Snowflakes to Shamrocks

'Tis the Season!

2008-11-10T08:22:00.016Z

As strange as it might sound for someone as completely cowardly as myself to say, Halloween is one of my absolute favorite times of year. I mean, when else is it deemed perfectly acceptable for supposed grown-ups to play dress-up with fun and fanciful costumes, play around with sculpting a hollowed-out pumpkin, and hand out candy to their neighbours? There is really a lot of space for letting your undernourished creativity run wild! This year we managed to score a whole bunch of discounted decorations the weekend after, meaning that we'll have a lot more toys to play with in setting up our doorstep for the tiny ghost and goblins (more like Ironmen and Batmen). This year, though, Collie did some amazing improvised decorations with a few bits we happened to have laying around the house. They were EXCELLENT! I really loved her little bin bag ghosties. So cute!

I enjoy pumpkin carving to a ridiculous degree. I can't claim to be great, but I can reproduce a simple template. Printing one out from the Internet is really simple. With hundreds of possible designs you'll never have to be stuck doing the same square-toothed grin year in and year out. This year, Halloween happened to fall in the midst of some scholarly chaos. I hadn't slept the night before (as I was busy working on an assignment for an English course), but I wasn't about to let that stop me from my pumpkin fun! I started these two as soon as I got home, and was still putting the finishing touches on the last one as we were handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters. It all worked out in the end, though. The light inside of them is from small, battery-operated LED lights. I find candles a bit worrisome. The top of my pumpkin lid always ends up charred black by the end of the night, no matter how many precautions I take. I also can't help imagining some little Dracula's cape catching fire as he whirls around in search of his next candy connection. The two pumpkins shown at the bottom of this paragraph (in silhouette) are my efforts from last year. They are also lit with LEDs.

While we don't celebrate with the fireworks and bonfires I encountered in a Dublin Halloween (I thought I was in a war zone!), we had a lovely quiet night. They candy tray depicted is the one we assembled last year. This year we went with the classy and understated 'emptied fun-size bar box into bucket'. A few days after the big night, I found a website advertising special effect contacts for Halloween! While they are rather expensive, it is hard not to imagine all the amazing costume possibilities while perusing their collection. I guess I'd better plan ahead next year...

The weather here is starting to get cold. We are making sure we leave the house with a thin pair of stretchy gloves and a tuque. Col just assembled our newly purchased snow blower today in an anticipatory strike against the impending white stuff. While the snow we have had thus far has had the decency to melt upon hitting pavement, it is only a matter of time before it settles in for a more serious spell. This is a picture I took from our bedroom window last year. My sister is eargerly awaiting the arrival of the snow as it heralds the beginning of her much-loved snowboarding season. As for me, I haven't been on skiis for a couple of years. Perhaps this will be the season to correct that oversight... I might even find Col taking a lesson or two. When it comes to snow, the best thing you can try to do is enjoy it.

DS-cellent

2007-04-29T08:32:00.000+01:00

Well, we both submitted. On Friday we walked in to Future Shop to pick up a Nintendo DS Lite, and we walked out with TWO! Now we are able to take advantage of the two-person features like Pictochat (ridiculously entertaining), and multiplayer modes. It seems each DS unit can communicate with other DS units within a range of approximately 80 feet. With basically means that Col and I will be able to attempt to destroy each other in Bomberman and Tetris without having to lug around a wire. Keen! The manual does strongly warn about using this communication mode in hospitals or on airplanes, so I suppose we will want to keep it to single player modes during our flights. I wouldn't want to suddenly start controlling the plane! :)

Heading Back to the Emerald Isle

2007-04-27T21:27:00.000+01:00

I haven't written in months! I have been really busy with school, but still... The school year is wrapping up. Overall, I am pretty happy with how it went. I still have two more exams and another paper, but it will all be over in less then a week. It looks like we will be returning to Ireland for about a month and a half. We won't have the laptops but I want to try to keep up with this little space. I am going to bring a notebook and write at least half of a page everyday that I can transcribe up onto the blog once I return. Hopefully the camara keeps working for us and we figure out a better method of downloading and storing our photos. Anyhoo, I'd better get working on that last paper...

Where's MY Magic Schoool Bus?

2007-02-27T22:15:00.000Z

This is just a tiny photo-less update. While we have been taking loads of snaps, we have been having difficulty getting the Kodak (not so) EasyShare software to behave itself. Also, the two laptops seem to be having the occasional death twitch. Not good. I am on my own in the house today, while Col is out at an interview. I am going to jump into the shower and then see if I can get some work done before I have to go to work. Next Monday I have: a theology midterm, a 4 page paper and an 8 page paper due. Next Friday, I have to give a 30 minute presentation. All this on top of attending school and going to work. Where hast thou gone, Reading Week?!

Road Warrior

2007-02-03T08:08:00.000Z

I passed my driving test! Woo-hoo! I fooled 'em! You see, they actually think I can *snickers* drive! Mu ha ha! Well, it is nice to have that out of the way. I had to laugh at the things I was getting docked points for... going too slowly... braking (gently!) upon noticing I was over the speed limit... using a European steering technique (delicate fishing) instead of Alberta's rough and rugged hand over hand... All things I can work on. Anyways, yey!

School is going okay so far. I have a few presentations coming up rather quickly, including one on the film of the same name as this post. They should be okay so long as I give myself plenty of FUBAR-buffer. This means trying to finish about a week early so that I will know if I need to ask for some further direction from my profs.

Mémere is visiting us again on her way back home. Technically she is not staying with *us* per say, but it is just down the street so it just feels like she is in a faraway wing of the house. There are also some relatives from Edmonton in town overnight. Edmonton is not really that far away, but I rarely seem to find myself up there... *ponders*

I have added a new clickable banner to the site. It takes you to a page that enables you to lend part of a micro loan to someone in another country who is looking for a loan so that they might expand their business and better the future, It's a really innovative idea that enables anybody with a Pay Pal account to contribute a part of a loan being raised. Keen! Give 'er a clickity!

I have started working at Rogers Video twice a week. This has been pretty darn nice as far as work goes. The free rentals are an easy distraction from schoolwork though! Oh well... I suppose it will provide me with the opportunity to grow in self-discipline.

Back to School

2007-01-15T18:00:00.000Z

Today is the first Monday. *le sigh* It's not that bad though, really. I only have one scheduled thing Monday mornings, allowing me a little bit of a break to readjust. However, it seems the machines in the computer lab won't let me log on. I even had the resident IT guy reset my password. No luck. It seems I am just condemned to using the machines out front. It's a shame. I was so looking forward to burrowing inconspicuously in the back. CORECTION: I am writing from my burrow! Favorite seat: back row, next to the wall. That way you don't get parranoid about other people looking at your monitor. As though they have nothing better to do... The privacy is further enhanced when one suggestivly places their bag on the seat adjacent. Now I am secure in my corner! Muhaha! What will I do within my realm of secracy, my island of freedom, my Fortress of Solitude?

I'm going to read from my textbook.
What can I say. I'm wild.

Making It Our Own

2006-10-31T17:33:00.000Z

We are still ploughing away at getting the house ready for us to move in. At first, we thought it would just require a small amount of cleaning and some possible cosmetic surgery (it contains some wallpaper we could really live without). When we noticed a leak under the sink, we called in a plumber. We got a new kitchen tap and a bit of the under the sink plumbing replaced. We have also decided to get a new washer and dryer set. It actually had a function called 'Soap Saver'. Mid-cycle, a long black tube would deposit your sudsy wash water into the adjacent laundry tub. It would then suck in back into the machine to use on the next load. Since we don't have a manual (3 of the appliance manuals were not left) we are not sure how to ensure that during a cycle, sudsy water does not come shooting from said black tube into our non-existent laundry basin.

We have also been stripping the wallpaper. Since it is vinyl, this involves tearing off the plastic surface first. The bedroom offered the most satisfying large sheets coming off at once. The process in the kitchen has been more arduous, requiring a lot more putty knife scraping. Once the vinyl surface has been removed, we have then been able to moisten the remaining paper backing and scrape off the softened remainder with putty knives. So far, the only painted and semi-finished room has been the bedroom. We used some paint my brother Jason had left over from when he and Stacey got there house painted.

Since nearly every possible light fixture in the house is a chandelier, we wanted some more simple and modern lighting. We went to Ikea, 'the crack cocaine of the home decor sector' (as I have recently seen it described). We went in around 3:30pm. We didn't leave until closing and even then, not until we had grabbed a bag of Swedish meatballs. You know you have spent too long in a store when you come home with the email address of a sales assistant. :)

Mom has been helping us with loads of things, including the kitchen clean-up. Dad has been our resident electrician, installing light fixtures, navigating the sometimes unusual product of a do-it-yourselfer's attempt at wiring, and restore power to the garage (woo hoo!).

Also in the last couple of days, Calgary has seen it's first significant snowfall of the season. Col has been a real trooper, considering bad weather in Ireland in days of rain. We shoveled our sidewalks (darn corner lot with it's darn double sidewalks), and have been enjoying the few bits of wildlife coming by the place (birds and squirrels and rabbits, oh my!). Dad has taken us out in the car to a local mall parking lot for what he calls 'Skid School'. This is basically gunning it, then slamming on the brakes and feeling the anti-lock breaking system (ABS) kicking in. Instead of having to pump the brakes when skidding, this feature kicks in to pump the automatically for you. You only have to keep your foot depressed on the brake. He also showed us how to steer in a skid when ABS is working (by walking out into the road, having us slam on the brakes and steer around him... chancer!).

Anywho, that's enough for today. We haven't even carved our pumpkin and Halloween is tonight!

All A Bit Of A Whirlwind...

2006-10-21T07:19:00.000+01:00

Well... I know I haven't been back to this space in a really really long time, but a lot has been going on in our lives! Col and I have successfully picked up and moved from Dublin (Ireland) to Calgary (Canada). Not just that, but we have managed to find a house we like in a neighborhood we like (the one I grew up in). Even better, we have successfully purchased said house! We have just taken possession today.

It's been a bit of a long road, though compared to some people looking to immigrate to Canada we seem to have been fastracked! :) We endured the mountains of paperwork that came along with applying for Permanent Residency for Colette. We waited uncertainly for months, unsure of what would happen if our claim was denied (as my work visa for Ireland was non-renewable and I wouldn't be able to make a life there). We experienced the stress of selling one's home and moving as we left the apartment in the centre of Dublin. And we experienced all kinds of chaos on the flight over to Calgary. This included missing our connection and getting a piece of baggage stuck in the luggage carousel (which we eventually had to cut out), being ambushed by a very greedy porter into using his services (we were naive and didn't know any better), and having security permanently remove the pint of Bulmers from our luggage we had bought in the Duty-Free for my dad (they only relented when I started to cry...).

