Just a quickie on the name and address I chose for this little slice o' the net.
I spent a lot of time running down different possible names and/or URLs for this place. From funny to serious to flat out dorky, I kicked 'em all around, and finally settled on "dontpunt" and "Rattlin' Blog", which I think pretty much cover all the bases.
"dontpunt" is a tip of the hat to one of the most effectively worded and concise pieces of encouragement and advice I got when I was on the verge of backing down from this whole plan. A certain poster on The Victors board, quoting or paraphrasing a certain other poster's previous statement, simply replied "Don't punt from the 38 yard line of life".
Its a light-hearted and personally relevant interpretation of the one serious message I might hope to get across with these pages. To Nike, it's "Just Do It". To Horace, it was "Carpe diem". To Daniel Negreanu and his ilk, it'd be "All in."
However you call it, it just means to put yourself out there on the difficult path if there's something of worth on the other end of it.
"Rattlin' Blog", for those who don't know, is a play on the name of a popular Irish polka/drinking song. As a song, "Rattlin' Bog" is a fun one with a ton of variations in actual lyrics, but regardless of how you sing it, before you're done you're tongue's blasting a thousand miles a second about microscopic things on increasingly larger things until you reach the tree in the hole and the hole in the bog and the bog down in the valley-o.
I wanted to use something that would be a tip to the fact that the main focus is going to be travels in Ireland, with a slant towards my particular interest in Irish music, but wasn't really comfortable making this be an overtly "Irish blog" with all the contrite and stereotypical baubles and such that most Americans associate with the place. Although, I was sorely tempted (and surprised) when I saw that, as of this writing, slainte.blogspot.com was available!
In addition to being an obvious candidate for a play on 'blog', another interesting note on that title is that as both a song (i.e. music with words) and a tune (referring to it being an instrumental melody commonly played in quick, up tempo traditional sessions), it's one of very few that has crossed the boundary of my experiences in the two main areas of traditional Irish music. I've pounded my glass on the table trying to keep up with the lyrics belted out by Micheal O'Brien at The Old Shillelagh and I've tweedled and deedled the tune on a tin whistle in a lively session at The Grafton. While it might all be lumped together as "Irish music" to most, its surprisingly rare that a tune can make its way into both settings.
If you don't believe me, find yourself a local trad session and ask them if they'll play "Danny Boy" for you.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Time for Plan B? Or extend things further?
I don't want to know what my phone bill is going to look like for all the 1 min calls to Dublin this morning that ultimately yielded in not getting through once to that particular number. Nothing quite like being told repeatedly that the queue is full and that they won't even let you hold, and then having a recording telling you to call back later because they only take calls from 10:00 until 12:30-- at 12:20.
I'm too tired to have a full out blow up right now, so I sucked it up and tried calling back to the other number that I'd gotten on Monday. The one that had bounced me back to the first number to begin with.
Got through to someone right away and they actually spoke with me and addressed my questions.
And then I felt even worse.
According to this person I spoke with, it seems that while yes, technically it's possible to get permission to stay in Ireland beyond 30 days while working remotely for my US employer, it seems that I would not only have to provide proof of said employment and insurance, but unless I'm able to demonstrate that there's a business need for why the work would need to be done in Ireland, the chances of getting approved are slim. I'm welcome to write in and try, apparently, but I shouldn't expect a response in any less than 6 months.
Okay, lets try a glass-half-full perspective: At least that's one more option that I can cross off the list, narrowing down the choices for an easy decision! Right.
So continuing with my current employer while in Ireland for a year is off the list. Where does that leave me. Plan B is still there for the taking--3 month sabbatical to just completely unwind and spend the time maxing out my enjoyment of the time I have over there (not to mention decimating my savings). IF my employer can agree to 3 months off and guarantee me I'll have a job that can be done from Michigan when I return, this isn't too bad of an option, all things considered.
But if 3 months is too long--and it very well may be--I'm faced with not only a reduced experience in Ireland, but likely the grim prospect of trying to find a job in Michigan when I return. Should be interesting to see what yesterday's stock market thud will do to the already obliterated Michigan economy.
