This week I begin playing Castlevania. After the marathon drag of death that was the play through to Castlevania 3, this playthrough will feel like a snap. In addition to introducing the game, I talk a little bit about my first forays into trout fishing in the nearby River Dodder here in Dublin.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
I'll Play Castlevania Levels 1-2
I'll Play GameCast triumphantly returns to the web! To spare the bored uncaring sensitive readers repeated installments of irrelevant video game content, the series will become a weekend release. I hope the commentary can function like a weekly informal podcast about what we are up to around town. I have made several raw videos of gameplay upon which to comment. I would like to sit down towards the end of each week and give a weekly audio update while watching and talking a bit about the game I am playing.
This week I begin playing Castlevania. After the marathon drag of death that was the play through to Castlevania 3, this playthrough will feel like a snap. In addition to introducing the game, I talk a little bit about my first forays into trout fishing in the nearby River Dodder here in Dublin.
This week I begin playing Castlevania. After the marathon drag of death that was the play through to Castlevania 3, this playthrough will feel like a snap. In addition to introducing the game, I talk a little bit about my first forays into trout fishing in the nearby River Dodder here in Dublin.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Fishing the Dodder
We are currently preparing a whole slug of blog posts recapping our month in internet darkness. With all the extra time I had while Sara was at work, I was able to get in some serious fishing, but first- I needed to find a few things.
One of the first requirements for fishing (called angling here- fishing is what is done commercially with nets in the sea) is a body of water containing fish. When we first arrived in Dublin and were walking around City Center, I spied three possible candidates.
First and largest is the River Liffey. Big, wide, deep, filthy. NEXT!
Next I noticed the Grand Canal flowing through the Southern part of City Center. Promising, with a few visible fish and a few people with fishing rods dotted along its banks. I later learned that parts of the Grand Canal are stocked and fished by an angling club, but these are mainly outside of town and a bit of a jaunt to access.
Near the Grand Canal I noticed a small stream passing under some of the city streets. From one bridge, I spied a fly fisherman in waders fishing this stream. "Could there really be trout in the middle of the city?" I asked my self. Hmm.
When we moved in to our new place, I noticed a similar-looking river (the same river, I found out later) just a few blocks away. Curious, I took a long walk along the bank in search of visible fish. I noticed a few small fish near the bridges in the city streets, but couldn't get a positive species ID. As I got farther from the busy roads, I began to see sights like this:
These must hold some kind of fish, clearly. In these pools and in even more picturesque urban countryside scenes, I did see some of the beautiful speckled backs of trout. On further exploration, I saw a sign, "River Dodder, managed by Dodder Angling Assoc., permits available at tackle shops." Hmmm.
Follow the jump for the rest of the story and more pictures.
One of the first requirements for fishing (called angling here- fishing is what is done commercially with nets in the sea) is a body of water containing fish. When we first arrived in Dublin and were walking around City Center, I spied three possible candidates.
First and largest is the River Liffey. Big, wide, deep, filthy. NEXT!
Next I noticed the Grand Canal flowing through the Southern part of City Center. Promising, with a few visible fish and a few people with fishing rods dotted along its banks. I later learned that parts of the Grand Canal are stocked and fished by an angling club, but these are mainly outside of town and a bit of a jaunt to access.
Near the Grand Canal I noticed a small stream passing under some of the city streets. From one bridge, I spied a fly fisherman in waders fishing this stream. "Could there really be trout in the middle of the city?" I asked my self. Hmm.
When we moved in to our new place, I noticed a similar-looking river (the same river, I found out later) just a few blocks away. Curious, I took a long walk along the bank in search of visible fish. I noticed a few small fish near the bridges in the city streets, but couldn't get a positive species ID. As I got farther from the busy roads, I began to see sights like this:
These must hold some kind of fish, clearly. In these pools and in even more picturesque urban countryside scenes, I did see some of the beautiful speckled backs of trout. On further exploration, I saw a sign, "River Dodder, managed by Dodder Angling Assoc., permits available at tackle shops." Hmmm.
Follow the jump for the rest of the story and more pictures.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Beginning the Job Search
Good morning, Central Daylight Time Zone! Fresh off my internet binge of yesterday, it has become time to use the internet for good rather than evil. I found some rather encouraging news about my job search prospects during Internet Darkness Month (IDM). Turns out I will be able to work here legally without qualifying as a super-specialist as was previously feared. I will be able to work for almost any business for almost any salary with almost any number of hours with a reasonable amount of paperwork done by my prospective employer and myself.
On to the job search! My previous two full time jobs in education in Iowa were done the very old fashioned way. The search involved reading classifieds in the newspaper (the Des Moines Register always had the most comprehensive listings), compiling a paper copy of a cover letter, resume, reference list, and letters of recommendation, sending them in the mail, calling a friendly and very hard working school secretary on the telephone, to follow up the application, wait by the telephone for a call for an in person job interview, going to the in person job interview, and waiting again by the telephone for a good news/bad news phone call.
