I'm too sexy for just about everything

This commercial has been on here for over a month, so I have no idea why I only thought about posting it today.



Round two of the Turkey pics are up. Underwater cameras, action sampler, fish eye, all the plastic and artsy cameras.

Learning how to breath again

I had my first prenatal yoga class at lunch today. I've done yoga a handful of times throughout my life; there was the kundalini yoga class when I was 15 at the rec center. Verdict: it made me fall asleep, and was basically a vehicle for the instructor to sell his goofy relaxation tapes. More recently, one of my coworkers got me to join her for a drop-in class a couple of times last year. Verdict: ouch! Yoga hurts my arms!

This class is all about the breathing and various pelvic stretching. At 19 weeks, I am the least pregnant in the group; most of the women are 30 weeks and up, a few are 26-28 weeks. I was the only one who didn't really need the pile of pillows that were placed at the head of each yoga mat, not that I didn't appreciate them. I was also the only one who could lie on my back for the relaxation portion at the very end of the class. That's when the weirdest thing happened.

The midwife leading the class instructed us to breath in, thinking of all of the good and loving things in our lives. No problem--I've got lots of good and loving. Then she told us to breathe out, pushing out all of the stress, all of the tension, the negativity, the disappointment...and I lost it. I started to cry. I wasn't bawling, in fact I don't think anyone noticed, but I couldn't stop the tears from coming, streaming down the sides of my face into my ears. I'm not one to bottle things up. I cry pretty regularly, I tell my loved ones when I'm bummed out or pissed off, I've always considered myself pretty much fully in touch with my feelings. So why was I so surprised at this outburst? Why did I have this extreme reaction to breathing out the sadness? It was really weird, and caught me totally off guard. I wonder what there is in my life right now, today, that I'm not dealing with?

Turkish Delight

We had a wonderful week in Turkey, a great last hurrah as my days of living in Europe, and flying at all, come to an end. What? What's that you say? You want to see pictures? Well, I'll have to see what I can do about that. Let's start with 42 of the 143 pictures from the digital camera, and I'll follow up later this week with the 6 rolls of film from various Lomo, action samplers, and underwater cameras. Yikes!

Highlights:

Seeing our friends from Israel. Since none of them will be able to make it out to SF for the wedding in August, we invited everyone to join us in Bodrum for a pre-wedding celebration. Remember, these are the same people who engineered and produced the famous zombie engagement of 2005, so it was no surprise when they surprised us with a mock wedding on Friday night, complete with a rabbi, a priest, and Elvis. It was terrific--and good practice for the real thing! Only 74 days!



Boat trip on a Turkish Yacht. We spent all day Saturday cruising around the Aegean Sea, snorkeling, and soaking up the sun. It was my first time snorkeling and I had such a blast. The water wasn't the most tropical, most of the fish were pretty much sand and water colored with a few blue or orange guys swimming around. But between the snorkel mask and my contact lenses, I think it was the first time I've ever actually seen underwater. It's a whole new world, and I want to live in that world all the time. And then there was the ice cream boat at one of the snorkeling stops. Genius!



Turkey is also the land of meat on a stick. I've eaten enough kebabs in the last week to last 2 lifetimes. And the cherries! The had these really big, juicy cherries at our local fruit and veg market, plus every restaurant and mini market and grocery store has cherry juice--the ice cream vendors on the beach promenade even have cherry ice cream! I got my fill of my favorite fruit flavor in all of it's various forms. Delicious.

Then there was the Hamam (Turkish Bath). What a weirdly fun experience! We skipped the sauna portion of the bath on account of baby Samson, but the soap massage was out of this world and the oil massage was to die for. The whole thing was made even more hilarious by the super friendly Turkish guy in a skirt and a Beckham jersey who dried us off after the soap massage. What a surreal time that was.

It was hard to come back to Dublin, especially considering that the weather was crap yesterday, but it's kind of nice to be back. I'm in the home stretch now, only one more month until I go home. I'm starting to get bigger, and next week marks the half way point in my pregnancy, so it will be great to get back to the Bay Area and be able to start the next chapter of my life. As much fun as I've had living in Europe the past year, I'm ready to be somewhere that we can stay for a few years, to have the dogs and cats back in my life, to go back to the office, all that stuff. Not that the next year will bring anything resembling peace and quiet, I realize that. But it's going to be such a great thing to start our new family, and I can hardly wait.

