Magical Mystery Tour

Last night, Eli and I went to a pub in Dun Laoghaire called Walter's.  This was a trip more than nine months in the making.  Intrigued?  Read on.

About a year ago, we saw that there was going to be a concert performed by a Beatles tribute band, Let It Be-atles, at The Lighthouse pub in Dun Laoghaire.  Eli loves The Beatles and the tickets were cheap (about €22 each) so we bought two tickets for a show that was to be held in January.  And then it got moved to June.  And then it got moved to September.  And then the venue changed from The Lighthouse to Walter's.

It finally stayed in one place and on one date, so we were off.  But of course, a tale of our adventures wouldn't be complete without some kind of transportation issue.

Bus 7 was leaving from the Brides Glen stop at 5 p.m.  We had planned to eat dinner at Walter's and had reserved a table for 5:30 p.m.  We hiked down to the LUAS tram platform, and the electronic board stated that our tram was due in 8 minutes.  No problem - we had allowed ourselves some extra time to ensure we'd be at the bus stop before 5.

Typically, as the tram nears its stop, that number on the board starts to reduce.  Our number stayed a solid 8.  Eli checked the online transport site, and it said the next tram wasn't due to arrive until 5:02 - which was a couple minutes after our bus would've departed.

Sigh.

So Eli ordered a taxi and tracked its location.  It wound up somewhere across the road and down the hill from the tram platform, but we eventually located it and were on our way.  It was a bit aggravating to see that Bus 7 (the one we would've been on) was a few cars ahead of us as we approached our destination.

The traffic light on our Dun Laoghaire street reminded me of the stop lights at the crossing roads on Highway 169 (before the redesign) - it stayed green for all of four seconds, so we weren't moving much at all.  Our taxi driver finally turned to us and asked if we wanted to get out at that point.  The pub was just around the corner about a block away so it would've been stupid for us to sit in traffic with the fare meter running.  I thought it was very kind of him to offer that suggestion as it meant a little less money for him.

We walked into Walter's at 5:29 p.m. and were quickly seated.  Eli ordered pasta arrabiata and an appetizer of garlic mushrooms; I asked for bangers and mash (aka sausages and mashed potatoes).

As we waited for our food, we were regaled by the musical stylings of a duo tucked into a corner at the front of the pub - one guy on keyboards, the other one on vocals.  They performed a few tunes - "Night and Day," "The Lady is a Tramp," "They Can't Take That Away From Me," "Blueberry Hill," and "Hit the Road, Jack" to name a few.  I kept hoping they'd perform "Blue Moon" or "Someone to Watch Over Me" but it never came to pass.

It was nice to have something to partially drown out the conversation of the table next to us, as they were talking about the orange demon.  I said to Eli, "Really?  I came here to get away from that crap."

Our food arrived, and we tucked in.  I have to say that my meal was quite....meh.  Neither the sausage nor the potatoes had much flavor to them, and the slightly watery gravy didn't do a lot to improve things.  It wasn't awful - just bland and not worth €20 for sure.

It took about 30 minutes - and having to ask multiple times - for us to receive our check.  I told Eli that we could just up and walk away, and they probably would never even notice.  We didn't do that, of course.  And honestly, the wait was fine.  Since our food got to the table relatively quickly, we had a lot of time to kill between the end of the meal and being able to get into the music venue at 7 p.m.

After the check was paid, we didn't want to sit there and take up a table so we walked outside, finding the bus stop we needed to be at for the trip home before heading back into the pub and up the stairs to the second floor.

Eli showed our electronic tickets to the gatekeeper, and another person put an inked stamp on our hand to show we were allowed to be there (and I imagine for re-entry if we needed to go downstairs for any reason).  Getting the stamp reminded me of this exchange on "The Big Bang Theory":

Sheldon:  Look at this stamp.  On what authority are they permitted to mutilate patrons as they enter?
Amy:  I'm sure it'll wash off.

Sheldon:  Little comfort tonight.  I look like a Hell's Angel.

Eli had checked with the venue regarding the concert set-up.  I knew I wouldn't be able to stand for 2 hours, so I wanted to know if there would be seats available.  Eli received a response that there wouldn't be any seating and the area in front of the stage would be an open dance floor.  However, there were chairs and tables in the bar area (which still had a view to the stage), and we got there early enough to snag a table.

We sat and watched as the bar began to fill up.  I told Eli I was surprised by the number of older people (65+) that were there; he said he was more surprised by the number of young people who were attending.

He grabbed a Rockshore Apple Cider, and we settled in to wait.  And wait.  And wait.

The show was scheduled to begin at 7:30; the start time was closer to 8.

