Thursday, March 24, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Autumn Has Been Non-Stop With Activity-Oct.&Nov.2010
This October and November have been filled with an incredible amount of activity. In October NP UNplugged finally had its first Open Mic Night. It was arranged in record time to coordinate with the annual NPHS Open House. We had four acts consisting of eight performers, including myself. I provided impromptu guitar accompaniment for two singers. What a challenge, especially since I was only afforded a couple hours to get my head around two songs I had never heard before. For one of the tunes, I had 15 minutes preparation prior to performance time. The kids had a great time and parents seemed to appreciate their children having an opportunity to perform. Playing the role of back up musician gave me a bit of much needed stage time towards conquering the stage fright gremlin that I constantly harbor. I video-taped the performances but really haven't had the chance to review the recordings. I was very proud of the students.
Much of my time during the past four months has been directed towards preparing for Richard Gilewitz's visit to Michiana. I had orchestrated programs at all of our schools in the NPUSC district and for a concert/workshop at Fire Arts Inc.(the 3-D art based non-profit that I helped found)in South Bend.
Nearly a year earlier I made arrangements for Richard to appear on the Back Porch for an interview with show co-producer, Norm Mast. The Back Porch is a live acoustic music radio show broadcast on Sunday evenings on WVPE by our local NPR affiliate. This interview opened up the week's events with Richard. The broadcast went great as Richard masterfully handled the situation. He displays confidence while dealing with an audience whether they are connected by radio waves or sharing space in the same room. Somehow he manages to be simultaneously entertaining, artistically impressive, humorous, informative and engaging. I again experienced that privileged "fly on a wall" feeling since I was allowed to be in the studio during his interview.
This whole period has been an exciting time marked by hustling here and there, arranging for sound equipment(my Stagepas 500 portable PA played an invaluable role in Cougar Den and at Fire Arts), coordinating concert staging and sound checks at NPHS with Gail Bannister and Greg Hulbert, getting all the ducks in a row for Richard's compensation, countless emails written, school announcements and phone calls made, filling out forms for this that and the other, developing schedules for the school day performances/clinics at NPHS, NPMS, Olive, Prairie View and Rolling Prairie Elementary Schools, arranging lodging for Richard and generally keeping all the stake holders informed and prepared.
In October, I used my artistic and photoshop skills to create two posters for the concerts at NPHS and Fire Arts. I was pleased with the results. Once these were printed I delivered the Fire Arts' concert posters to businesses and public venues in the South Bend area and the LaPorte area received posters for the NPHS concert. I also wrote up event announcements and submitted them to every news agency I could think of within the geographic area as well as to educational and civic organizations in the area.
Here is how the week progressed and after reviewing everything, I am not sure how Richard survived it all.
Sunday-The Back Porch interview
Monday-Morning concert and seminars at NPMS
Tuesday-Workshops and seminars at NPHS
Thursday-Morning concerts/seminars at three elementary schools
Friday-evening concert at NPHS
Saturday-workshop and concert in Livonia, Mi
Sunday-workshop and concert at Fire Arts
This simple list merely outlines all the activities and doesn't come close to detailing the energy needed to make it happen.
Richard's week at the schools opened with a very early morning concert at NPMS. Can you image presenting a concert to a whole school of kids(around 700 students) at 7:30 am. I sometimes have difficulty facing a group of 20 kids for my first class of the day at that time. Well Richard managed to pull that off and then he followed it up with a series of classroom presentations that didn't conclude until around noon. I received very positive feed-back from three of the instructors at the middle schools. They were extremely pleased with Richard's presentations. One down and two more intense school days to go as Tuesday brought a day of activities to NPHS.
I want to include some of detail about Tuesday's activities at the HS since I was able to observe one of the workshop sessions that was open to student guitarists and the seminar for the band classes. We had between 15 and 20 students attend the guitar workshops. From my point of view the participants were attentive and engaged throughout both sessions. Richard adapted to the group's "needs" after his discovery that the experienced kids really wanted to perform and have him critique their performances. The kids ate this up and they were very supportive of each other as well. I enjoyed seeing that aspect blossom. Because I was teaching a class, I missed the first workshop but during this one Richard went over fingerstyle technique and introduced a couple of pieces of music to the students. I had a number of students approach me the next day to tell me how much they enjoyed both of their workshop experiences. At the close of the second workshop the kids begged Richard to play some tunes for them. Of course they had to request "Stairway to Heaven" and Richard had them "drop-jawed" as he played and embellished the well-known riffs of this Led Zeppelin piece. I enjoyed watching the students' faces light up and huge smiles break across their faces while they watched Richard nimbly negotiate the fretboard. They were equally appreciative of his rendition of The Beatles' "Here Comes The Sun". I think some of them left with bruised arms as their neighbors elbowed them to share and indicate enthusiastic approval.
