darn it!

The night I arrived my throat was a little scratchy. Yesterday, it was plain sore every time I swallowed. It felt like I was trying to get a cold! I ran to the health food store and bought some echinacea/goldenseal - sometimes if you catch it right away and start boosting your immune system, you can avoid the cold. I felt not 100 percent all day, still scratchy throat, symptoms moving around my head but not getting bad. I woke up early today, a little jetlagged I think, my head feels huge yet my throat doesn't hurt and my nose isn't runny. Apparently, it's all hanging out in my brain! LOL And I get to fly again today! This could get ugly. :)

R, I love hearing the rain outside. It hasn't really rained at home much so I'm not too upset with this quality rainstorm we are getting.. I'm waving back at ya. How far are you from Danville? That's where I am when I get back. Sorry i haven't been commenting - i read your posts of late but i was unable to comment to your blog specifically. Weird.

anonymous G, i hope you get your surgery scheduled.. that's more important than meeting me for wine. maybe the next time i am around. here's hoping and wishing you success in surgery - you already got it in life. ;) So glad you have D.

Ah.......

I'm back. I flew in yesterday - 11 hours to LA, change terminals and a little over one hour to get to SFO. I managed to stay awake until 10pm so I think I'll be okay as far as jetlag goes (I think its worse the other direction anyway). My friend C picked me up - she's the one I am going to Maui with - and we went to downtown RWC for....blush... chips and salsa. And a margarita, of course. I actually got out of the car with a thin sweatshirt and was pleasantly comfortable, so now I'm convinced I'm actually getting used to the cold weather in Ireland. It is great to be here.

In response to a couple of my comments, jigga, I found out that you drink Murphy's in Cork only. Not the whole of western Ireland, like I originally thought. I guess you might get thrown out of a pub in Cork if you order Guinness but not anywhere else. LOL The Guinness we had was mighty fine, I might add. (and you're right, you don't really need an excuse.. be careful where you get it in California, it just doesn't travel well!!LOL)

anonymous g, i'll send you an email but if you want to meet up for a glass of wine, i'm all for it! I will be down in O-side with my parents from the 27th-2nd and will have a car if you want to meet in Laguna Beach or San Juan Capistrano or somewhere that is actually half way for you... :)

So anyway, we had a fantastic 4 days in Killarney (I found out I was spelling it wrong as well!). Which means 'the sun shone' or more accurately 'it didn't rain too much'. The hotel he booked wasn't great - too many kids for our taste and it seemed like the parents just let them run wild or something - so we didn't spend much time there. We drove down through the Irish countryside on a day that was alternating rain and sunshine which made from some pretty beautiful colors.. I'll have to post photos when I return as I don't have any software to download from my camera here. We arrived and dumped our stuff in the room and planned to walk into town. The minute we set foot outside, it started raining a bit so we had to take shelter in a nearby pub for a pint until it cleared up (as you do..LOL). Because the weather was sketchy and because Ireland was playing the rugby against Scotland, we found a pub in town and drank pints and watched the match. We met a nice couple there - she is Romanian, he is French. (We liked her better. LOL) It was good because Ireland won. And apparently a good day all around because England lost. (Apparently all Irish are happy when the English lose. full stop. LOL)

So the rest of the weekend involved driving the ring of Kerry, a popular destination spot with the tourists but being February, it wasn't too filled with buses and cars (very few actually). It was a gorgeous drive and you are going to LOVE the photos... (building up the anticipation...) We did a bit of walking as well, as the day was gorgeous and mostly sunny. That evening we went out to see some music and met a nice American couple from the midwest. They had just gotten married (a week before, second marraige for both, my parents age) and were seeing Ireland for the first time. We had a lovely chat with them for over an hour, trying to talk over the sound of the session. One of the things I LOVE about traveling is meeting people. If I'd been in Dublin this weekend when they were meant to be there, I would've offered to show them around or meet up with them. As it was though, we shared a few pints, a few laughs and they gave me their address and phone number if we are ever in Indiana. :)

So, I won't go into all the details of the rest of the weekend, it was mostly walking, talking, holding hands, smooching. You know yourselves what you do when you are with your loved one. We had a terrific time, I guess it helps so much when you enjoy somebody's company. It never ceases to amaze me that I can spend 24 hours a day for days on end with someone and never tire of them. Yes, I want to be alone sometimes, to recharge for myself, to have my own life and interests. But to be so happy to come back together with someone and spend my days with him. Well that's just something I never thought I'd be saying. And I'm happy for that.

I'm leaving on a jetplane..

well, i know when i'll be home again, so that song doesn't work, now does it? LOL

It doesn't feel like less than a week before I leave for California. I'm excited but not crazy excited like I am before I see M. I am thrilled to see my friends and catch up. I'm looking forward to warm sunshine (or warm rain, I don't care if it's warm!), maybe for a week or two my tootsies, hands and nose won't be the temperature of an icecube. And this is during the day!

