Ireland 2011

I'll finish off the weekend with the Ireland recap I've been talking about for the past month. Sorry to the hundreds of readers I've left hanging the past few weeks  ; )

I kept talking and talking about this 2011 vacation I was taking, and right up until the last minute, I was undecided about where I was going and who, if anyone, would accompany me.

I had the answer right in front of me the entire time. It even says so in one of my posts from early 2011. After lines and lines of indecisive back and forth with myself, I said: "That's it. I'm going back to Ireland."

And back I went. Solo.

Best.Decision.Ever

Let me give the strongest recommendation I can for everyone in this world to take a solo vacation- if only just once in your life- do it. Unless of course, you're one of those codependent types who can't spend 5 minutes alone in a public place without constantly playing on your phone or texting, because you're too uncomfortable doing anything in this world by yourself. Then I probably wouldn't recommend the solo vaca for you. Honestly though, you're really missing out on a completely unique and unforgettable experience.

Okay, so because I was already familiar with Dublin, it made sense to go back there. Last time I was there was only for 2 days, so I had much more exploring to accomplish. I seriously considered making Belfast my destination and then travel more and see the Antrim Coast. Some reading between the lines after comments by a certain parent who didn't think this was a safe city to visit solo confirmed the plan that Dublin was the place to go. Even with this slight change in original plans, I was absolutely determined to hit Belfast and Giant's Causeway on this trip; and when I set my mind on something, nothing can stop me.

If you've spoken to me since I've returned, you've heard the whole tale. I'll do a little recap here, much like I did for my other big trips in previous posts.

I arrived on one of the hottest days in Dublin- 80deg! They never see temps like these, so after my flight, when I had a few hours to kill before the hotel check in, I made my way to St Stephen's Green for some reading, people watching, duck picture-taking, and just taking in the perfect day. Great start to the vacation  : )

A duck-less pic, but still pretty perfect

After a few hours there, I checked into the same hotel I stayed at last time I was there- Temple Bar Hotel Love this place I really love this hotel. The location couldn't be more perfect, there's a Tesco right across the street, 20min from the airport, 5min walk from the train station, and you're right in the middle of all the fun at night in Dublin. Great place.

Next I did a little bike tour around Dublin. This was a group guided tour and we rode everywhere; from the Docklands to Merrion Square to St Patrick's Cathedral. All around the city for 2.5hrs basically. In and out of traffic, between parked cars and buses. It was a little nuts, but still fun. And no one got ran over. I took one self pic of me in the bike helmet after riding for 2hrs in 80deg. That pic will NOT be posted. haha

Next day was the sailing trip in Dun Laogahire. See previous post http://smilelikeyoumeanit-3118111b.blogspot.com/2011/09/sick-sailing-trip.html for that whole story. I'm still doing my sailing weekend next summer in Delaware, where the waters are calm for an amateur like myself. (Dramamine will be in hand)

Not my fav pic, but keep in mind the wind was ridiculously strong and it's hard not to squint.

The next day... pouring rain ALL day. No big deal. I was anticipating this happening at least once. I had some contingency plans in case the weather wasn't cooperating on any given day. So it was Saturday and raining, so I decided to hit some museums. How about a former jail outside Dublin? Cool. So I went. Kilmainham Gaol is pretty fascinating. I enjoy these tours, so this was my kind of thing. Got some creepy shots too, outside the jail where they held executions, etc.

Inside the jail

Sunday was spent in Howth, which is a short train ride north of Dublin and absolutely worth spending a day there. See previous post http://smilelikeyoumeanit-3118111b.blogspot.com/2011/10/hiking-in-howth.html for some pics and a video on that. What a great day that was. I definitely got a workout in that day. After trips like these, I wonder how I could ever go back to, say, Cancun for a week and enjoy it. Call me crazy, but I'll take hikes and spectacular views over palm trees and crystal blue ocean water any day. This town is a must if you visit Dublin!

The pictures don't do these sights justice

Monday was my last full day, and I saved the big trip to Belfast and Giant's Causeway for last. It took 2hrs to get from Dublin to Belfast and another 2 from Belfast to Giant's Causeway, and then the town of Derry. This is another must see. 4 hours was worth it to drive from Vegas to the Grand Canyon, so I figured this wouldn't be much different of a day trip from a timing perspective. Belfast is pretty cool, but the ride along the coast is amazing! Reminds me of the drive from the Ring of Kerry up to the Cliffs of Moher last time I was there. Sites like this are so worth it, and next time I'm spending at least half a day there. I have tons more pics in my web album. I'm really pleased how these turned out. I was careful to try and not take duplicate shots and also not get other tourists/people in the shot.

So that concludes my fabulous trip. Such a good time and I can't wait to get back and do the NW part of the country such as Donegal and Sligo. Everyone needs to visit this country at least once in their life, and I will do my best to convince them to do so!



