Bonding with Europe

On Saturday night, B and I settled in to watch the Eurovision Song Contest.  For those readers unfamiliar with the spectacle that is Eurovision:

"...the Eurovision Song Contest is Europe's favourite TV show. After more than five decades featuring some 1,100 songs, the contest has become a modern classic, strongly embedded into Europe's collective mind." (via http://www.eurovision.tv/)

Those of you who ARE familar with Eurovision might define it a little differently...

"'Eurovision' is like a kitschy 'European Idol' sung mostly, but not entirely, in English, and is one of those weird cultural happenings that is followed almost everywhere in the world except the USA...  You need a high irony threshold to enjoy it. The cheese-factor is what makes it fun, from terrible takes on American musical forms like rap and swing, to the inevitable national costumes and dancing accordion players." (via Ben Widdicombe @ PopEater)

That's about the gist of it.

Having watched international events like the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremonies with the help of Twitter audiences, I thought it would be fun to watch the Eurovision with the rest of Europe as well!

I wasn't disappointed.  Between RTE commentator Marty Whelan's sarcastic take on the proceedings (notable quote:  "Stay tuned - the vikings are going to do something crazy!"), as well as comments from all over Europe, I don't think I ever stopped laughing the for the whole two and a half hours. 

Some highlights?

• After a particularly tone deaf performance from Harel Skaat of Israel:  "When's Palestine on, then?"  (@crouchingbadger)
• After Denmark's performance, notable for its backing track, "borrowed" from The Police:  "Every breath you take, every move you make, I'll be copying your song and style. Denmark."  (@jaggeree)
• After Armenia's frankly inexplicable ode to the centre of an apricot:  "Undoubtedly the best song I have ever heard dedicated to an apricot stone. No question."  (@johnccmay)

The voting was predictable as ever, with neighbouring countries voting for each other, and both Ireland and the UK left in the bottom (the UK came last though, so we managed a small moral victory!)  It also prompted a few classic comments:

"As a bit of light relief, I like to think back to a happier time when Europe was at war, and these people were our enemies."  (@mrjonmacqueen)

"Clearly some of this European voting is “sorry for the genocide, here’s 12 points” " (B, in our living room)

My personal favourites were Greece and France - such earworm songs!  And great for summer!  (edit - I totally just bought the French song off iTunes... hah!)  I also liked Germany, and of course they ended up winning - and rightly so.  I was singing that song for the rest of the weekend.  Still can't quite get it out of my head.

But the highlight of the night had to be the Europe-wide flashmob.  To the best of my knowledge, Norway is the first Eurovision host country to use the power of flashmobs as their entertainment, and it was fantastic.  Call me cheesy and sentimental, but there's something really cool about the thought of people from Iceland to Russia doing the same dance at the same time.

Or maybe @jeffjarvis put it best, when he said "Europe: You can't afford all this dancing. You're in debt! Get back to work!"

Customer Service Wins!

Alright, so my first week back after Christmas was kind of a stress filled bummer... but rather than venting to the Internets I am instead going to focus on the positives and present my two Customer Service Wins of the Week.  So excited.

Win The First:  Alan Moloney, WHSD.net comics
Around about the time that Ireland decided to recreate the flood scene out of the Bible, one of B and my favourite cartoonists decided to give away prints of his cartoon strip in exchange for donations to the flood relief efforts.  In all my wisdom I think "Hey, that would be an awesome part of B's Christmas present!" and fire off both a donation and an email to Alan.

This is where the postal system (curse you, An Post) comes in.

He sent the thing twice.  TWICE.  And to date we haven't seen it.  At first it wasn't a huge deal as we didn't do Christmas til after I got back.  But now it's mid-January.  Where is my package, An Post?

Not wanting to be a huge whinging complainer (I am Canadian, after all), I sent another email to Alan, who promises to re-send everything (for the third time!) and include a copy of his new book.... to my work address this time.

I'm so happy I could hug him.  But I will do the next best thing and strongly urge you to read his cartoons.  Even if you don't get some of the Irish references, they are still hilarious.

