I'm flying out to Italy on Friday[1], so today I went to do the necessary shopping. And of course ended up doing some unnecessary shopping too, but hey :-)

Chemist, check. That was part of the "necessary". Turns out that my prescription was inexplicably dated "Nov 2005", luckily the chemist didn't make trouble about it (though he pointed it out). I know my GP isn't very computer-fluent, this seems peculiar though...

Then Penneys. Necessary: a pair of summer-type shoes. Ended up with: the above shoes, a light but long shirt (which I had wanted for a while), a wifebeater (I wish I had another name for it, in Italian it's called "rower's shirt"), a sparkly white scarf, 6 pairs of black socks. For a total of 33 Euro. Which is more than I normally spend in one go, and probably less than I would have spent on any one of those items in Milan (except possibly the socks).

As I came down the escalator to the lower floor (shoes and accessories), I saw two girls trying on headscarves. This is the first time I've seen this, I'm probably very provincial, or more likely I just don't go shopping for clothes much. Anyway, one of them was trying on the most stunning-looking hijab I've seen in a while, and they looked outgoing enough, so I told her :-) At which point I discovered that they were a much weirder phenomenon than I had thought at first: they sounded entirely French. Now, what the bleep are two young French women doing shopping for clothes in Dublin, and in Penneys of all places? I'm still reeling :-) (Oh, and I bought a scarf like the one she was wearing. Doesn't look as stunning on me, and I'm unlikely to wear it as hijab anyway, but it's still a very nice scarf.)

Then the bag shop, for a laptop bag which I'd seen yesterday, but today I had the laptop measurements to make sure it would fit. It looks almost exactly like the so-called handbag I use normally (more like a soft briefcase really, with shoulder strap and a surprising capacity; also very handy as hand luggage), but it has a padded laptop compartment. This will make carrying the laptop on the plane a lot easier.

I think I'm done with shopping until the winter :-)

[1] Unplanned. My father is in hospital again, and it seems that he may be for a while, because what we thought was going to be a trivial procedure turned out not-so-trivial. He seems to be stable and recovering, I'm going mostly to be practical and moral support for my mother while he's in hospital. No idea how long I'm going to stay, I suppose at least until they let him out.

"It's not who you know, it's whom you know"

The statement "The three most powerful forces in the modern world are democracy, religion and nationalism" leaves me opening and closing my mouth like a fish for several moments before I can even articulate "what about economy?"

(The article, about the situation in Iran, is not a bad analysis of those three factors, I think. I just feel that something is missing...)

(In other news, just back from yet another session with the dentist, this time even my ear is numb...)

From an Italian friend-of-a-friend:

"..Ops! Mio Dio, quando ti pregavo di far scomparire quel pedofilo truccato liftato mentalmente disturbato e di colore indefinibile non intendevo Michael Jackson....."

("...Whoops! Dear God, when I prayed that you smite that face-lifted, over-made-up, mentally disturbed pedofile of an indefinite colour, I didn't mean Michael Jackson...")

(Hint: the person in question is an important Italian political personality, and all-around international clown.)

The other event that Dublin had been waiting for :-) For one night, and one night only...

Last Sunday we sang at the RDS, and the tickets were €100... ok, so it wasn't just us, there were also some people called "Celtic Tenors", and it was a charity event, but even so...

Next Saturday we're doing our own summer concert (though we do have some soloists), and it's only €15, and in fact if you get the ticket from me it's €12.50.

We're doing some Handel because it's obligatory this year (a coronation anthem in 4 pieces), three pieces from Rutter's "Childhood Lyrics" which are damn hard despite being things like The Owl and the Pussycat and Sing a Song of Sixpence, a couple-few madrigals, two jazz pieces and a Blue Bird (words by Mary Coleridge). We have a new director since last year, David Leigh (strangely not mentioned on the poster), and we have a new venue because the usual one is closed for restoration. And we're pretty good :-)

I promessi sposi in 10 minuti (piccolo musical degli Oblivion)



Vale la pena :-)


* Not because I don't want foreigners to laugh. But to find this funny you need not only to understand Italian, not only to have read I Promessi Sposi (The Bethroted by Manzoni), but also to know all the songs used in this little play -- and apart from Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and Volare, I don't think any of them are at all known abroad...

I haven't been able to keep up with my LJ flist lately, mainly because my Internet-reading time has been used reading racism_101 and posts by aquaeri (both here and on Dreamwidth) on a similar subject. I'm learning a lot, but I've got so far behind on reading the flist that I have to give up on the idea of catching up. So if there's anything that I absolutely shouldn't have missed in the past 3/4 days, please let me know in comments. And I'll try to keep up now, but we'll see how it goes...

The event Ireland was waiting for!

Fuzz Orchestra (my brother's band from Milan) will be playing in the Lower Deck (map) on Friday 12 June (€10, 9pm start) -- with supporting bands which appear to include Hounds, Zorilla, and Children Under Hoof. The event is billed as "A night of psych rock". (If you haven't heard of psych rock before, join the club...)

