Bragging

Mike had been asked to read a paper of his for a series at Plymouth University. He read a modified version of his thesis, and it went wonderfully. He HATES public speaking, but if he wants to go on with a PhD in history, he has to read papers at these kinds of events.

Either way, there were about 20 people there to listen to his paper, he was given lots of great research ideas, AND this flyer. :)

WOO HOO!!

Today marks the start of my parents visit here. Sure they started their journey yesterday, but we don't get to see them until TODAY. It has been 6 MONTHS since we have seen them, and it will be spectacular to have them here. I unfortunately have to work today, but when I get home, they will be here. Now... I just have to get through work...

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

My mom recommended My Sister's Keeper to me a couple of times. Since we have no TV and when Mike is researching/writing, I have lots of free time on my hands, I finally checked it out from the library. I read the first 20 pages on Saturday night, and by 8pm on Sunday, I had finished the other 387 pages.
The book is about a 13 year old girl, Anna, who was brought into this world specifically to save her sister, Kate, from a rare form of Leukemia. She was a test tube baby who's embryo was chosen to be implanted into her mother because she was a close genetic match to her sister. Anna starts donating to Kate the moment she is born by giving the blood in the umbilical cord. No harm is done to Anna and it is something that would otherwise be thrown in the trash. She doesn't have to give more platelets, white blood cells, etc until she is a toddler, in Kindergarten she donates bone marrow, etc. Her parents thought it would be done with the stem cells in the umbilical cord, but every time they were presented with Kate's eminent death, Anna was usually able to save her.
The reader enters the story as Anna is being asked to donate a kidney. With all the chemo, transplants, etc that Kate has received, she is entering renal failure and needs a close genetic match for the kidney transplant. Anna secretively collects money and walks to an attorney's office. She files a suit against her parents for the medical rights to her own body.
This was an amazing story FULL of twists. The ending was a complete shock and made me cry buckets.
My Sister's Keeper brings up some very difficult questions. What lengths would you go to to save your children's lives? And not only those that are sick. Questions about stem cell research, genetically manufactured embryos, etc. Don't get me wrong, I am all for IVF, I know some spectacular people who won't be here without it. But when you genetically play with them, what are the ethical ramifications? Fortunately for me, I am not in these parents situation, and hopefully will never be. I cannot say for certain that if there was a chance to save my daughter, by having another baby, I wouldn't do it. Even if that embryo had been chosen because of its genetics.

Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos

I finished this book a few days ago, but waited posting (1) since Mike has been using the computer for ACTUAL work (another paper), and (2) I still have not decided what I think of it. Its a book written in the late 1700's and ever since its publication has been a point of contention as it is deemed "dangerous." I read a review of the book in a magazine and as it is still deemed dangerous today, decided to read it.
The book is written in the form of letters. The letters take place over a few months and track the actions of the two main characters as they set out to destroy people's lives. They take innocent, virtuous people, who they only have contempt for, and very meticulously try to defame them. The book was wonderfully written and the ending suitable for the main characters, but those that they rob of innocence, there is no justice.
I really liked the way the book was written and the plot line. The disturbing part was that you can see this actually see this happening in real life. You can imagine that this conversation would occur between two people, a bet ensues and people's lives are forever changed from it. I believe that is why this book is still deemed as dangerous. For any of you who have seen the movie 'Cruel Intentions', it was based on this book. The movie has a happier ending, in some respects, and the book has racier moments. I know that it seems odd since the book was written in the 1700's and the movie was made in the 1990's, but its the truth.

Loathsome Shoes

Any of you who have seen my through my youth, know that I despise shoes. One of my mom's favorite stories about my disgust for shoes is the one in which she bought me a pretty pair of Mary Janes. I hated them so much that I threw them in the de-humidifier to hide them. Apparently it worked and she didn't find them until weeks later. Growing up, I had to wear boots and tennis shoes in the winter, but as soon as spring hit, I was shoe-less. It has caused stitches, many a stubbed toe, but still I cannot stand shoes, nor socks, on my feet. When I was little those pajamas with the feet attached were pure torture. My mom loved them. I was never so glad when I finally grew out of their range of sizes.

