Ireland Adventure

A True Gentleman

2011-08-12T21:19:00.000+01:00

Note: There is a picture of a casket below, so stop reading now if that bothers you.

Just a couple of weeks ago I was excited about my first full Irish wedding and now, I'm sad to say, that I've been to my first Irish funeral. Derek's friend, Kevin, left us way too soon. He was only 30.

From what I know of Kevin, he was an amateur boxer, a hard working electrician, and quite a good friend to many. I'm always amazed at how people can have so many close friends. It simplys shows his love of his friends and, in my opinion, the quality of his friends as he spent most of his free time with them. Apparently he was one for going on holiday as Derek said there was often a time that you'd wake up the next day with a hangover realizing that you gave Kevin a deposit for a trip to Spain at the pub the night before.

He was a family man as well. I was once told that he saw his younger sister out at too young an age and chased her home. That's one protective brother.

The funeral was a true tribute. Here they often have the wake at the home of the deceased and if you'd like to have a proper goodbye, you can have that in private instead of in a funeral home with everyone watching on. Following a day of goodbyes, family and friends walk behind the casket up to the church, where the deceased stays overnight (see http://dublinadventure.blogspot.com/2011_02_01_archive.html for my shock the first time I saw this). Apparently a few hundred people did this.

The funeral was the next morning and the enormous church was packed. The people were filing out. Some of Kevin's football team read, one of his closest friends wrote and read a poem and his sister spoke. What stands out for me the most was the poem read - I was amazed that, in this friend's grief, he wrote such an amazing poem that even made a few people laugh. He spoke of Kevin well; you could tell he knew him through and through. The last line hurt your heart and went something like, "We know you're in heaven and Kevin sleep tight. The final bell has rung and there's no more need to fight." Maybe it was a reference to his amateur boxer days, maybe to the general fight of life. Whatever the meaning, it touched many people.

The casket is carried out and this specific church and funeral home uses a beautiful horse-led carraige and in because I'm really tacky and want to share, I snuck in a picture. The guy driving the carraige is straight out of Dracula!

The cemetary is HUGE! I've seen some large and packed cemetaries, but this broke a new record. I've been told 4 people can fit in one grave site, so the population is even greater than it looks.

If I looked at 10 tombstones that day, I'd guess 8 of them were 40 years or younger - way too young to die. I'm hoping that was just a coincidence and that the average age is much higher. I don't think I'll be doing an analysis anytime soon.

Apologies for the really sad post, but I wanted to honor Kevin however I could. You're sadly missed and will never be forgotten.

The celebrity that fancied me (and food...mmmmm)

2011-07-03T09:55:00.001+01:00

Food and celebrity: two of my favorite things. So, why not celebrate food with two events:

Fabulous Food Trails
Taste of Dublin

When thinking of what Christmas presents to get for Derek, and trying to stay in the theme of getting him a present that I can use too, I ended up with a Living Social deal for 2 tickets to the Fabulous Food Trails - a food walking thingy. A chance to see more of Dublin, while eating and gently walking off that last crepe? Um, OK!

The basic set up is they only take 10-12 people at a time and you meet in front of this deliciouso restaurant called Fire. But you don't get to go in there. Poop. You set off from there onto the first spot, which is a....

Let me back up a step and just say that Derek hates cheese & garlic. I know! Weird, right?? Two major staples of a diet - you must obviously be able to see the hardship that I suffer in the kitchen. So, the main joke of the morning is: Just as long as they don't have garlic flavored cheese (cue laugh) ahahahahaha....

Now back to our regularly scheduled program: the first stop? A cheesemonger! Here is basically what happened next:

Cheesemonger person: "Our first cheese has a lovely garlic taste."

Derek: "Crap."

Don't worry, I ate his portion. A few other lovely cheese selections and then we were on our way. Next we went to a place called Liston's - a place that I used to frequent with my friend Penny. I picked up my first batch of quinoa and tried some lovely hummus and red pepper soup. Then off to a crepe place that I pass every dang day and never even thought to go into. The owner is actually from France so she knows her stuff.

For the rest of the 2 hours, we visited a coffee shop for a New Zealanders lesson on espresso, a wonderful little bakery called Nelly's for the best brownies (where I picked up some spelt flour which I've yet to use), a sausage roll in a fancy little kiosk, amazing chocolates at Cocoa Atelier and last but not least, quite a spread at Fallon & Byrne. I was very impressed and would recommend it to everyone!

http://www.fabfoodtrails.com/dublin-tasting-trail/

But here's the most important thing, at the very start this couple came up to the group after most of us had arrived. I'd say they were in their early to mid 20s. I immediately noticed how freakin' adorable the guy was, but of course I wasn't going to say anything to my husband next to me. Then Derek says, "that's one good lookin' guy" - and I'm totally like, "I know right!" Just when you didn't think he could get any cuter, he smiles: cue reaction, "aw, COME ON!" We putter along through the day and in a week or so, Derek is in the main grocery store and finds his face on a book! He's apparently a home cook/rockstar. How did we not guess this in the first place?

My next step, of course, is to research him on the internet and up pops his blog. And what's there (??) but a post on the Fabulous Food Trail that we were on! He was taking pictures the whole time and now the mystery is solved. Now, when you look at the pictures, it's so obvious that he had a crush on me - proof:

Who is that person in the top left picture on the left in a brown coat? Me! And who is that person in the bottom right picture on the left next to the blurry girl? Me! I mean, so flipping obvious he was stalking me. Anyway, you can read the whole post here:

http://www.donalskehan.com/2011/04/ever-been-a-tourist-in-your-own-town/

The second food event was the Taste of Dublin, which we make a point to attend every year.

It's situated in a little park right smack in the center of town. It's not cheap, but you can try food from restaurants that are way outside your budget, so it's well worth it. We got a beautiful day to boot, so off we went a tastin'.

Oh yeah, this is how we roll:

Derek is much happier after our first bit of food (and the "free" champagne):

It's alive!! I threw back that breaded ball of goats cheese, no problem:

Oh, hells yeah:

Oooh I don't know, do you have any bigger shrimp?

Oh yeah - I had two of those (don't want to be wasteful):

And who is this??? He's found me again!!

Nice cover Donal - putting together a free cooking demonstration for anyone.

All in all, two fantastic events - now, go be a tourist in your town!

New favorite comedians

2011-03-27T13:45:00.002+01:00

There are many good things about living here, one of them being exposure to a great new list of stand-up comedians. Over the last three years I've come to know and love a bunch of them from England, Scotland and, of course, Ireland. Here are a few recommendations and a little laughter break in your day! There WILL be bad language. Enjoy.

Kevin Bridges - Scotland - Once you figure out the accent, you're all set!

Des Bishop - Ireland - He's an Irish American, but mostly Irish now. He was born in the US, moved here at age 14. There was a similar occurrence between Derek and myself - logged in one of my early posts: http://dublinadventure.blogspot.com/2008/05/this-one-deserves-its-own-post.html

Danny Bhoy - Introduced to us last night by our neighbors: Nick & Imelda

And my all-time favorite, Michael McIntyre - England

And the famous Man Drawer:

More to come....

Where do I begin??

2011-02-25T21:37:00.000Z

Last Saturday was the 20th anniversary of my husband's dad's death. It's important to mention his name: Patrick Eagers (this will be important later). I know what you're thinking, and, no my husband isn't a 60 year old man. He was only 10 when his dad passed away. Extremely sad. So, his mom decided to hold a mass in remembrance of a great man on a monumental day. 7:00 pm on Saturday night - off we went to the main church in Ballyfermot, Dublin.

The church is HUGE. It's not a cathedral style - more of a later made model, but quite drastic in architecture. Strangely, the colors are blue, red and white. More French flag than American flag-ish. The entire metal ceiling, rafters included, is this dull blue - strange. Now, if that was the last strange thing that happened, I wouldn't be writing about it. Where do I begin...

We walked into the church and I instinctively go for the holy water in the little bowls attached to the wall before entering the main hall. No holy water - or any water of any kind - to be found. Those bowls have been void of any kind of liquid since the Ice Age as far as I can tell. Just a little holy dirt in there. The church wasn't full - a spattering of people who would much rather get their church on after 6:00 pm on Saturday than on Sunday. It counts according to the "Catholic Rules" - hey, I didn't make them up. Derek's family filled two pews and eagerly awaited the part of the mass where his dad was discussed. As we sat listening to the readings (or day dreaming through them - take your pick), I was looking around the alter and spotted a framed picture of a man. I thought, "Oh how nice. They have a framed picture of him up there as well." But then I noticed that it was on top of something - wait, is that a COFFIN?? I nudged Derek and had the following appalling conversation:

Me: Is that a dead body over there???!!!
Derek: Oh, yeah.
Me: *shock, horror*
Derek: The wakes are often held in the actual church and if they don't bury the person on that day, then the body stays in the church.
Me: *SHOCK! HORROR!*

I mean, you have GOT to be kidding me. Geez - they can at least drape a holy blanket over the guy. Kind of hard not to stare now. The sermon is said - a quick one at that. Then the priest might as well have said, "And now for your commercial break." He introduced a nun that had been on a mission in China to spread her message. She started off by awkwardly admiring the french-colored church, the people and thanked us for allowing her to spread her message. I don't remember being advised. She fumbled through her good work for the Lord in China and how she didn't understand a thing that they were saying. Or something like that. Then, of course, at the end she invited all of the young folks to join her mission and didn't leave without asking for donations. And there it is folks - a big ole sales pitch. I know, I know - you think me insensitive. Listen - I'm all about that kind of thing, but after the sermon and before communion?? I just don't know about that. What made it even more cringe-worthy was her thanking us in Chinese. And she even came in front of the alter so she could raise her voice and do a few bows. Thank Pete that was over.

The priest got to the point where we start praying for loads of people, organizations, grocery stores - who knows these days. We prayed for the sick and the military, the usual. Then I thought the time had come when the priest said, "Now let us say a special prayer for.... the POLITICIANS." Huh?? Did I just hear that right?? Now, I know that there is a historical election taking place today, but I don't think any Irish man or woman here gives two hoots about the politicians that they blame completely for the current nasty state of this country.

Now, I was thinking that the entire mass was said for him. Yeah, right. When they finally got to the list it was at least 20 names. It went something like this:

"Let us pray for the dearly departed: Thomas McSo-and-So, Blah Blah O'Connor....skip to the good part...(ok, here it comes - what we've all been waiting for!)...Patricia Eagers, Patrick So-and-So..."

Wait. What just happened? Did he really just call Derek's dad Patricia?? No way. We didn't all come here to have a big ole slap in the face. I couldn't believe it. We had to stick it out at this point. We go through the communion process (every man for himself in this country) and then the priest decides to attempt to apologize while mumbling. It was the saddest apology I've ever heard. He said something about a mistake, said the correct name, maybe a little something about so many names to read and then I swear he said "whatever" and stopped there. Aw, come on dude.

I'm not sure if it was the corpse in the corner, the nun, or the mistaken name that made me think, "I definitely need to blog about this." There were just too many things to share.

