At least your day isn't this bad...

(from Associated Press)

FERNDALE, Mich. (Aug. 28) -- Police say a first date went from bad to worse when a Detroit man skipped out on the restaurant bill, then stole his date's car.

Police say Terrance McCoy had dinner with a 27-year-old woman April 24 at Buffalo Wild Wings in Ferndale, Michigan.

The Daily Tribune of Royal Oak reported the woman told police McCoy said he left his wallet in her car and asked for her keys. He then sped away in the 2000 Chevrolet Impala.

Police identified McCoy using a photo he earlier sent to the woman's cell phone, as well as his phone number.

Hello Vienna !

I moved into our new apartment in Vienna on Friday. Its a very nice, well lit apartment on the second floor of an apartment building in a northeastern neighborhood of Vienna called Kagran (kuh-grahn)

The apartment is owned by the father of one of the local lacrosse players. He apparently moved out in 1991 and no one has lived there since. The decor is badly outdated, but it will be fun to fix it up. We are getting a great deal on the apartment so we are happy to do it.

First step was to clean the place. The team came over a few days before I arrived and did most of the initial cleaning. Now we have to move some of the furniture and personal effects down to the cellar storage area. The place requires a lot more cleaning as well.

The owner of the apartment was a big cyclist and has trophies from the 50's and 60's all over the place. Its kind of like moving into my grandfathers house.

Step two after cleaning will be painting.

Check out the wallpaper in the hall....groovy !

and the wallpaper in the bathroom...psychedelic !

and the fabric on the built in seating bank in the dining room...hello 1970

all in all its a great place with a lot of potential. This week the floors are getting redone and our shower is getting re-tiled. We're also having the kitchen backsplash tiled as well.

We had a game against the Slovakians on Sunday, but I also had some time to go out walking.

I took the subway to the center of the city which takes about 25 minutes.

It was a beautiful afternoon and the cafes were predictably bursting with people.

Vienna really is a beautiful city.


I walked around for about two hours, sat in a park listening to an older gentleman play the Beatles on an accordion, and watched the Viennese enjoy their Sunday.


Afterwards I met up with some members of my new team to have some beers and watch the Major Lacrosse League championship at a bar....a very nice Sunday indeed.

Kelly arrives in Vienna on Friday...woooohoooo. Stay tuned for more posts soon.

I like to do Jazz Hands!!!!

Right before I eat my jazz apples.

-k.

Edinburgh

Team Ireland Lacrosse was off to Scotland this past week to play the teams from Wales, Scotland and France for the Celtic Cup. We were told that the tournament was being held at a place much like Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from Harry Potter.

As our team is made up of mostly goofy University kids, this led to lots of jokes and references from the movie including even nicknaming the players...Hagred, Malfoy etc

I can't say that I didnt get into the act...I even used my baseball cap as the Sorting Hat to determine which kids were staying in which building...I'm a dork.

Then we arrived at Fettes College in Edinburgh. Holy moly....it was like Hogwarts !

Fettes College is a very prestigious private high school where many famous Britain's have attended school including former Prime Minister Tony Blair. Fictional character James Bond was said to have been schooled at Fettes and real life James Bond actor Sean Connery used to deliver milk here as a boy. The place reeks of history and uppity crustity education.

This was my final tournament with the Irish guys before moving to Austria and it really couldnt have gone any better.

Along with a very talented team, I was lucky enough to have a great coaching staff. Matt Walsh served as Asst Coach / Wise Cracking Joke Man, and Team Physio John Cavanaugh was, as always, the Master Organizer and team leader every team needs to stay focused.

They also both think they are James Bond.

We were defending Celtic Cup champions but couldn't repeat as the Scots and Welsh brought very strong teams. In the end, the Scots took home the Cup and we came in 3rd after beating France in Round Robin play as well as in medal round.

It was a great experience from beginning to end.

This tournament was a success on so many levels, I don't even know where to begin. Morale was high, we played the best lacrosse I have ever seen from our local Irish players, we enjoyed each others company at team events and everyone had a wonderful experience.

When given the choice to make their own curfews, the players chose to come home early every night and saved their partying until the tournament was over. They went to meals as a team, and had their own meetings outside the regularly scheduled team meetings, they worked hard at daily practices and left it all on the field...it was all very impressive.

I have never been more proud as a coach.