After I moved out of the house, shoes in winter became obsolete. That may have been my favorite part of moving out of my parents' house... no shoes in winter. I wore flip flops or slip-on shoes all winter long. Much to the disgust of my mother, who begged me to wear "real" shoes, and even bought me a few pairs. ( I think I still have them is a box somewhere...)

I hate everything about "real" shoes, as my mom calls them. The socks, the tying of the laces, and most of all the hot feet. AND they make me feel claustrophobic. I have no idea how and I know the concept sounds odd, but they just do.

Given all that, I am proud to say that after nearly 25 years of existence, I am FINALLY throwing out a pair of tennis shoes, not because I have had them for the customary 4 years, but because I have worn them out.

Card Games

A few months ago Mike and I bought a really, really cheap book on Family Games. It has the rules to many board games, different domino games, card games, "parlor games", etc. We had been getting tired of playing our bastardized game of Crazy Eights, and this seemed an easy and cheap solution. (Neither of us could remember all the rules and point values in Crazy Eights, so we made them up.)
Last night we tried playing a game called "Casino." Its skill level was set for adults and older children, so we figured that we could handle it. We read through the rules... a couple of times. Then tried to play. After one hand... we gave up. The next game in the book, Scopa, was essentially the same thing, but set for young children. We still had to read the directions a couple of times, but at least we were able to play this one!
I am hoping that the problem lies in the way the directions are written... if not, its rather sad that someone working on their Masters/PhD and someone with a Bachelors Degree cannot figure out a game designed for older children...

MP3 Players and other technology

I have recently been taking the MP3 player with me on my walk to work. I had forgotten about it for months, but just this week remembered that we DO have it and it is not being used at all. I love listening to music while I walk to and from work. The only hitch is that its all music I like, so I want to hum and sing along with it. I have no idea how people walk around listening to music of their choice without singing, dancing, or showing any emotion. I try, but then a song I REALLY like will start, and there I am smiling like an idiot and tapping my hands against my purse starting to hum along to the music. (I think I have caught myself before people hear...)
I think anyone with an MP3 player should walk around like the people in the I-Pod commercials. I think the world would be a much more interesting and fun loving place. Unless of course their music of choice mad them angry and want to beat people...
Maybe that's what the crazy looking guy I see every day is doing though... not talking maniacally to himself, but singing along to music... maybe...
On the subject of people appearing to be talking to themselves... I have no idea if its because we live in a big city, or just the recent craze, but many a person has the headset adaptor for the hands-free mobile phoning. I know we use them in the States for driving and talking at the same time as it frees up the hands. That makes sense. But its really odd to be walking down the street and see a single person talking to themselves. You really have to look to see if there is the hands-free set up, or they really are just crazy.

New Pubs

We checked out the pub, Molly Malone's this past Sunday. Its an Irish themed pub just a few blocks from our apartment. The weather was slightly crappy out, so what better to do than go to a pub? On the way out we met our little neighbor lady. She is an older lady that lives right above us. Whenever we meet her in the close, she chats and chats. On Sunday, she asked where we were going (like always) and we could not lie to her. I thought about it, but Mike told her we were going to Molly Malone's. We then found out everything she had heard in church that morning. I think she went home and prayed for our sinful souls going to pubs on a Sunday. We definitely felt slightly guilty after that, but went anyway. It was quite neat inside, and on Friday and Saturday nights they have live music, so I think we may head back this weekend to see if its any good. On St Patrick's Day the music and festivities start at 3pm here. I am trying to convince Mike to go, but the Scottish are serious drinkers and some can get rather violent when drinking... so, he's not sold yet.

Today we went to the Bon Accord. Its exactly in the middle of work and home. Could be dangerous for my walks home with Mike meeting me halfway... But... It was spectacular inside. They have a wide selection of whiskeys and have the real ales that we like. The real ales are really popular around here, and are usually better AND cheaper. The interior of this place is amazing. Their beer prices are slightly pricey, but their food prices are dirt cheap. We have heard that they will give tours of their cellar if you ask. We decided to ask when mom and dad are here. (Only 13 more days now!)

Total Eclipse

I know this picture is not great.. at all.. but I only have the digital camera.

