Category Archives: Belfast

Oh Man Was That Fun!

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Was out last night for our Building Managers Leaving Do. It was great craic.

Started the evening here at Zen. Had some dumplings and some HUGE New Zealand Mussels cooked Teppenaki style, i.e. more or less grilled. They have excellent sushi as well, but I wasn’t in the mood last night.

Then headed over to The Apartment. Its not the best bar in Belfast, but you can usually get a table if you get there by about 10:30, and we like to sit when we drink!

Ended our night at Mynt. Their site specifically lists them as a gay bar, but it really didn’t seem like a gay crowd last night. Certainly plenty of boys were flirting and dancing with me! I don’t usually like that kind of place, all dark and loud and hot, and they have one of those fog machines with the nasty smelling fog that sends me right back to my theater days. But I was just in the mood last night. And I danced for 2 hours straight, no joke.

Made it home about 2am. Every muscle in my body hurts. And I had a blast.

I also have some photographic evidence. I may threaten to put that up here if people in my office do something I don’t like!

Well, Summer Would Appear to be Over…

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cold and rainy today.

And for the first time last night I noticed the shortening days.

It stays light here so late sometimes it seems like the sun will never set.  It can even be fairly light in the small hours of the morning.  But last night as I was getting ready for bed, around 9:30, I noticed that it was dusky out, the sun definitely setting.

Because we are so far north, the changes in daylight length between summer and winter are really noticable.  Summer it stays light for ages.  Winter it is dark by about 4:30.

I like both states of being.  I enjoy long summer days, but I also like the dark mornings so I don’t get woken up on winter mornings.

I do wish the weather was nicer between times.  This summer has been all rain.  And so will the winter.

I’m Up Really Early Again Today…

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No idea why.  I wish we could stop treating the symptoms and start figuring out what the hell is going on.  I will be bringing that up with my doc when next I see her.

My shoulder is much better, if itchy.  I called the doc’s office yesterday to see if the results were in from the Friday swab.  They weren’t in, but there was a note in my file that there was a ‘script for me to pick up.  So treatment room switched me to the front desk so I could see if it was actually physically there.  Who could not actually find said ‘script.  Doc wasn’t actually in the office yesterday (so how did she put in that I needed a new ‘script?!?!  That message wasn’t there when I rang on Tuesday!), so I have to ring back today and see if I can get this figured out.  Wow, there were a lot of ‘actuallys’ in that paragraph…

In other news, Account Manager was back in the office yesterday.  She can work 10 days without losing her Maternity Benefits, so she is coming in to help with the yearly Audit.  It was good to have her around.  The girls went and had a long leisurely lunch and a good catch up gabfest.

And that’s all the news that fits on this *lovely* day in Northern Ireland.  That was sarcasm.  If anyone sees the sun today, can they send it this way?  We seem to have misplaced it!

Simon And I Have A New Baby

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This is him.  Isn’t he pretty?  Works well, too.

I am going to be setting up a wireless network in the flat soon.  We will keep our old laptop alive (if I can fix it, its having emotional problems, hence the new baby) and I have a laptop for work, so we could theoretically have 3 computers on the network.  And Simon and I would be able to converse via IM and never speak to each other again…

Yes, it another holiday here in NI.  So Simon and I are going to go do some shopping.  And some tidying of the flat.  And then back to work tomorrow.

Posting Fool Today

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Saw doc this morning.  Still oozing pus.  She had the nurse take another swab.  I get the first results on Tuesday and the next ones on Thursday.  She think she’ll need to give me another course of penicillin before this is all over.

Simon is actually enjoying squeezing it for me.  He’s such a boy!

So first the doc poked it OUCH.  Then the nurse squeezed and poked some more for her swab DOUBLE OUCH!

Mean medical professionals.

And we are at the July 12th holiday here in Northern Ireland.  Enjoy the parades and the bonfires!! Simon and I will be, as usual, hiding in the flat until its over.

So, Is The Corn As High As An Elephant’s Eye?

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Happy Birthday America!  Everyone have some cake for me!!

Simon and I were once again planning a picnic. Simon and I are once again not having said picnic because all I can see out there is clouds.  And a fierce wind blowing the trees.

Yesterday it rained so hard that water was gushing into one of our buildings so hard it looked like a waterfall.  Now, the building has always leaked (yes, yes I do live in Belfast.  No, we can’t seem to build water proof buildings, thanks for asking) but never where the waterfall was happening.  YIKES!

We are starting a betting pool in my office…will the new building leak?  I am betting yes.

Meh. I Hate People…

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So last night I had to run to Boots and Marks after work.  Boots was fine, except for the fact that their aisles are so narrow its hard to get past people.  But that’s Boots’ fault, not the people.

Then I went to Marks.  Picked out some nice veg.  Some OJ.  Went to check out.  The line for the express lines was huge.  The lines for the not express lines? Empty.  So I went non-express.  People are stupid.

Then I head to the escalator (at our Marks the food bit is in the basement).  And there are three women standing right in front of the escalator.  The following conversation ensues:

Me: Excuse me please.

Them: Ignore me.

Me: (louder) Excuse me please!

Them: Sorry?

Me: (even louder) Excuse me please.

Them: Are we in the way?

Me: (losing it a bit) YES YOU ARE BLOCKING THE ESCALATOR?!?!?!?!

Them: We are?

I swear to god.  Three of them, dumber than a box of rocks.

Had the conversation with my boss today.  He said he’d speak to the CEO and get back to me.

Going to Derry for the weekend.  So probably last entry until Sunday!! Have a good one!

Okay, Before I Say Anything Else

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OMG DED FRUM TEH CUTE KITTEH!!!

Wow, that was painful to write. But they really are very cute, they sleep alot, so keep checking back!

Anyway, in case you haven’t figured it out, the Shelley who keeps commenting? Is, indeed, my mother. HI MOM!

Woke up at 5 today. So only 7 hours of sleep. Don’t feel too bad, but kinda bummed about it.

Simon has taken the day off and we are contemplating a picnic on the lawn at Belfast City Hall . It will depend on the weather. So far, looking pretty good!

Maybe I Am Not As Smart As I Think I Am…

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So I am currently reading The Boomerang Clue (aka Why Didn’t They Ask Evens?) by Agatha Christie. It was written in 1933.

In the book, the main character gets offered a job in South America. For £1,000 a year. And he is stoked about it.

£1,000 a year was a good salary in 1930s Britain, obviously. So the part I don’t get is how, in 72 years, basically one generation, we can go from £1,000 a year being a good salary to £1,000 a month being not quite enough.

Simon says part of it is decmilization. And, of course, inflation. But I still don’t get it.

Its like I also don’t get exchange rates.  Theoretically, if something costs about £20 in Belfast, shouldn’t that same something, based on the approximate current exchange rate, cost $40 in the US?  But it doesn’t.  For example, a book I just found on both Amzon.com and Amazon.co.uk. .com is $7.99.  .co.uk? £6.99.

So maybe I am not as smart as I think I am…cuz I just.don’t.get.it.