ESPAGNE; An Escape.

As every one of my readers undoubtedly knows, I pretty much embody the term "erratic blogger";

I tend go for days and days without any activity, only to pack two or three posts into a single day.

Oh well.

This past week, I spent in Spain, soaking up some sun with "the boy" 

(popular blogger term referring to boyfriend? See Urban Dictionary; An affectionate term for your boyfriend. Used in the 'Belle De Jour' book, prior to implementation in real life.)

Anyway,

To be quite honest, I haven't been on a huge amount of European holidays in my life.

I have been to France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, Germany and obviously the UK.

But most of my family holidays used to consist of American holidays, as I used to live there until I was nine.  But seeing as his family have an apartment there, we decided to go over for a week to escape gloomy Ireland, and idle away our days chilling out by the pool or on the beach.

On the last day, which was yesterday, we went to Barcelona- a city I had wanted to go to for a long time.

Expect a few more posts from me now that I'm back in Ireland for the foreseeable future.  I'm also going to try and connect my Ebay and my blog more, as I have a good few more things that I'm going to be selling in the coming fortnight, including All Saints, Miss Selfridge, Topshop and more.
I'll be posting them all here about a day before I put them up on Ebay, so if anyone's interested in anything I have, my followers get the first chance to grab!

THIS WEEK; The Best of Summer So Far?

Finally, it's here!

I've been looking forward to this week for quite a while, for a few reasons.

Reason 1;

This Friday, I'm going to see Morrissey at Vicar St.  

For those of you who don't already know, I'm a huge fan, and I cannot wait.

Reason 2;

This Saturday, I'm flying to London to spend some time with my housemate, Sophie.

Then Peter's flying over, and we'll be staying in Chelsea until Wednesday.

Jack the Ripper walking tour, here I come!

Reason 3;

Today, I quit my job which means that next week I'll be able to go home for a while.  Office was a nice place to work, and the other staff were great, but at the same time, I'm glad that I'll get to spend some time with my family before college starts up again.

Could you get any more family oriented? ;D

This week will hopefully be the best of my summer so far.  I haven't been doing a lot, but with an additional trip to Spain scheduled for August, things are looking up.

SUMMER in Dublin; A General Catch-Up.

Let me just begin this post by apologising for my lengthy and unexplained absence (if anyone actually noticed, that is). I fell out of blogging while I was studying for my exams, and haven't really thought of anything to write until now.

However, it seems that I'm finally back, and seeing as my boyfriend has abandoned me until Thursday, I find myself alone in the big city with only three hours of work in the interim to keep myself occupied (ie. hopefully I can get back to regular posting).

As someone who really has nothing concrete planned for the entire summer (give or take a trip to London or two, a ticket to Wireless festival in Hyde Park, a performer's pass to Electric Picnic and a potential week in Spain) I'm really finding it difficult to get into that summery mood.  Not to sound pompous, but I've never endured a summer this boring, and having to drag myself into work with echoes of the countless Facebook statuses from people proclaiming they're jetting off for entire the summer in my head is tough, to say the least.
However, I have to remember that it's completely my own fault for not planning anything fun and deciding to get a job, and now I've got to make the most of it.

Anyway,


Here are a few of the things my summer has revolved around so far;

Forbidden Fruit
As a member of Trinity orchestra, I was lucky enough to be able to be a part of the opening act of the second day of Forbidden Fruit, a festival which just began this year in Kilmainham.
After we played, we got to stay for the rest of the day and watch the other acts which included Caribou, Jamie XX, Scroobius Pip & Dan Le Sac and Aphex Twin.

Here's me with Daniel Snaith (Caribou)

A very fuzzy picture of Jamie XX.

And here's one of me and a few friends overcoming the rain.

My New Apartment

I've just moved into a beautiful new apartment in a very central location, and I'm absolutely delighted with it. I'm sharing it with one of my best friends from college, Sophie, which I'm also really looking forward to. I won't post any pictures of the actual apartment for fear of internet predators and all that jazz, but it is a newly refurbished Georgian house with amazingly high ceilings, and a stunning colour scheme of powder blue, brown and cream.

Here are a few interior design pictures just because I've been looking at them a lot lately.

I definitely favour this traditional, luxurious style;

pictures via weheartit.com

My Job @ Office, Grafton St.

Not a bad job, by all accounts. I have become considerably faster at running up and down stairs and memorising numerical codes, and the staff are nice.

Peter

Sad but true, guys, I'd be absolutely lost without him. As we speak, he's at home for a couple of days, and though I'd rather not be mistaken for an obsessive girlfriend, I am feeling pretty lonely without him.

