My Dublin Life

The sound of silence

2010-03-11T07:06:00.000-08:00

Dubliners often think of County Wicklow as their playground and, while I guess this must be annoying to people from Wicklow at times, I'm no exception. Whenever you find yourself on the top of the slightest hill in generally-flat Dublin there are the Wicklow Mountains, right to the south. I love the view from the Rathmines Bridge with the city buildings and the mountains as a backdrop. When you've access to a car, as I sometimes do, and it's not the commuters' rush hour, you can reach the wild mountains from the city centre in less than half an hour.

All of this is a long-winded introduction to something I read in the paper this morning.

This weekend, there's what has got to be the coolest festival EVER, and it's on in Wicklow; it's a festival of silent and "lost" films, and it's going to be held in a big, old, stately home. I am desperately trying to figure out a way to get to it, because it just sounds fabulous. I hate to say it, but I'm even sorry I accepted an invitation to the rugby match, because this is so much more my thing.

It's called the "Kilruddery Film Festival". Check it out. It looks so amazing.

Take me out to the ball game, take me out to the park...

2010-03-10T08:55:00.000-08:00

I'm going to be taken to a ball game!

It's true that this is not necessarily my sort of thing, but what the hey. The sun has been shining, and I'm prepared to have a great time. Bepe had two tickets to the match, but his friend has had to fly back to Italy to attend a family funeral, and as all his other sports-enthusiast friends are working, well, he's invited me.

Sure, I thought about trying to sell the ticket on ebay. Just kidding. It was really very sweet of him to invite me. So Rugby Match here I come. I've been looking at the Six Nations website to see if I can figure out what it's all about, and the short answer is that I can't. However, from my, ah, research, I have gleaned the following information:

1) Unlike soccer players, rugby players are rarely very good-looking, but there are a few exceptions;
2) There are people called "dangermen". I don't know what they do;
3) There's a rather cute player on the Welsh team called Leigh Halfpenny, which is one of the best names I've ever heard of. Of course, I want Ireland to win, but I'd also like to see some action from Leigh. No, wait. I don't mean that the way it sounds.

Anyway, it's so nice of Bepe to invite me when I'm sure I'm the last person he'd really like to go with as I'm totally ignorant about sport in general and rugby in particular.

It's so lovely weatherwise at the moment, I'm eating lunch outside most days. I took this picture on my phone today, of crocuses in Stephen's Green. I love these little guys; they look like candles and just seem so optimistic somehow. And flashy, without being pretentious. All-round good guys of the flower world.

Ooh and tonight I am taking the nice lady who organised my weekend job out for a glass of wine at the Ely Wine Bar, just to say "thanks". Someone recommended that place here, so I'm looking forward to trying it out ... and hoping she doesn't order the most expensive thing on the menu :-)

bright, bright sunshine!

2010-03-09T08:26:00.000-08:00

And I've been in a fabulous mood all week. Until today. I was walking through the front gate at college when I found myself unable to avoid bumping into my ex-boyfriend. I don't care if he thinks now that he wasn't "really" going out with me. He behaved like he was, he talked like he was and y'know what they say: If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck...

Anyways, turns out he is engaged. And get this: "You must come to the afters of the wedding," he says. (In Ireland, "the afters" is the bit when the band plays, after the meal).

Excuse my language but WTF? Why would I want to do something like that? I don't know what I ever saw in that guy. PhD or no PhD, he must be stupid. And between you and me, his PhD topic is one of the WORST I have EVER heard of. Honestly.

The weather is beautiful. It's bright and sunny. It's also doing that funny spring thing of being alternately warm and cold, depending on whether the sun is behind a cloud or not. I took this picture to show someone with bare arms walking just behind a lady in an overcoat, but sadly the bare-arm guy isn't very visible. Still, you get the gist. A lot of the locals are rushing about in short sleeves, but it's not really quite warm enough for that. Still, it's so lovely seeing everything in the parks come to life. I am amazed every year by how apparently dead sticks suddenly produce green leaves and flower buds. Here's hoping the sun will be shining next week on St Patrick's Day.

Another shot of Dublin in the sun. I love the way there's always -- literally always -- a seagull overhead. There are times when I almost forget we're on the sea, because I live downtown and the city centre is focused around the river. But the sea is never more than short, brisk cycle away!

So I received some advice about a wine bar to visit, the Ely Wine Bar. On first glance, it looks lovely but maybe a little too grown up for me? Then I remembered that I bumped into that nice lady who gave me some research advice and introduced me to her friend who now hires me to watch her kids ... and I thought, what the heck. I'm gonna call her right now and see if she's free one evening this week. Things are going pretty well with those kids and the 70 yoyos (as my greengrocer refers to Euros) don't hurt, either ;-)

spring romance

2010-03-05T08:35:00.000-08:00

I'm not talking about any romance of my own, more's the pity. I'm talking about the apparently vast population of ducks, swans and other birds living in Dublin's city parks. Yesterday, from my apartment window, I watched two boy pigeons having a big fight over a girl pigeon, who was doing her best to look as though she didn't noticed. And today - ah - it was so beautiful I spent a couple hours in Stephen's Green feeling all spring-like and optimistic. Romance was totally in the air too, and not just among the couples making under the chestnut trees. I guess this is the time of year when all the Irish ducks and swans start thinking about...well, the birds and the bees.

At the risk of appearing voyeuristic, I can share a few shots I took with my mobile:

Aren't they just the cutest couple?

Meanwhile, on the other side of the park, this guy wasn't doing so well:

My guess is, he probably treated some lady swan really badly a while ago and then, when he wanted her back, she just told him to stick his head where the sun don't shine -- and she didn't mean the bottom of the lake in Stephen's Green!!!

