The Start of the X-Mas Season

It starts to get dark now before 5:00. The Irish don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, so there’s not a specific start of the Christmas season. Saturday, at 4:00, Sierra’s school sang and played their tin whistles for the Santa parade before the lighting of the Christmas tree and city lights. The weather was cold, but not rainy like today. http://www.dlrevents.ie/events.htm

The parade consisted of the following:
* a formal procession of city elders (including Father Mangan and someone playing bagpipes) most of whom were wearing the red and white stocking caps
* two fire spitters and a juggler,
* a small marching band drum section (about 12 kids playing pretty well),
* 4 larger-than-life paper maché figures,
* a 2-man Chinese dragon (with 4 man drum and gong section),
* a couple of girls in red and white fur short skirts riding horses,
* and Santy riding in the chimney of a small house on a trailer.

They came down George’s street, circled the block in front of Sierra’s school, and then came back to the stage where Sierra’s choir was singing so that Santy could come and speak alongside the mayor.

It was a cute little small town celebration. Sierra woke up with a sore throat this morning.

Happy(?) Halloween

We went to a suburb of Dublin this morning to look at pictures we had taken by a photographer there last week. Clontarf is on the other side of the Liffy river from Dublin. In addition to being the site of a famous battle in the 11th century, it just happens to be the birthplace of Bram Stoker.

There is a Dracula museum near the DART station in Clontarf, which just happens to be built over the house where Stoker grew up. (For those who care, the museum is on the second floor of the largest fitness center in Europe)

The first part of the museum deals with Stoker's life, which is itself very interesting.

Until he started school at the age of seven — when he made a complete, astounding recovery — Stoker was an invalid. After his recovery, he became a normal young man even excelling as an athlete at Trinity College, Dublin (1864-70), from where he graduated with honors in mathematics.

Bram Stoker was born in Dublin in 1847 at the height of the Great Famine. This was one of the most catastrophic events in Irish history, with hundreds of thousands of people dying from starvation and disease or emigrating in 'coffin ships' to America.

The famine may have inspired the visual characteristics of Count Dracula and also his infamous obsession with bloodsucking. His mother would tell him often gruesome stories of her childhood, particularly those concerning the great cholera epidemic of 1832, when humans drank the blood of cows as a source of nutrition.

There was a suicide burial plot in Clontarf, Dublin, where Stoker lived. As a boy the author used to spend hours playing in that graveyard and St. Michan's Church, where the Stoker family had a burial vault.

Dracula comes from the Irish word "Droch Ola", which means "bad blood". Stoker's mother was from the West of Ireland and she told Bram about a cholera epidemic in 1832 when she witness large graves and people being pushed into them with wooden poles while they were still alive.

The second part of the museum was basically a well done haunted house, full of Dracula scenes, that scared Sierra to pieces.

The West Winger to Western Ireland

"West Wing" star Martin Sheen will next month begin studying at a university in Ireland.

The actor, whose mother hailed from the Irish county of Tipperary, has been quoted as saying he wanted to finish his education when he retired from acting as he never got his high school diploma, according to media reports.

Last year NUI conferred an honorary degree on Sheen, real name Ramon Estevez, for both his acting and "his consistent and meaningful engagement with civil society".

A dedicated supporter of liberal causes, Sheen has been arrested more than 60 times for public protests.

National University of Ireland, Galway

I've been to Cork, but not to Galway. I may have to check that out.

Oh yes, we want this war. We really really do.

You're all like a bunch of actors in a bad porno movie over there. Bush is running around bragging about the length of his war and how he's going to use it to continue screwing the country. Half the population is rocking back and forth, faking orgasms, and lying right back about what a great ruler he is.

"I've got a hunk of steaming love for you, babe. C'mon, you know you want it."

"Oh yes, I want it. I love it when you fail. Oooh, make a mess over there, too, baby."

Bush: Anger over war won’t change U.S. policy

President, conceding unpopularity, vows to stay the course in Iraq
“If we lose our nerve and leave the Middle East before the job is finished, the world will be much worse off,”

Get a clue, you moron! The world is worse off. You accomplished exactly what you wanted to over there. You wanted chaos, death, and anarchy and that's exactly what you got.