It seems my only choice if I want to stay beyond 3 months is to continue to pursue employment with an Irish company. That's going to mean pushing back my timeframe somewhat indefinitely. It looks as though most of my leads thus far have dried up, so I'll be basically setting myself back to where I was in mid-January, and without any definite end-time in sight.
Lessons learned:
The good... Not much, other than finally getting some fairly definite answers.
The bad... That continuing with my current job while in Ireland is basically unlikely.
The ugly... The Immigration Department's call center.
I'm too tired to have a full out blow up right now, so I sucked it up and tried calling back to the other number that I'd gotten on Monday. The one that had bounced me back to the first number to begin with.
Got through to someone right away and they actually spoke with me and addressed my questions.
And then I felt even worse.
According to this person I spoke with, it seems that while yes, technically it's possible to get permission to stay in Ireland beyond 30 days while working remotely for my US employer, it seems that I would not only have to provide proof of said employment and insurance, but unless I'm able to demonstrate that there's a business need for why the work would need to be done in Ireland, the chances of getting approved are slim. I'm welcome to write in and try, apparently, but I shouldn't expect a response in any less than 6 months.
Okay, lets try a glass-half-full perspective: At least that's one more option that I can cross off the list, narrowing down the choices for an easy decision! Right.
So continuing with my current employer while in Ireland for a year is off the list. Where does that leave me. Plan B is still there for the taking--3 month sabbatical to just completely unwind and spend the time maxing out my enjoyment of the time I have over there (not to mention decimating my savings). IF my employer can agree to 3 months off and guarantee me I'll have a job that can be done from Michigan when I return, this isn't too bad of an option, all things considered.
But if 3 months is too long--and it very well may be--I'm faced with not only a reduced experience in Ireland, but likely the grim prospect of trying to find a job in Michigan when I return. Should be interesting to see what yesterday's stock market thud will do to the already obliterated Michigan economy.
It seems my only choice if I want to stay beyond 3 months is to continue to pursue employment with an Irish company. That's going to mean pushing back my timeframe somewhat indefinitely. It looks as though most of my leads thus far have dried up, so I'll be basically setting myself back to where I was in mid-January, and without any definite end-time in sight.
Lessons learned:
The good... Not much, other than finally getting some fairly definite answers.
The bad... That continuing with my current job while in Ireland is basically unlikely.
The ugly... The Immigration Department's call center.
No Chelios? No Zetterberg? No problem.
I went to the Wings-Blackhawks game tonight at Joe Louis Arena West (formerly known as the United Center). During the opening faceoff, Justin predicted that the Wings would score in the first 1:50. At 18:16, Kyle Calder netted his first goal as a Red Wing.
Holmstrom added two more classic Holmstrom goals and Johan Franzen had an amazing spin-around goal that was worthy of a Datsyuk highlight reel. Pavel, meanwhile, had a quiet night statistically, but it is always a treat to watch him skate and handle the puck and a few of his passes tonight were pure van Gogh.
The 'hawks got a late pity goal with around a minute left in the game to make it a 4-1 final.
The crowd at the United Center is a shell of its former self. The nationwide hockey depression in general, and the specific woes of the Blackhawks organization over the past several years has taken its toll. When I first started going to games after moving here, it was always a full house and a raucous, hostile crowd. Whenever the pockets of Red Wings fans would start up "Let's Go Red Wings!", the cadenced gap in the cheer was filled with a booming response of "De-troit sucks!" It was spirited and lively and fun. No longer. I'd guess there were maybe 10,000 in attendance, and that's probably being generous. Of that, at least 4,000 were Detroit fans. There was nary a disparaging remark about Detroit to be heard, other than from one drunken and frustrated fan outside the stadium after the game.
But a 4-1 win for the good guys and great seats to watch it from make the concerns over not having profanities and beer hurled in your general direction rather minimal. Couple that with Michigan's impressive 67-56 win over MSU in hoops tonight, and I'll call it a good night.
Even if Blogger did eat the lengthy post I had meant to put in this spot after I'd spend about an hour and a half on it. Note to self: Do not hit the back button from Preview to try and resume editting.
