Too bad it's on a Monday!

I used to work with a bloke from Ireland many years ago. I asked him if they do the whole green beer thing on St. Patty's day back in Ireland. He said to me, "aw, that's a load of crap. We just wake up extra early and get pissed."

Not sure yet, but my fav st. paddy's day was when I was living in London (and James was visiting) and our flat did a pub crawl ... buy a pint, drink it, move on. I only made it to four pubs before I had to be carried home by James ... who had no idea where we lived and no sense of where we were. Oh, but James, um, 'borrowed' a bunch of sweet pub glasses that are now in our china hutch!

Making a big ol' Crock-Pot full of Corned Beef and Cabbage on Sun and will wash it down with several pints of Guinness. Putting food colouring in beer is an abomination that will get your arse thrown right out of Ireland. Might play well in Wales though. Friggin' Welshies.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't drink green beer! And food coloring would be worthless in Guinness, which is what you should be drinking! (Or another stout. Or Harp.) I've assembled a mix case of Guinness, Beamish and Murphy's stouts. We're driving from Pittsburgh to NYC on Saturday to see friends. We'll have an Irish feast. (colcannon w/ kale, cashel blue cheese and celery soup is what we're bringing, along w/ the stout.) MAY bring along some of the special sold-at-Bushmills Distillery-only-whiskey I got on our fall trip. Listen to loads of Irish music (I make a mix CD every year: From Clancy Bros. to traditional jigs and reels to The Pogues. No Corrs, Enya, etc.) Sunday: See The Pogues with said friends! I hope it's awesome. This is a band I came somewhat late to, and haven't seen them. And Shane is well, Shane. A genius poet and a drunk. I hope he can hold it together for a good show. We WON'T be sporting lame shamrock deelybobbers, fake Mardi Gras beads and the like. I hate that crap. Will be sporting a kilt. Will also avoid bars, which tend to draw amatuer drinkers and seem to celebrate Irish stereotypes I dislike. Oh, and 13-15 miles may be a wee bit tough Sunday morning, laddies!

I think I will need to download some Dropkick Murphys before the holiday, too... And get some Harp. Good stuff.

They're good, too. Flogging Molly's another good band. Not as punk as DM.

Speaking of The Pogues -- Blender magazine recently ran a feature on the worst sets of teeth in rock, and Pogues lead singer Shane McGowan was #1. Can't say I disagree. Actually, I don't think he has any teeth currently, which is a major improvement.

Monday shmonday. No irishman or woman for that matter will care what the day is for chasing snakes with a shillaleigh. So me and my mates will be drinking non-colored Jamesons at Ginty O'Tooles listening to traditional Irish folk tunes and discussing how Notre Dame football will rise from the ashes like a Phoenix Why did god invent whiskey/ To keep the irish from conquering the world. Erin Go Bragh