telly 9 April 2009
The tv in the London abode shouldn’t be there at all – didn’t want one but it was a gift from a lovely friend so here it is. I have a licence (it is my understanding that broadcasters frown worse on an employee not having one of those than moral turpitude, a lot of the time, and regard both as sackable offences anyhow) but I have never got cable in. Consequently, I have a very fuzzy reception on only 3 channels. That’s usually fine as I snatch a news headline or 2 and leave it at that. Tonight, however, I did wish for a bit more definition as I came across the BBC programme COAST in my travels round those 3 channels and it was concentrating on the west coast of Ireland – my neck of the ocean. I caught about half of the show and wish I had seen it all. But I did score the Aran Islands, complete with shots of the Plassey boat-wreck on the smallest island which is featured on the opening credits of FR TED and they used the music while the presenter said ‘I can’t stay – I must go on,on go, on’ – I kid you not!! Then they moved onto Clare and I saw a wave called Eileen (!) which surfers prize. She’s not regular and isn’t the biggest wave in the world but is MUCH prized as she’s foxy and VERY difficult to ride (yes, yes, I know I could get a lot of smut in here but I am not going to).
Now I am trying to make out the golf ball on the course at Augusta. C’mon the Irish at The Masters! I really LOVE golf on telly, as you all know, and I need to get back to the new screen in Dublin soonest to enjoy this great tournament properly. Wish I could play a game of that stick-based magnificence but it has eluded me – perhaps in my dotage I’ll manage a round or two without too much disgrace. Last time I played was decades ago and I would have been better off just taking the ball into my hand and throwing it ahead of me – galling, as there are at least 2 great golfers in the family and quite a few serviceable ones.
lap dog 8 April 2009
I saw a woman with the perfect lapdog today and I felt a pang – it’d be great if the G could travel with me. But that ain’t for cats, my friends. Having said that I believe they can be trained to walk on a leash and a wee man who drank in my Dad’s local (called Murty) and his cats followed him along the street like dogs might follow their owner. The G is in rude good health according to Richard. I had to blag an inhaler at the airport last night as I’d spent my doctor’s fee for a new prescription earlier on Herself so why wouldn’t she be feeling grand – the Wagon!
I’m having a mare with interent access at the moment – my trusty UK system has turned to pants. Looks like I’ll have to change provider and that’s such a hassle – also I have no idea how to go about all that. I have a plug-in mobile thingy that the laptop (not as good as a lapdog, methinks) now refuses to recognise…hmmm…and I haven’t got the necessary disk to download recognition info anymore and the website isn’t carrying it anymore. A day of phonecalls beckons where the other half of the conversation coming at me will be full of terms that sounds like BLAHBLAHBLAH to me…
And there’s the set of galley proofs for the mass paperback version of MISSING YOU ALREADY calling to me for IMMEDIATE attention.
And the new book is languishing and moaning a bit from the computer file at me too.
Tomorrow is KNUCKLE DOWN time.
fright 7 April 2009
Oh crikey, the FRIGHT last night and today! The beloved G cat had a big TURN last night. When we got back home she was basically blind and freaked out. Her pupils were totally open to the limit and she couldn’t see us. She walked into the walls and doors and was SO scared. And, in turn ,I joined her – told Rich that if she was the same this morning when I took her to the vet we would be saying the ultimate goodbye to her as I don’t want her to have either a moment of fright or to leave without being totally at the height of her elderly but super powers. We had her with us on the bed and I slept all of 20 minutes straight at any time cos I wanted to pet her and let her know she was fine. This morning her eyes were focusing again and she was able to do stairs and, wait for it, leap onto a table to head butt me. SO, 160 euros later, and blood tests and the works done, turns out she’s in good nick for her age, aside from a bit too much urea in her, well, urine….so we may never know what happened to her. She’ll be monitored closely, of course, cos the kidneys might be on their way out but it all boils down to the fact that she’s in much better shape today than I am (I AM A WRECK, needless to say!)
I left Dublin for London and the relief that The G Gal is okay for now was great and I must thank the Aer Lingus staff who were so friendly and good to me tonight AND we flew by the jolly and (nearly) full moon and I swear to you it looked like it was smiling in at us. I am still smiling now to think of it.
the past 6 April 2009
As part of the Rough Magic 25th birthday celebrations a selection of old plays were re-read by a younger generation over the weekend and that was a bit of a blast. Quite challenging at times, though, I found. For instance, last night finished with DIGGING FOR FIRE by Declan Hughes, which was a seminal early work for the company and indeed Declan as a writer. I found it difficult to deal with. He based quite a lot of it on all of our lives at that time (1991) and looking back can be a bittersweet activity. I really do worry that we were utter nightmares then, though I wish we had even a sprinkling of the confidence now that we seemed to have in those days. There is an argument that we got nicer as we got older, or maybe we’re just a bit wishy-washier? Hard to know. Anyhow I beat myself up a bit about it all and Declan quite rightly told me I was getting upset about very little. We move on. Get over it!
It was wonderful to see the selection of old and new work and the breadth of it was astonishing (and this only the tip of the iceberg). I think it’s a really valid thing to have celebrated the 25 years and I hope it has whetted creative juices all over again and will feed nicely into another 25 years of good work.
Of course, having been fab and delighted, etc, we all went and got madly drunk then and everyone is texting sob stories and apologies to one another today – ah yeah, we haven’t changed all that much, actually…nightmares…
signs 4 April 2009
I saw a great sign while in a cab going along Dublin’s docklands recently. There’s a new bridge being built to link the south quay with a new conference centre on the northside of the quays and it is to be called the Samuel Beckett Bridge – the sign reads ‘Samuel Beckett Bridge – coming 2010’ Now why do I feel a Waiting for Godot gag coming on??
