While I was in Florida last month, in a quest to control some back pain I was having, I went to an acupuncturist for the first time. I figured that while I was at it, I may as well use it as a opportunity to go off the medication I was taking for the prevention of migraines that was a)very expensive, b)causing me memory loss, and c)causing my hair to fall out (!!!). It's sad to say that "c" bothered me more than both "a" and "b" put together. Vain, I know. I thought that I could use the benefits of acupuncture to taper off this medicine and hopefully not get the dreaded auras and floaters that can become a daily occurrence without it.

For the most part, I think it helped, though by the time I got back to Dublin I was over a week without the acupuncture and got a migraine 4 days in a row. If you know what this is like, you feel sorry for me. If you don't, well, you should. So I looked on the Acupuncture Foundation's website and found someone close to me. I made the appointment for last Friday.

Holy moly was she great! I liked the acupuncturist I saw in Florida, but in all honesty, this new acupuncturist here in Dublin blew her out of the water. First, she spent well over an hour asking me about my history and symptoms. Then she gave me the needle treatment (which didn't hurt a bit), and then when it was done she put these little seed things on my ears to press on to keep headaches at bay. And not only that, but when I mentioned that I was out of work, she knocked a few euro off her rates. And guess what? I haven't had a migraine since. I'm going back tomorrow for maintenance, and I am so thankful that I found someone this good.

So if any of my Dublin readers are considering acupuncture, I recommend Stephanie at Fairview Acupuncture.

Even after months, I still can't believe this ad whenever I see it:

According to this report today in the Irish Times, "TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen urged people to face the future with 'renewed fortitude and courage', saying Ireland needs a 'major national effort' to get through the recession. Speaking in Co Offaly yesterday, Mr Cowen said 'every recession provides the opportunity for a restructuring of our economy and that is what we have to do today'. This would involve painful decisions in the short term, he said. 'The purpose of all that is, of course, to adapt to the new circumstances. As business has to do, so must public administration, and in doing that we will provide the most effective response we can for the hard-pressed taxpayer, but also, of course, to prepare ourselves and put ourselves in the position to forge ahead again as we will when this recessions lifts,' said Mr Cowen."

Here's the thing. The recession isn't a head cold. It's not just going to magically "lift" like some random affliction that has inexplicably happened to the country. I don't understand how they expect all this cutting of budgets is going to help "taxpayers," (their word for residents -- seemingly the only residents of the country who matter to them) have more money. Why is there no investing in the economy, job creation instead of job cutting, and well, stimulus to the economy? I don't get it. I keep trying to figure it out and I don't understand it still. I do have American friends who are being laid off, of course -- it isn't all roses in the US -- but there is hope, and there is some kind of light at the end of the tunnel. Here, it's just doom and gloom everywhere you look, day after day.

Here's an update for those concerned about Mark's uncle. We were all up in a tizzy about whether he was getting good care on his medical card (he has private insurance but isn't using it). We considered trying to get him to move to a private hospital.

For my non-Irish readers, I have to explain something that may seem strange. (And I hope I get this right.) So here you've got people with "Medical Cards," in which you get more or less free health care from doctors who have contracts with the Health Service Executive, or HSE and what they call "public" hospitals. Then you have people who've got private health insurance, who can see doctors that basically only deal with out of pocket patients and patients with private health insurance. Those people also have varying degrees of coverage for "private" hospitals. In other words, people who don't have a lot of money or who have low private hospital coverage on their health insurance go to public hospitals, and rich people or those with good health insurance go to private hospitals. So you can imagine how this plays out -- the public hospitals are overloaded and the care to the poor is compromised while the rich sit nestled in their private rooms.

So we returned to the hospital armed with loads of questions for the medical team about our uncle's various conditions (some caused from being hit by the taxi door, and others not), which include six fractured ribs, a torn ligament in the leg, upwards of five stomach ulcers, diabetes, and blood clots in his lungs. The poor man is in rough shape! I had everything written down on paper so I wouldn't forget. The doctor seemed a bit defensive, and it was a little stressful, but she answered all of our questions and at the end we felt satisfied that they were on top of the situation. Still, sharing a room with five other guys is pretty grody. The air is completely stagnant in his end of the ward, and it isn't helped by some of the patients not being able to get up to use the toilet. But the good news is that he's becoming a bit more mobile, and seems to be getting decent care, which will hopefully lead to his return home very soon.

On my plane ride home from the US, I sat next to a young guy from Texas who wanted to know if there was bad talk radio in Ireland like we have in the States. I said enthusiastically that there was PLENTY of bad talk radio! "Really?" He asked, "Like Rush Limbaugh kind of guys?" Well, no. No one can compete with Rush in terms of being total crap, I clarified. But it seems like no matter what time of the day, you can find talk radio shows where they go on and on and on. Particularly people arguing and interrupting each other.

