A Complete Explanation Of Everything

The heart is deceitful above all things...

2011-03-26T01:11:00.001Z

Oh lord and how...

Back in the groove, peeps...

Change

2008-11-06T00:07:00.002Z

The year is 2012.

The Governator and President Palin take the Oval Office by sheer force of personality as a wiltin' Joe Biden collapses in a heap of corruption and America's 47th Vietnam in Ossetia.

"Hey Sarah, what does this red button do..."

"Well Arnie, to tell you the truth I don't know but it looks an awful lot like socialism to me..."

"Damn Commies"

"The only good Russki is a dead one Arnie..."

"Let's launch a first wave counterstrike, they'll never expect it..."

"Yes we can, Arnie, yes we can..."

Don't forget to vote Palin / Schwarzenegger in 2012.

Change we need.

Ed'n'Ernie in Dunfanaghy...

2008-10-27T23:06:00.002Z

Was going to start slagging my fellow blogging reprobates on my to read list about their inactivity when I noted, my content is similarly parlorous of late...

Anyway, offered 10k by an employer you don't like? That was Ed's beef, he's still telling the story in the wilds of Dunfanaghy in Co. Donegal... Unintelligibly, at low volume but he bought me a pint and that's the important thing...

As for Ernie, well he's a grand lad with a dead missus (of one year) and he bought me a Jameson after he came from playing the fiddle... A very dry, sardonic wit, that shone through the copious amount of alcohol he had taken...

Dunfanaghy is a good town.

Back to Donegal in the future, methinks...

Work, Drink, Fly...

2008-10-10T21:45:00.002+01:00

Man, times are tough in this topsy turvy world but I don't gots the time to be concerned... Work is manic right now and showing no signs of slowing down for the foreseeable future, although all sorts of successor and change management issues are rearing their ugly heads, things could become pleasant or downright nasty...

Still, the work is engaging at the minute, which hasn't always been the case so there is something to be said for that...

Off to Barca for three days tomorrow, don't know when I'll be checking back in here but stay safe out there kids!

The Realities underlying the current Economic Crisis...

2008-10-03T00:07:00.001+01:00

This thread has so much that I disagree with, it would take a 10,000 word thesis just to address all the points.

Marx however just delivered an analysis of capitalism, he never delivered anything in the realm of an alternative and to decry experiments carried out in his name is to fundamentally misunderstand him... I've alot of time for Rousseau but he was pure bourgeois in the same way that Marx couldn't keep his dick in his pants... Maybe that's real socialism...

There was alot of purity in the attempts of Lenin and Engels to address those deficits in the fields of morality, culture, etc., that you perceive but as always...

I turn this argument on this head!

Are you telling me, what we live isn't an evil system?

Where is the great art of today? Where is the soul, where is the morality of this system?!?

In a time when productive capacity is unequalled, we still have needless suffering in quantum disproportion...

You tell me, this is an efficient system? You tell me it allocates scarce resources to their best effect?!? It has no morality this system and maybe it shouldn't, but at least I'm prepared to countenance that and challenge that...

We simply must ask what we want from an economy, from a society and then either agree or beg to differ and go off in collective humanism or rapacious individualism and have some final conflict a hundred years from now...

Either that or one further external event will force us into a reckoning beyond our meagre comprehension...

I'm getting another beer because all this futility, though I deeply love the romanticism of futility, tires me...

There is too much worth exploring in this existence to spend our time in so conceited a fashion and yet we hold to the vanities of the past with such a cast iron grip that we scare the very humanity within ourselves...

I wish it were not so... But conditions determine consciousness and it will take a generation to achieve something different...

Better or worse...

Bruise Pristine

2008-10-01T00:39:00.002+01:00

I've got a black tattoo on my right upper arm. Over the past 2/3 days it's been covered in an almighty black / purple / yellow / beautiful blue bruise. Through some fault of mine own and some fault of my erstwhile friends. That's what 30th birthday parties for friends do, I just had to challenge that guy's jujitsu knowledge! Who wouldn't???

Anyway, outside of that, the financial world is melting down faster than that dude who fell into the toxic waste at the end of Robocop. Nothing more to say there, the 'pin is responding admirably but we're ushering in a new age of uncertainty, socialising capitalism...

Not a new paradigm, as that is thoroughly distasteful but it does taste different...

The circle game...

2008-09-22T22:05:00.002+01:00

I was going to call this post, "A Head Full of Blue", after the Nick Johnstone book but I'm pretty sure that's already been used. So I went for the Joni Mitchell title instead, even though the Ipod has now randomly selected "Clouds"... Freaky. Out of 16,000 plus songs...

Anyway, the salient point (there is one?) of this post, was going to be a very long bitch about work and how just when you think you're on top of things, you find yourself back to square one. I suppose, it's natural in a sense, whenever there is transition and you go from being an authority on something to being the new kid on the block, there will be a certain amount of putting up with stuff.

At the minute, my tolerance is now in the red zone on the dashboard and if you were to draw a heatmap of where certain issues are, I'd be all over it. To be honest, in one sense, things are fine, I don't have to push the issue as it were but I've never been one too comfortable in lying back and thinking of England on the job.

I don't have much in life but I've been endowed with a certain misguided sense of professionalism, even though I'm utterly disconnected from the various economic modes and the capitalist ethos. I just like doing things well and being respected, a certain Pavlov's dog inherent contradiction, I must admit... But like my t-shirt says, existentialists do it pointlessly...

So how was that for a ramble?

Went to see Islands (Canadian band) in The Underground on Saturday night, knew next to nothing about them but they were ok, the show finished like @ 10pm, so they could clean the place out and bring in the next bunch of dance punters?!? What the hell is up with that? For €15, I expect at the very least a bad indie dance club...

A terrible venue with very much the mauvais esprit pour moi, it'll take something special before I darken their doors again.

And go round and round.

In the circle game.

Best Discussion Forum / Most Useful Website in Ireland

2008-09-16T19:17:00.003+01:00

thepropertypin

Best Discussion Forum / Most Useful Website in Ireland

2008-09-16T19:17:00.000+01:00

thepropertypin

Festival Bogroll...

2008-09-08T17:43:00.002+01:00

Just finished off the last of my Electric Picnic stash there, you know the roll you've managed to squeeze into a handy pocket for the entire weekend in case the urgent need overpowers you?

We managed not too badly down there although I did head to the longdrop Saturday morning on the Jimi Hendrix campsite which was not such a smooth move... People were actually being physically sick at the sight of what greeted them inside, maybe they would have been sick anyway but it certainly didn't help...

Naw, main stage, mid-day, the brand new porta-loos that's where it's at, you can't forget paying the extra €20 for the comfy crappers, that's not down with what a festival is all about...

It's no picnic...

2008-09-04T20:33:00.002+01:00

Not really recovered yet from the weekend's exertions, also had a night out (Tuesday) for a mate who was briefly returning home from China and that led to pain (Wednesday).

I've noticed alot of my sidebar blog links are going on hiatus, it's like ennui has hit the lot of them, I can't help but think I'm the common connection and some sort of Tom Parlon-esque jonah but I refuse to become part of that flowing tide!!!

This blog shall persevere!

A bastion of inanity shouted into an intellectual void like a blind drunk staggering home from a night on the tiles at 8 in the morning...

Anybody spied any foxy (female) bassplayers recently? I'm all out... And I refuse to put Kim Deal up...

EP - Schedule of Events

2008-08-26T23:07:00.002+01:00

Ok looking like... Although this latest leak of the timings is likely to be revised several times between now and Friday morning!!!

Friday ->

17.45 - 18.45: New Young Pony Club - Electric Arena (I have a CD, must listen to it more!)

18.45 - 19.45: Beer - Around & About (an old favourite and a highly consistent act)

19.45 - 20.15: Joan as Policewoman - Little Big Tent (I've seen her before, she's alright...)

20.15 - 21.45: Goldfrapp - Main Stage (New record is good, old stuff is pretty good)

21.45 - 23.00: Random Drunkenness

23.00 - 00.00: Gomez - Crawdaddy Stage (What bleedin' choice is there?!?!)

Saturday ->

13.00 - 13.30: Super Extra Bonus Party - Electric Arena (What I've heard thus far sounded ok)

13.30 - 14.00: Beer Run

14.00 - 14.30: Oppenheimer - Cosby Stage (see above)

14.30 - 15.00: Beer Run

15.00 - 15.30: The Radio - Little Big Tent (one of these used to be in The Chicks, I think!, again heard some decent stuff on the radio)

15.30 - 17.00: Beer & Avoiding Cathy Davey - Around & About (Two noble past-times, together at last!)

17.00 - 18.00: The Breeders - Electric Arena (Big Dave's favourites...)

18.00 - 19.45: Random Drunkenness

19.45 - 20.15: Lisa Hannigan - Crawdaddy Stage (Will stay as long as poss before...)

20.15 - 21.35: Wilco - Main Stage (4th time I've seen 'em at this stage, is it?)

21.35 - 22.45: Beer & Avoiding Josh Ritter / Franz Ferdinand (I may hang for some of FF's set but I've seen them twice already!)

22.45 - 00.00: Tindersticks - Crawdaddy Stage (A civilised end to the evening...)

Sunday ->

12.15 - 12.45: Ham Sandwich - Crawdaddy Stage (If only to heckle Podge)

12.45 - 13.00: Toilet Break

13.00 - 13.45: Hayseed Dixie - Main Stage (The hits of AC/DC played at breakneck bluegrass speed? But o'course...)

13.45 - 15.15: Toilet Break

15.15 - 16.00: Gemma Hayes - Crawdaddy Stage (Third time live...)

16.00 - 16.30: Fart Around...

16.30 - 17.15: Sinead O'Connor - Electric Arena (Pourquoi pas...)

17.15 - 17.50: Patient shuffling

17.50 - 18.50: CSS - Electric Arena (They're off the hook, dontcha know...)

18.50 - 19.15: Farting around mixed with some patient shuffling and maybe a toilet break

19.15 - 20.35: Stephen Malkmus - Crawdaddy Stage / Grinderman - Electric Arena (Can't choose between the two here...)

20.35 - 21.20: Hang around waiting for...

21.20 - 22.50: My Bloody Valentine - Electric Arena

22.50 - 00.00: Sex Pistols - Main Stage

Monday ->

00.00 - 12.00: Pain, very little sleep and decamping...

Pub Cam Dublin...

2008-08-24T22:15:00.002+01:00

Was rummaging around the old hard drive and found this, which was nice.

Olde time nostalgia...

Train of Love...

2008-08-24T22:12:00.002+01:00

A homecoming, a christening and a divorce.

Not sure I can take many more weekends of this and o'course, it's Electric Picnic next weekend so it's no sleep till Denver at that rate.

There are questions but I'm not sure we could possibly face the answers.

Truth / Lies

2008-08-21T02:53:00.002+01:00

A mafioso gangster thieving conman thug wrote:

"People say that I caused it, don’t they. But that’s wrong. I would have dug us out of it. It takes you a while to do it."

Lies.

shanegl wrote:

"He's a fucking scumbag"

Truth.

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhqleycwidql/

With thanks to: Sidewinder

Finfacts - Tour De Force...

2008-08-18T21:07:00.002+01:00

Analysis: Irish Economy - Cowen and the 100 days' milestone - a Political Pygmy amongst the Oireachtas Lilliputians

A stunning Tour De Force here from Finfacts founder, Michael Hennigan.

