Fair play to AIB... they're on the ball! My credit card was used to download a song on Napster today at 3pm and they rang me at 4.30pm to confirm it wasn't me that spent the euro on Napster!
Such a pain in the proverbials though... the credit card has to be reissued and I need a new pin anyway so that will take a week!
It's most annoying that I thought to myself at the time of purchase, well it was more of a renewal, that there was no mention of secure services! So to save myself a few shekels I paid in dollars online instead of paying in euros and sending off all the bumph via snail mail!
Thursday 18 December 2008
Wednesday 10 December 2008
Irish pig industry
I empathise with the Irish pig farmers that have lost their livelihoods over the last number of days through no fault of their own. Having done nothing wrong, if I was in their shoes, I'd be absolutely livid!
The government had no option but to recall all pork meat until they found out the extent of the problem. If they hadn't they would have been charged with not having the interests of the public at heart, so I have no issue there.
There are a number of oddities that stand out for me though.
People are now looking for money from Europe. This makes our nation look ridiculous. While I know the IFA were disappointed with the NO vote, nonetheless the vote was NO. How can we as a nation now ask Europe for money when we need it but have voted NO at the same time? If I was a French bureaucrat in Europe for example, I'd tell the Irish where to go with their requests for money. You can either take it or leave it, and if you've chosen to leave it, you can't then turn around and say "here lads, sure we'll have your money but we don't want the rest of it", which is effectively what we are doing.
Deviating a little and throwing in a bit of anecdotal evidence, I drove around the west coast of France a good bit this summer on holidays. Not dissimilar to our own country there were road works on vast tracts of road. What stood out for me were not big blue signs that said "part financed by the EU" but rather big red signs that translated into "financed by the Vendée". I didn't see one that mentioned the EU. Thus, although I don't know how much of the "part" we receive from the EU, we are still in receipt of substantial sums and the French possibly are not. And while it is not ALL about money at the end of the day, we have received a lot from Europe!
With absolutely no basis whatsoever to back up this statement, I'd say it is because France had these magnificent roads well before us and thus don't need to fund them as they already exist! The long and short of it is, looking at what is emanating from the Irish people, i.e., NO to Europe, if I was from any other part of Europe, I'd say let them get out of this pig mess themselves.
While I'm talking about Europe, I believe a huge issue for many people is the issue of neutrality and would we be forced to send our limited troops into wars we have no reason to be fighting. In my younger days I would have agreed with that view. But recently I've changed my mind. I don't fancy the thoughts of sending our young people off to war but at the same time, I think we have to think about what we believe in and what we stand for. Think of the child being bullied in the playground. The child sitting in the buggy being effed and blinded at by its parent. The woman being bashed around in the house next door. The old person being harassed by young thugs. Do we want to be the person that cowers past them pretending not to see what's going on?
Or do we want to stand up and say that's not right? We're going to try and disseminate the facts, make a reasonable decision and try to help you. And maybe it's time for Ireland as a nation to examine its psyche and reopen a debate on neutrality.
The other query I have is insurance; what role if any does insurance play in this drama? I realise the magnitude of the dilemma faced for the country as a whole, in terms of jobs not just in the pig industry but in our meat export industry in general, which I've only found out in recent days, is massive. So if you are an importer sitting in Japan or China or the US or Germany or Poland or Saudi Arabia, such hugely disparate settings, and you're thinking to yourself, well if there's a problem with their pigs, who's to say there isn't a problem with their sheep or cattle, then that's a pretty big problem for us. That's a large swathe of people to try and convince that the rest of our meat hasn't also been tarnished. BUT, if there are cuts across the board in education, healthcare and all the rest of it, how can we find money for the pig industry?
Back to insurance... If you run a business and are self-employed surely you have some sort of adequate business insurance to protect you from this sort of calamity? Even if you don't have business insurance, to protect yourself, your family and say your mortgage payments, wouldn't you have an income protection plan? Maybe I'm being fiercely naive here, I'm a PAYE worker after all, but isn't one of the first things you learn about going into business on your own is to have adequate insurance?
