A Twitter-esq post

• This weekend I went to Oxford for Thanksgiving. I was the Native American to my second family's Pilgrim clan. It was delightful. I made pumpkin pie for the first time in my life. Oh to swim in pumpkin pie.
  
  
• I had a dream this weekend that Natick Pizza delivered to me. In Dublin. In Dublin, Ireland. And it was piping hot and delicious. So good I could taste it. I wonder what this means for my mental health, having dreams about pizza?
  
  
• Today I've done three loads of laundry and ran out of room to hang up everything. To everyone who has a dryer, please be sure to hug it today. I'd hug my dryer, but oh, look at that, we don't have one.
  
  
• It's freezing cold. All of my normal pants are being dried by still air, hence the previous dryer love. I wonder if they'll be dried or frozen by tomorrow morning. All that's left to wear are my pajama pants and believe me, I'm not putting up much of a fight when putting these bad boys on.
  
  
• How much bronzer is too much? Let's find out, shall we?
  

Thanksgiving Week 4

To the Love of my Life: I am thankful for you always.



I'm also thankful for my family and friends. You make it all worthwhile.















Not pictured are my great Dublin friends (you know who you are) and college friends, and former co-workers, and remaining family members - you all know who you are. I'm thankful for each and every one of you this year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Week Part 3

The Sounds of my Youth.

When we were growing up, we weren't allowed to watch TV unless it was PBS (and really, how cool is Mr. Rogers past age 8?)or 'The Cosby Show.' We had to beg my Mom for weeks just to be allowed to watch 'My So-Called Life' and even then it was canceled after one series. Thanks a lot, ABC!

But instead of television, we had music. I think we were the first people in town to have a CD player and before that, Dad had a pretty sweet stereo system with speakers that were the size of my 4 year old brother and a wide range of tapes from my very first crush, Bruce Springsteen to the Everly Brothers. And we listened to music all.the.time. One Thanksgiving we even put on a talent show for the family. Those were the days.

So without further ado, a list of songs that helped shape my childhood and helped me become the person I am today. Songs I am quite thankful for, and links to the ones (if I can find them.)

Birth to 10 years (1979 - 1989)
Everly Brothers - Bird Dog
Beach Boys - Good Vibrations
Beach Boys - Be True to your School
Bruce Springsteen - Glory Days (pretty much every track from 'Born in the USA')
Tina Turner - What's Love Got to Do With It?
Dire Straits - Money for Nothing
Hall & Oates - I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
Lionel Richie - Dancing on the Ceiling
Moody Blues - Wildest Dreams
Chris de Burgh - Lady in Red
Dionne Warwick - That's What Friends Are For
The Bangles - Manic Monday
New Kids on the Block - Please Don't Go Girl

Pre-teen to Teenage Years (1990 - 2000)
Snow - Informer
KLF - Justified and Ancient
Sophie B Hawkins - Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover (My Gramma actually bought this cassette single for me and when we put it on in her Ford Escort she immediately took it out and told me I couldn't listen to it anymore.)
Positive K - I Got A Man
Biz Markie - Just A Friend
Bel Biv Devoe - Poison
Boyz II Men - Motown Philly
Pearl Jam - Black (Smooth transition, eh?)
Alice in Chains - Rooster
Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Mary Jane's Last Dance
Beastie Boys - Get it Together
Sneaker Pimps - 6 Underground
Sugar Ray - Fly
Sublime - What I Got (acoustic version)
Grateful Dead - Touch of Grey
311 - Beautiful Disaster
NSync - Bye Bye Bye (Seriously.)

2000 - Present The 'You Call Yourself an Adult?' Years
Stevie Wonder - Superstition
Justin Timberlake - Cry Me A River
The Waterboys - Fisherman's Blues
Bob Marley - Could You Be Loved
Notorious BIG - Juicy
Pussycat Dolls - Don't Cha
Snoop Dogg - Drop it Like it's Hot
Justin Timberlake - Let Me Talk To You/My Love
Jurrasic 5 - What's Golden
Usher - Yeah
Jack Johnson - Sitting Waiting Wishing
Jack Johnnson - Breakdown
Swell Season - Gold (from the 'Once' Soundtrack)
Pogues - Dirty Old Town
Elbow - Mirrorball
Scissor Sisters - Laura
Jack Johnson - Adrift
Dire Straits - So Far Away

There is a method to my madness. Each song on this list represents a favorite memory with a very close friend or member of my family. Now, you may be thinking 'Hey Liz, you forgot a shitload of awesome songs.' No, friend, I didn't forget. I had to cut this list down from one hundred zillion to this. And even so, I'm not including so many of the songs that I wanted to include. I ran out of days, you see. This post would have taken me about a year otherwise. I know I'm unemployed, but even I don't have that kind of time.

