Leslie's Omnibus

Road Report - Slea Head

This was just about the only flat land I saw anywhere on our Slea Head tour...

... and it led out to this:

A closer view...

See those funny rectangular dark spots in the cliffs?

They're natural caves:

(Made me think of pirates... and my old pal El Capitan.)

This is the Gallarus Oratory, a tiny church that held all of about a dozen monks, and built around 700 A.D.

See that tiny window in back? The building is sited in such a way that at sunrise on the Winter Solstice, the light enters that window and lights the interior. It's the only time of the year it happens.

Built entirely of dry stone, the Oratory is water-tight... and has never had reconstruction work done on it.

A standing stone located just outside the Oratory.

The most northerly island before the bay turns into the ocean. Locally known as "The Sleeping Man."

One of many Norman castles destroyed by Cromwell. (Most of them weren't particularly pretty -- but they were functional.)
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More tomorrow!

Drive-Bys

Most expensive photos never seen? What a complete waste of taxpayer dollars, not to mention good will.
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For those of you gentlemen who think visiting "the ballet" is sexy, and those of you ladies who aspire to the pole:

The non-healing wounds of the pornographically fake young lady were strangely distributed almost like she'd been riding a horse without pants on or something.

Eew. Makes you think twice about a lap dance, doesn't it?
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Cool, cool dishes, glassware, flatware and serving-related pieces here.

I want it all.

*Sigh*
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A couple of Blogthings...

Your Wrath Quotient: 26%

Sometimes you get really angry, but nothing out of the norm.

While you may wish someone harm, it's pretty unlikely that you'd actually do anything about it.

[However, when I finally do get pushed past my limit, it's Katie, bar the door.]

How Much Wrath Do You Have?

... and...

You Are the Kitchen

You are creative and inspired. You have a lot of projects going on.

You are also a homebody who enjoys a cozy night with a nice home cooked meal.

You are generous and giving. You enjoy taking care of people.

You have a knack for knowing what each person needs most.

What Room of the House Are You?

(Blame this one on Jay.)
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Giggle of the Day (inspired by the hapless stripper described above):

see more Lolcats and funny pictures
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Ear Worm of the Day:

Road Report - Slea Head

My travel buddy and I took a tour out to Slea Head on the Dingle Peninsula. Here are a few images for you:

Just above the beach where the love scene from Ryan's Daughter was filmed. How those sheep manage to not tumble right off the mountain and into the bay is beyond me!

Down to the beach. A loooooooong way down.

The cliffs down there are cloaked in green.

Another couple of shots of the beach from far above.

A famine house. We saw these all over the countryside and thought that they were simply old, abandoned farm houses. Finding out the real story behind them was heartbreaking.

A monument to two fisherman brothers lost to a shipwreck at the mouth of the bay, erected by their family.

Monk's beehive hut, circa 700 A.D. To give you a perspective on size...

Yep. They let the old stuff stand and build newer homes right up next to them sometimes.

Just wanted you to feel like you came along with us. More Slea Head photos tomorrow!
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And then there's this:

Your Animal is the Salmon

You are both clever and wise. You are a keen observer, and you tend to notice everything.

You have amazing reasoning skills, and you grasp difficult concepts. You are an abstract thinker.

You seek wisdom in its many forms. You are interested in art, literature, history, philosophy, and science.

You are driven to make your own mark on the world. You put your creativity and brilliance to work.

What's Your Celtic Animal?

Drive-Bys

Between the zombie swine flu and this latest -- a zombie pub crawl -- it appears I've managed to scare Shovel Boy right out of the country!
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Ear Worm of the Day:

(Via Jimbo.) Right catchy, that.
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William A. Jacobson once more gives me the giggles:

It's quite a start for Specter's career in Democratic politics, isn't it? In the four whole days he's been a Democrat, Specter has voted against the Democratic budget, rejected a Democratic measure to help prevent mortgage foreclosures and preserve home values, announced his opposition to the president's OLC nominee, and this morning rejected a key centerpiece of the Democratic health care plan.

