Lost In the Sauce...

New York New York

2005-07-19T10:16:00.000-04:00

Some quick notes:

1. The Yanks just got 3-4 from the Sox.
2. Al Leiter is back in NY.
3. I'm going to NYC today for the first time (yes, I do realize that I'm from the damn state. Talk to my parents).
4. I'm running in my first road race in 5 years tomorrow (and in Central Park no less).
5. We're [hopefully] going to a Mets game tonight (it would be a Yankees game despite all the Sox fans I'm going with except for one simple problem... the Yanks are in Texas at the moment).
6. Manny went into the scoreboard (for some reason) at Fenway last night and almost missed the next pitch. Just Manny being Manny.
7. Hit streak over.
8. Yanks in first place (finally).
9. My favorite quote at the moment comes from Matthew Perry at the ESPYs: "Let's see. Mike Tyson's here tonight. Be sure to tip him on your way out of the men's room."

Booze & Boobs

2005-07-09T02:49:00.000-04:00

Phaeton called me tonight and asked me to have a drink with him down at Side Bar. I went down and what did I find on the TVs........ soft-core porn! What a bar.

Do-de-do

2005-07-08T00:46:00.000-04:00

Few quick thoughts:

1) I'm good at MVP Baseball 2005. I completed a game where I was one first batter double away from making it 4 Perect Games in a row.

2) Green Day's American Idiot and Beck's Guero are great albums. Get both.

3) The infomercial I just finished watching involved ways to earn yourself more money, was hosted by a pair of twin midgets, included the sentence "Do you want to find yourself with too much month left in your wallet at the end of the money?", and is quite possibly the funniest thing I've ever seen on TV.

4) Medina's should be a blast this weekend.

5) A woman at the supermarket today put her food in my cart and I laughed when I told her about it, and then I proceeded to do the same thing to some guy roughly 1.5 minutes later with 3lbs of steak tips.

6) Kate's mom has finally lost it.

7) If you haven't seen it already, go check out this site. Chew-broccoli is hilarious!

Lost and Gone Forever... until today

2005-06-19T13:36:00.000-04:00

Alright, so I've been nagged, bullied, verbally assaulted, drop kicked, and shot for the past, what, month? or more to update this again. Believe me, it has not been because I was using it for Ireland and Ireland only. I've been so busy since I came back I really haven't had much of a chance to get back to it, but since the year's almost over with now, I'm gonna give it a shot again. So, without further ado... a recap of the past month and a half (the abridged version and in no particular order).

First, one of the biggest developments in recent history... Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. AWESOME! That's all I have to say. Simply a great movie. Sadat and I bought tickets two weeks ahead of time and his brother came up from Philly just to go see it with us. We saw it the day it came out, but not with the freaks at midnight. I left school immediately after the bell rang and told kids that I couldn't stay after because I was going to see Star Wars. Priorities people!

The movie was simply incredible. Great special effects, good plot, stupendous action, AND General Grievous was everything we thought he could be. I've since seen it again and Sadat's seen it another 4. The three of us sat in our chairs afterward trying to figure out a reason to continue living. I think that search is the only thing that's really keeping me going. We then went out for Ethiopian food. I was really expecting either an empty plate, or a plate full of sand, but it was actually really good. I'll definately be going back again.

School's almost out and I can't wait for summer. This week is finals which means I don't have to do squat. I give them cards to fill in the circles and then let the machine correct them. It's awesome.

A couple weekends ago, my cousins Laura and Erica came to visit me which was awesome. I haven't seen them in about 3 or 4 years. They've always been a couple of my favorite cousins and to take them out on the town was a lot of fun. We went down to The Black Rose which is always a good time. This week, I'm taking Friday off so I can go home with Laura for Erica and their little sister Jenny's graduation parties. Jenny apparently still likes me a lot. This girl used to grab ahold of my arm and follow me around like a puppy during the entire fair. Now, she's apparently taller than Laura and going to college. This is getting insane. It really is.

Back a few weeks ago, Willis (Dr. Ernie Wong) came up for a visit so all of us from Melvin desided to have a little reunion. We all went out to eat at Maggiano's and had a great time. I love that place. While we were there, Ingrid presented me with an offer I couldn't refuse... three U2 tickets! Needless to say, that Saturday, Kate, her mom, and I were sitting in the Fleet Center watching U2's last show in America until the fall. It was amazing. Just as good as the first time I saw them. Thanks again, Ingrid.

The last thing I can think of at the moment is that fact that I've started running again. While I have the time this summer, I'm going to try to get back in the swing of it again. I miss it a lot. Next month, Kate, Rennie, Dan, Scott?, and I are going down to NYC for a night to run in a road race in Central Park. It's called the Run Hit Wonder and I get a couple concerts and a Dri-Fit shirt out of it. What more could you ask for. Add that to the white water rafting in August, and this summer's shaping up to be pretty decent. I'll keep you all posted (hopefully a little more regularly). Late.

Break It Down

2005-04-25T12:27:00.000-04:00

So here's my recap for Eire Blog 1. But first, let's finish off my last few hours in Ireland shall we? Ok, so I didn't plan on going out for much of a drink on Friday (since I was flying out at noon and all) so I left and went down to O'Sullivan's again. I had a great time while I was there the night before and thought it might happen again. I figured, even if the girls didn't show up again (they didn't) at least there was good music.

