Now with 100% more GUINNESS in me

Hello! So living in Dublin for a year, it would be a real pity if I didn't spent at least a little bit of time exploring the legendary nightlife: pubs and live music abound, and so I must do my best to steal a few nights from the reading room (don't get jealous - I'm all yours Monday to Friday) and experience this.

One think you'll notice immediately going out in this city is that it is incredibly expensive. Even the most normal pub here is the cost of a fairly expensive city centre place in London, which is incredible in and of itself. However, on the glass half full side of things, I should note that Guinness is in fact the cheapest drink in any establishment here. Unbelievably, unlike the rest of the world, Guinness is actually cheaper here than lager beers and spirits, so at least I get the feeling of getting a really good deal when I go out - despite the fact it really isn't so at all, and I can get Guinness for less in many English pubs (although it's not as good there).

Taking the lead in the going out crew from my program is Michael. The mystery about Michael is this: He's from California, and he's only been living in Dublin for about a year and a half. However, he knows every pub and bar in Dublin, more so even than the kids who grew up and went to college here in the city. No one can figure out why exactly he is so familiar with all the watering holes, but those of us in the program are taking full advantage of this "insider knowledge" to build some familiarity with the local night life. Beyond that, Omar - one of the people I was staying with during my "homeless" period - and I have been going to a couple different places, including a couple parties at his house and that of others. the result of hanging with him is that I actually speak more Spanish here in Dublin than I ever did anywhere but on my trip and Argentina, something that I'm pretty psyched about because it means that this time I might not lose all my speaking and comprehension abilities.

Coincidentally, Lena also knows Omar from Guadalajara. And as a bonus to all the g-dub readers out there - and proof of how small the world really is - here's another thing about Michael. Remember when we went out to Pres day in 2004. Warming up for game 2 or 3, all of a sudden Rackett (spelling?) showed up, surprising us by having driven from San Francisco to San Diego to offer his support. But he had shown up not alone, but with his lady friend and another random kid from the Bay area. And that kid was Michael. Dwell on that.

Also, congratulations to those guys on Truck Stop and Boston.