On the way back to college, something funny happened; I bumped into the lady who treated me to lunch in Roly's Bistro a few weeks ago. I was a bit embarrassed, becase I felt I hadn't thanked her enough for being so nice, but she actually invited me to meet up with her for a glass of wine one evening next week. I have to choose the place, so I'll have to, ahem, research a good place for a glass of wine and maybe a little snack or something. She also told me that there's going to be a big, huge ceili in the park on St Patrick's Day, which sounds like a load of fun. I've seen Irish dancing before, of course, but this would be like a huge, mass event with THOUSANDS of people and HUNDREDS of musicians and well, wow, basically a gruelling mass of arms and legs all moving to the beat. Ha. Take that, Rio de Janeiro! I expect there'll be more clothes involved. Although, you never know. My greengrocer told me that St Patrick's is the day when Irish people are EXEMPTED from whatever vows they've taken for Lent. Apparently, a lot of people still give up stuff -- chocolate, smoking, booze, or whatever - but when St Patrick's Day comes, it doesn't count. How cool is that? He said the Missis is putting him on a diet for Lent, but "I'll eat so much on Paddy's Day I'll more than make up for it."

I've been given the chance by Dublin Tourism to go to a sports championship in Croke Park. Gaelic games are exciting, for sure. But I don't want to miss the ceili, either. Spoiled for choice, I guess.

Books, books, books.

2010-03-04T09:17:00.000-08:00

I am very much looking forward to this weekend. Or, perhaps I should say, the nerd in me is looking forward to it.

It's the weekend of the Dublin Book Festival!!!

I think that I read somewhere that Irish people read more, on average, than folks in all the rest of the English-speaking countries. I'm pretty sure that's true, and I love the way there are odd little bookstores tucked into corners all over Dublin. There are big megastores, and they are great in their "we've got everything" way. But my favourite bookstore in Dublin -- and I say this as someone with access to the amazing library at Trinity College -- is the Secret Book and Record Store on Wicklow Street, just off Grafton Street. Ooh, I just googled it, and it has a MySpace page. It's a funny place that would be easy to miss. You go through an ordinary looking door and down a longish and rather grimy corridor and then you're in this L-shaped space heaped with the oddest assortment of books, music and customers. The sort of place tattooed guys crossly buy Nietzsche paperbacks in and moms-and-babies go to to pick up second-hand children's books. I love it. I go there several times a week. Usually, I don't buy anything, but they don't seem to mind.

One of the things I most love about the Irish is that most people seem to strive to be eloquent. My greengrocer, for example, is one of the best-spoken people I've ever met, and even those guys you pass on the street who use an expletive for every second word; well, you've got to give it to 'em -- they do inventively. The Irish love language the way people from other cultures love fancy food or wine, I think.

So that's a very long-winded way of saying, well, I am looking forward to the Book Festival :-) I will be taking care of the kids on Saturday again, so I must see if there's anything bookish I can take them to so that I can propose it to their Mom.

I'm also hoping that it's mostly free, as I am saving my pennies for the biggest Spring festival in the world: St Patrick's Day

Exciting times. Oh, and I am getting a little work done too, as well as thinking hard about next year and What The Future Holds.

By the way, my Uncle Joey is now living in Ireland too. He's working in the fishing industry just like he did back home, and living in circumstances I don't entirely understand. I must go down and investigate one of these days because my Mom and Dad are getting very curious!

Irish priests

2010-03-01T08:55:00.001-08:00

I've just seen my first ever episode of Father Ted, round at a friend's place.

Oh my gosh, I can't believe I've been in Ireland all this time without having seen it until now. Honestly, it's the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life. It's hard to believe it's so old; the last one was made in 1998, apparently.

I do love the way the Irish are good at making fun of themselves. Not that I'd dare to try, of course. I'd be too scared of putting a foot wrong.

Since the Chinese New Year Festival, I'd been planning to go to this exhibition of Chinese Art in the Chester Beatty Library at Dublin Castle. It's just 2 minutes away from Trinity, so there's no reason not to. I just hadn't gotten around to it. I don't know that much about art, far from it in fact, but I can tell you that the Chinese stuff is really different to Western Art. For one thing, a lot of the pieces on show seemed to be basically very, very fancy early comic books. You could roll 'em out and see the story. Interesting. I made a resolution to find out more about Chinese history and culture -- when I have some free time, ha ha.

Honestly, I am trying to keep busy because I am still pretty sad. I keep seeing Him. I don't know if I can even refer to him as an ex-boyfriend, because I don't know any more if he ever thought of himself that way. When we were "together" I complained I didn't see him enough. Well, now I see him everywhere. And guess what. I think he's engaged to the mother of his daughter now. I saw them at college the other day, and she was definitely wearing a sparkly ring on her left finger. So what does that make me? I guess it makes me the last fling so that he can be sure she's really the Right One before settling down for good. I feel like a used Kleenex when I think about it, honestly. It's awful. I'm just hoping that the fact that St Patrick's Day is coming up and that the city is going to be mad-cram-packed with revellers will help. Although I don't feel like it, I'm gonna arrange to do as many things as possible in the hopes that being tired will make it easier to sleep!! Everyone from home's been writing enviously about how cool it must be to be in Ireland for the festivities and I suppose, yes, despite the stuff that's going on in my personal life, it is. And as there are a couple of weeks to go, I am sure it will get easier and it will be fun. I will check it all out this week, and blog on here about my plans. If anyone has any suggestions, that'd be great too.

Saturday, I took the kids I look after to St Anne's Park. Sure is pretty up there. Although there was a chill in the air, spring is definitely here. I noticed that small kids are a lot like dogs, in many ways. And I'm fond of dogs, so I'm saying that as a *good* thing. If they don't get enough exercise, they get cranky. When they've had enough, you've got to give them something to eat. So we went to the park and I threw balls for them, and then when they started fighting, I fished out the bananas and cookies their Mom had packed for them and it was all OK again. So, just like a day at the park with two labrador pups, really. I'm starting to think that this job is going to be OK!

