8.28.2005

Don't Click the Pic...


Lissanoure Castle
Originally uploaded by di_juice.

Unless you happen to have an enduring interest in wedding venues or a long standing love of estates and hotels in Northern Ireland. ;) Six venues in one day and here are the photos to prove it. If you do look at the pics - notice how dramatically the weather changes in one day. It is really something. We visited: Lissanoure Castle (Co. Antrim), Malone House (South Belfast), Clandeboye Estate (Bangor, Co, Antrim), Crawfordsburn Inn (Co. Down), Galgorm Manor (Co. Antrim) and The Culloden Hotel (Holywood, that's pronounced Hollywood but with one l for extra badness... or goodness...or something, Co. Antrim)

Thank god for our new hoopty or there's no way we could have covered so much ground in one day. It was actually kind of fun to check out all these different spaces and towns and the like. My faves from this trip were Malone House and Lissanoure Castle where I had to stand on Tom's shoulders to see into the courtyard as it was locked up and no one was around. It would probably have been comical to see for anyone other than Tom who had my feet in his face...haha.

As is the way in Northern Ireland, the residents of any given place make it very obvious, "whose side they're on." Tom almost turned around on our way to Galgorm Manor as the nearby towns were absolutely plastered with union jacks, northern ireland red and white flags, scottish flags and any other flag or bunting you can think of in to suggest to you that you are in loyalist country. Don't even think about being Irish in these parts. Galgorm Manor is rumored to be giving kick-backs to the LVF (Loyalist Paramilitary) and after our visit, I wouldn't be surprised if it's true. Tom was getting all hot under the collar just being there so I suppose it won't be the best venue... Good thing it wasn't that nice cuz I suppose it wouldn't be ideal to fund a bunch a gangsters who beat up the local icecream man if he doesn't kick back some cookies...

Crawfordsburn Inn was quite Proddy-doddy as well but in a very posh type way although there was an Orange Hall decorated with Union Jacks across the street which meant that Tom needed to be dragged inside to even look at the place ;). Very pretty in an English Countryside way except for the actual banquet hall itself which looked like it jumped out of Pretty in Pink circa 1985...eek. Notice also, the pic of bride and bridesmaids with full on tan-in-a-can action happening...haha.

The Clandeboye Estate has gorgeous stonework and were having some sort of BBC classical concert happening when we were there (Lolo would have approved.) Pretty courtyard and a bell tower full of doves. Unfortunately, the main hall looks wicked medieval with lots of dead, white guys hanging on the walls - but still kind of cool - dead guys and all. Nice Big windows and cool wicker-type chairs.

Lissanoure is a farm and a castle so there were lots of cows and sheep and a pond and a little stone bridge going over a stream and a pond with geese and such. We peeked in the windows to see the inside which is fairly nice with Yellow walls although U shaped and a bit small. They have a big, icky, function hall behind it if you want to have an event with more than 100 peeps but yuk, it reminded me of summer camp on a rainy day.

Malone house was pretty cool too but doesn't hold as many peeps as the Belfast Castle - only 110-120 at the most. Lots of light and high ceilings. Pretty surrounding countryside but no ocean nearby.

Anyway, you get the idea. Promise the blog won't become the journal of Bridezilla but thought a few people (or maybe just my mom ;)) would like to take a look.

And just in case you didn't notice on your own (if you're color blind or over 80 years old) don't forget to check out the shockingly bad taste in carpets that are ubiquitous here... impossible to get away from - bright red with blue flowers, bright blue, bright yellow...and lest you think this is just for function halls - these textile delights can be found in numerous private homes... Amazing.

Love to you all.

8.24.2005

Drinking Soup in Carlingford


Carlingford Town
Originally uploaded by di_juice.

Hi All,

Spent the weekend in Carlingford which was good times. It was absolutely beautiful, the pics just don't do it justice - kinda like the Green Mountains if they met the sea. As is the way 'round these parts, spent a good deal of time at the pub - but still managed to get outside some and explore. Also went to, "the dogs" (The Dundalk Greyhound track) and my first two bets won! Course, being the, throw caution to the wind type person that I am, I only bet a couple of euros but hey, I won a whole 9 euros... That'll buy me at least one drink in Rip-off Dublin...haha.

Got slagged off all weekend for my American accent by Dominick, Ciaran (Helen's boyfriend) and this guy called, Beefy who hails from the Northernest Northerm Ireland. Was actually pretty funny to hear them, "speak American," or purposefully mispronounce Irish words/places...Don-eagle (Donegal) is awesome... ;) For some reason, they were particularly enamored with, "I have no clue." Who knew that that was particularly American? I had no clue...

Couldn't just lie down and take such abuse ;) so here's a list of my new favorite and strange Irishisms:

"I couldn't drink soup." Translation: I am pathetically unable to hold my liquor and would get pissed (drunk) by drinking my granny's broth... (Dominick said this to me after an afternoon of drinking.)