And what about the rogues who caused this mess? Have they no insurance? And if not, is there no fund like in the automobile industry whereby if a chancer is driving without insurance and paralyses someone, there is at least a massive fund that everybody pays into to ensure that that person is not left out of pocket... If there is not one, should we not now consider implementing one? I suppose it will all come back to costs and this cost will be passed onto the consumer and the farmers are making little enough as it is without further alienating them from the consumer etc. At the end of the day though, the company responsible for this should face massive sanctions. In my view, cutting corners and interfering with the food chain in such a manner should mean that the individuals involved should be cut of the loop and no longer allowed to work anywhere near the food chain. A lot of work has been done to trace all animals and what has been done severely undermines this stellar work. At the end of the day, it is all down to consumer confidence. In my view, the tests that caught the problem should be carried out more frequently, to deter the 5% of individuals who will always try to make a quick buck and to protect the 95% of individuals who are passionate about what they do and would never cut corners with livestock.
The government had no option but to recall all pork meat until they found out the extent of the problem. If they hadn't they would have been charged with not having the interests of the public at heart, so I have no issue there.
There are a number of oddities that stand out for me though.
People are now looking for money from Europe. This makes our nation look ridiculous. While I know the IFA were disappointed with the NO vote, nonetheless the vote was NO. How can we as a nation now ask Europe for money when we need it but have voted NO at the same time? If I was a French bureaucrat in Europe for example, I'd tell the Irish where to go with their requests for money. You can either take it or leave it, and if you've chosen to leave it, you can't then turn around and say "here lads, sure we'll have your money but we don't want the rest of it", which is effectively what we are doing.
Deviating a little and throwing in a bit of anecdotal evidence, I drove around the west coast of France a good bit this summer on holidays. Not dissimilar to our own country there were road works on vast tracts of road. What stood out for me were not big blue signs that said "part financed by the EU" but rather big red signs that translated into "financed by the Vendée". I didn't see one that mentioned the EU. Thus, although I don't know how much of the "part" we receive from the EU, we are still in receipt of substantial sums and the French possibly are not. And while it is not ALL about money at the end of the day, we have received a lot from Europe!
With absolutely no basis whatsoever to back up this statement, I'd say it is because France had these magnificent roads well before us and thus don't need to fund them as they already exist! The long and short of it is, looking at what is emanating from the Irish people, i.e., NO to Europe, if I was from any other part of Europe, I'd say let them get out of this pig mess themselves.
While I'm talking about Europe, I believe a huge issue for many people is the issue of neutrality and would we be forced to send our limited troops into wars we have no reason to be fighting. In my younger days I would have agreed with that view. But recently I've changed my mind. I don't fancy the thoughts of sending our young people off to war but at the same time, I think we have to think about what we believe in and what we stand for. Think of the child being bullied in the playground. The child sitting in the buggy being effed and blinded at by its parent. The woman being bashed around in the house next door. The old person being harassed by young thugs. Do we want to be the person that cowers past them pretending not to see what's going on?
Or do we want to stand up and say that's not right? We're going to try and disseminate the facts, make a reasonable decision and try to help you. And maybe it's time for Ireland as a nation to examine its psyche and reopen a debate on neutrality.
The other query I have is insurance; what role if any does insurance play in this drama? I realise the magnitude of the dilemma faced for the country as a whole, in terms of jobs not just in the pig industry but in our meat export industry in general, which I've only found out in recent days, is massive. So if you are an importer sitting in Japan or China or the US or Germany or Poland or Saudi Arabia, such hugely disparate settings, and you're thinking to yourself, well if there's a problem with their pigs, who's to say there isn't a problem with their sheep or cattle, then that's a pretty big problem for us. That's a large swathe of people to try and convince that the rest of our meat hasn't also been tarnished. BUT, if there are cuts across the board in education, healthcare and all the rest of it, how can we find money for the pig industry?
Back to insurance... If you run a business and are self-employed surely you have some sort of adequate business insurance to protect you from this sort of calamity? Even if you don't have business insurance, to protect yourself, your family and say your mortgage payments, wouldn't you have an income protection plan? Maybe I'm being fiercely naive here, I'm a PAYE worker after all, but isn't one of the first things you learn about going into business on your own is to have adequate insurance?
