Age old problem

I'm under the impression that I've hit another milestone (30 years on Earth) and since I've looked 30 for some time now and I'll probably never act it, I figure now is as good a time as any. I think middle age is now 40 so at least I'm not included in that label yet but I will admit that I already miss being 20 something. This is turning out to be quite an event over here though. My boss took us out to eat at a restaurant her nephew is the head chef at and included are some crude cell phone pictures we took. Mine is a rib eye with ox cheek won-tons, mashed potatoes and breaded broccoli. I had a tomato salad with rare South American tomatoes that are only produced by some Dutch company now. Dana had a stuffed chicken with sweet potatoes. The desert picture is of a pineapple parfait with a sort of honey lace decor on top of it. I actually tried black pudding and sting ray. I can now turn down black pudding as an experienced taster but the ray was surprisingly good. It was quality and presentation rolled into one. Felicimo!

Dana has gotten me amongst many other things, a trip to Portugal to watch one of the Portugal World Cup qualifying games at the end of the summer and a chance to see one of the world's best players Cristiano Ronaldo in person! We planned for my birthday some time ago to see Eric Clapton who played last night at Malahide Castle. The weather was menacing for the first part of the night but cleared to make a beautiful evening. Clapton mixed some classics in with his new songs and it was a pleasure to watch one of the music legends live. Here is another very crude phone video which won't do it justice.


Thanks to everyone for their cards and gifts. I only wish that I could have received them in person.

For my one and only

I've counted and we've been to 8 countries in the 10 months we've been here. That's not too bad! We've seen Edinburgh castle, the Colosseum, Eiffel Tower and Big Ben to name a few of the great sites. I've come to believe that what makes it all special is not where I've been and what I've seen but who I was able to share it with. All of these places have been unforgettable and what has made it so is my travel partner. So I wanted to pay her a little tribute and thank her for sharing this great adventure with me...plus tell her I love her along the way.

Turks!

We've been back from Turkey a few days now and after processing the trip and trying to tell everyone how my holiday was I think I've figured out what the trip was all about. I originally wanted to go to Greece this summer as a birthday gift to myself but after deliberation and concurrence with Ryan and Yunuen we decided on Western Turkey. I have to admit that I didn't know much about what I was getting into and I was a little scared of being an American in a predominantly Muslim country.

Kusadasi is a tourist town for lack of a better description on the West coast. It is near to a number of the ancient cities such as Ephesus, Didyma and Priene to name a few. While in town you are accosted by shop workers trying anything (especially the question, "where you from?") to start a conversation with you and get you into their stores. We talked to a few Turks who explained the situation to us which is basically that they work in Kusadasi for 6 months during "high" season around 15 hours/day, 7 days/week. Once you get the hang of just walking down the street you get a chance to talk to a few of them. Yusuf is the owner of a hookah bar near the bus pick up in town that we spent almost every night with. He was one of the nicest people we met, always with a smile and he even put American service to shame. Med was another young man who worked at our hotel and had brain teasers for us every time we saw him. Yunuen jokingly said we have more friends in Turkey than in Ireland and sadly, at least for a week, that was true.

We saw a number of great sites, my favorite being the library at Ephesus. We spent time on the beach and even took a boat cruise for a day. Really the trip meant a lot to me for several reasons. Obviously having Ryan and Yunuen along made it a lot more fun. Ryan and I smoked more cigars that week than I had the six months prior! I also learned to be weary of presuppositions about other people. The Turks were some of the friendlies most welcoming people we've met and I would have never gone if my travel companions hadn't wanted to go. That would have been a shame on a number of levels, but mostly because I wouldn't have learned this one valuable lesson. Surely Eastern Turkey would have been a different experience (or so I assume)...well, I guess it's a lesson that I'm "learning."

Song of the Week

This is turning into more like the song of the month so I'll try to be more consistent. The Kaiser Chiefs are probably over played now in the States but it is still a fun song to listen to.

Ruby

kaiserchiefs_ruby_...

Irish Flat #2

We are finally ready to post some pictures of our new flat. We are actually "sorted" and the place is feeling like home. We've loads more space and an extra bedroom (hint, hint). We are the top floor of a 4 story building which gives us a lot of light (2 skylights) and windows galore and a sweet view off our balcony. Green/blue carpet (not so good) is one of the drawbacks but we have a bike shed and quiet streets. We could hear the Springsteen concert the last couple of nights which was pretty cool. The cats are...well, cats and don't need much encouragement to settle in. Hopefully the calendar will fill up with visitors. See you soon.

