Waxing Philosophical

Hi again, friends.
There is much to share as we happen upon this last day of 2011. The Mayans tell us that this is the last year of life as we know it. Perhaps it means the end of the world, perhaps it means a universal enlightening, perhaps it means nothing at all. Either way, I've been waxing philosophical lately. Maybe it is the company I keep or perhaps it is because I am now a "Master" of Philosophy, but either way I have found myself contemplating that most generic of topics, LIFE. Why am I here? Why are YOU here? And why/how did we find each other?

Over a conversation I had tonight with my friend Jasmin, we discussed self-deprecation, self-acceptance, and how we view ourselves in relation to other people. It reminded me of something I wrote a while ago on how we relate to ourselves what we think our "weaknesses" are. Who we are and how we react and relate to the world are directly impacted by how we view ourselves. Sometimes we don't realise that the WHOLE of who we are has to be made up of the good and the bad. And sometimes these things are the same thing. Our greatest strengths can be our greatest weaknesses and vice versa.

So, I went back to the vault, and I happened to find the post that I wrote almost three years ago. I thought I'd share it with you because it struck a chord in me tonight. And while not all of them are as true now as they once were, I encourage you to find those things that you may not like about yourself so much and turn them into why you're also a wonderful, whole, complete, and perfect human being.
Thanks for reading.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Blessings and Curses

So I have been contemplating much over the past several months. A trap that I find myself in is my perceived “Inadequacies” with a capital I. Well, fuck that. I have decided that with every inadequacy comes a strong suit. This is a way of realizing my strengths regardless of who sees them as weaknesses (including myself).
The reality: I kick ass.
The alternate reality: I convince myself that I don’t.
I am so full of love for other people, and I deserve to turn some of that inward. So, here is a list of what I perceive as "Truths" about myself and the pros and cons that go with them. Without them, I wouldn't be who I am. And though I want to better myself, I also need to love who I am in the Now. Love for everything that I am, and everything that I am Not.

The Truth: I am an emotional being.
The Curse: I often get too emotional beyond reason. I also find myself in positions of not being able to let certain things go because I am so emotionally bound to the circumstances or people involved. I react emotionally, not logically.
The Blessing: My emotions give me this beautiful feeling of being human. They allow me to be accessible to people in many ways, especially in the ways of love. I also find that emotions create artistic outlet and freedom, and I love that. Plus, I’m able to see the world in the ways of empathy and forgiveness.

The Truth: I am full of passion.
The Curse: I become passionate about some of the most obscure and unnecessary things. Sometimes it’s just a huge waste and misdirection of energy.
The Blessing: I get excited by life really easily, and to me, that’s the whole point of life. Passion gives me hope and ecstasy, love and romance, laughter and friends, and the desire to do more.

The Truth: I often talk about the way I feel.
The Curse: I talk blindly with no thought. Again, operating from emotion, not logic. Sometimes this leads me to verbally vomit, and that gets me into trouble. Sometimes a whole lot of trouble.
The Blessing: Sometimes this creates some killer stories with brilliant comedic timing. It also creates an opportunity for someone to understand how I work a little better, and I think that’s better than forcing someone to guess.

The Truth: I have a lot of quirks or oddities that are far-removed from ‘typical girls.’
The Curse: It makes me the “friend who happens to be a girl” a lot of the time. I tend to swear like a sailor around some people, and I find toilet humor amusing. I also carry a black belt in a martial art, and there are far more men that find that as a turn-off than one might think. Many guys don’t want a girl that would potentially be dominating.
The Blessing: I am unique. And I could kick someone’s ass if I had to. Plus, being a little crass gives me the flexibility to share in different elements of humor, and for some people (men especially) it does create that friendship bond instead of only being sexually charged.

The Truth: I’m a fixer
The Curse: I want to fix everyone and every situation, and I oftentimes cannot let a situation be left alone if I feel it “should” be different. I want to mend other people’s pain, and I want to be the strength in which they find a solution. Sadly, it usually does not happen the way I would like it to. Obviously I cannot fix anything that isn’t directly related to me, and even then I usually don’t have a say in how people react or feel. Sometimes being a fixer also distracts me from my own life.
The Blessing: I am a more open friend, and I try to be a safe place. At the very least, I try to create a space in which my friends and family can come to me for love and support. I think I do a pretty okay job at this. Sometimes being a fixer also distracts me from my own life.

