https://niria.in/post/ Recent content in Post on niria.in Hugo -- gohugo.io Thu, 20 Jun 2019 11:20:09 +0000 https://niria.in/post/featuring-in-happy-magazine/ Thu, 20 Jun 2019 11:20:09 +0000 https://niria.in/post/featuring-in-happy-magazine/ Happy Magazine is a new title that you won’t find in your local newsagents. It’s a magazine that is for people who have cancer - before, during and after treatment. It’s the brainchild of Holly Kennedy, herself a cancer survivor, and it’s intended to be a positive support to people going through their treatment. The second issue is available now free of charge - for a list of places you can pick one up, go to Happy Magazine’s distribution list. https://niria.in/post/irdn-roller-derby-round-up/ Fri, 14 Jun 2019 00:00:00 +0000 https://niria.in/post/irdn-roller-derby-round-up/ It’s the busiest month in Irish Roller Derby that I’ve ever seen. Just check out the upcoming games! There’s something happening every single week! And that’s not even talking about the majesty of the Dublin Roller Derby/ Calgary/ CCR games on the 8th which was absolutely amazing - we got a chance to watch top-tier derby right here in Ireland and it was utterly brilliant! Upcoming Games Saturday June 15th - Belfast Roller Derby Belfast Roller Derby is hosting their leg of the Tier 3 North British Champs! https://niria.in/post/a-guide-to-facebook-competitions-and-how-to-avoid-the-scams/ Sat, 08 Jun 2019 20:26:09 +0000 https://niria.in/post/a-guide-to-facebook-competitions-and-how-to-avoid-the-scams/ I’ve been using Facebook for far too many years now, and one thing that is perennial is people sharing competitions in the hope that they will be one of the lucky ones that will win a car or a holiday or a brand new iPhone. However, a lot of these competitions are fake and are aimed at folks who may not be savvy about how to spot a scam. Here are my top tips for things to check BEFORE you click like or share! https://niria.in/post/moving-to-static/ Sat, 08 Jun 2019 00:00:00 +0000 https://niria.in/post/moving-to-static/ I don’t blog very often. Calling me a sporadic blogger would be overly generous. I’ve probably used Facebook for much of my longer-length bits and pieces over the past few years. On Thursday I’d a day off work and wrote a diatribe about the scourge of “like and share” scams on Facebook. I posted it to Facebook, where it got surprisingly little traction (maybe because I was being patronising, maybe because people only share nonsense on Facebook, not anything useful). https://niria.in/roller-derby-roundup-september/ Thu, 07 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://niria.in/roller-derby-roundup-september/ It might be a year late, but the Roller Derby roundup for September is here. Thanks so much to everyone who let me know what their leagues are up to! Let me know if I’ve missed anything and I’ll do my best to update. In this edition Spotlight on DRD’s D2 triumph Shoutouts to Officials on Tour Upcoming Games Events Recruitment Spotlight It’s a pretty quiet month on the home game front so rather than doing a preview, I’m just going to review what was one of the biggest events ever in Irish roller derby, DRD Charter heading to D2 Playoffs/Champs in Pittsburgh. https://niria.in/adventures-in-therapy-part-3-insomnia/ Wed, 30 Aug 2017 11:02:41 +0000 https://niria.in/adventures-in-therapy-part-3-insomnia/ What I’ve learned about dealing with Insomnia & Anxiety. A terrible twosome, these two conditions can go hand in hand, often with Depression rounding out the trifecta. It could be finding it hard to go to sleep because of racing thoughts and elevated heartbeat or just lying awake in the middle the night worrying about everything that has happened, might happen or should have happened. And of course there’s the anxiety of “I should be asleep, I’m not asleep and NOW I AM ANXIOUS. https://niria.in/adventures-in-therapy-part-2-the-drugs-sometimes-work/ Tue, 23 Aug 2016 11:09:43 +0000 https://niria.in/adventures-in-therapy-part-2-the-drugs-sometimes-work/ This is the second post in my series on the topic of the different treatments I’ve been on for Depression & Anxiety. I’m looking at the different types of drugs I was prescribed and I might also tell you how I really feel about people’s attitude to medicating for depression. Before I say anything else, a disclaimer. These are the drugs I was prescribed, these are the effects and side-effects I personally had. https://niria.in/adventures-in-therapy-part-1-introduction/ Thu, 07 Jul 2016 14:20:24 +0000 https://niria.in/adventures-in-therapy-part-1-introduction/ I’m planning a blog series. This has never ended well before now, but I’m going to try again anyway. So this is the introductory post to….. Drumroll Adventures in Therapy! I’m planning to outline the different therapies I’ve availed of – both medical and non-medical and what has worked for me. And probably also get angry at people who have internalised the stigma even though I should feel sorry for them 🙂 https://niria.in/time-to-talk/ Fri, 20 May 2016 09:34:53 +0000 https://niria.in/time-to-talk/ Today is Time to Talk Day in Ireland, organised by the Green Ribbon Project We’re making great strides in encouraging people with mental health difficulties, people who are struggling and people who are overwhelmed to reach out to someone and break the silence. From personal experience both as the reacher and the reachee, I wanted to share some tips on how to be reached out to. The first step is Time It can be difficult to open up to someone and this is doubly true if it’s the first time. https://niria.in/roller-derby-round-up-march/ Thu, 03 Mar 2016 00:06:38 +0000 https://niria.in/roller-derby-round-up-march/ After a very busy February, things are a little quieter this month, but there’s still plenty to whet your Derby appetite. Most of the action is concentrated around the weekend of the 11/12th and it’s from there we’ll take a look at the spotlight game of the month. Spotlight Game: LRD A vs DRD A On Saturday 12th March, Limerick Roller Derby is hosting Dublin Roller Derby A team. In Greystones. https://niria.in/a-guide-to-voting-in-ge16/ Fri, 26 Feb 2016 01:34:52 +0000 https://niria.in/a-guide-to-voting-in-ge16/ Here’s a quick look at how to vote in an Irish Election. Tongue partly in cheek, but if you follow my steps, you genuinely won’t go wrong! Step 1: Learn enough about your candidates to be able to rank them in order of preference. You can do this by visiting smartvote.ie or whichcandidate.ie and seeing which candidates match your views. I recommend