So the morning did not start as I had intended, but what morning here ever has. I was uncomfortable and it made me unhappy for most of the morning. So I sought escape. I went down to the Amma Centre and chatted with Liz for a bit. I looked through Alex's photos, uploaded our interviews for him and left him a note because I wasn't sure if I was going to see him again before I left for the day. I started my robbery story and worked on my timeline. Alex did come eventually and I talked to him and Susan a bit before taking off.

I left at noon and stopped by my library on the way back to the hostel. I said hello to Lorraine and she told me I could use her name in the robbery story and offered to look over it and add to it. It was awesome.

I got back to the hostel and Adam still hadn't showered and John was debating whether he would go with or not. So while they were getting ready, I worked on the robbery story. I got hungry though, so I made pasta. I got to meet Don's wife though and we had a good conversation about my projects and traveling. It was fun. She's really sweet.

I ate my pasta and got ready to go. We drove down to Newgrange. It was about a 2 hour drive. Although, Adam did pass it and we were almost in Dublin. It was funny. The trip down was pretty quiet. We listened to music and I almost fell asleep a few times. But it was fun.

We got to Newgrange and parked. Adam is a much more skilled driver than I am. I would not have fit into the spot he did. It was incredible.

We found out Newgrange was sold out for the day, but Knowth was available which suited me just fine as Knowth was where I wanted to go anyways. We had 45 mins to kill, so we went through the museum and the replication of the tomb. It was cool. We then went downstairs and I got lost in the gift shop while they had coffee.

After coffee, we took the bus out to Knowth. Our tour guide was incredible. I learned a lot about the tombs. Like that the three tombs correlated with the three gods. They had to do with fertility ceremonies and the equinox was when the sun would light up the tunnels. Knowth was the only one built so that both sunrise and sunset are effective in lighting up the tomb.

There are 40 mounds/tombs in all. 37 satellite mounds and three main ones: Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth. They found 35 bodies: 11 adults, 5 children and 1 baby. Most babies were cremated, so to find the remains of one means it was a very special baby. Two of the bodies were men and the rest women. The men were found decapitated. All were found in the fetal position.

Knowth was originally used as a tomb, but later Christians used it as a fort and built a huge ditch around it. So when invaders got passed the curb stones, they would fall to their death. At Knowth, there's over 90 curb stones and around the main mound, they were used as educational tools. You could walk around them and learn about astronomy. The calendar stone was neat. Most of the stone weigh half a ton and came from 15 miles away. The main entrances also had ceremonial pools in front of the phallis. There wasn't as much rain then, so they had to fill them up from the river Boyne.

Later, settlers built their house among the mounds as well as on top of them. They used a system of tunnels to hide from the vikings. Of course, Adam and I explored these tunnels. lol. It was fun. Even if we did get a bit dirty.

We walked around for a bit and talked to the guide and then climbed up another mound. It was fun. It had a good view. We were the last ones on the bus, but we made it back and went back to the visitor's centre. Adam was debating going to Tara, but decided to get back for a gig. So we ate dinner in Slane on the way home. I had a crepe and I don't usually like mushrooms, but this crepe was probably the best food I've had here the entire time we've been here.

We made small chat and talked about the group and bashed Phil. It was a good craic. Then we got back in the car and John explained to me the three disgraces of Phil and we talked more about the group. His first impression of me was that I was considerate and polite, which is always nice to hear. Adam's was that I was friendly. So the time passed quickly on the way home and the distance didn't seem as far.

We got back around 830 and I got here right when JK was here. He came for Phil's bbq. Yes, Igor had decided to bbq for everyone, it was sweet of him. So I had a cheeseburger and hung out downstairs with Alex, Mosby, Jeana and JK. Jk wanted to drink and had brought vodka from Derry. It was super strong. I played online a bit and everyone got to say hello to my mom. JK held me back while Mosby talked to my mom and told her how wild I was behaving. lol. It was funny. At least mom got to see people.

We just hung out and I sketched some. I have no idea how I'll get pictures done for everyone before we leave, but I'll try at least. Plus it's relaxing to sketch. I did an old Guinness ad and a pegasus. I debated going to bed, but redid my timeline and then wrote this out. :) Now I think it's bed time. I'm bushed. So much to do, so little time.