There was a total lunar eclipse last night over Glasgow. Mike had read about it somewhere, but we figured we would not be able to see it. Many a time we have planned on something over here, and the weather has stepped in and ruined it. It has been fairly cloudy for the last part of the week, with only short breaks for sunshine. All yesterday afternoon, there was a pretty good cloud cover. Then as night fell, the clouds lifted and stayed away. It was a great night. Since the light from the moon was blocked, we were actually able to see some stars! With all the light pollution, we never see stars at our apartment. It will be nice to go up to the Highlands when mom and dad get here (only 15 days now!) just to see stars again.

My parents had been out one night and Pam was babysitting. When mom and dad got home, they always came in to check on us and if we were awake chat for a few minutes. I loved this part of them going out. I really liked Pam, but would usually stay awake just for this alone time with mom and dad. This night however, dad told all three of us to get up and put our coats on. We knew we weren't in trouble (this time), so we quickly complied. It wasn't everyday that dad told us to get out of bed after we were already there, it was usual the opposite! Mom stayed back with the babysitter and dad bundled us it to the car and drove us to the top of the street. When we would ask what we were doing, he just replied, "There's something I want to show you." We were pretty intrigued by this time, late night car rides were not a daily occurrence unless we were going to Illinois. We got to the top of the street and parked, by now the boys and I were really interested. We were told to look out the window and at the moon. We sat there for what felt like forever (but really probably only 15 minutes) while we watched the moon slowly become blocked and start turning a copper color. The boys and I were ecstatic to be able to go to school the next day and tell all our friends what we saw. When the teachers asked the class if we had seen it, we were able to raise our hands. And all thanks to our parents.

The Girls

Earlier this week I finished a wonderful book by Lori Lansens, called The Girls. It was a novel written in first person as if the writers are writing an auto-biography. The writers are twins, but what makes it unique is that they are craniopagus twins. They are attached at the head with no hope of ever being seperated. This is why the book has two writers for an auto-biography.
At the point that they are "writing" the women are 29 years old, making them the oldest ever craniopagus twins, and they are dying. It was an amazing story of their lifes with many a surprise and twists. They live in a little town where their teenage mother gave birth to them, and abandoned them. The book takes you through the many things that they have accomplished and experienced in life. It was interesting to think how your life would be if you were always with someone. They were there for showers, bathroom time, class, etc. You could never be by yourself. I have no idea about you, but I like to have time just for me, especially when in the bathroom!

I loved how the book was writen in two different styles. The one twin, Ruby, would write her sections more like she was writing in a diary, and Rose was a writer. She told more of the stories of the past and Ruby kept you up to date on the current situations. It was a great story.

Mildew Wars

We love our apartment. Its in a great location, we don't look out on buildings, and its furnished and cozy. The one hitch is the mildew. Any of you that know me well, know I have a slight allergy problem. As a kid I was fine, then I hit my 20's... I can now produce enough snot for Mike to call me the "Snot Queen" at times.
We noticed the growing mildew problem about three weeks into our stay here. We talked to the landlords, and they claim that no one else has mentioned this problem. Apparently that automatically means its not their problem. We looked into buying a de-humidifier, but those are really expensive (about $200 US dollars). We weren't willing to buy it when for the same amount of money we could be in Italy. So, we opened all the window after showering, when drying clothes, etc. Then I went to work on the walls and ceiling and windows (yes, it was growing on glass!!) with bleach. This helped until winter hit and it was too chilly for open windows all the time.
Then one of the ladies at work mentioned that turning on a heater before you shower and during could help take the moisture out of the air. It did, but it only helped slightly. There was still water on the tile walls after you showered. And my allergies were getting so bad that the one Claritin a day was not working. So... again with the bleach on the ceilings, walls, windows, etc. until I was beginning to feel woozy from the fumes. The bleach and water mixture only worked for about a week, and then the blasted mildew would be out in full force again. It was getting incredibly frustrating since people are coming to visit us and our apartment has mildew all over. All we thought we could do was prepare them for the issue at hand and let them know that it was being battled... in vain.
About three weeks ago I read an article in a magazine about Green cleaning products. It outlined different recipes for making cleaning products that we environmentally friendly and supposedly worked well. I decided to give it a try. It couldn't make it any worse and the bleaching was not working at all, so what the heck. I just did the bathroom that weekend and I am happy to say that the bathroom has stayed mildew free for the three weeks!! The only set back was upon returning from Dublin we found that the decorative wall hangings in the bedroom has mildew starting to grow on them. Thankfully one washing solved the problem, so today its the bedroom that will be scrubbed with salt and vinegar. Doesn't smell all that nice, but its better than the horrid mildew. I cannot wait to live in a mildew free house, in a country where it doesn't rain so much and the humidity levels in the air aren't so high that mildew is a part of everyday life...

