Good Morning, Mrs. Bliss!

Before the weekend begins in earnest, I'd like to post two things for your reading pleasure (or non-pleasure). The first is the poem that was jointly written by myself, Maire and Helen. I posted my contribution last week and we met up this week to write a poem from three separate poems. It was really fun! I think all three of us enjoyed the process and even though our poems were originally about three different things (the ocean, Rome and Giles County - all with the title of happiness), I think our finished product reads pretty well.

Felicita

The angels and the sculptured men

Learning to fly, free falling into growing up

Heaven was above my head

And beneath my feet some pebbled stones

Picture me, sandwiched between hot breath and not so sculpted bodies

Then comes the snow, two hours delay

She lingered until my mouth was warm

As he lay beneath its blank ceiling; belly bent and crumpled

Falling in love, serious this time

The sound drew closer as my ears froze

His exhausted body is sketched into history

Whether you want it to be or not, this knowing

Other than its place upon this globe

As round as an orange under light

Preserve the colour, colour, colour!

Heaven and eden belong to him now.

The second post comes from our Writer's Workshop response. Our speaker mentioned a project she had worked on about a woman being shot by the IRA. It was based on true events and when she researched it, the papers listed the cause of death as "Death by Misadventure". While her topic was serious, the phrase stuck with me because as some of you know, I frequently refer to my dating life as a misadventure. SO, with that thought in mind, I recalled a short story I had heard a couple years ago (courtesy of SJB), based on a personal ad. So the following is my own effort. I hope you like it.

Death By Misadventure

WANTED

SWF looking for SWM. Also looking for a LIFE. If the said male could contribute to this, the author would gladly agree to a second date. Looking for male who is kind and funny, also would prefer intelligent. Would prefer a life that does not require author to work in a chocolate factory but would very much like to eat chocolate, should the male provide this for her. Other things that would contribute to success: enjoyment of foreign films (author would like to note she would not judge male for NOT liking foreign films, but a willingness to watch would suffice), appreciation of fried foods (excepting oreos and twinkies as author finds these disgusting). In fact, though the author does not discriminate against vegans or vegetarians, she would very much like to not date one, as she enjoys bacon cheeseburgers and would not like to feel more guilty than she already does for consuming them. That being said, she welcomes candidates of all backgrounds and walks of life though a lack of criminal record provides an advantage. Author would like to highlight the fact that she does not seek a male to provide her with a life necessarily as she is sure she can find either one on her own. However, as she is clearly making an effort it seems silly to look for one and not the other. Qualities looked for in life would involve a certain amount of travel, though not anything that involves natural disaster or life or death situations, author would like to clarify she wants to travel for recreation only. Some things to consider before replying to this ad: as author condones full disclosure of all information to any replies, she wishes to come clean about a few things. Author does not have room for chickpeas or pickles in her life old or new and would greatly appreciate her future and perhaps potential life partner to respect this. She also would like to stress that although she is looking for adventure and excitement in life she does not look for drama (unless, of course, it involves the New York Metropolitan Opera or any community theatre performing musicals or Tennessee Williams). New life must be an upgrade from present life as the author is content at the moment where she is and would not like to digress but rather broaden her scope beyond Ben and Jerry’s Dublin Mudslide, the Princess Bride, the Disney Channel and singing Taylor Swift in the comfort of her own vehicle. She would very much like if she is not judged but rather cherished for these things. Lest she be categorized as flighty, the author would like to emphasize that she would never expect something of her partner she is not capable of herself. The author also enjoys crossword puzzles and public radio, as well as documentaries and volunteer work. Respondents are not required to share all of these interests, but those who do not will most likely not be compatible with the author and will therefore be discouraged from responding. Goals in life include learning a new language, traveling through Africa, owning a neon purple motorbike, living on the water and dying by misadventure. If a SWM or LIFE should be interested you can reply care of this publication. The author of this ad looks forward to hearing from you, but not overanxiously, as she does not want to appear desperate or too willing.

Happy Halloween!

Happiness... is a warm gun, mama.

So much can happen in a few short days sometimes. Other days drag by slowly, but oh no, not on this bank holiday weekend. It all started while I sat curled up on the couch in the living room, typing away. The door opened and I could hear voices then Ryan opened the door and said, "do you want to meet our friends?". Yes, dear readers, the boys have friends, these particular friends being from Derry. No, I couldn't understand them most of the time. Still, the boys were excited to have their friends around, and it was pretty amusing to see them hungover the next morning, then head out to go fishing, yes fishing, and come back and attempt to prepard and eat the "catch of the day". The house smelled like fish for two days. Yuck.

