New Blog

http://mariannasfailures.blogspot.com/

Lets see if this is as successful without the snazzy european background

And Now What

"Do you miss Ireland?" "Don't you wish you were back in Ireland?" "It must be hard to be back in America."

.......no?

I will be amazed if anyone still reads this. I would have stopped reading too. I know I promised a lot of follow up entries and stories from my final days, and then just stopped. I abandoned the blog. Truthfully once I got home, Ireland became a mythical "did that really just happen" memory. I felt guilty that I wasn't staying up all night sobbing that I was back in the US, back to the monotony of everyday life. I even tried to guilt trip myself into thinking I was miserable one night, staying up late with some beer and ordering PS I Love You from OnDemand. Nothing. 

Why does everyone come back from study abroad changed, with horribly fake accidents, saying things like "oh, excuse me, when I was in *insert country* this was the accepted custom". Meanwhile I come back and forget I was even gone. 

Occasionally I find myself saying "Well when I was in Ireland" in conversation, and then feeling extremely guilty about it. There are traces of it in me. I always look for Cadbury Rich Tea Biscuits in the international aisle at supermarkets. Today I caught myself driving my golf cart up the left side of Elm Drive. I blast Galway Girl in my car when driving to work. I miss soccer, I miss the pubs, I miss the DART and Bray. 

I look forward to my summers at Princeton all year. I have great friends here, I have stuff to keep me busy, and even in Ireland I had a standing Skype date at 8pm most nights with a work friend so that she could describe what was happening on Ellen for me.  So the fun didn't end when I came home from Ireland. As long as I have something to keep me busy, people to keep me laughing, maybe I haven't realized that it's over. Come September, my thesis, the looming prospect of school ending and real life beginning, maybe then I will enter the funk. 

I wish I could convince myself that I didn't have to feel so guilty for not missing Ireland. Accept that I had a good time there, but that it's ok to have a good time back in America as well. If I could change anything about the overall experience...it would be that. 

Having Your Cake and Eating It Too

Most common reaction to me being home

"You have to keep blogging! But please don't talk about me"

Due to the incredible amount of pleading I've received since coming home, I'm taking a break from the blogging. If I get the urge I might return to it once I'm back at school, as none of my school friends have pled with me yet (I don't know if any read this....). While there is PLENTY to blog about during my summer life, I enjoy things such as home cooked meals, a roof over my head and casual conversation with others without the constant "you're not going to blog about this, right?" checks. 

We're getting to the Tesco story, I promise. 

Parents Have Been Forgiven

While the treehouse is still in pieces, a hammock has appeared. Hold my calls, I'll be in the hammock. 

I'll finish this thing up eventually.....I wonder if I can get a wireless signal while in the hammock..

And like that...it's done

I'm home. Nothing's changed. Except for the fact that my parents took down my treehouse while I was gone. But they also bought me a cake, so I think I broke even. 

Right now I'm surprised at how easy it's been to get back in the swing of things. I came home, Stanky came over, she stole some food, my mom and I took the dogs to the park. It's like I never left. 36 hours ago I was in Ireland, when I think about it it feels like Ireland is the next town over, like I could hop in my car and drive up I-95 and be there in 20 minutes. Let's see how long it takes for the crushing realization that it's all over to hit me. Truthfully right now I'm having trouble accepting that it actually happened. 

This blog isn't done yet, though. I still have a few more stories to tell. I've really enjoyed keeping this blog. Growing up my grandmother always used to be after me to keep a journal, telling me that I should keep a record of every day. I usually ignored her. Keeping this blog has allowed me to see her point. When I would do things in Ireland this blog would always be at the back of my mind. I kept looking for things that I would be able to write about, stories that I would be able to tell, pictures that I would be able to post. It made me a lot more alert and focused than I think I would have been without it. Thanks to everyone who read and stroked my ego with your comments. Hopefully I have inspired you to go out and do something new and exciting,...and now that you're not spending every waking minute waiting for a new blog entry you'll have time!

Good LORD I'm going to miss soccer

Soccer has always been the sport that's eluded me. I really wanted to love it, but I could never get into it. My famous 2 week stint in the peewee league in kindergarten has become one of my family's favorite stories. I was told to be midfield, to stand in midfield, and not to leave my position. I then was yelled at when I didn't run after the ball. It's not my fault I'm freakishly obedient. I would drift around soccer in high school, playing DevL and the like. The World Cup two summers ago had me interested. I remember really enjoying watching a match with the US Mens Rowing team in a Princeton common room. That was more due to the fact that it was me and 10 of the most gorgeous men you will ever find. I don't think I was even facing the television. 

That being said, I have really become attached to soccer here. (I'm not going to call it football, I'm an American, it's soccer dammit) I'm pretty sure I love it for the same reason I love the Olympics, it's ALWAYS on. I don't have a television here, but everytime I would go to pub or a hostel, there was always a soccer match on. So I began watching the games whenever I would see them. Soccer mixes drama and athleticism in a way that makes in the ultimate entertainment experience. I needed to pick a team, which was harder than I thought it would be. I chose the team fairly easily, actually, but accepting my choice was harder. See, I chose Manchester United. They have been referred to on more than one occasion as the "Yankees of the Premier League". ew. They are the ultimate bandwagon fan team. But the thing is, they're ALWAYS on. When I don't have the luxury of multiple game day choices, I have to go with whats on, and that's Manchester United. Plus they have Christiano Ronaldo, perhaps the hottest soccer player around. And it leads to conversations like this:

Caroline: Wait, Ronaldo the guy who got transvestite prostitutes or Ronaldo with rape charges