I’ve noticed that all of the, generally empty, buildings in Dublin’s Docklands have every single light on every night – so much for the planet and the rest of us turning our lights off for Earth Hour and so on. We rehearsed there for the latter part of the OCTOBER preparations and it was strange. After 6 or 7 in the evening it was a deserted enough area as the office workers had gone home and there are few enough houses – though lots of apartment buildings which seemed sparsely populated and insular. There is a huge feeling of arrested development about the area as building work has halted nearly everywhere because of the recession.
We’re having an Emergency Budget in Ireland to try to raise more money for the Exchequer on April 7th – SO not looking forward to that as we are all taxed to the hilt right now and things are only going to get worse. AND none of the bankers responsible for the mess seem to have been punished in any meaningful way, if at all. It’s depressing. In the meantime my Galway nephew has been laid off, his mum’s hours have been cut and my London bro is currently unemployed. Worrying all round.
On a lighter note, Rough Magic Theatre Company is celebrating 25 years and I have been out to see readings of various shows old and new (the oldies being reinterpreted by new people) – it’s joyous and touching. Here’s to another 25 years of the company! There are lots of activities/readings today and tomorrow at Project Arts Centre in Dublin’s Temple Bar for those of you with an interest, and plenty of fine talk and a jar or 2 to be had afterwards also.
cave man 2 April 2009
what can i say? the Lad (hubby) is on the caveman diet which is, quite frankly, common sense – meat, nuts, berries and so on – hunter/gatherer stuff = grand. I’m liking it but would have to give the big shout out to an Indian feast – my caveman is very Northern Hemisphere at the moment – we’ll deal with that presently…
We discovered a few weeks ago, though*, that Cavemen can’t drink = ‘nother story – more anon…
*they are just waiting for booze to be invented and love the thought of it – ‘parently…
treadmill 1 April 2009
I am back on the treadmill – before we all (mostly me) get excited it’s only been yesterday and today and, in fairness, I am only doing it cos I am eating regularly again – when you do a stage show it can work out that you perform and then have a few pints, sleep most of the next day and maybe only eat a Rice Krispie square and a banana all day long – GREAT! and the only way for me to lose weight. Now I am active but at home and not enough (no huge adrenalin rush and burning of the hollow calories) SO lashing on the weight….
I am back on the treadmill – before we all (mostly me) get excited I have only written a few hundred words so far – a start, however…On the subject of which, if anyone out there knows anyone who has synaesthesia I’d be grateful for an intro as I need to talk to someone who does…
From tomorrow ROUGH MAGIC theatre company are celebrating 25 years in the theatre business – if you are around and about Dublin you’d do worse than to attend one of the readings of past glories re-interpreted by a new generation that they are lashing on for the weekend.
And if any of you Dublin-based types are in the borough of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown tomorrow evening I am giving a talk about me bukes at Deansgrange LIBRERY (as it is often shown on cakes) from 7.30
maths 31 March 2009
I watched a tv programme about maths this evening which was both very interesting and very annoying. There was a professor boffin with the comedian Alan Davies (tje latter designed to make it more accessible of us eejits) and the prof was a bit over-eager to involve the Common Man (although he did explain one very good rule of thumb based on Maths for a 3 cup trick). In the end it boils dpwn to the fact that Maths is PROOF in the most abstract way (it’s another language really) and that everything can probably be explained by it EVENTUALLY but also that it is beautiful and patterned and infinite. I got all that but I still have a problem with probability and my 7 times tables (ain’t they the hardest? followed swiftly by 9 times ones). And don’t get me started on Prime Numbers…
I do wish my brain worked that way, however, as it looks like good nerdy fun – though I suspect it is not entirely harmless.
adventure 30 March 2009
Meself and Himself had a little adventure on the way home this evening. I was over his neck of the woods to take my Russian lesson on his office computer and we went for a bite to eat thereafter. I neglected to use the loo in the lovely eatery (KESHIK on Leeson Street, for those of you who like tasty Mediterannean food at a keen price) and so found myself NEEDING to get the nearest, handiest bus home which was not the route we intended and we discovered that the bus driver was RUSSIAN! Rich had a great conversation with him and I said a few of my few words (and was understood) and I got a lot of what they were talking about. So hooray! Sergey, for it was he, was quite taken aback to meet 2 mad Irish types who are learning Russian, but a bit delighted too…as we were ourselves. He says he knows of only 2 other Russian drivers in the Dublin fleet and they are all in different garages throughout the town.
The only other gem I have for you is the wisdom that, as far as what wines ‘go’ with, the best rule of thumb is that white wine goes with carpets and red wine with linoleum – makes sense, eh?.
Mass 29 March 2009
I ‘got’ Mass yesterday courtesy of a Rough Magic Theatre production – SOLEMN MASS FOR A FULL MOON IN SUMMER was the grand title (I THINK…the title is a long one, so you have to be careful). It was a tour de force production even if I had a few quibbles with the play. It was, of course, a Mass and a modern take on that and a revelation of life and love and all of what goes with those. The actors and production were superb. Reminded me also of when Saturday became the day you could ‘get’ Mass. I was dragged up an Irish Catholic – no great hardship really as we were quite irreligious in my immediate clan and it was just something you DID – and ‘getting’ Mass on a Sunday was one of the things you had to do – I actually think it was a way for my Mum and Dad to get rid of us for at least an hour every so often (well, reliably, once a week). Then the rule changed and it didn’t HAVE to be on a Sunday and if you went to Mass on a Saturday evening – round teatime usually – you were sorted for your religious duty. SO yesterday I went to a matinee of that show and it was a Mass and, should I like to lash myself with any sort of late onset Catholic guilt now, I GOT Mass yesterday = sorted!