It seems that everyone I know was born in June-it is a great month to be born! Friday night was my boss' 50th birthday and my co-worker S. (yes I have developed further as a blogger and am now relying on aliases instead of refering to people as this friend or that friend-exciting I know!) anyways, S. and I decided that we would head out to Bray where my boss F. lives, and was having her party, together. S. invited me to meet her in town where she was having drinks with some of her friends. After getting caught in a torrential downpour and being forced to get in a taxi for fear of being drowned I finally made it to the Shelbourne Hotel where I met S. and her very posh friends. Now, remember when you were in first grade and the sixth graders seemed so cool? Then finally you made it to the top only to find yourself at the bottom of the ranks in middle school and the seniors were the shit. Finally you suffer through this one last time in college and you graduate and you're on top of the world (I am going somewhere with this, hang on) and you think the days of pining over the big kids are over. Not so. As I sipped martinis with S. and her friends who are in their late twenties I realized I was struck with envy at how cool they all were. I mean, afterall, they were drinking martinis. Then S. and I headed off to Bray and got there just in time for some delicious food and plenty of wine. And cake. There has to be cake. We danced to the playlist that we had helped F. put together a few days before. I am a bit embarrassed to report that I did the whole dance to Michael Jackson's Thriller. I know. I blame the martini. All in all it was a great night.
Saturday night I met my friend M. and some of his friends (it is a strictly platonic friendship) to go to what was a very scenester/hipster club by Dublin's standards-very fun but certainly not as classy as the Shelbourne, though definitly less expensive.
Sunday was a rainy day and I had rehearsal for Hamlet. It opens in less than 2 weeks! We have amped up rehearsal time and it is starting to come along. Monday I popped into the office to help F. with a few things before she headed off to Greece, lucky lady. Then it was back to more rehearsals.
Tuesday night I went out for my co-worker K.'s birthday. She is a fellow American and there was a band from her homtown of Portland playing, they were very good and very typical Portland. I think I may have already written about them as we saw them play a few weeks before when they kicked off their tour of Ireland. Afterwards I went to The Temple Bar where a musician is trying to break the Guinness Book of World Records for playing for 101 hours. By the time I got there he had been playing for 58. Apparently he is allowed a 5 minute break every hour, still that's a lot of guitar playing. I think tonight is his last night so I may stop by to see if he was actually succesful.
Yesterday I had lunch with a woman named C. who is from Santa Fe but lives in Galway for part of the year. It was nice to see someone from home who understood where I came from but who also shared a love for Ireland. We went to a great Italian restaurant and I had a delicious pizza! I had another rehearsal for Hamlet last night that focuse on movement and my body is sore! We had to move as though we were marionettes and fall to the floor. I haven't actually looked but I'm pretty sure there is a huge bruise on my ass. Oh the pains I take for my art!
I was supposed to go to Belfast today with the theatre company but unfortunately that fell through, but there will be another chance for me to go I am sure. The good news is that I can be in Dublin today and today is Bloomsday, the celebration of James Joyce's epic Ulysseus. I started reading it, hoping I would have it finished by today but sadly I am only half way through the dense thing. At least I will sort of know the story while perusing events today and through the weekend.
Thanks for reading, till next time!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
I Heart Whiskey and Other Things
That title would make a good title for my memoir. I am 23 now. I would say that I am old, but I am actually realizing that I am really still a baby comparatively speaking. I liked 22 because it was a cute sounding number (weird I know) but it was an insane year and I am welcoming a new one, time to turn over some more leaves. Most of the people I have met or spend time with here are older than me which is fine because I am mature for my age which is a blessing and a curse. But it is nice when I talk to someone who I assume to be my age and they seem far more accomplished than me and then it turns out they are 28!
I went on a tour of the Jameson Distillery with a friend. I actually live right next to it so was a bit silly that I had never been before, although I consider myself not to be a tourist so I generally avoid places where they go. As part of the tour 8 volunteers are selected for a special whiskey tasting-I was one of the lucky few and sampled a Scottish whiskey, Jameson and Jack Daniels. Needless to say Jameson is my favourite though J.D. will always have a special place in my heart. I was given a certificate stating that I was an official whiskey taster and I was also given a Jameson key chain as it was my birthday. I also may have purchased a vintage shot of whiskey for 14 euro on the pretense that it was my birthday and you only live once. It was very smooth. Bottoms up! Then I met up with another friend and we had pizza and white wine. Classy! Then, well...it's Ireland and it was my birthday so we hit the pubs.
