Feb. 14

Feb. 14

All students made it back from extended weekend with backpacks full of dirty clothes, stories of great adventure, and precious little sleep. We picked up the last two in Clifden as we were getting more paper, and they were most appreciative having spent the night in Dublin airport (planned because of travel arrangements).

Anyhow, Tom held his literature class, and the only complaint was he didn’t have all love poems for Valentine’s Day. But he taught them how to read/feel poetry and even the back row seemed very engaged. He had planned a somewhat abbreviated class thinking eye lids would be heavy, but there were lots of questions. He had a CD of famous people reading the same poems. He paired them up. Had one person read it first, then discuss, and then the second person would read, then the CD. The breakthrough moment was when Kathleen read Midterm Break by Seamus Heaney and then Tom played the CD. They all agreed Kathleen’s delivery was far superior. And they were definitely right! Can’t wait to see Kathleen and congratulate her. FYI for all the Heaney fans; he was not the reader of the poem.

We are busy planning our own kids’ arrival on Saturday, followed by a night in Galway with them (Monday), then we (Aquinas) goes to Dublin (Wednesday), and we (Tom and I) head to Italy on Sunday (Feb. 25^th.) I’m putting our travel plans below for our family since I have the time now and may not next week.

Tom and I just discovered why it was so difficult getting a hotel in Venice. We will be there Feb. 25 & 26 – Carnivale is going on – 10 days of street celebrations leading up to Lent on Feb. 28^th. Can’t wait to see our room which was described as “very small.” Maybe Tom and I will take turn sleeping.

FYI – for those that need to know where we are:

Feb. 25 & Feb. 26 – Casa Santa Maria Formosa, Venice 39 041 2411300

Feb. 27- Mar 5 – Vivahotel Laurus, Florence 055 2381752

Mar 6 & Mar 7 – Hotel Eliseo, Rome 390 64870456

March 8-March 10 Mount Herbert Dublin 353 1 6684321