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2008-11-07T00:07:00.001Z

Stand still...

2008-10-09T00:05:00.002+01:00

Wow...so...over a year later and I remember that I've an online blog. Has my life really been that empty that I had nothing to blog about? No, don't answer that!

Well, I'm still alive. That's something.

Couple of new fantastic albums out this year from Nightwish, Tarja, Slipknot and Metallica...

I saw Nightwish live in concert...they were utterly superb.

2008 trips included Cracow (Poland), Malta, and Madrid (Spain). All very beautiful. Slovenia last year was stunning. Venice (Italy) was beautiful ...but...meh....

Movies: Plenty to keep me entertained. Iron Man, The Dark Knight, Kung Fu Panda, Wanted, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Taken - all brilliant in their own way. Oh and the back catalogue of Tak Sakaguchi - Versus, Shinobi, Death Trance etc - all great fun. It's a pity a lot of foreign language movies aren't released over here. I'm still waiting for Korean movie Blood Rain to be released on R2 dvd but no such luck - that movie was excellant.

I got my learner's permit (yay) so now I can learn how to drive.

My braces have been on for 22 whole months...I think the novelty has worn off. Plus, my teeth look pretty straight so hopefully I'll be getting them off soon.

Life...is on-going. I'll let you know how that pans out!

2007

2007-04-02T23:34:00.000+01:00

300 is a superb movie...Curse of the Golden Flower is stunning...The Illusionist is good fun...Sunshine is fantastic.

Braces are not fun...in fact, they're bloody painful...

My flight to Slovenia is booked.

Christmas was great...

Paddy's Weekend was fun...

Easter is now almost here...

Life is busy...

The Heart of Everything by Within Temptation is superb...

Year Zero by NIN is almost here!!!

Tis the season to be jolly...

2006-12-17T17:56:00.000Z

...but I'm not sure why!

My pockets are empty, shopping for presents is stressful, and my waist is getting bigger.

But...I can't complain (or did I?)...

It's been great catching up with friends, not having to cook for a change, and having complete permission to shop til I drop.

I'm looking forward to my 2 week break - it'll be great catching up with family and friends at home.

Btw..TooL were superb in concert...utterly superb! And if you get a chance to see Pan's Labyrinth, then do...wow!!! Amazing movie!

And...I finally got my braces on...only 22 more months to go...I feel like a teenager again!

I just put the xmas decorations up...later than usual but at least they're there.

Less than 6 weeks til Christmas...

2006-11-14T13:33:00.000Z

...And oh! it has been a long time since I last posted...

Updates

* Year 2 of my contract began
* We finally got NTL Digital
* The Frames were fantastic in concert
* Maximo Park were superb in concert
* Lacuna Coil in concert were out of this world - superbly excellent!!!
* Vienna was stunning - I took 685 photos but I managed to edit it down to 235.
* Muse were superb in concert
* Borat (the movie) is highly over-rated.
* Marie Antoinette (the movie) is fluffy and sumptuous.

Next week is the TooL concert...
2 weeks later I have 2 Christmas dinners...
2 weeks after that is another Christmas dinner and then Christmas hols! Yay.

Work is busy but fascinating, as always!

And shock! horror! Brit and Kev have split!!! And so have Reese and Ryan...oh no...all my celebrity icons' marriages are failing..what to do? Why do the public even care? Who cares if Madonna adopts fifty million babies? So what if Tom and Katie are getting married in Italy? Do we know these people? NO!!! The obsession with celebrity is really annoying.

And can I just add that conversations in the cinema are still NOT acceptable. I had two girls twittering beside me at Marie Antoinette and I had to tell them TWICE to stop talking. If you want to talk, go to a cafe!!!

And I'm NEVER getting my digital photos printed in Boots in the Jervis St centre ever again. It is hot, stuffy, slow, and the staff are so rude!

Ok...enough ranting..I'm off! Toodles.

2 months later...

2006-09-08T13:56:00.000+01:00

I'm just going to hang my head in shame...

2 whole months and not a dickie bird...nada...rien!

And actually I can't remember much of what I did...haha...oh well.

Updates:

I'm addicted to pistachio nuts.

I had to get a new phone because my Sony Ericsson K700i died. I now have a Samsung S500i - not as super-cool, but has me enthralled, nonetheless.

I went to the Festival of World Cultures in Dun Laoghaire and it was superb. Caught Kissmet, Enzo Avitabile & Bottari, Shara (Oleg - yum!), and Transglobal Underground feat. the Trio Bulgarka - all amazing. I got the cds of Kissmet, Enzo and TGU...Enzo's album is stunning and highly addictive!

I also got a quillow there too - a pillow/quilt hybrid, where the quilt folds up into itself to become a pillow. Very cool. Mine is blue with 2 dolphins.

I finally got The Young Riders Series 1 on dvd...I had forgotten how amazing that show was. Wow. I hope they release Series 2 and 3 sometime soon. Meanwhile I'm waiting for SeaQuest DSV Series 1 to be delivered, along with Space: Above and Beyond, and Pinky and the Brain Vol 1. Stocking up for the winter! hehe

Work has been a series of breakages for a while now...PCs, Macs, Scanners, databases...I got very stressed out for a while there.

Home is good...Mom is back at work after her 14 month sick leave. It's tough on her being back, but it'll take a while.

And I'm going to Vienna on the 29th of October for 5 days...yay!

Heading home this evening to catch up with family and friends...

...and I've become addicted to myspace.com, even moreso than Bebo...aaaagh!

The lesson here today, kiddies, is that addictions are bad!!!

Adios!

Zombified...

2006-07-08T16:07:00.000+01:00

I've just had the bones of 15 hours sleep so I'm very zombified...

Updates: I had lunch with colleague Nuala on Tuesday - it was lovely to catch up after 2 months.

On wednesday I went out to visit Liliana and baby Emrys in the afternoon and had a lovely time. Em has gotten so big!!!

The rest of the week was spent stressing about friday, which was a busy day. In the morning two accounts managers from our hardware service company came in, playing good cop, bad cop! Then in the afternoon, the 5 of us had to give our presentations. I was so nervous, and read most of mine, but at least it's over and done with. After that, I met another colleague and we headed into my previous work place for a retirement presentation for Mary Grace. It was fantastic - good crowd, lovely speeches, and a great atmosphere. It was brilliant to catch up with everyone, who I hadn't seen since Christmas. After that, I went for a quick bite to eat with another friend, and then home to start winding down. It was so nice to just chill out. And believe or not, I went to bed at midnight, which for me is early.

Tonight is the deftones concert - I'm just going back over my albums right now. I had forgotten how excellent the album 'adrenaline' is. I can't wait! Doors open at 7pm so I suppose I'd better get a move on and start getting ready..haha! I can't exactly go in my pyjamas!

Update!

2006-06-25T23:44:00.000+01:00

Yeah..I've been a bit busy...

First, Happy Birthday to Oliver who is now officially an old man! hehe

Secondly, Budapest was...amazing!!!

Thirdly, Alton Towers was just superb fun. Nemesis and Oblivion are still my favourite rides, but add to that Rita, Runaway Mine Train, that pinball one and a few others. Much fun was had by all. The only downer was that my iRiver H10 got destroyed by chlorinated water so...

...I bought a Creative Zen Sleek Photo 20GB mp3 player...ooh arrrh! Retailing at 299 euros, I got it for 155 euros. Nice! And the sound is amazing! Bulkier than the H10, but forgiveable given the storage capacity on it.

Saw The Da Vinci Code - not impressed...could have done with more tension. Saw an ad for Casino Royale...eh...a blonde 007? hmmm. Ad for Pirates of the Caribbean 2 looks amazing. The Wind that Shakes the Barley also looks good.

Agus sin é!

Slán!

Sorry...

2006-05-23T12:22:00.000+01:00

I've been neglecting my blog once again...not that anyone reads it, but just for the sake of consistancy...Mission: Impossible III was good...slow to start but then it kicked off. The weather is awful...horrid rain on sunday, miserable yesterday, cold but sunny/cloudy today...hopefully it'll get better soon.

Less than 3 weeks til Budapest...oh yes!!! Followed by 2 days in England visiting Alton Towers Theme Park...yay!!!

Birthday blues...

2006-05-09T00:31:00.000+01:00

After an excellent weekend - a play about 1916 Rising staged IN Kilmainham Gaol, and a night of chat and movies with some of my college friends - the cold, stark reality has hit home...I'm another year older and my birthday is over til next year. Oh well. On I go...

Post-Edinburgh Blues

2006-04-24T11:49:00.000+01:00

Three and a half days of bonny, bonny Scotland...and already I miss it. Fantastic break, albeit a little short.

Edinburgh city is gorgeous. It's easy to walk and navigate, and the castle is gorgeous! Holyrood Palace and park are gorgeous too. We didn't walk up Arthur's seat...time constraints were the cause, and not the fact that's bloody huge!