I have a new flatmate who moved in on Monday. He is English and works in the stock market. Between our schedules we hardly ever see each other but he seems nice. And handsome. I have decided to tell myself he is gay because a). he may be or he's just European I can't really tell and b). I figure if I assume he is gay it won't be awkward.
On Tuesday my theatre company did a performance in conjunction with a campaign UNICEF is leading to raise awareness and deal with suicide among teenagers and young adults. The event was held in an area of Dublin where suicide has been prevalent and the Minister of Children and Youth Affairs for Ireland was there. I do not want to brag too much, but our performance was very moving. Oh yeah, and I did the lights for the whole thing! It was great to be part of such an important event and to see the theatre company in action on a very critical issue.
I have had two Hamlet rehearsals since my last post. The production is starting to come together and has been a lot of fun. Last night we worked on our characters and had to choose an animal to act like, I chose a peacock and strutted my stuff. I am looking forward to rehearsal tomorrow.
Today I went to an Italian retail/wholesale shop that is right around the corner from my house. Why I had never been there before is beyond me, I have no excuse. From now on I will be going there all the time. I bought mozzarella, pesto, gnocchi, and risotto all for about 8 euro! Next time I will check out their wine and olive oil. This has also inspired me to investigate the fish shop also around the corner.
I am learning more about blogs as I become more confident baring my soul. Apparently I am supposed to end with a question for you, my public audience, so you can participate/feel included. I think it is supposed to be relevant to the subject of my post. So anyone traveled anywhere exciting lately?
Ciao!
I went on a tour of the Jameson Distillery with a friend. I actually live right next to it so was a bit silly that I had never been before, although I consider myself not to be a tourist so I generally avoid places where they go. As part of the tour 8 volunteers are selected for a special whiskey tasting-I was one of the lucky few and sampled a Scottish whiskey, Jameson and Jack Daniels. Needless to say Jameson is my favourite though J.D. will always have a special place in my heart. I was given a certificate stating that I was an official whiskey taster and I was also given a Jameson key chain as it was my birthday. I also may have purchased a vintage shot of whiskey for 14 euro on the pretense that it was my birthday and you only live once. It was very smooth. Bottoms up! Then I met up with another friend and we had pizza and white wine. Classy! Then, well...it's Ireland and it was my birthday so we hit the pubs.
I have a new flatmate who moved in on Monday. He is English and works in the stock market. Between our schedules we hardly ever see each other but he seems nice. And handsome. I have decided to tell myself he is gay because a). he may be or he's just European I can't really tell and b). I figure if I assume he is gay it won't be awkward.
On Tuesday my theatre company did a performance in conjunction with a campaign UNICEF is leading to raise awareness and deal with suicide among teenagers and young adults. The event was held in an area of Dublin where suicide has been prevalent and the Minister of Children and Youth Affairs for Ireland was there. I do not want to brag too much, but our performance was very moving. Oh yeah, and I did the lights for the whole thing! It was great to be part of such an important event and to see the theatre company in action on a very critical issue.
I have had two Hamlet rehearsals since my last post. The production is starting to come together and has been a lot of fun. Last night we worked on our characters and had to choose an animal to act like, I chose a peacock and strutted my stuff. I am looking forward to rehearsal tomorrow.
Today I went to an Italian retail/wholesale shop that is right around the corner from my house. Why I had never been there before is beyond me, I have no excuse. From now on I will be going there all the time. I bought mozzarella, pesto, gnocchi, and risotto all for about 8 euro! Next time I will check out their wine and olive oil. This has also inspired me to investigate the fish shop also around the corner.
I am learning more about blogs as I become more confident baring my soul. Apparently I am supposed to end with a question for you, my public audience, so you can participate/feel included. I think it is supposed to be relevant to the subject of my post. So anyone traveled anywhere exciting lately?
Ciao!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Calves, Cliffs and Kilts!
June! The sun is out, it's finally stopped raining and my birthday is on Friday! This should be a good week, but first I must tell you all about last week!
I went to a little get together with the drama group to celebrate their class being completed. My fellow instructor and I were serenaded and I was presented with a box of chocolates. It was very sweet. Then I went with said instructor to a music gig of some friends of hers from Portland. It was a very typical Portland band of klezmer/folk like musicians and the proceeds went to benefit a Dublin cycling group. Totally hippie but still fun.
