Interview tomorrow

Posted on by gizzajob

I have a job interview tomorrow in Belfast. I have ironed my white shirt, and shined my shoes, for tomorrow. Fortunately, tomorrow’s interview is in the afternoon. So I can tie some loose ends in the morning.

Tomorrow is also the last day before a fortnight of a severe Lockdown in Northern Ireland. I feel like Number Six from ‘The Prisoner’ at times, recently. And Belfast normally resembles ‘Dawn of the Dead’ at this time of the year. Imagine tomorrow.

And happy Thanksgiving to the USSA. 😀

Tunes:

Getting agitated

Posted on by gizzajob

Today, I was on the Community Bus home, whenever a news headline triggered me, and I began tapping the back of the seat in front of me in agitation. That seat happened to be the driver’s, and she said it was ‘distracting’ her. I got home safely, but I still feel wired.

Yesterday’s shopping trip was a bit of a blow-out. However, I bought Christmas lights at the branch of Dobbie’s Garden Centre outside Lisburn. We stopped for breakfast there. I wasn’t aware that they provided breakfast for us, and I had already paid for one. But I got both breakfasts, and this morning I lost a pound in Slimming World. 🙂

I did buy a twelve-inch single in Belfast, during the trip. It was from Flowered Up – London’s answer to the Happy Mondays. Music was coming into my life around the end of the Baggy era. I once got a bicycle bell for Christmas, with a smiling yellow face. Being a good Catholic boy, I took it off for fear of the drug connotations. 🙂 A misspent youth, with hindsight.

I’m also listening to a Van Morrison LP, a friend lent to me. Also, I’m trying out the Vivaldi browser; developed by Opera, but emulates as Chrome. Good on the MacBook. Not so good on the Android.

Tunes:

 

The connectivity of the world

Posted on by gizzajob

Last night I attended a Christmas Dinner run by a Social Meetup in Belfast at Crumlin Road Gaol – a former Prison turned tourist attraction run by two guys I know from my home village. They’re even married to two sisters from a nearby town; I know their mother-in-law.

I was glad to have attended the dinner especially as I was talking to a woman I sat beside on the bus over to Belfast who I found out, from speaking to her, is a relative of mine. And also, at the dinner, a woman sitting beside me was from a village in my neck of the woods; Bellaghy, the location of the Seamus Heaney Homeplace. (he was actually from Newbridge/Castledawson, to be pedantic) She became interested in me as I used the Mid Ulster idioms she never heard since she moved to Newtonabbey.

In the end, I had to leave early as the demon energy drink took over.

meetup_christmas_selfie

 

But, as you can see, I’m king of my castle.

Also, I have an Adobe Spark journal of creative ideas throughout this month;

 

https://spark.adobe.com/page/yYX2sdIjLjoMp/

 

Tunes:

An Tour Mór (Sonnet I wrote about driving across the Sperrins today)

Posted on by gizzajob

He who rides a tiger is scared to dismount!

Not like the fear I had driving to Aughabrack via Feeny

trundling up the hills on the road from Moneymeaney

until I approached the crossroads dissecting the Park to Dungiven road!

Heading to Aughabrack I noticed ‘Road Ahead Closed’ signs

the road towards Plumbridge was closed!

Mrs. Kerlin said it’s due to a stretch of road being widened!

Blade heading towards Plumbridge showed me a detour

where I nearly drove into a hole on the right-hand road edge!

But I got over safe thanks to that Angel sent from Heaven!

Drove back home via Greencastle

nearly missing a sharp turn and almost into a side road

as well as nearly witnessing a collision at Kildress!

“Holy Jesus! Thon’s some journey!”

The things I didn’t know about music (until now)

Posted on by gizzajob

A mate of mine from England was talking to me on Skype about, “Seeing Björk in a band!” I immediately assumed it was the Sugarcubes, only to find out that she was in an Icelandic Post-Punk band prior to the Sugarcubes.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kukl_(band)

 

Amazing the gaps in my knowledge. 🙂 But, being an Arse, I maintained that I was correct; a reason I don’t go to pub quizzes anymore. I get triggered when contradicted; my gran, God rest her, was the same.

 

Another Marsupial Moment of mine. (‘Who wants to be a Millionaire?’ reference from way back when)

Getting Started

Posted on by gizzajob

I am a 36 Year-Old Single Guy living in Magherafelt in County Derry; originally from Ardboe in County Tyrone; and have been out of full time work since January 2007 for several reasons. During that time I passed the driving test; 23 July 2007; became Full-Time Carer for my elderly Grandmother; who is now Ninety Years-Old; and for the past Seven Months have lived on my own envisioning the next scheme I would create to improve my life.

 

I live in Praxis Accommodation and have featured on ‘Derry County Matters’ on IrishTV about the Garden in our Flats. The feature can be shown on http://tiny.cc/desmondontv (ours is the first feature on it)

 

I graduated in Computing Science in 2001 with a 2:2, but was unable to find work in that profession. Looking back, I was too full of entitlement to push myself back then. My Mum died of Parkinson’s Disease on 28 January 2008. My Father was killed in the Northern Ireland ‘Troubles’ on 29 November 1989. However I have grown stronger out of that adversity and refuse to consider myself a Victim.

 

I also have Social Anxiety, Asperger’s Syndrome, Depression and Schizophrenia. Plus, I need to lose wight.

 

More about me later.