After the mass we made it all better by heading to Derek's mom's house, ate, drank and even lit one of those chinese floating lantern thingys that went so high in the air we couldn't tell it apart from the actual stars. And Derek's mom was sure that it was going to fall so quickly that it would burn down the trees in the neighbors yard. Ahhhhh.... I love it here.

Snow? In Dublin??

2010-12-02T15:57:00.000Z

So, prior to moving over to the Emerald Isle, I asked Derek about weather as I was keen to get away from anything severe - tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes - and the conversation went something like this:

Me: So, does it snow in Dublin?
Derek: Snow? No stupid. Where do you think we are? The North Pole?

Ok, so maybe it didn't go just like that, but that's the gist that I got. Now, this is my 3rd winter here in Dublin (well, County Kildare actually but Derek won't admit that to himself) and I'm pretty sure that it has snowed every one. And especially heavy last year and this year. Enough last year that our friends couldn't even get us all of the way home on NYE. We walked home and I lost my iPhone somewhere between the hill over the train tracks to the house...ahhh the memories. From what I understand, this year is record-breaking here in little ole Ireland. The airport has been closed for 2 days, and it seems we have enough salt but not enough money to pay the workers to put it down. Give it to me! Oh, and did I mention that not only does Ireland and Louisiana have corrupt politics in common, but also the same driving skills in snow. It's not good!

Just because it snows, that doesn't mean that the errands get to stop. So, I had to trudge my way through the snow to the bank and grocery store in the village. This is a decent size walk in good weather. Hills included. A few snaps from the journey:

Dixie in her winter coat.

Catching snow

The house blanketed.

Where's me feet??

Maybe if we run, it won't be so cold.

Winter Wonderland - the field across from the house - high school at the end.

Oscar in his winter coat.

Good one!

First hill to climb - nemesis of many.

It ain't lookin' good for getting out of this neighborhood in any vehicle. Everyone parks up at the top of the hill shown above.

Right on Dublin Bus. A for Effort.

Come on big guy. Cut us a break.

Da Village.

Um, pretty?? One big mess.

Alright you bitch of a hill - bring it on.

Help is on the way!

Thank you Lord for putting a decent grocery store within walking distance of my house.

Hello car. Looks like we won't be going anywhere in you. And you need a bath!

There's that same field and our house. Taken from behind the high school.

Lots of folks having a Duvet Day as they like to call it here.

Ah well. I made it in the end, complete with wine and the makings for an apple pie.

Where have I been, you might ask....

2010-05-08T21:50:00.002+01:00

Let's see...what has happened in the last year... I'll order the biggies chronologically:

Got a big ole fancy ring.
Became a house-girlfriend.
Got another little puppy (Molly) for Oscar to play with.
Brought Oscar and Molly in for the snippy snip and Molly didn't wake up :(.
Went to the US and got MARRIED!
Had a drink-filled celebration here in Dublin.
Got another puppy for Oscar to play with (Dixie). Intend to have no more bad luck in this area...
Took a leap into my next career - I am full to the brim with fitness knowledge.

As you can see, the beginning of 2009 was a few smiles short of a kiddie birthday party. But we are on the way up! And of course, the most important update:

Lauren thought Sheila was back, but it was really Sheila's sister who had surgery to look like Lauren. They kidnapped Jana and Lauren and started confusing everyone else, including Crazy Patty who had her own little surgery to look like Emily. Of course the crazy look-a-likes met and hatched an evil plan.

So there you have it - your very own Young & the Restless update - now all of your dreams have come true.

At some stage I'll need to put aside the distractions of blogging, facebooking, and watching English and Irish actors doing their thang in the 1500s (The Tudors), to actually study a little anatomy. What's that you say? Don't I remember that from Mrs. Lemaire's class my junior year in high school? If only....

My back yard is like a comb over hairdo

2010-05-07T17:33:00.005+01:00

When you cut it short, all of the bald spots are revealed. I made a HUGE mistake in waiting 2 whole weeks before cutting it again. It is ridiculous - my dogs can recreate Tropic Thunder out there. They get completely lost back there and, as a result, insist that they go to the field across the street to do their business. This is sometimes inconvenient for me at 5:30 in the morning after I'm awoken to a complete spit facial (Dixie, not Derek), so I decide to put on my long pants and sweatshirt and head out to the tropical rain forest that is my backyard.

What's that you say? Sweatshirt to cut the grass?? Oh yes my friends. It's something like 55 degrees and misty raining every morning but the grass still insists on growing. I will say, though, that there's nothing better than hearing a lawnmower going on a sunny Saturday because that means......SPRING IS HERE! Oh, unless you're in Ireland. Then it's just the next phase of winter.

p.s. - Joe that one's for you. And considering you have decided to relieve yourself of all of your hair, I can't even make a bad comb over joke. Pffft.

Jail sentence lifted

2009-04-04T19:07:00.003+01:00

He's freeeee! He has gotten all of his vaccinations now and we've waited the recommended week and now he isn't restricted to the front yard. Hopefully these longer walks will wear him out!

Oscar's first bath

2009-04-04T19:03:00.003+01:00

He hated it! Couldn't wait to get out. For his second one, we tried in the tub so he could run around, but he still didn't like it. Let's hope that changes!

LOOKY!!

2009-04-04T19:01:00.003+01:00

Everything's bigger in.... Ireland??

2009-04-04T19:00:00.002+01:00

The "real" Paddy's day

2009-03-17T19:35:00.007Z

Dublin has a lot of work to live up the the celebrations in New Orleans. In Dublin, I did not have to dodge any Irish foods: cabbage, potatoes, carrots, moonpies (huh??).

We just caught the end of the parade. Apparently they don't really throw anything, but it does attract over 500,000 people so there must be something great about it. The last thing that went by before they opened up the barricades for people to roam through was a Ferrari:

People go through great feats to see this Irish parade. Climb the nearest traffic light:

Or a post on a really spiky SOLID IRON fence!! Crazy kid.

We found our way through the crowds:

To our first pub: The Old Stand. Anyone who's come to Dublin and done the Literary Pub Crawl will have visited this pub. Started with a few Guinness appetizers and settled in for a little Irish stew and fish 'n chips. Mmmmm....After a stroll down Grafton Street and stopping for a little traditional Irish music:

What are they, like, 10???

Then off to a few more pubs for a few more Guinness-ii and back home to Oscar.

All in all, a great day!

Our boy

2009-03-17T18:50:00.002Z

Isn't he adorable?? We love him!!!

Happy meat

2009-03-16T21:10:00.001Z

Actually called Billy Roll and can be found in your local Tesco's - it's in mine!!

2009-03-14T11:23:00.001Z

Nola had to be put down today. Her little body just couldn't take the stress.

Rest in peace my beautiful baby girl. You were so loved and will never be forgotten.

Nola's first (and hopefully only) surgery

2009-03-12T19:14:00.002Z

My poor little baby girl had emergency surgery this afternoon. I came home early because she was so sick and when I got home, she had it coming out of both ends during the day. I watched her for a while and then just got too nervous so I took her to the vet. He said that she was losing weight rapidly and that he wanted to keep her and to call back in an hour and a half. That hour and a half was torture!

When we called, the vet said that he opened her up as he was sure there was a blockage somewhere and he found that her bowels were twisted. He said that it isn't common but he has seen cases like this. He says it can happen with playful puppies. Unbelievable really.

Back home now - exhausted from the stress, sadness, and praying. Then Derek dropped his cell phone into a big pile of her diarrhea and I got a good hearty laugh out of that.

Hopefully good news to come...

Young adventures

2009-03-11T20:01:00.002Z

Nola had her first "my mommy is a hypochondriac so I had to go to the vet" day. She went from her normal playful self to sleeping constantly and very lethargic. She also wasn't eating or drinking. After a few phone calls to emergency vet numbers that no one answered, I did lots of internet research - cause whatever the internet says is true - and finally found the number to a nearby vet with a 24 hour number.

The result of the visit was that it was basically a big tummy ache from eating solid food (oops). In my defense, it says PUPPY on the bag. But oh well...I'm out of practice. Another possibility is that she may have worms. The vet seems to think that the breeder may not have wormed the mother as they should have.

He gave her a worming tablet and apparently what happens when they take one of those is the worms COME OUT. So I say, "will that happen while she's there with you???" Well, it didn't.

Current report = no worms yet. Let's hope the vet's hunch isn't all correct. She's much better now and sleeping as we speak.

Nola's first day in her new home

2009-03-08T14:20:00.005Z

The drive from where she was born to here is almost an hour, so we made sure to stop a few times to let her stretch her legs. She's already spoiled, but she's too cute not to be! She woke up every 2-3 hours last night and would only stay awake to tinkle, eat a little, play for a few minutes and then she was out again. She loves her new bed and let's hope she'll love her new brother that comes next weekend!

More to come!

Meet Nola

2009-03-03T21:54:00.001Z

Oscar's new sister.

It's a boy!

2009-03-02T16:06:00.002Z

His name is Oscar:

HAPPY MARDI GRAS!! (and Pancake Tuesday)

2009-02-24T08:53:00.013Z

Happy Mardi Gras!!! And Happy Pancake Tuesday to all of my Irish friends. For Mardi Gras, I had a little neighborhood party, which means that I was absolutely required to make a king cake, as Mardi Gras just isn't the same without it. My wonderful mom sent along 2 boxes of mix (in case I completely screwed up the first one) and lots of decorations and beads.

In the case that you are ever living outside of the US and would like to make a king cake, here's how it goes:

1. Ask nicely for someone to send you something like this:

2. Combine cake mix and yeast (first error was me not knowing what yeast looks like and dropping the frosting powder in there - had to scoop out carefully):

3. Combine butter and knead til it disappears. Then add hot water and an egg and knead for 15 MINUTES! (Owwwwwwww)

4. After letting it rise til it doubles in size, roll it out:

5. Then mix the praline filling...mmmmmm:

6. Mmmmmmm......

7. Wrap up and let rise for 30 minutes in a warm oven:

8. Bake for 20 minutes:

9. Ice and sprinkle:

10. Add baby and serve! Important to have it surrounded by loads of alcohol (hurricanes included), pralines, jambalaya, and red beans 'n rice.

HAPPY MARDI GRAS!!

Winter freaking wonderland

2009-02-08T10:04:00.005Z

Yesterday it was chilly, but sunny and completely free of ice and snow other than first thing in the morning. When I left the gym, the only ice left was under the cars and in the shadows.

Made plans today to head to a few places - go shopping with a friend. I wake up this morning and look out of the window and it's not raining - perfect. But wait, is that snow on the trees??

What the hell happened??? Unbelievable. I watched two cars try to drive up the hill - not happening. The field across the street now has big green circles everywhere, which are snowman making tracks. I saw a kid make a snow angel in the street. Winter wonderland indeed.

Look out Chicago!

2009-02-05T08:29:00.006Z

It's snowing in Dublin! At the time of this post, the snow has basically gone even though there were a few flurries this morning as I waited on the train. However on Monday, there was snow EVERYWHERE!! I knew that it was snowing in England as I watched if fall during the Liverpool match on Sunday but I still didn't believe that it would head this way. Lucky us! Well, lucky until it started to hinder transportation...

We woke up to find snowflakes:

Covering the driveway:

Look at the poor car!