We also took a jaunt up to the trossachs in the highlands...Loch Lomond to be exact about the location, with a stop at Stirling Castle. Fantastic day-trip...all done with Rabbie's tours. Highly recommended...especially the part where the serious Germanic type walked out onto some rocks to pose for a photo and ended up IN the loch!!! Hilarious! So too was our guide, Peter, who made the tour alot of fun.

Other 'tours' included the tour down to Mary King's Close ... the underground remains of old tennement houses...and a brush with the MacKenzie poltergeist on the 'City of the Dead' tour. Both were a lot of fun!

613 photos later...and I'm still sorting through them...it's such a photogenic country!

My only complaint was the hostel - St Christopher's Inn...it was in a fantastic location on Market St, right beside Waverly Bridge, and the staff were great...but our twin room was tiny with bunk beds shoved in, it was right next to the boiler room which was very loud, and 2 out of the 3 nights the fire alarm went off in the middle of the night. Not good! And it was expensive but...location, location, location!

All in all, an excellent trip with lots of happy memories!

And now it's back to reality.

The Downward Spiral

2006-03-28T13:52:00.000+01:00

I've decided to shut myself in a dark room and listen to NIN constantly...oh wait, that's called work! Yeah...maybe it's the lack of daylight...or maybe it's just lots of random shit just piling up...one after the other...til there's no room left to breathe...

So far this year I've learned that holidays are not as much fun to organise, friends often expect more of you than what they're prepared to give, and family are never what they seem on the surface. Everyone has an agenda...and yes, I realise just how paranoid that sounds, but it's true...how well can you ever really know a person, even those you're related to? And why do people put you in a box and label you, and then get upset when they discover that that's not who you are? And why do some people have this idealistic idea of who they are that totally contravenes how others see them, as a result of their actions?

People are complicated...

And I really, really need a break...I'm so utterly tired - physically and emotionally.

Drizzle

2006-03-24T15:09:00.000Z

That Friday feeling...

The rain has returned...sounds as if the next 5 days will be more of the same...oh well.

LIR Conference last week went grand. This week, work-wise, has been handy enough.

The Body, Mind, Spirit Exhibition last saturday was...different. Wow...it costs between 35 and 100 euros to get your fortune told, depending on the methods! Afterwards Deirdre, Breffni and I went into town and had dinner at Yamamori Restaurant - I love their food, although Ebi Furai is no longer on the menu! I'm devastated!!!

I'm currently in that 'missing' zone...discontent, almost melancholic..tired, restless, anxious. I just don't know what's going on!

M.I.A.

Light Snow Showers

2006-03-16T15:25:00.000Z

...that's what my weather widget says...2 degrees celcius outside...too bloody right it is...

It's just one of those days...health is not good, more problems with friends, my main software application decided today that it didn't like my main hardware peripheral...

Today should have been a duvet day...a day where I stayed at home under my duvet.

The whole world can go to hell in a handbag for all I care...why have I to solve everyone else's problems?

Dashboard

2006-03-07T10:57:00.000Z

This is a test post...I've added Blogger to my Dashboard and I want to see how easy this is...

Have I ever mentioned how much I like Macs?

According to my weather widget, it's 8 degrees celsius today in Dublin...it is a wet day though, and whilst I'm glad it's not freezing anymore, the rain depresses me. Oh well. I don't think Irish people are ever happy with the weather.

Watched Boy Eats Girl last night...interesting. Seriously dodgey but fun too. Kind of like a student film, with a budget.

Our landlord is being a pain in the ass at the moment...he keeps filling up our bin with junk from the garage, and then sends texts to the boys (but not to me and Carrie-Ann), telling them to put out the bin. We are the ones paying for the bin, by amount of times collected AND by weight, and yet he's filling it up. I rang him last night and brought this to his attention - he said he's deduct it from the bin charges at the end of the year. What annoys me is that he gets tax relief on bin collection for our house, even though WE are the ones paying the bill (on top of our rent, I might add). I hate rented accommodation! There's always something.

Speaking of which, the new cleaning rota just went up...let's see if it's adhered to...

Yeah...I'm ranting today...

Tis Friday...

2006-02-24T19:03:00.000Z

Wow...I just turned off the LTO drive and the silence is deafening!!!

Well...let's see. Since the 6th of February, when I booked the Edinburgh accommodation for the April and launched the work website, I have booked our accommodation in Budapest, seen 3 birthdays (not mine) whizz by, set up an account with Eircom, visited the shop in the Chester Beatty Library, seen Memoirs of a Geisha, visited the Powerscourt Gardens in Enniskerry, had lively debates regarding holidays on email, saw Casanova in the new Dundrum cinema complex, and bought 3 canvases which, when together, depict the floating torii of Itsukushima-jinja Shrine on Miyajima Island, Honshu, Japan.

Info here

Tomorrow I'm getting my shopping delivered for the first time (www.tesco.ie), and meeting Dee, Lisa and Donal for more movies. Sunday will also be spent at the movies - this time the Jameson Dublin Film Festival - more anon.

Life is busy, busy, busy.

Hilf Mir

2006-02-06T22:03:00.000Z

Is there such thing as February blues?

I'm listening to Rammstein right now...I just keep forgetting how utterly brilliant they are.

Saw The New World - eh ok. Very...arty. Excessively slow. Could have done with better editing...or even any editing...as opposed to the lack of that was done on the film. I've never seen so many people walk out of a cinema...seriously. However, all the acting was solid, and granted, the scenery was amazing.

Budapest flights are booked...away, away we go.

Finished working on the work info site...for now! Yay.

Ok, retreating to mo leaba. Tired...of everything...

2006 Janvier

2006-01-19T15:40:00.000Z

Well, after a very relaxing 2 weeks off, and a bad cold, I'm settling back into work and the new year. 2005 went by incredibly quickly, and a lot of bad things happened. Let's hope 2006 is a better year!

Already this week we're gearing up for Val's departure from the house to her apartment. We interviewed two people last night, more *hopefully* tonight and tomorrow! Val moves out the end of this month.

And April sees me flying over to Edinburgh, Scotland, for a few days. I can't wait to see the city.

New favourite band : Within Temptation, from The Netherlands. Very ... ethereal, and rock, and symphonic...

Saw Jarhead last week ... very funny. Well done and very well acted too!

And that's it for now...

Christmas Eve Eve...

2005-12-23T16:13:00.000Z

Quick update!

I'm at home in my parents' house, finally on my Christmas Hols. I love this time of year - not the whole religious festival, but the 2 weeks off, which aren't taken as part of our annual leave. 2 weeks...heaven!!!

King Kong was good...albeit flawed. And long.

Oliver and Olive are engaged!!!!! Congratulations.

Santa is delivering pressies tomorrow night...woohoo...

The Pie Dish in the Stephen's Green Hotel does a fantastic set menu.
Cactus Jacks made two mistakes with my order but the food was outstanding and portions very generous, with excellent (apologetic) staff.
Zaytoons was gorgeous, as usual!

The Duke, TP Smith and Longs were all good venues for social drinks!

So much socialising done in so little time!!! hehe. 'Tis Christmas, alright!

Christmas is coming...

2005-12-05T18:15:00.000Z

Can you believe that it is December? Holy cow! Madness. And the weather is crazy...going from snow, really cold, but dry to mild and really wet. Understandably people are getting very, very sick. And I am one of the victims...headcold/sinus problems...getting better but just very congested. Not good.

3 weeks to Christmas and I have started my shopping...next weekend is going to be manic. Not sure I want to go into town, but I still have much to do. Although...the wrapping paper and cards are under control! Sorted. That eases the burden, somewhat. Now all I need is 'stuff' to go in the wrapping paper. :)

No other news really...this month is going to be a little crazy.

A long time ago, in a land far away...

2005-11-19T23:25:00.000Z

Yea...it's been a while.

Well, I was in Madrid from the 5th of November til the 12th. Gorgeous, gorgeous city. I was so lucky with the sunny weather. It started off warm, then mild, then it got progressively colder. And it rained 2 or 3 nights, but it was back sunny the following morning. Isa and Javi were fantastic hosts, and their apartment is gorgeous! And so central in the city. Spanish food is divine...tapas are such a social way of having food.

Birthday wishes to Deirdre, Lisa and Derbhile. Gosh, November is a busy month for birthdays. Isabel's birthday is next week.

The Brothers' Grimm is rubbish...so very disappointing.

Battle in Heaven is...interesting. And depressing. And understandably controversial.

New music : The Gathering. I'm really enjoying their album 'Mandylion'. Check them out!!!

And the big news : Dave and Jen are in LONDON!!! Woohoo!!! Hope you two are having such a good time. Such a pity I can't pop over to see ye. Next time!!! I'm still wrecked after Madrid.

And you should see the state of my room...it really needs tidying! hehe

Madrid...