However it must be said that aside from the few small headaches mentioned above, we have been very fortunate. Both of our families have been absolutely wonderful, allowing us to stay with them for as long as we need. Their hospitality and support has made a possibly difficult move relatively painless. We know how lucky we are.

Other things also seem to be falling into place for us. We were able to find a house within our price range in a neighborhood that is, on average, quite beyond our price range. And to boot, we have had some weird moments of good fortune, especially in the past few days. Everytime we have gone to purchase one of the few bits of things for the new house, we have been able to benefit from some bit of good luck or another. A few examples... When we went to buy a bed, there was one of the model we wanted left in sotck from a now-completed promotion. Trouble was, it was in Vancouver. The store shipped it to Calgary for free, and gave it to us for the sale price. When we were buying bed linens (and a microwave) at Home Outfitters, friendly staff helped us sniff out the best deals. Then the cashier helped us take advantage of signing up for the cards offered by HBC, which knocked off 20%. These allowed us to pick up $250 worth of merchandise for about $150. And to top it off, we ended up walking away with a further $100 in $20 gift vouchers. Then we went to Future Shop, where we spotted a tv we wanted (which was already on sale and at a promotional price). A return visit later in the day meant that on box had already been opened, so a further $50 was knocked off the price. Then a staff member arranged a further discount for us, one for which he then got in trouble with his supervisor. Various costs keep popping up, but the bits of money we have been able to save with our 'good fortune' means that we are able to keep up.

Probably one of the best bits of luck we have had is to have been recommended our realtor. Werner Molicki was recommended to us by a friend of the family who had been satisfied in the past with his service. He has been patient, considerate, and a real comfort during a stressful time. He seems to go out of his way to take care of his clients, and we certainly feel that he has had our best interests at heart. I would certainly recommend him to anyone looking to buy or sell a house in Calgary. He has integrity... and I never thought I would be saying that about a real estate agent. :)

Anywho, tomorrow we begin to clean-up our new home and do a few little jobs in it (like painting). Things that will truly make it 'ours'. Col has already been asleep for about an hour now, and I suppose I'd better go to bed too. There is work to be done in the morning! G'night.

"War of Independence veteran dies aged 105"

2006-09-19T00:30:00.000+01:00

When we saw this story on the news this evening, Col and I realized that this was the same gentleman we saw at the 1916 Easter Rising comm -emorations. We had snuck into the roped off area for ritzy-ditzy politician-type people after the main event when most people were exiting and milling about, and we climbed onto the special viewing platform to see who was still about. One gentleman in particular seemed to to have all the press buzzing about his wheelchair. We didn't know who he was at the time, though we figured he was a veteran. We just didn't realize he was over 100 years old and a veteran from the War of Independence! What follows below is an extraction from an article on BreakingNews.ie (green highlights are my own formatting though :) ). Read the original article HERE. The photo is from last year, when he was a spry 104 years of age.

A 105-year-old War of Independence veteran who served alongside Michael Collins, died today.

Lieutenant Colonel Sean Clancy, a former Commanding Officer of the Fifth Infantry Battalion, fought against British forces in the Dublin Brigade of the Volunteers from 1919 to 1921.

The Co Clare native also shared the historic moment in Dublin Castle in 1922 with Collins when Britain handed over power to the new Irish Government.

In a statement the Defence Forces said: "It is with great regret the Defence Forces mourn the death of Lieutenant Colonel Sean Clancy at the age of 105 years.

"At the time of his death Lieutenant Colonel Clancy was the oldest surviving person receiving a military service pension for his role in the War of Independence."

Lt Col Clancy died in a Dublin nursing home.

I Don't Think We're in Kansas Anymore...

2006-09-17T23:43:00.000+01:00

A thick Dorthy shows her 'bits' to the Wizard of Oz after he asks her to do something for him... He meant that she was to kill the Wicked Witch of the West, but she obviously thought he meant something else...

This is the kind of bizarre twist you find in the imaginative retelling of the Wizard of Oz that Col and I went to see Friday night. The brief explanation of this show found on most of the promotional material read as follows:

"Sumptuous costumes, surreal sets, big shiny production numbers and a gender-bending cast that will colour your dreams in shades of ruby red and emerald green. Part musical theatre, part drag show, part multimedia installation, this is a full-blown decadent musical diversion that will take you down the yellow brick road to an Oz you only knew existed in the darkest (and campest) recesses of your twisted little mind."

This show was featured as part of the latest Dublin Fringe Festival and was put together and performed by Dublin's own DoppleGang (Blogger wouldn't accept the 'diacritic umlaut' that the 'a' is supposed to be... It therefore is missing the two dots over it), a fantastic group of performers including drag kings and queens but also many other talented and varied performers doing their own cabarett shows.

Honestly, this article on Queer ID (featuring 'Oz: A Fairytale Plot' as it's September 'Pick of the Month') explains DoppleGang's history and this new show much better then I ever could. And it makes a good quick read. So give it a skim if curious about what I am raving on about.

Basically, all I can say is that it was a hoot. It was such a massive undertaking for the group ('Original songs and dance numbers and multimedia effects, oh my!'), but they really stepped up to the mark. Their run at the Fringe Fest ended tonight, but I hope they were satisfied with the response they got. So much work went into it, but it was fantastic.

2006-09-12T00:33:00.000+01:00

Tonight Col and I took a bus into town to get our first taste of the Dublin Fringe Festival. Our bus dropped us up near the top of O'Connell Street. This main thouroughfair had been brought to a near standstill by the 'strike' action of angry taxi drivers. Taxis were parked in four of the six lanes (one left open in each direction) while drivers marched about in the ramaining areas, sometimes allowing buses to move through. I went a little snap-happy, but the place was a bit of a zoo. The heavy rain and the tired commuters trying to get home made the situation a little extra bleak.

Eventually Col and I made it to the GPO where we were to pick up a government form (hard copies are available as not everyone is equipped to print their forms off the internet. However, we were told that the form we needed was not in stock, but that it wasn't their fault (of course...). It was that government department's job to ensure that their forms were in stock, they had nothing to do with it. Sheesh...

The show we saw was the preview (cheaper tickets!) of DR DILLON AND GEORGIA, based in part on the life of the word's first surgical female-to-male transexual. It is very difficult to hold an audience captive in any performance, let alone a one-man show with few props or costumes. And yet this show did just that. It certianly made me want to learn more about Michael Dillon.

A xkcd Comic (shamelessly stolen from someone's avatar...)

2006-09-12T00:02:00.000+01:00

Here is the comic's original source... Looks like another webcomic archive for me to feast upon...

Daw.... :)

2006-09-03T23:56:00.000+01:00

Recently one of Col's good friends stopped by for the afternoon with her two kids. We went and played at the nearby park and then they came back here for a bit of tea. One worked on her colouring while the other worked on his aim. So cute!

Happy Birthday To Me!

2006-08-25T23:16:00.000+01:00

Today was my second birthday here in Ireland. Last year, Col's parents came over to celebrate us at her apartment in the city centre (my home for the last fourteen months or so). This year, we are staying with Col's parents in their home as the apartment is being sold in anticipation of the big move (back) to Canada. Over the last few weeks of staying here, I haven't given Col more then a few moments of peace on her own :) so she was up late last night making a lovely and hilarious card, and generally making the place sufficiently birthday-ish.

This morning I found a banner strung across the stairwell, balloons of various shapes and sizes in the living room (including representation of the Canadian and Irish flags), and a couple of different cards. Since I have a bit of a cold at the minute, Col and I got right back into bed and watched a couple hours of Little Britain on dvd. What? It was medicinal. You know, laughter... the best medicine... Anywho, I eventually teetered back downstairs and made myself some risotto for lunch (sounds impressive, but it was from a fool-proof kit. It makes me feel so gourmet though). Col's mom formed the various balloons lying around (the kind usually used for bringing to life balloon animals) into different colourful hats. Their only drawback was the squeal of their rubber as they were wedged into a nice tight fit on one's head. Very creative though!

We decided to go for a little drive, and traveled about forty minutes North to Portrane, the area where Col and her family lived until she was about eleven. Though the weather was a little miserable (not too much rain but it was hurled at you at amazing speeds by the whipping wind), the area was very beautiful. It is on the coast of the Irish Sea, and has a beautiful shoreline, it's own Martello Tower, and a view of Ireland's Eye.

We had a lovely meal at the local restaurant (located close to 3 golf courses who must be gearing up for September's Ryder Cup right here in Ireland). Through the large window we could see the odd soul brave the wind and rain. We decided to view the foamy white waves from indoors. Wind and rain on the coast... uncomfortable to stand in but a fantastic visual treat.

Earlier this month, Col and I went to go see a one-night-only performance of comedian Eddie Izzard in Vicar Street. And tomorrow we are going to go see Riverdance at Gaiety Theatre on the last day of it's run. So that is more then enough for one birthday! Photos to follow later. G'night!

They Came, They Saw, They... Went Home

2006-07-14T11:19:00.000+01:00

Mom and dad left for Canada again after visiting us in Dublin for 17 days. We manages to see quite a lot, even touring around the South of the country. I have uploaded some of the photos onto my Flickr account. Click HERE to see the uploaded images in a slideshow.

You Can't Cancel Bloomsday!

2006-06-18T16:41:00.000+01:00

Happy Mother's Day!

2006-03-26T12:56:00.000+01:00

Yesterday Col and I went over to visit her parents and celebrate Mother's Day with them. We got in a bit of chatting, watched Return to Me, and went out dinner at a place called Mandalay *starts singing* "On the road to Mandalay...".

The food was truly scrumptious, and it was a great night out. Here are a few photos from yesterday. I will add captions later, perhaps...

The Dynamic Duo

Prawn Crackers All Around

Posing With The Prawn Crackers

Us Ourselves (Don't you just love Col's jacket? I spotted it y'know. Linen...) :)

Really Tasty Appetizers

Buddha From Behind

A Carrot Gnome That Was Found To Be Inhabiting One of the Entrees. Col's Mom adopted him Simon II (after our puzzled though I am sure very flattered waiter).

Note the Wood Chimes

A Fasting Buddha in a restaurant?

Golden Lions On Guard Out Front

I really love this picture... I can't fully explain why...

"On the road to Mandalay..."

Simon II now lives on a kitchen shelf a Penguin and a Santa from our wedding cake (the Irish one anyway)

Too Much Rain On The Way Home... Splashy Splashy!

