"Once I Pick Up My Parts I Broke On You..."

Well, I try not to inundate this place with posts that most people will never read. But ultimately, this being for my own sanity and really to have a place to think (this almost makes me think of Dumbledore's pensive except that I'm not quite that brill), it's alright. I should be in bed. I really do need the sleep, but at the moment...well really any time it's just not possible.

But now, now I'm watching as a friend goes through some of the same things I have over the past few years and I am trying my best to help. Sometimes it feels so futile though. And I would never wish this particular situation upon such a kind person. They don't deserve it. But you can't help who you care about most in life. You can't force yourself to like someone, just as much as you could force yourself to no longer care for someone. It just doesn't work. Resisting such an emotion is quite a futile process, and one that leads us to hurt ourselves more than anything else. The thing in such a situation is, that no matter what happens you feel as if you've come out the loser. Either you keep your mouth shut, continue with life as normal and dwell on maybes and might have beens. Or you say something, open yourself up and have everything fall apart. Possibly even to the point that things can never be repaired again. When this happens, more than just our friendships get broken. Part of ourselves breaks too. And if we can't repair this, the cracks will keep getting bigger. We can continue to patch them, but it's like mixing too much water in the mortar. It will never set, never dry. Leaving us right back where we began over and over again.

These shoddy repairs that aren't truly working, help us to hold together what is left of the parts we broke. If just barely. The thing is though, that we can't hold them all on our own for very long. But this is one of those times that we lie to ourselves in the vain hope that we will eventually believe the lies are true. But this kind of repair work, it leaves us unable to ever be truly whole again without a lot of hard work from more than just ourselves. The problem with this is that outsiders to your damage can never see its true extent. They can never quite understand what that one little thing is to fix to make the parts whole again. To make us function as normal, emotional, human beings again. To feel something other than broken again. To think about something other than those who broke us. It takes time and there are so few people in the world with that kind of patience. Perhaps only saints.

When we are first hit, when those first cracks in our foundation are made, it seems like there will never be anything beyond. And time, it knows no mercy. It either creeps along at a glacial pace, or rushes on like a torrential river. Both ways are equally destructive, leaving in its wake an aftermath that we can only hope one day to be able to restore once more. At this moment in time I would say that I doubt that you can ever revert something back to the state it was prior. But this is not without trying. Even just some small margin of healing can be a huge leap when there no longer seems anywhere to go. Even stepping half way out of the circle of darkness that surrounds us can be a major achievement. This is something that other people cannot understand, just what this seemingly small step will mean to you.

Time will heal you, but it will be painful, it will cause you tears, and it will make you want to give up. Don't. But once again, never underestimate the incredible power of your friends. Let them be your refuge, your glue. Even if what they are offering isn't perfect, give them a chance. You'll never know until you do.

Peace,

Elina

Once more another picture from Fanad Point in County Donegal.

Remember that no matter how bad the storm seems, there's always going to be a light somewhere in the darkness. Walk towards it. Your tired feet will reach it eventually.

Is The Pain Worth The Price?

Alright, so I've just driven 200+ miles and am back on the beach once again. 3 days later. I should be going to bed, but there's just so much going on that I can't sleep. Well, I don't think that cup of exam-week-worthy-strong coffee at dinner helps much either. This particular drive home didn't seem to take as long though due to running my mouth on the cellie (thanks to that cup of coffee). It's amazing how easy it is to lose touch with people who are really great to have in your life. At the same time though, it's also easy to lose touch with those people in your life you really need losing ("I've lost the friends I've needed losing / Found others on the way..."). Talking to friends from an old circle can really remind you of this. [Lots of] Shared history can either be a blessing and a curse. The things you learn about someone over time can be pretty revealing and downright disappointing. The wonderful illusions of what (or who) you thought you knew are swept away to reveal something that we don't necessarily want to know.

In some cases this is just downright sad. If you've known someone long enough you can have an idea of their true potential. The places they could go in life. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Sometimes all you can do is watch your friend walk themselves off that cliff and be there to pick them back up again. But what happens when you're tired of picking them back up? What if your tired of the I'm sorries and screw ups? What if you're not there the next time your friend walks off the cliff? Do you think they'll realize only then, when it's already too late, what they've lost? They say love has no limits. So they say....

But when taken for granted, that work that it takes to keep our friendships going can be utterly exhausting. It can wear an individual down till they simply can't take anymore. You can only help someone so much until it's time for them to finally help themselves. But this is nearly impossible when their behavior is more than simply self destructive. When your friend's behavior is harmful to others...what do you do? What can you do? How can you wake up your friend from the lie they live to see the bitter reality they have caused?! Violence is never the answer. But when it gets to this point...this is the point that we wish life could be like TV and the movies. This is the point that we want to seize our friends by the shoulders, shake them, yell at them, and slap them till they get the point. Because eventually enough is enough! Eventually you are not going to be able to bear the stress that these apathetic fools cause in our lives. The pressure on our mental faculties and other relationships can be increased too easily. Especially so when everyone is interconnected and has history. It's all so complex. So delicate. So fragile.

Is it this fragile, already strained bond that we are holding on to by not confronting our friend with the vicious truth? And how do you go about doing that when that person is so clearly in need of some form of help? Support. We all need support in situations like this. These are the times that we must never forget we have other friends. There is always someone and you are never alone. And you cannot possibly keep all this stress, and these secrets, and suspicions inside without eventually driving yourself absolutely mad. When it gets to this point, all these things, they're no longer deemed as that vile word of "gossip". It's a safety valve. We all need to have a "person" to who we can just let the words, and stress, and truth we have been avoiding, ceaselessly flow until we can speak no more. Never take for granted the power that healthy friendships hold. Never take for granted the people who are there no matter what. Not the ones who come and go as they please. But the ones who are really, truly, there. Don't be like that friend who's walking off the cliff. Don't let it get to the point that you don't have someone there to pick you back up again. That's no way to live your life. Blind. A lie. A fight. No matter what you want to call it, whatever the driver behind that poison is, don't ever let it get that bad.

Our true friends are the antidote, the recovery, in our lives. So always offer a friend in need a hand, and sometimes offer them what will hurt. Medicine has bad reactions. It has bad tastes. And sometimes it can cause the side affect of pain. Sometimes, you as a good friend, have to be that medicine. Because eventually you're going to get tired of getting hurt by the sickness of your friend's poor choices. Sometimes they can't be saved. Sometimes there's nothing we can do but walk away for the pure sake of saving ourselves. It hurts. But you won't realize this is precisely what you need until you yourself have had the chance to heal and reflect.

There are choices to be made. What will yours be?

As always,

Peace,

Elina

This image is a storm rolling in at Fanad Point in Donegal, Ireland. The ocean can be a great friend through her gifts, but she can use her power to take just as fast.

Remember: You're in College Now

Coming back from classes for the day, I get off the elevator and what do I see but a sign posted on our little galley kitchen window proclaiming, "The kitchen is now closed until further notice." No, there's nothing wrong with the kitchen. They're not doing renovations. It's in response to the inability of a handful of our hall residence's inability to clean up after themselves like the adults they're supposed to be. Lots of people on our hall cook their own meals as opposed to having meal plans. The problem is that some of these folks don't seem to know how to wipe up their grease from the stove, clean out the sink, clean the counter off, or even do their dishes in a timely manner. I understand if you are just eating your dinner (I mean, who wants to eat cold food cuz you were washing dishes?), but to leave your disgusting dishes with food in them on the counter and in the sink for a day or more is just unsanitary and stinky. Not only that, it's disrespectful to your fellow residents and the housekeeper. Initially it was simply a verbal request to keep the kitchen clean, next a Community Government sign was posted reminding folks it's a shared. This was followed by a sign in red letters with an arrow pointing down at the counter (someone left icky dishes there for 4 days!) saying that our housekeeper deserved better than that. Finally today our kitchen is closed. Not like there isn't another kitchen downstairs, it's just horribly inconvenient.

So these few people have caused something that is a very great nuisance to the rest of the people living on the hall. Their inability to act like adults and clean up after themselves has consequences, and it's not right to those of us who always take the time to clean up. People, your mother is not going to magically appear to do your dishes and clean the kitchen! This is part of going away to college. Responsibility. It's time you all learned some. Sure, it's that time of year that we're all busy. But we all have to live here, so let's be fair.

Speaking of exams, everyone here is in mega freakout mode. They remind us of exams at every turn. I went to a lovely "Holiday Concert" (because you know we have to be totally PC here) last night sponsored by the General Alumni Association and they reminded us about exams there before we got up to sing the alma matter. For this reason I'll be hitting the road to make the long journey back to the island for a few days to study where it's a little more relaxed. Woohoo.