Cambridge

We just got back from a few days with the Brits. I took what may be my last written exam...ever! I won't have any scores for 6-8 weeks but at this point I don't really care about that. We were in London for a couple of days then we took a 45 min train trip up to Cambridge to see one of my mates. Mike and I went through perfusion school together and he's now working for a company that has designed a new heart transport machine that could double the length of time a transplanted heart can be in transport. Well he was in Cambridge so we used the excuse to swing up there and say hi. See Dana's blog for sweet slide shows.

For Liam

This is my contribution to welcome back Liam. I call it the French pastry chef but I'm sure there are more appropriate names. Anyway...good to know you're back Liam. Welcome back to the good ol' U.S.A. from your mates in Ireland.

One day at a time

This has been a bit of a roller coaster week. First, we found out that we were being evicted from our apartment. The owner has decided to sell the building and gave us 28 days to get out. That sucked! Dana got hard to work and got us 10 viewings over the next 2 days and we found a new pad...Woo Hoo! It is a bit further from work and the gym but it is a "penthouse" 2 bedroom with a balcony and a fire place (pictures coming soon). Two days later I got my exam results from the boards I took earlier this month. Fortunately I passed both exams which certifies me as a clinical perfusionist (CCP). I do have quite a bit of preparing to do before my Irish exams in 3 weeks during which time we'll be moving so I'm a little concerned but we continue to push on.

On the road again...

Our next big trip is planned! We're heading to the Aegean coast of Turkey to a town called Kusadasi. It is smack dab in the center of the "historic" region of Turkey and offers some of the more ancient sites of the Persian, Greek and Roman cultures. We are very excited because it is not only a chance to so some serious site seeing but we will be right on the coast with what look like some beautiful beaches. R-E-L-A-X!
Ryan and Yunuen will be meeting us in Dublin before we head off so you can bet there will be some serious spades lessons going on. This is our most "exotic" trip yet and will prepare us for some of our planned holidays in Israel and Africa.

Here's what's up

I've been pretty bad about keeping my blog up to date. Here's what's been happening over here in the emerald isle. I took my American board exams a couple of weeks ago (which most of you know already) and I have to admit that it was probably the most difficult exam I've ever taken. I had been preparing for the last several months but you can still (evidently) feel under-prepared when you sit down and read the questions for the first time. I have my Irish exams next month which is a completely different in format and, from what I can tell, content. I guess I'd better get back to studying.

Ryan and Yunuen are coming out in June for round 2 which will be mainly consumed by a visit to Turkey (yes, the country). We are super excited to see them again and take another adventurous trip. I have to use up my vacation time. Somehow through my visits to Rome, London, Paris, Western Ireland (twice) and the U.S. I've only used 2 of my 25 vacation days. It's a tough life, but someone has to do it!

Other than that I can't say there is much new to report. I have a 50 capacity humidor that has about 85 cigars in it so I'd better get busy. With that I'll sign off...until next time.

Back home from...home

I'm back in Dublin from my whirlwind trip home to Tucson. It was a perfect time of year to visit with the temperature in the mid-80's the entire week. I do wish I'd been able to stay longer and enjoy it after all my errands were done and it would have been nice to have brought Dana along as well. I brought home a suitcase of goodies including some special gifts from Ryan (picture included!) Thanks to everyone who was able to spend time with me and to everyone who offered even though I just ran out of time. On a bright note, I think Spring has arrived. It has been quite warm the last two days and the gale force winds have subsided.

I've been able to update our visitor calender. Ryan and Yunuen are coming in June. YES! I have to go practice my spades.

Oh Daddy!

My dad told me one of the funniest stories I've heard in a long time last night. He has a whole slew of dogs (I use that term loosely as the are dachshunds and smaller than Sharptooth) that surround him in his sleep and all have their designated sleeping spots. I guess he has been having some pretty crazy dreams lately involving hand-to-hand combat and the like. The other night he woke up and was attacking and he thinks, trying to bite one of his dogs! All he can remember is that in his dream he was fighting some guy and when he woke up he had the dog pinned to the bed. You probably have to have an intimate knowledge of my dad and his relationship with his dogs to fully appreciate the hysterical humor in all this. It actually sounds quite horrible but from my position I couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably! I mean UNCONTROLLABLY!

It'll be great to be home in a couple of weeks and see everyone. I think it'll be a while before I let my dad live this one down.

Song of the Week

Here is an oldie. I don't know for sure whether this is Men at Work or if someone covered them but the voice sounds very close. One thing I am sure about - this is pretty sweet!

men at work - down...

Photos

Jordan 2
Jordan 1
Egypt
Norway
Belgium
Florence
Venice
Athens
Barcelona
Scotland 2
Bordeaux
Rhine River
Turkey
London
Paris
Ring of Kerry
Rome #3
Rome #2
Rome #1
Edinburgh
Belfast
Newcastle

Friday Night

Last night was a big relief. We had both had a busy week where Dana took the final exam for her current class and I had to give two talks at a meeting for cardiac professionals in Dublin. This all culminated in a night at the beer garden with a Guinness and a cigar. I smoked one of my remaining two Conga Black Pearls and Dana had a 5 Vegas Miami. I'm working on converting her to the cigar from her cigarillos as I think for a woman to enjoy as good cigar is both sophisticated and sexy! Congratulations to my missus for all her hard work and acing her class!