Win The Second:  O2
I don't normally think about my mobile phone provider or my plan or anything like that.  Since discovering the wonderful world of Skype (God bless it), I hardly even use my phone anymore, except for work (rarely) and calling B on my lunch break (daily).  Oh, and to find out about my local yoga classes.

So when Anonymous Customer Service Rep called me yesterday I had no idea what was going on.  I do apologise... I'm sure ACSR had a name (poor guy) but I didn't catch it, so can't thank him properly.

Anyway.  He offered to keep me on the same plan (whatever I agreed to last time) but for €5 less a month.  Being all cynical and suspicious of cold calls from ACSRs, I naturally asked what the catch was.  The only catch (and I asked EVERYTHING)... I have to stay with O2 for 18 months.  I can change anything else, just not my provider.  Now, seeing as I've been with them since... er... 2004... I don't think there's any danger of that.  Especially not when they call me every year to downgrade my plans and/or make life cheaper for me.

I love these guys.  And the ACSR also managed to alert me to the fact that as a customer I am entitled to loads of free things and discounts on other things... like clothes!  And dinners!  And cheap weekends away!

Loving it.

So thanks, people and organisations with awesome customer service skills.  You successfully managed to turn an otherwise downer of a week into something a bit more manageable.

I owe you one.

Professional Do-Gooder

Day two of K's return to employment-land and everything is still going well.  Apart from a nagging cold that has been threatening to erupt for the last few weeks and will not go away (think perma-sniffles), everything is great!

I am now the proud holder of the title of "Dublin's Craziest Commute" - in part due to the fact that while I'm working The New Job, I'm also still volunteering at The Volunt-work until the end of November.  Commute goes something like this:

7.30am - stumble out of bed, make coffee, pack lunch, brush teeth, etc
8.10am - catch the bus in to town (rush hour, so a normally 10 minute bus trip takes about 30 minutes)
8.40am - begin walk from city centre to The New Office
9.00am - arrive at The New Office, finish coffee (now cold), make new coffee (sadly instant)
1.00pm - bid farewell to The New Work, begin walk to Luas
1.20pm - just miss Luas, wait 5 minutes for the next one
1.45pm - arrive at The Volunt-work, eat lunch
5.30pm - Luas back in to town
6.00pm - meet up with B, head to the bus (possibly grabbing dinner supplies en route)
7.00pm - having missed relevant bus, getting stuck in traffic due to accident on Quays, arrive home to make dinner

Yay a 12 hour day!  But hey, all that walking will whip me into shape for the wedding(s) next year!

Actually I'm loving every minute of it.  I love what I do.  That's why, in the lead-up to starting The New Job, I was a bit intimidated.  What do you do when everything you've worked so hard for pays off and you land your dream job?  It's fairly intimidating, but also hugely exciting.  I can plan any projects I want!  These people think I have good ideas!  Good ideas that will likely be implemented!

To bring myself back down to earth... my first day yesterday involved cleaning.  The New Office was damaged by floods this summer, and so myself, CEO and Board Member 1 spent the morning going through boxes of mouldy, mildewy papers.  All morning.  Not an auspicious start, but I figure things can only get better.  And today was better.  I have a functioning computer!  (not the case yesterday)  I have a spiffy new email address!  (again, not the case yesterday)  I will have business cards for the first time in my adult working life!  Okay, so that's kind of a lame thing to get excited about...

But I like feeling that I'm helping to make a difference.  And I am.  And I hope you'll all help me!

How I Spent The Last 2 Months...

...or "I return bearing Good News".

Almost 2 months to the day and I'm back in the blogosphere! It's been a fairly chaotic 2 months, I must say, full of stress, tears (both good and bad types), frustration and sheer joy. And now I'm back!

