Review of Arrange me a marriage, BBC2

Arrange me a marriage, BBC2

"Aneela Rahman presents this highly interesting programme in which she tutors British Singletons and their families and friends through a similiar process to that used in modern Asian arranged marriages."

Arrange me a marriage is not a dating show, more it is an interesting and indeed thought-provoking programme about how single 30 & 40 somethings in today's western society can learn more than a thing or two from the process used to arrange marriages in modern Asian society.

Aneela is warm, frank and practical in her role as a facilitator in aiding the singletons to use their existing network of family and friends to find suitable partners. One of the main premises of the show is that no-one knows you better than those who care for you - your family and friends. They are roped into re-assessing their own network of friends and acquaintances to find suitable partners for their loved one.

Establishing compatability in key areas such as family values, life goals, class and education is pivotal to the process employed - "Lots of people in Britain hook up in a bar or a club, but you wouldn't buy a house or car drunk, so why would you expect to find a life partner that way?" (Aneela, The Daily Mail)

Rahman is not afraid to be frank, detached and to the point with both the singletons and their friends and family whilst still being empathetic, warm and very likeable. Not quite a documentary and certainly not reality tv - the programme format is also entertaining. Well worth a look and more importantly well worth learning from if, like me you are a 30-something singleton!

Photo (c) www.dailymail.co.uk

Rated 4/5 on Nov 29 2007
Vote on curly k's Reviews at LouderVoice

Review Tags: aneela rahman, arrange me a marriage, arranged marriages, bbc, dating, relationships, review, singles

Review of Ireland AM, TV3

Ireland AM, TV3

"Ireland's only breakfast tv show. Generally a pleasant start to the day with good banter among the presenters, some excellent featured items but far too much sport for my liking!"

Almost every morning I tune into Ireland AM prior to dragging myself out of my bed. It's great to catch up on Irish news first thing in the morning and they have regular headlines throughout the show. There are also regular fashion and soap slots as well as some excellent feature items.

Initially, I didn't particularly warm to the show's lead anchor, Mark Cagney but he definitely grows on you and is certainly a seasoned professional in his role! Throughout the show there is an ongoing relaxed and entertaining banter amongst all four main anchors; Cagney, Sinead Desmond, Alan Hughes and Aidan Cooney. Sinead Desmond is relatively new to the secondary anchor role having been preceeded in previous years by Grainne Seoige, Amanda Byram, Emma Buckley, Maura Derrane and Claire Byrne (not necessarily in that particular order) so there has been quite a lot of personnel change in a relatively short time since the programme began in 1999.

One big criticism I would have is that the sports news is far too long - often outlasting the actual news updates. For a dedicated non-active/sporty person it is irritating to have so much sports coverage throughout the show.

Overall, however, the show is quite watchable and generally informative with a good atmosphere generated among the presenters, not a bad way to start your day!

Rated 3/5 on Nov 28 2007
Vote on curly k's Reviews at LouderVoice

Review Tags: aidan cooney, alan hughes, breakfast tv, ireland am, mark cagney, sinead desmond, tv3

That Friday Feeling is a "noisy blog"!

Just stumbled upon a post (albeit a little late - it's from last April!) from Dublin.net which lists some of "noisiest blogs" in the Irish Blogosphere and unbelievably this blog is listed at number 35 out of 100!!! It is by their own admission a dodgy first attempt to pull together local blogs but they have ranked based on the number of links as tracked by Yahoo (via comments, backlinks etc)!

They mention that there are a couple of surprises in the list and boy is this blog one of them, no more so than to me especially given that the likes of Damien Mulley isn't on the list!!!

Nevertheless. all acknowledgments gratefully received!!

Technorati Tags: Dublin.net Damien Mulley Blogging Irish Blogs

LouderVoice - check it out!

LouderVoice is a new Irish site that allows people to review anything from wine to new shoes in an easy and accessible manner. LouderVoice is Bandon blow-in, Conor O'Neill's latest venture and passion.

The official blurb is that it is a "community-driven web-site for finding, writing and sharing user reviews. It is the hub that connects people, knowledge, interests and places. Users can publish, find, rate, bookmark, share and subscribe to reviews. They can finally harness the distributed expertise in blogs and social networks to assist in their purchases." They have recently enabled early support for mini-reviews which are posted by reviewers using SMS and IM via Twitter and similar sites.

However, more simply put for the less techy/web/twitter/jaiku.... amongst us you can simply sign-up and publish reviews on LouderVoice via your mobile phone through a simple sms text message. It is that easy once you're registered - you simply write your text and send it to a mobile number and hey presto its published on LouderVoice. For bloggers there is the added advantage of registering your current blog and simply writing your review through LouderVoice. It is then simultaneously published on both your own blog and LouderVoice - two for the price of one. You can see how it publishes to your blog in my review of Nigella Express below.

If Damien Mulley has taken the time to profile them on his latest venture Profile Ireland where he gives coverage to Irish Tech companies, mostly concentrating on startups but also looking at established though young tech companies, then you know they are doing something right!

They have made it to the final 30 of the Le Web 3 Start-Up competition in Paris in December. They are the only Irish company to make it through to the December 11th event - good luck guys!

As Conor says "Text Your Loves and Loathings to LouderVoice" - go on, you know you want to!

Technorati Tags: LouderVoice Reviews Conor O'Neill Damien Mulley

Review of Nigella Express, BBC 2

Nigella Express, BBC 2

"In general great receipes but absolute drivel to watch!"

Up until recently I'd really liked Nigella Lawson, I liked her down-to-earth style, her great attitude to food and cooking, her love of comfort foods and even the fact that whilst she is far from the recently popular concept of beauty i.e. very young, very skinny, very bronzed and very blonde she exuded the alluring appeal of a real, beautiful woman!

However, her recent outing in Nigella Express, where she supposedly showcases quick and easy food, is appalling. It's so set-up, false and twee its actually nauseating.

Give it a miss and buy the book where at least you can see what she has to offer receipe wise without the torture of having to watch her fawn to the camera, salivate over the food and pretend to have enough annoying friends and family to sink the Titantic!

Rated 1/5 on Nov 27 2007
Vote on curly k's Reviews at LouderVoice

Review Tags: food, nigella express, nigella lawson, review, tv

Do Irish voters only care when money is involved?

It is truly astounding that in 1982 an attempt to put VAT on children's shoes brought down John Bruton's Fine Gael government and yet it appears that scandal after scandal with regard to health services in this country are allowed to go on and on with no-one facing any consequences or taking any responsibility (other than 1 Radiographer - who let's face it cannot be solely responsible for the farce that cancer screening in Portlaoise Hospital has become!).

It is sad reflection on the way we, as a society have gone in the intervening years since 1982. Obviously the mighty pound or euro was always king, as the bottom line of the VAT on children's shoes was of course money, however, I do think that the scandals we have witnessed in the last number of months would surely have brought down governments in the 1970s and 1980s. Our total obsession with the Celtic Tiger economy and fast-paced life in recent years has undoubtedly had some horrible side-effects on our sense of morals, equality, community and doing what is right.

It is unbelievable that we as a democratic society have not yet demanded more. When Fiannna Fail was returned to power in the last election, the majority of Irish voters refused to hold the government responsible for the shambles that is our health service. The truly appalling and outrageous state of our health service and the numerous scandals with regard to the likes of mammograms, ultrasounds, dirty hospitals and indeed the constant reduction and elimination of various services in many hospitals around the country were ignored because in general most people are relatively well-off and comfortable today in comparison to the the 1970s, 1980s and even the early 1990s.

