Food and Other Essentials

While few things have remained the same since coming to a city across the world, I was able to find certain things that will stem the cravings that I am having for certain home foods. Toobz are the equivalent of Pringles, so that's my something salty. Then I found Cadbury Hot Cocoa which is my something sweet and chocolatey. I attempted to find either an energy drink or gatorade but to no avail. I grabbed something that looked like a Red Bull can and it tasted like cherry orange lime piss in a can. And then I was told that Lucozade is the Gatorade equivalent over here, however I tried it and it is carbonated and tasted like something that I used to take as a kid to get my Vitamin C and NOT in a good way. Despite all this, I am adjusting to most of the brands just find and some stuff like sugar comes in smaller, cheaper portions over here, which is nice.

Yesterday whilst biking through St. Stephen's Green, I came to the famous bridge and 3 Garda (policemen) were standing there. I became to make my way across the bridge when they called out to stop me. Apparently you're not supposed to ride a bike in the park? Who knew? Not me! But they didn't yell or get upset, oh no, they simply made me get off my bike and walk it through the remainder part of the park. So I felt like a jackass, but at least I didn't get arrested.

In the same day, I managed to have another mishap. I had been living out of a travel sized bottle of shampoo until now when I finally decided that my hair needed a good clean scrub so I wanted a REAL shampoo. Also,the water in the apartment is very hard and because of this, I had not been conditioning and the shampoo I was using is an extreme hydration which means that it is pretty much a shampoo and conditioner in one. Thus, I went off in a search of such a bottle in the 2euro store. I picked up every bottle of Herbal Essences and began smelling to deduce which is the best scent and most similar to what I want to smell like. I finally was able to find such a one, bought it and took it home to shower. Before I climbed in to have what was to be an extremely satisfying shower (due to the fact that I had also chosen a bigger, new bottle of body wash) I read the label that was in both French and Spanish but not English and discovered that it was to be used "Apres Shampooing." Damnit. So I didn't get an excellent shower, instead I got a mediocre one, better luck tonight, I'm hoping. At least my body wash worked well and smells nice :)

Another plus that I have found in my travels in the high amount of other bikers in the city. This is especially noticeable during rush hour times. I am glad to know that I am not alone out on the roads. The drivers here also seem very aware of the number of bikers which is great because it means that I am far less likely to be hit. They usually let me get out of the way before they turn and let me take off before they claim the lane. There are a few jackasses out there who think that they own the bus/cycle lane, but there is nothing I can do about that.

Right about now I am thanking my lucky stars that I took 301 before I came over here. I am able to understand my Business Excellence class so easily because I already took OM. It is a great feeling to know that I learned and actually retained some of this information. Plus with Entrepreneurial Management, the lecturer was telling us that it is important to separate yourself from your business but to understand all sides of it. So I guess it was good that I took a little bit of finance, but it's still okay to pay someone else to do it for me. And not for 40%! I know I should bit my tongue and not say that I'm grateful for 301, but in a specific way, I am. Not always and not all the time, but for right now, it's making some school adjustment just a little bit easier.

And one finally thing. I really don't like the library here. I miss my Bentley library with its comfy chairs, popular book section, nice and friendly staff, and easy book reservations either online or on the phone. At least I found a good bookstore. Now only if I could find a cheap one...or at least cheap shipping rates from Amazon!

Yesterday, the other girls and I, with the exception of Kara and her friend, attempted to both find our way to Dublin Castle and to take a tour of it. I had to be back around 3pm to skype with my parents, and we didn't leave for the castle until around 2. Now the tour was only supposed to take around 45min or so, so I figured that we would be fine. However, once we stumbled our way into the castle grounds, we quickly came to the realization that we had no idea what we were doing or how to get to where we needed to be. We ended up in the church which was gorgeous and amazing, reminded me alot of the Old North Church of Boston, but then again, Boston is known for its Irish roots. So that was pretty cool. After that, we meandered and came upon a huge courtyard in which there were dozens of flagpoles and a few selected archways that were pretty cool to look at including the Lady Justice. We then moved into the foyer of the Dublin Castle Manor house and attempted to find out how to get a tour. It was discovered that we needed to buy tickets but couldn't figure out where or how. At this point, it was around 2:45 and I needed to get back anyway. So the group decided in a general consensus to come back another day to take the tour (and hopefully where to buy tickets.) So we left without a tour, but it was a fun little excursion that got us out of the house for awhile at least.