News The First:
After an achingly painful 2 months, my PR course is finally over. Don't get me wrong - the lecture part of the course was awesome - great people, interesting subject matter, complete and total relevance to my chosen career field... but the last 2 months... I want them back. Between trying to complete a 32-page PR proposal for my volunteer work (also part of the course requirements) and studying for 6 exams, I have never been so stressed in all my life.

Also, memo to the PRII (Public Relations Institute of Ireland) - scheduling 6 (yes, 6) 3 hour exams in 3 days? Not such a good idea. By the last day we were all bordering on hysteria, and finding anything and everything funny, whilst stressing and panicking at the same time. Seriously, PRII... please reconsider such a horrible exam schedule.

But it's done! Done, and I have my Official Graduation on October 15th! Never mind that we don't even have our exam results back yet and thus don't actually know if we've PASSED... I'm graduating! Again! This makes 4 graduations since 1998. I'm educated to the point of overkill.

News The Second:
As of October 5th, ladies and gentleman... I no longer belong to the Land of the Unemployed, and will be telling the Great Irish Recession (tm) where to stick it.

That's right! After much persistence, hard slog, frustration and tears over the last 11 months, I have a job! A paid job! And what's more, it's my absolute Dream Job To End All Dream Jobs! I am simultaneously delighted and incredibly nervous. It's part-time to start, so I can ease my way out of Unemployment Land... but I'll have money again! Disposable income!

Let me tell you... it's been an extremely hard fought battle, but I got there in the end. And I didn't have to compromise my beliefs or sell out and work in Corporate Bureaucracy Land. Once a do-gooding charity hippie, always a do-gooding charity hippie.

So until the 5th I am mostly relaxing... enjoying the last few days of being able to sleep til 11am on a weekday, baking zucchini bread and cleaning the apartment.

Oh, and planning weddings. But that's a post for another day.

Update!

Unfortunately my wee little blog seems to be getting neglected lately. It seems to be mostly due to the fact that I'm "working" again and so the days and weeks are flying by instead of progressing slowly and steadily. Honestly, I have no idea where June went and it's nearly July already! So I've decided to do a good things / piffling trifles recap of the last little while, before trying to post more regularly. Enjoy!

Good Things

1. My new "job" is great. The fact that I can tie my PR course project in to work is also great! I'm learning loads, mostly to do with software like Raiser's Edge, which is so ridiculously in demand at at the moment that I'll be fairly set when I finish the internship. That is, if I'm not able to wrangle a paid position out of the board! Fingers crossed.

2. As a kind of "thank you" for doing this internship I get to go to Ethiopia in November. Part of what I was working on this past week was finding out about local attractions in Addis Ababa and the surrounding area. Now I've been fairly diligent with this, and scoured the Lonely Planet, TripAdvisor and did a Flickr image search of all the places I found. Am now so excited at the prospect of going to Ethiopia I can hardly breathe. I love paid holidays to awesome places!

3. The organisation formerly known as my employers held a conference on Tuesday on the problem of sex trafficking and prostitution (delightful, I know!) at which the guest speaker, Victor Malarek, was someone I recommended! Clearly I still rock at that job even 8 months after I've left.

4. B and I have booked a consultation / engagement photo shoot with our first-choice wedding photographer this coming Tuesday. Again, am so excited I can barely breathe. I don't know what it is, but having an actual engagement shoot seems to move all this wedding stuff from the intangible to the realm of actual reality. As in, omigod we're actually doing this!

5. I am officially capable of waking up at 7.30am, commuting for 1 hour and 15 mins and NOT being sleepy OR grumpy (or any of the other dwarves, for that matter!)

6. B and the band are absolute rock legends, having supported Melophobia (fear of people named Mel? Fear of mellow people?) on the main stage at Whelans on Thursday night. They totally rocked a pretty crowded house and likely still have not come down off their post-performance high. And I am so incredibly proud of all of them it's ridiculous.

7. It's Pride Weekend! Rock the rainbows!

Piffling Trifles

1. Now that it's kind of warm and extremely humid, we've been leaving all the doors and windows of the apartment open wide. Result? We have random little flies in the living room. I hate flies. Get out of my house!!