But boy do I look forward to the end of the semester. I get home and two days later turn around and head up to Washington D.C. for a few days. Should be fun with the city all decorated for the holidays! But for now I'm off to get more studying done in the coziness of my dorm room. It happens to be hovering somewhere around 27° at the current moment. Ick! I should have gone farther south for school. Climate change sucks!

10 DAYS!!!

Peace,

Elina

Enjoy the photo from the countryside of a currently very frozen Ireland.

The First Day of The Last Month of The First Decade of The 21st Century

So, it's the first day of the last month of the first decade of the twenty-first century. Okay, so technically it's now an hour into the 2nd day, but we're not working on technicalities here. There's still 30 days left in this year, and boy has it been a year! But we'll come to that when the next 30 days are over. Okay? Okay.

But it's nearly the end of another quantifiable amount of time that's passed...a semester. My first semester at a legit university. I know right?! And while I'm not a freshman, I'm kind of on the same level as them on learning how to navigate the university life and system. So, this being I've decided to type up a few things I've learned so far in my first semester. I'm sure this list will be added to in the next few weeks.

1. Always be prepared. Whether this means having the cord for your laptop, packing extra pencils and paper, or keeping a...toothbrush (yeah, let's go with that) in your purse, is up to you.
2. It is going to rain on a day you have to walk to class. Wellies and a rain coat are your friends. Oh, and be sure to get a rainproof cover for your backpack too. You don't want your books (or laptop!) getting soaked.
3. Do pack those extra pencils and paper. You never know that one day in class that your laptop won't work...and that will guaranteed be the day your prof gives out important details for the exam.
4. iPods are not optional
5. Get a bike. Unless you are going to school someplace that's one giant mountain, just do it.
6. Don't go barefoot in the bathroom. Seriously people. Just, eww.
7. You will not need that unlimited meal plan.
8. Avoid the unidentifiable meat in the dining hall. Seriously...put it down.
9. When in the dining hall do listen to the conversations of your fellow hungry students. You never know what you'll hear. Which leads to my next point....
10. Don't date on campus. No, I don't care if the individual is cute/hot/well groomed/sexy, no. Or if you can't help yourself avoid the boys from the dining hall at all costs. And really....if you must....be safe and know that they will talk about you (aka rate you) to all their friends and pretty much anyone who will listen. And seriously...go to campus health. No, don't walk there. Run. Get yourself...tested or something. I mean, what were you thinking dating on campus? Eww!
11. Everyone wears leggings when it's cold, and those running shorts that look like you're wearing a diaper well, all the time.
12. No one understands what it's like to be from the beach. Even the people who are from 7 hours down the coast. No, stop pretending like you get what it's like to be a beach kid at this university. Are you from the island? No? Then you don't get it.
13. There will always be someone staying in to do homework on the weekends.
14. You will pull all nighters
15. You will spend way too much time on Facebook
16. If you're illegally downloading music it will stop when you get to college or you will get pulled in front of a panel and put on academic probation (promise this wasn't a personal experience one!). Seriously people, they can watch what you're doing.
17. Do get to class on time
18. Utilize your university services. Writing centers and free tutoring are there for a reason y'all!
19. Go home for sometime other than a scheduled break if it's at all possible. This will save your sanity.
20. You know what? It's alright to be pissed to no end if you get sexiled. Even if it's with a forewarning.
21. Watch your spending! It's easy to rack up bills quickly.
22. Sign up for the free food listserv.
23. Guess what. The pretty people still get ahead. Yes, they did it in high school, and they still do it in college.
24. It's okay to not like your school and still stay there because its name means something in the world.
25. Check your email more than once a day. And I do mean your school email. Your 5 other accounts or Facebook do not count.
26. Get a refrigerator.
27. It's okay to stop and take pictures of the people playing Quidditch. Because you know what, even though Harry Potter is cool...y'all people running around with broomsticks stuck between your legs, are weird.
28. Back up your computer, back up your computer, back up your computer. Or better yet, set it to back up automatically. Because you know that 8 page paper you just wrote that's due in the morning, it's gone if your computer crashes. And it does happen. And the last one for now...
29. Get some sleep!

That being said I'm out for the night. More college lessons to come!

Peace,

Elina

In honor of all my friends who are seeing snow (please be sure to keep it!), here's a photo of Galgorm Castle in County Antrim.

The Last Day of November

Okay, so I figured this whole writing a blog in the daytime thing is probably a good trend that should continue. So the Christmas lights I've decorated my dorm with have fallen down. Not that it wasn't for trying to keep the up! Scotch tape just doesn't seem to be the answer...no matter how much of the roll you use. Anyone have suggestions to hang them that won't take the paint off the walls?

This being said, the Christmas/holiday spirit is in the air. There are wreaths hung on three of the hall doors (including mine). It makes me happy to see that some of the students make an effort to decorate our little spaces since the university, well pretty much legally, can't decorate. It's kind of sad. I think we should just go all out and decorate for everyone: the Christians, the Jews, the Pagans, Muslims, and everyone else in between. Then we can have the bell tower (yes, we have a legit bell tower) play carols and songs other than its normal repertoire. Not that I don't like the music it usually plays, but seriously you can only hear so much from The Sound of Music. The holidays are so much fun (aside from the cold weather. Seriously.)! There's lights about in town (since you know, the university can't decorate), shopping for other people...and yourself (I mean, who doesn't like shopping?!), hot coco/coffee, parties with family and friends, and just the general sense of goodwill of people towards each other.

Now, I know Christmas is this Christian holiday that's supposed to celebrate the birth of Jesus (c'mon we all know he was really born in July(ish) and this is just a big party to bring the pagans to The Church) but seriously people, some of you need to RELAX! (Yes, this is about to turn into a rant that may offend some folks. Get over it!) Those of you who capitalize the "Christ" part of the word "Christmas" or ridicule people (publicly no less!) for using the abbreviation of "Xmas" need to get a life. Or at least grab some eggnog (spiked or not is up to you) and breathe! I don't want to log into my various social networking sites and have religion shoved in my face! Yes, that is the premise of the season, but okay, we know where you stand on your views of it all. We don't have to see it every day, multiple times a day, every couple minutes. And yes, these people are my friends, but for serious! It drives me freaking nuts! Now, I'm not for being all PC and avoiding all references to specific holidays or their aspects, but still.

Phew! Now that we got that out of the way....

It's about to storm here, but thankfully it's not cold enough to snow...yet... But in a bright spot to the day my class this late afternoon was canceled!! Happy dance muchly!!! Perhaps despite the storm it's time to take a walk down the street (or maybe even a trip to the mall) to do some Christmas shopping (and find the student record label). Yes, I am broke being that I'm not trying to juggle school and a job, but I think it's still good to do a little something something for your faves in life. You know what I mean? I've two down, like...six or seven to go. It so difficult to choose, and then I always end up buying more stuff than I ever need! This being said, I've to make a bank run...no not to get out money to shop. Despite loving shopping I can manage to save a few dollars here and there!

Hope everyone out there is having a wonderful holiday season!

Peace,

Erin

Enjoy the picture of the Christmas Market in Belfast.

Daylight...What's That?

Okay, so I thought maybe I should perhaps write a post every now and then while it's still light outside! Well, it's almost still light outside being the time of year where the days are getting shorter and shorter. So perhaps it would be better to say, "Hey! Look at that. It's the 4pm hour instead of the 4am hour and I'm writing a blog. Wow." But anyhow...Thanksgiving break is now over and it was indeed quite lovely, albeit too short. I got to spend time with family and friends, sleep a lot, and got some studying in. Of course it wasn't nearly as much as was needed! I've found someone from near where I live who doesn't have a car here at school so we've been sharing rides. It's nice, but it also means I have to admit to my pack rat problem of brining along way too much stuff! Now my friend has asked for a ride back over winter break...I wasn't quite planing on that one! I want to say yes, yet at the same time it'd be nice to just worry about me for a change. It's a lot of work to get the car from the lot, get my stuff loaded, then go pick up someone else and load their stuff. It takes a fair bit of time! I'll figure it out all in due time though.

But not much time! There's a week and a half of classes left along with a little less than a week and a half of exams. It's about 18 days till the semester is over. I can't believe it! This time has flown by. It's getting rather cold outside well, most of the time. Hopefully there won't be snow because I totally forgot the two most important things at home...boots and a heavy coat! Though I did pick up some Christmas decorations so my dorm is looking quite festive at the moment. Hopefully the new roommate likes Christmas! Oh yes, that's right. One of the folks from down the hall will be moving in sometime this week. I think we're going to get along alright. Hopefully. I've kept the dorm in pretty much the same state as if I've had a roomie all this time (Not an easy thing to do let me tell you!) so it's all ready for an additional occupant. I guess I can be ready for a new roomie...

