Corporations

I wanted to cancel my American Express card. They had pissed me off, charge a foreign transaction fee, and an annual fee. I made sure the balance was zero and called them up. I had tried that a week before, but a web company put a yearly renewal charge on it, after I told them I don't want their services anymore. They apologized and reverted the charge.
On the phone, the Amex sales rep told me I had been a good customer for nine years and started adding incentives for me to keep the card. When I kept insisting to cancel it, he started to tell me how this would hurt my credit rating. But, after a while, he reluctantly canceled my card after having me say loud and clearly into the recording that this was indeed what I wanted to do; and realized what wonderful benefits I was giving up; and that it wasn't the fault of the sales rep.

A few years ago this would have infuriated me. Now that I have dealt with Irish companies, I wish they all worked like Amex.

I'm trying to cancel the phone and Internet service I had at the apartment. I have a different service provider now, but the old company insists on still billing me. I called them in June, but they said I cannot cancel due to a twelve-month contract. I wrote them a letter in July, and I sent them an email after being told to do that on their bulleting board. They do not respond to me at all. On the web page where I can view my outstanding balance, it is like a jo-jo. Last week it was 90 euro, then down to 33 euro. Today it is 370 euro.
Looking back at an old blog entry, I did know at one point that I had signed up for twelve months. I had forgotten that. However, there was a trial period and I canceled the new service before that deadline. Since I didn't keep that add-on, I certainly didn't want to keep the 12-month extension. They were sneaky, but now at least it would be nice for them to answer my letters.

I don't have my account at Ulster Bank, but a couple of month ago, their computer system went off-line after a software upgrade. Employers could not put salaries into their employees' accounts, people could not access their money or pay bills. For three weeks!
Ulster Bank belongs to the Bank of Scotland. While the computer crisis was going on, a radio host asked the CEO of the Bankf of Scotland whether he would forfait his year-end bonus. The CEO replied that he didn't think that would be necessary. The uproar was enormous and a few days later he said he would reconsider.

On to my bank... Once or twice a month I transfer money to the States. I use xe.com to do that. I'll transfer the euros to a local bank of theirs and they then transfer US Dollars into my account in the States. Last month this didn't work. My bank's online tool said I cannot make that transfer. After some back and forth I learned that my bank's computer system has a bank-wide limit of ten transfers to any one account at another bank. (Actually it is more complicated than that, but that would require another whole blog entry.) Anyway, xe.com, through their bank, must give my bank permission to send them money.
As far as I know this has not been resolved yet, but at least I know what is going on. But it cost hours on the computer and on the phone to get this far.

Fruitfellas.ie

Each household in Ireland has a black, a green, and a brown bin for trash, recyclables, and compost. You sign up with a private company to come empty those once in a while. My black one hasn't been emptied in more than five weeks.
I signed up with one online. They sent me a bill and I payed it. Nothing. I sent an email and Sinead said she needs the serial numbers off the bins. Sent those. She said someone would come and scan the bins (I think they have RFID tags) since the serial numbers were not in her system. Next trash collection day and nobody touches my bin. Complained again. Sinead asked whether I had attached a bin tag. No, what is that?
It turns out that the yearly fee is for compost and recyclable collection. For trash you pay by volume. You go to the corner store and buy a bin tag, attach it to your trash bin and leave it out. The trash collector empties the bin and rips off the tag. Repeat.
It took more than four weeks to learn that...
And why is there a tag and a serial number/RFID tag? Why not scan it when you empty it and charge me for usage?

Today, the only Irish company I like is Fruitfellas.ie. On Saturday mornings, at the crack of dawn, they go to the local food markets in Dublin and buy fresh fruit and vegetables. Then they come out to your house and bring you a crate full of good stuff.

Scotland

At mile 18 of today's run I was composing the start of this blog: "I'm sure you are glad to hear that today's 20-miler went much better than the previous ones and I came back with time to spare." Well, almost. At mile 18 I was 50 seconds behind, but thought I was ahead by that much and took it a little bit easier up that last hill about a mile from here. It's not really a hill, but a nasty incline. At least it seems nasty after anything over 12 miles.