So I got to the pub and it was kinda early (9pm) and the place wasn't that full so I went up to the bar, got a drink and just milled around for a couple minutes while I waited for a table or stool to open. After just a couple minutes, a barrel (not a table), opened up with a bunch of stools around it so I sat down. Within a 1.5 minutes, I was surround by, not one, not TWO, but FIVE blonde 50 year old Norwegian women! Once Brian (the singer) saw this, he called to me on the mic and asked me where I was from. I told him that the women were from Norway, but I was from the US. At this, he asked if I knew them or knew Norwegian. I said no, and he gave a big grin, thumbs up, and wink of approval. Hey, when in Rome...

While I was there, I ended up talking with a Scottish guy who used to work on the oil rigs out in the North Sea. He was great. After the Norwegians left, I ended up talking and hanging out with a German kid named Flo (short for Florian), 2 Danes, and an Austrian for the rest of the night. Random much? I got my picture taken with Brian and then with the boys, and we closed up O'Sullivan's then headed down to Oliver St. John Gogarty's in Temple Bar to have one more (I know, I went out for "a quick drink") and proceeded to close up that place too. I've since talked with Flo and we're sending emails back and forth. Cool kid.

I then got my wake up call the next morning, packed my stuff, and went to the airport. I did get 2L of Bailey's from the duty free store for 25 bucks. So awesome. That's what you pay for ONE liter over here. I then counted out what turned out to be my last €4.10 and went to the pub at the airport to see how much a Guinness was. The bartended said "€4.10" and I said "Gidee-up!" So I had my last Guinness in Ireland and talked with a guy from Cork who recognized my Corcaigh hurling jersey. I then headed off on the plane and arrived back in the States with Kate having waited 2hrs for me (now she knows how I feel everytime she goes on spring break ;-) )

So that was my trip, and now let's break it down Dr. Jack style:

Cabbies
AMERICA: Here in America, the cabbies drive recklessly at 100mph with total disregard for human life (yours, theirs, everyone else), 99% aren't from this country, they don't speak 3 words of English, and the cars suck.
IRELAND: In Ireland, the cabbies are IRISH!, speak English, are enjoyable, talk the whole trip, they cut off the meter before they get to your stop, they'll actually go pick up a guy at a hospital that got beaten for his wallet and didn't have any money (my cabby to the airport did this!), the cars are Mercedes and other nice cars, and they drive quickly, but you're never afraid for your life.
EDGE: HUGE win for the Irish. Not even close.

Hotels/B&Bs
AMERICA: Now, I'm not a huge traveller, in fact, I just realized today that this was my first trip outside of the Eastern Time Zone, but I don't think we have a large number of B&Bs in this country. Please correct me if I'm wrong. We have 10million hotels, but not so many B&Bs. Hotels can get really nice for ridiculous amounts of money but even some of the smaller ones are ok. To me, most of them resemble West Village rooms. The B&Bs I have seen are ok. They're usually small houses with rooms to let and everything.
IRELAND: The two hotels I stayed at in Ireland were basically the same thing as in America-- very impersonal, bland, no frills, small rooms, etc. The B&Bs, however, were phenominal. Bridget and Johanna, the women that owned the two B&Bs that I stayed at, were incredibly generous and nice, would do anything for you, cooked up a storm for breakfast, and were genuine, great people.
EDGE: Ireland... but only slightly because of the B&Bs.

Breakfasts
America: If, and I do stress IF, you get breakfast at a place you're staying here in America, it's usually a continental breakfast. A bagle, but don't take more than one, toast, a cup of coffee, and maybe a donut. Really bland and it just makes you even more hungry.
Ireland: One hotel I stayed at didn't have ANY breakfast and I just never woke up in time for the one in Dublin (:-D). The breakfast at the B&Bs were out of this world though. Let me tell you, those Irish know their breakfasts. I'm one who loves breakfast food anyway and to have potato pancakes, toast, scones, jam, eggs, bacon, sausage, irish pudding, cereal, tea, and Porrage with Baileys, I mean, what more could you ask for?!
EDGE: Two words for ya... porrage... Baileys. Enough said.

Bums
America: The bums in this country panhandle, beg, steal, look ragged, make inappropriate comments about sexual orientation or weight or looks or companion, they smell, are drunk all the time, and are generally annoying in every sense of the word.
Ireland: This was an entirely different breed of bum. It could have been a completely different species of human being really. They dressed well, never asked for money, hung out in groups of 6-8, drank casually in the squares, their language was intelligible, and, at times, they were helpful.
EDGE: This is no contest... AMERICA! They may be annoying, but I'm a firm believer that a bum should look like a bum. Call me old-fashioned.

Shopping
America: The US is a shoppers paradise. Seriously, can you imagine MORE places to shop within a smaller area?! If you are anywhere near a city, you are never more than 10 minutes away from any store you could ever want to go to. Not only that, but you can often go to one store for lingerie, a cantelope, cream for that skin condition of yours, diapers, and enough booze to make you forget about all of it.
Ireland: Ireland has its fair share of places to shop but half of them are stores called Dunnes Stores. I'm not even kidding. Cork has three itself and Cork is about the size of downtown Boston. Not only that, but the few malls that I did see weren't nearly as fun as the ones here in America. There were no Goths to make fun of, the food courts are the equivalent of an anorexic half-sister (they're hardly even there in the first place and no one really pays attention to them anyway), and they're really just missing that touch of [economy] class that we in America have come to appreciate. Oh, did I mention that most stores close at 5:30pm over there?
EDGE: America. Ya know, there are those times that you need that late-night toaster oven.

