A poem in 46 lines

Moved into the new house,
hated it a little bit,
now it's growing on me.
(This is my ridiculous master bedroom.)
(This is our tiny kitchen...)
(But we have a dining room!)
(This is our lounge.)

Got home from Greece to sunny English weather,
Felt angered that the pasty Brits had tans too,
Felt angered that I was super broke,
Felt angered that the new place has carpets. yich.

Remembered that sun in England is a rarity,
Remembered to enjoy it,
Remembered that running is fun when it's not raining.

Applied for a non-teaching job,
Thought about a 9-5 (or 7-3 as the case may be),
Wondered if "recruitment" will bore me,
Still considering it (if they'll have me).

Went for a post-work bite with Jill,
Eamonn was there,
Remembered that I love his friends,
had an awesome night.

Ate amazing French food,
Drank Brooklyn Lager (yes!),
Saw a free funk gig in Brixton,
Hated on South London.

Made it an Eamonn weekend,
Watched Ireland draw Bulgaria (in footie),
Bowled two games over 100,
Danced to Born in the USA,
Ate at Cafe Lemon (the best brunch in N.London).

Napped in my awesome new bed,
Read the Sunday Times,
failed at the Crossword,
Napped some more.

Taught a little girl how to eat an ice cream cone,
Taught a class how to play bench-ball,
Lamented that American kids don't have benches,
Considering teaching elementary school next year.
Seriously.

Went for a five mile run,
Decided the park near my house is too small,
thought about joining a gym,
Laughed.

Bought plane tickets home,
Got excited for Dan's wedding,
Cursed myself for ever considering working for my mother,
Vowed to be penniless all summer.

Wrote. This. Poem.

Comment :)

Love, Sarah

PS: I will be in the United States in twelve days for thirty-five days. Hang out with me, please.

Greece!

Greetings from sunny London (no, seriously!),

Here's to Greece (two weeks too late).

I waited too long to buy my tickets, as is my M.O. (LOVING the Wiki lately. AND the parentheses. As always. And the full-stops, as they call periods here in London-town.) I ended up having a five hour layover in Frankfurt which, in case you were wondering, is not the most direct way to get to Greece from England. I only mention this layover for two reasons: 1) Half the people in the airport in Frankfurt were wearing face-masks. Oh, swine flu (which, incidentally, my housemate's cousin has, and they just closed her school), and 2) I broke down and ate McDonald's. For the first time in probably about eight years. I just REALLY wanted some fries dipped in chocolate milkshake. I thought it would be good for my bikini-ready body. Ha.

So, I got to Athens at about 3am and found my way, fairly effortlessly I might add, to my hostel. Julie and I were to meet up the next morning, and when I was on the metro/subway/tube equivalent on my way to the hostel where we were going to be staying, I actually ran into her. Quite literally. I was getting off at the wrong stop, so it was serendipitous that we ran into each other. I think that set the precedent for Julie to be the one in charge of getting us NOT lost on our trip :) (Props, Jules!)

We spent our first day in Athens meandering around and lamenting the fact that Greece was in the middle of an unseasonably warm Spring. And by warm I mean that I wanted to rip off my skin because it was an unnecessary layer. We hiked up to the top of a hill near Socrate's prison to look down upon the city and the Acropolis.

It was a nice view, (that's the nice view right there in the picture) ,but I can honestly say that Athens is a pretty crappy city. It's got lots of cool ruins, but that is it's only draw. The ruins can be seen in a day and then I recommend getting yourself out of Athens. It's boring. And hot. And fairly expensive too. (To be honest, Greece is the most expensive country I have ever been to. Yes folks, more expensive then France. By FAR.)

The following day we did a full day tour of Athens and saw every ruin in the entire city. The Acropolis was as spectacular as everyone says: Some of the temples were pretty amazing as well, but after about 6 hours of the hot sun (have I mentioned yet that it was BOILING??) everything starts to look the same. We quickly realized we had overstayed our welcome in Athens (2 days!!) and headed off for the islands the next day.

