Movin' On Up

The new furniture finally arrived yesterday, and it feels like a new apartment. The sofa has some lumbar support (and enough room for two people to sit), and the chairs don't throw out your lower back by slanting your hips ten degrees to the right. Remarkable stuff. The new couch goes with with our jerry-rigged accent lighting, seen hanging on the picture frame. That's our Christmas tree boxed up in the corner...not quite sure what to do with it.

Oh, and our bed-of-nails mattress––which was so old I'm pretty sure it was partly stuffed with horse hair––is gone too.

The stack of travel literature you can see in the fore has occupied my time in recent days. Katherine and I are trying to plot trips to the Continent for the spring and early summer. Funding for our coming travels was mysterious––even to us––until this morning. We met with the owners of the Katherine's golf shop [see previous entry] and they offered me temporary full-time hours in their warehouse. It's a sweet gig; although I would prefer part-time work, they're very accommodating to our holiday-riddled schedule.

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And so it is in Ireland, as it is in the United States: who you know trumps what you know. After thinking back on my work experience, I can say that Guineys (of all places) was the first and only job of mine that I landed the "traditional" way. In all of my other searches going to temp agencies, looking for ads in the paper, and cold calling has failed.

Every job I've had started with an informal connection––i.e., I knew someone on the inside. And don't get the wrong idea....these weren't special places to work. At all. To work at a plant nursery, mow grass on a horse farm, work as a construction laborer, and even do freelance research has all required that special "in." When I don't have the "in" the results have been depressing: even the bagel restaurant down the street won't respond to my application.

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Some sad news: the legendary Waterford Crystal factory has closed down. A US-based consortium, in true US consortium style, is moving the production of the crystal to locations "across the globe." This is an obvious euphemism for Poland and China. Or just China.

Why? Why would anyone buy Waterford Crystal if it's made in Slovenia? The whole point, I thought, was the famous and unparalleled Irish skill at crystal carving. They apparently think that the Waterford brand name is strong enough that ignorant customers will continue to buy it regardless of where it's made. They might be right. I'm sure people with MBA's are making these decisions. But I'm not going to be fooled, and my readers shouldn't be either. Spread the word!

Instead, check out Kinsale Crystal. This stuff is made in a small independently owned shop by a former Waterford craftsman, and it is extremely impressive. Check out some of the pictures on the website. His prices aren't that different from what Waterford was recently charging, and you get a much better product.