As retro as that may sound to some readers, anyone who works in our around the American public school system knows that many schools are lacking in technology funding and training so, by no fault of their own, many are stuck using these rather dated, expensive, and inefficient methods of job applicant searching. My hope and heart goes out to those schools who are dealing with this obstacle as new college graduates are more and more engrossed in new technologies and are literally having difficulty communicating with potential employers as this gap grows larger and larger.
This means that I have never (effectively) used more modern forms of networking, job hunting, and job application. The public schools back home did have large employment databases with extensive mid-2000s era profile building, personal statement writing, and automatic job posting notifications. I remember (not so fondly) spending tedious hours building the perfect profile on the Iowa REAP network, going through page after page of information line by line. I entered my entire college transcript, gave long essay responses to a long list of questions (like a written job interview), entered in proof of my background check, blood pathogens training, mandatory reporter training (for both child and dependant adult abuse), and current CPR certification. If that sounds boring to read, imagine spending more than a week's worth of evenings working on it. This gauntlet seemed, from the outside, a test to filter out lazy candidates. Teachers have to go through a lot of unnecessary busy work in their careers, so giving them a big task like the up-front might be the perfect tool to make sure all candidates are well versed and practiced in meaningless paperwork.
I received very little from this site, and was not surprised to learn much later that many schools (at that time) had never even heard of this site and their administrators would not know how to use this database if they had been aware of it. Again, this is not the fault of these overworked individuals, but a product of years of technology stagnation in schools. Discouraged, I went back to the old paper and pencil method and successfully landed two different teaching jobs with this tried-and-true practice.
Fast forward to today. I need to begin some professional networking using the internet. My networking social media presence was in great need of an update. Facebook, which lied dormant and fallow from the time I graduated college until just a few months ago, had my current information circa 2007. It still listed my old AOL screen name, BVU email address, and a profile picture of four pandas photoshopped to look like members of KISS.
It was just by luck and good sense that I had updated my marital status from 2007! All of the photos and information about me was posted up by my loving family and friends.
My Google account (Google Plus, Gmail, YouTube, and this Blog host) were similarly empty and worthless. They featured a photo of my favorite movie character, RoboCop.
As entertaining as Robo is for me and his dedicated fan base, that face showing up on every email I send, comment I post, YouTube video I share, and Blog post I write does not put the best face up for strangers.
Suffice it to say that other social media channels needed some attention due to similar photographing and informational lies, jokes, and voids. I made it my plan for the day to improve and mature my online presence before I start to build profiles on job sites and start making online contacts. I renovated Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Skype with an improved headshot and better contact info. I am even planning to create a LinkedIn page to attach to the Irish job posting databases. Unless, of course, LinkedIn proves to be like the Iowa REAP site in 2007 with philosophical questions and proof of blood pathogens, mandatory reporter, and CPR training, all of which are expired.
On to the job search! My previous two full time jobs in education in Iowa were done the very old fashioned way. The search involved reading classifieds in the newspaper (the Des Moines Register always had the most comprehensive listings), compiling a paper copy of a cover letter, resume, reference list, and letters of recommendation, sending them in the mail, calling a friendly and very hard working school secretary on the telephone, to follow up the application, wait by the telephone for a call for an in person job interview, going to the in person job interview, and waiting again by the telephone for a good news/bad news phone call.
As retro as that may sound to some readers, anyone who works in our around the American public school system knows that many schools are lacking in technology funding and training so, by no fault of their own, many are stuck using these rather dated, expensive, and inefficient methods of job applicant searching. My hope and heart goes out to those schools who are dealing with this obstacle as new college graduates are more and more engrossed in new technologies and are literally having difficulty communicating with potential employers as this gap grows larger and larger.
This means that I have never (effectively) used more modern forms of networking, job hunting, and job application. The public schools back home did have large employment databases with extensive mid-2000s era profile building, personal statement writing, and automatic job posting notifications. I remember (not so fondly) spending tedious hours building the perfect profile on the Iowa REAP network, going through page after page of information line by line. I entered my entire college transcript, gave long essay responses to a long list of questions (like a written job interview), entered in proof of my background check, blood pathogens training, mandatory reporter training (for both child and dependant adult abuse), and current CPR certification. If that sounds boring to read, imagine spending more than a week's worth of evenings working on it. This gauntlet seemed, from the outside, a test to filter out lazy candidates. Teachers have to go through a lot of unnecessary busy work in their careers, so giving them a big task like the up-front might be the perfect tool to make sure all candidates are well versed and practiced in meaningless paperwork.
I received very little from this site, and was not surprised to learn much later that many schools (at that time) had never even heard of this site and their administrators would not know how to use this database if they had been aware of it. Again, this is not the fault of these overworked individuals, but a product of years of technology stagnation in schools. Discouraged, I went back to the old paper and pencil method and successfully landed two different teaching jobs with this tried-and-true practice.
Fast forward to today. I need to begin some professional networking using the internet. My networking social media presence was in great need of an update. Facebook, which lied dormant and fallow from the time I graduated college until just a few months ago, had my current information circa 2007. It still listed my old AOL screen name, BVU email address, and a profile picture of four pandas photoshopped to look like members of KISS.
