This was originally sent November 5, 2007









Our going away party
Cassidy was "no one special anyway" so she ditched on our game of Moffia







Well we are into the first phase of our trip and I know you are all dying to hear the latest from the promised land....

1. Public nudity

Our 22 hour bus ride was fun. We had a bunch of our fantastic friends surprise us at the bus depot to see us off. We put the fear in all the other passengers with the antics from the photo booth while waiting to board the bus. We didn't see an encourage of well wishers like that for the rest of the trip which made us feel special. Half way to Chicago we picked up an older gentleman at a hotel who joined us on our trip. He made his way down the isle and picked a seat next to us. No big deal except that as I'm watching him throw his bag into the overhead bin his pants quite suddenly lost track of his hips and I found myself staring at his bare rear end. I looked over to Eileen who had also apparently enjoyed the fantastic view to confirm that I hadn't imagined this surprise. This event aside there were very few events and the passengers were quite agreeable.

2. Driving on the wrong side of the road

This happened several times since we arrived in Ireland. I'll let you know that because you steer from the other side is no help. My relationship is with the line that's across the road. The first day was actually fine but it's when you get into a situation on a steep hill, with no visibility trying to get the car into reverse that you make your mistakes. Eileen's cousin from the back seat calmly reminded me "wrong side" and I corrected. No collisions so far and i think I've adjusted now.

3. Standard troubles

The real trouble came from driving a standard. When pulling up to a toll on the motorway as they call them here you should be careful how much you do at once. Getting out your wallet from your back pocket while trying to find the brake only to discover that the clutch on it's own does nothing to stop a moving vehicle was a little disconcerting. There was however a good 18 inches between me and the car in front by the time I realized that the brake is beside the clutch and that was the peddle I should in fact be using. There sound effects of tire squealing on pavement just made the adventure that much more fun. And the only casualty was the top of one flower that was a gift for our dinner host. No harm done.

4. Keep your head down

Finally on driving I know I'm much more relaxed than Eileen but when she told me that she closes her eyes when passing a large truck coming the other way I was sure she was totally crazy. Now that I'm hear I've learned that driving in Ireland should be training for surgeons to keep a steady hand under surgery. When the solid stone wall is 6 inches off the road and large vehicles pay only casual attention to the center line you often need to check you seat for items best left in the bathroom. I'll just be strait with you and confess that once you've aimed for the gap as best you know how there comes over you this very powerful compulsion to seek comfort in blindness. I almost without physical control found my eyes blink hard closed at the last second. Foolish as this sounds I swear it was an involuntary reflex. But that too passed after a couple days and now all I do is slow down to 10 km/hr for on coming traffic and it's all Grand!

That's all for now but to those of you who were praying for Eileen's fear of my driving, the irony of this story is that she's been blown away at how good I'm doing. Honestly she was gushing over her shock at my success. A couple of the adventures above may have set her back a touch but none the less all is good in paradise.

Cheerio,
Randall