What's the Craic? Tuesday, 12 March 2002. Dia dhuit! Conas tá tu? Tá mé go maith, go raibh maith agat. Since this coming Sunday is Saint Patrick's Day, I would like to wish you a very happy one; I will be spending it in Paris, hopefully. I've had a change in plans for the coming few weeks. Originally, I was going to fly from Boston to Chicago to Brussels and take a train to Amsterdam. After spending the weekend there, I was going to take another train to Paris and pass the next weekend there before flying straight back to Boston. I finally realised that such an itinerary was going to be too costly and it seems that all of the affordable rooms in Amsterdam are already sold out for this weekend. Instead, I now plan to fly directly to Paris from Boston tomorrow and spend the weekend there. I will fly back to Boston next Tuesday or Wednesday and the following day, I am going to try and get down to Buenos Aires. Now that the Argentinian peso has been devalued, it is much more affordable and I have heard that the violent riots that they were having back in December have subsided; Argentina is now a good deal for the tourists. One of the places where I am concidering staying in Buenos Aires has free 'tango' lessons. I could even take a ferry across the Rio de le Plata and visit the neighbouring country of Uruguay (the old colonial city of Colonia del Sacramento which was designated a UNESCO 'World Heritage Site' in 1996). If that doesn't work out, perhaps I will try to go to Spain, instead. I might as well take advantage of my free time while I have it. If nothing else, planning these itineraries has taken my mind off of the difficulties over my unemployment benefits ( which still aren't resolved). Yikes, it is already 10.00 PM! I ought to start packing; I don't feel like going through the last minute rush tomorrow before heading off to the airport. Once I get back home at the beginning of April, sping will rapdily start making its appearance in New England and I can start thinking about the garden and outdoor activities. I really need to start jogging again. Well, on St.Paddy's Day, I will have a shot of Jameson's Irish whiskey and a pint of Guinness and think of you from the City of Light. I hope your day is filled with 'craic' (Irish for 'fun' and pronounced 'crack'). Sláinte agus adh mór! Slan go Foil