Later in the day we shifted activity to the Cougar Den, a large classroom with a stage and terraced seating. Every one of the 100+ seats was filled by members of the band, choir classes and the workshop attendees. This time Richard performed several tunes and responded to questions from the audience. Again the kids were riveted. Questions flowed especially from the workshop kids who felt the most comfortable since they had developed a rapport with Richard. He also used these students to help set up and break down the stage area. Their conscripted efforts became a learning experience as Richard explained speaker and mic arrangement, sound adjustment etc.
Richard had a well-deserved day off on Wednesday as I went through my daily teaching routine. Our evenings throughout the week consisted of going over the week's schedule, sharing meals at local eateries, and squeezing in a movie or two. I confess to hacking away at sleeping time to make everything happen. Especially valuable for me were the opportunities to work in some individual lesson time which is wonderful compensation for the stress that naturally accompanies this sort of activity. During our lesson time Richard introduced some slide technique, critiqued my right hand mechanics and helped me improve upon the performance of some of my tunes. I found myself feeling almost desperate to take advantage Richard's accessibility. I have this constant drive fueling my efforts to learn whether it is through observation by attending Richard's concerts or direct instruction. There is this nagging pressure to take advantage of having a master teacher within reach. Every minute lost is truly expended and cannot be regained. I felt this same desperation to take advantage of opportunities when I had my lesson time with David Walbert. Life is short and my opportunities to improve as a musician are limited. A negatively minded person would develop a "why bother" attitude but I seem to possess an intrinsic bend towards the creative process. Being creatively productive is as necessary as breathing, sleeping and eating. Richard once asked me why I will bother to attend three of his consecutive concerts when it is geographically possible. I have only recently been able to put the answer to words. His concerts are not mere entertainment for me. They are educational opportunities. I observe his techniques, listen to timing, cadence, and note quality as I essentially try to internalize as much as possible about the mechanics and aesthetics of the performances.
It's a good thing Richard had a day of rest on Wednesday because Thursday made up for it. He started the day at Olive Elementary, then moved onto Prairie View and concluded at Rolling Prairie. He presented concerts and Q & A sessions for the student bodies of each school starting at 8:00 am and finally wrapping up at 2:45 pm. In all over 1500 students were entertained and informed. Reports have come back to me that the kids really enjoyed themselves. Later in the evening Richard and I went back to the district where we met Gail Bannister and Greg Hulbert for a sound and lighting check for the Friday evening concert. This session went very smoothly and the sound was the best it's been in three years. In fact, using Richard's tweaks, Gail and Greg agreed that the sound was the best they had ever heard in the auditorium. Everyone left feeling rather euphoric and anticipating the concert the next evening.
My first chance within this tour to experience Richard in concert was conveniently staged at NPHS in our auditorium. The sound, with Richard's expert guidance, wonderfully filled this large space. This is the third annual concert here and familiarity has bred exceptional auditory results. Richard as the artist and Gail and Greg as supportive personnel have become quite a team that together produced a very professional and quality experience for an impressed and appreciative audience. Richard nailed his tunes and his humor gave everyone a much needed opportunity to sit back and shuck all the stress of the work week.
Early Saturday morning I drove to Livonia, Mi to attend a Gillacamp and the second of three of his weekend concerts. The workshop and concert were staged at Trinity House Theatre which is one of my favorite intimate venues. Since I had this tune memorized, I came into the workshop with the goal of improving the piece and making it a real part of my personal repertoire. I again took a stab at the hot seat by performing "Anji" and one of the other more experienced participants jumped aboard my train and we performed it as a duet until I allowed it to become derailed resulting in some vocal protestations from Richard. ARggh.
