Ireland Day 45 - Serious Business

Today was so hectic and wacky! I am now relaxing and doing nothing while trying to will my headache to go away. I have no medicine so I'm just not moving.

I'm probably going to go to bed within the next hour, what a fabulous Saturday evening. Rest is necessary though, I guess.

My 365 today is a boring webcam shot. I have a few ideas rolling around in my head but I just don't have the energy to get up and move around and take a photo. (refer to the headache here)

Lazy.

This morning didn't start off so well. I had very restless sleep last night, I woke up about once every hour. Then I woke up at 7:45. I was supposed to wake up at 7:00. Apparently I didn't set my alarm last night. This really messed up my routine because suddenly I couldn't take a shower. I have to turn on the hot press half an hour before I can use the shower (if I want hot water) and there was just not time anymore. I was kind of bouncing back and forth between my bedroom and the bathroom trying to get my sorts back. Not a great start to the day. It was very windy outside and the Salthill bus was on the 33 route again. I don't like that bus! There are rows of seats that face one another and it is kind of awkward.

I went to Penneys and bought some new shirts. My wardrobe options are making me insane. I need just a few more options. I got to the studio at 9:30 and when I opened the door the phone was ringing. NO TIME. Ten minutes later the phone rang again. ??? And then the 10am shoot appointment showed up at 9:50. I have never had so much happen before opening before. I was so frazzled from waking up late too.

Originally there were three shoots scheduled for today but only two showed up. There was no down time though, oh no. The studio was a hoppin', happenin' place today. Everyone wanted to be in there and they all wanted to be in there at the same time. *scream* Feast or famine. The shoots had me nervous, I was pumping myself up before both of them. They were the regular sort of family shoots that included small children! My time to really give my all and take some great photos. I feel that they both went well. I edited through them today and had a chance to review my work. It's good to take note of what I can do better next time and what went well. I'm excited to do the viewings tomorrow (both people wanted to come in tomorrow to see them asap) and see their reactions!

It was really non-stop and was a stark comparison to the majority of the quiet, slower days that I have had. Even when there are multiple things (shoots/viewings/passports) happening in one day it has never been madness like this before! Even the AC couldn't cool me down.

I've been hoping to see Steve soon to get some help with permanently fixing the blinds in my room. I also want to ask him if his sister would like to come into the studio for some family photos. Brad is encouraging me to practice when things are slow and I know that she has a small son. Usually he's home  at this point in the weekend, so I am baffled. I just reminded myself that I need to ask Miriam if we can go to immigration on Monday so I can get my passport re-stamped. I will do that tomorrow morning, I don't know what she does in the evenings and I don't want to bother her!

Tomorrow I get to sleep in. Marvelous. I was going to play some WoW tonight but Andrew is sending me a large file and it's taking up computer power and I'm sure bandwidth, so perhaps I'll skip it. I should start preparing to leave for Paris. I could use a small suitcase. I need one anyway for my return trip home. Maybe I'll do that on Monday too, there's a luggage store in Eyre Square Center. Just my luck!

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8:44 am: walking: I have my sights set on today improving because so far lots of things have gone wrong.

9:46 am: photo one: three shoots today. Oh man.

12:54 pm: riordan's: the weather prediction was actually right! simultaneous rain and sun.

1:13 pm: riordan's: a gay pride parade just passed through the Latin Quarter!

4:21 pm: photo one: today is the insane day I've been waiting for amongst all the very slow days.

5:33 pm: photo one: I want to go see Inception again.

-MJ

Ireland day 2, Eyre Square!

This morning I woke up at 5:30 and I couldn't fall back asleep. Not sure what was up with that. I got to bed at 11pm, I guess I was just rested? I hopped online to pass the time and hoped Jake would be on. Lucky for me he was :3 We were able to chat until he went to bed, which was nice, then I got ready for the day. I was hungry so I mosied over to Miriam's house to find food, but I'm not familiar with the kitchen and I felt uncomfortable rifling through her cabinets (even though I'm allowed to), so I just grabbed an apple. FYI, apples here are tiny, as are oranges and bananas. Not sure what the deal is with that, unless we do something crazy to ours in the States and that's why they're so huge? Either way, tiny apples!

Our house in Knocknacarra.

At 8 Maisa woke up and by 9 we were back over at Miriam's place. I had cereal there and then the two of us went into town via the number 33 bus! The ride was enjoyable and strange. The roads here are pretty narrow, so sometimes the bus pulls over to allow oncoming traffic to pass. I was very entertained by all of the low walls made of stones and the huge fields of cows. Once we got to Eyre Square we went to the indoor shopping center. Maisa and I both have internships that take place there. We found the location for Photo One studios and I waited there until Brad showed up. Time is a strange thing in Ireland, no one is expected to keep it! A lot of the stores were supposed to open up at 10, Brad's included, but they were closed until around 10:10 or 10:15. I guess that's common.