Yep - it's officially snowing.

My train station from my current client...it snowed all day (as you can tell, I go to work in the dark and leave in the dark - it is getting lighter a little earlier and dark a little later but it's still only light from about 8:30 - 5:00).

In Leixlip it was MUCH snowier than in town. My walk from the train station:

First official snowman - haha!

Drive into the estate from the train station:

And the fun begins...

Much better aim than I thought:

It's thick!

It was so freaking cold that making a snowman was aborted, but there were lots of snowball fights on the field (or pitch as they call it here) - including a few neighbors. That night the transportation issues started. The following 2 days, the snow started to melt and turned the roads into ice. We live at the bottom of a hill, so cars had to be parked at the top as on Monday we were sliding down it to the point where the cars at the bottom of the hill backed up just in case.

A co-worker said that it may start to snow again, so here we go!

This is where I've been working

2009-01-19T22:35:00.001Z

Oh, hells yeah.

Wha??

2009-01-19T22:28:00.001Z

So, just picking up a little ground beef - or "mince" as they call it here. Ah, there it is. Wait, what's that on the bottom right corner of the package??

Oh yes, that's right. Let me just blow that up for you:

Um, NO FANKS! Don't need to know what furry cow this came from!

Car inspection

2009-01-18T14:43:00.004Z

Here in Ireland, you only have to get your car inspected once every two years. Now this may lead you to believe that this process is much easier than in the US, but noooooo. What you have to do to prepare for the car and then what the poor wittle car has to go through during the inspection is much more intense than in the US (you know, drive to the gas station, turn your blinkers on, check the lights, pay $10 and VOILA! They give you your new sticker).

Before going to the NCT here in Ireland, you have to make sure that the entire car and trunk are cleaned out. You also have to make sure that the undercarraige is clean. We don't do a whole lotta muddin' in the Volvo, so we were alright with that. You have to make an appointment and fortunately they're open until 10:00 so we were able to go at 8:30 one night.

They take your car and roll it into a big warehouse:

You pay ahead of time and then you can go up to the "observation deck" to watch where all of the magic happens. They hook it up to a few machines and check God knows what:

And then they get in the car and drive over a this thing in the ground that holds the wheels so that the inspection guy can "drive" the car at a higher speed and then rolls over something else in the ground that lifts the wheels to check the shocks.

There's our little car going through the stress test:

Theeeeennn... they drive it to the next stop and lift it up as they would if you brought your car to the mechanic so that they can see what the story is underneath.

At the end they call your name on the loudspeaker and you go down and some Polish guy gives you your keys and says "Eet's pearfect." If they don't say "Eet's pearfect," then you have to go get the whatever is broken fixed and bring it back to have all of that done again. Fortunately we passed!

Nollaig shona!!!

2008-12-18T22:07:00.006Z

Oh yes - went for the real tree, thank you very much. It was a cold day and we were tired, so we only went to 2 spots. We knew it wasn't good when the tree out front, advertising the place for people to spot and want to visit, was the saddest looking Charlie Brown tree. We go in, tell them we want a full tree, and with all seriousness, they pull out a tree, shake it out and offer it up. I'm pretty sure I could see 85% of the trunk.

Anywho, we end up with this lovely tree. And the best thing about it is that it's straight up and down and fits perfectly in the impossible hole created for it - a span of 3 feet between a chair and a BIG ASS TV.

Awwww....look at us - we're so festive.

Yep - I can fit my whole head in a "gap" without hitting a branch!! Ahhhh....Christmas.

My first trip home in 7 months!

2008-12-12T23:12:00.004Z

It was a fly by for sure - 6 days on the ground and 3 cities in 2 states to visit. It went something like this:

Thursday - Drive to San Marcos

Friday - Make Black Friday blacker

Saturday - Visit friends in Lafayette

Sunday - More of the same

Monday - Drive to NOLA - visit more friends

Tuesday - Fly back.

PHEW! I'm tired just thinking about it. But it was invaluable and a much needed visit with family and friends. A few key shots:

Me ma:

Me da:

Oh hells yeah - BUMPER CARS!

Maybe next year fellas:

To Kristie, Aimee, Meredith, Mary Clayton, Isabelle, Eva, and Pam:

It was so great to see your beautiful faces!! Your turn to come here to me! See you soon...

The best show around

2008-12-12T21:42:00.002Z

Last Friday a few of us went to see Des Bishop stand up at Vicar Street. I've seen a few of his DVDs since I got here and the show lived up to all of my expectations. His comedy is perfect for any American living in Ireland since he's American himself. A half-breed really: apparently he came to Ireland from Queens in his early teens.

And you better believe that we waited in line for a pic and a signature. Ok, ok - so by the time we finished our drinks when the show was over and they started making us leave, the line had died down to maybe 5 others. We were lucky.

When all of you come to visit me in Ireland, we'll plan it around a Des Bishop show. So, Des you may want to amp up the schedule in the spring. I'm just sayin'.

Anyone have any red and blue paint??

2008-12-12T21:25:00.004Z

A little blurry, but it's just what it looks like. That's the Treasury building. I know what you're thinking - that makes perfect sense.

Here he comes...

LOOKY!

2008-11-25T22:14:00.002Z

Purty...

The recession has definitely hit

2008-11-23T20:13:00.006Z

And is even affecting Christmas decorations:

Meeting of the "big ass Christmas tree committee" comes to order:

Committee member #1: We've hit hard times. I think we may have to just have a regular tree this year.

CM#2: NOOOO! We HAVE to have the big ass tree! The public would suffer otherwise.

CM#1: Ok ok... Then we'll just have to reduce down to one set of lights.

CM#2: Done.

I'm pretty sure that's how it happened. The rest of Grafton looks pretty good:

Back in the pit, oh yeah

2008-11-16T21:22:00.009Z

This weekend we went to the Fratellis concert. The concert was in a theatre called the Ambassador Theatre which, besides the balcony, was standing room only. Which means at my age, I was back in the pit. I have been in 2 pits before, one at the Guns n Roses concert and another at the 311 concert. I was in high school for GnR and in college for 311. Both times, well under the age limit of pit-going.

There were kids in there who were half my age - yes, half (ugh - I'm going to throw up). They probably thought we were narcs. Look to the left, right - "does that kid have 15 year old shiny metal braces???"

But any of you who know how I love to bounce, this was the best place to do so! The Fratellis have the most bouncy music around. Chances are if you think you don't know them, you probably do once you hear a song or two. I think one of their songs was on an iTunes commercial and definitely in the movie Run Fat Boy Run.

I've attached a few pics and even a video taken at the concert that was SO FUN!! Talk about a workout. If the Wii had a game called the Fratellis concert, I would look like one of those girls on the shows on the CW.

Anywho, here you go:

This is the opening band: The Flaws. Apparently they are a well known Dublin band and have even made it onto the iTunes list. Not too shabby!

This is my attempt at taking a picture of us myself (at arms length):

And this is Derek. He wins:

Shot of the Fratellis. The lead singer is the one on the right. I think it's interesting that he doesn't set up in the middle - maybe he actually wants attention on everyone. Awww...shucks.

The lead singer. Shirt makes sense as I've been saying that a few songs remind me of the Beatles.

Not a bad shot, if I say so myself:

Once I can figure out this blogging website, I'll post a video...

Happy Halloween from Ireland

2008-11-01T15:18:00.003Z

Ahhhh...kids these days.

Post to self distruct in 1 day.

La di da

2008-10-27T20:35:00.003Z

So, we're just walking along in the airport parking lot, minding our own business when we see:

What in the HELL is THAT??!! And WHERE is it COMING from??!! I don't even think it hopped away - I think it walked away. And there were more:

Actually 4 that I could see. You just never know what you're gonna get.

Must've been the fish and chips

2008-10-27T19:18:00.009Z

The Saints pulled it off - THANK GOODNESS! There was some weird activity there at the end. Don't know what was up with that. Anyone understand why Drew Brees would run backwards and spike the ball behind the endzone so that the team can score a safety? Why not just spike the ball?? Anywho...

The trip was really great. Not only did I get to see the Saints play, but I got to hang out with actual NOLA friends!

We went to dinner at Smiths of Smithfield - a 5 story restaurant/bar where the higher you go, the more expensive it is. We ate on the 2nd floor. :) They did serve organic beer and I have to take a picture of anything that says "Bob". That's for you dad...

The next day we went to the Tower of London. By the time we ate and toured, it was time to head out to the game.

The stadium is apparently only a couple of years old:

They even set up a tailgating party. It was very strange to see all of the people in football jerseys and then hear their accents - clearly English. There's more international interest than I thought!

I was very impressed with how efficient everything was. I was more impressed that the stadium had it's main focus on the Saints due to the fact that they were giving up a home game to be there. San Diego would've been away regardless. There was a mention in the email sent to all who bought tickets, both scoreboards were all Saints logos, there were huge Saints banners covering the first few rows of seats, and there was a Saints flag on every seat. We had first level seats - not too shabby.

Stereophonics started off the show:

Then Neyo sang the National Anthem:

And then Joss Stone sang God Save the Queen:

Deeuuuuuuuuuce....

One of the many great shots we were able to get.

Overall it was a fantastic experience and I can't wait til next year!!

I'm back!

2008-10-20T19:25:00.005+01:00

And here to tell you all about our trip to Cork at the beginning of the month. Cork is located in the south central part of the country and is approximately 3-4 hours from Dublin if driving.

A little wikipedia history:

Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city after Dublin and Belfast. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city of the province of Munster. The city has a population of 119,143, while the addition of the suburban areas contained in Cork County brings this total to 190,384. Metropolitan Cork has a population of approximately 274,000, while the Greater Cork area is about 380,000. Cork County has the nickname of "the Rebel County", and Corkonians often refer to Cork as the "real capital of Ireland". The River Lee flows through the city, an island in the river forming the main part of the city centre. The city is a major Irish seaport — with quays and docks sited along the broad waterway of the Lee on the city's East side.

You here this a lot: and Corkonians often refer to Cork as the "real capital of Ireland". To be honest, I don't think that the people of Dublin care where the capital actually is, but they love winding up the Cork people about it.

The accent is my favorite part, and wikipedia describes it best:

Redundant use of the words "like" or "so" to terminate a sentence: e.g. "I don't know him at all, like"
Use of the words "boy" (often pronounced "by") and girl, to address each other, even into adulthood, e.g. "Come here to me, boy"

As an American, I have about a 20% shot at understanding anything that they say. Makes it fun. It's a whole other world over there.

We were there for a black tie event, but had a chance the following day to walk around the city for an hour or so. I didn't expect much but I was pleasantly surprised. Here's one view:

The streets have the widest sidewalks, which makes the street feel very open even though the buildings are extremely crowded together.

Glad I didn't have to go up that hill! If I had to commute up and down that hill every day, I'd buy a donkey.

The joke is that this is where they burn the Dubliners (spoken from a Dubliner of course):

Yet another picture of a trash can. I may have a problem here. Need to join "obsessed with trash cans anonymous."

If you have to drive for 4 hours, at least you get to look at this:

There's actually an interesting resemblance of this drive to any interstate drive in southern Louisiana: green farm lands, cows, and a random house no closer than 200 yards to the next.

