Leaving On A Jet Plane

Well I'm leaving Dublin tomorrow at 12:35pm. As you know I am ready to come home. The last day of every trip is the hardest for me. I hate waiting to go home I would rather just leave work get on a plane and go. When it's time to go it's time to go. I will write a final blog on my trip once I get home. Hope all is well wherever you are!

Company "Picnics"

This was forwarded on to me from one of the people on my team because of our upcoming company picnic. Not as a make sure you don't do anything stupid, but simply because he found it interesting. I have been trying to decide whether or not I will participate in this "fun" activity that my company provides. This year it's at a water/amusement park perfect for families (I'm not a family so I'm not quite sold yet). I'm not one to go to many work activities especially when they are done on what I consider my time. Usually one of my friends will talk me into going and I'm forced to make small talk for a few hours and say later "Oh yea, it was a great time". This article makes me lean towards the no end of the RSVP. I have to wonder how much these activities really help employee moral. Personally I'd prefer a $25-$50 gift certificate to a local mall as a pick me up instead. Less hassle and in the end I'll have a new pair of shoes to take home instead of a horror story about how my bikini top fell down at the bottom of the waterslide.

Man Die's After Three Straight Days of Gaming

I enjoy my fair share of PS2 and I willingly admit I have spent up to 16 hours in one day playing a new game, but wow three days. I guess this is a new addiction maybe they will start taxing games like they do alcohol and cigarettes. It will be interesting to see if this fuels a debate about how harmful gaming can be to a child, or adult in this situation.

Blog Changes

I was successful with my goal of changing the colors on my site! Let me know what you think :-). I think in the future I will probably switch up the text colors...then again maybe not...we will see. Nothing exciting to tell today I have had better mornings I got to work and promptly spilled extremely hot tea on my hand. I was pretty sure I was going to cry, but was strong and held it in. I have been fixed now with some really good burn goo and I am feeling much better now.

I Have Been Consumed By Boredom

I am so bored I spent the last five minutes contemplating whether or not I have ever been this bored over an extended period of time in my entire 25 years of life. I'm beginning to have my doubts that it has ever happened. I have surfed the web, played around with my blog template (I finally found all the spots so I can change the colors this will hopefully be changed tomorrow). I'm so completely bored that I believe my brain has shut down and is no longer functioning. It's amazing that I am at work training people and I truly have absolutely nothing to do. I have checked my email 100 times, checked my bank account online, paid some bills, went on a smoke break, ate some toffee yogurt with chocolate hoops, read my horoscopes, read everything of interest on msnbc, checked the weather at home, checked the weather in Dublin, checked airline rates to Chicago, read random blogs, read blogs for people I know, read some info on CSS, went to space.com, ate a Kit Kat, had a cup of tea, checked airline frequent flyer miles, went on a smoke break, ate some mediocre pasta for dinner, smoke break, looked on SLAM for something to do this weekend, emailed my mom, did some work, checked my email again, smoke break, bothered everyone who was online for IM at work, sent some work emails, wrote this blog, and I think that is all I have done today. I'm sure you felt my pain as you read this excruciating boring blog!

Cheerleaders need group cheer to enhance short term memory

Ok so it's great these young women were able to catch someone for a misdemeanor charge, but seriously they created a cheer to remember a license plate number. Were they illiterate-could they not do what any other American would do and write it down? Instead we are putting these young women on national television to praise them because a whole team of cheerleaders were able to remember one license plate number. Sorry I found this article quite funny. Nothing like rewarding mediocracy.

Just finished reading...

I just finished reading Brave New World by Aldous Huxley it was a good book about a utopian society that relies on social conditioning, drugs, and sex to keep everyone happy and in their born caste. The people in this story do not know pain, success, or love. Everyone "has" everyone else and the society doesn't allow independence or solidarity.

Overall I enjoyed the book it was a good look into creating a society where everything seems perfect, but the citizens lack the very emotions and life altering challenges that we hold dear. I found it disappointing that the author put so much emphasis on sex. Without emotion or relationships psychologically I can't agree with the idea that meaningless sex would be an important factor for success in this created society. It just seemed unnecessary-maybe I just found it disturbing that it was taken so lightly...tough call.

The drug that the citizens took when they felt sad, angry, happy, disappointed, or any other emotion was called soma. It reminded me of anti-depressants and our nations current overuse of these drugs for children, young people, and adults. Could we have a society in 100 years that never feels anything because anti-depressants have become a over the counter escape for everyone instead of a medicine for those who are truly suffering from depression?

The book did what I believe the author was hoping for. It made me consider what a perfect world would look like to me, and the repercussions of eliminating some of the more difficult parts of our lives. I guess I've come to the conclusion that I don't think I would choose a life without struggle and heartache because without it you would never appreciate what you have.

Weekend Update

This weekend was good, but I didn't get as much done and seen as I would have liked. I went out with some co-workers on Friday and saw a couple clubs in Downtown Dublin. I'm hoping to make it to the temple bar area before I leave, but I'm not sure if I will make it. I did do some shopping and wandering around there and it was pretty cool. There are a lot of restaurants and pubs in that area.

Saturday was spent shopping I, of course, bought a new pair of shoes and mostly a lot of gifts. It was a long day of shopping and walking. Sorry everyone the gifts aren't that grand this trip I'm a little shopped out and didn't find anything super great anyway.

Sunday was a bit of a disappointment. I intended to do a half-day trip to Powerscourt Gardens, but after getting ready I realized I had lost my credit card. I don't think the check-out girl at the last shop I went to ever gave it back to me, so by the time I found a number to cancel my card and got to the train it was another half-hour wait to get into Dublin. This wasn't enough time to make it to the bus so I spent my morning trying to find another tour and was out of luck.

I decided since I couldn't go on the day trip to go on the Sea Safari. It was about an hours ride on a speed boat in the Irish Sea. It was a good time saw a few seals and took lot's of pictures. I hope they turn out because the boat was pretty bumpy. I enjoyed it, but I was also hoping for a little bit more maybe to get out and walk around. Mostly I just wandered around Malahide for the day I wasn't really feeling like fighting the crowds in Dublin. As much as I would have liked to see a little more while I was here I think I did ok considering it was only two weeks and I am supposed to be here working after all. It was a bit of a long day though and I'm definitely ready to come home now. I'm tired, I miss my bed, I miss cooking my own food, and mostly I miss my dogs and my friends. So if you got a call from me Friday after a long night of drinking that is why. I think I called almost everyone in my address book. I'm sure my Blackberry bill isn't going to be pretty this trip...what can I say I've been homesick and a bit lonely since I got here. I swear everyone here is a couple and that doesn't ever make it any easier to walk down the beach by yourself, but I have prevailed and I'll be home in a few days!

A little update on my boys!

The dogs have been hangin' with grandma since I left. My golden is extremely homesick, but doing all right considering he is without his mom and his yard. They have had quite the country experience with the llamas and horses that live adjacent to my mother.

Message from the caregivers: "Gimli decided last night, there was no way Chance was sleeping with his blanket again, so he gets on it early, not realizing that then leaves his bed open for Chance to get it, he gets so perplexed carries his blanket over to the bed, this morning I get up they are both half on half off the bed, and a corner has been chewed!"