Another thing I feel the need to plug is that I have recently been published on the brand-new arts website We Are The Catalyst. I'm proud of my inclusion. You can follow this link to the site (http://wearethecatalyst.com/). You can scroll down until you see a thumbnail of me, that will take you to my page; afterward, check out some of the many other pages of artists, musicians, and writers. There's some great work up on this site!
Now that I've finished my final projects –– mostly consisting of short stories and poem portfolios –– it's time to take a break and enjoy the holidays in Dublin!
I can't move forward without first mentioning my Thanksgiving holiday. It was my first one spent outside of the United States, and it was certainly an unusual one. I would have been alone had it not been for a few friends here in Dublin. I joined a group at The Woolshed for a Thanksgiving dinner. The Woolshed is a lot like BW3s in the States, a big sports bar and restaurant, except in its Australian/South African/New Zealand theme. It's the kind of place where Anglophones living abroad in Dublin get together to watch their favorite sports teams from back home. On Thanksgiving, we ate turkey and mashed potatoes while the Detroit Lions played the Houston Texans on the big screen. After that, homemade pumpkin pie and a drink at a small north side bar called the Hacienda, where the barman greeted us at the door wearing a 70s western-style leisure suit, the Eagles blasting in the dim lighting behind him. Yes, an unusual Thanksgiving.
Hot on the heels of Thanksgiving, I was able to snag a ticket to a pro rugby game. Leinster Rugby is Dublin's home team, and they enjoy considerable support among rugby fans here. This is no surprise: they're the reigning European rugby champs, having won their third Heineken Cup in four years in May. I had to do a little research before I went, so I'd know a ruck from a maul. The game on December pitted them against Italian team Zebre. Leinster wiped the pitch with them, 37-7. It was a beautiful, crisp evening at the RDS stadium. Cold, yes, but the Bushmills hot whiskies were selling like hot cakes.
This being Dublin, there are plenty of arts events to take in. Last week I had the pleasure of attending Kaleidoscope, an evening at the Odessa lounge. My MA poetry mentor Paul Perry was asked to accompany a group of Irish and international avant-garde musicians with some of his poems. The small lounge was packed to the brim. And to top it off, I finally got the chance to see a show at the famous Abbey Theatre. It's been the home of Ireland's premier theatrical and literary talent for over a century. I went to the Abbey with most of my MA class to take in Frank McGuinness' new adaptation of James Joyce's short story "The Dead," originally from the book Dubliners. It was an excellent adaptation for the stage, and I'm thinking of going again! The story really puts one in the Christmas spirit.
I think I've covered everything –– those were the highlights of the last several weeks. In the future, I'll try to make my blogging more immediate. Until then, happy holidays!
