I'd like to begin with a Reel.

I'm sitting here, in my office, at work.  Not working, but blogging, and listening to the most authentic Irish music I can find, at full volume, so everyone else can, and MUST enjoy with me.  I use Grooveshark.com - just search for the music you want, create a playlist and skip, add, re-start etc.. it's wonderful and FREE.  It has greatly improved my daily work routine.

Today, I sit, feet performing a jig under my desk, ridiculous green felt hat, large obnoxious shamrock necklace, stretched out green t-shirt over my burgeoning baby belly awaiting the festivites of a gathering at a local Irish pub.  I've roped fellow co-workers into wearing green items purchased at the dollar store, and as I sit here and abuse my power, sending texts to employees yet to show up to work "show up today under fear of pinching and/or death if you do not wear green.." It's this level of abuse of my power as a department head and particularly on days like today, that I thoroughly enjoy.

Me, in my ridiculous Irish green, get up.  Yes, that's my messy office.

The gracious Jared Hamm, works in marketing and thus, therefore, today, must participate in my Irish madness.

I'll stop off at lunch and find some shamrock cookies or green goodies to share and then rock on over to a pub, where I will remain to be sober, but that is a mere tiny obstacle in my path of debauchery destruction today as I plan to rampage and get rowdy, nonetheless.  Though I will likely spend today a lot less rowdy, as I described, but I can't help but get hyped up, regardless...

Not pregnant, lunch would surely include a green beer, Irish car bomb perhaps?  Maybe find myself a shepherds pie and try to figure out how I could stand to drink a lot more and return to work faking my sobriety.  I look back on St Patrick's Days before, with a large smile.  I'm almost sure my parents sacrificed every single St Patrick's Day the moment I took up Irish Dancing.  St Patrick's Day and St Patrick's WEEK was spent shuffling me from Irish Pub to Irish Pub, local performance to public parades.  I'm sure at the time it was a schlep, but I cannot imagine a St Patrick's Day in my child/teenhood years that wasn't spent half arsing a half day at school, curling my hair and packing my dancing dress and shoes ready to hit multiple venues all afternoon and evening and the following and previous weekend.  16 years of age and I remember dancing at the rowdiest, loudest pub, cigarette smoke, spilling beers, every woman man and non Irish person having the time of their life as we high kicked and "over two three-ed" around the 2 feet of space amongst the crowd.  We were always a hit.  We got applause, cheers, hugs, high fives, being an Irish Dancer on St Patrick's day, I was a star.

My son, is such a good sport.  And under there somewhere...

See, everyone in Australia is from England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales.  And now, also China or Japan, but St Patrick's Day is a festival, a feast and a proud day for everyone who wants to have a good time and wake up the next day with the largest hangover known to man, but not one single regret as you wonder where all the green glitter came from and realize that whatever shirt you were wearing stained in green beer is now a trophy, representiative of the massively fanstastic time you had that year, on that St Patrick's Day.