I don't have much of a story to tell today.....because yesterday I went to bed at 7:30pm.
Lil tired.
But in Irish news, the 2008 governmental budget was announced yesterday, which was the topic of most conversations throughout the day. The Irish are notoriously good at keeping up on news, both local and international, and news is often a topic of casual conversation. People seem to always know not just the basics, but the very details of most newsworthy events. It all ties back to two things: The Irish dissatisfaction with British rule and keeping informed to get them out, and also the classic Irish ear for gossip. No one loves a bit of juicy news like an Irishman!
So, the budget has increased the national cigarette price by €0.30, bringing the price to €7.65, or $11.33. That's right, $11.33 per pack. And in the EU cigarette prices are standardized per country and per brand, meaning each brand is the same price no matter what shop you go to in the country. In another country it may be different, but all over Ireland the price will be the same.
So that's nuts. Anyone that smokes an $11 pack of cigarettes has got to be made of money, I figure. Hopefully it'll cause more people to give up smoking here, where about 40% of adults are hooked.
If you're wondering about my house....well, then you and I are in the same boat. I'm nervous about this weekend and have a lot of window shopping and museum visiting planned to keep me away from home as much as possible! Tonight I'm going down the road to Declan and Damien's house to watch tv and have a few "scoops" as they call it here. Scoops, to my dissapointment, does not mean ice cream. It's Ireland, so........you guessed it, it means beer. Everything means beer: Scoop, Rag, Drink, Grog, Slog, Black Stuff, and many more that I have left to learn.
Ah, rampid alcholism.
So have a good weekend! I'll be enjoying mine! Only ONE WEEK before I'm home! CANNOT WAIT!!!
Lil tired.
But in Irish news, the 2008 governmental budget was announced yesterday, which was the topic of most conversations throughout the day. The Irish are notoriously good at keeping up on news, both local and international, and news is often a topic of casual conversation. People seem to always know not just the basics, but the very details of most newsworthy events. It all ties back to two things: The Irish dissatisfaction with British rule and keeping informed to get them out, and also the classic Irish ear for gossip. No one loves a bit of juicy news like an Irishman!
So, the budget has increased the national cigarette price by €0.30, bringing the price to €7.65, or $11.33. That's right, $11.33 per pack. And in the EU cigarette prices are standardized per country and per brand, meaning each brand is the same price no matter what shop you go to in the country. In another country it may be different, but all over Ireland the price will be the same.
So that's nuts. Anyone that smokes an $11 pack of cigarettes has got to be made of money, I figure. Hopefully it'll cause more people to give up smoking here, where about 40% of adults are hooked.
If you're wondering about my house....well, then you and I are in the same boat. I'm nervous about this weekend and have a lot of window shopping and museum visiting planned to keep me away from home as much as possible! Tonight I'm going down the road to Declan and Damien's house to watch tv and have a few "scoops" as they call it here. Scoops, to my dissapointment, does not mean ice cream. It's Ireland, so........you guessed it, it means beer. Everything means beer: Scoop, Rag, Drink, Grog, Slog, Black Stuff, and many more that I have left to learn.
Ah, rampid alcholism.
So have a good weekend! I'll be enjoying mine! Only ONE WEEK before I'm home! CANNOT WAIT!!!
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