*BNR* is *Blog Name Removed*

Posted 11:42 PM by Todd

Oh my God, guess what?! I finally finished the IRISH UPDATE! Hooray! Let's get right to it! What follows is the running journal I wrote while on the trip. Enjoy my trip to Ireland!

03/10/04 1455 EST

Well, here we go! I'm sitting at Cleveland Hopkins Airport. Nickelback is playing at the Great Lakes Brewing Co. across the way.

So far today… Well, first let's just start with yesterday.

I got off work late because (nurse's name removed) (<- stupid bitch) decided to hold her patient until the last minute. On the way home I stopped and picked up Lyndz's shoes and curling iron from her parent's place, then I stopped over and said "bye" to the bros. I also dropped off my itinerary with my mom. I was pretty pissed because my dad was insistent on picking me up four hours early to go to the airport. Yuck, but oh well.

I came home, did some laundry, organized my DVDs, and packed. I also ate some frozen pizza and eventually fell asleep on the couch while watching Beverly Hills Cop 3. My dad got here at noon and got to the airport at 12:30. For a 4:30 flight. Terrific.

I wandered around a while and at the opposite side of the airport guess what I found? Air Force One was sitting on the runway! No shit! It was wild, there were two C-130's there along with the President's bird! I took a bunch of pictures and watched it take off.

From there I went to Max and Erma's and got a salad and a beer. I read the paper while I sat there. It was nice. So far, good vacation! Now I'm sitting here waiting for the first of my many planes.

Oh! I forgot!

The security area was empty! I walked right up and aside for forgetting to take my watch off it was totally smooth! Well, I had to take my boots off, but otherwise it was cake. They even hand-searched my film bag like I asked so the x-rays didn't toast them. How nice!

I still need to exchange currency, but I think I'll do that in Chi-town.

Hot damn American has some hot stewardesses!

(Sometime later…)

I used to like flying; I don't know what changed? Maybe it's the damn heat in these stupid airports!

I'm at O'Hare now, and so far I HATE this airport! I had to take a damn train to switch terminals, then go through security all over again (much worse this time). Then when I got to my gate I realized there was no food court in this area! So I had to go out and get food, then go through security all over again! Yuck.

After I finally got on the American Airlines flight, I fell asleep before we even started taxiing. I woke up somewhere over Indiana. I still have a headache even though I took some Tylenol. Damn. Why am I so stressed? I used to love traveling! Yuck.

Neither of my books are any good either.

And it's still ridiculously hot.

(Sometime later…)

I'm currently on an Airbus 330-300 rocketing over 600mph over the Atlantic Ocean. Wait, 600mph seems awful fast, maybe I misheard the pilot. Oh well.

The second I got on this Aer Lingus flight I felt MUCH better. I have an aisle seat, well shit, let's just draw this out:

I'm here -----|
X X | | X X X X | | X X
.................|
.................|
Sitting here is this terrific Irish woman. She makes me feel sophisticated just by her sitting next to me!

Not only did I have two glasses of white wine (not bad by the way) but they served us dinner in these ridiculously tiny paper trays, and it was really really good! I had the beef dinner.

Frankly, after that stewardess shoved her breasts in my face (twice!) I would've eaten anything :)

My headset jack is all messed up and I'm picking up a ton of static. That's okay though, "Cheaper by the Dozen" isn't that funny.

I have no idea what time it is, especially since we're probably somewhere over Nova Scotia at this point. I'm tired, but not enough to fall asleep. That'll probably come later when I'm trying to spend quality time with Lindsey.

I drank (real) tea with dinner and I liked it!

Did I mention the hot Irish stewardess pressed her chest in my face? Twice?

(Sometime later…)

03/11/04 1015 Dublin Time

I'm on an Aircoach bus! I'm in Ireland!

Customs was ridiculously simple. I expected a lot more then "Business or Holiday?"

I finally fell asleep on the plane and I got a few hours of sleep. I was starting to get uncomfortable, so I'm glad I did.

Lyndz is supposed to meet me at the stop, so I hope I look presentable.

Okay, enough writing, I've got a new country to see!

Oh, one more thing. As I was boarding the "coach" one of these ridiculous pieces of monopoly money, I mean Euro, went blowing out of my hands (it's windy). The bus person ran after it and brought it back! How nice!

Ha ha ha! They've got the radio on in the coach and I'm chillin' with 50! What the hell?

