How's your St, Patrick's day?

[Pauliesonne]

Mine's is boring as hell.

So far, I've taken a walk down town, chatted away with someone and now ( back at home ), I just plan on doing this, watching telly, reading and listening to music.

And possibly eating.

You?

[vidiviciveni]

You're late - It was on the 15th March this year! :eek:

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=9917

[Pauliesonne]

It's not today?

[vidiviciveni]

Nope - Sorry - The Vatican say that Old St. Pat's not as important as the second day of Holy week. Still you got a day off work right?!

[8den]

Nope - Sorry - The Vatican say that Old St. Pat's not as important as the second day of Holy week. Still you got a day off work right?!

Alas he hasn't he's in Limavady, in Derry, and it's unlikely that Ian Paisley's successor is going to make St Patrick's day a holiday in Ulster.

[Pauliesonne]

Nope - Sorry - The Vatican say that Old St. Pat's not as important as the second day of Holy week. Still you got a day off work right?!

Work?

Aspergers and dyspraxia, anyone?

[PrincessIneffabelle]

Strangely enough, our family's commemoration of the death of a Catholic saint has a distinctly secular tone.

We have shamrock and leprechaun decorations about the house. We been listening to Irish folk music and my 1st-grader wore shamrock-sprinkled socks to school today (as did his teacher!). Last week, a "Celtic Dance" troupe visited the school -- which has been clearly evident in my son's new habit of frenetic jigging about the house and yard.

[Tricky]

I celebrated two weeks ago at the North Texas Irish festival with people who really like Irish music and really know things about Ireland and don't drink frickin green beer.

The typical US version of St. Patricks day is just an excuse to get drunk. I try to stay off the roads.

[Apathia]

Later today I'm going to an Irish restaurant, if it's not to crowded.
As for the "wearing of the green," my green necklace looks best on black.
Also in appropriate disclosure, my name is Patrick, and I'm mostly Irish by ancestory.

[Yeah, my screen name doesn't refect my biological configurations.
It's the name of a character in a couple of stories I wrote and a sockpuppet I used for a couple of years (on another site). And yes, I wear pendants and this necklace a friend gave me. (She had no confusion about my masculinity.)
And, I confess. I played with dolls and plushies when I was a child. I'm a little bit of a gender bender. :D]

[Madalch]

To celebrate the day, I taught my organic chemistry students how to sing "para-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde" to the tune of the Irish Well-Washer Woman (or whatever that traditional jig is called).

[Denver]

I am making my first ever attempt at cooking corned beef and cabbage.
It's in the crockpot now.

I had planned on cooking it on low all day. But, with all the veges and the beef, it was packed, I couldn't add the cabbage at the half-day point, and the liquid didn't quite cover everything.

So I just reconfigured everything, got the meat submerged, move some of the veges (and the cabbage) to a second crock pot, and turned the meat to high.

We'll see what happens.
If all else fails, at least I also have green cupcakes.

[slingblade]

I know I was surprisingly old before I learned that the "snakes" Paddy drove from Ireland were of the human, Druidic sort, not the animal, reptillian sort.

I can even remember us all drawing pictures in elementary school, of a man in a robe, waving a stick, herding rattlers out of Limerick. :p

[Madalch]

For those who are celebrating at their computer, I offer the following appropriate tunes:
http://radio3.cbc.ca/bands/THE-IRISH-DESCENDANTS

[Kopji]

Someone should tell Google. They have their green out today.

[Lilith]

My doggie died this weekend ...

I forgot to wear my shamrock pin today.

Oh well.

(beat THAT)

But I do plan to have some green beer later this evening.

[mijopaalmc]

To celebrate the day, I taught my organic chemistry students how to sing "para-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde" to the tune of the Irish Well-Washer Woman (or whatever that traditional jig is called).

You mean this tune:

hMiSei85II0

That is the "Irish Washerwoman".

[Madalch]

You mean this tune:
That is the "Irish Washerwoman".
That's the one. Isaac Asimov mentioned in one of his essays that he was singing it to himself (with "para-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde" for the words), and was overheard by an Irish cleaning lady, who was suitably impressed that he knew the Gaelic words for the song.

[Upchurch]

My St. Patrick's day* is much like any other day, only with more green.





