Irish

Irish pub + Irish bartender + Irish beer + Irish music + Chicago = good times. Thanks Jennifer for rescuing me from an office holiday party and providing me with multiple hours of fun. We will have a standing date until I leave the country.

Strawberries

Do you see these strawberries? Those are the damned strawberries that I planted for three entire days straight, alone and cold, on the top of a windy hill in County Clare, Ireland back in late March. Not to mention, the care that I had to give to each individual plant to "keep them happy" in the following weeks. I was relegated to planting strawberries on the hill when I injured my wrist the week prior. It was an easy enough task, just very mundane. The first day was met with a steady rain and wind. We had laid down black plastic over the ground to keep the weeds down (seeing as though we couldn't use any herbicide, being an organic farm and all). The downfall of the black plastic is the fact that when it rains, the water just pools up in the uneven spots of the earth. This didn't make for much fun for me, seeing as though I was kneeling on the ground while planting the strawberries, and the water slowly seeped into my work boots, not to mention soaked my knees, and every inch of fabric in my pants and socks from waist to toe. Oh yeah, and don't forget that it was raining, so come time to come in for lunch, I was soaked from head to toe. Robin saw me and said "well, if it isn't...Miss Wet!" I told him that I felt like a drowned cat and went upstairs to change my clothes and probably felt like crying. It was one of the lowest days that I had back in County Clare. The following days weren't all that great, seeing as though I was still stuck on "Strawberry Hill" alone, but at least the weather improved. It had warmed up enough on the second day to wake up the bees that were housed mere feet away from me in the strawberry patch. In the middle of the day, at the height of warmth, they were really buzzing, but didn't bother me much. I also brought a flat board with me, so I could sit on that, instead of the wet plastic filled with little pools of water. There were times where I would take a break, and lay down on the wooden board, and just stare up at the blue sky and the wispy clouds, feeling the sun's warmth my face. I would listen to the sheep and lambs bleating. The sheep were annoying, but those little lambs were too damn cute. I also listened to the wind coming through the trees in the small forest next to me, and hear the screams of what I assumed was a wild pig, which sometimes sounds like a woman screaming. The birds were chirping and the bees were buzzing. It became satisfyingly solitary. I had all the time in the day to sit alone and contemplate for hours on end. What did I think about? My family. What I was doing with my life. What I wanted to change in my life. My friends, and how much they meant to me. Trips to Spain and other places in Europe. What travels I would hope to take in the following year to visit people. Self-inventory, so to speak. I had a few revelations on that hill, and some of them I've carried through on.

I can close my eyes today, and see everything that I saw there on top of that hill and hear the sounds. I often wish that I was back on that farm again. For all of the low times, there was so much satisfaction that I got out of the days that I spent there. It definitely felt like a home to me, complete with family. If I could do it all over again, I definitely would, in a heartbeat. I wish I could be there tomorrow, in fact.

Anyway, back to those strawberries. When the farmer talked about those strawberries, you could see the euros in his eyes! I could have cared less about them. Miserable, miserable strawberries! At least I now know that people were able to enjoy them and reap the benefits of my labor.

I just asked the hardest question and had the toughest conversation in my life so far. It's not over yet. I don't feel well. Why do I have to be one of those "glass half empty" people?

Things

1.) I am still in love with WOXY, today has been a superb "Request the X" day.

2.) I think I've gone a couple of weeks without eating bacon or a hot dog. Prepare for the world to come to an end.

3.) It's too damn cold outside.

4.) I've decided not to put up a Christmas tree this year. Why? Because I don't feel like looking at it until March, like I did last year. I am also thinking about forgoing the Christmas cards as well.

5.) I've gotten really lazy about washing the dishes, and have resorted to using paper plates, and making sandwiches that require little or no cutlery, since I am out of or running dangerously close to out of the real stuff. I think I see a pattern arising between points 4 and 5, because I also have a pile of laundry on the floor similar to last year's.

6.) I am tremendously bored with my job, and have been thinking about not showing up one day and saying "You know, I just don't think this is the right fit for me."

7.) I now have enough money saved up to buy a plane ticket to India in the spring. Now, I need to nail down the specific two weeks I'll be spending there in April or May. Any suggestions?

8.) I have secured a meeting with an HR Recruiter to discuss job opportunities in India with the Target Corporation.

9.) I wish I had my farmer physique back.

10.) If you think that Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" is even remotely close to your top 20 songs of 2006, I can no longer be your friend or acquaintance, and you obviously did not spend time in Europe between the months of March and May, and heard it every time the radio was on, no matter the station, no matter the location. The same probably goes for the U.S. between the months of June and September, but I wouldn't know. Thank God I have non-commercial radio choices in America!

HOT DAMN!!

Today was a good day of election result news. It's been a while since I've felt so excited by an election (probably since we were all on pins and needles back in 2000). It gives me a feeling of hope, hope for change. Change number one has already occurred, and in a big way. The Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, has announced his resignation. Earlier this morning, I was listening to "Mr. You're on Fire Mr." by The Liars, and all I could think about was G.W. and his bunch, and what a gaggle of liars they are, and how I wished all of them were running around with their pants on fire. About an hour later, the news broke that one of the biggest liars was stepping down. We were met with a press conference, featuring the bumbling idiot, Georgie, acting like his normal stuttering asshole self, and saying things like "we took a thumpin'" Since this was bigger than normal news, I really, REALLY, had to fight the temptation to turn off his voice. But I "stayed the course" - BARF!! Anyway, America showed up in the millions to vote out the people that were making this country unbearable, and put more pressure on the ones that are running things to listen to what the people are saying. Oh yeah, and not to mention, actually challenge the President when he decides that it's convenient to ignore or change the law.

I read this quote from Abraham Lincoln today:

"Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake off the existing government... "

Now, if only we could show up in the millions to make a very public and organized stand against the rest of the Georgie administration, including their clown leader, and throw them the hell off the hill.

My dad once said a funny thing: "I've never voted for the president, but I've voted in every election." And followed it up with "Voting is the most important right that we have." Thank you everyone out there who showed up with a voice and a vote, it's the only thing we can do to try to make a difference. It doesn't matter which way you vote, you are still expressing your own opinion about how YOU want things run. This time, it turned out for the better, fortunately, and now hopefully we will see something different coming to us in the near future.

The Look of a Thief

Do I look like I'm up to something?

Tonight, I was coerced into a justifiable "dine and dash" at a very mediocre national chain restaurant. The funny thing is that it was master-minded by a birthday girl and mother of two. Things were made simpler by removing the husband and the two kids from the table first. Then, my dear friend, whom I love more than my own body, basically up and said let's get the hell out of here, and her sister and I followed suit, in a bit of a rush. So rushed, in fact, that I practically shoved the five year old out the door. I must say that it was exhilarating, I don't think I've done anything that deviant for a great while. We laughed heartily upon exit of the parking lot. Oh Canuck Pirate, the things you get me into!

Hello Again My Old Friend!

A few weeks ago, I said goodbye to an old friend. Now my old friend is back. WOXY.com has been resurrected AGAIN my friends! That's right, the world of music is spinning on the axis in the right direction for me again. Like a crush that just won't go away, WOXY has resurfaced, and I lust for it all over again. At 10:10 AM today, I was graced with its presence thanks to the kind folks over at lala.com, who saw the gem that WOXY holds in the music world, and took a jump. They came in, struck a deal, and now it's a happy family. If you haven't checked out lala, you should, especially if you have some cds that you want to liquidate, and in return get some new cool music for yourself. AND, you should definitely go over to woxy.com, tune in, and listen for a good while. You will not be disappointed. If I find out that you haven't been there, and listened, I will hunt you down, tie you to a chair, and press "play" on your computer. That's what I would like to call a promise full of threats.

BAM!!! KICK OUT THE JAMS, MOTHERFUCKERS!!

Edit: Damn, five hours later, it's been like one big dance party. This station makes me so excited that I just want to scream. When I am an old woman, I hope that I'm still listening to this station. I am in love over and over...

The Week in Review

I've had a pretty busy week:

Last weekend, I made a trip up to Door County, Wisconsin for a friend's wedding. Door County was quaint, serves good breakfast and overpriced hotel rooms. I wish I would have had a little more time to enjoy the area, especially the northern end of Lake Michigan and Peninsula State Park. The bride and groom opted for a pig roast for their guests. It was absolutely delicious, and I really wish that more people had huge parties that warranted an entire pig for everyone to enjoy, even if it does scare little kids...


On Tuesday, I went to see my old pretend boyfriend, Sufjan Stevens, perform. Last year, he and his entourage were dressed as cheerleaders and did onstage cheers, and a human pyramid, and primarily performed songs from the Illinoise album. This time around, he and his bandmates donned butterfly wings (color bird wings for Sufjan), and put on an amazingly beautiful performance with songs from almost all of his albums. He had six violin players, two cellists, a trombone player, two trumpeteers, and then a percussionist, and two jacks-of-many trades. He reminded me how nice the banjo sounds in a couple of songs, and delighted the crowd with a new piece that really rocks out unexpectedly at the end. I hope I get the chance to see it performed again live someday.