And what about the rogues who caused this mess? Have they no insurance? And if not, is there no fund like in the automobile industry whereby if a chancer is driving without insurance and paralyses someone, there is at least a massive fund that everybody pays into to ensure that that person is not left out of pocket... If there is not one, should we not now consider implementing one? I suppose it will all come back to costs and this cost will be passed onto the consumer and the farmers are making little enough as it is without further alienating them from the consumer etc. At the end of the day though, the company responsible for this should face massive sanctions. In my view, cutting corners and interfering with the food chain in such a manner should mean that the individuals involved should be cut of the loop and no longer allowed to work anywhere near the food chain. A lot of work has been done to trace all animals and what has been done severely undermines this stellar work. At the end of the day, it is all down to consumer confidence. In my view, the tests that caught the problem should be carried out more frequently, to deter the 5% of individuals who will always try to make a quick buck and to protect the 95% of individuals who are passionate about what they do and would never cut corners with livestock.
Thursday 26 June 2008
Why confuse the kids?
My 2 year old daughter loves Dora the Explorer. It was Diego, Diego, Diego and now it is Dora, Dora, Dora. Dora has a monkey friend named Boots. Why would the makers of a kids cartoon name an animal Boots? We've just taught her that boots are the items she wears to the beach or to the park when the grass is wet.
How do you explain to a 2 year old that Boots is also a cartoon monkey?! Could he not have been called Monzo? Monzo the monkey has a good ring to it!
How do you explain to a 2 year old that Boots is also a cartoon monkey?! Could he not have been called Monzo? Monzo the monkey has a good ring to it!
Saturday 15 March 2008
Hips don't lie.
Was doing a variation on salsa dancing last night at a 30th in the Mint Bar. I use the term dancing lightly. Savage swaying might be more appropriate.
There is some absurd self-consciousness built-in to the Irish psyche. It is sad and depressing. The Latino and Spanish contingency present shook and swayed those hips, spun or were spun at high velocities, clutched or were clutched at alarming levels of intimacy. Alarming for the Paddies.
The blokes among us would not grace the dance floor until sufficient levels of alcohol were drunk and even then they had difficulty placing their hands on a woman's hip. The ladies couldn't possibly be seen sweating on a dance floor.
One Irish jingle was played during the night and two of us took the floor in a fantastic spoof of Riverdance which garnered a few claps of applause more in sympathy than anything else one suspects. Service was immediately resumed and hips shifted effortlessly from side to side.
One noted that if an Irish bloke danced like a Spanish guy he'd be accused of groping but when a Spanish bloke did it he was fantastically limber. And they were; hips don't lie.
There is some absurd self-consciousness built-in to the Irish psyche. It is sad and depressing. The Latino and Spanish contingency present shook and swayed those hips, spun or were spun at high velocities, clutched or were clutched at alarming levels of intimacy. Alarming for the Paddies.
The blokes among us would not grace the dance floor until sufficient levels of alcohol were drunk and even then they had difficulty placing their hands on a woman's hip. The ladies couldn't possibly be seen sweating on a dance floor.
One Irish jingle was played during the night and two of us took the floor in a fantastic spoof of Riverdance which garnered a few claps of applause more in sympathy than anything else one suspects. Service was immediately resumed and hips shifted effortlessly from side to side.
One noted that if an Irish bloke danced like a Spanish guy he'd be accused of groping but when a Spanish bloke did it he was fantastically limber. And they were; hips don't lie.
Tuesday 11 March 2008
Vienna...
"Transport 21, meet Vienna."
"Vienna, this is Transport 21. Could you teach them a thing or two about transport?"
Ah; 1 Mozart, 2 Wagners, 3 Strauss brothers; I present Vienna. A city with a population of 1.6 million, according to the bus tour. The lads and lassies who junket in citadels foreign should be sent to Vienna. On a plate is what one needs outputted from Transport 21. 1 Dart line, 1 Dublin Bus system and 2 Luas lines that do not connect is the starting point. Join the dots lads to get from A to B. Here is a city that has it all, buses, trams, an underground system and plenty of green spaces.
We are at the tail end of our famed Celtic Tiger I assume. While cavorting around Vienna for 48 hours, I realised that instead of lowering taxes during this economic flush, the government should have done the exact opposite and raised them. Of course they didn't have the cojones. No doubt it would have been termed "political suicide", a term consistently bandied about by the media. Nonetheless wouldn't it have been nice to have something to show for those years, rather than a half-arsed Luas that joins nothing and goes nowhere?
"Vienna, this is Transport 21. Could you teach them a thing or two about transport?"