(If you aren't making barfing noises, thank you.)

SUMMER 2011; A Brief Overview.

With my exams having just started yesterday, I can assure you that I am already well and truly exhausted.  Like many bloggers, my time is currently limited and I'm finding it difficult to squeeze in posts.  This overload of academia (ugh) leaves me fantasising about the long summer days to come, and the hours I can fill doing pretty much whatever I please.
Here are a few of my ideas:

Working at Office;

I just found out on Wednesday that I got a job at Office on Grafton St., which of course I am very pleased about.  Obviously it means I won't get to see my family as much as I would have liked, but my job is only part-time which means that I'll hopefully still have time to pop down to Cork and visit them.  My first shift is this Sunday from 12-3.

Spain with Peter;
This year I really wanted a relaxing holiday, and Spain sounds absolutely perfect.  I'll hopefully be staying in the Costa Brava area which is quite close to Barcelona.

Moving into my first apartment;

Though I'm still hunting for the perfect apartment or house with two of my friends, I'm really excited at the prospect of moving in in the next month or two.  I can't believe I'm actually old enough to be looking at properties!

Taking driving lessons;
I'm a pretty good driver, but I feel that I should take some lessons before I attempt the big test.  It would be great if I could pass my test this summer before all these disgusting new rules start applying to me (my provisional license runs out in August.)

My little car

Going to a lot of gigs;

If you're a regular reader, you know by now how much I love live music.  This summer, I hope to go to a good few concerts.  This will begin with Sufjan Stevens (I love him) on May 18th- the tickets were my year anniversary present from Peter, and I cannot wait.

I'll also be playing in Forbidden Fruit festival on the Sunday with Trinity Orchestra which I'm really excited about.

Reading lots of books;

I'm usually a huge bookworm, but this year I really haven't gotten the chance to be.  First on my list?  Finish Brighton Rock.  I'll continue from there, I have volumes of unread books to enjoy.

Clearing out my wardrobe;
I have so many things in my wardrobe which I never wear.  Most of it is quite good quality however, so I'll be donating it to charity.

Spending time with my friends;

Many of my close friends live in Cork, and I don't get to see them as much as I would like.  Hopefully this summer I can have people to stay all the time, as I will have a spare room in my apartment.  I'm really looking forward to catching up and having a few good nights out.

I'm really looking forward to summer, even if it is comprised of a lot of relaxing, with a couple of nice things here and there.  It will be a refreshing break after eight months of college.  
Roll on May 16th!

SUMMERTIME, Soak Up The Sunshine With You.

Trying to study with this beautiful weather is beyond depressing.  

Because my boyfriend Peter is in the same boat, and living in the same accommodation as me, we've worked out a nice routine; 

study for two hours, take a two hour lunch break in which we walk to Rathgar and get sandwiches at Bijoux deli, which we then eat outside, study for another two hours, then take an ice-cream break, study for an while longer before we have dinner, and then do about an hour after we've eaten.

A nice schedule revolving around food and sun; not so bad, though I'm sure he's making much more use of the actual study time than I am.

This week, I'm finding it impossible to tear my mind away from summer to focus on books.  Who else is finding it difficult to care about college exams when they could be planning their holiday?

Here are some nice summery things to remind us all of the sun-drenched world which lies at the end of the dark tunnel of academia (lol)

[On the upside of today, I found out this morning that I won Sinead Lally's giveaway on her blog Fashion House; I'm delighted of course!]

Photographic Evidence; SUMMER.

I've been thinking about rather a lot summer lately, because I've been trying to come up with some sort of plan as to how I'm going to spend it.  I really want to go back to London, and maybe visit Brighton also.  To me, summer just isn't summer without a holiday, and I've gone to California every year since I moved back to Ireland when I was nine.  Can't wait to dust off my Ray Bans and ditch the tights- I'm also really looking forward to chilling out though, and having a few months off college- who isn't?

(I've been visting weheartit.com rather a lot recently, it's becoming an addiction.  They just have the prettiest and most unusual photos, and no matter how long I spend on it, I keep finding shots and edits that I absolutely love

-all photos sourced on weheartit.com)

(Last) Weekend Updates

Lazy Summer, izzycarasmillie

At last -- here it is. I find myself in the throes of summer as I write this.

Weekend plans? I GOT 'EM.

Friends returning from their adventures abroad? OH YES, IN DROVES.

Optimism returning? YOU BET.

