surprise pie

As you go through life you quickly learn that not all surprises are good. This post is about a surprise pie so how could that possibly be bad? (I guess a surprise pie in the face might be but that's never happened to me)

Recently we were on a road trip. My recent post about the lighthouse was part of this trip. She-with-better-taste and I decided to stop in Savannah GA. on our route up to North Carolina. Many years ago (don't remember exactly) we spent a few days in Savannah at a very nice B&B.

Our journey this time was from the Florida panhandle to north of Charlotte NC. I wasn't keen on driving around the busy Atlanta area so we went up I-95 which goes near Savannah. She-with-better-taste suggested that we stop and eat at Lady and Sons restaurant. During our stay years ago we ate at an earlier Lady and Sons location (think it was Paula Deen's first one). Awesome delicious food. 

Our timing was prefect. We arrived around 4 pm but had eaten little on the long drive so we were hungry. I noticed a sign on the door telling customers that there might be some filming taking place. We got seated right away. Soon after the waitress finished taking our order a young woman approached us and asked if we would mind being filmed. She also told us we would get a free dessert and a surprise. We quickly agreed but I was a little worried I end up with a parking ticket if it ran long. The parking is a bit more of problem than I recall from our first visit to Savannah.

After we filled our plates from the great buffet and sat down we noticed the crew starting to setup. I called the young woman (director, film crew manager?) over and asked where makeup was. She chuckled and told me that group didn't come along for shoot. I probably could have used the makeup but at least she-with-better-taste reminded me to take off my hat.

The surprise was a delicious pecan pie delivered by Paula Deen herself. We were shocked. Paula is southern charm all around. We could have talked with her for hours. It was not long before smartphones were pointed at our area from all directions. A line formed to get selfies with Paula. I've been looking on youtube for a video taken by one of those smartphones. Also, I learned the filming will shown on Paula's Evine channel but have not found it yet.

Thankfully my wife thought of taking this picture of Paula and me. We sent the news of our surprise to the relatives and her brother texted back "Paula Deen and Colonel Sanders must be great chicken".

colonel Sanders with Paula

Lastly: St. Patrick's day is just a hours away as I post this so here's a St. Patrick's day greeting from our youngest granddaughter.

chances are

Chances are - You don't wonder about of the difference between feeling lucky and feeling you have been lucky. I suspect feeling lucky happens more often. (note this post does not cover “getting lucky” that’s a whole different thing) To have felt lucky about some past event requires an experience of a lucky event and recognize the luck involved. The difference in my mind is future thinking vs. understanding the past.

why are horseshoes lucky?

Luck doesn’t let you skip out of having a role in it. You need to notice luck passing your way and then extract the benefits it offers. So there is effort on your part. Be involved in making the most of what comes your way.

A post ago, I mentioned this lottery and was asked in a comment if I would stop blogging if I won. Part of my reply:

“...I suspect if I won big, I would need to shutdown the blog since those smart scammers would have an incentive to connect this blog with this guy having money up the wazoo. And then there would be all these distractions such a new home, cars, trips, haircuts, etc. However, I probably would want to restart my blogging eventually. This whole scenario doesn't concern me much since before this recent lottery it had been, oh maybe 10 years since I played the lottery….”

Benefit of the lottery - A few weeks ago there was a lottery drawing that had rolled up into the BILLIONS. So big that people that can’t even count knew it was a lot of money. I rarely play the lottery and given the chance to take a chance, I prefer going to a casino. However, I played a few chances on it this time. Winning it would have been a life changing event.

I read a few articles during this spectacle of the masses seeking to fatten their wallets with this game of chance. BTW, the day I walked over to buy my ticket there was no line waiting for tickets. The clerk told me his lottery sales were strong and wished me luck.

I should have saved my favorite article so I could offer you a link to it but I didn’t. I don’t recall having thought of the lottery game like this author did. Even to the losers, just the what-if of winning big provides the players a reason to dream about possibilities. You project forward and escape for a brief moment to a different part of the world. That rich and famous corner of the world. Even if you don’t plan on upgrading to a life of luxury, giving large donations to your favorite causes would be rewarding and fun. From now on if I decide to throw down $10 on a lottery game, I’ll also remember it is a dream generating ticket. Dreams don’t always come true so I’m still not going to play often.

