Hophead and I headed off to the Motherland… Ireland that is. He was set to race in the Single Speed World Championships (SSWC). This spurred on a nice little vacation for us. We started In Dublin headed to Cork, before Limerick for the race and finished off in County Clare.

Getting ready for this trip was made easy by the travel agent. This chick is a gem and we are incredibly grateful for her. Luckily, Hophead doesn’t get to stressed over things but he ordered a new bike frame with couplings special ordered and a bike box. This was all to arrive one week before we left but it didn’t. They confused him with someone else and hadn’t even sent it as of the 15th which is when it was supposed to arrive. I was crazy nervous about this and I think that is the most stressed I have ever seen Hophead. Little did I know… He had other stressors he was dealing with.

The bike finally arrived and he got it built with little trouble. We packed and were ready to leave for Ireland when 20 minutes before we left we found a HUGE branch down in the back yard. Hophead assessed the remainder of the tree and said we would have to call the landlord when we got back and have it cut down but it was fine. Who knew we would have an earthquake the next day.

We arrived in Dublin early the next morning and we were doing pretty well considering we hadn’t slept much on the plane. The plan was to check our bags at the hotel before heading to Guinness Storehouse but the hotel had our room available. Yay! I really wanted to clean up.

We headed off into Dublin ready to try my first Guinness AT the home of Guinness. Hophead was in the lead and I was glad he was in control. Guinness was very cool and we worked our way up to the Gravity Bar. Awesome views up there!

After the Gravity Bar we ended up in Arthur’s Bar for a bite to eat and another Pint. We were starting to feel the tiredness but our second wind came when Hophead suddenly got up and came over to my side of the table, dropped to one knee and asked me to marry him.

OMG!

Of Course!

Then he pulled this gorgeous ring out and slipped it on my finger. He had it designed with the trinity on either side of the diamond. The Trinity is what we have… Love, Loyalty and Friendship.

I was stunned and was trying to keep from crying. I didn’t know what else to say. No one in the restaurant caught on to our big event. This explains Hophead’s other stressors prior to the trip. I guess this means I will soon become Mrs. Hophead, ergo Redhead.

After Guinness we made our way across The Liffey to the Jameson Distillery. We had to continue drinking. Hophead was selected to do a tasting and I know this was something he was looking forward to. After the tour we hung out a while longer drinking Irish Coffee, Jameson straight up, Jameson with Ginger Ale. At this point we had been up for over 24 hours, got engaged and all the drinking had us loopy. Thank goodness for the Spire of Dublin. This was how we found our way back to our hotel.

Once we had wifi, back at the hotel, I needed to get in touch with Ginja and let her know. I had friends calling her at the beach to get her on the internet on her phone. Finally, I just called her. We also started posting our engagement on Facebook and within minutes we were getting responses as well as seeing Facebook posts about the earthquake. Oh and get this… The earthquake took down that tree in the back yard… right into the neighbors shed.

We missed the entire disaster week with the earthquake and Irene.

The next night we went to see Flogging Molly in concert. We were smack dab in the middle of the mosh pit with the slam dancing. I didn’t want to be in a mosh pit so in my own way I kinda let them know this old chick was there and to keep away. I think I may have bruised one boy. Oops!  He never came near me again.

Our next morning we were to pick up our rental car and head to Cork. The Cabbie gave us some directions and great advice. We were given the keys and when we got to the car we noticed it was pretty banged up. We checked the paperwork and headed back in just to make sure. The woman says to me, “Oh yeah! So you can bang it again and no one would know.” **Big Grin**

Umm… OK!!!

At least we were on the outskirts of Dublin and the directions the Cabbie gave us were great! We were on our way to Cork. I guess I should mention that we did not have a GPS. We were using maps and they weren’t very detailed for any of the cities.