The Truth: I am always searching for love, in any sense.
The Curse: Delusion. Desperation. Neediness. Disappointment.
The Blessing: I am accessible to love, and I am attracted to those who are also searching. At least this way we’re able to find each other.

The Truth: I am impulsive.
The Curse: I am impulsive beyond repair sometimes. Again, has gotten me into a lot of trouble romantically, financially, socially, mentally, physically . . . I have made terrible choices and split decisions based off of nothing else than impulse. I don’t think it through. This leads to fiascoes of all sorts.
The Blessing: I can be a spontaneous individual. Spontaneity can lead to amazing moments and stories and relationships. There is an overwhelming sense of being alive in some of these moments. There are far too many beautiful things that have occurred in the name of spontaneity and impulse, and this is one trait that I am thrilled that I have. It helps me think on my feet in important circumstances, and it also gives me the gift of living moment by moment. . .

The Truth: I am often child-like.
The Curse: I am often child-like.
The Blessing: I am often child-like.

There are more “Truths” to this list, but they are all tying into each other anyway. The storal of the mory is that everyone deserves to love themselves, and weaknesses can be just as much of a strength as a strength can be a weakness. I don’t treat myself with enough grace and acceptance sometimes, and I am the first one to put myself down or judge my own choices. What a silly way to live.
Life is . . . .well, life. That’s all it is. No need to make it more difficult than it needs to be. No matter what has occurred at any point in time, I deserve the freedom of love and self-expression just like anyone else in this cycle.
It may be the only time I have this opportunity.

View from my apartment window in Dublin

Where to Start?

Do you ever have those moments when life is so overwhelmingly amazing that you can't even describe the awe you feel? Those moments that defy your sadness in spite of your best efforts to fall back into old habits? Those moments when the people in your life are so profoundly awesome that you almost become starstruck by your own friends? And those moments where you can't believe how much in love you are with your circumstances?

Yeah.

There is much to share.

So, a couple weeks back three friends and I took a trip to County Kerry (my Irish motherland) and we stayed in a small town called Cloghane on the Dingle Peninsula. I drove for the first time since being Ireland: wrong side of the car, wrong side of the street. It was good fun, albeit a bit intimidating to start.
Cast of characters: Myself, Oaksey (Andrew), Mary, and Craig.


We spent two nights in Cloghane in a hostel on the bay in the middle of nowhere. We were able to have our own private apartment with two bedrooms, a kitchenette, living room, and private balcony overlooking the bay.

Here is a photo of the full moon from our apartment:

It was an incredible trip, and it was made extra special by the addition of Mary, a postgrad student in the program I just finished. We were having a chat at one point and she said "yeah, my ancestors are from County Kerry." To which I replied "Mine are as well. Kerry and West Cork. What's your family's surname?" And she says "O'Sullivan." And I say "Dude, mine too." How awesome is that?

So, on our second day there we take a trip to Dingle town and to get there we have to take Connor Pass.
Windiest. Experience. Ever.
We had to go through it twice; on the way to Dingle and on the way back. The first time was super windy! Really really powerful stuff. Oaksey and Mary would jump into the wind and then land 4 feet behind where they left the ground. Craig was our documentarian for the entire trip. He took lots and lots of video and he's currently in the process of compiling all of the footage into a proper documented short movie. He also made a music video of our first stop on Connor Pass:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awi2Rtk5whY

We went to Dingle, had a lovely time and a hot whiskey and some food and we stopped back at Connor Pass on our way back. We underestimated the time of day and certainly we didn't expect to be in the storm that blew in on the mountains. Gale force winds knocked us off of our feet on more than one occasion, and I half expected the car to blow off the side of the cliff. Everyone survived and no one got hurt, but the power of Mother Nature came into sharp relief with this experience. Moral of the story: you don't know shit about what Mother Nature has in store for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwoT0V8y8iw&feature=related

It was a spirit-filled trip. We had family-style meals both nights and breakfast in the mornings in our cozy apartment. We drank tea on the balcony, and we walked and talked with the spirits in ancient Ireland.