Luck of course is not just about money. Once in my career I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time. Sure not all luck but I believe luck played a part.

I had decided to change jobs, found a new company and turned in my two week notice. Before the first week was up, my manager asked me if I would talk to the new international group. Sure, I had nothing to lose. I was leaving. Turned out I was a match for who they wanted to start up a project in Ireland. Few in the whole company even knew there were any plans for anything in Ireland. After days of negotiation, I took the Ireland offer. It was a great assignment.

Accidents - that can be a mixed bag of luck. Unlucky the accident happened. Lucky you survived the accident. I’ve wondered about the few I’ve been in. Certainly one area that you don’t want to push your luck. (how exactly does one push luck?)

Now I’m certain some will disagree but I believe there is luck involved in your own birth. Time, place, parents, etc, might be mostly luck.

Even if luck in not waiting around the next bend, you should keep your eyes open because it could be a fast moving train instead.

Chances are they don't play this song at any lottery store.

there is green in my blog if you look

Green is a welcomed color after all this snow. I honestly never spotted as many shades of green (more romantic than shades of gray I believe) until I drove around Ireland. A very rural country and it was even more so back in 1989, my first trip there.

If you are a long time (further back than the last St. Patrick's Day and of course can remember things you read up here) follower then you may recall me sharing memories of our big trip to Ireland. 

This "and it’s no nay never" post explains how this Irish trip came to be.

I'm not Irish but I married Irish so I have many Irish in-laws. They can sing but are terrible at directions (I don't really believe in sweeping generalizations but there is plenty of great music in Ireland). Last summer we were visit by a couple of Irish relatives, Seamus and Kathleen. Listening to that Irish accent brought back memories.

Irish visitors in Chicago '13

Our whole crew '89

Ashford Castle '89

scenes of rolling green
traffic jams of sheep
misty rain
rainbows
castles
toe tapping music in pubs and local shows
driving on the left
B&B's
helpful friendly people
beer

You can find more photos from around the world at Unknown Mami's Sundays in my City (click the button below)

 

off the top of my head and from the bottom of my heart

I wish you a Happy St. Paddy’s Day 

Sláinte

know it when you see it

For my first post of 2014, I'm digging back into my past for a story.  I am offering up a story that explains the gift of manners and respect I received from my Mom (I should give Dad some credit too but his lessons were often loud and so blunt so it wasn't always clear if there was some deeper message.)

Before I drop you into the story (actually being dropped isn't nice - hmm maybe I should ease you into the story) I must state that I've been told on occasion that I was being rude. So I have failed at manners. I'm no manners expert but I do respect people and try not to fail.

I also have failed many parents challenges over the years.  Our kids pushing me to the edge has reminded me of how difficult it is to maintain control in these situations.  Please understand I'm not judging the parents who I know nothing of their background in this story.

One thing I believe you'll agree about - bad parenting - you know it when you see it.

(one minor note - I wanted to use a picture of my own but how often do you take pictures of bad manners?  I found this attitude face on the internet somewhere. )

Summer 2005 - AA 2325 flight Chicago – Dallas Fort Worth – final destination Long Beach CA. As I work my way through another business trip which always has the potential of a small adventure, I decide to capture some thoughts of the trip. Since I was able to plan this trip, I selected a midday flight. I am not a morning person. I suspect many travelers like me judge a trip by the number of hassles encountered getting from A to B. So far it’s not been too bad. Plenty of backed-up traffic on I-294 and a filled up airport parking lot, but I anticipated that and allowed myself plenty of time.  (planning pays off the best when confronted by the unexpected) I got through security and even had time for a salad at Chili’s airport restaurant. Eating alone at an airport restaurant seems more accepted than eating alone most anywhere else.  