Yesterday threatened rain and turned cold. I was feeling pretty stressed because I hadn't been as productive as I wanted to be, but to take a break from writing a book review (that he changed his mind and didn't even ask us to turn in), I went to the bookshop to pick up some books for class. On my way there, I popped into a little dress shop that sells the coolest looking clothes (and hats). This place is right up my alley, except for the price tag. So, when the American woman and her daughter asked for directions to the city museum and the cashier fumbled, I offered to walk them there myself. I was going that way anyway. Turns out, it was a family from Florida on vacation. Karen was the mother's name and I don't remember the name of her husband, but they had two kids. It was the dad's birthday and they're from St. Augustine. So that was a nice detour. I headed on to the shop and only found one required reading, BUT I also found a book about irish women journalists from 1969-1981. YES. This may work its way into a non-fiction or women's writing project. I'm pretty excited about it.

When I got back to the house, the boys were heading out to buy firewood and a pumpkin. So they built a fire and brought me a pumpkin to carve. I was so excited! Such great roommates! It was a lovely evening with the three of us working away at projects (Kasha was over at Colm's) and then Noel went to get more firewood. This is when we discovered that the outside pane of our glass door had cracked in tiny little pieces. Fantastic. Bertie is currently in the States for a wedding, so...yeah. The door looks sort of cool, but we're definitely not using it.

This brings us to today, which was dreary and rainy from the moment I woke up. Yuck. But, I got FOUR letters in the mail today (thanks Maw Maw, Louise, Sheree and Danielle!) and the rain stopped long enough for me to walk to campus. Excellent. So, I returned my library books, picked up the second required reading (the one I didn't find in town yesterday) and bought myself an almond latte. The barista there is really nice, but she can't hear me. She never hears me say almond and I always feel so bad for having to repeat myself. I also really like the almond latte because they always put AL on the cup, and have no idea those are my initials, and it's a bit of silliness to brighten the day. Today, however, I was also thirsty for something cool, so I went to the vending machine for another splurge, a coke (I haven' t had one in weeks). The machine was broken. No worries, I thought to myself, I just run back downstairs and go to the vending machine there. That machine didn't work either. Conspiracy! Just beside the coke machine, there is a water and Powerade machine. I only had enough change with me to buy a Powerade (which I haven't had since high school when there was a machine outside the back doors of the gym), so of course, I chose the blue one (berry and tropical fruit flavor). Out popped not one, but TWO Powerades (the second one was orange). This I took as a sign and I scooped them both up and headed to class to talk about Marilynne Robinson, plot and landscape. Now, here I am, listening to my cool new Acoustic France cd (thanks Danielle!) and preparing to read more poetry criticism. And eat. Let's not forget that. Kasha brought home cake :)

Two Posts in One Day?! Yes, yes the apocalypse is coming...

Okay, this is my last post for a few days. For the record, the second post isn't a practice in procrastinating. I've finished my poem from another poem. Now, this poem will be cut up, line by line and transformed into another poem mixed with elements from poems written by other people in class. So, before it got chopped, I wanted to share it, as I was inspired by all the football posts this evening. Hope you like it!

Happiness (homage to Giles County)

four seasons, not the hotel

starting with apple cider and hot chocolate

girls in jeans and letterman's jackets
while the boys take the field in shoulder pads

then comes the snow, two hour delays

painting your nails and curling your hair

ringlets that fall before the first bell rings
softball practice begins before the thaw
breaking your arm before Disneyland but after Prom, thank God

summertime and the living would be easy

if only you could tan and he would pick you up

meeting everyone else, lazy days at the river

learning to fly, free falling into growing up

understanding you're still in high school, just older

longer days, shorter vacations, wider hips

paying eighty dollars to see Tom Petty and pretend

you're still in college and your beer is free

except you're not and suddenly you're salaried

meeting up with girlfriends at kid friendly restaurants

and giving money to the little leaguers

buying boy scout popcorn and PTA chocolate

never missing a Sunday to visit your mother

talk baseball with your dad, politics with your brother

falling in love, serious this time

whether you want it to be or not, this knowing

everyone else's business but somehow relishing

all four seasons, not the hotel

Mission Statement/Mission Impossible?

It's cold and wet. Again. I feel as though I'm truly preparing myself for a life in the Pacific Northwest, should I ever want to go back. Also, it's Friday and I've decided that since I have a 3 day weekend, I should probably stop slacking and actually write a legitimate blog post. This is also a good reason to procrastinate a little more.

