July 4th There used to be a mainland. I remember it well, when I looked out from the pier, from the crags across the road from the hostel. When I arrived last night, I could look north, out over the bay and see the mainland and Rossaveel, could look to the east and see Clare, [...]
July 3rd Something that I love most in life is riding through rain, rain that falls so hard it makes the bus windows seem like they’re rippling. I love to look out my window, see the rain still block the horizon, and then to look out the window opposite, and see through unrippled glass a [...]
June 26th For the past couple of weeks I’ve been pretty quiet, but not much has been going on. Well, there have been one or two things to make the time a blur – not booze-induced, either (well, with the exception of one Saturday night, but I’ll get to that). All told, I’ve just not [...]
June 5th I never made it to Castlebar. Hell, for that matter, with all the time at Barcuba I hardly made it to my bed before 4 a.m. The earliest bus for Castlebar would have left around six hours later (as if I’d even try to make that), and since the next wasn’t until 2, [...]
June 3rd Garlic. I smell garlic, and as surely as my name is Anthony, I know that this is a wonderful day. I had gone to Zhivago’s (CD store and ticket outlet) to find out about transport to and from Castlegar Showgrounds (big green Heineken shuttles, free from Eyre Square from 6 on). Then my [...]
June 11th Back in March, when I learned that my application for my Irish work visa had been approved, I bought a book to help prep me for Ireland. I read it on planes and trains, from the west coast of North America to the east coast of Scotland, and from London to Dublin to [...]
May 14th To the rhythm of the creaking of our hardening arteries, let us meditate a moment on the heart-stopping grisliness of gristle and grease that is the brilliance of the Irish Breakfast: Three sausages, two rashers, one egg, a half a tomato, fries, toast and butter and jam… And, if you want to go [...]
May 3rd From Claddagh rings to wedding bands, gold bracelets to silver chains, amethyst to blue zircon, I’m your man. Well, okay, I will be once I figure out all these different types of chains, finishes, metals, stones, cuts, lengths, etc, etc. Do you know the difference between an emerald-cut and a square-cut diamond? Or [...]
May 31st I’m psyched. Beside me, rectangles of yellow highlighter all over the just-out, May 31-June 11 edition of The List, and all I’ve got to say is that the west of Ireland damn sure knows how to put on a bank holiday weekend. Monday is a day off, and between Co. Mayo and Galway [...]
May 1st Galway has finally realized that the present season is spring, and May 1 is the most beautiful day I have seen since touching down in Ireland. This day rivals summer days I’ve spent in Seattle parks, or not-too-humid summer afternoons in the Atlantic off the Florida coast. Hopefully, things will stay this way. [...]
