "Umbrella"-- yes, the Rhianna song-- and she played a sparkly pink ukulele; then, for the encore, the openers came back on with her and they played Bon Jovi's "Livin' On a Prayer." Hilarious. Someone has kindly put together a youtube video with clips of the performance, so you can see bits of the whole show, including her fantastic entrance.
I returned to Galway the next afternoon, with just enough time to eat dinner before going out again. One of my great friends here, Meg Ryan (no relation) moved back to New York on Tuesday 30 September, so she, Jenn, and I decided to do a pub crawl before she left. We only went to about five or six places, and it was a pretty early night, but I did go to some pubs I'd never seen. The next night, Monday, I went over to Jenn and Meg's apartment (now Jenn and Bri's apartment) for dinner and movies and hanging out one last time. Meg made meatloaf and veggies, then we made caramel popcorn together for desert. The whole evening was full of loud jokes and rather edgy laughter. We were having fun, true, but the whole time we were fully conscious that Meg was leaving the next morning. Sure enough, saying goodbye was very, very sad, and we both were on the verge of tears when I finally left after midnight.
Meg is now back in Rochester, looking for jobs. I'm hoping that I'll be able to visit her sometime in the next year, perhaps next summer. Because when your friends and family get scattered to the winds, it's just an excuse to travel and see them.
On Saturday 27 October, I went to Dublin for a concert. I was seeing Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls, who has just released a mighty fine solo album. I went alone, not having any friends here that listen to her music. I was a little nervous about this, because I've never been to a concert alone, but I know Dublin pretty well and I was confident that I could find ways to entertain myself. I took the train down to Dublin on Saturday afternoon and booked a hostel near the venue. I hadn't made hostel reservations in advance, so it actually took a couple tries before I found one with vacancies. Citi Hostel had availability, though, and it was only €15 a night! (Most Dublin hostels are at least €25/night.) I'll just say this: you get what you pay for. It was the sketchiest, dirtiest hostel I've ever seen in... but, it had beds and a roof, so really what else do you need for one night.
Anyway, I went down to the venue about an hour before the doors opened, and right away made a friend in the queue! I was standing right behind a nice young (18-year-old) Welsh guy named Dominic, and we struck up conversation almost immediately. He too was there alone-- he had friends who originally were going to come, but then backed out at the last minute. We chatted for the hour before the doors opened, and then we became concert buddies, finding places to stand together-- there were no seats, just open standing room. Dominic, as it turns out, was doing a guest DJ set at a goth club after the show... and that club was right around the corner from my hostel! After we'd been chatting for a while, he invited me to the club. I accepted, figuring that since it was so close to my hostel, if it was boring or he got creepy, I could just leave without a problem. As it happens, it wasn't boring at all and he was a perfect gentleman, so we had a fun time chatting and dancing all evening. And now I have a friend who lives in Waterford!
Anyway, as for the concert itself... holy crap.
It was one of the greatest concerts I have ever seen. She just put out a solo album, called Who Killed Amanda Palmer?, and the whole premise of the show was that Amanda Palmer has been killed and this was a wake. There was an emcee who announced the opening acts, saying things like "We are gathered on this sad occasion to mourn the passing of our dear friend..." There was a table onstage with wine bottles surrounding a framed photo of Amanda, and both openers kept up the wake idea, dedicating songs to Amanda's memory. The first opener was a badass cellist called Zoë Keating, who played beautiful haunting instrumental cello pieces, and the second was a guy called Jason Webley. Jason Webley plays the accordion and sometimes guitar, and reminds me of a cross between Tom Waits in weirdo-mode and a crazy homeless man. (I loved him.) After the openers, the emcee made another speech, eulogizing Amanda Palmer, with a background of eerie violin and cello music, while the backup crew did slow interpretative dancing.
My attention was fixed on the emcee saying "But her spirit will always be with us, and perhaps if we all concentrate she will one day appear among us again..." when I felt hands touching my back and arm. I turned to see a ghostly, ethereal female figure, a gray lace veil covering her to the waist and a gray ruffled skirt trailing behind her. She moved slowly and silently through the crowd, between Dominic and I. We both stared, and then Dom whispered "Hi Amanda!" After she had vanished between the people ahead of us, Dominic and I looked at each other, identical giddy looks on our faces, and shared a moment of fangirly glee, pointing and mouthing "Amanda Palmer touched me!" and suppressing uncontrollable giggles. I would like to reiterate that: Amanda Palmer touched me! She made her way like to the front of the crowd, while the haunting violin-cello music played and her crew did their slow dancing. When she got to the foot of the stage, the crew reached down, pulled her up, lifted her over the piano, and set her on the bench. Then she ripped off the veil, flung it behind her, and began jamming on the piano. Best. Entrance. Ever.
