Random Tuesday Thoughts- This couch has a Rachael sized dent in it by now.

Its cold, really cold. Lucky me it just so happens to be one of the coldest winters, if not the coldest in Irish history. I mean, don't get me wrong- I know it gets a lot colder in other places, but MAN its cold. In Celsius it has been minus 15 and today it didn't get above minus 4. So in real temperatures its in the 20s and high teens. The thing is here in Ireland they aren't used to these temperatures. The houses aren't really insulated enough for them. Our new place has large rooms and only one radiator in each. So mainly the house stays fairly cold. We have barricaded ourselves in the living room/Kitchen and I have been stuck on the sofa like a barnacle on a ship.

James has been going through a lot of TV viewing phases. He hasn't had much or any work to do on his co-op and school isn't until the end of January. First over the summer it was Frasier, no complaints there. Then I got him hooked on Dog the Bounty Hunter. (Don't judge, its just trashy enough to enjoy and not irritate. and besides I LOVE watching this show with my grandma- she just cannot get over the size of Beths Tits.)


And they don't even look that large in that picture. I mean, whoa. She must not be able to sleep on her back. But I have to say I love Beth- she is just so....Beth. I get a kick out of her.

Anyways so we were on a Dog kick- I was pretty happy about that. Well it seems while I was at work James has been cheating on Dog with the Documentary channels. He discovered the crime network (it shows all those investigative reports that they show on cable in the states) and has since then been obsessed. I'm ok with watching these, but the problem is in the wee hours of the morning when I am trying to sleep I hear EVERY LITTLE NOISE. Every bump and creak and car alarm going off is a crazed killer who will burst into our bedroom any second to kill us and chop our bodies into little pieces, bury them in the backyard and build a patio over top of the shallow graves.

Paranoid much?

anyways so I haven't been sleeping so well as of late.

So you know that job I have? I HATE IT. but its a job and it pays the bills. but I hate it. and I hate so many people knowing who I am and I have no clue who they are. There aren't that many americans here in Limerick (Dublin is a completely different story) and so for many people I am the only american they see or interact with and it sticks in their minds. I hear back from friends about people they meet who know me as the American who works in the shop. Its kinda creepy. I've run into people on nights out on the town that come up to me and talk to me like they know me. It was really confusing at first, and still is unsettling to me most times. I just like to blend in- be a normal sized fish in a moderate sized pond ya know what i mean?

Important lesson learned this year- Go home for thanksgiving. It is a normal day here, no one mentions it. It sucked- I was so homesick for moms mashed potatoes and stuffing. Christmas is actually ok since its such a huge deal here. Its not really that different from back home. But no one here in Ireland even understands WHY we have Thanksgiving. They don't understand what a big deal it is or how important it is to americans. and you cant find canned pumpkin in this country if your life depended on it.

You need to check out this video.

Its by these two local Limerick guys called the rubberbandits. One of my good friends is a cousin to the skinny one called Blindboy. They started off doing prank phone calls years ago and then it moved to making music videos and doing local gigs. They are all about taking the piss out of Limerick and the Scumbags or Knackers that live here. They are playing as two scumbags and are talking with scumbag accents (yes these people DO sound like that and it is HILARIOUS. just try and not laugh when you hear them because they are liable to kick the shit out of you.)
Anyways every year in the UK and Ireland there is this huge competition for the number 1 song of the year, which usually the X-factor winner gets the spot. Last year Rage Against the Machine won. This year Ireland is trying to get this to the number one spot. It could happen, we all hope it happens. It would be great for Limerick. These guys have had more press in the past two weeks than the past 5 years that they have been kicking around Limerick.
And besides its pretty damn funny. and a little true.

I would also be really impressed if most people understand what they are saying. There is a lot of local slang and the accents are pretty thick. Irish accents are WAY different than the ones you hear on TV. Those only exist on TV.

I seem to be picking up some of the accent here. I promised myself this wouldn't happen- but despite all of my best efforts to say Y'all and other americanisms I am failing. I have a lot of people ask me where my accent is from and recently I have had a lot of genuine surprise from people that I am from the states. I have been asked if I am from south Africa, Australia, Canada and even Northern Ireland. Nope. I haven't even been to ANY of those places. Stupid accent.

I hope everyone has a great christmas. I'm excited for my first Irish christmas. I have a huge box under the tree with James name on it and it is driving him INSANE. I think that is one of my favorite part of christmas. The torture of what could be under that pretty paper. My sister can vouch for this- ive tortured her for years.


Oh yeah- and my mom sent me a christmas package. Full of american goodies- Mac and cheese and coffee creamer and peanut butter crackers. And peanut butter M&Ms. Ive already eaten half the bag and have a little bit of a sugar overdose. Good thing Christmas comes only once a year!