Journalism FAIL

I saw Robert Fisk tonight. Rather, I heard him speak at a lecture called, "Politics, Journalism and Globalisation of the Middle East." Man, what a crock of shit.

Not only did he do his damnedest to sell his book(s) but he wouldn't answer my question. At all.

FISK: Yes, the young lady in the back.
ME: Mr. Fisk, since you have mentioned that online journalism isn't going to succeed, and print journalism is a dying art, where do you recommend readers get their news, and moreover, how and where do you think journalism is going?
FISK: Oh. You're an American, eh? Well... journalism is changing, and that change can be seen on the internet, and making sure that online journalists can maintain a readership is important, but completely different from MY experiences... blah, blah, blah, buy my book(s).

Listen up, Fisk, I know that you're a big shot and you don't have to answer to anybody because you've achieved a buncha great things in your life, but your profession has to answer to someone, and that someone is The Rest of Us.

I wish I'd gotten an answer and then I wish I hadn't re-read his articles, because now I'm just pissed off that this guy gets to write garbage and is revered for it.

i don't know that for a fact. i can't say that. he obviously has some serious in-depth analysis and his writing is cohesive and well-supported. but it's still biased. and now, so am i.

Can you answer to THAT?

Irish Prom

okay, so it's not REALLY prom, but it certainly felt like it. i had a cool dress, no date, and a messload of fun people to spend the evening with. it was actually the Clubs and Societies Ball, and it was held to award outstanding clubs and societies for their extraordinary efforts and accomplishments. it was also an excuse for everyone to get really dressed up, have a great meal, dance, drink, and do it all in a fancy-shmancy hotel.

the catch: you had to buy your (pricey) tickets in advance. luckily, i already had mine, through the debate society. i've mentioned in several previous posts how much i love these people, but i also want to mention that they were up for multiple awards this year. if i had been allowed to vote, i would have voted for them twice. so, i already had my ticket, which they reserved for me before i even knew this thing was happening. god love 'em.

the awards portion was nice, the band was good, and everyone looked fabulous. my favorite part of the evening? as usual, it was dessert, which i got to enjoy twice because of the empty seat at the table which got served anyway. it was a trio consisting of a chocolate mousse, raspberry sorbet, and a strawberry tartlet. i didn't know if i would ever get as delicious of a dessert ever again, so i took a picture of it.

and then i ate it.

I need an IV after the IV

It didn't occur to me the these tournaments are referred to as "IVs" until I got back to my house in Limerick and desperately wanted fluids to replenish what I lost over the weekend and to soothe my aching throat.

Debating requires talking. A LOT of it.

Hostel Environment

I'm going to Galway! I'm excited about this trip for a few reasons:

1. I'm competing in my first debate tournament with
2. My new favorite people: the UL Debate Society, who
3. Promised me that Galway is a beautiful city with
4. Loads of things to see and do!

I'm also staying at a hostel for the first time, and despite the bad reputation hostels have gotten due to a certain movie I'm feeling adventurous. Sure, things have been a little rough, but when the going gets rough, the rough get going, right? Ah, something like that.

some hours later...

The hostel is BEAUTIFUL. It's clean, bright, and has plenty of comfortable community space for sitting, eating, and chatting. I have already heard at least four different accents/languages, and it's located in the center of town! I can't wait to go exploring! There's Nora Barnacle's house, and the Spanish Arch, and Eyre Square... so much to do, so much to do...

some MORE hours later...

I was told to put my camera away. I was told that, "What happens in Galway, STAYS in Galway." I am here, but I am not here to explore a city. I am here to compete, and compete I shall. There were 2 rounds of debate tonight. It occurred to me during the first round that I have no clue as to what I'm doing. All I know is that I MUST debate. I'm not opposed to debating (pun intended), but I didn't realize how taxing this weekend promises to be. To be continued...

Luck

So what if it's snowing for the first time in years? The cold isn't that bad.

Who cares if I haven't got heat or hot water? I can just heat up a kettle and wash my hair over the sink.

Does it matter if my wallet seems to be hemorrhaging money? I knew this trip wouldn't be cheap.

TONIGHT, BY GOD, THERE WILL BE DANCING!

Traditional Ceili Dancing (pronounced kay-lee), to be exact! It's been a dreadful week overall, with a smattering of joyful interludes. I am so excited to see this and maybe even try it out! When the world gets you down, dance!

several hours later...

My computer broke down, and then I almost did too. This must be the worst string of luck I have ever experienced. I don't know what happened, but it looks like I got some kinda bug. It's kinda funny, actually. After nearly a week of icy showers and no heat, my computer is the one that caught a virus instead of me.