OVERALL: PUSH. I know, I know. But really, there's no other way to end it. Ireland's people are incredibly nice. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking. The beer... well, it's Irish beer. I'll let that sentence stand on its own. At the same time though, America does have its own charm (even if that charm comes along with an attitude, disheveled hair, and a polo shirt with its collar popped up).

Hope everyone enjoyed Eire Blog I. Stay tuned for Eire Blog: The Return (eta next year?)

Wow... or How I Learned that I am NOT a Whiskey Drinker and Met Two Great Irish Gals

2005-04-22T15:40:00.000-04:00

That's all I can say about last night. I had a great time. I went pub hopping until I found one that I wanted to stay at for the rest of the evening. It took me 3 (or was it 4?) to find O'Sullivan's. They had this guy singing with a guitar up front and it was a great atmosphere. Everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE, in the place was either sitting or standing facing the guy as he sang songs like "Dirty Ol' Town". I ended up talking to two girls (whose names I can't spell because they were Gaelic) while I was there and we hung out the rest of the night. We chatted while we were there and bought each other rounds and then headed off to this other pub that had a dance floor. Well, you know what it takes to get me on the dance floor so needless to say, I was a bit pissed at this point. They were terrific though. Had a lot of fun. They better call!

After they left in a cab, I trotted home and set the alarm on the TV for 8am... and woke up at 11. Good thing too, I don't think 8am would have sat well. After sobering up, I went off to the Old Jameson Distillary (good way to start off the day eh). I inadvertantly volunteered to be a taste-tester at the end. Oops. I may like my beer, but I do not, and I can't stress this enough, I DO NOT like whiskey! Not only were we testing Jameson at the end, but no less than 3 other Irish whiskeys, Johnny Walker Red, and Jim Beam. That didn't go over well. I drank a lot of water. On the bright side though, I did get a diploma for it.

I then headed off to see the Book of Kells. It was pretty cool. Don't know what to say really because you really have to see it to understand. The work done in it was pretty amazing though. The old library was neat too. It's HUGE!

When I got done with that, I went and got some food and found Ciara's Bulmer's and then chilled out at my room. Now I'm off for a light night at the pub before I fly back home tomorrow :( I'll see everyone soon.

Slán leat Eireann!
Oíche mhaith.

In the Name of the Father

2005-04-21T16:39:00.000-04:00

Today, I made my pilgrimage up to Belfast to see Giuseppe Conlon's grave. Really nice train ride up. Beautiful countryside. The weather could have been better, but it's Ireland, what're you going to do? So I got to Belfast and it seemed more or less like any other city really. Nothing really different apart from people driving on the left side of the street.

Thennnnnnnnn, I went looking for the cemetery and went out of the city center. Right away, I knew I wasn't in the Republic anymore. Ran right into a sign that said something like "You are now entering Unionist south rd." or something like that. It was a bit disheartening and scary at the same time. As I headed farther out (without a map, other than the one in my head from 2 months ago anyway), I started seeing more signs such as "Brits out. Not Sell out." and "We support the [Hunger] Strikers". After going to the wrong cemetery (because it didn't say the name to the place on the gate), I found Milltown Cemetery and went to see Guiseppe. It was pretty great to see him really. I kinda just sat there for a few minutes and thought about what had gone on in that part of the country.

Then I proceeded to the monument for the hunger strikers of H-block and the volunteers that died fighting for the cause. Pretty powerful stuff. The poems written for these brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, and kids (some were only 16), were really touching. I just about started to cry reading them, not gonna lie. After I paid my respects, I walked the maybe 4 miles or so back in town, grabbed some Subway, and then came back to Dublin. Now, I'm going out for SEVERAL pints to make up for lost time and because I'm not heading out of town tomorrow :-D. G'night folks.

Kate's Entry

2005-04-21T16:35:00.000-04:00

Well, Kate wanted her own entry so here ya go...

Welcome to Kate's entry.

Now, back to our regularly schedule Eire Blog 1 ;-)

Up the Dubs...

2005-04-20T16:39:00.000-04:00

First, one more quick ramble left over from yesterday...

All the manequins (sp?) here in Ireland look like Mischa Barton-- including the lack of support. If you don't know what I'm talking about, get the net!

Ok, now, last night, I decided I would pay a tribute to our good friend Beth Bentley by going to a restaurant in Cork called Scoozi. Really good food.

This morning, I left Cork to come to Dublin. It wasn't that easy though. I was a couple minutes behind where I wanted to be but Johanna was nice enough to order me a cab and pack me a pancake to take with me. Then I come to find out (after listen to the music playing in the cab), that my driver probably hates the Brits more than any other man in Ireland, which is saying a LOT. He was playing illegal anti-British, Pro-Cork/Ireland music and singing along. It was awesome. He was driving like a bat out of hell in order to get me to the train on time and lamb-basting the Brits at the same time.