Row 25

My seat is in row 24, but in 25 is a young family. As I approach my seat I hear screaming and yelling. Two little girls with mom and dad are threatening my chance of a peaceful flight. The youngest and loudest one wants to play with her tray and doesn’t seem fazed by her mother’s threats. One interesting threat her mother shared with the passengers was “they have special seat in the back for children who misbehave.” She might as well told her they would strap her on the wing, she didn’t care.

Luckily I came prepared with a laptop filled with music. With all the electronic gadgets available hopefully other passengers were able to entertain themselves instead of listen to these unruly kids. The row 25 family had a DVD player for the kids. The three year-old I hear (all nearby passengers also discover this within seconds) does not want to share the view of the screen with her sister. 

Finally we landed and my hope of escape from row 25 is restored.  As we crowd the aisle waiting to deplane the kids were behind me. In this tight space bumping one another is common. So it didn’t surprise me that one of the girls bumped me a few times. It was not a big deal. What did surprise me was the mother’s response. She told her daughter that if she kept it up she would let the man (me) smack her. What a crazy thing to say. I later wondered if it was a ploy to sue me if I took her up on the offer.

My experience of traveling with a gaggle of kids has been both a joy and a terror.  Sleep schedules, skipped meals, delays, weather can overwhelm the best two year old and the rest of their family.

The one-who-knows (my wife) did a return international trip on her own with just the kids (I really had to stay - really for work). I don’t recall any crying or fussing from our kids on our long ride over to Ireland. Maybe I just don’t remember but I think the kids were excited enough about the trip that they just enjoyed the experience.  That's the key - enjoy the adventure.

Back in 1989, none of them even had CD players yet. The boom box was still popular (tape and radio) but those were not allowed in the aircraft cabin. The youngest was not 4 yet and the next oldest had just turned 9. They brought books and colored. Being an overseas flight we had music and some movies provided. But the movies shown on screens for the whole cabin don’t provide much to a little kid that could hardly see over the seatbacks.

Return trip different row
Long Beach airport – a new favorite for me. A fellow traveler pointed out as we walked across the tarmac, Long Beach airport is probably the only airport in the US with no Starbucks (anyone know if it does now?). The airport did have a coffee/snack stand.

For comparison to the early family there was family with two (maybe three – I don’t remember) young boys waiting to board the flight to Dallas. The youngest appeared to be about the same age as the young girl in row 25. They were probably closer in age than the row 25 set. The youngest boy came running through the gate area when his dad pointed out the plane. I think he was ready to run outside and jump on-board. Dad called to him to stop and he did. Unlike row 25 family, no yelling or threats were exchanged. Instead the dad seemed interested in answering his young son’s many questions. The difference in the parents’ attitudes of these families influenced the behavior of the kids. The Long Beach Dad appeared interested in making the most of what a trip can be for a young kid – a learning experience.

I'm no expert on teaching manners or discipline, but nonsensical threats only backfire. Kids learn quickly that threats are not backed by anything. You lose control at that point.

Change is constant with the technology in our daily lives. I wonder if the gadgets are used unsuccessfully to bribe kids. Disciplined kids however, I suspect come from techniques practiced since the beginning of families.

Share a comment - and thanks Mom, I think I get it now but it's still an effort to face down a tantrum.

(a few readers might remember this post - I revised it.)

and it’s no nay never

no nay never no more 

I’m no wild rover but I have enjoyed good pub music.

St. Patrick’s Day is approaching. As in previous years, I spend a bit time reflecting on the great St. Paddy Day I had in 1989. It fell on a Friday that year and by a strange coincidence I had finalized a deal with my employer to join a new group they acquired in Shannon Ireland. I was involved in taking engineering projects over to the Irish development group. The whole family (5 kids) got to join me for the whole summer. We had fun.

We lived just outside of Limerick that summer. Typically did a B&B in other towns on the weekends. We walked through many castle ruins. We met cows and sheep on the roads.

Everything changes so I suspect the pub scene might have changed too since 1989. I noticed on my various local pub visits that they were the community gathering place and very family oriented. Nothing like the taverns/bars I had experienced growing up here. There was an abundance of musical talent to be found in the pubs too.

