How Much Vodka?

It's amazing the things one can find out on the streets.  We all know that I have been amassing a huge collection of beer glasses here in Dublin stolen from pubs and abandoned by revelers, but what other useful treasures can we find?

On the same day we had picked up two more glasses, we were walking home past one of our favorite neighborhood pubs, Kiely's of Donnybrook.  Outside the back patio area, we saw the large glass bottle with an attached note.  The bottle was empty (of course) but I thought a 3 liter glass bottle with such a cute note [Please take me! =) ] could not be ignored.  I decided to use is as my own personal 3L fermenter for batches of cider.

How much vodka?

I had already been using the 5L plastic bottle for fermenting, but I could now make some small specialty batches in this bottle, maybe some long-fermenting applejack recipes?  The glass is much easier to clean and sanitize than the plastic, as it can stand up to the heat of boiling water while plastic shrivels and shrinks under intense heat.

First (but not last) batch in the Huzzar vodka bottle

Within days, I had a small batch of an experimental recipe in the bottle.  It fermented out nicely, and I was able to use my larger bottle to ferment a bigger, more well-known recipe.  With an almost-tightened lid, I can create a modestly sanitary environment for fermenting.  The next step will be getting a rubber stopper with airlock to create a proper seal on this bottle.  Who needs a glass carboy when you have Huzzar vodka!?

Pathfinder RPG

Adventure!  Mystery!  Treasure!  Snack foods!

All of these and more can be found in the bountiful realms of the human imagination.  Since the 1970's, nothing inspires the nerdy human mind to new heights of fantasy than tabletop role-playing games (RPGs.)  The first and most well-known of all RPGs is, of course, Dungeons and Dragons.  Rich in history, often steeped in controversy from both the gamer community and mainstream world, D&D is the granddaddy of them all.  D&D is currently in its 4th (and most polarizing) edition, and its publishers are in production and playtesting of the next edition (called D&D Next...)

My history with RPGs is spotty.  I have enjoyed playing them since I first discovered that there was a paper-and-pencil ancestor to my favorite video game RPGs like Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior.  In high school, I played D&D (3rd edition) and another now out-of-print RPG called TORG.  The game was run by, funnily enough, a teacher at my school.  I didn't ever take a class with this teacher, but we all had a great time playing the game when he ran it with us.  After that game concluded, I didn't have a game group for a few years.  In college, I played a few times, but our momentum stalled, and I was again gameless.  After graduating college, I wasn't able to devote the hours of time required for a good game with my full-time career.  This time, we are playing a D&D descendant called Pathfinder, and I am running the game.

Running games, what does that mean?  How do you play a video game RPG with paper, pencils, and dice?  The systems vary in their numerical structure, but all RPGs have a common structure.  Each game has a group of player characters (PCs) who take on the role of an imaginary character.  Each player has a sheet with the numerical and aesthetic details of his or her character.  The player makes choices and guides the character through the imaginary world, fighting battles, collecting treasure, charming handsome strangers, getting into drinking contests in seedy taverns, and literally anything else the players can dream up.  The imaginary world through which the characters adventure is set up and run by one of the players, known as the Dungeon Master (DM) in D&D and just Game Master (GM) in most other games.  Dungeon Master is copyrighted by the publishers of D&D and quite retro feeling, so GM is more often used as a universal term in RPGs.  The GM describes the scene to the players and plays the role of everyone else in the game world not played by the players.  The handsome strangers, fearsome monsters, nosy barkeeps with information for sale, intergalactic space pirates (why not!?), and the environment itself are all played by the GM.

Example:

GM: You find yourself in a dark room, there is a door on the opposite wall.
PC1:  What kind of door?
GM:  Plain wood with a lever handle.
PC2:  I'll check the door.
GM:  It's locked.
PC3:  My character says, "Outta me way!  I'm breakin' that door down!"

"Don't those games use all sorts of crazy dice and stuff?"  Yes, they do.  In the above situation, how would we know if PC3's brash character would successfully break down the door?  When playing make-believe as kids, we would automatically assume the character succeeded and adventure on.  RPGs give us a bit more structure to heighten the dramatic tension.  How are we to take both the skill of the character and the element of random chance into effect in our team storytelling?  Character statistics and dice- that's how.

Dice, pencils, and character sheets

In the above situation involving the door, we would have to check a few things.  The skill and strength of the character trying to break down the door would be represented by a number.  The more skillful and strong the character is, the higher those numbers would be.  We must also consider the resistance given by the door.  Is is well-built or shoddy?  Is it barred and reinforced from the other side?  The GM must consider these facts and assigns a difficulty score for hitting and breaking the door.  Random elements come into play with the dice.  To resolve a situation like this, the PC would roll a die (in this case a 20-sided die, or d20) and add his or her relevant skill and strength scores to the roll.  The GM would then check that result against the difficulty number of the door, and verbally give the PC the result.  Here are some possible resolutions to the above situation.

