I didn't post Sunday, so I'm posting now to make up for it. Busy days. Lorenzo is here, and I'm finishing my thesis, so I've pretty much just been in a mad rush. It's of course terrible timing to have a guest, but Lorenzo is also a great traveler and explorer-- a few times he has just decided to go wander around Galway by himself, shopping and looking around, to give me some time to work. This weekend, he did the Cliffs of Moher/Burren day tour, and right now he is off to the Aran Islands. He is spending the night there, which is cool, and also gives me some time to work. It has been quite nice having him here, of course, even though I'm busy-- it forces me to get out of the house and enjoy some of the fun things Galway has to offer. (Last night, we went to a trad session at my favorite pub. I had missed it.)
So in lieu of any real news or updates, I offer you some educational reading and viewing materials.
Early Christian same-sex marriage ceremonies. Contrary to what some conservatives would have us believe, the "institution of marriage" has definitely changed quite a bit over the last thousand years or so. Not only were same-sex unions tolerated, they were actually sanctified, and the article shows an icon of the wedding of St. Sergius and St. Bacchus, with Christ looking on as the best man. Awesome. If I ever marry a woman, I am totally using one of the early Christian same-sex marriage rites.
Less serious but no less interesting is possibly my new Favorite Thing Ever: Drunk History.
People who are passionate about history get drunk and then explain an historical event. Actors (such as Michael Cera or Jack Black!) then re-enact the event, very literally, based on the (often somewhat confused and slurred) narration. The rest can be found here-- but be warned, the second video features some rather gratuitous vomiting.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
So, it's, uh, been a while...
Man, I'm sorry about the scarcity of updates lately! I was in the 'States until 4 August, and I left my laptop's cord at Jim's apartment so I couldn't use it until this past Tuesday.
The vacation was absolutely lovely, though it went by much too quickly. I felt like I was constantly rushing from one place to another, and I only had about two days where I got to just lay around and enjoy the break. It was wonderful to see my family, and my friends, and to see Jim. It was also really, really cool to visit Washington D.C.-- I had never been there, and I hadn't seen Curtis in about a year and a half.
So now that I'm back, what have I been doing? Answer: writing my thesis. It is due September 5, and I have to have it done by September 1 or so. Eeek. If I miss some updates in the coming weeks, that is why. I'm sort of in the middle of a controlled panic about it. It will get done, one way or another, I know. But right now it looks rather insurmountable.
Also: My buddy Lorenzo is visiting this week! He arrives on Thursday. I told him that I will be too busy to spend much time with him, and he is happy with that-- he will spend most of his twoish weeks traveling around Ireland, and is only going to spend the first few days and the last few days of his trip at my place. I'm sure it will be fun, even if I can't be as entertaining a host as I would like.
Oh, you want to see some pictures from my vacation? Well, I suppose.
The Chicago skyline-- waiting for the Blue Line.
Me and my mommy!
Dad and I, modeling the sonic screwdriver and the laser screwdriver. (My parents got me Doctor Who children's toys for my birthday. They totally enable my nerdiness!)
The iconic Washington D.C. picture.
The Lincoln Memorial.
My man Abe.
The World War 2 memorial.
The Hope Diamond!
Looking down the street to the National Gallery, with the Navy Memorial in the foreground. (Taken, I believe, at the back of the National Archives?)
The Capitol Building! Fun fact: "Capitol Hill" is not in fact a metaphor, and when you've been walking around for three hours in 80some degree sunshine, that hill is very very tall.
The Library of Congress! This was my favorite part of the D.C. tour.
Inside the Library of Congress-- and I thought the National Library of Ireland was beautiful! The Library of Congress looks like a Byzantine cathedral inside, and for me it might as well be. I would love to do some research there...
Curtis and I, dressed up for a play. (Proof that I can clean up when I want to!) I think we look much better in sepia. He took me to see Moliere's The Imaginary Invalid, which was just wonderful. Also, we rode the subway to downtown Washington D.C., dressed like that. It was great.
The vacation was absolutely lovely, though it went by much too quickly. I felt like I was constantly rushing from one place to another, and I only had about two days where I got to just lay around and enjoy the break. It was wonderful to see my family, and my friends, and to see Jim. It was also really, really cool to visit Washington D.C.-- I had never been there, and I hadn't seen Curtis in about a year and a half.
