Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is dominating the news in Ireland and Europe, surely to an even larger extent than it has in the U.S. given the closer proximity of events. There have been many comparisons of the situation to World War II, calling Putin the 21st century Hitler, etc. At least Ireland is an island so it’s not directly connected to the European continent. However, the Irish definitely have a strong feeling of solidarity with the Ukrainian people as victims of oppression by an evil empire and share in a kindred spirit of resistance. And the Ukrainians aren’t seeming to back down without a fight! Hopefully this will be the catalyst for Putin’s fall from power and a more democratic future for Russia, although that seems like a remote possibility. I don’t think the long-term implications of another Cold War are fully understood or appreciated yet… although Europe may be feeling the economic impacts from the double-edged sword of imposed sanctions sooner versus later in terms of higher energy prices.
On Thursday I commuted to the UCD campus to work in the office for the first time since I’ve been in the job (I had been on campus only two other times previously). It was snowing that morning, the bus was fairly packed, and the 20-30 minute ride was not particularly comfortable as I felt overheated in my warm clothes while my glasses instantly fogged up due to my face mask. Working in the office was not as stressful as I had been expecting, although it took about an hour to get my workstation set up. The office is an open floor plan for about 30 people, with configurations of four desks converging into one pod separated by low dividers between them, although the other three desks in the pod where I chose to sit were not occupied. Despite the open floor plan, it was relatively quiet in the office, although there were a few interruptions throughout the day that made it more difficult to concentrate and get things done. I also met my boss in person for the first time, and it was helpful to chat about a few things face-to-face. Lunch options were limited, and I ended up going to one of the campus cafeterias that was filled with students. The food was quite good — I chose a slow cooked beef and rice bowl with asian-style slaw (one of three options available) — but at around €9 including a drink, it would be expensive to do every day.
Given the continuing pressure at work, I decided to work back at home on Friday so that I could focus on getting a few things done without having to deal with the commute. I managed to check a few things off my list this week but it still feels very much like a crisis situation with many missed deadlines and work continually piling up. In the meantime, I’m still waiting to receive the final contract with Mazars, but hopefully this will be “done and dusted” (a popular Irish expression) early next week.
On Friday evening, my friends E & P invited me out to dinner at Soup 2, a trendy ramen place in the Smithfield neighbourhood of Dublin. On the way, I dropped off two bags of glass recycling at the nearby “bottle bank.” The food was delicious — fried chicken, roasted cauliflower, Korean-style sliders, and last but not least a big bowl of tonkatsu pork ramen in miso broth. We stayed until the place closed down, enjoying a few rounds of craft beers over good conversation. It was a nice change from having spent so many Friday nights at home over the last year and a half. E&P hailed a taxi, then I headed back home on foot. The weather had turned drier after multiple storms over the past week, and Temple Bar was bustling with activity. Ireland is lifting the legal mandate to wear face masks in all public spaces effective tomorrow, Monday 28th February, so soon the last vestiges of the COVID-19 pandemic will begin to fade from memory.
Saturday started with my usual routine — I slept in a little later, made some coffee, and awaited my weekly SuperValu grocery delivery. I didn’t have any plans in the afternoon so I decided to make a trek down to the Dundrum Town Centre — the largest mall in Ireland, built in 2005, with over 169 tenants and 140,000 m2 (1,500,000 sq ft) of floor space. Getting there from city centre is relatively easy as it located right off Dublin’s north-south “green” Luas / light rail tram line, about a 30 minute ride from the Trinity stop a short walk away from Spranger’s Yard to the Balally stop immediately past Dundrum. The mall itself is an Escheresque maze of escalators, stairways, and floors with in-between mezzanine levels. My primary objective was to visit The Organised Store, which basically has a similar look, feel and products as what The Container Store has in the U.S. although on a smaller scale. I was on the hunt for a file storage box and a lunch cooler bag (now that I’m commuting again), both of which I found in addition to a few other random items that inevitably end up in my shopping basket in stores like that. My second objective was to check out the mens formal wear stores there. The dress code at Mazars is suit and tie, as is typical for accounting/professional service firms. I only brought one decent quality, well-fitting suit and a couple of matching dress shirt and tie combinations with me to Ireland, so I will definitely need to expand my wardrobe. There are not as many big and tall mens stores in Ireland as there are in the U.S., and unfortunately I didn’t find anything in my size at Dundrum Town Centre.
Saturday evening, I met up with my friend B to see the movie Cyrano starring Peter Dinklage at Cineworld Cinemas to take advantage of their annual “Cineworld Day” when all showtimes all day are only €3. The theatre was packed, and the movie was OK, but I wouldn’t say it would have been worth a full-priced ticket. Afterwards, we strolled down to the Pennylane bar for a pint. We were lucky to get a seat — it was packed, and quite loud with a DJ playing songs with heavy dance beats. We decided not to stay for a second round, and as we walked out the front gate of the patio area, we chanced upon Leo Varadkar (Ireland’s openly gay former Taoiseach / prime minister and current Tánaiste / deputy prime minister) as he was heading into the bar dressed in a tshirt and jeans. In the split second I made eye contact with him, I gave a casual nod of recognition and continued on my way, as if acknowledging any other acquaintance whom I might see out. My friend B was a bit more star struck… I suppose it’s not everyday one runs into a head of state, although then again that’s Ireland for you.
Until next time….
