Hello, 2012

Going and being home for Christmas break is always strange and wonderful.

I don't feel like my life is in Holt Michigan, anymore. I mean, it's NOT in Holt, Michigan any more. Few friends still live there, and when I go I'm transported back to my high school days staying at my parents house and sleeping in a twin bed. Only now, they have cable. In both scenarios I don't have a car so mobility is a problem. Not that I'd drive much, anyway because I've sort of forgotten how to drive in anything but sunshine and rain.

But I love being in Michigan. A big part of my heart is still there and most of the better parts of who I am are there, too. Plus, with a little creative scheduling and very nice parents, I managed to see quite a few people.

It wasn't nearly as snowy as I wanted--I think it was near 50 when I first showed up. I felt like I brought the Miami weather with me--and brought the Michigan weather back to Miami, unfortunately--which no one in Michigan was mad about. A little snow fell here and there, and I certainly spent a good deal of time being cold, so I guess it felt a little bit like Christmas. Downtown Lansing even looked a little festive.

Hello Capital City!

And here's the snow on our bush in the front yard, from later in the break. I thought it was pretty.

Winter wonderland, indeed.

I spent a good deal of Christmas break, as I said previously, watching rented movies and Netflix. I saw several "classics": The Deer Hunter (intense but amazing and Christopher Walken is the terrifyingly captivating), A Clockwork Orange (Di. Stur. Bing.), Amadeus (long but fascinating, despite the guy from Animal House playing the title character). I saw Young Adult in the theater which... wasn't what I expected but I connected with it anyway. There were some moments the resonated with me, but overall it wasn't as funny or witty as I had imagined it would be.

Christmas festivities were fairly traditional. Cuban side for Christmas Eve, ate some Cuban food, took the traditional cousin's picture (we look better every year, I swear), and loved on some family. Here are the Garcia girls.

Christmas Day with the Palos was also some good lovin' on family time. Both uncles were there, and two dogs (Bubba and Cody, Mema's dog) and a tiny tree, too. We had brunch and the traditional cheesey/bready casserole of joyous life, which is only edible once a year 'cause of how terrible it is for you. But it's so worth it.

Another aspect of Christmas I really love is the tradition: food, family, our own little twists and turns on the days that make my family mine. They're beautiful and probably strange to some, but they're mine. Ours. And they're comforting.

I also got to spend some quality time with my good friend Coot in A2, Ann Arbor. We went to a U of M basketball game against Penn State (I think). Here we are, pea and pod-like as ever. :)

The halftime show at the game was, like, Mr. Fantastic or something, a "magic" act of sorts. It was pretty cool--the guy and his assistant did some traditional tricks--making flowers appear, an endless hankerchief chain, but she also wore about seven outfits and changed into them in seconds (or second, really). That part of it was pretty awesome. Here they are after she has just shed her dark wig and long dress.

Christmas in our family isn't just about the birth of Jesus (although it is) but the birth of my father (Christmas Eve) and my Tia (Boxing Day). My Tia Maki was actually in from California this year, so that was exciting, and we took her out for lunch on her birthday, along with our traditional cousin's lunch. We went to Olive Garden, where I haven't been in ages, and I remembered the glory of those bread sticks. Hallelujah! Molto benne!

The other major festivity was my friend Timmy's wedding. It was on New Year's Eve. Normally, I head back to Miami for NYE, but this year I stayed for the wedding and it was a good life choice. Timmy's a college friend and VanCooter, so the wedding and ensuing reception was peopled with creatures I hadn't seen in ages, since I left Grand Valley in 2004. A NYE wedding is a GREAT idea, by the way--everyone needs something to do, and is looking for a good time. Blam, reception. Good times.

Here's a photo of our table (well, the most important people at it anyway).

Missed these VanCooters like crazy. I was so happy to bring in 2012 with them. :)

Upon returning to Miami, I returned back to school--both kinds. Teaching and taking. I'm excited about my sememster at FIU; I'm actually taking a sociolinguistics class, which is the aspect of linguistics I'm most interested in. Sure, structure is great and necessary, but it just doesn't turn my gears the way looking at actual usage does. So yeah... excited.

I've also had a bit of theater so far in 2012. I got tickets to see the musical Next to Normal from school on opening night. The musical won Tony's and two Pulitzers, so I was excited to see it, but when I looked up the synopsis I was struck--it's a musical about mental illness. Yep. A rip-roarin' rollick in the human psyche.

The music was great, though, and the story was good, but intense. I expect musicals to be a bit light--y'know, love story, some tap dancing, stuff like that. But this wasn't. It's extremely clear why it won two Pulitzers--the writing and subject matter are pretty great. The performances were great as well, and it's a small cast (only six actors, I think) so everyone was really cohesive and acted (and sang) their hearts out. I'm glad I read the synopsis before I went, though, because I was prepared for the intensity. Everyone around T and I was bawling (like, BAWLING) and we were fine. It was kinda funny... but not at the same time.