Earlier, I had asked Eli what he thought their first song would be.  He said "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" and I said "Hard Day's Night."  While I was writing down notes from the evening before the show started, I said, "Did you say the first song would be 'She Loves You'?" and he corrected me.

And their first song was...."She Loves You."  😄  And here's the remainder of their set list, in performance order:

2.  I Wanna Hold Your Hand (ooooh, Eli - so close)

3.  All My Loving

4.  From Me to You

5.  Love Me Do

6.  This Boy

7.  I Should've Known Better

8.  8 Days a Week

9.  Hard Day's Night

10. Can't Buy Me Love

11. Help!

12. I Feel Fine

13. Nowhere Man

14.  Please Please Me

15. Ticket to Ride

16. Day Tripper

17. Paperback Writer

18. All You Need is Love

19. Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

20. With a Little Help from My Friends

21. Drive My Car

22. We Can Work It Out

23. Here Comes the Sun

24. Something

25. Let It Be

26. Come Together

27. Hello, Goodbye

28. Penny Lane

29. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

30. Ballad of John and Yoko

31. Don't Let Me Down

32. Get Back

33. I Saw Her Standing There

34. Twist and Shout

35. Yellow Submarine

36. Hey Jude

37. Sgt Pepper's Reprise

The members of the band looked and sounded nothing like The Beatles, nor do I think that was their intent.  I appreciated that because when a tribute band does a poor imitation, it detracts from the enjoyment of the performance for me.

They were all musically talented, however.  I was enjoying watching the bass player.  My dad played bass in a band with his brothers, and one of my all-time favorite bass lines is from Paul McCartney.  (Here's that bass line in tutorial form - the guy in the video brings my dad to mind because that's a shirt my dad would have totally worn:  Paul McCartney & Wings - Goodnight Tonight Bass Cover )

It was enjoyable to watch the crowd.  Some of those older people were really shaking it!  One silver-haired guy had his hands in the air like he just didn't care.  But bless his heart, the movements of said hands had very little to do with the beat of the music so that was making me giggle.  One lady dancing reminded me of that girl in the Peanuts dance scene who just kinda throws her head back and forth:

We were right next to the bar, and a LOT of liquor was changing hands all night.  I found it interesting that the volume of singing and the numbers of dancers increased as the alcohol consumption increased.  Coincidence?

Once the concert ended, we went back out into the night and walked up the street to our bus stop.  Bus 7 was due in about 10 minutes.  And if you believe that, I have some oceanfront property in Minnesota to sell you.

Eli checked the transit site online.  Bus 7 had vanished (because of course it did), but Bus 7A was due to arrive in about 10 minutes.  And Bus 7A actually did show up, wonder of wonders.

The only issue is that Bus 7A wouldn't take us to the Brides Glen stop, so we'd have to de-bus and get Bus 111.  We rode a little way and then got off at a dark, middle-of-nowhere stop (it really wasn't in the middle of nowhere - the main drag road was a block or two away - but it sure felt like it that late at night).  We crossed the street to await Bus 111.  Eli again checked the transit site, and Bus 111 was supposed to arrive in 10 minutes....or later.

I was like, "Screw this."  We had no assurance that Bus 111 would appear in 10 minutes.  I had a sinking suspicion that we'd stand there for 10 minutes, only to discover Bus 111 had also gone into the Bermuda Triangle of buses.

It was quite a hike back to the Brides Glen LUAS stop (nearly a mile) but eventually, we were sitting on the tram, ready for the trip back home.

As we waited for the tram to get underway, I said to Eli, "I'm glad you had a good time."  He said, "I did.  Didn't you?"

My experience wasn't unpleasant.  It was just....meh.  I appreciate many of The Beatles' songs, but they aren't a favorite group of mine.  Would it have been different if it had a been a tribute band for Michael Bolton, Billy Joel, or Elton John?  Or do I really just not enjoy live musical performances anymore?  I have never really been Concert Girl - I can probably count on one hand the number of concerts I've gone to.

Quite frankly, I favored the more intimate experience of the two guys who were playing during our meal, and I think I'd probably feel the same if we went to a pub that had a traditional small group playing in a corner.  Even so, I was grateful to hear that Eli enjoyed the show since he's the big Beatles fan.

We finally walked in the front door around 11:30 p.m.  The cats, who are usually fed around 10 p.m., were not amused.

They Say It's Your Birthday

Last Friday, September 19, was my birthday.  It was grey and rainy because, you know - Ireland.

My mom is able to send voice recordings via email, and she sang the Casey Jones birthday song for me - something she's been doing as long as I can remember.  For those of you who are from the Midwest and are of an age, you might remember this song.  For everyone else, you can listen to it here:  Happy Birthday Song by Casey Jones - YouTube

I decided to spend the day knocking around the local mall.  Eli doesn't much care for browsing when we're out shopping, and I like to look around, so off I went to Carrickmines Shopping Centre, which is a mere two tram stops up the line.

