friday. gonna make some hoops...

one thing i have learned to love about ireland is that, there are no all-in-one stores, no one-size-fits-all places...no walmart. publix. target. lowe's. nothing of the sorts.

i need to make hula-hoops. i will be leaving the country in a few days, and i'm here at least on a hoop mission. right?

well, because you make hoops out of irrigation plumbing, where else would you go except a plumbing store. instead of having these all inclusion stores...there are several stores for each specific area of need. if you need hoops. you see a plumber.

so i walk in to the local plumbing shop, and head straight towards the check out desk. i am greeted by a lovely gentleman who gives me that "you are the wrong the place" look. little does he know what i need or that i actually know what i'm talking about.

i say, "sir, i'm about to ask you a crazy question. do you have any irrigation plumbing?"

he says, "are you making hula-hoops?"

um. yes. sir. i. am.

weird.

okay.

so this is what he says next.

all you need to get is a square piece of wood and cut a circle out of it, and then a circle around the border....yes, friends. he said wood. can you imagine hooping with a circle of wood?

apparently, he said that you would wrap rubber around the circle or melt rubber or something completely strange.

so, i asked him again about the irrigation plumbing. he went upstairs. brought down exactly what i use in america, just a tad bit smaller. he said this would be too heavy. i'm thinking light plastic is heavier than wood??? okay. he then goes back upstairs and brings down some gold plated plumbing for something or another and proceeds to tell me this wouldn't work either. thanks for showing me, i guess.

at this point i realize, this man does not want me to make hoops. it was almost like he was refusing to sell me plumbing.

who knew hoops could be so controversial?