It was just by luck and good sense that I had updated my marital status from 2007! All of the photos and information about me was posted up by my loving family and friends.
My Google account (Google Plus, Gmail, YouTube, and this Blog host) were similarly empty and worthless. They featured a photo of my favorite movie character, RoboCop.
As entertaining as Robo is for me and his dedicated fan base, that face showing up on every email I send, comment I post, YouTube video I share, and Blog post I write does not put the best face up for strangers.
Suffice it to say that other social media channels needed some attention due to similar photographing and informational lies, jokes, and voids. I made it my plan for the day to improve and mature my online presence before I start to build profiles on job sites and start making online contacts. I renovated Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Skype with an improved headshot and better contact info. I am even planning to create a LinkedIn page to attach to the Irish job posting databases. Unless, of course, LinkedIn proves to be like the Iowa REAP site in 2007 with philosophical questions and proof of blood pathogens, mandatory reporter, and CPR training, all of which are expired.
 |
| My new online headshot, cropped from a picture taken by the river in Coralville by my gifted photographer Mother-in-Law. Photo trivia: I have such a big smile here because I am holding a large, freshly caught carp just out of frame. Really! |
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| My new "cover photo" because those things are so popular right now. I don't know why, but apparently one photo to express oneself isn't enough, there must be a background photo behind it. Oh well. |
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
We've got the internet!
It's been more than a month here on the Emerald Isle. We've sincerely enjoyed our time here so far, but our lives have seemed disturbingly...fulfilling. We have spent our evenings and weekends talking, sightseeing, spending time together, working on knitting projects, and reading worthwhile literature. With the addition of home internet, all of that nonsense will thankfully come to an end.
I just received the modem by express courier from our internet provider after five weeks of waiting. I plugged it in and have begun what will surely be an old fashioned internet all-day binge.
I just received the modem by express courier from our internet provider after five weeks of waiting. I plugged it in and have begun what will surely be an old fashioned internet all-day binge.
I don't know how I'll spend my fresh internet time today, but rest assured there will begin a flow of daily blog material for the good readers who have been waiting for new content and general proof of our continued existence.
Boy, do we have content to spew your way. I've made video game videos, Sara has been knitting up a storm, we've been taking Dublin trips and lots of photos to share with everyone. Please subscribe and check back as we get that all-important content out to you.
Thanks for your patience, everyone. Now we are actually at home here in Ireland, and it's time to celebrate.
Friday, August 9, 2013
How Do You Measure One Month As An Expat?
Apologies for the lack of updates. Internet at home still eludes us, but we promise that once we have it we will return to our regular posting schedule to get everyone caught up on our Dublin happenings. We can't wait to share our adventures! We have been learning so much and we are both starting to feel very settled in and at home.
That said, we wanted to post something today because we have now been expats for one full month! It is hard to believe because the time has really flown by. To mark the occasion, here is a running tally of our activities during our first month as Dubliners:
Pints of Irish-made fermented beverages (including Guinness, Beamish, Smithwicks, and Bulmers): 16...ish. Maybe more.
Visits to the Irish Sea: 2 (kind of shameful considering how close we live to it...we'll have to work on that one)
Times we have been asked for directions in our neighborhood: 6 (and for 5 of them, we knew the answer! Seriously though, it is really hard to find anything in this city. Cory has a rant about street names and signs stored up for you, so stay tuned!)
Books Cory has read: 9 (I guess something good comes from not having the internet at home!)
Packages of digestive biscuits consumed: maybe 8? 10?...I don't even want to think about it...
Knitting projects Sara has completed: 7 (and I am almost done with #8!)
Times Cory has gone fishing: 6 (and he has brought trout home twice!)
Visits to Dublin museums: 3 (National Archeological Museum, Chester Beatty Library, and Guinness Storehouse)
That just about does it. Our to-do list is still very long, but I think we have gotten off to a pretty good start!
That said, we wanted to post something today because we have now been expats for one full month! It is hard to believe because the time has really flown by. To mark the occasion, here is a running tally of our activities during our first month as Dubliners:
Pints of Irish-made fermented beverages (including Guinness, Beamish, Smithwicks, and Bulmers): 16...ish. Maybe more.
Visits to the Irish Sea: 2 (kind of shameful considering how close we live to it...we'll have to work on that one)
Times we have been asked for directions in our neighborhood: 6 (and for 5 of them, we knew the answer! Seriously though, it is really hard to find anything in this city. Cory has a rant about street names and signs stored up for you, so stay tuned!)
Books Cory has read: 9 (I guess something good comes from not having the internet at home!)
Packages of digestive biscuits consumed: maybe 8? 10?...I don't even want to think about it...
Knitting projects Sara has completed: 7 (and I am almost done with #8!)
Times Cory has gone fishing: 6 (and he has brought trout home twice!)
Visits to Dublin museums: 3 (National Archeological Museum, Chester Beatty Library, and Guinness Storehouse)
That just about does it. Our to-do list is still very long, but I think we have gotten off to a pretty good start!
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