Fastest week ever

2010-02-26T08:38:00.000-08:00

You know, I went around all day thinking it was Thursday. But it's not; it's Friday Now, how did that happen? Since I split up with whatshisname, I've been working really, really hard, and it's true that that makes the time just fly.

Lately, I've been getting friendly with some new people. They're a couple. I'll them Tony and Liza. I like them both, a lot. They're big into jazz and I've decided to go along with them to hear some because it's not something I've ever explored. I do kind of like what I think of as the jazz esthetic: guys in black turtlenecks with those nice retro glasses and sensitive-but-strong expressions. We will see if my stereotyping has any basis in reality. Tonight I'm going to a gig in JJ Smyths bar. Apparently, that's one of the main venues for jazz in Dublin. So it'll be an evening of discovery. I won't be drinking, coz tomorrow I'm on babysitting duty again. Tomorrow night will be a different matter. After spending all that time with the kids, I'll sure as heck need a drink or three. The Mom has booked tickets for them to go to something at Collins Barracks museum so I have to take them there. She's a very organised lady. She also suggested I might like to make cookies with them in their house the rest of the time. I guess she doesn't know that my cooking only extends to soup. I didn't know how to say no, so here's hoping there's a recipe book in their house that I can actually understand.

The next big thing in Dublin is St Patrick's Day, or Paddy's Day. I missed it last year and I have to say I am sorry I won't have visitors from home for it this year and it sounds like that sort of thing that's fun in a crowd. I was talking to my pal the local greengrocer and he said "I always go to Courttown for it because I don't like the crowds." I am not sure if Courttown is a place or a state of mind. But I LOVE crowds and I am really looking forward to it!!!

Finally, a piece of intriguing news. I was talking to my contact at Dublin Tourism, the one who organises putting this blog on their site, and she told me that a man from Irish Ferries has been in touch with her and wants to get in touch with ME. I don't want to get overexcited but...maybe he wants me to go on one of his ships and write about it here!!??!! Could it be possible?!? That would be so much fun!

People like us.

2010-02-23T11:24:00.001-08:00

That's what they're not. Kids I mean. They may look like regular people, only smaller, but I found out one thing this weekend, and that's that they are NOT regular people. They're little weirdos. In a cute, nice way... but weirdos all the same.

So I called around to this Mom's house. She lives in Kilmainham, a cool area to live, because the houses are old and pretty, and you're near downtown and the Museum of Modern Art, which has a big, huge park all round it. I would go to that park ALL THE TIME if I lived around there. You don't have to go to the museum to go in, it's just a big old patch of green in the middle city, and there's even one of those fancy French-style gardens. Not sure of the technical term.

Anything. The kids are there waiting for me. We'll call the girl "Emma" and the boy "Albert". Albert goes, "I made a picture for you" and shows it to me. It's of my tombstone with "Died 2010" written on it in squiggly crayon writing. As a student of gothic literature, I think this is kind of a nice touch, but the Mom gets all embarrassed and grabs it and makes him apologise. So we maybe didn't get off to the best of starts. Better that than the silent hostility emanating from Emma. Which I pretend I don't notice. I can understand that they are a little resentful because they're obviously used to having their Mom to themselves all Saturday and now that she's started a new business she's not going to be around weekends for a while. For me, that's 70 Euros I wouldn't have otherwise had. But for the kids, it's something they're not so happy about. And believe me, I'm gonna be earning those Euros. Fortunately, the Mom is one of those Supermoms, so every week she'll more or less tell me what she wants the kids to do, and we'll do it. My job is to be nice, stop Albert and Emma from killing each other, and get them there and back in one piece. Then I heat up the meal their Mom has left in the fridge, we all eat it and by the time I've put the plates in the dishwasher, the Mom comes back and I've got money to go out for the evening. This weekend, we went to a storytelling in the National Art Gallery. I even enjoyed it too! Although there were so many kids there, I've probably got cooties or something.

After the show, Albert looks at me really seriously and goes, "If I don't have ice cream I'll probably die, and then you'll be in trouble with my mother."

Soooo... I have never been a very patient person, but I am going to have to start channeling it now, that's for sure.

Anyway, flush with cash, I met up with Saoirse and some other friends and we went to The Church. That place is amazing! It actually used to be a church, so there's always a moment when you think, "Maybe I shouldn't be knocking back the beers in here.." A cute guy bought me a drink. There were no sparks and nothing happened, but still. Thanks, cute guy. That was just what my ego needed right then, after taking quite the bruising a week ago.

Film Festival Frenzy.

2010-02-19T09:39:00.000-08:00

Another weekend! I'm perking up! So what if I'm single again; the only way to deal with this is to be positive. And I'm starting a new job tomorrow, so I'll have some €€€

Starting tomorrow night, I'm gonna hit the Film Festival in a big way. Yeah!

Opera Ireland

2010-02-18T03:32:00.000-08:00

I got an email from Dublin Tourism today telling me that they've scored me two free tickets to the opera next weekend, in the Gaiety Theatre. Well, that's going to be an interesting experience for me, because it's not the sort of music I usually listen to. I do love the theatre, though, so I am feeling pretty optimistic. Bepe, my housemate, has been a great friend for me over the last few days, as I've been really sad and gloomy, so I thought he might like to come. The thinking was, well, he's Italian, Italians invented opera, obviously he's gonna like that sort of thing.

Sadly, however, he's going to be otherwise occupied. Like, watching football on Sky TV or something. Sigh, he's a lovely guy but he's not the most culturally adventurous.

In other news, my brand-new part time job kicks in this weekend. The lady from the Irish Countrywoman's Association who I met last week hooked me up with a friend of hers who was looking for someone to take care of her kids on Saturdays, as she's opened a new business in town. I met her yesterday, and we're starting on a trial basis.