Arguing for the Sake of Argument

I joined the University of Limerick's Debate Society. I still don't know if it was a good idea, but I wanted to join a club other than the International Society. No offense to the International Society, but I came here to meet and mix with Irish people, not other Americans.

It's one thing to argue with someone when they're pissed (drunk), but it's an entirely different thing when you argue with someone who is drunk AND well-informed. The debaters are exactly that. The type of debating is specific to EU, being British Parliamentary Debate. I may have already described it in a previous entry.

Tonight's topic: That this House believes (it always starts out like that) that Darwin is greater than God.

It's a ridiculous thing to argue, but argue we did. We argued over the wording, we argued over the concepts, we argued semantics, and we argued everything there was to argue until someone said to Team Darwin, "Nothing you say really matters because you're all going to Hell."

How do you argue THAT?

Hilarious.

A Castle In The Air

Bunratty Castle is an intimidating, expansive, frightening castle. It strained my neck to gaze up at it. Bunratty Castle has an air of aristocracy to it; as if it purposefully keeps its nose in the air because it simply can't be bothered with anything on the ground. The castle stands high enough to see mountains. It is, quite simply, an extraordinary building.

And it is not in walking distance, as I initially thought.

Maureen, Sarah, Randi, and I spent approximately 2 hours trekking to where I thought Bunratty was. After much deliberation and a mad dash for a bus, we made it.

We all agreed that it was worth the trip. Even though we had visited King John's Castle the weekend before, this castle inspired a whole new feeling of awe and wonder in us. It was so much more than a castle -- it was an entire village, preserved and authentic.

We went from dungeon to tower, stopping in at rooms that were gated or glassed-in. Rooms that would have housed clergy, cooks, maids, and nobles. I sat in a throne. For real. The view from the top was indescribable. I saw mountains and the quintessential Irish patchwork of fields. I got very dizzy. And then we went back down to explore the village.

The village was more of a theme park. It allowed visitors to see the tiny cottages, smell the burning coals that provided heat, walk the paths along pastures where we saw elk, sheep, goats, and got to pet a donkey.

Hmmm. Let's see. Took a long walk in Ireland. Visited a castle. Pet a donkey. Even bought a tin flute. I can squeak out "Mary Had a Little Lamb." It has been a good day.

EDIT: It HAS been a good day, but I still don't have any heat or hot water. Damnit.
EDIT: Photos from today's excursion have vanished. You can view pictures here

multi-cultural ireland

i went salsa dancing tonight.

salsa dancing in ireland.

it reminded me of this weird restaurant i never went to when i was growing up. "Carlos Murphys". mexi-irish. i never actually got a chance to eat there, it being a pub and i being underage when i first noticed it. i still wonder what would have been on the menu.

i met some nice people and i danced very poorly. such is life. i realized while i was in town that there aren't parts of limerick designated to certain countries, not like it is in chicago.

there isn't a greektown, or a chinatown, or even a latino district. it's all very irish. the realization made me think about my courses and how ireland seems to be a country in a constant identity crisis. i wonder how can they willingly lose their language, but hate the people who insisted they lose it? how can they say "A Thousand Welcomes" when they don't show much diversity in culture? i love the history and what i learn about the culture, but more often than not, i miss the multi-cultural aspect of chicago. i miss being able to walk down the street and know that i blend in by being a minority; i miss being myself.

it sounds better in Irish

a fairly uneventful, but pleasant day.

went to stables to watch karaoke. it was, of course, terrible. but i really enjoyed Billy Joel's "Piano Man" much more with an Irish accent. it just sounded... authentic. we went to scholars for the traditional irish music night, where we almost got kicked out, because we were told we 'had to buy something.' i can dig that, but honestly, we just wanted to listen to real music. had to purge our ears of the karaoke.

made plans. i like making plans. bought some tickets to paris. so very very very excited. also plotted out a tentative route for my last 10 days in europe. it gets a little taxing, but the result is more than satisfying.

karaoke is inevitably terrible. here's a snippet of "Piano Man." thank you, and goodnight.

it didn't take a miracle

Sarah, Maureen, and I stormed a castle today, and we had fun doing it. I woke up this morning feeling better than I have all week, and I decided it was high time to indulge in some tourist-y goodness.

We left for downtown Limerick around 1pm and made our way through some of the shops and sights. Our mission was to visit King John’s Castle. The architecture of the city is beautiful, and the history of Ireland, and Europe, for that matter, has made me appreciate mankind on the whole. If history were alcohol, America would be a single can of PBR and Europe would be the basement of a frat house kegger. I could have gotten drunk on Limerick’s history, if I hadn’t been careful.

