Ed @ Work

You know what to do hen you hear the secret word...

2006-06-12T09:15:00.000-07:00

...SCREAM REAL LOUD!

I was reading this morning and saw that the classic Pee Wee's Playhouse is coming back to the air!

Sure it's on American Television, but that just opens the doors. I myself cannot wait. I gre up on it. I have an old video of Ryan Matuzzi doing a Pee Wee impression in the back yard.

I am personally waiting for my personal favourite, the Fruit Salad Wedding.

Ahh Pee Wee, welcome back.

America Junior

2006-03-31T04:55:00.000-08:00

As I make the preparations to return to my homeland after a few years abroad I have been keeping an eye on the Canadian media - online radio, news papers, blogs etc.

And today at CBC I see that what we feared (well those of us who didn't vote for the America Junior Party) is coming to a head.

Stephen Harper and George W. Bush are kindered spirits.

At the end of the afternoon, Bush described Harper as someone who is in many ways like himself, saying they share "mutual values" and "respect for human life and human dignity." - CBC

The "North Texans" who voted for Stevo must be well chuffed.

I'm not coming back from Europe anymore.

Do your homework.

2005-11-02T08:14:00.000-08:00

Morons in technological circles get "RTFM" when they ask a stupid question.

But what to do when someone sends a stupid email?

Mare does the responsible thing - writes back, educates. Something I used to do as well, albeit wankerishly. It was my equivalent of RTFM.

I used to rant - rant and rave, hit "REPLY ALL" and berate my poor dim witted friend and tell them to pause and think before hitting forward, then provide the whole link to Symantec, Snopes, or whatever other site came through Google. I stopped doing that when people started getting pissy at me.

Instead I started blocking people's emails. I blocked a few people, mostly people I'd mostly lost touch with anyway...you know the ones...the ones who just let you know they're alive by sending you stupid forwards but never send an actual email. Yeah, I started blocking them. It backfired once or twice.

Once I blocked a friend of mine who started giving me shit because I aparently had ignored his email to come over the previous day without any sort of reply. I apologised and then told him never to send me a bad forward again. I unblocked him and we drank come beer and it was cool and I proved my point. No big deal.

The second time was more embarassing. I blocked a girl fro sending me brutal emails thinking I wouldn't talk to her again. Then one day I'm out with friends and there she is. I'm very nice and give a nice hug and kiss and she says "We haven't spoken in ages. I emailed you a couple times and you never came back to me. Where have you been?"

"I gotta admit. I blocked your emails. See you're annoying and our friendship isn't that important to me that I have to put up with that stuff. You'd seen my reactions to lame emails and I still got them. So I blocked you and figured we'd never see eah other again. Sorry."

Pretty cold, eh? Yeah, thats why what really happened was "Golly I don't know - here, try me at this email next time." I don't like to hurt people's feelings. Even annoying email people. I stopped blocking people for no reason.

So what now? I ignore them. I don't read most emails that start with "FW:" or emails with a subject in caps lock. I've decided to stop trying to save the dimwits from themselves and just get on with living. (By living I mean getting emails.)

Happy short-week Wednesday by the way. How's about that for a Halloween treat? Let's hear it for the 4-Day week.

Why does everyone hate the dubs?

2005-10-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

I was hanging out with a mate of mine that works for Bord Gais in the call centre. He deals with people from all over the country and always gets shit from people for being a Dub.

Below is an accurate transcript of his reasoning:

"See, the country people hate us because they say we thinK Dublin is Ireland.

And Cork...well they hate us because they think Cork should be the capitol of Dublin."

Knackers with Crackers

2005-10-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

'Tis the season...and when I say "knackers" I don't mean travellers, I mean those little skanger bastards in tracksuits. (Awesome picture of Des from his new show Fitting In I'm going in November)

Coming up to Halloween the smugglers change their focus from drugs to fireworks and every alley is a big illegal sales bonanza (which doesn't change things much, it just adds to Dublin's junkies, hookers, and kids trying to hock stolen mobiles).