Wednesday Randoms

Hitting you fast and furious on this edition of WRs

• Why on earth are there shopping carts at Wawa? I hit the ATM today (which is right next to the lottery machine, where those scratch-off ticket addicts hang out and piss away their $$) and noticed there were 3 small-ish carts. Who walks out of Wawa with more than 3 items or enough items to warrant needing a cart?
• Ohhh Antique Roadshow I see right through your 'expert' appraisers. You know that guy who claims to be the expert on cuckoo clocks from 1785 from a small sleepy village in the mountains of Germany Googles and Wikipedias the shit out of that clock 10min before taping. "And this clock has really exquisite beveling along the outer edge, which is exactly what the clockmaker did as his signature mark in those times... "The best part is the actual $ figures; it's always either worth $15K or $50.
• Busy weekend, 4 jobs between happy hour tomorrow and Saturday afternoon. I'm glad I took my vacation when I did, as things will only get busier right through New Year's.
• Next month I'll be 5K Turkey Trotting and Gobble Wobbling. I still giggle every time I hear those names. Hopefully I can keep the momentum right through the New Year and then start preparing for Broad St again. Time is going by too fast!
• 59 days til Christmas! I'd like to do a day in NYC. Not for shopping, just wandering around...and eating of course.
• Tommy Lee Jones has sold out doing financial advisor commercials now? Ugh. I thought it was just Jack McCoy from Law&Order. He's better than that #butitpays
• Why is it I can't stand rice in burritos, or the various other kinds of rice, but I love the sticky white rice from the Chinese restaurant? (And I hate Chinese food) Prize for the best reader explanation.  
• I used to spend hours watching this guy. Check it out---> Love Ali G I swear this is his best character hands down. Uh oh, here I go again getting sucked into the YouTube vacuum...
• I need an elf to help me with some of these chores I don't feel like doing. My motivaition dwindles as the daylight disappears. Thankfully we have the holidays to get us through these tough months between fall and spring. We could live in Alaska... so I won't complain. But then I could see moose and wolves in my backyard. Hmmm. Worth the trade off? Definitely not.

The Ireland recap is next!

Tiiiiired

Well, the good news is my OctoRun 13K was a success this morning. A success in 40deg weather no less. It was sunny and brisk with little wind, so a perfect fall morning really. Keeping with my promise of posting my results- the official online results aren't up yet, but I'm pretty sure the clock said 1:17:00 when I finished. Definitely off pace from my Broad St time back in May, but I put a lot more into preparing for that one. So I'm satisfied with this effort. I guess I'm more satisfied with the fact I can slack off for 6wks and still jump out of bed on a cold Sunday morning and run 8 miles in a fairly decent time. I'm not looking to set any course records here.

These runs still have the same super tiring effect for hours afterwards. I suppose that's normal considering I'm not a professional athlete. It seems anytime I do more than 6, it just sucks the energy out of me for the rest of the day... and this leads me to the conclusion that a full marathon will never be in my future! yay

I mentioned that I was done with races until next Spring, BUT... that intoxicating runner's high got the best of me, and with a little browsing I saw there's a Turkey Trot and Reindeer Romp (same one I ran last year) coming up. Knowing this, how could I possibly turn down completing the holiday race trio? Thankfully those two are 5Ks, which seems easy breezy after this morning.

With the cold weather upon us, it's time for me to head back to good ol LA Fitness and start the strength training again, which I've abandoned for strictly cardio since last Spring. Too bad there's not a Crossfit gym near me. That would be a rude awakening for sure!

How cute is this? It was a fun race. Love Halloween!

';';';';' Wednesday Randoms ';';';';';

It's that time. And that alternating pattern of apostrophe/semicolon was meant to symbolize the rainy day outside. (There's only so much I can work with here.)

• Efficiency is when you come home from work and start some laundry before 5pm. It's also a sign you're getting closer to that mature, responsible thing known as an adult (still fighting it!)
• When are we going to learn that lions, monkeys, and wolves don't belong in captivity in suburbia? This is the latest story of another idiot So because this guy decided to let all the animals free, then kill himself, the animals suffered by the rifles of the police. I get that 10 tigers running around a town isn't exactly safe, but again, animals pay the price as a result of human stupidity.
• Am I the only one who swears there are a few Cool Ranch Doritos snuck into every bag of regular Nacho Cheese ones?  I feel the same way with M&Ms. I'm positive I taste a peanut butter one every time I eat a bag of regular (which, for the record, isn't that often)
• Still gotta do that Ireland recap. I haven't forgotten, but I'm too busy picking out which photos I want framed! There's several great ones.
• In other news, Soulja Boy swears he's innocent after being arrested on felony drug and weapons charges. Hmmm. He may be a liar, but I'd be a bigger liar if I didn't admit to attempting the Crank That dance after seeing the video My version didn't look quite like this
• I'm kinda glad to see Two and a Half Men dropping in the ratings after an impressive start. Charlie Sheen is crazy, but I'd be having a little laugh if I were him after the show bombs with Ashton Kutcher as a stand in.
• Winter is just around the corner (so is Christmas!! yay) and I'm considering giving the snowboarding thing another go.
• Stories like this are awesome! Dig up the Vikings!
• Who's excited for 'Rock Center with Brian Williams'?? Me! One of my favorite anchors/journalists, this is a show I will make it a point to watch. I wish I could work on this show or Dateline. I would do it for free. Maybe NBC will see one of my tweets and DM me  : )

