I don't know, but I've been told

Well...I've heard a lot of Irish music on this trip. Like...a lot. So last night I was paging through the music festival program trying to decide which free concert to attend and I had about a million traditional Irish bands to choose from. Then I noticed one band listed and in parentheses next to the band name it said (bluegrass). I thought "We have a winner!!" So I took a little break from the research and I went to go listen to a bluegrass band. They actually turned out to be completely awesome, they kept going into perfect four-part harmonies and they had a harmonica and a tambourine and everything. It really helped temporarily get Irish accordion songs unstuck from my head. They even finished off the night with a very cool Led Zeppelin cover. In retrospect, I feel I should have purchased their CD, but too late now I guess.

Don't worry, tonight I'm back to the grindstone doing some strenuous research at a traditional Irish music and dance show.

I don't even know how to explain the weather here. Yesterday I reported that the rain had returned and when I wrote that I was wearing my warmest sweater and my coat and I had my umbrella out all morning, but by late evening yesterday the sun came out and it was beautiful and warm. Today has been mostly beautiful and warm except for hourly ten-minute downpours that seem to only happen when I want to go outside. Now that I'm inside on the computer it appears to be sunny and warm again.

I found the best place in the world and it is called "Butler's Chocolate Bar." I went inside because I saw that they offered chai lattes for very cheap and they turned out to be the first place in Ireland that I have found that offers to make them with soy milk! AND THEN when I ordered it, the guy pointed to the dangerously tantalizing chocolate display and said, "would you like to choose your complimentary truffle?" I nearly screamed. It was the best chai latte ever and the best truffle ever.

I believe Galway attracts so many tourists because it is very small and very nice to stroll around in. It is for this reason that it also attracts a lot of those irritating charity petition type people that stop you on the street and tell you how selfish you are for not saving the world's hungry children. Because I'm out walking around alone a lot I have found I am a prime target for these people. Yes, their causes are very worthy and if I had lots of money to spare I would donate to them, but I can't seem to convince them that I don't have money to give. One petitioner in particular has stopped me literally every day that I've been in Galway. He recognizes me now and somehow tracks me down every time I go outside. I tried lying to get rid of him--I told him I was 17 and that I don't have any sort of bank account--but that has not deterred his persistence. I have now had to go beyond lying into outright rudeness. Today when he ambushed me all I said was "Oh my god, you're everywhere." He said "Yes I am!" in his annoyingly perky way and then I just said nothing and crossed the street.

I'm a terrible terrible person.

If you know me well, then you probably know that I very much dislike swans based on a scarring childhood experience. Vile creatures as they are, they are kind of charming floating in Galway bay. And I also read that the ancient Claddagh tribe believed swans to be the returned souls of their loved ones lost at sea, so I guess that's kind of interesting.

Last night I went into a bathroom, but really it was a portal to the future. In the future, all bathrooms will have these coin operated hair straighteners. Technology...wow.

Finally, someone left an anonymous comment on my blog titled "my goodness! my guinness!" and because I have no way of knowing who it was I'm just going to go ahead and assume it was Christian Bale.