My longtime and close friend Julius is paying me a visit. We have known each other since we were 10 years old growing up in Midland, Texas and were classmates from fifth grade all the way through high school graduation. Although we have kept in touch consistently over the decades, our friendship entered a new phase when he relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area five years ago. He ended up moving...
The weekend went by quickly. I was still recovering from my case of pinkeye, so I stayed home and relaxed for almost the entire two days. On Saturday I caught up on personal finances and other home projects. My friend J came over on Sunday, we ordered in food and caught up with RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season 3. The weather has been mild, in upper 50s-lower 60s F, low 10s C. The days continue...
Work continues to be extremely busy and very stressful. The deadlines for financial reports due at the end of the month are looming over me, while I am bogged down on transactional work that I can’t delegate to anyone because staff positions on my team remain vacant. Scholarships must be approved in order for students to be paid, and budget reviews must be completed in order for new...
I’ve been good about getting out for walks after work so far this week. Following a relatively warm weekend, cooler air has returned, with highs in upper 50s F / low 10s C, but it’s been mostly dry. There have been more beautiful sunsets in the sky above Dublin. Grand Canal in the Portobello neighbourhood St. Patrick’s Cathedral Park Budget Day in Ireland The topic that has dominated...
I just realised it’s almost been a week since my last post. My job has continued to be very stressful, and honestly not much has happened other than working all day, relaxing for a bit in the evening, sleeping, then repeating the same cycle over again. This weekend I’ve had a chance to relax and unwind a bit. On Friday evening, my friends CJ, N., and I met up to see the new James Bond...
The fall weather is here to stay. It’s been chilly enough for me to turn on the electric radiators in the apartment for the first time since spring, and I’ve had to reset their clocks and daytime / nighttime programmes again. Meanwhile, my Eddie Bauer flannel shirts and warmer outerwear are back in my wardrobe rotation. On Monday afternoon, I had an appointment with a dermatologist — the same one...
It’s been a blustery weekend, with rain showers on and off. Nighttime lows have dipped down into the mid 40s F / around 8 C., and I definitely notice the chillier air in the evenings and first thing in the morning. It’s supposed to warm up somewhat later this week when the remnants of hurricane Sam, which is currently making its way across the Atlantic. Despite the moody weather, I spent...
A year ago today I arrived to Dublin on an overnight flight from Newark, New Jersey, landing in the morning local time and meeting my landlord at Sprangers Yard, which has been my home for the last 12 months. It’s the longest I’ve lived outside of the U.S., overtaking the previous record when I spent my college junior year abroad in Russia for 9-10 months. There are many milestones...
The summer is officially over, marked by the Fall equinox this past Wednesday, 22 September. Nonetheless, the weather in Dublin has continued to be warm and dry. Unfortunately I have not been able to appreciate it as much now that I am working during the week. My friend CJ and I met up mid-week to watch Star Wars Visions, a series of short films made by some Japanese animation studios inspired by...
The weekend went by uneventfully. I took it easy on Saturday, going for a walk with a friend and enjoying being outside most of the afternoon, then spent a quiet evening at home. On Sunday I slept in, cleaned around the apartment, and then took a trip down to Dalkey to meet up with my landlord. As previously mentioned, I’ve negotiated a 10% discount on rent by paying two months at at time...