Lookin Up

Things are looking up and we both appear to be coming out of our bad week!  What a relief.  Drew is off of his horrible job and spent the day at the office day meeting more people and talking to the people on his new job and they all seem very nice and inclusive.  Whew.  I've had two productive days and I'm feeling good too.  I'll keep applying for jobs but am keeping myself busy in the meantime!

On Tuesday I walked Drew to work, got ready for the day, caught up on correspondence, had lunch with Nina, walked through the first actual storm with THUNDER I've experienced here, went to the computer repair store, stopped in for a hot chocolate at a coffee shop to escape the rain and apply for more jobs, finished up some grocery shopping, read in the park, and ironed!  It was a very busy and productive day which makes me feel GREAT.  Yay!

Today I went and got a bubble tea, ran some errands, and wandered over to the National Library.  Didn't know what I'd find there but...why not.  I walked in timidly looking lost and the nice old man security guard (Mr. Donnelly, said his name tag) asked if what he could help me with.  "Uhh...I don't know...I'm just....here...", I replied.  (I have a way with words.)  He asked if I was American and before I could get huffy, he added "You have that good looking, clean cut American girl look about you."  Oh Mr. Donnelly, PLEASE!  Flattery will get you...everywhere.  I chatted with him awhile, and he explained all parts of the museum to me: the reading room above, the genealogy center, and the exhibit on William Butler Yeats, and encouraged me to walk around and explore - which I did.  The reading room was giant and gorgeous and had rows of old books lining the walls, surrounding a large dome-ceilinged center where rows and rows of desks filled with people sat.  They looked like they were doing actual work and I just looked like a tourist so I didn't spend much time there.  (You know my motto:  Feeling stupid? Get the hell outta there as fast as you can!)  I came back downstairs to chat with Mr. Donnelly again, and walked through a couple of rooms to check out the beautiful William Butler Yeats exhibit.  Lots of personal journals, manuscripts, diaries, and paintings all belonging to him - pretty impressive.  I wandered back and stood at the info desk talking even more to Mr. Donnelly.  People would come up to the desk with questions and look uncomfortable as though they were interrupting us.  Haha.  Hey, I made a friend and so what if he was an cute old white-haired Irish man?  I wasn't gonna let this guy go that easily!  Run along, stupid tourists.  I'm chatting with my new best friend, Mr. Donnelly.  It was time to go and I told him I'd be back to research my genealogy one day and I'd see him soon.  Ahhh.  What a day.

So no worries peeps - we're doing good and feeling better and are allowed to have a couple bad days here and there.  We have a lot of fun things coming up that we're looking forward to (like Belfast this weekend, the Notre Dame/Navy football game next weekend, biking in Westport the weekend after that) and we're pumped.  Woohooooo.