tobie makes contact

what an absolutely fabulous day!! I went down to the city core, the sunny was shining and people were everywhere. I found all the used clothing shops, which I realize you have to be rich to afford, because its not used clothing its "vintage" but then I found this one shop that is called enabling ireland . . . everything in that shop is around 2 or 3 euro and proceeds go to a disabilty childrens fund . . . I then found a few hemp shops and bought some Nag Champa insense, I burned my last one the night before. I then found this great place that shows film festivle movies, many of the movies they show are not rated so you have to have a membership to see them. Somehow with the memebership they can get around rules of a theater. Tonight they were playing swimming pool, which I was planning on seeing but better things came along. Right behind the film house, is a market, which is there every saturday, they have great prices on wonderful fresh food. I felt in heaven. Not to mention I found a health food store that has, soy milk, tvp, veggie burgers, vegan cream cheese, butter, ice cream and more!!! I really didn't know how much better it all coudl get. Every cool street that I turned on to was a pedistrian street, I was then in the shop called eaver beaver when a girl came up to me adn said she say me at the bjork concert last week, she was sitting behind me and recongized my hair - such a small world. While I was in eager beaver I asked where the central bank was, the location of the protest. Well it was right next to where we were.

Teh protest was small about 70 people came out, it was in connection to the WTO meeting that was happening in mexico. It was basically agianst coca-cola. I talked to a few guys before the speachs which turned out to be the best move I made. BUT before everything got started I was just sitting there when theis super cute queer girl walked by, piercings and everything. We mad e eye contact a few times, and her and her friend stopped, I assumed they were stopping for the protest but actually she was jsut getting up the nerve to come over. About a min later she walked over and said hi, she is from New York and just got here a few weeks ago, she is taking film school. We exchanged emails and are getting together this Thursday for the openign night of that girl club.

She walked off with her friend and the speaches started, they were actually really good, not to acidemic or abstract, they were talking about real people in real situations. Many people rihgt now are getting kickec out of Ireland, people who have children who were born here, there children get irish citizenship but they are not able to. When you get notice that you are kicked out you have 15 days to make an appeal or leave. Teh added problem is there is no probono work for this immigrant situations. And another kick in the pants is many pwople got there notices this summer while the buildings to make appeals was on vacation.

After a wonderful women talked about that, this guy rory talked aobut mexico and coca-cola. After he was done there was a WTO soccer game. Teh rich against everyone else. The reff was the WTO, the poor took over adn ambussed the reff and the poor won the game. It was brillant. After the game they planned a march to the head corters or coca-cola . . . which I was asked to hold the front banner with this interesting guy from nigeria. The cops acutally cleared the streats for us and we followed them through the streets of dublin chanting anti-capitalist chants. It was great fun. I met this guy Joe is in my program. Plus I met a bunch of queer activist. After the march we headed to a pub which is a lefty pub full of great art work and bohemian types. The tables and stoles are supper low as if they were waiting for hobbits to walk in. We took our pints and stoles on to the street and chatted for hours.

I was invited to a party afterwards, but I was having sensory overload, I had spent 6 hours with these people already and was loving every moment, I didn't want fatique to ruin it . . .

check out www.freewebs.com/globalise, they will have pictures up later of the protest!!


There is a huge protest happening in paris in a few months, its the soical european forum, it think I might go, it will be a great excuse to be in paris . . . but I have to book soon, to get cheap fares.

drag king dreams fading . . . coming out failing

Last night as I was talking to people about where to go and such, I inquired about drag kings. My guide book said that 1999 was irelands first drag king. Apparently "Johnny Silvino" is still ireland only drag king. I dreams of becoming an irish drag king seems to be diminishing. They don't seem to have a market for it, but perhaps I can change that (I don't know if I have the eggs to do that!)

Last night on my way out I heard a few people talking about the george, this guy said he had been these girls started to laugh and asked him if he know what kind of place it was . . .I heard other people on the bus talking about the drag bingo at the george. So I thought I would use the george as my easy was to come out to my roommates. I said I went to the george they didn't know where is was, I told them the street which they never heard of. My next move is to talk about ex girlfriends, that usually works.