The whole show was wonderful. She is an amazing performer with an absolutely mesmerizing stage presence. She played "I Google You," a song that (my favorite writer) Neil Gaiman wrote for her! The last song she did was "Umbrella"-- yes, the Rhianna song-- and she played a sparkly pink ukulele; then, for the encore, the openers came back on with her and they played Bon Jovi's "Livin' On a Prayer." Hilarious. Someone has kindly put together a youtube video with clips of the performance, so you can see bits of the whole show, including her fantastic entrance.
I returned to Galway the next afternoon, with just enough time to eat dinner before going out again. One of my great friends here, Meg Ryan (no relation) moved back to New York on Tuesday 30 September, so she, Jenn, and I decided to do a pub crawl before she left. We only went to about five or six places, and it was a pretty early night, but I did go to some pubs I'd never seen. The next night, Monday, I went over to Jenn and Meg's apartment (now Jenn and Bri's apartment) for dinner and movies and hanging out one last time. Meg made meatloaf and veggies, then we made caramel popcorn together for desert. The whole evening was full of loud jokes and rather edgy laughter. We were having fun, true, but the whole time we were fully conscious that Meg was leaving the next morning. Sure enough, saying goodbye was very, very sad, and we both were on the verge of tears when I finally left after midnight.
Meg is now back in Rochester, looking for jobs. I'm hoping that I'll be able to visit her sometime in the next year, perhaps next summer. Because when your friends and family get scattered to the winds, it's just an excuse to travel and see them.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
bisy backson
Wow, Sunday already? This week flew by. On Thursday morning, I went to the Social Welfare Office in Galway and signed up for a Personal Public Service, or PPS, number. This allows me to work in Ireland! I'm really hoping to get a job for the summer... it's going to be necessary if I want to, y'know, eat and pay rent. It was also kind of comforting to go there, get a form, take a number, wait in a lobby, etc. It was exactly like going to the Secretary of State's office in the U.S., which is further proof that bureaucracy is the same wherever you go.
I've also been very busy, with schoolwork, meetings, writing... currently I'm juggling about four things.
-PhD application. This requires a writing sample, a CV (like a resume), a cover letter, and the names and contact information of two references. I have both my references, and I know what I'm going to use for my writing sample. It's due on 14 March, but it's also advantageous to get these things in early, so I'm hoping to turn it in this week.
-MA thesis. I don't really need to start really working on this until April, but I'm trying to get a topic nailed down. I have a thesis adviser, and I've read about five books in the last week to try and narrow down my question. Right now, it's gone from "something to do with Irish theater and colonialism" to "J.W. Whitbread, the Queen's Royal Theatre, and something to do with imperialism."
-mid-terms. Really, just my first mid-term, which is due on 29 February. I've started to do some research for it, but I haven't gotten as far as I'd like. That's a goal for the coming week.
-regular class reading. Jeez. On top of everything else.
As far as the PhD application goes, I'm trying to get that all wrapped up this weekend. I'm currently working on my CV, which has been an interesting process-- I've never had to write one of these for an academic reason! The main difference is you don't include your work experience, but instead go into detail about relevant courses you've taken. Writing CVs and resumes is always an interesting process... it makes you realize just how awesome and qualified you really are. I also need to write a nice concise cover letter, and do some final revisions on my writing samples, and then I can hand the whole darn thing in. In addition to getting it in early, it will be nice to have one less ball in the air.
So that's been my week! Not as exciting, culturally, as last week... though, on Thursday (Valentine's day) I did go to a sonnet contest at a local pub. My friend Quincy won first prize for an English sonnet, and my Irish teacher Colette won first prize for an Irish sonnet. There was an a cappella group singing medieval love songs, free chocolate, and free champagne. If I have to spend Valentine's day without my boyfriend, that's a good way to do it!
I've also been very busy, with schoolwork, meetings, writing... currently I'm juggling about four things.
-PhD application. This requires a writing sample, a CV (like a resume), a cover letter, and the names and contact information of two references. I have both my references, and I know what I'm going to use for my writing sample. It's due on 14 March, but it's also advantageous to get these things in early, so I'm hoping to turn it in this week.
-MA thesis. I don't really need to start really working on this until April, but I'm trying to get a topic nailed down. I have a thesis adviser, and I've read about five books in the last week to try and narrow down my question. Right now, it's gone from "something to do with Irish theater and colonialism" to "J.W. Whitbread, the Queen's Royal Theatre, and something to do with imperialism."
