Here 'tis.



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I'm amazed I started the Spring thread before being chastised by Ray. Miracles do happen.

Had dinner at my friend's house the other night (one of the two women I went to NYC with) and mentioned I'm planning to go to Ireland this summer.

She called me last night to ask if both of them could come with me. Sure. Why not? They're easy to travel with, and it will be nice to have company. So we shall see if we can work this out.

And my Google photos just reminded me that one of the women and I were at the Huntington Library eight years ago on this day and spent hours taking in the grounds (go there if you can). Time flies, doesn't it?

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been to ireland before? what's the itinerary?

'Me? I should Spring in the air... and fall down?'
g.m.

Never to Ireland. I figure a couple days in Dublin and then driving all along the coast, taking in the Aran islands.

I would appreciate any advice.

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Is g.m. George Michael?

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happy to offer suggestions...how long are you there?

I resemble that remark...

Happy Spring!

Spring is a season better served warm(er).

Regards,

Northeasterner

Don't know yet because the women will have ideas but at least a week.

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Given my avatar, I should have gotten that one.

I didn't really think it was George Michael.

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probably should take at least that long if coeast to cowest
suggest booking your flight home out of Shannon

working backwards

heard wonderful things about Galway before and since, wish we had time
the ferry to Aran is quickest from Doolin
as are the Cliffs of Moher after pints at pubs staggered along Fischer Street
a remarkable cluster of traditional music venues
sleep in Dingle after circling Iveragh's middle finger with the Ring of Kerry
close to another knuckle at Kenmare
delightful little town, harbor adjacent
Kenmare from Dublin is a big question
inland is through Kinsale, our route
coeastal might include Waterford or Wexford, no experience
if you plan to rent a car, do it at the Dublin airport on your way towards another place
no need to drive or store in city proper
and in the eloquent words of our cab driver 'get full coverage and drive it like you ******' stole it'

Thanks, Red-eye. I would like to take in Aran. One of the women had an aunt who was a nun in a retirement home for nuns in Wicklow. She wants to go there. Both of our ancestors came from Cork so that's a must.

Good advice about renting the car on the way out. Never having driven on the left, I don't want to drive much in the big city even if I think I'll manage okay.

The other woman is Jewish, so she doesn't care where we go.

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we got lost walking in Dublin, can't imagine a car
as for driving, you are likely never quite as left as required, and pause to think about how to pull into a two-way street
hope you're familiar with navigating rotaries

I will pause. I can see the initial problem trying to make a right turn.

Leaving from Shannon also seems like the best idea.

I usually don't have too much trouble with rotaries, but it's different driving in unfamiliar places. I've done the Jamaica Way and the VFW Parkway in Boston and LA and San Francisco. Anybody who's driven those Boston routes can tell you horror stories.

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I was having a nice day. One woman I know texted me just to let me know she was thinking of me. Another texted and said, "Hello Sweetie, let's go to dinner next week."

Then I get an email from a student who said that she might be a little groggy in class and to excuse her for that. She told me she had just been diagnosed with leukemia and had to start chemo right away. She also told me she needed to miss class on April 10 because that was the only time she could make an appointment with her doctor but promised she would get all her work done.

She's a slightly older student, married, in her mid-twenties from Jamaica. She hasn't missed a class and has done all the work on time, excellent work at that.

Where do they come from, these students? How can they care about school that much in the face of terrible news?

I know she will be in class next week and have all her work done, but I don't care if she does or not. I told her if she can do the work, that's fine. If she can't, that's fine too. Either way she gets an A (I didn't tell her that).

I admire these students who persist despite everything going against them, who want to keep going, and who take on the responsibility of informing a teacher that they might not be at their best in class.



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I've had a few of those students, John. I'm like, "do not worry about this class. Just take of yourself and we'll find something for you to do that will give you a decent grade."

Sometimes, when you are on the edge and looking down into the pit, the only thing that keeps you from falling in is keeping busy. Think of the Hemingway character with PTSD that you mentioned, and his meticulous routine.

I'm gratified that you are thinking of her, but please be prepared to pile on extra work if she requires it. For some people, the most horrific thing you can do in this situation is to leave her alone with her thoughts.

I know. I think she will attend class and do all the work if she is able. I let students revise every essay if they want, and she has revised every one, even though her small errors are inconsequential.

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A week or so ago I was bragging about a beautiful sunshiney day of 70ish degrees. Today? Today was basically a blizzard. Luckily it didn't stick and melted soon but the snow was coming down strong. Hopefully real spring will show up soon!

Drink lots of beer and watch lots of college basketball! With any luck it will be a Sparty Party (my grad school alma mater)! In Izzo I trust. They won yesterday now they just gotta make it through the weekend.

my faith in every educator is to test the student until they fail
knowledge, not advancement tests
then let them know what was missed will be the topic of the next conversation
nobody gets everything right the first time and success in life is not scored from a trivia quiz
adaptability has more utility

I have always thought the purpose of education was to learn how to learn. There was very little I learned at any level that was useful in real life? But I did learn how to learn what I needed to learn when I needed to learn it.

testing boundaries should include failure
absolutely nothing inherently wrong

Failure is important. You need to both accept it and learn from it. In my business failure is a given as long as it doesn't overwhelm success. My motto was always "you can't make an omlette without breaking a few eggs". I always had more failures than successes but my successes were far greater than my failures. Many (even me sometimes) can't wrap their heads around that kind of strategy but it has worked out for me

What is the old saying? "You miss all the shots you don't take". Thing is you will miss a lot of the shots you do take. But making shots is all that counts as long as you don't miss all of them!