Me: Rape charges

Caroline: Oh yea, he's good

If this was an American team I would be disgusted with them and with myself for liking them. But since this is study abroad and I'm allowed to go wild, woo, go Man U! Anyway, the point is Man U is good, very good, and last night they were in the Champions League final. Well I had to go watch! So while sitting around a bonfire the other night I asked if anyone was interested in going to watch. I was met with looks from my friends that clearly said they would rather get naked and jump in the fire than watch a soccer match. Screw them all. I was still going to watch, so I went down to O'Neils pub, where I had seen some matches before, and took the risk of being one of 5 girls (perhaps the only one without a boyfriend) in a pub during a soccer final. My mom just had a heart attack. Lets take a minute while she recovers. Alright, she should be good by now. Anyway, I have limited funds for these final days so I allotted enough money for one beer a half. Plus I needed to get back and pack after the game, so I couldn't go nuts. I bought myself a beer, found a nice ledge and the game began. Here is what's different about Man U and the Yankees. There is a large portion of baseball fans who are "anyone but the Yankees" fans. Not just Red Sox fans, but people who just hate the big name teams. They'll come to the bars and root loudly against the Yankees just for the hell of that. Man U inspires fear in other fans. Even fans of the other team (Chelsea) were quiet in the pub until the end of the match. Everytime I've watched a Man U game, opposing fans would stand in corners of the pub and mutter softly under their breaths at good plays, offering subdued applause for their team's goals. I love any team that can inspire fear, it's hard to do, and when done successfully is amazing. The game began and was fairly low key. Man U scored the first goal and the place errupted. At the end of the first half Chelsea scored a goal and I became aware that there were Chelsea fans in the room for the first time, you never would have known. The second half was far more exciting than the first. Everyone had some alcohol in them, it was tense, the teams were duking it out. There was blood, there was a fight, there was drama, it was AWESOME. I was getting a rush, I was filled with adrenaline, I stole my pint glass just to feel like a rebel. The half ends, still tied at one. Well, can't break a promise to myself, off to buy another beer. Get back to my corner, the two guys behind me are best friends, each rooting for a different team, they both look like they're going to throw up. I realize I don't know how extra time works, first goal scored or set amount of time, who knows. I'm afraid of asking such a beginners question so I take a deep breath and ask the less threatening of the two (both were completely harmless, one was just less stressed than the other). Both break into huge smiles and tell me it's a set amount of time. "Ah! A foreigner! New Jersey you say? I love Kevin Smith movies!" (first time I've heard reference to those over here. Glad to see i could bring their blood pressure down a little. I like to think I helped save their lives. We become best friends. We're yelling, we're anguishing, it's great. Extra time ends, here we go, penalty kicks. The whole room breaks into huge grins, this is what they wanted. Everyone grabs another beer...oh hell, why not, I'll join in. Both teams make their first two kicks. Ronaldo goes and tries to fake the keeper out, ends up missing his shot. The room dies. Cries break out. If Ronaldo can't make his shot, we're doomed. Chelsea makes it's next two shots. Man U makes it's final shot. If Chelsea makes this next shot, it's over, Chelsea wins.....HE BLOWS IT! The room errupts, we're still alive. Next round, both teams make their first shot. Giggs, the most beloved player on the team makes his shot. The room goes nuts. Everyone can feel somethings about to happen. Chelsea's man goes for his shot, VAN DER SAR BLOCKS IT! MANCHESTER UNITED WINS! Someone grabs me, we're hugging, we're jumping, everyone's high fiving. AWESOME. I can't hear the audio that goes along as we watch the trophy presentation, but who cares, it's pretty clear what's happening. The game that was supposed to end around 9:45ish has now ended at 11. I have to run, grab some dinner and catch the last bus home. Having spent all my dinner money on beer, I'm left at the mercy of McDonalds euro saver menu. Whatever, I have enough adrenaline running through me at that moment that I could eat grass and still be happy. 

Picture Post

Us on the Aran Islands
"ahhhhhhhhhh!"
At the bonfire in Galway

Starting things off right at the 'stache bash

Awww

My roommates at the bonfire
We spent last night on the beach

Things are wrapping up. People are leaving. What do you say when people say "I guess this is the last time I'll see you". Seriously, what can you say! So far I've gone with 

A) Yep. B)heh...heh....look over there! and C) Don't worry, we both live in North America, I'm sure our paths will cross. 

Look forward to coming posts on 

-The 'Stache Bash

-How we almost started a riot in Tesco

-My love for the DART

-Whatever happens in these final days. 

It's the final countdown.....

Scene: Saturday morning, in my kitchen
Hannah: What are you doing today
Me: Not too sure
Hannah: We're going to the Aran Islands in a few minutes, want to come
Me:.....let me go get my toothbrush

and THAT is why I'm going to miss study abroad. Random adventures with few consequences.

And so I found myself on the Dublin to Galway bus for the third time in two weeks. I amused myself by looking for the different landmarks that I've noticed in my frequent back and forth. The billboard asking you to 'SUPPORT CYSTIC FIBROSIS' (think about it), the house with the giant pouncing stone panther/tiger/nittney lion esque thing, Athlone (the town LEAST deserving of a 15 minute stop over) until finally, Emo gas station

hehehe. 

We spent the night in Galway, having a bonfire on the beach. We were one of two bonfires and kept attracting people mistaking us for their friends. Which I thought was pretty hilarious and led to this exchange:

Irish guy: HEYYYYY! HOW IS EVERYONE....oh wait, you aren't our friends

Kurt: It's ok man, we're all friends here, but I think you're looking for the one down the beach, see ya!

Irish guy: ummm....you guys seem a lot nicer than our friends...can we stay here. 

I also discovered that a 'smore made with chocolate covered digestive cookies are FAR superior to graham cracker 'smores. We had to get up the next morning and catch the 9:30 ferry to the islands, so clearly we ended the bonfire at 3. On the walk back we hit up Supermacs, which is like McDonalds, if McDonalds was a Juvenile Detention Center. CHAOS. Absolute CHAOS. I was slammed against the wall in the bathroom on more than one occasion by a drunk teenager who couldn't quite get walking down. Drinks were flying, food was flying, fists were flying. When a fast food chain has it's own security, you should take that as a bad sign. 

After a nice 4 hour nap we were up and on our way to the Islands. I was originally going to go there last week by myself, but unnamed sources had told me they were a bit blah, and that I would have to take a choppy boat ride there (I hate boats). I'm never listening to that unnamed source again because the Aran Islands were absolutely one of the top 3 (and making a good case for number one) things I've done on this trip. You get off the boat (which didn't make me sea sick at all!) and are met with a choice of transportation options. You can either see the island via Sprinter van tour, donkey cart, or bicycle. All of those sounded excellent to me, but we chose the quintessential study abroad option of biking. I would soon find out a better name for this would be "quickest way to piss off the locals". I don't even know where to begin describing the next two hours because it was pure bliss. Sparkling sea, sun in the sky, wind in your face as you glide down a hill. It was right out of a movie. After riding for about 2 hours we reached Dun Aengus, which is a ring fort on top of a cliff. This made me a bit sentimental as I had spent the past four months in Ireland and had yet to see one neolithic tomb or ring fort. While this one was a bit newer than the one's the Bogucki family usually hits up, still made me feel like the trip was a success. The main attraction of the fort, however, are the cliffs. You climb up to the top and then they drop down 100 meters...with no fence or warning. I've overcome a lot of fears on this trip, but I discovered that heights, still on my list. As my friends lay down on their bellys and peered over the edge I took one look over and immediately retreated. I got the idea. We took the coastal route back, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Aran Islands seals. Anyone remember that movie "The Secret of Roan Inish"? It was pretty much a staple back in elementary school and is about the Aran Islands seals. We didn't see any. After returning our bicycles we caught the last ferry back to the main land. I sat down and passed out, next thing I knew we were pulling into port. After a bus ride back to Galway that took much longer than we had planned, we had to run to Hannah's apartment, grab our bags, then run back into the city in order to catch the last bus to Dublin. We made it by about 2 minutes. The bus ride back was less than fun as we were all tired, sore and still were working off of 4 hours of sleep. All in all, however, a fantastic final adventure.

Oh and...

Clifden..with videos!

Quick! Everyone pretend they're in Western Ireland!

