Saturday, November 29, 2008

Saturday Night Feverish



Various Cushions posted like this a few weeks ago, so I thought I'd copy her. As part of our writers group, we do a writing exercise before we start the serious work of telling each other how brilliant we all are.

This week Various suggested we free wrote a piece on a scene that takes place over five seconds.

We had five minutes to write. This is what I came up with:

"He lifts the fork to his mouth. A piece of onion, lemming like, dives from the mini mountain of food and dies - splat - on his tie. His eyes never leave Jeremy Clarkson and that little Hammond bloke on the tv screen. I can see the olive oil slick from the suicidal vegetable spread out, across its paisley graveyard. Clarkson barks. I sigh. I'm so leaving him."

Its short, but I think I like it :)As for the writers group - as mentioned in a number of blogs we had a triumphant visit to Limerick where we showcased our immense poetical talent with the White House Poets. But less was written about the 5am drunken game of Truth or Truth that was played. Now, calm down, calm down, I'm not about to reveal anything :) But it did get me thinking about my past, and people I'd once known. People I hadn't thought about in a while came to mind. I did a little googling, see if anyone was out there. Its funny the things you find out. The most interesting possibly that a guy from my murky past has testified before the US congress. Its on youtube.

So, how should this make me feel? Am I achieving what I want out of life? Are three happy kids and one Jonathan Swift Competition win enough? Of course the happy kids bit is, but that's them, not me. It's Saturday night and soon the telly will auto tune itself back to the X Factor results.

Is that enough?

Saturday Night Feverish



Various Cushions posted like this a few weeks ago, so I thought I'd copy her. As part of our writers group, we do a writing exercise before we start the serious work of telling each other how brilliant we all are.

This week Various suggested we free wrote a piece on a scene that takes place over five seconds.

We had five minutes to write. This is what I came up with:

"He lifts the fork to his mouth. A piece of onion, lemming like, dives from the mini mountain of food and dies - splat - on his tie. His eyes never leave Jeremy Clarkson and that little Hammond bloke on the tv screen. I can see the olive oil slick from the suicidal vegetable spread out, across its paisley graveyard. Clarkson barks. I sigh. I'm so leaving him."

Its short, but I think I like it :)As for the writers group - as mentioned in a number of blogs we had a triumphant visit to Limerick where we showcased our immense poetical talent with the White House Poets. But less was written about the 5am drunken game of Truth or Truth that was played. Now, calm down, calm down, I'm not about to reveal anything :) But it did get me thinking about my past, and people I'd once known. People I hadn't thought about in a while came to mind. I did a little googling, see if anyone was out there. Its funny the things you find out. The most interesting possibly that a guy from my murky past has testified before the US congress. Its on youtube.

So, how should this make me feel? Am I achieving what I want out of life? Are three happy kids and one Jonathan Swift Competition win enough? Of course the happy kids bit is, but that's them, not me. It's Saturday night and soon the telly will auto tune itself back to the X Factor results.

Is that enough?

Thursday, November 27, 2008

What happens in Limerick, stays in Limerick



Lucan Writers out on tour!
Guinness, Bud, pour, pour, pour!
Gangsta poetry
Rhyming sophistry
We left them wanting more more more!


What happens in Limerick, stays in Limerick



Lucan Writers out on tour!
Guinness, Bud, pour, pour, pour!
Gangsta poetry
Rhyming sophistry
We left them wanting more more more!


Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Much Ablog about Nothing





So, I've been trying to write a blog entry for the past few days now, but nothing is really jumping out at me. Yes, contracts were finally signed on the new house. But, yawn, I suspect if I say one more word on the subject everyone I know will make like Murder on the Orient Express and collectively do me in. (Apologies for the Agatha Christie spoiler there...)

I could also write about last Saturdays Shoestring Collective, but, after three glasses of wine, a pint and a half of Guinness, my recollections are a little fuzzy. I remember a lot of laughing - and then a serious cocaine play that put everyone on a downer... ha, ha, only kidding Uiscebot! It was just part of the rollercoaster! We're laughing! We're crying! We're wondering what that bloke is doing with the guitar and peddles...


But, I reckon its been a few days now, the moment has passed for a review.



So, that just leaves funny things the kids said as my staple blog filler. But they've been more sombre lately... far example:

Middle Child(age 6) : Why is grandad working at the weekend?
Me: He has a lot of bills to pay.
Middle Child : When I find my piggy bank I will give him money.
Me: That's really sweet of you, but a hug would be better. Hugs are the the best thing.

Pause.

The voice from the back of the car...

Middle Child : Not starving is better than hugs.

Me: Good point.

Well, I guess this is going to be a blog entry about nothing.

Maybe next time.

Much Ablog about Nothing





So, I've been trying to write a blog entry for the past few days now, but nothing is really jumping out at me. Yes, contracts were finally signed on the new house. But, yawn, I suspect if I say one more word on the subject everyone I know will make like Murder on the Orient Express and collectively do me in. (Apologies for the Agatha Christie spoiler there...)

I could also write about last Saturdays Shoestring Collective, but, after three glasses of wine, a pint and a half of Guinness, my recollections are a little fuzzy. I remember a lot of laughing - and then a serious cocaine play that put everyone on a downer... ha, ha, only kidding Uiscebot! It was just part of the rollercoaster! We're laughing! We're crying! We're wondering what that bloke is doing with the guitar and peddles...


But, I reckon its been a few days now, the moment has passed for a review.



So, that just leaves funny things the kids said as my staple blog filler. But they've been more sombre lately... far example:

Middle Child(age 6) : Why is grandad working at the weekend?
Me: He has a lot of bills to pay.
Middle Child : When I find my piggy bank I will give him money.
Me: That's really sweet of you, but a hug would be better. Hugs are the the best thing.

Pause.

The voice from the back of the car...

Middle Child : Not starving is better than hugs.

Me: Good point.

Well, I guess this is going to be a blog entry about nothing.

Maybe next time.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Sign from above?

Today was meant to be contracts day. Ink the dotted line etc. But our solicitor got sick. So, yet another delay.

I'm expecting a piano to be dropped on her car next. Then perhaps a plague of locusts through her office. A world wide shortage in paper? Barack Obama to introduce a crippling levy on pens?


This all reminds me of that joke/spiritual lesson about the guy who is trapped in his house due to a flood... a guy in a boat goes by and says 'hop aboard, I'll save you'. But the guy in the house says 'no, I'm fine, I've prayed to god, he'll save me.' The waters are rising and a guy on a raft floats by and says' hop aboard I'll save you', and again the bloke in the house says 'No, I'm fine, I've prayed to god, he'll save me.' There is more and more water when a third guy, hanging onto a piece of drift wood goes by and says 'grab on, I'll save you'. But no, our guy declines again 'No, I'm fine, I've prayed to god, he'll save me.' Eventually, the water gets so high, our hero drowns. When he stands in front of god, in heaven, he cries 'I believed in you, I prayed to you, why didn't you save me?!" And God replies, 'I sent a boat, I sent a raft....'

But of course this isn't God trying to stop us signing contracts on our ridiculously expensive house, on one income, in a time of extreme financial uncertainty and recession.

Nope. Not a sign. We'll be fine...


Is that rain I can hear?