Well, I missed the train by about 10 seconds so I waited around for 2hrs and caught the next one. No cracks about missing trains! The train ride was gorgeous! So scenic it's ridiculous. Saw some abandoned abbeys or something as we went along, lots of cows and sheep, and beautiful mountains. Got to Dublin, dropped my stuff off at the hotel (which is right in Temple Bar), and headed straight to the Guinness Brewery. Great place. Lots of fun and information and they give you a free pint at the end on the top floor that has a 360 degree view of the city. Awesome. I then walked around for a bit and saw Trinity College and St. Steven's Green. I just finished eating so now it's time to go out and have some more drinks. I'll see you after my trip to Belfast and Giuseppe Conlon's grave.

Irish Ramblings

2005-04-19T13:17:00.000-04:00

Here's a list of some not so random thoughts I had while on the bus back from Kinsale:

1. My mom would love it in Ireland. Everyone drives around in Minis or cars that look like Minis (much like her beloved Civic hatchback). All the vehicles, including the buses, have wimpy horns to boot.
2. I've seen a bunch of Yankees hats and only one Red Sox hat the entire time I've been here. Just something I noticed.
3. One thing that I thought I'd get away from, but did not: Ugz boots. Why?
4. They do actually call Irish hicks "Pikeys".
5. STD count so far = 2. I'm winning. (It's a joke!!!)
6. Will the US ever experience an economic boon like the one they have going on here in Ireland? It's like the entire country just won the lottery! Everyone's just throwing money around. They have new roads just for the hell of it, they're doubling the size of Cork Airport, new drainage at every turn... now if only they could do something about the path leading to the Gap of Dunloe so that it doesn't flood. It's ok, I'm not bitter.
7. I'm glad I didn't stay in Kinsale like I had been thinking. There's nothing there.
8. Cork at 11pm is like Boston at 4am. It's absoluetely silent! In Boston, it's because everyone's asleep. In Cork, it's because everyone's at the pub. It's just a difference.
9. I thought I was going to an English-speaking country. I don't know what they call this, but it's definately not English. A pint or two (or even the thought of the pub sometimes) and you have no chance of understanding a word.
10. The Turtles came on the radio on the way back. Turtles are green... I'm in Ireland... Good, I'm glad to see you're following along.
11. The bus driver coming back from Kinsale waited for me to run to a pub to go to the bathrrom as long as I promised not to have a pint while I was there. You think an American driver would do that? You're lucky if they stop period.
12. Irish cab drivers are... wait for it... IRISH! Not only that, but you can sit in the front seat. They actually expect it.
13. I think tipping doesn't exist in this country... and I mean on ANYTHING! Not drinks, not cabs, pizza delivery, nothing! Everytime I tip someone, it's like I just bought the person a house.
14. I saw a blue piece of paper on the bridge today. So what you say? Well, I almost walked by it but then I remembered something... the €20 bill is blue! I'm going to go say thank you to that person tonight via a few Beamish.
15. "Car park" sounds much better than "parking lot".
16. If you hate rotaries (or round-abouts), do NOT come to Ireland! This is the round-about capital of the world. There's about 10 traffic lights in the entire country and every other intersection is a round-about. You think I'm kidding.
17. Greyhound is the web-toed, cross-yed, hunch-backed, red-headed stepchild with Downs Syndrome of Bus Eireanne.
18. And lastly... it rains a lot here. See you in Dublin.

I have legs again!

2005-04-19T06:35:00.000-04:00

So onto Monday. I woke up and was able to walk (or a reasonable facsimile thereof). I had my Irish breakfast, got a cab, and bid farewell to Bridget and Connor at Gleann Fia. I caught my bus at the bus station and headed off to Corcaigh (Cork in Irish). I like the town a lot so far. It's got it's main thoroughfare The Grand Parade and there's tons of shops and things everywhere. It's really quite nice. I'm staying at The Garnish House where Johanna Lucey is an absolute sweetheart. She gave me a studio on the 2nd flar due to me bags being so heavy.

I then went straight to Blarney Castle. You know, they don't tell you that you're going to be about 80ft up when you go to kiss the stone or that the stairs to go to it are about five inches wide or that the stairwell is about 2ft wide. They just don't tell you these things. When you go to kiss it, you literally bend over backwards while holding onto metal pipes. During this time you have the chance to look down and see the ground 80ft below. It's comforting really. Anyway, the view from the top is terrific. You can see the whole Lee valley. After the castle, I headed up to Blarney Woolen Mills. That place is amazing. It's 4 floors and everything in it is beautiful.

I then came back to town, showered and headed out for a bite to eat, post something on here, and then go to a pub. Well, I had the same problem I had in Killarney. Pubs are chock-a-block, but do you think I could find a place to eat? MORE! I found a place but they didn't have any tables for 2 hours so I kept looking. I gave up on the internet thing so I could eat and drink (you have to have priorities people!). I finally found a place called Jacob's On the Mall (not like the galleria). It was located in an old Turkish bath house of all places. It was really cool though and the food was incredible. I definately recommend the Kinsale asparagus in the lemon butter sauce and the rubarb tart with the oranged-hinted ice cream. I then headed off to An Spailpin Fanac ("The Migrant Worker") for a pint of Murphy's and some Irish music.

Now it's Tuesday morning and I just had a full Irish breakfast complete with heavenly bacon, sausage (these Irish know their way around a pig, I'll tell ya), mash, Irish pudding, a potato cake, eggs, cereal, and some of their porridge with Bailey's Irish Cream. You have to have it. I can't really explain it other than "great" is a gross understatement. Now it's off to Kinsale and see that town before I head off to Dublin tomorrow. I'll try to keep these a bit more current from now on (but no promises). Cheers

*The evening is stretching. The Guinness is great.

