Where being normal is abnormal

Here I am: Surrounded!
In the room next to me: an artist.
In the other room next to me: an artist.
In the room opposite: an artist.
In the room below: an artist.
And in the room above: Of course! Another bloody artist!

They sleep until lunch time and they never ever work during daylight. And they try very hard to dress in a unique way - which makes them all look alike. Every day when I come home and cross the canal and see weird stockings combined with weird skirts and weird hairdo under weird hats, I know: I'm on the artists' territory. I watch my pale, pierced flatmate watch telly and just can't help it: "S. - you study "fine arts", don't you? How come I've never seen you draw anything?" -- "No::no::, my drawing is private." I see. "I wouldn't even sho:: my tutor. When I have to hand in my sketch-book, I sellotape it so:: that he can't o::pen it!"

How clever! Dear Prof. A., here you are: my Master's Thesis. I've sellotaped it just in case you thought you could read it. Nono, sorry, but my thoughts about dear Isabel Archer are - well - private!

Before I sellotape this blog: some pictures of beautiful Co. Kerry where I spent 10 splendid days with my family.

The Institute

This week the semester started again, but before that, I had a lovely break: my Irish friend invited me to stay at her place in Clonmel - for three days! It was absolutely beautiful. (It really was - I'm not saying that because I live in bloody Limerick.)
There is a pretty institute in Clonmel, where pupils go and do their homework; from 3pm to 6pm or even 7! Imagine! Are those Irish parents aiming a bit too high? you might ask.
Anyway, somehow I ended up in that institute and helped one girl with her German translation exercise. I am good at Irish. (of course!) I don't hate any subjects. (translate: "I hate no subjects") Are you good at English? etc. etc. etc.
Must be so exciting to learn German -

The next day we took the video camera and went to see the Mahon Falls. Wow, stunning! We filmed an athletic sheep (and the dog running behind it), the water fall, the mountains, us.

Well, when my friend was home and checked the tape, there was nothing on it.
Guess where we two met.

Yes, basic media production course in Mary I. We must have missed something.

How photocopiers can keep you fit

I'd say, some Irish try very hard to be modern, and still - sometimes, they don't quite ... well... reach the standard. Nothing should ever be so modern that it makes your life too easy - that's their motto, you see? Take the photocopying machines in MIC as an example. Honestly, I'm glad they have them, it's so handy not to copy everything by hand, but how can you produce machines without a board for the freshly copied sheets to fall onto? So, what you do is you push the button, run to the left side of the machine, try to catch the sheet (or pick it up from the floor...), go back, push the button, run around the machine, catch the next sheet etcetcetc. I'm sure you agree that it is slightly tiring after the 50th page you copy. Some people have already moved whole tables and positioned them just next to the slot. But those are just lazy people or international students from places such as ehm Switzerland.
Over Christmas, our library decided to position futuristic barriers at the exit to prevent students from stealing. Now - the ingenious thing about this whole matter is that the former entrance is now the exit and the former exit is now the entrance. Yes, you got it. All students trying to enter the library bump into the barrier, and the alarm goes like BEEP BEEP BEEP and I should work on my thesis, BEEP BEEP BEEP, for heaven's sake, BEEP BEEP BEEP! Anyway, the good thing is: it keeps me awake.

Saving Umbrellas from the Gutter

When I was little I collected all sorts of things - stickers, marbles, stamps, pins, cute pieces of soap. My grandmother even convinced me that I was keen on embroidered handkerchiefs and little perfume bottles and made sure that I was never suffering privation...
Well, in the meantime I've got rid of all those collections - just to start a new one over here: umbrellas! And I don't mean those fine 6 Euro umbrellas from Penneys. Nooo, I mean those poor miserable things sticking in the hedges and lying in the gutter after a day like today. Torn, tormented, tortured, left behind - DUMPED. Too lowly even to be put into a rubbish bin. I picked up that black one in front of the Hunt Museum; it lay there like a beaten up metal spider. And I realised: you can in fact feel sorry for an umbrella, you really can! I mean, for an Irish umbrella.

Back to Face Culinary Disasters

"Wouldn't it be lovely to have kind of a family dinner?" My flatmate is beaming with joy, and I am staring at the brandnew piercing in his cheek. Yes, I'm back in bloody Limerick after a very Irish and weird journey. The plane was so late that I missed my train - that's the "Irish part" - and more than half empty. Irritated, I scanned the few faces around me and leaned back. What a shaky take-off! That surely was an Irish pilote still suffering from his New Year hangover. I concentrated on a plastic knife sliding along the aisle towards me. Was I in blooming Supermac's?!
"Sure, what did you think of?" I'm slightly distracted by a cookery competition on TV. A countrywoman is eager to demonstrate that British food is the best in the world. I giggle - just can't help it. My flatmates are irritated. "Well - how about a fondue?" the mouth next to the piercing then suggests. Fondue? In Ireland?! What are you going to use - Cheddar? "We could melt a bit of Camembert. Camembert is nice." I see, exotic, but - have you got a fondue pan? "I guess we could use the double-boiler method." Mmhh - and what about the forks?!

I'm called snobbish, I shut up. Yes, yes, I'm sure it will be the best fondue in the world. You just wait and see! In a year or so, Café au Midi will serve Camembert in water baths, too.

If you want to see what I did over Christmas: watch the new film. (The animation studio is a Christmas present from my siblings - here's an official "thank you guys"!)