Getting caught up with the Holiday Shopping....

.....and stressing out a little with not quite having gotten everything yet, and also with the financial strain of it all too... BUT, have also to spend time cleaning up my room, start packing, sort out some gift-wrapping, figure if I have a realistic opportunity to get 2 last items that I know I'd like before my return to Ireland for Christmas, and trying not too worked up about it all, as I'm starting to realize how little time there seems to be!!! It'll all fall into place, I hope!! Realistically, I'm not stressing out too much, but am just a little anxious about what it is that I think I'd like to get done beforehand....I'm also feeling down about my boyfriend not travelling with me next week, largely for financial reasons, and that's understandable, but I'm going to miss him so much, as I know he will me, but such is life. All will be fine, and I am looking forward to seeing my niece and nephews next week, and spending time back in Cork at Christmastime, which is the first time in 5 years that I've been home this time of year! Should be fun, I hope!

Changes of the Season and Christmas

I've been enjoying the changing of the seasons as best as I can, and Autumn is still my favorite, and Winter being my least favorite. I'm not a huge fan of the cold, but I do love snow, so I'm continously conflicted, but such is life...

Here are a couple of shots taken from my bathroom (!!) window - one taken recently when we still had leaves on a neighbor's tree, and one taken just now, with absolutely no leaves.....what a difference a couple of weeks can make!!

And I've also been getting into the Holiday season, listening to Christmas music, doing some shopping, not doing very well at staying on budget, though my purchases are not altogether dreadfully expensive :-( I do love this time of year, though, except for the financial pressures, which never seem to fail me!! I've decided to include a photo of the Christmas tree down at Port Discovery, which I took last night. I was meeting friends at Howl of the Moon for the Happy Hour that a girlfriend had won, so it was nice to get down there for a couple of drinks! Didn't stay long, and was out of there not long after 7:30pm, but it was still fun! It's been a busy week, with having had birthday celebrations on Tuesday, and other holiday celebrations for the remainder of the week, but makes me appreciate the down time too, and I am certainly glad to have friends to do things with, unlike when I first moved to Baltimore in late 2000.




Well, I'm going to tidy up here, and get ready to head out to meet my boyfriend and other sailing friends for drinks and dinner, as I am getting hungry!

'Til next time!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Happy Birthday to Me,
Happy Birthday to Me,
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday,
Happy Birthday to Me!

OK, I don't normally 'sing' greetings to myself, but as I'm alone this morning, I figured I would..... Heading into the end of my 30's by celebrating!!

Quiet birthday celebrations over the weekend

Spent the weekend having a fairly quiet time with my boyfriend, and hanging out with friends on Saturday evening for the Lighted Boat Parade in Baltimore's Inner Harbor - we hung out at Captain Larry's bar in Federal Hill after it was discovered that our usual haunt of Little Havana's was closed to the public for a private party. It was nice for a change to be somewhere different, and I like Captain Larry's, as that's where we went to for our friend's baby shower back in September, which was a great time! We also got for a short walk around Fort McHenry on Saturday afternoon too which was nice, though it was soooooo cold all day.

We had Sunday Brunch at Gecko's Bar in (Upper) Fell's Point yesterday which was our first time there in several years - a place kinda close to our hearts, as it was our first "unofficial date" together, though it was well before we started dating..... We wanted to take a walk around Fell's Point, but it was raining, so that detered us from hanging out for as long as we wanted to, but we did get the opportunity to hang out at one of the antique stores down there..... Fun times, and more celebrations tomorrow for my actual birthday itself - will be planning to be at Little Havana's, as our sailing friends have their social get-together's there on Tuesday nights in the off-season, which we're now well into the swing of....

Car break-in...

To the idiot(s) (I'm being too nice....) who broke into my car on Friday night, thanks....! Just what I need right now is to spend extra money on fixing a broken window, and the after-effects of now not feeling quite as safe in my neighborhood.

Thanks for nothing....

California

Am glad to note that the few family and friends living in Southern California have come out relatively unscathed from all the wildfires occurring there at the moment, so am feeling relieved for their sakes.....

