Overwhelmed.

Yikes, so we've been here for an amazing two days. So far, we've seen the Cliffs of Moher, Galway Bay, Dublin City, Trinity College and the Book of Kells, the Dublin Writers Museum (I was on my own for that one haha) and this really really cool literary pub crawl.

My laptop crapped out, so I'm actually writing this at an internet cafe in Dublin, which is, by the way, the coolest city on the face of the planet. I'm really considering going here for grad school. My professor says I'll like Cork even better, though, so we'll just have to wait and see. The writers museum made me reconsider going to grad school for Victorian English Lit, and just switch to Irish literature; it has a really rich and interesting history. Yikes. The only problem is that I've already bought like a hundred sixty four books to read this summer from the Victorian period... oh well I suppose I have considerable time anyway.

Things are going super well, though. We haven't gotten into any fatal car wrecks or even lost yet! Driving on the left side of the road, though, seems to be a bit more difficult than either of us anticipated. It's difficult to be a passenger, let alone a driver.

Yeah, but other than those difficulties, the country is beautiful. The West Coast was breathtaking, especially at the cliffs. (There will be pictures, no worries.)

Well, hopefully I'll be able to update this again soon, but being as though we're headed to our bed and breakfast at Cashel tomorrow, I doubt there will be any internet cafes handy. Maybe in Cork though. We'll see.

Okay, miss everyone!

The Directions

After several days of playing phone tag with my cousin I finally catch her online and we discuss her progress on the directions. Please be forewarned this is not a dramatization of a conversation this is the real deal.

::IM conversation with my cousin::

cuz: So I'm getting the directions right now. What's a good site do you think?
me: lol
me: isn't that part of the duties to find the best site?
cuz: grrrr
cuz: mapquest?
me: nope, I just had it too. Let me look again
me: www.theaa.com
cuz: This is stupid.
cuz: Don't you already have directions?
me: what?!
cuz: lol
me: have you been drinking?
cuz: I feel like I'm wasting my time trying to prove something.
cuz: No I have not been drinking.
me: how about this... I don't have directions
cuz: Are you sure?
me: yes
cuz: Because I don't mind getting them if it's not for nothing.
cuz: lol
cuz: okay then
cuz: Ugh this is really hard!
me: lol, we can walk through it tomorrow once you have the information.
cuz: The Cliffs are situated in North-West Clare between the villages of Liscannor and Doolin. Distance in kilometers from: Shannon Airport 59
me: ok
cuz: The Cliffs are situated in North-West Clare between the villages of Liscannor and Doolin.
cuz: but no directions
cuz: hmmm
me: really?
cuz: It says we should take a bus from Galway
cuz: want me to get directions to galway then?
me: are you using the website that I gave you?
cuz: No, it didn't work because it doesn't go to landmarks
cuz: just addresses
cuz: whatever I'll keep searching
me: hmm, I just put in the cliffs and shannon airport and got directions
me: did you go back to the website?
cuz: no! it wouldn't work. whatever.
me: did you put in Shannon in the From location and Cliffs of Moher in the to location?
cuz: yes
cuz: oh well
Me: no, no
cuz: will try again
me: don't forget to select Ireland as the country you want directions for... it defaults to the UK
me: actually it defaults to GB
me: how are you doing?
cuz: i'm annoyed.
me: you are on www.theaa.com?
cuz: Okay I got the directions (first set) but I don't have a printer.
cuz: I'll just save the links and send them all to you

::At this point we discuss the logistics of getting the directions printed out but just one last goody toward the end of the conversation I had to share…::

cuz: Don't make fun of me on the blog

Are you kidding me?! This is classic blog material, how could I not share this conversation with our audience?

I'm Seeing Green

With each passing day my excitement level increases about going to Ireland. It took me several hours to settle down this morning and get some actual work done. I can say that the medium iced latte lite from Dunkin Donuts didn’t help with the focus; I was definitely zipping from the caffeine (note: I very rarely drink coffee).