Orgie anyone?

I went out to a bar tonight which I discovered basically is the only place to go . . . they have about 5 bars, but most of them are casual adn slow, this one called the George is the only real club. But I heard that next week there is a club opening up called SPI and every Thursday night it is women only! I will be there for its grand opening. Talking about grand that word comes out of every irish persons lips on such a regular basis that it could replace the canandian eh! Anyways, I stayed for an hour and a half, with the hope to catch the last bus which I missed anyways. Within 20mins I was talking to this drag queen with a 80 rod stewart wig, a tight red shirt and a short yellow leather skirt. After twenty another twenty mins I was invited to an orgy that is happening in a few weeks. I almost wanted to go cause I have never been to one before, but when a 40 year old drag queen invites you one has to think twice . . . I perceeded up stairs and met two cute gay boys who called this girl a slut and me a bitch all in a few mins, I moved on. I started talking to this cute women, I would say about 27. I turns out she goes to UCD aswell and is doing her Phd. I ended up dancing with her and hanging out with her and her friends most of the night. I asked her about protests which she says the irish are too busy fighting the english to worry about other issues, the protest are filled with a small group of dreary looking people chanting. So much for my romatisized vision of protests. But I saw a sign for one tomorrow outside the central bank. It said "Anti-capitalism, anti-imperialism, anti-racism and a football match" seriously!!! I can't wait to see what its all about . . .The women said one would have to be careful what signs they held . . they wouldn't want to mix it up and say "Down with football, celebrate imperialism"

I hope for the moment when I know people on campus and I can take cabs home with them and not have to worry about catching the bus . . .

F is for frustrating

I looked up at the veggie restaurants, queer clubs and secondhand shops . . .marked them on my map (they are all very close to each other - reinforcing the theory that cute queer kids that wear vintage are veggie . . .) I am going to apply to all of them . . . I was going to do that today, but allas my tech skills have come to an end and I am defeated!

I got my computer to work- got it online-bought a printer to print off resumes -cuz my school does not have a usb port for my key--so far techy goodness then I spent 3 hours trying to get my printer to work-- every time it got started it would immediately stop and my computer would say something like "can not detect a printer" ahhhh! I have gone through every troubleshotting option several times, and even tried my own theories about what was wrong and how to fix it. I'm trying to destress by listen to dido . . .no accounting for tastes really!


B is for beautiful

My brother sent me an email that asked me to discribe dublin to him . . .I will blatently cut and past my reply to him . . .

the city is split in half by a river that has many bridges, they are preposing a few car free bridges which would be cool. As you pass over the bridges and you look to the east you can see the sea and huge ships docking at the ports. The grey blue clouds that hang over the port area makes you feel that you are looking at a painting almost to mysterious to really be part of a city. I have spent more time on the south side of the city core. But both sides have these great streets that are car free, they are packed like the shopping streets of Toronto around christmas time, it is so great, gives the city a lively energy. There is a hight restriction on the buildings, only a few have surpassed the limit of 6 stores, so basically the whole city has these attached 6 story buildings that line all of the streets. The only space between buildings is the streets themself. St. Stephen greens is this great park that is highly used both by picnicers and those looking for a calming place to pass through the city. It is centrally located and the north west entrace opens up to one to the busest corners in all of dublin. The city is very old and is not designed on a gride liek Manhatten or Toronto, so the streets curve into each other, which leaves me with a sence that I don't ever really know where I'm going, this is compounded with the the fact the streets change their names every few block! My bus route to the city centre passes a buisiness district that is lined with 4-6 story buildings, each of the doors is a different colour. Even though there is a limited number of colours used, if two doors are directly next to each other they are almost never the same colour. Mainly primary red, blue green and black, with the occational yellow and other shades of the rbg.

I hope you have enjoyed this post of blanet cut and pasting . . .

DUBLIN DAY 3

oh the background stories are you ready!!!

