This is where I've been working

Oh, hells yeah.

Wha??

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

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!!!

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!

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

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??

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...