I took a journey to the west of Ireland this weekend. Clifden was recommended (by their website) as the "gateway to Western Ireland". It then showed a slideshow of gorgeous countrysides that one could see while staying in glorious Clifden.
Truthfully? It was lovely. But it was a tourist town, no doubt about that. It was like vacationing at Plymouth Plantation. Actually, I would liken it more to Old Sturbridge Village...it lacked the polish of Plymouth Plantation. They were trying to be a tourist town, but the natives lacked the attitude that is necessary for a tourist town. Instead of rolling their eyes at the crazy bus tours that rolled on through, they looked excited to see tourists. I sat down for a cup of tea and two teenage girls literally squealed and watched me drink it. I gave them a quizative look and one of them nodded at me as if to say "go on, drink...please?". I didn't know whether to be offended or amused. Who am I kidding, I was amused. People making a huge deal out of mundane things is the highest form of comedy.
The town was odd in that the population was mainly Irish and French of all things. I thought this was fantastic. The French? This is one of the first French enclaves I've ever heard of and I was fascinated (I'm a nerd, I go to Bryn Mawr, I'm sorry). Why did they come to Clifden? Is there some form of industry here that I wasn't aware of? What drew them to podunk West Ireland? Is this the start of more emigration from France? Again, I was fascinated. The library was even called the "Biblioteque Municipale". The tourists were mainly senior bus tours, which delighted me even more. My life goal is to be old and go on bus tours. The social structure is AWESOME. The women all sit around a table gossiping while the men handle the drink and sandwich transactions and look frustrated. I sat in a pub and watched one group for a good hour. I had a lot of time to kill. At night I went to the pub for traditional Irish music. Since this was a tourist town the bar was filled with British tourists, plus a few Polish natives (I've accepted the fact that the majority of the Irish population is Polish, no matter where you are...they're there). One of the highlights of my night was being able to understand the drunk Polish girl behind me who kept muttering "I love you, I love you, I love you" to her boyfriend. I was honestly giddy when I realized I recognized what she was saying. I got a disapproving look from a lady on the British bus tour when she saw how fast I downed my pint. I'm not exactly a fast pint drinker, but when paired against 60 year old British garden party ladies I guess I drink quickly. After the only Irish person in the bar requested the band play Dueling Banjos I decided it was time for me to head out.
The bottom line of Clifden? I wouldn't recommend it without a car. However if you've been kidnapped and taken to Clifden, once you've contacted the authorities I suggest you take a look around. The bay is really spectacular when the sunlight hits it and lets not lie, it's in Western Ireland, one of the most beautiful spots in the world. Here are a few more videos to highlight the experience.
Before OMP protests, I'm aware the wall in this video is not "ancient"
One of the saddest moments of my trip to Ireland
The bus ride home through Connemara made the trip worthwhile. It was like driving through a calendar. I cannot describe the absolutely gorgeous views that we saw. I could have spent two days in a trash dump and that bus ride would have still made the trip worthwhile.
The absolute icing on the cake, however? On the bus ride back to Dublin we stopped randomly on the highway and a Guardai (policeman) boarded the bus. I love when this happens because usually its an immigration check and the Guardai starts cracking jokes about everyone's country of origin, and basically everyone leaves the check in a good mood. This one gets on and shouts "I'm sure you're all wearing seat belts!!!" then proceeds to check and make sure. The chorus of CLICKs that followed got me giggling. After he was done checking he begins to make a speech about the importance of seat belts. By this time I am actively shaking. He goes in for the kill with the statement "In addition to saving your life, seat belts also improve your posture". At this point I audibly laugh and double over trying to keep the laughter in me. He is not pleased, looks at me and says "Do you think seat belts are a laughing matter?". I manage to shake my head before he leaves the bus. How I'm still allowed to stay in the country is beyond me, but that was by far one of my top 5 moments of my entire trip to Ireland.

Final Exam Thoughts

Have you ever taken an exam in the esteemed halls of Taylor and wished that you could be someplace more fitting to take an exam? Say an airplane hanger or an abandoned fairgrounds? Yes? Then you should come to UCD.

I took my LAST EXAM today at RDS Simmonscourt, the other exam taking place. The bus drops you off at this rugby stadium that has an attached airplane-hanger-esque building. Thats where you take your exams...with 3500 other students. Imagine if everyone in the Tri-Co took their exams together. It was ridiculous. 

That being said I am DONE with my academic obligations here. Woohoo! Two weeks to go wild and do whatever I want. 

Random Studying Induced Thoughts

-A ridiculous amount of Irish students have the Footloose Soundtrack on their iTunes

-That being said, I have listened to 'Footloose' a ridiculous amount of times over the past 24 hours

-There is a group of guys who I swear must sit outside and wait for the minute I turn off my light to start playing soccer. This is followed by an hour of "thump...thump...thump...CRASH....thump...thump...." 

-I noticed when I first got here that Ireland doesn't have too many toy stores. I now know it's because give any kid here a soccer ball, or a hurling stick and they're good to go for hours. I will raise my children this way. Ideally with hurling sticks

-Google hurling, there's no way I can describe it.

-All semester there has been an area of the main walk to campus fenced off as they build "something". They finally took the fences down. What did they build? A bench. 

-I have discovered the perfect sandwich. A baguette filled with ham and snap beans. Try it, it will change your life. 

-I've reached the point where I can't even guilt trip myself into studying. This is a bad thing. 

-I have an exam tomorrow at 6...who does that? 6 o clock on a Saturday? 

-24 hours and it will be summer. 

Pain and Joy, all within 3 hours

Mawrtyrs, when you take your self scheduled exams this week I want you to get down on your knees and thank a god of your choosing that you have them. If ANY of you cheat or otherwise break the honor code and put them in jeopardy I will personally punch you in the face. I have seen the horror of scheduled exams, it's not pretty. 

My first exam was today at 9am. Thats fine, I'm not exactly a morning person, but 9am is a legitimate exam taking time. Here's the problem, UCD makes you take them at another site, ie not on campus. So I had to get over to the UCD Blackrock campus, a bucolic site a few miles from here that's only purpose appears to be a place for students to take exams. UCD kindly provided a shuttle bus....but wouldn't start the shuttles until 10am. Thats not going to help me, thanks though. I woke up this morning at 6 to try and cram in some more studying. As I stated before, I am not a morning person and this really was not a good plan. I decided to leave myself an hour to find this place and left the apartment at 7:45. My first obstacle came when the front door of our building, usually unlocked, was locked. To a normal minded person, this wouldn't be a big deal, you would simply turn the doorknob and continue on your way. I stood there in a haze wondering how I would ever get to my exam if I couldn't even leave the building. I really wonder how I've gotten this far in life sometimes. 

I'm glad I allotted an hour, because I got lost numerous times. Finally I found my way to the town of Blackrock, which basically made the town of Bryn Mawr look like a shanty town (I'm completely serious) and onto campus. Next I had to find the building, the place was deserted. It was 8:50 now, 10 minutes until my 9 exam, I'm in panic mode. I finally find a building swarmed in sequins and bad tans...I mean UCD students...and rightly assume it's the exam center. After carefully reading each sign to make sure I'm following the rules correctly (and there are a lot of them) I sit down at my assigned desk to await the exam. The first thing I notice is that the exam booklet is in Gaelic. OH BALLS! Luckily english instructions are written in smaller writing below the large bold Gaelic print. Again, a normal person would make this adjustment easily, however simple tasks are hard for me this early in the morning. The cover of the booklet was probably the hardest part of the exam. It took me roughly 15 minutes to figure out exactly what I needed to write on it. It asked for all sorts of numbers and codes. After the exam was done i asked one of the proctors if I had filled it out right, he gave me a look as if I had asked if the sky was blue. 