Mary Harney has said that she will not resign but that if the Dail fires her that is a different matter, which lets face it, is as likely as me becoming a svelte size 10 this side of Christmas!

We should all hang our head in shame;

• shame for those who have lost their lives because they were turned away from hospitals,
• shame for women who lost their wombs because of one doctors ego-mania,
• shame for the far too numerous women in this country who have spent the last number of weeks waiting for re-assessment,
• shame for those women who now have finally had a cancer diagnosis,
• shame for those patients who have died or live with the after-effects of MRSA and other super-bugs,
• shame for those currently fighting cancer who have on the one hand been told that treatment in centers of excellence improves their chances whilst on the other hand none of the other requisite infrastructure for accommodation and travel to back up their treatment has been put in place

and shame that we will undoubtedly allow the new health strategy for larger regional hospitals to be put in place again without the requisite infrastructure (adequate numbers of ambulances and trained paramedics, air-ambulances etc.) to back up the improved chances of treatment in these centres of excellence with the critical mass of population.

Technorati Tags: Health Politics HSE Fianna Fail Mary Harney Breast Cancer

35 approacheth and way too fast!

So I'm not going to do one of those "reflective" posts - I'm pretty clear on the important things that are missing from my life (a life partner and children) and of course the many blessings I am lucky to have in my life (fantastic family and friends, the joy of nieces and nephews, a job I like with great colleagues, living in a community I like with wonderful neighbours, my own home....)

Rather I just wanted to warn ye all in plenty of time so I can get lots of pressies! And to state I'm well prepared for day my potential fertility starts to officially nose-dive big time.

Technorati Tags: 35th Birthday Personal Fertility

And that's why he is the Stig!

So I missed Top Gear's first episode in the current series a few weeks ago and am just playing catch up via the BBC Sign Zone's graveyard shift this morning. (Ok, I have no life sitting at home alone at 3.30am drinking glass of wine and watching Sign Zone but what the hell!) During the episode they road test the new VW Golf W12 650 bhp which I have to say wouldn't rock my boat - ugly car, honestly and I really like Golfs but leave them as they are thank you very much!

Anyway, Jeremy takes the W12 for a few laps and completely fails to take any corner in the thing without ending up facing the wrong way. Undoubtably this is because the thing doesn't corner (for us mere ordinary mortals). However, despite the obvious problems with cornering at speed with the W12 the Stig manages not to end up facing backwards on any corner.

It is a clip that demonstrates his (or her!) sheer genius as a driver compared to the rest of us or indeed compared to even Mr. Clarkson, who, let's face it, has driven a wider variety of cars than most of us can dare dream about. Classic!

Technorati Tags: The Stig Top Gear Volkswagen Golf W12 BBC

Fog light - use them in FOG!

What is it with fog-lights in this country? Recently there is an epidemic of gobshites driving with their fog-lights on, full blast in perfect weather conditions! It's not only annoying for other road-users it's actually against best practice, dangerous, arrogant and frivolous! For those assholes - the hint is in the name FOG-lights i.e. these lights should not be used unless there is fog or at the very least very poor visability but no, there are an increasing number of what can only be termed as gobshites (excuse my french!) who insist on using fog-lights regardless of weather and visability conditions, with no consideration for the fact that they are blinding all other drivers - all too often to simply show-off one of at least three things: (a) the car they are driving is older than they are but full of beautiful (in their eyes!) modifications (b) the car they are driving is a high-end jeep / people-carrier or executive saloon or (c) they're too fucking stupid to realise that firstly it ain't foggy and secondly they're blinding other road users!

And as Forrest Gump would say "that's all I have to say about that!"

Technorati Tags: Fog-lights Glare

Get a man "what does"!!!

A lot of people who have bought houses in new estates in the last number of years will be all too familiar with my previous garden problem. It was full of what can only be described as rubble-filled clay with some poor grass/weeds and moss on top. Not exactly pretty to look at and almost impossible to work with. Initially when I moved in three years ago I raked it, planted more grass seed and generally gave myself some back-breaking evenings trying to make a silk purse out a sow's ear.

In the end the feed/weed and lawn seed that I put into it seemed to work but then it seemed like only the weeds were gaining benefit and taking over. Friends who had partners had had their equivalent blocks of weeds rotivated, re-seeded etc. but me taking on to rotivate was simply not an option with my arthritis and chronic laziness!

So at the beginning of September I took the plunge and got a man "what does" in to fix the disaster that was my garden. I only wish I'd taken before pictures. By then after our wet miserable summer I had given up on the garden and it was simply a jungle of waist-high weeds. I had gotten a number of quotes and knew exactly what I wanted done. I ended up going with the most expensive quote for a couple of reasons; I instantly felt the guy was trustworthy and straight as a dye, also he immediately "got" what I wanted and even better suggested other things to put the polish on the final product.

All I can say is that sometimes you get what you pay for and I sure did. The night before the father and son team were due to start in my garden I arrived home late to discover all the materials in my garden. They had been dropped off after their full days work. Next morning they arrived early and worked unbelievably hard for the next two and half days through rain and whatever the weather threw at them. These two guys were not afraid of hard work, very, very hard work. I managed to get two hardworking guys, well qualified in their trade who were a pleasure to have around - honest, trustworthy and delivering what they promised on time without any hassle whatsoever! So, if you can, find a good man "what does" is my advice.

And as you can see the results speak for themselves. The grass is still a little patchy as it's only growing in and the empty plastic bottles are my addition to keep the cats of the soil when it was freshly turned - grrrrr!

Technorati Tags: New Estates Garden Tradesmen

A Wine Connoisseur or simply an Alcoholic?

Last weekend a friend went to France for work and happened to pick up a substantial amount of booze en-route as he went on the ferry. I duly placed an order for wine with him and it has now arrived. So instead of the normal 10 - 12 bottles of wine that I usually have in my house I now have a grand total of 33 bottles of wine and two 10-litre boxes of wine including some Saumur, Muscadet, Vouvray, Crozes Hermitage, Châteauneuf du Pape and five bottles of Champagne (a woman can never have too much Champagne in my humble opinion).

Either I'm on my way to becoming the next Oz Clarke or a rip-roaring alcoholic - time will tell, meanwhile where's the corkscrew?...........

Technorati Tags: Wine Drinking

Photo (c) Andreas Georgiou - http://www.sxc.hu/profile/andgeo

The UGLY BUG!

A year ago I posted on this blog reminiscing about a childhood bike/pedal car toy. I had tried and failed to find any mention of it anywhere on the web but knew it was called an Ugly Bug and made by Raleigh. Well thanks to Brian (who to be fair sent this to me 2 months ago) I have been reassured that I am not going insane or indeed heading for early dementia - concrete proof above. Brian, who was the head of Concept Design at Raleigh Toys in the 1970's kindly forwarded the above photo of my favourite childhood toy. Ahh, it's so true, they really don't make them like they used to! My own Ugly Bug gave endless hours of entertainment not only to me but to other members of my family for years - they really built them to last so this is a tribute to all the guys at Raleigh and all their hard work years ago! Not sure if the young 'uns of today would be so enthusiastic with all their techy, flashy toys but boy that Ugly Bug was one fun toy in it's day!