2005-11-05T00:45:00.000Z

Hola!

It's 12.45am and I'm still not completely packed for Madrid, which I leave for in 14 hours time...oh well. Getting there, slowly but surely. Ironing done. Almost ready.

Update: Breffni can't go to Madrid...she's still not better after a very bad dose of Shingles and I really hope she feels beter soon. I really hoped she'd be fine in time for the trip, but fate has a funny way of stepping in. After an agonising decision, she had to pull out and I really don't envy her that decision. It's an incredibly tough one to make.

So away I go to Madrid on my own...a little orphan...luckily Isabel will meet me in the airport...if any weirdos sit next to me on the plane, 'there'll be wigs on the green'! And Breffni is dead meat when I return, hehe!

Watching this space, amigos!

Adios

And the hour moves...

2005-10-30T01:01:00.000Z

Back to GMT...woohoo

The weather has been atrocious...bad winds and extremely heavy rain. Got soaked last sunday walking from the IFI to my bus on D'Olier St, and again today walking from town to my parents house. I hate getting soaked!!!

Anyhoo...

Saw Nightwatch last sunday - excellent, if not a bit flawed. I hope they make the second and third parts of the trilogy.

Saw Tim Burton's Corpse Bride - excellent! 'Nuff said.

Saw Serenity - this was actually a lot of fun. Seriously. Very witty dialogue, lots of quips, very good FX, great chemistry between the cast, excellent fight scenes...I could go on...but I won't.

Got Rammstein's new album, "Rosenrot" - TOP CLASS!!! EXCELLENT! BRILLIANT!!! I LOVE this band so much. Just...simply...awesome. Funny too ('Te Quiero Puta' with its Mexican theme).

Next saturday sees me flying off to Madrid...I can't wait!!! I'm also so not ready - I don't even have a suitcase!!! Oh well. I'll be getting on the plane with many, many plastic bags - hehe.

Happy Hallowe'en!!!

2005-10-12T17:45:00.000+01:00

Happy Birthday to old man, Dave!!! :)

Lack of updates...I know, I'm terrible.

Let's see...got my laptop...love it...alot.

Problems with repayments and the direct debit...bank acting weird...

Saw 'A History of Violence' ... quite good...very graphic violence...

Finally got the three Mercan Dede albums from Amazon...the lovely postman simply wedged them into the side of the porch...luckily I spotted them before it rained or the foxes ran off with them!

Got my glasses adjusted...again. Paid the balance. Oh and apparently my left ear is higher than my right ear. Always good to know. Funny how this hasn't been obvious up til now...hmmm...

Oh and last monday I almost got knocked down at pedestrian lights coz some asshole forgot to stop and had to break at the last minute...overshooting the white line and stopping far beyond where I would have been standing if I had gotten that far...ie, I'd have been under the car. Just shows you he had to have been speeding because he stopped feet beyond where he had breaked. Now that freaked me out.

Saw the movie 'Four Brothers'... entertaining.

Today has been a nightmare...I'm off home to recouperate!

I'm still in work...

2005-09-26T19:31:00.000+01:00

...even though I finished 2 hours ago. I need to stop doing that!

Laptop supposed to be arriving tomorrow...we'll see...

New job going great. One week down already - this year is going to fly!!!

Walking to work is working out really well...haven't really been walking home yet as there's always somewhere to go after work and I end up getting the bus.

Saw the new version of Pride and Prejudice on saturday - very stylish and Keira Knightley wasn't as annoying as she usually is. Apparently, the guy who played Mr D'arcy is no Colin Firth, but as I haven't seen the BBC adaptation of this novel, I can't comment. Watch this space.

Mom is now in a navy cast.

And I must go and get some groceries before the shops shut. I guess I won't be walking home tonight either.

Thumbs up to Jen, Dave, Smurf and Tyler for weathering Rita...hope the apartment is in one piece when ye get back to Houston!

Last wednesday in ET...

2005-09-14T18:42:00.000+01:00

Well...update...right...

Erm...problems with the Inspiron 9300 order...updates forth-coming. Can't wait to get it but there's been a lot of hassle and Dell's customer service is CRAP...

Lena, my 86 yr old relative died yesterday...

My house-mate saw a ghost in her room on sunday morning...

My colleagues brought me out for a farewell dinner in Botticelli's Italian restaurant, Temple Bar - lovely food and great company - brilliant evening.

And I set up at moblog...with pics from my mobile phone. It can be found HERE.

Mom got a bright pink cast last week but this week she's back in a white cast.

I'm sure there's other news...but my brain is not woring...

2 more days of work here and then the chapter of the last 5 years of my life is closed...for now.

Monday night...

2005-09-05T19:22:00.000+01:00

...and here I am, still sitting in work...playing! Just bought 2 Mercan Dede albums (cannot wait!!!!!!!!!!!) and a Dell Inspiron 9300 Notebook.

That's it - no more spending for decades!!!

Updating my playlists for the iRiver H10 too...let's see if this can be done successfully, after the fiasco of the last 2 times. Seriously, iRiver had better sort out their software - it's driving me nuts!

Less than two weeks til I start the new job. The usual anxiety creeps in and yet...I bloody well can't wait!!!

I went to the Festival of Scince in Trinity College this morning - unlocking the secrets of the manuscripts - using laser technology in preservation. 4 talks - 3 hours - no air-conditioning - baked alive! Crepes in Lemon afterwards made up for the trauma! :)

Saw The Dukes of Hazzard - fluffy fun.

Run to the hills...

2005-09-01T10:30:00.000+01:00

After exhausting myself doing the Seven list, I had barely enough energy to enjoy to Marilyn Manson / Iron Maiden concert last night. I missed the opening act, and got there before 7pm in time to catch Manson. He had very little interaction with the crowd, other than getting them to sing along. The music sounds awesome but the vocals were a bit disappointing. The biggest responses were for the 3 cover versions that did so well - Sweet Dreams, Tainted Love and Personal Jesus. Costumes of the band were audacious, and Mr Manson's hand frequently found its way to his shorts (under his long skirt).Very enjoyable and yet lacking something...and not nearly as outrageous as one would expect.

Manson played for over an hour and then Maiden came on just before 9pm. Great reception at the start, major technical hitch with the bass guitar that took about 5 minutes to fix (Bruce kept us entertained with parlour tricks), and a roaring set til 10.30pm (curfew - that must be new coz it used to be 11pm). They crowd got louder in their responses towards the end. Bruce Dickinson's voice is utterly amazing live! And yet...it wasn't as much fun as Metallica's last two concerts.

Well, yesterday I had meetings and loads of crap so maybe I was just too tired to appreciate the musical wonder of both Manson and Maiden properly.

Seven Things...

2005-08-31T14:43:00.000+01:00

Ok Oliver...I did it...see...

And they're in no particular order...

Seven Things I Plan To Do Before I Die

1. Become a millionaire. I plan this every week. So far no luck. Maybe next week?

2. Build a house with a balcony, darkroom, library, zen room, water garden, preferably near the sea. Big windows. Sliding glass doors. Split level.

3. Travel to Egypt to see the Pyramids and Luxor(Karnak), then go to Jordan to see Petra, and finally on to Japan.

4. Swim with Dolphins - yeah I know that's corny - wait, learn to swim, then swim with Dolphins. Yeah

5. Live in Neuschwanstein Castle. I don't care if Bavaria owns it. I'll invade Germany, set Bavaria up as an independent state (I think they'd like that) and live in Schloss Neuschwanstein.

6. Learn German properly.

7. Learn to drive

Seven things I can do

1. Doss on the Internet for hours.

2. Photography.

3. Stay in contact with people across the planet.

4. Listen attentively.

5. Use my left hand to cut the nails on my right hand with a scissors, even though I'm right-handed.

6. Listen to music for hours and day-dream

7. Go to the cinema or concerts on my own and be perfectly fine with it!

Seven things I can not do

1. Drive

2. Sing

3. Stand in front of a crowd and speak

4. Put on a good pokerface.

5. Program Java properly.

6. Drink wheatgrass or wine.

7. Speak any language fluently - not even English!

Seven things that I find really attractive about the opposite sex

1. Intelligence

2. Sense of humour

3. Smile

4. Calm

5. Creativity

6. Smell

7. Confidence

Seven things I say the most

1. Actually...

2. Cool!

3. Hello?

4. No way!

5. Yay!

6. No, yeah! (Together...I don't know why I do it...)

7. For Fuck's Sake!

Seven books I love

1. Anything by Chuck Palahniuk, particularly Survivor.

2. Anything by Douglas Coupland, particularly Microserfs.

3. JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Ring

4. Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence

5. Lynne Truss' Eats, Shoots and Leaves

6. James Cochrane's Between You and I

7. Italo Calvino's if on a winter's night a traveller

Seven people I would like to see take this quiz
Not many of my friends have blogs so there is no point naming them...and since Oliver has done his, then Jen is the only person left, unless I get them to do it on MAL.

