the good bad et the ugli (the editor's cut)

The Good

Well all the official stuff for my impending trip to America is paid for , Got the visa last week. So now it’s the serious bit of working out how much daily cash I need. Of course I’ll be armed with my trusty credit card and also my starbucks and subway “loyalty” cards in the hope that they still work over there. For the 9 odd days I am there I am thinking about getting £700-£800 in dollars. This, I hope, will cover any tours,coaches, trains and little things I may get. Hopefully my American friends will advise me here.

Now what to get when I am out there? You won’t get my humour here-but I am the sort of person who would travel out there and just come back with something silly-that I could have easily got back home-like a comb or packet of razor blades. But in saying that I have a few ideas:- gaphic novels,bobbly hats, cds (if possible of bands I see in pubs), a memory card for my camera, travel mug with some American symbol on it, somethings really tacky too etc etc. Gonna do some tours, but than I said that already.Much that I enjoyed the TV show I am NOT doing the Sopranos tour.

My sense of humour-people are baffled/impressed at how I can chip in with a joke during any conversation (more in ugly). It’s just key words that seem to spark something in my memory. But ask me to tell some jokes and I am in a quandary. It has to be spontaneous for it to work. Sometimes I am actually surprised myself.

Lightroom 5 (more in ugly)  This is another off shot of the mighty photoshop-it’s said to be better than elements and nowhere near as expensive as the full photoshop programme. I bought it (and a book) 3 or 4 months ago-but via some free discs I got with camera magazines I am slowly learning how good this is.

Been asked to take some photos of my sister in law’s friend’s daughter –who wants to become a model-I don’t feel confident enough to do this, too much pressure etc etc-but it could be a good experience and I could also use it as an excuse to take some family shots too.

The Bad

Even though I have paid for the flight,visa and hotels in both Dublin and America-I could still cancel the whole thing. You don’t know the way my mind works. Sorry folks –it would take to explain this. Well actually won’t take that long. I am still very very uncomfortable with the idea of being in the air for such a long period of time, and twice at that. And the fact that on one cyling holiday that started in Cork someone who flew there from JFK that morning was there before me and I was on bus from Derry. Despite the fact I will be meeting at least two great people-maybe more, you never know-for the life of me I am questioning why am I going to two big cities when I would be just as happy-even more so heading down to the free state and chilling out in a couple of medium sized towns with decent bands playing in pubs that serves the drinks I know and like. If I can cancel the hotels and not loose any money this could still happen-so do not be surprised if you see post saying “it’s all off.”

Only last week I discovered that it is possible to put my bobbly hats on back to front.

Somebody sitting down beside me on a bus when more than half the other seats are totally empty. Of course this does not apply if it is a Zoe Deschannel or  similar babe lookalike.

And the Ugly

The Advent calendar at work did not last long-did not blend in with my grinch (grinch?) attitude to the whole Christmas thing.Maybe if I had a more me advent calendar like the sugababes or judge dredd or the pre-change Scrooge  it would have lasted longer.AND NOBODY IN MY SECTION IN THE OFFICE HAS NOTICED IT’S GONE!!

Lightroom 5-yeah I know I said it was good but there is something I don’t know how to “fix” –but I think I know how to stop it happening again.And I STILL don’t like being hunched over a computer working on a photograph.

My remembering jokes thing-sometimes I wish I could adapt this “triggering” system thing to serious things like my job-and if I could have used that when I was at school-well what odds. I am actually flattered when people say they wish they could run off the spontaneous jokes like I do.

And here is a picture of a bobbly hat –as I think they are called something else in the states, in fact most people call them something else here too-happiness is a tight bobbly hat-that’s what I say.

the good bad abd all

The Good

The USA trip is starting to get into shape. I know the hotel in DC I want to book into. Only need to sort out the NY and “spare days” yet-and that is the main draw back.

The music mags do their “best of the year” free CDs and it is a good chance to hear some stuff I never heard before.

Email form some members of the legendary Kitty Club –from an ICS holiday. The club was started on a Donegal Safari in 2011 (I think) I missed this years holiday –for a few reasons. But there is already talk of another reunion in 2014-apparently my presence was missed this year-and I was told other group members were asking “Who is this Gerdy you speak of?” And there may even be a date change to August-which is my normal holiday time.

The Dr Who 50^th Anniversary show was actually pretty good-well not as disappointing as I thought it was going to be-was a bit confusing. Billie Piper was looking good too.

