HGTV's House Hunters International in Cork

Finally!  I know it's taken a bit of time, but here is the HGTV House Hunters International episode ("Put a Cork In It!") featuring yours truly.

As a double bonus, you now know what I (kinda) look like -- I've gone natural since filming this, so my hair looks quite a bit different now.  More on that in another post, I hope -- AND my true identity has been outed!  No help for the latter, so gotta go with it.  It probably means I'll be a bit less forthcoming with personal info, but then again I haven't been posting that much lately anyway, so six of one...

To Be Loved That Way

I'm watching Four Weddings and a Funeral for what must be the seventh or eighth time and I'm still in love with it, for so many reasons.

1. Hugh Grant in the early 90's was the ultimate leading man.  What was there not to like?  Cute British guy, slightly bumbling like we all (American girls) imagined cute British boys to be.  And that accent!  This was before the "incident" of course.
2. Romance, romance, romance.
3. With English accents!
4. Even though I can't stand her now (she's the worst part of the movie for me), Andie McDowell was one of my first role models for the whole American girl living abroad idea.
5. I love the idea of such a disparate but fun group of friends.  
6. Gorgeous wedding locations - village churches, Scottish castles... loved them all.
7. Weddings.  Like so many other girls, I still wish it would happen for me.
8. It's actually been awhile since I last watched it and doing it for the first time while living in Ireland gives it a whole other resonance.  There's actually a sense of familiarity now for the landscapes, the city locations, the characterizations.  And, yes, the accents!  Less exotic, but fun in a different way.
9. Great soundtrack.  I especially like Love Is All Around by Wet Wet Wet.  Mostly because of it's fantastic cover and co-starring role in another of my favorite movies, Love Actually.  Again with the Hugh Grant!
10. Finally, what for me is one of the most poignant scenes of any movie I've seen.  Matthew's reading of W.H. Auden's poem, Funeral Blues, at Gareth's funeral.  Isn't that what we all want, to be loved like that?

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

Another Reason To Miss Target

I'm attending a potluck meet up of Americans tomorrow with the theme of Mexican food.  We're all so excited because, Mexican food here?  Not good. 

While shopping for ingredients to the cucumber salad and the avocado and goat cheese dip I'm making, I had a brainstorm... margaritas!  Woohoo!!  What would make Mexican food even better?  Tequilaaaah. 

Unfortunately, I quickly came up on another roadblock placed by Rip-Off Ireland.  One pint-sized bottle of tequila = 35 euro!  What??? 

I soooo miss the Margarita Bucket mix from Tar-gay!  Add a bottle, freeze to slushiness in the (full-sized) freezer, and voila!  Good times.

What was I saying?

Wine and tapas-fueled conversational topics at Cafe Gusto tonight, egged on by Sabrina Dent and her friends Grace and Catherine (did I mention the excellent wine?):

• The validity (or lack of) of ethnic self-identification by non-immigrant (e.g., 2nd or 3rd generation, etc) Caucasians in the U.S. (don't blame me for this one!)
  
• Obama's chances of winning re-election in 2012 (Ok, yeah, this one was mine)
  
• The beauty of the neti pot (see my previous post here)
  
• Differences between the use of the family doctor and specialist gynecologist by women in the U.S. vs. Ireland
  
• Childbirth
• Liking or not liking your progeny
• Mental health status of old flames
• Why is it that my friends and family STILL haven't found me a cute guy
  
• Why parents of my patients piss me off so often
  
• The deficits in Ireland's foster care system
• Similarities between Ireland and Jamaica (see one of my blog's most read posts here)
  
• Different world views between Jamaicans (West Indians in general) and AA's
• How the attached found/met their spouses and (have I mentioned?) the need for my friends to get on the ball and introduce me to their single male friends!
• How my standards/requirements for men have changed (e.g., drastically reduced) as I've gotten older

I wasn't bored :-)

Great Things Go Together

... like amazing food made by great friends. And I'm not just talking about your run of the mill good meal appreciated by a friend's not-so-amazing palate.

My good friend, Sheila Dalton Neal and her husband, Matt, started Neal's Deli in Carrboro, NC (The Paris of the Piedmont!) a couple of years ago. They make tasty seasonal and locally sourced food that anyone would love. Including, it seems, the food critic from the The New York Times. Yes, THAT New York Times!


So, the article seems to conflate Durham, the headlining Southern town, with it's neighbor (and my old stomping grounds) Carrboro - two very different locales - but it's still plugging gourmet Southern/homestyle food so I can't complain too much.

