Planes, Trains, & Automobiles

I'm a little tired after RJ's first birthday party and don't know exactly where to start. So I'll push that story 'til tomorrow, which happens to be RJ's actual birthday. So in its place, I'll give you an idea of how my commute to Dublin works. I just got back from Dublin Friday night and will be flying back on Monday.

Here's what my Monday/Tuesday will look like:

2:30 PM CST - Beth drives me to the Crystal Lake train station.
3:00 PM CST - UP Northwest Line to Dee Rd station (Park Ridge)
4:00 PM CST - Taxi to O'Hare
4:15 PM CST - Check-in/Wait at Airport
7:00 PM CST - Board Plane
7:30 PM CST - Take off for Dublin
2:30 AM CST - Land in Dublin, Collect Baggage, Wait for Hotel Shuttle
3:45 AM CST - Shuttle to Hotel
4:00 AM CST - Check-in at hotel, Shower
4:30 AM CST - Go to Work (10:30 AM GMT)

That's about 14 hours of travel. During this time, if I don't get any sleep, I'm useless the next day. I really don't sleep well on planes. Thus, Advil PM is my friend.

The flight to Dublin is much harder than the flight home. On the way to Dublin, you lose sleep, on the way home you can gain sleep. So this past Friday when I came home, I fell asleep at 7pm and woke up the next morning at 6am . . . like that I'm back on schedule.

So to recap: Make sure to pack sleep aids (especially if you expect to function the next day). Flying West is easier than flying East. And . . .

Those aren't pillows! [download/rent the movie if you have to ask]

Denis Laoghaire, the star of "Rescue Me"

Some of my Irish colleagues were asking me if I had any plans to do anything this weekend. This IS, after all, the international ADVENTURES of HRputer. I told them that I was planning on having an apartment ready to go and would probably spend my time moving in and making my new accommodations cozy. However, I added, I had a Plan B to go to Dun Laoghaire, which is a dock area south of Dublin City. It's supposed to be a beautiful walk along the coast. They looked at me cross-eyed.

I decided to explain to them my theory about making travel plans in Ireland:

Always have a Plan B. If you're planning to do something outdoors, always have a Plan B that is indoors. If you're planning on doing something indoors, have a Plan B that is outdoors. As an American I well knew the first of these to pieces of wisdom. Why, would you ask, do you need a Plan B when you have indoor plans?

If the weather is good, don't waste it. Be ready to go out and enjoy it.

I quickly learned that this wasn't what confused them; rather, it was my pronunciation of Dun Laoghaire. I pronounced it: Dune LaGare. They had a chuckle while explaining to me that it's pronounced Dun Leary.

Me: "Like Denis Leary, right?"

Them: "Who?"