For Steve

That was how high the river was last weekend! At least you know that they weren't too daft when building it.

Sunday, 18 February

This was, sadly, our last day in Dublin. We both loved seeing our friends again, and Dublin is spectacular. Next time we visit Ireland, we would like to see more of the country side. It looks incredibly lovely and well worth the visit. Maybe we'll be able to see it on our way out of Europe, our maybe on a different trip...
As it was a uncommonly sunny day for a British Isles' winter, Justin decided to take us back over to Saint Stephen's Green Park. When the weather is nice, local artists hang their artwork out for sale. There are little brass numbers all along the fence, and artists have to apply to get one of these coveted spots. The artwork was spectacular, and if we had had unlimited supplies of money, I would have bought quite a bit of artwork... or at least one. But alas, we have not yet planted the money tree that my parents were always talking about. Even if we didn't buy anything, it was great to wander the streets looking at all the artwork. Its here that we encountered the most odd man. The was in front of us, browsing through the different paintings. Mike noticed him first and, of course, pointed him out to Justin and I. He was walking along and when something interested him, would stop, put his thumb in his mouth and touch the painting. If it was my artwork, I would have smacked him. As is, I don't think anyone even told him to stop.

We strolled through the park again on our way to the next stop of the day. It has amazed us how green everything is in February. The grass is green, and we even were able to smell fresh cut grass... in February!! I think that the smell of fresh cut grass is my favorite. And the flowers are all in bloom, there are buds on trees... its lovely. If they only had snow for a week or so, I would be right on board to move here. I suppose if we were a little more north than Glasgow, we could have just that. But, yes mama, its too far away from our families and friends. So... unless you guys all are willing to move over here, I suppose we'll just move back to the States.
After our leisurely stroll through St Stephen's Green, we headed to another park. Justin could not remember the name of it, and took to calling it the "Hidden Garden" because it is just that. While St Stephen's Green is in the hub of the busy part of Dublin, this park is off a little side street tucked in the city. Unless you know where it is, you'll pass it by, therefore its tourist free. It was absolutely beautiful as well. This old statue was just one of many we saw in this park.

After the park, it was off to the mall to finish our souvenir shopping. I, of course, had to try Irish ice cream. Not as spectacular as Chile's ice cream, but it was tasty. Its hard to measure up to Chile's ice cream though. I still think its the best in the world, and would travel there just to have more of it. Two and a half months of having it at least once a day was not enough for me... But, anyway, this man was sitting outside the mall. The dog was not real, it would have been really neat if it was, but I doubt that any dog would sit absolutely still until told to do so. Especially with hoards of people passing by. But you put money in his hat, the music would start and he would start dancing all around. It was great!

By this time, our trip was coming to an end. We headed back to Justin's to make sure all our crap was in the bag to go home. But on the way we got distracted, yet again, by rugby. It was not the same group playing (thankfully) as before, and they were much better. The boys in red and black are Trinity's team, and they were quite good. Unfortunately not as good as the other team, but such is life. On the Trinity team there was this wee boy though. Honestly, he looked like he was about my height (which is 5'2.5'') and tiny. I have no idea how he did it, but he got knocked over and popped right back up... amazing.

Before we left, Mike had to have one more Irish Guinness. So, we stopped in this very Dublin pub, O'Donoghue's. They were getting set up for live music. If we only had one more night, it would have been amazing to listen to them play, but something for next time I suppose. The pub was great, and is in all the tourist books. One thing that they are famous is for the band the Dubliners starting there, so the place is decorated with loads of pictures of them playing there. Because it is in all the tourist books, at one point all these irritating tourist came in, gathered all around near us, starting taking pictures (with flash... so irritating to be blinded while you are sitting having a pint), walking around exploring and then JUST LEFT! Never bought a thing. So rude and irritating. How can you honestly experience something if you just walk in, take a picture and leave? AND isn't it rude to the establishment? People these days...