BTW: Hope this is not again a once every six/seven months post to blog and that I will return to the blogosphere!

Five little known facts about Curly K

My eccentric Spanish friend Manuel Stimulation has tagged me to reveal five little known facts about myself so here goes:

1. I was once caught with my knickers down at my knees in public! I was about seven or eight at the time and we'd been sent down the road to look for a missing dog or child, I honestly can't remember. Anyway off we went in search of the missing being and got to the end of our road and onto the next road where there was a factory located at the time. We went into the field where the factory was and I needed to wee really badly so with a little encouragement from the others I assumed the position and was mid pee when a man from the factory came around the corner to move us out of the field - die! I don't think I've ever been as embarrassed since!
2. I was pretty much a goody goody at school and never mitched or got in trouble with the teachers. I only got put in detention once for not cleaning the classroom when rostered to do so and that only happened because it was the first day back after the holidays and I honestly didn't know I was supposed to!
3. I once lost out on a pay-rise because I went out for a drink with a guy - that drink cost me about £2,000 IR. I was on a business trip abroad with my boss and clients and this guy had joined our company several times and offered to show us around as he was working in the country on a long-term contract. At the time the clients said "You go, you're the young one in the group, us oldies aren't interested..." my boss agreed with the clients and said I should go but I subsequently learned, after I had left the company that she held back my pay-rise because I had gone out for the drink!!!
4. I've recently developed a slight sunglasses fetish - hey when you're fat with broad feet it's a hell of a lot easier than having a shoe or clothes fetish!
5. Sometimes when my brain is in overdrive and I'm having a thinking overload day I wonder if I'm normal - is that normal?

So there you have it, five little known facts about me, clearly not as exciting as Manuel's but what can I do! I therefore tag CatGirl, Conor, Paige, Doris and Omani. Feel free not to do it and likewise if I haven't tagged you and you would like to share with the group go ahead!

Reflect & Review!

So on my return to blogging after my short sojourn I was going through some old posts and came upon a post from January 2006 where I listed some of the things I needed to do then and I decided to go through it and see where I'm at. I certainly can't be accused of over-doing things by the looks of it;

• Finish report one, which is in draft form, for work - CHECK
• Decide what clothes etc. I need to take on my forthcoming work trip (I always aim to travel as light as possible) and ensure all the clothes that I need to bring are clean and ready to go - CHECK
• Start three other reports for work that are way, way, way overdue - CHECK
• Clean my house from top to bottom (as I've mentioned before housework ain't my forte in life) before Kim & Aggie seriously come to visit - CHECK BUT NOW DUE AGAIN
• Write a reference that someone asked me for ages ago - CHECK
• Visit my friends that live up the country and I haven't seen in too long - CHECK
• Attend for a necessary blood test that is at least two months overdue - CHECK BUT DUE AGAIN
• Do a serious de-clutter on my wardrobe and everywhere else - PART CHECK, LIKE IRISH RAIL - A LOT DONE, A LOT MORE TO DO!!!
• Get my car door fixed (not my fault, some blind prat reversed into me!) - CHECK (WELL SOMEONE ELSE'S PROBLEM NOW!)
• Change my mortgage to obtain better rate of interest (better get someone who could be bothered to understand all that double dutch about interest rates to come with me) - CHECK TO FIRST PART
• Find someone who could be bothered to understand all that rubbish about interest rates - IN THE END SOME THINGS YOU'RE BETTER OFF DOING YOURSELF!
• Trade-in my car for a newer model - CHECK, CHECK, CHECK - BETSY IS A BEAUTY!
• Call a plumber / fix-it person to repair the boiler, install my oven (it's a long story but suffice to say I don't bake a lot!!), repair what I suspect is leak in my attic, put up a blind and some shelve (oh and ALL my photos and pictures) and fix my outside light. - CHECK TO OVEN ONLY - WELL NO POINT IN RUSHING INTO THESE THINGS!
• Get someone to redesign some of the storage in my kitchen, whoever designed the current one obviously has never stood in a kitchen - it just doesn't work! - AS IF THIS WOULD BE CHECKED WHEN THERE IS SO MUCH STILL OUTSTANDING!
• Get the window cleaner and chimney cleaners in - ENTAILS CLEANING INSIDE OF WINDOWS AND INDEED THE WHOLE HOUSE FIRST MYSELF SO A DECIDED NO!
• Ensure guttering is mended and cleaned - I THINK YOU KNOW WHERE I'M GOING ALREADY - AS IF!
• Buy a dishwasher - AS ABOVE
• Buy a garden shed - AS ABOVE ALTHOUGH HAVE ACTUALLY STARTED TO CHECK INTO THIS ONE
• Buy a new computer - HARDLY YET - STILL TRYING TO DECIDE WHICH BROADBAND TO CHOOSE WHEN USING THE LAPTOP
• Plant my garden for the spring - WHAT DO YOU THINK?
• Go to the physio for my back as advised by the bleedin doctor - COULDN'T I SPEND THE TIME I'D SPEND IN PYSIO OUT SOCIALISING OR SOME OTHER SUCH WORTHY USE?
• Lose weight - DOES CUTTING YOUR TOENAILS AND HAIR COUNT ON THIS SCORE?
• Get healthy - I ATE THE OBLIGATORY SALAD THAT CAME WITH MY STEAK AND CHIPS IN THE RESTAURANT THE OTHER NIGHT, DOES THAT COUNT???
• Give up the cigarettes - PLEASE, HOW ELSE COULD I WASTE SO MUCH MONEY IF I DID?
• Try to meet a funny, charming man with a mind and personality - CHECK AT PRESENT- HOORAH, HOORAH, HOORAH!

Guess some day I'll become organised, efficient and a complete health & cleaning freak - live in hope, die in despair as they say!!

Six months, where have they gone?

I said I would be back, didn't think I'd be away for so long but hey c'est la vie! Curly K is back in the blogosphere! So, where did I go for six months (I can't believe it has been that long!)? Well, work was busy, dial-up is a pain in the arse and I was trying to sort several things out (changing mortgage, buying a car....), thought I'd get a lot more done in the time but that's the story of my life!

Firstly, apologies to those who I have really missed but not kept up with as I've not been online; CatGirl; Omani; JL; Doris; Conor; Treasa; et al; your blogs are part of the reason it's taken me so long to come back, I felt I should have kept up daily and didn't - so where does one pick up? The longer you leave it the more guilty you feel and the more work to catch up you believe you have. So for now I've decided I'll just try again from the start and play catch-up as and when I can.

I hear the Blog Awards were brilliant (how could I have missed Conor O'Neill dancing whilst inebriated??) Also, it seems there are lots of great new blogs I have to get to read but all in good time.

So what have I been up to? Good question - here goes. Changed mortgage - nightmare which went on for months. Initially was going with EBS via a general finance broker - they (EBS) broke my heart; to be fair if I'd gone via the local EBS broker it would have been fine but alas I didn't do so chosing, as I thought at the time, the best possible option in an independent broker. But EBS corporate in their fatcat headquaters had other ideas; put her through the mill, ask every in-depth question you can think off and then tell her fuck that - you have to pay the fees we said we would pay. Two months after the ordeal began!!! Two good things I can say about the whole experience, the broker I dealt with had the decency not to charge me for house valuation that they had paid for as they recognised the shit I'd been through and most importantly the fact that local banking/mortgaging etc. is best. I cannot speak highly enough about the manager of my local TSB, a gentleman, efficient, easy to deal with and talk to and a breath of fresh air in mortgage application terms! All sorted in less than a week as opposed to almost three months with EBS corporate and nothing but being treated like a leper to show for the trauma!

