Mario Rosenstock is a Genius

I always listen to Today FM on my walk into and home from work in the morning and evening. I'm a fan of the station, love their programming and talk shows and wouldn't have it any other way.

Most mornings you will find me on my route to work creased up with laughter at the antics of Bertie Ahern (our esteemed Taoiseach), Ronan Keating, Gerry Adams and my favourite the Boy Roy (Keane), on Gift Grub (the link is to Wikipedia's definition of gift grub).

This particular morning I didn't know whether to laugh (which of course I did) or cry (which I was close to doing). The Roy Keane leaving Manchester United story has been big news as we all know since last friday. I have to admit I was genuinely shocked when I heard he had left so abruptly as I really thought that at worst he would go in the January transfer window and at best in the summer. But in typical Roy style he leaves under a cloud of rumour, mystery and drama.


Rosenstock in I Keano playing Keane.

Gift Grub has been suspiciously quiet on the subject until this morning....

This morning it was an all time classic. Keane sang the Will Young song "I think I'd better leave right now" with his own words of course. When it appears on the web site I'll drop the nod if you haven't heard it already. I think it should be released for christmas to cheer up everyone! I'm still laughing!

Mystical Nights and Gruesome Sights

As I have already documented I went to see the Goblet of Fire last night with friend Gil, and have made my thoughts public knowledge on my review page if you are interested.

We had a great laugh last night. Mooched round the shops, gossiped and stufed our faces. Actullay to be fair I stuffed my gaping gob, Gil showed remarkable restraint!

However, I was faced with an apparition last night, which almost put me off finishing my chocolate malt. Now it takes a lot to put me off my food, so let me just stress that this was a traumatic event!

The vision involved, a young wan, not exactly a supermodel (in fact she was a big girl to be frank), a pair of very loose, low hipped jeans, a spotty backside, and lots of flab. The image went something like this....



This cartoon from here is amusing. The reality of it on a young wan, was not. I blame her friends, why oh why did nobody tell her? I think I'm scarred for life.

A Mighty Weekend

That was one busy weekend and as a result of a lot of posing and posturing, and admittedly some hard word I am now Trixibell BA(hons) H. Dip Arch, BA LS. That's a lot of letters for one little lady! The BA LS is the latest addition to my name and was earned on Saturday from DIT Aungier St.

I had all my family and friends with me over the weekend. The In-laws finally met the Out-laws and so that embarrasment has now been dealt with and it all went well, thankfully there were no daggers at dawn between the fathers!


We ate our yummies at The Trocadero, and the food was gorgeous. They treated us really well and even joined in when we got boisterous!

So although I'm still wrecked I'm happy and am off to see Harry tonight! Yeaaahhhh!

Friday Funtime

Ok funtime this week is another guessing game. This might be an easy one for some but I'm interested in hearing the response anyway.

I took the above shot at home a few weeks ago. Can anyone tell me what album cover this place was featured on?

Trixi points going a begging here!

Ooops

Maca has just pointed out to me that Irish Blogs have removed him from the list of contributors....

They've also removed me. Have I done something to deserve it?

I think they should now be boycotted anyone with me?

Secret Shame # 3

I am part woman....



part gorilla...



Which part is which will not be disclosed.


P.S this is a very cathartic exercise, I think it's good for me to be honest.

Oh Thanks be to God

Ok that might be a little excessive but Irish Blogs have finally become unstuck! No more cringing with embarrassment for this Trixibell!

My life has been consumed by...

THE BEST GAME EVER!!!
I've been playing The Movies obsessively since the Lovely Boy bought it on friday. It has literally taken over my every free moment in the evenings! If I'm not playing my own game I'm helping him voice charcters for his! It's deadly fun!



So far I've created war epics, sci-fi thrillers, comedy's and my latest production is an off the wall romance between 2 vampires who get killed by an avenging priest... Movie magic!!

The aim of the game is to become a movie mogul by setting up running and developing a movie studio from the 1920's onwards. As you move forwards you unlock new technology and features develop new stars and directors and then you have to manage them all! It's great! If you fancy seeing parts of your day just disappear I recommend you invest in this game!

Where to go and what to do?

I'm in a bit of a hiatus at the moment. I'm in a job I don't particularly like and definately get absoloutely no job satisfaction out of, and where my supervisor is more concerned about punctuation than the fact that I am so obviously bored.

Don't get me wrong punctuation is very important and I try to be careful, but when I just can't bring myself to care, I get careless. What can you do?


