Field Research

Just a quick update from the field during "raise a grand" week (aka "RAG week"):people here are smashed. Everywhere. On campus, downtown, at the clubs, at the apartments. I have seen Spring Breaks more sober than this. I guess that's what happens when you unleash 11,000 students on a city of 75,000. Of course, for you, I will continue to do extensive research on this phenomenon by blending in with the natives in their natural habitat. Not for me - for the love of the game. Or something like that.

Continuing to mix nerdiness with drunkenness, I went to the European Community Law tutorial today, mostly because I didn't even realize they had been meeting so I hadn't attended one yet. Two students. Since I was already on campus, I figured I might as well attend Irish Constitutional Law. Four students and she cancelled class because - get this - it wouldn't be fair to the students who were not present.

One last (mostly random) point. I have never met a people more interested in discussing consistent weather. When I was in San Diego, hardly anyone ever talked about the weather. Why? Because it was always high 60s/low 70s and dry. But here, even though it's exactly the same every day, people will have 15 minute conversations recapping the weather over the last five days. Honestly, what is the point? It's the same weather as yesterday, as last week, and at this point, last month. In fact, let me give you the lead-pipe lock forecast for the weather for every single day from mid-January to mid-March in 2007 for Ireland:

Daytime highs 5-7°C.
Night time lows 0-3°C.
Showers.
40% chance of rain.
Winds 5-15 mph, occasional gusts to 30 mph.

This forecast is guaranteed by me.