Richard again nailed his tunes and jokes throughout that evening's concert. Even though much of the menu was different from the NPHS concert the quality of the performance was exceptional, attesting to his vast and accomplished repertoire. I truly don't know how someone can keep that much music in their head and be able to randomly perform it and at such a high level. Actually I suppose I do know....something like desire and dedicated practice laser focused for decades at the goal of being the best possible guitarist.
Round three began early Sunday morning as I drug myself out of my cozy bed at the Hyatt(thanks Hotwire for the cheap luxury room)and got out on the road arriving home in time to make it to Fire Arts ahead of Richard and make sure things were set for that evening's performance and to get things arranged for the workshop that afternoon. I consider the workshops to be my "selfish" time and I again had a few hours to devout to improving my repertoire. This time my focus was on Walbert's "Study for Margot" and I gleaned some ways to adjust left hand fingering and to add interest and smoothness to the notes. It is always fun to nudge a piece towards improvement.
The evening brought the final concert of Gilewitz Immersion 2010. We staged this fund raising event in the gallery of Fire Arts which is a cozy and unique atmosphere enhanced by being surrounded by displays of the sculpture and pottery of our member artists. An enthusiastic audience was treated to Richard's third two-set concert of the weekend. Even though he was understandably tired from a very intense week of performances, seminars, programs and workshops, no one could discern it. He approached this wrap-up show with as much energy and enthusiasm as the first show on the previous Friday. During all three concerts I don't believe a single member of these audiences left feeling like they weren't treated to anything less than exceptional displays of fingerstyle guitar skill presented in an unpretentious and relaxed atmosphere that was made even more valuable by the opportunity for laugh therapy.
So how does all this affect me as a guitarist? How could it not? Simply planning and implementing the events that I was responsible for tested and contributed to my knowledge of the life of a performing artist. In a sense I was a conductor and at times a delegator. I had many opportunities to learn about playing guitar, including technique, staging and sound adjustment, to learn about developing a repertoire, connecting with an audience, pushing past exhaustion, and making helpful people feel appreciated. I tend to be a spur of the moment sort of person. Everything would have fallen to bits if I applied that attitude to these events. I am constantly reminded of the rewards of hard work. My playing has certainly improved since Gillacamp 2008 and that is the result of two factors, having an excellent instructor and possessing the willingness to do the work. Will I ever develop the confidence to officially throw myself at the mercy of an audience? That remains to be seen. I'd say I am closer to that prospect than ever, but not there yet. Confidence in my repertoire is building, but I still haven't learned to relax, I still get the jitters bad enough to cause mental hiccups. All in due time....
Much of my time during the past four months has been directed towards preparing for Richard Gilewitz's visit to Michiana. I had orchestrated programs at all of our schools in the NPUSC district and for a concert/workshop at Fire Arts Inc.(the 3-D art based non-profit that I helped found)in South Bend.
Nearly a year earlier I made arrangements for Richard to appear on the Back Porch for an interview with show co-producer, Norm Mast. The Back Porch is a live acoustic music radio show broadcast on Sunday evenings on WVPE by our local NPR affiliate. This interview opened up the week's events with Richard. The broadcast went great as Richard masterfully handled the situation. He displays confidence while dealing with an audience whether they are connected by radio waves or sharing space in the same room. Somehow he manages to be simultaneously entertaining, artistically impressive, humorous, informative and engaging. I again experienced that privileged "fly on a wall" feeling since I was allowed to be in the studio during his interview.
This whole period has been an exciting time marked by hustling here and there, arranging for sound equipment(my Stagepas 500 portable PA played an invaluable role in Cougar Den and at Fire Arts), coordinating concert staging and sound checks at NPHS with Gail Bannister and Greg Hulbert, getting all the ducks in a row for Richard's compensation, countless emails written, school announcements and phone calls made, filling out forms for this that and the other, developing schedules for the school day performances/clinics at NPHS, NPMS, Olive, Prairie View and Rolling Prairie Elementary Schools, arranging lodging for Richard and generally keeping all the stake holders informed and prepared.
In October, I used my artistic and photoshop skills to create two posters for the concerts at NPHS and Fire Arts. I was pleased with the results. Once these were printed I delivered the Fire Arts' concert posters to businesses and public venues in the South Bend area and the LaPorte area received posters for the NPHS concert. I also wrote up event announcements and submitted them to every news agency I could think of within the geographic area as well as to educational and civic organizations in the area.
Here is how the week progressed and after reviewing everything, I am not sure how Richard survived it all.
