Journal Entries
Back in Ireland
Posted Oct 26, 2006
I arrived back in Dublin last night, and have since had a good 12 hours sleep, and feel approximately normal! The flight wasn't too painful, altho I was absolutely wrecked by the time I arrived in London, having chosen to stay awake all the way from Tokyo (12.5 hours or so). I passed the time by watching movies: An Inconvenient Truth (well presented, and depressing as hell! if mostly also stuff I already know), Memories of Matsuko (Japanese, a bit surreal, funny and sad - interesting), Click (Adam Sandler, funny in places and well-meant, altho a little heavy handed on the moral guidance) and The Hunt for Red October - still worth watching 
I also read half of Memoirs of a Geisha, and was really enjoying it, but managed to leave it on the seat next to me when I got off (D'oh!)...
Damn terrorists and stupid security precautions at Heathrow also cost me a can of deoderant - which I can only get in Oz!
Anyway, better go get some stuff done - look for a job maybe...
Love to all, it was great to see you while I was home, and I promise I'll try and update this more regularly (but I make no promises about the content!). When I get back to Galway, I'll put some more photos up too
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Latest reply: Oct 26, 2006
Home Sweet Home (in brief!)
Posted Oct 23, 2006
Well, as a girl in red shoes once remarked, there's no place like home, and I think she was right. As much fun as I've had and will continue to have travelling, it's great to be back among family, friends and familiar surroundings
I arrived after around 30 hours in transit on Mum's birthday, so her present was to come and collect me from the airport at 6am We visited my grandfather, and had lunch with a family friend, visited Heth and her new baby Emily, then drove home to the farm. It was so nice to sleep in my own room and my big, comfy bed! I stayed on the farm til Sunday night (sleeping and eating mostly), then got a lift back to Perth with my brother, who'd come down for the weekend.
Then a fairly busy 6 days in Perth - catching up with Kristin, Nic, Em, Vicki, Helen and Rod, plus going to Kristin and Ryan's wedding on Friday - a great day - the bride and groom looked lovely and happy, everything went smoothly, the weather was great, and I caught up with lots of old friends
On saturday I came back down south with Mum, and after a few more quite peaceful days (and a few more roast dinners 
I am going back to Perth tomorrow, and flying out at 11pm!
It's been a great 2 weeks, and while I'm always sad to be leaving, I'm keen to see lots more of europe, and experience more of Ireland as well.
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Latest reply: Oct 23, 2006
Aran Islands
Posted Aug 11, 2006
Hi again world Another short note!
I'm now living on the largest of the Aran Islands, Inishmore, off the west coast near Galway. I'm changing beds and doing some cleaning for 2 hours per day to pay for my bed in a hostel, and also got a bar job at the local hotel. All is well - life in between work consists of lying around reading and observing the harbour, learning to play hurling (a bizarre Irish game seen only in Ireland and on Guinness ads) on the beach when the tide is out, drinking beer, getting sunburnt and going to pubs to listen to traditional music and drink more beer
Right now, those distractions are calling (and the only internet access is on my boss's laptop in his room, and he wants to go to the pub, so I'd better move!
Love to all
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Latest reply: Aug 11, 2006
I'm in Dublin
Posted Jul 15, 2006
Alas, the working holiday visa for the UK has run out after 2 years, so I've come to Ireland to apply for a new one for here, and continue with my avoidance of reality for another 12 months! Who needs a real job?
More soon...
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Latest reply: Jul 15, 2006
Some random drivel
Posted Mar 10, 2006
Hi again world...
I'm having a quiet friday night in, and felt like writing some miscellaneous rubbish.
Today I played football for the first time in ages! It was great I am crap, but it was lots of fun anyway. I wasn't totally outclassed by the guys, and there were 2 other girls there as well. I played with a bunch of the people I work with, including against my boss, which was interesting, especially when we both tried to kick the ball and I ended up falling and rolling... Not that unusual an occurrence, but because we were playing on astro turf with an excessive amount of sand on it, it was more hazardous than it could have been. I finished the game with a graze on my knee and a rather sore foot (where it connected with someone elses shin). I also got winded. I love this game!!
While writing this, I've also been trying to find out of diarise is a word - meaning to write a diary. Diarist seems to be OK, being a person who writes a diary, but I thought it could be a verb as well... It seems I'm wrong.
Anyway, my job contract has been extended until July, so I'm staying in Edinburgh until then I'm pretty pleased about it, cos I'm quite comfortable here, my flat is good, I've made friends, and am pretty well settled in my job. My boss seems to have got over thinking I'm a freak for liking football and knowing something about cars, and now seems happy to just chat with me.
The project I'm running is apparently getting another 240,000 pounds in April, which helps to secure my job I'm going to try and set up an Access database to manage the information involved, but my Access skills are pretty limited, and the fact that there's a load of existing data (in Excel) means I also have to massage the existing data into the way I want it... There are about 1100 records, so it needs to be done properly!
I have a new flatmate, a replacement spanish guy, who seems lovely He cooked a spanish omelette (tortilla de patatas) tonight which was really yummy, so he's in the good books so far! The south african flatmate is still broke and unemployed, but as his girlfriend has moved in, I'm at least confident they will pay the rent...
What else is happening in my life? It's not terribly exciting...
Tomorrow I'm going to the pub to watch some 6 nations rugby with some friends (a kiwi, an aussie and a yank) - dunno who's playing, and I don't know a lot about rugby, but sport, friends and beer should make for a fun afternoon!
I'm still working sometimes for the catering agency - Thursday night was at the Signet Library (a rather gorgeous old building off Parliament Square and the Royal Mile) for a champagne tasting, which was quite entertaining. Last week it was a rather formal dinner at the Advocate's Library (adjacent to Signet, and even more impressive). I wouldn't know, but apparently about 15 of scotland's most senior judges were there. Certainly quite a few of them were Lord So and So! I also worked at the Murrayfield rugby stadium when England played Scotland, supervising wine waiters in the suite for the guests of the Scottish Rugby Union, which on this occasion, included Princess Anne, and her children Peter and Zara Phillips... That was kind of cool
A less exciting aspect of the catering was filling in the security clearance form to (maybe) go and work at Holyrood Palace in May, which required me to list every place I've lived in the last 5 years! 5 years ago I was at college, and I lived in 2 different places in Perth, before I came over here, since when I haven't been in the same place for more than 5 months!
OK, it's about time for dinner... Tonight it's going to be fajitas I've become quite addicted to mexican food (since the day my flatmates cooked nachos, and I was scared by how spicy the corn chips were!), partly because I can buy the flavouring in a packet, and it's easy to do I've made goulash twice now as well, and it worked quite well
Enough!
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Latest reply: Mar 10, 2006
CJ-Maranup
Researcher U779884
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