Sunday I went on an adventure to the West. I did a family run tour that started in an area known as The Burren that is composed of vast landscapes of limestone and old rock walls that were built during English rule. The tour started on their farm were I got to bottle feed a lamb and stuck my hand in a calf's mouth. The farmer told me to do it. It was a bit slobbery but too adorable not too pass up.
Then we hiked around the farmland which backs into The Burren and took in the great views. Afterwards we had coffee and cake before heading onto the bus. Then we drove through County Clare making our way to the key destination of the Cliffs of Moher, one of Ireland's most famous landscapes. I have seen photos of the cliffs for years now and have always wanted to go so naturally I was quite excited. The bus driver pleasantly announced that the winding road we would have to take was often referred to as "the corkscrew", needless to say there were a lot of sharp turns on a very narrow road. (U.S. Highway 1, anybody?) I am glad that I managed not to get carsick. As cliche as it may sound, when we finally got to the cliffs, it was truly breathtaking. There is something very majestic about the large, imposing cliffs with waves crashing beneath. There is also something very daunting about standing at the edge of a country with nothing but the Atlantic surrounding.
After the cliffs we went to the small fishing town of Doolin and had lunch at a pub. I had a delicious seafood chowder. Then we drove up along the coast making our way to Galway where we had an hour to take in the city. I made friends with a Canadian girl who is also living in Dublin so we grabbed a pint. After a very long day (we left around 7:30am) we made it back to Dublin. There had been a big football(soccer) match earlier in the day between Ireland and Scotland (Ireland won!) and so there were Scottish men clad in kilts walking all over the city. The Canadian and I decided to join in the post game revelry and had a great time! Who knew I would learn to love sports so much?
Tuesday I got back to my life as an intern and sent off more grant applications! Next week were are doing a performance in partnership with UNICEF and I will be doing the lighting for the show.
Then I had a Hamlet rehearsal, which seems to be going well, though we still have a lot to do before we open 4 weeks from now!
Oh, and you may have noticed that I changed the layout, just thought I needed to try something different. I have also started adding photos! Unless otherwise noted they are all taken by yours truly. I added some to older posts so check them out.
Till next time!
I went to a little get together with the drama group to celebrate their class being completed. My fellow instructor and I were serenaded and I was presented with a box of chocolates. It was very sweet. Then I went with said instructor to a music gig of some friends of hers from Portland. It was a very typical Portland band of klezmer/folk like musicians and the proceeds went to benefit a Dublin cycling group. Totally hippie but still fun.
Sunday I went on an adventure to the West. I did a family run tour that started in an area known as The Burren that is composed of vast landscapes of limestone and old rock walls that were built during English rule. The tour started on their farm were I got to bottle feed a lamb and stuck my hand in a calf's mouth. The farmer told me to do it. It was a bit slobbery but too adorable not too pass up.
Then we hiked around the farmland which backs into The Burren and took in the great views. Afterwards we had coffee and cake before heading onto the bus. Then we drove through County Clare making our way to the key destination of the Cliffs of Moher, one of Ireland's most famous landscapes. I have seen photos of the cliffs for years now and have always wanted to go so naturally I was quite excited. The bus driver pleasantly announced that the winding road we would have to take was often referred to as "the corkscrew", needless to say there were a lot of sharp turns on a very narrow road. (U.S. Highway 1, anybody?) I am glad that I managed not to get carsick. As cliche as it may sound, when we finally got to the cliffs, it was truly breathtaking. There is something very majestic about the large, imposing cliffs with waves crashing beneath. There is also something very daunting about standing at the edge of a country with nothing but the Atlantic surrounding.
After the cliffs we went to the small fishing town of Doolin and had lunch at a pub. I had a delicious seafood chowder. Then we drove up along the coast making our way to Galway where we had an hour to take in the city. I made friends with a Canadian girl who is also living in Dublin so we grabbed a pint. After a very long day (we left around 7:30am) we made it back to Dublin. There had been a big football(soccer) match earlier in the day between Ireland and Scotland (Ireland won!) and so there were Scottish men clad in kilts walking all over the city. The Canadian and I decided to join in the post game revelry and had a great time! Who knew I would learn to love sports so much?
Tuesday I got back to my life as an intern and sent off more grant applications! Next week were are doing a performance in partnership with UNICEF and I will be doing the lighting for the show.
Then I had a Hamlet rehearsal, which seems to be going well, though we still have a lot to do before we open 4 weeks from now!
Oh, and you may have noticed that I changed the layout, just thought I needed to try something different. I have also started adding photos! Unless otherwise noted they are all taken by yours truly. I added some to older posts so check them out.
Till next time!
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