Hey ho, the wind and the rain

This weekend we had crazy, crazy weather. While the winds were not quite 70mph here, they were about half of that, which was plenty to be going on with, and the rain blowing at you from the side was fun as well. I had gone for a walk on Saturday to get a few things from the store, and the wind was at my back as I walked to the store... I was very nearly lifted and was pushed along several times at a faster pace than I had planned. But I had my rainboots! Which were magnificent, thanks Briskeys! Anyway, coming home was a different story: at several points along the way the wind gusted and left me immobilized because it was pushing against me so much. Like I said, crazy times.

Sunday Kristen and I went wandering downtown to look at books and stuff (Charlie Byrne's! Fabulous place!). After spending a happy while lost among the books, we walked down the street to Mister Waffle and ate probably the best waffles of our lives. Tine, we're going there! I'm getting to know my flatmates better now, and it's really nice to have them around. Kristen and I talk a lot, and I hang out with the boys very often, and I'm glad all of us are so compatible. Not that they'll replace my Pitt people of course =) but they're a lovely substitute for my time here.

I went to the Cathedral for mass, and it's a strange setup. The Church is shaped like a cross, with the altar at the crosspoint, and the altar facing the long leg (bottom of the cross), but you can sit on all four sides, so some people get the side view and others see only the priest's back. Still, it's very pretty. I took a surreptitious picture before mass started, but blogger doesn't want me to show it to you, so you'll have to wait for the next round of pictures. Also, they still use the communion rail, which was a completely new experience for me, although not an unpleasant one. They said the Our Father in Irish (Caithfidh mé an “Ár n-Athair” a fhoglaim as Gaeilge mar ní feidir liom é a rá, agus bhí bron orm) and after mass I heard quite a few families speaking to each other in Irish, which was all very exciting for me!

Coming soon: This weekend is our first API excursion to see fun things in County Clare, so I'll have lots of pictures and hopefully some fun stories about that. The flatmates and I may also spend a day at the Cliffs of Moher. This week I start archery and my societies, so I may have some new Irish friends to tell you about... all this and more, so stay tuned!