Burning down the house

The house was nicely warmed up last sat night. She did us proud,Number 50,  by not falling down that is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxKjOOR9sPU

The aftermath.....
They were a few terse moments as the floors bended and buckled and we were pretty sure that any minute our guests were going to disappear through a sink hole beside the fridge. Dancing is permitted but only one person at a time, there will be no riverdancing in the foreseeable future.

I know there is a strong possibility that a group of  Irish boozehounds leaping around enough to cause a house to collapse would probably make international news.
'irish immigrants lose the run of themselves and disappear into pit' I bet we would have earned a mention from Ray D'arcy!

Even as we sat in the sitting room this morning we felt the floor spontaneously drop an inch or 2. The cupboard door literally will not open properly now because the door frame is off line.
Hopefully we'll get some more tremor warnings before the whole thing goes. But I've already spoken to the lads who unfortunately for them happen to be living in the drop zone below us. They have agreed to place a few cushions around the floor to soften our fall.

There has actually been some marked sinkage since we first moved in. The first day during unpacking I found I felt a bit naseaus as I walked around the room, mentioned it to Anna and she was the same. Curious...
As I smacked into the doorway for the 7th time a lightbulb went on....

The ill feeling was sea sickness from the pitching to and fro like a drunk sailor in my hill sloped bedroom. That was 6 weeks ago...the 20 degree angle is more of a free fall run from the window to the door.

Have your vote and eat it too!

Recessional rant......

Pathetic government and deceased economy has resulted in the massive exodus of the Irish youth.
We may have left the country but we should still have the right to have a say in an election that is more pertinent to us than I would dare to say any other Irish person.

The next 10 years in Ireland will dictate whether we will return to our home country or settle as ex-pats.
We are the living statistics of this recession and it seems ludicrous to me that we don't have an opportunity to use our votes.

So in lieu of a real democratic right to be involved in the future of our country and as a by-product our own life plans, I offer the below website.
It's not a real vote but it's better than saying nothing...

This is a forwarded email from The Meet Up group for the Irish in Toronto.......


New website will allow Irish emigrants to cast symbolic “vote” in General Election

A new website, launched today, Tuesday 8 February, will allow Irish emigrants to cast a symbolic vote in the General Election.

Ballotbox.ie will open for voting from Tuesday 15 February until Tuesday 22 February and will feature a full list of constituencies and candidates to choose from.

The aim is to highlight how emigrants are immediately disenfranchised once they leave Ireland. This is in stark contrast to many other democracies, including Australia, Canada, the UK and most other EU countries.

An estimated 3.1 million Irish passport holders live abroad, with 800,000 being Irish-born. Nearly 28,000 citizens left Ireland in the year ending April 2010, and at least 60,000 have left in the last three years. With very few exceptions, Irish law prevents them from casting a vote.

Set up by young Irish emigrants and implemented by a volunteer staff in Dublin, BallotBox.ieaims to give these people a voice. Voting will be based on the Irish single transferrable vote - proportional representation system. Through the use of IP technology, participation will be restricted to those living outside Ireland. The site aims to use both email and SMS technology to discourage multiple voting. The results will be released shortly before the general election.

Welcoming the launch of Ballotbox.ie, Niall O’Dowd, founder of the Irish Voice newspaper in the US and prominent figure in the Northern Irish peace process, said:

“I believe that Irish citizens abroad, like those of all other EU countries, should be afforded the right to vote. Those same emigrants have been deeply impacted in their life decisions by the policies Irish politicians and governments have pursued. They are entitled to make their views known too. I welcome the launch of Ballotbox.ie and hope it raises awareness of this important issue.”


About BallotBox.ie
Ballotbox.ie was set up by young Irish emigrants to Canada and is run by an entirely voluntary staff in Toronto and Dublin. It has no political affiliations.

It's a Sheep's Life

Here at last, my first Canadian bout of illness.

Nearly the end of January and I thought maybe I was going to make it through the winter sniffle-free. All my bragging about not needing a warmer coat was perhaps a little pre-emptive.

So as any germ-riddled patient does, I turned to the Internet for some symptom validation. If the Internet says it then it's true... Let's explore this further....
I actually have a few options to choose from. A bit like online shopping. I can browse, try on for size and then decide which ailment suits me best.


I was informed yesterday morning as I was clambering around the house getting ready for work that my newly acquired cough sounded like a sheep!