Then, last week, I got confirmation that I passed my course and that I am officially a Master of Philosophy in Theatre and Performance. Graduation will be some time in April and I can't wait to wear a cap and gown and accept my diploma from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. It's a dream come true to have studied here and completed a Masters program. The fact that I am surrounded by some of the finest people that Ireland, and the world, has to offer is a miracle in itself as well.

Now, let me tell you about a little story that can illustrate the quality of people that I spend my days with here...
On Wednesday, November 23rd, I was feeling particularly down. Thanksgiving was the following day and I found myself missing my friends and family back in the states and the family members that have passed away in the past couple years. It's the second holiday season away from home, and, while I don't subscribe fully to what the 'holidays' entail, it's hard to feel removed from some of the traditions and cultures that people have with their families.

Wednesday night I was pretty weepy and awfully tired. We rehearsed for Midsummer that day for about 4 hours or so and I went home feeling wrecked. I had a good cry with my flatmate and woke up feeling tired and drained. I was falling into a habitual holiday sadness. It was a familiar feeling, and I really wanted to keep myself isolated. Then I got a phone call from Mary inviting me to go to a carvery with a couple of other folks for a Thanksgiving lunch. I politely declined the invite because I was much more keen on being sad and sulking. I invited them to stop by afterward if they were interested. They did. They had gone to the carvery and Mary wrapped up half of her lunch to bring to me so that I would have Thanksgiving food. She brought me turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and cranberry sauce. I was amazed by the kindness of these new friends of mine. We had an hour of hanging out and then I went to rehearsal.

Rehearsal went pretty well Thursday (Thanksgiving) evening. Melaine, my flatmate, is in the show as well and we all had a really good run. Melaine and the rest of the cast were released after a couple hours and the four of us 'lover' characters stayed for an extra hour. I still hadn't shaken my blue emotional nature as we ended so when Melaine texted me to invite people back to our place, I was less than enthused. I just wanted to go home and get in my pajamas and cry about the fact that I wasn't going to have Thanksgiving dinner with my family, but I invited my fellow Chicagoan friend Anne back home anyway. When we walked through the door, my apartment smelled fantastic. I walked into the living room where Craig and Sarah were. Melaine was in the kitchen. Making Thanksgiving dinner.

I was overwhelmed with emotion, and I realised in that moment that there was nothing wrong. I didn't need to be sad. I was surrounded by amazing people who love me and who I love back so ferociously. I couldn't be with my family in the states, but I could enjoy my time with the people who have become family in Dublin. We ended up having a really great evening. We toasted the things we were thankful for and drank a bit of wine and then we parted ways and went to bed.

I really do feel that my life has morphed into this amazing journey. It's a strange place I'm in right now where I feel like I have the freedom to create and move. Travelling has proven to be a necessity for me. How else am I to understand the world in which I live if I don't explore it?

Now it's time to start thinking about the next step again. What to do, where to aim, what's the target... all of these things run through my brain in different ways and they certainly mean something new now. My brain is churning in a couple different ways, but I believe that as long as I do the best that I can, the Universe will look out for me just as she has always done.

Even while typing this I got a call to my door for a "Special Delivery for Jessica Keith." It was my friend and former flatmate Kelly surprising me from Switzerland. She's back in Dublin now.

See? My life is full of amazing people. I love them so much, and sometimes it amazes me how much they love me back. And you, Reader, are a part of the love as well, no matter where in the world you may be.

Boom

TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN
Coláiste na Tríonóide
SCHOOL OF DRAMA, FILM AND MUSIC
Scoil na Drámaíochta, na Scannánaíochta agus an Cheoil
Head of School: Prof. Steve Wilmer
DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA
Samuel Beckett Centre
Trinity College,
Dublin 2

Re: Keith, Jessica

Dear Jessica,

I am pleased to inform you that you have successfully passed the M.Phil in Theatre and Performance. After all your hard work you may now proceed towards your graduation (commencements). You will need to contact the Proctor's office to register for graduation (commencements) which I understand will take place some time in April 2012. Commencements (graduations) are organised by the Proctors' Office, which is located in House No.5, in Front Square of Trinity College. Finally, we wish you many congratulations on your academic achievements and we do hope that you will keep in touch with the department into the future.

