A Month

I suck. I know. If it makes you feel any better - my house is a mess, I have no food in it, I haven't consolidated my loans, and it's almost the end of January and we still haven't sent Danny's parents their Christmas presents because I haven't had time to finish the scrapbook. I'm exhausted. I need a full 48 hours of nothing but sleep.

It's Saturday and I'm working and it's the only reason I have time to type this, although it means that none of the other stuff on the list above that I'm meant to be taking car of is getting done. Oh, well. Such is life. Winter is not meant to be this busy!

Spring is going to be busy though. I've got visitors every month from here until summer. Heather's taking Ireland by storm next month and I can't WAIT. I haven't seen her since her commitment ceremony two years ago but she's the kind of person who can turn a horrible night into a good memory by knowing just the right thing to say. That, and I haven't had a decent short skirts/long jackets night out in ages!

March is my cousin Alex and her boyfriend (also my former co-worker) Andy. That should be good fun and they're renting a car so I won't feel bad if I can't entertain them because I'm working some of the week. It's St. Patrick's Day so I'll have a day or two off anyhow - which will be nice.

April is my mom and cousin Dorothy (my dad's cousin, really). Mom knows all the tricks and spots to go and I think they're renting a car during the week too, so also an easy visit (I just feel bad when people come and I have to work - I feel like I'm neglecting them!). It's my birthday while they're here - although my sister Shaine is pissed that she's stuck home with Dad for her 21st!

May is my Aunt Sharon (Alex's mom) and her friend Deyette. They're a fun couple of gals and they'll be in and out and around the country. I have to do a bit of research for castles they can stay in. I really liked Kinnitty castle, so I think I'm going to check into it. You feel like a princess stepped back into medieval times when you're there - just with all of the modern conveniences.

I'm sure summer will see Mom and Dad back and I think they want to bring Shaine and her boyfriend Greg too. How we'll get everyone around is beyond me - maybe rent a minivan?? Who knows, who cares?

So busy, busy, busy - but plenty of room for more visitors if you want to stop over too!!! I've got to go check on the boys - I'm hoping they want to get out of here as badly as I do so they'll finish up early. I don't think they took any lunch break, which is a good sign that they might be finished up soon! I'll keep my fingers crossed! ;-)

If there were an award

for 'ultimate slacker when it comes to blogging' I'm pretty sure I'd win it. Things have been crazy around here. The commute still isn't helping. It took me three and a half hours to get home last night thanks to a guy breaking down in one of the two lanes going through a construction zone. Sweet. Oh - and I had a guy try to drill his arm off at 4pm yesterday as well (it was an accident)e. Not too many dull moments around here!

Tomorrow is my last day of work and then I fly out to go home on Thursday. I haven't even taken my suitcase out to fix the handle (Samsonite sucks, by the way - second bag to break on me), let alone pack anything into it. I'm meant to bake Christmas cookies, clean the house, and finish this project up before I go as well.

At least the project is coming along nicely. Lots of little things left to do like mastic (caulking), some electrical cover plates, some flooring details, cleaning, etc... But most of the big stuff is sorted. Fire alarm is the big thing and that's being done as I type.

I'm super excited about going home for Christmas. I really need to get going so I can get all of this stuff finished and enjoy my break! If I don't manage to get back on here for another week or so, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! ;-)

Just In Case

Just in case you are wondering what on earth has happened to my blog... my reason is that it is now 7.30pm and it is the 2nd time all day I've been able to sit in front of my computer. I'm waiting for people to finish up on site (probably another hour or so) and then I have to trudge along on my 2 hour journey home, which will probably be much shorter tonight without the rush hour traffic. One bonus. This isn't the latest I've been here, nor is it the most tired I've been. It doesn't leave much room for blogging. Or sleeping. Or eating. So don't feel left out - I've also been ignoring things like that - it's not that you fall low on the list.

