Guinness

I seem to be doing a lot of drinking for someone who has given up alcohol for Lent.  Today, I had my first ever Guinness in honor of St Patrick.  Note that St Patrick's Day now seems to be officially 3 days.

Apart from occasionally donning something green, I don't remember really celebrating this feast day.  I know I look Irish, but I'm not, it's just a trick of genetics.  Plus, the thought of being with a whole lot of rowdy drunk green-clad mostly-not-Irish-either people is just not appealing.  But an actually Irish friend took me to a fairly quiet (in some parts) bar where we waited for the manager to come and pour us a Guinness each, properly.

The main reason I've never tried Guinness before now is that I don't like beer, and I didn't see any reason why I would like Guinness.  I was warned that it's not a pleasant taste, and I predicted I would get about halfway.  I was right - well, I got a bit further than halfway, but not by much.  It was much more drinkable that I imagined it would be.  I can actually see myself drinking this again, which is really saying something!  Plus, you have to appreciate getting some B vitamins and iron with your alcoholic beverage.

Movie #7

Just for something different, the other movie I borrowed on Saturday was a comedy.  Odd, I know.  This one was called The Guard - it's Irish, so it comes with a language warning.  It is fantastically funny.  Subtitles were on as well, which just added to the amusement ("Spaghetti western style music playing", "Boom!", etc).  Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleeson) was so refreshingly blunt.  Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle - so I kept thinking of him as Basher thanks to the Ocean's movies) was wonderfully straight.  The only way I can think to describe him.  

This was really all good.  The script.  The acting.  The camera work.  The music.  Even the violence was done so well that I thought at the time 'Oh :(' at the worst.  I felt for the wife of the officer who was killed for pulling over the wrong people (and how many people say goodbye to their spouse and don't know if that will be the last time?).  I really enjoyed seeing Mark Strong in a different role - still a bad guy, but a really likeable bad guy.  

This was another satisfying movie - the really really bad guys all died, the good guys mostly all survived.  The Irish speak Gaelic to the FBI man (not actually in the Behavioural Science Unit as they all ask) who then asks a horse if he's seen any of these guys.  

Interestingly, though, the line that has been in my head all day was from a minor character.  Gerry Boyle's mother is quite close to the end of her life (and dies during the movie).  He thinks she's doing ok - "She looks fine" - but the doctor says "It's not what's on the outside that counts.  It's what's on the inside, eating away at you".  As someone who puts on a brave face so people can't tell I'm depressed, this is something I know I should take seriously.  People might think I'm a nice, happy person, but this isn't always the case.

As I was returning the movies, I passed a girl on the station steps.  I thought she was just on her phone, but as I passed she warned me to be careful - she was taking a photo of this little guy.  Very cute, about the size of my hand, but a little cautious of all the attention.  Hopefully his mother found him.