Very important stuff.

Yet I have plans that mean moving on right now wouldn't be the wisest of moves from a CV point of view, which leaves me kind of stuck here looking forward to being even more bored in the future.

I could cry and I wonder whether temping would be such a bad idea. At least I might have some letters to type or dicta phone to take every day, rather than just sitting here processing the odd query and filling out information on poxy forms.

I'm having a bad day.

I could have been a contender...

The company outing took place on Friday. It consisted of 5 a side soccer on an outdoor pitch in driving, freezing rain. It was more of a wet T-shirt competition than a football game (or three) to be perfectly frank. The boys were happy.

I discovered something new about myself that night. I discovered that if I had played football from an early age, had developed skills and practiced regularly I could have been quite good at it.

I'm serious!

Fionaldhino...? (thanks to the boy for this play on words)

I could see all of these wonderful plays taking place in my minds eye while I was on the pitch and even managed to pull one off, and scored a goal on the half volley. It was impressive, believe me (well I was impressed anyway!) However as a rule my lack of skill let me down, consistently. The sad part is that, I feel that at this stage of my life, any chance of a career has passed me by. But I will always have the memories of how I could have played to keep me going...

Pulling on the Red Chord

I got a free ticket to The Frames last night! Was dead excited!

I know many people out there hate them and I also know that many people think they're alright! Me, I've been a proper fan since I was 15!

In fact one of the most pressing reasons why I decided to come to Dublin for college was so that I would have access to see bands like The Frames, Lir, An Emotional Fish, Juniper, play in the mythical magical Whelans! And I wasn't disappointed! And now of all of those bands only the Frames have retained their original shape, though I think Lir still play from time to time, but I'm not sure.


I was down the back last night with seated tickets but am not complaining as I didn't know I was going to be there at all until 4.30 yesterday afternoon!

It was a great night they played favourites new and old and nearly broke my heart when they played Fitzcaraldo and Red Chord. They also had a nod to Mic Christopher without over doing it too much, I think they've finally found a balance in how to remember him.

Oh and the special guest was Damien Rice! He played 3 songs, 2 of which I heard after scrambling to sink a pint and sprinting to our seats!


Joe and Glenn at Vicar St ages ago!

I'm a bit tired today I have to gather the energy to play an inter company football tournament and drink some more later. Oh yeah and do some work of course! Busy me eh?

Trixibell Bocht

I discovered to my horror yesterday that The First Irish Exam for Blackhall place takes place on the 12th and 13th of January next year.

So what you ask? The 13th is my birthday. Crap.

I have picked up my booklet for the course from Griffith and will be plodding my way through it all over Christmas. Am not best pleased!



I'm also thinking of getting one of these courses cause my Gaeilge really isn't what it should be, even after 14 years of learning it in school! I mean technically we should all be proficient after that amount of time spent learning a language.

I wish they would start teaching it like a living language not a dead one. I learned more German in 6 years and could hold a half decent conversation in it still, after all this time than I could with Irish. There's something seriously wrong there!

A wee rant

I'm not being cranky right, in fact I'm in pretty good form this fine November morning, but I do find myself more than a little irritated. The irritation has been growing since Monday evening and reached a climax this morning in my own mind. It was a slow burner, as they say.

My problem this morning concerns Chuggers The link is to Sigla Mag where Sinead wrote about this phenomenon about a year ago. I laughed and nodded when I read it and I find myself laughing and nodding again now. However I encountered a new breed of chugger this week and hence the slow burning anger.

I was sitting merrily (what other way is there to sit, one asks?) in the sanctity of my own home. The blinds were drawn the heating was on and my dinner was being consumed in front of Corrie, what bliss. Then comes the knock on my door. I answer it hesitatingly as it might be Johnny next door requesting milk for his cup of tea or it might be someone less pleasant you never know what the rain will bring out. What was I confronted with? Flippin Chuggers.

Needless to say I was not/am not impressed. Running the gauntlet on Grafton St is something you can prepare yourself for, finding yourself face to face with the begging bowl at your own door on a wet and windy night is quite another. And then when they went through their choreographed spiel and I told them that I already gave to charities, that I had a budget and that it had reached its limit, they got thick with me! The cheek! I do give, more than I can actually afford to as it happens and these upstarts have the front to tell me that I won't miss an additional 2 euro a week! Whether I will or won't miss it is not for them to decide excuse me. But of course I did get that pang of guilt anyway after they had left. And then the anger began to sink in.