Photos of my new computer

Thought I'd post a couple of photos of my new computer - the lack of which had me out of the loop on and off during the summer, and definitely for the bulk of September. Am so glad to have a brand new machine! Am now in the process of trying to pay for it, and I've just sold a couple of items on eBay that I haven't used for ages (my old walkman, and an old Nikon camera that got water-damaged, and hopefully will be good for parts - they've both been purchased and paid for within the past day or two, so hopefully, these folks will enjoy their new purchases!).

Great news - I'm an Aunt again!

Found out yesterday afternoon that my older sister has had her 3rd baby, a boy, as yet unnamed, who came in at 7lbs, 7oz. at 2:30pm local time (they're back in Ireland), on 11th October 2007. He follows his older brother and sister with honoring me with Aunthood again! Looking forward to hearing more about the little man, and getting photos and a name once they figure that out!!

Great to get some good news in the midst of some uncertainties elsewhere in my life, but nothing that time won't help in waiting to see where things go....... Hard to keep positive sometimes when feeling a little too anxious, so hence getting news of my sister's baby helps a LOT in relieving some tension!

Lack of Computer Access

OK, so now my old laptop has finally bit the bullet as of a couple of weeks ago, so I now have no readily available internet access or computer usage, and so am not blogging as often as I thought I would get into, hence my lack of chit-chat and photo uploading.

We had a GREAT time at Elk Neck State Park - highly recommended for those who may enjoy camping. I'll try to remember to post photos, once I get my new Gateway laptop which is currently in the process of being ordered and sent to me - estimated arrival date 10/01/2007 according to their records. It was either going to be Gateway or Dell, and I did prefer the look of the Dell overall (and could get a corporate discount through work, but not a huge one, but every little helps), but the Gateway worked out to be ever so slightly cheaper, so money talks.... Hope I won't be extending myself too much by taking out this computer loan through my credit union, but it'll just be for a year, unless I can pay it off far sooner, which is my hope!!!

Anyhow, am at my local library, the Waverly branch here in Baltimore's Enoch Pratt library system, and it's just around the corner from home. Don't come here too often, as I tend to go to the Central library close to work on a regular basis instead.

Have only less than 2 minutes left, so must rush off!!

Going Camping!!

OK, we're heading off on our first (!!) camping trip of the season next weekend for Labor Day weekend, America's unofficial ending of summer. We won't be travelling far, just up to Elk Neck State Park, which should take only about 90 minutes or so, so should make for an easy drive. A beach location was initially preferred, but due to our late planning, it didn't happen that way, and we lucked out in finding some openings still available at Elk Neck, right at the top of the Chesapeake Bay, and there's a beach of sorts there, according to it's map.

Camping became a new hobby last summer when I got involved with a local group, and I went on several camping trips last year - himself even came on a couple of them with me, until we went on our own last Labor Day weekend. That group has since disbanded, and hence I haven't been since, and as he isn't as into camping ("I'd rather be sailing"), he's still happy to appease by going on at the least the one trip together, just him and me!

Looking forward to being out in the woods/wilderness (or at least kind of, anyway!), and being close enough to the water too!! Will hope to post some photos of our camping trip too....

'Til next time......

Life as it is...

Life too busy with everything and nothing recently, so haven't posted, but will try to get back soon!

Back from California....

Well, it's been almost 4 weeks since leaving for California, and it's starting to feel like a mini-lifetime ago.....

I've been having problems with my desktop computer (it finally died, and have now had the hard-drive removed, and accessible through a piece of external hardware that my boyfriend purchased for me, and so I'm now in the process of wanting to sell it - it's served me well after years of use/upgrading/abuse, etc.), and my (very pre-owned) laptop is in the process of having it's battery replaced (found a great deal on eBay, and battery is already installed and working well), and am waiting for my other eBay purchase of a power cord to arrive before plugging it in and hoping the machine will finally work again!! I hope that it'll help me out for the next 6-12 months or so before I bite the bullet, and have to go shopping for a new computer... But, hence my delay in posting, or adding any photos to this blog.....I took about 400 photos between my digital and film cameras, so I continued to be my snap-happy self!!