The Bad

The USA trip-I know, I know. Last night I was on very bad form and I was almost set to cancel the whole thing. Someone at work was saying to me that I should have gone for longer, because-and I quote “ Sure you have loads of leave left-and also money.” Huh? Where do people get this idea that I have loads of money. There are a lot of gold diggers out there that are  in for a big let down baby. I also don’t have that much leave left-enough for the USA trip but that’s about it. And if I DID cancel it, I would not tell anybody at work until I got back from the days off.

Those free CDs with the music mags-they NEVER include a track from the number 1 cd. Number 35 ,22 , maybe even number 4-but never number 1.

The picture on the cover of this month’s Saga Magazine is of Kim Wilde. My GAWD has it come to this. Something I never imagined would happen. For any one who does not know-Saga is a magazine aimed at the over 50s. Usually has interviews with retired mps or those radio presenters that have been on radio for 40 or 50 years- or Melvyn Bragg going on about some upper class twaddle but Kim Wilde?? Kim use to grace the front page of Smash Hits-a teeny boppers’ pop mag –that was too young for me back when. How long before it’ll be Kylie on there?

Got an email from someone from the cycling group discussing which one to do next year-FAR to early for that-let’s get Xmas and Easter out of the way first-and Xmas? Don’t start me on that-I’m by no means a Scrooge. But I can’t abide the build up-and the people who moan “oh my gawd it seems to be starting earlier every year.” Never too early for turkey-that’s what I say.

Xmas presents-at my stage in life now it’s socks,shirts or slippers-toys are now a thing of the past-shame- xmas( ok Christmas) and birthday presents should be something you WANT as opposed to something you need. Point made-ok?

The ugly

People that over do it with the xmas decorations-was down at the sister’s house on November 24^th and her next door neightbour had his/her house covered in “dancing lights” and had light up figures in the garden. I wanted to break one of the dancing lights in the hope it would turn everything off and he’d spend hours looking for the fault.

The American trip-moan moan moan

what's good-what's not

THE GOOD

Wellll the flight is booked-fly out to JFK  from Dublin at 11:15 Jan 18^th 2014 AD. Should be landing at JFK at 13:49. That’s American time-or whatever they call it over there.When I first saw that I thought-hmm, that’s quick. I’ll be staying overnight in Dublin on the 17^th –this’ll mean not having to get up at some unearthly time in Limavady  to get to the airport-think it’s 3 hours before take off. Flight back is 21:59 landing in Dublin at 9:30. Then’ll I’ll get bus to Derry and will be off work for 2 or 3 days before returning. My theory is-with the flight that late I’ll sleep easily-but then knowing me-no chance. No real plans what to do when I get there. Hope to do usual sight seeing stuff,meet up with a couple of people, get to a pub,or 2, or 3 with a band playing-no trad irish stuff though. And of course an hour after take off from Dublin I will call a stewardess over and ask “Are we there yet? Are we there yet?” I’ll bet NOBODY has ever asked that before-then tell her if she upgrades me I’ll not ask it again.

             Currently reading and loving a graphic novel called “Chew” the humour in it really appeals to me-yeah it is very warped. And the main character’s twin sister-Toni

(he’s called Tony) is really sweet,funny and if she was real I would fancy her. Nearly finished part 6-she’s getting married-should be a fun packed wedding.

              Autumn –or fall –call it what you want.love this time of year. One of my top four seaons. The colours, the smells, that lovely sharp bite in the air. Really enjoy mountain biking and rambling this time of year. Very picturesque and all that.

                Just started season 5 of the Sopranos. It was around here the TV channel that showed it here started to mess around with the times. One week it was on Monday at 10:00 pm –then suddenly it was on Wednesday at 11:30 pm then 2 weeks later it was on Thursday at 11:00pm. So now I can enjoy it, sometimes 2 episodes at a time-with no adds.

THE BAD

The flight to America is booked. I KNOW I KNOW what I said before. But I could still very easily talk myself out of it-and just shrug my shoulders and count my losses –I already have cancelled a holiday this year-only lost the deposit mind you. But I kind of HAD to cancel that one. Wondering why the heck I am going to two big cities when I would be just as happy in a little Irish town with good music-and at drink and crisps/potato chips that I know and love.

OH NOOOOO   they killed Toni-and what a gruesome way too. Funny this is she saw it coming-very long story here. Ahhhh I’ll miss her-hope there’s flashbacks in episode 7 which I got today.

Autumn-it’s over so flamin’ quick. Last night it was raining heavily and very windy-and now it’s all gone. The roads are covered in leaves and this makes it very slippy on the roads that are covered in damp leaves-same in the forest tracks-boy’s but I hate this time of year. And I NEVER seem to have a camera handy for the good bits-you'd think I'd know by now-I mean Autumn happens every bloomin' year...

