Transgender Cheesecake

**I've thought long and hard about posting this, and I know not all of my friends will agree with me -- and that is okay.  It was something I needed to get off my chest - so here goes.**

Weird title, I know. But let me explain.

I was talking to a friend on the phone and for some strange reason we were talking about the difference  between pie and cake.  Then my friend mentioned cheesecake.

Cheesecake is not cake.
Cheesecake is more like a pie.
So why do we call it cake?

After much debate my final comment on the subject was,
"So, cheesecake is the transgender dessert of the world."


Think about it.

Google definitions defines transgender as:

denoting or relating to a person whose self-identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender.

Cheesecake was "born" a pie, but identifies itself as a cake.

Simple.

We accept it.
Nobody throws a fit if we serve cheesecake and demands to know we we serve such a "sinful" dessert. Nobody says. "don't you mean cheesePIE?".  It's not a huge deal.

So WHY are so many people concerned or uncomfortable when someone is transgender?

I happen to have 2 transgender friends. One transgender man and one transgender woman.  I will admit - I still struggle with pronouns, because I knew both before they started making the transition. And yes, at first I didn't know how to handle it. I felt uncomfortable because it was new.  But then I learned, I was still talking to my FRIEND.  They weren't any different except for the pronoun I used when talking about them.  How silly is that?  For whatever reason I thought that by having to use a different pronoun, that my friend would change - be different from what I knew.  But guess what?  I never saw these 2 friends as HAPPY as when they were allowed to just BE.

I'm not sure what I wanted to accomplish by writing this post - and I know it's scatterbrained - but maybe, just maybe, it will get people thinking and researching and someday, it will lead to understanding and acceptance.

~~Later 'tater. Alligator. Don't be a Stranger. Bye!~~

For more information about transgender and other LGBT issue visit these websites:

National Center for Transgender Equality

Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians And Gays (PFLAG)

For Transgender Terminology, click here

Thoughts on Miss AMERICA 2014

Nina Davuluri - Evening Gown

Like many Americans, I tuned into the Miss America Pageant on ABC to see who would win.  I missed the first hour but I wanted to see how Miss Nebraska and Miss Kansas fared.   When I tuned in, the "Evening Gown" portion was about to begin, so I sat and watched.   Now, I'm from the Midwest so I was pleased to Miss Kansas, Miss Oklahoma, and Miss Minnesota all in the top 12.  And then I saw Miss New York - Nina Davuluri.  She was stunning!  She said she picked her dress because it reminded her of Belle's yellow gown in "Beauty & the Beast" - I LOVE THAT MOVIE!  So many girls (young and old) can relate to that beautiful yellow gown in the movie.

Then it was time for talent.  I heard Miss Oklahoma sing - she did well.  Then Nina, Miss New York, Did a tradition Bollywood dance.  Now, I don't know if any of you have ever tried to dance Bollywood style - my experience is limited to ZUMBA bollywood - but it takes talent and skill to perform like she did!  Balancing on one foot, quickly moving across the stage, and adding all the arm movement - it was amazing!   Miss Minnesota played BEAUTIFULLY on her violin and Miss Kansas made a comment about wanting to do archery but couldn't because there was a flying projectile clause, so she sang.  The song was "Nessun Dorma" and she kinda butchered it.  Her voice was pretty but the song was too much for her, she was reaching for the high notes which pinched her sound and it just wasn't pretty to listen to.

Nina Davuluri - Talent

Then it was time for the top 5 and the question/answer portion.  Now, I got distracted during this portion and didn't really hear any of the answers except for Miss Florida - and she got cut off. Then it was time - Miss California or Miss New York?  Both were beautiful, talented, intelligent young women with a bright future - either would be great choices.  Miss New York it is!  I was ecstatic for her!  How exciting that all her hard work paid off.  I don't know what her platform is but I'm sure she will affect change.

I woke up this morning did my first shift and then returned home to check facebook before the second shift.  and I saw this post on BuzzFeed.  What the hell!?  So I decided to take to the web and put my 2-cents in and HOPEFULLY educate some ignorant people.