A full rundown on my actual plans for the trip and how I got to this point is coming tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll have some more answers and ideas, as I'll be taking another crack at penetrating the beauracratic walls of the Immigration Department in--oh gee, five hours...
Holmstrom added two more classic Holmstrom goals and Johan Franzen had an amazing spin-around goal that was worthy of a Datsyuk highlight reel. Pavel, meanwhile, had a quiet night statistically, but it is always a treat to watch him skate and handle the puck and a few of his passes tonight were pure van Gogh.
The 'hawks got a late pity goal with around a minute left in the game to make it a 4-1 final.
The crowd at the United Center is a shell of its former self. The nationwide hockey depression in general, and the specific woes of the Blackhawks organization over the past several years has taken its toll. When I first started going to games after moving here, it was always a full house and a raucous, hostile crowd. Whenever the pockets of Red Wings fans would start up "Let's Go Red Wings!", the cadenced gap in the cheer was filled with a booming response of "De-troit sucks!" It was spirited and lively and fun. No longer. I'd guess there were maybe 10,000 in attendance, and that's probably being generous. Of that, at least 4,000 were Detroit fans. There was nary a disparaging remark about Detroit to be heard, other than from one drunken and frustrated fan outside the stadium after the game.
But a 4-1 win for the good guys and great seats to watch it from make the concerns over not having profanities and beer hurled in your general direction rather minimal. Couple that with Michigan's impressive 67-56 win over MSU in hoops tonight, and I'll call it a good night.
Even if Blogger did eat the lengthy post I had meant to put in this spot after I'd spend about an hour and a half on it. Note to self: Do not hit the back button from Preview to try and resume editting.
A full rundown on my actual plans for the trip and how I got to this point is coming tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll have some more answers and ideas, as I'll be taking another crack at penetrating the beauracratic walls of the Immigration Department in--oh gee, five hours...
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Why are we here again?
So here's the deal, yo. I've been in Chicago for nearly 5 years. It's flown by, but I don't think I could've imagined I'd be here that long when I first made that one-way trek down I-94. Overall, its tough to complain. There's been some great times, some great opportunities and some great friends and experiences.
But somewhere along the way, some things got lost. In many ways, I just haven't felt like I've been myself. I'm not sure if it's just the cold harsh reality of the Big City(tm) or if there's been something else at play, but I've known for a while that it was not a situation I could stay in long term.
My heart has always been back in Michigan. Its not the games alone that have driven me to not miss a football Saturday in Ann Arbor in over 11 seasons, despite living out of state for 7 of them (I spent the '99 and '00 seasons driving back from THE Worst State Ever). Family. Old friends. Old college haunts. But also a certain setting and atmosphere that I miss. Quiet tree-lined streets. A charming downtown area that you can walk end-to-end on a nice summer night. Knowing that a 10 minute drive in any direction will bring fields and forests. And the intangible sense of 'Home'.
I've known for a while that the time for me to leave Chicago has been drawing near.
But there's been another calling too. A sense of adventure that beckons before settling. I never took the opportunity to study abroad during school, and by the time I graduated, my coffers were tapped and my credit cards maxed. Loans loomed. There were no four-month walks-in-the-world before starting Real Life(tm) for me. Enough time to pack and move, and a short trip to Baltimore were all I was allowed before beginning the grind of a career that has been blessedly sustaining, but rarely fulfilling.
But now I find myself at this crossroad... eight years out of school, yet with no permanent ties or responsibilities tethering me. Why not? Why not take off for one last crazy adventure of youthdom. So what if a bit of a receding hairline and inversely changing waistline betray the fact that I'm just beyond the apparent targeted age range for the Eagle Creek Grand Voyage 90L. The opportunity is still there for the taking.
I first travelled to Ireland my senior year in high school. It was an unthinkable trip at the time my dad told my brother and I that he was taking us there for my Uncle and Aunt's wedding. Skipping over the minor bit about how they ended up getting married at a courthouse in Toledo--several years later--the three of us went and had an amazing time.