So mortgage change in place I did what I thought I'd never do; I bought a spanking new car - Betsy II - a Seat Ibiza 1.2 Metallic Black and a complete beauty! She is fantastic everything I hoped for and more!

Further to my post of the 23rd August last year (scary) I went on my date, met a fantastic guy and have been seeing him since! He's clever (sometimes too clever!), funny, attractive, doesn't talk for the sake of talking (unlike me!) and intriguing. We're very different which is brilliant sometimes and challenging for us both at other times! It's really good to be able to sit beside someone in silence for a long time and feel comfortable, it can also drive me to distraction as he can sit without saying anything for a hell of a lot longer than I can! When we're good, we're really good, as for when we're not; we could drive each other to distraction by our misinterpretation of our differences to the other!

Work has been really busy and I'm glad I don't have to travel again for a wee while, arriving home to Dublin Airport on the 22nd of December was not my idea of fun! I'm waiting anxiously for several friends to have their babies, get engaged... and the best news for me right now (friends impending births notwithstanding of course!) is that I'm finally getting on a sun holiday after four years! I can't wait!

Do let me know what you guys have been up to! Talk soon.

Technorati Tags: Curly K Seat Ibiza Blog Awards

Photo (c) http://www.seat.ie/

Curly K lives!

Apologies for the lack of posts in the last week or so but things have been hectic here in Curly K land. Between organising conferences, travelling to Europe for work and even a few dates thrown in for good measure, I haven't had time to blog or more importantly catch up on my favourite blogs!

Fear not, Curly K will be fully back in the blogosphere in the next few days when I eventually get my desk cleared (or a little clearer at any rate!)

Touching base

Just a quick post to let ye know that unlike Paige and Pippa I've not decided to leave the blogosphere - come back you two and quick smart! Hopefully Omani and some of my other favourites who've not posted in a while are simply taking time out and will not go the route of Paige and Pippa.

For me, it's just been a very busy week with work and one thing and another and the next two weeks ain't looking any less busy. But I will try to do a proper post asap (with all the juicy gossip!) and indeed get back to commenting on my favourite blogs when I can get sorted out, although the change to beta-blogger has become more of an issue re commenting in the last day or so!

Will hopefully get a chance to catch up with ye all and with what's going on with ye, in the next few days but bear with me as will be out of town for most of this week and indeed next week.

Beta Blogger

Currently having some problems commenting on my favourite blogs so bear with me folks. I am still dropping by, via bloglines etc. Plus I haven't got around to putting some new blogs I'm visiting up here but will get around to it eventually.

Sorry but that is just plain weird!

Watching a programme on Channel Five right now and the people in it are weird to say the least. They are practising Attachment Parenting, where a lot of them are just 100% devoting all their time to parenting their children. Giving up work, breastfeeding on demand till whatever age the child wants to stop, home-schooling, never giving out to their children; using persuasion only, not using prams or cots; constantly carrying their children and even practising something called Elimination Communication where they never use nappies and let the kids just poop and pee everywhere.

Sorry but that's just plain weird, as well as ultimately being extremely unfair on the children. They will get some shock when they go out into the real world and realise that it doesn't actually revolve around them, the way that their parents have lead them to believe!

Technorati Tags: Attachment Parenting

Being an imitidating woman apparently

There are always moments in life that make us sit up and take notice and tonight I had one of them- I was talking to a woman who is slightly older than me and whom I have the utmost of respect for. She married a younger man when she was older than I currently am - but yet tonight she informed me to be careful, that I am intimidating to men! Not a position I'd ever considered myself to be in, to be quite frank! What worries me about the allegation is the sneaking suspicion that she is probably right!!

Now whilst I've never, ever thought of myself as a shrinking violet, likewise I've never thought of myself as a 110% gung ho woman who is intimadating to men!

But apparently I am, which: came as a surprise to me. Now, as I mentioned earlier, I don't exactly labour under the illusion that I'm girly girl or a sex goddess but I was knocked for six to be informed that I am perceived as ultimately very intimidating with regard to relationships to the vast majority of men in my social and work circle . And not only that but the remainder of guys in my social circle, could, apparently be forgiven for presuming that I'm simply one of the guys!!!

So my question is very simple; if you're not a girly girl. If fluttering your eyelids is something you don't do, unless you've a fly in your eye - where do you position yourself?

Where do you fit in if you're not a fluffy girly, girl but equally you're not a lesbian or a woman who does not want relationship?

I soo don't do fluffy: and what was clarified for me tonight is the fact that men actually find me either really intimidating or really amusing, as in, one of the lads!

My problem is that whilst I am a 100% hetrosexual woman I fail consistently to be anything approaching what men apparently consider to be either their ideal woman or approachable enough to meet them half-way - apparently what I am, with regard to men, is intimidating!

UPDATE: Mental note to self, do not post on blog in the early hours of the morning when drunk!

Good manners cost nothing

If there's one thing I can't stand it's really bad manners. Now I am not talking about watching all your P & Qs and all that etiquette stuff. I'm talking about down to earth simple things like please and thank you. It costs nothing but some drivers have just no manners especially when pulling out into the road.

If I stop to let you out please at least put your hand up to say thanks, it's not much to ask. I've been polite enough to stop, all you have to do is put your hand up, you mindless moron. But of course you won't especially if you're the type of driver that has never heard about the fact that there are indicators on the car for a bleedin reason or if you're one of those gobshites who believes that driving your car halfway out into the road is going to force me to let you out. That simply turns your behaviour into bullying as well as bad-mannered.

Be nice, it doesn't cost anything, won't take oodles of your obviously precious time and would make the roads more enjoyable for everybody.

End of rant.

Technorati Tags: Driving Good Manners

Lovely night

Well met my date last night for a drink. Not going to go into how we met yet, too complicated ;-). We met in a quiet local pub and it was a very pleasant evening. Conversation was easy and he's really good company. Apart from the fact that we had very different accents (he's English) and had to repeat one or two things the conversation flowed all night. Also, quite funny cos he's very skinny and I'm so not - what's it they say about opposites?

Will be meeting again soon I think. Watch this space.

Ssshhh!

Don't tell anyone but Curly K has a date tomorrow night - whey hey! Don't want to say too much right now but happy, happy days. Apart from the former Mr. Right Now I haven't had a date in over a year - jesus my mojo has doubled to dates two a year. If I keep going at this rate by the time I'm sixty I'll never have a night in!!!

Anyway, watch this space............................................and keep everything ye have crossed for me!

Coming on holiday, do you speak Irish sir????

Just after watching the 9 o'clock news on RTE and can't believe what I've heard. This country is gone f**king mad. Excuse the language but seriously - An Bord Pleanala have apparently put a condition on a planning permission for a holiday home in An Cheathrú Rua. The condition is that anyone who will stay in the house for longer than a month must pass an Irish test. Now, whilst I understand the problem with the massive increase in holiday homes and the obvious detrimental effect that it can have on a community - how does putting a stupid clause about the Irish language into planning permissions help the situation? If that clause is put onto all new holiday homes in Gaeltacht areas effectively people cannot go and stay there for more than a month unless they are native Irish speakers. So, if I want to go on holiday for five weeks to An Cheathrú Rua, effectively as a native Irish person who doesn't speak Irish I can't go - yeah now that's logical!