We walked around St. Mary’s Cathedral, a Friary, the original Christian Brothers School for Boys, and Thomond Bridge, finally reaching… a freakin’ castle. Was it a tourist trap? Yes. Did we see creepy mannequins depicting scenes from the Days of Yore? Yup. Did we learn something? Hell, yes. I took so many pictures and video that my camera committed suicide. I’ll resurrect it later. Zombie-camera.

Castles. No joke. Well, maybe a tiny one…
storming the castle!

power of the collective mind

Rene Descartes walks into a bar. The bartender says, “Would you like a drink?”
Descartes tilts his head and replies, “I think not.”
And vanishes.

I love that joke, but I love the theory of collective thought even more, although I think it might have been Hegel’s theory, not Descartes’. Maybe it was Durkheim. Bah. My point is that I have had some fantastic group encounters tonight that didn’t involve anything dirtier than a cafeteria table.

This evening, Maureen and I went to Red Raisins Café, the biggest cafeteria on campus, for a committee meeting for the International Society. Now, I’m not planning to head up some sort of committee, but if I can get a game of Journey To The End Of The Night or The Architect and The Urchin going, I would be pretty pleased. The group seemed enthusiastic and willing to try any and all activities that would involve Irish and international students. Heck, they’re screening this movie on Friday night for free, but they seem to be relying on word-of-mouth advertising.

Word-of-mouth can be a tricky thing. Like a game of telephone, the original story could get lost in the mix. Or, maybe it’s like the story Maureen and I heard at the meeting…

“Didja hear ‘bout the American student whose coat got stolen by some gipsy? Ya, I think his name was Andrew, or something…”

His name is Anthony, and he gave his coat to a Romanian girl “because she was beautiful,” but I suspect by tomorrow the rumor will say that he was actually kidnapped by a band of gypsies and escaped, but lost his coat.

After that, we met up with Sarah and Randi at Scholars Pub for our first dose of traditional Irish music. Sarah, who plays the violin, was the picture of joy. Randi, Maureen and I also got into it. There’s a snippet of video that I took. I loved the music and how easily the group responded to changes in song. I still don’t know if they were simply practicing or improvising, but I suppose it doesn’t really matter. They did it as a group, and that is something worth watching.

School: The Final Frontier

I made it to my first class of my last semester. It was a 9am poetry course, focusing on modern poetry (read: after Yeats). It wasn’t what I expected. In fact, it seemed a bit dull. Why on Earth would I come to Ireland, study poetry, and NOT study Yeats? I think I might not take this class (classes are actually referred to as ‘modules’ here). Fortunately, I have 5 other modules to “test drive” before I make up my final schedule. Unfortunately, this was the only one I had scheduled for today. Ah, well.

I spent the rest of the day taking pictures. I’m amazed by the landscape. Not only is the campus itself beautiful, but the area surrounding it is magnificent. Did I mention that the River Shannon runs through campus? Yep. I also signed up for a few field trips to Lahinch and Dublin. These seem like promising adventures.

This evening I went to a Debate Club meeting, which might actually be the perfect club for me. After a few years of Speech Team, I know I can hold my own when it comes to public speaking. I don’t know if I’m actually prepared for this sort of debating style. I do know that I thoroughly enjoyed the company of the UL debate team, and if they are indicative of the how the rest of the students here function, then I think I shall enjoy myself very much.

Tonight’s meeting was actually a workshop on how to debate effectively. It was a much longer meeting than I had anticipated, and I think my appetite might still be a little jet-lagged. I get hungry at 8pm, and again at 2am, so, of course my stomach started rumbling mercilessly throughout the second hour of an intense, invigorating, eye-opening workshop.

“When we make an argument, we need to focus on the main points,” said the workshop leader.

“GRUMBLE, Grumble, grrrrroooooowwwwwl,” replied my stomach.

“I’m sorry, miss. What did you say?”

“Uhhh, I was just wondering how to formulate a, uh, counter-argument, um, for something you weren’t ready for,” I stuttered.

“Oh. Well. I thought you might ask that…”

Lather, rinse, repeat. The debate topic for the evening discussed whether or not insuring people’s welfare is more important than guaranteeing their rights. I had a blast with this topic, although I wasn’t technically a part of the debate team. These people really seem to know their stuff, and moreover, know how to have a good time too. After the workshop, we went to Scholars Pub, across the way from The Stables. Scholars was much more my speed. Less drinking and yelling, more talking and hearing.

