When you know something painful is coming, your first response is to brace yourself for whatever may be coming your way. Even if its something that can't be seen.. many a time you want to revert back to when your a child and if you close your eyes and hide your face the scary thing thing won't get you. Most of the time its not the actual entity or the action but the fear that paralyzes you. Fear. It's a bitch. While in many cases it keeps you from hurting yourself. at what point does that fear just hold you back and not able to experience something that could turn out to be wonderful and scary all at the same time.
And the idea of holding on or letting go. The two most common things I've heard in my life is : if you love something you set it free and if it comes back it was always yours and if it doesn't it never was. and if you find someone worth loving never give up. don't let it slip through your hands.
Well if those aren't the most conflicting messages in the world, then i don't know what are. How do you know when to stand up and fight for what you believe it and when to sit down and shut up and just let the universe take care of it.
There has been many times in my life where I find myself at a crossroads, knowing the direction in which I need to take but still having some hesitation. And call it childish, say its naive, but I find myself sometimes put it out to the universe for some guidance. I simply ask for a sign. Something to tell me I'm doing the right thing. And most the time I either forget what the sign was or nothing happens. But there was one time where I was driving Tjay home and I just had a feeling that something was in the woods. This feeling of being watched and idk maybe it was in my head but at night I always felt like Sean (a friend who died in Devonwood) was watching the cars drive in and out at night. And soo I said to myself "Alright Sean, if your there show me." And as I drove home when I got the main gate, there is the driveway across the street was a fox. It looked straight at me and scurried away. I suppose it all depends on what you believe in but in that moment, chills went down my spine. Later, I asked my mom what a fox was a symbol of and she said they were messengers.
Soo the other night, while I was unable to sleep. As the idea of leaving Ireland was beginning to sink in and the realization of what I would be leaving behind was slowly creeping into my mind. And I sat there afraid. Afraid of which path to choose.. at how unfair the world can be and questioning the idea of fate and destiny. And soo I asked for a sign again. I said "Ok, if its meant to be, the fox that Annabelle saw will appear." And 10 minutes later, a fox ran right across the center of Belgrove. Not in the bushes, not in the unlit areas. Right out in the middle of the grounds with all the lights on. coincidence? or is the universe trying to tell me something? only time will tell i suppose..
Monday, November 30, 2009
soo I kinda made a turkey on saturday..
There are about 4 or 5 things I consider to create a Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey, Canned Cranberry, Green bean casserole,mashed potatoes, apple pie and maybe the pumpkin cheesecake my mother soo lovingly makes just for me.
I just I didn't really think about what it would be like not being home for Thanksgiving. I suppose I should have made more of a conscience effort to prepare myself. But it seemed that after my weekend in Paris (which was exhausting) the idea of not being home seemed to hit me like a ton of bricks. Maybe it was that I wasn't really getting along with some friends (you spend as much time as we all do together and its bound to happen) or I was coming down with a cold.. but it made me miss home more then ever. I have already figured out that thing they call homesickness comes in waves. Sometimes small waves that you can see coming and sometimes huge ones that slam you to the ground when you're just coming up for air. As the time I have left here comes to a close and its coming up faster and faster the idea of leaving is bittersweet. To be around friends and family who understand your quarks and are still obligated to love you is a blessing.
UCD sponsored a Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday but I had a feeling to go and try to pretend that the food they were serving would be anything remotely as good as what the rest of my family was eating would be like window shopping. Just cruel. Don't try to sell me tofu and tell me its turkey. I won't believe you. So Sean and I walked to Tesco and we found turkey. It was frozen. Apparently turkeys aren't from Ireland. who knew? Soo we decided on the spot that we would make thanksgiving dinner on Saturday (giving the turkey time to thaw) and that we would make a small roasted chicken. So on Thanksgiving day, I made with my own two little hands (because Sean seemed to have work to do for school right around 4, making him M.I.A, boys are smart) I made a roasted chicken with stuffing, grilled garlic spinach, and baked sweet potato. After a bottle of wine though I managed to talk Sean into walking with me to get some ice cream for dessert and made a brownie sundae with barley's. It was amazing.
I'm not sure if cooking for Brad gave me complex but I seem to nit pick at everything I make and expect people to do nothing but complain about it. Sean did nothing but praise my meal and told me it was a good practice bird for Saturday. Wonderful. We managed to get left overs out of the bird and I still was able to have cold chicken and cranberry sandwich for lunch the next morning. Yummy. I can pretend atleast right?
I spent black Friday shopping with Shannon. It was relaxing.. though I went to look for a European dress for the wedding but apparently my taste isn't European enough bc I couldn't bring myself to buy anything that looked like it was from the 80's. I got back around 6 and began working on making an apple pie from scratch. I've made pie before at at home we have this wonderful thing called Pillsbury Dough Boy. It means you don't ever have to make pie crust again. Well not in Ireland, in fact I asked if they had pie crust and the women looked at me like I was nuts. I guess crust is called pastry here, not that they make it here anyways.. Soo I decided I wanted my apple freaking pie and I was going to make my own pie crust. So after finding a rolling pin and a pie pan that wasn't really a pie pan (its a cake pan, but you use what you can find here in Ireland).
So it was a Friday night and there I was peeling apples and rolling out dough till 10..determined to create an edible pie. I wouldn't let anyone eat it till Saturday though.
So Saturday, I woke Sean up and we walked to Tesco again and grabbed the last minute stuff and he tells me he has to meet a friend to do some project at 2. (I had to put the turkey in at 3) Again.. boys are just soo clever. Soo with a little help from Annabelle..we couldn't figure out how to get the neck out. I'm not really a big fan of touching raw meat, especially raw meat that is still in the shape of its once alive form. But I pulled through, and even stuffed the damn thing. I just kept telling myself that I was going to have to learn how to do this one day.. my mother won't be around forever. Soo I also took the time while the turkey cooked to vacuum the apartment, do two loads of laundry, and clean the kitchen about 10 times. I seriously felt like a housewife. But as the smell of turkey filled the apartment, it started to feel like a home. Which I haven't gotten in a long time. For dinner I made turkey, stuffing, green beans, cranberry and gravy. Annabelle made mashed potatoes because mine always turn out lumpy. And of course for dessert we had apple pie with vanilla ice cream. Best Dinner Ever. All things considered, I don't think it was a bad Thanksgiving at all. And the thing that amazed me was my mother always said the judge of a good cook was when they are able to get everything out of the kitchen and warm all at the same time. Well two nights in a row I was able to get the entire meal out, all hot at the same time. I know, it made me feel awesome. I was in bed by 10 though, because I've had this cold coming on for a few days and after making the meal and cleaning and such I was just exhausted.
Sunday, I woke to find a day that meant in the Bush/Kelleher house, you stay in bed and watch movies all day. It was gray, dark, rainy and freezing. Soo I woke up around 12, watching a scary movie with Sean, and then worked on my feminism final for a bit, had thanksgiving dinner again and then watched Love Actually and passed out. It's lovely doing nothing and not having anywhere in particular you need to be.
This week is going to be full of studying though, I had exams next Monday and Tuesday. I am a bit worried because they are all essay questions and they count for 80% of the class. Hopefully they will take pity on my American soul. I'm off for a nap though, I got up at 8 and helped Aunt Mary run Aideen's preschool class for 3 hours. It was nice being around little kids again. They are a lot of fun and they are far less complicated human beings. I sometimes forget how much fun it can be to look at the world thru the eyes of a little kid.