Song of the week

The song of the week is an oldie. I picked it in celebration of the fact that we are going to see Clapton at Malahide Castle in June. SWEET!!!

Before You Accuse ...

London

Hello London! We made our first trip to the UK's Big Apple. Big Ben, Parliament, British Museum, Tower of London, eating, shopping, it was all there. I'd say it is a place that we could go back to again (to live?). In fact, we'll be back in May so I'm sure this is going to be the first of many London slideshows.

Traveling

Check out this sweet slideshow!

Old Paris!

We've just returned from our big traveling adventure having seen more of the West coast of Ireland and jetting across the pond to London before taking the train under the channel to Paris. We have a TON of pictures and the slide shows will probably be trickling out over the next week or so.

The trip was a blast. Regan and Pete (my sister and brother-in-laws) came for a visit and with all we saw I'm sure they got their money's worth. Here is some of what we saw in Paris. I tried to keep the main attractions together so you'd know what you were looking at. They include: Notre-Dame, Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre and more. The whole time we were there it reminded me of one of my favorite movies (it won't be hard to figure out which one!). Enjoy!

Superbowl

I have been continually surprised at the amount of American sports on television over here. This weekend alone I was able to watch the Arizona basketball game and the Superbowl. Neither turned out as I had hoped so I'll just leave it at that. We don't get the commercials, however, which is normal a good thing except during the Superbowl. Fear not, everything is online! Here is my favorite!

Song of the Week

The song of the week has turned into a song of the month but I'll try to get a little more consistent. This is Griffin House. He's a folky rhythm guitarist with what sounds like Johnny Cash/Bob Dylan influences. This song is called Only Love Remainsand is simple in it's progressions but attractively smooth and easy on the ears. Check him out. He's got a number of good albums.

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Purrr

Today my Mom went home after a 2 week visit. It was really nice having her stay with us as we had been accustomed to being able to see her on a regular basis. We got to do a bit of traveling, show her around Dublin, hang out around the house and eat...a lot! She also brought us the best gift...our purrrrrs! They are back to normal after the long trip and I think they did remarkably well. Now we are sharing our bed again with a couple of bed-hogs!

West Side!

This weekend we took our first road trip in Ireland. After a couple of hours you really get used to driving on the "wrong" side of the road. We headed West through several small towns and villages stopping at the Rock of Cashel (an old 4th century castle) along the way. Or final destination was Killarney where we stopped at the Muckross House and saw the house and gardens. From there we tackled the Ring of Kerry which is about 100miles of spectacular scenery. We started off up through the mountains in the Kerry National Park and then went around the peninsula before cutting back across to Dublin. These pictures are just a few of the countryside and coastline. Dana will probably be posting some of the castle and house fairly soon. It was great to get out of Dublin and see "proper" Ireland. It really is as beautiful as everyone says. Truly breathtaking.

One more from Rome

Here is one last show from Roma from me. We saw many spectacular fountains during our stay and took some pictures of a few of them. There are several shots from the famous Trevi fountains among others. Enjoy!

Roman Forum

The Roman Forum, or Forum Romanum, was the center of Roman antiquity. Commercial, political, religious and legal proceedings all took place in the small valley at the foot of the Palatine Hill. The Senate building is directly across from the forum which held shops and markets. The area held temples to Saturn, Jupiter, Agustus and Julius Caesar among others. The main street connecting the Flavian Amphitheater to the Capitol was called the Via Secra or Sacred Road. At each end of the road is a large arch way one of which was erected to celebrate Emporer Titus' victory over Jerusalem. The Temple of Vesta was considered one of the most important because it was dedicated to the goddess Vesta who was the protectress of family. It held the Vestal Virgins who guarded the eternal flame which was to represent the eternal life of Rome. The virgins were chosen by the Pontifex Maximus between the ages of 6 and 10 and had fulfill 30 years of chastity and vigilance over the flame. They were held in the highest esteem and were given a huge dowry by the Senate; however, if they failed their punishment was harsh. If the flame went out or they were untrue to their vow of chastity they were buried alive with a loaf of bread and a lamp.

After Constantine many of the buildings were taken down or converted to churches and even today a few of them still stand.