And now I'm really cross and I wanted to see has anyone else encountered this new form of terror and annoyance?

Things to note

I received my three thousandth visitor to my blog today! That's a lot of people who have been exposed to my ramblings inane and otherwise! Thanks to everyone who keeps coming back and leaving comments, I am finding the whole experience highly amusing and entertaining!

I have reviewed a book on the other site if you're interested.
It's good to be back reading again and I might even get to the cinema this weekend so you can expect a bit of waffle about that as well!

And in other news there is only 10 days to go to the Harry Potter premier! Say no more...

The Gym

They have offered us the use of a few gym machines here in work for free, and the opportunity to have an assessment with a personal fitness person to make sure that we were using the gear in the proper way. So I put my name down. I mean free gym use and a session with a personal trainer is not to be sniffed at is it?

So I had my session last night. I have some pain already. I believe the pain should increase and take hold properly about lunch time.

And what did I learn? That I look awful standing in front of mirrors trying not to cry out loud. That I don't like scary weights machines and that realisticly, free or not, I probably won't be able to motivate myself to go there too often.

But I want to get fitter and so I'm going to try. If I mention it again it means I've gone. If I don't it means I've chickened out and this is never to be mentioned again!

Home

My Dad was making lots of noise banging and cursing things on Saturday morning so rather than lying in bed wasting the day I got up and got out.

These are some images I captured from the area where I live.


This is known as Ladies Walk.


The swing.


This is the approach road to the castle demesne.


The Church Yard


This is my mother's favourite tree taken last christmas


I just liked the look of this!

Two Many Pints...

Delicate. I'm feeling very delicate this morning.

I went on the lash with my Mad Auntie Joan last night. I hadn't planned it.

She's some savage when it comes to guzzling pints.

I'm not.

I thank God for the chips and sausages that saved my life.

I was drinking Stella Artois. I thought I would be home after 2.

Foolish me.

P.S. You get Trixi Points if you can name the pub in the photo!

Irish Blogs

Would it every bloodly move on!

I don't even like that post that has been sitting proudly on top of the list for a week now it was meant to be said and then forgotten.

Jesus, it's annoying me badly at this stage!

Secret Shame # 2

I recently admitted to my friends that I thought "Harry was looking well".


Looking good...

Princess slammed me in the most damning of language. I am most unclean according to her.

On the other hand my other friend agreed with me, so all's not lost...

All the same I feel bad about admiring a 16 year old. It's just not right.

Things to love about Winter

United Irelander had a little rant yesterday about why he hates winter, which made me think about why I don't hate winter! It's not my favourite season because of the darkness but there are lots of things that make it bareable, and this is my list:

1. Christmas Trees - I love the smell of real christmas trees as they dry out in your living room. I also could watch the flashing lights circuit all day without getting bored!



2. My birthday! It comes after christmas in January and breaks the bleak days of January up very nicely thank you!

3. Extra blankets on your bed - makes the bed clothes heavier and cosier and I always sleep better when I'm all tucked up!

4. Fresh, crisp, bright mornings, where the air feels clean and makes your skin tingle.

5. Snow days! When the country shuts down and you can't feel guilty for not going to school/work cause you live at the top of a very steep hill that it just would be too dangerous to attempt to drive on! I love this country!

6. Cozy winter open fires to warm your toes beside.


7. Hot soup for lunch and porridge for breakfast that as you eat can you can feel warming your tummy. Yum.

8. The stark beauty of the countryside stripped bare and waiting for new growth.


9. Hot Whiskeys and or Hot Ports.

10. Wooly jumpers to hide in and cuddle up in, in complete comfort and disregard of whether you have eaten too much lately or not!

So there you go, the days may be getting shorter and darker but it doesn't have to be all bad!

Tribute to Trick or Treaters

It has been brought to my attention that my previous post may have come across as a little negative in relation to the whole Hallowe'en phenomenon, and believe me that's the last thing I intended! I love Hallowe'en I was just a little amazed at the amount to fireworks available last night tis all!

Anyhoo we had a small but friendly group of monsters and super heroes visit us last night which I knocked great sportout of my only complaint being that not enough turned up! I'm going to have to go children hunting tonight to force the remaining sweets and treats on them as otherwise I'll eat them and that's bad for me! Hopefully they won't be too sickened after last night's feast! Though I was assured by one of my visitors last night that there was no doubt he would be very ill and he seemed to relishing the prospect!

Check out the link for cool trick or treat photo's on flickr...

Did you know that fireworks are illegal in Ireland?

