The changeover has happened.

Blogger has given the option to changeover to a new format and I have finally gone along with this and allowed the old format to now become the new format. Actually its a very apt time to do this as we are about to move into a new year. 2007 is going to be a whole new year and it will bring new times and new tales, over the weekend the new year will be brought in and plans are being made for the new years eve celebrations. I would like to wish everyone a happy new year and may 2007 be a great one.

A Christmas Tale.

Well I truly hope that everyone I know got what they were hoping for from the big fat man with the beard, and I dont mean the next door neighbour. On a personal level I made out pretty well (after dropping a few telling hints). After the usual essentials I also received a copy of the untouchables dvd a season review of Arsenal's last premiership win in the season of 2003-2004. An extra bonus last night was finding out that it did in fact play on Marcs portable dvd player which was one of the gifts Marc received...usually dvd's are region sensitive and you just never know as it is confusing. I do have a region free player but it works better with our small tv and in any case there is some "hooking up" of cables and stuff like that. Also I received a lovely sweater/jumper from Jill. The only problem with that is that the security tag was not taken off and if it is forced off it will destroy the garment with horrible ink...still it is the thought that counts. Thanks babe!!! Then I think my dad is sending me a windbreaker which I had requested, a Kildare football one with the county colours...from the sounds of the ould lad he went to a great deal of effort to get it. Living here I feel the need and compelling to be even more patriotic than I ever needed to be in Ireland. Any semblance of identity is of the utmost importance to me, and it will be worn with great pride. It is also so important to represent as when you wear such garments here in the states people who do recognise a Kildare/Ireland/Arsenal shirt come forward and talk to you and I have had some interesting conversations with a lot of different characters, one I can clearly remember was a scot about 50 years old we met on the bridge of a small stream during Musikfest afew years ago (perhaps a story for a future post). Anyway I digress. Jill and I recieved a lot of gift cards and AAA membership which is important if you get into car troubles and of course to book any kind of holidays or vacations. Of course we plan on going to Disney again next year 10 months from now so AAA membership will be good.

Marc made out pretty good too and along with clothes he got some dvd's for his poratble player and some PS2 games and a Gameboy game also. He got a small kind of bowling alley game and a gumball machine which I opened to put the gum in. However I didnt screww it shu and the next day Marc got into it and proceeded to eat (not chew) about 10 of them. Marc doesnt understand the concept of chewing gumballs, to him it should be called eating gumballs. The gumball dispenser was perhaps the one that caught his imagination more than any other. And the bowling game was a close second. The bowling pin which was attached to a mechanised system actually broke from a combination of Marc bowling too hard and the locking being secured by a small plastic clip which under a lot of hitting was bound to break. Jill was able to get a replacement and we think the manufacturers may have lots of people calling about the same weak link in the games durability. We got it in the mail yesterday and it was in place by dinnertime last night, thank you Ray!

We had a very nice turkey meal as is more traditional to Ireland than America in a nice gesture to me as Christmas day has to have a turkey meal. Jack (my brother in-law) said grace -which truly has to be heard in person-and we had a nice meal. Oh and on boxing day I was back to work for the rest of the week.

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

To all that read my posts and to all that know me and to my family, I would like to take a moment to wish a merry christmas and a very happy and prosperous new year. I can also add that I look forward to visiting with many of you in 2007 as I will be going back to Ireland for a few days, perhaps in the spring time, April I am thinking. From my family to yours, merry christmas.

We are living in a "PC" world.

A while back, I believe it was the day we, at work, went to the TREX show in New York. It was while we were driving there that I was listening to a talk show and the subject was about the phrase "merry christmas". I think some jewish person was taking offense to the idea of people saying merry christmas and that it should be phrased happy holidays. The norm over here stateside is that people already do say happy holidays because god forbid if you were to say happy christmas then that would just cause such an uproar and every corner of society, every pundit with an agenda and every public figure would have their say and tell you how much out of line you were.

Back in the day when Ireland was an indiginous island and not made up of various international immigrants it was fine and ok to slag each other off. Culchies against the dubs and visa versa, it was often just a slagging and at the time it was part of your daily routine. Especially when I came to Dublin to college and I had my fresh culchie Kildare accent and then when I started my first major job in Stereo & Forme and Vinnie would slag me about my KIldare roots, but it was all just good fun and helped those days at work go by easier. Fast forward to present day and living in America and I am only just getting a sense of this country and its underlying ethnic groups and the fact that you have a whole lot of different cultures and different ways of living their lives. These groups dont all appreciate the ways of sarcasm and some take offense and have done down through the years. Some of this offense has been justified and some of it has been taken to a ridiculous level. Nowadays everyone is so afraid to say the wrong thing and there has to be this sensitivity when relating from one group to another.

I firmly believe that we have gone too far and over-indulged the whimperings of the few and that now every little event or statement is held to firm scrutiny and checked for political correctness. Such little scrutiny about the phrase which is used most in this time of year shows us as the human race to be very petty and silly.

