A new beacon

Last night was a historic time, on a par with knowing where you were when Neil Armstrong stepped onto the Moon. Twenty years from now, if there's still a place called earth than we call home, we'll be able to turn to our grandkids and say, "I was there that night." Then again if the Mayans are right something tremendous, tumultuous, and epoch-changing is due to happen in December 2012 - just as Obama's first term ends. We may all end up living in the Andromeda galaxy.

Now it begins...

Little things...

I'm always amazed at how little things - that probably mean next to nothing to most people - can mean the difference to me between having a "good" day and a "lousy" day.
For instance: why should the fact that today I passed my written driving exam make me feel like I've achieved something on a par with the conquest of Everest? All I can put this down to is that to me, life has been a series of challenges that more often than not I've been unable to meet, because I've grown up believing that I don't have what it takes to just "break even" like most people do, so a lot of the time I don't even try. That said, I went in for my driving test 5 times in 30 years back in England and never got the license, so no-one can say I haven't tried.
So anyway today, as transiting Mercury trined my Solar Return Moon, and despite the fact that transiting Saturn is exactly squaring my natal Jupiter, I achieved a minor victory, which to me ranks alongside the RAF beating back the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain in 1940.
So if I choose to do a goddam victory roll at 500 feet over the airfield then I bloody well will....sir.

Hello Mary Kate. *whistling and blowing kisses*
XO

Thank you Saturn, and Frank Waldo Emerson

"To finish the moment, to find the journey's end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom".

Goodnight, fellow traveler :-)
X

The proof is on the plastic, folks.

My 'Permanent Resident' card arrived today. Woopie-doo, now I can PROVE that I'm being allowed to live here. Tell you what though, if the neo-cons steal this election like they stole the last two I'm going to live on Pluto and I'll take the bloody card with me just in case a Plutonoid needs to see some I.D. Then I'm going to shove it up his arse - if he has one.

I'm making General Tsao's chicken tonight:

2 chicken cutlets
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 egg, beaten
4 dry hot peppers
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
4 tbsp. soy sauce
4 tbsp. vinegar
4 tbsp. water
1 c. vegetable oil
Cut chicken into large chunks. Mix cornstarch with egg. Put chicken pieces in mixture and stir. Mix garlic and ginger with soy sauce, vinegar and water for sauce. Pour oil into wok or large skillet. When oil is red-hot add chicken and stir-fry until crisp. Remove chicken. Leave 1 teaspoon of oil in wok and add red peppers. Pour in sauce and chicken and saute for 1 minute.

It's either going to taste great or taste like dog-shite. I'll keep ya posted :-)

Adjustment of Status

Well finally,after 8 months my Adjustment of Status has been granted. I got the notice through the post today and so now I'm officially a legal permanent resident of the U.S., for better or worse! Immigration said it is conditional and that they will send me the card in about 3 weeks. It's good for 2 years, then I have to apply to have the conditions removed before I get the 10 year card. The only immediate advantage I can see is that I don't have to apply for Advance Parole before I leave the country. I just show the card and my passport. Not that I foresee leaving the country for awhile yet. I had hoped to go back to England to see little Ethan next month but finances are just too tight right now so I guess I'll have to wait until I can afford the air-fare. I won't ask Saba for it, she's helped me enough since I got here and I know she needs all her spare cash for the house expenses. I'll just be glad when I get a job and a driving license! I'm hoping to go and sit the written driving exam at the weekend and once I pass that I can at least start taking lessons. That'll be the first step.

I just looked at my chart to see what was showing up today. I had to smile, it's perfect. Progressed Moon in the 9th house conjunct natal Moon (it had just entered my 9th and was trining my Ascendant when I arrived here); transiting Mars going over my Ascendant and here's the kicker: transiting Uranus in 4th trining progressed Moon and natal Uranus-Moon in the 9th. There's the breakthrough energy - right on time!
Hopefully this is a sign that things are starting to move. We'll see....

The Man With The Child In His Eyes

Ah, this song takes me back to the mid-eighties when Sian was very little and used to tell me that in this song, Kate Bush was "singing about you dad". God how I miss those days....