Now that doesn't bother me. I would have loved to have a chance to buy firecrackers when I was a kid. See we didn't do the whole drive to Florida thing so I didn't being back bricks of black cats and cherry bombs and M-80s. I had to rely on the black market which consisted of other kids back from holidays selling firecrackers at inflated prices. Now imagine if every alley had a kid who just came back from South Carolina. A little annoying kid's paradise.

And thats the problem. It's not like anyone's having a fireowrks display - kids are hanging aroung outside my office blowing shit up. Every few minutes "PZOOOO BANG"

I had to blow things up in the burbs in the forest. See in Canada we have police and kids are scared of police. In dublin the Garda are as much a joke for the tracksuit clad youth as mallcops are to kids in North America.

I don't have an answer, I just would like for the kids to do like I done - blow up the suburbs and bother someone else.

WHERE HAS ED BEEN?

2005-10-07T10:27:00.000-07:00

Well I'll tell you. I've been busy.

See I took Natalie to Ibiza for a week. Increible week - it wasn't party party party - we were in a quiet resort in Cala Llonga with the middle aged and young couples with kids. But we did make it out a bit - Pacha for Defmix Saturday featuring Dave Piccioni and David Morales - Amnesia for Cream night and Paul Van Dyk's CD release party. Brilliant...just the perfect mix of relaxing and partying. Just what I needed.

I broke Natalie's nose - not on purpose. She leaned in, I sat up...CRUNCH. It wasn't a bad break, no crookedness, minor bruising and swelling. I was a lucky boy because I could have been in trouble. Plus Wolfgang saw it all so nobody accused me of beating her.

I had pland for London - going to visit the craziest antipodeans I know, when my parents called and invited me to visit them in Paris. So I changed my plans, grabbed a ticket, and headed to gay Paris.

Friday - Arrive late to hostel/bar. Have a beer or two and convince the heming and hawing Americans come with me to a club. On the way I ask for directions and make friends with a guy. We hit it off and start talking in French (I know more than I would have thought) and we fall behind. A dude from Jersey is too drunk and is stopped from going in. French dude argues our case for us and is barred too.

On the walk Jersey starts yelling at Frenchie, "If you try to jack us I'll fuck you up." Sorry, I forgot to mention that my new friend is a Black Urban Dude, who obviously made White Suburban American nervous. So I tell the WSA off and try to calm BUD. Jersey gets lost, My buddy and I head to a club.

He is talking about "music 'ouse" and "We get two girls, little girls with nice *gestures at chest*...you know." I say yes to the music, no to the girls, and we hit the club.

Then we arrive at Pulp for what is obviously gay night (if not a regular gay bar). My man was trying to pick up but wasn't getting far. The music was a good mix of house and disco (I'm talking FUNKYTOWN) but the DJ was terrible (I'm talking terrible). I got the "We are li'l pandas" song stuck in my head, which is frustrating because I KNOW those aren't the words.

My friend and I parted ways and I got my first o 3 crepes over the weekend (ham and cheese first then nutella and banana for the rest of the weekend) and tried for 45 minutes before I got a Taxi.

After a sleep in the dirty Hostel (Peace and Love is overpriced and wasn't the party they claimed - I had to go find my own) I checked out, told the lads I had a great time with the french dude and Jersey's fears were purely based on whatever racial/etchnic hangups he had, and headed to Boulevard Stain Germain.

Visiting with my parents was awesome. We ate and drank and caught up and walked around the sites. Brilliant visit. Best food I've eaten in ages, and the finest chocolate moose I think I've ever indulged in. Such a lucky boy am I - Thank you mummy and daddy.

Now I'm back into the grind. Working hard. Playing hard. I have a new apartment in D4 (time for you all to be impressed). I'm working on my suppliers because I need tickets to the All Black test match in November (if you hear of any hook a brother up).