Ah; 1 Mozart, 2 Wagners, 3 Strauss brothers; I present Vienna. A city with a population of 1.6 million, according to the bus tour. The lads and lassies who junket in citadels foreign should be sent to Vienna. On a plate is what one needs outputted from Transport 21. 1 Dart line, 1 Dublin Bus system and 2 Luas lines that do not connect is the starting point. Join the dots lads to get from A to B. Here is a city that has it all, buses, trams, an underground system and plenty of green spaces.
We are at the tail end of our famed Celtic Tiger I assume. While cavorting around Vienna for 48 hours, I realised that instead of lowering taxes during this economic flush, the government should have done the exact opposite and raised them. Of course they didn't have the cojones. No doubt it would have been termed "political suicide", a term consistently bandied about by the media. Nonetheless wouldn't it have been nice to have something to show for those years, rather than a half-arsed Luas that joins nothing and goes nowhere?
Tuesday 4 March 2008
Random train stoppages and wheelchair access!
Thought I'd be all green and stuff yesterday... you know do my bit for the environment seen as I don't have the funds for a hybrid Lexus! SO, decided to hop on the train into Connolly instead of taking the jenmobile. Flew in, €4.30 or €4.50 or something like that, pretty reasonable, considering 2 hours in the Ilac Centre costs over a fiver. Only annoying aspect was that the lift outside wasn't working. Decided to bring buggy down escalators. The downward bound escalator wasn't working either! Went back into the station and couldn't find a lift. Asked lady at information how to get out, she said there was lift at platform 4. Had to go back through the ticket area, not copping that that was hardly the way out... obviously it wasn't! Asked the fellow on the ticket exit area and finally found one inside along with another lady who was in a similar predicament. So for a 25-30 minute train journey, another 10 minutes were spent trying to get out of the station!
Headed back to Connolly for the 14.52 train. CANCELLED! Along with a train to the Castleknock direction. Was listening to the radio early in the morning and there was no mention of rolling stoppages. Anyhow, dude in the station told a blatant lie to me when he said that there was a problem with the train. When I asked would the next train, an HOUR LATER, be alright, he said yes, it was a train specific problem! HELLO!!! I learnt, when I eventually got home, that his brethern would rather vent their frustration on their customers, than going through mediation channels! Looking around the station at that hour I deduced two things, 1) the owners of the shops in the station must jump for joy when trains are cancelled as their sales increase unexpectedly for that day and 2) cancelling trains at that hour of the day affects mostly parents with young tots and older people, people with less muscle in the grand scheme of things. That's obviously why that time is chosen!
Train finally arrived an hour later. Forgot that it started at Pearse! Was chock-a-block with kids! So thus had to stand all the way home! Got to Donabate, and have to say, having driven a buggy around the place for the last 2 years, I really feel for anyone in a wheelchair! There is no quick way out of Donabate if you can't use the stairs! One has to go all the way around where the new car entrance which adds an extra 5 mins to one's journey!
Suffice to say, feck the environment, feck the cost. If I'd had the car, I would have been home by 15.00 as opposed to 16.45 on poxy Iarnród Éireann.
Headed back to Connolly for the 14.52 train. CANCELLED! Along with a train to the Castleknock direction. Was listening to the radio early in the morning and there was no mention of rolling stoppages. Anyhow, dude in the station told a blatant lie to me when he said that there was a problem with the train. When I asked would the next train, an HOUR LATER, be alright, he said yes, it was a train specific problem! HELLO!!! I learnt, when I eventually got home, that his brethern would rather vent their frustration on their customers, than going through mediation channels! Looking around the station at that hour I deduced two things, 1) the owners of the shops in the station must jump for joy when trains are cancelled as their sales increase unexpectedly for that day and 2) cancelling trains at that hour of the day affects mostly parents with young tots and older people, people with less muscle in the grand scheme of things. That's obviously why that time is chosen!
Train finally arrived an hour later. Forgot that it started at Pearse! Was chock-a-block with kids! So thus had to stand all the way home! Got to Donabate, and have to say, having driven a buggy around the place for the last 2 years, I really feel for anyone in a wheelchair! There is no quick way out of Donabate if you can't use the stairs! One has to go all the way around where the new car entrance which adds an extra 5 mins to one's journey!