Surely a tax on homes that are built solely as holiday homes would make more sense, it could be implemented on all such homes without creating the ludicrous situation that makes it impossible for tourists or non-irish speaking people to stay in the Gaeltacht for more than four weeks.

Technorati Tags: An Cheathru Rua An Bord Pleanala Irish

Subscribing to blogs & blog abbreviations??

You'd think by now that I'd worked out all the basics but still haven't gotten around to looking into subscribing to other blog feeds so any visiting I do is via web page (even from dial-up sometimes) shock, horror! So decided to ask before I do anything, what is the best way to subscribe to feeds? Might as well do it right first time.

Also, does anyone know if there's a comprehensive list of acronyms and abbreviations that are used in blogging to be found anywhere? Sometimes when I'm reading other peoples blogs I feel thick as shit, 'cos I don't know what the abbreviations stand for!

Technorati Tags: Blogging Blog Subscriptions Blog Abbreviations

Classically good-looking need not apply!

It's a long time since my very wise aunt told me "never go for really good-looking blokes; they've never had to work on their personalities" Her advice has always stuck with me and the wisdom of her words has slapped me in the face a few times.

But tonight I realised that as a general rule I've been equally, if not more, attracted to small guys; like all women who are not skinny or easily placed within the given template for what constitutes an attractive woman, in general small men have to know who they are and have something other than looks to offer. They do not slot easily into the common template of what is supposedly attractive in a man.

I realise that there a lot of men out there who are not attracted to a woman who is not you're classic beauty but likewise there are men who deeply dislike the current dictate of extremely skinny women as the supposedly ideal woman.

Likewise some of the fairer sex, me included, don't idolise the supposedly extremely handsome, six foot guys with a fabulous six pack (to some of us a six pack contains beer and rightly so!!!). Some of us prefer guys who are maybe not as classically handsome but have a hell of a lot to offer - vive la difference! Small, bald, no six pack - whatever, the art of conversation; a lack of arrogance; and a winning smile is sooo much more attractive!

Architecture

Modernism, post-modernism, Prince Charles' famous speech about the carbuncle that was the addition to the British National Gallery in days gone by! Being Curly K is not always easy but the great thing about it, is that, having arrived home after 2am in the morning and after at least 8 gin & tonics I end up watching and enjoying a programme about British Architecture. Points of note are as follows:

• I would love this programme just as much (and probably more) stone-cold sober
• Architecture is such a massively important part of the creative/arts world as well as being a critical part of an evolving society
• Society must embrace the joy of old, but not quite old enough, architecture that is currently being ripped out of the heart of Irish and British towns - not one with a great gra (love) for the Irish language but I must state the obvious on behalf of beleagured architectural styles; their day will come!

Is Friday again!

I get that sweetest feeling, honey the sweetest feeling......la la la la. It's Crunchie time again, thirty eight minutes and the weekend begins again officially. Who knows what it'll bring :-) !

Have a good one y'all

Bloody Jamster!

Is it just me or is Jamster the most annoying fucking pop-up website out there at the minute. Everytime I try to look at new blogs or even look for something simple on the net there it is - fucking pop-up of the century!!!

God help me but I'd love to wring Jamster's neck, if it has one!

End of rant.

How do I remove scratches from CDs?

I've managed to scratch a brand new CD quite badly - duh!!! Anyone got any tips on how to remedy the situation? It was the first bleedin time I played the damn thing!

Also, excuse any funny things going on with the blog at the moment - have just switched to the new Beta Blogger and currently playing around with it to see how it works!

Technorati Tags: CDs Repair Beta Blogger

The rise and rise of RoySeven.......

RoySeven are a fantastic Irish band who are on the way up - fast! They've been signed by Universal and their first single "Older" is due for release on the 8th September and they are playing Whelans on the 25th August to launch the single. Paul Walsh, their lead singer has a fantastic voice and his lyrics are wonderful.

Hotpress spoke very favourably about them back in June;

"One band to agree are fellow Dubliners Roy Seven, formely known as Jove, who have got their just desserts after playing a string of highly acclaimed shows around the capital. Their place of residence didnt stop them attracting interest from as far east as Universal Germany. "Basically someone tipped off Universal Germany, they came to see us one night in Crawdaddy, put their money where their mouth was, and that was that," explains frontman Paul Walsh. My, he makes it sound so easy. "It's cool because there's a great history of Irish bands who sign thier deal outside of Ireland and then come back, or who have made it somewhere else first. Ourselves, we signed a worldwide deal, so we're not focusing on one country". Being signed by a label as far abeit as Germany, is it diffcult to attact a similiar buzz in Dublin? "I don't think it's difficult," he answers. "The cream will always rise. If you're good, you're good. People will acknowledge that. In Ireland as a whole though, it's much more marketing and TV-Led. If you're frok down the country and you do The Late Late Show, then your famous, no two ways about it",!!! What will be their first step as signed artists? "The best thing about the deal is that we had the album written and ready to go, so it's out in July. We knew what we wanted and they essentially gave us the money and left us to it,". Epic and grandstanding in the vein of Muse, RoySeven's debut album The Art Of Insincerity is released in mainland Europe first to coincide with a festival appeatance at Rock am Ring In Germany. An Irish release will folow in September which, Walsh says, "is prehaps a good thing because it's much more of an autuminal album".

Visit their website http://www.royseven.com, join them on bebo or even better buy the single for only €1.99 on www.cdworld.ie You won't regret it, these guys are going to be big, you heard it here first!

Technorati Tags: RoySeven Universal CD World Music

BlogDay 2006 coming!

Today I was searching out blog terms etc. on the net trying to come up to speed with all the acronyms etc. that I don't recognise on blogs when I came upon Blogday on Wikipedia, which apparently is 31st August, which of course I didn't know because I wasn't blogging last year.

Seeing as the whole spirit of the thing is that each blogger recommends 5 blogs, preferably from outside their own country or culture I just wanted to the heads up to others like me who hadn't heard of it. Hopefully it will allow us time to come across blogs that we recommend from outside our own current circles. I don't know about anyone else but it can be quite difficult to get to blogs outside your circle sometimes without having to go through a million absolute crap ones.

So here's what's supposed to happen according to the BlogDay website:

"What is BlogDay?
BlogDay was initiated with the belief that bloggers should have one day which will be dedicated to know other bloggers, from other countries or areas of interests. In that day Bloggers will recommend about them to their Blog visitors.

What will happen on BlogDay?
In one long moment In August 31st, bloggers from all over the world will post a recommendation of 5 new Blogs, Preferably, Blogs different from their own culture, point of view and attitude. On this day, blog surfers will find themselves leaping and discovering new, unknown Blogs, celebrating the discovery of new people and new bloggers.

BlogDay posting instructions:

1. Find 5 new Blogs that you find interesting

2. Notify the 5 bloggers that you are recommending on them on BlogDay 2005

3. Write a short description of the Blogs and place a a link to the recommended Blogs

4. Post the BlogDay Post (on August 31st) and

5. Add the BlogDay tag using this link: http://technorati.com/tag/BlogDay2006 and a link to BlogDay web site at http://www.blogday.org

Celebrate!"