I will work on being a better blogger. Perhaps I'll make it a New Year's resolution. I should have more time in the New Year anyhow. That will help. I SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO can't wait for this project to end. They'd have to send me to Northern Ireland to get me any further away and I don't think my visa allows it so at least I can look forward to being closer to home! ;-)

Today FM

So I called in to request a song this morning on the way to work and got put on the radio. Won some Cd's just for getting picked! Not sure what Cd's they're sending. I like anything though - I think they mentioned a 3 CD 60's compilation, which would be cool. I like oldies but all of mine are on cassette tapes from when we used to make mixes in highschool (I'm SO old!). :-) Probably an Irish band or two thrown in there as well. I've had people ringing and texting all morning to pick on me as well. I picked ACDC Hells Bells first but they were already playing You Shook Me All Night Long so I went mellow/sing-a-long with Son of a Preacher Man. :-) The amount of SHITE I'm getting for that pick.... There are only a handful of radio stations here and most of them are nation wide so everyone listens to the same thing. I even heard from my ex-boyfriend's old roommate who moved back over here from the States. How funny is that?

I'm going to try to get a few pics posted. If I don't get back to post again, hope you have a nice weekend!

Super Slacker, Part II

I know. I know. I suck at blogging. I’ve honestly just been SO busy though. This job is sucking the life right out of me. The driving isn’t helping. I will NOT be sad to see my next job site. It had better be something in Arklow. I deserve it after not moaning (too much) about having to come up here. Nobody else gets a short stick like that! On the bright side – I still have a job, so who am I to complain?

Let’s see… I haven’t written much about Ireland and Irish news items lately so I’ll give that a go. Gotta love the Irish government. On the same day that they announced super pay hikes for top ranking officials (Bertie Ahern, who is the country’s leader, is now one of the top paid leaders in the world with his 38,000 euro per year raise) they also announce that L-drivers (people with provisional licenses, like learner permits) are not allowed to drive by themselves anymore.

First of all, the law states that they aren’t allowed to drive by themselves anyhow. Unless, of course they are on their SECOND provisional license – then they can drive without an experienced driver in the car. If they get their third then they’re back to having somebody drive with them. Does that make sense to anybody out there??? So anyhow – the law states they’re meant to have somebody with a full license in the car with them at all times but it’s hardly ever enforced. They suddenly decide that they’re going to fine people 1,000 euro if they’re caught driving alone.

While I agree that people shouldn’t be driving alone in the first place, I also have to say that it’s well known that the police turn a blind eye to it and therefore people have built work, social, and sports lives around being able to drive alone. They were originally giving people 3 days to get that all sorted. It’s currently over a 6 month wait (at a good testing center) to get a driving test to have your license issued. I think something like 20,000 applications for tests flooded in the first day or two so you can imagine what that did to the wait time.

So anyhow – back to my original point. The government decided to announce all this the same day they announce the pay hikes. So as much as people would love to bitch and moan about the pay hikes, the license issue obviously affects them directly so the pay hike issue was left alone. Clever, wasn’t it? They eventually chilled out about the license issue (as was suspected they would since it was more of a distraction tactic than anything) and are saying it might start next year.

What takes the cake is that the same ministers who got the pay hikes are now telling everyone ELSE to not be too aggressive asking for pay raises and such, as the economy looks to be entering a slower period. Talk about some angry callers on the evening talk shows!! It’s kind of entertaining.

So those are the latest Irish news items anyhow. I’ll try to post again later with some personal updates if I get a chance. It doesn’t look TOO bad for work today, although it’s Friday and so I’m sure something will go wrong. That tends to be the case up here for some reason or another. Mondays and Fridays are cursed. We’ll see. If you don’t hear from me, have a great weekend! ;-)

A new record...

I think I've set a new record for slacking as far as posting goes. Give me a break though - I've been working crazy hours and with all of the driving I'm having a hard time fitting in the basics like sleeping and eating... I'll try to be better though. I feel like I say that a lot.

Anyhow - I'll try to post this weekend. Turmoil in the news regarding driving permits and license enforcement. It'll sound ridiculous to everyone living in the States but not so much here. It's wreaking havoc on people getting to work because they want to start enforcing the law that says you can't drive without a full license. Hmmm... crazy, huh? How could they do such a thing??? Lol. Ireland. Gotta love it.

Anyhow - I'm starving and my take-out should be here soon so I'll try to post this weekend since it's a bank holiday and we've got Monday off!! Woo hoo!! I'm also hoping I'll have a few good pics from my Halloween party tomorrow night. Oh! And updates about my sister Anne moving here! Keep checking. I swear I haven't forgotten you!! ;-)

Holy Slacker!!

