New irish rugby shirt.

C'mon Ireland.... Wouldn't it be great to beat the Argies and stuff the bloody journalists.

Meaning V Happiness

Read a blog yesterday that inspired me to get a book called the Interpretation of murder, the first couple of paragraphs read like this

"There is no mystery to happiness.
Unhappy men are all alike. Some wound they suffered long ago, some wish denied, some blow to pride, some kindling spark of love put out by scorn - or worse, indifference - cleaves to them, or they to it, and so they live each day within a shroud of yesterdays. The happy man does not look back. He doesn't look ahead. He lives in the present.

But there's the rub. The present can never deliver one thing: meaning. The ways of happiness and meaning are not the same. To find happiness, a man need only live in the moment; he need only live for the moment. But if he wants meaning - the meaning of his dreams, his secrets, his life - a man must reinhabit his past, however dark, and live for the future, however uncertain. Thus nature dangles happiness and meaning before us all, insisting only that we choose between them"

So if we must only choose between them, which should we choose?

There is a strong argument for happiness, the idea that we should live only in the present, but it's also a life without "WHY" and although I've never figured out why why is so important, I still have a feeling it is, there must be a purpose however simple, maybe that purpose is just to be happy, which makes a neat circular argument but brings me no satisfaction as to meaning.

There must be more to life than happiness...... it's the most lovely feeling, to be happy, but surely it's not possible to attain it as a constant state.

Mosre questions than answers again I'm afraid... I'll just read the book and see what happens.

Yuvraj Singh 6 sixes Twenty 20 Cricket 2007 England v India

The bloody rugby has me mithered, so here's a real class sporting moment instead, and to think there are people who think cricket is boring. Have a look at the young fella celebrating after the second six.

Shameless

I just found out that Fiona and Steve (Anne Marie Duff & James McAvoy) in Shameless are actually married in real life.

I'm as happy as Larry Gogan, It's like all the books I've ever read and all the movies I've ever watched might not be total fiction after all. Maybe Dorothy did get back to Kansas, Charlie really got to visit the chocolate factory and Tiny Tim had a happy Christmas after all.

The first two seasons of Shameless were totally brilliant, the helping with homework scene in series one and the steve and fiona stuff in series two were some of the best British TV ever made.

and now it might not all have been makey uppy.... i'm going to bed happy.

VW golf "changes" commercial

Advertising has always been one of my interests, in fact I studied it in college in 1987/88. This was my favourite commercial at that time and still is, the actress is Paula Hamilton (specially done up to look like princess Diana) and the music is by Alan Price...and VW are still doing innovative stuff as their new passat campaign has the funniest site at http://www.midlife-crisis-retreat.co.uk/

Closer.

Must be winter approaching, watching movies again and some of my favourites are popping up on the telly. Last week it was "Hitch" and last night "Closer"

What pops into a persons mind when they are watching a movie like "Closer". I have to admit the things which were flitting through my mind lst night were.

What's real and what's not?
Is winning important?
We all lose in the end anyway.

Actually having played a game on Saturday and lost, watched the rugby Saturday night, supported Cork in the All Ireland on Sunday and then watched Closer I went to bed with six million questions swirling in my head.

It's strange that the only certainty in our lives is that we'll die
If you play enough sport and continue to move up the levels it is inevitable that it will all end in defeat.
If you pursue happiness with enough vigour I've no doubt that it can only end in defeat too.

Happiness is a bit like time, you can't take it with you, you can't bank it, save it up or gaurantee it for the future.
All you can really do is enjoy it when it's there, like sport, time or love. The time to enjoy and appreciate sport is when you're in the middle of it. The only constant in the world is change, I woke up with a new determination to enjoy the day, to not waste what I've got, to enjoy those who are important to me and to appreciate what i've got.

Busy Busy Busy.

My football season is over, it ended as most football seasons end for most teams, in defeat. http://www.sligoweekender.ie/news/story.asp?j=33674&cat=sport and I have to admit it's strange looking forward to evenings with no training and weekends with no games.

I'm not sure exactly what is going to replace it for me, i really want to stay in decent shape this year so I'll play a little basketball and maybe even get to the gym and lift a few weights, something I've always wanted to do but never really got into.

Work is going really well, it was a busy week and next week is even busier, there are a lot of balls in the air so I am feeling really confident about the next 6 months.

Lining out for Roscommon on Saturday, that will be fun and apart from that it's a very quiet weekend ahead. I'll use it to find some quiet space, reflect and make some decisions.