The one thing I'm not ready for is all the work I've left! I just feel like being lazy, decorating (even though it's all done now), cooking/baking, and reading a book I want to read or maybe watching some TV. The last thing I feel like doing is reading about the environment and globalization. Ugh!

But for now it's off to our last official community meeting of the semester and then to the bus (double ugh!) to go see if I left some missing items in my car. Hopefully they're there! See yous all laters!

Peace,

Elina

I know I've used this photo before, but here's a picture of Trinity College Dublin's famous library. You know, in representation that we have to essentially read that entire library before exams. ;)

These Times They Keep On Turning

So, it's that time of year again. The one where we've registered for next semester's classes, we can count how many days of one class we have left on our fingers or maybe even one hand. It's that time when you really do have to admit that you need that coat in the morning, and maybe the flip-flops really aren't the best idea. It's also the time when absolutely everything is due. Everything from those nagging little assignments you have to do every week to those massive end of semester projects you haven't looked at since the first class since, you know, they're due at the end of the semester. Being that it's fall semester it's very nearly time for Thanksgiving break. I'm so ready for a break by this point that it's extremely tempting to skip classes Monday and Tuesday and just have an entire week at home. Yeah, it's not happening, but it doesn't mean that I don't want to! It's not like it's time off either. There is homework due on 2 days of that break (thank you very much online foreign language class), I'm decorating for Christmas with my father, getting a haircut that doesn't cost $50+ (hello city prices!), cooking for our Thanksgiving gathering, studying for....well, all the regular studying, and maybe getting in a little time with my friends. There certainly never seems to be enough time anymore these days. And speaking of time, last night was my very first university all-nighter. Writing an 8 page term paper is not the way I like to spend my Thursday nights thank you very much. But as a consequence of sleeping for 9 hours in the middle of the day I am now "blessed" with having my days and nights reversed. Not like they weren't already close to that, but now it's more than usual.

But that minor fact aside, it truly is nearly the end of the semester. Including Thanksgiving break there are precisely 4 weeks left. Today marks the 3/4 point; and thank heavens for that. I'm not particularly looking forward to gaining a new roommate next semester, but I am looking forward to be a little farther finished with school. While I do hear from people out in the "real world" that they wish they could be back in college, I am getting tired. I've been taking college classes since 1/2 way through my Junior year of high school. Even though I'm technically right on track (or actually ahead of schedule by just a little) this constant schedule can wear you down. And while Christmas break is great, it's not all that long. My school gives just over 2 1/2 weeks. I'm envious of my friends who's exams finish the week before mine, or the ones who go back to school a week later. Do you think that's all part of being at a "top university"? Because honestly, it just flat out sucks.

There are some fun things about being in a city though. And that would be the music scene! I was fortunate enough to go see Matt Costa last week (who started out the show playing in the middle of the crowd), and The Weepies this week. Talk about a great show! It was a drive (and probably a huge factor in my all-nighter), but it was well worth it. The husband and wife duo were not only amazing in person, but we got a comedy act too! They would tell us the story accompanied with the song they were about to play (which was a lot of them), and typically it was hilarious although sometimes a little awkward. Subjects of transvestites on the corner and porn viruses on computers anyone? Hopefully they'll come back to town sometime while I'm still out here! Also this week was my final show for this tour of Celtic Thunder. I seriously considered adding a Christmas show that's just a few hours west of here, but it's just not in the budget. Oh well. More money for other (and more important) things.

Anyhow, I should get some sleep to attempt to get my days back.

Thanksgiving break in 3 days and 11 hours!

Peace,

Elina

I honestly have no idea where the photo is from other than someplace in Ireland.

Time Moves Like Sand Falling Through the Cracks

So the roomie has been gone for a couple weeks now and it's been fabulous. Let me tell you, I could get used to this whole living in my own room thing. But it's not time to go getting too comfortable now. I will be getting a new roommate next semester, and have already had someone ask to move in. We'll be having lunch sometime to figure out if we'll be a good fit for each other. We'll see.

Last weekend (technically two weekends ago now) was the 2010 World Butoku Sai (aka Winter Camp) at the Oceanfront. (Now's a good time to note that most everyone who went is now sick. Including me...again) It was cold, windy, sunny, amazing, beautiful, and immensely painful all at the same time. There was less water training than expected, and mostly less training in general than was expected. Still, it was good to get to see everyone again. A touch awkward in some cases, but hey that's life. It's amazing to look at the pictures from this camp compared to winter camp 5 years ago, 8 years ago. We're almost all in college now if not graduated. To quote Meredith Grey, "We're adults. When did that happen? And how do we make it stop?" The history you build with people, the friendships you form, it's amazing to look at that and think about how much time has passed. It's been over ten years now that I've trained. Nothing compared to so many of my fellow martial artists. We actually celebrated our 45th anniversary of the international branch of our organization. I'm merely a pup compared to my teachers. All of us are. Even though there are those of us who would like to think otherwise. I do believe these are the same folks who have some humility scheduled to be knocked back into them. And I do mean that quite literally! We're all scheduled for some life lessons. But I think we're getting to the ones that you're parents and teachers can't help you prevent. They can tell you what to do and what not to do till they're blue in the face, but there's lessons you learn only by experience and nothing else. Some of these are the lessons that really seem to suck. But whatever. All in due time.

Speaking of time, I can't believe the semester is almost over! There's just three full weeks of classes (not counting Thanksgiving break) before exams, then it's Christmas. Time has flown! But let me tell you, college, it's not all that fun. It's hard work, it's late nights, it's not going out on the weekends when you really want to. Sometimes it's okay though. The music scene around here is rather inviting after all. From the start of the semester I've seen Jack Johnson, Matt Hires with opener Wakey!Wakey!, Blitzen Trapper, Sarah Barilles with Greg Laswell and Holly Conlan, Passion Pit, and Matt Costa. This isn't counting the three Celtic Thunder shows (and the fourth in a few days). I also decided last minute to pick up a ticket to go see The Weepies in a neighboring city. Should be a good show!

But more than anything I'm looking forward to being back on the beach. Although I had my definition of "city" redefined for me in Chicago a few weeks ago, this place is still very different. It's a very high-paced, high-occupancy life. No one here has time for each other. You don't spend 5 minutes chatting about your day with the librarian, your professor maybe has a couple minutes to talk strictly about class matters. No one truly knows anyone. It's all about time is money and money is time. I swear I need 12 more hours in my day to get everything finished. Speaking of which, it's time to tell yous all goodnight. Here's to a pleasant tomorrow!

Peace,

Elina

The photo hosts some brilliant autumn colors from somewhere in County Derry.

The Only Time We Have Is Now, So It's Time to Say Goodbye

You know, everything changes in life. People grow up, we grow apart, we move away, we come closer together again. All of this can have profound effects on our lives. Whether it's the sudden and unexpected loss of someone, or a gradual parting that has reached its conclusion. People come and go out of our lives, and each and every one can have a profound impact on how we approach life. Sometimes this leaving is for the better, maybe sometimes it's not. And just maybe sometimes it's precisely what we need, even if we can't see it at that moment. This is the hardest such to admit. These are the partings that are healthy for us in the long run, but hurt immensely at their start. They're something we so desperately cling to as the damage done only tears us anew. But once we learn to let go...that moment...it's freeing. It's loosening the bonds and letting them fall away. Sure, the pain, the marks left behind, they'll take time to heal. You might not even be able to fix your wounds all yourself. But those other people...you have to let them help you. Otherwise you'll always have those wounds waiting, barely healed, to open again. Sure, they'll heal with time. But yes, you will be left with scars. And although they may fade, chances are, your experiences, they've changed you forever. Maybe you'll be different on the outside. Maybe no one will ever know.

They say time heals all wounds. It sure helps. But it can only heal if you are not alone. Do not fear to let those who reach out for you see your weaknesses. There are some journeys that are not meant to be walked alone. It's knowing which ones those are that is a true challenge. Just remember one thing. You may try to fool others, but do not try to fool yourself.

"One day I won't regret this / Oh, how I want to believe that's true / Once I pick up my parts I broke on you / It's not you, not you, goodbye" ~ Greg Laswell

As always,

Peace,

Elina

The photo is from somewhere in County Derry, Northern Ireland.

These Days Go On

Okay, so I posted an epically long amount of my unfinished reviews. I'm currently working on finishing the end of the one for Norfolk, and I've started one for this epic back-to-back show (and will post both here) weekend in Chicago. It was absolutely incredible and totally overwhelming. I got very little sleep, and am still recuperating from it all! Currently I'm waiting for some photos to load from my adventure in the city (why by the way, must Facebook change their photo uploader again? The last one was fine). I was quite proud of myself the last day there. I managed to get on the L (the Chicago train system), transfer to the metro, and get to the airport all on my own. Without getting lost! It was a near thing though. lol! It was quite a feat for someone from an area with absolutely zero public transit. But you'll get to hear all about this in my review. Which is on its way, I swear. And I don't mean like that QVC review either.

