SUBJECT TO CHANGE: Party Party and Alexis Gets Her Hair Cut

It's Sunday morning and I'm coming at you live! from my bed in Adare, Ireland. It's been an exciting weekend. Thursday was Arthur's Day, a holiday established a couple of years back in honor of Arthur Guinness, the creator and first master brewer of Guinness beer. I think this celebration may need a bit more time before its on par with, say, the birth of Christ, but there's certainly promise in progressive new beer holidays. (Tour de Fat, shout out to Fort Collins!) One of the cool parts of Arthur's Day is that Guinness brings in popular artists to play at random locations around Ireland. I should say it would have been cool if we had gotten into the club in Limerick City that was certain to have someone good playing, but alas, it was 20 and up that night. Liz and I went back to Adare and opted for Plan B: Drink a Pint at Every Pub in the Village. Good thing there are only four.
For your viewing pleasure, here is a link to a promotional video for Arthur's Day. Paint the town black.

On Friday, I ate two bowls of cereal and then chopped off all of my hair. Why? You ask. If you've been keeping up with our blog you'll know the correct answer is: why not? But actually, it was long, bleached, and not travel-friendly. My long hair and I had parted ways. HA.
There were like 3 other hairdressers shuffling around and watching nervously, waiting for me to start crying or having a panic attack. I sat calmly and drank my tea, thank you very much. Meanwhile Liz snapped away with her camera like a maniac and tried not to slip in the pile of hair on the floor that looked increasingly like a small, sickly animal.
And I almost forgot! We made fettuccine alfredo with chicken for dinner, and I actually made most of it. Proud moments for an extremely amateur (incapable) cook.

Saturday was a big day for the Bourke family, us included, since it was Niamh's 21st birthday party. 21st birthdays are an important occasion over here, and I'm quite sure why because everyone can already drink. We asked a few Irish people why it was such a big deal, but they didn't know either so we just went with it. Liz and I went with Elaine to run party errands: buying last minute accessories, picking up balloons, stopping at the grocery store, etc. While in Limerick, Elaine showed us Saturday's lovely outdoor market and a delicious milkshake shop. Then with perfect timing, we walked into the pharmacy while L'Oreal was doing a promotion and we all got our makeup professionally done for free. And I mean really, really done. You would be surprised at how closely Liz can resemble Barbie.
We had more to do when we got home, like shave our legs. These things get neglected when traveling, and it takes much time and energy to reinstate order. Later, we decorated the pub with balloons, ate some dinner, and started ACTUALLY getting ready.
The party was a good time. The birthday girl looked fabulous, the food Anne made was delicious, and we enjoyed the free pints we received from Finnick, the guy in a sheep suit. (We really hit the promotion jackpot yesterday.) We were also introduced to some key Irish traditions throughout the course of the night. For example, on your 21st birthday, you get 21 kisses from your guests. Everyone stands around and runs up for their turn. Another important tradition: Sally. As in Sally Hansen spray-on tan. I was surprised to learn that Sally is a household name here, a staple beauty product of every young Irish woman going out on the town. I watched Elaine scrub herself down with it. "Doesn't it get on your dress?" "Oh, it gets on your dress. It gets in your bed. Sally's everywhere." I'm still confused as to why a nation of pale people collectively spray tan themselves. And a little sad, too, because now there's almost nowhere I can go to be with people as pale as me.

Love,
Alexis