Gobble Gobble

Well, after another in a medium-sized string of disappointing manicure/pedicures (the Irish mani/pedi is a crap experience), I'm ready for our trip to Turkey. A whole week of tankinis, flip flops, shorts and swim fins! Not to mention ancient culture, like Ephesus, and super vacation-y boat trips.

You just know the pictures will be plentiful.

Is this sofa getting smaller or is it just me?

I'm officially starting to feel large. Thick in the middle. When I lean against the kitchen counter in order to reach the handle that opens and closes the window, my belly goes "gooouch" on the inside. There's definitely something living in there, and he's getting bigger by the day. I'm really curious to see how big the baby will get over the next 5 months. They don't seem so big when they come out, but it seems like an awful lot of person to have hanging out in your belly where there isn't usually a person hanging out.

I like pretzels better, too

It's been a while since I sat by myself on the sofa, laptop chugging along, and laughed out loud at something I read online. I don't mean chuckled or even giggled, but straight up laughed, hardee har har.

Yesterday, that all changed.

I got to this link via Liz's site and a link she had posted in her sidebar, then a link that site had in it's sidebar that led to a page that linked back to the original on Design Observer. That's a lot of linking.

AIDS Walk San Francisco 2007

This year I'm joining the inspirational Laura and her team of ABC 7 cohorts on the AIDS Walk. I've sponsored Laura in years past, but I've never actually dug my heels in and participated on the 10K walk through glorious Golden Gate Park. But since this year's walk is on July 15th, the weekend after I make my triumphant return to the Bay Area, it seems fitting that I pack my dogs into my Subaru wagon and head up to the city to be a part of Laura's team. I'm really looking forward to it--the walking, the seeing good people, the getting out and about with dogs, and the supporting a good cause. I've always been a supporter of the ASPCA and various dog and cat rescue societies; I have no problem opening my heart, my home, and my wallet to soft furries. And I've been known to sponsor my friends who have the heart and the time to do things like AIDS walks and MS rides and cancer runs. But I've never been as generous with time as I'd like to be. Call it a belated New Year's resolution, chalk it up to mom-to-be syndrome and wanting to make the world a better--if not perfect--place before my due date. Call it whatever you want, but call it a good thing. And you can do a good thing too by sponsoring me on the walk! Of course, the easy, online sponsorship form requires the use of my first and last name, obviously not blog-friendly content. So if you want to sponsor me and don't know my last name, take an extra step and email me and I'll send you the sponsorship instructions. Go team no more AIDS!

I Demand Satisfaction

Ooooh, I've got Turkey on the brain, in more ways than one. I simply can't wait to go to Bitez and Bodrum! Snorkeling! Lounging! Dolmas! Turkish Delight! Only 14 more days! I also simply can't wait to have a Beli Deli turkey sandwich! The oven roasted turkey! The soft french roll! The tomatoes! Only 54 more days! Yum!

Other US-centric cravings:
Froot Loops
Thai food
Chorizo Burritos

Once

There's a terrific Irish movie that seems to be getting a major-label release in the US. Once is not to be missed, and I'm telling you all now: find out when and where it's playing in your city and GO SEE IT. Then go buy the soundtrack. It sounds like this.

Electric Youth

Does anybody remember this kick ass TV show?



Wow, I loved that show. I think I was in 4th or 5th grade, and like any 4th or 5th grader, I was really into the whole lip-syncing and making up dances kind of thing. This show had everything: lip syncing, choreography, teenagers--perfect for the all-important 10-year-old demographic.

Everyone who knows our engagement story will not be surprised to know that we've considered incorporating some choreographed lip syncing into our wedding ceremony, specifically Michael Jackson's Thriller. When the story of your proposal involves zombie armies and general living deadness (zombie armies and general living deadness that can shake their undead booties, mind you), it's only natural to bring it when it comes to the wedding. Sadly, we're not the only ones with awesome ideas like this.



(Thanks, Laura!)

Of course, ours would be much better. But our wedding's going to be so small that everyone would have to join in, including the dogs and the rabbi, for it to have any real impact. I'm not writing the choreographed lip syncing wedding segment off altogether, but maybe something a little more duet-friendly. Like (I've Had) The Time Of My Life from Dirty Dancing, or Tonight, I Celebrate My Love by Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson. You can't loose with a name like Peabo.

Scottish Road Trip

It turns out that I was quite ambitious in my Scottish trip planning, as far as distances between destinations go. We did a ton of driving over the bank holiday weekend, and we saw an awful lot of Scotland. The iPod rwally came in handy, providing us with 3 days of extra super fantastic driving tunes, from Weezer to Neil Diamond to David Bowie to Neko Case. Of course, it was amazing! We spent most of the time in Highlands which is known as the UK's wilderness area. There were tons of lochs, dozens of castles and ruins, and copious amounts of sheep and pheasants. Pictures are up at Picasa Web, and I apologize for the obvious lack of sheep.