The exam itself went pretty well. Once i was situated and my mind in the zone I was good to go. I was still stressed, though, from studying the previous day and waking up early to get to the exam, so I decided a post-exam trip was in order. Anyone who knows me should be able to guess where I decided to go. Thats right, the zoo. Well, sort of. I walked down to the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transport) station to catch the train into town, but right next to the station was Dublin Bay/Irish Sea and it was absolutely stunning. So I hopped on the train and went the other direction towards Bray. Best decision I've made.

At Bray I sat on the beach for awhile. Many parents had taken their children down for a lunchtime outing so the beach was really alive. The favorite activity seemed to be to stand on the waters edge and throw rocks into the sea. Everyone was doing it, kids and adults. There must have been about 30 people just chucking rocks into the water. One kid clearly had some anger issues and started yelling "TAKE THAT SEA! YEA! WHAT NOW! I THREW A ROCK AT YOU!". I stayed away from that kid, I didn't want to risk being behind him when his last string of sanity snapped.

This was my third time to Bray, each time I go I find something new and enjoyable. The first time I went up Bray Head, the second time I discovered that the beach is really peaceful and this time I discovered the cliff walk. Wow, walking along the cliffs it's just you, the cliffs and a 50 foot drop to the ocean. 70 degree weather, sun in the sky, a cool breeze off the water, this is heaven. Growing on the rocks was this plant that had a scent that was a mixture of honey and sunscreen. Normally, repulsive, but absolutely perfect in this setting. Looking down the water was turquoise and crystal clear, almost like the water in the Bahamas. Walking along the cliffs gave the feeling of being either someplace tropical, or Cape Cod...I am fine with either. 

An ice cream cone (with sprinkles! Thats amazing, they don't usually have those here) back in town sealed the day as a success. 

During my first visit to Bray I sat on top of Bray Head and said "So this is what study abroad is about". As I walked along the cliffs today I'd occasionally stop, gaze out on the water and mutter "I can't believe I'm leaving this". I have a feeling the next two and a half weeks will include many return visits to Bray.

Galway, round 2

So I took a fairly spur of the moment trip to Galway to visit my friend Liz. She's leaving in a week and wanted a chance to show me Galway. She's been to Dublin to visit me twice and I chose the weekend she wasn't there to visit Galway the last time. Where our story last let off, my camera was out of batteries so I didn't have any pictures. While the camera is still out of batteries, I realized that we live in the internet age, so I present to you: "Marianna and Liz's Adventures in Galway, as seen though Google images"

Liz and I in front of Galway Bay
Liz feeding the Galway swans
They haven't gotten around to taking down the Christmas decorations yet. As you can see, Liz and I are judging them on this.
We did a little jig in front of Long Walk
I had some quality time with Oscar Wilde
Liz enjoyed the beautiful day
We found some friends, yay, look how happy we are, ahahhaahha. Good times.
We took a bus tour, I was less than pleased.
So we ended the night in a pub with some new friends.
Now I have to study for my two final exams. ick.

Had a great time visiting Liz. We checked out the aquarium...which was really more of a tank with fish in it that they charged 7 euro to see. I say pass if you're in the area. After a stroll along the bay we went back to her apartment for dinner. For nighttime entertainment she took me to her favorite pub for traditional music. We met a nice young German couple and the fiddlers grandson and his friends, including one that looked eerily identical to Ryan from The Office. I considered paying him money to yell "THIS GUY GROWS HIS OWN BEETS!", but passed. So we enjoyed the stereotypical Irish pub experience, throwing back a pint while singing pub songs. Very fun. Today we walked around town a little before I had to catch the bus back. It's GORGEOUS here today, so the bus ride through the Irish farmland was fantastic. Lots of baby sheep, horses and cows. On to studying.

I Am Not a Trained Monkey!

That's a lie.

I've been yelled at to update my blog. Let me explain something. In order to update, I have to do things. If I come back to the US and re-read my blog and find that it's filled with live updates from the library I'm going to be sorely disappointed. So I'm sorry that it has been almost a week since my last update but I've been busy having that so called "time of my life". 

We do have numerous things to cover, however, so lets get to that.

1. My Mom and Peggy's visit. 

I believe the sole reason my mom came to visit me was so that I would blog about it. I'm embarrassed that it's taken me this long to get to it. Anyway, we've covered the bag of goodies. The week was fairly low key as I was in the beginning stages of one of the most stressful work weeks of my college career (see previous three entries for evidence). Most nights consisted of us going out to eat, and then me collapsing and staring at my old best friend television for a few hours. I would then take a 30 minute shower before heading back to my apartment. What a great child I am. I was so grateful that I even managed to get her sick. On Saturday we were supposed to go on a tour to the Wicklow Mountains. I show up at their hotel and find that my mom is horribly ill with food poisoning. Whoops..apparently the oysters at dinner the previous night were not ok. So I'm given the task of showing Peggy where to pick up the tour bus before heading back to UCD to write my papers. I managed to put her on the completely wrong tour. Whoops. It was a banner day for all. I went back later to take my nightly shower though...I wasn't letting that one slip through the cracks. I also discovered my new favorite show "I'd Do Anything", a reality show where they pick the next Oliver for Oliver!. On Sunday Mom was feeling better enough to go to Tara with Peggy while I continued to write (wow, writing about their visit makes me feel like a horrible child), returning in time for dinner and a shower of course. Then on Monday our friend Rachel came down from Scotland to visit for the day. I met up with the crew in Bray and had a fantastic afternoon. The weather was absolutely beautiful and Bray was gorgeous as always. Afterwards I showed mom and Peggy around UCD and the area a little before they went back to the hotel. No final shower, unfortunately. While the visit might not have turned out as planned, it's always great to see friends and family. It's also always great to have a nice, hot, hotel shower where the water never runs out. 

Second: Where have you been for the past week?

Well on Friday I handed in all of my papers and promptly collapsed onto the sofa in relief. Then hell broke loose. I'm not really sure what happened, but I enjoyed it. I went up to the convenience store with my roommate to buy some beer for an afternoon celebration of success (lies). On our way back to campus someone stopped us and told us that public safety was guarding all of the gates and wasn't letting alcohol in. Apparently they have been preparing all semester for this day or something. So we freak out and decide to "find an alternate entrance". To our surprise, they are guarding every way in. Wow. So we buy a tube of Pringles and a bag of chips so that we can get a bag. I, in a display of paper induced ridiculousness, empty the Pringles into the chips and put a beer in the Pringles tube. Alex, my roommate, just shakes her head at me. I feel cool. We then put the other beers in the bag. We begin to walk in the gates, worried that they'll take our drinks. Long story short they didn't care that we had beer but they were only letting UCD students onto the property so they were just checking ID cards. Ironically, after all that, Alex had forgotten hers and we had to argue our way in. We then enjoyed a lovely day and night of leisure, forgetting any stress that we may have had.

