great 20 July 2008
2 great things today (aside from the fact that Richard is thrilled that I still have naff all voice).
Number one is that Padraig Harrington won the Open. I found it entirely and unbearably exciting – I love watching golf on television. Not so Mr Tom Cruise, who I once made a movie with, and who commented that it was like watching grass grow – he may have changed his mind as he said that in my presence about 15 or 20 years ago (whenever FAR AND AWAY was being made)
Number two fabtabulous thing is that I found out the Irish postal service has issued four new stamps celebrating Irish cinema. Hurrah for that of itself, of course, BUT also because one of the stamps is Cillian Murphy in THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY so that means i can lick him to my heart’s content now…legally…great days
voice 19 July 2008
Oh. My. God. I went to a clan wedding yesterday (yes I got drunk and didn’t do a blog – I’m only human guys) and I roared so loudly at one of my aunts (Aileen, the youngest of my mother’s sister) about the FACT that I was getting that drink/round that I lost my voice and haven’t got it back properly since. Funnily enough, if I put beer into me or a chilled white wine I get sounds, but silence and drought produce barely a whisper. Nature is a pervert and not to be second guessed, clearly. Richard is delighted and finds the new silent me a delight…mmmm…
the look 17 July 2008
I followed a man through the airport today because he was walking very slowly and kind of blocking my way (rather than stalking, which is another great favourite of mine but trouble trouble trouble when people – the stalkees – misunderstand my LURV) Anyhow, it reminded me of the accessorising problems I worte about ‘cos this guy had it all down pat. Basically, the first aspect to the look was that he had a handlebar moustache – surely the greatest of all the facial hair accessories AND it was organically grown by his own body (ecologically sound, no harm done to the planet – not saying it’s not a crime against fashion, but…. He was wearing the classic black French beret. AND – get this – he WAS French!! That is a Total Look. That is joined-up thinking. Not too little, not too much…result.
placement 16 July 2008
So, we place ourselves in life by, perhaps, where we live, who we love, our children and so on. Had a brilliant moment recently with an actor friend of mine (okay,it’s Connor Byrne, of the 2 n’s in teh connor, from the much anticipated HELL’S PAVEMENT – the film about the fostering – youse know better than I at this point, probably) ANYHOW he was up for 2 adverts (didn’t think he had either at the time of our chat) and he told me, epically, it seems to me – ‘I am somewhere between Mateus Rose and Nouvelle toilet paper’ – good place, actually, and somewhere I wouldn’t mind finding myself in…He got the wine gig = hooray!! My guess, and history, suggests that the toilet paper will follow…MUST follow…
accessories 15 July 2008
I am rubbish at accessorising. I have lots and lots of necklaces and bracelets and so on and I never really wear any of them because
1) I don’t think of them and
2) I think most don’t suit me anyhow.
When you’ve got a bit of a chest (and I do) you can get a funny slant on a neckpiece. Now, I have nothing against getting said chest up and out there, it’s just that adornments can be a bit much in that general area if the ladies are on top viewing level.
I’m ok with earrings and love them BUT because I wear glasses it can all get a bit fussy. I did try contacts once and found that
1) I was rubbish at taking them out, particularly with drink upon me and
2) they all eventually made my eyes sore and a bit infected (UGH, and perhaps too much information…)
As to the hands, I pretty much have a half pound of sausages at the end of each arm and drawing attention to the pudgy wee things is not a great idea. I leave it at the engagement and wedding rings (wrote weeding there first and had to change!). AND these ain’t the originals as I lost those (hand crafted by a really good jeweller, Maureen T Lynch) while making the pilot of Jam and Jerusalem (there was MOIDUR at home when I told Himself and I had to go out and replace them with expensive but not as special items)
A wide belt can highlight me tum.
I do like an anklet bauble but you have to be careful with the choice of same and all of the pure gold and silver ones I’ve got over the years are a weird green now…mmmm…mysterious, that.