On the agenda this weekend (schoolwise): a completed response to the Writer's Workshop yesterday on Reviewing which means I'll be attempting to write a comedic short story about an author meeting a reviewer who hates the author's work. Typical plot, I know, but I want to try something funny. THEN, I'll attempt once again to write a poem from another poem, this one on happiness or celebration. It doesn't sound hard, but when you try to write it from another poem, holy cow. Not so fun anymore. After this I will write a review on a book I haven't written and discuss my strengths and weaknesses and then continue to write a piece stemming from an art exhibit that scared the bejesus out of me yesterday. To explain: the effect of multiple projectors in a darkened room playing silent film and photographs is creepy. When you put two t.v.'s at each end of the exhibit and the sound suddenly turns on without warning, that's terrifying. Especially when you're the only person there at 3 in the afternoon and it's drizzling (surprise) outside.

So, those are the more pressing assignments. Somewhere in there, I'll be in the library reading the hardest book of poetry to find ever and also reading criticism for said poems. The girl doing the presentation on this author (Eavan Boland) emailed us some suggested reading and said she was going to focus on the "victimization of women". I love feminist topics. Honestly, I do. Still, I'm going to make myself happy with an almond latte and maybe a scone. Interesting doesn't have to equal depressing, but we're definitely into depressing territory now.

That being said, I full intend to enjoy my weekend, rain or not. Unlike last weekend which was consumed by feeling awful (side note: there's a commercial for a cough syrup that shows the ugliest/cutest mucus thing that continues to attack people, almost like a puppy, it's hilarious), this weekend is going to be productive. I plan to do some shopping, a little exploring and a LOT of writing. Combine that with Geribody (aka Spice Girl) yoga and you've got yourself Allison in Ireland. Next weekend is Halloween and it looks like most of the friends I've made will be out of town, but never fear! Despite the fact that I have yet to come up with a costume, my early friends, the international kids, will be around, so I'm sure fun will be had. I'm also planning on venturing up to Kylemore Abbey and the Connemara area next weekend to look at gardens and cottages and castles turned to religious purposes. Until then, I'll be baking and eating and studying. Life is good.

Makeover!

Yesterday I got an e-mail from my dear Summer J. Brown. Allison, it said, I've made you a new blog header, if you like it, we'll skype and I'll talk you through the html codes. Well, this conversation basically turned into the usual exchange, with me being hopelessly inept at technology and SJB working her magic without my help. Then, knowing I would never make the blog look any better, she offered a full blog makeover. Ladies and Gents, this is the result of maybe thirty minutes of the talented SJB's time. I hope you enjoy it!

A quick life update

This past weekend and week beginning have been alternatively exciting and uneventful. I did end up going to the Fiction Slam on Friday and reading. I didn't pass out, thank goodness, but my knees were shaking! In fact, a friend from class, the super talented Sarah Griffin won the whole competition and a bottle of wine! All in all, it was a successful night, minus the nose congestion. I walked home and promptly went to bed, feeling pretty rough, but not awful. That came on Saturday. Miserable is the word that comes to mind. The boys had a friend visiting and they made me drink a whiskey and go to bed. Have I mentioned my roommates are awesome?

Anyhow, Sunday was much better, complete with a depressing but compelling book for Irish Women's Literature and... a Hugh Grant chick flick. Notting Hill never gets old. Monday, of course, was poetry class. As usual, it was amazing, even if I couldn't really breathe because my head cold was now a chest cold, but still! Today was fiction and it was more interesting than usual. I always love talking about readings for class, but since it's a fiction workshop, I'd rather we talk about what we're working on, and we almost got there today.

This evening, I made scones with crystallized ginger. I have to say, they're pretty tasty. I may even attempt yoga tonight in my newfound industriousness. I may sound like a man, but I don't feel as bad as I sound. Now, it's off to read a few articles for tomorrow's class!

A Gentleman and A Scholar? To Be Determined

As a special request, I'm writing this blog about my roommate, Ryan. You see, Ryan is paranoid that I spend my entire blog writing about him. In fact, he may even think I write all of my stories about him. So, I'm dedicating this entire blog to dear Ryan Kelly, just so that he can say he's right (he loves being right).

When I first arrived in Ireland, I obviously had no idea what to expect and hoped I would luck out and have great roommates. Clearly, this has been the case(yay Kasha and Noel!), but a special word about Ryan. We call him "The Professor" he's such a serious seeming boy, studying Classics and English. Some mornings, you can find him with his cup of coffee or tea, listening to the news and reading the paper. I mean, what else can you call a twenty year old who reads Plato and Wordsworth and enjoys it AND is up on current events? According to our dear Noel, Ryan doesn't particularly like this, but it's fitting and I think it has a ring to it. Ryan, you'll thank me later in life. In some ways, he reminds me of (brother) Phil because he can be quiet and serious and then joke around, when he wants to, that is.