The next day I woke up with a headache and an inexplicable craving for peanut butter. Also a message from my friend in Galway saying that she would be coming that night with another one of our friends. I starred at my messy room and decided that I would just watch some movies until she arrived, love me, love my mess. 

Liz and Lea arrived and for the next two days we marched around Dublin. Wow, they managed to run through my "things to see before leaving Dublin" list in about a day and a half. What should I do now?  We went to the Jameson Whiskey Distillery, which was at the top of my list. Our guide was good, but American, which really added a surreal aspect to the tour. Especially when she'd say things like "well for us Americans" and you'd look around and realize that everyone on the tour is from America...or Canada...so North America. My favorite part of the tour?

in front of diarama of model workers and cats

Tour guide: The distillery had many cats, including Sam* who was the most loved. 

Everyone stares at cat and has the same awkward though

Tour guide: In fact they loved him sooo much....

Tour: No...no....don't say it...

Tour guide: thaaaaat they had him stuffed, there he is!

Tour: ahhhhh.....dammit.

*I was too creeped out by the models to remember the cats real name. I think it was Sam, don't hold me to that.

Then yesterday Lea left for Amsterdam and Liz and I took a short trip to Belfast. I was just about to fall asleep on the bus when we stopped on the highway in the middle of a field. Nothing for miles, just stopped. Hmm, I wonder what's going on. Then a Guarda boarded the bus. Ohhh dear, this might not be good. He then politely demanded to see all of our passports, we were on the Northern Ireland boarder. Luckily I had mine, but I distinctly remembered talking with Liz about whether or not we needed one. We decided better safe than sorry. Always bring your passport, otherwise you're going to be left in the middle of a field on the Northern Ireland boarder. Thats a lie, on the way back I discovered that they just need to see some form of ID, not necessarily a passport. One guy got away with simply saying "I'm Paul, I'm from Holland". 

Belfast was nice. The area around the university was gorgeous with a fantastic botanical garden. I'm not going to lie, there isn't much to do there. We were able to see some of the murals, but you really need to take a taxi or bus tour into the neighborhoods to see the famous ones. Since we were there for such a short time we weren't able to do that. Belfast also had some great architecture, so while a lot of it was really modern and new, occasionally we would run into a fantastic building. I think I need to go back for a second look. I don't have any pictures, however, because my camera ran out of batteries and I was too cheap to pay for more in pounds. I'll steal Liz's pictures at some point.

Bray, always beautiful
Rainbow outside my window, I thought it was nice
I called this game deathball. Basically people stood on opposite sides of the quad and kicked a soccer ball at each other as hard as they could. It got ugly
Jeremy made the mistake of posing for a picture and took a stray deathball to the chest. I honestly thought he had died and was amazed he escaped unharmed
Mary, Alex and Hannah

Marcus and Mmoloki

Mom and me in St Stephen's Green

I should also add that after all of that discussion on where I should go for vacation...I've decided to stay in Ireland. Hahahahahah, I fooled you all into thinking you had a say into my life. Seriously though, I realized I'm going to go home and say "yea, I spent a semester in Ireland" when what I really mean is "I spent a semester in Dublin, the crazy multi-cultural holding cell for the rest of Europe". I want to experience this place, so I'm going to take a week or so and hit up the West Coast. 

Paper Daze: 3

I wasn't going to blog about today, but within the past 2 hours two of the funniest things have happened, so I had to share.

1. I was in the library when I decided to take a break and stretch my legs. Since OMP was bragging about how the library has 7 copies of his book, I figured I would go check it out. I find the call number and head over to the stacks. Standing where his 7 books should be, was a bright pink thick book with the title "SOCIOLOGY OF SEX!!!" in big cartoon letters. I think I might have pulled a muscle trying to contain my laughter. Laughing is not allowed in the library during finals, it's punishable by firing squad. It's on the same plane as putting your card in your mouth

2. Remember how UCD banned fun this week? My friend Jeremy came over with an even greater story than the one I told yesterday. He was outside with some friends playing soccer, technically he wasn't even playing, just watching, when one of those Fun Police came out. Instead of taking their ball, this FP took all of their names and told them that she was going to call their parents. For the record, Jeremy is 21.

Working on my final paper. Nothing puts you to sleep faster than looking in a book and seeing that it starts with the phrase "first we must understand the potato"....ohhh it's going to be a long night.

UPDATE:

God is talkative tonight, and she's calling people out by name. Dan Sheridan needs to come to the front desk IMMEDIATELY. Balls. Someone was also called out for not returning a laptop on time. I want to commit an offense and get called out over the intercom.

Day Long Blog!

After blogging about the library yesterday, I realized that blogging makes studying fun! So today I kept a diary of my effort to write my paper. Here's the first part of the day, I'm on nap/tea time break right now

7:15 am-Alarm goes off....apparently I turn it off
8:15-Alright, lets get going, shower time...so I slept in a little, sue me
8:30-Choosing the right outfit for a day of studying. I choose jeans for their comfort and durability, plus my light blue polo shirt for comfort and breezyness. I will also bring a sweater. I braid my hair and look in the mirror. Ugh, I look like I'm ready to go teach arts and crafts at summer camp.
9:10-Hey, weren't you supposed to be in the library 45 minutes ago? Yea...I pack my bag up. I feel like I'm heading on a weekend trip. 3 thick books, a computer and cords to go with it, granola bars, gum, notebook, pens, wallet, phone...and I throw in my camera for Gina.
9:15-Walk to the library, I think I see someone stealing a bike. He's going at a lock with one of those giant lock cutters. In elementary school they always taught us that if you were going to steal a bike, those were the best tool to use. I think I missed the point of those bike safety lessons. First stop, print and fill out a background check form for work this summer. I'm wondering why all of a sudden the office decided to check us out. Seems shady. I wonder if I had anything to do with it. Probably. I wonder if anyone is going to get caught for anything. I can't wait.
9:30-The fax office is taking forever. PS. I expect to be reimbursed in Frist points for the 1.96 euros that I spent. Thats roughly 78 American dollars...the exchange rate is THAT bad. I know you guys read this.
9:35-I arrive at the library. There's a new sign above the circulation desk: "Please have your ID card ready. For hygiene reasons, do not put it in your mouth".
10:30-I have a paragraph. This is going to be a long day. The girl next to me is on some website that looks like it was made by an ADD stricken 7 year old on a sugar high. Flashing lights and florescent colors. I imagine if she had her sound on it would be beeping and chirping as well. Clearly I can't help but stare at it.
10:45-Thers a cute guy sitting across from me. I noticed him yesterday as well. This could be a distraction.
11:45-I wonder what's happening back in NJ *checks Trenton Times* Gang fight at Princeton!?!?!?!?! Suddenly those background checks are making sense. It was at Wilcox?!?! Wow, something must have been in the Vegetarian Vegetable soup.
12:00-Thinking about the chicken breast in my fridge. Google: How long does it take to cook chicken. Thats something I should know. 30 minutes at 375 apparently. Moving on to talking about the Eucharistic Congress in my paper. I look down at my class notes for that. All I've written is Eucharistic Congress....but I wrote it three times, maybe I meant something by that. I have never been more aware of the fact that I have ADD than I am here.
12:30- I just used the phrase "shining example" Thats a shining example of stupid word choice. Best part about my MacBook? The thesaurus. Thesaurus suggests I use hunky-dory or splendiferous. Well, if you insist. Hold on, I'm going to go thesaurus the word thesaurus...it suggests wordbook. Anyone want to airmail me some Ritilin? I've decided to just use "great example". Thesaurus suggested I use "killer". Maybe this isn't the best feature. I'm starting to refer to the thesaurus as if he were a person. Hey, this is my buddy Thesaurus!
12:50- I should note that I've never seen a more beautiful day in Dublin. Too bad I'm enjoying it through a window
1:20-I've been here for four hours and God hasn't asked me to mind my belongings once. Are you there God? It's me, Marianna.
1:21-I was scolded on my last paper for using "American" spellings, ie the letter Z (organization instead of organisation). My computer is not pleased about having to spell this way. Good boy, computer, you good little patriot you. U-S-A, U-S-A. If i hadn't disabled the little paper clip guy he'd probably be having a stroke by now.
1:50-That "Shining example" (now great example) is still bothering me. I changed it to "prime example". Check back in an hour for the next word choice. and yes, I have written more since that sentence.
2:50-Anyone want a computer? People just leave them lying around here so that people don't take their desks. I'd rather someone take my desk after I've left it for an hour than someone take my computer. Just a thought. I'm tempted to grab the one next to me and sell it for lunch money
3:40-It's almost dinner time...all I can think about is vegetarian vegetable soup. I'm going to be sorely disappointed when I return home and there's none there. It's also not almost dinner time, but thats another story. I can now see a few clouds in the otherwise crystal clear blue sky....that...sort of...makes..me..feel...better? ARGH
4:00-Words I now know the meaning of: Amagam, modicum

