Golden Egg?

So here it is, the festive season. So why is it that all I want to do is sleep? I'm unsure what this blog is about, but I realized I haven't updated this in a while. Christmas came and went since the last time, and of the things on my wish list, I got the Ian Rankin novel 'The Complaints', which I did want, and 'Exit Music' which I already had, unfortunately. And since I'm such a history nerd, I asked for a couple of books on any subject pre-WWI (pretty broad category); which resulted in a book on the twilight of the medieval Cathars in Languedoc (a fascinating subject which I admittedly know little about) and a book on Napoleon's march to Moscow. can't wait to get stuck into those, but first I'm trying to finish 'Papillon' which I had long heard of, but had no idea what it was about. exciting stuff. I also recently acquired the TV mini-series version of the 'Pillars of the Earth' by Ken Follett. haven't started watching it yet, but I'm slightly worried since I really enjoyed the novel, how are they going to skew it? More on that anon. tv/movie adaptations are not usually known for being faithful to the original, and I have long since reconciled myself to the fact. anyway, my other Christmas gift was a bag of socks. this pleases me immensely, since my current quota of socks had been dwindling for some time prior to this. add to that they are extremely comfortable and you have a winning formula.
Christmas dinner is normally a meal handled by my mum and older sister, with the odd help from the rest of us, peeling spuds and such. This year was largely a combined effort, with myself and the brother acting as sous-chefs and salad-makers as well as potato mashers and peelers. The brother loves that stuff, he's into his cooking. as for me, I'm so lazy, I'd rather eat shit food that takes 10 minutes preparation than spend an hour preparing something that might actually be palatable to anyone other than myself. apart from mashed potatoes. I could eat them with every meal. sister the elder made some with Mustard and Creme Fraiche earlier. they were pretty good. I'd still prefer the ones I made for Thanksgiving though.
Christmas turkeys are deceptively large. we thought the one we got was about the size of a chicken, (we named him Verne, after the guy who played mini-me, in order to accentuate him diminutive stature) yet we haven't even finished the meat after 2 days... see what I mean? deceptive.
I haven't drunk any mulled wine over Christmas, to be honest, haven't drank much at all.
all in all; this Christmas has been fairly odd, yet somehow more normal than ever.
I'm going back to find out what happens to Papillon.
until next time.
Peace and yuletide Hugs
Derm

The Week Before Christmas

this is a poem inspired by my daily rambles around the streets, movement being the only thing that keeps my feet warm in this blasted cold weather (in conjunction with a few pairs of warm socks).

Receiving a gift is all about you
buying the gift makes you feel like poo
Charity and selfishness coexist now each year
Consumer and activist consumed by good cheer
Shoppers lunch in cafes burdened with loads
Filled up with trinkets of copper and gold
Rosy cheeked children rush hither and yon
while charity choirs attempt to part you from your hard earned and much needed cash by guilt tripping you while singing a lovely song.

I do like all the twinkly lights though. makes the dark evenings less depressing. roll on food-filled Christmas party season. shopping sucks.
peace out. D.

Darklight

Ahhh.
I'm sitting in a cafe beside a canal, with large windows letting in the remains of the grey light of the winter's afternoon. scattered raindrops scud across the surface of the canal, and turn one's mind to the upcoming season, my favourite time of year. That's right, I'm talking about New Year's Resolutions.
I suppose the normal thing to be thinking of at this time of year is the impending gluttony of the season of Christmas, the Christian epitome of the Westernized, globalist society. Even now, when people are in the throes of doom and gloom, they will spill their near-empty sparáns for a decent tree and toys for the young 'uns.
I might blog about Christmas when the time comes closer, but for now the festive fever has not grasped me. I prefer to look ahead, knowing that what happens in between is probably little different to last year or the years preceding it. New Year's Resolutions, however, should not be spur-of-the-moment decisions made in the throes of a comedown from too much merriment. I try to think about these decisions at least once a week in the month or so leading up to and around January 1st. I started trying to do this about two years ago, and can honestly say that having thought about them more, the term 'resolution' becomes much more apt, having achieved over half of the goals I set out for myself last year, being 'resolute'.
I won't deny that many admirable goals are thought of after too much wine on New Year's Eve, but how many of those admirable goals are even remembered by January 31st?
I will probably post some of my resolutions here after the 1st of January, but until then, I will continue to blather about other, less intense things.
peace and love my homies.
Dermo