Dun, dun... DUN!

2006-03-15T09:06:00.000Z

Okay... Perhaps I am just a little slow on the uptake. Perhaps everyone else already knew this.

I was looking at a box of Sugar Puffs the other day (the North American equivalent would be Sugar Crisp... you know... *sings* "Can't get enough of that Sugar Crisp!"). Anyways, the Honey Monster (the mascot for Sugar Puffs) has a head shaped... LIKE A SUGAR PUFF! His mouth is that little dark seam that runs the length of each little puff. I know this may seem like a silly thing to rant about, but I have been staring at that cereal box for months now and this is the first time I have noticed the connection. It's a little unsettling to realize I've overlooked something so simple...

Sick (of) Shrapnel

2006-03-13T21:33:00.000Z

Have you ever been chewing a mouthful of food when you were suddenly overcome by the need to sneeze? And since you always habitually turn your face into your upon arm when you sneeze (to protect the rest of the world from possibly infectious nasal spray), you find that tiny fragments of your partially masticated mouthful have sprayed all over your black shirt with the help of your nose gust exceeding 100 mph?

Yeah...
Uh, me neither.

A Cold Weekend

2006-03-11T14:30:00.000Z

While it may not be bird flu, both Col and I seem to have caught a bit of something. It's not to shocking or serious, but we are pretty much in hibernation mode. The tv has been moved into the bedroom for the weekend (for maximum coziness) along with a wealth of viewable material (from our own collections, the library, and the local video store). We even got Ice Age, so that Col would be all caught up for when we go and see the sequel. We were feeling a bit better this afternoon and planned to grab a brownie at the organic market (Saturdays only, at Temple Bar) and then head off to see the collection at the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin Castle. We found, however, that even the short trip down to the corner store for extra milk and similar supplies was a bit taxing for us. So, plans have changed. We are turning on the heating, grabbing so ice cream (or some other throat-friendly food-stuff) and climbing into bed for some more movie madness.

I Love Libraries!

2006-03-07T16:26:00.000Z

"When I discovered libraries, it was like
having Christmas every day." --Jean Fritz

Today I went to the library. I currently have out:

DVDs
-A.I.
-The Simpsons Classics: Too Hot For TV
-The Simpsons: The Complete First Season

Videos
-Citizen Kane
-Stephen King's IT
-Yes, Prime Minister: Series Two

Books-On-Tape
-Affinity by Sarah Waters
-To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

I know it seems sad not to have any books out, but I currently have four on the go. And Ulysses is enough to contend with on it's own. :)

Oh Canada...

2006-03-06T15:57:00.000Z

One of the strange aspects of watching the hockey game yesterday were the little reminders of home. The ads displayed around the rink were wonderfully familiar, and I spent as much time explaining the meaning of 'Rrroll up the rim to win' (and the like) as I did explaining what was going on in the game (in accordance with my own limited knowledge of hockey). The CBC logo was great to see, and although I didn't get to point out Don Cherry (he was probably at another game) there were plenty of random things to natter on about (like explaining what a zamboni is for).

Today, while walking home from meeting Col over lunchtime at the quays, I crossed the street to examine again the 'Alberta' poster in the window of the CanAmerica travel agents. I decided to step inside for a moment. For the next 10 minutes, I flipped through the 'Alberta' section of their travel guide. It was strange to be viewing the place were I lived (Calgary) and worked (the Calgary Stampede) through the eyes of a potential tourist.

Fanning the Flames

2006-03-05T23:44:00.000Z

Today Col and I were able to root root root for the home team over at The Wool Shed (A local Sports Baa and Grill). Col had kept an eye out for any upcoming Flames games. This particular bar shows two NHL games a week. We were able to enjoy Calgary's victory, me nursing my pint of Rock Shandy, in front of a large wall-sized projection of the game. Sweet!

Oh, and today at mass... the priest made a tip of the slounge during the reading of the Gospel. The result was God (instead of John) being arrested (Mark 1: 12-15). Just thought you'd like to know. (Bail has yet to be set)

Rounding the Bases

2006-03-04T05:44:00.000Z

w00t! We finally have word... it seems that part one of our two-part immigration application has been approved! I have officially "met the requirements for eligibility as a sponsor". As best we understand it, the family class spousal immigration application has two components: my application to sponsor Col as my spouse, and her section pertaining to her history, details etc. Now that my application to sponsor Col has been approved, our file is being sent from the Case Processing Centre in Mississauga (Ontario) to London (not Ontario). It seems that they evaluate the section of the sponsored spouse (Col) in the nearest office that processes immigration. As there our none in Ireland, our file is now on it's way to England. While it it a bit strange to her (being Irish) to think that her file is being picked over by the English, we are relieved to know that Phase One is done, and that things are on their way. I was talking on Msn with a friend of mine from Canada tonight (before we received the email from our immigration consultant telling us of the good news). I had told her that a decision had been made, and that we were happy. She assumed that this meant that the response was favorable. I explained that while we were aware that a decision had been reached, we didn't know if it was "yes, she can act as sponsor" or "No, she cannot act as sponsor". We were simply happy to have had some movement in the progress of our file. That's what happens when you are tangled in red tape for too long.

What a Strange Souvenir!

2006-02-03T12:29:00.000Z

I was just contacted by someone in regards to one of the many travel photos I tend to inundate you lot with. Since I have my Flickr account set to 'public' (so y'all don't have to type in a password or join Flickr to see them), they can be viewed by anyone.

They are from Appletree Press, a publisher based in Belfast. They expressed interest in using this photo I took (of a monument just down the street from us here in Dublin) in a book they are currently producing on Irish history.

They say they will credit me and provide me with a copy of the book.

Go figure!

Rome Pics Finally Being Uploaded!

2006-01-30T22:43:00.000Z

Since we took well over one thousand photos during our little trip (2 cameras, 3 memory cards) I have started the long process of sorting through them all to upload the highlights. Some of my absolute favorites will be posted in this blog, while the other highlights (a couple hundred) have started to be uploaded to my Flickr account. While my Flickr account doesn't yet have photos of what most people would consider the tourist priorities in Rome (Vatican City or the Coliseum), it's has the first few days of our trip in photos. You can view them as thumbnails and click on the ones you would like to see in greater detail. Alternatively, you can view them as a slideshow... allowing you to look at each one for a couple of seconds.

Arrivederci!

2006-01-15T01:41:00.000Z

Well, me and the Missus are making like Audrey Hepburn and are leaving tommorow (technically today!) on Roman Holiday. We will be back in about a week so don't start getting all misty-eyed. I am hoping I will have some really great photos to share. I may have a quick chance to post a quick note but don't hold your breath. I figured there is more then enough in the Eternal City for us to explore. Instead, you could direct any positive vibes towards giving us some decent weather!

Thanks For The Meme-ories

2006-01-10T21:45:00.000Z

Well, it looks as though a certain individual has tagged me in what can only be described as a Blogger manifestation of chain letters. Usually I wouldn't go for chain letters, email or otherwise. In this case though, I'll make an exception. Why? Well, for starters.... having someone connect to me means that I'm not the only person reading my blog. Additionally, this particular individual is well worthy of a few minutes of my time (Don't I sound rather haughty! :) ). She has already has the dictionary definition of 'meme' on her blog so I am not going to bother to try and better her. The basic jist of it is as follows ( the obligatory (strangely-written) inclusion, the red additions are mine):

The first player of this game starts with the topic five weird habits of yourself, and people who get tagged need to write an entry about their five weird habits as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose the next five people to be tagged and link to their web journals. Don't forget to leave a comment in their blog or journal that says "You are tagged" (assuming they take comments) and tell them to read yours.

Weird Habits, eh?

1) As of late, I (nearly always) have my head covered. It's not for any deep religious meaning or anything. My hair is currently the longest it has ever been. Since my mom is a hair dresser, she has always been the one to cut my hair. Since I haven't seen her since October, the bangs are getting a bit out of control. My hair is now down about 3 inches past my shoulders, the longest I've ever had it. I am getting comfortable with long(ish) hair after a life time of preferring it rather short. Consequently, I require some kind of head gear to tame it. I am getting used to the look, but not the feeling. To keep my bangs out of my hair, I have taken to compulsively wearing baseball caps or toques outside and my Buff (or if it's MIA, Col's). I loves my Buff... LOVES my Buff...

2) I suppose it's a bit strange how much I wash my hands. I am better behaved than I used to be, but I still nearly always wash them upon coming home (from the dirty, dirty outside world). I think cash is rather vile (in sanitation terms) and hands must be washed again after contact with it. These habits combined with Canada's dry winter winds generally left my hands in a bit of a state. Lately though, I am much better trained and use lotion so frequently it is also bordering on the compulsive.

3) I have a strong dislike for certain cold/creamy foods. There was a point where I wouldn't eat cheese unless it was melted. HOWEVER, I am warming up on this point. I am not over-the-moon about Ranch dressing or sour cream, and mayonnaise is rather icky. Strangely though, if getting a sandwich at Subway, I will almost always ask for mayo. If I or anyone else makes one though, it is strictly verboten.

Two more? Hmm...

4) Up until recently, I would stubbornly fold my clothing in a manner somewhat akin to The Gap's (laying the shirt front-side down, then folding both the sleeved sides into the middle, and then folding the remaining rectangle into thirds, creating a reasonably square shape hiding the sleeves while displaying the collar. If I was folding clothes, then it would have to be in this method. It takes longer, but looks nicer. I was so firm about this that I even shooed away a well-meaning helper when she tried to 'teach me' another method (folding the garmet into quarters, my current method). She felt bad for me since I hadn't had time to finish my laundry. A group of us were set to stay with her for a few days while we were in town (was it Edmonton?). Before the drive over to her place, I had managed to wash my laundry but not dry it. I just schlumped it all into a black garbage bag, figuring that I would throw it all in a dryer upon our eventual arrival. However, a few hours careening down the highway in the back of a poorly heated van during the Canadian Winter left my clothes frozen together in one massive lump. I had to break off the various items like shingles just to fit them in the dryer. Wow... look how far off topic I have strayed...

5) Okay, this is perhaps a little gross but I am trying to think of a fifth strange habit (I know that some of you are probably thinking this should present no challenge whatsoever to me. ;) ). I have generally managed to stop from biting my nails. Sometimes though, I will instead (unconsciously) gnaw at my (immaculate!, see quirk 2) finger tips.