I’m excited about this club. One of my favorite quotes is from an old show called “Sports Night.”

“If you’re stupid, surround yourself with smart people, and if you’re smart, surround yourself with smart people who disagree with you.” Debate team, here I come.

moving at the speed of awkward

To recap: Last night was the first “International Student Night” and the International Club set up a meet-and-greet event… in the form of Speed-Dating. For those that don’t know, “speed dating” is a special kind of torture for the Single species. Luckily, I am currently involved and have never had the opportunity to be victimized in this manner when I was single. I was one of the fortunate few last night.

I fell back on the tried-and-true method of “I can’t participate because I’m documenting this with my camera” method. It has worked wonders at weddings. At any rate, I did take part in a few rounds. The footage, or carnage, can be seen here.

Good times. After a few rounds, I decided to walk around the campus. I wound up running into my orientation guide, Steven, and his housemate, Kevin. Coerced back into the fray, I found myself having great ‘craic.’ Craic, pronounced “crack” is a word for ‘fun.’ Irish students are big on craic. Yeah, I’ve already misunderstood it as a horrible drug habit, and had plenty of laughs over the confusion. Now you can too.

After we left The Stables, which is one of two pubs located on campus, my friends and I decided to head to The Lodge, a nightclub we’d heard was great craic. It was something. A nightclub themed to look like a lodge, replete with log-shaped foundations. It was as though I had fallen into some classic fairy tale scene where The Seven Dwarfs might be DJs or Hansel and Gretel emulate The Chemical Brothers. I expected a remix of “Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, It’s Off to Work We Go.”

I’m not a ‘clubby’ person, but I did attempt to dance, only to be reminded that I have no sense of rhythm despite the obvious, thumping bassline. Ah, well. Snarky comments aside, I actually had a lot of fun.

Have I mentioned my new friends yet? I’ve met a nice little group of American students in addition to the slew of Irish. First, there’s Anthony. He’s hilarious and always manages to be met by interesting characters, without going out his way to meet them. We both go to Northeastern, but I didn’t know him before this trip. Then there’s Maureen, who is a pistol, in her own right. She joined the softball club, and I’m looking forward to hollering my support at her first game. It turns out that Maureen and I grew up in the same suburban region of Illinois. I particularly enjoy her bluntness and sense of camaraderie. Randi is a sweetheart from Penn State, studying Comparative Literature and she seems to exist in an alternate universe where manners and femininity count, and drinking doesn’t exist. I like her universe and I like her. She’s different. Last on the roster is Sarah, a conscientious, intelligent, funny, and insightful young lady from Aurora, Illinois. I feel closest to Sarah, although we hardly know each other. Maybe it’s because we both did Speech Team. That extracurricular is the sort that stays with you your entire life. Or maybe it’s because Sarah knows how important a hug is.

Well, it’s Saturday night, and one of the 6 days that people go out and party. Maureen, Randi, and Sarah decided to come over to my dorm instead. We watched television and chatted, and I had a fantastic time with them. We would have baked cookies, but were deterred by the lack of necessary ingredients. Like baking powder. Another night, perhaps…

looptopia and other things that don't work

it was not so good, last year. it was cold and there were too many lines. this year it's raining. but it's relatively warm. such is life.

i am soaked to the bone. these storms have got to stop. they're infringing on my plans. i did get to see some fire dancers, but only because i thought the scene would be warm. ha.

looptopia is such a great idea, but the past few years have been a bit of a disappointment.

LATER:

hm. i was at looptopia from about 6p to 9p. i got rained on. a lot. i didn't mind that much, but i decided that the events i wanted to see weren't going to happen, so i went home. i did. i went home. i showered myself back to warmth, changed, then got a surprise visit from a friend.

we hung out at my place for a short while, then one of us said, "Wanna go back to Looptopia?"

so, we went. it must have been midnight or so, but hey, the event was supposed to go on ALL NIGHT. yeah, right. it would only go on all night for those who had purchased wristbands, which they ran out of by 10p. boo. i understand the need for crowd control, but to run out of 'admits' by 10p? that was just poor planning.

maybe next year will be better, but i'm skeptical.

CG0h, my muscles hurt.

I'd rather DO stuff than HAVE stuff. that's no secret. the stuff that i DO is fun, usually inexpensive and totally worthwhile. i did a bunch of that stuff this weekend.

i WANT some aspirin and a heating blanket. i am so sore from the stuff that i did. it's a good feeling, unless if i catch a glimpse of my reflection. i look like quasimodo, hunched over, my face screwed up in a grimace. yeesh. i'm pretty sure that my body grew more muscles specifically to be SORE.