I actually can't wait to go back. If you're headed to Ireland, I recommend!

Just for you Isa

2008-10-12T12:59:00.002+01:00

It's all your fault Mom

2008-09-24T10:59:00.003+01:00

So, my mother decided to give us Prison Break - Season 1 as a gift. So now that's ANOTHER show that I'm hooked on! We are now on Season 2 and I will say that I'm glad they're not physically in the prison anymore as that was too nerve wracking for me. It doesn't hurt that Wentworth Miller is a hotty. :)

List of current TV show addiction:

Biggest Loser
Lost
24
Prison Break
Brothers & Sisters
Grey's Anatomy
Ugly Betty
ER - might as well finish this one off
Gossip Girl
Young & Restless - yeah yeah
Family Guy
Desperate Housewives - this one may drop off of the list
Project Runway
America's Next Top Model
Lipstick Jungle
Cashmere Mafia - is this still on?
Tudors
Entourage
Private Practice
How I Met Your Mother

It's out of control.

The big day

2008-09-24T09:31:00.002+01:00

Last Friday I went to a 21st birthday party. No, I'm not going through some 1/3 life crisis and hanging out with 21 year olds - have a connection to the family.

From what I've been told, the 21st birthday is celebrated here with a party the size of a wedding reception. It is normal that 100-200 people would attend. I think for my 21st my friends and I did shots at some bar on The Strip in Lafayette. I was lucky as Louisiana didn't increase the drinking age to 21 until the year that I turned 21. Slid right in there.

For a 21st, the party was impressive. Had to pay for drinks, but I never bought one myself so that was ok. :)

The best thing for me was that it was pure Irish tradition. Not the leprechaun-Irish dancing kind of tradition. Apparently the tradition for the 21st includes a stripper. Those are pretty much standard in any country. Big muscular/greasy guy in a thong with his socks on dancing all over the girl who's sitting in a chair. The difference with their tradition is that it seems the birthday girl's friends give the stripper embarrassing stories about the girl to tell the entire room. Hmmm... may take that out if it were MY 21st.

Drank til 2:00, met loads of family members (here's me mom's sister, here's me mom's other sister, and another, and so on), and did my best to understand all of the conversations.

I think the actual birthday girl ended up with €2,000 from birthday cards - not too shabby when you're 21 - or when you're 30something!!

No Man's Land

2008-09-18T10:39:00.003+01:00

We went to see a play last night at the Gate Theatre. I got second row seats, but I expected there to be an orchestra bay between the first row and the stage. But nope - first row was right up against the stage.

I can't even tell you what the play was about. Wikipedia says:

"No Man's Land is the name of a 1974 play by the English dramatist Harold Pinter.

The play is a four-hander. Hirst, a successful but isolated and alcoholic writer, looked after and guarded by Foster and Briggs, has met Spooner, a failed writer (if a writer at all) who seeks to inveigle himself into Hirst's household.

Once the four characters are established, the play shows their manoeuvrings - Foster and Briggs seeking to fend off Spooner, and Hirst and Spooner's verbal jousting. An entire scene is spent on Hirst's mistaken - or feigned - recognition of Spooner as an Oxford contemporary from the 1930s, to which Spooner plays up, leading both of them into ever-increasing extravagance of reminiscence. The play ends ambiguously, after Spooner's most blatant attempt to supplant Foster and Briggs, when Hirst pronounces that the subject has been changed for the last time, leaving him (and conceivably the others) 'in no man's land...which never moves, which never changes, which never grows older, but which remains forever icy and silent.'"

We went because of the actors. They are relatively famous here and in the US:

Michael Gambon (Hirst): This is one of those actors that you would recognize but not sure from where. His credits include all of the Harry Potter movies, Layer Cake, The Good Shepard.

David Walliams (Foster): His main credit is for one half of a comedy show called Little Britain. They are actually going to start Little Britain USA on HBO on Sunday, September 28 at 10:00 pm EST. http://www.hbo.com/events/littlebritainusa/

Nick Dunning (Briggs): He's currently playing Anne Boleyn's father in The Tudors on Showtime. They're filming the second and/or third season here in Dublin so his schedule seems to work out well.

David Bradley (Spooner): Harry Potter movies. He had the most lines in the actual play.

We weren't sure if we could take pictures, but here is one of the stage:

Cell phone pictures don't have the best resolution, but you can get the idea. That's taken standing in the middle of the theatre, so you can see it's not very big at all. We guessed about 400 people maximum.

All in all a great night! I think an Oscar Wilde play is next.

What's the most interesting thing about this picture?

2008-09-12T22:27:00.003+01:00

It's difficult to see, but it says:

"Happy Hour: Every Day from 10:00 Until 19:00"

Is it the fact that it was taken in Portugal? No, I don't think so. Apparently the "you're an alcoholic if you drink before noon" thing doesn't translate there.

Another fun fruit to try

2008-09-11T12:02:00.002+01:00

When I saw the dragon fruit, I thought it was pretty:

I honestly expected it to have a red middle. Apparently that was an idiotic assumption:

Check that out! I wasn't sure what to expect with this, but since it is a fruit, I thought for sure it would be sweet. Not so much. Strange really. See for yourself. :)

BANANITO!

2008-09-10T13:19:00.003+01:00

This is a bananito:

No, that is not a really big dollar bill, it's a really small banana!! I swear it said bananito on the label. I may occasionally be funny but that's not something I would come up with. The description said that it would taste like an apple. Huh??? So I had to try it and I would say that it's mostly banana flavored, but does have a hint of apple. Maybe 5-10%.

Go out and get yourself a bananito today!

I now have a Mii on my Wii

2008-09-08T15:47:00.002+01:00

The Wii has finally been set up and I was able to use it last night. I haven't yet gotten into the sports games: tennis, baseball, etc. Don't want to pull my back out just yet.

What I did do was the Wii Fit game. It's all the rage (I think it is even sold out here for a while) and a colleague of mine let me know that you can determine your "fit age". Sounds like tons of fun - I know.

You pick a profile that is similar to you - a little person with brown hair, brown eyes, etc. That's your Mii. It starts out by asking you a few questions: birthday, height. Then it weighs you - in kilograms! Much nicer as there are 1.9 pounds per kilogram so I was feeling skiiiiiinny. Then I got my calculator out and booo hooo. It calculates your BMI and identifies you on the chart of underweight, ideal, overweight, dead by tomorrow. :)

Then it asks you to do a few balance tests. Apparently my center of gravity (or "COG") is a little too the left. After the balance tests comes a drumroll and then - ta daaaaa - your fit age. Very nerve wracking process, but in the end I was:

34.

So, I'm just as fit as I'm supposed to be I suppose. But I want to be fitter and younger! So, I set my weight loss goal and away I go. I did try a few of the yoga poses in the Wii fit last night and they aren't as easy as it looks. I can see how it would be great for toning. The secret is that since I now have a goal on "paper", I will get my butt to the actual gym and start eating better. Don't want the Wii to fuss at me. :)

UPDATE: When you step on the Wii fit board, I swear it goes "yeoww!" Now, is that really necessary???

Bugger

2008-09-08T15:43:00.002+01:00

Thanks, Karen, for my laugh this morning

2008-08-29T09:22:00.004+01:00

Especially during a time of increased concern because of STUPID GUSTAV. And you're right, the one crazy line is just some "weather"person's (all PC) CYA measures. Because they don't know where it's going to go either.

The picture is small, but the crazy line is a blue one going to Mexico. And to quote Karen directly: "Yes, OF COURSE the storm will aim for Louisiana and then make a 130 degree turn Southwest suddenly!"

I mean, COME ON!

And then there's this beauty:

KFB: Old Fay says [Check out the light blue line...] "Maybe I'll go back to the ocean, no, maybe for land, yes, and then Mexico... oh way, no, there's Louisiana, I'll go there."

Too much.

Dun Leeeeery

2008-08-28T08:14:00.002+01:00

Or as it's actually spelled: Dun Laoghaire. Anywho, we went to the World Cultures Festival there this past weekend. The weather was BEAUTIFUL on Sunday and well worth the drive and stroll on the coast.

Dun Laoghaire is a really nice part of town and the mountains and water are part of that reason. The festival was a good idea, but the set up was tough because of the space they had to use. Unfortunately a lot of the kiosks of things to buy from all around the world were also in the walking path, so getting over to them was difficult. The crowds were HUGE! They did have music from different cultures as well, but the most interesting part was of course the many people in costume on stilts. One was a three headed dragon - talk about coordination.

In the pics below, these people were watching a boat race - complete with the most boring monotone announcer.

If you ever come to Dublin, take a trip to Dun Laoghaire - definitely worth the short drive.

To all of my NOLA friends

2008-08-28T08:12:00.003+01:00

Who have MUCH more important things to be doing right now than reading this blog, but in the case you're coming here for a little stress relief, please be careful, get out early, and BE SAFE!

Miss you all.

UPDATE: Just checked weatherunderground.com and this same graph yesterday had every track aimed at southern LA. I like this one better - there's some hope at least.

Oh Gustav. Don't break my heart.

2008-08-26T14:45:00.003+01:00

Please go away. Or maybe the real estate gods will wake up from their slumber and SELL MY HOUSE!!!

From http://www.weatherunderground.com/:

The Irish should LOOK OUT!

2008-08-18T11:57:00.007+01:00

Another American is on the road! Well, sort of. I did lots of practicing yesterday and I think I'm getting the hang of it. From what I understand, Americans can drive for 12 months from day of arrival as long as they are insured on the vehicle. I have decided to become official, though, so I've started studying for the theory piece of the test, which is all multiple choice. A co-worker gave me a practice CD and said that the questions on the test were the exact same. The database of questions could be as large as 2,000 but you are only asked a random sample of 40 for the actual test. The yuck part is that you have to get 35 out of 40 right - sheesh!

Now, I think I've been driving for something like 19 years (eek) so I'm thinking nooooo worries here. But that is not so. There are lots of signs that I have never seen before - maybe I just wasn't paying attention enough. A few examples:

This one looks very straight forward and we have these in the US, but I think that the ones here are just a little different. The sign is indicating that there is a junction up ahead, but the difference is that the road at the junction is thinner in width than the main road. Therefore, the wider road indicates the dominant road. If that's the way it is in the US as well, then I never noticed it.

We have cattle crossing and deer crossing signs. They do as well, but they also have sheep crossing. Makes total sense!

Island pooping? Ah! Falling rocks.

Look out for bees butts? No no - dangerous winds.

I got this one on my practice test and could only come up with railroad crossing of some sort. But the actual answer is "Level crossing ahead, unguarded by gates or lifting barrier." Oookay - if you say so!

One of the multiple choice answers for this one above was "cathedral up ahead". Ok, I know that I have some to learn, but come on now - I'm not that dumb.

The ever important, self-explanatory one (kind of hard to see - says "Drive on Left"):

I think this one reads, "OH SH*T!!"

