‘Brown roll please.’ I grunted.
‘Mmmmm, fffff, yyyyyy, gggggg.’ whispered the woman behind the deli counter.
Continue reading Under the tree at Spar
All posts by midnightmurphy
Theatre review: ‘La Cage aux Folles’ and the Minister for Housing
Tonight, I went to see ‘La Cage aux Folles’ in the Bord Gais Energy Theatre. I had arranged to meet at friend at 7pm at the front of house. I live in the neighbourhood so popped home after work to heat up a plate of lasagne. While consuming said delicacy I switched on the interwebs and watched the live online interview the Minister for Housing Simon Coveney was doing with TheJournal.ie about the rental crisis in Dublin. After about ten-minutes I realised he was spinning tall tales. I finished my food and strolled across the river to wait for my friend’s arrival – he said his arrival was imminent. Continue reading Theatre review: ‘La Cage aux Folles’ and the Minister for Housing
Ketchup – 10th January 2003
On January 10th 2003 I was dancing on a podium in a nightclub, in the city of Melbourne, the state of Victoria, in the country of Australia. The tune that I was dancing to was the smash hit earworm of a song called ‘Asereje’ (or ‘The Ketchup Song’ for the anglophiles) by a trio of Spanish sisters, who formed a band called Las Ketchup. Needless to say their time in the spotlight was brief – but intense. This song was the biggest one-hit-wonder since ‘Macarena’. It had a moronic dance routine where you moved your hands, arms and hips in synchronicity with the tinny beat. I was in my twenties. I was on holidays, in the height of Australian summer with my friends from Ireland. We were in a gay club. Of course I knew the lyrics – not that there were many of those mind – and the routine. This was thrashy fun of the highest order. And I am not a snob – I have always had a deep appreciation for lowest common denominator high jinks. Continue reading Ketchup – 10th January 2003
Weekend wonderland
It is the most appalling time of the year. Grey, dull, miserable, cold, depressing, grim. You get up in the dark. You arrive home in the dark. Payday is weeks away. You are broke. If you’d had any foresight last June, then you’d have booked a ten day getaway in the Canaries or Morocco, or somewhere with some winter sunshine (purely for the Vitamin D – with my blue-hued, milk bottle legs I wouldn’t ever contemplate doing something foolish like sunbathing.) Continue reading Weekend wonderland
January
Meh.
Tempted
Another post from my lunch-break at work. As it is early January, nothing of any interest is happening. I therefore have nothing remotely interesting to blog about. The mornings are dark and grim. The bus journey to my workplace in the seventh circle of hell is unremittingly dank. As it is the start of a new year, the tasks I have to perform are uninspiring and rather sparse on the ground – it will presumably revive towards the end of the month. Continue reading Tempted
Crossing
Right behind Centraal Station in Amsterdam – at the north of the station – lies Het IJ. This is a body of water than makes up Amsterdam’s waterfront. Because of the centuries old Dutch tradition of reclaiming land and manipulating water supply I am not sure whether Het IJ is a lake or a river. Or whether in fact these days it can be regarded as an artificial body of water. It separates the north of the city from the south. One manner of getting between the two sides of the city is via a free ferry crossing. Continue reading Crossing
A cultural Monday
I was talking to someone over the holidays, who mentioned that he sometimes read my blog, and that he found it funny. While I kelp a straight face, on the inside I involuntarily preened. Tell me more. Continue reading A cultural Monday
New year’s day walk with Celine Dion
I’m not one for new year’s resolutions. They seem like a recipe for failure. If you want to get fit, or lose weight or quit smoking then an arbitrary date – January 1st – isn’t going to inspire you to be successful. Especially not in the cold heart of winter. If you’re going to pick a random date on which to change your life, then summertime may be a wiser option. Wouldn’t a July 17th resolution be more tolerable. Continue reading New year’s day walk with Celine Dion
1 of me, with 2 of The 4 of Us
I watch the concert schedules to be aware of upcoming gigs. Not for the massive concerts that are advertised all over the press, and get mentioned on the news, when the dates are announced. More to keep an eye on the gigs in the smaller venues. You get to see a lot of fantastic acts this way. Amsterdam was great for these kind of shows- acts which are huge in Ireland or Britain tend to get famous later in Holland, thus their early live performances tend to be in a more intimate venue than they might play at home- the most obvious example being when I saw Coldplay in the Melkweg way back in the mists of time – it’s a theatre with less than one thousand seats.
Continue reading 1 of me, with 2 of The 4 of Us
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