03/12/04 0015 Dublin Time

Well, I got dropped off at Trinity College and Lyndz was there waiting. We walked over to her apartment, which was farther away then I thought it was going to be. It really wasn't that big a deal except for the fact that my suitcase was heavy as hell. I took a quick shower and we talked for a bit and slept a little. Basically settled in a bit. After I finally settled in, we went to LemonJelly for Crepes and then Botticelli for gellato. We stopped at a grocery store for a little food shopping and some wine. Our choices were either South America or Chile, and we went with South America. Her whole plan was to watch the Sex and the City episode that evening, but after channel surfing for a while, we found it wasn't on. So instead we sat and had a very long talk with the wine. It was a nice day, but I was definitely tired from traveling so much. I fell asleep rather fast.

03/12/04 1720 Dublin Time

I woke up because my contact fused to my eyeball. Lyndz's apartment was cold by her standards, and yet still ridiculously hot by mine. Anywho, since I was up, I brushed my teeth so I didn't kill her with my morning breath when she woke up.
When we did get out of bed a while later, she made me breakfast (egg in a hole). It was much better then I thought it would be. Plus she made it; I'm a big fan of other people cooking for me. After breakfast we just chilled on the couch and had a nice long talk. We finally got moving and went to lunch at Bagel Haven.

After lunch we took our long walk around Dublin: We saw the City Hall, Dublin Castle, the Teashok's (sp?) house, Trinity College, Merrian Square with the Lumitarium, St. Stephens green, and Grafton Street (a shopping-type district). The Lumitarium was wild; it was a gigantic blowup walk-through art structure. It was all different colored and had trippy music in the background. Lyndz summed it up when she noticed that it totally felt like we were in Fraggle Rock. Now if only we had some Doozers and some of those Doozer sticks...

So, we came home and washed up from our trip. We also had to wring out all her laundry, because her washer was broken and didn't spin the clothes. Consequently all her clothes were sopping wet and we had to wring them out and hang them to dry. After that we decided to go to the Guinness Storehouse and took the long walk over that a ways. On the way there we saw Christ's Church (Church of Ireland). I was really impressed; it stood out for some reason. Anywho, we got to the Storehouse around 6pm and the tours had stopped at 5:30. Damn. So we walked all the way back and got fish and chips! I was really looking forward to those, and they didn't disappoint, but the scales were still on! It wasn't that big a deal, but it did take away from the experience. We stopped over at a Pub right near her place, but we didn't stay very long. We were exhausted from the "day 'o walking" and lounged on the couch for a while all sleepy like. We did get up to pack for our trip, but then we plopped on the couch to watch that Sex and the City episode that she missed yesterday. Then it was sleep time.

03/13/04
Late night

So, we walked to bus stop and waited there for a bit while we ate out breakfast. When the bus pulled up, it was obvious that we were one of the last stops. It was PACKED; there was seriously no seats open. They had to move luggage out of the way to open two seats up for us, and the seats were not next to each other. It really sucked being separated on a bus tour! I wasn't all that happy to be crammed into a bus like that. But then I met Sean, Paul, and Bevin. They were three guys from Australia who had a three year work visa for London and are vacationing in Ireland. Paul started talking to me right away and I got along with them great. More on them later though.

All the roads the bus took seemed like they were just paved. They said it's because of EU funding, and they were all redone within the last five years. It was really nice, but the highways were still only two lanes, and the speed limits were ridiculously slow. Ah well. Our first stop was at this group of Pagan rocks that had a monument of some sort there as well. There was a well there too, and I drank out of it. Onto the next stop!

The Rock of Dunmase is a 12th century castle that sits on some amazing land. It's cool, all these castles were built on hills because that was the best way for defense back in the day. Conveniently, it makes for a terrific view of the countryside.

Oh, Lyndz and I jumped back on the bus quick and got two seats next to each other. The Korean girl sat next to Paul.

So, then we stopped in Abbeyleix to visit Morrissey's. It's the 3rd oldest pub in Ireland. At one time it served as the travel agency, the undertakers, and grocery store. It was a really cool looking old pub. We split a ham and cheese sandwich with and had some tea. Paul and the guys had Guinness.

Then we drove through Tipperary. They showed us the fields where they shot Braveheart. Apparently they shot most of the movie in Ireland. I guess that kind of pissed of the Scots. Ah well, it was neat to see anyway.

Next up was the Rock of Cashel. This one was bigger then Dunmase and it had a family cemetery as well as the original chapel. We walked up the same massive hill that St. Patrick did, so that was cool. They told us the legend about St Pats driving his staff through someone's foot, but I can't remember it now.

