Tricia's poem

Hello.

Aches are finally going away...hopefully. Some kind of virus apparently. Great! Old age setting in already?! Fantastic.

Patricia's poem as promised:

Oh No 30!

I can't believe your thirty

the years have flown so fast

the days of all those puppet shows

are truly in the past

You've come a long way Michael

you're now a fine young man

graduating from Art School

then meeting Kelly-Ann

So I wish you all the best

with everything you do

once you have your own wee weans

they can have puppet shows too

Thanks for that Tricia!

That was a week ago already?! Time really does fly.

Being 30

Turned 30 on Saturday there. Nothing drastic has happened so far. No eruption of wrinkles and grey hair (no more than usual anyway). Saying that - I've been suffering from some strange aches and pains throughout the body which I originally thought to be some kind of flu but nothing nasal has happened so I'm a bit puzzled about that one. Maybe it's just old age?! Is that what happens when you turn 30?! You start to ache all over?!

Great to see the majority of the family on Friday night. Mum put on another fantastic buffet! Thanks to all those that sent cards and gifts. All greatly appreciated. Tricia even wrote me a poem (I'll put that up on here later!).

Flew over to Dublin for the birthday and stayed at a rather swanky 4 star hotel called The Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire, a short 25 minutes train journey from the city centre. It had all been organised in secret by the lovely Kelly-Ann and it had all been planned down to a T. Good to see Dublin. Had only ever been once for a day trip when I ferried over from Wales with the family. I think we travelled from Pembroke that time...anyway, it was good to have more than 5 hours in the fair city. We crossed the River Liffey from Tara Street station and started wandering up O'Connell Street and spotted one of the City Guide buses. Clambering on we were immediately faced with our guide - a welcoming, friendly old irish gent with a penchant for singing and trying to make his passengers sing! We chose our seats in the roofed area of the upper deck inbetween a bunch of Austrailians and Liverpudlians and made our way round the city learning about Trinity College, Christ Church Cathedral, Molly Malone, Saint Patricks Cathedral, the Guinness Factory and Storehouse, Kilmainham Gaol and, of course, Temple Bar where we later walked, tasting the Guinness and enjoying the Irish pubs' atmosphere. Trinity College wiould have been a good place to visit if I'd had the time. The likes of James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift, Bram Stoker had all studied in the large University opposite the old Irish Houses of Parliament. We were only in the city centre for the one day though and wanted to see as much as possible so had to move on. Had a great time though and a more relaxing day on the monday enjoying the sauna and jacuzzi of the Royal Marine Hotel. Quite impressed with Aer Lingus too. Had to be the easiest plane journeys I'd ever experienced (not counting the fact we were only in the air for 50 odd minutes!).

So in all, not a bad weekend. Will need to get back to the gym now though!

It rocks!

Anyone watch '30 Rock'?!

I've found myself addicted. I enjoyed the first season on Channel 5 but didn't always make a point of catching it but now that Season 2 has started I'm making a point of never missing it. It has to be one of, if not THE best sitcom to have emerged in ages. At times weird, at others ludicrous but at all times pretty damn great with a brilliant comic cast led by the excellent Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin.
I think it starts back April 10...

Glasgow Art Fair

Went along to the Glasgow Art fair in George Square on Friday and was very impressed byt the show they put on, as always. Plenty to stimulate the eyes! There were the usual Peter Howson, Francis Boag and John Bellany pieces to attract the crowds and there's nothing wrong with that but it's great to see the new artists emerging as well. Anna King's great landscape and architecture paitings are really atmospheric  for me and The Lost Gallery from Aberdeen is always a favourite with it's mix of sculpture, portrait  and landscape work. Quite a 'safe' exhibition but obviously one that's there to make money. The more money they make the bigger the Fair will become in the future.

Intelligent Big Brother

Kind of lazy day. Off work at the moment, catching up with my emails and doing a bit of painting, not to mention cleaning the oven and a bit of the housework. Then off to the gym for an hour or so. In fact, not lazy at all!

Just sat and watched the first episode of the new series of "The Apprentice". First time I've ever watched it to be honest and I have to say I'm pretty hooked already. It's on it's third series now I think and it's always been one of those programmes I've always meant to watch in the past but never have got round to catching it. It's a bit like intelligent Big Brother really isn't it? Bunch of folk (in this case very intelligent, already successful folk) are brought together to perform tasks to the whims and wishes of a 'boss' in this case Alan Sugar...sorry, SIR Alan Sugar and at the end of each week one is booted out. A formula that seems to work for many 'reality' television shows but 'The Apprentice', in my opinion showing how it should be done. Some of it was very funny however and I'm not sure it was meant to be. Some of the guys in the team are quite obviously ego maniacs (but not afraid to admit it!) and I was actually quite happy that the worst ego of the bunch got the boot in the first episode. He could have been a danger to me sticking with the rest of the series the way he prattled on about how wonderful he was, how many A grades he achieved, and how much better he had been educated in the ways of culture and the arts than the rest of the guys (what that had to do with anything I don't know?!). Looking forward to next weeks episode already.

Website update

Finally uploaded some new pages for REIDNET. Gave it all a bit of an overhaul really and it looks a bit healthier now, if I do say so myself. Lots of new photos, a new Gallery section for my paintings and artwork and a bit of a redesign for the home page which was long overdue. Bit of a time consuming job this 'keeping a website' lark but it's all worth it in the end (hopefully!).

Arthur C. Clarke dies aged 90

"The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible."
Sir Arthur C. Clarke CBE

16 December 1917 – 19 March 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7304004.stm