Here’s an earlier post reminiscing on that trip. (more can be found by clicking the Ireland tag/label)

A stop to enjoy the Gap of Dunloe in 1989.

proof the sun does shine in Ireland

off the top of my head and from the bottom of my heart

I wish you a Happy St. Paddy’s Day 

Sláinte

call me Liam

It's March. 

St. Patrick's Day time. 

Pour me a pint and call me Liam.

stopping to enjoy the Gap of Dunloe

There are countless memories that pop up and rattle around my brain. A very fond memory is my family's opportunity to live Irish for a few months during 1989. I’m reminded of it every St. Paddy’s Day.

scenes of rolling green

traffic jams of sheep

misty rain

rainbows

castles

toe tapping music in pubs and local shows

driving on the left

B&B's

helpful friendly people

beer

You might find one of these dark tasty pints at my table:

But most often it looked more like this:

May your Guinness glass always be half full.

 
It was through I-tunes that I discovered an Irish punk band going by the name “The Tossers”.

No matter where you live, if you party too much you might get mixed up in a relationship like this guy did with Siobhan.

off the top of my head and from the bottom of my heart

I wish you a Happy St. Paddy’s Day 

Sláinte

(find more of my Irish posts by clicking the Ireland label/tag)

rearview mirror looking

I don’t what the future of blogging holds but I know it has provided me a few surprises. Yesterday, I visited a blog which was new to me. (BTW, no matter how long you have been blogging visiting a new one every so often is a good practice) This particular blog was named “THE DARK (IN)SIDE”. 

My blog reading surprise over there was a name mentioned that triggered looking into the rearview mirror of my mind. 

The FF post (see my last post if don’t know about the FF post) over there mentioned that Anne McCaffrey had recently passed away. If that name isn't familiar to you, she was a Sci-Fi author who lived in Wicklow Ireland. I never read any of her fantasy books but I know her stories had dragons because of a trip to Ireland.

My minor connection to this author relates to a job assignment I had in Ireland over 20 years ago. If you are interested you can learn more about our family’s adventure in Ireland in this older post. A co-worker asked a favor of me when he heard of my upcoming Ireland trip. I recall it was a Christmas present for his wife. 

He wanted me to take two dragon drawings to Anne McCaffrey for an autograph. As I had done on previous trips, I headed to the nothing-to-declare line at the customs checkpoint. The customs officer thought my odd shaped package was worth stopping and calling me over. I told him it was a gift worth about $15.00. He let me go on.

Our plant in Ireland was near the Shannon airport which is far from Wicklow. I was able to connect with Anne on the phone and asked if she could pick up the dragon drawings at our Dublin office. She didn’t travel into the city she explained. The package was taken to Dublin on one the regular inter-office trips but I’m not sure how it finally met her pen. 

Today I’m pleased with myself for writing down my thoughts about my Irish adventure in a small notebook. It’s not much but it refreshed my memories. Here’s a few lines of another day there:

I walked out of the hotel. The sun was shining in my face and rain was pouring down. So when It turned around there was, as I expected, a rainbow. This rainbow was one of the best I’ve seen. It was complete and one end landed on some trees on a far hillside. 

To summarize - I was checking out one of the FF posts hosted by Mrs. 4444; an author’s name mentioned had me going back to notebook I kept on a Irish project from 20 years ago because I remembered carrying dragon drawings to an emerald isle author.

If I dream while staring in the rearview mirror 

I see Ireland.

another circus 

Don’t be a tosser on St. Patrick’s Day

I was born in the city which is famous for this:

I once had my head pushed and stuck in a city bus folding door in junior high. (actually that might explain much about my fear of power windows)

I’ve slept in tents, lived in a trailer (3 different times), have been saluted by foreign soldiers, and stayed at Disney resorts and fine hotels. There are countless memories that pop up and rattle around my brain. But my most fondness memory is my family getting the opportunity to live in Ireland for a few months during 1989. I’m reminded of it every St. Paddy’s Day.

Oh I’m not Irish but I married Irish. So I’m Irish when she lets me.

I had a very special St. Patrick's Day back in 1989. It was a Friday that year and by a strange coincidence I finalized a deal with my employer to join a new group they recently had acquired in Shannon Ireland. I was involved in taking engineering projects over to their development group.

