Kindle

So I finished my first book on my Kindle... in less than 24hrs. I can see my bank account diminishing as fast as my eyesight if I continue at this pace. I was so curious to see how reading an entire book on this slim plastic tablet compares to the paperback books I've known all my life. Was I ready to give up flipping pages, spine-bending to accommodate my tired hands, and overanalysis of cover art, wondering if I could think of a better suited visual?

I'm ready.

I think of myself as a highly adaptable person. I don't love change with certain things, but I'm always open to trying a newer, better way.  I'm not swearing off paper books at all, but this new toy might break all my past records for books read per month (and no more books piling on a bookshelf I'll never read again taking up space!) Thankfully, I'm a fast reader and a session will never be less than 50 pages at one sitting. Anything less and I can't get my mind into the story. I know I'm focused and into something when I have to stop, look up, and take a second to remember I'm at home, laying in bed, and not part of the story!

This whole concept still amazes me.  Not just the Kindle thing, but the entire internet/social media/never-ending stream of information hitting us from every angle. So much has changed in the past ten years. I remember being in middle school, and thinking the only thing I wanted was to bed able to sit in bed and chat on the Instant Messenger! Life was much more simple back then, but why didn't I think I could someday be sitting in bed, shopping from a cell phone, AND IMing at the same time?? Was I not thinking far enough outside the box? Was I not exploring the most creative depths of my imagination, and just stuck in the "now" of what was not possible?
It's nuts. Really nuts. I can hold a BlackBerry in one hand, an iPod in another, and in 5 minutes I can listen to a song, watch a video, and buy hundreds of dollars worth of whatever I want on whatever website I want, just like that. Not to mention telling everyone about my purchase via Facebook status update or Tweeting the awesome music video- all from the same two devices. I'm in awe of this because I remember a time when it didn't exist. I can understand most kids 10 and under are unphased by what I describe, but what shocks me even more are my own peers, who never stop to think of how fast all this information is flying at us. Is it too much? I think so, and I've had this discussion with others. Not that too much is a bad thing, but where does it stop? When do we throw up our hands and scream "Enough already!!"

I'm not quite there yet, but I want to walk that fine line where I'm in the know, and on top of the latest and greatest, without being a slave to the gadget. Or am I already falling behind the trend by sitting here and questioning how fast change is happening? I've never considered myself a person who needs all the newest things (I'm one of the last few remaining non-iPhone owners, I'm pretty sure), but even someone like me has enough to require a seperate basket to house all the cords/adapters/docking stations needed to power these things.  So two laptops, a BlackBerry, an iPod Touch, a Kindle, a Garmin GPS, a digital camera, and a digital SLR are all the items in this non-techie's toybox...?

What's next??

Courtesy of Google images... No Gameboy in this house!

A walk through the past

If you've lived in suburban Philadelphia all your life as I have, you tend to take for granted things like Valley Forge Park. A short 15min drive and I'm on the same grounds the as the Continental Army in the late 1700s during the Revolutionary War. Pretty cool.

It was a nice day, so I decided to pay VF a visit. Change it up from my usual park across the street. Lots of people, tons of dogs, and a 5.3mi trail that left me begging for a nap. (After I hit the button on this- off to bed I go! Something I never do). It was about 60 degrees, the sun was shining, and for a moment, looking out upon the hundreds of acres of barren fields, it could have been 1777! Over 200 years ago, a soldier could have been standing in the exact same spot, seeing exactly what I was seeing! Then I looked further from the top of the hill and saw the sole reason that area is a traffic nightmare King of Prussia Mall. I lovvvve that mall, don't get me wrong; every now and then though, the former history buff in me like imagining places the way they were, before the Wal-Marts and Rite Aids started popping up on every corner.

Borders and Barnes & Noble had a really fascinating collection of paperbacks which caught my eye a few years back. They're called "Images of America", which you could easily spot by their sepia-toned cover. They were in the "local" section and had every place from Conshohocken to Bucks County to Center City Philly, giving a short history of the town and lots of photos.  It's full of major intersections we still travel today, and pictures of everyday people... working and living. Well, that "living" thing is a toss up after reading this article: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/32946

But anyway, those books are worth checking out, especially if they have your town! Back to the topic, Valley Forge is quite nice, and I can't wait to get back there once Spring arrives!