Euro-centrism

I've been thinking and reading a lot lately, hence the lack of blogging, since I can't really do too much at once. I suppose since the current trend of world and domestic news is all about Ireland's relations with Europe; and American diplomatic ties with the world, I have been thinking about history, as I suppose I do quite a lot. It has become a source of some contention for me the way our 'modern' 'Western' civilization, is so Anglophile, and at least in Ireland, has become Euro-centric. history at least gives us reason as to the rise of English as an international language, but it is a cause of embarrassment to me when travelling, that I can barely speak another language (apart from Irish of course, which is close to pointless anywhere other than the west of Ireland).
my second point is the one which I have long held to be a cause of worry in our country. despite my last few posts, in which I lauded certain aspects of European influence on our society, I have always had a healthy mistrust for the overt political power that the EU exerts on us, and most especially, the common currency. I was very young when the Euro was introduced, and while I saw its benefits, I also bemoaned a certain loss of identity, even then. my scepticism of the EU has recently been proved to be fairly well-founded, although I cannot place all the blame, since the corruption in power has also sprung from the narrow-minded government policies that are all too Irish.
my current reading is based on the conflict between Islam and Christianity in medieval times, ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sea-Faith-Christianity-Medieval-Mediterranean/dp/0802715176/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291737789&sr=1-5 if anybody's interested..) which doesn't solely deal with the Crusades, but gives them a fair mention. this invasion of a relatively peaceful country by the barbarian hordes of Franks was no better than the incursions of the Vikings on Christian sites in Europe, which is much deplored in many popular histories. the uniting of Europe as 'Christendom' under Pope Gregory VII and Urban II is often seen as the foundation of modern Europe.
Islamic Spain in this period was under attack from the Christian north, barbarians in their own right, and this is now known as the 'reconquista' in Spanish history, rather than as a war of conquest over others who had just as much a right to be on the Iberian peninsula.
Contemporaneously, Mali and Ghana in West Africa had flourishing empires which were hugely successful culturally, under both pagan and Islamic rule.
I have also been reading sources ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gateway-Atlantis-Search-Source-Civilisation/dp/0747261377/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291738484&sr=1-1) which prove, to me at least, that there was much pre-historic contact between the Mediterranean seafaring cultures and the cultures of today's Latin America.

Overall, most of these thoughts are just snippets of interesting facts that have been circling in my mind and come up in conversation since I last blogged, and I think that, rather than being the most important cultural/religious affiliation in the world, Europe is historically a backwater, peopled with bullies and closed-minded conquerors. It sometimes makes me embarrassed to think this about my own people, but I will finish with this thought:
If you can see the stain on your cheek, would you not do your best to wash it off before going out to make new friends?
peace and love.
Dermo

The Unexpected Cyclist

(dedicated to all the cycling enthusiasts I've met over the years):

A fine addition to our day
An unexpected cyclist made his way
Through crowded alleys and pedestrian streets
Tires crunching gravel ‘neath tired feet
Replete with goggles, Lycra shorts,
And a shiny helmet to turn the parts
Into a character, sure and neat
The kind a girl’s parents might like to meet
With a friendly grin, he comes to a stop
And from his saddle down he hops
And without delay starts to regale
The assembled crowd with many tales
Of all his travels, both near and far
And the merits of never owning a car
The folks who do, he vehemently claims,
Never feel the sun or rain
Nor feel the wind bite like a cat,
None who have would forget that!

But after talking long, and eating more,
He retires homeward, intent to snore
Relaxing muscles that work so hard
To bring him joy and more reward
He dreams so much of being on the road,
The unexpected cyclist, brave and bold.

follow up

So in a short follow up to my last blog, I want to praise and laud the American tradition of Thanksgiving, which I had explained to me by a teenager from Massachusetts as a celebration of this Indian dude who taught the pilgrims how to hunt back in the day (paraphrased). After enjoying a Thanksgiving meal with some American friends tonight, I am currently in a slight food coma, and can still taste the juicy turkey and succulent ham that formed the centrepiece of the meal. in my previous post I mentioned the air of welcome and intermingling of aromas in the Galway Christmas market, and in case anyone hasn't recognized, food has an effect of making me extremely content. Being present during the preparation the meal, I was impatient, to say the least. It was like watching people eat on television, a tantalizing teasing torment, which could not end soon enough. As the meal was served, a variety of tasty American dishes with which I was not familiar presented themselves. I only hope that someone, somewhere, has published a 'Thanksgiving Cookbook' because I plan on making this an annual event, whether or not I'm in the USA. I think this is definitely yet another foreign tradition that I am totally happy to subscribe to. In the dark days in the depths of November, when the only light we can see is the distant light of Christmas, why not fire up a turkey early in concert with our cousins across the pond?
peace and a full belly.
Dermo