The weekend...

2005-08-29T16:38:00.000+01:00

It started on friday night with the Refurbishment/Recabling Party (don't ask) in Belfield. Good food and wine (or so I'm told), good band, plenty of people. I left around 10pm.

Then on saturday I was working in the morning with Ronan - it'll be my last saturday working for over a year - and then it was onto a bus and out to Dún Laoghaire for the Festival of World Cultures. I caught Different Drums of Ireland at 2pm, Heartbeat from Singapore at 4pm, and Ojos de Brujo from Spain at 5pm (til 7pm...they were on fire!!!)/

On sunday I barely caught the end of the Flamenco dancing demo on the Harbour Plazza, before grabbing a bite to eat, and then watching Fun'Da'Mental & the Mighty Zulu Nation at 5.30pm. They were mental and so much fun!!! Caught up with Mary and her gang, and then Frank, after the gig finished, before pottering down the 40 Foot bathing area to talk some pictures.

Then I wandered down to Purty Kitchen to catch Mercan Dede & Secret Tribe. They were out of this world. Dervish dancer in tow, East meet West in an exciting fusion of sounds. Breathtaking.

I now have to buy some of his albums!!!

12.30am Nitelink home and I'm wrecked!!! Home at 1am, bed at 2am, after spending all weekend on my feet!

The Devil's Rejects

2005-08-25T16:30:00.000+01:00

Senseless violence often annoys me in movies but this was such good fun. Very satisfying SPLAT scene...I won't ruin it for you...and some very funny dialogue. Not many people were laughing...I don't know what they were expecting from this movie. C'mon people...it's Rob Zombie!!! Oh and too many gratuitous shots of Zombie's wife's ass (she plays Baby in the movie, and in House of 1000 Corpses)

Citron

2005-08-24T16:33:00.000+01:00

Big farewell to Maeve who's absconding to Richview on monday - we treated her to dinner in the Citron Restaurant, Fitzwilliam Hotel. Gorgeous food, prompt staff, low lighting, good ambience and fantastic company. Great night out!

Imaging Expo

2005-08-23T16:28:00.000+01:00

Today I was frolicking around the Hilton Hotel, at a Typetec Expo, focusing on Apple, Adobe CS2, Wakon etc...

Very intense but enjoyable. Unfortunately I didn't win one of the iPod Shuffles or the Wakon tablet. Damnit!

Happy Birthday

2005-08-22T16:27:00.000+01:00

Happy Birthday John.

Shit day in work...should have taken the compassionate leave they offered.

The Burial...

2005-08-21T16:22:00.000+01:00

...I was fine until I saw my uncle break down. It pissed rain so I guess you could say the weather was in sympathy with the mood of the mourners (pathetic fallacy).

Got the 4pm bus to Dublin...very tough weekend.

The Land of the Dead...

2005-08-20T00:00:00.000+01:00

At around 12.15pm, my maternal Grandmother passed away yesterday. She had fallen into a coma and died peacefully. Funeral is tonight, with mass and burial tomorrow. I just hope all my relatives can behave in a civilised manner, and not kill each other. I'm not sure how I feel. I saw her last saturday for the first time in over 7 years.

xxx

In other news, I'm heading over to Madrid in November for a week. Breffni is going too, and we get a chance to catch up with Isa and Javi and see their new apartment. I can't wait. And flights only cost 83.43 euros, including all taxes! Awesome!!! And, it's with Aer Lingus, so it's a ticketless flight, and we can use the self-service machines to check-in. I love those! 4th holiday this year, and I had to ask permission of my new boss before the flights were booked - even though I haven't started working with my new boss yet. Strange how these things pan out.

The Land of the Living...

2005-08-17T13:16:00.000+01:00

Well, what a weekend.

My maternal grandmother is in hospital with pneumonia, diabetes, anaemia and leg ulcers and has almost died a few times over the past few days.

Lena is in a bad way too...she's refusing liquid, and her body functions are shutting down.

My mom is back in a cast in a bid to get her ankle back to the correct angle.

And parental units are supposed to be going on hols in less than 2 weeks time.

They're being pulled in all directions.

Had lunch with the girls on saturday, and it was good fun. Met Derv and Helena later for relaxing drinks too. Aud is an auntie for the second time. Good news.

Took the 4pm bus back on sunday with John, and it only took 2 and ¾ hours. Not bad. But, it cost 12 euros, one way. Damn!

Both my supervisors are off this week...yay. But loads to do anyways. Need to get the office sorted out and soon.

And I'm horrified by the two recent plane crashes. Today it has emerged that a 5 or 6 year old child survived the Cypriot crash, only to be burned alive by the brush fires. It's heart-breaking.

Tumbling down...

2005-08-11T15:14:00.000+01:00

This is going to come out all jumbled up and all over the place, but I've a few bits and pieces to divulge.

The Fantastic Four was a brainless but enjoyable flick. SFX were actually pretty decent.

All the stationery ordered have been delivered bar one item. Am pleased this got sorted because...

...I got the job as a digital assistant for the IVRLA Project and I begin on the 19th of September, so I'm running out of time here in ET. Need to get the office sorted out, statistics up to date, invoices are fine, posters need to be taken down off the wall, locker cleaned out...need to do something with the plants too.

Project is for a year initially, so I'll be back to my current job, unless I bugger off and get a real job. Yeah...two chances of that happening - slim, and none! I can't wait to start the project though - I feel like I've been given a new lease of life.

Anyways, this weekend is Tom's 21st birthday - I can't believe my baby brother is so old!!! We're having a family dinner on saturday night, then he can escape and hang out with his friends, who more than likely will get him utterly shit-faced! That's give me an opportunity to catch up with the girls, and hopefully it'll be all three of them, not just two.

In other news, my godfather is back in hospital, very, very ill and in pain, and I hope he gets better soon.

And last weekend Lena turned 86 years old. Bless. She's a fighter. The amount of times this past month that she was supposed to die, according to the nursing home, was unreal. Each time, she pulled through.

And I'm overhauling the website...

Other than all that, there's nothing too strange or exciting.

I am going insane...

2005-08-08T15:46:00.000+01:00

...just thought I'd throw that out there. Between waiting for news on my interview, and problems with stationery orders, and my bank account, I am truly and utterly going insane.

Bonkers.

Stark raving mad.

Not functioning as a normal human being.

Loopers.

Bumper Edition...

2005-08-03T18:27:00.000+01:00

...well, not really, but I have a few bits and pieces to relate.

1. Interview tomorrow, 4th August, 2005 at 11am GMT.

2. Saturday Work, 6th August

3. Tom's 21st Birthday Dinner, 13th August

4. Iron Maiden / Marilyn Manson, 31st August

5. Dylan Moran, 16th September

Saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - a lot of fun. Johnny Depp reminded me so much of Michael Jackson in his portrayal - the voice, pale skin, facial twitches. Definitely a lot darker, and very enjoyable.

War of the Worlds - eye candy. Too annoying to analyse it properly - Hollywood ending, blah blah! Great special effects, as you'd expect from Mr Spielberg, and the characters were well portrayed, but...I don't know...I won't watch it again! Neh!

I got an iRiver H10 5GB MP3 player. After an initial hitch, with the referencing in the database thanks to strange software, it's now my favourite toy of the moment! 539 songs later, and I'm busily flicking through genre after genre. Oh the fun. Now I need to find a journey that'll take me over 38 hours to complete. Hmm... it must be spring-time in Australia round about now!

Summer time...

2005-07-20T17:00:00.000+01:00

Today was the first time that I sat out in the Iveagh Gardens for lunch this summer. A nice gently breeze was stirring the leaves...and Breffni 'raced' down from Rathmines to join me. However, being in the sun did not invigorate me...instead it just made me more sleepy than I already was. There's something to be said about the continental 'siesta' ... I think us Irish should adopt it too.

Last night I went to see Mr & Mrs Smith - rubbish. Don't waste your money. It's a film with eye candy only - completely and utterly vacuous otherwise.

And - Lisa texted to say she and Donal were engaged! Major news!!! I'm in shock and yet, it's not that totally surprising. Excellent news! Engagement party is on friday night in Drumcondra - should be a good night.

O2 want me to upgrade again - eh, no! I'm really happy with the Sony Ericsson K700i. It does everything I want it too, and more besides. Ok, maybe if it had Tetris I'd be 100% happy...hmmm. Some of the new Nokias are really impressive, and yet I have this hanging loyalty to Ericsson - I love their menu systems and since hooking up with Sony, the phones have gotten very smart.

Back in the country again...

