American Irish: July 2009

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Making Breakfast

Wonder if I can get them to make me some chicken noodle soup?

Falling In Love With You Again - Imelda May

Gareth has this in his song collection, its by Imelda May, the top female Irish singer for the last couple years. The other night when we were dancing and it played it became one of my new favorite songs.

Its a beautiful song to dance to while holding the one you love and looking in their eyes or even on a ship at sea while lying in your bunk listening to it on your MP3 player with your eyes closed and the thoughts of the one you love in your mind and heart.

Guiness Visit

Spent last week at sea and we got to play with some seals that swam near the ship. Friday I came home and had just enough time to pop over to the Guinness store for a pint with Gareth and some friends from out of town. Went home and got some sleep and then headed right back to the ship and spent the last few days on the ocean.

Just got home a few minutes ago early this morning and I'm not feeling well. I think my body is fighting off a cold. Several of my shipmates got sick and I think I caught whatever they have. I have no energy, my whole body aches, and I'm burning up with fever. Gareth is sleeping in the bedroom, didn't want to wake him and I don't want to get him sick so I'm going to sleep on the couch. Gareth will be mad I didn't wake him when I got home, but he's going to need all his strength to deal with me when he wakes. I'm a big cranky, baby when I don't feel good.

I like three things when I'm sick, chicken noodle soup, vanilla ice cream, and 7-Up or Ginger Ale Soda. We don't have any of that in the cupboards right now, so he will have some shopping to do. I'm sure as much as he'll tell me he loves me and wants me to feel better, he'll be thankful to get away from my cranky ass for awhile and do some shopping. lol

Hollyoaks Boys Of Cosmo

Crickets Luke Pomersbach

Moon Landings

Five of the six Apollo landing sites were snapped by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), a new NASA spacecraft with a spy-satellite grade camera, being used to map out likely landing sites for future missions.

It only managed to spot the landing stages because the sun was low over the moon, casting long shadows from the 3m high modules. The pictures were taken before LRO reached its final mapping orbit, so future views should have two to three times higher resolution.

Other man-made items LRO might be able to see in future include Apollo rocket stages crashed into the lunar surface and Russia's

Irish Nominated For Emmys

The Irish film industry has received much international acclaim this week with a total of eight Primetime American Emmy Award nominations given to ten members of the Irish film industry. Teresa McGrane, Deputy Chief Executive, Bord Scannán na hÉireann said “The international recognition that the Irish film industry has received is testament to the high levels of talent working currently in the Irish film industry. Irish directors, actors, writers and film crew are a great asset to Ireland, and these nominations and festival selections will ensure that we retain our international reputation for creativity and innovation.”

The nominations are for Irish Actors Gabriel Byrne and Brendan Gleeson in the Best Actor categories. The award winning actor Brendan Gleeson (Harry Potter, In Bruges) has received his first Emmy nomination for his performance as Winston Churchill in ‘Into the Storm’ in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries Or A Movie category. ‘In Treatment’ star Gabriel Byrne (Jindabyne, Vanity Fair) has received a nomination for the second year running and picked up a Golden Globe award last year for his performance in the series.

The Tudors, which has filmed on location in Ireland for the last three years and is currently filming the fourth series on location in Ardmore Studios, received five nominations. Those nominated include Production Designer Tom Conroy, multi Emmy winner Costume Designer Joan Bergin and Wardrobe Supervisor Susan O'Connor Cave for Costume Design, casting directors Frank and Nuala Moiselle and Head Hairstylist Dee Corcoran. This is the third year running that Irish crew on The Tudors have been Emmy nominated for their work.

Two out of the six nominations in the Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie Or A Dramatic Special category were for Irish directors. Dearbhla Walsh and Thaddeus O’Sullivan received nominations for their work the BBC drama ‘Little Dorrit’ and on the HBO drama ‘Into the Storm’, which followed the post-war life of Winston Churchill. Both ‘Little Dorrit’ and ‘Into the Storm’ are in the running for top awards on the night. Walsh is currently directing episodes of The Tudors for the third year running.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Back To Sea

I'm off to work now. We'll be spending a few days at sea. It will be good to get back out on the ocean. I hope everyone enjoys the week and I'll see you in a few days.

