Galway is in the grips of its semiannual week of nice weather right now! This means that it is sunny and in the high 60s-low 70s. Yesterday, I went to the beach with friends Jenn, Bri, and Jason and sat in the sunshine for about four hours. I wore a knee-length skirt and short-sleeved top, while Bri and Jenn actually wore bathing suit tops-- I thought it was too cold for bathing suits, but here you have to take advantage of any teeny bit of sunshine. Today it's supposed to be equally nice, though I have lots of work to do. (Especially since I spent yesterday sitting around the beach.) So, in order to enjoy the nice weather but also work, I am sitting outside a cafe with my laptop and books. It's a good compromise.
So why do I have so much work to do? Because I am going to a conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, this week! Not only am I attending, but I am also presenting a paper. It's a serious, big-deal sort of a conference and I am actually pretty nervous about the whole thing. And after the conference, I am flying to Ottawa to do a couple days of research at the Library and Archives Canada, which is like the Canadian Library of Congress. It's all very exciting... though it's going to be a pretty darn busy week. My itinerary is as follows:
-Wednesday 16 September: I take a bus to Dublin and spend the night at the airport Days Hotel.
-Thursday 17 Sept: I fly to Halifax, Nova Scotia, by way of Newark. (I have a five-hour layover in Newark, which is just annoying. If it were much longer, I could leave and maybe go get a bite to eat in Brooklyn or Manhattan with one of my friends that lives there. But 5 hours is too short to leave, but too long to easily kill with going through Customs and security. Oh well.)
-Friday & Saturday, 18-19 Sept: Conference! Haven't gotten the programs yet, so I don't know what day I'm giving the talk, but it will probably be Saturday afternoon.
-Sunday 20 Sept: I fly from Halifax to Ottawa. I am staying in a hotel in Ottawa, not a hostel, because I honestly didn't want to go on a research trip so soon anyway. Lionel talked me into it, and I decided that having my own room and bathroom would make the prospect much more palatable.
-Monday & Tuesday, 21-22 Sept: Research at the Library & Archives Canada. I'm just going to be sussing out their collection, seeing if they have much that can be of use to me, and making contacts. Then I can decide if I'll need to go back later for more in-depth research. I still don't want to do this right now, but I admit that the nerd in me is excited to see a national archive. My hotel is like five minutes away from the Canadian parliament and supreme court and all that stuff-- basically where I am staying is the Canadian equivalent of Capitol Hill. Neat!
-Wednesday 23 Sept: I fly back to Ireland. I'm getting in to Shannon at 7am on Thursday the 24th, so I should be back to my flat before 10am.
Whew. Just reading that makes me tired... oh well. I'll manage I'm sure. And really, if the biggest complaint I have about my job is that I have to travel too much, things really aren't so bad.
Ok! Back to work!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
the quest for a good chinese takeaway
I tend to write about things on this 'blog that aren't specifically Irish-- that is, things that happen in my life, but aren't unique to Ireland, or to being an American abroad, or anything like that. This is because my life really isn't all that interesting, most of the time. Yes, I live in Ireland, but much of day-to-day life here isn't all that different from life in the U.S. (I walk to the store and look right-left-right before crossing the street, instead of left-right-left. How exotic!) But lately I've been experiencing something that is rather different from my experience as a college student in the U.S. This is, of course, the quality of the Chinese takeout in Galway.
Now, don't get me wrong-- I have had some truly delicious Chinese and Asian fusion meals in this town. But those are generally found at nicer sit-down type restaurants. I'm talking about the kind of Chinese food that comes in paper box, from a place that's open until 3am and has a neon dragon sign in the window. I'm a big fan of Chinese takeout, and in college Jim and I tried every Chinese restaurant that was within walking or delivery distance of MSU. Recently, I've begun doing the same here... with disappointing results.
In the U.S., a dish like (for example) chicken and black bean sauce would be a stir-fry of thin pieces of chicken with things like bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, baby corns, and bean sprouts, tossed with the appropriate sauce. Over here, it seems to be more like: steamed pieces of chicken and steamed red bell peppers, green peppers, onions, and carrots, tossed with the sauce. Steamed veggies and chicken, while undoubtedly healthier, are also much more bland than stir-fried... and bell peppers and onions are not exactly uniquely Asian vegetables. This is something I've encountered at three separate restaurants. Sometimes the sauce is very good, which makes it a decent meal, but it's not what I'm looking for in a Chinese takeaway. (And sometimes the sauce is bland and watery and gross, which makes the whole thing a huge disappointment.)
Basically, I can get better stir-fry veggies frozen at the grocery store. And the store also has a nice selection of stir-fry sauces. So, I think I've come to the conclusion that if I'm craving Chinese food, I'm better off making it myself. Which isn't helpful for those days when you really don't feel like cooking.
In other news, I made a sudden impulse purchase yesterday, and consequently have acquired an awesome new hobby. I'm not going to go into details yet, because I'm an absolute beginner, but suffice to say that the fingertips of my left hand are really sore right now...
