Well after many weeks of waiting I have finally made it to Atlanta. The flight from Heathrow wasn't as bad as I expected. Although when we landed the gate we were meant to go to was taken by another plane. We couldn't drive around to another gate because there was building going on and planes do not reverse so we had to wait for somebody to come and turn us around which added about 40 minutes to the journey. The airport is terrible. You have to go through security to get out of it which adds another 20 minutes or so to your trip. We landed in Atlanta at around 7.30 and I left the airport at 9.30. Not a good first impression.
But things got better from there. The apartment is really nice. Plenty of room in it. I went to IKEA on Wednesday and bought a bed, a desk, a chest of drawers and a chair for $600 which was pretty decent. If it wasn't for Rob I would never have been able to put the bed together.The location is pretty good too. We are within a 5 minute walk of almost anything we need.
We went out last night to a karaoke bar called famous. Its a bit of a blur from when we got there but I somehow managed to make it home alive with my wallet and driver's license, which was nice.
Starting work on Monday which I am looking forward to. Hopefully by then I will be adjusted to the time difference. I keep waking up too early. Not this morning though. Slept til the afternoon, all the way through my hangover.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Roadtrip Up North
Made a decision last Tuesday to go on a weekend Roadtrip up North. Trying to do as much as I possibly can before I move to Atlanta. Originally it was myself, Brave and Fernnt with the possibility of Will coming up on the Sat. Fernnt got called up to play a football match on Sat and Will decided it wasn't worth his while so it was just myself and Brave.
We drove to Belfast on Friday morning. Took about 2.5 hours. Found our hostel without stopping for directions like only men can. Went for a lunch and set off on a wander around the city. Got fairly bored after an hour of wandering so we went to TK Maxx for some dress-up. Found some gems and came away with a pink/purple rain coat for £15. Popped into HMV on the off-chance they would have the Shameless Box Set for less than the €91 I had found it for elsewhere. I was in and out withing 2 minutes one box set better off. I found it reduced from £90 down to £40 making the whole trip worthwhile. 51 hours of TV gold for €45. You cannot go wrong at that price.
We went to the bar at around 4.30 for a few pints because we couldn't think of anything else to do. After some mild flirting with some old geezer women we went to the off-license to get some more drink before heading out. Few tins and a half bottle of Jager. Back to the hostel common area to drink, where we met Chandra. He is a Sri-lankan man who has been living in the hostel for 4 months while his visa clears so he can work in Belfast. Back home he drives a boat on the beach for tourists but couldn't quite come to terms with the Viking bus/boat tour in Dublin. His English was almost as bad as his dancing. He said he was a great dancer and showed off some of his moves. Very similar to the Little Indian dancer on Youtube and came across like one of the bewildered hopefuls of Britains Got Talent. I felt bad for him and invited him to join us on our roadtrip to the Giants Causeway. A decision I regretted when I remembered it the next morning.
We got a taxi to a club and were told to sober up by the taxi man. We got separated after a while when Brave decided to go to another club without telling me. So I was left dancing on my own, doing the same dance move regardless of what song came on. I was drunk enough that I didn't give a flying fuck what style of eejit I looked like. We woke up the following morning to the drum beat of Chandra knocking on our door. He nearly knocked the blessed thing down he was so eager to get in. We told him we would call to his room in an hour when we were ready to go. I half wanted to bring him along for the comedy factor (bad decisions make better stories after all) but Brave was 100% against. Which in the long run was probably a much better idea.
We had an "Irish" Breakfast, not quite what you would get down here but it was grand. We set off, Chandra-less (sadly enough) and made our way to the Giants Causeway. No sign posts for it sadly enough but Google maps had given me the motorway route. So when we ended up on a windy coast road I was almost positive we were going the wrong way, but I didn't mind as it was easily the best road I have ever driven on, not that I have driven on many. Around every corned there is something amazing to look at. The scenery was incredible. I would love to drive it with a more powerful car and with no other cars on the road. Just a great driving road. The lovely scenery and wonderfully engineered road were sidelined for a few minutes when we made an unscheduled pit stop to gaze in wonder as Brave threw up over a wall at a garage. I have never seen a mna in such agony as he threw up. It truly was a sight to behold. We eventually made it to the Carrick-a-rede rope bridge, our first stop.
Parked the car and paid our £4 entry. It was a lovely 1km walk to the bridge. Lovely scenery again. As you can see from the pictures here. Got to the rope bridge which was disappointingly short. Walked across it only to hear an American woman describe the experience like this "That bridge is good craic" It made me shudder a little and then vomit a lot.