So far, 2012 has been treating me right! For all of my holiday photos, click here.

Much love.

Artsy Fartsy November and December

Well, here it is, Christmas break, and I haven't updated since before Halloween. I need to get better about this thing... especially since I can't really remember what happened to me if I don't write it down.

October held one more surprise for me. Halloween morning, the weather seemed befitting of the day--it rained heavily the night before, and there was some serious flooding on the day. I heard it all over the news and had the fleeting thought that, I should turn on my phone, but didn't do it at that that exact moment and therefore forgot. I drove through a small lake on South Miami Avenue, fearing I would stall out, and got to work only to discover that not a single other car was in the parking lot. I feared the zombie apocalypse had finally come, and walked to my room to discover that there was a puddle in the middle of the room and the power flickering on and off. My neighbor was there and let me use his printer, but by this time I figured I'd better turn on my phone and find out what the heck was going on.

There were three texts on my phone and one voice mail, all trying to relay the message that school was, indeed, cancelled. Greeeeaaaat. So, lucky me, I had a very special Halloween day off like a Halloween miracle.

Sometime in the past few months (I can't remember where, exactly, this fit in) some of my other female coworkers and I went to a place called Painting with a Twist. This is an art studio where you get a personal paining class and you can bring wine and food while you paint. You walk away with a painting that you did yourself.

It sounds a little intimidating, sure. I have very little artistic talent, at least in the visual arts, and I really did not think I could paint a picture that would look like anything not painted by Jackson Pollack. But I did! Here's the before...

And, after some wine, some snackies, and only a little bit of stress, here's the after! (Note the bottle of wine in the pic, lol!)

Not only was painting fun, but it was a beautiful metaphor for life. Every time I got freaked out that I'd messed it up irrevocably, a teacher would come over and tell me just to let it dry a little and paint over it. You can't make a mistake because it's art, and if it's "wrong" or you don't like it, after a little bit of time you can just fix it. That's deep. I can't wait to go back and paint something else!

Even though it's a terrible picture, here we are together, my paining and I. I even wore my "art teacher" smock/shirt-thingy so I could get into the spirit.

The painting is currently hanging in my bathroom.

November brought the birthdays of two very special people. My Mema, who turned 86, and Sister Fanny, who turned 80. Sister Fanny is just one of those people that makes me happy. She has been a Salesian Sister longer than I've been alive and she still is so happy every day. She makes copies at school and runs a little after-school store, but more than that she tells jokes and just makes everyone happy.

There was a "surprise" party for her at the convent in Naples, and some of us went over to help her celebrate. There were even mixed CDs to rock out to on the drive. We ate (and ate...) and toured Sister Pat's new school, which is lovely, and played F-A-N-N-Y, which is similar to Bingo (okay... it IS Bingo but with different letters). Here's the birthday girl, who made out like a bandit!

November and December were artsy months for me. It was Art Basel time again, and a girl from work got us into an Absolute Vodka party for an Art Basel event. It was sort of a fun girls' night out and I felt super classy and artsy. The evening ended in some falafel from a food truck, which is a win on several levels.

The next weekend was an Art Walk, a free event I've written about here before. It's a night when the art galleries in the Wynwood district downtown open their doors for people to wander through. Some, I'm sure, actually buy art, while poor teachers like me and my friends simply walk around, take pictures, observe humanity, and feel classy. There are food trucks too, which is sort of a budding culture here in Miami; a budding culture I fully support.

The exhibitions are always interesting, at the very least. This was sort of a camouflage deer event happening and I found this little guy and this little corner to be very appealing.

This was a wall near the deer that I just thought was amazing to look at. I couldn't stop staring.

There's all kinds of art at Art Walk including plants. This one trapped The Aussie!

Art Walks are one of the free, great, cultural events in Miami. It's always a good time, especially when you go with the right people.

The official beginning of the holiday season for me was an early viewing of Love Actually and The Polar Express. I somehow seemed to get a little Christmas spirit early this year--normally I don't get it until I'm back in Michigan, if then. Also, the Weavers had an ugly sweater party in early December, which helped to foster some Christmas joy.

My sweater was borrowed and HIDEOUS. It had about 15 tiny bells on the front, which rang every time I moved, creating this high-pitched whine that nearly drove me crazy. Some of the other sweaters were equally terrible, including the winning one which was a lovely depiction of a tiger.

The part inspired me to take some awkward family photos, with the hosts. I'm thinking Christmas card next year?

Last year at work we began a tradition of having a Christmas party at the convent. It was a great way for the faculty and staff to come together outside of school and just relax and be. Last year, I really enjoyed myself and this year I did too. First of all, I discovered that the convent has a nice little backyard area, which they used to barbecue. I had no idea that existed last year! I didn't make it past the craft room. lol

I had lovely conversations while I ate with several people that I don't really talk to much at work--not for any reason in particular, just because we're not really in the same cirlces. It was nice to get to know them a little better, which is one of the reason why this party is so nice. It helped me get into the holiday spirit, even though it was pretty warm outside.