Unfortunately, due to all our Tournament obligations, I didnt get to see much of the city in the daytime, but what I saw was beautiful. Edinburgh has got medieval charm in spades. Since our tournament coincided with the Fringe Festival, the city was a buzz with events and crawling with people....we'll have to go back someday to check out all the nooks and crannys.


Until then I'll just sip on this fine single malt the team gave me at the end of the tournament !

Stay tuned for game pics and Kelly's take on the Festival.

-C

What happens to our heroine next?

Friday was my last day at work. How do you think I made my exit?

Did I:

a) throw out my work shoes, fill my bag with pounds of post-it notes, set fire to my desk, stamp on people's feet in the elevator and steal these flowers from the receptionist on the way out?


or

b) do my best to hand over my projects to my replacement, throw out my work shoes, eat cake in the corridor while people said nice things about me, mumble out an awkward thank you speech, receive a card, gift and these lovely flowers and then go out for a few celebratory jars when the day was done?

You decide.

If you choose option A please turn to page 123 of this Dungeons & Dragons Choose Your Own Adventure Book.
If you choose option B please turn to page 47 of this Dungeons & Dragons Choose Your Own Adventure Book.

-k.

The last pub crawl ?

Two weeks ago, Bodie (lacrosse friend and transplanted Bostonian) and I went on a spur of the moment Pub Crawl. As we are true professionals, once we realized we were at our 3rd pub we embraced the challenge...and conquered.

Could this be the last great pub crawl of my time in Dublin ? Recently, when Casey & Pat were visiting, Pat-law and I hit a few pubs too....but I'm fairly certain Bodie and I hit 6 or so...on a Wednesday...before 1am... Can't remember

ahh Grogans...ya quirky little hangout of bohemians and weirdos. You were my first pub...my local...righ downstairs from our first apartment. Good bye charmingly weird friend.

Foggy Dew, I hardly knew ya. I've visited you for lunch and when you're packed, jamming with a Stones cover band...but you never made the major pub circuit. Big thumbs up to you Dew.

Dame Tavern..across the lane from the old Stags Head. Great for live music and a quiet pint.

Devitts....great when An Seo is douchey (Bodie Term). Easy to find a quiet corner...youre a good pub.

Flannery's I hate your guts. You embody everything I hate about PubClubs. You play the same music over and over again, you're packed to the gills with the snobby young clubberpubbers....but you have a late license and sometimes you're the only thing open.

Not gonna miss you Flannery's....

Oh Hairy Lemon....you have one of the best names and you're a nice pub. You are everything Flannery's isnt. You attract nice people. You're in a good location and you have good food. They'll even serve you a drink after last call, cause your people are cool like that.

and so begins the long goodbye to Ireland.

-C

Home town boys make good

Key take-aways from U2 concert at Croke park on Monday:

1. No one can rock patchwork jacket like Bono.
2. Not overly familiar with U2 albums since Joshua Tree. Didn't matter in least. Great show.
   
3. U2 look old. Lent air of solidarity to show for me.
4. Never been to show, big/small, stadium/club, where odor of cannabis didn't waft over as lights went down. Except in Dublin.
5. Sunday Bloody Sunday played live has power to make me feel like teenager.
6. Ambivalence about civilian Bono - interesting, preachy, boring, earnest. Yet on stage he turns into world's sexist man. At least for two hours.
7. Being world's biggest rock n roll band probably a fun job, must look into new career path.
8. Used to have big crush on Larry, now he looks as though suffering from hemorrhoids.

-k.

Set list for those who like that sort of thing:
1.Breathe
2.No Line on the Horizon
3.Get on Your Boots
4.Magnificent
5.Beautiful day
6.New Years Day
7.I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Here comes the Sun (Snippet)
8.Stay (Faraway So Close)
9.Unknown Caller
10.The Unforgettable Fire
11.City of Blinding Lights
12.Vertigo
13.I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (Remix), Relax(Snippet) (It says 2 tribes snippets)
14.Sunday Bloody Sunday (with rock casbah)
15.Pride (In the Name of Love)
16.MLK
17.Walk On, You'll Never Walk Alone (Snippet)
18.Where The Streets Have No Name, All You Need is One (Snippet)
19.One
20.40 (Snippet), Bad, Fool to Cry (Snippet)
21.Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
22.With or Without You
23.Moment of Surrender