Anyway, here she is: Kate Bush, in all her elfin, soft-focused beauty:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzbw-53g2CU&eurl=http://www.facebook.com/inbox/

Doug Graham on raw foods

I just watched a fascinating video by a guy called Doug Graham all about the health benefits of a raw food diet. I'm not saying that I'm 100% converted but this guy has been eating nothing but raw fruits and vegetables for 18 years and he looks pretty fit and healthy to me. Hmmm...

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=doug%20graham&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=N&tab=wv#q=doug%20graham&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=N&tab=wv&start=10

The wee Irish leprechaun

Two hours old and lookit him!

More of Ethan weeble

Lookit that close-up! He looks like he's just about to land a right hook on Martin's chin. Is he Irish? LOL!

Ethan Edward McGonnigal

It was 4.20 am when my cell phone rang. It was Noel, Sian's Irish boyfriend calling from *his* cell: "Congratulations grandad, ye have a wee grandson!" I was ecstatic, totally chuffed to monkeys. "How are they? How big is he? What time was he born? What's his NAME???" Both mother and son are fine, Ethan showed up at 7.20 am BST, two hours earlier, and weighed in at 7 pounds 15 ounces! He's a bloody BEAR, and he was already on the breast, gulping down the proteins. The birth went fine, although Sian had to be induced in the end cos he was over a week late. They had to use forceps apparently, for the final part of the delivery, but everything went smoothly. I chatted with Sian for a while. She sounded happy but exhausted. "He has strawberry-blonde hair dad, just like me, and from the nose up he's the spit of you." And just to prove it, Noel sent me two photos. I'll upload them later tonight.

Phew! I am SO happy that he's finally here. A little Irish leprechaun who looks like Mickaleen.
May God bless his life. I love him already.
Welcome to the family little Ethan :-)

Curtain Rods & Drill Bits

Well I spent most of today shopping for curtains on route 46. We got the ones we needed, as well as the curtain rods and the drill to set the brackets in place. I've never been too good with power tools and I'm not even sure we have the right size bit for the job - it calls for a 5/16th" hole and I don't think I have a 5/16th" bit - so I'll just have to do the best I can. Saba is taking one of her Saturday afternoon naps and then we're going to try to get these curtain rods up in the living room and Aemin's bedroom. If it all works out in those rooms I may even tackle the family room as well. If we have the wrong size bit then we're buggered until we can get to Home Depot, either later tonight or tomorrow. Simple jobs should be just that: bloody simple, not like the landing on Omaha Beach, glory bitta God!

Ike has been a real bastard to the poor folks on the Gulf coast. It makes you realise just how lucky you are not to have to undergo that kind of ordeal.

Enjoy your Saturday Mary Kate and don't forget to take the cruet back into the vestry when you've finished drinking from the communion wine, ye jackeen :-)

Universal Casting

I went over to the offices of Universal Casting in Wayne on Tuesday.
It was interesting, they told me all about the company; about how they send out castings for some of the big movies based in NJ and Manhattan - like War of the Worlds, Heat, and some of the better known soaps like CSI New York, Law & Order,and some commercials too. They said there was a fee of $630, which pays for all 50 promo head-shots of me plus 4 acting master-classes. I was interested but didn't have the money but then my neighbour, who took me to the office, said she would pay it for me and I could pay her back piece-meal out of whatever salary I got from the work each month. I was stunned by the offer and at first I didn't know what to say but she said she knew I really wanted to do it and she thought it would be a great opportunity and she didn't want me to miss out. So - I signed up! Went to the first master-class last night. The guy teaches the Meisner Method Acting technique.

They're recruiting for a commercial next Friday. Fingers crossed!

