Editing from Ireland

As you read this I’m in the air, somewhere between Parker, Arizona and Belfast, Northern Ireland. My plane lands on the Emerald Isle early Tuesday morning (very early, much to my dad’s chagrin – he’ll be picking me up).

My mom, dad, brother, sister, nieces, uncle and a lot of old friends all live there, and until recently, most of them lived in the house I grew up in. Now, they’re in a coastal town with a harbor called Donaghadee (pronounced Don-ack-a-dee) around the corner from a wee pub called Grace Neill’s, which has the oldest title deeds in Ireland (it’s been open since 1611).

I use most of my vacation time each year to go back home and see my family when I can; I’m the only one of us who left our homeland. So, I’m the black sheep of the family, if you will. They’re nice people. Mellow people. Reserved, polite and humble people. So, as those of you who know me personally can attest, I really am the black sheep.

Anyway, during my vacation I’ll be staying on the tiller at Parker Live; if you have news, views, press releases, announcements, event flyers, photographs, videos, comments or anything else, please continue to use our CONTACT FORM above to get them over to me. Hopefully your service won’t be interrupted much or at all.

Things I’m going to love: Ulster Fry breakfasts, gallows humor, a proper sense of irony, Cadbury’s chocolate, Banoffee pie, green hills, stone walls, Shepherd’s Pie, Irish Stew, the good craic, pastie suppers, bicycling around the coastline, doner kebabs, Walker’s crisps and KFC UK’s Zinger Tower Burger (these are all links you can click on if curious).

Things I’m going to loathe: rain, cold, life without Melissa who’ll be in Germany, missing the Tube Float, driving on the left, room-temperature Coke and an almost complete lack of good service (more links).

Thanks for reading, Parker and elsewhere; see you on the other side of the pond.

PS- Some of my thoughts this morning are reserved for the Page and Story families after Saturday morning’s tragic events. Little will be able to console them at this point, but I hope some answers can be procured, some justice done and maybe some healing in the future.