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Today is all about study, study, study… I’m trying to ramp up for the 1st exam for my CMA qualification scheduled for May 13. As a consequence, this will be a brief post. My weekly SuperValu grocery delivery is scheduled for my usual window of 10:30-12:30, and shortly after 11:00 I get a call from the delivery person saying they are downstairs. I don’t recognize him from...

The last time my walking buddy CJ and I met up was on Easter, mostly due to the moody weather since then. We finally meet up today to take advantage of the warmer and drier conditions. On Thursdays, food trucks line up along a section of the Grand Canal — as I serendipitously learned on my first day out of self-quarantine back in October when walking to the U.S. Embassy to drop off my...

It’s slightly warmer today, with highs in lows 50s F / low 10s C — the kind of weather that’s makes it tough to pick the right coat or sweater; in the sun you feel a bit too warm, but in the shade you pull the zipper up higher. Mid-day, I meet up with O., an Australian friend I’ve made online, at St. Patrick’s Park for coffee and lunch. He has lived in San Francisco (briefly), as well...

As of today, some restrictions are loosening up in Ireland: • The 5 km travel restriction has been eased so that people can travel anywhere in their own county *or* up to 20 km from home to allow for some cross-county travel. • People from two households can meet outdoors in public, but not in private gardens. Otherwise, people are still not to visit other households except for...

I wake up from my first night of sleep with the plywood panels under my mattress. The support is much better! There’s only a slight tightness/soreness in my lower back when I get out of bed. The weather is still cold, with highs in the mid 40s F / high single digits C. There’s another short sleet/hail shower in the afternoon, but then the sun breaks through the clouds, so I take the opportunity...

It’s another day of moody weather with occasional blasts of sleet/hail throughout the day. My focus for today is to review a section of material in my CMA study programme and then take some practice tests. The way the programme is set up, you have to score 86% on 50 randomly generated multiple choice before you can move to the next section of lessons. There many tricky, counter-intuitive...

The weather continues to be gloomy this week, with intermittent rain/sleet showers. I have been mostly staying put in the apartment over the last few of days, although today I get out for a short walk in the late afternoon to Merrion Square. It’s well timed as the grey clouds have cleared up somewhat, letting some blue sky shine through.  Clouds above Dame Street: Merrion...

My back and hips feel really sore when I wake up this morning. I had flipped the mattress over the weekend during my deep spring cleaning in hopes that it would help, but I think the slats under the mattress just aren’t enough support for a big guy like me. I’ve researched different solutions, although there seem to be limited options in Ireland other than buying a new bed setup...

A cold snap has hit Ireland again. It’s been sunny off and on today, with some brief snow/sleet this afternoon. I’m feeling lazy after the long walk and having a late dinner yesterday. This morning, I receive a notification that a package from Amazon UK has been dispatched for delivery today. I wasn’t expecting it until tomorrow, and it was supposed to be delivered to my Mail...

I sleep in late this morning, with no set plans for the day. I peek out of my bedroom window and see that the tulips and card I left for my neighbor Irene have been collected. For breakfast, I toaste up another hot cross bun to have with my coffee then make a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich — a treat I usually save for just the weekends. As I’m finishing up my late breakfast, my friend CJ texts to...