So sorry! I didn't realize how long it's been since I posted. I'm not going to have a ton of time to post today but I thought I'd enlighten you guys with what's been going on for me on this side of the world.

I'm still driving a million miles a day to work (when I'm not taking the train anyhow) and it kind of sucks. The architect's rep is a royal pain in the hole and is going to drive me crazy before I leave here (which I will NOT be sad to do). In the last 2 work days I've had a fire and my blocklayers have been kicked off site (after 2 hours this morning I managed to get them let back on). I'm cranky from all of the driving and wish I had my life back!

They also called this morning to say that they're taking my fun '06 Peugeot 307 off lease and giving me the '04 Mazda. I suppose that won't be so bad because my sister will be in town and so I'll need the extra seats but I'm really going to miss the power in my little turbo-diesel car.

Last weekend I went to Reading to visit my old flat-mate Sion. It was a freakin' blast. I haven't had as much fun in a while and as soon as I find the connection piece for my camera I will put the pics up. They're good for a laugh anyhow. It was tough getting stuck on a bus (which they call a 'coach' here) full of 18 really fit rugby players with accents, but somehow I managed to survive...

We finally opened the crazy big shopping center next door to my place. I managed to get there to do a bit of grocery shopping the other day and the prices were pretty good. The stores look to have quite a few good items for sale and I may even find a pair of tall black boots this season (I looked all last year but with no luck and I need a pair because the heels are about to fall off mine). Once I get paid I may be a bit more inclined to do some shopping.

Oh - and my sister moves in next week. She's driving home from Cali to NY this weekend (and apparently has already been caught in a blizzard and gotten a flat tire) so we'll see what the trip over here has in store for her.

That's the fairly fast recap on what's been going on in my life. I'll get some pics of it all up as soon as I manage to sort out my camera. Hope everyone didn't miss me too much! ;-)

The Singles Table!

My Gaelic Football captain got married on Friday. What a day!! It was such a nice wedding and she looked AMAZING! It's so funny to see people who NEVER dress up all glammed up with hair, nails, tan, etc... So Friday we all took the day off and headed south into Wexford for a bit of wedding bliss.

The wedding was great and I ended up with my friend Janet, sitting at the singles table. Yep - all the other coupled up people on the team got placed around the room and we sat with all of their single male friends. Honestly, I can't complain because the guys were really nice and I think I paid for about 3 drinks all night. An Irish wedding lasts until sun-up, so that's a WHOLE lot of drinks.

It was rather entertaining because I think Janet and I may have been two of the only single girls there and she wasn't drinking and had to leave early because she was IN a wedding the next day, which left me. And the more they drank, the harder they tried. At one point my friend Paul asked if I was running a new 30 second Speed Dating show. It was kind of funny.

Anyhow - I took loads of pics so here are a few to entertain you:

The Bride and Groom (Mary and Michael)

This is our trainer, Paul. I'd say more than half the girls would LOVE to get some personal training from him.

This is the team with the bride and groom - we clean up pretty nicely, eh?

No, that's not a special dance to a song - that's what they looked like all night!

And what's a wedding without a little dancing on furniture and sticking of hands up skirts? In all fairness, Helen was only trying to keep Naomi from falling but we all got a good laugh out of it when we saw the pic!

So that was the wedding from last weekend. I actually started the post Thursday on the train but never managed to get it finished. On the train again = posting again. I'm hoping to take the train a bit more often, which means you'll see a bit more posts. Riding the train and working in Dublin has given me a few more fun things to post about so I don't think I'll be short on material.

Okay - enough for now. I'm going to wrap up, go home, and try to get a run in before I lose my motivation. I'll miss training tomorrow for the Xavier Rudd concert in Dublin, but more on that later!! ;-)

I was doing so well...

I know I’ve been a bit of a slacker about posting lately, but it’s tough with all of the traveling I’m doing when I don’t have an internet connection at work. I take for granted being able to rely on e-mail to get in touch with people at work sometimes. It’s definitely a lot harder when it’s not available. I’m hoping that will be remedied today with the help of a wireless internet card for up here, since the placement of my office makes it more than difficult for them to hook me up to the existing system at my current project.

