Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Mr. Wilson

My neighbor Mr. Wilson died today.

When my mom called with the bad news, I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. Mr. Wilson hadn't aged in the fifteen years I've known him. There was no way...

I remember as kids how overjoyed my sisters and I were to find out that our new neighbor's name was Mr. Wilson-- just like Denis the Menice. It was something we'd giggle about to this very day. Mr. Wilson was a lot like the cartoon: an elderly gentleman married to the kindest lady on the planet. He had admitted to my mom that he was not a big fan of kids, and especially not teenagers... but also said my sisters and I had found a special place in his heart.

He was a wonderful man, an adopted Grandfather of sorts. Not only had our family grown to love him, but even our dogs loved him. Every dog we have had in this house (we are on numbers 3 and 4) knew instinctively where to go to get a free handout- probably some leftover meat he knew they never got in our vegetarian household.

I have so many fond memories of Mr. Wilson. Whenever my Dad was at sea he would help my mom with anything she needed, and whenever Mrs. Wilson was away my mom would bring him dinner- often his favorite- homemade lentil soup. I remember one occassion where he was helping my mom, sisters, and I move one of our live Christmas trees into the house, weighing about 350lbs. The poor guy threw his back out (not that we found out about it until Mrs. Wilson accidently spilled the beans). He would always kid my Dad about how full his hands were in a house full of women.

I will miss his generous spirit, his full laugh, his warm grin, and his eager wave whenever I pulled in the driveway when I came home from college. A sports fan, he always supported my track career; I can remember him out in the front yard with my Dad watching me throw the shot put on a number of occassions. It makes it even more appropriate, for lack of a better term, that he peacefully passed while watching ESPN.

I will think of him everytime I roll down the driveway.

Monday, February 27, 2006

I Predict a Riot

This weekend Dublin was, in a word, INSANE.

Friday night was one of the last nights of Dublin's International Film Festival so Ann and I decided to take the night off and go see "Proof"- one of my favorite plays by David Auburn. It was as good as I had hoped- Gwyneth was brilliant, Jake was endearing, and Anthony was fierce. I loved it.

Saturday was spent working hard/ hardly working on my essay. However my peaceful afternoon was interrupted by riots, yes riots, in city centre. Just as I settled in with my law journal article and cup o' joe, Nuggie called to say she was downtown to show her sister the sites when she turned the corner and cars were set ablaze; she turned around and went home... I got my shoes on and went out.

Anytime there is a Love Ulster parade I expect trouble, though I cannot say I anticipated this much trouble. When I had scurried down to the city centre to view the aftermath, I was shocked to find it had been a full scale battle, complete with smoke bombs, overturned vehicles, and violence. Almost every store front window on O'Connell street was shattered, and dozens were sent to the hospital. It would have been unfortunate to be wearing orange this weekend.




Friday, February 24, 2006

Jeanne's Birthday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPILLANE!



Sunday, February 19, 2006

Oscar Wilde Fluther O'Casey

Its been a busy week... busy with classes, working on my essay, fighting a wicked cold, and rescuing homeless kitties. Thats right, I said it. It turns out I am my mother's daughter, and the little beasts find me.

As a result of this weeks activities, meet Oscar Wilde Fluther O'Casey, our newest roomie.







(Sorry Dad... I sold out). :)

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Valentine's Day

At about 4am this morning I was in a wet t-shirt and a puddle of my own sweat. No, I'm not talking about a wild night at Tikki Bob's. My fever finally broke, leaving me and my achy bones feeling like they'd just run a marathon. I stumbled into the bathroom and looked at my flushed face in the mirror; the Grim Reaper looked back. Happy Valentine's Day to me.

After crawling back into bed and sleeping till 11am, I woke up feeling refreshed. Nothing like blue skies and sunshine to make someone feel better. Ann and I had lunch at Queen of Tarts for Dublin's most amazing desserts. Victorian Sponge Cake for me and Apple Crumble for her... delish.