After a very bad Sunday night, a terrible Monday, and a hectic this morning, I did get some happy/sad news at dinner tonight. The sad news is someone in my learning community is moving out. Someone I really like, a nice person. The good news is that my roomie is moving down the hall!!! I don't know if I'll get a new roomie this semester or not, but I'd say I'll definitely get one next semester. Hopefully that person will be better than the one I have now! But in this moment, my photos are finished uploading so it is time for me to bid you adeu and get on the homework.

Oh, and look. Paul just tweeted about Michael Bublé mentioning the lads on an interview. Well done to my friend for letting us all know! Follow my friend's blog here.

NNGB everyone!

Peace,

Elina

Please enjoy the photo of Portstewart Strand in Derry, Northern Ireland. Figured I'd post a beach picture since both times I've had Keith at my M&Ms he's mentioned missing the beach somethin' terrible. As do I...

Fall Is In the Air...And So Is Tour Season!!

Alright, so it's October the 13th, not too bad for another blog entry. I don't want to inundate them like crazy. Truly right now I should be doing homework, but you know how that goes. Besides, it seems like I can never seem to write a post when it's light outside. Or at least on the right side of the daytime and not nearing its beginning!

The roommate thing has not yet worked out. At this point I'm doubting whether it's even going to happen at all. If I just up and leave the hall it feels like I'm giving in and give my roomie precisely when they want. Yet I've still another 8 or 9 weeks living here with all the negativity. Again, I don't see how someone can stand to be so working against the world all the time. Perhaps the part that really upsets my roommate is my nocturnal tendencies. Hey! It's not my fault if she goes to bed around midnight. It's her own fault that's ridiculously early. I promise you that nearly everyone else in the hall is still awake at 1am.

But midterms are rapidly approaching here people! We need to stay up late to study....that is...if we actually got any actual studying done. :)

But on a fabulous note, yesterday the Celtic Thunder Christmas album was released and it is phenomenal (did we really expect anything else?!)!! Also this weekend is my first show of the tour. I can't wait!! It's going to be the greatest of craic. Maybe not quite as much craic as Baltimore last year, but it'll be pretty close! Lunch with one of my besties, family, friends and other Thunderheads, a Meet & Greet (or Meet & Mingle as they're calling them this tour), then the actual show!! I've heard that it's one of the best yet. Come by the Hills entirely in Irish, Heartland's still the opener, Paul singing sway, and freaking RyanKelly jumping a bench. Are you kidding me?! I'm going to be dead by the end of the night! And I do plan on writing a review this time. A full one (yeah...I'll believe it when I see it too). The other night I was organizing some old files on my computer and happened across not one, but three (yes three!!) unfinished reviews from my various shows. So, upon request from some of my lovely Thunderhead friends, I will post them here to be read in chronological order. Enjoy!!

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So first up is Storm. I um...never actually made it to the actual show. Midterms hit, then the holidays (which really do equal tons of homework and no free time), then finals, then it just flew my mind to continue. So if you want show details...well, you can skip this and go read this blog here. Oh, and apologies for the extremely corny title. I think I wrote all this up at like 4am.

The Storm of Dreams

First I wish to begin with a disclaimer. It’s been over a month and a half since my trip to Toronto, and not having written anything down, I’m sure there is plenty I have forgotten or gotten wrong. Also apparently the need to write only strikes me late at night (i.e.2am) so my apologies for poor grammar, typos, and such.

Secondly, I do not think that my story (review) of Storm would be fully complete without including the insanity that was my journey to Toronto itself. You may choose to skip this portion if you wish, but it is there for those who would like to read that adventure (okay, disaster). :) Also, rather than write a review of each individual song, I am just going to write about the lads themselves and my view of their individual characters and rolls in the story. Some of you may know my story about the time before I found CT and all the wonderful Thunderheads, while some of you may not. My journey to Storm is the story of much more than just the show. It is a story that incorporates many aspects of my life, over much time. All this being said, please enjoy my adventure to Celtic Thunder: Storm.

It was about 2:30am this Summer when Sharon came into the pub to announce the filming of Storm. Immediately I volunteered to drive as many folks as I could carry who were on my way north. “Hmmm…” I thought to myself. “Perhaps it would be a good idea to ask my mom if I can go to Canada? Oh, and take her car. Oh yes, and it’s with people I’ve never met in person.” Expecting resistance, or an “I’ll think about it,” I prepared a rebuttal to present to my mom. However, the need to use it never arose. My mom even said that she supposed I would need to take her car. (I know!!!) To see me happy, I think this was part of the reason she let me go. It had been quite a while since she’d seen me that way. After many months of planning, chatting, more planning, and anticipation it was time to depart on a journey that I would have never considered a mere 6 months ago. If you would have looked at me in the beginning of May (just before I found CT) and said, “In 6 months you will get in the car, and drive to Canada with 2 people you have never met, to see 5 Irishmen sing.” I would have laughed in your face. Yep, that was me. But no more.

So, Tuesday Sept. 28^th finally arrives. The day I’ve been waiting for, the day I depart on the 1^st leg of my journey north. This was to be the solo part of my adventure. However, we all know the saying about best laid plans and all that correct? Well, I was to leave directly from class that morning, to MD. However, forgetting ones laptop is never an option so back home I headed. Thank goodness it was in the right direction at least! Sometimes though you’re meant to be right where you are. When I checked the mailbox, low and behold a surprise. My “Ryan’s Angels” shirt had shown up, and the mail was early. You have to understand, that never happens here. So, on the road a wee bit later than planed but all goes well and I reach my Grandmothers safe and sound, and manage to avoid rush hour in Waldorf. Phew! But Grandma being her generous self and all that, has lent her car to my cousin. Which means that the next day I have an extra 2 hours of driving to go get her car, visit my other grandmother, and go to Costco. Oh. My. God. The car is now stuffed and I don’t even have any passengers yet! So finally I get on the road to pick up Maureen from BWI. She’s the very first Thunderhead I was ever going to meet in person! Not being used to driving in the city, and hearing about traffic on the Beltway, I leave my Grandmothers by 2:30 in the afternoon as they told me 1 hour to get to the airport. Well, when I get to BWI 40 min later I’m over 3 hours early. But that was good because, while I didn’t get lost going to the airport, I got lost in the airport. *sigh* Only me.

Anyhow, yay! Maureen’s plane landed early and we got a jump start on hitting the road. Let me tell you, Maureen is an awesome navigator. When I asked for the bajillionth time, “What road number are we taking again?” “East or west?” she was very patient and a great help. Well, being that the north-east is quite old, and already developed way back when, you have to drive though lots of small towns. It’s nothing like driving across North Carolina where we (for the most part) have major highways that run to pretty much to any of our major thoroughfares. I’d driven in FL, VA, MD, all around and all the way across NC. But it’s nothing like driving up north. No wonder those folks are such bad drivers here on vacation, they’re insane!!! Sorry folks, you know I love you. Anyhow, I digress. We’d been driving for about oh, 3 ½ hours I say, so about 9:30pm, when the city of Harrisburg, PA glittered on our left. I’m not sure if this is where something went wrong, or if it was later down the line. However, after driving for nearly 2 hours we came to the realization that it had been 2 hours in the wrong direction. While we were on the right road (Remember asking a bajillion times? Yeah.), it was supposed to split someplace and never did. At least, no place that we saw. So 9:30 at night, Harrisburg. 12am? Harrisburg. Yep, we’d driven in one giant loop. Joy. At this point I’d been driving for 9 or 10 hours that day, and started to freak out. Maureen, at this point I must apologize to you. Thanks for staying calm and not freaking out with me, even if you silently were. I felt so bad you all have no idea. It would have been different if it was me alone. But here I am with someone I’ve just truly met for the 1^st time 6 hours before and I’ve just made a grand adventure the driving trip from hell. Gah! Well, they say if you want to really know what a person is like all you have to do is travel with them. Maureen now knows I don’t handle failure well. lol! So, back in Harrisburg we locate a hotel and crash for all of 2 hours. Sleep 1-3, up and on the road by 4am. What was supposed to be our 2 ½ hour drive the morning of October, 1^st is now 7 ½. At this point I’m still feeling very guilty about driving that giant loop. No, it never occurred to check the compass since my own car is too old to have one. Next time…GPS! Gosh, off track again. This telling is going to take forever! Sorry.

