think happy thoughts

hubs at Gruel-Dublin 2

me sitting across the table. check out those fish keBABs!

I must say we are eating well. With some help from Yelp online reviews, we find the most amazing restaurants in this city. Here we are at Gruel and sharing some keBABs and hummus. It was also the first restaurant we've been to that has microbrews. This one was an Irish-brewed wheat bear and it tasted just like my favorite Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat from the Midwest. It made me so happy. It felt a little like home. The other thing is that Gruel is full of hippies. By hippies I mean post-indie hipsters in their early 30s who have dirty hair and wear buffalo plaid with their ironically large glasses. Put it together with aloof service and you've got a great Minneapolis vibe going!

winter has arrived

I have been trying to get out of my no-job funk lately. I keep applying to jobs but so far not even an interview. By next month I may reach 100 applications! Anyway, we went to a Halloween party last night and they had a fortune teller. At first I thought she was just in costume because I saw her sitting alone throwing back a few beers. Later I noticed she had a deck of tarot cards and was reading people's cards. Hmmm. I sat down at my turn and she asked me if I had a specific question. I said, "I want to know when I am going to get a job." She then produced a card with an old guy holding a lantern. This old man, she explained, meant I was in charge of my own destiny because he lights his own way. She said if I think negative thoughts then my fears will come true, but if I think positively then my hopes will be realized. Admittedly, she was on her 3rd pint by that time (yes I was counting) but I still took it to heart. There's no reason to be negative when I am doing my best. Thanks drunk fortune teller lady!

my MN coat makes its first appearance-Temple Bar

Irish vocab lesson of the day:

"fancy dress" = costume, as in Halloween fancy dress party