So as y'all can see from the new sidebar I've given in and joined Twitter! I'd been hearing about it for a while and was never that interested, but I finally looked into it and realized that this'll be a great way for me to give little updates between blog posts etc. Oh and please join me! I get the impression that twitter is only as fun as the network you've got on it. But if you aren't that keen on joining you can still check in either here for my updates (ie tweets - how cute is that btw?), or here if you want to see older updates (my blog widget is only showing the 5 most recent).
Also! Check it out!!! We have some very healthy coriander in the top corner, emerging chives right below it, and some baby basil to the right of the chives. There's also about 3 visible teeny tiny parsley shoots as well. The mint is being lame though :(, I got nothing yet from that corner.
It's been quite a week! So warning, long post ahead; but I'll break it up to ease your darling eyes.
1) Kíla - Turns out traditional (trad) Irish music isn't just for old-man pubs and tourist traps! Turns out it can ROCK! Last week Kíla (music plays with page), an Irish/Eastern Euro/Spanish/African/I-don't-know-what fusion band, came to UCD for the Irish Language Week; ieSeachtain na Gaeilge (haha or shock-ta na gale-ga to us foreigners). At times it was very trad, other times just a little yazz-flutey. If Santana were Irish, this is what they'd be playing. The best part was their performance. They were simply electric and the crowd (full of students) was jumping and clapping and cheering along. The whole time I kept thinking how very Austin it felt, well except for the band only speaking and singing in Irish!!
2) Rubgy - AAAAHHH YES the 6 Nations Tournament has STARTED! Went into a pub in town for the Ireland - France game on Saturday. 30-21. Eat it France.
3) Thesis - Eek my first rough draft of the proposal is due next Monday. Still don't have an exact hypothesis and research question pinned down but I'm essentially going to be exploring the reasons for why healthy, affordable food is much more readily available in suburban Ireland than suburban United States, with a focus on local produce. I'll be looking at the potential economic, ideological, historical and political reasons behind the differences. Feel free to share resources or ideas with me. I'd love input.
4) Hanna's House - The program I'm interning with has its first seminar on Wednesday in Derry! I'm going to be in charge of registration (for 150 people!!!). We've got a meeting tomorrow with volunteers, so I'll be heading up tomorrow morning. I'm very excited :D
5) Gardening - I've decided to start guerilla gardening!! Grrrr! I already have a rogue compost pile (Why hello path walkers, pay no attention to the girl digging off to the side...) and I've realized what a nice little clearing its in. Now it isn't true guerilla style because it's not really abandoned, but it would be quite nice to have a pretty flowering/growing alcove there. A few people in my course are going to help out too! Obviously we'll have to wait until the frosts are done (ie mid-April) to put plants out, but who knows it could end up being awesome.
Yesterday in town I stopped at Hackett's garden shop and decided I was finally going to grow some plants from seed! I decided on a simple herb pack that had basil, mint, coriander, parsley and chives. Each plant came with two seed mats and each mat has approx 20 seeds. The very helpful salesman got me kitted out with a seed tray and the ubiquitous compost bag (which is now safely stored in our dark kitchen storage closet btw). I only sewed one seed mat of each, because even if only half the seeds germinate and grow I'll still need to cull the sickly ones before I transplant them into proper pots. And if all goes well I can either start the other set or dress them up prettily and give them as a gift!
My supplies: seed mats, tray, compost, mug shovel/waterer
Seed mats.Oh, if only my plants will look as vibrant and hale!
"Firmly pressing" each seed mat into the soil before covering them.
I'm rather proud of my handmade labels :)
ETA (Edited To Add): I just found out that today is St. Brigid's Day, and celebrates "the stirring of Spring and the sprouting of seeds"!! How serendipitous! This clearly bodes well :) People traditionally baked bread as well, so with our new mini oven (woot Argos) I'm so going to do it this evening!!
