sorry there's been a huge gap

but the internet here does not work well and on thursday at 7am we left for dublin. bright and early, more like completely dark and windy. We stopped for breakfast, which was really quite good. When we got there we first went to Ireland's Museum of Modern art. one of the pieces consisted of these two huge vats filled with maggots squirming around. yummy. There was some good stuff though. After that we went to the hostel to drop off our bags. In our room it was me, Harris, Amber, Tyler, Elizabeth, Shelby, Thane, Carra, Franz and Beki. We dropped off our bags and then some of us went with Aine and some went with Tim. I was in Aine's group along with Harris Beki Franz and Amber. We went to a really great gallery with neon lights and dizzying floor to ceiling wallpaper with "CONCEPTUAL DECORATION" or something along those lines printed over and over and over. Aine ended up leaving without us haha. So we spent a long time wandering around lost until we found the Photography Institute or whatnot. The guy's stuff in there was alright. There was a juggler outside. Hmmm then what...

we stopped back at the hostel, Barnacles, in Temple Bar, by the way. We ate at Charlie's, this chinese chain we saw a lot of. Ohh, first we found H&M actually, and stopped at a pharmacy so Amber could get a toothbrush. But yes, Harris's dinner was much tastier than mine (I got lemon duck and he got cantonese duck) but now I will know what to order next time. We wandered around a lot. Eventually we went to a pub on the north side of the Liffy (the river which cuts the city in two) and found a pub called the Flowing Tide, which at first wanted to see our IDs which none of us had actually brought with us, but they served us anyway but closed at midnight. Amber and Beki were bored and tired so they left. Franz Harris and I texted Brian Kelly and he met us next to the Heineken building and took us to this amazing sort of punk rock dance club/pub back in temple bar. On the main level they had indie rock like the strokes and franz ferdinand and stuff like that, along with a bar, and then downstairs was another bar with a dance floor and dance music. Below THAT is the "dungeon" which is just tables to sit down at, it looks like it's actually an old dungeon though. They bathrooms were delightedly in disrepair, women's toilet's weren't even flushing haha. And on the paper dispenser someone had written "I am a Carrot." Amazing. Also out back was a garage-ish indoor/outdoor they had for smokers (no smoking is allowed in pubs here, which is quite nice). Brian and his friend tried to convince Harris to piss outside there in a corner but he wasn't having it, luckily haha. Some drunk German girl kept bumming cigarettes from him, and later in the bathroom she kept giving me hugs, crazy crazy girl. Harris said there was a guy sitting in the men's bathroom who turned the water on and gave you soap and towels, so he tipped him. We stayed till the place shut down at 4am just hanging out. Franz Harris and I even danced a tiny bit because Brian offered to watch our coats for us. We were the last ones home but it was a good night.

OH and we saw this sweet celtic marching band thing. I have a video on my phone.
We stopped into the Palace Bar but it was too crowded, and we'd rather see an old wizened man play stuff instead of a 20something girl playing for tourists.

In the morning we checked out of the hostel and put our bags in the left luggage room and then went to the National Gallery which was actually AMAZING. There was a Polish Symbolist exhibit that was really impressive and the painting of the pirate ship was my favourite in that part. There was a Turner exhibit and and bunch of other stuff. There was another of my favourite paintings as well, very dark with lightening and hell, I think Franz wrote down the name for me somewhere. Harris and I were starving so we got lunch and Tim told us how to get to the next place cuz he didn't want to wait. After that we went to the museum of history I think and we got to see leatherized bog people!!! It was both amazing and horrific at the same time. They were leather jackets with arms attached. You could see the skin stretched and dried over the bones. Some where only partial skeletons. They're even more interesting than mummies, I think, because they aren't wrapped up.