1.  All Miss America Contestants must PROVE US citizenship.  -- Therefore, Nina IS an American. Who gives a rat's ass about where her ancestors are from.  Did we ban Germans from competing after WWII?? NO, cuz not every German is a Nazi - Not every person from a different Nationality is a terrorist. 

2. India ≠ Afghanistan or Iraq -- While they are all on the continent of Asia they are not the same country.  Indians are not Arabs they don't even look the same.  Go find a globe and return to elementary school where you first learn geography.

3. Hinduism and Buddhism are not Islam -- The people who attacked our country were Muslim.  The 2 major religions practiced in India are Buddhism and Hinduism.  

Buddhism*: has no deity and followers use meditation to achieve Nirvana (the blowing out of desire).   Hinduism*: polytheistic, similar to Ancient Greek and Ancient Roman civilizations.  Multiple gods that represent different ideas.

Islam**: One of three Abrahamic traditions. 

 There are six articles of faith in Islam. These are the basic beliefs that one must have in order to be considered a true Muslim. They are belief in: A) the One God. B) all the prophets of God. C) the original scriptures revealed to Prophets Moses, David, Jesus, and Muhammad. D) the angels. E) the Day of Judgment and the Hereafter. F) the divine decree (or destiny).

Therefore Islam is closer to Christianity than any of the Indian religions.

I hope you learned something from this post - I know I did.  It was interesting looking up the FACTS and please, before you make a judgement, do your research!! This country is falling apart because people make snap judgements about other people, politics, clothing, etc and we could be a much better nation if we took a step back, educated ourselves, and acted like HUMAN BEINGS.

~~Later 'tater. Alligator. Don't be a Stranger. Bye!~~

* Informatiom from this website

** Information from here

Student Loans

So my European Journal re-hash is over and now I will be writing about random things that irritate me, excite me, or just random things that come to mind.

First Post? Student Loans.

Now, before you quit reading, I don't plan on this being a political post.  It is simply my feelings - particularly about something that happened to me today.

Background Information: I graduated in 2010 from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.  It was my dream school!  I worked really hard to earn good grades and scholarships. My main reason for attending was a chance to sing in the world renowned St. Olaf Choir.  I realize that I made a choice to attend a Private Liberal Arts College that cost me ~$40,000 a year (tuition, room & board, meals, etc) and that is a burden I am willing to bear, because I wouldn't trade my 4 years there for anything in the world.

What really ticks me off is that I am living paycheck to paycheck (like so many others) and while I struggled with keeping track of finances in college, I feel like I'm finally understanding how to budget and stick to it. And then today happened.

I went online to check whether I had a payment scheduled or not.  The website did not show me a scheduled payment so I scheduled another one (which would be late) to save my butt.  Much to my chagrin 2 payments were taken out of my checking account and my savings was used for overdraft protection.  I called the company through which I make payments and explained the situation and politely asked if they could reverse the second charge.  (Did I mention it took 5 minutes to get through all of the prompts and finally reach an operator?)

Operator:  "I'm sorry but we can't authorize refunds. I can give you the phone number of the contact person at your school."
Me: "That would be great, thank you."

So I call my school and my contact person isn't there.  Meanwhile I break down into hysterical tears.  Calmed down and told my dad what happened and he offered to give me a check to cover the overdraft (since another payment is scheduled).  Got the check before work, deposited it, and called the collection place again.

Me: "I know you can't give refunds but can you put my second payment towards October?  My account showed that my next payment was still due in October."
New Operator: "According to our computer you owe $0 in October and your next payment isn't due until November."

Why didn't MY account say the same thing as hers? Are they trying to give me a heart attack?!  I just want to be able to call ONE person and have them be able to help me in whatever capacity I need.  Why do I need to make 3 or 4 phone calls to get MY money refunded because YOUR computer system messed up?  It's ridiculous.  No wonder my generation is stuck living at home even with higher education.

I'm not saying I have the answer, because I don't.  But SOMEBODY out there does.  And it's time it changed.  Why do we as a nation have to make everything so damn complicated?