Our dear Ryan loves his football(soccer) and in fact, has a cousin who's currently playing for the Ireland 19 and Under team. You can hear him sighing in agony over an awful play or letting out yelps of delight when something good happens. You can also find him in the back garden kicking around the soccer ball he stole from the street on any given evening. It's all rather endearing. Just like Phil, you probably should give him space when his team loses. I'm telling you, dear readers, it's like having a little brother around, he even shares his popcorn and makes me tea sometimes. Though he doesn't giggle or call me when he has a joke to share. I do miss that.

Though he may be paranoid, chivalry is not dead in Ireland. It's true, I've called him a mean spirit (and he is when he decides to cease conversation prematurely or scare unsuspecting people in another room, cough cough), but both he and Noel agree that the man should walk closest to the oncoming cars, so they would get hit first instead of the girl. And let's not overlook the fact that they did buy me a Hannah Montana birthday cake, despite the fact that I'm 25 and no one over the age of twelve should ever request a cake like that. So this is just a little appreciation for Professor Ryan Kelly for all of his paranoid, sometimes gruff and well meaning ways. Rest assured, living with these boys (we can't forget Noel, these two are a bromance for the ages), I won't get run over by a car or ever have to go without tea, and I might learn something about football (soccer) while I'm here. They even do the dishes! So is it far to say Ryan Kelly deserves this dedicated blog post? Perhaps so or perhaps not, but it'll make him blush anyhow and to me, that's a job well done :).

A is for Academics

It's definitely a hot chocolate kind of day. A hot beverage of any kind really. Also, I suppose it's technically night here as well. I slept pretty late today and then headed off to class to discuss incestuous rape, contraception and abortion. You know, just a light hearted topic for today's class discussion. We were reading "Down by the River" by Edna O'Brien. It's a really hard book to read and also a hard book to put down. The book is loosely based on the 1992 X Case in Ireland. Really interesting stuff. Edna O'Brien herself is interesting, I'm going to have to read more of her.

In other news, our poetry assignment this week is to write a poem about an animal without giving it human characteristics. Yikes. For fiction we have to take an experimental structure and write a story within that structure. For example, we could use a calendar or letters. I'm going to write a fake biography, complete with fake interviews. At least, I hope. Tomorrow, I have my second meeting with Eva about my poetry. So cross your fingers that it goes well.

This weekend, there's a Fiction Slam at the Spanish Arches. I'm definitely going but I'm not sure if I'm going to read anything. I've never done one before! Either way it should be fun. At the end of the month, Herbie Hancock is going to be at the Cork Jazz Festival, so I just MIGHT check that out. We'll see. For now, I'm off to make that hot chocolate and write!

Yes, I'm Still Alive

I know it's been a week since my last post. I promise nothing that exciting has happened. The first semester is halfway over and it feels like I just got here. There's so much left to be done! And here I wasted my weekend sleeping and doing nothing in particular. We have our second meetings with Eva on Thursday, so that's something to look forward to I hope. This afternoon consists of writing a story for Fiction class, doing a little poetry work and enjoying the sunshine and lack of really strong wind. It might also involve a bit of sleep, cleaning up around the place and cooking dinner. See what I mean about exciting?

Nonetheless, I'm having fun and I'm really glad I'm here (especially when it's not raining). I hope I'm learning something as well. And speaking of that, I'm going to write for class now. I promise adventures will be forthcoming!

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip

Note to self: When traveling somewhere you've never been before, get a map. Also, bring along a snack, just in case. Popcorn doesn't count. When a relative stranger offers to buy a drink, accept gracefully and order food. Never ever accept a second offer of drink before eating food, and especially don't get on a boat afterwards thinking an apple counts as food. It doesn't.

The people on Inis Oirr (Inisheer) are really nice. The island is so small that everyone knows you're not a native but they wave to you anyway (or in the case of one of the men I passed on tractors, shakes his head as he passes you the second time). I woke up early on my Friday off (I love how this works out) and walked into town. As soon as I see the bus to the ferry, rain starts to pour. I mean, this was violent. I duck under an arch and think to myself, "Why didn't I buy an umbrella yesterday and bring my scarf today? I'm going to be miserable." I headed towards the ticket office anyway when the rain let up and got my boarding passes and then waited in line. It rained off and on during the bus ride. Outside it was freezing, I literally shivered as I boarded the ferry. A slightly wild looking man asked if I had a waterproof jacket and looked at me doubtfully. This couldn't be good. Nonetheless, I found a seat and settled in. I like boats and I like water. I don't like being cold, but it wasn't as if we were going to get splashed, we had windows protecting us. And so we started off. The ferry wasn't very crowded. This ferry went to Inis Oirr (the smallest of the islands) and Inis Meain (Inishmaan), the most deserted. Another ferry took those who were going to Inishmor, the largest and most tourist frequented, and I'm sure it was crowded. In fact, I think pretty much the entire bus went to that ferry except for me.