The Colosseum

The Colosseum is one of the great remaining historical artifacts and sits literally in the center of a bustling modern city. It stands as the embodiment of ancient Roman culture. Construction started in 70 A.D. on the site of Nero's imperial gardens and originally carried the name Flavian Amphitheater after the family that built it. In front stood a 30 meter tall statue of Nero made from bronze and gold that was called the Colossus of Nero and is what eventually led to the nickname Colosseum. Each person was issued a clay "ticket" and each entrance was numbered leading to a section that had numbered seats that each entrant was assigned to. The entire outer face was constructed of marble with marble statues filling each outlook from the upper levels. Canals were in place to fill the floor with water for naval battles (which didn't work very well) after which the floor was reconstructed to have a sand covered wooden floor over a series of passageways and rooms to bring gladiators and animals out through elevators and various trap doors. The sophistication and beauty of the Colosseum is breathtaking and demonstrates the advances the Romans had achieved. The other side of Roman culture is also evident. Upon its opening there were 100 days of "games" where 5000 animals were killed. Slaves would fight trained gladiators and be slaughtered. Rebels who wouldn't join the army and martyrs were led out to be devoured by lions and all to a raucous crowd. It is eerie to look and know that the floor was covered with sand to absorb the blood so it didn't rot the wood. Rome was certainly something to behold.

Ariana

Congratulations to my brother Michael and Jessica on the birth of little Ariana. I can call my parents Grandma and Grandpa which is very fun. She's a cutie. She must take after her Uncle!

The Bucket List

This is the video of John Mayer's (yes Ryan, John Mayer) song for the movie The Bucket List. The song is one of those cliches that is only brought up when the circumstance calls for it but it is well said in this song...and the movie looks very good as well.


Music Videos - Say

Song of the Week

Week 2 of my song posts. This is Augustana. They have 2 singles out, Boston and All the Stars and Boulevards, and this is another off of that album. I think they have a good sound.

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Work Stuff

Dana has been telling me to blog about work since I started but to be honest there hasn't been much to blog about. The past 5 days have changed that. This may not be too impressive to most people but I've done 3 Norwood Stage 1 procedures, 2 Arterial Switch operations for transpositions, a Tetrology of Fallot and 1 ECMO in the past 5 days. I would say that MOST perfusionists don't see all of those cases in a year and a good few won't see them in their career. Gotta love paediatrics! It has been very busy as I've logged almost 100hrs in the past 9 days (yeah, 9 days straight) which is making me look forward very much to our trip to Rome at the end of the month. I've caught up on my case load for the year so I am back on track for my March exams.

Song of the week

I haven't blogged in a long time and totally don't have anything to say so I thought I'd start a "song of the week" to give me an excuse to blog every once in a while.
Enjoy.

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Edinburgh and beyond

Scotland, and Edinburgh in particular, is an amazing place. There is so much history in such a small area that it is unfathomable. The "young" artifacts and locations are a couple of hundred years older than our own Declaration of Independence. While visiting Edinburgh we took a day tour into the Highlands including Sterling Castle and Loch Lomond. Our tour guide had an awesome grasp on his country's history and talked for nearly the entire 4 hours we spent in the van recounting Scotland's past. It was fantastic.

I won't pretend to be able to recount (even in brief) much of what we learned but I will relay some of truth behind the Wallace fairy tale. Wallace was a huge man as judged by his sword and stood nearly a foot and a half taller than the average man. The story goes that after the death of his father and brother he was raised by 2 of his uncles. After fishing one day he was confronted by 5 English soldiers who demanded his entire catch. He offered half to them and they denied the offer and threatened his life. He killed all 5 soldiers which enraged the local sheriff. He was labeled an outlaw and it was discovered that the family of his wife/fiance' (Marion) was hiding him. Marion was taken and hung as an example not to harbour fugitives. Obviously enraged, Wallace attacked and dismembered the sheriff. Wallace went on to win a number of small battles but his most famous was the battle at Sterling bridge where he and his military strategist Andrew Moray defeated an English army more than 3 times their size. Moray was killed and Wallace was defeated at Falkirk where most of his army was slaughtered.

In 1305 Wallace was captured after one of the Scottish nobles John de Menteith betrayed him. He was drawn, hung, castrated, eviscerated, beheaded and quartered. Obviously King Edward I was making a statement.

That was a very brief report. It is amazing to be somewhere that stands on so much history. Edinburgh castle is built somewhere that has ruins dating back to around 850B.C. That's old baby! There is a movie coming out about Mary Queen of Scots which should be very interesting as she was a complicated figure. Anyway, enjoy the slide show!

Belfast

Last week we took a trip up to Northern Ireland and spent the day in Belfast. Everyone knows about the troubled history that has only recently begun to resolve in Northern Ireland but if you are like me the Irish Republican Army is the only group who's involvement is well publicized. We spent a good portion of our time on a black cab political history tour. I'll do my best to regurgitate the information we learned so maybe you can have a better understanding of what has been happening in N. Ireland.

