Lately I’ve been sleeping in later, but today I get up and going earlier than I have in awhile. I’m expecting a package to be delivered before 12 noon, and instead of dilly-dallying I take a shower right away and get dressed, so that I’m ready to head downstairs whenever it arrives. Then it’s back to my usual routine of coffee and breakfast, and as I’m washing the...

It’s drizzly out, and without any compelling reason to leave the apartment, I decide to stay in and catch up on emails, do more job searching, etc. I’m surprised and excited when another email notification regarding my Personal Public Service (PPS) number application shows up in my inbox this morning. I did not expect to hear anything this week, assuming that the officer...

It’s extraordinarily bright out today, the sky is a cloudless blue, although the wind is chilly. My friend J and I meet up and walk down to the Docklands. There are few people out in this part of Dublin compared to the packed shopping districts. We have lunch at a Boojum burrito bar location facing the Grand Canal. There are a few tables out front that are already taken, so we opt to stay inside...