I'm on permanent leave...

**** ***** - it is about time. I finally got "broadband." It is slow, but now I can actually USE the internet (ie, stuff other than normal web browsing). And I can do it any time. I was just sick of not being able to jump on/off. And I had no tunes (I stream them all off my website). So who knows, you might even get more regular updates. I'm actually talking on AIM...

So it is thursday, I went to 2/3 of my classes for the day (9am didn't happen). This weekend is the October Bank holiday, so nobody will be here. Normally kids leave on Friday, but the mass exodus has already begun. I'm done 'till Tuesday, and loving it.

I'm fully recovered from last weekend's trip. Social Policy essay is in, SILS assignment is in, and I did pretty well on my econ exam (no lower than 85%, and I think 40% is passing. That translates roughly to 1/2 of the marks I need to pass my entire econ class. So it is all for the best, and I wouldn't have traded that trip for anything.

We started in Dublin at about 11, had a beer in The Temple Bar. We walked a little southwest to St. Patrick's Church... passing Christchurch along the way. Elena wanted to see it. The church isn't that impressive from the outside (Christchurch is amazing on the outside), but the interior was amazing. We even happened to be in there when a boys choir started a concert, so we got to hear the organ and how voices filled the church... in addition to seeing all of the stained glass and tattered flags. Well worth the price of admission.


We then struck out north on the M50. Thankfully, John was driving so I could just chill in the back. We sped up the coast, stopping to see a perfectly intact Norman castle, which was just kinda weird. It wasn’t like the ruins you see of castles at all. These walls were in perfect condition. Even now, it is awe-inspiring that people could really construct that sort of thing right on the edge of the coast (the water was beating against the walls).

We kept going north, making a stop in Armagh. Apparently, C.S. Lewis got his inspiration for Narnia from the adjacent forest. It was a little rainy to get out and walk around the forest, so we drove into town and made our way to a big church on the absolute highest point of the highest hill on town. I don’t remember being that impressed with a church… even in Italy. Aside from the flat screen tv’s that would show the people in back what was going on around the alter, everything was pretty old. There were paintings on the ceilings and archways still in amazing shape. Really cool to see something that old that you know is still in full use.

The next day, we wanted to hit the north coast of Northern Ireland, so we decided to stay in Belfast. We figured, “surely there is a place to stay in a big city.” What a shithole. There is construction everywhere, industrial buildings are everywhere. Nothing really “looks” nice. In our driving around trying to find places, we mistakenly drove into a neighborhood with about 4 other cars. This neighborhood was so bad that all 5 cars stopped. U turned in the middle of the road, and went back exactly the way we came in unison. I can say that I’ve been to Belfast, and I’m guess I’m happy for that, but I don’t need to go again. On the upside, I’ve now been in a bar that used to be a church the people seemed really nice. The B&B proprietor was also a lot of fun… slagging on us just as much as we were on each other. However, in the morning, we were all of one mind. “Get me the hell out of Belfast.”

The next day was amazing. We started by driving to Torr Head, which is the edge of Ireland closest to Scotland. The whole area is really hilly and the roads are none too good. But we made the best of it in our shitty rental. 100km/hr on roads where getting 2 cars to pass each other would have been a significant challenge. Two highlights: while driving up beside a beautiful hill that dropped to the ocean, John says, “Hey look… the ocean is sideways.” Funny to me since we were really at about a 45 degree angle. That was before we had to give the brakes a rest because they smelled like burning. They actually never smelled right for the rest of the weekend. The other highlight was fishtailing the car at 80km/hr+ on a road where passing would have been impossible. John can drive, and he made it fun. Adrenaline, baby.

Next was a rope bridge, the Giant’s Causeway, and some more castle ruins. Giant’s Causeway is really weird. The area isn’t too big, but the fact that it is completely natural is mind boggling. It is in the middle of F’ing nowhere, N. Ireland, but cool.

Oh, I forgot to mention that there is no more border b/t Ireland and N. Ireland anymore. We were 30 minutes in before we noticed a gas station with prices in sterling. We did, however, get stopped by the military/police for a license check in N. Ireland, which scared the shit out of all of us. No visible guns… the 3 neatly dressed cops in the middle of the intersection flagging everybody down. Unnerving.

After we got away from the tourist spots, it was time to head south. Through Bushmills. And what do you know, we made it JUST in time for the last tour of the distillery. The place wasn’t actually making whiskey, but the aroma was still in the air. And the best part is that I volunteered to taste several of their whiskeys at the end of the tour (basic Bushmills, Black Bush, and the 10 year Bushmills… as well as a scotch and American bourbon whiskey). The older, the better. Later I had a 12 year Bushmills taste, which definitely won being smooth. Black Bush has a lot of flavor, though. Anyway – as a result of this, I’m now a certified Irish Whiskey taster.