Resolution 1

GM:  Roll a d20 and add your strength modifier.
PC3:  I rolled a 10, strength is 3, gives me a 13
GM:  Your character takes a good whack at the door with the axe, which groans and cracks, but doesn't quite give in.  Your character things it might give with one more hit like that.
PC1:  My character says, "Maybe you should pay more visits to the weight room than the tavern!"

Resolution 2

PC3:  I rolled 18, nice!  Strength is 3, gives me a 21!
GM:  Your character gets a good windup and a big swing at the door.  The door, on impact, gives a satisfying crunch and flies off its hinges into the passage beyond.
PC2:  Way to go!  My character jumps ahead to the passage, what does she see?

Resolution 3

PC:  Oh no!  I rolled a 2!  Strength is 3, gives me 5...
GM:  [giggles to self] Your character takes a big swing, but slips on some loose bits of stone flooring.  The axe thunks harmlessly off the door, before flying out of your hand as you fall to the floor.
All Players:  [Much laughter and ribbing directed at PC3]

This kind of team storytelling gives us infinite chances for edge-of-seat tension, high drama, and hilarious hijinks.  The game system can be quite complicated, allowing rules and resolutions for almost any kind of situation in which characters can find themselves.  We are playing the game weekly for 3-plus hours, and loving every minute of it.

The Battle Map

A character figure who just collected a new hat from the enemy pirate captain

Getting a Haircut

The last thing I did in Coralville at the end of our Road Trip was, strangely, a haircut.  In the six years I lived there, I established a great relationship with a salon with inexpensive, quick, no-nonsense men's haircuts.  Could I find something similar in a new city, country, and continent?

After six weeks here, I was on the job market and needed a trim to get back to fighting form.  I saw a barber shop in Donnybrook- complete with a red, white, and blue barber pole!  I knew that would be my first try.  Going in, I wasn't sure what to expect.  These are the kinds of social activities that have the potential to be very approachable and easy or foreign and unfamiliar feeling.  Luckily, Ireland is enough like America that even situations that are foreign aren't cripplingly so.  Usually this just leads to some frustration for our hosts and embarrassment for me.

"Do they use the same sizes of clippers here?"  "What is a 'Dry Cut' that I see on the sign?"  "Will I get some crazy Euro-haircut here?"  "What is a crazy Euro-haircut?  Guess I've never seen one here, so I shouldn't worry too much..."

These and more thoughts, questions, doubts, and hopes went through my mind as I locked up my bike and strolled in to the barber shop.  I was incredibly relieved as soon as I stepped in.  "This will be just like a barber shop at home!" I thought.  Familiar sights were all around.  There was the barber, with familiar-looking tools.  There was the swivel-chair, with a customer getting a haircut similar to what I was hoping for, newspapers and magazines for waiting clients, most happily, there was the television tuned to the 24-hour sports channel showing sports highlights narrated by men and women behind desks in smartly-cut suits and a computer-animated moving background.

When my turn came up, I described my haircut to the barber, who even used the same clipper guard size!  I got a great haircut and a nice chat about my transition to the new neighborhood country.  What were the differences?  I found out that a dry cut is just a simple haircut without a shampoo for men.  The men's magazines and sports entertainment were, of course, of the European persuasion.  Most of the television highlights were those of rugby and English soccer.  I haven't been bitten by those two sports yet, and I fear I may never get into them.  Until then, I am stuck watching American football, basketball, and baseball games on replay or very late at night.  Good thing I really enjoy Hurling and Gaelic Football, both of which start in the Spring.

After the whole experience, it felt good to feel more secure about one more of those "little necessary things" that can be so intimidating to me- but only if I let them!

Walking Tour of Dublin

One of the most highly-rated Dublin tours is a series given by graduate students of Trinity College.  There isn't a double-decker bus, no obnoxious PA-enhanced tour audio, and certainly no plastic Viking-Horn helmets with blond-yarn wigs for all on the tour.  Yes, those all do exist here, and in great number.

This series of tours is satisfyingly serious, entertaining, informative, and reasonably-priced.  Tours are all on foot, so the sights are centered around Trinity and the rest of City Centre.  No worries, though, there is plenty to see to keep a tour group engaged.  I wish I had brought along a note pad or pocket recorder to capture all the stories and facts given to us in such a short time.  Many of the sights seen on the tour are locations of political turmoil, and, as always sometimes rarely, I will try to keep political criticisms to myself.

The tour begins at Trinity College, the old English center of power in Dublin.  It was established by the Queen to be a place of learning for all some a few rich Protestant men.  During times of revolt and political turmoil, Trinity was used as a physical military base.  The thick stone walls made this university a fortress (not by accident) and British troops were able to safely fire cannons from inside the walls to the surrounding city.  I heard some Trinity students recently joke: I think it's still technically legal to shoot any Catholics who come inside the walls on sight!

Today, Trinity is, of course, a well-regarded modern worldwide university.  All are able to attend school here, and the exclusionary Protestant religious angle of the place is more in name than in practice.

