We began our first full day in Galway with another giant Irish breakfast. Then we walked to the city center and hit up the visitor center for some information about taking a ferry to the Aran Islands. Then it was back to the car for a day trip to the famous Cliffs of Moher. But first, petrol! Our first fill-up in Ireland cost us about €42 (the equivalent of about $66US) and all we had was a Kia Rio. Egad!

From looking at our maps, we knew the drive to the cliffs would carry us past a number of other places of interest, so we had planned to stop. After overcoming an error on our map and missing a turn, we made it to Dunguaire Castle near Kinvara.
This 16th century castle overlooked a bay but didn't have much information about it. We snapped some photos and were on our way.

This is where the drive got a bit insane. We were on the roads Ireland classifies as "regional." This can be alright for driving or downright scary for a foreigner. The road narrowed to about 1.5 Kia Rios wide. Then the speed limit was 100 km/hr (~60 miles/hr). Since this was farming country, we occasionally came upon a slow-moving tractor. And then construction. Suddenly 1 of our 1.5 lanes for two-way traffic became .5 lanes. After only a few near-death scares we stopped on Corkscrew Hill for some photos. In one of them you can see the switchbacks up the hill. THOSE were switchbacks! Right there we decided to take a different route back.

From Corkscrew Hill onto the Cliffs of Moher, it was a pretty bumpy but fairly quick drive. Although we had no trouble finding parking in the lot, we couldn't imagine what it must be like in the summer. Best of luck to anyone with plans to visit anything in Ireland in the summer--leave early and good luck parking! We paid a small fee and walked up to the entrance. The Cliffs of Moher extend for about 5 miles along the coast and are 702 feet high. We walked along the edge (there was still a guard rail at this point...) toward the viewing tower, which although looked like an ancient castle, was actually built in the 19th century specifically to be a viewing center. We took a bazillion photos (maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much--as you will see when you view our photo gallery). As we walked, we took note of the many warning signs, which featured a cartoon like man falling over the edge of a cliff into the water below and kept a few feet between us and the edge.

As we continued to walk, we came to what looked like a dead-end, but noticed many people continuing to walk just beyond the wall. There was a sign there posted that read, "Private Property--no entrance beyond this point." Well, seeing as there were already near 50 people breaking this law, we joined in the fun and hopped through the break in the wall, committing our first (and only) international crime. As this was private property, guardrails were left up to your imagination. Lucas was not a big fan of this and chose to stay as far as possible from the edge. Kelly tried to get closer to the edge, but this made Lucas unable to watch out of fear that she would trip over a stick or pebble (it's been known to happen on occasion...) and become a real life version of the cartoon warning, so she kept her distance after snapping a few pictures.

Before leaving, we visited the in ground gift shops. A sign informed us that they were built into the ground to preserve the scenery and view of the Cliffs.

On the drive back to Galway, we made our way through the Burren. The Burren is an area in County Clare that is distinguished by its rocky landscape and rock wall fences (Boireann--the Irish name--means Great Rock). Our new route took us by the Poulnabrone Dolmen, which was an ancient portal tomb dating back to the Neolithic period (sometime between 4200 and 2900 BC) and one of the largest such tombs in the country. We had read that this particular site (just off the road) could get extremely busy during the summer (read, bus loads of people at a time), so we were please to find ourselves joined by only 2 other people. Here's to spring travels--despite the chilly weather, there are some perks!

As we left Poulnabrone, the light was fading, and we decided to head back rather than navigate the roads in the dark. We stopped in at Petra House to freshen up, than walked into Galway city center to find a place to eat. We walked around for about an hour, then settled on Skeffs, a restaurant below the Skeffington Arms Hotel, across from Eyre Square. We didn't know it at the time (because everyone we spoke to still referred to it as Eyre Square), but Eyre Square was renamed in 1965 as Kennedy Memorial Park, in honor of JFK, who visited Galway shortly before his assassination in 1963.