Technorati Tags: BlogDay2006 Wikipedia Blog Terms August 31st

BA Announcement

Until further notice BA has halted all flights from the UK.

BA announced: "I aint getting on no god damn plane, you crazy fool !! "

Technorati Tags: BA

Stress is catching!

I've had my fair share of stress along with every other thirtysomething. It's not fun, and it's really horrible when you're going through it but I've also recently come to the conclusion that it's fucking contagious. Walking in after a stressful day at work with a face like a smacked arse stresses those who are around you. I've tried to de-stress my life as much as possible in recent years, moving, changing job etc. and I've been successful to a certain extent. You can never get rid of stress, we need a level of it in our lives to get things done etc. But up until recently I felt I had eliminated a lot of the excess stress.

However, being on the receiving end of a face like a smacked arse every evening is in itself stressful, particularly when you are just at that point in the evening where you've managed to forget about all that you have to do in work tomorrow, all that you didn't get done today etc.

I am philosophical about this, this too shall pass and I shall return to being one of those barren spinsters who is, in fact, quite able to live alone, without someone else in the house!

Moral of the story is that I believe that people in their thirties are too old to have housemates. Partners, husbands, wives fine, but housemates no! (or maybe it is just me!)

Show a little kindness

Today, as the madness prevades what with the War in Iraq, the War in Lebanon, the terrorist strikes in Israel, the raised terrorist threats in the UK and US and the numerous other atrocities currently being inflicted on our fellow human beings can we take a moment out.

How about starting something good amongst the debris of human nature going wrong? Hate, anger and violence escalate at a phenomenal rate but so too can kindness, empathy and love. So today and over the next few days if we all tried to carry out at least one act of kindness to begin a chain of kindness at least some light is being spread.

Don Morris over on SelfGrowth.com and Oprah to name but a few have advocated such chains for a while and I just think if at least one other person who reads this blog does something kind we can put a little goodness swimming around out there. The idea is that you do selflessly do something unexpectedly nice for someone else either someone you know or don't know. Hopefully a dominor effect is created. As Don states "One person receives a kindness, then passes it on to others, who pass it on to still others. Tiny points of light are multiplied, until the whole world becomes brighter."

While you're at it, why not take the time to smile at that old person standing in the queue next to you - little things make big differences. Yesterday I was driving up town and a young guy who obviously had spina bifida was trying to cross the road. I stopped to let him cross and his smile was something to see, honestly - it would light up a room.

All I'm suggesting is that we try to re-balance our world a little. Positive energy is just as strong as negative energy!

"Kindness gives birth to kindness."

Author:Sophocles (447 BC)

"We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give."

Author:Winston Churchill

"A person's true wealth is the good he or she does in the world."

Author:Mohammed

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Author:Maya Angelou

Technorati Tags: Don Morris Kindness Chain Oprah Smile

Grocery shop from home my arse!

It's wet, it's miserable and there is no food in the house. Curly K decided to join the new millienium and order her groceries online. No driving, trying to park, remembering to bring bags, lugging the bags to the car, loading the car and unloading after the drive home - fantabulous! You think? Well folks if you don't live in Dublin or Bray online shopping ain't an option with Superquinn and as for tesco if you don't live in Counties Dublin, Meath, Wicklow, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Clare, Waterford, Kildare and Kerry you don't have the luxury of grocery shopping either. Dunnes Stores or Lidl don't appear to offer any online service!

Question: what about the rest of us? Surely those of us living outside the above mentioned Meccas deserve some service too? It's the Twenty-first Century for God's sake!

It's beyond ridiculous that there is a tesco store nearby and I can't avail of the service. At least the Superquinn site encourages you to register, even if you are living outside the delivery areas as they hope to broaden their horizons.

So for now I have to go and get the bags and begin the haul to the shops - bugger!

Technorati Tags: Online Grocery Shopping Tesco Superquinn Dunnes Stores Lidl SuperValu

Hungry men find big women sweet!

Raymond Hainey in the over on Scotsman.com reports that men" who have skipped lunch find larger women more attractive than their slimmer counterparts, new research has revealed. A team of psychologists established that men who are hungry are attracted to plumper women, but the researchers found that, once they had eaten, men's taste in women reverted to those with slimmer figures....."

So that's the secret I've been missing! If men who have merely skipped lunch find us fuller-figured ladies more attractive then logically men who are starving would find us irresistable - anyone know where I can find some hunger-strikers???

So Friday approaches and regular readers will know Curly K loves Fridays. I'm off work tomorrow and heading for the sunny south-east. What do reckon my chances of finding a hungry man down there are?

A bientot, mes amis!

Technorati Tags: Men Attraction

300,000 euros for loo with a view!

DUBLIN (Reuters) - A ramshackle public toilet could fetch 300,000 euros (205,000 pounds) -- the price of a new house -- if politicians in western Ireland get their way. The town of Lahinch reckons property-hungry buyers will snap up the dilapidated, out-of-order loo because of its great location -- a surfing beach on Ireland's rugged Atlantic coast.

"You could leave the toilet block and be in the sea in less than 40 seconds," local politician Martin Conway told Reuters, but admitted: "It's quite remarkable that an old toilet block would fetch 300,000 euros". The average cost of a home in Ireland, where house prices have gone up 15 percent in the past year, is 299,929 euros.

Local property auctioneer Nicola Leyden said the site, overlooking Ireland's best known surfing spot, was breathtaking: "It's probably the most sought after pee you'll ever take on the west coast of Ireland".

(c) http://uk.news.yahoo.com/02082006/80-132/300-000-euros-loo-view.html

I have three loos in my house, wonder if anyone would take two off my hands?? Sure I only need one and as it doesn't look like I'll win the lotto anytime soon, I could do with the cash!

Technorati Tags: Property

I think too much!

When I began this blog I probably expected it to be more political, opinionated on what's going on in the world. Whilst I've given my tuppence worth about some world events etc. I still haven't managed to blog about things such as the appalling situation in Lebanon and Israel. That is not to say that I don't have opinions on such matters, nor that I haven't thought about them or tried to inform myself about what's happening.

It comes down to a couple of factors. Firstly, for some reason the blog has become somewhere where I can dump random, even silly thoughts that go around in my head. Secondly, whilst I can easily discuss such matters face to face and throw out opinions/rebuttals at will in conversation, I always feel that if I write down my thoughts on situations such as Lebanon, it should be done with care, a lot of thought and from a very informed position. Such precision takes time and effort and I don't always have both to hand easily. Thirdly, I am reluctant at times to write really long posts. Personally, when reading blogs I find that long posts have to be very engaging for me to stick with them sometimes.

One thing I have learned since I began blogging is that I think way too much. Maybe in ways my blogging began as so many interests such as Sudoku do, to distract me. If I'm sitting with nothing to do my brain just doesn't stop. From what I have to do/didn't do at work, to mundane things I have to do in the house, to how situations such as Lebanon could possibly resolved, it's non-stop.

A former Linguistics lecturer of mine once told us "we are constantly doing language", ie even when we are not talking there is a constant stream of language going through our minds. My God he was right.

