Snow

When I first arrived in Dublin there was about an inch of snow on the ground. The captain told us the airport was closed due to heavy snow, but that crews were out clearing the runway.We circled the airport for about half an hour before landing. The whole thing seemed rather pathetic having survived 70+ inches of snow last winter in Maryland. Everyone here assured me that it hardly ever snows in Ireland and if it does snow, it melts within a day. Well, here I am a few weeks later in the midst of a 6 inch snowstorm and I am thoroughly convinced of what those people told me. Ireland has no idea how to handle snow. This is unfortunate because I love snow and it kind of ruins it to hear people complaining about the impending white Christmas. There is nothing wrong with snow, but not owning a shovel doesn't really improve the situation. Dublin doesn't seem to own any snowplows or rock salt either. The roads are insane here. Today when I was out walking I just started wiping the snow off car headlights. After having a windshield smashed in frontof my face by snow flying off another car's roof last winter it kind of pisses me off to see people driving around without putting any effort into brushing off the car. Fortunately, we are within walking distance of shops and friends, so I can enjoy the snow without dealing with the roads.

Last week was snow-free, so Keith and I managed to visit his parents in Carlow. Keith's mother took us to the local health club for a swimand a sauna, which was a nice break from the social activities I've been engaging in lately. I think I was sweating out booze in the steam room. Aside from seeing the parents-in-law, the highlight of the trip was the gallery of "young Keith" photos in the house. My favorite was this display, which is just so telling. See those people with their Masters andDoctorates? Those are Keith's siblings. See that guy on the beach enjoying a big plate of food? Now that's my husband.