We hiked up that hill. It was very steep.

So, I lost some more time and came in 2 minutes over my target time. But, no walking or other major problems. It was by no means easy, but I felt better than the last two times. I think it's mostly the shoes. Today I was wearing a newer pair that is not quite as worn and used as my usual pair.

I then walked over to the top of the fall.

Often when I run, cars stop and ask me for direction. Even if I wanted to, I can usually not help them. I don't know where the N4 is and how to get to it, and I'm on a timed run! On the other hand, if you want to cross the street, they don't stop for you. Often they honk their horns if you run on the street, in Phoneix park! It's full of pedestrians and bicycles, but lazy people drive in and commuters use it to cut through to the other side of Dublin. I think they should only allow buses and service vehicles and set up some parking lots on the edges. Then it would be a park.

Highland cows in Scotland

Our second week of vacation was in Scotland. You can see more pictures on my picasa album and Anika's. It rained quite a bit, but we got to see a neat corner of Scotland. To see all of it, would require much more time. It's a 40-minute flight from Dublin, so I know we'll be back.

Sunset near Kirriemuir where we stayed

Of Voires and Boiks

Last month the Tall Ships came to Dublin

Tonight I did my sprint exercises along the Royal Canal. I had my bike on one end of a stretch along the path I know is pretty exactly a mile long and more or less flat. I would sprint down and come back on a recovery jog and then get a drink of watter from the bottle on my bike.
I did this four times and at some point three guys had camped out near my bike putting their fishing rods into the water and drinking beer. When I stepped away from my bike after my sip of water, one of them asked me whether I had been checking on my bike. I told him No, just getting some water.
A few more words and they asked me what part of America I was from. I told them Albuquerque which prompted one of them to shout out "Breaking Bad". I have heard of that show and told him I don't watch it (I don't have a TV), but heard it was good. He said it was "the best f*ing thing on the telly." Then he asked me whether I liked De Voire.
So far into the conversation I understood about one or two words of every five these guys said. It was a lot of "What?" on my part and them repeating things that didn't become more understandable.
He called his buddy over and asked him how he said De Voire. He said "De Voire". After quite some time and many repetitions it became clear they were talking about a TV show called The Wire.
I told them to learn English and did another lap.
When I came back they asked me whether I liked Ireland. I told them I like the friendly people and also they way they talk, although I cannot understand it. He explained to me that it was the Doblin accent and I told him it was Dublin and bike, not boik. One of them chimed in "yeah, boycycle!"
He also told me that the other problem was that they were commoners, not educated people, although one of them had gone to welding school. He asked where I lived and when I told him Castleknock, he said "Noice" with a captial N! It is a nice area, but I'm not sure it deserves a capital N. So I told him that until recently I had lived in Mulhuddart (where the murder rate is somewhat higher) and the welder explained that this was where he works.
Earlier I had been thinking to ask them whether they couldn't hear the difference in speech between the shows they watch and the way they talk. Turns out that wasn't necessary: they can speak and imitate the American accent quite well as I was leaving when they were making fun of me with my "Wire" from "Albuquerque", "South of Colorado".

Another unrelated picture from the Tall Ship festival. Didn't have a camera with me to take a picture of the De Voire guys, and it was too dark anyway.

Vacation in England

In Lincoln

This Summer we vacationed for a week in England and another in Scotland. I posted the pictures I took in England on picasa. Anika took some very nice ones. You can see them here.
Not much really happened. We drove around quite a bit to visit various towns and mansions. In most of the latter it would have been difficult to take pictures inside, but it was usually not allowed anyway. It was relaxing.

I like the interplay of the evening light with the tree leaves on the colorful facades.

We had exchanged our timeshare week for a condo next to a golf course in Beltonwood near Grantham. It was very nice but a bit out of the way. Most of the tourists here seemed to be British people. Certainly not the usual Disney World crowd. (I guess a subset would be the proper term.)
I tried to keep up my running as much as possible, but it was not always possible to find the time, energy, or suitable routes. I'm back on a more regular schedule now and managed to finish my 20-miler on Sunday properly, although I was still a little bit slow.

