Pachuca Sunrise

Midnight on a beach in the Mediterranean
And I miss you, even here, taking it all in
The sand, silvered, carries the moon on it's shoulders
Is it possible to put this night to tune and move it to you?
Minus the Bear

Photos

When Friends Get Stranded

There is something to be said for making friends in random places, especially when you're stuck. Dear friend and fellow Fordham sailor Amanda Tooker had a flight out of Dublin back home to Alicante last Thursday, but in the wake of the airport closures could not get out until today. Sounds like a hardship, but seriously, can you think of somewhere better to be stranded for a week? Sunny weather, good friends to look after you, and an abundance of pubs to pass the time away. I capitalized on a day without classes and Amanda's ambition to take in some Irish culture with a visit to the Jameson Distillery yesterday afternoon. We figured Mr. Joe Sunfish himself would get a kick out of it, so we took the Fordham Sailing burgee along. In true Jesuit fashion, so well instructed in our semesters at Fordham, we gladly volunteered to partake in the whiskey tasting part of the distillery tour. Task: sample a measure each of Jameson, Scotch Whiskey, and Jack Daniels... compare and contrast, then pick your favorite. Obviously, you'd be a fool to pick anything other than Jameson as there is a clear sense of bias in the building. Three shots back and another round of drinks for the loyal taste testers... a worthy way to spend an afternoon stranded in Dublin. Dad, in honor of your favorite way to enjoy the good stuff, I had my Jameson on the rocks. Feeling the warmth of the sun and the liquor, we rounded out the afternoon with a pint at the Hairy Lemon. However, the day is not complete without a word of thanks to the study abroad office here at UCD for putting on a lovely farewell dinner and providing more wine than was good for any of us dumb Americans. Enough said on that topic. In other news, the planned security measures on campus for UCD Ball on Friday should be interesting. Stay tuned for that. Cheers.

Eyjafjallajokull... Sigur Ros or a Volcano?

We live in strange times; those of which have been recently marked with a multitude of random acts of mother nature. A volcanic eruption on a glacier in Iceland seems no closer than an earthquake in Asia, but this time I am feeling the effects. The eruption on Eyjafjallajokull Glacier is old news now, but this narrative would not be complete without it's mention. I will admit I was rather down about my trip to Scotland this weekend getting scrubbed in the wake of this ash cloud phenomenon, but far more grateful I am not to be stuck in another country with no way to get home. At the very least, it has renewed by interest in Icelandic natives Sigus Ros. Seriously, stop hating on Iceland and pop one of their gorgeous records on. The papers play things up quite a bit, but I've already heard a few first hand horror stories. Will airspace really open this week? And even if it does, how long will it take to sort this airline industry disaster out? The EU seems fragile enough, never mind this happening. The despair at cancellation past on Thursday evening, I told myself then and there I had to get out of Dublin and do something interesting this weekend in spite of "the weather." Feeling spontaneous, Brenna, Erin, and myself booked a hostel in Cork and B&B in Waterford for Friday and Saturday evening's and decided to make a trip of it. Low stress, beautiful weather, and good conversation. I couldn't ask for a better weekend to get away and clear the head. I'll elaborate more on Cork and Waterford shortly as well as post a few choice photographs. Back in the real world, I find it hard to even type these words: it's the last week of classes at UCD. Eleven weeks down, one week to go. Brilliant, terrifying, you name it. No doubt it will all keep me busy. Stranded friends spending a few extra days in Dublin, UCD Ball, a few more assignments, and, if the world gets back in order, Barcelona on Saturday. Strange times, but beautiful times. Stay tuned.

Cheers.

Pages, Well Worn

I apologize for the infrequency of posts as of late. The means of expressing the images and feelings simply ebb and flow in various forms. I recent days I have gone back to the trusted pen and paper, mainly out of fear for losing honesty. I will, however, remain committed to what I have started, namely a written and visual record of this unreal experience that has become day to day life. Looking for inspiration, this evening I picked up my well worn and loved, but lately neglected copy of the James Joyce classic that is Portrait of the Artist. For the hundredth time I read the words of Stephen Dedalus on the back cover:
"I will try to express myself in some mode of life or art as freely as I can and as wholly as I can, using my defense the only arms I allow myself to use – silence, exile, and cunning."
I'm not sure how many times I have reread this brilliant novel, but every time I do I cannot help but be moved by its honesty and genius. All things have a way of coming full circle. Cheers.

Easter in Áth Cliath

This one is for all the parents and relatives out there. Call me a traditionalist, but I cannot imagine Easter without family. Maybe it is all those years of Easter routines, the Good Friday services, the Sunday morning masses, or the colored eggs and kielbasa mom always cooks up after Church. Good news for me; my parents saw it the same way and decided to spend the holiday in Dublin. My parents, younger brother Dan, and grandma flew in on Saturday morning and I met the gang at their hotel in Ballsbridge. For the most part I have not felt homesick over the past few months, but it was damn good to see everyone. After a bit of downtime, we headed out to fulfill priority number one: a good meal and a Guinness at the Hairy Lemon, the last stop on our trip to Ireland back in 2006. I spent the rest of the day as semi tour guide, attempting to demonstrate that I know a thing or two about the sights and happenings of the city I've been living in for three months. We had a good run throughout most of the afternoon, and even made it down to UCD to see my pad, but it was not long until the jet lag started to set in and those nice hotel beds came calling. A relatively early dinner and bed was well deserved. Sunday dawned beautifully in Dublin as we gathered at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Donnybrook for mass at 9:30. Even Ardi couldn't help but come out to see what all the fuss was about. After mass we headed up to city centre to meet Una, a relative of ours from Cavan, and caught part of the parade and memorial service for the 1916 Easter Rising. The day was dedicated to family, great food, and equally good conversation in a variety of eating and drinking establishments around Dublin. On the wishes of grandma, on Monday we ventured down to Wexford to discover some family history. Our destination was a church in Castlebridge, a small town with a one pub and a convenience store a mile up the road from the town of Wexford. My great grandfather (grandma's dad) was baptized in the church and she wanted to show us the baptismal records. Given that it was a holiday, I was not surprised when we found no one home at the rectory. The church, however, was open and gorgeous inside. We could not find the records, but at least we found the spot, arguably the spot where it all (or at least part in my case) of it began. I think a Wexford GAA jersey is in my near future. It was quite literally blowing a gale in Wexford but we still spent a bit of time meandering around the town. The bus back to Dublin was packed with UCD students, an unfortunate reminder that I had work to get done that evening for the coming academic week. Following a beer with the family at the hotel, I left them to their own devices to go for dinner in city centre and headed back to normal life for a few days. They are headed out to Galway until Thursday evening, as we did not get up that way the last time around. Dan is spending two nights with me at the end of the week when they get back and I have a great day lined up for Friday. As always time is flying by, but I guess we make the most of it. Cheers.

Dockside in Wexford

additional photos