the Galway Revival

well I'm unsure of what to write about today, but it seems auspicious by the fullness of the moon that this weekend should have been as crazy as it was, and therefore blog-worthy. Although I may not write about anything that happened this weekend at all. It's been both good, bad and ultimately pretty much like many other weekends that have happened in the course of my time living in Galway. The biggest change which I just realized I want to blog about is Galway's new "Continental" Christmas Market. This is, despite what its detractors may say, the realization of the potential of Eyre Square as a central civic plaza; an amenity to be enjoyed by the good people of Galway and visitors alike, as opposed to a loitering ground for teenagers and drunks and an obstacle to walk around on one's way to the train station. I recall when, not long after I relocated to this city, the whole sorry saga of the "renovation" of Eyre Square was finally finished, prompting one local bigwig to remark in the local newspaper that Galway finally had a civic plaza to rival any European city (my own paraphrasing). Now I think that that statement is no longer wholly untrue, and this attempt to bring new life to the concrete misery of Eyre Square is an extremely important step forward in the revival of life in Galway. Galway has too many people with good intentions, but not enough people with the drive and determination to bring those ideas to fruition. I applaud those who brought this Market to the city, and only hope that this is not a once-off spark of genius, and we shall start making use of our civic areas for something other than a spot to hide our Buckfast bottles before going to a club.
And in conclusion, on the subject of the Market itself, it has an extremely cosy feel, and despite the chilly weather, all the lights, colours and delicious smells make it a lovely warm atmosphere. The mainstay of most of the stalls is food, and one can find a whole wide range of different foods, too many to describe, however I myself am quite taken with the traditional "Celtic Hog Roast", simple but delicious food. until I sample each and every one of the rest, I shall reserve judgement..
Hurrah for European intervention in Galway. Some see the economic bailout as a loss of sovereignty. This may be so, I don't blog about politics or economics. however, when any foreign tradition has this much charm, good cheer, and general advantages to offer, well I say why not?! And the tradition of the "Continental Christmas Market" is one that I for one hope will catch on in our country, and brighten up these dark days.
peace, love and prosperity
Dermo

I love my bed.

it's winter. I know it happens every year, but every year I'm not ready for it, and usually, every year I get depressed and stressed. this year may be worse due to financial shortage. I guess I'm finally feeling the pinch just like so many others the world over. at least I have a bed with warm blankets and enough food. Bed is nice, I really never enjoy leaving it, although recently I have tried to limit the time I spend there, as it was reaching unsafe levels.. :) sorry about that, I don't normally use smileys, I feel that they degrade conversation, and since blogging is conversation with oneself, neither should they have a place here. this obsession among youth to degrade language has been a bone of contention with me for some time, and despite the fact it has even grabbed me myself with its slimy tentacles, (I sometimes find myself abbreviating, non-capitalizing, and, God forbid, omitting an apostrophe) I try to advocate use of proper language in the interwebbloggo-ethersphere. However, I find that in the digital age, the decline in proper speech has spread not only to the written/typed format, but subsequently to the spoken form of a language. this scares me. I can understand teenagers with their OMGs and LOLs online; but when they start using these phrases in everyday speech is when I become a grumpy old man. in fact most popular culture references leave me feeling a little out of the loop. boo hoo. I'm happy in my own little world and the less I know about what is currently 'hip' the more content I am. I'm beginning to believe some of those conspiracy theorists who claim 'they' are trying to dumb down the world. No need to try baby; it's already happened.
something to think about eh?
peace out.
Drmo

Dancing at The Crossroads

They came in silence and in revelry to dance beneath the moon,
To sing some songs and drink some pints and play some joyful tunes
In droves they came, some blind or lame, from country and from town,
And they met up at the crossroads just as the sun went down.

