A backlog of links

I have this tendency to bookmark things on my computer that I find interesting, with the intention of at some future point sharing them with my lovely, if small, audience. The links have been building up for quite some time, so I'm going to put down at least a bit of them, in an attempt to rid myself of at least some of the growing pile.

- These freaky Valentine's Day cards are hilarious. I was looking at them at work and I had to keep clicking away and muffling my laughter, particularly at this one and this one. I'm still laughing.

- My perennial favorite comic is Calvin and Hobbes. Ergo, I was pretty jazzed to find this collection of Calvin's macabre snowmen scenes. Hee!

- Upcoming Batman movie. Christian Bale + Heath Ledger was good already. Now we add Aaron Eckhard and Maggie Gyllenhaal (in place of Katie Holmes) and I am getting psyched at unnatural levels.

- Speaking of casting things I like, you know the next Indiana Jones movie that is fiiiinally getting made? Cate Blanchett is going to be in it. SCORE.

- And dude, Ryan Gosling is so interesting and hot. Isn't it a surprise that he really didn't get along with Rachel McAdams when they filmed all their hot scenes in The Notebook? I love the idea of two people not getting along at all, then later realizing they should totally be together.

Hmm...now I'll briefly enumerate some of the things I've been up to lately, for those of you who like that sort of thing.

1) Taking Italian class. So much fun! It's amazing how much I've forgotten, but it's always a pleasure to remember things. The class focuses on conversation, which was never my strong suit, but I think if I read my book a bit to refresh some vocabulary and verb tenses, I'll get back to the level I was before. Ish.

2) I bought a laptop. It's a Thinkpad, pretty much the same one I had at work. Why did I buy a Thinkpad? Because I am apparently one of four people on the planet that uses only the little red eraser mouse thing, not the touchpad. The touchpad irritates me. It is totally irrational, and yet I bought a computer based on it. Go figure.

3) Sporting! I played soccer this week. Kept falling on my ass and laughing hysterically, but I had a ball. Next week softball with Josh and other assorted Googlers begins. I should probably make some feeble attempt to practice first, or I am going to be absolutely craptacular on the field come Monday.

Yeaaaaah, that's it for now.

City livin'

I've been promising to deliver the pictures of my new apartment for those of you folks who aren't near enough to come visit it. Now, at long last, here they are!

So you walk in, right? There's a half-bath to your right, and the kitchen to your left. We've got the standard dishwasher, fridge, and stove. (Unfortunately it's not gas, but what can you do?) Happily, there's more counter space than our last place, but we seem to be filling it up fairly well already. There's less food storage space, but I guess that means we just have to buy more fresh fruit and less packaged crackers...though I will admit a recent weakness for Fritos Honey BBQ Twists. Shameful, I know.

Keep going past the kitchen, and you'll be heading into the main room, with the dining area on your left. If you turned right, you'd head downstairs to the master bedroom.


Keep going past the dining area and you head straight into the living room/couch mecca. Yeah, our big beige L-couch didn't fit up the staircase into our new apartment, so we had to say sayonara to it. After several Crate and Barrel visits, we acquired a new couch and two new swively chairs. They are satisfyingly comfy and a nice change from our previous behemoth. You can't exactly tell from the photo, but the main room has high ceilings with skylights, giving it an open, airy feel that I love.


Josh also has his own nook to the right of the TV. It's not as nook-like as it could be, but it's convenient if we want to check something internetty while upstairs. (Aren't the shelves nifty? He put them up himself. My boy is handy.)

Walk past the TV and you'll head down the stairs that lead to the office/exercise room. The previous tenants were using this as the master bedroom, but it doesn't have any door to close it off from the upstairs, so we nixed that plan. It does, however, have great light during the day, and enough space for my desk as well as all our various exercise equipment. Nice compromise, though I do miss my old pseudo-nook just a smidge.










It's a bit of a mess right now, but once we get the desk cleaned off, I think the plan is for Josh and I to share it. Ish. I am fairly territorial. ;)

Downstairs we also have the lovely washer and dryer (a definite plus for this place!) and a couple bathrooms, which means that Josh and I each have one. This works out well since I like to work out in the mornings so it lets him sleep in without all my fluttering about and dressing and occasional blowdrying and whatnot.

And last we come to the bedroom, which has a glorious view of the roof of Gordon Biersch. Yes, this is rather convenient. The bedroom isn't too interesting, but it's got enough room for our enormous bed, space for the TV, and even a nook for a bookshelf, since we have so damn many books.









And that's the place! So far I've really been enjoying its proximity to everything. Josh and I head out to trivia nights at local pub The Rose and Crown. We do the block-and-a-half trek to Whole Foods for yummy sandwiches and fruit. The library is barely two blocks away (though unfortunately not open on Sundays, my preferred book time). I'm taking Italian lessons maybe 5 or 6 blocks away.

Right now I can even hear the rain on the skylights up here. That's one of my favorite sounds in the world. As you can imagine, I'm pretty satisfied.

Change. It's what's for dinner.