also visiting their websites or doing a quick google search to see how many of them are actually gobshites. https://niria.in/whats-happening-in-irish-roller-derby-monthly-round-up/ Fri, 29 Jan 2016 16:26:02 +0000 https://niria.in/whats-happening-in-irish-roller-derby-monthly-round-up/ It’s noses to the grindstone for most of the leagues in Ireland over the next few months – lots of training, recruitment, bootcamps and scrimmages around the country. Here’s a quick round up of what’s happening in February!DRD vs BRD – January 30th – Greystones Dublin VS Belfast – January 30th – Shoreline Leisure Centre, Greystones. My top Derby pick for this month is actually in January, and it’s tomorrow! https://niria.in/why-im-voting-yes/ Wed, 20 May 2015 21:21:29 +0000 https://niria.in/why-im-voting-yes/ This is the reason I’m voting YES with all of my heart. I’m doing it for my friends. Dear straight friends, I have friends who have been beaten up, friends who don’t hold hands in public, friends who have only come out to their families in order to ask them to vote yes in the referendum, friends whose families or parts of their families haven’t spoken to them in years because of their sexuality. https://niria.in/post/2015-01-11-match-audio-a-solution-to-a-problem-you-didnt-know-you-had/ Sun, 11 Jan 2015 16:19:38 +0000 https://niria.in/post/2015-01-11-match-audio-a-solution-to-a-problem-you-didnt-know-you-had/ _Match Audio is a new music-sharing app created by Jonathan Cremin aka @kudoz aka my boyfriend. I take a look at how to use match.audio and why – and chat with the dev about his plans for its future._ With more and more people turning to subscription sites to explore new music, the way we listen to and consume music has undergone another radical change. It’s easier to find and it’s easier to share. https://niria.in/look-mom-i-made-an-app-rails-girls-dublin/ Sun, 30 Nov 2014 00:03:11 +0000 https://niria.in/look-mom-i-made-an-app-rails-girls-dublin/ I’m someone who has enjoyed the company of programmers for years. I consider myself relatively tech-savvy, and have played around with building simple webpages and hacking on macros using visual basic. I’ve never managed to make the leap to actually “learning how to code”, despite tipping my toe in the water now and then. I finally took the plunge today by attending a Rails Girls workshop in Dublin. I knew it would be an encouraging atmosphere where I could get some basic information, and I’d heard that Ruby on Rails was a good starting point for a programming newbie. https://niria.in/i-think-i-wanna-marry-you-its-not-what-you-think/ Thu, 13 Nov 2014 18:01:33 +0000 https://niria.in/i-think-i-wanna-marry-you-its-not-what-you-think/ Weddings – they’re definitely not like they used to be! In some ways, that’s good. In others, maybe not so much. When it comes to spending a chunk of cash that could be better spent on a house or a car or a really expensive couch, I think things are maybe a little more frenzied than they used to be. The trend towards designing the day to be something that suits the couple getting wed can only be a good thing in my mind. https://niria.in/for-jobseekers-tips-for-smart-job-searching-on-mobile/ Tue, 11 Nov 2014 13:21:29 +0000 https://niria.in/for-jobseekers-tips-for-smart-job-searching-on-mobile/ Recruitment is changing. How people search for their jobs is changing. Half of all job searches carried out on Indeed.com today will be on mobile devices (a trend that’s risen by 17% in the last year alone). In fact, across the globe, the mobile job search rate is as high as 83% in some countries. – See more at: socialtalent.co Today I’ll be looking at mobile job searches from the point of view of the jobseeker. https://niria.in/gael-fours-four-roller-derby-games-in-one-day/ Tue, 07 Oct 2014 12:55:45 +0000 https://niria.in/gael-fours-four-roller-derby-games-in-one-day/ If you’ve ever been curious about Roller Derby, come to the Shoreline Leisure Centre in Bray this Saturday. You’ll see four games – including a co-ed and a men’s game! The worst thing about the increase in the popularity of roller derby in Ireland is the fact that sometimes events clash and you end up having to miss something you were really looking forward to. Dublin Roller Derby had invited me to announce at their upcoming double-header against Newcastle Roller Derby’s Canny Belters and Hull’s Angels Roller Dames. https://niria.in/twitter-tips-for-recruiters-from-the-jobfairy/ Tue, 16 Sep 2014 15:46:18 +0000 https://niria.in/twitter-tips-for-recruiters-from-the-jobfairy/ So far, a whole bunch of you have read my first efforts at de-complicating the process of recruiting on twitter in my How to tweet a job vacancy post. This next post is specifically for recruiters, be they recruitment consultants, agencies or HR departments. Fairy dust incoming! Bullhorn Reach Image credit: FaceMePLS on Flickr Bullhorn Reach is a godsend for busy recruiters, sure, and a great tool. https://niria.in/how-to-tweet-a-job-vacancy-by-a-jobfairy/ Mon, 18 Aug 2014 14:53:38 +0000 https://niria.in/how-to-tweet-a-job-vacancy-by-a-jobfairy/ I run the @JobfairyHQ twitter account. I have over 3,400 followers – mostly a mixture of jobseekers, recruiters, and companies I’ve retweeted who follow me to be nice. I try to retweet as many Irish jobs as I possibly can. How I do it is to search twitter for tweets tagged with #jobfairy or #irishjobs – then I run through them and retweet the ones that fit my criteria. https://niria.in/roller-derby-tournament-this-weekend/ Wed, 13 Aug 2014 19:28:45 +0000 https://niria.in/roller-derby-tournament-this-weekend/ This weekend, Greystones and the East Coast Cyclones will play host to only the second ever roller derby tournament to be held on Irish soil. The last one was in Belfast and was an absolute belter – with Dublin Roller Derby A coming home the overall winners – with Belfast Roller Derby in second place and Limerick Roller Derby in third. This, Queen Bee Tournament, The Battle for the Garden, is focussed on the B-teams and the newer, less-established teams in the country and will feature the host team, Belfast City Rockets, Boom Town Rollers from Dublin, Dublin Roller Derby B and the Waterford City Viqueens. https://niria.in/on-being-a-newbie-roller-derby-announcer/ Tue, 03 Sep 2013 09:27:31 +0000 https://niria.in/on-being-a-newbie-roller-derby-announcer/ Picture it. You’re at the derby game. There are a couple of hundred punters in the audience, many of whom have never seen a bout before. You have a microphone. The sound is muffled, and the audience