On Saturday, I made my first trip into the lovely state of Michigan for another wedding, and yet another overpriced hotel room. Although it rained during the outdoor ceremony, the words were meaningful and heartfelt. The reception was a lot of fun, and us late partiers thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, especially with the open bar. I love going to the weddings of close friends, it always feels like you're with extended family, and everyone has such a good time. We danced and drank the night away. I caught the bouquet for the umpteenth time, and for the first time, actually had to participate in the tradition of the lucky bachelor who caught the bride's garter getting the opportunity to slip it on my leg. I'm looking forward to pictures of that specific event, I'm sure they're fantastic... In the meantime, you can catch myself and said bachelor, my favorite Ohirish sisters, and me and the bride below.

Likes and Dislikes - Part Two

Likes:

- Tuna melts and great french fries
- The coming of fall
- The rich colors of fall fashion that look good on redheads like me
- Ice cream, ice cream, ice cream
- Random elevator conversations that include topics like Schlitz beer t-shirts, and "sallies" lying about the weather
- Peaches
- Walking
- Talking to my favorite people
- Simon's Tavern for its jukebox and beer
- The song title: "Let's Make Love And Listen to Death from Above" by CSS (Cansei de Ser Sexy)
- The band name: Death From Above 1979

Dislikes:
- G.W.'s voice, looks, mind, way of governing, and general bullshit. I can't wait for the next two years to end, so we can see an end to this administration, and I don't have to feel like vomiting and turning off the radio or TV every time that he's on it.
- Girls who wear scarves and coats when it's 55 degrees outside, for god's sake, if it were 55 degrees in February or March, you'd see people wearing shorts! It's not that cold out dearies...
- Chinese governmental policies and practices
- Boring jobs that don't exercise and expand my brain
- The hypocrisy of secret C.I.A. torture bases and blatant disregard of Geneva Accord policies that good old G.W. is pushing a bill on. What? The U.S. can do it and get away with it, but it's not fair and humane if someone else does it? Major and total bullshit.

Farewell My Friend

Today, as of 4:00 CST, one of my best friends will be leaving my daily life for good.

You came into my life about five and a half years ago, and there have been few days (excluding my three months out of the country and when you left for two) that you have not been there. It all started when I went through a traumatic break-up. The first boy that I had truly loved tore my heart out, threw it on the ground, and stomped all over it. I was insanely depressed for about a month, crying, not sleeping, not eating, miserable. All of the sudden, I found myself listening to completely different music, and it was making me feel better. I found you, and listened to you in the back of the student loan office in the basement of Williamson Hall while I worked. It was therapeutic. You had me hooked from day one with the music and the personalities. You introduced me to so many musicians that I listen to on a regular basis, but are far too numerous to try to even mention. I've told all of my friends about you, and they know how obsessed I am with you. Tonight, they will comfort me when I tell them that you are gone for good, and not laugh at me for crying over it. A little over two years ago you said you were leaving. I wrote you a love letter (that I will have to dig up and post on here as well) and sent it to you. I meant everything that I said from the bottom of my heart. I listened to you during your final hours, it was heart-wrenching. So much good music, so many emotions, from laughter to tears. Then, miraculously, almost two months later, you sent an email, saying that you were coming back. It was one of the best emails I've ever gotten, and I longed for the day that I could hear you again.

A few weeks ago, you sent the message that you were leaving again, and this time, I don't think there will be any miracles bringing your return to me. I will miss you, along with hundreds of others. Yesterday, you mentioned me to everyone that was listening, and gave me a great compliment. I sat here, with a huge smile on my face, but with tears in my eyes, knowing it would be the last time you said my name, the last time you would do anything for me at my request. I sit here now, listening, only three hours left, feeling my heart slowly breaking. I know you're trying to be strong, but I know that every couple of hours, I hear your voice wavering with emotion.

You did your own thing, didn't listen to anyone who tried to tell you what to do. You said you were independent, and proved it. You played the best music and a few songs that I didn't really care for every once in a while. I loved you unconditionally. I still have everything you ever sent to me, and display it with pride.

I'll never forget the impact that you made on my life. You changed me, and helped mold me into the person that I am today. I'm going to miss you, but I know that I'll have to move on. No, I don't feel like you are tearing out my heart and stepping on it, this isn't that traumatic, but it will still hurt me.

Thank you for everything Barb, Mike, Shivvy, Bryan Jay, Linda, Doug, 97X, and woxy.com.

Quoting Dustin Hoffman, "97X BAM! The Future of Rock and Roll"

Edit: Current Playlist

Pizzicato Five - Happy Sad
Bjork - oga
PJ Harvey - We Float
Lab Partners - Sensations
Captain of Industry - It Might Be Me

Playing Pizzicato Five - a band that the heartbreaker introduced me to, and you actually play over the airwaves. "Happy Sad" - Perfect song for my current feelings.

Produce Delivery!

This week's delivery included:

Broccoli
One beet
Lettuce
3 bananas
2 summer squash
Delicata squash
3 tomatoes
One purple onion
Mizuna Greens
3 red potatoes
2 red pears
2 apples
3 carrots
Cabbage
Cucumber

!!!

I am going to be whipped into a frenzy tonight, and I am going to like it.

Edit: !!! (chk chk chk) does me like no other.

Hobos Play Banjos Too

Sweet jesus, have you ever thought of being a hobo? Between reading Jack Kerouac's The Dharma Bums and finding this Halfway Hobo, I'm intrigued, especially when I check out the links from the front page. Of course, I wouldn't/couldn't do it alone. Perhaps I could talk my brother into another brother/sister adventure with me.

The travel bug has begun itching again, and I don't know what to do about it. It's like an insatiable thirst and hunger for me at this point, and all I ever do is feel restless. Settle or unsettled? Which is right for me? I know I've said yes to both, and at some points, I definitely lean towards "settled", but at the same time, it seems that I get bored quickly. If I could have my way (and was independently wealthy), I would work at some job that I liked for a couple of months, go off and be a farmer for a couple of months, stay in India for a couple of months, and travel wherever the world takes me for a few months every year and do it over and over again. Fantasies and dreams, right?

How can I get to the point in my life where I am ready to let go of all of my possessions and stop caring about permanency? When will it happen? Can I really just become a wandering bum, without the "bum" look at some point?

Will I ever find a place/thing/person/job that will keep me happy for a long time and in one place?

A New Diversion

I recently signed up for an organic produce co-op that is hosted by a local organic market. They partnered with an organic farm in Wisconsin to make weekly deliveries of fresh fruits and veggies to the city at an affordable price. Most of the stuff is grown at the farm, but some of it is shipped in from other organic farms. For $22/delivery, I get a box full of stuff that will feed me, and at least one other, for the week. I picked up my first shipment this afternoon, and also opted for the "fruit surprise" bag for an extra charge. I'm going to post the list of everything that was included (on a per delivery basis) for each shipment that I receive. So far, it's definitely worth the cost. The only drawback is that it was pretty heavy to carry home, and I ended up taking a bus from the train station, instead of my usual walk. I just might have to invest in one of those "old lady" shopping carts to help me along the way. Here is the list, as promised, and I think I might try to make an additional post with the ways that I use the items:

2 lbs seedless red grapes (too bad I don't like grapes, someone else will be the lucky recipient of these)
4 plouts (don't know, looks like a plum)
3 oranges
1 melon (looks like cantaloupe, but not exactly)
4 white peaches
3 red potatoes
2 tomatoes (including one heirloom variety)
1 zucchini
1 cucumber
1 onion
1 beet
Bag of mixed field greens
Bag of some other green (I'm guessing it's mache, but I could be wrong)
Bag of celery
Head of cauliflower
3 carrots
Small bag of green beans

Woo hoo! Let the cooking and good eating begin!!

Edit: I made a nice mixed salad, and a fruit salad with some of the ingredients last night:



And another:

Purse + Engagement Ring = Status

This morning, I'm watched a weekly Sunday morning news program, with mainly stories of interest. Two of the segments involved purses and engagement rings. Both made me want to puke.

