Just paid the TV licence there. For what, I don't know! And the next thing is that broadcast charge that's on the cards, where essentially you'll have to pay for television even if you live in a cave with no electricity. Genius!
Paid another few bills too, all always on the increase.
Meanwhile, I'm seeing people spending huge amounts of money on complete crap in the shops. Thronged. Lots of credit cards being used, then out to the packed carparks full of, what I suspect are, many pcp funded new cars.
Then I met up with a friend, and conversation turns to consumerism and all that. She tells me that last year she got in contact with social welfare because for the 12th or 13th time she got random social welfare cards coming in the post, most were "foreign" names and pictures. Talking to some guy in social welfare, he says there are 12/13 "active claims" against her address. But she lives on her own!
Then theres the stories you hear the odd time of homes being rented on the sly to 10 and 20 people on the sly, crazy conditions, all cash in hand.
Just mulling over these things in general I find myself asking what's the point in playing things straight and normal? Is Ireland becoming, or already is, a nation brimming over with chancers and pretenders?
It really does feel like there are two realities here. The one where we all pretend that things are roses and brilliant, and the other where everyone is scamming everyone until the cows come home! Of course, only one of these is presented publicly.
Naturally there is always an element of putting on a "better" face for an unknown audience. But has this phenomenon grown to monstrous levels? Are we all in a gigantic pantomime?
This is rant territory, but does anyone else feel like they're living in the bloody matrix?

All these seemingly separate things are indeed related, after all.
Ireland is gas, I'm telling ye! Happy Christmas