Erm...Hello...Again

Long time, no post, no talk.

It's been a bit mad here. So to recap on life recently: moved out of Deans Hall and now live in a house near college, don't really have (free) internet access except when the university is open, been trying to work on my thesis (first draft due first week of August), oh, yeah, and I'm about to fly home for a lovely five week visit

So, packing, unpacking and repacking -- plus reading, writing and more reading -- have taken over my life lately.

But, I figured I should post to prove I'm alive -- and to tell those of you who haven't heard (somehow) that I'll be home (yes, as in Texas) Monday night! I'm ridiculously excited for proper Mexican food! And sunshine, as it just started raining again this week.

Right, well, this is short, but it's a post! (The Irish/UK keyboard is bothering me now. Silly keyboard...why do they have to move things around on it?)

Cheers!

England & Cork in the Spring

Back again with another sporadic posting. Schedules are so overrated.

Anyway.

Haven't been up to much lately. The most exciting thing was going over to England for nearly a week, but that was two weeks ago. It was a very fun time, however. Some highlights: wandering around Leeds, wandering around York, wandering around Birmingham.... Okay, so seriously, I did more than wander around, but the big adventure was Birmingham, where Sarah & I went to see the Wind Ensemble perform.

So, we got there, went to the art museum and then wandered around, wasting time -- and trying not to spend money. So after a while of trying to guess when and where the Wind Ensemble would show up, we gave up and decided to eat. Of course, as things always go, when you've given up you end up finding what you looked for. In this case, after ordering food a few band members showed up in the restaurant where we were eating. So, after that we helped set up the stage (it brought back all kinds of memories, let me tell you) -- and then sat back & watched the performance. It was really good. :) The only downside was not getting to stick around and chat -- Sarah & I literally ran from the concert hall to the train station so that we could catch the last train to get to York. On the upside, having "Molly on the Shore" makes for good running music when it's still going through your head.

Other fun things from York: having my first pasty, tea at Betty's (which should make Mom jealous), and seeing daffodils all over town (so lovely!).

St. Patrick's Day came around, and after I got back into town from England, I went with Nienke & some people she knows well from college to a small céilí -- and I actually knew some of the dances! Also: drunk people and dancing don't mix very well, so it's a good thing they were doing easy dances and repeating some of the dances later in the evening.

Ever since then, though, I've mainly been sequestered in my room, writing an essay. Which was almost like torture, considering how gorgeous the weather has been lately. Seriously, blue skies almost all the time and temperatures in the 50s!

This weather (and the additional hours of sunshine -- it stays light until after 8pm these days) makes up entirely for the miserably dark and rainy fall and winter.

Also, if this nice weather keeps up, I might get a bit of colour back in my skin before I get home -- no sun has meant super paleness.

I should get some more research done...term, and therefore classes, are over...but I still have a thesis that needs to be written. First draft is suppose to be done around July, after all.

There's a Henry Moore Sculpture Museum in Leeds. This looks much more like a woman than the "Interior Form" at Trinity.

The beautiful York Minster in the morning light.

The church ruins in the York Museum Garden.

Daffodils from the York Museum Gardens.

Cork, Fitzgerald Park, Fountain seen through some trees.

Pretty flower from Fitzgerald Park.

Spell Check Doesn't Like Irish Names

The bells of St Finnbarre are ringing. I love the sound of those bells -- even though they don't normally ring out at half 3 in the afternoon. Unusual, but very nice on such a grey and rainy day.
Just wanted to give a bit of an update before I run away to England for the majority of next week. :) I'm really getting excited about having a break...even though it will be weird not to go to college this week.

The presentation went well, though; if anyone cares to know about that. The one criticism? I was too soft spoken -- not aggressive enough. Clearly, my public speaking hasn't gotten any better. Either that or I wasn't feeling confident enough. I leave it to you to decide which one was the greater.

So, that was the school-side of things. Now for some of the fun things I've been up to.

First there was the Post-graduate Ball, on Friday the 2nd, but I'll just let the photos speak for themselves.