The purse segment was ridiculous. Here we go, taking a visual tour of the hottest handbags, all of which are large and hideous in my eyes. What's worse is the price tag. These babies are selling for $3,000, $6,000, $12,000 and up! The woman working as a salesperson at one of the higher end purse boutiques said that your purse was a signal of your status. I don't care how much money I make, I would never, ever, spend such amounts on a fucking handbag that looks cute or ridiculous under my arm. Do you know how many months those amounts would pay my rent? Or how many trips around the world I could take spending the same amount? Or how many people I could feed, or how many people I could vaccinate, or how many people could get warm clothing for the winter? Truthfully, at this point, I would take that money and put it towards my bills, but if I weren't in debt and didn't have much to worry about, then I would definitely be putting it towards a better cause than a fashion accessory. When I was younger, I abhorred purses. I would carry everything around in my pockets. My role model was my wallet-less father, who carried cash secretly stashed in his pants, and his identification and cash card held together with a rubber band in his back pocket. If he could do it, I could do it. When I graduated from college, and had to go out into the working world, I started to conform, and bought my first adult woman purse. I can guarantee it didn't cost more than $25, and it was probably on sale. Today, I do admit to having more than one purse, and a couple of them are pretty darn cute, if you ask me. BUT, if I see something that I like, and it's more than $50, forget about it. Just let me walk outside on a city street, to the man with the purse cart on the sidewalk, and buy a knock-off instead if I really like it, for a fraction of the price. In fact, after watching this stupid piece on the thousands of dollars handbag, it make me want to just carry everything around in a paper bag even more.

Next up, the engagement ring. Here we are again, dealing with an item that brings you status, or shows your (man's) status. Often, while riding on the train through different affluent neighborhoods that shall remain un-named (ahem, anything south of Uptown and north of Chinatown), I see women get on with these giant rocks on their fingers. To me, they are pretty obese (the diamonds), and not in a good way. I'm sorry, but why would you want a giant hunk of something sticking out off of your finger, only to get caught on things, and an additional item to worry about? They're just not attractive. On this particular news segment, a woman walked around New York City, asking people their opinions of her diamond engagement ring. Comments such as, "wow, that's a good size", or "looks expensive" or "your fiancée must be successful" were made. Then they aired a group of three men, who were friends, and all had purchased larger-than-usual rings for their fiancées. Their reasoning? So the women could feel proud of their ring, and their men. What kind of bullshit is that? If I am marrying a man, I am most likely already proud of them for whatever they do and achieve, and I don't need a ring to prove that or how much money they make. I can't remember the exact percentage of a man's salary that he is expected to spend on an engagement ring, but whatever it is, it's too high. In this segment, they said the average engagement ring costs around $5,000. Five thousand dollars? If I ever become engaged, and my future husband tries to give me ANYTHING that costs close to that much, I'll send him straight to the mental institution, and get him on the waiting list for a new brain, because obviously, he is NOT thinking clearly. And this is just the beginning of the expenses; you still have the wedding band, and the actual wedding to pay for! If that's not the easy street to years of debt, I don't know what is. I guess whoever decides to spend the rest of his life with me, will get off easy. I don't want a giant, expensive diamond engagement ring (don't get me wrong, I do want an engagement ring, just not that kind), I don't want a fancy wedding band, and I plan to get married on the shore of Lake Superior at my parent's cabin, with a small pot-luck wedding reception to follow. You really don't need all of this extravagance to show someone that you're in love. Especially considering the high divorce rate at the moment. You could lose it all in five years, and for what? Someone that you thought was right for you who turned out to be all wrong. If someone wants to spend copious amounts of money on me, don't buy something that only I will get any use out of. Put it towards a nice vacation together, or a down payment on a house. Something we can both use and enjoy. Plus, I don't want to worry about how much money I'm wearing on my finger, and if I'll ever lose it or have it stolen. My mother never got an engagement ring, and said she was lucky to even get a wedding band. I guess it was just good luck that gold prices were down in 1972, and my dad found something that he could afford. My father does not wear a wedding band, reasons probably being cost and the fact that he isn't a jewelry wearing man. My mom made her wedding dress, and they had a simple wedding, and probably a simple reception. I'm glad that I have realistic role models, who aren't concerned with status and showing off, just showing that they love each other, and have continued their bond for over 30 years, which is a lot better than most.

That all being said, and to sum it all up, FUCK YOU, YOU MATERIALISTIC WHORES. If a giant ring and a fancy handbag give me status in this society, or any society, please remove me from it. If you are so dim-witted that those things matter to you, you have issues, please get a reality check and look around you and see what's happening to other people in your own country, and the world itself. If I ever ask and expect such things, smack me, hard.

I HATE THE POST OFFICE AND I HATE PHONE ROBOTS.

Phone robots can never understand what you are saying and can't direct you to the right place. People think that you are crazy when you talk to the robots because you really aren't having a conversation, you are just repeating words and phrases over and over again.

The U.S. Post Office can rarely do anything correctly. Almost every time that I move and have my mail forwarded, something gets screwed up, whether they are still delivering to the old address, the wrong address, keeping a package hostage, or returning to sender. I WANT MY MAIL. By the way, read Charles Bukowski's Post Office for an entertaining insider's actions/views. He really cares about the mails (sic).

It's All About Me

I had a "me" weekend and it felt good. I can say that it was the first time in a long time that I did anything I damn well pleased these past 2.5 days, barring the mandatory Body Jam class this afternoon (more on that later) at the gym.

On Friday, I went to a friend's gallery opening in the Pilsen neighborhood, and it was interesting, but unfortunately I cannot afford nice things, such as original artwork, so I just admired. The theme of this particular gallery was "Love/Hate" and was based on two songs, "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division, and "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Captain and Tenille. I have to admit that most of the work there didn't do it for me, but I sure did like the painting of a pig with the word "BACON" at the bottom (everyone secretly, or in my case, not so secretly loves bacon). Another enjoyable piece was two paintings of couples. One couple was Sid (as in Sex Pistols) with Marie Osmond and Nancy (as in Sid's Nancy) with Donny Osmond. I had a good conversation with one of the artists, and he asked me if I was there to give moral support to one of the artist's girlfriends, who I am friends with. I said not entirely, I actually do enjoy art, and wish I had enough money to buy some. After that I corrected myself and said "no, if I had enough money to buy original artwork, I wouldn't be here right now, I would be asleep in Goa, and selling hot dogs from a shack on a coconut and palm tree lined beach" and meant it. Of course, the artist enjoyed my honestly, who wouldn't?

After that, I went to a bar to celebrate a friend's surprise 30th birthday. Unfortunately, most of the other people there are ones that I hold no affinity for, so I made my appearance brief. I was hit with a barrage of questions about my trip, such as the generic "how was it?" and at this point, two months after my return, I'm tired of answering such basic questions, especially when it comes to people who I could care less about.

Around 4:30 AM on Friday night, I was woken up by men yelling outside of my apartment building. Hearing voices from passer-bys in the night is nothing new, but this was different. It sounded like something was wrong. I got out of bed, and peeked out my window to see a large S.U.V. sitting in the street with the driver's side door wide open. Then I see the driver wiping off his hands and jumping back in the truck and driving away. I knew that something wasn't right, but I couldn't figure out what had just happened. Less than a minute later, there was a man standing at the gate to the courtyard of the building calling for help and ringing everyone's buzzers. I could see that he was bleeding, but I still wasn't sure what to do...one of the other tenants of the building called out the window to the man and asked what happened and if he should call the police. Shortly thereafter, a woman came out of the building with towels and let the man into the courtyard to help him and wait for the police to arrive. It only took a few minutes for them to show up, surprisingly, at which point, I got dressed and went outside to see if I could help. I gave the two police officers a description of the guys that I had seen as well as the vehicle that they were driving. I couldn't believe that someone had been jumped just below my bedroom window, I thought I was back in a good neighborhood...so much for that feeling. The next morning I walked outside, and there was blood on the sidewalk, and it's still there, I hope it rains and washes it away. Maybe people who have told me to keep a baseball bat are right, or maybe my dad is right when he says that I should get a gun and learn how to use it to maim. My only reservation about those two ideas, is if something ever were to happen in my apartment, and the intruder got a hold of either the baseball bat or the gun, they would most likely turn it on me.

Enough of the bad stuff, back to me. On Saturday, I went to the grocery store, the post office, and back to my previous residence to pick up some more of my stuff. Then I treated myself to a lunch of fries, a corndog (the infamous cousin of the hot dog), and a cupcake. Then I came home and took a two hour nap, man did I miss taking naps in the middle of the day!! Afterwards, I did some more unpacking, and now all that's left is miscellaneous little things, and putting a bunch of pictures into frames and hanging them. Yay, I have a home!!

Today, I enjoyed tea (from my new teapot) and read the Sunday paper, before heading out to the gym for my torture session, I mean Body Jam class. Since the gym is trying to really push this new class, they required that all front desk staff and managers participate in a preview class. Body Jam is a hip hop choreography aerobics class, and let's just say that I haven't participated in a group workout class for probably 15 years. I'm not saying that I don't like to dance, I just like to dance on my own terms, and not in a large room full of windows and mirrors. Fortunately, none of us were exceptionally coordinated with these new moves, so I didn't feel like a total jackass. Also, I was impressed with myself to make it through an entire aerobics class without dying in the middle, considering it's been about a month since I've worked out, and cardio activity has never been my total cup of tea. At least the music was semi-tolerable and up to date.