can hardly hear you over the music. Ten players and seven referees are whizzing around a track at speed, Players are manoeuvring, blocking, passing and falling, then a referee signals and three players are sent to the box for different infringements – play continues. https://niria.in/on-street-harassment/ Tue, 16 Jul 2013 00:24:06 +0000 https://niria.in/on-street-harassment/ I stood up to a street harasser yesterday and I’m glad I did. Here’s a fuller version of the story. First, some context: A train full of people returning from a sporting event is an experience. I got the train from Limerick to Dublin yesterday and the first leg was full of Cork and Limerick supporters on their way home. I was on the train 15 minutes before departure and there were only a few empty seats dotted around the carriages. https://niria.in/cuntbuckets-mooncups-and-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-my-period-kinda/ Fri, 21 Jun 2013 21:40:32 +0000 https://niria.in/cuntbuckets-mooncups-and-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-my-period-kinda/ This post is aimed at people who menstruate. It may be interesting to those who don’t, but if you complain about it being about menstruation having read it, I’m going to mock you. The awesome mooncup plushie in the featured image is by [Unicorn Reality][(https://www.deviantart.com/unicornreality)] I’ve been hearing about the next great leap in feminine hygiene (now there’s a phrase I hate with a passion) for quite a few years now. https://niria.in/the-good-ship-jobseeker/ Fri, 01 Mar 2013 21:16:00 +0000 https://niria.in/the-good-ship-jobseeker/ I sent this poster off with a recent application. I’ll let you know how it goes 🙂 Applying for a job? There are many of us in the job application boat at the moment, and some are dealing with it better than others. I find it absolutely gut-wrenching to put myself forward to be accepted or rejected. I absolutely hate doing it, but I’ve been out of work now since I took redundancy in September, so it’s time to pimp myself out to prospective employers. https://niria.in/whats-in-a-name-2/ Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:42:21 +0000 https://niria.in/whats-in-a-name-2/ It’s been quite a journey to figure out who I am. On my birth cert, my name is Sarah Ann Ryan. I read Anne of Green Gables as a kid and began insisting on the E at the end of Ann – why wouldn’t you? My secondary school operated through the medium of the Irish language and insisted I use the full translation of both of my names – Sorcha Ní Riain. https://niria.in/weltschmertz-from-an-atheist/ Fri, 14 Dec 2012 23:18:36 +0000 https://niria.in/weltschmertz-from-an-atheist/ Some days I wish I believed in God. After hearing of the events in Connecticut today, this is one of those days. Today, faith would give me both someone to rail against, and would give me solace and comfort in the thought that those murdered had eternal souls, or a chance at rebirth. Instead, I’m confronted with the bleak reality that a human person was either born or became so damaged that they could murder their family, along with innocent children and adults. https://niria.in/reflection-roots-and-rapid-fire-ideas/ Fri, 30 Nov 2012 16:41:43 +0000 https://niria.in/reflection-roots-and-rapid-fire-ideas/ It’s official. I’m finally a Dubliner (or whatever it is that real Dublin people call blow-ins from down the country). I’ve handed back the keys to my lovely apartment in Limerick and torn up as many Limerick roots as I can, or want to (Ancór and Limerick Roller Girls 4 LYFE!). I now live in The Smoke that is bigger than the other Smokes on this tiny island. I am cohabiting with Mr. https://niria.in/the-paper-of-note-took-note/ Tue, 20 Nov 2012 15:36:27 +0000 https://niria.in/the-paper-of-note-took-note/ For the last week, I’ve been equally upset and outraged by the case of Savita Halappanavar, who died in Galway on October 28th after contracting septicaemia following a drawn-out miscarriage. The medical team waited until the foetal heart stopped beating before removing the foetus, even though risk of infection was extremely high. I’ve contacted my local TDs (only one had the decency to respond so far) and stood outside the Dáil with crowds of people twice. https://niria.in/getting-around-dublin-three-essential-android-apps/ Tue, 06 Nov 2012 12:51:01 +0000 https://niria.in/getting-around-dublin-three-essential-android-apps/ So, you’ve just moved to Dublin and you’re trying to make sense of the public transport system. Don’t bother. The two Luas lines, the bus system and the Dart and rail systems are all pretty much independent of each other.Leap Card What I recommend you do – get yourself a Leap card. The fares are a little cheaper, you don’t have to worry about carrying cash, and it’ll work on all public transport. https://niria.in/the-new-start-continues/ Fri, 02 Nov 2012 16:06:41 +0000 https://niria.in/the-new-start-continues/ Change is good, right?   I’ve changed a LOT of things in the last six weeks. I’ve moved city, shacked up with my lovely man, left my job of six years (on and off, mostly on) and started a course in Digital Marketing with a view to a career change. It’s been a period of rushing, rearranging and reviewing. I’ve gotten used to the DART timetables and using my Leap card (which I’ve had since I lived in Limerick – very early adopter indeed! https://niria.in/things-that-made-me-smile/ Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:38:00 +0000 https://niria.in/things-that-made-me-smile/ I saw this poem today, made the day a little brighter! Ah, Juliet, tis the sun! Never thought we’d see another one. We feigned our death this day. We fooled them all And ran away. Harvey R Wasserman https://niria.in/hangover/ Sun, 07 Feb 2010 09:21:00 +0000 https://niria.in/hangover/ I took this pic last summer at my parents’ house. My brother had had a party the night before, and clearly decided to be responsible about the recycling. Or else there’s a better story. Any ideas? https://niria.in/me-in-a-slightly-stale-undelicious-nutshell/ Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:27:00 +0000 https://niria.in/me-in-a-slightly-stale-undelicious-nutshell/ You know those montages in silly Hollywood movies where one character lets themselves go completely and sits around watching daytime tv and eating cereal and wearing pyjamas/tracksuits all day with messy hair and an ever-expanding waistline? That’s me. For the past four and a half months, since my contract wasn’t renewed at the place were I worked and loved it, I’ve been a