Anyhow, Thursday 4am, back on the road. Drive, gas, drive, drive, food, gas, drive, gas, drive, drive, BUFFALO!!! This is now nearly 10am and getting to Buffalo was not a problem, and the place we were meeting Mindy K was right off the highway. We were on time and all was good! Well, do you remember how I got lost in the airport but not on the way to the airport? Yeah, getting to Buffalo was not the issue. Getting around Buffalo, that was another story. Haha! So, drive, drive, turn, drive, illegal right hand turn, drive, search, drive, ah hah! The street we need. Wee problem. It’s one-way, the State Troopers home base is right there, oh and it’s a pedestrian only street. Joy. Turns out the place we were supposed to meet no longer existed. Go figure right? So Maureen and I meet up with Mindy at a U.S. Post Office, it’s learned that we are not mass murderers *chuckles* and all is right in the world again! Canada here we come! Maureen is once again my amazing navigator and we get to the border without a hitch. Did you realize that they don’t even stamp your passport when you go into Canada? Does it really even count as a foreign country when they don’t do that? Really? Really? But whatever. We drive, drive, be serenaded by Paul, drive, drive faster, drive, avoid crazy Canadian driver, drive, look another American car (!), drive, drive. At this point, we’ve switched to kms/hr not mph. Mom’s speedometer is only in mph so I’ve my handy cheat sheet copied off my own truck’s speedometer. The last thing I needed was a ticket, but why the highway speed limits up there are so dang slow is beyond my comprehension. The thing is, the directions Maureen is reading to me from are in mph (amen). All of a sudden we are passing a sign with city names and I hear from the back seat the exclamation of, “Toronto, 128 miles!!” All I could do was chuckle. That would be 128 kilometers to Toronto. Gotta love sleep deprivation eh? Drive, drive, cut off Canadian driver not once but twice, drive, cut off more crazy Canadian drivers (sorry, but it is even payback), drive, drive, HOTEL!!!

Yes! We (and the car) made it unscathed, unscratched, and happy. Perhaps a little tired, wrinkly, and in need of a shower but alive, well, and ready for the Thunderstorm that night! Being my considerate self I drop Maureen and Mindy off at the hotel doors and go to park. Wait? I can’t find a spot! Why not? Because they all have signs about paid parking only. What? *is very confuzzled at this point* After finding a spot and scribbling a napkin note for the dashboard so I don’t get a parking ticket (I didn’t), I drag my exhausted self inside. I get in the doors and…I don’t see Maureen and Mindy! *freak out a little* Thank goodness they actually shouted out to me or I may have never seen them. However, in my scan of the hotel lobby/bar for my travel companions I spotted a young woman who looked vaguely familiar. I brushed off my recognition as sleep deprivation and the fact that I couldn’t see straight to save my life anymore. But as I settled on the sofa to wait I couldn’t help but swear I knew (or at least recognized) the young lady and the two folks with her. My curious/pondering/confused expression, and the direction of my glances must have tipped of Maureen who said, “Yes, that is Rebecca Harkin.” Although shorter than I expected, it was indeed Rebecca and her parents. So at this point I’m thinking, “Coolios. The Harkins are here at our hotel. That’s pretty neato.” We can’t get into our room until 2pm and it’s about 12:30. So we sit, wait, play one the computer, wait some more, and sit. But in this time we also have the opportunity to people watch, which turns out to be quite fun. We spy Mr. & Mrs. McGinty in this time as well. I don’t know if it was exhaustion, incomprehension, or aliens abducting my brain, but it didn’t occur to me till someone said something that everyone, and I mean everyone, was staying in our hotel. Now, let me be very clear right now. We did not know that CT and all associated with them would be at that hotel. We booked there 2 days after the dates for Storm were finalized. Also it wasn’t a Super 8 (if we were freaking going to Canada we were gonna make the best of it!), it was the weekly special on hotels.com when we booked, and it was just .8 miles from the International Center. Those are the series of fortunate events that led up to what was, apparently, the biggest payback of juju in a long time for our merry band of Thunderheads. Okay, back to the story. We are sitting, sitting, sitting, and looking out the window at the drizzly, grey sky. All of a sudden, look! It’s a 14 passenger van decorated with the words “Surfer Keith; We ♥ Celtic Thunder; Paul Swanky Tenor; Thunderheads; George Scotland; Damian ♥; Ryan Dark Destroyer; Ready for a CT Storm in Toronto.” They’re here! It’s the other group of 5 ladies from the Midwest who we’ve been chatting with, and who also took advantage of the killer hotel deal.

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Next up...Baltimore! No, I didn't get to the show here either. I'm sorry! But I did in Nashville. But this was the preshow craic. Which I must admit, was pretty damn good!

Take Me Home – Baltimore, MD

The day of the Take Me Home concert in Baltimore, Maryland for me, was more accurately known as the day of my 19^th birthday. The forecast for the day was appropriately rainy and more than a little cold for this southern girl. As Maureen once told me, “…it’s Irish weather!” Well, it seems this weather followed our lads from Ireland, to Toronto, and around the U.S. North East until they hit Pittsburg. Ah, getting back on topic. It was rainy and cold that day. I hadn’t slept much the two nights leading up to the show. The prospect of seeing Celtic Thunder live again was just too exciting. I decided Friday night to pop into the Thunderpub and bring back some of the old craic from the summertime for a few hours. Much to my delight we had a mini spontaneous reunion which really kicked off my birthday! Upon awaking I made sure that everything I needed for the day was packed, clothes for the concert, check, makeup, check, glow sticks in pink and green, check, and most importantly tickets! Donning my “Ryan’s Angels” t-shirt, and armed with directions from Mapquest, me and my merry little crew of family set off for a full day in Baltimore.

Hitting the highway in the Baltimore-Washington area, in the rain, on a weekend is no easy feat I’ll tell you. Of course no highway with the number “95” in its’ name is an easy drive. However, my grandmother, having declared that the directions were “incorrect” and “way out of the way” took over the navigation. This is something that can, in a word, be described as stressful. However, after a few phone calls and hasty lane changes we found our way towards Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and the National Aquarium at Baltimore, which was the first stop in the day’s adventure. Actually, the first stop was public parking which is ridiculously expensive in Baltimore. I thought $7.50 in downtown Toronto was bad. I was wrong. It was nearly $20 for our few hours at the aquarium. Ah, getting off topic again.

Living less than 30 minutes from an aquarium myself, I know the rule of thumb. You don’t go to the aquarium if it is raining, cold, or both. This day happened not only to be both, but also a weekend. Needless to say, the aquarium was packed! I won’t bore you with details of this place. But I will say one thing; if you get the chance spend the $30 and go. The Baltimore Aquarium is quite spectacular and unlike any aquarium I’ve ever been to; and I’ve seen some aquariums in my day. Trust me. It’s well worth the visit. Very quickly the time came to depart to the pub, where I would finally get to meet more Thunderheads and my mother and grandmother would meet any Thunderheads for the very first time. It was back through the puddles to car.

The original plan had been to park at the Hippodrome and walk to the aquarium and the pub. However, due to the weather, we decided to drive and park. It took over 20 minutes to drive the 3 blocks to the pub, a place called Tir na Nog. It actually turned out to be nearly right across the street from the aquarium, another $20 for parking. *rolls eyes* Anyhow, when we arrived we found we were more than a little early for lunch so we decided to walk around the shops for a bit. Well, I spied a shop called “Hats in the Belfry” A clever play on words no? The shop was a place completely devoted to selling fabulous hats! Seeing this place I was immediately like, “Keith!” so we just had to go in and try on hats. Oh, and take pictures of course! Oh my how time flew! Before we knew the time for the preshow lunch had finally arrived.

Walking down the hall towards the pub I saw a sandwich style chalkboard with a Guinness advertisement sitting outside the pub. Picture! Who else can you think of but Keith when you see something Guinness? Well, Tir na Nog was chalk full of all things Guinness. Even were selling the 250^th anniversary edition brew. Way to celebrate Arthur eh? Anyhow, the very first person I saw in the few that were at the table when we arrived was Sarah (celticgirl91). Although we’d chatted for hours in the pub and on Facebook, we’d never met. It was a laughter and hug-filled first meeting. I was then pleasantly surprised to see April (RyansNJgirl) who’d I’d met in Toronto at Storm. Also another hug-filled reunion. I was delighted to meet Sarah’s sister and friend Angelica, and all the other Thunderheads. I’d requested an RSVP of 15 people to the restaurant as this is the number of people who’d told me they were coming. Turns out my reservation count was more than a little low. We ended up with 29 Thunderheads, and one who even just stopped by to say hello! It was great craic! We talked about everything from Ryan’s love of the Celtics to the Keith’s Rock ‘N Rolla’s group on his official fan forum. It was also quite wonderful to be around people who understood when you said words like “craic” and “class.” Not only was the company awesome, the food was pretty stellar as well. The three in my group had Sheppard’s pie and fish and chips for lunch. But the best part was the deserts! They had Ginger & Chocolate Guinness Cake, I kid you not. It was amazing! However, when the waitress brought the aforementioned desert, the entire table began to sing Happy Birthday to me. *sigh* I’d been promised no singing, but someone (ahem, Sarah) convinced my mother it was the right thing to do. I must take this moment to thank everyone in attendance. You helped to make this birthday a special and memorable one. However, I must also mention that I didn’t plan the lunch for my birthday. The date of the concert just happed to fall on the same day.

