Last nite at 2:39 in the AM i found myself sitting at Eddie Rockets(like Johnny's but irish) sitting next to Kieran who was next to Conner who was across from colin who was next to patrick who was next to Kieran.

I thought i'd pass this on.

The significant other while abroad issue--

Or, why can't people just be normal??

So, i've already mentioned how my dear housemate, Chris, seems to have a one track mind when it comes to Alan, her 29 yr old fiancee--even though now she's apparently dating her soccer coach who's like 27? I don't know--gets her outta the house which i think is FANTASTIC.

I don't think i've mentioned my favorite Jersey Boy who's asked me out a few times and who, even though when he's drunk sounds like a bad boys to men song(baby baby this--sugar sugar--that--I know i know HELP but it can be endearing really) I've grown a bit fond of. Well, so we've been in galway for a good two months now and hung out a bunch often just the two of us and i don't know maybe it's harder to say than u'd think--after all GIRLFRIEND is a whole TWO syllable word! It was so bad--i didn't even find out from him, but this guy George--a crazy dane. Anyway, when i told him that it might have been mmm more convenient had he told me earlier he got this look on his face, that i suppose was half disappointment of me knowing and have just guilty dawgness. I'm still aghast! He tells me he thinks i'm really cool--and i stop him and am like, I know. I am. (haha well it IS true but yeah it might have been the 2 am talking) and he walked me back to my room as if still the two syllables weren't hanging all scratchy in the air but yeah--he can cheat on his girlfriend if that's what he wants to do...but not with me.

And, that was that.

Really, though can't people just get their DIRTY LAUNDRY(brett, this is a perfect example of how to use the word:) ) together before messing with your clean whites? Hmm..weird analogy.

I'm off to go for a run.

YEAH HHHH RIGHT.

"You know, i was really let down by the guards at Buckingham palace--they wear blue instead of red and they're behind these big gates so you can't even harass them!"--Bre

Yes, indeed it was quite the let down. And so I'm going to say that London was cool...but as I was there for not even a whole day i don't really know. Our flight was thurs nite and so we got in at 8 or so, got to the hostel by 9 and then all the pubs close at 11 and the tube stops running at 12. But, that was fine--we got some fine food at the chicken cottage(think Browns' chicken but SO SO SO much more sketchy) and then My friend Pat from Tufts met up with me and the rest of my interstudy pals and that was great. He's studying in LOndon and i just loved seeing someone i knew and who knew me and my friends at home*some anyways* . Apparently we were staying in the ghetto section of London but so it goes.

Random Note: I swear to god--my apartment-mate here, Chris, is the most annoying, aggrivating, ahhhhh girl i have ever met. seriously, you ask her whether she has wash in the dryer and she will just keep talking without stop for like a good half hour. OR, you try to talk to her about the democratic primaries and you end up hearing about how she refused to sign a petition for her school radio station because it would cost her more money or--who knows? She has a 29 yr old bf and so help me if i couldn't pick him out of 8882482489237 million people just by what she's already told me about him. She talks so loud too that i can be listenign to headphones on a bus three seats ahead of her and still hear how she bought a gym pass and its already paid for itself etc. Everyone in the group pretty much feels the same way--even the people we met for this 2 day tour. The best part was how she took a bump on the fligt and just assumed we'd lug her luggage all around london for her without even asking us. I cannot WAIT to live with friends next yr YAY! YAY YAY!

Back to er reality:) So then on Friday morning a bunch of us went to Buckingham palace as you may have already guessed and eh it was cool but not as impressive as I thought it would be. Then we met up with the other interstudy kids like 35 from various cities around europe and saw Stonehendge(play mysterious music now) They were some big honkin rocks, believe you me.

And the people there give u(er u pay them to give u) walkie talkies that just talk to u and basically they're like
"We don't know for sure...BUT WE THINK STONEHENGE IS"
"There are alot of uncertainties..BUT THIS MIGHT BE TRUE"
adn they have lots of chimes playing and people with silly voices.

IT's amazing what humans can do though, makes you wonder how the world ever became what it is today--like how this dimension worked out vs another? If the Romans conquored Ireland instead of England...woudl Ireland be the power England was?

Then we got to bath that night, had a wine and cheese party and then most of the kids went out but i just wasn't feelin it. I don't know when i learned this but it's so true--never do something you don't want to do because you probably won't have a good time and will just be mad at yourself later. So, i went to the chill out room of the hostel(yes its really called that and there are signs) and met these australians and germans who at one point opend the window adn pulled out a big black trashbag. In it were various kinds of beer they's left 'chilllin'(oh its a pun!) outside so they;d be cold. I had some newcastle with them, took a shower, and end of the day.