So! Met Brad, he's a super nice guy, and he gave me a phone to use while I'm here. I met Catherine, a woman that covers the store while he's shooting on location, and I hung around while Brad did a family photo shoot. I chatted with Catherine and had a muffin and a very watery hot chocolate. All in all, a good time! I went to a Vodafone store and added €20 to my phone, then wandered over to Maisa's store. Apparently here when you "top off" your pay as you go phone and you add at least €20, you can get either unlimited phone and text to your carrier, or unlimited texts to all carriers, both for 30 days. I didn't realize this, and the guy that helped me didn't tell me. Maisa and her manager sent me back to the store to get the unlimited text to all carriers option put on. Apparently even if I'm out of minutes I can still text! Pretty fancy :D I had some Subway after that. The guy working there was Polish. It was difficult to order because some of the menu options are different D: They have some wacky Doritos flavors there, and cool ranch is just "cool original".

Neat alley way across from Holland's.

I went to leave for the bus and Maisa said if I wanted to hang around for an hour we could catch it together. I decided to opt for that and so I walked around the Square and took pictures. At 2 I went to the bus stop and found my spot. The bus came, Maisa wasn't there, and then it left. I thought maybe she was running late so I texted her and told her I was still waiting. She responded saying she went to a different stop because she missed the Eyre Square one and thought I was already on the bus D: D: So I waited another half an hour for the next one. I was joined in my seat by an old man who didn't understand the phrase "you're in my space".

Here's where things got stupid (but then better again): I've never had to rely on public transportation before and whenever I'm on a bus I always have someone with me that knows what they're doing and will lead the way. SO, with that in mind, I didn't realize that I had to alert the bus driver to let me off at my stop. I assumed those "stop" buttons were for when people wanted to get off at stops that weren't normally on the drivers route? I don't know. Either way, my stop came and went and I was still on the bus! I sat stupid for a while, the old man leaning on me, before I decided I'd just get off the next time the driver stopped. There wasn't a "stop" button within reach of me and even though the seats around us had cleared this man insisted on being extra close. So on we went, turning left, right and then right again. Finally a woman got up and the bus slowed, I stood up and this man just turned his knees to the right. I was thinking, "Really?!" I practically fell on him trying to get to the aisle. I had probably a mile walk back to my stop and I had my fingers crossed that I had remembered the route well enough! Fortunately I did, because I'm back here now :D

I have some more notes from today:

9:48 am: Eyre Square Center: Met a Polish guy named Lucas; he works at a Subway.

10:07 am: Eyre Square Center: Time is a strange thing here. Shops that should be open aren't. I'm waiting for Brad to show up. I guess it's customary to be late. (That's what I've read, anyway)

12:55 pm: Eyre Square Center: Just bought Subway. They don't have yellow mustard. They have corn though! Also, no ice. P.S. no cheddar triangles, just shredded.

1:46 pm: Eyre Square: I bought a tiny Caramello bar from a corner store called Holland's. Seriously, it's so small.

2:12 pm: Eyre Square bus stop: Waiting for Maisa and the bus home. I spent €55 on a 30 day bus pass, €20 on adding money to my phone and ~€5 on lunch. I have maybe €8 in my purse. *sigh*

2:24 pm: Eyre Square bus stop: Bus stop still. Apparently, "Are you long here?", means "Have you been here long?", not "Will you be here long?"

2:49 pm: On the bus. T.K. Maxx! ???

2:55 pm: On the bus. Starlight by Muse is on the bus radio. Do they play this in the States? I never listen. I feel funny.

3:11 pm: There's a guy on the bus that looks like Danny.

Saw this on my walk home.

3:16 pm: Missed my stop. I apparently don't know how buses work. I'm about a mile away from home. Time to walk.

€1900?!?! They mean business!

3:36 pm: I found a penny! And I managed to find my way back!

It shall hence forth be my lucky penny.

I don't know what a coach is. A huge bus? Who knows.

Clearly I've had an epic day, and it's only 5pm!

-MJ

***EDIT***

I went out with Maisa and Catherine tonight. We did some warm up drinking and then hit a bunch of bars in Galway near Eyre Square. We met so many interesting and fun people and saw a good portion of downtown. The night ended with us making some new friends and eating curry fries, garlic cheese fries, and a fried mars bar. We have plans to watch the World Cup final with them on Sunday! Hurrah for new friends :)

And now, my final updates:

11:39 pm: The Front Door (pub): "Oh no, put on your glasses" .... "You would look good in suspenders"

12:00 am: The Dail Bar: It's 80s night here! Everyone knows the words to "I need a hero"

12:05 am: The Dail Bar: "Do you really have real live cowboys in Texas" and then she swooned when the answer was yes.

12:12 am: The Dail Bar: Maisa can flirt so good even a girl will buy us drinks.

12:40 am: Coyote: The bathroom here has deodorant that you can pay to apply.

12:56 am: Cuba: This bar has video game screen entertainment. Currently? Mario Kart SNES.

1:00 am: Cuba: Someone just asked me if I'd dance with their friend. I said no thank you.

1:17 am: Cuba: Finally danced.

1:34 am: Club K: "How much does a polar bear weigh" "I don't know" "I'm just breaking the ice, my name is Tony"

2:40 am: A Chips Place: Just parted ways with some really nice people. We made new friends! We have plans to watch the World Cup at a pub on Sunday! We're in a cab now.

2:45 am: Cab Driver: "You've got the best approach I've ever seen. Now let's see if your departure is half as good" <- in reference to men not leaving you alone in a club.

-Miranda