Day One in Dublin (aka 3 days later but I finally have internet)

Welcome to Ireland!

We have been here a few days but this is the first time I have had reliable and usable internet.

I'll give you the short version - we left Massachusetts on time, we got to the airport on time, our flight left about half an hour late and still got in early.  I don't remember airplane seats being quite so uncomfortable but I did get to watch my choice of a movie.  I chose Bernie with Jack Black and Shirley MacClaine because someone (I can't remember who) just told me I should see it. Oh by they way - airplane food is as bad as I remember.

We got through customs quite quickly and our luggage was on the belt, undamaged and with nothing missing.  Always a plus!

We upgraded our rental car (I could have packed more stuff!). It is diesel so it will get much better mileage and is less expensive to fill up.  The car has a bigger trunk so all of our stuff in concealed, and I feel a little less vulnerable riding in it overall.  It is silver so I am happy - I am not a fan of red cars.

I would post a photo but my card reader does not appear to be working.  I don't know if it is the computer, the card reader or the card but I am trying not to panic.  I assume all will be well when I get the card into my new laptop back home.  This machine is pretty old and the card may just be too big for it to handle.  I know I had that problem with my old camera.

Onwards and upwards...

We got in our rent-a-put and drove into Dublin proper.  Actually, we sat in the car in the rental lot for half an hour looking at maps that made no sense.  We finally decided to just drive and see where we wound up.  Luckily, we wound up in Dublin!  We parked on the street, found a place to stay and left our luggage at the hotel until our room was ready.  Ken re-parked the car in a lot for the 2 days we'd be there and we walked everywhere we went.  Dublin sort of reminded me of New York.  It has pockets of neighborhoods, no parking and accommodations run the gamut from cheap to expensive.  We chose a place that doesn't make it into the guild books but suited our needs perfectly.

After the car was parked, we went in search of our first pint of Guinness.  We found ourselves at O'Neill's Bar and Restaurant.  The food was okay, the pint was good and we had a nice walk around the area.

We went back to our hotel - the River House Hotel in the Temple Bar district.  We decided a nap was in order.  We set the alarm for 5PM local time.  We'd been up for about 24 hours at this point and thought 5 hours of sleep was a good plan.  We both got up when the alarm went off though I don't think either of us was very happy about it at the time.  We took showers - and were human again!

We went out wandering and had dinner at Les Freres Jacques - a lovely French restaurant near our hotel.  After dinner, we strolled around looking for (listening for?) live music and found ourselves back at O'Neill's.  They had wonderful live music and a rowdy crowd on a pub crawl.  I was sitting next to two young guys - one from Australia and the other from 'back home'.  He was from near Saratoga in Glens Falls.  Small world.  On the way out we discovered the name of the band (just two guys on guitar and banjo) were called All Folked Up!  Gotta love it!

The music ended around 11:30 and we headed back to our room.  It was a noisy night out on the streets of Dublin but we didn't hear a thing.  We were out cold and enjoying dreamland.  End of Day 1.

Hi!

I know I said I'd 'fill you in' but that will have to wait.  I just wanted to pop on to let you know that I am officially freaking out and overwhelmed with the 'stuff that's left to do before I leave' piece of going on vacation.

My check book is 50 dollars off...
I have checks to deposit and I need to withdraw cash for the trip...and I have bills to pay before we leave town.

I have a book that has to go back to the library but I still need to get some information out of it for the trip.

I can't decide if I want to bring an umbrella or just get wet. (Feel free to weigh in on this one!)

I have paperwork I must drop off in town before we leave.

I can't decide what knitting project(s) to bring with me.

And the list goes on.....

On the up side -

All my camera batteries are charged and all my memory cards are empty.  (Must find my card reader if I am bringing the laptop).

I finished weaving in the ends to my new shawl - I will post photos eventually.

The whites are in the dryer and the rest of the clothes are in the wash.

I bought a pair of pjs and matching slippers on sale for 10 bucks and they will be the first things I put in the suitcase.  Oh yah - it's a new suitcase, too!

Norton (the 5 pound Yorkie) got a bath and he looks beautiful brushed.  He smells good, too!


Ok - sitting here typing at you guys isn't going to make my 'to do' list any shorter.  I feel better just having shared my panic with you.  Thanks, as always, for being there for me :)

Until next time.....

Long time no blog

And so it goes...time marches on and blogs fall by the wayside.  I started this blog when I took my trip and stopped blogging when I got home.  Well - it's time to take a trip again and someone asked if I'd be blogging.  I guess this post answers that question.

My husband and I are leaving on Tuesday for Ireland and Scotland.  Three weeks out of the country and so much to see and do while we are there!

I have been planning this trip for about 2 months and it is..as they say...crunch time.

I will fill you in a bit more when I have a little more time...but for now.....let's just say....

I'm baa-aaak!

Deja Vu all over again

When I was a little kid I was supposed to go to Disney World in Florida. I don't think any kid can get more excited than knowing they are going to Disney. The day before the trip - my grandfather wound up in the hospital and we couldn't go. Can you say disappointed?

There were a few other vacation plans where the same scenario played itself out. I got all excited and then at the last minute the trip got canceled. I stopped looking forward to trips and only enjoyed then after the fact, for a very long time.

So here I am - many years later. I am excited because I'm going to Disney World. I have been dancing around the house for weeks because, " I'm going to Disney!" I have been bugging my friend to go with me for 18 months and we finally had a plan. He was leaving yesterday to drive to Orlando and my flight was arriving today. The plan was he'd pick me up tonight, and tomorrow we'd be at Disney. Yesterday morning my phone rang. As soon as he said 'Hello' I knew something was horribly wrong. And unfortunately, I was dreadfully right.

