On the Road in Ireland

So far so good in Ireland. Dublin was great though we had some issues with reading maps and understanding the busses. The Guiness tour was good. Gallaugher (you know the watermelon smashing comedian) was at the Factory enjoying a pint when we were there. The hostile in Cork was insanely small, but the town had a good pub where we got to enjoy a local band play a short set. Today we went on the Blarney Castle tour and are now staying the night in Killarney. The hostile is much better and there is even a bar just a short walk away from the front door. Now what I mean by short is about six or seven steps. The only problem is we have been pushing so hard so far that sleep is more the order of business. One pint is all for me for tonight. Killarney is a good walking and shopping city. We have already started to plan where we will be in Dublin for New Years. That should be great, then on to England. If I find free inernet access I wil post again.

Inconsistencies of the Holidays

There has been an aweful lot of talk this year about what you can say and what you should say to wish one another well this December. Christmas songs are banned where Hanukkah songs are not. There was a report last week on Air America that the White House staff had been instructed to only greet phone calls with Merry Christmas. Target doesn't and Wal-Mart does. And this just touches the very least of the insanity. Insanity that I find on both sides. I really don't care if you want to wish me a Happy Hanukkah. Really if it means the same to you as Merry Christmas means to me, then I should take it as an honjoyous Kwanzaaor not an insult. Nor should you take my offering of Merry Christmas as an insult. I am not telling you that you have to be a Christian. If I wanted to to that, really I just would (though I tend to think I would use just a bit more tact than that). What I am offering to you is the richest blessing that I have to offer. Boy is that insulting! So take my Merry Christmas in the spirit that it is offered by me and by millions of others and I promise to take your Happy Hanukkah, joyous Kwanzaa, or any other greeting of the season in the spirit in which it was intended, even a Happy Holidays.