Now it's Friday night and it's time to leave the office, have for a few pints with a workmate, a few pints with Tony, and a few movies on my couch.

I'll write more often I promise. haha

Cheers

An Ottawa station is doing their part.

2005-09-05T06:40:00.000-07:00

Along the lines of any disaster, the media outlets are being senstive to those involved in the Katrina.

From Chartattack.com:

"Two rock stations near the top of Ottawa's radio dial have opted to remove a listener-favourite song from their playlists for the time being, hoping not to upset any listeners after category 4 hurricane Katrina hit the Louisiana coast, practically submerging New Orleans with flood waters."

Since we're not going to be hearing it any time soon, if it doesn't pain you too much, hum the tune see how much of the Killer Whale Tank monologue you can remember.

Yay Weezer!

2005-08-23T03:48:00.000-07:00

Concert update:

Past:
I had tickets for Marlay Park on Saturday and had a chance to see Underworld and Basement Jaxx.

First of all Marlay park is a great venue. An outdoor venue thats big enough for two stages without sound overlap.

Underworld - I missed the first half (as well as a set by Mylo) because I couldn't be motivated to get a move on the see the daytime shows and events. The second half of the set was increible tho, and they played a few tunes from Beaucoup Fish, the album which was my first encounter (thanks Karin).

Basement Jaxx - super funky set, so much variety in the music. The concert was full of surprises - as in I kept recognizing songs from the club and saying "Oh this is THEIR song?" Funny since the same thing happened with i watched them on TV for Live 8...Still a great show - the only thing that perplexed me was that the singers are big girls, but they spend their lives singing and dancing their asses off on stage yet they're still, well, big. Must be the worst exercise program in history.

Present:
WEEZER! This was a wicked surprise! Last minute tickets for Weezer at the Point, which means that passes to the Point Club. I'm going to have to do some detective work and see where the band is going after the show or where they're staying. I have agents in the major hotels around town so I'll get them to keep their ears open. Come on "randomly" running into the band. hahah Bottom line is I don't have the new album so I'm looking forward to hearing it for the first time live.

Future:
Electric Picnic's still on the horizon. I have to say I'm most excited about seeing Kraftwerk, the pioneers of electronic music, inventors of the modern keyboard, and all around eurobots. Not to mention the 500 other acts and the Silent Disco. It's a week and a half away and I can barely sit still...

Strike

2005-08-17T03:26:00.000-07:00

I've read about the lock out at the CBC. I can't say I know much about it, I've been away since the negotiations started, but there have been labour disputes that are affecting me as well.

You see, now BA's gone on strike and I don't know what we're going to do... Hopefully things remain peaceful as in the protest in the picture below.

By the way...

2005-08-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

Anyone coming through Dublin should give me a shout. I'm always up to show someone around town and protect you from the nackers and yuppies alike. haha In all honesty I'll show you a good one.

When you arrive give me a buzz 086 055 5627.

Ed

Hill-Strath Review

2005-08-16T03:39:00.000-07:00

Well well well - I've heard I'm in the latest HillStrath review. The thing is I sent an email to ol' HSC about a year ago when I was indeed in Killarney.

Since then I've undergone some changes.

Aside from the obvious change of Blog (I removed my whole Killarney Experience with the intention of cleaning it up, taking out personal references, and reposting it but hey I haven't gotten around to it):

I moved to Dublin and have lived here for 11 months.
I pulled up my socks and have been at MindShare Ireland as an account manager for at least 8 months. I'm currently on a one-year sponsorship to stay until May 2006, lucky for you otherwise you'd be reading "Back in Canada Blog."
I've travelled to Italy, England, and the Netherlands and will shortly be taking advantage of a free trip to Ibiza care of Ireland on Sunday (I won a creative contest - go figure). Plans for the next 9 months include Home (we'll see if I can get off work early enough for Carol Service), Greece (visiting friends in Athens then jetting off to the islands, and then a tour of the US to visit all the sound Yanks I've met this side of the pond. Somewhere in there is supposed to be a boys weekend in Prague but who knows. Travel plans materialise and disappear so easily when you're living this life.
I've found that in foreign countries the ex-pats stick together (with a particular emphasis on the Commonwealth). As a result I think I'll be the only person to live in Ireland for two years and return with the worlds worst Irish accent but a passable Kiwi accent. I have an unhealthy addiction to Tim Tams with my tea, Pineapple Lumps in the freezer, and marmite (the red label, not that English crap) on my toast.
There is more but at the moment I have a lot of work to do and Blogging's not my top priority.

