tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78913005757594495342024-03-05T01:06:14.990-08:00Moon-ledsilverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-77506843461600980532014-03-21T11:14:00.000-07:002014-03-21T11:15:23.173-07:00Our Front Yard GardenHey world!!!<br />
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I have been so crazy busy! Isn't it funny, you cut back your schedule and think, "Oh yeah, I'll have so much time on my hands now, what am I going to do with myself? Just ages, to do WHATEVER I WANT, BWAHAHAHA." Yep, doesn't quite work out that way. ;)<br />
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Lots and lots of gardening going on at this house. I'm literally overjoyed with all the progress we've made on making our home beautiful and ours. So, because we're renting, Joel's been a tad bit reluctant to redo anything major. The backyard was landscaped and redone by the previous tenant, and the way she felt was that her baby was the back and feck the front. Literally, she said that to me-- okay, minus the feck part, but hey, it was implied! Hahaha. So needless to say, our front was sadly neglected and untouched for over eight years! Gasp! All that crabgrass was happily plugging away, the Japanese Irises were crowding each other into the next milenia and the snails were basically creating mini Eden cities of snail prosperity. Oh, and the aloe wasn't too shabby in it's own goal of world domination. I've had the idea of pulling all that junk out and putting something beautiful in for a few months now, but didn't actually act on my desire until our first really beautiful sping-esque weekend. I put on some gardening gloves, pulled out our really crappy shovel (which bends mind you---it's plastic; and it has been my black widow killer, so it's sat out in the sun for a few months. Basically, anytime I put a lot of pressure on it, I was worried it would shatter and send plastic shrapnel into my face. There's definitely something to be said for having good tools!) and went to town! Here's what it looked like before I started:<br />
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Then once I pulled all that crap out:<br />
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So much better already, right?! I had work the rest of the week, so I couldn't start planting until the next weekend and honestly, Joel and I loved how it looked all blank. I mean, I wish the house painters had gone all the way down, but who CARES! No more crabgrass!!!! WOO HOO! :D<br />
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We went to good old reliable Green Acres here in Sac. and picked out everything I wanted and had planned for...plus a few things I didn't and back home to plant we went. And Viola!<br />
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This is the view front our front porch! There are Nasturtiums in the foreground where all the aloe once reined. Notice I left just one for sentimental reasons, it just felt wrong to pull them all out!<br />
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We pulled the flag stones from the back yard, and the stones that form the border are the same that were there before, I just moved the boundary out about six inches or so further than it was, and double layered them.<br />
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If anyone's curious, here's what we planted:<br />
Three different types of tomatoes, beets, rainbow chard, spinach, bok choi, bell peppers, artichoke, stevia, calendula, Chinese torpedo onions, lemon basil and sweet basil, Delphinium, lavender, Icelandic poppies and poppy anemones, nasturtium, dahlias, and strawberries. Whew! I'm so excited!<br />
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I just feel so amazingly satisfied. I've wanted to grow tomatoes for years, but first off, our back yard doesn't get enough sun, and second, even if I could, there's no where to plant them. Here's a picture of our backyard just for good measure:<br />
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Course, that's from last spring, I did some hard core trimming this year, but it will be beautiful once it all fills back out. Our backyard is so tiny, but I feel like it's so special, we hardly notice. My favorite has to be the Redbud tree. Gorgeous! Since this picture was taken, I've added a raspberry plant to the very far back where the potted tree is that I plan to train up the fence; and the tree that's in the pot is now in the ground to the left, in the corner. The tree is a Japanese Snowbell and it struggled horribly last year, it was just so unhappy in that pot. I can already tell it is infinitely happier in the ground. <br />
Oh! I also planted a wild grape plant under our side fence! I'm excited about this one, it's really tiny at the moment, only about four inches tall, but it has already sprouted two new leaves in the past week.<br />
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And finally, I planted one of my very favorite plants, white bleeding hearts!!! I've grown them in the past, but they never get enough shade, hopefully this new spot will work, it's almost all shade, and I have the hardest time getting things to grow there. So far so good though.<br />
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Cheers!<br />
<br />silverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-23966191445212488192014-02-21T10:43:00.000-08:002014-03-21T11:17:45.840-07:00Hair Forks and Other Ramblings...Well hello blogging world! I'm feeling really happy and upbeat today. I have to admit that the last few days have been a little rough for me, I was having a bit of a hard time with my diabetes. I was doing so well for about a month--always in the perfect range, and then the last few weeks I've been too high constantly, it is so frustrating and I was feeling more and more infuriated. So much anger, and it all spearheaded two days ago. I was depressed, and then blessing in disguise happened. I accidentally left my fast acting insulin at home and when I checked my blood on my lunch break I was already high (263). Oh crap. That had never happened before. So I canceled the wheat bagel I ordered to go with my scrambled eggs with spinach and cheddar and instead got a garden salad to go with my eggs, and guess what? Two hours later my blood glucose was down to 165. I had almonds for a snack, and Two hours after that I was at 80. I ate an apple after work and only went up to 115. How frickin' cool is that?! Not only did I make it all day without a major struggle, but I actually felt energized for my entire shift! I normally get super lethargic and weak around 3 and instead I felt awesome. So the moral of the story is that if I eat right I might not even need insulin, or at least not as much, which is something I knew conceptually but it was really nice to actually watch it happen. Same goes for if I did the PCT, which makes me feel rather optimistic.<br />
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In other news, I've always identified with older women much more than younger women. I suck/don't care about hair and make-up. Seriously, I can hardly manage to braid my hair; it's like I have sixteen extra fingers or something, which cracks me up. As a pretty accomplished knitter, you'd think hair would be a natural tangent, right? Also, I look forward to going grey! I know it's weird, but I love the look of women with salt and pepper hair. So to get back on topic here, I work in a cafe and I have noticed over the years that my favorite people are the older ladies who don't care what people think--the ones that wear what they want, no matter how eccentric, wear their hair up in fun twists that are easy and quick, you get the picture. I decided I need to stop trying fit the younger girl style and go straight to old lady so I went on etsy and bought this (https://www.etsy.com/transaction/182553185?ref=fb2_tnx_title) hair fork. I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!! It's perfect, and so me!<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">Despite the bad bathroom phone picture, doesn't it look cool! </span></div>
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On a side note, I do have to say that I'm really proud of Joel, he's put so much effort into becoming healthy, both physically and emotionally, and he's really come into his own with teaching. I've always thought he is a good teacher, but now he is phenomenal. He goes so far above and beyond to support his students and I feel like he should get a little recognition. I feel like he's doing everything right and I'm super impressed. On the art front, he's got his art up at Temple right now, and he just sold and </div>
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entire SHELF of little woodburnings, and the shelf itself too! This is what the show looked like before he sold the shelf:</div>
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And a close up of the shelf:</div>
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I'm a little sad to lose some of those! A few of them were among my favorites, but how cool! Some guy bought them for his wife's birthday and he said she was so excited, she spent an hour looking at all of them. I call that an artistic success! </div>
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My own knitting is going great, I've been spending my extra days off knitting and creating which feels so amazing! I have this little crocheted octopus that I got at a craft fair 2 years ago, and I literally look at it every single day. It dawned on me last week that I should try to knit my own equivalent and so I spent one whole day perfecting my own design. These little guys are turning out really cute! I've been trying to think of things I can sell this summer at craft shows, so they're perfect!</div>
silverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-21319473917205141922014-01-27T09:50:00.000-08:002014-01-27T09:51:02.126-08:00Happiness and Thoughts on a Soulless JobHey guess what world?! I feel happy! I feel happier and freer than I have in literally years. Whoa. I realized yesterday; Joel came home from work and I was just different, we talked about his day and then he asked about mine, and I said I had a great day! Okay, now I realize that that might sound basic and unoriginal, I mean doesn't everyone have a great day at work at least once in a while?-- and the answer is no! I literally, for the past three years I have spent at my cafe have never come home and said I had "a great day!". How insane crazy is that. I realized that even when we go on vacation, or I take days off, I never would let myself feel open or all the way happy because A. My coping mechanism was to shut myself down because my boss is emotionally abusive to all of her employees and to survive in that environment you have to eat at least a little of your own pride and soul, and B. I always had the thought of the cafe looming over my head. I mean yeah, I wouldn't be working at that very moment, but I always was counting down in my head the days until I would have to go back there. Ew. What a mess! I'm a little frustrated with myself because I'm just the type of person that hates to give up and it's not always a good thing. I would literally have knots in my stomach every single day on my way to work the first few months that I worked there because I knew I was probably going to get yelled at for nothing, or someone else would and you always have to be on your guard to make sure you're doing everything in precisely the "right" way or heaven, watch out. So even through all of that, I didn't leave! What the hell? In my mind it's quitting....well literally of course, but personally, I feel as though it's a failure for me. It's not pushing through and making it work, it's just taking the easy way out and giving up. So I know that I have this silly tendency to hang on to things that are really bad for me until the absolute nasty bitter end, and I see how idiotic it is so in the future I need to remember this time, and all the others when I did the same thing, and if I'm in a situation that isn't good for me and isn't actually getting me anywhere, I need to walk and find something that will nourish my soul and won't make me hate all the people around me. That's one of the pit falls of public service jobs, after long enough you just cannot handle customers any more. I used to laugh off the ridiculous questions and blank faces, but after a while I started to hate them,I despised them. Working and serving those who are pompous and look down at you as a lesser being because they don't know how hard you work and they have never even lifted a plate for another human being is just soul crushing. Literally. It made me so bitter and angry all the time. I was a jerk to a few people that definitely didn't deserve it and I always felt bad afterward, but at the time my anger was just so intense I lashed out. I was miserable and I couldn't think of a way out. I knew that of course I could find another job, and of course I could be doing something I loved instead, and naturally, I could even find a job that payed much more, and actually valued me as the hard worker as I am, but for some reason those were empty words to me. They didn't actually seem real. I ALWAYS had an excuse, "Yeah, but I have job security here, and I have bills to pay, so if I start a new job I don't know that I'll be able to support myself for a little while. I just need to work here a little longer so I can save up some money." So, while those thoughts and fears may have been founded to some extent, there was never going to be a time that I had saved up enough money to be confident in leaving, I do my best with saving, but really now, I make $10.50 an hour and tips are pitiful. I could work in another restaraunt job and walk with hundreds a night instead of the $10-20 per day. I'm not exactly Ms. Moneybags.<br />
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To change the subject now, I want to introduce everyone to the amazingly talented Jessica A. White, a.k.a. JAW. She's a local tattoo artist here in Sacramento and I am anamoured with her style. I have literally been talking about getting my next tattoo since I got my first one, all the way back in 2010! I feel like four years is more than enough time, and I am going to actively work towards my next one. I set the goal of having it by Marty and Grady's wedding, so by July. I have a vague ish idea of what I want, and I want to give her freedom with the rest because she is just that amazing. I'll keep you updated on that. ;)<br />
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Alright, well I'm signing off, at least for the time being, although if my current trend is an indicator I'll be back to write more in an hour. Hah!<br />
<br />silverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-12568695102343940252014-01-26T16:16:00.000-08:002014-01-27T09:51:26.821-08:00Communication Skills! Yaaaaay!I had my second to last Sunday at work! It's so funny, I used to be so stressed every single Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday because I would be dreding those horrible, stressful days that seemed to last forever leaving me feeling drained, taken advantage of, stepped on and all around sad and dejected. Interestingly enough though, since I told my boss I am no longer working on weekends, my Sundays have magically become easy and painless! It makes sense, the pressure is gone now, I know that I won't have to work them anymore soon, but it's still pretty funny to me. Another reason I could be feeling happy today is that I came home to a freshly clean home, and I appreciate my boyfriend taking the time to clean so much. It always feels like a gift. Plus, he's really cute so there is that too. ;)<br />
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I'm starting to realize how much stuff I have in my now dead computer! I'm trying to hunt down my resume and a couple of knitting charts I was midway through. I'm hopeful, but it's still a pain! Arg.<br />
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On a happy note, my friend Marty asked me to be one of her bridesmaids at her engagement party last night!!!!! I'm so excited for their wedding!!!! Normally when someone I know is getting married, I'll be excited, but I have my own personal reservations about marriage so my feelings will be slightly subdued; but I can honestly and sincerely say that I cannot think of a better couple--and this is how I know-- it's how they watch each other. And I don't mean sometimes, or just when they are sitting together, I'm talking about how Grady will be talking to Joel, and I'll just watch Marty. She always has this little smile on her face when he talks and she watches Grady so deeply, like she is thoroughly listening to every word he has to say and and it fills her with happiness and contentment. Grady does the same thing too, it's just so sweet to watch and I couldn't be more honored that they want to include me in their wedding. Okay, enough sappy writing.<br />
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I found this amazing article today! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glennon-melton/the-questions-that-will-save-your-relationships_b_4618254.html . It's all about being thoughtful in what questions you ask those around you (specifically your partner) and how you ask your questions. I'm finding more and more throughout my life how invaluable good communication skills are. Joel has been amazing for me in this way. His family is filled with talkers. If there's a problem, they might fight a bit, but they ALWAYS resolve the issue and talk it out. That's foreign to me sadly, I feel like my family has always been very hush hush. If there's a fight you both either pretend it didn't happen and never speak of it, or you just don't talk for a while---and then never bring it up again. So needless to say my communication skills were hardly evolved. Joel taught me the importance of acknowledging the other person's feelings. It's also important to honestly consider your own feelings and where they are originating from. Are you actually just sad because your friend upset you and you are taking it out on your partner, or does it actually really bother you that much that your boyfriend didn't put the butter back in the fridge? Joel has helped me realize that your own thoughtfulness, awareness, and communication with yourself is almost more important to develop than your communication skills with others, because once you have that down everything else seems a lot more clear and manageable. I've also found that how you approach a conversation is so important! I try to always start with how I am feeling about something, rather that how the other person is making me mad. For instance, I will say, "I feel like we don't get to spend enough quality time together and it's making me really sad; I cherish our time together, can we put some effort into getting more romantic time to enjoy each other. I really love you, and you mean a lot to me" as opposed to, "You never make time for us! How come you never want to spend time with me, am I not as important to you as your stupid computer?". Obviously those examples are fictional and a little silly, but you get the idea. Also, notice how I switched the sentences? I prefer to structure my sentences to include both parties, so I say we, us, etc. rather than I, you, because then it is less accusing to the other person and more taking responsibility for situations equally. Anywho, I definitely didn't plan on rambling on so much, but I have been thinking lately that I have gotten so much better at communicating and it has helped my own relationship. It has definitely been a growing experience that has taken time and commitment, and I'm really glad that Joel and I have evolved to this level together. Back to the article though, I love how she brought awareness to something so simple and obvious that I never consciously thought of! It's so brilliant and I will try my best to incorporate her technique into my life.<br />
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While we're on this word rampage, I became very clear about Waldron. I want Waldron in my future. I don't know how I'll get there, how long it will take, or anything else really, but I will. I'm actually excited to see how this particular journey will play out.<br />
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I'm off work tomorrow (yay!!!), so I think I will dedicate my time to finishing up little projects I have around the house, checking things off my to do list, and maybe giving my etsy a little love. ;)<br />
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<br />silverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-80920689190220208172014-01-20T21:28:00.000-08:002014-01-20T21:28:12.738-08:00My Computer Died!Well, it's a sad day today! My computer completely stopped working. There's just a black screen when I try to turn it on and that's it. Joel's going to take it to school with him tomorrow to test if it's the screen, but I kind of doubt it. :/ I'm just hoping I can get all of my data off if I have to get a new computer. Oh wells, these things do happen, it's nothing I can't live without to be honest.<br />
