Monday, September 29, 2008

Just Say Aaaarrrgh!

Saw this on The National Lottie - its excellent! (both this entry and the blog in general)

Go check out the blog, click on the image to go to the entry!














Thanks Lottie. :)

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

One right for everyone in the audience...

Saw this on one of my favorite blogs - Damien Mulley

I had heard Conor and his mum's on Plank Kenny's radio show earlier this summer and meant to get to the blog. Damien reminded me of the blog in this post about it.

Please tune in to Plank Kenny, this Friday night or just get your parents to do it.
Then keep the conversation going, let your aunt and uncle, your neighbors, your flatmate, your colleague know about it and get them talking too.

Children of Gay Parents should not have different rights to those born in heterosexual families.

I intend on having children with my partner in the next few years and I want to ensure that the living beings we bring into the world will not have lesser rights, or be treated as though my partner is a "kindly stranger" to them. She will be their mother in every respect that I will, having (I hope you are reading this my love) gotten up for night time feeds, changed and winded, pushed them on swings and played endless games of star wars and bratz.

Our children will have two loving and dedicated parents, two parents I hope will be as good at the job as Conor's parents are (just read this letter to see the guy they raised)

Anyway, please tune in ... and pass the word along, and if you feel like doing more please read here, lots of options to make yourself heard and to help give Conor and his family as much support as possible. They are giving up so much of their anonymity and privacy to make a difference to ensure our country recognises all its citizens fully and fairly.

I'd like to thank you Conor and your brother and parents. :)

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Just Keep Swimming......

Read this First...

When I read this post (link up there), of donkeys years ago, last year to be exact I shivered, perhaps you did too.

The reason I shivered is because something like this happened to me too.....

I was the typical "troubled teen" in school, always looking for a reason to be different, as if I didn't have enough reasons.

Home life was rubbish and my Dad was ill, he has been a sufferer of manic depression since 23 (before I arrived). I use the word suffer deliberately as he does suffer, and he makes sure everyone around him does too.

Things came to a head for me when I was 16. I could no longer take the weight of a grown manic man's problems on my teenage shoulders. I had enough of my own, my sexuality, my general difference, my lack of confidence, my lack of trust, my list was, it seemed, endless.

I thought about death and I planned for it, and I executed it, would have succeeded too.... except someone found me (I'm sure I wanted to be found really)

My "John" is that 16 yr old,

In the days and months after, I mourned her.

She died without my ever getting to talk to her, and from that waste of life I got the strength to stand up for myself.

To keep swimming.......

Its not always easy to keep my head above water, but every hour I manage it I am glad.

This life affords me such wonderful experiences (and some pretty shit ones too) but that empty joyless fearfull parallel life that could have been has given me reason to be very grateful for her passing.

Comic Timing....

My better half's best mate Maeve's online comic's been Long-Listed for the Irish Web Awards!

I'm so happy for her, her comic is sheer genius and I really look forward to Friday morning reading!

So apart from it being on my blogroll, in my Twitter feed and on my facebook, and its not like she needs the hits (just over 3,000 hits since Feb) here is another shameless plug.

http://flatmatesthecomic.com/

Read it NOW!

Friday, September 12, 2008

The Fall of Civilisation.... Or a new Dawn?

Starbucks takes the NS to Centraal, Utrecht & Leiden

cc bernie hou 2005

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Shiny Happy Things

Things I want:

iBike
Course it would help if i had an ipod nano! - the new ones are nice tho!! :)

Time Capsule 1tb
Running out of space on my (borrowed) 500gb drive - sorry!!

Philips Living Colour Mini Lamp
Seemingly winters here are darker and more miserable than at home (don't see how that's possible) so this might help! My excuse and I'm sticking to it.

And I dont really want this... but it does look fun.... for 10mins
USB Real Thumb Drive

Things I've done:

Had some lovely me time last night:

Beer and Biterballen and a nice quiet read in the evening SUN!! (those reading in Ireland need to be reminded that Sun is the yellow orb that used to be in the sky, before CERN harnessed it to make those lazers they are busy firing at each other)





At the weekend we painted this mural on my nephews wall (all thanks to my lovely GF who designed and masterminded the whole thing)














I also saw him in his swimming lesson - next Micheal Phelps I think (no family bias at all... nooooo)














Anyhow... theres a few things that are making me shiny happy these days!

Friday, September 5, 2008

Waat's that you say??

Eco' nightclub opens in Rotterdam

This headline on RTE's website caught my attention.....
Would it work? Would you go?


What happens on a slow night?
H
ow do they signal last orders?

Monday, September 1, 2008

I know how you feel

Had visitors this weekend, it was cool, I like being able to show the city to people. I was nervous about leading four people around the city on bikes, especially since one is a teen and one doesn't cycle in traffic. Anyway all in one piece we managed to get around.

Didn't realise that I pass Het Rembranthuis each morning, lol what a blind mofo I am.
Found some other good shortcuts that are useful, I like that (after 6 months) I understand where most things are in relation to others... bout time really.

A mate of mine had a very bad experience with taxi's this weekend, while moving some bags via taxi (something she told the dispatch office about upon ordering it) the taxi driver that arrived was not a happy bunny. She packed the taxi, being careful not to damage the taxi, and on the way he was rude and abusive. She panicked and just wanted out so kept quiet until the end where on her rush to get the stuff out she said to him that she just wanted to "put as much distance between them" this seemed to be the wrong thing to say (amazingly). He than began kicking the boxes and hurling abuse, the last piece of which was, I hope you die tonight. Charming!!!

I'm a softie, two things each year guaranteed to bring a tear to my eye are the Leaving Cert and its results day (its such a rite of passage) and the First Day of School. Listening to RTE Radio 1 the other day I heard a recording of Gaybo reading a poem by John D Sheridan about a child's first day at school. Have a listen if you know of a little one that headed off, or pass it to your mammy, you know she'll like it.

Loving the neighbourhood of Straat & Dijk - Haarlemerstraat and Haarlemerdijk, its where a mate of mine is moving and its really cool. Actually as its a 3 min bike ride from me its just as much my neighbourhood. Another thing I love about Amsterdam Centrum, its just so cool everywhere. I mean so is Dublin but things just seem more accessible here. Perhaps its just that after so many years in one city do you stop looking around, get stuck in a rut?

Still liking the cycling, its helping that I can listen to the radio (RTE/2FM) in one ear on the way.
Been trying to pick up the courage to come home through the old town, its lovely, I did the route once with Christine but its scary and there are more people wandering out in front of you and more risk of coming off the bike. Still eventually I will get the courage up

On the topic of accidents, went to see Catherine on Friday, she had to have the amputation.
She was in "good" form, but she's such a private person that it wold be hard to know really how she's doing. I think she's pretty amazing.

Ok I have more than this drivel to put out on the intereb, but I wanted to make a post and my brain is fried, I'll try some photo posts this week too.

TTFN!