I started my job in North Dublin on Monday. Holy commute! It takes between an hour and twenty minutes and an hour and a half to get up here in the morning, depending on when I leave. The killer is the two hours + it takes to get home at night. I’m wrecked after the morning drive and a long day at work and all I want to do is be in my own home with my own things, but I sit in traffic instead. I somehow managed to end up directly behind my friend/teammate Cliona yesterday, which was kind of funny. What are the odds?

Everybody keeps asking why I don’t just stay here during the week, but I’ve done the whole ‘living in hotels’ thing during the week and it makes me one completely miserable person. As it starts to get darker and the weather starts to turn to crap, I may start staying one night a week or something. In the meantime, my office isn’t even set up so I’m dragging loads of stuff back and forth and it’s way easier to just have my car up here.

My other option for traveling back and forth is the train. It’s about a 2 hour commute by train but I’d be able to sleep, or e-mail (with my handy new wireless internet card), or read (I think Harry Potter was the last book I even had my hands on), or post, or do work… You get the idea – it would at least be productive time. I could then spend the time at home crashed out on the couch or cooking (I made enough pasta/goulash on Monday to get me through most of the week) or whatever and still manage to get photos edited and e-mails written on the train. I may try it tomorrow and see how it goes.

So that’s the current work situation. The project itself is okay – nothing too special but it’s got a jammed schedule that I want to jam even further so I can get out of here ASAP and stop the insane commute. I can hardly understand a word the architect is saying between his crazy Cork accent and the mumbling – which makes me dread meetings and having to talk to him. Lucky for me he has a rep on site so I deal with the rep most of the time.

In other news – I’m heading of to London (well, Reading really but I figured most people wouldn’t know where that is) to see my friend Sion next weekend. He’s originally from Whales, I met him in Venice, and lived with him in Worcester. Funny, isn’t it? Very small world… Anyhow – I’m flying over after work on Friday and then heading back here on Sunday. He’s picking me up at the airport and then we’re chilling out Friday night and heading to his away game (rugby) on Saturday before going out in Reading. He’s sending me more details on what we’re doing but I haven’t been able to check my e-mail in two days (not entirely true since I could have checked it at home but was too lazy to pull my laptop out of the bag).

I’ve also posted a few pics – see tomorrow’s post for those. Phenomenal wedding on Friday. Mary was brilliant and it was a small enough wedding that we got to hang out with her and Michael all night long. They looked like they were having a blast. Just the way a wedding should be!!

Enough is enough. I have to get SOME work done today. See? I could have had this posted already if I were on the train on my wireless internet connection. Instead, I’ll have to wait until I can upload it later today. Ah, well. It’s Wednesday – as my friend Kara would say: Happy Hump Day!!!

Well then!

Not quite back up to par, but at least I'm posting once a week or more... It's a start and I'm blaming the sunny weather on the lack of posting. I'm okay with that though. I've got a long, dreary Irish winter to post all the blog stuff you could possibly read.

So the week's been a bit crazy. My GM pulled me into his office last week to tell me my next job is in Dublin, which is a 2 hour commute, at best. It's all the way to the top of the M50 and past the airport, so the traffic pretty much rivals going into NYC or Boston at rush-hour. Sweet. The job is meant to last for 6 months but I love a challenge so I'm shooting to get in done by Christmas (4 months). Completely possible if the lead times on materials can be sorted out. Anyhow - I'm meant to start up there on Monday (a week from today) so I have to get offices and everything else set up there this week. I'm also going to a meeting up there tomorrow to get a better handle on the place, people, and what's going on. We'll see how this goes. I'm also itching to meet with my bosses to discuss compensation for the 4+ hours of travel or having to stay up there during the week (so NOT appealing to me).

The weekend was good. Quiet, but good. Thursday we had our staff night out and it was a drunken fiasco, as usual. Fun though and everyone came back to my place and we didn't get to bed until 4am so it was a bit tiring as well, but that's alright. I didn't have a hangover to go with the exhaustion so I didn't mind quite as much. The rest of the weekend I just stayed in - saving both money AND calories. I think if I were to give up drink and cheese, I would drop 15 pounds without a problem. Right now, I'd rather the 15 pounds. Clothes fit just fine and I'm okay with that!