Kind Regards
Dr Melissa Sihra

Some Thoughts for the Day

Heya everyone,

Happy November! And a Happy Belated Halloween to everyone as well. We changed our clocks here in Dublin just the other day and the days sure are short already. Not a terrible thing, but certainly an adjustment. Halloween was a good one. Melaine (my flatmate) and I threw a party and it was quite a success! I was dressed as a devil-in-a-blue-dress-slash-politician Senator Keith. Melaine was my associate, The Devil's Advocate.



It was a good time had by all. We threw the party with the title of OCCUPY HALLOWEEN to go along with the Occupy protests around the world. We had some pretty good costumes there: Impending Doom, Death of the Middle Class, and sexy James Joyce.

So, anyway...

I've been waking up earlier than usual thanks to the support of Melaine. I'm not particularly a super dupey morning person, but I'm learning, and Melaine has class in the morning so he wakes me up before he leaves. It's a good system!

I woke up the past couple days and did a little exercising and yoga and stretching and the like, and I spent some time just walking around the city. It's been a while since I've just wandered. But I did today and noticed that the holiday decorations have been hung on Grafton Street and the weather has been mild and humid. Today it rained while the sun was out. I love that so much because the light illuminates the rain and it feels fresh and mystical. Dublin in daylight is amazing, especially if you have a sheen of water on everything.

I stopped into some businesses today and inquired about work and I'm feeling optimistic about it. And now I'm back home briefly to eat lunch and revise my work resume (or CV in Ireland) and hit the streets again. But I also read some writings from my good friend Utah Bob today, and I wanted to share some of them with you, good readers. Sometimes, it's nice to remind yourself of these things:

We watched a golden tree
drop her leaves
in a wind from the North,
and not one did we hear
offer a tear
as it drifted to Gods’ floor.
And as they crackled,
as they scampered,
to pile in some corner,
it seemed as if
their Joys were as bliss,
as when they hung green
wishing someday
to reach Gods’ floor.


Much of Our daily grind’s grist
erupt through Our adultness’.
Just ‘cause we’re older, in any sport,
doesn’t mean we’re automatically wise.
More Wisdom arrives by not Knowing,
than through the knots of
Knowing a little … about a lot!

Until we come to terms
with the concept
of converting “I” to We,
we will return, again & again,
to the empty side of the Street.

What's The Craic?

Well lads and lasses,

It has been over a year since I first moved to the fair city of Dublin, and what a trip it has been.

I arrived in Dublin on September 17, 2010 and I celebrated my one year anniversary participating in the Dublin Fringe Festival which is designed for "fringe" (new and up-and-coming) theatre. I made my shadow puppeteering debut and had a great time. I've since become a little obsessed with shadow puppeteering and making my own puppets. For an example of the kind of shadow puppeteering I'm referring to, watch the music video at this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yedD4JsZyT0


I also took a trip to Donegal and the Aran Islands in September. Donegal is pretty far North and has an unbelievably beautiful landscape. Four of us rented a car and travelled up to an area called Slieve League which is a mountainous area on the Western Coast.

We stayed at Dooey Hostel that was built into the side of a hill, and the woman who runs the place goes by the name "Mad Mary" O'Donnell. She's a chain-smoking 80 year old woman and she had tea waiting for us upon our arrival. The hostel is situated on a hill in a very small village on the sea called Glencolumkille and we fell asleep to the crashing of the waves. This was the picture I took from our bedroom window:

And this is what the place looks like when you walk through the door. The left wall is open rockface and the vines growing on it are real. It rained while we were there and the water came pouring out of the side of the rock in small rivers and into a little ditch along the cement pathway.



PS - The Donegal accent is the best in all the land. It's so beautiful and soft and you could listen to people read a flippin phone book and fall in love.

We stayed in Glencolumkille for one night and then we drove down through Mayo (where I got to wave hello to Croagh Patrick Mountain) and through Galway until we got to the port to take a ferry to Inis Mor, the largest of the three Aran Islands. Here's what Inis Mor looks like as you pull up to it:






Inis Mor (or Innishmor) is primarily Irish speaking (Gaelic, as we call it in the states, however Irish speakers prefer to call it 'Irish'). It was pretty great to sit in a pub and listen to all of the Irish speakers in the background. Of course there was also some trad music (traditional Irish music) and some great craic.