The rest of the afternoon was spent as Valentine's Day should be spent: guilt-free gorging on homemade double chocolate brownies in my leopard-print blanket. Mmmm. Did a good bit of reading for my intelligent design essay but have nothing to show for it, which is frustrating as hell. I am going to have a substantial portion of this thing done by this weekend if it bloody kills me.

So tonight, I have a date with Darwin. Brownies will be consumed until those suckers are gone. Hasn't been too shabby of a day here in Dublin, but I'm certainly wishing I was in Philadelphia with my Valentine...

Monday, February 13, 2006

Boooo

Woke up with a sore throat and fever, both of which are getting progressivly worse as the day goes on. Tried to run it off at the gym with no success. Not even Starbucks could pull me out of my funk. I'm sitting here at my kitchen table trying to be productive but all I can think about is my scratchy throat, swollen glands, and pounding head. Damn Dublin and the damp, gray weather! I want my Mommy.

In efforts to think happy thoughts, I'm posting some belated New Years pictures featuring some of my favorite people!







Friday, February 10, 2006

Analyze This

***This entry has been edited! In yet more efforts to procrastinate, I hunted down a more accurate personality test. I think the results may be more accurate***

Go Here for the New Test


ESFP

As an ESFP, your primary mode of living is focused externally, where you take things in via your five senses in a literal, concrete fashion. Your secondary mode is internal, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit with your personal value system.

ESFPs live in the world of people possibilties. They love people and new experiences. They are lively and fun, and enjoy being the center of attention. They live in the here-and-now, and relish excitement and drama in their lives.

ESFPs have very strong inter-personal skills, and may find themselves in the role of the peacemaker frequently. Since they make decisions by using their personal values, they are usually very sympathetic and concerned for other people's well-being. They're usually quite generous and warm. They are very observant about other people, and seem to sense what is wrong with someone before others might, responding warmly with a solution to a practical need. They might not be the best advice-givers in the world, because they dislike theory and future-planning, but they are great for giving practical care.

ESFP is definitely a spontaneous, optimistic individual. They love to have fun. If the ESFP has not developed their Thinking side by giving consideration to rational thought processing, they tend to become over-indulgent, and place more importance on immediate sensation and gratification than on their duties and obligations. They may also avoid looking at long-term consequences of their actions.

For the ESFP, the entire world is a stage. They love to be the center of attention and perform for people. They're constantly putting on a show for others to entertain them and make them happy. They enjoy stimulating other people's senses, and are extremely good at it. They would love nothing more than for life to be a continual party, in which they play the role of the fun-loving host.

ESFPs love people, and everybody loves an ESFP. One of their greatest gifts is their general acceptance of everyone. They are upbeat and enthusiastic, and genuinely like almost everybody. An ESFP is unfailingly warm and generous with their friends, and they generally treat everyone as a friend. However, once crossed, an ESFP is likely to make a very strong and stubborn judgment against the person who crossed them. They are capable of deep dislike in such a situation.

The ESFP under a great deal of stress gets overwhelmed with negatives thoughts and possibilities. As an optimistic individual who lives in the world of possibilities, negative possibilities do not sit well with them. In an effort to combat these thoughts, they're likely to come up with simple, global statements to explain away the problem. These simplistic explanations may or may not truly get to the nature of the issue, but they serve the ESFP well by allowing them to get over it.

ESFPs are likely to be very practical, although they hate structure and routine. They like to "go with the flow", trusting in their ability to improvise in any situation presented to them. They learn best with "hands-on" experience, rather than by studying a book. They're uncomfortable with theory. If an ESFP hasn't developed their intuitive side, they may tend to avoid situations which involve a lot of theoretical thinking, or which are complex and ambiguous. For this reason, an ESFP may have difficulty in school. On the other hand, the ESFP does extremely well in situations where they're allowed to learn by interacting with others, or in which they "learn by doing".

ESFPs have a very well-developed appreciation for aesthetic beauty, and an excellent sense of space and function. If they have the means, they're likely to have to have many beautiful possessions, and an artfully furnished home. In general, they take great pleasure in objects of aesthetic beauty. They're likely to have a strong appreciation for the finer things in life, such as good food and good wine.