We walked back and made our way to the Giants Causeway. It was pretty cool but mainly quite boring. Another thing to check of the list I suppose. £6 for parking though which I thought was a bit on the extreme side. But there was no entry after that so not all bad. After that we went to the Bushmills Distillery. After the night before neither of us were really up for the drink at the end, nor were we really up for the tour so we were glad to hear that the 2 people in front of us got the last two tickets. We were offered a free drink at the bar. In the hope of getting a cool whiskey glass out of it we went to the bar. We got a terribly boring glass and nearly got sick at both the smell and taste of whiskey. So we left to get dinner. The Hip Chip in Bushmills does the best Cod & Chips I have ever had. I would nearly drive all the way back up again for it. The hostel in Bushmills was full and the wench behind the counter wouldnt even let us come into the building to ask her about other places or anything at all. So we decided to drive south in the hope of getting a place a little closer to home.
We ended up in Derry and drove around for about half an hour looking for a hostel to stay in. We found ourselves in Free Derry which looked quite scary and in our efforts to escape we found a hostel. £12 a night and pretty close to some bars and stuff. It was perfect. We went for a nap and then popped down for a few pints. Had one pint an realised it just wasn't happening. Came back to the hostel and watched 2 movies.
Next morning we walked around Derry for an hour where the only activity came from churches or the alcoholics on the footpaths. There was nothing open and nothing to see. We got to see everything on the walking tours brochure and got bored and left after about 45 minutes. We made it home in 2.5 hours and just in time for the All-Ireland. A good road trip all in all. Would have been nicer if we had another body to add a bit of flair to the dynamic.
We drove to Belfast on Friday morning. Took about 2.5 hours. Found our hostel without stopping for directions like only men can. Went for a lunch and set off on a wander around the city. Got fairly bored after an hour of wandering so we went to TK Maxx for some dress-up. Found some gems and came away with a pink/purple rain coat for £15. Popped into HMV on the off-chance they would have the Shameless Box Set for less than the €91 I had found it for elsewhere. I was in and out withing 2 minutes one box set better off. I found it reduced from £90 down to £40 making the whole trip worthwhile. 51 hours of TV gold for €45. You cannot go wrong at that price.
We went to the bar at around 4.30 for a few pints because we couldn't think of anything else to do. After some mild flirting with some old geezer women we went to the off-license to get some more drink before heading out. Few tins and a half bottle of Jager. Back to the hostel common area to drink, where we met Chandra. He is a Sri-lankan man who has been living in the hostel for 4 months while his visa clears so he can work in Belfast. Back home he drives a boat on the beach for tourists but couldn't quite come to terms with the Viking bus/boat tour in Dublin. His English was almost as bad as his dancing. He said he was a great dancer and showed off some of his moves. Very similar to the Little Indian dancer on Youtube and came across like one of the bewildered hopefuls of Britains Got Talent. I felt bad for him and invited him to join us on our roadtrip to the Giants Causeway. A decision I regretted when I remembered it the next morning.
We got a taxi to a club and were told to sober up by the taxi man. We got separated after a while when Brave decided to go to another club without telling me. So I was left dancing on my own, doing the same dance move regardless of what song came on. I was drunk enough that I didn't give a flying fuck what style of eejit I looked like. We woke up the following morning to the drum beat of Chandra knocking on our door. He nearly knocked the blessed thing down he was so eager to get in. We told him we would call to his room in an hour when we were ready to go. I half wanted to bring him along for the comedy factor (bad decisions make better stories after all) but Brave was 100% against. Which in the long run was probably a much better idea.
We had an "Irish" Breakfast, not quite what you would get down here but it was grand. We set off, Chandra-less (sadly enough) and made our way to the Giants Causeway. No sign posts for it sadly enough but Google maps had given me the motorway route. So when we ended up on a windy coast road I was almost positive we were going the wrong way, but I didn't mind as it was easily the best road I have ever driven on, not that I have driven on many. Around every corned there is something amazing to look at. The scenery was incredible. I would love to drive it with a more powerful car and with no other cars on the road. Just a great driving road. The lovely scenery and wonderfully engineered road were sidelined for a few minutes when we made an unscheduled pit stop to gaze in wonder as Brave threw up over a wall at a garage. I have never seen a mna in such agony as he threw up. It truly was a sight to behold. We eventually made it to the Carrick-a-rede rope bridge, our first stop.
Parked the car and paid our £4 entry. It was a lovely 1km walk to the bridge. Lovely scenery again. As you can see from the pictures here. Got to the rope bridge which was disappointingly short. Walked across it only to hear an American woman describe the experience like this "That bridge is good craic" It made me shudder a little and then vomit a lot.
We walked back and made our way to the Giants Causeway. It was pretty cool but mainly quite boring. Another thing to check of the list I suppose. £6 for parking though which I thought was a bit on the extreme side. But there was no entry after that so not all bad. After that we went to the Bushmills Distillery. After the night before neither of us were really up for the drink at the end, nor were we really up for the tour so we were glad to hear that the 2 people in front of us got the last two tickets. We were offered a free drink at the bar. In the hope of getting a cool whiskey glass out of it we went to the bar. We got a terribly boring glass and nearly got sick at both the smell and taste of whiskey. So we left to get dinner. The Hip Chip in Bushmills does the best Cod & Chips I have ever had. I would nearly drive all the way back up again for it. The hostel in Bushmills was full and the wench behind the counter wouldnt even let us come into the building to ask her about other places or anything at all. So we decided to drive south in the hope of getting a place a little closer to home.