Think I need to go back to Yoga, it's the only time I've ever been able to really switch off and get to that floaty place where there is no background noise!

Technorati Tags: Thinking World Politics Blogging Yoga

Yellow "Ugly Bug"

Picture the scene; mid 1970s, small town Ireland, little girl, curly hair in pigtails, shirt with big collars ........ you get the idea. When I was little I used to have this really, really cool bicycle/pedal car thing. It was a yellow, four-wheeled, with two bug-eyed lights on the front and had a bar to steer it.

Now try as I might I cannot find anything about such a thing anywhere on the internet. Incredible - is my memory playing tricks on me, am I heading for premature dementia or did such a thing really exist. As far as I can recall it was made by Raleigh.

Does anybody else remember something similiar? I would love to find a photo of one to post here - they were just so cool.

Answers on a postcard please. (If I receive no answers I'm heading for a check-up to ensure demetia is not setting in!)

Technorati Tags: Ugly Bug Raleigh Nostalgia 1970s

Childish, I know!

Just going through my yahoo email and had to laugh; got two emails from someone called Fanny entitled "Wish you could do better" and "Don't get left behind". It's my toilet sense of humour I know but at least it gave me a giggle and yes of course, they're about penis enlargement. Fanny obviously hasn't read my blog!

Technorati Tags: Humour Spam

Yummy mummys rule!

Yummy mummys rule, it's official. Any fellow singleton women should sit up and take note. Everytime I go out with any of my friends who have recently become mums, I swear they are men magnets. Maybe it's just the fact that they really just want to have a great night away from nappies, bottles and the little darlings but it's like having your own personal man attractor sitting beside you.

Friday night I went out with a good friend of mine and had a great night out. I didn't meet anyone or anything like that but we had such a laugh and the amount of guys who came up chatting to us was incredible for small town Ireland. That said, I do think Friday night is also a factor, I always enjoy Friday nights so much more than Saturdays. It's a much more relaxed night out and whilst they're are fewer people out I think often the crowd is much more interesting.

So from now on I'm dragging my friends who have joined the Yummy Mummy club out with me every Friday - if I can entice them away from colic, nappies, breastfeeding/making up bottles, or sitting waiting for the progeny to do something such as smile!

PS Curly K was very virtuous on Saturday night, stayed in, no alcohol and in bed early - finally am getting sense (although the fact I had a gypy tummy and was knackered might have had more to do with it!)

Technorati Tags: Yummy Mummys Men

The weekend approacheth!

Well almost there again - thank God / crunchie / fuck (delete as appropriate)! Won't be around tomorrow as have to go out of town for a meeting. For once I'm actually glad not to be driving, despite usually loving it. No, I've really gone off Fridays for driving, every gobshite in the country is rushing to go somewhere and the jams in a lot of rural towns on primary routes are a bloody nightmare. So folks, tomorrow I'm being driven for a change, alas though it doesn't mean I can leave any later so early start in the morning!

Well not going to say I'm heading on the tear this weekend, it so didn't work last weekend. Gorgeous, reasonably priced meal with the aul pair last Friday but I'd nearly go so far as to say that Saturday night was a waste of time to get dolled up for; the late bar was nothing short of a cattle mart, there wasn't room to breathe.

So this weekend I'm going out for another meal with a good friend to play catch-up since she joined the Yummy Mummy club and Saturday I'll probably take it easy. Although I am invited to a party which will probably be good craic. Maybe I will go, what are the chances of losing a couple of stone in a day???? Jaysus, I am truly an eternal optimist.

Have a good one folks, and as they used to say in NYPD Blue, be careful out there.

Technorati Tags: Weekend Optimist NYPD Blue

Spaghetti Westerns!

Sitting here surfing the web and listening to Today FM as I do so and they've just played that ubiquitous piece of music that seemed to appear on every spaghetti western. Reminds me of my childhood. It was a real treat to get staying up to watch a spaghetti western. There are about three readers of this blog who will remember what I'm talking about.

Summer holidays and one of the greats was on the telly; A fistful of dollars, The good, the bad and the ugly. You get the gist of it. And if we were really good we could stay up late to watch it. Fantastic. If we were really good there might even be chips from the greasy spoon take away where the owner was more Italian than his Italian wife, despite coming from down the road. God, those chips were greasy but bleedin lovely. I can still smell them.

So we're tucked up on the sofa, bellies full of greasy chips and it begins. The music goes on forever and eventually a huge guy in spurs, cowboy hat and a poncho swaggers onto the screen. You just know there's going to be lots of shooting, brilliant. Tomorrow we can borrow the brother's gun and caps and pretend we're in Mexico.

But back to the film, there's not much talking. A lot of moody stares, looking surrepticiously out from under the cowboy hat. Lots of hands by the side, every ready for action, like a battery! There are lots of scuffles, gunfights on the street, hijackings in the canyons, flirtations with the ladies (who I now know are the local prostitutes) in the saloon, they consume copious whiskys, sasperillas and tequillas, play a fair bit of poker and ride for hours in the dusty, never-ending wild west.

Finally the real shooting begins, a dual on the main street of the one horse town. The good guy staggers, he keels but by God the he has won, that last shot he managed to get off, after taking two straight hits, has managed to kill his target. The local undertaker cum bartender cum preacher He rides into the sunset, lots of loot in his pocket and a mysterious look on his face. He'll be back and maybe we'll get HB ice-cream in a wafer to go with the chips the next time.

Ah the memories; good memories!

Technorati Tags: Spaghetti Westerns Memories The Good, the Bad and the Ugly HB Ice-Cream

Who is the Stig?

Answers on a postcard to Curly K please? We all know that the previous incumbent was Mr. Perry McCarthy but is the current Stig one famous driver or numerous individuals? If it is in fact numerous individuals I think I shall write to the BBC and ask if I can have a go - what better way to meet Clarkson, Hammond and May???

Technorati Tags: Top Gear The Stig BBC Two

Everything has a price!

Trying to get your blog looking the way you want it to, if your not a technical person, can be, not to put too fine a point on it, a complete pain in the arse. Since I started blogging, I've managed to become fairly au fait with Blogger, understand basic html changes that I can make in my template and how to put in other bits n pieces on the template. Great, marvellous, wonderful, except a lot of the nice little extras that you get on the web have bloody scripts in them that open pop-ups, ads etc and that bugs the shit outta me. Ok, even if it only my mother that reads this blog regularly, I personally hate all that crap when I go surfing and want to avoid it like the plague on my own blog.

So I have removed the tag-board, the referrers list and a few other bits cos I ain't clever enough to work out (a) which one was causing the pop-ups (b) how to stop that happening and still retain the extras on the blog! If there are still pop-ups or anything else annoying on the blog when you log on please let me know either in comments or via my email.

By the way, does anyone know of a good website that offers advice on the tech side of blogging; templates etc. that isn't aimed at getting more adverts etc. onto blogs and that isn't too technical (for us non-IT heads that blog)

Also, just wanted to say whey, hey to Damien Mulley who managed to get almost 30,000 visitors to his blog in just one day, due to his well-written, witty (and instructive to some!) piece on how to use google to get a girl and get laid - respect!


Technorati Tags: Blogging Adverts Pop-ups Damien Mulley

Amen

A man goes up to the minister at the local church.

"Reverend," he said, "We have a problem. My wife keeps falling asleep during your sermons. It's very embarrassing, not to mention disrespectful. What should I do?"