For some reason my husband loves to listen to the Pat Kenny radio show. Why? I don't know, because every time I listen to Pat Kenny, it ends with me yelling at the radio until finally I can't listen to his bullshit for another second, and I put the headphones of my ipod on, muttering, "I can't! I can't!"

Here's Pat in action. If this were on American television, he probably wouldn't have a job right now:


So maybe Mr. Kenny isn't as bad as Rush Limbaugh, but man, he incenses me! How can a person be such a prick? I wonder if he is on the payroll of the causes he seems to support, like Shell.

And that's all I'll say about that.

Pat Kenny, gigantic blowhard.

I went to my first ever GAA football game! What is that, you ask? Well, GAA stands for "Gaelic Athletic Association," started in 1844 as "the Gaelic Athletic Association for the Preservation and Cultivation of National Pastimes." In other words, specifically Irish games, which include Football, Hurling, and Camogie (for women), among other activities. We live within walking distance of Croke Park Stadium, so it was pretty cool to walk down and catch the game dressed in the Dublin colors (light blue, dark blue, and white).

Initially I was a little apprehensive when Mark told me we'd be in a standing-room-only section of the park because I've been having back trouble lately, but the game is not very long from start to finish, so I was actually glad to be with what I felt were more enthusiastic fans. Here are a couple of photos of the marching band and the teams coming out onto the field:



The most striking thing about Gaelic football as opposed to soccer is the fact that the players can use their hands. It's full of easy-to-follow action, and it's a very exciting game! The other striking thing is the singing that happens continually throughout the game. It reminded me of summer camp. The fans were so enthusiastic, and cheered so heartily that it was difficult not to get swept up in the emotion. This particular match seemed like it would be one-sided at the start, but then very quickly became a close one. But Dublin won against Kildare in the end, so everyone in our stand was happy! What I didn't expect was how when the match was over, the fans ran out onto the field! So how could we not join them? I took some photos of people running onto the field, and then from my vantage point on the field:



It was raining (of course -- it rains every day here) by the time the game was ending, but it didn't take away from the pleasure of the experience! Those who know me know that I'm not generally a "sports person," but I can appreciate sports when it's in order!

Well, I am back in Dublin! I had such a wonderful time with my Dad, and already miss him terribly. I was blessed with a kind, generous, and thoughtful father who also happens to be a really good companion. But now my life is no longer "on hold" and here I am, ready to carry on! And I will try not to think of the 90+ degree (about 35+ degrees celsius) weather I left behind as I put on my scarf, sweater, and jacket to go out here.

Since I've been back I went to my first Irish hospital (as a visitor, not a patient!). Mark's uncle was "car doored" a couple of weeks ago while he was riding his bike, sustaining six fractured ribs and torn ligaments in his leg, which have caused other complications. He is 76 years old, so we've all been pretty worried about him! But luckily he has been making some strides in recovery. The first thing I noticed upon entering the Hospital was all the anti-bacterial spray machines they have *everywhere*. And there are all these signs that say how important it is to wash your hands. I have never seen that in a hospital or doctor's office before, and I have volunteered and worked at my fair share of them in the US. Inside we found Mark's uncle in a room with 5 other beds (all men). This also was uncustomary to me, as in the US there is usually only 2 beds per room. However, aside from that, the place itself seemed ok and like any other hospital you might go to in the States.

But here's what alarmed me. Our unfortunate patient has not only blood clots in his leg and his lungs, but also ulcers in his stomach. So while they need to treat the clots with blood thinners, they can't until the ulcers are sorted out, which makes sense. Now, for those who don't know, ulcers used to be thought to be caused by stress. But, as many *do* know, "It wasn't too long ago that lifestyle factors, such as a love of spicy foods or a stressful job, were thought to be at the root of most peptic ulcers. Doctors now know that a bacterial infection or some medications — not stress or diet — cause most peptic ulcers." (Mayoclinic.com) Any doctor should know this. Yet, when Mark's uncle asked the doctor point blank, "What might have caused my stomach ulcers?" The doctor replied, "Stress" and didn't even mention anything about bacteria at all. I thought Mark and I were going to get into it with him right there, it was so unbelievable to us! However, instead of arguing, we simply made sure that he was going to get a test for H.Pylori (the bacteria that causes ulcers), which the physician's assistant assured us he would. But even if the doctor does know that stress doesn't cause ulcers, why would he misinform the patient like that? Something so simple -- it really made us wary of the care he's getting there.

So the jury is out on whether the horror stories I've heard about Irish hospitals is true!