Nienke & I clean-up rather well, don't we?

With two of the girls in my class -- Bridget & Jean.

20th Century Ireland MA class photo -- sort of. Also, trying to get a group photo taken in a loud room isn't the best of ideas. (Martin, Me, Dave, Doireann, Jean, Bridget, Niamh, Jean)

Then the following Monday, I went with some classmates to Fota (which contains a zoo/wildlife park) and Cobh. The weather was terrible -- super windy and pouring rain. Besides the fact that it was not "let's walk around a zoo" weather, we walked around the zoo. And gave up on umbrellas about half-way through it.

Taken as a bit of a family joke, really. But, ostriches become much less mean/threatening when they are wind-blown and soaked. They still will stare you down, however.

The, wet and cold, we continued onward to Cobh. Now, Cobh on the best of days is absolutely gorgeous (for proof, see the previous post), but on rainy and windy days can be miserable. There is still some interest -- the high waves splashing again the shore, for instance -- but it's not pretty. After eating some lunch (and warming up a bit) we decided to go up to the cathedral...on the massive hill.

The wind up by the cathedral is always stronger than by the shore, there is nothing up there to stall the wind or slow it down; but that thought didn't seem to deter us in the slightest. However, when I was trying to walk toward the center of the doors and ended up nearly running into the left-hand edge, I began to reconsider going up there as a "good idea." One of the lads, thinking it was all a big joke, how we had veered to get in the door, decided to make a show of running for the door. He nearly ended up running into the left-hand corner of the church, instead of at the door. Needless to say, like good friends we stood inside the door, away from the wind, and nearly fell down with laughter.

Inside the cathedral it was equally creepy. The lighting was very, very low and the wind blowing against the building produced an eerie sound -- it felt very much like we were in some sort of horror movie. There was, however a beauty to the dim lit building, that we had all to ourselves (I presume that no one else was silly enough to go up there with so much wind).

So, after that adventure we headed back down the hill and went to the Heritage Centre -- and tried to dry out some -- and then caught the train back to Cork. Fighting wind and rain for so long made us all want to head for our warm rooms and drier clothes, rather than poke around Cobh.

Of course, the next day (Tues) was absolutely gorgeous -- sunshine and blue skies. Sometimes I think I live out Murphy's Law.

I'm sure I'll have some more exciting stories after coming back from York -- and after celebrating St Patrick's Day in Cork (so exciting! -- the Irish holiday in Ireland).

Mini School Update & Cobh Photos

Not much has been happening here. I've sort of been relaxing and, mostly, trying to save money for doing bigger things later. Like the Post Graduate Ball -- which should be fabulous as most of my class is going -- & then just over a week later I'll be headed for England (again) to see the TU Wind Ensemble -- I'm getting ridiculously excited about this. And then it's St Pat's day...and clearly, as I'm in Ireland, it's bound to be a big day. :)

In academic news, I have to give a presentation in two weeks over the research I've done thus far. Needless to say, I'm going to be buried in books -- & notes about those books -- by the end of it. I hope that I'll be able to climb my way out of such a pile.

Now for something happier...here are some pictures from Sarah's visit -- when we traveled the whole 30 mins around to Cobh. And got our exercise climbing the massive, massive hill that the town sits on.

St. Coleman's Cathedral -- they have beautiful sounding bells.

Me with the "skyline" of Cobh.

Beware! I have a cannon...& I'm not afraid to use it!

From the "Prom" -- a band stand & the gorgeous view of Cork Harbour.

Which way do I live? -- That way! ... aka: Token tourist picture with the Annie Moore statue.

Stuff...& One Big Introduction

Well. Long time, no post. My excuse? An exam. Rather valid, I think. But it's over now (huzzah!) -- so I focus on the next task: a 5000 word essay. But, at least I know what I have to do for it. And by that I mean I've parred down the dates I'm using for my thesis and my essay. So, first I get to look at the events from 1902 to 1910 -- background, basically. Then, it's 1910-1937 for the thesis. I'm sure you don't care, but...well, you'll deal somehow. :P

I'm not looking forward to the class sessions we'll have starting this Friday, though. Two hours -- nine weeks -- all about each person in my group's research. It might end up tedious...but I'll try to hope for the best.

