Have a Lovely Weekend.
1 day ago
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Birthday Wish List
I'm going to try and spruce up a gray January and get excited for my birthday! What gets me excited are the presents. No surprise there! Here are a few I wouldn't mind opening on my big day!
This is the biggie! My current camera is fancier than a point and shoot, but not much more than that. I bought it before I moved to England, so it's almost 5 years old and starting to show it's age. Dropping it at the Dublin Marathon hasn't helped it either. I would love, love, LOVE a digital SLR camera (this is a Canon EOS Rebel T1i) and a few photography courses to go with it!
We're definitely getting this print when we move to the US, so I'll be getting it even if it's not for my birthday! Our friends have the Paris one which I love, but the London one just seems more appropriate for us.
Orla Kiely makes lovely bags and I can't leave Ireland without one! Right!? Well, that's what I keep telling Wes! Ha! I love the flowers on her new bag. (Sorry about the tiny picture!)
Alan Ardiff is an Irish jewellery designer who makes some really cool stuff. Some of the designs actually have pieces that move! This little fish doesn't move, but I think it's really sweet.
It's no secret I love wearing my FitFlops in the summer. They are the most comfortable flip flops out there, hands down. I have no idea if they tone your legs, as their marketing suggests. In fact, if you saw my legs you'd probably call their bluff. I just love them because they actually have arch support and my feet don't ache by the end of the day. I would love a pair of their boots to wear during those months that the flip flops are inappropriate. That's a lot of months here in Ireland!
This is the biggie! My current camera is fancier than a point and shoot, but not much more than that. I bought it before I moved to England, so it's almost 5 years old and starting to show it's age. Dropping it at the Dublin Marathon hasn't helped it either. I would love, love, LOVE a digital SLR camera (this is a Canon EOS Rebel T1i) and a few photography courses to go with it!
We're definitely getting this print when we move to the US, so I'll be getting it even if it's not for my birthday! Our friends have the Paris one which I love, but the London one just seems more appropriate for us.
Orla Kiely makes lovely bags and I can't leave Ireland without one! Right!? Well, that's what I keep telling Wes! Ha! I love the flowers on her new bag. (Sorry about the tiny picture!)
Alan Ardiff is an Irish jewellery designer who makes some really cool stuff. Some of the designs actually have pieces that move! This little fish doesn't move, but I think it's really sweet.
It's no secret I love wearing my FitFlops in the summer. They are the most comfortable flip flops out there, hands down. I have no idea if they tone your legs, as their marketing suggests. In fact, if you saw my legs you'd probably call their bluff. I just love them because they actually have arch support and my feet don't ache by the end of the day. I would love a pair of their boots to wear during those months that the flip flops are inappropriate. That's a lot of months here in Ireland!
Friday, January 14, 2011
It's been a busy week!
It's another one of those weeks when lots is going on, but nothing seems worth writing about....you know, lunch with friends, kicking this chest cold, donating things to the charity shop, getting Wes' US visa, grocery shopping, vacuuming our previously soaking wet carpet....you know....WAIT! WHAT!? {insert sound of record scratching to a halt}
I KNOW!!! VACUUMING!!!
I kid, I kid....that's right...we're moving to the US and the government will now officially accept my husband! I would do a cartwheel, but there's not enough room in my apartment. All in all it took us just over five months to complete the process. Not bad at all, really. In fact, we could have done it quicker, but we drew out some of the bits of the process because we had an idea of our time frame for moving. Five months of paperwork, medical appointments, and payments all culminated in a 5 minute interview. When we walked up to the window, the guy greeted us by saying, 'Someone did their research. All of your documents are in order and everything is correct.' WELL, my chest puffed up and my husband said he thought I was going to start doing a jig around the office! Ha! I felt like the teacher just gave me an A++!*
So, expect this blog to take a turn to the stresses of an international move. I'm afraid that finding a decent and affordable shipping company is going to be harder than getting the visa!
I didn't want to take a picture of Wes' passport, so instead you get a picture of the mysterious brown envelope that everyone talks about on expat boards.
And no, we don't know when we're going. I keep telling people either when one of us gets a job or six months from now since that's the amount of time he has to activate the visa. Finger's crossed the job comes first!!! Thankfully, he can now tick the box on job applications that he's legal to work in the US!!!
*This is the clear behavior of someone who has been unemployed for two years. Wes wondered if the guy would write me a letter of recommendation.
I KNOW!!! VACUUMING!!!
