ArchiveNovember 2021

“Yanksgiving”, another weekend away, and the Late Late Toy Show

Work continues to be hectic and very stressful. On short notice, our interim director’s last day was announced to be last Friday. Meanwhile, our regular director who has been out on medical leave for the past few months is returning. Each morning I dread logging into inbox to see more and more emails piling up. I’m sure it has contributed to me getting sick. For Thanksgiving this year, I...

Christmas lights, COVID antigen test

It’s been another long week at work, and it’s only Wednesday. The stress is really getting to me. After work this evening I got out for a quick walk. The Christmas lights hung around Grafton Street are in their full glory in preparation for Black Friday later this week. It’s been chilly, with highs in mid 40s F / mid to upper single digits C. Christmas lights above Grafton Street Christmas lights...

Trans Day of Remembrance, colder weather, BBQ, and Dalkey

On Saturday, November 20th, Dublin marked the Trans Day of Remembrance by flying trans flags along the River Liffey. The day honors the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. Trans Flags fly along the Liffey for the Trans Day of Remembrance on Saturday, November 20 Trans Flags fly along the Liffey for the Trans Day of Remembrance on Saturday...

Errands on Grafton Street, defrosting the freezer

This week has probably been the most stressful yet at work. My one staff person was out on leave again, so it was just me holding down the fort. I’ve been borrowing staff from a couple of other teams to help get some of the day-to-day transactional work done, but it feel like the mountainous backlog of overdue tasks that has built up over months (much of it before I even started) is resting fully...

Birthday dinner, Ireland’s 4th COVID wave, and reimposition of some restrictions

Today is my 48th birthday. I had to work, so it wasn’t the most exciting birthday, but I enjoyed receiving texts from friends and family throughout the day. For dinner, my friend CJ and I went out to a tapas restaurant in Temple Bar a couple of streets away from Spranger’s Yard. It was an enjoyable, relaxing meal over wine and some tasty dishes — charcuterie, spanish cheeses...

A low-key Saturday, day trip to Co. Leitrim on Sunday

On Saturday, my SuperValu delivery arrived as usual. Later in the day, my friend CJ and I had made plans to go to a floatation therapy spa as a birthday treat to ourselves (his birthday was ladt month and mine is this next week). However, CJ woke up with a cough, and out of an abundance of caution, we decided to cancel the booking (thankfully without being charged). I offered to pick up some...

Another first date, busy work week, and second visit to UCD campus

It’s hard to believe that I haven’t written a blog post in almost a week. On Saturday, I had a first date with someone new, another “J.” We met at Bewley’s on Grafton Street, ordered some take-away coffee, then walked around St. Stephens Green. The conversation was easy going, and both of us seemed interested in extending our time together, so we headed to a bar...

The wake-work-walk-sleep routine, US Embassy appointment, autumn foliage

Another long, stressful work week is behind me. Nothing much interesting has happened over the past few days. I wake up, sign into work, take a break for lunch, work all afternoon and sometimes into the early evening, then I try to motivate myself to get out for a walk, after which spend the rest of the evening relaxing at home. On Wednesday, the monotony of the week was interrupted by an outing...