Some more changes

As usual, it's been a while since I did a blog post. I know I keep saying I'll do them more often, but stuff happens.

So, the work subject. After the short trial thing I had at McDonald's, they let me go. So I'm currently unemployed. Again. So I started handing out CVs.

I gave one in to a cinema down the road, and left. And the security guard dude came running out after us (Tracey was with me) and asked if I considered a job in security. I did once, but I didn't get the job for reasons I'll explain in a minute. I told him I applied for a security job before but didn't get it. He then told me I could do a security course and if I passed, he could get me a job in security, and gave me some details about it.

So I did the security course. It took up a few days over a couple of weeks and cost me €250. I passed. I actually got a much higher mark than I thought I'd get. Anyway, long story short, I'm now a qualified, soon to be licensed security guard. Minimum pay for it is €10.75 an hour. McDonald's was €9.20. I didn't know that the security guards at McDonald's were making more than us, more than the managers I think.

I already have 2 jobs lined up. One is fairly close in Swords, the other is across the city in a place I can't remember the name of. Well them are the places I'd be trained in anyway, they'd put me in a store or something in a different place.

So yeah, that's good. I just have to wait to get my license to work for the close place, but the across-the-city one got in contact with the governing body of security, the PSA and asked them to make an exception for me, with a letter that lets me work for 90 days without a physical license, but only with that company. But my license shouldn't be too long anyway. I'm hoping to work with the close one of course.

That's enough work talk for now. I've got a new phone. Well, newish. I've had it for a few weeks and it's been around since last year, but you know what I mean. It was really cheap as well, because it's actually a Chinese phone. It's called a Timmy M9. It has good performance for it's price. It was €45 I think, and has 1GB of RAM, a 1.3GHZ quad core processor and an 8 megapixel, 1080p camera. Not bad for €45! It's a surprisingly good phone. It even comes pre-rooted, so that's saved me the job.
Of course a new phone is going to be one of the first things I buy when I'm working, after a computer, a phone for Tracey, a PS3 for Tracey and a PS4 for me. And I'm sure I'll be getting baby Daniel lots of toys and stuff. The spoilt git.

Anyway that's enough for now. I'm trying to get the baby to sleep. Toodles

Lots of News

I hath returned, my fellow heathens. As you can imagine, looking after a lil bub takes up quite a bit of time. That's what I've been doing a lot of these past 6 (well, 7) months. So I'll update you on how baby Daniel is doing.

He's still a big, hairy baby. He used to have hair on his legs, but that's gone now. Now he just has hair on his back and at the top of his bum. It's quite cute and funny. He has the power in his legs to stand up. He just can't balance. But then he's not supposed to at 7 months. He also still has lots of hair on his head. In fact he's scheduled for a haircut on Saturday.

He can kind of crawl. Just not in the direction he wants. Actually, the exact opposite direction. He goes backwards. He can turn fine. He can roll over fine. He just cant go forwards. He's also strong. He can lift himself onto all fours nicely. Even make an arch sometimes.

As for sleeping, he'll generally sleep the whole night, although the past couple of weeks he's been waking up a couple of times, just crying for what seems like no reason. I usually just change his nappy, feed him, and he goes back to sleep. He often moves around in his cot as well. We've found him with his head where his feet should be.

Overall though, he's a very easy to handle, quiet, fun baby. He is also super cute, has a super cute smile and laugh, and loves eevryone. Although the cats don't love him as much. He likes to pull on their tails. Spock nearly scratches him because of it. Spock, for no reason at all, bit his head once. I think it was because he wanted to eat his hair.

Thats enough about the baby. I have some other news. On 10th August, I officially start a job! It's at McDonald's. May not be too glam, but right now, I'd scrub crap off a floor with a toothbrush if i got paid.  I have an "orientation" tomorrow. I don't know what that is. Presumably I get a tour of the restaurant, get told about health and safety stuff, stuff like that. It's full time, and is only a short bus ride towards town.

It looks like i'll be working with someone i know as well. Tracey's niece, Megan. Brill. She's talkative and loud and gossipy. But she's nice. And single! And a lesbian. So if you're a young lesbian in Dublin, she's your girl. She's also the one that helped me get the job, so thanks Megan!

Also, for Father's Day, Tracey got me a HOTAS (hands on throttle and stick) joystick, I've been after one for a while, mainly for the open source game, Oolite, which is a modern remake of the legendary 80's game, Elite. There was also a sale on Steam recently, naturally i bought Elite:Dangerous, another game i can use the joystick with. I've also been raiding computer game shops for flight sims, like Flight Simulator X.

Anyway, that's all for now. I'm goingto bed early because I have to be up early for the orientation thing tomorrow. I'll be in bed watching Enterprise with Tracey for a bit. So see you net time. I'll try not to leave it months next time.

The New Baby

28th December 2015. After a total of about 44 hours of labour, my girlfriend gave birth to my son, whom we named Daniel Louie Collins. He weighed 8lbs 15oz.

At first, the contractions were infrequent and weak, and when we went into hospital early on 27th December, we were told to go back home and wait until the contractions are 5 minutes apart. So we did.

The next day, it wasn't much closer, but we was due to go in for an induction anyway, so that's when we went in. Her waters didn't break, so they broke them with a hook thing. She eventually had to go on a drug to make her get proper contractions.

Eventually, they tried to make her give birth, but after an hour or so of pushing, he wouldn't come out. He wasn't even far down enough to come out. so they took her in to try and get him out with forceps, although they knew he wouldn't come out with them. Which he didn't. So they had to do an emergency caesarean. I was with her for most of the caesarean but they wouldn't let me in during the forceps.

At 21.18, baby Daniel was born. But he'd swallowed some poo in the womb and he had trouble breathing, so they kept an eye on him for a while, and Tracey as taken into recovery, and he was put into neonatal intensive care (NICU). Tracey also managed to get a fever and wasn't able to see him until the next day, and couldn't come home for a couple of days. Then it went. then came back again.

Fortunately i got to see him later that first night, in his little incubator thing (which was actually called giraffe incubators or something. Giraffes everyfreakingwhere). And the next day i got to feed him. Unfortunately, because he had to be separated from us, and bottle fed, he's got used to it and he refuses to be breastfed, which is what we wanted. Now he's stuck on bottles.

Anyway, he's fine now. Tracey is ok but is still a bit sore from the c-section. When i'm on the laptop (i'm on the tablet now), i'll try and put some pictures up. There's loads on my Facebook anyway, so go have a look if you have me on there