Suffice to say, feck the environment, feck the cost. If I'd had the car, I would have been home by 15.00 as opposed to 16.45 on poxy Iarnród Éireann.
M50 Nightmare
Driving along in my automobile
Map beside me, and I at the wheel
Road torn up mile after mile
My anger running wild...
The M50 is an absolute disaster area. Try driving on that baby at night and good luck to you if you come off it not feeling slightly confused!
Drove to Firhouse on Monday last for an 8pm match.
Got through the toll-bridge, carpark city, exited for Lucan as cars were whizzing up that lane. Thought I'd be smart and go up to the lights and back down the other side back onto the M50. Didn't realise that the layout changed completely. Ended up heading towards town. Pulled a Ueeee and got back onto the M50.
Traffic moved again. Diggers and trucks everywhere. Went by old Naas Road exit and wondered how you get there now as it was all blocked up with trucks!
Thanked my lucky stars that I wasn't heading to Ballymount as I was in the right-hand lane with a concrete wedge between me and the slow lane and thus would have missed that exit!
Thought I was the starlet of a movie set there were that many bright lights aimed directly at me. Blinded by the light, blinded by the light!
Made it to Firhouse eventually, but wondered about the level of sign-posting or lack thereof!
NOW, I fully understand how there are crashes on the blasted thing, that take out whole swathes of the city in one go, with such regularity! Even if you're in the correct lane at the correct speed, you could end up someone's ar$e in a flash if they pull across in front of you with haste having suddenly spotted their exit!
It won't be long now before employers start recruiting locally to boost morale in their offices to stop the M50 Moaners!!!
Map beside me, and I at the wheel
Road torn up mile after mile
My anger running wild...
The M50 is an absolute disaster area. Try driving on that baby at night and good luck to you if you come off it not feeling slightly confused!
Drove to Firhouse on Monday last for an 8pm match.
Got through the toll-bridge, carpark city, exited for Lucan as cars were whizzing up that lane. Thought I'd be smart and go up to the lights and back down the other side back onto the M50. Didn't realise that the layout changed completely. Ended up heading towards town. Pulled a Ueeee and got back onto the M50.
Traffic moved again. Diggers and trucks everywhere. Went by old Naas Road exit and wondered how you get there now as it was all blocked up with trucks!
Thanked my lucky stars that I wasn't heading to Ballymount as I was in the right-hand lane with a concrete wedge between me and the slow lane and thus would have missed that exit!
Thought I was the starlet of a movie set there were that many bright lights aimed directly at me. Blinded by the light, blinded by the light!
Made it to Firhouse eventually, but wondered about the level of sign-posting or lack thereof!
NOW, I fully understand how there are crashes on the blasted thing, that take out whole swathes of the city in one go, with such regularity! Even if you're in the correct lane at the correct speed, you could end up someone's ar$e in a flash if they pull across in front of you with haste having suddenly spotted their exit!
It won't be long now before employers start recruiting locally to boost morale in their offices to stop the M50 Moaners!!!
So much for G-shock...
In order to get a battery for a Casio G-shock watch that hadn't functioned for years, (MUCH needed to see how fast I am 2 months into my Great Run preparations, wawawa) I was told that it must be sent to Casio in order to maintain its water-proof status and it would take up to 4 weeks. A load of baloney I thought but I had no alternatives as a number of jewellers refused to change it themselves.
The damn watch was returned to me yesterday, with no charge, and I was told that it wasn't the battery that was at fault. There is a problem with internal parts, which now no longer exist and thus the watch cannot be repaired.
The watch is no more than 10 years old. Do watches not last for life any more? Am I the only idiot in this age of don't repair it, buy a new one mentality that expects a product to last longer than a couple of years?
Being the moany moanerson that I am, I wasn't prepared to accept this nonsense without some form of fight. By "fight" I mean a catty email to the manufacturer which would probably result in diddly squat but at least my frustration would have been vented.
AND THEN, this morning I take the watch out of the envelope that it was returned in, to find the model number for the aforementioned moany mail, AND of course, behold and lo, the frigging thing is functioning!!!
So, what do I do? Do I wait and hope that it lasts for a while? Long enough to figure that it takes me half an hour to do 3 miles so really I'm not actually in need of a stopwatch at all! Or do I go back to the much revered jeweller and waste my time trying to figure out what went wrong?!
