Last Wednesday, when I returned home from my half-day at work, Mark wanted to go to the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) because The Moderns exhibit was ending in a few days. Ok, to be honest, at that moment I was not into it. I kind of wanted to loaf around the house for the rest of the afternoon. But then I said to myself, "Self, go to the museum and get outta the house!" So, that's what I did.
I really enjoyed the exhibit, and I'm glad I caught it before it closed. I especially liked Mainie Jellett's portraits,
Walking home, we decided that museum wandering is thirsty work, so we stopped at a pub on Parkgate Street called Nancy Hands. We ordered Paulaners, which was exciting because not many pubs sell it on draught. The only other people in the pub at that early hour were two American tourists from Colorado. We had a nice chat with them, though we probably would have been ever so slightly happier talking amongst ourselves about the art we'd just seen, but we left feeling lighter on our feet and happy to share our Irish know-how with our fellow Americans (though there was one touchy moment where it seemed that we didn't have the same politics and I had to veer away from that particular topic).
We figured that on the way home we'd stop by Lilliput Stores to pick up some special ingredients for a nice dinner. But on the way there we noticed an art opening next door at The Joinery. More art! And complimentary wine! The artist, Colm Rooney, has created these fantastically tiny but magical paintings.
So, after having a good gander at the paintings, we splurged next door on some pizza dough, cheese, and balsamic vinegar and then went home to cook some delicious pizza.
I can't help but think it was a nearly perfect day.
Friday, October 1, 2010
I have been a blog neglecter. Well, it's been busy times for me lately! For the past couple of months, I was doing a little mini-internship twice a week for the very talented and very nice Dublin fashion designer, Sinead Doyle. It really got me thinking about fashion and what I'd like to work on next, and she also inspired me to do more hand work like beading and embroidery. So we'll see what I come up with! I still have some nice fabrics from my trip to Florida last year. I have been staring at them longingly for over a year, so I'd like to get through my stash.
It's also RAG season again! So we're making the final push to get the magazine out. Things aren't moving as swiftly as they should be, so I foresee a few sleepless nights ahead.
I think I may have written in February about going to Dublin Community Television to do a show called "Looking Left." We were featured as a comparison to the 1970s Dublin feminist magazine "Banshee." The show has finally been released. Admittedly, I don't say a whole lot. But Clare does an amazing job, and I excel at nodding and smiling.
The other day, I felt like making brunch. So I made a ton of food, and was lucky enough to have a few friends come over and help me eat it. It was one of those days where you feel content and loved and all those nice things. But did I take a photo of us eating the yummy food? No. I took a photo of the plate though! Now, it doesn't look very appetizing, but I assure you, it was. Here is home made corn bread, tofu scramble, corned bean hash, and home made soyrizo. Yum!
A friend of ours was in town between traveling, and he put on a little fundraiser in Seomra Spraoi for a social center in Malaysia. I was supposed to DJ, but there wasn't really enough people. So we just put my ipod playlist on the stereo and had a nice relaxed time. But then, someone asked to turn the music off because some musicians wanted to play. It was magical, and such a pleasant surprise. I took two videos. The second one is haunting and maybe even other worldly. Sometimes I get these reminders at how different Ireland is than America, in a good way. You know those moments where you think, "This would *never* happen back home!" And I feel so lucky to have these moments, particularly when I am missing friends and family back in New England.
September 24th was Culture Night, "a night of entertainment, discovery and adventure in Dublin and across 20 towns, cities and counties in Ireland. Arts and cultural organisations open their doors until late with hundreds of free events, tours, talks and performances." I cycled over to IMMA to meet some friends. I wanted to take photos, but my camera is fairly useless at night. Here's one of Clare and her friend, looking festive! As we were not so excited by the happenings there, a group of us continued on to some other galleries on Franklin Street. And I had a celebrity sighting! Tommy O'Neill, aka Detective John Deegan from Fair City! I was pretty pleased, but I didn't go up to him or anything.
It's hard to convey just how many times you see horses in Dublin. I don't mean the kind of horses like you see in downtown Boston that have fancy carriages that will take you around the Common. I mean just kids on horses, guys in little mini-carriages going down the road by horse. It's no strange sight to see horses used as regular transportation, and they usually go down the roads like cars. But the other morning, I caught a horsedrawn hearse in traffic, and I just had to take a photo. The horses in front of the bus really creates a contrast!
Well hopefully it won't be so long before my next update!