So post a comment. I'd love to hear what else is going on. Just a note to let you know that I have been googling my old classmates and I know exactly what's been going on in your lives. The more comments I get the more I'll try and update.

Well best of luck, drop us a line, and I might see you in December.

His name is Alex.

2005-07-11T04:16:00.000-07:00

Clancy's gone back to Australia this morning. It was kind of unexpected because he was supposed to have a tour through Canada at the end of the month before heading home, but the annual psych testing for police service is this week and he had to change plans to make it home in time.

So of course we had a party. It's a funny time - a transitional time in the lives of foreigners in Dublin...that is a lot of people are gone. The students studying English have gone home for the long hot summers, work contracts are up, visas are expiring, and although we'd packed the apartment, balcony and the hallways with people at the last party, this time we had a more intimate gathering...no more than two dozen.

The best story was facilitated by a classic joke from the last party. One of the german guests "accidentally" bought a bottle of non-alcoholic wine as a housewarming gift. So when Frank turned up without a drop of booze we let him have a beer or two before making the switch. FIrst, a little about Frank. He's an older resident of the hostel who is legendary for being being a fixture in the hostel for almost two years...everyone knows him and his habits, from the drinking to the singing to sneaking kisses from the girls. We told him the beer was gone but he could have this bottle someone left.

After a glass he saw through the ruse and found a bottle of vodka - we sent him home sortly after.

The non-alco wine turned out to be a light fruity and refreshing drink...a welcome change for me after a pile of Dutch Gold (6 tallboys for €7 - pure class).

Anyway best of luck to Clancy, and here's to making that visit to Canada sooner rather than later.

Islamic group claims attack and makes lame excuse.

2005-07-07T06:35:00.000-07:00

The "Secret Organisation Group of al-Qaeda of Jihad Organisation in Europe has calimed the attacks, reports the BBC.

Here is the full text. Note the disclaimer: "He who warns is excused."

That is bloody convenient. I'm moving to an extremist communityt in an Islamic country - then I can rape and pillage and steal and murder and it's all fair...as long as I give warning.

I wonder if screaming "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" as you reach for your gun counts.

Think I can send an anoymous letter saying "I'm going to steal your car," then call on that in my defense if I am caught and they're trying to cut my hand off?

(Disclaimer - I know the people who planted this bomb are a separate and extremist group that does not represent all Islamic and Arab people...)

All joking aside, this proclamation suggests that there is more planned, not for some indeterminate future, but for the very real and forseeable near future.

I have to give the politicians credit for forming a firm and confident front in light of these events, but I'm sure that on some level they're as afraid as the people who are holed up in their homes, schools, and places of employment.

Read on:
In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate, may peace be upon the cheerful one and undaunted fighter, Prophet Muhammad, God's peace be upon him.

Nation of Islam and Arab nation: Rejoice for it is time to take revenge against the British Zionist Crusader government in retaliation for the massacres Britain is committing in Iraq and Afghanistan. The heroic mujahideen have carried out a blessed raid in London. Britain is now burning with fear, terror and panic in its northern, southern, eastern, and western quarters.

We have repeatedly warned the British Government and people. We have fulfilled our promise and carried out our blessed military raid in Britain after our mujahideen exerted strenuous efforts over a long period of time to ensure the success of the raid.