On Saturday, we took the ferry from Northern Ireland to Southern Scotland and proceeded to drive up the west coast along Loch Lomond to the lower-to-central Highlands, spending the night in a wonderful hotel in Ballachulish. Max encouraged me to try the haggis, and I have to admit, it was pretty darn tasty. I won't be rushing over to the interweb to look for any recipes, but I did enjoy it.



Sunday was whiskey day, and we drove through the Highlands up to Loch Ness and east to the River Spey where a good deal of Scottish single malt whiskey is distilled. On the way to our first distillery tour of the day, we stopped on the Glenlivet estate for Max to try his hand at clay pigeon shooting. (No clay pigeons we're harmed, but Max's shoulder is a bit worse for wear.) We toured The Glenlivet and Glenfiddich distilleries, learning the intricate differences between Scottish and Irish whiskey--Max is a total expert at this point. We also happened upon the annual Speyside Whiskey Festival which brought together a lot of smaller, independent distilleries--and more tasting. It was beautiful driving, and a lot of fun. To top it all off, we stayed the night in an old castle that had been converted into a hotel. It was really something special, and the grounds were astounding, not to mention the food and hospitality.



We started off bright and early Monday morning to make the long drive down through Braemor, Perth, and Glasgow back to the west coast to catch out ferry back to Northern Ireland. The weather was dramatic and mixed, with lots of heavy spells of rain and bright sun and rainbows all over. We drove the last leg down from Belfast to Dublin and arrived home as two very tired, but very happy and satisfied road trippers.

Next trip: Bodrum, Turkey in a few weeks, followed by Spain in June.

Eastward and Upwards

We're off to Scotland tomorrow morning, bright and early. We'll be driving up to the North then taking the ferry across form there. Then it's on to the Highlands (there can be only one) for whiskey tasting, haggis eating, and castle sleeping-in-ing. Huzzah!

And then, of course, there's the elusive scotch egg.

Somebody please explain this to me

What the hell???

No, seriously, what the hell???

A dream is a wish your heart makes

I was really homesick last week. Here in Dublin, my homesickness manifests itself in Disneyitis, or inflammation of the Disney. There is a great increase in my desire to go to all lands and worlds Disney, and there's a marked escalation in my intake of the Disney Channel and Toon Disney on the Slingbox. Exhibit A: my Amazon wishlist.

Even though as an expectant mother I can't ride any of the very best rides at Disneyland right now, I would trade all the tulips in St. Stephen's Green for a ride on Peter Pan's Flight, let alone Space Mountain, the best ride ever.

Ever.

It's definitely a combination of the sheer joy of Disneyland, the cotton candy induced sugar high, the general accessibility of Disneyland from San Francisco, childhood memories, and, of course, adulthood memories! Like road tripping with MEH and old high school friends and using walkie talkies and code names to stay connected. And Max's surprise birthday trip to Disneyland in 2004 with the Richmans and the gigantic corndogs that ensued. They couldn't have been more right when they called it the happiest place on earth, really.

Countdown to Home

I bought my plane ticket home yesterday which is, at the same time, wonderful and sad. Mostly wonderful, because it means that in 10 short weeks I get to be reunited with all things furry and slobbery. It means I get to go back to San Francisco, I get to back to the office, I get to drive and go to Target and see people that I like more often and make more wedding plans and shop for tiny baby-sized goodies. But it also means that I only have 10 weeks left to go and do and see, not only in Ireland but in the rest of Europe as well. I've had such a terrific time traveling around and seeing so many amazing places, and I know that baby on the way means putting that sort of thing on hold for a while, so I want to cram as much of it in as possible.

Let's recap the extra super fantasticness of it all, shall we?

Portugal, September 2006



Italy, October 2006



London, October 2006,



Central Ireland, November 2006



Israel, December 2006



Western Ireland, January 2007



Northern Ireland, February 2007



Euro Disney, February 2007



Paris, February 2007



London, March 2007



Southern Ireland, March 2007



Scheduled upcoming trips:

Turkey in June 2007

Upcoming trips that are still in the works:

Scotland

Barcelona

Southwestern Ireland

Contacts, Take 2

I'm trying contact lenses again. My last attempt at frame-free living only lasted about 4 months, but I have a new game plan. I'm not going to wear the contacts every single day, see. No, I'm going to mix things up. Some days, I'll wear contacts. Some days, I'll wear glasses. And hopefully, by the time we take wedding pictures in August, I'll have become accustomed to myself without glasses just enough that I won't look like a stranger in our photos.

