Go easy on the acting Ursula!

Here is a typical scene from Ireland's top soap opera, "Fair City." It is typical of Irish TV trying to make something interesting with very little material. Not a lot happens apparently. Or maybe the writers have very boring lives.

This week: An old woman falls down the stairs.



Other great scenes and plots included:

Someone is convinced the thermostat in their house is broken because even when the heating is on, they are still cold.

and..

A person says he will do something then doesn't and everyone starts talking about it. (But then again that's Ireland in real life).

Many years ago my good friend Michael McMonagle played a cab driver who ran over a main character on the show. I don't think he even has the credit on his acting resume.

Unnecesary Updates

I do not accept friendship requests from anyone I don't know anymore. The status updates were becoming a little too real for me lately. Below is a perfect example of a Myspace status update that I really did not want to know.


"I think I'm getting much closer to my menopause--I'm not myself lately and I'm so emotional!!!!!" - 4 hours ago
Mood:tired

Jesus Fucking Christ!

Old Fishing Boat, Reykjavik Harbor, Iceland

Photograph by Colin Dempsey '08

An Accident Waiting to Happen!

I look at the above photo and all I see are potential CNN headlines.

I found this on the following website:

www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com

Graham Linehan

I never recommend anything but please checkout this bog. It's by an Irish comedy writer from Dublin and a hero of mine, Graham Linehan:

http://whythatsdelightful.wordpress.com/

I checked it tonight and found this little gem. I love the line "I am alone, but I don't care". It really captures the crazy:



I laughed more than I have all week, more please Mr. Linehan!!

Note: I will give $100 to any person who can successfully masturbate to this!

A Snake Eats It's Tail.

Picture by Shacdiesel

Since the TV has been removed from the living room I feel sharper, less prone to compulsive shopping, happier and now see things a little clearer. Don't believe me? Try it, get rid of your TV for a week and note the difference. My dreams are more vivid, I am more active and wait, I know this will sound corny, but I have a more original way of thinking. It sounds ridiculous I know, but it's true.

It's no secret that American TV is just plain fucking dumb. It's also no secret that the rest of the world likes nothing better than to take it and beat them over the head with it like a giant stupid stick. The frightening thing is that even if just 1% of Americans believed what they seen on TV it would result in 3,000,000 mentally retarded registered voting/car driving/gun owning lunatics capable of marrying each other and having families. Thankfully, I feel comforted that like the Irish, Americans would rather watch American Idol/Reality Shows and eat junk food. The perfect tonic for social unrest. I mean look around, there should be.

The other thing I have noticed is how many stand up comics reference TV in their act. I never picked up on this before but there are a lot talking about TV. This got me thinking of a cycle that exists:

Live performers talking about TV.
TV hosts talking about the Internet.
The internet talking about TV via blogs.
The TV shows clips from the Internet.
Blogs being quoted on TV.
Blogs talking about the Internet on the Internet.
TV reviewing previous TV via humorous talking heads.
It becomes an infinite supply, a copy of a copy, of watered down news.
It becomes a Snake eating it's tail.

"Help, I'm Trapped!!"

He didn't just say that, did he?

Pat Kenny, current host of the legendary Irish chat show The Late Late Show interviews a young breakdancer. The show is live so we get to see this cock up unedited. Who needs political correctness?

Ward's Island - Bike Trip

Well, I had another bike trip. Five minutes from my apartment, over the RFK Bridge and I land in Ward's Island. Beutifull scenery of Manhattan and the surounding water. I also included a few pics from my trip over the Queensborugh Bridge into Manhattan a few days ago.

I'm going through a huge music phase so I wrote another song for the slide show. I also a have a random pic or two from god knows where in the mix. Check it out below.



Pictures by Colin Dempsey
Music "Ward's Island" by Colin Dempsey

..I don't like the look of it!

I recently found this photograph of mother and I as we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge last fall. I laughed because I remember telling her that day that she looked like Mrs. Willy Wonka, and apparently she has never worn that jacket or hat since. Hey, thats what sons do, piss off their mothers.

Glorious New York Evening

Glorious Evening in New York City.

Picture by MArisa Ruglio

Goodbye Snow Jacket

Due to the good weather creeping up on us, It will be many months before I get to wear my favorite item of clothing. A Snow Jacket Marisa bought me Two years ago. Words can't describe how much I love it.



I hate long goodbyes, so, goodbye Snow Jacket. At least until early November.

A Nice Random Find

I found this recently and was mesmorised by it.

The video is by film maker Keith Loutit- "Bathtub IV"
The song is "Clementine" by Megan Washington. I bought her album she done with Sean Foran called Nightlight. I love it, highly recommended.

Both the song and video are beautiful.

Bathtub IV from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

RFK Bridge

After over two weeks of being Ill I dragged myself to my doctor yesterday. Unlike what some people told me, it was not allergies. Unlike what almost everyone joked, it was not swine flue. Diagnosis was good ol' fashioned bronchitis.

I decided that I shall return to work tomorrow now that the manic coughing that has kept me awake the last few nights is almost over. I needed to get out of the apartment. This evening I took my bike across the Tribourough bridge, now called the RFK Bridge. It was dark, wet, earie and beutiful. It was nice to get some air in my lungs.

The last few days I have spent my time getting better learning what my Mac can do. So below is the fruits of my work, a little slideshow of my trip put to a song I wrote on monday. Its kind of a dance song but I like it.

I feel great after my cycle, still a little cough but so much better than Sunday and Monday

Check it out below.



Photograph by Colin Dempsey
Music "RFK Bridge" by Colin Dempsey

The Gym is Officially Gay.

How uncomfortable is it to workout at the gym beside these guys?

The Macho Errand

I was at Pepboys Auto picking up my car today after leaving it in to get a state inspection. I stood at the counter as The dreadlocked boss from Jamaica slowly and calmly walked back and forth observing his staff. The guy helping me seemed to be filling out enough paperwork to allow me kill someone, mutilate their corpse and then open up a childcare center above a razor blade factory.

A small grease covered Bon Jovi-esque mechanic hobbled in from outside and placed a bag of KFC on the counter for the guy helping me. He checked it, and immediately went in a furious rant over his order being wrong. Little Bon Jovi claimed again and again that he gave the correct order. "Bullshit man" my guy cried. After a long back and forth, Little Bon Jovi slumped off dejected and embarrassed after having an entire Pepboys grind to a halt over his apparent lack of ordering abilities. He disappeared into the workshop to work on a car's brakes, airbag or something.

The Jamaican boss walked over and calmly said to my guy, but also for me and everyone else in the store to hear his golden nuggets of hard earned wisdom........"Never send a boy to do a man's job"



To my surprise my 18 year old bucket of bolts passed inspection.