Don't You Forget About Me

Boy, have I ever been MIA. Incommunicado. Fallen off the face of the earth. And what's worse, I've left that clip from the Sarah Silverman Program as my last post for people to see when they check in on the blog. Not my finest bit of blogging. Oh well.

I've been in San Francisco since Friday (technically, Foster City and Palo Alto), and the weather alone has made me consider skipping out on my flight back to Dublin on Sunday. 70's and 80's, clear blue skies--flip flop weather. It's been great being back in the office this week, actually seeing and talking to people during the day. It's a big change from my life as a Dublin hermit, and a very healthy addition to my daily routine. As much as I'll miss Ireland and Europe, I'm looking forward to coming back to a place where I can interact with friends and family on a level other than email and long-distance, time-zone impaired phone calls.

Lots of extra super fantastic things have happened since I got here. Beli Deli sandwiches. An A+ grade on my checkup at the dentist. More Nanna belly than you can shake a stick at. Alaskan King Crab legs. Pie day. Sharks hockey. Hugs from my local nearest and dearest. And even though my peeps in Oregon, Texas, Colorado and Minnesota aren't represented, I feel a little closer to them than normal.

In Between Days

I had a lovely time in London with Maya and Vivi. We saw some sites, we at at Chili's, it was good. So now I'm back in Dublin, but, like 2 ships passing in the night, Max is in Israel for the week. Sigh. But as soon as he comes back, we leave for San Francisco--yay! I'm long overdue for a dog-and-cat-filled week, a Beli Deli sandwich, and some hugs from my Bay Area peeps.

Back on the (wrong side of the) road

Max and I are off to Northern Ireland this weekend. On the agenda: Giant's Causeway, Dunluce Castle, and the Bushmill's Distillery. Old stuff, natural stuff, and whiskey stuff! Then it's only a matter of days before we hit Euro Disney and Paris... I guess that forces that be are doing their very best to remind me today how lucky I am to be living in Europe, just a stone's throw from so much awesomeness.

Which in turn reminds me to acknowledge and take advantage of all of the awesomeness back in San Francisco that I tend to take for granted. Alcatraz. Angel Island. Ocean Beach. Muir Woods. Santa Cruz. Countless clubs, theaters, museums...

Food makes me happy

It's no secret: I love me some food. The Irish are not known for their culinary prowess, although I do enjoy the odd shepherd's pie or bowl of farmer's vegetable soup at the pub. I knew that when I came to spend a week in SF it would be not unlike a sampling of all the foods I had ever loved. A veritable smorgasbord of tasties. So far, I've dined happily on a chorizo burrito from Pancho Villa, Chinese chicken salad from Max's, Thai red curry, gyros, hummus, tiny cheeseburgers from Cheesecake Factory (a delicacy) and sushi (twice in one day!). I still need to track down the elusive turkey on a soft french roll from Beli Deli, but that's hard even when I live here.

Next stop: Armadillo Willy's!

Having fun, wish you were here

It's been great being back in the Bay Area. Besides the absence of certain people (you know who you are Mir), it's nice to see and be seen. It's also nice to drive. It's great to be back in the office this week; there have been many celebratory lunches. Now if only I could fit those dogs in my suitcase...