Table for One: Day 1

My first 32 hours on my own has been successful. I did have a low moment on my first night, but I fell asleep quickly since I have been completely exhausted at the conclusion of each day. I was able to talk to Robert and the kids three times yesterday, which helps. Rebecca landed safely in CA and texted me around 4:14am Ireland time. Poor thing, that was the day that never ended. CA is 8 hours behind!

I got up early and went for a run on the river. Since the sun rises at 5am, it was nice and bright by the time I headed out. During our last run together, Bec schooled me on the art of living in a city. She told me not to react to anyone and just keep looking ahead. Okay. Unfortunately, my strict southern raising of: yes, ma'am; no, ma'am; please and thank yous, makes this task difficult for me. I'm from the Friendship State for goodness sake.  I am having trouble suppressing the urge to acknowledge people that I pass by smiling and saying good morning. What I have learned is that no one is interested in my southern charm here. Even though it is a knee-jerk reaction, on my first solo run, I tried to follow Rebecca's advice. Good thing I didn't need it as my run was uneventful. This was not the case on our last run together before she left. We had five "gentlemen" acknowledge our presence (but only 2 out of the 5 were of Irish decent and they were the nicest). The last guy we passed attempted to get us to stop; first to ask for a cigarette (seriously?) and then so he tell us a joke. Naturally, we kept on pace, but this did not deter him from yelling after us with this joke. Due to the wind in my ears and my heavy breathing all I heard was, "what has one blah and blah, blah, blah?" (I am fairly confident that he was this eloquent). Rebecca, who lacks a filter, screams--"YOUR MOTHER!".  Holy S***. Pardon my language. I kicked it into high gear and kept going. I pride myself on being a runner, but I am built for endurance, not speed. Geez.....but you gotta love her.

I went to the school today and continued to work on the Student Handbook. I am almost done, so it will be a matter of ensuring it looks sharp, it's current, and helpful--oh, and that Colum approves it. Hopefully, I will have it done by the end of the week, if not sooner.

I have no pictures today, like I said: I will take a break from running around Dublin at 100 mph. There are some more things I would like to see, but I think I will relax for the next couple of days and as my last cab driver said, "you need a few days to chill...that you do". I hope I get some reading time in in the days to come. I started reading The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. I read her book, The Swan Thieves, and I really liked it, so I am positive I will enjoy this one as well. I know at some point I read the back cover, but I have forgotten between then and now that this novel is about Vlad the Impaler and, "a time defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive through the ages". Perfect, the girl who would rather clean toilets than see a horror movie picks a book about one of the most evil individuals in all of history. My imagination runs rapid from time to time. Colum did let me borrow a book of his, but I started this one before that--so I am going to finish it.

Robert and the kids seem to be doing great. Robert is so good at what he does. I cannot wait to get them here safe and sound. We have a lot to see!

Happy Memorial Day to you all. I hope your weekend was filled with BBQ, family, and friends. Thank you to all our men and women in the US armed forces. Until tomorrow......