Death Squads Behind Spike in Iraq Killings

Sectarian violence in Iraq has become the "core conflict" in Iraq and has created a security situation American military commanders believe is more complex than any they have faced at any time since the U.S. invasion in 2003, a sober Pentagon report released today says.

Car Bomb and Rockets Kill 43 in Baghdad’s Shiite Strongholds

The recent surge in bombings calls into question the long-term effectiveness of a joint American-Iraqi security offensive in Baghdad. The security measures are expected to contribute to a relatively low civilian death toll in August, but there are increasing questions about whether that can be sustained.

Bush said opponents of the war in Iraq who are calling for a plan to bring home troops would create a disaster in the Middle East.

If America were to pull out before Iraq could defend itself, the consequences would be absolutely predictable, and absolutely disastrous.

Pentagon gives gloomy Iraq report

In a notably gloomy report to Congress, the Pentagon reported that illegal militias have become more entrenched, especially in Baghdad neighborhoods where they are seen as providers of both security and basic social services.

In response to the Pentagon's report Friday, the Senate's top Democrat, Harry Reid of Nevada, said it showed the Bush administration is "increasingly disconnected from the facts on the ground in Iraq."

White House on 2,500 U.S. Fatalities In Iraq: ‘It’s A Number’

Tony Snow was asked this afternoon if President Bush had any reaction to the death toll for U.S. troops in Iraq reaching 2,500. Snow responded: “It’s a number.”

Bush said last year that history will prove his policy a sweeping success.

because 30,000 Iraqis, more or less, have died as a result of the initial incursion and the ongoing violence against Iraqis.

Bush said 'So long as he's president, we're in Iraq'

Be sure to shrug your shoulders when you say that.

Why I don't worry about threats anymore

I was in a class the day the airline business got turned on its ear a few weeks ago. Being the only American in the group, I got asked a lot of questions. I had pretty much concluded the same thing as Keith Olberman did back in 2005:



Of course, there may be another completely unrelated but equally viable explanation for the "alert".

Another July in Ireland

I'll probably need to change the title on this blog, since it has now been over a year and I'm still here.

I'm alone in Dun Laoghaire as the family has gone back to the states for a summer visit. I plan to stay busy here with work, working out, projects, reading, and studying..

My mom just left the other day, too, after spending a couple of weeks with us at the end of a tour of Ireland.

To convert Celsius to Fahrenheit degrees, you multiply the Celsius figure by 1.8 and then add 32. To go the other way, subtract 32 and divide by 1.8. With that in mind, calculate the Fahrenheit equivalent of 26 degrees. We might get that hot in August. Meanwhile, they're getting a good dose of Texas summer.

My mom got mad at me when she overheard me mentally preparing Sierra for her summer vacation. I had to explain that Sierra was getting ready to leave the peace and quiet of Ireland to return to the madness of America in the middle of mid-term elections. So, here's a sample of news listings you won't hear on Fox News:

Our successes in Iraq mean that troop withdrawls might actually be accelerated.... or not. But that's OK, see, because Republicans really really want another World War. After all, war is good for business. (By the way, the keynote speaker for this event will probably need to be changed.) So, while war means good business overseas, it should also help with the energy crisis, right? Maybe I did the math wrong.

It should be OK, though, because summer vacation is here and the nation's future is in the secure hands of the Republicans

I'm beginning to think this is what the inventor of the TV had in mind

Fun Running in Dublin

Last weekend, I did the BUPA Great Ireland Run in Dublin's Phoenix Park. Ireland's largest road race had 7,500 runners in it. That's almost 1/2 the size of the Capitol 10000 in Austin, but was still impressive for Europe. And while it didn't have the same spirit as the 10K in Austin (then again, what race does), the Great Ireland Run of Dublin had its own unique flavor. Eamonn Coughlan was there. Back in the day, he was known as The Chairman of the Boards.

The vast majority of the participants wore the gray T-shirts sent to us by the registration. The back of each shirt had the flag of the Irish county from which the participant came. There was an inter-county competition to see which county could have the fastest average time of the participants from that county. Of the people who didn't wear the official t-shirts, a lot of them wore the t-shirts promoting the charity they were representing.

