Alls Changed, Changed Utterly

I have a cheque book. This is weird. Nothing else to say about that; I just wanted to get it out of my system.

Soon... Soon I will have internet access AND a fancy tv service. By then I’ll have finally gotten my phone and my moving in period will be officially over. Soon is Friday by the way. Hopefully it’ll mean I’ll have the time to analyse my fantasy football team properly and recover from a disastrous start.

It’s amazing the difference a couple years makes. From a messy, lazy, hairy student to a considerably less messy, less hairy, employed productive member of society in a few short years. Stranger things have happened though; the flag waving communist that was a 16 year old Ross Frenett is now working for the man, in a suit, and in that most capitalistic of endeavours that is management consultancy.

Those are the only changes though. Even in the last couple weeks many things have changed. For one, my past nemesis of coeliac disease has reared its ugly head again and it picked the night before my first day at work to do so. Fair enough I had only eaten a baguette the day before, but having to make several midnight trips to the loo didn’t help the nerves before the start. I’ve become a lot more conscious of what I’ve been eating and as a result I’ve had to tighten my belt (literally).

Right now, it’s hard not to be optimistic about the future. So much more now seems possible over here and my life is on the move again after an extended hiatus. There are a lot of things I miss about Cork but I already know that it’ll be a good while before I ever move back. That thought alone makes me sad, without even counting in that feeling of coming back home and seeing that everything has changed while you were gone.

I’m really looking forward to people visiting though! Even though I’ve only been here three weeks, my sister Eva has already been here and I’ve a couple more visitors due in the next couple weeks. Funtimes! So, come on over and visit me! I’m talking to you Laura O’Neill or whoever you happen to be (Laura gets a mention as she asked for/demanded it).

So ends this message on that note of optimism. Hopefully there’ll be another post soon showing off my shiny new gadgets... mmm.... gadgets...

I find my lack of internet annoying.

Well, here I am at my desk ready to start day no.2 at le job. My lack of itnernet at home means I have to do this from work which will limit the amount I can write. Suffice to say, everything is going well apart from a small few glitches with the flat (the shower specifically) but having an awesome TV makes up for it and will do even more so when I get a fancy Sky connection in or something. Hopefully that'll be sooner rather than later, but alas, I'm still waiting for my bank account to be cleared which is holding everything up. On the upside I am now registered to vote, so Boris Johnson, you have been warned.

My Sundown

So this is it. Tomorrow is move day. The next post will be from the incredibly huge schmoke that is London town. Unfortunately, today is incredibly busy so there's not much time to be taking it all in. Not for a while anyway. It's going to be weird. Cork has been my home for over 25 years and I've always felt an extraordinary attachment to the place. To say that I've had some great times here is an understatement. So, in the spirit of the cold, calculating and clinical science student I have become; I've decided that my best memories are best expressed in the form of lists.

Best Cork Moments

1. Cork Worlds 2009 - Headwrecking, exhausting, awesome.
2. Éire Óg winning the Junior County Football Championship - The club means more to me than life itself (nearly) and so this was very, very special.
3. All-Ireland Hurling Final 2005 - Cork beat Galway. Savage cabbage.
4. Heineken Cup Final 2006 final - While this wasn't the Heineken Cup final I was at, the outpouring of joy and relief that came with the 2006 win was unparalleled.
5. Urban Family Christmas Party 2007 - The Gilabbey St. one. Epic. 
6. Philosoph AGM, 157th Session - John's minutes, some minor personal redemption and just a lot of fun.
7. ISDA 2010 - It was in Dublin sure, but it was the Cork crew that made it. The Raftery's build was just so intense and so satisfying.
8. Grand Slam Match; Ireland v Wales 2008 - Watched it with some good friends while there was much screaming at the TV.

Top Things I'll Miss About Cork

1. UCC in March/April - Chillin' out, maxing, relaxing all cool, studying some calculus outside of the Boole. (Yeah, I went there. I'm very tempted to do the whole song...)
2. Christmas time around Cork - Christmas time in general is just an amazing time to be around Cork.
3. GAA - Nothing in the world comes close to the local passion and pride that is the GAA. I miss being  a part of it.
4. Philosoph & Dramat - Two great bunches of people that have brought me so much enjoyment and free holidays!
5. The Farm - It sounds trite, but the farm at home is part of me. It's been in my family for seven generations and now I leave it. It's sad. Boo.

Things I Won't Miss About Cork

1. The unemployment. It sucks
2. The rain. Though I suppose London has it's fair share of that too.

One thing that I'll miss is also something I won't miss; I love that I know Cork. I know where things are, I know the general placement of all streets, I just know the city. At the same time too I'm looking forward to having a new place to explore.

So mixed feelings. This is going to be an interesting day.