singing and snowing

FABJ had a singing event a couple of weeks ago when LBJ was in Florence for work.  In advance, I was dreading the event: 8 primary school choirs singing out of tune for two hours on a Tuesday evening?!  Plus, FABJ is not the best singer, largely due to genetics (apparently I am the better singer of the couple, which is not good).

At least ORBJ was home with grandma (to avoid a 930pm bedtime for her, not to mention her attitude at the concert).

As this picture clearly shows, the event went well:

Ok, so I couldn't get a decent picture from my phone.

But I was pleasantly surprised.  The bands were good.  The songs weren't terribly long, and usually each act had one fun / contemporary song (such as "Let It Go", "Imagine", "Twist and Shout").  Plus, one school didn't show up.  Still, I think 6 schools would have been the right amount, as I was getting bored and tired by the 7th and last band.  Fortunately, I ended up sitting next to the father of one of FABJ's classmates, so we chatted between acts.  And, importantly, it was not a competition - no judges, winners, or losers.  Just a concert (in the National Basketball Arena - need to see a game there someday) to promote singing and bands in school.  A great cause.

Most importantly, FABJ had a good time and was not too nervous.

That same week, it snowed in Dublin.  It didn't last long, of course, but it was quite pretty to wake up to such snow.  The ground was warm (at least in Dublin) so no worries about ice on the roads or anything.  The girls tried to catch snowflakes on their tongues on the way to school.  Reminded me of real snow back in Iowa.  Ah well, we're headed to Colorado for a week in March so should get some decent snow there!

Let It Snow ...

Speaking of snow, here are the girls getting a ski lesson indoors on a giant treadmill.  I'll have a lesson at the same time this Saturday - we'll see how that goes!

Our two little ski bunnies

Ok, admittedly, ORBJ can't stop very well - she nearly ran into the bar at the bottom.

London calling (January 2016)

I had a short work trip to London in January.  Short because I had to squeeze the trip in between my Tuesday and Thursday lectures.  So I left on Tuesday afternoon and returned on Wednesday evening.

London calling, right?

Workwise, the trip was ok but not great.  I received good feedback at my talk, and I met briefly with the director of the center (where I presented) and with some of the graduate students there.  But I didn't get a chance to meet with any other researchers / faculty, so I didn't spend much time at LSE.

That being said, I still had an enjoyable trip.  I had an enjoyable dinner Tuesday evening at an Indian restaurant.  Graduate students / research assistants may not have a well-developed research agenda to discuss, but they appreciate a free dinner!

View from just outside the Tate Modern

Wednesday morning, I walked over to the Tate Modern.  To be honest, I was disappointed - too modern for my taste.  I like SF MOMA, so I thought I liked modern art.  Still, I enjoyed the works by Piet Mondrian.  Best of all, ORBJ tried to copy / imitate one of his works the next week at school, so I could tell her that I saw one of his paintings.

Quality Parenting right outside the Tate Modern

 Whenever LBJ have a questionable parenting decision (ex: trying to push FABJ in the swing while balancing the stroller with ORBJ, leading to ORBJ falling over in the stroller getting a face full of sand at 9 months old), we call it "QP" for quality parenting.  Apparently parents in London have a place for such parenting (or parents, I'm not sure which).

view of Trafalgar Square from the National Gallery

After the talk, I went to the National Gallery to admire the impressionists and post-impressionists before getting a train to the airport (which was so full that I had to stand!).  Even saw Buckingham Palace on my walk to Victoria Station.

Slightly blurry picture of Buckingham Palace

So I'm glad I visited even if I had hoped for more work-related meetings.  On the other hand, they invited me back to visit again.  I think that June or July is a good time, say when there is tennis going on nearby ...

Go west young man

We had the brilliant idea - at least it seemed so at the time - to take a little break between Christmas and New Years.  We found a good deal for a one-bedroom apartment (we'd sleep on the sofabed in the living room) in Bantry, in West Cork.

It rained pretty much the whole drive there.  Still, we found an excellent restaurant for lunch in the middle of nowhere thanks to LBJ's searching on TomTom (our GPS).  It was in Fermoy, but I can't remember the name.

It was also a bit of challenge finding the parking lot for the hotel, the entrance to which was across the road (next to the bay).  Still, we arrived, got checked in, and had a swim before dinner.  The hotel had an excellent location, as it was walkable to the town's restaurants.  We went to a very nice seafood restaurant called O-something (O'Connor's maybe?).  Anyway, the food was excellent.  The girls complained later in the trip - why are you always getting fish?  Because it was really good!

The sofabed, however, was not very comfortable.  And it rained most of the trip.  Still, we had a good time.  I went for a couple of hikes in the rain / drizzle.  LBJ got a spa treatment (a birthday or Christmas present, I can't remember which).  The girls went to kids' club and seemed to have a good time.  However, LBJ pointed out that this was probably FABJ's last kids club.  She's getting too old.  It's sad in a way - deposit the kids for a few hours and do the stuff that they don't like (hiking for me; spa for LBJ).

With the lousy weather, the highlight was the food.  Still, LBJ and I did a brief driving tour (during kids' club, of course) of the area and had yet another excellent meal at a pub / restaurant on the Sheep's Head peninsula: Arundels by the Pier. My favorite was the deep fried cheese.  The other stuff (which I can't remember) was good too.  I tried to take a couple of pictures from the restaurant, by they did not turn out well.

Our lunch destination

LBJ was kind enough to drive to the restaurant and she had to dodge a lot of downed branches, etc. on the road.

Anyway, we had a good time.  This is clearly a great place to visit in better weather.  I'd like to do a 3-4 hiking trip on the Sheep's Head Way, but I have no clue when I'd find the time.

Bantry Bay on a cloudy day

Oh, one last thing - we were there for LBJ's birthday, so I asked about a low-key candle or something to note the occasion.  Instead, the server got the dining room (of the restaurant at our hotel) to join in singing happy birthday.  Fortunately, LBJ didn't mind the song and the girls were very excited about being able to celebrate her birthday that way.  (If memory serves, we also got a cake when we returned to Dublin the next day.)