Posted by
towniegirl
comments (0)
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Dublin isn't on the list of the world's great fashion cities, but there's a real Dublin style and it's very cool and funky. I was never a girlie girl, but I've got more into clothes since coming here, and I LOVE all the flea markets and second hand stores.
Last week, there was a report in the newspaper about one of Dublin's fashion stores, A/Wear, which is celebrating 25 years with a big party on Grafton Street on November 10th. I've emailed in hope of getting a ticket, so fingers crossed.
Anyways, as it's the season for doing things indoors, I'm going to check out something else on Grafton Street; a season of short Irish films at the Bewleys Cafe Theatre. The time works pretty well for me as they are on just before I have go to to work most Thursdays. It's called "Discover Irish Film".
In other news, I've got a date! Tonight! It's a guy I don't know. As in, I've seen him but we haven't really met. He ate at the restaurant last week and left me a note on his business card asking me to call because he'd like to meet up for a drink. Bepe, my flatmate, is all like "That's sordid, don't go." But I think, why not? We're just meeting for a drink in town, so if it goes well, great, and if not, well, I haven't lost anything. Right?
Last week, there was a report in the newspaper about one of Dublin's fashion stores, A/Wear, which is celebrating 25 years with a big party on Grafton Street on November 10th. I've emailed in hope of getting a ticket, so fingers crossed.
Anyways, as it's the season for doing things indoors, I'm going to check out something else on Grafton Street; a season of short Irish films at the Bewleys Cafe Theatre. The time works pretty well for me as they are on just before I have go to to work most Thursdays. It's called "Discover Irish Film".
In other news, I've got a date! Tonight! It's a guy I don't know. As in, I've seen him but we haven't really met. He ate at the restaurant last week and left me a note on his business card asking me to call because he'd like to meet up for a drink. Bepe, my flatmate, is all like "That's sordid, don't go." But I think, why not? We're just meeting for a drink in town, so if it goes well, great, and if not, well, I haven't lost anything. Right?
Posted by
towniegirl
comments (0)
... the weather, that is, not me. It's been raining all day, it's windy, and it's cold. But what the heck, it's November after all, so it should be like this. Anyway, what do I care? I'm working long hours this week so I'll be inside most of the time anyway.
I'll tell you this, though: I bought a big bottle of Jameson whiskey yesterday, as well as some cloves, so as to be able to make hot whiskey at home. Although I like most -- OK, all -- Irish whiskies, I feel a sort of loyalty to the Jameson brand because I live so close to the distillery in Smithfield. I think, with this weather, a girl has a constitutional right to a stiff hot whiskey after work, don't you?
Exciting news at the apartment, too. My flatmate Bepe is moving to work at another restaurant, for more money. It's good for him and I think it's good for our living arrangements too because sometimes it's hard sharing living space with someone you work with. He is going to be working at a very fancy place and, seriously, I wouldn't be surprised if he wound being famous. I've also been thinking of maybe doing some professional cooking classes. You get a lot of experience in a restaurant and I never thought I'd be able to cook the things I already can, but I'd like to move it up a notch. Cue my Mom saying, "Is this why you went to university for five years?" But the fact is, there's a lot more work in catering than there is in Gothic literature, international crisis or no international crisis, and I kind of like the idea of being able to read my beloved books for fun, not work. Towards the end of my MA I had started to hate my favourite Dublin authors, Bram Stoker and Le Fanu, and now I can love 'em again.
One good thing about this awful weather -- it makes you go see all the exhibitions and shows you've missed because you were out doing something else. I'm going to check out a show about Metsu, a Dutch painter, at the National Gallery. Pretty cultured, huh?
I'll tell you this, though: I bought a big bottle of Jameson whiskey yesterday, as well as some cloves, so as to be able to make hot whiskey at home. Although I like most -- OK, all -- Irish whiskies, I feel a sort of loyalty to the Jameson brand because I live so close to the distillery in Smithfield. I think, with this weather, a girl has a constitutional right to a stiff hot whiskey after work, don't you?