The sunlight trickled in from the slightly parted curtain and I flopped over and reset my alarm for an hour later. I didn’t feel like running. But then a clicking noise started and it drove me out of bed because I could not sleep with it on. I gathered my running gear and blinding stumbled into the bathroom to change. The source of the noise was the heater in the bathroom. I turned it off and found my ipod. I talked to Cassie about the night before and then went for a run.
On this morning’s run, I fund the leisure centre and the golf course. I ran by the police station as well and generally just made a large loop around the town. I got back around 815 as usual. I showered and headed down to class.
I got Alex in trouble because I showed up for Margaret’s class and he didn’t. I just didn’t want to miss her class since it’s the only class I enjoy. We talked about the Normans and the flight of the earls and such. I had to leave slightly early though, so I snuck out.
I found Alex in the kitchen making boiled eggs. He had gotten the times mixed u and we were not due at the mayor’s palace until 1130. So we had a whole hour to kill. Not wanting to go back to class, I just sat in the kitchen with him and played on my computer and ate some cereal.
At 11, we headed out the palace. I enjoyed the walk with Alex. He’s a really sweet guy and easy to talk to. We got to the palace and the mayor was waiting outside for us. We went in and he had tea and coffee and snacks for us too. It was sweet. I set up the camera and set up the chairs and Alex began to ask questions. The mayor seemed kind of closed off and I felt bad because I was more into the camera and the shot than in the conversation. Eventually, I found a good angle and sat down to join in the convo. Alex had run out of questions, but I had a few of my own. The mayor seemed more open to talking to me than he had been to talking with Alex.
We talked about the educational system and as I suspected, many are still either catholic or protestant. We talked about political parties and processes and about the peace treaty and the youth of Armagh. I even found out the mayor has a girlfriend.
We kept chatting over coffee and sandwiches. I made the mistake of eating one and it was just a bunch of mayo and lettuce. It was gross, so I ate enough to seem polite. The mayor then asked his assistant to contact people for us and then invited us to the council meeting at 730 that night. It was awesome. We walked away quite pleased with ourselves. The mayor himself even gave us a lift back to class.
We got back to class right at 1 like we were supposed to. After some confusion about which room we were in, we started class. Yumi talked about the interactive quality of our projects and then Don talked about media trends. I tried not to snore through it. We moved back downstairs for Elennie’s class and we talked about gender differences and the like. I wrote a note to John at that time apologizing for not being able to play football that night since we were too busy. I asked him to text me or add me as a friend on facebook and he did neither so I felt a little depressed.
But after class, I visited my friend at the train and introduced her to Kelly and then found out where to buy tickets for the art lecture on Wednesday. I thanked her and walked back. I saw Armagh uniforms in one shop so I popped in to ask about sweatshirts and he recommended me to the sports store. So to the sports store I went. I asked and they told me to look upstairs. I found a rugby one I liked but I wanted an Armagh one, so I asked and they pointed to the back wall. I tried on a large navy blue one and settled for a medium. It was awesome. I couldn’t stand a bright orange one, so I settled for the blue one.
It cost about 35 pounds, so pretty pricey but I think it was worth it. I dropped it off at the hostel and curled my hair and put in my contacts and headed down to the movies. Roisin meet me at 425 and we got our tickets and went in. It was a pretty cheap movie, 4.50. Roisin got popcorn, a drink and a candy deal. We went into the four theatre movies and sat near the back of theatre three. We sat in the middle and talked through the previews until we realized we were not alone in the theatre. A couple had joined us and was sitting behind us. So we talked more softly to ourselves.
We saw the Proposal, which was a cute movie. It made me home sick in places and the ending was not what I expected at all. I could not help but be slightly unhappy that Sandra and Ryan were paired together; she just seemed way to old for him. I also don’t like how the strong female character was brought to fall in love with the sweet sensitive guy. I mean, it was done tastefully, but I liked her character better when she was the strong female role. I loved Ryan the entire time though. He was so cute and sweet.
The funniest part was the tribal ceremony in the woods with a close second being the dog and the eagle. The sad part was when you thought his gammy was dying. I cried. I’ll admit it. The twist was when I thought he would fall back in love with his old high school girlfriend and they would live happily ever after, when instead he goes back to him boss and asks her to marry him so he could date her. Otherwise she’d be back in Canada. So the movie ends with the immigration department questioning them.
Roisin and I didn’t get to talk much after because her dad picked her up right after. He was sweet enough to give me a ride back to the hostel though. And then they invited me over for dinner sometime soon. It was really sweet.
I got up to my room with half an hour before I had to leave again. I flipped through the pictures Roisin had given me. I played online for a bit and then met up with Alex to go back to the mayor’s palace. Halfway there, we realized we had forgotten Jaime. Alex said we didn’t need to go back for her and I know I told her 7 and we didn’t leave until 710 anyways.
We walked and talked and had a good time. We got there and sat in the media section at the back. The mayor talked to us and made sure we were comfy. He introduced us at the beginning of the session and we quickly got bored. Arguments were made over graveyards and trash pick up. The only one of interest was the equality issue raised by a nationalist who didn’t like the paintings in the building and how they only represented the loyalist history and not both sides. I found the argument interesting. It was debated for a bit and ended in a stalemate.
The session ended and Alex and I got contact information from members as they left. One guy even struck up a convo with me and promises to hook me up with a friend of his in the EU parliament in Brussels. ☺ Alex was impressed with my smoozing skills. We walked back slowly talking about horseback riding bare back. Alex wasn’t too keen to go to the Sands Family concert. I wanted to see it though. We got there close to intermission, so we went back to the hostel to drop of equipment and grab a bite to eat. I had a banana and then we headed back. We got a table and had some soda while we waited. Soon everyone flooded out and we got bombarded with praise for the concert. This made Alex more excited to be there.
We got in and took our seats. Alex and I sat alone on the end, but the view was good there. The first song they played was super funny. It was about a guy sneaking into a girl’s bedroom. Other memorable songs were the one he wrote to his daughter on her wedding day about loving her wherever she goes. And the one about immigrates and how they all want to go back to Ireland and what they would do once they get back. There was one about following an old wise woman down to the well and back too. My favorite was the one about hugs. We all need a hug in the morning and one at the end of the day and as many as possible squeezed in between. The last song was one they wrote during the troubles. It was powerful. It was intense since people they knew from Newry were dying.
In between songs, they would give explanations or tell jokes. It was overall a fantastic show. I wish I had seen the fist half. I talked to Mike and Elennie about it and they all enjoyed it. I felt a little bad that no one gave me credit for getting us a shout out and being able to meet them afterwards, since that was all thanks to me and Alex after we had smoozed the mayor. But I guess that’s life. Mike told me how upset Jamie was, as did Phil and Jeana. I felt bad. And then Mike let me know how he feels about Mosby and how she dressed inappropriately all the time.
After the show, people were meeting the Sands family and getting autographs, but all I wanted to do was to get my eye to stop hurting. My contact had folded over and I lost them both. ☹ I’m down to my last pair. It was sad. But it felt much better to get it out. My eye was really read and puffy because of it.
Alex and I chilled in the back and talked some to Megan. He had been sweet enough to bring me an apple since he knew I hadn’t eaten much. So I munched on that and made fun of Darcy when I could. Lol. Megan, Alex and I walked back together. I got on my computer for a bit and then went to go to bed. Cassie was in a sad mood so I stayed up talking to her for quite a bit. We just talked about school and classes and how she’s adjusting to it here. I fell asleep much later than I would have liked, but hey, who needs sleep?

