The rain in spain

...and also in Ireland. Boy, is it raining right now!

Last week, we residents of Dublin were enjoying a real Indian summer. Anyone who had packed away the sandals and shorts for another year had to root them out and there were last barbecues going on in every second garden.

Well, today it's a whole 'nother story. The temperature dropped, it's windy and autumn is really in the air. For me, this is the perfect excuse to buy a proper winter coat; a real wool one. I've been saving my pennies and although some people consider it a tourist trap, following my visit there with my mom last year, I have a sneaking foodness for the Blarney Woolen Mills and will be going there on a fact-finding mission later today. My grandmother always told me, "You can save money on most clothes, but nothing beats a good coat." Well, we come from a place where the winters are serious and in consequence I have the deepest respect for a good coat. I get most of my clothes in flea markets and  hippie stalls around town so my thinking here is that I deserve something warm and snug, and costing a little more than five Euros.

Anyways, on the entertainment front the people of Dublin are doing their usual thing and flocking out in droves no matter what the weather or the international news. There's a festival on in the suburb of Skerries this coming weekend which looks like a lot of fun. I may not be able to go because I'm working hard so's to take some time off when my friend Vicki gets here in October, but it looks like a good one!

I guess that's it from me today, because I'm off to work in the restaurant. I've graduated recently from doing the simplest jobs, including vegetable preparation, to actually making minestrone. Look at me! Last year, about all I could manage was opening a tin of soup; now I'm churning it out and selling it to customers who give every impression of enjoying it. That might not sound like such a big deal, but I'm very proud!

Another lovely day

The sun is shining down on Dublin, and it suits it. As you'll know, the weather's notoriously volatile here. Personally, I like it, because the light changes so much throughout the day that the city can look very different, depending on whether it's sunny or cloudy, or whether the sun is shining in a clear sky or a foggy one. A lot of the buildings downtown are brick and when it's sunny the brick seems to soak in the light somehow. Maybe there's a scientific explanation for it... not sure.

Anyway, I'm excitedly planning for my friend's visit. She's not coming for a month, but I'm workign my a** off now so's to be able to take time off when she's over. She's bringing her daughter, too. That was an unexpected piece of news, because I was expecting the kid to be left with her grandma, but what the hey. I've found out that The Ark is running a number of shows as part of the October Theatre Festival so I think maybe I'll book tickets for some of them. I've been there before, as part of my babysitting job (now, alas, just an occasional thing), and my experience has been that the shows those guys put on might be simple enough for kids, but they're also good enough for adults to enjoy, too.

Anyway, that's the good bit of the kid coming. The only thing I'm disappointed about is that I was hoping to spend a day or two doing some hiking in the Dublin/Wicklow mountains before it gets too cold, and maybe that's not such an easy thing to do with a child. We'll see... 

Trinity College and Surroundings

I haven't been a student at Trinity for several months now, but because it's slap-bang in the centre of town, you can't help walking by/through the college pretty often. Right now there are several good reasons to go, and that's not even counting spotting the fresh, shiny new first-years and going "ahhh.... aren't they cute?"

At the back of Trinity there's the Science Gallery which is cool because it has smallish exhibitions that you can pop into, and they're always interesting. The one they have on right now is the one I've liked best so far for sure, though. It's all about sound and music, "Biorythm Live". The sonic bed was my favourite.

My housemate, who's definitely the sportsy one in the place, also told me about an outdoors photo exhibition that's being held in Trinity after dark, as in, they are illuminating the whole front square with massive shots. It does sound amazing, and I think I'll try and take it in after work in the brief period between frantically chopping vegetables and collapsing into bed. Restaurant work sure is tiring. On the plus side, I'm now an expert at Mediterranean grilled vegetables and even though I make 'em at work most days, I've gotten used to the eating them at home, too. I've lost 3 kilos. Totally pleased about that although now that that evenings are getting darker and chillier, the many hot whiskeys I'm planning to consume during the autumn and winter evenings will probably take care of that

I'm really looking forward to my friend's visit which is getting close. I've known Vicki since forever and while I wouldn't say I've been pining for her or anything, being able to just sit and talk to someone who understands the way I see the world as she does, well, it's going to be great. Also, she hasn't travelled all that much, and I'm really quite excited about showing her around my adopted city!! I am not a girlie girl, but she is, and she's probably the only friend I'd even consider doing anything like going to a day spa with (she actually asked if they have these exotic things in Dublin).