Your Sh*t don't fly with me....

From my mate Stacy..... who obviously found this sh*t on the Onion

Wear Headphones or close the door if in work! :)



Sony Releases New Stupid Piece Of Shit That Doesn't Fucking Work

Dimanche Relaxez-vous!

Sunday Chillout!

Last night was fun, was lovely to see Elly & George, poor Elly had bad back pain so they got an early night. Sharon and I went on to DM's "I love the 80's" party... fun!

Woke up at a decent hour, all considered (made it to bed around 4.30am) and thought, yeah! get ass in gear, get groceries done... really be productive!

Fail - Bike @ Sharons.... oh well a walk would warm me up!

So quick breakfast and shower and hour later sees me walking up the Prinsengracht to get my bike back.

Have been having a hard time at the weekends managing my food intake / sugar levels, so as it was nice and sunny and I had passed the place a billion times without going in, decided to go for a coffee in Coffee Company on Haarlemmerdijk.
Its such a cool cafe (need to stop saying coffeeshop, but its just so natural for me) there are LOADS of plugs, free wifi, and of course coffee. Its also really sunny and just THE best people watching place! Next time there will be photos!

I will have to rethink my current media/camera config. As if I'm listening to radio on the phone via 3G I cant take photos with the camera. Not too into taking a second camera with me but, there are so many cool things I want to record here. So many cool shots I could put on this blog or just on my flickr, I really need to think again. Any suggestions?

Went shopping, in AH on Westerstraat, it made sense as I was passing it, and refuse to use AH on Haarlemmerstraat (its badly stocked and laid out and just rubbish)
Westerstraat isn't much better, no fresh bread rolls, and it looked like that was the norm for them. Shouldn't have been so lazy I guess. I have discovered I like AH on Elandsgracht, as it's much better stocked, more cash desks and there is a Natur Winkle (health food/organic shop), Etos (Boots type place) and some cool artisan meat, bread and cheese shops on the street too.

Anyhow, got home and it was so lovely and sunshiny, I remembered why I really loved living in this apartment last year. Its so bright up here. I forgot that during the winter, as leaving in the dark and getting home in the dark has just been depressing. I am really looking forward to summer again.

I was in such good form, I even cooked, and I made enough for lunch tomorrow!

So excuse me while I go clear up and pack my lunch for tomorrow. :)

Hello Goodbye

Quick Post:

Tonight I get to go to dinner with the first blogger to get to the 'dam** Ellybabes & her lovely hubby George!
Looking forward to it! :)

Then I am going to the first goodbye party of our crew here! Donna Marie.
I'll miss her spirit and madcap party attitude. Her great smile and her open mind.
She just takes everyone as she finds them and has such a wonderful heart.
Also she's the perfect foil to the effervescent Keith!



So Long, Donna Marie, and "listen here" it wont be a good bye... see you in Dublin.
All you Dublin heads, go visit her in the all new River Island Mega Store opening on Henry St.

Tell her I sent ya!


**Okay the trip was booked before we met at IBA09

Elf's Drinky Links (I)

In what would seem a time honoured "link post" blogger tradition, I am (lost for something decent to post and so) posting my own linky love.

I call this Elf's drinky links as I am currently an Elf drinking (its Friday) and I will try and share a drink recipe with you each week. Tonight the theme drink is my standard drink when out in a good bar, Whiskey Sour and just so you can do it with panache, here's a vid.



Ok now we are all liquored up...(everyone except Tommy) I will begin.

• We all use Twiter to solve problems, well I do, and now... so does Obama

• Who says technology makes us lazy?

• Think Firefox is cool? Now you can be sure its 100% ice cold!

• With the new domain on the horizon I'm obscessed with WP and things to tweak it with

• Want to know if anyone actually looks at the links you tweet?

• One of the coolest, nicest guys blogging in Amsterdam, and he doesn't like The Saturday's either.

• Leuk, Koel en Lekker **

• Taking the anti-whingebox award is Twitter's Niall H, with 10 reasons the recession is good

• Two beautiful posts on Mammy's and the love they give us

• On the topic of family and love, Allan Cavanagh's nephew has a love hate relationship with lemons.

