Location:  Finger Lakes (New York) region
Observed on:  some as-yet-unidentified shrub
Specimen:  MYSTERY BUTTERFLY!

I encountered this beautiful butterfly on a walk today.  I have no idea what it is - despite exhaustive Google-ing, which, frankly, causes me no small amount of concern (because if Google can't figure it out, we are doooooooomed!) - but I think it is a type of skipper.  That's as far as I got.  Here:


It was a little larger than a monarch, with a wingspan of approximately 4 inches (ish).

Sigh.  I love Nature.

I am feeling alone and melancholy tonight.  My apologies.  In an effort to lift the funk, I will look ahead - actually, for this first aspirational travel post, I will look behind.

Some years back (circa 2006), we visited Ireland.  It was when Fruit Loop was really quite a Mini Loop, and The Despot (who is no longer so despotic, FYI - will have to revisit that at some point) was not even on the horizon yet.  It was a wonderful little weekend trip, with the perfect amount of activity + aimless driving and staring at beauteous landscapes and old castle rampart-y things + great food and friendly people.  Here is the itinerary in a nutshell:*

To fly:
Shannon Airport

(This is awesome.  Go wild indeed!)
Great little airport, excellent flight options.  Plus, it puts you right in the center of multiple day jaunts - great hub for visitors.  (Go see a castle!)

To stay:
The Quay House

A true gem of a hotel/B&B/family-owned and -loved business.  The owners are cosmopolitan and warm; friendly, accommodating, and inviting; and clearly love this property and what they do.  The building is a blend of history and modernity, nestled right on the waterfront and surrounded by beautiful countryside.  That being said, it is a quick 2-minute trip to the town center, so location is ideal for its beauty and convenience.  The decor is a great mix of traditional and contemporary, with a variety of rooms, arrangements, and views that will suit any traveler.  Clientele when we were there ranged from young families (i.e., us) to business folk to older couples.  

To see:
Kylemore Abbey

A castle, an abbey, and a world-renowned boarding school for girls - this stunning place has a rich and storied history.  Tucked away in the scenic idylls of Connemara, its grounds also have a traditional Victorian Walled Garden, pond (complete with swans!), and numerous paths to explore.  Tours are given, replete with folklore.  Also:  every picture you take will be stunning.  The natural and manmade beauty are breathtaking here.

Leenane Sheep and Wool Centre
This relatively non-descript building houses an amazing variety of all things sheep-related.  They also host classes, festivals, and events.  The throw we purchased during our stop here is one of my favorites - warm, durable, and unique, with great memories woven in.

The natives!
On our trip, we meandered our way through the countryside.  Around many outcroppings, overlooking crumbling stone walls, and ambling over rock-studded hills were Connemara ponies.  This compact, kind pony breed is a welcome site in its namesake region.  (And, again - great picture moment!)

To eat:
G's Restaurant:
I will admit, when pulling up sites and pictures for this post, I got a little scared - this gem of a restaurant may not be there anymore.  (I found one picture, but it doesn't look like I remember.  Which could just be my faulty circuits upstairs.)  This restaurant was on the square in Clifden, and the chef had a phenomenal resume with an even better menu.  We were fortunate enough to sample some of the chef's specials when we sat down to our early dinner.  (Which we then proceeded to eat one at a time, as Fruit Loop was having none of this whole travel thing and squalled pretty much the entire meal.  Poor guy.  But GREAT FOOD.  And, for the record, the wailing baby and constant inside/outside to quiet said baby was graciously accommodated by the waitstaff.)


Leave time to drive aimlessly.  Follow the coast up north for spectacular views and history around every bend.  I can't wait to go back - to revisit familiar places and discover new ones.

There, I do feel better now.  Wunderbar!




*This post is simply the itinerary we created.  There is no sponsorship or affiliation, and there is no compensation for this.  (In fact, I am pretty sure none of these places know my little blog exists.)  All pictures from referenced company-owned websites.  Leenane Sheep and Wool Centre photo is via company's website by way of Linda McNulty Photography.  Connemara pony photo courtesy of Wikipedia.org.  

Dear heavens, the dust in here is thick. The Bootstrap Family continues to be far busier than any family should ever be. Many, many things going on in the years (eek!) since I last posted. No update today, just needed to share some melancholy. 

I am not a social media-heavy person, to say the least. (Shocker!) However, I got back on Teh Facebook not too long ago. I troll my friends' feeds, and was doing so today when I came across some pretty sad comments.

 Backstory: my friend served overseas in Iraq. Many of the subsequent comments to her post are from fellow armed services veterans.