The damn watch was returned to me yesterday, with no charge, and I was told that it wasn't the battery that was at fault. There is a problem with internal parts, which now no longer exist and thus the watch cannot be repaired.
The watch is no more than 10 years old. Do watches not last for life any more? Am I the only idiot in this age of don't repair it, buy a new one mentality that expects a product to last longer than a couple of years?
Being the moany moanerson that I am, I wasn't prepared to accept this nonsense without some form of fight. By "fight" I mean a catty email to the manufacturer which would probably result in diddly squat but at least my frustration would have been vented.
AND THEN, this morning I take the watch out of the envelope that it was returned in, to find the model number for the aforementioned moany mail, AND of course, behold and lo, the frigging thing is functioning!!!
So, what do I do? Do I wait and hope that it lasts for a while? Long enough to figure that it takes me half an hour to do 3 miles so really I'm not actually in need of a stopwatch at all! Or do I go back to the much revered jeweller and waste my time trying to figure out what went wrong?!
Thursday 7 February 2008
Am I living in Rwanda circa 1994?
I discovered what a machete was during the Rwandan genocide circa 1994. I was about 15 or 16 and had never pondered that such a brutal instrument could inflict so much damage to the flesh.
Maybe it's always been here, but now it seems to have reached the North. Such flucking scumbags exist that a gang of them walked into a family home armed with machetes and no doubt the obligatory baseball bat. You're not a hard man up the North without a baseball bat. Well hard they were... attacked and killed a man in front of his heavily pregnant wife. She subsequently gave birth to a baby in hospital after suffering "minor" injuries to the head! Whatever about the husband; what kind of savages injure a pregnant woman? Call me naive but I'm incensed that such thuggery can take place. It makes me sick to my stomach.
Maybe it's always been here, but now it seems to have reached the North. Such flucking scumbags exist that a gang of them walked into a family home armed with machetes and no doubt the obligatory baseball bat. You're not a hard man up the North without a baseball bat. Well hard they were... attacked and killed a man in front of his heavily pregnant wife. She subsequently gave birth to a baby in hospital after suffering "minor" injuries to the head! Whatever about the husband; what kind of savages injure a pregnant woman? Call me naive but I'm incensed that such thuggery can take place. It makes me sick to my stomach.
Sunday 13 January 2008
Easter Eggs????
Bring back Feargal Quinn! Or has he actually left Superquinn? I've a feeling he still has some kind of figurehead roll to play. Anyhow, THIS would not have happened in his day. EASTER EGGS on the shelves on the twelfth of January. They say there's an early Easter this year; it doesn't excuse it. Pathetic is what it is.
So now we've Halloween starting in August, Christmas starting the day after Halloween and Easter starting less than a week after little Christmas! What the fluck is going on and is there anyway that we as consumers can just demonstrate that enough is enough!
So now we've Halloween starting in August, Christmas starting the day after Halloween and Easter starting less than a week after little Christmas! What the fluck is going on and is there anyway that we as consumers can just demonstrate that enough is enough!
Friday 11 January 2008
Bonfires
So I'm driving along in my automobile, my imaginary friend beside me at the wheel.
We were going so fast we didn't realise the bonfire outside the flats was really alive.
At nine o'clock the other night I'm driving through the north side of Dublin. The council of the area in their generosity and using my money have built a lovely basketball court with a grassy area with goals alongside it for the kids to play on. It's a sh1t cool looking court and I wouldn't mind it outside my front door. To my amazement there are two little gurriers with a bonfire going full blast in the middle of the pitch. They are no more than fifteen. What surprises me though is that the pitch is like the San Siro, it is surrounded on three sides by flats. Why are there no parents out telling them to put it out, they're destroying the pitch? Is everyone too scared of the little scumbags even at that age? Makes me sick. I'm going to be classist here. You've middle class parents working away to pay for Mikey and Becky to do all sorts of after school activities with feckall basketball and football courts appearing in those neighbourhoods... these gobsh1tes have it and they decide to build a bonfire on it and it is not even Halloween! Just doesn't seem fair.
We were going so fast we didn't realise the bonfire outside the flats was really alive.