2005-07-18T13:56:00.000+01:00

Crete was lovely...the highlights - Samaria Gorge (14km hike) and the Minoan palace of Knossos. And the low points - 40ºC heat, the concert of Greek music that went on til 5.45am down in the valley but was so loud we could hear it perfectly, and Karaoke night. I only took about 391 photos, and they were mainly of Samaria (stunning!) and Knossos (such a delight!). Dee got bitten but I was very lucky. And I drank water - such an accomplishment for me! There was no Pepsi Max!

So weird trying to settle back into a routine...I think possibly that the two holidays were too close to each other. Dee is heading off to Prague on the 25th of July...so she'll have had 2 foreign holidays in the one month!

London blasts...

2005-07-07T15:59:00.000+01:00

33 officially dead, many more unconfirmed, hundreds wounded, many trapped underground. The city is in chaos and high alert. Just like 9/11 and Madrid, these attacks are atrocious, with innocent blood being spilled, all because of extremism. Despicable.

Flight is at 10.35pm.

Here I come...

2005-07-05T17:03:00.000+01:00

I'm going to Crete on Thursday night!!!!!!!! Just thought I'd share that little piece of information. yay yay yay yay yay yay yay yay.

4th of July

2005-07-04T14:30:00.000+01:00

There's a helicoptor circling low outside and the noise is driving me nuts!!!! Shhhhhhh. It's monday. Quiet. Too much to do. Busy busy busy.

Weekend was great. Went home, got my meals cooked for me. Oh such sweet comforts. Met my friends. Had a laugh on Saturday night with Audrey and Helena. Good craic.

Journey home took a while...didn't get to Clonmel til 9.30pm...having set off at 6.15pm - bus was late arriving. Journey back to Dublin was fine - got in around 8.30pm. I had a suitcase with me, and one girl was annoyed that I had it on the seat and stared at me for a while to move it, but there were plenty of other seats free and she eventually took one. It annoyed me in a way coz the girl across the bus from me had her back to the window and her feet on the seat. Now that's not fair.

Anyways...I'm back in Dublin...back in work...back to the same-old, same-old.

Looking for some last minute holiday deals but none so far. I think they come up around wednesday or thursday.

Holiday would be nice!

Thursday..or is it?

2005-06-30T16:50:00.000+01:00

I keep thinking today is friday - I hope I remember that I have work tomorrow. It was kind of a dead day, but it actually went by surprisingly quickly.

Got paid today...woohoo! Always a good thing. And with a slight increase too. Hmm...I feel a shopping trip coming on!!!

***********

Jen, I am so sorry to hear about Jake. Hope you're ok!

Calling all Google Earthlings...

2005-06-29T19:03:00.000+01:00

Google Earth Beta release is already having problems. Why? I presume because everyone is trying to download this freebie at the same time. I want it...NOW!!!

In other news, MAL is back. So pleased. Now that it is though, I find I've forgotten all my little rants. But don't worry...they will come back to me. Oh yes, they will.

Ahhh...Black Books tv series...
Review on IMDb

Meet Bernard Black. Bernard is an anti-social, heavy drinking chain-smoker who owns a small London bookshop - an unusual vocation, given that he detests customers and delights in physically and verbally abusing them at every opportunity. His best (and only) friend in the world is his lunch time drinking partner Fran, a neurotic and boyfriend-desperate woman who owns the pretentious arts and crafts shop next to his. Bernard is cynical, abrasive and lazy, and is perfectly happy that way - but his life takes an unexpected turn when he sells 'The Little Book of Calm' to hyper-stressed accountant Manny Bianco, who against all odds ends up swallowing it. When the dust is settled, Manny will have a new job, Fran will have a new friend, and Bernard's life will be far more surreal (if that's possible). Scott

Customer: Those books. How much?
Bernard: Hmmm?
Customer: Those books. The leather-bound ones.
Bernard: Yes, Dickens, the Collected Works of Charles Dickens.
Customer: Are they real leather?
Bernard: They're real Dickens.
Customer: I have to know if they're real leather because they have to go with the sofa.
[Bernard looks confused]
Customer: Everything else in my house is real. I'll give you two hundred for them.
Bernard: Two hundred what?
Customer: Two hundred pounds.
Bernard: Are they leather-bound pounds?
Customer: No.
Bernard: Sorry. I need leather bound pounds to go with my wallet. Next.

///////////////////////

Fran: Ok, if I told you that the walls of my flat were actually moving in, would you think that I was strange?
Bernard: No, I'd ask you to come round and look after my small children.
Fran: If you don't believe me you can come round tonight and we'll watch the wall.
Manny: Don't be ridiculous, we'll be staying in, watching the thermometer, won't we Bernard? Won't we?
Bernard: I don't know, it's an impossible choice. Walls, thermometers... I'll just have to hope when I flip the coin it somehow explodes and kills me.

Dé Mháirt (Tuesday)

2005-06-28T10:54:00.000+01:00

It's Tuesday. 2 more days to payday. Yay!

Saturday turned out to be a good day. Not weather-wise - it never brightened up - but in terms of it not being a total waste of a day. I went shopping after work. I had to get a new battery charger, because I seem to have lost the other two. I know they're in my room somewhere...I just don't know where. This has being annoying me for ages now - my digital camera eats normal batteries like popcorn. Anyhoo, mission accomplished. (Doh - just remembered I never plugged out the charger - the house will probably burn down...damnit!) I wandered around HMV too...but there were just too many people on Grafton St and I was starting to overheat. I went home for a while and then popped over to Glasnevin to visit my brother, John. Finally I was able to give him the Firefly series on dvd that I picked up for him during the week when I bought the Evil Dead Trilogy. As I was going out to Glasnevin, I could hear the U2 concert in Croke Park beginning. The buzz in town with all the people heading out to Croker was electric. Kinda sorry I wasn't going. Anyways, John made me watch the first 3 or 4 episodes of Firefly (created by Joss Whedon of Buffy and Angel fame - not a bad series. Pity it got cancelled).

Sunday turned out to be a stunning day. John had suggested the Botanical Gardens in Glasnevin if it was a nice day. I rang him at 2.30pm and discovered he didn't know that it was a nice day because he was too engrossed in Battlefield 2, which he purchased on friday. I finally made my way over to him around 4pm. There were hundreds of people attending some sort of open air mass in the beautiful Glasnevin Cemetery, which is opposite John's estate. I wonder what it was for.

The Botanical Gardens are...lovely. Not spectacular or stunningly beautiful, but I think that's because there's little in the way of flowers, but there are lots of trees and shrubs. There is also a pretty pond, the river Tolka flows through it, it borders Glasnevin Cemetery, there's a poisonous plant section (with info on which part of the plants are poisonous - so thoughtful of them), and stunning Victorian glasshouses filled with exotic plants. It was quite an enjoyable day out.

After that we went to Eddie Rockette's for food. What a disaster. Over-priced food...and they lost our order. Muppets! I was starting to overheat at that stage so I decided to head home. It was great to do something different for the day.

Monday was also gorgeous, weather-wise, which made it hard to be in work. But I ended up having lunch outside, in the garden of the Russel Court Hotel. Sounds posh, but isn't. Gorgeous lunch though and it was great to catch up with the people I had lunch with. After work I ran over to HMV and finally got Scrubs Season 1 on dvd. I loved that series when it first started, although I drifted from it, and ended up missing loads. I'm not great with watching tv on a regular basis. I ended up missing episodes all the time. I think that's why I stopped watch Six Feet Under - I loved it, but I hated that my time was tied up at a certain time every week. Plus, I could never be guaranteed that I'd have access to the tv at the crucial time - the joys of sharing a house with people! Anyways, I also bought the box-set of Seasons 1, 2 & 3 of Black Books. I was watching the first 4 episodes of Black Books last night...I had forgotten how funny they were, and how utterly ridiculous. I can't wait for Green Wing Series 1 to come out on dvd, if they ever release it. Now that was hysterical. (Both Black Books and Green Wing star Tasmin Greig, who also had a cameo in the movie Shaun of the Dead, which co-starred Dylan Moran, who stars in Black Books. See, I'm not mad! Everything does connect!)

And that brings us up to today. Dull outside and a lot cooler. Allergies gone bananas and I just had another nosebleed. Why am I allergic to the summer?

I can't believe I'm in work...

2005-06-25T10:10:00.000+01:00

It's saturday. I shouldn't be here. :( And yet I'm surprisingly awake. I guess getting up at the same time every morning is a good routine for a body. Tomorrow I'll probably wake up early too. The bus only took 11 minutes to get me into town this morning. I love when that happens. So I actually had time to have breakfast in work before 9am.

Weather still hasn't picked up. It's dark and cooler and looks like rain. Maybe it'll pick up as the day goes on. Only 3 more hours of work.

The first of 3 U2 concerts were played in Croke Park last night. Apparently the concert was superb. I, however, was curled up in an armchair at home watching tv. Not sure I'd have paid huge money for a ticket, but I would like to see them eventually. They've had some good songs over the years and apparently put on quite a show.

