well...

Its coming up to 3am, and I can't sleep.

I've been off sick for a few days and today i felt well enough to go to tech.

Trouble is, cuse i'm so freakin' well rested I no can't seem to sleep.

I've read all the news articles i care to, caught up on all the tech-y web sites, blogs, live-journals etc.

Now I'm really at the bottom of the sleep inducing activity barrell. I'm backing up my MAC over my home network to a PC over remote desktop.


Whats all this chat about running xp on a mac, as if its a new thing? I've been doing it for ages, as the picture above shows.

I don't even have one of those funky intel based macs like Elia does, nope mine is a bog standard powerbook-melt-the-skin-off-your-lap-top-g4-1.25ghz.

I did put an extra gig of ram in it though, i was feeling depressed.

Now, its 2.54am, i'm off to try again.

"Goodnight england and the colonies, i'll just pop on this record of royal snoring..."
Neddy seagoon
Excerpt from "The Last Goon Show of All"
BBC Light Programme 1972

Full weekend.....

Saturday night was the Belfast Giants first game of the season in the Odyssey Arena. I was back in the driving seat keeping the show ticking over.

Even though I was panicking more that I think I've ever done, things went without a hitch. Even the new sound desk that I bought worked exactly as I hoped.

I went into Maplin to get advice on what cables to use and one of the guys told me the biggest load of rubbish. I thanked him for his advice and then asked another member of staff who was more than helpful.

The hockey match itself was a bit of a penalty filled farce. There is a new zero tolerance policy in force for penalties. As a result our underexperienced referee Mr Mike Hicks called everything from legitimate roughing to one of our guys getting his face cut open - giving the injured guy the penalty!

Joanne's review is accurate, see here.

Below is a shot of my view:


On Sunday I slept in, then met Paul and Colin for a coffee in Belfast.

It was nice to catch up with colin, after not seeing him for a long while.

Currently Listening to:
Song: America
Artist: Razorlight
Album: Razorlight

HEUGE Spiders

Looking out the front window of our living room, i spotted this guy:


I very seldom take good pictures, but i likes this one!

ITS STARTING.....

That feeling that winter is really on the way, more than that, its really close by.

Dark evenings, leaves falling, its not cold but its getting there, listening to "Simon and Garfunkle" or "Iron and Wine".

I like winter. Lots.

What celeb do you look like 2.....

Here were some of the experiments i ran:

Firstly, the McIvors:
(I was personally really amused that I looked like Chuck Norris!)

Next Fish and Raj:

Paul Fellowes:
MORE WILL BE ADDED IN TIME, NO ONE IS SAFE!

Goodnight Steve Irwin....

Darn Stingrays

WHAT CELEB DO YOU LOOK LIKE?

I was reading OVERCOMPENSATING the other day, which is an offshoot of one of my favorite web comics WIGU. They talked about a web site that you load a photo into and they tell you what celebrities you resemble. I thought this was just a made up daft thing, but it isn't.....

Check it out here

My little town.......

My little townCurrently listening to: "My little town"
Artist: Simon and Garfunkel
Album: Old Friends

I was noticing today how Monkstown, the little place I live in has changed so much in just a few years.

Here it is according to Google earth about 6 years ago:


Here it is now:



Amazing how much something that you think isn't changing changes so much?

The spides are still here, no one can drive properly yadda yadda yadda....... :)

But you don't really care for music, do ya?

"Well, it goes like this, the 4th the 5th, the minor fall and the major lift....."
("Hallelujah", Jeff buckley)

Ok, so i've been listening to Jeff Buckley in the car while waiting on Joanne. I love rediscovering a song that has such great memories and then learning to appreciate it all over again, finding pieces of the composition that got lost in you're memory.

"Hallelujah" from Jeff Buckley's "Grace" album is a fantastic, intimate classic that holds great memories for me. I can remember playing it to try to impress girls, the late night chats I had with people like Paul Fellowes who introduced me to the song, discussing its fine production etc.

I remember playing it at a party I was at with Ross Thompson in Ballymena somewhere. It is a song that makes a room silent, that is to say the song does, not my delivery of the song.

I was delighted to deliver it though, as i'd been playing it over and over for ages in my bedroom, trying to get it right. Its an excellent feeling, finding that everyone is listening intently.

It was my dad who brought it back to my attention. My bro let him hear it the other day in the car, and he asked if i had it on my laptop. He described the guitar work as just fantastic, or words to that effect, he's right you know!

Mum and Dad have always listened to good music, which is how i learned to appreciate the good stuff myself.

In a similar way they have tought me how to discern much more than good music, their example of faith has been the most important lesson they could have tought me.

As I said, the playing of "hallelujah" to a group of people made them silent and listen, not because of the delivery, but because of the song itself. In the same way I believe Christ has made me aware of his presence through my folks, not because of their presentation of him, but because he shone through them.

There is an example to follow.

Relaxin' all cool n' all shootin' some Bball outside of the school...

Me and Jo were out "Shootin some hoops" on Saturday.

Jo lost her arm in this shot below, but seems more than happy with her one remaining arm.

*snigger*

Website of the week.....

Lets get ourselves rid, join the revolution today.


Currently Listening to:
"Chip Shop"
Artist: Kirsty MacColl
Album: Desperate Character

The Bunny Shot

Checking through the photos of the Milk Cup I spotted this rare freak bunny appearance:



No one remembers seeing the "Jo-bunny" who hops around at an incredable speed.


dang.

TMNT

THEY'RE MAKING A NEW TURTLES MOVIE!!!!!!

Currently listening to:
"T-U-R-T-L-E Power"
Artist: MC Hammer

My Milk Cup Pic of the Week....

Joanne took this shot in the driving rain last sunday:

Milk Cup madness......

