Well, today was a good day for me, and it's only 14:00. Not only were my classes canceled this afternoon, but as I sat down to work I read that Ralph Nader has joined the 2008 presidential race!
I know everyone says it's his fault Gore lost in 2000, but that's not anyone's fault but Gore. The Democratic primaries have shown that America is ready for a change. Instead of changing by voting for a woman or African-American, let's change by putting aside bipartisanship and voting for the candidate who is best-suited for the job.
But if you're not going to vote for him, at least check out his Web site and support his request to debate.
http://www.votenader.org
25 February 2008
19 February 2008
Free Shit and Toilet Paper
I'm new to city life, so I'm not sure if this is a city thing or an Ireland thing, but if you wake up early enough, you get free shit on your morning commute.
There seems to be a great number of people making a living out of giving away free samples to those walking before 09:00, first and foremost the two newspapers (comparable to the Pennysaver) the Metro and Herald AM. These papers aren't exactly top-of-the-line, but they're reasonably priced and make for great kindling or floor mats. They each have every section of the news, and most importantly, three different Sudokus - from easy to insanely difficult. So they've got that going for them. It would be appropriate to refer to these publications as 'Toilet Papers,' not only because they're excellent reading material for the bathroom, but can also, well, I don't need to go into detail.
One morning, I was treated to a free shot of yogurt, another morning a free half-litre of juice. Now, if you want more than one freebie, you just have to pocket one and walk fifty meters to the next give awayer and get another. I walked away with enough juice for the week that morning. Was the juice good? I'd say it was nothing to write home about, but it was definitely something I'll talk about until the day I die. While I'm not literally writing home about it, I have mentioned it to my parents on the phone and am currently discussing it on this blog, which I intend on people reading from my home, so...I guess you could call me a liar. It was something to write home about.
Since the half-litre juice day, only shots of this fruit/vegetable juice have been given out, but I know not to buy the stuff anymore. I'm pretty sure some girls from a cafe near my apartment give away free tea, but I always drink tea before leaving, and get free tea at work, so I have no need to find out what's inside those steaming styrophome cups.
There are always people offering coupons or advertisements for one cellphone company, O2, but I don't take those. On Valentine's Day, free candy hearts were given away. They were stale, but that's nothing out of the ordinary for candy hearts. I think the shelf-life for candy hearts is, well, I wouldn't be surprised if they were made in East Germany.
By far, my favorite aspect of the free shit on the streets of Dublin is the ridiculous outfits these people have to wear. Those offering the newspapers wear jackets and hats with the respective paper's logo on them, and stand right next to their 'compeditor,' as if there's much of a difference between the two. (I wouldn't be surprised if they were owned by the same company.) Those offering juice wear a bright orange jumpsuit, with the slogan 'Are you getting enough' embroidered on the back. On V-Day, the candy heart ladies all were dressed like cupid. Stupid, yes, but they make the 20-minute walk easier to deal with.
All this makes me feel a little better about the homeless, because they're always up at this time of day as well. It's nice to know they're getting some free papers, as all that free juice tends to loosen up the bowels.
Well, my time is up for today, as I've just been yelled at by some bitch. Apparently, even though there are plenty of computers in this 'psychology students only' lab, I have to leave immediately. Fucking bullshit. So much for proof-reading this one. I hope it makes sense!
There seems to be a great number of people making a living out of giving away free samples to those walking before 09:00, first and foremost the two newspapers (comparable to the Pennysaver) the Metro and Herald AM. These papers aren't exactly top-of-the-line, but they're reasonably priced and make for great kindling or floor mats. They each have every section of the news, and most importantly, three different Sudokus - from easy to insanely difficult. So they've got that going for them. It would be appropriate to refer to these publications as 'Toilet Papers,' not only because they're excellent reading material for the bathroom, but can also, well, I don't need to go into detail.
One morning, I was treated to a free shot of yogurt, another morning a free half-litre of juice. Now, if you want more than one freebie, you just have to pocket one and walk fifty meters to the next give awayer and get another. I walked away with enough juice for the week that morning. Was the juice good? I'd say it was nothing to write home about, but it was definitely something I'll talk about until the day I die. While I'm not literally writing home about it, I have mentioned it to my parents on the phone and am currently discussing it on this blog, which I intend on people reading from my home, so...I guess you could call me a liar. It was something to write home about.
Since the half-litre juice day, only shots of this fruit/vegetable juice have been given out, but I know not to buy the stuff anymore. I'm pretty sure some girls from a cafe near my apartment give away free tea, but I always drink tea before leaving, and get free tea at work, so I have no need to find out what's inside those steaming styrophome cups.
There are always people offering coupons or advertisements for one cellphone company, O2, but I don't take those. On Valentine's Day, free candy hearts were given away. They were stale, but that's nothing out of the ordinary for candy hearts. I think the shelf-life for candy hearts is, well, I wouldn't be surprised if they were made in East Germany.
By far, my favorite aspect of the free shit on the streets of Dublin is the ridiculous outfits these people have to wear. Those offering the newspapers wear jackets and hats with the respective paper's logo on them, and stand right next to their 'compeditor,' as if there's much of a difference between the two. (I wouldn't be surprised if they were owned by the same company.) Those offering juice wear a bright orange jumpsuit, with the slogan 'Are you getting enough' embroidered on the back. On V-Day, the candy heart ladies all were dressed like cupid. Stupid, yes, but they make the 20-minute walk easier to deal with.
