Colors by jukkalauronen on Flickr.ok, last one. but seriously. i...

Angry Pac-man eating a large ROBOT tag. This wall is in the graffiti covered alleyway across from the side entrance of EASONs on O’Connell St. Crappy ROBOT can be found all over Dublin.

 ross mcdonnell.      joyrider: youth in front of bonfire.  ca.2006-08.

via

Colors by jukkalauronen on Flickr.

ok, last one. but seriously. i want to live here.

Circle Window in NCAD.

Fallow Deer on Flickr.

3 Mews Houses, Dublin

de Blacam and Meagher Architects

the cathedral III by torobala on Flickr.

Circle Window in NCAD.

There is beauty all around us..

..we just have to look.

love them

love them

So cute, dads with their daughter marching at Dublin Pride for...

Owen Pallett-Peach, Plum, Pear (Live At Whelans, Dublin 27/6/11)

So cute, dads with their daughter marching at Dublin Pride for Gay Civil Marriage

Trees along the path by soylentgreen23 on Flickr.

Dr Pepper Bottling Co. in Dublin, TX.

This was an amazing roadtrip I did last year. I want to make this trip some sort of yearly pilgrimage. I wonder if my added “Mexico City” post it remains on the visitors map. 

Man. on Flickr.

A travיs de Flickr:

bleeding through by fivebluefingers on Flickr.

Fink “Eye”. by -FiNK- on Flickr.

#Dublin flavor (Taken with instagram)

After tumbling through Tumblr over the past few weeks, I’ve decided that I’m undecided about what this blog should represent. My good friend blogs her travel diary entries, which read like a novel and almost always bring me to tears. I’ve stumbled across others who blog about music they love, food they love to cook and quotes they want to remember. They’ve all inspired me to do something bigger, better and out of the ordinary. 

Problem is, I just can’t think of anything. Part of me wants to make this about my life-changing experience in Ireland last summer. But, I’ve already blogged about it here. Granted, it is the typical day-to-day blog that my entire family read. So of course I left out the late, drunken nights where we stayed out until sunrise at 5:30 a.m. and my romantic 4-week tryst with an Irish lad I met. (That one I don’t need to blog about, I think I’ll always remember that!)

Which reminds me, today has been one of the WORST “I miss Dublin” days since I returned home on July 5, 2010. That day, I made the awful decision of watching P.S. I Love You and ended up crying at the parts I never used to cry at. Like the part where Hilary Swank goes back to Ireland and visits her dead husband’s family. Or the part where Gerard Butler sang “Galway Girl” in Whelans Pub. Or the breathtaking images of County Wicklow countryside. I can’t remember the last time I’d cried so much. 

I’m afraid if I tried to recount every single detail of that trip, I’d realize I forgot everything I promised myself I wouldn’t. That’s not a chance I’m willing to take just yet. I still like to think I’ll always remember the wonderful people I met, the rich Irish history I learned from Garbhan and Ed (two amazing tour guides) and will always keep in touch with my classmates who’ve become some of the best friends I have (I’ll do everything in my power to make sure it stays that way!). 

I think my good friend over at A Love Affair with the World summed up everything I experienced during those 5 amazing weeks with,

“I never knew the power of a country’s love until Ireland.” 

…Enough venting about how amazing Ireland is. Back to brainstorming what I’m going to make this blog about! You’d think a native Texan who moved to the Big Apple would have a lot more to talk about. But really, all I do is work and hang out with friends. Granted, we’re in one of the greatest cities in the world and sometimes I forget I live here, but I tend to be the type of person who sticks to routines and likes it that way.

Maybe that’s it. Maybe I’ll push myself out of my comfort zone and try new things - then blog about them. Hell, I already moved 1500 miles away from the only place I’ve ever lived and from my entire family. That’s a start, right? That’s not to say I don’t miss them terribly - because I do. And I can’t wait to spend an entire week for Thanksgiving back in my childhood house, in my cozy bed, snuggled up to my little cat Leonidus, whom I left in the care of my amazing parents. 

Great, now I’m Dublin-sick AND homesick. Awful combination! I’m going to attempt to sleep it off. This got way more emotional than I anticipated.

With love from New York City

bleeding through by fivebluefingers on Flickr.

our evening's adventure

Rainy day in Dublin, Ireland

My school just sent home a letter telling my mom I was fat. I hate High School. 

after class, megan, marina, travis (who’s also from svsu!), and myself decided to finally head into town (dublin) to wanderabout and get a feel for the city. we asked mary if it was okay to miss dinner, but reheat it later when we returned; she had no problem with our plan.

we got on a differnt bus than we rode this morning (11 rather than 46a), and made our way towards the city. we weren’t exactly sure when to get off, but we knew that trinity university was very close to one of the pubs that we wanted to check out. we thought it would be easy, just look for the old castle-looking buildings. seriously though, once we got into central dublin, so many of the buildings had an old architecture about them, so we randomly picked a stop to get off at. turns out, we were excatly right!