For years, Republicans criticized Specter as a RINO -- Republican In Name Only. As is turns out, at this point, Specter appears intent on literally being nothing more than a DINO -- Democrat In Name Only. Specter doesn't want to do any of the actual work involved in being a valuable member of his new team, preferring to vote exactly as he used to, only now with a different letter after his name in parentheses.

You get what you pay for. Heh.
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Paul Vallas has quietly been exploring a run against the Toddler for Chairman of the Cook County Board. This would be great news for those of us who live here.

Vallas is a git 'er done kind of guy, and has a great reputation in the Chicago area. If anyone could break Stroger's stranglehold on the county, it would be Vallas.

"Clearly, county government is broken, and you just can't do a patchwork approach. I really think that you've got to dismantle and reinvent county government. You've got to deconstruct it before you can reconstruct it," Vallas said on WGN-AM 720.

Makes a girl all tingly at the thought.
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Looks like Google's going to have some BIG competition:

Wolfram Alpha will not only give a straight answer to questions such as "how high is Mount Everest?", but it will also produce a neat page of related information – all properly sourced – such as geographical location and nearby towns, and other mountains, complete with graphs and charts.

The real innovation, however, is in its ability to work things out "on the fly", according to its British inventor, Dr Stephen Wolfram. If you ask it to compare the height of Mount Everest to the length of the Golden Gate Bridge, it will tell you. Or ask what the weather was like in London on the day John F Kennedy was assassinated, it will cross-check and provide the answer. Ask it about D sharp major, it will play the scale. Type in "10 flips for four heads" and it will guess that you need to know the probability of coin-tossing. If you want to know when the next solar eclipse over Chicago is, or the exact current location of the International Space Station, it can work it out.

How cool is that?
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Think I'm the only one who's worried about our Chicken Little president?

We take a lot of things for granted in this country. Our health and wealth are, in comparison to the rest of the world, very high. But it ain't forever. Nothing is. A movement towards a new stoicism would not be out of order in a country running scared from a few folks with scratchy throats from an exotic flu bug.

If you cry wolf enough, you not only alienate those looking to come to your aid, you fool yourself into thinking you have been confronted with a real danger. Then, when a true threat presents itself, not only do you have no one at your back, you yourself are not prepared.

Is America prepared for real danger? After a week or so of swine flu hysteria, the prospects do not look promising.

Exactly.

And it's not just the president. I kind of get the feeling that the World Health Organization has been preparing for a pandemic for so long that it'll do just about anything to be able to put its plans into action -- including creating a pandemic panic where none should exist.
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Giggle of the Day:

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Drive-Bys

Zombie swine flu???

After death, this virus is able to restart the heart of it’s victim for up to two hours after the initial demise of the person where the individual behaves in extremely violent ways from what is believe to be a combination of brain damage and a chemical released into blood during “resurrection.”

That oughta scare the bejeepers right out of Shovel Boy!
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Speaking of genius, my latest Blog Son tees up this beaut:

Can't really say anything about this except Whats next? Lets park a Yellow Ryder truck in downtown Oklahoma City........

That's my boy!
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Derby Day is upon us and two of my favorite things are on the menu -- Mint Juleps and Hot Browns.

Two more reasons why I could never be a health food nut....
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Well, this is just cool beans! If you're coming to Chicago for a visit any time after June, let me know. I'll give it a whirl if you will.
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To those who think I'm a radical:

You Are 36% Politically Radical

You've got a few unusual political ideas, but overall you're a pretty mainstream person.

Chances are that you're turned off by both the radical right and looney left. [Damn straight I am, Skippy.]

Are You a Political Radical?

Hah! Told you so.
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You Are a Carrot Cake Cupcake

You are a complex person. You have many interesting layers to your personality, though others might not know it.

You are drawn to a cross section of people. You friends play different roles in your life.

You are like a cupcake because you are are deceptively simple. There's actually a lot to you!

