Since I've returned to Cork, ten days ago, my daily routine has been altered. There is little time to node. Now its after two in the morning but I feel I should drop something of mine into the nodegel.

I miss my girlfriend. She is in London, no doubt asleep and dreaming of modern art and squid. I miss the warm feel of her next to me. The anticipation while I wait for her to join me in bed as I hear the tumult of water in the shower cleanse her.

She was, I think, bemused by the unabashed Irishness of my parents. She stuggled to comprehend the rapid-fire dialect of Cork. The modest size of the city left her bored after a few days, though she was impressed by the Cafes and pubs.

She enjoyed using the swimming pool and gym facilities in Jury's Hotel. There was a jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. In the bubbling jacuzzi we were joined by two Rubenesque young women. Air filled my loose swimming trunks so that they assumed obscene proportions.

On the final night of her visit, we did a pub crawl of sorts in Ballincollig. We started in the 'Darby', stopped off at 'Central Station' and finished the evening in the 'Oriel'. The rollicking Irish traditional music in the second pub, designed for thigh slapping and whoops of excitement, left my reserved gf rather amused.

I'm hoping that my thesis progresses apace over the next few months. Things have not been going well over the last year or so. Still, I hope to salvage something from the work I have done. To that end, I better sign off here and catch some kip.