How High Def Ruined TV

Last night I was watching the Bears preseason game, not because I care about the game but rather because I had nothing else to do. As I watched I noticed at the bottom of the screen there was a logo that read ESP... It was suppose to read ESPN HD, but with my satellite signal I only got the former. So ready to experiment, I took out the bunny ears. I set up the antenna and was in awe of the improved picture quality. It came to the point where I was not even watching the game but rather was just admiring the deatail visible in the picture quality. Only when I switched back to get my satellite programming did I realize how crappy its picture is. I went from enjoying a panoramic view with sharp clarity to watching a mushed fuzzy picture outlined with black bars. Of course this experience made my visit the satellite company's website only to get disappointing how much extra they charge you and all the hoops you have to jump through to get what a $3 set of bunny ears gets you for free.

Redecorating

This past weekend I got inspired to change the decor of my apartment. I guess I was just tired of having our neighbors crappy rug which didn't go with anything in the room and watching a TV that stood on top of a chest with a nice shelf built out of a table leaf. So for my first trip I got a new carpet. I have to admit that I am not a very good home decorator but I think that I did a good job of picking out a rug that fit the room (especially for $40). I thought that was a good start to making the room a little nicer. But then when I made a trip to CVS to get some personal care products (read foot spray) I noticed a entertainment center that was on sale for $15. It really isn't an entertainment center as much as it is a shelf made out of particle board and plastic. But regardless it is quite an upgrade from the bush-league setup that we used to have. Now that I have made a few improvements I have caught the bug. Now I want to get a bunch of new stuff for the apartment, but I know I shouldn't do it all at once. Now if only I could only get all my roommate's clutter (bike, guitar, golf clubs, clothes, and smelly hockey bag) out of the living space I'd have something going.

Va. Tech

While I was riding on the train this morning, it occurred to me what a bad year Virginia Tech is having. First they host one of the most deadly shootings in American history where 32 people died. Then they have some sort of carbon monoxide poisoning that sends a couple of people to the hospitalized. And finally one of their prominent alumni, Michael Vick, is going to jail because for running a dogfighting ring and drowning and hanging dogs. With all this bad publicity I just wonder how their enrollment will be affected. What a public relations nightmare.

Busted

Last night, sitting in my local brewpub I was gazing out the window when I noticed a police car pull up and stop in the middle of the street. The officer got out and headed for a guy wearing a wife beater who was yelling at some other guy. The officer approached him and they started talking. After a bit he started to get smart with the officer and the officer started to shove him a little and went over his radio. All the while wife beater was yelling at passer-bys. Within a few minutes a second squad car pulled up. At that point the wife beater tried to walk away. The first cop grabbed the back of his white shirt and pushed him against a nearby car. A minute later a paddy wagon, two more squad cars, and a four wheeler pulled up for backup. The six officers escorted the guy into the back of the paddy wagon and they left just as fast as they arrived. Regardless of what happened to the guy the incident added a little extra excitement to my evening.

Irish Simpsons

The Irish love the Simpsons, so much so the movie was released there before here. I saw the show in several locations and saw much Bart Simpson merchandise. I have to admit that I took some time from being in Ireland to see the movie. Was this a waste of time to see an American movie while in Ireland? Perhaps, but I was tired from drinking several days in a row. And with the size of the crowd, it might as well have been an Irish movie. A little kid next to us enjoyed the movie so much that he laughed and talked to the screen to the point of being annoying. Also I think he may have crapped himself. The thing I found most interesting about the Irish enjoyment of the Simpsons is it was the only TV show that people watched. Usually the TV was occupied with football (read soccer), hurling, cricket, or some other Irish sport, but rarely was a non-Simpson scripted show on. Television in general does not seem to be a very big part in Irish culture (other than sports). Only in one of our four guesthouses had a working TV. We weren't planning on watching very much TV but it made me think about the unpleasant reaction a non-functioning TV would get in the US.

Irish Music

Every time we turned on the radio in the car the same songs played over and over again. Amongst the most popular were Rihanna's ‘Umbrella’, Enrique Iglesias’ ‘Ping Pong Song’, and Fergie’s ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry.’ The Irish seemed to really enjoy this aspect of American culture. Then there is U2. Although not a whole lot of U2 was played on the radio, you could more than often hear it playing in the background of many establishments. A couple of stores and bars just had a U2 CD blasting over their loudspeakers. Traditional Irish music was a giant part of the nightlife. Walking the streets of Temple Bar many Irish bands were jamming for what seemed to be ever growing crowds. Inside the pubs, a couple of Irishmen would be entertaining the patrons with their selections of traditional Irish music. The atmosphere was brightened by an accordion and a banjo or a guitar and a Irish drum. Then the performers tried to invite others to join the show by coming up and singing a song. We were even lucky enough to enjoy the Irish dancing of one older over-served pub goer, who seemed strangely leprechaun-like. I was quite interested to learn that where we were listening to music seemed to determine exactly what were we listening to.