Who I want to see are Nine Inch Nails. Their last album is out of this world and they really need to tour it here. All the UK gigs are sold out. COME TO IRELAND!!!

And Rammstein are working on the second album from the Reise, Reise sessions. I will definitely go to London to see them in concert again.

And that's all my ramblings for now...adios!

Schwing!

2005-06-24T16:42:00.000+01:00

Friday...at last. Unfortunately my alarm clock will still go off at 7.25am tomorrow morning. And then the second alarm will go off at 7.50am. And finally my third alarm - a watch - will go off at 7.55am. Why? Because tomorrow I have work. It's perfect sleeping weather. It's wet, and dull, and warm. And I really want to sleep tomorrow morning. Damn. At least it's only til 1pm. Work, that is, not the sleeping weather.

In other news, my Grandad took another turn last night. He had a stroke at Christmas and he seems to have had another one at 9pm last night. My Grandmother was out socialising so it was a while before she got home and found him. She called my Dad, who stayed with them til 4am, bringing them up to the hospital once the Medicare doc checked him out. I hate hearing that this is happening to my Grandad. It serves as a stark reminder how frail it is to be human.

What am I going to do all weekend? I could catch up on the movies. Sunday is supposed to be a fantastic day, but I have yet to find my battery recharger for my digital camera's batteries. I can't do ANYTHING without my digital camera. Hmm...we'll see.

Oh and our work system has gone down til 11.30am on Monday...so I'll have to practice my apologetic voice for all the 'customers' who come in tomorrow. Luckily we'll still have the network. There's nothing worse than have no system AND no network. That's just...EVIL.

73ºF / 23ºC

2005-06-22T17:22:00.000+01:00

What a day! High temperatures, beautiful blue skies...dying from seasonal allergies. I hate being so congested! Everyone takes a step back because they think you've got some sort of contagious disease.

End of the day...not in the mood for the trek to the UGC...need to get anti-histamines and eye drops. So, I guess that's what I'll do...

FYI: Sick of hearing about Tom Cruise...who the hell cares?

Plan this weekend to see Batman Begins, Episode III, and Mr & Mrs Smith, but then I'm working on Saturday morning, so we'll see if I have any energy after that!

All stuffed up!

2005-06-21T15:49:00.000+01:00

And by stuffed up, I mean my sinuses. Tis the season, you know! Last weekend was fun. On saturday I did nothing, coz I felt awful thanks to the sinuses. On sunday I accicdently ended up in the middle of nowhere (ie Rathcoole) because I missed my stop when on the 69 bus. The very nice busdriver, Greg, dropped me off at Bewley's Hotel, where two seconds later I caught up with my friends and off we went for food and a fantastic time at the REM concert in Ardgillan Castle. 25,000 people, beautiful surroundings, glorious weather, fantastic views and a brilliant festival-like atmosphere - you couldn't ask for anything else. Even support The Zoutons were good, and Moby was excellent. We missed Ambulance Ltd and The Devlins, but it took us longer to get than than we realised. Great day out.

It's starting to hit me now though...I'm wrecked tired, I'm having weird dreams (might be the fault of the antihistamines), I'm not getting enough sleep coz I think I'll sleep it out and I'm badly stuffed up. Ah the price of entertainment.

Patient update: Mom finally got the cast off. Hurrah!!!

Falling asleep...

2005-06-15T10:38:00.000+01:00

Well...it's wednesday. 15th June. Laurence's birthday. Happy Birthday!!!

Weekend update:

Friday's concert was amazing. I got down to the dual-carriageway at 7pm and a 63 bus arrived immediately. I wasn't going to get it and then I remembered that it was one of two buses that go down to the RDS - very handy. When I got to the Main Hall, there were loads of people already up at the barrier and it became apparent that I wouldn't be able to see very much. So I moved over to the barrier beside the pit access, and I could see the stage no problem. So there I remained for the rest of the night.

Shadows Fall started shortly after I arrived at 7.30pm and played til after 8pm. They were really good and got all the kids going mental. Waist-length dreadlocks, and a kind of semi-stage dive later, and the crowd were warmed up.

Around 8.20pm or so Helmet took the stage. Their image is so clean-cut but their sound is so heavy, yet tight. No manic screaming lyrics...just heavy rock. The kids got bored after about 2 songs but I really enjoyed them, moreso than Shadows Fall. Plus, it became apparent throughout their set that members of Slipknot were up on the balcony and the kids were more interested in that!

Finally around 9.30pm Slipknot took to the stage. No Clown, or drum risers, or side-screens but what a show! Corey had the crowd eating out of his hand, and Chris really worked the crowd from the sides. Sid was as mental as ever...jumping up and down off drum kits. Paul, Jim and Mick paced the stage like wild animals...those guys are crazy! I couldn't see Craig from where I was but every-so-often, I could see his spikes head-banging away in the corner. Joey was obviously a crowd favourite, and although he didn't do his solo, he helped Corey work up the crowd, especially during Spit It Out (with Jump the Fuck Up). It's insame seeing a couple of thousand people crouch down in a venue and stay down til Corey tells them to jump up. Madness. Set finished just before 11pm and when the lights went on, you could literally see the steam in the room. It was crazy. The show opened with Prelude 3.0 being piped through, and ended with Danger-Keep Away being piped through. During Danger...Corey came out with the Irish flag that had been thrown up during the gig, with a Slipknot tribal S on the white part, and held it up. Major crowd cheer. Then Joey came down and draped the flag around him. As Joey wandered off, Corey held up Clown's mask on a stick. Then Sid came out and did likewise. Corey mentioned Clown alot during the concert, so it was good that he wasn't forgotten in all the madness! Excellent show.

My only complaint was all the kids that were there...I'm not talking about the teenagers, I'm talking about the pre-teens, under 10 club, who were there with their Dads, two of whom obviously were not into Slipknot at all and just paced the pit area, and frequently got in my way. The kids were ultra hyper at the start and by the end of the night, they were obviously wrecked tired and dehydrated. And many of them spent ages up at the water point, just drinking bucketloads of water and messing. A Metal/Rock concert is no place for pre-teens. They do not belong. Glad to hear Slayer played over 18s gigs. Slipknot have a young fan-base, but do these kids actually know what some of the lyrics mean?

I was at home by 11.30pm but I didn't get to bed til 2am or so...I was wired!!!

And at 9.30am I woke up on Saturday! Doh. I spent the day shopping and I caught Sin City at UGC. Very enjoyable movie. Violence, cannibalism, dark humour - a lot of fun.

On Sunday I was awake at 9.30am but I managed to go back asleep. I was up by 2pm, in town by 4.20pm and in Balbriggan by 5.30pm. Food and lots of walking later, I was on a bus heading into town at 8.30pm.

So, a busy weekend.

It's been a quiet week so far. I've been tidying - both at home and in my office. Roll on the weekend.

RDS...

2005-06-10T14:25:00.000+01:00

..on a half day today from work. Going to see Slipknot, live in concert, tonight and it'll be a blast! Can't wait. Must disappear and get myself ready. Toodles.

I am so tired...

2005-06-08T11:10:00.000+01:00

I don't know how I'm waking up in the mornings because I am so very tired. I've only been awake 4 hours and all I really want to do is close my eyes and sleep.

Of course I should have gone to bed earlier, but the house badly needed to be cleaned, and I had to buy food. Then cook food, eat food, and tidy up afterwards. The night just slipped away!

This week is working out to be a busy week, catching up with people. And...on friday I'm going to see Slipknot in concert. I seriously cannot wait!!! They've changed the venue from the RDS Simmonscourt (horse-shed) to the RDS Main Hall...that's brilliant! Hopefully the sound will be better.

And I forgot to mention it, and I don't know how that happened, but I finally got my hands on the Nine Inch Nails album, [WITH_TEETH] and it's, quite frankly, superb!!! Out of this world! Amazing! Couldn't live without it! Please Trent, play in Ireland...pleeeaaaassssseeeeeee.

...and then it's over!!!

2005-06-07T12:40:00.000+01:00

Yep...I'm back. At least in body, if not in spirit. I just had an amazing holiday, and I can't believe it's over already.

Patient update: Mom went to the hospital before I went on hols and the first doctor she met was Croatian. That was the funniest thing ever! At least this way, he was able to understand all the notes written by the surgeon in Dubrovnik, Croatia. She is now on her second cast, and all stitches are out. In two weeks time, the cast comes off and after that depends on how well the healing is going.

Bank update: After numerous phonecalls and stress, my loan from the bank is finally paid off. Yay. Account closed!

House update: The two girls are now gone for the summer, so it's just me and Ross in the house. It'll be so quiet...and I guess I'll be the only one doing house-work for the summer! And Val got a permanent job, so she won't be moving out! Yay.

And Dee got her contract renewed so she'll be in Dublin another year...yay!!! And this means we can go ahead with our Crete hols too.

