First, the good news

First the good news: I'm dancing! Went to a trad night over in Carrigaline last night with my sister. The video below isn't us... but this was one of the dances we learned: the Siege of Ennis. My sister always thought it was called the Siege of Venice, and she'd wondered how exactly Venice related to Irish history... kind of like me and the tiny tuna... but I'll save that story for another day. I was in heaven: trad band with fiddle, accordian, tin whistle, guitar and banjo. The little kids could dance way better and I made my sister laugh so hard she had to leave the dance floor! I stepped on many a toe and mangled many a dance move but it was just so much fun.



Now the bad news: I flunked my driving test. I'd applied for the test in February and Nov 2nd was my test date.... even though I reapplied right away it could be the end of next summer until I get another test date. I made a fatal, if Canadian error... I didn't look in the mirrors before clicking the indicator on.... In Canada you indicate, check mirrors, check blindspots and move when it's safe. In Ireland, you check mirrors, then indicate, then mirrors again, then blindspot, then move. If you even touch that indicator before looking in the mirror you get a demerit. 4 demerits in one category (like "Mirrors") you flunk. I had 12 and that's only 'cos he ran out of room to mark me down. I'll just chalk it up to experience, and I'm getting a bicycle so I can get over to Carrigaline on Thursday nights for the weekly dance!