In happier news, though, Sarah's coming to visit this weekend! Yay!

January's almost gone -- a few hours left (for me, not you silly State-side folks). How did this month fly by? Crazy.

Anywho, I should get some cleaning done. Or reading.

Oh! but, I can't go without introducing the beastie/critter/creature.
I leave you with this one warning: my brother (in his infinite goofiness) found it.

Without further ado, I present...William Robert Walker...but you can call him Billy Bob:

A Beastie & a Cold Snap

I completely forgot to mention this last time -- the frustration with my computer made me forgetful, perhaps -- but the fact remains that I have a creature that is in desperate need of a name. A darling ceramic creature that my goofy brother gave me over Xmas.
Now, I don't want you influenced by what it looks like, so as soon as he's named (yes, the beastie is undeniably male) I promise to post a photo. The only guideline I will give y'all is that he is stereotypically Texan & thus needs a name that is equally stereotypical.
The frontrunner at the moment is Billy Bob, if you were wondering, with two suggestions.

In other news, the trip to Dublin went well. Except for a taxi driver who lied about where he was while we stood in the super-gusty wind waiting on him & missed the train & so had to wait 2 hrs for the next one. But, really, that's a minor detail. I was more worried about getting blown away as we walked across UCD's campus.

The weather has taken a turn for the cold again. It was starting to feel downright mild -- meaning on Sunday & Monday I was considering pulling out a lighter coat. Yesterday, though, I felt like my hands were turning into ice as I walked to class.
Nothing quite like the weather back home, I know; but I really can't compete at all with ice & snow in south Texas. It figures, I leave the state & it freezes over! And I can't gloat about being nice & warm either. Alas. :P

Well, back to preparing for that exam in just under 3 weeks.

Long, Long Overdue Update

I had a blog post half-written out & then Blogger decided to eat it. This made me sad. So, now you get the even shorter version of the past month. :)

So. Firstly: Christmas holidays.

Went to Dublin & did touristy things with the family. Finally got to go inside several buildings I've wanted to: St Patrick's Cathedral, Kilmainham Gaol (even though we didn't take the tour, just saw the museum), & Dublin Castle. I also got to see some of the high relics of two areas of my nerdiness. Firstly: Kilmainham Gaol has a lot of artefacts relating to the 1916 Rising, Anglo-Irish war, & Civil War -- which is my time period of study. So that was fun. Secondly: at St Patrick's, a hand-written copy of Handel's Messiah (first performed in Dublin, by the way).

Mom & Dad with one of their favourite people: Sir Benjamin GUINNESS.

Then it was back to Cork with the family. We went to Blarney; and Sean kissed the Blarney Stone (which I could never do, for a couple of reasons).

Sean at the top of Blarney Castle. His head kinda looks like it was put up there to be a warning to all who dare to question the lord of the manor.

And then it was Christmas, and as all Christmases go, I ate far too much.

Family Christmas Eve photo.

And then nothing exciting happened (except for getting my computer fixed). Until this past weekend, that is, when I went to visit Sarah in York. I had a grand time there -- York is a fabulous city, possibly my favourite city in England (followed closely by Bath).

I tried to be a good Victorian school girl. I don't think it worked. And the oversized sheet with the lesson on it didn't help...and I'm not wearing the right clothes (pants! *gasp!*)

My favourite street EVER. For serious. It has held this place in my heart for over eight years now...wow, that's a lot longer than it seemed.

Representin' Major Texas Cities abroad since Autumn 2006.

Term started up this past Monday. I have two classes, which makes me happy. However, one of my classes includes a trip to Dublin tomorrow...and 7am trains do not make me happy; but I'll manage to survive it, somehow.