Sadalmelik

We picked up the keys at 1.10pm from the attorney's office in Tenafly. That means we missed Regulus culminating by 5 minutes but we got Sadalmelik at the anti-culmination point and I'll settle for it. It's one of a pair of stars that make up the shoulders of the Water-Bearer, Aquarius. It's name means "Luckiest of the Lucky" and brings good fortune as a result of one's own efforts. Good karma. I love the water symbolism! I definitely think it's a hint that I need to get a water-feature in the garden at some point, so I will.
Later at the house we painted for a couple of hours then I went out onto the front garden for a smoke. As I was strolling around, trying to take in this momentous thing I was embarking on I came across a beautiful bird's feather lying on the lawn. I'm not sure what kind of bird lost it but I picked it up and took it as a good omen. I told Saba that the feather had to stay in the house, and so it will.

Tomorrow I'm going to stay here at the apartment and do a little more packing up. Not much left now but I'll do what I can before the trip to Toronto on Wednesday.
This has been a bloody loooong day and my eyes need to close.

G'night Mary Kate :-)

Colour me blue

Well, I just got back from the house where we painted Aemin's bedroom two shades of blue. The walls anyway, the window frames and door frame we can do one Saturday afternoon when there's nothing on the telly. I managed to get splashes of blue paint in my hair, on my face, arms and feet. I looked like Gainsborough's 'Blue Boy' before I took my shower :-)
Now I'm going to drink my smoothie, kick back and watch some olympics till my eyes close..

Tarah Mary Kate

The big signing day

This morning we sign for the new house.I did an elecion chart for the best time between 12.30 and 1.30 and came up with 1.15. I didn't have much of a window but 1.15 puts the Royal star Regulus on the Midheaven with the Sun and that if nothing else should bring a certain amount of happiness and success with the place.It also gives a nice trine from the Pisces Moon to the Ascendant. We'll have to get a nice water feature for the garden! Of course we already have a pool and a hot tub but I want to hear trickling water at night :-)
Saba is nervous about it but I'm not. Maybe I would be if I was investing as much money in it as she is but then again, I'm far more phlegmatic about life and I know that at the end of the day nothing truly belongs to us anyway, we're just allowed to borrow stuff from the universe. In the end the universe always takes it back and loans it to someone else.We go for the final walk-around at 10.30 which gives us enough time to get over to Englewood for the signing. After the signing we'll be spending most of the day at the house, just setting it up.
I've just made the first smoothie of the day: organic banana, orange, lemon, sunflower seeds, royal jelly, baby salad leaves and a little fresh mint. Gorgeous! Mary Kate should give them to Lucy. One quart a day. They'll boost everything in her system and fill her full of anti-oxidents to kill off the free radicals. While she's at it she should drink a quart a day herself, her body needs the vitamin A & K boost from organic kale.

Later pertater :-)

Time to get busy

Saba-nap time, so:

Today we went out and got the paint for the family room, two kid's bedrooms, the office/studio, the Florida room and the kitchen. It came close to $300 and my Pisces was shaking his head. So many children in Africa dying of HIV or starving for want of simple grain to make bread. What could that $300 have done for them? Instead western society says "buy this paint and make your Florida room look nice!" It's all a huge con - all of it. I realise that the world must turn and we must turn with it but I can imagine the looks on those dying kid's faces if they could see me splashing $300 worth of paint on a bedroom wall. There's something creepily obscene about the whole scenario.
We had lunch at the local diner on 23. I had what I had yesterday: a cheddar cheese burger, coleslaw, salad and fries. It was surprisingly good and the coke washed it down nicely. We didn't speak much, except when she suggested I spend most of the day on Tuesday painting at the new place. That meant I'd need a ride there so I called Deborah and she said she'd be happy to take me. It's only a mile and a half but it's good of her to help me out. I could have let Saba take me but that would mean I'd be there from 7.00 am to 7.30pm. Er, no thanks, not without music and a blow up doll called Lois :-P
We got home and Saba packed the pots and pans while I emptied my document drawer upstairs. Now she's taking her Saba nap and that's fine by me cos it means I can come here and talk to the laptop.
I keep thinking about Sian. She only has three weeks to go and a big part of me knows I should be there for the big day, but that's just me being selfish, I'm sure she'll be ok and she has Noel with her, who's a stand-up lad and will take care of her at every step. Still.... I wish I was over there, this is a momentous thing! I'm going to be a grandfather! I love the name she's picked for a girl: Ava Lily. It's so silky-sounding. Ava Lily McGarrigle. Oh well, two out of three ain't bad, lol!

