fun fact... mostly relevant to ang and even then there's a chance she won't care.
ahold on predictive text brings up choke.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
gimme gimme more
today i gave blood. being O- i feel a strong urge to do my part. i'm well enough, i've got blood, i can make more. why not?
there are a few differences between giving blood in canada and ireland.
in canada i'm one of the people who can't give blood because i've spent too much time in the uk/ireland so they don't want any part of me. in ireland, if you've visited canada or the u.s. within the last 8 weeks you can't give blood.
the last time i gave blood in canada, they did an iron test by putting a drop of blood into a solution and judge your iron levels based on it floating or sinking. today they had a HB machine. it's probably moved on to that in canada as well, but it's been ages since i was able to give blood there.
also different, were the snack items offered after making a donation. as the nurse was finishing up and getting ready to take me to the snack room she was like: would you like a tea, coffee, mineral, or beer? i thought i heard her wrong... but she did say beer. aside from the facts that i don't drink beer and i was driving, i was really tempted to go for it, just so to have done it. but i really didn't think that giving blood and then driving after a beer was in my, or anyone else's best interest.
so with my orange soda, i sat down and ate a bag of chips/crisps and then had a mini crunchie bar and took a mini moro bar with me. i wouldn't have minded some veg, but i think offering packaged items are easier for them.
there are a few differences between giving blood in canada and ireland.
in canada i'm one of the people who can't give blood because i've spent too much time in the uk/ireland so they don't want any part of me. in ireland, if you've visited canada or the u.s. within the last 8 weeks you can't give blood.
the last time i gave blood in canada, they did an iron test by putting a drop of blood into a solution and judge your iron levels based on it floating or sinking. today they had a HB machine. it's probably moved on to that in canada as well, but it's been ages since i was able to give blood there.
also different, were the snack items offered after making a donation. as the nurse was finishing up and getting ready to take me to the snack room she was like: would you like a tea, coffee, mineral, or beer? i thought i heard her wrong... but she did say beer. aside from the facts that i don't drink beer and i was driving, i was really tempted to go for it, just so to have done it. but i really didn't think that giving blood and then driving after a beer was in my, or anyone else's best interest.
so with my orange soda, i sat down and ate a bag of chips/crisps and then had a mini crunchie bar and took a mini moro bar with me. i wouldn't have minded some veg, but i think offering packaged items are easier for them.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
'tis the season
it's almost christmas. i just realised this when i saw a christmas countdown on someone's facebook. i thought that it must be wrong, cause it said 5 days. turns out, i was.
christmas will be spent at gerry's family's house in carrickmacross, and a couple of days in dublin.
i hope this season will provide games and relaxation.
christmas will be spent at gerry's family's house in carrickmacross, and a couple of days in dublin.
i hope this season will provide games and relaxation.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
the gum thief, douglas coupland
brilliant. sad, hopeful, and heart breaking and funny. typical coupland.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
the results are in
i'm going to miss x factor.
in canada i'd watch a bit of the auditions for american idol sometimes. like if it was on, and i happened to be watching tv, and there wasn't hockey on on the the other channel.
here, it happened by accident, the first time. and then i purposely watched it the second time. cause i love it! but i was sad when niki got the boot last week, and pretty disappointed too.
i hope they show british x factor in canada.
oh, and p.s. did you see whitney's got a new album out? aw yeah!
in canada i'd watch a bit of the auditions for american idol sometimes. like if it was on, and i happened to be watching tv, and there wasn't hockey on on the the other channel.
here, it happened by accident, the first time. and then i purposely watched it the second time. cause i love it! but i was sad when niki got the boot last week, and pretty disappointed too.
i hope they show british x factor in canada.
oh, and p.s. did you see whitney's got a new album out? aw yeah!
Saturday, December 08, 2007
the golden compass
this one's a winner! saw it on thursday with elaine, and we didn't really have expectations for it. it only had 3/5 stars, but it looked interesting, so we went.
we both very much enjoyed. so much so that i might see it again with gerry tonight.
we both very much enjoyed. so much so that i might see it again with gerry tonight.
17 days, time to get ready
a change in plans left gerry and i with a day of rest on friday. we just sat in and watched christmasy movies all day (after a quick stint with some law & orders that were on sky+) had a massive fire, and played some mario party. gerry wanted to watch annie, but somehow i got out of that (thank goodness).
since the wind was blowing as hard then as now, and the rain was coming down, it was a good day to hang out by the fire and get into the christmas spirit.
so today will not be a day of rest. organise! organise! organise!
since the wind was blowing as hard then as now, and the rain was coming down, it was a good day to hang out by the fire and get into the christmas spirit.
so today will not be a day of rest. organise! organise! organise!
