Saturday was bright and only slightly chilly. My SuperValu grocery delivery wasn’t scheduled until the afternoon, because the morning slots had been booked up. My friend CJ invited me out to breakfast at Murphy’s Bistro, a cafe along Bachelors Walk, the stretch of street along the north bank of the Liffey. It’s know for Turkish menemen (eggs with tomato, pepper and spices cooked in a...
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...
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...
There hasn’t been much of interest to write about over the past few days. The weather has continued to be warm and humid, highs around 70 F / 20 C. I’ve been fighting off a sore throat, and consequently, I have forgone some walks in the evenings to rest instead. Geese and ducks in St. Stephens Green from a walk earlier in the week Work continues to be unrelenting. I’ve managed to cross a few...
After a stressful week with work, I had a relatively full weekend of social activities that were a welcome distraction. On Saturday, I had a coffee date in the afternoon with a new friend in Dublin 8, then dinner and drinks with my friend CJ, and finally a couple of beers with my friend J on Capel Street. I enjoyed sleeping late on Sunday, then met up with a new American friend for a nice dinner...
The weather has suddenly turned cooler and grey, with highs in the upper 50s F, mid 10s C. Nevertheless, I’ve been compelling myself to get out for walks after work. I’m reaching for my flannel shirts again for the first time in months. Yesterday (Monday), I did a loop out to the Docklands, which I haven’t visited in awhile. Dublin docklands Today Taoiseach Micheál Martin announced a “gradual”...
The weather was clear and relatively warm on Saturday (high in mid 60s F, ~20 C). I did some routine chores around the apartment, and my weekly SuperValu grocery delivery arrived later than usual. In the afternoon I met up with a new friend, M, for lunch and a walk. He’s one of the many immigrants from Poland in Ireland and has been here 5 years. It was good conversation, although he lives...
My thoughts have continued to be on my friend Adam over the past few days. The grief comes and goes. I had met his sister years ago when she was visiting Adam in San Francisco, and I spoke with her over the phone on Friday. She forwarded my blog post to their uncle, who posted a comment and reached out to me over text. It meant a lot to be able to connect with them. Adam was living in Portland...