Monday, February 9, 2009

Why people don't go swimming in the middle of winter...


... is beyond me. Well, okay, as the night progressed it made a little bit more sense, but at the time it was amazing. A group of four of us (who later became known as "The Outlaws", due to an iconic picture taken next to some graffiti in the town) decided to head to Wicklow on the last bus out of town, explore on through the night, and then catch the first bus back in the morning. Since Wicklow isn't as much of a hiking town as we anticipated, the last couple hours were spent walking back and forth from bus stop to bus stop to avoid freezing to death. 


I had to wrap napkins around my toes because my socks and shoes had gotten so wet, and out and out ditched my underwear after it became my swimming suit (I cut the first picture off at the waist to keep things PG). Stupid, yes. What the doctor ordered? Absolutely. 

Truth be told, this week had been sort of a rough one. I feel ridiculous saying that, but it's true; you're in a place with so much significance to you, more or less acting as an ambassador for your family (until they come to visit me, of course, which I am very excited about) and soaking up as much as you can every day, and yet you're not around the people that you love the most, the people who know how significant this is because they either share that significance or know you well enough to experience it with you, instead of simply alongside of you. I don't know, I was just starting to get a little down about it. Which is natural, I guess. So before my big plunge into the ocean, I took it on myself to map out the next month and a half or so, buying a few cheap plane tickets along the way. When all is said and done, I will have been to Belfast, Galway, the Aran Islands, Cork, and Blarney, as well as Paris, London, Scotland, and Seville. I also will be spending time with Mike, Chelsea, Haley, Katie and Tim, Kathleen, and my own family by the time the school year is out; a very good sampling of my favorite people. And in the meantime, I have scheduled out little day-trips to places around Dublin, such as the Writer's Museum, the Zoo, and the Museum of Modern Art. When you put it that way, it's hard to complain.   

For all those keeping score, Tyrone pulled it out in a squeaker against the local boys of Dublin. I quietly cheered to myself as the final goal went through the uprights. It was really an amazing game, the fireworks afterwards a worthy epilogue, and the dance party with my history teacher at one of his favorite places was needless to say a highlight. He's taking us to Kilmainham Jail tomorrow, a field trip I've very much been looking forward to. I believe we're also seeing a play tomorrow evening, so it's set to be an eventful day when you pack class in between the two excursions. 

I don't know if any of you have seen this, but it's my favorite commercial of all time and it plays here constantly. It's definitely worth a look. 

Added a couple more photos  if you're so inclined. I'll try to keep more regular about doing so. 

Missing you all. XO


Top Five of the Week:
  • Names you would never name your children. 
Here's mine:
  1. Fork
  2. Stroganoff 
  3. Beelzebub
  4. Chlamydia 
  5. Also
  • Honorable Mentions: Jesus, Ticklish, Gladys

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