Sara has arrived, safe and sound! Unfortunately she arrived safe and sound a day later than was planned-- her flight from Detroit to Boston on Friday was delayed an hour, causing her to miss her flight from Boston to Shannon Friday night. She had to stay in Boston overnight and get a flight to Shannon the next day instead. I tell you, that damn city is cursed.
But she made it, in one piece and with all her baggage, which is all that matters. I got the bus down to the Shannon airport at way-too-early o'clock this morning to meet her, which despite the hour was really fun. (It's nice to walk off the plane and have someone to hug you, I think.) Right now she's showering, and then we'll be off to find some breakfast and see what trouble we can make in Galway on a Sunday morning!
Hooray for vacations!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
belated update
I'm sorry I didn't post something yesterday. I wrote two essays in four days. I should be excused for pretty much any behavior at this point, as I'm pretty sure I'm legally insane by now. (I slept for 45 minutes last night, and I was in class from 11am to 7pm today... it's a wonder I'm still upright.)
But here is something amusing I found! Advice for evil graduate students. A lot of the advice hits very close to home... if you take out the word "evil" it's pretty much exactly what our thesis seminars sound like.
The next time I write here, I promise I will have much more to say. On Saturday, my oldest friend the lovely and talented Sara Krause will be here! She will be staying from the 15th to the 23rd... which, yes, includes St. Patrick's day. I've seen St. Patrick's day in Dublin, and I'm excited to see what Galway has to offer for it. (The parade is a lot shorter, I know.) Also, starting on Thursday I am on Easter break for two weeks! Exciting times are afoot...
But here is something amusing I found! Advice for evil graduate students. A lot of the advice hits very close to home... if you take out the word "evil" it's pretty much exactly what our thesis seminars sound like.
The next time I write here, I promise I will have much more to say. On Saturday, my oldest friend the lovely and talented Sara Krause will be here! She will be staying from the 15th to the 23rd... which, yes, includes St. Patrick's day. I've seen St. Patrick's day in Dublin, and I'm excited to see what Galway has to offer for it. (The parade is a lot shorter, I know.) Also, starting on Thursday I am on Easter break for two weeks! Exciting times are afoot...
Sunday, March 2, 2008
an ceathrú rua, arís
First of all, I would like to wish my mother a very happy Mother's Day! It's Mother's Day in Ireland today, though I realize that we've a couple months to go before the U.S. version... I love you, mumsy!
Anyway, this past weekend was our MA group's second trip to Carraroe, or An Ceathrú Rua, in the Connemara gaeltacht, or Irish-speaking region. It went over much better than the last trip. The classes this time around were helpful, and really pushed us to use our Irish. My speaking was not very good, but I was surprised by how much I could comprehend. I probably understood about half of what was being said, just from the words I did know. We also weren't given a lot of pointless activities-- we watched some Irish language short films, got a tour of Raidió na Gaeltachta (the Irish-language radio station), and went to a concert. The concert, put on by the school, had quite a variety of acts, including a couple of folk/rock musicians, button accordian trad, sean-nós singing, and sean-nós dancing. The sean-nós dancing in particular was cool, and I think several of us (myself included) left the concert determined to take a class before leaving Ireland.
Of course, as before, the best part of the weekend was the socializing and bonding with our group. Our Bean an Tí made delicious food for us and I think I ate my weight in biscuits and tea over about 36 hours. Each evening, of course, ended up in An Cistin, one of Carraroe's three pubs, with a lot of laughter and music-- ceol agus craic.
Unfortunately I'm back in the real world, which means I have plenty of reading I wasn't able to do over the weekend. Still, it was nice to get away for a little bit.
Anyway, this past weekend was our MA group's second trip to Carraroe, or An Ceathrú Rua, in the Connemara gaeltacht, or Irish-speaking region. It went over much better than the last trip. The classes this time around were helpful, and really pushed us to use our Irish. My speaking was not very good, but I was surprised by how much I could comprehend. I probably understood about half of what was being said, just from the words I did know. We also weren't given a lot of pointless activities-- we watched some Irish language short films, got a tour of Raidió na Gaeltachta (the Irish-language radio station), and went to a concert. The concert, put on by the school, had quite a variety of acts, including a couple of folk/rock musicians, button accordian trad, sean-nós singing, and sean-nós dancing. The sean-nós dancing in particular was cool, and I think several of us (myself included) left the concert determined to take a class before leaving Ireland.
Of course, as before, the best part of the weekend was the socializing and bonding with our group. Our Bean an Tí made delicious food for us and I think I ate my weight in biscuits and tea over about 36 hours. Each evening, of course, ended up in An Cistin, one of Carraroe's three pubs, with a lot of laughter and music-- ceol agus craic.
Unfortunately I'm back in the real world, which means I have plenty of reading I wasn't able to do over the weekend. Still, it was nice to get away for a little bit.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
not much to say...
... because all week, all I've been doing is working. I still haven't gotten any of these balls out of the air, but I'm working on it. Really, the most exciting thing I've done is get a haircut. The haircut, which I got Friday, isn't even that interesting-- I just got some layers around my face, but overall it looks more or less the same.
If you'd like to read about someone else's exciting life, though, my awesome boyfriend Jim just started a 'blog of his own to document his impending move to Chicago!
Well, in the absence of any real content, have a recipe! I made this last week, and it was delicious.
Garlic Tomato Red Pepper Soup
12 garlic cloves (approx. 1 bulb)
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 red pepper
1 cup (2 small cans) tomato puree
1 pint half-and-half (you could probably use milk if you'd rather, but I like my soups creamy)
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp salt
-Chop the garlic cloves roughly, discarding the woody ends. Mix in a small baking dish with the olive oil. Cover and roast for 30 minutes at 300° F.
-Concurrently, roast the red pepper! Cut it in half, discard the stem, seeds, and webbing (all the bits you don't want to eat) from the inside. Set it, cut-side down, on a baking pan, and (conveniently!) roast for 30 minutes at 300° F.
-When the garlic chunks are browned, remove from the oven and mash them well. Remove the (by now blackened and puckered) skin from the red pepper and chop it into smallish chunks.
-Combine tomato puree, garlic, and peppers in a medium saucepan and boil. Stir it more or less continuously for 30 minutes to keep it from sticking and scorching.
-Add the half-and-half and spices. Stir until smooth and combined, heat through, and serve!
If you'd like to read about someone else's exciting life, though, my awesome boyfriend Jim just started a 'blog of his own to document his impending move to Chicago!
Well, in the absence of any real content, have a recipe! I made this last week, and it was delicious.
Garlic Tomato Red Pepper Soup
12 garlic cloves (approx. 1 bulb)
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 red pepper
1 cup (2 small cans) tomato puree
1 pint half-and-half (you could probably use milk if you'd rather, but I like my soups creamy)
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp salt
-Chop the garlic cloves roughly, discarding the woody ends. Mix in a small baking dish with the olive oil. Cover and roast for 30 minutes at 300° F.
-Concurrently, roast the red pepper! Cut it in half, discard the stem, seeds, and webbing (all the bits you don't want to eat) from the inside. Set it, cut-side down, on a baking pan, and (conveniently!) roast for 30 minutes at 300° F.
-When the garlic chunks are browned, remove from the oven and mash them well. Remove the (by now blackened and puckered) skin from the red pepper and chop it into smallish chunks.
-Combine tomato puree, garlic, and peppers in a medium saucepan and boil. Stir it more or less continuously for 30 minutes to keep it from sticking and scorching.
-Add the half-and-half and spices. Stir until smooth and combined, heat through, and serve!
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!
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