Seventy years young
Tomorrow is this author’s dad’s 70th birthday, and while he hopes tonight’s party will help him open up more with family, he’s also reflecting on their challenging relationship.
How are you feeling?
This author had a positive introductory counselling session to discuss current challenges and set goals for future sessions.
"You still eat the same food you ate as a teenager."
During my annual check-up, I discovered I’ve gained weight and have high cholesterol, prompting me to consider dietary changes, monitor my sleep, and seek counseling for stress.
Street View
After my grandmother’s passing, I searched Google Maps for her but found only myself captured in Street View in Cork.
Life-long friends*
A traveler reflects on a conversation overheard at the airport about reconnecting with childhood friends, which triggers memories of their own lost friendships after coming out as gay at a young age.
Oviedo on Film
Recently, a couple enjoyed a wedding in Oviedo, Spain, capturing memories with a film camera while exploring the city’s charming atmosphere.
Photographing People
Inspired by my grandfather’s extensive photo archive, I have shifted my photography focus from landscapes to capturing portraits of people, gaining confidence and skill in the process.
I Love Us.
Reflecting on nearly a decade together, the author appreciates their life and love while waiting in the car during her husband’s tutoring session.
Loneliness and Connection
Reflecting on feelings of loneliness and the need for connection, this writer contemplates seeking support from others amidst recent life challenges.
‘Harrington’s are here!’
A recent newspaper article about a local factory’s fire brigade fondly remembers this author’s late grandfather, who played a key role there, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of his passing.
An Irishman in Al Khobar
A long-awaited reunion with friends sparked this authors reflections on a past work experience in Saudi Arabia that was both transformative and challenging.
Debs
This author reminisces about a school debs event 25 years ago, revealing fond memories and reflections on the passage of time.
Job rotation
A job rotation I’ve been doing for the past few months is coming to an end this Friday. It’s been a total departure from what I had been doing for the previous fourteen years, and I’m really sad to be finishing up. The team has been so supportive, and it’s given me an opportunity to show the business what I am capable of, which is what I set out to do.
'Cool older brother'
I was standing outside Cypress Avenue on Caroline Street with my husband, brothers, and friend after our exit from a gig we had all attended when my friend commented on how nice it was that my brothers and I all liked the band we had seen. Adam, the brother, said to her that all the music he and our younger brother listen to had been influenced by me. He had mentioned this to me before and added how our mutual friend had brought up how, as teenagers, they would all listen to the music I discovered and how I epitomized the ‘cool older brother’.
Live Everyday As A Lion
Today, I reminisced about the time I decided to get a tattoo following what I think was me realising that I’d wasted a lot of time procrastinating / doing fuck all. Looking back at it now, it was a sort of turning point. It was around 2009, before ‘doomscrolling’ on Instagram or TikTok and before the word entered the lexicon, I would endlessly scroll through Tumblr, looking at anything from art and design to porn and photography.
Croatia on Film
Last week, my husband and I went on holiday to Croatia for the first time, flying from Cork to Zadar. Our Croatian hairdresser had been recommending that we go, and upon disembarking the return flight plane last Monday into Cork Airport, we wished we had stayed longer. Zadar, a city on the coast, has a wonderful old quarter with narrow streets, Roman remnants, many churches, and the “Sea Organ,” where the waves flowing through compose a constantly changing melody.
Correction of mal-positioned teeth.
A friend of mine recently got braces for his “gapped teeth,” and it got me thinking about my own experience with having correction done for my mal-positioned gnashers. I would’ve been put on a waiting list in primary school, as was the case for many receiving orthodontic treatment publicly back in the nineties. And when I eventually got my referral to the Cork Dental Hospital, located on the grounds of the then Cork Regional Hospital, I had just finished secondary school.
#fuckcancer
Back in the early nineties, in the estate where I grew up, three people had cancer at the same time over a period of about two years. It was a tragic time because one of my friend’s younger sister passed away, as well as an older neighbour who left behind his wife and three young kids. I was young when it happened, but my parents have recently spoken about how it shook everyone in the estate because they feared it might have been related to where we all lived.
Framed aerial photo
In the living room of a childhood friend’s home hung a framed aerial photo of their house taken from a plane. Their detached house stood alone on a large plot, separate from the rest of the semi-detached houses in our estate. Since the parents owned their own business, they had disposable cash to splurge on getting the image from such a height. Fast forward thirty years, and small battery-powered quadcopters with high-resolution digital cameras can create stunning aerial imagery, making a framed photo of your own house within reach of the average family.
Sold
At 5 p.m. on Friday evening, as I was just leaving work, Kate from the solicitor’s office rang to say the sale had closed on the house we’d waited seven months for and that we were the new owners. I was jubilant and rang my husband to tell himself the good news, and that we were going to pick up the keys right away. Opening the door for the first time was a curious experience because we’d spent most weekends over the last few months parked in the park across the river from the house and walking around the area.