A rainy day in Ireland. Surprised?

I've been in this damn Internet cafe close to 2 hours...I had no idea uploading a mere 35 pictures to Kodak gallery would be so mind-numbing! Let's see if I can attach a few of the photos from my trip to the Cliffs of Moher and The Burren...

Keeping it all in the family...

Met up with a Bostonian, Manchester, New Hampshirite, and several of their Irish friends last night. One turns out to be Patrick Joseph Kane! What's the icing on the cake...his sister just married a 'Breslin,' Nana's maiden name. Insanity, I know. He's a big footballer here in town, and knows a lot of folks. He said working at the Bal (the pub in Salthill, where I'll be after the pottery gig in Dingle) should be no problem. It's always useful to be able to drop a name, you know?! Especially if it's family.

Just returned from Fat Freddy's with my Norwegian hostel-mate, Tuva-- actually had a great veggie pizza. I'm glad I went back to my carnivorous ways, as eating out here isn't all that welcoming to vegetarians.

On tap for tomorrow...
-need to check out the bus timetable for Dingle
-buy a soap traveling case (as the ziplock plastic bag is getting quite gross)
-find an electrical converter for my ipod charger...someone said hooking it up to the USB on the computer can work too, so we'll see

Clearly, it's a packed day! Kidding. It's just so insane not to have ten thousand things on my "to do" list, you know?

So if any of you are actually reading this, post a comment, will ya?

I've got a new cell phone number here, so if you want it, drop me an email at redhead31980@hotmail.com, and I'll send it to you!

Off to sleep for me...

I crashed a stag party

Yup, sure did. Headed out out last night to Richardson's pub, one of the few places that seemed a bit mellow for Saturday night. I sure as hell was wrong. A rowdy crew of "Dubs" (Dubliners) celebrating a stay party invited me over to the table, told me I had the face of Drew Barrymore (clearly they had a few more pints than myself) and took me under their wings for the night. A crew of guys ranged from 22 -61...we had a wee bit of craic. No, no...not crack, as in sticking a rock in a pipe and smoking it. The irish use the term craic to describe a fun evening with laughs, and typically a lot of beer consumption. Anyway, good to know I've friends now on the Eastcoast to visit.

Still trekking around Galway city. As the days pass, I find myself loving it more and more. Don't get me wrong, I am most definitely looking forward to spending a month in the country and making some pots, but the pulse is here is pretty incredible.

Made some new friends at the hostel...two lovey ladies, one from Norway and the other from Australia. We just went out for quick pint, and being the three most sober people in the pub, decided a sociological study was a must. More on that later...

Also met up with Tristan, my fellow blogging American , at the Crane today for my first real trad Irish session. Incredible musicians. Really. It's amazing to see such a motley crew of new people sit around a table with pints of Guinness and make music that sounds like they've been playing for decades. I've promised myself that getting up and dancing a reel is an order! It'll happen...I have no doubts.

Fe and I (my hostel roommate from Australia) will head out to the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher tomorrow with a bus crew. I've been before, but 6 years seems so long ago. I promise some pics will be uploaded soon!

Day 3 here in Eire

Settling in. A bit overwhelmed, I won't lie. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm coming from a town of 7500 with only 5 bars or so...this place feels like New York City. Plus, I have mom to thank for my incredible sense of direction (being completely facetious)!

Have a great single room at the Sleepzone hostel in Galway...then it's off to the 6-bed female bunks for the next 5 nights. Erica and Kambria headed off to Holland sans Meaghan at 3:30 this morning. As much as it killed me to pass up a trip to Amsterdam, I thought I'd get myself reacquainted here in Erye Square.

Last night we took the bus out to Salthill...the location of The Bal, the pub that I could be "working" at when I return from Dingle. It's quite the pub. Built just two years ago, it's got quite a swanky feel to it. It's 4 floors high, with some great local musicians in Thur-Sun and very friendly, easy-on-the-eyes bartenders. It's right on Galway Bay, which makes it a huge spot during the summer months here.

Where oh where to have my Saturday night pint(s)??

Destination Ireland...

Completed! I'm here...trying to figure out just how much money I have spend at this per minute internet cafe. Met up with Erica and her great (and my new) friend Kambria. We are shacked up at Marriott that Brendan so graciously booked for me for the night...then off to discover the hostel scene in town for my next few nights. Had my first few Guini(that's the plural for Guiness, in case you were unaware) at the hotel and we are now in search of what chaos we will create this evening. Is this really happening?

15 days and counting...

A brief check-in.

Great news...I will be teaching and throwing pots at Louis Mulcahy's ceramic studio in Dingle...Barry emailed me back and let me know that I'll be staying in a house with a few others in Ballyferrier. Incredible. It also seems like the pub up in Galway is still "a go" when the pottery gig winds down. I also got in touch with one of the old singers from Cherish the Ladies...she may have an apartment opening up in July. Fingers crossed.

Top things on the to do list...
-sell the Passat (a hell of a lot more complicated than I ever could have imagined)
-keep packing...slowly but surely it will get done
-write, or continue to write the keynote speech for my 8th graders graduation on the 14th
-finish up the plans for my farewell party out in Brookfield
-pack up a very small portion of what I've collected in my classroom over 5 years
-check on the "living-abroad-with-a-debit-card-and-travellers-checks" situation with my bank

There are plenty others on the list...which, by the way, is in its 4th draft.