Banksy Meets Maser

The Squirrel on Tara

A Message to Pope Francis

I truly admire the outspokenness of the Irish in regards to the despicable behaviour of the Catholic Church. They are no longer going to blindly believe that priests are the voice of the Lord on Earth and should be revered as though they were little gods. The Irish are angry, they want justice, they want answers, and they will not sit on their hands and allow those that need to be held accountable to continue hiding. 

Shaking Our Heads...

Watching The Chase (which I stinkin' love) and this one question made me reach for my phone and text Bishop and share the laugh.

Sfera con sfera

 by Arnaldo Pomodoro - located at Trinity College

Stand4Truth

Journal entry Sunday August 26th, 2018:

...Barbara texts me about the rally: "An alternative event to the Phoenix Park madness (where the Pope would be saying mass to over half a million people) is the Stand4Truth thing at the Garden of Remembrance on top of Parnell Square at 3 o'clock. A very fine singer by the name of Hozier will perform amongst others. Check it out if you like, it's only a few minutes walk ☺." 12:04pm

shower and head out to G of R 2:15 - see ppl being interviewed at the base of the cross pond - walk onto Parnell Square East - stand by a pole near the curb til the event begins at 3pm-ish - Colm O'Gorman speaks (he's I later found, a survivor of clerical abuse and the current Executive Director of Amnesty International Ireland; grey haired and bearded, dapper, well-dressed and well spoken, very handsome) and then introduces each artist. 

Sarah Clancy read "Cherishing for Beginners" and says: "The only thing worse than a long mass is a long poem." then reads her long (& extraordinary) poem - a man sang (now that I think about it, I believe he was the first one on) "Motherless Child" and tried to get everyone to sing "a long way from home" but no one (but maybe 3 people) did - once the road closed it got wicked crowded and I walked down Parnell East toward Parnell Street - had a smoke, bought 4 buttons/pins for €4 total - took some pix and a nice Dad with a toddler walked past (maybe leaving a bit early?) and handed me his blue placard that read Truth - Justice - Love.

walk toward the stage and back to the sidewalk but just to the left of the stage - cld see a bit thru the black back and side drops - Hozier came on at 4ish to sing "Take Me to Church" then Colm spoke once more. Hozier plus a group of singers came out again and sang Nina Simone's "I Wish I Knew How to Be Free" that (I'm pretty sure) ended with "We Shall Overcome" - head back to SLP and not to the last Magdalene Laundry on Sean MacDermott Street - home by 4:40

sidebars:

- they had sign language interpreters!

- Brian Kennedy sang Lennon's "Imagine" and added a verse

- Hozier: very handsome in a hip grungie way - Wikipedia'd him and he was born in 1990 - could not stop laughing. fuck, I'm old.

(Hozier photo kidnapped from @hozier_fan_art)

Homeless Not Voiceless

There's a good deal of homeless living on the streets of Dublin, but I love seeing these stickers to remind people that that body asleep in the alcove is a person with a history and a story.

Meetin' Up at PHL

As luck would have it, Melissa was visiting from Portland and her flight back home was leaving the same time as mine! We had never met in person, so I was a bit nervous, but she's so crazy sweet and we hit it off right away. It was so nice to sit and chat and kill some time before we jetted off in opposite directions.

The Art of Asking

I first heard of The Dresden Dolls at the same time that I discovered The Gits. It was probably 2005; I was creeping very close to my thirtieth birthday and not feeling terribly in control of my life. (Not much has changed, I can assure you of that.) I once again found myself thinking about self harm and something made me Yahoo! (as I was not yet a Googler) "self injury" in the hopes I would find some words of wisdom to guide me away from these thoughts and keep me safe. I saw two quotes in italics; one was from The Gits song Cut My Skin It Makes Me Human and the other was The Dresden Dolls Girl Anachronism. I immediately went to iTunes, to my library, and Amazon in search of more songs. I soon discovered two new bands (new to me) that I absolutely loved and it had been a long time since that had happened. The Dresden Dolls made me excited about new music, it made me feel cool because no one I knew had heard of them. They were my secret, imaginary friends that I could keep in a pink plastic Easter egg that I hid in my undie-drawer.