I just love it when my amazing - and deserving - friends get what they deserve!

Oh, and this isn't Neal's Deli's first literary mention. Take a look at their previous mentions in Gourmet Magazineand Bon Appetit as well.

Now, if only I could get me some of dat right now!


Photos courtesy of New York Times

Spring Has Sprung!

Sexy open-toed sandals, a pretty patterned top and my new "boyfriend" jeans were the wardrobe of the day today as I lounged on the river balcony of the French wine bar with a friend enjoying a lovely dessert and a sparkling drink under a cloudless blue sky.

17 gorgeous degrees Celsius (63 F) after our bitter winter made this just a gorgeous day. I even had to take off my light jacket because it was too warm.

It was niiiice and, as a result, I'm feeling pretty full of myself as you can tell :-) Watch out, the sap it is arising!

Girl Alone in the Dark

So I get a call from a friend saying "hey, wanna catch a movie?" Well, in somewhat less American terminology. I'm leaving the gym feeling virtuous and tomorrow's a holiday, so I release my spontaneous side and jump on board.

Of course, since this is my life, she got irrevocably delayed (reasons very valid), so I end of watching Shutter Island by myself. In the dark.

Now, this is NOT a movie you really want to see by yourself. I felt kind of silly doing the fingers across my eyes thing with no one else familiar beside me to get the joke... and share the fear.

Suffice it to say... freaky movie. Really good and not at all horror, which I was afraid it was going to be, but freaky. I won't tell you what other freaky but good movie it reminds me of - I hate spoilers - but once you see it yourself you'll know exactly which movie I mean.

Just don't see it alone.

Party Diversity... Irish Style

Four French, two Polish, one Russian and a Jamaican-American go into a bar... Ok, it was an apartment, but it still sounds like a great beginning to a joke. And, happily, there was lots of laughter.

An evening out at a friend's place in Cork is definitely more international than ones I would be used to. And not just the guests, the menu too! Lots and lots of crepes, handmade by the authentic French husband of my Polish friend. Washed down with wine, juice and, most intriguingly, a lychee liqueur that I have just got to try again! Not often though - 21% alcohol. Eeek!

The entertainment was just as new to me (though probably not to anyone else on the planet). Besides the fantastic accents and lots of French flowing in the background; we ended up playing Rock Band on the XBox. As a XBox virgin, let's just say 62% to 77% in 3 songs ain't too bad!

Home Again

I don't think I told you (my lack of Internet is still getting in the way of anything but the most basic blogging - this update is via iPhone), but I just arrived home to the Triangle (NC) for a friend's wedding and general having of fun. I'm looking forward to seeing loads of friends (I've had to resort to writing out my schedule 'cause it's packed full!), a quick jaunt to Miami to see family, and taking care of a few errands.

I got here Friday afternoon and the wedding was yesterday at Fearrington House in Chapel Hill. It was beautiful, but relaxed and fun. A total success! Weeell, except for the grooms's aunt tripping and dislocating her shoulder, but aside from that....!

Today I get to see my church family at CHBC and lounge around at Weaver Street in Carrboro, before meeting up with my cousin and her daughter later this evening.

I LOVE vacation! :-)

Out of context

Ok, I was mad. Wait, I'm still mad. I'm so freakin' angry I could spit! But (because I don't have access to the web much... and whose fault is that?!), my Eircom rant went out without me having had a chance to blog earlier about all the cool things that have happened lately.

In the space of a week at the beginning of April, three great events occurred which made me very pleased with life. First, I passed my Irish driving test with flying colo(u)rs. Woohoo!! Then, the next day, I moved into my new apartment. Not quite enough space for my clothes (or my shoes), but it did prompt me to give away all the stuff that doesn't fit anymore, which is probably also a good thing. It's a great apartment and, despite the above mentioned drama, I'm glad I did it. I'm now right in the city and can walk to the gym, salsa classes, shopping (that I don't have space for), the English Market, etc.

Third, on Monday the 6th, the UNC-Chapel Hill Tar Heels male college basketball team showed why they're a DYNASTY and won the NCAA national championship. GO HEELS!!!!!

All in all, loads of good things happening lately. Including an upcoming trip home to the states for a friend's wedding and general having of fun :-)

Doesn't mean I'm not still pissed though.