I don't agree with all the final conclusions but it's a bloody brilliant stab at recounting the entirety of why we are in this debacle.

And then there's a little article from our good friend on the 'pin, we know him as "Mortgagebroker" but he's really called Karl Deeter and he has quite a good article which he linked on the 'pin, today entitled:

‘For what it’s worth’ - the concept of property prices

Which I think, even for the initiated is worth a read...

All this I suppose serves to cement, the 'pin's status as, "The best damned website in Ireland!", hopefully Damien and the judging committee will remember those words come judging time at the Irish Web Awards.

Deux Chevaux...

2008-08-16T23:22:00.006+01:00

Nice BBC Article on France's oldest and most recognisable mass produced motor...

Spotted one of these beauties when I was on the West Coast in France recently, not the one pictured, but it's some nice nostalgia all the same. They were really common when I first hit the roads in France over 25 years ago but I don't think my Grandad had one. He was more of a Renault Cinq man...

Unforeseen Site Conditions...

2008-08-15T00:46:00.002+01:00

I was coming back from the pub earlier, my best mate is over and his first born daughter is about to be christened in the locality so it can be forgiven!, and they had sandbags out down the town.

Things are that bad.

I'm thinking Electric Picnic is going to be something special.

Luckily, I have my fishing waders...

In need of some validation?

2008-08-15T00:41:00.005+01:00

Irish Web Awards

“The idea started with the Irish Blog Awards and the recognition that there were so many categories. People said there should be the same kind of awards for websites,” he said citing sites like Boards.ie, which has 140,000 members, The Property Pin, Ask About Money and Politics.ie, which rarely, if ever, feature in awards.

Fame! And we only live till Tuesday!

Trollin', trollin', trollin'...

2008-08-15T00:35:00.002+01:00

"... being self employed is more responsible… can’t get fired and can give yourself a raise anytime you want."

truecasey.com

Too good to be true?!?

Toll Free Motoring...

2008-08-15T00:27:00.004+01:00

Yeah, does it still count if you need an outboard motor?!?

Fanning the flames (of Socialism...)

2008-08-03T21:46:00.002+01:00

Rising from the Ashes (Morning Star, Saturday August 2 2008)

Morning Star chief subeditor JAMES EAGLE proudly surveys a week when Blitz spirit and solidarity kept this paper’s lifeblood flowing.

LIKE most journalists, I’m not a morning person. Late nights and late starts tend to come with the territory.

Like most workers in any job, I particularly don’t like Monday mornings. And I especially don’t like them when I get woken up by a phone call at 5.45am telling me that the Star’s newsroom has been gutted by fire and it’s possible that we may not be able to put a paper out for days or even weeks.

But sometimes days unfold like that whether you like it or not. And so it was that half-past-six on Monday morning found me standing around outside William Rust House with Star deputy editor Bill Benfield, who had himself learnt the bad news a couple of hours before from company secretary Tony Briscoe. He, in turn, had received an unwelcome 3am wake-up call from the fire brigade.

Things did not, if I may be allowed the understatement, look good. The armoured door which was intended to keep out thieves and fascists had also kept out the firefighters for well over an hour.

Although they eventually broke through it - getting through two cutting blades in the process - they were forced to smash a top-floor window so that they could get water on the blaze straight away.

At least that allowed some air into the blackened wasteland of the newsroom, which was still filled with the acrid stench of burnt plastic and coated in a thick layer of black ash.

The post-apocalyptic effect was topped off nicely by the fact that a great chunk of suspended ceiling had collapsed under the jets of water, covering the news desk and floor in mushy plaster. The power was out, the phones were off and the internet connections were dead.

Grim? Definitely. But fatal for the paper? Not a chance. Star journalists would move heaven and earth to avoid losing an edition - that kind of commitment comes with the territory too.

And we quickly realised that the new technology which your sterling fundraising efforts helped us buy last year meant that, against all the odds, we could still get the Star out that very day.

So it was that, after an hour or so spent wading around in ash and sludge salvaging what we could from the office, we became surely the first national paper in history to produce an edition from staff members’ front rooms.

While Bill and Tony held the fort at William Rust House, working out how to get the office back up and running as soon as possible, news editor Daniel Coysh took his reporters round the corner to Bow to set up an emergency news desk in one of their homes.

And, with help from my deputy Charley Allan - who had uncomplainingly sacrificed his day off to keep the Star running - the subs desk installed itself in a terraced house in Hackney, with computers propped up on coffee tables and every square foot of floor covered in cables.

Hardly ideal working conditions, but there were no grumbles. Quite the opposite, in fact, as Blitz spirit took hold and staff doubled their efforts with smiles on their faces.

The first couple of days were just about survival and we were forced to cut back to eight pages to lighten the load. But no-one wanted to short-change our readers, which is why we went back up to 12 as soon as possible and why we’ve pulled out the stops to get the usual 16-pager out on Saturday - with extra colour as a bonus.

We’re not out of the woods by a long way, though. We hope to move back into the admin floor at William Rust House next week, but the newsroom will be out of action for months for cleaning and repairs.

We’ll get there, though, have no doubt about that. I can’t lavish enough praise on our workers, both the journalists who’ve turned in unstinting work to keep the paper coming out and the admin staff who are slaving away to get our offices ship-shape again.

But, more importantly, all of us at the Star want to thank you, the readers, who have flooded us with messages of support and sympathy and with financial help to steer us through.

It’s the worst crisis that we’ve had to face while I’ve been at the Star. Fingers crossed, it’s the worst crisis that we’ll ever have to face - I’m not sure any of us want to go through this again.

But the support that you’ve shown us makes it all worthwhile. It’s that solidarity which inspired staff to these efforts in the first place.

I don’t think that any other national daily could have kept publishing through troubles like this, but that’s because they don’t have what makes the Star so special.

• James Eagle is chief subeditor of the Morning Star. He could do with a long holiday.

James is also a mate of mine...

You know what to do!!!

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index2.php/free/fighting_fund

The Foxy Rundown...

2008-08-02T23:20:00.002+01:00

Just so people can keep up to date...

February '08 - Ginger Reyes (Zwan / Smashing Pumpkins)

March '08 - Melissa Auf Der Maur (Hole / Auf Der Maur)

April '08 - Hillary Woods (JJ72)

May '08 - Amanda Tannen (Stellastarr*)

June '08 - Paz Lenchantain (A Perfect Circle)

July '08 - Sarah Fox (JJ72)

August '08 - D'Arcy Wretzky (Smashing Pumpkins)

Archive Foxy Bassplayer of the Month - August 2008

2008-08-02T19:28:00.002+01:00

Well, we've been saving her for a while... Perhaps the archetype of what became known as the Foxy Bassplayer phenomenon. The one, the only, the waif-like D'Arcy Wretzky of Smashing Pumpkins fame.

The face that launched a thousand adverts in Hot Press magazine looking for girls to pony up and play bass, stardom is assured but D'Arcy was more than a pretty face, she had some relatively decentish backing vocals and managed to put up with Corgan for about a decade which is more than most have managed.

Foxy bassplayer aficionados, I give you, D'Arcy Wretzky.

No more weddings...

2008-08-01T18:18:00.002+01:00

Well, we threw the hammer down again last night and the bell went ping... The dancefloor and the band were terrorised appropriately and lots of dubious conversation was had along with lashings of civilising alcohol.

Thank whatever deity purports to be responsible for this existence that these type of, Irish, events are rare enough and that it's a, French, wedding up next... Otherwise, I'm not sure I can handle this, the only saving grace for last night's shenanigans is that I ended up in my own bed and didn't have to fly anywhere...

And yes, I ended up in my own bed, alone!

Thank feck.

Should old acquaintance be forgot...

2008-07-27T23:05:00.002+01:00

Was out last night and ran into one person and nearly two others that really, you wouldn't want to meet again in a lifetime of sundays... I guess that's the price one pays for sticking with the old country, the simple fact being, you know alot of fuckers and you can't expect them to be tasteful and to stick to their haunts...

Well, I resisted the urge to chin the other two and Katie wasn't much up for a chat, so it wasn't a massive imposition, still it gives you pause for thought as they say...

Mother O'God...

2008-07-24T17:52:00.001+01:00

Premature launch. Gotta fix a few issues. Be back soon...
--
Casey Serin

http://www.escapemyhouse.com/

Erin Mary Winters... For Sale... One Careful Owner...

2008-07-22T20:56:00.002+01:00

I was really looking for something in a Gibbous Moon or indeed, an Esther de Groot or Amy Chilton, if push came to shove but that chap, Allison has landed me with a vintage pre VIT-RX, Erin Winters. Any scarygorounders who are interested, please apply herein... No reasonable offer refused and if you can trade or give me a lead on a postcard of the aforementioned, all the better!

Ice cold am Alex...

2008-07-22T20:34:00.002+01:00

So yeah, 3 days in Berlin and it was very good indeed. The Park Inn, legendary 1000 bedroom behemoth of the former GDR lived up to it's reputation. Interior quirky Berlin design meant the bathroom was in the bedroom but it worked really well despite that.

Everything was cheap, convenient and with 24 hour drinking available, very bloody dangerous. The public transport is obviously legendary and the sites to be seen are amazing, from the wall itself, still in sections at Nordbahnhof, Checkpoint Charlie, the Brandenburg Tor or just generally strolling Under der Linden and Tiergarten, Berlin is a pretty spectacular place.

Went and had my Low / Lou Reed period on the Saturday night, heading to various pubs'n'clubs before settling on White Noise which was fun, if a little strange with the chicken wire / railings on the bar.

Then you know the usual...

So many a morning was wasted because of being wasted but Berlin is still a pretty motherfuckingly cool cultural place which I've the feeling I could be back to time and again but I need to get up to fighting strength and that will take some time.

For now, it's just a matter of the memories of being Ice Cold Am Alexanderplatz.

A Record, A Year...

2008-07-14T21:40:00.003+01:00

Courtesy of TGWAOF, I present to you a record I like for every year of my life... It can't be my favourite 'cos I'm only working off my new itunes library setup. Finally got that done and my new 160 GB Ipod is now duly rocking it and my songs are nice and backed up on the Western Digital 500 GB external drive and my laptop is now half empty! 30 GBs of free space!

Anyway, this listing is far from definitive but it's drawn from a database of 15,335 songs or 60.88 GBs or 42.5 days of music according to itunes, so it's statistically representative I believe...

1979: "Unknown Pleasures" - Joy Division

Joy Division, simple and a good start.

1980: "Boy" - U2

A bad year for my music collection, time to start looking for some more 1980 records.

1981: "Still" - Joy Division

Even better again, once again in '81, the lads from Macclesfield score a posthumous hit with a controversial one... Mind you it was either this or "October"...

1982: "Avalon" - Roxy Music

It's got "More than this" on it aswell, that'll do...

1983: "Kill 'em all" - Metallica

Couldn't leave that out, the birth of metal as we know it...

1984: "The Smiths" - The Smiths

Starting a daffodil craze back in 1984...

1985: "Hounds of Love" - Kate Bush

I'll have to go with this ahead of Talking Heads... Although this was a pretty decent year for music by the looks of it...

1986: "Slippery When Wet" - Bon Jovi

A karaoke classic, I can still be found beltin' out: "Livin' on a Prayer"...

1987: "Appetite for Destruction" / "Introducing the Hardline According to..." - Guns N'Roses / Terence Trent D'Arby

A great year for music and too close to call...