We continue to warn the governments of Denmark and Italy and all the Crusader governments that they will be punished in the same way if they do not withdraw their troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. He who warns is excused.

God says: "You who believe: If ye will aid (the cause of) Allah, He will aid you, and plant your feet firmly."

(By the way, authorities are denying claims anyone had a warning of the bombing now - was the Press Association wrong? Will we hear any more of this or will it be allowed to dissappear into the din like some of the early reports from Septenber 11th - remember the reports of explosions in the towers before the plane's crashed that were queitly forgotten?)

Tragedy in London

2005-07-07T03:41:00.000-07:00

The city of London has ground to a halt as explosions rock the transport system.

I'm reading the BBC and can't believe what I'm seeing. They say six explosions of unknwown origin were reported at Liverpool Street, Aldgate East, Edgeware Rd, Kings Cross, Mooregate, and Russel Square. Every tube line has been affected and the subway is shut down - not that anyone would be clambering aboard the a lone running train considering what happened.

A double decker bus blew up at Tavistock Square and now the bus system in Central 1 has been suspended.

When I'd visited London I'd wanted to stay, I even did a little research into getting a visa before deciding to stay in Dublin. (The fact I was about to get my sponsorship was a big factor).

Is it selfish of me to say I'm glad I made the "right" choice? I want to say no, but at the same time I can feel it building up bad karma. I think of all the time I spent on the tube in two short days, running in and out via the stations hit and I can only imagine what it must be like, not only for the people affected and their families, but also the nakedness and loss of trust in the security of one's home town.

How can anyone be expected to climb back on the tube and go about their business once the rubble is cleaned up? I'd feel naked on the train every day, open to the whim of some nut.

As it stands I'm texting all over to see how things are with my friends in the city. I'm worried and hope I get some responses soon. I'm sure the mobile networks in the area will be rediculously overburdened for the rest of the day at least.

What's struck me the most was this:

"And the Press Association quoted union officials as saying sources had told them there had been at least one explosive device on the Underground. "

Every day it's someone's job to judge cals like this as an inflamatory yet empty threat or a very real and urgen concern. Today someone made the wrong call.

We'll keep watching keeping our thoughts with everyone affected.

And Lord please make this the last of it.

Worst Product Placement Ever

2005-07-05T06:08:00.000-07:00

So Karla Homolka is out today - about 50 years early in my opinion and the opinion of so many other Canadians.

But I'm not here to talk about her. We know she will be relentlessly tracked by people who believe there has been a miscarriage of justice. She deserves a media circus in her yard at least. Private anonymous citizenship is for people who aren't, well, YOU.

No what I'm here to write about is the worst product placement / endorsement I've ever heard.

"It sounds stupid but I want an Iced Cappuccino from Tim Hortons."

I'd hate to be a marketing exec for Timmie's at the moment. To spin it or to ignore it?

I'd choose ignore - the hubub will die down eventually. If it were someone with a more benign past, a political pisoner whose imprisonment became unfashionable as times changed I'd latch on. if Nelson Mandela came out of prison saying "Man I want a can of coke" it would be a marketer's dream. I'd take that momentum and run with it.

But Karla, no no no. Better to ignore it, hope too many people like me don't bring attention to it, and let it quietly fade into history. There's no real association there - she's just a nut who likes creamy frozen beverages. Just because they sell a delicious alternative... I mean, no reasonable people would see a failure to discontinue the Iced Cap line just to punish Karla Homolka as supporting her upon release.

Would they?

Tuscany

2005-07-04T14:13:00.000-07:00

I'm off to Italy in a few weeks. Taking it easy in a villa outside of Florence.

I've heard the stories of the Tuscan countryside. A beautiful place to take a bit of a vacation and forget the Guinness stank and the Liffey stank and the Thomas Street skanger stank. I think it will be pretty effective, that picture there...thats where we're staying.

