Time is flying by!

What a busy few weeks! I've been so busy out living I haven't had time to blog about it!

So as you know, we've recently moved to 'The Big Smoke' and to be honest, I'm settling in much quicker than I thought I would.

Work has been keeping me busy, but you know what they say: 'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and Jill a dull girl!' It's been great being able to catch up with friends, have cocktails after work, dinner plans and lots of catch ups.

I thought I'd miss the green fields of the country, but city living is so fast moving. You get caught up in the hustle and bustle! You're never short of things to do, which is so refreshing! In one week, we went to the cinema, IKEA (Mm... feeding IKEA addiction!), had dinner with a friend, cocktails and snacked on sushi for lunch.

Time is hurtling by at breakneck speed, so much so that it's only recently hit me that in just over a year's time, I'll be a married woman! I haven't had time to suss out flowers, bridesmaid dresses or booking hair and make up trials. It's all taken a back seat in the toing and froing of moving boxes, going to work and having a social life! I guess it's like anything, it's all a balancing act, so let's give this juggling a try!

Does anyone else think of this music when juggling is mentioned?

Apartment Hunting

As I've mentioned, we have been hunting for a new place to live.

I am an out and proud culchie, oh yes! I even have a membership card somewhere..

Himself has lived in the city before, so paired with his insider's knowledge and my enthusiasm and love of property websites, off we went!

We didn't have a kajillion* euro to spend on a big swanky pad, but we just wanted somewhere safe and clean for just us two.

It has been.. eventful!

One place we went to was about the size of shed, had holes in the ceiling and the landlord did the electrics himself. To quote, "Snip here and snip there, sure it was all grand!" OK, no.

After searching for a few weeks and coming up against a few dead ends, we found somewhere! It's not big, but not tiny! We even have a little balcony and a BATH! Oh it's the simple things in life like having the choice between a bath or a shower that can make my day!

Yet we came away from the apartment hunt with a few lessons learned, so here are my tips:

1. Photographs can be ridiculously deceptive, seriously. With the art of lenses and angles, a cupboard can look 'spacious and modern'.

OK, so maybe not this bad, but you get the idea!

2. In Dublin, (and in other cities too I'd imagine) you have to move fast. Very fast!

3. You have a lot more stuff than you think you do. Uh-huh, you see those cupboards and those bookcases? They all hold stuff. Lots and lots of stuff. Think you have enough boxes? Get more! And plenty of bin bags. But don't cheap out on them! One of the worst first impressions you can give is letting your new neighbours see you pick clothes up off the road and stuffing them into a torn black bag... Trust me.

4. Go with your gut, if you don't like it and you can't put your finger on why then leave it.

5. Accept help from family and friends. They'll forgive you if the place looks like a tip, understand that you can't find anything. They accept that you'll probably be chaos personified, wearing a bin bag and crying because you can't find the kettle or the Christmas tree ornaments. If they didn't care, they wouldn't be there. Hm.. that rhymes. Could put that on a t-shirt.

6. Remain calm. Even if there is a flat tyre, or something goes missing. You'll get there. Rome wasn't built in a day, and some moves take more than one trip!

*Might not be real amount

Crazy Commuting

I have a new job. It is mentally stimulating, interesting and the day flies by so quickly! Then of course, there is the commute.

There is a reason why people wear headphones on public transport. I have categorized the main noise  offenders into a few groups, let's see how many of them you can spot:

- The 'my phone call is so important/interesting, I want everyone to join in' person
- The serial cougher/sniffer. There's always one!
- The 'Excited /had too much sugar child', generally doesn't bother me, unless I'm trying to sleep.
- The 'Teen Gossip Meeting' crowd. Seriously, I know who is going out with who, lads they like and their general likes and dislikes just from listening to them natter on.
- The 'one who can't chew with their mouth closed' person, or the person with smelly food. I honestly don't know which one is worse.

OK, so I really can't complain!

Aaand now I feel better. This blog can be pretty therapeutic, plus if this is all I've got to be complaining about then I'm doing OK. To be fair, I've learned a range of new skills, outside of work I have learned how to sleep on a bus, how to navigate and how to read books without getting motion sickness. Hurrah! Inside of work I'm constantly learning new things and putting them into practice. Genuinely feel very lucky to have this opportunity. (Note: Do not mess it up!)

Will keep you all updated on where the winds of time take us, hold on, it might be bumpy, we might end up on the scenic route, but we'll all get there in the end!