The Sopranos-into episode 4 of season 5. I’m losong interest-can see myself suddenly jumping to the final episode. Was better on tv at least I had a gap between seasons.This is getting like having to read a book at school.

Work-made a silly mistake today-did it before. Normally these things don’t bother me –as I know they are easily fixed. For some reason today I miffed that I was careless enough to let it happen.

The Ugly

Nothing really-just thought this category looked fitting here.

Only joking about the sopranos-am really enjoying it. Some bits are actually very funny. I was saying to myself-in real life it would not be funny-but the way it was done here was pure slapstick.

Gonna have to do something with layout here-might stick on a photo or two next time -and too lazy to check this.

This Ain't As Easy As It Looks

It’s not easy being me –think I could sing that to a tune Kermit the frog sung a few years a go. People have this impression that I am some kind of carefree hippy type person without a care or worry in the world. You don’t know how wrong this is-well you kind of know now because I have just told you.

Think I may have mentioned this before –but I just can’t handle compliments. If I get praise of any sort I will give several reasons why I don’t think I deserve it. Someone praises a photo I have taken; I will go out of my way to find at least 5 reasons why it is bad. When my supervisor at work gives me a very good report I ask home to downgrade it to a “slightly above satisfactory” one. I think my reason here is that it’s too much pressure to keep up to that standard. Think main reason is that at school and in an other couple of supervisors I had, I was never given a chance and always got  bad reports-kind of got use to them.

I have money put aside for a “treat” one idea is a trip to the USA –three full days in DC and three full days in New York (or Boston or somewhere) –but I keep talking myself out of it. I mean one city is much the same as another, isn’t it? I could use the money to treat someone else to something-or even just be sensible and save it towards something else-what that is, I haven’t a clue. Knowing me I would go to the aforesaid cities and come back with something I could have got in Derry-like a graphic novel,a packet of crisps/potato chips. Now THAT would actually appeal to my ever so

warped humour-I go all the way to America only to see what their crisps taste like.

And to be honest I think I would get just as much with a weekend trip to London or Galway or Cork or…

I think if went into the travel agents and actually booked the trip this weekend, there’d be no turning back and all that. But then …

Got an idea from something in a Saturday newspaper supplement and another blog I follow. It lists good things and bad things about the week. If I knew how I would have little arrows pointing up and down-the other blog I read does this almost daily-and is usually a good read-so here goes

UPS

I’m watching very little television and am not missing it one bit.haven’t seen any of the new series of :-“the walking dead”, “homeland” only saw 2 episodes of that “agents of shield” (despite being a big fan of joss wedon –I just can’t be bothered). In saying that I AM actually working through a boxed dvd set of the complete sopranos. I got this very cheap way back in june or july and decided I would wait until the dark nights before watching it.

Getting back into the music and reading again-think another benefit of no television. Currently reading a new graphic novel I came across called “Chew” very darkly funny.

The autumn colours-unfortunately they don’t last very long

DOWNS

Like I said before-just being me. I know things could be a heck of a lot worse and I try to count my blessings. I really do need to sit and down and talk, and do one or two other things. Could do with another barmy Brenda to talk to.

 Facebook-yeah I know. Someone told me that they (love saying they as I don’t need to differentiate he or she)  read that can lead to depression. And now I know where they are coming from. If it wasn’t for the fact that I need facebook to see what is

going on with my rambling club, I don’t think I would use it. Sometimes logging into to the site actually does get me down.

Internet dating-not working for me-nobody replies to any messages I send out. maybe I should try another site or two or three?

A little independent comic/music shop I use may not be as independent as I thought-just found out as well as Derry they have a shop in Sligo too.

I’m losing interest in photography-it’s the whole photoshop thing-working on a picture to make it presentable-is so blinkin’ time consuming. I got a new programme a month (or two) ago –called Lightroom-suppose to be the dog’s doodahs (or whatever) but I just can’t be bothered learning to use it. I’m thinking of getting a new camera-but that’ll mean having to upgrade photoshop elements to work with it-doesn’t mean buying anything new-just means a few minutes on the computer. I actually have a few free cds explaining how to use Lightroom AND I bought a book on using it-but I just can’t be bothered.Maybe if I found something new and interesting to get out and photo-or even find some kind of course to go on…

I'm also too lazy to check this and look at ways to improve the layout -or even plan this too

That’s it-expect more moans soon.