Hallowe'en has come and gone and so the build up to Christmas will now be thrust into full gear. But I'm not ready for that yet so I'm going to dwell a little longer on Hallowe'en and hope the rest will take care of itself!



I came back to Dublin last night early enough inorder to feed the neighbourhood monsters and protect our house from bangers and such like as is necessary at this time of year. It turns out that we were also treated to the most amazing pseudo professional firework displays throughout the whole night from our kind and law abiding neighbours!

It was, to be honest, stunning in the real and not the figurative sense. I timed one display that lasted for 30 minutes. That's 30 minutes of constant, and simultaneous rockets and what have you going off over our house in a very residential area. That means there were loads and loads of fireworks in the estate. It was all a bit crazy and I felt really sorry for the animals they must have been petrified.

What I really want to know is where do they get them from? Does everyone indulge in cross border trading at this time of the year? Where are the guards? And why can't they be legalised so at least there can be some sort of qulaity control to make sure people won't be hurt unnecessarily? Oh and nearly as importantly how much does it cost to buy enough gear to put the sort of spectacular show that we witnessed last night on? Some people have more money than sense!

Beer Snobbery

I was out last night with my good friend doing girly things like shopping, giggling and buying the same clothes, you know yourself how these things go. And we also went for a bite to eat.

At dinner we had pizza and beer, the pizza was delicious and the beer was Budvar and was gorgeous, as you would expect. We then decided to have another drink before we went home and headed for Neary's just off Grafton St. Great pub, brilliant atmosphere but I still feel the loss of the peacock wallpaper in the ladies toilets, it will never be the same for me since they cleaned the place up.

Howandever, Neary's would not be a trendy pub and so choice of beer on draught is limited to Budweiser, Carlsberg, Heineken, Guinness and Smithwicks. All very well when you haven't been drinking yummy Czech beer. I ordered a Budweiser on the basis that I was interested in the compare and contrast of drinking one after the other.


The King of Beers?

Let's just say it was not a good experience. Actually minging is the term I would apply to the taste of my pint. I couldn't finish it.

Then I started thinking about beer and my likes and dislikes. I have developed a strong preference for imported beers, especially Czech and German beers, in recent times. Miller, Bud, Carlsberg, just aren't acceptable to me anymore. I have become a beer snob!

And to think 20 years ago your choice of beer was Guinness, Smithwicks or Harp! And we were happy with it!

I made butterflies

Picture me grinning proudly at my computer screen.

Yep I made butterflies and I did it all by myself!

Seeing as I have no clue about stuff like this and am basicly learning by doing can you tell me please if it looks ok?

Cheers!

Trixibell in the Middle

I had a little ego boost sitting in my email account this morning and all I had to do to access it was to sell my soul to the spam devil!
I signed up ages ago to Tickle Tests to elleviate my boredom through self examining tests! And did loads before I got bored! But one of them was an IQ test which I did and didn't really think much about after that! However it turns out that if I was an American school child I would be in the gifted class - like Malcolm!


Trixibell in the Middle

It's a load of nonsense really but I liked reading it, it made me feel clever!

The Ferns Report

It's hard not to address this issue today in light of the revelations yesterday in the Report on child sexual abuse in the Diocese of Ferns over a period of 4 decades.

The coverage last night on Today FM's The Last Word was harrowing to say the least. The extended coverage on RTE's Radion 1 while not as graphic was difficult to listen to and disturbing. Today I find myself continuously thinking about the children who were abused, the irretrievable damage that was done to their innocence, confidence not to mention faith. And I feel sick and angry, no doubt like most other people who are following the story.

I am a Catholic. I have faith that there is a God. But I have no faith in the Catholic Church. I call myself a Catholic because that was the faith I was raised in, I go to mass occasionally and I think that the parish I come from at home is a good place, a safe place and I enjoy the sense of community when I visit there. I've never found that sort of comfort in Dublin churches and so I don't generally attend them. It's not the mass that attracts me to the church its the community.

What happened in Ferns ripped the community apart. It robbed people of that sense of belonging somewhere, it destroyed the lives of young people and it was let happen by the higher authorities. It would appear from what I heard this morning that the cycle of abuse started in the Seminaries. The Seminarians themselves were abused or were shown that it was ok to abuse without consequence, and the cycle began.

The report apparantly maintains that there was no organised paedophile ring in the Wexford area but it would appear that because of the lax attitudes of both Bishops Herlihy and Comiskey during the period when the abuse took place. Because although they had knowledge that some of the priests involved were not fit for the priesthood, they were allowed to practice in communities and interact with young children. The whole thing is appalling. It's sickening and it's depressing.