2. I missed the Pride Parade due to a very important long distance phone call. Well worth it, though. I'll definitely catch the Pride Festival next year.

3. A whole day of sex trafficking and prostitution conferences is perhaps THE single most depressing way to spend a sunny Tuesday.

4. Potential Canadian wedding venues are crap at getting back to me about my enquiries. Don't tell me to email you for further information if you're not intending to write back!

5. Note to potential Irish venue: please please please, learn the difference between "its" and "it's"... oh, and "your" and "you're". I might just be that much of a grammar freak that the mistakes in your "newly updated" wedding brochure could be a dealbreaker.

So, as you can see things are definitely on the up. The piffling trifles I can live with, and the good things definitely outweigh them anyway, so I'm delighted.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to chase tiny flies around the living room with a rolled up newspaper...

I can haz awsum boyfriend? part II

So this weekend, before the imminent arrival of the parents, B decided we should go away to the country. As I've never been one to argue with his brilliant ideas, on Friday evening we headed down to Wicklow, to a picturesque little farmhouse called Ballyknocken. The added bonus? It's also a cookery school! And B, being the occasional forward planner that he sometimes can be, had also booked us in for a tapas cookery course on Saturday, and a gourmet dinner on the Friday night.

It was heaven. But there will be more of the weekend in a separate post. Something along the lines of "Cooking School Raves and Reviews, by K". I promise.

Well needless to say after cooking (and eating) far too much mini Spanish food (mmm... tapas), we decided it would be a good idea to go for a walk in the woods. That's one thing I love about Wicklow - it has hills that are trying so desperately to be mountains that you have to humour them by "hiking" them. Bless.

So we went for a leisurely stroll for a while... and then stopped by a huge tree with a beautiful view of the valley...


...and then he proposed. (insert girlish giggle here)

Zoo Babies

I may spark off a controversy here, but I love going to the zoo. I can't think of a more exciting thing to do for a day out except maybe... going to Ikea? More on that when it opens in Dublin in July!

Don't get me wrong - I hate seeing animals kept in pens or cages that are way too small. I hate seeing them pace back and forth listlessly, with a sad look of resignation in their eyes. That's why I was even kind of glad to see the end of Vancouver's zoo in Stanley Park.

And I admit, Dublin Zoo does have some of the same problems. I've noticed it mostly with the Big Cats - what is it about these animals that makes people want to keep them in small enclosures? Poor lions. But other areas are huge and spacious, with loads of trees to climb, things to swing off, and people to stare at.

It's unnerving being eyed up by an orangutan.

So yes, we had a great Easter weekend, mostly involving me squealing (in pitches that only dogs can hear at times!) and threatening to take all the animals home with me. Needless to say, B has mastered the exasperated look.

Case in point - after exclaiming "Aww... look at his little face! I want one!" a few too many times, we stopped to watch the elephants. Cue a small child beside me (no older than 7): "Aww... I want one!" I laughed and said "See? It's not just me!" to which I got "Yes K, but that child is 7 years old, and you are 28."

He'll be a good dad some day.

But seriously... YOU try saying no to this furry little face (below).

(all photos courtesy of B)

This week's inspirations

I've seen a lot of really inspiring videos lately, and I wanted to be able to share them with everyone (and also keep them in one place for easy access!)

I hope you enjoy them as I have!

The Lost Generation
I admit, when I first watched this I didn't fully understand what was going on. I thought "How bleak and depressing!" but halfway through I finally got it. The video touches on many of the issues that I've come to realise are incredibly important to me - family, friends, experiences... and that I do not want my life to revolve around the quest for money or power.

Great Work
As a follower of David Allen (of Getting Things Done fame) on Twitter, I discovered this short video from one of his tweets. Find Your Great Work is a book by Michael Bungay Stanier, and the video encourages you to be ruthless and persistent to successfully get "great work" in your life. Since becoming unemployed I've alternated between two mindsets: the "sticking to my guns and not compromising my beliefs" model, and the "beggars can't be choosers" model. Ultimately, although the former has yet to pay off, it leaves me determined and positive, as opposed to the latter, which often leaves me in a funk.

