Job update – still waiting on UCD
I had hoped I might hear back from University College Dublin yesterday (Friday), but I’m still waiting to receive the formal offer from them… hopefully I will get it first thing next week. In the meantime, I spoke with the HR person at Jigsaw and rescinded my acceptance of the position with them. They had already been more than patient with me, and I didn’t want to leave them hanging. I also emailed the finance director and finance manager (who would have been my direct supervisor) to apologise for how things turned out and wish them well.
More Pride around Dublin
Although the Pride celebration and parade in Dublin is canceled this year, visible displays of support continue to pop up all across the city. This past week the city painted a rainbow crosswalk in front of PantiBar on Capel Street, which reminds me of the rainbow crosswalks in San Francisco at the intersection of Castro and 18th Street:
Dublin even has a new fire brigade truck featuring a Pride flag and the words “Fire Doesn’t Discriminate, Neither Do We” painted on its side. I spotted it today passing by me on Dame Street but wasn’t quick enough to snap a photo, so here’s one that was posted on the Dublin City Council’s Twitter account featuring Lord Mayor of Dublin Hazel Chu:
Many of the Pride flags and banners around Dublin use an updated design featuring black, brown and trans stripes that form a sideways triangle as a symbol of inclusivity of different communities in addition to the traditional rainbow stripes. Apparently this newer design was created in 2018 and has become much more widespread in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and ongoing struggles for transgender rights. I don’t recall seeing it much in San Francisco over the past years, although I had seen other variations with just the black and brown stripes added to the usual rainbow colors. At any rate, it is impressive how many businesses have displayed Pride flags around Dublin in addition to those flying atop government buildings and installed in public spaces by the city.
Dublin’s street continue to be lively
It’s been slightly cooler today and windy, but people are still packing the outdoor seating at restaurants and bars.
The green door to Sprangers Yard (my apartment building) has been flanked by tables and chairs set out by the Trinity Bar & Grill on the corner of Crow and Dame Streets:
Grafton Street was bustling this afternoon with shoppers while outdoor musicians have reappeared to perform for the crowds as was commonplace before COVID:
Getting locked out of my apartment
This afternoon I met up with my friend CJ to catch up. We started off at Jack Nealon’s where we enjoyed a couple rounds of Guinness, then migrated to Temple Bar where we sat in front of the Joy of Chá cafe and enjoyed some of their delicious speciality cheese pies. We parted ways around 7:00pm, and as I was approaching Sprangers Yard, I reached into my pocket for my keys only to find that there were not there. I am usually VERY careful to make sure I have my keys when I set foot outside of my apartment, since all the doors lock shut automatically. At first I thought perhaps they had fallen out of my pocket when I was removing my wallet or facemask, but then I suspected that they were probably still in the pocket of a pair of shorts I had worn earlier today when hauling my SuperValu grocery delivery upstairs. I texted the building manager, who thankfully responded within 20-30 minutes. He was able to let me into the building, but he does not have spare keys to any of the apartments. By an amazing stroke of luck, my bedroom window was open (as it usually is) and the shorts I had on earlier in the day were laying out on my bed. Borrowing a broom from my neighbor Irene’s garden, I was able to fish my shorts off the bed and felt a huge relief when I found the keys in the pocket as I had hoped. Whew that was close!
My landlord lives down in Dalkey about a 1/2 hour away, although he often travels for work so who knows how long I would have been locked out had I not been so lucky. This was a real wake up call that I need to make a spare set and have a contingency plan. After trading texts with my friend CJ about what had happened, we agreed to swap spare keys to each other’s apartments in case either one of us gets locked out in the future. I’m grateful to have a good friend like him who is trustworthy and closeby.
Until next time….
