The rest of my time-off since New Year’s has been quiet. I went on a long walk with some friends on January 1st, and have seen a few other people over the past week. After weeks of mild weather, Ireland is finally getting some truly cold winter weather with lows falling below freezing at night. It’s still mild compared to many other places, but much colder than it ever got in San...
Ireland has been experiencing a record number of new daily COVID-19 cases over the last few days. Yesterday’s tally came to a mind-blowing 20,554, although due to limited testing capacity, the true number could be closer to 30,000. I’ve been in close contact with two people who have come down with cold/flu symptoms this week — first, there was S. (with whom I spent Christmas) who...
I’ve been intentionally offline for the past few days, other than for brief scans of the news headlines and weather forecast. Some Christmas catch-ups…. On the 23rd of December, I invited my friend CJ over for a pre-Christmas dinner — prime rib roast, scalloped potatoes, creamed spinach, and cornbread muffins. The inspiration came from the Christmas Eve dinners out I had with my friend Adam at...
Happy Winter Solstice! This day always brings to mind the ancient Irish site of Newgrange. From Wikipedia: “Newgrange is a prehistoric monument in County Meath, Ireland, located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) west of Drogheda on the north side of the River Boyne. It is an exceptionally grand passage tomb built during the Neolithic period, around 3200 BC, making it older than Stonehenge and the...
This past week has been even more stressful and hectic at work, due to a culmination of multiple deadlines over the past few months. I’ve been putting in extra hours on some evenings to stay on track. Thankfully by the end of the week I finally felt I had caught my breath somewhat, having ticked off at least a couple large projects from my list. I’ll be working through December 23rd, then the...
It’s been another long and stressful work week. I’ve been cooped up in the apartment more than usual, in part because of Storm Barra that hit Ireland with rain and gale force winds Tuesday-Thursday. Schools were closed, and non-critical medical appointments were canceled. Thankfully no one was seriously injured, although thousands of homes were without power in Co. Cork for awhile. Storm Barra...
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in London. The Treaty formally ended the War of Independence, set the stage for British withdrawal from most of Ireland, and the handover of power to an independent Irish government. However, the Treaty only gave Ireland independence as a member of the British Commonwealth, not as a Republic. Northern Ireland was to remain...
After a very long work week, my friend CJ invited me out in Friday evening for a Dublin Pride walking tour around Temple Bar. It was good to get out the apartment. The streets were busy as usual, and our tour group of 20 or so people had to navigate through the crowds on sidewalks and streets. It was interesting to hear more about the history of evolution of the Irish LGBT rights movement in the...
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...
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...