... To the REAL Capital (Corcaigh)

2005-04-19T05:51:00.000-04:00

Ok, first of all, I don't want to hear "Where have you been? I thought you died." I really meant to get back on here at least on Sunday, but do to some minor problems, I couldn't get to an internet cafe... and I mean that. I seriously was physically incapable of the act of walking. I'll get to that in a moment. First of all, back to Saturday night (beware, long entry ahead)...

When we last left off, I was going for a quick drink at a pub and then getting to bed so I could go through the Gap of Dunloe. Well, quick is a funny word isn't it? I ended up going to Connor's Pub on High St. I had heard a bunch of drunken singing coming from it earlier in the night so I thought "That's the place for me!" I went in and felt a little out of place. Everyone was older and most were German (just to continue the running theme for the week so far). I ardered a Guinness and people looked at me funny because I didn't have an accent. After a few minutes, the guy next to me asked me a question. He was from Inniskerry and we ended up talking for the next few hours over several pints. That was until his other Irish friend started begging him for some money so he could "go dancing and let out his aggression." I stuck around for the Irish music and then headed home on my bike around midnight.

Sunday
So Sunday, I had planned on taking my bike on a ferry through the lakes and then going through the Gap of Dunloe. It was raining when I got up, but do you think a little rain would stop me? Ha! Well, maybe it should have. I went back to Torc Waterfall to see what it was like after (during?) rain. Great day in the morning! I took pictures and video of it. It's simply amazing how much water comes over that thing. It really is.

Now, after that, I was going somewhere I had never been or seen. I was travelling the "main road" which is a figurative term. It was about 1.5 car widths wide with rocks on either side. Combine that with the maniacs that drive 60 km/h around the hairpin turns and you've got yourself a recipe for a heart attack. Once, I cleared the forests, all vegetation seemed to end. I did manage to see some mountain goats feeding on some scraps of grass though. The views were great, but the rain kept coming.

I was water-logged by the time I reached the REAL uphill and then it started to rain harder. Thanks, I needed that. After going up hill at probably a 30% grade, I reached what's called Ladies View. It's the point at which Queen Victoria's Ladies in Waiting looked out from while waiting for the queen (I guess). You can see the whole upper lake and the backside of the Gap. I went into the little shop there to rest and see if there was anything worth buying.

I then asked the shop keeper how to get to the Gap because it seemed like I was going up, but on the wrong side of the valley. Then he told me that the path WAS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL! I could hardly walk at that point because of the hill and you're telling me I didn't have to go up the thing in the first place?! Those words almost sent me running for the cliff. I got back on my bike and went back down the hill to find the path that I had thought was an access road or something the first time I saw it (don't say a bloody word!).

When the shopkeeper told me that it may be washed out due to all the rain, I should have taken the hint. I went along for a good long while without any problems. Then I hit this flat near the lake and it was flooded for about 20 or 30 feet. I figured I had gone that far so I went hopping from "solid" piece of mud to "solid" piece of mud and made my way around it and continued on.

Then I found the next flooded section. It was about 100m long and (little did I know) it enveloped the entire valley floor. I spent the next 1.5 hours trying to get around it while not getting wet with varying degrees of success. Trust me, this was NOT fun. I scared the daylights out of some Red Irish dear, almost fell down some rocks and trees a half million times, the back of my leg is black and blue, I ended up getting soaked up to my knee, and, quite honestly, wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get out (what with the nearest house a half mile away and me with no form of communication). I trudged on and waded through mud and water and made it to the house though. I asked the guy working the farm where to go and he pointed me in the right direction.

After seeing a ton of sheep and their lambs (incredibly cute I might add), I saw the road through the Gap... and it went UP! When I say I couldn't walk, I mean it. I was taking baby steps the whole way up and it's a LONG way up. Once I made it to the top, however, everything changed. The sun came out, I would be going downhill from there on, and the scenery was breathtaking. Far below, I saw the Killarney valley, on my left were Macgillycuddy's Reeks (mountains), and, most importantly, behind me, lay all my troubles.

I finally made it home after the 35+ mile trek and collapsed in my muddy, drenched clothes. I couldn't make it into town to get on a computer lest eat, so I ordered out for pizza and ended up talking with a couple from Johannesburg, South Africa that was staying there. I then crashed in bed so I could travel (legs willing) to Cork on Monday...

Live... from Killarney... it's Saturday Night!

2005-04-16T15:29:00.000-04:00

I've now spent about a half day in Killarney and I'm in love. This place is beautiful. I love you County Kerry. Coming into town was wonderful. I stayed awake for the whole thing and am very glad for it. I got off the bus this morning and had to walk about a mile (with my luggage) up hill to go find the B&B I'm staying at. Found it amongst cow and sheep pasture. How perfect is that?

Killarney is pretty cute. Lots of shops and things. It's cool. The owner of the B&B got me a bike and so I took that to see the Muckross House and Torc Waterfall. All I can say is wow. For one thing, I thought it was illegal for there to be THAT many shades of green. It's astounding. The house itself is huge. You know that house that Rocky buys with the robot when he's loaded? Yeah, it's just like that. GIGANTIC lawn right on the lake. Beautiful landscaping. Went around the lake and took (no joke) probably 150 pictures. Then I went to the waterfall. It was just like climbing Mt. Washington again... complete with a seemingly endless number of steps. Well worth it though. Once I got to the top, I could see the entire valley and it was just... well, you know. After I took a digger on my bike and got helped out by a hotel concierge (thanks guy), I came back to town to eat at Bricin (love Irish). Mmm... potato pancake.

