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

Goodnight Sweet Prince

It's taken a bit of time for me to write this particular post, as it's not one bringing good tidings.

Our beautiful dog Bruno has been put to sleep after contracting bone cancer.

Yes, the same cheeky lad who made off with my sweets and tried to hide the evidence!

For anyone who has had to put a pet to sleep, you will probably understand the pain and emotions. The decisions you have to make. The uncertainty behind them.

The one consolation that we have is that we had the time with him to get to know him, spoil him and completely enjoy his personality and the love he gave us. 

When people ask us "Would you not just get another dog?" We have to just say "No." Maybe time will change this, but for now the answer is no.

For there will never be another Bruno. The same lad who chased snowballs, watched TV (even having favourite ads and movies), his distinctive howl, the way his tongue would stick out when he was relaxed. All those little quirks that made him unique and, at times, completely hilarious!

For all those who have pets, hold them close and cherish them. Enjoy all the moments with them, even if they piddle on the carpet or chew on the table legs, they're yours and you're theirs. Don't hold grudges against them for silly things, just love them.

On the last days that we had Bruno, we made extra time for him, doing silly things and letting him eat whatever he wanted! But even if we had weeks, months or even years, we would always have wanted more time.

Warning - Rant

Alright, I will hold my hands up. I am a spelling freak. Not only that, but I can be pretty finicky about grammar. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

What brings me to write this blog post?

Well, as part of my new job, I'm using the internet even more than before (less lolcats and general nerdiness being downloaded sadly) so I've been accessing a lot more websites than usual.

It has been an experience. Some of the grammar and spelling errors on all kinds of websites are unbelievable! Whatever about the old school dancing baby style graphics and broken links etc., I'm talking about basic grammar and spelling here.

Although spotting things like this on Facebook puts my teeth on edge, it's a social media site where people engage with each other, not a spelling bee.

But surely on a business site, you'd think there'd be someone there to proofread things before it was put on the site?

Personally it puts me off the page or company, one particular wedding supplier actually used a capital letter for each word, which completely put me off. Can you imagine if they made wedding videos?

'The Beautiful Morning Of June Sixth When David And Laura Became Man And Wife At The Church Of St. Paul.' 

It hurt to type that.

Luckily, the folk at the Oatmeal have put my irks into a fun cartoon. Full link here.

Yes, I know I'm a complete and utter nerd about this, but it grinds my gears! In short, try hitting F7 to check your spelling and grammar. Go on, it feels good! 

Shopping Madness!

I am channeling 'Old Mother Hubbard' as of late, so decided that grocery shopping must be done! Usually I have someone with me for grocery shopping, but today I was on my own-io so just rolled with it. And then the stress began! It's only when it's broken down into little pieces that I realised how much is involved with something as basic as going to buy food!Perhaps I hit the shop on a busy day or just when the trolley enthusiasts were out, but I'll relay my story anyway.

OK, bags in the car first of all, I never have enough freezer bags yet the house is falling down with 'Bags for Life' of all shapes and sizes as I never remember to bring one with me. Forget bags for life, I have bags for a lifetime, which I may just pass onto my kids (chances are the house will still be falling down with them!)

I don't know about you, but I can never remember which shop trollies take €1 or €2 coins, nine times out of ten I'm left hanging around outside like a vagrant waiting to exchange the right coin for the fistful of change I usually have! (And I almost always end up with a 'wonkey donkey' trolley that has one crazed wheel!)

I'm a big believer in lists, if I didn't write lists then things wouldn't get done! So I always write a list, otherwise I'd probably come out with only half of what I need and something random like a foot spa!
Also, I've noticed a definite increase in, what can only be described as 'Trolley Warriors'. Seriously though, these people are the kind that probably don't use their indicators in their cars. They are a law unto themselves up and down the aisles. Almost had a head on collision with one of them, open your eyes peeps!

I've also noticed more 'Squeezers', now I'll holds my hands up, I do squeeze food like bread, fruit, veg etc to check for freshness. But a new breed has come to the forefront, come forth the 'Sniffers'! I'm pretty sure one woman was attempting to inhale a lemon she was sniffing that hard, is this a new thing? Have I missed a newsletter?

Food Sniffers - Coming soon to a store near you!

 So after all the shopping is in the trolley, off to the cashier I trot. Which leads to what can only be described as the 'Cashier Mambo'. It's a bit like changing lanes on the motorway, one seems to be moving, then the moment you join it comes to a standstill.

When I experience shopping like this I can completely understand why online shopping has taken off. Yet when you've a friend or significant other with you, you can laugh off all these mad moments. Shopping is definitely a 'team sport', so make sure you've chosen a decent team member, or at least someone with lots of €1 and €2 coins!

Working woman

Wow, I have been horribly neglecting my blog. Counselling shall be required, hugs will be distributed etc etc.

I have a good reason for my absence though. I've been a busy bee, working away, commuting and learning new things each day. Every day is different and I'm really enjoying the challenge! So what have I learned this week?

1. You definitely trap more bees with honey than with vinegar. It generally pays to be nice to people than to shout, demand and generally be rude. It can be applied to all aspects of life, just play nice!*

2. Running is good for you, particularly if you're late for a bus!

3. Down time is important. The minute I'm in the door, I'm straight into my PJs and chilling on the couch with a glass of wine and cosy booties before you can say "Lisa Time!" Being able to chill and just detach for a while is very important.

4. Some people on buses can be downright obnoxious and completely oblivious to common decency. On the bright side, I have a whole newfound respect for my car! Love you Misty!

Now it's time for some 'Lisa Time', glass of wine poured and a backlog of programmes to catch up on on Sky+. Put your feet up and relax. It's the little things in life folks!

*Unless someone goes out of their way to hurt you, then all cards are off the table!

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!

Oh the anticipation!

Tomorrow is the start of a new beginning, or the beginning of  a new start? As of tomorrow I'll be working in the wonderful world of Marketing, I've joined Twitter (shameless self promotion linkage: https://twitter.com/#!/LisaOree ) and reading up on all I can to prepare myself.

The mix of excitement and nerves reminds me of the first day of school, I've got new clothes to wear for the occasion, my parents giving me a pep talk about 'being myself', to have fun and play nice with the other kids etc.

Granted I'm now a woman in her 20s so different rules apply, but it reminds me of how I felt back then. Back when I thought getting extra homework, racking up a big phone bill and falling out with friends at school was the worst thing that could possibly happen, ever!

So now I'm off to direct my energies into reading up all I can about the new job. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail and all that jazz!