I need to give credit to a great podcast that I have been listening to for the trip to Ireland. The podcasts can be found at http://www.irishfireside.com/, the two guys that produce the podcast along with a companion website do a great job providing fun and valuable information for their listener base. The podcast is usually broken down into three sections; informational discussion about a few Ireland destinations, a description of a traditional Irish recipe (full recipe can be found on the website), and a traditional Irish song is sung to close out the podcast. I have communicated with the two authors of this podcast and they are very passionate about creating good content and sharing their love for Ireland with their audience. I have collected a lot of great tips for the Ireland trip from listening to the podcast. I definitely recommend this podcast even if you are not going to Ireland, the content is worth a listen.

In some of the previous posts from my dear cousin she has painted me as some micro-managing, overtly oppressive, narrow minded, tyrant of a person. I would like to say that this character attack is quite aggressive and missing my best quality: control freak.

So, just to go on record about the directions and my cousin’s humorous conversational banter in her post. There is no doubt in my mind that I will be getting directions but it is not to undermine her responsibility, it’s to be informed. I have traveled enough to know that the more information you have the better. The last thing that I want to happen is for us to be miserably lost in Ireland and me not having any clue where to go. That is not a good travel companion and quite frankly if I were responsible for directions I would ask my cousin to familiarize herself with the area and destinations. This delegating is working out great – I’m turning over a new leaf!

Well… I haven’t see the directions yet, maybe I should retract that last statement for now.

Lights & Sounds

"Better pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age. " -James Joyce

Tonight, I will get the Ireland directions for the cuz. I am determined not to forget this. My last final is Thursday, but I have no studying for tomorrow, as I have actually NOT procrastinated, so this may be my last chance.

I also have to get my computer fixed (GOOOO Kaminski) so that we can upload all the great pictures we'll surely be taking over there.

I'll steal Leeny's blog style here and plan out the conversation we will surely be having when I call her and tell I've actually fulfilled my responsibilities:

Me: Hey, I got the directions?
Cuz: I knew you would!
Me: Let's not kid ourselves here, you've already gotten them haven't you.
Cuz: Welllll....

It's okay though. It's just her way.
= )
Final time with Professor Jadwiga Smith... who has grown on me...in spite of my best efforts.

I can post pictures! I AM A COMPUTER GENIUS!

Okay, maybe not, but this'll be fun for the trip, huh Fitz?

Give me Friday night apartments with red-faced tears of laughter, jumping up and down, drinking happily ever after.

"He winged away on a wildgoup's chase across the kathartic ocean and made synthetic ink and sensitive paper for his own end out of his wit's waste. " - James Joyce Finnegan's Wake

So I've got one final out of the way, four more to go. Phew. The I can start working on those directions...

Dear Kathy, If you follow through on your feelings that you're reponsible for me, as you put it, in Ireland, I swear that I will call you "mom" in public at every chance I get. Got it?

hahaha. So we're leaving Sunday. This is all happening waaaay faster than I anticipated. All of a sudden my first year of college is over and I'm headed to Ireland. Yikes! I can't wait.

Also, I took my last BritLit test today and am a little sad about that.

Hey and I look like a crackhead in my passport picture. Of course I do. That's the story of my life. Not the crack part, but the horrible pictures. You should see my licenses! I use the plural form there because I have four of them. How, you may ask? Well, I "lose" them for two weeks at a time, buy a new one, and find the old one the next day. Non-refundable, of course. Once again, the story of my life. This is also the reason I have no less than five sticks of deoderant in the ten by ten foot cell they call dorm rooms here. haha. Don't mistake tired for bitter; it's finals week for me.

The Rental

In my search for a rental car I found a great deal at AAA for our week in Ireland. The car is small and a manual, which aren’t issues for me. However, my mother is a bit concerned about me driving a manual during the trip. Here is how the conversation went down…

Mom: “I was talking to a friend at school today who took a vacation to Ireland last year and she said you should rent an automatic.”
Me: “It’s $200 more to rent an automatic, that's ridiculous”
Mom: “I’ll pay the difference”
Me: “Really, there is no sense getting an automatic. I have been driving a manual for 15yrs!”
Mom: “You haven’t been driving on the opposite side of the road and shifting with your left hand”
Me: “I’ll go slow until I get use to it”
Mom: “I worry for your safety and you know you are responsible for your cousin”
Me Thinking: “nice guilt trip move by mom”
Me: “I know I am responsible for her but it is just silly to be paying all that money for a rental car”
Mom: “I’ll be paying the difference”
Me: “Let me check out the prices again”

In researching the price of an automatic for one week in Ireland, the average price was around $390 excluding tax. Time to call my cousin…

Me: “hey”
Cuz: “What’s up”
Me: “We might have a little car problem”
Cuz: “What do you mean, car problem?”