Since returning from our little trip last month, here's my update:

* I'm still in Dublin, and I'm planning on staying if the stars line up for it. I am waiting on my marks from my thesis and then I can apply for a work visa to extend my stay for another 12 months. I am currently looking for a job.

* After a little bit of a flatmate shift (My former flatmate Kelly is moving to Switzerland) I am now living with my buddy Melaine (Meh-LIN), a guy from the south of France who is studying his Masters in Development Practices. We have the best flat in all of Dublin.

* I'm in another production of Midsummer Night's Dream which will be performed at the end of November in the Samuel Beckett Theatre. I am reprising my role as Hermia, except this time it's set in post-apocalyptic 1950's. Awesome.

* I have a tremendous friend base here in Dub. I am surrounded by incredibly smart, talented and worldy individuals and I am often astounded at the opportunities I've had and connections I've made. It's changed my world forever. If you get the chance, hang out with some wildly educated and awesome people. It'll blow your mind.

* I live right above Occupy Dublin. Some of you may have heard of that little world-wide protest thing that's happening all over the world. The Occupy Dublin folks are camped out just outside of my window, and even though they're only about 60 people strong, they are toughing it out through some terrible weather right now. Every now and then I pop down and hang out with them, and sometimes a few of them come up and use our kitchen to wash some dishes or use a toilet. It's our small contribution to the effort. Solidarity.

* I have started singing in Dublin very recently. Played a gig a couple weeks ago and played another one two nights ago. It was my first Reggae set and it. was. awesome. I can't wait to do it again.

I think that covers most of my adventures for now. Today I'm staying in from this terrible weather and listening to some good tunes while I do some writing. Certainly Aunt Mary is on my mind today, but then again she is rarely far from it on any day.

So ends this blog, and I'll leave you with this nugget from the Clancy Brothers. It was a song Aunt Mary and I would sing together sometimes. So raise your pints and whiskeys and enjoy.

http://youtu.be/w97uEToBzJ4

QUICK!

Alright folks,

Here's just a fast update:

My thesis is due on the 22nd! Whoa!

I'm now on a co-ed Tag Rugby league and having way too much fun. Our team's name is Tagasaurus. We had a rough first match, but training yesterday was great. I was really proud of how I played.

I finished up the Samuel Beckett Summer School program and performed in one of Beckett's pieces called "Catastrophe."

Some of my friends from my pogram have already departed. Transitions are taking shape once again.

I went to a hulring match on Sunday! Let me tell you, it's an awesome game. Don't know what hurling is? Youtube it. It's like lacrosse, hockey, and baseball all rolled into one. It has the title as "the fastest game on grass."

And as I sit here in the postgraduate reading room getting some work done, I can hear distant bagpipes somewhere on the street playing. It's a Scottish instrument, but it still makes me feel like I'm studying in Ireland. Not a bad soundtrack to study to.

After I hand in my thesis, I hope to head to Edinburgh, Scotland again to watch some of the Fringe Theatre Festival out there. I'll be sure to avoid England for a little while until the riots settle down.

That's all for now. I'll be back soon. Send good thesis vibes for me!
Much Love,

- Jess

Closing the Gap

Wow. So, I've been here for 10 months already. That sure went fast, didn't it? It was 4th of July weekend last year when I found out I had been accepted to Trinity. By the end of July I lost my job, by the 1st of August I moved out of my apartment and in with my mom, and by September 16th I was on a plane bound for Dublin. A lot has happened in 10 months. More than I could have ever imagined. And now I'm in the last leg of my education here with my dissertation due next month.

It's been months since I last updated. Time has gotten away from me, and I do apologise for that. So, to recap on the past couple months:

In May, my Aunt Beth and Uncle Jamie came to visit me, and they brought some of Ba's ashes with them. We did a pretty extensive Irish tour from coast to coast. We didn't see the midlands too much other than passing through it on the train. Our first stop was in Glendalough. We were in a cloud the entire time, and visibility was low. I climbed An Spinc with them, but you couldn't see the valley below us. Actually, we were in a storm at the top of the mountain, but we conquered it anyway. In Glendalough we found a ton of snails. This one I liked a lot.