Our first stop was Mykonos, where we spent two nights. I'm going to be honest here: Rumours have it that Mykonos is a bit like the 2nd ring of Hell...and folks, i couldn't agree more. It IS covered in 22 year olds trying to fulfill all of their post-college alcohol-infused fantasies, and 62 year olds trying to take advantage of that fact.

Luckily, it also happens to be stunning, and have amazing beaches and wonderful weather. As soon as we arrived, Julie and I dropped our things at our hostel/hotel? and booked it to the beach (a 1 minute walk). We lazed around on the beach for the day and then made our way to the "city" for some night-life. We tried to hack it with the kids (you know, the 22 year olds I mentioned earlier ;) ), but we called it a night before most of the city even came out to party. We ARE getting to be a bit like grandparents, I guess! Plus, we couldn't afford the stiff price on the stiff drinks. (TWELVE EUROS FOR A COCKTAIL? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?)

Early the next morning we rented an ATV (four-wheeler), and headed out to explore the island. We saw some spectacular old monasteries, and we went to about seven different beaches. Oh yes, one of the beaches in the ring of hell was called "Super Paradise." Rock-on.

Being on the ATV was a blast, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't frightened. There was a small-mountain that we went down to get to one of the beaches, and I thought we were going to die. However, it turns out that the scary/tricky part was getting back UP the mountain with such a tiny engine. Feel free to picture Julie and I, Dumb and Dumber style, leaning into the wind WILLING our little Lolita up the mountain. She made it, but not without a fight.

After ATV-ing it, we attempted another night on the tiles with out new friends Rosie and Elizabeth, and I think we were slightly more successful.

After Mykonos, we headed to Santorini. HERE is where I FINALLY stop complaining :) (I know, I know, my life is so hard. "Is Sarah actually listing things she doesn't like about places she visits? What HAS the world come to. Spoiled Brat!") So anyway, Santorini. Loved it. LOVED IT. Beautiful, laidback, friendly, and fun. It is just beginning to be tourist season and all of the restaurants and bars were hiring for the summer. Don't think I didn't think about it. Our hostel was about 300 metres from Perissa Beach.

Perissa Beach is also known as the black beach, because it has black volcanic sand. It is beautiful (though the sand is unbearably hot)! We explored other beaches, but OUR beach was by far the best.

During our first full day in Santorini we went on a boat tour. We ended up befriending two awesome Canadians, Melissa and Kim, who we hung out with for our entire stay in Santorini. They were SUCH good fun!

Right. Boat tour. We went on a "traditional Greek boat" to visit the still-active volcano, bathe in some muddy "medicinal??" waters, and out to Oia, which is a city on the other end of the island from which we were staying. Oia was the clear highlight of the boat trip, and probably the highlight of my entire Greece trip.

Oia is what you think of when you think of picture perfect Greece. It IS every bit as mind-blowing as the postcards portray. The white houses contrasted with the blue ocean are absolutely breath-taking.

But, Oia is known for more than just it's houses--it is also known for it's world famous sunset. Our crew camped out for 3 hours before the sunset to have the best view in the house. And we did.

The next day we rented an ATV (yes, again, they ARE that cool!) and we explored Santorini. This time, I drove. Woohoo.

We went to the famed Red Beach (see the red rocks?) and hung out for a bit. It was stunning, but OUR beach was better ;)

We also drove into the main town, Fira, and did some shopping. Apparently, everyone else goes there to do shopping as well. (Not to trivialize it though. It was very pretty. Just not as pretty as Oia.)

Our day on the ATV was lovely, but bittersweet because it was Julie's last full day in Santorini :( I spent one more day on the beach hanging out with Melissa and Kim, but it wasn't quite the same. Unfortunately for Julie (yes, I've got to rub it in a bit), our best night out by FAR was definitely the last night on Santorini, which she missed.

I ended up dancing Salsa until 5am, and then watching the sunrise over the beach. (This is a picture of the sunrise.) I then got on a ferry for a nine our boat ride back to Athens to catch my flight to London. It was the perfect ending to a beach vacation. Sun and Salsa--it doesn't really get much better than that.

