Leprechauns and Red-Haired Maidens Ahoy!

Ah, Saints Begorah! 'Tis a fine day ta be Irish, don't ya know it.

Ha ha ha ha. So, how do ya like my Irish accent. Well, for those of you in the produce department reading this, you now what I'm like with the Irish and Scottish linguistics. I hope you've all looked up Tommy Tiernan and the skit he does on Mass. Priceless, though not for younger ears. As you can probably gather, I'm in Ireland, Dublin to be exact about the matter. I arrived a few days ago, and I've been getting settled in, seeing the sights and all that jazz. I'm uploading photos as I type, so by the time you read this post I'm sure you'll be able to go online to my Facebook acount (my photos link) and see some of the photos I have up.

So far in Dublin, I've been absolutely at home with the world around me. We always say that Newfoundland is much like te Ireland of Canada, but now I can safely say that we're right about that, one hundred percent! I feel more at home here than I did when travelling most of Canada and the U.S.A. over the years. The music, the people, and even the food all ring true of back home in Newfoundland. For those of you tuning in from the West Coast, you have to come over. There are live sessions and kitchen parties here almost every night of the week tat rival anything we have ever organized at home. Aldonna and Sean, have you ever been to O'Shea's or O'Donoghue's? Both great spots in their own rights. The former has Irish set dancing on Tuesday nights, though I haven't seen that yet, and the latter has some of the best freeform music sessions and traditional Irish pub 'feel' I've come across so far. I'll be writing about my experiences at O'Donoghue's actually and when I get my photos uploaded, I'll be able to show you all what the sessions were like. Ah, the wonders of youtube.

Here are some passages from my personal journal for your reading pleasure. Be warned, to step inside the mind of an Oram is to tangle with possible insanity, laughter, music, theatre, and adventure all joined into one congealed mess of consciousness. So, with the disclaimed out of the way, do enjoy:

"I stand, or sit as it is at the moment, in Dublin Ireland. It is currently day two in the lovely island of Ireland, and I feel healthy and wise, but not so wealthy any more as my budget is decreasing rather quickly. Ha ha ha. Oh, how quickly money does disappear when having adventures. I went for a run before 7AM this morning, not bad for a guy who normally wouldn't stir out of bed before he had to back in the school days not much over 1 year ago. That is one thing I have noticed changing for the better is that of my physiological constitution, minus some gastrointestinal issues I am currently dealing with. Firstly, let me say that a great business idea has come to mind in my travels. Why not go with the new dieting trend and combine it with travelling? Send people off on a tightly budgeted trip, make them walk everywhere, and watch the pounds just slip away. As lean as I was, I've already lost another 7 or 8 pounds (10 currently), and I'm not 1 month into the trip. I'm as lean as I've ever been and if I can keep up with a little strength work twice a week, I will be going after the body Brad Pitt had in the movie Fight Club. A-Booyah! Secondly, my sleep habits are changing as I mentioned before. I find myself awake at close to dawn, especially if the window is open. But here's the real kickers: A) I don't have to use an alarm clock, and B) I have no loss of energy! Fancy that, eh? I can now see the benefit of the forager and hunter-gatherer lifestyles I studied briefly in my Anthropology course. Walking all day from place to place, eating only what you have to, and sleeping only what the body needs does wonders! Unfortunately, I'm still trying to refine my diet enough with the gastro-intestinal issues I mentioned earlier. Some tests have been done and back, so apparently there's nothing wrong in the stool, a great sign, but there may be something going on. I'll be getting checking out again if this keeps up or gets much worse. (Went there today actually, and we'll see how it goes, otherwise, I be coming home for some treatment briefly before setting off again. Nothing can stop me now.) It could be the change in climates, foods, or even stress-related (I haven't felt this relaxed in years though, ha ha ha.) No worries though, as I believe I'm narrowing down the food issues. No heavy creams based sauces, high fatty foods, or anything rich! And as for the gas, whew! I think I killed a pigeon the other day. I walked past, farted, and the little critter ruffled up his feather, teetered a little on his feet, and promptly flew away into a wall to drop unceremoniously into a pile at my fell. Okay, so that didn't actually happen, but it could! :P"

"I did meet a rather interesting individual yesterday, Mr. Patrick Slaney. He's a fellow Newfoundlander from down in the Southern coast area, if I'm not mistaken. Unusually her does not have a Newfoundland accent at all, but I will ask that question of him later. (I asked, and it turns out he moved to the mainland for University and has been away ever since for over 23 years. That would explain it.) He approached me due to the Canada running shirt I had on at the time when I was leaving the public library in Dublin. If I had been just a little bit slower or faster I would not have met him or had the chance to talk to him. he's an entertained on a cruise ship actually, (as well as a practicing psychologist, but I found that out later) and has been for a long time from the way he speaks of it. Piano is his tool, though I have yet to hear him play. Maybe I will try to sneak that in somewhere today. In short, I'll have more to say about Dublin after today as Patrick offered to show me around the city, as he has been here many times before. I should point out that this gentleman is probably old enough to be my father. ha ha ha h a, yes Dad, this is my way of calling you an old man. Deal with it! Ugh, I still have half an hour before I head into the Library, time to see if my hand is up to the task of even more writing."

"I performed a good deed already today. Rachael, as I found out he name when we parted ways, was having trouble with her rather large bag this morning due to the stairs. So, I offered to help, and promptly carried her bag down over the steps. For someone of her slight build I was not surprised to see she had trouble with the bag. it was heavier than mine even! Sheesh. But before I parted ways with her, I did find out she's from Toronto, and her and her group are headed for Galway for a day or two and then back home to Canada. As a side note, and a rather unfortunate one at that, I failed to acquire her contact information. Foolish Neal, gotta remember, always get the pretty girls' digits. Maybe the next one eh? I've got a long way left to go on this journey, and with any luck, a lot more people to meet. Ciao baby, for now anyways."

"Note, buying fruit from stand vendors around O'Connell street is an adventure you should not have. I believe the food, while of great prices, are of questionable quality. Perhaps they are seconds from other stores. I'll be sticking to the shops from now on."

Whew, well there you have it, one journal entry down. I may enter another today, as I wrote about my experience at O'Donoghue's and another pub. Strangely enough, there's been no cover charged in any of the pubs and bars I've seen and been to around Ireland. Maybe we should take a page out of their books for George Street, eh?

Later days everyone, until next time,

Neal