It’s been ages since I’ve been to an archery range… Thinking back on it, I’ve only been to a range here in Oregon once, back in Hood River. In Massachusetts, in the year before I moved to Oregon, I was going fairly consistently… I figured that, being off work for the Christmas and New Years break, it was about time to try it out again.
No big stories here – I found a spot nearby, went, and shot a few rounds. Turns out – I’m not too bad still. Haven’t quite lost my touch!
It’s been a while since I’ve wanted to post anything… and it’s even been a while since I’ve had something that I’ve felt was worth posting.
That’s not to say I’ve been laying in bed this whole time, nor that I’ve been enraptured with work, nor… anything, really.
The end of the season, the start of a new one. In more ways that one – My current job is ending, and the next chapter of my life is in the planning phases. It’s terrifying, exciting, amazing, and it’s keeping me up at night.
I’ve been staying in, a lot. Working out, making food, and dancing the dance at work. Reading by the fireplace, researching details for my next big adventure, and being overwhelmed by the world.
I’ve finally downloaded the photos from the last few months off my phone, and I’ll be going through them now – hopefully getting semi-legible and fair posts up. There won’t be much for the next few months, but I promise that when it kicks back up, it’ll be spectacular.
Wow… How long has it been since I’ve done an international trip? How much longer since I’ve gone international solo?
Let’s see. The last international trip was to Scotland, right before the Pandemic hit. When I had that really bad flu… right before the Pandemic. With COVID. That presents sort of like a flu. That I’ve somehow avoided getting, as if I’d already gotten it and gained an immunity… Okay we’re not going down that road the last time I went abroad was January 2020. Three years and change.
The last time I went on a solo international trip? Well, that’d be New Zealand, back in 2012. 11 years.
It’s high time I explored.
I got accepted to Trinity College’s MBA program back in November, and accepted the offer that same month… though I delayed admission until 2024, to give me some time to finish up in Oregon and save up a bit more money. While talking to the admissions officer though, I learned about a Business forum put on by Trinity in March – a perfect opportunity for me to stretch my international adventure legs and see if Dublin would make a good home for a year or three!
I planned, I packed, and I set off on my first solo international trip in over 10 years…
An overview:
My plan for Dublin was as interesting as it was simple. I’d asked around, and created a list of gifts that friends of mine wanted me to get for them in Ireland. I took it, and made myself a rudimentary scavenger hunt – an opportunity to explore the city without timeline or deadline, a chance to relax and decompress in a new place while leaving behind the highly regimented and “always 5min late” routine that defines my life in Oregon.
I’d fly out on Saturday and Sunday (Thanks, time zones), and then spend Monday and Tuesday floating around the city enjoying my freedom from schedules. Wednesday would be spent at the business forum, followed by more gloriously improvised floating from Thursday through Sunday. Monday would find me flying back to Portland, after which I’d return to the day to day life of an engineer in Wilsonville.
Of course, I had places I wanted to see: The Guinness brewery, the Jameson and Teeling distilleries, and every national museum I could get myself into. Trinity College had a tour I’d go on, and full Irish breakfasts were calling my name.
None of those had specific days, much less times, assigned.
Instead, I’d explore and enjoy myself. Plan-free, without a timeline.
