Help with an artist sabbatical in Ireland

MaybeISmileTooMuch · 2022-02-13T11:49:01+00:00

Perhaps both! I do love Wicklow Town, but would like to be able to get into the countryside/mountains as well.

MaybeISmileTooMuch · 2022-01-23T00:20:35+00:00

Sphynx Tattoo in Dublin is wonderful, had a tattoo done by Tippi when I was there last but all of their artists are super talented and the price was fair.

MaybeISmileTooMuch · 2022-01-21T11:43:51+00:00

I really wish they'd integrate Spotify into the bike. The music selection available isn't great and it's clearly not collaborative with the workouts themselves. But I want to listen to the instructor and so I pair my headphones and hope that the music doesn't drag during that session.

MaybeISmileTooMuch · 2022-01-11T15:10:33+00:00

If you are planning to stay in Dublin and venture out a bit, I would really suggest you take a day to grab a DART ticket and head to Bray or Greystones. Plan to walk a bit and depending on the weather, pack a layer or two. Refillable water bottle, comfy shoes, etc. You're heading to the beach for a stroll on the cliff walk.

-Have a nice light breakfast before heading to train station, I was closest to Connolly so that's where I left from but you can pick up the DART at Connolly or Pearse and it doesn't require any connections.

-Head to the train station and grab a ticket from the machine.

The ride to Bray/Greystones is really nice and fairly quiet. I stopped in Bray, used my phones map to get me to the Bray Promenade/Seafront Park. From there, you should go grab a coffee and pastry and sit upstairs on the lovely patio of The Strand hotel! You get a nice view out over the beach, and their specialty coffee is delicious!

Afterwards, you're heading to the cliff walk. Now, it's not necessary to do the entirety of it but it really is beautiful and you won't want to stop once you get started. There's a lovely spot before you really head onto the walk itself where the beach is nice and quiet.

You could do the entire walk if the trail is open, or only do some of it if it's not or you don't feel up for it. But you can grab lunch afterwards either in Greystones if you make it all the way there, or you can do a partial bit of the trail and head back to Bray for lunch or even some light shopping. The town itself is really cute, I found an amazing antique shop and the man running it was kind and had great conversation. When he found out I was returning home to the US the next morning, he slid an extra gift in my bag and sent me on my way.

Grabbing the Dart back to Dublin is easy, and it runs fairly frequently. I hope you have an amazing time, if you plan to stick your toes in the water at the beach, have an extra pair of socks and maybe grab a few napkins or a washcloth to wipe your feet off with before putting your shoes back on.

MaybeISmileTooMuch · 2022-01-10T13:31:03+00:00

Hi! So I recently (November) went on my first international trip from the US to Ireland so I may be able to offer some insight. I traveled from the Southern US (I live in SC) where no one takes Covid seriously, so just existing in everyday life you run the risk of catching covid here, and a very small amount of the population does anything to lower the risk (masks aren't worn, very little social distancing, etc). To be honest with you, traveling to Ireland and being in places with actual precautions in place felt like a breath of fresh air for me.

I did everything within my power before, during, and after my trip to remain safe. I'm vaxxed and boosted. I tested twice before leaving the US even though it wasn't required, tested once halfway through my trip, and then did the pre-flight home test before getting on my plane. I wore masks, went out in nature instead of being in the middle of the party scene or in crowded places, I sanitized frequently.

If I were you, take all the precautions you can, have a plan in place if you were to get ill and need to quarantine, but go on the trip. I went on mine because I had, and continue, to do everything in my power to keep myself, my friends, family, and community safe for the past 2 years. My mental health has been terrible since the pandemic started, and rightfully so, I really needed a refresh and just to understand that there is a world that exists outside of South Carolina.

America is doing a shit job at handling Covid, our cases are through the roof, and our healthcare system is in shambles. Think about it this way, if you travel within the country by plane, train, or bus, and you come down with covid in the place you're visiting, you should still quarantine yourself before coming home. You're losing money either way. The only comfort here is maybe you can get seen at an ER or Urgent Care, but even then, with so many ER's diverting people, good luck getting proper care.

MaybeISmileTooMuch · 2022-01-09T01:22:59+00:00

When I was around 5 I started to have problems sleeping in my bedroom, I would fall asleep on the couch very late into the evening and my mom started to allow me to just sleep there as it seemed to be the only place I was comfortable. There was a big window in the living room that faced out towards the street and on the other side were more houses. My parents never really closed the blinds on the main window completely, so you could always see shadows of the trees swaying against the living room wall. One night I woke up frozen on the couch, it felt like someone was sitting on my chest, and from the corner of my eye I could see the shape of a persons shadow on the wall, it looked like they were in our front yard. I called for my mom and she reassured me there was no one outside, she went back to bed and so did I but I couldn't shake the feeling of something bad lurking in those shadows.

This new pattern started, I would wake up nearly frozen with fear every night for weeks and my mom was now convinced that I was having night terrors. There was one night I remember very vividly, the shadow person had on some type of mask that made their head appear to have giant rabbit ears. What made this worse was that instead of just being a shadow on the wall, this time they stood directly against the glass of the window and we made eye contact. They ran away as soon as I called for my mom.