Before I fly away on Wednesday, we are going away for a Valentine's Day weekend in Killarny. It's on the west side of the country, near a national park, very scenic. Lots of hiking, hopefully, if the weather is good. Lots of drinking of Murphy's Stout if it's not! No complaints there. (Murphy's is from the west, Guinness from the east. I guess you have to drink Murphy's when you are on the west coast. Or maybe that's just M's thing.. LOL) Anyhow, we are greatly looking forward to a little time away. Even though we spend so much time in the house together, even in the same space, there's something to be said for going away from home, reconnecting and energizing our relationship. I can't wait!! I will try and take many photos and get them posted before I leave for America but I can't promise anything. You'll see it eventually. :)

As for my trip, I have the long list (it's gotten longer since the weeks have passed) and since I'm missing both M's birthday (the 18th) and our anniversary of sorts (the 26th), I will have some serious a$$ kissing to do with gifts from home. But I already have an idea and am bringing a whole suitcase extra. just for pressies. I haven't purchased the laptop yet, mostly because I can only carry one item and thought I might sacrifice it to bring a flat screen monitor home for M's birthday/anniversary/Cmas 2005/Valentine's day 2006 gift! They are kind of expensive (the bigger ones are)... LOL Seriously though, he spends so much time online, and frankly I couldn't think of anything else! I could be selfish and carry the laptop for myself or I could get the monitor. I seriously couldn't carry both. I have a connection in Chicago and it would be too much to carry. And I've seen enough shows about what baggage handlers do to your luggage. or steal from it. It's not a good move. Anyhow, I'll probably think about it too long and then not buy either!

I guess I better run. Time to do some yoga and finish my book. I'm reading Tom Robbins 'Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates'. He is seriously one of the only authors that makes me laugh out loud. He's an oddball, that's for sure. I think he's one of those guys you either love or hate but after I read 'Skinny Legs and All' back in the day, I've been hooked. (If you read or have seen 'Even Cowgirls Get the Blues', you need to try a different one. That was my least favorite.)

Pleasant side effect of having a successful relationship

I mentioned at the end of my last post that I was going to write about my dad. We email almost daily, he currently is sending me notes in spanish (he's Chilean and fluent), maybe because he teaches it at the Senior Center in Oceanside.. I don't know why.

Anyhow, I know I've mentioned a bit about my father. My family was very 'normal' but my dad was (it seemed to me) very critical. I think I am right about that because my brother still doesn't spend too much time alone with my dad to this day and I think it's related to that. So it was all of us. But as I got older, I realized that it was the way he got treated himself, by his mother. It didn't make things any easier, I had still been bruised and battered by the negativity when I was growing up. I can look back and see it for what it was but for the longest time, I could never reconcile myself to being close to my dad. He just never seemed proud of me, never seemed satisfied with how I lived my life and no matter how much I said it didn't matter, somehow, it did.

I always felt closer to my mom, she was easier to talk to and she never let her own opinion get in the way (if that's the right word) of letting me live my life. Every silly thing I did, every relationship I had, quitting my job to travel the world... she really seemed to keep things to herself, give me a bit of advice and let me spread my wings and fly, so to speak. I hope I can be the same kind of mother if I ever have children. I always thought I had a better relationship with my mom. Certainly I can talk to her about most things, still to this day. I know she won't judge me.

I can't put my finger on whether it was my year off to travel or meeting/dating M that changed my relationship with my father. I'd say it was a combination of both probably. I find it so weird now, to even talk about it. M has made me see how much myself and my dad are alike. That could be good at times, sometimes it was painful but it was always true. My dad loves to travel and he loves to do it alone, like I did. We both have a passion for convertible cars, that could only be satiated by owning one. We are both athletic and love nothing more to walk on the beach, hike in the mountains, walk around the neighborhood (M happens to love this too, as well as the travel thing). There are so many other things we share. M made me see that my dad was proud of my decision to take the bull by the horns and change my life with travel. He compliments me in the presence of M much more than I ever remember experiencing in my life. I'm a great driver, I speak good Spanish, I'm a good cook, whatever. It's weird to me. I'm still getting used to it.

I'm getting used to getting a sweet thing in my email (un abrazo fuerte por ti - a strong hug for you) or his asking for my help in putting his trip to Ireland together. I get almost daily emails, always something to make me laugh. We don't talk on the phone much (when I call home, my dad always puts me on to my mom because he knows she'll fill him in on everything later) but when we do, his voice is always a lot nicer than i remember it. Even when he has his critical tone or his aggravated tone, somehow I've learned to separate myself from it and still have a conversation with him. Don't get me wrong, I rise to the occasion plenty. I can't help it, we have that record playing for years... LOL But M has really helped me to see how much he loves me (my dad, that is) and it's one of those things that you can't put back once you see it. It's an amazing feeling. I never thought I'd be saying that I love my dad. As well as my mom, that is. They've given me every opportunity, I have to say. And they are definitely supportive of what I'm doing here (well, I've never felt that they weren't being supportive, I should say). What more can a girl ask for?