Public Service Announcement

If you're planning to enter a road race and walk or jog with a group of friends, please be sure to work your way to the FRONT of the pack before the start. That way, EVERYONE else in the race will have to dodge you as they're actually running the race. Also, be sure to walk side by side, so that you form a wider wall for people to run around. And act really indignant when someone accidentally bumps into you as they veer out of control trying to avoid your obstruction. Doing this will make you feel very important and will enhance the enjoyment of everyone involved. Thank you.

When I got to the start, the clock read 11:42. When I finished, it read 52:35. I thought that meant I had run under 41 minutes. It certainly didn't feel that fast, but as it turned out, my official time was 48:11. Not as good as the 45:00 I ran in Austin last year, but respectable for an old man.

A note for the end of March

I went back to France last week. Worked a couple of days in Montpellier and then Saturday in Marseille. We're planning to go back again in April, the week after Easter, because I enrolled Carol and Sierra in a week-long French language course in Montpellier.

In Dublin, on the way to the bus that takes you to the airport, something occurred to me that I should mention. I don't want to generalise, but I noticed something about the Irish that was exemplified by this one innocuous event. I was crossing the bridge near Connelly street and there was a panhandler sitting against the rail in the middle of the bridge with his cup out. An older man was coming towards me and we did that little dance people do when they are trying to avoid running into each other. The man was probably in his late 50's, long white hair, and he wore a cheap maroon windbreaker from a university he obviously didn't attend. His sneakers were beat up, but he walked with his back straight and his head up. He was cutting across the pedestrian traffic (hence our near collision), heading towards the beggar on the bridge.

Me, I tend instinctively to go out of my way to avoid panhandlers, but here this old man was going out of his way to give some other poor bloke a bit of change. This is not untypical. Again, I don't mean to generalize, but the Irish are some of the most caring, giving, cheerful, helpful, and generous people I've ever seen. If you ask for help or directions, they will try to help - even if, for example, they have no clue about the directions. I often feel stingy and morose next to the Irish generosity.

March Madness

It has been over a month since I've posted anything here. On Wednesday, I'm heading back to France for a few days. I had intended to post an entry last month when I came back from France on the 26th. Life has a way of getting away. I'm getting old.

Yes, I spent a week in southern France last month. And there I was at the airport in Marseille on Sunday the 26th, looking for the Aer Lingus counter for my return flight to Dublin. I was there in plenty of time, the crowds weren't long, it was going to be a quick trip back. Sunday the 26th.... of March! I bought my return ticket for the wrong MONTH. After running between terminals, I found the cheapest ticket I could - on Lufthansa airlines - with a 3 hour layover in Frankfurt. So, this week, I'm going back to Marseille to use up the back end of two round trip tickets. Lufthansa to Marseille and then Aer Lingus back to Dublin on the 26th... of March.

It did me a lot of good to be in France for that week. Working half in English and half in French gets taxing after a while. I had never been to Montpellier before. When I was at la Faculté d'Avignon in 1987, I was a poor college student who could only visit those parts of Provence I could reach by bicycle on weekends. Montpellier has a very interesting history. Marseille is just weird. But as soon as I arrived in Dublin, it felt like home. The bus ride from the airport sealed it. At one stop, two old men got on and had the funniest conversations with complete strangers for a few stops and then got off, wishing everyone around the the best. When we stopped in Dun Laoghaire, the driver leaned out of his booth and cheerfully yelled, "Last Stop! Twice as fast as a taxi and a fraction of the price!" The Irish are so cool.

Sierra made the cover of the March 9 edition of The Irish Catholic. There was a ceremony at the Pro-Cathedral in Dublin for candidates for baptism. Sierra was the youngest one there by a long shot. We asked our neighbors to serve as godparents. Little did we know that Otto was once the managing director of that very newpaper.

In the Pro-Cathedral Dublin a ceremoney called the Rite of Election took place last Sunday when 17 Catechumens were presented by sever parishes to go forward to receive the Sacraments of Initiaon at this year's Easter vigil. On the night in their respective parishes, they will be Baptised, Confirmed and will receive the Eucharist for the first time. The ceremony which was presided over by Bishop Ray Field took palce on the firs Sunday o fLent. Pic shows Otto and Marie Herschan with Sierra Mangum (9) enrolling herself as a candidate for christian initation.

When I was 9, I made the front page of the Abilene Reporter News for breaking my arm when I fell out of a tree.

