soapbox!

the weather is getting to be fantastic - warm, sunny, breezy . . . which means it will probably rain again soon haha. I had a fantastic class today again in Irish Cultural Studies. I love this course, it is so incredibly informative and interesting, and today was especially so. our professor, marc gallagher, instructed us to ask questions about dublin that we've come up with since arriving here. we had to ask one ridiculous question, and one very serious question. as I may have mentioned, prof. gallagher is no stranger to controversy. he actually encourages it in his classroom, which was why a few weeks ago I debated with him for nearly an entire class. it was no biggie, he had mentioned a past student of his who hadn't believed in evolution and ridiculed him for it. I argued that it wasn't the professor's place to demean a person based on whether or not they accept a particular theory, no matter how widely accepted it was. he argued that, since there is so much proof in favour of the evolution theory, it was naive of this guy not to accept it as truth. I argued that proof wasn't the point, that students should be allowed to believe what they like without having to fear abuse from their instructors. it went on like this, and anyway you get the point that prof. gallagher is tons of fun. fortunately today he sided with me in an argument regarding irish youth. one german guy asked 'why do all the irish girls wear so much disgusting makeup' and everyone agreed, 'yes, the irish girls look a bit wenchish.' I argued that they were probably at their wits end seeking attention from the apathetic mess that is the male youth population, and to my surprise, prof. gallagher backed me up. he said that he's noticed with his class populations that the guys of this age bracket are increasingly unenthusiastic about education, chivalry, responsibility, and the rest. and it's true! I've had many a discussion with friends and peers since arrving in dublin about the sad state of its male population. they all seem to lack gumption in all areas of existence! but I can't blanket statement the guys - I've met a nice bunch of friendly fellows. anyway the majority are pigs. and that was my comeback to the german guy.
now that I'm off my soapbox . . . we were assigned a project today and had to form groups of four or five people that we didn't know and were from a different country. (the class is entirely foreigners, most part of the erasmus exchange program) I am in a group with two french girls, a swedish girl and a guy from switzerland or germany or somewhere. we were discussing our project after class and the two french girls wanted to go outside to have a cigarette. one pulled out a packet of loose tobacco and some papers, and I couldn't help but be curious! the only people in my life I've ever seen to roll their own cigarettes are old men on park benches and one random guy at the apartment on fleet street. so this was interesting to watch. upon my questions, the girl insisted that I try rolling one. what am I going to do with a rolled cigarette I thought, but she was pretty keen on teaching me how so today I learned how to properly roll a french cigarette. I gave it to her friend when I had finished, who said that it was much too loose but would have to do. ah well, first try is never perfect, right? so I possess a new skill. that I will never use. the girl told me that she rolls her own cigarettes because she smokes quite a lot and to purchase loose tobacco and papers is much cheaper than buying cartons of cigarettes every week. makes sense I suppose, as her tobacco had cost her €6 and the papers a few cents, and a pack of cigarettes runs between €7 and €8. she will get a week's worth of cigarettes from a packet of tobacco, whereas she might purchase two or three packs of cigarettes in a week. do the math y'all, she's got the right idea. haha.
my job at the seabank house is going swell. my coworkers are hilarious, the regulars are friendly, and the work isn't complicated. I'm learning to count change superquick in my head, which is cool. also today I work my first double shift, and I think I get lunch somewhere in the middle. hooray! tips are not so great, as the irish people still tend not to tip very much, but it's still much better than standing at a door and handing out menus. I still have to tidy the washrooms, dang, and empty ashtrays, doubledang, but every job has its grunt work haha. my boss pat is great for explaining lots of stuff to me regarding irish tax claims and employment regulations. also I'm learning more irish phrases, so expect some of those in my vocabulary upon my return to canada.