* which is today, March 17th. Ta hell with what the Vatican says.

[Cleon]

Got some Dubliners, Chieftains, Clancy Bros, and (looks around suspiciously) Wolfe Tones in the iPod. Tonight, I shall enjoy some hearty Guinness as well.

Oró, sé do bheatha abhaile
Oró, sé do bheatha abhaile
Oró, sé do bheatha abhaile
Anois ar theacht an tsamhraidh!

[Alt+F4]

My dad was a proud Irishmen, from County Roscommon. He died several years ago, so on this day I always drink a pint in his memory.

Otherwise, as an Irish-American who has spent extensive time in Ireland I must say I don't like this "holiday" at all. It seems nothing more than an excuse to go out and get trashed (like we need an excuse for that anyway). Nothing at all what it's like in Ireland.

[lionking]

This is the first St Pat's day I've been off the grog, so no traditional Vietnamese lunch (don't ask) and no pub crawl.

[cgordon]

Currently, drinking German white wine (a very dry Silvaner), and nomming home-made kefta in tomato-peanut butter sauce, listening to NPR.

Spent time today clearing the installation and clearing out my office. Wore green, but not because of the sad day honoring the man who destroyed Irish culture and launched Roman Christianity in the Emerald Isles, but because it was what was clean.

Paddy was a right bastard (and was nae even IRISH for O'Niell's sake) and honoring him would chap my ass.

[Sickly Crypsis]

Science damn it!

I thought it was the 17th also.

But as a replacement it was my friends girlfriend's birthday so we partied-hearty.

Beer and spirits and Singapore slings
Pills and cigarettes and my attempts to sing
Gooberrys, redbull and cantankerous flings

Also, as I was stumbling to the train station 2 bucket bong smoking S*** heads were asking us "What church do you belong to?"
to which I replied "None, I'm an atheist"

"So your HITLER? I'm a jew! I take offence to that"

I was taken back by how someone can be such a moron. Godwin's law in action I suppose.

[Pauliesonne]

Well I've been asleep for a while so my day has been really...

[PrincessIneffabelle]

I know I was surprisingly old before I learned that the "snakes" Paddy drove from Ireland were of the human, Druidic sort, not the animal, reptillian sort.

I can even remember us all drawing pictures in elementary school, of a man in a robe, waving a stick, herding rattlers out of Limerick. :p
We did that, too!

:D

We were also informed that he was Irish and that the day was to celebrate his birth.

This is what happens when foreign holidays and traditions get dumped into the melting pot('o gold!) that is America. Just look at what we did to St. Valentine's Day! It's disgraceful!

Most of the people I know celebrate St. Paddy's Day as a secular winter's-almost-over holiday and a nod to Irish heritage, not a serious Holy Day complete with the obligatory Catholic Mass. Then again, most of the people I know don't use it as an excuse to get rip-roaring drunk, either.

So, we're sorry for screwing up your saint's Holy Day, Ireland. We'll gladly give you a copy of one of ours to take back to the Emerald Isle and celebrate it all wrong, if you want.

[Tricky]

Now this is a fun idea (http://www.9news.com/news/watercooler/article.aspx?storyid=88309):
(on St. Patrick's day) when he stepped off the bus, he noticed something on the ground next to a bench. It was still dark in the early morning, and he could barely make it out.

When he leaned down he saw it crystal clear: a pot of gold.

It was a plastic pot filled with $50 in gold-colored Sacagawea dollar coins, and an extra $3.17 (the date).

There was also a note:

"Happy St. Patrick's Day ... Because there is not enough magic in the world. Because I have many wonderful things in my life, and some of them feel like magic to me. Because I used to wish that would find a pot of gold. Because I would have been thrilled to find this. Have a great day."

[Complexity]

I don't observe religious holidays, don't like crowds, and don't like cheap green beer.

[slingblade]

Got some Dubliners, Chieftains, Clancy Bros, and (looks around suspiciously) Wolfe Tones in the iPod. Tonight, I shall enjoy some hearty Guinness as well.

Oró, sé do bheatha abhaile
Oró, sé do bheatha abhaile
Oró, sé do bheatha abhaile
Anois ar theacht an tsamhraidh!

Sláinte! :D