Monday, December 03, 2007
swim for it!!!
it's no secret, ireland has not exactly lent itself to physical activity for me. it's been less bad since gerry and i got a gym membership; we've been using the gym and pool a decent amount. not an amazing amount (on my part) but decent enough, i'd say.
something that's really suffered since moving from hope years ago, is my swimming. we used to swim for hours a day. seriously. in the summer you would have to do your chores when you got up, and then you got sent to the lake to play. all day. maybe you got to come home for lunch, but that was usually a ruse for me to come home and weed the garden. if we weren't at the lake, we'd be at a friend's house who had a pool. or maybe at the river. but mostly at the lake.
my friend heather and i used to swim across the lake at least twice a day. for adventure we'd go to the public beach and swim 3/4 across to the point where there was this house that had been abandoned and kind of half burned down. and we'd lay on the rocks, chillaxing. we were very tanned.
i'm sure the other side of the lake is at the very least 1km away. it's probably 1.5, but it's been a while. in any case, gerry and i went for a swim a few weeks ago, and yes it *was* after working out on the elliptical machine, but day-amn my arms and shoulders hurt. and i only did like 250m. so i decided that since we're headed back to canada, i'm not going to shame myself by not being able to make it across the lake.
about a week ago i did 625m. saturday i did 1 km. i'm going to get up to 1.5km and then work on my speed. it's not like i couldn't have kept going on saturday, but my form wasn't great by the end. and it's never been a race to get to the other side, but i want to be able to have enough energy to play on the log at lake of the woods, or swim back at kawkawa lake.
the other swimming goal? to get gerry to be able to swim across the lake too. so far he can do two laps without drowning. there's only a month left on our membership here. we might need the time until summer in white rock to practice. soon he'll be ready for that triathalon.
something that's really suffered since moving from hope years ago, is my swimming. we used to swim for hours a day. seriously. in the summer you would have to do your chores when you got up, and then you got sent to the lake to play. all day. maybe you got to come home for lunch, but that was usually a ruse for me to come home and weed the garden. if we weren't at the lake, we'd be at a friend's house who had a pool. or maybe at the river. but mostly at the lake.
my friend heather and i used to swim across the lake at least twice a day. for adventure we'd go to the public beach and swim 3/4 across to the point where there was this house that had been abandoned and kind of half burned down. and we'd lay on the rocks, chillaxing. we were very tanned.
i'm sure the other side of the lake is at the very least 1km away. it's probably 1.5, but it's been a while. in any case, gerry and i went for a swim a few weeks ago, and yes it *was* after working out on the elliptical machine, but day-amn my arms and shoulders hurt. and i only did like 250m. so i decided that since we're headed back to canada, i'm not going to shame myself by not being able to make it across the lake.
about a week ago i did 625m. saturday i did 1 km. i'm going to get up to 1.5km and then work on my speed. it's not like i couldn't have kept going on saturday, but my form wasn't great by the end. and it's never been a race to get to the other side, but i want to be able to have enough energy to play on the log at lake of the woods, or swim back at kawkawa lake.
the other swimming goal? to get gerry to be able to swim across the lake too. so far he can do two laps without drowning. there's only a month left on our membership here. we might need the time until summer in white rock to practice. soon he'll be ready for that triathalon.
car boot sale - Castletownroche, be there or be square
*finally* it's done. i've found a car boot sale that is happening before christmas, and that the public can go to to sell their stuff.
it's 8E, and i'm conservatively hoping to sell about 150Euros of stuff. possibly more, but i don't know how much stuff goes for around these parts at flea markets. guess we'll see... and anyway, there's always the power of bargaining and the true goal is to not have to ship things.
i honestly don't know how all of our stuff for the sale will fit into my car. but i'm gonna make it happen somehow. okay so... maybe not all but a good part.
i'm gonna set a goal of having almost all the packing/sorting done by the time of the car boot sale. if i allow for the non-sale of some stuff, then it's possible that i won't reach my goal, but i will give some flexibility on that.
***if you're irish and reading this: please send coupons for take-away food / please invite us for dinner ***
it's 8E, and i'm conservatively hoping to sell about 150Euros of stuff. possibly more, but i don't know how much stuff goes for around these parts at flea markets. guess we'll see... and anyway, there's always the power of bargaining and the true goal is to not have to ship things.
i honestly don't know how all of our stuff for the sale will fit into my car. but i'm gonna make it happen somehow. okay so... maybe not all but a good part.
i'm gonna set a goal of having almost all the packing/sorting done by the time of the car boot sale. if i allow for the non-sale of some stuff, then it's possible that i won't reach my goal, but i will give some flexibility on that.
***if you're irish and reading this: please send coupons for take-away food / please invite us for dinner ***
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