Other such examples of PC going too far were displayed in the games between Arsenal FC and Chelsea FC the other week. With the much publicised departure of Ashley Cole to Chelsea during the summer and in such acrimonious circumstances there was going to be demonstrations in the stands by the Arsenal supporters, such as waving fake 20 pound notes with Coles image on them and also inflatable mobile phones, both of which signified Cole's greed for the russian money and also his willingness to contact Chelsea illegally whilst still under contract to Arsenal FC. However in this PC world it was deemed to dangerous to allow fans into the ground with pieces of paper and inflatable objects, surely mass rioting resulting in thousands of paper cuts and damage to the head with the inflatable object would have ensued.

Furthermore it seems that Arsenal FC have taken this PC to a whole new level now banning national flags from the Emirates Stadium after recieving some complaints from what can only be assumed are local fans. Seems like it was a Turk/Cypriot versus Greek/Cypriot argument. Why oh why did Arsenal feel the need to indulge such a silly set of circumstances. PC world gone made. Reminds me of an Aslan song ....sing along with me to the tune of "crazy world".....[how can I protect you in a PC world]... [its all right]. Somebody please tell me it will be all right.

When its ok to say SHIT. Part 3.

The legend of Dan Donnelly.

BBC Nortern Ireland are tonight showing a programme about the unofficial champion of Ireland in the nineteenth century, Dan Donnelly. The centre piece of the programme will feature the fighting Irish exhibition in New York which opened in september of this year.



Here is a short story of Dan Donnelly's life I found:-


Dan Donnelly, 1788-1820: The Short Story

Born into a Dublin of the 18th century where there was a wide gap between rich and poor, the son of a carpenter, Dan learned to fight early in the tough part of the city where he was raised. But he was said to be a quiet man as he grew up, following the same carpentry trade as his father. Still, when his dad was insulted by a sailor in a pub one evening, he eventually had to fight the other man to get an apology. Locally he became a hero.
However, the 'gunslinger syndrome' set in then, and he found himself at the receiving end of challenges from various 'wannabee' champion fighters. Eventually he had beaten the best, and Dan was regarded as the Champion of Dublin.
A Captain William Kelly, one of 'the Fancy' -- as the aristcratic pugilism enthusiasts were known -- heard about Donnelly and knew that there was money to be made if he could be promoted as the Champion of Ireland. He persuaded Dan to work with one of the best fight trainers of the day, a Captain Barclay of Calverstown, near Kilcullen and close to the Curragh where there was a natural ampitheatre which was regularly used for fights. This was Belcher's Hollow, and there on September 14 1814 Dan beat English pugilist Tom Hall in a fight that lasted 15 rounds. It was an unexpected defeat from the perspective of the Englishman's followers, and now Captain Kelly's dream of his man having an international reputation was accomplished. This resulted, on December 13 1815, in a match with the fighter then regarded as the English champion, George Cooper. Again it was in Belcher's Hollow, and after a gruelling 22 minutes of often brutal combat, Donnelly was declared the winner. He walked to the top of the hollow to acknowledge the cheers from the crowd, which according to contemporary reports numbered some 20,000 people. To this day, his footprints are cut into the grass, maintained there by the thousands of people who walk in them each year when they picnic at what has ever since the victory been known as Donnelly's Hollow.
Now a national hero, especially in his native Dublin, Dan went into the pub business in the city, but was a signal failure. Mainly because he was himself too fond of the drink he sold. Broke, he eventually went on tour in England, and succeeded in beating George Cooper's successor as champion of England, Tom Oliver. He died suddenly in Dublin on February 18 1820, while yet again trying to regain his fortunes in the pub business. Poor he may have been, but he got a rich man's funeral according to accounts from the time. They report how an 'immense crowd' vied to pull his hearse, ahead of which were carried on a cushion his gloves. He was buried in the grounds of the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, though there is nothing there today that marks his grave. But a few days after he was buried, grave-robbers dug up his body and brought it to a Surgeon Hall, who bought such cadavers for study. Hall is said to have recognised the body, being a member of 'the Fancy' himself, and ordered it to be returned. But not before taking off the right arm as a keepsake. The arm, suitably preserved and lacquered, subsequently spent time in the medical college of Edinburgh University, where it was used in anatomy lessons. Eventually in 1904, after a period when it was part of a travelling show of curiosities, it was bought by Belfast bookmaker and publican 'Texas' McAlevey for display in his Duncairn Arms. It disappeared for a time after that, apparently into the McAlevey family's attic, before being bought by a wine merchant named Donnelly who presented it to Kilcullen publican Jim Byrne in the early fifties, in recognition of the local connection. For four decades it occupied pride of place over the mantlepiece in the Hideout, becoming an internationally-known attraction in the sleepy little village.

Tis the season...yeah right!

