Week Off

Jay’s week off is almost to an end. I’ll definitely be sorry to have him go back to work. It was fun having him around during the day. I think Kahlil will be sad for him to go back to work too. He is such a Daddy’s Boy! We finally got our car so we could venture a little further than the city center. It’s nice that we don’t have to kill ourselves to try and see everything Dublin/Ireland has to offer in just a few days. Over the last week we got a lot of rest and did some sight-seeing.

We went to Kilmainham Gaol (aka Jail). It was run as a prison from 1789 to 1924. As you might expect from a prison during this time period, a LOT of people died/were killed there over the years. It is also an important building in the fight for Irish independence from British rule. Kahlil was not very impressed. He was hungry (we should have had lunch before we went) and didn’t really find the commentary very interesting. I had to keep back a bit to feed him pretzels and keep him from moaning and ruining everybody else’s tour. I couldn’t help but find the irony in that I was breaking the rules – in prison – by having food.

We also made a trip to the Dublin Castle to see the State Apartments. This was quite a contrast to the Kilmainham Gaol! The Castle site has been built on since the time of the Vikings. The tour went through just a fraction of the building since much of the castle is used for government business like the tax office. We did see St. Patrick’s Hall where the Irish president is inaugurated every seven years. And the coolest thing we saw was the excavation they are doing under the tax office… There they found the Powder Tower, a tower of the original 1258 castle that blew up during a fire. While excavating they were surprised to find an even older wall that was built by the Vikings. Vikings sure did get around! Kahlil found this tour more interesting that the Gaol. He seemed to enjoy all the beautiful Waterford crystal chandlers and mirrors.

Yesterday we made a quick trip to the National Botanic Garden. Of course I loved it. Jay really enjoyed it. And Kahlil was a little unsure. He liked walking around but didn’t seem to have much patience; a longer nap might have made a big difference for him. There were several large Victorian glass housed that contained all sorts of tropical plants. Outside it was winter so there wasn’t much to see in the way of plants and flowers. Jay pointed out this is a good time of year to see the shape of trees – a golden lining I suppose. There were lots of beds of bulbs – tulips and daffodils – that might be just starting to bloom towards the end of our trip.

Now an update on Kahlil’s signing. As I mentioned before, he is pretty good with ‘more’. He uses this when every he wants something – whither or not he has already had some and can actually get more. He recently picked up ‘milk’. He is pretty good with this sign and seems to know what he’s asking for. I’ve tried to teach ‘water’ but he’s less interested in the outcome of using that sign. He also can do ‘all done’, ‘down’ and ‘bath’. He will use these at appropriate times, but he’s not always happy with the outcome. Sometimes he’ll ask to get down, but then be mad when you put him down. It was pretty amazing the other night though – we were finishing up dinner and he told us he was ‘all done’, wanted ‘down’, and a ‘bath’. We were stunned and couldn’t do anything but take him down and give him a bath. And he has FINALLY started to wave goodbye.

Tonight Carrie, Flor and Alex are coming over for dinner and a little New Year’s cheer. They just got here yesterday and aren’t fully recovered from the trip so it might be a quiet/short evening.

Happy Christmas!

'Happy Christmas' is the customary holiday greeting here on the Emerald Isle. I'm not sure why they don't use 'Merry' like we do. Actually, now that I think about it, I'm not sure why we don't use 'Happy'. We use happy for every other holiday: New Year, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Birthday, Anniversary, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, etc. I wonder why we decided Christmas was Merry and not Happy. They also don't go the pc route of 'Happy Holidays' making it pretty obvious Christianity runs the show here.

We had a nice holiday. It was low key; pretty much just walks, naps, cooking, and eating. We tried some food that is traditional here but not historically part our our menu - Brussels sprouts, lamb, and mince pies. All were tasty. Our shipment showed up Friday so we had presents to open... yeah! Our little tree (see the photo) did the job and created a festive atmosphere. Kahlil actually opened a couple of his gifts. (I'm sure we'll have to reign him in next year!) He was quite taken with the Elmo pj's Dean and Tracy gave him. He kept coming over to pet them. He also liked all the little parts to the vet kit Grandma Ettie and Papa gave him. The empty bags were a big hit too.

I think tomorrow is Boxing Day. I'm not exactly sure what that is, but a lot of places will be closed. We are hoping to get a rental car lined up and do a little excursion out of town. There are three possible places on the list: the National Botanical Garden, Newgrange (ancient archaeological site akin to Stonehenge), or the National Stud and Japanese Garden.

We hope everybody had a wonderful holiday. We miss you all and will see you in the New Year.

A Sleepy First Day

Kahlil had his first day at the creche yesterday. We got there a little later than I planned (I'll explain later). But he was there in time for their morning snack. So I dropped him in a chair, buckled him in, and gave him a piece of toast. He was happy as could be and didn't even look up when I told him goodbye.