In the afternoon I treated myself to a movie. I guess I'm not such a cheap date anymore, or else movies and refreshments are exorbitantly priced nowadays. I paid $9.25 for the movie ticket, and $7.50 for a small popcorn and Coke, ridiculous!. At least it was worth it. I saw "Little Miss Sunshine" and it was great! All of the characters were exceptional in their roles, and at one point I was laughing so hard that I was almost crying. I highly recommend seeing it if you have the opportunity. I can't remember the last time that I was in a theater and enjoyed a movie so much. I should take myself out on dates more often, it was nice.

I made my first full dinner tonight in my new home, and it was tasty. I also caught up on Grey's Anatomy, which is a program that I've always had on the TV in the background, but never really watched it. I have to admit that I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to actually watching it in the future.

So that was my "me" weekend, napping, eating, errand running, cleaning, unpacking, eating good food, sleeping late, and self-dates. I really appreciate it more than I used to since I've been so busy lately. I can't wait for the next one!

Moved AKA Shifted

Today was the big moving day for me. I loaded and unloaded all of my belongings. I have most of the furniture set up and arranged, with the help of my parents and my brother. I even have my internet set up already, obviously...

Anyway, the main reason for this post: I just made MY bed, and I am excitedly anticipating sleeping in it for the first time in five months. As much as I dislike the stupid, piece of junk, bad mattress, futon, those pillows are really calling my name, saying "Cristin, please just slip under the sheet and lay your head down..." and that's exactly what I'm about to do.

Goodnight!

Recap - Part VI

The second week on the farm started off poorly for me. I developed some sort of repetitive movement muscle strain in my right forearm from all the digging the previous week. My lower arm was very swollen, and I could barely pick anything up with it or rotate my wrist. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to carry my load, but I was wrong about that. While injured, I was relegated to the hill at the top of the farm to spend my days planting strawberries, alone. The first day was miserable, as it rained all morning. By the time lunch rolled around, I was soaked from head to toe. Fortunately, Robin took pity on me, and told me to spend the afternoon cleaning up the house.

Monday nights were big for trad music around the pubs. Miriam went every week, and invited us to go along. We drove about 20 minutes to the town of Doolin, where we had a couple of pints and enjoyed the lively music. This was a tradition for us the rest of the time that we were there.

I also made my first attempt (and it was successful) at making oat porridge, Irish style. It had quickly become my favorite breakfast on the farm, and still is today. Lorenzo wasn't the biggest fan, but my brother and I loved it, especially with some Irish honey added. We also got the chance to take a sizable piece of organic salted pork and do something with it one night for dinner. My brother and I sauteed some garlic, onions, and apples, and added the shredded pork. It was damn salty, but pretty good, especially with the mashed potatoes, green beans, and custard with bananas.

By Friday, my arm was feeling a bit better, so I was able to move onto other projects, like painting, clearing brambles, and planting more seeds in the polytunnel. In the afternoon, Robin and I went into the town of Ennis to pick up another WWOOFer. We did some grocery shopping at a few different stores (which is one of my favorite activities, especially in a new place/country), picked up some lumber, and then tried to find the new girl. She was supposed to meet us at the train station, but she wasn't there. She was from Italy, and her English wasn't the greatest, so when she called Robin on his mobile phone, and said that she was in the middle of the city at the bus stop, it was a little difficult to pinpoint exactly where she was...we started driving and miraculously found her standing on the side of the road, not too far from the train station. She was a nice girl, but didn't look like the typical WWOOFer, especially with her giant suitcase. Robin stopped off at another lumberyard, and left me and Ilaria (the new Italian)in the van. We made basic conversation, but I think that some of the things I was telling her about the farm got lost in translation. On the way home, we stopped at the local butcher shop, and Robin asked for some extra money for some food, as he had run out of cash (which would have been quickly repaid when we got home). I gave him what I had, and he asked Ilaria for 50 euro. She was very dubious about his request, and thought that he was asking her for money to stay at his farm and work. I honestly felt bad for her, and tried to communicate that wasn't the case, but I don't think she totally understood. Needless to say, when we went to Galway City the next morning, she said she was going to Dublin for the weekend to visit a friend, and never returned...

On Saturday, we all woke up bright and early to depart for our trip to Galway City at 6:30 AM. My brother and Lorenzo had the best ride, as they were seated on kitchen table chairs in the back of the van, trying to keep upright for the entire hour long trip. We were headed out to sell honey and knitwear items at the weekly market. The ride there was amazingly beautiful, as we got to see the sun rise over the hills of the Burren and Galway Bay. Being in Galway also meant some city action for us. We were free to roam around for several hours before heading back to Dromoher. I also filled up on extra delicious food, such as a bagel, ice cream, a veggie and cheese filled crepe, and a donut! The weekly trip to Galway was always fun to look forward to because it meant that we could go shopping, see lots of people, enjoy some pints in the middle of the day, and eat whatever our hearts desired.

On Sunday, Robin took the three of us out to see some archeological sites, such as an ancient ring fort.

We also took another long walk, along the bay, and learned a lot about cave systems in Ireland. Afterwards, we headed to the coast, near the Cliffs of Moher, to enjoy a picnic lunch and take a walk along the rocky shoreline.

We ended the day with a few pints back in the town of Doolin with one of Robin's sons. Most of us could handle a few, but I have to admit that poor Lorenzo was feeling quite tipsy after two pints of cider. Poor guy!

During the week, I also played my first and last game of Risk, ate plenty of porridge and sandwiches, along with quiche, roasted veggies, dal, rice, baked beans, scones, fish and chips, and beef stew.

Recap - Part V

Our first weekend on the farm was upon us. On Saturday morning, we slept in until about 9:30 in the morning, and then my brother and I decided to go for a walk. Robin drove us about 2.5 km to the main road, and we began our journey to the top of the hill opposite the farm. We finally made it and found what we were looking for, the Parknabinnia Wedge Tomb.

It was an amazing sight, and especially pretty when the sky was clearing. After we walked down the road a bit further, we decided to head back because it looked like rain could be on its way in. We made it back to the house in just under three hours. We came home just in time to enjoy a hard boiled egg and Heinz baked beans over toast with Robin and Miriam's daughter, Rowena, who was visiting for the weekend (she is studying jewelry design in Prague). I spent the rest of the afternoon reading "Kafka on the Shore" and baked a delicious pear and chocolate cake with Lorenzo that we enjoyed after dinner.

On Sunday, although it was rainy and wet, I decided to embark on another long walk. This time, Robin drove me and Lorenzo to the top of the hill, just past Parknabinnia, and dropped us off on a dirt and grass road that seemed to be only trafficked by cattle. Needless to say, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into...for the next five hours, it rained, and rained, and rained, and we walked, and walked, and walked. The first three or so hours were filled with us dodging pits of mud and cow dung while walking down the "road". For some reason, I decided against wearing my work boots, and was just in my tennis shoes, very bad idea. We both had on rain gear, but that didn't stop us from getting quite soaked from head to toe. We left the road a couple of times to explore some really cool rock formations in the landscape, and at one point, were forced to climb over fences just to bypass the miniature lake that had formed in our pathway. We finally made it to the paved road, and walked a bit longer before making it to the lake at the foot of Mullach Mor . There, we sat down on some rocks, and enjoyed cheese sandwiches, apples, and small bits of chocolate. On the long walk home, we discussed the current states of our lives (at home (America and Italy) and in Ireland), as well as our individual purposes and hopes for the organic farming experience. I thought a lot about some of the things that are most important to me, including making a point to visit good friends. I also did quite a bit of thinking about India, little did I know that I would be there in two short months... We returned home, wet, tired, and filthy. I think it took about four or five days for my shoes to completely dry out. We were met with a beautifully hearty dinner of vegetable stew...I'm missing the food that I ate there more and more by the day!

Welcome Home!

Today there was a "Welcome Home" party to celebrate my return to Chicago. Yes, it has been about 1.5 months since I've been home, but, everyone likes a party, everyone has busy schedules, and everybody made today work. I believe we had close to 30 guests, and I spent a good deal of my time mingling. It was nice seeing lots of people, and telling them about my trip. Sometimes I just wished that I was back in Ireland or India though, just because life was a lot less hectic there. I also have some friends that are thinking of going to Japan or Taiwan to teach English. I told them that if they decide to go through with it, I'll join them. That way, I can make some money to pay more bills, and then have a chance to do some more traveling. To hell with regular, mundane life. I'm not done adventuring!

In other news, it was extremely hot here today, and supposed to be hotter tomorrow. I was waiting for the bus this afternoon, and the temperature said that it was 109 degrees Fahrenheit, that's 43 degrees centigrade for you metric lovers. Maybe tomorrow I'll head out to the beach in between apartment hunting and working the closing shift at the gym.