This is just one report one diocese in one small country. How widespread is/was this sort of abuse? What can the Catholic Church do to repair the hurt and heal the pain caused by some members of their priesthood? Will the church do what is necessary?

One of the saddest aspects of this story is the bad light that the priesthood has now been cast in. There are undoubtedly bad men in orders who need to be weeded out and punished, but we have to remember that there are also very good people, kind people who have chosen to sacrifice so much to shepard communities. Those people should not be punished for the sins of those who did so much wrong. There needs to be a balance in our reaction to this report. We need to remember that although we should expect that people in positions of responsibility and respect should be of unimpeachable moral goodness, that those who behave badly represent themselves and not the group as a whole.

Saying that though I have no doubt that the Catholic Church has been badly damaged by the proof of allegations of abuse against children and I for one really don't know how it is going to regain the confidence of people without a major fundamental change in the way the church is run and organised. That change is not going to happen in the near future, not with the current administration in the Vatican. That to me is a pity and a great loss to people like me who just like belonging somewhere.

Whey hey! I'm in the money!

Red Mum over here introduced this little doo hickey! And my blog is worth summat! Quelle Suprise!

My blog is worth $6,774.48.
How much is your blog worth?

Preoccupations and Boredom

I find myself in a strange sort of twilight zone at the moment. I feel sort of disengaged from everything like I'm on the outside looking in, and it's a very odd feeling.

I don't know if its because I'm at a bit of a loose end due to the finishing of the exams or if it is due to other factors which are playing on my mind at the moment but not really formulating themselves into ideas. I know I'm frustrated. That is one emotion I can identify. I also feel a little uptight and anxious and very restless. It's not very pleasant.

I thought that once I had spare time that I would relish the opportunity to veg out. But I'm not. I'm bored! I can't watch T.V., can't keep my focus long enough to read properly, can't listen to music, don't want to talk to people... In fact all that I want to do is move. I enjoyed being at home last weekend. I can't wait to head off again this weekend... maybe I've just got an intense dose of itchy feet! Oh I don't know even writing about it hasn't helped, I'll just have to keep going until I identify what the hell is bothering me, and then I'll deal with it!

Just to Annoy You....

It's two months to Christmas today!!



I know I'm not ready for it, Are you?

Living Life once more

As a result of finishing the exams and rediscovering the joys of living once again I have started reading real books and watching new movies over the past week or so! It's bliss! I have posted my view on a film I saw recently over on my review site if you're interested! I will be putting my opinion on other books I've read and albums I've heard recently over the next few days, so while there is no doubt my cultural section was looking very abandoned in the last few weeks I will be endeavouring to fix that problem over the next while!
Oh and comments are always welcome whether they are constructive or not!

By the way what's the take out there on my new colour scheme? I'm just proud of the fact that I figured out how to change the colours! I'm still learning! Oh and I get bored very easily!

The Curious Incident of Liam Lawlor in Moscow

There can be no doubt that the passing of Liam Lawlor this weekend was untimely and a huge tragedy for his long suffering family.


But you have to admit the whole incident is very curious indeed. Lawlor goes to his grave now with the secrets of many tucked away with him. The Planning Tribunal cannot hope to be able to uncover exactly what took place in this country in regards to anomalies in planning and building in the 1980's and 1990's

Friday Fun Time

Har Har Har! I couldn't have asked for a better result! Let me know how you get on with The Muppet Test!!!


You are Fozzie Bear.

Happy Friday!

I'm off home to get mothered by my mother! Yippee!

P.S. click the link to get the quiz!

Shameful Secret #1

I really really like that James Blunt song You're Beautiful.



I know its over played. But it makes me smile every time I hear it.
I know its really sappy and a bit nauseating. But it cheers me up.

I'm sorry.

Poor Brian, Poor Ireland, Poor Germany

I'm torn over who deserves the most sympathy following Ireland's uncermonious exit from the World Cup qulaifiers.
Is it due to Brian Kerr, who lost his job as the Republic of Ireland manager last night?
Is it due to the legions of us loyal fans and to those ubber loyal fans who never miss an International live game?
Or is it due to the German nation as a whole and their current economic crisis? As I have no doubt countless SSIA accounts were earmarked for hard core spending by Irish fans on the beer and the footy trail all over Germany.