I may have, ahem, slightly overstated my experience with children. The two girls I mentioned having spent a lot of time with? Actually my sister and me, growing up. But I will do my absolute best and I think it will be OK. They are an 8-year-old girl, and a 6.5-year-old boy, and she wants me to take them to things, like workshops in the museum or events in The Ark. Which will also be good for this blog, I guess. Another good thing, apart from the fact that I will be earning a little money, is that my Saturdays are now going to be very full, which means that it's going to be harder to sit about moping, which is what I'm doing most of the time since the worst weekend I've ever had. Huh. Well, at least the Russian Culture Festival is going on. Tomorrow I am going to see a "series of short informational films" in Meeting House Square in Temple Bar. Which sounds curious. And once again, I love the way the Irish just think "what the heck" and organised outdoors events all year round. It makes sense. Life is too short to worry about the things we can't change.
Right?

Blue sky, blue

2010-02-16T03:45:00.000-08:00

It's a beautiful, gorgeous spring day and ordinarily I would be hugely happy to walk about Dublin enjoying the sunshine but today it's not helping overmuch. As well as sad I feel incomparably stupid. Like a kid who used to believe in Santa Claus and has just found out that Mom and Dad have been deceiving him all this while. It sucks. I saw Him today, walking across the cobble stones at Trinity College. He's evil, but still beautiful, and I would take him back in a heartbeat. He didn't see me though, because I scurried away and lurked in a doorway pretending to check my texts.

I have decided to go out every night until I feel better. I don't even care if I have to go out alone. There's a film festival on and at least in the dark nobody can see that you've been crying. I know that I look awful. To make matters worse, I haven't stopped eating since the weekend, and it's already starting to show.

This week, there's a Festival of Russian Culture on in Temple Bar, just across the river from my apartment, and I am hoping that it's gonna involve some suitably gloomy Russian art or something. I haven't really checked it out yet, but I have read quite a lot of Russian novels, and I've seen some plays, and if there's one thing the Russian really do with style (and I'm sure there's a lot more than one thing), it's melancholy. I don't care; I am not going to try to cheer up. I'm miserable, and if I have to be miserable I might as well do it properly. I'm going to check out the festival after college today and here's hoping that there will be some soulful movies about love gone wrong and stuff. Because that's what seems to be the flavour of the month around here.

[sniff]

The one good thing is, college is going well and I think I'm really beginning to focus on the idea of doing more research next year. This isn't the best time in the world to find a good "career" job, so I'm thinking a couple more years of study would be not a bad idea.

Worst Weekend Ever

2010-02-15T02:43:00.000-08:00

Dublin was alive with colour and spring light and men carrying bouquets of flowers this weekend, and I hated it.

Saturday night, as planned, I met That Guy at Fallon and Byrne's Wine Bar. I was dressed up. I had even, unusually for me, put on a pair of shoes with heels. I'm tall, so I usually don't bother. I gave him his present; Le Fanu's Carmilla, all wrapped up in stupid shiny paper and I note I'd made about le Fanu being one of Ireland's best and most unappreciated writers. You know, I was so excited, because I had been planning this for ages, and I'd hardly seen him over the last couple of weeks, even though we go to the same college.

I feel like such an idiot now.

He opened the book, said, "Uh yeah, thanks." (Uh, yeah, thanks???? I put a load of thought into that!!) and then he goes, "Uh, we gotta talk." And I sat there with the nice wine that I had thought he'd like as he tells me that he's gotten back together with his girlfriend, the mother of his daughter. When? Well, there's a thing. Four weeks ago. FOUR WEEKS AGO! Yes, we've been out in that time. We've been together. And he was already back with her.

I felt as though someone had stuck a knife in my gut, twisted it and then walked away. Laughing. I just got up, pushed the chair back and left. He's sent me a few texts, but I haven't answered them. I went straight home. Saturday night, I felt so bad, I just sat at my table in my room and looked at flights back home. I was seriously thinking maybe I'd just abandon the masters and leave. Then Bepe got back. Fabia hasn't been around since her last trip over, so he was on his own at the weekend too. He knocked on my door to see if I wanted a coffee, and when he saw that I'd been crying (embarrassing; I am not usually a weepy person) he made me take off those stupid high heels ("You look like you're going to fall over") and go out with him for a pint. I told him I was thinking of leaving, and he said not to be stupid, it's not Dublin's fault that I had the bad luck to hook up with such a jerk. He pointed out that things are going well: the course is going well, I've even got a part-time job to start soon (hopefully) and I am thinking of staying on to do more research. It's not worth throwing away all that because of this guy.

But oh, I am so sad. I really liked him. I really like him. And if he rang and said it was all a horrible mistake, I would go straight back. I can't believe that this has happened. Saturday, I was so upset, I didn't even want to sleep in my room, so I crashed out on the sofa in front of some rubbish on the television and woke up feeling even worse, because now I had a hangover, too. Bepe could not have been nicer. He ordered me into the shower, took me for breakfast at a local pub, Smyths on Jervis Street and basically forced me to go out and about with him to check out the Chinese New Year stuff. I did feel better after the breakfast. I guess there's nothing like a plate of greasy, salty food to give you a boost--even if it's not the healthiest start to the day.

It's funny, because I'd have thought that the first person I'd want to call would be a girlfriend, but Bepe was perfect.

I've got to stay busy, because whenever I'm idling I just start thinking about the whole thing and getting so upset. I'm gonna work harder than ever, and I'm going to go out every night until I'm so tired I just fall asleep without thinking. Is this going to make me feel better? I sure hope so, because I can't imagine feeling worse.

Great excitement

2010-02-12T03:35:00.000-08:00

To my horror, round at my friend's house last night, I stood on the weighing scales in the bathroom and found that I've gained weight. And just before Valentine's weekend, too!! I guess it's just easier to tuck in to fish and chips when it's winter and the weather is cold (see, I've gone native, thinking that this is cold!)