At nine o'clock the other night I'm driving through the north side of Dublin. The council of the area in their generosity and using my money have built a lovely basketball court with a grassy area with goals alongside it for the kids to play on. It's a sh1t cool looking court and I wouldn't mind it outside my front door. To my amazement there are two little gurriers with a bonfire going full blast in the middle of the pitch. They are no more than fifteen. What surprises me though is that the pitch is like the San Siro, it is surrounded on three sides by flats. Why are there no parents out telling them to put it out, they're destroying the pitch? Is everyone too scared of the little scumbags even at that age? Makes me sick. I'm going to be classist here. You've middle class parents working away to pay for Mikey and Becky to do all sorts of after school activities with feckall basketball and football courts appearing in those neighbourhoods... these gobsh1tes have it and they decide to build a bonfire on it and it is not even Halloween! Just doesn't seem fair.
Snots in a perspex box
Is it just me, or do most people seem to think that they have stepped into some kind of magic perspex box when they sit into their cars? I don't know how many people I've seen in a car on their own, just sitting there with one finger up their bugle, picking to their hearts content, not a care in the world. Sitting pretty as if we in the car right beside them, albeit going in the other direction, cannot see them! They should bring in penalty points for habits untoward.
Taxi Drivers
I'm noticing a similar theme running through my posts this evening... general annoyance in the car. Anyway, taxi drivers. Bad enough that they suddenly brake and indicate and pull up onto the kerb. You can't blame them if the twat in the passenger seat suddenly said, stop here please. What annoys me so, is when you're driving along, you see a taxi parked on the side of the road, not even with his flashers on, and all of a sudden he's pulled out in front of you, no warning whatsoever! What is that all about?! You think with them being on the roads everyday, they might know the rules of their place of work! Where is the traffic corps when you need it?
Picture Credit Cards
Jees, I'm on a roll. So I'm driving to work this morning. Got stuck at Hart's Corner, as you do, I won't even mention the poxy train derailing near Skerries and the pandemonium that caused on my convoluted journey from Donabate to Ashbourne, via back roads, and on to Phibsboro. Suffice to say, that it's bullsh1t that Donabate doesn't have it's own bus service, apart from the oh so frequent one that goes to Swords!
Anyway, I digress, as usual. So I'm sitting at Hart's Corner waiting on the lights and I see an advertisement for Ulster Bank credit cards. So what I hear you say! SO, these credit cards allow you to upload any picture you want so that you have your own cool customized credit card. Ingenius yes, original no! My Spanish friend had one of those about five years ago! It's like debit cards and pin numbers for credit cards... continental Europe has it all first! Why is Ireland so behind the times STILL???
Anyway, I digress, as usual. So I'm sitting at Hart's Corner waiting on the lights and I see an advertisement for Ulster Bank credit cards. So what I hear you say! SO, these credit cards allow you to upload any picture you want so that you have your own cool customized credit card. Ingenius yes, original no! My Spanish friend had one of those about five years ago! It's like debit cards and pin numbers for credit cards... continental Europe has it all first! Why is Ireland so behind the times STILL???
And speaking of signs...
Heading North on the M1, not too far after the airport turnoff but before the one for Donabate, there is a sign that has been "under test" for like two months. Come on lads, how long can you display D19 N51 for? I don't know what it says, but seriously, how long does it take to test an electronic sign?!
Port tunnel signage
What's up with the Port Tunnel signage? It is downright confusing for the poor schmucks who aren't from around. Like the person in the English reg. car last night on my way to bball. He obviously looked up, saw an abundance of signs that said "City Centre, Keep Left". So he kept left and ended up on the slip road for Coolock. He starts to brake near the top figuring he was lost and then manages to go straight back down the other side of the slip road to the city centre.
It is THE most ridiculous system. All the trucks on the one hand are coming down from the M50, on the left, having to cross three lanes of traffic to get into the Port Tunnel. Then you have all the cars speeding up the M1 and let's be honest loads of those Northern reg. cars do not slow down, so they come flying along, suddenly realise that they are headed straight for the tunnel unless they veer across two lanes, avoid the barrage of trucks and somehow end up in the lane for the city centre. It's just madness. That is of course when the marvellous tunnel is open. I won't even go there.
It is THE most ridiculous system. All the trucks on the one hand are coming down from the M50, on the left, having to cross three lanes of traffic to get into the Port Tunnel. Then you have all the cars speeding up the M1 and let's be honest loads of those Northern reg. cars do not slow down, so they come flying along, suddenly realise that they are headed straight for the tunnel unless they veer across two lanes, avoid the barrage of trucks and somehow end up in the lane for the city centre. It's just madness. That is of course when the marvellous tunnel is open. I won't even go there.
