FMM: 2 mi
Greetings,Gang,
Miraculously, we are up, dressed, and heading out shortly to shop and meet Bob downtown. Molly is still under the weather, so I need to fix her some oatmeal. Happy Thursday!
Purring while stirring,
I remain
Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Bogs, Bumbershoots, and Books
FMM: 1/2 mi (the girls have taught me how to take the bus)
Good day, friends and frienemies,
We're still on water alert here. The newspaper advised us not to hoard water in the tub or elsewhere. Why, I hadn't even thought of that, so I did fill up a jug or two or three. The free flow of information is so essential to a functioning democracy; don't you agree?... A strange thing happens when you run out of things to do. Mary has long had this theory about why we Baby Boomers became avid readers: we were bored stiff in our youth. When we ran out of friends and our very limited selection of TV shows, we needed SOMETHING to occupy us. That's when we pulled out a book. Well, that theory has proved itself true once again. After 3 1/2 weeks of sightseeing, museum going, family togetherness, and full disclosure from all Facebook and e-mail contacts, my daughters have retreated to book reading. Nancy is reading _Lovely Bones_. Molly has read _Catcher in the Rye_, _Dublin 4_ (an old Maeve Binchy), and is reading _Thirteen Reasons_. Both have asked to take books home with them. Of course, I have had to set a good example for them and I have just finished _Tethered_ by Amy MacKinnon (kinda weird; I wouldn't really recommend it) and _We Need to Talk About Kevin_ (a bit weird, too, but an interesting read)...We did get to one museum yesterday to view the bog bodies which are about 5,000 years old. It was raining and freezing and I'm sad to report that two more O'Connell bumbershoots were laid to rest. I am always sure to bless them before binning them. Bob says there is a $60 bumbershoot that is layered, allows the air through and won't blow apart. What would YOU do? Buy 45 $1.50 ones at the 2 euro store or 1 good one?? It's a tough conundrum....It's cold and rainy again today. We have plans to go to Gravediggers' Pub for lunch and take a tour of Glasnevin Cemetery; however, we may just stay home and read. I'll let you know tomorrow.
Still hanging out on the 4th floor,
I remain
Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth
Good day, friends and frienemies,
We're still on water alert here. The newspaper advised us not to hoard water in the tub or elsewhere. Why, I hadn't even thought of that, so I did fill up a jug or two or three. The free flow of information is so essential to a functioning democracy; don't you agree?... A strange thing happens when you run out of things to do. Mary has long had this theory about why we Baby Boomers became avid readers: we were bored stiff in our youth. When we ran out of friends and our very limited selection of TV shows, we needed SOMETHING to occupy us. That's when we pulled out a book. Well, that theory has proved itself true once again. After 3 1/2 weeks of sightseeing, museum going, family togetherness, and full disclosure from all Facebook and e-mail contacts, my daughters have retreated to book reading. Nancy is reading _Lovely Bones_. Molly has read _Catcher in the Rye_, _Dublin 4_ (an old Maeve Binchy), and is reading _Thirteen Reasons_. Both have asked to take books home with them. Of course, I have had to set a good example for them and I have just finished _Tethered_ by Amy MacKinnon (kinda weird; I wouldn't really recommend it) and _We Need to Talk About Kevin_ (a bit weird, too, but an interesting read)...We did get to one museum yesterday to view the bog bodies which are about 5,000 years old. It was raining and freezing and I'm sad to report that two more O'Connell bumbershoots were laid to rest. I am always sure to bless them before binning them. Bob says there is a $60 bumbershoot that is layered, allows the air through and won't blow apart. What would YOU do? Buy 45 $1.50 ones at the 2 euro store or 1 good one?? It's a tough conundrum....It's cold and rainy again today. We have plans to go to Gravediggers' Pub for lunch and take a tour of Glasnevin Cemetery; however, we may just stay home and read. I'll let you know tomorrow.
Still hanging out on the 4th floor,
I remain
Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Who Needs a Bath?
