Ireland: The Procrasti-Nation

I've been exhausted. All week. Do you want to know why?

THE PAVACHS ARE HERE! My mom, dad, and sister landed in Dublin on Saturday morning. They were groggier than I expected, but then, I guess I forgot how wretched the flight can be, especially if it isn't direct. They brought me a few of my dresses, my critter shorts, and a new pair of keds, so I'm completely ready for Irish spring.

So about that spring--it was a false alarm. Everyone's back in their wool coats, and we're expecting snow next week. It's been cold and rainy pretty much the whole time my parents have been here--the sun only just came out when they hopped on the train to see Caitlin in Galway. Mom and Dad have been able to roll with the punches pretty well, but Lydia seems pretty pissed about the bad weather. She refuses to go to any museums or parks--she sleeps in every day and waits to go shopping. I want to wake her up, tell her she's in Europe for the first time and she'd better appreciate it, but it's no use. She's the happiest when she's sending her boyfriend facebook messages in my apartment. Ho-hum.

I took the 'Rents to watch the Ireland v. England rugby match at the Bleeding Horse on Saturday night. They were pretty loopy off of jetlag, and I'm sure Dad's pain medication for his broken wrist didn't help matters. At any rate, they insisted upon buying every one of my friends a pint. That included myself and Lydia, my sister, who is 16 and isn't officially allowed to drink, even here (maybe in Germany?). It was really surreal, being in that type of social situation with my parents. They were mostly just nervous about my sister--my mom kept pulling me aside and telling me to watch out for her, and make sure that she eats something.

We didn't make it long at the game before the draggin' Pavachs got hungry, so we went down the road to Bobo's Burgers. I'd never been there before, and this was obviously a large oversight on my part. Bobo's made quirky, crazy burgers of all kinds (Lydia, a fake vegetarian, went for a falafel burger, and my mom had a lamb burger). I sent my parents home in a cab and took Lydia home with me.

Here's where the awkward bit about this weekend begins--all of us in the suite have our ONLY papers for most of our classes due this Friday. Technically, we could turn them in at the end of the month, but then we wouldn't be able to enjoy spring break (which, for me, consists of Andrew's and Ami's visits). So we've been on academic lockdown for the past week and a half, ever since getting home from Barcelona. Lydia was staying the night in hopes of going out to a pub or club, and there really wasn't anyone in the flat who was interested in going out. We tagged along with my friend Tara, who plays for the Trinity lacrosse team, and went to the big lacrosse party at Tripod, right across the street. However, it was pretty empty in Tripod, and thus, pretty damn lame. I was also exhausted, having woken up early to greet my parents, so we were home in bed by 12:30 a.m.

The next day my parents took my flatmates (and Caitlin, who was visiting again this weekend) out to brunch. My Dad enchanted everyone like he always does, as did my mom, and my flatmates couldn'tve been more thrilled with my family.

The week sort of went downhill from there. It was rainy and cold Sunday night, and after having a delicious meal with red wine at this Thai place called Saba (I also recommended a Chinese Fusion place called Mao, but my dad refused to eat any place named after a communist), I was out. Like a light. At 10:30 p.m. I woke up early to finish my first paper, but I was dragging through my Monday lectures. When I was out of lecture I edited my sister's English paper until dinner at a fantastic (but slow-service) Italian restaurant. I, again, didn't get home until 10 p.m. and went to bed immediately. I woke up early Tuesday to work, didn't get anything done, and fell asleep in lecture. Last night I was sure not to have any wine with dinner, but I still came home in an incredibly unproductive mood.

So now, I'm well-fed, but extremely behind. I just started writing my Irish Literature paper that's due on Friday, though I have to turn it in tomorrow because I'm going to Northern Ireland with the Butler kids this weekend. Luckily, my family took the train out to Galway this morning, and are letting me camp out in the solitude of their hotel room tonight so that I'll be able to finish my paper. I was excited at the prospect of the room's wireless not working, but lo and behold, it works for me. Perfect.

At any rate, I'm powering through because ANDREW'S COMING IN A WEEK (and a half). I'm absolutely thrilled. I took a really long route to the hotel room this afternoon so I could look for cool/romantic/cheap restaurants in my neighborhood. I really hope nothing delays him--three months apart is enough without a few hours more of a delay.

At any rate, I should get back on task. And if anyone has any questions about James Joyce's Dubliners, please send them my way.

p.s. A new revelation about Ireland: The commericals are friggin' wierd. But hysterical.