My Year of Meaningful (2011)

Tadgh the dangerous machine & Marie

Scott&Linda

Me & the Mr.

Padraig, Vincey, PaulW

Kalvin, Fiona's Paul, Fiona, and Scott 

. . . My optimisim is probably overactive, but hey, they almost managed to impeach Bill Clinton because he got his groove on with Monica (and said he did not have sexual relations with THAT woman). Maybe someone can actually manage to see that Monkey Face gets the recognition he deserves for being unethical on a much more important, and very, very, very scary scale. Which could adversely affect a hell of a lot more innocent people than one guy who liked gettin' jiggy in the oval office.

I suppose the sure-to-be-long-and-drawn-out process starts here, with the Dems and their Freedom of Information Act request :

In an interview on Monday, Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez admitted that the administration asked certain Members of Congress about getting a new law to allow spying on Americans without a warrant. Realizing that even a Republican-controlled Congress wouldn't authorize such a measure, they decided to manipulate current law and proceed with the program anyway.

Manipulation of a law like this is dangerous. The same Office of Legal Counsel used vague assertions of sweeping authority in the infamous torture memos. The victim of this reasoning is the rule of law itself -- when this administration asserts sweeping authority to step over any line of legality, it asserts that there are no lines at all.

Does this administration believe there are any lines it can't cross? Americans deserve to know. This administration must demonstrate clearly what legal authority allows it to disregard criminal prohibitions on unilateral domestic spying. Sign on to the request now -- it will be delivered on Thursday:

www.democrats.org/foia

The christmas party was cool! It's sunday now and I'm nearly over it, actually.

The countdown to 8pm on friday was pretty touch-n-go, as far as my non-existant accessories and shoes, etc. went.

I borrowed a cool silver necklace from Linda, and my dearly beloved managed to restore an old pair of black strappy heels from the depths of my "throw out" pile with a toothbrush and some black polish. I bought an ace pair of silver earrings for about 7 euro at the shop over the road at the last minute + fingernail polish WOO HOO! ! !

One thing sucked about the whole ensemble though: On thursday, I got the shit kicked out of my right shin by Tadgh, during the first 10 minutes of our soccer game. That bastard!!! I went in for a nice little innocent tackle, and lo & behold the bottom of his right shoe made contact with my leg, leaving a big fat bloody wound which had no hope in hell of healing within 24 hours. Bollocks!!!! I screamed at him: "YOU!!! YOU!!! AGHH!!! I have a knee-length dress for tomorrow!!! YOU!!! WILL!!! PAY!!!!" And then proceeded to verbally slander him the next day at the office. I spread the rumour and showed the scar to anyone and everyone. By lunch time had about 50 people in the office going up to him asking him how he could be so cruel to such a nice little girl, the night before the big black tie xmas affair. heh heh heh!

Poor little Tadgh. And he really is such a nice boy. And he was soooooo embarassed and sorry. But he had to pay.

Yeah so bloody leg girl looked pretty sharp except for the gaping wound which was so obvious right below the bias cut of my lovely black dress. Who the hell cared? Party was cool. First there was a mulled wine reception in the lobby of TheMetropole Hotel where we had it. Then a big 3-course turkey dinner with the nicest Bailey's cheesecake for desert that I ever had. Band. Dancing. DJ. MORE dancing. Hubby had a great time, we boogied til the wee hours and everyone availed of the free bar which meant lots of good stories for work on monday. But I behaved.

Fiona &Paul crashed at our house that night so they wouldn't have to taxi it all the way back out to Middleton, and as we walked back to our place and F. was whinging so much about her disasterously painful NEW shoes, I thought to myself "man, I'm quite comfy in these trusty old strappies. . . how lucky am I!?"

Saturday we all slept til 11 and ate breakfast at the Coffee Pot around the corner. Nice weekend all together.

Not much happens at consultancies during this period (the 2wks before xmas period). So we're all hanging around bored at work and reading what websites we actually ARE allowed to view during work hours (ugh, don't get me STARTED on corporate big brother...). This includes most news paper sites. I tried to (quickly) catch up on some non-european issues while I had the downtime.

Oddly enough, there seems to be one particular disturbing, common thread in the american news these days.

I read this article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10488458/

Then I read this article:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-12-16-patriot-act-senate_x.htm

While it's annoying to have so many links pasted in one blog, for the record, THIS is what it reminded me of:

http://www.adcritic.com/interactive/view.php?id=5927

... That link was something (amazingly enough) my mom sent me a month or 2 ago... man, if it makes HER worried, imagine what *I* thought. Well actually, at the time, I thought "yeah, I should sign that petition".