Good Afternoon Ireland, Good Morning America.
I just I didn't really think about what it would be like not being home for Thanksgiving. I suppose I should have made more of a conscience effort to prepare myself. But it seemed that after my weekend in Paris (which was exhausting) the idea of not being home seemed to hit me like a ton of bricks. Maybe it was that I wasn't really getting along with some friends (you spend as much time as we all do together and its bound to happen) or I was coming down with a cold.. but it made me miss home more then ever. I have already figured out that thing they call homesickness comes in waves. Sometimes small waves that you can see coming and sometimes huge ones that slam you to the ground when you're just coming up for air. As the time I have left here comes to a close and its coming up faster and faster the idea of leaving is bittersweet. To be around friends and family who understand your quarks and are still obligated to love you is a blessing.
UCD sponsored a Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday but I had a feeling to go and try to pretend that the food they were serving would be anything remotely as good as what the rest of my family was eating would be like window shopping. Just cruel. Don't try to sell me tofu and tell me its turkey. I won't believe you. So Sean and I walked to Tesco and we found turkey. It was frozen. Apparently turkeys aren't from Ireland. who knew? Soo we decided on the spot that we would make thanksgiving dinner on Saturday (giving the turkey time to thaw) and that we would make a small roasted chicken. So on Thanksgiving day, I made with my own two little hands (because Sean seemed to have work to do for school right around 4, making him M.I.A, boys are smart) I made a roasted chicken with stuffing, grilled garlic spinach, and baked sweet potato. After a bottle of wine though I managed to talk Sean into walking with me to get some ice cream for dessert and made a brownie sundae with barley's. It was amazing.
I'm not sure if cooking for Brad gave me complex but I seem to nit pick at everything I make and expect people to do nothing but complain about it. Sean did nothing but praise my meal and told me it was a good practice bird for Saturday. Wonderful. We managed to get left overs out of the bird and I still was able to have cold chicken and cranberry sandwich for lunch the next morning. Yummy. I can pretend atleast right?
I spent black Friday shopping with Shannon. It was relaxing.. though I went to look for a European dress for the wedding but apparently my taste isn't European enough bc I couldn't bring myself to buy anything that looked like it was from the 80's. I got back around 6 and began working on making an apple pie from scratch. I've made pie before at at home we have this wonderful thing called Pillsbury Dough Boy. It means you don't ever have to make pie crust again. Well not in Ireland, in fact I asked if they had pie crust and the women looked at me like I was nuts. I guess crust is called pastry here, not that they make it here anyways.. Soo I decided I wanted my apple freaking pie and I was going to make my own pie crust. So after finding a rolling pin and a pie pan that wasn't really a pie pan (its a cake pan, but you use what you can find here in Ireland).
So it was a Friday night and there I was peeling apples and rolling out dough till 10..determined to create an edible pie. I wouldn't let anyone eat it till Saturday though.
So Saturday, I woke Sean up and we walked to Tesco again and grabbed the last minute stuff and he tells me he has to meet a friend to do some project at 2. (I had to put the turkey in at 3) Again.. boys are just soo clever. Soo with a little help from Annabelle..we couldn't figure out how to get the neck out. I'm not really a big fan of touching raw meat, especially raw meat that is still in the shape of its once alive form. But I pulled through, and even stuffed the damn thing. I just kept telling myself that I was going to have to learn how to do this one day.. my mother won't be around forever. Soo I also took the time while the turkey cooked to vacuum the apartment, do two loads of laundry, and clean the kitchen about 10 times. I seriously felt like a housewife. But as the smell of turkey filled the apartment, it started to feel like a home. Which I haven't gotten in a long time. For dinner I made turkey, stuffing, green beans, cranberry and gravy. Annabelle made mashed potatoes because mine always turn out lumpy. And of course for dessert we had apple pie with vanilla ice cream. Best Dinner Ever. All things considered, I don't think it was a bad Thanksgiving at all. And the thing that amazed me was my mother always said the judge of a good cook was when they are able to get everything out of the kitchen and warm all at the same time. Well two nights in a row I was able to get the entire meal out, all hot at the same time. I know, it made me feel awesome. I was in bed by 10 though, because I've had this cold coming on for a few days and after making the meal and cleaning and such I was just exhausted.
Sunday, I woke to find a day that meant in the Bush/Kelleher house, you stay in bed and watch movies all day. It was gray, dark, rainy and freezing. Soo I woke up around 12, watching a scary movie with Sean, and then worked on my feminism final for a bit, had thanksgiving dinner again and then watched Love Actually and passed out. It's lovely doing nothing and not having anywhere in particular you need to be.
This week is going to be full of studying though, I had exams next Monday and Tuesday. I am a bit worried because they are all essay questions and they count for 80% of the class. Hopefully they will take pity on my American soul. I'm off for a nap though, I got up at 8 and helped Aunt Mary run Aideen's preschool class for 3 hours. It was nice being around little kids again. They are a lot of fun and they are far less complicated human beings. I sometimes forget how much fun it can be to look at the world thru the eyes of a little kid.
Good Afternoon Ireland, Good Morning America.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Things to be thankful for..
As I was wondering the streets of Paris, we started talking about how we couldn't die today because there were things people wanted to see and do . I think it was in regards to going to some country or something or about how we didn't want to be stabbed by gypsies on the streets of Paris. But as Steph and Tom listed off all the places and things that they wanted to do before they died. I remember thinking to myself: If today was my last day on Earth I would only ask that I could see my family one last time. To which Steph and Tom looked at me like I had 3 heads. I feel like since being in Dublin and in Europe.. I've realized that its the little things that matter the most. You never know how good you've got it until its gone. And at the end of the day, you can see the world. you can stand on mountains looking down at everything you have accomplished but if there isn't someone standing next to you or someone waiting at the bottom for you.. I feel like it didn't really matter. One of my favorite songs is by Brandi Carlile "The Story" and in it she says:
All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am
So many stories of where I've been
And how I got to where I am
But these stories don't mean anything
When you've got no one to tell them to
I guess on this Thanksgiving, I understand what she meant. If you don't have at least one person in this world who understands your short comings and still takes you as you are. Issues, phobias, annoying tendencies and all then nothing else really matters.
Good Afternoon Dublin and Good Morning America.
All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am
So many stories of where I've been
And how I got to where I am
But these stories don't mean anything
When you've got no one to tell them to
I guess on this Thanksgiving, I understand what she meant. If you don't have at least one person in this world who understands your short comings and still takes you as you are. Issues, phobias, annoying tendencies and all then nothing else really matters.
Good Afternoon Dublin and Good Morning America.
Ahh Paris..