And as for my Dubrovnik hols...they were amazing! The old town is gorgeous beyond words. We had 2 apartments - Audrey and Derbhile were in the ground floor, and Helena and I were on the top floor (4th floor). 112 steps to the house on Smokvina, and 30 steps up to our apt. Imagine doing that 4 times a day (up and down x 2). The views from the top apt were out of this world, and with the windows open, we could hear all the budding musicians in the Music School practicing! Surreal. A big THANK YOU to Sergio, who organised our fantastic accommodation, and brought us from and back to the airport.

We did day trips to 3 of the Elaphite Islands( with Harry from the Harbour), Lokrum island (with the gruelling steep trek up to the Napoleanic fortress) and Meðugorje in Bosnia & Herzogovina. There was a very marked difference between Bosnia and Croatia. Poverty is more evident in Bosnia, and there's still a lot of damaged houses and bullet-ridden sign-posts. Croatia is more stable, the tourist industry has revived its economy and the rebuilding is almost complete. Bosnia lags behind, with palpable tensions. Border crossing is strict and all vehicles are checked. No one is allowed through into Bosnia without a passport and a guide (for tourists). Our guide informed us that if the International Forces ever left Bosnia & Herzegovina, the country would collapse into chaos. Fighting would resume between the Croats, Muslims, and Bosnian-Serbs.

I took over 400 digital photos and about 60 APS photos. APS ones were supposed to be a back-up for the digital, but the digital camera really came into its own...the shots came out so well.

Food was gorgeous no matter where we went, and really well priced. Pizza was fantastic and their ice-cream is out of this world. No Pepsi Max, although I did find Pepsi Light. Mainly I stuck with Coco-Cola Light and water(yes...me..drinking water...).

Helena and I adopted a beautiful white cat, with one blue eye and one green eye, who lived near our apt. Clever cat stayed up in its apt on the last day, coz it knew we'd try to kidnap it!!! Audrey and Derbhile adopted a little Tibetan dog that the gallery owner near us owned. She was a sweet little thing (the dog, not the owner) and I think Audrey was planning on taking her home too.

The weather was amazing...it stayed up around 27ºC or so the whole time. Being typical Irish tourists, we went sight-seeing during the hottest times of the day, instead of having a siesta. Well, we had a rest in the mornings, went sight-seeing, then went back for a rest, and then went out for food and drinks. A very relaxing holiday and I managed to avoid getting a suntan the whole time...except for on my neck!

Photos on the way...lots and lots of photos!!! :)

8 more days...

2005-05-18T17:08:00.000+01:00

...and I just collected my Croatian Kuna today. I should be more excited than this, but it still feels so far away. And not real, somehow!

Today is so, so cold! I can't wait to get to Dubrovnik and bask in warmer temperatures!

Turns out that our outhouse, which houses our washer/dryer and second fridge/freezer has an Asbestos roof!!! Yes...that lovely poisonous stuff they used to put in roofs before they realised how dangerous it was. Well, we have one. And it leaks. Badly. So, the builder guy says he can patch it up and put in a new ceiling, but that the landlord probably won't want to replace it. Which is probably true. So I'm being slowly poisoned as I do my laundry. Yay. See...housework is dangerous!!!

On the other hand, the garage roof will have to be completely replaced and we're a bit concerned. We're hoping they won't make us move out while this happens. That's all we need...builders at 8am on a saturday morning...oh the fun!

10 more days...

2005-05-16T11:30:00.000+01:00

I just spent the weekend enjoying System of a Down's new album, "Mezmerize". I have to admit, though, that the first 4 songs aren't that great, and they include the current single, B.Y.O.B., and the pre-release internet song Cigaro. So, if you're not a fan of either, take heart in knowing the rest of the album is much better. My favourite track, at the moment, is Radio/Video.

Still no sign of NIN album With Teeth, which I ordered from CDWOW.ie ages ago!!! Getting annoyed, considering it has been in HMV for weeks now...taunting me!!! Argh!

Patient update: my Mom got home home on saturday and was whisked off in an ambulance, with my Dad, and brought home. Dad, apparently, didn't handle the speed of the ambulance very well, eneded up getting motion sickness, and had to be given medical attention by the ambulance crew. Mom, on the other hand, found it all very amusing - probably the only thing she has found amusing in the past 9 days! John and I met Dad yesterday (Sunday) when he came up to collect the car from the airport. It was good to see him, and finally get to chat without worrying about phone credit running out! John and I will go home this weekend to see Mom, and hopefully she'll have settled into some sort of routine before then. She's going to the medical centre today, to get her foot looked at by Irish doctors, although the medicare doctor on sunday was impressed with the surgery when he saw the X-Rays.

Holiday: I just have to buy a suitcase, collect my Kuna and find decent shoes, and I'm all set for Dubrovnik. 10 more days...

Saw Kingdom of Heaven over the weekend too...very impressive, although Orlando Bloom wasn't quite right for that role. He wasn't nearly as bad as he was in Troy, but there was something lacking in him as a performer...he didn't seem strong enough. Having said that though, the rest of the actors were spot-on, and the set pieces were amazing. I thought the various sides were represented fairly...the Knights were portrayed as greedy, for the most part, the Templers were portrayed as brutes who just wanted to kill the Muslims and get rich, and the Muslims were not portrayed as stupid Barbarians, unlike other Crusade movies. I can't comment on the accuracy of the historical facts, although I do know that the Leper King died before the events in the film took place. It doesn't have the same emotional pull as Gladiator, and the battle scenes aren't nearly was impressive as Helm's Deep, in LOTR: The Two Towers, but it is quite enjoyable, nonetheless.

Change is in the air...

2005-05-12T18:28:00.000+01:00

Today was the first time it actually felt warm, which is about time, considering how far into May we are. But that's not the change I'm talking about. Change in work, change at home, change creeping in everywhere. Sometimes this is a good thing, sometimes not.

Anyways, not a huge amount has happened since the last post. My mom got released from hospital in Croatia and they got moved to a hotel with no steps that can't be overcome by using the lift. It also so happens that this hotel is much better quality than the one they originally had booked and they're pleased. Mom is still in pain, but at least she's out of that hospital! And she now has a fantastic view of the bay and islands in Dubrovnik.

I got my holiday insurance sorted, so now I just have to collect my Croatian kuna next wednesday. The following day I have to go see Bryan Adams with my sister and cousin..how do I get myself into these situations. Still, it might be fun...revisit my soft rock days!

And my loan is finally paid off...that's the loan I took out 3 years ago to pay for my Graduate Diploma in Computing course. Finally !!! Although I did extend it twice to pay for another course and hols. Still, better the money goes into my pocket from now on, than theirs!

And that's it...still waiting on the NIN 'With_Teeth' album, which I ordered online. I must learn to have more patience. Glad tomorrow is friday but I'm working saturday so I'm not too bothered. I just want my parents home, safe and sound, so that they can start to relax, and Mom to get better.

Eggshells.

Eat Penguins.

2005-05-09T20:36:00.000+01:00

Another year older...unfortunately...and my birthday weekend was spent going crazy. Ok, going crazier... On Friday my plans for the Ghost Bus Tour fell through, I had to run to O'Connell St to get tickets for Sunday night, I got wet from the annoyingly stupid rain, and I got two birthday cards - one from my sister, the other from Laurence in France, and her future husband, Bruno. Their card was gorgeous...so very sweet. I'm not insinuating that my sister's card wasn't sweet at all, it was, but theirs was extra sweet.

On saturday, after being woken by my housemates, I lazily got ready for town, where I was meeting Breffni. After a quick time change, and Isabel telling my she was going to another persons Birthday celebration, I hopped on a bus into town. I got there at 7.30pm and got a txt from Breffni saying she'd be 15 mins later. Half an hour later, no sign of Breffni and I got a txt from my Dad in Croatia informing me that Mom had fallen, broken her ankle in two places, might have damaged her ligaments, and that she was gone for surgery (he's great at fitting loads of info into one txt!). He then rang to elaborate on this (even more information). She had literally gotten off the bus from the airport, and they were walking towards their hotel with their luggage, and she fell because of a pothole, and not the landmine she was convinced was going to get her! Breffni arrived on the scene and had started to apologise for being late as I hung up the phone, when I had a little 'episode' on the street. I guess just the shock of it all, them being so far away, their holiday being utterly ruined, and my complete inability to help them. So we decided to skip the cinema and went straight to Zaytoons for food and a chat. Breffni was just back from San Francisco so she had loads of news. After Zaytoons we went to the Joy of Coffee for cake. All the while, I was getting loads of texts from Dad and my siblings and then Dad rang twice while we were in the eateries. I know it's rude to give more attention to your phone, but this was an emergency situation. A very restless night followed, partly because I was worried, and partly because I left my phone on and Anne Gail txt me birthday greetings from the Philippines at 3.50am. That was funny. I'm not sure what I wrote back and I hope it wasn't cranky.