Sat--went to Tinturn abbey(yeah gen. survey of mod. brit lit w/julia genster) and it was just gorgous..tucked away snugly in a valley surronded by mountains adn trees. Apparently monks lived there from the 7th century on. We had a tourguide dreessed like a monk who did not understand the meaning of the world cold which was a shame because it was FREEZING. Then, we went to the Chepstowe castle which was built in 1086 and there's a gate there on display from that time and yeah more english history which i dont know caus i'm a dumb american...but i took lotsa perty pictures which i'm gonna try to put up sometime soon...

Okay this is a long one, you're prob bored...but one more thing--the roman baths in bath are ever so cool...adn still hot! I kinda wonder what it would be like if you were a security guard there at night--if maybe u ever go a skinny dippin haha. Oh those romans.

Um, yes so i'm off to a foam party at 3 in the afternoon because it's RAG WEEK here and as my prof said last week, 2 YOu guys have been working hard so it's okay if u don't want to come to class next. Go have some fun, we won't be doing much."

Can this place really be for real?

There's a pajama party at 2 pm on Thurs:)

Hola Chiquitas and Chiquitos,

Sorry for the delay, but I finally had a small paper to do that has been taking up um, like an hour of my time. Actually, to procrastinate i've been looking up pictures of Topher Grace...guess somethings never change. As for Cork--Haha rachel--were there any Bars there! What a question. Yes, there were--but they were not the best part. Making out with the Blarney Stone Was! Supposed to give the gift of gab(a gift i fear I received at birth--apparently i was quite the cryer) as well as eloquence( a gift I fear i've been deprived of since birth) In order to kiss this cold hard slab, however, you need to climb to the top of the castle which is quite a few stories, then lie down sticking your head into the part of the ground that's open(ie u could fall all the way down to the ground below), your feet facing away from the stone wall. Then this fellow supports your back as you crane your neck back, almost like you're doing a human bridge and you almost kiss the wrong stone like 5 times and he keeps grunting NOT TAT WAY, EH. NOT TAT ONE, EH. then EHH--TAT ONE. #

And you're done.

But the area around Blarney was just so beautiful--this gorgeous nature preserve with these trees that were just perfect for climbing. Max! Max! You would have loved them--i totally thought of you. They were all gnarled with the limbs extending and curling all around the tree--kinda looked like the trees from Lord of the Rings.

I think after London*which i'm leaving for in like mmm 5 minutes haha* i'm gonna try to figure out this posting pictures business and u can all see for yourselves.

But, oh fine--ooooone bar story. It's valentines day and the bar we're at is all themed and yeah kinda sticky sweety throw up eee, but anyways i'm sitting with four of my gals here and all of a sudden this stumbling irishman approaches and his eyes are glistening with awe as he starts to talk to Aimee.
D.I.G(drunk irish guy)"You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen! Are you spanish?"
Aimee does NOT look spanish.
A:No, I'm American.
D.I.G But, where would you be from Spain.
A: Uh...Madrid?
D.I.G A fine city, a fine city.

then he tried to dance with here..but before he could raise her from her seat he fell into the wall. really, it was tragic. He lost his spanish rose for ever.


"No, I'm American"

Oh also, we met like 35 french guys all studying international business who, as per usual, speak varying amounts of bad englsih. But, i have to say that i am improving in my french. Last week, this guy Chris who was staying with a friend's roomate taught me some uh bad words and i him(yes even though i'm 21 it's STILL fun to learn naughty words in other languages!) and I told one of the french guys what it was and he nearly spit up his beer(it's Oncuelay for those of u who know french) but so he felt the need to teach me a word i could actually repeat in polite conversation...Verr(glass)

Ok hasta pasta! gots to go go go
~alissa

"You should ask to trade it in and buy a saddle"--Tess as we pass the town saddle shop.

What, you ask, should i trade in? Only the 10 euro voucher I won for getting second place at the open mic night last nite(out of 14 acts!!!) Ever so exciting. After a week of not having a voice due to sickness, then getting encouragement from these irish girls who, after hearing me singing/goofing around at dinner on sat where we all sang a verse of the blues while Marc and his italian roommate fabio played the guitar, told me I should go on American Idol--i managed to get up the guts to sing at the open mic night i'd been frequenting every wed for the past month. It's a really friendly atmosphere though its always incredibly hot caus its so crowded. I look at it as a non-alcoholic solution to the Irish infatuation with pubs. Because, it's at a pub but it's really easy to go and have a great time and not drink at all.