Eric from the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. He's dreamy. And he's pretty hunky in True Blood as well.

Morning dawned over the cathedrals of Armagh and I struggled out of bed. It was cold outside of my covers and on a Sunday morning, I really just wanted to snuggle back into a good dream.
I stretched out and found my phone to turn off the annoying pinging that was my alarm clock. I stretched again and considered if bog snorkeling was really worth getting out of bed for. In the end, I tumbled out of bed and struggled into clothes.
I then stumbled down the stairs and robotically made three peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. One for me and two in case people did not think they would need food on this trip. I also stashed a can of Pringles in my bag along with a few granola bars. That being taken care of, I prepared in case I did decided to jump into the bog. A change of clothes and a towel and I was all sorted out and ready to go.
The bus took us out to the Peatland Park. We followed the signs to the visitor centre and saw come shops being set up along the path. Good news for those who didn’t pack properly for the event.
The education tent, home of two ferrets, held the attention of most of my travel companions. I was shocked to learn that many had never seen a ferret before. I was still not a fan, so I wandered down to the creek of sorts and watched the ducks. A few ducklings zipped past their mother in a complicated game of follow the leader. Many people stopped to photograph them. I could only think of my duck in Reno, Philbert.
There were two ways to get to the ditch for snorkeling. We could take the vintage train or walk. Once the whistle blew, the argument was settled and we clamored into the cars of the choo-choo. I sat by Mosby. It began to rain while we were traveling, so it was quit a sight, the train cars covered in a canopy of umbrellas.
We pulled into the platform and jumped out of the train onto the tracks. We followed the wooden deck around to the brightly colored flags that adorned the muddy ditch. Walking along, we were educated by posts with highly artistic drawings of the process of harvesting peat. I found it interesting what tools were used and the long days that were required to yield the peat. If only I would have guessed I would be an active participant in that process and then maybe I would not have found it so interesting.
But we wandered up the path and over to the ditch. There no real way to describe it other than a ditch dug into a bog. The reeds and plants clinging to the banks and poking up through the mucky waters, making me wonder what lay below that brown surface. All sorts of insects fluttered from one bank to the other. 60 yards long, 5 feet deep and four feet across of mucky water, I thought it looked like fun. Walking around the entrance, we were greeted by the charismatic dj playing Ghostbusters and teaming up as the announcer for the event.
Sneaking into the competitors’ only section, the bog Jacuzzi greeted all the participants. You know the mud holes pigs like to wallow around in? Well, think of that and you’ve got a pretty good mental image of what the Jacuzzi looked like. It looked worse than it smelled though, thank goodness.
Alex and I wandered over the registration tent to ask if we could participate. Our only problem was the tiny fact that we had no snorkel. We were told to talk to the director to see about being in the fun run at the end of the day. I also asked what time the event was held to and they replied 5, which was not good since our bus was supposed to pick us back up at 3. I tried to reasonably point this out to Don, but he didn’t listen to me and only when Cassie raised her concerns about not seeing who won, was the point taken and the bus company called to arrange a later pick up time.
The races started at noon with the women’s heat. Only three of the 11 women signed up for the event actually showed up. I was rather saddened by this. The women swam their three heats. Picture this. A grown, sane woman of about 30 years of age climbing down an aluminum ladder into the muck. Clad in a wet suit and snorkel, the racer would then doggie paddle down the ditch using the flippers to stay afloat. A man with a hook and the referee walk on the wooden dock next to the ditch to make sure the strict rule of using only the snorkel to breath and swimming only doggie paddle are followed. It’s the man with the hook to bail you out if you need it that’s unnerving.
Once the women were done, the men began their heat. The first up was doing it for charity and had raised over 450 pounds for the race. It’s always nice to see someone doing it for a good cause. There were fourteen guys in all, one of which was the world record holder for swimming the race the fastest. He won last time in Wales, where the sport started in 1985. Colin, the coordinator of the race had brought the idea over from Wales five years ago.
The men’s heat lasted a long time and I soon grew bored watching the men swim in the muck and headed over to the peat-harvesting demo. The guy there was showing and teaching people how to use the tools to cut the peat and lift it out of the ground. I gave it a go and it wasn’t as hard as I thought it was. The tricky part was getting the newly formed peat brick to stay on the shovel in order to lift it out and pile it to the side. The guys were really funny about it and the elder one used to do it as a living, so he was a wealth of knowledge and even showed us how to use the easier but more lethal shovel.
I headed back to the bog snorkeling and made friends with poppy and daisy, two gorgeous golden retriever sisters who just wanted to get dirty in the bog, but sat loyally by their owner’s side. There were many a dog at the competition and many that wanted to participate in the competition as they yelped their support from the bank.
The juniors were up next and I had fun watching them wallow in the Jacuzzi. Many a friend got pushed or shoved in and the occasional guy would belly flop into the mud. It looked like great fun. I was jealous sitting on the sidelines because they looked like they were having such fun. One guy just sat there, completely content to bath in the mud. His white teeth contrasted sharply with the brown mud and many a photographer crawled along the muddy bank to get a perfect shot of his green eyes just above the mud. I tried not to stare, but the guy was good looking and he looked like he was having the time of his life. Plus I liked the sound of his laugh.
Before the junior had finished their run, the random showers that had sprinkled the day turned into a violent frenzy of stinging rain and howling wind. Mosby used Alex as a rain blocker as we sought shelter under a tree. It was a case of too many people and too little tree, but it shielded us somewhat. Alex and Mosby and the others left to seek shelter at the education center, but I wanted to see what happened. As it turned out, it was good of me to stay since the changing tent wound up blowing away. While a few guys were changing in it. Awesome. Just watching this huge tent tumble into the bog was incredible but compounded with the startled men, it was priceless.
Once the excitement died down with the rain fizzling out, the races resumed. The juniors finished up, all ten of them and it was on to the relays. It was about this time that the dj sauntered over to where Amy and I were staked out in red chairs and made fun of me for eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. As I sat there with Amy, I gathered up the courage to ask the director, Colin if I could jump in.