So I wondered around Grafton Street and went into the stores I didn't feel comfortable going with the stroller. I felt very light and fast. Unfortunately I was a little tired.

It was time to go pick up Kahlil at two. I walked in and he saw me. He smiled and started to come to me, but at the last second he made a quick left and passed me by. Oh, burn! Michelle, the day-care person, said he had a great day. Not a sad peep out of him. He had fun with the other kids and was a dream. But he didn't nap because he was having so much fun playing. Hum. So I got up to go get the stroller out of the hall closet so we could be on our way. Apparently he was much happier to see me than he let on. He was sobbing when I came back in the room. Very sad I had left. After a big hug and getting bundled up, we were on our way. He fell asleep within a block of the creche.

Once home, Kahlil and I both napped for a good two hours. We were both pretty worn out after the night we had. I'm not exactly sure, but I think Kahlil was having some stomach problems. The night before Jay cooked dinner - a yummy Mexican chicken soup that had a little spice to it. Kahlil seemed to enjoy it at the time. But at about midnight he woke up and was in apparent discomfort. He would thrash about for a while, let lose a big fart and seem to feel better. Then a few minutes later he was thrashing and crying again. After an hour and a half of this, I decided to try some toast. He had a few bites and that seemed to help a little. He still thrashed for another hour or so, but the crying stopped. He finally fell asleep around three.

So he and I were both a little tuckered out for his first day at the creche. But tomorrow is his second day. I'm sure he will have another great day. And I plan to take advantage of a few hours off.

Our shipment is suppose to be here on Friday. Jay guilted the shipping people by telling them if they don't deliver this week, they will have ruined the Christmas of a little boy.

Grafton Street Statue People

Like any great European city, Dublin has historic architecture, cobble stone streets, and Statue People. If you've ever been to Paris or London or Zurich or wherever, you've seen them. You'll be walking along and suddenly come face to face with a painted figure standing perfectly still atop a box. They are nearly always monochromatic -- one color from hair to toe, including face and eyelids. There is, of course, a coin box in front of them. You put a coin in the box and they will move for you. That's it. You pay them and they move their arms and maybe smile at you or do something more...sinister. But I'm getting ahead.

In America, I've never seen a true Statue Person. I saw a Gold Guy once at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, but I remember him sorta chasing people around. Also he wasn't classy -- the Statue People in Europe have a strange dignity about them. Then there's Naked Cowboy in New York, who moves and makes noise: both against Statue People regulations. In Chicago, I've never seen anything even approximating Statue People. Hunted to extinction, likely.

Anyway. Dublin. Grafton Street. Major pedestrian shopping thoroughfare. No cars allowed. Natural habitat for Statue People. On Grafton Street alone, which can't be more than a half mile in length, you can find three or four Statue People, not including the Old Gold Guy (not to be confused with the SF Gold Guy, the Old Gold Guy has bells on his feet and a fake gold dog and jingles his bells to recorded music, but this is not his story).

The thing about Statue People is the stillness. People who don't move are creepy. It's unnatural to look at someone that's not moving. Is he dead? No, he's standing! Is he ill? You want to poke him. 'Why the #%@! don't you move?' This is why we pay them: we want them to end their hideous stillness. It's also why Statue People generally smile at you when they've been paid: it's a re-assurance that all is well, that it's just a joke this not moving.

The main Statue People on Grafton Street are: 1) Goldilocks; 2) the Chameleon; and 3) End of Days.

Goldilocks is a man, I think, but dresses like a female angel. He/she is a rather ugly angel, even painted, even when he/she is putting on what he/she thinks is a beatific angel expression. God did not make all Statue People equal. He/she uses two different wigs, depending on the day. I have not dropped any coins into Goldilocks' box. I'm not sure anybody else has either because I've never seen him/her move except the day that I saw he/she setting up his/her little platform.

The Chameleon is a guy who dresses kind of like a wizard or maybe it's some low-level religous garb like a prefect or something. Is a prefect religous? Maybe that's an 18th century mayor. Look -- the Chameleon wears some cloth robe thing that's twirled all around him and a semi-pointed hat. Sometimes he's all white, then he'll be all yellow, and he was blue or red or orange the other day, too. His standstill isn't that great, and this makes him less creepy. I've found his movements fairly yawn-inspiring when I've seen him get a coin. I've never dropped a coin in his box, either.

Then there's End of Days. Excuse me while I change my trousers. This is End of Days.

It's difficult to see in this webbed down image, but he's staring at me (holding the camera). What you also can't see from the image, is that he continued to stare at me as I walked away. Here's one thing about End of Days: he can follow you with his baselisk stare without moving his head or his eyes. He's got this way of rotating his whole body so that he can follow you, but still be still as a Statue. It's freaky, let me tell you, especially when his red-tinted eyes are boring into your soul like red hot pokers.

