bookshoplaura

I have been having one of those weeks where I have been meaning to blog but somehow haven't quite gotten around to it. I even had things worth writing about like a fantastic comedy night I went to in Downes pub and a great drama workshop for kids I got to sit in on Wednesday night but after working nights last weekend and being back in college as a pa took its tole on me and I was just too tired to get a blog together. Then I discovered that I don't always get called when I get new hours and I should really be keeping an eye on my online roster. That way I wouldn't have discovered Thursday afternoon while at training in Kilkenny that I was down to work nights Thursday and Friday night.  I am not sure how I would have prepared better for working Thursday night if I'd known in advance but I possibly would have made sure to get more sleep the night before so I wouldn't have gone stumbling in tired and full of coffee. It's funny how in a matter of weeks I have g...

As anyone with a social media account knows there are more than enough people complaining about how terrible everything is but I am of the opinion that there is enough negativity in the world, especially in the small corner of the world that I inhabit (Waterford City) that I have decided to try my utmost not to add to it. Yes we're all broke and sometimes bored and so on but there's plenty to see and do in this city without breaking the bank. One excellent example of this is the open mic night that Central arts have started running on Monday once a month. For just €2 you can have a lovely cup of tea or coffee with a bickie and then sit yourself down to be wowed by more talent than you could shake a stick at (if you were so inclined). I am slowly realising that Waterford as a county is absolutely brimming with talent and you can barely walk two steps without meeting someone who is going to wow you in some way or another. If you would like to see how many talented people it i...

Anyone who has been keeping up with my blog knows what an eventful midterm I have had but there's only so many blog posts I can write on how exhausted I am and how I have pretty much forgotten what a day off feels like. I declined the offer of work for Saturday night because I had plans to go to a gig with the boyfriend and thought it would be nice to have some time off. I somehow got roped into doing a few hours Sunday which kind of undone that. Saturday itself was a bit of a wash out in that I got home from work shortly before 8 am and fell asleep for four hours, I had been hoping for more sleep but I am still adjusting to the different shifts and my scumbag body was feeling rather non compliant.  I did get up and go out for a bit but sleep deprivation gave me the attention span of a goldfish and a tendency to space out in the middle of my own sentences so it wasn't long before I needed to go home and rest before the all ages gig in Central arts. They had a really good li...

Last night I  had the great privilege of sitting down with Danny Kidney, Paul Dower and Stephen Mullally. After my piece on the Humans of the Deise exhibition was so warmly received, Danny approached me and asked me would I be willing to meet with them for a chat. Somehow I managed to misunderstand the fact that I was supposed be interviewing them for my blog and turned up woefully unprepared. Mind you I have never actually interviewed anyone before so I probably wouldn't have done much better if I had gone to the trouble of preparing questions.  I'm going to work on the assumption that you don't know who these men are or what they have done to improve Waterford city and then I am going to be really sound and fill you in.  Danny Kidney is a fantastic photographer and is responsible for Humans of the Deise, a photographic project where he singles out the ordinary folk that make Waterford special. Everyone looks forward to seeing who will be featured next and there'...

This will be my third weekend in a row off. Normally that would be very exciting but seeing as I no longer work in retail that will be a regular occurrence until I start to get relief work. For now though I am enjoying the feeling of freedom and I have already gotten accustomed to lazy Sundays. I don't have to tell you that they are a million times nicer than Sundays working in the bookshop but they really are. I had a lovely lie in this morning and then got up to make pancakes for me and pancakes with bacon bits for himself ( if a vegetarian cooking meat for her boyfriend isn't love then I don't know what is) and after showering I decided the best plan of action was to get back into bed and watch some comedy. An hour later I dragged myself out and made myself look like a human before we headed out.  We treated ourselves to lunch at Momo. I've only been once since I started the new job and I was thinking they probably missed seeing me in there. I'm pretty sound ...

Last night my Boyfriend and I went a long to the Humans of the Deise exhibition. I wont tell you a big long story about me being reluctant to go out and him persuading me but I will say I was wrapped up in a fluffy blanket until I absolutely had to leave. Humans of the Deise, for those of you not familiar with it. is a concept inspired by the renowned Humans of New York, Except set in the Deise (Waterford city and county). The photographer responsible for this project, Danny Kidney, takes candid pictures of ordinary Waterford people and does it so naturally that for the most part you would think they had no idea the photo was being taken. He has been sharing the photos on his Facebook page - humans of the Deise- and each one has a little snippet that gives you an insight into the different characters that are featured. For me that is my favourite part. Everyone gets a look in from up and coming local band Crome yellow to local man about town Michael better known to all as 'How d...

A girl without a book A girl without a book is lost, baseless, feels like something is missing and not these half thumbed paperbacks that litter every surface. Without a book I am empty, lifeless, teetering on the edge of worry; napping, chocolate eating. Me without a book is worrying, a happy Laura always reads, not sure if the lack of books is to blame or my own inattentive mind. A girl without a book is faceless, hard to know who I am without knowing what I read and why I do not. A girl without a book is a problem ready for solving, waiting to  be rescued by one dazzling, gripping read. A girl without a book is me. So it wouldn't be fair to say I am not reading at all. That never really happens, I even managed to keep reading when I lived in Switzerland that year and the selection of English language books was appalling. I have however come to a bit of a standstill where I have a stack of books sitting on my shelf but there's not one I...