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Reception.

Originally uploaded by iMachias.

Earl and I got back from Pennsylvania yesterday evening where I promptly jumped into the daunting task of getting homework done. It wasn’t the best way to bring the weekend to an end but it was the most practical way.

Rick and Helen’s reception was a smashing success. The Irish Pub they selected made us feel like we were right back on the ol’ sod. If you’re ever near the King of Prussia mall, try having a bite to eat at Kildare’s. You won’t be disappointed.

Earl and I had a great time. The head table was up on a platform and it was about a quarter of the way through the meal that we realised that the guests could see under our table. We don’t have a lot of practice sitting in kilts so that was interesting.

All in all it was a good time. I think kissing the Blarney Stone helped with my gift of gab because I was apparently a chatterbox. The Guinness helped as well. By the way, Guinness is enjoyable regardless of the occasion but it tastes decidedly different here in the states.

Cutting the Cake.

Originally uploaded by iMachias.

Rick displayed the manners he learned by having Earl as his big brother when he and Helen cut their wedding cake.

Sunshine is always good

Originally uploaded by iMachias.

There is something magical about a big blast of sunshine in the middle of November, at least in this part of the country. I think it’s Mother Nature’s way of saying, “Yes, I’m still here, now brace yourself bippee, because you’re in for a ride.” She then showers up with lots of snow. Lots and lots of snow.

Whatever the reason, I’m enjoying the interlude of sunshine today. I’m drinking it in and sharing it with as many folks as I can.

Life isn’t meant to be gloomy.

No Technicolor.

Originally uploaded by iMachias.

Earl and I are in Albany tonight for the semi-monthly bear night. We’re both a little tired, as last night we went to my uncle’s retirement party and had an absolutely fantastic time. While it was mostly his co-workers at the party, my whole family got together to go as well and it was the first time in a long time that I was able to hang out with all my city cousins.

I’m a blessed bear to have such a rockin’ family. There’s not a bad one in the bunch.

Tonight we’re in Albany. We’ve installed ourselves at the hotel for the obligatory disco nap. We just got back from an art exhibit of bear art. Our friends Sean (from Sean and Jeffrey) and (Angry) Alan were both displaying their wonderous talent.

I’ll stick to stick figures and leave the serious stuff to the truly talented.

I’m thinking tonight is going to be a great night.

Dublin Pub.

Originally uploaded by iMachias.

Earl & I and Rick & Helen spent the evening enjoying some of the nightlife here in the fine city of Dublin. After doing some shopping and grabbing a bite to eat (let’s hear it for restaurants that have vinegar for my chips without asking!), we headed across the River Liffey and over to Temple Bar.

After watching some street musicians for a bit and doing some walking around, we settled in for a while at one of the many local pubs (pubs in Ireland, who knew!) and chatted for a bit. Every pub was quite crowded, but we found a little nook to sit in for a bit and enjoy a few Guinnesses. I used the timer on the camera to take this shot, the camera was balancing on top of Helen’s 7up bottle.

From the very little I’ve seen of Dublin thus far I must say that I like this city. It’s very pedestrian friendly, it’s quite scenic and it has a lot to offer.

Today we are going to go out and explore.

J.P. and Earl @ The Giant’s Causeway.

Originally uploaded by iMachias.

Earl and I, along with Rick and Helen, ventured up to the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland this morning. The weather didn’t really lend itself to a scenic venture, it was raining and it was quite windy, but we didn’t let that keep us from enjoying what Mother Nature has to offer in Northern Ireland.

The Giant’s Causeway is a scenic beauty unparalleled by anything that I have seen before. For more pictures, click on the picture to venture off to my Flickr account.

For the next two nights we’re in Dublin. It’s a beautiful city and we’ve already started the partying. Guinness + J.P. = blurry vision. I guess I’ll comment more on Dublin tomorrow.

Irish Road Sign.

Originally uploaded by iMachias.

Today has been about riding in the car. We were up relatively early this morning and headed to Limerick to return the tuxes/kilts. Limerick is a cool city with the hustle and bustle of the city centre. Its good to see a city without excessive suburban sprawl. And there’s been nary a Wal*Mart in sight.

Driving in Ireland is a considerably different experience than driving in the states. Of course there’s the whole drive on the left thing going on, which I felt very comfortable with the moment we left the rental lot and have relatively little difficulty with. The drivers here are very courteous. There are mostly narrow “country” roads that are flanked by stone fences and/or trees. There are also wide two lane roads that connect many towns. These are fun to drive because passing works like this. If the person in front if you realizes you want to pass, they pull somewhat into the shoulder and you just pass them. You just have to have faith that the vehicle coming at you in the other direction will also give you room to pass.

Ireland has motorways as well (they’re like interstates) and that’s what we took from Dublin into Northern Island. We drove through Belfast and now we’re in Coleraine and poised to visit the Giant’s Causeway tomorrow.

Buggy Parking.

Originally uploaded by iMachias.

Earl and I dropped Tom off with my dad today in preparation for our trip to Ireland tomorrow. He was relatively well behaved on the ride, I think he’s mellowing out in his later years.

We took a drive through my hometown on the way back. With a new substantial Amish population in the area, most of the commercial establishments now feature buggy parking spots in addition to the obligatory handicapped parking. Some places, such as Arby’s, provide buckets. I like to think they’re feed buckets, but they could be for something else I suppose.

Rain.
Originally uploaded by iMachias.

I’ve been kind of low key on the blog lately. I guess I haven’t been in the mood to write. My schedule has been crazy, my school deadlines are demanding and I feel like I’ve been white knuckling it a little bit for the past few days.

My complaint of professors that don’t care continues. On Friday we were given a multiple choice exam in my math class. The idea of a multiple choice exam in math is nothing new; you figure out the equation or whatever and select your answer from one of the four given. Here’s the kicker. About a quarter of the way into the exam the professor announced that he had made several typos in the exam and there were questions where none of the answers to choose from were correct, so we were to write in our answer and give justification. He geniunely made the errors, it wasn’t some tricky subplot to a continuing story arc.

It’s hard to care when the professor doesn’t seem to care. Nevertheless, I got an 82 on the exam. I thought I had done worse.

It has been unseasonably warm in these parts this week. I heard another citizen remark on the street to her friend, “I just love this global warming. It’s so balmy.” Meanwhile, the reservoir that provides our drinking water is 11 feet below it’s normal level and now they’re draining the canal to provide more water to the city by sending it back to the reservoir, the same city that dumps raw sewage into the canal because the sewer treatment plant is a mess.

Viva la poo poo.

Meanwhile I’ve been tinkering with photography. I find few suitable to share but I enjoy the escapism nonetheless.

Shadow.
Originally uploaded by iMachias.

I’m not a photographer. I don’t pretend to be. I thank the Universe for digital cameras, because I’m able to take a thousand shots of one scene and pick out the one that looks just right without having to purchase stock in Kodak.

I was inspired by the sunlight coming in the patio window. This is the shot I liked. My iPhoto has many near misses.