Monday, Monday... so good to me...

Hi there. Good weekend it was. Very low-key and restful. So much so, I can't remember what we did. LOL

Saturday morning dawned gorgeously sunny. We actually got our rears in gear and walked to the mile or so to Marley Park. They had a farmer's market (tiny one, 6 stalls or so) and wandered around looking at the fancy goat cheeses (yum), the lovely homemade breads, the olives and sun dried tomatoes, the artwork. I looked for a long time at one artists work - I loved the colors and depth. He had some really gorgeous pieces. The cheapest was a small piece - 5x5 inches - €125. No frame. I know there's a theory behind art, that people think they need to spend money on it so they are getting something quality... It was a little above my threshold for quality. I might have splurged if it was €60, at least THAT day, I might've... but that wasn't what he was offering it for! Still.... beautiful work.

We walked the long way around the park, enjoying the sunshine of the day, then back to the house. It was a great time. That night we dolled up and went out for dinner. To a place we'd been before and liked. Unfortunately, it was disappointing this time. The service, the 'spicy' chicken wings weren't really spicy (didn't stop us from eating them), my lamb burger wasn't anything to write home about. The wine was nice though. And of course, the company was stellar.. :)

Yesterday couldn't have been a lazier day. We read the paper and magazines. It rained and was dreary all day, so this was the perfect thing to do. We both felt suitably lazy and fat, because we ate a bit of junk all day, since neither of us were in the mood to cook or prepare anything that required time. It was another lovely day. I feel spoiled with all these great hours we get together.

Today I had my acupuncture appointment. The guy is a friend of M's friend. He is a little odd but only in the way he probably takes awhile to warm up to you. He took my pulse and looked at my tongue, after I told him what I was interested in. He told me that it was no wonder my digestive system is sluggish, he could tell from my tongue (!) that I have some problems with my lower back/kidney function, that I'm very tired and have been for a long time (progressively worsening tiredness), and that I have a little strain/stress in my life. That maybe I haven't been sleeping so well. And definitely not resting well. Allowing my body to recover. (He explained what he saw on my tongue that made him think this.) So.. we are going to work on getting that back into balance a bit. I had a few needles. It was the weirdest sensation. At first, I felt nothing. Then it felt like I'd had too much caffeine on an empty stomach... kind of rushing sensation. Then I felt really relaxed and started to fall asleep! He gave me a few herbs and we are meeting up after I come back from my trip to start a more intensive treatment. (It should be interesting. I'm kind of on the cusp of believing that this works - I'm sure it does as many people swear by it and use it all the time - it's just the whole thing about being different than we were brought up. It's a slow working process, unlike western medicine which seems to solve many of our problems overnight, so it tends to make you think maybe it's not working... but I'm going to stick it out and see what happens.

I've been reading alot online, at bookstores, at the library, as far as eating habits and water drinking habits as well. I've started drinking a couple glasses of water first thing in the morning, stopping drinking anything during eating, and waiting awhile to drink water after some digestion has taken place. I've read that drinking water during a meal, cuts down the digestive enzymes that are produced to digest! So, in order for my body to do the work, I've been cutting back . But still drinking a lot the rest of the time. It's actually made a bit of difference.

So, that was my weekend in a nutshell. I hope you all had great weekends as well!!

(a note to myself, I'm going to write about my dad and our relationship one of these days.)

He's home!

...after three days away. I'm always happy to get him back. :) We both commented on the fact that I have now been here for 5 months. Exactly. I love that he remembers. He's good that way!!

I made my first acupuncture appointment. I felt a little weird calling, it's always a little strange telling a stranger what's wrong with your bowels. ;) Anyhow, he's also an herbalist so I feel confident with these two things together, I should get my yin and yang sorted and feel better in no time. I'll keep you posted.

No plans for the weekend really. We talked about date night tomorrow night. It's been a week or two since we've been out. I'd like a nice dinner out and a few pints (or wine) or something like that. It's just fun to get out once in a while! We do spend a lot of time at home, which is fine, I love cooking most nights and I love snuggling on the couch with him. Sometimes you just need to go out though!

That's all for now.. I'll write more this weekend.

A good day..