Still Quite American

Random evidence from today that I have not yet completely acclimated to the Emerald Isle:

1. Have had the "Where are you from?" conversation several times today in response to being outed by my accent. From the guy at the food stall at Mahon Point's Thursday Farmer's Market, to the letting agent showing me available apartments (I'm getting tired of of the one I'm in), to 2 friends of friends at the pub tonight. They all have lived in or visited extensively in the States, but none of them could accurately locate North Carolina geographically.
   
2. Had another "what the heck is he saying?" moment in response to the pizza delivery guy's strong Cork accent. It still gets me sometimes. But I love hearing "You're a star" added on to the "thanks" at the end of sentences :-)
3. When my friend texted asking me to meet up with her and her partner* at the bar/restaurant down the road for some "scoops", my first reaction was "I didn't know Barry's served ice cream?!" It literally took me 5 minutes to figure out/vaguely remember that "scoops" is slang for drinks. And, yes, I did end up googling it to verify :-)
   

* For you Americans: no, "partner" doesn't mean she's gay. It's the generic word here for serious, long-term relationship, legally binding or not.

Flashback or Deja Vu?

Tonight felt so familiar. A group of hysterically funny women having too much fun together to worry about whether they're being too loud. Only instead of my Friday Night Girlfriend posse in the Triangle (Raleigh-Durham, NC) drinking Maker's Mark or wine and lounging around one of our houses, it was a group of 50+ year old Irish women and I lounging in the pub next door to the church where we'd all just finished choir practice drinking hot port, hot whiskey, and tea.

Surreal.

Birthday Surprises

So, the Big 4-0 is almost here, only 7 days to go, and I've already begun receiving some really great perks! My coworkers threw me a birthday lunch on Tuesday, complete with food (yes!), a beautiful filigree silver and onyx necklace, and a bouquet of flowers. So sweet of them!

Then, yesterday, the doorbell-from-hell rang as I was rushing to leave for work (late as usual), and what should I find leaning on my doorstep but a satisfyingly weighty box from my best friend, Heather, in San Diego. A total surprise :-) Can't wait to open it!

Almost as good a gift, though not necessarily birthday related, was this pair of beauties from friends at church:

"Dork Balls" - perfect name for the dorkiest, but most fun, pair of socks I now own! :-)

(Sort of) Wild At Heart

My friend L.K. from NC made a teasing comment today about how "wild" I've gotten over here in Ireland. I know she was (mostly) joking, but the fact is that there is a kernel of truth in what she said. There's something about having made such an earth shattering (to me) life change that makes it that much easier to try things and contemplate possibilities that would never have fit with my old self.

The pre-Ireland, pre-blogger me was caught in a rut of her own making, and she knew it. I could have stayed in my mostly comfortable, largely happy life and kept on doing the same things on and on. Eventually, my sense of being boxed in and living inside skin just a size too small may have faded away and left me, and that probably would have been ok. But, you know what? I like doing more than ok. I like finding myself chancing things that I would have pooh poohed or talked myself out of (I'm a great overintellectualizer) or just been too darn scared to imagine before. The box, the limits, I'd created for myself and talked myself into accepting was very familiar and very comfortable.

This? Isn't comfortable. Not at all. And sometimes I really feel it. I miss my townhouse, family, friends and the other great things that surrounded me in Raleigh. I find myself flashing to the most random images sometimes... being in my car driving down the highway at 74 mph (if you keep it less than 10 under the speed limit, the cops probably won't stop you); meeting up with the Friday Night Girls for Maker's Mark and random conversations about bodily functions; spending a quiet Friday night till late in Barnes & Noble with a truckload of books and something sweet from their cafe (a bookstore open till 11 pm!); long, reflective conversations with E.J.; the final moments of the Maundy Thursday church service before Easter; getting my semi-regular massage from John (best hands ever!) while Narada-ish muzak plays in the background. But, the happy truth is that I'm still glad I made the move. On the face of it, my life here is pretty normal, but just being forced out of my routine and forced to examine my assumptions and beliefs about myself has been incredibly liberating.

So yeah, pre-Ireland me would never have put her thoughts out on the web for anyone to see, hosted strangers in her house, chanced making friends online, flirted madly via text, or considered getting inked. Considering my previous comfort zone, that is pretty darn wild. But then, as I face the last few weeks before the big 4-0, I'm thrilled I took the chance to see what life could be like outside the box.

Baby thinks Barack Obama is #1!

Shameless plugging of my best friend's immensely smart child!

