Ireland

Most excellent adventure. Second time there, better than the first. Lingered a few days longer, drank many more Guinnii (no driving, all overnight places walkable, another cool thing about Ireland) acquired a new favorite sport, hurling... the game, OK? Not the aftermath of Guinnii overserv-ation....

Rained... I mean all... the... time. Ireland is a sponge looking for a bucket. The biggest issue in Ireland is keeping your feet dry. When the Irish go on holday and the sun shines, do they ask for their money back?

Every postcard from Ireland features blue sky. Right. I'm betting the one nice day of the year, every Murphy w/a camera is out snapping like mad...

The roads are as wide as Dolly Parton's... waist. Driving there is like parallel parking an Escalade in your living room...

Hurling... like lacrosse and soccer and rugby and hitting fungoes and...really like nothing else. Fabulous. Spent way too much time in pubs with the locals, cheering on ol' Limerick to beat Tipperary's arse. I'm not a big soccer guy, for which I've been labeled a typical Amero-centric twit. I love hurling, though. Ryan Freel would be a stud hurler guy.

Old there is old, unlike here. Old is taking a boat out several miles in the Atlantic, to an island no bigger than Tri-County Mall, walking 650 steps damned near straight up, to a crag where monks lived, um, 1400 years ago. The island reminded me of scenes from Jurassic Park. Impossibly rugged, beautiful and green... Skellig Michael. I recommend it, the next time you're in Portmagee, County Kerry, take the boat out...

Expensive... think of a normal dinner out at say, Friday's, only you're spending Precinct jack. Every night. If you want to go to Ireland, rob a bank. Or work 2 jobs...

Gas $6 a gallon...

Guinness $4.50 a pint... Bud and Miller cost more.

No Keystone Light. That sucked.

Airports are as fun now as dentists chairs. I won't bore you, just trust me. I'd rather be audited...

Traditional music: They honor their musicians there much more than here. You can be sitting in a pub, pounding a pint, and guys just... show up. With their flutes and Irish drums (bodhrans), guitars and accordions. They sit on low stools in a circle and just play. They don't care what you think, they don't take requests. The tunes are skillfully played, straight from the marrow. Very nice...

Irish use of the English language: Impenetrable.

Enough. Nice to be back. Thanks for indulging the overly long reminisce...