Hi
Maggie has another great post over @ our vox blog. magster.vox.com. It’s about a great weekend of music, camping, friends, and cooking out. Check it out, if you want.
hi
Well, don’t I feel smug. I’m sitting @ my closest Starbucks, & I have my touch with me. I am blogging from Starbucks on an iPod touch, drinking a vivannao. Can I get much more hip? No, didn’t think so . . .
Works well, though we had connection difficulties in the beginning. On the second try , success! So now I can blog from Starbucks, McDonalds, Barnes & Noble and where ever I can connect.
I love technology, when it works-
Seeing something on TV in not the same as being there. “Well, now I’ve been to Alaska, and Ireland, and haven’t left home”. A statement from a friend @ work yesterday, after he watched the 10 minute slideshow/movie that I put together from our media taken on our trip to Ireland. His wife got back from a trip to Alaska a couple weeks ago, which he declined to take. So, he has seen her media, and ours, and thinks himself well traveled.
That’s kind of like saying you had a steak by looking @ an advertisement. Or more to the point, that you had sex by watching an adult film. . .
Not the same. . . .
I know that travel can be difficult, and sometimes going to another country can be a challenge, but, it is an experience that is life changing. Watching someone else’s memories is polite, but isn’t going to give you the same rush as coming over the hill and seeing a 12th century abbey that you have had on your laptop, phone, and ipod as a desktop, since January.
As the cruise commercials say, “get out there!”. . . or Nike- “Just do it”.
I’m sorry, I want more to my life than a photo of a steak.
Hi
I have been trying to get the time to continue to post about our trip to Ireland. However, life gets in the way constantly.
So, if you want a much better reading experience of our trip, go to magster.vox.com for the best posts. Maggie has been doing her usual wonderful job of sharing her thoughts, this time on our tour. Go there for the indepth read of our Ireland adventure.
I’ll try to get caught up, but she really does a better job.
Thanks
Hi
Boy, where do I begin?
How are you all doing? We are starting to get back in the swing of things here in the midwest. Not really knowing what time it is, or where I am, this is a bit of a challenge.
Oh, if you want the in depth, semi professional blog experience, then you need to go to magster.vox.com. If you are here for my ramblings, good for you.
I shall try and keep this as brief as I can in my scenic road trip manner.
We flew into Dublin last Wednesday morning, around 9 am, Dublin time. We got on the plane around 7pm cst, Tuesday evening, so, in the magic of time zones, we turned a 7 hour flight into a 14 hour adventure. Be honest, which of you is able to sleep for more than 20 minutes @ a time on a plane? Bouncy, noisy, uncomfortable, one is doing well to sleep @ all. Fortunately, when we arrived @ the hotel, our rooms were ready. We tried valiantly to jump out the taxi door, and go tackle the largest city in Ireland, but, fatigue met us when we got out and slapped us in the face. We went to our room and napped for 4 hours. Collapsed would be more accurate. Getting up after a couple hours, we headed out on to the streets. Ok, the sidewalk. 
We both had our maps, so we kinda had an idea where to go. We had set up with our friends that we would be in front of a B&B around 6 dublin time, noon cst, and they would see us on a traffic webcam. We got there in short order, and to my horror, since I have been watching this camera for a month to test it, the camera wasn’t pointing @ the B&B. We hung around for a while, and then figured that nobody was watching or care. Later, we found out that several friends did see us! Way cool. They saw us standing on a street corner in Ireland. Evidently, the camera that was pointed @ us, was not visible, or, a small, unobtrusive camera. Anyway, we were seen in the midwest, while being in Dublin.
After an hour or two, we wandered back to O’shea’s, the B&B for dinner. Ah, our first experience with bad Irish food. A nice interior, that was what one thinks of with an Irish pub. However, dinner was not even mediocre. Oh well.
Thursday, we wandered around town again. We went back to Temple Bar again. It’s an area downtown that is way cool and hip. Old shoppes, tiny streets, cool things. 
Breakfast was much better than dinner the night before. A neat little restaurant with a hip feel. But not too hip. After breakfast, we headed in the general direction of the Dublin Castle. A building that was started around 900 ad. Whew. We wandered around the outside, but, the tours were booked up for the rest of the day, so, we caught a taxi to the Guinness brewery. Our taxi driver’s name was Patrick O’brien. Seriously. And what a nice man. Pleasant, easy going, and good @ what he did. We had a wonderful 10 minute tour of the area we were in. One of the nicest persons we met in Ireland, or, one of the most outgoing people.
Anyway, one has to go to the Guinness plant, whether or not one drinks it. It’s kind of like going to San Francisco, and not going to Fishermans wharf. The plant isn’t actually a plant, it’s a mini museum of stout. 7 stories tall, with a 360* view of the city. We finished the tour, had our pint, and then back to the hotel. We were about to meet our tour group.
The tour actually started @ 3 pm Dublin time. We came in a day early to start the adjustment to euro time. Some of our tour members were picked up @ the airport, and brought to the hotel to drop off their luggage, pee, and then back on the bus to head out to see the city. Or, actually, nap on the bus. The did not come in a day early to adjust to a time zone 6 zones ahead of some of them.
We went around the city, and, stopped @ Trinity college, to see the book of Kells. It’s a book of the gospels that was one of the few that wasn’t destroyed in the ‘my god is bigger than yours’ wars. It was found in a peat bog, after around 800 years. Way cool. It’s those decorative fancy starts to chapters drawings.
All around the town, and then back to the hotel for drinks and dinner. Met some of our team mates, and then on to bed for the next day. Out to the country.
More later. . .
hi
They finally updated WordPress so I can text blog from my iPod touch .
I will try to use this to update our trip to Ireland.
Hi
we’re celebrating our independence today. It’s a metaphor, of sorts, since we are dependent on other countries for oil, which makes us a second rate county with no power.
But that’s another post.
Today we are enjoying summers pleasures of sun, food, friends, fun, and life in general in the usa.
The company I work for is directly across the river in town from the launch site for the fireworks. Can’t have a better seat. We bring a dish to pass, guitars, friends, and an anticipation for the later festivities. Things blow up directly over us, in wonderful colors and sounds.
A good way to celebrate and start a vacation.
Morning
today is my last work day ’til the 21st of July. So, accordingly, it’s the longest day of the year. S L O W L Y go the hours, passing like a glacier moving down from the arctic.
So, we will try and not think about it, and stay busy. Try . Starting today @ 4ish cst, I will be thinking about fireworks, friends, fun, and Ireland. Hope my sanity stays with me for the day.
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