The day Pam shime saved my life and other acts of kindness

On saturday after ab went with me to pick up my plane ticket, I though I woudl look into the box where I keep my passport, so I could put the ticket and passport together, I opened up the box and allmost fell backwards when I say it wan't there. I started to search and search and search, I unpacked everthing, looked everywhere in my room and tv room . . . it was no where to be found my heart went numb allong with my mechanically moving body. two days before I leave and my passport is missing, I start to make phone calls on my options at this point. It seems that what I need to do is download forms for a missing passport and get to the office first thing in the morning with $285 and I can get an emergancy one.

I sit back and think, I suddenly remember that a few weeks earlier, my univeristy requested that I send them a copy of my birth certificate and passport, I had taken both to shoppers photocopied them and brought them back in a brown envelope to my moms room where I did all my application stuff. The good news I remembered where I last say it, the bad news is you need a birth certificate to get a passport and if they are both lost I am out of luck.

We searched my moms room and found nothing, when I sent those out, my mom was teaching a course and had paper everywhere. WE think that my carelessness of leaving it around and my moms attempt to tidy her caotic room resulted in them getting tossed. I went to the shoppers just incase, but it was not there.

next step - police station - I had to report that I lost both my pass port and birth certificate - in the mean time I cancelled my trip to st.catharines for the evening :(

I went back home and printed off the forms for a new birth certificate and passport . . . I started to fill out the forms - I asked a family friend who is a principle if she would sign the forms - no problem - and I got another family friend plus my doctor to be my references- excellent- then I read the forms more closely I would need another form since my passport had been reported lost- this other form required a lawyer to sign it. I had 24 hours to get a lawyer to sign my form.

then it hit me pam shime, the wonder pam is a lawyer, she thought the sexualtiy and law class that I took tis past year, and si the most wonderful prof. I looked her up in the phone book (seriously) and phoned her aat home (she seems too much of a goddess to have her number in the white pages but there it was. I left a message for her and sat in front of the tv in distress.

an hour later pam shime phoned me at home saying no problem and said that I coudl meet her at her pottery class the next day. She said that she was happy to hear from me, not to worry about phoning her at home and that she was glad to see me before I left.

next day

I got my photos taken, got all my forms signed, hung out with regan, slept over at sk's and waited for the dread nex tday

flight day

I got to the birth certificate office before it opened, still I was number 44 . . . the total time in that office was 3 hours. I paced, wondered, moved and generally worried. Everyone else sat compleatly still with emotionless faces, only I was alive, even if it was only life of anxiety. When I was finally called up, the process was painless, it only took 5 mins, since my reference was right there . . .they charged me $50 when even the form I filled out said $35, I assume they have a sliding scale based on anxiety, they assumed they could charge me more and they were right . . .

off to the passport office

I took a cab, I had no time for the "rocket" . . . the line up was minimal, the women who gave out numbers was very kind, she gave me a by-pass number and I was called up to the desk with in a few mins, leaving 50 people sitting and wondering whatwas so important about me. The women the women at the desk was helpful and kind, after an other 10 mins I was sent away, she told me to eat something, because a passport was no good if I was dead. Plus the charge was only an extra $70 not $200 maybe they have a sliding scaled based on patheticness, and they realized I was at extream levels at that point.

I then went over to UofT to visit sk, who had said come by between 12-2 if you have a break, I will have a break then and make you a sandwich . . . neither of us expected me to me there, but at 11:45 I was free and told to come back at 2 . . . so UofT for the last time in two years, I looked for regan and such my no such luck, but I did get to chill with sk.

I got back to the office and they said that they were unable to reach one of my references. I started to panic, they needed someone who had known my for at least 2 years that wasnt a relative, I opened my phone book and started to write down names and numbers, with each try they woudl come back and say that the person was not home. Finally I wrote down kevin and craig, I don't know how I didn't think of them earlier . . .regardless, kevin was home, when they asked him to discribe me he said mid twenties, funky hair and that was enough to print out a new passport.

off to the airport,

I went thought the express check in and baggage counter before my mom had a chance to park. We then had a few hours to sit and chill ( can you believe it after a few like that I had a few hours !!!) we chatted eat, sean and I raced on moterbikes in the "tom foolery" arcades. They both cried there little eyes out and I was off . . .