1988: "Isn't Anything" - My Bloody Valentine

Narrowly beating out Public Enemy...

1989: "Bleach" - Nirvana

The grunge years begin with possibly my favourite Nirvana record...

1990: "Violator" - Depeche Mode

We "Enjoyed the Silence" and have been doing so ever since with the boys from Basildon...

1991: "Nevermind" / "Ten" - Nirvana / Pearl Jam

Whilst MBV and Massive Attack are good shouts, this was the year that brought corporate rock crashing down, o'course, it went back there in the end... It gave us The Seattle Sound and two of the finest records ever made though...

1992: "Blind" - The Sundays

If only for the most gorgeous interpretation of "Wild Horses" ever, plus we need to mellow out and chill for a bit after these last few years...

1993: "In Utero" - Nirvana

The last Nirvana entry for obvious reasons! Beating out "Pablohoney" / "Songs of Faith & Devotion" / "Versus" / "Siamese Dream"...

1994: "Troublegum" - Therapy?

Narrowly beating out Soundgarden & "Superunknown", still it's a classic and we haven't heard from Ireland since 1980...

1995: "Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness" - The Smashing Pumpkins

The grunge equivalent of prog-rock signalled the death knell for a wonderful era but it was good while it lasted and a fitting homage to the oeuvre at that time... Honourable mention for Garbage's debut this year with probably my favourite single ever, "Only Happy When It Rains"...

1996: "Down on the Upside" / "New Adventures in Hi-fi" - Soundgarden / REM

Soundgarden's elegy and epitaph but a wonderful cohesive record and the only entry REM would ever make on any list I'll make, I bought this record as a present for a mate but ended up obsessed over it. Still one of my favourite records...

1997: "OK Computer" - Radiohead

Radiohead at their fittest, happiest and most productive...

1998: "Try Whistling This" - Neil Finn

A closefought year but Neil just takes it ahead of Gillian Welch / Lucinda Williams...

1999: "69 Love Songs" - The Magnetic Fields

Ah yes, we were all fully employed and very much in love... Enough tunes here to last the year aswell...

2000: "Hybrid Theory" - Linkin Park

A number of contenders but this says, pick me! For some reason...

2001: "Pneumonia" - Whiskeytown

It was about now that I started to turn a little bit country, Ryan Adam's first band serving up one of the ultimate slices of Americana / Alt Country / Cosmic American Music to quote Gram...

2002: "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" - Wilco

Interpol's "Turn on the Bright Lights" nearly deserves joint status here but Wilco's redefinition of alt-country is so sonically groundbreaking in terms of everything, it just has to go out on it's own...

2003: "Give Up" - The Postal Service

Closely matched by M83 - "Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts"...

2004: "Kleptomania" - Mansun

Technically a collection but it was also supposed to be the long awaited fourth album aswell and I couldn't give it to The Arcade Fire on a technicality...

2005: "Plans" - Death Cab for Cutie

This is when Death Cab started to make sense to me...

2006: "Boys & Girls in America" - The Hold Steady

Bruce Springsteen without the bombast or the sax, we learnt something during the grunge years...

2007: "Riot!" - Paramore

Narrowly beating out Tegan & Sara's "The Con", well I couldn't end this listing all credible and shit like...

2008: "Narrow Stairs" - Death Cab for Cutie

Long way to go yet but it's strong enough for me to go and see them in Manchester on Wednesday night and that's the furthest I've gone for a gig in a good while...

Hotel Breakfast...

2008-07-13T22:25:00.002+01:00

What you should talk about at Breakfast...

1. Plans for the day

2. The weather...

3. Sport

4. Breakfast itself...

What you shouldn't talk about...

1. Your theory that centrally planned economies have proven conclusively that socialism / communism has failed

2. Capitalism

3. American Hegemony

Thank you, I will now not have to stab you to death with my spoon at breakfast, have a nice day...

2007 B.C.

2008-07-13T17:41:00.002+01:00

Reading some of the turgid shite that passes for journalism as penned by Brendan O'Connor today, I suppose the populace at large is not only in danger of but it is actively going to engage in a mass self-delusion about the glory years of the Celtic Tiger into the future.

The good old days will come to be known as the year of our lord, Anno Domini Bartholomew Patrick Ahern, up to 2007 B.C. Before Cowen...

Ah, the streets were paved with gold and the fundamentals were sound. The fundamentals however were not sound, they were just mental...

How could you justify wracking up personal debt to the tune of 175% of GDP, lending multiples going out of control, for every €1 earned, €1.20 out borrowed in the economy, the lowest square foot space per head of capita in the EU, 250,000 empty properties (at least) and not to mention building at a rate of 1 unit per 12 head of population when the EU average was closer to 1 unit to 30...

Ah, the fundamentals you say... Net immigration, the boom, household formation...

Froth, pure froth, I tells ya, it was a gamble with only one outcome, a one trick pony eventually runs out of customers and as soon as the other EU states opened up their labour markets we were riding for a fall anyway, indeed the old corporation tax was only going to keep the boat floating in the short term anyway...

Ok, so the credit crunch went toxic early and that started the scramble for the balance sheets, the accountants started looking at the real fundamentals and getting very scared indeed. The developers went back to the trough and were shocked, the desperate FTB went to the Bank and was shocked and nobody came to visit the overpriced seller and the self involved Estate Agent and they were collectively shocked.

I wasn't shocked, I was shocked in 2006 when I came back from 4 mths abroad to see a handy 100k knocked onto asking prices in the locality since I'd left.

Pure froth, I said. I was right and it wasn't because of doom and gloom and George Lee weather that the situation has developed thus.

1997-2007 B.C., was a happy time in Ireland for the older generation, the Marbella and Algarve generation, a time when taxi plates were worth something and the builder and developer ruled the roost. So I'm not going to be surprised when the collective delusion descends but remember this, you stored this situation up for the entire country through your practices throughout the boom years, each and every one of ye.

In that heyday period, we saw degrading healthcare, education and no real developments in infrastructure. We watched over a windfall for the developer, the speculator, the multinational to declare it's profits and the property obsessed the wrong side of 40...

So before you put Brian's head on a stick and it deserves to go there, take a long cold hard look at yourselves and think whether there's room for a stick closer to home... And then beat yourself with it...

Archive FOX-y Bassplayer of the Month - July '08

2008-07-09T21:32:00.004+01:00

Another month, another stone cold fox... This month, we feature another JJ72-er, if only for a little bit. The delectable, Sarah FOX! Wow, this girl had everything going on, including the moniker... Unfortunately, the JJs were treading serious water when her services were engaged to replace la charmante Hilary.

I suppose, it comes as no surprise that Greaney has ditched the ladies in his latest re-incarnation, Concerto for Constantine, who aren't half bad but they really don't have the visuals and o'course, for me, Sarah was actually a step up from Hilary... I'm a sucker for that black hair... She had a few other side projects before the JJs and I must really look her up now but they were her most famous role...

And, we enjoyed Sarah while they lasted...

Talking Chess...

2008-07-09T21:25:00.000+01:00

ok, here is the hierarchy ok...

Christophe O.: King is useless but must be protected, can be useful in the end game but that's for advanced players

Christophe O.: Queen, she who must be obeyed and your most devastating piece

Christophe O.: lose the queen early and you're fucked, I tend to go for queen sacrifice if at all possible early on

Christophe O.: Rook is up next

Christophe O.: a powerful piece the full latitude and longititude of the board in both directions, essential for driving home killer attacks late on and inflicting real damage as a support to...

Christophe O.: Bishops & Knights

Christophe O.: it's a bit of an argument which is more important

Christophe O.: personally I favour the knight, principally because it's a little bit more flexible to me... Suits my strategies, that's why I'll generally sacrifice my bishops for your knights early on... That might be a mistake on my part as bishops can be very effective in the right hands

Christophe O.: pawns.

Christophe O.: Early doors and late doors these guys are important and any loss of material will be keenly felt late on

Christophe O.: most games will be decided by an early unguarded pawn loss

Christophe O.: that's what is the balance decider between most mediocre players of which I'm certainly one...

Christophe O.: so in short... Whilst you were in a tricky position there, never give up a Rook for a Knight

Euro Championships 2008 XI

2008-06-28T18:05:00.002+01:00

GK - Volkan (Turkey)

For me, despite his sending off, he was having the best tournament keeperwise up to that point. Casillas has had some good moments but the likes of Cech, Coupet, Lehmann and Volkan's replacement Rustu really failed to make this a memorable tournament for keepers. The new ball didn't turn out to be as dangerous as predicted, there were pitifully few efforts on target from distance and only one direct free kick. Volkan for me...

Fullbacks - Philip Lahm (Germany), Zhirkov (Russia)

Lahm was taken apart by the directness of Kazim-Kazim (Colin Kazim-Richards to you and I, ex of Sheffield Utd) in the semi-final but still had the reserves to get down the pitch and score the last minute winner. He was utterly transcendent prior to the semi, so does go in on merit. Can play either left or right back, which allows Zhirkov into the team, really lit up the tournament in the final 1st round match and the epic quarter final win against the Dutch. Dangerous shot, a good eye for a pass and bags of energy, this duo would be as good going forward as anything ever assembled from fullback.

Centrebacks - Chiellini (Italy), Marchena (Spain)

Difficult shout this, not too sure any centrehalf has been truly exceptional. Chiellini stepped into the team for the Italians and at 23, looked very good, composed and let's face Italians only made a case for inclusion in the defence, although Pirlo might have had more to say about that but for those yellow cards. Marchena gets in on the basis that Spain have looked relatively solid and that can't be down to Puyol.

Central Midfield - Frings (Germany), Sneijder (Holland)

Again, a tough area... Frings makes Germany tick and was instrumental when he came on against Turkey in the semi-final, he'll plug the holes and will make the final an interesting battle for midfield supremacy. I could have had a number of Spaniards in here but I've plumbed for Wesley Sneijder in a floating role, although normally a wing man, he does tend to drift inside and lit up the tournament as the best the Dutch had to offer. Irony heaped upon irony, he may now be sacrificed by Real Madrid in order to bring the Portugese Winker and his considerable marketing clout to the Spanish capital.

Rightwing - David Silva (Spain)

Has been the most impressive winger of the tournament, for all the kudos heaped on Villa and Torres, this guy has been the thorn in the side for the Spanish opposition. It looks like a long road back for the likes of Joaquin to displace this guy.

Leftwing - Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

Despite the quarter final exit, Ronaldo bolstered his reputation with an effective enough tournament, a great goal and some great link play. Portugal may have suffered for directing all their attacking through Ronaldo and Deco and maybe, it will be become the lesson of Ronaldo's career that he begins to eschew teamplay for personal glory. He could go either way at this point...

Forwards - Arshavin (Russia), Villa (Spain)

The little Russian and the little Spaniard. Goals, movement, trickiness, a clever pass, these two though slight in stature would pose real difficulties for any defence. Arshavin disappointed many with his semi final performance but he faced a Spanish midfield that dominated and was completely starved of supply, again, the skill he showed in his two performances more than justified Hiddink's decision in bringing a player suspended for two matches. Villa has finally confirmed his reputation on the international stage and his goal, the winner against Sweden will live long in the memory. A great shame neither will grace the final but hands Torres the opportunity to finally stamp his mark on the tournament.

Subs: Casillas (Spain), Sergio Ramos (Spain), Senna (Spain), Robben (Holland), Podolski (Germany)

Pints of water may be the way forward...