4:15: eh, tea-time. As I walked back through my dorm complex I saw a couple kids playing rugby. Out of no where the head of the complex, the Angie Sheets of UCD if you will, grabs the ball and walks away with it laughing. You see they've banned fun here during finals week, no ball playing etc (it's true, we got a note under our door and everything). As they plead with her to give the ball back she chuckles and says "HA! You'll get it back in May. Next time, I pop the ball" and struts away chuckling. I felt like applauding. No one found it nearly as funny as I did though.

Evening in the James Joyce Library

6:30-Well, tea/nap time turned into tea and nap time. What a nap. Hopefully I'll be good to go until midnight tonight. Library not quite as full as it was yesterday, not sure if thats a good thing or a bad thing.
7:45-I have a headache. A kid just ran down the aisle in a panic. Now he's walking back looking content. I don't get this place at all...

7:50-Talking to Chizzle on the new Facebook IM thing (our generation is doomed by the way). We make as many gang fight at Wilcox jokes as we can in 5 minutes before she abandons me to go watch Ellen
8:25-It amazes me that in one month I'll never hear the name de Valera again. Well, I probably will, but not with the frequency that I do here. Eamon de Valera being a major figure in modern Irish history.
8:35-I'm going to go ahead and declare the past two hours the most useless I've ever been. On the plus side....nope, no plus side. Not even some good celebrity gossip. I've literally just sat and starred at a white divider on the desk. Still no word from God. I'm a bit worried, has God given up on me and my belongings? 

8:50-Headline on CNN.com "One word to describe your mom". 200 your mom jokes immediately come to mind.
9:30-GOD! How nice to hear from you! She (God is female in the UCD library, lets avoid a debate here please) informs us that the service desk is closing in 15 minutes. Good to know! Still doesn't care about my belongings.
10:03-heh, the page in one of my books that talks about divorce is 666 (yes, this is a long book)...secret agenda Ireland? I think so.
10:20-We've reached that point...I'm trying to thesaurus curse words. It won't let me. I can dictionary them, but not thesaurus them. I fail to see the logic there. I already know the word, I just want to be more original. Maybe using a longer, more foreign sounding word in order to make the person I'm insulting feel stupid as well. A double winner if you will. But i don't feel like learning another language just for the sake of telling someone to F*** off, so I would prefer to thesaurus it. Why is my life so hard?
11:00-I just got really excited about using the word subsequent...almost proud. Not sure where this fascination with words is coming from. It's looking like I might be closing the library down, no end in sight though. The French girl that is currently colonizing my sofa is going to have to deal, because i haven't had dinner yet so when they kick me out of here I'm turning on the common area lights and making myself some chicken.
12:00-Back at the apartment. I am FEASTING. I went into the kitchen, French girl was already asleep but I grabbed anything I could think of for my midnight paper writing dinner fiesta. Current Meal: Yummy cheese on a crispy baguette, carrots and hummus, hazlenut yogurt and a cup of tea (and a little bowl of strawberry crisp for the rest of the night). DELICIOUS! The end is in sight for this paper. One more to go. That will be done tomorrow though, it should be easier to write.

Update from the library!

It's the last week of classes here at UCD, so all written work is due on Friday. If you thought Bryn Mawr during the final weeks of term was intense, you should be in the library right now. It's almost 9pm and it's packed! Usually all students who don't live on campus (which is about 90%of  them) go home no later than 5. Nope, right now they're all here, frantically typing away, looking terrified. They've done nothing all semester and now must cram everything they can into 2000 words for 90% of their grade. I would laugh at them, if I wasn't doing the same thing.

The UCD library is fairly creepy. It's huge, for one thing, and made entirely of cement. The books are laid out in no particular order (well, I'm sure there is an order, but not one that helps me) and it's lit with bright florescent lights. I sort of feel like I'm in a science fiction movie. It doesn't help that other than the typing of keys it's dead silent in here. No one talks, not even a little muttering to a friend. Every now and then a creepy voice comes on over an intercom and reminds us to "mind our belongings". When that happens everyone, and I mean everyone, stops what they're doing, comes out of their haze and looks around as if God is speaking to us. I'm a little frightened. 

I'll update later with full stories of Mom and Peggy's visit to Ireland! Back to my essays

More Visitors!

My mom and her friend Peggy are visiting this week. That's right, Caroline's gone for 2 days and MORE visitors come! Going abroad is a great way to boost your ego. People write messages to you saying how much they miss you, and everyone tries to come visit. It's great. If you're ever feeling like you're not loved enough, just leave the country for awhile. This could backfire as it could also confirm your biggest fears that you're not actually loved, and then you're stuck in a foreign country. And if people didn't like you back in America...they're probably not going to like you in your new country either...you'll probably need to take a long hard look at yourself and change something. 

Anyway, lets talk more about how I am in fact loved. I got to their hotel yesterday and found them in a quasi-coma. After sitting in the hotel lobby while I waited for them to wake up (ok, so it was for about 5 minutes, but still...), I was presented with a gigantic bag of loot. I had asked my mom to bring over Peanut M&M's and clean socks. What I got was a bunch of M&M's (plain and peanut), peanut butter cups, peanut butter, peanuts (until I saw all of this I didn't realize how much I loved peanuts!), twizzlers, magazines, granola bars, and gum. Wow. But it wasn't done. After going through my bag my mom says "oh right, and we stopped at duty free on the way over, we thought you'd like this" and hands me a bottle of vodka. Just try and tell me you have a cooler mom than me. Come on, I dare you. There is NO way you can top that. Is it sad that when she handed it to me, my first thought was not "PARTY!!!" but rather "Wow, think of how much money I'll save by not having to buy this myself!". Ireland has turned me into a grown up, and I hate it for that. 