Thank you music, for being awesome. And thank you to the songs I didn't mention here, the ones I'd like to keep for myself. Now you'll never know how much I love Led Zeppelin's 'How Many More Times.'

Thanksgiving Week 2

Films I am thankful for.

1) Bottle Rocket
All sorts of hilarity and whimsy, this film taught me a lot about my sense of humor and that there was life outside horriffic Armageddon type films (It was 1996, after all.)


With characters like Anthony and Dignan, and a character named Future Man, this film is a must-see. It is also home to many of my most favorite movie quotes (and there are too many to pick from, there is no way I can do them justice). Wes Anderson is a genius.

2) Back To The Future Part II. Notice I didn't say Part I. Part I was good. But Part II was so much better. I caught a glimpse of the future. 'Jaws' in 3D? Count me in. Self-drying clothes? Yes please.



Most importantly, this film taught me about hovercrafts and the perks of using trash as fuel. Make it happen, Science, I've been waiting.

3) The Big Lebowski



The Cohen Brothers do it again. And again and again and again. If nothing else, this film taught me to appreciate the delicacy that is a white russian.

4) Shag The Movie. Oh the scandals. I begged my older sister to go with her and see this. It was 1989 and she was going to see it with her best friend. I wanted to go too (this was a recurring trend in my childhood. Hope you don't mind, Kate!). Mom finally said I could go and some lady with huge hair sat in front of me. I mean, it was 1989.


Oh to be a Southern Belle. Perhaps this movie kickstarted my secret, low key obsession with living in the south. It's warm there often. Interesting accents. Paula Deen has a restaruant in Savannah. And though there is constant reference to 'Yankees' in this film, I can live with that. Just don't call it 'The War of Northern Aggression'. We both know slavery was a bad idea.

5) Office Space

How can you not love this film? I learned the value of wearing flip flops and playing Tetris at work. And oh, did I.

Thanksgiving Week

Things I'm Thankful For, The Monday (Material) Edition:

1) Wicked Good Clogs from LL Bean. According to sources, 'You can't wear your slippers everywhere.' According to me, 'Yes You Can.'



2 Samuel Adams Summer Ale. Not available overseas. Delicious enough to fly across the Atlantic for during peak season. Enough said.



3. Aer Lingus. Thank you for flying me home and back non-stop. (I may be the only person thankful for you this year, remember that next time I check in for a flight and please consider how wonderful free upgrades are to the lowly few who have never flown first class.) Sure, some of your planes are pathetic, but more often than not, I can overlook that fact because I don't have a layover at stupid, miserable Heathrow.



4. Target. You know the saying 'Don't know what you've got til it's gone?' Yeah, that about sums it all up.



5. Ikea. My newest love. A glorious megastore that is also insanely cheap. You make me so very happy, especially now that I can take the 140 bus instead of the 13 bus through crackmurderville.



So there you have it. My top 5 material blessings. Shazaam.

Tall Tales

Back in the day, when I was a Teacher's Assistant for a middle school class, I used to really enjoy telling tall tales. It happened gradually, but I found I got a better reaction when I blurred the truth. Here are some examples of my yarns:

One student would ask me over and over again how old I was, and I always replied 'I'm 73 years young.' He asked why I looked like I was in my 20s and I told him that I had discovered the Fountain of Youth in El Salvador and drank from it. This was when I was an explorer in the 1930s. He asked why I wouldn't give up it's exact coordinates and answered his on question with the following statement, 'You're probably right to keep it a secret. I wouldn't want to be young forever and watch my family get old without me. Thanks Miss R.'

One week we were learning about the Presidents. One student asked me how George Washington died. I got out the Encyclopedia and opened up to the famous picture of Washington crossing the Delaware and explained that while Leonardo daVinci was painting this masterpiece, Old Georgie fell in the water and died of pnemonia. The student said that he didn't believe me and I told him to prove me wrong by writing an essay about the life of George Washington. He did. That, my friends, is called motivation.