I'll be there and of course I'd love to see a big crowd -- but fair warning, the music won't be to everybody's taste... Kind of loud weird shit. You can hear samples at the band's web page, I suggest you do so -- and then, if you like them, go see them! They're unlikely to be back in Ireland any time soon... (More samples on their MySpace page)

Oh, and it's a proper Irish tour: they're also playing The Quad in Cork on Wed 10th and also the Greyhound Bar in Tralee on Thu 11th.



...it's such a weird feeling, my brother is touring here... :-)

So, this morning I went to vote.

As an Italian citizen with Irish residence, I get to choose whether to vote on Italian or on Irish lists for European elections. This time I chose to vote on the Irish lists, for 2 reasons: (1) there's a small chance to get a Socialist in, which is a lot better than the alternatives; and (2) for Italy, I would not have anyone to vote positively for; I would have voted against Berlusconi, but I trust that most Italians abroad will do that anyway...

So I got to the polling station and I was surprised to find that there was also a local election. Now, I knew there was a by-election for a Dáil seat in my constituency, but I don't get to vote for the Dáil (Parliament). I hadn't realised there was also a local election, where I'm entitled to vote. So, in the local election, I voted for the African guy. I hope he's a nice guy, because I don't know him, but I thought that given the number of non-European people who live around here, it can't be bad to have at least one in the local administration. And then I gave my other preferences to the most left-wing people I could identify.

Then I finally got around to posting the Tortagel to annafdd, who must have lost all hope by now. Well, I hope it doesn't get rained on too much, otherwise the post office is going to find themselves in possession of a suspicious envelope full of jelly-like stuff, and the bomb disposal squad probably wouldn't be amused by having to deal with baking supplies...

However, I failed at lodging a cheque. It says that it can only be paid in the UK. The client who sent it must have been sleeping. I'll have to check with my branch of the bank (I was in a different branch this morning), but probably I'll have to get back to the client and ask to be paid some other way -- like, some way where I can actually get the money.

Also failed in taking a nice long walk, which was part of the plan. What happened is that the weather, which had been unbelievably glorious for the past few days, turned grey, and it looked like it might rain by the time I made it to the polling station and back (about 1/2 hour each way, I'd guess). So I got lazy and took the Luas instead.

But still: I got out of the house and got a couple of things done. This is an achievement compared to the past week (though I have been working, which is something). I hope I can keep it up now.

Back in Dublin and to a temperature which is 15ºC lower than in Milan. Rather tired. Will eat some food and collapse.

(I wrote this while in Moneglia, in different stages, and I'm posting it now that I have a connection again)

[Sunday, 7pm]

Moneglia is still a very nice place.

There are lots of very chatty blackbirds, funny to hear them sing so much in the middle of the day (in Dublin they only seem to get enthusiastic around sunset). There are also many pretty wagtails, and they're called ballerine.

Swallows are another kind of bird I don't see in Dublin. There are lots here (and in Milan), and I'd forgotten how loud they can be.

There is an enormous quantity of tadpoles in the stream (no legs yet). I wonder if anyone has ever thought of making a fry out of them. I used to catch them as a kid, but it was for the purpose of growing them.

The wisteria is past flowering, which is a pity, but the bougainvillea is in flower now. Focaccia with cheese is extremely yummy. The temperature is probably what humans were evolved for. On the whole, life is good.

[Sunday, 11pm]

There are also frogs, and crickets. Both are noises I haven't heard in a while. In fact, I don't remember when I last heard a frog.

There are a few stars visible, but not many. I hope tomorrow the weather is good. I might even get to dip into the sea -- something else that I haven't done in a very long time.

[Monday, 8pm]

This morning I actually swam in the sea! I literally don't remember the last time I'd done so, but it's certainly been years. The sea was very calm and clear, the sun quite hot, and the water... well, I don't know, my parents thought it was too cold, I took a while to get in but once in the water it was nice enough. Maybe I've just become too Irish...

In fact, that looks likely. I seem to have acquired an Irish complexion, anyway. I managed to get sunburned (shoulders and ankles) by sitting in the sun for about 2 hours. This didn't used to happen when I lived here...

Moneglia appears to be full of turtledoves -- I don't remember so many of them when I came here regularly. I've also discovered that they don't only have the ceaseless, pitiful hooting call they're most famous for: when in flight, they actually sound like crows (jackdaws in fact).

I also saw a couple of lizards -- an animal that I've never seen in Ireland, not sure if it exists anywhere.

[Tuesday, 23:50]

No bathing today, but I went to the beach in the morning and in the afternoon. I kept my shoulders well covered (as well as slathered with sunscreen). I waded into the water a bit, but the heat from my ankles tended to evaporate it...

I watched Forrest Gump on TV in the evening. It is a completely inane movie. Harmless, probably, but I really don't understand what anybody could see in it.