I also worked today at my gym job, and I was sent into the women's locker-room to investigate a cockroach situation. As soon as I walked in, I saw the largest cockroach I have seen in America. It was the size of my entire thumb, no joke. For a moment, I pondered letting someone else kill it, but it was making a break for the work-out area, and I didn't want anyone else to be freaked out by it, so I gathered up all of my gumption and prior cockroach killing skills, and smashed it with my shoe. It was definitely gross, and it sent waves of slimey-ness chills through my body, but it had to be done. I called the manager on duty to give and update, and five minutes later he came downstairs and handed me a $10 bonus for going out of my way and doing something so disgusting. Not too shabby considering that equals more than an hour of work! Maybe I should start looking into the extermination business...

Recap - Part IV

The time had come for my brother and I start our intended purpose of the trip, WWOOFing. The farmer, Robin, picked us up in Ennis in the afternoon and we swung past the train station to see if the Italian guy, Lorenzo, was there waiting before we headed back out to the farm. He wasn't there, so we began our journey. It was about a 40 minute drive out into the countryside. The farm was located atop a big hill overlooking the very small village of Kilnaboy in County Clare. Kilnaboy didn't have much to offer besides a junk car lot, the old old church, the old church, and the new church, a post box, and a pay phone booth. Believe it or not, there was not a pub in the vicinity! We drove up the big hill past a few other farm houses before pulling into Dromoher. As soon as the van pulled to the back of the house to park, we were overtaken by the beauty of the vista. There were flowers and trees, and green, green, green as far as the eye could see...



Robin showed us our room...



and introduced us to his wife, Miriam, who was busy in her knitting studio, and we sat down for some tea. Then we pulled on our boots for a quick walk around the farm...



First, we met the sheep and lambs. The lambs were only a few days old, and were the cutest things every. We stocked their "house" with some fresh hay and saw where the food and water went. Then we walked around the gardens and heard about what veggies we were going to be planting and met Harry, the horse.

We went inside to get settled and Miriam started whipping up her famous fish. Robin also informed me that one of my ongoing jobs was going to be stocking the stove that heated the kitchen/living room with turf. At first I thought he was joking, since it's such an archaic activity to a spoiled American, but he was dead serious...







While dinner was being made, Robin went to get Lorenzo back in Ennis, and got home just in time to eat. We had a nice dinner of salad, fried mackerel and bass, mashed potatoes, broccoli (from the garden) and cheese sauce, and apple pie. After dinner, we cleaned up, and listened to music and played card games.

For the remainder of the week, we planted a bed of onions, pulled up the mustard plants, planted shallots, dug up the Jerusalem artichokes, fed the animals, brought in the sheep (which was quite the funny adventure when Lorenzo and I were in charge for the first time, considering we had to chase the sheep all around their yard in the mucky mud), transferred the strawberries to the top of the big hill, planted seeds in the polytunnel, cleaned the house, and of course, did lots of digging.

We also ate like kings, including, but not limited to: porridge, beef stew, salad, cheese sandwiches, scones, Indian food, fish and chips, and more apple pie. My God, the food there was amazing, and since we were working all day long, it just made it taste even better and soooo satisfying! All of us worked together to get the meals prepared, which was a nice family feeling, and we always knew that someone would be in charge of chopping up "loads" of garlic for every dinner!

We also learned how to play cribbage, and met some of the kids (who are adults now) who were visiting the house. Our evenings always consisted of reading, listening to music, and playing various card games. It was a great first week!

Recap - Part III

After securing a hostel in Killarney for St. Patrick's Day weekend, we headed to the other side of Ireland. We hopped on a bus in Dublin, hoping for a six hour trip. The traffic in Dublin was bad, so we got a slow start, and then it started hailing and then snowing, and that slowed us up a bit too. Needless to say, when we made it into Limerick City, we had missed our connecting bus by 5 minutes and had to wait 2 hours for the next one. After a 10 hour trip to Killarney, we were pleasantly surprised when we made it to Neptune's. The atmosphere was good, they had free internet, and great people. My brother, his annoying new Canadian friend, and I whipped up a nice pasta and veggie dinner before hanging out with other hostelers for the rest of the night. We ended up meeting a cool couple from New Zealand, an Austrian girl, and a guy from Detroit and stuck with them for the rest of the weekend.

Next up was St. Patrick's Day, the biggest party day of the year in Ireland, and we weren't disappointed. I started my day with a trip to a cafe to get some food in me before beginning my marathon drinking day. The group of us headed down the street for a good little parade, but not before stopping for our first pints of the day. After the parade, we proceeded to drink our fills at five different pubs in town, all being a great time. The Stretford End had a good jukebox, not to mention it was five feet away from the door of our hostel. Laurel's Pub had a nice little fire going to keep us warm, although there was a serious lack of space to move around, let alone hoist a pint. The fun really started at The Vintage. Here, Karin (the Austrian) and I decided that we were going to try to get guys to buy us some pints. Unfortunately, it didn't work, but instead, we were entertained by the story of sex going on in the men's bathroom. When the report first reached our table, we didn't believe it, but soon enough, men were coming out of the bathroom laughing and showing the pics that the took on their cell phones to their friends. The next thing we know, the guy comes out of the bathroom and the whole pub erupts in cheers and clapping over his feat. A few minutes later, his lady friend followed out of the men's room, also met with yelling and clapping. I'm guessing that she was very embarrassed since she ran straight out of the pub! The next stop was O'Connor's, where a good time was had by all. First off, we met the mayor of Killarney, who proceeded to call my brother a dirty, lazy hippie. He was at our table for quite some time drinking whiskey and Guinness and shooting the breeze. I also had a little adventure of my own and was finally treated to a pint by an Irishman named Ian. After the group decided that it was time to move on, we traveled to The Grand. There was a live band playing there and they kept Karin and I dancing for a couple of hours. It was a bunch of young guys, accompanied by a really old guy who could wail away on the drums. Finally, after loads to drink (and a couple of food stops), we decided to call it a night and head back to the hostel. I do admit that it was probably the best St. Patrick's Day I've had so far, and much better than the first time I celebrated in Ireland.

Saturday morning, I dragged myself out of bed and head out on a coach tour of The Ring of Kerry (pictures below). Unfortunately, it was a bit dreary, so the sea didn't look as nice as it could have. When I returned to the hostel, I joined the New Zealanders at a pub to watch my first rugby match. It was Ireland vs. England, so it was bound to get exciting watching it with a crowd. Miraculously, Ireland pulled off a few goals at the very end, and we were all cheering with the victory. It's always nice to see England defeated in just about anything. Afterwards, we made it to a couple more pubs before calling it a night. The next day, I took a two hour walk to the top of Aghadoe. It was a good hike and a great view of the town, mountains, and lakes. We ended our night back Stretford End and enjoyed a birthday pint in honor of my brother on his 21st.

We left Killarney on Monday morning to head to Ennis where we were getting picked up to go to the farm. Ennis wasn't too great of a town. Our hostel, Abbey Tourist Hostel, wasn't the best that I've stayed in. I don't know if there are better wings or rooms in the place, but the walls were cracked and it wasn't the cleanest or warmest, but the people staying there and running the place were all very friendly. They had satellite TV, so we spent most of our time watching that, including some crazy movie that involved the revenge of locusts who killed everyone except those who only at organic food, which I thought was a good set-up for the work and lifestyle we were about to begin. We had bad Chinese food for dinner on my brother's insistence. I warned him that every time I had eaten Chinese food in Ireland, it was bad, but he wanted to try for himself. I was not proved wrong.

We decided to get a good night's sleep because the next day we were going to be picked up and taken to the farm to begin our organic farming fun!

Sometimes...

I wish that I was here, eating pancakes and porridge, watching fireflies at night while walking hand in hand, swimming in the sea and tasting the salt, feeling the sand between my toes, and letting time go as slowly as it likes while we just sit back, relax, and enjoy...

Recap - Part II

The following are some details of how I spent my first couple of days in Ireland:

The brother and I arrived in Dublin early in the morning, and the first thing that I said when we landed was "Well, I guess we're home for a little while". We made it successfully through customs, but got a funny stamp saying that we were allowed "no unauthorized work/business" and "no recourse to public funds" with a definite due date for our exit out of the country. So began our allowed 90 days within the European Union.