Well, that's it. *phew* Still reading? You deserve a treat! (I wanted to post this GIF before, but there was really no way to make it relevent... I like it though. I stole it from Kid but I figure he must have stolen it from someone else... it's like The Circle of Life of the internet)

Oh, and by the way... I won't be passing the 'chain letter' on to anyone else. Sorry to disappoint, but I can't say I know 5 other Bloggers that Clicky hasn't already hit!

2006-01-05T09:46:00.000Z

Time is just flying by. Christmas and New Year's have come and gone. Mom and Dad are on their ballroom dancing cruise in Mexico. Col and I have booked a week in Rome and Paris each (when Ryanair, the Irish equivalent of West Jet, have a sale selling tickets for 1 cent... How does one ignore that?). Sylvia is flying towards the end of her Gr. 12 year. Mike is busily working away. The premier to Breakfast On Pluto is less than a week away. I started another blog although I haven't really posted anything there yet. It'll just be a place for me to make inane comments on the movies I see. Anyways, I just wanted to make my first post of 2006. I've got to grab some breakfast. See ya!

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-25T00:33:00.000Z

Well, despite my own shock it seems that it is already the Christmas Eve. It's my first Christmas away from home, and also my first Christmas shared with Col.

I was able to attend mass tonight at the 'Adam and Eve'. Here are a few shots from that...

Here you can see the large organ that accopanied a wonderful choir. I took this shot after mass, so all of the singers are scurrying downstairs to receive communion.

Since we have St. Francis to thank for the tradition of the créche (they call it a 'crib' here), it seemed only right to take a few of the Franciscan's version.

I have managed to snap a few Christmas-y photos over the past months, in Derry, Belfast and Dublin... These first three on from pubs in Derry (kissing snowpeople... aww!)

This is of City Hall in Belfast. The smiley face seems to be the city logo (well, at least that of the tourism board). Surreal...

Sprouts... I have tried them but I just don't like 'em. And I know that I am not alone in this. Yet over here, everyone seems to go mad for them at Christmas. A month ago, I don't believe our local M&S stocked any brussel sprouts. Look at this table they had set up today! Madness, I tell ye.

I saw this walking back from Mass tonight. Santa, reindeer, and Guinness. Gotta love an Irish Christmas... :)

Okay, nobody over here sees a problem with this. Yet when I saw it for the first time, it stopped me in my tracks. Over here, kids go visit Mall Santas (*cough* er, Santa's helpers) in 'Santa's Grotto'. Why do I have trouble processing this? Well, Hugh Hefner (of the Playboy empire) has a grotto. I can't deal with any sort of overlap in my brain between those two guys. It's just not right!

Well, if you made it this far down... cheers! I am off to bed soon. Right after I phone home anyways. That 7 hour time zone difference is a killer... :) Tommorow we are off to spend the next two days with Col's family so I might be incommunicadoo.

For now though, I wish you all a very merry Christmas. I hope you can share this time with your loved ones, your family and friends. Oh, and I feel like a public service announcement for saying this, but if you celebrate with the Christmas Spirit that comes in a bottle and is sold at the off-licensee, DON'T DRIVE. It's just not worth it.

"...and to all a good night."

Blondie & a Brother-In-Law

2005-12-22T09:50:00.000Z

On Monday of this week, Col and I watched a performance of Blondie in the Olympia Theatre. Col is a big Blondie fan and we secured the tickets over the summer. This was quite a good show, with many of the famous singles getting performed alongside some new material. The guitarist had a good time, and the drummer was a performer who delighted in tossing his sticks high in the air before catching them and playing on without missing a beat. Don't even get me started on the keyboard player who (more than once) carried his gigantic person-sized keyboard off of it's stand and into center stage. However the main attraction was, of course, Deborah Harry. She was always The Blond in Blondie. The lead vocalist, she was certainly the star of the show despite the theatrics of the others. She was hopping around and dancing about the stage the whole night, despite the fact that she is 60! Oh, and no longer a blond (reddish-brown now)... But in what I thought was a nice touch, the mic stand was! Despite our best efforts, our photos didn't come out very well.

Col's brother Mark and his wife Zvia have arrived in Dublin this week. Mark is (of course) from Ireland. Zvia is from Israel. They both now live in Australia. They are staying with Col's parents while they are visiting over the Christmas season. We snuck up to see them on the day they arrived thinking it would be a nice surprise. Unfortunately, it was too much of a surprise. Bushed, the two of them had gone to bed. We stayed and had a visit with Col's parents and resolved to return again. Last night we managed to visit when they were still awake and I finally had a chance to meet the last of the her siblings. The two of them were still rather tired, but at least we had a chance to touch base. We (Mark and Zvia, myself, Col and her parents) are all going to try and meet up tonight to watch The March of the Penguins. It should an interesting process as Thursdays are the traditional 'Late Shopping' night wherein the shops stay open later than 5 or 6 o'clock, and it is the last Thursday before Christmas. Anyways, we shall see how it goes. :)

fingers crossed

2005-12-21T16:16:00.000Z

I was down at a job interview his afternoon for an Office Junior position. The HR manager was very nice and I felt comfortable during our interview. It seems as though things would be very hectic in the role, but I feel oddly comfortable with that. It would be a very good experience. These are just a few random pictures I took on the way back. The shot of the canal would have been better, but I was on my mobile at the time... give a girl a break!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

2005-12-18T16:07:00.000Z

Well! Two early Christmas presents from the spud site (a message board I putz about on). Last week, I won a draw and was sent a new CD. Last night at Dragon, at the First (likely to be) Annual Christmas Meet, I won a t-shirt! Well, I was awarded it for being the most festively dressed. Yes... I dressed like a Christmas pudding. But I got my shirt! Oh, and yes... that is a rather irate (though festively dressed! Scarf and hat... awww) potato I am holding. Why? Because it draws the eye away from the pudding on my head of course!

...Exposures of the North

2005-12-13T11:47:00.000Z

Alright, I haven't had a chance to name or caption any of of these photos (do you know how long it took just to upload them to Flickr?). Nevertheless, here they are... a summary of our three days journey in photos. They are in chronological order, but I don't know if that will be of any help to you in identifying the photos.

I'll be back on here to talk about what the photos represent, and where we travelled.

Northern Exposure

2005-12-10T18:47:00.000Z

Col and I have embarked on a 3 day tour of Northern Ireland. We spent last night in the walled city of (London)Derry (most people from the area refuse to call it Londonderry and much of the local signage has the 'London' part spray painted out. Today we did a walking tour along the walls of Derry (guided, we found out later, by the son of Derry's former mayor). We also went to the Giant's Causeway (an amazing sight, especially with the ocean pounding against the rocks and creating spray). Can you believe that in two gift shops I could not find even one Giant's Causeway key chain? Two shops located at the Giant's Causeway! Tonight we are bedding down in Belfast. I am writing this from our hostel. I won't write much as there are many other people waiting to take advantage of the free internet. Needless to say, I have been taking tons of photos and I will be uploading them once we get home.

PS: Thanks to the family for the Christmas card, Col's birthday card, and the insoles. Very much appreciated. :)

Dad, What Do You Think of This?

2005-12-02T14:12:00.000Z

I stole this word for word (including the photo) from the The Guardian, but I find it rather interesting.

Photo Caption: "At more than 500 metres, Taipei 101 in Taiwan is the world's tallest building. But now geologists fear that its size and weight may have transformed a stable area into one susceptible to earthquake activity. Photograph: Wally Santana/AP"

Taipei 101 is a building with a lot to boast about. Standing 508 metres (1,667ft) high, it is the world's tallest. And at 700,000 tonnes, it must be among the heaviest.

But the sheer size of the Taiwan skyscraper has raised unexpected concerns that may have far-reaching implications for the construction of other buildings and man-made megastructures. Taipei 101 is thought to have triggered two recent earthquakes because of the stress that it exerts on the ground beneath it.
According to the geologist Cheng Horng Lin, from the National Taiwan Normal University, the stress from the skyscraper may have reopened an ancient earthquake fault. If he is right, then it raises concerns about proposals such as Sky City 1000 in Japan, the vertical city that has been proposed to solve Tokyo's housing problems. And it is not just skyscrapers that are a problem. Dams and underground waste deposits may also cause rumblings if they become too large.
Before the construction of Taipei 101, the Taipei basin was a very stable area with no active earthquake faults at the surface. Its earthquake activity was similar to parts of the UK, with micro-earthquakes (less than magnitude 2) happening about once a year.

However, once Taipei 101 started to rise from the ground, things changed. "The number of earthquakes increased to around two micro-earthquakes per year during the construction period (1997 to 2003).

"Since the construction finished there have been two larger earthquakes (magnitude 3.8 and 3.2) directly beneath Taipei 101, which were big enough to feel," says Dr Lin.

Using the construction information, Dr Lin has calculated how much pressure Taipei 101 exerts on the ground. The weight of steel and concrete came to more than 700,000 tonnes. This is spread over an area of 15,081 square metres (3.7 acres), meaning that it exerts a huge pressure of 4.7 bars on the ground below. "The construction of Taipei 101 is totally different to many other high-rise buildings because it used hybrid structures made of both concrete and steel, to give it added protection from earthquakes and fire. Therefore it has a huge vertical loading on its foundation," says Dr Lin.

And it is this exceptional downward stress that Dr Lin thinks may have caused the extra earthquakes.

"I think that the considerable stress might be transferred into the upper crust due to the extremely soft sedimentary rocks beneath the Taipei basin. Deeper down this may have reopened an old earthquake fault," suggests Dr Lin in his paper, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Other experts are more cautious about blaming the skyscraper for the earthquakes. "A building will change the stress on the ground under the building, but this probably won't reach down to around 10km, the level where the earthquakes occurred," says John Vidale, an earthquake expert at the University of California in Los Angeles.

Zygmunt Lubkowski, an earthquake analyst for the engineering firm Arup, is concerned at the lack of data. "Earthquakes occur on timescales of thousands to millions of years. From just 10 years of earthquake data it is hard to tell if the extra earthquakes are just noise in the signal or due to the building."

Many engineers and scientists are more perturbed about the impact of other types of construction. "It is well known that man can induce earthquakes from things like mining, building reservoirs and extracting oil and gas, where a large load acts over a large area," says Dr Lubkowski.

One of the most convincing examples is the Koyna Dam earthquake, which occurred in 1967. More than 120 people died and many more were injured when a magnitude 6.5 earthquake shook the ground around the recently constructed dam in Maharashtra state, India.

It is thought that the huge weight of water changed the stresses in the ground. Closer to home, the magnitude 5 earthquake in May 2001 in the North Sea is thought to have been caused by a release in pressure from oil and gas extraction.