All in all, Greece was gorgeous. I would definitely head back again, but I would skip Athens all together. I'm now one blog closer (and one blog away) from being caught up to the present.

Keep tuning in. And comment, will you?

Love,
Sarah

New Photos...Greece with Jules

Hey Everyone,

This is a quick reminder about my photos on snapfish. You DON'T have to become a member or anything. Just follow the steps below.

1) Go to www.snapfish.com
2) Type in email address: sarahinireland@yahoo.com
3) Type in password: ireland123
4) Click on album: "Greece..."


Cheers :)
Sarah

Behind on Blogging!

Hey!

NOTE: This is the blog that I started to write before I went to Greece and was too sick to finish it. I'm back from Greece now, but I thought I would finish this blog before I start my Greece one and catch everyone up on what I was doing BEFORE I went to Greece. The Greece blog will be coming soon. How many times can I write "Greece" in one paragraph. "Greece. Greece. Greece!"

So, I get to write this blog in the morning because I am home sick. How many throat infections/strep throat/tonsillitis do I have to get before doctors start to wonder if there is something they can do to prevent it from happening in the future? I went to the walk-in clinic this morning when it opened (though I debated the emergency room last night) and I cried in the office like a child. Seriously, being unable to control your emotions due to pain is a very humbling experience. The nurse wanted to know why I "waited so long to come in." And, it's this catch 22 with doctors, because, if you come in too soon they tell you you haven't waited long enough, but when you come in when you are too sick to open your mouth, they tell you you've waited too long. I always vote for the latter: it probably comes from my father and his procrastination when it comes to doctors. That, and the fact that when you are REALLY sick, they don't pussyfoot around giving you medicine to make you feel better. (And this time, the nurse felt so bad for me, that she gave me all sorts of trial medicine from the cabinet and didn't make me pay for it. YES!!) In any case, my throat is almost at the point where I can swallow water without immense pain, but I also can't feel my feet. Or my elbows.

So, since I've last written I haven't taken any photographs...and not for lack of opportunity. I just keep rushing out of the house these days without my camera! Life has been pretty stressful lately, but I'm trying not to let it get to me. Let me get organized...here's the situation on the house:

We are moving on Friday. Which also happens to be the day I am getting on a plane to Greece. Which also happens to be while I will probably still be deliriously sick. The new house is right down the street though, which is a huge bonus in terms of moving. I don't love the house like I have grown to love this one, for two main reasons--it is all carpeted (no wood floors :( ) and the kitchen is TINY. I keep having actual nightmares when I go to sleep thinking about where we are going to put all the kitchen stuff we own. I know, I know...totally lame reason to be having nightmares. ha.

Alright, so, before getting sick and stressed about the move (and lack of funds), things are pretty positive here. I'm back on the up-and-up when it comes to London. I worked at a school practically down the street from me for a week and a half and it was awesome. I taught my kids how to play kickball, and it was quite the sight. Kids here play ROUNDERS not BASEBALL, so they didn't get the idea of base-running. They kept trying to stand on the same base together, or "round" each other on the bases as you do in rounders. It really was a spectacle. Good craic though.

I recently got stopped on the street and asked for directions. I have FINALLY graduated to LONDONER status. You know what I mean, New Yorkers...I LOOK like the kind of person who LOOKS like they would know how to get places. YAY. (And furthermore, I actually WAS able to give proper directions.)

*It is extremely difficult to write this blog SO far in the past tense, by the way. It all seems mundane now. Ha. My life probably always seems mundane to you guys :) *

The last real catch-up point before Greece was that the weekend before Greece Eric came to London, again. He's awesome, and moving to Argentina, and that makes me kind of sad. Why do all the cool people always leave the places that I live? (NOT that he REALLY lives in London, anyway.) It was a cause for some SERIOUS trouble. He, Jason, and I did a Monopoly Pub Crawl...as in...you go to pubs around the London monopoly board. I was the pub-crawl baby-sitter, as I have decided that pub crawls are a generally bad idea...but it was serious trouble for pretty much everyone else involved. (Let me just say...did you KNOW there are 26 spaces on the Monopoly board?) Incidentally, we fiiiiinally saw Synecdoche, New York with Phillip Seymour Hoffman, which was recommended to me by Sarah Caufield, and, I can't say that I loved it. I know it was "acclaimed" and all, but I think it was just a little bit too odd for me...and a little bit too depressing. Has anyone else seen it? Thoughts?