FMM: 4 mi
Good day, Clean Freaks,
You've probably taken your morning bath or shower by now. Not us! Dubliners have been ordered to curtail bathing due to burst pipes and water leaks. When I last checked online, we were able to take a quick "power shower." Since my family is asleep, I plan to rush in and get my water alottment. I'll be right back. Don't go away...Whew! You'll be glad to know that there was enough water for ME today here in the Fair City. It wasn't that hot, but, hey, water is water. Being the patriotic sort, I did my part by NOT washing my hair...Have you ever wondered whatever happened to the penny postcard? Me, too. It costs the same to mail a postcard to the U.S. as it does a letter: $1.20 (.82 euro). Postcards usually cost $.75 (.50 euro). Imagine my surprise when I asked Nancy how many postcards she had written to her friends this week. She had bought a few and raided my supply. Are you ready? 28. That would be about $55 worth. Needless to say, none of YOU will be getting a postcard from me anytime soon. Of course, this could have all been kept a secret from you-know-who if Molly hadn't thought it was funny and felt compelled to reveal it to a certain person who did Not think it was funny. Enough said! Our goal this year is to stimulate the Irish economy and no one can say that we aren't doing our part...The snow has melted and the weather has warmed up. Yesterday we went to Kilmainham Jail, downtown Dublin, to see _Sherlock Holmes_ (we all loved it), and to hear folk music at Bewley's Cafe. Molly is now getting my cold, so she and I were ordered to sleep together last night. Between snoring (I swear I don't do it) and being too hot, cold, or unable to find the box of Puffs between us in bed, we didn't fare too well. All are still asleep as I stand in the kitchen doing my duty to you, dear readers!
Bathing and raving,
I remain
Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth
Good day, Clean Freaks,
You've probably taken your morning bath or shower by now. Not us! Dubliners have been ordered to curtail bathing due to burst pipes and water leaks. When I last checked online, we were able to take a quick "power shower." Since my family is asleep, I plan to rush in and get my water alottment. I'll be right back. Don't go away...Whew! You'll be glad to know that there was enough water for ME today here in the Fair City. It wasn't that hot, but, hey, water is water. Being the patriotic sort, I did my part by NOT washing my hair...Have you ever wondered whatever happened to the penny postcard? Me, too. It costs the same to mail a postcard to the U.S. as it does a letter: $1.20 (.82 euro). Postcards usually cost $.75 (.50 euro). Imagine my surprise when I asked Nancy how many postcards she had written to her friends this week. She had bought a few and raided my supply. Are you ready? 28. That would be about $55 worth. Needless to say, none of YOU will be getting a postcard from me anytime soon. Of course, this could have all been kept a secret from you-know-who if Molly hadn't thought it was funny and felt compelled to reveal it to a certain person who did Not think it was funny. Enough said! Our goal this year is to stimulate the Irish economy and no one can say that we aren't doing our part...The snow has melted and the weather has warmed up. Yesterday we went to Kilmainham Jail, downtown Dublin, to see _Sherlock Holmes_ (we all loved it), and to hear folk music at Bewley's Cafe. Molly is now getting my cold, so she and I were ordered to sleep together last night. Between snoring (I swear I don't do it) and being too hot, cold, or unable to find the box of Puffs between us in bed, we didn't fare too well. All are still asleep as I stand in the kitchen doing my duty to you, dear readers!
Bathing and raving,
I remain
Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth
Monday, January 11, 2010
The Sleet Goes On
January 11 Blogpost
Good morning, folks,
The worst "snowstorm" in 32 years is still the top news story here on the isle. Schools have been closed nationwide for 6 days. I don't think the storm would've warranted even one snow day in Missouri or Illinois. No one owns a snow shovel here, so the sidewalks are ice packed. From what I can tell, the British control all the sand and they've had their own storms and won't send us any. Our transport minister has been on a Caribbean vacation and everyone wants his head. Whatever the reasons, it's not our fault that things are a mess over here! ..It's warmed up a bit today, so we hope go out to Kilmainham Jail and downtown to Penneys which - according to Nancy - has darling winter headbands with knitted flowers on them. Molly is demanding new Pumas and Nancy new Uggs as the weather has ruined their shoes... We spent yesterday inside and I spent the day in bed due to a bad cold. I have caught the girls giving each other secret signals noting how many days they have left with us (5) and also checking the weather forecasts quite regularly to see if they can fly out of here on Saturday. We all hope sunny days are ahead!