get out of my system-again

Very short blog here-but I have just about had it with a lot of things. Mainly the whole digital photography thing. I am fed up to the proverbial teeth seeing a new camera come out and then 6 moths later it is upgraded and replaced by not only a new model, but a new battery (so you cannot shove the old battery in your new camera as a spare). There is a plethora of digital editing programmes and even the magazines encourage you to invest in at least two or three of these programmes. I just don’t get the idea of going out to take a photo them come back and spend a considerable amount of time fixing it up-and 90% of the time the photo remains on a computer hard drive to be completely forgotten about. OK I DO try to get mine printed as much as possible-but you need to have a lot printed to make cost worthwhile, you sometimes need to download a link to some site to get them printed, if you don’t like the quality in your local Boots or wherever you go. I am so fed up with this I am 80% sure I will be off to one of those trade in shops on Tuesday and take whatever I get. I will be dumping my collection of camera magazines that I kept because there was something that looked “handy” in them-and obviously I never looked at again. I think a little compact camera is all I need-if anything. The whole computer side has really killed my liking taking photographs. This may be some form of midlife crisis-but we’ll see what happens come Tuesday.

At work today in a conversation, I mentioned that I only watch the one programme on the tv-“Dexter” and when it finishes there will be nothing I want to watch. The woman who started this conversation looked surprised and said “What do you do in the evenings then?” Is this how tv has taken over our lives? I told her that I would read,listen,to radio,music or work on photos on the computer (which will hopefully be stopping too soon).I also said that I would stare at a wall and contemplate things-which got a really puzzled look. OK I DO have some dvds of movies and some discontinued tv shows-but they only seem to be watched in the winter months, when it’s too cold/wet/icy/dark to get outside.

Gonna try a healthy eating thing next week-giving up the tea/coffee and all the rubbishy things, and the beer/cider. I only ever drink when I’m away somewhere on holiday-so that bit should be pretty easy.

And I’m giving up on a couple of other projects-less said about them the better,to be honest should have done this sooner.

Oideasgael 2- a new beginning...no wait that's something else

Previously on Odieas Gael blog- Gerdy went down Donegal  and…–ach there’s no time for that –just re-read the last one-I’ll get on with it.

Anyway the first night was just a general introduction in which we were told what to expect:- the lessons, the levels, the workshops and the entertainment. After this we headed off to the pub-Roartys it was called and a great wee pub it was too. And a nice wee seisiún  in progress too. The other guys in the b&b were regulars and were fluent in the lingo-they only come down for the craic. They were from Belfast and one from England direction. The guy from Belfast had eight languages when I said “wow” he pointed to the English guy and said “that’s nothing, he has 18.” I found out that he makes his living via a web site dedicated to languages (1)

So –where are we? Sunday?  Right! The first day. To be honest on Saturday as I had a fair bit of time to kill I regretted not bringing the gerdymobile with me-but kept telling myself that would have been very antisocial and all. Sunday was the first lesson proper. Fairly big group of various nationalities/ages. Just at the start we were told about the workshops and that we could change if we wanted to. The workshops included:-hill walking,bodhran playing,tin whistle(I actually bought one, just in case-imagine it, me doing Lithium on the tin whistle), drama,set-dancing,sean os singing, sean og dancing and so on. Carolyn oddly enough had never heard of the sean og dancing (2) and I told her to go to it as I know she would love it-and that I might come along to watch as it is very watchable –especially when a gurl is doing it.

I decided to do the hill walking. The start to the walk was pretty wet-in fact was our first days rain in 17 days some people looked pretty grim so I told the old story of Noah in the Ark and when he passed Ireland (3).

        The nightly entertainment put on for us was superb-it just got better and better-I thought I had died and gone to music heaven-but I think I already said that.

On the Wednesday my gear from the hikes was still a bit damp and fancied a change-someone suggested the set dancing (think it was Carolyn actually). I decided to go along just to watch and get a few photos. Eventually my mind started ticking over “ Carolyn –arms round waists,some other feisty looking gurls-arms round waists, Carolyn….” So I was up dancing-and great craic it was too-worked up a fair aul sweat, Carolyn –arms…” Despite getting it all wrong and losing my partner a couple of times, I said that I’d be back the next day-with a sat nav.  Leaving the place when it was all over on 1^st day we saw this thing crossing the road-we had no idea what it was –but as we were looking at it cars were stopping to see what was going on-and they would not drive off until it was out of danger.

 That night going into the pub Carlolyn stopped me and said she had something to say to me and wanted to say it away from the noise. She congratulated me for getting outside my comfort zone and getting up to dance and said it was a major thing for me. I said that it wasn’t and that getting up and making a fool of myself comes second nature to me.Then SHE  told me to stop running myself down and that I was good at the dancing (actually, another person told me this too-what’s going on here? I was thinking). Then I was thinking-I’ll show you what coming out of my comfort zone is later.