To cut myself some slack, I should point out that I had a huge and delicious meal yesterday at lunch, and so will assume that at least half the weight gain was down to that. Still: the healthy eating starts next week. I'm not gonna start a diet on Valentine's weekend. No siree.

So, yesterday, I met the lady from the Irish Countrywomen's Association. She was a lot younger than I'd expected, and very friendly. And that's not all: she also bought me lunch. She said she wasn't expecting to get out for Valentine's because she has two kids, so this would be her treat. Nice place, Roly's. If it was up to me, I'd maybe rethink the name, which sounds like a bit of a euphemism for "fat", but I've no complaints about the food, which was sort of "down home cooking gone fancy" style. She said she'd certainly be prepared to help me to meet people around the countryside if I do decide to go down the research route, which is good to know. I haven't even talked about it with any of the professors, though, so it's all still very what-if-ish for the moment. She also told me that she has a friend who's looking for someone to take care of her kids on Saturdays, as she has a new boutique in town somewhere, and I said I'd maybe be interested. I don't know a lot about kids, but I'd like to give it a try. Especially if I do stay on to do more research, I'll need an income source.

I'm very excited about tomorrow night. I've found the perfect present for my Boyfriend. It didn't cost a lot -- it's a more symbolic gift than anything: the collected works of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Everyone knows that Ireland is a land of writers and poets and, believe me, in Dublin you can't forget it, as every second pub claims to be the place where Brendan Behan used to hang out. But, in my opinion, the Irish don't make enough of a fuss about le Fanu. He PRACTICALLY INVENTED the ghost story in serious literature FFS! So where are the le Fanu postcards? Pub portraits? Come on, guys; he's one of our -- I mean your -- own!! I'm going to give it to him when we go out for wine and a snack at Fallon & Byrnes on Saturday evening- my treat. I've seen him very little the last few weeks because he's so busy with his thesis and I think it's going to be fabulous.

[Contented sigh]

sun breaking through clouds

2010-02-10T06:50:00.001-08:00

Today it's like the seasons are battling in the sky over Dublin for supremacy. One minute, it's all big, black clouds and threatening to rain, and then the sun bursts through and everything is bathed in yellow sunlight. You can tell that warmer weather is around the corner and while I quite like winters, it's good to know that soon I'll be able to put away my heavy coat.

But the scary thing is that spring also means that I do need to start thinking about what to do next and, honestly, I don't feel ready to leave. That means either getting a job or starting a PhD or, perhaps, both. And should that be here, or somewhere else? There are so many reasons to stay. I've hardly seen the rest of the country. I really feel positive about my new relationship, and I've had some interesting ideas for research. Plus, although as a student I'm fairly protected from the wider world and all its problems, I do know it's not the easiest time in the world to find work. All of that is making me think that maybe I'll try to stay on and do some postgraduate work, and hopefully find a way to make a few bucks, even if it is by waiting tables. At least, as long as I have this blog, I'll get a few free tickets to things!!!

So yesterday, feeling thoughtful, I took a walk about. Near the Jervis Centre, they seem to be getting things ready for the Chinese New Year Festival this weekend. That put me in an Asian frame of mind so I went to a Filipino place I've often thought about going into, because it always seems to be full of Filipinos, and I think that's a good sign. It's called Cafe Manila and they have an all-you-can-eat deal at lunch time. I picked up a paperback in the discount book store on the same street and went on my own. How much did I eat? You don't want to know. I'd never had Filipino food before, but it's pretty good.

I'd bought a book but I didn't read. I really thought hard about things and then, out of nowhere, I had a really great idea for a research topic: Exploring links between Irish folklore and nineteenth century Gothic literature in Ireland. I mean, for instance, Bram Stoker's Dracula was set in London and elsewhere-not-Ireland, but he was Irish, right? Who knows where he found his inspiration. Last night I was at Saoirse's place, and her Mom suggested that I get in touch with an organisation called the ICA -- The Irish Countrywomen's Association. She said it's the sort of grassroots organisation that would help me do my own fieldwork easily. Sounding out the idea, I rang them up. I'm usually pretty awkward on the phone but I lucked out and got talking to a friendly lady who invited me to meet her for lunch at a place called Rolys. I've looked it up. It seems lovely, but out of my bracket, especially as I am taking my Boyfriend out Saturday for Valentine's. So it'll be a glass of water and the cheapest side salad for me. But how nice of her to not only meet me but spare her lunch time, and just because there's a small possibility that I might want to contact the members of her organisation. Really.

Am I getting excited about the weekend? Absolutely. And not just because of the Hallmark-greeting-card festival; I also haven't seen my Boyfriend that much the last couple of weeks, coz he's been so busy. I'm just really looking forward to a long evening with him over a bottle (or two) of the sort of wine I can't usually afford.

Spring flowers

2010-02-08T02:27:00.000-08:00

February in Dublin, and flowers are everywhere. Firstly, the real thing in the form of snowdrops and crocuses and early cherry blossom is beginning to appear in the parks, months before spring appears back home. Sure, the days are still often grey and it's not yet time to take off the winter coat, but these little flowers are so pretty in the wet winter lawns, it's almost enough to make this goth girl want to change out of her black clothes and into something a bit more summery. And that's not all. Because Valentine's Day is coming up, the stores and street vendors have gone all-out with window displays and shows of flowers and, know what? I know it's hokey and commercial and what-have-you, but who cares...it's pretty, even if you don't buy anything, it's good to see the city looking so bright and it's a welcome reminder that winter is nearly over. So there.

While we're on the topic of Valentine's Day, I've decided what to do. I'm going to take Himself (this is how the Irish refer to someone's Significant Other) out to Fallon and Byrnes Wine Bar, not on the 14th, when everything will be crazy, but on the 13th. It's great there. I can afford it (once in a while) and it somehow manages to feel both very Irish and sort of Left Bank Paris-ish all at the same time. Last time I went it was with a bunch of people from college, as a sort of informal continuation of a tutorial session. We drank a bottle of wine, solved the problems of the nineteenth-century-literature universe and hungrily watched other people eating. At the table on the left, a girl with bright pink hair and a leopard-print dress was having a mild argument with her boyfriend (didn't seem too serious) and on the right, two grey-haired ladies were planning a holiday. I love places that are for everyone.