2008-06-28T16:00:00.002+01:00

So we went out for pints during the Russia vs Spain game and then was out for pints yesterday straight after work. There is the strong possibility that more pints are on the agenda later and tomorrow is the European Championships Final, which will require some more pints.

I've been on the Miller, the Guinness and most tragically of all, the Heino, hopefully tonight we will stop somewhere that has access to some Czech beer.

Next week, I'm due to meet my brother for pints on Tuesday, then I'm having my leaving do from my section in Work on Thursday (alot of pints there) and I still have to meet up with Garrett who was recently let go by his employer in the recession hitting home, we shall have to drink pints to fete that...

All in all, that's alot of pints...

Carla Bruni vs Scarlett Johansson

2008-06-22T00:52:00.003+01:00

Not really but I recently downlanded both their albums and the score is in Carla's favour, just at the minute but then again, I'm just hitting side 2 (in old skool) terms of young Scarlett's effort... We'll see...

Anyhoo, after France, I sojourned to Stockholm for a weekend and looked up Big Dave, alongside numerous of his other work colleagues, alot of money spent, alot of craic (not crack, in either sense) had... Then, alot of work stuff was kinda dealt with, spent most of this week in at 7:30 am, perhaps I'm taking all this lark too seriously but then again went and did some examens for a new job on Friday. Psychometric testing not being my forte, I ain't hopeful but in certain ways, it was an epiphany, this time last year, twould have been an unheralded disaster (and was), this year, I had kept plugging away thus that at a point when the Economy is going permanently south for the Winter, I'm in a fairly fortunate position, all will be revealed though, as I have yet to revel in my new post much.

I'll let you know how I get on, in a spiritual sense over the next few weeks.

Other than that, I've been mostly enjoying the Euros, tonight saw the marvelously talented Russians knock out the Dutch, Arshavin is a quality little player with a name that is rich in possibilities for mispronunciation next season, hopefully City or someone will take the plunge.

22nd June already, eh. Will check back in later...

Archive Foxy Bassplayer of the Month - June

2008-06-09T23:16:00.002+01:00

And this month, we welcome one of Argentina's finest (and we do mean finest...), the luscious, delectable Paz Lenchantin, the beautiful bassist and etheral backing vocalist, now departed from the Tool side project, A Perfect Circle.

If you don't know the hit, "Judith", check it out and then some nice photos of Paz, she's basically hot on a number of levels...

Great player, great singer and Argentinian to boot!!!

"He plays a different role, John..."

2008-06-09T23:05:00.002+01:00

Is it just me or has Aprés Match been absolutely fucking tragic thus far??? The European Championships have been a spartan feast of football thus far but the prosaic hilarity of the faux Johnny, Eamonn, "The Sweet Smell of Souness" and Chippy simply haven't been doing the business.

Poor old Bill too, both his faux self and his real self are having a torpid time, tonight Italy were Spain, god knows what's next...

O'course, the real chap you'd have to feel sorry for is poor old Kinsella, Mark Kinsella to be precise... A full 90 mins beside Jimmy Magee during Romania vs France, now that's a greek tragedy!

Keep on rocking forever...

2008-05-29T23:16:00.002+01:00

Yeah tomorrow, I'm going to throw the hammer down and put the pedal to metal, burn it up and hit the ferry to Roscoff in Brittany by five pm. I've got a heady eight days out of the office ahead, time to get a reality check...

I really like the open road, I don't get a chance to do it often because I've got a fifteen minute commute and Ireland's roads and traffic can't really conjure up the romanticism of the mid-west for example. There's a certain purity to it though and hopefully it'll act as the full blown mental laxative I'm aiming for...

But it probably won't, the mind will still be there, whirring away... Complicating and procrastinating as only it knows how...

Only one thing for it really...

Is love a mixtape???

2008-05-23T20:48:00.004+01:00

Ok, I don't know who turned it on to me, or rather I can't remember... But I've just finished reading "Love is a Mixtape" by Rob Sheffield. It could almost be a companion book for the irreconcilably lovesick and music-struck, joining on the shelf, "A head full of blue" by Nick Johnstone and the classic, "High Fidelity" by Nick Hornby.

To me, it comes off even more self absorbed than the latter two but that's hardly surprising considering the subject matter and we can all feel the pain that Sheffield is attempting to work through, the book being his eventual catharsis. It's certainly very real and raw in spots but mostly it's an unidentifiable worldview for myself, somewhere the crimes against music that most Rap and certainly Hanson have visited upon the planet are forgiven. In some respects, I can't believe this guy is a music journalist or that we share a common love of: "The Hold Steady" (saw them recently in The Academy in Dublin, they were eccelente).

Listen, I'm normally a fan of fragmented pose, surrealism, existentialism, the whole nine yards baby and the more esoteric the better but this just panders after a short while. He's at his best dealing with his pain, the other visitations that break up the book serve to nauseate and flinch.

"A head full of blue", whilst not directly discussing the same subject, comes across the themes of loss, pain and moving on and perhaps it's clarity is rendered through the prism of a recovering alcoholic and a self harmer.

Maybe I'm being patently unfair but, "Love is a mixtape", is a book that will be left on a bench somewhere for someone else and won't be crowding space on my already overrun shelves and I can usually stand to reread a book, 900 million times.

Is love a mixtape? Love is many things, one of the central themes of Hornby's defining opus (and I mean defining in the sense that if women want to understand someone like me, it's pretty much all in there or was in there), was that music shouldn't be reduced to times and places, it cheapens it. A great song should be a great song in and of itself. And that's generally the way I relate to music.

There is the odd song that gets tied up in a time and a place, Toni Braxton's "You're making me high" for reasons that I'm not going to go into for example.

Love is ceding control of the decks to somebody else for periods of time, it sure ain't a mixtape...

Elena

2008-05-22T00:33:00.001+01:00

This is my best mate's first daughter, born 2 days ago.

Best football photo of all time???

2008-05-18T19:26:00.001+01:00

Chatting and gossiping with Liz...

2008-05-18T18:30:00.003+01:00

"I was on the Late Late Show for the first time on Friday night - and it is probably the scariest thing I've ever done. It's a tough gig, especially when reactions will be both positive and negative. The negative ones are full on right now. I had some common-sense things to say about property advertising and the lack of fresh ideas or alternative options for sellers. I hadn't seen the show so I decided to Google it. On some property information websites I came across what I can only describe as hate mail. From what I can tell these sites offer advice and information of you log on and chat to to others. I've always wondered about those who chat and gossip online. They clearly have too much time on their hands, especially if they're talking about me. Enough said."

Liz O'Kane

Mail on Sunday

Sunday 18 May 2008

You know I haven't bought a newspaper ever with any regularity, I used to read the Indo years ago because my Dad brought it home from work... Then I worked in a newsagents and had access to alot of newspapers, I used to read the Sun and the News of the World on the morning break for the sheer hilarity of the rubbish inside... Nowadays, if I'm travelling I might pick up The Guardian world edition or something but really the only thing I could claim to buy regularly is L'Equipe whenever I'm in France, now there's a paper!!!

Basically, Liz is bemoaning the new media in this article, those who "chat and gossip online" and actually play a role in determining the content of these chipwrappers, she quite clearly sets her stall out as not wanting a critically engaged audience, who actively want to test her arguments and assumptions...

I suppose, it's the opposite of the academic tradition, when instead of welcoming peer review (let's call it unsolicited hate mail) you actually go out and say, let me say whatever the hell I want and in no hand or shape, should you be able to take me to task.

That's what these property porn programmes are all about, I'm the expert, I'll take you round and show you places out of your budget because you've already made your mind up that you're going to part with that bundle of cash. TV screens and newspapers work in one direction only, output... That's not going to be the norm from now on, Liz...

Those who: "chat and gossip online", effectively and who root their arguments on real fundamentals including statistics and references will play an increasingly important role and the one great thing about this whole adventure of the 'pin to date is it has settled an argument I used to have with certain party members when I was in the SP.

The battle of ideas is it online, is the internet important? Coloured by their experiences with Windymedia, which unfortunately has descended into alot of vilification and online recrimination, there was a definite school of thought that the web was fast becoming untenable as a conduit for discourse. I think the 'pin has succinctly proven, that if conducted as honestly and openly as possible and with a clear sense of purpose, real discourse will breath and create effectively.

The 'pin was an interesting coalescing of a number of factors that eventually gained a critical mass, the next generation of forums that Ireland and Europe will enjoy, will be very important for the creation of the zeitgeist that will determine the content and course of our society.

In short, we've cast these words into a void and they've resonated and grown stronger.

Liz, you're running scared...

"They call me 'Hel"...

2008-05-11T21:42:00.001+01:00

IAVI handles the truth...

2008-05-09T00:28:00.003+01:00

"You can't handle the truth!

Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by IAVI members.

Who's gonna do it? You? You, Journalists?

I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom.

You weep for negative equity and you curse the doom sayers. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that falling house prices, while tragic, probably saved Estate agents livelihoods. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves livelihoods.

You don't want the truth because, deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honour, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said "thank you" and went on your way.

Otherwise I suggest you pick up a keyboards and stand at post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to."

Auctioneers don't submit any private treaty sales results...

With gracious thanks to Duplex of thepropertypin.com...

Shuffle that deck, Biffo...

2008-05-08T00:22:00.004+01:00

Mary Coughlan becomes Tánaiste, while also taking the portfolio of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

Brian Lenihan is the new Minister for Finance, while Batt O'Keefe becomes Minister for Education, taking Mary Hanafin's portfolio. She moves to Social and Family Affairs.

Pat Carey becomes Chief Whip, a move which sees Tom Kitt return to the back benches.

The new Minister for Justice is Dermot Ahern, while his position in Foreign Affairs is taken by Mícheál Martin.

Martin Cullen is Minister for Arts Sport and Tourism and Brendan Smith takes Mary Coughlan's position in Agriculture and Food.

Mary Harney retains her position as Minister for Health as does Willie O'Dea, who stays with Defence. John Gormley and Eamon Ryan see no change, remaining in Environment, and Communications Energy and Natural Resources, respectively.

Noel Dempsey, in Transport, and Eamon Ó Cuív, in Community Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, also stay put.

Well, I didn't see that coming... Batt O'Keefe to Education??? The knowledge economy in safe hands!!!

Micheal gets his just desserts for backing Biffo early and Ahern and Dempsey get shunted into the railings predictably enough, the Lenihan promotion I can't fathom and while Mary C was due for promotion this was beyond what I anticipated...

Obviously Hanafin has the worst draw and it couldn't happen to a nicer woman...

Death of a chancer... RIP Patrick Bartholomew Ahern

2008-05-06T22:54:00.002+01:00

Physically, he is still corporeal. Politically, he is dead.

For the time being.

Like a cigarette end that refuses to extinguish or a piece of dog shite on a shoe, he might be with us for some time yet and could yet enjoy a renaissance, a twilight in some form or other.

President of Ireland? President of Europe? It doesn't bear thinking about but the Minister for Finance sans bank account has pulled off similar miracles before. That famous line from CJH about his erstwhile lieutenant has echoed with damning schadenfreude from beyond the grave with increasing frequency and virulence these past few years, Charlie knew what he had visited upon the Irish people and laughed merrily.

Bartholomew began life as a humble civil servant in the Health sector, which he would later go on to dismantle and throw as the proverbial bone to the hound dog Mary Harney, in an ideological sacrifice that cramped space at the Cabinet table but made Fianna Fail's life easier all round. Let her eat health was undoubtedly the cry, an effective maneuver that removed the only threat to standards in office in real terms being dragged up politically.