I have a scar on the back of my neck. It's not a very big one, but it's there. Usually nobody ever sees it because my hair is always down. One day I had my hair up in a ponytail and the very same student from the aforementioned two stories asked me where I got the scar. I told him that I got it when I was scuba diving - a shark thought it would be neat to eat my head. He asked why I didn't have a scar on the front of my neck. 'Easy,' I said, 'That's because I was wearing steel mesh gloves and was able to block the bite from the shark with one hand while using the other to punch it in the gills.' Hook, line, and sinker.

It turns out that I learned more from them than they did from me. That was my best job ever. I wonder how those kids are doing. I miss them.

A Conversation

*ring ring*

Kate: Hello?
Me: Hey it's me.
Kate: What's up?
Me: Please ask Jay what the word is for fish that are dead and soaked in water and used as bait to catch sharks.
Kate: (to Jay) Eliz wants to know the word for fish that are dead and soaked in water and used as bait to catch sharks.
Jay: Chum?
Kate: Chum.
Me: I KNEW IT. (To the SJC) CHUM!
The SJC: (no words, just a middle finger.)
Me: The SJC just flipped me off.
Kate: Jay is telling me it might be something different in Ireland, so The SJC might be right. I think he's trying to be best buddies with The SJC.
Me: I will not relay that message.
(Laughter)
Kate: Is that why you called?
Me: Yes, we were lying in bed trying to figure out the word.
Kate: Such sweet pillow talk.
Me: I know.
Kate: Isn't it past midnight with you?
Me: Yes, it is.
Kate: And how did the day end?
Me: On a positive note.
Kate: And how does tomorrow begin?
Me: Even better than yesterday.

The Trouble with 30

As I wind down my Glory Years aka my 20s and head into the Great Unknown aka my 30s and then 'Adulthood,' I've started to compile a list of things I don't think I can get away with now that I'm in my 30s. I'm hoping to have a list of 30 things you can't do when you're 30, but so far, I only have five. And here they are:

1. Jaeger bombs. The last time I had one of these, I was 24 and it turned out to be a pretty bad night.
   
   
2. Go out dancing. Not only would the bouncers laugh at 1979 on my license (of course I'd get carded) but it would be too loud, too crowded, and I wouldn't even know half the songs they played. I'd probably start requesting Lil Jon and the Eastside Boyz and Usher. I'd be laughed out of town!
   
   
3. Announce publicly how awesome I think Justin Timberlake is.
   
   
4. Go see a Zac Efron film by myself. It screams cougar if you go alone. Going with a buddy takes some pressure off.
   
   
5. Stay out until 4am. Let's face it. These days I'm exhausted by 9:15 and I don't even have a job.
   
   

Some of these items make me sad, specifically numbers 2 and 3, so I will make it a quest to prove them wrong.

Another 'Trouble With 30' is that every time I call home now, my parents expect me to have news. I'm pretty sure they mean nnews of the baby making variety. It's amazing how disappointment comes across crystal clear after traveling 3000 miles of telephone wire, isn't it? I like kids alright, specifically my niece. One time I was a camp counselor and I lived to tell the tale. But recently I yelled at a kid to shut up, so let's just leave it at 'I'm not there yet.'

In this last month of my 20s, a most beloved decade in my life, I'll be posting my favorite memories on Twitter and my favorite pictures here.


Kate and Me, on my 21st Birthday aka Christmas 2000.
I'm on the right in the blue, looking a little bit too excited to be drinking Amstel Light. Nice pearls, by the way. This was the night that my brother drove my sweet ride, a Dodge Intrepid, home from the family Christmas party and a deer hit the car. No, the car didn't hit a deer, a deer hit the car. I cannot stress that enough. I was in shotgun, Kate, Jay, and Molly were in the backseat. After Mark pulled over, he and Jay ran out to find the deer while Kate was wailing in the back seat 'I could see it's eyes! It looked me in the eyes! I could see it's eyes!' Merry Christmas to all.

*Blogger's Note: I have no problems crossing the threshold from 29 to 30. I embrace it. Age is nothing but a chronicle measurement of time.*

Happy Birthday Dad!

Many things have changed for my Dad over the past year. For one thing, he made a new best friend (see picture above) and favors her above all else. Not that the rest of us mind, you see, we're all crazy about her too.

He had another addition to the family, the SJC, though technically the SJC married into the family in 2008. Because of this most recent second addition, Dad put on his Sunday best and hosted the Wedding of the Century.