For those familiar with Ireland (I was not then), Shannon is a river and an airport. It has an office park near the airport where I worked for a few months.

Here we are stopping to enjoy the Gap of Dunloe.

I learned many things during that stay. One that quickly and enjoyably comes to mind is the bountiful amount of great music Ireland offers up in their pubs and local shows.

We have some good modern Irish bands around Chicago too. I discovered an Irish punk band going by the name “The Tossers”. The Tossers are Southside Chicago Irish (for chi town people - it's just "southside Irish"). If you don't know, being called a tosser is not a good thing.

A friend from my 1989 Ireland experience, lives in Ennis and we stay in touch through email. He confirmed my thinking on “tosser”. Tosser is indeed another word for wanker, but not as strong. (many Americans don't know what a wanker is but if you do look that up DON'T use an image search)

So you might be a tosser but not quite a wanker. The top of the list is being a Charlie Sheen.

Here’s a youtube clip of a song from The Tossers.

Note: Chicago like Boston is very Irish. This year will be Chicago’s Mayor Daley’s (very Irish) last St. Paddy’s Day as mayor. I bet he will drink to the occasion.

off the top of my head and from the bottom of my heart

I wish you a Happy St. Paddy’s Day 

Sláinte

another circus 

stop calling me it’s Friday fragment time

Gather around boys and girls, it's Friday fragment time again. Thanks Mrs. 4444!

Another 4444 fyi - The Internet Engineering Task Force’s standard RFC 4444 is titled “Management Information Base for Intermediate System to Intermediate System”. Unless you design networking systems it’s probably not on your reading list.

(See the button below for more FF blogs - they are fun)

More things annoy you as you age. Being annoyed is annoying. Sometimes you just can’t win because you forgot you were in the game. 

I just got an annoying junk text message. Really who buys something from a text message? Even a robo call has a human voice but those calls really suck too. This is the second junk text in so many days if I get another one I will start reporting it.

Another annoying thing is a blog full of annoying rants so I’m going to find my happy face now if I can remember where I put it.

Oh yeah, here it is.

good beer - good friends - good memories

First time I experienced an Irish pub, was spring 1989, as the door opened I noticed right away it was a whole different scene than the bar scene I had experienced growing up. The Irish pub was (may still be in most small villages) a family type place. A gathering place for the community.

I’ve posted some memories of Ireland before and you can find them by clicking on the label/tag “Ireland”. Here’s a post link that tells a little bit of how we got over there in 1989.

An important piece of the plan for us was the lodging decision for the summer. The office/plant was located just outside the Shannon airport. One of my first Saturdays there, the company HR director took me out to find the right rental property. The family would arrive a couple of months later. The Irish countryside was all new to me and the area is very rural and scenic. I enjoyed the car tour.

I’ll never forget of method for directions to see the various rentals. This was 1989, so no mobiles (we call them cellphones) yet and no GPS. We checked in at each local pub for info, directions, and refreshment. Basically we navigated by pub. The pub stops made that rental search the best one I ever did. We settled on a newly built duplex outside the city of Limerick near the University campus.

What a great place to get yourself lost. Not annoying at all.

This FF post was a little different for me since it was just two fragments with the second one being longer than most fragments I write.  But it is only a fragment of my Ireland memories.

St. Patrick's day update and short whatevers

Earlier in the month I posted about upcoming St. Patrick's day.  Chicago already started celebrating this weekend since it falls on a Wednesday this year (just a minute I need to grab a beer - OK I'm back).

I don't remember when or why, but I signed up for a radio email newsletter (probably got a free song) and the other day it had news about upcoming St. Patrick's day.  What caught my attention was the term "Chi-rish"  (it included a hyphen) which apparently means Chicago Irish.  Like Boston and many large cities, Chicago has a large Irish community.  But I have never heard of Chi-rish.  I'm sure it comes from a marketing meeting at a beverage company.  If any true Chicagoans (especially southside Irish) know of this term, please leave a comment.