Exciting news at the apartment, too. My flatmate Bepe is moving to work at another restaurant, for more money. It's good for him and I think it's good for our living arrangements too because sometimes it's hard sharing living space with someone you work with. He is going to be working at a very fancy place and, seriously, I wouldn't be surprised if he wound being famous. I've also been thinking of maybe doing some professional cooking classes. You get a lot of experience in a restaurant and I never thought I'd be able to cook the things I already can, but I'd like to move it up a notch. Cue my Mom saying, "Is this why you went to university for five years?" But the fact is, there's a lot more work in catering than there is in Gothic literature, international crisis or no international crisis, and I kind of like the idea of being able to read my beloved books for fun, not work. Towards the end of my MA I had started to hate my favourite Dublin authors, Bram Stoker and Le Fanu, and now I can love 'em again.
One good thing about this awful weather -- it makes you go see all the exhibitions and shows you've missed because you were out doing something else. I'm going to check out a show about Metsu, a Dutch painter, at the National Gallery. Pretty cultured, huh?
Posted by
towniegirl
comments (4)
As everyone knows, Halloween is fast approaching and in Dublin the excitement is mounting! I feel a bit silly confessing this but Bepe and I actually bought and carved a pumpkin last night and now it is adorning the outside window of our apartment. So if you're on Bachelor's Walk and you up to see a particularly scary pumpkin grimacing down at you, that's ours. I designed it! I'm disproportionately proud, but I'd like to think that my masters in Gothic literature is finally paying some dividends :-)
Purists will tell you that the real traditional lantern in Ireland is not made from a pumpkin but from a turnip. But as I've had a lot of experience chopping up turnips (they're widely eaten where I come from) I wouldn't relish the thought of trying to hack one of those hard things into a viable lantern.
Our boss at work has had a cool idea and has organised for us all to go on Dublin's Ghost Bus (in three shifts, of course, or the restaurant wouldn't open). It's going to be fantastic and very Halloweeny because they take you to all the scariest, most atmospheric places in the city. They have keys to all the historic cemetaries! I can't wait.
Halloween isn't even upon us and already my Mom is worrying at me about Xmas. I don't know how I'm going to tell her that there's no way I'll be able to get home. I can't leave work and I don't really feeling like going, anyway. Somehow it seems that I'm ready to have my first proper Christmas as an adult...
Purists will tell you that the real traditional lantern in Ireland is not made from a pumpkin but from a turnip. But as I've had a lot of experience chopping up turnips (they're widely eaten where I come from) I wouldn't relish the thought of trying to hack one of those hard things into a viable lantern.
Our boss at work has had a cool idea and has organised for us all to go on Dublin's Ghost Bus (in three shifts, of course, or the restaurant wouldn't open). It's going to be fantastic and very Halloweeny because they take you to all the scariest, most atmospheric places in the city. They have keys to all the historic cemetaries! I can't wait.
Halloween isn't even upon us and already my Mom is worrying at me about Xmas. I don't know how I'm going to tell her that there's no way I'll be able to get home. I can't leave work and I don't really feeling like going, anyway. Somehow it seems that I'm ready to have my first proper Christmas as an adult...
Posted by
towniegirl
comments (3)
I've loved the IFI since I arrived in Dublin, although lately I haven't been getting there as often as I'd like. It's not just an arty cinema, it's also a film archive. Every month they are doing free showings of old films from the archive at lunch time.
What a great idea! Of course, this is one of those things I think I'll get and then don't, because life and work get in the way. But I'm definitely going to go tomorrow. In fact, I'm going to try to work it into my weekly schedule somehow because it just seems like such a great idea. And of couse it's free, which makes it even better. So, hooray for the IFI. This month it's an American film about Ireland, made in 1961. I'm hoping there will be lots of street scenes as I'd like to see what Dublin looked like in 1961. I actually asked my greengrocer (born in 1955) what Dublin was like when he was a kid and he said, "Smellier, because in those days most people only had a bath once a week".
Anyway, I'm glad that people have showers nowadays!