So that's what I'm planning. Wonder what he'll do for me????

I mentioned it before, but Dublin Tourism asked me to point out again that the Chinese New Year is going to be celebrated here in a big way. I love Chinese food so I'm hoping that it's going to involve dim sum being distributed for free on Dublin's streets (although I should mention that I haven't heard that anything of the sort is happening). I do know that there are going to be street markets and concerts and all sorts of events around the city.

Just found out this weekend on a wander about the city that there are often concerts and things in Dublin Castle. I've never been, but I like the idea of a show in the castle!! Sounds fancy. :-)

Ireland won in the rugby this weekend against Italy, so things are predictably gloomy back home with Bepe, my room mate although everyone says that everyone knew what was going to happen in that match beforehand. He spend Sunday slouched miserably on the coach in a tracksuit, groaning. A sort of horrible mixture between disappointment and the associated hangover. Did I feel sorry for him? Well, not much. Just a little. I made him soup, but he didn't eat it. It's not clear if that's because the soup was a tad burned, or because of the heartache. But it's the thought that counts, right?

I don't believe it!!

2010-02-04T03:08:00.000-08:00

I thought we'd seen the last of Fabia, Bepe's on/girlfriend and then I come home last night and what do I find? Fabia! All 35 kilos of her. She's come over for the Rugby match!! I mean, come on, does the girl even like rubgy? Not that I care, but I've heard that Ireland is a sure thing for winning, so maybe the idea is that she's come over to console him? Match is on Saturday; I don't know how long she's staying. But once again our tiny bathroom is full of her lingerie, which needs to be handwashed, and drip-dried.

I raised my brows meaningfully at Bepe when she left the room at one stage last night, and he whispered that they are not back together it's just "a thing" so whatever that means...

Sure am glad I have a Boyfriend now; at least I can go out every evenng she's here, or at least the evenings he's not with his daughter.

So it's February in Dublin and of course the average visitor is thinking of...what? St.Bridget's day? Saint Valentine? The first dusting of snowdrops and crocuses in the city's parks? Well, sure. All of the above. But also, I've found out Chinese New Year! Obviously! Well, there are Chinese people all over the world, and Dublin is no exception. In the neighbourhood where I live, there are some fantastic Chinese supermarkets and just around the corner, the cutest family: Irish Mom, Chinese Dad and a pretty little girl with long jet-black hair, dark eyes and those resilient Irish freckles.

As Dublin is the sort of place where everyone jumps on the slightest excuse to have a party or go to the pub, Chinese New Year has joined the roster of festivals. As a lot of it is going to be taking place near my apartment, I'm in.

Well...I should get back to work. I want to finish early today. I've invited a few people over to my apartment for dinner (yes, it's crowded enough at the moment, but the only way I can deal with Fabia is to retaliate and bump up the numbers of not-annoying people around me) and as cooking is a major hassle for me, I need a lot of time to sort it out. No idea what to make. There's a butcher on Moore Street who sells pigs heads which, OK, look kind of disgusting but I've read are traditional and as I'm not a vegetarian, seems picky to eat one bit and not another of an animal. No idea how to cook one though.

Dance envy

2010-02-01T07:12:00.001-08:00

I had a great weekend. After saving my cents every day this week, I managed to get to a couple of ticketed events at the Traditional Music Festival in Temple Bar. They were great, don't get me wrong, but what surprised me was that the highlights, at least for me, were the free events. Sunday afternoon, there was Ceili dancing on in Meeting House Square. The band was called the Kilfenora Ceili Band and they rocked. I grew up with quite a lot of similar music around me but these guys were among the best I've heard. Well, they started, and you could see everyone WANTING to dance but being shy to start. Then a young guy and a young girl did some free style Irish dancing. "Shan Nose" I think they called it. I don't know what that means.

Here's the funny thing. I think a lot of people don't realise how sexy Irish dancing can be. The guy was a skinny, fairly ordinary nice looking man maybe in his early 20s. I mean, he looked fine, but you wouldn't necessarily notice him on the street. Then he started to dance and suddenly he was all you could see. The girl danced second and then they danced together. She was gorgeous. Wish I could dance like her. Wish I looked like her. Heck, I wish I was her.

Anyway, after a while everyone was dancing and although I have two left feet, I even dragged my Boyfriend up to try.

Something you gotta love about the Dubliners is that they like their outdoors festivals, all year round. It's like they're saying: "OK, so it's northern Europe and it's cold, but we're not gonna let that stop us having a good time." After the Ceili on my way to a hot whiskey, I passed a Punch and Judy show with live music and a children's playground.

Back home, I am living in a sea of green, white and red. Why? you ask. Well, the Ireland v. Italy rugby match is coming up and I live with one of the biggest rugby fans from Italy, apparently. Bepe has tickets.

Nightmare. I'm expecting to come every night this week to a teeny-tiny living room crammed to the rafters with over-excited Italian boys discussing the match. And it hasn't even happened yet. I can't imagine how bad it's going to be if they win. Or lose.

It's February. That means Valentine's Day. I've always been one of those lame people who says she hates Valentine's Day while secretly hoping that someone will do somethind wildly romantic for her. You know the type.

Hilarious and rather Gothic Valentine factoid: Dublin is actually home to some of the body parts of the original St Valentine!!! Too cool. Check it out.

What I'm thinking though is that maybe it's time I was a liberated gal and organised something for my man, instead of waiting for him to thrill me...you know? But I don't want to be hokey, and I can't spend a lot of money.

Last of all, something odd and unexpected: My Uncle Joey is moving to Ireland. Not Dublin, for which I am slightly grateful. I love him and all, but...

