Discovery

"The right to be ridiculous is one that I hold dear" is a line Bono sings in "I'll go crazy..." . I agree.

I wasn't always willing to be seen as "ridiculous." I'm kind of a late-bloomer in that respect. But I know that about myself. For all the hubris, accolades, negatives, positives that go along with being "me" I still reserve the right to be "ridiculous." And frequently am.

Cause you see, I accept myself, but I also have figured out this tiniest bit of information about myself. It's okay to be ridiculous. And that knowledge is freeing. I once argued with an acquaintance that it was no longer important to me to be the "best." Perfect. What is important to me is to be the best "me." It's just that simple. And that knowledge did so much for me. It allowed me to be "ridiculous."

But it also led to another revelation.

My life was really going to be "discovery." Discovering how to be a better person. Discovering how to be a better dad. Discovering how to be a better leader. Discovering how to be a better partner. Discovery is an amazing thing. Going to Dublin with Megs was a journey of discovery. Being able to spend time in Vegas with my sister is a discovery. For my life to having meaning to me, for it all to be about anything, it doesn't extend outward, it extends inward.

But first, one has to be willing to appear "ridiculous."

I can.

Home

I'm home. And miss Dublin already. It was such a great trip. As I was coming back from dropping Megs home after the flight, I started to complain to myself about the heat in New York, traffic, my car's on the fritz AC, and I had to stop. I've had a wonderful summer. I got great news about my school. I went to Vegas and hung out with my sister for 10 days. Got to spend a week in Dublin with Megs. And it dawned on me sitting in BQE traffic....shut up. And I think that's something we do -- we continually look at our lives and want...want....want. Personally, I'm going to complain less (to myself and others) and just work (a key word) to enjoy the rather wonderful life I have. Not in a Pollyanna way, but in a realistic way. I wouldn't trade the job I have and the summer has been amazing. That's kinda nice.

Dublin, Day 7

It's Monday Morning. Our last full day in Dublin. We have a 10:30am flight back to New York tomorrow. Back to the reality of getting ready for school; paying bills; all the stuff that comprises a life. I've enjoyed this trip enormously. The time with Megs in this historic city. We've developed a nice routine to our days -- walking here, going there, selecting restaurants, just deciding how we want to spend the day.
We tried to visit Christ Church again yesterday but were stopped by a Church official (priest?) due to a service of some sort. Megs and I had to laugh. First, filming the "Tudors" and now a service that went to 5:00pm. We're not big church goers but we are determined to see the oldest church in Ireland. So, it's on the schedule for today along with a visit to the Jameson's distillery (not a Scotch drinker but why not?).
I've been to Vegas and Dublin this summer. I love both places and could easily live in either. In both I feel a certain calm and attachment that I don't feel in NYC. I can't see myself not visiting Ireland every 2 - 3 yrs. or so. I've done the West Coast of Ireland in an earlier trip (Bunratty, Cliffs of Mohr, Dingle, Kinsale -- simply the most beautiful coastal city I've ever been in,-- Kilkenny) and now Dublin for a solid week. I still want to see the North -- Belfast, etc. It'll come. This is such an amazing place.

Dublin, Day 5

It's about 10:00am as I write this. The day is, in the words of U2, "A Beautiful Day." Sunny, no clouds, no wind, high 60's, not a cloud to be seen. Might be the best weather day we've had. Was out early. Grabbed a coffee (one coffee shop -- close by -- is named "Insomnia"...priceless), walked up to the Liffey River, lit up a Cuban (my first ever, somewhat pricey), took a seat, and just watched the river roll on. Not the "breakfast of champions" but a great start to the day. I am so enjoying this trip. This city, the time with Megs, just terrific.
We're looking at our last three days here. We've seen a ton of sights and we just want to chill and relax in the time left. Today we're taking a bus tour around the city followed by a stop at the Writer's Museum. I'd like to hear some "live" music tonight which probably means visiting Temple Bar area tonight.
Fact I learned this morning. There are actual fish in the Liffey River -- actually the river didn't look like it could support fish but there they were swimming around. I hadn't seen any in the couple of days before this.

Day 4, Dublin

I've really enjoyed this trip so far. The time to be with my daughter. The people here aren't overly friendly, which I like. They're attitude seems to be "we have our own stuff to do, and it's nice that you're here and all, but we've got a life to get after." Helpful, yes. Saying "hello" to you every 5 minutes, no. I enjoy the chance to just move and learn the city. It's pace. It's sorta like we're gonna be here after you go home so enjoy yourself, have fun.
Our hotel is on the Liffey River, across from U2's "Clarence" hotel (it just worked out that way...lol). It's one of the best parts of the trip to just grab a coffee, and just look at the river, smoking a cigarette. People are scurrying around but within that, one can grab a moment of calm. Dublin in August seems to be about 65, overcast with bits of rain, and intermittent sun. It's out this morning. The sun. Quite a change from a New York or Vegas summer.
We're going to Kilmainham Jail and the Guiness plant today. Kilmainham has tremendous social, political and historical significance. I've been there before, taken some great photos, but I want to see it again, feel that history of the Uprising again. And Guiness? Well, to avoid the stereotype, the brand seems to be omnipresent here. I'm more interested in the views of Dublin from the Gravity Bar on the top floor.
So far, we've been to O'Connell Street, Christ Church (it was closed to film the "Tudors") St. Patricks Cathedral (largest Protestant church in Ireland and burial place for Jonathan Swift), Dublin Castle, Trinity College, Grafton Street (looks like Diagon Alley out of the Potter books), Temple bar area (duh! but a place with tremendous energy), the National Gallery, the National Museum, and Merrion Square (great park, nice architecture around it) among other spots. The nice part is that everything is so close together (relatively) so it doable to walk from one spot to another. Still to come are Phoenix Park (Dublin's answer to NY's Central Park) and the Writer's Museum (we're gonna do a "walking tour" starting there). Like I said, we've been busy.
I've taken a ton of photos already. And I'm actually starting to know my way around a bit. Funny, because I have no sense of direction. In fact, some are surprised I find my way out of my apartment most mornings. But I'm starting to see a bit how the streets connect.
More to come.....

Day 3 in Dublin

I'm in Dublin with my younger daughter. On vacation. Have been here once before. It's an amazing city. I decided this visit, instead of hopping all over, or being part of a tour, to just spend the week in Dublin. Good choice, I think.
Dublin is small, or compact, so a ton of things are in walking distance of each other. We've been on the go since we got here, although not in that "check it off, let's move on" way. More, "we want to see that, then maybe that" kind of way. I really do enjoy this city. It's more of a "horizontal" format with few buildings over 4-5 stories as opposed to "vertical" cities like New York.
It's just that Dublin has such a nice feel to it. It has history but not in a "do you know where you are?" manner that I remember from London but a more "blue collar" approach. More like "here we are, hope you like it" way or "didn't bring that, ok". Just everyday folks making their way. Maybe it's an Irish thing.
And I've noticed a few things:
-- everyone seems to drive BMW's or Mercedes. BMW's mainly. It just seems like every other car is one.
-- their bacon isn't the bacon that I've known all my life. It's real meat and all but it ain't what I call bacon.
-- everyone smokes. Not in bars, or inside buildings, etc. But on the street, walking from place to place, I haven't noticed this many people openly smoking in New York.
-- walking around I forget that I can't look right for passing cars but rather have to continually look left when crossing a street. Wrong side driving and all.
More in the next few days....