Umm I seem to have overlooked something.

Latvia's Eurovision entry:



Ireland is apparently the only nation with taste, which is why we gave Latvia 12 points.

My Other Hero

Here is a man who's guidance and support I will be turning to very soon to guide me through a DIY fix up.



Also, thank you to my Dad for his sound advice and recommendations. I love you Dad!

What now...

• Now that Eurovision 2008 is over, I need a new hobby. And I think that hobby will be daydreaming.
  
  
• I think I am cursed. I broke a mirror and consequently dropped my laptop, broke a shoe, and lost one half of my favorite good luck earrings. Remember? Today I broke a bowl, and later was told that my work was subpar (embarasing, yes, I shall overcome.) What next, universe? An earthquake? A cyclone? Will I fall down the stairs and break a bone for the first time in my life (pinky toes don't count)?
  
  
• I really like espadrille wedges.
  
  
• Is it 5:30 yet?

The TRUE Eurovision 2008 Winner of all our hearts

I found the English lyrics( found here) to "Pokusaj" by Laka, The Bosnia&Herzegovina entry into Eurovision 2008 aka 'The Greatest Eurovision Entry of All Time.'

Go to this entry to watch the most magnificent video of all time (the 2nd one.)

Other highlights:

• Sebastien Teller 'Divine' France's entry.
  
• Rodolfo Chikilicuatre's 'Chiki Chiki' Spain's entry.
  
• Elnur & Samir 'Day After Day' Azerbaijan's entry.

IS IT MAY 2009 YET!?!?

Editor's Note: They even have a fan site!

Toto, I get the feeling we're not in America anymore...

Today marks my first Friday of my first Official Work Week in Ireland. Okay, so it didn't include Monday, but you get the jist.

So far, I love it. I'm back in the swing of things and everyone is wicked nice. What I love the most? The number of times tea or coffee is made.

The one small thing, teeny tiny thing that is catching me off guard... It's the '@' button. I've spent 15 years of my life hitting SHIFT + 2. In Ireland, that method leaves me with ". Not quite the same effect when you're using your email address to log into websites.

But, I shall overcome.

Last night we went to Mangetu Restaurant which doesn't even have a website yet. It's located at 1 Victoria Place on Haddington Road in Ballsbridge. It was amazing. Pan Asian food, I had some Thai. I recommend it to anyone and everyone who breathes and likes food. Also, my Hawk Eyes spotted Grey Goose and Ketel One on the wall. A huge bonus for anyone who likes a martini, but doesn't like Smirnoff.

Joy

Even though you didn't make it, Dustin, you still put on a hell of a show.



Congratulations to you, Bosnia and Herzegovnia.



You've introduced me to pure insanity.
I love you, Eurovision.

EuroVision

Have my eyes never seen such splendor?
Have my ears never heard such joy?

EuroVision, I know we just met but... You are amazing.
Hidden between the bizarrely sung songs from Israel (now in Europe?) and Belgium a gem shines through. And that gem is Estonia.



Let's go Estonia!! *clap clap clapclapclap*

Sudden College Nostalgia

It happens almost every year since graduation (okay, 5 times,) but randomly throughout the spring, I miss college.
Let me be specific and give you some background.
I miss Springtime Super Happy Fun Day, which only occurred at Framingham State.
But Liz, you didn't graduate from Framingham State!
No, reader, I did not.

Now, here comes the background.
I started my long and illustrious college career at Framingham State College, no thanks to my high school guidance counselor, who I have reason to believe is actually the devil. Framingham State was, to summarize, a huge waste of time. I hated it. It was boring and just plain sucked. Though, to be fair, I did meet Tom there, and he has been and will remain, one of my best friends.

Springtime Super Happy Fun Day happened in the spring, when it was warm enough for people to start wearing sandals and stop going to class in favor of hanging out on the lawn or just listening to "Pour Some Sugar On Me" by Def Leppard really loudly in their dorm room. And sometimes?? Sometimes there were Sno-Cones. SNO-CONES!! Imagine the joy! That is why, every year when it's warm and sunny out for the first time, I get a touch nostalgic for those good old days, those innocent days of yore, and can almost hear Def Leppard and taste a delicious Sno-Cone.