Chicago has a green river today.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rnast/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

I heard back from my Irish friend in Ennis.  I asked him to look at that above mentioned post and provide feedback.  He did and emailed me back (I don't think he cares to leave comments as many people don't).

Here's a few things he pointed out:

• Shannon river and airport are named after the Goddess of the river Sionna.
• The bodhran drum is unique in the way it is played.  Like other drums it's animal skin stretched over a frame.
• Tosser is indeed another word for wanker, but not as strong.  (many American don't know what a wanker is but if you look it up DON'T use an image search)
• They call their native language Irish, not Gaelic, and can always spot a foreigner when they call it Gaelic.
• Irish is taught in both grade school and high school.

----- Now two whatevers -----

As some followers might recall, I listen to "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" most every Saturday morning.  I love humor and people who have it.  I truly believe humor could solve some of society's problems and it's free.  I learned of a lovely humorous woman on today's show.

I didn't know Barbarba Sue Manire but I wish I had because I know from the following picture she must have been fun to be around.

That parking meter on her tombstone reads EXPIRED.  Her family honored her wish of having an expired parking meter on her grave.  I do believe "her humor lives on".  Here's a bit about her story (also a few more pics of it).

Second whatever

Unknown Mami (who I like to call umami - go ahead look that up)  alerted me to a new blogger template editor and that doesn't require knowing HTML or CSS stuff.  So I have been trying it out.  I changed some of the other blogs I have and I will be changing the template of this one too.  So if you come by here and don't recognize the place, you'll know it's been remodeled.  Let me know if you are interested in learning more about it.

hmm that beer is empty I wonder if another one is in order?  Cheers!

I'm Liam this month

Liam is the Irish Gaelic version of William.
Parades, music, wearing green, and raising a few pints can be expected soon.

I had a very special St. Patrick's Day back in 1989. It was a Friday that year and by a strange coincidence I finalized a deal with my employer to join a new group they recently had acquired in Shannon Ireland.  I was involved in taking engineering projects over to their development group.

For those familiar with Ireland (I was not then), Shannon is a river and an airport. It has an office park near the airport.

The great deal I  hammered out with the company included a bonus, transportation of my family (all 7 of us), a car lease in Ireland, and lodging for 3 months. I felt like a won a lottery.

This cartoon reminds me of our travels with the kids packed in the back.  I learned driving on the wrong side of the road OK.  One weekend our entertainment was my wife's practicing that left side thing along with a stick shift.  Luckily she had some stick shift experience.  There were many empty country roads that were fun that weekend.  Often the biggest traffic problem was sheep or cows on the road.

We visited many B&B's. 

Wife and I enjoyed listening to the Irish Drum (bodhran) at the pubs.  Here's a clip of one:

I discovered recently the band Tossers (Irish Punk).

Well guess what ? The Tossers are Southside Chicago Irish (for chi town people - it's just "southside Irish"). If you don't know, being called a tossers is not a good thing. I think it might be like a wanker, but I'm not completely sure.

Here's a bit on the word from the bio on their record company page:

"... In the early 1920's, the Irish instituted their own currency after the southern free state won independence from Britain. British coins became worthless throwaways - "tossers."

I was puzzled by the title of their song, so after a quick internet search I figured it out. Siobhan is another Irish form of Joan meaning "God is gracious." A popular name in Ireland where the anglicized versions are often used.

Did you know Ireland's schools are required to teach Gaelic.  I'm not sure how many years of it the students get.  There are still towns were it is spoken on the street in regular daily conversation.

O'bama irish

This is not news, but it case you missed this interesting fact of President Obama I thought it should get some attention on St. Paddy's Day.

Interested in the green at the White House? Here's more.

Share a smile

getting greener

I was over on Itunes getting my free Tuesday song. It's a mixed bag, some are not even worthy of free but I've found good ones too.

So no surprise, Itunes has St. Patrick's day related promotions. I found a FREE music video of this Irish band, Tossers.

Irish punk - ??

I didn't even know there was category of Irish punk. Sometimes I think anyone can create a new music category whenever they want. Hmm how about Irish grunge or Irish Reggae ?