That's OK. I've been called worse.
The sheep's bark was funny until it started to hurt and my muscles started to seize and my head starting to swim and I started to feel very sorry for myself sometime around yesterday afternoon.

I know how she feels.......








I am aware of some mild Psychological dysfunction (as per medical symptom chart right) but alas I do believe this was a pre-existing condition and gastric issues are not of concern so I can safely report  Swine Flu is out ruled.

My research into Swine Flu led me to discover some photo documentation of what happens if it's left undiagnosed..... This is Frank. He waited too long to get some lemsips into him and he is now 25% away from full swine status.








So what else is there...the common winter cold maybe. A bit more boring, but definitely the preferred option.

 I dunno, I definitely have a headache, but I wouldn't say I have runny nose per say. Maybe more like gently jogging and my sore throat is more like a a sore plural cavity.

Red, itchy sore eyes...check
Buzzing, sore ears
Itchy sore throat- AKA sheep's cough
Throbbing sinuses
Unhappy expression


http://www.flufacts.com/know/symptoms.jsp


The common symptoms of the flu include:

• Fever (100º F or greater)
• Headache
• Muscle aches
• Chills
• Extreme tiredness
• Cough
• Runny nose (more common in children than adults)

If you have one or more of these symptoms, it could be the flu.

Bingo. Right it's official.. I have the flu. Great, a few days in my pjs lots of tea, do some reading, oranges....only problem.

As per every single period of time where I have been unwell it has been over the course of either a weekend or a holiday. It's just unfair. So here I am Friday night suffering through what most people get to do on a Tuesday, when they should be in work but get to catch up on day time TV - my second hand eyes are too stingy to even watch the stupid TV. Being sick is crap enough but missing the whole weekend is just plan shite!!


Let's not forget the infamous trip to France where 4 hours before we were due to leave for the airport this happened......

Sorry Ryanair!

Admit One Only

I have been talking about this for years now. Taking myself on a date to the movies...

'I love me. I think I'm grand. When I go to the movies I hold my hand'
Fine in theory. The majority of people were aghast when I admitted I had never been to the cinema by myself. People do it all the time apparently.

Not in Couple-da they don't. I think I picked the following wrong criteria for a successful first solo screening...
A. The country. Swarming with couples. Gay, Straight, Attractive, Bet-down, Young, Old.

The cinema is the canadian mecca for the sickeningly in-love.

B. The night. Tight-arse Tuesdays where all tickets are half-price means the place was packed.
As I muttered pink to ears 'Just one' please and was asked to repeat it louder for the couples at the back of the queue who didn't quite hear me I felt the temptation to take out my phone and pretend to ring 'my friend' who was 'waiting' upstairs. But I resisted. If I was doing this, I was doing it all the way. I wanted an authentic experience. I got it.

The ticket guy gave me a pitying smile and stopped to look me dead in the eye 'Enjoy your movie' he announced solemnly.

There was a strong undertone of 'everything's going to be ok'.
I walked off without my ticket which caused a stir of activity 'Mam, excuse me, Mam you forgot your ticket'. More pity laced glances and I was on the escalator. I was lied to, there was not another sinner there by themselves. The only word I have is 'morto'. The use of the word 'mam' was like a blow to the kidneys.

The theatre was already packed, because unsurprisingly I was late. Yes I can confirm it is actually possible to be late for a date with yourself. So I wandered around in my bright white coat conspicuously trying to find a good spot. Usually I stand discussing it for a while with my cinema buddy but this time it was all me. A tough decision. I decided to sit on the side section. Directly under a light. It served as a spotlight highlighting the fact that...'that girl is at the cinema by herself'. Paranoid much...

Then came the third hurdle...

C. The movie of choice

Blue Valentine.
A lovely little story about a failed relationship and broken hearts and the ultimate message of we're all screwed and love does not conquer all. It just makes life harder. Miserable altogether.

It was a great movie but I found it wierd laughing out loud with noone beside me so for once in my life I was relatively quiet. But it did leave me with an enormous sense of disillusionment and blue sentiments. A feel-good rom com this most certainly is not.

Then there were a few kind of  racy scenes. Some pretty gritty sex-ploits that left me glad I wasn't sitting awkwardly with a relative in the seat next to me but also feeling a little pervy sitting there watching in the dark on my todd. You can't win.

The film was good but I have to say...going to the cinema by yourself is dirt.