On the way home, we stopped for coffee (and a crepe) but I bought tea. Now, for those of you who know me, I am an AVID coffee drinker. I usually dominate my mornings with at least 2 cups of coffee. And at this point in my trip I have been feeling so crappy due to caffeine deprivation that I was willing to try almost anything to make it go away. My only option is this country appears to be tea. And it's not like they really drink flavored teas, it's just tea. I had to add some sugar and milk...made it look like coffee, but definitely did not taste like it. Very disappointing.
I've decided to try and make use of what I believe to be a brewing pot sitting on my kitchen counter, but my mother has just informed me that it may be for seeping tea not for straining coffee. So I may not be able to get my caffeine in my preferred form after all. However, I have discovered (after a much sleepless night) that the tea was in fact caffeinated so drinking last night at 4pm was not my wisest decision.

Fun fact for the day: 3M, you know the company famous for Post-Its and Scotch tape? The original name and where the 3M's came from was "The Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co." Fascinating. Gotta love business school. Watched a movie about Disney's training today, most excellent I dare say. And taking notes directly onto slides may be my preferred method as of late. Perhaps I can give up my notebooks and binders after all. Though probably not ;)

Oh and not only is my new library not open on Sundays when everyone needs to do work but you can't take out more than two books on short term loan at a time. And they don't really have a popular reading section. Please let me help you oh library. You are so big and so full of potential. 4 floors and nothing very interesting.

And on a sidenote that is completely unrelated to anything. I had quite possibly the best drink ever last night. I took my friend Mary out for drinks to celebrate her bday in a small way, don't worry I only had 2, and in the midst of everything, I think I discovered my favorite drink. First let me explain. I began the night with a mojito because I love mint and I wanted to see what an actual mojito tastes like. Surprisingly rich, smooth, minty, with a kick of lime just for fun ;) It was very good, but stronger than I had anticipated. I took my time with it and enjoyed the 9euro a piece that I had paid for both Mary and I to get one. After that, we enjoyed a small but free strawberry daquiri from the bartender that just happened to make a little too much to fit into another patron's glass. After, we were both craving something with a little more body to it. The bartender for a lighter ale, suggested a beer called ALT for Mary. And I told him that I wanted to try something pretty and fruity (direct quote.) So he then recommended the beautiful BEER that is featured in the picture. It is brewed in house at the bar know as the Porterhouse and it is...wait for it...a Strawberry flavored beer. I tell you something, it was like licking a strawberry. There was no hop or barley flavor. Just the sweet and savory taste that went down as smooth as a Guinness without all the thickness. And so I have discovered my favorite drink in this country so far and I might just have to go back and have another. Besides recommending it to everyone I know ;)

PS-idk what's with the wink faces, I'm just in that sort of mood today.

Sleepless in Dublin

Saturday, Jan 23rd, 2010 -- Instead of trying to make changes to your schedule or rushing off to start something entirely new, it makes more sense today to stick with the tried and true. You could become a little restless if everything seems too familiar, but it's better to deal with your anxiety by changing your attitude rather than messing with your environment. Once you decide to settle into the day, things should get easier all around.

That is my horoscope for the day and I think it is aptly suited. I've been having a bit of trouble adjusting the new living situation. I don't think that living in the city suits me very well. I can shop, eat, drink, tour, and basically run around the city doing anything else. But sleeping is definitely the clincher. I have been trying to get myself back into a normal routine and accordingly, it should be working. I still don't feel entirely immersed into the culture and I can't figure out why. I've been trying new drinks and foods and modes of transportation. I've been shopping in new stores, in a local air market, and a different grocery store. I've come to love certain things like Londis and walking around the city. But something still feels off. Maybe I just wasn't born to live in a city. I'm already becoming restless with the monotony of watching movies and going out, I think that maybe I will have to throw myself into my schoolwork or something. Maybe the problem is that my brain isn't as fully occupied as it should be. I ran out of new books to read, so maybe I will go out on a search for one today. Perhaps I will trek over to the library at school and not get lost this time and do some studying or something.

