Friday, October 27, 2006

We Are Scientists



Paddy and Una and I are going to see them monday and I can't wait!!
They're one of those bands that I can't stop listening to. I love every song on the album bar none,
1. it's all about hi-fives.
2. it's all about woo-hoo's
3. it's all about falling over and having fun.
I might just dance the night away...
(yes I'm a spa, no I don't care.)

OUCH. My poor wallet



They're amazing inear moniters. They had BETTER be for the cost. I wont say how much, Dad'll lose his nut, but lets just say I could've eaten a hell of alot of peanutbutter instead.
They sound amazing.
AMAZING!
( did I mention that they're amazing??)

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

last nite....



We saw this movie last night and were duly frightened...
1. I'm now re-thinking my idea to buy a car. It doesn't seem very important anymore.... I can walk.
2. I'm going to UP my recycling harrassment campaign.
3. Doesn't Al Gore look like JFK?

Then we had T 4 2 at the Killiney Castle (and a jacket potatey!!)

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Hamburg

The Birthday Gig.

Lluther
sup. Moth Complex
Einlass: 20.00 Uhr
Dass Irland nicht gerade das geheiligte Land der Rockmusik ist – ist allgemein hin bekannt. Doch alle Jahre wieder bringt die grüne Insel im Atlantik einen Künstler, eine Band hervor, die dem Rest der Welt den Atem nimmt: RORY GALAGHER, THIN LIZZY, THE CRANBERRIES, THERAPY? SINEAD O’ CONNER oder U2 sind hierbei nur die Speerspitze einer Musikertradition die verglichen zur Einwohnerzahl Ihres Gleichen sucht. Ab Oktober 2005 wird diese illustre Riege um einen weiteren Namen erweitert werden müssen: Lluther Lluther ist das kreative Werk von Gerry Owens. Er ist Sänger, Songschreiber, Arrangeur & Produzent in einer Person. In eine Musikerfamilie in Dublin geboren, sein Vater ist Filmkomponist, lernt Owens bei den ganz Grossen: Produzenten wie Danny Saber (u.a. U2), Dave Ogilvie (u.a. Skinny Puppy), Adrian Sheerwood (u.a. Nine Inch Nails) oder auch Scott Humphries (u.a. Depeche Mode) lehren Owens das Handwerk von der Pike auf, sodass „Agents Of Empire“ wie eine Melange der Creme de la Creme der besten Produzenten der Welt daherkommt.

I know it's in German sorry I can't read it either.
BUT it makes me so excited. I can't wait to play!!!
and look....



Marcel (rock god...) from Die Krupps is going to play a few songs with us!
And Paddy's coming!
Hourrah!
xx

Monday, October 23, 2006

Surf weekend AKA smashface




Paddy took me surfing with his kayak club (Lir) this weekend to beautiful Bundoran, We were in Mayo, then Sligo, then Mayo and back so many times I lost track. It was gorgeous though and a welcome break from Dublin life.
Everyone on the trip (bar a few tagalong girlfriends) was an experienced paddler and well used to being wet. I, on the otherhand, have just started to learn, and the only time I've ever surfed was in the hot Aussie sea hundreds of years ago.


(it's so obvious I'm an awesome surfer from my radical hang ten hand signs)

Needless to say I was filled with butterflies but dying for a go.
But first we had to get there. Insert road trip - always fun (even if you forget to bring your ipod). It's a long ole drive across the country, and the horrible M50 did our heads in, but it would've taken a serious lot more to dampen our spirits. Even me driving, (mostly slowly, mostly in the right lane, with only one short panic attack and an interesting take on the whole 'roundabout' scenario), added to the fun...
One dodgy Indian later, we were there.



We were too late to surf the first night, so the pub was our next stop, and pints and chats were aplenty. Then came the shots, the rat-fur hats and general messiness, so it was time to go to bed...
Paddy, the newly elected Chairman of Lir, was kind enough to rouse us all from our Jagermeister-fueled dreamscapes with pots and pans and 'loud voice' . Finally it was surf time!! We set off in a convoy of roof racks and boats in search of waves or running rivers and drove for ages before the group decided on EASKY in Sligo, a reef break that turned out to be much meaner than she looked. The waves were big and strong and broke hard on the sharp rocky reef. DANGER BAY.(literally!!)



We braved it anyway and the sea bashed us around quite unmercifully. There were some great surfers out and they were a treat to watch but there was NO WAY I was getting anywhere other than hurt in those waves. Enter smashface. I went for it, in a moment of blind panic/bravery/madness and found myself hurtling toward the shore, on a wave, holding on for dear life, looking down at a surfboard COVERED in blood. Brilliant. I'm SO BRAVE!!!