Still bleating despite sleeting,
I remain
Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth
Good morning, folks,
The worst "snowstorm" in 32 years is still the top news story here on the isle. Schools have been closed nationwide for 6 days. I don't think the storm would've warranted even one snow day in Missouri or Illinois. No one owns a snow shovel here, so the sidewalks are ice packed. From what I can tell, the British control all the sand and they've had their own storms and won't send us any. Our transport minister has been on a Caribbean vacation and everyone wants his head. Whatever the reasons, it's not our fault that things are a mess over here! ..It's warmed up a bit today, so we hope go out to Kilmainham Jail and downtown to Penneys which - according to Nancy - has darling winter headbands with knitted flowers on them. Molly is demanding new Pumas and Nancy new Uggs as the weather has ruined their shoes... We spent yesterday inside and I spent the day in bed due to a bad cold. I have caught the girls giving each other secret signals noting how many days they have left with us (5) and also checking the weather forecasts quite regularly to see if they can fly out of here on Saturday. We all hope sunny days are ahead!
Still bleating despite sleeting,
I remain
Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth
Friday, January 8, 2010
Cold Facts
FMM: 1 mi
Happy Saturday, Chaps & Chicks,
Shouldn't you be shoveling your walk or checking your pipes? It's freezing here with treacherous, icy sidewalks. That didn't stop the girls from a Thursday trip on their own to the Temple Bar area in open-toed stiletto heels..Nancy did admit she thought she might lose a toe or two. However, with a few encouraging and uplifting text messages from their mother (WHR R U???!!!) they made it there safely and back and even danced a jig or two and made a few friends along the way.... Last night the girls made us tacos for dinner while we sipped wine - that I could get used to..We then watched our last episode of _Doc Martin_ (I think you can find episodes on YouTube if you're really interested) and the quintessential Dublin movie _The Commitments_ about a Dublin band the 1980s...Today it's more of the same with an invitation to our Irish friends' home this evening...
Hope you're keeping warm.
Wining and dining,
I remain,
Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth
Happy Saturday, Chaps & Chicks,
Shouldn't you be shoveling your walk or checking your pipes? It's freezing here with treacherous, icy sidewalks. That didn't stop the girls from a Thursday trip on their own to the Temple Bar area in open-toed stiletto heels..Nancy did admit she thought she might lose a toe or two. However, with a few encouraging and uplifting text messages from their mother (WHR R U???!!!) they made it there safely and back and even danced a jig or two and made a few friends along the way.... Last night the girls made us tacos for dinner while we sipped wine - that I could get used to..We then watched our last episode of _Doc Martin_ (I think you can find episodes on YouTube if you're really interested) and the quintessential Dublin movie _The Commitments_ about a Dublin band the 1980s...Today it's more of the same with an invitation to our Irish friends' home this evening...
Hope you're keeping warm.
Wining and dining,
I remain,
Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Where's Tiger? Where's Tizzie?
