Horses and Hounds in Ireland

Back from Ireland and tired...
Picture is foxhounds ready for the hunt on the grounds of the castle where we stayed.
Gotta take a nap, cheers!

Off to Ireland!

I'll be waking up in Ireland tomorrow morning, won't be posting for a week.
Here is a glimpse of what I'm looking forward to experiencing in the Emerald Isle.

Bye!

Got Bags?

With the outrageous cost of checking bags on flights these days, the art of light packing is more valuable than ever. On a wandering trip through England, Wales and Ireland back in 1997 I spent weeks living out of a hiking size backpack. It's really amazing how much you DON'T need. I learned how easy it is too wash a few items in a hotel (or hostel in my case) sink when you really need clean socks! I haven't done the hostel/backpacking method of travel since I was in my 20's but my light packing has gotten even better with each trip.
For a great video on packing light for weeks of travel check out this video:

Or visit their website at Packing Light:
http://www.packinglight.net/plight/
My bags for Ireland are packed and I got 2 adults and a teenager in 1 checked and 1 carryon bag.
Happy packing, happy trip!

Party Tip

I hosted my sister's baby shower this weekend, busy few days in between multiple trips to the airport and working 9-5 Saturday. By the time I had everything ready on Sunday morning and was ready to hop in the shower guests started to arrive... EARLY!
Seriously a pet peeve of mine. A few months ago I hosted a dinner party and a guest showed up 30 minutes early, I was still running the vacuum!
So my party tips for guests, if the event starts at 12 then show up at 12 or even better 12:15. Just don't show up early, in all likelihood your hosts are still scrambling to get ready.
Anyway, hope you all had a great weekend, only a few more posts for me before I head to Ireland, as you can tell from my snappy posts, I so need the vacation.

Must Read Summer Book

My must read summer vacation book this year is Bringing Home the Birkin: My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World's Most Coveted Handbag by Michael Tonello. Tonello's tales of high end shopping thrown in with stories of his past life as an Ebay reseller, hairstylist and makeup artist, he becomes the go-to-guy for acquiring coveted Hermes Birkin bags. Check out his blog and other great links from the website:
http://www.bringinghomethebirkin.com/
What woman wouldn't love to own a Birkin? Last time I checked Ebay, there was a lovely Birkin crocodile bag going for the bargain price of $70,000.

My Favorite Reference Question

When I am working at the reference desk I hear all sorts of questions. When I explain my job to people I usually tell them that librarians are a lot like bartenders, they hear lots of stories, get asked to solve lots of problems and often give tons of free advice.
Today's first question of the day was the perfect example:
Patron:"Hi, I read this book...I don't remember the title and I don't remember the author... but it was about these explorers in America"
Shannon:"Was the book about Lewis and Clark"
Patron: "No it was about explorations from Florida to the coast"
Shannon:"Ah huh..."
Patron:"Can you tell me where in the stacks I can look for the book, maybe a number where I can find it"
Shannon:"Umm sure, why don't you start in the 900's, you can find books on America, Explorers, Geography, Discoveries etc"
Patron:"Great, thanks..."

A minute later he had found a book on display and never made it to the stacks. Oh well.

Dazed and Confused

Ok so some things make me very happy including:
Watching the new baby goslings walk across the road from my library to the lakes
Cold beer
My friends babies (I can have all the fun and then they go home)
Fresh summer cherries
Packing for a trip (already started for Ireland and I don't leave for a week)

And somethings just leave me dazed and confused and often pissed:
People who don't use their turn signal
Women who wear pantyhose with sandals (seriously?)
Ignorance
Anyone who doesn't stand up on a bus or train to give their seat to someone older, a mother and child, a person with packages etc
People who still write checks in the store line (are you kidding me, this takes FOREVER, get a check card and save a tree!)
Littering

Thanks for reading my ranting, it's been one of those days.