The Man Who Changed The World

Last week, I went with the family I work for to Niagara on the Lake. We stayed in a beautiful house with 15 people for 5 days. It was crazy and wonderful and all that's in between. :) And I got to do a lot of reading by the pool... Yes, I have a pretty tough job. 

One of the books I read was 'How Shakespeare Changed Everything' by Stephen Marche. I sat with my feet dangling in the warm water while the kiddos were swimming, and turned page after page til I was done- what an interesting read! 

An extract... You should really read this, it's long (and I will try to shorten it), but had me in fits of giggles! 

"If you cannot understand my argument, and declare "It's Greek to me," you are quoting Shakespeare; if your lost property is vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have been tongue-tied, hoodwinked or in a pickle, if you have knitted your brows, insisted on fair play, slept not one wink, laughed yourself into stitches, had short shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing, if you have seen better days or lived in a fool's paradise- why, be that as it may, the more fool you, for it is a foregone conclusion that you are (as good luck would have it) quoting Shakespeare; if you think it is high time and that that is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and the truth will out even if it involves your own flesh and blood, then- to give the devil his due- if the truth were known (for surely you have a tongue in your head) you are quoting Shakespeare; even if you bid me good riddance and send me packing, if you wish I was dead as a doornail, if you think I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the devil incarnate, bloody-minded or a blinking idiot, then- by Jove! O Lord! Tut tut! For goodness' sake! What the dickens! But me no buts- it is all one to me, for you are quoting Shakespeare." 

Well, I hope I didn't bore you to tears. If you read this whole post, then I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. :) Or maybe I'm just a dork. 

Dry Spells

Sometimes I go through dry spells. I think I've written about them before on this blog. It might last a week, maybe two, and my creativity just stops flowing. I stop playing music, I have no interest in reading or writing, I can't craft, and even my conversation seems dull. But I don't really mind when that happens.

I don't mind at all. Because when that dry spell is over, my creative mind goes on overdrive. This week I have rediscovered my love of reading, and I have really enjoyed 'The Perks of Being A Wallflower' by Stephen Chbosky and 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I have written a happy song inspired by my summer in Canada which I will share with you when I'm finished tweaking it. I've written so much in my diary, and now I'm coming back to life on my blog too. Happy days. :) I always know that every dry spell is followed by a wonderful shower of inspiration and creativity.

Notes From a Stranger

A while back, I stumbled across a blog post by someone (I really wish I could remember who) who had picked up a book in a shop and found a secret note in the front cover. It was short and sweet, praising her for choosing that book, and I just thought the idea was absolutely wonderful! Imagine. Buying a book, taking it home to read, and finding a handwritten note from a stranger. I think it would make me smile for a month!

So... I decided I would do it too. I picked 3 of my favourite books, and on Wednesday I left a note inside each:
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffeneggar

 

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

I had so much fun sneaking into the bookshop and hiding the notes in the books, I felt like a secret agent! 

And I wasn't going to tell you this next part... But I'll give you a giggle. 

So I had hidden the notes in my diary for safe-keeping, and as I approached the book shop, I stopped to take them out. Just as I opened my diary (on a random page), a bird flew over my head and pooped all over the page, splat! I was so shocked! I was just staring at the page, trying to make sense of it all. And then, while I was still trying to recover, a woman tapped me on the shoulder, "Excuse me dear, but you might want to pull your dress down on the right hand side at the back..." Oh my goodness, Kate and I laughed for about 20 minutes solid. The bird, then the skirt, then the bird again! Such a comical 2 minutes. At least I can laugh. :-P 

Dear Friday

Dear Kina Grannis, I am incredibly excited about going to see in you less than a week! Your music is simply fantastic. You are an inspiration. We need to get our thinking caps on and come up with a way of getting you to notice us.. We will most likely be the annoying fans!

Dear Chocolate, I missed you dearly. I thought I could go without you for a whole month, but I guess I misunderstood the importance of having you in my life. I don't regret our premature reunion- I think it brought us closer together as a couple.

Dear Clodagh and Bria, I doubt you will read this, but maybe one day you will and it will make you smile. :) I am so glad we met you this year! Kate and I love college regardless, but you make it so much more fun. And I know we will be friends for a very long time. :)

Dear Enid Blyton, I am in awe. Kate found a DVD all about you! My childhood simply would not have been the same without your books. I learned to read with The Teddy Bear's Tail, and my sense of adventure was inspired by The Famous Five. The Faraway Tree showed me that books really can bring you to a different time and place if you let them, and The Secret Seven was the foundation for my very own club at the age of 6- The Pancake Team. I cannot wait to watch the DVD and find out more about the creator of my childhood.