This is so sad. These are people, human beings, on both sides of the fence here, and it is too easy to forget that in the pervasive Us vs. Them ideology. "They" are the enemy. "They" should be denigrated. "They" should be, essentially, taken out back and shot. These thoughts exist on either side of the Us vs. Them equation. US veteran or civilian, Muslim or non-Muslim - these were all once precious, innocent children, individuals who had their paths in life spread like an open canvas in front of them. Somewhere along the line, that canvas became colored - whether by violence, acts of hate, or constant threats to self and loved ones - and this meanness (not just unkind or vicious, but ignoble) is what now obliterates a once-promising life's work. All because of sociopolitical and religious intolerance. Ignorance. They are essentially the same thing. Sad, sad, sad. That we have the beautiful cultures and blessings of intelligence and empathy and compassion, and yet we squander those to baser, coarse, destructive attitudes of the myopically narrow-minded.

 The most scary part is thought dictates action. If you allow hateful thoughts to occupy your head, you will behave hatefully. You may tell yourself that you don't really believe x, y, or z, but if your unvarnished thoughts are x, y, or z, then you can guess where I would put my money on your behavior when push comes to shove.

 Nobody is right here. It is all wrong.





 * Fyodor Dostoevsky - maybe from The Brothers Karamazov? Many also attribute this quote to Dostoyevsky and cite "unknown source."

Oh, Evanston, how I loathe thee.  I would count the ways, but I wasted too much time already dealing with you and your bureaucratic, conflict-avoiding, buck-passing BS and I only have a few minutes.  However, let that be a testament to the completeness with which I detest you, Evanston - I will spend my final few precious minutes right now blogging about how you suck.

Evanston, IL.  Not the idyllic, elite Chicago-but-not-Chicago-lure-of-the-northern-suburbs city they want you to believe.  Why?  Because they will CUT YOU with their bureaucratic tickets and fines and fees.  Honest mistakes don't exist for these people, and yet they do not want to be held accountable for any mistake they make.

Date:  Jan. 29th, 2013.

Scene:  Night of an epic thunderstorm (yes, thunderstorm, in the dead of winter) in Chicago and the greater Chicagoland area.  The storm was so bad there were numerous flash flood warnings issued.  Visibility was near zero.

Story:  I finish a long day at the hospital on my surgery rotation.  I arrive well before sunrise, and leave well after dark.  On my way home, I stop at the Jewel on Howard.  I'm in luck - a parking spot right near the door!  I pull in, run in (in the midst of said thunderstorm) and grab a few things, and dash back out...only to find a parking ticket on my car.  What?  My plates are there, my sticker is not expired...  There must be some mistake.  Well, a mistake, an honest mistake, on my part.  Apparently I had parked in a handicapped spot.

Now, background:  I am not a bad person.  I do not go around stealing handicapped spots.  I do not accumulate numerous parking violations.  I do not have a criminal record, or any other ne'er-do-well records, for that matter.

The night of the storm, the rain coming down and the puddles on the ground completely obscured the worn, faded paint of the handicapped sign on the cement of the parking spot itself.  In addition to that, the adjacent spot (of the yellow diagonal line variety that accompanies handicapped spots and prevents others from parking next to them) was illegally taken up by another car.  The signpost for the handicapped spot was in the middle of these two spots, and I mistakenly attributed that handicapped sign to the illegally parked car next to me, assuming my spot (w/ no obvious paint for a handicapped spot on it!) was a legitimate, non-handicapped parking spot.

Wrong.  Okay.  I made a mistake.  I am irritated about it, but I understand.  I contest the ticket, complete w/ picture (although, go figure, the adjacent illegally parked car had moved by the time I returned to my car, weakening my case) and explanation.  Since I am utterly too busy and do not have a whole lot of control over my hospital schedule, I choose not to contest the ticket in person - instead, I contest it online.  Another mistake, though I thought at the time that events of that night were so sensible and understandable and downright legitimate (and true, for pete's sake!) that I would be successful in my contestation.  So I file my contestation online.  After submitting, "they" (read:  The City of Evanston) state a decision will be sent by mail.

I wait.   No decision.

I wait longer.  No decision.

Finally, March 20th, 2013, I receive a third and final notice of outstanding judgment, complete with a $100 late fee in addition to my still-liable-so-I-still-owe $250 original ticket fee.

WTH?!

Long story short:  when I call to inquire about this, the nice ladies (really, they were nice - just incredibly unhelpful) at the hearings office informed me that their policy was to drop the notice in first class mail, trust in the USPS, and the responsibility lies w/ the community member thereafter.  If the notice fails to appear in said community member's mailbox, tough luck.  If said community member incurs a late fee, well, the hearings office doesn't handle that, and you'll instead have to speak with the collections folks.  Convenient passing of the buck, no?