On the way to the hostel we stopped at got food at a grocery store. It was raining and there was a dog just sitting outside the store. He was completely soaked. His tag said that his name was Sam. I felt really bad for Sam so I tried to buy dog food in the store, but they didn't have any. Poor Sam. They did have this vending machine where you could buy bottled water by the liter though. I thought it was really cool, so I bought 5 liters. It was just for novelty sake at the time, but it came in handy at the hostel.

Oh, I also got screwed at this point. See, Lyndz had no contact solution because I used it all when my contact fused to my eyeball earlier. While we were stopped in this town I thought I'd be nice and buy her a new bottle. So, I go into the Pharmacy and buy some. Same exact Renu stuff that we buy in the States right? Guess how much it costs?! 22 Euro! I didn't pay attention and didn't notice it until after we left the store and I had opened the box. Damn. Then Lyndz said she wasn't going to use it and I got pissed. Then she said she would. 22 damn Euro for contact solution!

So then we went to out first Hostel (Sheila's in Cork City). Lyndz set it up so we had a private room (so nice). We dropped our gear off then headed out to get some dinner. We ended up going to a Chinese restaurant! It was so weird; it was like something out of The Twilight Zone. The Chinese people who worked there looked like they just got off the plane from China, yet they spoke perfect English with an Irish accent! They sounded like they had lived in Ireland for generations! So odd.

Because we were staying the hostel we got discounted drinks at one of the local pubs (The Shelborne) so everyone from the tour went there after dinner. We had a blast! I enjoyed a Jameson and Guinness (the bartender wouldn't make me an Irish Car Bomb). I also had good a couple Harps and a Budweiser too! Lyndz did a shot of Tequila and some Jameson on the rocks. I was very impressed. By the end of the night I was singing Guns N Roses (November Rain) and Bon Jovi (Livin' on a Prayer) with the guys. It was such a good time.

When we left (we closed down the bar), and on the way to the Hostel, we found a pizza place. I had to stop, so we got a pepperoni and headed back. We ended up eating the pizza in the lobby before going up to bed.

03/14/04

In the morning I brushed my teeth with the bottled water and spitting it out our little window. I also spit my mouthwash out there. Hey, the three girls from Jersey took up the bathroom and I was lazy. Anywho, I got some pictures of Cork from that window too.

We had breakfast in common-area type kitchen. I had strong tea, coffee, and toast. I didn't have a taste for cereal or anything like that. In hindsight I think I can see why! :)

Off we went to Blarney castle. The grounds looked really nice, especially the river! It had been raining ever since I got to Ireland, so the river was really swollen and super fast! Anywho, we made our way up to the castle and climbed the steps to kiss stone. The steps were crazy steep; there was a rope to help pull yourself up! Even I was a little nervous; it was narrow and slippery and hard to climb! It was fun though, and at the top we kissed the Blarney stone!

Then we went around and toured the property. At one point I went into a dungeon and farted. I really had to let one go, and it seemed most appropriate to torture other tourists by doing it in the dungeon. We also went to the wishing steps and did the obligatory walk down backwards (and my wish came true!) We were supposed to meet the bus after this, but no one was there yet, so we went shopping for souvenirs. When we got back on the bus we were some of the last ones on. Richie was the last though, poor Richard.

Next was Killarney National Park. We took a very cold tour with George the horse.

We had lunch at The Granary (I had Irish stew). Lunch itself was uneventful, but afterwards we couldn't find Sean. Mike and Tom (our tour guides) were pissed because he was so late. We almost left without him. Sean did eventually make it back to the bus (he was in a pub), and we went to the Torc waterfall. We had to hike down to get to the falls, but that was fun. I got some great nature shots, but I didn't go swimming in the falls because it was freezing cold. I had planned on doing so, and was wearing my trunks underneath my jeans! Let me tell you, there's nothing more uncomfortable then sitting in a hot bus for hours at a time wearing a bathing suit as underwear. Uck.

We stopped at a very old holy well and had a drink, then drove down to Torbert for a ferry ride across the River Shannon. On the way across we saw dolphins out in the river! Chris (our ever so friendly engineering graduate student) said it's because of the tides. Sean, Paul, and Bevin each drank a bottle of wine while we were on the boat. We were only on the boat for 20 minutes. Bevin later said he didn't remember anything after this point.

We drove for a long while, then made a quick stop at the cliffs of Moher. It was dark though, so we couldn't really see anything. From there it was a quick jump to Doolin village where we arrived at the appropriately named "Doolin Hostel". There was a snafu regarding our private room at this one, and we almost had to share a room with other people (Debby and Scott from London offered to share their room with us), but they arranged something for us and we got a big room all to ourselves! We had a private bath and everything! That was very nice.