Currently Listening To:
"Milkman of human kindness"
Artist: Billy Bragg
Album: The Essential Billy Bragg

So, Joanne has been taking pictures al week at the Milk Cup, an international football (soccer) competition held on Northern Ireland's north coast.

This has been a lot of fun. Joanne is working for the competition directly with a photographer called Russel Pritchard, who's a nice guy.

The first few days were a washout weather wise, but lots of good photos taken and some have made their way to the papers.

Click here to see all the photos.

I've just melted....

Currently listening to:
Song: "(Been through the desert on) a horse with no name"
Artist: America
Album: America

Today has been a scorcher, its more than 30 degrees (C) in the office, and we are all starting to drip at the edges. There is a severe lack of aircon. Aparently there is tarmac melting all over the country and people are dying of heat exhaustion. This from a country that is usually about 8 degrees (C).


I usually drink the odd glass of water, (in between all the gallons of coffee), but today i've had one cup of coffee and about 3 litres of water. I might just explode anytime now.

fergoodnessake, hararya?

July 11th.....

What was that film called with Arnold Schwarzenegger where he has to get to the toy shop on christmas eve and get the toy for his kid, the last one in the shop? Tesco Newtownabbey was kinda like that this evening.... only more cussing.

I decided on one of the busiest shopping days of the year to try out Joanne's parents' new bar-be-que. Today has been good weather and everyone (apart from me) got out of work today at about 3pm.

The following sum explains further:

Good weather +
Short work day followed by 2 days national holiday +
Being Northern Ireland's official bonfire night (for one half of the community) =
BBQ!

Random trivia for international visitors:
The 12th and 13th of july are national holidays in Northern Ireland. For more info click here. Bonfire night is the 11th, a precursor to these holidays for the loyalist side of the divide.

When i got to the supermarket I discovered first of all that they were closing now. Right now. Although normally a 24/7 (ish) supermarket, all concerned shoppers now start to panic.
Everything that is needed for survival is to be bought in the next 5 minutes.

The shelves were as empty as i've ever seen them. There were 3 packets of sausages and no bread at all. I got some beer, which was a miracle in itself as tonight's bonfire extravaganza has over the years descended into a drink-a-thon. I dropped a 4 pack on the floor and had to have another brought to me as there was, in the words of the assistant, "....no time to get another. Stay here!".

I passed by Davy from work who explained that he and his missis had been to 3 supermarkets and were still short of what they were looking for. There was an air of desperation setting in!

I got the checkouts only to be moved on from one line to another because, and I quote: "...sorry sir, I'm closing up now!" OF COURSE YOU"RE CLOSING UP NOW, THE WHOLE BLOODY SHOP IS CLOSING UP NOW! That was in my head, but if you know me you'll know I'll go to say things like that and then just grin insanely and just move on.

The thing about the checkouts is that in this country you can only buy alcohol at a percentage of the open tills at a supermarket. It's a silly licensing thing that i doubt even the management understand. There are signs up showing you which till is ok to buy from and which is not.

I was having the problem that every till i got refused from was an alcohol purchasing till. I kept being referred on to tills that I could not buy alcohol from. I finally cracked up and said: "where can I buy this stuff from then, all the other tills that sell alcohol are closing too!" I was greeted with little sympathy and told to move on.

20 minutes later I got out of the place. I was driving to a petrol station to buy bread when i came across an example of one of the smaller bonfires:

click above image to enlarge

As you can see there is a Irish flag on top, what you may not be able to see is the celtic fooball tops that are arm in arm all around it too. Such silly hatred.

(by the way if you are not from Ireland and you are puzzled about this I'll be happy to explain. Just e-mail me)

Well, off I go. We'll probably take a look about the bonfires later, but stay far enough away from the idiots to be in any danger!

More to follow..... M.

Tim Horton's In Ireland! (and Ireland trip)....

Currently listening to: "Trouble" Ray LaMontagne


Last Saturday Joanne, Shiny, Raj and I wen't on a "lets get lost in Ireland" adventure, which ended up in Westport. As the name may suggest, its a port on the West of Ireland.

We were having this day out to jointly celebrate Sarah's 18th birthday and also spend some time with her before she headed off to OZ.

The day was a wild amount of fun and frolicking, we did get extensively lost in Co.Sligo thanks to Microsoft "so called" route finder, (if that is your real name), but we stopped and asked directions off and englishman, who was only too pleased and amused at being able to direct us back to the right path.

He didn't however give us good directions, so we headed for sligo and then on down the N4/N5 to the port.

Here is a map of the journey, as is should have been:

I got overly excited to find canadian coffee store Tim Horton's had appeared in a Shell/Spar filling station on the main road to Westport.

The thing is that Canadian coffee is not that strong, and can be a little bland, but that isn't the point, it has attached memories of going to Canada with Dave Allen and Elia Montgomery.. . . also they do great pastries / donuts / timbits.

Aparently Tim horton's are planning to populate Irish Shell/Spar filling stations with branches, and there is a proper fully functioning coffee shop already open at Dublin Zoo.

The Canadians are on the attack. Bring it on.

Also, when we got to Westport we went into a pub and watched the England world cup dreams being dashed. There was no finer place to do that than an Irish Pub!

Go Oilers!

I'm currently (at time of posting) watching the Ice Hockey "Stanley Cup". Edminton Oilers v Carolina Hurricanes.

Its the 2nd period, Carolina 2 Oilers 3.

I hope the oilers can keep it up. (too many random penalties)

=====
addition (later on):

3-3 its overtime!

=====

Ok so they lost. Dang.

Currently listening to:
"The Hockey Song"
Stompin' Tom Connors
Boot Records

The mighty bumblewasp.....

He's half man, half biscuit, half wasp. He has a cane, a hat, a moustache and a face on him like a battenburg.