On the plus side, this is one of the most beautiful cities that I have ever seen. I was walking through the city just snapping pictures during shopping and going to the open air market. It was so sunny yesterday that I actually go to work the shades out in public, of course us Americans were pretty much the only ones out in public who were wearing them, but that was fine by us. Then I watched the movie "Leap Year" and they had some great shots from Dublin and I just kept thinking "Oh, I've been there!" or "OMG, I've seen that." It was a great feeling. I realized that this is a great opportunity. I doubt it will be easy, but I'm hoping it will be worth it.

Just found out today that the school library is closed on Sunday. What kind of BS is that? How am I supposed to go do my work with the library books if it's closed on the day that I would like to go? So I guess I will have to do some online reading and perhaps meander to find a bookstore so that I can continue to improve my brain cells instead of simply just killing them.

But a quick bar/beer update before I go. Did a Thirty Thursday with some cider followed by some bar hopping into Sheehan's, Flannery's, and finally ended up at Devitt's where I ordered a Smithwick's and loved it. It wasn't a very exciting night and I was home pretty early due to not feeling so well. And come to find out, woke up on Friday morning with a terrible headache and cold. So I've been stuck in the apartment for a few days and not really liking it that way. I'm hoping to get out at some point today, but we'll see depending on the weather and how I feel because I'm still not completely up to par. Perhaps I will just go for a walk and then come back and relax.

Leprechauns and cheeseless pizza

That is a sunrise from a couple of mornings ago and before you tell me that I'm crazii, just know that it was at 8:30am not at like 5 or 6am.
I thought it was important to note that my apartment is kickass.

So quick update on my first biking day.
Looked up directions online this morning. Followed directions all the way past St. Stephen's Green and began following the signs towards N11, the main highway that would take me to UCD. So far, so good. However, I see some random signs and some confusing road set up, not sure what to do at this point, so I bear left, not knowing any better. And of course, end up on the wrong road. Now at this point, I had felt pretty proud of traversing all the one way streets in Dublin and am almost in the outskirts of the city headed towards Donnybrook, which a small suburban town next to Dublin, However, the leprechauns must have been out and about and making me confused. But I luckily outsmarted them and ran across a stranded biker who was able to point me in the right direction. Which was back the back I came and going left which was actually the right that I should have taken instead of the first left. But once I was on the right path, I made it to school okay with 15 min to spare.

The right home was cold, wet, and cold. I was muddy and wet by the time I stepped through the door which was unpleasant. But on the way, I almost got creamed by a couple of buses, side-swipped by a taxi, breezed through an amazing puddle longer than 3 of me tall, and almost fell on the sidewalk and onto my face. But on the plus side, all of my lights are in good working condition and it was wayyy easier to find my way home than it was to find my way to school.


And a recap on today's classes:
I found that I am a little intimidated to speak in class or participate. I'm not confident enough in the culture to keep up with alot of it, unless it deals with alot of Americanized type things, which isn't a whole lot. Alot of the students seem quite intelligent and the teachers don't seem to appreciate when students ask questions. I'm not sure I'm gonna like this. It will definitely take some adjusting.

Business Excellence wasn't required this morning apparently, teacher didn't even show up. Hung out with my new friend from Ottawa, Canada,whose name is Brendan. Ate an orange.

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution was all right. Will be alot of reading. But on the bright side, I found out that my friend Mary is in this class, didn't know it. So I was able to enjoy that class and get to know a girl named Natasha who is from Egypt and studying at BU and now studying abroad here.

Lunch with Mary, pizza and a hard chocolate cake...not the best 5 euro I've ever spent. And then did some chillin' in the study room on the first floor of Quinn.

Best thing I learned in Management of Innovation and Change was that getting arrested counts as an excuse for not having your work turned in on time. I love this country. Also, this might be my favorite class. Really cool teacher who is supposed to be Irish but sounds American. There are no other Bent kids, I'm flying solo and learning about technology surrounded by a bunch of senior UCD business students. And the majority of the class is American. I might just make it after all.

Classes, etc.

So, had my first week of classes today including my Irish history class and along with all of that, I came across a few things while meandering the grocery store that we found to be oh yea 3 blocks away. So instead of traversing the city, we can basically go around the corner, go us. Plus an open air market that has fabulous fruit including clementines as big as my fist. Awesome.