That pretty much wrapped up day 3. After dinner, we made it back to the B&B and got some sleep! (note: I have noticed that we post that we have gone to bed each night shortly after dinner...in order to make us seem less like sissies, we didn't actually get back until 10:30 or 11:00 most nights--they were late dinners.)

Click below for our Day 3 pictures.

This past weekend I went with my sister on Friday to see The Phantom of the Opera at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. I had never seen the show but had always heard about it, and we had been trying to see an opera all spring, so we decided that Phantom qualified even though it's not specifically an opera. The Segerstrom Hall is a great venue, but I really do think they should have stopped building after two tiers. We were in the third tier (balcony) and all of the actors looked like dwarfs. Also, this was the first time I went to a classier musical performance in the O.C. (don't call it that). I was really surprised at how little etiquette the audience had. Tons of people came in late, mid-songs, and tons of people whispered or talked lightly. The people I sat next to even unwrapped several candies during the performance and then had the nerve to throw the wrappers on the floor, as if we were at a baseball game. I'm not sure if it's because Orange County is more relaxed or what, but I was really shocked at how people were behaving. The performance itself was very good. Jenny and I have decided that this musical must be famous for the set more than anything else. The movement of set and set pieces is so intricate, elaborate, and seamless. Forget the chandelier scene - the scene where the Phantom takes Christine down to his lair is amazing. We are both of the opinion that the music is good, but definitely dated with the electric guitar and synthetic drums, and could use an update. I will admit, though, I have been singing songs in my head from the musical for the past several days. Overall, I'm glad I went, but am cautious at the idea of returning to the OCPAC again.

Saturday I got up and went walking with Ruth for the first time in a long time. I was feeling guilty about missing my Friday workout, so I made sure to make up for it. Yes, I'm that obsessive about it these days. Can you believe I feel guilty when I don't get in five days a week and an average of four or more miles per day? Ric and I went to see the Kings play against Dallas. We were slaughtered. Oh well! I went shopping with my sister at the Brea mall and Nordstrom Rack and found some shoes, boots, a new wallet, and coat. I'm excited about the coat, which was originally $150, but I purchased it for a mere $41!! We went out for dinner at Roman Cucina. I highly recommend the bruschetta and garlic and oil pasta. That night, Ric and I watched The King of Kong at home.

Sunday we went to church and the music was teeeeerrrrible. I apologized to Julie from our office, who was visiting for the first time that day. After church, I was driving on the way to Emily's birthday party and ran over a giant nail. Fortunately, it only pierced the edge of the tire and didn't actually puncture it. My parents came with pliers to pull out the nail, and I was safely on my way. I met up with Ric at the party, where we celebrated Colin's return and Emily's first birthday. We ate well, watched Liz dance with Emily, and received a nice housewarming gift of a recipe box to match my kitchen. We napped in the afternoon and watched tv.

Yesterday we got our taxes done. Boo for California! As it turns out, we owe them a ton. So much for the economy stimulant check coming in May. We're basically exchanging money with the government. Last night we got the microwave placed, finally. I got my arm workout by holding it in place while Ric screwed it in. I'm surprised my arms don't hurt more today, since I was actually losing feeling in them at the time!

Well, I was going to include a movie review today, but have run out of time. It's time to go jogging in the park and say hello to all of the usuals out there. Tonight I'll be cooking my first meal in my new kitchen. It only took almost two months to get there, but we're finally making good progress!!

This is a post inspired by the 10 weird things I do post by Lonnie aka PHSChemGuy.

I have to warn you: the first two are so weird that I don't normally tell people. If you want a glimpse into my strangest habits, read on.

1. I use numbers I see to play a bizarre number game in my head. I started doing this about grade school or junior high when I would walk home from school. To entertain myself I would take each house number I walked past and add, subtract, multiply, and divide the numbers to try to come up with zero. When that became too simple I started using exponents as well and made it my goal to generate strings of numbers that can then be recombined and repeated without end. Weird, I know. This little mind game actually turned out to be pretty useful because it helped me to remember addresses and phone numbers. I still do it to this day, although I think about it so much less that it's almost become a subconscious act.