"I've noticed this and have an idea "if you're up to the task," said the minister." Take this hatpin with you. I will be able to tell when Mrs. Jones is sleeping, and I will motion to you at specific times. When I motion, you give her a good poke in the leg."

So, in church the following Sunday, Mrs. Jones dozed off. Noticing this, the preacher put his plan to work.

"And who made the ultimate sacrifice for you?" he said, nodding to Mr.Jones.

"Jesus!" Mrs. Jones cried out as her husband jabbed her in the leg with the sharp object.

"Yes! You are correct, Mrs. Jones!" came the minister's quick reply.

Soon, Mrs. Jones nodded off again. And again, the minister noticed."Who is your redeemer?" he asked the congregation, motioning toward Mr. Jones.

"My God!" howled Mrs. Jones as she was stuck again with the pin.

"Right again!" bellowed the minister, a slight grin on his face.

Before long, Mrs. Jones again winked off. However, this time the minister did not notice. As he picked up the tempo of his sermon, he made a few hand gestures that Mr. Jones mistook as signals. Mr. Jones sharply poked his wife with the hatpin yet again as the minister asked,

“And what did Eve say to Adam after she bore him his 99th son?"

Mrs. Jones screamed, "You stick that f***ing thing in me one more time and I'll break it in half and shove it up your ass!"

"Amen!" replied all the women in the congregation

Technorati Tags: Humour Joke

Dear God, it's me Curly K...

Dear God,

It's me Curly K and despite having a not too good start to my day today (sleeping in, walking in dog's doodoo etc.), things here are good. It's Friday, it's sunny and I'm off out for dinner. God, I don't mind that it's with my parents this time as I have the valid excuse that it was recently my Dad's birthday so at least I won't feel like I'm out with them because I have no-else to go out with! Also, dear God, I got some good work done today but as ever, I do wish you give me a helping hand to do a lot better. Maybe we can discuss my list of things I need assistance with, such as keeping a tidy desk, answering my emails in a timely manner, how a filing system works in practice, and how to be a motivated and effective housekeeper at your earliest convenience dear God (I do realise you're busy helping people who need serious assistance with their health etc. but really we do need to discuss the issue sooner rather than later).

Aside from that dear God, I just wanted to let you know that I'm feeling decidely chirpy this afternoon. I think I shall go out tomorrow night and hit the tiles - I'm just in the mood right now but we'll wait and see what tomorrow brings.

Whilst we're chatting dear God maybe you'd keep an eye on a acquaintance of mine, Doris, who has recently gone on a break. I do hope she enjoys it and returns soon. Also, maybe, you'd send a little ray of sunshine to another acquaintance, CatGirl, she's feeling a teensy bit glum today so maybe you'd cheer her up a little.

I also wanted to tell you that today I don't mind about being a lardy-arse, honestly, I'm focusing on my assets and keeping positive.

Well gotta go do some work. Talk soon.

Curly K

Crossing the river

Three men were hiking through a forest when they came upon a large, raging, violent river.

Needing to get on the other side, the first man prayed, "God, please give me the strength to cross the river."Poof! God gave him big arms and strong legs and he was able to swim across in about 2 hours, having almost drowned twice.

After witnessing that, the second man prayed, "God, please give me strength and the tools to cross the river."Poof! God gave him a rowboat and strong arms and strong legs and he was able to row across in about an hour after almost capsizing once.

Seeing what happened to the first two men, the third man prayed, "God, please give me the strength, the tools and the intelligence to cross this river." Poof! He was turned into a woman. She checked the map, hiked one hundred yards up stream and walked across the bridge

Technorati Tags: Humour Joke

Top Gear - you just gotta love it!

You just gotta love Top Gear. I love Clarkson, May and Hammond - the repartee amongst and the prevailing sense that making the programme is great fun! I absolutely love driving even in my crappy car (obviously my wallet likes the theory of being a car lover more than the practice!) and learning about new cars (and what I'm missing with my old VW from the last decade!). Apart from loving the topic however, I do think that Top Gear is simply fantastic television.

There you have boys, a lady wot likes cars and loves Top Gear!!

Technorati Tags: Top Gear Cars Motoring

What a weekend!

Well, landed back into Dublin Airport in the middle of the Friday afternoon rush and getting out the big smoke was a nightmare but I eventually made it home in time to rush to get the false tan on for the wedding the next day.

The wedding - what can I say - it was a great day. Despite having to bump into my ex who was nearer Mr. Right than poor old Mr. Right Now ever was. Discovered the money I'd spent on the beautiful jacket was wasted as it was such a beautiful day. Danced like a diva all night, despite being arthritic and having blisters that I'd managed to acquire whilst abroad. Drank like a fish and yet remained relatively sober all night. Had good fun with people I'd never met before and was even informed by the ex that he'd f***ed up in letting me go! Shan't read too much into the comment as a lot of drink had been consumed by that time! All in all a great day despite my dread of it prior to the big day - the dread of attending a wedding alone is omnipresent for those of us who are single.

Very tired today however, think all the flights, meetings and dancing and drinking at the wedding are catching up!

Technorati Tags: Wedding Flights Mr. Right Now Drink

Christ, no wonder there's carnage on our roads!

This post comes to you from Dublin Airport on this beautiful Tuesday morning. Boy am I glad to be here at all. Talk about taking your life in your hands driving on any main route to Dublin from anytime after 6.30am! Seriously it is no wonder that the carnage levels are rising daily. I drove sitting just touching the 100km mark on my speedometer and the amount of dangerous overtaking I witnessed on the road this morning really shocked me. I drive around the country quite a lot for work but today takes some beating. I truly hope that those lunatics that overtook two and three cars at a time today put those few extra minutes they may have gained to good use. What was the point, the traffic was really heavy, so they end up weaving like lunatics - to get there maybe ten minutes earlier? What is really aggravating is that if they'd just sat at a nice steady speed and avoided causing others to have to brake to let them in when they misjudged their overtaking distances then everyone would have been travelling at more steady speed, in a safer manner and perhaps some of the atrocities that we have witnessed on our roads recently could have been avoided.

Don't get me wrong, I don't claim to be a perfect driver but I would never overtake on bad bends, in heavy traffic across a full white line. I lost count of the number of cars I witnessed doing just that this morning.

End of rant. I'm off to to the hopefully sunny continent for work. Hopefully I shall be able to smoke in bars, buy cheap cigarettes, oh and of course, work very, very hard.

Will log on again as soon I can. Meanwhile, drive carefully out there.

Technorati Tags: Roads Carnage Driving Airport

The skinny on what's been happening with Curly K!

Briefly what's been happening with me since I last logged on is as follows:

• George Clooney still hasn't returned my phone calls - bastard!
• Have yet to lose about five stone and turn into a sex goddess - why?
• Mr. Right Now has become Mr. Gone - couldn't do it any longer, he was a lovely guy but so not for me, so I'm single again - what's new?
• Practically every female friend and acquintance I know is pregnant - seriously!
• Have a wedding to go to very soon - great!
• Found an outfit that fits and looks good for the day that is not a dress - fantastic!
• But have to go alone - shite!
• Plus my ex from just before Mr. Right Now will be there - even bigger shite!
• Will be out of the country again most of next week with work - grand
• Get to visit another place I've not yet been - brilliant!