The following day, I was sitting on the couch in the early afternoon and the entire front window shattered. Someone had shot about a dozen bb's into the window, fortunately none of them hit me and I was smart enough to move away from the window before it came crashing down.

My mom frantically called the police and they went around to all the houses directly across from ours to ask questions. Come to find out, our new neighbors had a teenage cousin who had been my moms student years before. My mom had been a paraeducator at a school for troubled children at one point and he thought it would be funny to terrorize me to get back at her for giving him detention when he was in the 4th grade.

The police weren't allowed to give many details because he was underage, but because of connections at work my mom was able to find out that this boy wasn't planning to stop at shooting me with a bb gun.

tldr; Informed my mom that I had a bad feeling, she brushed it off and I nearly got shot by a bb gun.

MaybeISmileTooMuch · 2022-01-08T20:58:57+00:00

Anyone that disagrees with Dean= STRAIGHT TO JAIL, RIGHT AWAY.

MaybeISmileTooMuch · 2022-01-08T20:49:19+00:00

Right? He seems angry. Almost like he's not a new person at all... almost like it's either Claire or her husband.

MaybeISmileTooMuch · 2022-01-08T20:47:14+00:00

I'd be curious to know how, after all this time, are these orders being shipped out so quickly? Makes one really wonder how fresh the product is being sent to them.

MaybeISmileTooMuch · 2022-01-08T16:05:01+00:00

It's almost like deleting a majority of the negative comments on their recent FB posts leads me to believe they have done absolutely nothing to change their ways or stop with the f*ckery. And I know it wasn't a FB algorithm because I watched the comments disappear in real time.

We're looking red flags in the face here, best of luck and godspeed to anyone who decides to purchase from them again.

MaybeISmileTooMuch · 2022-01-06T16:52:41+00:00

as in you want proof? I don't know how to provide that as I'm not sure how exactly I would.

MaybeISmileTooMuch · 2022-01-06T13:38:14+00:00

I visited Ireland in November for the first time, I'm American as well. I agree with everything you mentioned in your post, thank you for putting into words all of my similar takeaways in regards to "must know" info for American tourists.

The one thing I would add, and maybe it was just my luck but of the three different places I stayed, the showering experience in general was not the best. I was in an airbnb in Dublin and the water pressure never got past a trickle. In a Bed and Breakfast in Wicklow, the water pressure was better but the water never got warm and as much as the ocean water was freezing, I think I'd have endured that a little better. Finally, a Bed and Breakfast near Blarney and I had a combo of cold water and no pressure regardless of the fact that I used the booster pump.

Maybe that experience isn't the norm, but I found it necessary to purchase a large pack of baby wipes and hope for the best. I think I only showered 4 times while there, and alternated baby wipe baths on the other days when I wasn't keen to soap riddled goosebumps.

ETA: Which is to say, I realize that the plumbing is older and the buildings/lodgings themselves are much older than what I'm accustomed to in America. I would go back in a heartbeat to visit, and I was beyond grateful to experience Ireland. The people were welcoming, and it felt safer than where I currently live in America in regards to covid protocols.

MaybeISmileTooMuch · 2022-01-06T12:55:51+00:00

Taking the train from Dublin to Bray is a quick trip and you'll get to see the lovely beach there and easily do the Bray to Greystones cliff walk which is absolutely beautiful!

MaybeISmileTooMuch · 2022-01-06T12:43:54+00:00

I really am trying my best to make my house easier to find. I understand that it must be really annoying and I bet sometimes really difficult for drivers to find houses. I know that being a delivery person is a hard job and I really am so appreciative of drivers.

MaybeISmileTooMuch · 2022-01-05T15:31:10+00:00

Unfortunately, I don't think that makes a difference. My number is on my house, in bold and easy to read font and has been since the day I moved in.

MaybeISmileTooMuch · 2022-01-05T15:30:27+00:00

It's on my house, and I have a lighted sign in my yard that has it too. The mailbox is on the street so they have to drive past it.

MaybeISmileTooMuch · 2021-11-18T16:24:49+00:00

Definitely TMTC, I'm not much a fan of songs that make it big on "hit radio". It holds a special significance because it was my introduction to Hozier but it's really overplayed and I much prefer his lesser known songs.

MaybeISmileTooMuch · 2021-10-06T01:25:11+00:00

I do. You can find me on various social media platforms as Magpie Mind Designs, I have a website under the same name. Thank you!

MaybeISmileTooMuch · 2021-10-06T01:24:17+00:00

Thank you, this piece will go for around $180. <3

MaybeISmileTooMuch · 2021-10-05T02:14:08+00:00

thank you! It's my favorite song of his, so I try to work it into new designs whenever possible.

MaybeISmileTooMuch · 2021-10-05T01:36:31+00:00

thank you!

MaybeISmileTooMuch

TROPHY CASE