Lazy Days and Croke Park

I need to get better about writing more frequently.  All these popular bloggers say the key to good blogging is updating it regularly because if you don't, your followers will lose interest!  Ahhh!  That can't happen!  Even though my blog isn't always interesting, as evidence by the Spaghetti and Meatballs post.  I guess I'll report on my weekend.

Thursday...I slept in, went running, and then went to lunch with Drew's American coworker's wife, Nina, and her cutie son.  I went and picked them up at the apartment near our place and walked over to a cute coffe shop/cafe that served delicious pasta salads you could mix and match.  After that, I went back to Dunnes to do more shopping.  

Living in a city where you walk everywhere is interesting and daunting.  I got to talk to Mere on the phone last week about this very thing and she said you just "get used to it".  As of last week, I'm not used to it.  I don't like walking everywhere.  Thinking about walking somewhere even 15 minutes away seems like a pain in the ass and I don't wanna do it!  I'd rather stay home.  Or drive.  I remember Mere telling me about carrying a big-screen TV all through Manhattan to her apartment and me chuckling at the thought of city life.  Well here I am, carrying a huge trash can through the streets of Dublin, and stopping off at a park with my huge trashcan so Nina's son can play.  They ran around and I stood there with my huge trashcan like a dummy.  I just kept waiting for someone to come up and try to put their trash in there because they thought it belonged in the park.  Then they stopped at the bank and I stood outside AGAIN with my huge trashcan!  I literally looked like a homeless person, with my stance right outside the bank door and a huge trashcan standing in front of me.  Sigh.  Mere warned me about mystery bruises from carrying junk all over the city and I officially have them!  Last night Drew and I were walking around the city and he asked where something was; I told him it was just up the street about 3 blocks, and we got there and Drew said "that was really far from the apartment."  In my opinon, it was close!  So maybe I'm getting more acclimated!  Who knows.

Friday was a day that started off with a great deal of laziness, wallowing, and self-loathing.  The majority of my week has gone like this: wake up when Drew does, make his lunch, get him organized and out the door, climb back in bed, sleep for another 2-3 hours, watch a movie on Netflix, maybe run, maybe lay around, get clothes and makeup on in time for grocery shopping or a walk to the park or before Drew gets home.  Repeat.  The problem is...is that I have no set agenda.  Yes, I'm in IRELAND, and I have the world at my finger tips and I can do anything and everything throughout the day.  But without a specific agenda, or a reason to literally GET OUT OF BED, or something already planned, I just lounge around like a lazy bum with nothing to do but rot my brain with sleep and DVDs.  Don't get me wrong - I'm not unhappy and I'm still thrilled to death we're here.  I'm just saying that unemployment in a foreign country where you don't know anyone and have nothing specific to do isn't all it's cracked up to be.  I don't want my brain to waste away.  I literally had these panicky thoughts on Friday around 12:30pm, when I had just woken up, STILL in bed, wondering what the hell I was doing with my life as tears streamed down my face, all while hating myself for STILL BEING IN BED yet being too paralyzed to get out of bed and actually do anything!  But never fear: I got out of bed.  I went running and headed to our old apartment and LO AND BEHOLD!  Our debit cards were in the mailbox!  I jammed my fingers in the box and almost got them stuck/amputated but I retrieved those God forsaken cards and never looked back.  I cleaned up and loaded a new book on my Kindle and went to Merrion Square to read for hours.  Much to my surprise, they were having some sort of huge festival/carnival/fair at Merrion Square.  There are three huge sections of the park, and I sat right smack dab in the middle.  On either side part, I heard loud speakers and performances going on of something I didn't know and couldn't understand.  After awhile, I watched people billow out into the center, crossing through the middle green, while loud beats that sounded like Prodigy played on speakers in the background.  Random clowns on stilts walked by my bench eyeing me suspiciously.  On my way out to meet Drew, I heard the DJ exclaim, "ALRIGHT GUYS!  Our next act is DEADLY SERIOUS, performing since 1999 all over Europe!  Give it up for DEADLY SERIOUS!"  I tried to see who/what Deadly Serious was, but all I could see were more clowns.  Maybe it was a traveling clown brigade called Deadly Serious.  That's ironic and hilarious in and of itself!  No?  Yeah ok me neither.  Maybe I'd find out what the hell was going on tomorrow.  

I walked to meet Drew at his office, we walked home and ate dinner, had some wine, and he headed off to his work happy hour while I got ready.  He had a pretty good time, met some people, chatted with some partners, talked about golf, and then he and I met up at The Hairy Lemon for a "friend's" engagement party!  (The friend being the girl who invited us to the 4th of July party, God love her.)  We actually had a great time.  Drew met a guy who wasn't at the party (though it was at his house) who told him all about the pubs that show NFL games, college football games, where all the casinos were, where all the best golf courses were (oh, and he has a car), and I think Drew got his digits and now has a serious man-crush.  And with a schwarma stop on the way home, I'd say it was a successful and fun evening had by all!

Saturday was PWC Family Day at Croke Park, a stadium here in the city where the headquarters and games for the Gaelic Athletic Association are.  The GAA is responsible for Gaelic games like Hurling and Gaelic/Irish football.  What we thought was a 30 minute tour of the museum and locker rooms actually began in a room where they were fitting us with harnesses.  What the hell?  Turns out we had unknowingly signed up for a "Skyline Tour", which is two hours on the ROOF of the stadium.  Breathtaking views if you're not afraid of heights and harnesses!  

The roof of the stadium.  Yikes!

A beautiful view.  If only I'd taken my nice camera and not my iPhone!

Harnesses and rails.

Pretty view of the sea!

One part had a narrow rail that jutted out over the field.  This is the view from one side....

And this is the other side.  The harnesses didn't really matter at this point because if you fell, the whole railing would come crashing down with you!  My legs were jelly.

A big departure from typical Texas condiments.

Humongous Hurling paddles.

They had activities for kids - and Drew participated.  He's hitting the Hurling ball with a paddle and calculating how fast it goes.

Trying to see how high he can get to catch a ball.  White men CAN jump.

Love.

Us!

It turned out to be a great day with burgers and chips afterwards!  Yum.  We took a leisurely afternoon stroll around the city, an Italian dinner at a new restaurant, and then went home for bed early to mentally prepare for our trip to Ikea on Sunday.  Which deserves it's own post!