If anyone gets motion sickness, you would have thrown up on the boat ride over. The end of September isn't exactly tourist season because the weather starts to turn towards the winter. The wind is strong and the rains frequent. I felt like I was on one of those carnival rides that swings you up and down and on and on. It was rather fun. After awhile though, it felt like I was being rocked, so I just laid my head on my knees and napped a bit. I woke up to see an old man sitting next to me. He grabbed my arm and asked, "Do you know where you're going?". I said no, I figured I'd just roam around, the island wasn't that large. So he proceeded to tell me where everything was on the island in his curious accent (It sounded more scottish than irish). Then says "So now you know" and walked off. Then the boat landed and I found myself on the island with almost 5 hours to kill.

The first thing I did was buy an apple, a juicebox, a mini bag of popcorn (seriously, if you don't like plain popcorn and cheese and onion chips, you're so screwed), and a bottle of water. Then I set off against the wind, uphill towards a castle I'd seen. I never got there. The entire island is covered in stone fences and the roads are like mazes. After a brief, light shower, the sun came out and the day turned gorgeous. There was a rainbow and then, sunshine. The wind was ridiculous, but what can you expect when you're on an island that you can walk completely around in 3 hours. I don't know where I went, but as I tried to get to the castle, I found myself on the other side of the island. I ran into a girl walking her dogs (a giant black dog and a yippy jack russell looking character) and that was it, for at least an hour or more. I saw a lighthouse and found myself talking to cows and watching the waves beat up against the shoreline. Beautiful doesn't even begin to describe it. On my way back to the other side of the island, I met a man I'd seen on the ferry coming out of a house. Turns out, his Granna lives there and he was incredibly friendly. He told me to go to the other end of the island (long ways) to see the shipwreck that's in the opening credits of Father Ted. Also, the church next to Granna's house is apparently used in the t.v. series as well. Who knew? So off I went again, I found the ship wreck and also the graveyard (the scottish guy told me about this) with the sunken church in the center. This sounds creepy, but it was my favorite part. I walked down into the Church and sat on part of the stone wall and just, rested, for awhile.

On my way back down the hill, I ran into two people I'd seen on the ferry. Turns out, they were from Boston and heading to the pub. I figured I'd join them since the pub most likely served food and I was getting pretty hungry. Except, I didn't get any food. Instead, my new friend Chris bought everyone a drink. Then, Chris, Holly and I met Margaret. An island local. She bought us another round. There was much talk about the Irish language and Irish music and Christy Moore performing in Killarney in April (apparently, I'm going to this). Then I had to leave to catch the boat, so off I went, happy to have made new friends.

The old scottish man hugged me when I got back on the boat. I ate an apple before boarding and hoped it would soak up the beer. This didn't happen. Still, I sat on the top of the ferry all the way to Inis Meain enjoying the salt, the sun and wind. The second part of the journey was longer and I found myself wishing I had a loaf of bread or something as I nestled down in my seat below. I fell asleep and woke up to find that the mainland was freezing and I still felt a little boat sick. The bus ride back was mainly quiet and I decided I'd splurge on a cab to get home, especially since I'd spent 3 euro the entire day, a journey day no less! I met a pleasant lady from Vancouver on the bus and we talked about islands for the rest of the trip. When we were leaving, a french guy woke up from his nap and asked if I knew where we were. "Is this the end?", he asked.

I walked up the row of cabs until a found one with an older man as a driver. Without thinking, I said "Would you like to take me home?" to which he laughed and said "If only this were 40 years ago!" My cab driver was a former fisherman and he told me that winter is indeed on its way quickly. He knows these things. He's studied the weather for years. He also knew a shortcut home, cutting an 8 to 10 euro trip down to 6. SIX! He asked about Virginia and West Virginia and I told him the 460 East joke. That got a chuckle. All in all, I'd say my day trip was a success. I drowned my stuffy nose in pizza and curled up in my blankets and fell asleep. I woke up today thinking there was a kitten in our house and ended up cleaning my room and sending in Monday's assignments for class. I also bought some vitamins (well vitamin c and zinc) tablets. I'd say today was a success too. Now I'm off to clean the kitchen. I hope.