Did You Know?
This video came to my attention via an old friend from high school. I must have watched it at least 10 times now, always amazed by the statistics and sheer volume of information they have managed to condense into 5 minutes. It almost makes me want to run away and work on a farm somewhere, whilst reminiscing about the good old days...

What about you? Do you have any videos you find inspiring?

Upbeat

Alright kids, I've had enough of the whole "feeling sorry for myself" malarkey. Starting now (well, actually yesterday) I've got a new lease on life and am feeling much better about things. And it's about time.

On the "my body hates me and wants me to be miserable forever" front, the anti-inflammatory pills have done a wonderful job and I have finally rejoined the world of the walking. Today I took my first tentative steps outside the apartment since last Sunday (that's over a week... yikes) and made it to Inchicore village with only a few minor twinges and gripes from the toe. Success! To be honest I never realised how much you can take something simple (like walking) for granted. It certainly won't happen again, as I now live in fear of The Pain flaring up again. Oww...

With increased mobility comes an increased determination on the jobhunting front too. I'm attacking job ads with a renewed vigour and enthusiasm, despite not hearing from at least 10 of the previous jobs I'd applied for. My new outlook? They don't know what they're missing... but boy, are they ever missing out.

I also cleaned the apartment yesterday for the first time in ages. Ages in this case being approximately a week. I don't have OCD or anything... I just notice crumbs and dust easier on our dark wood floors. Needless to say I don't think B missed my shrieks of "Get off my nice clean floors with your filthy boots!" while I was incapacitated...

In other news, it's finally beginning to look like spring. There's still a bit of a chill in the air, but the sun is (sometimes) shining and the daffodils are out in full force. Perhaps that's what's led to my rebirth of determination?

Yarrr...

You know you've been unemployed a bit too long when you get career ideas from song lyrics.

Case in point? This afternoon, while being a good girlfriend/domestic goddess and ironing B's shirts, my iPod shuffled on to one of my "songs for making me happy". I could instantly identify with the lyrics:

I looked for every kind of job, the answer always "No"
"Hire you now?" they'd always laugh "We just let 20 go!"
The Government, they promised me a measley little sum.
But I've got too much pride to end up just another bum.

Then I thought "Who gives a damn if all the jobs are gone?"
"I'm gonna be a PIRATE... on the river Saskatchewan!"

So that's my plan. Who's with me? I might have to amend the plan slightly to focus my pirate activities on a river in say... Meath... but I reckon it's still feasible.

PS - for those readers unfamiliar with the song "The Last Saskatchewan Pirate", you can find quite an entertaining video here. Syncs up quite well I think!

PPS - for those of you also unfamiliar with Saskatchewan, it's the flattest place in the world. Totally landlocked. Mostly wheatfields. When your dog runs away you can see him going for days... you get the idea.

(photo courtesy of Mom and Dad)

Highs and Lows

This week I have been mood swinging all over the place. In an attempt to regain a state of Zen-like calm, I've decided to write down all the good and bad things that have happened this week. Hopefully this will lead to a realisation that things I may consider "bad" are mostly just trifling, stupid and petty, somewhat along the lines of White Whines (which is also a very entertaining site). So here goes:

Good Things

- finding an absolutely perfect pair of boots (dark brown, leather, knee-high) for €65, then realising they are on sale for €25
- a call this morning from a customer service spokesperson from O2 (my mobile phone company) to downsell me to a better plan, because "really, you're not using even HALF of the minutes you get on your current plan, and this new plan can save you €15 per month". Never in my life has a customer service person offered to downsell me, or even been so honest. O2 are now among my favourite people
- getting accepted on to a part-time Postgraduate Diploma in PR and Event Management, starting at the end of March. Back to school for me!
- finally getting ONE job interview (but not til the end of February)