So now I'm back in Michigan for both Christmas AND New Years. This will be my first NYE in Michigan in a while, and I'm going to a friend's wedding so it should be a good time. So far, my time here has been spent relaxing and knitting (and knitting and knitting...) and watching movies with my mom. It was even sort of warm when I got off the plane, so maybe I brought a little of Miami with me. You're welcome, Mitten. :)

Much love.

Hello 2011

Well, Christmas and New Year's are officially over and we're well into 2011. So far, so good, it seems. But first, a recap of Christmas.

A couple days before, Mom, Dad and I took my cousins, Megan and Tiffany, out for lunch. It was great to see them and spend time with them, considering I never get to. It's crazy to think that Tiffany could be one of my students... and I remember when she was born. I=old. But I'm not so much worried about Tiffany, she seems to be making good life choices. Megan, on the other hand, doesn't watch Glee and listens to Lil' Wayne, so we had to have a chat. She has since informed me that she has watched Glee and I gave her some Florence + the Machine, so she could be on track to good life choices. :) That's what big cousins are for, right?

There was also the annual trip to Rum Runner's, where Eric and I celebrate our anniversary because that's where we met, realized our mutual love of piano bars, and became friends. And now he's in Miami and I'm so happy about that fact. It's kind of magical, how life works out... :)

The night was also slightly magical because a dream of Eric's and mine came true. The piano player did the "Bedroom Intruder" song, which was basically amazing and hilarious. In fact, I think all of our requests got played (the serious ones, anyway). Key. And I got a video of it... also key!


Christmas Eve we did the Noche Buena thing, which I never even knew WAS a thing until I moved to Miami. It's also my dad's birthday, so that's pretty cool. The piggy was better than I ever remember it being and seeing the fam was good too. It's sort of a somber gathering these days, with everyone getting older and, it seems, farther apart, and my grandmother being, on a good day, somewhat cognizant. Still, it was a gift in and of itself to even see everyone, and spend time with them, and talk for a little while. I'm lucky that I get to see them at holidays, even though we live far away.

Here's the traditional cousins picture... I remember when Liz and I were the only tall ones in the picture!

And this one might be my favorite, my dad in his new beret lookin' straight pimp. Holler.


That night, we did Christmas at our house, with the cool, new edition of texting back and forth with Steve, Raquel, and J.P. in Texas. It was kind of cool, actually. The miracle of technology at work. I must've been a good girl this year because Santa was good to me, hooking me up with a GPS that will certainly be useful and help me break my addiction to GoogleMaps. Even Bubba got in on the action, opening his present (almost) all by himself.


The next morning, Christmas Day, we drove to the Creek to have Christmas with Mema. It was a little sad, not having Grumpa there physically, but we all know he was with us anyway. Brunch was delicious; I've missed the cheese casserole Mema makes. It's a good thing we only eat it at Christmas because it's pretty aweful for you, but oh man is it delicious. Grumpa used to love it.

Bubba and Kody got along well, and Kody was actually quite the little doggie mode, posing in his favorite spot.

Brunch and family time was great as always, and we did the traditional family photo. I played with the timer on the camera and after a few tries, finally got it right.

As you could see out the window, it was a white Christmas, but it was mostly leftover snow. I think it started to snow a little bit as we arrived, but it didn't snow much on my trip overall. Sad day. I did borrow the really nice camera and I was taking pictures all break, trying to familiarize myself with the camera and see if I could get some good shots. I ended up with this one, which is kind of my favorite. I don't know what kind of plant it is, but I took it in the backyard.

The day after Christmas we had VanCooter Family Christmas. Trash and Gary picked me up and dropped me off at Coot's house, where I played with his iPad and watched the Lions win (what?!) and waited for the rest of the VanCooters to arrive. We went for hibachi, which is becoming a tradition, and then we went to the Wayne County Festival of Lights. Here we are at dinner...

And here are some of the lights:

The festival of lights was at a park. Basically, the displays were set up throughout the park, and we drove through and looked at all of them, oohing and ahhing at the elves playing baseball, the brontosaurus eating leaves, the elves skiing, and the tall Advent candles in a wreath. It was actually pretty cool, but extremely difficult to photgraph, even with a fancy dancy camera. After the lights in the park, we went out to Livonia to the house of some people who love Jesus so much they have a huge light show every year that goes along with music. Most of this music is of the Christian Christmas variety (I dig) but when we got there, the show happened to be almost over and the song playing was "Happy Birthday Jesus" which is even worse than you imagine it to be. Anyway, it was still pretty cool to see. I imagined all the other people in the neighborhood, thinking their lights were awesome, and then realizing... fail. The House family (yes, we went to the Houses' house) wins.