Ugg [Ugh]

Nope, not a misspelling on that post title. You usually see that word punctuating my many tweets as #ugh, but the purpose this time is me telling the world- it's time to retire the Uggs. They're played out! It's fall, the leaves are changing and everyone from 10 to 60 is pulling the furry boots out of the closet and sporting them in some ghastly fashion ensembles. Maybe I'll throw that on the Fbook status. I can already hear the collective "hmmph!" from those die hard Uggers.

Anyway

Wow am I hurting today! Actually more so this evening it began. Did a little kayaking yesterday...for 2 hours, on a windy lake that sometimes made it feel like I was paddling through peanut butter. Not complaining- the scenery and company were fabulous. The water was the deepest blue, and the sun shining and sailboats going by made it a really nice afternoon. It seems my upper body strength could use a little...strengthening. And let's not forget the run this Sunday! Oh yes, my fitness ego will take a nosedive by the end of the weekend  : )

Random statement: If I ever make it big- for whatever reason- one thing I'm doing is recording a Christmas album. If Justin Bieber and that 'No Talent Ass Clown' who stole my name can do it, so can I. I can think of about 8 songs right now. Top of the iTunes chart!

Is everyone on board with Twitter? I'm still loving it. Oh, and to follow up my previous post on following the Ireland/Dublin related Twitter profiles- it didn't really serve any benefit while I was there besides some weather updates. The hotel where I stayed tweets some music updates, but doesn't really help me now that I'm home. Got to share some of my knowledge with a guy who booked a trip there for December. Since everything is so fresh in my mind, I was able to bang out a sizable email with all my hints for him quite easily. I want to go back so so bad.

That banana bread I have cooking smells so amazing right now.

Bye until WRs!

Wednesday Randoms

• Alright, these references to the lame 90s pop singer have to stop. Someone did it again tonight! I simply said my last and there goes the famous question. Again. #ugh
• Typically the red light to make a left into my place is unnecessarily and annoyingly long, but tonight it allowed me to listen to The Backstreet Boys 'I Want It That Way' in its entirety. Yes. I so loved that song in... 2002
• I heard Ryan Howard was spotted at my Whole Foods scooting around on a Rascal. Heeey big boy, how about lending me the keys to that Bentley while you're ridin ghetto injured? I'll return it with a full tank. Pleeeaase?
• Tabbouleh is fabulous. Not as fab as my quinoa salad, but fab nonetheless.
• Happy hour event in the city this Friday. Haven't worked one of those since the jam packed sessions of Bushmills at Tir Na Nog, where you could barely move. Should be good though. Guinness always promises a good time.
• Saw my friend's 5 month old baby for the first time tonight and he's oh so cute
• I realize I still need an Ireland recap on here. Pics are all sorted and posted to an album and now I need to find the best ones and share the highlights. I'll get on that. Promise.
• Anyone else notice Joe Biden has been virtually muzzled since the beginning of Obama's presidency? I think after a few weeks they realized they need him to shut his mouth and go with the program. As for the other side... like I said in a previous post- get the hair and makeup team ready for Mitt Romney!
• Really big craving for pumpkin pie and chocolate milk right now, and I've got nothing but a gallon of cranberry juice and some bananas. No help.
• I haven't used my food processor in a while, so I think I need to look up all the pumpkin-related snacks I can make with it and just go all out. Pumpkin everything for everyone!
• Okay, this Halloween run is in 2 weeks. I've slacked on preparation. Who wants to train when you can be hanging out with some drinks, running around Ireland, driving to the beach, etc etc? I need a strategy. Do I show up that morning and just try to bang out a steady 8mi or do I try and do another couple long runs between now and then? Ah, the choices I have to make in this life. Like I said, I'm reporting back the results- good, bad, or indifferent.
• I'm putting up a Christmas tree this year. No fake ones. The real thing.
• Audience participation- love it! It's about time someone spoke up on the blog (ahem, all you other readers). Well, reader GMAN, I do happen to have a picture of said "bad ass" car. Take a look. It's quite a thrill to ride in. Just imagine... you're the guy driving that car all fast... trust me, the girls totally dig it.