Anyhow, all this is spewing out cos every woman I saw on the Tube tonight was bedecked with all manner of gorgeous accessory – and the men weren’t far behind. I had the iTouch on – guess that’s not too shabby. And some very bad nail polish – calassee…
hilarious 15 July 2008
Well, I am still on the hunt for an easy, nay foolproof, fake tan. SO I bought an aerosol jobby in the supermarket and it seemed to go on well (stinky, though, as they all are). Last night I thought I detected a mild glow with no terribly bad patches – all very subtle.
Himself was arriving back very late from a trip to the first night of the Galway Arts Festival (cannot recommend this enough – a brilliant fortnight in one of the great Irish cities) so I decided to lash on the gloopy unction for those less than attractive dry feet. As I was doing so I noticed there were two rather large patches of ORANGE tan – it had mostly run and gathered on the soles of my feet – HILARIOUS looking – MAD. Other than that, during the night a small and bizarre shape ‘pooled’ on my right arm but I am still vaguely heathy looking, barring the feet which look like I have been in the Sahara for three years sunbathing the soles alone.
podgy 14 July 2008
Well, it was one of those days that makes you realise you live a 9 to 9 (24 hours of it) existence.
I slogged away at the writing – both ends, so to speak, so TV and novule covered. Went ok.
Spent a while sipping tea and coffee and contemplating how S>L>O>W>L>Y> time drips on when you’re sans ideas, then got on with it and made some stuff up (that’ll be ideas covered then).
Gave a little time to the mysteries of
1) why I am so spotty right now and
2) why I seem to have put on half a stone in two-days-slash-48-hours.
In other words, big day when the minutiae of what it is to be mortal were thrun about and mulled over.
I’ll let you know if I come to any interesting conclusions, though if the weather stays as muggy as it is now I may just murder someone instead. (My friend, Owen Roe, would put that type of activity down to shyness) Grand, so.
attic 13 July 2008
I am the madwoman in the attic – official. Myself and the Hairy take to it each day I am in Dublin in the hope that I will write and she’ll get some quality kip. She’s not much help with the work but it’s nice to see her all curled up or stretched out in abandon, depending on the temperature.
I saw one of the most famous sequences in cinema history tonight – the Husband rented BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN which is an amazing piece of movie-making history. The Potemkin Staircase sequence is a classic, it’s the one with uniformed soldiers marching on and killing civilians and a pram with a child in it rolling down the famous steps – it is often ‘quoted’ in modern movies. It was all the more wonderful for us as we could point to where we’d stood only a few months ago. We are both mad for Odessa and it was a treat to see the city as it looked early last century. The breadth of vision in the massacre section was mind-blowing – a great experience. Loved the film and I will be getting us our own version to have in our burgeoning library of (mostly crap) movies (this crapness will change soon). We were given a book entitled The !,000 Greatest Movies of All Time, or Ever, or something like that and I think it would be a fine thing to try to get copies of each of the films named. Of course there are as many lists as there are people to think them up but you gotta start somewhere…
ideas 12 July 2008
I have been trying to train myself recently. Basically, I get a lot of great ideas very close to falling asleep – I think everyone does. BUT I so need mine at the moment (the writing having reached a critical mass kind of stage) and as brilliant as I think these ideas are I will forget them SO I usually get up and write the idea down – I am also adept at writing in the dark legibly if the materials are to hand. Thing is, 2 nights ago I had 3 great /useful ideas for the novel and I was so tired that I made myself repeat them in a mantra till I fell asleep so that I would remember them the following day. As it was it would have been easier to get up and write ‘em down.Upshot is I DID remember all 3. So I got cocky and last night had 2 good ideas for the tv project and repeated them in my head and felt sure there’d be there for me in the morning – er, no…back to pen and paper then…and they really were good – I was very pleased with them. feck…Am setting up the notebook and biro by the bed even as I write.
older 11 July 2008
Okay – I’m elderly now…and almost delighted by it – well, put it this way, NOTHING can be done about it, so we abide.
Thanks to all of you for the greetings and the cards – THEY WERE WONDERFUL
I guess the main thing I heard recently, that I was appalled by, is this – people who have celebrated the most birthdays are the most likely to die…well that’s a damper and no mistake