No, he is moving to stay with his buddy in Wexford. He says the fishing industry may have its problems in Ireland but it's sure as heck better than back home. But the oddest thing of all was that I think he's actually moving IN with his buddy. As in, going all Brokeback Moutain on us.

Maybe I am jumping to conclusions and putting two and two together and getting five, but it all came to me in a flash. And you know, he never did get along with that ex-wife.

over and over and over...

2010-01-29T07:29:00.001-08:00

I don't think I've ever waited so long for the weekend. It hasn't been a bad week, but it's been one that seemed to go on and on, especially because I've been saving so's to go out as much as possible.

I've got tickets to this. Now sold out! I've heard that they're great. I love the bodhran. There's something really primeval about the sound; it gets into your bones and makes you feel wild and excited. I don't know how long people have been playing bodhrans, but there's something very elemental about them and it's easy to imagine wild-eyed celts beating out rhythms through the millenia!

OK, getting carried away!

That was the only paid event I could really afford, but there seem too be lots of free things on too.

Als, I found out that there will be a festival of Russian culture, music etc. on soon, which sounds like fun. There are quite a few Russian-slash-east-european stores around the city, and I have, ahem, sampled their wares. OK, mostly vodka, beer and wine from Georgia. But still. Doing my bit to support gastronomic diversity in this fair city. And then, after that, the Film Festival. Colin Farrell is going to be there!!!

The funny thing is, I've had so many "wait a minute, is that Colin Farrell?" moments since moving to Dublin. But I don't know whether I've ever actually really seen him. That guy is just so Irish looking. A good example of Irish male pulchritude of course (work of the week) but not an unusual one! In fact, my Boyfriend looks a bit similar, but with longer hair. And more handsome.

Getting excited!

2010-01-27T02:19:00.000-08:00

I'm getting really very psyched about the upcoming traditional music festival in Temple Bar this weekend. My friend Saoirse was laughing at me about it. Everyone's a critic. But really. Dubliners don't realise how lucky they are. It's January. It would be so easy to just sit back and wait until Spring but no: a festival featuring lots of OUTDOORS events as well as indoors ones. There's a parade. My Boyfriend is taking his little daughter along. Apparently her Mom has said "no girlfriends allowed" so I won't be meeting him until later, when she's gona back home. But I will still see the parade. And I'll go listen to all the jigs and reels. I really wish I was more musical. This girl seriously can't carry a tune. I've been saving really hard so's to have enough money to got out all weekend long: so much so that I can now conclude I've put away more than enough and can actually afford to go out for breakfast, which I'm gonna do now. I've been in college for an hour and a half and it's chilly so a big cooked breakfast is what I have in mind. I've texted my buddy and she's going to meet me at Cornucopia, which is one of my new favourites on the grounds that as it's all super-healthy and vegetarian, I can basically eat as much as I like and it doesn't count. Right? Agreed?

Still waiting to hear from Uncle Joey. He told me he had "big news" but has remained ominously silent ever since. I'm guessing he's gotten back with his wife. Let's hope so.

Next weekend

2010-01-25T04:16:00.000-08:00

On Mondays, I usually write about the weekend just gone. But this week, it's really all about next weekend.

Next weekend sees Dublin's Traditional Music Festival. Something I love here is that traditional music is cool, and people see no disconnect at all between loving traditional music and also loving goth, or metal, or electronic, or...whatever. In fact, a lot of musicians seem to play in different genres. The result is that trad is young. As in, there are older players, of course, but it's not like it's FOR older players coz you can be 18 or 23 and tattooed and pierced and whatever and still whip our your bodhran or your fiddle and get down to it. It also means that while some of the traditional music is centuries old, it's also new; they are still making new stuff all the time. I love it. The music is great where I'm from too but, honestly, I don't think the Irish realise how lucky they are to live in a country where the traditional music just goes right on evolving alongside the culture and where it wouldn't strike anyone as weird to see a Doom Patrol CD on the shelf beside "20 Best Irish Reels" or something.

Anyway, because I want to go to town in the Trad Fest, I kept a low profile this weekend and spent as little money as possible. Plus, my Boyfriend's Dad is going to be playing with his band somewhere next weekend (not sure if it's part of the Trad Festival or an unrelated trad gig) and I think that we might finally meet. I'm hoping it'll go better than with his Mom.

So this weekend, all I did was have a Nice Meal In (OK, fish and chips from Beshoffs, not my usual home-made soup) with my Boyfriend on Friday and a movie Saturday. Up in the Air at Cineworld. Nice, but melancholy. Made a note to myself to be sure to settle down with someone by the time I'm 33 at the oldest. Would not like to be old and alone like George Clooney's character. Doesn't look pretty.

Got the strangest note from Uncle Joey. He's back home now. He said he had a great time and "Dublin and Ireland gave me a lot to think about." With all the drinking that went on, I don't know how thinking got much of a look-in!

hints of spring

2010-01-21T07:48:00.000-08:00

It's still January, and it's grey and rainy, but in the parks the most fantastic thing is happening; the snowdrops and other spring flowers are starting to come out. Maybe not such a big deal, but as where I come from it's still the depths of winter, it's just a lovely little reminder that the days may still be short, but spring is just around the corner. And while I know that the Irish moan about the rain, I have something to say to them: if it didn't rain this much, the parks would be a lot less pretty. They'd dry up in the summer, the trees would be smaller and it would all be less lush and gorgeous.

I love snowdrops. When you look at them the first time, they look quite small and simple. But then you look again, and they are beautiful. There's the little, bell-like flower and the dainty green rim around it. Plus, they way the peek their heads out through the decaying leaf-mold is a nice touch, appreciated by students of Gothic lit., like me. They are living reminders that, while January can look like death, it's really part of the cycle of life.

[Sigh.]