There are a lot of losers as a result of this result. But the bottom line remains the same. Our team are not good enough. We have individually brilliant or potentially brilliant players but this team under Brian Kerr just did not seem to work as a coherent force. Maybe a new manager is the answer (if they can find anyone) but at the end of the day its the players who have to be capable of stepping up and playing decent inciteful, passing football. I'm looking forward to that day, may it arrive soon!

A Tribute to the Irish Mammy

Following the trials and tribulations which were the FE1's the Lovely Boy and I hit the high road and retreated to the loving arms of his familial demesne which is far from Dublin.

Oh the joy of not being in the city. The bliss of being cared for and looked after by the Boy's lovely mammy. The forgotten forbidden delight in sleeping past 8.30 a.m without guilt, and finally and most importantly the pleasure of the Irish fry every single morning!

I had the most fantastic rest and relaxation for 3 days and even after the gruelling return journey which was not short, I still feel great! I tell you, you can't beat the loving administrations of the Irish Mammy! And the Boy's Mammy is one of the best!

We were both exhausted, emotional, stressed and sullen by Thursday evening and just the mere act of getting out of this fecking city seemed liable to break us. The six pm bus didn't leave until 6.40! It really stretched us to our limit and we finally reached our destination the next day, after a short stop over in my home place which currently resembles a building site! It was a long journey and to be honest we were only fit for lying around and trying not to cry by the time we got there, but now all is well and I am ready and willing to get stuck into living life again as opposed to watching it pass me by from behind a load of stuffy text books! As such I would like to pay tribute to Mary for helping me regain the ability to speak, laugh, think and feel again!

I've got my life back!

I have returned to the land of the living once again! And have survived the latest round of Fe1's as was hoped! A brief word on the exams, as I don't want to really think about them at the moment, 2 went well one didn't go as well as I had hoped so I may have to resit it. Yes it's disappointing but its not over til the fat lady sings and until then I'm going to try and not brood on it. I said I'd try though I'll probably be obsessing about the results silently in my head and publicly here on my site until they arrive, but I will try not to!

Thanks to everyone who admired my pics! I'm gald they were enjoyed!

I have loads of thoughts swirling around my head about potential posts. They include my abject disappointment at Ireland not qualifying for the world cup, mad spending sprees by the Government on computer systems that don't work, Katie Holmes being up the duff and loads more besides but I reckon its all being said and done already by everyone else so I don't think I'll bother now! So seeing as I have been absent from work for so long I will go make an effort at clearing my desk and when things are quieter later will write more later. I've missed musing on stuff here!

Sights around Dublin this summer

Seeing as summer is now well and truly over and that I am about to go missing for a few weeks here are a few of my favourite images of Dublin from this summer. Enjoy!


Statue of a Docklands worker.


A skewed image of the Campanile in Trinity.


Oscar on a rock.


Merrion Square


Dermot Morgan's Chair.




Phil Lynott on Harry St.


Viking Ship


Sean O'Casey Pedestrian Bridge.

Dum dum dah....

And so my final day of work has arrived. From tomorrow until October 12th I will be fully immersed in tort, property and equity in that order! I'm strangely excited by the prospect at the moment! I thought that I would be climbing the walls with nerves and fear, but now it comes down to it I just want to get stuck in. Being in work is the last place I want to be right now!

On the preparation side I have all but two topics on the tort course covered. Which means I have the whole thing pretty much under wraps. The big challenge over the next few days is to remember it all! It's a daunting prospect made even more so by the fact that the papers are horrific. The lovely examiner likes to throw at least 3 different aspects of tort into each question and sometimes adds a little twist to keep it interesting! I'm dreading it, but I've passed 5 and criminal was very similar to tort in layout and I got through it in one go so I just need to get on with it and cram that law into my brain!

I have the whole property course covered now as well. The course is pretty long but the papers are fair so as long as I learn what I need to and the examiner isn't kidnapped by some evil aliens and made to set out a worse than usual paper I have half a chance going into it! Plus on the learning side of it I have only recently learned huge chunks of the most important aspects of the course for the degree exams so I have a head start on it this time round! Same goes for equity!

So that's where I stand. It would be incredible if I passed them this time round and if I don't get them all at least one would take some pressure off. I'm not prepared to consider worst case scenarios... because I just can't!

So wish me luck I'm up on Monday, Friday and the following Wednesday and then I am taking a well earned few days off to rest, relax and rehabilitate! See ya later!

