Christmas Spirit hits Watch This Space

Happy December!

Well, I must say I have no idea where November went, and now it's only 11 days until B & K hit Vancouver. Heads up, Vancouver.

This weekend I had my first official "getting into the Christmas spirit" moment, and actually enjoyed the throngs of panicked humanity that is Christmas shopping in Dublin. B and I spent early Saturday afternoon at the Temple Bar Farmer's Market, home of The Best Hotdogs in the World... Ever. We wandered up to Stephen's Green, and found some Christmassy handtowels (oh God I sound so domestic), as well as a lovely wreath for our front door, and icicle lights for our balcony.

On Sunday we cleaned and decorated. Now, Canadian readers will be familiar with "The Handyman's Secret Weapon... Duct Tape" - but I would like to propose the handy-WOMAN's secret weapon... Dental Floss. Seriously. It does everything. We used it to hang our wreath from the front door, and it is also holding our lights up on the balcony. I have also been known to use it to hang pictures. Fairly pleased with myself.

And now... well, realising that I've only got 11 days til we leave on a jet plane, I'm a bit panicked. Unfortunately tomorrow I will be out of commission, as it's back to St James' Hospital for me. Have no fear, I'm (almost) totally fine... it's just to have a pH monitoring test for 24 hours. Needless to say the thought of wandering around for 24 hours with a tube sticking out of my nose (it goes up your nose and down into your stomach) is a bit intimidating, and does not make me want to venture very far from the comforts of our apartment.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Things That Make Me Happy

Inspired by Three Beautiful Things, I've officially decided that my Wednesday posts will be dedicated to 5 things that made me happy during the previous week. The way I see it, with the way things are going for me lately I tend to focus on the negatives (didn't land an interview, didn't get the job I was going for, live in a grey miserable city...) Ultimately, although I don't do it ALL the time, that can't be healthy. And so I've decided to remind myself of the little things that make me smile or warm my heart. Now... if I can just recall what happened this past week...

1. Making an excellent Chicken Cacciatore on Monday night

I got the recipe from Epicurious - always a good go-to for last minute dinner suggestions! The resulting smell in our apartment was to die for... tomatoes and spices and a hint of red wine... mmm... will definitely make this again!

2. B talking in his sleep and making weird clicking noises

Okay, I admit I give out to him about this on an almost daily basis, but in actual fact it's so cute that even when he wakes me up at 4am doing it I still get a warm squishy feeling inside.

3. Getting up at 6.30am for work and not feeling groggy all day

I'm as surprised as you are! I had a business briefing for leaders of industry this morning at 8am across town so I had to get all monkey suited up and get there by 7.30am. And I did it. I felt refreshed and energised all day. Even now.

4. Planning imaginary holidays and/or potential holidays

Ever since I found the link to the Wild Frontiers website in October's Marie Claire (UK Edition) I've spent ages poring over itineraries, checking flight prices, and mostly just daydreaming about how cool it would be to find myself in the remote mountains of Pakistan on my birthday next year. Or maybe this year. We'll see.

5. My 3.30pm cup of tea

Generally every day at work, on or around 3.30pm I have my tea. Either Ginseng by Qi Teas or Clarity Tea by Pukka Teas (mmm... lemongrass). It's a nice, organic, fairtrade, natural energy boost, but warm and soothing at the same time. Mmm.

What made you happy this week?

Wanderlust

With the absolutely rubbish summer that we've had over here this year, I must confess that true to form, my feet are getting itchy again. I think it must be a combination of things that are pushing me to pick up my passport and my traveling backpack and get on a plane to who knows where.

For a start, as of... well, as of last year actually, Ireland is now the place I have lived in longest since I was 17 years old. Now in my mid-to-late 20s I have close friends who have not known me to be anything other than a vagabond... wandering around the world on a whim. In my own defense though, I should point out that most places I go to LIVE, rather than just to travel for the sake of traveling. Although I've done my fair share of that as well.

