Thursday 19 Nov 2010: Pacino's Restaurant, a Purse Swiper and Fire Safety

I met Juliette for a quick lunch yesterday before class.  We decided to go to Pacino's as it is both nearby and student-budget friendly.  It was quite tasty, and they even offer a student discount.  Service was very nice, also received food quite fast. Had the Feta Cheese Wrap, which had sun-dried tomatoes, olives, feta, mozzarella, pesto. Could have made 2 meals out of this, it was like 2 large quesadilla triangles. (not sure how this is a "wrap" but it was yummy nonetheless.)

Our server was kind enough to walk over to us and advise, "mind your bags" when a local unsavory fellow entered the restaurant.  Apparently he is known for walking in and stealing womens' handbags.  Crazy.  He soon left, thankfully.  I know this is a city centre and I know things like this happen, but I guess sometimes I don't get the feeling here in Dublin as I do in other cities.  I'd like to think that I'm street-smart with general safety issues, but I should probably be more cognizant of things like this just to be safe. 

We then quickly popped into Avoca for a bit of window shopping in an effort to avoid the rain, then headed to class.  I sometimes don't know how much more I can take of this PIL class.  The material is interesting, but the lecturer just doesn't present it in a way that makes it interesting - I am learning more from the book he recommended than I am from him.  Actually, in reading the book, I think he's getting nearly all of his info from this book.  So if the book can present it in a logical order, and he's using this book as well, why can't he present it to us just as well?  A lot of my classmates aren't thrilled with this lecture.  It's too bad, as it has potential to be a great class.

After class we went to The Lombard across from campus for a glass of wine before Juliette headed home on the Dart and I headed off to a mandatory fire safety meeting. 

The fire safety meeting is mandatory for all campus residents - there is a fine if you do not attend one of the meetings.  I was expecting to be bored to tears, but they made it amusing and informative.  There was a large fire on campus a few years back, but I forget what caused it.  It surprised me to hear stories, see pictures and videos of how careless some students can be:  leaving a burning cigarette on a sofa; leaving a space heater next to a curtain or bedcover; leaving a greasy fry pan on a hot stove. 

After the videos and power points, we were shown how to use water extinguishers, powder extinguishers, fire blankets, etc.  We were also advised of fire drills coming up soon.  There will be fire drills in every building on campus, including lecture halls.  I've already heard the alarms going off in buildings near my dorm, but I think those are actual alarms from people burning toast rather than a fire drill!