And so we wait with baited breath...again

The not so shocking breaking news story on the Nine O'Clock News last night deserves a mention on today's blog. We are once again waiting to hear if the IRA have disarmed and decommissioned. What will John de Chastelain have to say this afternoon and will it be enough to appease the Unionists?

There's no point getting excited until we see what happens....


They're smiling now it seems....

"The ball found 'God' and 'God' found heaven"

That was my favourite quote of this weekend and was issued yesterday as Peter Canavan scored a fantastic point from play in the All Ireland Football final held in Croke Park.


Peter Canavan is the one being squashed.

It was one of the better All-Irelands in recent years and you would have to admit that Tyrone were worthy winners. They had to play ten games to reach the final and the sense of hunger and ambition in the team was palpable. It was also a fitting tribute to their late team mate Cormac McAnallen, it was terribly moving to see manager Mickey Harte reduced to tears on live television directly after the game and I'm sure not even the thwarted Kerry fans would begrudge the win to Tyrone.

Full of the Joys

I woke up happy this morning! It's a beautiful crisp autumn morning here in Dublin, and while there can be no doubt that summer is on the wane I still can't help enjoying this time of the year. I love the colours in the trees, the crispness in the air and the gradual need to wear comfy wooly jumpers!

I managed to cram in loads of work last night, finished my antibiotics, and had a great nights sleep and it has all added to my good humour today!

But I think it was the small indication of the kindness of people that I witnessed on my walk to work this morning that really cheered me up. It was a small incident really. A woman, not old not young, stumbled and fell on a very busy footpath outside one of the cities dart stations. At least 5 people jumped to her rescue. Picked her up from the path, dusted her down, one woman even gave her a little hug, and I could tell rather than being embarrassed she was put at ease by the kindness shown to her by random strangers. It lifted my spirits too I was glad to see that despite what you hear about modern society becoming more cold and uncaring that there are still people out there who defy those statements.

Just after the London bombings in July of this year there was a horrifying incident on a bus in the same city, where a young man was stabbed by a person he had asked to stop throwing chips at others riding on the bus, including the victim's girlfriend. According to an eye witness article I read in the Guardian (I think) no-one came to the man's pleas for help, he had to make his way from the top deck of the bus to the lower level himself calling for help, meanwhile his killer just left the scene with no intervention. The writer of the piece came to his aid, tried to make him comfortable and called an ambulance, everyone else either left or watched her. One person even refused to give her, her jacket for the dying man's head, as she was afraid blood would get on it. I found the article chilled me to the bone and depressed me. I can understand people's fear in these situations but I would like to think that if I were (God forbid) involved in something like this that I would have the courage to do the right thing.

The small incident gave me an indication that all is not lost. There are still good people left in the world.

A beginning to an end

I received the results for the DIT exams that I took in early September this week. I am very pleased and proud to announce that I now officially have a Degree (Ordinary) Legal Studies (Upper higher merit)! Doesn't that sound fancy!?

I am relieved beyond measure to have at least one thing finished. Now regardless of what happens I can at least train to be a Legal Executive and earn decent money at it too! Still want to be a Solicitor though and am not tempted despite the sickness, tiredness and all round yuckiness to give up on the Blackhall Place Exams! In fact these results have given me a badly needed boost and should help me get to the end with a bit more of a spring in my step!

In the aftermath of a hurricane

I came acrossthis post on my surfing voyage today that caught my attention. I read it and felt really appalled at the behaviour of the volunteer and his search for "warm fuzzies" from the loss of others. But it was the comments that really confused me. Are these people shocked at the attitude of the volunteer or of the refugees or are they excusing the behaviour of the volunteer due to the attitude of the people needing aid? What do you think?

The Trouble with Kate

I just can't resist adding my 2 cents to the debate concerning Kate Moss "The SuperModel" which is all over the media at the moment.

Why the hell does anyone care if she takes cocaine or not? Why is anyone at all surprised that she does drugs? Does she not go out with the gobdaw Pete Doherty, a singer by profession apparantly but I have yet to see any evidence of that talent, who seems to be officially known as a drug user and all round bad boy?



Are the British Media really serious when they talk about Moss being a role model? Surely a woman who was made famous for epitomising "Heroine Chic" is not by any stretch of the imagination an appropriate role model for any young woman.

What is she only a clothes horse? A well paid, over indulged, probably very boring one at that. I don't think Supermodels are reknowned for their intelligence, wit or charm, and if they are then I appologise and the industry needs to get a better marketing strategy!