Three hours later we were entering Cork. Now to find our B&B. The map we got with the rental car sucked so with the help of some of my other maps we were able to find the Kent House. It was nearly 4pm and we were starving. We immediately headed into town and found nothing but shopping. SHOPPING!  We didn’t want to shop! We wanted food… With some pints!

Then it started to rain, as it did so often there. We jumped into the nearest pub we could find. We quickly ordered a pint and asked for a menu. They only had sandwiches but we were hungry. Hophead deemed this place a morgue so we paid our bill and went in search of a better Pub. We found Counihans Bar. We were enjoying a pint as the bartender and his friend Dennis chatted. We soon started chatting with Dennis and then his girlfriend, Siobhan, showed up. We chatted and drank with them for hours.

After leaving Counihans we wanted to get a bite to eat. I had seen a Thai place down an alley when we first started walking around. We found it and there was all sorts of construction. We were told the restaurant was open upstairs. This all felt so odd besides the fact that we were going to eat Thai food in Ireland. We were greeted at the top of the stairs but there was no one seated. We were offered a seat by the window overlooking the alley and when it came time to order the waitress told us she needed the number of what we were ordering. Pad Thai should be pretty basic but I got the number for her. A new waitress came out and asked us if we had reservations. We looked around at the empty restaurant and said, “No. Is that alright?” Luckily it was.

Just before our food came two different groups came in. The food was good and that was about the extent of our stay in Cork.

The next morning we were excited to have our first real Irish Breakfast. It was yummy but there was no blood sausage. We packed up and headed for Limerick.

Along the way we stopped and got a better map but still there wasn’t a lot of detail to help us get into Limerick City. We missed the turn and ended up at Bunratty Castle and Durty Nelly’s. I love that name Durty Nelly’s. The castle was unlike anything I had ever seen but also confirmed that I’m starting to develop claustrophobia. We had been checking out the castle when we found a small spiral staircase that led to the top of the castle. The views were AMAZING! More and more people were coming up so we decided to head back down. Mid way we came across more people coming up so we ducked into a small room.

The small room is where we met a woman from California. I had to take my jacket off and things were getting very hot for me. The CA Woman stood at the entry as a multinational traffic jam occurred in the spiral staircase. People tried to come in our little room but CA Woman would not allow it. She also was sure to let everyone know that they were making her feel road rage. One German couple did make it into our room and proceeded to block us in as they waited to go up. FINALLY, we were able to get out. Oh good heavens it was hot in there but Hophead never even took his jacket off, maybe it was just me… It was!

We headed to Limerick City to find our hotel with very little information. I knew it was on Ennis Road but that was about it. We took the Limerick City exit and after many round-a-bouts I noticed a street sign that said we were, in fact, on Ennis Road. See this was my job… I was navigator and reminder to drive on the left. Suddenly, we were right next to our hotel. Well that was easy! Where was our button?

Now to find our way to the race the next day…

Then I met Hophead. He has brewed his own beer and he is what I, lovingly, call a “Beer Snob”.

At first he would gently scoff at me about my “WEAK” beer. His favorite is Flying Dog’s Raging Bitch. But the Bitch was too much for me… It bit me!

Slowly I would try new and interesting beers. I tried Lagunitas’s Hop Stoopid, at Pizzeria Paradiso in Old Town Alexandria, primarily because I liked the name. It had some hoppiness to it but I was digging it.

My friend Alia, from Alia Said…, may be young but she is well versed on beer and she introduced me to Rustico, also in Alexandria, VA. Rustico has so many different beers on tap and you can get a “Taste” for a fraction of the price of a glass. You can do your own beer tasting and their menu is always changing so you could do your own tasting every month. This is where I started exploring more and more.

One of Hophead’s favorite places is Dogfish Head in Gaithersburg. Except for Winter this is where you will find he and his friends after their Weekly rides. They are mountain bikers and Dogfish Head is well familiar with them. Hophead has made me a Dogfish Head groupie. I’m partial to the 60 min IPA as well as the Aprihop. Don’t even get me started on the food. Hophead and I are hooked on going Cajun there with the Cajun Egg Rolls and the Cajun Alfredo Pizza. If you aren’t into Cajun be sure to try the Grouper sandwich. Either way their pizza’s are to die for.