Here's the thing: I've worn the same, uber hip black frames for eons now, and as much as I love them and allow them to define up to 65% of my personality, I just can't picture myself in my beautiful, poofy, white dress with the big ol' black plastic glasses. (Although, maybe if I wear the dress around the house for the next few months, things will change...) I even tried some different frames last year, but those really didn't work. After a few weeks, I went right back to my trusty black plastics. So I figured that maybe if I start now, I can ease myself into a face other than the one I'm so familiar with, and I won't look like a stranger in my wedding pictures.

Or, I can just complete the look with my low-top converse. That's a wedding picture that everyone can be proud of.

This is the cat, leaving the bag

OK then, so it's been hard for me to blog regularly lately. It's not that my life hasn't been a whirlwind of excitement--it has! Full of travels, house guests, sunny weather and wedding plans. In fact, the only things missing are those things with 4 legs and those things with initials like MEH.

In fact, it's the excitement that has kept me from blogging. I've had one big thing on my mind for weeks now, one, big, un-bloggable thing, but now I'm going to blog about it--and I apologize to anyone who didn't get to hear it from the horse's mouth before reading it here...Max and I have a tiny little friend on the way, in the form of a bun in the ol' oven. That's right! We expect little Samson to join our happy family in late October, which means I'll be fashionably pregnant at our long-ago planned wedding. Awesome. Maternity bridal fashion rocks!

Who knows if getting this load off my mind will help me blog more regularly. And I apologize in advance if my posts are more-or-less (probably more) pregnancy-centric for a while. I'm still very, very excited. But I've never been one to blog about really personal stuff, so hopefully I'll keep it to a happy mix of illegally posted mp3s and pictures of me frolicking throughout Ireland and the World at Large...for a few more months, anyway. And as soon as I start opening my posts with "This week, Samson is the size of a small lemon" go ahead and remove me from your bookmarks and feed readers--I understand.

But don't be surprised if while you're reading my blog, you get an overwhelming feeling of a giant, ear-to-ear grin that just won't go away.

Dublin Days

Max's sister is in town for a few days, and we love having her around. For the bank holiday, we went to the Jameson Distillery (effectively completing the holy trifecta of Irish Whiskey distilleries--Bushmill's, Old Midleton, and Jameson) and the Guinness Storehouse, and topped the day off with some festive teppan-yaki, a traditional Irish favorite.

More pictures later, and maybe a little gem or two from my recent soundtrack of life. (Until then, Liz has your musical needs covered.)

Six Days and Counting

The cab driver the other day told me not to be fooled. Don't pack away your coat just yet, love, he said to me. But SIX STRAIGHT DAYS of sunshine and blue skies has me at this point where I'm half thrilled, half delirious, and 100% waiting for the other shoe to drop. April in Ireland is rainy. Everyone knows that. It will remain dreary and at least mostly wet until June. Everyone keeps telling me, don't get used to it. Enjoy the longer days that will just keep getting longer. Enjoy the temperatures that have gone from the low to mid 40's to the high 50's. But don't think that winter is over yet. Winter here is also known as Spring. And Fall. Ah, but the Irish summer. I caught the tail end last year, and boy was it something. It almost makes the weather during the rest of the year worth it. Almost.

Obscure Dublin

I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but the current Dublin tourism campaign really trips me out. The concept is that you can find anything in you want in Dublin, for instance, Find Your Perfect Dress, or Find Your True Love, or Find Your Parking Place, all leading up to the grand theme, Find Yourself Here. But the strangely cool part is the theme song for this TV/radio/print campaign: You, You, You, You, You by The 6ths, a hauntingly beautiful ukulele-driven melody that been one of my favorites for nearly 7 years. Very hip.

But the really weird thing? Today, the ad campaign was right. At 3:30 pm, just a few hours before Passover began, I was actually able to find matzoh ball mix at a Super Valu grocery store in Churchtown, about a half hour bus ride from my apartment. There they were, tucked into the Kosker Korner section of the store, along with a freezer full of kosher meat (ew). The two shelves of kosher products were very well picked over (I guess Dublin's other 27 Jews got there before I did), but I got the matzoh ball mix which had been deemed by everyone involved to be the most important item, along with a few other Passover goodies. Mission accomplished! Find Your Perfect Last Minute Matzoh Ball Mix.