He was quite a jovial and talkative man and spoke with the dj who asked the crowd for a suit, flippers and a snorkel so the crazy American could jump in. I sat back down because no one volunteered at first and I was busy trying to think of a place to change. Finally a woman came over and said I could try her son’s other suit that was too small for him. I skipped over to the portable toilets and tried to squeeze into the suite. It was a tad too small and I could not bring it up over my boobs no matter how I tried to get it to fit. This disheartened me. I put on my shorts and tank top just in case and returned the suit the lady with a sad smile that it was too small.
With some luck, I passed a relay racer who had just finished and asked if I could borrow her suit. She said yet and I put it on. In my excitement, I put it on backwards though. So I pulled it off and put it on the right way and she zipped me up. Another mom, Mrs. Meredith, gave me her daughter’s flippers and snorkel. Things were happening fast now and I had no time to rinse out the snorkel since everyone was waiting for me to jump in.
I sat down on the edge of the muddy water, took a deep breath and plunged in. It was not as cold as everyone had made it out to be. I am not sure if this was on account of the wet suit or due to the fact that Tahoe is usually breathtakingly cold. Regardless, I was in. With another deep breath, I popped the snorkel into place, it being safely tucked into my goggles and splashed off.
The bog plant life brushed up against me and it was unnerving but not as bad as a slimy fish swimming under my legs like in Spain. It was not as bad as it looked but swimming doggie style was tiring and it would have been easier to swim without the snorkel.
I paddled down the length and finally touched the yellow stick at the end. I gathered my breath and the dj asked if I was coming back. I figured I would regret it more if I didn’t swim back to the other end, so with the referee asking if I was all right and reminding me to breath through the snorkel and keep my hands under the water, I was off again. I stopped mid length because I could not see and I could not breath, the snorkel was filled with muck. I spit it out and readjusted it, but it still wasn’t the same, so I just swam on. I finally made it to the finish sign and happily crawled up the ladder and out of the bog. Mike, of course, was taking pictures all the while and asked me to stop on the ladder for another picture.
Once out of the bog, I stood confronted with the Jacuzzi. Everyone was encouraging me to jump in. So I turned to Jonathan and told him I would jump in if he jumped in with me. He held out his hand and we jumped in together. It wasn’t as deep as I expected and my head didn’t go under, thank goodness, it took long enough getting the bog out of my hair without it being completely caked.
I found a pipe and Mike helped me crawl out and I tiptoed over to the “shower.” I tiptoed because the rocky road hurt my bare feet and I call it a “shower” because it was just one guy on a ladder rinsing you off with a pressure washer. I waited in line and Mike got some more glamour shots. I rinsed off a suit and flippers for the Meredith’s and then began to try to get the major clumps of bog off. I wound up stripping off the wet suit and it disappeared and I didn’t get a chance to thank the woman who let me barrow it.
Mike and Mosby were nice enough to block me from view as I changed out of the muck and put back on normal clothes. After I was fairly clean and dry, I headed back to the bog. I watched the awards ceremony and then talked to the family that had helped me out. They were from Armagh and Roisin was impressed with my accent. Lol. She was funny. I gave them my email address and collected theirs in return. Her mom was going to give me pictures that she had taken or drop them off at the hostel. I got Jonathan’s email too; after all he had jumped in with me.
The event was over and we all walked back to the bus pick up point. It was sweet because Shelly agreed to sit by me even though, I’m sure I smelled quite boggy. We drove home and I shared my Pringles with all.
We got back to the hostel and I quickly gathered up my shower supplies and took a shower upstairs. It felt so good to get warm again. I let the bog soak out of my hair and then drained the tub to be able to soak again in not brown water. After I refilled it, I soaped up and cleaned up. The only problem was how frizzy my hair was. So I asked around for some leave in conditioner and Jeanna was sweet enough to let me use some of hers. Once I looked like a human being again, I went downstairs and popped a pizza in the oven.
Mike gave me the pics of me he took on my flash drive and then Elennie wanted the pics, so I shared them with her too. And we talked for a bit. She had missed the day’s festivities. So we chatted. And then I got my pizza and pigged out on it. I didn’t realize how hungry I was. And how thirsty too. Jeanna again was sweet and had bought me water.
I looked at the pictures for a while and then at 830, Elennie, Alex, Megan, Jeanna and I watched In Bruges. It was intense at first because the color was off, so everything was a shade of red and made the movie darker than it already was. I asked Phil about it and he threw a fit because he was off that night. So grumbling, he came in and fixed it. It was much better in color.
The movie was really sad though. I loved Colin Ferril, but it was a sad movie. He and his friend were hired guns and Colin shot a little boy on accident when he shot a priest he was hired to kill. It haunted him and they were exiled to Bruges. His best friend then was supposed to kill him, but wound up saving him. Colin messed around with a drug dealer and made friends with a midget in a movie. His friend tries to spare his life by sending him away on a train, but the Canadians who he had punched out on his date, had him sent back to Bruges.
Their boss goes to Bruges and shoots Harry. When he learns that Colin is still in the city, he shoots his friend again. His friend goes through great pain to get to the top of the tower and throws himself off the tower to get Colin’s attention. It was awful. A chase scene follows and they wind up in a stand off in a hotel with the pregnant hotel owner caught in the middle. Colin jumps out a window and doesn’t think Harry will actually shot him from the distance, but he does. Colin stumbles back to the main square where the midget and his girl are and Harry shoots him again and hits the midget and kills him too. So of course, turn about fair play, Harry has to kill himself. The movie ends with Colin in the hospital hoping he doesn’t die in Bruges.
So with that depressing end, I got on aim to talk to my mom. I sat in the hallways and chatted with her while talking to my new bog snorkeling friend. Roisin and I made plans to hang out the next day and see a movie. It was cool of her to talk to me. Jonathan added me as a friend as well.
I went to go to bed and walked in and Cassie was in bed and I swore I saw Phil’s hand sticking out on her back, so I panicked. I had turned on the light to put my sheets on since I had washed them. Since I was not sure it was Phil, I asked Alex discreetly to check his room for me. It was as I had seen. So I got another set of sheets and because all I could do was think of Phil, I accidentally called John Phil. He was hurt and I felt bad.
I asked Mosby if I could sleep in her room, but it was too messy, same for Shelly’s. So I went back downstairs and asked if I could stay in Alex’s room but thought that would be awkward since Phil’s his roommate. I helped Alex prepare questions and he soon went up to check for me again and Cassie and Phil were in his room, so I was able to go to bed. It was just a weird situation and I felt bad that people found out even though I tried to keep it between Alex and me.