Sunday-The Back Porch interview
Monday-Morning concert and seminars at NPMS
Tuesday-Workshops and seminars at NPHS
Thursday-Morning concerts/seminars at three elementary schools
Friday-evening concert at NPHS
Saturday-workshop and concert in Livonia, Mi
Sunday-workshop and concert at Fire Arts
This simple list merely outlines all the activities and doesn't come close to detailing the energy needed to make it happen.
Richard's week at the schools opened with a very early morning concert at NPMS. Can you image presenting a concert to a whole school of kids(around 700 students) at 7:30 am. I sometimes have difficulty facing a group of 20 kids for my first class of the day at that time. Well Richard managed to pull that off and then he followed it up with a series of classroom presentations that didn't conclude until around noon. I received very positive feed-back from three of the instructors at the middle schools. They were extremely pleased with Richard's presentations. One down and two more intense school days to go as Tuesday brought a day of activities to NPHS.
I want to include some of detail about Tuesday's activities at the HS since I was able to observe one of the workshop sessions that was open to student guitarists and the seminar for the band classes. We had between 15 and 20 students attend the guitar workshops. From my point of view the participants were attentive and engaged throughout both sessions. Richard adapted to the group's "needs" after his discovery that the experienced kids really wanted to perform and have him critique their performances. The kids ate this up and they were very supportive of each other as well. I enjoyed seeing that aspect blossom. Because I was teaching a class, I missed the first workshop but during this one Richard went over fingerstyle technique and introduced a couple of pieces of music to the students. I had a number of students approach me the next day to tell me how much they enjoyed both of their workshop experiences. At the close of the second workshop the kids begged Richard to play some tunes for them. Of course they had to request "Stairway to Heaven" and Richard had them "drop-jawed" as he played and embellished the well-known riffs of this Led Zeppelin piece. I enjoyed watching the students' faces light up and huge smiles break across their faces while they watched Richard nimbly negotiate the fretboard. They were equally appreciative of his rendition of The Beatles' "Here Comes The Sun". I think some of them left with bruised arms as their neighbors elbowed them to share and indicate enthusiastic approval.
Later in the day we shifted activity to the Cougar Den, a large classroom with a stage and terraced seating. Every one of the 100+ seats was filled by members of the band, choir classes and the workshop attendees. This time Richard performed several tunes and responded to questions from the audience. Again the kids were riveted. Questions flowed especially from the workshop kids who felt the most comfortable since they had developed a rapport with Richard. He also used these students to help set up and break down the stage area. Their conscripted efforts became a learning experience as Richard explained speaker and mic arrangement, sound adjustment etc.
Richard had a well-deserved day off on Wednesday as I went through my daily teaching routine. Our evenings throughout the week consisted of going over the week's schedule, sharing meals at local eateries, and squeezing in a movie or two. I confess to hacking away at sleeping time to make everything happen. Especially valuable for me were the opportunities to work in some individual lesson time which is wonderful compensation for the stress that naturally accompanies this sort of activity. During our lesson time Richard introduced some slide technique, critiqued my right hand mechanics and helped me improve upon the performance of some of my tunes. I found myself feeling almost desperate to take advantage Richard's accessibility. I have this constant drive fueling my efforts to learn whether it is through observation by attending Richard's concerts or direct instruction. There is this nagging pressure to take advantage of having a master teacher within reach. Every minute lost is truly expended and cannot be regained. I felt this same desperation to take advantage of opportunities when I had my lesson time with David Walbert. Life is short and my opportunities to improve as a musician are limited. A negatively minded person would develop a "why bother" attitude but I seem to possess an intrinsic bend towards the creative process. Being creatively productive is as necessary as breathing, sleeping and eating. Richard once asked me why I will bother to attend three of his consecutive concerts when it is geographically possible. I have only recently been able to put the answer to words. His concerts are not mere entertainment for me. They are educational opportunities. I observe his techniques, listen to timing, cadence, and note quality as I essentially try to internalize as much as possible about the mechanics and aesthetics of the performances.