All this makes me feel a little better about the homeless, because they're always up at this time of day as well. It's nice to know they're getting some free papers, as all that free juice tends to loosen up the bowels.
Well, my time is up for today, as I've just been yelled at by some bitch. Apparently, even though there are plenty of computers in this 'psychology students only' lab, I have to leave immediately. Fucking bullshit. So much for proof-reading this one. I hope it makes sense!
12 February 2008
Dublin 1
When speaking of the dirty, expensive and crowded city of Dublin, one naturally speaks of beer first and foremost. I realize that Ireland (home of the Guinness Brewery and Jameson Distillery) is trying to distance itself from the negative stereotype of surly alcoholism, but the fact remains that beer and whisky are both a large part of Ireland's culture. Just think about your last St. Patrick's Day celebration. Were you remembering the holy trinity through a shamrock or getting shit-faced on green beer?
Apart from a few advertisements similar to the Truth campaign going on in America, not much is going on to deter people from drinking in excess. These ads feature the worst part of alcohol - not those who are enjoying a night out, but those notenjoying a night out at all. There's the nurse at a hospital dealing with a drunken college girl and her passed-out friend, a shop-keep cleaning vomit from the side of his store, and a man peering out his window to witness some punks walk over his car, to name a few. "I've had enough," all those indirectly affected Irish people say. It's a good idea for Ireland to remove their stereotype, but it doesn't seem to be working very well yet.
This is what that ad campaign is competing with:
Not only is beer about five times cheaper than orange juice, but the smallest size avaliable is a 500 mL pint. It is a bit pricy when bought from a pub(lic house), but they have these wonderful stores that I still don't understand called 'Off-Licenses.' Here, you purchase beer not in the traditional six-pack, but in the whatever-the-hell size pack you want. You want five Guinnesses and one Carlsberg? You got it. How about two Coronas, one Smithwick's (pronounced 'Smittix'), three Beck's' and a Budweiser? Sure. Oh, and you can get any liquor you want at these places too.
Aside from the Off-License stores, you can get beer, wine and hard liquor at supermarkets and the Spar (similar to a Fast-track). There's a bar in the movie theatre. I haven't been to one of those traditional Irish McDonald's yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if you could get a pint of McLager there as well.
The most popular size of liquor is the small kind that fits well in your pocket. There are empty beer cans everywhere. There is more vomit and piss on the streets than I would care to discuss. I'm not saying that this is true everywhere in Dublin, just the streets I use on a daily basis. But the vomit and piss I can live with. I'm already looking out for broken glass and dog crap at almost every step, so it's no big deal.
Through all these negatives, there are some beautiful parts of the city. For example, St. Stephen's Green was so awe-inspiring that after feeding the ducks and enjoying the scenery, I asked my girlfriend to marry me. And while I wouldn't swim in the Liffy river (that divides the city), I still enjoy the view every time I cross the bridge. Ironically, another beautiful view of the city is atop the Guinness Brewery, which is responsible for making a mess of the city about 10 floors below.
So, I'm not saying Dublin is filthy, I'm just trying to discuss its alcohol problem. It's probably not much of a problem though; it can stop whenever it wants.
Apart from a few advertisements similar to the Truth campaign going on in America, not much is going on to deter people from drinking in excess. These ads feature the worst part of alcohol - not those who are enjoying a night out, but those notenjoying a night out at all. There's the nurse at a hospital dealing with a drunken college girl and her passed-out friend, a shop-keep cleaning vomit from the side of his store, and a man peering out his window to witness some punks walk over his car, to name a few. "I've had enough," all those indirectly affected Irish people say. It's a good idea for Ireland to remove their stereotype, but it doesn't seem to be working very well yet.
This is what that ad campaign is competing with:
Not only is beer about five times cheaper than orange juice, but the smallest size avaliable is a 500 mL pint. It is a bit pricy when bought from a pub(lic house), but they have these wonderful stores that I still don't understand called 'Off-Licenses.' Here, you purchase beer not in the traditional six-pack, but in the whatever-the-hell size pack you want. You want five Guinnesses and one Carlsberg? You got it. How about two Coronas, one Smithwick's (pronounced 'Smittix'), three Beck's' and a Budweiser? Sure. Oh, and you can get any liquor you want at these places too.
Aside from the Off-License stores, you can get beer, wine and hard liquor at supermarkets and the Spar (similar to a Fast-track). There's a bar in the movie theatre. I haven't been to one of those traditional Irish McDonald's yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if you could get a pint of McLager there as well.
The most popular size of liquor is the small kind that fits well in your pocket. There are empty beer cans everywhere. There is more vomit and piss on the streets than I would care to discuss. I'm not saying that this is true everywhere in Dublin, just the streets I use on a daily basis. But the vomit and piss I can live with. I'm already looking out for broken glass and dog crap at almost every step, so it's no big deal.
Through all these negatives, there are some beautiful parts of the city. For example, St. Stephen's Green was so awe-inspiring that after feeding the ducks and enjoying the scenery, I asked my girlfriend to marry me. And while I wouldn't swim in the Liffy river (that divides the city), I still enjoy the view every time I cross the bridge. Ironically, another beautiful view of the city is atop the Guinness Brewery, which is responsible for making a mess of the city about 10 floors below.
So, I'm not saying Dublin is filthy, I'm just trying to discuss its alcohol problem. It's probably not much of a problem though; it can stop whenever it wants.
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