So now that I'm back, what have I been doing? Answer: writing my thesis. It is due September 5, and I have to have it done by September 1 or so. Eeek. If I miss some updates in the coming weeks, that is why. I'm sort of in the middle of a controlled panic about it. It will get done, one way or another, I know. But right now it looks rather insurmountable.
Also: My buddy Lorenzo is visiting this week! He arrives on Thursday. I told him that I will be too busy to spend much time with him, and he is happy with that-- he will spend most of his twoish weeks traveling around Ireland, and is only going to spend the first few days and the last few days of his trip at my place. I'm sure it will be fun, even if I can't be as entertaining a host as I would like.
Oh, you want to see some pictures from my vacation? Well, I suppose.
The Chicago skyline-- waiting for the Blue Line.
Me and my mommy!
Dad and I, modeling the sonic screwdriver and the laser screwdriver. (My parents got me Doctor Who children's toys for my birthday. They totally enable my nerdiness!)
The iconic Washington D.C. picture.
The Lincoln Memorial.
My man Abe.
The World War 2 memorial.
The Hope Diamond!
Looking down the street to the National Gallery, with the Navy Memorial in the foreground. (Taken, I believe, at the back of the National Archives?)
The Capitol Building! Fun fact: "Capitol Hill" is not in fact a metaphor, and when you've been walking around for three hours in 80some degree sunshine, that hill is very very tall.
The Library of Congress! This was my favorite part of the D.C. tour.
Inside the Library of Congress-- and I thought the National Library of Ireland was beautiful! The Library of Congress looks like a Byzantine cathedral inside, and for me it might as well be. I would love to do some research there...
Curtis and I, dressed up for a play. (Proof that I can clean up when I want to!) I think we look much better in sepia. He took me to see Moliere's The Imaginary Invalid, which was just wonderful. Also, we rode the subway to downtown Washington D.C., dressed like that. It was great.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Where does the time go?
Wait, it's mid-July already? How did that happen?
Well, that means that, by this time next week, I'll be in Michigan! On Thursday, actually, I am flying back to the 'states for a two-and-a-bit week vacation.
It is sorely needed by this point. I have been missing my family, and friends back home, quite a bit lately-- actively missing, not just that background not-really-conscious missing that goes on most of the time. I'm also starting to get a bit burned out with working on my thesis. I feel like it will be good to take a break, and then I'll be able to come back to it with renewed motivation.
My rough itinerary:
17-19 July: Chicago, staying with Jim and Megan.
19-27 July: Michigan! Harmony and Adrian's wedding, spending time with the fambly (especially my sisty!), a visit to Lansing, sixth annual Pirate Party.
27-31 July: Chicago, back at el apartamento de Megan y Jim.
31 July-3 August: Washington D.C., staying with Curtis.
I'm not sure if I'll have a chance to update until I get back. After all, like I said around Christmastime, this is a 'blog about Ayla in Ireland, not Ayla in Michigan. Or even D.C.
Before I go, though, I have quite a bit of work to do around here. I have a lot of writing to get done for Lionel before I go, not to mention laundry and packing for my trip!
Well, that means that, by this time next week, I'll be in Michigan! On Thursday, actually, I am flying back to the 'states for a two-and-a-bit week vacation.
It is sorely needed by this point. I have been missing my family, and friends back home, quite a bit lately-- actively missing, not just that background not-really-conscious missing that goes on most of the time. I'm also starting to get a bit burned out with working on my thesis. I feel like it will be good to take a break, and then I'll be able to come back to it with renewed motivation.
My rough itinerary:
17-19 July: Chicago, staying with Jim and Megan.
19-27 July: Michigan! Harmony and Adrian's wedding, spending time with the fambly (especially my sisty!), a visit to Lansing, sixth annual Pirate Party.
27-31 July: Chicago, back at el apartamento de Megan y Jim.
31 July-3 August: Washington D.C., staying with Curtis.
I'm not sure if I'll have a chance to update until I get back. After all, like I said around Christmastime, this is a 'blog about Ayla in Ireland, not Ayla in Michigan. Or even D.C.