We had a low key day yesterday because I have papers to write and they were tired. But I'm sure more shenanigans will soon happen. Look forward to reading about those over the next week!

Today was the last day of classes for the history department (apparently I'm a history major over here...). I'm bothered by the fact that on the last day of classes I wore long sleeves and a jacket and promptly turned the heat on when I returned to my apartment. It definitely doesn't feel like the last day of classes. I now have a week of intense paper writing to do.

It's looking like Croatia is the favorite amongst the fans (and definitely my favorite too), but my mom has thrown the idea of Holland into the mix. Thoughts? Also using a week to travel around Ireland, seeing as I did come to study abroad in Ireland, it might be good if I saw a bit of the rest of the country. Let me know if you're still for Croatia or if you have thoughts on the new options.

Choose Marianna's Next Adventure!

Time for a little audience participation. I got my exam schedule and it appears that I will be finished my exams by May 10th. My trip home isn't until May 23rd, so I'm thinking some more soul searching funtastic traveling needs to be done. So loyal readers, I want some input. Where should I go?

Option 1. Budapest

Pros: My friend, Nadia, from high school, is studying in Germany and says she'll meet me there for a few days. It's supposed to be gorgeous. It's supposed to be cheap. 

Cons: Our schedules make it so that we would only be there together for a day. On a top ten list of things to do in Budapest, going to the Tesco (supermarket) is listed as number 6. 

Option 2. Croatia

Pros: GORGEOUS. Major cocktail party points when I can drop the phrase "well when I was in Croatia...". 

Cons: Flights are a bit more pricey than I would like to pay. This could be a sweeping generalization but I'm not sure how great of an idea it is for to travel alone there. It could be a great idea! But it could also be a bad idea. I don't know...I need to find out more about Croatia. Currently all I know is that Dr. Kovac is from there and 10 years ago this probably wouldn't even be on my options list. 

Option 3. Iceland

Pros: See Croatia

Cons: Not happening. It costs almost as much as a ticket back to America. But I REALLY WANT TO GO!

Option 4. Scandinavia....somewhere

Pros: Pretty. Most people speak English. Gives me a few countries to choose from (I would only choose one) OMP really loves Sweden, I should probably check it out. Volvos. 

Cons: A Google image search of "Helsinki, Spring" brings up not one, but four pictures of a snow covered city. I hear it's pretty expensive

Option 5. Paris

Pros: Paris in the spring..ooo lala. Crepes.

Cons: Well...it's in France. I have a history with France...and it's not a good one. Also I've been there and I was really hoping to go someplace new. 

Option 6. Other-leave suggestions in the comments

Pros: Pretty, fun, safe,
cheap

Cons: Ryanair/Aer Lingus might not fly there...

I've added a poll to the side of this page. Choose your answer. If I pick your answer I'll send you a postca.....no, no I won't. Thats a lie. 

If thats not enough fun for you, leave a comment telling me why you chose the destination that you did. We're not going on popular vote alone. If that was the case someone like Meagan could screw me over and vote "Other" 31 times and end up sending me to St Petersburg. (see, when you comment on my blog you might just get a shoutout as well!)

It's just like a choose your own adventure novel, so have fun! And don't choose wrong or you might end up falling into an endless pit or something.

The Return of Caroline

8:00 PM-Some friends and I decide that starring out the window at the rain, while fascinating, was getting old. Time for cards!

9:00-After a few rounds of spoons and other lame card games, a feisty round of slap jack gets everyone fired up.

9:45-We are in full on competition mode, starring each other down, slapping the jacks with such force that I know someone is going to get hurt.

10:00-I realize my sister was supposed to return tonight, wonder aloud about that while starring down a friend...maybe it will distract him and I can sneak in on the next jack. My friend calls me a horrible person for not knowing where my sister is...neither of us win that round. I get my phone out of my bedroom in case she calls.

10:15-We switch to kent. For those of you unfamiliar with the game, you pair up and work out a secret signal with your partner. Once one of you gets four of a kind you do your signal and your partner yells "WE WIN!" (actually they're supposed to call kent apparently, we liked WE WIN better). My signal? "Hey, I wonder where the hell my sister is". If the other team catches you on your signal then they call you out on it and they win.

10:30-Screaming match has ensued over whether or not my partner yelled WE WIN before my friend called her out on it. My adrenaline level is reaching new highs.

11:00-The game reaches a level of competition only seem amongst world class athletes. Caroline calls to say she had reached Dublin and was on the bus. Our conversation

Marianna: *far too excited from game* HELLO!  WHATS THE DEAL!

Caroline: I'm on the bus

Marianna: Great, gotta go

Caroline: *bad connection mumbling*

Marianna: What?

Caroline: *bad connection*

Marianna: I can't hear a word your saying but don't worry I'll be around, gotta go.

Kent was calling

11:45-Caroline's not back yet....a bit worried by that. Unfortunately we've just been called cheaters and thats a personal offense so I have to defend my honor.

12:00-I see Caroline walk by our window. In the middle of a heated match so I'll wait for her to knock on the door. She knocks, still in the middle of a match, this is one of those situations I'm going to regret later. Luckily the other team snags a Cinderella victory and I can run to the door. She's tired and cranky. I make her toast and tell her she can use my bed. The concessions I make in order to quickly return to my card game.

12:05-The card game has been put on temporary hold, so I catch up with Caroline about London. Sounds like a good trip, she saw lots of people. 

12:30-A few more hands pass, but the intensity just isn't there anymore, I'm falling asleep, time to close up shop.

1:00-I make myself a little bed on my floor using my duvet and a sheet. Its the same bed Caroline used all last week, she always made it look comfortable. Eh.

2:30-I finally get to sleep, I enter a crazy dream in which Melinda from American Idol, Nancy Reagan and I all appear on the Maury show to discuss the dangers of Facebook. 

3:30-I wake up panicked that Caroline missed her plane. 

3:45-6-More crazy dreams, unaware of how many involve Nancy Reagan. 

6-Wake up panicked again. Discover that Caroline is making funny noises in her sleep. Have a good giggle about that. Included in them "oooo" "grrrr" "ugh...well then". 

6:44-Jump up completely convinced that this time we've overslept, just in time for the 6:45 alarm to go off. Caroline springs into action, I spring into my bed the minute she gets up.

6:55-Caroline leaves, I head back to bed. Crazy dreams begin again in which I am a guest at the Grammy's and am apparently a big deal but no one will tell me why and they won't let me sit down until I figure out why I'm supposed to be there. 

11:40-Decide it's time to get up and get my day going. Hope Caroline made it to her plane on time. 

Rain, Rain, Go Away

It has rained ALL DAY. 

