Archive for the 'Blogging' Category

Connections

April 3rd, 2011

Part of the fun of writing a site like this is the rapport with people who comment.

If someone comments more than a couple of times, their comments cease to be mere words, and become a connection.  I follow back to their site and read about their lives and a connection is made.  They have learned a little about me and I have learned a little about them.

There connections are strange things.  I could walk past the vast majority of the people who comment here and I wouldn’t know them from Adam.  Just because I don’t know your name, what you look like or what you sound like, doesn’t matter, as we have connected in that strange other place called the blogosphere.

Less than two months ago, Belfast Taxi Driver dropped by and left a comment.  I followed the link back to his site and started to read it, and it became one of my regular stop-offs. He commented a couple more times, and that weird thing – the connection – was established.  I became interested in his writing and he obviously read my efforts as he commented a few more times.

Recently he twisted his ankle and on Friday was bemoaning the fact that he was no longer able to work until the ankle mended itself.  He wrote about not being too happy at being a ‘kept man’. 

Yesterday, I dropped by his site to see how the ankle was coming along and what I saw was akin to a sledgehammer between the eyes.

Obviously I have never met Belfast Taxi Driver.  I don’t know a thing about him other than he drove a taxi in Belfast, but that doesn’t matter.  The connection is still there.  When I read that post, I felt the pain.

BTD – wherever you are – I know you are at peace.

And Mrs BTD – my thoughts are with you.

Thoughts on awards

March 20th, 2011

That’s the Irish Thingy Awards over.

When I say ‘over’, I mean just that.  It is a possibility, nay a probability that they won’t be held again.  Damien who has organised the Awards for the last six years is retiring.  He has announced this before, but I have a feeling in my waters that he means it this time.

Needless to say, I was robbed of my gong by that upstart Manuel, and I suppose I should pass on my grudging congratulations.  If I am to be denied what is rightfully mine, the he would be my choice of usurper.

The Awards this year were a bit of a catastrophe, as Beaut.ie weren’t in the running.  I was disgusted to learn this as one of the long standing traditions of the Awards is to rip the piss out of them after.  I have no one to slag off now.  I could pick a site at random, but somehow it isn’t the same.  It’s like Easter without an egg or Christmas without a bottle of whiskey.

I deliberately didn’t nominate myself this year.  I thought I would sit this one out and watch from the side-lines, but that wasn’t to be.  Somehow my name got into the hat but I knew I wouldn’t win.  You see, the votes are rigged.  They have to be, as if they weren’t I would win in every category every year.  That would be disheartening for all the others so they deliberately disbar me.  I don’t mind.  Not in the least.

Congratulations again, Manuel.

And I hope you have eyes in the back of your head.

You’ll need ‘em.

Ya little sleeveen, ya. 

Irish Thingy Awards

March 1st, 2011

I see the list of finalists for the Irish Blog Awards is up.

Through some strange quirk, I seem to be on the short lists.  I confess to being a tad flattered and a tad embarrassed.  You  see, I made a point of not nominating myself this year, so at least one misguided soul must have nominated me, for which I thank you.

One of the results of being short-listed is that I get quite a few visitors wandering in from the Awards site.  If you are one of those, then you are more than welcome.  If you haven’t visited before, then maybe a few ground rules should be explained?

For a start, this is a smoking area, as distinct from a no-smoking area, so if you are in a pub, or in your office, or indeed doing over eighty on the M1, then feel free to light up.  If anyone complains, just tell ‘em to fuck off, and that I said you could smoke.

And that brings me to my second ground rule…. language.  There has been a minor kerfuffle over Melissa Leo swearing on stage so it is important to understand that I am fussy about language on this site also.  Any fucker who swans in thinking he can swear all over the shop had better fucking think again. 

If you want to know who I am, then you had better ask someone else, as I’m not too sure myself.  The old memory isn’t as good as it used to be.  If you want to know what the site is about, then I’m afraid the only way is to read it.  There are only 1757 ramblings so  it shouldn’t take too long.  If you find the answer, then could you please let me know too?

Another drop of fall-out from being shortlisted is that I get to schlop another ink-blot on the side of the site.   Just to make sure they all matched each other, I had to redraw the images which was a bit of a hassle, but one must suffer for one’s art, I suppose.

One final note, if you are a new visitor – I fucking hate that word ‘Blog’.

I would much prefer an alternative name such as ‘On Line Diary’, or OLD for short.

I could relate to that.

Making the heart grow fonder

February 7th, 2011

Apparently my little pearls of wisdom are too much for my server.

It crashed.

I have given it a severe kick.

It apologises.

Now it’s in a sulk.

Heh!

And the winner is

February 6th, 2011

I see it’s time for the annual love-fest.

The Irish Blog Awards have come around again.

They are going all foreign this year and are going up to Belfast.  The Europa Hotel, no less.  The world’s most bombed hotel.  I hope hotel management learned from all that destruction because the awards mob are far more damaging than any bomb.  It’s no coincidence that the acronyms IBA and IRA are so similar.

I imagine it will be a fairly quiet affair this year though, as a shed-load of sites seem to have disappeared over the last twelve months.  I have 170 sites listed in my feed reader and it is scary when I check the inactive sites.  I keep telling myself to prune the dead sites out, but then I am afraid I will have very few left to read.

There are some really weird fucking categories this year.  “Best Outraged Blog Awards Post”?  What the fuck is that?  Maybe they mean “Best Outraged Blog Post Award”?  That doesn’t make much sense either.  Outraged at what?  God knows, there is enough to be outraged about so I can imagine there will be quite a few entries there.

I do wish they would change the name of the event though.  You know how I hate that word ‘blog’ and I refuse to call this site anything other than a site.  They should call it the Irish Awards For The Site That Is Not A Professional Website That Is Updated On A Regular Basis.  I would be more inclined to support the IAFTSTINAPWTIUOARB Awards as I would feel more at home there.

There would also be less chance of confusing them with the IRA

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