And then there are the funny fun fun roundabouts. The important thing is to indicate (or use your blinker in US terms) at the right time. When you're entering, if you put on your left blinker right away, then that means that you are going to take the first exit to the left. In this case you should also be in the left lane. If you are planning on taking the second exit, then you have to put on your left blinker after the first exit and before the second. There's not much time. I'm thinking you'd have to be in the left lane as well - and maybe the right depending on how big the roundabout is. To take the third exit, you should be in the right lane (or maybe left) and also indicate right before it. So you are basically putting your left blinker on as your turning the car right. It's awkward. Very awkward.

So that's all of the driving lessons that I have for today. Now you're all ready for the left side of the road! Now if I could only stop reaching for the gear shift on my right when I'm in the car - I'll break the habit right before I go home for Thanksgiving and start driving there. :)

For all of those tennis fans

2008-08-18T08:33:00.005+01:00

I finally had the chance to play tennis a couple of weekends ago. I was nervous, though, considering that most of the courts around here are a fake grass-type surface. I'm not sure if it's the same as astro-turf or not, but I would guess that it would be different - maybe not as tough.

The good thing about this kind of surface is that rain drains right through. This means that most people will have the chance to play even if it has just rained, but the negative side is that it doesn't drain enough to keep the balls dry. Therefore most people will have a big wet spot on the outside of their pockets. You get your face washed every time you serve. :p

The surface is definitely different than a hard court, but it's not as difficult as real grass. The ball does bounce higher than grass, but it can skid a great deal more. I had all of my excuses ready to go: new racquet, completely different surface, hadn't played in months, don't normally play singles... etc etc. The first set was a complete wipe out - 6-0. We only had an hour to play, so we only got halfway through the second set which we ended at 3-3. Hopefully that means that I was getting used to the surface. But that also means that my excuses for next time won't work!

Yep, Paris is still there

2008-08-07T16:20:00.005+01:00

I decided to check last weekend. We had a public holiday on Monday, so we flew out on Saturday morning and back late Monday night. Paris is just as amazing as usual. It's my third time there and I could do the same touristy things over and over. You can't get a glimpse of good ole Mona too many times. The Louvre is HUGE!! I bet out of those 3 times, I've only seen 1/16th of it. Just unreal.

One of the really cool things is that the Eiffel Tower is lit up royal blue at night. They also have the stars from the European flag on it due to the fact that the French President is the head of the European Union. It's beautiful really. We were able to get to the second level around midnight one night and when we tried to go during the day on Monday to get to the top, the lines were UNBELIEVABLE. Next time...

A co-worker gave me lots of great information, one thing being an intro to the St. Germain area. We ate there each night - great food. I'm wondering if when Amy and I went, if that's where the cool fondue place was - Amy???

Couple of interesting things about two paintings of Napoleon in Versailles. The one below used to have some sort of bird above all of the soldiers on the right, so they're all looking up at what used to be there. And, Napoleon's wife Josephine was in the painting as well, but when things went south she was removed as well.

In this painting, Napoleon actually added in someone even though they weren't actually at this coronation. This painting is HUGE and took many years to complete. Seems Napoleon didn't even let his paintings rest as they were - good thing the artists were good enough to be able to add and remove people at his pleasure. I thought that was pretty interesting.

I couldn't resist this one from the Louvre...

There are many more pics, but I'll spare you all. If you'd like to see the full set just let me know. I highly recommend Par-EE!

Irish Phrases

2008-07-31T12:10:00.002+01:00

I've been hearing the attached list of phrases and thought I'd pass along including the American translation:

General Conversation
Irish: You know that way?
American: You know what I mean?

I: Your man
A: That guy

I: Cheers
A: Thanks

I: Your so good
A: Great job

I: Grand
A: Awesome

Telephone Conversation
I: Come here to me (or Come here)
A: Listen...

I: Right so
A: Alright then

I: Bye bye bye bye bye
A: Bye

I'll update as I learn more.

Here it is:

2008-07-31T08:53:00.003+01:00

RIOGHNACH = RENA

Poll Question

2008-07-27T22:16:00.002+01:00

What are your thoughts on how people view Americans around the world? I know that there may be different views in different places, but I think there is a general view.

Please place your answer in the comments section - I would really love to know what people think. You can comment anonymously.

Thanks!

THE Best Ever

2008-07-25T08:41:00.005+01:00

Unbelievably, I was able to see "The Dark Knight" last night. I thought there was no way that it would be possible, seeing as it's not even officially released here until today. The idea was to buy tickets for another day but there was a show starting at 6:40 and there were actual seats available! The planets were aligned...

As you know, big Batman fan here, and this movie was the best one so far. Except for the brief fallout in the middle, they increasingly get better and better. Lots of twists and turns that I didn't expect and the acting was the best so far. Of course Heath Ledger was just as good or better than the glowing reviews, but the others were outstanding as well. Maggie Gyllenhal was a GREAT switch for the character of Rachel Dawes and I'll watch anything with Aaron Eckhart in it - yummy. And I could go on and on about Christian Bale but I won't bore you.

Anyway, GO OUT AND SEE IT! At the beginning, the whole crowd is in, eating their goodies and waiting for the movie. After the previews, there's always a screen that shows what movie is about to play and up pops "Mamma Mia". MAMMA MIA?? If you're going to make a mistake, at least put on another thriller or something. Of course there are plenty of hisses from the crowd and so it stops and there's another 15 minutes or so before Batman comes on. The funny thing is that there was a sign at the register that said "Due to technical difficulties, Mamma Mia won't be shown." The joke is that they probably lost the film and once that error occurred...FOUND IT!

The Irish Name Game

2008-07-24T16:41:00.002+01:00

I thought it would be fun to play a little game (will also help me to know if anyone's actually reading this blog). Below is an Irish name that when heard, sounds just like a regular American name. If you'd like to play, please put in the comments what American name you think this is. The American spelling is very simple and easy.

When I heard her name (yes, it's a girl) I wrote it down the American way and then saw the actual version on an email and my eyes probably got pretty big. Once we have the correct answer, or there's just no way in heck to guess, I'll let you know.

RIOGHNACH

This is fun!

No, it can't be real

2008-07-21T16:47:00.002+01:00

But it IS!! My SHIPMENT IS HERE!!! Only 104 days since it was picked up. Yep - that is not a mistake. 104 freaking days.

I did plan ahead and ordered some wardrobes (i.e., Irish closet) but you have to put them together and when I say "you" I mean "me". Even though I planned ahead and they were delivered, I didn't put them together before the shipment came. So now I have to put those together before I can empty my clothing boxes. I'm sure all of my clothes will be in pristine condition. Ahahahahahahahahahaha!

Doesn't look like there's much serious damage. A bend to a box or two. I did blow up my DVD player yesterday however. Seems the voltage converter that works fantabulously with my chi iron is not equipped for DVD players. Seeing this, I am doing extensive research before plugging my desktop computer in. I have even surveyed our technology risk department here. :)

I should have everything organized by the end of the week. We shall see...

So, here's what I know

2008-07-11T12:11:00.002+01:00

Normally a FUNCTIONING radar will have lots of little dots where the planes are and next to the little dots are statistics of each plane, including but not limited to, altitude, location, speed, landing estimation (I just made that up). The Dublin airport radar only had the little dots. So this means that a human has to physically call each plane and get the info that the radar normally provides.

Well, that's just freaking fabulous. Don't you just love the potential of human error when you're on a big ass plane heading to Newark. Fuuuuun stuff. Apparently it's "fixed". The most interesting part to me is that what people are complaining about is the delays that it's creating. Are you KIDDING ME? Doesn't anyone care about the planes potentially colliding in the air???!!! Maybe that's just me.

A much better start to the day

2008-07-10T08:35:00.003+01:00

I took the bus today instead of the train. The bus drops me off at Pearse Street - the other end of where my train station is. It's a pretty long street. First of all, it's not raining (yay), but just in case I wore a pair of patent leather flats. I got them the other day on sale for 30 Euro and when I tried them on they were a little small. Last pair they had of course. I got them anyway and figured I'd suffer through since they were TOO CUTE! Here's a pic so you can judge for yourself:

The walk to work from the bus station starts at the end of Pearse Street and the first thing that I come to is Trinity College. I was walking around the perimeter of it and had to really take in the fact that I was casually walking past a serious amount of history. Trinity was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I due to the fact that she didn't think the Irish (and relocated English) felt education was important - next to drinking and partying. She couldn't stand one of her countries being uneducated I suppose.

I imagine that I didn't recognize the history in my daily life in New Orleans either, but this city is OLD. And really beautiful. The second part of my walk is down Grafton and since it was so early, there was no one really on it. Usually it's so crowded that it takes expertise to successfully get through the street with relative pace. The rest of my walk was the same, but my ipod was playing some great stuff this morning so the walk flew by. One of the songs that came on was "If I Ever Leave This World Alive" by Flogging Molly. It's on one of my soundtracks, but it's full on Irish and I LOVE it! I couldn't stop smiling all of the way to Starbucks. In fact, when I got to work, I downloaded two of their albums ("Drunken Lullabies" and "Float"). I highly recommend a listen.

Now I'm at my desk and I suppose I should start working at some point. I hope your day starts out as good as mine!

Oh - and a side note - apparently the radar at the Dublin airport has gone kaput. They had to cancel all outgoing flights and also couldn't let any planes land past 1:45 pm yesterday. That's fantastic since I'm flying on Sunday. Let's hope they get the thing up and running by then!

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/09/travel/main4244318.shtml

And so it begins

2008-07-09T09:55:00.002+01:00

The weather that I've been hearing so much about. When I left the house it was definitely overcast and a little chilly. I am wearing pants and a short sleeve shirt to work today and for my walk to work I wear these ballet flats that I bought at the gap for like $7. They're probably as cheap as they sound but they do the trick for the walk back and forth. I keep a pair of heels under my desk and occasionally change into them when I get to work. That turned out to be a good thing.

Once I got to the train station, the mist had started, but not enough to use an umbrella. Just enough to make my ironed straight hair frizz out (as much as possible with the straightening chemicals in action - best invention ever). It was definitely chillier than I thought it was originally - I would guess around 55 degrees. The train ride was super crowded, but I just read my book along the way.

Once we got close to my stop, I looked outside and the mist was a lot stronger than it was before. Definitely umbrella material - or "brolly" as they'd call it here. Fortunately my train station is actually enclosed so I was able to get off of the train and prepare for the rainy walk.

My walk consists of three long streets that I would guess probably take me about 10 minutes each. I opened my brolly and off I went. Now, everyone else has one too, so there's lots of moving the umbrella side to side to avoid clashing with other people. What started first was my cheap shoes - I think they're basically cotton - started getting wet and the water started to seep through to my feet. Then the rain/mist worked it's way through my pants. I had to look down to avoid the puddles on the sidewalk because the sidewalks are made of these really big stones that have probably been there since 1700. The stones are not even whatsoever so there are basically puddles in each stone. Bah.

I'm pretty sure that if the world was quiet and my ipod was off, I would've heard this by my third street: squish squish squish. On the third leg of my walk, I found 2 girls that were walking at my pace so I basically paced myself behind them and just put my head down and cruised. What am I, running a 5-K??

The biggest decision of the morning was weather to go straight to Starbucks or to go to the office first and dry off. I figured might as well get my vanilla latte fix covered first than having to go back out in the rain. Good decision. Once I got to the office, I got my heels and went into the restroom to dry off. My pants are still a little wet but all is good. And it's not even "winter" yet.