In 1967, mountains of waste that had been injected into the Rocky Mountains set off a magnitude 5.5 earthquake under Denver in Colorado. A similar earthquake under a nuclear waste store would be disastrous.

Meanwhile, the idea of carbon sequestration - reducing global warming by locking up carbon dioxide in holes under- ground, will be pointless if earthquakes let all the carbon dioxide escape. "Huge amounts of fluid are going to be put in large cavities and earthquakes are a real concern," says Leonardo Seeber, a geologist from the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory in New York. "I am less worried about nuclear waste as it is more likely to be put in a small tunnels rather than huge cavities," he adds.

Compared with dams and underground waste deposits, skyscrapers such as Taipei 101 are mere pinpricks on the Earth's surface. "It is a point load which is probably going to be insignificant at depth," says Dr Seeber.

News for the Dubs

2005-11-30T15:46:00.000Z

This is just a little public service announcement for any stray Spudlets that find their way over to this space.

1) Tomorrow, at 2:25 on RTE One, 'our very own Moi' (as Admin phrased it) will be The Big Bite. If you get the chance, be sure to watch. And then post her your congrats for what I am sure will be a job (very) well done.

2) Are you going to the 'Know Your Rights' seminars at OutHouse? Why not? They have been fantastic thus far. Senator David Norris was a wonderful speaker, and it has been an amazing opportunity to hear from people involved specifically in drafting the Civil Partnership Bill. Beyond that, there has been an introduction to the Equality Legislation, and an overview of property rights of co-habitating couples. Coming up next week there will be a representative from GLUE speaking (especially relevant for the situation Col and I find ourselves in - a citizen and a non-EU member). If you are interested in dropping by (IT'S FREE!) then get in touch with Petra.

"Make Me a Channel of Your Peace..."

2005-11-30T12:59:00.000Z

When I logged on to the internet this morning, the CBC website informed me that the Canadians recently taken hostage in Iraq were working for the Christian Peacemaker Teams. They are an interesting group that view peace-making as an active process rather than a passive one. They insert themselves into conflict situations by physically separating the two parties and appealing to the aggressors. When I was at St. Mary's (random note: Is that Mike Lees on the STMUC homepage?), we actually had representatives of this group come and make a presentation in our chapel with images and stories explaining their experiences and mission. I am saddened to hear that these four individuals are being held. To accuse them of being spies is a ridiculous claim, though I am sure that their actions must have looked strange to on-lookers. Hopefully this situation will come to a non-violent conclusion and the four individuals being returning home to their families soon. Looking at the face of one of them (pictured here) is a bit chilling. He looks very familiar, though I think it is because his photo was featured prominently in the presentation I watched rather than him being the individual who came to the school and whom I meet and shook hands with. May this all end well...

Guilty As Charged

2005-11-28T00:42:00.001Z

Yes, I am a bad lil' blogger. In my defense, the flip disc (where I store all my photos) wasn't working. Our resident techie (er... Col) just got it up and running today. I wanted to tell y'all what have been up too these last few weekends (it's actually been rather interesting!) but I wanted photos to distract away from, er... I mean 'accompany' my little writings. So now that the flip disc is up and running, there is no excuse now... right? Wrong! It's nearly 1 am here. I just walked in from watching a 'Freak Show' that was going on in the Temple Bar Music Centre. Yes, I took pictures. No, I will not be posting any here. I don't think so anyway. I have to see if there are any that are not too 'out there'.

jaw drops

2005-11-25T10:26:00.000Z

It... is... snowing!

I Can Explain!

2005-11-13T23:39:00.001Z

Okay, I know that I have been MIA for a while, but it has been very busy over here. Besides... there was a postal strike... What do you mean that doesn't effect email or online communications?! Sure it does! *shifts eyes back and forth in desperate hope that someone buys that*

Anyways...
Poor dad is still waiting to learn what bram brack is and I don't even have any time to go into major detail (basically it is a traditional bread with raisins, as well as candied lemon and orange peel that is traditionally eaten here for Halloween. There is a ring baked inside the brack and whoever gets the ring in their slice is fated to get married in the next year).

Yesterday was a blur of activity and today we were out for the day on a tour of County Wicklow. There are plenty of pictures, but I will have to get to those tomorrow. I have to get to bed so I can get up at a human hour tomorrow. After all, I am traveling to the end of the LUAS line to hug a total stranger. Ha! How's that for a teaser!

Where Does The Time Go...

2005-11-02T00:23:00.000Z

No chance to talk about Barm Brack tonight (sorry dad). I got a chance to talk to Cynthia and Chelsea (friends from Canada) on the phone today (which was really, really nice). We received a wonderful card from Ontario (thanks very much Julie and Shane) and a little parcel from my Tante Ingrid and Al (thanks so much, it arrived intact, the heart is beautiful and the magnet is perfect :) ). I will return to this space when I can... PS> I added a few of the photos (to the Flickr account) from the Halloween party we went to on Monday. I will add more as time allows.

Yum!

2005-10-31T17:38:00.000Z

I have just finished two slices of Bram Brack and a mugful of hot apple cider (to the sound of detonating fireworks from around the neighbourhood). Col and I are now running out to a Halloween party at her brother's house. Pics to follow... :) Bye!

Stolen, But Sooo Worth It!

2005-10-28T00:30:00.000+01:00

Someone posted this little piece on a messageboard I frequent and I just had to put it up here. It is said to be by John Cleese, and it had me smiling the whole way through. :)

AXIS OF EVIL WANNABES
by John Cleese

Bitter after being snubbed for membership in the "Axis of Evil", Libya, China and Syria today announced that they had formed the "Axis of Just as Evil", which they said would be more evil than that stupid Iran-Iraq-North Korea axis President Bush warned of in his State of the Union address.

Axis of Evil members, however, immediately dismissed the new Axis as having, for starters, a really dumb name. "Right. They are just as evil... in their dreams!" declared North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. "Everybody knows we're the best evils... best at being evil... we're the best."

Diplomats from Syria denied they were jealous over being excluded, although they conceded they did ask if they could join the Axis of Evil. "They told us it was full," said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"An axis can't have more than three countries", explained Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. "This is not my rule, it's tradition. In World War II you had Germany, Italy, and Japan in the evil Axis. So, you can only have three, and a secret handshake. Ours is wickedly cool."

International reaction to Bush's Axis of Evil declaration was swift, as within minutes, France surrendered.

Elsewhere, peer-conscious nations rushed to gain triumvirate status in what has become a game of geopolitical chairs. Cuba, Sudan and Serbia announced that they had formed the "Axis of Somewhat Evil", forcing Somalia to join with Uganda and Myanmar in the "Axis of Occasionally Evil", while Bulgaria, Indonesia and Russia established the "Axis of Not So Much Evil Really as Just Generally Disagreeable".

With the criteria suddenly expanded and all the desirable clubs filling up, Sierra Leone, El Salvador, and Rwanda applied to be called the "Axis of Countries That Aren't the Worst But Certainly Won't Be Asked to Host the Olympics".

Canada, Mexico and Australia formed the "Axis of Nations That Are Actually Quite Nice But Secretly Have Some Nasty Thoughts About America", while Scotland, New Zealand and Spain established the "Axis of Countries That Want Sheep to Wear Lipstick". "That's not a threat, really, just something we like to do", said Scottish Executive First Minister Jack McConnell.

While wondering if the other nations of the world weren't perhaps making fun of him, a cautious Bush granted approval for most axes, although he rejected the establishment of the "Axis of Countries Whose Names End in 'Guay", accusing one of its members of filing a false application. Officials from Paraguay, Uruguay, and Chadguay denied the charges.

Israel, meanwhile, insisted it didn't want to join any Axis, but privately world leaders said that's only because no one asked them.

A Bit of Irish Insight

2005-10-27T23:54:00.000+01:00

Back in the pre-comment days (a long, long time ago... some time earlier this week...) I expressed puzzlement at the strange coralation in Ireland between fireworks and Halloween. Well, a pal o' mine here in Dublin emailed me to shed some light on the subject. I just thought I'd share this interesting tidbit with y'all. (By the way, be sure to stop by and visit her blog: But Seriously Forks...) ;)

In answer to your pondering re Halloween and fireworks, I think it's probably because of Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes Night) in the UK, which is a few days after Halloween. Fireworks are a symbolic part of that, and I reckon it caught on here in the 1980's - my parents claim that Halloween was just about the bonfire and firework-free for the most part until then. This also coincided with my youngest brother turning 9 and developing an unhealthy interest in explosions and all things fire-related, so it was a real firework-fest around home at this time.

The kids around town that feck bangers at people are little shits though, I'm staying in next Monday night and only distributing sweeties through the letterbox!

More info on this Bonfire Night business to come...

"Oh, BEHAVE!"

2005-10-27T14:28:00.000+01:00

Try to ignore the above Austin Powers reference, and look at the shiny new feature here at Snowflakes to Shamrocks... I have enabled *dun dun dun...* COMMENTS! That's right! Now y'all can leave a little note whenever you feel. But children, BEHAVE YOURSELVES! Don't make me take your new toy away... ;)

"I Could Have Been A Contenda..."

2005-10-27T09:01:00.000+01:00

As I have the CBC website set as our homepage, I was aware of a growing lotto fever sweeping Canada. The Lotto 6/49 Jackpot was a record-breaking $40 million dollars. I was going to join in and ask someone back home to by a ticket for me... just in case. You never know, right? Well, when I logged on today the site announced that a) the jackpot actually was more than the estimated total... a whopping $54 million and b) the winning ticket was sold somewhere in the praries.

So far, the holder of the winning ticket has yet to come forward. But if this ticket was sold in Calgary, say... in the proximity of my parents' home? I will be most frustrated with myself. :)

Woo-hoo!

2005-10-26T10:05:00.000+01:00

The quiz night at Yello on Friday was great. The trivia was good (Col was a fiend, and certainly our team's strongest player) and the host, Yuri Vision (the stage alter-ego of a friend of ours), was in flying form (the pic is Yuri in all the gear). While we didn't come in first place, the Spuds did come in second! Yey for the Spuds (a team from a Potato-tastic online messageboard site)! Yey for Clicky singing the Pussycat Dolls' Don't Cha in a heart-pounding tie-breaker round! :) Well, we did end up winning something though. In the raffle, we won a dvd player and a Sponge Bob Square Pants dvd. Yey!