Maybe it was a bit of a "First Love" syndrome. Having never been outside of North America prior to that trip, it was certainly an impressionable experience. Spending some time with my Aunt's family in Cork helped to cement it and make it even more real. But from that point on, I've had an irrational love of the country and its culture, and a longing to go back.
Two years ago, I did finally go back. It was fantastic to see my Aunt's entire family again and relive those memories. And to see the grey stone fences and outcroppings crossing and dotting the green hills. And to smell the comfortingly foul scent of burning peat.
After arriving in Cork and spending the first night catching up with the O'Gormans and with jetlag, I struck out by myself, braving the task of dodging sheep on narrow hairpin turns with sheer drop-offs just inches from the left-side passenger door, with cars, trucks and tour buses cruising past on the right. A few days later, my step sister Sarah would fly into Shannon to join me for the rest of the trek, but for 4 full days, I was on my own in a world of brilliant independent bliss.
Two weeks and nearly every corner of the country covered, I knew I had but scratched the surface. From the moment I returned to Chicago I started scheming on a way to get back--and for more than just a vacation.
Remember the part above about my love for Michigan? I have no desire to move to Ireland permanently. My life and 'home' are in the Great Lakes State, and I don't foresee that changing (though I acknowledge that life does always have a way of throwing us curveballs). But I've been away in Chicago for five years. What's one more in some place just a bit further.
Somewhere along the way, some things got lost. I'm not sure what, exactly, or where I'll find them. But Ireland seems as good a place to look as any.
This blog hopes to tell that story.
But somewhere along the way, some things got lost. In many ways, I just haven't felt like I've been myself. I'm not sure if it's just the cold harsh reality of the Big City(tm) or if there's been something else at play, but I've known for a while that it was not a situation I could stay in long term.
My heart has always been back in Michigan. Its not the games alone that have driven me to not miss a football Saturday in Ann Arbor in over 11 seasons, despite living out of state for 7 of them (I spent the '99 and '00 seasons driving back from THE Worst State Ever). Family. Old friends. Old college haunts. But also a certain setting and atmosphere that I miss. Quiet tree-lined streets. A charming downtown area that you can walk end-to-end on a nice summer night. Knowing that a 10 minute drive in any direction will bring fields and forests. And the intangible sense of 'Home'.
I've known for a while that the time for me to leave Chicago has been drawing near.
But there's been another calling too. A sense of adventure that beckons before settling. I never took the opportunity to study abroad during school, and by the time I graduated, my coffers were tapped and my credit cards maxed. Loans loomed. There were no four-month walks-in-the-world before starting Real Life(tm) for me. Enough time to pack and move, and a short trip to Baltimore were all I was allowed before beginning the grind of a career that has been blessedly sustaining, but rarely fulfilling.
But now I find myself at this crossroad... eight years out of school, yet with no permanent ties or responsibilities tethering me. Why not? Why not take off for one last crazy adventure of youthdom. So what if a bit of a receding hairline and inversely changing waistline betray the fact that I'm just beyond the apparent targeted age range for the Eagle Creek Grand Voyage 90L. The opportunity is still there for the taking.
I first travelled to Ireland my senior year in high school. It was an unthinkable trip at the time my dad told my brother and I that he was taking us there for my Uncle and Aunt's wedding. Skipping over the minor bit about how they ended up getting married at a courthouse in Toledo--several years later--the three of us went and had an amazing time.
Maybe it was a bit of a "First Love" syndrome. Having never been outside of North America prior to that trip, it was certainly an impressionable experience. Spending some time with my Aunt's family in Cork helped to cement it and make it even more real. But from that point on, I've had an irrational love of the country and its culture, and a longing to go back.
Two years ago, I did finally go back. It was fantastic to see my Aunt's entire family again and relive those memories. And to see the grey stone fences and outcroppings crossing and dotting the green hills. And to smell the comfortingly foul scent of burning peat.
After arriving in Cork and spending the first night catching up with the O'Gormans and with jetlag, I struck out by myself, braving the task of dodging sheep on narrow hairpin turns with sheer drop-offs just inches from the left-side passenger door, with cars, trucks and tour buses cruising past on the right. A few days later, my step sister Sarah would fly into Shannon to join me for the rest of the trek, but for 4 full days, I was on my own in a world of brilliant independent bliss.