Hard Worker's Club

The Hard Worker's Club. This is a phrase coined by my sister and her friend, describing the exclusive club one belongs to when they work 2 or more jobs.

I'm a long-standing member of this club, and I can honestly say I reallly enjoy it. I've worked 2 jobs for at least the past 10 years, and I don't see it stopping any time soon. I don't need to do it, which is probably why I haven't burnt out by now. It's not easy, but the trick is to make sure the second job is really fun, pays well, or is incredibly satisfying (bonus if all 3 apply!). Organization and proper planning is an absolute must in the multi-job world... life can get really tricky if you start double booking yourself or missing deadlines. I'm lucky enough to love my FT gig AND my side job, which is exactly why I push myself to work more than I should, later than I should, and put in those 12hour days when I really don't have to. This sounds like too much, but throw in 3-4x/wk gym visits on top of that as well as hang outs with friends, phone calls, etc. I ask myself, what other time in my life will I have the energy and flexibility to keep up with this chaotic schedule? Never- now is the time! The key is grabbing the opportunities when they're staring you in the face. You can nap another day or when you're 85 and sitting playing cards in the retirement home. Now's the time to work hard, suck it up, and make that MONEY!

I've put in more than my share of years babysitting. The cash is so tempting and so easy (don't forget tax-free!), but unless you're lucky enough to find a family with really well-behaved kids (I have been that lucky on 3 or 4 occasions), after a while, it's just not worth it. The dream families usually end up moving away, or have children so mature and well-behaved they can stay home alone years before their hyperactive, misbehaving peers. I had dinners ordered for me, generous birthday and Christmas gifts given, an invitation to accompany one family on their vacation to Atlantis in the Bahamas (I declined), and a job offer to work for one family's very successful business (also declined, which was an excellent move as they ended up divorced 5yrs later).
So after one too many times sacrificing my Saturday night to end up arguing with 6yr olds about taking a bath vs shower, trying to avoid the end-of-day cranky meltdown, or fetching that glass of water they needed to be brought to them in bed, I threw in the towel and retired as a babysitter. I have continued working a job closely relating to this, only I've made the genius decision to trade people for... dogs! Being a pet sitter is by far the greatest.job.ever.

So this 12hr day has left me pretty useless tonight. No biggie though, there will be plenty of other Fridays, and with the $$ I've made, I'll be able to thoroughly enjoy the nights I don't have to work! Having 2 jobs going definitely keeps you sharp, and adds a forced efficiency to your life you wouldn't find in non-HWC members. So it's gonna feel really strange the day I go back to just one job... not sure I'll know what to do with myself. It's amazing how much you can handle if you push yourself and run a tight schedule. Take it from me, it can be done. Come talk to me when you're ready for your induction into the PA branch of the HWC.

Bday!

+1
Add one more year to my total. 

Another great birthday! Thanks to the ubiquitous social media of present day, the birthday greetings came from every direction- email, facebook, and Twitter, not to mention phone, text, and US mail. What I like even more are the super late night messages- because those who know me know I'm always up late, as well as the pre-7am messages because, again, whose who know me know I'll be up that early too : )

Did a little rummaging through some photo albums while I was at my parent's house tonight. It all started with a question from me regarding the whereabouts of my birth certificate. You know, just to make sure I am really as old as they say. My mom swore I had it; now I have a lot of stuff, but I knew there was no birth certificate in my possession. So up the stairs she went to get the fireproof box with all the important papers, and lo and behold- there was my birth certificate! Along with my fingerprints taken in elementary school (in case I ever got kidnapped), and some other random items. As my mom is rummaging through this stuff, she asks me if my papers are in order and in a fireproof box, if I have a will, and what if my house catches on fire? I have all these things safely placed in a box (a shoebox, whoops) So if Mr. Fire ever decides to pay a visit, my life in documents will be ashes in about 5 seconds! Then she said probably the funniest thing I've heard in a while:

"You should really have these things in a safe place, and draw up a will for all your stuff. I mean, if something happens... we don't know anything about you!"

A bit of an exaggeration there, but still reallllly funny in the moment.  Guess after 32 years it's time we start getting to know each other  : )

Here's a few pics from the old albums. A birthday one to keep with the theme and some others.

These are a few of my favorite things...

No raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens here... much more exciting!
I'll narrow this down to a specific group of items...(drum roll).... things found at Sephora!! If you've never been- we need to talk. Right now. This store is the Candy Land and Willy Wonka of cosmetics! There are hundreds of shadows, liners, glosses, etc to try- I could spend hours in there. Easily. Writing about all of this is even more fun!


Sephora on the strip in Vegas. I was a frequent visitor!

 My best finds at Sephora are:

• Laura Mercier Lipstain in Mulberry has an intense berry hue and a slightly dry consistency for application that stays put, unlike most glosses.
• Laura Mercier Secret Concealer is a must-have. I use #1, since I'm a ghostly shade of pale all year long. This little pot of miracle is perfect for any dark circles some people have naturally, or to hide those nights of less than 5hrs sleep (right here!) It's a really great product, and the smallest amount makes a huge difference!
• Too Faced Shadow Insurance. You wouldn't paint your walls without priming them first, right? Then no excuses not using a shadow primer before all shadow/liner application. This creates the perfect base for layering/smudging/blending colors, wet or dry. You'll thank me next time you try rockin that smokey eye and use this first!
• Bare Minerals SPF15 Foundation. Lightweight with fast application, it takes about 3 minutes to sweep the fluffy brush across your face and get a nice, even, light coverage. The SPF is key so unless you want wrinkles, you better use it everyday!
• Sephora Eye Pencil in Stingray. This is a deep plum, and goes on super smooth, complementing blue/green eyes nicely. It's the same quality as NARS or Stila liners and half the price.
• Sephora Body Butter in Apple Pomegranate. This found its way into my stocking this Christmas and I love it! Not overly fragrant, it absorbs quickly and doesn't leave the greasy residue beyond like other lotions. Your skin will be super soft all day long.
• Burberry London (eau de parfum). This stuff is the real deal. I've been wearing it for at least 7 years and it works perfect with my "chemistry". It's true, a fragrance will rarely smell the same on two people. I remember in middle school when CK One was the hottest thing around, and it smelled 10x better on my friend than me. You gotta find a scent that works with you. This is mine!
  After all these years, I still go somewhere and have a stranger stop and ask me what I'm wearing. That's when I answer "Oh, nothing! I was born smelling this great" OK. I lie. My secret is combing two scents (it's called layering), so no one can ever smell just like me. Less is more with this approach, unless you want people wondering if you got doused at the Macy's counter by an aggressive saleswoman.
  
  And no, I'm not telling you the other secret scent : )
  

  

  The goods

  

Changin it up

Another 2hr delay? I'm not complaining, but now that I'm in the midst of super busy season at school, I'm going to pay dearly later today for that extra 2hrs in my warm, soft-as-a-cloud bed. At least it gave me some extra time to waste get a few extra things accomplished... like taking a full 2 minutes to decide whether I wanted Cocoa Pebbles or Cheerios this morning. (The Pebbles won easy... but you don't want to rush important decisions like this if you don't have to)

After seeing a commercial for Cirque du Soleil last night, I decided to change things up this morning and bust out some new age music on the iPod.  I happen to have some of their music and enough Enya to make you feel as if your house has transformed into a yoga class or spa. I definitely can't listen to this kind of music in the car, but I was feelin it this morning, so it was a nice change from the stuff I've been listening to lately. Don't worry though, I'm not turning new age on everyone... Flo Rida was the next track (don't hate... I heard "Sugar" at my job this weekend and HAD to put it back in rotation) 

Food!

I love food as much as the next person, and in recent years I've become a big fan of... making my own! Shocking, right?  Why go through all the trouble of buying the ingredients, dirtying 10 dishes, chopping, slicing, dicing, frying, baking when you can go to any local restaurant, order, and in 20min get whatever you want without breaking a sweat? I'm not sure about you, but I can only order the bacon cheeseburger and side of fries so many times without getting sick of it. 

There are soooo many different things to experiment with, we're seriously selling ourselves short by limiting our choices to the same 15 items found on every chain restaurant's menu. And if you've ever worked in the food biz or have seen the movie Waiting... that might send you running sprinting back home to the safety of your own kitchen!