One night Hophead and I went to Agrodolce in Germantown. At first glance it’s more of a wine place and you would think the prices might be outrageous but look a little deeper. They have awesome pizza and a wide range of beers at great prices. The waiter suggested I try La Rossa and I became a fan. While we were there a group of kids were brought in for pizza. This place looks super nice and I took it for being a little stuffy but it’s not at all. It’s a family kind of place and seems to have something for everyone including great beer prices.

Speaking of great pizza, Brewer’s Alley in Frederick is a brewery that has some fantastic pizza. It’s a bit of a hike from DC but not as bad as you think since 270 North is much easier on the weekends. Brewer’s Alley’s is located in the heart of Frederick on Market Street and was once the Town Hall. You can have formal dining here, a night out with the family, or even as low key as sitting in the bar area with friends. When the weather is nice there is outdoor seating and live music on the weekends.

Hophead and I were in Frederick just this past weekend and met up with friends. After Brewer’s Alley we stopped over at Mick’s, on West Patrick Street. This was previously owned by the former Mayor of Frederick. The place has a great feel to it and the staff is very friendly. I even found an Alia doppelganger, young cute girl that has a finer taste for beer. Don’t offer her a Bud Light. Mick’s found a new place in Hophead’s heart when he saw Guiness as well as Dogfish Head 90 min IPA on tap. It didn’t hurt that the bartender, John, is a fellow mountain biker.

I am constantly on the lookout for good beer in Maryland, especially in the Montgomery County area. I wish Rustico was on this side of the river. Matchbox opened up on Rockville Pike and we were happy to see their beer selection. They even have Delirium Tremens on tap! HopHead was really happy to find out that Growlers, in Old Town Gaithersburg, re-opened. Oh and Olney Ale House is on our list of places to go.

If you can’t find great beer at a restaurant then the next best thing is to buy it and have it at home. In Montgomery County when you buy from the county stores it’s very limited. You may find Flying Dog in their stores but not Raging Bitch. Maybe it’s because of the name, I don’t know, but it has been banned in several states because of the name. Even though the County stores don’t have a wide range of beers we have found a few stores, with great prices, where we have become regulars: Elbe’s in Wheaton, Rodman’s in Kensington and Gilly’s in Rockville.

We are always on the lookout for restaurants and bars with a good selection of beers. I recently found the website DCBeer.com and I’m a fan but they are limited to DC and Northern Virginia.

The Amish Outlaws played Saturday night at Seacrets and as always they RAWKED the house.

Pictures are coming out of the weekend… OMG!

I do believe this picture is a precursor of the upcoming ShamrockFEST.

Photo by John Duffy

Oh and Happy Birthday Jay Wood! Hopefully, next time you won’t get kicked out of Seacrets.

So, on a down note… Flogging Molly will not be playing this year. I was shocked since they have been HUGE with Shamrockfest for YEARS. Even Hophead went to their Facebook page and let them know how disappointed he is.

There is good news. I would even say FANTASTIC news!!! Dropkick Murphys will be playing!!!  Can I get a girlie scream like Elvis is on stage?

OMG! I’m looking at the line up as I write this.

• Carbon Leaf
• Scythian
• Love Seed Mama Jump
• Dr FU
• Ceann
• White Ford Bronco
• DJ Pauly D

That is so funny… DJ Pauly D! I mentioned this to Ginga, noting Pauly D’s Italian background and here he is a big player in an Irish bash. She said, “Mama! Everybody’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day!”

I can’t wait.

Are you going?

Have you gotten your tickets?

Prices are going up! Better get em soon.

