Lapsing is hard...
...especially if it's not by choice.

So excuse me if I'm a little grouchy.

That and I had a whole lot of messages at work (where I won't be until Monday). Including some that really needed to be dealt with, but I forgot to change my voicemail to reflect that I was out of the country. OOPS.

Just saw "Magdelene Sisters" with my mom. It was particularly interesting to see after having just been in Ireland. Staying with people who have lots to say about the cruelty of the nuns when they were in school... These are devout Catholics who are quick to condemn you for lots of sins, but who were deeply hurt by the nuns. Much like some of the characters in the movie. It was good, but didn't deviate too much from the standard prison/orphanage/institution movie formula.

Ireland has changed a lot in the last five years. Which I knew abstractly--last time I was there they were beginning to show prices in Euro's as well as punts, but the euro didn't actually exist off of a computer screen yet.

Going through customs has always seemed like something of a joke to me. On the way into Ireland I presented the passport I'd had for less than 2 hours, had it stamped, went on. On the way back, we cleared through immigration in Ireland, submitting the forms with what we had to declare. Not that anyone checked. Then in the US we walked through the "nothing to declare" line with our bags. I tried to give my passport to someone (it cost nearly $300, I want to use the damn thing) but he didn't want it. Now, we were totally honest about what we were and were not bringing into the country. But how do they know that? I mean, we hear a lot about guns being found in teddy bears... I know I don't "look" or "act" like a terrorist, but isn't that supposed to be irrelevant?

Trust me, I'm not whining that I didn't get hassled enough, but I'm not fully convinced that thousands of people don't wander through with illegal items every day. I could have had ANYthing in my checked bag and no one would know. So am I supposed to assume that all 300 people on the plane were as painfully honest as my mother and I?

I brought back some really nice whiskey. and lots of presents. and "Crunchie" candy bars since you can't get those here. Also Christmas presents--my mom and I felt the need to support the local economy. A Lot.

I also bought Irish lace material so I can make curtains for my kitchen. In theory. The fabric will go next to the paint for my bookshelf and painting that needs to be framed in the "home improvement" pile. Or maybe with the cross-stitch I've been working on for 4 years.

Speaking of home improvement, my stepdad gave me a late birthday present-a very pretty framed poster of a building. The poster is by the architects of the building.

The building is the Reynolds Club. Yes folks, the place where I spent 4 years as an undergad and 2 thus far as a staff member. A poster of it will be hanging on my wall in my apartment.

In a lot of ways it is a really wonderful present. It's gorgeous poster of an attractive site. it's a building that means a lot to me, and it follows a theater/poster theme of gifts from him to me (this will be the 4th, if you count that he had a poster framed from "Woods...".

On the other hand, it means hanging a poster of where I work on my walls at home. You know?

My sister also gave me a late birthday present-- an antique garnet necklace that she bought when she visited Bali last year. I can't decide whether this is an error or intent as she gave me an antique garnet necklace from Bali last Christmas too. They aren't the same necklace, but they have similarities. Both very me. But really both go with exactly the same clothing. Both are choker-length. Both have the same number of stones. But one is a pendant on a black chain and the other is stones in a silver setting. So not identical at all. It could be on purpose. Or it could be that she bought one, wrote my name on the box, put it in her luggage and then two days later found the other and bought it, put my name on it, etc. At this rate I'll have an apartment decorated with posters of theater buildings and a jewelry box full of garnet necklaces... Actually, that sounds pretty good.

On a totally different note, my brother-in-law is coming to chicago for a conference on the 18-19th. he's bringing my sister, so at long last they'll visit. YAY. And my brother is planning on coming the week after, though it depends on a gig. YAY. So I won't be able to harass them for not visiting again. YAY.

'Course, it also means my aparment has to be super clean for my sister. oh dear. maybe that pile of home improvement projects needs to shrink...

enough rambling. jet lag is putting me to sleep.
- posted by Heidi @ 9:57 PM