We had dinner at the local pub (Gus O'Connor's). They had local musicians playing Irish music, and they were really good. I didn't have Guinness at dinner, just wasn't in the mood, so I had Harp instead. No singing here, but we had a great time none-the-less. By the end of the night Bevin was unconscious on the table, Sean was trying to join the band, and Paul told me a dozen times that I should go on this London gameshow. We also talked to Debby and Scott for a while about their travels. They were very nice. There was also this obnoxious couple from Chicago; thankfully they weren't on our bus trip. We left before the bar closed and enjoyed the short walk back to the hostel. There was almost nothing in this town besides the Hostel and the pub. It was so dark there; you could see every star in the sky! It was really amazing.

03/15/04
Breakfast was the same as yesterday, except this time there was a cat sitting outside the kitchen window and it looked miserable. I pet it a little and it seemed affectionate, so I tried to bring it inside so it could dry off a bit. Seems the cat didn't want to come inside, and its claws made short work of my arms. Ouch. I found out later that they keep cat food in the kitchen fridge because it comes around to beg all the time. Stupid cat.

We went to the cliffs again this morning, and it was really cold and REALLY windy. Seriously, like gale force winds. While Lyndz was getting pushed around by the winds, I was running around with my jacket open saying "I'm Batman!" Good times. After the cliffs we saw The Burren. It was a bunch of naturally exposed Limestone, but it was really cool looking. I took a small piece of stone as a souvenir. I also took some cool pictures, especially the one of me looks like an album cover.

We had lunch at Galway (The King's Head) and walked around that city a while. We also got lost and had to go back to the pub to find our mates so we could find the bus. We separated from some of the group here, some of them went up to see Northern Ireland, but we only signed up for the short tour. I really would've liked to stay on, but we didn't have the time.

So, we stayed in the same bus as before and made our way back to Dublin. We took multiple stops for fuel, snacks, bathroom stops, and of course alcohol for the guys. We didn't end up seeing the whiskey distillery because we were running late, that kind of sucked. We did end up stopping in a place called Brownes for a pint and some chips though.

On the last part of the drive back into Dublin, Sean passed out on the aisle of the bus. It seemed very appropriate.

When we made it through the traffic it was off to Lyndz's apartment for a good shower and some unpacking. We had dinner at Zatoons (shi-ka-bobs), then went back to her place. We went to a pub for some drinks and ended up having a really long talk. It continued as we walked over to and sat by the river. Eventually we were both freezing and went back to her place around 3am.

3/17/04 1432 Dublin Time

Damn! I'm on the airbus 330-300 sitting at Dublin Airport. I made it to the gate just in time, but we'll get to that. Right now I'm focused on the fact that there's no one in the seat next to my left! Let's draw again, shall we?

Me: ----------|
X X | | X X X X | | X X
..........| | |
..........| | Empty!
..........| Empty!
..........|
Some random dude

They said it's going to take 7.5 hours to get to Chicago. I wonder if that's from not having the jet stream help? I've got a terrific cough, but we'll get to that too. I also don't have my big jug of water like I had on the way here, but if that's my worst problem; I'm in good shape.

So yesterday!

We woke up and had a quick breakfast, but we were in a rush, so we ran out quick too. We walked all the way back up to the GUINNESS (in small caps!) storehouse and took a fairly expensive self-guided tour. Turns out we could've done it without paying because it was in fact self-guided. Oh well. We started slow and saw everything, but we skipped the last couple floors because they weren't that interesting and we were in a rush.

Then we went up to the sky bar and had our free pints. They were VERY good, and the place was packed, but it was really neat because they had an Irish band (from Chicago) playing bagpipes and drums. Very sweet.

We were running really low on time, so we literally ran down to the gift shop. I bought a T-shirt (which I'm wearing), two posters, cards, a postcard, and four glasses. (Giving me free beer before I buy stuff is just outright unfair.) Then we ran some more. Literally.

We ran a mile and a half in ten minutes with jackets and a big bag of souvenirs. It was impressive. We arrived very out of breath at her history class in time with a couple minutes to chill before it started. Her teacher was really good. I learned a lot in such a short class, Irish history is amazing. There's so much for hundreds of years, all the way through until now! It's so in depth with this whole north/south thing. Then they had this performance artist come in and he showed up some of his Irish political comedy. It was some funny stuff; he built a visitor center at the border, dressed up like an ancient Roman warrior to find his "Roman Catholic" roots, and interviewed people if they would die for Ireland. He also had a couple more TV shorts.