we made our way around a few blocks, checking a few bars and different shops. some bars were too crowded for our tastes, while some had such a formal presence it was intimidating (ironic, a bar is too formal.). just about on our last straw of looking for a pub to go to, we saw one on a side street, it’s called o’reilly’s.

we made our way to the upper level, where there were very few people, but enough to be ‘lively’. the bartender (conor) was a funny guy, just a few years older than me. i ordered my first legal drink: a guinness. it was pretty good, it felt weird ordering though. i asked conor what his favorite beer is and he said galway hooker. after hearing that i’ve never heard of that brand, he let me have a small glass of it to share with the girls and travis. this may sound weird, but it had an aftertaste that was like coffee. it was different, that’s for sure.

after finishing our drinks, we made our way back to the bus stop, then back to our home. we had another delicious dinner (this time with mashed potatoes and broccoli-two of my favorites) and with a dessert of bread pudding.

i’ve enjoyed some tea, and it’s time to begin my homework for tomorrow.

Go to Dublin… Behave like tourist!

I just booked a one-way ticket to Dublin, Ireland for July 12, 2011. YEAH.

Next Stop: Dublin, Ireland

June has been SO GOOD to me!  London, Copenhagen and Dublin all in one month?! For reals.  Before this, I hadn’t been overseas since last October.  I couldn’t be happier =)

Myself marching for OUThouse at Dublin Pride.

Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin, Ireland (by Michelle in Ireland)

Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin, Ireland

Kilmainham Gaol (Irish: Príosún Chill Mhaighneann) is a former prison, located in Inchicore in Dublin, which is now a museum. It has been run since the mid-1980’s by the Office of Public Works (O.P.W.), an Irish Government agency.

Kilmainham Gaol has played an important part in Irish history, as many leaders of Irish rebellions were imprisoned and some executed in the jail. The jail has also been used as a set for several films. Including “In The Name Of The Father”

When it was first built in 1796, Kilmainham Gaol was called the ‘New Gaol’ to distinguish it from the old jail it was intended to replace - a noisome dungeon, just a few hundred metres from the present site. It was officially called the County of Dublin Gaol, and was originally run by the Grand Jury for County Dublin. Over the 140 years it served as a prison, its cells held many of the most famous people involved in the campaign for Irish independence. The leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were held and executed here.

Children were sometimes arrested for petty theft (also the case in UK), the youngest said to be a seven year-old boy[citation needed], while many of the adult prisoners were deported to Australia.

There was no segregation of prisoners; men women and children were incarcerated up to 9 in each cell, with only a single candle for light and heat, most of their time was spent in the cold and the dark.

Kilmainham Gaol was abandoned as a jail in 1924, by the government of the new Irish Free State. Following lengthy restoration, it now houses a museum on the history of Irish nationalism and offers guided tours of the building.

i got this info off wikipedia…god bless wikipedia

“Tracing patterns across a personal map, and making pictures where the lines overlap”

Go to Dublin… Behave like tourist!

does anyone have any recommendations regarding things to do in dublin?

Clouds and chemtrails in the Dublin sky on Sunday 27.06.2011

I met up with artist Gearoid Hayes on my last day in Dublin. He showed me his studio and explained a lot of the processes behind his work, it was truly fascinating.

Max giving his speech at Dublin Pride on behalf of @lgbtnoise 

Get Equal and join Noise on the March for Marriage on 14th August in Dublin!

March and you will make a difference.

More info on the website - http://lgbtnoise.ie/

i am only there for 3 or 4 days, and am ok with being a massive tourist. anything i absolutely must do or see? apart from drink guinness in a pub while singing songs (which brendan actually did many a time when he was in ireland haha).

My edit of some street art from Dublin.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral (by briansrickard)

My edit of some street art from Dublin.

Photo

always my favourite.

Photo

guinness beer factory

Or is there just the one Matinee show?

Dublin city centre

guinness beer factory

Interpol @ Olympia Theatre, Dublin by Enfant Terrible by Sasha...

Interpol @ Olympia Theatre, Dublin by Enfant Terrible by Sasha Bond on Flickr.

Please nobody ask me about his bracelet ‘cause I don’t have a fucking clue.

Our Pride Flag, “The Only One We Can Associate...

Our Pride Flag, “The Only One We Can Associate With.” :)

Declaração de Dublin sobre o Secularismo e o Lugar da Religião na Vida Pública http://atheis.me/dublin2011 (via @AtheistAlliance

Lovely view from my room in Dublin

Aqui: http://atheis.me/dublin2011

Declaração de Dublin sobre o Secularismo e o Lugar da Religião na Vida Pública http://atheis.me/dublin2011 (via @AtheistAlliance)

Thomas Street by Joachim S. Müller 2010/10/7

Today we walked in the Pride parade!! Originally we planned on just watching from the sidelines, but we saw Declan (my boss) walking in the parade and he pulled us in. We walked for a good portion of it and then got to see the show! There were SOO many people in the parade / at the show. It was great to be surrounded by such fun and positive energy. Also, pride parades are the best people watching venues. So so many hot tranny messes but also some GORGEOUS scantily clad gay men. And the weather was great all day- warm and sunny :).

