It seems like years since it’s been here
April 5, 2006
I took this week off work. What with one thing and another I had already booked two days off so figured I’d live a little and take the week.
Today I spent the day at a Gaelscoil a primary school that conducts all teaching (and life) through the Irish language. I was recording one of my school CDs. Always good fun to spend a day with kids who seem excited and happy to sing and perform and generally be kids. I used to be so much better at speaking our language but unfortunately it’s a case of ‘use it or lose it’.
Each class arrived into the room and as the day wore on I didn’t find it fatiguing. Playing off the energy of the kids I didn’t even lose patience with the kid who insisted on playing his guitar out of time and loudly. All that remains (“all” he says !) is to edit, mix and overdub. I’ve also got to bring some of the parents into my studio to record some of their playing. That’ll be fun – I enjoy recording traditional Irish music because of the fact that the instruments are all acoustic and the players tend to leave their egos at the door.
It was warm. Parking myself in a large bay window at 8:30 this morning seemed like a good idea at the time. I enjoy working in the light. The sunlight cheers me. By early afternoon I was gasping for a water. By the time we wrapped up at 6:00 I was gasping for a cold beer.
Spring has sprung. This evening I had to change into my shorts and t-shirt. Anyone who knows me will not be surprised at this – I spend most of the year in this garb. I have just walked barefoot downstairs to the kitchen and the soothing cold tiled floor to grab a beer from the fridge
Sometimes that’s all it takes to cheer me. Warm feet on a cold tiled floor. A cold beer in a warm hand. Some laddish comedy on the TV. Kids tucked up in bed and a feeling of having done something worthwhile today.
The Gaelscoil CD will be released by the end of May.
Does my bum look big in this ?
March 28, 2006
My better half does some consultancy work for one of those multinational pharacutical type companies.
Today she was told the tale of a woman who returned a bottle of mouthwash to said company.
The complaint ?
When her husband used this mouthwash on his haemorroids …. it hurt.
NO SHIT SHERLOCK !
I put on women’s clothing and hang around in bars
March 27, 2006
KERA-TV in Dallas have found some lost footage of the Pythons from 1975. According to the blog post it was “discovered on an old reel that had been saved by an engineer…”
Now. If they could only find the lost Lennon interview on BBC TV’s Parkinson that might be interesting.
Graham C. looks rough and a little tired & emotional. I don’t think that’s tea he’s drinking.
Ironic that censorship in the UK is one of the questions.
Thanks to my Hungarian friend for forwarding this to me.
I know I am I’m sure I am I’m H-A-P-P-Y
March 24, 2006
From the New York Times : Irish Eyes Are Winking, You Can Hear the Angels Laugh
But is the laughter of the angels funny-haha or funny-nervous?
Is laughing at your circumstances giving in ? Are you accepting that’s your lot ?
“Sure I may as well laugh because fuck all is going to be done about it”.
I’d like to have seen Des get into some of the new immigrant communities. Now that would have been interesting. What would our Polish friends have to say about their new home ? I’d be interested to find out just what the insular Chinese community are doing. God knows when I’ve said ‘hello’ to any of them they look right through me.
Ate Days A Week
March 15, 2006
It’s Wednesday!
Oompa-Loompa-Doompa-Dee-Do
March 11, 2006
Breaking news:
Ben has written a new song titled “Willie Wonka Is Dead” (I’ll bet the search engines will have fun with that).
It’s a piano ballad and there WILL be a guitar solo.
Lyrics to follow. Ben’s website will be updated with the song (I’ll probably record it this afternoon and mix it tomorrow) and you never know . . . we might even have a video (Heather is working on it).
[2009 update: Ben moved to myspace you can see and hear him at http://www.myspace.com/benrockandroll the links above don’t work any longer ]
Details at 11.
I read the news today
February 25, 2006
I want this to be true. I really do.
Pete Doherty a fraud perpetuated by KLF – really a Buddy Holly impersonator.
I first heard this on Liz Kershaw‘s saturday morning show on BBC 6Music.
I’m going to lie down and have a rest now while I contemplate how funny this could be.
If like me you find the media and (so called) news organizations without credibility, ability or relevance then come join the party.
Smell The Glove
February 20, 2006
One day in 1991 I arrived home from New York to visit family.
In the arrivals area my mum, dad and my niece (Amy aged nearly 3 at the time) waited and waited.
Mum was red from laughing when I arrived. Later I found out why.
Among the arrivals was a [gasp] man of colour.
Yes ! A black man !
“an fear gorm” * indeed.
Now, even in 1991 it was unusual enough.
Being the curious and sparky little girl that she was, Amy pointed “look at that man over there nana !”.
cue silence thinly disguised as “please don’t please don’t”
“nana”
oh god here it comes
“nana that man has a BIG NOSE”
and he did you know !
* (you’ll have to leave a comment if you wanna know what that means)
I’d like to be under the sea
February 19, 2006
We have this goldfish. He eats out of our hand if we let him. That can’t be right? Can it?
turn me on dead man . . .
February 18, 2006
9 Northern Boulevard was just a few meters over the city line between Queens and Nassau County. Above a bar turned beauty-supplies store it was quiet apart from the night the cops woke us at 4:00am to see if some miscreant had stuffed a bag of drugs through our letterbox.
I was home alone in the summer. School was out and I had no more exams to correct or graduations to attend. I hadn’t yet nailed a job to keep me going until September. To kill the time I dissected the Aha song ‘Take On Me’ into its constituent parts, sequencing it note by note into my Roland W30. Getting a computer for this type of play was closer than I thought at the time but might as well have been a century away.
Sometime around when I nailed the big synth solo I heard a child squealing outside. They were in the car park. I pulled open the bug screen and stuck my head out. Not knowing quite what to expect really.
A large man was holding himself up between two parked cars. Screaming. He was scratching at his chest trying to get something(s) to move.
I called out ‘ are you ok ? ‘ and he screamed ‘no’ ‘no’.
This didn’t look right. I ran downstairs and around the block to the car park behind us. Someone else had stopped to see what was happening.
It was Doug. His folks ran the liquor store on the corner of the block and he had just gotten married three weeks ago.
I was speechless and useless. I watched as his lips turned blue. Someone called an ambulance.
I got out of the way when the paramedics arrived.
Later that afternoon I stopped into the liquor store to ask how Doug was.
He’s dead.
He died on the way to the hospital and if I had called the ambulance sooner he might have lived.
It’s 14 years and I still feel responsible. He took the drugs but I feel I could have done something more something sooner.
blue eyed dressed for every situation 