Irish Environmentalism

The Irish are environmentally friendly in many ways. All over the country we noticed ads about conserving water. So much so I thought it was a problem on the island, but apparently the ads are just part of an environmental movement. Their environmentally friendly attitude was apparent in many small ways that probably make a big difference. The restrooms were a good example of this environmental awareness. When you went to wash your hands you had to either hold down the button or press the button and try to wash your hands before the flow stopped. Never was there an opportunity to turn on the water and leave it on. Only in one restroom during my whole trip did I find a paper towel dispenser. And when I noticed it, a guy was rubbing his hands under it perplexed at why no hot air was blowing down on his hands. But conservation was not limited to the restroom. Whenever you went into a store and bought something you would never get a bag. You could pay for one, but it really wasn’t that big of an inconvenience not having one. At some stores you didn’t even get a receipt. In these stores there was always a little sign explaining why. Despite all these small inconveniences, I never felt bothered and I’m sure for everyone to go without a bag here and a little extra time to dry your hands there, it adds up to make a big difference.

Irish Driving

In one word…scary. But I think that is just because I am not used to driving on the left side of the road in a tiny car on small lanes. Driving on the left proved to be challenging but doable as long as I remembered three important things. ‘Drive on the left’, ‘left turn, easy turn’, and ‘right turn, hard turn’ were frequently uttered as I approached an intersection. My most difficult maneuvers were backing up, parking, and turning into petrol stations and side of the road shops, since it took me some thought as to which lane I should enter from and exit to. The size of the driving lanes did not make things much easier. In the city if I wandered off a main road, I would end up on a hilly two-lane road with parked cars taking up half of one of the lanes. In the country, points along our drive had no shoulder but rather a stone wall sprouting from the yellow line marking where the lane ended. On one country road I got trapped in an obstacle course of sheep. Even with these small lanes and several obstacles, the Irish drivers were comfortable darting along while I was freaking out. City navigating proved to be much more difficult than navigating the country. An integrate system of one way roads was what I faced every time I entered a city centre. Once inside these limits one wrong turn lead to at least a half hour delay, and I made several wrong turns. Wrong turns were easy to come by with the deficient amount of both road signs and directional signs. We had two options for trying to get from point A to point B, you could either try to follow a map or follow the directional signs, and neither worked very well. If we tried to follow a map we often were unaware of what street we were driving on or what road we had just passed. But if you tried to follow that directional signs, they would put you on the right path and then you’d face a fork in the road with no next sign to guide you. One of the aspects of Irish that I rather enjoyed was the roundabouts. You drive along and then all of the sudden you’d be faced with the challenge of driving along in a circle trying to navigate a way out. Sometimes after I’d find a way out I then found myself entering an adjacent roundabout. Despite all my fears and difficulties, driving seemed fairly safe. Driving along the two lane country carriageways we’d often see signs such as ’45 people killed on Kerry roads in the last 4 years.’ Now maybe that scares a lot of Irish, I almost found it to be a relief. The Irish put a high emphasis on driving safety. Apparently getting an Irish driver’s license requires you to pass a difficult examination. A big reason that Irish driving is so much safer than American driving is because when the Irish drive they have to focus on the road and actually driving. Actually focusing on what you are doing is seems less important in the US.

Irish Service

In Ireland tipping is not necessary. This fact I found both difficult to grasp and feel comfortable with. I felt cheap every time I paid the bill with exact change. But after a while I got more comfortable not tipping as I learned that Irish servers aren’t really working to get your tips. It would often go something like this. We would walk into a pub and seat ourselves at a table. After about ten minutes of waiting we would either decide to go somewhere else or go up and ask for some menus. We’d get our menus and look them over. If were weren’t ready to order it may have been another ten minutes before we’d see the server again. When we would order a Guinness it would take about five to ten minutes to actually get it (you’ve got to let it settle). But when you’d order food it was not uncommon for it to come out in ten minutes and be mouth-burning hot. Then if we wanted another order of drinks or wanted to get our bill we’d have to wait another ten minutes to get the bill and pay. No one seemed to be in a rush to do anything, which was nice but also created a cultural clash. At one restaurant our server left for a break and no one really seemed to cover for her. We had to work really hard just to pay our bill. Americans are so used to being catered to so carefully that this carefree attitude was certainly a change of pace. I think I would enjoy living at the slow pace of life that the Irish seem to enjoy; they take their time and enjoy it as it passes.

Irish Food

Oh Irish food… I can say that the Irish get their three squares every day. First, to battle the hangover of the previous day, you would start with a traditional Irish breakfast, which included eggs, sausages, bacon (which is really a slab of ham), pudding (read more sausage), tomato, toast and Irish butter, and tea or coffee. Also I found the scones always made it onto my breakfast plate. Then for lunch you would have something smaller, which meant a toastie, which always seemed to be ham and cheese, onions and tomatoes, and the soup of the day, which always seemed to be a creamy vegetable soup. For dinner you a wide variety of pub food was available. Items such as fish and chips, burger and chips, salmon and chips, shepherd’s pie and chips, Irish stew and chips, and for some reason lasagna and chips often appeared in front of you. I think that the aspect of Irish eating that I most enjoyed was the atmosphere. Most often we found ourselves in a pub, which are well replicated by the many Irish style pubs in Chicago. The main difference is all the Irish pub interiors were older and more weathered. But pubs were not the only option; occasionally we would end up in a Euro style café. And most were privately owned. Although a McDonald’s or the Irish SuperMac’s would sometimes pop up, chains did not dominate the landscape. Despite all the delicious and wonderful food options, the Irish on the whole seemed to be fairly fit. Seems pretty lucky to me.

Ireland 2007

Last night I returned from my eight day and seven night vacation from Ireland. I saw many cool things and drank many pint of Guinness, but rather then rattle off the things that I did I would rather make some observations on Irish culture. The Irish are a quite interesting bunch. They have a strong history but are also quite ready to welcome globalization into their culture.