Back in the 17th century a rich lord was given a substantial amount of land in N. Ireland. The overwhelmingly catholic community was expecting to receive jobs working the land, however the lord brought over Scottish protestants instead which was the beginning of the trouble. Fast forward to the 1972 when a catholic civil rights march to obtain equal rights was confronted by a British regiment that shot and killed 26 unarmed protesters. This was termed "Bloody Sunday" and began the organizations of the IRA which consists of catholics who want to be part of the Republic of Ireland and the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) who are protestant loyalists to the British crown. Both groups have been labeled terrorist organizations and have since become heavily involved in organized crime. Western Belfast is still extremely split between a catholic side and a protestant side that are separated by a huge Berlin-style wall that has gates that close at night or anytime trouble starts. You'll see the murals on the houses in the UFF neighborhoods of their heroes and on the IRA side a memorial we visited. You'll also see a photo of a house with a steel screen covering the back yard. People still throw things over the wall and the houses that boarder it are all protected. It was amazing to be somewhere that only a few years ago would have had army patrols to keep the peace. There are also pictures of a now closed down court house and prison reserved for terrorists.

That is the abbreviated history lesson. It was a very educational trip to say the least and one I'm glad I could see myself.

Newcastle

I just spent the weekend in Newcastle for the general annual meeting of perfusionists in Great Britain and Ireland. It was very interesting to go to a professional meeting that is meaningful to my career. I've been to national meetings before but typically only to satisfy my boss or pad the CV. I got roped into giving a talk as well which wasn't too bad and was actually quite an honor considering my recent graduation. I got out in Newcastle a little and caught a soccer game and took some pictures of the city. I intended to post them a while ago so with out further adu...

Irish coffee

I have finally found coffee I like. Irish Coffee! A good Irish coffee looks like a well poured Guiness. It is made from coffee (of course), brown sugar, whiskey and topped with thick cream. Delicioso! We're going to practice the fine art of creating these so we can provide our visitors with a traditional Irish beverage.

Run Dublin

The Dublin Marathon was run today. I was told that it attracts some 11,000 entrants, 2000 of which are from the U.S. It has been a beautiful day for it and our house is right about at the mid point. Here are some pictures from right our our front door. One of my friends said the American runners typically bring a lot of friends and family with them and they are responsible for most of the loud cheering that you hear along the streets. He thinks it makes for a great atmosphere.

I have cable!!

Today is a great day. My lovely wife agreed, nay, encouraged me to subscribe to cable TV and it was just installed. The normal channels are not horribly exciting, though there are channels like Discover, National Geographic, etc. plus a number of European channels that play American sitcoms all day. The real excitement comes from the fact that we added a sports package that airs football on Sunday nights...American football! Not only do I get to watch 2-3 of the Sunday games live, but I get a bunch of premier league soccer games as well (I'm probably the only one excited about that).
I hear it calling my name...gotta go!

The social system

I have to vent. Let me know if I'm off completely.

I read in the paper this morning that senior government officials have received around a 15% pay increase. This is amidst a huge budget crisis in which many hospitals are having to cut back service and all hiring has been suspended. It will cost over 19 million euro per year to cover the pay increases, which by the way were revealed the day before a holiday weekend. The chief of finance is now making over 370,000 euro per year. I suppose the saying "Socialism works great if you have the right people running it" can again be shown a farce. The government is reporting that it will have to raise taxes next year to accommodate its spending. I am still not being payed over-time (I worked 12 hours today) and people that can't do their job correctly are giving themselves enormous raises. The physicians I work with have been offered a 37 hour work week and will not be paid for any time over that (which means they probably won't be paid for working on Thursdays or Fridays because they'll be over their hours by then). The free market system could accommodate raises because they are in fact based on productivity and share holders won't pay for poor results. Even in the government voters approve such increases or show the government employees the door. These government officers now make more than the President of the United States, who is (throat clear) the leader of the FREE world. It is sad how dependent people become on such an inept group of leaders.

We just go about our business and hope for the best. Hopefully we won't be corrupted by this sour system. Be thankful for what you have, it could always be worse. I could go on but I'll sum up with this: When Hillary is elected urge your congressman to VOTE NO on government run health care, and send your HMO a thank you card!

Reserve your dates

Malahide Castle

This is an 800yr old castle just North of Dublin. It was lived in by the Talbot family from its construction until the mid 1970's when the last family member died leaving it to the Dublin historical society. Now you can play golf and football on the grounds.

Heart of Life (acoustic)

Some of you may or may not be wholly impressed with this song. I suppose, since it hasn't been radio played yet (I think) you may not have even heard it yet. At present I can't seem to keep it out of my head so I will try to get it stuck in your head now too.

