I knew I was forgetting something!
On Thursday I went to Christchurch Cathedral park where there was a special food market in the afternoon as an alternative way for people to spend their lunch break. I had a lovely paella.Then I stumbled upon an outdoor opera taking place in an outdoor amphitheater. Oh and it was for free, even better! So I took a seat on the concrete steps and an typical auld one (elderly) Irish woman handed me a re-usable bag saying, " Here love, take this it's far too cold to be sitting on that." How kind! So I sat on a bag and watched The Marriage of Figaro (which I saw for the first time when I was five) and my grandma used to sing the music to me to put me to sleep when I was a baby. Obviously I became emotional and cried. I also laughed a lot as it is a comedy and this particular production interpreted the opera with a hippie/love/commune theme.
Ok now you're thoroughly updated!
Monday, August 29, 2011
What a Week! (and a half)
Friday I indulged and made chocolate chip cookies, let me elaborate for a moment. The Irish don't really do cookies in the way that Americans do. They do biscuits and scones and are only recently discovering cupcakes and brownies. In fact, there is only one shop that I have found that sells semi-sweet chocolate chips and it's almost six euro a bag so they have become a luxury. As I was going to my friend R.'s for dinner I decided I would make them and give her half so that I wouldn't be forced to eat them by myself (tragic I know). We ate them with wine while we patiently waited for her boyfriend to make us dinner.
Saturday I watched Ireland play France in a very popular rugby watching pub. Unfortunately we lost to France...again. We lost to France in the previous match and we lost to France when we played them during the last Six Nations. Do we see a pattern? I love France, they have lovely food and wine, fine art, fashion, they gave us ballet (amongst many other things), oh and they won our revolution for us (no big deal) and the little that I have seen of the country is beautiful. When it comes to rugby, however, I hate France. Especially the obnoxious French who watch the match and rub it in when they win.
Monday I was supposed to go to Lisburn for another workshop but that got canceled so I lazed around with a latte and crepe (see why I like France) and my copy of Ulysses that I have been laboring over but I am at the final section-the one where there is not any punctuation and it keeps going in one long sentence for the last 80 pages or so. I am coming down the homestretch!
Tuesday evening I went to the theatre. The Abbey Theatre (Ireland's national theatre) to be more specific and saw Curse of the Starving Class by Sam Shepard. I really enjoy his work and what kept me thinking about the play for days afterwards was how relevant the play, which was originally written and produced in 1978, is not only to an Irish audience, but to any contemporary audience. Set in a farmhouse in California, it follows a family on the brink of debt due to a drunk father and the downfall of the American frontier. Before the play began we were warned that there would be nudity and a live animal onstage. My friend K. bemused that perhaps the animal would be a goat but I said that as we were in Ireland it would most likely be a sheep. Lo and behold a lamb was carried onstage and it was adorable. I am sure it is very rare that one sees a lamb as part of live theatre, nudity on the other hand is completely blasé.
Wednesday I went to the community drama class that I have been working with since I first moved here. It is amazing how far they have come and how diligently they have been working. I cannot wait for the public to see all their hard work. Thursday I was in the office briefly, my boss has been on holiday so I've been trusted to look after things (ah!). Next weekend we are having a seminar in Leitrim so I am looking forward to that.
Friday I went to a party that S. was having as a fundraiser for her production that will be in the Fringe. There have been ads for it on buses and billboards and it is all very exciting.
Now Saturday (yes I realize I am behind and it's been over a week) but the most recent previous Saturday was a big day. I started with a full Irish breakfast which consisted of a fried egg sunny side up, black pudding and white pudding (I know it involves pigs blood and I won't go any further than that but it does taste good), rashers (Irish version of bacon), a potato cake and, of course, tea. Then, drum roll, I saw my first live rugby match in Dublin's newly renovated Aviva stadium. Ireland vs. England, sure to be a fiery match due to the obvious rivalry and that fact that Ireland beat them in Six Nations. I have made it clear that I, not typically a sports fan, love rugby and I cannot remember the last time I was at a professional sporting match, so needless to say I was excited. And then I was quickly devastated as England won. England also played dirty, causing injuries that took Irish players out of the game, and finally the ref gave an English player a yellow card. I am not a sports commentator so I will leave out all the sports facts and numbers, but I think I have come to a realization as to one of the reasons I have come to enjoy rugby so much and that is for the Irish fan. The way they cheer on or jeer at their team is unlike anything I have experienced in my little amount of time in the realm of sports. Here are some examples:
When a player makes a bad play: "Aw, come on you muppet!"
General encouragement: "Come on lads!"
When anything is going badly: "Ah, for fuck's sake!" (This may be my favourite)
You get the idea. It's probably better in person. I certainly am not going for a career in sports commentary. I don't think cultural/lingual appreciation is really something they focus on, though maybe they should.