Actually what am I talking about? Sian and Noel aren't married so until they are (if ever) then the girl's name will be Ava Lily Dawson: great granddaughter of Nora and great great grandaughter of Jimmy Horrigan. That's a punchy pedigree she'll have there on her mother's side :-)

Have a serene Sunday my honey'd wench...
XOX

Full-tilt boogey.

Today has been a productive day in a sea of days that have felt anything but. I packed up a lot of stuff from the bedroom and made a big hole in the clutter. There was a tremendous thunderstorm peeling over Kinnelon this afternoon and I stopped what I was doing just to watch it. There's a dumpster about 100 metres away and I couldn't see it for the sweeping sheets of rain and hail the size of a dime hurtling down. Thunder rolled overhead and lightning ignited the clouds for 20 minutes. It felt to me like Zeus was really pissed off at somebody. I was just glad it wasn't me.

All my soul senses are alert over Lucy. I'm switched on full-tilt boogey and my radar is honed right into Mary Kate's heart. She's strong on the outside but inside she needs a palm to touch, without that she loses her geography completely. I'm not going to let that happen to her and she needs to know that. I'm sure she does. Soul-pals are like that: one's not much good without the other.

Tomorrow will be busy again. More boxes to get and more boxes to fill. Tomorrow night we've been invited by David and Deborah to go over for dinner. Tazeen and her daughter Saman will be there but I'm not really all that keen on going. I like David well enough but I don't see why I should have to break bread with the guy. Still, the kids want me there so I'll shine up and shut up. It's free food and free booze and I'll have earned it so why the feck not?

Yawning now so I'll turn in. Goodnight, Mrs Danagher's only daughter. Sleep sweet and fly that magic carpet :-)

xoxo

Shootin' it on the balcony

Instead of carrying on with the packing I've spent the day goofing off with my neighbour, Rob. The one born in Germany. He's a Cancerian and a total loony :-) His missis, Linda, was away having her hair done so he invited me over around noon for a bit of company and a G & T. We had three, what the hell. Sitting outside on the balcony in the sunshine swapping stories about Spitfires and NASA and his uncle, a German Meschersmidt pilot who got shot down over Russia in '44 and was a P.O.W. until '53. Tall stories, yeah, I love um! :-) Today's packing is officially abandoned due to lack of interest. I'll do it tomorrow...

Nov 17th huh? An eight, that figures! ;-)

Break time's over Mary Kate, back to the mayhem :-)

xoxo

Vindemiatrix and the art of collecting clutter.

Well I managed to empty the pantry of everything other than the stuff we'll need before we go; stuff like H.P. brown sauce and malt vinegar. Mickaleen has to have vinegar and brown sauce on his chips or there'll be blood. What the fuck, I gave up ham and bacon, I'm entitled to my saucy chips. I've cleared 4 shelves of what seems like the entire food supply of Pakistan this afternoon.I also bagged up the medicines Saba keeps in the kitchen cabinet. Some of them are so old they have Louis Pasteur's autograph on the label. Saba keeps everything. She has the fixed star Vindemiatrix paran to her Mercury and at the Heliacal setting position. Vindemiatrix is associated with gathering and collecting - data, information, objects, anything. What a surprise Sherlock Geez!
Anyway I did my bit today and celebrated with two cups of fresh ground Cawfee laced with a kick of Jameson. That'll do it.

