Al's Adventure!

Fun times in medical hell

2011-08-26T14:22:00.000-07:00

So I went in for my CAT scan yesterday. And that is a memory which will live in infamy in the deep, dark recesses of my nightmares. Ok, maybe it wasn't THAT bad, but it was still an ordeal. But you know what they say - bad times usually make good stories.

So I had called my friend Sandy to see if her driver was available to take me to my appointment. Luckily he was, but it was gonna be close timing-wise since Sandy and her three sons all had dentist appointments which were supposed to end just before I needed to leave for my appointment. Well, LUCKILY they came straight from the dentist's to my house. I say luckily because had Sandy not been there to go into the Clinica with me, it would have been an even bigger nightmare. As it was, Sandy was able to help me through the first few hoops I had to jump through.
We entered the building, and fairly easily found the sign pointing to the Tomographia (CT Scan) area. Technically the building itself is called a Clinica, which made me think it would be like a clinic in the US - a smaller, specialized medical building. Well this place was a big ol' zoo! Not as big as a hospital, but much bigger than a clinic. To top it off, it was textbook organized chaos. Once you figured out how everything works, yes, it kind of makes a convoluted kind of sense, but to just walk into it was sensory overload. There were people milling around in all sorts of lines, and there were people sitting in waiting areas governed by a number system. After waiting at the "Tomographia" desk for several minutes, we learned that I had to first pay for my procedure at a different place. So we tracked down that place, only to be told that we need to get a number to be able to pay, and the numbers were only available at reception. So we trucked back to reception and got a number and walked back to the pay area. At this point Sandy left, made sure I had her phone number, and wished me the utmost luck.
So I waited for about 30 minutes until my number was called. In my pathetic halting Spanish I was able to give the woman behind the glass my information (on its own, speaking to someone behind a giant pane of glass is difficult. Try doing it in a foreign language you haven't even begun to master!). I think she glossed over a lot of the information that's usually required, and I noticed that my birthday got listed as October 2, 1978, but beggars can't be choosers. So once you give the woman your information, she then prints out a sheet that needs to be taken to the cashier. Now, when I initially made this appointment, I asked how much it would cost. I was informed that it would be 6000 pesos, which is just over $200. Pretty damn steep for an unemployed sponge, but still better than the 10,000 pesos I was quoted by the other two places I called. So imagine my surprise when the cashier told me to pay 10, 200 pesos! Yeah, 6000 plus the cost of the dye used in the procedure, plus the cost of administering the dye. Luckily I had taken every single peso that I had to the appointment with me, but when he gave me the total, I honestly didn't know if I had enough. As I counted it out, I serious had just - JUST - enough to pay for it. I brought every single peso I had with me, and I left with 200 pesos in my pocket. That's about six dollars. Yikes.
So having averted that disaster, I then went back to the "Tomography" desk, showed them that I had paid, and was given a number and told to sit down. After another 30 minutes of waiting, I finally got called in.
Then ensued a farcical episode in which I didn't understand which articles of clothing the nurse wanted me to remove and basically ended up being undressed by the nurse who then laughed as I fumbled with the gown and tried to get me to give her my shirt (I think she seriously wanted me to give her my shirt!). I was told to sit as the nurse put a giant needle into my arm where the dye injection would eventually go. I was led into a sub-zero waiting area and told to consume four glasses of water. While chugging and freezing my arse off, I kept hearing all these alarms going off and was, admittedly, more than a little intimidated by this needle sticking in my arm and the thought of some creepy dye eventually going into me.
Finally they came to get my cold butt and water-logged belly and took me into the room where the CT scans were done. Of course, the nurse again spoke no English, so I just kind of had to do what I thought he wanted me to do and hope I was doing it right. I lied down and he had me put my arms over my head, he then attached the dye tube to the needle in my arm and, holy uncomfortable feeling of the stuff being injected! Yeah, it hurt, and man, did it ever hurt, but it wasn't so much the pain as it was just...freaky. I did not like it, not one little bit. So then the machine starts to whirr and a voice comes on through an intercom on the machine. A voice not only through a crappy intercom, but in Spanish. So, of course, I have no freaking idea what was just said to me. I figured it was probably telling me to be still, and hey, if I was doing something wrong, eventually somebody would come in and tell me so, right? So the machine whirred and clicked and then my arm throbbed again as they must have pushed the button that squirts even more creepy dye into my system. Except then I had a strange cool feeling at the back of my head. When the nurse came in to let me out of the machine, he discovered that the dye tube had leaked, and was coating the back of my head and part of my back. Now, it's not an actual dye - it's not bright green or anything (as I had pictured it), it's clear, but that was a small condolence considering that my head was soaked in it. Luckily enough dye had gone into my system and we didn't have to repeat the process. So I was told it was ok and I could go.
I went and changed back into my clothes, and sat down at the nurse's station to have the needle removed from my arm. Well the nurses went to and fro, and to and fro, and to and fro, and after about 20 minutes I finally had to flag one down and ask for it to be removed.
And at long last I was free to go - and FLEE I did!

Phew.

Level Up!

2011-08-25T05:24:00.000-07:00

So I'm a week into my solitude, the family left a week ago and it's just been me and the dogs. I thought I'd been going nuts at this point, but I actually kind of like it. I have this huge house all to myself - yeah, this solitude suits me. Heh, I did have one visitor - some random guy stopped by to fix the internet. I wasn't going to let him in, but he had the Claro (the company name) truck and badge and outfit and showed me the work order with Dave's info on it, so I let him in. He spent the next 30 minutes

A) Fixing the internet

and

B) Trying to get me to go on a date with him

Now, mind you, he spoke NO English, and I speak incredibly bad Spanish. He was not going let something as pithy as no common language stand in his way though! I just wanted to sink to my knees and scream, "I'm a lesbian! Just leave me alone!" I know it's a silly thing to complain about, but I'm so sick of feeling like a seal swimming in a sea of sharks whenever I go out (and now, apparently, even when I'm home). Every time I go out, almost everyone just stares and stares at me. It's like the women are thinking, "what the hell are you doing here, gringa?" and the men are thinking, "what the hell are you doing here, gringa? And is there any chance I can fuck you?" It's like they have radar - "Attention! A cute, white, single, American girl is approaching! Maybe you can marry her and go live in the US, and if not, at least maybe you can get her in bed!" No wonder I like this solitude!

My other great story goes like this - so I've been having some GI issues (not army men, my stomach) so my sister scheduled an appointment with a specialist. I went to see him, and he told me he was going to have me get a CAT scan and some blood work. So I go to the front desk and they just look at me like I'm a virus. So I mention that the doctor said I needed the scan and the blood tests, and they're like, "so?"

Me - "well, um, where do I get those done?"

Receptionist - "here"

Me - "like this office?"

Receptionist (looking at me like I just crawled out of the primordial ooze) - "No. The blood work you can have done downstairs, the CAT scan you have to have elsewhere."

Me - "Oh, ok. Can you recommend a place?"

Receptionist (writes down a list of three places) - "You HAVE to get it done at one of these three places."

This is how things go in the DR, it's like they fuck with you on purpose. It's like a computer game; you have to ask all the right questions, and only when you've done that and jumped through the hoops can you advance to the next level. But wait! It gets better. I schedule a CAT scan, but between the blood work and the CAT scan it's going to be more cash than I had (I guess according to Joan, you NEVER want to use a credit card here) so I scheme a plan where I go to the US Embassy (there's a bank there you can get money at), then go to the clinic to get the blood work done. There's one particular test that I needed to bring with me to the CAT scan, so I needed to get it done before the CAT scan (which is today) but not more than three days in advance, so I decided that Tuesday would be a good day to do it. Well Tuesday comes and I go to the Embassy, only to find that the bank is closed because there's a "hurricane," which here in Santo Domingo resulted in some grey, Seattle winter-like drizzle (only warmer). Any excuse to not go in to work... So, ok, at least I had enough money for the blood work, I could still get that done. The day I had the initial consultation with the GI doctor, I went down to the clinic and asked how much the blood work would cost. They looked over the tests and gave me a price. (A very pricey price, actually.) So I get to the clinic and show them the list of tests that need to be done, and the woman asks, "oh, have you eaten breakfast today?" And I'm like, "yeah." And she says, "well some of these tests can't be done unless you have an empty stomach. You need to come back on a day when you haven't eaten breakfast." Cue head hitting the counter. Also cue a slight panic since one of the tests I NEEDED for the CAT scan two days later. So luckily that test doesn't have to be done on an empty stomach. Ok, so I ask to just have that one done. The woman takes the blood sample, and I ask when the results will be ready. "Three days." She says. Cue more panic, I explain to her again that the CAT scan is in two days, and I need to bring the results with me. Finally she understands what I'm trying to explain and is able to do a rush on it. All of this done in my horrible, pidgin Spanish. Nothing like the deep end to help teach you to swim.

Is My Cute Button Broken?

2011-08-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

Why would anyone want a puppy? It makes absolutely no sense to me. Oh yes - sign me up for an uncontrollable ball of energy who's going to poop and pee everywhere, who you'll have to send hours training and who's going to disrupt your schedule. Why? Because it's cute? Here the thing though...

puppies = so not cute

I look at puppies and I see a nightmare. A vision that has proven true beyond a shadow of a doubt with Ned. I never wanted a puppy, I don't like puppies, and trying to raise Ned is one of the hardest things I've ever done. Not hard in the "building the pyramids" sense, hard in the emotional sense. My great failing is that I get frustrated so easily. Maybe that's why I have an in-born internal mechanism for not thinking puppies are cute; somewhere inside of me it just knew that I couldn't handle it. I feel like Jekyll and Hyde, I understand that he's a puppy and the house is already covered in urine markings from the other poorly behaved dogs so I shouldn't expect him to be good at being house broken, but it's just so frustrating. I've been working so hard for so many weeks now, and I obviously Ned gets the basic gist of it - he's especially good at holding it over night, and always is a superstar about waiting until we get outside to eliminate - but what I don't get is the times where I'll take him out, ask him to pee, show him the pee mat, wait, and when I'm finally convinced that he really doesn't have to pee , take him inside where he then pees on the floor. I've known so many dog owners in my life that love to wax on and on about how smart dogs are... um... really? It drives me nuts - if the dogs can hear a paper being rustled in the kitchen and come running because "noises in kitchen = possibility of food" why can they get it straight that "peeing outside = happy owner, peeing inside = enraged crazy owner." I read and read and re-read all the damn websites on how to train your puppy. I've done it over and over and over... crate, outside, pee, reward, crate, outside, pee, reward... but it seems like the second I give Ned any sort of trust, he turns right around and makes me regret it. This is not a healthy situation for me to be in. I can only hope that one day I'll realize how much this made me grow and helped me to learn about blah blah blah.

For the record...

Rats = extremely cute
Possums = cute
Bats = cute

Yes, there seems to be something wrong with my cute button. And I like it that way.

Dogs, Hurricanes and Solitude

2011-08-21T14:12:00.001-07:00

So my family is away from the homestead for two weeks, and it's just me and the dogs. Oh and the hurricane. But the hurricane hasn't hit yet, so for now it's me and the dogs. The first 24 hours was rough. Neuf was the poster child for separation anxiety, and vomited twice, and between Jack, Neuf and the newbie, Ned, I probably ended up cleaning up about 6-8 pee puddles - one right on top of one of the vomit pools. To top it all off, we recently changed Ned's puppy food, so at 4 in the morning the poor guy was hit with a bout of diarrhea, and ended up having to take a fat, gooey dump on my bathroom rug. Luckily after that first 24 hours, everything seems to have calmed down.
I find that I'm really enjoying this solitude. Due to the path my life has followed, I've led something of an extroverted life. Especially in the past few years, I've really forced myself to get out and be social, when in reality, I'm really I big ol' homebody. I like people, I like talking and getting to know folks, but when it comes down to it - I'm so much happier not having to chat and be social. My brother-in-law keeps mentioning how I must feel so trapped here, and forced to live on their schedule, which includes early, early mornings and not a lot of social time. I keep assuring him that it actually fits in quite nicely with my lifestyle. I wouldn't necessarily call myself a morning person, but I do like waking up when the sun comes up and going to bed soon after the sun has gone down. It seems very in tune with the world's rhythms. There are times when I get into the swing of staying up until 2am and sleeping in, but I guess I just adapt to my situation.
One very nice thing about this solitude is that I've been able to record a lot of my songs. I always feel nervous singing when other people are in hearing distance - a fear that proved itself valid after my sister said some things about my singing that, I'm sure were meant to be helpful, but just ended up being hurtful. So it's nice to have everyone away so that I can feel free to experiment and not be worried about being overheard. I'm continually surprised when I play back the songs I recorded... I actually LIKE them. I like the sound of my voice - and those of you who know me know that's a HUGE step for me. For those of you who don't know me, well, I've battled all my life with the "I can't sing" complex, so to finally be producing something I can listen to and enjoy is awesome. Plus, I live being a songwriter. I've said to people before - I've been a poet for years, but now that I can play the guitar I write songs. In my experience, people are A LOT more open to hearing a song than they are to listening to a poem! It's so nice when you can be so proud of something you've made.

What's so bad about conflict avoidance?

2011-08-10T18:20:00.000-07:00

My sister is great. She's amazing, I love her so much and I'm so proud of her I could puke. She's accomplished so much in her life. I'm in awe and envious of her a lot of the time. The flip side is that she's stubborn and fairly single-minded. Her way is the best, or if not her way, then something very similar. On the straight and narrow. Bare bones. 1+1=2.

I am not that way.

I will never be that way, but by god, she's gonna try, isn't she?

I'm sure most families are like this; it's kind of the family stereotype, really. I think for the most part my family tends towards the fairly ok side. I LOVE each and every one of my family members and I may have my own opinions of their lifestyle choices, but I also feel that they are their own unique selves and get to make their own decisions. I might say something if I really feel a particular way, but for the most part, I keep my mouth shut, and I don't question then because I know that everyone sees things just a little bit (or sometimes a lot) differently from everyone else.

My sister thinks I'm passive-aggressive. Yes. She's probably right. When I moved to the west coast, especially Seattle, I heard so much about how p-a Seattle is. And I kept thinking to myself, "passive-aggressive? Really?" Because it seems to me that what is know as "passive-aggressive" behavior is really just being polite. Ok, well let me differentiate. Always being passive-aggressive and "pretending" to be nice while secretly bubbling in a mire of loathing is not so good. I'm talking more about not getting in someone's face if they say or do something you don't like. I talking about respecting that other people have different ideas and opinions and not confronting them just because yours may differ. I'm talking about actually trying to talk out a problem rather than yelling it out. It's not pretending that an issue isn't there or not talking about it, it's talking about it without screaming and hostility. From where I stand, I want nothing to do with aggressive, hostile behavior. I despise it. If someone comes at me with a hostile attitude, I shut down. My pulse quickens, my stomach grips, and it's like a flat-line in my brain. I am incapable of engaging in an argument. Now, y'all can psycho-analyze this into the ground, nature/nurture, blah blah blah. It's the way I am. I LIKE being this way. I do not want to cause conflict, I do not seek out conflict, if there is conflict in my circle, I do my best to resolve it. I understand the sometimes conflict is a good thing, and sometimes it's been thrust upon me and has been very beneficial. But there are some people who eat, drink and breathe conflict, and due to their very nature - think everyone else should be like that too. They assume that you are a weaker, lesser being if you don't argue about everything, and often it seems like they think that by being upfront and aggressive they are somehow more in touch with their feelings than polite people.