Epic

2008-07-07T12:15:00.002+01:00

Extending beyond the usual or ordinary; extraordinary.

Yes, that would be the way that I would describe the men's Wimbledon final last night. Well, at least it was night for me and for them. For those of you who would not have seen it, it is going down as the best tennis match ever to be played by two competitors. I have even heard the "best sports final ever." I can't say that for sure, but I'm right on board with the best tennis match. Zero doubt on that.

The players spent somewhere close to 5 hours on court, but including the three rain delays and the breaks between points, games, and sets, it was almost 7.5 hours in total. I started watching this a little after 2:00 thinking that I would have plenty of time to get the wardrobes (closets) put together that I ordered, but of course they are still secure in their boxes.

During the match there was lots of me yelling at the TV: "No way!", "Stop it!", "Get OUT!" The tennis was just that good. When there was a superhuman shot hit that was definitely unreturnable, one or the other would, in the same superhuman form, prove me wrong and get it back. It was unbelievable.

The score at the end of it all was Nadal d. Federer (or Rafa d. Roger) 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7. There's not tiebreaker in the fifth set so the match would've gone into this morning if Nadal didn't win that last game. I can't even imagine waking up and having to play the biggest match of your career starting at 8-8 in the fifth set. It's anyone's game at that point.

But nonetheless, the guy that I was pulling for did not win. But after reading the interviews and hearing what Nadal had to say, I respect the little fella. Maybe not so little - the guy is ripped. They both deserved it, but Nadal had less errors in the end - plain and simple.

It was unbelievable - ESPN has it as an instant classic (is that an oxymoron?) and I highly suggest that if you didn't watch it yesterday and you see it coming on - WATCH IT ALREADY!

Culture Difference

2008-07-04T10:33:00.003+01:00

I've always heard that there are things that Americans may say or do that would be a no-no in other cultures because it takes on a different meaning. And vice versa. The other day I had my first no-no.

We had an away day scheduled North of Dublin for the group that I was in (I'm officially FIDS now so I'm no longer BRS, but thought I'd attend to get to know meet more people). Most people "worked from home" on the morning of and went out there for the actual meeting in the afternoon. However, some people came into the office and the people that sit around me where in. I had meetings with the partner that morning and so she said that she would take me to the away day since she was attending as well.

When the others came in they asked me if I wanted to go with them and I said "No, thanks. I have a ride." Then I got "Oooh nooo. I wouldn't say that here. It means something 'different'." I got the picture.

I think the following phrases would be very common place in the US:

"Do you need a ride?"
"No, thanks - I've got a ride."
"Because I could give you a ride."
"I'll just get a ride."

I'll slightly adjust those in the workplace. :)

Isa! Dryer Update!!

2008-07-04T10:23:00.002+01:00

As you may remember, my dryer needed about three cycles per washed load to get the drying done. And the water would somehow collect in a pull out container at the top. Over time, the space below the lint trap seemed to be wet and the container at the top stopped collecting water. As a result, the drying was taking longer and seemed to stop altogether.

After research was performed - following a trip to purchase a new one - it seems that there is a filter at the bottom that needs to be cleaned. OH! Really?? Of course - I should've just known...

You're supposed to vacuum this filter out. It was a MESS. Now, with the filter spotless, the dryer dries not only in one shot, but it's so freaking hot that I'm scared to dry my clothes on high heat and I open the window because it gets too hot in the room.

So there you go. I now have a working dryer. :)

And just a few stops away on the tube...

2008-07-04T09:49:00.006+01:00

Since we were going to Wimbledon, we thought we'd stop by that other small city nearby. I let others take the pictures as I already had a set from my previous visit, but London is always fun to visit. There is so much to do there that one visit isn't enough anyway. Once I get a copy of the pics, I will attach a better post, but I did take some pictures at the Movieum. You are not reading that wrong. I thought - hells yeah I'm going to that.

I thought this one was interesting:

There was no one in there when we went and there were lots of sets and costumes from movies as well as history of the making of them. Very cool stuff. And for all of you that know me well, I'm sure it's no surprise that I'd take a picture of:

And of course that's the one worn by Michael Keaton - not from the silly movies in the middle. :)

Oh yes...I was there

2008-07-04T08:56:00.002+01:00

And it was COOL!! So now the only slam that I haven't been to is the Australian Open and I have a feeling it may be a while before I complete group. I did think that Wimbledon would be the hardest to get into, but my mom was able to score tickets with actual assigned seats in court 2. Geaux Mom!!

So as we walked up to the entrance, I had to get a picture of:

This is center court:

The only thing that I didn't love about it was the layout of the area. The US Open and the French Open have a much more open layout. It was difficult to see the entire area as you can with the other two.

The infamous Henman Hill. I think they are starting to call it Murray Mound since Henman has retired and the English are really tough on their athletes if they're not top notch. All hope on Murray. A lot of people think this hill is outside of the grounds so that anyone can watch on the big screen, but nope. You have to have at least a ground's pass. During the late night matches that would go on for hours and hours, this hill would be PACKED with people. When we were watching the match on TV, the cameras would pan over to the hill and when the people on the hill would see themselves on TV, everyone would throw their hands in the air and cheer. Great stuff. :)

Here are my seats on court 2. I did like that you had such a great view not only of the scenery but also of other courts. To the right were 3-4 courts where you could see a little doubles action.

This is where the players and rich people eat and sit to watch the matches on court 2. When we were walking over to the court we saw Roger Federer walking on the path overhead to his nice seat in the viewing area. Too quick to take a proof photograph. You'll just have to believe me. :)

The experience was great and I'd love to go back again. I do have a positive story about the famous queueing as my co-worker did it herself - 2 days in a row. The first day she went at 6:00 or 6:30 in the morning. She was given a card that said she was 1,467 or something like that. Shoe in as they give out approximately 6,000 tickets. They give out 500 tickets to center court then maybe another 500 to court 1 and then a batch for court 2 and the rest of the people just get grounds passes. She was lucky enough to get a court 2 ticket with an assigned seat on the front row! So basically she queued the morning of and had better seats than we did. Sheesh. Well, I guess she really did deserve it though - worked a lot harder to get them.

The second day she went at 7:00 and just got grounds passes. But it was good to know that you can show up at a normal time. The only downside is that play doesn't really start until 1:00 so you have plenty of time to spend all of your money in the Wimbledon shops.

We did of course get strawberries and cream and Pimms. Wasn't sure if I'd like the Pimms but it's gooooood. I recommend.

So for anyone who's thinking of going to Wimbledon, it's a lot easier than it sounds. And if for some reason you queue and don't get in, London is just a tube ride away!

Sniff Sniff...

2008-06-18T18:56:00.002+01:00

I think my withdrawal symptoms are starting to subside just a little. It does help that I get a fix every once in a while. American TV fix, that is. There are some American shows on, but often they are way behind. So, for example, Brothers & Sisters comes on on Monday nights at 10:00 but the one that it coming on this Monday is the one that aired in the US on April 20. Sniff...

If you'd like to see what options I have daily, here you go:

http://entertainment.ie/tv/tonight.asp

It's sad. Just so sad.

Taste of Dublin 2008

2008-06-18T14:55:00.003+01:00

I think it was really more Drink of Dublin 2008. I can't keep up one for one with the Irish. Or if I try, I should at least eat more food - you would think that would've been obvious considering that I was surrounded by it.

Anywho, the Taste of Dublin ("TOD") takes place in Iveagh Gardens (pronounced Ivy - obvious right?), which is very close to my office. During a nice day, people will bring their lunch there and sit in their suits with their friends for an hour. It's actually a really nice break from the day. The organizers of the TOD did a great job transforming the field to accomodate an un-countable number of kiosks for the best restaurants in town.

Picture below of one of the areas in the park. There were many twists and turns.

This is a waterfall that's in the gardens and I have never noticed it before! Great find. Remember - all right next to my office. Crazy how this can exist right next to the corporate world.

This is called black pudding. It is made of blood. Everyone here eats it. I made my attempt (noticeable below). It actually wasn't that bad. Out of principal and grossness of what's in it, I will never be eating that again. It did have a very nice scallop on top and the pea and bacon foam underneath was yummy.

The picture below is of a chocolate tasting. I thought this was pretty cool! The guy doing the tasting is a chocolate "creator" at Green & Black's which is one of the best. It is called Green because they try to be a "green" company and Black's because their first chocolate was a dark chocolate. He showed us the process of how chocolate is made from cocoa bean to bar. Then he let us taste all of the bars there from white through dark chocolate. The coolest part of it all was he told us to put a piece in our mouths and hold our nose as we chewed. Once you're finished chewing, he told us to stop holding our nose. It was the craziest thing!! You really didn't taste anything until you let go of your nose and then the flavor just hit you. Unbelievable - try it!

Here is one of the sponsors. But that was basically the event. Food and wine. And beer, and martinis, and champagne, and more wine (there was a wine tasting tent). Phew.

Since the event lasted until 4:00, I basically started my hangover at about 6:00 and was pretty much done with it by the next day.

Overall it was such a great event. Next year I think I would go to 2 sessions (4 hours doesn't seem long enough) and maybe take more time in the wine tasting tent instead of trying to get it all in in a half hour before my time runs out. Lessons learned!

Guiness Book of World Records

2008-06-17T13:22:00.003+01:00

He's got to be in there. I have seen this guy twice and on the second time (yesterday) I decided that I need to take a picture. Now a picture by itself probably wouldn't truly show how tall he really is, so I thought it was important to take a pic while a normal sized person was walking by him. I know that it's a little far away but by the time I got my brilliant idea he was getting a lead on me and considering that I have to take 2 steps to his one to catch up, I just took it from a distance. I would say he's definitely over 7 feet. Either way, he's TALL!!

It's official

2008-06-13T16:45:00.000+01:00

A big fat NO.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/06/13/ireland.eu/index.html

The battle of the newspapers

2008-06-13T09:09:00.002+01:00

Every morning free newspapers are handed out. There is friendly competition in action as one newspaper is the Metro and the other is the Herald am (the pm version is not free). Now, these are in addition to the regular non-free papers that are the Irish Times and the Irish Independent.

There are people who's job it is to stand all over the city and force the paper for you. TAKE IT! Well, that's what it feels like sometimes. Most of the time I just say "I'm good" or "No thanks" where most people just ignore them completely. They often stand next to each other - then there's the having to decide and feeling guilty for not taking the other person's option. Stupid Catholic guilt.

Now, there is a guy handing out a Metro at the entrance to my train station. I feel sorry for this guy and he seems nice so I always take one. It is good to get a dose of news on my train ride anyway. But then when I'm walking from the train station to the office there is a guy handing out the Herald and he makes me laugh so I take one of those. At one point, there was a guy running down the street - obviously in a hurry - and the Herald guy with the constant smile on his face started running after him with a paper. Too funny. Of course the stories are pretty much the same, with a few differences. The pictures are always the same.