Advice to those who are starting college:  Make a Budget and stick to it!!!  Don't be dumb like I was and think that work study and loan disbursements are like a money tree - because they are not!  I know it is exciting to be living away from mom & dad but PLEASE make good decisions.  I don't want to see the next generation struggle because of shopping sprees.  It isn't fun.

Trust me.

 

Cheerio. Arrivederci! Yiá sou. Goodbye, Europe.

Tuesday June 16, 2009 - 11:32pm

Athens
The past two days have gone by so fast!  Monday we went on a walk that took about 2 hours that went all around the city.  We at lunch at a McDonald's because we were all craving some American cuisine.  

The grass fire mountain

Before Lunch we went to Melissinos Art where they sell handmade leather sandals.  Bryce and I bought a pair but Meg was a party pooper.  After lunch we went to the Roman Agora and the Ancient Agora before heading up to the Acropolis!  The climb was steep and it was HOT but totally worth it.  The view was fantastic and it felt good to be that close to History!
Bryce cooked us a pasta dinner and it was delicious.  We saw smoke from a grass fire (on a nearby mountain) while on the acropolis and it was all over the news, but in Greek, so we had no clue what was going on!

climbing up - no shoes!

Acropolis

Athena's Temple

The view - can you see the Sea?

Ruins of Zeus' Temple (i think)

Acropolis Kitties!

It was really windy up on the Acropolis

Woke up this morning and had leftovers for breakfast.  Then went to the Archaeological Museum for a couple hours.  Meg and I left around noon for a relaxing day on the beach.
HOWEVER...

Poseidon's Temple

We missed the first bus by like 30 seconds - as in it was driving away when we turned the corner.  We ate at a small family owned restaurant right by the bus stop.  We caught the next bus and sat down for what was supposed to be a 1.5 hour ride to Sounio.  It was more like a 2 hour scenic drive on the coast which was pretty, but we really just wanted to be at the beach.  We finally arrived at Sounio only to find that we had to climb down a mountain to get to the beach from Poseidon's Temple.

My feet at the Beach

Proof that I swam in the Mediterranean

We made it to the beach and crystal blue water, found two chairs and relaxed.  1.5 hours later we climbed UP the mountain to get to the bus stop and sat on the steps to have dinner, aka the other half of lunch. The bus came and we hopped on thinking that the first bus driver was lost and this drive would be shorter.  WRONG AGAIN!  This time we took the inland route and it took 2.5 hours!!  Not only did it take longer it also dropped us off on the opposite side of the city centre than we wanted.  We had no clue where we were.  After asking 2 people, whose English wasn't great, where the Metro was we finally found it!  We had left a note for Bryce on the board (in the Hostel) saying we would be late but he didn't see it.  He was freaking out for like 2.5 hours!!  We changed into clothes and hopped on the airport bus.  I am currently sitting watching their bags as they wait for someone to check them in.  My flight leaves at 5am, theirs at 3 am.  Hope someone comes soon!  I really want to sleep but I am happy that I get to go home.

Headed back to Athens!

Wednesday June 17, 2009 - 8:17am

Amsterdam
GRRR!  I hate flying!  In Athens they put up the check-in gate numbers 4 hours before loading time, but don't staff it until 2 hours before load time.  Bryce and Meg headed up to their gate because by the time I would be able to check my luggage they should be boarding.  I slept off and on for about an hour in the airport while I waited for security to open at 3:30am.  I finally arrived at my Gate (B3) and napped for an hour before boarding my flight to Amsterdam.  I fell asleep right away and slept off and on til the 30 minutes to landing call.  I arrived in Amsterdam and found my way to my gate (E5).  I stopped to see if I could upgrade to 1st class but apparently my ticket is restricted so I cannot change... LAME!
I am currently writing as I sit at E5 watching people.  I will  wander for food at some point closer to lunch.  Next stop: MINNEAPOLIS!

10:42am

Amsterdam... still.I took an hour nap at E5 only to wake up to see that the MPLS flight has been moved to E17, so I took the delightful moving walkways to my new gate.  There is supposed to be a flight to Boston at theis gate too, around the same time so I will probably move again :(

Author's Note:  This is where my journal entries end - in the middle of my hopeless despair.  Turns out, that in my stupor, I misread the gates and went back to my original gate where I departed around 1 pm.

