Erin Bair

Ooh, what fun! Enjoy!

Oh dear. I’m going to a concert (Counting Crows! For I am middle aged.) this week and have No Idea what to wear. Any tips?

For those who say the protesters yesterday were extremists who hate America and capitalism, I give you my parents—including my dad, a veteran and a banker. #NoKings

Well, I continued my habit of seeking out incredibly depressing art for “fun” — but @abbeytheatre.bsky.social’s production of “The Boy” was absolutely worth it. One day, two plays, and many stellar performances — especially Eileen Walsh and Frank Blake. Highly recommend.

“There are many forms of patriotism—and telling the truth is one of them.”

- Anderson Cooper, on @colbertlateshow.bsky.social

Out of the mouths of babes… 🤷🏻‍♀️

One of these things is not like the others…

The Trump family has made $3.4 billion since he has been in office. Meanwhile, the Irish presidential candidate from one of the largest parties has just withdrawn from the race because 15 years ago a tenant overpaid him €3300 and he never paid it back.

It’s just the best news I’ve heard in a while.

I’ve got a birthday coming up next week. I’m turning I-just-bought-a-nightlight-for-the-hall-to-the-bathroom-but-I-still-don’t-need-readers years old.

Can vouch for both Emily (the mom) and Michelle (the organizer). If you’ve got even a few dollars to contribute, it would be a great help!

It was awfully nice of Northern Virginia to be all rainy when I flew in this evening, just to make me feel at home…

Well, looks like I’m at least doing something right…

Happy bird-day!

Let’s play a little game called “Guess what day Erin sprained her ankle”…

To be followed by a one-question quiz: “True/False: Having walked farther today than she has all week, Erin is spending her Friday night at home with her ankle elevated.”

Good point.

I’m serious. In Ireland, you can have a gun—for hunting or target shooting or “killing pests or for the humane killing of animals.” You have to have a license for that gun, which requires training and safe storage.

And somehow Ireland remains a democracy.

And kids don’t get shot in school.

A lot of kids here in Dublin started back to school today. I’m sure their parents were worried about any number of things the kids might experience at school.

I’m also sure that their kids getting shot was not one of them.

America, it doesn’t have to be this way.

Yes—thankfully I wasn’t very far down the trail, and the sprain wasn’t too bad. But it felt good to finally get home and get ice on it!

Ireland — where even sprained ankles come with lovely views.

Glen Beach cliff walk, you haven’t seen the last of me…

There are decent vegetarian offerings — but I haven’t come across good American southern/soul food yet!

Either way, I’m gonna have to figure out how to open a “three-veg-plate” food truck here in Dublin bc there’s a conspicuous lack of this kind of deliciousness on the Emerald Isle.

Mac & cheese, collard greens, and fried okra. With a side of corn bread. Dinner of champions.

“The behemoths opposite are all dusty-windowed multi-occupancy nightmares, full of art students, old people with a hundred cats, and bewildered Nigerians.”

Evidently housing in Europe hasn’t changed much in 50 years. 😂

(quote from “Light Perpetual,” Francis Spufford)

Watching Slow Horses is an exercise in walking the tightrope between marveling at Gary Oldman’s acting and feeling an overwhelming urge to have someone tie him in a chair and wash his hair.

Screenshot of text that reads: “The island settled in a whispering and excited night-time, and within each cottage the story of Sean Gore left husbands and wives sleepless in their beds, feeling the sudden chill knowledge that while they were thoughtlessly churning through the day perhaps God Himself had passed along the island roads.” ~ Niall Williams, Four Letters of Love

“situation with the result that they either identified Hitler’s movement with God’s purposes or in their individualistic pietism simply opted out and took refuge in an escapist other-worldly spirituality.”

-John Morrow, Journey of Hope

They who have ears to hear let them hear.

“In the wake of World War II there had been a lot of heart-searching about the failure of ordinary church members to stand up to Nazism and to defend the Jews from persecution and the eventual Holocaust. They concluded that church members had not been equipped for their witness in the social…

9 pm, August 2nd: As I sit outside, it’s twilightish — which seems early after the long, long days of early summer. A few leaves on the birch tree in the back garden are turning yellow.

The rhythm of the seasons is so different here. My soul and my body don’t quite know what to make of it yet.

Patty Griffin followed by REM?!? The soundtrack for S4E8 of The Bear is killing me in the best possible way.

Signs you’re acclimating to life in Ireland:

Me: “Gosh, it seems to be getting dark early.”

Also me: checks clock as it’s dusky on a cloudy evening.

9:59 pm.