It's a good thing Richard had a day of rest on Wednesday because Thursday made up for it. He started the day at Olive Elementary, then moved onto Prairie View and concluded at Rolling Prairie. He presented concerts and Q & A sessions for the student bodies of each school starting at 8:00 am and finally wrapping up at 2:45 pm. In all over 1500 students were entertained and informed. Reports have come back to me that the kids really enjoyed themselves. Later in the evening Richard and I went back to the district where we met Gail Bannister and Greg Hulbert for a sound and lighting check for the Friday evening concert. This session went very smoothly and the sound was the best it's been in three years. In fact, using Richard's tweaks, Gail and Greg agreed that the sound was the best they had ever heard in the auditorium. Everyone left feeling rather euphoric and anticipating the concert the next evening.
My first chance within this tour to experience Richard in concert was conveniently staged at NPHS in our auditorium. The sound, with Richard's expert guidance, wonderfully filled this large space. This is the third annual concert here and familiarity has bred exceptional auditory results. Richard as the artist and Gail and Greg as supportive personnel have become quite a team that together produced a very professional and quality experience for an impressed and appreciative audience. Richard nailed his tunes and his humor gave everyone a much needed opportunity to sit back and shuck all the stress of the work week.
Early Saturday morning I drove to Livonia, Mi to attend a Gillacamp and the second of three of his weekend concerts. The workshop and concert were staged at Trinity House Theatre which is one of my favorite intimate venues. Since I had this tune memorized, I came into the workshop with the goal of improving the piece and making it a real part of my personal repertoire. I again took a stab at the hot seat by performing "Anji" and one of the other more experienced participants jumped aboard my train and we performed it as a duet until I allowed it to become derailed resulting in some vocal protestations from Richard. ARggh.
Richard again nailed his tunes and jokes throughout that evening's concert. Even though much of the menu was different from the NPHS concert the quality of the performance was exceptional, attesting to his vast and accomplished repertoire. I truly don't know how someone can keep that much music in their head and be able to randomly perform it and at such a high level. Actually I suppose I do know....something like desire and dedicated practice laser focused for decades at the goal of being the best possible guitarist.
Round three began early Sunday morning as I drug myself out of my cozy bed at the Hyatt(thanks Hotwire for the cheap luxury room)and got out on the road arriving home in time to make it to Fire Arts ahead of Richard and make sure things were set for that evening's performance and to get things arranged for the workshop that afternoon. I consider the workshops to be my "selfish" time and I again had a few hours to devout to improving my repertoire. This time my focus was on Walbert's "Study for Margot" and I gleaned some ways to adjust left hand fingering and to add interest and smoothness to the notes. It is always fun to nudge a piece towards improvement.
The evening brought the final concert of Gilewitz Immersion 2010. We staged this fund raising event in the gallery of Fire Arts which is a cozy and unique atmosphere enhanced by being surrounded by displays of the sculpture and pottery of our member artists. An enthusiastic audience was treated to Richard's third two-set concert of the weekend. Even though he was understandably tired from a very intense week of performances, seminars, programs and workshops, no one could discern it. He approached this wrap-up show with as much energy and enthusiasm as the first show on the previous Friday. During all three concerts I don't believe a single member of these audiences left feeling like they weren't treated to anything less than exceptional displays of fingerstyle guitar skill presented in an unpretentious and relaxed atmosphere that was made even more valuable by the opportunity for laugh therapy.
So how does all this affect me as a guitarist? How could it not? Simply planning and implementing the events that I was responsible for tested and contributed to my knowledge of the life of a performing artist. In a sense I was a conductor and at times a delegator. I had many opportunities to learn about playing guitar, including technique, staging and sound adjustment, to learn about developing a repertoire, connecting with an audience, pushing past exhaustion, and making helpful people feel appreciated. I tend to be a spur of the moment sort of person. Everything would have fallen to bits if I applied that attitude to these events. I am constantly reminded of the rewards of hard work. My playing has certainly improved since Gillacamp 2008 and that is the result of two factors, having an excellent instructor and possessing the willingness to do the work. Will I ever develop the confidence to officially throw myself at the mercy of an audience? That remains to be seen. I'd say I am closer to that prospect than ever, but not there yet. Confidence in my repertoire is building, but I still haven't learned to relax, I still get the jitters bad enough to cause mental hiccups. All in due time....
Monday, December 20, 2010
I have a few minutes......
It seems as though the rest of the educational world has started their winter break. NPUSC has two staff in service days this week. I must admit difficulty with concentration upon things that are school based when holiday preparations are nagging at my time. I started this day with a general lack of rest. I have been sleeping well lately but last night true sleep was non-existent. As a result I struggled to stay awake during this morning's presentation which was pretty dry and not at all related to my content area. If I share more it could be construed to be a negative attitude.