We took a bus into the city center of Dublin, and trekked about 15 minutes to our hostel. It wasn't the funnest walk that I've ever taken, considering my pack was quite heavy, but I survived (and later unloaded some unnecessaries). Unfortunately, we couldn't check into our room at the Avalon House until after 2 PM. It was only around 9 AM, so we had plenty of waiting to do and were dead tired. Fortunately, it was a beautiful morning, so we stopped at the local supermarket for some pastry and juice and made our way to beautiful St. Stephen's Green. After that, we decided to take a long walk over to the train station to check schedules, and afterwards stumbled upon the Museum of Decorative Arts & History at Collins Barracks. One thing I definitely love about Dublin is that all of the National Museums are free to enter. We spent our time exploring the exhibits (all pretty interesting, even with a terrible lack of sleep and jet lag), and at one point, I took a seat near a giant clock and it's gentle ticking nearly put me right to sleep like a baby. We were nearing our allowed check-in time, so we started to make our way back to the hostel. We stopped for a good lunch deal of shared garlic bread, pizza, and tea or coffee at one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Dublin, and headed back to the Avalon for a nap. Later we fixed ourselves a dinner of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and french bread and caught a little television.

One the second day, I decided to go out and do a little solo wandering. Since it was my fourth time in Dublin, I was pretty confident with navigating around the general area, and decided that it was time to do some exploring past my usual boundaries. Stupidly, I did not bring a map with me, and ended up feeling quite lost in some residential areas. I think I probably walked down at least three streets more than twice, and was thankful when I finally saw an old sign that pointed me in the direction of the big park. After returning to the hostel and killing some time by watching The Big Lebowski with some nice Canadians, my brother and I headed out to a pub for some drinks and dinner. Needless to say, we enjoyed a Guinness and some Irish stew, and both were superb. Unfortunately, the night took a turn for the worst when I called the farmer that we were signed up with to let him know which train we would be on the next day so he could pick us up...when I got him on the phone and made my intentions known, he said something like "There's no chance in hell I can pick you up in Ennis tomorrow, I'm flying to England tonight and won't be back until Monday night". Mind you, this was Wednesday night and St. Patrick's weekend was upon us, so there was only a smattering of lodging options available to us. After exhausting our options for a weekend booking in Dublin, Galway, Cork, and some other large cities, I started to ponder other ways to find a bed. One of the things that we came close to doing was flying to Amsterdam for the weekend. It would have been a fun time, but budget-wise, wasn't the wisest. Miraculously, we found a hostel with beds available in a little town called Killarney, and the rest is history.

A Simple Life

This evening, I was entertained by a little movie called Cinderella Man. For those of you not familiar or aren't too interested, it's a boxing story that takes place during The Depression. Parts were depressing for obvious reasons, but it also reminded me of a simpler time as far as style of living/way of life goes. I think the biggest thing that struck me tonight was the use of the radio. Radios were probably just as common back then as TV's are today, if not more. The radio provided endless hours of entertainment and news for families. The only time you ever watched anything was if you took a trip to the cinema. For a while now, I've known that I spend too many hours rotting my brain in front of the TV, just watching crap that takes my mind off of stress or worries or just plain boredom. While I was in Ireland, I spent a little more than a month without TV of any sort (excluding one night in a pub). It was refreshing in a way. The radio was on constantly in the house, whether is was the national Irish news station or CD's or records. I'm not saying that I always liked what I was listening to, but it was a nice break to give my mind some actual exercise. We would wake up, listen to the news while having breakfast, come in for tea around noon and hear the bonging of the clock to announce the hour, more news, some talk, and some music for lunch in the afternoon, and then all sorts of music in the evenings. After making dinner, eating, and cleaning up, we all (me, my brother, the Italian, the farmer and his wife) would take seats around the table and near the fire (see above) and read, play cards and board games, write letters, or study. I was rarely bored and I felt a lot better about the way that I was spending my time. While I was away, I compiled a list of things that I was going to try to do and change in my life in the upcoming year. So far, I have accomplished one of the biggest, which is taking a trip to India, but more on that later. I have a couple of other items on the list as well, such as watch less TV and listen to more radio. I know that this is going to be a difficult one for me to follow through with, but I would really like to make an effort towards it. While I make excuses for not doing it now (I'm not set up in my own place yet), I really need to start once I am settled into my new place. I think the first step I will take in doing so is to not subscribe to cable television. #1 - it will save me money, and #2 - it will discourage me from watching too much. I'll let you know how it goes. And with that, now back to Sid and Nancy.

I Love Science - Part Deux

This evening, I made my first trip out to a live show since I've been back. I saw the lovely band known as We Are Scientists. You may remember my previous post on such subject back in January. This time around, they played at Metro, which can probably hold at least 8 times as many people as the place that I saw them before. I guess the only good thing about Metro nowadays, is that it's a smoke free environment. Otherwise, I always find myself stuck behind too many tall people. Tonight's show was pretty good with the exception of it being an all-ages crowd. I would probably safely bet that at least 33.3% (I might even venture to 40%) of the audience wore braces and/or were fighting pubescent acne. They also snuck in fifths of whiskey and proceeded to drop at least one on my foot. (Note to self, what were you thinking when you donned flip flops to see a show?) Oh yeah, and I think my biggest surprise is that the show was over at 9:45...there's something wrong with that in my book... Needless to say, they were still as entertaining as ever, said such things as "pennies...the humblest of the monetary units" after finding one in Keith's shoe, and "yeah, my glasses are nice, really nice, they help me see things and read books" after some dummy yelled "Nice glasses!" to Chris. Who doesn't like a nice pair of safety googles on stage? (I will leave that typo in there, see how google has brainwashed us?). Oh yeah, and they are still skinny boys with wild hair, and still cute, but they don't beat out my main skinny and (former)wild-haired crush. And if said crush is reading this, your beach-eaten glasses beat their safety goggles any day of the week.

I know, I know, I said that I would update some more on my trip, I'm just lazy that's all. I'm really looking forward to moving into my own place again where I can freely be lazy and no one will notice except for me.

My job at the gym has been going well, and I'm still enjoying it. I don't work again until next week, but I'd better enjoy my freedom while it lasts. I start the other new job on Monday, it should be fun. What else? I had the opportunity to talk to a crazy guy while waiting on the bus, felt intoxicated by copious and fast water consumption yesterday, seriously, realized that I still don't have any money to spend freely, and still haven't listened to any new music. Such is life.

On the newsfront

I got some good news this morning. Can anyone guess? I'll just tell you anyway...I have been offered a full-time position at the company that I interviewed with on Tuesday morning! I was quite excited when I heard the news, but I can't say that it came as a total surprise, after all, they asked for my references two days ago, and then sent me an application and their drug policy yesterday, that they wanted signed and faxed back ASAP. I start working on June 26th, my medical/dental/vision insurance kicks in immediately, they have other great benefits, including plenty of time off, annual bonus, the salary that I asked for, summer hours, the list goes on... I am definitely feeling quite lucky, and the stars must have been aligned for me for the past month or so. I hope the upswing continues for a little while at least.

I also worked my first shift at my part-time position at the gym last night. I do have to admit that my first foray into the customer service world was a good one. The people were all really nice, I get a free membership to the gym, and I got two free falafel sandwiches from a guy that works at a local Lebanese take-out. My only complaint was that standing for five hours straight made my legs a little sore, but I guess I can live with that, or just sit in the chair next time.

Tonight I had a nice dinner with some old friends at Treat and did some good catching up. Tomorrow is going to be a scorcher, but I'm sacrificing my outdoor comfort levels and going to see one of my all-time favorite bands, The Black Keys, perform at an outdoor street festival and then head over to a party.

It feels good to be living a good life for the time being. Almost everything feels like it's in its right place. I guess I'll start looking for my own place in a couple of weeks, and have a move-in date of August 1st. If anyone feels like doing any moving of boxes and light furniture, let me know. Maybe I'll make you dinner or bake a cake for a reward and thanks.

Who knows what will come next...

Recap - Part I

I don't know the best way to go about this, so I figure that I will begin recaps by week of my fun adventure away from real life. It will make for many recaps, but that's a good thing, seeing as though it would take far too long to do it all in one post. Let the fun begin!

March 1-13th: (okay, so I'm deviating from the weekly format right off the bat)
- Caught a cold that started on my last day of work. Lasted for probably four or five days and really put a damper on my packing progress on the apartment.

- My brother arrived in Chicago with a couple of his friends. We hung out at cheap restaurants, listened to music, and watched bad TV. It seems like something else was going on at this time for me, but I can't remember what.

- Enlisted my brother's help to finish up the packing. It went smoothly at the beginning, but then I was up far too late packing the kitchen. I still think that I have too many belongings. I also had to send my brother on two trips to buy packing tape, and I almost ran out of boxes. My favorite box (and obviously last packed box) is labeled "X-treme miscellany". I opened it up yesterday and found shampoo, baking pans, the game of Life, a bag, coasters, and a few more random items.

- Moved all of my belongings into my friend's basement. I think it only took us about 2.5-3 hours. Amazing!

- Threw an excellent going away bash for myself at a bowling alley. Lots of people showed up, we drank plenty, and bowled a lot. I built a pyramid out of the beer cans that I was consuming. I also wore my Big Lebowski t-shirt in honor of bowling, and a few people actually caught the reference. I love it when that happens.