Welcome to Howth

We took about a 20min car ride North of Dublin to a small fishing village named Howth. It is built around a hill that has a beautiful walking trail. The photos don't do it justice.

Wanna stay with us????

These are some photos of where we're staying. We were a little scared when we moved in to say the least but we've since gotten over it.


It turns out that this is where U2's recording studio is and the grafitti is all dedicated to the band. It changes daily as people come to add there devotion to U2.

Week Three

Today marks the beginning of the third week we've lived here. We can see normalcy down the road but it still feels like anything but. I survived my first week of work which was mainly days filled with orientation, etc. and I have hope that I'll actually start doing my job by Friday. It is tough being away from everything and everyone we know and can't wait to start having visitors. We really need to find our own apartment soon so we can get out of our suitcases, fill our cupboards and refrigerator. We've seen a good portion of the city of Dublin and hopefully we can get out of town this weekend. If we do expect some more pictures soon!

Still Moving

Sorry it took so long to get more pictures up. We were having computer difficulties. The pictures towards the end were taken at Trinity College in the middle of the city center. Enjoy the show!

On a Monday night.

Tonight we went out to dinner in a little town down the street from our hotel. We were eating in a parking lot next to the take out place were we bought our food and a group of 12ish girls walked by and said hi. We replied and the immediately they turned around and asked if we were from America. It is hard to understand the Irish but when you have 6 of them talking to you at the same time it gets really tricky. They wanted to where we were from and it went something like, "Are you from California? I love California...Yeah, it's my favorite country."

We really haven't found anyone who doesn't like Americans yet. Most of them want to know what it's like. They have a lot of American TV and I imagine they want to know if Americans are like they are on the shows. We must be huge disappointments.

Days 3 and 4

We finally made it to the ocean yesterday. We also found out where Bono lives and it is just a short ride on the Dart down the coast. We have found temporary living arrangements which is huge relief so that we can look and find a place that the cats can come to. If we can't we at least have somewhere that we can rent next month. I start work tomorrow morning which would be a little stressful but I think it will be a day of observing and touring around the hospital. It is becoming quite apparent that my days will be quite long and since there is a current pay freeze on overtime (courtesy of socialized medicine) my hours will be "banked" and hopefully I can use them for vacation which we are really looking forward to.

From my perspective.

We have been very fortunate so far. Every Irishman we've met has been more than helpful (save the customs agent at the airport). One old man actually walked up this long hill with us to give directions. He told us that his hips weren't helping...and neither was the beer! Ireland (or at least Dublin) has really become a city of immigrants. It is especially funny to see (or hear) people of different races -especially Asian- speak with an Irish accent.

Finding somewhere to live has been another story. My supervisor has offered us an apartment she owns to rent which is 2bed 1bath in a very nice area and even has a little porch to sit out on. She said her building does not allow pets so we are very torn to say the least (which I'm sure non-pet owners do not understand). We have found someone who will let us live with them for a couple of months until we find something permanent because even that apartment isn't available until October and 2bed apartments in our price range are very hard to find.

Today is the first day that the sun hasn't been out. Yesterday was quite warm actually and with all the walking we do it makes for some sweaty times. We have yet to see one drop of rain - good Irish weather indeed!

First Days

Our first 2 days are in the books. Yesterday we were so exhausted from not being able to sleep on the plane that we spent a good portion of the day in bed. We did get out last night in to town. We took the LUAS which is a light rail and met our first people. A self admitting alcoholic woman that chatted the entire time and a young college student from the Netherlands who was able to hold a much better conversation. We've had several trips on the bus as well. Today we spent most of the day in line, first at the welfare office to get a tax ID number and next to register with the immigration office. It was pretty much a complete waste of the day but a necessary evil. We may also have a 2 bedroom apartment lined up for a couple of months from now in a really nice part of Dublin. We miss everyone very much (especially those little Teeth!). Enjoy the slide show!

Last Night in the Desert

We're just under 12 hours from flying the coup. I got to spend the afternoon with my parents and grandpa which was nice because we won't have the holidays this year. To my parents I want to say thank you for getting me to a place in my life where I feel I have the opportunity to live life to the fullest. To our friends Ryan & Yunuen, Ben & Lis, Caleb, Liam, Phil and many others, thank you for sharing your time and lives with us. You have made our time here rich. We hope to see you all sooner rather than later. Dublin or Bust!

Team Ireland wins...again!!!

I'm not one to gloat but I feel it is my duty to report (fair and balanced) the score of the latest round of spades between Team Polican and Team Ireland. The Irish emerged victorious with a score of 506 to 446. Team Polican fought until the end but came up short yet again.

On another topic, we bought our tickets and leave at 7am Tuesday morning. We'll see you all in Dublin!

We're Off!