My abiding memory of Bertie was during the last election but one, hordes of supporters around him and camera crews pushing and jostling at whatever hotel the Fianna Fail machine was holed up in at the time, an interview just finished, positive news flowed in about a close seat. For a moment, forgetting himself, he let out a quick "Yeow!" and gave a little jump for joy... The type of celebration not out of place say when Houghton scored against England in '88 or against Italy in '94 but there was a glint in his eye that spoke volumes, this wasn't a victory for the common good, this was private, this was personal.

He had his achievements such that he would point to and those that his supporters would dredge up, the peace process for example. There is some merit in the fact that the Irish brothers are not currently shooting the arses off each other and it's true that the Blair / Ahern double act of insincerity and wide smiles played a significant role but more than anything, fortunate circumstance seems to have ridden and salvaged a destiny for Patrick Bartholomew. The consistent fact that the North was an expensive proposition for the United Kingdom and that the leaders of the provisional movement finally realised that outright victory was impossible in the modern era allowed Bertie to push at an open door. The situation on the ground as it pertains today in the North is however vastly more complicated than the outgoing Taoiseach will own but it's in his nature, to think this achievement cannot be undone.

So what led to Bertram's grand departure, if anything, internal politics and much like any autocratic dominion, when Il Duce calls time, it is only a matter of time before, Et tu Biffo? must be uttered. In time, I'm sure it will out that pressure was brought to bear on the legend of Drumcondra in a most unseemly way, thoroughly undignified but par for the course for an outgoing leader of Fianna Fail.

Tonight however, it's time to pull out the smokes and leave the daggers aside and have a few in Fagan's in honour of the man, the memories and the misquotes. And if all the patriots are still alive, not having taken their leader at his behest and committing suicide for a bit of economic rationality, perhaps you'll join me in raising a glass of bass, to the Minister for Finance sans bank account...

Thanks Bertie, you consistently reinforced my conviction in the surreal.

Archive Foxy Bassplayer of the Month - May 2008

2008-05-02T00:27:00.005+01:00

This month's delectable bassiste features Amanda from Stellastarr*. Check out the tunes here, at their myspace, particularly, the ace track - "In the walls"...

Here is the extremely talented and gorgeous Amanda however!

Six random six meme...

2008-05-01T22:26:00.013+01:00

Mmmm, taggage...

Here’s how it works:

Link to the person that tagged you.
Post the rules on your blog.
Write six random things about you in a blog post.
Tag six people in your post.
Let each person know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
Let the taggee know your entry is up.

Random thing #1 - The first major gig I went to was The Beastie Boys in the RDS in 1995...

Random thing #2 - The first CD I purchased with my pocket money was: Green Day - "Dookie"...

Random thing #3 - I fucked up my leaving certificate.

Random thing #4 - I used to have an eyebrow piercing and dyed red hair.

Random thing #5 - My favourite age was 19. I drank about ten pints of guinness on my birthday and became catatonic.

Random thing #6 - My favourite book is "Nausea" by Jean-Paul Sartre.

I'll tag Marcas (he needs the content), handily Jenna has already filled out 100+ of randomness and I guess I'll tag Lucy (although I'm mad at her for having the temerity to attempt a relationship) and I guess, I'll get lifewithouttoast in on the act, because Matt, Babs and Becca = three peeps and I'm done!

Yay!

Another shark in the tank...

2008-04-22T23:35:00.002+01:00

I see RTE, our esteemed national broadcaster are trying to go head to head with me by airing some trite piece of muck under the misbegotten title: "The Ultimate Guide to Everything".

Well, Sirs! I tell you it is not that easy! Over the past 2 years, aceofeverything has tried it's darn level assed best to deliver some pearls and nuggets of insight and shit. And it's not an easy course to steer, considering I'm trying to stay incognito in a work sense and can't talk about that and I've left active politics on a daily basis and have consequently less to rant about other than in the most esoteric sense. Which happily, is the way I do it best.

There's plenty I could talk about but pitching into the ethereal void of the interwebs, I'm more inclined to toss ironic matches into the dark than try and bring any real clarity to any issue. Hence the title of this blog, a shot in the dark, a stab in the arm of irony, just to get the pulse flowing...

So, if you have any burning issues which you wish me to illuminate, let me know, I'm better challenged than picking topics off at random.

I promised you a piece on Bertie which will come, there will be some music stuff shortly (finally, I promise), perhaps a piece on violence and some more frontline reports on the property market. Also, the aceofeverything set piece which concerns sexy female bassplayers.

Aside from that, I'm open to suggestion.

I could use a pint after that...

2008-04-20T14:15:00.003+01:00

I have a poor sense of balance at the best of times, not for the fainthearted that one!!! Fair play to whoever managed to film and walk this!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caminito_del_Rey

Tegan & Sara - You wouldn't like me

2008-04-11T00:58:00.000+01:00

This could mean promotion, or death...

2008-04-10T22:52:00.003+01:00

So apparently officially unofficially I've been promoted and made manager before 30, which is pretty good going. I'm not officially unofficially even allowed to mention what part of the organisation I'm moving to but what can you do.

It will all come out in the wash, I suppose, I know and I've made the proverbial deal with the devil. This should mean all sorts of good complimentary things, if not a whole heap more cash but it adds rungs to the ladder and I was perilously close to getting to the top of that ladder.

Time for a change though, I've spent six years in my current position, though promoted twice within it, did an M.A. in International Relations part-time and took a 4 month sabbatical to travel the planet. I'd say, that's pretty much all you can do before you have to head for pastures new.

The drama is playing out nicely though, my big boss is retiring come the Autumn, the department is kinda being liquidated in a vast political power grab but that's the way of things and there ain't no point being sentimental about it. I'll miss working with the kids but things can't stay the same forever.

I'll keep you posted in terms of when I move, apparently June is my due date but I'm used to the timetable slipping in that place.

Now, if only the housing market would stabilise somewhat, I could get working on having my own lovely pile of bricks and driving nails in the wall. Once I get my white picket fence, I could start searching for that 21 year old, with long black hair, stellar taste in music and whatever it is that is supposed to complete me.

Hey, someone stole her from me when I was 21, it's time to pay back a favour...

Or at least in 10 months time...

Erin Winters - MIA...

2008-04-09T16:50:00.002+01:00

... that said, almost every day, someone will write a question about Erin Winters. Here's an exclusive for blog readers: that is a character who is never, ever, coming back. I have written why at length in Scary Go Round book 6 (in which she features prominently) so I guess you'll have to read it to discover my tedious thoughts on the matter.

Christophe said...

I'd bet anything she comes back now...

John A said...

I'll take that bet. The odds are 100/1 so just Paypal as much money to me as you want to wager and I'll pay out when she next appears in the comic.

Christophe said...

This could work. If I can find another bookie to hedge this off to, I'll come back to you...

I think this is how sub-prime in the states got started...

SGR

The World Assembly...

2008-04-08T23:36:00.004+01:00

Hey look, a game I used to waste far too much time on has gotten into some tepid water...

The United Nations vs Me

The other day I was digging through my Junk folder when I found an e-mail from the United Nations. I know what you’re thinking: “Wow! That is one politically astute mail filter.” But pretty much all email to my public address without the word “duck” in the subject, as per my contact page, gets flagged as spam, and the UN chose not to do that. Apparently arbitrary yet effective protocols for ensuring open communication aren’t something the UN wants anything to do with. Or maybe they have something against ducks. I don’t know. Whatever the reason, they went with the subject, “Notice of cease and desist.”

Naturally, it was about NationStates. It’s always about NationStates. I have Nike shooting teenagers and Coke marketing Fukk, that’s no problem. But one player says something mean to another in my web game and they’re going to sue me into oblivion. Anyway, what upset the United Nations was that I put them into NationStates. It’s the place where players come together to debate and pass international law; in the five years the game has been running, they’ve implemented privacy safeguards, promoted religious tolerance, passed a universal bill of rights, and outlawed child labor, amongst 240 other resolutions.

Clearly this wasn’t anything the real UN wanted to be associated with:

Dear Mr. Barry,

It has come to our attention that you are operating an online game called “NationStates”, www.nationstates.net, and that this game uses the UN name and emblem, without authorization…

We therefore demand that you immediately cease and desist from using the United Nations name and emblem in the above-referenced online game, and that in the future you refrain from using or making any reference to them in connection with your activities.

My first reaction was pride. Receiving a threatening letter from the United Nations; I finally felt like I’d done something with my life. Also, there is something inherently amusing about UN threats. I mean, I think the UN does a lot of great work, but let’s face it, they tend to specialize in demands backed by the threat of further, even more stridently voiced demands. Frankly, “You are hereby ordered to cease and desist” was a lot scarier before I got to “says the UN.”

But they did have a point. In 2002, I whacked the United Nations into my game, complete with copyrighted emblem, not so much in parody as to say, “Hey, look, this is just like the real UN.” I can’t remember ever thinking about the legal consequences; I probably assumed that even if the UN noticed, they’d have plenty of blood-thirsty dictators and international war crimes to prosecute before me. But what with Saddam behind bars and all that world peace you’ve been hearing so much about, I guess they worked their way down to me.

I wondered whether it was worth fighting. It would probably be eight years before they got inspections organized, and by then I could keep moving my UN references around where they wouldn’t find them. And it could be great fun. I could represent myself and wear cheap suits and tell the court that it was on trial. But for that to work, I would need an opponent who might actually be embarrassed by the expense and public profile involved in a petty IP lawsuit, and I just wasn’t confident the UN falls into that category. That the single biggest label on the front page of the UN web site is “Copyright, United Nations, 2008” struck me as an ill omen. Also, I do support the UN. I mean, sure, it’s about as functional as a cat with 192 heads, and a lot of those heads are corrupt. But at least they’re trying. At least the heads have to look at each other. I feel like if I’m going into legal battle with somebody, it probably shouldn’t be an organization whose foremost goal is world peace.

Plus I got a lawyer’s opinion, and he said I was blatantly in the wrong. So I decided to cave.

So now I have to rename my UN. I was tempted to go with something a little insulting, like “Discordant Nations,” or “Ridiculously Petty Bureaucracy of Nations Who Should Have Better Things To Do.” But no, that would be sinking to their level. NationStates now has a “World Assembly.”

I suppose this explains why it takes the UN so long to get round to things like a million people dying in Rwanda and shit...

"Up the gut"

2008-04-08T17:02:00.002+01:00

Cute YHT guest strip at Dandy & Company today, you'd need to understand a little bit about American football but when it comes to sports I could watch two flies going up a wall these days...

Desperate Dan, the odd man out...

2008-04-04T17:16:00.004+01:00

Ok, skimming through the doom and gloom merchants chief website, RTE.ie, I came across the following gem from our good friends at Bank of Ireland and Desperate Dan McLaughlin...

"BoI's Job Outlook is Brighter"

O'course, that was a week ago before we got the news today that we had the biggest increase on the live register ever, or since 1968, depending on who you believe and Desperate probably has a new forecast... But he'd better underpin it with something more realistic than:

"Bank of Ireland's chief economist Dan McLaughlin insisted today that strong employment growth in the services sector would more than compensate for job losses in the construction sector."

Insist away Dan but for people to work in the Services industry you need people to have actual money to fucking spend!!! And that would entail real jobs elsewhere and not in the Services industry!!!