Random Note: The BBC program Animal Rites is very very interesting! That is, once you get over the strangeness of the first-person narration. It shows the role of various animals in religions, mythology, and cultures throughout the world. It charts an animal's role throughout history. Today's is on The Pig. To try and draw a pig, go HERE. This was my effort:

Noises in the Night

2005-10-25T15:36:00.000+01:00

Last night I had a pretty rotten dream. I won't go into details, but in the end of it a lot of innocent people were getting shot and there wasn't anything I could do about it. Anyways, when I woke up around 6am I was still a little freaked out but mostly calm. Then I heard a series of bangs from outside. You see, in Ireland (for some strange reason) Halloween is connected with fireworks (the kind you buy illegally from roadside vendors). Kids set off a bunch on Halloween night, but they have also being going off intermittently every evening after sunset. Well, lets just say that this morning those bangs were badly timed.

Head Scratchin'

2005-10-24T12:29:00.000+01:00

Two little language absurdities have occured to me over the past few days...

When we were out at the restaurant on Saturday (after the Blessing of the Marriage), someone turned down dessert because they 'were watching their figure'. Isn't it more that they were trying to get other people to watch their figure, and thus they were trying to lose a bit of weight?

And just now, someone was telling me how an alarm has gone off at their place of employment. By this, of course, she meant that the device which creates the warning noise had actually turned on. So what will she say when the loud noise stops. That the alarm has gone on again?

Hmmm...

Can't Talk!

2005-10-21T16:56:00.000+01:00

No note today! Buzzing around... Going to a quiz night tonight at Yello (hosted by our delightful friend, Uri Vision!) and then tommorow there is the Blessing of the Marriage at Col's parent's place. After that, a flurry of the last bit of paperwork being sent off to Calgary. So, I might not be back here for a little bit...

still out of breath after that last one...

2005-10-21T00:29:00.000+01:00

In an effort to be more brief (and current!), I decided to write a little something about what actually happened today! Not a week ago... Not a month ago... Today! I know this doesn't happen to often. After all, I don't want to spoil you lot.

Well... today actually wasn't terribly exciting, but two noteworthy things did occur:

1) I actually learned how to iron! Okay, all of you snickering in the back... Give me a chance to explain! I rarely iron my clothes. Anyone who knows me would be forgiven for thinking I'm part pug... They are often that wrinkled. My usual methodology involved saturating the garment and then ironing it until it was dry (usually burning bits in-between). My usual method sucked... It would take me a good 20 minutes to finish. However, I have just learned of a wondrous little creation known as the STEAM SETTING! Oh, the power of steam. It's so quick now. Stop laughing. It really was exciting. Well, I thought it was exciting...

2) I went to a movie I have been looking forward to for a while, Domino. It's a movie that's (sort of) based on the life of Domino Harvey, daughter of actor Laurence Harvey and Vogue model Paulene Stone, who turned her back on the life of the privileged life of the Hollywood Elite to become a bounty hunter in Los Angeles. It was actually a pretty good little movie. While I felt the director was trying too hard, it was one of those movies I watched without once being aware of the passing of time. The star power that turned up (even in smaller roles) in this film was a treat. Christopher Walken was really very funny, even though his role was rather small. The big story here though is Keira Knightley. It's always exciting to see actors or actresses do something that is a bit outside of their usual fare. While she does usually play the tom-boy (with some action-bits through in to boot), the persona she had to take on here is half-crazed and much more violent than we usually see her. Anyway, it's actually quite a good performance. It's not exactly a thinking movie, but the action keeps it well-paced. On a sidenote - I have been convinced for months that this movie (and her name) was pronounced 'Do-MEE-no', and even tried to correct Col when she pronounced it as 'DOM-in-o'. I was wrong. Very wrong. Embarrassingly wrong. I learned that within the first 2 minutes of the film. Col was right. It just has to be said... *grin* Alright, later!

The Death of Sanity: Irish Mobile Born 20 Years Ago Today

2005-10-18T22:27:00.000+01:00

I was listening to the Irish equivalent of CBC Radio One this morning, Ryan Tubridy announced that 20 years ago (to this day) cell phones were introduced to Ireland. I never really was into the whole cell phone thing back in Calgary. I would just borrow the 'family cell phone' on the few times I was going to be out late. Once I got over to Ireland though, it seemed like everyone and their grandmother had a 'mobile' here. I don't even have a have home number for most of my friends in Ireland. I have their mobile number. It seems that 24% of the Irish population has joined the mobile craze. Mobiles are used 50% more here in Ireland then Europe on average.

Evidence of the infiltration of cell phones is all around. Ring tones, everything from your favorite movie line to the latest release from the evil Crazy Frog, have became one of the latest definitions of individuality. They can be heard everywhere. People, it seems, can't bear to be without their phones. One or two go off each time I go to mass. Even when flying, it seems that as the plane lands and the 'all-clear' is given for mobile use, half the cabin on their phones, yakking about the in-flight movie... the airplane food... I'm not so convinced that some of these individuals aren't talking to other people on the same flight. Two of the three leading cell phone companies, Meteor and Vodafone, are currently running competing advertising campaigns in Dublin Airport to try to get visitors coming into the country to select their network when turning on their cell phones once off the plane.

People have created whole businesses to cater to cell-phone users. Customizable covers & cases, decorative charm for your antennae and battery compartment, every kind of ring tone one can imagine, wall papers... You can enter competitions, get your horoscope or tarot readings, get the news, jokes... all through text messages.

The business next-door to our apartment is an internet cafe. Recently, they introduced a line of cell phones (by Meteor) available for sale. The owners have told us that the display of phones in the window have brought in almost more customers that they can keep up with. Much of their time is spent repairing phones, or changing SIM cards. Other businesses, from gas stations to candy shops to the post office, offer Top-Up services. These allow anyone using a Pay As You Go plan to add more credit to their phones on their network of choice.

Many phones are equipped with cameras (allowing for great photographic opportunities as well as the threat to privacy that is evident in some of the uses of this feature). Internet access is fast becoming a standard feature of the average mobile phone, which only introduces another element that contributes to the swell of over-information (for an example, look the the trailer that runs along the bottom of a CNN broadcast). It's hard to complain about the lack of personal interaction or the lack of respect that sometimes goes along with cell phone use. This is because the phones are so common and so integrated into our lives, the best we can hope for is a little cell phone etiquette.

This little rant is one-sided, I know... and was only bourne out of a bit of pent-up frustration on the issue. If anyone wants to discuss the matter further, you can reach me on my cell.

We're Baaack...

2005-10-17T04:22:00.000+01:00

Well, Colette and I have sucessfully (and safely) navigated our way back to Dublin. It's seems we have made it to Europe just as H5N1 (bird flu) arrives. Fun... Despite my personality, I will try not to be paranoid. I promise. If I stock pile a little Tamiflu, just smile and go on about your day. Just tap me on the shoulder if I start wearing a SARS-style mask.

Well, I know you are all probably demanding photos. And stories. And other such updates. But it's 5:20 am, and I am only online because I can't sleep at the moment. Stupid time difference *seethes quietly at self for sleeping in so late today*. I promise I will be back onto this blog again, at a more humane hour, to give you all the gossip.

Until then, be well. And pop in The Birds to creep yourself out a little.

Not Sure What I Think About This...

2005-09-20T13:49:00.000+01:00

Taken from Ananova.com...

Artists Erect Giant Pink
Bunny on Mountain

An enormous pink bunny has been erected on an Italian mountainside where it will stay for the next 20 years.

The 200-foot-long toy rabbit lies on the side of the 5,000 foot high Colletto Fava mountain in northern Italy's Piedmont region.
Viennese art group Gelatin designed the giant soft toy and say it was "knitted by dozens of grannies out of pink wool".
Group member Wolfgang Gantner said: "It's supposed to make you feel small, like Gulliver. You walk around it and you can't help but smile."
And Gelatin members say the bunny is not just for walking around - they are expecting hikers to climb its 20 foot sides and relax on its belly.
The giant rabbit is expected to remain on the mountain side until 2025.

I'm torn. I am against spoiling the natural landscape, and can only imagine the stink and the sogginess. Rain, animals... This is going to be disgusting in a few months, nevermind 20 YEARS!

On the other hand... WHEEE! Giant fluffy bunny! I can camp on his tummy! It was knitted by grannies! I can feel like I'm a Lilliputian! Wheee!

Soon, Soon...

2005-09-19T10:01:00.000+01:00

This morning the air is infused with a most strange sound. It is just a low hum if I stay in the apartment, but if I venture out onto the balcony it fills the whole courtyard. It sounds like an orchestra tuning up before a performance. It's really most odd. A constant low tone joined intermittently by shorter bursts at various pitches. It took me a minute of head scratching before I figured out what it is. A traffic jam. These must be cars horns. I reckon it's gotta be a real mess about 200 m southeast of here. Perhaps it has something to do with one of the bridges crossing the Liffey River. Anyways, it was most interesting. I write 'was' because it seems that in the short space of time it has taken me to compose this short note, all is quiet again. Well, aside from the usual thumps and bumps from the construction taking place across the way. Anyhoo, I just wanted to throw up a little note. I've a lot of pictures I would like to put up here but I don't think I'll have the time today. Soon, soon...

In the meantime, I thought I'd put up this picture of a billboard. These Guinness sponsorship ads are all around. I really love them. They are all so very dramatic. This one is for Ireland's native sport, hurling (no, I don't mean throwing up after a night of drinking). (Random note: Colette used to play the women's version of hurling, camogie.)The set location is the Giant's Causeway. While these ads usually draw inspiration from Irish mythology, I don't know this particular story yet. Irish myths are perfect for the purpose of these ads though, in that traditional Irish sports often play an important role in the stories.

Sidenote: I've just learned about the connection between the Guinness brewery and a famous notorious book of world records. For more, click HERE.

Living Statue

2005-09-16T15:18:00.000+01:00

I just saw this picture on the CBC News website and something about it is quite amazing to me. I figured I would post it up here (along with it's given caption) because... Well... I feel like it. :) I have always been fascinated by photojournalism. While I don't think it's something I would excel at, I do find it quite compelling. It can be such a powerful medium. It's a unique combination... art and news combined. These images don't just report current events, they can help shape them. Pictures can serve as an emotional trigger, or can humanize events a world away. It's really quite an amazing thing. Anyways, the caption for the photo reads: A Palestinian man on a horse is seen on the beach Sept. 13 near the former Israeli settlement of Neve Dekalim. Thousands of residents of the southern Gaza Strip came to the coast. They had not been able to do so previously because the Israeli army had occupied and separated the area for 38 years. (Abid Katib/Getty Images)

Northern Rumblings

2005-09-14T14:01:00.000+01:00

I don't know how much information from this side of the pond makes it's way over to North America. Recently there has been a few few days of rioting and violence in the North. Things were looking up in terms of the Northern Ireland conflict just a few months ago. The was a voluntary demilitarization of one segment and it was announced that all further conflict would be political, not physical violence. This latest incident was the result of a parade being derouted. At least, that's what I have gleaned. There is a lot of information flying around, but as I don't have the history behind me I find that some of it goes in one ear and out the other. Everytime I read an article, it is filled with accronyms that I then go and decipher and with names that have no impact or relenvence to me. Anyways... for anyone who wants to know more about the whole situation, feel free to Google. I feel like I don't really have anything clever to add. I just thought I would reiterate, for anyone who may be worried, that I am alright. There is nothing going on in the Republic of Ireland (the southern half of the island in which I am currently staying) and even the rioting up North seems to be calming down. Can't find a good photo of the events of the past few days, but if I stumble upon one I will put it up here.