After Christmas, I went shopping at the Howell outlets with my mom and dad, where I got some work clothes. The key is that I could buy short-sleeved spring stuff because I live in Miami where I can still wear them. KEY! I also got to see Bob for a bit, 'cause he came to Lansing one day. We went to Beaner's, excuse me, Bigby (lame) and chatted. It was necessary that we catch up, so I'm glad we got a chance to.

I also saw a couple of movies over my break, namely Black Swan and Tangled. was super intense and I'm not sure I "liked" it, per se, but as a work of art, as a film, it was pretty spectacular. It was well acted, well directed, well filmed. The story was interesting; it all worked. I'm just not sure it worked for ME. I do love some Natalie Portman, though, so that aspect was a win. Tangled was super cute, and I love fairy tales where the princess saves herself, or even saves the prince. I think that's how fairy tales should be anyway--instead of teaching little girls to wait for Prince Charming to save them, they should save themselves and hope Prince Charming can keep up. If he can't, peace out princey.

I came back to Miami the 30th, in order to spend NYE here. Michigan New Year's just doesn't cut it, probably because everyone I'd want to spend it with there is so spread out, or visiting people because they also have time off, that Miami is just a better choice. This year, a friend had a party at his place, and I headed there. It was a small gathering, but the new year came anyway, and the ball dropped, and champagne was drunk, and merriment was made. I meant to take pictures of the evening, but somehow ended up without any. Fail. But I suppose all I wanted was to ring in the new year with people who make me smile, and I certainly did that. Let's hope my year is filled with such a gift.

Much love.

Holiday Happiness

Since we last met, I've celebrated Thanksgiving, finished a semester, and gotten into the holiday spirit, which is a rarity for me.

I spent this Thanksgiving as I did last year. Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in the morning, followed by cooking, and then a trip to FIU, where my friend and fellow piano bar lover and Michigander, Eric lives. Last year, he made a delicious Turkey and this year he did the same. There were a couple other misfits there--those who didn't or couldn't go back home to their families, and we shared a delicious meal together. Check out our spread...

There was beer bread, salad, butternut squash, rolls (which were really buns, lol) mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole, and, of course, turkey. I dunno, maybe it's because it's been my way for the past few Thanksgivings, but I kind of like spending the day with people who are bound by the similarity of not having a place to go; I like just opening an invitation and allowing any misfit or out-of-towner to come in. It's the second best thing to being with family.

After dinner, Eric and I played American Idol Karaoke on his Wii. Not gonna lie--it was pretty awesome. I feel a new tradition coming on... especially since I was pretty decent at it.

My semester at FIU ended much as I had hoped it would. I got a B and B+, which is really what I was aiming for. I think a B in two classes and a full-time job is more than remarkable, and I'm quite proud of myself. I did learn quite a bit, although it's sort of tough to work phonetics or language acquisition into normal conversation, but I'm working on it. Next semester I'm excited about the classes I'm taking; one of them is a historical linguistics class, which I'm so interested in I already started reading the text book. It's okay--I'm a nerd. I'll own it. :) Five more semesters to go!

The week of finals at FIU was stressful, but I had a few holiday gatherings to look forward to. First, I went to a "cookie party" which I'd never done before but turned out to be kind of cool. Everyone brings a dozen or so cookies and the recipe, and then everyone sort of trades. I made almond cookies, otherwise known as Mema's Best Cookies in the Whole Wide World, but they didn't turn out like hers do. It's okay, I guess, she DOES have several decades of practice that I don't have. I think my problem was the eggs... Here's hoping they're better next time.

Our becoming-annual Dadeland Family Christmas Party was the following week , plus the yearly Christmas luncheon, where I win booze. It's what I do. This year was no exception--I won eighteen Guinness (score!) and enjoyed some holiday merriment with friends I'm blessed to also call co-workers. I was getting to think I wouldn't win anything--it was down to the wire and all the Garcias had won, as had most of my department members, AND most of the people at my table, but luckily I pulled it out at the end. Yes!

The family party was a good time. All the usual suspects were there--beer and cheese soup, hot schnocolate, beer, Christmas cookies, pie... oh yeah, and some cool people were there too. :) It was a delicious and fun evening, and we even managed a bit of flippy cup, where, I believe, the girl's team was the big winner, although some may object to that.

Here's some of our reverie... Eric and Sparty, who made the rounds in his Christmas shirt and green bow.

And our annual picture by the tree, which turned out super cute thanks to an awesome photographer... ;) Don't we look festive and full of holiday cheer?

And I couldn't resist posting this, possibly the cutest picture of Lancelot that I have. He, of course, enjoyed the party, possibly more than anyone else, considering his big, brown eyes, still wield great power over other people, even if they no longer work on me.

