A Day as a Temporary Resident

Today, I blended in as a Dubliner. As usual, I went for my river run. Unfortunately, I forced myself out the door a little later than usual, so I had to run fast but I got it in nonetheless. I also had to utilize my evasive maneuvers, because Dublin was waking up and littered with commuters on foot. The upside is that I am getting used to timing the lights and scoping out the traffic. While those new to Dublin streets stand motionless waiting for the little green man to give them the go ahead to cross (with or without oncoming traffic), I cross when the streets are clear. I love when I set the pace for the newbies. They look at me, then look at one another, shrug and head across the street. Street crossing is a valuable skill to have here. One: you save time and two: you don't get run over by the bustle of working pedestrians. It is still a challenge for me though.  Because although the City of Dublin was kind enough to remind us foreigners which way to look when crossing the street by way of "Look Left" or "Look Right" signs, every fiber of my being tells me that that is simply unnatural and I end up looking both ways before I cross-- because looking both ways before you cross any street is sound advice.

I went to a new place for lunch today. A little sidewalk cafe. I actually went in and sat down. I know, I neglected Oscar today but he always has people hovering about him. It was also a chilly morning, so I was hesitant about spending my lunch outside. Seriously, even Colum mentioned that his office was freezing and that has never happened in my four weeks here. Being the gentleman he is, he moved the heater in his office (after he turned it on) so that I may stay warm while I worked. I couldn't have asked for a better place or a better person to work with.

As part of my Dubliner temporary citizen schedule, I went and found someone to cut my hair today. I headed over to St. Stephen's Green Shopping Centre where I discovered that you have to pay 20 cents to use the restroom. This only strengthened my argument that Dublin is not public potty friendly. But, I was in desperate need of a hair cut and I had some time to kill in the mall before I could get an appointment, so the restroom was a needed stop worth two of my 10 cent pieces. I had not gotten a hair cut since April and before that it was September. I'm not kidding. I am so glad that I went ahead and did it. I love it! The girl that cut it was so nice, she offered me coffee (yes, they have a latte, coffee, and tea service--with a guy there ready to serve you), brought me magazines and took time cutting my hair. My recent haircuts have been from Supercuts where you are essentially on an assembly line of squirt bottles and hair chopping and you leave there wet headed and slightly confused. But, how much can you ask for for 10 bucks? It was really reasonable here, I know this because I know what Bec paid for her cut and I paid half what see did. I am definitely going back before I go home. Seriously, they offered me coffee and they smiled. It was fabulous.

I needed to get back to the apartment to take out the trash and do some dishes, both a necessary evil as a working person here. My biggest accomplishment? I purchased the right kind of light bulb for the bathroom. I literally jumped up and down--I have spent the last three days showering in the dark. Oh, and I figured out how to unlock Colum's door so that it does not automatically locked when you shut it. I think Colum was even proud of me today for that simple victory.

Saturday, I join the traveling again. I will be heading to Blarney Castle to kiss the Blarney Stone. Which should give me the gift of gab for the next seven years. So, hopefully I will have a better story to tell by the conclusion of the weekend. Until then, we will see what tomorrow brings......