Prettiest wedding cake ever

Isn't it though? This is just one of the aesthetic pleasures of my recent trip to Ireland. My mang and I had a fabulous time visiting his lovely family and attending the most beautiful wedding I've ever seen (or could imagine for that matter). I'll spare you more pictures of the castle- if anything, it was even more beautiful in person than in the pictures I've already posted from the website. All in all a nice (but short) trip and I'm struggling to get back into this time zone and my work! Not to mention I'm almost finished with Fountainhead and I have yet to formally prioritize my short-term reading list, my French book is in and I must start the first few chapters (even though I'll be missing the first class due to another trip with my mang- Texas in two weeks), and I have yet to apply Chanel's "Nouvelle Vague" which I FINALLY found in the Dublin airport no less (the left-most color in the photo below- those 2010 spring colors have sold like hotcakes and were fresh out in the States). I am BUSY y'all! (I hope you're catching my sarcasm here)

Also I listened to a podcast about the Romanovs this morning and am temporarily obsessed with the Russian Revolution and, more interestingly, the fact that some woman named Anna Anderson came close to fooling civilization into thinking she was Anastasia Romanov (whose death wasn't confirmed until 2009). As you can see, it's SSDD. (same shiz, different day)

Anywho, heading home to a full wine rack and a spectacular evening in the Mid-Atlantic! Happy Tuesday all! xo

ttyAfterAnIrishWeekend!

I'm off for a quick 4-day hiatus in Ireland and will return with some fabulous photos! Until then, here's where I'll be spending much of my weekend: the Castle Leslie. A good friend of Gerry's is getting married there (as did Paul McCartney!) and we'll be staying in the castle overnight as most Irish weddings last until the wee hours of the 'morn. Here are some pictures of the castle- I cannot wait to see this place!

We'll otherwise have two full days in Dublin, which will be full of fun family and friend visits, along with a trip to see the Book of Kells, which I mandated after it was the subject of a recent history pod-cast. For those of you who don't know, the Book of Kells is arguably the world's most famous book: it consists of four illuminated manuscripts in Latin, each devoted to one Gospel of the New Testament. It was created by Celtic monks somewhere around 900 A.D. and is a masterpiece of Western calligraphy. It is currently housed at Trinity College's gorgeous campus in downtown Dublin. Since I probably won't be able to take any pictures of the book itself, here's an image of a page I found online:

I hope y'all have a fabulous weekend and I promise to share some trip pictures upon return! xo

Hamlet

Hamlet. The opera. In French.

Who wouldn't be interested in this??

Apparently I'm the only taker, as the responses to my inquiries ranged from "hell no" to "I'd only consider going if LL Cool J were playing Hamlet."

In my friends' defense, even the cheap tickets were $80 a piece (which normally I'd scoff at but seriously folks this is the perfect storm). So I have a hot date with myself to go see Hamlet at the Kennedy Center on Monday, May 24.

Silver lining

I'm off the ledge since my last post and I now I want to convince everyone that I don't hate my job. Again, I'm grateful to have a job, and a very interesting one at that. Where else will someone ask me to write a white paper on carbon sequestration liability? And when else will our country find itself in such critical times regarding energy policy? I may work with some nitwits, but the first thing we learned in law school was that you can't choose your clients. And sometimes you can't really choose your boss. It turns out you can't over-educate yourself out of those professional shortfalls. I will, however, share one of the best things about my job: the lifestyle! I work (give or take) 40 hour weeks, which leaves plenty of time for French class at L'Alliance Francaise (the educational arm of the French embassy)! This winter I enjoyed a current events class taught by an indescribable woman whose day job is a trilingual diva at the World Bank and was the star polo player for the Iranian national team in a past life (we were all mesmerized with helpless girl crushes). In mid-May, I'll start a weekly course devoted to reading and discussing this book:

AND, in the meantime, during my mad rush to catch up on all of the history I missed in my secondary education via podcast, I discovered this gem:


Free French lessons on the metro. Or at home while I'm drinking wine in my underwear.

Why do people spend money on cable television again?!

Working for the weekend

Is exactly what I'm doing y'all. I went from 8 years of post-secondary academia into an intense two years at a law firm, then to the federal government, which I'm now convinced is where lawyers go to DIE (note to self: do not expand blog readership to people I work with). I am so thankful to have a job and more than grateful to be able to pay the bills. But so help me God if I have to be part of one more "focus group" devoting three days of my job to what will result in a 20-minute power point presentation, I'm liable to take off my heels and throw them under my desk with the rest of my heels and walk out the door (another note to self: don't leak to my podiatrist I'm wearing heels).

Here's an example of some of this week's correspondence (via email):

(I'll finish an important document and in a month or so (!) I want to bring to my boss's attention again because I'm almost certain he's forgotten to review it, so I forward it his way)

Me: Please let me know if you'd like to talk about this today.