So I have been really bad at keeping everyone up dated on what I've been doing to the point where I don't even remember much of what I'm doing any more. And the bad part is, I haven't even been writing it down either... :( So I decided that that has to end today so I can remember this trip possibly. I may even go back and write more about the beginning too, pending there's time.

I'll start with today and move backwards. So I am in Armagh, and I really wanted to go horse back riding today, but it seemed like a no go. No where is close that I can get to by bus at the time the rides start. So I decided to sleep in. This decision had much influence from the night before and the drinks I had drank. Not so much hung over, but tired since we were out until 2.

So I slept until noon. Well, I woke up at 10 and read a little but realized it was too much effort to get out of bed. So I quickly fell asleep again. I got up around noon to Don knocking on our door. He wanted to know if Cassie and I were going with him to Castlewellan. After much inner debate, I decided not to be a loner for the day and went out with the group.

I sat at the back of the bus with Cassie, Don and Phil. They had a deep conversation on the way there about many things, but I didn't feel welcomed in the conversation, so I kept to myself. I listened to my music and took pictures through the window.

We got into the town with stomachs grumbling. We went to a few places and scoped them out. We wound up eating at a diner. I ordered some goujons and chips with cheese. The cheese was gross though. So I didn't eat much, but it was cheap food. So we ate. I was with Megan, Jeanna, and Jamie. Afterwards, we walked around for awhile and then headed to meet up with the people in the forest and the park. We then hung out with them and walked to the castle. The castle was pretty and I went on its grounds even though. It was a christian center and no one stopped me. So I took some pictures and hung out at the castle. Jamie and I walked down to the lake and couldn't resist sticking our legs in. It was really sunny and warm for Ireland standards. So we chilled there for a bit.