Satisfied

Coming at ya from the kitchen counter here. Figured I'd do a little multitasking after my 15hr day (not seeking pity, stating facts). I have a very gourmet frozen pizza cooking, which is exactly what I'm craving at the moment, so props to me for having one on hand.

It was a little tough pulling a double shift on a Monday, especially after I had such an incredible weekend... but... I did it and everything turned out fine, just like it always does when I plan properly and think everything through. I've mentioned in previous posts how I'm always torn when asked to name my favorite season. Spring or Fall? It always depends on what you're doing and the other details surrounding it, but this weekend was enough to make me say Fall is my favorite. (Bonus- I got to ride in a really bad ass car on a most beautiful fall day and I loved every second of it)

The event tonight was a success. I was on Crown Royal/Bulleit Bourbon duty at my Diageo table. Pleasantly surprised at the number of women requesting some bourbon on the rocks. You go girls, branching out with the brown liquors. Not just for hillbillies and old men!

So I'm exhausted, this pizza is almost done, standing in 4in heels all night is quite uncomfortable, but these things are trivial when you look at the big picture. Alright, enough waxing poetic... time to eat  : )

Wednesday Randoms/I'm Back!

Back home at blog HQ after a spectacular trip. I'm running out of adjectives to describe the past week. I'll be careful not to turn this edition of WRs into a total vacation recap. Plenty of time to do that in future, non-Wednesday posts.

• Funny, no mention of the Phillies in Ireland. Haha. I did see guys going nuts over some rugby game. Coming home to all this bashing of the Eagles on Fbook/Twitter is laughable. How many times are people going to keep saying to fire Andy Reid? Guess what? As long as people have season tickets, they're going to the games and as long as the stadium keeps filling up, Jeffrey Lurie will keep raking in the piles of money.
• I'm feeling out of the loop on current events, as I only watched about an hour of TV the entire past week. Of course, I was online. You can't take all my technology away from me!
• How much you wanna bet the next vacation Amanda Knox takes will not be an international one? I bet she'll be behaving herself and have the address of the US Embassy on speed dial if she ever leaves the states.
• Coming home from vacation and having zero food in the house is the worst, and now I have to go back out again tonight and buy everything when all I really want to do is lay in bed with my window open and the fall breeze coming in. Need a personal assistant some days.
• Mini rant time. The airlines aren't cutting back that much, at least not in first class. Sitting in the front of the plane both to and from, I had a clear view of all the hot towels and lemons wedges they were handed (what seemed like) every 10 minutes. Maybe I'm a little bitter. Sure, I could have hit yes when at check-in it asked "Would you like to upgrade to first class for $500?" One of these days I'll fly somewhere far, and it won't be in coach! I'll make sure they fluff my pillow and bring me endless cocktails.
• I've said it before and I'll say it again. I love going to Europe because everyone is so much better looking! Maybe if we walked everywhere and didn't have a fast food place on every corner we wouldn't be a nation known for overweight, out of shape slobs.
• An Aussie guy I met on the trip was telling me how he got his ass handed to him by a bunch of Irish guys in Dublin on a pub crawl playing beer pong with Guinness!  How they can drink like alcoholics, look fit, and still function continues to mystify me...
• It was so nice not having to drive the past week. Efficient and clean public transportation in a major city (not Philadelphia) is a beautiful thing.
• Yes, I realize I have lifted the veil of anonymity on the blog with a pic of my looking straight into the camera (gasp!) Is everyone shocked? I thought that pic turned out pretty awesome, so I threw it on the background.
• What's a blog entry of mine without a food mention? I had the most delicious option when I was in the town of Howth. Take one guess which one I got. Too easy, right? Although choice c) was tempting for a minute. I need a crepe pan so I can make one whenever I want.



Yes, Nutella and banana!!

Last blog entry from Ireland

So sad to be leaving tomorrow, but had such an amazing trip. Here's another movie. Don't worry, I wasn't all touristy like some certain groups of tourists famous for taking a million pictures of each other and posing in front of everything. (Guesses anyone?)

That new digital camera I got a few weeks ago is a real gem. So tiny, lightweight, and takes some great videos. Here's me crossing the Carrick-a-Rede bridge, trying my best to take a steady movie in the wind.
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

I had to squeeze this post in before I left. Not that I've been up for 18hrs or have my entire suitcase to pack before I go to bed  : O

Bye Ireland! I love being here... and I will be back!

Hiking in Howth

Some consider a vacation to be lounging by a pool all day. If you know me, you know I'm not one of those people. In fact, I actually get more of a workout on vacation than I do at home. Every minute today was enjoyable because, let's face it, you can't get views even close to this at home. Here's one of several videos I took today in Howth as well as some pics from my 4mi hike around the peninsula, high above the cliffs. A serious workout, yes. Worth it? Absolutely!