This is apparently my 300th blog post, which averages out to about four posts a week since I moved to Ireland in October 2020, thanks to the almost daily posts during my first six months here. Nowadays, I’m writing about 2-3 posts per week. Life has become more mundane ever since I started working six months ago, so there has been less to write about, but I still find the blog to be an...
The beginning of February brought some wet and windy weather, and also marks St. Brigid’s Day / Gaelic festival of Imbolc. A summary from Wikipedia: “Imbolc / St. Brigid’s Day is a Gaelic traditional festival. It marks the beginning of spring, and for Christians it is the feast day of St. Brigid, Ireland’s matron saint. The holiday begins on the evening of 1st February and ends...
It’s Friday! What a busy week… not to mention month. Where did January go?! Dublin has been having chilly, but we’ve been having mostly sunny bright winter days. I don’t understand why people complain about the weather in Ireland at this time of the year, saying that it’s gloomy and depressing. Yes, it still gets dark relatively early but the days are getting longer...
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...
The reality of the New Year is setting in. The remnants of Christmas decorations that still hang above Dublin’s streets have gone dark. Last week’s cold snap has abated, with the return of mild temperatures in the mid 50s F / mid 10s C. The weekend went by all too quickly. On Saturday, after my usual weekly SuperValu grocery delivery in the morning, I met up with my friend CJ for a...
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...
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...
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...
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...
On Saturday, November 20th, Dublin marked the Trans Day of Remembrance by flying trans flags along the River Liffey. The day honors the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. Trans Flags fly along the Liffey for the Trans Day of Remembrance on Saturday, November 20 Trans Flags fly along the Liffey for the Trans Day of Remembrance on Saturday...