The Aussie had a bonfire that same weekend, with all of her "Shakespeare" friends, but I joined in anyway considering my great love for the bard, my boredom, and my overwhelming desire to procrastinate instead of pack. I had met some of them already at other various gatherings, and knew I was in for a nice evening when I walked in and started quoting "Sassy Gay Friend" to a dog named Ophelia, and people knew what I was talking about. And then we made s'mores, and performed the monologue from The Sandlot in tandem with another guest, which was basically awesome. Too bad I smelled like fire for, like, three days afterward. lol

I left to come to Michigan on the 20th, and arrived with only one small incident. Chicago, which had been bombarded with what airline folks like to call "weather," had to re-route a few planes, which were sent to DTW. And arrived just before we did. And were taking up ALL THE GATES. For me, the worst part of any plane ride is the minutes between landing and getting off. I hate it. You're there, where you wanted to be, but you're still so far away. Needless to say, sitting in the airplane buckled in, on the runway, for an extra half an hour was NOT enjoyed by anyone on the flight, especially at 11:00 at night. Still, I arrived, I'm in Michigan, and all is well. I'm home for Christmas.

Since I've been home, I've been playing. Tuesday I saw Black Swan, which I still think I'm recovering from. Definitely worth seeing, and definitely stays with you for a while. I think I liked it; I certainly think the performances were outstanding, and I love Natalie Portman. That's about all I can say about it. lol. Yesterday, a few Holt kids went to Beggar's Banquet for 1/2 off bottles of wine and some nibbles and laughs. It was great to see The KG, who is a baller, and my sister as well. I'm looking forward to the rest of my time here, and a New Year's back in MIA.

Much love.

Birthtober

Hi everyone! I'm still alive, although busier than I've ever been. I know I haven't written in ages and ages, but i can never seem to find a moment to just sit down and do it. School and work are keeping me extremely busy. I've been studying and reading like crazy, trying to keep up with and ingest everything. Three years of this life is going to be tough, but, hopefully, worth it. I do like what I'm learning but I almost feel like it's undergrad again--I know what I want to study so why am I taking all the classes that aren't about that subject? I know that the knowledge all builds upon the knowledge before it, but yeah. Anyway, I'm content but busy.

So... Let's back way up. October was a month of birthdays for me. A co-worker and good friend had a surprise party for her big 3-0, and The Weave also had a birthday soiree for 10/10/10. It was pretty outstanding, except for the fact that I spent the majority of the party (at least two hours) dying on the couch because my blood sugar was super high and wouldn't come down. I later came to discover that my infusion set had come out, which is why it wouldn't go down. Thankfully, CW drove me back and I fixed the problem. Boo for parties ruined by blood sugars.

The next morning, though, we had a lovely birthday breakfast out, and, since my problem was now solved, I could thoroughly enjoy it. It was very festive, as you can see...



For Halloween I, of course, carved a pumpkin which I later brought into my classroom and lit up as I read my students "The Raven." Every year I think it's so awesome and every year I feel like the kids don't care. But, in a paraphrase of Mother Theresa, I do it anyway. So yeah, this is the pumpkin I carved:


It looked pretty cool, I must say.

Now, usually, especially since I've been here, I'm not into Halloween. It's basically all about girls wearing a bra and panties (or less) and calling themselves a "nurse" or a "cop" or something ridiculous like that, which, to me, is NOT okay. Just cal yourself a "bikini model" or a "stripper" but let's not pretend you're something legitimate. So yeah, no me gusta. But this year, a friend celebrated a milestone and so we threw him a party. It was a Halloween/zombie themed party because "the undead never grow older," which, let's be serious, is pretty brilliant. So I was a zombie for Halloween this year and it was a good life choice. Here are the birthday boy and I:

And here are a couple of hard up zombies who just need to feast on some flesh, human or not!

I looked pretty awesome and it was fun; much better than going out and having to deal with a Miami Halloween. No thank you.

The rest of my life is pretty much consumed with work and school, both of which are going well. I'm not going home for Thanksgiving tomorrow, due to time and money factors. It's one more in a line of a few Thanksgivings I've spent away, which actually seems to be the pattern at this point, but that's okay. I still have many, many things to be thankful for this year, and many people too--like all of you. Thanks for being in my life.

My next update will probably be Christmas break, when we'll find out how the semester went for me... Cross your fingers for me!

Much love.

Boats, Buildings, Buzz, and Boston Pops

The day after my last post, the 29th, a fellow R.C. and I went "adventuring," which is my new favorite term for exploring the area. We went to the Boston Harbor and the North End in search of The U.S.S. Constitution, the oldest American ship still in the water. We took the long way to the boat, I think, but had a lovely walk around the harbor. The coolest part was that the waters along the harbor docks are filled with jellyfish! It's crazy and SUPER cool! See?

I've never seen anything like it before, certainly not just naturally in the water like that!

We made it to the ship after a bit, and it was absolutely magnificent. The ship is huge--massive, actually--and beautiful. It's currently under construction, but that doesn't really detract from how lovely and majestic it is.