It's a bit of a hike from the tram stop to the mall complex, and there's a large open field along the way.  We hadn't seen our little deer friends for a while, but two younglings were out having breakfast.  I stopped to watch them for a little while, taking a couple pictures, before going on my way.  There was a gal coming in the opposite direction who had seen me stop and when I looked back, she had stopped in the same place and had her phone in picture-taking position.

As my purse is falling apart, I went to TK Maxx and found one that can be converted into a backpack if needed, so that will be quite useful.  I wandered around looking at Halloween decor and fondling the soft blankets and pillows.

I wanted to get a little treat so I went to Krispy Kreme...and walked right back out when I saw that each donut cost €4.  I know it was a special occasion but that was too rich for my blood.  I'm not spending that much on donuts that are mediocre, at best.

Instead, I went to Dealz and got a bunch of snacks for €8.

After returning home to offload my purchases, I went back out to go to Tesco Express, which is one tram stop in the opposite direction.  I had collected a lot of empty Coke bottles and wanted to get rid of them.  I think I've mentioned it before, but Ireland charges you a small fee when you buy a bottled drink and you can recoup that amount by taking the bottles to a store with a collection machine.  It's to encourage people to recycle.

There's a small area with deli sandwiches, drinks, and snacks.  They run a meal deal where for €4.50, you can buy a sandwich or other entree, a bag of chips or other snack, and a drink.  I was very excited to see that they had my favorite hot ham and cheese panini!  Sooo good with the crunchy bread and gooey cheese.  I also got a small bag of Cool Original Doritos (ranch dressing/seasoning is not a thing in Ireland so Cool Ranch Doritos are Cool Original Doritos here) and a bottle of chocolate milk.  Ambrosia.

On Saturday, Eli and I went to Dundrum.  I dropped off some library books that I had read, and then we walked to the mall.

We visited both Easons and Dubray, which are bookstores.  I enjoyed walking around but didn't buy anything.

My real reason for wanting to go to Dundrum Shopping Centre was that I wanted to go to Eddie Rockets (aka Johnny Rockets) and have a cheeseburger.  We hiked to the restaurant, only to find that it wasn't open yet.  Argh!

Outside the mall, there's a water feature so we sat on a low stone bench and watched the fountain go through its paces.  Across the way, there was a small boy running back and forth, back and forth.  I told Eli that it was a shame we couldn't figure out a way to put a battery pack on small children because that's a lot of energy that could be harnessed for future use.

The restaurant was due to open at 11:30 so we headed back inside the mall.  The door to the eatery was open/unlocked so we went in.  A staff member came over and said they weren't open yet, and I was like "It's 11:29."  I wasn't rude but I was verging on hangry at this point.  We were seated, and the wait staff let us know that the grills wouldn't be up and going for 10-15 minutes, and we were fine with that.  We amused ourselves by flipping through all the songs on the little jukebox at the table.  They actually work - 20 cents per song - but we didn't request any music.

I had a bacon double cheeseburger with waffle fries and a chocolate shake.  There is no photo because I inhaled said meal without sparing any time to take a picture.

As we were walking back to the tram, there were a couple women handing out pamphlets.  I'm not usually quick enough on my feet to refuse them, so I accepted one from the gal who told me "Jesus loves you."  And in the back of my mind, I was thinking of Mitch Hedberg's bit where he said, "When someone hands you a flyer, it's like they're saying 'Here, YOU throw this away.'"

I didn't throw it away though.  I put it into our recycling bin at home.

And here is the author at 58.  This was my second birthday while in Ireland - the first after we had been here for a full year.  I still feel some dissonance; it's almost like I forget where I am, forget that I'm all the way across half a continent and an ocean from what I used to call home.

After I finished all my running around on Friday, I sat for a little while in reflection.  My life is sliding by, seemingly unnoticed by me.  I know that my time here on this planet is finite.  If I didn't already realize that, losing my best friend when she was only 54 years old put it into sharp focus.

I just started re-reading Martha Beck's Finding Your Own North Star.  She talks about everyone having an essential self and a social self - the essential self is your core, the thing that remains constant; the social self is created by the interactions we have with others.  When we nurture our essential self, we get closer to who we are, and it helps us find a purpose that's fulfilling and heart-felt.

The touchstone - the North Star - that I return to again and again in my own life is that I want to be a teacher and a healer.  Now my task is to figure out exactly what form that will take.  Maybe by next year at this time, I'll have found it.