Oh, that was supposed to be the "last real catch-up point," but also, I went with Adam and some others to a festival called the Stag and Dagger in Shoreditch. (Shoreditch, for all you non-London-o-philes, is where all the cool kids hang out.) I braved a queue without the boys because they couldn't handle waiting, and I got to see the Cold War Kids up close. It was pretty bad-ass...and luckily, I DO actually have a picture of that, to reward all of you who braved it to the end of this blog.

Look, the dude from Cold War Kids is conducting us in a rendition of "Hang Me Up To Dry" for an upcoming live album.

Love you all, and much more interesting blogs about Turkey and CRAZY recent London happenings to boot. (I PROMISE the upcoming two blogs will be juicier, to say the least.)

Love,

Hammer

New Address!

Hey all,

I will post pictures of the new place when I get back from Greece, but if you want to send me things :) :) :) here is my new address:

Sarah Hammer
89 Lothair Road
Finsbury Park
London
N4 1ER

Cheers,
Sarah

New Photos...Turkey, Finally

Hey Everyone,

This is a quick reminder about my photos on snapfish. You DON'T have to become a member or anything. Just follow the steps below.

1) Go to www.snapfish.com
2) Type in email address: sarahinireland@yahoo.com
3) Type in password: ireland123
4) Click on album: "Turkey..."


Cheers :)
Sarah

Why I don't blog anymore

Heya!

Nate SMITH. That video is AWESOME. AWESOME. And, cough, nothing like my life. (And entirely parent inappropriate. Whoops ;) )

Speaking of my life, sorry it's been so long....has it been so long? I can't really keep track. The reason why I don't blog as much anymore is because I am settled here. And, I don't mean Settled with a capital "S." (No husband, No dog, No house, No Permanent Job, but a life resembling normalcy nonetheless.) SO, it just seems that life is a bit boring, and therefore not really reader-worthy. (I woke up this morning, I had some instant Quaker Oatmeal, It was gross, I went to work at a school near my neighborhood, I attempted to teach subtraction to a bunch of japesters, I reminded myself I want to skip being a mother during the 8-12 age range, I came home.) Nonetheless, here goes my blog attempt.

I've been comforted by the fact that, though everyone at home seems to be getting capital S-ed, everyone here (and Caufield too!) has been life-crisis-ing. Now, I wouldn't wish that upon anyone, but it's nice to know that I'm surrounded by people who don't have a CLUE what they are doing next year/where they are going to live/what job they are going to have/and so on and so forth and so on and on and...yea.

I'll continue where my poem left off. Andrew didn't come to France and I did not road trip. Three weekends ago we had our first "mixed hockey" tournament. Basically, mixed hockey is a co-ed summer team. And I am THRILLED that I am on it. It is a complete blast. (And girls and Mike, the boys on my team are a WHOLE lot of Mc.Steamys. Ow-Ow!) We play hours and hours of hockey in the sun (yes, English SUN), and then we have pints! (Not to mention the fact that it's a mixed ability team, so we are actually GOOD, and we won our first tournament.) It is nice to win after being on a team that won zero games all season. Additionally, it's a chance to improve my skills by playing with people who are so much better than I am.

After our tournament, Eric came down from Milton Keynes to hang out for the weekend. I LOVE having people visiting the city because it is an excuse to play tour-guide. (I heart playing tour-guide.) We ate awesome burritos and watched the London Marathon and went out in Camden and lazed in Hyde Park in the sun. (Have I mentioned the sun? Don't worry, apparently, it is supposed to start raining today and last all week.)