There are people I know who argue a lot. For them it IS therapeutic, it's how they communicate, it's their nature. I understand that they methods are different from mine, and as a result, I don't tend to be close friends with those kinds of people. But then there's family... ah yes, the stereotype... you can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family. What happens when family members have differing communication styles? Well, I think we've all seen what happens, almost every family I know has turmoil, and I think it's due in most part to lack of similar communication. It's just the way it is, and I think the only thing that you can do about it is try your best to see things from another perspective. There have been times here when I've gotten FURIOUS with something my sister said, because in my mind it was a huge insult. But I've held my tongue and when I got the chance to simmer down and re-examine things from how I know she operates, I've realized that what I took to be an insult was just her being direct with me. I'm not saying that my sister never does this in my case, but I do wish she'd be a little more understanding when we talk about touchy subjects and not insist that her way of communicating is best. And yet, I know that is part of her nature too, and I have two basic options -

1) Get really fed up and leave.

or

2) Suck it up and do my best to maintain a great relationship with my only sister who is letting me stay in her beautiful house for free and not to mention feeding me and allowing me an amazing opportunity to live in another country.

So, what have I learned from this? I like the way I am. I like my communication style. Sure there are things I can work on, and I appreciate being made aware of those things, but ultimately it's my decision. So often we are so unaware of what makes us tick in the first place, trying to have a conversation with another person about touchy stuff can be one of the hardest things in the world. Especially when you know that person doesn't think in the same ways you do.

The Cur Saga

2011-08-04T09:05:00.000-07:00

So it's hard to housebreak a puppy. It's even harder when the two dogs who already reside in the house are not particularly housebroken. Generally, Jack and Neuf are good dogs, but Jack is getting old and incontinent, and Neuf is just a douche bag who likes to pee and poop in the house to show us all whose boss. So the house is full of dog odors and Ned, who is used to going any ol' where in the first place, thinks the whole house should be his bathroom. On top of all that, Ned has decided that since he's now bonafide, that means he should never have to set foot outside in the rain ever again. Ok, princess.
So I read up a bunch of websites on housebreaking your puppy, and most of them recommend crate training. I tried this for two days before collapsing in a fit of rage and tears. Ned loves his crate until he's forced to stay in there, then it's crycrycrycrycrywhinecrycry. I'd let him out for bathroom time, and when it would be time to go back in, suddenly the crate that's been his happy home for the past three weeks becomes a punishment and a thing to fear. Plus, he'd be so neurotically intimidated by what was going on that when he was let out and taken outside, he couldn't relax enough to eliminate, so it was right back into the crate, and thus developed a complex about going outside for a few days until I was able to lure him out with meat and snax. While we were outside, I tried to remain as calm as possible and wait for him to do his thing, but the only place he feels comfortable lettin' it all fly in inside. It rains here at least once a day, so that didn't help any either, instead of eliminating, he'd just stand at the door and whine. I can't fathom how people with carpets deal with this. At least we have all tile floors here, so the dozen or so small pools of wee are easily cleaned up. And to his credit, I will give him props for learning to pee on his wee-pads inside. Mostly he's figured out to use them. Though I can't help wondering if those just encourage him to think that eliminating inside is where it should be done.
I guess I should just be grateful that I have pretty much all day everyday to see to his training, I can't imagine trying to do this on a regular work schedule. ...Come to think of it, I can't even imagine BEING on a regular work schedule.

So today, tropical storm Emily is pissing down on us. I was hoping for a lot MORE rain and thunder and lightning, but all she's delivered so far is a constant stream of light rain. It's making for what I'll call a Novocaine day. Everything just feels a little numb. Speaking of Novocaine, I'm in the process of getting a crown put on one of my teeth. It broke when I was back in Seattle, and I figured that I'd just get it fixed when I was down here, and I wagered things would be a lot less expensive here. When I got the estimate in Seattle, the total was around $1,500. Wowza. When I went in to the dentist here in Santo Domingo and she gave me the estimate of around $500, and I was like, "oh, that's great." But with some pokey silver utensils in mouth, the dentist thought I was being sarcastic and said, "I know, right, just what you wanted to hear." If there hadn't been pokey silver utensils in my mouth I would have explained to her that it was, indeed, just what I wanted to hear, but opted instead to stay moot and avoid the possibility of getting poked by the pokey utensils. So last Monday I completed visit 3 of 4, and I have a temporary crown on now. It feels really weird and flat, kinda of like a really hard piece of gum has been wedged between my teeth. Well, at least it's not the snaggle-tooth that was there for two months after it broke!

Stuff my nephew says...

2011-07-24T12:47:00.000-07:00

So Aidan and I were hanging out the other day, and Jack (the big brown lab) was nearby, and we were talking about him. We've been having some trouble with Jack and Neuf peeing in the house, but generally Jack is a really good dog. We proceeded to have this conversation...

Aidan - "I love Jack."

Me - "Well, that's because you don't have to clean up his pee and poop."

Aidan - "But I can't."

Me - (Incredulous snort) "And why is that?" (A lot things that Aidan doesn't want to do lately he simply attributes to "I caaaaaaaan't.")

Aidan - "Because my shirt isn't big enough."

Me - "...What? How does that have anything to do with cleaning up dog poop?"

Aidan - "My shirt's not big so it won't reach up to cover my nose like Dada's shirt does."

Classic.

My other favorite thing he said was the other day when we were in the dentist's office waiting for people to stick pointy things into my mouth. Out of the blue he says,

"Al Pal, I love you."

Awwwwwwwwwwwww! I was so touched. It wasn't the first time he'd said that he loves me, but it was so random and so sweet. Unfortunately, it was somewhat eclipsed about 30 seconds later when he put his hand out to the wall, sighed, and said,

"I love this wall."

Ok, so I'm on par with the wall at the dentist's office. Hey, at least I'm loved.

Ned.

2011-07-17T11:14:00.000-07:00

Where am I? What's going on? I went from living on my own in a studio apartment in Seattle to a massive house in the Dominican Republic with two other adults, a 3 year old, and now 3, count em, t-h-r-e-e dogs. The thing is, I kinda like this new one.
This is Ned. He was found walking by the side of the road in the Samana Peninsula, covered in fleas and ticks and days, if not hours, away from death. I give full props to Dave and Joan, they were the ones who kicked into action, Joan made sad noises and Dave swung the car around to go get Ned. Me, I'm a horrible realist and could have just driven by without much thought to it. It's a harsh reality but that's the life of most of the dogs in Samana. I tried my best to save a Samana dog last year after getting too attached to her, and we all know how that turned out. I figured that Joan and Dave were just heading down a road that would only lead to a world of hurt. But we scooped Ned up (and I say "we" at this point because, although I was the most reluctant of the crew, I was the one that ended up with the flea-ridden cur in my lap) and took him back to our hotel/apartment and proceeded to painstakingly remove somewhere around 500 fleas from him. No, I'm not overestimating, I couldn't have imagined that sheer number of fleas on such a tiny dog.
About 10 baths and 5 hours later, Ned was clean and mostly flea-free. He ended up coming home to Santo Domigo with us and was given a clean bill of health from the vet. So he's been with us for a week, and each day I'm becoming more and more skeptical that he'll ever not be with us. Since I'm home more of the time and Joan and Dave already have plenty to deal with, I've become Ned's keeper and trainer, and honestly it's filling a much-needed empty spot in my life. One of the main reasons I fought so hard to get the rats to be able to come down here with me is that they fill my nurturing need. And yes, while I'm down here I get to look after Aidan, but he isn't mine, and the person he heads for when he most needs nurturing is Joan - and rightly so. So it's been good for me to have something to take care of. It's of course, stressful and icky training a puppy, but honestly, Ned seems highly intelligent and is picking up a lot of training really quickly, especially considering his age (the vet thought around 5 weeks, so he would now be about 6 weeks old). So yeah, he's pretty great... you know... for a dog.

Wet, White and Blue

2011-07-04T20:54:00.000-07:00

Wettest... 4th of July... ever. No, seriously. EVER. Did it rain on your 4th of July? I can assure you, it rained more here. In fact it didn't stop raining. EVER. The whole day. I'm not embellishing. It's still raining.

That being said though, my, my I had a good time. The biggest party of the year at the Embassy is the 4th of July party, and though the estimates were somewhere around 500-600 of the possible 1000-1100 people expected to show up, that was actually ok since there was precious little space to stand and still manage to stay dry anyway. It's a bit of a pity, as the Embassy has pretty nice grounds, and there were all these little tables set up on the lawn that would have been lovely in nice weather, but Mother Nature had other nefarious soggy plans.

I got to play pretend diplomat and help out by corralling the VIPs through the entryway, as they walked through I greeted them in my few words of Spanish; "welcome! Good evening." and gesture them into the next room, hoping they wouldn't try to talk to me. If they did, I nodded with wide eyes until I could smile and inform them that my Spanish was "no mucho, lo siento." I shook hands and kissed cheeks of people in high, high places... and I have no idea who any of them were.

One of the highlights of the evening was hearing the National Anthem being sung as peals of thunder rumbled in the skies and rain poured down in buckets - BUCKETS! By the time I got to the buffet line (which was under a tent but on the lawn) it was a mud runway.

Much to our surprise, in spite of the rain there were fireworks that burst in all their color and glory and no doubt scared the shit out of Dominicans who weren't aware it was the US Independence Day. It was pretty cool though, standing in mud on the lawn of the US Embassy in Santo Domingo holding a whiskey and soda, watching pyrotechnics and thinking about how damn lucky I am to be me.

Good influence... Me?

2011-07-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report that apparently I'm a good influence on this household. I'm getting the family to eat more vegetables, and the other day Joan and I finally went about turning the extra bedroom into an exercise room. I even got Aidan to eat two pieces of broccoli the other day! This is a major achievement, let me tell you. The entire time I was here last year, and the time that I've been here so far this year, I had never, EVER seen Aidan eat a vegetable. The closest thing to a vegetable I'd ever seen him eat was a piece of an apple that had sat next to some green beans in the refrigerator. He wanted a banana muffin (acceptable) with frosting and sprinkles (only as a special treat). So I asked him what he was going to do for that frosting and sprinkles. I was eating lunch at the time and I put two pieces of broccoli in front of him and told him to eat it. I figures there was NO WAY he'd actually do it... but he did! We talked about the tongue doesn't like broccoli so much, but the body does. So you just gotta chew through the eeew and swallow, and that makes the body very happy! Then, of course, you chase it down with frosting and sprinkles.

Adorable Adian Adult Quote of the Day - "Sigh... I'm really stressed out, I need to do some yoga."

Bonafide Sponge

2011-06-30T20:03:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow I head to the embassy to get my diplomatic visa and my official badge to get me into the embassy. My life is so cool. Though, I must give props where props is due.

My travels to Asia - because my dad wanted a traveling companion and had plenty of frequent flyer miles

My SIP (Slightly Important Person) status in the DR - clutching on to my sister's coattails.

I'm fully aware that a lot of the amazing stuff in my life can actually mostly be contributed to the fact that I have an amazing family. And one that fully supports my Tra-la-la lifestyle. I know that they all hope that someday soon I'll find my true calling and actually have somewhat of a safety net in place for the rest of my life, but they also realize that I'm not going to resign myself to a job or lifestyle that I hate just so that I can have silly things like money and security.

I am one of the luckiest people in the world.

And tomorrow I'll have the diplomatic visa to prove it. (Tonight I have the belly full of Dave Pernal cooking and ginger beer to prove it!)

Surprise ambush!!!

2011-06-28T10:40:00.000-07:00

The wonderfulness of forgetting you took pictures of your rats just before leaving for the DR, only to find them when uploading the photo of your nephew.

I love Chesterfield Googaloop's face in this one (she's at far left)

Who knew a heart could feel such joy and such sadness at the same time!!!

BOOM!

2011-06-27T09:51:00.001-07:00

So I'm up working in my room, and Aidan is downstairs watching The Muppet Show when a big storm breaks out. After it has thundered a few times I began to wonder if he was ok or if maybe he was getting scared. Sure enough, a minute or two later I hear him at my door. I'm ready to comfort him, when he walks in all smiles and big-eyed saying, "that was some pretty big thunder!" I asked him if he was scared at all and he said, "no, I LOVE thunder!"

As Santo Domingo is a thunder-storm prone city, I'd say this was a big blessing. Now if only the dogs could keep their shit together during the thunderstorms...

................................................Fearless.................................................

The Sometimes Unfairness of an Otherwise Bountiful Life

2011-06-25T16:20:00.000-07:00

There’s a man that I hate more than anything else in this world.

Most of the time, this blog is two things – half-assed and light. I rarely delve into the deep shit, but sometimes it’s worth wile to go a little crazy, just to keep the readers interested. Today is one of those days.

Over a year ago my heart was broken. And I’m not talking boo-hoo, woe is me namby-pamby bullshit, this was the proverbial knife in the stomach (and one in the back for good measure) balls-out, crying, screaming, raging, not eating, hole blown so big into me that it’s taken me over a year to deal with. And I still haven’t dealt with it all properly (clearly) and the “dealing with it” often took the worst forms of “dealing” you can imagine (I’m looking at you self-inflicted damage and alcoholism). I have never had to deal with so much anger before, and took every ounce of strength I had not to lose myself.

Imagine meeting someone who is everything you every wanted, faults and all. Turns you on mentally, physically, and you can talk to them like they’ve been your friend all your life. I guess for some people this happens every once in a while. For me it happened once. Once. So, understandably, I gave all of myself. And as hindsight is 50/50, I gave it all far, far too soon. Ten months after the outset it was over, him telling me that he needed to be on his own. That I understood. What I didn’t understand was him dating someone else less than a month later. He had left his girlfriend of 14 years for me, telling me that in all that time, I was the one and only one who ever made him think about straying. It made me feel so special, so prized. I felt remorse for breaking up his relationship, but I also felt that I was the catalyst that could finally break them apart after years of them staying together just because they didn’t want to be alone. I knew what I was doing was moralistically questionable, but I was following my heart – isn’t that what all that inspirational shit tells you to do? And I thought it was major-time love. Fucking epic love. And then his guilt destroyed him.

Or at least, that’s what I want to believe. Because how could he change his mind so quickly? How could he, in a feat worthy or locusts, move from his girlfriend of 14 years, right to me, and then right on to the next girl? Especially when “the next” girl was so similar to me. The thing is – how can I not think of her as me, but better? They are still together, over a year now, so all the people who told me that he broke up with me because he wasn’t in the mental state to be able to handle another relationship were mistaken. Somehow she got right everything that I got wrong. I know that self-indulgent, but how am I to think any other way? This douchebag gets love, affection and happiness after completely letting me down, and I get independence and a couple of scars from the razor blades.

Everyone tells me to get over it. Great. Yes, please. Please. I want to with every fiber of my being. And yet, the hurt and the bitterness are still there. Still stuck in my soul like a motherfucker. He’s the only man who’s ever made me feel they way I did. I hate that I don’t seem to be attracted to the vast majority of people out there. I'm just not. If I could change it, I would in a heartbeat.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m grateful for my life and the many, MANY amazing and wonderful aspects of it, it’s just this one rotten bit of shrapnel lodged deep within my psyche; the sometimes unfairness of an otherwise bountiful life. I just saw pictures of them and they look so happy. I hate their happiness. I hate what they have. I hate feeling that it should have been me. And I especially hate that I feel this way when I know damn well how blessed my life is. All this while they’ve been falling in love, and I’ve spent it wallowing in self-loathing. I have the wherewithal to understand that life isn’t fair, but at the same time I acknowledge the darkness in my heart, where all my selfishness, bitterness and anger lies.

Not to mention the hate. The deep, unrelenting, bottomless hate. But see, the biggest reason that I hate him is that I still miss him. And even thought I scream at myself – "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND? You are so better off" – I miss being with someone I felt so much for. Was is all an illusion? Shit, who knows. Do I REALLY hate him? No, not really.

But I do hope his hemorrhoids flare up at every possible opportunity.

Who Invited Al Pal?

2011-06-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

The family all went on a victorious beach trip this morning! As we were all headed to the car, Aidan asked, "who invited Al Pal?" Not as a criticism, more as a genuine question, but it sure was damn funny.