I know, I nearly dropped the plot too. A 200 year old farm house. It's a bit more than I'd be expecting of a vacation in my financial situation. I mean a hostel with fewer than 12 beds was a luxury when I first moved to Dublin. But this is different, this is a birthday present. A room with a view and a visit with my sister and brother-in-law. Brilliant.

For one week we three city folk will have ten acres. A pool (oh God a pool...life hasn't been the same without one). Vino in the garden:

Not to say that this will be the best part of the trip. The best part will be my family.

See Heather and Aksel and I are going to Italy but the prior week they're coming to Dublin with Dan and Dad. We're seeing my old stomping grounds in Killarney and my current haunts around Dub.

I can't wait. It will be just whats needed to tide me over for the next six months till Christmas (Lord already? It's already been 6 months since I was home?)

As for Tuscany? Well that will tide me over until...well - my next vacation, thats another story.

I've never been around so many...

2005-06-28T02:11:00.000-07:00

U2 fans that is. They've been everywhere.

Of course it has to do with their epic return to Croke Park, the three shows over four days that had people come from around the world, the Irish leg of the Vertigo tour.

I didn't have tickets. Don't cry for me, I didn't want tickets...not the biggest U2 Fan. While Sange was sleeping in the street waiting for the boxoffice to open I was safely home in my bed. When others were shelling out £175 (yes thats Sterling) for tickets I was laughing at the fervor worked themseves into for the band that shamefully produced Pop.

But this weekend it was unavoidable. After I dropped Nat at the gates I walked around the stadium and hung out with the other people who didn't have tickets.

The difference between them and me was they were watching the stadium lights like they could see Bono himself and emphatically sang along to every chorus. There were hundreds of people crammed into the small lanes along the North Circular road with a bag of cans and a bellowing voice. Only in Dublin.

I walked around wand watched the touts go home and the crap vendors pack up or wait around to grab the people on their way out. (By the way what the hell is with Irish people and those multicoloured, leopard print, zebra print, flourescent cowboy hats? I thought they were a staple of Hen parties but apparently they're so hot right now as concert gear as well.)

I watched the interviews and marvelled at how meaningful U2 is to people, how every song has something so special. To me they were/are just another band.

But the emotion and stories people told almost made me want to find the closest scalper and spend whatever it takes. (Point of interest, they call scalpers "touts" out here. Apparently they didn't have the same experience of meeting natives, screwing natives, getting scalped by natives in retribution like we did in North America.)

Almost. I got over it. I listened to the music and U2 was still just a band.

Clancy and Wolfgang succumbed tho, being fans and all. It is Clancy's first concert ever (he's Aussie, give him a break, they son't get the big shows all tucked away down there) so he was obviously excited. Like a kid in a candy shop he wore the tour shirt Nat bought him the night before all day, just waiting to go.

I had to keep my eyes on the prize - Electric Picnic tickets (camping) today, hopefully Sonic Youth with the Chemical Brothers on payday... It's a brilliant concert season.

Now I just have to get Oxegen sorted out and I'll be grand...

I am hated by all my friends.

2005-06-22T07:38:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I did it. Maybe it was the combination of the new phone and all the technological possibilities. Maybe it was the free call credit that came with it and my UNSTOPPABLE desire to spend.

Most likely it was my memory of an old email from Layzell - an insanity test stating "If you can look at this picture for 30 seconds and not laugh you're insane."

It was just a picture of an F1 car and a sound byte. I don't have to describe the sound, you'll know it as the crazy frog. Back then, there was no frog with his weiner hanging out, there was just the Insanity Test.

And I loved it.

So last week when Jamster jumped up on my screen I clicked the damned thing and signed up to download the Crazy Frog Remix tone. I ended up accidentally signing up for three different ringtone "clubs" at €4 each, but at the end of it all I got it. I got The Crazy Frog Remix, the Crazy Frong Axel Foley Remix, and the Crazy Frog Virtual Pet (oh I have to check on the bugger now...one sec...He was sad. I had to play with him and love him and wash him).