After that we started walking in a big group to the Hugh Lane gallery to see the preserved Francis Bacon studio, but everyone wanted to go different places and it was really frustrating. In the end it was just Harris Franz Amber and I. But then Franz had to go check into our hostel cuz he made his reservations separate and his check in time was at 3 instead of 6. So he left. We went around this cross shaped pool which was neat, after walking up O'Connell Street. The Hugh Lane was amazing and more than that you got to look in to Francis Bacon's ACTUAL studio. It was, I don't know, I don't even have words for it. You could almost see him walking around in there in front of you. Harris and I sat in front of the window to the room and he sketched the entire thing in his sketchbook.

We then went to an art store and spent far far too much money on art supplies. Then back to Barnacles to pick up our stuff and THEN off to find where Marlborough House was, which we assumed was on Marlborough street. Some people were staying in Avalon house, but ours was cheaper. It took awhile for them to open the door, but eventually we got in. It was Carra, me, Harris, Amber, Hillary, Sam and Josh. And one person we didn't know. But it's okay because they give you metal pullout things under your bed and padlocks so no one can steal your stuff.

Harris and I went to Urban outfitters while everyone else got ready. It was alright but I didn't see anything interesting that wasn't expensive. Franz Beki and Amber met up with us and we went out and everyone wanted burgers. I tried to get chili and fries but everything at the place was disgusting so I ended up not eating.

Oh, p.s. Irish ketchup is more vinegary and sweet and absolutely DISGUSTING. i actually tried it, which is surprising, but it's still gross.

So I forget why but Beki and Amber left, so Franz and Harris and I went and walked around. After seeing Brian's hairstyle, Harris wanted to try to slick his hair back so we found him some hair grease and then tried to go to the "Bad Ass Cafe" to get coffee so he could do his hair in the bathroom but they had a 9 euro minimum per person which is ridiculous, so we left.

Then we found this Russian pub called Pravda. I think that was the name. Everything was in Russian and once we had ordered our drinks upstairs we realized that there were communist mural paintings everywhere (which were actually kind of cool). There were animal skulls on the walls. It was sooo cool haha. Anyway we left because we couldn't find a place to sit so then we just walked, got lost, but in a good way, eventually found our way back and oh I forgot to tell you my phone died Thursday night and I didn't have my pin code with me so I couldn't turn it back on. We were supposed to meet up with Brian Kelly for lunch on Saturday so we went back to the same punk place with the red door from the previous night in hopes of finding him. He wasn't there though. We sat in the dungeon a bit and Carra and Sam and Josh showed up. We tried two other places in search for indie dance parties but one had a 8 euro cover charge and the other was steamingly hot and gross so we left and went back to the original place for a bit. Sam and Carra left, then Josh, then Harris felt like going off on his own cuz he'd been feeling odd all day, so Franz and I walked back to the Hostel and went to sleep. I woke up when Harris came in but fell right back asleep. Amber and Harris broke up, as I like to say, due to creative differences. In the morning Beki and Amber wanted to go thrift shopping but I had promised Brian on Thursday to meet him at his work so we could go to lunch so Harris and I stopped for coffee and then started trying to find the place. He had written something about Henry Street on his hand on Thursday night so we tried that first but apparently it wasn't there. We did, however, find three really great thrift stores/secondhand shops and I got a purse for 3 euros. We also found an amazing bookstore called the Winding Stair, and a bead/incense/tarot card shop. Harris almost bought the Crowley Tarot but it was too expensive. We stopped in a great little art gallery with great little paintings I will find out the name for you later but we talked with the people running it for awhile and it was a really great experience. Then we fiiiinally found the place and Brian and after that we had to go catch the bus and Harris and I were both panicking about catching the bus, but we made it on time. Except the bus was packing and Carra, Olga, Josh and Annie didn't get on. So Brian (the bus driver - I know so many Brians!) said for us to get off in Galway and he'd pick us up and we'd go back to Orranmore to pick up the rest of people on the later bus. The bus ride was incredibly uncomfortable and Harris and I complained to each other about it a lot. We finally got back and all went right to sleep. Well, no, I called Brian and felt terrible since I hadn't been able to contact him for days. Then I took a shower cuz I hadn't had one since right before we left for Dublin (hostel showers are creepy, and also, time consuming. There were too many places to explore and art to see). Then sleep.