Saturday, 17 February

Today was a bit of a late start, so it was not nearly as full as Friday. Too many late nights had finally caught up with us! James and Julia were up and about much earlier than us for shopping. We had no interest, so we slept. The picture above is of Mike, James, and Justin in the courtyard of Trinity College before we ventured out for the day. The first stop was to the National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology and History. It was really fascinating. They had bog men that were really well preserved. It was creepy looking at them as many of them had been severed in some way, but interesting all the same. The skin looked like leather, and there was even finger nails and hair still intact. They also had beautiful mummies, pots, metal objects, etc. It is definitely worth a walk through when visiting Dublin (and its free!).

After the museum, we came upon an open market. It was great to see all the fruits and veggies out and we even saw some we had never seen before. We decided to grab lunch there and I had the first burrito in 5 months. It was glorious.
The Christ Church Cathedral was next on the list. It was an amazing church to see. When we entered the church we were treated with a choir performance. There was a High School Choir from Naugatuck, Connecticut signing and they were phenomenal. The church itself was amazing as well. We were able to explore most of it, even the vaults.
On our way back to Trinity, we passed by Dublin Castle and decided to stop and see what it was. Its not a castle at all, but a bunch of town houses and important buildings all grouped together. (If you click on the link, it will tell you exactly what all the buildings are.) We didn't really have time to tour the State Apartments since James and Julia were leaving that evening, but we did have time for the Chester Beatty Library. It was well worth the time spent there. They have an incredible exhibit on old books of religion. They have beautifully decorated Bibles, Korans, Hindu texts, Buddhist texts, etc. It was wonderful to see all the artwork involved and learn about the significance and evolution of it. Unlike the Book of Kells, it was (1) not overloaded with tourists, (2) was a much bigger exhibit, and (3) was free for all who wish to see it. If you are planning a trip to Dublin, go there. Skip the overpriced Book of Kells, and go the the Chester Beatty Library. Not only is it free, but its a much, much, much better exhibit.
I have no idea what it is with men that makes them act like kids when you put them together. Last time we all hung out together, Justin and James were running up hills in a race, all three guys were throwing rocks into the ocean (we made a special sea side stop just for that), and none of them can say "no, I've had enough" when it comes to pints. But at least its entertaining, and hopefully keeps them young. This picture is of Justin and James chasing each other through the snake like maze outside the Chester Beatty Library. There were three little kids running through the park that thought it was great fun and started playing along with them trying to "freeze" them.
In the Chester Beatty Library there was a ... you'll never guess ... ROCK DISPENSER!! Mike, being the wonderful person he is, gave me a euro so that I could get some. I got four "spiritual" rocks to help me throughout my path in life. I cannot remember what they are for, I just think that they're pretty. I think that this is going to be my million dollar plan when we move back to the States. Rock vending machines. There has to be other nerds out there who love rocks who would love to spend their change on rocks! And think of the overhead... get a rock polisher and you're in business!

Friday, 16 February

We started out our second day in Dublin at the General Post Office. Its a massive building and is one of the sites of a resistance movement against British occupation. When you get right up to the columns, you can even see the bullet holes! The Irish lost this fight, but there are great photos and a statue to commemorate the event inside.
Then we were off to the National Gallery of Ireland. The building it is housed in is amazing. It is actually three separate buildings that have been combined by knocking out the walls. Therefore, getting from room to room is interesting. The number of stairs from floor to floor is different at times and to get to some galleries it proves tricky, but well worth it. The artwork there is wonderful and you can get right up to it. I am amazed that they let you because you know there are special people out there that don't realize that touching the painting will actually damage it. Probably why its all under CCTV surveillance and there are lots of guards.

Then because somehow James and Julia got lost (like I said, lots of crazy ways of getting around and apparently random entrances/exits to wait at), Mike and I headed over to the National Museum of Ireland, Natural History. There are four different parts of the National Museum, three being housed in Dublin. The fourth is Country Life which is outside the city, obviously. This museum was rather small, but still had some very cool rocks. But then again, I think just about any rock is wonderful. There were loads of stuffed animals too. There was a really cute looking weasel like thing native to Ireland, and a HUGE skeleton of an extinct Giant Deer.
We then grabbed some sandwiches for lunch and had a lovely picnic style lunch at Saint Stephen's Green, which is a beautiful park in the middle of the city. Thankfully we were not assaulted by massive pigeons, like in London. We were visited by beautiful little blue birds, but I cannot remember their names.