This post was written a while ago (try Feb 26) but I didn't get the picture uploaded until just now. So travel back into the past with me, why don't you?

Almost immediately after I returned from Dublin, I up and switched locations at work. We've moved to a new building, pretty distant from the main campus. It's a bummer in terms of the walk to the main campus, which is now a good 15-20 minutes away in proper footwear (let's not even talk about wearing heels). And it doesn't have a cafe yet (yes, I'm spoiled, I already know) so I've been eating fairly unhealthy because I don't have easy access to my beloved make-your-own salads.

However, the office that I now share with a couple other coworkers is pretty nice. It's spacious and light, owing to the lovely large windows that cover one side and offer a pretty sweet view. I'm not the best picture taker, and it really merits a panoramic photo since the windows are so wide, but you get and idea of how far you can see into the distance.

It's nice being able to look out the window into the world and see that, hey, there are other things that exist besides just my computer! Kind of a wacky idea, I know, but after staring at a monitor for hours, sometimes you get a little crazy.

One small demerit:

I've just realized that the head honcho offices are directly opposite from the bathrooms on my floor. Um, I don't really want my department VP knowing how often I pee, if that's cool? Looks like I'll be heading downstairs in future, or flirting with dehydration...

Belated travelogue post, part II

After Strasbourg and Murry, it was time to head to Dublin. Unlike France, my purpose in heading to Ireland was nearly all business -- it's where much of the international support for my team is located. I went out to go spread the goodwill, educate people, get feedback on the current state of things. Nothing too glamorous, but definitely worthwhile.

I arrived in Dublin late at night on Tuesday. My first action of note was to get on the wrong Airport Shuttle. Turns out there are two routes that the Aircoach takes. Luckily, when I arrived at the final shuttle stop, waaaay out in the suburbs, and realized my mistake, the bus driver was kind enough to return and drop me a bit closer to my hotel. The fact that I burst into hysterical tears may have helped.

My hotel room at The Davenport, when I finally reached it after midnight, was fabulous. It's a good thing, too, because it really became my headquarters over the next few days. I spent quite a bit of time there, as you will soon learn. Quite large and posh, right?









The next few days were just work, work, work. I didn't get out at all, because I didn't know the city, and wasn't in much mood to explore after long days at the computer. I got my dinners from the snack rooms at work, supplemented with Nutella, bread, and fresh fruit from the local Spar market. I am not proud of how much Nutella I ate, but I will not attempt to conceal the fact that it was a lot. I only eat it when I'm in Europe, so it has fond and particular associations for me, despite its availability in the US.

Saturday, however, I finally exited my comfortable cocoon. First, I went for a run around the city in the morning, to get the lay of the land at last and become a bit more familiar with the city. As luck would have it, Spencer, one of my coworkers from here in CA is doing an ambassador program in Dublin, so he and I headed out for a tourist bonanza...or so we thought.

Our first stop, Trinity College and the Book of Kells, was excellent. The highlight was The Long Room, a very old two-level library that I wanted to permanently settle in. Unfortunately, pictures were verboten. But it was just glorious to be in there for as long as we were. When I build my dream house, it's going to have a replica of the Long Room. Sound good, Josh? ;)

After that, though, things just didn't go our way. Dublin Castle wasn't open. Neither was Jameson Distillery. The line at the Guinness Storehouse was revolting. Even our attempt to go to lunch at The Cedar Tree was thwarted. Whyyyyyy? The tourism stars were simply aligned against us. Accordingly, you'll just have to settle for this picture of the exterior of Christ Church.


Finally, with tired feet, we sat down in St. Stephen's Green while we waited for our tea-time at The Merrion Hotel with a few other coworkers. And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the first high point of my visit. I'd like to have tea every day! That's a tradition I could get behind. See? Look how psyched I was!


The scones, breads, and little tarts were delicious, as was the steaming Earl Grey tea I chose. Perfect after a day of wandering outside in a chilly wind. The company was lively and fun, too, so we agreed to meet up again for dinner later that day.

After a brief rest, we did exactly that. By chance, we decided to dine at the popular (and deservedly so) Bang Cafe. I had a prawn stirfry and a chocolate mousse with banana sorbet. It was ridiculously delicious. Still feeling fairly energetic, we headed just a couple doors down to O'Donoghue's pub, where we listened to a ripe old accordion player and each had a Baby Guinness. It was surprisingly tasty. My companions, better drinkers than I, continued to swill regular Guinness, and we chatted until about midnight, when I gladly headed back to the hotel with a smidge of a sore throat.

Sunday was a great day, because I finally got out of the city. Personally, when I think Ireland, I don't think buildings -- I think rolling green hills and mist-covered beaches. I got a taste of that idyllic scenery by heading to Glendalough for a hike with Spencer as well as one of our Dublin colleagues, Uladzimir, and his wife Tania. Spencer and I hopped on the DART for half an hour, winding our way along the picturesque coast to Bray, where Uladzimir and Tania picked us up and drove us to Glendalough, an old monastery with gorgeous hilly hiking trails.