But, anyways so I got up on stage in front of these Irish/American/?? People i'd never met and just sang. Black Coffee by Ella Fitzgerald(my song de jour) and Paper Moon also by Ms F. And--they liked it. They liked it alot. People were shushing other people so they could hear me better. After I stopped--like the audience just exploded. I've never been so...shocked...and grateful. SO--to all you musical people who never cast me in you shows--HA. HA HA HA. :) Am i petty? Oh yes. But am I on top of this irish world? You betcha.

I'm off to Cork this weekend and am excited to see more of Ireland. I'll let you know what it's like when I return, posting in this here blog--which a dear friend(his name rhymes with JETT) has recently renamed "Alissa's Sketchy Bar Stories"

Now where's that annoying smiley signifying sticking your tongue out at someone when you need it?

ALEEYYYSAAA--how my new italian friends pronounce my name. Yes, you'd think I'd make, oh i don't know, IRISH friends but no--just italians and others who barely speak english. Two friends*tess and dierda* and I were at pub last thurs and we got bumped into Fred(erico) and Franc(esco) --we gave them american names because we couldn't pronounce theirs and they think its ever so clever. But, so they're staying/working at a hostel in town--and are just hilarious. Fred can speak decent english but Franc..oh lordy..They're so nice though. We stopped by their hostel Sunday before a movie and they're all let us make you coffee, tea etc..we ended up seeing the movie and then i called franc to see where they were and I swear this was the conversation:

Me: Hey--it's alissa. Are you out having a drink?
Franc: whaaa? Yes we're ehhh in ehh a ehh Pub-called ze ze King's head. In ze center.
Me: Okay, maybe we'll stop by
France? Wha??? Yes Yes stop by. OKAY. See you later, bye.
Me: Okay see you soon.
Franc: chow!

Maybe it's not as funny to read it as opposed to hearing it but i was in stiches. I ran into them last nite accidentally and oh they make me happy. I like running into people I know here. It's rare and fabulous.

More stories..but i'm off to a science lecture..gross.

P.s Presenatation went well! Kinga(teacher lady) stopped me after class and was all impressed like.

YAYYY i figured out how to adda comment spot--so u all won't feel like you're breaking into my uh "secret journal space" haha. But do post so i know i'm writing to some one..out there in internet land..

Oh i feel so hip.

Anyways--as for the real er update--i took a tour around rural ireland on sunday and it was---gross and rainy and gray--but wonderful. I've been wanting to see the counrtry/countryside since i got hereand finall was able to do it--even if i was sneezing and coughing like a mad woman. Our tour guide's name was DES and he was quite the irish character...he was old and shiny white curly hair and kept making dirty irish jokes!! But anywho the sites--we went to the Cliffs of Mohr which were incredible truly--these massive rocks rising up from the earth stretching west until they reach the ocean and then at the ocean crashing against the waves creating white foam. Luckily when we where there the gray sky broke and there was blue sky and sun. I'm going to take a few more photos but then try to upload them so u guys can see---incredible--the definition of AWEsome.

We also saw some old castles and went to this cave(the ailwee cave to be exact) that used to house brown bears back in the day(ie 1500 yrs ago) and then we went to this small irish town for lunch. I'm hoping to go to cork next weekend...but would have to go with my super annoying flatmate--but it would be completely planned and there'd be other people there...so it's a toss up. Heads or tails?

Heads Carolina Tails California somewhere greener somewherewarmer...

Yeah got carried away there whew. OH! Went to another writer Society meeting and there were two guys there and the three of us all just talked poetry for two hours...the guy in charge, henry is SO SO good...oooooo i love it...sigh/swoon.

Well i have a presentatin on monday i gots to do--proving whether ghosts are "real magic" or a "literary hoax".

POW!

Oh hurray for people posting responses(YAY LEIGH!)--makes me feel less alone in this vast irish sea:) Umm..as for whether it is as vital as it seems--it can be. the fact that people aren't constantly bogged down with work seems to make them all the more perky....i'm trying to find a way to have people post more uh legitatemately...cannot spell for the life of me what else is new...and on that note THANK YOU JOHN! for all your help with that...i'll try more soon and tell you all about my sinus infection yeah! er the fun tour i took to rural ireland on sunday:) off to..
THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE. hoo-ray.