Hollywood stereotype. And yes, I’m listening to Rachmaninov’s second piano concerto at the moment too. https://niria.in/reflection-by-sarah/ Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:09:00 +0000 https://niria.in/reflection-by-sarah/ Colmmacc is really as good at cropping photos as he is at taking them. We were driving around Galway at the weekend, and I was snapping away as he drove. He’s put some of my snaps up on his flickr, and I’m surprised at how well some of them turned out. Maybe I should buy a *cough* SLR *cough* https://niria.in/fclock/ Mon, 18 May 2009 06:12:00 +0000 https://niria.in/fclock/ I’ve been on a real ‘making crap’ kick lately. I’ve not felt like buying stuff, and am really getting into making gifts for people. This is the last one I made, for le boy’s birthday, which is on Thursday. He seems to like it too, which I was sort of hoping for, given his penchant for geeky clocks and the colour green. In fact, I enjoyed making this so much that I’m tempted to buy a bunch of mechanisms on ebay and go crazy making clocks. https://niria.in/skycon-09-initial-reaction/ Sun, 15 Feb 2009 13:58:00 +0000 https://niria.in/skycon-09-initial-reaction/ I am still in bed after the weekend. I pity those that had to get up to travel/get flights etc. Initial reactions over the weekend were that it was lovely, lovely, lovely to see all of these people again, the day of the conference itself went very well, the nights went better, and that I should have gotten more sleep on friday night. Also, did you see the CAKE!! (pic by colmmacc) https://niria.in/doggone/ Sun, 25 Jan 2009 13:15:00 +0000 https://niria.in/doggone/ This is Socks. She’s been my dog for the last 13 years. She was very small, very cute, very mono-ocular, very snuggly and very smelly from time to time. She loved begging for food, going for walks, sleeping and whoring round the neighbours for food, walks and cuddles. When it was time for dinner, she would run up and down our hall, doing 360-degree spins of excitement and grunting with joy. https://niria.in/so-birthdays/ Tue, 14 Oct 2008 22:36:00 +0000 https://niria.in/so-birthdays/ So, I’m older than I was…  the year counter racheted up one more notch on Sunday. The entire weekend was spent celebrating, which was kind of nice… I think I like the thoughts of a birthday weekend. There was choir, and guinness, and dancing in awful clubs, and hangovers, and journeys and opera and hugs and friends and more alcohols, and passing out on a buddabag like the olden days, and food and food and food and singing, and karaoke booths and cocktails. https://niria.in/so-i-was-in-new-york-last-week-and-saw-wall-street-fall-over/ Sun, 28 Sep 2008 02:22:00 +0000 https://niria.in/so-i-was-in-new-york-last-week-and-saw-wall-street-fall-over/ Well, sort of. I was staying just off Wall Street, with my Very Good, Kind and Wonderful friend Artemis. It was mostly a relatively chilled-out time, but there were some bits that ended up being unexpectedly mental. ** The stuff I did that was awesome:** Go see Spamalot. Go to the top of the Rockefeller Building. Go to Mars Bar on 1st St and 2nd Avenue – so long as you think that an excellent jukebox, a dingy interior, weird patrons and a stink of piss in the toilets is a good thing. https://niria.in/dont-trust-strangers-to-make-you-happy/ Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:32:00 +0000 https://niria.in/dont-trust-strangers-to-make-you-happy/ Strangers are funny old things. Last night I was flitting merrily between two groups of people in Angel Lane as I prefer to do (it stops people getting tired of me), when I was suddenly transfixed mid-flit by an amazingly awesome Tshirt. The shirt in question bore the legend “Bouli Bouli. Fear sneachta bán” and a picture of said loveable snowman. I let out a shout of joy and began to regale the wearer of said tshirt with my story about how Bouli used to sleep on my couch sometimes. https://niria.in/hiding-out/ Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:53:00 +0000 https://niria.in/hiding-out/ I’m back home, hiding out for a bit. But there are definitely upsides. Me: Dad, I need an onion. Dad: There are loads. Me: Where? I can’t see them. Dad: Up in the garden, go pull one. 😀 https://niria.in/i-got-my-passport-stamped-in-burgerland/ Sat, 17 May 2008 13:09:00 +0000 https://niria.in/i-got-my-passport-stamped-in-burgerland/ Last night, at a lovely barbeque at Dave and Joan’s to celebrate Mister Dave’s birthday, I put Hellman’s Burger Sauce on my burger for the first time. I didn’t know that time machine transporters came in burger sauce flavour, but they sure as hell do, because when I opened my eyes after that first bite, I was sitting on a green leatherette couch with mirrors on the walls in Burgerland on William Street. https://niria.in/what-ifs/ Fri, 18 Jan 2008 03:30:00 +0000 https://niria.in/what-ifs/ I had never seen Before Sunrise before tonight. Judge me all you like, but it’s the truth. Last weekend I was in Dublin for a gig and to visit some friends, one of whom hid it on another friend’s bookshelf and then texted me once he’d left to give me a clue that it was there. He probably didn’t want to get caught trafficing sappy films or something. He’d mentioned it to me recently, and said that it seemed like the kind of film I’d enjoy. https://niria.in/935/ Tue, 14 Aug 2007 14:27:00 +0000 https://niria.in/935/ From ArtsJournal and BBC News – (See Article) Universal Music is experimenting with the idea of selling CDs and MP3s that do not contain copy-protection technology that has enraged consumer groups and sparked arguments over fair use. “Retailers including Google, Wal-Mart, and Amazon.com, will participate in the DRM-free trial, Universal said. But participants do not include Apple iTunes online music store, the third largest music retailer in the US.” BBC 08/10/07 https://niria.in/harry-potter-and-the-end-of-the-world-im-done-now-i-swear/ Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:55:00 +0000 https://niria.in/harry-potter-and-the-end-of-the-world-im-done-now-i-swear/ It’s been fun, since Saturday, waiting for people to finish The Book That Shall Not Be Named so that we could huddle in dark corners to discuss it without hysterical accusations of spoiling. I even set up an IRC channel on intersocs, and people have been dribbling in, saying “I can’t believe it’s over” and then leaving. It’s odd. There are so many books out there, so many series of books, some of which are awful, but many of which are as good, and some of which are a LOT better than the Harry Potter