Heads!

Why are so many things positioned at head height?

I understand that it's the best height for some things, I really do, although I can't think of any at the moment. Mirrors, I suppose. Anyway. I'm talking about things that seem intended as booby traps. Like the overhead "racks" on coaches. They're not big enough to put anything other than a coat on, and the coaches that run out to the airport specifically ask you not to put bags on them. The bloody great things almost loom out into the aisles, though and yes, before you ask, I hit my head on one today.

That was less painful and less embarrassing than the first knock I took, though. The canteen at work has two sinks for employees to use to wash up their mugs etc. Over each is a plastic holder for a large "kitchen roll" type thing. And they're positioned at about head height. See where I'm going with this one? They don't have to be anywhere near reachable with one's head. If they were behind the sinks then it'd take a pretty serious effort to crack your forehead off one, rather than just being a little dopey first thing, chatting while reaching for roll and not really paying attention.

There's no need for it. I'm just sayin'...

The Light Of A Candle

I can be strong. I can listen while someone rants and vents. My shoulders are strong enough to bear the weight of other people's upset. Don't get me wrong though, I'm no saint and I'm no superman. Sometimes the most unexpected things bring tears sparking to my eyes.

Today my Pretty Lady and I went out for eats after work. We were just chatting and joking over our meal. I'd had trouble hearing her all the time we were there until the waitress put a new candle on our table. Suddenly I could hear. Astonishing. Polly smiled and told me it was because the candle was a "magic listening candle". I felt my face twist, just a little, and suddenly everything was blurred. It was just the right balance of magical, mystical, childlike (in a very good way) and funny that I could hardly believe it. Just one of the many, many reasons that I love her.

She's working from home for the rest of the week - a well-deserved break from the commute, anyway. I'll miss her loads until I see her on Friday evening but I'll cope.

So I'm back on the buses for the rest of the week. Not a problem. I'll need to be up and out of the house at an early hour but that's okay too.

I'm thoroughly enjoying my new phone. I was right to go for the HTC Desire. I'm slowly finding out more and more about what it's capable of. It really is like carrying a computer around in my pocket. My two latest discoveries are from the Android Market app store. First up, the perfect news reading application - World Newspapers, which is just what I've been looking for. More of a "toy" is the Google Sky Map app. You just point your phone at the sky, and it will shows the stars, planets,
constellations, and more to help you identify the celestial objects in view. Very cool.

Right then, as I need to be up in the morning, I'd better try to get some sleep. Sweet dreams, everyone. I hope that theres a light in all your lives, like there is in mine.

The Day Of Rest?

Surreality? Surrealness? Something like that anyway. All my sensibilities are still outraged at a young girl, fun of fun and laughter, with a four year-old daughter, lying dead in a wooden box. All the crosses and candles in the world won't bring her back to see her daughter off on her first day at school. So sad.

In the nearly two years I've been in Ireland, I've rarely felt as much a foreigner as I did today. My ignorance of Catholic services is clearly a gap in my education but the removal today felt very alien to me. More accurately, I felt very alien to it. Not knowing any of the responses due to the Priest, I kept a respectful silence. It's not for me to show disrespect to anyone's beliefs or traditions. And all the time that box is sat in front of all of us.

I guess that none of know what any day, any moment may bring. For myself, I'll do what I always do - I'll live as best I can by my own lights. I'll work as hard as I know how, I'll treat others as I'd like for them to treat me (unless doing so becomes the equivalent of banging my head on the proverbial brick wall, in which case I'll shrug and leave them to their own devices) and I'll follow my heart.

For many people the most important question that they are ever asked, and the question they spend their lives in answering, is "How would you like to be remembered?"

For me, there is an easy one-word answer. It's the one I gave when I was first asked the question and I've never wavered: fondly.

The Dance

It's been a funny old week. I only worked for three days of it but seemed to fit an awful lot into those days. I'm still finding my feet in some aspects of the job and am maybe over-compensating a little and throwing myself at everything. I possibly need to step back and chill a little.

I'd booked Thursday and Friday off as holiday at short notice. I figured I've now been in Ireland long enough to celebrate St Patrick's Day with the locals, so strolled down to the parade in the city. It was a good vibe. Everyone seemed to be a happy mood so I wandered around for a while, fussed some random dogs, had a couple of pints and went home again.

My Lady was able to finish early on Friday and we went out for a late lunch and spent some time together. It was a little strange, to be honest. Friday lunchtime we'd received the shocking news that one of the girls at work had been killed in a car crash. I can't claim to have known the girl well but I liked her. The last time we spoke was on my birthday. Someone in her department had a birthday as well and they had cake, When she found it was my birthday too I got an e-mail from her inviting me down for a slice. She always had a smile and a joke for everyone. There'll be an Aoife-shaped hole in the building's heart from now on.