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On a different note, I can't stop dreaming of Waldron. It started with a dream once a month or so, but this past week I've dreamt of it nightly. It's weird too, because I haven't been thinking about it much during the day, not like I was before. I guess my subconscious is still stuck on it. For those of you who don't know, Waldron is a tiny island off the coast of Washington in the San Juan's. It's probably also the most magical place I can think of and I have a huge dream of living there. Just visualize America back in the fifties. There are no paved roads, few cars--and the ones that are there are all very old, most of the people who live there make a living either fishing or farming, and it's so unbelievably and breathtakingly beautiful. It's like it was literally made for me. I can see my garden full of veggies and herbs I would use to make teas and dyes for my hand spun fibers! The beaches are littered with agate that you can find if you know what you're looking for and search long enough. Ah, and the weather! Sunny in the summer, but otherwise cold and overcast with lots of rain. :) In other words, just the place for me! I found a few pictures on the web and added them to my New Year's dream board because they make me feel so peaceful and happy.<br />
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Here's what the main road looks like. Yep. Now tell me you can think of someplace more amazing to live?! I didn't take any photos of Waldron sadly, at least not of the main area, but I have this dream of wearing a go cam when I walk from the dock to wherever I happen to be staying at the time because I feel like that is just such a great example of how the island feels. One day I'll end up there, you'll see. ;)</div>
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I've been bad again! I haven't work on my socks in two days!!! Bad Kaytie! Haha, I'm thinking I need to put a little time in before I go to bed tonight. I'm so close to finishing the first sock, I've just got to do it! </div>
<br />silverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-77525146379995541592014-01-17T09:42:00.001-08:002014-01-17T09:46:06.831-08:00Life changes galore!<div style="text-align: left;">
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Hey guess what world?! I finally did it! Well, I started to make a change at least. Yesterday, I told my manager that I'm cutting my hours down to three days a week and no weekends! It was funny, I really think that blogging has helped hold me more accountable for what I say I am going to do. Yesterday's lunch rush was crazy. We were understaffed, super busy, my manager K was being herself expediting and causing way more trouble than was necessary, and on top of all that my blood glucose (BG) crashed. Right in the middle of the rush. And I couldn't get it to go back up. ARGH, why?! So through all this, I was doing my usual mumblings in my head about how I hate my job, how I can't stand K, how much of a toll this job takes on my body, and how under appreciated I feel there. It felt different though, instead of just buckling down and getting through it resigned that I will have to do it again and again and feeling sad and angry--I was angry, but I felt soooo ready to change. I just decided I was going to march into her office and tell her; that day. No waffling or backing out. It was just time. It was funny, I had worked out all of the things I would tell her about why I didn't want to be full time anymore, and I was entirely ready to tell her how I felt; but when I told her my news, she just said "Okay, no problem, we'll make it work. The schedule is already out for next week, is that okay?". WHAT?! Hahaha, I couldn't have been more surprised. I walked out of that office with a huge smile on my face. <br />
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So now, here are my new plans for my life (let's see if I can keep up the positive change with my written word as my incentive to do better and be happier). I want to take the extra days off to focus on knitting more, and learning how to dye my own fiber. I want to read more! I used to read ALL the time and now I never do, I just get sucked into media and when I'm not doing that I'm knitting. On a side note, I realized that audio books are no bueno for me, they're nice at the time, but I don't retain the info like when I actually read. I listened to Dracula on audio book and really enjoyed it, but a few months later a friend read it and asked me what I thought actually happened when Jonathon Harker escaped the castle---a seriously pivotal and main part of the book---and I honestly and sincerely couldn't remember! Whoa. I remember having debates with myself about it and spending time thinking on that very subject and now there's just blankness. So from now on, audio books are only for fluff reads or books I've already read, but I digress.<br />
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I want to photograph all those darned knitting projects that I have completed so I can list them on etsy. And I don't mean photograph them sitting pretty on a rock like I normally do, I mean get someone to take photos of me modeling them/find someone else to model them so I can actually sell them. My etsy is pointless unless I give it love and attention. Hopefully I can generate a little extra income.<br />
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I want to meditate more! I used to meditate all the time! I used to be surrounded by candle light every night, I used to work with herbs and make my own teas and bath salts, I used to take baths, I used to go outside just to watch the moon, and I will make these things more of a priority because they make me happy.<br />
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Alright, well I have to get ready for my appointment with my nutritionist. Wish me luck! It's my first visit with one. <br />
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Oh, and I've also started listening to classical music again. It makes me feel happy, peaceful, and productive. So much better than the repetitive poppy stuff Pandora sticks me with. :) silverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-3441768886148030842014-01-16T08:58:00.000-08:002014-01-16T08:58:37.743-08:00Ipomoea Socks Whew, my life is a little bit complicated at the moment. I feel like I'm at a crossroads, there's so many different directions my life could go. Here's what I do know, I HAVE to leave my job. I have to. But how?! I realize that I will find job stability elsewhere, but I still question. It is seriously time for me to stop being so lazy and put myself out there! I need to get that resume in order ASAP. I feel like once I do that everything else will fall into place, and I think it's time I trust that feeling. <br />
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In other news, I started the Ipomoea socks yesterday! I am absolutely and completely in love with the yarn. Also, apparently I blocked out how utterly slow going knitting socks is. Whew. I knitted for hours and only got the cuff and a little of the leg repeat done. A little depressing, but I'll just have to knit a little bit each day and turtle on along. How do people just knit socks?! I actually do think it would be faster if I wasn't using DPNs. Normally I don't care and they work fine for me, but they feel really cumbersome for some reason. I'm using my old Addis instead of the Hiya's or the square wood ones I have been using recently and the Addis are so much heavier! Maybe that's part of it? <br />
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Anywho, I'm off to work. Wish me luck world!silverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-26292878263010877472014-01-14T22:48:00.001-08:002014-01-14T22:51:18.179-08:00Re-entering the blogging world.Well hello! I originally set up this blog to document my Ireland trip--which was in 2010. I still can't believe that it has been that long. I've been feeling the need to blog again and I think I'm overdue. I plan on writing about anything and everything. It's going to be more of a journal for myself, a way to remember my everyday life, and less of a public geared blog.<br />
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Where I am in my life now: I will have worked at my current job for three years come February 1, just one month from now. Joel and I have been together for quite a while now, also three years this Spring. I'm happy where I'm living, we have the cutest little house, and two of the sweetest little cats. Truth be told, I will probably prattle on about them from time to time, it's just so hard not to!!! They just bring me so much happiness. Knitting is a pretty huge part of my non-work life. I mostly love working with all the different fibers, they're so lovely!<br />
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I just finished a baby llama cowl, knitted with undyed yarn, and I plan on dying it with black beans! I found the instructions here: <a href="http://brambleberriesintherain.com/2011/04/black-beans-as-a-natural-dye-revisited/">http://brambleberriesintherain.com/2011/04/black-beans-as-a-natural-dye-revisited/</a> . Who would have thought black beans would dye fiber blue/green? Super awesome, hopefully I can start that project in the next day or two.<br />
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My diabetes is going okay. I actually have my first appointment with a nutritionist this Friday. I'm hoping for the pump, I just have to get some more Lantus testing nights in. Oh joy. ;)<br />
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Alright, that's good for a start, I felt it was important to at least get a little writing in while I was feeling it to get the ball rolling a bit. Goodnight. silverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-34476796274283299552010-11-28T08:56:00.000-08:002010-11-28T09:38:20.634-08:00Christmas time is coming!!!I'm so excited! Killarney is so beautiful this time of the year, I knew when I was planning my trip that I would enjoy Fall and Winter most here and I was correct. It snowed last night! Our first snow of the season! I stood outside for ages watching the huge fluffy flakes fall gently onto the branches of the trees, and onto the grass. I awoke to the snow; thankfully it didn't burn off until much later in the day, and even then it didn't burn off completely. Every weekend until Christmas, town centre has booths set up in the street where merchants sell everything from hand painted ornaments (which I purchased of course!), to scarves and jewelry, to food and warm mulled wine! They set up speakers down every street in town which play Christmas carols so you can hear them no matter where you are. Add to that the garlands and lights draped all along the streets and the beautiful window displays and you have the most festive and happy atmosphere I've experienced in some time. It's amazing! It is quite chilly out, so everyone is bundled in thick coats, gloves, and hats, and you can see each breath in the chilly air. What I find most entertaining is to watch how inventive parents get trying to keep their kids warm, it's hysterical!