Tom Waits - Tom Traubert's Blues - 1977

I'll have this one too please. Tom Waits has been one of the constant things in my life for the last almost 30 years. This song is so beautiful.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

There are only two songs that i definately want played at my funeral service, this is one of them!

Plain White Ts - Hey There Delilah - Official (HQ)

I just love this new (well I just found it) facility on youtube that allows me to post my favourite music direct to my blog. This is far and away my favourite tune of the moment.

The Sopranos finale (unedited)

Even the most amazing things have to come to an end.... and I LOVED the Sopranos.. was really sad when it ended, but the fact that no ones ever knew what would happen next was just brilliant...i'm not sure whether i hope there a movie or maybe that's just it. Black screen.... as Tony says..."focus on the good times"

Roger Sanchez - Another chance - Original Mix (Music Video)

Hitch is on.... Right now

If you're a guy you gotta love this movie, it's where the loser gets the girl, as opposed to the girl getting the shining prince.

Can't stay to blog...gotta watch the movie, it's like dirty dancing for blokes.

UPDATE. Ok I watched the movie again and now it looks a little sloppy and soppy at the end, see it really is like dirty dancing for fellas, I just don't get this Eva Mendes thing, how did that girl make it in the movies? She is to acting what I am to ballet.

Two little girls.

I'm not sure how to react to the latest news in the Madeline McCann case. I should feel vindicated a bit as I have long felt that the media shockingly misreported this story, using it to create a culture of fear of the unknown that of course suited the suits in BSkyB.

There would of course have been little interest if Kate McCann had been a black single mother, but no... an affluent white educated married middle class woman would immediately be assumed to be incapable of involvement.

It's the constant insinuation that we need to be very afraid of the unknown that gets me... it's the KNOWN we need to be concerned about, something like 93% of all child abuse, murder and abduction is carried out by people well known to the victim, in fact two weeks ago I watched the news in horror as details were revealed of the terrible torture and killing of a four year old by her mother and boyfriend in Huddersfield

Have you heard of Leticia Aaliyah Wright?

No i bet you haven't....

Deadly buzz!

Brilliant weekend at my little brothers stag party in Edinburgh, really really enjoyed it, weather nice, lovely hotels (the Radisson is really lovely) fantastic company and one or two beers.

Arrived late friday night to Indigo Yard

where the champagne boys we're having one of those arguments to see who had the biggest credit card and thought "oh my god, what have i let myself in for here" but boy did it take off from there and I only saw one more bottle of champagne all weekend and that was my own fault.





We then proceeded to the very lovely Tigerlily,



where entertainment included the fabulous "VIP" room, which most of us we're allowed into but some had to pay a tenner, it was only when inside the "VIP" room that they discovered it was the smoking area, oh how we laughed, the night was rounded up at the nightclub with the worlds lowest ceiling, a strange place where Barry Manilow bought me a drink.... time for bed really.

An early start on Sat at 8.30, down town for breakfast and a recckie on auld reekie, I've been there many times before but I love the feel of Edinburgh, particularly during August when the festival is on, back to the hotel to meet my older brother Des (apparently I don't really know him) and then we wandered round for a while before a nap, there followed a brilliant afternoon at one of the scummiest pubs in the world, Biddy Mulligans in the Grassmarket, which was absolutely brilliant craic, I laughed so much i hurt myself and eventually had to go for another nap, followed by a fabulous meal in the beautiful maison Bleau



Back to Mulligans where we encountered class and sophistication beyond belief (not) and then on to my favourite pub in Edinburgh, the 3 sisters, it ain't classy but it's just the height of craic and I've never ever had a bad night in the place, the only word is mayhem, the floor was made of broken glass, lager and a sticky substance I really hope was red bull, the place was heaving, everyone was up for the craic, there were no slobberers and it was just mega

















A quick visit to espionage nearly ended the night, but when i got back to the hotel and decided to have a late drink I discovered the maddest white rapper in the world who entertained the residents bar until the (very) early hours and was just amazing....

Sunday was a bit of a blur after all that, the Celtic match was an easy stroll and after watching the second half of the hurling it was time to head for the airport, a few delays meant I got home at 2am and monday was a very busy very tiring day.

3 things made this weekend for me.

My brother Des was a bloody revelation, such craic, I really enjoyed his company and stories most of which I'd never heard before.

The crew that travelled, as sound a bunch of lads as you'd meet in a ten mile walk

Enda's Michael Muirhertaigh / Seamus Duke megamix of the 91 Connaught final.

Jaysus I can't wait for the wedding now.