Anyway my original point, was the sunny beam of positive optimism that Desperate Dan's rubbish represented in the midst of these headlines immediately adjacent:

Related Stories

"Central Bank lowers growth forecasts"

"Ahern gives lower growth forecast"

"Report sees pick-up after slower 2008"

"Solid 2007 growth, but late slowdown"

Top Headlines

"Shocking' March Live Register rise"

"Central Bank lowers forecasts again"

"March US jobs drop third in a row"

"Education gap worries Sutherland"

"IMF warns of Irish housing slump"

It's a wonder, Desperate's nickname isn't Comical, ain't that right, David???

PARTY PARTY PARTY!!!

2008-04-03T00:12:00.002+01:00

I can't really give a properly expressed, sober reaction to this news... Save that I nearly ran for the Champagne, it's bizarre that an event like this has given me such a lift and it's not a result in the Champions League...

Patrick Bartholomew Ahern has announced, for those who didn't catch it!, that he is leaving the top job on May 6th... I'm going to reserve realistic comment until that point, one of my old lecturers used to keep a bottle of whiskey in the drawer for the respective kicking of buckets of Thatcher and Reagan... In sincere terms, this is a similar watershed for myself... It's not vindication, lord no, it's just something I'll need to reflect on to put in proper perspective over the next few weeks...

Half the country still loves him and always will, half the country will always hate him and with what seems like good reason... I promise you a cogent rational analysis in the weeks to come, if only in tribute to my under-utilised political analysis qualifications...

Archive Foxy Bassplayer of the Month - April '08

2008-04-01T00:59:00.002+01:00

I was really plumbing for the bassplayer from Stellastarr*, anyone got a photo???

So, right now, I'm going for my old mate, Hillary Woods from JJ72... Purely on the basis that Concerto for Constantine featured the ex lead singer from the JJs on lead vocals when they supported the Pumpkins earlier this year...

Hillary, where are you now??? And can I have your number???

More than words...

2008-03-30T23:46:00.003+01:00

The first serious crush I ever had on an older female was a girl called Lisa. She actually was employed by my parents to oversee the house whilst they were both working and she was also to keep a putative eye on my brother and myself during the Summer holidays. It was a 50/50 arrangement because despite us being about 13 and 12 respectively and Lisa being like 16/17 at the time, she was more than slightly immature but cute with it.

Anyhoo, I always remember her being mesmerised by that Extreme song, "More than words" and in a certain way, it's become a kind of atavistic representation of idealised romance or schmaltz in a certain way. So I heard it today and thought of her, there are few enough songs that remind me of people and places because I come from the Nick Hornby school of thought, you cheapen music by centralising and identifying around people and times in your life. It's unavoidable at times but I'd really try and keep the music for myself.

Because the girls come and go.

Oh, you were hoping for scandal weren't you?

Well...

Saying I love you
Is not the words I want to hear from you
It's not that I want you
Not to say, but if you only knew
How easy it would be to show me how you feel
More than words is all you have to do to make it real
Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me
Cos I'd already know

Welcome to the Irish Property Market...

2008-03-27T14:56:00.002Z

A salutary lesson taken verbatim from the 'pin...

"Question - The ERSI price survey compiles mortgage information so I'm guessing this is based off prices agreed some months ago. Anybody have any idea what the likely time lag is? And also I'm guessing the prices are being artificially boosted from poor schmucks who put down life savings on builds ages ago and are now going to have to purchase their completed dream shoe box below value. Any thoughts on how to quantify this effect?"

"The ESRI survey used to work off mortgage drawdowns. They changed it last year. Now it's based on PTSBs valuations of selected properties.

In other words it's pure nonsense."

"Really so there is no accurate measure of housing prices in Ireland at all?

PTSBs??? Apologies new to all this!"

"Correct.

Welcome to the world of the Irish Property Market"

http://www.thepropertypin.com/viewtopic.php?p=68858#68858

Man United - Greatest XI I've seen...

2008-03-25T00:13:00.002Z

Goalie - Peter Schmeichel

The legendary Dane, was a bit of a twat. But he was also the most imposing physical specimen ever placed between the sticks in the Premiership ever, a fine shot stopper, the king of the one on one and an absolute legend at clearing out the box when a cross was flighted in. Regularly, he'd render unconscious one of his own defenders... Take the ball, take the man, take everything!

Understudy: Edwin Van Der Sar

Right-back - Gary Neville

It can only be the Neviller... Absent for a season plus now, the slightly tached one has been missed. Awful going forward but not quite as bad as Paul Parker, the man lives and breathes United clearly. His strength is his ability to windup scousers immeasurably and Patrick Vieira although he needed Keano to save his ass on that occasion... As Roy remarked, "There'd probably be a queue..."

Understudy: Wesley Brown

Centre-back - Nemanja Vidic

Probably centreback, is the toughest position on the team because there are four or five in with a reasonable shout. Jaap Stam won't even appear for example and he was a top player. Vidic gets the nod because in an era of super athleticism, he still performs the Steve Bruce role with aplomb and more style than Steve could manage. Great player though, Brucie...

Understudy: Steve Bruce

Centre-back - Rio Ferdinand

Sheer pace gets Rio in here ahead of Pally. Gary Pallister was a giant amongst men, a scorer supreme of own goals and generally, just a legend. I'll always remember his late freekick against Blackburn which rounded out the scorers over the season for the first eleven. Pally should have been in here ahead of Rio but because pace is a concern in the modern game, Gary is plying his trade probably at his old club, Boro'

Understudy: Gary Pallister

Left-back - Denis "Dinny" Irwin

The ultimate professional, a model of consistency, boredom personified. A decent free kick and a soft spoken Cork accent. Once again, another legend and the bargain purchase of Ferguson's entire career, including Cantona!

Understudy: Patrice Evra

Rightwing - Cristiano Ronaldo

A tough choice, not! Except for Andrei, sentimentality would have Kanchelskis in but the boy from Madeira can't be denied... He rolls in all the qualities (good and bad) of Becks and the Ukrainian express. The Portugese winker ain't done yet but will he still be at Old Trafford in two / three years hence, his legacy is dependent really, that and a Champions League medal buys you immortality Cristiano...

Understudy: Andrei Kanchelskis / David Beckham

Centre-midfield - Roy Keane (Captain)

There was an argument made once, if humanity had to play for it's fate, one football match against an alien race, if you wanted to win you would put the likes of Zinedine Zidane etcetera into the centre of the park. The punchline or the everlasting testimony to Roy was the acknowledgement that if you didn't want to lose, you'd play Roy Keane... Sheer guts, determination and bloody mindedness...

Understudy: Phil Neville

Centre-midfield - Paul Scholes

The ginger one. He scores goals, etc. He's changed his game alot over the years but he remains a cute passer, a terrible tackler and a shy reticent man. He lets his boots do the talking and they've spoken eloquently over the years...

Understudy: Juan Sebastian Veron

Left-wing - Ryan Giggs

Is George Best the old Ryan Giggs... The hairy chested one, still swinging that jersey over his head at Villa Park, not so much beatlemania as football mania at that point, he'd left the screeching girls behind at that point, he was at his best. No time to think, get the head down and motor and celebrating, he could have run out of Villa Park and I think everybody might have followed...

Understudy: Lee Sharpe

Centre-forward - Eric Cantona

Eric Le Roi. He represents the essence of a Red Devil, the artistic soul of the club in as much as Keane was the embodiment of the fierce determination. Both had the tendency to boil over and yet Eric, at his imperious best had the ability to make time and the world stand still.

Understudy: Mark Hughes

Centre-forward - Wayne Rooney

There's still plenty to come from Wayne but given the other options, he seems to sit well within this team. The Dutchman glowers over his shoulder and the Cole / Yorke partnership are in literal disbelief... Rooney has however proven himself as the team player beyond compare of that lot, Andy Cole changed his game substantially at United and became a great footballer and goalscorer, Dwight shone for a season and a half, similar to Ruud before making the team less than the sum of it's parts... Rooney is an exponential factor however despite his Ruud like qualities in front of goal at times... A short tribute to the understudy, the king of the understudies. The baby faced assassin was the most lethal bench player known to modern football, scored the winner in Barcelona and had his career tragically cut short,a genuine team and squad player, Ole Gunnar will also be remembered as one of the smiling faces of football...

"You are my Solskjaer, my only Solskjaer, you make me happy, when skies are grey!"

Understudy: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Honourable Mentions: Jesper Blomqvist; Les Sealey; Brian McClair; Mark Robins; Ruud Van Nistelrooy; Andy Cole; Dwight Yorke; Nicky Butt

financial linkin'

2008-03-23T23:32:00.002Z

This is kinda of a compendium of what I've been reading over the past few months, in addition to all the usuals to get the bigger picture behind the global financial turmoil. It's all pretty enlightening but at the end of the day, it's just words on the internet and that comes with it's own caveats, as we all know...

calculated risk

exurban nation

finfacts ireland

ft alphaville

naked capitalism

Glossy...

2008-03-23T23:30:00.001Z

Yeah, there's nine doors on my parent's hall stairs and landing. Nine of the suckers.

NINE!

I am more gloss paint than man, now... 98% percent gloss.

Glossy!!!

Playmobil terrorist cell...

2008-03-14T13:25:00.004Z

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002CYTL2/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

"At first it looked as though my Playmobil terrorist cell was going have (to) trouble getting through this security system - no naked flames, sharp objects, guns or bombs."

Archive Foxy Bassplayer of the Month - March '08

2008-03-09T23:27:00.002Z

This month's fox is not based on any recent viewings but is seriously foxy. I'm taking editorial license, in the months where gigs have been thin on the ground, to bring you historical foxes...

This month's fox is Melissa Auf Der Maur, who not only has a great name but is the former bassist with Hole and now a full artist in her own right under the moniker, Auf Der Maur.

Stone cold fox. Check the vid', great boots, great leather mini and a great Fender bass. Something for all the family to enjoy!!!

Q & A - Part II

2008-03-09T23:16:00.001Z

What motivates you to travel?

Because we are special privileged and over indulged children and if we sat down and thought about the inequity and iniquity in the world that we tolerate and at times promote to aid our selfish freedom of movement, it would be hard to live with.

So the best thing is to keep on trucking.

Sheesh, to actually think about the destruction of wealth that we contribute to, as an army of first world amateur photographers taking pictures of the same things that a hundred thousand people have already taken and creating a legacy of untold and wanton environmental destruction, well, it'd just fry your brain wouldn't it?

Better to keep on moving and visiting your hard earned foreign currency on various obscure local cultures, buying and selling the experience much like a kerb crawling voyeur.

Q & A

2008-03-07T22:49:00.002Z

Interested in your thoughts on whether socialism has to be redefined though.

Again, this depends classically on the associations and definition you begin with. To a large extent, I think the majority are in agreement on this here, the vast swathe of humanity you encounter in your daily life have notorious preconceptions of what socialism / communism is, was and could be.

They hold alot of things constant about it.

Today, I came across this epithet...

Capitalism spreads prosperity unevenly.

Communism spreads misery evenly.

Quite obviously, to get into a discussion with this guy and he is a very intelligent guy, you need to start by reclaiming the ground you're looking to argue from and I don't need to tell you that.

So why am I telling you that?

Because, it shows that the variant of socialism (which is by no means my proposed end game for humanity) that I hold dear or espouse does not require redefinition, it requires defining.