<br /><br />Dublin was very nice! I really enjoyed my Thanksgiving there. The streets in the part of town I stayed in were all festively decorated and cute, even if they were extremely convoluted and confusing to manuevor (although I must add that by the second day I did considerably well navigating--I'm quite proud of this fact!). I visited the Natural History museum and it was fascinating!!! I stayed there until closing; it was so interesting to learn about Viking Ireland and see all the work of goldsmiths from so long ago. Quite impressive. Their Egyptian section was small, but put ours in America to shame! The artifacts they had displayed were things that we normally only see pictures of, even within exhibits. They even had two female mummies and a mummified cat, plus x-rays showing the skeletal structures of each.<br /><br />I visited the Guinness Storehouse on Thanksgiving and I was incredibly impressed. I wasn't expecting the building to be as interesting as it was, nor did I expect to enjoy touring it as much as I did. I learned quite a bit, and got a complimentary pint of Guinness in the room at the top of the building which is round and offers a 360 degree view of the city from high above. Best foam EVEEEER! :D<br /><br />Finally, I visited the Book of Kells and the library in Trinity college. I cannot possibly stress to you how much I was touched by the library. It's a miraculous thing....it almost felt as if the air had weight to it, surrounded by such old texts. Almost like I had entered into some sacred place where voices must be lowered in respect for an unspoken, and undetectable force. I spent ages in that library. It was funny; in some ways I ached to touch and look at all of those books on their shelves, and in others I was terrified to get near them. So peculiar. Oh! I also learned how leather books are made and bound, it was fascinating!!!! I actually have been thinking about doing it myself at some point. I think I would really enjoy such work...a new hobby perhaps? I think I should get a spinning wheel first, then we'll see. :)silverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-48231553560094971112010-11-21T07:22:00.000-08:002010-11-21T07:34:31.106-08:00Well hello everyone! I know, it's been <span style="font-style: italic;">ages</span> since I last posted. My apologies!<br /><br />A lot has happened recently...I decided what I want to do when I get back in the states! I'm going to go to Seattle Central community college, and then I hope to transfer to the University of Washington when I can. I'll be starting on January 4, the beginning of the Winter term. I'm actually really excited about this. I can't wait to go to school again, and having a job wouldn't be so bad either, that's for sure! I'm hoping that I will be able to get a job fairly easily once in Seattle. We'll see how this all works out though. I'm hoping there won't be any huge snags.....<br /><br />Other than that, I'm off to Dublin this Tuesday. I wasn't really planning on going to Dublin, I didn't see the appeal when I could see the small coastal towns all up the west and south, but Mom told me the museums there are phenomenal so my mind's made up. :) Dublin here I come.<br /><br />I finished my first knitting project in Ireland. Woot woot. It's a hat, small surprise there, but it's been so bloody cold I've been thinking three things with my knitting: hats, gloves, and socks. The important things you know.<br /><br />Other than that, not much has been going on. Talking with friends, staying around town....that's about it. I did hurt my back somehow though, about a week ago and it isn't getting better. It's getting worse in fact. It's so odd. It feels like a similar joint pain as I have in my hips, only at the base of my spine. It started with the pain you get when you really need someone to crack your back and graduated from there. Oh well, enough whining for me, hopefully it clears up soon.<br /><br />I'll be taking my camera with me when I go to Dublin, so you'll get pictures then. :)silverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-69985545323718196632010-10-23T05:06:00.001-07:002010-10-23T05:55:47.057-07:0010/23/2010I know, I'm wildly behind on my poor neglected blog, but I've been busy!<br /><br />My trip to Galway was wonderful! I saw the Cliffs of Moher:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8wtK1T1lxinLACM4Kew9AvQlsAHn7u3jcGxB24m4XNOR-SmzjE2aJB9_-c0EuronkjQ27DZztqGunChpOBj11AZrTzZgHrZ224VAnExnZTAYymvKbLZNKKhOzjSn_YpP0MQ1i7yWUMr5/s1600/IMGP0405.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8wtK1T1lxinLACM4Kew9AvQlsAHn7u3jcGxB24m4XNOR-SmzjE2aJB9_-c0EuronkjQ27DZztqGunChpOBj11AZrTzZgHrZ224VAnExnZTAYymvKbLZNKKhOzjSn_YpP0MQ1i7yWUMr5/s320/IMGP0405.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531214237541971122" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAgpO8IZXGeAbJdaw3qZX5PBI0nlhtHcC8pyKOlj1lzzGKZg56LJUSFvb0ZOs5wA2_PilsQUi9e-_MliIkpDIp1Q019a3S-Xg5F96M4Tp_Oau-E4zeNIHJDe1dQkm-nqtVBm0dgaMZ9okR/s1600/IMGP0395.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAgpO8IZXGeAbJdaw3qZX5PBI0nlhtHcC8pyKOlj1lzzGKZg56LJUSFvb0ZOs5wA2_PilsQUi9e-_MliIkpDIp1Q019a3S-Xg5F96M4Tp_Oau-E4zeNIHJDe1dQkm-nqtVBm0dgaMZ9okR/s320/IMGP0395.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531214225081452978" border="0" /></a>Kylemore House, Abbey and Gardens:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieAb8NqiRE2ks2ho6eq7fGQoKps0wEh6GUk_4Weh-UOFdJU6mYLGCOlmlY3ONwio78VGW1f_k-c5gGmZ1N5Zwu1BUZ7B6vSSVSOvfUAb7SzMymAmQHRaJn1TqHiVbZgjjACfa1APZ0pQxn/s1600/IMGP0250.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieAb8NqiRE2ks2ho6eq7fGQoKps0wEh6GUk_4Weh-UOFdJU6mYLGCOlmlY3ONwio78VGW1f_k-c5gGmZ1N5Zwu1BUZ7B6vSSVSOvfUAb7SzMymAmQHRaJn1TqHiVbZgjjACfa1APZ0pQxn/s320/IMGP0250.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531214217744562258" border="0" /></a>Lots of beautiful, authentic thatched roof cottages:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vYmmIhHCeCBNY3Yzxi6ztlm0-99jNu6NC3vd2sreSDGqb6Dt7oXdFbYNfENjC5spIzb5PYZoB2KZ8xkiYrpaIaudcle8VHsUym0CabX8D8j9ophSvu2lWTiYCZF6C2780Be2iqm1EFLx/s1600/IMGP0184.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vYmmIhHCeCBNY3Yzxi6ztlm0-99jNu6NC3vd2sreSDGqb6Dt7oXdFbYNfENjC5spIzb5PYZoB2KZ8xkiYrpaIaudcle8VHsUym0CabX8D8j9ophSvu2lWTiYCZF6C2780Be2iqm1EFLx/s320/IMGP0184.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531214215212087346" border="0" /></a>Burren:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFn8mhCvXg7DWacKoPyuAfEkf0jYDcErFoSXtDG-At-Xg-3fXUFtCHzp_yQbQ4G5vK-G_G0hcznlb-Ffseu9YNZST6dfLDgbolTAtilfjF-HnXEzT9TTDmGnn730-UHlJi9d1Lho_Lnhu/s1600/IMGP0237.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFn8mhCvXg7DWacKoPyuAfEkf0jYDcErFoSXtDG-At-Xg-3fXUFtCHzp_yQbQ4G5vK-G_G0hcznlb-Ffseu9YNZST6dfLDgbolTAtilfjF-HnXEzT9TTDmGnn730-UHlJi9d1Lho_Lnhu/s320/IMGP0237.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531214204102586402" border="0" /></a>Ailwee caves, Connemara, and a few other awesome sites. It was great! Galway city itself was okay, a bit too college-y for me. Bigger than Killarney, but I still like Killarney better. I chose well when I picked the town I wanted to live in. One of the things I wanted to see most when I was planning my trip to Ireland were the Cliffs of Moher, so I'm very excited that I was able to see them. I stayed in my first hostel in Galway too. It was great, I met a couple of really cool people, and went on tours with two of them. The hostels have a great atmosphere. It's very easy to connect with other travelers.<br /><br />Since then, I've been hanging out in Killarney. It's been wonderful! I've been doing a lot of hiking, and a lot of reading. The weather is finally changing too! It has been so sunny and warm, apparently I happened to come on a year with a very abnormal September and October. Usually I would have had constant rain, but within the past few days we've starting to get great windy rainy weather! Yay!!!! On that note, I made my first turf (peat) fire and it was a great success! (I'm wayyyyyy too proud of this fact, it's true.) It's funny because Jer (one of my housemates) always makes the fire if one of us lovely ladies are at home, but he's up the coast for a week with Norma. In the past Kate and Norma have tried to make fires and they never got warm, or lasted. We figured it needed a man's touch. Not so! I rocked that fire!!!! Lol. Like I said, way too proud of it. Maybe it's genetic? Or maybe I'm just a pyro, who knows. Haha. I should have taken a picture of it but didn't think of it until the fire was just embers.<br /><br />I heard the best Irish band I've had the pleasure of watching since getting here; in Courtney's two nights ago. Oh my god, they totally had everyone going! Irish music is so catchy and fun. It's infectious. I actually bought one of their CDs. The band's called The Side Over, and the two main guys are Jeremy Spencer (fiddle) and Sean Leahy (guitar). They've been playing together for eight years and it shows, they mesh their instruments in a way that is just phenomenal. They also had a banjo player, who's been playing with them for about a year now. What a seriously good night. :)<br /><br />Mom's coming to visit me November 5th through the 14th! I'm very excited, I can't wait to show her all of the great places I've found. This will be fantastic! Yay!!! I'm just glad that it is going to work out as we didn't think she'd be able to.<br /><br />Oh, and because I'm weird and I think food is very important, I had the BEST tiramisu I have ever had last night. Oh my god, it was...wow. Should have taken a picture of that too! Geez, I'm a picture and blog slacker. Shame on me. :)silverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-27023965857786736652010-10-06T11:25:00.000-07:002010-10-06T11:27:54.181-07:0010/6/2010--Galway UpdateI don't have much to say at the moment as I'm staying in a hostel in Galway, and have been since Monday, but I will give everyone great stories and details when I get home tomorrow. I took lots of pictures, saw the Cliffs of Moher, Kylemore Abbey, and a plethora of other sights. I also met a ton of fun people! Just wanted to give you a quick update!!!silverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-49992991235395381582010-10-01T09:36:00.000-07:002010-10-01T10:34:06.298-07:009/30/2010Today I chose to explore on foot, so I walked to the town gardens, which are fenced off by a huge, sprawling stone wall. It was a beautiful walk that took me into the national forest and followed this small creek. It was amazing!!!! The trees have started to change color, so there were fallen orange and brown leaves littering the forest floor. They contrast so well with the European forest canopy which is so different from American forests, at least on the West coast. There are a few pines, but they definitely do not dominate the landscape. It's mostly broad leafed deciduous trees with pale green leaves. I'm not sure what kind they are, I've been asking around with little success.