This is not an essay

I have trying for some time to figure out how to post this. I'm trying to avoid sounding too philosophical here (hence the silly title). I think I'll just retype what I wrote in Sierra's journal on Christmas eve and then see where we end up.

I've just had a revelation of sorts. I was meditating and started thinking about many of the mandates that various philosophies expect their followers to adhere to. For modern day Christians, for example, this focus is almost exclusively on issues of morality (thou shalt not...). I don't know if the other religions or philosophies have lost their way like Christianity has, but I will assume so. Most people have no idea why they're doing the things they're doing. It's how they were brought up; it's what they were taught - whatever.

When it comes to morality or even lifestyles, I have to make the analogy of running. I use this analogy because I understand it well and it is often what forms my frame of reference for other things. I was basically a self-taught runner. I studied a lot, read articles, practiced techniques, took advice from others, learned from mistakes, and kept learning and improving. I also eliminatd from my life those things that would make me a worse runner. I even stopped playing basketball because of the risk of injury. I was 'religious' about my running, both in terms of what I did and what I didn't do. The goal, of course, wasn't to be religious or strictly adherant to my practices. The goal was to be able to run as fast as I could and win races. In pursuing that goal, I became dedicated and strict in the conduct of my life. But someone else could not come along and copy me and expect the same results. It's a question of cause and effect. The habits did not cause the success; rather, the pursuit of success caused the habits.

In terms of spiritual religion and social morality, how does this analogy apply? (And what was the revelation I had?) At the risk of oversimplifying the subject, the OBJECTIVE to pursue in the spiritual realm is enlightenment. It is a hightened state of awareness and 'intunement' of and with the spiritual elements of ourselves, others, and the universe. Religions are supposed to be paths of development to reach enlightenment. In pursuit of enlightenment, you should learn what impedes your progress along the path and eliminate it from your life.

There are things in life that you should avoid. But your motivation for avoiding them should not be (or doesn't need to be) conformity to the rules of a religion or the social norms of a culture. Your motivation should be to remove from your life things that interfere with your pursuit of enlightenment.

On that note, I'll point you to a link that demos a game I bought recently. Now, I don't do video games as a general rule - I spend enough time with computers as it is. But this is one game I have really come to enjoy. Check out The Journey of the Wild Divine.

The Journey to Wild Divine is a unique program for mind & body that links biofeedback hardware with your computer to create an enlightening experience of wellness.

Learn new breathing and meditation techniques using biofeedback to create a renewed sense of balance. The perfect addition to your wellness program for a happy mind and a healthy body.

We've been playing this game once or twice a week now. Sierra is quite good at it, but there are times when you have to slow your heart rate down in order to get through a level and she has trouble with that. I think her natural heart rate is so fast (like most kids her age) that the system reads that as not being relaxed. Still, it's fun to navigate. The running analogy breaks down at a certain point, but this is a tangible example I can give you. There are things that would interfere with our ability to play this game, for example. To play this game well, you should avoid these things.

Happy New Year 2006

I know it was a tradition in Austin for people to go swimming in Barton Springs Pool on New Year's Day. I thought it was the same tradition here, but it turns out, it's on Christmas morning. The location is a place called 40 Foot at the base of James Joyce's Tower in Sandycove.

From http://dublin.hotels.travel-tracker.com/:

A mile south of Dún Laoghaire, the Martello Tower is SANDYCOVE 's most prominent feature . James Joyce spent some time here with his friend Oliver St John Gogarty, whom he later transformed into Buck Mulligan in Ulysses . On the seaward side of the tower is the Forty Foot Pool - named not for its size but because the 40th Foot Regiment of the British army used to be stationed in a battery above it.

And from Ramblings of a Defiant Irishwoman

SWIMMING on Christmas morning, when any right minded individual would be on their knees at Mass, or slaving over a hot stove in the kitchen. No wonder it was a men only tradition up to a few years ago!

Times have changed and never more so by what I saw yesterday at the 40 foot! Traffic jams of men, women, children, and Santas helpers coming and going, ..

Well, I missed the traffic jam by going on January 1. I wasn't alone, though, as there was a older woman packing up as I arrived. So, how cold is the Irish Sea in winter time? Check out this model. Ireland is the island on the left. We're right in between 54N and 53N on the map. (Convert C to F - multiply by 1.8 and add 32)

Nice.