I've had my share of successes and failures with cooking.  Baking desserts is usually a guaranteed win... except that one time I decided to bake cookies while home on break from college. Chocolate chip cookies from scratch! No cheater break-and-bake here. I was in the mood, I had every I needed, and thought that big container of Crisco waaaay in the back of the cabinet would substitute just fine for the remainder of the butter I was missing. Oh, was I wrong. One bite of my cookies and my dad was spitting them out, asking why they tasted like gasoline?! Apparently that Crisco was a little on the expired side. I took his word for it. And... in the trash went all my hard work.

I also fouled up an angel food cake after I got my new mixer. It was the easiest recipe ever! Simple, low-fat, and the perfect dessert to bring to my parent's house. Who on earth could screw up flour, sugar, and egg whites?? That would be me. Seems I didn't comprehend the instructions when it said to beat the egg whites into "stiff white peaks".  What should have been a 6in fluffy cake turned into a rock-hard 1in high pancake-looking thing that also went... right in the trash. So two minor screw ups in the kitchen, it happens. To my credit though, my banana bread is really really good! Counts for something, right?

On to non-dessert items, there's a really fabulous dish I borrowed from a local restaurant that took me a few times to perfect at home. It's from Tango in Bryn Mawr http://www.tastetango.com/ and it's their Angel Hair Spicy Shrimp. Below I posted a pic of this dish from Tango's website. It's the dish in the background, so you can sorta see it. I'm not a big pasta fan, but I order this almost every time I eat there, and it's oh so good! Here are the ingredients:

• angel hair pasta
• medium shrimp, butterflyed
• diced pancetta
• broccoli rabe
• pepperoncini
• diced tomatoes
• chili pepper oil
• minced garlic
• salt/pepper

I don't know the exact portions to write out a formal recipe, but I'm good at guesstimating, and I'm pretty sure the Food Network isn't going to be calling me any time soon... 
You just cook the pasta and throw the rest of those ingredients in. Voila! It took me a few times to figure this out, but you have to be really heavy handed with the peppers and spices. The hotness of the oil and peppers goes really well with the saltiness of the pancetta, but if you're too light on the flavors, there's no "wow" factor for the taste buds and your guests won't be impressed (for the record, my guests have always acted impressed. Let's hope it wasn't an act)

Maybe next time I'll share some more tasty recipes I've come up with (or stole from other places). Being your own chef is so fun and rewarding... if you don't screw it up!

I gotta go... time to preheat the oven now for that frozen pizza... just kidding

Italy September 2010

Each one of my vacations holds a special place in my memory, for various reasons, but this trip was not only a dynamite vacation, but a destination wedding! Having really talented and creative people for friends made this entire trip unforgettable.

There is soooo much to share, so I'll try my best to capture the "best of" in words and pics for each part of the trip. If you reallllly want the full story- complete with details, reenactments, and Italian accents-and you have about 5 hours on your hands, I'll be glad to share in person  : )

This was our room in Rome at the Radisson. Uber-modern, I felt like I was back home in the Ikea showroom. The light fixtures were so confusing, it took me about 10 minutes to figure out the shower, and that airbag looking light on the wall was begging to popped (no, I didn't). We only spent one night here, but the design of this European hotel was clean, linear and minimalist. The faux grass carpet was interesting. Had a great time in Rome exploring the city, hanging out by Colloseum, and getting excited for the wedding!

Yay! We have arrived

The 2.5hr drive from Rome to the wedding site in Tuscany looked like a piece of cake when I researched Google maps a month before the trip.  We had our international driver's license in hand and the 4 of us crammed in a VW Polo (read: compact car) with 4 huge suitcases, a million maps, and tons of excitement for the wedding the next day!  After a few wrong turns and driving in circles, we finally arrived at Lupinari!!
www.lupinari.com

Vineyards and fig trees make pretty nice scenery

A nice (unheated) pool on the grounds- perfect for jumping in at... say... 2am the night before the wedding. Super cold, but super fun!

The kitchen

You know, just hangin in the grapevines

All 30 wedding guests stayed on the grounds of Lupinari, with each of us staying in our own villa. The unique design and rustic feel of each one screamed Italian countryside. That week I was ready to quit my job, sell my condo back home and move in here. Picking grapes, cleaning the pool- I'd do anything! That's how amazing it was.

The wedding!
See the montage video I posted for a 3min summary of the all-night party after the wedding! 30 people drank the vineyard out of wine! For real. The food was incredible, the playlist on point, and once we got hold of the microphone in the early morning hours, I'm pretty sure the grapevines were begging us to shut up and go to bed. Hands down Best.Wedding. Ever.

