Galway City, Co Galway, Ireland

We have been moving around like madmen at a breakneck pace. Shannon, Limerick, Dingle, Cork City, Waterford, Cahir, Cashel, and now here in Galway. This town is more like a city than all the rest. Right on the water at Galway Bay, it's almost like a Jersey Shore resort town. Plus there are two colleges, so there is always something going on. Quay Street is a commons area with shops, pubs, and restaurants, almost like New Hope, PA. Brian and I spend the evening at the Crane Pub. My kind of place. Some musicians came in and sat in the booth next to us and played most of the time we were there. We also chatted up some locals while I enjoyed a few damn fine pints of Guinness. On our way here from Waterford we drove the southern midlands and stopped at a few castles. Cahir Castle was particularly impressive. And the views from Cashel Rock were simply amazing. Near Cashel Rock is the disputed "birthplace" of Guinness. It seems Arthur Guinness father was a brewer there and may have concocted the brew that Arthur took to Dublin and made famous. Of course I stopped and had a pint. In Waterford we toured the crystal factory and saw some true craftsmen at work. It's spellbinding, watching those men work and shape the molten crystal. We also had lunch at a fantastic pub attached to a hotel right on the quay. Before Waterford we were in Co Cork where we toured Blarney Castle, which has absolutely beautiful grounds. All this after seeing the beauty of Slea Head and the drive from Dingle the day before. My heart and eyes are full of joy and beauty, all with five days left to go.

Limerick City, Co Limerick, Ireland

At 6:20 pm, local time, I turn 30; and I finally managed to beat that date. The flight was uncomfortable, and getting around here is an adventure, but here we are.
My first bout of overseas travel had revealed what an ignorant american I am. I got to Heathrow expecting everyone to be completely different (2 heads, 4 arms). The human condition, as it stands, is a universally beautiful and miserable experience. For everyone, we have to find our share of both. For me, now that the myths of foreign travel are dispelled, I plan to enjoy my trip, see the land of my forefathers, and turn thirty with the same aplomb that I used at 1, 5, 10, and 20.

off to the motherland...

Tonight, at approximately 9pm, a plane will take off and my journey to Ireland will begin.

waiting for an adventure of a lifetime.

I'll never be able to make her understand

Sounds of laughter shades of earth are ringing
Through my open views inviting and inciting me
Limitless undying love which shines around me like a
million suns, it calls me on and on
Across the universe

So, say you were meeting a new person - blind date, new friend, who knows. And you wanted them to have some idea of what kind of person you are, and who you are. But you can't actually tell them in so many words. Instead, you have to give them a box, with a dozen things in it for them to ponder over.
What would you put in the box? No cheating - you're not allowed to include things such as links to your livejournal.


1. A Confederate General from Big Sur by Richard Brautigan
2. A picture of my dog
3. A Guinness Tap Handle
4. A Guitar Pic
5. E.E. Cummings Complete Poems
6. True Romance on DVD
7. A pillow
8. A small statue of Buddah
9. An Irish Tri-Color
10. A pair of 8-hole Docs, size 12
11. A pound of bacon
12. A tattoo gun

very interesting. 

14 lines that are not about pudding

i've been the most offensive person in the room before but never by accident or based on a misunderstanding i once laid on a table and had sex with a whore because that kind of relationship is less demanding i edit my thoughts, but try to let my words have their fun so you always hear my opinion in a diplomatic way then i let my feelings fly like lead from a gun and the truth is fucked no matter what i say i trade in generalities to avoid conflict and strife though occasionally my stand is against the grain i've believed i was better than others at times in my life i've been known to struggle through joy and revel in pain since there is no single fact to distill all i can be i'll leave you with these words, and see if you leave me manic966 on the fly

mr. inconceivable

we know the rules
how fast to run
how cold to keep the food
which kids to shun

the ones who teach
who keep us in our lines
took all my joy
left me far behind

but now i've said too much
and you complain to me
so i replace the gag
instead of set you free

i dig the graves
to set the bodies in
then shake the hands
of those i'm burying

now my whole life
is vengeance with a smile
secrets encased in salt
to burn as they defile

until the day will come
that i feel whole again
taking my place beside
all of the other men

misunderstood and feared
like the language of a spell
baptized right from day one
into the fire of hell 

for the next time I can write music

rethink this plan of action
i'm no good dealing with attraction
you're impossible, my mission impossible
and possibly you are just the thing i need

don't think that i'm reserved
i'm just afraid of what i deserve
you're unstoppable, bullet-type unstoppable
your muzzle flash is constant in my eyes

you are so dangerous
pure thrill-high adrenalin rush
and i'm on the edge of being
in love with danger

if i make a decision
in this state it's a wrong decision
you're a miracle, a patient miracle
i'm just the skeptic you've been looking for

don't make me make a scene
i'm no good at being that mean
you're unforgettable, forgot you were unforgettable
i wish i could forget how much you meant


manic 

i am a drone of the probot

you can't hear this violence
you don't know its tongue
i am fluent in autumn
and learning to speak winter

sunlight is a map that
blinds you to the true path
darkness is a guide with
a compass for a soul

we try twice as hard
why try anything hard

run from what you asked for
hide for what it's worth
the time is ticking anyway
shedding skin in seconds

sleeping just beneath you
within you, it cries
ready to assassinate your
guardian angel

we try twice as hard
why try anthing hard

take in all you've urned
die each time you kiss
remember the taste for all
of your days

splinter from their steel
stop pretending to breathe
close your eyes again
fall away

we try twice as hard
why try anything hard
why try anything
why try
why


/manic by design