series. https://niria.in/obligatory-pretty-much-harry-potter-post/ Fri, 20 Jul 2007 13:59:00 +0000 https://niria.in/obligatory-pretty-much-harry-potter-post/ In a bizarre turn-up for the books, it’s raining again. I’ve never been particularly bothered by the lack of summery weather before, but there’s something so depressing about the almost inevitable fact that everything this summer is going to get rained out and ruined. I’m still finding it difficult to feel sorry for the people apparently queuing outside Eason’s bookshop since this morning in order to get their hands on the new Harry Potter book when it comes out at MinutePastMidnightO’Clock. https://niria.in/oh-to-be-a-cat-lady/ Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:15:00 +0000 https://niria.in/oh-to-be-a-cat-lady/ Gin and Tonics in the Locke Bar on a Tuesday, whatever the reason, are a bloody good idea. I’m a fan, so long as there’s someone there to drive me home. I’m not sure when I went from thinking that Gin and Tonic was a crazy cat lady drink to thinking that there’s nothing quite so refreshing as a G&T with a wedge of lime, and wouldn’t be lovely to have a little house for myself, and a kitten or two to keep me company. https://niria.in/i-just-wandered-in-im-not-a-geek-i-swear-and-now-i-cant-get-home/ Fri, 13 Jul 2007 18:30:00 +0000 https://niria.in/i-just-wandered-in-im-not-a-geek-i-swear-and-now-i-cant-get-home/ I was at Wolverhampton at the weekend with the Skynet kids for Lugradio Live 2007.  Despite my immense lack of knowledge of Free/Open Source Software, and my non-contribution to the FOSS community; the amount of fun that was had in the company of the Lugradio lads during Skycon in February (sub-par knob jokes notwithstanding) meant that I decided to make the trek to Wolverhampton to see the boys and possibly have some fun. https://niria.in/some-things-i-just-thought-of-that-have-made-me-happy-lately/ Sat, 05 May 2007 04:18:00 +0000 https://niria.in/some-things-i-just-thought-of-that-have-made-me-happy-lately/ Cake, both the making and the eating thereof. Ciara, Maeves, Seamie, Liselle, Gar. Friends from what feels like the olden days that I’ve reconnected with lately. It’s been great. Death Cab for Cutie – I will follow you into the dark My room – It is full of pretty things and my bass and bass amp. My housemates in general – all six of them are adorable in different ways Elephants over the road. https://niria.in/more-kiwi-nostalgia/ Wed, 22 Nov 2006 16:29:00 +0000 https://niria.in/more-kiwi-nostalgia/ It wasn’t really coffee, but I actually liked the taste of it… I’ve had a couple of mugs of the most instant-est, muckest, lowest-grade Nescafé instant coffee today and it tastes and smells exactly like this: https://niria.in/924/ Wed, 22 Nov 2006 13:51:00 +0000 https://niria.in/924/ I’ve been thinking a lot about New Zealand since I came to Dublin. Memories keep bobbing to the surface of my mind when I least expect them to. I’m dreaming about situations that did or could have taken place, following conversations to what could have been their conclusion, closing my eyes and seeing myself sitting on the verandah of the hostel in Okarito as the sun went down, drinking hot chocolate in Katipo, going to McDonalds in Auckland in the middle of the night with Legoboy, running away from some boy I’d kissed on Stewart Island to go looking at the clearest sky and the brightest stars I’d ever seen, trying to fly my kite the park in Christchurch and eventually succeeding. https://niria.in/you-complete-me/ Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:09:00 +0000 https://niria.in/you-complete-me/ I am, of course, talking about my phone. There’s a lot of guff about how bad phones are for your social interactions etc. But there’s no getting away from the fact that we no longer set a definite arrangement to meet someone days in advance, we just text them or ring them to set something up, and refine the arrangement as we go. I’ve been phoneless for the past week, and I’ve felt it. https://niria.in/909/ Thu, 07 Sep 2006 12:41:00 +0000 https://niria.in/909/ I love you, internet. http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/ For all your shoelace needs https://niria.in/908/ Mon, 31 Jul 2006 12:38:00 +0000 https://niria.in/908/ Went on a three-pub pub crawl without a single drop of alchohol (in about an hour total). Curled up in a giggling ball on the floor of my kitchen, chewing two slices of toast as fast as I could while paul tried to take them out of my mouth with a spoon. Read about sailing the seven seas and wanted to really badly. Cleaned my house, LOTS. Put on a successful gig (huzzah and thanks) Saw a sign in Beneton’s window that said “All Ladies €20 or Less” Scared many many people with my astoundingly good Shakira impressing. https://niria.in/memo-to-self/ Wed, 22 Mar 2006 01:30:00 +0000 https://niria.in/memo-to-self/ I am the master of my days. I forget this quite a lot. https://niria.in/902/ Tue, 14 Feb 2006 23:44:00 +0000 https://niria.in/902/ On this day for lovers, this day of roses and kisses, i raise a glass to those of my acquaintance who are blessed with someone who loves them back. HOORAY! https://niria.in/phrase-of-the-century-quite-probably/ Thu, 23 Jun 2005 11:12:00 +0000 https://niria.in/phrase-of-the-century-quite-probably/ To qualify this, I find poo amusing. thefanboy{.lj-user} and the BoyBandSuperhero came up with this one last night while celebrating their many successes of the day by standing around in Indigo. They were teasing me about my lovelife. “He’s fallen for you, you know. Fallen like a Poo into the Toilet Bowl of Love.” I think it’s funny anyway https://niria.in/eric-idle-fathered-by-short-lived-military-prodigy/ Tue, 21 Jun 2005 23:57:00 +0000 https://niria.in/eric-idle-fathered-by-short-lived-military-prodigy/ From IMDB: “Eric’s father, who served in the Royal Air Force, died in a car crash on Christmas eve when he was two years old.” https://niria.in/malfeasance-and-mugwumpery-oh-jeez/ Mon, 13 Jun 2005 11:05:00 +0000 https://niria.in/malfeasance-and-mugwumpery-oh-jeez/ Today’s news: I like $100 more than I like rugby. There was a ticket for the taking, and I didn’t take it. This marks me out as a rugby wuss. Which is ok by me. I was only in it for the chance to wear my Munster jersey and get shouted at by cork people anyway. Yesterevening began my plan to impose on all of the people who drunkenly invited me over to their houses to watch movies and/or Invader Zim (and promptly forgot! https://niria.in/back-in-the-day/ Thu, 09 Jun 2005 11:00:00 +0000 