St. Patrick's Cathedral and Marsh's Library

If you're a writer, and happen to visit Dublin, there are two places that you should not miss because of the literary history behind it. One is St. Patrick's Cathedral, and the other, Marsh's Library. They are next to each other, and you only have to pay once to see both.

Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin has been around since the late 12th century, and is where the Irish writer, Johnathan Swift, who wrote Gulliver's Travels, is buried. I remember reading Swift's book in Farsi when I was a kid, and getting lost in his story.

 

Swift's companion, an Englishwoman named Esther Johnson aka Stella, who died before he did, was the first to be buried at the cathedral. Swift had a difficult time handling her death, and asked to be buried next to her upon his death. So, was it a love story, or a friendship? There have been speculations that the two were married secretly, but no one can verify it. History just refers to the two as being "close friends," or having a "deep friendship."

There was a wedding going on, and the staff had roped off a section. Everyone had to wait before they were allowed in. 

Ireland's first public library, Marsh's Library, was built in the early 1700s, and carries rare, and unusual books dating back to the 16th century. Before this library, access to libraries usually belonged to scholars, clergymen, and the upper class. For more than 100 years, this was the only public library in Ireland. The picture on the wall is Arch Bishop Narcissus Marsh who founded the library.

Legend has it that the ghost of Marsh walks around at night, looking for a letter that his niece left him. His niece fell in love, and eloped with a sea captain, because Marsh didn't approve of him. She wrote a letter to her uncle, asking for his forgiveness, and left it in a book that he never found.

The librarians also serve as custodians who work hard to preserve the library, and the books. The books are located in the same location where they were hundreds of years ago.

It's a small Library. People were allowed to use it, but due to theft, researchers must now make an appointment to use the reading room. Bram Stoker, James Joyce, and Oliver Swift visited the library for literary research. There are library cages where readers were locked in to prevent theft. Some books have bullet holes from the 1916 Easter Rising when the Irish rose against British rule. In the late 18th century, an Egyptian mummy—a man with a missing head and partial arm—was found in a cupboard. The staff named him Maurice.

Passion vs. Trends

(Image by Stockcake)

As a writer: Would you compromise your passion for trends? I was reading an article the other day about how romance books sell much better than other genre, and how, many readers today prefer writers who write in first person even when they're writing a steamy sex scene. One of the readers who was interviewed said that she only reads books written from first person perspective because she can connect better to the story. She also said that she liked uncomplicated books because she didn't want to think. She just wanted a place where she could escape. So, should all writer rush to write from first person point of view, or write simplistic stories?

As a writer: Okay, let's hold off on that response because I want to introduce something else. I was at a writers conference awhile back, and one of the speakers was a screenwriter named Gary. He was funny, and cracked a lot of jokes. But one thing that stuck in my mind from his lecture was the story he told us about his friend who was also a screenwriter. His friend was looking for work, and started to call around to find someone who was interested in him writing a script about G.I. Joe action figure. He was told that someone else had already been commissioned to do that, but if he was willing to write about this other toy—let's call it Molly—they would consider purchasing his script. Months go by, and one day Gary calls his friend to see how he was doing. His friend said that he was about to hang the doll, and himself, because he was tired of staring at a blank page.

As a reader: Years ago, a friend of mine, who loved to read, and write, gave me a book she had enjoyed reading—Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. I have never been into vampires unless it's Halloween, and I want to dress as one, but my friend who knew this about me, insisted that I read the book. I picked up the book reluctantly, and before I knew it, I finished it in two days. I enjoyed the writer's voice, and found the plot fascinating. So, Anne Rice drew me into her story, and I couldn't put the book down.

As a business: Yes, writing is also a business, but should you kill your creativity, and write what the trends dictate? It's a tough decision when you have bills to pay. Yet, at the same time, it squashes the creative process. And I'm sure that there are writers out there who write manuscripts that they are not passionate about. There is no judgement here. We are all different, and our needs, and desires are different. Nothing wrong with that.

As for me, I have to be passionate about what I write. Otherwise, I would produce mediocre work, at best. I rather have another job that would support my writing career, than to write just to please others. Because I think if I write an intriguing story, I can open up the readers mind to a whole new world, by drawing them in.

I think a writer's job is not just to tell a story, but to let the reader learn something new, something they didn't know much about. And if done right, the reader can still sit back, and lose themselves without being forced to think. 