Flash forward a dozen-ish years later: in my current obsession with absorbing as many audio-books as possible, I saw a book cover that caught my eye. Title: The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help Author's name: Amanda Palmer. "Ooo....Amanda Palmer!" I thought to myself, or more likely, said aloud to no one but me, "I haven't listened to The Dresden Dolls in ages... I wonder what her book's about..." Amanda Palmer's book is beautiful and the audio-book is extraordinary because it's like a John Waters audio-book - when John reads he's not reading to you. He's telling you a series of engrossing stories. Amanda does the same thing. It's kept me company and helped to chill me out when I've felt crazy stressed about traveling. I love books. I love how comforting they are and that they take me away from my problems for a few hours and allow my brain and body to let go and just listen.

Ireland 2018

Ya'll know I couldn't go a year without returning to the Emerald Isle. I leave tomorrow and shall return mid-September. I so cannot wait. I have a very long list of things to see in Dublin and here they be:

-Grub-

Industry and Co.
Le Petit Parisien
KC Peaches
Sprout and Co.
St. Teresa's Priory Café
Green and Bean
Zozimus Bar
Two Boys Brew
Provender and Family
The Church
Mulligan's Pub
The Fat Fox
Happy Food
Sova Vegan Butcher
Meet Me in the Morning
Two Pups Coffee
Little Bird
Eatyard

-Murals & More-

✔ Sfera con Sfera by Arnaldo Pomodoro - located at Trinity College
Iveagh Market - Edwardian building from 1906
✔ Brooks & Co. - cool "welcome" mat made of tile
Pink Door - on S. William Street
✔ U Are Alive by Maser - Grantham Street
✔ The Bernard Shaw
The Mercantile
✔ Cow Mural on Sycamore Street
✔ Red carpet walkway leading to Love Lane - 75 Dame Street
✔ Why go bald? sign on Dame Lane
Church of Mary Immaculate
Camden Place archway
✔ Squirrel mural on Tara Street
The Thomas House - hula girl
Bee Paddy near Christ Church and around the city
✔ Fitzwilliam Square - Black and White Door
✔ U2 Studios - graffiti - 18 Hanover Quay
✔ countless Utility Cabinets around the city

-Shops-

✔ Dublin Vintage Factory
Stephen's Green Shopping Centre
CHQ Building
✔ Powerscourt Townhouse Centre
✔ Eager Beaver

-To photograph-

The Liberties
✔ Fleet Street Hotel
Dodder Rhino
✔ Custom House
Government Buildings of Merrion Square
The Long Hall Pub
✔ The George
Coppinger Row
✔ Thomas Davis Statue Fountain
9 College Green - skinny building
✔ Kiosk
✔ Tara Building

-Misc-

Stella Theatre
Berkeley Library
EPIC - Emigration Museum
Freemason Grand Lodge
✔ National Museum of Ireland
The Clockwork Door
St. Kevin's Park
✔ Patrick Kavanagh Bench
✔ Haslam Memorial Seat
✔ Birdy by Rowan Gillespie
✔ Setanta Mosaic Mural
Stormzy at Smithfield Square
✔ Johnson's Court
BP Fallon Button Factory
4 Parliament Street - oldest building in the city

Can someone buy this for me?

(photos kidnapped from @cheapoldhouses IG account)

Beastie Boys Book

It's nearly the end of August, which means it's almost September, which in turn means that it's very nearly October, practically the end of October. What all that adds up to is that the Beastie Boys Book is virtually on its way to me right this moment!

So long, Syd....

Last night I stopped over to say goodbye to Miss Sydney, who leaves us on Wednesday to head off to college. She's staying on the East Coast, just a few hours away down South. She showed off her dorm room goodies - chairs, bulletin boards, tapestry, and bedding - and talked a little about her Summer working in Ocean City. I finally got to see her lil' ankle tattoo, which she said took all of 60 seconds to have done. She wisely provided me with her mailing address at school and soon she will be receiving silly notes, cards, and perhaps a package or two. I gotta make sure this lady doesn't forget all the people back home that love her.

I Heart Alexandra Billings

I was first introduced to this remarkable woman in the Fall of 2010 when Pax showed me her YouTube video of Katie's Corner, specifically the one where Katie explains makeup tips. From that moment forward I would often mimic Ms. Billings' Kate Hepburn impression and I still randomly call friends and family members Shaniqua. I love following Ms. Billings on Instagram because she will crack me up one moment then have me bursting into tears the next. Like this post below. I was a soppy mess of a girl by the end and it so clearly shows what a downright wonderful creature she really is. 

(post kidnapped from @realalexandrabillings IG account)