ESFPs usually like to feel strongly bonded with other people, and have a connection with animals and small children that is not found in most other types. They're likely to have a strong appreciation for the beauties of nature as well.

The ESFP has a tremendous love for life, and knows how to have fun. They like to bring others along on their fun-rides, and are typically a lot of fun to be with. They're flexible, adaptable, genuinely interested in people, and usually kind-hearted. They have a special ability to get a lot of fun out of life, but they need to watch out for the pitfalls associated with living entirely in the moment.








Don't know if its consistant with my Gemini analysis, but interesting nonetheless...

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Silly Roomie




"Its 1am?! How can we have been sitting here for 12 hours and have nothing done?"

"Well... could it be the impromptu musical performances or the celebrity concerts we had all afternoon?"

"No... its not that..."

Words cannot express how much I love living with this crazy girl!

Monday, February 06, 2006

Its a Beautiful Day

Okay, so its not really a "beautiful" day... its actually rather gray and damp, but my mood is "beautiful" damnit!

I have been in a minor funk lately. No major depression, or anything like that, just a shit-weather-induced-i-dont-want-to-write-another-20-page-essay rut. But today, after some wack dreams and sleeping in till 11am (for shame!) I woke up with a smile on my face.

I crawled down to the gym after exchanging the usual "Good Morning Chestnut" with Jared (dont ask, we're weird) and ran like a hamster on the treadmill for a couple of miles. Then it was off for an indulgent and incredibly pretentious venti sugar-free vanilla latte from Starbucks to savor while I picked up a few groceries on the way home. As I walked the streets of Dublin in my sweaty sweats with my overpriced coffee, and picked up veggies from the local outdoor market, I felt a delightful sense of routine that would usually terrify me... but not today. And not here. It occurred to me this afternoon how incredibly lucky I am, to live here and be doing such an amazing program, to have such a supportive boyfriend and family, to have found such an incredible group of friends, and to have friends at home that make my heart swell. I'm telling you, this good mood has me high.

But the day gets BETTER! I come home to an email and a blog comment from two of my favorite people in the world- Benny T and Matt Lally. I was SO excited!!! Absolutely made my day to hear from the coolest guys ever. Also had a phone call from Fed-Ex and a package from Miss Katie will be delivered tomorrow! There is NOTHING more exciting than a snail-mail package!

As for the rest of the day, well... haven't been as productive as planned, but wrote a few emails, read a few articles, and talked to my mom on the phone, so it was a good afternoon, nonetheless. Perhaps I will be able to muster up some productive juices by this evening, but regardless, for no particular reason, I am untouchable today.

Sunday, February 05, 2006

"Is that a dodgy mole or cake on her face?"
Reason #426 I have come to love the British; they make expressions like "dodgy mole" sound eloquent.

Its been quite a week! Mostly filled with research, classes, and the gym, but this weekend has been lovely (as someone with currently only two days of classes a week, I use the term weekend loosely). Thursday we had a class pub night which was a good time- nice to hang out with people I wouldn't normally- and good to shake things up, I suppose. Friday night Ann and I went on a "date" to an overpriced Italian restaurant that boasts the most bland food on the planet. Last night we had a fabulous party at Laura and Jamie's place to celebrate Jamie and Erin Nuggie's birthdays! Highlights included a yummy dinner, Jamie "violating" Laura's plant, the karaoke version of Bohemian Rhapsody, as performed by myself, Nuggie, and Jeanne, charades (the American, Irish, and British versions), gifts like chocolate, mouse tampons (dont ask), and Broadway shows, and a delish homemade chocolate cake that ended up in more than one person's face. Afterwards it was off to our old haunt 4 Dame Lane, where we were packed in like sardines... but sardines with really good music. I got home at about 4am and talked to Jared until about 5am. I was up entirely too late, but it was a wonderful night.

Today I am going to read the Times and catch up on some magazines before the celebration of Miss Nuggie's Birthday Extravaganza continues (we ladies sure know how to drag these things out). About an hour ago I decided to forfeit all attempts at a productive day. Research and laundry will have to wait till tomorrow... there is celebrating to be done!