I broke my nose and gave my poor little chin a spectacular bashing. The safety officer called us in and we were off. Exit Easky with bruises for souvenirs, Class.
Next we set off for Tullen Strand,in Donegal bay, a much prettier and friendlier place with steady waves and sandy beach. The shore stretched for miles and was sheltered by a jagged cliff, blackened and weathered by the onslaught of the sea. A magical place really. We surfed into the night, with varying degrees of success, and found ourselves bathed in the most arresting light, difficult to describe and impossible to recreate it was muted and radiant all at once. It was truly magnificent and I haven't felt so red-blooded in years. We were cold, sore from the exhertion but happier than ever. Paddy's a great surfer, I managed a few times up to an almost stand, but mostly some happy backflips and splashes. A great day to say the least.
(wet suits are wonderful!! did you know they keep you warm? even in the Atlantic in the north of Ireland!!)





Dinner, expertly prepared by Claire, with a 'no peppers' option, was spaghetti bolognaise. Normally my LEAST favorite food due to my intense noodle aversion and distaste for such troublesome foodstuffs, I was pleasently surprised to find this meal not only edible, but quite tasty. I'm by no means 'won over' to the wonders of all things pasta, but I'm pleased at the sheer bravery myself and Paddy showed in the endurance of this meal. (he's another noodle skeptic). Man I was hungry. Being cold is hard work. At the pub later that evening things were quite subdued. We were all bolloxed. It was a long full day. Sleepy time.
The next day was full of hangovers (not everyone was as forward thinking when deciding what time to go to bed...) The kayakers ran the Duff river, a short rocky river, quite dry this weekend, with a fun waterfall at the end. (note the sword, essential paddling weaponry...)







Then we spent the rest of the afternoon surfing some gentler waves back in Tullen Strand. It was still great fun but much harder to do anything with. By the end of it my fingers were frozen and red, my face looked like I'd been lying on a sunny beach in Cuba all day and my grin was grinning. I love surfing. I love hi-fives. I love Paddy for being the best teacher ever and for bringing me out with his friends. I love water. I even love my smashface.





xx

Happy Birthday Adrian!!!!










He's 22. OLD MAN! We all pitched in and got him a piano. A GREAT idea at the time, until we got around to trying to move the blasted thing. It's a beautiful 1920's mahogony steelframe piano from Berlin (complete with SNACK wrappers hidden in the back) and it weighs an absolute tonne. Plus it was in a storage container in Lusk, plus it was owned by (the nicest) and craziest woman this side of the Atlantic. She kept repeating herself. She kept repeating herself.

It took hours to move and it hurt....
But it's here now.
As you can clearly see, I was not much help. I did a bit of lifting but spent more time taking photo's, looking at my new shoes and examining the slug who crawled onto my purse at (relatively) breakneck speed.

Sarah - shit what if we have to move sometime soon, I'm not touching that thing again.
Paddy - It's Adrians problem now.

Happy Birthday Sucker!!!!
(xx)

(the highlight was finding these guys in the storage container...scary stuff)

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

In 2 short weeks...

October 31st. Normally my hands-down-all-time-favorite day of the year. This time though, and basically continuously for the past year, Halloween has filled me with fear and trepidation. Namely halloween at midnight....
Why? Two little numbers. Each harmless in their own right, but when put together they become a veritable force to be reckoned with. The big 3 0h. Thirty. (she cringes) Thankfully I'll be in Germany, holed up in a 20's budoir style hotel in the middle of Hamburg waiting to start tour with Lluther (think leopard skin rugs, burgundy velvet everywhere and cleverly placed mirrors). I'll be eased into my 30's by a bit of rock, a visit from lovely Paddy and some serious denial.
on this note, I met my friend Barry yesterday and over lunch opened up about my worries to which he replied, "oh, turning 30 is MUCH worse than you can ever ever imagine."
Great, thanks!!
BUT on this note I was asked for ID the other night in town.
I actually welled up at the sheer joy of it all.

powerscourt












on a much needed afternoon off, I was rescued and whisked away in Paddy's silver carriage to beautiful Powerscourt for some food (all of the food in the world...) some lovely Reisling (yum) and lots of fits and giggles. It was a wonderful respite after a chaotic, and slightly nauseating week.
With every intention of doing the hour long walk of the gardens, and intent on finding a spooky forest, we set off. But like crows, we were easily distracted, and instead found the brightest tree in the Japanese garden and set upon our Reisling like pirates. It was a perfect day (until I tried to drive, but that's for another day...)
some simple truths...
1. relaxing is SO relaxing!
2. hugging a tree actually does do something wonderful for all of the parties involved...
3. Jumping over a bench isn't always the best plan
xx

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

apartment pictures and my gorgeous view....









