It’s the May bank holiday weekend in Ireland, which means I have Monday (today) off. The weather has been raining for the past few days, although today it’s just been overcast. Given the situation with my arm, I didn’t make any plans and have been just staying in Dublin. Last week was rather boring, as I was unable to return to work without my doctor’s permission. The people at work have been...
The long Easter Weekend started off well. My neighbour Irene and I left Easter cards and treats for each other, and she dressed up the perennial skeleton that stands guard outside her “garden” gate in some seasonal attire. The weather continued to be warm during the day, but it’s still dipping into the 30s-40s / single digits C at night. My neighbour’s skeleton in Easter...
Spring has arrived right on cue for Easter. It’s been much warmer this week, with highs in the low 60s / upper 10s C. There have been some rainy days but today there are large patches of blue in the sky. I’m sitting in St. Stephens Green wearing a short sleeve shirt, the first time since autumn. I worked in the morning, although the firm was officially closed and left it up to employees as to...
My first week at Mazars is behind me. I worked from home the entire week as I’m still waiting for my building access card to be set up and there was no real reason to go in (most people are still working remotely). It’s mostly been onboarding, although I’ve already done a little bit of client work. The firm’s culture seems much better suited for me and the stated values resonate with my own. And...
I arrived back to Dublin today after 10 days in the U.S. During my travels, I decided to take a break from the blog, which, after all, is more about my life in Ireland than travels to other places. The trip went very well. I got to see pretty much everyone I wanted to see, and I managed to reduce the amount of things I have in storage down to a fourth of what it was before. My time was evenly...
Spring has not quite yet sprung in Ireland. There are only a few early buds beginning to emerge on otherwise bare tree branches. High temps continue to be in the single digits C / mid to upper 40s F. The weather has been alternating between bright chilly days and grey rainy days. Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine continues to be at the forefront of the news here, along with concerns...
It’s been another long week at work. I’ve started to count down the days at UCD. My boss asked me to work from the office on campus for the remainder of my time there, even though 2-3 days a week is the standard for the post-COVID hybrid working arrangement. Whatever. I would be more productive working some days at home instead of wasting time commuting, so it’s their loss and...
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is dominating the news in Ireland and Europe, surely to an even larger extent than it has in the U.S. given the closer proximity of events. There have been many comparisons of the situation to World War II, calling Putin the 21st century Hitler, etc. At least Ireland is an island so it’s not directly connected to the European continent. However, the Irish...
It’s almost been a week since my last post… one of the longest intervals since starting the blog. The big news is that my interview with Mazars last Thursday so well that I received a job offer on Friday! I still haven’t signed the contract, but I have told my current employer that I am planning to accept the offer. As of now, I am expecting to start early April. Meanwhile, I...
Inflation has been one of the biggest news headlines over the past week Ireland, which has seen an overall 5.0% increase in consumer prices from January 2021 to January 2022. Last week the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and the Minister for Finance announced in this press release a €505 million package in measures to mitigate the cost of living, including (among other things): energy...