I got bored and decided to go exploring, so I started off to walk around the lake. When I thought I had gotten to a point where I could see the end of it, it took a turn and so I kept walking. I passed a lot of interesting people. There was a family splashing at the water's edge. An old couple was having an animated conversation as they sat on the bench and looked off to the opposite coast now and again. A few fishermen sat calmly beside their rods, cigerettes dangling from their shriveled lips. A cyclists swerved for the puddle of mud and grinned mischievesly as he pelted the unfortunate runner. Four shirtless men peddled past on their mountain bikes and many a dog lover padded the path with their loyal beast trotting leashless next to them.

The light flitered through the trees and at times bathed the path. It was rather beautiful. I found the end of the lake after half an hour of walking and realized it branched off into rivers. I figured I was too far gone as it was to pursue seeing more, so I headed back. The others were no longer sun bathing, but I did play a little football and watched a goldie jump into the lake to fetch a stick.

I found the gang I ate lunch with watching the sheep herding. So we all walked into town together. I found the craft store, but it was nothing amazing. So we walked around a bit and caught up with the other group. Amy and I went in search of ice cream. It was good ice cream too. Although, I need to remember that not only do I not like the cheese here, but I don't like the candy bar, twirls either. So I had my ice cream while we watched some amazing kids perform. One kid played the guitar and sang and it was beautiful. We popped into the Brandy Pad for a bit and then went back out. I decided to look around a bit and went to the art gallery and the catholic church. It was weird though because the church had a spigot for holy water and it also had a thunderstorm recording playing in the entrance way.

The inside of the church was lovely. It had a dark wood ceiling which contrasted nicely with the pristine whiteness of the walls and the alter and it smelled divine, like easter lilies, which not surprisingly decorated the alter. I lite a candle and was on my way out when I struck up a conversation with the other people in the church. Peter told me that she should have stayed for the night since that's when the pubs get musicians and packed and it's also when the kiley dancing started. And I so wanted to see some kiley dancing. Plus Peter said he would have danced with me and got me in free. haha.

I walked back to the stage, but it was cold and no one was about. So I went back to the pub and met up with Shelly and Amy. We got some drinks and then shared a booth with some Irish boys. They were Con, Anthony, and William. They liked me because I knew who William Wallace was. I was surprised the others didn't know. But we chatted with them and it was interesting because they talked about how there was no difference between Northern Ireland and Ireland and that the war was over. They also talked about how protestant eyes were closer together and that they were dogs because they could smell catholics. They were serious when they said this too. It was insane. But at least we exchanged emails, so I have some friends in new places to explore.

It was soon time to go and we filed outside. Before we left though, we watched some younger kids play outside. The banjo boy and the fiddle guy were amazing. It was cool to get to see them play. I enjoyed it. I also got to talk to Anthony's best friend on the phone after Shelly did and he called his friend a cheap bastard for not buying us drinks. lol. It was funny. He also said he was a millionaire and that he should have been buying us drinks. haha. I got a kiss goodbye on the cheek as we left to get back on the coach.

I sat by Shelly and Phil and Shelly lent my one of her ear buds and we listened to Across the Universe on the way back. Although, Russ and Darcy's banter was very entertaining if not insulting at times. So I interjected when I thought reasonable. I thought it was interesting what they had to say about John and Simba. I liked them a lot, so I guess I just felt protective.

We made it back to the hostel and I got online for a bit. Then I made PB & J and listened to Don talk about how upset he was and tired. So I ate my sandwich and read some and then headed upstairs to read some more. AT 930, I found a niche and talked to my mommy on aim at 10 pm. I talked to Susan, Kelly, and Russ for a bit too as we waited for their pizza to come. Susan did a good impression of a southern woman who slopped the pigs and milked the cows, cooked and cleaned. It was priceless.

I got tired of people though, mostly because it's awkward around Phil from the hostel because he think I like him. Which I don't. I was just being nice to him. I think he's a great guy and all, but he's really not my type. And he was so egotistical to think that my status was about having a crush on him. Oh well, it's rather amusing. I just wondering if I should mess with him a little or just ignore him.

And now, I'm just listening to music, playing on facebook and getting ready for bed. I'm about to shower, read a little and pass out before bog snorkling tomorrow. :)

I could not be bothered to drag myself out of bed in the morning to go running. It was quite sad, but true. It was hard to get going. So I went back to sleep for another hour. It was a shame really. I just feel better after I run, so I need to not do that any more.

I got up and dressed and made it to class on time. Margaret was lovely and talked about the prisons and the jail writings and the hunger strikes instead of the Norman invasion as she was supposed to. It was fun. I was recommended to watch Hunger and In the Name of the Father. Both of which the hostel has, I just need time to watch them.

In Elennie's class, we went over the difference between collective and individualistic societies and the ways to understand the differences. We even went over a classic case of a man and woman about to get married and her not wanting his last name and he wanting her to take his last name. Great fun, but nothing I didn't already know.

After that, we took a short break and then it was time for pitches. Because I asked Mike how to hook up my computer (which there was no way and we wound up putting it on a flash drive and using his computer) and I was the first member of my team to go, we went first. I think I did a good job explaining my pitch. No one had any questions and Shelly was the only one with a comment, so I think I did well. Susan went next without much trouble. But Alex's idea sparked a lot of commotion and challenges. So I think his idea may change. We went through the lot of ideas and most were interesting. Brigid's doing Irish Ink. Amy picked the Tayto Factory. Phil's angle is traditional music. Russ picked Guinness, surprise, surprise. Shelly picked different religions in Armagh. Kelly is disproving American stereotypes of the Irish. Cassie's covering the bog snorkling. Mosby is doing the pagan religion in Armagh. Jeana is covering death. And Jamie is doing women in power. I think they all are going to be great topics and stories.