Also, since getting back from CA, I found out my brother was in San Diego since late May/early June!!! It really ticked me off initially, as C & I were so close in deciding to visit there while we were in the L.A. area, but decided against doing so, in an effort to save some $$$. BUT, it worked out that my brother cut his summer short there, as he didn't really take to San Diego or the heat (he's a cooler climate guy, who prefers the temps. he's more attuned to in Ireland), so he came out to New York early last week, and I got him down to Baltimore on Thursday (thanks to a room-mate, L, who lives 50% of his time in Brooklyn, and 50% in Baltimore), and the brother stayed 'til early Sunday morning, when I sent him on a train to Southern Connecticut to visit our cousin and family for the day and subsequent overnight trip. He flies back to Ireland tomorrow, having gotten his break from the hometown boredom/blues/whatever he wanted to get away from for a while.....

Anyhow, must away with myself again, due to limited minutes on the Public Library computer.....

Will hope to be back sooner rather than later!

Sailing Raft Up

Got to attend the 1st Friday Social of the Downtown Sailing Center last Friday night, and the Cruising Committee planned and got a raft-up together, and got to stay overnight. C is Boat Captain this year of one of the cruising boats, and has been very involved in working on Octet, a 30' Beneteau, and he's loving it. Having had his own boat for over 5 years, until donating it earlier this year due to time and financial constraints, he's able to continue his enjoyment of boat maintenance with this boat at the DSC.

Anyhow, we lucked out on weather, as it was a gorgeous night, dry (though humid), and we had a lovely sunset, and enough of a breeze during the night to make sleeping easier. Hung out for coffee on the Pintita, and generally had a great time!! Very exhausting being out in the sun too, as it can really drain the energy, as a nap was had later that afternoon.

Vacation plans....

Finally, I've been able to make some vacation plans today that I'm really excited about!! Friends of ours are getting married in Laguna Beach, CA on June 16th, and I've finally been able to find flights at a really great price, but did have to be very flexible on dates. C and I are travelling from Wednesday to Wednesday, which kinda sucks in not being able to sandwich the week in between 2 weekends, and still having to take 6 vacation days off to accommodate. BUT, in flying from the east coast to the west for less than $250 roundtrip (inclusive of taxes!), I shouldn't complain!! We're looking forward to it, and have found not a bad price for car rental either. We're hoping to visit C's sister and family in Malibu too, and even create some of our own vacation elsewhere, but there'll only be so much we can do in 6.5 days too....especially as the wedding will be right smack in the middle of our week. We'll work something out to make the most our trip, and hopefully, get back for more, sooner rather than later!! And am also hoping to catch up with an old friend who's finishing up her PhD in Neuroscience at UC Irvine this year, so I really hope that pans out, as I'd love to see her and her new baby, who'll be about 9.5 months old by the time of our trip!

California, here we come!!!

Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival

Got to the Sheep & Wool Festival yesterday as planned, and was able to meet my boyfriend's cousin, who I discovered a few months ago had been to it before, and was really wanting to go back again, but couldn't find any of her friends to go with her. So she & I met mid-morning, after both of us were delayed by either lack of getting out of the door on time (me!), or traffic delays (her!), but luckily, I was there before she was, so that made me feel so less guilty at being the late person (as would tend to be more typical...). I have to admit, time-keeping is not one of my strong points....a combination of the Irish in me, as a culture, we tend to be laidback in many ways, but I do happen to have my own casual sense of time too, which drives many folks crazy, but then again, I have certain (Irish) friends who are worse than I am, so that makes me feel a little better (only just a little though!).

Anyway, even though I had my camera with me, I didn't take any photos while there, as we were too busy browsing the stalls. We both really likes pottery a lot, and we both made small purchases from a local pottery vendor, Green Bridge Pottery, from Dayton, MD. We went to buy some organically made soap, which I wouldn't normally do, but it was top of the list for Ann to buy, and I'm looking forward to trying out my couple of soaps soon!! I did very well, and didn't buy too much yarn, and didn't use my credit card, so was very pleased. I am trying to cut back on spending, and adding more stuff to my piles of "fluff" that I tend to hoard, including yarns, books and supplies. My recent move helped me realize what a hassle it is to have too many things (necessary as well as unnecessary items!). I'm not disciplined to have come away empty-handed though! I surprised myself, by buying a hand spindle, which was a spontaneous purchase (which hopefully, I won't regret), but thought it'd be fun to try out. I was given a demonstration by one of the ladies at the place I bought it from, but will have to try it for a while, and see how well (or not!) I may get into it!!