The weather was ideal -- sunny in the morning, only darkening and becoming a bit windier as the day wore on. You can see that it gave the monastery a bit of an eerie look, however -- like an oddly lit movie set.


Glendalough (aka "valley of the two lakes") is stunning. I mean, lake + hills = pretty, right? Abbey would have loved it and taken pictures till the battery in her camera died.


As it was, the hike itself might've killed us. You climb pretty steeply, aided by railroad ties that give you a bit more stability and traction. The path is thickly wooded, with a pretty waterfall. We passed a number of outdoorsy Irish folks who offered friendly greetings. When we got to the top, the view was definitely worth it.


After the hike, we were famished. We drove back into Bray where we excitedly sat down to a "carvery" lunch. It's a traditional Sunday meal for the Irish -- like a buffet, but with shepherd's pie, roast, stew, carrots, cabbage, and the ubiquitous potatoes. I particularly loved these slightly crispy roasted potatoes. So tasty. And Uladzimir and Tania were really gracious hosts. They are about the friendliest, nicest people you'd ever meet. Plus, Tania likes Grey's Anatomy, so we had plenty to talk about. :)

By the time we headed home shortly after 5, I was exhausted. I spent the evening in, happy to have finally been out and about. Still feeling the twinge of potential impending sickness, I downed copious amounts of tea as well.

However, it was to no avail. I awoke Monday feeling like dung. I dragged my corpse-feeling self into work, where I shuffled through the day bleary-eyed and aching. After work I retreated home, smuggling several Vitamin C-rich Innocent smoothies, my favorite beverage in Ireland, pilfered from work. I made tea, sprawled in bed with the smoothies, the tea, the tissue box, and the remote. A real party, as I'm sure you can imagine.

The next couple days, I continued to feel a bit wonky, but I kept working. Time was short, and there was a lot of work. Unfortunately, I didn't get to do any more sight-seeing or socializing, but I did eventually feel better in time to go home. Of course, "home" had changed by that time...but that's a different story, and one I'll get to in another post.

In conclusion, I love Irish breakfast.

Belated travelogue post, Part I

Better late than never, right?

So, first I went to France. And it was excellent.

Murielle and I were happy to see each other.


I was pretty darn exhausted, though. That first day we went to lunch with her new (to me), awesome boyfriend Herve at this delicious little restaurant with a very cute, quirky ambience and place settings. Josh's mom would've loved it. We walked around quite a bit, and zoned out quite a bit at the hotel, since the jet lag stick had pretty much beat me upside the head by mid-day. As per usual, we had plenty of dorky fun, no matter what the activity. We were just so durn happy to see each other.

Our hotel was right in the middle of downtown - ideally placed for maximum wandering. (Check out the view.) The next day we went to a cooking class at the Musee du Chocolat. It was a fun Valentine's Day-themed menu where we learned how to make a lovely three-layer mousse au chocolat and these chocolate-dipped pralines. It was awesome, not just because of all the chocolate, or because Murry and I kept giving each other amused looks during the chef's somewhat bungled demonstration, but because I actually understood nearly all the French. That boggles my mind.

Later that night we went to see A la Recherche du Bonheur with Herve. Fun! And, more importantly, I managed to stay awake throughout. This was key, people. We had to bid adieu to Herve (unfortunately, didn't get to see all that much of him, but enough to know that he is a good egg and cute enough for my best friend). Later that night, we went out to dinner at the savory Canas y Tapas restaurant, where we plotted our screenplay.

Monday was our last full day together -- alas! Time always goes by way too quickly. Even so, we tried to enjoy ourselves. We spent a rousing day going throughout the city for various reasons. First, we walked all over creation in search of a crepe restaurant, finally finding an open on (Crep' Mili, where I had some yummy alcoholic apple cider and a galette with zucchini, gruyere, and garlic. It was incredibly satisfying.

Post-food we did a spot of shopping. We first made some failed attempts to navigate French clothing stores, but then headed for the fnac. Fnac has everything. Okay, not everything -- it's more like Borders smushed with Best Buy: you can find books, CDs, DVDs, and computer equipment. Murry and I trolled around for livres en francais. I snatched up Ne tirez pas sur l'oiseau moqueur, while Murry grabbed a French translation of a Jonathan Kellerman mystery.

Next, it was on to Auchan. Auchan really does it have everything. It's like Target, on steroids, with a supermarket attached. We went in search of cooking supplies, but milled around and found all sorts of things. For some reason, I find it absolutely delightful to look at grocery stores when traveling abroad. It's both foreign and familiar. Murry introduced me to the most addictive snack, and I also picked up some cute ghost crackers for later. Why are they so cute? I have no idea. They just are.

That night we ate pizza, watched Les Poupees Russes, and talked until late. The next day, Murry and I woke up late, took a lot of dorky photos, and then had to hustle in order to make it on time to our respective workday and flight.

And that was it. Another visit, short but sweet.

I'll get to Dublin soon enough...