We left Dublin around 7:30 for Paris on Friday. I was very excited. I took french for about 6 years.. not that I was ever really good with speaking the language but I always felt like seeing the Eiffel Tower was on my list of things to do before I died. We arrived in France around 12am and then didn't get into our hotel and eat food until around 1:30am. We were awake and ready to tour Paris by 5:30. Tom had planned out the entire day because he had been in the city before and soo we took off to watch the sun rise over Paris at some church. I know, it would probably be a better reenactment of the day if I remembered what all the buildings were, but I don't and needless to say we walked up a lot of steps and the view was amazing. I guess its the highest point in Paris except for when your on the Eiffel Tower. We stayed for awhile and around 7.. I needed coffee and food. Soo we made our way to the red light district of Paris, where the Moulin Rouge is.. Of course the only songs I sang to myself while walking in Paris were from the movie Moulin Rouge soo it was fitting that I atleast see the place. We got a cafe au lait and a chocolate du pain (sp?) at some side bakery. Steph had the best french out of the group soo I opted for her to order everything for me (or I would just point and say "that one.") The breakfast was amazing but being American it didn't really fill me up. I had decided that if I was going to walk around for another 8 hours I was going to need more then just a pastry. Soo we stopped into the good old mickey d's. I was amused when I walked in to find 4 cross dressers ordering food. To be honest its extremely hard not to stare. Not that I really cared what they were doing but to just look at their clothes and makeup was fascinating to me. I didn't let myself look too long I didnt want to be rude. I was an American in France after all. We then made our way over the Louvre. We mainly used the metro to get around and I'm only going to say this once.. their metro system smells like pee. For all the things France is good at.. you would think that clearing the urine smell problem from their public transportation system would be one of them. Moving on, we got the Louvre and met up with Erica. We didn't go in because we were on a tight schedule and it costs 9 euros. I like art, but not that much, maybe when I go back and can mossy around for hours I will feel that 9 euros is money well spent. I still had to see the Eiffel Tower after all. We wondered around for awhile, got another cafe au lait and found bathrooms. We managed to make our way over Notra Dame. (I'm sure Libby is laughing at my french spelling) It was very pretty but there were a lot of gypsies. I'm not really a huge fan of gypsies or of anyone who asks me for money. I'm a poor college student they should be donating to my fund. We walked around Paris for a bit and found our way to the garden of love. It was gross, old people making out, not something you really need or want to see. But I'm sure if I had had someone to make out with in the garden I wouldn't have took any issue. Tom then wanted to see the Pantheon, where apparently a bunch of dead people are buried. I opted out of that tour. I was really tired at this point and I was getting hungry. So I just sat on the steps. I managed to pick up a few gifts, to later find out I was totally ripped off but I guess its bound to happen when your a tourist. We then had lunch where I ordered a cheeseburger and fries. Total American I know, but the french cuisine always upsets my stomach, and we weren't really walking where toilets were easily accessible. I must say the french made an amazing cheeseburger and fries though. I was impressed. We walked through the garden of Luxembourg. It was pretty and peaceful. After the garden, I was told that we were finally making our way to the Eiffel Tower. :-) Maybe I'm easily pleased, but I didn't really much care about anything else but the Eiffel Tower. It made me happy. We got there and apparently the french think its necessary to walk around with machine guns. I'm not sure why they do, I didn't really see any real threats, but Jesus it kind of takes away from the whole romantic experience when there is a man 4 feet from you with a gun that could kill you. Just saying.. It was about 4 or 5 by the time we got to the Tower and at this point the line was this long snake like thing and to wait in it meant hours of time. We were all tired and hungry and no one wanted to wait.. I wasn't going to stand in line alone not knowing how to get back to the hotel soo I took my pictures and never made it to the top. ::sigh:: We got back to the hotel around 6:30.. we ate a little dinner (sandwiches) and I put my head on my pillow and passed out. Everyone else got themselves up to go drink wine the french while I stayed in bed and outlined a paper. We were up for the flight at 6am and I was sleeping in my bed in Dublin by 12:30 in the afternoon.
Over all Paris was a beautiful city and I plan on going back. I feel like since we only had 4 months in Europe we booked trips that were short and in turn rushed. We basically got the highlights but I feel like there is something always missed when you do that. This just means I'll have to make my future husband take me back. Oh well. Good Afternoon Dublin and Good Morning America.
Over all Paris was a beautiful city and I plan on going back. I feel like since we only had 4 months in Europe we booked trips that were short and in turn rushed. We basically got the highlights but I feel like there is something always missed when you do that. This just means I'll have to make my future husband take me back. Oh well. Good Afternoon Dublin and Good Morning America.
The New Moon
I awoke on the 20th of Nov, geared up for New Moon. I had just finished watching Twilight for the 10000 time and I could barely contain myself. (I hadn't been to a movie theater in about 3 months.. for those of you who know me.. movies are my life)I woke up at 9:30 to get to the movie theater for 11. If I couldn't watch a midnight showing I was going to be at the first showing of the day. I got to the movie theater and was amazed to find that they had a Ben and Jerry's ice cream store in the movie theater. Movies. Ice Cream. Twilight. Heaven. The movie theater itself was huge and very comfortable. I was very impressed.
I was sadly not as impressed with New Moon. I know the book is always better then the movie..but maybe my expectations were raised a bit too much but I found the movie lacking something. I didn't really like the vampire eyes. I feel like they were a little too over the top verses the last film. Not that the last film was an Oscar winner but I felt like maybe they were trying too hard to live up to the chemistry of Edward and Bella of the last film that it became too overdone. Also I just didn't believe the Jacob and Bella together. but maybe I'm biased. The effects from the fight scene were definitely amazing and the werewolves were award winning. Maybe they thought that the chemistry from the last film was enough to hold this one and they decided to focus more on the visual aspect. I'm not quite sure. I also didn't like the ending..it was too much of a cliff hanger. Twilight's cliff hanger was nicely done..it left you wanting more. New Moon on the other hand.. gave me the feeling like the end of the movie was just cut right from the entire movie. Maybe that works for a TV series but not for a film we have to wait to see for another year.Twilight made me want to reread the entire series. New Moon didn't give me the same feeling.
I will give them credit though.. the soundtrack once again did not disappoint. Its been on replay since I bought it on itunes. If only Rob was on it again.
I was sadly not as impressed with New Moon. I know the book is always better then the movie..but maybe my expectations were raised a bit too much but I found the movie lacking something. I didn't really like the vampire eyes. I feel like they were a little too over the top verses the last film. Not that the last film was an Oscar winner but I felt like maybe they were trying too hard to live up to the chemistry of Edward and Bella of the last film that it became too overdone. Also I just didn't believe the Jacob and Bella together. but maybe I'm biased. The effects from the fight scene were definitely amazing and the werewolves were award winning. Maybe they thought that the chemistry from the last film was enough to hold this one and they decided to focus more on the visual aspect. I'm not quite sure. I also didn't like the ending..it was too much of a cliff hanger. Twilight's cliff hanger was nicely done..it left you wanting more. New Moon on the other hand.. gave me the feeling like the end of the movie was just cut right from the entire movie. Maybe that works for a TV series but not for a film we have to wait to see for another year.Twilight made me want to reread the entire series. New Moon didn't give me the same feeling.
I will give them credit though.. the soundtrack once again did not disappoint. Its been on replay since I bought it on itunes. If only Rob was on it again.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
New Moon is coming.. and soo is Paris.
And soo it begins.. I have reached the point in my trip where I have less then 2 weeks of classes left and the realization that I have to write 2 papers in the next week and a half with a trip to Paris in between. In the past couple of days, its hit me that my time in Ireland is coming to an end. Its bittersweet at this point. I suppose that is the way it goes.When you are finally comfortable in one place and know your way around its time to pack up again. On Saturday night, I took the bus into the city all on my own and walked the little ways to meet all my friends. I suppose it doesn't sound like such a big deal..but as I was doing it i felt so independent. I made me a little proud and left me with a feeling that I could do anything. Oo how far I have come. I think its the little things in life that you have to learn to appreciate.