Alright, I'm going out for a drink now and then heading home to get some sleep. I have to get up early to [hopefully] make it through the Gap of Dunloe and play some pitch-and-putt. Have a great night folks. Cheers.

The Cliffs of [Good] Moher!

2005-04-16T15:06:00.000-04:00

Introduction

1. This entry is a little late only because the last one was posted before I had even left the airport. After sitting around the airport for 3 hours, I felt like Tom Hanks in The Terminal (minus the accent and Catherine Zeta-Jones).
2. From now on, if you think I made a typo, don't worry about it. It's probably just the accent kicking in... unless I spell "the" with a "3" and a silent "q".
3. If I keep repeating the words "incredible", "beautiful", and the like, don't be concerned. It's simply because I've run out of words to describe this place.

Day 1
So once the bus came to the airport, I went straight to the Cliffs of Moher. Well, actually, I went to Ennis first and made my connecting bus by about 30 seconds (not my fault!) But... OH MY GOD! Imagine coming to the end of the earth. That's what it's like. You're on a beautiful plane and then all the sudden, it's like the artist died in mid-stroke. The earth simply drops off about 200ft (not kidding). Not only that, I as lugging my luggage up all the steps because I hadn't been to my hotel yet. I'm getting a lot of exercise this trip, that's fer sher. Oh, and that random rain they talk about? Definately witnessed some of that. It was sunny and just started raining for no apparent reason. After spending an hour and a half of trying not to fall into the ocean, the bus came and I took it to Limerick.

Limerick's a pretty cool town. It definately was a mill/factory town at some point. I found my hotel pretty easily and it wasn't bad. It was a hotel. That's about all I can say. I walked around the city for a few hours taking pictures and such and then spent another hour trying to find a place to eat. You can walk blindly around the city and have a 98% chance of finding a pub, but a restaurant? Not that easy. I ended up eating at the hotel and had my first Guinness in Ireland. Well worth the trip. SOOOO much better over here. Anyway, then I walked around for a bit more and saw King John's Castle (pretty cool). Then I went back to the hotel and called up for my first wake up call :-D and started watching TV.

Few last words:
1. Five words for you: Before They Were Mingers.
2. This whole crossing the streets when traffic is going the other direction? HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH!
3. Toilets here have their handle on the right side. I'm confused.
4. I love pubs.

Day 1

2005-04-15T02:04:00.000-04:00

Well I've arrived in Shannon without much todo (both literally and figuratively). The flight was pretty good. I ended up with a double helping of my chicken dinner because the woman across the isle didn't want hers. Game on! I sat next to a really nice older woman on the flight who used to be a teacher and who has been to Ireland about 20 times she guesses. The only bad thing about the flight was the fact that I couldn't hear Futurama because the keypad on my chair was broken and it was stuck on the music channel. As we were flying in, I got to see the sun come up over Ireland. Simply beautiful. Now I'm chilling out in the airport because my bus to the Cliffs of Moher doesn't arrive until 9:30 and my plane got in a half hour early at 5:30. Lucky me. Well, I think that'll do it for this entry. Check back soon for the next update.

*When this is what you see the second you get off the plane, you know things are going to be alright.

Lovely Day for A Guinness...

2005-04-14T15:27:00.000-04:00

And so begins Eire Blog 1! It's now 3:28pm and I'm heading out the door with dreams of dark beer, thick accents, and lots of green in my head. Can't wait for the free peanuts and booze on the plane. The way this thing is going to work is, I'm going to try to have a post each day while I'm in Ireland (a la Sports Guy). I can't guarentee anything because I don't have ESPN covering all my expenses, but we'll see what I can manage. I'll see you all tomorrow... To the Cliffs of Moher!

P.S. Feel free to drop comments, I'll get them when I check. I'll write back in my own version of a mailbag.

Beating Up 5 Year-olds Can Be Fun

2005-04-01T16:05:00.000-05:00

Compliments of Sadat, Teej, Cassie, and myself, I present to you "Beating Up 5 Year-olds":

RULES:

1. You are in an enclosed area, roughly the size of a basketball court. There are no foreign objects.
2. Prior to the match, you must choose the largest number of 5yo's that you think you can incompasitate without having the same done to you.
3. You are not allowed to touch a wall, however, you have the option of having the corners fitted with spikes. Use them as you will.
4. When you are knocked unconscious [or die], you lose. When they are all knocked unconscious [or die], they lose. Once a kid is knocked unconscious [or dies], that kid is "out."
5. I (or someone else intent on seeing to it you fail) get to choose the kids from a pool that is twice the size of your magic number. The pool will be 50/50 in terms of gender and will have no discernable abnormalities in terms of demographics, other than they are all healthy Americans.
6. The kids receive one day of training from hand-to-hand combat experts who will train them specifically to team up to take down one adult. You will receive one hour of "counter-tactics" training.
7. You have a choice of weapon. You may, if you wish, use only your feet and hands or any other weapon... BUT... the 5yo's will be using the same weapon so choose carefully.
8. There is no protective padding for any combatant other than the standard-issue cup.
9. Gambling is ALWAYS encouraged!