- Ate my annual St. Patty's Day dinner of corned beef and cabbage a week early.

- Left for good old Dublin, Ireland, still scared about what I was about to do...

Today was a good day...

I've been away for a long while, but have good excuses, such as digging up the "earth" in Ireland and gallivanting around India. Here I am, back in Chicago, the city that I missed tremendously throughout my months away. I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things and trying to get a semblance of a life back. For the moment, I'm staying with my nearest and dearest friend, her husband, and their two kids. There's nothing like having friends you can always count on to support you in your times of need. It's been a good time so far, and I'm hoping it stays that way. The other good part about it is that all of my belongings are packed away in her basement, so if I'm searching for that shampoo that I've been missing for three months, or a cute summer top that I've been dying to wear, or the mysteriously missing iPod USB cable, all I have to do is pop the key in the lock, dig out some boxes, and away I go!

I guess the biggest news of the day is that I landed my first real job interview this morning, and I must admit that it went well. Since I was the first interviewee for the position, I probably won't know anything for the next week or so, but I'm definitely keeping my fingers crossed. The opportunity actually sounds exciting to me, so that's a good thing. I also had job interview #2 this afternoon for a part-time position at a local health club. That was definitely a success considering they hired me on the spot! I start working on Thursday evening and am already scheduled for four days in the next week or so. It will be a nice break from the mundane "sitting in front of the computer" type job, and I'll actually have the opportunity to interact with people, not to mention have a free membership to the gym to maintain my svelte farming/porridge-eating/India sweating/beaches of Goa lounging figure that I've worked hard for.

I know that I have a ton of updating to do, and yes, I will get to it one of these days in the near future. Lots of pictures to post too!

My time away was a memorable, and life changing experience, just as some predicted. I am definitely glad that I did everything that I did, and I wouldn't change anything for the world...

Welcome back! And man, does that previous post about the blueberry yogurt cake look good or what???

Animals and Chapters

I am eating a donut that I picked up at the 7-11 a few minutes ago, and wishing that I had a microwave, so I could have picked up a burrito or some sort of biscuit with egg and sausage instead. It's a little after 2 am, and while the donut was good, I just don't think it's doing the trick. And no, I am not drunk, just tired and hungry since I just walked in the door.

I spend almost my entire Saturday surrounded by thoughts of animals. From animal themed baby parties to seeing a band named Animal Collective. Maybe it's some sort of signal to me that I'd better get used to the thought of thinking about animals a lot more than I usually do since I'll be coming into close contact with them before too long.

I went to a concert tonight that was a total waste of four hours of my life. The opening band seemed to just sort of howl into the microphones and play simplistic chords on their guitars. It kind of made me feel like I was in the jungle or something. Then came the headliners, Animal Collective, which provided one of the most boring shows that I've seen in a long while. I believe I spent 95% of the time with my arms crossed and just wanting to leave. I would safely bet that three songs into it, I was ready to go, but alas, my friends were enjoying it. At times I felt like I was at a Science Museum and was pretending to explore Mars. Let me just say that it was a bunch of noise, and not in the good way. Needless to say, I am writing off Animal Collective as something to never waste my time with again.

I am three days away from beginning a new chapter in my life. As of March 1st, I will be unemployed, with aspirations of farming and travel. I must say that I am having some "scared" feelings, due to the unknown of what my situation will be while I'm away, as well as when I return to the U.S. And for some reason, I spent the past week doing a lot of thinking of how nice it would be to settle down somewhere. It's just that for the past five years, I have had to pack up all of my belongings and move them somewhere else, whether it be across town or across a couple of states. I really would like to find an apartment that I know I can stay in for more than a year when I'm looking a few months down the road. It would just be nice to be in one place for more than a year, and I suspect that I won't be having any of those "settled" or "permanent" feelings any time soon. But then again, I think it's the "unknown" that is charging towards me that has me thinking about these things.

I need some sleep, and I'm still hungry.

Yogurt Cake with Blueberries

Well, the Christmas tree is still standing, and I am still hiding a body under my pile of laundry, BUT the dishes have been washed only to make way for a whole new batch.

I made the beef stew yesterday (silly me made it with filet mignon meat, as opposed to the usual stewing meat. I didn't have a choice, and if you call me and ask, I'll tell you why), as well as the blueberry yogurt cake. The recipe came from Clotilde, who runs a very fine blog about food, aptly named Chocolate & Zucchini. It turned out wonderfully, as you can see from the above pictures. I haven't tried a piece today, but yesterday when it was about 30 minutes out of the oven, it was great, especially since the outside had a nice crisp crust and crunch to it. Yum! I used fresh blueberries, although the recipe calls for frozen. I think both will work, and a hint to keep your blueberries from "bleeding" into the batter after they've thawed: toss them in a bit of flour before adding.

I had a wonderful brunch this morning/afternoon at the Four Seasons. I don't think I've seen a buffet full of such fine quality food before. It was a lot larger than I expected, not quite as big as a buffet that you would find in Las Vegas, but definitely more than enough choices. We stuffed ourselves silly, and I ended up with a plate of about five desserts all with only a bite or two taken and the rest to go to waste because I just couldn't take anymore. I came home, put my pajamas back on and proceeded to take a two hour nap to recover!

This weekend was a great one for relaxing, probably one of the last that I have left for quite some time. I definitely don't see myself able to lie around on the couch in front of the TV and napping the day away while I'm in Ireland! I'm glad I was able to make the most of it this weekend.

Off to wash the dishes for the second consecutive day, I don't think I've done this since I was a teenager.

What has my life become?

What has my life become? A big mess, that's what. As I have documented above and below, I have some work to do.

First off, it's February 18th, and my Christmas tree is still standing with all of its decorations. Why you ask? Well, I guess that putting up and taking down the tree is the least fun part of Christmas, and being the person that I am, I didn't really want to deal with a real tree that will drop needles everywhere, so I opted for the fake tree a few years back, and those can be left standing forever. At this point, I could leave it up all year and people would look at me just the same as they would if they walked in the door today. But, this guy, he's a whole different bird, and actually CELEBRATES Christmas every day of the year! I heard about him on Canadian Public Radio, aka CBC, a few months ago, and have never forgotten him. At this point, I'm just waiting to pack up the rest of my belongings when I move to take down the tree. Notice the errant sock lying on the floor? That's been there for a week now, but yet, I haven't felt the need to pick it up. It doesn't have a match. Oh yeah, and does the tree seem a little crooked? I believe that's a result of me sitting in a "dip" in my floor when I snapped the image rather than the tree itself.

Photo #1: A sink and counter full of dirty dishes. I don't remember the last time that I washed the dishes, it must have been a little more than two weeks ago. How did I get away with it? Well, all of the week before this last one (that would be Week #1), I wasn't really home at night, thanks to my wild and crazy lifestyle, and therefore, did not dirty any dishes until probably Saturday. It's been a downhill battle ever since, especially since I really hate washing dishes. I've gotten to the point where I don't have any spoons left, and I'm running low on knives and glasses. I think I could go at least another day before I wash them, but I won't because I'm running out of room to make more food... I actually have big cooking plans today, I'm going to make beef stew and a blueberry yogurt cake. Yum! I'll probably at least get the stew going before I wash the dishes, but we'll see if I have any cutting boards left to chop the veggies.

Exhibit #2: The pile of dirty laundry sitting next to a basket of clean clothes. I think I did my laundry three weeks ago, but yet, haven't put everything away, hence the reason why there are clean clothes in the basket and a mix of dirty and clean on the floor surrounding it. Judging from the depth of the pile, I could probably hide a dead body under there, oh wait, my suitcase is hiding underneath (still not fully unpacked from two weeks ago) adding to the bulk. Actually, I have a feeling that there's a lot of clothes in that pile that could be worn at least one more time before I had to wash them, but instead, they're just lying there, getting wrinkled and waiting for me to put them away. Poor things. I was planning to wash the laundry today, but listen up folks, it's currently 6 degrees below zero, and for all of you centigrade reading folks, that would be twenty degress below zero. Pretty cold, wouldn't you say? This is apparently the coldes that it has gotten in two years, according to the weatherman. Definitely not good motivation for packing up the laundry and walking up and down the stairway outside a few times over to get it done. Maybe tomorrow...

All in all, I have become a lazy slob apparently. No man will want to marry me now! Who will pick up all of their messes if I can't pick up my own?

Rocks, Manure, and Carrots - Here I Come!