"Wind yer neck in." American: Get off it, get over yerself, get off yer high-horse...

"It's nine o'clock and not a wee-un washed." Subsititute whatever time you like and it means, the day is passed and we've accomplished "fuck-all" (nothing, not a thing.) Strangely, when Beefy said this, I thought he was saying, not a Wayne washed and couldn't figure out what on earth Wayne had to do with anything... Thought it was maybe some obscure reference to Wayne's world...haha.

"Well, there's fuck-all else to do." Tom's expression of choice when he was eighteen and on holiday with his friends. Translation: Let's get pissed cuz we've already shagged all the sheep in town...;)

Nouns of the Day (Sponsored by the letter S): Spide / Skanger (or Skanger Bird for the female variety) /Steeko / Skiprat: They all mean basically the same thing and refer to the peculiarly Irish/UK phenomenon of young guys in track suits with bum-fluff mustaches and thick regional accents smoking cheap fags (smokes) outside their council house or local Spar. If you live in Dublin yer a Skanger or a Steeko (some reference to the name Steven). If you live in Belfast yer a Spide or a Skiprat. Feel the regional love. Lest, you think I'm being sexist, women can also be skangers etc... but they have to have a lot of back fat hanging out of their pink trackys or maybe a shirt that says, "hot babe," in rhinestones while screaming at full volume at one of several children who are trying to run into traffic.

Example: Yesterday I was in Spar in North Dublin and two dudes came in of the skiprat variety and hassled the eastern euro behind the counter who was clearly new and took a while to pick out the kind of smokes they wanted. Then they tried to tell him that they gave him a €20 when they actually gave him a tenner...

Well, there's yer English lesson for the day...Hope you've learned something. I would give you more definitions but I've been un-pc enough for one day...

On other fronts, you'll be glad to know that I am very well hydrated these days as I've started drinking pints o' water at the pub cuz you know, I couldn't drink soup, like.

8.23.2005

Hoopty Joy


Our New Motor!
Originally uploaded by di_juice.

Diana and Tom happily announce the arrival of our brand new (to us) small, red, bouncing baby, Volkswagon, Polo. Isn't it just adorable ;)

8.17.2005

Columbia Street Flower Market


Columbia Street Flower Market
Originally uploaded by di_juice.

One long road full of vendors selling every imaginable kind of plant and flower and calling out to the crowd in Oliver twist-like fashion. Two flowahs' for a fiver, mate...

Chocolate Heaven in East London


Most Delicious chocolate at Spitalfields Market
Originally uploaded by di_juice.

Taken at Spitalfield Market - It was seriously the best chocolate I have ever tasted....yum. So good, it was picture worthy.

Lovely London

Hi all,

A weekend away was well needed and good fun. We stayed with Tom's friends Gavin and Martina in a Bangladeshi neighborhood called Bethnal Green. Christopher and Tom's friend Caiomhe (Kee-vah) also live nearby so there was a big group of us hanging out all weekend. We managed to do a ton in three days- went to the Tate Modern (renovated factory turned giant museum), went out for Bangladeshi food, went dancing till 4 in the morning, saw a rockabilly show in North London full of English people in western shirts, learned how to play the spoons, went to an outdoor market called Spitalfields (unfortunate name but huge, fabulous market with crafts, clothes, food, etc...) got my much needed fix of hummus and falafel there which I've been missing so much in Ireland, land o' bread and cheese. The weather was pretty good in London, it almost could be considered summery - was mostly sunny and 70s for a good part of the weekend. I suppose it is south of Dublin but the temperature shift was unexpected and lovely.

Did have a moment of pause getting onto the tube for the first time (in light of recent events and all) but whaddya gonna do? On Monday Tom and I were underground waiting for a train when we heard an announcement saying that they were closing a bunch of stops on the Central line (including Bethnal Green) due to some sort of security alert... but it all sorted itself out and reopened fairly quickly. Just kept telling myself that you can't worry about things you can't control...

The flights were so quick and easy, an hour on the plane and there you are in another country. Such a perk of living here. Strangely, I have been to Stansted 4 times in the last month though... It's starting to feel like my second home. Of note: Standsted wishes you to be "delighted," with their bathroom facilities... and oh yes, the toilets are quite delightful. Gotta love English-English.

Well, Ta-ta dahlings. Will try to post some London pics up soon.

8.12.2005

The terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day

No, it's not all sunshine and light living in a new place. Generally I consider myself a pretty even keel person, (if a bit stressed out a lot of the time). But living here, my highs and lows are so much more pronounced as everything is so new and that can be interesting and fun as well as frustrating and challenging...