Mike and Justin

After lunch we went to meet one of Justin's friends, Daniel. He is a wonderful guy who is also studying History. I have no idea what in History, but I think that he is a Modern Historian. There are too many different kinds of Historians for me to keep straight... We met him in this wonderful cafe/bar called Cafe en Seine. It was a little place and did not look all that wonderful from the outside, but then you step inside and its spectacular. The cafe seems to keep going for miles once you step in and its incredibly ornately decorated. Needless to say, I felt way under dressed in my jeans and t-shirt, but was willing to accept the shame if they let me stay. They did. Its near the high end part of Dublin, so come 5pm its full of affluent professionals and we would have no chance of being served. Kinda like dining near Wall Street in jeans. Trust me, it doesn't work. But, again, at night they also have a piano playing and its supposed to be wonderful. Maybe next time we'll bring nicer clothes so we can go AND get served all at the same time. According to Daniel, a few years ago, this was the place for the rich to be seen with other rich people. So, here I am being "seen" at Cafe en Seine. I am definitely not monetarily rich, but I am still being seen... maybe people will think I am rich and important though.

After our wonderful tea break, we headed over to the National Library of Ireland to see the William Butler Yeats exhibit. We had seen his father and brother's artwork in the morning, so it felt fitting to see WB Yeats in the afternoon. The exhibit was amazing. I have not read a lot of his work, but it was still fascinating. Throughout the exhibit there would be rooms you could walk into that would have mini movies on Yeats' life. Each room was spectacularly decorated. They also had huge flat screen computers that had programs up so that you could actually read his work written in his handwriting. It was like you were able to read his actual journal, and it was touch screen activated so that you could turn the pages. One of these screens even enabled us to click on a portion of his handwriting, zoom in and had a feature where you could change it to typed out text. It was wonderful.

After that we quickly headed over to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. I agree with Steve, it would not be worth the 8 euro to see. Not with the Chester Beatty Library in the same city, but that's a story for another day. We thankfully got in free as Justin's guest. Every student at Trinity College gets in free as do their guests. It helps knowing people. For those of you going in the future, bribe some student to get you in, free food should work. The book was interesting and so was the information on how books were first made, but again, Steve was right. There are tons of people gladly willing to push you out of the way, because they can. It was really irritating to get up there after reading all about it to get pushed around by tourists. But, I didn't pay for it either (and I was a tourist too.) The room after the Book of Kells is marvelous though. Its Trinity's old Library called the Long Room. It contains 200, 000 of the college's oldest books. Some years ago, the ran out of room, so they took off the roof and added another level. The room is absolutely full of books, and it was amazing. We unfortunately could not take pictures in there, so hopefully I just remember it... its not likely, but thankfully there are pictures on the Internet!

After seeing the Book of Kells, we headed back to Justin's apartment, but got side tracked by a Rugby match. Mike had never seen a game before, and really liked it. It was great to be able to see it again. They were not very good though and I am positive that when Christopher played, he would have beat them after one practice during his first year playing. (Well, maybe after a few practices.)


Here are some more pictures of our day:The O'Connell Bridge

Justin had told me about these plaques before we came. They are from the book Ulysses by James Joyce. Its set in Dublin and these plaques are placed around the town with a quote and page number. The plaques have been placed at the place in town where the action in the book was taking place. I tried reading it before we went and got 15 pages into it. I think that's as far as I will ever get.

Thursday, 15 February

The Ha' Penny Bridge


This past weekend we went to Dublin to met some friends of ours. Our friend, Justin lives in Dublin, and our friends Julia and James were flying up from England. We got into Ireland at 9am after the worst flight ever. We had been told that there would be turbulence during take off and landing. Take off was not all that horrid, but landing was dreadful. The plane was shaking and dipping so much that I thought I would vomit all over.
Mike was fine and causally looking out the window at the landscape... I was sweating, shaking, and highly nauseous. My only saving grace was that all of a sudden the flight attendants turned up the AC full blast. Our friends from England had similar issues, but James was not as lucky as the rest of us. Good thing it was him that was sick though... the rest of us would more than likely have felt rotten the rest of the day. He wanted breakfast right away, and after food was ready to go for the day and drink Guinness.

