My Dublin Life

I am taking my responsibilities seriously.

So among the freebies I got from Dublin Tourism are tickets to the Hurley final.

I have to say, my initial reaction was not one of huge excitement as I am not really a sports person. However, I have since found out that this is a pretty big deal and that people would KILL (in the words of my friendly local greengrocer, who I'm getting to know quite well) to get their hands on some tickets.

Of course, I did what anyone would do and tried to find out how much the tickets are worth on the black market. The answer? A heck of a lot. But that would be unethical and wrong, right? So I'm gonna take Bepe instead.

So the final is on tomorrow! Kilkenny versus Tipperary. As I promised Dublin Tourism that I would write about this I have been doing some background reading and I am getting gradually more enthusiastic. I had thought (wrongly, as we shall see) that hurling was a half-hearted sort of hockey, but without ice and with slightly prettier players. Well, I already know that I was wrong. In fact, the coolest thing that I have learned so far is that it is actually the game played by the great mythical hero Cuchulainn which in turn means that the game was invented in the IRON AGE if not before.

Now you've got to admit that that is impressive!

I have also found out that girls play too, but that for some unknown reason, it's called "camogie" when they do it.

So now that I know that I am in possession of some hugely enviable tickets and that it's actually a bona-fide Iron Age Sport of the Barbarians, I am getting quite psyched. For no particular reason, I have decided to support Tipperary (coz of the song) while Bepe is going to be a Kilkenny fan (because he likes the beer)

What am I doing this afternoon? I am going to buy a t-shirt in my colours, of course!

... or whatever it is.

My folks just Skyped me to let me know that they are planning to come here for the festive season, coz I had mentioned that I'd been looking for cheap tickets home.

I don't know what I think of that. I've been here for what, four, five months now and while I'm having a fantastic time I'd been looking forward to seeing my peeps and just hanging out with them for a while. But Bepe did say that he would be in Italy at Christmas so at least we'd have the whole apartment to ourselves...

Well, I don't know. But I guess there's plenty of time to worry about it, huh? It's only September. Meanwhile, I am going OUT. Just gotta grab a bite and then it's free-tickets-to-the-show!

Today, a very sad thing happened. Well, it was sad for me. I was in the National Library studying when this business-suited woman came in and KISSED George and I realised in one fell swoop that he was Not For Me. He's a married man! Well, he was always too old for me I guess. But now I don't just not have a boyfriend, I don't even have a crush on anyone!

Well, classes are about to start so perhaps I can form an unsuitable attachment to someone in TCD instead. Just today, I was on my way to the library there (yes, I have been studying hard) when I practically tripped over this god-like Japanese tourist on his way to see the Book of Kells. So you see, there are handsome men in every walk of life, not just in surprisingly sexy corduroy trousers in ancient libraries.

Anyway, in case you are wondering why I am so upbeat despite the whole George debacle, the reason is this: Today, I had a meeting with Dublin Tourism . As you know, I am not getting paid for this blog, but there are some perks. After buying me breakfast at the in-house cafe (not bad, and I do like to eat in converted churches) The lady handed me an envelope full of "perks" in the form of free tickets to things they want me to go to so that I can write about them here. I don't have to LIKE them but I do have to go. Or heck, I don't HAVE to go but I will somehow find time. There's much-sought after tickets to a hurley match in Croke Park (although I will have to sit next to the Chief Exec of Dublin Tourism whom I don't know so hopefully he won't want to engage me too much in conversation) (unless he is a youngish, dashing sort of the type I could become unsuitably obsessed with) (just kidding). There are tickets to various Fringe Festival events, which is totally cool as I was going to go anyway. There are also a number of things I don't know what to do with, like tickets to the zoo . So mission for tonight? I'm gonna pore through the tickets and see what I want to do, and what I don't. Exciting!

Wow! Dublin's Fringe Festival starts this weekend. I totally remember why I wanted to live in a big city now; it looks so awesome and amazing. Most of the shows are within my budget so long as I limit myself to one a day and don't spend to much on necessities like beer, and most are in the city centre. I can't wait! It's on for two full weeks and suddenly I don't care about the incessant rain and the gathering autumnal gloom. Wow! I so wish that someone was visiting me now so that I could take them out to all the shows. I have a friend back home who would go crazy for this stuff. I miss that crazy guy.

Speaking of crazy, don't tell anyone but I am considering getting a tattoo. I asked Bepe what he thought, and he said, "You're out of your mind but still..."

What I thought would be cute, considering that I'm doin a thesis on Gothic literature and I'm in the native city of Bram Stoker and all, would be a little vampire bat, just on my inner wrist. Not too coy, but not too obvious either. What do you think? I had this idea of sticking teeny rhinestones on for the eyes for when I'm going out.

Cute, huh? Well, I am actively looking into it!