And now, as I swirl the dregs of my whiskey sour, and mumble those immortal words

"You never loved me Jr" I leave you with this



G'night John Ross....

**Cute, Cool & Tasty

Marge liked her Cherry Chapstick!

Fresh from After Ellen - Home of all good lady loving media things!

Simpsons matriarch Marge Simpson locked lips with her friend Lindsay Neagle in “How The Test Was Won.”

Read the rest of the article here

This too shall pass...

Well actually it wont, but it will ebb away again for a little while.

Anyone who's spoken to me, for more than half an hour in my life, will know I am unashamedly.......

Baby Crazy!

Been so for as long as I can remember. I have wanted to do a variety of things in my life, from being a Montessori teacher (too openly gay), to a writer (ha!), and an airline attendant (too short), to a radio dj (voice too high pitched), a computer programmer (utterly crap at maths) and even Ireland's first female Taoiseach (USI would have had a lot to answer for)

Many as you can see have been put lovingly but firmly to rest... excepting one.... and given my "lifestyle" you'd be forgiven for thinking I have kept the hardest one on....

I want to be, nay I shall be, a mommy.

There are so many stories around this, and I know that this will not be the last time you have to read (skip over) my ramblings on this topic. Mostly I keep it under check, except for the totally spontaneous exclamation* of "Doh Doh Doh" when I see a baby, or "a fresh one" as I can sometimes be heard mewing... while my gaze follows it magnetically down the street, carried by its rather alarmed parent...

I don't know where it came from, only that it feels to me completely innate. To me, its the most natural expression of the very core, of what I am about on this planet.

If you are:
A: wondering why I would need to say this?
B: somewhat surprised that I feel like that?
C: mildly worried about what the hell the kid would turn out like?
or even
D: vaguely curious as to how I am going to go about this?

I will I am sure, in the fullness of time, answer all these questions. Most of which I share with you.

As I mentioned earlier, this compulsion has been with me from year dot. I think I was one of the few 8yr old's who compulsively watched BBC documentaries on pregnancy and child birth. I have in my hardrive every one of BBC's Child of our Time shows, or similar type. I buy and hide baby books.... and I terrify many people on the vastness of my bizarrely acquired, rarely asked for, yet freely imparted "knowledge" on the topic.

So why say it today? What brought this banging to the surface tonight as I sit here at my laptop.....

Last year I turned 30, and my plan had always been 32 marked the year, Insha'Allah, that I would start a family. I hoped I would be in a loving relationship at the time, and I am, and *fingers crossed* will remain so, as I love her dearly. That said, this is such a vital part of me that I probably would have tried to make it work had she not come into my life.

However, in the last 48hrs, 6 of my friends have either announced the birth of their babies, the imminent arrival of same, or their intention to pro actively go about the conception of same.... it was like being slapped in the face with a wet... nappy.

And by the power of oestrogen!

(Note: Implied Tundercats Roar)

My biologically clock came back from the snooze and began clanging loudly in my ear!

As you can imagine, this will, *ahem*, take a bit of forward planning.... and while this will not by any means become a Lesbo-baby-diary, I will keep you appraised of the situation.

If anyone has some words of wisdom, yelps of concern, condolences for my gf, offers of help??
I have ...womb... for you all (badum-tish!)

So there you go.... don't say I hold back.


*Thanks to all my lovely Twitter mates who helped thaw my brain freeze, and who will be mildly surprised that the question I asked related to this!
Cheers to @darraghdoyle, @allancavanagh, @lexia, @stiofainod, @jentertainment, & @damienmulley

Pix.ie Patricks

I once heard a friend saying that the highlight of her childhood St Patrick's Day Parade, was a young fella on a donkey, followed by a hay truck topped with freezing young wans doing a boxreel to stave off frostbite, all capped off with a few shiny tractors and a milk lorry being washed down the streets with sheets of driving rain. Fun!