-mid-terms. Really, just my first mid-term, which is due on 29 February. I've started to do some research for it, but I haven't gotten as far as I'd like. That's a goal for the coming week.
-regular class reading. Jeez. On top of everything else.
As far as the PhD application goes, I'm trying to get that all wrapped up this weekend. I'm currently working on my CV, which has been an interesting process-- I've never had to write one of these for an academic reason! The main difference is you don't include your work experience, but instead go into detail about relevant courses you've taken. Writing CVs and resumes is always an interesting process... it makes you realize just how awesome and qualified you really are. I also need to write a nice concise cover letter, and do some final revisions on my writing samples, and then I can hand the whole darn thing in. In addition to getting it in early, it will be nice to have one less ball in the air.
So that's been my week! Not as exciting, culturally, as last week... though, on Thursday (Valentine's day) I did go to a sonnet contest at a local pub. My friend Quincy won first prize for an English sonnet, and my Irish teacher Colette won first prize for an Irish sonnet. There was an a cappella group singing medieval love songs, free chocolate, and free champagne. If I have to spend Valentine's day without my boyfriend, that's a good way to do it!
Sunday, January 27, 2008
It's about that time, eh?
Sunday, which means I should write something here, hmm?
I don't really have much to talk about this week, or at least nothing particularly Irish. The last two weeks have largely been a reminder for me that I really do love Academia. The whole Academic scene is one I feel comfortable with and really enjoy. My social life lately tends to involve going to some lecture or another of an evening and then going for drinks afterward. The past two Thursdays, I have gone to the "Counter-Factual History Series" at the Galway City Museum. (I didn't actually know about the existence of the museum until Thursday last.) These are lectures where a scholar addresses a "What if...?" question. Two weeks ago it was Dr. John Cunningham, my main history professor, talking about what would have happened if Eamon De Valera had been killed and Michael Collins had lived. This past Thursday, Dr. Quincy Lehr discussed the possible outcomes of a Southern victory in the American Civil War.
Nerdy, yes, but these evenings have also turned into almost networking opportunities. I went to the lectures with my friend and neighbor Brianne, a history PhD student here. As it turns out, she actually was a TA for Quincy last semester! He invited us out to a pub after the lecture on Thursday, where I ended up drinking with a bunch of the NUI Galway History faculty, including John Cunningham.
Then, of course, last night I went to The Crane, my official Favorite Pub, with Brianne, where I met several of the other History PhD students, as well as becoming friends with Quincy. It was very fun-- I really enjoyed meeting some new people, as up until now I've only known about four people outside of my MA group. (I do love my MA group, but I see them every day, and sometimes it's nice change things up.) Also, being on friendly terms with the history faculty can only be a good thing. If all goes well, I'm going to be here for three more years after this one. Very few in my MA group are planning on going on for a doctorate, so it's nice to know some people who will be around longer.
I don't really have much to talk about this week, or at least nothing particularly Irish. The last two weeks have largely been a reminder for me that I really do love Academia. The whole Academic scene is one I feel comfortable with and really enjoy. My social life lately tends to involve going to some lecture or another of an evening and then going for drinks afterward. The past two Thursdays, I have gone to the "Counter-Factual History Series" at the Galway City Museum. (I didn't actually know about the existence of the museum until Thursday last.) These are lectures where a scholar addresses a "What if...?" question. Two weeks ago it was Dr. John Cunningham, my main history professor, talking about what would have happened if Eamon De Valera had been killed and Michael Collins had lived. This past Thursday, Dr. Quincy Lehr discussed the possible outcomes of a Southern victory in the American Civil War.
Nerdy, yes, but these evenings have also turned into almost networking opportunities. I went to the lectures with my friend and neighbor Brianne, a history PhD student here. As it turns out, she actually was a TA for Quincy last semester! He invited us out to a pub after the lecture on Thursday, where I ended up drinking with a bunch of the NUI Galway History faculty, including John Cunningham.
Then, of course, last night I went to The Crane, my official Favorite Pub, with Brianne, where I met several of the other History PhD students, as well as becoming friends with Quincy. It was very fun-- I really enjoyed meeting some new people, as up until now I've only known about four people outside of my MA group. (I do love my MA group, but I see them every day, and sometimes it's nice change things up.) Also, being on friendly terms with the history faculty can only be a good thing. If all goes well, I'm going to be here for three more years after this one. Very few in my MA group are planning on going on for a doctorate, so it's nice to know some people who will be around longer.
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