Statistically, it makes more sense that any of the numerous steps prior to the community member opening their mailbox could have gone wrong, and it is much more likely the community member never received their notice.  But that means nothing to The City of Evanston.  Also, the community member is held liable regardless of whether or not they ever received their notice.  Why?  Because that's the way it is, apparently.  I will be taking this up w/ The City of Evanston and their city code tonight.  Is there some statute that dictates the manner in which residents are required to be notified regarding judgments, e.g.?  No, that's just the way it is.  How is that fair to the community?

ARGH, this is so frustrating.  Initial contestation aside, I refuse to pay a late fee for something I never received.  With no history of mail delivery failure and perfectly good delivery of their final notice, I will most certainly argue the late fee.  This whole thing is a ridiculous bureaucratic run-around where the community is blamed, put-out, and put-upon by the officials by whom they are supposed to be served.

Here.  Have my $250*.  And my eternal hatred.



*  That's right.  I am not paying your late fee, you inconsiderate, suspicious bums.

Insanely busy, don't post a lot (obviously) unless something irks me or, as in this instance, surprises me in an immensely good way.

Congratulations, United Airlines, on your outstanding flight crew, gate crew, baggage handlers, and anyone else involved in such heartfelt, compassionate customer service:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/06/travel/united-flight-delay-dying-mother/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

I am thoroughly impressed, and will be happy to fly United from now on!

Right.  So I am kicking back, watching the Grammys, critiquing fashion choices, singing along, and generally enjoying myself when it happens:  a flicker.  Followed by a freeze in the commercial.  Then another flicker and blackness.  I flip the cable box off.  Back on.  I am greeted with the following oh-so-helpful, incredibly informative message from Comcast:  "ONE MOMENT PLEASE.  This channel should be available shortly."

AYKM?!

Okay, no problem.  I grab ye olde laptop and point my trusty browser to cbs.com and live streaming of the Grammys.  And, lo, what do I find?  Crappity crap crap talking heads and NO LIVE STREAMING OF THE REAL SHOW!  I don't CARE what goes on backstage.  I don't CARE what these ya-hoos think about whatever, or that Carrie Underwood won Best New Artist x number of years ago, or that Bonnie Raitt is still alive and kicking and winning Grammys away from groups like The Lumineers and Mumford & Sons.  I WANT TO SEE THE SHOW!

Seriously, CBS, you think this extraneous garbage is what people want to see?  Why waste your bandwidth?

Am so frustrated right now.  Does that make any sense, CBS?  Who made that decision?  Y'all must be a company run by idiots, because this makes absolutely no sense.  I am steering my browser away from cbs.com.  If I'm going to watch TV on the computer, I'm going to watch REAL TV on the computer, not some mindless not-music drivel.

*Or:  LeBRON JAMES.  The other is more appropriate, but LeBron is more accurate for now.  Here is why:

I do not know LeBron James.  I know of him.  I watch him on TV.  And, by golly, I have heckled him with the best of them over the last two years.  I mean, seriously:  The Decision?  I will freely admit I cheered for teams I could care less about just so they would beat LeBron.  LeBron = entitled, immature, and maniacally egotistical.

However.  That all changed beginning with this latest NBA Finals.  And it didn't change because LeBron won.  It changed because LeBron changed.

Don't get me wrong, in the beginning I was firmly entrenched in my anti-LeBron position.  I stumbled across this article, which I admit affronted my beliefs a bit.  Most begrudingly, I had to acknowledge a bit of respect for the fact that post-1st-Miami Heat NBA Finals Loss of 2011 LeBron James sought the wisdom of NBA sages.  Not only did he do that, he apparently put his money where his mouth was, and followed it up with action, working out and learning from Hakeem Olajuwon.

Also, as Sexy McSexy pointed out, LeBron is under an immense amount of pressure.  The scrutiny is unbelievable, and taking that into consideration, well...  Hmph.  Well.  (Doc Rivers agrees.)





Not only did he grab him on the way up, he elbowed him on the way down.  So there, see?  LeBron is still a jerk.

But...but darn it all, if he didn't get hurt and play through it - and not in an annoying, "I am so hurt, but look at what I'm doing for my team" drama queen kind of way.  In my expert opinion, this was "It hurts, but this game is more important than that, and I've got to give it my all."  I can respect that.

And then.  THEN.  Game 5.  I tried finding you the video, failed, so you have to suffer through my recap:

Mario Chalmers is getting a bit cocky, egging on the crowd, swaggering back down the floor in the 3rd or 4th quarter when Miami is up by 20+...Whereas last year that was LeBron, this year LeBron saw it happening, called Chalmers over, and admonished him (not rudely, but maturely, focused) "Not yet.  Play ball."

LeBron.  You have grown up.  You appear to have matured, to be focused, less egotistical, and much more in control of yourself.  I don't mind that you guys won.  In fact, after demonstrating such a change of character since The Decision, I am glad you got your title.  And I look forward to seeing you now become that superstar player that everyone will root for.  Well done.