nearly there...

I've been working really, really hard to finish my dissertation, and also to master at least some basic cooking skills so that I can get work in a restaurant to tide me over for a year while I decide what to do with my life so, honestly, I'm bushed. The interview at Bepe's restaurant is next week, and at the time of writing, I don't have a plan B so here's hoping.

What with all that's going on in my life right now I've been going out less than usual. But last night I got a call around nine and, guess what, it's from my old history teacher back home. No kidding. She's also a friend of my Dad's and she's retired now and on a tour of Europe with her friend and Dad had given her my mobile number so I got a call from a pair of over-excited ladies in their 60s. Needless to say, Dad had not warned me ahead of time so they sort of caught me on the hop.

But I did the hospitable thing and took 'em out for a Guinness. In fact, I hit one of the most popular tourist destinations in Temple Bar, Gogarty's. There's usually at least a few Irish people there, but last night I think the musicians and bar staff were the only ones. While usually I think of myself as pretty much a local these days, last night I felt like a tourist. They loved it, though, and the music was actually very good. I hadn't seen my old teacher partying before, so it was a little startling watching her polish off her third pint of Guinness and hearing her insist that we go to another pub for more drink. It was kind of fun, but I'm not necessarily all that sorry that they are only on a short trip to Dublin because I'm stretched really thin right now, and two raucous retired ladies from back home is a bit more than I can deal with at present.

Gotta go -- work awaits and after that I have to go home to learn how to make lasagne. I'm sort of getting the hang of this cooking business. It's actually not as difficult as I thought.