Now, don't get me wrong-- I have had some truly delicious Chinese and Asian fusion meals in this town. But those are generally found at nicer sit-down type restaurants. I'm talking about the kind of Chinese food that comes in paper box, from a place that's open until 3am and has a neon dragon sign in the window. I'm a big fan of Chinese takeout, and in college Jim and I tried every Chinese restaurant that was within walking or delivery distance of MSU. Recently, I've begun doing the same here... with disappointing results.
In the U.S., a dish like (for example) chicken and black bean sauce would be a stir-fry of thin pieces of chicken with things like bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, baby corns, and bean sprouts, tossed with the appropriate sauce. Over here, it seems to be more like: steamed pieces of chicken and steamed red bell peppers, green peppers, onions, and carrots, tossed with the sauce. Steamed veggies and chicken, while undoubtedly healthier, are also much more bland than stir-fried... and bell peppers and onions are not exactly uniquely Asian vegetables. This is something I've encountered at three separate restaurants. Sometimes the sauce is very good, which makes it a decent meal, but it's not what I'm looking for in a Chinese takeaway. (And sometimes the sauce is bland and watery and gross, which makes the whole thing a huge disappointment.)
Basically, I can get better stir-fry veggies frozen at the grocery store. And the store also has a nice selection of stir-fry sauces. So, I think I've come to the conclusion that if I'm craving Chinese food, I'm better off making it myself. Which isn't helpful for those days when you really don't feel like cooking.
In other news, I made a sudden impulse purchase yesterday, and consequently have acquired an awesome new hobby. I'm not going to go into details yet, because I'm an absolute beginner, but suffice to say that the fingertips of my left hand are really sore right now...
Sunday, August 30, 2009
is it fall yet?
Yes, summer vacation is over, and I am back in Galway. Finally. My (nice long) vacation was lovely, really, but it's also quite nice to be back in my apartment, sleeping in my bed. I got in on Wednesday morning and have spent the week unpacking, getting re-organized, and slowly conquering my jetlag. (I think I've mostly gotten it taken care of. Now when I sleep in, I have no excuse except laziness.)
I love this city, even though it's been mostly cool and rainy since my return. I also love my apartment, even though the problems I was having before my vacation didn't magically fix themselves while I was gone. The cold tap in my sink broke back in July-- this has happened before, and that time my landlord came over and fiddled with something that fixed it for a while, though it was still finicky. Also, back in June my shower had started losing pressure and gradually got hotter and hotter, until it began oscillating between scalding hot and icy cold. (This also happened before, earlier this year, and a guy came and fixed it while I was at school.) So, Wednesday, I called my landlord (hereafter referred to as "Frank," since that's his name) to inform him that I was back, and told him about these problems. Yesterday afternoon, he came over to fix things.
Yesterday was Saturday, and Saturday in Galway there is a great outdoor street market, with fresh produce and food vendors and all sorts of fun things. I had been looking forward to going, since it's been months, and yesterday was quite warm and sunny; I was planning on buying some vegetables and maybe getting some Indian food or sushi or fresh donuts. Then, right as I was starting to eat my lunch, Frank came by. He fixed the shower, and told me how to fix it myself next time-- the problem is limescale buildup in the shower head, so all I need to do is take it apart and clean it. Then he took apart the tap in the kitchen and discovered that the tap fitting (or something) was broken on the cold side, and that he'd need to get a new part. He left to go buy a replacement, and said he'd be back in two hours, at 3:00pm. By the time I finished eating and washing up from lunch, it was after 2, so I figured I'd just wait for him and thought maybe I'd go to the market after he left. At 4:30 he returned and replaced both taps in the kitchen sink for me.
I appreciated his fixing things for me, of course. The shower this morning was warm and wonderful, and having two working taps in the kitchen again is great. It's really nice to have a landlord who runs a construction company and knows how to fix household things. But instead of walking around the market in the sun, I got to spend the afternoon sitting around my flat waiting for Frank. I did leave at around 6:00pm to take a walk and maybe do a little late shopping, but all the stalls in the market were either gone or closing up. (I was surprised by how many were still there, honestly; they must have stayed late to take advantage of the great weather.) All the shops in town were closed or closing, too. Even on a Saturday everything in Ireland closes by 6:30, which I guess I'd forgotten.
There is a limited street market on Sundays, so I thought maybe I'd go there today. But, of course, today it's cold and rainy and blustery, and I really don't feel like walking around in that. Oh, Ireland, how I've missed you...
I love this city, even though it's been mostly cool and rainy since my return. I also love my apartment, even though the problems I was having before my vacation didn't magically fix themselves while I was gone. The cold tap in my sink broke back in July-- this has happened before, and that time my landlord came over and fiddled with something that fixed it for a while, though it was still finicky. Also, back in June my shower had started losing pressure and gradually got hotter and hotter, until it began oscillating between scalding hot and icy cold. (This also happened before, earlier this year, and a guy came and fixed it while I was at school.) So, Wednesday, I called my landlord (hereafter referred to as "Frank," since that's his name) to inform him that I was back, and told him about these problems. Yesterday afternoon, he came over to fix things.