We took a day trip to Montepulciano, a storied town in Tuscany famous for its wine!  The town sits atop a hill with visibility for miles of the Tuscan landscape. When you think of little European towns, cobblestone streets, and clusters of old buildings, this place is it.

I'll take that little yellow house, thanks

After 3 days of food, friends, and wedding festivities, our time at Lupinari was up. We had a great brunch the last morning and took lots of group shots on the lawn in front of the castle before we all parted ways

Forget bacon and eggs.  This is how it's done in Italy

Saying goodbye

Last stop before going home was Florence. I absolutely loved this city. I mean, seriously, this is what a pizzeria looks like in Florence. I'm the last to be picky when I'm craving a greasy slice, but this is too good to be true!! People actually get to live year round in these cities while I'm settling for Wendy's drive-thru in suburban Philadelphia??

Even the graffiti matches the flowers!

7 hours of walking around the entire city AND climbing the Duomo was extremely tiring, so we had to reward ourselves with some authentic cuisine at an outdoor piazza cafe

Words can't explain the delish factor of this meal. Be jealous- it was THAT good.

I'll finish off with some pics of Florence. I wish I could have stayed longer, but this city is definitely on the list to visit when I go back. Along with Milan and Venice...

 Ah, what a fabulous trip. We crammed a lot into 1 week and have enough memories to last a lifetime. I always come home from a really great trip and just sit, thinking things like "24 hours ago, I was eating fresh figs right off the tree on a mountain in Tuscany." They I snap back to reality, looking around at the massive piles of laundry, the 100+ unread emails, and the only thought I have is...  "Where we goin next??"  : )

Super Lazy

This was written in December 2008, sitting in my draft queue... not sure why I never posted it... so I just hit the button!

2009 will mark my seven year anniversary at LA Fitness. LA and I have a long history and our share of ups and downs, but after quitting and rejoining twice, I think we're tight again. After 4 straight college years of eating, sleeping, TV-watching, eating, drinking, lounging, and eating some, I knew I had to clean up my act and decided in early 2002 to join the local gym.

It was a good move. Fortunately for me, I came home from college in virtually all the same clothes I'd left in. I somehow (miraculously) avoided the so-called freshman 15, all while catching Oprah and Jerry on the top bunk and enjoying my daily lunch of Pizza Hut personal pans and bread sticks. The salad bar worried me, so did anything else "fresh." After that one morning and that nausea-inducing swig of rancid chocolate milk, I was convinced a hot pizza was the only safe choice. Logical, right?

So LA and I were off to a good start. The people seemed normal, things didn't seem too crowded, and I was able to maintain a disciplined schedule of 3-4 workouts a week. There was an abundance of classes offered, so I figured I'd try them out. The aerobics was a nightmare. If I wanted a dance class, I would have ordered the MTV at-home hip hop version. I can only "grapevine" so many times in 1 hour, and the music was beyond a joke. No more of that. The cycling was fun, and I did it continuously for over a year with fabulous results. I highly recommend it.

My only trouble- I hate mornings. Yes, it's advised to blast through the workout in the morning and ride the wave of high metabolism throughout the day, but I just can't do it! So I did the 7pm class and that worked. At this time I was working varied hours (that's a whole other blog), so my schedule was conducive for nightly workouts. My downfall definitely occurred when I stepped through the evil gates of Hell into Corporate America and the 8-5 office job. Besides ruining my life, it also killed my workout routine. I am partially to blame, but when you spend 9 hours a day reminding yourself how much your job stinks, the last thing you want to do is force yourself to work out for an hour. So I've been on and off the fitness wagon since then. When I'm on the wagon though, you can find me, iPod in hand, gettin my workout on!

Dandee 9.27.10

A little wedding montage I put together after Dan and Andee's wedding

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Oz

So I'm wired, not even close to tired, and really wanted to continue my vacation posts on here. 3 jobs this weekend made that rather difficult, soooo... what better time than now?  Oh, and in case anyone (someone, hopefully?) reading this blog wonders... all these vacation pics were taken by yours truly (except the ones I'm in, obviously)... no Google image stock photos here!