The Christ Church Cathedral

The bus ride into Dublin was great. We were able to start to see the city right away. The first thing that I noticed was all the doors. I have seen the posters of the Pubs/Doors of Ireland, but it never really hit me that I would be seeing them before I was 50. The doors are amazing; red, turquoise, yellow, orange, etc. all next door to each other with no issues. If someone back home were to paint the door of their house bright orange, there might be a neighborhood intervention scheduled. At the very least, everyone would talk about them.

After a tasty breakfast at Cafe Andaluz, we headed over to the Guinness Storehouse. Along the way we passed the Christ Church Cathedral. We had other things to do, so we just checked out the outside of it and the ruins (which they do not charge you to see). The church was massive and beautiful so hopefully we will see it later on in the weekend. The Guinness Storehouse was amazing! And you get a free gift! (That's what they tell you, but believe me, we paid for it. (At least Mike was cheaper because he's a student.) Either way the storehouse was wonderful. We learned all about the brewing process and the history of Guinness. Then we went to the top where we were treated to our complimentary pint of Guinness. Again... its another "free" gift...) The view from the top of the storehouse was amazing. You can see over most of the city, and Justin tells us you can even see the hills surrounding the city on a clear day.

Next on the list was a spectacular lunch at Gallagher's Boxty House. It was my first Steak Pie since arriving in the British Isles, and it was wonderful. Mike had the beef boxty that is the restaurants speciality. Boxty is a potato pancake which they wrap around a beef / chicken / veggie tastieness. It was very good and we highly recommend trying it if you ever venture to Ireland.

We ventured over to McDaid's Pub after some early souviner shopping. Its a beautiful old pub, but small. We had tried Kehoe's before stepping into McDaid's, but that pub was relatively full already. So, thankfully we were able to grab seats for all five of us. The pub was great and we entertained the lone gentelman next to us by playing pub games. I think he was sad to see us leave for the next pub as he lost his free entertainment. He did thank us for teaching him a new game though!

Mike, Justin, and James at the last pub of the night.

This is the front of Kehoe's pub, which we stopped into but didn't stay given the fact that there was no where to sit. But the interior was definitely interesting.

Small Island

The local library recently gave away a new book to all its clientele. I was slightly confused at first, but being the good Dutch girl that I am, I asked no questions. A free book is a free book. The book is called Small Island and is written by Andrea Levy. I had no idea what to expect as it was free. In my experience its not usually the excellent books that are free, but the mediocre ones that no one really likes.
The book is set (again) during the World War II era. It has about four main characters, two being from Jamaica. I really enjoyed the way the author set up the time line of the book. Each chapter would concentrate on one particular character's story. You would hear their views, ideas and take on events. I really thought it was a brilliant way to really get to "know" the people in the book. Also, it was not a straight time line. The book started off with a prologue, then moved to 1948, then before, then back to 1948, etc. It was quite nice to read a story in this fashion.
The story is set for a bit in Jamaica, but mainly in post war London. Its about the obstacles that the Jamaican couple encounter coming to London. The husband had been in the Royal Air Forces during the war and was fairly accepted during that time, except by the Americans. Then he decided to move to London after he returned from the war. He and his wife left Jamaica behind to return to the "Mother Country" only to be rejected because of the color of their skin. Only one women allows them to rent any rooms, and that is because her husband has never returned from the war. It was an amazingly quick read and the story had all sorts of great twists. Even if it was a free book, I highly recommend it.