I checked Dubya's temperament balance. 20% Sanguine, 80% Choleric. Eighty fuckin' percent. What a surprise. "I wanna be known as a war president", he once said. Well ya did that ya smarmy, mendacious fucker. You've also managed to show the world that you're a wanker, so big high-five on that.
Here's a typical analysis of the dominant choleric temperament:

"The choleric is your original "type A" personality. This temperament is characterized by quick, intense reactions to both external and internal stimuli. Reactions are sustained over time, so the choleric temperament is not only decisive, but also tenacious and driven to follow-through. The choleric is typically extraverted--which means that his energy is focused externally, actively, and socially. This temperament is characterized by determination, energy, forcefulness, confidence, intensity, and vitality.
If you are a choleric, you are a dynamic, self-motivated leader who can set your sights on a target and relentlessly pursue it until success is achieved. You are a strong-willed individual who makes decisions quickly and decisively, and who readily and easily grasps difficult concepts and strategies. Learning comes quickly to you, and you like to take action immediately. You think logically and pragmatically, and are sometimes accused of "rolling over" people once you have set a plan in motion. You do not readily reveal deep emotions—except anger. Cholerics are often accused of being stubborn, domineering, and dictatorial. You demand loyalty from your friends, and thrive when you are in control. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a choleric president: "There is nothing I love as much as a good fight," he famously said. If you are a choleric, humility comes with difficulty. You have a predilection for doing your own will, and thinking that you always know what is right and best."

I'm sure the people of Iraq wouldn't argue with that. Shock. Awe.

Have a great night, Danagher's daughter. Keep making Lucy laugh. Do an impression of me doing Mickaleen - and try not to slide down the walls :-)

Oh, and let her put on her own slippers, she needs that self-esteem moment. If you tried to put my slippers on for me, I'd thpit in yer eye ;-)

xox

Wednesday morning.

Another bright and sunny day in northern N.J. I'll be carrying on with a few bits and pieces of boxing up in the kitchen, where I left off yesterday. I'll try to clear the pantry and a couple of the kitchen cabinets but I have to go to Pathmark first and get smoothie supplies: bananas, oranges, lemons and some more kale. I finished the last of it for breakfast.
Watched more olympic swimming last night. I swear that guy Phelps is a torpedo! Also watched the gymnastics and felt so sorry for the American girl who gummed up on the beam and then bolloxed up the floor exercise. She looked like they need to put her on suicide watch. The Chinese girls look like they still haven't hit puberty but what the hell, they were dynamite and their smiles light up their faces. Great to watch an it makes a bright change from the endless election dronings.

If I get time later I'll do some more stuff on temperament. I found a website with the basic descriptions of the four types. It's just a pity that the guy didn't say anything about the blending of different types. But - can't have everything :-)

http://fourtemperaments.com/Description.htm

Later pertater. I love hearing your voice and that infectious giggle. I remember it so well :-)

Day's end

G'night light of my life. Time for this son of Horrigan to close eyes. Another day boxed off :-)
Thank you for the smiles and your faith.

Palm to palm to bed now.
Mmmwah!
XOXO

Humours

I've been doing some astro work on temperament lately and I love the way that the medieval concept of humours describe inborn temperament. Much more accurate than the modern psychological idea of Fire, Earth, Air and Water. In medieval times pretty much every apothecary was an astrologer and when someone was sick the first thing the apothecary did was draw up the patient's horoscope to discover the predominant humour. There are four of them: Choleric - hot & dry, Sanguine - hot & moist, Phlegmatic - cold & wet and Melancholic - cold & dry. Once they knew the predominant humour they were able to pinpoint the part of the body that was the cause of the problem and then they'd prescribe the appropriate herbs to treat the sickness. Every herb had a humoural signature so the doctor knew how apply a specific herb to a particular problem. Clever buggers those apothecaries!
Everybody has a certain percentage of each humour as part of their temperament signature. According to the system I use I'm 60% Phlegmatic and 40% Choleric. I read an interpretation of that and here's what it said:

"Phlegmatic Choleric is the most driven of the Phlegmatics. A Phlegmatic Choleric wants to accomplish what they have set their minds to, however, being Phlegmatic they don’t make a splash about it. A Phlegmatic Choleric with a goal will simply go ahead and do what needs to be done – without fanfare or telling anyone.

Since the Choleric has problems with anger, this is often reflected in the Phlegmatic Choleric as irritability or frustration. Since the Phlegmatic is “hard to read”, there may not be an obvious reason for this reaction. For example, traffic backups can irritate a Phlegmatic Choleric; but little warning about their irritation is visible until they comment.