Tick Tock...

Awake for the third night in a row at 4 am. I sense a pattern emerging:

 

Lie down and try to empty mind of all thoughts.

Gah! Itchy foot.

Listen to himself snoring happily, silently jealous!

Wonder if there's a new episode of Family Guy/American Dad/South Park etc. Go check.

End up on Wikipedia, crap!

Have song stuck in head, must find it on Youtube. It always seems to be an obscure song that I know four words to, and they may or may not be in the correct order. But I have the tune!

Look for headphones so I don't wake himself.

Can't find headphones, I'll keep the search tab open for later.

Too hot. Kick off duvet.

Too cold. Wrap half of self in duvet.

Have headache. Oh God, what if I've some obscure head related ailment?!

OK, shut up brain and let me sleep.

 4:30 am -  Urgh...

Pillow too warm, flip pillow to the 'cool' side, repeat.

Plan out tomorrow (today?) in head.

Try again to drop off to sleep.

Name of person/song/movie title etc. pops into head from earlier conversation when said information was relevant but evading memory.

I should write that down. No, don't turn the light on, it'll trick the brain into thinking it's time to get up.

Meh, I'll remember it later.

Give up on sleep attempt, stream episode of something nostalgic online.


8:00 am - Wake up with laptop beside me. Oops, you sleep on the floor Mr. Laptop.

Put laptop on floor, now back to sleep.


8:30 am - Still awake, feck!

Deep breaths!

Yesterday I wrote about having a daily treat, something small, doesn't have to cost a lot. Well, today I decided to get a pack of Maynards Sours (om nom nom!) I figured I'd veg in front of the TV, having a slurpy mange to myself.

I went down to the kitchen to feed the dog, at the regular time, schedule is key etc. The moment I walked in, I knew something was up. There was something in the air, something that I could sense.

GUILT!

The dog was in his bed and was looking sheepishly up at me. I checked his bed, he was lying on top of a bag of sweets, not the sour jellies. "Phew!" I thought, but then another thought slapped me right in the face...

You left them in the same place, and he got one of the bags!


I rushed to the spot where I had left them, no sweeties. Checked his bed, checked the floor, checked all the rooms downstairs. Then the stairs itself.

Niente.

Surely I would have heard him snacking upstairs? Better safe than sorry, I investigated all the rooms, no sour jellies, not even a granule of sugar.

A new thought struck, if I was a dog and I'd eaten something and wanted to hide the evidence, where would I put it? Think like a dog, walk a mile in someone else's footprints (paw prints?!) So off I went thinking to myself "Think like a dog", I went straight out to the garden, and there it was, or wasn't!

Oh it was a sweetie massacre! Not only had he eaten each and every one of the sweets, but he had shredded the bag too to cover his tracks.

Don't let that goofy expression fool you, he's a food thief!

I could practically taste them, but I was just too late. I marched back inside muttering to myself, think Joe Pesci's character in Home Alone and you're about there. Oh and the dog knew he was in the doghouse, metaphorically. We don't actually have a dog house for him, he sleeps inside, spoiled dog. And this is the thanks I get? Hmph.

At least he has good taste in sweets, the bugger!

OK..

Anyone who knows me will know that I tend to lean towards the kookier and odd things in life, but these little critters are heartwarming.

Now I don't think I'd go down the road of having a black wedding cake, but something about these two just makes me go "Aw!". Sure if you can't be creative on your wedding day, when can you?

2012

Now after the buzz around Christmas, the year moves swiftly into the 'New Year' territory. 2012 as a whole seems to be met with a mixture of anticipation and fear. Fear over the Mayan calendar predictions, about rising costs, water levies etc. But hope is rife too, will 2012 bring new experiences, travel, marriages, births and new opportunities?

I believe that life is what you make of it, if the Mayan calendar signals the end of humanity then not much can be done to change it. I believe, logically, the scenario was a bit more like the cartoon below.

 I don't believe in making resolutions, but the most common ones seem to be losing weight, getting in shape, learning a new skill etc. I think making resolutions like that generally won't work. It's like being on a diet, if you restrict certain foods and treats it'll make you want them more.

I, for one, will look into 2012 as the year of change as I have no idea what lies in store, and that's what makes it exciting.

Now I'm off to put the bubbly in the fridge, happy new year to all, let's see what 2012 has to offer!