Stupid People - 3

Since space in the city is tight, all the major shopping centres are all outside of the city centre. Its a 20 minute walk under an overpass, through graffiti decorated walls and through even sketchier tenement blocks. Needless to say, Mike has forbid me to walk there by myself. Its one of the few times I have actually listened. Let's face it, I'm a little white girl who cannot understand what most people in this area are saying. But every 2 weeks, we trudge to the shopping mecca.
This week Mike could not make it, so I took the bus with the bus driver who tried to tell me that he didn't stop anywhere near the shopping complex (although he did) and overcharged me. So, I was already frazzled by the time I got there. All our prior experiences in Tesco have been slightly trying. Most people do their shopping on the weekend so the store is usually packed with pushy women, screaming children, and those who have found that their legs cannot possibly work at normal speeds and refuse to walk any faster than a freaking turtle! Luckily for me, some of the isles were actually clear! I was able to finally peruse and even found chocolate cake, brownie, and muffin mixes. They even had pancake mix! (I have only seen chocolate cake mix once before and we have looked everywhere for it.) So, I got to the check out and realized that all the perusing and finding new products had resulted in me getting too much. I had money for the groceries (thankfully) and some left, but I still had one more stop. I decided to hit the ATM outside for a little extra cash just in case. Unlike usual there was no line! I walked right up to the ATM, slid my card in, punched in my code (and I even remembered it!), and then all hell broke loose. The stupid machine was apparently not working anymore. It was the same machine I used before my shopping, but now the card was not being spit out correctly. The machine started beeping louder and faster, and I almost had my card out when some man came up to my side and started talking to me. Needless to say, the distraction resulted in my f*#^ing card being eaten. What this man was trying to tell me was that the same thing had just happened to him. This man had watched me walk up to the machine, put my card in, try to get money out, and THEN decided to tell me that it wasn't working.
I told the customer service desk inside the store that the machine wasn't working (which they already knew...) and walked back outside. This same man came back up to me and started telling me that I needed to go find someone to help. He needed his card back. That's when I smiled and said there was nothing I could do and walked off. My mama would have been proud of me. I did not swear at him at all even though he really deserved it.
Mike thankfully came all the way up to the store to "save" me (and in record time too! And he even walked through rain and driving winds!) And in the end, I would have had enough money to cover what we needed from the other store. Although it was wonderful not having to carry it all back by myself!

The Iron Horse

Today's new pub was 'The Iron Horse'. We, again, stumbled upon this pub by chance. The outside of the pub is pretty bland, but the inside was really pretty. There is a massive stained glass light cover that was gorgeous and the woodwork is amazing.
While we were talking, a big burly man approached us with a grocery bag full of cigarettes. "Can I interest you in any ciggies?" We stated that we weren't and he immediately moved on to the next table. Since cigarettes are so expensive here, he either has just came back from Gibraltar or held up a liquor store. I hope that it's Gibraltar, Mike is doubtful of this.

Pub Hopping

This weekend we met up with another International Student from Canada to check up some pubs we had read about. They were supposed to be great Glaswegian pubs and were listed in Scotland the Best guide as being the best of the unique and old unspoilt pubs of Glasgow. As there were three that were all right next to each other, we decided to hit them all at once. That and they are right near the Clyde, in a slightly sketchy part of town. Elise and I were glad that Mike was with us! Well... here is what we thought of the pubs we visited that evening...

The first pub was the Scotia Bar. Its a wee pub right near St Enoch Square (a fairly large shopping mall.) Mike really liked this one because of the architecture. He had written a paper on the social aspects of pubs regarding to class in London. As he was writing the paper he learned quite a bit about the structure of the old pubs and why it was that way, and so on. Well, this pub still had the original snug dividers, which he found really interesting. And this was the most interesting bar, but it also happened to be the most popular bar. Because of this we were not able to get seats, so only were able to look around. I suppose we'll just have to go back to check out the ales!

The next on the list was Clutha Vaults. Now given the name I thought it was going to be a lot more intriguing than it was. Just your normal hole in the wall pub. It did have really beautiful watercolors of the city up on the walls though. It was your typical Glaswegian pub though, complete with the staring regulars, and loud arguments over who knows what. More than likely football (soccer) as there was a big match over here that day.

The third pub of the night was The Victoria Bar, or the Briggait. This one wasn't as bad as the Clutha Vaults. There was a small band playing on one side of the pub and it was nice to listen to. The bar staff were nice, although fairly inattentive since again, there was a football game on the tele. I had the oddest beer at this pub though. It was called Belhaven's Best. It was okay at first, but then came the unmistakable stench of vomit. And it wasn't from someone in the pub, it was from my glass. The beer had the most horrendous smell of vomit and it was awful. I WILL NOT be having that again!!

Either way, I think that Elise thought we were crazy for (1) walking that close to the Clyde right before nightfall and (2) we actually took her to those pubs. After those three we headed to the wonderful O'Neill's for something to eat. Interestingly enough it was in a beautiful old building in the Merchant City and the interior was amazing! Out of all four we went to that evening, this would be the one we bring people to. Slightly sad since its one of many in a mega pub chain, but its still really wonderful!
(stay tuned for photos of the pubs later on in the week!)

4 February 2007