We visited some cool, ancient pubs.

I got a blister on that run and thought maybe it is time to get new running shoes, especially since I did a steep hike and walked ankle deep through a Scottish moor in them (see next blog post ;-) After 300 to 400 miles the midsole starts wearing out, which can lead to painful runs and injuries. I looked through my training log. I have run 270 miles since the Achill half marathon. Another 250 since the start of my training program for the Dublin marathon in May, and another 125 miles at the beginning of the year. I have another 335 miles to go before Dublin, so by the end of the year I should be well past the 1,000 mile mark!
Until I had added all this up I felt like a slacker. Now I don't feel so bad anymore. Math is great! At the moment my short and easy runs are 10 or 11 miles. I do two of those per week, a technical run (tempo, sprints, or hills) midweek, and a long run on Sundays. I guess it adds up.

I took the ferry from Ireland to Great Britain to meet up with everyone else.

I remember only a few years ago dreading 8-mile runs. Now I worry about my 20s, but 8 is really no problem anymore (unless they are tempo runs. I hate those.) On the other hand, it is not that long ago that I started running. Only six years ago Bart talked me into doing the Socorro triathlon. I couldn't run and even a half mile caused severe side stitches and coughing. Now its a love/hate relationship. I still don't particularly like running, but I do like the great feeling a day or two afterward.
And just yesterday I read this article that says that people who become active in their middle age still reap enormous benefits. You may not live that much longer, but the onset of serious or chronic conditions is delayed until much later in live. Of course, they didn't subtract all those long hours you are in pain on your runs, but the math probably still comes out in favor of exercise.

End of Summer

I wrote this last week, but only now had time to publish it...

Mounds at Knowth with passage tombs

Sorry for not writing this long. It has been a very busy Summer with lots of trips. Until last the previous week Anika was here and we visited Newgrange and Knowth a few weeks ago. The whole area is a UNESCO world heritage site. These are 5,200 year-old burial mounds. Older than the Egyptian pyramids and fairly sophisticated. Depending on the mound, they are aligned with the Summer or Winter solstice. At Newgrange there is a lottery for about twenty people to be inside the mound on one of the mornings around December 21st. For a few minutes the passage aligns with the rising sun and the light reaches into the heart of the mound, illuminating the spot where five millennia ago the cremated remains of people who had died were presented to the sun to allow passage into the afterlife.

Although there are stones with markings from that time, nobody really knows what these people believed or why they built the mounds. They did a good job, though. No rain water has penetrated the tombs for thousands of years. That, in spite of many peoples coming afterwards and using the mounds for their own purposes. Houses, moats, and whole castles were built on them. Sometimes escape tunnels and places to hide were dug. But overall the mounds have survived very well.
The tours for the two main sites leaving the visitor center at Bru na Boynne are very interesting. You can see some more pictures on my picasa page.

On Sunday I went running. I have been doing it, but my training schedule had to bend and twist quite a bit to accommodate travel and weather conditions. My goal is to run the Dublin Marathon at the end of October. Sunday I was supposed to go for twenty miles, which I did, but I had to walk the last three. As I was dragging myself defeated out of Phoenix park, an old lady walked on the path toward me. Just as we were crossing each other she turns toward me and asks "Did you win the race today?"
I was still trying to figure out why I hadn't been able to finish my run and just stared at her. She said "There was a race, you know, here in the park this morning." I think there had been a 10k earlier in the day, so I finally said that I had not participated in the race. As soon as she heard me say that she told me "Of course you wouldn't. You are not Irish." and walked off. The tone of her voice clearly indicated that only an Irish could participate in or win this race ;-)
Looking at the race results, a Scotsman won the race, which may be close enough to Irish for the old lady.  Looking down the list, it does seem there are very few non-locals, although there is a chance: on rank 142 is an "unknown male".