I haven't gotten to talk to him much since the wedding ended, and that makes me pretty sad. It's very hard to be away from the family, especially during birthdays and holidays. Dad, I wish I could be there today to celebrate your birthday with you, but instead this post will have to make due.

To Peter. The Man who snuck my Varsity Letters into my luggage the last time I left Metropolis for inspiration.
To Peter. The Man who at 60 looks and has the energy of someone much much younger.
To Peter. The greatest father in the history of the world.

Happy Birthday Dad! I love you!

Now that the dust has settled

It's funny. The other day I was at TK Maxx (the poor man's TJ Maxx) thinking 'Wow, I wish we had better travel mugs here. These are wimpy and small.' I considered many things, placing yet another call stateside to signal to my Mom to send some coffee mugs, but she doesn't drink coffee, and would probably send a Thermos full of tea instead. And we have enough tea here, thanks very much.

That weekend we were in Sligo and were handed our last wedding gift, from my Mom's cousin Judy, who is actually also my cousin. Judy is from Roscommon and moved to the US of A when she was a teenager (I think I have that right,) so she's legitimately Irish-American. Take that, fakers from Southie! So we were handed a parcel to open and I tore into it. I saw the Dunkin Donuts box and thought 'OH MY GOD SHE SENT DONUTS THIS IS AMAZING.' I opened it and saw something even better than donuts (it travels better, too!) Behold, our gift from Judy:



Note the two travel mugs that say 'American Runs on Dunkin.' The SJC is the envy of every man, woman, and child on the DART these days. Last night we got home from the rugby and tore into the Dunkin Donuts coffee to warm up. It was delicious. The place mats are perfectly matched to the Fiestaware - how did you know?

Thank you thank you thank you THANK YOU JUDY for this wonderful gift! You are, as my people say, Wicked Awesome.

Here is another great gift we received:



Jazz O'Shamrocks from my cousin who works at Saucony. We wore them to the rugby match yesterday and I'm pretty sure it was the power of the shoes that caused Brian O'Driscoll to score that last minute try. You're welcome, Brian.

Scenes of Dublin

I recently moved the pictures from my old mobile phone onto my computer. I did this in a very roundabout way, by getting a new phone that was modern (take that, Nokia) and came with a USB cable to transfer images from the camera to your computer. Luckily the memory cards were the same size so with a little switch-a-roo, I will no longer be sad that all the good pictures I took on my trusty old Nokia will never see the light of day.

It shouldn't surprise you that they are already in a Facebook photo album. Clearly I brought my A-Game yesterday.

Not much is going on with me these days, considering the wedding is over and now we're in a lull between Wedding and Christmas. Thanksgiving doesn't feature here (you'd be surprised how many people ask me that.) I'm going to Oxford for Thanksgiving with my mother and father-in-law to visit my sister-in-law, and my other brother-in-law and his wife will be joining us. They're all going as Pilgrims, whether they know it or not, and I'm going to be a Native American. Mom, send me a headdress, or I'll just wear my Natick Redmen shirt.

Anyway, to pass the time between now and then, I will post pictures I have taken with my mobile. This first one is aimed at D. Shays.


Bewley's Oriental Cafe on Grafton Street

Bewley's Cafe on Grafton Street is a little bit famous. When my family was here in 2005 visiting Smalls at Christmas, my Mom and Dad would go to Bewley's every morning for tea/coffee and breakfast. When I first moved over in 2007, I would go there often until it lost it's magic aka I realized it was for tourists. Since then I've been back twice, both times to get the Orla Kiely tea cannister.

Up next is J Bermingham's on Dorset Street (aka the North Side) aka my Worst Pub in Dublin.


No, I've never been. Because it's on the North Side? No. Because it looks like a 1960's office building, and having had to work for Corporate America for several years, I tend to avoid office buildings like the plague. Plus, I don't think many people go into this pub anyway, unless they're lost and looking for paper clips and three ring binders.

And finally, Americaville.


Also known as Dundrum Town Centre or as I like to call it 'The Mall.' Feeling homesick, Americans? Go to Dundrum. There is a Gap there.

Tomorrow: Beautiful Irish vistas.

Sayanora Starfish

This weekend we went to Sligo to say sayanora to a whole lot of starfish.

It's so weird. There was a storm in Sligo that washed up a bazillion starfish on the beach of Lissadell. Naturally, we went to see the carnage.