Yesterday was Saturday, and Saturday in Galway there is a great outdoor street market, with fresh produce and food vendors and all sorts of fun things. I had been looking forward to going, since it's been months, and yesterday was quite warm and sunny; I was planning on buying some vegetables and maybe getting some Indian food or sushi or fresh donuts. Then, right as I was starting to eat my lunch, Frank came by. He fixed the shower, and told me how to fix it myself next time-- the problem is limescale buildup in the shower head, so all I need to do is take it apart and clean it. Then he took apart the tap in the kitchen and discovered that the tap fitting (or something) was broken on the cold side, and that he'd need to get a new part. He left to go buy a replacement, and said he'd be back in two hours, at 3:00pm. By the time I finished eating and washing up from lunch, it was after 2, so I figured I'd just wait for him and thought maybe I'd go to the market after he left. At 4:30 he returned and replaced both taps in the kitchen sink for me.
I appreciated his fixing things for me, of course. The shower this morning was warm and wonderful, and having two working taps in the kitchen again is great. It's really nice to have a landlord who runs a construction company and knows how to fix household things. But instead of walking around the market in the sun, I got to spend the afternoon sitting around my flat waiting for Frank. I did leave at around 6:00pm to take a walk and maybe do a little late shopping, but all the stalls in the market were either gone or closing up. (I was surprised by how many were still there, honestly; they must have stayed late to take advantage of the great weather.) All the shops in town were closed or closing, too. Even on a Saturday everything in Ireland closes by 6:30, which I guess I'd forgotten.
There is a limited street market on Sundays, so I thought maybe I'd go there today. But, of course, today it's cold and rainy and blustery, and I really don't feel like walking around in that. Oh, Ireland, how I've missed you...
Monday, August 3, 2009
Windy City post!
Yes, I am posting this from Chicago! Sorry for the radio silence on this 'blog, but I've been on vacation, and despite spending my days being super-lazy that still has been surprisingly busy. Anyway I've been at my parents' house, and they are about 90% of my readership anyway. :-P
So, I am currently at Jim's apartment in Chicago. Tomorrow morning I am flying out to San Diego to visit my sister! I haven't seen Hanna since Christmas, and I haven't visited her in California in over two years. Needless to say, I'm very excited. Adventures will be had!
Then it will be back to MI, and the annual Pirate Party. Then I'll have another week to bum around, and then I'll go back here to do some research at the University of Chicago, before I fly back to Ireland on August 25. Oy.
So, I am currently at Jim's apartment in Chicago. Tomorrow morning I am flying out to San Diego to visit my sister! I haven't seen Hanna since Christmas, and I haven't visited her in California in over two years. Needless to say, I'm very excited. Adventures will be had!
Then it will be back to MI, and the annual Pirate Party. Then I'll have another week to bum around, and then I'll go back here to do some research at the University of Chicago, before I fly back to Ireland on August 25. Oy.
Monday, July 6, 2009
quick update
I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while! I have been crazy busy. I was in New York for four days, then Boston for a week, then Rhode Island for two days, and now I'm in New York again. (With another two days in Massachusetts thrown in there.) I am leaving on Wednesday already... the three weeks really have flown.
I am currently at my friend Meredith's apartment in Brooklyn. She lives here with her boyfriend Michael, but he is in Israel right now for his work. Michael is a good guy, and I'm sad I don't get to see him more on this trip-- the three of us had dinner the day I got in, but that's it-- but I feel better about crashing on their futon for a week when there are only two people here, not three. I would be worried about being in their way too much if both of them were here, but since it's just me and Meredith I don't feel like I'm taking up too much space.
So I have one more full day at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and then about fourish hours on Wednesday, if I need them. We'll see. This trip has been wonderful; the work has been hard, but quite rewarding, and it was been simply lovely to see new places and good friends.
Eventually I'll make a proper update, with comprehensive impressions and pictures and all. But I'll leave you with this, for now, oh reader: yesterday afternoon found me eating Salvadoran street food while sitting under the Brooklyn Bridge on a beautiful summer day. Which I think is one of those "to do before I die" items.
I am currently at my friend Meredith's apartment in Brooklyn. She lives here with her boyfriend Michael, but he is in Israel right now for his work. Michael is a good guy, and I'm sad I don't get to see him more on this trip-- the three of us had dinner the day I got in, but that's it-- but I feel better about crashing on their futon for a week when there are only two people here, not three. I would be worried about being in their way too much if both of them were here, but since it's just me and Meredith I don't feel like I'm taking up too much space.
So I have one more full day at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and then about fourish hours on Wednesday, if I need them. We'll see. This trip has been wonderful; the work has been hard, but quite rewarding, and it was been simply lovely to see new places and good friends.
Eventually I'll make a proper update, with comprehensive impressions and pictures and all. But I'll leave you with this, for now, oh reader: yesterday afternoon found me eating Salvadoran street food while sitting under the Brooklyn Bridge on a beautiful summer day. Which I think is one of those "to do before I die" items.
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