His 18 year old daughter's closest friend, (who was a mere 21 years old), was killed riding his bicycle - on the way to see her. I can't even tell you the devastation in her voice. He was struck from behind by a woman driving a mini van. A parent's worst nightmare.

And then there is the trip to Disney - to go or not to go. And if we go - can we really have a good time. I'll let you know - I'm on my way to Disney.

Is it really March already?

Where is the time going? I know I am wasting most of mine - but at least I am having fun!

I am leaving for Florida on Sunday. Disney World and a Mets/Braves game. Woo Hoo. That's the good news.

The not such good news is that my friend's uncle passed away. He was a wonderful, kind, smiling man who always had something nice to say. It is a blessing that he is no longer suffering but he will be sorely missed. Rest in Peace, Uncle Harold.

My asthma seems to be getting the better of me these last few days. I am actually using the rescue inhaler to get some relief. I just want all this to be over with before I get on the plane.

I have to pack - which means I have to do laundry. I guess tomorrow is a good day for that. Friday night we have dinner plans with our friends who watched the house for us while we were gone.

Speaking of being gone - one of the things I never posted about was visiting our old house in Lake Charles. We visited our former next door neighbor, Miss Deen, and then headed over to our house. Miss Deen informed us that the couple who bought it were no longer a couple and that the guy living in the house with the woman who actually bought it, was gay. The things you find out and don't need to know when you live next door to Miss Deen! She knows everything about everyone in that neighborhood. I wonder what she used to tell people about us! She told us again how much she missed us and how safe she felt when we lived next door. It was very nice to see her, and her schnauzer, Heidi. They were great neighbors.

Our house looks fantastic! The inside has been done over completely. The kitchen no longer has that horrible duck wallpaper. The archway is gone and the water heater was moved so the room is no longer divided by the kitchen cabinets that were hiding it. She put a wall where the door was between the two bedrooms which was something I would have done if I had been 'staying' in that house. The house now has central air and heat, too.

The paneled walls in the living room were gone and replaced with sheetrock. She had the living room set up the same way I did. The room was so wide that we both put a long, narrow table against the wall and then a few feet in front of that put the couch (facing away) making a pathway between the back of the couch and the table as the entry way into the house. Hard to describe and I probably don't have photos.

Anyway - she was so happy to show us around. Her cat was very friendly and I'm happy to know that my house is loved. She is so happy we came over and got to see what she did with the house. If only I could remember her name!

More good news - we bought tickets to a Met game at CitiField for April. We got the same seats we had last year when we brought Mom with us. We sure are spoiled. They are on the 3rd base side between home and 3rd. They are the first row from the field, closer to home plate than the visitor's dugout. Wooo Hooo. I can't wait! (And yes, we are bringing my Mom).

I went to my book club meeting tonight at the Dalton Library and we had a wonderful discussion about the book, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. I also checked out Jaime Ford's website and blog. He said that he would respond to any questions posted so I asked him a question. Sure enough - he answered it. He is doing a talk and a book signing in Schenectady that I'm hoping to go to.

Oh and I may have found myself a job. I was looking at the hours the library is open and most days they open at noon. I said to Dorrie (the librarian) that those were hours I could handle and she asked if I was looking for a job. I told her that I was and she said they may have an opening in a few weeks for a Page. I would be restocking the shelves and stuff like that. It requires some Saturdays but I can live with that. We'll see what happens.

I guess that enough news for one post. I don't want to overload you with boring tidbits and information. I still want to get some photos from the trip posted. I wouldn't count on that happening before the trip south.

Sorry for being a slouch and not posting lately. Happy March!

~ Kassidee

Feeling Uninspired

Hello out there. I feel there is so much less to say now that I am home. I woke up with a sore throat this morning and it's making me feel kind of 'blah'. I found cough medicine in the cabinet. I looked at the expiration date: 2002. (I took some anyway).

Yesterday was my Remicade treatment. That went smoothly. I am grateful.

Monday night I had a 24 hour 'bug' that lasted 36 hours. I will save you from the details - let's just say it wasn't pretty.

I did read a book I really enjoyed called Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. It is wonderfully written as well as thought provoking (without hitting you over the head).

Closing Ceremonies for the Olympics are tomorrow night. I never seem to watch as much of the games as I think I will. I'm not sure why that is. I feel very disconnected from the games this winter. I used to know the names of the skaters and the skiers and lots of other athletes. This year the only names I know are Bode Miller and Apollo Anton Ono. I don't think I know any other competitors. It's strange.

Last night was a welcome home dinner for Ken and me. It got usurped by Jim's 60th birthday instead. It was a lovely evening with friends. We had good food, good fun and a good time!

I am going to cut this short and go in search of some cough medicine that hasn't reached it's expiration date yet.

Sorry I have been neglecting my responsibilities out here -

Hope all is well in your world,

~ Kass

I've been slacking, lately...

(Title sung to the tune of Peace Train by Cat Stevens)

Good morning. Now that I am home and have internet access on a daily basis, I seem to be writing less and less. Go figure.

We are actually not at home right now. We are in Westfield, N.J. I will try to fill you in on the comings and goings but for the moment I just wanted to pop on long enough to apologize for disappearing.

I hope to be blogging away again soon!
~ Kass