A Dublining I Will Go

My passport was finished and mailed out on 11/25, which means it should be here any day (any day before my trip would be perfect). I’m so excited that I can almost live with the cold I’ve had for three days, a deadline fast approaching amid numerous distractions (like sinus pain, documents and meetings), a sick kid (who sounds like a mini Joe Cocker at the moment), and a growing list of things to pack.

In doing some research for the trip, I realized that Dublin has almost the same weather this time of year as D.C., so no new wardrobe will be needed. I just have to remember to take walking shoes and an umbrella. I just realized that I can leave my keys behind, which is weird. I’m so used to having the weight of them in my front pocket that I’m sure I’ll walk funny for a couple days until I get my “keyless legs”.

I’ve got three guide books (the DK Ireland book, Lonely Planet’s Ireland bood, and a pocket map book). I’ve read the Dublin sections of the first two multiple times, and looked at the map book over a dozen times now. I’m tired of reading about stuff – I just want to get there. I’ve got my reading material for the plane (appropriately, The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke and Right as Rain by George Pellecanos – I hear it rains a lot in Dublin), the power adapter for the laptop (thanks, Robin!), a schedule, a flight (plane tickets coming Wednesday I think), a hotel room (in the very chichi sounding Alexander), plans and a couple hundred hours to kill before I get on the plane…