Corvallis is Calling

We had two spectacular days here in Ireland. Yesterday Kahlil and I spent a couple hours in the park. There was some slide action, a turn at the swing, and lots of ball kicking. It was really beautiful.

Today the three of us went to Trim Castle. We were told it's the castle to see and I must agree. It was pretty impressive. I'm really glad I didn't live here in the Middle Ages. When it was first built, there were no fireplaces. I can't imagine living here without access to central heat or a raging fire. The people weren't very nice to each other either... lots of ways to kill the attackers.

Anyway, it seems the spring is trying to get a toe hold and it worked for a couple days. I'm sure it will be back to winter tomorrow.

Thinking of the season changing - it's getting close to time for us to head home. If there is anything you ex-Irelanders would like for us to pick up, I would be happy to do it. Just a few rules:
1. It can't be something that will spoil or spill and ruin the rest of our shipment.
2. It can't be larger than a breadbox
3. It can't weigh more than Kahlil.

Those of you who haven't lived here can also place orders, but you will be given J42 status.

Random Thoughts on Ireland: Smoking
I'm VERY happy the smoking ban took hold here about three years ago. I think it would be near impossible for us to go out to eat if smoking was still allowed in restaurants. Between 25 and 30 percent of the people in Dublin are smokers. You can definitely tell when you walk down the street. If you are out of cigarettes, just pick the right corner to stand on and you could get a contact smoke from people walking by. But this was all expected. I knew this was a smoking society and was prepared for it.

What I wasn't prepared for was the 'health' types lighting up. The first day we got here, we happened upon a photo shoot of a football team (imagine our surprise to see a group of guys in full pads and helmets in the middle of Dublin!). At the end of the shoot, they all took off their helmets and several of the guys started smoking right away. I know they aren't NFL players, but I would think heath would be important to them. The second, and much more surprising, group of unexpected smokers are bicycle delivery guys. Maybe this is just a Northwest thing, but any person I've meet who has a job or a hobby associated with bikes would have NOTHING to do with smoking. But that is not the case here in Dublin. A couple times a week I walk past where the delivery people hang out between jobs and I've seen more than one of them enjoying a little nicotine. Just a different way of life here.