I shouldn't be too surprised. Very few days go by here that it doesn't rain, but usually it's a sporadic thing. Take yesterday for example. I woke up at around 7 and it was snowing. Hard. Lots of snow falling. It hasn't snowed here at all. From what I hear it rarely snows. The snow wasn't sticking, but big thick flakes were tumbling down. I went back to bed, as I didn't have class and couldn't think of any good reason to be awake so early when it was so cold. When I woke up again 2 hours later there was bright sunshine. Crystal clear blue skies, sun shining. When I went outside it was a nice temperature that only required a sweatshirt. Hahaha...ohhh Ireland. I e-mailed my mom and told her that it would probably be hailing by lunch. It was. Lunch time exactly, skies opened up, heavy rain, hail. Followed by a sudden stop, return to bright skies. It blew my mind, and it was only lunchtime. A few hours later I witnessed a phenomenon that I have waited my entire life to see. I was able to locate the exact start of a rain cloud. As I walked back from the park it was raining on one side of the road, crystal clear on the other. This of course means RAINBOW, which is always exciting. 

So this is why I am so fascinated by the fact that it has been raining, heavily, all day. We didn't have any periods of slight rain or dreariness. Instead heavy rain, constantly falling. 

Is this a boring entry? Probably. But I assure you, it's been blowing my mind all day. To the point where I haven't been able to research and write my papers. 

Living With Caroline: Part II

I'm trying to convince Caroline to do a guest entry. One of my biggest regrets when Old Man Pete came to visit was that I didn't have him do a guest entry, so I'm not letting the opportunity get away this time. Until I crack her, here's a quick update.

Saturday night brought the Caroline in Dublin reunion tour. Caroline had spent a year in Dublin five years ago, and was anxious to return to some of her favorite haunts. She listed off names of her favorite clubs, pubs and bars and I secretly Googled them to make sure they were still around. Hey, I wasn't going on a pub crawl and finding that  O'Whatevers had turned into a Centra (the Wawa-esque convenience store that I mentioned earlier). They were, so we set off. Our first stop was The Barge, which Caroline described as a great place to dance. Well it would be...if they had music. Apparently Thursday is dancing night. Oh well, they still had beverages. It was still a very nice hang out bar. We continued on to Portobellos, which she warned would have a "knacker" crowd as she described them.  Lets just say I saw a woman with a mullet...and her hair was down to her waist. Think about it. Plus side, alcohol here got cheaper as the night went on. I didn't question it, all I know is that by the end of the night I was paying 4.50 for vodka and lemonade, when anywhere else in the city I would be paying at least 7. I made a mental note to return. This bar also brought my favorite interaction with a Dublin guy

Dublin Guy: So you guys are friends?

Caroline: Sisters

Dublin Guy: *pause* Biological?

heh. 

After our interaction with Dublin Guy, Caroline turned to me and said "lets go get some food". I'm game! So we went across the street to her favorite late night food joint. Which used to be called something else, but was now a kebab place. This didn't faze her. We looked at a menu and she decided that we HAD to have the garlic cheese fries. Those are three things that I'm pretty sure my sister hates. Whatever. So we get them, and it's garlic mayonnaise and shredded cheese on top of fries. Disgusting enough. Then Caroline comes over with packets of vinegar, ketchup and salt to pour over them. Wow. My stomach is in pain just thinking about it. In Caroline's defense I was rooting her on. It seemed like a good idea at the time. We scarfed those down in record time and decreed that they were "Perfect" even though we both knew full well that they were not. 

Sunday continued the eating adventure with a trip to O'Neils for a carvery lunch. A carvery lunch is basically a base of meat, and then tons of sides that you can pick. It led to this humorous exchange while waiting in line for food. 

Me: Hey, what are those

Caroline: Where

Me: Between the potatoes and the mashed potatoes

Caroline: More potatoes

ohhhh Ireland.

We watched a soccer match while eating our delicious grub, and planned to leave at halftime. Halftime came, however, and it was snowing. Well, as much as it can snow in Dublin, which isn't much. But the fact that it was cold enough for snow to form led to us deciding to stay and watch the second half. Plus it was snowing in the game as well, and that was just hysterical. While it was just raining once the match ended, we still wern't in the mood to stick around so we went back to my apartment and watched movies. nice.

On Monday, Caroline walked 11 miles. Here's how that happened

I went to class like a good person. When I came back the two of us walked into the city together. This is the first 2 or 3 miles of Carolines 11 miles. We stopped by her old apartment which really just made me hate her. See, my apartment is student housing on campus. It's.....crap. Caroline's former apartment is in a gated community of row homes. There are freshly mowed lawns and flowers everywhere. I felt nothing but anger the minute we stepped onto the grounds. I hate her. Did I mention she walked 11 miles, because she did...she'll probably tell you next time you see her.

We continued into the city for some exploration. I just asked Caroline what exactly we did because I couldn't remember, and truthfully I was bored just listening to her recap our day. Basically we walked. It was nice. We stopped for some lunch, it was good. We bonded. But then I had to get back to school for my second class. I took the bus because I'm not crazy like Caroline...who walked 11 miles. I'm not exactly sure what Caroline did in the city after I left, but when she came back she had food! So I let her in. She then collapsed on my bed...you get tired when you walk 11 miles. 

On Tuesday Caroline went down to Bray and Dun Laoghaire. I went to class. Everyone else gets to skip class when friends and family come, but my sister makes me go to each one. If Caroline would write a guest entry, then you would be able to hear about how great Bray and Dun Laoghaire were. Unfortunately all I can tell you about are classes. Which were good. We discussed "A Love Divided" a hokey drama that we had to watch about Catholic and Protestant intermarriage. When we both got back from our days, we headed out to town for happy hour and dinner. Caroline took me to her favorite happy hour joint which offered 2 for 1 drinks from 5-10. It was 4:50 when we got there. I made Caroline walk to the end of the street and back because "It's never good to be the first at happy hour". While we were still the first, much to my dismay, at least we didn't sit there awkwardly refusing to order until 5, like she planned to do. After drinks we went to Wagamama, which is a noodle house chain. If you're in the UK/Ireland area (or Boston apparently) I highly suggest hitting one of these up. Massive amounts of delicious food. After dinner we had a fight about where the nearest bus stop was. Turns out we were both thinking of the same stop, but using different terminology. I said it was at the bottom of Grafton St. She said it was at the top of Grafton St. Turns out we have different definitions of "top". Hers is at the bottom of a hill, whereas mine is at the TOP of a hill. 

The night ended with us hanging out at school at a birthday party for one of my friends. 

Today she made me go to class again. She mysteriously disappeared into the city and did stuff. She has not yet officially calculated the amount of miles she walked, so I'm sorry but you'll have to wait for the final number. She came back just in time to make me and my roommates dinner! Perfect timing. She's getting packed up for her trip to London tomorrow. She'll be making a brief reappearance Saturday night before heading back to the states on Sunday. 

Official number is in. Caroline walked over 8 miles today. Making her total 24+ miles. Make sure you congratulate her next time you see her, this is sure to be one of her talking points for the next month. It should be noted, however, that she is currently standing next to my heater desperately trying to aid her stiff legs. What a weakling. I'm going to go eat some cookies now in celebration.