Yesterday was just one of those days where everything seemed to go wrong. Spent two days working on a website design and at the end of the day presented it and the response was, "I just don't like it." Ouch. And fair enough, design is subjective and I'm always happy to try new things and push the envelope but it was a bit harsh and unexpected and the idea of starting the project all over again was daunting... So, I headed out in a glum mood and was walking through the Beaver Cleaver housing estate in which I work and hating it and I just started to get overwhelmed. (That negativity can just sneak up on you.) I started thinking about how much I hate my commute and have very little human interaction in my day which can be difficult for a person like myself who craves the social...so then I started thinking about how much I hate boring, vanilla-flavored Drogheda and...how much I miss my friends and family and feel very lonely sometimes...you get my train of thought.

While busy in my own head, I arrived at the train station to see that my train had already arrived so I started to run through the parking lot to try and catch it (without thinking about the fact that parking lots are for cars) and ran out between some parked cars and almost head-on into a moving vehicle scaring myself and the driver half to death and stumbling onto my knee. And then I missed the train anyway.

At which point, I was breathless and freaked and just basically found a corner where I could have a complete flip-out (albeit a quiet one.) I really, really, wanted to talk to someone but couldn't since mobile phone calls to the states would cost me my first-born-child and that just made me more upset so I snarfled my way onto the train and called Tom who, it must be said, really did his best to try to cheer me up.

When I arrived back in Dublin, I walked about 40 minutes to this bar called, The Barge," where Tom and fellow IBTers were celebrating (?) his last day working there which is today. I think the walk definitely did me some good although the sky did start spitting a few times and I thought to myself what a perfect end to the day it would be if I ended up soaking wet...

The night itself did improve from there. Some of Tom's co's are very nice and I really do feel much better when I'm around other people. It ended up being a pretty late night so today, I'm tired and attempting to take another stab at this website but at least it's Friday and tomorrow I go to London for a long weekend which is so very much what I need.

I suppose admitting that I was a tear-stained, snot-spewing mess in a public train-station is a little more disclosure and unfun-ness than y'all are used to in this bloggy forum but this is what's on my mind at the moment. Gotta do some thinking (or tinkin' as they say here) this weekend about how I'm gonna make this place work for me. Might need a Drogheda-free future but we'll see. Definitely need some good food/good company/good times this weekend...

Miss you all. Hope yer week is going better than mine. ;)

8.08.2005

Overheard on the Enterprise

So, If you didn't already know from my incessant complaining, I spend a lot of time on the train system of Ireland....a couple hours a day. When I'm not sleeping, attempting to do the ridiculously difficult European crossword puzzles or trying to count the housing estates from Drogheda to Dublin, I eavesdrop on other people's (sometimes) interesting conversations...

The other day, I was sitting near a couple of older Irish ladies on a day trip from Dublin. They spent a lot of time discussing the depressing fact that everyone from, "the older generation," were, "in the graveyard..." but luckily, they moved on to grammar and the English language. One of the ladies told the other one, "You know, those Canadians, they don't speak properly at-all. They speak Americanne..." (Does that mean Irish people speak Irlande...) She went on to tell some anecdote about the appallingly bad grammer and vocabulary of some North American acquaintance... Can you believe they say, To-may-to?! Shocking. Truly. Made sure to make a call on my mobile so that they would be aware of the fact that they were busted shit-talking in the presence of a fluent speaker of Americanne....haha

The other equally shocking statement I overheard on the train, was one older lady telling another how the weather in July, was, "just lovely, absolutely gorgeous..." Clearly we were not living in the same country during the month of July cuz I'm still waiting for summer to arrive....

All aboard.

8.06.2005

Espana at Last


Cadiz Plaza
Originally uploaded by di_juice.

Hi All,

Here are some of the Spain pics I know you have all been so eagerly awaiting... ;) We all went a little picture crazy so this is just a random assortment. I can't wait to go back!

And so the Drama Begins...


Belfast Castle Gardens
Originally uploaded by di_juice.

Well, only one week into Wedding Planning and already I want to rip all of my hair out and stomp on it... Here are some pics of The Belfast Castle and the Dunadry Hotel-two possible wedding venues in the North of Irlanda. (Just click on the pic above to see the rest of them.) The joys of the cross-cultural romance are many, including the fun of trying to convince half of the potential guests that they really do want to spend half a million dollars and 6 hours on a plane just to get to the event. Might have to have two parties...Viva la bank account.

8.03.2005

My Crayola Colored House


garden
Originally uploaded by di_juice.

Miracle of All Miracles....after much cursing and two calls to tech. support, I have internet! My technological junkie cravings have been satisfied. Yahooooo. Am a bit behind on the photo posting but for those of you yet to visit this rainy island, I've posted pics of my abode. The photo above was taken in our extremely overgrown back garden. Spain pics to follow...will keep you all posted.