Sunday - my birthday - you know, birthday celebrations are highly over-rated. I never liked the whole party thing, and the big meal thing is nice, but not when you try to join disparate groups of friends together for a night of forced conversation and feigned merriment. I prefer having little seperate events with different people. The birthday celebrations are prolonged, the people are more comfortable and I feel less stressed.

Bernie rang, and it was nice to hear from her - it's been a long time. Then I got a txt from Oliver informing me of Siobhan Silke's father's death. Very bad news indeed. It certainly lowered the mood of the day and I was starting to resent my phone being the conveyor of bad tidings. After much restless pacing, I decided to dye a strand of my hair blue, and catch a bus into town to meet Dee. I was very late leaving and Dee assured me she was quite happy frolicking around Easons. I met her at 4pm and after a quick bite to eat of the pastry variety (I saw Gizmo in Tower Records), we wandered around the book store part til 5.30pm, when Lisa arrived.

Fast food in Eddie Rockett's on O'Connell St and then onto the Ghost Bus. Just as we were getting on, Dee and Li made friends with this old, old man. We thought he'd wander on, but he had a ticket and sat himself beside Dee on the bus. Our guide was called James, and he was hilarious. Great yarns, fantastic sights, a crash course in body-snatching, many photos and a T-Shirt prize later, we were happily sitting in the Foggy Dew, recounting all the fun of the evening. It's a tour well worth doing if proverbial You is ever in Dublin.

The Bus!!!

The Most Haunted Steps in Dublin

St Audeon's Church Belltower - oldest bells in Dublin.

Update on Mom...stuck in a Croatian hospital, with a ward sister who is a mini version of Hitler, and staff who take an hour to answer distress calls, and a fellow patient who only speaks French and was denied access to contact her holiday Rep in the next town, and who's puking her guts up. Mom has been on her back since saturday with her ankle elevated and she is very fed up. They're trying to get her home, but it's proving very awkward. We just need this to be over!

4 Weather day...

2005-05-03T15:12:00.000+01:00

This morning it was raining, then it was sunny and very warm at lunch time. The thunder started 5 minutes ago and now we have sleet pouring down outside! Our weather here is so strange!!! Hopefully the thunder will clear away the 'heavy' feeling... my head is about to split open!!!!

After the Bank Holiday

2005-05-03T14:44:00.000+01:00

I can't believe it's May...and I can't believe the Bank Holiday weekend is over! I went home on friday on the bus, which turned out to be an ok journey. We got a brand new bus and for the last leg home, I had two seats to myself. The only down-side was that there was no air on the bus. On a plus side, we didn't meet any of the tailback/re-routed traffic from the storage container convoy heading down to Mallow, and Derv rang for 30 minutes, and I was chatting to John for 30 minutes. I don't mind doing the journey - it usually takes around 3 hours, and your body just gets used to it. It knows it has to stay in roughly one position, and that it can't go for a bathroom break. Sometimes it's nice knowing that there's 3 hours whereby you can just sit and listen to music uninterupted. You can't do work, you can't run errands, you just have to sit there. Day-time travel is great because you can look at the scenery, and the journey down to Co.Tipperary is actually quite nice, especially closer to home. During the winter months, I find myself nodding off during the journey. I can't read at all when I bus travel, because of motion sickness. Sometimes even sending text messages makes me feel queasy. So, it's three hours of music bliss!

On saturday I met Helena in town for a drink and some cake, and a little shopping. Then I popped over to visit my grandparents. I met the girls later on at 9.30pm (well, I was late) and we had quite a good night out.

Sunday was spent being lazy, and then on monday my parents brought me back to Dublin via John's new house. Travelling by car is definitely nicer!!! It takes only about 2 hours and 20 minutes by car! When I was in University, it took 3½ hours by bus! Ugh.

And today...back in work, no energy yet strangely productive. I ran up to the bank at lunch-time and ordered my Croatian Kuna...I'm starting to get really excited!!!

Footnote: buying digital camera memory sticks online costs less than half the amount you pay in a shop. Goddamnit.

May Bank Holiday Weekend...

2005-04-29T15:35:00.000+01:00

That's three times today that I meant to type the word 'unit' and I actually typed 'until' or some such varient with an 'l' ...so strange. Yes, brain is fried...it's Friday, it's really warm, I'm tired, it's been a long week and I can't wait to have a 3 day weekend... Unfortunately for me, they're driving 1000 tonnes of equipment from a closed sugar beet factory in Carlow down to Mallow, at 4km/h, over the next few days. That means the Dublin to Cork road is going to have major detours, some of which will probably be onto my route home, via Athy or Carlow, and Kilkenny. It's too warm a day to spend 3½ hours on a bus home, let alone 5 because of tail-backs...

The parental units are driving us back to Dublin, hopefully, on Monday, so at least there'll only be one bad bus journey home.

And I learned this today - there is a prophecy, widely dismissed by scholars as a hoax, and attributed to St. Malachy, an Irish archbishop recognized by members of the Church for his ability to read the future, that says that Benedict fits the description of the second-to-last pope before the Last Judgement, when the bible says God separates the wicked from the righteous at the end of time. According to Yahoo News, "St. Malachy was said to have had a vision during a trip to Rome around 1139 of the remaining 112 Popes. The new pope would be number 111 on that list, and is described in a text attributed to St. Malachy as the "Glory of the Olive."

To connect Benedict, a pale, bookish German, to anything olive takes some imagination. But Malachy-watchers point to the choice of the name Benedict -- an allusion to the Order of Saint Benedict, a branch of which is known as the Olivetans." Very interesting!

Over-time Tuesday 2

2005-04-26T20:53:00.000+01:00

And again I'm doing over-time...this time, I'm just too tired...I want to go home!!! Working 13 hours in a row is not as much fun as it could be... and then tomorrow is Mary's retirement party and presentation...I guess I should find something vaguely formal to wear! Oh decisions! And I must remember to bring in my camera. I'm definitely taking an hour off tomorrow morning and sleeping in!!! Boing!

Last monday in April 2005

2005-04-25T17:50:00.000+01:00

Monday 25th of April, 2005 will never, ever happen again. Isn't that weird?

Well...I've been busy the past few days. On saturday I discovered that Fluffy was decaying at an alarming rate (Fluffy, fyi, is the dead rat sitting outside the garage door)...he has turned a grey/white colour and the maggots were joining him in a major food fest. I went into town to meet Dee and we grabbed lunch (gorgeous Teriyaki Chicken sandwich - yes, I realise that I am addicted to teriyaki sauce)and then pottered down to HMV. Not much of interest in there, although I did pick up two new dvds, and we had to leave rapidly because someone decided to foul up the air with the lovely fresh fragrance of rotten egg/methane. So then we pottered further down the street to Hodges Figgis. HF is the greatest bookshop...EVER! You could spend days in there, and your entire salary for the year, without so much as batting an eyelid. Much book-buying later (I got a funny grammer book [yes, they do exist] and 2 "The Da Vinci Code" parodies), and we pottered down to the cinema for a chick flick, and then in next door for some dinner. Such a relaxing day!!! And, I found an Italian food shop, which reeked of cheese, that sells Pocket Coffees and Baci sweets!!! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!! Except, of course, when I got home I was told by Val that they burned Fluffy coz he was riddled with maggots!!! Damn! My poor little dead pet. He still has that rat shape but he's a distinctly different colour now.

Then on sunday I again woke up at 9.20am (as what happened on saturday) and I fell back asleep til late. By 2pm the sun had come out and Dee and I had an arrangement in case of sunny weather to go to Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow. So I rang her twice, and texted half a million times and eventualy she rang at 3pm...she had only just woken up. I was already en-route into town so we arranged to meet at 4pm in Dundrum. At 4.20pm we hooked up and she drove down to Enniskerry. And...we didn't get lost! It was too late for Powerscourt Gardens so we decided to head up to Powerscourt Waterfall, the highest waterfall in Ireland, apparently. It was just so beautiful up there. And I managed to skin my left knee! So that's both knees injured this year... I'm planning on getting elbow pads in case they're next! And I took loads of pics...and some video on my digital camera.

When we got back to Dublin, we grabbed take-away in Stillorgan (Dee got Indian, I got Chinese) and ate it in my house. Dee's pilaf rice looked freakily like the maggots outside in Fluffy...ugh!

Relaxing evening and then it was time to clean the kitchen. Why is it that no matter how hard I scrub the lino, it still looks filthy? Our house needs to be renovated so badly!!!

And then today...not too hectic. Got one part of the Presentation gift for Mary's retirement party on wednesday. And somehow volunteered to work tomorrow night til 10pm...I'll be exhausted on wednesday, but it means 10 more hours, time-in-lieu...I'm crazy!!! Just over 4 weeks til the hols...woohoo...