Before I go, though, I have quite a bit of work to do around here. I have a lot of writing to get done for Lionel before I go, not to mention laundry and packing for my trip!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Leabharlann Naísíunta na hEireann
Did I completely forget to post on Sunday? I guess I did! Oops. I slept in, and then watched the Doctor Who series finale. It was 65 minutes long and had some awesome moments, some heartwarming beautiful moments, and some absolutely heartbreakingly sad moments. So there is my excuse. :-P
(I hope you appreciate the fact that I generally keep this 'blog fairly on-topic, regarding my adventures in Ireland. Because I could very easily write nothing but reviews of Doctor Who episodes, with perhaps the occasional Smallville review thrown in there.)
Anyway. Last week, I was in Dublin researching! There is very little to tell, actually-- as my friend Quincy once put it, "my life is very busy, but not very anecdotally rich." I was there from Monday to Thursday, though I didn't get to the Library until Tuesday morning. I spent seven hours at the library on Tuesday, seven hours there on Wednesday, and about three hours there in the morning on Thursday. I would get to the library when it opened at 9:30, after stopping at Butler's for a coffee (and a free chocolate truffle!), and work until lunchtime. I would go get a sandwich at a café somewhere, reading the paper or maybe my notes from the morning, and then go back and work again until dinnertime. All I did was read old books, take notes on them, and think about them. It was great. I really do enjoy just diving in to a pile of literature and seeing what ideas and themes come to the surface. Long and uninteresting story short, I am much closer to having an actual focus for my thesis. I am pretty sure it's going to look at the way the British legal system is represented in Whitbread's dramas. I haven't found anything in the critical literature that really deals with this theme, and I think it's a pretty important one. Exciting stuff! (To me, anyway.)
I met with Lionel this morning-- bumped into him, actually, as I was drinking my traditional cup of coffee outside the library. We talked about my work in the library, I showed him my photocopies and some of my notes, and he was very excited by this idea. I am incredibly lucky, I think, to have an advisor that is so enthusiastic about my work and believes in me so much. Especially since I'll be working with him for the next four or five years!
I related to him my experience, how my library days were the sort where I would spend five hours sitting at a desk before realizing I should probably go eat something. Lionel smiled at me and said "You're going to have to write your parents and tell them 'I've found my vocation. I'm *sigh* an academic!'" I replied, "I think they've been expecting that for a while."
(I hope you appreciate the fact that I generally keep this 'blog fairly on-topic, regarding my adventures in Ireland. Because I could very easily write nothing but reviews of Doctor Who episodes, with perhaps the occasional Smallville review thrown in there.)
Anyway. Last week, I was in Dublin researching! There is very little to tell, actually-- as my friend Quincy once put it, "my life is very busy, but not very anecdotally rich." I was there from Monday to Thursday, though I didn't get to the Library until Tuesday morning. I spent seven hours at the library on Tuesday, seven hours there on Wednesday, and about three hours there in the morning on Thursday. I would get to the library when it opened at 9:30, after stopping at Butler's for a coffee (and a free chocolate truffle!), and work until lunchtime. I would go get a sandwich at a café somewhere, reading the paper or maybe my notes from the morning, and then go back and work again until dinnertime. All I did was read old books, take notes on them, and think about them. It was great. I really do enjoy just diving in to a pile of literature and seeing what ideas and themes come to the surface. Long and uninteresting story short, I am much closer to having an actual focus for my thesis. I am pretty sure it's going to look at the way the British legal system is represented in Whitbread's dramas. I haven't found anything in the critical literature that really deals with this theme, and I think it's a pretty important one. Exciting stuff! (To me, anyway.)
I met with Lionel this morning-- bumped into him, actually, as I was drinking my traditional cup of coffee outside the library. We talked about my work in the library, I showed him my photocopies and some of my notes, and he was very excited by this idea. I am incredibly lucky, I think, to have an advisor that is so enthusiastic about my work and believes in me so much. Especially since I'll be working with him for the next four or five years!
I related to him my experience, how my library days were the sort where I would spend five hours sitting at a desk before realizing I should probably go eat something. Lionel smiled at me and said "You're going to have to write your parents and tell them 'I've found my vocation. I'm *sigh* an academic!'" I replied, "I think they've been expecting that for a while."
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Updatin'
I'm updating Saturday night, rather than Sunday. 'Cause, why not?