During a break in the class we went over to this bakery and I got a sandwich wrap for 2 Euro instead of 3. The baker dude was really nice.

After that we took a quick nap because Lyndz was kinda crabby, then we got ready to go out. Lyndz wore her "Sex in the City" shirt. We were running late (in true Irish fashion) so at dinner Lyndz and I only got soup. It was really good spicy lentil soup and bread. We left right quick and walked down to the theater. We got there first and the girls got there shortly thereafter. We saw a play about five sisters, and to be honest, the first half was really boring. I tried to get into it, but it just didn't happen. I was also kinda distracted because I got my gum stuck to my hand. Don't ask. The second half was a lot better, and the dude from Braveheart was excellent. Like I said, not really my kind of play, but it was okay.

After the play Lyndz was exhausted, she's been going non-stop for over a week now. We were both really hungry too, so we stopped and got some dinner around 11:30 at night. We ordered these really big Atlantic muscles that were so good. Lyndz found a little pearl in hers. I was still really hungry so we got coffee and cheesecake. Oh man, the cake was made with whiskey and was coffee flavored. So good! Lyndz had tea to wake herself up a bit. While we were there, this older couple from England sat down next to us. They were in Dublin for the lady's birthday. They were very nice to talk to.

From there we went home and Lyndz changed into this short little skirt that looked so hot. We went to the party unsure of what we were doing before she wanted to go dancing. It sucked though, because all the clubs and pubs were packed with tourists.

Hey my headset works on this flight! Nice. (Same stupid shows though).

So, we stayed at the party. Dan kept giving me beer and Lyndz did a Tequila shot (nice) and drank some Malibu rum. Drinks ran out fast and we didn't bring any with us, so around 2:15 we tried to go out and hit a pub, but they were all closed. Crap. So, back to the party!

Lyndz's friends were awesome; they kept saying how faithful she is and how excited she was for me to come and how hot she looked. (Which coming from other girls was even more hot, but I digress.) I must say, I looked good myself in my light blue shirt and jeans. Hell, I look good now in my Guinness T-shirt with the black dress shirt. Why am I talking about this? Back to the narrative.

Okay, so back at the party: we danced and chatted with other people and screwed with a party across the street. While there I apologized for acting like an ass, and that made Lyndz very happy. We left around 4:30.

We went to sleep when her roommates got back. I woke up at night twice because I couldn't breath. I didn't want to cough loudly because I didn't want to wake everyone up, but at the same time, not being able to breath was not good times. When I woke up this morning I seriously spent ten minutes coughing crap out of my lungs.

She has an awesome showerhead, it's removable but you can slide it back in its holder as a regular showerhead too! Very cool. Wait a minute, my girlfriend whom I never see has one of those removable showerheads? I think I have a problem with this. Not really though.

Anywho, she made breakfast quietly while I got ready and we ate. I still didn’t feel well, still don't actually. We went out around noon to try and watch the parade, but typical Irish; it didn't start until 12:35. After that we grabbed my heavy assed bags and started to the bus stop.

Oh, did I mention there was a St. Patrick's day parade going on in the capital city of Ireland? Yeah.

So we couldn't get anywhere near where I wanted to be, and I dragged my damn stuff all over Dublin. At one point we found a "Crossing Point" in the parade where we were supposed to cross, but the GARDA said no deal. We did see Sean and Bevin there though, so that was cool. They told us that they lost Paul. He smashed their room up and disappeared. Wild guys.

We decided to find a cab (taxi, sorry) and we saw one we could grab right after we crossed the river. It sucked though, we didn't have any time to say goodbye, I just got a quick kiss and the cabby drove off.

Lyndz said the fare would be something outrageous like 30-60 Euro, but it was only 18.50 and it took very little time. The driver was a very nice lady and we chatted on the way. I got to the check in desk at 1315 and I needed to board at 1345. Very close.

Security was very quick, and I was able to shop duty free which was very nice. Then I filled out my customs form and did all that type of thing. I even had a couple minutes to sit down a second and get organized! Perfect timing, but it was an adventure as always.

Right now we're over Greenland; the view is amazing! Hey, I think I totally beat my caffeine addiction. No more headaches! I miss working out a lot. I also miss my dog and my DVD's! All the same, I really, really, really wish I wasn't leaving Ireland. :( Single tear.