Then I met up with some friends at a concert by a contemporary Irish band called Kila which was really great and a perfect way to end such an Irish day. Sunday was a quiet day I visited a flea market that I had heard about but it was not all that exciting except for some antique radios and a juke box but I was sensible and refrained from buying any of them.
And here we are Monday, fully updated! Whew. I hope I didn't leave anything out but if I did I'll be sure and cover it next week. In other news I am glad that my friends in the US survived earthquakes and hurricanes, in fact most of them had pretty amusing Facebook statuses regarding the events.
Saturday I watched Ireland play France in a very popular rugby watching pub. Unfortunately we lost to France...again. We lost to France in the previous match and we lost to France when we played them during the last Six Nations. Do we see a pattern? I love France, they have lovely food and wine, fine art, fashion, they gave us ballet (amongst many other things), oh and they won our revolution for us (no big deal) and the little that I have seen of the country is beautiful. When it comes to rugby, however, I hate France. Especially the obnoxious French who watch the match and rub it in when they win.
Monday I was supposed to go to Lisburn for another workshop but that got canceled so I lazed around with a latte and crepe (see why I like France) and my copy of Ulysses that I have been laboring over but I am at the final section-the one where there is not any punctuation and it keeps going in one long sentence for the last 80 pages or so. I am coming down the homestretch!
Tuesday evening I went to the theatre. The Abbey Theatre (Ireland's national theatre) to be more specific and saw Curse of the Starving Class by Sam Shepard. I really enjoy his work and what kept me thinking about the play for days afterwards was how relevant the play, which was originally written and produced in 1978, is not only to an Irish audience, but to any contemporary audience. Set in a farmhouse in California, it follows a family on the brink of debt due to a drunk father and the downfall of the American frontier. Before the play began we were warned that there would be nudity and a live animal onstage. My friend K. bemused that perhaps the animal would be a goat but I said that as we were in Ireland it would most likely be a sheep. Lo and behold a lamb was carried onstage and it was adorable. I am sure it is very rare that one sees a lamb as part of live theatre, nudity on the other hand is completely blasé.
Wednesday I went to the community drama class that I have been working with since I first moved here. It is amazing how far they have come and how diligently they have been working. I cannot wait for the public to see all their hard work. Thursday I was in the office briefly, my boss has been on holiday so I've been trusted to look after things (ah!). Next weekend we are having a seminar in Leitrim so I am looking forward to that.
Friday I went to a party that S. was having as a fundraiser for her production that will be in the Fringe. There have been ads for it on buses and billboards and it is all very exciting.
Now Saturday (yes I realize I am behind and it's been over a week) but the most recent previous Saturday was a big day. I started with a full Irish breakfast which consisted of a fried egg sunny side up, black pudding and white pudding (I know it involves pigs blood and I won't go any further than that but it does taste good), rashers (Irish version of bacon), a potato cake and, of course, tea. Then, drum roll, I saw my first live rugby match in Dublin's newly renovated Aviva stadium. Ireland vs. England, sure to be a fiery match due to the obvious rivalry and that fact that Ireland beat them in Six Nations. I have made it clear that I, not typically a sports fan, love rugby and I cannot remember the last time I was at a professional sporting match, so needless to say I was excited. And then I was quickly devastated as England won. England also played dirty, causing injuries that took Irish players out of the game, and finally the ref gave an English player a yellow card. I am not a sports commentator so I will leave out all the sports facts and numbers, but I think I have come to a realization as to one of the reasons I have come to enjoy rugby so much and that is for the Irish fan. The way they cheer on or jeer at their team is unlike anything I have experienced in my little amount of time in the realm of sports. Here are some examples:
When a player makes a bad play: "Aw, come on you muppet!"
General encouragement: "Come on lads!"
When anything is going badly: "Ah, for fuck's sake!" (This may be my favourite)
You get the idea. It's probably better in person. I certainly am not going for a career in sports commentary. I don't think cultural/lingual appreciation is really something they focus on, though maybe they should.
Then I met up with some friends at a concert by a contemporary Irish band called Kila which was really great and a perfect way to end such an Irish day. Sunday was a quiet day I visited a flea market that I had heard about but it was not all that exciting except for some antique radios and a juke box but I was sensible and refrained from buying any of them.
And here we are Monday, fully updated! Whew. I hope I didn't leave anything out but if I did I'll be sure and cover it next week. In other news I am glad that my friends in the US survived earthquakes and hurricanes, in fact most of them had pretty amusing Facebook statuses regarding the events.