Boss: Can you get me a hard copy?

Me: You mean print this out and bring it to you?

Boss: Nevermind- thanks.

(What I really wanted to say: press print jackass! Isn't it enough that I'm combing through your workload and making sure you don't let this slip through the cracks?) At least he's finally getting the hint that I'm not going to be his personal printer.

It's one thing to work at a private firm. When I was there, my boss owned my life and soul. If he wanted me to stay at work overnight just to print out copies of his personal memoirs, I would've done it with a smile and asked him if there was anything else I could do while I was at it. But he wouldn't have done that because he valued my time and knew how flippin' expensive it was. But there are no hourly rates in the government. Too bad, because it would be a real hoot to see what people would turn in on their billing sheets. Particularly some of my colleagues who disappear for two hours and return looking windblown with the sports section folded under their arm.

Sorry for the negativity and I promise to be more positive next time! xo

Life and wine and podcasts

My dearest readers please accept my heartfelt apologies for what has been a most legitimate lack of all things blithe and lighthearted. I am slowly emerging from an introspective retreat and it has not been without pining for some light blogging that I have been embracing my inner introvert. No elaboration would be appropriate for such a place of cheer and charm so I'm up for some lighter discussion if you'd be so kind to oblige.

In my journey back to equilibrium, I have enjoyed a number of things during this weekend of solitude, the first being (albeit at least 5 years late) podcasts. A podcast is a series of digital media files (either audio or video) that are released episodically and can be downloaded on (among other things) an Ipod via Itunes. They are usually 25-60 minute episodes of news clips, short fiction reads, NPR programs, etc. And best of all: they are FREE. I was overwhelmed when I realized what is available! Meet the Press with David Gregory is one program I've really missed since cancelling my cable package, but I can listen to it for free on my Ipod (or better yet, watch it on my computer). But by far my favorite:



Because I essentially walk EVERYWHERE, instead of contemplating whether tomorrow's weather will be too humid to straighten my hair, which class I should take in the morning at the gym, or other trivial nonsense, during my "commutes" I can now plug in my headphones and hear episodes of trivial historical information! I am obsessed and within 24 hours I have already learned the truth behind the Rosetta Stone, the minutia of Elizabeth I's love life (or lack thereof), analysis of new evidence linked to the Kent State protests during the Nixon administration, and Marie Antoinette myth-busters. My God. If you didn't want to get cornered by me at a dinner party before I discovered this gem, then for pete's sake HIDE YOUR CHILDREN.

Second is a shout-out to Troy's power yoga class. I don't mean to brag, but I am in shape y'all (by my own standards- very relative obvi). I exercise like an absolute maniac week-round. And it never fails- Troy's power yoga class (or even Mimi's or Ursula's, but particularly Troy's) leaves me in pain for at least 2 days subsequent. It consists of an hour of sun salutations at light speed (which, for all of you non-yogis out there, is a sequence which begins standing, takes you through a number of challenging lunges, down to the ground via chaturanga, upward dog and downward dog, which is essentially a triceps pushup into a other unnatural positions requiring strength and control- see illustration below). This stuff isn't easy slow, so doing an hour of it quickly is incredibly challenging and oh so good for the soul! I could quit my job and be some sort of a ninja if I took Troy's class every day.

Last but not least, I took one of the wineducation classes I mentioned a while back! My fabulous sister and I were tipsy after about 3 tastings (which equates to roughly one glass of wine- two chips off the 'ol block) and not only learned about sipping and swirling, but nearly blew a gasket trying not to get kicked out of such a tasteful event as we were laughing hysterically while making fun of each other.

So all in all a much-needed weekend of various indulgences, and it's not over yet! Continuing with another glass of wine as I read and listen to delightful jams and otherwise entertain myself. Happy Saturday all!

Alvah and Dominique (from the Fountainhead)

"Talking as I am talking- to you as you are. It's nice, talking to you about such things. Do you know, Alvah, that primitive people made statues of their gods in man's likeness? Just think of what a statue of you would like like- of you nude, your stomach and all."

"Now what's that in relation to?"

"To nothing at all, darling. Forgive me." She added: "You know, I love statues of naked men. Don't look so silly. I said statues. I had one in particular. It was supposed to be Helios. I got it out of a museum in Europe. I had a terrible time, getting it- it wasn't for sale, of course. I think I was in love with it, Alvah. I brought it home with me."

Where is it? I'd like to see something you like, for a change."

"It's broken."

"Broken? A museum piece? How did that happen?"

"I broke it."

"How?"

"I threw it down the air shaft. There's a concrete floor below."

"Are you totally crazy? Why?"

"So that no one else would ever see it."