Two weeks and nearly every corner of the country covered, I knew I had but scratched the surface. From the moment I returned to Chicago I started scheming on a way to get back--and for more than just a vacation.
Remember the part above about my love for Michigan? I have no desire to move to Ireland permanently. My life and 'home' are in the Great Lakes State, and I don't foresee that changing (though I acknowledge that life does always have a way of throwing us curveballs). But I've been away in Chicago for five years. What's one more in some place just a bit further.
Somewhere along the way, some things got lost. I'm not sure what, exactly, or where I'll find them. But Ireland seems as good a place to look as any.
This blog hopes to tell that story.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Irish ping-pong
So... I'm going to have to go back and toss up a good introductory post talking about The Big Trip(tm) and why I finally decided to toss my hat into the blogosphere and all, but one of the main reasons was to have a sounding board and a place to vent as well as share my experiences.
The reason I'm up at such a ridiculously early hour, enough to start a blog and all before breakfast was to make a call to the Dept of Justice - Visa Section in Dublin. Their ever-user-friendly call center only takes calls between 10:00am and 12:30pm--Dublin time. That's 4:00-6:30am for us CST'ers.
I drag myself out of bed a little after six and dial them up. I actually get through to a rather pleasant sounding woman who at least doesn't throw up any more roadblocks when I explain my situation, but she directs me to the Gardai National Immigration Division (I think?) and gives me another number to call. First time up, no answer. I try back a few minutes later and only now that I'm trying to recall the specifics do I realize that the second conversation I had was a mirror image of the first, complete with being given another number to call.
After hanging up and looking at the number I realized that... yes, it was the same number I called the first time to get through to the Visa Section. *sigh*. I pick up the phone and dial again, figuring I'd try a different branch in the call center. As I navigate through the menu, I eventually reach a recording. "...this number offers telephone support from 10:00am to 12:30pm...."
The clock on my compy reads 6:29.
Did I mention they also only take calls Mon, Wed, Fri?
Lessons learned:
The good... No one told me 'no'. Actually, the first person was fairly helpful. She said that I don't need to seek any Visa or anything in particular--just write a letter to the Dept of Justice and explain the situation and ask for permission. Basically, confirming what I'd seen on http://movetoireland.com/. It's just the details of figuring out exactly what I need to include in and with said letter, how long I can expect a reply to take, and what the odds of receiving said permission are.
The bad... See post title; try again Wednesday.
The ugly... 6am is for farmers and over-achievers.
The reason I'm up at such a ridiculously early hour, enough to start a blog and all before breakfast was to make a call to the Dept of Justice - Visa Section in Dublin. Their ever-user-friendly call center only takes calls between 10:00am and 12:30pm--Dublin time. That's 4:00-6:30am for us CST'ers.
I drag myself out of bed a little after six and dial them up. I actually get through to a rather pleasant sounding woman who at least doesn't throw up any more roadblocks when I explain my situation, but she directs me to the Gardai National Immigration Division (I think?) and gives me another number to call. First time up, no answer. I try back a few minutes later and only now that I'm trying to recall the specifics do I realize that the second conversation I had was a mirror image of the first, complete with being given another number to call.
After hanging up and looking at the number I realized that... yes, it was the same number I called the first time to get through to the Visa Section. *sigh*. I pick up the phone and dial again, figuring I'd try a different branch in the call center. As I navigate through the menu, I eventually reach a recording. "...this number offers telephone support from 10:00am to 12:30pm...."
The clock on my compy reads 6:29.
Did I mention they also only take calls Mon, Wed, Fri?
Lessons learned:
The good... No one told me 'no'. Actually, the first person was fairly helpful. She said that I don't need to seek any Visa or anything in particular--just write a letter to the Dept of Justice and explain the situation and ask for permission. Basically, confirming what I'd seen on http://movetoireland.com/. It's just the details of figuring out exactly what I need to include in and with said letter, how long I can expect a reply to take, and what the odds of receiving said permission are.
The bad... See post title; try again Wednesday.
The ugly... 6am is for farmers and over-achievers.
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