Friday, New Moon comes out. A day Libby and I have been looking forward to for a year now. I woke up yesterday and missed the kid like crazy. I don't know why but when I opened my eyes it was like the one person I wanted to talk to was the kid that has always been around annoying the crap out of me. People can say whatever they want about Twilight but I guess as dorky as it sounds its something that Libby and I do together. While she is 15 and I'm 22.. I feel like it forms a bridge between us. I certainly won't feel right seeing it without her on Friday..but I'm sure as soon as it starts I won't really mind. ;-)
Friday, I am finally making my first trip to Paris!!! I can't wait to stand next to the Eiffel Tower. Its going to be a pretty short trip but it should be a good time. Tom is coming this time and he has the ability to keep me laughing through whatever trials or tribulations we encounter. Soo.. I'm excited. This also means Thanksgiving is coming up soon and my Euro Trip of 2009!!! It feels like forever ago that we were just planning these trips. And now we are actually doing them.
I also figured out that I am finished with exams and school Dec 08. This means I have 2 weeks in Europe after school is over!! I think we are all going to plan a trip or two.. it should be good times. Good night Ireland and Good evening America.
Friday, New Moon comes out. A day Libby and I have been looking forward to for a year now. I woke up yesterday and missed the kid like crazy. I don't know why but when I opened my eyes it was like the one person I wanted to talk to was the kid that has always been around annoying the crap out of me. People can say whatever they want about Twilight but I guess as dorky as it sounds its something that Libby and I do together. While she is 15 and I'm 22.. I feel like it forms a bridge between us. I certainly won't feel right seeing it without her on Friday..but I'm sure as soon as it starts I won't really mind. ;-)
Friday, I am finally making my first trip to Paris!!! I can't wait to stand next to the Eiffel Tower. Its going to be a pretty short trip but it should be a good time. Tom is coming this time and he has the ability to keep me laughing through whatever trials or tribulations we encounter. Soo.. I'm excited. This also means Thanksgiving is coming up soon and my Euro Trip of 2009!!! It feels like forever ago that we were just planning these trips. And now we are actually doing them.
I also figured out that I am finished with exams and school Dec 08. This means I have 2 weeks in Europe after school is over!! I think we are all going to plan a trip or two.. it should be good times. Good night Ireland and Good evening America.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Matters of the Heart...
When I started out on this journey, I joked about going to Ireland and finding some hot Irish guy to marry me soo I could run away to Ireland forever. And while I know that in every joke there is a little truth.. Come on, that would be a cute love story. But in my hearts of hearts that wasn't the real reason I came. I came to break away from a mold that I made for myself. It was a safe place, but it didn't give me much room to breathe. I didn't want to live life afraid to do something because it scared the crap out of me. And believe me, I was scared shitless. It didn't help that when I told most people they looked at me like I was little crazy and this was out of my league. But something inside told me to go, and after awhile it wasn't just whispering it was screaming at me. It was like one of those chance cards in Monopoly: "Do not pass Go, Go directly to Ireland." And soo no matter how painful it was to leave, I packed my bags and left. I didn't know what I was going to find or what I was looking for even. Maybe I was looking for reassurance in myself that I never really got b4 that I could make it on my own.
But of course, I'm a girl and this being the first time on a college campus, I went on dates and kissed boys and had fun. But it all left me with nothing but a feeling like something was missing.. it was like I wasn't finding what I was looking for.. and I wasn't willing to settle. So one morning after 1 too many crushes not going anywhere, I took a long hard look at myself and decided I was doing everything wrong. Just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should. So I decided that the rest of the time here was going to be spent on focusing on me, and let whatever the universe thinks I should have bring it to me.
And then a funny thing happend. It was a Friday night, Tom and Steph had gone to see the National Symphony and I found myself with nothing to do. Soo I decided that I would call up Emma and do something. We ended up at an interesting party (there was a cake with a naked chick on it).. but I was being open to new things. Everyone was pretty tired..It was the night after Stephs bday.. soo I was pretty tired. But when I got home to my apartment a strange thing happened. I came home to find Annabelle and a really cute guy sitting at my kitchen table. I remember thinking "way to go Annabelle." I went in to introduce myself and get some cake. His name was Sean and He was from Philadelphia. We all started talking and while I found most of what he said to be obnoxious but he was still able to make me laugh. There was something about him I couldn't put my finger on. He ended up staying till like 4:30am.
Its a month and a half later and we spend most of our free time together. Its a strange thing when you wake up and find yourself unexpectedly and totally unprepared to have feelings for someone else. Its always that moments where you decide to give up that the world finds a way to pull you back in. I don't know if its just the idea of it all or if it really is anything. And maybe its naive to believe that anything could come from it.. idk. To be honest I didn't even know if I would mention it on my blog for fear of looking dumb when it didnt amount to anything. But when I made the blog I decided that I was going to put the good, the bad, and the even sometimes ugly. No matter how it ends, it was part of the experience. I'm learning sometimes you just have to have a little blind faith. Good Morning America and Good Afternoon Ireland.
But of course, I'm a girl and this being the first time on a college campus, I went on dates and kissed boys and had fun. But it all left me with nothing but a feeling like something was missing.. it was like I wasn't finding what I was looking for.. and I wasn't willing to settle. So one morning after 1 too many crushes not going anywhere, I took a long hard look at myself and decided I was doing everything wrong. Just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should. So I decided that the rest of the time here was going to be spent on focusing on me, and let whatever the universe thinks I should have bring it to me.
And then a funny thing happend. It was a Friday night, Tom and Steph had gone to see the National Symphony and I found myself with nothing to do. Soo I decided that I would call up Emma and do something. We ended up at an interesting party (there was a cake with a naked chick on it).. but I was being open to new things. Everyone was pretty tired..It was the night after Stephs bday.. soo I was pretty tired. But when I got home to my apartment a strange thing happened. I came home to find Annabelle and a really cute guy sitting at my kitchen table. I remember thinking "way to go Annabelle." I went in to introduce myself and get some cake. His name was Sean and He was from Philadelphia. We all started talking and while I found most of what he said to be obnoxious but he was still able to make me laugh. There was something about him I couldn't put my finger on. He ended up staying till like 4:30am.
Its a month and a half later and we spend most of our free time together. Its a strange thing when you wake up and find yourself unexpectedly and totally unprepared to have feelings for someone else. Its always that moments where you decide to give up that the world finds a way to pull you back in. I don't know if its just the idea of it all or if it really is anything. And maybe its naive to believe that anything could come from it.. idk. To be honest I didn't even know if I would mention it on my blog for fear of looking dumb when it didnt amount to anything. But when I made the blog I decided that I was going to put the good, the bad, and the even sometimes ugly. No matter how it ends, it was part of the experience. I'm learning sometimes you just have to have a little blind faith. Good Morning America and Good Afternoon Ireland.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Wondering in the streets of London..
Thursday morning I awoke with another annoying sore throat. I wasn't all that surprised because due to Halloween, I was standing in the rain for about a good hour or hour and a half and I wasn't properly dressed because well, it was Halloween. Soo anyways, what I didn't bank on was this illness sneaking up the day before I left for London. Not only the day before but I was leaving for London at 4:30 am on Friday. This didn't leave me much time to make sure it wasn't strep again, or really make the decision of staying home and just eating the 70 euro airplane ticket was worth me feeling better faster.
