The A to Z of K

Well, I decided things on Watch This Space were getting a bit down and depressing, so in an attempt to lighten the mood, here is a meme. :)

A - Age you lost your virginity? - 19

B - Band listening to right now? - Franz Ferdinand (iPod is on random) - lately though I've been listening to Entheos (part and parcel of being in a relationship I suppose - thank God they're good!), Kila, and whatever B decides to sing at the top of his lungs while I'm trying to watch online episodes of Lost. Usually Johnny Cash.

C - Dream car? - I don't really need a car at the moment. It might be nice to have an electric one, though.

D - Dad’s name? - Wayne

E - Easiest person to make me laugh? - Any of my friends... generally it's not too hard to make me laugh.

F - Food you miss most? - Living over in Dublin, I really miss the good cheap sushi you can find everywhere in Vancouver. Seriously. I nearly had a heart attack when one menu said that an avocado roll was €7.50... that's nearly $10 Canadian... for one roll...

G - Any encounters with ghosts? - I thought I did at work, but it turned out to be an office-wide power surge. But seriously, the lights flickering in a windowless bathroom at work? Scary.

H - Person most hated at the moment? - As much as I may complain about some people at times (or even most of the time), I don't really dislike them enough to say I actually hate them. That's far too strong a word.

I - Interesting unknown fact about yourself? - I'm sure any unknown things are pretty mundane. As for interesting... well, a psychic once told me that I have "psychic eyes" and that my powers would develop strongly when I'm in my mid to late 30s. Well... I thought it was interesting! :)

J - The first letter of the last person who broke your heart? - R

K - Kissing with eyes opened or closed? - closed.

L - Last time you did LSD? - Never, I'm not a big one for drugs.

M - Most memorable moment you can think of in a minute? - Waking up with B as the sun was rising in Istanbul, looking out our window for the first time and seeing the Blue Mosque. Come to think of it, that whole trip was amazing.

N - Nicknames? - K, Kirsty (not if you value your life!), Woman (courtesy of my Polish friend Jo... always makes me laugh).

O - What’s the most valued possession? - My passport (material) or my spirit (independence, stubbornness, determination, etc).

P - Poison of choice? - I'm not drinking anymore due to potential peptic ulcers, but it used to be Bulmer's cider... mmm....

Q - The last quote you heard: - "No Gods, No Masters" - after watching Pan's Labyrinth, B has a newfound obsession with the Spanish Civil War... although after a bit of searching this quote seems to have more to do with anarchy in general.

R - What are you allergic to? - Everything. Or so it seems most days. Let's see: fish & seafood, nuts (except cashews and macadamias), dander, dust, pollen (hayfever = seventh layer of hell), etc. I'm sure there's more.

S - Song you sang last? - She'll Sing: Emma Wall (again, iPod on random). She stayed in my house when I lived in Barkerville.

T - Time you woke up? - 11am - I love Sundays

U - Fav. pair of underwear? - My push-up bras from Victoria's Secret. Even though I'm sure I don't actually need anything pushed up. :)

V - Vegetable you hate most? - Cucumbers. Red Onions (raw). If I want to make a Greek Salad I have to make some serious modifications!

W - What are you the most afraid of? - Failure. And bees. And leeches.

X - X-rated love life? - Well... not recently. If you've read previous posts on potential ulcers, moving house, and imminent job loss, you'll forgive me for being less than X-rated over the last little while.

Y - Year you were born? - 1980

Z - Zodiac sign? - I'm on the cusp of Libra and Scorpio. Apparently this makes me a nymphomaniac hippie. I like that a lot.

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.

Wrapping up loose ends...

(the "before" edit)

Ahh another Tuesday in the universe.

Last weekend was a flurry of activity, starting with K&B's bright idea to go looking for home furnishings (ugh... so domesticated). So we hopped on the Luas and went off in search of random apartment-y type things. After discovering that big box stores really only cater to people with cars we somehow managed to get everything back home on the Luas (ordeal and a half!) and in to the apartment. Phew.

Sunday I managed to get everything that was left in my old place over to the apartment, and did a bit of a blitz clean so that it's ready for inspection by my old landlady (I need my deposit back!) So that is a small relief.