I kid, I kid....that's right...we're moving to the US and the government will now officially accept my husband! I would do a cartwheel, but there's not enough room in my apartment. All in all it took us just over five months to complete the process. Not bad at all, really. In fact, we could have done it quicker, but we drew out some of the bits of the process because we had an idea of our time frame for moving. Five months of paperwork, medical appointments, and payments all culminated in a 5 minute interview. When we walked up to the window, the guy greeted us by saying, 'Someone did their research. All of your documents are in order and everything is correct.' WELL, my chest puffed up and my husband said he thought I was going to start doing a jig around the office! Ha! I felt like the teacher just gave me an A++!*
So, expect this blog to take a turn to the stresses of an international move. I'm afraid that finding a decent and affordable shipping company is going to be harder than getting the visa!
I didn't want to take a picture of Wes' passport, so instead you get a picture of the mysterious brown envelope that everyone talks about on expat boards.
And no, we don't know when we're going. I keep telling people either when one of us gets a job or six months from now since that's the amount of time he has to activate the visa. Finger's crossed the job comes first!!! Thankfully, he can now tick the box on job applications that he's legal to work in the US!!!
*This is the clear behavior of someone who has been unemployed for two years. Wes wondered if the guy would write me a letter of recommendation.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Ten favorite pictures of 2010 - You Capture
This was a lot harder than I thought it would be! Here they are in no particular order....
Here's to more fabulous pictures in 2011!
Here's to more fabulous pictures in 2011!
'Dynasty' is more than just a TV show
I was listening to the Slate Political Gabfest shortly after the death of Ted Kennedy. Discussing the Kennedys had Emily Bazelon complaining about political dynasties in the US. She had two examples, the Kennedys and Senator Harry Reid's son who was the 2010 Democratic nominee for the Governor of Nevada. Her comment made me laugh out loud and all I could think was, 'Don't move to Ireland!' Her head would probably explode if she tried to make sense of the government here! It's no secret that nepotism runs strong within the Irish government, but when you read that one in four politicians here come from political families it does (or at least should) make you shake your head in disgust. This article reads like a complex family tree.
Maybe you're thinking, 'Big whoop! So they got elected based on their family name! I'm sure they're still qualified for their position!' In response, I'll give you one of the more famous examples of nepotism gone bad:
One of the most famous of these family dynasties is the Lenihans. With Ireland being in the news so much these days, you all may recognize the name of our Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan Jr (Brian Lenihan Sr was the Fianna Fáil Tánaiste in the 80s). Well, his brother, Conor Lenihan, was appointed the Minister for State in charge of Science, Technology, Innovation, and Natural Resources. Prior to this appointment he was the Minister of State in charge of the Department of Foreign Affairs. In September 2010 he made headlines by attending a book launch of an anti-evolution book written by one of his constituents. That's right, the Minister for Science was at an anti-evolution book launch. Hmmmm....
Maybe you're thinking, 'Big whoop! So they got elected based on their family name! I'm sure they're still qualified for their position!' In response, I'll give you one of the more famous examples of nepotism gone bad:
One of the most famous of these family dynasties is the Lenihans. With Ireland being in the news so much these days, you all may recognize the name of our Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan Jr (Brian Lenihan Sr was the Fianna Fáil Tánaiste in the 80s). Well, his brother, Conor Lenihan, was appointed the Minister for State in charge of Science, Technology, Innovation, and Natural Resources. Prior to this appointment he was the Minister of State in charge of the Department of Foreign Affairs. In September 2010 he made headlines by attending a book launch of an anti-evolution book written by one of his constituents. That's right, the Minister for Science was at an anti-evolution book launch. Hmmmm....
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Best reads of 2010
2010 Reading List
The one book from this year I'd be most likely to recommend is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
The most enjoyable quick read was The Help by Kathryn Stockett.
The biggest disappointment was Julie and Julia by Julie Powell.
The one book I'd never recommend was No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy.
What books did you read this year? I love book recommendations, so let me know if you read anything interesting!
Looks like I read 19 books in 2010. That's an okay number, but not great. I would have preferred a nice, round 20. I should have been able to easily reach this number, but while I was in the US I was too busy eating and watching Hoarders to actually read anything. I don't like to set myself up for failure, so my goal for 2011 is 20 books.
The one book from this year I'd be most likely to recommend is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
The most enjoyable quick read was The Help by Kathryn Stockett.
The biggest disappointment was Julie and Julia by Julie Powell.
The one book I'd never recommend was No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy.
What books did you read this year? I love book recommendations, so let me know if you read anything interesting!
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