It was quite a sight. There were a lot of people scatterd on the beach taking photos and looking at the dead starfish. I kept calling them jellyfish. Wishful thinking, I suppose.



Despite the grim scene on the beach, it was a lovely day in Sligo.

A Maldivian Picture Post

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. This is one of those times.


Proof we were over the water


The SJC kayaks around sunset


The dhoni we went fishing on


The SJC and the catch of the day


What a difference a day makes - Friday's view from our balcony


Same view on Saturday

If you ever feel the need to go to the Maldives - GO. GO RIGHT NOW. And take me with you.

The Nespresso Series

We had a Nespresso machine in our room at the resort. This was amazing for several reasons, one because who doesn't love espresso whenever they can have it, and two, who doesn't love mocking advertisements?


image courtesy of a Google image search

George Clooney is the current 'Nespresso Ambassador' for Nespresso, meaning he's the face of the campaign, kind of like Andie McDowell for L'Oreal or Edward Dyson for Dyson. (You mean that's not his real name? I'll leave it.) Since our number one past time is making fun of things, the SJC and I staged our own photoshoot over every day of our honeymoon. I have since posted many of these shots on Facebook only to receive individual emails from several people saying 'Why did you put up so many pictures of the SJC drinking espresso?' It's all about the hilarity, people.

So behold, a few choice Nespresso series shots.


Day One. So excited with the prospect of fast espresso in a miniature cup, we begin our series.


Day Three. We both share in the delight of Nespresso. No, it wasn't foggy out, the camera took a long time to adjust to the humidity in the air. Nespresso waits for no one.


Day Five. My favorite in the series. Why? Because the SJC is clearly a skilled model. Look at those angles!

While I'm not a huge coffee drinker, after the second or third day, the Nespresso lost it's luster and I went back to water.


My beloved water served at breakfast with a bread basket.

Day One: Dublin to Male

This day actually took two days because we left Dublin around 11:30 am and arrived in Male at 8:30 am the next day. We had a layover in Qatar, which marked my third time being to Qatar. I found that fact odd, and mentioned to the SJC that I have been to Qatar now more times than I've been to North Carolina. Or even Illinois, because I've never been to Illinois. He also found that weird, or maybe just wanted to agree with me because at that point I was rambling and we were in Qatar Airport. Not one of our favorite places on earth.

We eventually made it to Male, the capital city of the Maldives, where we traded this last Dublin view:



For this one:



Not an even trade you say? Maybe not, but I loved it.

We checked into the hotel and were assigned a butler. Both the SJC and I were highly uncomfortable with this fact because, well, we like to keep it real. Turns out we didn't see the butler that much in the end, but he did keep us stocked up with ice, so that was nice of him.

We slept like champions, waking up at 3pm in time for a nice swim in the lagoon and then we headed to the Equator bar and got $8 beers and went to dinner. Here is something you should know about the Maldives. They tell you it is expensive and you're all 'Oh, how expensive can it be? I've been to Denmark. I LIVE in Dublin.' But it's ridiculously expensive. Drinks range from $8 beers to $19 cocktails. As much as I like to think I'm a high roller, I can't justify spending $19 on a frigging cocktail (though I did speculate as to whether or not they measured the pour, like they do in Ireland and the UK). So for that reason, we never really tied one on. And with the abundance of fresh fruit and water, it was kind of like being in detox while on your honeymoon.

Not that I am complaining. We went grocery shopping yesterday and I bought granola. Granola? What have I become?



The staff at the Taj Exotica was fantastic. Everyone knew our names by day two and greeted us with 'Good Morning'/'Good Afternoon'/or 'Good Evening' depending on the time of day. When we got back to Dublin we decided that was the one thing we missed most. Random strangers don't greet you on the street. Or maybe they do and I don't hear it because I'm listening to music on my iPod very loudly.

Coming up: Activities such as yoga, massages, kayaking, snorkling, and living the dream.

Back to Reality

We're back from the Maldives as of yesterday afternoon, exhausted, jetlagged, and disorientated. Also, very tan. And I use the phrase 'tan' by Irish standards - we are less pale than we used to be, that's for sure, despite bathing in SPF 50 several times a day, every day.



Behold a picture which is a view from our resort. I have plenty of pictures to share and will tell the tale over the next week. How psyched are you?

I'd say it's good to be back, but we both know I'd be lying.