My trip to Sydney in April/May 2003 was unforgettable. Let me first say people need to get over this 20-hour flight thing and just go! I promise you'll never get there if you spend your life making excuses about the flight every time the word Australia is mentioned. It's long, it's expensive (mine was $1600 in '03), and it's not a trip that can be done in a week. Plan accordingly and JUST DO IT.

The flight is insane, I'm not gonna lie, especially when you're traveling solo. (Good luck with the jet lag-induced hallucinations when you get back too! Those are a real treat!) I had a connection in San Francisco, and then it was straight over the Pacific for another 12+ hours with NOTHING but ocean under you. So you pray your plane is jammed with enough fuel, and the pilot's not playing sudoku to stave off boredom in the cockpit. Anything goes wrong when you're that far out in the Pacific... you're pretty much doomed! The two things burned in my memory from that flight are:
1) Ordering the vegetarian meal because research told me that was the "freshest" plane food. I can't tell you the utter rage disappointment I felt when people in my row got pancakes and bacon and all I got was a hot container of asparagus and fruit. Never again! Never!
2) Listening to the Jason Mraz song "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)" about 836 times on repeat as the plane's "playlist" wasn't exactly packed with jams. I didn't have an iPod in 2003, so this beggar couldn't be a chooser... but I did choose to put Jason Mraz on repeat 836 times... annnnnnyway...

We spent just under 2 weeks in Sydney. Steve was doing a 5 month study abroad program at Murdoch University in Perth. We cooked up this crazy idea to meet on the east coast in Sydney and cram as much as we could into those 12 days... and we definitely did.

The end of April/beginning of May was the perfect time to visit. Temps were between 60-75 degrees and fall was just ending (southern hemisphere, remember). There was just one short period of rain. Thankfully I've been really lucky on all my trips in avoiding rain and all other weather catastrophes.

Here's a pretty good pic of the Opera House we took from the ferry, which went around the harbor (or harbour, as they put it, fancy fancy).






 We jammed it all in- climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge, visited the Taronga Zoo, went skydiving at the Sydney Skydiving Centre, went south to Bondi Beach, and took a day trip inland to the Blue Mountains. 

Here's me at the top of the bridge. They breathalyze you before you go and deck you out in branded gear head to toe. Nothing says "great picture" like a cement-gray jumpsuit! The climb wasn't too scary, but definitely not for the out of shape or acrophobic types. We were all tethered together, and the side climbing rails are designed for the everyday joe to do this no problem.

Me and an adorable sleeping koala

This sign at the zoo had me laughing the rest of the afternoon. It's speaks the truth though. How would YOU like to be touched by hundreds of people every day? Umm... no thanks! Although, I would like to see what constitutes a koala "panic"....
I did sneak in one quick pet when no one was looking at the zoo.

Here's the 3 Sisters rock formation in the Blue Mountains in Katoomba NSW. There's a pretty cool legend behind it (thank you wiki)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Sisters_(Australia), and the smell of eucalyptus permeates the entire valley of this mountain area. The blue haze over the valley is obvious, and quite spectacular, but incorrectly thought to be light reflecting off the eucalyptus vapors. I'm sure Wiki could also tell you the real cause, as I'm having trouble recalling it almost 8 years later (8?!?! already?!?!)

So there are the Australia highlights... let's see if I'm ambitious enough to tackle Italy tomorrow. That trip is still fresh in my mind, and I have hundreds of pics to choose from. I did these a little out of chronological order, but whatevs... can't lose steam now...this blog's alive again!

Vacation

I don't mind making decisions. I usually prefer they are easy ones, but I'm having a little trouble with this one since the start of 2011- Where the ^$&@ do I go for vacation this year?? I should be thankful this is the hardest decision of my life right now. Am I all amped up because I have both the time AND the money and not a clue where to start?? Yes! It's killin me!

I've thought this one over time and again the past 2 months. Trip within the US? Europe again? Group trip? Solo trip? Show-up-at-the-airport-with-a-bag-and-jump-on-a-random-flight trip? Someone please make this decision for me! Anyone... please! Since I'm still wandering aimlessly in 'I Don't Know' land, let's revisit my fabulous trip to Ireland in August 2009. I still dream about that trip and the amazing time I had. Hands down the best 30th birthday present ever.