Slán agat!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
I've Been Famous
So following a glamorous weekend with the horses I had just begun to settle back into the pace of my normal life when on Thursday evening Mc. gave me a call asking if I wanted to go to a VIP party for the premiere of Cowboys and Aliens. What a silly question. Yes! Mc. heard rumors that Olivia Wilde would be there but after I did a quick search on twitter (yes I have become that person) I came to the conclusion that she and the rest of the cast were currently at the London premiere. We decided to go anyways and see if there would be any Irish celebs. There weren't. But there was an open bar and free food and since I was dressed to the nines and had been an extra on the film I told Mc. he could pretend I was famous. It may have worked a little. Some guy told me I had a model walk. Ha.
On Saturday I had ann audition for a production of Romeo and Juliet I was given very short notice (as in the day before) so we shall see, but it was great to have the chance. I went to St. Patrick's Cathedral, which I had visited when I first came to Ireland but had not had a chance to get back to since. It was really nice to see it again but I think what was even nicer was to realize that I am not really a tourist anymore but there are still beautiful sights that I can see on a whim. Then I went somewhere new, The Science Gallery, which is a museum that combines the arts with sciences. The current exhibit is on the elements of the periodic table and shows various ways different elements are being used in art today and from the past. There were a lot of hands on exhibits (which are always the best) and I really liked that the exhibit was made to be appealing to both the scientist and the artist.
Sunday I went to a film festival and saw 30 seconds or Less starring Jesse Eisenberg which I would recommend, it was clever and funny. Next was a "mystery film" (as in the audience did not know what we would be seeing till it started and believe had I known I would not have watched) Final Destination 5. I do not really do horror films. Then there was a short film "Shoe" by an Irish filmmaker telling a very moving story about a man who is about to kill himself but a ghost convinces him not to. Finally I saw Cowboys and Aliens which I really enjoyed and was glad to see my New Mexico landscape well represented, unfortunately the scene I was in did not make the final cut. Oh well!
I have been on my own working in the theatre's office this week since my boss is on holiday. It has actually been busy and stressful but I feel accomplished knowing that my boss trusts me to work on my own. Yesterday I went with a member of the company to Lisburn (east-Belfast) to do a workshop with a group of women who live in a Protestant community. As we drove in every house had British flags outside as well as UVF flags (Ulster Volunteer Force). It was very surreal and there really is not something I can compare it to in the U.S. The workshops were well received and I think they went well so hopefully we helped a little or at least left them with some things to think about.
Last night I went to community drama class so it was a long day of theatre for social purposes but it felt good. The group is really coming along and will be performing in November!
I'm wrecked (tired) but I realized I was slipping too far behind and couldn't put off another update. It's almost time for rugby season! The rugby world cup is on in September and this month there are practice games so naturally I am very excited. Tomorrow night I am having dinner with some friends and then I'll hopefully have a nice weekend before I go back to Lisburn on Monday!
Thanks for reading!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Old Man Pubs, Gaelic Football and Equestrian!
August already! They say summer is over here in Ireland. It has been rainy and the autumn fashions are already in shop windows. The Irish are extremely optimistic about everything, including the weather. During the horrible winter everyone kept saying we would have a gorgeous summer, now they are telling me September will be lovely. I'm not holding my breath. The general consensus is that next winter will be even colder. Grand.
Last Friday I went to a run through of the show S. is doing in the Fringe. I am going to be designing the lights so I went to see what I was getting myself into. The play is based on S. and her friend K.'s experiences growing up in Ireland as women and the general cultural and social views of women in Irish society. It is very interesting and timely and should be a great show!
Over the weekend I went to Cork, one of Ireland's larger cities, and once claimed to be the capitol of Ireland so there is a great rivalry between Cork and Dublin. For a relatively large city (by Irish standards) it has a very small town feel. At one point I found myself in a pub that looked like it was out of the 1950's. It was one very small and narrow room around the bar with a few stools and old benches. The woman working behind the bar looked like she had been there since 1954 herself, even down to her clothes and hair. There were bottles of Bulmer's cider tucked away on the top shelf covered in dust that had to be at least fifty years old! Clearly this was a pub of true character and attracted many characters. I kind of wanted to be the old lady behind the bar. Oh yes, I have big ambitions for when I retire. There was also a gaelic football match on which was very exciting. Summer is the season for the gaelic sports and the Irish are quite passionate about them. Cork lost to Mayo which was a big upset, though I was glad that the underdog won.
Thursday I went to Leitrim with my boss and a new temporary intern from Austria who is updating our website. We are having a seminar there in September and F. thought it would be nice to get us out of the office for the day to go up and take a look at the hotel where we might be holding the conference. It was a scenic drive of course (I don't think there isn't one in this country) and there were many green fields, horses, sheep and cows to be seen. I am looking forward to going back for the seminar.