.... Hence my blogging negligence. Granted, I can't be too apologetic considering May, June, AND July were write-offs. I took advantage of nothing mainly because... well, there wasn't much going on. But now, late summer is unfurling before me and I am excited to say that life is turning around.

I've been meaning to update about last weekend for this entire week, so I thought I should elaborate a bit on that front. Most of my time was spent at the gym or watching the first season of Heroes (which I CAN'T BELIEVE I HAVE NEVER WATCHED BEFORE LAST WEEKEND), but Monday was chock full of summer-y goodness.

That's right -- Ontario residents were blessed with a Civic Holiday on Monday, August 3 and, so, I was liberated from the beige life of the office. Dad and I headed down to the Kelso Conservation Area to practice our canoeing skillz. And, apparently, everyone else in the area decided upon the same thing. We spent about... maybe half an hour trying to get IN to the parking lot and then we spent another half an hour waiting to rent our canoe. 

It was definitely worth it though, let me tell you. 

We spent an hour on the water getting familiar with the paddles (it's been a while for us both) and just generally exploring the little inlets across the lake. Our plan is to work ourselves up to the point where we can cruise down the Grand River on one of their tours. Haha, after reading that paragraph, all I can think is, "GOD... that sounds so freakin' Canadian." All we need to do is portage a little and we are SO THERE.

Anyhow, all Canadiana aside for the moment, I met up with Ms. Chantal who is BACK HOME SINCE LIVING IN JAPAN FOR THE PAST YEAR! It was so surreal to return to our usual haunts after an absence of 365 days. It's amazing how easily you can fall back into familiar routines, though. Chantal even commented that by the time she reached her neighbourhood after her flight, it was like she'd never been gone in the first place. Weird how the memory functions.

Anyhow, I brought over a special 'Welcome Home' gift of champagne and Turkish delight and she gave me some cute/delicious souvenirs from Japan and from her short trip to Thailand. After that, we headed over to Boston Pizza for some "real pizza," as Chantal now calls it. (Yeah, I know Japan's not famous for their pizza, so, Chantal was definitely excited for the Real Deal.) I know she and I have been reflecting on our friendship as of late -- I mean, we've know each other since we were 14 and now, we've been to Japan and back and are planning a European extravaganza for next year. (Oh, yeah -- P.S. I went to Japan in March to visit with Chantal for 2 weeks.... that's an important bit of detail there, I do believe). It's amazing to think about your connection with other people, just to see how much you've accomplished together. 

Look at me getting all sentimental. I blame the gorgeous weather for all this.

AND, side note: We had quite the hottie spotting while at Boston Pizza. Her name was Jessy and she was our waitress. I've been out to Chantal for a year now, but I've only ever talked about female celebrities I have crushes on. So, to acknowledge the fact that I check out women around me on a regular basis was... well, perhaps a revelation to her. 

Mmm, Jessy... she had a crazy accent. I couldn't place where she was from, which leads me to believe it was a South African accent. (It's my default when I can't pin down an accent... and it seems to be accurate quite often). Chantal and I were chatting a bit about where I was in the coming out process and a bit about O'Neill, so I think Ms. Jessy overhead the fact that I'm a gay gal. I noticed she was making eye contact with me quite a bit and she randomly came over to ask me specifically how I was enjoying my multigrain pizza crust. I know, specific, right? And she kind of ignored Chantal a little which was hilarious to reflect upon.

BUT -- to end the experience, she wrote little messages on both of our receipts, right? I looked at mine only to find she'd written "Thank you very much! XO Jessy". <-- THAT'S AN 'XO,' people. I gloated over that one. Chantal pouted over her lack of an 'XO' and slyly said, "Maybe Jessy thought you were pretty damn hot!" I might have go back there -- AND SOON. Oh, ego boosts, how I love thee.

We caught the film Fifty Dead Men Walking and it was shocking, brilliant, amazing, and randomly funded by Canadian sources...? It details the story of Martin McGartland, a young man from west Belfast who was recruited by the British Police to spy on the IRA during the 1980s. He managed to survive his capture/torture at the hands of the IRA by throwing himself from a tower block window. And he's still in hiding as we speak. It was an excellent movie, I've got to say. But yeah, it was funded not only by Canadian sources, but by QUEBEC sources, if you can imagine it. Random indeed, but I'm glad they did.

... And here I am, standing on the brink of another August weekend with a few odd plans and a desire for improvisation. We'll see what I make of it.

P.S. -- I also have a LOT of blog updates to catch-up on. Prepare thyself for a deluge of comments.