Today the Metro people were also handing out free bread. It was 2 small loaves individually wrapped and then wrapped together. But here's the weird part - there really wasn't anyone taking it! Now, I didn't take it because I didn't want to carry that thing to work with me, so maybe that was the rational of others, but I thought it very strange that people weren't taking the free stuff. If it were on my way home I would be all over the free bread. Bring it.

Photo Finish

2008-06-13T09:06:00.003+01:00

The big day is here and it seems that the vote is too close to call. Something else they're predicting is that the voter turnout is somewhere between 40-50%. Not looking good for a "yes" vote. Apparently the voting is still done manually here - I wonder if they call them "chads".

The final tally will be announced this afternoon. The waiting is killing me!! :)

Today's the day

2008-06-12T17:04:00.001+01:00

Today's the day of the vote. Here's an article from CNN on the matter:

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/06/12/ireland.europe/index.html

Basically, Ireland's constitution states that citizens get to vote on matters affecting that constitution and they are the only country in the European Union that is this way. Therefore, the other 26 countries had legislation vote on the Lisbon Treaty for them.

I thought this was a powerful statement: "It means Ireland's 3 million voters will decide on a document representing the 490 million people in the European Union." Pretty powerful stuff when you look at it that way.

CNN believes that a "no" vote would bring chaos to the European Union. The consensus around here is that if the vote is "no", they will simply have the vote again until it is "yes". Seems that is what happened with the Nice Treaty in 2001. The vote was no so they went through it again in 2002.

We shall see what happens!

Tomorrow's the BIG day

2008-06-11T11:47:00.002+01:00

BIG voting day tomorrow. The Lisbon Treaty vote takes place. I am surprised that it will take place during the week - seems like you'd get more voters if it took place on the weekend. But what do I know about Irish politics - nada.

Something interesting is that before every voting day there is a 24 hour ban on TV and radio coverage of the campaigns. The newspapers still have free reign. I'm not sure exactly why this is except that it may be to give the public some time to make their own decision instead of being convinced by others.

The feel that I'm getting is that the main issue with this vote is that not enough detail has been given to make a proper decision. However, on the flip side of that, I think that there is way too much information to provide and if the government tried to provide it all, people would be overwhelmed. They have published a link to the 500 page document that is the Lisbon treaty, but even the smartest of smart would probably get bogged down in the legal language.

A very wise man said to me that you're always taught not to sign a contract that you don't understand. However, none of us truly know the inner-workings of how a plane flies but we all get on them anyway. There's a certain level of trust there. I guess we'll see if the public is more trusting of the government or if people are skeptical.

Another interesting note about voting is that if you have a European Union passport, you can vote in Ireland. Therefore, the Polish people that are living here can put in their 2 cents. I guess the closest comparison to make is if people from Texas could vote in Louisiana. If you ask me, I think that would cause some turbulence.

First Portion of my Walk Home

2008-06-11T11:40:00.005+01:00

A few more pictures of my walk home. This time they are from the office to the train station. A little Dublin city flavor:

The top picture shows one of the bigger parks in Dublin - St. Stephen's Green. It gets pretty crowded during a warm day.

In case you were wondering

2008-06-09T12:30:00.002+01:00

I do actually work and this is where:

The building is 8 floors not including the basement (I have to get used to those). I sit on the 3rd floor which is actually the 4th since the first floor is not called the first floor. Have to get used to that as well. The building is situated away from the street between 2 other buildings which makes a sort of corridor. I think it's pretty dang cool, but that's just me. :)

No trick photography here

2008-06-09T12:13:00.006+01:00

I am actually cooking. Making biscuits to be exact. From SCRATCH!! My mom sent along this great e-cookbook that has lots of American restaurant recipes. Yesterday I made Bisquick, Popeye's biscuits, Manwich sloppy joes, and Outback Alice Spring Chicken. And it was actually all good!! Now, if I lived in Louisiana, I'd just go buy the Popeye's biscuits, but since I'm in a country that doesn't even sell Bisquick, it's great to have the recipes to make it myself. They don't actually have biscuits here. Here, biscuits = cookies. Their scones look like our biscuits but taste like scones. So there's a clear absence. And as you can see in the picture, the Bisquick recipe makes a TON so I have plenty for the future. Next on the list is Chili's steak fajitas. The cookbook is over 400 pages so I have a lot of cooking to do!

Bewley's Cafe

2008-06-09T11:38:00.003+01:00

I ate dinner in a cafe on Friday and this was part of the decoration. In a CAFE! And this isn't unusual. The building are so old and just beautiful. I had pizza while looking at the very expensive art, stained glass windows, and chandeliers. Unbelievable. Even the pubs that would probably be considered a "hole in the wall" are very well maintained and have a lot of history and have framed newspaper headlines from a over a hundred years ago. Amazing!

Government giving money away? Can't be.

2008-06-06T10:41:00.002+01:00

But it's true! I just learned about this today. Apparently back in May 2001 the Irish government started something called the Special Savings Incentives Scheme. Under this scheme (term commonly used similar to program - not necessarily meaning something sneaky), when you would deposit money into a special account applied for, the government would match 25% of the amount! No, REALLY! So basically for every 4 Euro deposited, the government would put in 1 Euro. One of the catches was that you had to leave your money in that specific account for 5 years. Also, you had to be at least 18 and you could only have one per person. So a parent couldn't open up an account for each child. There was a 23% tax at the end, but I think that there was also an interest that would offset that a little.

Without the tax, if you put in the maximum (which wasn't that high) and left it in for the 5 years, you would have accumulated 16,000 Euro and then the government would have matched that by 25% giving you a total of 20,000 Euro. Not too shabby!!!

For a better explanation: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/money-and-tax/personal-finance/savings-and-investments/government_savings_scheme

Healthcare System

2008-06-05T15:31:00.003+01:00

UPDATE: I forgot to add that she even gave me a number for after hours and weekends so that I wouldn't have to go to the hospital and wait for days if I were sick. These people are great!

At some point, even though I can't remember when or by whom, I was told that in order to see a specialist, I'd have to first go to a general practitioner. This is how it used to be under my health insurance at home years ago, so it wasn't anything new. I got a recommendation from a colleague here for a doctor that works for a practice that is within walking distance from the office. I have to plan almost everything that I do around the office since nothing is open on the weekends it seems.

When I made the appointment, they only asked for my name and the date and time. No health insurance questions. I was able to make an appointment for 5:00 and headed over there a little early in order to try to sign in early since I figured I'd be sitting there for an hour. And then of course I also expected to be sitting in a room in the back for another hour. But that's not how it went at all.

Once I got there, I checked in and filled out the basic "first timer" form. As I sat there, people were called into the back and I swear most of them came out in no more than 5 minutes. Bing, bang, boom, done. Must be easily diagnosable. At about 5:10, I was called into the back by the actual doctor. No nurse came to greet me. She directed me to her office - yep, her office - and we sat in there and she answered all of my questions. Then she let me know that she can write any prescription that I would need. Therefore there's no need to see a GP then make an appointment with a specialist and have them write the prescription. Such a time saver!! She also can write prescriptions for a 6 month supply. You gotta be kidding me with this stuff.

As any American would, I hurried up to get health insurance thinking that if I got hit by the tram, I'd be in deep financial trouble. But they didn't even ask for it - ever. You pay a certain fee as a private patient and then submit all of your receipts at the end of the year for a refund. This is sort of a pain at the end of the year, but it's nice to be able to make an appointment without having to track down your health care information. And you don't have to choose specific doctors.

As far as the girly stuff goes, since boys read this blog I won't discuss it here. But if you girls are interested, just let me know and I'll send an email.

So, the result is that they have a much better handle on efficiency at the doctor's office here. Quite a pleasant experience!

Poop

2008-06-04T13:38:00.001+01:00

First real rain since I've been here is happening at this moment. I know this not because I am looking out of the window but because I have just been out in it for lunch and my cute red shoes are now all wet. I did have a kick ass umbrella though, so at least the top part of me is dry. Can't say the same for the hem of my dry clean only pants.

Preeeettttyyyy

2008-06-04T13:31:00.003+01:00

I took a few pictures on my walk home yesterday. The neighborhood that I live in is relatively big in size, but my street is the last one so it's got it's own privacy. There are mountains in the distance and the neighborhood is hilly so you can see a separate neighborhood down the hill. On the first picture you can see to the right the top of a roof on a house that backs up to the hill that I'm walking on and below the next neighborhood over. Pretty neat I think. Just thought I'd share. :)

Guinness

2008-06-04T11:05:00.001+01:00

I think these kegs should last the pubs at least through the night. :)

(Taken overlooking the Guinness brewery).

Woah nelly

2008-06-03T08:46:00.003+01:00

During a quiet Saturday ride on the train heading away from town, there was a sound like a gun had been fired and then I felt something hit me - something light. Turns out it was pieces of glass that had broken off of the window across the aisle from me. The picture above was taken from my seat. The thought is that it was kids being stupid. It completely freaked out the girl that was sitting in the seat next to the window, as you would expect. Fortunately the window didn't completely break apart on the rest of the ride home.

That's enough excitement for one day!

The sneeze is connected to the...

2008-06-03T08:05:00.002+01:00

Tailbone. Everything seems to be connected to that thing. In order to remain consistent, I had my "fall of the month" (see "Thank God for Tide Sticks") when I got back from NY. I was traveling down the stairs with little sleep to relax on the couch when the following happened:

slip...

ow

ow

ow

(OMG, I'm still falling)

ow.

Immense pain begins. Now, this was one week ago and I still can't sit directly on my tailbone. I know what you're thinking, who does that?? But believe me, we all do. I can be sitting on the floor and move like a normal person to get up, and YEOOOH! Smack on the tailbone. The worst part is when I sneeze because no matter if I'm leaning over (worst way) or standing up, I still feel it pull down there. And there's nothing that I can do about it whatsoever. Just wait it out. I thought for sure it would be all fixed by now.

A co-worker here told me about her awful story when she fractured her tailbone. Apparently that was 4 years ago and she still has a little trouble here and there. If only I could've landed on one of the cheeks. Then at least all of the insulation that I store there for safe keeping could've been used for something good. :)

Doesn't everyone in the world care about Memorial Day??

2008-05-28T12:37:00.002+01:00

Apparently not. But I still got my Memorial Day holiday all thanks to my friend Kenneth, who I'm sure picked that weekend just for me. :)

The time change from Ireland to the US is not bad. The flight took off at 10:30 a.m. my time and landed at 1:00 p.m. EST so the only time that I was truly tired was around 8:00 p.m. Not too bad. Of course I was up at 5:30 a.m. the next morning.

The weather was beautiful the entire time. I actually found out about an outlet mall that's about an hour away and there are buses that take you there. WHAT??!! How have I never known this before!! And because it was a holiday weekend, the sales were fantastic. Banana Republic missed me as much as I missed it.

The wedding itself was Sunday night at a quaint restaurant in Brooklyn. The ceremony, drinking, dancing all took place there. It was very intimate and, personally, I think that's the way to go. Kenneth's wife has a Thai heritage and, therefore, there was a Thai element to the ceremony. This made it great fun for us to watch and get a little more culture in our lives.

Fortunately we sat next to a few young couples at the ceremony and were seated with them at the dinner as well. They all new each other so this made for great banter all night long. They took us in and by the end of the night (when the people at the restaurant were dying to go home) we all went across the street for more alcohol and they actually had board games.