2. I mentally rearrange letters in words to conform to patterns on the keyboard. This is kind of like number one in that it is a mind game for my own amusement that I don't really share with people for fear of being thought weird. I think it started when I learned how to type and I began typing letters in my head. Again, that didn't entertain me for long so I created a set of configurations on the keyboard where each finger is used in order from left to right, striking keys in alternating rows, as in awcftnji, zwdvthmil, etc. Sometimes when I am struck by a particularly interested word I see how many of its letters align with one of these patterns. If I find one that fits well, it gives me a secret nerdy thrill.

3. I put off shaving as long as possible. I'm not sure if this is really weird so much as lazy. I just don't like to shave, so I let my facial hair grow until it becomes completely unsightly, and then I shave it off. This is usually three or four days. If I'm feeling particularly lazy or stressed out I'll let it go a week. Trying to shave at this point is very painful, so I may just shave the sides of my face and let my goatee grow. This usually lasts only a month or so, at which time I shave it all off.

4. I am a completionist. Okay, so this is probably not that unusual, but Lonnie included it on his list so I figure I can too. When I decide I like a musician or a writer I begin to collect all of that person's works, beginning with the most readily available, and gradually moving to the nearly impossible to find. The Internet has made this much easier so that if I decide I want to hear a basement recording made by Beck in 1992 of which only one copy was made, all I need is a computer and a fast connection. In this way I have been able to acquire every available recording by Beck, The Flaming Lips, Radiohead, and Sufjan Stevens, plus everything written by Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman.

5. I refuse to carry a cell phone. This probably arose at first from my general disdain for telephones. I don't like the idea of an invention that allows anyone to interrupt me in my home at any time--why would I want to carry such an awful device around with me? If I'm honest, though, I have to admit that it has become an issue of personal pride. As cell phones become more commonplace, I become more special in my refusal to carry one.

6. I meticulously organize my computer desktop, but let my physical desktop be completely messy. Don't ask me why. For some reason creating order on my computer is intrinsically rewarding and I will spend time organizing it that is totally disproportionate to whatever time I save when looking for a file later. Of course, this is another reason I love Google Documents so much.

7. I make up songs to sing to my son and my dogs. I blame my wife. I don't think I ever did this before we were married, but now we create songs for everything: making dinner, giving Daniel a bath, getting in the car, or just to be silly.

8. I watch every special feature on every DVD I own. Although I do enjoy behind-the-scenes documentaries and director's commentaries I suspect this has more to do with the idea of completeness again. It bothers me to think there could be some valuable information that I am missing out on.

9. I carry a book with me everywhere I go. Okay, I know this may not sound that unusual. But when I say I carry a book everywhere, I mean everywhere: the bathroom, the backyard, the dentist's office. If I'm going to wait somewhere for ten minutes I will make sure I have something to read. I think I have fostered in myself a need to be entertained at all times, and I get bored if I don't have anything to do or read for even short periods of time.

10. I eat french fries two at a time. I have no idea where this comes from, but my wife and I both do it. Maybe I picked it up from her. When we eat french fries we put exactly two in our mouth at a time. Erika even goes so far as to pick two fries that are similar in size, but I'm not that picky.

Battlestar Galactica (2003 Miniseries)

I have no clever April Fool's joke this year. What we do have is the lingering possibility that we may have outgrown our VPS already. I guess I should be proud that we're that popular and what not. In other news, my band has a logo thanks to the folks at 5-22 Graphics:

Sadly we lost the demo we were working on when Phil's hard drive crashed so we pretty much have to start from scratch. Back up those hard drives, kids!

Well, that was a short tour of duty. After 2.5 weeks they're already sending me home because of my sexual orientation (bisexual). I'm getting chaptered out and receiving a dishonorable discharge.

Damn. Land of the free? Home of the brave?