* The kids are motivated enough to not get scared, regardless of the bloodshed. Even the very last one will give it his/her best to take you down.

Juggling Hand Grenades

2005-03-31T12:36:00.000-05:00

Anyone want to join me in a game of "Juggle the Hand Grenade In A Vat of Nitroglycerine"? This has probably been the worst day of school yet. Yeah, read that sentence again. Considering the first few days of school, that's saying something right there. Had to walk from Roxbury Crossing, kids are completely beside themselves because they would rather talk than listen and then complain about their grade (A LOT!), and, above all, I have no real authority because the discipline system here is basically non-existant. I seriously can't do shit here because there's no punishment. It's re-goddamn-diculous!

Addendum: My last period class pulled through and gave me a good class. Thanks guys.

...Cause I Was Born A Ramblin' Man

2005-03-28T15:51:00.000-05:00

A few thoughts since the last update:

·The Texas Ranger from Spike's Hot Dogs is quite possibly the best hot dog ever made. If there's one better than a giant all-beef frank with BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese, and bacon, I don't want to try it. Excuse me, my stomach is currently attempting to eat itself at the thought.

·My mom might have met her match when it comes to collecting "stuff" (and by stuff, I mean completely random useless pieces of crap). Kate's mom and her could single-handedly bankrupt their respective families with one visit to the Christmas Tree Store.

·Why was Rio dancing across the Rio Grande?

·I'm rarely more happy than when Duke gets bounced out of the NCAA Tournament and UNC goes to the Final Four.

·Sam Adams White Ale could be their second best beer (right after Sam Summer). Only a couple more months til it's on the shelves.

·Does everybody's family have some sort of drama occur on holidays? Or is this just a me phenomena?

·I need TiVo like yesterday. I'm not even kidding. I haven't even used the thing and I'm already debating the quality of my existence up to the AD->AT (Anno Domini->After TiVo) change over.

·I am now the proud owner of Guinness pajamas.

·Only 2.5 weeks til Ireland... Stay tuned for info on Eire Blog I!

St. Guinness Week

2005-03-21T19:35:00.000-05:00

Quick (well, not that quick) recap of the past week:

Wednesday: I get out of work, hit the shower, and then head over to Kate's to start the festivities. I had 5 Guinness before I even left her place which should have been a clear sign of things to come since it was only 8 o'clock. I went down to Ned Devine's to see The Joshua Tree (a U2 cover band). I got there, and it wasn't packed, signed up for a raffle for which I was given a ticket for a free drink (WARNING!). I milled around for a while before the band started and grabbed a few more Guinness. Then the band started... let me tell you, those guys are SOLID! I've seen U2 in person and these guys are good! Bono and the guys are a hard act to follow let alone imitate, but The Joshua Tree pull it off. By the end of the night, I had lost count and had to have had about 10 Guinness total and don't remember too much after that.

Thursday: Kate and I had planned on going down to see The Joshua Tree and Dropkick play an acoustic breakfast down at The Black Rose... ummmmm... can you say "Black out"? There was NO WAY I was waking up at that hour. Not after Wednesday night. I slept in (thank you Evacuation Day!), went home, showered, and then headed back into town to go out with Dat and the Marino crew. Planned on Conor's, but decided on Our House so we could get some corned beef and cabbage but they were SOLD OUT! How does that happen?! This is like an Italian restaurant being out of pasta. We got some burgers instead with some Guinness (in addition to the ones Cassie found under his seat!) and green beer. Left to go to Conor's only to find out the line was taking close to an hour and there was a cover charge. Our House sounded like a good place to be so we headed back there. We convinced the sorry sack of shit that is Kristen Chamberlain to stick around and Dat, Nick, Chambo, and myself got loaded off more beer, red-headed sluts, and whatever else we could get. Solid St. Patrick's Day!

Friday: After hardly being able to wake up for school on Friday, Kate and I headed up to the Harp for my friend Elizabeth's B-day party. We were supposed to be able to get in for free before 10pm for the party but The Harp fucked up again so a group of 30 of us decided to leave and head elsewhere (I mean, who really lost out on that one?). We ended up at Hurrican O'Reilly's and had a great time. Happy Birthday Liz! On a more random note, some asshole ex-resident that I don't remember [but definately did NOT ever write up, slapped me in the face because he's a drunken shithead that deserves to be slathered in hydrochloric acid, BBQed over a seething hot fire, and then tossed into a pit of rabid wolverines high on angel dust.

Saturday/Sunday: Since my sister decided to get married, my mom brought Kate and I back home for the festivities. Good wedding really. About 25 people, the Justice of the Peace made a drunk joke midway through, my dad got HAMMERED!, and we managed to get the first picture of my mom, dad, brother, sister, and I together in probably over 10 years. We then came home so I could go with Molly to see the Dropkick Murphies at Avalon. AWESOME SHOW! Really freakin great. I even got to see the World Series trophy!

Now I'm coming down with something, can't speak very much, can hear even less, and generally feel like Hell on toast and still have 3 days left in the week. Excuse me while I go wander into traffic.