https://niria.in/back-in-the-day/ Back when I was doing my Work Experience subtitling weird kids TV shows and Survivor for Irish Language Television (yes, i actually did), I used to spend a phenomenal amount of time on the internet. On a dial-up. When local calls aren’t actually free in Ireland. And they didn’t really mind. I can only remember about three times when I was actually on time for work, but nobody every said anything to me about it. https://niria.in/762/ Mon, 06 Jun 2005 15:24:00 +0000 https://niria.in/762/ I will never be straightedge. Hooray for going to random parties with a bottle of cider. Hooray for slint-core australian bands. Hooray for creating folk-song-singing monsters and flame-throwing monsters merely through conversation. Hooray for all the kids I ever met in Auckland being at this party. Hooray for sending texts to yourself because it’s free. Slightly less hooray for wigging out a little and walking home. And then HOORAY again for legoboy rescuing me and then going for burgers and crashing out in his room watching family guy. https://niria.in/stewart-island/ Sat, 19 Feb 2005 16:59:00 +0000 https://niria.in/stewart-island/ I’m sitting in the only pub on the island, abusing the free internet and staring out of the window at the gorgeousness. This place rocks, it’s so quiet and away from everything. I’ve been here since thursday, and I’m actually sad to be leaving tomorrow. I haven’t done much in the way of tramping or walking, but I have realised the extreme need I have of a pair of halfway decent hiking boots, as I’m just starting to get into going for nice long walks. https://niria.in/invercargill-damp-cloudy-and-grumpy-but-its-all-good/ Thu, 17 Feb 2005 11:04:00 +0000 https://niria.in/invercargill-damp-cloudy-and-grumpy-but-its-all-good/ I’m only grumpy because I’m exhausted. Didn’t sleep well the night before last, had a LONG day yesterday and didn’t sleep well last night either! Stupid city-centre hostels opposite the busiest street and the loudest pub in the town… oh and having to ‘sleep’ with the window open due to having a full dorm. (SCOWL) At the YHA in Invercargill, waiting around for my flight to Stewart Island. I’ve decided to go mental and spend three days over there, it will be all good, I’m hoping. https://niria.in/oh-what-a-day/ Tue, 15 Feb 2005 21:09:00 +0000 https://niria.in/oh-what-a-day/ Talk about birdwatching!! I just had the most fantastic day out the Otago Peninsula… We saw oystercatchers, paradise shell ducks, shags, herons, a kingfisher, LOADS of albatross, lil blue penguins and yellow-eyed penguins (hoiho). Also many fur seals. The Albatross is the most amazing bird. Its chest isn’t strong enough to flap its wings very much, and yet it can fly 150,000 kilometres in a YEAR! It’s so graceful and dignified and amazing to watch. https://niria.in/serendipity/ Tue, 15 Feb 2005 14:13:00 +0000 https://niria.in/serendipity/ Many things give me joy: I found a bookcrossing book! My first one ever! It’s Bee Season by Myla Goldberg, and I’m just about to release Riddley Walker into the wild. Or rather, into a phone box! It’s the best plan ever. And the karma feels great! It’s SUNNY I’m going to check out penguins in an hour… well, less than an hour… and I haven’t packed yet, even though I’m leaving tomorrow morning at a rediculous time of the day… er… yes. https://niria.in/bath-street-and-the-vatican/ Sun, 13 Feb 2005 15:26:00 +0000 https://niria.in/bath-street-and-the-vatican/ There were festivities last night. And I was getting really disheartened by the Dunedin nightlife (drunken students, crap charty hip-hop, techno in an old church and rednecks dancing on pooltables – not all in the same place evidently). But then I found Bath Street and ah, it was good. I always said I like places with no dress code, no cover charge, good music and comfortable decor (even better if it’s dark and you can spit on the floor). https://niria.in/holy-bagpipes-batman/ Sat, 12 Feb 2005 17:46:00 +0000 https://niria.in/holy-bagpipes-batman/ Charlotte and I were just wandering around town, checking out secondhand bookshops and having coffee and being exhausted and stuff, and then BAM, the octagon is filled with HORDES of bagpipers. there’s some kind of competition on today I think. THe best bit was at the end where about eight bands lined up together and all marched down George St playing Scotland the Brave. Stirring indeed. No matter who you are or where you’re from, a bazillion bagpipers going right past your ear is an unforgettable experience. https://niria.in/673/ Sat, 12 Feb 2005 12:08:00 +0000 https://niria.in/673/ Today Dunedin is rain and bagpipes and soggy trouser legs and no breakfast yet, and talking to my mum and dad for ages on the phone for the first time in what seems like a million years! It was unbelieveably good to talk to them and they let me witter on for ages and actually gave me the gossip from home, which was cool. Now I’m definitely in the mood for fried eggs for breakfast… to the shop with me, for Greasy Breakfast Action… Booyah! https://niria.in/672/ Thu, 10 Feb 2005 13:32:00 +0000 https://niria.in/672/ I can’t quite seem to get a handle on Dunedin. I’m not sure why, but it sort of eludes me. Maybe it’s because most of the students aren’t here, and there are usually around 25,000 of them? I’m not sure, but I think I could possibly like this town, once I get the hang of it. Granted, it took me a lot longer than four days to get the hang of Auckland, but this place is so much smaller. https://niria.in/happy-chinese-new-year/ Wed, 09 Feb 2005 13:04:00 +0000 https://niria.in/happy-chinese-new-year/ I completely forgot about the pancakes yesterday, but last night at midnight there were the coolest fireworks to celebrate Chinese New Year. It’s good that NZ sometimes remembers that it’s closer to Asia than Europe. Also yesterday I wandered around the Museum, which was partially closed due to flooding from the excellent rains the day before. As were quite a few shops in the city centre. I would say more, but I’m sure you don’t care that it was a little bit chilly last night, that I had tuna and cheese on toast for dinner or that I did my laundry and watched survivor. https://niria.in/again-with-the-dunedin-and-the-sunshine/ Tue, 08 Feb 2005 13:26:00 +0000 https://niria.in/again-with-the-dunedin-and-the-sunshine/ Yesterday was moderately uneventful, except that when I left the internet cafe there was a massive black cloud obscuring all light, and I eventually got caught in the mother of all downpours. It was great. Thunder, lightening, massive