Today in the mail I received my Green Card. Now that we are legal to enter we will be leaving some time next week. I guess that means I have to go back to work and end my extended vacation! Oh well, all good things must end. As a wise woman I know likes to say, "Praise The Lord!"

Mighty Leopard Cat

We are spending our second day with my Mom since we've moved out of our house. The cats have been kept separate for the most part with short introductions. The latest was between Indi and Remington (medium sized boy cat). Indi sat up to give him a sniff and was promptly hissed at. She didn't take it too well and chased him over then under the bed and right out of the room. Her wild streak must have scared him! I think she'll handle herself alright, hopefully the sheepish Sharptooth will handle not being the center of attention.

Oh, and as a side note....my permit was just approved! We're leaving next week!!

Yeah, that'll fix it.

What is going on in Deutschland? Extremism seems to be the way of the land. In a country where marijuana and prostitution are as legal as driving a car and clearly more accessible than a fire-arm, we see the same scope represented in the political and religious views of it's leaders. Anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders has recently called for the Koran to be banned calling it a "fascist book," and the leader for the "committee of former Muslims" has just been attacked fueling already tense relations within the country. How do you solve such ill-relations?? Bishop Tiny Muskens thinks a resolution would be accomplished if people of all faiths called God "Allah." The statement received quick praise from the country's Muslim community, however, 92% of those surveyed disagree with the Bishop. Well, what do you expect from a guy named Tiny?

Y2K - Global Warming Connection

The DailyTech reports on how the Y2K hoax may have actually been more real than global warming. You can read the full story, but a brief synopsis is that while inspecting NASA's climate graphs, Steve McIntyre noticed a strange jump in the climate graphs centering around January of 2000. NASA would not provide him with the algorithm used to generate the graphs which was created by NASA's Reto Ruedy and James Hansen who became headliners when they accused the Bush administration of censoring there dire predictions. NASA has since released an updated version which shows that the hottest year on record was actually 1934 (not 1998) and that 5 of the 10 hottest years were pre-WWII. It turned out that a Y2K bug had corrupted the handling of their raw data. It seems that Y2K not only lead to pre-2000 panic over airplanes falling from the sky, banks losing all of their account information and economic destruction but can also be blamed for the current hysteria surrounding global warming.

The beard is toast!

If I ever have to go into hiding I have many possible disguises.

The Truth About Cats

I've always had a cat. When I was 2yrs old we lived out in the Tucson Mountians with nary another person around. My cat was my only companion (not to mention my intellectual equal!). This story is a reminder of why I'm a cat person.

Wisconsin Sickos

The debate in America is coming to a head and I've had numerous discussions with people regarding the potential consequences of converting to government run health care. It seems that we may not have to wait much longer to see the plan in action. Wisconsin's Democratic governor and senate have already passed legislation for such a plan which has been thus far rebuffed by the Republican run House. See the whole story here, but basically it will cost the average Wisconsin worker $510 more per month while becoming a haven for people who want free health care (you don't have to be employed to receive benefits) and driving out workers who can do the same job and save a big chunk of their check.

Birthday....continued

I just got the pictures from my birthday outing at La Paloma. Resorts are way cool. This one is at the base of the foothills and overlooks the city. We spent most of our time at the pool area which included about 4 pools and 2 spas that I saw. It also has a water slide!! I wasn't even the oldest person on it! One of the pools has a water fall into it and I'm pretty sure it is actively cooled. It took a little time to get in but it was really refreshing to get out of the hot sun. It was a really fun time. Can't wait to do it again!

Dentista

I just got done at the dentist. It was the first time in the last 4yrs that I had my teeth cleaned (sick I know). Fortunately I was cavity free. I am convinced after being there that the creators of horror movies like Saw received all of there inspiration in the dentist office.

I've always heard that you are never supposed to pick your teeth with sharp objects but the first thing they pull out at the dentist office is a tray full of sharp hooks. Can anyone explain that. I mean, it's like the NRA telling people that guns are bad! Dana got some numbing cream. Her insurance must be better because I didn't get that treatment. I'm glad it's over. Hopefully we'll find good dental care in Ireland.

Strawberry photos

Strawberry, AZ

We've been trekking around in the White Mountains area in a small town called Strawberry, AZ. I have yet to actually see any strawberries, though I did see some strawberry ice cream. Yesterday we took a little trip to a creek that was downstream of some hot springs (that we found out were "clothing optional"). The creek was NOT hot, but considering that even here it has been in the 90's it was refreshing. The exciting part was not the aqua blue water in the middle of Arizona, but the drive. It was a one lane road (ONE lane, not one lane each way) that was on the side of a mountain with a drop of about 500ft and no guard rails. Dana was white knuckled the whole way. It was really fun and beautiful. Pictures from the whole trip will be posted soon.