It's the first time that my Lady and I have dealt with a loss like this together. She was a huge support to me when my brother passed away in 2008 but that was hardly unexpected, this is different. So we've been learning the steps to the saddest of dances - the mourning, grieving dance. Learning to step lightly and thoughtfully, not hiding feelings and minding raw edges. It's not easy but we managed it.

On a lighter note, the moon is nearer to the earth than it's been for years, apparently. After several beautiful, clear, early spring nights in a row, I had hopes of being able to gaze at it for a while but the Irish weather has had other ideas. It's been raining most of the day and tonight the rain has brought along its good buddy Thick Fog for a visit. So no Moon bathing for me tonight!

Oh balls!

It sounded kind of tasty. "Roasted Irish Beef Meatballs with Chilli, served with Steamed Rice", although the random capitalisation is all my own work.

The rice was good and the chilli sauce was very tasty. The problem entirely centred on the meatballs. Precisely what part of Irish cattle these things came from, I shudder to think. No please, don't say it. You'll make me gag again.

Things had started swimmingly. I was enjoying lunch and everyone around me who had gone for the same option seemed to be enjoying them too. I went to cut into another meatball and found something that resisted my knife. Strongly. Magnificently, I chose that exact moment to find that the meatball I was currently chewing had something of the same consistency about it.

So I'm sat in the middle of a crowded canteen and what I really want to do is spit the damned thing out. Clearly this wasn't going to happen. Making no further attempt at all to chew, I swallowed and then gulped down most of a bottle of Lucozade. I enjoyed the rest of the rice and even managed to smile at those around me and make a few ghastly attempts to join in the conversation. Whatever was in the half-meatball left on my plate, and in the one I'd bravely swallowed has been haunting me all afternoon though. I wouldn't go so far as to use the expression "waves of nausea" but there were certainly gentle ripples of it.

See now I'm typing it, it's happening again! I really, really need to stop thinking about the day the canteen served bollocks for lunch!

Bonsai!

It was my birthday on Friday. After getting some advice from a certain lovely lady, the rest of my team presented me with, amongst other things including Lemon Cake, this beautiful specimen...

I'd been saying for some time that I wanted a plant for my desk but I never imagined that I'd end up with such a beautiful Bonsai. He's sat on my desk at work and I have named him Robert. Robert Plant - geddit??

I'm hoping that he's been okay over the weekend. I made sure that he was fed and watered but I feel kinda guilty about having left him there when we'd only just met. One of colleagues was in over the weekend and was given strict instructions to make sure he was okay, and to chat to him a little. So, first thing in the morning it'll be coffee for me and my pretty girl, water for Robert.

To sleep, perchance

Nearly every morning this week I've been struck by how spring-like everything is. Trees breaking out in cherry-pink and apple-blossom white, just th smell of spring in the air. Then of course, I wake up today to find snow in the air. I know that it's not unheard of in March and that it was forecast but it still surprised me.

I seem to remember snow in June one year when I was still at primary school. I can't tell you exactly which year or even if it definitely happened. It's more of an impression that I have. It was, after all, a long time ago now.

And speaking of a long time ago, I know that Nicotine replacement patches say on the packs that they may interfere with sleep patterns (or something like that) but if I'd realised quite how much of a problem sleeping would become I may well have kept smoking! I'm now taking a herbal remedy (not that kind of herbal remedy!) to try to combat it. I can either get to sleep straight away and then wake during the night or have hell and all trouble settling before sleeping through. Quite frankly, it's a pain in the arse. I even downloaded an app to my new phone which will play "ambient" sounds - wind, rain, birdsong etc etc. Does it help? Hard to say but I'm about to try again.

I'm actually developing a headache so the time to turn off the computer has clearly come. Sweet dreams, everyone.

Kind Of Testing

So I'm taking advantage of the free Wi-fi in the pub and checking out the Blogger application for my new phone.

How well it'll format we'll have to see. If I'm not happy with it there are third-party apps for Blogger or I could always use the browser and go straight to the home page and post from there.

Now, I need to get ready for Ireland v Wales.

By Special Request

I hope, at some point soon, to get to a point where I don't have to start each post with an apology for how it's been since the last one. Clearly that isn't going to be tonight. Sorry it's been so long, guys.

It's not like I haven't had stuff to blog about, I just haven't got around to it. When I've been sat here in the evening I've just been doing other stuff - reading, watching TV, listening to music and just playing on the internet. I just haven't been motivated to blog. No, "motivated" is the wrong word. I've sat here and thought "I want to blog."

I just haven't got around to it, somehow.

So what's been happening? I got around to getting myself a new phone. I now have one of these...

...which I'm very happy with, thank you for asking. It's a little big to comfortably fit in the pocket of a pair of tight jeans but we all have our cross to bear, right?

I could have gone on for a little longer but I seem to have dozed off in front of the computer and it's now 10 to 3 in the morning. This means I should probably shut down and get some proper sleep. I'll try to pick this up again tomorrow. Or later today. You know what I mean.