Since I’m n ot a full-time shop keeper anymore, I’m not missing the endless conversations about the weather.  And I’m not missing the newspapers, headlines, and dreary news. Maybe I’m the proverbial ostrich with the head in the sand, but I don’t like bad news. It is always my gripe that news is so subjective, and the media releases only what sells. I do like to know some of what’s going on but I still have the childish fantasy of producing a paper that has only good news in it.

However, I do miss the Saturday ritual of reading the Irish Times weekend magazine. Roisin Ingle is back, with her fresh, spunky, honest words. She has been a journalist for years, left the paper, and recently came back to her weekly spot in the magazine.  She’s my age, has published one book, angsts openly about whatever she thinks will catch people’s attention. Some of her pieces are disgusting, but I still like her for several reasons. For one, she is human, honestly so. For another, I feel she is a good commentary on what life is like for the thirty-somethings in Ireland. It’s not all bad news. But a lot of it is, which is sad, because they believed in the Celtic Tiger which has expired now.

Her last article really got my attention. It made me sad and burdened, but for different reasons than the person to whom she was writing. I’m still drafting an answer to her in my head, though I may prob. never send it to her.

The Irish Times is a Protestant-owned paper, which provides an interesting dynamic in a Catholic country. I like the arts and human interest pieces. And our Very Favourite part of the paper: the crossword. I’ve done crosswords in other magazines and books, but the Times’ is the best. My mom and sister do the puzzle every day, being more brainy than I–but even they don’t do the cryptic option.

I like that the Times is on-line now. That means I can access it anywhere I go. Several weeks ago I was talking with my sister who lives in the US. It was a Saturday, and suddenly in the conversation, she said “Hey, did you read Roisin Ingle’s piece this morning–isn’t it funny?!” I’m not a news junky, and quite like being free from computers for awhile. But I do like that kind of connection with my sister across the globe–we can still read the same things.