Hello friends! I have been back from Dublin a little over a week now. As I’d expected, my second week in Dublin went by very quickly. I was determined to make up for lost time. I mentioned in my previous blog that while I was recovering from COVID, I was able to attend lectures masked, which focused on poetry and translation. It has been so long since I’ve delved into literary theory and critical analysis, since my undergraduate and graduate degrees are in Civil Engineering. I tested out of college English; other than a handful of humanities classes, most of my classes in college were heavily based in mathematics- lectures on partial derivatives, Taylor Series, derivations for basically every single equation that was presented to us.

I love science (there’s an alternate universe where I got a biochemistry degree instead of engineeing) and I like math…but twenty years later, I can say that I finished my degrees more of out of sheer determination rather than having any true passion for civil engineering.* (And after taking an IQ test for my ADHD assessment, I can tell you that I scored very high on the verbal component, but WOEFULLY, PAINFULLY AVERAGE on the perceptual reasoning portion).**

I guess all this is to say – hearing lectures on literary theory nourished a part of my soul that I didn’t know existed, and it’s a topic I want to explore more of.

Ok, wow! No one cares about my experience in engineering school or my IQ test. Let’s get this blog back on track.

SO. ANYWAY. I bought WAY too many literary journals at Books Upstairs (these are necessary expenses for my own edification, right? RIGHT?) If you ever have the chance to go to Dublin, this bookstore is a must visit. It’s very close to Trinity’s campus, and has a fantastic selection of indie books. It’s also cozy af (which you can say about anything in Dublin). I also visited a wonderful little shop called This Is Knit and treated myself to a skein of hand-dyed yarn, which I actually have not done in a long time! I wanted to buy more yarn, buuuut I was at the point of the trip where I had already spent a lot of money and needed room in my suitcase – so I bought just one skein.

I discussed in my last blog that I had read Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, which was on the New York Times’ list of 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. I was able to meet her! One of our scheduled authors had to cancel due to COVID (do you sense a theme?), so Claire Keegan did a talk for us at the last minute. She was so funny and inspiring! I purchased a book of her short stories and was able to get it signed.

That night, we attended a play called The Sugar Wife, which was so good! The lead actress, Siobhán Cullen, is on Bodkin. I need to see more plays, man. I really enjoyed the experience!

The next morning, I tested negative, which meant I could stop masking and finally share meals with my cohort. We had a hike scheduled in Glendalough that day, so my negative test was perfect timing. By the time we arrived at Glendalough, we only had an hour to spend at the park, which was criminal…I easily could have spent all day there.

The site is home to monastic ruins from the 10th to 12th centuries. When we arrived, we had the choice of watching a 10 minute video on the history of the area, or exploring on our own. Do I really need to tell you all which option I chose? Limited time to complete a hike? Impatient personality? ADHD diagnosis? THIS IS WHAT WIKIPEDIA IS FOR. BYYYYEEEEEE!

After exploring the ruins, I continued on the trail. There was a lake that I was determined to see. When I say that I hauled ass to get to this lake, I. HAULED. ASS. It was so worth it, though.

It was absolutely gorgeous, but I didn’t have much time to take in the views. I stood there as long as I could, soaking in the beauty in front of me, before turning around to head back to the bus. I had to start running so I could make it back in time. Let me paint you a picture – this body had completed very limited cardio over the past two weeks and was recovering from COVID, so the run was a bit of a struggle. I alternated my sprints with walking. I was very aware that I was the crazy American running, but I did make it back to the bus on time.

Glendalough – easily my favorite part of the trip.

ANYHOO. Now I’m back in Austin with Husband and our triscuits.

Ok! I’ve rambled enough here. I hope you all have a great week.

*I’m now an environmental engineer focusing on cleaning up contaminated sites, specifically groundwater impacted with chlorinated solvents…there’s a lot more science involved with this occupation than the pure math I learned for my civil engineering degree. I got a civil degree because environmental engineering falls under that umbrella, but most of the coursework I had to take was centered on statics, structures, dynamics and vibrations…i.e. shit I would care about if I were designing a bridge (I never wanted to design bridges). My alma mater finally implemented an environmental engineering degree track several years ago, but it definitely wasn’t around when I started college in the early aughts. But it worked out! I really enjoy what I do – I love learning the science behind remediating chlorinated solvents, and I never have to open another dynamics and vibrations textbook in my life.

**I can laugh about it now, but it really bothered me at the time that I tested average for this portion. Some text anxiety impacted this score. I know IQ tests are bullshit, but WE HAVE ALREADY ESTABLISHED THAT I AM A PERFECTIONIST IN THIS SPACE.