Well, I finally had a turn of good luck today, and after making multiple phone calls and emails to Ireland, I have secured a farm for me and my brother to work on. I was starting to get a little worried there and had to come up with a Plan B and Plan C in case things didn't work out. I still wouldn't mind finding a couple more farms to work on in April and May, but if this first one works out, the guy said that we could stay there for as long as we'd like. Let's see, what will I be doing? They have horses, sheep, cats, dogs, bees, woodworking, knitting, and a garden. In our spare time, we can enjoy bike rides, walks, caving, and music. Sounds like a deal to me. It's in a part of the country that is known for its scenery, starvation walls, and poor soil quality, otherwise known as The Burren. Are you ready? I know that I am! Only 28 days to go!

Oh yeah, and I just happened upon a live performance of Athlete at Virgin Records this evening, which was highly enjoyable, and Supergrass is my Valentine's Day date tomorrow.

Uncle J.P.

Some days are better than others, that's what she tells me. Then she says that she always feels like something is missing, and that she doesn't have anyone to talk to the same way that her and grandpa used to talk. This is what really sends me downhill fast. I want to lose it right then and there, but I have to hold it together, well, because I don't want to let her know that I feel terrible for her and that I miss him so much, but not nearly as much as she does. After all, he was her heart for 50 odd years. The man that she gave everything to and got everything in return. I wouldn't know what to do with myself either. After holding back the tears and coming dangerously close to letting out a sob, I tell her that it will take time, and that I know that we're not exact substitutes for grandpa, but that we are here to listen and talk to her just the same. Then she goes and makes me feel guilty again by saying "I can't wait to see you this week, and I wish you would come out here more often for a visit." Grandmas seem to be good at that kind of thing. She also tells me that I need to go to church more often. I often worry about her and wonder what she thinks about, and hope it's not the worst. I hope that she still goes out and talks to grandpa everyday at the cemetery, even if it is a depressing thought. I wish I could talk to him too. I miss you Grandpa, and yes, the days are getting easier, but I still think about you as much as I used to.

No Cupcakes Today

Tonight after work, I went to a fancy grocery store called Fox & Obel with a gift card in hand. Those things really come in handy when you run out of money, since food is really all you need to live and water is free. Anyway, I went there to pick up some tomatoes, fresh basil, and fresh mozzarella to throw on some garlic naan for some experimental pizza. I picked up all of those ingredients, as well as just about peed my pants out of sheer excitement at the veritable array of delicious goodness everywhere I looked. I had only gone into the store a couple of times before, but never really looked around because things are overpriced, and too fancy for everyday shopping. But oh my god, I felt like a kid in the candy store. Afterall, food is one of my top favoritest things in the entire world!! They had so many amazing things, and I ended up picking up a fancy bag of Swiss muesli and a pint of super fancy ice cream that was made out of coconut milk and curry powder for a whopping $6.50. Am I out of my freaking mind spending that much on four servings of ice cream? I think so, but it did taste quite delicious over my warmed up apple crisp. Oh yeah, the pizza I made was good too. That store just spells danger for me. Seriously, no one EVER let me go in there unless I have tons of money to spend or another gift card. I was in heaven.

Oh yeah, and I gave my resignation letter to my boss today. It went over quite well, and everyone seems excited for me. Of course, they is some scurrying to find someone to replace me, so I can start training them on the inner workings of my brain. Unlucky for whoever that may be. Apparently, during the management meeting, my departure was being discussed by the big bosses were speculating about what I was going to be up to during my free time. Someone mentioned drinking Guinness, then another piped up and said "no, she's going to be drinking scotch", and he was shot down by the VP, who stated "I'm pretty sure Cristin will be enjoying the Guinness instead..." and she is quite right. Although, I wouldn't mind a whiskey chased by a Guinness, now that sounds dang good!

I Love Science

Tonight I went to see We Are Scientists, and I realized that I still have major crushes on skinny boys that wear small shirts and have wild hair. Wait? Did I ever think that I was over that? Some non-memorable band started out the night, filling in for Aberdeen City. We moved closer and half-enjoyed Oxford Collapse. They really weren’t too bad, and I found myself enjoying a couple, if not a few, of their tunes. Then Robyn and I made our move to the front to catch some great action when We Are Scientist came on. They really rocked out and had me dancing more than once. I also enjoyed the spacing of my favorite songs of theirs, unlike some bands that play them all in a row, leaving me nothing to look forward too. Oh yeah, and I really liked their dedication song of “Be My Baby” to Oxford Collapse. I believe all the kids, cool and non-cool, were singing along to that one. I helped Robyn out by snapping a few pics, and I must admit that I’m impressed with myself. It was my first shot at being an amatuer photojournalist, and I wasn't a complete failure. It was a lot of fun. I guess the only part of the night that sucked was when I was getting off of the blue line (a car with the funky double doors), and the door snagged on my boot, and totally ripped it. Thank goodness I was wearing some heavy duty leather ones, otherwise my toe would have probably been ripped off and someone would be in trouble. Anyway, it really sucks ass because they’re one of my favorite pairs of shoes, and now they probably aren’t “work” suitable. Maybe I can try some of that Karazee glue?

A List - In No Particular Order

Things I seriously have a dislike for, because hate is such a strong word:

1.) Ugg boots on anyone, any time of year

2.) Cabbies that have no fucking clue of where they are going

3.) The Fiery Furnaces

4.) The Scissor Sisters

5.) People who wear trucker hats who aren't truck drivers or don't live in the middle of nowhere and don't know that it is/was a popular thing

6.) Creepy old men

7.) Diet sodas

8.) Raisins

Fox News

Ok, so I've never really sat down and made a point of watching the Fox News network, but the place I ate lunch at yesterday had it on one of the many TVs that I was facing. I noticed a few of the stories that they were carrying, and for some reason, laughed at all of them.

1.) Harry Belafonte Re-Affirms that Bush is a terrorist -- bold move Mr. Belafonte, I sure hope that you weren't on Georgie's iPod, he might just have to take you off after he finishes his 28th listen to My Sharona for the day.

2.) Getting just a little bit of sleep has you functioning like a drunk -- really? And when you drunk do you function like you're operating on a lack of sleep. Sure, I've been drunk while trying to function, as well as operating on less than two hours of sleep. I think the drunk one is more fun.

3.) The Bible Diet - eat like God intended -- My guess is that he wants you to stay away from artificial foods and processed/refined foods. Most likely because that garbage didn't exist back in the day. And all of this hinges on whether you even believe in God in the first place. What do you think that King Monkey wanted us to eat?

Oh yeah, and I'm really hating that James Blunt "You are Beautiful" song that seems to be popping up everywhere.

Direct and Systematic

I spent 3.5 hours of my workday in a "time management skills" training session. It was about the biggest waste of time that I've experienced in a long while. We took some lame 21 question quiz about how we would react in different work situations, and low and behold, my highest "time management styles" turned out to be "direct" and "systematic", with a small amount of consideration, and total lack of spirit. I guess that means that I come across as one of those "yeah, yeah, yeah, get to the point" or "I really don't care about how you feel, let's look at these numbers and facts instead" type of worker. Maybe I'll make a tyrant style boss someday, or when I take over the world, I will run it as a dictatorship, but thinly veil it as a socialist global society. I sure hope that I'm not that bad in my social life, but I guess if I were, I would have zero friends because no one would want to put up with me and I probably wouldn't want to put up with them either. Anyways, back to the "training", I can definitely say that I picked up zero time management skills/tools, and most of the time was spent talking about our feelings and how to deal with people who have different time management styles. Blah.

In the afternoon, a co-worker of mine came to visit my neighbor who was listening to NPR. Visitor gave Neighbor a hard time for listening to NPR in the first place, but Neighbor stuck up for herself saying that she was listening to the Alito hearings for his Supreme Court nomination, and if he gets a seat on the bench, things will definitely be on their way to the right side of things, etc., etc., and it will probably mean changes in women's reproductive rights. Visitor responded with lack of care for current affairs, and basically stated that she didn't plan to reproduce any time soon and didn't really care what they decided. HELLO??? IS THIS THING ON??? Get with the fucking program, that's the whole point! If you don't want to/don't plan to procreate in the next 10-15 years, and a little accident happens, you sure as hell better care about how many of the Georgie lovers are on the bench!! Morons...

I'm Outta Here!

FUCKING ROCK!!! I just bought my plane ticket out of the country and I'm so excited that I could eat someone. I will be gone for a grand total of 89 days and I will enjoy every minute of it. Who knows, maybe I'll go incognito and never come back...

My day at work sucked and I feel like I could go out and do something wild and crazy and possibly harmful to my health if the opportunity presented itself. Buying this plane ticket helped a little, and it certainly was detrimental to my finances, but fortunately I had a bit more set aside for the airfare than what I paid, so that's a plus.

I decided to make my last day at work February 28th. That will give me almost two whole weeks to go nuts before I leave. I feel like a kid again. Hmmm, maybe because I'm throwing all responsibilty and reality to the wind? The next big question is where/when/how many times do I want to celebrate? Thoughts? Ideas?