Well guess what ? The Tossers are Southside Chicago Irish (those from here - it's just "southside Irish"). If you don't know, being called a tossers is not a good thing. I think it might be like a wanker, but I'm not completely sure.

Here's a bit on the word from the bio on their record company page:

"... In the early 1920's, the Irish instituted their own currency after the southern free state won independence from Britain. British coins became worthless throwaways - "tossers."

A little Irish history - which I found very interesting. Oh if you do study Irish history, you might end up disliking the Brits. Along those lines you might dislike Americans if you study the North American Indians too.

I was puzzled by the title of this song, so after a quick internet search I figured it out. Siobhan is another Irish form of Joan meaning "God is gracious." A popular name in Ireland where the anglicized versions are often used.

a green day of shamrocks

St. Patrick's Day will be here in a few days. Most of the celebrations will be this weekend. The Chicago River (the part in the loop area) will be dyed green.

Parades, music, wearing green, and raising a few pints can be expected.

I had a very special St. Patrick's Day back in 1989. It was a Friday that year and by a strange coincidence I finalized a deal with my employer to join the group they recently had acquired in Shannon Ireland.

For those familiar with Ireland (I was not then), Shannon is a river and an airport. It has an office park near the airport.

The deal hammered out included a bonus, transportation of my family (all 7 of us), a car lease in Ireland, and lodging for 3 months. I felt like a won a lottery.

What a difference 20 years make. The group and company's presence there is long gone. But enough of that, I am enjoying the good memories of some great Irish friends.

County Clare is a wonderful place. I don't know if anyone has done a study on this (someone somewhere probably did) - but I think there is some generic trait of music ability within the Irish.

The music ability failed to rub off - but I picked up a liking to Guinness.

Here's a trailer and a clip of music from a great Irish movie called "Waking Ned Devine"

Happy St. Patrick's Day - Sláinte

idiot blogger vs rude customer service

Fighting Irish??
I suggest these Irish guys go have a few good pints.



photo by Jon Gos

Brief summary of story - Irish blogger discovers a flaw on the Irish Ryanair site showing a flight for 0.00 cost and posts it on his blog. At first it looks like you might be able to book a free flight. Some Ryanair staff comment on his blog that he is an idiot and a liar.

I went to the blog post and found over 200 comments and I suspect it's still growing.

So even CNN gets involved and contacts Ryanair.

Now it really turns into a text book example of bad PR and customer relations. The company spokesman is quoted to say:

“It is Ryanair policy not to waste time and energy corresponding with idiot bloggers and Ryanair can confirm it won’t be happening again,” Ryanair spokesman Stephen McNamara said.

“Lunatic bloggers can have the blogosphere all to themselves as our people are far too busy driving down the cost of air travel.”

I guess I need to piss off an airline to get more comments on my blog.

Here's my shot at it -- That color scheme on your plane would make me puke.
hmm, I need to work on this.

story at Irish Times
at Wired
at CNET

tea party with beer

Above picture is from another interesting set of pictures on the Chicago Tribune site. Guinness will celebrate 250 years in production this year. A couple of quick facts:  

• 10 Million GUINNESS® glasses are enjoyed every day. 
• GUINNESS® stout, beer, or draught is sold in over 150 countries around the world.

The best place for a pint is in Ireland but I'm lucking that many places in Chicagoland pull a good pint too.

Some news on Guinness from Ireland - sales of Guinness within Ireland increased by 2 per cent between July and the end of December 2008. One in three pints sold in Ireland over the Christmas period was Guinness. The managing director, John Kennedy, believes the recession will bring drinkers, their local pubs and Guinness closer together.

So a pint of Guinness is holding value better than housing or most stocks. Speaking of stocks, Guinness is one of many popular brands ( Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, Captain Morgan, Baileys, J&B, José Cuervo, Tanqueray, to name a few ) owned by the huge British company Diageo. Their NYSE symbol is DEO. Maybe owning some of their shares would make their drinks taste even better.

Well if that Chicago Tea Party actually happens (see my last post below) I sure hope they bring some Guinness to the party.