The beach was lovely and the weather was actually fabulous, but the water was shallow and there were lots of rocks and creepy growing things underfoot. Plus the water was choppy, which made it difficult to get a good footing, so you got knocked around a lot. Scrambling to get a foothold resulted in several scrapes and scratches to the soles of my feet. When I was packing, I almost brought my Teva's (water sandals) but eventually thought, "naw, when would I need these?" ...turns out the answer is - my first full day here! Well, it helps to toughen up my feet now that I'm mostly barefoot most of the time. But that feeling of putting your feet down right into a patch of kelp... ich... Adian and I had great fun digging in the sand, and I did get a little sunburned, though it's not as bad as I initially thought. Plus, Dave lost his wedding ring, so on the whole I got off pretty lucky.

I'm having a fantastic time here so far, but just when I begin to really lose myself in vacation mode, I'm snapped back to the reality that I'm here for a long, long time, and that this is my life now. Starting Monday I'm acting as Aidan's summer school, playing and learning with him from about 6:30 in the morning til around noon, then as soon as he starts his real school again, I'll probably need to find me a real job. Plus, in my off time try to learn Spanish. That's a whole lotta NEW for someone who's not a big fan of having to learn stuff. But it's my choice, and this is what I've chosen. I'm just a little worried that the voice in my head telling me I've made a huge mistake will be right. The upcoming year will require me to make a lot of decisions that may come to have an immense effect on the rest of my life. This is both thrilling and terrifying.

But at least there's really good food here. (Compliments of Dave Pernal, NOT the cuisine of Santo Domingo!)

Yeah I got baggage! So what?!

2011-06-21T20:52:00.000-07:00

SeaTac Airport. About an hour before departure. I spent most of the day cleaning and packing, went out for a fantastic lunch with Chelsea, where she convinced me that it was better to pack drunk so that I could easily leave things behind. Well whadda ya know, she was right! It also got easier when it became utterly clear that there wasn't enough room for a snail to take a shit in the two bags I have. They are both packed to the brink. I wasn't worried though about weight, as homeslice Deltaman over the phone told me the weight limit was 70 pounds. Easy to stay under that, no? Well.......

Turns out it's 52 pounds. $50 overweight bag fee. Swell. If only I didn't have the 10 pounds of bread flour I'm bringing to Dave. Cept I can't even blame it on that, cuz the flour was in the other bag. Que Sera. At least they didn't confiscate my peanut butter at security. They did give it a long hard look though.

So it's off to JFK for the night. I arrive there at 6am and then take off for Santo Domingo at 10am. Arrive in SD around 2pm tomorrow.

Happy Summer!

Wild Card

2011-06-21T01:35:00.000-07:00

So here it is. The eve of my departure, and yep, can't sleep a wink. So many things are going through my head. While I am thinking of the future, most of my thoughts tonight revolve around the past. So many things have happened in the past month, the past week even, to bring up old memories and relive times gone by. An uncanny number of events in fact. The kind of thing that seems to only happen when you're about to completely change your life around. The ghosts of my past have been quite active lately. The good news is that for the most part these are friendly ghosts, and they bring back a lot of good memories. There's a lot of difficult memories there too, reminders of very hard times in my life, but even then it's nice to see how far I've come in dealing with those hardships. It's also a good reminder that no matter how bad I think life gets, there is the light at the end. During a very hard time in my life, my mother once sent me this poem.

Wave of sorrow, do not drown me now
I see the island up ahead somehow
I see the island, and its sands are fair
Wave of sorrow, take me there

It has stayed with me throughout the years, it even helped take me through her death. On the verge now of embarking on a new chapter in my life, I look back and I'm am so proud of myself for what I've been able to endure in my life. And not just endure, but learn from and help me grow. We are all dealt our set of life cards, and I certainly didn't get the ones I was hoping for, but we have to play with what we've been dealt, and I think I've made a good game out of it so far.

Time to see what cards life has in store for me in the next round.

Cold Feet

2011-06-20T09:41:00.001-07:00

Holy crap. What am I getting myself into?

Yes, that's right, panic has officially set in. I know perfectly well that this journey I'm about to take is a great opportunity for me. It's going to be fun and exciting, but it's also going to be boring and difficult and a challenge. I know that it will force me to change and adapt and learn new things about myself. I know that it will allow me a great chance to break out of daily routine and experience life on a whole new level.

But I keep thinking about what I'm leaving behind. There's so much here for me in Seattle, and I'm going to miss it, big time. Every few minutes today I've had to stop and take a breath and remember that impermanence is the rule of life. Nothing lasts forever, and it's time to walk forward into a big change. I've been trying to train my mind into not feeling sadness that I am leaving Seattle, but rather feel grateful and honored to have had such blessings in my life. And when I think of my friends, take a moment to feel the twinge of goodbye, but then focus on the joy of having such amazing people in my life. It's working... relatively well.

Still, I'm scared though. Maybe not scared, just nervous anticipation. Knowing what I'm leaving behind and constantly second-guessing myself. I know that there is no "right thing to do," but sometimes I wonder if I'm just running away from my life here. Am I just bored with where am at, and this is my misguided attempt to bring some excitement into my life? Or am I just running away to this tropical place because somewhere in my mind I equate that with "paradise" and easy-living? Running away from work and obligations because at heart I'm a 10 year-old who doesn't want to do her chores? Honestly I think maybe there's a part of all of those in the mix, however small. Maybe, maybe not. But I think it's good to ask myself these questions and explore my reasons for doing this. Of course it's going to be a complex, multi-faceted answer that I'll never really understand totally, and the last thing I want to do is to fall into an obsession about it, but I do think it's important to examine my reasons honestly.

Speaking of obligations, I'm about to head out for my very last day of work at Ladro! (And, ahem, as for "very last day..." only time will really tell. One of the nice things about going off on this crazy stunt is that I know that as long as Ladro is in business, the chances are high that I can always come back to Seattle and have at least a little bit of employment. Ladro, thank you for being my safety net!)

2011-06-13T18:46:00.000-07:00

Well I've officially entered crunch time. Today was the first day that I really had to face the fact that ALL I can take with me has to fit in my two suitcases. So I did

Packing culling - Round 1!

And it went well. However I fear that there are still many rounds to go.

The good news; I found some great people to sublet my apartment. But, if I'm honest, I didn't really want to sublet to a couple because... well... my bed and all... but overall it's a small price to pay for good folks to pay my rent while I'm gone.

I made a bold decision NOT to give my money to Washington State University for an organic farming certificate. I get the impression that most organic farms don't give a hoot if you have a "certificate" or not, all they care about is if you're ready to work. So instead of several thousand dollars to WSU, I gave about $150 to Amazon and bought a bunch of organic farming books. Now I just need the dedication to do the learning I need on my own.

I cancelled my organic produce delivery today. I was getting it every other week and last Thursday was the last shipment before I go. If any of you in Washington, Oregon or Alaska are looking for a good company, I have nothing but great things to say about Full Circle Organics, they consistently delivered great stuff. I'll miss it when I'm gone for sure.

It still doesn't seem totally real. I keep reminding myself to stop and appreciate the lovely temperate weather of Seattle. It's just now starting to get really beautiful here, and it's just when I'm leaving! But still, even in the previous weeks I've been trying to appreciate the cool days and nights, the sweet, crisp air, needing to wear clothing that covers my shoulders and below my knees. Drinking the fantastic NW beers, having a bevy of milk and milk alternatives from which to choose... Pac NW I will miss you!

Two Weeks til Go Time

2011-06-07T12:53:00.000-07:00

Well it seems I'm off again. Can't seem to sit still for more than a few months. The wanderlust parasite that lives in my lymph nodes has come alive once more and I'll be heading off in two weeks back to Santo Domingo. This is something of a new deal for me, as I honestly don't know how long I'll be staying this time around. Last year I stayed in Santo Domingo with my sister and her family for 2 1/2 months. This time around it could be upwards of a year, maybe even longer, maybe much shorter. This one is all about listening to my gut. Not the part that craves pizza 24/7, but the instinctual part.

I really like Seattle, it's a great place to live and I'm really grateful that I've been able to live here for the past 5 years, but I'm feeling like a change is in order. I've loved working at Ladro, but my patience with customers is waning, which is a sure sign I aught to get out before I'm thrown out. The general plan is to go down to the DR and hang with my family while pursuing an on-line organic farming certificate from Washington State University. Yes, I could do the program in Seattle, but I have the opportunity to do it in the DR. My life seems to be fueled by constant activity and change, so I figured why not give this a try. It seems like it could be a good fit for me. And if it blows up in my face, I know I have a home in Seattle and I'll always be welcomed back here.

So here goes another adventure, let's see what this one will bring...

Hi blog!

2011-05-11T22:57:00.000-07:00

Two of my walls are green. One is big and yellow. The other is small and orange. I have a lot of paint left over. One day I'll post it on craigslist for cheap or free and someone in need of citrus-colored paint will be very happy.

Last night one of my molars chipped. And not just a namby-pamby little flake of enamel, a big chunk of tooth broke off. I was eating a cookie at the time and simply thought the crunchy-ness was a wad of sugar on the top. Yes, that's right, I chewed up and ate a piece of my molar. I'm that hard core. Well, I may be hard core but my tooth was weak sauce, and now the man behind the disposable dentist's mask wants $1,500 to put a crown on my tooth. I wouldn't pay that much for a crown on my head. Maybe I'll spend $500 for a flight to Mexico and have it done there for much less. Then I get a crown AND a vacation. Everybody wins. Especially the makers and purveyors of fine rot-gut Mexican tequila. Who needs Novocaine?

The Valentine's Day Ring Contest!!!!!

2011-02-03T00:21:00.000-08:00

Hi friends! So I decided to do something fun for Valentine's Day and here's the skinny ---

My great aunt gave me a ring that, while lovely, is sooooo not my style, plus it's too big for me. So I saw an add for a local jeweler that will "recycle" your rings, meaning that she will melt it down and reconstruct it. So I swung by her shop and had a brief discussion about it. I was hoping to do something vintage-looking, but to my surprise, she didn't really have much to offer in that realm. So I figured that I'd do some research and find a style that I liked on my own and have her craft something similar. But I got to thinking that there are so many creative people out there, I should ask around and see if anyone would design something for me - but what would be in it for them? So I came up with a fun and brilliant idea! I'm having a contest to design me a new ring! The ring currently has 5 small diamonds in it, and whoever comes up with the best design will win one of the diamonds!!!! Here are the details...

The ring right now is yellow gold, but I'm having the jeweler change it to white gold, as per my preference.

I'm most likely looking for something vintage-inspired, I want people to look at it and ask if it was inherited from my great-grandmother. Think Victorian, Edwardian, Art Deco... But don't let that stop you from designing something rad and crazy - I like that too and just may be swayed!

There are five small diamonds in the ring now - I'm guessing about .15 carat each, in a traditional circle shape. The design should encompass four or fewer of the diamonds. If you use fewer, you still only get to keep just the one extra though!

There's quite a bit of heft to the ring, and I think I'd prefer something lighter and more delicate, so don't feel that you have to design a ring of equal size.

If you have a design, you can e-mail it to me along with your name and contact information at

craftyfabricator@gmail.com

or you can drop off a sketch at Caffe Ladro.

Depending on how many designs I receive, I reserve the right to tell all the applicants that there designs are rubbish and go with an idea of my own. However, I'm really keen on this idea and think it'll make a great story for both parties, so don't worry that I'll weasel out of picking a winner just because I'm weaselly.

I'll make my decision on Feb. 14th - so start sketching!!!!

And e-mail me if you have any questions!

Oh yeah, I have a blog.

2011-01-05T22:42:00.000-08:00

When I got back from the DR I made a note to keep up the blog even though I wasn't traveling. You see how far that got. But today I'm a little under the weather and have watched my fill of movies and read about as much bookness as I can take and frolicked with my old lady rats til they squeaked, "for the love of Pete, leave us alone unless you got any cheese for us!" The good news is that in the hour I forced myself out of the apartment today, I manged to pick up two more books from the library, soothe my throat with some free tea, and scored a FREE SANDWICH! That's right kids, I have access now to

FREE SANDWICHES!!!!!!!

Those of you who know me well will understand what a monumental deal this is. Plus they are really delicious sandwiches, which is the icing on the cake. Hmmm, speaking of which, I have to get working now to find a score of free cake...

The holidaze went well for me. I now drink beer and play the guitar, so my brother and I were able to bond like never before. I met my niece, ate pancakes, hiked through a beautiful mucky melty forest, cooked three chickens at once and kissed a gay man (I have very little memory of this last event, though I do have a surprisingly passionate picture to prove it). All in all a good little jaunt to Buffalo. It wasn't until the car was pulling away from the house at 5 in the morning on New Year's Day that I remembered I was leaving that house for probably the last time ever. It's not the house I grew up in, but it's the house I did a lot of growing up in, and certainly the house where most of my memories are stored. My dad is selling it, and he already has a few interested buyers, apparently. So that's it. And that's odd. But it's okay. Because things change and life moves on and nothing is forever. The memories cultivated there will always be with me, but now it's time to move on. Although in now makes my question of, "where is home" even harder...

Seattle flip-floppers

2010-11-14T08:49:00.000-08:00

When I arrived back into Seattle a week and a half ago, my friend Benny picked me up from the airport. Luckily I had thought to e-mail him a few days prior to my arrival to ask him to bring a sweater or sweatshirt or something that I could use to clothe myself, as, coming from a tropical zone, I was quite lacking in that area. Benny followed through and let me borrow one of his zip-up hoodies, and I had a pair of long yoga pants, but all I had with me for my feet were flip-flops, or as the British like to call them, "thongs" (which makes me giggle). I wanted to stop at a grocery store before going back to my apartment so that I could stock up on the essentials - 3 boxes of cereal, 2 forms of milk-like liquids and a banana. At the time I thought I probably looked a little silly wearing my flip-flops, (not that I MIND looking silly, it's just usually I look silly because I've planned it that way) and Benny even mentioned that he could hear me coming closer, as I was probably the only person in Seattle wearing flip-flops in November. At the time I figured he was right.

Then I started noticing something - Seattlites are either lazy or have no temperature receptors in their feet. Upon paying more attention, I've noticed a good half dozen or so people wearing flip-flops in the past week (and I haven't been out all that much). I saw a guy wearing shorts and flip-flops, and that's one type of crazy, but then I've seen several people wearing winter clothes, a scarf, and... flip-flops? I mean, far be it for me to judge another's clothing choice, it's just one of those things that makes my mind go... what?...

I used to despise wearing flip-flops until I realized easy they were to deal with and how delightfully they let your toes breathe. I lived in flip-flops the whole time I was in the DR. When I came back to Seattle and put on socks for the first time, my feet yelled up to me, "what are you doing! You're SMOTHERING me!"

"But feet," said I, "it's cold in this here place, and I need to keep you safe and warm, because you are so very pretty."

"Very well then," said feet. And then they tried to say something else but I couldn't understand the muffled words through the soft, cottony goodness of my warm socks.

Falling for fall?

2010-11-08T22:48:00.000-08:00

I'm BACK, baby! Back in Seattle. I thought I'd be miserable, I thought the rain would seep into my bones in a manner of seconds after getting off the plane and depression would set in only minutes afterward. And yet the most wonderful thing has happened; happiness.

Happiness. I'm somewhat unsure of where exactly it's coming from, but I love it. I've never been this happy to be alive in the fall before. All the sights and smells are extraordinary to me, whereas in years past they were merely somewhat pleasant niceties that preceded the dark days of winter. I've become lost in the splendor of apples and cinnamon and crisp air and warm blankets. At times I'm downright giddy with electric excitement to be alive. It's a miraculous thing when just biting into an apple causes waves of luscious pleasure to spill about my body. And don't get me started about what happens when the apple has just been dipped in a chocolate/fig spread!

I don't know if it's the 2 1/2 month vacation, the fact that my vitamin D levels are sky-high, or the "happy pills" my nurse practitioner has had me take for the past few months (better living through chemistry?? - I guess it might be worth it, after all). I would imagine it's a combination of the three, plus great extras like super friends and general rat proximity, but life really is grand.

Maybe now I can try to write a happy song for my guitar.

Donde esta el ron!