"Journey To The End of The Night" was amazing. it was more than i expected and more fun than i thought possible. i discovered that i'm terribly out of shape and cannot hop a fence anymore. i used to be pretty good at it. not anymore. sigh. ah, well.

the 'race' began in Wicker Park at 7p and took the players all around the city. i lost my team before the first checkpoint, but luckily met up with some other folks that didn't seem to mind my inability to hop a fence. they were so cool. we ran through yards, alleys, streets, trainyards, Lower Wacker, downtown... we chatted with strangers, celebrated small victories, high-fived eachother when we made it to checkpoints and ultimately played to WIN.

i have so many stories from the night. i don't think i could write about them properly. i can describe how sore i am, though. running from Wicker Park to the Shedd Aquarium in the course of 5 hours took its toll on my poor body. i hurt. but it's a good kinda hurt. it's the kind of pain that comes with a feeling of achievement, and as far as i can tell, something amazing was achieved tonight. it was a grand social experiment that made me fall in love with Chicago all over again.

Three-for-One

You know how there are some nights when you can't seem to find ANYTHING to do? Tonight was not one of those nights.

I can't believe how much STUFF happened today. Don't get me wrong, it was all GREAT, just A LOT. I doubt I'll be having another night like this again soon. Then again, it was the sort of day that makes me happy with my life, exactly as it is. I don't remember the last time I could say (write) that. I usually just whine.

I spent my workday at 'Conscious Choice,' writing. I actually think I might be able to make a solid go of this journalism thing. I still hate Hemingway, but I can finally appreciate his style. While I was at work, I got a call about 'testing' a new computer game. I don't think I'm allowed to divulge the silly and fun details of the game, but I will say that I had a blast playing, singing and guessing. Karaoke is like opera for the working class. Then I went to Bill's Blues Club, in Evanston.

I normally don't do well in 'blues' clubs. I find them pretentious and stifling. I suppose I should have known better because my good pal, G, invited me to come see him play tuba in a band called The Prohibition Orchestra. It was wonderful to listen to a full band play music that should be a lot more mainstream than it is, these days. I highly recommend seeing them. Oh, golly. What next? Oh, right. A cabaret show that didn't start on time, so we went to Silvie's to see another friend's band play. Also good. Then back to the 'cabaret' show, which turned out to be a series of inside jokes that weren't very funny at all.

I don't think abortion jokes are funny. It doesn't matter how you dress it up, it's just not going to be funny.

Phew. It's been a heckuva day. I wonder what's going on tomorrow...

Journey To The End of The Night

i'm so freakin' excited about this. it's gonna be awesome.
PRELUDE:
many moons ago, i met a performer by the name of Jason Webley. we struck up a casual acquaintance-ship-- casual, due to the fact that he spends most of his life touring and performing. perhaps i'll write more about him in the future. well, i was on his website one evening when i came across a fantastic oil portrait of him, surrounded by a sky that was raining umbrellas. not only was the image itself interesting and amusing, but it was BEAUTIFUL. i searched for the artist and penned a quick how-do-you-do and appreciative nod for his artwork.

he wrote, "My lady-friend and I are moving to Chicago (from California) in eleven days. Will you be our friend?"

it was one of the most oddly charming emails i had ever received. i accepted the pleasant task. i do so love introducing newcomers to my city. we became moderately friendly and i felt very good about the new residents.

PRESENTLY:
the artist i felt so compelled to contact and praise has decided to introduce "Journey To The End of The Night" to the humble citizens of Chicago. it's a game that is part scavenger-hunt, part race, part game of 'tag' that takes place throughout the city. it is very exciting. this is a game that apparently has been played in several cities around the world, including San Francisco, London and D.C. i'm not entirely sure how to describe it because i have yet to participate, but boy howdy, am i ever excited about it.

i love the idea of a (large) group of complete strangers taking part in an event that requires A) some knowledge of how Chicago is laid out, or at least some enthusiasm to learn about Chicago, B) a certain amount of physical activity. we're only allowed CTA or our legs. seriously. a bike would be great, but it's not allowed. you MUST walk/run/skip to the checkpoints, all the while, you're being 'chased' by a selected team. C) i love that this is an activity that doesn't rely on alcohol in order to socialize. we need more stuff like this.

well, at any rate, i'm excited about this. it's a mystery and a curiosity. i'll be sure to report more on the event after it has taken place, but for now... wheeee! CG0, here i come!