Living the Life

Still in Northern Ireland and still having a good time (if anyone had told me I'd be making regular trips to Northern Ireland ten years ago I'd have thought they were nuts). We've been so busy that we haven't had time to get over the jet lag. Things are busy with 10 and 12 hour days in the plant and big meals at night. There's also lots of beer, cider, and Bailey's to be had. Some in the group here have even enjoyed some local whiskey. I still can't get over how people eat here. Not everything is deep fried but lots is. Potatoes aren't just a staple here, you often get two kinds with your meal. The guys were also saying how everything is so tasty. I think it's because they really believe in buying local. The steak, the salad, the vegetables are all good. The fish here is impressive. One of the guys had cod last night, it was the biggest piece I had ever seen. You can also get good haddock, plaice, and salmon. Driving has been uneventful although it's hard to believe I was ever worried about it. Traffic isn't too heavy and the traffic circles or roundabouts are no problem. The shifting on the left is still a little rough but I'm managing. Tomorrow I'm taking a little jaunt up to Portrush. A fellow from the plant is taking me there in the morning before work so we can go to the Portrush Golf Course to buy a gift for someone. Apparently the British Open has been there but that doesn't mean much to me. It is a beautiful area and last time I was here we did drive around the coast. Tomorrow is another day and Friday is the last one in the plant. On Friday we drive back to Dublin for a night at one of the hotels by the airport. Our flight isn't too early on Saturday so I hope to get out to downtown Dublin to poke around and see what the Republic of Ireland is like. I hear the night life there is very good and that it is much different than Belfast where I was the last time I was here. Hopefully everything will go well until then and the flight home will be uneventful.