Oh, and a shot of the harbour and restaurants / pubs. Taken from the balcony of the Skerries Sailing Club.
Monday, 25 May 2009
Weekend in Skerries
Well, the weather certainly cooperated this past weekend in North County Dublin. Sunny and warm (well, it's all relative). This Sunday was the final stage of the Ras, an 8 day round-Ireland cycling race that ends on Skerries main street. The town was out in full force for the race. I didn't recognize any of the names of the riders, but apparently there were a few stage winners from the Tour de France in the 160 rider field.
Oh, and a shot of the harbour and restaurants / pubs. Taken from the balcony of the Skerries Sailing Club.
Oh, and a shot of the harbour and restaurants / pubs. Taken from the balcony of the Skerries Sailing Club.
Friday, 15 May 2009
Just some photos....
Catherine with the doggies on the beach in Skerries. Adder was going through one of his biting phases, hence the facemask.
The harbour in SkerriesA plug for Irish Immigration
Well, as much as I whine about life in Ireland, I do really love it here. The whines are really only about some quirks, not about the overall place, people, or quality of life.
But I must put in a positive note for the Irish immigration service, known as GNIB.
So, when we decided to move here, as I have an EU passport it was really easy. Catherine doesn't and in most countries that involves a huge amount of preparation, advance form-filling and months of waiting. But not Ireland. No advance paperwork needed, just turn up at your point of entry, and as long as one of the couple has an EU passport you both get to stay. Sort of a 'we'll deal with it when you get here' kind of attitude. There are a series of registration steps that involve a few trips to the dreaded GNIB office in Burgh Quay (it smells of farts), but nothing too onerous. In fact it's all a bit quaint....some of the forms you have to fill in are 5th generation photocopies and of course finding the right information is a bit of a nightmare.
We passed the final hurdle for Catherine this week, when they approved her right to live in Ireland for the next 5 years.
US immigration could take note of this ease of access for legitimate spouses. Just imagine turning up at the US border with your foreign spouse and announcing you're 'here to stay'. Yeah, right. But, in Ireland the response was, 'oh, that's grand, I'm sure you'll like it here'!
But I must put in a positive note for the Irish immigration service, known as GNIB.
So, when we decided to move here, as I have an EU passport it was really easy. Catherine doesn't and in most countries that involves a huge amount of preparation, advance form-filling and months of waiting. But not Ireland. No advance paperwork needed, just turn up at your point of entry, and as long as one of the couple has an EU passport you both get to stay. Sort of a 'we'll deal with it when you get here' kind of attitude. There are a series of registration steps that involve a few trips to the dreaded GNIB office in Burgh Quay (it smells of farts), but nothing too onerous. In fact it's all a bit quaint....some of the forms you have to fill in are 5th generation photocopies and of course finding the right information is a bit of a nightmare.
We passed the final hurdle for Catherine this week, when they approved her right to live in Ireland for the next 5 years.
US immigration could take note of this ease of access for legitimate spouses. Just imagine turning up at the US border with your foreign spouse and announcing you're 'here to stay'. Yeah, right. But, in Ireland the response was, 'oh, that's grand, I'm sure you'll like it here'!
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
Tilt shift photography
This is kinda cool.... a website that takes your photos and plays with the focus in such a way they end up looking like minature models. The website is here and below are a couple of my photos, one from Hong Kong and the other from Connemara, Ireland.
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I miss hockey (ice hockey that is....)
Well, the Stanley Cup playoffs are on so I'm itching to watch a bit of hockey. It's been 2 years since I've seen a game, live or on TV! I was going to subscribe to the NASN channel here that shows hockey, but didn't like the looks of the playoff matchups, and with most games on at midnight Irish time, I never thought I'd get to really watch.
But last weekend there was a Sunday afternoon 2pm game, which is 7 pm in Ireland. So, I trundled down to the local pub, seeing if I could convince them to put it on the tube. Place was nearly empty, they had some mind-numbing quiz show on the tube, so I asked the barman if they could put it on one of their two large TV's.
What was the response? Hockey....that's a girls game.
No, I explained, it's a fast-paced sport played by real men on a frozen rink with a frozen piece of rubber whizzing about at 100 mph....only one of the toughest games known to man, graceful too! It is a religion in my home country. Entire cities grind to a halt during the playoffs, women are termed 'hockey-widows', and every kid aspires to be the next Wayne Gretzky. I'd be happy to explain the rules to any of your fine customers. Who knows, in time your establishment could become known as the home of ice hockey viewing in north County Dublin!
His response? This pub shows footie, rugby, and GAA, nothing else.
Damn.
But, at least I have the Hockey Night in Canada theme song as my ringtone.
But last weekend there was a Sunday afternoon 2pm game, which is 7 pm in Ireland. So, I trundled down to the local pub, seeing if I could convince them to put it on the tube. Place was nearly empty, they had some mind-numbing quiz show on the tube, so I asked the barman if they could put it on one of their two large TV's.
What was the response? Hockey....that's a girls game.