We waited for the guided tour from a sweet young guy from Seattle who was "a sailor pretending to be a tour guide" and not the other way around. He was adorable and I'm sure his mom is happy he's giving tours and not...elsewhere. He showed us all around the ship, or at least the two decks we could fit on (the second floor down was too short for me--I had to duck the whole time). We saw the gun deck and then went down to the sleeping quarters where the guys all slept in hammocks with virtually no space between. Um...no.

It was really interesting and free, which is awesome. Plus, I got to drive the boat...

Okay, so that part's a lie but it was still super fun for free 99. We also walked about the museum for a little bit afterwards, both to get cool and to learn more, and then we headed back to our temporary home. Great afternoon. :)

On Wednesday, I decided to go to the studio to watch a paux de deux, or partnering, class. It was the lower level of boys and, I think, mid-level girls. Another RC and I creeped on them from a semi-secret room above the largest studio. It was so fun to watch, and to see the kids in a completely different light. This one couple, a Brazilian boy and this tiny blond girl who embodied the word "fierce," was awesome. Plus, the teacher is totally a "silver fox" and he was beautiful to watch as well. It's great that I know most of the boys, because that made the class fun to see; my girls are the youngest so none of them are in the higher level classes, although they are very good.

After the class, I ran into a kid named Conner, who wanted to kill some time by going to the Library but couldn't find anyone to accompany him. (Kids here have to use the buddy system and are not allowed to go anywhere without a "buddy.") I took him because it was close and because I wanted to explore it a little further anyway. And because it's a library. And because I'm a nice person.

I'm glad I did because there was a beautiful photography display on the third floor, beautiful architecture and art throughout, and this lovely bust of Mark Twain, whom I love.

That night, we had our weekly "staff bonding" activity, which was bowling. For some reason, I was kind of good at it, and, at one point bowled three strikes in a row. I was even winning the second game for about three frames.

I know, I couldn't believe it either. That's why there's photographic evidence. Shortly after this, I began to bowl as I normally do, and ended up in third place.

The next day, I didn't have to work until 7 pm, so I went adventuring to Cambridge to visit Harvard. I took a bus that dropped me off right outside the Harvard Book Store, a beautiful, beautiful wonderland for a person such as myself. Of COURSE I went inside, and of COURSE I got lost in there voluntarily for a good while. It was awesome.

Right outside the bookstore is the entrance to Harvard, which I felt was kind of pompous. In case you can't read it, it says "Enter to grow in wisdom." Really?

The exit says something similar, like "Exit to share your knowledge" or some crap like that, but I suppose it's a nice gesture. And hey, it's the Ivy League so I guess they can do what they want, huh?

I think I only saw a small part of the campus inside the gated area, and I wandered out into the science complex (I think) and I know the medical and law campuses are in a different area. The best thing I saw though, was this:

It doesn't really come across in the photo, but if you look down at the bottom you can see six bottles. They're bottles of Mike's Hard Lemonade lined up nicely outside the gate. I just found this to be kind of ironic and definitely funny. Young Ivy League-ers who want to party it up drink cheap booze too! lol. But anyway, the campus is beautiful and old as one would expect, and I'll actually be going back in a couple of weeks for a real tour of "Hahvahd," not just a walk about.

Every weekend here there are two trips the kids can go on. These trips are optional, but chaperoning duties are not. Saturday was the trip to Six Flags New England, which, I'll admit, I wasn't really excited about until I got there. I mean, I live in Florida so I'm kind of over theme parks. But it turned out to be pretty fun.

Six Flags has some wicked roller coasters, and, with help, I managed to avoid the evil people dressed up as characters. Score!

We went on, I think, every roller coastser in the park and didn't have to wait long at all. In fact, for Batman we walked on, rode it, walked off, got right back in line and were on the ride again in ten minutes. It was pretty awesome. I don't know where all the people were--probably in line for the most wicked roller coaster there, Bizarr-O, which was the ride we waited the longest for. Or maybe they were at the water park, since it was a hot day. I suppose the important thing to remember is that they weren't in line for the rides I was in line for, and it was awesome.

The last ride we went on was a sky tram thingy, gondolas that go across the park and back again, which was not only thrilling in comparison to roller coasters (lol) but a great way to take some shots of the park.

This is a picture of a ride called, I think, the Mind Eraser. Clearly I can't remember because it worked.

The kids actually showed up to the bus on time, and the day turned out to be fun. Plus I didn't get sunburned, so woot.

The following day was July 4th, a holiday I've always enjoyed. There was something special about it this year, maybe because I was reminded at my grandfather's funeral just how great this country is and why it's worth fighting for. I don't know, maybe I can't explain it well, but this Independence Day was special.

I spent the morning working at the desk here, and in the afternoon I watched The Sandlot, a Fourth of July tradition, and hung out with some kiddos until dinner. That evening, we had a gathering on the 9th floor of Shelton Hall to watch the fireworks over the Charles. It was actually the perfect spot to watch--not crowded, perfect view, and air conditioned--especially after we put the Boston Pops concert on the radio. The show is timed to the music, so it was pretty much necessary.

