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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

"There's No One as Irish as Barack O'Bama"

I didn't remember that it's St. Patrick's Day today until I walked into the coffee shop this morning and half the people were wearing green. And so was I, but not for the saint. I'd put on a green sweater because we're in a heatwave (in the 50s!), and it's one of my only light sweaters. (I haven't felt romantically toward Ireland since we met in person. Of course Saint Patrick was one of my relatives--his parents were Romans in Britain--but I don't presume on the connection.)

I asked the barista, a black woman, if she'd worn green on purpose.
"You bet," she said, "I'm Irish."

But when I asked if she was related to Barack Obama, she looked a little confused.
I told her his great-great grandfather, I think it was, came from Ireland. I thought everyone knew this from the music video on youTube "There's No One as Irish as Barack O'Bama", by the Corrigan Brothers. If you didn't catch this during election season, it's worth watching today.
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Update on the 365 Project

I write daily, when I do, because I want to, but taking a self-portrait every day soon became a drag. I was going to give it up, but then I thought, since I set the rules, I can change them. So, I'll take a photo when I feel like it until I get to #365 or my 49th birthday in March 2010, whichever comes first. I also realized the point of photos is the picture, so I'm just going to post them, maybe with a caption, and shut up.
Below are a couple catch-up ones.

7 comments:

  1. Rotated to the right, you look like a salt&pepper-haired bandit and/or alien with a little voodoo doll tracheotomy tube sticking out. That's what I see:)

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  2. And that's exactly right, Maura! : )

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  3. That song is super-awesome! It kind of sums up what I love about Obama, the symbolism of his wonderful crazy-quilt background and family. Thanks for pointing me that way!

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  4. Yeah, the crazy quilt!
    We're such mutts, and it's so great when we have fun with that (even if that includes drinking green Budweisers) and not when we hold dog fights.

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  5. Yay! I'm so glad you're going to keep posting photos, I was already missing them, even though it's only been a few days. And I totally admire your take on setting your own rules...it seems like it should be easy to make that kind of choice on your own behalf, but those always seem to be the exactly the times where I find it hardest to be brave.

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  6. Thanks for letting me know, Story.
    I had thought the photos might be really boring, so I'm glad to hear you enjoy them.

    A therapist I saw years ago commented, "You ask for permission a lot." I had never thought about it, but he was right. I try to give myself my own persmission slips now, but you're right--sometimes it requires a surprising amount of bravery!

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  7. I'm glad you are doing the photos after all, too.

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