Despite feeling sluggish and struggling to move at a 10-minute pace, I still had a good time running 8 miles. I forgot my camera when I went out, but when I had to take a break in my run at 7:10, I was able to retrieve it and take some pictures. One thing I like about it is the control of focus. My iPhone just doesn’t take good close-up pictures in general, and it only gives me limited control over focus. With this camera, I can more clearly see the focal point in the frame and move on. It took a little longer to transfer the photos to my phone for editing, but it was worth it.
When I got home, I also remembered that it is Bloomsday! So happy Bloomsday 2026! The one day of the year that we celebrate James Joyce’s novel, Ulysses. Bloom is the story's central character. I have always wondered why not call Bloom Ulysses? Or call the novel a version of Bloom’s name? Clearly, none of the characters representing the characters from the Odyssey’s names are in the novel, so that decision makes sense to me, but if you’re not familiar, Ulysses is the story of the Odyssey, except it is about one day versus the decade-plus time span that the original version boasts. It takes Bloom one day to return to his wife, but it takes Odysseus 20 years. Maybe that’s just a good example of how time in stories is relative.
For Bloomsday, I decided I needed to listen to some of the story during my run, and I got to the part where they reference “the Ballad of Joking Jesus,” a real poem that Joyce revised and then used in his novel. See the link below for more details and enjoy a few lines from the poem!
My methods are new and are causing surprise.
To make the blind see I throw dust in their eyes.
Goodbye, now, goodbye. Write down all I said
And tell Tom, Dick and Harry I rose from the dead.
https://joyceproject.com/notes/iU-bJZUBeQi-aLQff7Jj
And here are some ideas on how to celebrate Bloomsday:
1. Start with Bloom's breakfast
Leopold Bloom famously enjoys grilled kidney for breakfast. If that's not your thing, have any hearty breakfast and raise a toast "to Leopold Bloom, June 16, 1904." Many official Bloomsday events include breakfasts as a nod to the novel.
2. Read one episode aloud
Instead of trying to tackle all of Ulysses, pick:
• "Telemachus" (for Buck Mulligan and the Ballad of Joking Jesus)
• "Lestrygonians" (Bloom wandering Dublin at lunchtime)
• "Penelope" (Molly's famous ending)
Reading aloud is very much in the spirit of Bloomsday celebrations.
3. Perform the Ballad of Joking Jesus
This is a perfect Bloomsday activity because it captures Mulligan's irreverent energy. Read it dramatically, preferably in an exaggerated Irish accent and with the understanding that Stephen has already heard it "three times a day after meals."
4. Take a literary walk
Bloom spends the novel walking. Take a walk through your neighborhood and practice a Bloomian exercise:
• Notice every shop sign.
• Invent stories about people you pass.
• Let your mind wander.
The point is less the destination and more the stream of consciousness.
5. End with a pub
Many Bloomsday celebrations include pub crawls or gatherings because Ulysses itself is full of pubs and conversation.
If you really want to lean into it:
• Wear Edwardian clothing (straw hat, vest, tie, etc.).
• Listen to Irish songs mentioned in Ulysses.
• Read passages from Dubliners alongside Ulysses.
• Have a friend read Mulligan while you read Stephen and act out the opening tower scene. Dressing up and dramatizing scenes is a longstanding Bloomsday tradition.
The Best Online Resource
If I could recommend only one resource, it would be the James Joyce Centre's
Bloomsday Festival site. They organize Dublin's official Bloomsday events and publish programs, readings, lectures, and historical information.
You can find the festival information here:
• James Joyce Centre Bloomsday Festival
• Bloomsday Festival Programme and Events
For reading help, I'd also strongly recommend The Joyce Project, which provides episode-by-episode annotations of Ulysses. It's arguably the best free companion for readers who don't want to get lost in the novel.
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