This flight was amazing!  I picked my seat Row 19, Seat H (Right Aisle of middle section).  I was worried about who I would sit next to - did I mention that at age 21 this was my first flight alone?  I've heard horror stories about possible seat mates.

• Guy who doesn't speak English and wants to play cards the whole flight
• Smelly People
• People who take up more than their chair
• People who fall asleep on you
• Etc.

So when this attractive young man walks down the aisle of the plane, I can't help but say to myself:  "Wouldn't it be nice if he sat by me?"  AND HE DID!  This guy is now and will forever be known as "Hottie Dave".   We had a great conversation about our travels and then I napped for 2 hours.  I learned that Hottie Dave was a gentleman - he waited until I woke up to use the restroom (or he just didn't want to crawl across my lap - too forward, maybe?)  After my nap we discovered games on the individual screens and started playing reversi.  THEN, we discovered you can request to play a game with a specific seat in the aircraft, so Hottie Dave and I played a game.  Now, usually I SUCK at reversi, but I managed to beat him in the first game. So we started a second game, we were both a little competitive, and just as he was winning - it was time to land so they turned off our screens!!  

Hottie Dave was attending Med School at U of M - Minneapolis and I hope his schooling went well and that he has the job of dreams.  Sometimes I wish I had had the guts to ask for his last name and add him to facebook, or his email or something!  And then I realize that if we had been meant to be more than an airplane friendship, it would have happened.   Wherever you are, Dave - God Bless!

Kaliméra Hellas! (Good Morning, Greece!)

Saturday June 13, 2009 - 11:43pm

Rome
Today we saw:

Spanish Steps

        Palatine Hill
        Mausoleum of Agustus
        Spanish Steps
        Piazza de Poppolo
        Trevi Fountain at Night
        Colosseum (again)

 It was hot and muggy today so we came back to the Hostel around 3:30pm.

I showered and napped until about 7ish and then we met our new roomies.  Carrie, Laura, and Ben from South Africa.  They seem pretty cool but it is a shame we won't get to hang out with them more.  

Met Amy and Andy at 8 and went to the sister Hostel for free pizza.  Then we went to the Trevi Fountain and Colosseum and made plans for breakfast at 8am. I really hope we meet up with them again sometime! 

Trevi Fountain

Tomorrow off to Athens!

Sunday June 14, 2009 - 10:56pm

Rome-Athens
Well, this morning was full of goodbyes as we bid farewell to our British friends Amy & Andy. 

Kitchen and door to Bathroom

We hopped on the plane, left 30 minutes late and arrive in Greece safe and sound!  It took some thought to get to our hostel because there is currently no Metro service to the airport due to construction.  2 Trains and a Metro later we arrived at our Hostel to find that we received a free upgrade to a Studion apartment!  It is sweet!  We have 3 beds - 1 is a couch, kitchen and bathroom along with 2 balconies! :) We hit the Jackpot!! 

We spent the day relaxing, ate at a restaurant, doing laundry and planning the next couple days.  Meg and I managed to fit in some beach time to the schedule and we are uber excited!
Tomorrow is a Welcome walk, the Market, and the ACROPOLIS, woot! 

Delicious! You also get a free shot of Ouzo!

P.S. we got cold quiche and a brownie on the flight today!  European airlines are SO much better than American ones!!

Author's Note:  My only issue with the Trevi Fountain? It isn't near ANY of the Metro stations!  Be prepared to do some walking but it is TOTALLY worth it!  It is absolutely beautiful at night - crowded, but beautiful.  
After all of the train mishaps I was SO glad to be on a plane.  It was a beautiful short trip from Rome to Athens.  I really want to go back to Athens because it was so gorgeous!  Everywhere I looked there were trees and water and hills and mountains and I could've stayed there forever.

When in Rome...cliché I know

Thursday June 11, 2009 - 8:09 pm

Firenze
Slept in til 8:30 am. Breakfast at 9 am where we met 2 girls from Pennsylvania.  Three people (2 girls, 1 guy) came in before we left and 1 of the girls graduated from Augustana.