2010-10-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe it's all coming to a close. I have gotten much into the habit of life amidst the Cossitt/Pernal household. Yet all good things...

I have learned quite a lot here, about myself, about kids and dogs and marriages and Spanish. It's been fantastically educational to dip my toes into the lives of these people so vastly different from my own life. I think a lot of times people get stuck in their own little worlds, and it becomes hard to remember that other people don't have the same ideas and thoughts on life, and often it is simply because their experiences and frames of reference are just different. My sister and her family lead a life so very different from mine. I am sometimes delighted by how things work in this household, and sometimes appalled. And yet I've enjoyed just soaking it all in. I'm sure they have many criticisms about the way I lead my life, (and they've made a few of them widely known to me!) in the end we accept each others' differences and for the most part, my two months here have been pretty even sailing. Each day I try to remember to take a moment and be grateful for such a loving and accepting family.

Oh, so date night, was... well, it was a lot of things. Mostly it was yet another reminder of my utter inability to feel attracted to any man who might actually be good for me. This guy is good-looking, well-educated, into music, fairly stable, wants to get married, wants to have kids, and yet I'm totally uninterested. Great. Honestly, at this point, I'd rather have Reckless Clive in my life than a boyfriend. Speaking of which -

I finally heard back from a group called Project Samana. They come to the DR twice a year to spay and neuter dogs here. I wrote to them about Clive and they've assured me that as long as they can find her, they'll spay and vaccinate her. The extra good news is that they are coming down the first week in November. So that means I'll only have a short wait to hear if they were successful in finding her. Crossing my fingers big time on this! I should be reciting daily prayers to the canine gods and leaving offerings of fatty chicken outside my door every night.

It's the final countdown

2010-10-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

So at last the end is breathing down my back. I've less than a week left in the DR. I'm trying to remember to embrace the good parts about going back to Seattle; amazingly enough I am looking forward to resuming a life of actually having work and responsibilities. I don't have much of either, but I think I have just enough to give some meaning and purpose to my life. While my idle decadence has been enjoyed to the fullest here, there is a facet of happiness that can only be met from physically applying oneself. Sloth is great for a while, but I do yearn for activity. My waistline especially yearns for physical activity, as I've managed to gain 5 pounds since I got here. Hopefully I can be strong-willed enough to rid myself of the bad habits picked up, such as rum and cokes at all hours, neck-packing at dinner (dammit, Dave, why is it all so delicious!), dessert every night, 50 oz. bottles of beer, butter, butter, more butter, corn chips, breakfast-noonsies-lunch-snack-appetizer-dinner-dessert, and all the while rum rum rum.

I sure am heartbroken at the thought of leaving my nephew. It finally makes more sense than ever how you can love this person so much at yet sometimes want to throw them off a cliff. Just when you think you can't stand the relentless questioning and the overly dramatic temper tantrums and the hard iron stubbornness, he'll do something that absolutely melts your heart. And I'm just the auntie who's been here two months. I imagine the feelings must be tenfold in both directions when it's actually your kid.

So, yes, I'll be leaving behind Adian, and the warm tropical weather, the decadent food, the free rum, the absence of responsibilities, the lascivious stares from the Latin men, the 8 hours of sleep every night, the tremendous thunder storms, the fantastic amount of living space, the hammock, and my amazing family that will forever have my utmost gratitude. But Seattle has a lot of great things too, like... er...

My rats!
My friends!

and... um...

good beer!

Geeze I think I might really miss this place ;)

Date night postponed, good news about Clive!

2010-10-22T19:04:00.000-07:00

So date night was postponed, but the good news is that date night is still on for Sunday. Dave is making fried chicken and my paramour will be in attendance. Which will be interesting for sure. I already feel kind of like I'm a teenager and Dave is my dad, so Sunday has the potential to be truly uncomfortable, but get enough rum in all of us and I'm sure it'll be just fhaaaaaaaaaane.

And there is good news on the Clive front!!!! I got word today from a woman who lives on the Samana peninsula who works with a group from the US that comes down twice a year to spay and neuter street dogs. I told her about Clive and asked her if there was anything she could do to help get Clive spayed and vaccinated. I didn't hear back for over a week and a half, but she finally got back to me today and said that the group from the US would be in the area the first week of November, and if they could find Clive, they'd spay and vaccinate her! So that's a huge stumbling block potentially cleared. There's still a lot of hurdles to contend with - they may not find her when they are in the area, and even if they do, she may not be there by the time I can come back down here. But still, the spay and vaccination were the biggest difficulty, and even if that's all I can get for her, at least I will have been able to do that for her. So now all I can do is sit back and wait til the first week of November and hope that they are able to find her.

Date night!

2010-10-20T16:31:00.000-07:00

Hello gentle blog-readers. Today I tell you of my impending date night. And here I thought I'd make it out of the DR without any liaisons with Dominican men.

I met him while walking the dogs last night, he's one of our neighbors. And here's a shock - he's a skinny guy who plays guitar. My, my, Allison, really breaking away from the norm, aren't we? Hey, at least he's not the typical Allison so white you can partially see through the pale flesh white boy. I told him to take me to a place where we can get really good mofungo. And no, that's not code for something tawdry, that's a local food made with plantains and meat.

And now I'm off to eat deep-fried cheese-filled bacon risotto balls.

Life is nice.

Tired

2010-10-16T19:15:00.000-07:00

Today was by far the most active day I've had here yet. Started the morning off with some yoga with Joan, and in the middle of it a friend called and asked if I wanted to go to a Latin dance class with her at a local gym. "Yeah, sure," said I. It was fun and I'm glad I went, but I much prefer dance classes where there is essentially no routine. I'm a great dancer, I just don't learn steps very easily, and although I find some enjoyment in ultimately learning the routine, I much prefer just dancing whichever way the music moves me. But still, it was pretty cool to participate. Went home for a wee rest, and then took off to another Saturday softball game. This was the first time playing without any trace of cloud cover and it was OMG hot. Still, I managed (with the help of some beer and rum) to have the best time playing so far. Someone cranked up the tunes from their car so we had Latin dance music blaring for most of the game. It was hella fun and sweat was epic. Plus, we ALMOST won! Almost ;)

So now I'm up getting ready for bed, and will probably succeed in watching about 10 minutes of The Tudors before passing out in a well-deserved coma sleep.

A last breath of hope

2010-10-14T20:16:00.001-07:00

Crafty minds and wishful thinking have been hard at work to come up with one more stab at a plan to bring Reckless Clive and I together. There is a vet on the Samana Peninsula who does some work with helping out the homeless dogs in the area, and he was very happy to hear that I had decided to adopt one. I wrote to him tonight to ask his help in a map capped scheme that would involve getting Clive to him, preforming the needed surgeries and vaccinations, and then keeping her in the care of someone until I come back to visit the DR sometime in the early spring. Knowing full well that this is a lot to ask, I'm trying to not be too hopeful, but ultimately this may prove to be the best option overall. I certainly wasn't expecting to find a dog here to take back to Seattle with me, and I'm pretty much completely unprepared for such a thing. If this works out it'll give me the time I need to get ready for her arrival, rather than trying to throw things together at the last minute. It'll be less stressful for her and me both.

And if the vet won't agree to the mad capped scheme, well, I suppose I just have hope that she'll still be hanging around the same hotel next spring. Aye, aye, aye, do I ever give up?

Sometimes I feel like hope springs eternal, but the water it springs is 150 degrees and smells like sulfur.

That's Reality

2010-10-13T21:16:00.000-07:00

So what do I do? Do I pretend my heart's not breaking? Will that make me a better person? To say to myself suck it up and stop being a thin-skinned drama queen, to stop falling in love with far-fetched fantasies. Why do we react the way we do and who is right and who is wrong when ultimately it all seems to come down to being honest with yourself and deciding whether or not to pretend. I try to be as honest and open-hearted as I can, but that leaves me vulnerable. I try to practice non-attachment, but my heart wants so badly to love. So many people have said how lucky I am to have been able to be here in the DR, and to have done so much traveling. Their eyes sparkle at the thought of being free from commitment and the burden of family life. I am grateful for all the traveling I've done, I've had adventures and opportunities and sights that have amazed and astounded me. I've met incredible people; some who have changed my life forever. But the thing that many people fail to realize is that my traveling doesn't necessarily come from some sort of wanderlust, but rather from a desperate urge to fill the hole in my life left by an absence of love. Don't get me wrong, my life is filled with people who love me, I'm greatly blessed by that. But that love that comes from true commitment, from a spouse, from a child, hell, from a dog - that love has been nigh absent my whole life.

I'm old enough now that I've known a number of family and friends that have paired off and bred, and so many of them try to tell me how lucky I am that I have an uncomplicated life. Shit, a few of them have even tried to make me guilty about it. Well you know what? I feel like a teen pregnancy in reverse. I didn't choose this life, it was chosen for me. And it feels like every step I take towards any sort of domesticated life blows up in my face. Apparently life doesn't want me to have much responsibility. I can't even manage to get adopting a dog right. I apparently make bad choices, but I make those choices because I'm following my heart. What kind of message does that send? It's pretty goddamn hard to keep believing in yourself when so many dreams turn to smoke and ash.

I have a great life, I know I do. I know that hurdles and hardship make it possible to embrace the goodness and blessing that I do have. And yet often I feel like the only things I truly desire in this life are precisely the things that are denied to me. And, yes, thankyouverymuch, Buddhists, I know exactly what you have to say in the matter. Still, it takes it's toll, and I can't pretend it doesn't hurt like hell.

Reckless Clive will have to remain a dream. My heart is breaking, but at least I'm letting it.

Reckless Clive

2010-10-13T07:18:00.000-07:00

Hey blog readers! I have no idea how many of you are out there, and of those, how many reside in Seattle, but I need to put the call out for help with a crazy Allison project. I met a dog here that I want to take back to Seattle with me. Now, before anyone goes flipping their lids, I have thought about this a lot, my sister and brother-in-law have helped me think things over, and we are working with a vet here to make sure things are done properly. The vet says that she knows many people who have adopted strays from the DR and they make great pets because they are so happy that someone finally loves them. At the same time, I realize that this will be a monumental undertaking, and I'm hoping for a little help from my dog-loving Seattle amigos. If anyone has extra dog items, food bowls, nail clippers, a dog bed, that kind of thing, I'd be grateful for any donations. I'm especially looking for some coats and sweaters, as this dog is used to the balmy tropics and I'm taking her back to Seattle in soggy, grey November. She is medium-sized, her body shape and size being about halfway between a regular greyhound and an Italian greyhound.

The biggest issue I face with this is that my apartment doesn't take dogs, so I'll have to move out. My ideal situation would be to find a room somewhere in Queen Anne, preferably in a house with a yard. I still have to give notice at my place, so I'll probably won't be looking to move until December or even maybe January, that is if I don't get nabbed and evicted first!

The last thing I have to ask is if my landlord does discover I have a dog, I may need to have her stay with someone. If that happens, and anyone is willing to give her a temporary home, please let me know and I'll love you forever and bake you lots of cookies.

Anyone who can help out with any of these things, you can contact me at craftyfabricator@gmail.com

Regard - Reckless Clive!

The backyard smells like pee

2010-10-06T07:32:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting at the outdoor table that is in my sister's backyard, and, in spite of the dog urine odor, it's a most mighty fine place. I'm not a fan of physical labor in the heat, but I do love doing nothing in the heat and humidity. I love the feeling of walking out of an air-conditioned house into the sultry arms of the outdoors. What also appeals to me is the lack of clothing I have to wear in this climate. There is something really snuggley about crawling into a big warm sweater when the weather is cold, but I much prefer crawling into a mini skirt and tank top and feeling the air on my skin. Then, as the thin (and sometimes thick) layer of sweat collects throughout the day, I love taking a cold shower around 4 of 5 in the evening. It's cleansing and energizing and feels sooooo good!

Yesterday a shipment arrived from Dave's parents. In it was 3 pounds of walnuts, 4 pounds of pecans, and two big bags of brown sugar. I do believe that chocolate chip cookies will be manifesting in the kitchen soon.

Al gets a little nostalgic

2010-10-03T19:30:00.000-07:00

It's a curious phenomenon to go to a place that is so very foreign in comparison to where I grew up, and yet suddenly be seeing household items that I've only ever known in the context of "home."

I will explain.

When mom died last year a lot of the household items went to Joan and Dave. They are by far the most established and would be the ones most likely to use most of the stuff. Me in my semi-nomadic lifestyle and my wee studio would not have found much use for the fine china or the stemware or the crockery or the silver-plated salad tongs, or the red crystal liqueur decanter, etc. Now they've settled into the new house and unpacked all their stuff, and almost everyday I see little reminiscent tidbits of my younger life. But there is something surrealistic about seeing them here, in the DR, in a completely different house; a completely different atmosphere, and yet there they are. And every item comes with a momentary memory, a flash of days gone by, a little pang of sadness that all those days are gone, and a little pang of joy that I have so many great memories of growing up. It makes me happy to think that a lot of these things will now become part of Aidan's memories too.

A Day in the Life of Aidan and Al

2010-09-29T10:34:00.001-07:00

Today Joan and Dave took a day-long tour of the city sponsored by the embassy. So I've been on Aidan duty for 6 hours now. He normally goes to school from 8 until noon, and I was supposed to walk him to school and pick him up, but today he decided that he didn't want to go to school, and rather than make a big showdown of it, Joan and Dave decided that if he wanted to stay home he could. It was actually a good idea on Aidan's part, since there was a deluge at around 7:50 - right at the time I would have been walking home from dropping him off. Don't get me wrong, Aidan and I still got soaked playing in it, but at least we were having fun together and it wasn't just me getting drenched on my lonely walk home.

So Aidan stayed home and we took a walk, then played in the rain, then built a castle, then made peach and mango cobbler, then I cleaned up dog barf (my least favorite activity of the day thus far), then watched Pingu, then played with Aidan's remote controlled car in the driveway. And now we are watching more Pingu.

The Watchmen

2010-09-28T11:42:00.001-07:00

I realized that I haven't yet told you about The Watchmen. And no, I am not making this name up, they really ARE called The Watchmen.

So there is a lot of crime in Santo Domingo, and those with the right resources, i.e. money, you can pay to have men come to your house several times a day to make sure things are okay. The American government pays for my sister to have this security, so about 4 or 5 times a day a guy with keys to the house will let himself in through the servant's quarters, access the back patio, take a walk around the back of the house, and then turn around and go back out the way he came. The "backyard" is really just a small pathway leading around the house, and the back of the house is pretty much all windows, so they basically have a close up and personal view of the goings-on of the Cossitt/Pernal household. I can't really tell what I think of it. It's kind of neat in a way, and most of them are really friendly and will wave to you. And yet it is a little unnerving never knowing when you'll look up to see some guy outside.

Rock out with your lock out

2010-09-24T11:56:00.001-07:00

So today I managed to get myself locked out of the house for the third time since I've been here. But only the first was my fault!!!

See, my sister's house is extremely well protected, there are high walls on all sides, bars on all the windows, and locks everywhere. So the first time I got locked out, Joan and I were putting Aidan to bed and he had left something on the back porch, so Joan asked me to go down and get it. The french doors that lead to the back porch were already locked up, so I went out the door from the maid's quarters (really, the house is not quite as lavish as this makes it sound). What I didn't realize is that there's no way to open the door to the maid's quarters from the outside, so without thinking, I pulled it closed behind me when I went outside, I grabbed whatever it was that Aidan wanted, turned around and stared dumbfounded at the door. I spent about 5 minutes trying to come up with a plan to get back in before I realized that the whole point of the house is to keep people who don't have key OUT of the house. So I sat and waited until the housekeeper noticed I was out there and let me in.

The second time I locked myself out was a few days ago. The french doors hadn't been opened in the morning, so I went out again through the maid's quarters, this time remembering to leave the door opened slightly so as to be able to get back inside. Well while I was chilling on the back porch, the housekeeper must have seen it open and shut it. So when I decided to come back in the house I was once again met with the odious un-openable door. This time, rather than being my savior, the housekeeper was my downfall. Finally I saw Dave moving around inside and knocked on the window and he let me in.