It was about 10pm when I decided that I was going to go to London and of course I hadn't printed my tickets yet soo I had to make the trip to the library. I think this weekend taught me that generally the things that you should be doing or is the right thing to be doing generally should be the smoothest ride. I'm not sure why but from the very beginning of this trip, I didn't really have a good feeling. It was as if something in my gut was saying "umm.. maybe not." Soo there I was walking alone around 10:30 to the library to get a plane ticket for a trip I wasn't really all that excited about and I didn't feel good. When I got to the library I had forgotten my student id card and my credit card sooo I had to walk all the way back to my apartment and all the way back to the library. To be honest, I was very close to saying "screw it" but then the idea of throwing away 70 euro killed me soo I continued on. With some difficulty I managed to print the tickets and get home to pack up my stuff. I settled into bed to watch some Grey's Anatomy. I watched the bomb episode from season 2. I don't know why but that episode is probably one of my favorite episode. Morbid I know, but for some reason, I guess every once in awhile I feel like my hand is stuck inside a body with a bomb and I just want to look over at someone and say I'm scared and have them tell me everything will be ok.
Sean ended up coming over shortly after and we talked till about 3 am. I wasn't really tired and I guess I was more in the mood to be grumpy verses anything else. Poor guy had to deal with me. Anyways my alarm woke me up bright and early at 4:30am. I was dressed and leaving Sean soundly sleeping in my bed by 4:45 (so unfair). I met Erica and Steph and we went to the atm. Erica went first and had her atm card eatin by the atm. another bad Oman. I did have half a mind to leave right then and there and go back to sleep. But since it wasn't my card, I thought maybe it wasn't a Oman for me but for Erica. We went down to the bus stop and waited for about 30 minutes for the Aircoach. Stephs flight was at 6:45.. We decided to hop a cab soo Steph wouldn't miss her flight. We got through security and the rest of the airport experience unscathed.
Erica and I ended up on the same flight and we landed in London around 10:30 or so. I realized at this point I hadn't eaten anything at this point but a cup of coffee, nor had I slept since 4:30 am and I was running on an hour of sleep. Soo I bought a wrap and a lemon-aid and soo started the morning/afternoon of me falling a sleep on every form of transportation we sat on for longer like 10 minutes. We successfully found our way through the rail and tub and the streets of London to the hostel. The man at the desk told us that we wouldn't be able to get into the room till 2. I nearly collapsed right then and there. It was only 11:30 and I was already falling asleep. On the bright side, we were told that there was a bus that started and ended right in front of the hostel soo we wouldn't have to search all over creation for a bus. Since I couldn't sleep yet, we decided to go explore. We stumbled upon Parliament Square. I managed to take a few touristy pictures with the grunting and whining of Erica and Steph. Then we went off and started roaming in different directions, we managed to find our way to the national gallery. The fountains were pretty. I didn't get any pictures tho. We had a cup of coffee and then we decided to walk back. I fell asleep on the bus ride home. First time in my life that I was that exhausted, I don't think my body has ever just shut down on public transportation before. It was kind of like when I had mono when I would just sit down on a coach and I'd be out in 2 seconds. But I was on a bus.. kinda gross. I think we got back right at 2 and I made my bed and crawled into it. I didn't wake up till 5.
When I awoke, I found Erica and Steph a bottle deep in red wine, with a box of ritz and some cheese. They were sitting on the balcony in the rain, giggling and telling their life stories. Since sitting in the rain isn't really my scene and I felt like maybe it was time for them to sober up a little, we went to get dinner. They wanted Italian. I found it humorous that we would go to London for Italian food but ask and you shall receive. After much wondering in the rain we settled on a place called The Italian Eatery or Italian Factory or something to that affect. It was small and quaint and everyone had Italian accents. Maybe I am spoiled by my own lasagna or maybe I'm just used to my own but I wasn't impressed with their lasagna. Not enough cheese, and the meat was nothing to write home about. Also it was tiny. When I get Italian, I expect to have enough for breakfast the next morning. I got a square. Sooo I decided I would get some tiramisu. Which is my favorite dessert in the world. You would think that in an Italian place it would be good. Again nothing to write home about. Steph's dinner put her mouth on fire. I was actually going to order what she got but when I saw chillies in the description I decided to play it safe. I don't appreciate my mouth being on fire. Steph also got bread pudding.. that was to die for. It made me want my Mom's bread pudding. ::sigh:: Everyone was stuffed and exhausted soo we made our way back to the hostel. On the bus ride home Steph was the one who was falling asleep. I didn't get a picture tho because she kept waking up but it was funny. We got back to the hostile and called it a night.
We were all up and awake and ready to go by 9:30. We had free breakfast that consisted of toast and coffee. I noticed that I have started to drink more coffee here. I'm not sure why, I wasn't much of a fan at home but here I find that its hard to get through a long day without one. We hopped on the 24 bus and headed for Buckingham Palace. We found it with little issue and when we got there we happened to have stumbled upon the guard change. Its funny how things like that happen. I must say that while I was there I felt like the British guards were quite rude to the people. I felt more like a peasant then anything else. Sometimes I just want to scream, I may be a tourist but I do understand English and I'm not an idiot. One guard called a women stupid for trying to cross the street when no cars were going. Then another guard yelled at this Chinese women (not to say she didn't deserve it) but when she yelled at her she said something to the affect of "Do as your told." I felt like I was 5 years old again, and I didn't want to do something and I was being yelled at for it.
Anyways, we then decided to make our way over the London Eye. We bought our tickets and had about an hour or so to kill soo we ate some Mcdonald's. I finally found fries that taste like the ones at home. Amazing. Btw I also have learned that Europe doesn't believe in honey mustard. I can't find it anywhere. Soo around 1, Steph and I boarded our capsule and took the London Eye to the top and saw London from every direction. I was amazing, something everyone should experience once in their lives. We got very lucky because the weather was beautiful and we were able to get a good view of everything. After we got off the Eye, we went and had some soft serve vanilla ice cream. Yum. Erica wanted to take a river cruise to the London tower, soo we boarded the ship and set sail.
The ride was rather short lived and to be honest I just had some alone time with my Ipod. The thing about traveling is when you go with a bunch of people, you not only have to manage dealing with the foreign land and how they do things but you also have to deal with how the people in your group travel as well. Its not the easiest thing in the world because everyone has their own idea of fun.
Our next destination was The Globe Theater. After we got a little lost, we managed to find it. Call me dumb, but I didn't actually know that the orginal was knocked down and had a bridge put on top. The replica was amazing. They had a cool exhibt that gave some history of London and how life was back in the time of The Globe. It was definitly worth going too. At this point it was about 5 in the evening.. and soo we all decided to head back to the hostile.
Now the next part, has some explanation needed. When Erica was flying to Dublin.. she met a guy on the plane. He was going to London and they apparently hit off. Soo when he invited her to come to London to go to a party he was hosting she said Yes. And about 2 months ago when we booked the trip.. the idea of going to a party while in London didn't seem like such a bad idea. After all I didn't really want someone I knew going off alone to meet some guy who they barely knew. Call me a worry wart.. call me uptight..call me whatever you want. But I just don't think its the best idea in the world. And soo I agreed to go with her. But as the time got closer and closer and more and more info was shared. (Like me realizing we wouldn't be in the city for this party) I became more and more nervous. I guess in the past I have learned that I have to have some control over how I'm exiting a party. And whether I have the option to leave a situation if I don't find that I like it. Well the closer and closer I got to this situation.. I felt this tightening of my throat and just an uneasiness. Now, I'm sure the guy was a nice guy. I'm sure he doesn't hang around with bad people.. but the truth of the matter is you never know, and while I'm traveling in a foreign country there are some risks I'm not willing to take.
