The New Domus

Tobie and I used to have Domus 1 and Domus 2 last year (our two separate living quarters). But now as we are living in sin, we have combined housing forces to create the New Domus.

We had our reservations about living on campus again, many of you have probably read my many rants on the frustrations with noise, broken glass/vomit on my walk to school, no privacy (my bedroom window faced into the very high traffic courtyard), and a refrigerator we'd call a "beer fridge" back home meant for four people.

But after looking at many places in town last summer, we decided we didn't need to look out our window and see a man in a jogging suit pissing in the alley, or a gang of Whiskey Tangos drinking a 40oz of vodka at 1030h while their 3 year old plays on the park bench. I remembered: cities are dirty there are no decent running trails, and I hate crowds.

So, we are back on campus. This time in a 2 bedroom "family unit". It's a definite step up in that it has a washer/dryer, a bathtub, and a meh sized fridge (good enough for two, by Irish standards), oh and a killer view. As evidenced by photo below.

View from the balcony off the kitchen. Yes please! Note castle ruins on horizon. 

Is a man ever sexier than when he is eliminating
a spider problem??

And so I present: the New Dormus. Note: we are still getting moved in so the walls are quite sparse. Tobie put the kibosh on me plastering all the walls with mountain scenes as he is "more of a hill or valley person". True story. Hahahha.

We have a bit of a spider issue which is mostly due to the fact that the Irish don't believe in screens* so if we want the windows open we usually wake up with Charlottes Web above our heads and in every corner of the living room. So far Tobie has been a STAR at removing the 8 legged fiends (and before everyone gets up in my grill about how spiders are good because they kill other bugs let me say this: I am an arachnophobe. You wouldn't tell someone who is afraid of heights that heights are no big deal and you should go and live high on a ledge).

So today after some internet research we went at the problem from with surgical precision and military strategy. We cleaned all the windows inside and out, wiped out all the ledges, swept the ceilings and eaves troughs, and wiped away all web infrastructures we could find.  This is apparently the best approach according to the Canadian pest control website (yes I know we are in Ireland but clearly the Irish don't believe in insect problems or they'd put bloody screens on their windows!!)

Our uselessly large entryway. We are still musing on what to do with this space...mini home gym? Yoga studio? Study center?

The entrance to the office/guest bedroom (complete with ensuite).

Above is a few of the reasons why moving back to Canada is going to be a serious nightmare (four more textbooks are also coming poste haste). The view, however, from the office makes it very hard to not stare listlessly out the window when one should be reviewing regulation of crossbridge formation in cardiac muscle.

I did not photoshop that little boat into the picture, I swear on my Robbins textbook.

Master bedroom and bathroom below (tub!!) And no, we did not choose that bedding. 

View from the head of the bed. 

No medical or "science-y" texts allowed in the master bedroom by decree of his Lordship, Tobie.

Yep, more view shots. This is from the master bedroom window. 

                

Tobie is seen above, relaxing with his new Mordecai Richler novel. Yes the furniture is practically plastic, we are trying to roll with it. View from the living room window, also pretty okay.

Our wee Irish kitchen.

Balcony off the kitchen.

In the shot above you can see a little strip of the great trail that runs along side the river. The break in the trees gives a glimpse of the little fishing huts as well, one yard contains a rooster which makes me laugh every time it crows (as an aside, when a crow makes noise is it called 'roostering'?)

Oh right, the dining area. 

I think that everyone has had about enough photos of the apartment now.

And finally, across the river is the another one of the residences. So, that is pretty much a complete tour of the place. Despite the drawbacks of residence living I think we've done quite well. Also, Tobie and I are smart enough to recognize the fact that this is probably the last time in our lives that we'll be able to wake up together, have lunch together, eat dinner together and spend the evening together. Okay maybe not the last time but it probably won't happen again until we are 65.