Then, in an attempt to be a gold star pupil for my photography class, I went in to town with B and spent 6 hours (!!) in the office editing photos in Photoshop. Ugh. Our project was to do 10 "before and after" edits, and I managed to get through 9 before my eyes started to fail me. Too much staring at a computer!

But it all paid off! Last night it turns out I was the only one who actually DID the project and the instructor loved what I'd managed to accomplish. (his hopes were quite low for me as after the second class - the one dedicated to Photoshop - I'd left nearly in tears of frustration at "not getting it" - oh how I have progressed!)

So that's that, I suppose.


(the "after" edit)

Two-thirds moved and other exciting things...

Well I've done it. I am now about 2/3 moved in to the new apartment with B. The new place is wonderful, cozy and brand spanking new. We have a wonderful view out to Phoenix Park, close access to buses and the Luas (the tram) and the Museum of Modern Art just around the corner. I'll post photos as soon as I figure out how to do that on here.

Now if I could just get rid of the major train lines that run by the back of the building.

Seriously. What a way to wake up. Has anyone seen The Blues Brothers? Okay, it's not quite that bad, but there have been quite a few jokes made about that already.

In other news... The Boss is on holidays for 2 weeks (!!) so I'm now "in charge" - whatever that means (mostly being run off my feet, if yesterday is anything to go by!) So far it's going well, which I will need if the "save my job" campaign is to have any success.

Photo class is actually going a lot better now that I managed to guilt the instructor into explaining things s-l-o-w-l-y. Turns out I wasn't the only one that didn't understand a thing the other week. Now I can Photoshop like a... well... still like a beginner, but a better beginner! I have to do a "before and after" project for next week (our final week), so if anyone has any suggestions for photos that should definitely be part of my portfolio, please let me know!

That's it for now... I'm off to stare longingly out the window at the warm sunshine whilst being trapped in my office.

I don't even believe in Spring!

Well despite the fact that it is currently nice and sunny out, having lived in Dublin for 2.5 years now I am hesitant to accept the idea that it may actually be Spring. I'm afraid I need more proof than ONE nice day, Mr Weatherman.

So despite the hail, sleet and snow I actually had a good weekend "down the country" with B and family. I'd been sent down by work on Friday to take part in a cultural diversity fair at the Garda (police) training college, which ended up being 4 hours of me explaining who we are and what we do until I literally had no voice left. But still, was nice to get out of Dublin for a bit.

And now I'm back - back to the good times (??) of recurring peptic ulcers, trying to get an appointment with a gastroenterologist to deal with the aforementioned ulcer, getting ready for The Big Move on Friday... oh, and working. And photo class, which is another rant in and of itself. 2 out of 4 classes focussing on PhotoShop is NOT "Introduction to Digital Photography"...

Manic weather, manic life... just another Manic Monday...

Well, Irish weather never fails to disappoint. Early last week was glorious - sunny, warm, t-shirt and jeans type of weather, and I thought we'd finally arrived at Spring.

I was wrong.

Over the weekend and into today we've had rain, hail and very VERY cold weather. Pack away the t-shirts again, K, you jumped the gun on that one!

Appropriately enough, though, my life has decided to become as manic as the weather. Between the unofficial work policy of "K can handle that!", the growing suspicions of a peptic ulcer, making arrangements to move in with B in a week and a half, and extracurricular activities (photography class and Mandarin lessons) it seems like I'm not destined to slow down or relax anytime soon.

Happily I've managed to talk myself into working an exhibition on Friday, in Tipperary (where B is from) so I will have a relaxing weekend down the country.

Don't get me wrong, though, I quite enjoy the manic life, no matter how much I complain or vent or occasionally threated to turn into the Incredible Hulk ("you wouldn't like me when I'm angry...")

Welcome to my world

Thanks for coming out! So this is blogging... welcome to the new millenium, K. Eventually I hope to have exciting, deep and meaningful musings, rants, writings and tirades on here, but in the meantime, I will attempt to answer the question: "Who or what is Verdandi?" (from my website address)

According to Wikipedia, she is one of the 3 norns in Norse mythology. Being of mostly Scandinavian origin myself, I kind of like that.

"Her name literally is the present tense of be or "to be" and is commonly translated as "in the making" or "that which is happening/becoming", related to the Dutch word worden and the German word werden, both meaning "to become". She is the present moment."

Basically I like that. Having adopted a "live for the now" mentality recently, I think it's appropriate. I am the present moment!