Speaking of food: Friday night I made homemade pizza (rosemary garlic dough from scratch) and made my first attempt at sushi. I made 4 rolls with combos of avocado, cucumber, carrot, scallion, and smoked salmon and chilled them for Saturday. It was gorgeous when I woke up Saturday so after running to the Farmer's Market in Gorey I rang Noush and we decided to make it a beach day. We went and laid out for a few hours and I packed sushi and cheese and crackers and iced tea. It was a perfect afternoon and we totally got to catch up with everything in the meantime.

Saturday evening was spent watching a bit of rugby and grilling up some chicken and fresh Farmer's Market veggies. Then yesterday I went to watch a rugby match and caught up on some movies. Three movies. That's more than I've watched since before my parents came. It was good to curl up on the couch and do nothing!

Back to work today. I'm so much more productive on Monday when I stay in over the weekend. I've gotten loads done today and it's only 11am. There's heaps to do before I have to leave it all at the end of the week (and Friday is a wedding, so I lose a day there!) so I'd better get back to it. Hope your Monday isn't too painful!! ;-)

Less Than a Week

Less than a week since my last blog. I'm pretty sure that's a recent record! Hopefully things will get back to something a bit more normal now that everyone's gone home and I have a bit of time to breathe. Don't get me wrong - I loved having my parents and my aunt here, but it was a whole lot of hectic at my place for 3 weeks! Work and everything else needs to get back to normal now!

So the last week they were here was fun. We didn't do a whole lot of big things - well, except for crashing a wedding. That wasn't planned but it was pretty fun. My aunt says she hasn't danced like that in 30 years and I believe her, because we stayed until the dj packed up at 3am.

Anyhow - we managed to get them all packed and to the airport (which took 2 cars, thanks to the crazy amount of luggage and the small size of cars over here). I got a text when they got back to Boston and I didn't hear from my sister, so I'm assuming they made it to Albany in one piece.

Now- back to work. I've got loads of little things to catch up to and I've got to get myself back into my weekly routine. My body is so happy that it includes heaps more sleep than it's been getting lately!!! ;-)

Wow!

Has it seriously been over 10 days since I posted??? The last week or two have been completely insane with my parents and aunt here, so I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. The last 5 days have been a complete whirlwind and I had time off from work to play tourist so I don't have much time to type, but here's a quick recap:

Thursday I took the afternoon off and we went to Powerscourt Gardens & Waterfall in Co. Wicklow. It was really nice and a good way to kill time on a nice afternoon. Then we went to Slly's Pub on Thursday night to see the Pianoman play, where were we ran into my ex. Always a fun time.

Friday we left around 10am and drove down the east coast, stopping by Waterford Crystal Factory to shop for pretty, sparkly things. Then we continued on our way along the coast to Blarney (which is right outside of Cork). I went into the Blarney Castle with Dad and Aunt and played photographer while Mom shopped in Blarney Woolen Mills. We learned THAT lesson when Kara and Crystal were here in April and we missed them kissing the damn stone. Dad and Aunt Rose got to kiss it though and even my dad seemed to have fun there.

Then it was on to Killarney, where we checked into a really sweet B&B and went into town for a few drinks at a local pub. Good times had by all. The next day was spent on a bus touring the Ring of Kerry and then Aunt Rose took us allout for a yummy dinner. Sunday we went to Muckross Gardens and Ross Castle before heading towards Galway. On the way to Galway we stopped at an awesome little beach where HEAPS (that's my new word, courtesy of my kiwi friend Danny) of surfers and people swimming. We left there and headed for the Cliffs of Moher.

People are stupid. There must be about a thousand signs telling you NOT to climb the wall because people DIE doing it. Yet people still insist on climbing the walls and standing on the very edge. These are NOT small cliffs, people. Ah, well. Darwin shall have his way.

We left the Cliffs and headed further north to Galway, stopping in this cute little village for the best seafood I've had so far in Ireland. It was really good. We got to Galway and checked into our place before heading into town for drinks at An Pucan, where they had traditional Irish music and then a local band who played old time songs and fun stuff.