Dear Minnie, I miss my little hot water bottle when I'm away at college during the week. I love how you don't get mad at me for leaving you, and you always end up back curled up at my feet when I come home. :)

January Love

Christmas has passed, and we are all slowly falling back into a routine. But I must admit that I say this with a hint of satisfaction. Now that I have left my school days behind and I've started college, I really love my routine. It was nice to get back to G-Town and start nursing again. Now, how about a good old love list? This January, I can't help but love...

1. My beautiful guitar. Her name is Harper, and together we make music and forget the rest of the world. 

2. Hot chocolate with the Laura & Kate. The 3 of us have been meeting for hot chocolate in the same little café in our hometown for 3 years now. And last year it became an important ritual for us to blow off steam as we studied for the dreaded Leaving Cert (horrible exams). This year, we're in college. Kate and I are together in the city, but we've been torn away from our 3rd Musketeer, Laura. But we have kept up our tradition, and *almost* every Friday when we come home from college, we meet in our little café for hot chocolate and a chat. And I have to say, it has become quite therapeutic. This is Laura. :)

3. Walking with my iPod. I spend most of my college days walking. Walking from the apartment to college to town to the hospital to the supermarket to the apartment, etc etc. And everywhere I walk, I have my trusted iPod to keep me company and to provide a feel-good soundtrack to my rainy/ windy walks (I live in Ireland!). 

4. Escaping to the world of books. Sometimes my life gets too busy, and I have to miss out on reading to make time for my music instead. But since our little trip to Kerry, I have reconnected with my books. Currently reading: Madeleine by Kate McCann

5. Nursing. I'm back in the hospital, and I'm enjoying every precious moment of it before my placement comes to an end. I'm getting to know and care for every patient, and I'm trying to soak up as much knowledge as I can from every experience. The immense pleasure I get from taking care of these people is just indescribable. I know that this is what I will spend my life doing, and I couldn't be happier. :)

This Week

This week was catching up with old friends. It is one of life's finest pleasures to have those friends who you can meet up with after a year, and talk to as if you see them every day. And I find that hot chocolate and heart to hearts go hand in hand. 

(http://theinglenook.blogspot.com/)

This week was journaling on the go. I have been keeping a journal for a year now, and I've noticed a very inconvenient pattern. The more time I have on my hands, the more I write, but when I'm busy, my journal is neglected. This means that there are gaps left in my journal for the times that are most exciting! But this week when Kate and I traveled to Kerry to meet up with cousins/friends, I wrote at every opportunity so that the  precious memories wouldn't be lost. 

This week was swapping music. The only thing that brings me more joy than finding new music is sharing it with those who I know will appreciate it. :) This week we swapped some Drew Tabor, Sarah Crummy, Taylor Swift, A Rocket To The Moon & Ally Rhodes. 

This week was cosy reading. I love how simple my life can be when I'm away from home. I had no internet, no TV, no distractions from life's simple pleasures. All I had with me was what I had packed in my little rucksack, so while the girls slept in in the mornings, I enjoyed some quality time with my book.

'This Week' Playlist

1. Safe & Sound- Taylor Swift

2. Tragic- Drew Tabor 

3. Like We Used To- A Rocket To The Moon

4. New Soul- Yael Naim

5. Dark Blue Tennessee- Taylor Swift

6. Coney Island- Good Old War

7. Small Bump- Ed Sheeran

8. Don't Worry, Be Happy- Bob Marley

9. Jaded- Sarah Crummy

10. Your Winter- Sister Hazel

I hope you enjoyed your first week of 2012. And if not? Well let's make next week simply wonderful. :)

Proud To Be Irish

It's common knowledge that I want to travel as soon as possible, and experience as many different cultures as I can. I can't wait! I am dying to live in America and Australia and maybe even Italy one day. But I will always remember where I came from, and I will remember the things that make me proud to be Irish. 

How can you not love it? Valleys and hills, patchwork fields, and tiny little houses peeking from behind the trees. I get to call this 'home'. And of course, we have music. Listen to this amazing singer-songwriter, Sarah Crummy! 

  

We have traditional music too of course, and though I have kind of abandoned my flute, whistle & bodhran for my guitar, I will always love trad. And St. Patrick's Day! 

Yes, I am driving a tractor. And don't you dare laugh at my wellies. Aren't I lookin' well, lads? 

Other reasons I love being Irish: 

• Amazing writers. W.B. Yeats, Eavan Boland, Brian Friel, Bram Stoker (Dracula!), Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, Jonathan Swift (Gulliver's Travels), Cecilia Ahern & Maeve Binchy. 
• Food. Tayto crisps, Brennan's bread, sausages, cadbury's chocolate, and good aul tea.
• Music. The Script, Snow Patrol, The Coronas, Van Morrison, The Cranberries, Maura O'Connell, Mary Black, Julie Feeney, Damien Rice, Glen Hansard, U2 and lots more.

There are so many reasons to love being Irish. I just wanted to capture a taste of it. :)