Start 'em young, I say. Or is it, "train up a child..."? :-)

Secret Worlds

Though apparently this secret subculture is neither secret nor out of the mainstream for anybody but me.  After repeated invitations and incredulous requests ("You're not on it?"), I've finally given into peer pressure and joined FaceBook.  Imagine my surprise!

How could I not have known that so many of my friends and family had already gone over to the dark side?  Phhht!  There goes my assumptions about the kind of people who join up to these things.  Grown, intelligent people do this!  People I respect!  What happened to all the teenagers and slackers who I assumed were the main denizens of this shadowy world? 

Maybe they're all on MySpace.

A first

I miss lots of people. Lots. And again I say, LOTS! But for the first time, I'm missing someone who left me behind rather than the other way around.

The Wayfaring Stranger and I had very little in common. She - Australian, blonde, mother of 2 kids (both with the cutest aussie accents!), and married to great guy.  I almost always end of friends with my girlfriends' husbands. They tend to make good choices :-)

Me - none of the above.

Yet, somehow, from the potential disaster of 2 kids getting plonked down next to a stranger at a dance recital, came a great friendship. Maybe it was our one thing in common, being expats from the colonies, but we bonded immediately and proceeded to make sure we always had a blast together. Whether putting together homemade pizzas in their kitchen, trekking to faraway festivals, or shivering together on a deserted beach in the middle of an Irish winter, it always worked.

Alas, life (and hubby's job) took her away from me and back to that sundrenched land of surfing and koalas.

I miss her.

The Real Thing

How do I know Loray's a true friend? I get included on her email invitation to one of her classic get-togethers out in the North Carolina countryside with kids and dogs and friends chowing down on pork ribs and deviled eggs and banana pudding. Not to mention the bourbon.



Then, when I call to whine about how I'm missing out on all the goodies, she responds not with sympathy but by making a point of chewing really loudly and smacking her mouth at how good everything tastes.



Nothing says love more than some judicious taunting at just the right moment :-)

Still hungry though.

All Is Not Lost

As a way to make up for my mini-meltdown rant last time, I thought I’d bring us back to a happy place. After all, I’m in Ireland darn it! What's not to feel good about? :-)

A list is always a good way to go. Here are some cool things that have happened in the past couple of weeks.

1. Spent last Saturday evening hanging out by the waterfront (Lee-side at the Clarion Hotel) with L&L, their new baby, and their assorted family and friends, some of who had just taken part in the Lee Swim, a 2000 meter (1.2 mile) race in murky and mildly icky water. Had a great hamburger, my first in a year! Got to hog the baby for most of the evening when he wasn’t at momma’s breasticles. That child can eat! For awhile, my shoulder served as a good substitute for his pacifier. Having reminded L&L that “once you go black, you never go back”, I now have a bet with myself on just how brown his first girlfriend is going to be :-)
2. Heard from two women who’d first contacted me as a result of this blog, one who’s visiting Dublin on a reconnaissance mission and one who’s actually now moved to Cork. Am hanging out with N. on Saturday and hopefully meeting up with A. sometime soon. Can’t wait!
3. Jamaicans in Ireland! Who knew? Got an email from L-A, another reader who, it turns out, has been living here with her family for some time. She told me of a planned Independence celebration in a couple of weeks. Nice! Now I just have to get up the energy to drive up and back to Dublin this August Bank Holiday.
4. Sunday dinner with friends from church. Great food and fun games afterward. I think the Americans there may have done a leeetle too much reminiscing for the Irish contingent, but you know how it is when expats get together. We just can't help it!
5. The iPhone came out! Sadly, I have yet to get one because of the worldwide shortage. And why did I not know to pre-order? But, hopefully, my name on the waiting list will come up soon. Maybe this Friday? Please O2, be merciful!

Girl Love

What's not amazing about being a girl?!

Exhibit One: celebrating all things girly with a night out at the Sex And The City movie (slightly cheesy at the end, but mostly a blast). Of course, we properly hono(u)red the spirit of the occasion with the necessary cute outfits and great heels. Dinner conversation centered on one gal pal's fully ripened pregnancy (she was due the next day) and the amazing shoes in the window of the boutique across the lane.


Exhibit Two: My new Salsa and Bachata dance lessons. Being the follower is just soooo much easier than having to think up which steps both you and your partner are going to do. No wonder the poor blokes sweat so much!


Exhibit Three: Visiting a 1st Class (1st grade) primary school classroom this week where, just by virtue of being A Big Girl and having an American accent, I was lavished with love and attention by a mob of the cutest little girls you ever saw. I was still smiling when I went to bed that night! I'm smiling now.