I got a small bit of video of the show, which I hope will play if I post it here. We'll see...

If not, here's a picture just to give you an idea of how awesome the show was.

It was pretty cool to see fireworks commemorating our nation's birthday in the place where it actually began.

Also last week I saw Toy Story3 which was the first movie I'd seen in a theater since, I think, Christmas. I just couldn't help but have this overwhelming feeling that, if I went to see a movie, I would hate it. So I didn't go. They're too expensive to waste money on, I figured, so I just wouldn't waste it. I really enjoyed the movie, although it was pretty intense at times. I teared up quite a bit, and the ladies I went with were full on crying. lol. I remember loving the first one, and I know I saw the second one as well, and this one seemed like a great way to finish the story off, if, in fact, that's what they were doing.

This morning I actually went adventuring to the North End and Harbor area, but I'll tell you about that next time.

This is called "suspense."

Much love.

More Ireland--Kilkenny and the Rest

We left Dublin Easter Sunday, after going to mass at the church next to our hostel. The mass was an interesting experience because Tanya and I lowered the average age of the attendee about 30 years, and it was more like a funeral service than an Easter service. We didn't even sing! Tanya and I were both like, "He's risen! Hallelujer! Did you miss the memo?!" It was kind of funny in a sad, sad way.

So we bid farewell to Dublin, and headed off to Kilkenny with Shannon, our GPS, and Judy Rose, our car. Driving to Kilkenny was our first real glimpse of the Irish countryside and it did not disappoint. The further south we went, the greener it got. It was magical.

We arrived in Kilkenny after a few stops along the way to frolic, probably illegally, in people's greenery and taking every tiny, off the map road our GPS wanted us to take. Shannon was a little bit... special. We got to our B & B, Berkley House, and I ran in to ask about parking. Once we parked and checked in, we asked the very nice lady at the desk about a place to eat and how far away the Rock of Cashel, our reason for visiting Kilkenny, was. She gave us directions in relation to the castle. "What castle?" both Tanya and I replied.

"The huge castle you saw on the way into town," she said.

We looked at her, puzzled, until we went outside and saw this:

The huge castle that we did, in fact, miss on the way into town. Our only excuse is that we were very focused on trying to park at the time.

Our first order of business was to eat, and we chose a place recommended by Rick Steves' guide, Kyteler's Inn. It was also recommended by the lady at the desk. This place was built in 1324, and was an inn at that time. Now it's a restaurant and pub. The history of the place is pretty cool, because the woman who owned it was accused of being a witch. There's a lovely homage to her on the second floor, complete with ugly, hairy moles and a cauldron.


And because I love irony, this was in the bathroom. Twenty-first century vanity and tools, chillin' in a 12th century building's bathroom.

After lunch, we went to the Rock of Cashel, which is, well, a rock that rises above the ground as like, a hill. The Rock has been used by several different entities, royalty to begin with, and then the king gave it to the church because he didn't want it to pass from his hands.

On the cite, there are buldings from the 10th, 11th, 12th, and 15th centuries. Pretty amazing. There's also St. Peter's Cross, which, legend has it, if you can wrap your arms around you'll never get a toothache again. Legend also has it that if you hop around it three times on one foot, you'll be married within the year. I tried to hug it (well, a replica, not the actual one) and was unsuccessful. I didn't want to try the hopping...


Later that night we went back to Kytler's for dinner and walked a bit around Kilkenny. The next morning, we had a full Irish breakfast, complete with black pudding, which is made of, well, blood. I kind of liked it and even ate Tanya's portion. I didn't REALLY know what it was as I was eating it, but I knew it had blood in it. Anyway, it was a new experience so that was cool.

Next on our agenda was seeing the Cliffs of Moher and spending the night in Doolin. The day started off okay, and as we drove through the countryside, we were inspired to stop and take pictures.

But by the time we made it to the Cliffs of Moher... the weather was another story. It was probably 45 or so degrees and raining pretty hard, plus there were literally gale-force winds blowing. It was... unpleasant. But... the Cliffs were still beautiful and totally worth being soaked and freezing. Observe...

In this one, you can get a picture of the weather we were dealing with. Fun times.

After our wet trip, we checked into our room for the night, another B & B, and it was really a cute place. The lady who ran it was so nice, and upgrading from hostel to B & B was the right choice--our room was huge and totally brought Tanya and I peace. We took all our wet stuff off to dry, hoping it would be by the time we had to pack up and leave the next day.