Yeah, the Crazy Frog Tomagotchi lives on my mobile. The picture below shows how you play with his "bellybutton." OK Come on we all know it's his willy - I show everyone how you make the frog happy by didling his wang and it gets the same reaction...you can't help but laugh.

My problem is that everyone hates the frog so much (I am a closet fan - not for long) that they cringe when they hear it. I'm losing my friends. They're making me choose between them and the ringtone.

Its been great the past few days, just me and my ringtone, but I'm getting lonely. I might crack and change back to the Nokia tune, but I still have my pet.

Gotta go - he needs a bath.

Hair of the Dog

2005-06-05T12:20:00.000-07:00

Oh I needed a hangover remedy today, today but my stomach was in bits so there was no chance I was getting anything even remotely beer-like into me. A fry up and a couple cups of coffee later and I was grand.

Despite the fact I had the worst head/stomachache ever today, I have to say the "Here's to the Cultural Revolution" Heineken pint glasses look class. Good job.

Then we went to the Butter Museum. No lie! Butter. The history of butter making in Ireland. It was a big long Kerrygold ad. I went with a few friends, tourists all.

We made the best of it and it churned out to be a good afternoon.

I have so little to day. Qube looks like it had potential but it was cheesy 80's music last night downstairs and that shite 70's cover band upstairs. I spent the night helping a friend of mine get away from a guy who was being creepy. The fact she kep kissing him between pleas for help behind his back meant it was kinda hard to get the point across that we were leaving without him. We sorted it and made the trek uphill to the house where I slept through Troy.

So it's been rainy and crappy all day so I've been in an intrnet cafe. A few quiets after Siobhan gets off work, and then back to Dublin.

Speaking of Dublin - I'm never leaving again. As soon as I arived in Cork I got a text from Nat saying "You should be here. Group of kiwis in all black jersies teaching paddies the haka. u could be up there"

I leave and something cool happens. I wanted to be there - Luckily with the Lions tou there will plenty of opportunity to watch rugby with Kiwis and they will teach me the haka. Nat offered to teach me but girls can't do the haka. Everyone knows that. ahaha

Ka ora

So...

2005-06-02T02:06:00.000-07:00

I guess this is how you pet that crazy frog.

(This is from the Jamster Website. Crazy bastards)

Des Bishop has got to stop whinging.

2005-05-31T12:27:00.000-07:00

I realise this DVD is years old. I'm foreign, I just saw it. Get over it.

He's grand. The DVD is funny. But man does he whine.

I did the same damned thing - worked for minimum wage in the service industry for four months in a small town in Ireland. I was broke all the time. I had money 3 or 4 days a week. I would steal soup from the kitchen instead of shopping (we didn't even get a discount on soup). I would nick the soda bread and butter for a snack before bed. The condiments in my fridge were single serving packets from behind the bar. I lived on coffee and orange squash and whatever I could remember to buy on payday.

I loved every minute of it.

I understand what he's trying to do - call attention to the people who have to do it for life instead of people like us who were tourists, but really there's more to do, even on minimum wage, than whine.

I think Des' problem is that he doesn't drink. If you have the small town club to look forward to the shifts fly by. How many times did I dance and sing while mopping up at midnight just because we were going to the Grand? No time to complain there. If you're hung over you haveto be productive How many times did I move so slowly in the morning because I couldn't risk shaking my throbbing brain after a hard night out on the piss? No time to complain then.

It makes me wonder how he was SO BROKE all the time when he doesn't drink. He complains about being broke and having no money and being broke and having no money but he never "accidentally" drops over a hundred euro at the bar. He never ever said "Lets have a shot" and turned around to find 10 people standing behind him. He never stayed up all night watching EuroNews until dawn because the next day is a day off and you don't want to sit around being broke in favour of sleeping all day.

Yeah living and working like that blows. And Des is right it's worse when you can't just stop and do something else or go back to your old life. You can make your point, but leave the bawling to Sally Struthers.