I’m watching Hophead and his facial expressions as the Voice begins his script with his definitive lip smacking pauses, as I’m sure he was instructed. He wants a name and money for his cause, to help Rock Creek. The Voice then hands the clipboard to Hophead and all I can see is a hand reaching in and pointing to various areas on the clipboard.

I’m anxiously waiting to see what Hophead does.

And then…

Hophead says, “Ok… Wanna come in?”

The voice replies, “Sure! Thank you. Thanks for answering the door.”

Hophead starts filling out the paper but stops and says to the Voice, “Wanna a beer?”

“Oh wow… YES! That would be great!”

“Raging Bitch?”

“Oh Yeah Flying Dog! I love that stuff! I’ve only had Yuengling to drink lately”

I pipe in, “That’s what I’m drinking! Hophead says it’s weak beer (inferior lager beer).”

Hophead hands me the paper to finish filling it out as he goes to get the beer.

The Voice is so excited about the beer, “This is the BEST house I have ever been too!  You people are awesome!”

Then he spills it… Poor guy felt so bad. Now he’s gonna smell like beer at the next few houses he goes to. I cleaned up the floor and gave him towels to clean himself up and even offered him gum.

He chatted with Hophead about Belgian IPA and then said he would have to drink up real fast before the next house. He thanked us profusely and even shook our hands and bolted.

Hophead and I couldn’t help but laugh.

I said to Hophead, “Do you usually invite people in like that?”

“Eh… yeah… A few times.”

“Ever offered beer… Raging Bitch?”

“Nope that was a first.”

Who, oddly enough, happens to look a lot like FN (in the face NOT THE BODY).

I found “The Solution“, and friends, in Atlanta at Front Page News on Crescent Street in Midtown.

Please disregard the chick who seems to have drank too many pitchers of Yuengling and note the dudes in the background. Oh but most importantly the pose of “The SOLUTION“. 

Only in HotLanta

I missed last year and last year it rained too. I braved it this year and took Squirrely Gurl with me.

I had high hopes as the rain had stopped when I was getting on the Metro. By the time I got to the Stadium it was POURING! Plus I walked right past Squirrely Gurl. The VIP line was GINORMOUS but thankfully it moved rather quick as they had us walk through the mud. Until I got there. They questionsed if my ticket was VIP and were unable to scan it. They asked me to step to the side where some chick decided to bump me with her rear because I was in her way yelling at me “I’m working here!”.

“Hey sorry they told me to stand here”.

Squirrely Gurl and I beelined it to the VIP section and the shortest beer line to then duck into a tent to get out of the rain.

The beer went fast and we needed to warm up. We got more checked out the food in the VIP section but passed. We got more beer and ventured out. That didn’t last long cause we needed more beer so back into the VIP section we went. On our way we checked the lineup and the times and noticed Scythian was playing in the VIP section in about 30 minutes.

As we were drinking our beer we enjoyed the sights around us. I had enough beer at this point to stop people for pictures. Like this big balled fellow:

Then I noticed this guy with an extra short kilt. I hadn’t even noticed his shirt until Squirrely Gurl pointed it out. But then I had to show my shirt so I unzipped and then went to unzip the next jacket as he said, “Oh Yeah! keep going!”

There was the HOT, bearded leprechaun twins.

All kinds were at Shamrockfest.

And then there was SCYTHIAN! I have not seen them live in such a long time. I can’t believe I’d forgot how they ROCK the house.

Then they played “Gypsy Fiddle”. Leks can bring you to tears when he plays this.

The crowd seems to agree!

Can’t wait til Scythian makes some regular appearances back here in D.C. I know I’ll be checking their website for upcoming shows.

It was cold and rainy so it was difficult to show off my St. Patty’s shirt so I was sure to get a picture of it.

I kinda look like an Irish Snookie, eh?

We found more great outfits on our way back to the beer truck.

After we got a refill we were hanging out when Squirrely Gurl says, “I think I found my favorite. There’s an Asian guy with a frog umbrella.”

“OMG! That’s JOE!!!!”

