apartment pics

Thanks to the helpful guy at the desk in this internet cafe, we finally have pictures up. I didn't bother with the bathroom and foyer. My pics there didn't turn out so great. Maybe another day. They're nothing too impressive anyway. Except the foyer; it's breathtaking.


Here's my living room. Not a lot to see here. Three chairs, a table, and a couch for two is more than I expected, honestly. I like my big window.






Same room, different view. I call this my dining room. Notice the bookshelves on the right.







This is the 'bedroom' portion of my one room apartment. Well, one room plus a bathroom and a foyer. I'm in the market for a nightstand to go between the couch and bed.
Also of note, if you look closely, you can see a Subway cup at the bottom of my bed. My town, Rathmines, has a Dominos Pizza, a Day's Inn, and a McDonalds in addition to that Subway. It's a regular Little America or maybe an Americatown here in Dublin.


This is my favorite part of my studio apartment, the kitchen. That tiny thing in the bottom right corner is my refrigerator.












And this was the only food that I had in my house at the time I took these pictures. The situation's much better now thanks to Tesco Supermarket.






Here's the view from my big window. This unkempt little place is my 'garden' that I haven't ventured into yet. And I don't know why there's a palm tree in it.





And this is me. When I finally got my place, I was excited. Almost as excited as when I got to ride the Devastator at Thrill World. Sorry about the shaved head, Mom. I couldn't help it.

So now you have your first photo update, kids. And I'm told that I should say 'happy birthday' to Meg in parting, as today is her birthday. February comes quickly in America. Thanks for your prayers while I've been searching this place out. We've cleared a major hurdle here.

Home Sweet Home...er something

Well, it happened. After a week of work and enough walking to cause Gregg to buy a new pedometer, I am finally in an apartment. I took pictures of it and everything. If I hadn't left my flash drive at home, this would be my first picture post. I guess they can wait. Anyway, here's my new address:

59 Grove Park
Flat 2
Rathmines Dublin 6

If I can figure out how to do it, I'll create or email a link to my new place on Google Earth (for all you users) so you can see the satellite image of it. Also the pictures will come soon.

news and generalizations

Today's been a good day on the housing front. Not only did I get a landlord on the phone (no small achievement in itself), I actually looked at 3 different places, one of which I liked... a lot. I hope that all of you who visis me will get to see this place. I'm calling tomorrow to try to finalize everything. It's big news to me, anyway.
And since I've been in Dublin for 3 days now, I thought I'd start making unfair generalizations about the city and its people. Here goes:

1. They like sandwiches more than any people should. For the first couple of days, that's all I found to eat. Wraps, on a ciabatta roll, pre-packaged, hand-cut, you name it. Just give them sandwiches. I'm boycotting sandwiches for today, which is why I am so hungry now.
2. They probably have the most loyal dogs in the world. I've seen lots of dogs, like anywhere else, but no leashes. As best I can tell, these animals just follow or lead their owners around the city. However, I don't know if this trait could be imported, packaged, and sold for a profit, Sam. My gut tells me 'yes'.
3. They are willing to pay outrageous prices for internet cafes, which is why I must end this post now. Don't wanna break the bank. Perhaps I'll have an apt. when next I post.

Couple more, one day later(28.09.06).
4. They have an unhealthy fascination with correct change. Especially on the bus. If you don't have correct change on the bus, then you just get to donate the extra to the bus system. This has not happened to me yet, but it will.
5. Another point of concern is their interest in Culture Club. I've been to several cd shops looking for a new Decemberists album that I've heard should be out now or soon. No luck on even an old Decemberists album, but they do have Culture Club in large quantities. Also popular among the Irish apparently: Depeche Mode and Bob Dylan. These places are sometimes carrying only 50 artists or so in the pop/rock section, and these three are always among them. I'm a little worried.

1st Post

I know this doesn't contain the pictures that I promised. I also know this is a pretty poor excuse for keeping in contact, but for right now, I don't have regular internet access on my laptop. This should be a decent stopgap until I can get something better going.
In case anyone was wondering, I'm safely in Dublin now. And I'm really dirty. My room wasn't ready at the B&B so I headed out on the town to see what I could find in the way of accomodation without showering. I'm going to spare you a play-by-play of my first 8 hours here because it's just not that interesting.
Well, I did pick up a pre-paid mobile phone. Frankly, I'm a little surprised that it was among my first purchases here. I hate those things. Especially when I actually have to answer them. I thought it might be a valuable tool in the apartment search. We'll see if it proves itself to be.
I stil have about half an hour left on my time at this internet cafe, but I don't have anything else to say, and I can't remember a time when I've wanted a shower more than I do now. Therefore, I think it's time to Dublin Area Rapid Transit my way back to my B&B (which the owner endearingly refers to as my 'home'). If I knew how to write 'Goodbye' in Irish, I would put it right here.