And while I'm on the subject of showers, I noticed some long, red hairs in MY shower this morning. Now, as I'm blonde and my flatmate Bepe's got black hair, I think there must be a new girl on the scene. And he has such horrible taste in girlfriends, too!! I was out at the Cobblestone bar last night after work and didn't get in until late so I didn't see anyone. But the thought is annoying as this flat's just too small to have three people in it on a regular basis. The Cobblestone is great, by the way. It's a real "old man" pub, as in a genuine sort of place with great music. When you go in, you feel as though you're not just stepping into a pub, but into the countryside. I was surprised to see that they have such a nifty website, as a matter of fact. Anyway, highly recommended!
What a great idea! Of course, this is one of those things I think I'll get and then don't, because life and work get in the way. But I'm definitely going to go tomorrow. In fact, I'm going to try to work it into my weekly schedule somehow because it just seems like such a great idea. And of couse it's free, which makes it even better. So, hooray for the IFI. This month it's an American film about Ireland, made in 1961. I'm hoping there will be lots of street scenes as I'd like to see what Dublin looked like in 1961. I actually asked my greengrocer (born in 1955) what Dublin was like when he was a kid and he said, "Smellier, because in those days most people only had a bath once a week".
Anyway, I'm glad that people have showers nowadays!
And while I'm on the subject of showers, I noticed some long, red hairs in MY shower this morning. Now, as I'm blonde and my flatmate Bepe's got black hair, I think there must be a new girl on the scene. And he has such horrible taste in girlfriends, too!! I was out at the Cobblestone bar last night after work and didn't get in until late so I didn't see anyone. But the thought is annoying as this flat's just too small to have three people in it on a regular basis. The Cobblestone is great, by the way. It's a real "old man" pub, as in a genuine sort of place with great music. When you go in, you feel as though you're not just stepping into a pub, but into the countryside. I was surprised to see that they have such a nifty website, as a matter of fact. Anyway, highly recommended!
Posted by
towniegirl
comments (2)
I want to dress up for Hallow'een this year. I'd been resisting the notion for quite a while but what the hey. Hallow'een only comes once a year, and while I'm sure the festival has changed a lot over the years, it started here in Ireland, right?
So I've been pounding the streets of Dublin in the search for the perfect costume. The thing is, most of what's on offer are sexy little numbers of one kind or another, and I'd really rather go with a ghoulish look, in the spirit of the whole thing. Someone told me that a good way to make fake blood was by mixing corn syrup and food dye, so I might give that a go.
Anyway, most of the nightclubs about town will be having events for Hallow'een for the grown-ups but there's also a lot on for families and I'm seriously tempted by the fireworks display in Marlay Park or perhaps Airfield. Town is full of excited foreign students getting ready for their first Hallow'een in Ireland and it all reminds me of myself last year!!
I've been getting into the spirit of things. The restaurant where I work will be serving pumpkin ravioli this week and they only use the best bits of the pumpkin, so I've been taking home odds and ends with a view to making a gigantic pot of pumpkin soup this evening, 'cause I'm having a few friends over for a meal. I've never made it, but soup is my speciality, after all. I was thinking I'd maybe go up to Moore Street and pick up some fresh vegetables for a salad too. We'll probably be consuming way too many calories in liquid form this weekend, so it makes sense to eat healthy tonight, right?
The weather is so amazing right now. It's coldish (it's the end of October, after all) but it's bright and sunny, and the city looks just beautiful. In the parks and on the leafier streets all the trees are in their fall colours, and people are wearing knitwear and winter coats, which I think suit the Irish better than summer wear. All in all, this is my favourite time of year in Dublin!
So I've been pounding the streets of Dublin in the search for the perfect costume. The thing is, most of what's on offer are sexy little numbers of one kind or another, and I'd really rather go with a ghoulish look, in the spirit of the whole thing. Someone told me that a good way to make fake blood was by mixing corn syrup and food dye, so I might give that a go.
Anyway, most of the nightclubs about town will be having events for Hallow'een for the grown-ups but there's also a lot on for families and I'm seriously tempted by the fireworks display in Marlay Park or perhaps Airfield. Town is full of excited foreign students getting ready for their first Hallow'een in Ireland and it all reminds me of myself last year!!