Doolin itself is a very cute little "town"--but it's really more of a long, sprawling, little community of houses and businesses than a "town." I'm pretty much in love with it, and it's also really known for traditional music, which we got a taste of that evening. We went to a place called McGann's, THE place for traditional music in Doolin, and heard some great tunes and had a nice meal. I ate the Irish stew and it was probably the best meal I had in Ireland (the food's not amazing there, be warned.). I also saw an amazingly beautiful boy that I fell madly in love with. I'm sure that even though we didn't talk, he felt it too. :)

After our dinner, we met this lovely couple from New York (or New Jersey) who told us about another place where the music was rockin', and so we headed there. The coolest thing about the second place, was that there was this whole circle of musicians just jamming, and two of them were kids. I think it's great that there's a desire to keep up traditions in the younger generation. As we were leaving the second place, an old Irish man put on my hat. He was awesome.

After our breakfast the next morning, we did an unplanned drive through a region known as The Burren, which is basically just scenery. On one side of the road is rocks and blue, blue, ocean, and on the other are these limestone mountains. It's extremely dynamic and fascinating and beautiful.

This is me on some rocks...notice the footwear. I couldn't wear my sneakers because they were still wet from the Cliffs of Moher.

This is the ocean side.
The land side.After our beautiful drive, we boarded the ferry across the Shannon to save us about 80 km of driving. On the ferry, I met three people from Lansing--one lady even knew the zip code of Holt. What a small world indeed.

I snapped a picture during the crossing because it was so pretty.

Once we got to the Dingle peninsula (yes, it's called "Dingle" lol), we checked into our hostel and set about exploring the area. It's a really cool little place--touristy but not kitschy. It's a Gaelic-speaking region as well, which is awesome, and it's another place known for its traditional music. Our first night there was just relaxing and heading to the pub to recover from driving all day. We went to a place called An Droighead Beag (Don't ask me how to say it!) both of our nights in Dingle. It was a great place and both of the bartenders we met were awesome. There was Bob the first night, a Scottish guy, and Michael the second night, a 20 year old Ginger. We also met a lovely couple from Seattle who taught Tanya and I the magic of a drink called hot whiskey. It's like tea... but with alcohol. Great for those cold nights... like EVERY night we were in Ireland! It was a great pub, and the Guinness there was magical.

Our main purpose in Dingle was to do the Slea Head drive, which is a scenic drive. It's basically the same type of scenery as the Ring of Kerry, but less of it and better night life, which is why we chose it. So our first full day in Dingle, we took the Slea Head drive and it was spectacular.

Along the path there are various stops you can make, and the first one was at the beehive huts. The beehive huts are these, well, huts built only of stones piled on top of each other. Nothing holds them together--no tar or mortar or anything like that. And they've stood the test of time for hundreds of years--I think they go back to, like, the year 800 or something like that. Pretty amazing!

The panoramic feature on my camera was key on this drive, and I took one panoramic after another. This one might be my favorite. OUT of control beautiful, and the trek down there yielded some nice pictures too. Tanya and I dubbed it, THE picture spot.

Our first night at the pub we found out that there was a Celtic music festival in town, and so there were all sorts of events happening all over town. This was a traditional music session we went to, where the musicians just showed up with their instruments and... played. The guy playing the bones is my favorite. He came and talked with us a little bit after, and he was super sweet and I'm obsessed with him. Any man whose had matches his coat and who plays the bones is okay by me!

Our second night at An Droighead Beag, we talked most of the night to the bartender who gave us quite a lot of information. We talked about "The Troubles," Gaelic football, the potato famine, all sorts of stuff. He seemed pretty intelligent for a 20 year old kid, and he told us that we should drive the Conor Pass on our way back to Dublin, and that ON the Pass, there was a little turn off and a waterfall that was worth climbing.

The Conor Pass was just brilliant and beautiful. There were shadows on the mountains and the day was crystal clear and perfect. It was a great way to bid farewell to western Ireland. I mean, look at this...


OUT of control. And the little turn off and waterfall Michael told us about? Yeah, we found it. And we climbed it. And I took that picture from there. Here I am, after a bit of a climb.

The rest of the day was spent with Judy Rose, Shannon our GPS, and Lady Gaga and Beyonce on the radio because we drove back to Dublin. We stayed near the airport in an effort to ease ourselves back into American life.

I can tell you what--the power of prayer got us back to Atlanta first class. I sat next to an Irish guy who was "in the pub" business and found out why American Guinness is not as delicious (unclean taps, different system to deliver the beer, glasses at the wrong temperature). He has a pub in Colorado that has real Guinness, so next time I'm in Denver I'm looking it up. The power of prayer also got us back to Miami from Atlanta, because if we hadn't made the plane we did (which was by the skin of our teeth), we would've had to spend the night in ATL. Thank God, literally.

Ireland was the trip of a life time--a dream come true for me. Every moment of it was just beautiful, and it was so perfect. I have to go back to Doolin soon and actually talk to my husband. :) I highly recommend taking a trip there, and to the rest of Ireland, soon.

If you want to see more pictures, I have two albums on Facebook. The first is here and the second, here.

Much love.