I'm getting ready now to participate in a little workshop about Google Apps. This should be useful and maybe I'll stay awake because I have to be actively engaged.
I'm getting ready now to participate in a little workshop about Google Apps. This should be useful and maybe I'll stay awake because I have to be actively engaged.
Monday, December 13, 2010
The Close of the Semester 1 Is Within Reach
This school year has been very busy indeed. Everyday brings challenges in and outside the classroom. I have adapted to having less time to maintain a sustained guitar practice schedule. I now find myself using spare moments in between my daily duties at work and at home to grab a guitar and polish my tunes, attempt to learn some new ones and develop better technique. Lunch time at work is usually a matter of quickly eating some yogurt or a sandwich and then playing guitar. At home I have guitars within arm's length whenever I am working at the computer or winding down in front of the television. I admit to having a bit of an obsession with crime dramas.... the CSI type. I often have a guitar in hand as I "sort of" watch these shows. Sometimes I drop the volume level so low that the show keeps me company rather than engaged. I have been working on a few new tunes, three to be exact, Walbert's arrangement of Across the Universe, Richard's Daughter of Pete's Feet, and the newest being Al Petteway's arrangement of She Moved Through the Faire. Each piece has its own challenges. I started working with Across the Universe last week and it is farther along than the other two pieces. I'm progressing fairly well at getting the puzzle pieces memorized and lined up. Being the Christmas season I have been working at a few holiday tunes but somehow I find it more difficult to devote lots of time to them. Although "tis the season" I set my priorities to focus upon tunes that aren't so tied to the holidays. I may have mentioned that my practice time is limited these days.
A rarity has occurred this evening, Sunday Dec. 12th.(actually now Monday the 13th). We are in the midst of a nasty winter storm which is accompanied by really icy roads. In fact, this afternoon I barely avoided being hit by a driver who was unable to stop at an intersection. ABS, quick reactions and sheer luck saved the day. With conditions expected to worsen over night, school has been canceled for tomorrow. I am looking forward to having some additional "real" practice time during the day. Perhaps I will make time to go over how I have been applying my grant experiences to the classroom and NP UNplugged club this autumn.
A rarity has occurred this evening, Sunday Dec. 12th.(actually now Monday the 13th). We are in the midst of a nasty winter storm which is accompanied by really icy roads. In fact, this afternoon I barely avoided being hit by a driver who was unable to stop at an intersection. ABS, quick reactions and sheer luck saved the day. With conditions expected to worsen over night, school has been canceled for tomorrow. I am looking forward to having some additional "real" practice time during the day. Perhaps I will make time to go over how I have been applying my grant experiences to the classroom and NP UNplugged club this autumn.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Just Sitting Here Reflecting on my Irish adventure
This will be a random narrative of observations about living in Ireland for nearly two weeks.
Medieval roadways have determined the "modern" map of Ireland. Stone walls are a dominant feature everywhere except within larger towns. When flying over Ireland or when you are afforded a panoramic view the landscape looks like a patch-work quilt. Heavy stitching is replaced by the stone fences that divide the properties of farmers and shepherds. There are lots of sheep in Ireland but there are also lots of cows. Dairy products have a rich fresh flavor and the yogurt produced in Clonakilty was definitely the best. It was much better than any of the mass produced products we find on our shelves in the U.S. Pubs are the best places to eat.
We stopped in a random pub on our way to Killarney. The meals we were served were delicious and presented attractively. They reviled the presentation of "expensive" stateside restaurants. The pub owners take great pride in providing a welcoming atmosphere and good food. John says the Guinness in Ireland tastes better than the Guinness we get in the U.S. Locals in the pubs are eager to engage you in conversation, don't miss out on this opportunity. They will even sing for you if the subject of traditional music comes up. One fellow who was our age said that when he was in school they sang traditional Irish tunes for one hour each day. There's an idea for keeping one's culture intact and at least a partial explanation for why music is such a driving force in Irish society.
Pubs that serve food seem to be more family oriented, children are allowed. The drinking age is 18. Underage kids may not be allowed in the pubs without their parents present. The Irish love horse racing and the pubs have the races on TV. Off track betting parlors are common.