Ireland

Birthday Time

It was my birthday this past Friday and my birthday gifts were spot on this year. Dana got me a traveling humidor and a DOT approved travel case for my lighter so I can pack it and it won't be taken out by the transportation dept. My Dad got me a camel skin briefcase/laptop bag so I can graduate from backpacks. Ryan got a marble ashtray that is awesome! Nancy sent a gift certificate to the Tinderbox which I've already put to good use and my sisters sent some spending money which was greatly appreciated.Still waiting to see what my Mom has in store. Supposedly I'll find out next weekend. Thanks everyone. 29 was great. 30 may be even better depending on where we celebrate. Who's up for a party in Paris?..Athens?..Madrid????

It's Official

We are officially on the market. The house was listed 2 days ago and we've had 1 family come to see it so far. Hopefully it'll sell quickly so we don't have to pay the mortgage for too long.

The New Neighbors

A new family has moved in to our back yard. We have a bird feeder that was left empty a little too long and has now become a nest for a momma bird and her two eggs. I'll have some new pictures of the little guys when they hatch. Any bird watchers out there are probably real jealous!

Sudoku

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The jig is up.

We just got back from telling the last of our family the BIG news. Everyone is pretty excited to come out and visit. I'm just happy that I can finally talk about Ireland without worring that I might let the cat out of the bag! I'll be working as a pediatric perfusionist at one of the world's largest (volume wise) children's hosptals. Surely this will be our great adventure.

The "New" old Gibson

For Christmas 2 1/2 years ago my dad gave me his acoustic guitar that he had owned since the early 70s. The wood had cracked below the bridge and 30+ years of use had worn down the frets. Well, I got the cracks fixed a while ago and just got the frets replaced. I also found out that the guitar was made sometime in the early 60s. Now it sounds just about as good as any I have heard (as well as any the repair man had heard). Funny what can get passed down. No one really knows what it is worth, but being an heirloom, good luck getting away from me for any price!

Bold

JM covering Bold as Love...sweet.

Social Gospel

I saw this article on the "Social Gospel-100 years later" and wandered who is ultimately responsible for social justice and reform. Being conservative I am in the camp that supports individual efforts while others see that as a governmental responsibility. Government waste surrounding programs designed to deal with social issues is the very reason many on the conservative side support the "Faith-Based Initiative" that has yet to find its wings. Providing means without bureaucracy makes sense.

The article deals with other issues such as the dissociation of Christianity in its point of practice. I have yet to understand "liberal Christianity" in any sense. It seems like an entirely different religion to me.

This morning I got the final signatures to ensure my status as a graduate, which may be better than the actual ceremony tomorrow night! After 7 years and 3 degrees I'm finally done...today. I have nothing left to do. Just show up tomorrow to walk across a stage. That's it.

Life isn't exactly dull right now. Interviewing is exhausting. I've been home 2 days in the last 8 with long flights and early mornings mixed in. We still don't know where we're going but we've started accumulating boxes to pack up the house. At any rate, Sunday night is the big part-A. Feel free to send your congratulations, gifts and cash to Matt C/O......just kidding.

The Yard

Now that we're going to have to sell our house I thought I'd finally include the pictures of the "completed" yard (and by completed I mean including Dana in her robe on the porch...sorry honey!)

The sky is falling

I take offense to all the climate change talk that is suddenly headlining every media outlet. Let me preface by saying that I'm no climatologist and I don't pretend to have studied the science (and I do believe it is science) of changing global climate. I am educated and with the sword of logic I feel the need to tap into the fight - though clearly only to be heard in my local circle.

We've been tracking and recording climate change for around 100 years which in my opinion makes it impossible to predict future events with any accuracy having no knowledge of climate cycling. For example, I've heard that we may be in the middle of warming trend that melts polar ice caps to a critical level, lowering ocean temperatures, which in turn leads to colder average temperatures and the reformation of the ice caps. This may or may not be true but I think its worth consideration.

Secondly, I think the scare tactic that the poor will starve because of SUVs is pitiful. If you've followed the course of the headlines over the past few months you'll see that every new counsel, organization or whatever makes a greater apocalyptic forecast. First off, water does not vanish into space. I understand that small (very small) amounts are bound up and form another molecules but realistically if one place is in a drought, another is being flooded. It is just basic science.

What we have are people who risk ruining global economies (which would truly lead to starvation) to add another signature to the Kyoto protocol.

Looking for work

We (as in me) are still looking for a job. Prospects include: Florida, Virginia, S. Carolina and Ireland. Where should we go??? The idea of starting out in my field in a place that does things in a completely different way than I've been trained is admittedly scary, but it is exciting to apply everything I've been learning the last 2 years. I'll put a new poll to see where we'd get the most visitors if we move then we can know what to expect (and where to avoid!).