All in all it was a great week-I managed to tell a joke half in Irish,and my teacher made me tell it to another teacher.The next day I asked what irish for another word was and the teacher asked me if there was another joke on the way. I learned my “chat up line” in Irish too (4). On the last night we had Moya Brennan from the group Clannad and she did a wonderful version of the song “She Moved Through the Fair.”

On the last day after everybody had gone (Carolyn was staying an extra week). Carolyn and I went for a walk up the beach-barefoot-and had a great long chat. Both silly and pretty serious.( 5) . Any way that’s that. We’ll try to meet up next year DV and all that. I want to do the Odieas Gael thing again-most definitely. There might be a cycling holiday in August. Carolyn’s holiday time is July-so I might be able to slip in an extra cycling holiday. I have a very apt cd made for her-when she emails her postal address.

All in all it was a great holiday-but I wonder if would have been as good without her.

To be continued…..i hope

1)      It’s called http://www.omniglot.com he also has a very busy facebook page that is very interesting-with the chat in it.

2)      Sean og dancing-pretty modern irish dancing-like this   http://youtu.be/D0gF97WASl4 and this is the brush dance pretty scary stuff

                    http://youtu.be/LmdwzGDNcIg

3)      During the flood Noah (in the ark) was passing Ireland. The was simply chucking it down, and the waters were getting higher. He saw a man sitting on the summit of a mountain. Noah leaned over the side of the ark and said “Get on board,we’ll save you.” and the Irish man said “Ach! It’s all right, it’ll pass.” Which just about sums up the Irish attitude to rain.

4)      The chat up line is a not particularly complimentary one. I must make it clear that I have never used it. It’s just a joke with me. Carolyn found an idea for a sketch in a sit com staring Gabriel and I using this very funny-and I wish I got  photo of her laughing here-it was a joy to watch.To be honest Carolyn is the only person who has found this funny.

5)

Odieas Gael part 1

Well holiday (number one of at least two I hope ) is over and what a holiday!  As I type I am still on a high from it. It was really that good and inspiring-I came out of my comfort zone big time on one occasion too.

I suppose I better start at the very start. I could do a Tarrentino and start in the middle then go to the end then back to the start –like in “Pulp Fiction.” There’ll be extras on the Facebook page-when you see a number in brackets- like (1) there’ll be an extra bit about it in Facebook –like the way you see in some books in an index at the end of the book –or the extra bit William Golding sent out if you requested it, in his book “The Princess Bride,” which I have pointed out before is darker from the film/movie.

                  Last year the Kitty Club (1) from a 2011 Irish Cycling Safari holiday had a reonion –after a couple or 3 “something is telling me I am meant to be doing this” incidents (ask and I’ll explain), I signed up for this holiday. On this holiday I met Carolyn, from Colorado. Carolyn(2) was great craic, I noticed very quickly we had a very good “working relationship” and she responded greatly to my one-liners and we got on like the proverbial house on fire. Carolyn is very talented and is very much into singing and dancing and does so whenever the urge hits her, a real free spirit(3). It was a great holiday and the growing kitty club decided to meet up this again. So we all booked into the one week (Carolyn who is not really a member of the kitty club booked this cycling holiday too). I fancied doing something different so via a newspaper article I came across something called Odieas Gael. Did the Irish Language and hill walking, amongst other things.So I signed up. Turned out that the week I wanted I was not able to do both-BUT they told me I could do both the following week AND it did the whole culture thing too-the music,dancing,story telling, the sean og singing and all that. Oh yes I thought that sounds good. I’ll do that. Carolyn told me (we kept in touch from last year) she was doing some Irish Culture holiday-but not much else –yes, turned out it was the same one. So with a gap of a week I was going to have two holidays with Carolyn. BUT something happened and I decided that I needed to cancel one of the holidays. In the long run the cycling holiday would cost more, and I have done it so many times before-it kind of made sense to go for the other one (and Carolyn would still be on that one too).

So I stick with the culture one-told Carolyn the story and that I’d keep an eye out for her when I go there. I arrived with some reservations wondering what I had let myself in for. Turned out that in total there was 120 people of varying levels of Irish on the course-including one Mary McAleese.

I met with Carolyn, she smiled, said hello and hugged me. Hmmm I thought, this hug is a bit tight and it’s lasting a bit long for a “hello” type hug. I’m not complaining and  I’m not letting go first here I said to myself.

To be continued….