Here is a picture of Ba hanging out in the valley with us:

We headed south to Cork a day or two later. Anytime and Irish person has asked about my heritage, I've told them that I am of Sullivan ancestry. Almost every time "Ah, that's a Cork name" is the response. I didn't really come to Ireland to trace my roots, but it's still cool to think about where I've come from.

We met this guy named Victor, and he has these two swan friends George and Mildred. George and Mildred were just swimming by and Victor told them to come up out of the water and say hello. Sure enough, they did and they greeted Victor. He gave them a bit of bread and they had a lovely chat. This particular lake, by the way, is part fresh water and part salt water. It's called Lough Hyne and it has a very interesting ecosystem because of it's tides.

The sunsetting over the landscape.

We rented a car while we travelled through Cork, Westcork, and a bit through Kerry. I saw a random graveyard on the side of the road and we decided to stop at it. I amazed to see that half of this thing was full of Sullivans and O'Sullivans. Sullivan in Irish (what we call Gaelic) is actually spelled Suilleabhain. If you have any interest, I recommend putting Sullivan into wikipedia.org to read the history. It's really interesting stuff.

After we returned to Dublin and the following day we decided to go to a whole new country: Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland has a very troubled past since it's still in British rule. We arrived in Belfast and we decided to take something called a Black Taxi tour which brought us around the city to key political areas and murals. The bloodshed that has been seen in this area is unfathomable to many of us.

The political murals on the Protestant side of Belfast have been there for a while, and many of them violent in nature. This is an image of a sniper, and no matter where you stand, the rifle follows you. I tested this and it's 100% true. I can't imagine being a kid walking to school everyday with this imagery.

While up north, we also took a bus tour to the Giant's Causeway, Carrick-a-rede Bridge, and the Buschmills Distillery.

When we returned to Dublin, Beth and Jamie had one last night where we had a few pints at Gogarty's, my favorite pub.

After they went home, I performed in an original show called What's Left Over, and then in early June, I performed in the Dublin Shakespeare Festival in "A Midsummer Night's Dream." I was Hermia, one of the four lovers.

"Midsummer" was performed in a park called Merrion Square. I have more photos, but here are a couple to give you an idea.

SO! That's been the past couple of months in a nutshell. Now I just need to focus on my thesis and figure out what to do next with my life. I have some ideas, and I've been doing a lot of brainstorming and writing lately. Tomorrow I start a Samuel Beckett workshop which will last 5 days. I'm pretty stoked about that.

That's all I have for now. Thanks for reading!

Much Love to everyone.

My Gypsy Blood

Hi all! ' Well, I'm back after 1.5 months of studying an reading and writing. The school year has ended and the classes are done. I just have to write my dissertation, due in August, on the comedic conventions within children's theatre. I do have some lovely updates to share, however, on the journeys and experiences I've has over the past month and a half. It's been filled with some great memories. I first want to start with a couple photos of me and Ba. With my travelling and all of my adventures, I feel like I'm channeling some gypsy blood, and I have Ba to thank for that. Here's a photo of the two of us outside Camp Sokol in New Buffalo, Michigan. I've spent A LOT of time here, and I am really thankful for all of the happy nostalgia I have. Here's Ba and me during Christmas one year. I'm sure she's hugging me because I gave her the best present ever, though I don't remember what that could be at this point. Maybe a seal ornament or something. Either way, it was probably awesome.

Okay, so now that I've acknowledged my Czech/gypsy heritage, I would like to continue on with my adventures. I have discovered that I am really at peace with travelling to places I have never been, and I didn't really understand this until I came to Ireland. I believe that overcoming a fear of leaving everything I've ever know to go to live in Dublin for a year has proven to me that I can really go anywhere at this point, and I can survive it just fine. I am a wanderer, and I'm fine with that.

When Nick, Andrea, Morgan, and Freddy got here we departed for Galway County, Ireland for a couple days. It's on the west coast of Ireland and has some of the best oysters on the islands. Here's a picture of the Galway Bay.