I started a pottery course, finally. An official one, at the YMCA, which incidentally is the first YMCA! The pottery teacher suuuuuucks. We are definitely paying for use of the space and materials, and not actually paying for the tutelage. Unfortunately, since I have no pottery experience, I can be assured that anything I make during the 8 week course will be lopsided and ugly. However, it is FUN, and I'm already looking forward to when I can sign up for a proper course somewhere else. I am in the process of making Evan and Paula a wedding gift, and it is going to be ugly, but it is made with love so it's okay, right? (PS: They got MARRIED last week. Whoah. Shout outs and congrats to Evan when you finally get around to reading this ;) )

In my attempt to give England a chance, during our long weekend (for May Day), I went to the Peaks District with Juliet and Rebecca (and Juliet's horribly annoying from Josh). Seriously, I'm a lover, but he was THE single most grating person I have ever met. Camping was good fun, despite the fact that it was oh-so-cold and rainy. We were able to get a few good hikes in, though.
I just really like this photo...but also, it captures the essence of hiking in England. Lots and Lots of farmland. The Peaks district doesn't really have any peaks, as it turns out.

Unfortunately, most places in England do not allow you to have an "open fire" so we had to make our s'mores using specially imported graham crackers over a disposable grill, instead of over a fire. They were still bad-ass though. (Did you know S'mores were solely a North American thing? As are graham crackers? As is the term "bad-ass?" As is the term "hater?" Don't even get me started on how I have had the misfortune of using these terminologies to embarrass myself.)
PHOTO

Last week I had a rougher time of teaching. I spent a couple days in a REALLY rough high school replacing a teacher who has been out for two months so the classes have basically had a string of substitutes. They were horrible, but how could I blame them? They have been completely failed by the system (sigh). And, speaking of school, if I hear ONE more student complain about how they are going to get SWINE FLU every time another student sneezes, I am going to Go-Go-Gadget self-destruct.

Luckily, this weekend erased any negative thoughts of England and its forsaken children. On Friday I attempted to get into a sold-out-in-five-minutes Beirut concert, but there were SO many people there trying to buy touted tickets that the police were EVERYWHERE. And for Beirut? I was shocked at how big they are in England. Needless to say, we didn't get in.

Saturday started off with five hours of hockey followed by three hours of clubhouse funtime (where I learned about the nectar of the gods--Pimms and Lemonade, while simultaneously learning the rules of cricket, which, by the way, is the most absurd game ever. What kind of sport gives you a TEA-TIME BREAK?! And makes you wear a frickin woolie-vest?!) After that, I went out for Juliet's birthday. We danced at my favorite cheesy club, Feeling Gloomy, where they only play pathetically emotional indie music like Idlewild and Morrissey and Blur. (It's the best place to dance ever, I swear!) I should have known it would be a long night when Adam and company showed up, but I foolishly assumed that I could still get to bed at a reasonable hour so that I could go running on Sunday morning. I watched the sunrise. I got home at 7:15am. I did my laundry. I washed my face. And then I rode my bike back over to watch football with the lads. My Saturday night didn't end until Sunday at midnight. Whoops! (But like a good daughter, I still managed to call my mother for mother's day. ;) )

So, that is pretty much catching you all up on the fairly mundane happenings of my life lately.

And finally, a list of my future locations--You can play "Where in the World is Sarah Hammer:"

1. Greece with Julie--May 22-May 31
2. Minneapolis, MN for Dan's wedding--June 26-June 29/30
3. MAYBE Seattle/SanFran/Portland??--July 1-4/5
4. Connecticut (or Bust, baby)--until July 30th
5. Israel--July 31-August 9
6. Spain (staying for FREE at my friend Jill's parents' place if anyone wants to come to the beach???)--August 10ish-August 25ish
7. England? Argentina? New York? Northern Ireland? Scotland? (In all seriousness, I'll probably be right back here come September...though I did find a place with 3 of my housemates and we are moving in two weeks pretty much right down the road. I have requested to be in a non-binding contract so I will not be paying for July or August, and I don't have to come back in September...)

Love and Miss you all,
Hammer