raindrops and rivers instead of streets! I got back to the hostel and was so soaking wet that I put my bag down and ran straight back out again. Fantastic! Today I got offered a lift to invercargill with two swiss chicks. https://niria.in/dunedin-sunshine-and-dreamcatchers/ Mon, 07 Feb 2005 16:30:00 +0000 https://niria.in/dunedin-sunshine-and-dreamcatchers/ Good afternoon, Yesterday I arrived in Dunedin, proceeded to get lost, (which is never a good idea with a backpack that’s too heavy), get found, went online to check my mail and update here, couldn’t check my mail cos none of the websites would open, managed to open LJ and typed up a major updatey post on getting drunk and misbehaving, leaving christchurch, lake tekapo and the unbelievable gorgeousness, oamaru and limestone and small-town-ness and penguins and tour buses, and weird nightmares about fountains and collapsing buildings, and tried to post it and it died, which was the computer’s fault, not mine… and i had to pay $4 for the privilege of NOT BEING ABLE TO CHECK MY MAIL and GETTING UPSET THAT MY UPDATE GOT EATEN. https://niria.in/duvet-days/ Tue, 18 Jan 2005 01:50:00 +0000 https://niria.in/duvet-days/ Today was one of those days where I didn’t get up til 11. pm. Didn’t really want to move. Didn’t want to not-move. So I stayed there. And I got a text asking me if i was ok or just hibernating. guyfullerton{.lj-user}, I love ya! 😀 Feeling a bit queasy now due to staying in bed all day, but not so bad, much better than I was earlier. The plan is to sleep tonight (if that happens it’ll be fucking amazing) and have a talk to mel tomorrow. https://niria.in/my-year-in-review/ Sun, 16 Jan 2005 17:38:00 +0000 https://niria.in/my-year-in-review/ Doing the Year In Review thing, where you take the first sentence from the first entry you post each month… I start the year out by getting dumped and finish it by getting smacked in the face by a prawn. In the middle, there are witches and princesses and bugger. But it’s really boring. January: Single again. I was going to say alone again, but i think i was alone before anyway. https://niria.in/hooray-for-perfect-days/ Tue, 11 Jan 2005 23:45:00 +0000 https://niria.in/hooray-for-perfect-days/ Today was just such a one. Waking up early but not too early. Luxuriating in bed for just a little bit. Having a shower, a proper shower with gushing jets of not too hot, not too cold water. Strolling to the French Bakehouse for breakfast and up to Captain Ron’s for coffee. Making a new friend or two. Deciding to go for a stroll Just Like That. Finding out how much it costs to rent an MX5 for a day and pretend to be Austin Powers(not that much really). https://niria.in/rip-van-winkle/ Mon, 10 Jan 2005 17:22:00 +0000 https://niria.in/rip-van-winkle/ Don’t you just love the feeling you get when you’ve been engrossed in a book for hours and you’ve completely disregarded reality, to the point that you’ve forgotten that there’s someone else in the room, and you finish the book and it feels like you’ve been asleep for a hundred years? It’s a sort of a poignant, satisfied sort of feeling. You’re glad you’ve read what you’ve been reading, but you want to stay in the moments created by the author and you know you can’t. https://niria.in/649/ Mon, 27 Dec 2004 15:25:00 +0000 https://niria.in/649/ Well, belated compliments of the season to one and all. Whatever season you may find yourself experiencing. Being home has been generally fantastic, with spots of less-than-fantastic. Christmas dinner was the high point. My mum finally gave in to some subtle manipulation and agreed that a Proper Turkey Dinner (with mother’s amazing potato stuffing) would be a good idea, and she also had the great idea of having my gran over as well. https://niria.in/648/ Mon, 20 Dec 2004 16:25:00 +0000 https://niria.in/648/ Being at home is hugely strange, and amazingly good. My brother arrived this morning, so now my little family is complete. The parents were so glad to see both of us, and I was so glad to see both of them. I don’t want to stay, although I’m already dreading the journey back, but it’s bloody good to be home for a while anyway. Saturday was spent shopping with mum and visiting my gran, who was also super-happy to see me. https://niria.in/647/ Fri, 17 Dec 2004 02:03:00 +0000 https://niria.in/647/ At Singapore. Transitting through to Dubai. Have already stopped at brisbane. I wanna be at HOME! and it’s gonna be about 23 hours from what I can see… WAAAAAAH! Don’t ever do this flight in one go. It’s mental! https://niria.in/646/ Thu, 16 Dec 2004 00:26:00 +0000 https://niria.in/646/ I’m leaving tomorrow. How bizarre. Just for a few weeks. But I hate long-haul flights. And I’ll be spending about a million years in the air… Auckland-Dubai-London-Shannon. See you kids friday afternoon Irish time! https://niria.in/never-drinking-again/ Sun, 12 Dec 2004 20:53:00 +0000 https://niria.in/never-drinking-again/ I have spent by far the greater part of today in bed. It was my hostel’s staff party last night… lots of good Japanese food, sake, beer, champagne, shots and beer. And me being very drunk. Who is the boy with the green hat? I don’t know, but I had lots of fun all the same. Danced and flirted and tried to pick up boys and girls, and eventually succeeded in finding a boy who wanted to kiss me. https://niria.in/642/ Fri, 10 Dec 2004 18:31:00 +0000 https://niria.in/642/ In a less than two minute update….. i’m in Taupo for some reason. Heading back to auckland tomorrow but went for LOVELY walk to Huka falls today with Phil Partridge and even took photos. Will put them up soon for your delectation, and you will see how much of a fatass I’ve become since coming to Auckland. And how little I care. Blisters, Bloody Feet and Sunburn. Woo! https://niria.in/640/ Tue, 07 Dec 2004 00:29:00 +0000 https://niria.in/640/ It was a hard-out hardcore weekend. Mostly for others, not really for me. I went for a couple of drinks on friday after work with the boys and the girls from GE, on account of it being my last day and of them all being great. One drink became more than that, and, well, I became drunk. Tequila shots and professing my (unfelt) adoration for my mate’s flatmate were some of the things that I recall, along with spilling an entire bottle of beer on myself. https://niria.in/its-official/ Wed, 01 Dec 2004 19:55:00 +0000 https://niria.in/its-official/ In other news. I got smacked in the face by a prawn. While eating at a Japanese restaurant last night to celebrate Bula Bula’s Forty-Somethingth birthday, one of the entertaining