[Thursday, 15:30]

Back in Milan, in time to see on TV the stage of the Giro d'Italia which is happening where we were this morning. Sestri Levante, where today's race starts, is the next town on the coast from Moneglia (LOL they're showing and talking about Moneglia this minute on TV!) We had to take a roundabout way to reach the autostrada because usually we go through Sestri and today it was closed to traffic.

My shoulders are almost healed, I did spend some time on the beach again yesterday and the day before, but I kept them covered. Also didn't get into the water past my knees again.

I'm in Milan with my parents, things are going fine, but I'm rarely online and definitely behind on reading LJ.

It's very pleasantly warm (unlike Dublin). I'm wearing some clothes that tend to spend the whole year in the wardrobe when I'm in Ireland.

Unless the weather changes, tomorrow we'll go down to Moneglia (near the Cinque Terre / Portofino) for a few days -- and I'll be completely out of Internet reach for the duration.

Hope everybody is doing well :-)

I now own a suitcase. I must be middle aged.

...well, my mother seems to think so, anyway. In fact, every time she saw me travelling with my trusted rucksack she made some comment. This time, she phoned me a couple of days ago, and started with "Now that maybe you travel a bit more... and that you're not a little girl any more..." -- and went on to suggest I get myself a trundly suitcase, and they would pay for it.

In fact, for journeys like travelling to my parents', it is probably handier than the rucksack (short walk and bus journey at either end, and the rucksack needs to be brought to a special check-in at the airport). Anyway, I found one, and it's pretty huge, and it seems to work.

Said suitcase is now loaded and seems to weigh 14 kg, which is fine as it leaves me some safety margin in case the scales were lying (though they shouldn't lie by much since I did the double-weighing thing, where I stand on the scales first on my own, then with the suitcase, and subtract).

I have piled up the stuff that will go in my pockets and in my handbag. I still have to wash some dishes and do some more backups. Then I sleep (early, if I manage, which would be very good, because) then I get out of the house around 5 am to catch a bus to the airport, get a plane to Milan, get a bus to my parents' house and collapse for a day or so :-)

Oh, and this morning I took part in a Tridentine Mass. That is, I sang a Palestrina mass with the choir, while the priest and a small "schola" sang the rest of the mass in plainchant and in Latin. (The Epistle and the Gospel were in English, and so was the sermon; if there was an Old Testament reading I missed it). That took me by surprise as I knew we would be singing at a mass, but I was expecting standard Catholic :-) It was an interesting experience, anyway.

Half of my teeth are now very clean. Half of my mouth is very numb. This is an extremely weird experience.

My brain keeps doing creative dyslexia (I don't actually have dyslexia, except where numbers are concerned, but my brain often pretends I do when the results are more interesting than the correct reading.) On my way back from the dental hygienist visit, I saw a very big poster where a candidate for the upcoming European elections promises JOB CREMATION.

Yeah. (I also keep seeing vans from SHOPLIFTING firms.)

In the Vatican, there are on average two Popes per square km.

Today I sang with my choir at a Catholic Mass in a big, cathedral-like church (St Peter's in Phibsboro) -- which is quite satisfying from a singer's point of view.

I also got a chance to see the Liturgy of Teh Cute (possibly not the official name), a sort of "welcoming" ceremony for 5 babies who are going to be baptised next Sunday (actually, 4 babies and a girl who must have been 3 or 4). The parents stood on the altar with the babies and a number of older siblings, the priest blessed them and anointed the babies individually, asked the parents what names they'd chosen for their babies and if they wanted them to be Christians and then welcomed the babies to the Church. The cuteness level was quite high.

Also, not one but two of the babies were called Holly, which I thought was a very fine pagan name -- but the priest didn't seem to find anything wrong with it.

The priest had more of a theatrical streak than most Catholic priests I've seen, walking up and down the altar during the homily and making sweeping gestures, and on the whole looking like he'd been watching and learning from the Evangelical competition.

The singing went well, and I had fun. There was enough Cute in the front pews to keep me amused during the non-singing bits, so that wasn't so bad either.

Thanks for all the comments on my good-news post yesterday! Much appreciated. (It just seemed a bit silly to reply to each with a "Thank you!", but that's the idea :-) )

Welcome to WRITER’S QUEST!  

You are in a writer’s room. Exits are north and east.  The door leading north has “This Way to Fame, Fortune, and Free Beer!” painted over it.

There is a chair here.  

(I actually startled some people who were walking past my open window with insane laughter while reading this...)

(Hat tip to a locked entry)

I just talked to my mother, they went to see the oncologist who had my father's CAT scan results, and he is clear.

I can't say how relieved I am. (Especially since I had expected to hear from home much earlier, and I'd been working myself into a panic, being by now quite sure that the news couldn't be good or they'd have let me know sooner.)

He will still have to go for regular checks, and he will still have to see the surgeon about that side of things -- but I'm just so glad.

Ok, ceci n'est pas une pipe. A picture of a dead mouse. (Link sent to me by a somewhat geeky offline friend)