Next, just across the street, is the current home of the Bank of Ireland.  This building used to house the (illegal) Irish Parliament, set up in defiance of the British.  Americans, remember "No taxation without representation?"  Apparently the British didn't learn their lesson with this huge, arrogant bumble with the American colonies and put in place similar measures to their Irish citizens.  When the Irish Parliament was first established here, it was against British rule and was seen as an act of defiance.  After defeat of this uprising, the British established the Bank of Ireland here, and it has since remained.  The Irish Parliament is located elsewhere in City Centre.

Further along, we visited Dublin Castle.  The use of the word "Castle" here is for a structure that I (and many Americans) probably would not recognize as a castle.  This large, square fortress is built upon the original landing place and township of the invading Vikings.  It has since been (off-and-on) the center of political power here.  In honor of the different ages of civilization in Dublin, the castle is built with several different styles of architecture, from rounded towers (looking like my idea of a castle) to Gothic arches to large square manor-home style.  When Ireland was under British rule, the Crown-appointed Governors lived and conducted business here.  Today it houses Government offices and museums.

The tour finishes in this area with visits to a number of important locations in the revolutions and civil war of the twentieth century.  Our guide described the various locations of battles, demonstration, and arrests from those scary and violent times.  It was presented in a sobering, tasteful, fair, and informative manner- pretty much the opposite of what I create on this site.

For that reason, I refrain from retelling these stories for now.  I feel that I have no place to comment on the recent painful history of the people here- except to blame the British.  Maybe if I lived in Britain, I wouldn't get so mad at them.  I would say things like, "I do care about Bill and Kate's Royal Spawn!  After all, that baby has rightful and magical God-given power to rule me, his/her (I don't even know) loyal subject!  Maybe he/she will take back all those ungrateful colonies who demanded independence, and after we showed them how to play cricket!  I hear they all watched the Doctor Who special that we made for them to get them back on our side!  Step one, success!  HA HA HAAAAA...HA HA HAAAAA (maniacal laugh continues and spreads through the room full of my red-coated, tea-sipping comrades)"

Who knows...?

Bank of Ireland

Trinity quad

Dublin Castle

Lady Justice (no blindfold here!)

Portrush

After a long day of driving the Antrim Coast and visiting the Rope Bridge, we were ready to kick back and relax in our overnight Northern Ireland base, Portrush.  Our GPS unit was handy, but less than perfect getting us into town.  As such, we found ourselves hopelessly lost, even in such a small city as Portrush.  It wasn't all bad, because, for better or for worse, the lost traveler sees much more than the directionally sure.

We saw much of the city while searching for our hostel.  We got out and asked directions first at a charity shop, then at a pub.  Everyone we met went out of their way to help us get around, especially at the crowded pub.  I quickly had three or four local folks excitedly jumping up to point me on my way.  Our hostel ended up being just around the corner from the pub, so they were able to walk me out the front door (and they did!) to show me the road.

Rental car at the hostel

We arrived at the Portrush Holiday Hostel in the afternoon.  Our host was helpful and ran a clean, beautiful hostel.  These places are great for traveling in Europe.  They are built for poor (or cheap) young people who don't always want to go around seeing the sights, so they feel much like group rental homes.  We are usually a bit older than the guests at these places, who can resemble the cast of any season of The Real World, but they are always welcoming and friendly.  

This hostel (and many others) had a full-size, fully loaded kitchen for guest use.  We got some tips and directions to Portrush sights from our host and set off for a quick tour and a stop for groceries.

Obligatory "Cory Looking at the Water" photo

 Portrush is what could be called the "Coney Island of Ireland."  In its heyday a century ago, this small city set on its own peninsula was a big-time summer destination in the British Isles.  Its longer-than-usual days in high summer, sandy beaches, and better-than-the-rest-of-the-island-but-not-as-hot-as-the-Mediterranean weather made it the perfect retreat.  The beaches, called 'strands' were built up with boardwalks, carnival games, and small thrill rides.

In more recent times, fewer travelers make Portrush a resort destination for its cheesy carnival atmosphere, but there is still a proud and robust tourist business in the summer.  Our visit was out-of-season, so the rides were closed and summertime crowds missing.  All the better for us, because the weather was beautiful and we had most of the beaches, restaurants, and parks to ourselves.

Part of the Boardwalk

Thrill Rides

We picked up the supplies for a wonderful chicken taco dinner at the market after touring the central entertainment district.  The coastline was beautiful on the whole peninsula, as the sandy beaches were mostly on the Southern (mainland) side, with rocky volcanic cliffs and islands on the Northern tip.  One of the best views can be had in the large park on the Northern end of the peninsula.  From here, one can see the whole city on the flat peninsula to the rolling hills inland.  Looking to the East, one can see the rocky volcanic coastline going to Dunluce Castle and Giant's Causeway (different posts) and to the West, the high hills of Donegal (part of the Republic of Ireland, not Northern Ireland) can be seen through the mist.  In the distant Northeast, when the weather is clear, some of the high cliffs of Scotland rise from the horizon- making this place another one of those Hey-Ma-I-can-see-three-differ'nt-countries places.  Wow.

The whole city seen from the cliffs

Looking down the cliffs

Edit:  A link to this post was posted to #Portrush Daily via @portrushni on Twitter.  Thanks for linking and thanks for reading.