I tell my cousin the conversation that I had with my mother about getting an automatic. She starts laughing hysterically.

Me: “what’s so funny”
Cuz: “that you’re responsible for me”
Me: “well there is a lot of truth in that statement”
Cuz: “what’s the cost of a manual?”
Me: “about $80”
Cuz: “for the week?!”
Me: “Yep”
Cuz: “look; just get the manual shift, save the cash”
Me: “ok, ok”
Cuz: “Hey, my grandmother rented a manual and had no problems getting around!”
Me: “yeah, ok”

----
A couple of quick comments on my cousin’s post yesterday: I was drinking at home, I was slightly intoxicated, and I have no problem delegating navigational duties to her. Of course I will be getting directions, but not to undermine my cousin; it’s just as a backup in case we run into problems.

She's a little bit country, I'm a little bit rock 'n roll

"The artist, like the God of the creation, remains within or behind or beyond or above his handiwork, invisible, refined out of existence, indifferent, paring his fingernails." -James Joyce

I just got off the phone with Kathy. She has done the unthinkable. Pigs are flying through a frozen Hell. Everything I've ever thought is shattered. What did she do, you may ask? No, she didn't cancel the trip, but she did give me a "job." That's right. My cousin Kathy has delegated some responsibility my way. My duty, if I should choose to accept it, is to get directions to the hotel we are staying at in Dublin. This is Earth-shattering. Granted, I'm pretty sure she was drunk, and she'll definitely be getting her own directions in case I lose the ones I find (or forget to find them at all), but I am determined not to fail. This is my big chance to earn some respect. I DO have some common sense, and now I shall prove it to the world.

What Kathleeny does not know, however, is that I got completely lost trying to get to Bridgewater from Providence today. No joke. I got on 495 north rather than south, and I drove for 30 minutes before I got the least bit suspicious. When I finally realized what I had done, instead of pulling off at a gas station, I decided to continue going in the wrong direction. Why? It was a beautiful day. A beautiful day made even better by Tom Petty singing on the radio. I went another 20 minutes before pulling over. While I got back here three hours later than expected, I don't regret a second of it.

HAHAHA I can't wait to read my cousin's next post. I'm sure she'll do her little "Let's transcribe a conversation out of context to make Jenn seem even weirder than she is" routine, but I'd like to see her TRY to make me sound less business-like than I just did myself. haha. Now, I'm off to study for my Brit Lit final, which I am DETERMINED to get a hundred on. Will write again soon...

Finding Accommodations

It shouldn’t be so hard to find hotel accommodations for five nights in Ireland. I know Dublin will be one location and the second location will be someplace central. Luckily I came across a great website http://www.irelandyes.com/irelandguide.html for top rated B&B’s in Ireland and found a great central location to stay for three nights.

Now finding a Dublin hotel proved to be much more laborious because, (1) we are on a budget, (2) we have a rental car, (3) we need a central location, (4) we need a safe area, (5) we need a location that is easy to get to, and (6) we need to be within walking distance of a tavern. I am completely convinced that there is a hotel in Dublin that will meet the criteria listed. I begin the internet search: expedia, travelocity, hotels, priceline, irelandhotels, goireland, and orbitz; the more I search the more I come up with nothing. Damn, where are all the budget hotels with free parking? Definitely not in Dublin!

Now my moment of regret and guilt creeps in because I made the decision to fly into Shannon so we could rent a car and drive to Dublin. The reason I liked this option was because our flight gets in early, which leaves us at least 6hrs to expend before we could check into our hotel.

It’s too late to do anything about the flight arrangements so back to the hotel search. I eventually found a place, which was actually the first place I liked. This place was great because of the central location but the price was a bit high. Ultimately, the price difference was inconsequential considering there is parking, the hotel looks to be easily assessable from the main road, there is a tavern across the street, and it is in the center of the city.

One Dublin hotel booked and what a relief… now onto the last reservation to make, the rental car.