Christian & Oliver - If you believe

Christian & Oliver

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Henry Cavill - Dunhill Black

Glendalough

Rain In Ireland?

A tourist I met asked me if it rains alot in Ireland?

UM, Yeah!

Cafe En Seine Bar - Dublin

Today we went to the Cafe En Seine bar with some of Gareth's friends from the hospital. It's a little bit of French atmosphere right here in Ireland. It's a beautiful place to relax with friends and share a few laughs, which is what we did today.

But if you visit, I recommend you come during the day because in the evenings there is an expensive entrance charge and it gets crowded. The crowd becomes a mix of roughnecks and the elite with money and unlike my whiskey and coke, they just don't mix together well. Oh, and be prepared to spend money, the drinks are expensive. Not a place I would hang out at on a weekly basis, but nice to visit here and there.

National Day Of Commemoration

The National Day of Commemoration has been marked at the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham in Dublin.

The purpose of the commemoration is to remember those Irish soldiers who lost their lives in war or with the United Nations. The Commemorative Plaque in the Royal Hospital carries the following inscription:-

In honour of all those
Irishmen and Irishwomen
Who died in past wars
Or on service with the
United Nations

The commemorative ceremonies began at 11 am with the arrival of An tUachtarán Mary McAleese and a Presidential Guard of Honour. Representatives of the various Faith Traditions in Ireland participated in a prayer service. The President laid a wreath in honour of those Irishmen and Irishwomen who died in past wars or on service with the United Nations. Honours were rendered by a Cadet Guard of Honour and the Last Post was sounded. The National Flag was raised to full mast and Reveille sounded, followed by the National Anthem.

Come Home Safe

According to the latest reports from the Sudanese Government Minister, negotiations with the kidnappers of two aid workers in Darfur, Irish woman Sharon Commins and her Ugandan colleague Hilda Kawuki, are progressing well.

Both work for the charity Goal and were abducted from the agency's compound in Darfur nine days ago. State minister for humanitarian affairs Abdel Baqi al-Jailani also said officials have established regular contact with the abducted women.

"I think we may have good news soon ... People are negotiating with them now,' he said. 'They are being very brave and dealing with the situation they are in.'

On Friday, the Sudanese Ambassador to Ireland met with the family of Ms Commins in Dublin and brought a letter from Sudanese President Omar al Bashir. Meanwhile, Irish negotiators and government officials are still in Sudan trying to help.

A bitter conflict over the past six years between the government and rebels in Darfur has left hundreds of thousands of people dead.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Saturday Night At My Place

I just got back home from having dinner with my old flat mate and his girl. I walk in to find Hamish sitting on the one end of the couch and my man Gareth sitting on the other end. Apparently, Hamish hasn't seen the Torchwood episode where Ianto dies, so they were watching that.

I noticed Gareth handing Hamish a box of tissues and when I get closer I see Hamish has a few tears running down his face and Gareth has a smirk on his face and is trying not to laugh. So I bend down and give Hamish a hug and take my hand and smack Gareth in the back of the head, which of course makes him laugh even harder as he gets up and walks to the bathroom for a piss.

While in the kitchen feeding the cats, Gareth walks in and gives me a big hug and kiss and I ask him what he wants to do with the rest of the night. We were both out on the water all day and had a long drive home and then he went to mass with Hamish and its rainy, so we don't feel like going anywhere. Gareth said lets just watch some telly, but he wasn't watching anything depressing with me and Hamish after the Torchwood episodes.

Before we could decide what we were going to do, Hamish got a call and decided he was going to go out and meet some friends for a drink. So it has become just me and Gareth for the rest of the night. We decided we're turning off the telly, lighting some candles, drinking some wine, and he is going to put on some slow music from his collection. We're going to spend the rest of the night slow dancing with each other. You don't have to get all dressed up and go someplace fancy to be romantic, you just have to be.

As I was writing this, he ran out the front door and I was thinking where is he going? But he came back in quickly and is now standing next to me with a flower in his teeth and his hand extended waiting for me to get up to dance with him. What a dork, but he's my dork and I love him! lol Enjoy your night, wherever you are.