-I have a new roommate! That happened very fast. Julie put an ad online on Thursday morning, listing my number as she left later that day for her two-week vacation to Florida. I got three phone calls on Thursday and one on Friday from people wanting to see the place! One girl came by Thursday night, and one guy came by Friday afternoon, and the other two never showed even though I invited them to come see the place. Julie had expressed a preference for a male roommate, but I wasn't going to let that be the deciding factor-- I really did like the girl that saw the place. But she was concerned about parking (there is only one spot, and it's Julie's) and wasn't sure when she could move in. The guy, Mathias, loved the place-- when he saw the room, he exclaimed "It's huge!" (In my head, I thought "Really?" Because it's, by far, the smallest room-- mine is significantly bigger, and has about four times the storage space. Julie's is bigger yet, and she has a huge closet. But I wasn't about to point that out.) Mhairi moved out today, and he was available to move in today, and was able to pay the deposit right away. So, new roomie! Mathias is German, probably in his late 20's, and works at a software company in Galway. He is very friendly and kind of nerdy. I think we'll get along fine.
-In the past week, I received my travel bursary AND got paid for invigilating! Finally. So, next week, I am going to Dublin for research. I am taking the train down Monday afternoon, staying in a hostel for three or four nights, and I'll be spending my days at the National Library of Ireland reading hundred-year-old plays. I'm quite excited to be getting on with original research. And, also, to spend time in Dublin. The hostel where I'm staying, Avalon House, looks very nice and comes highly recommended by my friend Meredith. I'm even hoping to do a little shopping while I'm there. I really do love Dublin. Even though I only lived there for not-quite-three months, I really felt a connection to the city that I haven't felt in many places-- certainly no other major urban centers.
-Also in the past week, I said goodbye to my friends Meredith and Beth, both of whom moved back to the 'States. I miss them already-- our little group, "the girls," isn't the same with just the three of us. Still, I have high hopes and half-baked plans to visit Meredith in Brooklyn sometime in the not-so-distant future. Beth lives in Minnesota, and I don't care so much to visit a state that is like Michigan only colder, but maybe we can meet up sometime in Chicago.
-I have a new roommate! That happened very fast. Julie put an ad online on Thursday morning, listing my number as she left later that day for her two-week vacation to Florida. I got three phone calls on Thursday and one on Friday from people wanting to see the place! One girl came by Thursday night, and one guy came by Friday afternoon, and the other two never showed even though I invited them to come see the place. Julie had expressed a preference for a male roommate, but I wasn't going to let that be the deciding factor-- I really did like the girl that saw the place. But she was concerned about parking (there is only one spot, and it's Julie's) and wasn't sure when she could move in. The guy, Mathias, loved the place-- when he saw the room, he exclaimed "It's huge!" (In my head, I thought "Really?" Because it's, by far, the smallest room-- mine is significantly bigger, and has about four times the storage space. Julie's is bigger yet, and she has a huge closet. But I wasn't about to point that out.) Mhairi moved out today, and he was available to move in today, and was able to pay the deposit right away. So, new roomie! Mathias is German, probably in his late 20's, and works at a software company in Galway. He is very friendly and kind of nerdy. I think we'll get along fine.
-In the past week, I received my travel bursary AND got paid for invigilating! Finally. So, next week, I am going to Dublin for research. I am taking the train down Monday afternoon, staying in a hostel for three or four nights, and I'll be spending my days at the National Library of Ireland reading hundred-year-old plays. I'm quite excited to be getting on with original research. And, also, to spend time in Dublin. The hostel where I'm staying, Avalon House, looks very nice and comes highly recommended by my friend Meredith. I'm even hoping to do a little shopping while I'm there. I really do love Dublin. Even though I only lived there for not-quite-three months, I really felt a connection to the city that I haven't felt in many places-- certainly no other major urban centers.
-Also in the past week, I said goodbye to my friends Meredith and Beth, both of whom moved back to the 'States. I miss them already-- our little group, "the girls," isn't the same with just the three of us. Still, I have high hopes and half-baked plans to visit Meredith in Brooklyn sometime in the not-so-distant future. Beth lives in Minnesota, and I don't care so much to visit a state that is like Michigan only colder, but maybe we can meet up sometime in Chicago.
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