The game of choice was connect four and it was a hit! I played in the first round and it seems I need to upgrade my strategy from when I was 7 since I lost. Next time I'll be ready!

It was a great weekend overall, but the getting used to the time difference coming back was a killer. Landing at 5:30 a.m. after leaving the day before at 5:40 p.m was trés difficile. I passed out til noon and then made myself stay awake til nighttime then couldn't go to sleep until 1:00 a.m. Bah.

Brilliant

2008-05-28T12:18:00.003+01:00

I say that because I had this idea as well. :)

www.myus.com

As mentioned in a previous post, I had many ideas for new businesses based on initial frustrations due to the realization that Ireland does not have some of the same efficiencies as the US. This was one of them.

And on top of that, I am unable to get any subscriptions of magazines that I'm interested in because they are set in the UK and the UK doesn't deliver to Ireland. Fabulous.

Hopefully now all of my magazine problems are solved. And maybe now I can order from Banana Republic!!!! All is well with the world.

On a serious Cajun note

2008-05-16T13:51:00.003+01:00

Seems Lafayette and Breaux Bridge had a little tussle with a tornado last night:

http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080516/NEWS01/805160317&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

Kenneth - call your mom.

American Meetup Group

2008-05-16T10:08:00.003+01:00

First of all, thank you to Isabelle for sending me the information on this group. I had planned to do some searching for expat groups, but in no way would I have been as organized as she is and not as speedy in my research either.

The April monthly meeting was the first week that I arrived, so I didn't attend that one, but the May meeting was last night and I went with bells on. I wasn't sure what to expect or how many people would be there. The gathering was at a bar called The Morgan on Fleet Street in Temple Bar. Temple Bar is the area that I believe most tourists flock to. An Irish Bourbon Street of sorts. I would generally stay away from the area, but The Morgan was a really nice bar attached to a hotel I believe.

Fortunately the group had a sign - otherwise I would've been sitting at the bar waiting to hear that familiar American accent. The first person that I started talking to was Irish. Damn. I came to this thing and I'm probably only going to talk to an Irish person - that makes no sense. Turns out he is the husband of the organizer of the event. Very nice guy, but I was glad when some actual Americans came over to chat.

There was of course a mixture of home towns: New York, Colorado, Texas, Pennsylvania. There was also a good span of length of time lived in Ireland: 6 weeks to 3.5 years. We chatted about the differences that we're experiencing, things missed from home, and new things loved in Ireland.

The best tip learned so far is that instead of having to buy a car, I can apparently enter into a long-term rental from a regular rental car company. That way I can avoid the road tax and having to search for something that I really want to buy. So, the event was fun AND beneficial! Can't beat that.

Geography 101

2008-05-15T14:39:00.002+01:00

Now, some of you will probably say "Duh Nikki" but I thought it was important to share what I have learned. And based on the fact that some Americans asked me before I left if Scotland was in Ireland (no worries, not a a silly question - you know me and geography - I have no right to judge), I think that most people aren't really sure how it all works up here. Here's what I understand...

Scotland is actually in the United Kingdom. At the top. Also included in the United Kingdom, besides England, is Wales and Northern Ireland. We'll just leave Northern Ireland out of the equation for now as it just confuses things.

I have been told that I should not refer to the people that live in England as British because the United Kingdom is also referred to as Great Britain (a whole other post can be done on why someone decided to name it Great). The reason why I have been told not to call the English British is because if I do that, then I am including the Scottish and the Welsh in that distinction. So, if I say "that accent is very British," the Scottish and the Welsh would disagree.

So now it totally makes sense. Right?

Vote YES! Vote NO!!

2008-05-13T08:47:00.003+01:00

There are signs all over the city that basically say one or the other. What the vote is all about is something called the Lisbon Treaty. Apparently it is a 500 page treaty that was signed in Lisbon (surprise, surprise) on December 13, 2007.

I am no expert on this thing and I'm sure I know less than the average Irish citizen, but it's complicated in that they aren't giving a lot of information. They do provide the link to read the entire treaty, but even a lawyer would get bogged down in all of that legal mumbo jumbo. You'd be asleep by the end of page 2. They are also providing small brochures in the mail to attempt at a layman's explanation, but it still doesn't make a ton of sense. My personal opinion on the reason why is that they are asking for a yes vote and no one really knows what the yes vote will bring. But they know what the no vote will bring - status quo. A quote I like to use in many situations - it's easier to "stay with the devil you know."

It seems that the treaty will attempt to further reform voting procedures. The "yes voters" say it will make a stronger European Union. I would think that most people who vote no will do so because there isn't enough information as to why it's a good idea to vote yes. There's a ton of reading to do out there, I'm sure, so I'll update once I have more time to learn about it myself. In the meantime, I've included a few informational links.

Information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisbon_treaty

10 reasons to vote YES: http://www.ibeclisbon.ie/

Sinn Féin says vote NO: http://www.no2lisbon.ie/

Traditional Irish Pub

2008-05-12T16:18:00.002+01:00

Saturday night I had the privilege of going to a traditional Irish pub outside of the city center. I know what you're thinking - aren't all pubs in Ireland traditional Irish? But no, a lot of them have some form of catering to tourists. Now, I certainly haven't been to every pub in town as a test, but this is just my observation thus far.

There was a small gathering following a golf tournament held in the honor of the unfortunate death of a friend's father one year ago. The gathering was mainly the family and then a few people who had participated in the tournament that day.

The band was called the Beer Mats (what we call coasters) and definitely played traditional Irish music. There was lots of singing along - not by me of course. The American just sat and drank. At one point, a song came on and everyone stood up and held hands. Not wanting to stand out (and really not having a choice since someone grabbed my hand), I did the same. Standing, swaying, singing - good time had by all. Later on in the night, we were all still standing and the national anthem started playing. I was told to put my drink down. No drinking during the national anthem.

The family completely took me in the entire night - I was told lots of stories.

Four to five pints later (Guinness and Bulmers), I was done. The pubs close around 12:30 (eek) and they flick the lights slowly so you're sitting in the darkness a few times. Then people walk through and start saying "Time to start heading out folks," "Come on guys, seriously, we need to start closing up," "Ok seriously, please start gathering your things. We want to go home." I heard a comment from the group, "Good luck with that."

It was a great night had by all. Hopefully I'll get to do something like that again soon.

Irish Names

2008-05-12T16:05:00.004+01:00

I definitely wasn't expecting to have so much trouble pronouncing the pure Irish names here. I have come to learn that Americans (or at least I do) pronounce things just as they read them. Here are a few examples:

Eoin = pronounced as Owen
Siobhan = pronounced as Chivanne
Odhran = pronounced as "hey you"

Well, you try that last one! I've made a fool of myself by not saying it right and also by assuming that someone is female or male when they're obviously not - as seen by the name. I mean, obviously. :P

Differences - Part Deux

2008-05-08T09:42:00.000+01:00

To add to my differences post below, I forgot one regarding the dryers here. Besides the fact that it's half the size of the ones that I'm used to, it also needs a little extra help to get the job done.

As we all know, there is a lint trap in dryers - no difference here. Still have to deal with that - no big deal. The big difference is that it actually collects water and you have to empty the water after every third run or so - WHAT?!

So, at the top there is a plastic tray of sorts that you pull out and carefully balance so that you don't spill water all over the floor out of the hole at the end. I'm guessing that it sucks the water from the clothes into this tray. Who knows how that actually happens. The dryer also doesn't do it's job in one shot - you have to run the thing three times if you don't want damp towels after your shower.

When I asked about this fun feature and if it's normal, the response I got was "Well, where does the water from your dryers go??" Me - "Um, I don't know. Outside?!" :)

Jeez - Does it have to be so screamy??

2008-05-07T16:59:00.000+01:00

Ireland has their collective head in the right direction when it comes to drinking and driving. And as you may have guessed, they want none of it. This is quite a surprise for someone from Louisiana. You do three tequila shots just to take the driving test. :)

Anywho, their traffic system, from what I understand, involves a series of points if you are caught doing something that is a no-no. Once you rack up a certain number of points, that's when the suspending of the license and other not fun sanctions start to happen. They have lots of check points where they will pull people over for a breath test.

So, on top of that, there are these commercials that I actually have to change the channel or walk away from when they come on. It starts off with a nice little song and a couple by a rail at a serene intersection. Then along comes 2 cars and one is out of control and basically slams the other car into the couple on the rail. So, now the couple is smashed together and the guy is literally split in half and the girl is screaming (of course). The nice little song keeps playing while the girl is screaming louder and louder and there are crashed cars, a dead guy, smoke from the cars, and the supposedly drunk person wobbling around. Next scene is in a courtroom where the drunk driver is getting tried and the girl is there in a wheelchair.

Now, I don't think drunk driving is a good idea and I do think that advertisements are a good idea to help the fight of making it go away. But, does it have to be SO gory??!! I mean, SHEESH!

I guess the ad does do it's job though. I'll always remember the commercial and I'm sure so will everyone else in the country.

Sorry Starbucks

2008-05-07T09:29:00.000+01:00

Apparently I have used up your entire supply of regular vanilla syrup. Monday and yesterday I visited two separate Starbucks in two completely separate areas and when I asked for my standard Venti Vanilla Non-Fat Latte please, I got this response: "Would you like sugar-free vanilla? We are out of the regular vanilla." No way Jorge.

You probably didn't get the memo that I was coming over, but I'm here now so you may want to increase your order next time. Thanks.

Traffic Lights

2008-05-03T15:55:00.000+01:00

Once again, shouldn't it all be the same? Now, I knew that they drove on the wrong side of the road, but it makes it pretty difficult for already confused Americans (and most people in the world) to drive if all of the signs and indicators are different.

It is very common to pull up to a stop light and there will be 2 lights there. One is red and one is green. Um, which one is mine?? I'm sure the standard American response is to just wait there until someone decides to honk at them. Must be my turn to go. They issue big stickers with an "L" on them for student drivers. And probably Americans.

Why my commute doesn't suck

2008-05-03T15:46:00.000+01:00

It's an hour and a half walking and riding the train. A couple of reasons:

I'll get lots of good exercise walking back and forth, to and from the train.
I can read or write in my journal or listen to music or all three.

Why it does:

It's an hour and a half.

Thank God for Tide Sticks

2008-05-03T15:33:00.000+01:00

I was pretty nervous for my first day of work, but as many say, "It will never be as bad as you think it will be." Well, I wasn't thinking that about 10 minutes in.

I decided to skip the normal way that I would commute because I was too nervous to screw up the train or have it be delayed and I didn't want to be late on my first day. Crossing the street to get my daily Starbucks fix, I completely wipe out on the pavement. Of course it had to be wet outside (the only wet morning), so the pants of my new suit were soaked. The suit was a light grey, so the were basically black.

Good thing I had a half hour to wait for my pants to dry - that would've been fun to explain. As I was falling for 5 minutes straight, over and over and over, my passport and ipod went flying. Someone was nice enough to care that I was flat on the ground and obviously American. She said "It's the rain - it'll get you every time." Lordy, let's hope not!