Okay so other new things that I have learned about my new country:
St. Stephen's Green closes at sundown
Ireland is not the place to go and see castles
The Irish actually used to like the British
Open air markets are better for fresh fruit/veggies
The buses suck!
Number 10 bus doesn't always end up at UCD
The main bus hub is on O'Connell Street
Most Irish last names were original Norman names
The post office columns still contain bullet holes from the Great Revolution
Pigeons are very fat
Swans are quite common
Biking can be wet and dangerous
The weather improves after the first of the year
The city shuts down when it snows

Oh right, so we totally found a closer grocery store which is awesome and a bunch of food that we like including wanna-be spaghetti-os and pringles, they are both delicious and comparable to the original. Also, nothing tastes the same over here including butter (which is better), coffee (which is worse), frosted flakes, soda, and breads. There is so much to learn and know, and I'm happy to have an opportunity that not many other kids will get to have. At least Bentley is good for one thing.

Tonight I'm staying in due to the fact that I have 3 classes tomorrow, which also marks my first full day of biking. So it should be an exciting and interesting day. I will try to take pics if it's not raining. I will also be sure to have all my waterproofing gear, etc. in case it does happen to rain and all that jazz haha.

Bikin' the Dub

Today was day two of classes and the first day of biking in the city. Definitely an interesting couple of experiences. The classes here are set up differently. Instead of having to scramble to find meeting places/times, there are planned in meeting blocks which is kind of nice so you don't have to attend that hour if you have no meeting or discussion planned. But the classes are usually in two hour increments which is tough to get through. Especially first thing in the morning with a lack of caffeine in my system. But I'm going to try and figure out the coffee maker thingy tonight so hopefully I can at least have one cup before I head out in the morning. And on the brightside, most classes allow for laptops which is a definite plus. The classrooms don't have wireless which sucks, but you can either plug in or reconfigure your web browser to sort of hack into a network outside the classroom.

I've had two classes so far, Entrepreneurial Management and Business Excellence, both of which seem like they will be worth my time. I won't really need to pay attention in Excellence because it's all about the efficiency of a business which I just learned all about in OM during 301 last semester. However, Entrepreneurialship is what I'm most interested in since I want to start my own business so I think that it will be worth it to sit in.

While on campus today I got my bike (see above) and am very pleased with it. On top on the pink bike, I am now also the proud owner of a handlebar light, a black helmet with a red blinking backlight, and a lock that is so worth the money that a pair of bolt cutters...seriously, the guys show them to me...broken...awesome. German cut laser key that can only be copied in Germany. Fabulous. So I biked back from school and it only took me about 15-20 min and I didn't get hit by traffic, yay! No buses ran me down or cars honked their horns. It was a little unnerving but I think if I'm safe, keep my helmet on and my ears/eyes open, I will be just fine.

Also whilst perusing the campus today I came across several birds that were crazii cool looking, so I decided to do some investigating and I found out some of the following info. This is one of the prettiest birds I ever saw up close is called a European magpie. Blue, Black, White, and BEAUTIFUL!
And there was this crow looking thing that I saw. I asked some random Irish kid if he knew what it was but he had no idea. So it was either a Hooded Crow or a House Crow, I would have to see it again to be sure. I will bring my camera to campus next time.

Also, I will take some pics of the campus/Quinn school as soon as I can and get them up for all to see. I'm hoping it's sunny on Thursday when I'm there all day so that I have the greatest opportunity to snap some pics walking to classes or lunch or whatnot.

In other news, I saw my first red-headed Irish person today! woot woot!
I'm thinking most of the dyed blondes here are true reds though if you ask me...

Oh and an Irish accent...not as attractive as I thought it would be here. Oh well, I guess maybe the heart wants what the heart wants, it was more sexii at home when I was thinking about it. Maybe I was just playing it up in my mind or was set to a false ideal by hearing someone in particular speak that way. Oh well.
If only every guy could be as hot as Gerard Butler and his accent, who isn't Irish btw but plays a hell of a good one, his accent is dead on, I wonder what his true accent sounds like. Still pissed about that one. And life goes on.

New Apartment, New Food

So we moved into the new apartment yesterday and today were getting all settled in. The apartment is smaller than I expected but in good condition. It came with it's own bedding and pots and pans. There isn't a ton of bedroom storage but there is some decent kitchen storage with the exception of the small freezer. We do have a balcony which is prime and the view is decent. But the location is by far the best thing that we have going for us. Located around the corner from the prime shopping district, the apartment is in a great place.