<br /><br />I had no idea where the trail went, but soon found myself on the shore of Lough Leane, one of Killarney's lakes. It was poetic in its beauty! The clouds were hanging low, obscuring the mountains so only the bases could be seen jutting out into the lake. The fog added that noiseless quality to the air and muffled even the sound of the trees blowing in the breeze. Swans drifted on the surface of the lake, ethereal, seeming to float over the water; small ripples in the calm lake passing unheeded by. Small groupings of rocks protruded out of the water, joining their plentiful island kin. The atmosphere of this magical place was so all consuming that when the occasional person passed by, it came as a bit of a shock, as if you forgot momentarily that others existed at all. As I followed the path along the shore of Lough Leane, the top of Ross castle came into view above the tree line. It was so mythical! Like nothing I've ever experienced, it was almost as if I had walked in to the realm of fairy tales and they had become my new reality. You hear people speak of Ireland in all of it's beauty, but there is no way to fully appreciate it until you have stood on these magical banks yourself and seen these scenes unfold before you. It must also be noted that the pace of life here in Ireland is so much more casual and laid back, people take their time, and enjoy the beauty surrounding them; which adds to this feeling of timelessness that you feel. It is humbling and so serene. It literally fills you with such a deep sense of contentment, like time has stopped.silverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-65256359261787915402010-09-30T06:58:00.000-07:002010-10-01T09:35:46.993-07:009/28/2010--Ring of Kerry<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPa9UjOvXTtYaA_dn2sR472AQ8r1WfqcOTbta50RRGeBnGYil_0bo3OS9plHfvut7wjFykGNEi5WZ-1m7jXDJXJJa93KTbyu0Q2GiaKA5pEQ6iRa0SGbg2tGt94OI9VV3sHi7_2a7ywJ8/s1600/Ring+of+Kerry+%2824%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPa9UjOvXTtYaA_dn2sR472AQ8r1WfqcOTbta50RRGeBnGYil_0bo3OS9plHfvut7wjFykGNEi5WZ-1m7jXDJXJJa93KTbyu0Q2GiaKA5pEQ6iRa0SGbg2tGt94OI9VV3sHi7_2a7ywJ8/s320/Ring+of+Kerry+%2824%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522708161758749026" border="0" /></a>I took a bus tour of the Ring of Kerry today. The Ring is a huge tourist attraction here in Killarney, it draws a lot of people in. Honestly though I wasn't as impressed with it as I was by Dingle. Dingle just blew me away; I could see myself living in Dingle, it was just--me. Don't get me wrong, the Ring was lovely, I'm just saying I was a little disappointed by it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpATP2cIlPfYsGTlKoZzPZUWtejsswXpgeZOiSx7CZMi-1EibuV2pj3jwT5qmUncWRd8eT8l26EB7G2S6cRCON8Ky68Pdtj_aCuRJF63Uk46GABj2doq91bnDUykBpcJm58isZJoWtXiyS/s1600/Ring+of+Kerry+%2822%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpATP2cIlPfYsGTlKoZzPZUWtejsswXpgeZOiSx7CZMi-1EibuV2pj3jwT5qmUncWRd8eT8l26EB7G2S6cRCON8Ky68Pdtj_aCuRJF63Uk46GABj2doq91bnDUykBpcJm58isZJoWtXiyS/s320/Ring+of+Kerry+%2822%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522708157627489538" border="0" /></a>It was a bright and sunny day, although it did rain a bit in the morning (and I of course chose today to NOT have my umbrella with me after carting it all over for the past few weeks and not needing it). One reason I did enjoyed this tour is I sat next to this man (also traveling alone) and I learned quite a few things from him. He's been traveling all over the world for over 25 years and he had some great advice and some wonderful stories and experiences. I definitely have a growing list of places I want to see, that's for sure! So anyways, all of the tours stop for lunch and I sat with him and chatted. The rest of the tour was pretty bland. The guide was not nearly as chatty as the guide I had for Dingle and therefore, much of the trip was spent in silence. The tour takes you to the top of the mountains, so the scenery was fairly boring and brown, although we did pass through some forest land and a couple of waterfalls.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlHXk5rYhiVPHGF0Fg3h4lpF7j3DIjHXJGGpOCAZEjVeFySoKPdJG-TF99pr_UgrB8l20Icrf9SgMBV0R9wwVrTrDOeNhzLXRWkFgSBM_g7Vpm3Gh5vbKBcm3LuhHpql_BP6L2tORZChZ4/s1600/Ring+of+Kerry+%2819%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlHXk5rYhiVPHGF0Fg3h4lpF7j3DIjHXJGGpOCAZEjVeFySoKPdJG-TF99pr_UgrB8l20Icrf9SgMBV0R9wwVrTrDOeNhzLXRWkFgSBM_g7Vpm3Gh5vbKBcm3LuhHpql_BP6L2tORZChZ4/s320/Ring+of+Kerry+%2819%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522708153902117250" border="0" /></a>The image above was taken at Ladies' View, as was the picture of me. It's named Ladies' View after Queen Victoria visited.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTY5gfKfhdMclaA8SPdeYECYotWdO4Pknh3JVo_34V3O-yDLFNv5flB7OQ03so56QL85_Rho4TMLOunNcAa1FiQfKgmXg5XHpFgjLyz_4gytKE2JCxlx_zgmhrHdiY5Rcz0Wtw-M_BTKRc/s1600/Ring+of+Kerry+%288%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTY5gfKfhdMclaA8SPdeYECYotWdO4Pknh3JVo_34V3O-yDLFNv5flB7OQ03so56QL85_Rho4TMLOunNcAa1FiQfKgmXg5XHpFgjLyz_4gytKE2JCxlx_zgmhrHdiY5Rcz0Wtw-M_BTKRc/s320/Ring+of+Kerry+%288%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522708149902528018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPgnXPVNJJIIZPgBo6kzgMww06UlvnWi8jwu582usNjcpCBFKhqeSx72WIRuqlJWliTHeSsTx5s70N4Oyng3o3C4yBCPKnhXRehBU6wT3G1EkGV7DQWppkV1xf-HypRWsEkDG4wvd0hKPf/s1600/Ring+of+Kerry+%282%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPgnXPVNJJIIZPgBo6kzgMww06UlvnWi8jwu582usNjcpCBFKhqeSx72WIRuqlJWliTHeSsTx5s70N4Oyng3o3C4yBCPKnhXRehBU6wT3G1EkGV7DQWppkV1xf-HypRWsEkDG4wvd0hKPf/s320/Ring+of+Kerry+%282%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522708141337368706" border="0" /></a>I did see a sheep dog demonstration however that greatly impressed me. This man trains his dogs and has four at the moment. When he herds the sheep, he said he will normally bring three or four sheep dogs along. It was incredible! Each dog has a different set of whistle and voice commands depending on how far away they are, and they all know four directions: left, right, forward, and back. The control he has really just blew me away. All of the sheep were on the hillside above us when he started the show, in the right hand corner. He told us he was going to have the dog drive them to the left corner, take them back to the right, then drive them down the hill. Using just a whistle he did just that in no time at all! To top it off, the dogs only respond to their own set of calls--he can be talking normally and in the same tone without faltering he can add in a command and the dog will do it. Incredible. The dogs lay down when not driving the sheep somewhere so the sheep can be at ease, and the way he coordinates the direction and resting of each dog was damn near poetic. I'm glad I watched the show, I almost didn't because I figured it would just be a stupid tourist trap of a show, but thankfully I enjoyed it.<br /><br />Oh, and in relation to the sheep herding demonstration, another woman from my bus was standing next to me while we waited for the show to start. It was raining at the time, and this one sheep kind of sidled up to us before shaking off and covering us in rain water. We looked at each other and laughed, and what else could we do really? We spent the rest of the day smelling like wet sheep. Only in Ireland! :D<br /><br />Another random thing; I used one of those toilets with the pulley the other day! You know the old fashioned ones where the rope hangs down from either the wall or the ceiling, and it has the tassel on the end? Yep, I've used one. I thought that was so kick ass!silverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-32502045642381335802010-09-30T06:06:00.000-07:002010-09-30T06:56:15.252-07:009/27/2010--Dingle PeninsulaToday I took a bus tour of Dingle Peninsula and I can't even tell you how beautiful it was. Picture Ireland: that's pretty much Dingle. It was so green! There was the sprawling farm land divided by rock barriers, cliffs, mountains (hills really), small towns and villages....I could go on. It was captivating. The weather was perfect for a tour too. I personally would rather it be overcast because it adds to the feel of the land and amplifies the beautiful green. I took a tour of the Ring of Kerry on a bright blue day, and to be honest it detracted from my enjoyment of the tour. So I was very happy that my tour of Dingle was accompanied by a cloudy day.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHbc-ZUwobLChwIDB9KQLEAPd_u3d4NtjLhjSNVpk-jN4hwiyu04P9D6-2BnDBnh7yjO6z8-nMbPBWMby-aFO0Haq_6xqZfyFZTvs4zVBp1uDHUvPA3FyAgmKXzgT00QC7H_TZGRGd7Cl/s1600/9.27.10+%288%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHbc-ZUwobLChwIDB9KQLEAPd_u3d4NtjLhjSNVpk-jN4hwiyu04P9D6-2BnDBnh7yjO6z8-nMbPBWMby-aFO0Haq_6xqZfyFZTvs4zVBp1uDHUvPA3FyAgmKXzgT00QC7H_TZGRGd7Cl/s320/9.27.10+%288%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522695261077380242" border="0" /></a><br />The sheep were everywhere! It was so perfect! What I found interesting is the number of variations in the sheep. In America, if you do see sheep, they all look exactly the same--not here. It's kind of neat.<br /><br />There were these forts called "lios" forts, pronounced "lis" all over! They are mere rings in the earth, but slightly raised. Some had trees around them. You can read about them here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_fort, but basically families used to dig out these structures underground so they would have a place to go if they felt threatened. The forts almost always had tunnels leading away from the fort for easy escape, and most were placed in the center of farmland; so we can see that the people that used them were farmers. Also, they were all positioned toward the base of the hills and mountains for added protection. What I think is interesting is that none of the farmers throughout history have demolished the lios, despite the fact that they could gain a lot of farm-able land. It was considered bad luck, as the people who built the forts supposedly buried their dead in there as well, and to disrupt the dead is to anger the spirits. People are pretty superstitions here (at least the older people are) and it is not uncommon for someone to raise their hat every time they pass a lios, or refuse to pass one once it is dark out. The lios are also thought to be faery rings by some; adding to the lore and superstitions. