I sleep in a little longer than usual this morning then go through my usual routine of breakfast/news/email. There are a handful of more Grants Compliance Manager job postings that I decide to pursue by submitting my shorter CV. I’m still waiting to hear back on the practice CMA exam I completed yesterday before I can continue with the next assignments.
This reprieve gives me an opportunity to get some steps in. It’s partly cloudy out and not quite as warm as yesterday, with highs still in the 40s F / upper single digits C. After lunch, I head out eastward on Pearse Street towards Mail Boxes Etc. to pick up some small Amazon UK packages I had shipped there. The owner, whom I’ve never met in person, is the only one in the tiny space. He seems preoccupied with whatever is on his computer, but he checks my ID for the packages and asks if I had “sorted” everything after arriving to Dublin (to “get sorted” is a commonly used phrase here). I make a passing comment about lockdown, to which he replies that at least he’s still been able to stay open. He turns back to his computer, and I cram the Amazon boxes (oversized for their contents) into a backpack.
I continue in the direction of the Docklands, turning north across the harp-shaped Samuel Beckett bridge, then settle down on a bench along the riverfront promenade of the International Financial Service Centre (IFSC) district. During my outing I’m listening to a couple of new podcast episodes, including a fresh one from “Echo Chamber,” the progressive Irish podcast I recently discovered. Their perspective on the anti-lockdown protest over the weekend is interesting to hear. One of the guests is the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Hazel Chu, who last year at age 40 became “the first Irish-born person of Chinese descent to be elected to political office on the island of Ireland” (per Wikipedia) and has served as the chairperson of the Irish Green Party since 2019. While not excusing the actions of the more violent protestors, the hosts and other commentators explain more of the political context and why some in Ireland feel they have been disenfranchised. Another topic of discussion is the need for reforms in Ireland’s refugee system (e.g., settling refugees in rural parts of the country without enabling them to get a driver’s license).
Some photos from my walk…
A particularly apt aphorism for the current times adorning the outside of a pub:
A house on Pearse Street that always displays a rainbow flag plus rotating holiday decorations (the current theme is for St. Patrick’s Day):
The convention centre:
The Samuel Beckett bridge:
View from the bridge looking eastward out to the Dublin Bay:
Until next time….