Ould Richie was the piper, he played a soulful air,
He’d empty a few jars and be flying in the chair.
He’d never seen the daylight, for he never had the sight,
But he’d jump up from his stool and be dancing all the night

The lads from Kilmacthomas, they brought down two large barn doors
And they nailed them both together and it made a mighty floor
Up jumped Johnny Berrill and he’s just fed the pigs,
But the sparks sure they were flying as he hopped some hearty jigs

The bonfires they were burning bright, and the spirits they were high,
When John Murphy turned around and got a fist into his eye.
He smashed a glass of poitín against Tom Reilly’s head
and did no more but drank a score and ‘goodnight’ was all he said

The lads below were joking, and the air was thick with tales
But the lasses knew the stories were but wind to fill the sails
They giggled and they listened but they kept one sharp eye peeled
For the man that took their fancy was the one could dance a reel.

The fires burning low now and the tunes were waning fast,
The musicians getting tired now, gave it a final blast,
The youths found quiet corners where they made their young romance
And oul’ Richie the blind piper finished up on his last dance

The waltzes they were over, and the fires were nearly out,
The glasses they were empty of the whiskey and the stout.
People packing up their dancing shoes and heading home too soon
Until next week’s crossroads dance does take place beneath the moon.

things to make and do

so I just started using Skype. it seems as if the whole world is on it, and in my zeal for catching up on all the latest crazes in technology, it seemed quite apt. the only thing i found is that you need a quiet spot to do it, or else anyone could wander in and things could get rather embarrassing. it's almost like sex, except of course you're not in the same room as the other person, so maybe more like masturbation, which is, of course, why they created the internet, or so I'm told. anyway, enough gutter talk. I'm here to talk about cooking. which would be more apt if I could actually cook. I do things well enough, except that I almost always forget one vital ingredient. more often than not this is salt. I live in a house where we all (myself included) like to keep the kitchen tidy. this is an admirable trait, except that I don't agree that leaving the salt in plain sight makes the kitchen untidy. however, in an attempt to appease my housemates, I put the salt away after use. this usually leads me to forget putting salt on my food, as I prefer to cook with whatever happens to be at hand. except if that happens to be mushrooms. I am fortunate to live in a mushroom-free environment, as the four disciples I inhabit this abode with also despise these small spawn of Satan. anything that thrives in cold, dark, damp places cannot be healthy, although I do hope this doesn't annoy the Russians, who I believe can sometimes be very healthy, allowing for unsafe amounts of vodka intake. anyway back to mushrooms. these fungi (call them what you will, they share DNA with athlete's foot) not only smell bad and look despicable, they cause severe intestinal damage. this has not been proved scientifically yet, but my last experience with them can ultimately testify (to me at least) the truth of this claim. it was in a diner, on Miami Beach, and I was having a hard time finding any other establishment in which to eat, I decided to order a Philly cheesesteak. I had enjoyed many of these in other places at other times, and I figured that I couldn't go wrong. the menu stated that mushrooms were an optional extra. at least I read it that way. turns out that NO mushrooms was an option. I didnt realize this till afterwards. while halfway through munching on my sandwich, I was horrified to see the demon fungus staring at me from between the meat and cheese. rushing outside to the busy beach road, I commenced to keel over like a drunk into the gutter and spew up my entire stomach contents onto the sandy beach. it was like this that my friends found me and helped me to my feet. I spent the remainder of that day in my hotel room, with feverish nightmares causing intense mental anguish.
I can't continue this post, my mind is too traumatized.
until next time.
DH

Savannah

Okay so I'm in Savannah, and it's the start of November. hard to believe it's T-shirt weather. this place is amazing, the soft breezes at night while sitting on a balcony watching the stars, and then the police helicopter flew overhead with his spotlight illuminating a police chase nearby! the old wooden houses are amazing. so well-preserved and warm inside. the facades are painted in various pastels and have just the right amount of wear and tear to look more charmingly antiquated than just looking vaguely dilapidated. having only been here for 24 hours, I'm still experiencing new hostelries and eateries, but so far most of the places I've gone have been extremely satisfying, The Sentient Bean being a perfect neighbourhood coffee shop type of lunchtime hangout that any self-respecting, slightly alternative, 'cool' neighbourhood should have. Mellow Mushroom, despite its name (see following post on how mushrooms and Julia Roberts take joint first on my 'Things I Despise' list), was an experience for the senses, with my hot sauce pizza and a pitcher and good banter shared with good friends.. anyhow, taking a day-trip to Tybee Island tomorrow for picnic and beach-type things. until next time.
Peace.
Dermo

