I left Barcelona this morning with one pair of clean underwear and a suitcase full of dirty laundry, en route to Budapest.

Rest assured, there will be oodles and noodles of updates upon my return.

Cheers!

It's a powerful word, it's lovely to say.
It's implying more than 'get up and dance, baby.'
- Bono, in regard to Rejoice

I've been looking forward to blogging all week, but suffered through a few setbacks. When I got back from Dublin my computer was infected with the blue screen of death. I lost a lot of sleep over the matter but finally got it fixed. Living without a functioning computer is like being trapped on an island (I imagine this island to have a large cave in the middle, in which I am tied to the outside) with millions of spiders slowly approaching; the panic continues to build with each passing moment. This is NOT an exaggeration.

And so it begins... Dublin was larger than life.

The trip started out swimmingly with my own row on AerLingus flight EI563. I spent the first hour literally laughing out loud to Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs. I was overcome by such bliss, I didn't even mind how obnoxious it seems to giggle publicly about a book. After my Augusten fix I cranked up U2 on my pod and attempted to take a snooze. I reclined my seat once it was officially safe (I don't dare break that rule) but it slowly crept back to the upright position. It felt like riding in the Boss with my seat at a 75 degree angle. However, it lacked the company of Jules and RJ occasionally banging their heads against the window and complaining about our beautiful chariot.

Some highlights from the trip:

• The sign at the Patriot which read: In the interest of safety, please refrain from dancing. For real life footage, see my pictures from Dublin.

• Harold's Cross Greyhound track. We've been to the dog track many a time in Pensacola, so we knew what we were getting ourselves into. However, this was a cream of the crop track. We made reservations for dinner, which I was slightly hesitant about due to the fact that the array of food at the Pensacola track extends from french fries to pizza with ice cream and popcorn in-between. But, I was pleasantly surprised to find a four-course meal awaited us. The track was full of energy, and when the rabbit (whom I will refer to as Swifty) was let loose the crowd went wild. The best part... the people who bring the dogs out to display as you make your bets (at this point Gabe elects the dog taking the biggest crap) were dressed in lab coats! There was no rhyme or reason to this process which made it all the more fantastic. And for a better adjective, mysterious.

• Dinner at the Tea Room: aka a restaurant part owned by Bono and the Edge. What's not to love?

• Dublin Castle and Kilmainham Gaol. U2 made a music video at the jail. I have a current U2/Dublin obsession.

• Guinness. I tried it, I liked it. Or should say, I didn't dislike it.

part Irish, part rock. I liked them.

Next, Dad and I will be tearing up the streets of Barcelona. Stay tuned for more. Bear with me through my rapid influx of visitors, posts may be far and few between. Until we meet again :)

I can't seem to shake this little yellow creature.

He's following me all over the globe.

Okay, let me try to retrace the past few days (well, more than a few, a little negligence on my part).

I found the cutest jumper at a store the other day. I've drug myself into that store everyday since, just to continually admire it. I'm hoping one day I'll break down and buy it.

Usually the music in the metro is less than satisfactory and commonly involves peter pan pipes. But, yesterday someone got a little crazy and switched it up. His intro was a little off because I initially thought he was singing a Smashing Pumpkins song, but soon realized it was none other than U2, With or Without You :) Naturally this was one of the few times the metro was already sitting there waiting for me so I didn't get to bask in the U2 glory, but it still lit up my heart.

Though I've always known the little girl and I share a love of pink, velour, hello kitty items (or mainly just soft, cozy things), tonight at dinner I realized we have something else in common. She and I share the same jammy cycle. This entails wearing one pair of pajays for two to three weeks straight and then changing to a new pair. She alternates between a pastel yellow, velour, striped pair and the hello kitty pair. Maybe one day we'll do the jammy shuffle.

Some updates on my day-to-day life:

• I still have the pathetic excuse of an umbrella. I don't know why I'm holding out, it seems like it rains at least once a week in Barcelona.
• I've made it a goal to floss my teeth more often. My dental hygienist told me that even people with perfect teeth can one day wake up and need dentures if they don't floss their teeth often enough in life. She obviously didn't know who she was talking to. I take those kinds of threats to heart. I won't delve into other fears, but its been a lifelong trend.
• I find myself rushing to class every morning, big surprise right? By the time I get to the metro I'm a sweaty mess and even more of a spectacle than my not sweaty, not late American self.
• I've nearly eaten two whole containers of crema de cacahuete (peanut butter) since I've been here. Oh my gravy... maybe thats something I should have kept to myself. But, now that its out on the table, this is essentially what I look like everyday.

Until we meet again.

ps: Dad and I will be tearing up Dublin this weekend.