No, I explained, it's a fast-paced sport played by real men on a frozen rink with a frozen piece of rubber whizzing about at 100 mph....only one of the toughest games known to man, graceful too! It is a religion in my home country. Entire cities grind to a halt during the playoffs, women are termed 'hockey-widows', and every kid aspires to be the next Wayne Gretzky. I'd be happy to explain the rules to any of your fine customers. Who knows, in time your establishment could become known as the home of ice hockey viewing in north County Dublin!
His response? This pub shows footie, rugby, and GAA, nothing else.
Damn.
But, at least I have the Hockey Night in Canada theme song as my ringtone.
The Irish Motor Tax Office
I find myself in a quite strange situation here. Having driven for over 20 years, I never thought I'd have to take another driving test. Hell, I give tests, I don't take them!
But, in Ireland you can't just swap your existing drivers license for an Irish one, unless you are from the EU or a strange list of selected other countries, which includes South Korea, Japan, and South Africa, but not the USA or Canada.
If your license is not from one of the 'recognized' countries, you have to take the theory test, apply for a learners permit, wait 6 months, and then take a road test for the full license.
I first took the theory test about a month ago. You need 35 / 40 to pass, and I got 34 /40. How depressing, sitting there in a test room with a dozen spotty 17 year olds taking the test, and actually being nervous about it. Oh well, not too many of them passed either. I was too cocky about it and didn't study. Still, it made for a great story to my class the next day on the perils of not studying for exams.
I retook the test on Monday and this time, after only a bit more studying managed to get 39 /40....a pass!
So now onto the next step, that is applying for the learners permit. Go online to download the forms, right? Yep, there's the form the optometrist needs to do the eye test, there's the form for the medical (which I don't need), but where is the actual application form itself? Oh, they don't have that online yet is the response. How difficult is it, when all the other forms are online, and there's an obvious place on the website to put the actual application, to actually put it there?
So now I have to go and visit the Motor Tax Office, in bloody Dublin 8 or some such backwater, to get the paper form. Sigh, a country that in some senses is racing full steam ahead into the 21st Century, and in other places is back in some 1970's timewarp.
But, before I end this rant I must give a shout out to the website http://www.citizensinformation.ie , which has just about the most complete guide available for getting stuff done in Ireland. A great resource!
But, in Ireland you can't just swap your existing drivers license for an Irish one, unless you are from the EU or a strange list of selected other countries, which includes South Korea, Japan, and South Africa, but not the USA or Canada.
If your license is not from one of the 'recognized' countries, you have to take the theory test, apply for a learners permit, wait 6 months, and then take a road test for the full license.
I first took the theory test about a month ago. You need 35 / 40 to pass, and I got 34 /40. How depressing, sitting there in a test room with a dozen spotty 17 year olds taking the test, and actually being nervous about it. Oh well, not too many of them passed either. I was too cocky about it and didn't study. Still, it made for a great story to my class the next day on the perils of not studying for exams.
I retook the test on Monday and this time, after only a bit more studying managed to get 39 /40....a pass!
So now onto the next step, that is applying for the learners permit. Go online to download the forms, right? Yep, there's the form the optometrist needs to do the eye test, there's the form for the medical (which I don't need), but where is the actual application form itself? Oh, they don't have that online yet is the response. How difficult is it, when all the other forms are online, and there's an obvious place on the website to put the actual application, to actually put it there?
So now I have to go and visit the Motor Tax Office, in bloody Dublin 8 or some such backwater, to get the paper form. Sigh, a country that in some senses is racing full steam ahead into the 21st Century, and in other places is back in some 1970's timewarp.
But, before I end this rant I must give a shout out to the website http://www.citizensinformation.ie , which has just about the most complete guide available for getting stuff done in Ireland. A great resource!
Friday, 1 May 2009
Umbrella Wars....
Well, you'd think that Dubliners would be quite deft with umbrellas, considering the amount of time they spend with one firmly gripped. So why is it that I got stabbed today, not once but twice, on the 12 minute walk from the train station to the office?
First was a guy just behind me coming out of the station when he decided to open his monster umbrella firmly up against my leg. You know I've been here too long because I actually apologized for the temerity of my leg occupying the same space as his umbrella.
Second was a young lady up the street who, with umbrella already open and lethal, decided to do a rapid about-face, leading with the brolly, while I was two paces behind her. I felt like I was in a fencing match, and the little buzzer on my chest went 'bzzzzzzzzz'. This time she apologized, and I just muttered under my breath.
Luckily it's cleared up for the afternoon, or I really would have lost it at the sight of another umbrella being even remotely threatening within 20 feet of me.
First was a guy just behind me coming out of the station when he decided to open his monster umbrella firmly up against my leg. You know I've been here too long because I actually apologized for the temerity of my leg occupying the same space as his umbrella.
Second was a young lady up the street who, with umbrella already open and lethal, decided to do a rapid about-face, leading with the brolly, while I was two paces behind her. I felt like I was in a fencing match, and the little buzzer on my chest went 'bzzzzzzzzz'. This time she apologized, and I just muttered under my breath.
Luckily it's cleared up for the afternoon, or I really would have lost it at the sight of another umbrella being even remotely threatening within 20 feet of me.
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