Medici garden

We went to the Medici palace and it was GORGEOUS! I was so happy!  Then we walked to the Uffizi for Bryce.  Meg and I walked to a the Piazza della Republica with a big arch and a carousel.  We shopped at some carts and then sat at a statue where we watched in horror as a big ass sign fell over and scraped the lef of one of the street artists.  The carabinieri (Police minus guns) got involved and Meg and I stuck around to see if we needed to be witnesses.  The artist was sent to the hospital with what we think is a broken leg, so I bought 2 of his pictures to help pay his medical bills.   Meg and I walked in a circle around the Uffizi by accident as we were trying to get back by 3:45 pm.  We were 30 min late but oh well.

the giant sign that fell down

injured artist in the chair

emergency personnel

We went to the Ponte Vecchio where I found the perfect gift for Brandon, a wire motorcycle!  Then we got gelato and ate dinner by the Uffizi and headed home.  Our feet were disgusting from the dirty streets even with shoes (flip-flops) on.  Tomorrow we wake at 5 am and hop on a train to Roma!

Friday June 12, 2009 - 10:08 pm

Florence-Rome
Woke up at 5 am and hopped in a taxi for a 10 minute ride to the train station.  We got on the train and sat down.  We started out and then some people came and had our seats reserved.  We started walking and found out there were only 2 cars of non reserved seats.  A nice guy helped us find open ones. Meg and I were with a Russian(?) family which was fine except the car was ridiculously HOT!

Colosseum

We arrived in Rome, dropped off our stuff at the Hostel and went to the Colosseum to meet Federika, our private tour guide!  We spent 5 hours with her and learned so much!  We saw the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Pantheon (or as Bryce calls it - the church with the hole), Lunch - pizza, coke, & gelato, Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica! She was awesome and completely worth the money! I felt like a VIP today because we got to skip all the lines and people just kinda stared at us, I felt super important! 

Roman forum

Walking the Appian Way

Door to the Pantheon

amazing Gelato shop near Pantheon

Lunch of Champions

 We had a bus/metro adventure and wound up at the Hostel.  Our room is right next to the desk and we are rooming with Amy and Andy from London and Katarina (?) from I don't know where.  Amy and Andy are hilarious and Amy complimented my fake British accent, which means I rock! 

Amy and Andy

Met Ashley and Lauren from Colorado at dinner along with Ryan from Ireland.  Went to the Shop and bought booze then sat around the room talking and drinking.  Meg ran off with her friend Eva from home and haven't seen her since. Hope she's okay!
Also met Az(?) who works at the front desk and he is crazy and a little creepy, not gonna lie.  More of Roma tomorrow!

Author's Note: Watching the artist get hit with the sign was really scary!  I could see a huge gash on his leg and he limped with help to the ambulance. His pictures were bright and colorful and BEAUTIFUL. So glad I have them as a momento.  Had a blast in Rome!  Met the Coloradans and the Irish boy at the spaghetti dinner our Hostel had once or twice a week.  It was all you could eat and in a large dining room.  It was a great way to meet others in the Hostel. I could've stayed another month and still feel like I hadn't seen everything there was to see.  Some day I really hope to go back, who wants to come with me??

Gelato and Pigeons

Tuesday June 9, 2009 - 9 pm

Venice
We ate at the Hotel Restaurant last night and had leftover spaghetti for lunch... delicioso!
We got our reservations for trains at S.L. Station and then Bryce went to the Academy and Meg and I went to the Post office and shopping.  The Post Office was a nightmare! I didn't know I was supposed to grab a ticket let alone the Letter I needed, so I got up to the desk and the guy said "Where is your ticket?" I was sent back to the beginning and got a ticket - It took a whole 2 minutes until my number was blinking on the board.  I finally got my envelope sent off!

swinging at the park

Meg and I stopped at a small shop nearby with tons of purple clothing.  I found a really nice pink purse and Meg ought a nice purple dress.  We met Bryce at the Academy and headed to St. Marks where we had a free guided tour in English. There were two really attractive guys in our group, alas they went a different way at the end of the tour.  We went to the garden so Bryce could see the art exhibit and Meg and I swang [is that a word?] and sat and talked for a long time. 