I've been getting into the spirit of things. The restaurant where I work will be serving pumpkin ravioli this week and they only use the best bits of the pumpkin, so I've been taking home odds and ends with a view to making a gigantic pot of pumpkin soup this evening, 'cause I'm having a few friends over for a meal. I've never made it, but soup is my speciality, after all. I was thinking I'd maybe go up to Moore Street and pick up some fresh vegetables for a salad too. We'll probably be consuming way too many calories in liquid form this weekend, so it makes sense to eat healthy tonight, right?
The weather is so amazing right now. It's coldish (it's the end of October, after all) but it's bright and sunny, and the city looks just beautiful. In the parks and on the leafier streets all the trees are in their fall colours, and people are wearing knitwear and winter coats, which I think suit the Irish better than summer wear. All in all, this is my favourite time of year in Dublin!
Posted by
towniegirl
comments (0)
After a long, lovely period of mild weather, it's turned cold. Not nasty cold, because it's actually a very sunny day, but definitely time to root out the winter boots, gloves and coats and absolutely time to break into a hot port and brandy! The old-style bars about town have lit their fires, and there's a real feeling of winter in the air, even though it's not quite Hallow'een.
Anyways, somehow this colder weather makes me feel more like doing and thinking about serious things, so I've decided to splash out on a couple of tickets to see an Ibsen show at the Abbey theatre. I've never seen anything by Ibsen before although it's one of those names you hear a lot of, and although I spent 5 years studying literature. So it's definitely time to go.
On the homefront, I've been practising my traditional Irish fall recipes. Calcannon (spelling?) is a wonderful thing. Somehow you combine potatoes, dark cabbage and a few other ingredients and you get something wonderful. I'm not that fond of cabbage as a rule but I can make a big exception in this case. My local greengrocer told me that, at Hallow'een, the traditional thing is to hide money in the food for the children to find!
Anyways, somehow this colder weather makes me feel more like doing and thinking about serious things, so I've decided to splash out on a couple of tickets to see an Ibsen show at the Abbey theatre. I've never seen anything by Ibsen before although it's one of those names you hear a lot of, and although I spent 5 years studying literature. So it's definitely time to go.
On the homefront, I've been practising my traditional Irish fall recipes. Calcannon (spelling?) is a wonderful thing. Somehow you combine potatoes, dark cabbage and a few other ingredients and you get something wonderful. I'm not that fond of cabbage as a rule but I can make a big exception in this case. My local greengrocer told me that, at Hallow'een, the traditional thing is to hide money in the food for the children to find!
Posted by
towniegirl
comments (0)
My friends at Dublin Tourism have just given me a "Visit Dublin" app that someone over there has developed for the iPhone. As I'm the proud owner of an iPhone as of a couple of weeks ago, I've been having some fun trying it out. It's not really for me anymore as I've been here for quite a while now, but I think it would be cool if you were visiting and didn't want to carry a guidebook around. For the spatially challenged who get lost easily (hi Mom) it's good because it gives directions.
Anyways, if you are planning to visit Dublin you can check it out here.
Though I haven't been babysitting much lately, I've picked up some work watching the kids I used to take care of every Saturday over their mid-term break, which starts next week. I've totted up the hours and that means that next week I'll be working at least sixty hours. But it's all in a good cause: Christmas.
Anyway, the good news is that there's actually a lot on over Hallow'een and because their Mom likes me to take them out and about as much as possible, we'll probably be doing that. I hope it won't be too cold because I'm thinking that our best option is probably a Hidden Dublin walk. Or not. I just checked and it's adults only. But I do want to do it anyway!!!
Anyways, if you are planning to visit Dublin you can check it out here.
Though I haven't been babysitting much lately, I've picked up some work watching the kids I used to take care of every Saturday over their mid-term break, which starts next week. I've totted up the hours and that means that next week I'll be working at least sixty hours. But it's all in a good cause: Christmas.
Anyway, the good news is that there's actually a lot on over Hallow'een and because their Mom likes me to take them out and about as much as possible, we'll probably be doing that. I hope it won't be too cold because I'm thinking that our best option is probably a Hidden Dublin walk. Or not. I just checked and it's adults only. But I do want to do it anyway!!!