Alabama

well Neil Young is one of my particular favourite artists, and he didn't have too much good to say about it, but to hell with it, I'm a redneck at heart and all I want to do is eat barbecue (which I am about to do) and watch cars driving around a track (Nascar racing this afternoon anyone?) getting everything set up now, and ready for the gig tonight, which is the end of the current CC tour.. okay time for lunch.
until next time. peace

grumpy morning..

there's some sort of crazy violent, ill-conceived emotional shitstorm going on inside my head.. it's early and I'm more awake than I would like to be. add to that what seems like a 100% humidity at today's venue, down in the Deep South, and a lack of proper breakfast is making me cranky.

here's a poem I wrote the other day:
                       Casino
In from the rain,
living the dream.
It's all in vain
this dream's not real
Bright flashing lights,
Recycled air,
my wallet's tight
from drinking crappy beer
you seek a sign, maybe someone cares,
their smiles are fake, their hearts' not there
I'm out of cash
and out of luck
I suppose it's a good thing
I just don't give a fuck

a blog and verse

I love warm rain. I'd forgotten this until just now, since I haven't experienced it in a while. In North Carolina now, and the heavy, thundery sky that's been threatening all day finally let go.
The heavy warmth of the pelting rain
Soaks the trees and cleans the ground again
plasters my hair down on my scalp
and reminds me of summer skies

So that's about it. the only other experience of note to happen lately was a late-night shopping trip in the Bronx to a very seedy supermarket. originally it was a beer run, but became so much more, an adventure in itself, with humorous consequences, not least of which was me eating an 88c dinner. that tends to happen with late-night beer stops..

I also am very glad that Time Life have come up with a new compilation, and an infomercial to go with it. I was addicted to the infomercial for the "Superstars of Country" collection, but that was four years ago, and it was high time for a new one. I don't know if it's made it to Ireland yet, but saw one for a "Singers and Songwriters" collection, hosted by the band "America". many many good tunes.
so that's it. go out and play.
Until next time.
Peace.

relax, it's only a barbecue turkey drumstick

so the 1980s recently experienced a resurgence in popularity in the mainstream pop culture, fashion, music and hairstyles harking back to that unforgettable decade. I'm not too up to date on the way fashions go, but it seems that that has now gone by the wayside, to be replaced by... I don't know what? anyhow, this has not stopped me listening to my "101 Hits of the 80s" cds; or playing air drums along to big tunes, one of my favourites being "Born in the U.S.A." by the inimitable Bruce and the E Street Band. On a totally different note, we could have done without the rambling saxophone wailings of Kenny G, no matter what decade he produced them in...
and one of my favourite things about America is that you can get turkey at any time of year, not just at Christmas. however, their predilection to put barbecue sauce on things rather irritates me. not that I have anything against barbecue sauce, I just don't particularly want it on my turkey leg. keep it for the pulled pork. speaking of which, I know a really nice barbecue place in Talladega, Alabama called B&B Wings, just in case anyone happens to be near there anytime. I'm not sure where it is exactly, but there's a Wal-Mart across the road. Wal-Mart is an amazing shop. I really think that Wal-Mart deserves a blog of its own. I'm going to go on a trip to Wal-Mart over the next few days and then post about it. it can be an epic adventure in its own right.
until next time...
may you have the Midas Touch.
Dermo

first post. that's right.

okay, so I've never blogged before. I don't even know if that should be allowed to be used as a verb. for somebody who claims to be technologically retarded (I don't understand half of the shorthand applied by users of the internet) I have recently been trying to get up to date with these things. after Twitter, a blog seemed like a logical next step. but now I'm feeling like I'm writing a letter to no-one. or everyone. who can tell? anyhow, to start with I'll tell you all about how I managed to hit my head yesterday morning. in fact, I won't. but that could be the sort of thing I might post up here. suffice to say it hurt quite a bit, and I now have a bump there which is quite neatly disguised by my mass of unstyled hair. after a few drinks last night, and some late-night dining, it seemed like a good idea to go and wash my hair, as I'd been wearing a hat all night. needless to say, I had forgotten about the bump on my head, and once I started shampooing my scalp, I realised that it was still quite sore. I think the moral of this story should be: "don't write a blog after a heavy night's drinking."

on a lighter note, I have been listening to this song way more than I should over the last few days. maybe this'll help me get it out of my head.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2G-DKOGFbc

and finally; I have no idea what I'll be blogging about, so hopefully that'll keep things interesting.