Also, I bumped into a couple of folks I knew from a couple of knitting groups that I attend on either a regular or not-so-regular basis, so that was a really nice touch to the day too, as it's neat that I'm starting to get to know people who attend these kinds of events too, and who are just as or far more into knitting than I am!! I did bump into knitting friends last year too, but it's always fun to do so again.

I've included some photos of my purchases, which includes yarn from Tess Yarns from Maine and Dancing Leaf Farm in Maryland, my hand spinner, and some yarn for spinning with, mohair, kid mohair and dyed merino wool. Also, my pottery dish with one of my soaps, and a keyring which I though was cute - made from a teaspoon handle, and I also bought one for my boyfriend, as I thought they were so cute! Unfortunately, I didn't get the name of that vendor, as I really like their stuff - they took old cutlery, and made items like windchimes, plate-stands, pins/brooches, and other adorable stuff, and I foolishly never did go back to them, even though I was tempted to buy one of their windchimes. And they were very reasonably priced too. Grrrr....all I know is that they were amongst the outside North vendors..... And I bought a pattern for a cute sweater, too, which I couldn't resist!

Anyway, had a fun time, and was exhausted by days end.....got to meet my Sweetie and other friends later, but was too late to join them for dinner, but stayed for a drink, and my own quick bite to eat, and we came home early at around 9:30 - 10pm or so.

I was going to do the Chesapeake Bay Bridge walk today, but a combination of tiredness, plus the fact that they cancelled the event this morning anyway, due to high winds, prevented me from going. Now, I don't feel bad for not going...I'm hoping I can get to do it next year instead, all going well. And it allowed me the time to work on continuing to tidy up my room, and continue to purge items and paperwork and plenty of other stuff that I really need to get rid of. Spent a couple of hours this morning working on my floppy disks, transferring stuff onto my computer's hard drive, and deleting everything else, and so now I have 58 disks I'm looking to get rid of! I'm considering taking them into work and put them into the office supply cabinet for those folks who have a floppy disk drive on their computers to get to use, as I wouldn't like the disks to go to waste.... But then again, they may not be wanted there, so I'm not sure... I still have about another 30 or so disks to go through, on top of the others I went through a couple of weeks ago, and am glad to be getting rid of this stuff. Went through some paperwork and files, and have a full trashbag of crap, and will probably have more to come, at the rate I'm going!! Just need to get rid of my excesses, and learn not to get too attached to THINGS that I don't really need! I'm too sentimental for my own good, sometimes!!

Want to get outside today, as it's already 4:36pm now according to my computer's clock, and I haven't been outside yet, so I really need to get some fresh air....

'Til next time!

May Day, and Spring is Here!

A couple of photos of my new place that I've moved to a month ago, and the old place doesn't compare to it at all, as this house and neighborhood are a HUGE improvement!!! The bottom photo is of the back of the house, and my room has the two dormer windows on the top floor (it's a semi-detached home, so the remaining windows belong to the house next door). The 2nd photo is of the porch, which I'm hoping to get out and enjoy using soon, now that the weather has started improving, though I get the impression that the current roommates don't use it much, if at all, which is a shame.

And then there's Oliver, the resident cat!! One roommate, Mike, has 2 of his own cats too, Nomad and Tattoo, but the homeowner, Michelle (currently in the UK with her English husband and young daughter), owns Oliver, and he's the most sociable cat..... I'm not a huge cat person, but I'm really starting to take a shine to Oliver, and he's crashed on my bed a couple of nights over the past couple of weeks, and I'm enjoying his company!!!

Anyhow, must get ready for work.... Happy May Day, and Happy Springtime!

What next.....?

Just when things seem to be OK, Virginia Tech happens...... What is it about the Americans, and their freedom-loving ways, and their "constitutional right to bear firearms"...... I have to admit that the longer I live here, the more I wonder about this place, and wonder if freedom is really what they really think they have..... Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy living here 95% of the time, but that 5% of the time, I really wonder.......

