It’s been a warm but somewhat grey June in Dublin. Today has been one of the warmer days, with highs in the low 70s F / low 20s C, and humid – but nothing like the heatwaves that continental Europe or the U.S. have been having recently. There is no denying summer is here, now that we’re past the solstice. The sun doesn’t set until around 10:00pm these days.
It’s been another long interval since I last posted something to the blog. Some highlights and photos from the past few weeks:
- Recovery from surgery to repair my distal bicep tendon in my right arm has been going well, slowly but surely. I’ve been out of the range-of-motion brace, a contraption that evoked RoboCop, for a few weeks now and just wearing a small wrist brace for some support. I went back to Tallaght University Hospital last week to see the OT therapist after feeling some tightness and pain in my muscles. He gave me a resistance band to build back muscles in my forearms and some putty to squeeze for building back grip strength.
- Inflation dominates the news here in Ireland. The war in Ukraine is not nearly as prominent as it was a month ago. There have also been ramblings about the UK unilaterally abandoning the Northern Ireland protocol, a compromise forged at the last minute during Brexit negotiations that prevented a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, there are still wounds from the Troubles that haven’t healed… it’s remarkable how there continue to be news stories about justice for the families of those killed by UK military personnel who were never put on trial, as well as grim anniversaries of IRA bombings in the 1970s.
- A few weeks back, my friend CJ and I attended at Q&A evening event in Dublin with the American author Armistead Maupin, famous for the Tales of the City books and TV series set in San Francisco. Armistead and his partner live in London now as self-described ”San Francisco refugees,” given the unaffordable cost of living in the Bay Area and other changes over the decades. Rory O’Neill (better known for his drag personna Panti Bliss) interviewed Armistead and took questions from the audience. It was enjoyable, but bittersweet, given my own “refugee” status.
- My social life has picked up somewhat over the past couple of weeks. I organised a small group of friends (6 of us in total) to go see the Jurassic World Dominion movie when it came out. My friend S. came to Dublin for the weekend, and we enjoyed going out on Saturday night to PantiBar and The George for drinks, then on Sunday we went for brunch at Wuff in the Smithfield neighbourhood.
- On Saturday last weekend, my friend J. invited me to watch a soccer/football match played by the Dublin Devils, an LGBT+ inclusive football club, at the Shelbourne Football Club field in Drumcondra. Rainbow flags and banners decorated the stadium. The opposing team was made up of players from the regular Shelbourne Football Club, including some former World Cup players. There weren’t that many people in attendance, but it was fun to meet new people “in real life” as opposed to online. After the game, both teams and their fans retired to the on-site pub for pints and pizza.
- Then on Sunday past, my friend CJ and I sought out Bibis Cafe, a popular brunch spot tucked away in the residential streets of the Portobello neighbourhood. On our way back, we stopped at a small local park that was playing host to the “Dublin Pride Dog Show.” One of the judges was an early transgender activist in Ireland.There were less than 100 people at the event, which was very family friendly and down-to-earth.
- On Tuesday this week, my friend S. invited me to see Alanis Morissette in concert at the 3Arena in celebration of the 25th anniversary of her Jagged Little Pill album that was released in 1995. He had bought tickets long ago, but like many concerts the event had been rescheduled due to COVID. I distinctly remember buying my CD copy in a record shop in Brunswick, Maine shortly after arriving back to the U.S. from my year abroad in Russia. Alanis has managed to maintain her unique voice, and her performance was outstanding — it was as if she was on tour when the album was first released.
- This weekend is the Dublin Pride celebration, which hasn’t been held in 2 years due to COVID. Unfortunately the weather forecast calls for rain, but fingers crossed there will be some dry spells.
Until next time….