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Nashville!

Take Me Home - November 17th, 2009

So, it’s now 6pm eastern time, on Friday, November 20^th and I’m sitting on the airplane on the way to my connection airport of Atlanta. I’ve been upgraded to 1^st class (the bulkhead seat too mind you), and boy is it some kind of treat. Figured no sleeping, just enjoy it because the likely hood of this happening again is slim. In some ways this day is bittersweet. It’s been the best two months of traveling, shows, and new friends. But as I look out the plane window, I can’t help but be a little sad that this won’t get to happen again for over a year, and by that time life will be dramatically different. However, my musings on life are not the reason for this review! I promised a prompt review, so let’s get started. You all know the songs, so I’m instead going to go by lad, or just random association in some form of order.

Note: The plane began its decent not too far into this, so I had to “stow all portable electronic devices” and therefore did not get very far, and was not very “prompt” as I stated above. Oops. Sorry everybody!

Okay, okay. So I really must talk about Heartland. It’s first, and it’s exciting. Deco was way into the drumming (when is he not?) and having tons of fun showing off (again, when is he not?). Everyone was really spot-on with the vocals throughout the night, but especially in Heartland. The only disappointment in this number was that Neil’s drums were not miced during the intro. The song was still fabulous though!

Come by The Hills…Damian. What can I say, the lad has certainly grown on me as he’s grown up. Although this is not the most ideal song for his voice any longer, he still manages to make it sound like the most gorgeous song on Earth. Damian, of all the lads was probably in the best form this night. His voice was smooth and rich, like really expensive chocolate I suppose you could say. [edit for note: I wrote this before we started our little hot chocolate analogy that one night...]

Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen. This is the song where we already know Damian has issues keeping his composure. Well, while in Baltimore everything went smoothly, not so in Nashville. When he told Dave that he was the, “…prettiest girl I’ve ever seen,” he really lost it, and ended up missing the rest of the chorus and half of the next verse. Hats off to him though for picking up right back up again perfectly. That however was not the extent of it in this number. After walking to the opposite end of the stage early, Damian sat down and looked back at Connor playing the bass. Big mistake. Damo lost it all over again, very nearly missing starting the next chorus. Same thing when he picked an granny-type lady in the audience to be the next pretties girl he’d ever seen. Gotta love the lad!

That’s a Woman, when is this song not fun? While the crowd this night was comprised of very, very few Thunderheads and for the most part unresponsive, Ryan & Paul still played it up. With Paul checking his watch, and Ryan rolling his eyes in quite the over-exaggerated manner while saying, “But it’s what I seem to do,” in quite the sarcastic manner may I add. Kind of like, yep, we all know this already here people don’t we? Zara was gorgeous in her dancing as usual, and of course, left with Ryan in the end.

500 Miles….George!!! I could actually hear the anticipatory cry of “George!” down the 3^rd row, which was comprised entirely of Thunderheads. Glad to know I’m not the only one who does that. J Immediately we (the Thunderheads) were on our feet with the opening strains of the song. Unfortunately, none of the rest of the theater was. We and even George attempted to get the rest of the folks on their feet, to no avail. They wouldn’t return the “Da da la da da” so George kinda looked around, shrugged, and went and sang to the small patch of Thunderheads in the 1^st row. It didn’t hurt of course that there was the most adorable little girl with them. She actually looked a little like Sarah I think. Overall though a very energetic and fun song!

Homes of Dongal, this is the one song I was really, really looking forward to seeing live again. It’s so very different from the version on the album. Keith reverts much closer to the original Paul Brady lyrics, and did not mess up this night. If anything, his voice was absolutely captivating. More so then I ever thought possible. It was strong, warm, and full of life. For as much as Keith is compared to the sea, this night I could do no different. His voice, flowed effortlessly through the range, lilty yes, but in a way that wrapped around your soul and pulled at you with an enormity that made you want to run out of the theater, hop a plane, and go see Donegal. After the show of course. ;) I’m not sure that watching Keith play his beloved McPherson, can be done justice in words. At least, not in ways which I can express fully. Sitting in the 3^rd row, I could see the way Keith lovingly caressed the guitar, ho, while vigorously strumming the chords, he gently touched the neck and strings to produce a song to tantalize the senses. Keith enjoys playing this song, you can see it in his expression. We in turn get a musical number who’s feeling stays within us long after the song and show has ended.

Oh Caledonia. How bittersweet a song. We love it, yet it signals the end of the show. George really shines in this song despite it being a group number. His baritone voice sets the tone of longing yet hopefulness that is expressed in Caledonia.

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And now that QVC review that I so promised many a times. Well, I only got through the 1st day. *sigh* such is life...

So I wrote this note before I read everyone else’s reviews. This was done purposely so that it’s my own memories and thoughts. I’m sure there are discrepancies, but that’s okay. I also feel as if this is extremely mundane and boring. But I made the decision to write this as if I was writing just for myself and my own want to relive the tale once time passes. This is just Day1, Day 2 is on the way [Don't get hope up, it's not. But when I wrote this it sure was! lol] but is being hindered by homework. Such is life.

Here I sit less than 24 hours after returning home from West Chester, PA and already I find days, details, and events blurring together. Since we all experienced most of this journey together, much of this will not be new information, it will simply be from a different vantage point than your own. This review is chalk full of run-on sentences and poor grammar. My apologies as I am saving my “textbook writing” (as the teacher calls it) for my assignment due tomorrow.

My first day of the trip to QVC was not Tuesday, but rather Monday. I do believe this particular Monday was one of the longest in existence. It was up early to pack the car, but then off to Biology class from 10am-3pm. After finally being able to leave early (thank heavens!), it was time to drive all the way to Sarah’s house. Well, not 5 minutes into the trip there’s this tap on the windshield, and another, and another. The promised rain had come to share the drive with me…the entire way to Pennsylvania. It stopped I think, right as I turned onto Sarah’s street. She was worried I wouldn’t know which house was hers. This was not difficult though as it was the only one on the entire street still completely illuminated. Now talk about a cool house! She said they estimate it to be a few hundred years old, plus it still has the original fixtures. Yes, not typically something to marvel over, but these are the things you notice with parents in real estate. After many squeals of delight, and tight hugs Sarah shows me to where I’ll be sharing a room with her and two of her sisters. It’s immediately apparent which bed is Sarah’s as on the wall above is a framed poster of the lads, her pictures from the promo she worked a few weeks ago, the mini posters from the photo pack, and a smattering of other CT pictures. It was quite fabulous. My parents would declare me to be hospitalized if I ever did such a thing. But never fear, college is just around the corner. Being Thunderheads and therefore completely addicted to the internet, we immediately did what we do best…get on our computers. Sarah and I started flipping through screen shots from It’s Entertainment, which naturally made us want to watch It’s Entertainment. Much giggling and pushing of the repeat button ensued (especially when discussing…ahem…the finer points of the show ;) ). Soon we had to migrate down to the living room since Sarah’s sister needed sleep. Sleep, what’s that? At this time I didn’t have internet access as neither Sarah nor her awake family members could remember the password. It was painful as I had so much to share and look over. It was particularly difficult when we logged into Skype to chat with everyone and poor Maureen was stuck in the Café. Plus we all know just how much Sarah’s laptop microphone loves Skype. Oh and Sarah, my apologies for just reaching over and typing on your computer that night. The internet problem for me was solved and so we used my computer to talk and hers to read along. I finally made it to the Café, but was trying to catch up in so many places at once that it was nearly impossible to keep up on a spoken conversation! There were many times that we had to mute the call so other folks couldn’t hear Sarah and I laughing over either nonpublic pictures, or just random halo-melting thoughts in general. Deciding around 1am to leave the Skype call and hit the bed…well, I can’t actually finish this sentence. As you are well aware this never happens. We got all caught up in looking at pictures and deciding that we should print some for the lads to sign. By the time we were all finished it was 3am and even my sleeping bag on the hard-wood floor looked appealing.