And while the weather cant be upgraded, its not the case for the festivities, especially in the larger cities. I can only speak for Dublin, but I loved the advent of the week long celebrations. So much to see and do to shake off the deep winter blues. I'm looking forward to introducing my young nepweh to some of it this year! :)

And this year we have another addition to what will hopefully be an annual photoblogging/blogging community event



Pixie Irelands answer to Flickr, has been working with the organisers of the Irish St Patrick’s Festival on a huge photo sharing project to help document this year’s festival in photos from the perspective of those attending. The aim is to invite everyone bringing their camera to this year’s events to contribute their photos to the official St Patrick’s Festival group so that the experience can be shared with people from all over the world.

This is such a cool idea, its brilliant to have photos from so many all in one place, to be able to experience the festival through so many eyes. I love looking back on everyone's photos of Pride, every year, the things you missed others spotted, and just another viewpoint on the whole occasion.

To celebrate this new venture, Pix.ie has developed a competition, details to be announced. There are fantastic prizes from Canon with a total value of just under €1,800, these are very generous prizes!!!

• 1st Prize – Canon EOS 1000D digital SLR camera, Selphy ES3 photo printer, 150 Euro photography training course, adding memory card and photo printing paper. Total value €1,050


• 2nd Prize – Powershot E1 digital camera and Selphy ES3 photo printer. Total Value €480


• 3rd Prize – Selphy ES3 photo printer. Total Value €240

But that's not all, for the St Patrick's Festival parade on March 17th, they are having the St Patrick's Festival Pixie Party:

• 20 bloggers and photobloggers will be invited to watch the St Patrick's Festival parade from a vetted viewing area. Each will be given an official wristband to gain access to this exclusive VIP area.


• 4 bloggers and photobloggers will be invited to watch the parade from the Festival Grandstand.


• 2 photobloggers will be invited to join the world media and take photos of the parade from the elevated position from the official open topped Media Bus which is positioned on the parade route.


• 2 Pixie users will chosen (subject to a security check) and given a Golden Pass which provides exclusive access to the parade route on the day. Only 12 Golden Passes will be issued this year to the international media and this is the first time photographers outside of the national and international media have been invited on into the parade route. This is HUGE.

So how can you get in on the act?

Write a blog post, post a photo on your blog, link to http://pix.ie/group/stpatricksfestival, re-tweet for @stpatricksfest and even if you dont win one of the amazing Canon prizes or the parade passes, there is more!

To celebrate the Guinness 250 year anniversary, the Guinness Storehouse are inviting 250 Pixie users, bloggers and photobloggers to continue the Pixie Party after the parade and join in the fun at the Storehouse's annual Paddy's Day festival on March 17th. Just go to the pix.ie blog here and declare your interest!


Fore more info and special twitter announcements follow @stpatricksfest and @pixie on Twitter for more information and news about what is going on. (Hashtag for St Patricks's Festival is #spf09)

Amsterdam Cool: Miauw

It has long been an idea to do semi-random posts about things I like in Amsterdam. And here it begins!

In an area called the nine streets, the 9 straatjes in Dutch (post to follow on that) is a shop/cafe/design agency/boutique suite hotel called Miauw. Quite a tall order from one premises, but this place is pretty cool!

It began in Antwerp and then branched to Amsterdam, once it realised a very unique winning formula. Based over two buildings on Hartenstraat 36 it offers a very cool place to stay in one of the nicest areas to wander in Amsterdam (I.M.H.O)

From the look of the suites they are well furnished in the cool eclectic Dutch fashionista sense. Ample sized and at not too steep a price* (€195 p/n) with kitchen and living area. Wifi, high spec tv and sexy bathrooms, it has it all for that cool weekend away. The addition of the cafe, and shop will make for a great first stop on your wander. Dutch style is kooky to say the least. Its a place where more individual = more stylish, and the clothes stores of the 9 streets really brings that to you.From a quick look around the Miauw shops tell me that the 9 streets style prevails here too.

The Project is a small design and advertising studio, again in the cool Dutch style of a little of everything, they market themselves as creating everything from commercials, music video's and films to graphic design and art installations.
Worth a look if you want somewhere cool and individual for a self catering weekend in the heart of the city.

--------

So let me know if this tickles your fancy and I'll find similar.
Of course I'll be adding more so any requests, bars, restos, galleries, shops, hangouts, areas - let me know and I'll hunt you down the best!

*Accommodation in Amsterdam is not cheap, unless you like sharing loos/bathrooms or have a fondness for hostels