Monday we spent on another bus, touring the Connemara Region before heading back to Galway for another yummy seafood dinner. Tuesday we were heading back home, stopping by the beach to collect pebbles and shells on the way.

It was a JAM packed weekend and I got in quite a bit of driving. I was happy to be sitting on coaches and getting a break every once in a while. I think I've perfected my tour guide roll in the west of Ireland anyhow and I got to see some new things. It's amazing how different the regions are. I'll put up pics once I get them downloaded.

Oh!! And I got to hold a lamb on the Ring of Kerry. Some of you will understand what a silly huge deal that is. I've got pics so maybe I'll post them too!!! I'll try to get them up before the end of the week but no promises. Everyone leaves Monday so I should have SOME time back on my hands then!!! ;-)

Brrr....

I'm sitting here at my desk trying to keep my fingers warm because the window is open and it is THAT cold outside. I'm wearing a fleece jacket and I'm still cold. It IS August, right? As my friend Naomi was saying 'This isn't even a bad summer - this is just Mother Nature taking the piss.' 'Taking the piss' would be slang for 'teasing' or 'making fun of' over here.

I'm tired today as well. Not complaining - just saying. I went out with the girls for a few drinks after the match. Literally. I kept it to 3 or 4 Coronas. And yes, they have Corona in Ireland. At my favorite bars they even keep lime in stock so I don't have to settle for drinking it with a lemon. I like the Corona because it leaves me hangover-free in the morning.

So our match last night was a doozy. It was against the worst team in the league. The girl who was marking me said the team was twice as big last year but they lost a load of players to pregnancy, marriage, moving abroad, and the like. Yes, I said the 'player who was marking me' because I actually PLAYED last night. Not only did I play, but I STARTED. I scored a goal with my left foot and everything! Very exciting stuff.

The invasion of the Americans is going well. It's kind of hard to keep people entertained in Wicklow County when they can't drive. The bus system isn't too bad though, so Mom and Aunt Rose have been to Dublin and Wexford to shop and walk around. I think they're having a good time. In the meantime I've had meals cooked for me, laundry washed, bathrooms and microwaves cleaned, and cupboards ('presses' over here) sorted out and organized. I won't complain. It's a lot of little stuff I haven't had time for because I've been crazy at work and trying to entertain them. We went shopping at Dundrum after work the other night and ate at TGI Fridays (yummy). It's tough because unless you're in Dublin just about the only thing open after work are the pubs.

Today they want to do my grocery shopping for me and have me pick them up with it on my way home from work. It should be a pretty quiet night for me since I have to get up at 4.30am to go get my dad. Well, I have to LEAVE then so I actually have to get up earlier. Then it's home to nap and then I'm making a big Irish breakfast for everyone and then it's off to the Stones concert at Slane Castle.

The concert should be awesome. I still have 2 tickets I'm trying to get rid of. I managed to get 13 people for the mini-bus I organized, which means it's only €30 per person round trip to go up and back. It's a long trip, so that's awesome. Plus is the STONES. It's one of those concerts you just HAVE to see. I have my wellies ready though - need to keep my feet dry because it's meant to be a wet one. What else is new?

Hope you have a good weekend and I should have a decent amount to report early next week. Maybe I'll hole myself up in my room this weekend and try to blog a bit. Might be a nice break from the madness that will be the rest of my apartment. ;-)

The Invasion Begins!!

It's the invasion of the Americans in Arklow. Mom and Aunt Rose are here and taking up space in full force. It's strange having people here after having the whole place to myself for so long. The company is nice, but I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy the peace and quiet when they leave after another 3 weeks. In the meantime, I get to be super-hostess. I enjoy that!

Today we're off to the Gorey Farmer's Market and to do a bit of walking around and shopping. It's a cute little town. It would be better if it weren't drizzly and crappy weather out, but at least it's not cold.

I'm off to shower and get ready. I have got a knot the size of Texas in my right shoulder/neck region (a bit of a tough week at work) and it really hurts. Anybody want to fix it for me! Have a good weekend! ;-)

Super Slacker!!!!

