k, creating distress and worry in the heart of my poor mother. All situations remedied (minus the getting older bit), I'm back at 'er--with a vengeance.Where to start...hmmph. Job, maybe? I did finally manage to work some Canadian charm via the Internet and secure myself a position in the "direct marketing and sales" industry..Yep, it's door-to-door. Nope, not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. It's been really good for meeting new people and traveling around Cork County, so despite it being pretty exhausting, it's been a lot of fun. I love all the people at work and should finally be able to afford to go somewhere other than Ireland for a trip. Next stop? Scotland! Either way, it's nice to be off my lazy bum and actually doing something productive with my days. My new roommate moved in a couple weeks ago, and he's been a whole lot better than I imagined. I thought it would be hard having three people in our house because it's a tiny place, but he gave me a beer after work one night and chilled out with me over some tea after work the next night. Plus, Dave (the first roommate) hasn't really been around much, so it's mostly just been me and Ollie. The only downside to this arrangement is that Mr. New Tea Maker couldn't clean a dish properly to save his life. It's at the point where I'd actually just prefer it if he let them pile in the sink since I have to go back and rewash them all anyway. I did have the place to myself yesterday, so I got the house clean (and my room tidied), so we'll see how long that lasts..don't ask my mom, because she'll just tell you it's already messy again. She may or may not be right.
To celebrate my birthday in true Canadian form, my friend Jenn came to visit with a bag full of goodies--and when I say bag, I mean her checked luggage was full of Canadian food. I've got about half a jar of Cheez Whiz left, which is breaking my heart a little because I seriously don't know how I've survived this long without this plastic cheese product. Oh, the silly things you come to miss. I met Jenn in Dublin the weekend of the 19th, and we went for dinner and partying in Temple Bar. She had a North Ireland tour booked on the Monday to the Wednesday, so I went back to Cork to get some wor
k in and take off the Thursday and Friday of my birthday to do the touristy stuff with her when she got back to my place. It worked out well because Ollie was gone to his brother's wedding in Poland, so he let me use his room for her so we didn't have to try and shove into my double bed. The weekend in Dublin was nice, despite how much I don't like that place. We managed to meet a group of Englishmen in the bar who kept us entertained for the majority of the night. We did a bit of a walking tour of Dublin the next day, venturing to the Guinness factory finally. It was definitely interesting, but I still can't bring myself to do more than use the black stuff for baking.Jenn came to Cork Wednesday night on the train, so I met her there after work, which is right near the train station. We whipped out the Clamato juice and made some tasty midnight Caesars in celebration of my ascent into my mid-twenties. Yet another delicious Canadian treat I've been missing. We ventured to Kinsale the day of my birthday to get some tasty seafood and champagne and so that Jenn could get a taste of the small, coastal towns that make you never want to leave the Emerald Isle. We had gorgeous weather and ventured up to Charles Fort for the great view of the harbour. Friday, we headed back out to Blarney so Jenn could check out the castle and get the gift of gab. It was a great trip, mostly because we checked out the Blarney Woollen Mills shopping centre,
which I hadn't been to yet. I'll definitely be heading back there before I leave the country so I can get some awesome souvenirs and Irish goodies for myself. We had big plans to go out Friday night to check out the scenery at the local pubs, but we were pretty exhausted, so we just relaxed at my place for the night in preparation for Saturday night. We went out for some of the greatest Italian food I've ever had for my birthday dinner Saturday and met up with Alan, Brian, and Alan's friend Ger at Sin E to start the birthday drinking. I also managed to meet a Californian girl at a coffee shop on my way to work one day, so I invited her out and she joined us on our way to our second bar. I quite honestly don't remember where we ended up that night--my weekends all sort of blend together. I believe we were at the Old Oak for a while, where, true to form at that place, some guy started hitting on Jenn. I think we made our way to another bar I'd never been to before. I only remember the Bulmers. Mmm.Jenn had to go home Monday, so we got up bright and early so she could catch the train back to Dublin for he
r flight. While I worked all week and had a pretty good time, my poor feet suffered and I decided to take Friday off. I guess I just got way too used to sitting around doing nothing that a part of me couldn't let it go. I met Alan last night for a drink at Tom Barry's pub, which is a neat little place with a huge beer gardens in the back, but we made our way to Suas, which is a loud bar with a rooftop patio--not my favorite place to be, but Brian and their friend John were there for John's girlfriend's birthday party, so we stuck around for a drink with them. The Irish don't like to stay in one place for too long, so Brian, Alan and I made our way to another bar I'd never been to, where we met Graham and Charlotte--friends of theirs who we spent a weekend with in Roscarbery a few weeks ago. It's been an eventful few weeks, and I'm definitely looking forward to my next adventures...maybe after the World Cup is over. I'd hate to interfere with that...*cough*Anyway, here's the link to my Facebook album if you want to check out some pics from my birthday weekend. Cheers!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=178839&id=511448357&l=ce38bebe71