Today? I thought, "man, I bet just the fact that I wrote this in a journal entry online, makes me a suspicious person. Maybe 1000000 people should sign that petition"....

The whole USA-Tortures-Suspicious-People headline is big in EuroNews this month. Secret flights to secret european airbases are HUGE in the news around this neck of the woods. It isn't pretty. I cant help but wonder how my old hometown newspaper reports on such things. I wonder how the team at my dad's adored "fair and balanced" (har har) freakshow on Fox News reports these things. (Rhetorical question... I can guess.)

ACLU where are youuuuuu....?

Christmas Party... blah blah blah, coming up.

Long story short, the way of the Irish is to get all prom-dressed up for these things whatever.

So anyway, competition competition, hell fire, no fun buying the dress in town. What if it's similar to so-and-so's whatever.

THus, I bought my dress for the doo, in South Africa when we were there in Oct., and it's pretty ok. It went into the closet in the guest room when it came back from SA, and there it sits, never to be thought of again.

Until now.

The problem is I havent tried it on since then, and I forgot that I need:
A) appropriate bra (strapless + helpful)
B) different shoes
C) matching jewelry.

Here's the story:
Party = Friday (tomorrow is thursday)
What I have of A, B, and C? = NU'N.

And yes, I will be working my typical 8-10 hour day tomorrow. And yes, the party is starting at 8pm on friday. Tell me WHERE and WHEN is the shopping going to take place?!?

Stressed. And annoyed. Grrrrr.

We finally found out who we'll be taking to Boston with us!!!



Rodger and Rory are 14 month old greyhounds. We (Limerick AnimalWelfare) got them at the greyhound sales. They were slow runners and nobody wanted them, not even their owner. He said we could have them for €50.Rodger and Rory are two of the nicest dogs ever to come into L.A.W. care. They are just two big bundles of fun.They shower everyone they meet with hugs and kisses. Rodger and Rory are best pals and are inseparable. They are neutered.



They will be re-homed by the Boston Greyhound Rescue and hopefully be loved and treated with the respect they deserve after a hard life as money machines for some greedy person over here. If any decent person out there is interested in adopting a wonderful pair of boys... :)

...man I really can't believe it... I am *actually* getting excited to go back to my hometown. How gloriously weird!!!

In the interest of documenting exactly why I am excited, I have compiled the following list. I love lists, and this is my most favourite list of the moment.

Things I am looking forward to about 23 Dec. - 7 Jan.
by: me.

1) Taco Bell
2) Los Primos (restaurant) & other assorted real, MEXICAN EATIN!!!
3) Friends who will interestingly enough, be in the same place at same time!!
4) Brother who I have seen 4x in 6 years, and will FINALLY for the first time in SIX YEARS be spending time with me ALONE *sanz* annoying female baggage!!!
5) The Gap
6) Old Navy
7) Shakespears with C.S.K.!! (and generally going out, hanging out with said CSK)
8) Columbia, altogether
9) The possibility of snow
10)Semi-pleasant, pseudo-social gathering of cocktail drinking type people on 31 Dec.
11)Sushi
12)Seeing new retail/commercial developments I dont know or expect, in the hometown
13)Walking past people in the street, that I used to know, but now, am so far removed+forgotten that they most likely won't recognize me
14)Did I mention affordable clothes?
15)Can you say "Outlet Mall"??!?!?
16)Aunt Barb and Uncle Jim
17)Aunt Peggy and Uncle Marc
17a) The big Fambly Dinner on the 27th incorporating us + #'s16/17
18)Drinking my parents booze
19)Eating my parents food
20)Someone cooking for me
21)Seeing my family adore my husband
22)My husband finally meeting some infamous names-without-faces
23)Sleeping late and not having to work
24)The walking/fitness trail within walking distance to my parents house
25)Climate controlled houses
26)Sleeping in the new bed my mom bought for my old room because I kept bitching and moaning (& threatening not to come home) about the old one (too squeeky & not long enough for Daddy Long Legs)
27)Getting fussed over by parents/grandparents
28)Rubbing it in that I refuse to live in the USA so long as ass-wipe is the president (target: certain family members)
29)Seeing my parents faces when we give them one whopper of an anniversary present from both brother and me (prof. photos - what they've always wanted but never have 2 kids in the same time zone)
30)CHEAP FOOD
31)MADISONS HOT WINGS (that deserved capital letters)
32)Finally seeing MIKE again
33)Finally seeing Mike and Heidi TOGETHER
34)Seeing Heidi's mom and dad
35)Meeting approximately 5 children (of friends) that I've never met
36)American TV
36a) Watching a football game of my choice on American TV & not hearing british-accented commentators
37)Malls (which I used to avoid when I lived there)
38)Seeing people who I havent seen for going on 10 or more years but feeling like we just hung out yesterday and it not being weird or awkward at all
39)Stalking Gina hahahaha
40)Going to Washington DC on new years day for ANOTHER cocktail party at Beth's
41)Hanging out with the 2nd most dense contingency of my american friends in one spot: DC
42)Showing Hannes my old stomping ground in Georgetown & where I used to hang out, etc
43)Hanging out with Ellen and Oliver again, but this time NOT in England or Ireland
44)Meeting the INFAMOUS Misha
45)Seeing Beth's pimp pad in Adams Morgan that I've heard so much about - and confirming that yes, Tryst is indeed across the street !?
46)Witnessing Heidi G. in a domestic, co-habitational situation
47)Showing Hannes some seriously american icons i.e. the white house, monuments, etc.
48)Delivering neglected, rescued Irish greyhounds to new, loving, forever-homes in Boston
49)Eating heaps
50)Resurrecting the Amero-Jill from somewhere within the deep deep depths of the Wayward weirdo who's typing this list, and seeing what she's like after so long. . .