Aido and I spent HOURS cleaning for our quarterly apartment inspection. Then it lasted 4.2 minutes. Grr. It went well though and I thought I'd take some photo's while the place is lovely and tidy....
I can't take ALL of the credit for the cleaning though. In the height of my busyness, and subsequently the height of my messyness, I came home to find that my room had been cleaned, organised, and cleverley labeled. This was the sweetest gift from a very wonderful person. Thank you Paddy xx

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Viral Laberinthitus

I've got Vertigo, or Viral Laberinthitus. It is simply the worst feeling of all time. I HATE being dizzy. I HATE being barfy. But more than all of that I hate being dizzy AND barfy.
I blame David Bowie.



I always used to wish this were me. now I know how dizzy she felt.

Friday, October 06, 2006

some canadian learning.....





History and Origin of Canadian Thanksgiving

In Canada Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October. Unlike the American tradition of remembering Pilgrims and settling in the New World, Canadians give thanks for a successful harvest. The harvest season falls earlier in Canada compared to the United States due to the simple fact that Canada is further north.

The history of Thanksgiving in Canada goes back to an English explorer, Martin Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Orient. He did not succeed but he did establish a settlement in Northern America. In the year 1578, he held a formal ceremony, in what is now called Newfoundland, to give thanks for surviving the long journey. This is considered the first Canadian Thanksgiving. Other settlers arrived and continued these ceremonies. He was later knighted and had an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean in northern Canada named after him - Frobisher Bay.

At the same time, French settlers, having crossed the ocean and arrived in Canada with explorer Samuel de Champlain, also held huge feasts of thanks. They even formed 'The Order of Good Cheer' and gladly shared their food with their Indian neighbours.

After the Seven Year's War ended in 1763, the citizens of Halifax held a special day of Thanksgiving.

During the American Revolution, Americans who remained loyal to England moved to Canada where they brought the customs and practices of the American Thanksgiving to Canada. There are many similarities between the two Thanksgivings such as the cornucopia and the pumpkin pie.

Eventually in 1879, Parliament declared November 6th a day of Thanksgiving and a national holiday. Over the years many dates were used for Thanksgiving, the most popular was the 3rd Monday in October. After World War I, both Armistice Day and Thanksgiving were celebrated on the Monday of the week in which November 11th occurred. Ten years later, in 1931, the two days became separate holidays and Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day.

Finally, on January 31st, 1957, Parliament proclaimed...

"A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed ... to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October.

the workhorse....

I've been working like a mad working thing lately... It's exhausting but it's been fun so far....I'm back in V2 which is great. I like the job and it turns out I'm not half bad at it. The stress is manageble (so far) and Paddy is helping me by being the most patient and supportive boyfriend in the history of man.
I never though that I'd utter these words but here goes - I am officially a commuter. YUK. I'm developing a morning routine for the first time in my life. (I'm convinced that this must have something to do with my proximity to the dreaded 3-oh)
1. get up BEGRUDGINGLY. I hate getting out of my wonderful cocoon...(x)
2. Moan about how much I hate mornings.
3. Search my poor messy room for something to wear. This is a frustruating experience, there are tears involved at times, but I have yet to learn my lesson. (sorry Dad, I've never quite mastered the art of tidying up. If I haven't learned by now I NEVER WILL!!)
4. RUN for the train.
5. drink my actimel on the train. (sorry, in an aside, this morning the train stopped really quickly and I fell over quite spectacularily and desperately ungracefully. It was VERY embarrasing but as you and I and everyone knows, people falling over is seriously funny stuff so please feel free to picture it and have a little giggle.)
6. Get off at Pearce. Walk past the Dáil (look out for the Taoiseach - ya right)
7. My favorite part. I get to walk through Stephens Green every day. It's amazing walking through the buzz of town in the morning, then suddenly finding yourself in the idylic peace and quiet of the green, blocking out all of the chaos. I took a wee photo. It doesn't cpature the serenity at all but it's pretty all the same.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

beautiful

Someone carved their name (twice) in the front window of Mao with a rock. The second time they spelled it wrong. This is dumb on so many levels. Why can't all urban art be this pretty??



WHY RENARDS??



In the lovely Sugar club...







Duke Special (fabulous!!)
Champagne (bubbly goodness)
Mullally, Mullen, Gaffey and Fox.
potentially a messy night, thank GOD we escaped!