Colourful Times

This blog is going to be about the things I have been getting up to recently. for anyone who follows my Twitter, you will probably know I've been on tour in the USA. we're about 10 days in, so sufficient time has passed to accumulate a few anecdotes. As I write this I'm in a dressing room at a venue in the Colorado Rockies, a ski resort somewhere not too far from Denver. the show tonight was pretty heady, mainly due to the elevation, which left everyone slightly fuzzy-headed and played havoc with the instruments. the drive to get here was pretty scenic though, here's a video of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKN1SPI0Yjc

We started the tour back on the 12th in Memphis, then Texarkana, Florida, Texas, California, Las Vegas and finally here in Colorado, heading for sunnier climes tomorrow, Rapid City, South Dakota; where if I can get a few of the other crew members to come along, we plan to go see Mt. Rushmore (if indeed we can see it at all, with the snow...) so anyway, I won't be writing too much stuff about it, but dancer Charlene has a blog which she updates assiduously, so feel free to check that out: http://www.charlenesblogonline.com/www.charlenesblogonline.com/Blog/Blog.html

They fed us really nice food here today; the lunch being your usual catered flatmeat, but with actual nice bread and plenty yogurt, oatmeals, cereal and what not. dinner was monkfish, cooked with olives, peppers and caramelized onion. mmm...

and lastly, I have found a very interesting website which has kept me entertained while not doing all the other fun things I do, like changing strings and soundchecking...
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/articles/maps/maps_of_the_ancient_world.htm

okay so, I'm off to catch up on some beers.
peace and love. D

bands and stuff.

I promised my friend Kim I'd give the band she manages a plug, here it is: they are called 27B and are based in Dublin/Cavan and are quite entertaining on stage. I suppose I should give ye the link: http://www.myspace.com/27bmusic so go check it out! I'm actually quite taken with some of the tracks. as I do not normally go out to see/hear bands I am usually a bit of a fanboy when I discover a new band that I actually like. Sligo's own 'Oddsocks Revival' were one of those bands that I discovered quite by accident, and they are just a really ass-kicking rock band. check 'em out: http://twitter.com/#!/oddsocksrevival or http://www.oddsocksrevival.com/
well anyway, that's today's blog on music, expect more updates on various things like what I happen to be reading about, or what's happening on tour, or what I think I'll have for dinner (breakfast today was courtesy of Subway, and I feel rather sick...)

Mionrudaí (Little Things)

Mionrudaí Maidine
An mbíonn tú fuar ar maidin?
Nó an mbíonn teocht i mbun do chois?
An bhfeiceann tú an tús la nua,
Nó an bhfuil d’aisling fós i do shúil?
Cén taobh leapa a éirionn tú as?
An mbíonn doras do sheomra iomlán faoi ghlas?
An mbíonn gloine uisce i ngar do ghreim?
Nó amach don chistin leat, an tart i bhfeidhm.
An ghlanann tú d’fhiacla roimh cupán tae,
An lasann tú toitín ag tús an lae?
An mbíonn drogall ort fágáil an tí?
Do cheann fós trom ón iomarca dí.
Nó an mbíonn spleodar ‘gus sonas i ngach coiscéim,
Gach gluaiseacht choirp idir rith ‘s léim?
An dtógann tú rothar, nó bus, nó carr?
An bhfuil d’achar chuig obair i gcéin nó i ngar?
Ba mhaith liom féin na rudaí seo
(‘S na céadta eile) a fháil amach

apart from all that, I'm excited at going back on tour, since Galway in January is a quiet and empty sort of place, the infernal cold only adding to the general air of lethargy hanging about the place.
in other news, I finally finished reading Papillon, and having tried other brands of incense, have come to the realization that Nag Champa is still the best. I have to get to India some day soon.
I bought a new hat today, it's a Stetson-style copy, very comfortable and it looks quite natural on my head.
also, the new socks i got for Christmas have begun to prove their worth, being not only warm, but ridiculously comfy.
I know it's a truism, and very cliché, but what the heck, I'll say it: It's the little things that make life worth living.