A kind of a day off

Found myself in the city centre on some work related errands mid week last week. Most of which were to be done on the north side of the city. In need of a quick snack I ducked into the Epicurean Food Hall (abbey st/liffey st).
Whatever happened to the epicurean food hall? I remember wine, bagels, fresh salads, good coffee, great people watching. What I got was a run down mostly closed down space with big screens showing football and a few students and more buffets than a spanish resort sea front. What a fall from grace. Luckily La Corte is still there so I had a panino and ran away. I ventured slightly further down abbey st and ducked into the coffee shop 3FE (in the Twisted Pepper). I've never tasted anything like it before; coffee with actual accents of fruit and dark chocolate. I recommend it for the novelty. I ordered a Macchiato which was delivered to the table and the milk was poured in front of me with a 'just say when'. Pity about the actual site though, grungy and dirty or maybe I'm just not cool enough.
Why are we so hard done by for culinary delights on the central north side?

Audience with John Banville

An Audience with John Banville
Wednesday 20th October / 7.30pm
The Library, Farmleigh

has been reschedueled : it is on tonight, monday 08/11, at 7:30pm in Farmleigh.

Autumn in Clontarf

Having missed out on autumn last year I'm particularly enjoying it this year. Last year I went from the stifling allergy inducing heat of Ha Noi to the heaviest snow fall in a decade in Beijing. So this year the colours seem particularly vivid to me. I'm also throwing myself at autumn's culinary mercy and have been making stews and soups to feed an army. My new slow cooker obsession couldn't have come at a better time.
These were taken yesterday:

At the party

After my hangover from hell a few weekends ago my drinking volume has gone down considerably. Well make that pretty much ceased. It definitely has its advantages: it's kinder on the wallet, the waist line and the 'day after'. Sometimes though when your not drinking and your out and about conversing in pubs and parties you realise that being at the receiving end of a drunken conversation isn't always that much fun for the non drinker. Although its all worth while when you can just step outside, back into your car and drive yourself right to your own front door for free (I'm not including petrol/insurance/tax in this equation).
Anyway was at a party the other night where my roomie went off for a smoke just before we left. This left me sitting by myself for a few moments. Not having a few drinks on board I wasn't encouraged to go chatting to more drunk people just as we were about to leave. So I sat looking out the window for a few minutes taking in the halloween mayhem on the streets. Being one who is prone to writing a few words every now and then I'm not averse to spending time sitting in my own thoughts no matter where I am. And here in lies the crux: what is it that makes other people so uncomfortable about seeing a woman by herself?
A friendly enough guy approached and suggested I come over and join his group. I said oh thank you but we're just leaving now, and then a little exasperated, he said 'don't isolate yourself, just come over.' What a very bizarre thing to say. Isolate.
Maybe its because I was sober and other people weren't. Maybe its because I didn't really know anyone there and I was sober. Maybe I was indeed feeling a bit off kilter. Or maybe, just maybe, I don't mind spending a few minutes by myself while I wait for my friend.
Isolate. How strange to use that word.