chefs flipped a prawn and it smacked me wetly right between the eyes. Lucky me! Also I took the day off work. I wasn’t drinking, was home by 10 and in bed relatively early, but felt like shit this morning, leaden, sickly, headachy and miserable. https://niria.in/thanks-for-that-kids/ Mon, 29 Nov 2004 22:06:00 +0000 https://niria.in/thanks-for-that-kids/ I can sort it, or so it looks at the moment. And I am going home… for three miserable, wet, cold, wonderful weeks. Hooray! https://niria.in/632/ Tue, 23 Nov 2004 20:59:00 +0000 https://niria.in/632/ Everything’s all up in the air and I’m not sure what’s going on. More in a few days when I know what’s happening for the next couple of months. rraaaaaaah https://niria.in/so-4/ Wed, 17 Nov 2004 21:52:00 +0000 https://niria.in/so-4/ This morning I decided to take a sickie from work because I was tired and not feeling the best. So I called in sick, changed my doctor’s appointment to today and crawled back to bed. Whereupon the phone rang. It was my dad, telling me that my grandfather had died. I still don’t know when exactly. And I’m not exactly sure of the details except that he was out on the farm, picking apples on a lovely November day. https://niria.in/628/ Wed, 10 Nov 2004 22:34:00 +0000 https://niria.in/628/ It’s funny to think that it’s November-y back home. Here it’s summer holiday weather. We sat outside O’Carrolls, an Irish bar, for a few hours this evening, in t-shirts or string tops, and jandals. Myself, Caroline, Liz and Gary and Phil decided to bring lots of randoms along to the pub with us. So we were joined by what turned out to be 5 Hot Guys. 😀 Which was nice! https://niria.in/oh-november/ Mon, 08 Nov 2004 19:02:00 +0000 https://niria.in/oh-november/ Buggerit! I really am working for the man. GE donated $2.58million to the US Republican party since 1999. Yuk. I’m finishing in 2 weeks though, so that’ll stick it to them. Yeah! And I stole about 20 helium balloons today, all printed with GE Money, which is what GE finance is now called in New Zealand. So I’ve made them scared now, I’ll bet. In other news, there has been much fun and also some sleep had. https://niria.in/626/ Thu, 28 Oct 2004 22:54:00 +0000 https://niria.in/626/ I’m going to see Terry Pratchett on Sunday. By saturday evening, I will have one less job. Life is definitely getting there!!! https://niria.in/full-of-words-devoid-of-thought/ Sun, 24 Oct 2004 01:05:00 +0000 https://niria.in/full-of-words-devoid-of-thought/ Since the last time I did the blogging thing, I’ve been doing more or less the same things, talking to the same people, working the same jobs, complaining about the same things. Three jobs is too many. Therefore from the 31st, I shall be a woman with a mere TWO jobs. the daytime one and the sometimes cleaning one are all that will be left to me. With the free time I get as a prize for removing a chunk of my income I plan to do things, write things, keep in contact with people, get some exercise and fresh air, go places, read more, meet more people and have more fun. https://niria.in/618/ Fri, 30 Jul 2004 12:38:00 +0000 https://niria.in/618/ Well, I’m here. And I like Auckland, so I think I’ll stay a while. Need to find a job, and update my CV and open a bank account and AAGH. I’ve been online for an hour an a half already, looking for somewhere to live, but it’s hard when ya have no money. I might just live in a backpacker hostel for a while. https://niria.in/617/ Fri, 23 Jul 2004 00:05:00 +0000 https://niria.in/617/ My fixation with possessions will come to an end pretty quickly once I have to carry them all on my back. Who’da thunk that a few changes of clothes and a toothbrush would weigh so much? Well, slightly more than that, perhaps. I wish I could bring a laptop (but I don’t have one), a ballgown (just in case, even though I hate balls), a guitar (so that I could learn how to play it and do some busking) and the new set of kitchen knives my mum bought last week because I made her. https://niria.in/and-there-was-much-rejoicing/ Mon, 19 Jul 2004 01:43:00 +0000 https://niria.in/and-there-was-much-rejoicing/ I’ve just finished a sort of half-assed tidying of my house. There were maybe fifty people here earlier. Practically everyone who was invited turned up. There were mounds of food and fathoms of drink and it actually seemed like everyone was having a good time. There was music and singing and small children playing with dogs or colouring-in quietly, and nonchalant boys playing frisbee on the grass, and girleens playing the fine art of camogie, and drunken next-door neighbours playing Jenga, and ickle babies, and newly engaged couples, and old ladies with great stories about french exchanges with sons of Comptesses. https://niria.in/611/ Mon, 12 Jul 2004 13:45:00 +0000 https://niria.in/611/ In exactly two weeks’ time, i will be on a plane to New Zealand. Argh 😀 https://niria.in/weird-and-wonderful-art-of-text-messaging/ Tue, 06 Apr 2004 17:56:00 +0000 https://niria.in/weird-and-wonderful-art-of-text-messaging/ Other people’s lives live in my phone. “I’m crazy about you and always have been. and now i’ll be too ashamed to talk to you again so bye” “Restricted Environmental Situational Technique…” “It’s a girl! 4.30am. caesarean… 7lb6oz” “Froodie, we were just talking about you and we came to the conclusion that you are all woman. Congratulations!” – my brother’s friends. “Froodie just dumped me! being nice to her = being walked on! https://niria.in/the-messiest-country-in-the-world/ Sun, 22 Feb 2004 13:08:00 +0000 https://niria.in/the-messiest-country-in-the-world/ My mum and I got all civic spirited yesterday and went for a walk… with rubber gloves and black plastic sacks in tow. On a single 150metre (possibly less) stretch of road, we managed to fill THREE bags. So our bin at home is full now, and I’m betting the stretch of road we managed to tidy looks like shite again. Oh, and a press 22 photographer passed us and took our photos for the local papers (cringe) https://niria.in/my-brother-the-hero/ Sun, 25 May 2003 14:52:00 +0000 https://niria.in/my-brother-the-hero/ I had quite an uneventful saturday night. I was supposed to go out, but my mother decided I looked too tired and she was probably right. In any case, she’s footing the bill for my new glasses, so i figured it was best to keep on her good side. Anyway, Eurovision. Yes. I watched from about the seventh song, maybe earlier. All the way to the bitter end. We were crap. https://niria.in/post/test1/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://niria.in/post/test1/