We ended up getting lost on the way back from The Globe. I would say its a safe conclusion to say that we spent about half of the time in London lost. We got back to the hostel and ate dinner and over dinner it came to me. Erica and Steph wanted to go to the party.. I only the other hand wasn't in the mood to party.. I didn't want to go. But I didn't want to stay in a hostel in London alone either. So I decided that I would go to the town they were staying in and book a hotel. So I went online, found a Best Western and booked a room. I guess in retrospect I could have found a cheaper place but I just had this voice in my head saying "Mom, would want you to be safe in a place and somethings you don't go cheap on." The moment I booked the hotel all my anxiety disappeared and I was actually able to enjoy the rest of the evening. It was as if this big weight had been lifted from my shoulders and I could finally not have to worry about where I was sleeping that night.
We made it to the train station and with a little difficulty we managed to figure out the train system. things Didn't seem as straight forward as I would have liked. There was this big moving board that had train times of departures. I didn't understand why they only tell you like 5 minutes b4 the train leaves which platform its leaving from. It didn't make much sense to me. When our train stopped in (I forgot the name of the place) I parted ways with Erica and Steph. Part of me didn't think it was the best idea to split up but as my mother always says "Survival of the fittest." At the end of the day I only need to worry about myself and let others do what they may.
I spent 50 pounds (about $80) on the hotel. It was worth it. As soon as I walked into the room it was nice and toasty warm. First thing I did was turn on the TV. I haven't watched a TV in months. I found CSI.. nothing like watching American TV in England. I poured myself a glass of wine, sat down and wrote in my journal and then took a nice long shower and finished with a cup of tea and biscuit. It was a nice end to a very long tiring 48 hours.
The next morning, Steph met me in the lobby and we were off to the airport. The train wasn't as easy as it was made out to be but we managed to figure it out and made it to the airport with just enough time. We were both on separate flights soo I ended up having to wait in the Gatwick airport alone for about an hour or so. If anything I felt more like a grown up and independent then ever. I have figured out how to navigate a foreign city, airport and book/stay in my own hotel room. its the little things that matter.
We made it back to UCD by around 4 or so and we parted ways with the intention of meeting for dinner around 6. Around 6:30-7 Steph, Tom, Annabelle, Sean and I were all gathered in my apartment laughing and ordering wings and pizza. All in all it was a good experience. Somethings I'm not sure I need to experience again but experience none the less. I fell asleep nice and warm in my bed to the sound of football in the background.
It was about 10pm when I decided that I was going to go to London and of course I hadn't printed my tickets yet soo I had to make the trip to the library. I think this weekend taught me that generally the things that you should be doing or is the right thing to be doing generally should be the smoothest ride. I'm not sure why but from the very beginning of this trip, I didn't really have a good feeling. It was as if something in my gut was saying "umm.. maybe not." Soo there I was walking alone around 10:30 to the library to get a plane ticket for a trip I wasn't really all that excited about and I didn't feel good. When I got to the library I had forgotten my student id card and my credit card sooo I had to walk all the way back to my apartment and all the way back to the library. To be honest, I was very close to saying "screw it" but then the idea of throwing away 70 euro killed me soo I continued on. With some difficulty I managed to print the tickets and get home to pack up my stuff. I settled into bed to watch some Grey's Anatomy. I watched the bomb episode from season 2. I don't know why but that episode is probably one of my favorite episode. Morbid I know, but for some reason, I guess every once in awhile I feel like my hand is stuck inside a body with a bomb and I just want to look over at someone and say I'm scared and have them tell me everything will be ok.
Sean ended up coming over shortly after and we talked till about 3 am. I wasn't really tired and I guess I was more in the mood to be grumpy verses anything else. Poor guy had to deal with me. Anyways my alarm woke me up bright and early at 4:30am. I was dressed and leaving Sean soundly sleeping in my bed by 4:45 (so unfair). I met Erica and Steph and we went to the atm. Erica went first and had her atm card eatin by the atm. another bad Oman. I did have half a mind to leave right then and there and go back to sleep. But since it wasn't my card, I thought maybe it wasn't a Oman for me but for Erica. We went down to the bus stop and waited for about 30 minutes for the Aircoach. Stephs flight was at 6:45.. We decided to hop a cab soo Steph wouldn't miss her flight. We got through security and the rest of the airport experience unscathed.
Erica and I ended up on the same flight and we landed in London around 10:30 or so. I realized at this point I hadn't eaten anything at this point but a cup of coffee, nor had I slept since 4:30 am and I was running on an hour of sleep. Soo I bought a wrap and a lemon-aid and soo started the morning/afternoon of me falling a sleep on every form of transportation we sat on for longer like 10 minutes. We successfully found our way through the rail and tub and the streets of London to the hostel. The man at the desk told us that we wouldn't be able to get into the room till 2. I nearly collapsed right then and there. It was only 11:30 and I was already falling asleep. On the bright side, we were told that there was a bus that started and ended right in front of the hostel soo we wouldn't have to search all over creation for a bus. Since I couldn't sleep yet, we decided to go explore. We stumbled upon Parliament Square. I managed to take a few touristy pictures with the grunting and whining of Erica and Steph. Then we went off and started roaming in different directions, we managed to find our way to the national gallery. The fountains were pretty. I didn't get any pictures tho. We had a cup of coffee and then we decided to walk back. I fell asleep on the bus ride home. First time in my life that I was that exhausted, I don't think my body has ever just shut down on public transportation before. It was kind of like when I had mono when I would just sit down on a coach and I'd be out in 2 seconds. But I was on a bus.. kinda gross. I think we got back right at 2 and I made my bed and crawled into it. I didn't wake up till 5.
When I awoke, I found Erica and Steph a bottle deep in red wine, with a box of ritz and some cheese. They were sitting on the balcony in the rain, giggling and telling their life stories. Since sitting in the rain isn't really my scene and I felt like maybe it was time for them to sober up a little, we went to get dinner. They wanted Italian. I found it humorous that we would go to London for Italian food but ask and you shall receive. After much wondering in the rain we settled on a place called The Italian Eatery or Italian Factory or something to that affect. It was small and quaint and everyone had Italian accents. Maybe I am spoiled by my own lasagna or maybe I'm just used to my own but I wasn't impressed with their lasagna. Not enough cheese, and the meat was nothing to write home about. Also it was tiny. When I get Italian, I expect to have enough for breakfast the next morning. I got a square. Sooo I decided I would get some tiramisu. Which is my favorite dessert in the world. You would think that in an Italian place it would be good. Again nothing to write home about. Steph's dinner put her mouth on fire. I was actually going to order what she got but when I saw chillies in the description I decided to play it safe. I don't appreciate my mouth being on fire. Steph also got bread pudding.. that was to die for. It made me want my Mom's bread pudding. ::sigh:: Everyone was stuffed and exhausted soo we made our way back to the hostel. On the bus ride home Steph was the one who was falling asleep. I didn't get a picture tho because she kept waking up but it was funny. We got back to the hostile and called it a night.