In humble respect of my very very dear friend Fay, who's birthday it is today, I wrote a blog entry and it is based around her, in her honor. Happy birthday my short, posh, and very classy mate!! :)

--------------------------------------------------------------

Friggin WHAT?!?!

Dear friend Fay in Aus called this morning, and she said the most interesting thing:
"yeah I tried to read back farther in your blogs and it wouldn't let me read the past-month ones".

For some reason, I heard the words, but they didnt really click... I worked away for another 8 hours thinking nothing more about it.

Well, sure enough, just now got home and I clicked "july" to check it out, and. . . . Nothing!

Guess when you change blog addresses, your old kak doesn't move over to the new one. WOULD YOU BELIEVE THAT?!? But here's where the grand moment of zen comes:

I didn't freak out. Which is unusual because the whole point of me starting a blog was to be able to write down all this crap for the memory books-- to put an end to my last 10+ years of wiping out memories, either by accident or by choice.... and of course regretting it later.

...and there it was, the realization of the past 6 months of typing in here, just gone?

And I remained calm, and really didn't give a shit. How weird is that?

There's some deep-seeded reason for that, I'm sure, but it's Friday and I'm getting ready to go out for the Environnmental Section xmas dinner at Aroma for our office, so I can't be bothered delving into those dark realms to try and figure out WHY there was this unpredictable moment of zen... but the point is: I didnt freak out. At all. It was as if I was totally unfazed by everything I've logged for the record books which had just been wiped clean.

Anyway the good news is I found out if you just click "re-publish entire blog" they all come back.
So, they're all back now, and it's spooky that I didn't freak out - like that moment of zen was given to me, because it would just have been a waste of time and rage to flip out about something that was solvable with one click of a link. And it's a friday and the universe is in a good mood?

The double whammy? This whole chain of events stemmed from one weird zen incident: I sent Fay a stupid text message which resulted in her believing (and then not believing, and then believing) that I had been poisoned by mistakenly eating a daffodill bulb that I thought was an onion.

Had that never happened? Well who knows when I'd ever rescue my old personal stories and ramblings from the internet limbo.

Go figure.

But uhhhhh, Thanks, Fay, for the tip-off!! Sorry about the damned poisoning scare, I guess the communication breakdown came in handy after all!!! :-)

AND HAPPY FRIGGIN BIRTHDAY YE OLDE BIDDY!!!

Now! On to getting pimped out in black and wine and eatin' free food on the boss.

I have a really cool sister-in-law. I keep forgetting about her because I'm not used to having sisters. Plus she/they live in a different country.

I actually have 3 sister-in-laws, who are 18, 15, and 10 (I think)... the thing is, I never had a sister, and it wasn't like I went through life like lots of girls, going "I wish I had a sister". Oh hell no, I wouldn't even have wanted that. My ma and I in the same house was enough estroegen to start WWIII as it was. All I ever wished for, family-wise, was to get cool in-laws (eventually). I got a family of Frisians who don't approve of me and blame me for forcing their baby onto the wayward path of unrighteousness, away from the farm, and into some weird brainwashed world of evil and depravity. All who know me are tired of hearing the story, but to illustrate with an example (and because I've never actually written it down): I learned Dutch for the sole purpose of being able to communicate with my in-laws. I thought it would be important to establish a relationship with them, and I did it. I arrive at in-laws house, and they proceed to consistantly speak Frisian in front of me. Not Dutch. At all times. Yes it is an entirely different language.

Well, I DID get 1 cool sister-in-law.