I don't know, it just sucks how American politics affect everywhere else. I am definitely not very proud to be an American. Although the desert it just soo... aghh. I love the desert. Anyway, that's a total non sequitur.

On sunday Harris and I woke up early and went to the Tea Shop because it was finally open and I got banana toffee pancakes with cream and a side of bacon (which here are rashers, a bit different, and more tasty) and harris got banana chocolate pancakes with sausage. The pancakes are sort of like crepes. It's not like in America where you start eating pancakes and then you're like Ewww, pancakes. Oh and coffee. Free refills too. It was amazing. We had a great talk about art. Oh actually we had another art talk in dublin with franz in a good coffee shop thursday night and decided we should do a bunch of collaborative work. anyway the tea/coffee place was great and we talked with the waitresses and promised to come back. Then we stopped at the Spar and Petrol station and Harris and I split the 5 euro cost of renting a movie so we could get Hot Fuzz, and went home to gather things, met up with Franz and walked to school. The internet wasn't up, which sucked, but I did some really shitty watercolour paintings while Franz Drew and Harris climbed the mountain behind school. They were super giddy when they came back, it was hilarious. We walked home and luckily it was a bright night because none of us had remembered a flashlight. I hung out and looked through Drew's pictures of Dublin and the guinness factory and the mountain climb while the guys ate dinner and then we went over to our house and watched Hot Fuzz with Franz and Amber and everyone loved it, so that was great. I walked back with them and we drank a glass of wine and two cups of tea and I think the curry chicken rice in a cup that I got from the Petrol station gave me an allergic reaction cuz I had weird raised bumps on my right arm and harris said they were hives. But he said if I wasn't dead already I'd be fine haha and they did indeed go away. Franz went to take a shower so Harris and I went outside and had a really good conversation about life and ireland and art and I got a good critique on my paintings, cuz I am definitely not a painter, per se. We drew, with our feet, into the gravel, a GIANT speaker cabinet into their driveway haha. Rex came over to play and rolled around on the ground wanting to be pet. We gave him pasta the other day so we told him we didn't have anything this time.

I totally forget if I wrote already about the cat Harris and I saw last week on the way to the Spar that we went and bought a can of tuna for, but it was gone when we got back so we left it where we saw it, but the can was completely gone the next day so I hope that poor little skinny kitty got it before it was thrown out.

Harris lent me a flashlight and I walked home and went to sleep.

I thought I'd be really tired when I got up this morning since we ended up talking for like 3 hours last night, but actually I am really energized today.

Everyone says that work starts being done in earnest every semester once everyone gets back from Dublin. Apparently Amber told Harris it's because by that time everyone is sick of each other and hate each other so they don't get distracted in the studio haha. I don't know about that but the work is definitely increasing.

We got coffee in the morning, which was amazing, from the cafe, and I've been working all morning and have written this as quickly and accurate as possible. Yes mom, I haven't forgotten your Cliffs of Moher pictures, I'll go find them now. And when we go back to Dublin (which we definitely want to) I will be sure to bring my camera.

Oh, Amber went to Galway by herself today in order to try to talk a tattoo artist into tattooing a freckle on her face for her time arts project. I'm not sure how that is going to go, she isn't back yet, but i don't know. Pretty crazy.

And dad, I did NOT get a piercing :)

So yeah I don't know how these watercolours are working for me. When I get more money in my account I may have to suck it up and buy some acrylics. Primary colours and black and white from Robert should hopefully be only 20 euros... bah. Well, we'll figure it out. I still don't feel like stretching a canvas, I should have bought some in Dublin, but they're expensive.

Okay picture time.
In a separate blog though.


By the way, no one is talking about heath ledger anymore.