Well this morning takes the cake. I woke up and came downstairs to find my sister playing with Aidan out front. The front door is broken so we usually use the side garage door to go in and out. My sister asked if I would watch Aidan for a few minutes while she carried out some natural human function duties and I said sure. So I was hanging with Aidan for maybe a total of 1 full minute when he got up and started walking to the door, I called out to him and asked him to stay outside playing with me and not to go upstairs and see mama. He stopped in the doorway long enough to look at me and tell me that he'd be right back, before closing the door. I, of course, got up to pursue him, but when I got to the door found that he had locked me out. Make no mistake, this was not him accidentally pushing the locking mechanism, he knows about locks and what they're for and this was 100 percent malicious aunt lockout scheme. The cheeky little monkey. So I was out there for about 20 minutes until the housekeeper (her again!) came out to throw out the trash. I couldn't even go ring the doorbell as it's on the outside of the walls surrounding the house. I knocked and knocked but the door is so big and heavy that no one could hear poor little Al Pal.

It's okay though, I'm making up for a harrowing morning with overeating. Against my better judgment, I let Aidan convince me to make sugar cookies (the boy is obsessed with sifting) and have eaten a quarter of them so far today. Plus there was the full plate of nachos. Mmmmm, cookies and nachos...

Downpours and power outages

2010-09-23T16:29:00.000-07:00

So an amazing thing here is how the city is so surprisingly ill equipped to deal with the frequent downpours here. Almost every time it rains, not only do the streets flood, but many of the signal lights short out, either blacking out completely or flashing patterns of the various green, red, and yellow lights. Yes, the already "impressive" traffic of everyday Santo Domingo becomes even more spectacular in the rain.

Another wonder is how frequent power outages are here. In a given day the power goes out anywhere from once a day to 5 or 6 times a day. Luckily my sister is Una Gringa Importante, and the embassy provides her house with a back-up generator that kicks in about 5 seconds after the power has gone out, then senses when power is restored and shuts off. The generator works amazingly well, and I've blessed it numerous times. The only bummer is that you never get fun "blackout" times where everyone sits around without the comforts of modern day and candles are lit and magic happens.

It's so much better on holiday

2010-09-22T10:02:00.000-07:00

The lyrics to a Franz Ferdinand song that keeps running through my head...

It's always better on holiday
It's so much better on holiday
That's why we only when
We need the money

Si, life is better on holiday, and while I am missing my cohorts from the great green city of Seattle, I do rather enjoy having virtually no obligations other than blogging, the occasional diaper change, and general personal hygiene control.

I looked in the paper today and there was an ad for avocados at $.12 each. I took a moment to indulge in a guacamole/bathtub fantasy.

This weekend is a Dominican holiday weekend, and we had hoped to spend the time at a swanky seaside funplace, but have to stay at home because no one is available to watch the dogs. Reason number 1,205 that rats are the best pets. Just throw a wad of food in the cage, make sure there's enough water, and boom, yer good to go.

Due to the nixing of the seaside splendor, we will probably do a series of day trips instead. One idea in the works is to visit a coffee plantation. Whilst I am not a crazy coffee junkie like so many I know back in Seattle (and being a barista I know a lot), I'd still be interested to see how the magic of the legal drug I've been pushing for the past several years comes into being. I have actually discovered that the coffee that is the most prevalent here is actually quite tasty to me. When I do drink coffee, I like it to be just a bold no-nonsense cup, and that's precisely what is delivered. Plus a pound of it here is like $2. If only I could live off coffee, avocados, bananas and rum I could retire here with one more year of work.

Down in a Blaze of Glory

2010-09-18T13:56:00.000-07:00

I'm always so grateful when something happens in my life that I never, ever expected. Today I played a softball game, representing the US Embassy, in Santo Domingo. Yes. Another amazing story to add to the list of lifetime achievements. Nevermind that we lost something like 20 - 3, let's just concentrate on the fact that I can add one more "wow" boast to my credentials. Plus, on the happy side of things, it was really good just to get out and move around a bit, and my endeavors were rewarded with the biggest bottle of beer I have ever seen, much less drank. I had to use both hands. Life is good.

Life in the slow lane

2010-09-13T05:57:00.000-07:00

Here I am again, saddling up to the blog post. Today my belly is extra happy because I finally found some walnuts to put in my oatmeal. I've been searching every store with no luck, and at long last, yesterday I found some a the megamart shopping gargantuan complex (not actual name). The only problem was they were still in their shells, and the house has no nut cracker. No worries, I just took them home and spent about a hour happily SMASHing them with a meat mallet and picking out the good bits. Brown sugar is another foodstuff item they don't have easily accessible here either. I set about to make chocolate chip cookies, but hit a snag with the brown sugar. That was easily fixed with a good hit of molasses. The other problem with the cookies though came about through purely human error. I neglected to have Dave pick up baking soda at the store. Without the baking soda the cookies would have just smooshed out all flat. So the solution to that? I threw in some instant oatmeal and put the whole concoction into a cake pan so as to contain the batter. Honestly, I was not expecting it all to work, but huzzah! It actually worked out quite deliciously. I suppose the only other difficultly I have with the food here is that I live in Seattle, which is the Kingdom of Wholegrain, and I've definitely fallen off the wagon of my healthy eating lifestyle. Before coming here I don't think I'd had a single sugary soda for upwards of about a year. Then Dave handed me a rum and coke, and hot damn it was tasty! The coke down here is made with cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup, and the difference is phenomenal. And when mixed with rum, Shoot that's mighty fine. Then there's the corn chips and the butter and cookies and Dave's cooking, which can only be labeled as a Decadent Meatstravaganza. Damn you saturated fats and cheap carbohydrates! Why are you so good!

Let's see, what can I write about that doesn't revolve around food? Um, well there's power outages all the time. Seriously, like usually at least once a day, sometimes as many as 5 or 6. Luckily my sister is an important gringa and the government provides the house with a back up generator. So the power goes off, but then 5 seconds later the generator jumps to life and helps keep the party going.

The traffic here is insane. And having been in traffic all around the world I can tell you that Asia has crazy drivers, but the traffic itself more or less flows. Here, it's every man for himself. The most dominant car wins. Never in my life have I seen such a stunning example of the term cluster fuck. And it doesn't help that every time it rains many of the traffic lights short out. Plus, most people don't seem to bother with their turn signals, they just gesture out of the car window to indicate where they want to go. It's something to behold. I have been thus far, and so shall I ever be, a mere passenger in this monstrous spectacle. I strap myself securely into my seat, put my life in Dave's capable hands, and try to enjoy the ride.

Bueno!

2010-09-09T12:53:00.000-07:00

Hello again one and all! I've finally been snatched back into the technological age and I once again have internet access.

Things have been probably a little more low key than most of you expected. By and large I've just been hanging with my family, playing my gee-tar and drinking rum. Oh, and eating. Dave is way too good of a chef. It's just not fair. How can I control my portion sizes when the stuff is just so darn good?

We all took a vacation - well, I took a vacation from my vacation - last weekend. We went up north to a place called Cabarete. It was lovely and I had heaps of fun playing in the ocean. I also got heaps of bruises from getting dashed on the rocks several times. The water was pretty choppy and unpredictable. (In Al's world, that translates as fun, in spite of being slightly owie.) And there was much rum.

Aidan is a hoot. He's mostly really well behaved, though like every 2 year old, he has his moments. He's currently going through his OCD period, and certain things he needs to have exactly just so or he loses it. He's also going through the endless queries of "why" period. Sometimes we play together or he curls up with his mama and I my maternal urges kick in, and then he breaks down sobbing because I cut his toast in two pieces or on the 29hundreth "why" for the day, and I'm grateful that my rats don't talk and can be put in a cage.

Well there's a quick update, maybe I'll share some more stories with you when I get the chance.

All good - no internet!

2010-09-03T07:51:00.000-07:00

Hey friends! All is good, there is just no internet at my sister's house! I'm not ignoring you, I swear! Should have internet within the next week, will fill you all in then!

Smooches!

Made it!

2010-08-21T08:15:00.000-07:00

Hello folks! I've officially arrived in the Dominican Republic! Got in yesterday and spent an evening chillaxing with the fambily. Joan has scored a kick-ass apartment that overlooks the big swath of water that starts with a C and pirates sailed on it in a movie with Johnny Depp. I'm using a MAC and I don't know how to work the spell check so I don't know how to spell it. I'm also cranky because I'm a little hungry. But we're going to a party, a fiesta, if you will, at the Ambassador's house in a little while so I'm saving my belly for that. But in the meantime I'm cranky. Using... er... trying to use a mac is making me crankier.

The lowdown - the flights were terribly uneventful, and as I'm used to traveling to Asia, the 12 hour travel time seemed like a walk in the park in comparison. The driver who was supposed to pick me up at the airport didn't actually write my name down on the board he had, he just help up the board with the company name on it, so I waited around for 15 minutes or so before calling my sister and figuring it all out. Once that was all sorted, I was driven to my sister's apartment and just hung out here for the evening. Eventually she and her family (including me) will move into a house in a more residential area, but for now we're in the apartment, which is vast and had 4 bathrooms. There was much chatting and laughing and then Joan and Dave and I ate nachos.

Oh and the rum and coke's here are really good.

Too good.

Drunk texts = FUN!

2010-08-19T18:47:00.000-07:00

So I have to share with you this drunk text conversation between Lerin and I on the night of my Super Sendoff party. Lerin and I had hung out before the party, and she was unsure if she'd make it to the actually party. By 11:45 she hadn't shown up yet, and my friends Patty mentioned this fact, which prompted the conversation as documented below -

Me - "Patty andi r so sadu didnt show up. asad . SAD? YES? Sad.

Lerin replied back that she was in a bit of a funk and wasn't going to make it, and accused me of being drunk, to which I replied

Me - "Girl! yes i is DRUNK! WITH PATTY! we are EPIC. I heart you . your funk sucks. i might barf. forget that. i heart you. This = best text ever!"

Beware the dangers of tequila, kids!

Al's Good Riddance Party!

2010-08-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

Last night was my Super Sendoff Shingdig! Many a friend came out to join me in merriment. The evening began with drinks at Toulouse Petite with Chelsea, Lerin and Danielle. I had a very tasty cocktail and shared spicy shrimp with Chelsea. There were pictures taken, but I can't seem to find my battery charger for my camera. Really hoping I find it before I leave... anyway, the photos below were taken with Uriah's awesome phone. So after Toulouse, Chelsea and I went to The Paragon for a shot of tequila and a shot of Crown Royale (guess which one of us drank what!) and then headed over to The Hilltop Ale House. We kicked it at the Ale House for about 3 hours. I ate half of a steak sandwich, Uriah also had a steak sandwich but was disappointed that it had cilantro all over it. JHo brought his own cashews. There was much beer. Hannah had Spice Girl's lyrics written on her hand. Shea left me the cutest, saddest voice message ever. I arm wrestled
Hannah and she won the first two times but then I was victorious on the third. George gave me a cool little book, I think I'll write song lyrics in it. Patty gave me a card that plays music and encourages me to dance. Jumana and Jason came even though they are getting married in just over a week and undoubtedly have loads of things to do. Sandy and the Jensen girls came and they ALL wore skirts! I didn't get to chat with Nick, Jordan, Lacey or Charlie nearly as long as I would have liked. Z and Aliki are champs and I wished they lived next door and not in Northgate so I could see them more often. Benny took the number 4 bus. Mass was there too. I'm so lucky and grateful to have such amazing friends!

Wow. I'm almost all packed up. And by almost I mean not nearly as close as I'd like to be. Due to the massive quantity of alcohol imbibed last night, today was not as productive as I would have liked it to have been. It was a day-long battle of comfy bed vs. anything other than the comfy bed. The bed won a lot.

So I leave tomorrow. Gotta get up, go to work until 6ish, get the rats over to Benny's, make sure the apartment is in good order for Josh, the subletter, and get me and my over-packed luggage to the aeroport for the excitement of a red-eye to Dallas. From Dallas to Miami. From Miami to Santo Domingo. There will be a driver waiting for me with a sign that says my name. Cool! I'm gonna feel like a movie star!

Why hello there...
Me and Patty and a breadstick
Mass and I
My darling Monte!
I'm so cute sometimes I could barf
When you have very little hair, it's fun to play with other people's hair
Fun with hair!
Smashing evening! And by that I mean I was totally smashed when this picture was taken
Hotcha!

One week to go!

2010-08-12T21:39:00.000-07:00

I'm one week, one hour and 40 minutes away from liftoff. Things are progressing well. Baked some cookies tonight with the bag of chocolate chips I was trying to use up in the pantry. My friend is hosting a neat monthly food club thingy and basically this month the theme is Mexican-ish, and really you're supposed to bring a variation of the basic recipe that is sent out, but if you feel inspired you can make something to accompany it. So in an effort to not add more things to the food supply in my house and, in fact, use up the stuff I currently have, I lamely altered the chocolate chip cookie recipe to produce "Super Mexi-choco Space Wizard Shazam Cookies!" How can my friend not be swayed by that great name! Plus the deliciousness of said cookies is scrumptiously astronautical! Heck yeah!

Is it the surface of some distant planet - NO! It is Space Cookies that are out of this WORLD!

Sad news comes to the Rat City

2010-08-09T09:19:00.001-07:00

While my morning tea is steeping I thought I'd take a moment to deliver the sad news on the home front. One of my fuzzy babies, B.U. Phinnaeus died last Saturday night. It was particularly tragic as apparently she choked on something. And, yes, I did actually try the rat Heimlich maneuver - there is such a thing! - and when she stopped breathing I attempted CPR but to no avail. As I always try to look to the good in bad situations, I figure that she was a little sickly and I was worried that she's die when I was in the DR. So at least this way I could be present for passing and take a lovely walk through Discovery Park with Benny where we saw many happily abandoned pet rabbits and several zippy hummingbirds before finding a particularly horrid spot for digging (sorry Benny!) for Phin's final resting spot.

She is survived by her sister, H.T. Vanderrat and her special friend Umlaut.

She will be missed terribly.

Gettin' Close

2010-08-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

Subletter person guy - CHECK!

Sold my scooter - CHECK!

Travel insurance - CHECK!

Fluency in Spanish - Not so much

Packing up the apartment - Not even started

So I'm mostly on the ball with all this. A little more than two weeks out and it still isn't particularly real to me. My sister and her family left the US today. How strange it's got to be knowing that your whole life will change so completely. For me it's not so big; theoretically I'm coming back to Seattle and all my comfortable things and people. It's hard even for me to imagine starting a new life in a city I've never even visited before. Still though, I guess with the right job offer and the right amount of money I'd go just about anywhere... maybe.

Sublettin it all hang out

2010-07-25T09:32:00.000-07:00

A potential sublet person is visiting today. Is "subletter" the proper term? Because the spell check doesn't recognize it. Screw you spell check - I break ALL the rules!

Ah, anyway, I'm blogging while I probably should be tidying up. Then I'll be eating cereal while I should be tidying up. And I'll probably end up watching the last half of that Pushing Daisy's episode instead of tidying up at all. And I'm sure it won't matter a damn.

This subletter would work out perfectly. He intends to move to Seattle (from Portland) the day after I leave. So monetarily that would work out rad for me. Plus, he's the first person to see the place and if it works out then I don't have to keep slogging through e-mails and tromping strangers through my messy apartment.

Right-o. Cereal time.

Hello again!!!

2010-07-19T20:10:00.000-07:00

Hello all you sweet little things, it's so good to have your eyes back along with your eager curiosity to hear what thrilling adventures await me on this spin of the Wheel of Life!

So as you've all probably heard, I'll be traveling to the Dominican Republic on August 19th (exactly one month from today!) and so I'll be writing about the preparation for travel in the upcoming month, and then I'll be filling y'all in on my daily adventures once I'm there. Fab! I'll be living with my sister and her family - her husband, Dave, their son, Aidan, and the two dogs, Neuf and Jack.

