Well! Here we go!

Jeez, guys, busy as ever, and missing everyone as always.

This past week has probably been my low point here, as can be seen in the post below. However! We are adopting a new strategy. Enough of that noise! I'm on the offensive now! In a manner of speaking. Whatever that means. I'm still working it out.

As you can maybe see, the sleep deprivation still hasn't quite been remedied. I got sick again last week, which resulted in me missing several classes. Took Friday as a recovery day, and quite literally did NOT move from my bed for the entirety of the day, until about 4 or 5 pm. At first I felt guilty that I was missing hours for my internship, and guilty that I wasn't in the library studying or prepping for any one of the assignments I've got up in the air in the moment, but I decided that I needed to get better. So, instead of all that, I stayed in bed, ordered delivery, and watched old episodes of the West Wing on my computer. I'm serious, that's all I did for the whole day. That's right guys, I let LOOSE ;) And it was fantastic.

Saturday was an interesting day. By the afternoon, I was feeling healthy again, and ready to be productive, but alas there was something more important than work to address. It has been pointed out to me that over the past few months I may have not been the best friend that I could be to a lot of you, in various ways and for various reasons that we don't need to get into now. If any of you feel as if that is the case, as if I've been taking a bit too much advantage of your friendship, or in any way taking you for granted, I am sorry. Very sorry. The new strategy mentioned above involves adopting new behavior and attempting a new outlook over many areas of my life right now, and a big part of that is trying to make right this thing in particular. I really do love you all and despite appearances sometimes, I do very much appreciate everything that all of you do for me.

I talked to my Dad on Saturday evening for the first time in quite a while. He, like other family, was worried about how I was getting along here and could tell just by my voice that I was upset. He asked me what was going on and I told him - trying to successfully juggle schoolwork, internship, the co-op search and my relationships with friends didn't seem to be going very well, and was definitely taking a toll. Like he can usually do, he cheered me up. Somehow we managed to get on the topic of kilts - he wants me to bring him back one for Christmas so that he can wear it to Christmas parties and show it off to his friends. I swore up and down that kilts were Scottish and didn't have anything to do with Ireland, but that I would see what I could do. Turns out there are Irish kilts too, so don't I feel like an idiot. At the end of the conversation Dad told me to go out and have some drinks on him, it sounded like I needed a good time and I shouldn't be stressing so much in a place where I'm missing out on so much fun. With that endorsement, I got together with a few of my favorite people here and headed to my favorite pub, where we had a great night of laughter, conversation, flirtation and ridicule with some of the locals and our favorite bartenders. It was a much needed respite.


Highlights of the evening:

1) Being told by a bartender who had never met me before that the beer I was drinking (Smithwicks Irish Ale) was only for dirty hillbilly men and that I wouldn't be drinking any more. The following conversation ensued.

Me: You can't just not serve me the beer I want. I like Smithwicks! Whats wrong with liking Smithwicks?!
BT: I told you already. I'm not serving you another pint of that trash. It's not suitable. Pick something else.
*I glare at BT for several seconds but he does not comply. Silence ensues.*
Me: So if hypothetically I asked for a Budweis---
BT: Are you kidding me woman? You're in Ireland and you're ordering a Budweiser? No, you can drink that shit back home.
Me: It's better here!
BT: Bullshit.
*More glaring*
Me: Fine! Why don't you just give me what you think I should be drinking then!
*BT contemplates the taps, then pours a Heineken* (Note: There is no light beer here. What had just occurred was along the lines of ordering a beer like a Dogfish or something else with strength, and then being refused only to be served a Bud Light.)
Me: Seriously?
BT: *smirking* That'll be 4.60, m'dear.

2) Our BT buddies had been sneaking us free food from the big private party going on in the other room for most of the night. Upon finishing a chicken wing, and unaware of the insult he was committing, Will popped the bone into his now-empty pint glass to be disposed of. He was - of course - instantly chastised by the bartenders, but they made peace and Will ordered another pint of stout.

A little while later, one of the BTs, Paddy, came out and told us that we should get ready, because something really funny was going to happen soon. Over the course of the next few minutes, the other bartenders stopped by our side of the bar and told us the same thing, and they were clearly excited, but insisted on keeping us in suspense as to what it would be. We were all intrigued - including Will - and persisted in questioning the bartenders as to what was going to happen, but they wouldn't give it up. They just kept coming back around. "Seriously guys, like 10 minutes, its gonna get real funny in here." "I'm telling you guys. 5 more minutes. Hysterical, seriously."

By this point, Will had gotten down to the final stretch of his Beamish pint. We didn't notice that for whatever reason, all three bartenders had gathered at our end of the bar. As he went to toss the rest of it back, enough of the opaque stout moved so as to reveal the chicken bone, which had been sitting at the bottom of his pint for the entire time he had been drinking it. Trust me when I say, ladies and gentlemen, that hilarity ensued.

Generally it was a really good time with the bartenders and the locals and it was a good mental health experience in that it reminded me of all the fun I should be having here and made me resolve to do everything I can to make more time for such things.

Sunday was a day lost to recovery and work, but Monday I got up bright and early to write my paper on the problems surrounding the re-emergence of populism in Latin America. Got it done on time, happy with it, and it was nice to write about something that I actually enjoy learning about and have a real opinion on. (The potato famine, while interesting, didn't exactly inspire a lot of excitement when it came time to write about it). I did the paper! I went to class! Both classes! I went to the gym! And then, after all of it, I went out to celebrate a friend's birthday at the very same pub. It was the first time in a long time that I felt productive and accomplished and was still able to have fun. The plan is to try to do more to incorporate this kind of a thing on a regular basis. After all, there's less than 4 weeks left! I'm missing out!

Anyhow, I'm optimistic. I'm starting to get a handle on work. I've been given amnesty by my professors in the light of sickness-related absences and such. I've rallied, and we're giving this another go in the home stretch.

I'm heading off to Geneva and Paris this weekend to visit some friends from back home. I'm looking forward to it, because we will have all just missed out on seeing all of your beautiful faces during Thanksgiving. Should be great, it's my last chance to really get out of the city, and I'm really pumped to spend sometime with Cathy and Jay.

I know I'm behind on this guys but as always I appreciate the readership. Take care and everyone please enjoy your Thanksgiving! I'll be thinking of all of you :)