These individuals can make excellent team leaders – they are the only Phlegmatic type that may rise to leadership. Because their Choleric secondary type is a Driver and their primary Phlegmatic is easygoing, these can combine to make a leader who can handle a variety of personalities. The Phlegmatic Choleric needs to have a partner or spouse who understands – and more importantly – accepts their quiet ways. Another Phlegmatic may be best suited while a Choleric or Melancholy will be a less likely match."

Hmmm, a lot of that makes definite sense to me. It also explains why I've always had problems with women who are too choleric, especially if they didn't have a fair bit of the phlegmatic in their makeup to cool them down and water them a little! I checked Mary Kate's temperament and it turns out that she's 50% Phlegmatic, 40% Choleric (that's thanks to Leo rising and being born during the day) and 10% Sanguine. That explains why we understand each other so well: both our Moons are Phlegmatic :-)

Saba scores 60% Choleric, 20% Melancholic, 10% Phlegmatic and 10% Sanguine. So we match on the choleric side but her lack of the phlegmatic brings me problems cos she doesn't know how to float. She can be very driven and more obstinate than a mule with lead feet, yet she has the high, noble ideals of the C/M and can be very conscientious.

I think it's fascinating that I seem to be attracted to women with a lot of the Choleric in them and the only ones I have ultimately been compatible with were the ones with a lot of Phlegmatic to counterbalance the heat.

Anyway, enough of this badinage. If I'm not careful I'll end up spending all day on this bloody PC instead of putting condiments in bags and bags in boxes.

I love being Phlegmatic!

G'morning colleen. I hope you're smilin' on this gorgeous mornin' :-)

After all, "this is America"

It's been a long day. Packing, packing, and more packing. Tonight we watched the olympic swimming and I have to roll my eyes at the narcissism of the American commentators who are totally obsessed with the U.S. swimmers. Even when two Brit swimmers got Gold and Bronze in a fantastic catch-up on the American girl, the commentators couldn't bring themselves to even mention what a fantastic win it was for the British girl, all they could talk about was how the yank "almost" did it. Gimme a fucking break, the Brit swam a fabulous race and she hardly got a mention. I never thought I'd say this but I really miss the BBC. Very fair-minded and no friggin' commercials. In the spirit of equality I have to say the 4x100 men's relay was unbelievable and the Americans really deserved their Gold for beating the bullshit frogs. Well done Phelps and co - ya did good.

Bedtime for this tired piggish priest. G'night wench, turn out the sacristy light afore ya slip beneath me cassock. Another Sabbath gone ta hell eh?

;-)

What I learned today.

Today I learned that if you want to make a video record of the instructions for maintaining a pool then don't give the camera to your wife when she's standing next to her equally gobby sister and the manic female realtor. As Greg was telling me about how to vacuum the pool and where to attach the goddam piece of equipment, here's what the mic' will have picked up:

Realtor: OK I GOTTA GO NOW. I GOTTA TAKE (*unintelligable gibberish*)

Saba: SO YOU THINK I SHOULD PUT THE WHITE COUCH IN THE FAMILY ROOM? WHAT ABOUT THE HUTCH? I THINK IT WOULD LOOK GOOD ON THE RIGHT HAND WALL, WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Tazeen: NO NO! YOU NEED TO PUT THAT HUTCH IN THE KITCHEN NOOK! YOU DON'T WANT TO BE DRAGGING PLATES FROM THE FAMILY ROOM TO THE KITCHEN! ARE YOU MAD??

Greg: ....then just switch it on and you're done ok? Nothing to it.

Yeah sure Greg, it'll be a piece o' piss. I don't think we'll be going swimming any time soon, but at least I know where to put the fuckin' HUTCH! Oh, and I'm sure I'll enjoy the view of the grain in the pool deck that Saba was taping while you were showing me where to plug the vacuum in.
I'll be fine, *sigh*.

Next time I'll hire a deaf mute to hold the bloody camera.