Bad Things

- coming to the realisation that my savings (which I was quite proud of at the end of October) are now severely depleted
- the recent flood of "Thank you for your application for X job. We regret to inform you that on this occasion your application was not successful" letters. Especially the ones with spelling errors. That REALLY bothered me today.
- not being able to find any of the baking supplies I need to make my muffins. I mean really... all I'm after is oats! And you call yourselves a "baking section"...
- grey, rainy, miserable weather
- people (on the bus, in the shops, in general) complaining about work. At least you HAVE a job.
- people suggesting I should sign on for welfare. I know you're well-meaning and all... and that I'm more than entitled to do it... but all I can think of is "bleedin' immigrants, coming over here and sponging off the State..." I'm not comfortable with that. I know it's my own hangup, but seriously. Stop suggesting it.

Okay, so when I see it all written out like that I know it's not so bad. It could certainly be a lot worse.

So I think I will take the rest of the day to wallow in my own self pity, and then get the hell over myself. Because really, it's not doing me any good.

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 I loved this week

• watching a tractor drive down the motorway outside. In the fast lane.
  
• staying in my pjs all day (only once!)
  
• making lasagna for dinner... and actually having leftovers!
  
• having to pull our couch up about one foot away from our TV so that we could read the subtitles for a film on our VERY small TV
  
• this recording. I have never laughed so hard in my life.
  
• B's reaction to aforementioned recording. I sent the link to him at work because I didn't think he believed me about just how funny it was. Am now under orders not to send "laugh out loud funny" things to work anymore
  
• watching B and the the gang rock out last night
  
• feeling like the girlfriend of a potentially supreme rockstar. Because what girl can honestly say that she's never wanted to be adored by a rockstar? I'm like a less-threatening Yoko. Or... a not-at-all-drug-addled Nancy
  
• getting caught off guard by "relationship talk". Adapted from actual conversation last night:
  

B: (said something stupid/odd which I cannot recall)
Me: That's great. Remind me not to let you write your own wedding vows. (nb: no imminent marriage plans at this point - I just make random offhand comments like that sometimes)
B: Don't worry. I already know what I'm going to say for that.
Me: *blink* ...
(cue extended pause, followed by...) What an odd thing to say.


How was your week?

Not cut out for corporate drone-dom

I still get asked what I'm doing with my time... how I'm coping. It's as if human beings are meant to be so conditioned to the idea of working for a living that by depriving them of that delightful experience they will go mad.

Well I for one refuse to go mad.

I also refuse to fill my time with meaningful busywork. Yes I do have my Christmas projects that I have been working on (and desperately need to finish), and yes I do have the occasional cleaning fit that results in an immaculate apartment... but I'm not going to go running around the city centre just because I think I should be "doing something" with my free time.

The only thing I am actually "doing" is taking care of myself. Listening to my body and judging how I feel every day, and finding things to do based on how I'm feeling. It's not rocket science, and it's working pretty well for me.

Things that make me happy

Where has the week gone? Where has September gone, for that matter? Well it doesn't matter because it's time for this week's Things That Make Me Happy:

1. Watching the lights on the motorway come on

They have this strangely ethereal pattern where they are bright, blinding white when they first come on, but fade to an orangey yellow glow as you watch. And they light up in order, all along the motorway right up to the roundabout, after which I can't see any further. Strangely relaxing.

2. Finishing my major project at work

This one had been a thorn in my side for a few weeks - but it's with the CEO now so it's out of my hands. Nothing like a proud sense of accomplishment.

3. Watching "The Notebook" on TV

I admit I was skeptical at first... I thought surely it's just another soppy girlie romantic film. I was completely unaware of the underlying story (the entire plot, basically) and ended up a bit teary-eyed by the end of it, I don't mind telling you.

4. A weekend of sun, farmer's markets and dinner parties with friends

All in all, an excellent way to spend a weekend. Thanks to B for the photo.