I thought I would also include of picture of the harbour on a windy day. I thought it was beautiful. Galway is also home to the Galway Hooker, a common fishing boat.

This is the inside of one of the churches out there. It was absolutely stunning. I found myself becoming emotional because of the pure spiritual connection. I did some praying, actually, and felt wonderful after leaving. This picture doesn't capture its essence, smell, or energy, but it'll have to do for now.

Me, Andrea, Nick and Morgan at the Galway Bay during sunset.

We left Galway to take a longer bus trip on the west coast and we stopped at a cool castle along the burren. Here's the five of us!

The picture below is of the Poulnabrone Dolmen. Scientists have estimated it to originate from the neolithic period somewhere between 4200 and 2900 BC. During excavation a while back, somewhere around 18 adults and 6 children had been buried there along with items of the time.

Amazing that it still stands.

From the Burren we went to the Cliffs of Moher. It's an amazingly powerful place with cliffs that rise from 400-700 feet depending on where you stand. Around 14 people die each year from falling or jumping of the edge.

Here's O'Brien's Tower off in the distance to the north.

Another shot of the Cliffs and O'Briens Tower.

So, naturally, I jump the barrier and I do not heed the cautionary tale:

It was just far too exhilarting to live on the edge. Don't worry; the picture looks worse than it actually was.

So after we returned to Dublin, we set out again but this time for Barcelona, Spain. I freaking loved it there. Palm trees everywhere. Here's Nick, Morgan, Andrea, and Freddy.

While in Barcelona, we made it to Sagrada Familia, a church that began construction in 1883. It's still not complete, but it's amazing either way.

The interior is designed to look like a forest of trees. It's massive in there.

The cool thing about Barcelona are all of the alley-way establishments. Here's me, Nick and Andrea rokcin' some sweet glasses over a couple beers in a random alley-way bar.

After my four mates left Ireland, I had a little bit of down time to get some work done before my next visitor came out. None other than my friend Christa, who I hadn't seen in quite a while. We had a really interesting, though really important, couple of days. We took a walk along the River Dodder, or as I call it, Narnia. This was on the night of the Supermoon. I loved the colors the sky reflected back on the earth.

Christa was only able to stay for the weekend, but the following day my cousin, and good friend, Gabe flew in. We had a great time hanging with Craig at one of my favorite pubs. Good craic all around.

We evetually flew to Galsgow, Scotland where the Blues Brothers welcomed us to town at Americandy. I did not go inside. I was afraid.

This statue always has a cone on his head. If someone removes it, it is replaced as soon as possible. It's become a landmark for the locals. I also like the seagulls on the fornt and back of the horse.

Me and Gabe on what I think is Sauchiehall St.

At the last moment, we decided to hop a train and head to Edinburgh, Scotland.

It was the. best. decision. ever.

Amazing architecture and ambience everywhere.

Here's a picture of us on an open-topped tour bus.

And, of course, we met up with William Wallace.

Edinburgh Castle. It's a sight to behold when you're actually looking at it in real life.

We went inside the catsle and roamed the buildings there.

We saw a HUGE cannon that I could be fired out of.

The oldest building on the grounds was this chapel.

Gabe felt that he should pray while he was there. He's such a good boy.

After leaving Scotland, we had another night in Dublin and then the next day we decided to take a day trip to Howth (rhymes with both). We met Barry the Seal. He's a pretty cool dude just hanging out in the harbour.

THEN! After Gabe left and after all of that adveture, I got to go to the largest private party in Europe, also know as the Trinity Ball. Here's me and my date Amanda and some random guy in the background. I'm wearing a vintage number from the 70's. Heck yes.

Me, Amanda, Rosanna, and Andrew. Some theatre mates at the Trinity Ball.

Trinity Ball ended up being a totally weird experience. I'm glad I went, but if I never go again that's okay too. But I've had a really busy and successful couple of months. My work is very nearly over. I felt like just last month I was packing to move out here, and now I'm over half done. I have lots to do before I figure out the next step, but I am really very grateful.

I have more family coming to visit in May, I have try-outs for the Dublin roller derby, rehearsals for a play that I perform in at the end of May, and I'm moving into an apartment in Temple Bar at the end of May as well. All good things.

Well, that's it for now! Until next time...

- Jess