Today we got up and hung around trying to figure out the wireless in the apartment, when we finally realized that the passcode was the same as the one for the hostel, we were kinda sketched out but then again the same property company owns our hostel and apartment, so no big worries there.

After that, we went to Tesco for some grocery shopping, dragging our suitcases across the entire city in order to save money on bags and save our hands from the excruciating pain of carrying all those bags back across the city. So looking and feeling like a jackass, I hauled my big black suitcase in conjunction with the other girls and went roaming up O'Connell Street to find the cheapest and most broadly based supermarket. We tried a German and Asian one and neither were quite what we wanted. So we meandered our way back towards another market that we had seen a little bit earlier in the trip.

Upon entering that store, Tesco, we saw a sign for giant 1 euro loaves of bread and were immediately pulled into the store. It wasn't a very large store, smaller than even the small Hannaford back in ME (RIP) but it was big enough to contain pretty much everything that we wanted. The fruit and veggie section left something to be desired but the bread, cheese, and wine were all very comparable to what I've come to expect when shopping in the States. All 8 girls grabbed a hand basket and made our way through the store, calling out and comparing things together to ensure that each apartment had the best selection of items that it could have.

So when we had finally gathered everything that we needed for the moment, we made our way to the cashier and flopped our suitcases onto the ground, stopping only to pick out a few of the re-usable bags for the next trip, and began loading items onto the conveyor belt. The cashiers were smiling to themselves while the silly American girls were struggling to fit everything in a way that it could be carried back. I was able to pay and pack everything away pretty quickly and efficiently which was nice and then I helped Kara with her stuff as well. We loaded up everything as completely as possible, even packing in stuff for the other girls if necessary. When we were all paid, we left and began our slow journey back across the city to the apartment. The bumps and breaks in the road held up back some but not enough to make us regret having the benefits of the suitcases with us. It was a nice idea (thanks to the kids from last semester) and we were glad to have that here.

We arrived back at the apartment amid the smoke and people from the cafe downstairs and hauled the suitcases and bags all the way up 2 or even 3 floors to the apartments. Each floor containing 2 flights of stairs. We managed it though and then put all the groceries in their proper place, well as proper as we could find at least. The cereals were too big to fit into any shelves, so they ended up on top of the fridge, no big deal and then the meats were thrown into the freezer and the breads were given a place on top of the microwave.

After we settled down for a bit, Mom called on Skype, and we chatted for a bit and set up another meeting for later tonight which will be cool. Then everyone discovered how famished we were and decided to go off in search of food. At this point everyone was discussing this great burger place down the road, any burger for 5euro, an awesome deal. But when we got there, it was discovered that the deal is only for lunch, boo!
So after all that talk, most other people decided to go and get a 2euro sub from Londis but I was craving meat and a taste of home. Oh that's right, I went and got me some European McDonald's! I discovered that their burgers are not much different and the fries are definitely up to par. However, the McChicken, hold onto your hats, cost an astounding 5euro! that translates to approximately $7.50! Which is ridiculous for a little chicken sandwich. So tossing that aside, I ordered a Double Cheeseburger and a small fry, both very decently made. Along with my food, I also received 2 coupons for a 3.80euro Big Mac and Medium Fry, an excellent deal, even when translated to dollars.

And now that I have enjoyed my sumptuous meal, it is time for a little R&R tonight. So along with updating some FB pics, I might just have to kick back and watch a movie and prepare my brain to deal with the coming onslaught that will be this infamous first week of classes. Love it.

Londis

So this funny thing happened to me the other day...

I was getting my 2euro sub from Londis and just happened to see a fight break out.
There was a woman in line yelling at the cashier about something or other and getting very upset. She was swearing and the cashier was swearing right back.

Almost saw a fist fight between a man and a woman. Complaining about racism when they were both clearly Irish. I wanted to take my sandwich and run but I didn't think Londis would appreciate that. Ere go, I stayed in line and actually had to pay for my sandwich. First time in the city that I actually felt afraid.

But no worries, I got my sandwich and was able to move into the apt last night instead of today so that's a plus. Pics to follow up soon. YAY!

Also, on a side note. The city must be a somewhat dangerous place...at least for tourist. Parts of the streets are labeled so you know which way to look before you cross the street. Love it.

