St. Patrick's Day!

Here’s to a long life and a merry one A quick death and an easy one A pretty girl and an honest one A cold beer and another one! It’s St. Patrick’s Day! The day we all decide arbitrarily to celebrate for no better reason than to get trashed and sing loudly (and poorly) in public places. Well, kids, I’m Irish and damn proud of it. So I’m celebrating St. Paddy’s because I feel more entitled than most people to do so. I have rehearsal tonight (and no friends), so no green beer. But I have been promised shamrock cookies… not quite the same. So I’m spending today celebrating all the awesome Irish things that contribute to making me the most awesome person you will ever meet. I went to Ireland once. I liked it there. I saw things like the Book of Kels and the druid’s cave at Blarney Castle. Some hairs in my beard have a slightly reddish tint to them. I have a Claddagh. It’s the ring with two hands holding a heart with a crown on it. Some people confuse it with a promise ring. They are wrong. The official reason I wear my Claddagh is because I’m Irish and I purchased it in Blarney. The real reason I wear my Claddagh is because Angel is Irish and he had one. He made a huge deal about giving one to Buffy in Season 2 of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Then it played a big part in his return from the dead in season 3. So I’ve got it just in case I fall in love, turn evil, and she has to kill me. Only two people have called me on it, and that makes them cool. You know who you are. Boondock Saints is the coolest movie of all time. The Leprechaun series is also an acceptable set of movies with which to celebrate this auspicious holiday. But you have to be drinking. Neither of these things have much to do with me, but I thought I’d mention them. I have a Celtic tattoo on my left shoulder. It’s a triquetra: a geometrical figure of three intersecting ellipses with three points. It’s a great symbol for me because my name is “Trey,” being the third. I’m Irish (as previously pointed out). It’s a commonly used symbol for the Trinity, covering my religious background. And, oddly coincidental, my triquetrum is the bone in my wrist that I can crack really loudly. The only times I dislike my tattoo are when people see it and think I’m a big fan of “Charmed” or P.O.D. Guinness is and ever will be my favorite beer. It was the first beer I ever had. And I had it in Ireland. Three cheers for pretentious heritage! Last Wednesday or so, I wore my green shirt to work and to play rehearsal and thought when I got home, “this would be a great shirt for St. Paddy’s!” So instead of washing it and preparing for today, I simply dug it out of the laundry this morning. That feels Irish to me… I’ve been known to do a little jig when I receive particularly good news. And unlike some Robin Hoods, I can speak with an Irish accent.