Thursday evening I made a last minute decision to go see a new version of the musical Peter Pan. You see I have had a slight obsession and love for Peter Pan since I was two and felt that I would be depriving myself if I did not go see this new version. Alas, it was not very good and I was disappointed and left feeling very reminiscent for Mary Martin and my childhood. This new version (from the UK) attempted to modernize the story (completely unnecessary) so the Darling children were the grandchildren of the original Wendy (kind of like Hook, only it did not really work). The songs were campy and some of the costumes on the women chorus members were quite revealing which is not really appropriate for a play intended for children if you ask me. There were some good parts and I really wanted to like it but I could not. Oh well. There was a woman sitting next to me who started chatting away as Irish tend to do, her neighbor's son was one of the Lost Boys, so that made the evening a bit more enjoyable.
Saturday I went to the Royal Dublin Society Horse Fair. Oh yes I am posh. Never in my life would I have pictured myself at an equestrian show watching horses jump over fences. Yet there I was and I was enjoying it tremendously. It is very impressive seeing a horse gracefully scale a six foot wall. Everyone in the stands holds their breath till the horse and rider have safely landed on the ground. And everyone gasps when a horse knocks down a post or the rider falls. One took a bad spill but was able to get up much to everyone's relief. Yes, I felt that all I needed was an outfit from Ralph Lauren and I would have fit in perfectly, though I was glad I chose to wear a nice pair of leather boots to try and look more equestrian. There were also people from Kyrgyzstan (I think that was the country) who did crazy tricks while riding, it was really cool.Also, racehorses and show horses have ridiculous names! Apparently this is so that there is no overlap of names, but they are still pretty silly.
All the pretty horses!
That's all for now!
Last Friday I went to a run through of the show S. is doing in the Fringe. I am going to be designing the lights so I went to see what I was getting myself into. The play is based on S. and her friend K.'s experiences growing up in Ireland as women and the general cultural and social views of women in Irish society. It is very interesting and timely and should be a great show!
Over the weekend I went to Cork, one of Ireland's larger cities, and once claimed to be the capitol of Ireland so there is a great rivalry between Cork and Dublin. For a relatively large city (by Irish standards) it has a very small town feel. At one point I found myself in a pub that looked like it was out of the 1950's. It was one very small and narrow room around the bar with a few stools and old benches. The woman working behind the bar looked like she had been there since 1954 herself, even down to her clothes and hair. There were bottles of Bulmer's cider tucked away on the top shelf covered in dust that had to be at least fifty years old! Clearly this was a pub of true character and attracted many characters. I kind of wanted to be the old lady behind the bar. Oh yes, I have big ambitions for when I retire. There was also a gaelic football match on which was very exciting. Summer is the season for the gaelic sports and the Irish are quite passionate about them. Cork lost to Mayo which was a big upset, though I was glad that the underdog won.
Thursday I went to Leitrim with my boss and a new temporary intern from Austria who is updating our website. We are having a seminar there in September and F. thought it would be nice to get us out of the office for the day to go up and take a look at the hotel where we might be holding the conference. It was a scenic drive of course (I don't think there isn't one in this country) and there were many green fields, horses, sheep and cows to be seen. I am looking forward to going back for the seminar.
Thursday evening I made a last minute decision to go see a new version of the musical Peter Pan. You see I have had a slight obsession and love for Peter Pan since I was two and felt that I would be depriving myself if I did not go see this new version. Alas, it was not very good and I was disappointed and left feeling very reminiscent for Mary Martin and my childhood. This new version (from the UK) attempted to modernize the story (completely unnecessary) so the Darling children were the grandchildren of the original Wendy (kind of like Hook, only it did not really work). The songs were campy and some of the costumes on the women chorus members were quite revealing which is not really appropriate for a play intended for children if you ask me. There were some good parts and I really wanted to like it but I could not. Oh well. There was a woman sitting next to me who started chatting away as Irish tend to do, her neighbor's son was one of the Lost Boys, so that made the evening a bit more enjoyable.
Saturday I went to the Royal Dublin Society Horse Fair. Oh yes I am posh. Never in my life would I have pictured myself at an equestrian show watching horses jump over fences. Yet there I was and I was enjoying it tremendously. It is very impressive seeing a horse gracefully scale a six foot wall. Everyone in the stands holds their breath till the horse and rider have safely landed on the ground. And everyone gasps when a horse knocks down a post or the rider falls. One took a bad spill but was able to get up much to everyone's relief. Yes, I felt that all I needed was an outfit from Ralph Lauren and I would have fit in perfectly, though I was glad I chose to wear a nice pair of leather boots to try and look more equestrian. There were also people from Kyrgyzstan (I think that was the country) who did crazy tricks while riding, it was really cool.Also, racehorses and show horses have ridiculous names! Apparently this is so that there is no overlap of names, but they are still pretty silly.
That's all for now!
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