That's me. I'm a super slacker. Well, not really - I've actually been really busy so I haven't had time to blog. Yes, I realize I could probably make time but I've been too busy working and having fun. It's wedding season in Ireland so there are weddings, hen nights, bbq's, and everything else to squeeze into the summer months. Not that it's really been that summery. This week was alright but it's the first nice weather we've really had since April and it went away just in time for the holiday weekend. Go figure.

I'm waiting for my friend Maggie to come over so we can have a few drinks and go out. She's had a sad sort of weekend so I told her I'd cheer her up with daiquiris. The poor girl has never had a daiquiri!! Madness. So anyhow, I have all of this leftover fruit from the bbq I threw last night (a spur of the moment type thing that ended up being really fun and the food was great!) and some rum and some whipped cream. Can't go wrong once you throw in a little caster sugar (kind of like a really fine granulated sugar - not quite confectioners but smooth and small enough to dissolve easily). So waiting on her and testing out my recipe to make sure it comes out okay in the meantime. Yum. Seems to be working out alright!

So Mom and Aunt Rosie get here on Friday. I have to be up in Dublin at 5.50am to pick them up and then I'm heading into work while they get a bit of sleep. I'll probably take a half day but no point in being here all morning. They'll need a nap. I can come home and make them lunch at 1pm and still only use half a day so I can spend a few more afternoons with them while they're here. Dad gets here the Saturday after and then I'm dragging him and Mom to the Rolling Stones concert up at Slane Castle. Should be a good show!

I found some awesome new music. It's an Australian artist named Xavier Rudd. He's a lot like Dave Matthews with a few cool new instruments thrown in. My friend Danny (originally from New Zealand but spent the last 5 years in Oz) told me about his website so I checked him out and ended up downloading some stuff from I-tunes.

My sister Anne is thinking about moving over in October. I really need to ring her and find out if she's going to do it or not. My apartment is kind of expensive to keep on my own so if she's not going to help out a little bit with the rent then I'm going to have to find somebody else to take a room. A few hundred a month would make a huge difference. Not that I really want to give up having my own place but maybe I'll meet somebody as cool as some of my past roommates. There's always a chance, right?

Alrighty. I'm going to get Maggie's drink ready, as she should be arriving any second. I'll try to post some pics from the craziness that was my last week or so. Hope you're having a great weekend. Mine's an extra day long. Hooray for bank holidays!!! ;-)

Grey's

I am going to kill Bracken (I'll wait 'til tomorrow though - the triplets turned 29 today!) for talking me into watching this at the beginning of the season. I am SO hooked on it. How could you not be once you watched a few episodes??? There's at least one fantastic scene in every episode. I used to make fun of people for getting caught up, but now I've become one of them. Ugh. This is why I don't watch Lost.

I went to a fun wedding on Friday. The afters of the wedding really. I'll post a couple of the pics for you. There were Irish dancers, people wearing kilts (and nothing under them, by the way), lots of drinking, lots of dancing, and I figure the two broken shoes I came home with are a sign it was a good time.

The Lads

Jenny and I

Joan and Alice (She's Canadian!)

I didn't know Anto played bagpipes, but apparently he's an All-Ireland award winner and that's how everyone else knows who he is - learn something new every day!

That's me with my friend Mark. I have some very compromising pics of him in his kilt!

Me with my friend Ben. He makes me feel so tiny!

The wedding was serious amounts of fun. It was good to get out with everyone and dance for the night. They kept the resident's lounge open until after 4am, so it was a long night of drinking and I slept in for the first time in ages the next day. Didn't budge until 2pm. I haven't done that in ages but I think I needed the sleep.

There's another afters of a wedding on Thursday for Bracken's sister Fiona and our trainer/coach from last year, David. They met at a wedding last summer. Mad, isn't it? Then there's a going away party for work on Friday and a hen night on Saturday. It will be my first hen night (aka bachelorette party) in Ireland so I'm sure you'll hear all about it!! I'll try to get on later in the week! I've been such a slacker! ;-)

Need to Travel

I need to travel. I realized today that I've begun to take for granted the STUNNING views that are everywhere I have to drive. I miss that feeling of seeing a new view or a new place for the first time and trying to take it all in so you'll never forget it. I may have to suck it up and just do a bit of travelling myself this fall (or 'autumn' as I must call it here or they all make fun of me!).

