To all you’s who want to know what’s happening (see, Belfast talk!)

Ok, so I promised everyone I’d post, so I must comply.  I still have no word about my job nor any sort of timeframe when ANYONE will know anything.  I, needless to say, am terribly frustrated.  I would rather them tell me tomorrow to pack my things and be gone by mid February than stay here through April and not know the whole time.  Anyway, I patiently wait.  And work.  My manager is very much keeping track of this for me (little surprise there, his team consists of one unintelligible team lead, one somewhat experienced Elec. Engr., one brand new graduate student who will be rotating elsewhere come March, and me… with 3-4 open slots for engineers, which he has little hope of getting.  So there it is.)

After the new year, I have acted as if I have had New Year’s Resolutions.  I don’t.  I don’t much like resolutions, but my lifestyle has changed, that’s to be sure.  I still don’t sleep as well as I would like to at night and my love of cookies hasn’t decreased in the least, but my beer consumption is almost nada (I’m averaging about 1 a week… ridiculous) and I go to the gym about 5 times a week.  Granted, I go to the gym because I’m paying for it, but I also really like pushing myself at the gym.  I also got into a huge book kick, which is saying something, except the books I tend to pick up are no-thinkers, thrillers, and other easy reads I pick up at Tesco’s (2 for 7 quid!)  I am reading the Shack right now, and while I’ve just started, have heard brilliant things about it and see myself enjoying it, maybe even elevating it to Alchemist status.

Anyway, on weekends on my way to the PEC (gym at Queens), I get to walk through the Botanic Gardens.  I love the gardens.  Beautiful, green, and an all around more enjoyable walk than up Stranmillis and past all the brick flats.  The park is only open during daylight, but now the time is changing so dramatically that in a few short weeks the park will be open far later than 5, which it just changed to recently.  Everyday, there is about 5 more minutes of sunlight overall than the day before, so one week is quite a change.  We drive home mostly in the light now, whereas a couple weeks back we didn’t even see daylight all day.  But I digress (actually, come to think of it, there was no real point in this except to write.)

Anyway, here’s some photos from the gardens.  It is so green and I ought to be used to it by now, but I simply am not.  Check out the gallery… just a few photos from my meandering on my way to burn the calories.  I posted this instead of watching House, which I just downloaded.  So, there’s the love

Green grass… very wet, green grass

Middle of the gardens, miles from the city!

Just pretty

My uniform

Evergreens, just like home

Blue skies!

When I got home tonight, my flatmates were cutting hair in the kitchen.  They offered to cut mine, as in shave it clear off.  While something needs to be done, I don’t think that’s it.  They also asked when I was making another apple pie- I said when they buy me the goods.  I am also allowed to use their eggs if I’m going to make baked goodies.  Next time I can’t sleep, I predict choc. chip cookies, American-style, soft and gooey.

I am planning trips to places- but with my job/visa uncertainty, it’s not so easy.  Edinburgh is first on my list, wanted to go in early Feb., but need a place to stay and hostels are filling quickly.  Might go to Glasgow instead.  Have an invite to Vienna for several nights come April, wish I could make plans!  Anyway, I’m off to bed (or to watch House, we will see, it’s nearly 11.)

Also random, but I must tell you- my milk intake has increased significantly as I use it in my daily wheatabix, my porridge, and my several, SEVERAL, cuppas daily.  And my nails have grown as well.  Weird how that works.

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