Irish kids do the same dumb irritating things that American kids do, but they are less likely to be destructive. We were parked next to the Emmet Square, our hotel room at the Emmet Hotel overlooked the square. Our first night in Clonakilty coincided with the day 15 year old Irish students received results from their National tests. These determine the direction of the rest of their education, whether they will be channeled into vocational studies or college prep. Students who passed the test celebrated in Emmet Square. They converged on the park space in great droves, laughed, yelled, courted and harassed each other well into the early morning hours. We didn't sleep much. The "Garda", local police cruised by, walked through but didn't disperse the crowd. Eggs were thrown at a particularly obnoxious group of boys who were yelling and laughing loudly as they walked past the park. Some of the eggs hit our car, due to pathetically bad marksmanship. We observed the culprit actually trying to clean the egg off of our car. The hotel staff cleaned off the rest before we even had breakfast. Irish parents are just as lax American parents about knowing where their kids are and what they are doing. Irish adults complain about this lack of responsibility just like American adults. Along with all this rowdiness there was some serious "snogging" going on. It seems some Irish kids are as sexually active as our kids. I wonder what the teenage pregnancy rates are.
Irish pharmacies are consistent in their signage and organization. They are marked with a green version of the Red Cross symbol. When you enter a pharmacy, the first things you see are perfumes and makeup products. The dispensary is in the back. The choice of over-the-counter the medicines is very limited, therefore it does not take 30 minutes to try and figure out which cold medicine to purchase because you might have three choices to ponder instead of a whole 10'x5' display filled with alternatives. You can buy ibuprofen with codeine over the counter but you must talk to the pharmacist. They are beginning to restrict access because of increasing addiction issues. Irish women are more likely to allow their hair to go grey, rather than dye it to maintain an illusion of youth. My decision to allow my hair to be naturally grey is the standard instead of the exception as it is here in the states.
Do not expect elevators in public places, especially hotels. Americans stand out at the airport because we have tons of luggage. The typical Irish or European traveler seems to manage with one carry on bag. They look down on Americans because we haul too much stuff with us. I have vowed to reduce my luggage significantly next time I head to Europe. Never rent anything larger than a VW Golf to travel on Irish roadways. You will regret it!!!!
The Irish, at least those we engaged with, were not "consumer-crazy". They did not seem motivated by having the best, latest or greatest of whatever. They were more interested in quality of life.
There is great appreciation for older structures in Ireland. This helps to maintain the old world atmosphere in rural and town areas. There are sub-divisions. We turned around in one when we missed a turn. This subdivision was incredibly sterile in appearance, impeccably neat yet unlike US subdivisions, it was absolutely crammed with children who took over the street. It was truly their playground, there were probably 20 homes in this cul-d-sac and at least 30 kids out playing in the street, roller blading, skateboarding, soccer, basketball, tag, jump rope etc. Our kids tend to be crammed into their homes, glued to televisions or computers. There were very few clearly obese children out and about. This does not necessarily carry through into adulthood. Still the percentage of obese adults is much lower than in the US or at least than in Indiana.
It was disturbing to see an incredible amount of trashy flotsam and jetsam in Bantry harbor. One corner of the dock seemed to collect vast amounts of mainly plastic crap from small beverage containers to oil drum sized vats. It was a definite eye-sore amongst all the beauty. I wonder how far this garbage has traveled. I wonder if any of it is from the US since recently a Florida boy's message in a bottle was found in Ireland.
I enjoyed the Irish climate. It was mild both day and night, temps in the 60's. Fresh breezes blew almost daily. Often the morning started with light rain. By noon it had all cleared away leaving blue skies with billowy clouds in its wake.
Medieval roadways have determined the "modern" map of Ireland. Stone walls are a dominant feature everywhere except within larger towns. When flying over Ireland or when you are afforded a panoramic view the landscape looks like a patch-work quilt. Heavy stitching is replaced by the stone fences that divide the properties of farmers and shepherds. There are lots of sheep in Ireland but there are also lots of cows. Dairy products have a rich fresh flavor and the yogurt produced in Clonakilty was definitely the best. It was much better than any of the mass produced products we find on our shelves in the U.S. Pubs are the best places to eat.