FMM: 2 mi
Hi, Gentle Readers,
I know you are all dying to know what I did for New Year's Eve and where I've been keeping myself. I'm sure most of you have checked the blog hundreds - perhaps thousands - of times looking for answers. At least one of you wrote demanding that I resume the blog as you need it with your swig of whiskey in order to get to sleep each night. Unlike Tiger, I did not rent out a penthouse or invite my sleazier friends to cheer me up for the holidays,although all of you are proof that I do have plenty of sleazy friends. I didn't need to! I had my entire family at my disposal, and the girls are still here. Yes, we are in week 3 of our family togetherness experiment. Molly is "sharing my computer" which means that I have use of it only when she is not on a "Skype Date" with Cody or aimlessly checking Facebook. It's not fair! How am I supposed to waste MY time?..On Monday, a power outage disrupted my finely tuned clothes washing schedule leaving me with a striped dishtowel with which to dry myself. Unauthorized, Bob had stuffed two precious towels under the doors to curb the drafts. Unauthorized, the girls had used 2 towels each. As all the guilty parties were asleep, I broke down and used Molly's towel (she'll never know until she reads the blog so I'm safe for awhile.) We are now back to our choreographed, color-coded toweling system today.... We loved London and visited most of the major sights. We also saw _Chicago_ and _Blood Brothers_ on stage. It was rather cold, but the London Underground kept our forced mile marches (FMMs) to a minimum. Tim & Megan put us all to shame with careful planning and execution of their time. They kept the rest of us focused. They left Saturday. They agreed to fly a later flight home and -- like all my relatives but me -- they got upgraded to first class...Yesterday Bob, the girls and I hired a nice man named Harry to take us on a tour of Newgrange and other sights north of Dublin. For the first time in 30 years, Dublin had a significant snowfall of about 3 inches. All of Ireland came to a complete standstill and we got to sit in traffic for 5 1/2 hours. Harry was very good-natured and we sang, played games, tried to keep warm....So, while I'm not in a penthouse living it up with sleazy friends, I am being held captive in seclusion in my fourth floor apartment by my family who are making me cook their favorite foods and pay attention to them...I miss all of you. Send me an e-mail or comment on the blog so I'll have a legitimate reason to reclaim my computer from Molly for a minute or two.
Cooking, cleaning, and complaining,
I remain,
Mom/Tizmom/Tizzie/Tiz/Liz/Elizabeth
Hi, Gentle Readers,
I know you are all dying to know what I did for New Year's Eve and where I've been keeping myself. I'm sure most of you have checked the blog hundreds - perhaps thousands - of times looking for answers. At least one of you wrote demanding that I resume the blog as you need it with your swig of whiskey in order to get to sleep each night. Unlike Tiger, I did not rent out a penthouse or invite my sleazier friends to cheer me up for the holidays,although all of you are proof that I do have plenty of sleazy friends. I didn't need to! I had my entire family at my disposal, and the girls are still here. Yes, we are in week 3 of our family togetherness experiment. Molly is "sharing my computer" which means that I have use of it only when she is not on a "Skype Date" with Cody or aimlessly checking Facebook. It's not fair! How am I supposed to waste MY time?..On Monday, a power outage disrupted my finely tuned clothes washing schedule leaving me with a striped dishtowel with which to dry myself. Unauthorized, Bob had stuffed two precious towels under the doors to curb the drafts. Unauthorized, the girls had used 2 towels each. As all the guilty parties were asleep, I broke down and used Molly's towel (she'll never know until she reads the blog so I'm safe for awhile.) We are now back to our choreographed, color-coded toweling system today.... We loved London and visited most of the major sights. We also saw _Chicago_ and _Blood Brothers_ on stage. It was rather cold, but the London Underground kept our forced mile marches (FMMs) to a minimum. Tim & Megan put us all to shame with careful planning and execution of their time. They kept the rest of us focused. They left Saturday. They agreed to fly a later flight home and -- like all my relatives but me -- they got upgraded to first class...Yesterday Bob, the girls and I hired a nice man named Harry to take us on a tour of Newgrange and other sights north of Dublin. For the first time in 30 years, Dublin had a significant snowfall of about 3 inches. All of Ireland came to a complete standstill and we got to sit in traffic for 5 1/2 hours. Harry was very good-natured and we sang, played games, tried to keep warm....So, while I'm not in a penthouse living it up with sleazy friends, I am being held captive in seclusion in my fourth floor apartment by my family who are making me cook their favorite foods and pay attention to them...I miss all of you. Send me an e-mail or comment on the blog so I'll have a legitimate reason to reclaim my computer from Molly for a minute or two.
Cooking, cleaning, and complaining,
I remain,
Mom/Tizmom/Tizzie/Tiz/Liz/Elizabeth
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