Now, I know many people in North America call it St. Patty's Day, but I can assure you that it is Paddy. Paddy is a nickname for Padraig which is Irish for the anglicized 'Patrick'. Patty is short for Patricia which happens to be a woman's name. SO! That being said, I wish you all a Happy St. Paddy's Day.
If you could see outside my window right now, you would see that Dublin starts their crazy early. The parade just ended (which I was able to watch from the comfort of my living room window), and the drinking commences. Being in the most pub-heavy and touristy part of Dublin has its benefits and certainly has its low-points. On the one hand, everything is accessible to me. I can watch the debauchery form the safety of my own home without worrying about commuting. On the other hand, I have been witness to some pretty bizarre and disturbing things, and the noise level on days like this is fairly substantial. Top it off with an Ireland vs England rugby match and we have ourselves one hell of a day. Go Ireland! C'mon lads!
So, here is an update on my adventures. I am currently working in Dublin and I start a second (or sort of third) job tomorrow. The first job I got was serving tables at an Indonesian restaurant. http://www.chameleonrestaurant.com/
It's three floors and mostly I'm running food and empty plates up and down. Holy Moly, I sweat buckets. The second job I'm doing is temporary while a friend of mine is in Australia. I'm teaching a few classes in drama and singing. Most of the kids are 7-10 years old, and I have one group of 13-17 year olds. I very much enjoy it and I think we all have a great time. The third (but officially second job since the teaching thing is temporary) is at a crystal shop! Woo Woo! It's just right outside of my house and they've only been around for 3 months but I wanted to work there since they first opened. I've been quite persistent. I start tomorrow at Atlantis Crystals http://www.atlantiscrystals.ie/. Mary would be proud.
I'll be working part time at the restaurant in the evenings and part time at the crystal shop during the daytime. I'm very excited to start there.
I'm working on a music video for a Chicago musician friend of mine. The deadline has been pushed back, but once it's up and going I'll be sending it along. It's fairly provocative, but I think it'll be great. I'm also still working on a sitcom idea with a couple of ladies over here. We're hoping to get it submitted for a screening for an art festival in Dublin at the end of July. Hopefully we're chosen. What else? Oh, I went up to Belfast in February to see Van Morrison, Van the Man, the Belfast Cowboy, play. It was awesome and I had a great trip with some of my best friends.
Today, I will most likely stay at home and watch the madness continue from my floor-to-ceiling window. It's the perfect place to have a pint and stay perched. It'd be useless trying to squeeze into a pub today anyway.
I will raise my glass and say a toast for all ye.
May the Irish hills caress you. May her lakes and rivers bless you. May the luck of the Irish enfold you. May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.
