Travel Ireland

It has been over a decade since I visited Ireland. Above is a photo of me at Blarney Castle. I like to watch the various travel videos that Expedia makes to remind me of places I've been and places that I would like to go.

Check out "Visit Dublin –Things To Do and See in Dublin, Ireland":

Obviously, I would recommend visiting Blarney Castle once you're done in Dublin.

   

Cold-weather Imposed Imprisonment

A lot my friends and coworkers are stuck indoors today due to cold weather. Here's some ideas to make the most of the cold-weather imposed imprisonment.

1) Make an awesome breakfast!

Have you taught your kids how to make french toast or cook bacon?! Don't have kids? More bacon for you.

2) Plan your summer vacation!

I've been having a lot of fun with https://roadtrippers.com/.

3) Take an online class or tutorial!

I know many of my FB friends have access to Skillsoft. There is some good stuff in there. For those without access to Skillsoft there are still a ton of free courses. For example, https://modernstoicism.com/introduction-to-online-course/

4) Humble Bundle!

Humble Bundle has book, comic, audio, and game bundles. This is a great opportunity to get some stuff and have the proceeds go to charity.

5) Family TV!

Check out The Librarian franchise for family friendly adventure.

6) Hot Chocolate/Cider!

Gather in the kitchen to make and drink your hot beverages together.

7) House cleaning!

I've had a couple piles of books in my living room that have been staring me down. Today, I will find them a new home. And I don't want to hear anything about whether they "spark joy."

8) Lunch!

Fix a food that you crave when it's cold out. Grilled cheese, chili, pot roast, etc. Again, get the kids involved. I've seen a lot of posts of people saying they wish they learned X in school. If you know X then your kids don't need to learn it in school. And cooking is one example of X that I've seen people complain about.

9) Pan popcorn and a movie!

Pan popcorn is the best! Let the kids or your spouse pick the movie and just soak in being with people you love.

10) Magazine catch up!

I've been cutting back on the number of magazine subscriptions I have and still I have a pile of unread magazines. This will seem wasteful but something I've do to get myself to read more of my magazines is to skim through a magazine and tear out the long articles that I want to read then put the rest in recycling. I'll usually end up with 3 articles that are ready next time I'm ready to read. It is all about divide and conquer.

11) Mix tape!

When was the last time you made a mix tape?! Okay, in this day and age I realize that few people use tapes anymore. Make your music mix in whatever format you use - tape, CD, playlist, etc.

12) Make something!

A friend posted pictures of a cold weather cat house she made for a stray near her office. In December, I made a geodesic dome cat house out of cardboard for my girlfriend's indoor cats. That would have been a really good project to do with kids.
http://www.domerama.com/calculators/2v-geodesic-dome-calculator

13) Write a letter!

Revive the lost art of letter writing.
https://www.ted.com/talks/lakshmi_pratury_on_letter_writing
If that's too hard then send a postcard.

14) READ!

When else can you truly enjoy a good book then on a snow day?!

15) Board games!

Board games are a great way to socialize and build logic skills.

Bucket List

Get SCUBA certified: https://www.diventures.com/scuba/dive-certification-costs

Go on an Insight cruise: http://www.insightcruises.com/

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Winchester Palace, London, UK

November 2, 2017 - Riverside remains of a 13th-century bishops' complex with ruins of great hall, prison and brewhouse. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/winchester-palace