Cultural Expoo

I'm back at work today as Monday was a bank holiday. Bank holiday, you say? What's that? I'm not really sure the point of said bank holiday except that it means that it's an excuse for a day off work and for the banks to be closed. Here's the thing. Banks are just as unhelpful and useless over here as they are in most countries. There's still only two people on the counter at lunchtime when the line is out the door and they're still snooty and rude when you have genuine concerns that need to be adressed when an automated answer system just isn't doing the trick. What's that, you need to talk to an actual living, breathing employee? Someone who might actually have to do five minutes of work and talk to the lowly customer who may only have about €10 in her account? Madness!! There's no limit to the amount of sarcasm I can sling when it comes to banks. Anyhow, everything was closed yesterday so that meant another three day weekend in the span of two weeks.

I went to the National Concert Hall on Sunday evening to see the ballet. It was a mix of pieces of Tchaikovsky's ballets from Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. It was very beautiful and inspiring. The costumes was so ornate and my seat was great so I was quite full of culture by the time I left. The place was packed but I didn't mind going on my own. Everyone needs a night of culture now and then. I even managed to get dressed up so I fit right in. I saw a mother with her daughters, all under the age of ten, in little dresses with Mary Jane shoes, drinking their bottles of Coca Cola. I couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to have daughters of my own and how much fun it would be to take them to the ballet.

I wish I had some amusing anecdote from the weekend with a smart Irish comment, but no such luck. Seems everyone around me this weekend was on their best behaviour. Oh well, there's always the train ride home today...