I’m horribly transparent…

hello again.

As I’m sure you know, I’m back from Ireland. It was splendid.

I stayed in Dublin the whole weekend which is probably my only regret. I do wish I could have seen the Irish countryside and the supposedly rich irish rural culture. woah, that was a lot of adjectives.

But other than that, the trip was exhilirating. and exhausting. I went to go see my friend John Gowland and he really showed me a great time. He hadn’t had a chance since moving there to see a lot of what Dublin has to offer so we got to experience it together which was nice.

I saw the Book of Kells, the oldest existing handwritten Bible, written by monks in something like the 7th century. Very cool. Very ornate and apparently incredibly difficult.

We visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Actually, my first church to visit since coming to England, surprisingly enough. It was refreshing and absolutely stunning. Pictures can be found to the left.

We made a stop by the Guinness Brewery but didn’t get to see much because we came to late in the day.

SPEAKING of Guinness, that was probably the rest of my trip. The average Dubliner really knows the definition of nightlife. The party at most pubs started right after dinner and didn’t even begin to clear out until 5:30 in the morning. Each night we saw the sun come up as we made our way home and then John and his irish roommates proceeded to make irish breakfast before we went to sleep. This routine continued for four days and was quite obviously taxing.

When I got back, I had the EXTREME pleasure of seeing Simon Russell Beale in The Life of Galileo at the Royal National Theatre. The production in general was intellectually stimulating but lacked any real chutzpah (classic Brechtian piece). But like I said, Simon was excellent as Galileo.

Later that week I went out some friends and saw Alan Cumming (X-Men: nightcrawler) in Bent. It was shocking to say the least… the play basically beat the ideas of homosexuals in the holocaust over your head for two and a half hours. Alan Cumming was very enjoyable to watch though, needless to say.

I’m still thoroughly enjoying my time in London. I’m meeting so many people of different cultures (polish, brazilian, irish, etc.) London truly is the world’s melting pot of culture and ideas. But things are definitely settling down around here. I’m starting to really sense that I’m living here and reacting as such.

London’s still expensive, expansive, and confusing BUT I’m actually able to tell foreigners how to get places. “Oh yeah, take Oxford street then a left on…” I’m VERY confident, even when I’m not EXACTLY sure. haha.

People in the flat are getting sick… one by one, so I’m eating as healthy as maniacally possible. Lots of spinach (since the English know NOT to get it from the states) and oj and fruits and veggie stir frys and such. I’m determined to not get this hacking cough. determined.

I wish everyone well. I hope you all are having an exciting fall and are staying healthy and happy. I miss the whole lot of you and still offer my bed to any and all who would like to visit. haha. but seriously, c’mon.

cheers.

—m

oh and get this, this thursday, I see Patrick Stewart at Prospero in The Tempest by the Royal Shakespeare Company. yeah, I’m going to pee myself.