We ended up in Sligo for the night (thank goodness I knew a little bit of Irish geography, else we would have been in Galway for the night … showing up at 3am. The B&B was hard as hell to find… again going 100 on roads not meant to hold 2 cars (and with questionable paving). Walls on both sides. Thank goodness for that navigation system – it got us where we needed to go. We had a bit of trouble with one-ways in Sligo city, but the town was too small to really matter. And anyways, John would just roll down his window and say, “oh, no… it’s okay. This is just how I roll.” Proceed to slam the car in reverse, tear down the street backward until he could pull in somewhere to turn around.

The next day was dedicated to Galway (pretty town) and the Cliffs of Moher. We got to the cliffs at about 6 (sunset), and the office was closed. So we walked around the entrance building and up the paths to the cliffs. They actually didn’t want you to get too close to these cliffs, but everybody jumped the fences and walked to the edge. I was seriously at the edge taking pictures – slid on my stomach so that my hands could extend over the 700 foot drop to ocean. But to be honest, the cliffs on Inismore were just as impressive (maybe more so) and it was easier to get close. Plus the Aran Islands are just badass anyways. That is the 1 thing you should do if you have a day to spend in western Ireland.

Then we drove back in about 4 hours. Booking on the motorways at 130km/hr will get you from place to place in just the right amount of time.

I’m sure I’m leaving bits and pieces out, but I was trying to keep it short (1,200+ words isn’t really accomplishing that – that’s longer than any of my essays so far.. oh well).

I was sitting in econ class today while the lecturer was going on about trade deficits and internation finance/money transfers. I remembered my Irish account was a little low, so I cracked open the laptop and moved a buttload of money between countries and currencies as he was explaining how it all worked. That's an econ lesson from both sides of the fence.

Alright - you're probably not going to get any Galway stories, unfortunately. I was too busy to write them up last week, am sure I've forgotten some, and they weren't that interesting anyways. I took a couple of classes off last week to travel through North Ireland and Ireland with friends from home in a car -- and it was one hell of a trip. If I have time, I'll type up some stories. Otherwise, the pictures will have to suffice.

We went to galway this weekend and Inis Mor (an Aran Island)... and they were absolutely stunning. When I get back for x-mas, I'm going to have a photoshop fest. I think I may get some of those pictures printed. This weekend was amazing, and not just 'cause of the location. The people here are really great & enjoyable.

A friend of mine has my picture device, so I can't upload the photos now. I'll probably do that later this week. I have a paper due thursday, and plenty to do Wed. night. My old roommate is coming into town, and i think there might be a BL/Comm party going on. So much to do, so little time.

And regarding my last post - it isn't that I don't care, I do. But I don't see the point in doing things like protesting. Elections are much more useful. I vote. I won't let my country degrade. I could not have imagined the perspective I would gain on the US from being here and talking with people from all over the world (though mostly Europe). Sitting in Econ and Social policy courses learning the different ways of dealing with people is... enlightening. Especially coupled with political discussions with people from 4 countries (or just one ex-patriot).

But whatever. I have a paper to finish, and maybe a movie to watch. I'll leavethe philosophy for class. Be on the lookout for more pictures - they're coming.

I don't normally like blogs, and if you asked me, I wouldn't readily admit to having one (instead, I maintain a website through which I share my photos ... and experiences). But a couple lately (the two that I regularly read) have had the same topic. With my mom emailing me, I can't help but to write up my thoughts, too... just because. For a bit of background reading, the two sites I read are:
noah's lark and
scribblehoney.

Since being in Dublin, I've pretty much shut the rest of the world out. My world consists of me, my friends, and the places I see. This whole concept of news has been pretty far away from me, which if you know me, is pretty unusual. I did open up my newsmap to get a look at this north korea thing. And I think I came to the same conclusion that Kalen did. I can't care.

I do support the troops in what they are doing (their jobs). I don't really support the policies that put them there (though in defense of the policy makers, I don't have a better solution). But I cannot bring myself to really give a rat's ass about something I cannot affect. Reading Noah's site, the thoughts he had of telling the people that protest was ineffective hit home. Protesting is a glorified waste of time. But you can't tell people that.

I think the perspective of being outside looking in is different. But my conclusion hasn't changed. I think my dad put it best when he said, "you can't stop a crazy, fanatical person with a lot of money from doing what he wants." So where is the utility of worrying. I read an article warning that tomorrow we could wake up with NYC or Chicago blown off the map. I could spend my time worrying about that happening, or I could... live. I think I'll choose having fun.