I know I'm only adding to the stupidity of this story by commenting on it here but the whole thing has appalled me. I'm all for silly gossip pieces in Hello magazine, or Now or whichever publication you chose to indulge in, but those stories have a place there and it has really ticked me off to turn on every single news channel and talk show and see this story as the headline. I hope it dies off soon and I don't have to hear anymore about it!

Abandoned and Broken

There has been a distinct lack of blogging of a substantial nature recently due to my broken ear. I've been lying in my own filth at home scratching and moaning about the pain in my head since Friday evening, and although I am back at work today, that is due to the fact that everyone else has buggered off out of the country and left little old me to fend for myself. It is now 9.45 a.m. and I've been shouted at twice on the phone already. Neither of the said shouting episodes were due to my incompetence I must add, but it seems that it is going to be one of those days!

The upside of the broken ear saga is that I slept a lot over the last 3 days. I sat on the sofa a lot as well. And I did absoloutely no reading or writing.

As a result my plans for finishing the last few topics in tort that remain fell completely by the wayside and most surprisingly instead of being uptight and unhappy about the state of affairs I find myself in I don't actually give a crap! I have enough done at this stage to get me through the exams and what I have remaining to do will be done before a crisis of any nature occurs! This is me being philosiophical! It feels good.

The other upside is that I will be finished in 3 weeks time! Hopefully for good and that gives me the drive I need to just get on with it!

Friday Fun

Your Inner Child Is Angry

You're not an angry person.But when you don't get your way, watch out.Like a very manipulative kid, you will get what you want.Even if it takes a little kicking and screaming.

How Is Your Inner Child?

Ah well, it's not a surprise really

This made me laugh

Feckin Miserable

It's cold.
It's wet.
There is a rat in the air con units which means there's no heat.
I have a sore ear.
I have to go to a friend's fathers funeral tonight.
I'm miserable.

Delinquent Toddlers

I live in a very residential, one time working class, area of Dublin. Nowadays there is a good mix of people there, from young couples with no kids, to families with children coming out the windows. In my street there are quite a few elderly people, who have lived there all of their lives, from what I can gather. My next door neighbour Johnny is one of these people. He's a gentleman. He must be in his 80's, smokes like a trooper, never married and has very little family around. We look in on him from time to time and he seems to drink more of our milk than we do!

Last night I was procrastinating before studying, as you do, when I was drawn to the window by the sound of kids yelling. I love spying on them as they are generally just messing around and it amuses me when I have other things to do, so I took a peek!


Delinquent Toddler!

Outside was this little fecker, who we think is addressed as Kelvin! He must be about 3 and a half. I wouldn't normally refer to children as feckers but this one has earned his title believe me. I feel sorry for him most of them time as he appears to be dumped in his Granny's house early every day and is sometimes collected in the evening. He wasn't able to speak properly until relatively recently and is always on the street. But you can quarantee that if there is mischief to be made he will be in the middle of it. But last night he went too far.

At the time I intercepted him he was pegging stones at Johnny's house. When I ran outside to yell at him I found Johnny on his door step looking very distressed. It then transpired that the young fella had Johnny run ragged, knocking on his door, throwing stones at his windows and following him whenever he left the house. He also told me that the young fella has a fondness for exposing himself in the street and taking a piss up against the houses.

What do you do with that? He's only 3 or so now, what in the name of God is going to happen to him as he gets older? We heard only recently in relation to the riots in the north about kids as young as 5 being involved in the riots, what's next for them? Drive by shootings at 8?

I don't know what to do about this kid. The parents don't give a damn about him. I'm worried about Johnny and his health and would hate to think of him being upset by all of this, which I have no doubt is the case. I'm not around all the time to do the shouting and giving out and I know that won't have an affect for long. It's a bit of a quandry.

Yeeuuggghhhh...

Ratty died in work recently. No one mourned his passing becuase no one realised he was a work colleague until he started to smell.

We can't use the air conditioning until he decomposes and there are no ratty taker awayer people who are willing to pull the ceiling apart to find his corpse.

It's disgusting and although the stink hasn't reached me yet I feel sick just thinking about it. The fact that he was in the building at all is a step to far in my mind.

When I was a teenager I took the bin out for my mother one winter's evening. We live in the country and had no domestic pets at that time and were having a wee problem with rodents. When I opened the lid of the wheelie bin the most gigantic rat ever lept out at me. It was about a foot long and its tail was twice that. I was lucky it didn't land on me and bite me, but it was close. I have a hatred of them since then which is not borne of squemishness, just fear.