Me and Declan

???? ??????????, - ????? ?????, - ???? ???????? ????? ?? ???????? ??????? ???? ??????, ? ? ?????? ?????? ???????? ??????, ?????????, ? ???? ????? ??????, ?????? ???? ????? ???????? ??????? ????????.

?????? ??????? ????????? ?????-?? ???????? ?????, ? ????????? ??????? ??? ?? ?????????? ?? ??? ??????, ???????? ????? ????? ??????????? ?????? ????????. ????? ? ????? ??? ????? ?? ??? ??????? ???????, ??????? ? ????????? ?????-?? ?????. ? ?? ???? ????? ?????????, ????? ??? ????, ?? ???? ????? ??? ?????, ??? ???-???? ??? ????? ????????? ?? ??? ??????? ?????? - ?????? ??? ???. ? ???????, ??? ??? ?????? ?????????? ?????, ?? ??? ?? ????? ??? ???. ??? ??????????? ? ????? ?? ????-?? ????????. ???????? ?????? ? ????????? ??? ????????? “????? ?????” ???????? ? “?? ?? ??????? ???” ????????????. ????? ??? ???-?? ?????? ? ???????? - ?? ?? ?????? ????????? ???, ??? ? ??? ????? ???????? ?? ????????? ??? ??????. ??????? ? ??? ? ????? “????? ??? ???????????”, ??? ?? ?????? ??????????.

?????? ????? ??? ?????????? ??????? “???????”, ??????? ???????????? ??? ?????, ??????? ????????? ????? ? ??????? ? ???????? ??????? ??????, ? ? ???, ? ??? ??? ??? ???????????. ?? ????????? ?? ???????? ??? “??? ????????? ?? ???”. ???????, ??????????? ???????, ????? ??? ?????? ??????? ????? ??????? ? ?????????? - ??? ??? ?????????. ???? ??????? ??? ??? ????? ?????????? ???????? ??????? - ?????? ?? ?????.

we walked through town holding a huuuuuge flag it was quite fun! :)
Then we ate ice cream (poor bear delight hahahahha) and then we had slush puppys that were sour apple & strawberry flavored yumm … :)
Then we had a deep conversation about life on the rooftop of Stevens Green shopping centre….yep.

good timezzz  

“I want to feel as alive as I did in Ireland. Carefree, reckless, and spontaneous.”

I’m happy with today. It marks just a few months of being out to my family and friends. Today was also my first pride and I marched with the Transgender Equality Network Ireland. At first my friend (Hey Bro) and myself were following the banner quite closely for the first part of the parade. Then I was asked to carry one side of the banner. I think what I’m most happy with is the fact that I’ve only very recently changed the name of meself and it’s only been a few months since I started interacting with the transgender community in Dublin.

Some of the transwomen who know me a while said that I was doing well to be out so short a time and then to go on to marching with the banner at the front of our section. I think the sense of community is very strong between the trans people I know and their support has made such a difference. I’d also have to say I owe my bro Sclez for basically being there and for coming to march with me.

Now me mammy wants to watch the news in case she sees me on it. It may be one of those embarrassing mother moments but I think she’s accepted me now.

Also STICKERS.

On Luas (tram) Dublin, 2nd June 2011

“I wouldn’t touch her with his dick!”

Sacred Animals, Dublin’den Darragh Nolan‘?n projesi. Welcome Home isimli EP’leri yan?nda ayn? çal??man?n bir de remix versiyonunu yay?mlam??lar. Ba?l? olduklar? plak ?irketi ise yine Dublin men?eili Delphi. Nolan’?n vokallerinin çarp?c?l??? üzerine payla?ma gere?i hissettim.

Enteresand?r, bir rِportajda kendisine sorulan “müzi?inizi nas?l tan?mlas?n?z” sorusuna ?u yan?t? vermi?: I think it’s mellow, folk-tinged song based electronica. Is it? Maybe it’s Turkish avant prog jazz & I haven’t realized it.

EP’nin di?er kay?tlar?na grubun soundcloud sayfas?ndan ula?abilirsiniz.

Sacred Animals - Wired, Islands (Welcome Home, 2010)

There was some guy preaching about the bible on O’Connell Street today after the Pride parade in Dublin, so my friend and I decided to walk past while holding hands and wish him a happy pride day. He told us we weren’t going to heaven. I gave him a look which said “fuck off”. 

Thomas Street by Joachim S. Müller 2010/10/7

cc-by-nc-sa

a-wop bop-a loo-mop, a-lop bam-boom! @ tutti frutti [dublin,...

Howth - Dublin

dinner, family style with the fam @ sri-thai [dublin, ca]

either i haven’t had thai food for a while or this was quite possibly the best thai food i’ve had ever… not even exaggerating that statement.

a-wop bop-a loo-mop, a-lop bam-boom! @ tutti frutti [dublin, ca]

this this place has the best toppings selection out of all the frozen yogurt places i’ve been to.