Category Archives: Parties and social gatherings

Not strictly outdoor adventures, but sometimes parties take place outside! Or near a window! Thus: it counts.

A Bulgarian Adventure

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A Bulgarian Adventure

Tuesday, 28-April-2026 through Saturday, 02-May-2026


Andrea’s friends got married! We hopped on a plane to go visit! It was an excellent adventure!

I’ve just been a little globe-hopper, now, haven’t I?



To be honest, that’s exactly what I’d hoped for when I first started imagining this move to Europe. Ryanair flights are cheap, security is efficient, and air-time is short… I’d had all these dreams of spending weekends away at various exciting locations throughout the continent.

It hasn’t happened that way, unfortunately, and that’s one of the many little things I’ve been frustrated by. Classwork took up weekends during the MBA, and job applications (and their attendant anxiety) took over the weekends afterward. Events and sales for Hurley Ceols took over after that, and now…

Well. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. For now – there’s a wedding to go to!

To be fair, this wasn’t a traditional Bulgarian wedding – I don’t know know what they’ll look like, but this was a beautifully chic wedding for two amazingly chic friends. A penthouse restaurant, excellent food, amazing drinks, and beautiful views were to be had. A lovely ceremony, and an exciting afterparty!



So, while the wedding was our main reason for going out, we did get up to some other adventures throughout:

– We got to visit Andrea’s Grandma – whose home always brings back fond memories of my Maternal Grandparent’s home.

– We explored the city a bit, seeing more of the beautiful views that Sofia has to offer.

– We visited with a few friends, grabbing a lovely dinner and sharing exciting stories… and even seeing a whole host of new hot sauces that one of them is working on! (I don’t have pictures from this one, because we were too busy hanging out.


And then… Well, and then we flew home, had a delicious breakfast, and a lovely cheeseplate lunch.

A Dublin Concert! (As September Ends)

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Friday, 20-March-2026


I really do enjoy going to concerts. Shows. Gigs. Really, just neat events.

Seeing the setup and little hints of the work behind the scenes… people watching before the show… Then seeing the energy of the whole crowd when the band finally comes on and pours their hearts out on stage… It’s really fun, and something I wish I had the time / energy / knowledge to do more often.

As September Ends isn’t a band I’d heard of before.

Instagram advertising isn’t something I really pay attention to.

But this time? The fourth or fifth time I saw the ad, I realized that the show was coming up in a week or so… and that it was something ridiculously cheap, like 15 euro or something. And it was a 10min walk from the apartment. Really… I just didn’t have an excuse NOT to go, so I went.


And you know what? It was, to the surprise of no one, really fun!

No, no I don’t really have any other stories to tell about it. It was a good show, the music was solid, and the crowd was fun. They performed, I enjoyed it, I went home. Kind of meh, in that regard… but you know what? I got out of the house, I saw a show, and I enjoyed it. That’s all this guy needs.

Thanksgiving in New England – Friendsgiving

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Thanksgiving! Last year, Thanksgiving was a bit too busy for me to fly back to the United States… classes, and general insanity, conspired to keep me in Dublin. Which, frankly, was a perfectly lovely time with friends and classmates. 2025, however, had none of those challenges… and thus, saw Andrea and I winging our way to New England for a well-deserved holiday…

Friday, 28-November-2026


After Thanksgiving? Friendsgiving!

As with our first Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving was magical. Great table settings, excellent food, good friends, and excellent times. Good memories and happy times!