After pitches, we headed over to the Uluru restaurant for lunch. I was brave and tried kangaroo. I liked it, but I felt guilty for liking it since there was a picture of the cute little kangaroos on the wall, staring at me while I ate it. I sat with Russ, Don, Shelly, Susan and Kelly. After we ate our roos, we had dessert. I shared with Russ and we had chocolate banana mousse. It was quite yummy.

After lunch, I headed back to the hostel and then to my library. I sat and read the book by Tom Duncan for a good 45 mins. It was interesting to learn about the flight of the earls and the plantation set up of the schools as well as when the schools were amalgamated and how they had to make the royal academy of Armagh electric when a gas chandalier crashed to the ground and almost took out a teacher. I guess the ghosts of some headmasters haunt one part of the complex was well since they built the "new building" on their graveyard. I also learned that the girls part of the school had a harp as a symbol which benefits Susan.

After a bit, I asked the keeper, Carol, about a book I saw on the tourist desk that I had my eye on. She said it was a free book and that I may take it. I do plan to leave them a donation when I go since I do want to see the library stay open and they have been most generous. About 330, I ran home between rain drops to get my computer so I could show Carol our presentation and get her feedback. We would up talking for an hour, a good half an hour after the library closed. It was insane, but fun. She was extremely helpful and is now helping with contacts for my project, Susan's project and Alex's. It was very sweet of her.

Harry dropped by for a bit as well. He was returning a hammer. He was kind enough to let me know he has been thinking about my project as well and has articles for me as well. Carol is also looking to get old photographs and the like for my time line. It's quite lovely.

I bounced away from the library and dropped my stuff off at the hostel and headed out toward the information centre. The woman there was most helpful in trying to help me to find somewhere to ride, but we weren't having much luck, which was sad. So I got some internet sites and info and headed to the art store.

The art store was rather sad, but I did find a paint brush, some paper and some scratch paper. Enough so that I can make presents for everyone before I leave. Plus I haven't played with scratch boards in awhile and I thought they would be fun for gifts. They didn't have much fimo clay, otherwise I would have used that. I did find some cool horse postcards while I was there. So I got one to mail home, which I still need to do. haha.

I then wandered down to Emersons and avoided the guitar player asking for money in the rain while doing so. I got some yummy food. It was a lot of food considering I only spent 15 pounds. I just forgot milk. :( sadness. I lugged the heavy groceries home and put them away before sketching some while my pizza was cooking. I also curled my hair and started to get ready for the night's festivities.

I was ready to go at half past nine. I even wore contacts and a nice shirt for one. lol. We started at the Stage bar and met up with John from the Amma Centre and his friend Stephen aka Simba. We hung out there for a couple of drinks and then headed over the the Northern bar to hear Adam play. Sadly, it cost money to go upstairs, so we stayed downstairs. Kelly, Susan, me and the boys had a few more drinks. Well, I stole Jk's. It was a tequila margarita sort of drink. It turned my tongue a rather unnerving shade of blue. Alex went upstairs to hear them play and we took off for the gas lamp. I had fun talking to Simba and I think that if he holds up his end of the deal, we may go to Derry next Saturday. It sounds good to me, but I'm not sure how to get in touch with him to make it happen. I'll have to ask John on Monday.

So we met up with Mosby and Jamie at the gas lamp. We danced some until creepy guys kept coming over so I would go over to John and he'd put his arm around me. He was rather cute about it. Simba made fun of me until I ordered a drink. So I got a Magners. It was yummy. Mosby and I ducked down to the dance floor a few more times. But we mostly hung out upstairs. John wound up buying us a shot. It was really green but really good. I wanted another one. I should buy him a drink at some point since he bought me a drink and a shot. I'll have to remember. We stayed at the gas lamp until the place shut down due to a fight. Everyone else wanted to go home even though I wanted to stay out, so we went back to the hostel. John and Simba were going to stay for awhile, but John (the hostel owner) had come home at the same time, so it wasn't possible.

We said our good nights and I climbed up to bed. I showered and read a little and was out cold by 2, I think. It was a fun night though. Although, it may be bad... I think I may have a crush on John. He's just so cute and sweet. Better not to think about it. Less disappointment that way.

i got here just fine. lol. updates will be posted later tonight. :)

The Traveler

As I wander the wonders of the world,
I ponder the path I have chosen to walk.
I never questioned it before, never thought twice,
Until you.

I cannot even say why it was you
That sparked the doubt, the longing.
It may have been there all along,
Hidden deep.

The doubt fades with the awe
The longing remains
The longing to share it with
Like you.

I close my eyes and I’m back in Reno
Back in time, laughing with you.
With all the world before me
Only you.

I try to push aside the doubt
With the knowledge
That you don’t want me like I want you,
Longing remains.

Is it longing for you though?
Or the idea of you?
Can both worlds be had?
You, world.