Her name is Rein0uw and she is 15. She has long, red hair, and she looks like her mom, my M-I-L. There are 6 kids belonging to my in-law family: 3 boys, followed by 3 girls aged 28 - 10. All of them look either like Dad or like Mom. My hubbypoo is the oldest, and looks like Dad. Regardless.

Rein0uw is cool for many reasons. Firstly, there is a family MOLD that only 2 of them have managed to crack as yet: That would be MY baby, and R. What the mold is, is a clan of brick-wall-headed dairy farmers from Friesland (province), set in their ways, and totally anti. Anti EVERYTHING. Espeically that which is new and unexplored. Can I just leave it at the example: they don't like to leave the farm, period. As in, to the point of, "don't like vacations". (LIke I was saying, if he didnt look like his dad, I'd wonder about the sperm donor) This even reaches the extent of the children, where each one goes to college around the corner, studies the same thing (agriculture), and complains about having to leave the farm so often. Dates people from the villiage ONLY, lives to work (not works to live). Independence factor? Zilch. Sense of adventure? Zero. Interest in ANYTHING outside of mommy & daddy's nest? Hell no! Very much apron-string clingers, to boot. ACROSS THE WHOLE AGE SPECTRUM. Well, except for the 2 afore-mentioned outliers.

Rein0uw wants to study to be a psychologist! She only recently told us. I'm so excited. She wants to go to a college in Groningen, which is a whopping TWO HOURS away from home, and a cool college town where she'll see a range of people.... by god there might even be some city folk there! She has no intention of taking over the family farm, she has no desire to be a pig-headed Frisian, she wants to do things. She tries hard at english, in school (rather than labelling it "a waste" and resigning herself to just not being "a language person"), and she wears retro clothing styles and plays keyboards. She and her best friend used to hang out and in their free time, used to put together a little mini-mag/newspaper! They would write stories, cut pictures out of gossip magazines, draw, interview people, and find jokes to insert into the monthly mag. Then they would get people to pay them something like €5.00 for a subscription, which would not only get you a year's worth of their production, but also a free present on your birthday!!! How cool is that?

Well after about a year, the little girly mag faded into the background (our dog Billybob was the "Pet of the Month" one issue...!!), but only recently she's started a new cool project. It's a little pseudo-newsletter for the family. She asks that everybody (Mom Dad, 6 kids and 2 spouses) writes approximately 10 lines, telling about what they're up to this month, and how things are going. Everyone sends their little "piece" to her, and she compiles it into a Word .doc, and sends it off to everyone. She even adds a little preface where she says thanks to everyone for handing them in on time, and kinda wishes everyone well... signed, "The Editor" :) I just love her to bits.

I can't help but think it could have been us Wayward Children, the mancakes and me, who were the catalyst for this. We're not like little Mr. Perfect brother #2 who builds a house next to theirs, ON THE FARM, so they know all about his life, his wife, his farts and his beddy-bye time. It's like not only are we so far from them geographically, but we are just SO FAR AWAY from them in general. I know we're a mystery to them altogether- down to the very metaphysical threads of our souls, we are a complete mystery.

Subsequently, I think most of them have given up on us. (Don't get me started on where this impending move to Botswana comes in on their understand-o-meter) At first there was awkwardness, then confusion, then distance, now just... nothing.

But then there's Rein0uw. She tries. She tries to involve us in the family, even from thousands of miles (geographically and psychologically) away. She hasn't dropped us because we had the audacity to cut mommy's apron strings. She doesn't stop talking to us because we don't want to discuss the milk quota for the month. She hasn't stopped talking to us because she doesn't understand how someone could want to spend €1300.00 on a big bathtub for 2 people. She hasn't considered us damned to hell in jesus's name because we've strayed from the dairy compound. She chats to me on Instant Messanger in english...

Basically, R. gets a gold star in my book because 1) she dearly loves her big brother; 2) she's interested in his life, wife, and unique outlook on the world compared to the ONLY one she was ever exposed to; 3) she wants to someday go AWAY from the family home of literally, 3 generations; 4) she's so creative & unique. 5) she started that little family-update project, which I interpret as her being altruistic, positive rather than pessimistic, and the little bridge between the "us" and the "them". And I do appreciate that.

I feel a lot of love for the little chick, but at the same time a lot of guilt. I wish I could have something with her, but I am just not good at the in-law thing. I am lazy and I don't write. I don't try to up my dutch to the next level so that I can express emotions and feelings better. I associate HER with THEM and there's still a deep-seeded resentment there on my part. Hell, like I said before, I sometimes forget that you're supposed to keep in contact with your in-laws. I forget I have sisters-in-law. We forget their birthdays (ironically enough, it's the youngest's b-day today... what are the odds!) and we don't send presents. Not because we're trying to be assholes or anything, we just - forget - or just don't get around to it. Meaning we bring something for everyone's missed b-days at the same time, when we make our trips over there in person. I really don't do the whole family-"tight" thing very well. (No wonder the clan hates me. ) I'm just so lucky I married someone who doesn't demand it.