Most people don't know what socialism or even what the former communist states represented and it's a very important part of the argument to consistently disspell the truths but also to quite candidly bring out all that was wrong and evil with those totalitarian regimes.

And by the way, I agree entirely with your thesis, a cohesive revolution is a long way away and I'll be but the remnants of human flesh corporeal on some slab in some crematorium being exposed to temperatures and mixed with thousands of other similarly fated souls for aeons to come before this too shall pass.

But by acknowledging things as they were and consistently taking a positive line in arguing for socialism, I know that when the systems eventually align with my thinking and perspective on life, I'll have played some very small part.

The particle is still on my back.

The path to the dark side...

2008-03-04T00:28:00.002Z

I've been growing increasingly snippy in my various online contributions recently.

I suppose it's a reflection that I don't think there is that much to laugh about when domestically and internationally, we are facing an enormous credit crunch and the damage that the unwinding of a massive speculative bubble in property is going to rend.

I'm also not too thrilled at the future prospects for Cuba and seriously not interested in the Democratic race for the runners up spot outside the White House.

I've also not been anywhere for a bit, though I have a trip to Amsterdam and tix for The Hold Steady next week.

Perhaps, it's 2008 cabin fever afflicting me already or I just badly need to get laid.

That's the plan, Amsterdam...

EA guff...

2008-03-03T14:38:00.002Z

"Balbriggan has of late become the hub of North County Dublin. With its fine sandy beaches, countryside walks and welcoming community, Balbriggan has, until the last few years, been the forgotten corner of north Dublin. All this has been undergoing great change with the town becoming the northern growth centre for the county. Situated on the beautiful north east coast, it is ideally located on the Dublin/Belfast economic corridor, meaning easy access to many major towns and cities such as Dundalk & Drogheda. The town is also serviced by an excellent bus & rail service.
Clearly, Balbriggan has become a very accessible town in a very strategic location offering a comfortable commute to Dublin City and beyond."

Out of the fire and into the frying pan...

2008-02-28T16:40:00.001Z

Last Updated: 28/02/2008

Rwandan officials to seek advice

Government officials from Rwanda are visiting Ireland next week to study the country's economy.

Rwanda, where 800,000 people were killed in a 1994 genocide, aims to transform itself from an agricultural economy into a hi-tech hub of Africa.

The technology sector in Africa is expected to see massive development in the next ten years. There were just 16 million mobile phone users on the continent in 2000, but this figure had jumped by almost ten-fold to 136 million by 2005.

The Rwandan government is already spending $65 million on broadband as part of a 20-year strategy to switch to a hi-tech service economy.

Representatives of Rwanda's Ministry of Finance are visiting Dublin's Digital Hub area on Monday to meet with experts from Ireland's technology sector.

"Rwanda is re-building itself with ambition to be the IT and Communications hub of Africa," said a spokesperson for Connect-World, which is hosting the visit.

Irish firms are already investing heavily in African countries, and the Taoiseach led an Enterprise Ireland delegation to South Africa last month.

About 60 per cent of Rwandans still live below the poverty line, defined by the UN as an income of less than a dollar a day.

© 2008 ireland.com

The 21st hour...

2008-02-27T00:26:00.002Z

Had to get up for work at 4:30 this morning, so the 21st hour approaches...

It's been a long while since I did an early like that, other than for a flight somewhere and though it was non traditional, it brought many memories of many mornings coursing back.

In some ways, those days, were happiest...

Innocent, carefree, with a metabolism that would knock seven shades of shite out of a Toyota Prius...

Those days are gone, we are living different days now.

Sleep beckons but so does the fourth can of Miller...

Happy Birthday, are you lonely yet???

On birthrates, immigration and meaning...

2008-02-26T23:39:00.000Z

The traditional single income family was the bastion and acceptable face of capitalism for the last two hundred years, I welcome it's disintegration just as I don't weep for the death of the ethnic Irish or the nationstate itself.

Grow your minds and identify with your fellow humans, we're not here to merely propagate ourselves trying to clutch to some faint ridiculous notion of immortality, we're here to revel in both the meaningful and the meaningless.

What is your future exactly?

Blog about this video...

2008-02-21T23:17:00.001Z

Duty calls...

2008-02-20T08:54:00.003Z

Courtesy of XKCD... The same joke, a thousand times but it's still funny...

Provider?

2008-02-15T00:59:00.001Z

Results

Your answers suggest you are a Provider

The four aspects that make up this personality type are:

Summary of Providers

Warm, caring people who value order and tradition
Loyal workers who follow through on commitments
Think of themselves as sympathetic, easy-going and steady
They don't feel comfortable with radical change

More about Providers

Providers like to make plans with other people and then to work with them towards achievable goals in a fun, harmonious environment. They support people that are important to them and respect their individuality.

Providers have traditional values and support order and responsible behaviour. They enjoy social events, particularly family celebrations, and often help plan them. Providers work hard to avoid conflict, but they will state their beliefs when they think it is suitable.

In situations where they can't use their talents or are unappreciated, Providers may doubt their abilities and focus solely on the needs of other people. Under extreme stress, Providers may withdraw completely and become excessively critical of themselves and others.

Providers prefer warm, face-to-face communication and often express their ideas by telling stories from their own lives.

Provider Careers

Providers are often drawn to jobs in education, health care or religion.

It's important to remember that no survey can predict personality type with 100 percent accuracy. Experts say that we should use personality type to better understand ourselves and others, but shouldn't feel restricted by our results.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/whatamilike/

Music snobbery...

2008-02-14T13:11:00.002Z

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot makes me a snob...

Top 10 cover songs of all time...

This is an interesting little article on cover songs, I agree with most of the choices, The Sundays version of "Wild Horses" being an especial favourite. Strange though that they didn't mention Roxy Music and "Jealous Guy", which is still for my meagre salary, the best cover around...

A number of strong contenders in that list though! And I can't wait to check out The Postal Service cover of Phil Collins. Actually, there's a point, Iron and Wine does some savage covers of The Postal Service.

Ah lists, where would you be without them!

The Foxy Bassplayer of the Month...

2008-02-11T21:24:00.000Z

This blog needs more set pieces... Thus, I'm heralding a new era by ushering in the Foxy Bassplayer of the Month awards!!!

This month's fox is Ginger Reyes, spotted as mentioned in the previous post, at the SP gig in the RDS.

Photo by Kristin Burns and from Ginger's MySpace...

Smiling politely...

2008-02-10T03:09:00.000Z

Smashing Pumpkins - RDS, 09/02/08

Billy Corgan gave an interview, years and years ago, to one of those godawful guitar magazines that I might have picked up because it had some handy tab in it at the time. Anyway, I read the shagging interview and one thing he said really resonated with me, from the perspective of writing and playing music. Essentially, it boiled down to the following (and bear in mind I have used this as a template in lots of ways, despite only being a middling Smashing Pumpkins fan)...

The quote went something like:

"We have a rule in this band. If it's more fun to play than to listen to, we throw it out and start again."

I thought that was mega and the absolute purest expression of the philosophy of what music should be about. Certain people I know, believe music should be all sorts of things, difficult, accessible, all manner of variation in between.

My own philosophy was perfectly espoused by that Corgan quote and I've lived and died in bands as a result and probably spent more time wondering about the particular virtues of certain songs than is healthy.

In fact.

I know it isn't healthy.

So tonight, the Pumpkins, or rather Jimmy Chamberlain and Billy, plus a foxy bass player came along and played a show. And in a certain sense, they kicked out the jams. "Today", "Drown", "Cherub Rock", "Bullet with Butterfly Wings", "Perfect", "1979", a new version of "Ava Adore", why amn't I raving about this performance?

Well, probably because in a quid pro quo, the other part of the show was in absolute essence, musical wanking. A stonking 20 minute version of "Tarantula"? No thanks. It was flat out, not very pleasant to listen to.

Then he had a rant about pro-tools and such. Which was highly ironic given that when he kicked Jimmy C out of the band during the ill fated tours of the late 90s, he replaced him with the drummer from Filter. Who were kinda kings of the samples and that form of recording and writing at that point.

All in all, there was a slightly ironic, post something feel to the show. We couldn't laugh at ourselves though.

We'd paid into this thing.

And I'm not sure it was worth it.

Triple AAA...

2008-02-06T17:27:00.000Z

WARNING: THESE BONDS HAVE BEEN RATED AAA BY A MAJOR RATING FIRM. THESE RATING FIRMS HAVE PROVEN THEMSELVES TO BE CLUELESS, MONEY-LOSING INCOMPETENTS IN EXCESS OF A TRILLION DOLLARS IN LOSSES. THEY WERE PAID HANDSOMELY BY THE BOND UNDERWRITER, AND ARE HOPELESSLY COMPROMISED. PURCHASERS OF THESE BONDS ARE ADVISED TO IMMEDIATELY KILL THEMSELVES, THUS SPARING THEIR LOVED ONES EMBARRASSMENT IN THE FUTURE. ALSO, THESE BONDS MAY LOSE VALUE. I JUST WET MYSELF MERELY THINKING ABOUT THIS PAPER. WHILE PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RETURNS, YOU SHOULD BE AWARE THAT PAST PERFORMANCE ALSO SUCKED. DONT BLAME US IF YOU LOSE ANY MONEY, AS WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE F$#@ WE ARE DOING ANYWAY. REALLY, YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN.

Lebensraum

2008-02-06T13:43:00.000Z

The wrong week...

2008-02-05T22:53:00.000Z

The greatest saga of all time...

2008-02-03T21:50:00.000Z

So, the Republic is still managerless, a good 3 months since Staunton went furiously into the night, with a hefty compensation package...

Now, whatever one might think, you can't accuse them of rushing it, so let's have a quick look at the current runners and riders...

- Terry Venables

Nicknames: El Tel

Pros: ... erm, has managed internationally? Can speak English? Would probably be able to pick Robbie Keane out of a line up?

Cons: Terry Venables. Also, slight fondness for extracurricular activities and has been purloined in the past for various financial irregularities.

Summary: In short, he's quite like Bertie, the forced smile / sneer. And you wouldn't put Bertie in charge of the country would ye? Oh shit...

- Giovanni Trappatoni

Nicknames: The Trap

Pros: Has won shitloads as a club manager. Probably couldn't pick Robbie Keane out of a line up.

Cons: Is ancient. I thought he was out of football but he apparently won the Austrian version of the Premier League with Salzburg last season.

Summary: We've always had a fondness for the Italians in Ireland and if their chippers are anything to go by, The Trap could be one tidy operator for the Republic... Will the Harry Ramsden challenge be replaced by the Fusciardi's!

- Liam Brady

Nicknames: Liamo; "Plays a different role, John"

Pros: Would be absolute dynamite for the Apres Match lads.

Cons: Serious lack of any managerial nous displayed during his various tenures.

Summary: This would be a sentimental appointment and highly unlikely. Rumoured to have told the FAI to do one after being offered a more general role in terms of development.

- Mick McCarthy

Nicknames: Captain Fantastic; That gobshite; "It's my arse in the bacon slicer..."

Pros: He hasn't gone bald yet.

Cons: Everything.

Summary: Would be a disaster. On every level.

- Gerard Houillier

Nicknames: Anything xenophobic you can imagine...

Pros: Has won some football matches.

Cons: Has lost some football matches. Quite boring really.

Summary: Might be a solid choice but hard to see his interest in the role.

Who will it be? Do we even care at this stage?