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIOBkEjEeYAMQycHTLGbe8_hCOEW4zvTKOWI2rVqSl5fZVBuDYwyDKuKETRKwvK4ZzRQJRH-nkdQOqwQoJ1VP3BHOOm5vcp3OxlBJ3nOffcx7HqBg4iG19VW3iIciKJxk_ekVlNDOkYhp/s1600/9.27.10+%2855%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIOBkEjEeYAMQycHTLGbe8_hCOEW4zvTKOWI2rVqSl5fZVBuDYwyDKuKETRKwvK4ZzRQJRH-nkdQOqwQoJ1VP3BHOOm5vcp3OxlBJ3nOffcx7HqBg4iG19VW3iIciKJxk_ekVlNDOkYhp/s320/9.27.10+%2855%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522695287266802306" border="0" /></a><br />The above photo is of Gallarus oratory. It was built around the 7th or 8th century and it is the only perfect example of a rectangular-built oratory remaining. It was brilliantly built--there is an outward inclination to all of the stones to deflect rain water away from the inside; so it didn't leak even when wind blew the rain at an angle. There are only two openings in the structure, the door and a small window in the rear wall. Even the window is angled so as to avoid water getting inside. There has been no repair work on it--everything is how it was when it was built. The ceiling is starting to sag in on the right side, but they are waiting until it is absolutely necessary before they do any restoration work. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-tLtJSrFya-qKZAU1yuKJ_5uDCVlzRgPR3600CVEUsRVT7lHEttCu5ruIo9PD2Se4hTbs1hDFRdp5vYf8gLeRddyP9om6yGxEmjgDp8TYy0dYGOwKZWqzf3SLw3P7s9XCGTYms8pA8M_/s1600/9.27.10+%2837%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-tLtJSrFya-qKZAU1yuKJ_5uDCVlzRgPR3600CVEUsRVT7lHEttCu5ruIo9PD2Se4hTbs1hDFRdp5vYf8gLeRddyP9om6yGxEmjgDp8TYy0dYGOwKZWqzf3SLw3P7s9XCGTYms8pA8M_/s320/9.27.10+%2837%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522695282300166098" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZl8Wudhw2gk4AIul-1ym405W550KclmPy8uwTKoiHrFxsWuQEtn-rCLlWctJ3MKbLExNGj_BgPpikKIEPv2UWXalZtDaq7QLaUuWj4JuJBl77oX74s0AMY-w1DRwX7OUgmm2qAfh5cm8p/s1600/9.27.10+%2819%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZl8Wudhw2gk4AIul-1ym405W550KclmPy8uwTKoiHrFxsWuQEtn-rCLlWctJ3MKbLExNGj_BgPpikKIEPv2UWXalZtDaq7QLaUuWj4JuJBl77oX74s0AMY-w1DRwX7OUgmm2qAfh5cm8p/s320/9.27.10+%2819%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522695273045294258" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitthvxv9TNJVoNesKO3Kgm1Plwc1fT5oJpkSy4B7pxJp8fTAuV09JVq__Nl6_EXxr1X2UoXKIWlPO5nG3GGgfwhkutxn4QxTBNiedrjKFllXp1dOMKxkOo20xxumlgwEPaFXjwu-yixl9u/s1600/9.27.10+%2815%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitthvxv9TNJVoNesKO3Kgm1Plwc1fT5oJpkSy4B7pxJp8fTAuV09JVq__Nl6_EXxr1X2UoXKIWlPO5nG3GGgfwhkutxn4QxTBNiedrjKFllXp1dOMKxkOo20xxumlgwEPaFXjwu-yixl9u/s320/9.27.10+%2815%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522695268528800882" border="0" /></a>To anyone who's seen the movie "Ryan's Daughter," three or four of the scenes were filmed in Dingle. Our bus driver pointed them out, but as I've never seem the movie the references were lost on me. Oh, and I feel I should mention that people here don't call them movies, they call them films and with their accents it sounds like they're saying "fill-ims." I get a kick out of that.silverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-64400790087346931392010-09-25T03:35:00.003-07:002010-09-25T03:46:20.544-07:009/25/2010--Tattoo!I got my tattoo!!! I'm very excited, I love it!!!!! It took just under four hours, and was done by Eoin Oriain at Pachamama Tattoo Studio in Killarney Ireland. He thought it would take two, maybe two and a half hours tops, so by the time we finished it was 7 PM, and we were the last ones there. Earlier Eoin, Ozzy, and Vinny (the three tattoo artists at that shop) had been planning their night as it was Arthur's Day, and asked me if I wanted to come along. So, after the tattoo, we all went out and a few other people joined us, it was great!!! So much fun!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPSIUzvbLN45FGXPo3FJI-h2CFIsh9nULLpHn-d-92SCyb1yu-9g_rtWm-gXlocgrnsYwHZWX9Uo6gDHrtndnkLRPiyP-2ea-NTwq5vUyUqZ-5LeZ1vEjQa9Lp_B6xjE8zaqFW-UsVCKR/s1600/IMGP0064.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPSIUzvbLN45FGXPo3FJI-h2CFIsh9nULLpHn-d-92SCyb1yu-9g_rtWm-gXlocgrnsYwHZWX9Uo6gDHrtndnkLRPiyP-2ea-NTwq5vUyUqZ-5LeZ1vEjQa9Lp_B6xjE8zaqFW-UsVCKR/s320/IMGP0064.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520798695991411698" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2LKPJoiMDwJqjUa-2XrbC9tbYg-xd4w8wk-DAbkCXfCPnRToGpjbXzx-dhXme0TyuczSGas496y2OuB9yBrR_djdf51dae44v8HxAjtXkNWrOE7RbB0ivjcnXe8mWGFFB0k8fmz7Dd6UX/s1600/IMGP0072.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2LKPJoiMDwJqjUa-2XrbC9tbYg-xd4w8wk-DAbkCXfCPnRToGpjbXzx-dhXme0TyuczSGas496y2OuB9yBrR_djdf51dae44v8HxAjtXkNWrOE7RbB0ivjcnXe8mWGFFB0k8fmz7Dd6UX/s320/IMGP0072.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520798705544499602" border="0" /></a>Other than that, not much has been happening. I've been sick, so I took yesterday as a rest day. I'm glad I did too.<br /><br />Anyway, just a quick little update.silverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-35504082929076635322010-09-22T12:49:00.000-07:002010-09-23T04:11:36.433-07:009/22/2010--Muckross House and Torc Waterfalls<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkJnM9_cy5O96wKOfs1vcaKgundKznuChXOfyHqAgAgwa62Xx6JQwe6Ov7nbtainzyhFDJ6-h0smReh_TNC2onTb5ubqVkDVa_ToAj4_uKuc_zSpBUDYUrKfv27-rAaejVTl9sxEG-g23/s1600/9.22.10+%2827%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkJnM9_cy5O96wKOfs1vcaKgundKznuChXOfyHqAgAgwa62Xx6JQwe6Ov7nbtainzyhFDJ6-h0smReh_TNC2onTb5ubqVkDVa_ToAj4_uKuc_zSpBUDYUrKfv27-rAaejVTl9sxEG-g23/s320/9.22.10+%2827%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520062841699520722" border="0" /></a><br />Today opened with pouring down rain. It was lovely to hear as I got out of bed and got ready to go exploring. I love the rain! Thankfully though, the rain stopped by the time I actually was ready to go.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqp6fqc_EYRojiU3kcm4uy89-Av4v_PPbZvzxAGO_kzIMj_Nx0I1FerpT0Axjwp0gvIfc8Is_QxltSYM0ufW5EClOyuh5o0TrYkYsiDfSEfIfvjNibmlo1tSZVnteVAXeaUiL74tGCL5Nd/s1600/9.22.10+%2844%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqp6fqc_EYRojiU3kcm4uy89-Av4v_PPbZvzxAGO_kzIMj_Nx0I1FerpT0Axjwp0gvIfc8Is_QxltSYM0ufW5EClOyuh5o0TrYkYsiDfSEfIfvjNibmlo1tSZVnteVAXeaUiL74tGCL5Nd/s320/9.22.10+%2844%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520062830850876242" border="0" /></a><br />First I made my way to Muckross House and bought a ticket for the next tour, at 1:40. I had a while to spare before it started, so I wandered around the grounds and looked at the gardens. The green house was amazing! Vast rolling lawns, perfectly mowed....made me think they have to start on one end, and by the time they finished they'd have to start mowing all over again. For the record, I didn't notice any sprinkler heads. Haha, guess they don't need them.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl0F5Z-s1OfOFbL5zrVXRjWOCCRmAJrHYlj_aA1Yoy1E2TmIofmn0Fp105oXBGAJKKde4FLwVVdvCq0NChyphenhyphenaowy_gzYNNSNhnCcYCzG-mo3zNrEus3LAxhyphenhyphenXAKYQmqm2SVMSVQ1VVzBZkW/s1600/9.22.10+%2821%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl0F5Z-s1OfOFbL5zrVXRjWOCCRmAJrHYlj_aA1Yoy1E2TmIofmn0Fp105oXBGAJKKde4FLwVVdvCq0NChyphenhyphenaowy_gzYNNSNhnCcYCzG-mo3zNrEus3LAxhyphenhyphenXAKYQmqm2SVMSVQ1VVzBZkW/s320/9.22.10+%2821%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520062826634904914" border="0" /></a><br />The tour was great! It was pretty lengthy too, lasted for over an hour. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited the house and stayed for a few days. After they visited, tourism to Killarney greatly increased. The furniture pieces were simply breathtaking, and the library was....out of this world. All those books! Originals to the house; they had everything! Novels, encyclopedias, record books from Dublin. Simply amazing. I wanted to look inside them sooo bad, too bad I couldn't. :)<br /><br /><br />After the tour I walked to Torc waterfalls. They were gorgeous, not huge, but gorgeous. So serene....At this point I could see the rain clouds moving in over the lake and I was exhausted anyways, as I'd been walking all day, so I started on my way home.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgASwCZ0B0k3BOYXHtaCM44M4Czz5nV0kPHZECZIt8zwMYsIYc7rtDKq-RT8Pp0JtZv4yHxcoFsmMGOxF_b9GAhNGMX5ra9xTa2geAMrQBIwszIQw9tSMxBcpZPmbhTz1fhjmfrOeB4UA/s1600/9.22.10+%2814%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgASwCZ0B0k3BOYXHtaCM44M4Czz5nV0kPHZECZIt8zwMYsIYc7rtDKq-RT8Pp0JtZv4yHxcoFsmMGOxF_b9GAhNGMX5ra9xTa2geAMrQBIwszIQw9tSMxBcpZPmbhTz1fhjmfrOeB4UA/s320/9.22.10+%2814%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520062810270514434" border="0" /></a><br />On a side note, when I was on one of the remote roads to Torc waterfalls, the Google maps car drove past me!!!! How funny right? What are the chances!<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5zvUwCCfgvI3TaeGVntiH3wWhWIL6jCRQ0-fQSijjwqtwlw5d_c6mNjGvC37vkV2YNbJ1J4SfQ7O0McsGSRTiMB_2-hucqElmDW5pRzYz9ycnACIHhHGwaWp-cc9-Yzr9AcLwqSvuFNS/s1600/9.22.10+%289%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5zvUwCCfgvI3TaeGVntiH3wWhWIL6jCRQ0-fQSijjwqtwlw5d_c6mNjGvC37vkV2YNbJ1J4SfQ7O0McsGSRTiMB_2-hucqElmDW5pRzYz9ycnACIHhHGwaWp-cc9-Yzr9AcLwqSvuFNS/s320/9.22.10+%289%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520062808772092562" border="0" /></a><br />That's basically what I did today, a lot of it was spent walking.silverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-59766343101602697202010-09-21T10:15:00.000-07:002010-09-21T10:30:12.020-07:009/21/2010 Part IIHmmmm, today was a bit disappointing. On a good note, I stopped by the tourist office, so I have plans for what I'm going to do next. Tomorrow I'm going to get started early and tour Muckross House, Muckross Abbey, and if I'm lucky Torc falls. Then I'm going to drop by my tattoo artist to see if my drawing is complete. If it is and I okay it, I'll set up an appointment to actually get it done. Once I have that date set, I'll know when I'm going to head up the coast. I'm going to take a bus tour up the coast to Dingle. I have to decide if I want to make that a multi-day tour, or if I'm going to stick with the rest of the tour and just do the day trip. If I chose to split up the trip, I will head up to Galway and the Cliffs of Moher another time and stay in hostels for a few nights.<br /><br />Now to the not so good news. I dropped by the immigration office today, and apparently what the Irish embassy in San Francisco told me isn't true. They said that I should just check in at the local police department as soon as I get here and I would be able to stay here, no problem. Not so.<br /><br />I will be coming home on December 10th, which is my ticket date because apparently I can't stay longer than that; and there's no way around it--simple as that. Then I have to stay in the U.S. for another 90 days, at which point I'm free to come back here for another 90, and so on. If I want to work here, I have to go home, wait the 90 days, pay around $400 to the American government for a work permit, and then I can stay in Ireland for a year but no longer. Which sucks. As much as I want to see all of you again, I was really looking forward to staying here for longer, and I'm pretty pissed that the embassy didn't tell me this over six months ago when I both emailed them and called. Very very frustrated.