The next morning was an early one for me with the bright morning sun shining through the windows, and the unfamiliar sounds of a full house. We grabbed breakfast and were out the door to Walmart for pictures (where yes, I was talking to the photo machine), Hooters for shot glasses, and Sarah’s college class. Let me tell you something. That 1 ¼ hours in the library had to be the longest 1 ¼ hours in existence! But then it was time for the madness to begin. Gas stop ($2.79 a gallon, oh my!), take the scenic route to the highway thanks to Erin’s GPS, realize that you’re only 45 minutes from the hotel not 1 ½ hours like previously mentioned GPS said, get to hotel, marvel at the bathrooms, and wait, and wait, and wait. Not saying that the waiting wasn’t a kind of fun all its own of course! We settled as patiently as possible in these big comfy lobby chairs positioned where we could see two of the three main entrance doors, as April would not be far behind us. In the first 30 seconds of sitting there we hear a multitude of Irish accents. None of them immediately familiar to us, but all Irish none the less. Keeping the giggling (I’ve a feeling I’m going to need a synonym for ‘giggling’ by the end of this) quiet every time someone with an accent spoke was a difficult task, so we covered by taking random pictures of each other. The acronym “QVC” was overheard many times in conversation which made us realize just how many people from the St. Patrick’s Day celebration were there. I started talking with Sarah about our “leprechaun friend” from the year before, and speak of the devil not 2 minutes later who comes walking in the door?! (Our chat) was soon interrupted when as Sarah went to text April, she comes walking strolling into the lobby! Of course it would not be a proper Thunderhead reunion without shouts of joy and giant group hugs. This act was soon repeated when April declares, “I think that was Maureen!” and goes sprinting across the lobby with Sarah and myself in tow. More hugs and warm welcomes, as well as the beginning of the laughter that wouldn’t end for another 3 days. We check in and make our way to the room where we exchange some gifts that were brought. Mine was nothing big, just a copy of Damian’s album from before CT. Maureen gave us all 2 lovely bracelets. One of green colored leather, the other of green and silver beading, both declaring, “WWRD”. “What Would Ryan Do?” Gotta love it! Soon we realize that time is running short and we must get over to the QVC studio for the preview event.

Piling into April’s car we find a GPS with an Irish accent and, of course, CT on the speakers. Cue music and you get a Thunderhead sing-a-long complete with choreography. It’s always fun to go, “Hey! I’m not the only one that does that [choreography move]!” We arrive at the QVC studios with Bad Bad Leroy Brown blasting out the speakers, and making us pause for just a moment before getting out of the vehicle. Grabbing the gifts, we make our way to the front doors (still belting out Bad Bad Leroy Brown) only to find the place already quite full. We add ourselves to the mass of people in the very place we entered, but soon found that being directly in front of the doors was not a good thing. We shifted locations and soon decided it would be a great idea to start a Thunderhead sing-a-long. Ireland’s Call was first up on the list as it is one that everyone was sure to know and love. Almost no one else joined in! It was time to attempt a song that even non Thunderheads may know, Caledonia (I have about 40 seconds of this on video). About ½ way through the second verse I believe, I see Maureen telling us to follow her. Why, yet I don’t know. It turns out the QVC staffer (I think this was Mary Alice) was pulling us up and through security first to stand on the steps and continue our singing. Oh boy. We sang the first verse and chorus of Caledonia and decided this was a marvelous time to head up to the studio. Turns out the seating was first come, first serve so Sarah, Maureen, April, and Esther were able to get the first row with me just behind in the second. We ended up seated next to some ladies who were avid QVC fans, and had seen the lads just once back when they first toured. They had several questions and were great with listening to us prattle on about CT and the likes. [Edit: I remember during our conversation in between I said something that the words just came out wrong. Something about being under, over, between, or ontop of...yeah, something like that...] All this waiting and waiting was proving monotonous so we sang yet again. I don’t remember all the songs, but I do recall Steal Away (which sounded pretty decent I think), and part of Mull of Kintyre. Now that we’ve found a way to pass the time it seems to go a bit quicker.

The next thing we know, there’s the lads walking out from backstage looking amazingly swoon-worthy (but when don’t they?) in their suits. Paul is making his faces at us (but when doesn’t he?), and as they check to see if their mics are on Keith does a poor, yet funny, impersonation of us cheering. At least I think that’s what it was. Maybe he was doing a half-hearted ‘yeeooo” or something like that. Ryan takes over speaking and tell us that they’re going to be performing a song off the new album, something he’s always wanted to say. lol! Also that he’s sure we know the words by now so we are more than welcome to sing along. I’m sitting here figuring they’ll be singing Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For since it’s a great sing-a-long crowd pleaser. So here I am all geared up for that song, until I realize they’re not in the right order for that song, and why are they holding their mics, and wait…what’s Ryan holding in his hand? Lifting his hand up to his mouth, I quickly recognize the note of a pitch pipe. This is going to be Danny Boy then I presume. But rather than Damian begin singing, it’s Ryan with the words, “Amazing grace how sweet the sound…” I think I about melted into a puddle right there. Next I was astounded, saddened, joyful, and a million other emotions all at once, along with speechless. Ryan, how on heaven and earth could you think we’d ever be able to sing along to Amazing Grace? Not just the fact that it would never be done the same justice, but the fact that we loose the ability of speech the second you all start singing! It wasn’t until later that night I realized that we were the first ever audience to see and hear Amazing Grace preformed live. I will say however, that this performance was not flawless. Keith, well, we all know how Keith likes to change his songs up. True to himself, this is what Keith did…on the harmony with Ryan. Who let me tell you, was not a happy camper. The look he shot Keith was of the “What in the hell was that?!” variety, and was most definitely intimidating. That being said, I simply can not wait to hear this song again in the fall. Thank heavens I can listen to it whenever I want. Even if my recording does have a couple errant noises in it from picking up my camera to get actual video.

All to soon the preview even was over, and we were told to go and wait for the lads. But the next thing we know, people are disappearing. There’s a second part of the show?! Turns out they were performing the same songs two times that night for two different groups of audience. We were told though, that we were more than welcome to watch through the windows from up above as long as we didn’t use flash photography, or touch the glass. Not an issue at all! Although we all would have loved to be back in the actual studio again, the view we had from above was pretty good. We could see a little of the space where the lads were waiting to come back onstage. Neil spotted us and gave us a thumbs up. That seems to be his thing to do.

The next thing we saw a green object flying through the air. It took a minute, but it was finally realized that object was a football (of the Euro variety of course). They truly do play footy to pass the time. The lads went back onstage and Paul made more faces and apparently was cracking some kind of jokes. We spoke with, and answered questions for another QVC staffer by the name of Peggy. She had never seen the lads perform, and the St. Patrick’s Day show would be the first she’d ever see. Finally the time came for the meet and greet. We decided to wait to be towards the end of the line, and ended up literally being the end of the line. Turns out that Mary Alice (correct?) waiting for us to make it to the front before shutting off the rest of the people waiting. It makes me wonder how many more people got through than would initially have. Unfortunately our theory didn’t quite work, and we found ourselves lucky to have 30 seconds or so with each lad. I think I spent the most time with Keith, George, and Neil. Keith was first up in line. I said to him, “Keith, I’m really upset.” To which I receive a quizzical look in return. “I forgot part of your gift back at the hotel.” Keith just shakes his head and says, “I’m very disappointed in you.” Silly lad couldn’t have cared less, but it was funny! It was difficult to get a word or two in as the QVC staffers were literally pushing us along. Hey, I understand the lads needing sleep (and I want them to be well rested believe you me), but there’s no reason to be physically touching me to make me move along. I chatted with George a bit about the promo tour and what not and recovered my silver Sharpie, Paul wasn’t even paying attention to what he was doing/signing, and I had Ryan sign a copy of his lyrics for the Moy song. It took him a minute to realize what the paper was. Why on earth I didn’t just tell him at that time is beyond me! But he seemed to be pleasantly surprised from what I could tell. Neil was last in line and I had him sign the picture we’ve now dubbed the “Dark Destroyer Neil” photo. I mean, no one does the whole Dark Destroyer persona better than Ryan, but the look on Neil’s face just fits perfectly with that as the analogy. He said he liked the picture but wanted to know where it was from (it’s the UNCTV promo if you don’t already know). I told him it was a great picture, but would be even more badass if he had his piercings in. Neil said that he’s trying to be sure he can keep them for the fall tour. Believe you me I’m hoping too! He just looks way too much of a sweetheart without them. Not that this is a bad thing, but the rocker part of his personality is what just makes him that much more adorable/awesome. Once again I had to recover my silver Sharpie. Hey Neil! You don’t need a Sharpie in each hand there man. Neil apologized, and I told him while it was no problem, I just didn’t want to loose yet another silver Sharpie to a CT [band] member. Conner had succeeded taking one in Nashville (Oh sure, he did it all on purpose of course ;) ). The lads all being the good sports with the joking that they are, Neil tells me he’ll have to get my Sharpie back from Connor. Good thing he’s joking, that would be a tough task! lol! At this point as I’m walking out I realize in my hand is George’s gift! I run back (to the protests of a QVC staffer) and reach over Sarah and in front of Maureen (sorry ladies!) hollering “George! George! Here this is for you,” before hustling off again. After the all too hurried meet & greet we make our way back to the hotel for a change of clothes and a recommendation on which pub is better. The instant answer is Kildare’s so that is where we find ourselves.