Lunch was decent and now I'm watching Something's Got to Give. Okay, seriously, this movie sucks ass. Diane Keaton cannot cry on screen, she's really awful. And this whole IM thing is ridiculous. I know it's totally a chick flick, but it's an awful chick flick.

I've already shopped duty-free once, but I want to buy some more on the plane. No more though, I don't need to spend any more cash.

There's a young baby on this plane. The idea that a family would bring a newborn on a transatlantic flight kind of pisses me off, but not too much. I'm too relaxed to be pissed off.

I just watched Shattered Glass with Hayden Christensen. It’s the story about 24 year-old Stephen Glass and his total lack of journalistic ethics. It was done by Lion's Gate and produced by Tom Cruise. Decent flick.

I've got to say: Aer Lingus is an amazing airline. I have nothing but the highest praise for the entire staff and crew. Seriously, they did a terrific job.

(Some time later...)

We just landed in Chicago and I had to get my baggage and go through customs twice, then security again. O'Hare is a fucking mess; I hate it here. It's a terrible, horrible, dreadful, appalling, intolerable airport. I hate it. Right now I'm at Chicago grill. I ordered a chicken Caesar salad, a water, and a coke. I'm so damn thirsty! I know I'm dehydrated, but this is ridiculous. I think I'll buy a bottle of water and a phone card before we take off.

Well, I didn't buy a phone card. I recharged PennyTalk and called Lyndz that way. Then I had to switch gates. My throat really hurts. I need some green tea really bad. After waiting a long time, we finally boarded. It took forever to take off. I did make a lot of jokes, but by this time I was plain exhausted. Eric met me at the airport; despite the fact that my mom told him my flight was canceled. I specifically called Eric and made plans with him from Chicago so nothing like that would happen, but of course... Ah well, it all worked out. We got some Taco Bell on the way home and he dropped me off. Kitt was so excited to see me, so after I played with her a bit I fell asleep.

(A couple days later)

I had to work the next day so I slept as much as I could. I was really sick though. That whole "not being able to breath" thing turned out to be pneumonia. I went to the doc and got some antibiotics, and it took over a week to beat. Oh well, it was totally worth it.

Before I finish this off, there are a few things I forgot to mention. I'll just toss them out as they come, how's that?

I left Lyndz with five rolls of my extra film; I used something like eight and a half myself. I hope they turn out nicely. (They totally did, I made a nice album that I've been showing to everyone).

There's a statue of Handel outside Lyndz's apartment. It's a very naked statue for some reason. She said that it's the spot where he composed The Hallelujah Chorus. Still no explanation as to why they made him so naked.

The sink in Lyndz's apartment has separate hot and cold faucets. It made for an interesting time when you'd try to wash your face.

I didn't send any of my postcards from Ireland. By the time I got them written out and stamped, it would've been way too late. I just hand delivered them when I got home. Why not? They had the Irish stamp on them and everything!

I learned how to properly pour a Guinness on this trip. It's a multi-step process, and now when I order it here in the States, I very rarely see people do it correctly. It's not that hard; it just requires patience. For God's sake people, either do it right or let me back there to do it for you! Also, the Guinness here sucks compared to the fresh stuff over there.

Evidentially in Ireland it's against the law to drive with more then four people in a vehicle without a special license. Also, gas was between 87 and 99 cents A LITER. Consequently, everyone drove tiny little cars. It took some getting used to, but I really enjoyed not seeing SUV's all over the place. I didn't see a single pickup truck either. That really opened my eyes. If you know me, you know I'm not a tree hugger or anything like that, but now I certainly see the excessive waste of gas when I drive on American roads.

There was porn all over Ireland, and I'm not just talking about the bathroom at the party we went to. I mean, they sell it everywhere, and TV is totally uncensored. It seemed silly for me to think about because I thought I had come from a nation based on freedom. Remember that Janet Jackson thing? Yeah, they think it's hilarious that we made such a big deal over that.

Remember the 7-Up animated guy? He was black and white and had long wavy hair? He's all over the place in Ireland! They love 7-Up!

I got used to talking to people all the time over there. Everyone is so nice! Then I came here and it was back to everyone being crabby. It also sucked because I was used to talk to Lyndz all the time, and now my apartment seems extra quiet.

Well, that's it! Seriously, this trip was perfect. I saw amazing sights, learned terrific history, spent time with my amazing girlfriend, relaxed quite a bit, kicked a pretty intense caffeine addiction, and realized quite a bit about myself that I didn't know before.

And I drank Guinness in Ireland. :)