Sighs escape all around me,
But mine is not for the beauty
Of the temple before me but
For you.

Or the idea of you.
I drown out the longing.
I replace the doubt.
Me, world.

The heart of a traveler cannot love
Anything more than travel.
No longing, no doubt
The Traveler.

Quiero hablar de amor.
Quiero hablar de dolor.
Quiero hablar de el dolor de amor.

Quiero escribir un mil sonetos del amor,
En un mil lenguajes, en un mil países.
Quiero cantar este dolor de la corazón
En una voz que trae lagrimas.
Quiero decir este dolor
En una voz alta que todo se puede entender.
Pero no tengo sonetos, idiomas o cantos
En los que hay las palabras de este dolor de amor.

Este dolor es solitario.
Este amor es solamente de mió.
Nadie se puede sentir mi dolor de amor.

Quiero compartir el dolor de amor,
Pero es dolor mió, y no puedo.
Por eso, la corazón llora en la ducha
Porque nadie se puede ver las lagrimas.
Las que son el agua y nada más.
No puedo compartir este dolor si quiero
Nadie se querría el dolor mió y nadie entendería.
El dolor de amor en mi corazón es lo mió.

Este dolor es personal.
Este amor es normal.
Pero no lo quiero el dolor ni amor.

Quiero decirte todo del amor,
Pero el dolor mió no es lo mismo de tuyo
O de su amigo o su compañero.
Nadie se puede entender si puedo decirlo
Porque todos los dolores de amores son diferentes
A cada persona hay un dolor de amor personal.
Se puede simpatizar, pero
Su amor no es mi dolor y mi dolor no es tu dolor.

Este dolor, siento en profundo,
Este amor convirtió en mi mundo.
Siento el dulce dolor y el triste amor.

En el fin, les doy gracias a los dos.
Y no les puedo decir adiós.
Me gusta este dolor de amor,
Porque puedo siento el dolor,
Y yo sé soy viva y la corazón está latiendo,
Porque siento por lo menos el dolor de amor
Vale porque no puedo tener su amor, pero tengo el dolor,
Y el dolor es suficiente para mi.

You have received this note because someone thinks you are a literary geek. Copy the questions into your own note, answer the questions, and tag any friends who would appreciate the quiz, including the person who sent you this. Don't bother trying to italicize your book titles. We know you want to.

1) What author do you own the most books by?
KA Applegate. What I have like every Animorph book published.

2) What book do you own the most copies of?
I don't think I have any doubles. It's quite possible though. My collection is ever expanding.

3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?
As I am in a Linguistics class this semester and have been drilled not to care where the preposition is placed, no, I didn't notice. But it used to drive me crazy.

4) What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
ooo, I agree with Nicole about Eric from Sookie Stackhouse. I heart him too. Robin Hood. Po from Graceling.

5) What book have you read the most times in your life?
Into the Land of the Unicorns and Kissed by an Angel. And then the Chronicles of Narnia. haha.

6) What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
Charlotte's Web.

7) What is the worst book you've read in the past year?
G-Spot by Noire. Only because it has been my least favorite so far this year. It's not too bad though.

8) What is the best book you've read in the past year?
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde.

9) If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?
hmmm. Any book? Probably I Am the Messenger by Mark Zusak. It's that incredible.

10) Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for Literature?
Charlene Harris. ahaha. I just love Sookie Stackhouse.

11) What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
Heartsick. Just because I am sick and twisted like that.

12) What book would you least like to see made into a movie?
See answer above.

13) Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.
Well, I had a panic attack this morning and thought Dracuyla from the Historian was trying to strangle me. I'm not very rational at 3 am and I shouldn't be allowed to read scary books before I sleep.

14) What is the most lowbrow book you've read as an adult?
Also, the Twilight series. :)

15) What is the most difficult book you've ever read?
Vanity Fair. It just is a lot of text that says nothing.

16) What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you've seen?
I'm not sure. I haven't read his obscure works, but probably some of his poetry?

17) Do you prefer the French or the Russians?
Russians. They make literature more interesting.

18) Roth or Updike?
Updike.

19) David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?
Eggers, but only because of his book about teachers.

20) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
Chaucer. I'm partial though.

21) Austen or Eliot?
Austen.

22) What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
Classics maybe? I feel like there are a million classics I have yet to read.

23) What is your favorite novel?
of all time? Into the Land of the Unicorns. haha. Lately? InkDeath

24) Play?
I'm a sucker for Romeo and Juliet, but I do like el hombre que se convertio al perro.

25) Poem?
The Jabberwocky

26) Essay?
A Modest Proposal-Jonathan Swift. ahaha. I love this one too. Or I want a Wife.

27) Short story?
El Hijo de Quiroga. I've liked a lot of the short stories we've read in Spanish though.

28) Work of nonfiction?
The Monster of FLorence

29) Who is your favorite writer?
Mark Zusak, Neil Gaiman, Jasper Fforde, Cornelia Funke, and Charlaine Harris.

30) Who is the most overrated writer alive today?
James Patterson. I just don't see the appeal.

31) What is your desert island book?
How to Survive on a desert island? Or come ashore and we will kill you and eat you. Just for the irony..

32) And... what are you reading right now?
The Historian by Eizabeth Kostova, Quiroga for my paper, and Media anthropology