The first question that usually comes up is "what will you be doing there?" The answer is - a whole lotta nufin. My sister is a part of the foreign service and will be working at the US consulate (or embassy, I'm not sure what the difference is) so I won't really be able to get a "job" like I did in Ireland. There might be some volunteer work, and I'll pitch in as much as I can helping out around the house and watching my nephew, but overall I'll have a lot of free time. I just started playing guitar, and much to my utter surprise really liking it, and so I'm looking forward to devoting a lot of time to practicing and ideally writing some stuff too. Other than that, I'll read, pick up some dirty Spanish phrases, drink lots of beer, meet some folks and ideally not get into too much trouble - though if I do it'll be all like, "pffft, whatever, do you know who my sister is?"

The second question that usually gets asked is "who is watching the rats?" The answer to that is my most excellent good buddy Benny. Benny is tops and I owe a lot of my relative sanity to him, plus he's super great with animals and loves the rats! He watched them while I was in Asia last April and did a brilliant job. Of course, they did come back to me complaining that the cheese I give them was for too quotidian, so, whatever, Benny's cheese is better, like I care.

So, a month out, and it's just beginning to set in that my life is going to change radically in another month. For now it's day to day, trying to deal with some difficulties life has recently presented me, and from time to time remembering that I'm off to tropical good stuffs. It couldn't have come at a better time. Sometimes everything unfolds in a most curious and beautiful way. Also, often it is painful and messy, but I believe that the beauty is there if you sit with it long enough and allow it all to unfold. Undestructable, my friends.

Sarajevo and Eastern Croatia

2008-10-25T05:51:00.000-07:00

The first two shots here were taken in Sarajevo, the rest are from the journey from Sarajevo and my travels through eastern Croatia.

This is a sign warning to beware of landmines in the area. There are a lot of these signs. This photo was actually taken as we were stuck in traffic due to a team up ahead clearing mines.

This is one of the rail stops in Eastern Croatia.

Ancient Roman ruins out in the woods.

My hosts in Voloder roasted chestnuts for me!

A museum in Zagreb

Split, Croatia

2008-10-25T05:16:00.000-07:00

My new favorite place on Earth...

Phew!

2008-10-23T05:04:00.000-07:00

Back in ireland again. Wow, what a journey. Croatia was amazing, I'm still processing it all. Again, I owe so much to couchsurfing. The people I met through that program really made a world of difference. From advice on where to find great food in Sarajevo to a firsthand look at the devistation of Vukovar, a small town on the Croatian/Serbian border. I drank with the locals, danced with a sea of sweaty Croatian men, watched team Hrvatska win a football match, ate pizza under the night sky in the shadow of the fortress that protects old town Osijek, walked through the woods near Virovitica and gathered mushrooms that we ate for breakfast the next day, tasted boiled chestnuts and didn't like them so much, tasted roasted chestnuts and liked them better, got completely lost in Zagreb and couldn't find a toilet, tried dried figs for the first time - oh! sweet heaven! played for an hour with a 5 year old boy with only a handful of shared words between us, fell in love with the Adriatic coast, ate the best pizza I have ever tasted, had the motto "Nema Straja!" bestowed upon me (if means No Fear), sat in many terasas drinking scrupmtious beverages, climbed the gorgeous bell tower of Spilt, ate grapes that tasted like they had been filled with perfume, marvelled at plethora of produce at the green market in Split, went to a Croatian rock concert, had the nicest hostel I've ever stayed in all to myself, ate fish soup with Igor and Pavel, had a teeny sip of tripe stew at lunch with Vinko and Kosta, chocolate coated sour cherry honey cakes with Zarko, the best shish kabob ever with Emre and Umit, and too many delicious things to list with Spomenko and Suncha. This weekend I plan for the leek soup detox.

Loads of pictures but I'm actually still in Dublin, so pictures will have to wait a few more days until I'm back with my computer.

For those who are interested, here is the recap of my route...

Day 1 - Carndonagh to Dublin, spent the day rummaging through Dublin
Day 2 - Morning/afternoon in Malahide, a town north of dublin, evening flight to Zadar, Croatia.
Day 3 - Bus from Zadar to Split
Day 4 - Split
Day 5 - Split
Day 6 - Bus from Split to Sarajevo, arrived very late at night
Day 7 - Sarajevo wanderings
Day 8 - Sarajevo wanderings pt 2
Day 9 - Sarajevo to Osijek, Croatia
Day 10 - Osijek
Day 11 - Osijek to Virovitica
Day 12 - Virovitica
Day 13 - Virovitica to Voloder
Day 14 - Voloder
Day 15 - Voloder (but spent most of the day in Zagreb)
Day 16 - Voloder to Zagreb to Zadar to Dublin
Day 17 - If all goes right, Dublin to Carndonagh!

Hrvatska!

2008-10-12T00:40:00.000-07:00

Yipee! I love Croatia! Well, to be honest I can only say I love Split, Croatia! I've been here for three days and it's one of the greatest places I've ever visited. The vibe, the buildings, the food... everything is dead brilliant! I really don't want to leave but I was actually supposed to go to Srajevo yesterday but couldn't tear myself away from Split! So today I'm off to Sarajevo, and it's goodbye to the Adriatic, bummer. But I hear Sarajevo is amazing too, so I am quite eager to see it. Gosh, I just want to melt into the streets of Old Town and stay here just loving life.

It's a very good thing that this place has been so amazing, as while I was here I got the dreadful news that one of my beloved rats, Tresiallian, had died, and, AND Team Etruria headquarters got robbed and a lot of stuff was taken, including most of my jewelry, which was pretty must just costume stuff, not worth much of anything other than the sentimental value for me. It's good to be travelling actually at a time like that, it's easier for me to remember that people on the whole ARE basically very good, it's just those rotten eggs that spoil it. On the down side, it's very very difficult being away for Tresillian's death, knowing that I'll never see her again or smooch her fuzzy belly. Plus there's the horrific guilt that wonders if she thought I abandoned her.

But overall I am having a great great GREAT time and have found another spot I can daydream about one day calling home :)

Neglecting the Blog

2008-10-06T08:15:00.000-07:00

Sure, yeah it's been a while, been too busy eating scones and shivering to post. There is no heat in my flat, and my roommates left for the weekend and left me with no coal for the fire. After a teeth-chattering Saturday afternoon and evening, I eventually had to throw myself on the mercy of my employer who has a car to deliver me a big beautiful bag of coal on Sunday. Then it was toasty warm firey goodness.

Went to the Inishowen Gospel Choir concert last Thursday. My employer is one of the members and her sister is one of the head honchos. It was a great time, there were a few other acts as well, so it was a whole evening of entertainment. It was just a really lively atmosphere and fun times.

I witnessed the great excitment of Gaelic football the other day. I've heard tell that Seattle has it own's league or something, but I had never seen an entire game til last Saturday. It was great craic. The local Carndonagh team was playing, there was a lot riding on the game, if they won they'd be playing in the semi-finals next weekend. Well they housed the compitition! W00t! It's a super fun game to watch, a fab cross between soccer and american football with a wee bit of volleyball thrown in. Plus it's lots of fit young men jumping around and getting muddy. Dream-tacular!

Went on a pub crawl last Saturday with Marty Kelly and a gaggle of boys, and managed to keep my own even better than I hoped I would. In the course of far too few hours I had...

1/4 bottle of red wine
1 shot of this super yummy stuff called Mickey Finn's
1 pint of Guinness
A glass of whiskey and lemonade
Vodka and orange flavored liquid
Shot of baby Guinness (Baliey's and Tia Maria)
Something purple
Something amber
Something green mixed with something fizzy

There was much laughing, much dancing, and amazingly, no puking and not such a bad hangover. Go figure. My liver can't wait til I go back to Seattle and stop abusing it.

So I'm off to Croatia and Bosnia tomorrow, with a day stop-off in Dublin. Excited to find out what adventures lay ahead!

Business As Usual???

2008-09-30T03:48:00.000-07:00

Gearing up for Croatia and Bosnia! Head out on 8 October. My initial excitment was briefly replaced by nervousness, but now it's back to excitement again! I've lined up some great folks to stay with, and I'm really excited to learn about the culture and land. Good times ahead!

Last Saturday was friend Edel's birthday, good craic indeed. Poor Edel sliced her finger whilst getting ready, and was decked out in her finest birthday blood-stained bathrobe when we arrived, but she was all smiles and silliness and I love her for it! Some pictures are picture below.

Other than that it's business as usual, however usual one considers this business of mostly play, when trying not to eat too many scones is the hardest thing you do in a day. Mmmm, scones......

yep.

2008-09-24T08:40:00.000-07:00

A plethora

2008-09-24T08:34:00.001-07:00

Pics Galore!

2008-09-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

In Edinburgh

Scotland Pictures

2008-09-24T08:27:00.001-07:00

These are all from the walk up Ben Nevis...

Pure Dead Brilliant

2008-09-24T08:08:00.000-07:00

Back again in Carn!

When last we met I was in Edinburgh, having an okay time. Well, eventually Edinburgh sank in under my skin, and I really began to vibe with it, so that when I left I was genuinely heartbroken to have to leave. It's a charming little city. The last day I was there I just wandered around for hours. Met up with a couchsurfing host named Alistair McLeod, how much more Scottish can you get?

Then it was on to the Isle of Skye. This is what life is all about. My first csing host in Edingburgh invted me to go with him and his former roommate to visit his sister in the Isle of Skye. How could I say no? Sure yeah maybe there was a little voice in the back of my head yelping "be wary be wary!" but I squished it with a q-tip and then it was silent.

The words that belong with the I of S cannot be uttered by a human tongue. It is too overwhelmingly beautiful, if you attempted to put it into words, you would be swallowed up by them. It was breathtahking to be sure. We stayed in a faboo little cottage that I expected would smell like mildew and old fabric, but was dead dreamy and one helluva cozy place. Good times.

Then spent one night in Glasgow with one of my new favorite people in the world, the csing host's ex-roommate. Cut from the same cloth, we are.

And at long last to Glasgow Prestwick airport. The slogan for this airport is Pure Dead Brilliant. I love Scotland.

Here are some photos... they are from the summitt of Ben Nevis...

Edinburgh

2008-09-18T12:23:00.000-07:00

Hi. I'm in Edinburgh. Ummmm, golly, not much going on with me in Edinburgh. Walked around the city a bit. It's not like what I expected. There is some amazing gothic architechture, but on the whole most of the buildings all look very similar to one another. It's alright but nothing's really blown me away.

The gentleman I was couchsurfing with has a flatmate who works in a whiskey shop, so I spent a good portion of yesterday "learning" about whiskey. The professor was a glass and the lessons became more and more fun as the day progressed. And I did, in fact, learn, well, a little about whiskey! I think my brother would be dead jealous, as this was a pretty swanky store and there were some seriously posh whiskeys I was kicking back. Couchsurfing rules!

Tonight is a quiet night. I'm with new hosts and they'd made dinner plans before I contacted them, so they were brave enough to let me stay here whilst they're out. It's really nice and honestly just what I needed. I've been schmoozing and mingling and chatting for over a week now, and even though I love it, it's nice to have a night all to myself. Plus it's a beautiful airy house! Once more, couchsurfing rules!

Scotland!

2008-09-16T02:39:00.001-07:00

Made it to Scotland, climbed a mountain yesterday - the highest point in the Brisith Isles! Damn straight! On a time counter for internet - one minute seven seconds left! Yikes!

Write more when I get to Edinburgh!!!!!!!!

What happens in Galway stays in Galway

2008-09-10T08:05:00.000-07:00

Um, yeahhhhhhhh... Galway was...

Let's just say I had a very memorable time and arrived back in Carn last night completely knackered.

Also, now whenever anyone mentions Galway I cackle as though one touched in the head. Try it one day. Just sneak up behind me and whisper "Galway" in my ear. I imagine that even if the cackle disappears it'll be replaced with a mysteriously sly grin so deep my cheeks will be sore for hours.

Heh, Galway...

Like a leprechaun on kinky sex night, I’m Galway bound!

2008-09-04T04:43:00.000-07:00

So I leave for Galway tomorrow, spending the weekend there and returning to Carn Tuesday night, where I spend a scant three nights of my weekly rent before packing off to Scotland. I’m excited for Galway, everyone I’ve talked to says is quite high on the loveliness meter, and I’ve lined up two couchsurfing hosts to give me a place to lay my head and hopefully show me around a bit! Yipee! It’ll be nice as I’ve finally started to settle into my rhythm here in Carn, and the homesickness is creeping in juuuuuust a tad. A little distraction will be much welcomed. Cept then I think about how much I’d love it if my friends and family were here with me!

I find myself daydreaming about voice acting lately. I had been feeling a little down on myself in the past few months for putting it all on hold to gallivant around the world. It’s hard to differentiate between genuinely needing to wait until I’m actually in one place for more than several months at a time and just plain fear of the unknown and the unwillingness to schmooze. The thought of voice acting is so exciting and interesting to me, but the thought of everything I have to do to realize it turns my stomach. Get a headshot printed, get an agent, schmooze and schmooze and schmooze! Bah! Plus I don’t really know how to get it all off the ground, which has been my problem most recently. I’ve kept myself going with the mantra “when the student is ready, the master will appear.” I’ve been waiting for the master to appear for sometime now, someone who can guide me through the initial muck of getting all this started. True, I worked with a voice acting coach for some months and she helped a lot, but it seems like just when I needed her, right at the end, she practically vanished. Now I’m all nervous to contact her again to ask for more info and help – I think it’ll worry her that I’ll be so out of practice while representing her if I suddenly try to launch into the VA scene. Sigh, I dunno. I find that I’ll get so excited at the thought of actually doing the voice acting, but then I get deterred thinking of all the crap I have to go through to get there, but then I get spurred on by how fun it would be, then I get deterred again. Ah what a vicious cycle! Well hopefully I’ll be in the right mindset when I get back to Seattle that I’ll actually get off my butt and do it! Boo-ya!

So the internet connection at the café is becoming notoriously fickle, and so I usually type the blogs in MSWord and then cut and paste. Today is no exception, and yup, as I was gonna post this – no dice! The internet is down down down! Which stinks as there is actually a fair bit I need to be dong on-line. Shazbut. Hmm, is there anything else about Ireland that I can share?
Well I must admit, being a huge Fratellis fan, it is really cool to actually hear their songs a lot on the radio, well, really on the radio at all, as I don’t think I’ve ever heard one of their songs coming through the waves in the US.

There’s so many tempting carb bombs here. If I really want to make myself crazy I stroll through the baked goods section of one of the local supermarkets. Holy cow the white flour and sugar mecca! The temptation to go on a simple carb bender has been hovering over my shoulder like an attention-seeking budgie for the past three weeks.

So we have washing machine at my house – no coins required!!! – which is keen, but we lack a tumble dryer. Now, I’ve often thought about how nice it would be to have the option of line-drying my clothes, as there is something lovely about line-dried clothes and it is good for the environment. Yet this pampered American has to admit that ONLY having the line is cause for frustration, especially in Ireland’s fickle weather! If it looks like a perfectly beautiful morning, you can usually bet that by afternoon it will have rained at least twice. Ok maybe that’s a biiiiiit of an exaggeration but really there is no telling what the weather will do one minute to the next. One day, when I got home from work it was gorgeous out and I decided to do a load of laundry. By the time the laundry was done, there were somewhat ominous clouds hovering overhead, and by the time I took my clothes back inside from the line they were soaked through due to the sudden downpour. The hardest part was the towel, which, two days later, still isn’t very dry. Trying to towel off after a shower in a chilly room with a damp towel is definitely not the most super-duper thing I’ve done here, no. But hey – makes for a good tale, no?

Love and Peace!

2008-09-01T09:31:00.000-07:00

Holy yowza the days are flying by! It's almost been three weeks here! I continue to have the time of my life here, there was a big music bash on Friday last, it took a while to get started, but by the end I had everyone up and dancing. And because by that point most everyone was waaaay drunk it was very spirited dancing! Marty Kelly damn near tore my arms out! It was full contact dancing for sure, sweaty and breathless, (geeze that does make it sound fun!).