After two years at FSC, I went to Mass Bay for a year, and then headed to the University of Southern Maine, where I graduated 2 years later. I have not yet missed USM since graduation 5 years ago. I've missed the people I went to school with, yes. I miss them frequently, and on May 10th, I usually miss Malin because of our graduation night celebration. But today, it's a different story.

Today, for the first time, I missed life at USM. I will thank Cookie for these nostalgic flashbacks, because it was looking at her pictures on The Facebook that triggered them. I missed the Maine late summer/early fall, and the Maine spring (when it shows up.) I missed going to Sebago Brewery for the potato nachos. I missed going to the tiny liquor store off campus in November and still finding Sam Summer. I even missed getting grilled cheese sandwiches from Aramark's Evil Mystery Workshop aka the Cafe. I missed the RA field trip to Boston where my friends and I just completely slacked off the rest of the group and had our own Culture of Fun Day. And then we got in trouble. I missed having classes such as "Rock and Roll History: David Bowie," "Film Appreciation," "Kickboxing," "Ballroom Dancing," and "Acting 101." I missed getting in trouble for talking to Christa during 70% of class. I missed peer pressuring Pam into going to the Old Port. I missed eating dinner in the cafe with Cookie and waiting for Pam and Nik to get off their asses and join me for BAGEL BAR DAY!! which was usually the greatest day of the week.

Yes sir, I did miss USM today. It lasted about 10 seconds, and then again while I typed out this bloggery. It's gone now, because with all the good comes the bad, like the winter, almost hitting a moose while taking the Loser Cruise from Portland to Gorham one night, the late night phone calls while on duty because people locked themselves out of their rooms, fire drills, Thursday night rounds, etc. The list goes on and on.

And now I've moved on to bigger and better things, like my recurring dream about me and my new iMac.

And if you did the math, you'll realize that I graduated after 5 years. That's right, I did. But it was actually 5 1/2 years because I went to summer school as well.

That, my friends, is how you do college.

Oooooh! Pink!

There you have it. Friday's Daily Dose of Dublin.
A lovely finish to a lovely week.

What a day.

Today has been one hell of a day.

I got great news on the job front AND I had lunch with Beth which was a marathon session of laughter and hilarity. I wish her the very best of luck with her Cougars and Cowboys (Trademark pending.)

It is beautiful out. Absolutely gorgeous. I am looking forward to an enjoyable evening with the love of my life. Bring on the best weekend ever!

We've got all bases covered...

I like this one, too:

Daily Dose of Dublin

Shades of blue...



Must be laundry day.

What's the deal?

Dear Giant Black Flies,

How do you ALWAYS manage to fly in the one window that is open just a smidge? Is it because your billion eyes spot it from a mile or 1.6 kilometers away? Do you and your other fly friends get drunk and sing "Rhinestone Cowboy" and then dare each other to fly into human apartments just to torment them? Or do you come looking for your fallen comrades? I'm guessing it's the "Rhinestone Cowboy" scenario, and that's why you move so slow and don't see the giant shoe coming your way.

Watch the booze.

Sincerely,
A concerned citizen

Another DDD.

Art?

Nay. That, my friends is the cracked screen of my laptop formerly known as DELL A. REESE or DELL for short, the laptop who had a heart of gold but a memory the size of a grain of sand. DELL is now known as USELESS, the laptop who forced me to move everything I own onto a thumb drive except for my iTunes library which takes up too much room and is still on my hard drive with a wing and a prayer.

SEE DAD, I WASN'T LYING, IT'S PRETTY BAD.



This is how I use USELESS now. Hooked up to an old friend, Packard Bell, and not nearly as portable as before. It's just a matter of time before the motherboard fries.

Dear Apple,
How about sending me a shiny new computer? I'm completely worth it.
Love,
Liz
PS Thank you in advance!