Today we woke up to some cold temperatures 18 degrees fahrenheit - minus 12 degrees celsius and thats quite cold. We also had a dusting of snow, light and fluffy not even the kind that can make good snowballs. As a kid I used to hate that kind, I do however, remember that in Ireland we never really had that type of snow that was fluffy it was always wet snow and wet snow makes good snowballs and if you are inclined also makes good snowmen. I have always been very practical and if snow came then I would make use of it. Make snowmen or walk for miles as a kid just to find the best hill to slide down on, bring my coal bag and take an hour to fashion out of the hill the best slide we could make all of the time getting just a little bit further and then running back uphill knowing the next one would be that much faster and longer as we would meet new snow at the bottom. The snow would be cold and you would get a little wet but the thrill of enjoying the snow while it was there would make us forget the fact that we were cold or wet, ah yes adrenalin. I thought about this as I warmed the car up and wondered why as we approach adulthood these things die inside of us. Is it because we no longer like to get wet or cold? Or is it because we have had our fill of childhood thrills and when we get older we wish not to have those thrills back? Or even again is it because we have become caught up in the day to day grind that real life brings?
All I know is right now, I am cutting sample after sample for all things related to the season we are in right now. Gift boxes and file boxes and then some more gift box shippers, but then again in a corrugated world, tis the season.

TREX packaging exhibition.

Today, a group of us from work are leaving to go to this exhibition in New York, more later as I am leaving soon. Click here for more information.

Update:- Leaving for New York about 9am it was going to be a 2 hour journey to get to the exhibition and it was relatively smooth running until we got to the holland tunnel. [New York is essentially an island and the tunnel goes underneath the Hudson river and is about 2 miles long]. We arrived at the TREX which was being staged at the Javit's center and met up with our boss and two customers of ours. We signed in at the front desk and we got identification badges which we wore around our necks. Then we proceeded to the displays, the exhibition showcased every facet of retail advertising and promotion of various products using various media such as permanent displays, semi permanent displays and all kinds of promotion items. Our main interest was the corrugated area of promoting products and particularly in relation to seeking vendors and suppliers. Of course we have vendors and suppliers in place and they were showcasing their stalls also and providing clients with the most up to date equipment and processes available to the market. From the promotion of the idea right down to the implementation of the idea to an advertising medium whether it would be a corrugated display combined with electronic LED's to make the display pop or even some panels using lighted images and beer light type advertising. The exhibition was very busy with people coming from all over the world. Indeed it was funny as you had to keep in mind that you had an identification tag around your neck because various people would lean forward to read your tag looking at your chest area...a little un-nerving. From all of the displays it was clear that new ideas were coming forward all of the time in the business and lots of different media were combining in order to make displays more eye-catching and visually more appealing. Displays that would make a person go left rather than right when they are browsing around in a store.

When we got through with the show our boss called us and we got together, us three and them three and we went on to do lunch at Uncle Jacks Steakhouse. This was a nice place and the prices reflected that but...



...I felt that the food was not anything special and they rather were more pretentious than the standard of food allowed. Dont get me wrong I was very glad to be there and extremely glad that the boss thinks enough of me, to allow me to go. I have had better meals for half the price thats all I am saying. Its probably the case that you pay for the fact that it is New York city and prices are inflated. At the expense of sounding boring though I have to say that we were waiting ages for our entrees...oh and the table staff reffered to themselves as "captains". Such is life in the big apple.

When its ok to say SHIT. Part 2.

Maybe the dog can catch the frisbee with his mouth whilst also grabbing the bush with his hind legs and therefore saving himself and the frisbee. Sounds like a plan to me.

Happy Birthday to my Mother!!!

Today is my mothers birthday and I want to take a moment to wish her the very best for the day and the rest of the week. Its also around this time that she is retiring after many years of working as a nurse. She will be able to devote more time to her one great love of gardening and maintaining what we as a family call the "millenium garden" as it was started around the turn of the century. More about the millenium garden another time, I do know that my mother will still do about 1 day a week as she has many friends where she works/worked and she wishes to keep in touch with them. But for now I will say "Happy Birthday mother". In every one of us there are certain characteristics that only after many years do we recognise and I am happy to have some of her ways and nuances. We often dont realise the subtle impact our parents have on us over the course of our childhood and early adulthood and some of us even rebel against it in our teenage angst but it is undeniable that part of your makeup as a person will also be part of both your parents makeup and in that way there is an undeniable link from generation to generation.

Andrea's triathlon for a worthy cause.

My sister in-law is taking part in a triathlon and this is what she has to say about it......

[I'll be competing in my first triathlon this coming April, which I'm training for through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program.

In addition to the physical commitment, I'm also committed to raising $4,400 for the society that will go to researching cures for Leukemia and other blood related cancers. I'll be racing in honor of a local girl named MaddieLou Ledergerber, who is four years old and from Mount Bethel, PA. She has been undergoing cancer treatment since she was two years old but is doing well. Patients like MaddieLou help bring a face to such an important cause.

I'm asking you to help by making a contribution!  Please use the link in this email to donate online quickly & securely.  You will receive email confirmation of your donation and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation. I thank you in advance for your support, and really appreciate your generosity!! I'm just beginning my training and fundraising and have quite a ways to go. So if you know anyone who might be interested in making a donation, please don't hesitate to forward them this email or my information.]

Any and all donations are welcome in helping her reach her goal. By simply passing this link to a friend you will have helped. Keep checking the link to view her progress in reaching the $4,400 required.

When its ok to say SHIT.

I will have more in this series coming soon.