Tchaikovsky and Acrobatics

When my friend and I first arrived, we both had a long day. We joked about how we almost fell asleep in our seats when the lights were turned down, the night fell upon us, and the relaxing music started.

The conductor, Chloé Dufresne, who is also the music director of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, and who recently debuted with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, led the orchestra. When Chloé spoke, she read with a French accent off of the notes in her hand. She said that she had just moved to the U.S, and what surprised her was that everything was so much bigger. Everyone laughed. She was humble, talented, and continued to use humor to talk about Tchaikovsky's music, and his background.

Performers were members of Troupe Vertigo, based in Los Angeles. They work with different orchestras, and coordinate their movements to the musical composition of the ensemble. Their artistic director, Aloysia Gavre, is the former director of Cirque du Soleil.

I had to cut, and compress these videos in order to fit blogger, which means that I had to pick and choose. Everything I posted here, according to my opinion, were some of their best work.

The fireworks at the end were absolutely beautiful, and better than last year. What was incredible was the coordination of the fireworks with the music. Oftentimes we sit, watch a show, and then get in our cars and leave. But we don't think deeply about how much work has gone into a performance. And I have to say, from the choreography, to the music, and the stage set up, a lot of work went into this magical night of performance. In the past, I didn't attend the Hollywood Bowl much, but the more I go, the more I appreciate their performances, and their hard work. 

Moving to La Jolla

Well, not me. My niece moved to La Jolla late August for her grad studies, and work. She says that she has always wanted to live in San Diego. She said the same thing about Kauai/Hawaii when she moved there a few years back for work, but got homesick, and moved back to L.A. So, not sure for how long her San Diego fever will last, but for now, she is enjoying it. And I'll be visiting La Jolla more often, because I always have an amazing time with her, and with my younger niece as well except that she is up at Berkley.  

We had sushi at Shiku for breakfast because that's what Ellie wanted. Then she wanted to hangout by the beach. We started at Coast Walk Trail on an excruciating hot day with a ton of visitors, and a big line to see Sunny Jim's Sea Cave. She couldn't believe that all those people were willing to wait more than 30 minutes to see a grotto for a fee. She said that she has seen many grottos in the past, and they were free to visit minus the crowd.

I was there on a Sunday. During the week, it's quieter. We still had a nice time. The crowd were patient, sociable, and friendly.

After moving about for some time, the high temperatures, and humidity started to wear us down, and so, we ended up back at her apartment. Ellie is a great artist. I don't know, maybe I'm bias, and a proud aunt. She started taking art classes at the age of four. She paints everything, including her wall decors, trainers, and skates.

There is a whole story about the skateboard in the photo. When Ellie finished her undergrad at NYU, she was overwhelmed by the amount of packing she had to do, and decided to throw out her skateboard. I offered to take it with me to L.A. So, I carried it through JFK with people staring at me. The airline stewardess rolled her eyes when she saw me with it. At LAX, a teenager asked me if the board was mine. I told him that it belonged to my niece. We both had a good laugh about it.

She uses a labor-intensive special method to do her paintings. A large piece takes her at least six months to finish.

We were both really tired, not because we did a lot, but because it was so darn hot outside. I crashed on her sofa, and took a short nap. She relaxed on the carpet. Soon, we both realized that if we don't get up, and get some coffee, we'll fall into a deep coma. Before leaving though, I had to find out the story behind her painted guitar.

Philz Coffee. My first time there. She had the Mojito, and I, the Tiramisu which was definitely decadent, and I highly recommend it.

We ran a bunch of errands after our mandatory dose of caffeine. I tried to find her a coffee table as a housewarming gift. No luck. Will keep looking. But no visit is complete without a stop at a bookstore. We went into B&N, and I bought a book from one of my favorite authors, Eckhart Tolle. OMG, I have so many unread books at my house. I need to seriously stop shopping, and read what I have in stock before getting something new.

 

Time for dinner. We weren't that hungry, but the day was coming to an end. Ellie had to get ready for her first day of meeting her instructors and classmates, and I had to head back home. We went to Puesto La Jolla. It has a pretty front patio, but we opted for air-conditioning.

The classic guacamole, summer enchilada, and passion fruit margarita mocktail were excellent. We ended up taking food home, and having it for dinner the next day.