I may not be 100% chuffed with my parents as the are, but they gave me the gift of independence and I appreciate that. In fact, they can piss me off for the rest of their earthly days, which they will, but I gotta say they encouraged me to get out there and find myself, and I did. The benefit? I didn't turn out like my clanish in-laws, and MY parents don't give my husband a hard time. THere is no resentment of him, no blame on him, no matter where our life takes us (geographically or psychologically), and they're happy with who we became, though it's NOTHING like them. Basically, there was no MOLD, and maybe they wanted there to be one (don't all parents? His parents really don't WANT independence for their kids). I dont know, but there's not a mold. And I'm really glad about that. I wonder how R. broke hers? I love that kid, I just hope she keeps going in this direction. I wish I could help her do that, if I could, if she'd appreciate it. But again we're back to the fact that: I'm a BAD sister-in-law.

This week will be a bit better, I believe.

OK last week was crap, but not for any one reason or anything... and definitely nothing I want to wallow in and martyr myself for the internet to see... I'm trying to avoid the inevitable "oh poor me" post, although it's tempting-- it was just one of those weeks. Various things compounding one another involving everything under the sun... arrogant co-workers who you have to argue with, money (and the lack thereof) issues, 2nd-business chores, ex-boyfriends and old guilt complexes thought to be a comfortable breathing distance behind you freaking jumping out of the bushes at you, the unending saga of bathroom D.I.Y., the yoga teacher who says he notices you're not practicing at home anymore, foster puppies with long hairy feet who drag mud through your house non-stop, winter mice, and sick/cranky husbands who try their best but just can't be in a good mood because they have a head full of mucus....

....But this weekend was pretty ok, and this week will be better. I refuse to be bamboozled and put off. I'm going to keep going and get the hell on with normality.

Friday was a nice relaxing night in front of the tele with a bunch of junk food and a nice bottle of wine. Saturday we went to the rugby game to see the local lads in red (Munster) get trounced by those fightin' thugs from The North (Ulster), but it was a thrilling match indeed. It was a night game, and since I got the tickets for Hannes's birthday (that one which was in September) they were actually primo seats... like, the ones you can actually SIT in, not just standing room + under cover. It was great. We bundled up in about 30 layers, scarves, double socks, etc., and brought our trusty thermos of Hot Chognac (coco + Hennessey) which kept us nice and roasty toasty warm. It was too bad Munster got pummelled, but it was a great night at the ballgame.

Sunday we slept til 2 (totally non-intentional: stayed up til 2:30 watching movies), played squash, and went to see Dessie Bishop, my favorite comedian in Ireland and he was fab as usual. Came home just in time to see the Chiefs slide past those damned Broncos on Sky Sports Exxtra... imagine our luck!!! Hee Haw!!!

I'm really looking forward to finding out which greyhounds we'll be taking back to the states with us, from Limerick Animal Welfare.... At this stage I don't even know how many we're escorting, or if they're greys or lurchers or what, but I'm just so excited. Hannes and I are going to go up and meet them and wish them good luck before we get them at the airport on the 23rd. I'm so happy that some of our rescued greyhounds will be in Boston for Christmas!!! :) :) :)

This is what I'm doing.

I'm doing that thing that is supposedly not sustainable. I'm in a bad spot in my head at the moment and therefore I change physical appearances.

Of everything. I didnt just start with my blog, I also wore nice clothes to work (rather than jeans) TWICE in a row, complete with g-string and nice socks.

I have scheduled a trim for my hair... (no big deal, god I'd get divorce papers if I ever did anything drastic) and I've cleaned up my workstation from top to bottom. I've even made a vow to practice yoga at home, and not just the days I have class.

The blog is the least of my worries, but it is indeed getting a makeover too. I like this template because it incorporates my favorite colour scheme design in the world (lime green with silver/grey accents), plus utilizes orange, my second favorite colour.

The other one just started making me puke, every time I opened it, it just BLED ireland which really began to annoy me when I'm in such a mental state.

I shall now proceed to make this my space, and I quite like the new www. address of it, as I prefer to think of myself as having wayward balls, rather than being a wayward child. Not only that but I stole that lyric from Rory Gallagher and it's therefore not really that creative.

whatever.

We'll see how long I ride this wave....