who needs sleep anyways

the flight was wonderful, I had a window seat at the front of the plane so I had plenty of leg room and if I wanted to get up I didn't have to disturb the guy next to me, I couldwalk around him!! The played anger management on the flight -- a good distraction. The next to me was funny and nice, he told me stories, he was on his way to germany for business, his job was to buy fashion, bring them back and send the designs off to china (I didn't get into the ethics of that with him, I was stuck next to him for the next 7 hours) Everything worked according to plan, my luggage went straight to dublin, my transfer in london was painless and customs was not a problem. The only this is they don't really know what vegan is . . . I got some tofu and rice at first which was ummm ok . . . . but everything else had eggs, milk or cheese in it, its a good thing I brought granola bars, and other snacks . . .

I didn't sleep the night before the flight too much anxiety I didn't sleep on the fllight too excited. I didn't sleep when I got to dublin too much to take in. My count gives that 55 hours awake minus a hour here or there . . . the international office was playing the butcher boy my first night, so I went to watch it hoping that I would meet people there but I was a few mins late so if there was any time to mingle at the beginning I missed it . . . and after a movie like that no one is in the mood to chat . . .

I went back to rez and slept and slept and slept over twelve hours!!!

roomies, computers and other frustrations


The residence is a master piece waiting to fall apart . . . you get a swip card ( bad news too easy to lose ) that lets you in to your building, then you walk up two flights of stairs, you need your card to get into your apartment and once again to get in your room. How easy will it be to lock my card in my room and be stuck . . . this will be a test of ones memory . . . plus the doors of the room are heavy, they don't stay open, I need to find myself a door stopper.

Ok here is my roomie situation, almost what I imagined :

one girl from small town ireland in commerce
one girl from nigeria in engineering
one girl from the states in finance (don't ask me the difference between finance and commerce I'm an arts student)
one boy from small towm ireland in commerce, who said to me last night that he say three "transvestites" for the first time this past week . . . he also told me that on the irish station on sundays they have this drag queen who does bingo, early that same day they have a show that does the rosary . . . I told him the contradictions were great, he said it was strange and didn't find the same humour in it as I did . . . oh well

they all seem really nice . . . one more roomie to come still . . .

my computer died yesterday grrr

I am about to phone the IBM support in Ireland, but I don't know how to use a phone yet hehehe, it better start working soon, otherwise it an expensive piece of trash.

I dont know what happened, I had bought a electricty converter, but that can't be the issue since my plug foir my laptop is already able to convert, I only really needed a plug convertor, but I got the electricity one for my battery recharger. Anyways, I was listening to music and on the internet, I bought this card that is for wireless interenet, which we have in my rez. I was online for about 10 mins before it happened so I don't think the card is the problem. I then was about to download photos onto my computer. I put the USB port in, before it even connected, my computer shut off. At first I thought it was the electricy in the apartment. we have these cards for electricty, when the card runs out all the electicity is turned off, but that was not the problem. I took out the card and the plugs, and tried to turn it on, but it won't work. grrrr

vegan . . . whats that

not only do all my roomies eat meat cheese and the rest of that jazz ( I expected as much )
the campus grocessry store and restuarants dont' seem to know what vegitarian options are let allone veganism. I asked the grocersry store if they ever got soy milk, they didn't know what it was and ofter me goat milk instead. This restaurant on campus called 911 (the emergance number here is 999, another example of americian influence) had an option for extra meat, but no veggie option. I had the guy put a few of the salads on the bun!!!

all work no play

although this week I do have some free time, I must not enjoy it too much! I say this because with out a bike I am dependant on the bus system, which is actually fast adn frequent, the problem is the last bus back to campus in at 11:30pm . . . not leaving much time at the bars. Last night I went to a club called The George, they have a drag show on Wednesdays, but I had to leave before it got started . . . aparantly there are night buses that leave once an hour on the weekends, I'm not sure if they come near campus though. Once I get to know people we can cab it, but until then home in bed by midnight for me!!!