We were all up and awake and ready to go by 9:30. We had free breakfast that consisted of toast and coffee. I noticed that I have started to drink more coffee here. I'm not sure why, I wasn't much of a fan at home but here I find that its hard to get through a long day without one. We hopped on the 24 bus and headed for Buckingham Palace. We found it with little issue and when we got there we happened to have stumbled upon the guard change. Its funny how things like that happen. I must say that while I was there I felt like the British guards were quite rude to the people. I felt more like a peasant then anything else. Sometimes I just want to scream, I may be a tourist but I do understand English and I'm not an idiot. One guard called a women stupid for trying to cross the street when no cars were going. Then another guard yelled at this Chinese women (not to say she didn't deserve it) but when she yelled at her she said something to the affect of "Do as your told." I felt like I was 5 years old again, and I didn't want to do something and I was being yelled at for it.
Anyways, we then decided to make our way over the London Eye. We bought our tickets and had about an hour or so to kill soo we ate some Mcdonald's. I finally found fries that taste like the ones at home. Amazing. Btw I also have learned that Europe doesn't believe in honey mustard. I can't find it anywhere. Soo around 1, Steph and I boarded our capsule and took the London Eye to the top and saw London from every direction. I was amazing, something everyone should experience once in their lives. We got very lucky because the weather was beautiful and we were able to get a good view of everything. After we got off the Eye, we went and had some soft serve vanilla ice cream. Yum. Erica wanted to take a river cruise to the London tower, soo we boarded the ship and set sail.
The ride was rather short lived and to be honest I just had some alone time with my Ipod. The thing about traveling is when you go with a bunch of people, you not only have to manage dealing with the foreign land and how they do things but you also have to deal with how the people in your group travel as well. Its not the easiest thing in the world because everyone has their own idea of fun.
Our next destination was The Globe Theater. After we got a little lost, we managed to find it. Call me dumb, but I didn't actually know that the orginal was knocked down and had a bridge put on top. The replica was amazing. They had a cool exhibt that gave some history of London and how life was back in the time of The Globe. It was definitly worth going too. At this point it was about 5 in the evening.. and soo we all decided to head back to the hostile.
Now the next part, has some explanation needed. When Erica was flying to Dublin.. she met a guy on the plane. He was going to London and they apparently hit off. Soo when he invited her to come to London to go to a party he was hosting she said Yes. And about 2 months ago when we booked the trip.. the idea of going to a party while in London didn't seem like such a bad idea. After all I didn't really want someone I knew going off alone to meet some guy who they barely knew. Call me a worry wart.. call me uptight..call me whatever you want. But I just don't think its the best idea in the world. And soo I agreed to go with her. But as the time got closer and closer and more and more info was shared. (Like me realizing we wouldn't be in the city for this party) I became more and more nervous. I guess in the past I have learned that I have to have some control over how I'm exiting a party. And whether I have the option to leave a situation if I don't find that I like it. Well the closer and closer I got to this situation.. I felt this tightening of my throat and just an uneasiness. Now, I'm sure the guy was a nice guy. I'm sure he doesn't hang around with bad people.. but the truth of the matter is you never know, and while I'm traveling in a foreign country there are some risks I'm not willing to take.
We ended up getting lost on the way back from The Globe. I would say its a safe conclusion to say that we spent about half of the time in London lost. We got back to the hostel and ate dinner and over dinner it came to me. Erica and Steph wanted to go to the party.. I only the other hand wasn't in the mood to party.. I didn't want to go. But I didn't want to stay in a hostel in London alone either. So I decided that I would go to the town they were staying in and book a hotel. So I went online, found a Best Western and booked a room. I guess in retrospect I could have found a cheaper place but I just had this voice in my head saying "Mom, would want you to be safe in a place and somethings you don't go cheap on." The moment I booked the hotel all my anxiety disappeared and I was actually able to enjoy the rest of the evening. It was as if this big weight had been lifted from my shoulders and I could finally not have to worry about where I was sleeping that night.
We made it to the train station and with a little difficulty we managed to figure out the train system. things Didn't seem as straight forward as I would have liked. There was this big moving board that had train times of departures. I didn't understand why they only tell you like 5 minutes b4 the train leaves which platform its leaving from. It didn't make much sense to me. When our train stopped in (I forgot the name of the place) I parted ways with Erica and Steph. Part of me didn't think it was the best idea to split up but as my mother always says "Survival of the fittest." At the end of the day I only need to worry about myself and let others do what they may.
I spent 50 pounds (about $80) on the hotel. It was worth it. As soon as I walked into the room it was nice and toasty warm. First thing I did was turn on the TV. I haven't watched a TV in months. I found CSI.. nothing like watching American TV in England. I poured myself a glass of wine, sat down and wrote in my journal and then took a nice long shower and finished with a cup of tea and biscuit. It was a nice end to a very long tiring 48 hours.
The next morning, Steph met me in the lobby and we were off to the airport. The train wasn't as easy as it was made out to be but we managed to figure it out and made it to the airport with just enough time. We were both on separate flights soo I ended up having to wait in the Gatwick airport alone for about an hour or so. If anything I felt more like a grown up and independent then ever. I have figured out how to navigate a foreign city, airport and book/stay in my own hotel room. its the little things that matter.
We made it back to UCD by around 4 or so and we parted ways with the intention of meeting for dinner around 6. Around 6:30-7 Steph, Tom, Annabelle, Sean and I were all gathered in my apartment laughing and ordering wings and pizza. All in all it was a good experience. Somethings I'm not sure I need to experience again but experience none the less. I fell asleep nice and warm in my bed to the sound of football in the background.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Tinkerbell and Sibling Rivalry..
Last Thursday was the beginning of our Halloween celebration here in Dublin. Steph was a Mexican, Tom was a china man, Sean was a rugby player and I was Tinkerbell (I don't know how many times I have to say that..haha) anyways Brooke was hosting a party in celebration of Halloween with candy corn, pumpkins and alcohol. It turned out to be a fun night. Though Sean and I left early so that we could watch the world series. (Side note: On Wednesday when Sean and I sat down at about 1am to watch the World Series.. of course we couldn't get any of the usual websites to work.. soo because I'm an understanding girl at how important the world series.. I pulled out my card and got us access to watch it. I just think its so cute how excited boys get over their sports)I ended up passing out before the game was over.Yankees won (Im sure Don is proud) I spent Friday in bed and being lazy. Friday night, after a day of doing nothing I decided I should at least made an attempt to do something so Tom and I went to meet Steph and her date at Doyles. I wasn't really in the mood to spend a lot of money soo we only stayed for a few hours. I ended up going into Mom mood tho when I realized how many drinks Stephs date was feeding her. It ended up working out but there were a few hours where I thought I might have to get out of bed and get in a taxi after her. Saturday, we had plans to go watch Sean play rugby while Stephs ex Erik was in town. The plans were changed last minute because of a stupid glitch and we just ended up eating my favorite Spar sandwich and talking. After a nap, we all made dinner together and got ready for Halloween in Dublin.
