All Dogs Go To Heaven

            If anyone knows the Omer family, they know Dori. She’s kind of a big deal, and definitely the cutest boxer on the block. Most of my friends even referred to her by her full name for additional celeb status, like “where is Dori Omer?” She never really grasped the concept of personal space, and was constantly licking… So she was constantly licking right in your face. Annoying to most people, and even to myself majority of the time, but those big boxer kisses were what welcomed me home time after time.  After a long summer abroad, her slobber and nubby little tail wagging would be the ideal welcoming when I walked in the door. It hurts more than I can put in words to say I won’t be getting that welcome home.

Licking in action

           When I called my mom the other day to tell her happy birthday, happy was not her emotion for this birthday. She informed me Dori had been sick for a week with a very fast acting cancer. She had lost 17 lbs in 7 days, and after seeing her in such pain my family decided she needed to be put down. I immediately burst into tears, which is pretty awkward when you’re walking down a busy street during rush hour.

            People’s dogs die all the time, and although it’s not the same as a human dying, they still are part of our families. I’ve always been convinced Dori was half human anyway…and maybe part cat? I swear the girl had 9 lives and unfortunately used them up. She was a stray when we found her with mange and starved. A few years later an x-ray at the vet revealed that she had bullet shells in her leg bone…I called her 50 cent for awhile after that. She had the strongest personality than any dog we’ve had…and even her own pillow in my parent’s bed. It might be a stretch, but on days that I may have pissed my mom off, I think she may have even loved Dori more than me. I think the hardest part about receiving the news was that I couldn’t be there with my family through all of it, especially it being my mom’s birthday. I suppose that's part of the abroad experience, learning to deal with things even through the distance from home. I’ll miss that crazy licking machine more than she could know.

Mom and Dori taking a nap together

RIP baby girl

Sam Comes To Dublin!

           There’s nothing better than seeing a familiar face when you’re thousands of miles from home – a face that brings comfort, happiness, and floods of memories lasting nearly 2 decades. When the day I got to see Sam in Dublin finally came, I nearly peed my pants leaving work I was so excited. I think I may have actually peed my pants some when I was expecting to meet her in Temple Bar, and instead she jumped out in front of me on the street 2 blocks before I even got to Temple Bar. Maybe not, but I did tear up some while we were hugging…which is totally normal.

            Sam’s family moved out of Houston last year. We grew up 14 houses down from each other, and now I only get to see her when I go to Austin or when she’s in Houston for a few days during holidays. I hadn’t seen her parents or sister in so long, and it was indescribable how nice it was just to be around a family. During dinner our conversation drifted into subject matter I’m not sure I’ve ever talked about with my friends parents before. It hit me how much older we really are getting – especially when Mr. Toner asked what my next step was after I graduate. I can’t even get my fall schedule figured out, and thinking about jobs and where I’ll go after Alabama scares the hell out of me. I suppose I came here to figure out what sort of direction I want to take, but the application of all of it seems surreal.

After dinner I took Sam to one of my favorite bars here, Pygmalion. We sat on the couches and caught up, while she told me about her summer in Barcelona. If dinner conversation hadn’t shown me how grown up we’ve become, this conversation did. She seemed like she was in such a good place…and despite some life lessons she learned, she had the strongest head on her shoulders I’ve seen her with yet. We might be talking about more “grown-up” things these days, and the real world is probably much closer than I could imagine, but I still feel like a little kid inside sometimes. There’s still many, many years ahead of us, and it’s amazing to know nights like these are going to be memories I’ll have with the same friends years down the road. 

Might As Well Be A Local

            Haven’t written anything in about 2 weeks because, well there wasn’t much to write about. Last weekend Becca and I stayed in town to do some things around Dublin and relax before the hectic consecutive weekends of traveling began. Our original plan was to go to Oxegen Fest, but banking on free VIP tickets from Ann's job didn't work out so well. We went to the Dublin Castle, which was a real joke – especially after seeing Edinburgh Castle. I mean there was a parking garage inside the castle wall, and majority of it looked like a college campus just with a cylinder tower to the side. No mote, no bridge, no cliffs.

We went to the wax museum, which also sucked and was quite frankly rather gruesome. They had a Hanibal Lectar showroom with hanging bodies showing the insides and humans on plates. And for the Irish Famine they had a near-skeleton baby with purple skin it was so starved. Freaking sick, people. I mean there were 5 year olds running through this place. After these 2 sight-seeing fails, I officially don't label myself a tourist anymore. 

            Work is same ole same ole. Still working on this meteor cell phone campaign, and I’m still getting e-mails from the people that sit directly across from me. I find it odd to send full letter format e-mails from 3 feet away when I can hear your keyboard typing. Dicey’s is still winning on Tuesdays, and always will. I think it’s safe to say I’ve officially become accustomed to Dublin life. It’s not boring by any means, but becoming a routine life style. It feels like more of a home base, and I’m even starting to sign my e-mails with “cheers.”  Next thing I know I’ll be saying “thanks a mil!” and preferring Guinness to other beers.