G'night wench ;-)

Another Jersey Saturday

I've been up about an hour, had a shower and some o.j. and I'm sitting here at the laptop while Saba is taking her legendary Saturday morning lie-in. When she gets up we have some shopping to do at Pathmark then later this afternoon we'll be driving over to the house to chat with the outgoing people about how to operate a few things, like the swimming pool mechanics, for one. I've never had to do pool maintenance and I haven't got clue one how to clean the filter or set the thermostat or check the chlorine levels so I need to listen up. I'll be taking the video camera so I'll have the whole thing on tape. Saba's elder sister Tazeen is coming with us. It's good to have her back here from Yemen. She's another Moonchild, with Pisces rising and that's why we got on so well I think.Reminds me in some ways of another Moonchild I know...

I'll go get the coffee perkin'.Maybe I'll get a chance to write something later but weekends are busy lately so maybe I won't.

Hey Mary Kate, did you see the olympic opening ceremony last night? Bloody fabulous! I wouldn't want to mess with them Chinese. Any country that can invent paper and fireworks and get 2008 drummers to play in perfect synchronisation the way they did yesterday is a country I want on my side!

Have a good day Danagher. Wipe yer feet on the mat if your going to nick the communion wine from the sacristy :-)

The pics explained

The top one is a group shot of Nora, aged about 18, with her little sister Betty, and flanked by her mam, Lizzie, and her dad, the infamous Jimmy Horrigan. Lookit the guy! My grandad....
It was taken around 1946.

The next one is meself and me brother Paul taken in 1958 and the one at the bottom is meself again, circa 1958-9. So much bloody mischief in that face and it all came to fruition did it not? ;-)

Tarah fer now Mary Kate...
x

The Horrigans in all their black and white glory!

Boots, boots, boots and bags.

It seems that all I've done this afternoon is pack Saba's highly eclectic collection of boots, closed-toe shoes and handbags. She wants to keep the open-toe shoes out so that she can take her pick when we go to Toronto on 20th. Thank Christ for that, I was running out of bin-bags! I filled two of 'em.
Me? I have one pair of shoes, one pair of sandals, one pair of trainers (sneakers to you) a pair of carpet slippers and one pair of black boots, courtesy of Mary Kate, 2002. Yep, I still have them and they're wearing pretty well, considering that they're six years old. I also still have the big green winter coat, although right now it's in storage, but it'll be hanging in the closet of the new place come August 30th.
I'm making Chicken Teriyaki for dinner. The chicken has been marinating lo, these two hours, so all I have to do is grill 'em up and boil some basmati rice to go with it. She'll be home in an hour so I'd better go and see to it.
Oh the joys of being a house-husband, especially when you're famous for telling that window-lickin' varmint Liberdee ta "pick it up!"

Green breakfasts

I just love my organic green smoothies in the morning. One or two bananas, an orange or maybe a mango or some  pineapple, a few grapes, topped off with a handful of kale, or parsley, or arugula, maybe a few leaves of romaine lettuce or even spinach or mint. I just mix and match with whatever's available. Two cups of water, throw in some ice and blitz in the Vitamix for thirty seconds. Voila! Green breakfast, and it's delicious. I have another one in the evening and it's the best liver and kidney detox you could get. Sort out those two organs and your body will be saying 'thank you' for years.

Now the challenge is, to get Mary Kate to do it. It's all I can do to stop her licking the slutch off her shoes before she enters the vestry, but we live in hope...

Good morning, ya little munkey :-)

Saturn and the sibling situation.

This is my first attempt at this blogging thing and I'm not even sure what the heck I'm going to write about. I'll just let it flow but it's my guess that it'll mostly be stream of consciousness stuff, knowing me. You asked for it Mary Kate...
Anyway I'm having a quiet day today. Fuck the packing for 24 hours.
Jon's having Saturn transiting opposite his Moon and conjunct his Pluto in the 7th house. Looks like Saturn has picked it's first target in the family for this season. It'll be interesting to see what it does when it squares my Mars-Jupiter opposition in mid/lateOctober. I just hope there's room at the back on that Saturn bus for one more!