Peanut Butter and Crack Sandwich

2005-03-14T16:55:00.000-05:00

So Kate and I went to Our House to grab a drink on Saturday night and I had my coat and backpack on because I had been working at Marino. I'm sittin there enjoying a good ol' Guinness when some sketchy kid walks over to me, looks at my backpack, and says, "Hey, man. You have books in there or you sellin?" Yeah, this is the type of kid Northeastern lets in. Nice job folks. Way to suck.

Shows, shows, and more shows!

2005-03-10T12:30:00.000-05:00

As usual, I went through a dry spell of several months without a show. Happens all the time. These next two weeks are going to more than make up for it though. Saw Blue Man Group for free on Sunday (thanks Mickey!), saw Interpol last night (thanks Stefan!), going to see The Joshua Tree for free next Wednesday (thanks again, Mickey!), and then The Dropkick Murphys a week from Sunday (thank you, Molly!). I have great friends :-). Shibby!

She's out there!

2005-03-08T20:10:00.000-05:00

Just got news that Kim, a co-worker of Kate's at the PT clinic and also the hottest lesbian I know, is officially back on the market. Still sucks that Kate has a better shot with her than I do.

3 down...

2005-03-08T12:47:00.000-05:00

I hate the ends of marking terms. I just finished going through a pile of papers that was (no joke) FOUR INCHES WIDE! And I still have a few more to go! Not only that, I get to listen to annoying teenagers complain about their grades despite the fact that they didn't do half the work, or the work was late, or they did the work incorrectly. When a science project is worth 20% of your grade, wouldn't you do it? Time to take some responsibility kids!

On a lighter note, it's onto the fourth of FIVE marking periods, UNC just beat Duke over the weekend, I saw Blue Man Group again (this time for free!), Interpol show tomorrow at The Orpheum, The Joshua Tree next Wednesday (for free!), and The Murphys the Sunday after that. Something tells me these next two weeks might be alright. :-)

Who's the Boss?

2005-03-01T12:00:00.000-05:00

Apparently, Mother Nature decided that 4 out of 5 days in one week, followed two weeks later by a regularly-scheduled vacation wasn't enough. She decided to let us go back to school for one day and then give us snow day NUMBER 5! At this rate, I'm gonna be in school til August. I hope Mother Nature goes over to Old Man Winter's house today and he gives her VD followed by the Tony Danza.

Back to school, back to school...

2005-02-28T16:50:00.000-05:00

Well, it had to happen at some point. Today marked the first day back to school since vacation started over a week ago. It was not welcome. It didn't go too badly, but I would have much rather not had to wake up at 5:15am. On that note, here's some hits and misses on vacation and its ending.

Hits:
1. Waking up at noon
2. Eating more than once a day
3. Drinking beer from a bucket at Tropical Night at The Pour House
4. Getting paid by NU to eat at the caf (thanks Dat!)
5. Beers before work with Assface
6. Getting paid by Boston to sleep all vacation

Misses:
1. I forgot that when you inquire about something, you're actually "axeing" them. It's true, just axe my students.
2. Yours has an "s" on it, so that means "mine" does too. "Whose book is this? Oh, it's mines."
3. It's my fault you didn't do the work. I'm sorry. I gave you a class period to do something that takes 10 minutes to do and allowed you to do it for homework and then you still didn't do it. Who's b? Mines.
4. Around the Horn and PTI getting dropped in favor of match play golf. MORE!!! I need my daily dose of Tony, Tony, Michael. I even looked to see if they put them on The Deuce instead but no. Whose bright idea was that?
5. It's Monday and I already want to set myself on fire and throw myself into the whirling blades of an apache helicopter.

There is some good news though... I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico. Oh wait...

6. "Mr. Herrington?" "Yes?" "Would you move your vehicle? You're blocking someone." "I don't have a car. I don't even have a license!" Actual conversation between the secretary and I over the loudspeaker after school today. Thanks for rubbing it in. I'd almost forgotten about that... ya f*$#in DOUCHEBAG!

A Vacation's Worth of Nonsense

2005-02-26T00:58:00.000-05:00

Some thoughts from the past week:

1. Vacations are great. I don't care if I go anywhere during them, sleep for the entire week, or get turned into spaghetti and served with cajun chicken, vacations are still AWESOME!

2. Vacations ending suck! Ugh! I do not want to go back to school on Monday. I don't have another day off until St. Patrick's Day (thank you for leaving Boston that day Brits).

3. Lindsay is way more attractive than Marissa. She doesn't play games, is much more upfront, seems like she would be in the realm of attainable for the average guy, and is cute. She's not hot, but she's cute (and with a decent personality, that makes you even more attractive). Marissa needs UPS to follow her wherever she goes in order to carry the baggage she brings with her. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, smother yourself in honey and jump into a pit of ill-tempered rabid wolverines.

4. Unmentioned expectations are yours and yours alone. If they become a problem because they didn't work out, don't make them other people's problems. If you do, the other person has the right to pleed ignorance.

5. My macaroni & cheese is awesome. Enough said.

6. I never fully realized the effect Wayne's World had on pop culture. It was a freakin GOLDMINE! Watch it again. It's amazing how many phrases and such came from that movie. Cha! And monkeys'll fly outta my butt!

7. R.I.P. Doc Thompson

They shoot they score!

2005-02-18T16:10:00.000-05:00

People really are this stupid? I hope they drugged her into doing this or something.

Basket Toss

Edited for content. Found some other great clips.

Medina would bet on these guys to cover. Ya know, cause he's an idiot.

Hot Shot