Cabin Fever
I was actually beginning to doubt myself; I hadn't come across a single iota that could cause me to moan all week! No, relax peeps, I'm fine. I haven't lost it. I'm still the moaniest wench on the planet. You name it, I can moan about it. I just hadn't really left the house apart from walks around the estate pushing a pink tricycle. That's what happens now that I am permitted to work part time from home. It's great so I can't moan. Plus with deliveries to be made all week I didn't actually have time to moan, except to the hubby about the fact that I was doing a tad more than the part-time hours I'd agreed. To next week and beyond, no more working past 11am!
Thursday 10 January 2008
Taking the mickey BIG TIME
I've just booked flights on AerLingus.com which I haven't done since last year. When I got to the end I was able to prebook my seats, something which I've done before and it's handy to get a window seat if possible. Anyhow, what a flucking joke! You now have to pay three euro EACH WAY to do it but the classic lines are the following and I quote, pasted exactly from the website:
"The seat fees are non-refundable
Seat Selection can be overwritten on the day of travel, due to operational reasons."
So basically they're saying you pay them six quid each to sit wherever you want and you go to the airport on the day, you may not get the seats you asked for but you still won't get your money back! What the fluck? What kind of suckers do they think the general public are?
"The seat fees are non-refundable
Seat Selection can be overwritten on the day of travel, due to operational reasons."
So basically they're saying you pay them six quid each to sit wherever you want and you go to the airport on the day, you may not get the seats you asked for but you still won't get your money back! What the fluck? What kind of suckers do they think the general public are?
Saturday 5 January 2008
Protesting the royal visit
I'm not a big fan of the queen of England or anything, in fact I don't believe in such a thing as royalty, but I have to say I was incensed today when I drove by Bertie's constituency offices in Drumcondra. There was a crowd of protesters carrying placards bearing ill will toward her and not wishing her to visit. Talk about holding a grudge.
People seem obsessed with whether or not she'll visit. I read one journalist last week who said the world will be watching to see how we welcome her. AS IF! I couldn't believe he was serious, in a broadsheet and all. I don't think the world gives a flying fluck how some two-dime nation on the edge of nowhere, suddenly up itself, with a tiger fast running away, welcomes her.
To save my own blushes I just hope that if she does arrive that the same scumbags, who thought it would be a great idea to bombard the loyalists that came down last year, don't pull the same stupid stunt again.
Not that I'm in the habit of sparing my own blushes. Of course I had to roll down the window and shout "bigots" at the lads outside Bertie's second gaff today. What can I say, spur of the moment stupidity. I just hope they didn't get my reg number. You just don't know what fool with a knife will show up at your front door these days!
People seem obsessed with whether or not she'll visit. I read one journalist last week who said the world will be watching to see how we welcome her. AS IF! I couldn't believe he was serious, in a broadsheet and all. I don't think the world gives a flying fluck how some two-dime nation on the edge of nowhere, suddenly up itself, with a tiger fast running away, welcomes her.
To save my own blushes I just hope that if she does arrive that the same scumbags, who thought it would be a great idea to bombard the loyalists that came down last year, don't pull the same stupid stunt again.
Not that I'm in the habit of sparing my own blushes. Of course I had to roll down the window and shout "bigots" at the lads outside Bertie's second gaff today. What can I say, spur of the moment stupidity. I just hope they didn't get my reg number. You just don't know what fool with a knife will show up at your front door these days!
Thursday 3 January 2008
Merc drivers; don't tar them all with the one brush BUT
So I drive down to the chippers. Yeah, three days into the healthy eating and I've a hankering for a spice burger and chips. And there's a poxy Merc parked parallel to the chippers. It's not the done thing. Cars are usually pulled vertically in, in front of the chippers, to accommodate as many as possible. Typical bleeping Merc driver; no consideration for anybody else.
Wednesday 2 January 2008
IM contacts logging out when you send them a message
It does my nut in when I see someone logging into MSN, I send them a message and suddenly they're offline. Bullsh1t, I know they've just logged off 'cos they don't want to talk. It would be more polite to just ignore the message. Grrrrrr.
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