There are many ingredients in your life, and you only want them in proper amounts. Being you is a delicate art.

What Flavor Cupcake Are You?

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JihadGene says, "It's Friday! Let's Dance!":

I don't know about you, but this tune sets my feet to tapping.
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Giggle of the Day:

see more Lolcats and funny pictures
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Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll get off this Irish kick some time in the *ahem* near future. But I've got more pix and videos to post first.

Roadside Diner

A couple of my Jawja Blodger buddies insist on making me drool with envy on a monthly basis when they list the menus for upcoming Sommelier's Guild dinners. At last, I can return the favor!

The surprising part? The subject is beer, not wine.

Lloyd's Restaurant, in partnership with Three Floyds Brewing Company, is hosting a Beer Dinner on May 14th. If you're in or near Chicago and want to attend, you need to sign up soon, as they're three quarters booked already.

Need more incentive? Here's the menu:

RECEPTION: PRIDE AND JOY

Fried Ipswich clam, Belgian endive spoon, blood-orange jalapeno aioli

Goat cheeese, BBQ smoked chicken, chives, phyllo cup

American "mild" ale

FIRST COURSE: GUMBALLHEAD

Blue hill bay mussels, gumballhead bloody mary broth

Green olive crostino

American wheat ale

SECOND COURSE: BRIAN BORU

Roasted poblano & blistered corn soup w/carnitas, cucumber cilantro foam

Irish brand red ale

THIRD COURSE: ALPHA KING

BBQ seard duck breast, sweet potato & duck confit hash

American amber pale ale

FOURTH COURSE: ROBERT THE BRUCE

Braised beef short rib, asparagus, caramelized blue cheese bread pudding

Robert the Bruce demi-glace

Bold Scottish style ale

FIFTH COURSE: BEHEMOTH

Chocolate cake creme brulee

A huge, sweet barley malt

Cost? A measely $39.95 + tax.

See you there?

(And, yes. I'll be wearing my stretchy pants for this one!)

Road Report - Dingle

More on lovely, lovely Dingle (be sure to click on the pix to embiggen):

At the Small Bridge, we heard even more great traditional music, first with Uillean pipes and guitar:

... then with Uillean pipes, banjo and guitar...

(Sorry this is so dark, but that place was like a CAVE inside!)

The green Murphy's (different owners, and more than a bit of rancor make sure you only mistake one for the other once) was our home away from home. Michael is a wonderful host, and our room was lovely.

The colors of many of the buildings practically sear your eyeballs out!

Dingle logic at its best.

One sign you'd never see in Chicago. Gotta love it!

Some of the stone walls had the top course set with stones in their locked and upright position. (That's one way to discourage anyone sitting there!)

Couldn't resist.

I had fantastic local crabmeat at John Benny's. Yum, yum, yum!

These critters were located right behind another local B&B!
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More tomorrow...

Tootin' the Horn

Big ol' smoocheroos to Mike of Presto Agitato fame for giving me the keys to un-borking my template! He patiently waded through line after line of code to do it, too.

I owe you a manly meal, prepared with my own two hands, the next time you're in town. Seriously. Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn, green bean casserole, pan gravy and apple pie ala mode for dessert sound good?

Drive-Bys

Having quickly grown accustomed to a full Irish fry-up for breakfast (1 egg, 2 sausages, 2 rashers of bacon, 1 white pudding, 1 black pudding, 1 grilled tomato, 2 slices of toast and, optionally, hash browns and/or a huge serving of baked beans), I found this to be true:

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

(At least for the next few weeks until I can work those extra inches off!)

Anyhow, I've had pork products (Peter, this is going straight to the top of my summer recipe list!) and manly food on the brain ever since. So today when I found Elisson's take on gastronomic grotesqueries right before finding this heart attack-inducing recipe for Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf with Black Truffle-Saffron Macaroni & Cheese, I knew that somewhere up above, the Fates were laughing at me.

Ah, well. I'll diet next week.
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Giggle of the Day: