I’ve been taking a break from the blog, but it would be remiss of me not to share a few photos from St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin. I missed last year’s, and the year before that we were still in COVID lockdown. It’s overcast, but not raining, and warmer than it’s been over the last few weeks so one can’t complain. The parade passes down Dame Street only steps away from my front door. My friend CJ...
Tomorrow I’m returning to the U.S. for the first time since moving to Ireland in October 2020. I’ll be flying nonstop from Dublin to San Francisco on Aer Lingus, an 11 hour flight. This will be a short post, as I’ve been busy packing, planning, and wrapping up work before heading out tomorrow. I did my COVID-19 test earlier today (it was negative thank goodness). There are signs...
Today marks a year (365 days) since I started a simple, 5-minute daily meditation practise. I haven’t skipped a day, although I may have skimped a little when traveling. If nothing else, it’s been a good exercise in discipline. I do think it is helpful in starting my day off from a more centered mindet. The top headlines in Ireland over the past week have been dominated by the murder...
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...
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...
Saturday morning my SuperValu delivery arrived unexpectedly early, right on the dot at 10:30. It was Ciaran, the older Irish gentleman who used to be my regular delivery person when I first started using the service, and probably the friendliest. After putting everything away, finishing breakfast and cleaning up, I felt the need to get out of the apartment after being cooped up at home for the...
My second week at UCD is behind me. The onboarding process is still slow going, but I’m beginning to get into some of the actual work. I’m usually worn out after a day in front of the computer and just feel like taking a nap. This makes it challenging to get out for a walk. While the days are getting noticeably shorter, for now it’s staying light out in the evenings until 8:30...