My parents arrive in about 3 weeks. I'm in the throws of trying to plan what to do with them while they're here. They're bringing my great Aunt Rosie with them, who is 74 but likes to travel and tends to be up for just about anything. I feel a bit sorry for my father who is arriving on the 18th at 5.30am and is going to be dragged to an open-air Rolling Stones concert later in the afternoon. He'll just have to learn to live by my current saying 'I can sleep when I'm dead'.

I did a pretty good job of trying that out this weekend, with the Arklow Seabreeze Festival in full swing. Music was playing in all of the pubs and on all of the streets and they always bring in the best of the best bands. Well, as far as local and regional go. But that does include a lot of good bands. Vertigo, The Piano Man with Rory the Mean Fiddler, The Groove, Avalanche, etc... It was a good weekend for music anyhow.

Agh! Work all of a sudden got crazy today. So much for my morning break! I'll try to get a few pics from my staff function posted later on today. There were a couple of good ones! ;-)

Staff Night

So tomorrow night is our Midsummer Staff Night. I'm looking forward to it, mostly because I planned it so I'm anxious to see how it goes. I have a feeling it will be a good one though. It's the biggest group we've gotten to come out besides for the Christmas party, so I don't want to disappoint in the hopes of getting everyone to come out again.

I managed to get the entire back section of Sally's, the new bar in town, reserved for us. I've set up food (pizza, wings, garlic bread, sausage rolls, etc...) and they've even got the Piano Man and Rory the Fiddler (my favorites!) coming in at 9.30pm. Even without the staff function, that makes an awesome night on it's own.

It's been a long week with very little sleep, so I'm going to head to bed a little early tonight to try to catch up before tomorrow night. I have a feeling it's going to be a late one! ;-)

Agggh!

I know I'm a slacker, but I've been busy. Mostly because I've been trying to stay busy but it's backfired and now I'm so busy that I don't have time for anything. I've only taken lunch once in the past week!! I suppose it makes the time fly though.

I don't know what's up with the weather over here. It's been crap. Rainy and cool, which is not at all like last July. Then again, last July was the nicest July EVER here so maybe I was spoiled by it. If it keeps up, these are going to become the hottest fashion trend to ever hit Ireland!!

I thought it was funny anyhow. Big match against Bray this weekend. The semi-finals. They're even letting us play on County grounds. That's nearly unheard of. I'm looking forward to being a super-sub/spectator for that one. Even the girls who play County on our team are nervous!!

I've got to get back to work. I'm in between two job-sites, planning a staff party for a week from today and I've just been put in charge of the big end-of-project party. Lots to do!!! Have a good weekend if I don't get on here tomorrow. I'm not going out Saturday so I should be around to post! ;-)

Hmmm...

I would have SWORN I posted earlier this week, but the last post showing on my log is from last Friday. Oh, well - you get a post with pics this time now! Saturday was our Hoolie for the Geraldines and it was a lot of fun. We got a decent crowd and there was much drinking, dancing, and carrying on. Here are a few pics from the event:

Blondes DO have a lot of fun!

(Mary, Myself, & Frosty)

Steph & Sarah

Cathy & Suzanne dancing up a storm!!!

Dee (drunk is background), Frosty, & Fishy

Bracken (tough girl with her football bruise), Michael, & Lisa

Paul (our trainer) & his wife, Deidre

Andy & Me

It was a fun night and there were lots of laughs. The people with the funny nicknames do have real names, but the nicknames are way more fun. I found that screwdrivers don't give me hangovers (yippee), I learned I can waltz (thanks to Milo, my South African friend), and I met a load of great new people.

This week has been crazy with work, training, and matches. I've been working late and I've been wiped out when I've finally gotten home. I'm looking forward to a little bit of relaxing this weekend (although I have a sneaking suspicion that Saturday will be spent at work for at least part of the day).

I'll try to blog again tomorrow night. The new pub opens in town but I haven't managed to talk anyone into going over to check it out with me. I know it can be done though so I'll just keep on trying! ;-)