I'm waiting for a call from the paper editor today who might get me 70 euros worth of tickets to go on a giant, drunken bus ride to a bunch of pubs tomorrow. All I'd have to do would be take pictures of the craziest, drunkest people there. I'll be headed out to Galway this weekend, too. After I finish my essay for history, of course. So much more pleasant than the thought of crazies with, "the bomb." We need to export "fun" to their countries.

Last night in Cork. Mid-afternoon tomorrow and we were leaving; who knows when we would be back. In america, we say such is an occasion to "do it real big" or "go buck wil'."

We started the evening in a bar that seemed to be a hole in the wall. It opened up to be HUGE in back... who would have known. In the 30 minutes that it took me to drink my Guinness Tucan Brew (and for those who haven't tried it... suckers), it went from busy to shoulder-to-shoulder madness. For the record, everybody in Ireland drinks. And they always seem to pick exactly the bar that I am in.

A beer or two later, we bolt, looking for the late-night bar. We find "An brog" which probably means something in Irish, but to us meant, "good time." We managed to find a whole in the mass of people relatively close to the bar, so we set up camp and started the drinks coming.

Now I want to take a second to talk about bar movement. Everybody knows what I'm talking about. It should be an olympic sport. People in the US seem to be completely oblivious to the fact that I need to get to the bathroom and those GOING to the bathroom have the right-of-way. That is unless you're alone, and there is a line coming the other way. Also, I yield to women. In Ireland, everybody knows. It took me no more than half a minute to go past 2 bars, maybe 100 feet to the bathrooms. In the US, I would have needed to remember my sleeping bag for that trip.

A few (exact numbers aren't important) pints later, we all decide to "go dancing." By we, I really mean Joey and Brooke. But matt and amanda seemed to be into it, Mikey was down... and I'm thinking, "whatever. I'll loose them so none of them see how bad I am and then go crazy." We walk out of the bar and got an irish welcome: rain. At that point, though (after charles fort and ehem a couple of pints [notice the number getting lower?]), nobody cared. What we DID care about, even after a 10 minute walk, was that there was a 10 euro (or so) cover. That got a resounding, "F*** that!" As you can imagine, the bouncers were not amused. We tried another bar close to the dance club and got turned away b/c somebody had trainers on (tennis shoes), and got turned away from another that was 20+ only (hehe... I could have gotten in).

Did I mention we had all pre-gamed heavily?

And now, the 2nd most amazing part of the evening was upon us. We managed to find our way back to An brog -- a 10 minute walk through an unfamiliar city in the driving rain. We are amazing.

We get in and our encampment is vacant. In fact, there are seats this time. A few pints later and everyone is standing, though -- not sure how that one happened. Who gives up bar seats?

Matt suddenly asked me if I had a screw driver... i said no, but I did have change. He proceeded to demonstrate that a coin would not unscrew a screw holding a jack daniel's poster into the wall. I accused him of being a moron, and kinda motioned that he should just pry it off from the back. At this point, we both notice the bar tender talking to us. We were in the process of getting kicked out of an Irish bar. Merit badge: obtained.

He showed us to the bouncer, who blew him off like a hot girl at a star trek convention blows off every guy there. I'm not sure that he even saw us. Matt and I weren't about to try to get back in, though. We wanted McNuggets (i swear, it was a simultanious moment of genius).

There is nothing quite like sitting down with a 4-pack of nuggets and sweet-n-sour sauce having to text your friends that you just got kicked out of the bar. Apparently, amanda had joey down her Bulmers and they bolted from the bar to join us at McDonalds pretty quickly. Best meal ever.

Surprisingly, I woke up feeling fine at 8 the next morning. At some point, I called amanda, whose wake-up conversations are PRICELESS. If it weren't mean, I'd call her every morning just for a laugh. Brooke & Joey had gone to church (a muslim and greek orth. in a catholic church -- funny stuff) so the rest of us toured the city. I got some decent tourist-pictures. One or two made it into my "good" album. It was a nice day, though. Nice people.

I've finally started to take pictures with which I am happy. I am starting to get real enjoyment out of them. Perhaps that is why my x-mas wish-list is basically just a run-down of photographic goodies. I think I have about 4 pictures so far that I'll want to get printed (all from my Cork Album).

And I'm finally starting what life is all about (I know that sounds corny). I'm finding what I think is a good time. Loving the days; spending WAY too much money. I'm going to seem like an alcoholic when I come home, but I'm not -- I just drink with meals & conversation. Tea is klass. The word "klass" is grand.

It is funny that I've shared stories with people that I thought I'd hide. They've shared some I might have kept hidden. And I've found that the most fun people to be around all have a little nerd in them.