I'll be surprised if they give the nod to Trappatoni, that's probably the bookies blowing smoke up the punters nether regions to lay off some bets. They are quids in, as many runners and riders have disappeared over the past three months, O'Leary, Souness, etc.

Personally, and I know this ain't a popular view, especially as we have been down the road of an ex-international with no success before but I'd have been tempted to give Aldridge a spin. On the plus side, he's a passionate geezer with a magnificent tache and his 3/4 seasons at Tranmere mean that he was eminently more qualified than the other half of the world class appointment, Staunton, last time out.

Still, I wouldn't have sacked Kerr.

And we wouldn't have been in this mess.

The Attic...

2008-01-31T23:44:00.000Z

You don't want to go there.

Yet, you know, you must.

Home of the larger cobwebs and consequent spiders, home of the strange moisture and chill that pervades. But what you need is up there, it's always up there.

Why did you put it up there?

The blame game...

2008-01-31T22:44:00.000Z

Well, ain't it a pretty thing.

I can understand, you're not well. You've dropped the ball, even more than that, things are changing around you faster than you can appreciate. Hell though, I'm really only trying to help out but I need to remove my back from being your steak knife holder pretty damn quick because I see you own a set of six and honestly, I like my back the way it is.

CYA time baby.

Cover your ass.

There is major shit kicking off and it ain't finished yet and if I get my way and a basic empowerment issue sorted out, there is going to be hell to pay, old man. Hell to pay.

I know you're sick but your only personal fiefdom had to come tumbling down at some point, all you boys are going to get yours, I'm going to tear it apart, start again so I can create the monopoly on information and become powerful and sanctimonious like you.

That's if I live till Tuesday.

Carpe Diem.

Get out of gold quick...

2008-01-30T00:33:00.000Z

Hey,

I've had some great guidance and I feel bad holding back what I know. I'm going to share with you but you must act quickly!

The FED is cutting the rates again tomorrow. Last Tuesday's history rate cut barely saved the markets from a major crash. Most people don't realize how bad things are. The dollar has been in a near free-fall for a while. All this printing of money out of thin air is only going to make it worse.

If you're not buying gold and silver and taking physical possession of it, you are doing your family a disservice. You don't want to be poor in a likely depression or hyper-inflation. Worse, if the dollar completely collapses, having some gold and silver coins on-hand for barter will be a life-saver.

Mining stocks is an even better way.

Specifically PENNY mining stocks that are set to explode. You can multiply your capital 10 or even a 100 times and will buy you A LOT MORE gold and silver to hide in your back yard.

But, unless you know what you're doing this is very risky! Remember how I rushed into real estate investing? Well, I've been blessed with some great advisors this time around. The advice has been dead-on for almost a year and I feel comfortable now to share with you.

The company is GoldSpring. The stock symbol is GSPG.

Since last April I'm up over 480%. I bought at 1/3 of a penny. Today it almost hit 2 cents. In the next day or two they're going to release a MAJOR report that shows you how much gold they have in the ground. I bought some more shares today ahead of the news.

Time is VERY short to make a killing.

The stock used to trade close to a dollar a couple of years ago. Then the company had some legal problems which tanked the price. They recently settled their issues and re-organized the management team. They're starting to explore and drill again.

Economic fundamentals are perfect.

The price of gold is breaking all-time highs at over $900/ounce. And it's still undervalued compared to the peak in the 80s. If you adjust it for inflation, it should be at like $2400.

The price of silver is an even better story. It's only at $16 when it really should be at like $50 just to keep instep with gold. It's definately a sleeper.

Watch Goldspring in the next days or two. If you research the company you will see they are sitting ontop of Comstock Lode. That's one of the biggest silver mines in America - located near Virginia City, Nevada. The new management team is good and starting to turn the company around.

In other words, the stars have aligned.

If you can grab a million shares GSPG today (about $20K), you may be a MILLIONAIRE by Christmas.

If you don't have a brokerage account, run to the local Scottrade office and open an account. You can start with just $100. If you're on the west coast, you have till 5PM to get the money in there for it to be available tomorrow morning.

Don't tell me I didn't warn you.

Really, a million bucks is not even a big deal anymore. Think about it - getting rich slow is pretty stupid when you account for inflation. Like a hamster in a wheel running in place.

That's why I can't sit around quietly anymore: We need to wake people up, trust GOD and GET RICH FAST to protect our families from the coming storm!!

My goal is to be a Millionaire By Christmas.

I plan to accomplish it through proper debt management / leveraging, and maybe some real estate deals, info products and other creative ideas... whatever it takes! The overall strategy is to raise capital and invest properly into precious metals and commodities.

GSPG is your first tip. Come along for the ride. We will learn a lot, have lots of fun and protect our loved ones!

By the way...

I'm kicking off my Millionaire by Christmas internet talkshow tonight at 6PM Pacific. The show will be on daily Monday through Friday. Every Friday I will be doing the show from the Capitol Garage Cafe at 1500 K Street, Sacramento, CA. Swing by and hang out.

The show will be an update of my progress for the day and me answering you calls. You will also hear from my advisers and partners from time to time.

Call in phone number is: (724) 444-7444, talkcast ID: 11982. Note you will need to create an account first at www.talkshoe.com and choose a PIN. About 30 minutes after the show, it will be available for download.

Bonus...

I'm going to try to get my precious metal adviser join us tonight and/or tomorrow to give us an update on whats going on.

Casey Serin
http://serin.us
http://MillionaireByChristmas.com <-- go hear and leave me a comment

Shortly thereafter, 34 mins to be precise... He sent an email saying he was pulling the website and that there would be no talkcast... Does this mean, no million by christmas? And can anybody find me the Dr. Phil show with Casey online???

From Houston to Trim via Brussels...

2008-01-27T21:46:00.000Z

A bit of an onslaught of a week here.

I could tell you all about it, "it" involving a certain amount of romance last Sunday accompanied by numerous pints of guinness and smithwicks. "It" also involved a hell of a lot of work, mostly in Belgium as the romance mostly faded but the beer and work flowed.

"It" also involved getting my hands on some back catalogue CDs, SpaceHog, Rocket from the Crypt and the Seu Jorge record from The Life Aquatic.

Work is not the only thing I have complete control over recently. Times are, how you say, turbulent. But opportunities abound in the midst of mixed messages. We are entering a career defining stage, I guess.

Then, last night it was Trim and a visit to an old friend. A splendid night was had in a beautiful little pub called, David's Lad. Then back to the gaff, where a gently dozing Korean girl forced me to stay up watching Alfred Hitchcock's, Strangers on a Train.

I don't know why I had to stay up, her boyfriend got to go to bed.

By the way, anyone interested in swapping murders??? Figuratively speaking of course.

Romance has gone back to Houston.

Take note, property pickers!!!

2008-01-21T12:09:00.001Z

Is this what a hard soft landing looks like???

Dear Miami...

2008-01-17T23:28:00.000Z

I rarely get excited by pop music these days but it's doing no disservice to Mme Murphy to say she has created a perfect pop gem with this thing... "Dear Miami".

I have no real idea what it's about but like all the best music you can put your own slant and interpretation on it...

On a lesser blog, they'd get all hung up on the irish connection but I couldn't give a shit. I always liked the Moloko singles generally but this is feisty, seriously feisty. And the rest of the record, explored to date, makes it sound like a keeper.

Blastin' from the pastin'

2008-01-17T23:02:00.000Z

Spacehog - In the meantime

Quote of the day...

2008-01-16T22:08:00.000Z

"I haven't really seen myself as a number two."

Oh but I have Alan, I have...

Casey & Dr. Phil...

2008-01-15T11:13:00.000Z

Hey,

I will be on the Dr. Phil show this Wednesday!

7PM Chanel 31 in Sacramento. Use this link to look up your state for local stations and times:

http://drphil.com/shows/listing/

I will try to get a recording of it and post it here: http://serin.us

My Current Status:

The show was taped a few months ago. I'm still trying to save my marriage. Following Dr. Phil's advice by staying off-line and working a steady job. Unfortunately there hasn't been much progress. Still hoping though. Prayers appreciated!!

And I still have 250 to 500K of defaulted debt and foreclosure deficiencies to deal with (plus other more serious legal issues). And I don't think bankruptcy will be a good move for me.

I'd love to pay it all off instead. That would be a sweet comeback story. We'll see...

By the way, do you know anybody who is facing foreclosure?

I can help by sharing my experience of going through 6 foreclosures, dealing with short sales, 1099s, deficiency judgments, etc. I was blessed with some great lessons.

--
Casey Serin

Cover yourself like a bruise...

2008-01-11T22:39:00.000Z

Jesse Malin covers The Hold Steady's anthemic: "You can make him like you"...

Lyrics scrapbook part 7 billion and 42...

2008-01-10T20:31:00.000Z

I'm still wasting my time...
Carrying on down this same old tired line...
I drink more whiskey than wine...
That's how I keep the truth from seeping out, all the time...

Why can't I just please myself?
Without hurting you, or anybody else...
Keep on drinking to death...
Be a cheap funeral and nobody would have to stand...

And honestly...
You're more probably...
Wasted, than you've ever been...
Or ever planned to be...

Call my bluff, don't wake me up...
Go and get some other thing...
With someone more than me...

'Cos I'll stay wasting my time...
Providing the same old tired lines...
Still playing my part...
'Cos cliches'n'false dawns are just about, all I got...

Keep on pleasing yourself...
With just about everybody else...
You didn't want what was meant...
Hide in something shallow, it's safer, that way I'd bet...

And honestly...
You're more probably...
Wasted, than you've ever been...
Or ever planned to be...

Call my bluff, don't wake me up...
Go and get some other thing...
With someone more than me...

ISEQ - Jan 10th 2008

2008-01-10T12:21:00.000Z

The Irish Blog Awards...

2008-01-09T23:12:00.000Z

Self important vacuous shite...

VOTE NO.

And yes.

I am jealous.

Not.

Caption competition @ the 'pin...

2008-01-08T17:10:00.001Z

"Two useless sods, and some turf." - Whizzbang

The ghost of Americana past...

2008-01-07T22:14:00.000Z

Courtesy of SGR.

No man ever followed his genius...

2008-01-07T12:55:00.000Z

... till it misled him.

Lawlor body found in southern Chile

Monday, 7 January 2008 11:27

The body of Ronan Lawlor, the Co Laois man who went missing in Chile in November, has been found.

It is understood the body was found in a remote spot near the three towers mountain peaks in the centre of Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile.

His family has said they are happy to be bringing the remains of their son home.

A spokesperson for the family said they wished to acknowledge the help and support from the Chilean authorities as well as the support from the public in Ireland and Chile.

In a statement to RTÉ News, the spokesperson added that the family was asking for their privacy to be respected at this time.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio's Morning Ireland, Aidan Lawlor, a cousin of Ronan, described how the news was broken to the family.

'We received a 'phone call last night from the Department of Foreign Affairs at about eight o'clock,' he said.

'They just called us and relayed the news to us that a body had been found and that, in almost certainty, it's Ronan's body.'

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it is aware a body had been found, but added a formal identification has not yet taken place.

However, the department confirmed it had contacted the Lawlor family.

Mr Lawlor's body has been removed to the regional capital Punta Arenas for autopsy and formal identification.

A massive search operation was launched in Chile on 18 November when Mr Lawlor failed to keep up contact.

The search was later narrowed to a national park on the Argentinean/Chilean border. However, the search was called off last month.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0107/lawlorr.html