My Dublin Life

The forecast is for snow, and more snow. And while I know that that's a pain in the ass for a lot of people, this Newfoundlander's heart is glad because there's nothing more beautiful than snow -- at least during the falling-from-the-sky part. I hope it won't interfere with my folks' flight plans tomorrow but apart from that, I'm treasuring my own tiny patch of snow on the minuscule balcony that Bepe and I call the great outdoors. He's due back tomorrow, and he's in for a nice surprise because my Mom has left a bunch of gifts to say thanks for letting them use his room.

Like most people, I've started a diet. The good news is, the less money I spend on food and drink, the more I have to spend on Cultural Pursuits. That's my resolution this year: go to the theatre more often. I've picked up a brochure from The Project Arts Centre and am thinking I might look into the whole modern dance scene maybe -- it's not something I know anything about and while I doubt I'll ever do any, I'm prepared to be blown away by someone else doing it.


Also, my uncle Joey is coming over soon so I really will have to detox before his visit because despite being 50-odd he's a party animal and will want to be taken around all the pubs.

I love Uncle Joey, honestly, but right now, after having eaten and drunk too much for the last couple of weeks, what I want more than anything is for something to offer to take him off my hands a little!! I'll see if Bepe feels up to the challenge.

XXX all best wishes for 2010!

Mom and Dad's holiday is nearly over. Apart from some tenseness about the whole your-boyfriend-is-a-father issue, it's been good. It's too bad in a way that they haven't gotten to see the rest of the country but they are thinking, if their finances hold up, they might come back while I am still here.

And that introduces a scary thought. How long am I going to be here? The plan was always to stay for a year and a half but now, with 2010 about to start, I'm feeling pretty settled in and good about being in Dublin, and I have absolutely no plan for the next stage.

[Buries head in sand and resolves to think about it later].

Today I'm planning to take the folks to the Museum of Modern Art which is a place that I love because it's in a cool building, it's free and there are beautiful grounds all around -- although I don't think the weather today is really for strolling. And then we've all been invited out to Saoirse's families places for dinner in a local pub in Killiney. There's definitely a winding-down feel about our days now, and Mom has already packed one of her cases and bought yet another case to fit her thousands of purchases into. And while it's been great...well, I wouldn't say I'm exactly sorry it's nearly over. I must be growing up at last; time to get on with my own life!

Plus, I've gained about 4 kilos!!! Let the great diet commence. I might even look for a cheap gym or at least check out the college facilities.

One of the folks who read my blog suggested a great idea -- taking the Green Line Luas for a trip through the various suburbs and "villages" and having a pub crawl. We're going to do just that, but as it's a day time trip it'll be more a "coffee crawl". It's kind of chilly today so I like the idea of popping in and out of cafes and stuff. That should keep everyone happy. Dad has his guide book to refer him to all the history and things, Mom will shop (but of course) and I will be a Good Host with the minimum of effort.

The greengrocer down the road told me that people didn't like the idea of the Luas while it was being built, but having never seen Dublin without a tram system, it's hard to understand why. I love the way the Luas looks gliding around Stephen's Green -- sort of "the future as imagined by people in the past" and I would say it is definitely a big addition to the urban landscape. Not to mention a cool form of public transport. I almost never use it, living bang in the centre as I do, but I'm actually looking forward to the day. It's so easy to just stay in the centre and forget that there's a whole world of Other Neighbourhoods out there.

Thanks, Rose. I'll let you know how we got along.