Seville...

From the helpful list of useless Spanish phrases Google provided its employees with:

Soy Zod, el master de la destruccion. Mi mission es gobernar tu debil pais y esclavizar a sus piltrafilas por toda la eternidad. MMMWwwhhhaaaa Hhaa hhaa haaaaaaaa!!!!!!!
Hello I'm pleased to meet you

Jugamos al badminton?
Shall we play Badminton?

A mi cabra se le ha caido una pata y queria comprar una rueda de repesto, por favor.
The leg has fallen off my goat and so I'd like to buy some sort of replacement wheel please

Donde puedo comprar un bigote falso para mi perro?
Where can I buy a large brown fake moustache for my dog?

Yes, I did manage not to get lost, robbed or beaten up in spite of my employer's good advice....

Objet Trouve

Engineers brainstorming on a white board:

When the Google supercomputer becomes self-aware and destroys all civilisation, what will your new career be?

* chosen one with drinking problem
* drunk with messiah tendencies


right....
back to work

Only in Ireland....

Driver climbes aboard a full bus and asks: 'Does anyone know where we're going?'
Girl in front seat to her friend: 'I sure hope this is secret camera. He can't be serious!'
Guy a bit further to the back: 'Just go straight ahead and take a left at the end. We have to get on the M50. Just pay the fee and go through the port tunnel'
Driver: 'I'm not paying a fee'
Guy turns to the rest of the passengers: 'Ok, everybody chip in for the toll fee! 50 cents each'
Driver: 'I still need directions though....'

Oh, we did get there in the end.

At the ATM

In Dublin's city centre the beggars usually choose one of a few possible strategies.

They can murmur a few words or play one single flat note on a recorder and claim they're musicians
They can just lay on the pavement in a sleeping bag and hope that people, while stepping over them, throw all their change in their paper cup
They have their kids (more often than not dressed in quite expensive Nike sportsgear) hassle you for some change.
Or they camp out next to an ATM and ask everyone if they can spare anything.

During my last visit to the ATM I was as per usual confronted with someone who would have liked some of my hard earned money. That wasn't what surprised, no shocked, me about the situation. This particular homeless drunk was ON THE PHONE. He did manage to ask whoever he was talking to to hold on for a second though while he asked me for money.

mariekschen gets cash at ATM
drunk to conversation partner: hold on a sec
drunk to mariekschen: can ya help us out loooove?
mariekschen: ehh no I don't think so pal
drunk: feckin foreigners....

detail: his phone looked a lot better than mine does....

Yes it is warm here too!

According to the papers that is.
The average temperature in April was between 10 and 11.5 degrees celcius. The amazing fact the weatherman managed to add to this is that this temperature would even be 3 degrees too warm for May.

Lucky us....

Today was very nice though :)

yes we're still here!

hello hello!

sorry for all the silence on my part, but working and having no internet connection at my new place does not really help adding to this blog. oh and killing my beloved ibook didn't prove to be very beneficial either (don't try that at home!).

However, I did manage to join a wonderfully decadent gym! (the one on Aston Quay) I'm thinking it must be owned by the local Russian maffia. If it's not, or if there is no Russion maffia over here, they should establish one and take over ownership. Just to add to the whole overdose of tacky gold eagles and velvet drapes and thrones that are scattered about the place.

Conversation at lunch

Alistair: I'm going to break my wrist some day
Pamela: eh doing what?
Alistair: Fussball. Playing those Germans can get quite violent!
Mariekschen: yes, we know all about that....

What to do on a Saturday night...

Because of this I got to go here. A nomination for best group blog was the ticket in and although no award was actually cashed in, it was a great night altogether.

back in Dublin!

hi there!

yes I know it has been a while, but I have been slightly busy....
First there was the Carnaval, which you'll hear more of in a later post. Then there was some manic packing, unpacking and repacking of bags, a goodbye party and after that mariekschen was heading for Amsterdam airport (without the planned bottles of red wine, mind you) in order to fly to her (re)new(ed) home: Dublin, Ireland.

When I arrived at the B&B that Google booked for me for my first weeks, I was obviously very happy to see that it was nice and posh. Towels the size of blankets, a hot press for your suit trousers, a ginormous bed and, yes, miniature shampoo bottles (yes, I have a selection for whomever wants them)!!

Not much time to wallow in this luxury though: I had my first house to look at (such a dump!) and a rugby match to watch (horray!). Oirland completely trashed Engerland and all of Dublin was happy. well except the visiting England supporters probably. I met up with Dave, whom I know from Cambridge, and his brother-in-law and it was time to get a few more beers into my stomach.

The house hunt went quite well and after only a few days, a number of really crappy and overpriced places and two realy nice ones, I received the news that I could move in to one of the forementioned nice ones. Happy days so.
It's a new apartment I share with the girl who owns it. she's my age and an architect who shares my good taste in music. brilliant!

So far so good!