Got a spooktacularly interesting reading from a psychic. I don't tend to give paranormal stuff much creedence, but this girl came up with some pretty amazing stuff. Not that I'm hanging up my skeptic's cloak to spread the paranormal word, but it sure knocked me for a loop! More than one jaw-dropping thing was said, and I'll tell ya what, nothing like being in a land seeped in magic to convince one of otherworldly possibilities!

The weather finally gave us a gorgeous day yesterday at last! I went bike riding for the first time in years! Marty and I rode up to a small town a few kilometers to the North, and had a wee fruit picnic at a lake as the sun poured down through big fluffy clouds, ah it was class. A bit sore today but all worth it!

Booked my ticket for Scotland today, and I'm probably headed for Galway at the end of this week. Ye gads I hope my bank account holds out, what with Croatia still to come!

Also been rewatching the amine series Trigun, and have reconfirmed that it is the best anime ever, in Allison's brain at least. Vash the Stampede is my hero. Now I think I'll rewatch it in Japanese.

Wednesday Night in Ireland

2008-08-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

Sorry, my brain is in no state today to think up things to write. But the blog has been negleted these past few days so I thought a post today needed to be written. Been humdrum settling into life here, taking it easy and writing a lot, then last night was all about madness and debauchery. I partied like only the Irish can party. Oh it was spectacular craic! Trad music at the Persian and whompin' rock and roll at chez Marty. Hung out with some of the finest people in the world. It was an all-singing all-dancing revue. Stumbled home round about 6am, the ipod playing me some good walking tunes of Dixie Chicks and Fratellis. Class. However, you do the crime you gotta do the time, and it's hard to be awake today. The good news was that I didn't work until 12:30. The bad news is that there's an upstairs to the cafe and all day long my legs felt jellified and I was sure I was going to either drop something or collapse. I did neither! Score.

So that's really all the news here.

Oh, and I'm going to Croatia, but that's not until October.

Monster Trucks!

2008-08-24T05:06:00.000-07:00

Last night was the great Carndonagh Monster Truck Rally! It was great fun but the vehicle my team had was RUBBISH! I actually want one if I ever have any kids - that thing was a workout to ride! Our team only got it around the diamond twice (you were supposed to go around three times). The winning team had done it's three rounds by the time I was half-way round our second. I question the legitimacy of the winning team's vehicle though, it was pretty hardcore, more like the reclining bikes I see sometimes in Seattle rather than anything you'd see a kid riding. All in good fun though. Due to the nature of how one sits in the vehicle I was riding and the shortness of my costume I think I ended up flashing every child in Carndonagh, typical American. The evening did, however, produce what it probably the hotest picture of me ever, and two of the scariest pictures of Marty Kelly ever. Regard...

This is a pic of a few of the teams, I think there were maybe 10 or so in all. Dracula was one of my teammates!

Painting, Poems, Chinese Food and Spiders

2008-08-23T03:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I helped Marty Kelly paint the entryway of his brother's house. It was the first time I've seen him paint. It was spectacular. It was this crazy abstract of a single yellow color around all the walls. Breathtaking. And by "helped" I mean sat and yaked and read him a poem about wasps. Then we listened to a song about a washing machine and I took it upon us to write a poem about a Tumble Dryer. It will follow below. Suddenly we realized the lateness of the hour and had to make a a dash to the chinese food take away. It was 10:15 at night and this chinese food place was hopping! But it was the only place you could get wine after 10 so we opted for that rather than the veg burgers and fries we were gonna make. So we chowed on chinese food and watch the Big Brother eviction. Big Brother here is a legend and it shows every night. Crazy. And finally the spider. So Marty Kelly is deathy afraid of spiders, and this morning when he was sweeping up he uncovered a rather large specimen. But with the help of my keen mind I set up a plan! The spider was hiding underneath the sofa in a room next to the now yellow entryway. I devised a plan wherein Marty stood on one of the seats in the living room and heaved the couch. I, holding the boom aloft, spotted the spider and swept it out the front door, and as per Marty's instructions, "as far away as I could get it". Phew. Close call.

And now - some classy poetry!!!!

Ode To A Tumble Dryer, With The Help Of Marty Kelly

Tumble Dryer you broke my heart
For years you spun my garments dry
One time I left you on too long and the heat was intense
I was chafed for days
And I cried silently with the washing machine
The toaster laughed and mocked me
English muffins never tasted the same again, not even with gooseberry jam
Especially with gooseberry jam
But now you lay cold and untumbling
There is something inside of you that I can’t fix
I cleaned out your lint trap
I changed the fuses
And still you remain silent, sullen
I called the repairman for help
But your parts are too old, unavailable
Tumble Dryer believe me I tried my hardest to fix you
Thank you for the years of toasty clothes
But the garbage truck is rumbling down the street
And it’s time
It’s time

Yeah, most of my poems are actually loads better than this, but in a strange way, I am rather fond of this one. I think it would probably work well as a country song.

Greetings y'all

2008-08-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

Good craic last night at The Persian; excellent music, a roaring fire, three pints of Guinness, a shot of whiskey, a trio of French girls and a mandolin player from Nashville! Yowza! Somehow, cowboy boots and big metal belt buckle included, one of the band members touring with Justin Earle (son of Steve Earle) ended up at The Persian last night. I thought he was kidding when he said he was from Nashville! We bonded over tales of Seattle and The Tractor (a local Seattle music venue). I have him to thank for the third pint of Guinness and the whiskey, and without him I may have actually been able to wake up today without the room spinning. Thank you Cory. Show your support for some boys from Nashville, the new album is called The Good Life, and I endorse it whole-heartedly even though I've never heard it. Well I listened to a few songs on MySpace and thoroughly enjoyed them. Contrary to what you may be thinking, the title does not refer to yours truly. Though perhaps I should adpot it as my theme song.

The French girls there were couchsurfing with Marty Kelly. It was raining and Marty gave them all fancy dress hats to wear, which made things amusingly surreal; three french girls walking around wearing funny hats in a crowded Irish pub called The Persian. Priceless.

Ah, the good life ;)

Fancy Dress = costume

2008-08-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

So the big fun this Saturday night is the Carndonagh Monster Truck Rally, which is actually not what it sounds. Rather, teams of three "kidults" race around the center of town (called The Diamond as it is diamond shaped) riding on tricycles in what everyone kept telling me was "fancy dress." I was gung-ho from the start, and even though I wondered why one would want to wear their fancy clothes to an outdoor race at night, I kept making a note in my head to go out one day and find a posh looking fancy outfit to wear. So last night I was mentioning to my housemate and her friend that I didn't have anything to wear for the event, and the two of them assured me that they had plenty I could wear - a hippie coustume, an Elvis costume, a cat costume... It was at this point that I began to suspect that something was fishy, and the connections began to leap together in my brain. "I'm going to take a wild stab here," I ventured. "Does "fancy dress" mean costume?" At which point they looked at me like I'd just asked what a potato was. Turns out, yes, the term "fancy dress" refers not to swanky posh outfits, but rather to costumes. And now I know.

Tonight is traditional Irish music night at one of the local pubs, The Persian. Trust me, I've had endless revelry and delight from the irony of traditional Irish music being played in a pub called The Persian. Most of the group that plays every wed. night are sisters of the two amazing women who own the cafe, and I got to hear a little of it when last I was here but it was late by then I was already a few sheets to the wind, so it'll be extra nice hearing them tonight from the very beginning and *realitivly* sober.

Yesterday was the first fairly nice day since I've arrived, and I thought how nice it would be to sit out in the sun with a book and get some fresh air and read. So after my shift eating cereal was over I wandered down to the local little bookshop and proceded to waste almost the rest of the day wandering around the shop, getting totally lost in all the great stuff they had that you don't normally see in an American book store. My quest to buy one book ended with me leaving burdened with the weight of ten, and the anticipation of many grey days spent by the fire with a cup of tea and my imagination. Always a dangerous combo.

And my last thoughts of the day have been about how strange it's been to basically pull up out of one life and replace it with such a similar one thousands of miles away. It's like a Twilight Zone episode. Everything is so oddly similar and yet so vastly different - even the weather! Like I've woken up in a parallel universe. Everything seems like a rough copy of my life back in Seattle, which, sigh, does not bode well for my love life! Ah well, at least I've got my books... and my poetry to protect me ;)

Scotland Options

2008-08-18T06:23:00.001-07:00

So while I'm here I'm hoping to get up tp Scotland for a while. There is a tentative plan to climb Ben Nevis, but other than that I've no idea of what to do. I'm not into big cities, I'd much rather explore the countryside, which does prove difficult when you have to rely on public transportation. So I just thought I'd ask the blog and see if anyone reading has any reccomendations for places to go and things to see. You can either reply in the comments section or you can e-mail me at ratempress@comcast.net

Thanks y'all.

Address

2008-08-17T07:50:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah, and should anyone like to send me any tibits or treasures, well, firstly be warned that it costs A LOT of money to post things to Ireland, but feel free to send as much as you like as it'll make me feel loved. Give it about, oh say, one or two more days before the honesickness descends and I'll probably really need all the love I can get!

Allison Cossitt
29 Cedar Grove
Carndonagh
Co. Donegal
Ireland

Alternatively you can send me e-mails of well-wishing as they will be much appreciated and free!

More pics

2008-08-17T06:11:00.001-07:00

The dancefloor at the nightclub

My housemate Leann

Marty Kelly, Eminem, me

The best bloke in Carn!
Walking home. The light from the steetlamps was a spectacular amber.

The benefits of jet lag and insomnia

2008-08-17T05:45:00.001-07:00

Finally the first Guinness back in Ireland!

The Arch, a local pub

Some very lovely Italian man I talked to briefly, let's call him Sergio, Marty Kelly, moi!

Jenny, the best chef in Carn

Saint Claire, me and Marty

Lemme tell ya about the craic last night. Well first lemme tell ya about craic. It's pronounced "crack" and it means any and all fun and happening. Instead of "how are you?" or "how's it going?" many Irish people will ask "what's the craic?" And last night the craic was ace! Not only did I go out, but I had fun! Trust me, I was just as surprised as all of you who know me as a notorious homebody. It started with an engagement party, punch and champange, continued at the pub with my first Guinness back in Ireland!!! and finished off at the local nightclub with dancing and a prismatic floor. Ah, it was great craic. Was it the jet lag, the slight insomnia I've been experiencing lately or just the rush of a brilliant night of, I was out until 4am and loved it.

Discoveries

2008-08-16T08:12:00.000-07:00

Phew. Just got through with my first shift - let's create a euphenism here to throw off the INS - my first shift eating cereal at the Carndonagh cafe. It's quite similar to eating cereal in Seattle, but the focus here is more on, oh, let's say more on the cereal and less on the milk. It's pretty straightforward but just having to learn all the ins and outs is always tricky, and four hours later I'm certainly feeling it. But it's a good feeling to have begun to actually live here and not just be a tourist anymore. I definitely think my time eating cereal at Ladro will prove a great benefit, just with the general flow of things in a busy cafe and such.

Interesting tidbit of note, turns out there's really no such thing as going on a first date here, especially in Carn but apparently for the most part in all or Ireland. It seems that two people hook up, in a bar or nightclub or someone's car, and as long as both parties agree, the two are dating. There's no "hey cute American girl, would you care to accompany me to the pub for a Guinness and thought-provoking conversation?" Rather, according to my fellow cereal eaters, there's the drunken hook-up, then you occasionally see the person, usually while out drinking, and more often than not, as quoted by one of the lades here, "the first time you see them sober is on your wedding day." Who says romance is dead?! It's just passed out on the couch snoring. Sigh. I think I should have lived back when wooing was more popular. Now it's a lost art, even in, and especially in it seems, Ireland.

It rains in Ireland. A lot.

2008-08-16T02:55:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning at the cafe, walked over in less than a deluge but more than a trickle. I forgot to bring my raincoat over and have yet to purchase an umbrella so really there's no complaining allowed. But there's actually not much to complain about. Sure it would be grand if there was sun sun sun but I'll just take being here. Plus it may be wet wet wet but it's surprisingly warm. Don't get me wrong, it's still chilly, let's total the layers worn walking here - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6! Yes I got up to 6! A new world record in layering, and if I had my raincoat it would have been 7. Mostly though I just don't know when I'll be home or how cold it will get as the day progresses so I figured I'd layere away and see what happens.

So this is day four of Guinness watch. Whilst I've had loads and loads of great cups of tea, I still have yet to indulge in that first pint of Guinness. Fear not! Unless all fails, tonight will be the night! Come to think of it, maybe the weather doesn't seem so bad due to the thick river of tea running through my veins. Now we just need to mix it with the Guinness and I'll be tops baby.

Not a lot going on yet, and really, all those who are anticipating wild adventures and crazy schemes are bound to be a tad disappointed I fear. Well, until I hop over to Scotland (which is still quite tentitive actually). Mostly the blogs will probably read like this - tea, cafe, tea, cafe, tea, Guinness, cafe, tea, rain. There. There's the blog really for the next two months! I'm off the hook! Sweet.

Carn

2008-08-14T09:16:00.000-07:00

So even though I just posted the last post, I wrote it yesterday at the aeroport but was just now able to send it off. So here's the skinny, and keep in mind that my brain is still a little addled so forgive any blatent misuses of phrase/speeling or grammer! So I arrived in Carn at my cafe where Marty Kelly was waiting for me. After some tea and chatting we took a walk to my future home for the next three months. Marty assured me that he knew where abouts the house was since he had lived in the same development a while back. Well as we approached he suddenly realized that I was to be living in the very same house that he had lived in a few years back. And not only that it's the very same bedroom that he had been in as well! So regard the amazing coincedence that everywhere I go in Carn, it seems I end up sleeping where Marty Kelly once slept. Trippy.

Speaking of sleep, after pretty much 52 hours of being awake I finally crashed at around 10:30 last night. When I awoke today it was pissing down rain and it was hard to judge the time. I figured it could have been 8am, could have been noon, who knows. So I'm sitting there eating brekkie and my flatmate comes in and asked if I was just up to which I replyed yep and oh what time was it. To which she replied oh a bit after four. Yowza! Guess I musta been tired yup. And now I gotta fly the cafe where I can get internet is soon closing! Love ya all!

Roommate Sandwiches

2008-08-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

Sitting outside the Dublin aeroport, freezing me arse off! Seriously doods I can see my breath. Outside at dinner in Seattle the night before I left I was in a sleeveless shirt and strappy sandals. Ah but I can’t really go complaining now can I? It’s not like I wasn’t mightily warned and, AND, I’m in feckin’ Ireland so what am I whinging on about? So chillily I’m waiting for my us to take me up to Carndonagh, my fingers bemoaning the gloves I left behind, rejected at the last moment before leaving, my adventurous nature balking “Ha! Gloves? I won’t need those in August, I’m hardy enough to withstand a little cool Irish weather!” And, to be sure, I am, it’s not like I’m huddled in a corner burning my short sleeved shirts to stay warm, it’s just that, well, yeah, being a smidge warmer would certainly be lovely right now. Another plus – the cold air is keeping me alert, lest I miss my bus from nodding off. It’s 1:08am right now in Seattle.

So let me tell you about how great my roommates are. Way, way, WAY great. I adore them. Last night I was out somewhat latish and I arrived home at a time when both of them are traditionally already abed. Well Jordan was up raving about some imaginary mothra devil inhabiting his room. It was coming out and apparently rifling through his sock drawer or something. I was busy dancing around, alternately heaving woeful sighs and bursting out in fits of delighted laughter so I can’t remember the exactly details. Nuka, awakened by our late night romping came into JHo’s room, where we all piled onto his bed and proceeded to chatter and giggle (well, I think I did most of the giggling) like high school girls loopy on pixie sticks. In spite of the late hour, they both stayed up for a while with me, each of us grateful for the others’ attention, understanding and loyalty. As always there was also a goodly amount of ridicule as well, couldn’t be a real heart to heart involving JHo without it. Finally, retiring became inevitable as we all had very early mornings coming up. We all smooshed together on JHo’s bed and dished up the best roommate sandwich that this world has ever known. It hurt a bit physically, I think maybe Nuka’s elbow was in my side and JHo was smashing my face, but it was the love that mattered. It was one big, gooey love sammish. Super!