5. The idea of Thanksgiving

It started innocently enough, with my mom telling me that they were probably going to go up to the Okanagan (as always) for Thanksgiving. Which got me thinking about how much I love that drive in the autumn - all the leaves changing colours on the trees along the river, stopping to get pumpkins from Bear's Fruit Stand in Keremeos, a huge dinner with family. That made me a bit homesick (still does, come to think of it), but also got me thinking... why not spread Thanksgiving over here? And so I have decided to make a Thanksgiving dinner... somehow... either for B's family or some of our friends.

And the thought of having family together for a nice Thanksgiving dinner makes me happy. Even if my own family are 5000 miles away having their own Thanksgiving. Sure it's the thought that counts.

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?

Out of the ether...

Well... I'm back.

You know those times where you're so flat-out busy that you don't have a second to stop and think, or catch your breath? That's been May for me.

Work
Has been fairly crazy. The Boss (not Springstein) was away for part of May so yours truly was in charge of the entire Comms office which, when 2 major events occur, requiring urgent media attention, does not make for a good time! We've also published 2 major documents, one research and also our information factsheets, which I'm responsible for distributing. This means getting intimately acquainted with the weigh scales and postage machine. I think I have Irish postal rates memorised... is that sad?

Goings-on
Last Sunday was Africa Day in Dublin (see above photo), and honestly I haven't had that much fun in ages. I loved the sunny day, the ever-so-danceable African music, the food, and the people - it felt like I knew a good percentage of them through work. Such a good time, and it was all free.

Parental control
My mom and her friend/cousin were here for a week and a half and just left on Tuesday. It was really nice to have them over - they even stayed in our spare room! Clearly B has the patience of a saint to put up with my crazy family for so long! We did some of the typical touristy things (which we normally try to avoid like the plague!) and some not-so-touristy things, and I think they had a great holiday.

It makes me a bit homesick though - I always find that after people from home leave... it's nice having people around who have known me for more than a year. Even B has only known me for just over a year. It's strange how having a long history with friends or family can become so important when you're on your own in a new place. It's little things like that that seem to spark homesickness in me at the weirdest times.

Out of commission
I've had a rotten cold from Thursday on - foggy head, stuffy nose and ears, and a hacking cough. Still went to work though... I'm such a good girl.

And I'll be out of commission for the most part from the 4-23 of June as I'm off to Greece with B. We're going for a European conference in Athens for 2 days, which means the flights and 2 nights' accommodation are taken care of (thank you, EU!) but then we decided, "why not add a holiday while we're there?" So depending on the availability and cheapness of internet facilities in Greece, I might not be around for a while.

But then, with this most recent 20-day absence, what else is new.... right?

I'm not upset, I'm...

Ever since I found out my job was in trouble I've had a lot of time to think about things. About a month, to be precise. And it's been a bit of a rollercoaster: tears, tantrums, rants and raves. But today, after a meeting with our CEO yesterday afternoon (and even more tears and tantrums last night) I've come to some important realisations.

1 - This is out of my control
At the moment the organisation simply doesn't have the money to keep me on, and with the Government refusing to fund NGOs it is a sad fact of life that money is not likely to come from anywhere anytime soon.

2 - It's not me
I think this is the one that matters most to me. I have done a good job. I am good at what I do. Nobody wants to see me go, and what's more, they really feel they can't AFFORD to lose me. But again, it's out of my (and their) control.

3 - There are more opportunities out there
As disappointed as I will be to have to leave such a great organisation (and it is), there are other jobs out there that will allow me to grow and develop from an assistant/admin role to a more responsible communications role. All I have to do is go after them.

So with those 3 things in mind... well, I'm still disappointed, a bit scared, but also hopeful. I know these people will do everything in their powers to make sure that I'm okay and do well. I have the support of one of the most powerful NGOs in Ireland behind me, and that means the world to me.

Now I just have to jump back in to the job market - a thought that at present is about as appealing as having a root canal with no freezing (for an idea of what that's like, read A Million Little Pieces !) But I'm a stubborn, determined girl... I've hit setbacks like this before and I haven't given up.

And I won't this time, either.