I feel like I have a different approach to life already; I wonder constantly how different I'm going to be by Christmas and May. Will people notice? And more importantly, how in the world am I going to afford to come back? Don't get me wrong, I do love living in the US (no mom, i'm not moving to Ireland for good). But I'm going to have a few friends in school here for 6 years. I want to go to Greece. I want to take great pictures of all of the landmarks and some of the not-so-well-known areas and hang them up all in my home. And I want to stay in touch with & visit these people. And meet new people at home. Yes, this was a good decision.

(and don't worry - I'll finish the Cork story soon - I can't leave out the part where I got kicked out a bar in Ireland. yeah - you heard right. Who else has that merit badge?)

I woke up the next morning at 8am... everybody else was scrambling at about 9, 9:30. I can't really blame them, an extra hour would have been nice, but I'm so used to getting up at 8 that it doesn't really bother me.

We ate our first real irish breakfast (don't feel bad if you never do), and headed down to the bus station. After much debate, we headed off for Kinsale. Mikey said it was the place to go (he heard via a friend in attending school in Cork). When we got to the sleepy fishing town, we asked the bus driver which way to go. He laughed at us. He told us that he should have let us off 10 minutes ago, and it was a walk from there. But being the nice guy he was, he let us stay on the bus as he turned it around and headed back for Cork. He dropped us off about 10 minutes out of town, approximately in the middle at the crossroads or a hill and another hill. Maybe a wall in there, too.

We started walking up the road he told us to trek, and within about a kilometer, it rained and stopped. Twice. Taking a right to follow a sign for the Charles Fort, we stopped to climb a wall in front of a house -- it overlooked a rolling lime green hill and the harbor in the background. Apparently, the little old lady that lived in the house behind the fence peeked out of from behind our curtains to wave at us. She knew exactly what was going on and loved it. It is so wonderful to know she welcomes people sharing her view like that.

We finally made it to the fort after helping some fellow (adult) tourists who were driving along the way. We didn't know where we were going, but convinced them that it HAD to be where we were going -- and we both arrived to the fort at the same time.

We walked around for a solid minute or two before it began to POUR. Joey and Brooke ran off in it while the rest of us (my camera safely in my bag), ran into the cafe where the most hospitible of ladies prepared drinks for us. We sat and dried, and finally brooke and joey came back completely soaked through. But with the rain subsiding, we were free to go out and explore. The castle was wonderful. Ancient, partially ruined, but in decent condition, and ripe for pictures. Most didn't turn out, but there were 1 or two.

The walk back was beautiful. After Amanda got a cider in a pub, we headed down a road no wider than a mini-cooper that ran beside the harbor. I could have stayed to take pictures all day, but figured it was best to keep up w/ the group. At the bottom, a group of Indian tourist ended up asking me for directions to the fort. That was like the 3rd time... why do people keep asking me for directions? Does the camera not scream, "I am a tourist, too!"?

Anyway, a plate of fish & chips later (so good) and a bus ride later, and we were back on the bus, ready to head out for the night...

Thursday, about midday, Mikey and I see Joey. We're all a little stir crazy, as is Matt who just strolled down the path. We all decide that we're going to Galway later that night w/ Rebecca. Of course, about 2 hours later, Mikey comes back and says Oysterfest is on in Galway and there isn't a B&B or hostel to be found. Change of plans for those in the apartment, we're going to Cork.

I wake up friday and start looking for hostels. Found one, called, and went to get my laundry out. I walked down to the paper office to tell them where they can get the photos they needed (paper got printed last weekend and I should have a picture in it, if it isn't on the front page). Anyway, I booked for 6 figuring we can get the personel sorted later. That was my ballpark figure. I called matt to tell him I got 6 rooms and had space for him and his girlfriend. He told me he needed another room for his girl's friend, so I gave him the number for the hostel. He booked it thinking it was in Galway. I think he learned he was going to Cork at the bus stop to get into the city.

We got to the bus stop with PLENTY of time to get into the city, or so we thought. The place was crawling with Irish kids looking to go home to for the weekend. We had to get on the second one (the first left absolutely packed, too). We got to the bus at exactly the departure time, which is exactly too late. So we went north to a Korean street and got a burger. 2 hours later, we were on our bus headed to Cork.

Upon arrival, we got of the bus and headed north of the River Lee to our hostel. The river stank like you wouldn't believe. It was like somebody shat on athlete's foot and smeared it in an NYC gutter. We were about to gag as we crossed. Great first impression.

We finally got to the place after calling the desk for directions and them not having a clue where we were (it was 1 block away... thanks). Got in, and finally got to set our stuff down. We were all pretty relieved, so we went down to a pub to have a drink. Superdyke poured mine, and Cork really is cheaper than Dublin. It was great, though. A pint with 6 good friends in a new city for the taking... And boy did we. More later...