As I'm from a small community with nature encroaching from all sides, I need the countryside and I really do appreciate that within just a few minutes walk from my apartment, there are several really beautiful ones in Dublin's city centre. Plus, the grounds in college are gorgeous. It's so strange. I've only been here for eight and half months, but it's starting to feel like home.

Dublin Tourism asked me to mention the podcasts on their site. And actually, they are seriously pretty cool. So if you haven't been here, and you want to get an idea of what's it's like, check 'em out.

Musings on Dublin architecture, and other issues

2010-01-20T03:12:00.001-08:00

While Dublin is a pretty city, most of the buildings, even the big ones, are quite simple on the outside. I'm not that well-travelled, but I think that they'd be more obviously "fancy" in other places. The amazing thing is that when you go inside, they vary hugely, and can be really extraordinary. I've kind of gotten used to it, but I was reminded again yesterday evening when me and my Boyfriend went for a post-cinema drink at this place on College Green, The Bank. Although it's right near college, I had never been there before. Wow. We just had one drink, but it's an amazing building. It used to be a bank (well, d'oh) and they still have the old vaults downstairs. People (misinformed people) say, "Well, why not just buy some beer and drink it at home to save money?" but they are missing the point. Drinking a "glass" (half pint of beer) or a hot whiskey in an amazing old place like that is less about the drinking than about basically renting a table so's to soak in the atmosphere. I'll definitely be going back. My Uncle Joey has been down in Wexford for a couple of days, but he's back tonight for 2 more days in the city and I'll take him there. You never know: he might decide that I deserve to be treated for a meal out!

We'd been to the cinema to see A Serious Man, which paints a generally depressing picture of middle age, American Judaism, family life...you name it. It's by the Coen Brothers. It was good, but it made me feel anxious. I like the Screen on d'Olier St though. It's not swanking and gorgeous and arty like the Lighthouse. It's not huge and American like Cineworld. It's in an ugly cement building that looks like a bunker and the decor is strictly functional. But in a good way, like you're supposed to be focusing on the movie, not the flashiness of it all.

Back at the apartment, Bepe was weird. We came in and although he was half way through watching something on TV he just muttered goodnight and went away. Trying to give us some privacy? Or being rude? Boys; they are hard to understand.

and also...

2010-01-18T08:07:00.000-08:00

Called in to the Douglas Hyde Gallery at college today. I was going to write about how great the show was, but one of the blogs I watch did it already. Check it out: http://inkywrists.ie/2010/01/16/james-castle-at-douglas-hyde-gallery/

so...very...tired.

2010-01-18T02:47:00.000-08:00

Honestly, I feel like one of those cartoon characters that has to prop up their eyelids with matchsticks to stay awake. What a weekend. The words "fifty-something uncle" don't usually summon up wild weekends, but Uncle Joey is no ordinary 50-something.

Some of the highlights:

Massive pub crawl on Friday evening. Uncle Joey liked the Brazen Head so much, he asked me to only take him to old pubs, so we went from one to another, building up and then maintaining a pleasant "almost drunk" state. For some reason though, we ended up in The Dragon. While the main point of The Dragon is that it's Dublin's best gay club, it's a friendly place where anyone can go and the decor is *absolutely amazing*. I don't go there much but I do love the way it's kitted out. On Saturday, it was an Irish Breakfast (of course), followed by a DART trip to Bray and more pubs, including, fortunately, a trad session that I'd tracked down. My uncle was totally in his element and by the end of the day he had a bunch of people around him while he sang. I wish I'd inherited his confidence instead of my teacher parents' reserve. By Sunday, Uncle Joey had already made some friends, so he had a dinner invitation and, to tell you the truth, I was almost relieved. I'm the young one here, but I was worn out.

Strangely enough, the only person I've ever met not to really like U.J. is Bepe. They met Saturday, and Sunday Bepe said rather disapprovingly that he looked "rough". Such an odd comment coming from him. I'm so confused I'm not even offended. Though as B and his friends like to drink beer and shout at the television when the soccer or rugby are on, whose being rough then? B is in a bit of a tizzy right now, because Italy is playing Ireland on Feb. 6th and his boss has given him a ticket to the match. So, lucky me, two whole weeks of listening to him talk about the Italian team and how they are going to win: LIKE I'M INTERESTED.

Tonight, the plan (mine, anyway) is for a quiet evening. Uncle Joey is taking me and my Boyfriend (who I'm introducing as a "friend") out for a meal. I get to choose where and I'm not sure. Something healthy might be good as after that weekend, I could do with a bit of a detox.

New news

2010-01-15T10:02:00.000-08:00

I'm tired today and would like to be planning an evening in, because I was at a gig last night. I guess it was kind of a date with my Boyfriend but as he's a massive fan of the band, we hardly talked. He was up at the front getting down to the music. And I've gotta say, it was very interesting stuff, not like anything that I'd ever heard before.

The band is "The Jimmy Cake." Check them out. I am always amazed not just by how good the music is in Dublin in general, but by how much of it there is -- and every type too. It's everywhere. I love it. I'm not a musical person myself, but I like to listen and, honestly, you could go out any day of the week. There's an Opera Season starting at the end of the month. Bet you didn't know Dublin had the opera too!

Anyways, as I said, I'm tired. But there aren't going to be any early nights here. No sirree. My Uncle Joey arrived this afternoon and too a taxi to the B&B I booked for him in Phibsboro and although by rights he should be exhausted from his flight, well, this is Uncle Joey we're talking about. He's coming here soon because he wants to see the apartment and then I think it's going to be the pub crawl of all pub crawls as he wanders about town befriending bemused bar staff and inviting them to take him fishing at the weekend. I'm gonna take him to eat at the Brazen Head. That was one of the very first places I went to when I arrived in Dublin, and I think it's a good place to start. Plus, it claims to be Ireland's oldest pub, making it about the same age as the Viking Settlement in Newfoundland. That's gonna impress any North American.

And the beer's not bad either.