<br /><br />No matter though, it is what it is--I'll just have to enjoy my time while I'm here. Still very disappointed though....silverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-21585848283107793812010-09-21T03:35:00.001-07:002010-09-21T03:52:16.244-07:009/21/2010So, I don't think I mentioned this previously, but I think I might pick up a bit of an Irish accent afterall!!! I said "craic" a few days ago, it's pronounced like "crack" and means fun in Gaelic. That would be so awesome if I do pick one up!<br /><br />This may seem a bit random, but if you think I'm tall in America, I seem much taller here. Especially compared to the women, everyone I've been hanging out with has been shorter by at least 6"? They had heels on too. The men are short as well. Besides a surprising number of men that are literally over 7'. I think I've seen 3 men that tall? That's more than in America--and yes I'm sure it wasn't the same guy three different places.<br /><br />On a side note, I was surprised that very few people have red hair. Almost no adults (who could quite possibly be dying it, who knows) and a few children. It's just funny to me that it's only kids with the red hair! Just interesting.<br /><br />It's funny to me, every now and then something will trigger a memory and I get this weird deja vu-like feeling--but I feel like I'm in a Potter book! Hahahaha, I get a kick out of that every time it happens. I do believe I mentioned buying the European version of Deathly Hallows, and I've been reading it because this deja vu feeling gave me the biggest urge to reread it. And come now, how awesome is it to read Harry Potter in IRELAND? I'm loving it, that's for sure. :)<br /><br />I found out the minimum wage in Ireland is 8.65 euros; which amounts to $11.36! Crazy, right?! So I'm thinking that I <span style="font-style: italic;">should</span> work before I go home, because I'll be making more than if I went back home and worked for the same amount of time. We'll see. I have had three or four job offers while I've been here, which is fantastic!<br /><br />Today I plan on running by the police station so I can start the process if I do decide to stay in Ireland longer, and find out how to get a work visa. Then after that I plan on running by the tourist center to find out tours that I can take up Dingle and Cliffs of Moher, so I can start to plan that particular trip out. I'll probably stay in hostels when I do that. Woot. I bet that will be awesome, just spend a few days exploring up the coast.silverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-78910457074986186332010-09-20T13:04:00.000-07:002010-09-20T13:11:46.058-07:009/20/2010Today was a pretty boring day, not much happened. I'm thinking of going to Dingle, and perhaps the Cliffs of Moher late this week, or maybe early next week some time. Should be fun!!!!<br /><br />I stopped by to see my tattoo artist today! I absolutely LOVE the sketch he came up with, it's exactly what I wanted. So excited! He has to make a few small adjustments, and then he'll have the drawing ready for me by late Wednesday, or Thursday sometime. Yay!!!!! Oh, and his name sounds like "Owen" but it's actually spelled Eoin. Just something I thought was cool. :) Anyways, that should be good. He got what I wanted perfectly. Woot woot!<br /><br />The only other thing that I really did, besides read, was go grocery shopping. Not that exciting, like I said. Hah.<br /><br />Just a quick update today. Hopefully I have more to say tomorrow.silverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-45842732143521568272010-09-20T06:01:00.000-07:002010-09-20T06:12:34.124-07:009/19/2010--Gaelic Football Final!I had so much fun today!!!! The Gaelic football final was today!!! County Cork versus county Down. It's an all-Ireland game, where all of the counties have a team and they play it out until the finals where one county gets the cup. It's EPIC! Cork hadn't won in twenty years, until tonight!!!! We left for the pub at about 2:45 (the match started at 3:30) because we wanted to make sure we got seats, and ummmm...prepared. Finbarr is from Cork, so he's been talking about this match since long before I got here a week ago. The actual match was so interesting, I totally got into it. For the first half, Cork was not playing well at all, it was so frustrating! They were sloppy, and were down by two I think by the end of the first half. Thank god they came back for the second half and were on FIRE! They finally won by two points, and the match was extended by another two minutes or so. Well played altogether though, I enjoyed it immensely. After that we celebrated, of course. We had to go home early though because two of my housemates had work at 9 this morning, so we were home by 11:30 or so. A great day, if slightly unproductive. :)silverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-53204248279377177282010-09-19T04:39:00.000-07:002010-09-20T05:59:11.132-07:009/18/2010Wow, today was pretty freakin' spectacular. I decided that I would take the day slow and relax to give my body a break as I have been walking all over the place and I was getting stiff. I started my morning by getting all my laundry done and hanging it up (we don't use the dryer to conserve energy), then walked into town. Yesterday, while in town, I noticed a tattoo parlor but they were closed; so I wanted to stop in and talk to the guys. The guy at the desk paired me with Owen, who is best at color work. I talked to him and looked at his portfolio, and I really really like him! I feel very comfortable with him, he's a nice guy. I ran home, got my computer, and ran back so I could show him pictures of the clovers I want, and he's going to have the drawing ready on either Monday or Tuesday! Not only that, but he's also available to start next week! Wooooo! So excited to see what he comes up with. Hopefully everything goes well and I'll have my first tattoo within the next week or two.<br /><br />After that I went into my little cafe. They were ridiculously busy! When the lady got a free minute she came over to talk to me and she wanted to know if I had a job lined up for my time here, and when I said no, she said she'd put in a good word for me if I did decide I wanted to get a job! I didn't even ask, I thought that was super nice! While I was there I finished the book I've been reading (The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane) and it was fantastic! I loved it!<br /><br />When I got home, Finbarr was here with his girlfriend, so I sat and talked with her for a while, while we waited for the rugby match to start. I've decided that I really like rugby, it looks like sooooo much fun!<br /><br />Okay, now here's the point where those who are faint of heart should stop reading! (Yeah, like that ever works. Hah!).....<br /><br />I was watching the rugby match with Finbarr and Nicola when Kate came downstairs asking if I wanted to go out with her and a few friends, and to be honest, I'd already had a few. Hah, so I met Kate's sister Illeen, and we went into town. Soooooo much fun!!! We hit basically every bar except for two (i.e. 6? 7?) Met lots of fun people, had some interesting encounters...like the guy that followed the three of us for the last 4 bars or so and kept trying to hug us or dance with us. Yeaaaaah, he came up to us as we were leaving and gave all of us goodbye hugs....got a bit friskey and sucked on my ear! Ewwww, and it was sloppy too, as he was hella drunk. Gross. Haha, good stories....Other than that it was just a flat out fun night. Talked to a bunch of locals, danced...fun stuff! We finally got a taxi home when the club we were in got shut down, at around 4, and got home at 4:30 AM. First night out in Ireland! Monumental!silverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-71662184195599436192010-09-17T11:11:00.000-07:002010-09-17T11:47:48.017-07:009/17/2010Today was a great day! I actually got a lot done, surprisingly.<br /><br />I woke up on time today--at 9:30! On my own! I was very excited about that. I headed off to Ross castle at around 10:30 and I took a tour of the inside, it was so interesting! The castle was built in the 15th century. All of the rooms inside are accessible by a spiral staircase in the center of the tower. Which, insidentally, is built in a clockwise direction to aid the soldiers defending the tower and impede the attacking soldiers as everyone fought right handed (the left hand was considered the devil's hand and so all soldiers were taught how to fight with their right hands). The steps themselves are all different heights and are called "stumble steps". They were intended to cause attacking soldiers to trip as they charged if they made it past the exterior defenses. Also, the one bed, which belonged to the lord and lady of the castle, was very short. There are two reasons for this. The first is that laying flat mimics the dead, and therefore was to be avoided. The second was they all had breathing problems and therefore it was essential to sit in an elevated position. They had respiratory issues due to the closed quarters inside of the castle, and what they burned for light. They would gather a few dried reeds and tie them together, then dip each end into animal fat. Each gathering of reeds would burn for about 15 minutes, and the smoke that came off of them was very thick and acrid...causing the lung issues. Due to this and the use of pewter dinnerware (which contains lead, and therefore causes lead poisoning) the life expectancy was 30 years old. It was all very interesting.<br /><br />Sometime in the past couple hundred years, a new law went into effect--the two roofs law. It said that if you had more than one property, you had to pay taxes on all of them, regardless of if you were living in all of them or not, as long as they had roofs. So in response to this owners of castles all over Ireland took the roofs off of their castles, and Ross castle was included. Only one castle in Ireland still has it's original roof. Of course, without a roof, the castles quickly fell into disrepair and became dilapidated. In the 1950's one of the men who helped build the Pentagon, bought the castle, and brought the Irish government in on restoring it. Work crews and artisans trained to use the tools used in the 15th century, and the same materials, restored the castle over a twenty year period, and then the owner gave the castle back to Ireland so they could open it up for tours. So cool!!!!!<br /><br />After I took the tour, I sat on the edge of the lake, which is called Lough Leane by the way, and wrote in my journal for a little while, and oh my god, it was gorgeous out!!! All day today it was bright and sunny, with very few clouds. The breeze was a bit chilly by the lake, but other than that it was perfect. On my way back to town I took a small detour to see the pier (also on Lough Leane) because one of my housemates told me it had a great view, and indeed it did. Just lovely.