The second "push factor" is my current employment situation - namely, I'm almost due to be made redundant, which means either an unlimited "vacation" or at the very least a couple months' holiday before making the smooth transition into another job. So either way, I'd be looking to go traveling. :)

I've managed to save up a fairly respectable amount of money which I can't even use to buy a house or anything (not being an Irish citizen or permanent resident I'm not allowed a mortgage), so I figure why not?

The problem is that I want to go somewhere different. I recently came across a company called Wild Frontiers, who specialise in small group tours to obscure destinations. What appeals to me is that they give a decent percentage of their profits to the local communities - so, for example, a local driver will make enough money in one 16-day trip to send 2 children to school for a year and feed his family for 4 months. I like that.

My top destinations? Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Yes... they'll take me there. Brilliant. Where's my passport?

Return to the Blogosphere

After a brief summer hiatus... I'm back. And now that the weather is colder, the nights are getting longer, and the rain is... well... still raining, I've resolved to try to update regularly. Here goes nothing!

K's Summer Recap!

Holidays

For most of June, B and I were touring around Greece. Rough life, you say, and rightly so. The flights were paid for by the EU, as our trip also consisted of attending a 2 day conference on integration in Athens, courtesy of the good folks at Imepo.

As for the rest of our time, we hired a car and I drove around the mainland, successfully avoiding 2 major earthquakes and arriving safely in Delphi and Meteora. Despite all the warnings from various travel guides, driving in Greece isn't actually as bad as they'd have you believe - although apparently going 10km OVER the speed limit is considered "too slow" and so out of courtesy you should slow down, pull over, and let the traffic race past you. I do NOT under ANY circumstances recommend driving in Athens! For more information on my panic-induced heart attacks in Athens traffic, ask B - I think he's still deaf in one ear from my screams.

Then we ferried down to Rhodes - potentially a beautiful island but sadly overrun with tourists. For those of you (like me) who want to get away from all that kitsch, I'd definitely recommend Symi. It's an island about an hour north of Rhodes, remarkably quiet apart from daytrippers (who generally leave by 4pm or so) and it's absolutely stunning. We spent six nights there, having fallen in love with the place (we were originally only meant to stay for 3 nights).

A selection of my favourite photos is on Flickr for anyone who hasn't already seen them.

Work

And then we went back to work. What a downer. :) But it's going well, and I've done a few more events and talks. Now that we're in September, I'm realising that I don't have very much time left, so I've put in a few job applications. Had one interview (to no avail) but things are coming up all the time so I've not lost hope yet! Ever the eternal optimist!

Health

Finally finally finally the Irish healthcare system comes through! I had my endoscopy on August 25th, after enduring complete agony for most of March, and the odd bout of nausea since then. The scope guy didn't actually find any evidence of anything apart from mild damage from acid reflux, so I'm on acid reducing pills for 8 weeks before I go to another consultation.

For those of you who have never had an endoscopy... if they offer to knock you out... TAKE IT!! I, foolishly thinking that if I can get small cavities filled without freezing I can surely endure a camera down my throat, declined the nurse's offer of sedation. Not. A. Smart. Move. Although I actually did not retch as much as you'd think. Less than average, I think the scope guy said. I'm so proud.

Miscellaneous Other

Summer did not really exist in Ireland this year... no... what we got was rain, and lots of it. This led to flooding across the country (including Coolock in North Dublin the day we decided to go bowling with friends at the Coolock Leisure Complex - photos on Flickr!) The rain has left me with a burning desire to go on another holiday. Soon. Like now.

Plans are in abundance at the moment, as due to my uncertain future B and I have been making wild suggestions of what to do with ourselves. These include, but are not limited to:

- moving to Japan on working holiday visas for a year

- moving back to Canada to take over my grandad's orchard

- travelling the world (mostly the Middle East - Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Iran...)

- winning the lottery (update: we won €200 the other day! woo!)

- buying a Greek island and living like millionaires (may be contingent on winning the aforementioned lottery)

Of course any suggestions of life plans are always appreciated.

Well, it's good to be back in my own little space. Check back regularly - I promise to do better now that I'm back!