The waitress tells us that 90% (I think that was the number) of the items in the restaurant/bar were imported from Ireland. Apparently this included the bar tender since I’m pretty sure we heard an accent walking by! You’d be proud. I kept myself from asking if he was for sale too. ;) The pub itself had what appeared to be hand-painted plaster walls, with an attempted old-world feel. Not too bad a try compared to some of the other so called Irish pubs I’ve been in. We all shared a order of, now get this, craic nachos. Not much special about them, though they were delicious, but the name was certainly cute. While waiting for our food (Ester & I with Sheppard’s Pie. Don’t ask me what the other ½ of the table ordered), we decided it was a great opportunity to break out the cameras. Let the craic begin! We all were in possession of someone else’s camera at one point or other snapping random photos. Conversation details escape me already, but I’m sure it went something like this….Celtic Thunder, Ireland, food, Celtic Thunder, lads, each other, Celtic Thunder, random story, Celtic Thunder, lads….Yeah, that sounds about right. We left dinner to get back just in time to see the lads first live bit on QVC. First though they must torture you to death with teasers about the upcoming performance! When the lads were finally introduced, we all cheered. Not even considering that it was well after midnight at this point and probably even closer to 1am. Needless to say our neighbors were not very happy! Luckily a knock on the wall is all we received. Thank you very much hotel neighbor. We we’re a quite excitable bunch. Anyhow, the lads were finally on air and looked exhausted. My guess is they were roused from sleep to sing and there was obviously no audience. Even absolutely knackered they look so much happier when there are even a few people to sing for. I can think of at least 4 other lovely ladies who would have been more than happy to volunteer with me for this duty. They sounded not too shabby (not the best, but not terrible) and looked good, if not a bit rumpled and sleepy. Sleep in suits anyone? Neil had some bedhead going on, but it just made him that much more adorable. But please, please, please can someone keep the lad away from the hair gel? Everyone but Keith & (well obviously) George seems to have their moments with the hair gel. Did the night end at 1am when the lads were finished singing? Of course not! (We all looked through our respective photos together) to much laughing, awwws, rolled eyes, and discussion of all kinds. Oh no! Again with the getting caught up in looking at pictures. Only this time we’ve forgotten the giant posterboard cards to make. We grab the posterboard & Sharpies and set about the task. Esther had the best handwriting so she became the taskmaster for the main writing on the cards. A great job done of course! The “Thank You” card was an epic win I must say. From telling Damo to keep tweeting, Paul to look out for popcorn and tap shoes, to telling George that he can be the leader of our clan anytime, no one was left out in the encouragement/minor ribbing. The “CT” detail and thunderbolt in silver glitter was particularly fabulous framed by all 5 of our signatures. You know, everyone else has these nice, well-balanced names, whereas (and I need to remember this for the future) my last name takes up way more room than the first. Here I am, trying my best to even space my name (on the left mind you) from the rest at after 3 in the morning. I failed. Sorry ladies! You’d think after 19 years and change I’d know how far my name stretches, but apparently not. Of course this whole time we have The Show queued on Sarah’s laptop and are snapping more pictures. To be honest I’m more than a little afraid to see the ones taken of me at that hour! The glue was barely dry on the glitter and we’re all collapsing into bed exhausted. We’re night people, but 4am seems to be about the limit. Being 5 in one hotel room, I set up my place on the floor and was out in an instant.

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Alright, so that's the end of my 1/2 finished reviews, that will never ever be finished. Hope you enjoyed them at least a tiny bit! Hopefully I'll be able to post full ones for you from 4, yes 4 (!), shows this season. At least that's going to be my goal, but no promises!

This image obviously does not need explanation. And although we're all very familiar with it by now, it fits just perfectly with the post. Sure wish it had Neil in it though!

Long Days, Late Nights, & A Little Bit of Nothings

University makes me a very, very bad blogger. Well, perhaps I ought to clear that up just a bit considering I haven't posted in over a month. Every week brings 200+ pages of reading, a few essays to compose, various quizzes and tests, attending lectures, oh and keeping up with everything for the learning community and my Service Scholars program. Sometimes in there I get an hour or so to eat or go to the gym. In short, life has been insane. It was nice two weeks ago to get to travel home. I was able to connect with another student from my community so that definitely defrayed on the the fuel cost. I'm also extremely excited in another two weeks (or just under it at this point) to go and see Celtic Thunder's new show Heritage, along with the show I saw filmed in Toronto last year, It's Entertainment. It should be the best of craic, if not a madly tight schedule. I've three midterms in the few days following my return from that weekend. But then, and this is what we shall focus on, it's fall break! And fall break means Chicago and two, yes two, more Celtic Thunder shows!! It's going to be a hectic, crazy, insane, and probably a little stressful time in the next few weeks.

It probably wouldn't be quite so stressful though if the person I lived with wasn't such a horrible witch. Yes, we all know I'm really thinking of the not-so-nice word that rhymes there, but I do happen to have a sense of dignity every now and then. But anyhow, I attempt to surround myself with positivity and positive people, and that's very nearly impossible (or all the positive work is undone) when you live with someone with such a negative outlook on the world. What are you getting out of life when you go around like that? What do you get when you believe yourself superior to others around you? So at the present time I'm working with someone else on my hall who's also having roommate issues. Well, considering our roommates actually want to live together this swap is going to make them very happy. That is if it ever happens. We're trying a complex switcharoo and we're having a difficult time convincing one person. That one person can spell the death of our perfect plan. Ah well, it'll all work out in the end.

And speaking of working out the Judo classes had to stop. As in, they had to stop because I had to go to physical therapy from a bad throw during class. Not cool. But all's healing well and getting better. Sure wasn't fun to hobble around campus though. And you know what else isn't fun? Trying to get to class in the rain. It rained for a few days straight this past week and let me tell you what. When my one teacher was talking about how everyone should give up cars and just walk and bike everywhere....I'm sitting there, absolutely drenched, freezing, and trying to dry off my possessions...it made me want to punch him in the face! That day I wanted nothing more than my nice warm, dry car if I had (which I did have to) go to class. "Irish weather" we Thunderheads call it. Yes, well I'll have to be sure to order a pair of class wellies before the next time it decides to rain for the better part of a week. We needed the rain though. It hadn't rained for over a month. It brought along the abrupt change of seasons. It's really starting to feel like autumn now. Warm days with a cool breeze, and chilly nights. This I must say, is one of my favorite times of year. Most unfortunately however, I seem to have caught my friend's cold (follow my friend's blog here . Just go follow, you know you want to). It's all good though. I just wish I could have a few more days of weekend to get better before having to go back to class. Alas, the world does not stop turning for just one person.

Being sick though does have its perks. My roommie was driven from the room. Although at the moment it kinda sounds like the roommie is sick too. Could my rommie have been the culprit for getting pretty much the entire hall sick a few weeks ago? Bringing back things from other parts of the state and whatnot visiting friends perhaps. Ah yes, but the perks. I was also able to get a moment to plant my Irish Shamrocks. Yes, those are the very same Shamrocks we were given at QVC on St. Patrick's Day. Yes, the QVC show with the review that never came. I know, I know. I have a folder full of a plethora of half completed Celtic Thunder reviews that will never be finished. Maybe it'll be different this tour. Yeah, sure. But anyhow, if you haven't heard of Celtic Thunder (not bloody likely!), then go and check out and see if they're in a city near you.

Now I must conclude my ramblings with a few notes. Neil Byrne's EP is amazing and you need to check out his website. Like, right now. Or go get his EP from iTunes. Also, I can't wait for RyanKelly's new album!! He keeps on torturing us...no, more like killing us with his sneak peaks. Although I must admit to liking the old version of the Moy song much better. I'm sure this one will grow on me with time, but there's just something about just a guy and his guitar that so...alluring. And on that note, I'm off to hit the hay/sack/scratcher or whatever else you may call the bed in which you sleep. NNGB my lovely readers (if anyone does actually read this)!

Peace,

Elina

Please enjoy the photo from somewhere in Ireland. I know I've used it before, but it just has such a nice autumn feel to it. I thought it really captured the feeling of the season.