Unlimited power

2005-05-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

I saw it again. Meh. It's all I can say. It's just there. It exists now. Yahoo.

I saw it for the first time in London. I was a mess from Saturday so I fell asleep periodically in the middle. I missed so much but it's not like I couldn't figure it out. It was OK. I had my beefs. I still hate the way George Lucas keeps putting in the cutesy little filler. The movie's long enough - you don't need cute tiny remote controled robots. Or robots who have funny personalities - They're battle robots - who would give them pogramming that would be detrimental to their ability to fight? Ok Enough.

Ihad plans to see it again. We went for a pint and watched the Liverpool-AC Milan match (left at half and I thought Milan had it in the bag...who knew?) before the 9 PM show. At precisely the Jedi slaughter I started getting drowsy and soon was asleep for the whole movie.

That's my review. I saw it twice and slept through part of it BOTH times. It wasn't bad - it was much better than Episodes I & II - but it wasn't good. It just exists. The wookies didn't lend anything to the story. They were just window dressing. The deep Jedi conversations didn't show insight or a deep understanding - they were fluff. The list goes on.

That's kind of dissappointing - this Epic prequel trilogy consists of two shite movies and a movie I'd forget about if it weren't Star Wars (kind of like Battlefield Earth would be nothing without L. Ron Hubbard's writing credit).

Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, My rating: meh.

Demon Days

2005-05-24T16:05:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is payday ... well now if you take into fact that it's just past midnight. That means aside from paying for the trip to London (well worth being broke for the rest of the month. Oh Jeebus. I walked up to kids drinking in the park and asked them if they were chavs. They said no then offered to let me sniff solvents with them - I said no by the way) I have to buy the new Gorillaz album.

The last one was incredible. It was my favourite makeout music when I first got it, then I listened to it and decided numbers 1-13 were my favourite songs and it would destract me from the task at hand.

There's been so much said about the last one and its merits and faults. I'm no music critic, I know that I loved it and since I've been here I've wasted many of my MyCokeMusic credits downloading songs I have on CD somewhere. Despite the fact I've also wasted credits on songs from the Hoff's latest album it still means a lot that I'd buy the same songs twice.

I saw them with Erin when they came to T.O. Cool concept in integrating the audio and visual aspects of a live cartoon show...the problem lay in the fact that to keep the music in synch with the videos the concert allowed for very little diversity from the band. It sounded like the CD on random. We sat in the back and drank and enjoyed it anyway.

New album. Fascinating.

Damn my weakness for sweetened coconut.

2005-05-24T14:54:00.000-07:00

Well it's always time for a new blog. Nobody read my old blog. I email my parents now and I wrote specifically for them.

The last new blog I started lasted um, 3 posts. I invited my lazy friends in to and I think Nico posted maybe once. Silly children. Maybe since I'm being blackmailed I can keep something up. Stories? Ask me why I fell out with the Aussie giants on Saturday at the pub crawl. I was supposed to stay with them next time I'm in London - then I made them angry and that was that.

I know what I have to do to build a proper blog that will last. Just have to follow the lead of my mentor.

It takes association with a blogosphere. It takes commitment to posting each and every day (Tony has posted multiple times a day every day for years - I have lost track of the man - Even when I was more involved I couldn't keep up).

It's funny. Blogging. It's something you do for other people. You always write for your audience. Thats one of the reasons I'm not a huge fan of LJ...they're written under false pretences.

I'd abandoned a few blogs. 2 to be exact. I am a part-time blogger on two others. I have one startup (this one). Lets see where it goes.

Desole Philippe. When I have a bit more time (mostly waiting for pages to load - broadband my ass) I'll link back to the site that was here yesterday and see what I can do about an Irish community and some content on here.

'Night.

By the way, what the hell is wrong with my broadband? No matter how many times I call to complain it still doesn't work the way it should. It took me forever to create this blog and post. It should take 5 minutes. Why don't I change providers? I don't have any faith in the alternatives being better. I'm slightly jaded.