One Term Down & I've Survived

I figured I should update this while I still have a calm moment. Granted, I should be cleaning...but I've got a bit of time for that.

Instead, I'm sitting in the common room, two candles burning in front of my €2 tinsel tree, with a cup of tea cooling at my side. It's all very Christmasy -- in it's way.
There's a certain magical quality contained in candle light, of which I've always been fond. (And I didn't end that sentence with a preposition -- I win.)

So, what have I been up to lately?
- Finding out when my one & only test will be. (Late January; which leaves plenty of time for me to actually read the book it's over.)
- Finally watching Casablanca all the way through.
- Participating in the history postgrad "Twelve Pubs of Christmas" pub crawl down Barrack Street (we made it to just over half that number, which is a decent feat considering how much time we chatted at each one).
- Farewell dinner for two of the American students I met here at a yummy Thai restaurant, followed by a pint at a pub close to home.
- Last Coffee Morning at Iona, with some sad goodbyes.
- Seeing Nienke off to the Netherlands.
- Shopping for Christmas dinner.
- Oh, and dealing with an ear infection which is pretty much gone now (yay!).

And now, the longer, ramblier version of the above (with exciting details! -- or something like that).

The semester ended on Friday. And life at Deans Hall has become eerily quite as a result. Nearly everyone is back home. It was sad saying goodbye to friends I'd made who were here for one semester, but I'm trying to console myself with the idea that I now have excuses to go visit the Continent -- specifically, German, Switzerland and France. All I need is the money to do so.

The quiet of Deans Hall does not last through the night, though. Every night this past week has seen yelling matches taking place outside my window. The curses of living so near the street, I suppose; and it is amusing...or it would be much more so if it didn't happen after 2am each night.

I prefer the quiet, though -- it's so very nice -- but it made going into town yesterday all the more shocking. I could hardly walk down the streets downtown -- it was insane! I hadn't gone towards the shops on a Saturday in a very long time, so heading in that direction on a Saturday before Christmas was probably not the wisest choice, but I hadn't thought that far ahead when I realised that I needed groceries.

I may as well get used to such massive, scary crowds -- I'm going to be in Dublin in a few days after all. That town is always extremely crowded & I can only imagine how bad it'll be the week before Christmas. But, as I'm meeting my family there, I think I survive the evils of the crowds.

I'm ridiculously excited about my family's arrival on Wednesday. I seriously feel a bit giddy about it. I think part of it is that I haven't had any visitors -- and, of course, I haven't seen anyone from home since I left.

On an unrelated note, I think I have an unhealthy preoccupation with wax and watching candles melt. I blame this for the reason why it's taken me forever to type this entry.
Excuses are fun.

But enough talk of candles (for awhile, anyhow). I should actually get something done tonight -- even if it's writing out a list of things to do tomorrow. ;)
Procrastinate? Me? Nooo.

Dublin & Advent

Today was a very, very, very, very long day. & I'm half-asleep whilst writing this, so if it doesn't make sense in places it's not you, it's me.
This time. :P

So. Today.

Getting up at 5am = rough. I'm so much more of a night owl; I'm simply not made to get up early. I walked to the train station (or, about half way, then got lazy, saw a cab & rode the rest of the way) & was there by 6:15am. I was the second of the postgrads there.
Eventually we all showed up, joined the massive queue to get onto the 7am train, took our seats & tried to fall asleep. It didn't work too well for me, but I kept trying to sleep anyway. I'm stubborn like that.
Oh, & in case you're wondering, dawn was around 8:30. I'm sure you were all overly curious about that.

Well, we were thus in Dublin around 9:40 & promptly took a bus to Stephan's Green...so that we could walk 10 minutes to the National Archives. Luckily, it was sunny this morning in Dublin town.
The nearly two hours spent at the Archives was informative & was actually one of the best talks by an archivist that I've endured in quite some time. First she helped us with where to look for manuscripts on our topics, not just at the Archives, but at other repositories around Dublin. Then, she skimmed over all that info that you get told twenty bajillion times at archives (use pencil only! don't bring in any bags! don't mishandle the manuscripts or you will die! -- erm, so, that last one is just the gist of what they say, but I'm sure some of them think that). I'm also in possession of a reader's card for the Archives that will last three years. In case I ever need it. Free things that that are always good to have, after all.