When I first saw him, I was like, Wow! Check out that guy! He's like seven feet tall without his pedestal! Then I took out my camera to take this shot. When I put the camera down, I was feeling in my pocket for some change to give him, but there was a crush of people between me and him so I started moving down Grafton Street again. But I felt a chill come over me and it felt like End of Days was right behind me. I looked and saw he was following me with his hard gaze, and I heard a deep voice in my mind:

Lo! And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, and the whole moon became as blood ...

I would have fled in panic, but his eyes! his Sith eyes! Like a tractor beam, they pulled me back.

I dropped a one-Euro coin into his box. And then he raised this ornate club/scepter thing he wields, and I thought he would strike me down and take me with him back to Hell. He whipped the scepter around in a couple of circles and then brought it straight at my forehead: the death blow. Then he tapped my head with it and gave me a little sheet of paper that I saw later said something about the value of giving, but I was too busy seeing my life flash before me to know it then.

End of Days. Watch out for him.

Now when going down Grafton Street, I always walk behind him.

New Kid at the Creche

Thursday and Friday mornings Kahlil and I spent a couple hours at the YMCA Creche (aka day-care). The first morning I stayed with Kahlil for an hour and left him for about ten minutes. When I came back, they said he had hardly noticed I was gone. On the second day, I stayed for about fifteen minutes and left for an hour. They said the same thing. And when I loaded Kahlil in the stroller to go, he cried and didn't want to leave. So I think he should do just fine on Tuesday when I leave him for the morning.

The top picture is of Kahlil having lunch at the creche on Friday. The little guy next to him is Colin (or maybe Culm, I can't tell exactly what they are saying). And the little girl on the end is Alicia (I think that is what they are saying). It's a little hard with the accents to tell exactly what the kids names are.

The bottom picture is from today when we were walking around. Kahlil was settling in for a nap.

Today we picked up some phones... yeah. It's been hard not having cell phones with Jay in accessible for hours at work and commuting. Now we'll be able to be in touch during the day. We also spent a couple hours looking at art in the National Gallery. They have one hall that is the national portrait gallery. It's fully of famous politicians, business men, doctors... and Bono. It's very cool that all of the National 'things' (like the Gallery, Natural History Museum, etc) are all free. It's fun to be able to drop in for a little bit and not feel like you have to stay as long as possible to get your monies worth.

I think we're buying my birthday present tomorrow... a new wool coat! Yeah for me!

Santa on Film

It's Wednesday and nothing much happened. Kahlil and I spent most of the day at home with a little pigeon chasing and grocery shopping thrown in for good measure. I did sign Kahlil up for two mornings a week at the YMCA. He starts in ernest next week, but we'll go the next two days for a transition. I'm really excited for him (and me).

The picture really doesn't need much explanation. Kahlil looks more scared than he was. He was mostly fussy and wanted to get down so he could walk. If it looks a little distorted, that's because it's a picture of a picture.

We had broccoli again at lunch. Kahlil tore it up and threw it on the floor.

In the new place

I haven't written in a couple days because whatever it was that got me before, got me again. Sunday was busy with packing, shopping, and moving. By the end of the day I was feeling cruddy. Jay stayed home Monday to take care of Kiddo and I ran a slight fever and laid in bed most of the day. Luckily Jay did a good job of taking care of me and I'm back up and running today.

They changed flats on us... We are in the same building but in a different unit. The one we were suppose to get had a LOT more windows. But this one has a balcony so it's sort of a wash. We are pretty much in but still have some clothes to put away. Not exactly sure when our shipment will get here - Jay had to fill out some paperwork which he did this week. We're thinking we'll get the rest of our stuff next week. I'm anxious since I REALLY miss my computer! I think Kahlil is getting tired of his five toys too.

The flat is nice but has a few quirks. I had finally got the washer/dryer figured out at the old place and could do a small load of laundry in about 2 1/2 hours. In the new place it has taken me all day to do one load (and it's still a little damp) and start a second load. I have to get it figured out or Kahlil will be making laundry faster than I can wash it. Another fun thing is that the radiator in the bathroom has no controller and is set fairly warm. It's ok when the bathroom has not been used in a while, but as soon as some body takes a shower it becomes a sauna in there. It also took us a while to figure out how to use the oven. I haven't looked at the stove yet, but I'm not going to assume it will be easy.

The picture of Jay and I is a self-portrait of us standing on O'Connell Bridge over the Liffey on Sunday. Notice the Millennium Spire in the background. Don't worry, my hand is on the stroller where Kahlil is napping. The picture of Kahlil was taken by Jay yesterday when he took Kahlil to the park.

We had broccoli with dinner tonight. Kahlil loved it.