We ended up in Derry and drove around for about half an hour looking for a hostel to stay in. We found ourselves in Free Derry which looked quite scary and in our efforts to escape we found a hostel. £12 a night and pretty close to some bars and stuff. It was perfect. We went for a nap and then popped down for a few pints. Had one pint an realised it just wasn't happening. Came back to the hostel and watched 2 movies.
Next morning we walked around Derry for an hour where the only activity came from churches or the alcoholics on the footpaths. There was nothing open and nothing to see. We got to see everything on the walking tours brochure and got bored and left after about 45 minutes. We made it home in 2.5 hours and just in time for the All-Ireland. A good road trip all in all. Would have been nicer if we had another body to add a bit of flair to the dynamic.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Jameson Distillery
For people who are lucky enough to have bought a bottle of Midleton Very Rare Whiskey you will know that with each bottle you get 2 invitations to the Jameson Distillery in Smithfield. My aunt Pauline, has bought 3 such bottles and had some spare freebies.
Willy is the only one who seems to enjoy whiskey so he came along. I got to sign the book in the Gift Shop which says that I have owned one of these rare bottles of whiskey. They are made only once every year and are hand-selected by some master brewer or something along those lines.
The tour itself was fairly rubbish. The girl (Blaithín) was full of desperate jokes which made reference to the Irish and drinking. It takes 7 years to become a Cooper (can't remember what that is) but only 5 years to become a doctor, you can that Ireland has its priorities mixed up. Laugh a minute with Blaithín so it was.
Will volunteered for the taste test and is now qualified as a whiskey taster. As Blaithín pointed out, Ireland is the only place where you can get a"professional" qualification in whiskey drinking.
The highlight of the tour was when Willy started messing with an old fire alarm which he learned still worked fine. Overall it was a good trip and we came away with a diploma in drinking, a few sups of whiskey and a glass, all for free. Can't really go wrong at that price.
Willy is the only one who seems to enjoy whiskey so he came along. I got to sign the book in the Gift Shop which says that I have owned one of these rare bottles of whiskey. They are made only once every year and are hand-selected by some master brewer or something along those lines.
The tour itself was fairly rubbish. The girl (Blaithín) was full of desperate jokes which made reference to the Irish and drinking. It takes 7 years to become a Cooper (can't remember what that is) but only 5 years to become a doctor, you can that Ireland has its priorities mixed up. Laugh a minute with Blaithín so it was.
Will volunteered for the taste test and is now qualified as a whiskey taster. As Blaithín pointed out, Ireland is the only place where you can get a"professional" qualification in whiskey drinking.
The highlight of the tour was when Willy started messing with an old fire alarm which he learned still worked fine. Overall it was a good trip and we came away with a diploma in drinking, a few sups of whiskey and a glass, all for free. Can't really go wrong at that price.
Monday, September 7, 2009
All-Ireland Hurling Final 2009
I was lucky enough to be one of the 82,106 people who attended the All-Ireland Final yesterday. My dad managed to swindle a ticket for himself but was away so he couldn't go, leaving me next in line.
I had a great seat. 5 rows back from the field on the 21 yard line in the Hogan Stand. I had a great view of all the action. Tipperary and Kilkenny put on a mighty display of hurling in a game that was decided on a snap and controversial decision which lead to a penalty.
I took my camera along as company and got some pretty decent photos. None of the game though, as I was too busy watching it.
The Liam McCarthy Cup
The Presidential Wave.
I had a great seat. 5 rows back from the field on the 21 yard line in the Hogan Stand. I had a great view of all the action. Tipperary and Kilkenny put on a mighty display of hurling in a game that was decided on a snap and controversial decision which lead to a penalty.
I took my camera along as company and got some pretty decent photos. None of the game though, as I was too busy watching it.
The Liam McCarthy Cup
The Presidential Wave. 
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The Beast
They say its as big as four cats and its got a retractable leg so it can leap up at ye better and do you know what Ted, it lights up at night and eh its got four ears two of them are for listening and the other two are kind of backup ears and its claws are as big as cups and for some reason its got a tremendous fear of stamps. Mrs Doyle was telling me its got magnets on its tail so if ur made out of metal it can attatch itself to you and instead of a mouth its got four arses. And some of his ears are inside his head. And when he yawns it sounds like Liam Nesson chasing a load of hens around inside a barrel and he doesnt have any eyebrows at all, except on Saturdays.
A weekend trip?
Here is one way that I can try and pass one of the many weekends I will spend in America.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
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