Heh Heh...

2005-09-08T12:14:00.000+01:00

Just a quick note today. I thought I'd throw up this little comic I found. It totally reminded me of Sylvia and myself. Can you tell whose who? If not, ask Sylv. She has been subjected to my freak outs (depicted to the left) on more than one occasion. Alright, gotta jet. I'll be back here soon...

Dark Day

2005-09-02T10:07:00.000+01:00

Yesterday was a bit depressing in terms of international events. Just watching the news was enough to make me want to crawl into bed and pull the cover over my head. It was the one year anniversary of the Beslan school siege, in which 344 civilians were killed. Nearly 200 of those fatalities were children, and many hundreds more were injured. It is impossible to put any figures to the psychological trauma inflicted. Yesterday also brought news of the damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina. Most distressing is the lawless desperation and violence developing in the affected regions. ><Side Note: I hope that both Nathan, Hope and Melanie (as well as their family and friends) are safe and secure.>< In addition to these two tragedies, there were the deaths in Iraq. Not from gunfire or bombs, but from fear. The death of nearly 1000 Shia pilgrims in a stampede caused by rumours of an imminent suicide bomb attack. Add on to these three incidents the on-going devastation in Niger and a handful of the 'usual' incidents on local news (the same stuff as in Canada)... The evening news was quite the depressing half-hour. I promise not to be such a downer next time I write here. Anyways, thanks for listening to my ranting.

"Your regularly scheduled programming will resume shortly. Please stand by."

Final Note: The photograph in this entry was stolen from CBC.ca. It shows a child playing in one on the football stadiums in which people were trying to seek shelter from the hurricane. There were lots of photos to choose from depicting the events I have discussed above. I figured this one isn't overwhelmingly depressing, and really just a very compelling photo. The beam of light from the broken roof makes it seem very surreal and alien abduction-ish.

A Brief Hello to Dublin Castle

2005-08-29T11:20:00.000+01:00

Recently we stopped by Dublin Castle. It is only a short walk away, across the Liffey River. Colette's parents let us know about a sand sculpture exhibition going on there so we decided to check it out. This is only one of the sculptures the Duthain Dealbh team created. To see more, check out the my Flickr account. While we were resting our feet on a concrete bench at the edge of the central courtyard, and large group of people gathered next to us. Their tour guide began explaining historical bits about the castle. We just looked at each other, grinned in realization, and then proceeded to stare straight ahead and listen in on the presentation. The guide was really lively and skilled. When the group moved on to another location in the courtyard, we causally joined in the migration. I learned all kinds of interesting things about the site (much of which I admittedly don't remember) . I do however remember one thing. The guide said that Francis Shackleton was connected to the theft of the Irish Crown Jewels. I didn't even know that Ernest Shackleton (a favorite historical figure of mine... captain of the ill-fated Endurance voyage) had a brother! Anyways, here is a picture of our stolen tour. After they left the castle, we decided to let them go on their merry way. It was an interesting diversion though,to say the least.

Happy Birthday to Me...

2005-08-26T12:27:00.000+01:00

Yep, it seems that I am now 22. Huh... how did that happen? Anyhoo, I was made the recipient of some lovely Celtic-design cards (special thanks to Barbara and Brian for the wonderful card and phone call) and few other very thoughtful odds and ends (including a magazine from Canada! lol). Col's mom and dad came over for a visit yesterday and they brought a colossal cake with them. It was very very good (actual cream and jam and such!) and it seems that our sweet tooths will be satisfied for some time to come (big cake, little fridge... it's quite the thing to see...). We had a lovely evening with them. As the Irish say, it was good craic.

We took a few photos (go figure) so feel free to check those out if you wish. A wave and thank you to Angele and Jennifer for the emails. And Michael. :) And a friendly wave to the other August birthday in the family. :) There are still a few balloons bouncing around the place. Yey! Bouncy! *scampers off to cause boot them around a bit*

Aww...

2005-08-17T13:16:00.000+01:00

It seems that someone who checks here all the time is getting frustrated that I haven't been as diligent as they has been. There are some new photos at my Flickr account, including an album containing photos of a visit to the Netherlands. So, have a quick thumb-through of those and I promise to be back here again soon. :)

The Sick and the Stinky

2005-07-21T11:02:00.000+01:00

Sorry I have been so negligent in my Blogging duties as of late. I have just finished correcting all the horrendous typos in my last post. I shuddered when I noticed how many there were. Then again, I was extremely sleepy when I wrote it. I actually fell asleep at the laptop more then once putting it up on here, even though it's just a tiny little thing. :)

Anyways, Colette had a pretty bad throat infection last week. She had to go to the doctor, get some prescription meds, and stay home from work for a week. Poor dear... She's back in fighting form now. A trip to the drugstore left us with a few weapons for our immune systems. I've been taking vitamin c, garlic capsules and Pharmaton (mmm... "Life energy that you can feel"... gotta love that life energy). It may sound like quite a bit, but I think it helped me fight off the throat infection, and feel pretty good overall. I won't be taking the garlic for too much longer. I always start to smell like garlic after a few days... I just wanted a bit of a boost during the time when Col wasn't feeling great. I figured that if I didn't do anything, I would be next in line!

I do really like the taste of garlic though. Yesterday, I tried making a little tomato salad. I added a little bit too much garlic, so I ate it with baguette slices and called it bruschetta. :) We had been at Col's parents' house earlier in the week and her dad had dug out some onions from his garden for us (as well as some lovely spuds, and a few early cherry tomatoes). I threw in a bit of the fresh onion. It is so neat to be able to eat food that you have actually watched being pulled out of the ground. Very tasty...

In other news, there was a bit of a hiccup with the water supply in the apartment. It seems that a water main burst somewhere nearby and so for the last few days we have been on a limited supply of water. The only thing being supplied with water was the cold water tap in the kitchen. We were quite lucky though. This was just a bit of an inconvenience. It would have been much worse to have been totally cut off. This morning, everything seems to be up and running again. I think I shall go celebrate with a bath. I probably smell like a monkey's armpit... :)

P.S. >> Glad to hear the white envelope arrived back home. You can never be sure how long these things will take to send. Also, a big hello to Suzie Q if she happens to read this. Thanks for the email. :)

Midnight Munchies

2005-07-12T05:41:00.000+01:00

I am just writing a quick note before I pop off to bed. It is nearly 6 am here. Col and I just finished taking advantage of the 24-hour Tesco that is situated just a short drive from the appartment. Entry time for grocery shopping? Around 2:30 am. Departure? About 2 hours later... But that's what happens when one stops at almot every corner to take pictures of products you think the people back home might find interesting.

As usual, pictures will be uploaded to the Flickr account. Right now though, I am running off to bed. Heavy eyelids...

Just Checking In...

2005-07-10T00:11:00.000+01:00

I am still in Co. Kilkenny at the moment, and just writing a quick little note before I go to sleep. It's been a full day: Tall Ship viewing, a venison BBQ, a little grass fire ;), a waterfall, a lighthouse, finally touching the Atlantic Ocean, some car sickness, and a new keychain for the collection. After dinner, I was treated to a rousing performance of some classic irish diddies sung with great enthusiasm. I found it difficult to respond in kind as I didn't really know any traditional Canadian songs. A Maritimer could manage, but an Albertan? What do we sing? Anyways, it's way past my bedtime and I am well-knackered. Must be all the fresh air... I will update this space with more details (and photos!) of the weekend when I return to Dublin. For now, I've got to crawl off to bed.

Btw, Dad wrote me an email yesterday and part of it discussed the disasterous urban stampede and the horses that were lost. Crazy!

"All Canadian SWAP Participants traveling to UK & European Destinations"

2005-07-08T08:47:00.000+01:00

** High Priority **

Hello there,Please be aware that your family and friends back home in Canada will be very concerned about you as a result of the terrorist attacks in London this morning. Please contact your family back in Canada as soon as you can to tell them you are alright. News here is very sketchy at the moment and people will worry.

It would be a good idea for all participants to monitor the BUNAC site for any messages, advice, etc. respecting the situation. There website is www.bunac.org . Also The Guardian Newspaper has set up a function on their site to allow people to post a messages to confirm that they're safe. The site is www.guardian.co.uk .

Safe Travels
SWAP Head office

I recieves this email yesterday from SWAP. I talked to Mike and let him know I was fine, but this is the official "I'm okay" for anyone who might still be worried. Please don't worry! I am in another country altogether and doing fine. :)

I am getting out of Dublin for the weekend. We are leaving in a couple hours so this is just a quick note. Waterford is hosting the Tall Ships' Races and we (Col, her mom, her dad, and myself) are heading in that direction for a bit of a glimpse. Colette's sister lives in Kilkenny and we are going to stay overnight with her and her husband. I'll update you later as to the details of our little adventure. For the moment, I am just letting you know I'll be out of the office for a while. For the locals, I'll have my mobile with me. For the Canadians, I should still be able to check my email. For now, I've to run off and do the Delph (*cough* wash the dishes *cough*). Later days...

P.S. > Go see the movie DiG!. Dixon, this means you! Go! GO NOW!

Explosions in London

2005-07-07T11:33:00.000+01:00

I am watching this unfold on EuroNews at the moment. It seems that a series of explosions during rush hour this morning have paralyzed London. It seems a number of buses and tube stations were struck in a series of synchronized attacks. At the moment, there are reports of 90 people injured and 2 deaths. People are talking terrorism. It is useless to put any details up here as things are still very cloudy. Please look to BBC News for more information, as their site will be continually updated as details become available. It is a very difficult situation for people in Ireland as many have family or friends in London and communication with loved ones to confirm their safety has been difficult. No more to say at the moment. I want to go back to the tv to keep a sharp eye on EuroNews.