So, after the Archives, we went to lunch. I'll spare you the details, but all of us were famished & dug into our meal gladly. I was ridiculously happy to see food since I hadn't eaten anything since 5:30.

After scarfing down our meal, Hiram (one of the UCC lecturers) thought it'd be fun to go visit an exhibition at the National Gallery. So we did. And it was really cool. All sorts of paintings on the culture of Ireland in a 200 year span (I forget the actual dates & am too lazy to walk over to my bag which has the pamphlet in it), I think 1700-something to 1940ish.
I am such a bad historian, disregarding dates like that.

Then it was off to the National Library, which I had high hopes for -- it, after all, is probably where I will end up doing quite a bit of research. & while our guide there did give us some good info, she also gave us way too much filler. Not a good idea when you have a tired group of postgrad students with you & the reading room you've taken them to is extremely warm. I'm quite honestly surprised half of us didn't fall asleep. But, I do feel badly, though, since we really weren't good at asking questions since most people seemed to be thinking "I want a pint/I want to sit down/I want to sleep."

It was raining slightly went we left the Library & headed back to the train station...& the wind got very gusty. But it was nothing compared to the weather we found in Cork when we got off the train around 8pm. Steady rain & an almost constant strong, strong wind. I tried to avoid walking too close to the river for very long, fearing that there might be a particularly super strong gust at some point & I would fly, Piglet style, in the the River Lee & then wash out to sea.

So, that was today's adventures -- in sleepy visioned details.

Sunday, I actually did stuff! One of my friends, Claudia, held an Advent party -- complete with hot chocolate, scones, & other goodness...I left there stuffed. Then, Nienke, her twin sister who was visiting & I went to the Advent celebration at St Fin Barre's Sunday night. It was quite beautiful -- the church stayed dark almost the entire time. I just wish they had printed the music to accompany the words to the hymns they gave us in the program...or that they had given us hymnals. I knew one hymn they sang off the top of my head & the rest I had to mumble quietly until the second and third verses, when I was finally able to catch the melody.

Well, off to sleep I go. Luckily, I have nothing to do until 3pm tomorrow, so I can recover. Yay for that!

Turkeys, Books & Clouds

And so another week has passed.
'Twas rather uneventful, but I'm trying to keep this updated fairly often. I'm trying to be good about it. Honest.

Thanksgiving went well. I actually prepared the meal on my own; when we sat down there was but one dish that I had not made myself. Luckily it wasn't a big affair, there were three of us. I may've cheated a bit (stuff from boxes = brilliant), but that's because in true procrastinatory style I shopped for the holiday meal Thanksgiving morning. It's so nice to see some of my habits never change. :P

The decorations continue to go up around the city -- and Christmas music is blaring from stores along Patrick Street. I'll try to take some photos of all the decorations soon. Even if I feel like a complete tourist to do so. There's something eerily self-conscious in taking photos of a place where you live; and it always makes me want to say, "No, seriously, I live here!" when I take such photos.

I absolutely impatient for Christmas. My family will be in Ireland in three and a half weeks (not that I'm counting....) & I can't wait to see them and show them around.

If the Cork City Library was open right now, I'd be tempted to run over there, get a membership & check out a novel instead of doing any of my reading. Those academic books sit neatly in a pile by my desk, staring up at me, whilst I try to forget them for another hour. The moment I leave my chair, however, I have to remember them or else I trip over them and turn them into a messy pile of books. And that's just no fun.

So, I shall try to read one of those books now, instead of watching the clouds roll in over the rooftops; despite the fact that the latter could be far more interesting today (especially if I dare to open my book for my seminar: that book puts me to sleep faster than any other I have).