Let me just say that the night didn't turn out as expected. It was Erica's 21st day and her family was visiting from the states. So her little sister ended up coming out with us. Now I am a little sister and an older sister. I know all too well what its like to be the annoying younger sister and the annoyed older sister. When your younger and this little person comes into your life who is cuter, funnier, and smaller then you.. there isn't much you like about them. They are annoying. They take all the attention. They take your toys.. get you in trouble.. the annoyances that a little sister poses on your life are endless. So when your turning 21.. a day that is supposed to be a night of lots of drinking and all about you..and you find yourself in the position of having your younger sister around watching guys flirt and buy her drinks.. its never a recipe for anything good. Don't get me wrong my little sister is one of my best friends but there are some things and sometimes where you just want it all about you. Tho 21 may not be your wedding day.. its a pretty deal. Needless to say the night got ugly. Everyone drank way too much and tears were shed by multiple parties, including yours truly. Every other night there would have been a line of taxi's waiting outside of Temple bar, but on Halloween there were lines for taxi's everywhere. And I ended up wearing my cotton coat and of course it rained. So we ended up waiting in the pouring rain for about an hour or so. By the time I got home by 5am..I took a hot shower because I couldn't feel anything..crawled in bed with a cup of tea and then spilled the tea all over my bed and Ipod. So I think it goes without saying there is nothing about Halloween that I want to repeat in the future. I woke up on Sunday a little traumatized from the night before and decided to get up and do my laundry.. it wasn't open so I went and sat with the ducks at the pond and did some self reflection. While a lot can be said for drinking a lot and getting upset, I feel like sometimes those feelings that come out are feelings that should be looked at and try to find the deeper meaning to them. Maybe I over think things too much.. Obviously slowing down on the drinking is one of the best solutions to upset feelings but even if you don't drink those feelings are still inside of you. Soo I just took some time to think them over. I came back to my room and found out from Annabelle that Ben and Jerry's was giving out free ice cream in temple bar at a chocolate festival. To which I texted Steph "Get out of bed, we are going to get free ice cream" We decided after a night like Halloween that a day to eat our feelings would be just the thing we all needed. So Tom, Steph, Annabelle and her friend and I went to the chocolate festival. It was the best 2 euro brownie I ever had and free ice cream is just amazing on principle. After the chocolate festival we decided to go to Hard Rock Cafe for lunch/dinner. No one was really impressed. The place was tiny and the service was horrible. Eating out in Ireland has the worst waiters and waitresses. Because tips are required, it takes forever to get your drinks let alone your meal. I think its kind of a catch 22. They don't get tips so they don't perform well enough to get tips. If I received better service I would probably tip but anyways. We had a little photo session with James Joyce.. Jmac told me it was imperative that I get a photo for him.
Being that Nov 1 was Erica's official birthday we decided to stay in the city and meet her for beer and football at Wool Shed's. I think I have watched more sports in Ireland then I have in my entire life. Crazy.. who would have thought. After 2 months, I finally got my wings!!! They were decent.. a little small for my taste but they were close enough to American buffalo wings. The Eagles won (Sean was happy, Erica wasn't) We headed back to UCD around 10 and I was in bed and sleeping by 12. I didn't get anything done for school but to be honest it was prolly one of the best leisurely days I've had in Dublin. I think we have finally gotten to the point where we are comfortable walking around at our own pace and actually know where we are and how to get places without too much confusion. After a night like Saturday, I think we all just needed a day to recoup from the madness that was Halloween. I also managed to buy myself a Jacket at Gap and a few long sleeved cotton shirts. I bought the jacket just in time because the sale ended on Sunday and it seems that the weather has take a turn for the colder. Soo I got my jacket 30% off and plus another 10% because Tom knew the guy working. Shopping is like a sport to me. Finding exactly what I need when I need it is like winning a game. And the amount that I saved on the item are my points. Haha.. I am officially a huge dork. I have to go work on some papers before I leave for London this weekend. Good Evening Dublin and Good Afternoon America.
Let me just say that the night didn't turn out as expected. It was Erica's 21st day and her family was visiting from the states. So her little sister ended up coming out with us. Now I am a little sister and an older sister. I know all too well what its like to be the annoying younger sister and the annoyed older sister. When your younger and this little person comes into your life who is cuter, funnier, and smaller then you.. there isn't much you like about them. They are annoying. They take all the attention. They take your toys.. get you in trouble.. the annoyances that a little sister poses on your life are endless. So when your turning 21.. a day that is supposed to be a night of lots of drinking and all about you..and you find yourself in the position of having your younger sister around watching guys flirt and buy her drinks.. its never a recipe for anything good. Don't get me wrong my little sister is one of my best friends but there are some things and sometimes where you just want it all about you. Tho 21 may not be your wedding day.. its a pretty deal. Needless to say the night got ugly. Everyone drank way too much and tears were shed by multiple parties, including yours truly. Every other night there would have been a line of taxi's waiting outside of Temple bar, but on Halloween there were lines for taxi's everywhere. And I ended up wearing my cotton coat and of course it rained. So we ended up waiting in the pouring rain for about an hour or so. By the time I got home by 5am..I took a hot shower because I couldn't feel anything..crawled in bed with a cup of tea and then spilled the tea all over my bed and Ipod. So I think it goes without saying there is nothing about Halloween that I want to repeat in the future. I woke up on Sunday a little traumatized from the night before and decided to get up and do my laundry.. it wasn't open so I went and sat with the ducks at the pond and did some self reflection. While a lot can be said for drinking a lot and getting upset, I feel like sometimes those feelings that come out are feelings that should be looked at and try to find the deeper meaning to them. Maybe I over think things too much.. Obviously slowing down on the drinking is one of the best solutions to upset feelings but even if you don't drink those feelings are still inside of you. Soo I just took some time to think them over. I came back to my room and found out from Annabelle that Ben and Jerry's was giving out free ice cream in temple bar at a chocolate festival. To which I texted Steph "Get out of bed, we are going to get free ice cream" We decided after a night like Halloween that a day to eat our feelings would be just the thing we all needed. So Tom, Steph, Annabelle and her friend and I went to the chocolate festival. It was the best 2 euro brownie I ever had and free ice cream is just amazing on principle. After the chocolate festival we decided to go to Hard Rock Cafe for lunch/dinner. No one was really impressed. The place was tiny and the service was horrible. Eating out in Ireland has the worst waiters and waitresses. Because tips are required, it takes forever to get your drinks let alone your meal. I think its kind of a catch 22. They don't get tips so they don't perform well enough to get tips. If I received better service I would probably tip but anyways. We had a little photo session with James Joyce.. Jmac told me it was imperative that I get a photo for him.
Being that Nov 1 was Erica's official birthday we decided to stay in the city and meet her for beer and football at Wool Shed's. I think I have watched more sports in Ireland then I have in my entire life. Crazy.. who would have thought. After 2 months, I finally got my wings!!! They were decent.. a little small for my taste but they were close enough to American buffalo wings. The Eagles won (Sean was happy, Erica wasn't) We headed back to UCD around 10 and I was in bed and sleeping by 12. I didn't get anything done for school but to be honest it was prolly one of the best leisurely days I've had in Dublin. I think we have finally gotten to the point where we are comfortable walking around at our own pace and actually know where we are and how to get places without too much confusion. After a night like Saturday, I think we all just needed a day to recoup from the madness that was Halloween. I also managed to buy myself a Jacket at Gap and a few long sleeved cotton shirts. I bought the jacket just in time because the sale ended on Sunday and it seems that the weather has take a turn for the colder. Soo I got my jacket 30% off and plus another 10% because Tom knew the guy working. Shopping is like a sport to me. Finding exactly what I need when I need it is like winning a game. And the amount that I saved on the item are my points. Haha.. I am officially a huge dork. I have to go work on some papers before I leave for London this weekend. Good Evening Dublin and Good Afternoon America.
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