Smarties, Eh?

2005-07-05T13:31:00.000+01:00

Smarties Eh
Originally uploaded by Redivivus.

I just thought I'd throw this in to honour Canada Day (and test out my photoblogging abilities). One of the girls over on this side of the water happens to work with a number of Canadians. We had always discussed various aspects of Canadian life (maple syrup, back bacon and touques) so when one of her co-workers received a care package from the Maple Leaf Land she was quick to tell me about the Canadian Smarties that came in it. I had to explain that our smarties do not usually say "eh", nor do they usually come in such a limited colour palette. However, to prove to me she wasn't making up her story of the Canadian smarties, she scanned the wrapper and emailed it to me. It's a nice enoungh little design, I figured I'd throw it up here. :) Can't find an audio clip of the Smartie Song to complete the effect, but give me time. Also, Stacey sent me this link to a quiz on "What Canadians Think". If you haven't already, give it a go. I myself failed it. Like, really failed it. Crash and burn... You might do better though. Just try not to do what I did, ie: panic when you get a few wrong in the begining (ones with surprising answers) and then start picking the most unlikely answers (just in case they were as tricky as the first few). It's bad strategy... *cough* so I've heard, anyways. :)

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

2005-07-01T09:51:00.000+01:00

Woo-hoo! Happy CANADA DAY everyone! :) Finally an excuse to wear my "Proud to Be Canadian" lapel pin... Sometimes Canadian emabassies host various goings-on to celebrate Canada Day. Col saw that the Canadian embassy in London was hosting a big party, including a performance of Shakespeare and a concert by Kinnie Starr (whose latest release just happens to be my favorite album of the moment). Wondering what happy things were waiting for me at the Canadian embassy in Dublin, I checked their webpage. Nothing. Not even a "Happy Canada Day". "It must just be an oversite," I thought, "They just forgot to put the events on their website". So I called to double-check. I learned that they hadn't forgotten about Canada Day. In fact, they closed the embassy on Canada Day so they could have a day off... *grumbles* It's all good though. Col's mom had heard on the radio that it was Canada Day and left me a little Happy Canada Day message in Voicemail. :)

P.S.> Happy Birthday Mom & Dad!

Crisis!

2005-06-29T19:41:00.000+01:00

It has just come to my attention that I have, in fact, consumed white pudding. It seems that it was one of the aforementioned 'meaty bits' that tried to flee my breakfast roll on Sunday. I am really not sure how I feel about this. In one way, I am glad to be one step closer to that final goal... the full Irish breakfast. In another, I gag a little to think of it. Perhaps the woman with the leaflets had a point... ;)

I've Got Mail!

2005-06-29T16:17:00.000+01:00

This is just a quick thanks to Angie, Jason and Dad for the emails. They brought big grins to my face. And they helped break in the Gmail account I set up specifically for the blog (for those of you who haven't found it yet, the link to email that account is in the sidebar on the right). If anybody out there wants a gmail invite, let me know... I am swimming in invites. :)

Carnivorous

2005-06-26T11:35:00.000+01:00

Col and I just got home from Sunday mass. Usually we go to a Franciscan church across the Liffey. Today though, we went to the Pro-Cathedral. It is even bigger than the usual Adam and Eve. It's amazing how some of these churches are constructed... definitely not what we have back home. Even the height of the ceilings was staggering.

It was only a few blocks away. On the stroll back, I finally got to try a breakfast roll. I have been seeing these advertised everywhere, but I still had to have somebody explain to me exactly what a 'breakfast roll' is. It seems that in an effort to make breakfast easy to have 'on-the-go' (possibly after a night of heavy drinking), the breakfast roll was developed. Think of it as a trip to Denny's slapped inside a small baguette. Basically, they stuff in some sausage, rashers, hash browns, etc into sandwich form. That way the bread soaks up most of the grease and you can enjoy your meal while running to catch the LUAS.

This, to me, sounded more appetizing than other another choice I have seen advertised everywhere: the Irish Breakfast. I just haven't worked my way up to it yet. My only concern is the white and (especially) black pudding. I just don't know if I could stomach those. Black pudding has been a food I fear ever since a traumatizing Social Studies unit in grade six on Ancient Greece. I thought the text book was kidding when it defined blood pudding. Once I realized people actually willingly ate the stuff, trauma!

Anyways, as we walked back from mass, finishing off the last remaining bits of breakfast roll (it was good, but needed some ketchup or salsa), Col and I passed a woman distributing leaflets. So as not to mark up the paper she was handing us, Col quickly licked a little of the sausage grease from the tips of her fingers (mine were in worse shape... meaty bits kept popping out of the bread!). The woman looked at us both a little strangely, but Col just took her handout and we kept walking. After a few steps, we looked down at the leaflet to see what it was she cared so much about that she would be standing in the street trying to 'spread the word'.

It read:
"What has eyes, people conscious
of their responsibility do not eat..."

This text was surrounded by 7 cute pictures of animals who often end up on the dinner plate... 2 of whom looked familiar from my breakfast roll...

In honour of her, I present the following poem.

Nick Bantock's
Carnivorous
(as best I can remember it)...

Eating beasts is not a sin.
Open wide and pop 'em in.
Baked or boiled or even roasted.
Why not try them lightly toasted?

Eating beasts is such a treat;
Gnawing legs and nibbling feet.
Don't fret about its mortal soul,
Just open wide and pop 'em whole.

Eating beasts is not a sin.
Just open wide and pop 'em in.
But be prepared for the other view,
And don't complain when they eat you.

"How did some slip of a girly boy from communist East Berlin become the internationally ignored song stylist barely standing before you?"

2005-06-15T10:14:00.000+01:00

Woo-hoo! Last night I got to go to a local production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch! 'Hedwig...' is a rock-musical that had gained popularity as on off-Broadway show and was made into a film version that I have enjoyed repeatedly. Despite the fact that I absolutely adore the film version, I never thought I would ever get a chance to see the story of Hedwig in the form of a live show (like the show that the movie was based on). Last night though, thanks to a local production, I got to see Hedwig live! It was amazing! So good...

Getting to the theatre did prove to be a bit of a problem though. Colette had found out where it was on a map ahead of time and since we are in a relatively central location, we decided to walk there. After about 30 minutes (with frequent pauses for me to pull out my camera and take cheesy photos, betraying my hidden identity as a tourist), we got to the appropriate street and address. However, the theatre didn't seem to be where the address indicated. Hmm... We walked around, trying to figure out where it might be, when a cab drove by with two familiar faces peering out. Knowing these girls, we know they must also be in search of Hedwiggy goodness. Their cab pulled over a few metres beyond us. The cabbie was confused. This was the address, but he had no idea about were the theatre might be either.

At that point there were four of us wandering about. If lost, it's nice to be lost with other people. You feel less silly... :) The other girls had with them some vague directions involving an archway and a brick wall. However, in Dublin, I'm afraid these really aren't distinguishing landmarks. We did find a number of lovely brick wall-arch combinations though... Our little party was soon joined by another would-be theatre goer on bicycle. We all just walked about asking people if they knew where the Focus Theatre was. Eventually we found someone who could point us in the right direction and the five of us raced to where his finger was pointing. Just as we made it back to the main road, the cabbie that had delivered the other two girls pulled up and excitedly announced that he had found the theatre. The four of us on foot piled into the cab and the lass on the bike followed behind. As we pulled up, we all agreed that we would never have found it on our own. In my eagerness to race inside to se the show I swung open the cab's door, nearly knocking over our bicycling theatre-goer in the process.

The theatre was rather small and had very few actual seats. Many of the patrons were on benches. The two girls from the cab hadn't had a chance to purchase tickets in advance and were told that the show was sold out. However, some sweet talking by the door bought them two couch cushions on the floor: front row-centre. The show was amazing though. It was just so wonderful to finally see a movie so dear to my heart live as it was originally intended. *sniff*

Anyways, off I run. Shakespeare tonight... (Yey for preview tickets being cheaper!)

2-2!? What the heck...

2005-06-05T03:22:00.000+01:00

Currently I am at home after a day of 'out-and-aboutedness' (okay, looking at tacky souvenirs in tourist traps) and I am watching football (the European one... you know, soccer). It's a match that's being played here in Dublin tonight, Ireland versus Israel. Actually, there were a bunch of Israeli flags and supporters around Downtown today. Conveniently, there were a number of posters put up just today for an anti-Israel rally in support of the Palestinian cause. These were mostly torn down within the span of the afternoon.

Anyways, this is just a quick note about the game. What the heck?! Ireland burst out of the gate with two great goals very early on. Now we are almost at half-time and Israel has managed to tie it up. I am stunned. Not that I know anything about sports, but stunned just the same. Anyways, this is just a bit of a nod to Michael. I wonder if he will be watching this match at some point. I've just finished my supper and dessert and he may be still sleeping. Time zones are interesting... :) Anyways, cheers!

It Could Only Happen To Me...

2005-06-02T23:08:00.000+01:00

I set up this blog as an easy way to keep in touch with y'all, and give you a little peek inside of my time here in Ireland (for those of you who don't know, I am here until the end of August). I set it up before I left, but was committed not to post anything until I arrived in Dublin... something about authenticity.

A few weeks later I found myself all settled into an apartment just a few blocks away from the River Liffey. I went to make my first shiny entry into this space, feeling very proud of myself for having thought of such a great idea. I typed in my username and password... no access. I tried a different password... no access. After about 20 minutes of fruitlessly typing in every password I could think of that I have ever used, I was forced to concede defeat and walked away with my tail between my legs. I clicked on the password retrieval button and waited for my password to be emailed to me.

It never came. Well, maybe it did... but not to any of the email accounts I am currently using. Since it had been so long since I'd last logged in here, I'd forgotten all the important little details... like my password and which email address I'd associated with my Blogger account. So my routine for the past few days has been to sit and type for at least 15 minutes a day, trying to log into my account. Today I finally got in. Hooray!

With that confession now out of the way, I can now move on to the task at hand. Ireland has been very interesting so far. Mostly I have just been getting oriented (learning the nearby streets, working out which keys open what doors... that sort of thing).

If you pop by here more than once, you are sure to see such things as my poor photography and my fondness for Wikipedia, and my desperate affection for embedded hyperlinks (please don't think you have to follow all of them -- they just make me feel technologically smug. Try to overlook the fact that they are pretty much the extent of my abilities).

I will update you later on some of the things I've been up too, such as watching the wildly popular Spongebob Squarepants dubbed over for broadcast on the Irish language station ("EachtraÃ le Spongebob agus a chairde").