<br /><br />I stopped in one of the small local bookstores. It was soooooo cute!!! It had two stories and it was shoved into this super tiny space. I loved it. I admit I bought the final Harry Potter book because when I was by the lake I decided I had to read it again, in Ireland. Plus, I need to get the rest of the series in the British format, as I only have books 1-3. After that I stopped back by my little cafe that I like, Skelligs Chocolate Cafe, and chatted with the girl that works there for a little while. Such a sweet person, I really really like her. I hate to admit it but I've forgotten her name....Kara? Something like that. Anyways, after that I decided to explore more and went a different way into town and found some new shops, including the tattoo parlor! They were already closed, as it was 5:30 PM by then, but I plan on going back to ask about prices and look at their portfolios, etc. I'm determined to get my clovers done in Ireland. I think that would be awesome! Woohoo!!!<br /><br />After that I walked into the gardens, but I was worried I'd get locked in--as it was twenty to closing, but I'll go back later, it looked beautiful! So green, with lots of roses.<br /><br />Not much has happened since then, I made myself dinner and talked to Finbarr and Jer for a while. It's getting extremely cold as night falls. Two nights ago it was freezing, last night was mild, and I have a feeling we're in for another chilly night. Oh, I love Ireland. :) To be honest, the weather reminds me of Placerville in the Fall and Winter. It has that same feel to it. With the crisp clean air. Just add more wind and rain and viola! You've got Ireland. The trees have already started to change, just barely; and a few have already started to lose their leaves. Can't wait to see Fall in Ireland. Sounds breathtaking.silverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-14948492892928172612010-09-16T15:27:00.000-07:002010-09-16T16:21:27.899-07:009/16/2010<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_eFGscIMoz2StrvU-EncudgUwOJntFPzouGf_efqk44gbzE7zh3gwvh0rEcOB8bc6SGgE35TLTjNQKyAPKPF5e66OwiDiU_1zaV6-JwRhP1mDIar2SYhNR2LDLKaPdCjlhVCijrrkRPC/s1600/9.16.10+%2851%29.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_eFGscIMoz2StrvU-EncudgUwOJntFPzouGf_efqk44gbzE7zh3gwvh0rEcOB8bc6SGgE35TLTjNQKyAPKPF5e66OwiDiU_1zaV6-JwRhP1mDIar2SYhNR2LDLKaPdCjlhVCijrrkRPC/s320/9.16.10+%2851%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517653535216285650" border="0" /></a>Jet lag is officially kicking my butt. I couldn't fall asleep until around 3:45AM last night and for the second day in a row slept until 3PM!!! I couldn't believe it! I even set the alarm last night for 10:30AM and I have no memory whatsoever of it going off. So, needless to say, I didn't get the early start I was hoping for. When I finally got up and going, I headed over the Ross Castle and oh my god, it was gorgeous out. I almost enjoyed the walk as much as the castle itself! I was surrounded by trees, with the canopy extending over the road above me. There were wild roses, ferns, ivy, and blackberry bushes growing alongside the road, it was surreal. The air is so crisp and cool here, and it smelled of the forest. It was, honestly, so amazing. I wish that pictures could share all of the other sensory details as well....<br /><br /><br /><br />Ross castle itself is gorgeous. The first thing you see is the top of the tower peaking over the treetops as you walk up. They have jaunting cars (horse pulled carriages) for hire and I thought it was great to watch the cars <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpWcmKhwxcDfPcltZc3jqPz0eoGT4t-CjI57HW0UTHx14uUmGYlVErJxlUF_5CMRqpZYgJ47xvOC9dumXhKToP7Lw8NvxlYvnYdjoXv_DTcXGHg2Wrvjtj0zhKR39KuBDtZ5Ph3wzTwqN/s1600/9.16.10+%2815%29.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpWcmKhwxcDfPcltZc3jqPz0eoGT4t-CjI57HW0UTHx14uUmGYlVErJxlUF_5CMRqpZYgJ47xvOC9dumXhKToP7Lw8NvxlYvnYdjoXv_DTcXGHg2Wrvjtj0zhKR39KuBDtZ5Ph3wzTwqN/s320/9.16.10+%2815%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517653498304873970" border="0" /></a>go around the carriages. The castle sits about 20 feet from the edge of the lake, and the Killarney mountains are on the opposite shore. When I got there, there were blue patches of sky showing through the cloud cover, and it was fairly warm, but within twenty minutes or so the clouds descended on the mountain tops, covering them, and a cold wind blew in over the lake. It started to rain, so I took cover under a huge oak tree. It was so peaceful!!! Looking out over the lake when it was so stormy reminded me of the 18th century oil paintings that I have admired in museums for years...and I now know where they got their inspiration. I could have sat there for hours. I think that I will go back tomorrow, as I got there too late to take one of the guided tours of the inside. I can't wait to learn more about the history of the castle. So much fun!!!<br /><br /><br /><br />I love how chatty the Irish are, you'll pass people on the street, and they're so cheerful! Or at least most of the locals are. It's so <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtoMEEuh17aI9FcsJvbMDWB2egfShxS_SUeBsM3KYliSfAXH0pm3XFJ886HYtz7QP5uDMGTCWwwA-b5sse1uPYX1YYd9XZkec9KuvOLoYB2uhKAC1-pR3XJVigwwJlBIKxBBPFAuGyOwgf/s1600/9.16.10+%2811%29.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtoMEEuh17aI9FcsJvbMDWB2egfShxS_SUeBsM3KYliSfAXH0pm3XFJ886HYtz7QP5uDMGTCWwwA-b5sse1uPYX1YYd9XZkec9KuvOLoYB2uhKAC1-pR3XJVigwwJlBIKxBBPFAuGyOwgf/s320/9.16.10+%2811%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517653478402113394" border="0" /></a>refreshing. I walked past one man today who was "getting his evening walk" as his dog pulled him determinedly around the corner. There's one girl who works at the cafe I like that calls me "love" and refuses to take my tips because she knows I'll be here for a while. Just super friendly people.<br /><br /><br /><br />Oh, and another thing; most of the Irish I've talked to don't like the rain...does anyone else see the irony here? Hah.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFB-V1zORP568F1IySVRLmHmKRDCB9mtQ0YkF9E69oUWqaTQsGAfuylrVl3qId9nj_EpES9N9gTKMAk_z24uv1bC0EN0afK6HDyt6uJACUb5FQJB0xA1VVgLfLebID6PrzBFXSaSEEx_lr/s1600/9.16.10+%2834%29.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFB-V1zORP568F1IySVRLmHmKRDCB9mtQ0YkF9E69oUWqaTQsGAfuylrVl3qId9nj_EpES9N9gTKMAk_z24uv1bC0EN0afK6HDyt6uJACUb5FQJB0xA1VVgLfLebID6PrzBFXSaSEEx_lr/s320/9.16.10+%2834%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517653506266548626" border="0" /></a>I got home around 7:40 or so, and my housemates were all home, so I sat and talked with them for a while. Thank god I feel tired tonight, I need to go to bed early so I can hopefully get used to the Irish clock!<br /><br /><br /><br />Goodnight!silverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891300575759449534.post-74757364777262261802010-09-15T14:04:00.000-07:002010-09-15T17:42:04.977-07:00Day Two<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz05OJDTb3J-Px72z5rP_MJtBWPsvdr7dn2-6mvCegmMfLPdwhJIgmFInguruPDmXE2ZiEqkLC1Bz7FLYUnLMQ7edzXwAZg8esXMRc_Uf4p215bNFSQe_wof0dd4tSE9t0CnCLA5JTEpoI/s1600/9.15+%2821%29.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz05OJDTb3J-Px72z5rP_MJtBWPsvdr7dn2-6mvCegmMfLPdwhJIgmFInguruPDmXE2ZiEqkLC1Bz7FLYUnLMQ7edzXwAZg8esXMRc_Uf4p215bNFSQe_wof0dd4tSE9t0CnCLA5JTEpoI/s320/9.15+%2821%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517302938629242242" border="0" /></a>Today was not nearly as eventful as yesterday, mostly because I slept WAAAAY later than I meant to, as in *cough cough* 3PM. Yep. I woke up at 10:30AM and went back to sleep thinking, "oh, I'll just sleep for another hour or so." No such luck. My plans were originally to walk into town to get the few errands I needed to do done, then hike into the national park to see Ross Castle. Once I got going though, I really only had time to get my errands done, as it gets dark around 7 or so.<br /><br />First things first, I walked into town because I needed a converter for my computer cord, and the two stores I tried yesterday didn't have what I needed. The converter I brought with me was only a two pronger and I didn't realize it until I got here; and my computer was dead. So three stores later and viola! Success at last, I was starting to worry I wouldn't be able to find one. After that I bought a phone, I just need to buy minutes and it'll be up and running. Finally I went grocery shopping. That was interesting. I grabbed everything I'd need and then checked out, which would be fine, but they don't give you bags for your things! Thankfully I had the bag with my phone, because I was able to fit most of the stuff in there, the rest in my backpack. That poor paper bag almost didn't make it home since it was raining and it fell apart as soon as I set it on the kitchen table. Yay for a bit of luck and timing!<br /><br />Then I made myself a sandwich, made sure my adapter worked for my computer, then walked around. By this point it was getting dark, so the pictures aren't fantastic, but I did manage to take a few. It was beautiful out, it was breezy and crisp all day with one small shower and mist the rest of the day. By 9 or so it was super cold out! I actually wished I had my scarf to go with my wool jacket. But I came in and sat by the fire with Norma (one of my housemate's cousin) and warmed up a bit. Soccer and Gaelic soccer are HUGE here, so it's really fun to watch it with everyone. The Gaelic soccer finals are on Sunday and Finbarr (another of my housemates) is a huge fan, he's been talking about it constantly, and I can't wait to see it! Cork actually made it to the finals this year, too bad Kerry didn't! That would have been fantastic! Anyways, I'm told I'll get to see a super drunk Finbarr Sunday...there is no way I'll be able to understand him then. Haha. Speaking of drinking, Norma and Kate are taking me out to the pubs either tomorrow night or Friday. It'll be great! Can't wait!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrEtAF-eDGN1KfhijhZDBQMixXoR4y-eNy9FxnhoVeu6PjFJZHk3GHQgOlIUUs_GC8H0tLbzhJOuVP8W_JhgX2ksT4i11tvVYGjYy9KoeYCXJ3cFUqcLiN7GC7jyyaxMtj3VZ3IRsBxur/s1600/9.15+%283%29.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrEtAF-eDGN1KfhijhZDBQMixXoR4y-eNy9FxnhoVeu6PjFJZHk3GHQgOlIUUs_GC8H0tLbzhJOuVP8W_JhgX2ksT4i11tvVYGjYy9KoeYCXJ3cFUqcLiN7GC7jyyaxMtj3VZ3IRsBxur/s320/9.15+%283%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517302924468325762" border="0" /></a>Tomorrow, I hope to wake up early...although that's a bit doubtful at this point as it's 1:30 AM here now...I want to walk to Ross Castle, and then walk around the national park and take pictures. Good ones this time. :Dsilverstag21http://www.blogger.com/profile/15966274095650657947noreply@blogger.com2