My Latest Obsessions!

In the spirit of a random Saturday evening where I should be getting ready to go watch the March Madness at a co-workers house but don't have the motivation to leave the house right now, I thought I'd write about my latest obsessions. Biggest obsession - THE GYM! Ever since I wrote my annual resolutions, I've been obsessed with getting my weekly dose of exercise in. I've been doing about 2 hours of working out, 3 times a week in addition to my usual walking around Dublin as my feet have become my primary means of transportation...besides the DART and the bus that is. But inevitably, I feel a million times better knowing that I have been getting my weekly doses of sweat in and I can feel my body getting stronger...to the point where I feel guilty if I even miss one workout. I don't know if this is because I'm in Ireland, where my weekly outside of work activities are significantly less than when I am in So. Cal but I've had a lot of fun hitting the gym after work, riding the bike, weight training, etc. I have yet to see any major results but hopefully soon, it will come.

My other major obsession has been reading novels. I used to read obsessively as a child, anything I could get my hands on, and lately I've noticed a significant increase in the amount of reading I've been doing...mostly easy reading but still I have been powering through books as if I was training for a read-a-thon. In the last six weeks, I've read Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell, The Starter Wife by Gigi Levangie, Two Lipsticks and a Lover by Helena Frith Powell, The Undomestic Goddess and Shopaholic Abroad both by Sophie Kinsella. I've now moved on to "Why French Women Don't Get Fat" which Christine let me borrow and I have four more books waiting for me to read when I finish this one. There is nothing more relaxing than spending a day curled up with a good book and getting caught up in the story line. I really enjoyed the Starter Wife as it was based in LA and the descriptions of the places they were visiting were all familiar, reminding me of home. And of course I always recommend the Candace Bushnell books as she wrote "Sex and the City" and her books tend to have similar themes and characters throughout each of them.

Another obsession of course has been travelling around Europe. The best thing I've had at my finger tips since I've lived here is easy access to Europe where I get a chance to see and experience places I've never been. The summer is getting nearer and the closer it gets, the more excited my senses get...waiting and anticipating all of the places I will hopefully travel to and things I will do. I am excited to have visitors this summer and can't wait to have more exposure outside of Dublin. The weather was gorgeous today reminding me of how exciting it can be to wander around places I've never been when I am not so busy fighting the elements to do so. I'm hoping to do a short trip for Easter, LA at the end of April, Barcelona with Christine and Aaron in May, LA for Karen's wedding in June, France with Jude in July, Italy with my mom and brothers in August...and the list goes on and on and on...it is moments like these when I wish I had a time capsule to push me forward and get it started, but the excitement and anticipation is just as fun and well worth the wait.

Interestingly enough, there are things in LA that I have had to sacrifice in my journey that although would be nice, I haven't really missed. For one, I still don't have a TV that gets more than 4 channels but I never turn it on and still haven't ventured out to replace it which has maybe triggered my increase in exercise and reading, which is better for me anyway. I don't have a car here so I have lost the convenience of commuting quickly which at times can be frustrating, but I get more exercise each day from walking around and I notice I shop a lot less, only buying what I need or can carry instead of compulsively having shopping marathons. I've also saved alot of money from not having the added cost of another car payment, insurance, gas, repairs, etc. which has allowed me to spend that money to afford travelling around Europe. However, it would be nice to be able to jump in a car and travel around Ireland for the weekend. I can always rent a car to do that though and as the weather gets nicer, it will definitely be a consideration.

Another big difference that I noticed today as I was going through my closets was how different the clothes that I wear here versus what I would wear in LA. I found a box full of sandals that I wore regularly in LA that I hadn't even pulled out of the box until today, only to look at them, reminisce for a second and then put them back because they wouldn't be appropriate to wear in the constantly changing weather conditions of Ireland. I could maybe wear them in the summer, but I haven't touched them since I've been here although upon leaving LA, they felt like critical items to have. Same thing with my dresses...I love wearing dresses and still will wear them to go out at night, but very rarely put them on for work, because even though it may be sunny and clear when I wake up in the morning...sunny being in the 40's, by mid-afternoon it is inevitably pouring and I am miserably cold again and regretting my choice of attire. I find that I am living in layers, jeans, boots, t-shirts under sweaters, jackets, scarves, and anything warm. I don't leave the house without a coat with a hood or gloves in my purse because it can be bitterly cold at night or unexpectedly rainy, even when it gorgeous in the morning. But despite all the rain, I have given up on umbrellas. They are completely useless here. Most times when it rains, it is too windy to not have the umbrella flip inside out or it mists and I find it easier to put up my hood on my coat, then carry the umbrella with my usual two bags, one being my purse and the other being my gym bag. It just becomes too much stuff to carry and rarely keeps me dry anyway so I've deemed them useless. Plus I have to admit that after some of the wild wind we had this winter, I'm a bit afraid that I will get picked up off the ground Mary Poppins style if I had an umbrella. So I've given up on that.

Other things that have changed since I've been here...my eating habits. I've switched from coffee to tea. I find that the coffee here is often bitter and tasteless whereas the tea in Ireland is wonderful, warming and soothing in the cold weather. I also eat a lot more fresh food here. There is a significantly less amount of processed food here so food tends to perish quickly. So whereas in LA, I would grocery shop a few times a month at places like Trader Joes, Whole Foods, and Costco, I have to pick up groceries here at least every few days and there is no point in buying more than you can eat in two or three days, because inevitably the food will spoil and I find my self throwing things away before I ever got a chance to eat it. Also the portions of food here are much more reasonable than a US portion of food. I find that most restaurants here wouldn't even have a "doggie bag" for left-overs because the serving size would be just that...a serving versus the customary three servings at a typical restaurant in LA such as the Cheesecake Factory where I've never been able to leave without left-overs.

ok, well someone just IM'ed and distracted me and I have things to do so that's enough for now.