We stopped in a random pub on our way to Killarney. The meals we were served were delicious and presented attractively. They reviled the presentation of "expensive" stateside restaurants. The pub owners take great pride in providing a welcoming atmosphere and good food. John says the Guinness in Ireland tastes better than the Guinness we get in the U.S. Locals in the pubs are eager to engage you in conversation, don't miss out on this opportunity. They will even sing for you if the subject of traditional music comes up. One fellow who was our age said that when he was in school they sang traditional Irish tunes for one hour each day. There's an idea for keeping one's culture intact and at least a partial explanation for why music is such a driving force in Irish society.
Pubs that serve food seem to be more family oriented, children are allowed. The drinking age is 18. Underage kids may not be allowed in the pubs without their parents present. The Irish love horse racing and the pubs have the races on TV. Off track betting parlors are common.
Irish kids do the same dumb irritating things that American kids do, but they are less likely to be destructive. We were parked next to the Emmet Square, our hotel room at the Emmet Hotel overlooked the square. Our first night in Clonakilty coincided with the day 15 year old Irish students received results from their National tests. These determine the direction of the rest of their education, whether they will be channeled into vocational studies or college prep. Students who passed the test celebrated in Emmet Square. They converged on the park space in great droves, laughed, yelled, courted and harassed each other well into the early morning hours. We didn't sleep much. The "Garda", local police cruised by, walked through but didn't disperse the crowd. Eggs were thrown at a particularly obnoxious group of boys who were yelling and laughing loudly as they walked past the park. Some of the eggs hit our car, due to pathetically bad marksmanship. We observed the culprit actually trying to clean the egg off of our car. The hotel staff cleaned off the rest before we even had breakfast. Irish parents are just as lax American parents about knowing where their kids are and what they are doing. Irish adults complain about this lack of responsibility just like American adults. Along with all this rowdiness there was some serious "snogging" going on. It seems some Irish kids are as sexually active as our kids. I wonder what the teenage pregnancy rates are.
Irish pharmacies are consistent in their signage and organization. They are marked with a green version of the Red Cross symbol. When you enter a pharmacy, the first things you see are perfumes and makeup products. The dispensary is in the back. The choice of over-the-counter the medicines is very limited, therefore it does not take 30 minutes to try and figure out which cold medicine to purchase because you might have three choices to ponder instead of a whole 10'x5' display filled with alternatives. You can buy ibuprofen with codeine over the counter but you must talk to the pharmacist. They are beginning to restrict access because of increasing addiction issues. Irish women are more likely to allow their hair to go grey, rather than dye it to maintain an illusion of youth. My decision to allow my hair to be naturally grey is the standard instead of the exception as it is here in the states.
Do not expect elevators in public places, especially hotels. Americans stand out at the airport because we have tons of luggage. The typical Irish or European traveler seems to manage with one carry on bag. They look down on Americans because we haul too much stuff with us. I have vowed to reduce my luggage significantly next time I head to Europe. Never rent anything larger than a VW Golf to travel on Irish roadways. You will regret it!!!!
The Irish, at least those we engaged with, were not "consumer-crazy". They did not seem motivated by having the best, latest or greatest of whatever. They were more interested in quality of life.
There is great appreciation for older structures in Ireland. This helps to maintain the old world atmosphere in rural and town areas. There are sub-divisions. We turned around in one when we missed a turn. This subdivision was incredibly sterile in appearance, impeccably neat yet unlike US subdivisions, it was absolutely crammed with children who took over the street. It was truly their playground, there were probably 20 homes in this cul-d-sac and at least 30 kids out playing in the street, roller blading, skateboarding, soccer, basketball, tag, jump rope etc. Our kids tend to be crammed into their homes, glued to televisions or computers. There were very few clearly obese children out and about. This does not necessarily carry through into adulthood. Still the percentage of obese adults is much lower than in the US or at least than in Indiana.
It was disturbing to see an incredible amount of trashy flotsam and jetsam in Bantry harbor. One corner of the dock seemed to collect vast amounts of mainly plastic crap from small beverage containers to oil drum sized vats. It was a definite eye-sore amongst all the beauty. I wonder how far this garbage has traveled. I wonder if any of it is from the US since recently a Florida boy's message in a bottle was found in Ireland.
I enjoyed the Irish climate. It was mild both day and night, temps in the 60's. Fresh breezes blew almost daily. Often the morning started with light rain. By noon it had all cleared away leaving blue skies with billowy clouds in its wake.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
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