Some trip snapshots:

Here's me at the Jameson factory, gettin my whiskey on (I know, it's not one of my brands, but Northern Ireland was a bit of a hike to find some Bushmills). This was approximately 2 hours after our overnight flight... so around 9am. I'm not sure what that lady was talking about, but from the look on my face, I was either a) not buyin it b) jet lagged as hell, or c) realizing we were hitting the Guinness factory right after this. Oh boy.

Dublin is an absolutely gorgeous city. A complete melting pot of all kinds of people, you can't help but to stop and stare everywhere you turn. Ireland's temperate climate allows flowers and foliage to flourish virtually year round, despite the perpetually rainy, cloudy skies. Here's an example of the massive floral planters dotting the streets. This was the beginning of August, as summer was winding down. I've never seen flowers so vibrant and lush on a city street. Enough about the plants. The streets are alive with so many different people from so many places; it's common to hear at least 5 languages walking a few blocks. Truly a cosmopolitan city, and worthy of at least a full week to explore it all!



Moving south towards Killarney, the landscape is breathtaking. Thankfully, we traveled by coach so I was able to completely take in all the visual delights and leave the tricky wrong-side-of-the-road driving to someone else!  Ireland's geography is not especially mountainous, but you will find some impressive cliffs on the coastal ring. Anytime we stopped I did whatever I had to do to find the best photo op- climbing a cliff, running up a 45 degree moss-covered hill, whatever would make the most awesome shot, I found a way to do it in 15 minutes.  Here's one as we passed through County Clare.

Now I'll get to perhaps the most visually impressive stop on the trip- the Cliffs of Moher.

Un-be-lieveable
Who ever thought shale and sandstone would draw a million visitors a year and come pretty close to being named one of the Seven Wonders? Seeing is believing on this one. Trust me. The wind fiercely whipping, the fog looming overhead, and the masses of seabirds inhabiting this area is unlike any place I've seen in the U.S. It was overcast the day we visited. You're really lucky if you can get a clear sunny day and catch a glimpse of the Aran Islands. Our visit came with an overcast day, but no rain! I will go there again some day. Hopefully take the ferry out to the islands and see the puffin colonies firsthand!

And finally, let's end this post with a trip to a graveyard. How fitting. Let's be clear: graveyards in Ireland are a million times cooler than any you'll find in the U.S. Clonmacnoise was the monastery we visited, located right in the center of Ireland, as we traveled from Galway back to Dublin. These high crosses, castles, and churches are so rich with history you really can't believe you're standing in the presence of something thousands of years old. The detailed motifs on these stone structures are really worth taking some time to admire. And that I did.

 

Sooooo... I'm thinking I might have my answer to my big decision...




...I'm going back to Ireland

Let's try this again!

Okay, so I won't begin my first post in almost 2 years pretending to be shocked by my absentee blogger status.  I've fallen on and off this wagon more times than I can count, and I laugh every time I see the HUGE gap between posts! Let's just say I was inspired to give this blogging thing another shot.  I'll admit, I have been getting a little ridiculous on Twitter lately...(www.twitter.com/cmbolton2 you be the judge)... time to prove I can give more than 140 characters (yes, I utilize Twitlonger for those 140+ gems) worth of wit, wisdom, and straight up random nonsense.

And it staaaaarts..... NOW

Verizon has so graciously informed me I'm due for a phone upgrade in April. Thank you Jesus, as my Blackberry has been pulling a phantom turn-on/turn-off around 3-4pm everyday for the past month or so. It's really fun when it does it mid-call! I blame Ubertwitter for all of this. And Mark Zuckerberg. Because he's a billionaire and I'm not, and it's fun blaming him for things completely irrelevant to Facebook. (That makes absolutely no sense, but it's my blog, so hmmm!)

And nooo, I'm not getting an iPhone either.
The entire reason I went with a Blackberry from the start was the advanced email/organizational capability (for the million emails my 2nd job creates), and the BBM (Blackberry Messenger) feature. The BBM doesn't matter too much to me anymore, but having those emails accessible and in hand has saved my butt many a times these past few years!

"Oh, you didn't order the Snapdragon Cab we're supposed to sample tonight? You say we never confirmed it with the PLCB? Wait... oh... look!  Here's the email...addressed to.... YOU, complete with date/time stamp confirming ALL OF THIS!"
You've.Been.Served.

So the phone decision is TBD... if you don't stay tuned to this blog for any other reason... haha