And I have now officially had my first true injury since being in the country. I sliced my finger open on the Hostel Heater and there is dead skin and blood everywhere, it's fabulous.

Adapter

So I walked by myself to Grafton Street this morning in search of an adapter for my laptop. I managed to find a "chemist," where the lady from the Hostel told me that I should be able to find one. I walked my way in and asked the woman in the pharmacy for a US-Ireland Adapter. She gave me one and said that it would be 8euro. So I gladly handed over the money for her and she gave me the plug in return.

On my way back I saw a guy carving a dog out of sand, but that's another story.

So I get back to the hostel, only about a 5 minute walk, and grab my laptop and all the cables. I eagerly tear into the adapter packaging and attempt to fit my plug in. I tried pushing it and wiggling it and to no avail. Frustrated, I brought it all back downstairs to have the lady at the front desk try it out. She could not do it either. Damnit, I thought to myself. So I asked her what I could do and she said she would call her other hostel and see if they had any different ones that might fit. Turns out that the cheaper square one fit just fine. So now I have that one on loan from the hostel. There is a new one coming for me in the morning and I get a 3euro refund because I paid more from the pharmacy than I would have from the other hostel. SWEET!

Look out lunch, here I come!

Week 1 Overview

Well it's Saturday afternoon in a cloudy Dublin and I'm taking this opportunity to keep in touch and record a few of the thoughts I've had about the last week since being in Ireland.

The flight here wasn't as brutal as I expected. I was almost sick on the plane, but once we landed and I was able to get some actual fresh air, I felt alot better. I was worried about getting through immigration and customs, but it all went more smoothly than anticipated. I showed my passport and acceptance letter and then collected my baggage. I was petitioned to register with the police before 30 days in the country is up. After I got all my shit together, I went to find customs and the exit...both were easily marked and located. However, there was no one manning the customs desk, just a sweet sliding glass door to the outside world. So I moseied my way on thru and entered the real Ireland for the first time. I met up with some other Bentley students and made our way by cab to the Hostel.

Our hostel is called "The Times Hostel," and is situated right near Trinity College in downtown Dublin. It has a great location and is within walking distance to great areas such as Grafton Street, St. Stephen's Green O'Connell Street, and Temple Bar Area. We have done a lot of exploring, attempting to become acclimated with our surroundings. It has been a success for the most part, only getting lost a handful of times and always finding our way back even in a drunken stupour thanks to Captain Doug! :)

I was able to try a great selection of new beers since being here and let me tell you that the Guinness served in Dublin is definitely not the Guinness that is served in the States. Over here, it is so creamy and delicious, it is almost like drinking a milkshake. Well a beer flavored milkshake. There aren't as many microbrews or variety of beers as I was expecting but there are alot of foreign brands that we don't have back home. So far I have tried Guinness, Murray's Brownfield, Porterhouse Red, a martini, Kilkenney, Smithwick's, Hard Pear Cider, and an Irish Coffee. So far, I have not been turned off by anything or disliked any of the brews that I have tried.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that along with a variety of pubs and restaurants unique to Ireland and Dublin, there are also American foods available such as McDonald's, Burger King, Pizza Hut, and Subway. Now before you freak out, no, I haven't been eating there every night. My roommates and I did try Pizza Hut last night and the portions are much smaller than in the States but the pizza was still good. The garlic bread was a sliced up baguette with fresh garlic and cheese on top, different, but absolutely delicious. They are big on the baguettes, scones, and crossiants over here, which is absolutely fine by me!

We tried out the dancing at Club 21 and I didn't really like it. The boys were a little too handsy for my taste, but the music was all good and mostly American. There was a good atmosphere and a built in bar in the club, it was interesting and different. All the girls were wearing clothes that even the sluts at Bentley would have a hard time stomaching and the hair was crazii teased. It was interesting, but I prefered the pubs to that kind of a show. I missed out on a couple of other bars that were club like and we took over a bar called and Czech Inn, which was a good time. The Bent kids are all sometimes the typical American, but the Irish don't seem to mind our loud and sometimes crude behavior. We had some free wine at a school event and loved that bus ride back. Everyone always seems to have a good time and make the best of any situation, it's very pleasing and surprising.

But that's enough for now I think.