Time for the Triple D

Daily Dose of Dublin



A lovely tree, just for you and me.
Picture taken this afternoon in the park between Blackrock and Booterstown. The tree is located near our bench where we sit and eat lunch on sunny days.
OUR bench, not yours, so get off the bench, old man!

To My Mom

I know everyone thinks their Mom is the best, but I KNOW that MY MOM is the best.

Happy Mother's Day Mama!



I love you Mom. I can't WAIT to see you again in 2 months!!!



Love, E xoxo

Shipping up to Dalkey

What do you do when you find yourself in Dalkey with Another American for dinner and your respective husbands are playing Nintendo Wii?

You do a photoshoot.

Sephia Old Timey Photoshoot:


We are Andy Warhol's inspiration:


Starting a new gang called "The LRC" and throwing up some gang signs:


Jazz Hands:


Blurry:


It was a hell of an evening, and a hell of a good time. Special Thanks to Other Liz and her husband for showing Team Connor a good time.

An English Wedding

This past weekend I went to a wedding in England. Gloucester to be precise. And originally, yes I did think it would be in Gloucester, Massachusetts and we would all get on the Andrea Gail and find the Perfect Storm. Thank God that didn't happen.

Here is a picture:

The Haunted Manor











Team Connor












The Church















It was a hell of a wedding, even though the DJ didn't play Michael Jackson OR Nena's "99 Luftballons." He did play "9 to 5," however. Somewhere Dolly Parton is cashing a check for 30 cents.

That's Entertainment

Yesterday Beth and I went to see 27 Dresses and Made of Honor. I quite enjoyed the first one, the second one? Not so much. But I can't complain because the company was lovely even if I did have bad onion breath after lunch, which was so kindly pointed out to me by my husband later in the evening. "Either that, or garlic."

The weather has been gorgeous for the past three days, I wish it would stay like this forever and ever and ever. Apparently Grand Canal Quay is becoming quite the hotspot. Last night the SJC and I went for a jaunt around to see what's new. A lot. And then we came back and watched The Inbetweeners which is a HILARIOUS show and I recommend it to everyone who gets E4.

This was a pointless post, I know. Okay, peace out.

Will That Woman Ever Work?

The answer is YES.

I got my PPS number today. Ireland is so incredibly efficient for Immigrants who marry Irish Citizens, it's unbelievable. America is not as kind.

Now, time to dust off the old resume/CV. What do I want to do? Anything. I say that but take it with a grain of salt. I don't want to do boring stuff and I want to learn something new and challenging.

Now, I can officially begin my new life.

The Writing is on the Wall

I broke a mirror about a month ago. I also opened an umbrella inside.
I am a cursed woman.
But, bad things happen in threes, right?
Behold:
1) I dropped my laptop and broke the screen.
2) I lost one of my FAVORITE earrings of all time - the Good Luck pair that my sister Kate bought for me in the unlucky Puerto Rico - at Dublin Airport on Friday. I was close to tears but Kate talked me down via text at 7 in the morning (her time.) What a woman.
3) On Sunday night, I broke the heel off my Cole Haan shoes. While dancing. My favorite heels.

"Superstition" has been in my head for the past few days, it's no wonder why.

May Day

Happy May Day.

When I was little (at least 22 years ago,) we lived in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. That is the one and only time I remember making May Day baskets and being told to put them on the front porch of our neighbors, ring the doorbell and run away to hide only to watch the expression of joy on their faces.

Those oldies loved their May day baskets full of flowers picked out of their own garden by a straggly young whippersnapper with a wild mane of tangled brown hair.

So, 22 years later, to the residents of what was formerly known as Hillcrest Road, now known as "Ceder Ledge Road," you are welcome.

And in other news, only 4 days left until Cinco de Mayo. I love Cinco de Mayo because I like to celebrate Cinco de Mayo the same way Americans celebrate St. Patrick's Day. By drinking tons of ethnic drinks even though I am in no way a member of that ethnic group. Those ethnic drinks I speak of, are of course, margaritas.



Viva la Mexico!