I spent most of the day with M's sister E. I really like her, she's been really welcoming to me since the beginning. She lives about a block away from us, has a 2 1/2 year old son who is charming. She called to see I wanted to go up to the mall for a quick trip - she was looking for a birthday pressie for her hubby, then we'd have coffee. After the mall, we went to M's mother's house and had lunch. It was a full day with people. I enjoyed it but was happy to get home and then have some 'me' time at the gym.

I finally called M's friend Ma. Now, I don't make a habit out of calling M's friends (the girl friends) because, as much as I like them, they are his friends and I'm not completely comfortable calling. I kind of wish they'd call me, same story, it's hard to butt into someone else's life because i'm desperate to make friends. But I guess someone has to reach out. I decided I'd call and see what she was doing (her husband works nights and has an erratic schedule), if she wanted to meet for a glass of wine or something. Her husband was home so I just said hi and asked about her acupuncturist. I'd been meaning to do that anyway. I decided I'll give him a call - the acupuncturist (whose also a herbalist) and see about my digestion issue.
I'm ready to try it. I'll call tomorrow.

M will be home tomorrow. I've been missing him even though I get to do whatever I want and I enjoy that. I miss his presence and how he makes me laugh. He called yesterday a little bummed because he had an estate agent (realtor) come by the 'project' and the guy told him that he probably will not make any money on the house. Now, M probably knew that. We both did. But I guess it kind of socked him in the solar plexus. We talked about it, what we needed to do..

I know I said I'd mention the house here (Sal had asked me about it) and I'd forgotten. M used to work in a bank. Long hard hours and days making lots of money but having no life. When he split up from the wife and went to travel, he didn't know what he wanted to do when he returned. He knew what he DIDN'T want to do. Work in a bank. He'd always dreamt about remodeling a house. There's a thousand shows on tv here about this. He started looking. First he found an old cottage on 2 acres of land. He couldn't get planning permission for a septic tank before he bought it, so he didn't buy it. He next found this little house in a terraced row of houses. He got a good price but he might not have done all his research. The area is run-down and near council housing. Not the best neighborhood. Not *bad* but there are better areas in this town. But it was the right price and the right size to remodel. It needed alot of work. It looks worse now than when he started.. The house was built in the 1880s, has 19 inch thick stone walls and many years of damp. He had to peel all the plaster back and reseal the stones (I forget the proper name for this), he had to fix the guttering and roof outside so the water would stop coming in, he had to fix the drainage so the water would stop collecting near the front walls of the house, etc, etc. It's a work in progress with alot of work left. But I think now we know where it stands. He's probably not going to make any money on it. But he'll learn everything he wanted to learn about remodeling a house - tiling, plumbing, plastering, etc, etc. It's good. And he'll make money in other ways. He has a way with making money, he's good at it. So it won't be the house, but it'll be something else. I have faith in him. And my specialty is giving him faith in himself, when he isn't feeling it.

And I did.

TMI

Warning: very boring ramble about a very boring subject

I have digestive problems. Or maybe I should say, I have a problem with things going through me... (see I told you this wasn't going to be pretty). For as long as I can remember, I've had this issue. It comes and goes. I'd call it constipation but honestly, I've read enough to know that it isn't really that. Stuff just doesn't move through my system quickly. It makes me bloated at times, uncomfortable at others. I've read books. I exercise daily (certainly more than my very regular, sometimes twice a day or more, boyfriend), I drink GALLONS of water (already learned that if I don't drink water, it is much worse. again, my bf does not), I eat more fiber than M. I still have a problem with stuff passing through me.

I'm getting to a point where I'm wondering if some sort of homeopath or even acupuncturist would be a good idea. I don't really want to go to a western medicine doctor, as taking medication or even over the counter stuff isn't my thing. I want something to work. I want to eat something natural that makes it easier. I want the exercise to work. I seriously cannot drink more water than I do. I want to know what is going on.

Ok, I do drink 2 cups of coffee in the morning. I know it's a diuretic but it's also supposed to help.. ahem.. stimulate that process. I like coffee. Two cups certainly isn't a lot. I don't drink caffeinated beverages at any other time of day because of this 'issue' - I drink water. I drink hot water with lemon. I drink hot water with honey. I drink water with lemon and without. I carry water with me at all times because it's good for me and because I need it. I am ALWAYS peeing.

I have a feeling that something I'm eating is causing this. I read a book about people with wheat intolerances. Not celiacs (it's not that bad) but I wonder if wheat is a culprit. I don't eat much (I don't think) but I'm going to try and start being more aware of how much i do eat. and how I feel after I eat it. I don't eat dairy products too often, a little milk in my coffee and sometimes yogurt. natural plain organic yogurt. i wouldn't think that would be bad. i'm getting frustrated with this. i want to find out the cause and move on. Maybe a homeopath or someone like that could give me some solutions to this problem. I don't know.

I don't know where to start.... sigh..