On other things, am settling in slowly but surely to my new place, and I don't even miss my old place in Severn, MD at all..... Where I'm at is just so quiet (granted, I do get to hear more sirens, etc., but that may be more to do with living pretty close to Union Memorial Hospital too), and the room-mates are just so much friendlier..... Definitely worth the money I'm paying for the place right now, and am certainly enjoying it....

Work is a mini-state of turmoil, as layoffs were announced last week, and changes are still happening, and the ripple effect is still kicking in too.... I'm not worrying about it too much, as decisions are being made from NYC where the HQ is (it's a large, world-wide company), and if more jobs are going to go, so be it.....

Anyway, have finally gotten my taxes done, thankfully!!! Federal taxes are coming back to me, but I owe MD just a little bit, so it works out fine........ Just glad to have both sets of tax returns filed and finished with for this year!!

More later...!

Some photos...

These were photos I took at my old place back on Valentine's Day - the day of the excessive snow, as well as the run-in with my former landlady... :-/ But it was such a beautiful evening, with such a nice sunset, I really needed some calming, and couldn't help but take these photos, and I've just come across them. Just had to share...

Changes continue to happen......

Paradise is taking a break, and we're both fine with that, as we need our respective space....it's not easy, but under the circumstances, it's the best thing we can do, and take priority for ourselves first, and then each other.... Uncertainty is never fun, but taking time out for myself is nice too, so I'm feeling a little better because of that, and so is he...

Other changes are happening at work....impending layoffs are in the process of being announced, and we're not sure how things are going to pan out in our part of the company or even how things will be effected in our department. But, we'll find out more details in the next day or two, and I'm not going to, and can't, worry about it all, as it's something that's out of my hands, And as I'm doing the kind of work that can transfer anywhere (to almost any company at at geographical location), I don't feel tied or stuck to this company, so it'll work out fine in the end.......at least for me. I'm not one of those who is tied to a mortgage, or has a spouse or kids to support, so I feel I'm one of the luckier ones. Yes, I have my share of financial responsibilities like most adults do, but I'm less tied down, so if there's ever a good time to get laid off from a job, this is the time..... We'll see what way the cookie crumbles.....

And yes, I'm settling into the new place slowly but surely, and have put more stuff into storage, have a bag of stuff (largely clothes) now sitting in the car for Goodwill, and am finding space slowly but surely for my things I'm keeping. I've a few small things on eBay, and I've gone one item already being bidded on, so I'm excited about that..... I don't miss the old place at all, though I've had to stop by over the past couple of weekends (albeit briefly) to pick up a few things I've left behind by mistake. But I don't foresee any more visits back to Severn anytime soon, unless I'll be down at Arundel Mills Mall, which I'll get to every once in a while.....hey, we women like to shop!!! No photos to update yet, of how my room is getting cleaned up, but I may start reconfiguring how the furniture may work in this room.....or not, as the case may be.

Anyway, I'm tired, so will have to log off soon........'til next time!

Still unpacking... :-/

Still have so much to get through, and have started a "Goodwill" bag of mostly clothes, and have put a few more things into storage since Sunday. Continued going through some kitchen stuff last night, as it looks likely that I won't need most of my own stuff, as there's quite a bit in the kitchen that seems to be for common use, so I am continuing to pack that up. Am looking towards the day that I move out of this place in Guilford, not knowing how long or short I'll stay, but am in no rush to go anywhere anytime soon!!!

Haven't been sleeping well either for the past couple of nights, so I'm feeling very exhausted as I write. Still continues to be trouble in paradise, and that's been mentally draining, so my sleep has been effected. That's all I'll say here about that for right now.

But, will be glad when I figure out what to do with my excess stuff, and at least get some of it cleared out, and minimize the amount of stuff in my bedroom, which is looking a lot better than what it was on Saturday!! I should take photos of my progress, even just for my own piece of mind!!

Anyhow, must get back to work, as I'm on a late lunch, and must return..... Traffic was a nightmare this morning with a combination of wet weather and some Motivational convention going on in town today. Marylanders just don't know how to drive in the rain, and Baltimore so badly needs to improve it's public transportation system.....sorry, but 1 lightrail line, and 1 subway line for a city this size just doesn't cut it...... The Baltimore buses suck too, as do the streets, which are covered in potholes, but I totally digress - another subject for another time!!

Must....get....back...to...work......