I then proceeded to get a good half an hour of sleep in between bouts of various levels and themes on giddiness, and before I knew it, there was Z packing my luggage into his car, and there was Team Etruria Headquarters disappearing off into the distance. And now I’ve made it onto my bus and I’m on my way to Carndonagh! And eventually, somewhere along the line, I’m sure I’ll get some sleep.

And the idiot award to the year goes to...

2008-08-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

So. Yeah. Remember how I've been whinging about not being able to find a subletter? So I'd been advertising on craigslist and was just flabberghasted that I had not yet gotten a single response after three weeks. Finally I sat down to get to the bottom of things and figured out that one really needs to READ the e-mails craigslist sends, as the posting only goes through once you've confirmed it by clicking a link in the e-mail. The really insulting part is that I've used craigslist several times before this for roommate proposistioning. Gold star Allison, gold star.

BUT!

If one is a believer in fate, which I may or may not be, one may make the argument that everything plays out as it is supposed to, and today I found my subletter! He seems like a very good fit for the place, and perhaps this auspicious meeting would not have happened but for my lack of wits.

So that's a good bit o' stress off my back, I'm mucho relieved. The nerves seem to be slightly abating today, which is so welcomed as I've been getting maybe 4 hours of sleep a night recently. Honestly I'm not keenly sure how I'm still functioning. I chalk it up to the very same nerves keeping me up every night coupled with excitement and anticipation. Plus I'm kind of used to it thanks to the coffee job, my body has adapted to just powering through. Eventually the collapse comes though, hopefully on the aeroplane ride to Dublin! Plus once I get to Ireland and realize how dreadfully boring things are going to be I'll probably sleep through most of it!

Here goes - 64 hours and counting!

NERVES!

2008-08-08T00:44:00.000-07:00

So it's 12:44 Thursday evening and yup, I'm wide awake. This is even more impressive as I was awake today at 3:30am. Al's got NERVES keeping her up! I'm worried. I'm scared. This is somewhat shocking to Al. There's nothing really to be nervous about. Well, there is, but that's another matter. But the two in combination are making it especially hard to get anything accomplished! There is so much to do yet and it's so difficult to concentrate! Where am I going again? Why?!? What could possibly be my reasoning for abandoning my friends and rats and running off to Ireland? Is this really a good idea? I swear, I feel like a doubtful bachelor just before the wedding. But I also know that it's the most natural thing in the world for me to do. Of COURSE I'm going to spend three months in Ireland. Duh! Why wouldn't I? It's the sort of adventure that life is all about.

Reservations my friends. Turns out I have reservations. Whoda thought it? It's just so crazy to imagine myself a week from now, my world turned upside-down. I'm gonna love it, I know I am. If nothing else I'll love the change from the norm, the shaking up of life, THAT'S why I'm going, THAT'S why I'm leaving my comfort zone and pushing the boundaries of this life that maybe has become a bit too organized.

Sweet.

Now let's see about hopefully passing out...

Puffy Al

2008-08-06T18:53:00.000-07:00

A very happy half birthday to me! Well, it started out very happtacular indeed! It was a very nice day at work, and my co-workers and I hung out afterwards drinking Coronas and hanging out. Eventually we stumbled over to the local Queen Anne taco shop and had a delish bite of lunch, then parted ways and I walked back home. Egads then things changed! When I got home I began wheezing and I noticd that my face felt a little weird. Numb to be sure, but even more numb than 3 beers warrented. When I looked in the mirror I saw the right side of my face was all swollen and beginning to break out in hives! Yikes! Well I dunno what set it off but yer friend Al was havin a serious allergic reaction to something. Luckily after a few minutes I could breathe alright again, but my face stayed puffy and numb. It's finally almost all gone now. I couldn't believe how du I felt when I finally called my mom to tell her about it and she asked if I had taken any Benedryl. Oh yeah. That would have been a good move. So then I took some and my face is a whole lot less puffy and numb, but now my head is all fuzzy! Plus I've gotten a sum total of nothin done today as far as trip stuff goes, and will most likely fall asleep in a benedryl coma before anything does get done.

Ah but it really was a great morning.

Gearing Up

2008-08-05T14:46:00.000-07:00

I am at one week and counting. This time next week I'll be outtie.

I've found it difficult to come to terms with all the differing emotions flooding my system. It's such a mind farq, delightful excitment, worry, anticipation, not wanting to leave my friends, excited about meeting new friends, soooooo not wanting to abandon my rats and afraid that one or more may not be there when I get back (though to be fair, Nuka and Z are I think, more worried than I am about this one!). What if I'm totally bored over there? What if no one's nice to me (not likely but there you go, that's what worrying is all about). How do I get up to Carn? Where am I gonna stay? Three months seems at once the longest time in the world and so very very short.

I think also contributing to the anxeity is just the monumental task of gettting everything ready. Packing, cleaning, still trying to find a subletter, making sure all the finances are on order, doting on the rats before I leave them, trying to eat all the food in the fridge, life is hard.

Ideally I could just relax and let things come. That's what I'm trying to concentrate on lately. Due to other stress-inducing factors that have plauged me lately, life has been more up and down than usual. Well, no, just really more down than usual, and I'm trying to pull myself out of that mindset. So if I'm honest, the build-up to this trip isn't helping much! I keep almost convincing myself that I'm going to have a dreadful time, but I know it's just the nerves and sporadic sour mood talking.

Think positive, dammit! Focus on the joy.

Hello Again!

2008-07-31T20:30:00.000-07:00

I'm baaaaaaaack! Soon to begin what I guess is part II of Al's Adventure. The surprise sequel I never could have known would take place when I first left home back in May. I guess that just goes to show you never know what the future has in store for you. Every day can hold new amazements and opportunities. And me, I'm rather prone to taking hold of those chances as they present themselves, and when the irish invited me back, well, how could I say no?

When I first got back to seattle it was actually kinda difficult to re-acclimate myself to the US, but now that I've finally settled down again I'm leaving again! I find myself getting so excited and then getting derailed by the thought of leaving my friends and my rats. It's like hot rocks in my chest. It's rather unsettling, leaving my life here for the almost complete unknown, not knowing what lies in my future. But then again I was just saying how great it is NOT knowing what lies ahead. It's just that I'm really really fond of my freinds, and we all know how crazy I am about the rats! But it's the challenges in life that seem to really stick with us, so onward to adventure I go!

Now, to answer the most asked questions...

I leave on August 12th

I'll be living in Carndonagh mostly, way up north, but I'll also be visiting the area around Galway and I'm probably going up to Scotland for a visit.

My roommate Nuka will be taking care of my rats

I haven't found a subletter yet, so if you know anyone who needs a place to live until early November please let me know!

Yes I'm excited

Yes I'm nervous

If there are any more questions, feel free to ask me in the comment section. Just don't ask about what I'm doing about work since I don't want immigration coming after me. Not that they will since I won't be working... not working... not working...

Smooches all!

Photos are up!

2008-05-31T17:52:00.000-07:00

Hey-o! I dunno if anyone is still checking this, but just wanted to let you know that my pictures are up at two places.

Here's the long version

http://www2.snapfish.com/home/t_=35810195;jsessionid=BBCFBEBB72DFF8476F0FA5A61E3DFFDD

It's on snapfish though, and I guess you have to sign up - just give a name and e-mail - to view the photos. The other option os the abridged version on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7564688@N03/

But they are in reverse order, so it's a little weird.

Take your pick!

Enjoy!

Whinging and waxing

2008-05-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

I *sob* don't *sob* wanna *sob* go hooooooooooome!

It's like the sun is finally breaking on the most lovely midsummer's night dream, and while I know that the danwing brings a gorgeous Seattle summer, it just breaks my heart to wake. I wouldn't trade these experiences and memories for anything.

From one of my favorite Gogol Bordello songs, titled Wanderlust King...

And presidents
And billionaires
And generals
They'll never know
They'll never know
What I have owned
What I have owned

I'll let y'all know when I've made it safey home, and as soon as I get my photos up on Snapfish I'll post the link here too. Thanks all for reading this, I honestly don't know how many of you there are/were, but I hope you enjoyed my adventure!

Cardiff

2008-05-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

A soggy day in Cardiff. Drizzle drizzle, and the Monet painting that I was so eager to see at the National Gallery was not there as they are currently doing renevations. I wanted to find a curry house for my last lunch in the UK, but to no avail. Had an unfufilling bowl of pea soup with mint. Then the tea shop had just sold the last scone. Well didn't I just have the feeling that I should stay away from the big cities this trip? Ah well. Back to Seattle tomorrow.

Caerdydd

2008-05-27T15:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, 16 people, one dorm room, not advisable. But another story for the archives, no? Light rail ride, ferry ride, long train ride and lo! I am in Caerdydd, or Cardiff to those few non-Welsh speakers who happen to glance at the blog from time to time. It's nice to be back in Wales - oh but my heart is torn now!!! Wales and Ireland go head to head vying for Allison's love. Who will win? We'll just have to tune in next year, to witness Allison's inevitable return. Yep, sorry Z, looks like Nepal may be off the table, I know where I'm needed. Or rather where I need.

Yikes it's gotten late as I've spewed out some e-mails. To bed I go, in my room all alone.

Ahhhhh, it's the hardships of life that make you really appriciate the goodstuffs.

Don't anger the French!

2008-05-26T14:59:00.000-07:00

Ok so I was meant to stay with this french guy in Galway tonight, but due to timing and getting stuck in Carndonagh I had to bail on him. I was nice and apologetic about it, but he seemed a little annoyed with me, and though he "wasn't passing judgement", he mentioned this and that about karma. Well "bollocks!" Thought I.

Then, tonight, karma bit me in the ass.

The brother of my host in Carndonagh lives in Dublin and agreed to let me stay with him tonight in Dublin, but I wasn't able to reach him all day and ended up a little stranded in Dublin. Luckily after a mere 5-7 minutes of panic I discovered a nice little hostel down the road and that's where I am now. So no one worry! I didn't piss off the french enough to have something REALLY bad happen, just slightly annoyingly bad ;)

And now off I go to sleep with 15 other girls. Hot.

Finally leaving Carndonagh

2008-05-26T06:17:00.001-07:00

Yeah, I got a little stuck in Carndonagh. Stuck in the best possible way. Sometimes the world decides for you, and suddenly you find yourself in a wonderful place with amazing people and you just have to stay for a while. I've felt so welcomed and relaxed here, I am rather loathe to leave. But off I must go.

Tonight, Dublin

Tomorrow, Cardiff

The day after, Seattle

How can a heart be so eager to be home again, and yet so broken to leave?

Finally a sunny day in Ireland!

2008-05-24T02:02:00.001-07:00

Woo-hoo! We're going to the beach!

At the Donagh Cafe

2008-05-23T06:13:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Yup, so I'm in Carndonagh, in Co. Donegal, which turns out is quite far away from the town of Donegal. I'm staying with Marty Kelly, a kind of local celebrity I guess. Either that or he's just a nice outgoing guy in a small town and so everyone knows and loves him. I think it's probably a bit of both. He's an artist, you can check out some of his work here...

http://www.blueleafgallery.com/

I arrived in town just in time to see the big Manchester United vs. Chelsea game, which was super huge and super fun. The local pub (well, one of them) was filled with people. I hunkered down with a pint of Guinness and watched the game up until the very last moment that Marty Kelly could stand it (what is with these European non-soccer fan?!) which was actually really rather close to the end, so it was kewl with me, espeically as at that point I was just finishing up the third pint of Guinness and really had almost forgot there was a game on ;p

So then we actually made our way to the Big Party that I had mentioned before, but the problem was that this Big Party had been scheduled on the same night as the Big Game, and not nearly as many people showed up as planned, as they were probably all go too dunk watching the Big Game. I was a little disappointed, it turns out there's a movie being filmed here, and Aiden Quinn had actually been at this Big Party only about a half and hour beforehand, I kid you not. I guess he's been all over town, I'm keeping my eyes peeled!

And, well, golly it's hard to believe that I'm now entering the home stretch - literally. I'm really torn between really loving my time here and really missing home. I honestly think it'll be quite difficult to travel anywhere else when my heart has been so won over!

Well my internet time is almost up here, smooches to you all!

Party with Marty Kelly!

2008-05-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

Just got to Donegal! Big party tonight. Good times. Will keep you updated.

Drogheda. Yeah, not so much.

2008-05-20T14:59:00.000-07:00

So, yeah. If y'all are planning a nice trip to Ireland, feel free to skip the excitement and really wild times that await in Drogheda. Before everyone goes running to fetch their maps, Drogheda is about 40 minutes north of Dublin. In spite of all my attempts, I wasn't able to find a single host or even a guide in Dublin, so I decided to skip it all together and go to a place where there was a host for me. Thusly I ended up in Drogheda. Well, ya know, I don't want to put it down too much. It's just a working class suburb of Dublin, with not a lot to distinguish it from all the other towns. And when you've just come from the stunning beauty of the Welsh countryside, this can be a bit, um, I think maybe the right word it "blech." Or perhaps the more ambiguous but nicer "meh."

So tomorrow I head to county Donegal, up in the northern part. Hopefully it'll be a little bit more to my liking. Ireland has a lot of catching up to do if it hopes to contend with Wales in the tender cockles of my heart, that's fer sure.

Hey, those who have an interest and very little else to do can check out

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crib_Goch

this is a link to the path we took up Snowden, the highest mountain in Wales. Poopsie, when you read about the people who plunged to their deaths remember that it's all over and I'm safe and sound. And I had the time of my life doing it!

Smooches!

Babble

2008-05-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

OMG I know it's been a while, hosts with no internet connection and grand super times! Ummmm, found a lovely farmer's market in Machynlleth, got lost on the North Wales bus service, met a wonderful couchsurfing host and his faboo pooches Rowan and Squirrel, ate pot noodles and drank waaaaayyyyy too much red wine, ate cake by a lake (and drank tea too!), climbed the highest mountain in Wales, watched Cardiff City lose the FA cup - booo!, hung out in a very Welsh pub with blue-blood Welshies, went clubbing in a converted barn in the middle of Welsh farmland, visited Conwy Castle, ate some delish Indian food and a helluva lot of scones and now I'm in Ireland, kinda stuck but biding my time in an internet cafe. I think I may know where I'm going, it'll probably work out all right ;)

Phew, I'm tired.

Miss you all!

Feck the Welsh word of the day - I'm in Ireland now!

The Super Bowl of football

2008-05-14T01:24:00.000-07:00

Hey check out what I just learned! So you know how crazy Europe is about its football (soccer to anyone who may not know) and the massive "big game," i.e. the "Super Bowl" is being played on Saturday, well for the first time since 1927, Cardiff City is in the finals! I'm thrilled that I'll still be in Wales then to watch it. Hopefully my host is in to football, but this is such a major thing, and my host is blue-blood Welsh, so if he's not planning on watching I'll be pretty shocked. Anyway, just wanted to share - Go Cardiff City!

Today's Word of Welsh -braf - (brav) - sunny!

Warning! Psycho terrier leg shot ahead!

2008-05-13T08:16:00.000-07:00

It really doesn't look that bad in the photo. It was something to behold in person though. Anyway, the next, or really last few posts have obviously been some of my photos, just a little sampler to give y'all an idea of what I'm seeing here. Let's see, the one below with the river is from Llanidloes, and there's various shots of stuff, i dunno, some farming machinery, a sheep skull, me, some bluebells, some sheep. I'm just amazed that I actually succeeded in posting pictures! Rad.

Or more of a technology hedge-wizard I suppose

2008-05-13T08:09:00.000-07:00