After, we went searching for a restaurant Bryce and his parents ate at but it wasn't open for dinner.  We found a place with burgers, which Meg was craving, and had dinner.
We split from Bryce who went to a concert in Venice and went back to the hotel.  We are packed and ready to wake at 7 am to head to Florence :)   I will miss Venice!

Wednesday June 10, 2009 - 8:54 pm

Venezia - Firenze

The name of our room :)

Easily got to and on the train this morning.  Sat near some Canadians. Pretty cool people from what I heard of their conversation.  Walked to Dany House, our bed and breakfast, and set our stuff down.  

Walked down the street to the Galleria dell'Academia to see Michelangelo's "David".  The statue was huge!  There was also an exhibit comparing Michelangelo and [this was blank and I clearly never filled it in. Sorry!], and their use of repetition and the human figure.  It was cool.  

We walked another block or two to the Duomo.  At first we were gonna postpone it because of Meg's shorts and my tank top.  After finding a Gelato shop nearby and stopping for some ice cold deliciousness, we decided to try our luck and we made it in!  It was so gorgeous and I totally understand why so many pieces were premiered there! 

first  gelato in Italy

We found a supermarket and bought bread, meat, and cheese, and then went to an internet cafe and bought an hour of time.  We then went to a park with a big arch and lots of pigeons.  We ate dinner and Meg fed the little birds while shoving the pigeons away.  She was so happy!!  Tomorrow is Medici Museum and another gallery.

the arch (and a light pole)

the fountain

 shooing pigeons with her feet

Author's Note: I learned on this trip that spaghetti in Italy is veiwed as an appetizer but the portion size is enough for 2 people.  Italians tend to look at you funny when you only order an appetizer and need a "take-away container". 
Is it swung or swang based on the context of my sentence? Neither makes sense to me but English was never my favorite subject so feel free to correct this verb in the comments.
Upon further research [read google search] the Artist's name was Robert Mapplethorpe and you can find a short article about the exhibit here.
For those reader's who aren't familiar with rules of dress in churches - it is a generally accepted rule in much of Europe that in order to enter Catholic churches/basilicas/etc your shoulders and knees must be covered.  It is out of respect to their views on keeping bodies covered.  Some churches are more lenient than others.

Venezia

Sunday June 7, 2009 - 9:06pm

Dublin - Paris
Tegan, Bryce, Elie, Martina, Meg, and I went to the Irish national gallery Saturday morning.  It was sweet!  I saw the Caravaggio painting of Jesus' betrayal, he painted himself in as a bystander.  The original illustrations for many Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales were on display as well. :)

Rehearsal went well except Dr. A was in 'New York mode' and a senior started bawling.
I spent the afternoon packing and then we had our concert.  I didn't cry until right before Beautiful Savior when Dr. A called us "one of, if not THE best St. Olaf Choir."  I lost it!  The concert went great but it was hard saying goodbye to all the seniors. 

I woke up at 4:10 am Dublin time, ate some breakfast, hopped in a taxi, though I was gonna die, and arrived at the Dublin airport around 5:15 am.
The flight was fine and we arrived in Paris safely.  After running around to try to get a train reservation, and falling down in the airport train (see Author's note for more details), we finally got to see some of the sights.

At the Dublin Airport

Notre Dame

We saw Notre Dame, the Louvre, Eiffel Tour, Arc de Triomphe, and we walked down the Champs-Elyseé without an umbrella in a Spring Rain - Like in "Sabrina" feat. Audrey Hepburn.
We almost didn't get on the train to Venice because no one knew where we were to go for tickets from the conductor.  We are currently in a sleeper car with a random guy we refer to as Pepsi.  We have 15 hours ahead of us, minus the few we have already spent on the train.
Tomorrow, I will be in Venice and life will be grand!  Almost Sleep time!!

Meg's beautiful picture skills

Monday June 8, 2009 - 9:07 pm

Our Sleeper Car

Venice
Pepsi got off the train at 4 am so the morning was just the 3 of us. We thought we got great sleep last night but apparently not, because we are all tired.  After we showered and changed at our hotel, we headed out to the island.  We took a tour of the grand canal on the water buses and Bryce read some info from Rick Steeves.   

