Hi all,
Lots to celebrate this week! Happy Halloween, happy first of the month, and happy almost winter break! This week’s post honestly has no structure to be 100% truthful. I thought I could share a short story from the past week, just to give some insight into what my life has been like! You can laugh, it’s OK. I have begun to laugh about it but definitely not at the moment.
This past Monday morning, class was canceled due to a ‘Bank Holiday.’ I don’t know the exact significance of these holidays for Irish culture, I just know that it meant I did NOT have to attend my 9 am lecture so I was feeling pretty good! I started my morning off by going to spin class and was feeling pretty good about the day! The weather was the perfect mix of crisp but warm from the sunshine and really felt like fall was in full swing. I recently found a coffee shop called the “Beanhive” that not only makes a variety of GF muffins in house but also does foam art on top of your lattes/cappuccinos! They have hands down the best muffins I have ever had post-GF. They have a huge variety of flavors stemming from classics like lemon poppy seed to blueberry and then crazy cool combinations like caramel/walnut, white chocolate/raspberry, coffee/banana, and pistachio/chocolate! I personally LOVE caramel/walnut.
So at this point, I have retrieved my muffin and am now walking to Starbucks. I mean, how else am I meant to enjoy a muffin?! I got my coffee, which for anyone interested has recently been a venti iced vanilla latte with almond milk. Side note, in Ireland, Starbucks doesn’t charge extra for a flavored syrup or for non-dairy milk options. Imagine that! The venti size is also different, it is about four ounces smaller than a U.S. ‘venti.’ Anyway, I am strolling back onto campus, happily munching on my muffin and sipping my latte. On this fateful morning I am just so happy with the weather that I decided to take the longer route back to my dorm to enjoy the weather. Sounds lovely, right? WRONG.
I go to take another bite of my muffin when all of a sudden, a heavy, sharp blow goes straight to the left side of my head. I feel pointy claws and the weight of a SEAGULL that has had too many muffins. Before I know it, the seagull has used its beak to stab my muffin and fly onto the ground. Immediately, chaos ensues. The seagull starts “KAH CAWING” and a mob of those thieves are surrounding my precious Caramel Walnut muffin. Meanwhile, I am standing there absolutely dumbfounded, my hair pulled out of its ponytail on the left side of my head where I sustained the blow and my hand throbbing from being stabbed by a beak. I wish it were not as dramatic as this but it honestly was probably even more dramatic than how I am describing it. Anyway, that is how my Monday went. I have included a photo of the seagulls post muffin incident and also some scenery from my beautiful walk. Keep an eye on your muffins!
Until next week,
Anna Tutek
Home of the Book of Kells, Trinity College, Dublin
A pretty park at Trinity College
The seagulls!