I haven’t seen Joe in years, but what was most unusual to me was I had just gotten rid of the EXACT same umbrella just earlier that day when Purple Heart picked up my donated items.

Squirrley Gurl and I agreed we were done and worked our way out. We stopped for a bite on our way and experienced a reunion of sorts when these two found each other right in front of me and under Squirrley Gurl’s umbrella.

As we walked out we were very glad to be going. We were soaked to the bone and wet jeans just aren’t a lot of fun.

All things considered we had a blast. We didn’t see as many acts as I would have liked but Scythian satisfied my thirst.

Shamrockfest is an experience that must be had by all!!

The lineup has been finalized!

Tickets are selling fast and the prices are increasing. VIP tickets are only $79.99 right now and will be $120 soon.  That is cheap for all you can drink… ALL DAY! Plus cleaner, NICER bathrooms.

Fer the love of St. Paddy… If yer gonna buy a ticket do it NOW!!!!!  Tickets

 Póg mo thóin! = Kiss my Ass!

First: Mini Red got Confirmed!  She chose the name Joan as in Joan of Arc because Joan represents a very strong woman. Mini Red had to do research on Joan of Arc, write a report about her and another paper on why she chose that saint.  We had other paper work to do to including details of her sponsor and Mini Red chose Uncle Brotha-Man. Lastly, she had to do 10 service hours and went way above that.  She did a few hours working in the religious education office, she volunteered herself for eight hours to be a Mother’s helper for a Mom with three kids. On top of that she volunteered to clean up the Potomac Watershed on Saturday morning. The clean up sounded like fun so I volunteered too!  We met some great people and had a lot of fun getting grimy to do some good for the watershed.  It is truly unbelievable the things people throw into the creek, e.g. grill, car grille, bike, knife. We will definitely be doing more of this type cleanup.

The Confirmation Mass was Thursday night and Mini Red was even chosen to read one of the petitions.  I am so proud of Mini Red and I’m proud of myself for that evening and having to deal with FN who was in fine form. During the signs of peace he decided to hand me child support rather than shake my hand. Such a jerk!

Second: Mini Red played her violin at Music in the Parks, in Williamsburg, with her school Orchestra. I must mention that just a month ago they got a perfect score at  the County and State Festivals.  This was the first time her school’s Orchestra made it to State Festival. So this week they went to Williamsburg for Music in the Parks and won Overall and First, yet again. I’m so proud.

Third: While Mini Red was in Williamsburg I headed to the beach for a Bachlorette weekend for Sis. Eighteen of us stayed in this big beautiful house on the beach in Fenwick Island.  For two nights I fell asleep and woke to the sounds of the ocean waves.  Saturday brought a nice run up Coastal Highway into Bethany and we got back just in time for games on the beach. The drinking got started early and by the time it was my turn to play cornhole I had quite the buzz going on thanks to the Vanilla Vodka and Diet Coke. Then the games got much more interesting and were even funnier due to the amount of alcohol consumption that was going on. We broke for lunch and I, evidently, had some drunken texting going on and even called a friend (Imelda/my Boss) a Pussy. I must add I had a good reason for calling her a pussy. Shortly after I passed out and woke to them taking pictures of me. The nap did me good and gave me a second wind for the evening. We all got dressed, played pin the penis on the groom until the vans arrived to take us to the Starboard in Dewey.  We had a great time and by the end of the evening there were a ton of great stories that involved fights being provoked, dirty dancing, handstands and flips as well as nakedness and the hot tub. A good time was had by all and many were feeling very rough today. SIL and I had gotten up quite early so when many got up around noon and I went to say my goodbyes I was a bit taken aback when one girl told me to clean up a bit before I left.  Ummmm yeah I had been… All morning while you were sleeping.

It took us six hours to get home possibly due to the crusiers heading home after showing their cars all Cruisin Week in O.C.

My body is hurting from the running, the games, the sunburn and the dancing. So very tired now.