Then we went to San Marco Basilica and quickly walked through because we realized there is a free guided tour in English tomorrow.
We wandered around for a while and found a museum inside of a church with the history of the violin.  There were all shapes, sizes, and kinds of string instruments and original mass books.  Unfortunately, no "Puer Natus Est" could be found.  Alice and Gerry would have been proud.
It was nice to have a relaxing day with no rushing after 2 weeks of nonstop choir tour.   

The Violin Exhibit

 Also the water bus guys who opened the fates to the boat were generally very good looking.  :)

Waking up at 7 am to hit the train station to get our reservations.  No more close calls!
More tomorrow!
Just remembered...
This morning as we were waiting to get off the bus a woman and her young son went to the W.C. on the way back to their car and the little boy, started to sing/chant the following:  We're having an underpants party! - and various other phrases including the words underpants and party.
It was adorable!

Gondolas

Rialto Bridge

Famous Casino

Author's Note: Falling in train.  It was a public transport train from one terminal to another terminal where we could hop on public transportation.   I was wearing my hiking backpack that was pretty heavy and I decided I was such a pro at riding trains that I didn't need to hold on.  OOPS!  The train suddenly lost electricity and I flew backwards in front of the whole train.  Meg and Bryce laughed while 2 random American strangers helped me up.  One took my hand, and the other grabbed my bag. It was ridiculous.  Bryce and Meg didn't let me live that down for the entire trip, but now it is HILARIOUS!

Dancing Queen of Dublin

Wednesday June 3, 2009 - 9:40am

Cork-Armagh

I look terrified!

Yesterday at Blarney was really fun!  We ate at Kopi Cafe (which is where Thomas, Breana, Kristin & I ate 3 years ago!

The concert was not as energetic as it could have been.  There were very few people at the concert but it went fine.  We are just pulling up to the Rock of Cashel now, so there will be more later.

                                                              

Friday June 5, 2009 - 5:37pm

Belfast-Armagh-Dublin 

We took a bus tour of Belfast (the home of Titanic). I learned a lot about the history, but we sat for too long.

 At dinner they were REALLY slow.  20 people didn't get dessert so we had to wait to eat it until No-Talent night.  

The concert went well and the Deputy Mayor was present for the concert.  The Lord Mayor hosted a reception at the "palace" for the choir before dinner.  It was amazing!  I felt so honored and sophisticated.

 Amanda, Gabe, and I speaking with the Lord Mayor of Armagh

This morning we drove to Dublin and had a bus tour.  Then we saw the book of Kells at Trinity college and had lunch in Temple Bar.  We then headed to the Guinness storehouse.  I don't like Guinness so I had sprite and met a guy wearing a pink tutu and fishnets.  I was caught by his friends trying to snipe a picture!

 Yes. Those are fairy wings.  

I'm currently chilling in my single room at Wynn's Hotel in downtown Dublin.
More tomorrow... the last day before deviation!

Author's Note:  Upon further research it seems as though my beloved Kopi Cafe no longer exists. :(  I was going to add a link but it is non-existent.  My second trip to the blarney stone means that I now have the gift of the gab x2!  I still freak out when I think about leaning backwards because let's face it, no man holding me up would make me feel safe... except maybe Channing Tatum or Ryan Gosling... back to reality! 
       In Belfast we learned about the Catholic vs. Protestant battle that is still ongoing. The picture above and to the left of the blurb is a sign for a youth club on the infamous Shankill road where the 1993 bombing occurred.  The photo to the right is of a gate that the city can close in case of escalated tensions between the two religious sides. 
       I love Dublin.  I'd move there in a heartbeat.  I get a good laugh and how red my face is with the "Dancing Queen" at the Guinness factory.  I was so embarrassed when I was caught trying to sneak a picture.  His friend practically yelled "Mate, she wants a picture of ya" so the whole of the gravity bar could hear.  My friends around me definitely got a good laugh at the situation.  I will never forget that day - and I sincerely hope he was having a Stag Party rather than a normal day out!