Susan Hated Literature

• One of Our Interns Saw ‘The Road’ Last Night! — Vulture — Entertainment & Culture Blog — New York Magazine
  (tags: the.road(film) spoilers not.read)
• BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | Irish | O'Driscoll may miss autumn Tests
  (tags: rugby leinster leinstervwasps brian.o'driscoll injury)
• Family faces eviction over Halloween display - National News, Frontpage - Independent.ie
  "Athlone town clerk John Walsh said some people had been "frightened" by the placing of names on the coffins. "We obviously wanted it terminated so we served a notice to quit and demand for possession," he said. "
  (tags: hat.tip-TinyPlanet wtf halloween decoration thats.just.taking.the.piss)
• Examiner sports Column, October 3 2008 « Michael Moynihan’s Irish Sportsblog
  (tags: ronan.o'gara rugby Munster biography book.review)
• BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | Sale 16-24 Munster
  (tags: rugby heineken.cup hc09 munster munstervsale)
• Dublin Opinion » Blog Archive » Harney Chooses to Bail Out Private Hospitals While Savaging the Elderly
  "There is an acceptance that the wealthier must pay more tax - this is simply no longer in dispute. No one is protesting about the cut in the ceiling for tax relief on private pensions or the 2% levy for higher earners. Higher earners themselves would probably support even more progressive taxation if it was clear that good public services and universal education and health care would be provided. And the entire population seems to be unified in its outrage by, not just the threat to the universality of the medical card for the over 70’s, but also the application of the 1% levy to even the lowest earners."
  (tags: da.budget budget.08 mary.harney health.cuts social.welfare irish.economy)
• Waggish: John Williams: Stoner
  (tags: john.williams stoner book.review)
• YouTube - Mocha in "His First Broccoli!"
  (tags: cutenessbuffer hamster animals video)
• ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES
  (tags: feminism culture)

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Hopefully BOD and Stringer will be back in two weeks for our match against England. Which we really really really have to win. But, horror or horrors, O’Gara has picked up an ankle injury. Eddie expects him to be fit for the next match, but you never know, and all credit to Paddy Wallace, but we would miss ROG. Just like we missed BOD yesterday.

Stringer too, although Boss was good, he is just that fraction slower on his passes than Stringer. Then again, maybe the French would’ve countered him. What ifs are no use after the match is lost.

But what a sickner.

In happier news it turns out that despite not really mentioning the Blog Awards, I’ve been nominated^[1] in the Best Designed Blog section. I guess all my messing about with the template paid off

So off you pop and Vote, although that is a considerable long list.

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Gutted! Revisited.

There is no denying that Croke Park is an impressive venue. I haven’t been there all that often. I don’t remember who was playing for my first visit, but I do remember being asked if anyone had asked us to carry anything into the stadium. It must have been a Sligo game as Dad took us, though I’m not too sure when Sligo would’ve made it to Croker before. My last visit there was for the International Rules, and really, the less said about that the better. My ticket was for the Cusack Stand. Upper tier. So plenty of steps to be climbed, but you get a great view of the surroundings.

We had a great rendition of Amhrán na bhFiann^[1] and Ireland’s Call. I’m still not sure about Ireland’s Call^[2] It sounded great on Sunday, but often it sounds shite, maybe it needs the numbers singing it, or maybe we just aren’t comfortable singing it yet. Whatever, it was great. And yes, the French thingy sounded grand too.^[3]

But the match itself didn’t really go to plan. France came out all guns blazing, and the ref had issues with his mic tugging as he ran, nothing like listening in to the ref’s mic is there? Still Ireland never panicked, and although errors were made, there were also some wonderful moments. Boss charging down a kick and the sudden hint of a try. Murphy’s wonderful interception to prevent a definite try for the wrong side. But at half time it was France in the lead. And a deserved lead. We were lucky two be only to points behind. And O’Gara’s kicking out of hand wasn’t great. Does he just miss Lansdowne?

Second half and it was almost a reversal, but we couldn’t get the scores, although I think we deserved them. I’m not going to moan about the lack of advantage played by Walsh when Murphy would have scored. Nor about Horan being tackled without the ball. Swings and roundabouts as they say.

Still we went in front, only a point, but still. Victory was within our grasp. And then that lineout, and maul. And a penalty. And we went four in front. With two minutes to go. But we had a problems with the the restarts all day, and before we knew what was what the French were over the line. And with no time left for us to do anything.

So that is it, our Grand Slam dreams over, and only a faint possibility of winning the championship. We gotta hope France slip up and that we win the rest of our games. But this should have been our year.

I’m a fan of Eddie O’Sullivan’s, but I think he messed up bringing Horgan in from the wing. I would have played Trimble in the centre and left Horgan in his usual position. He was just back from injury, and expecting him to slot in and play like BOD was unfair.

There is still England to play at home^[4] and then we’re away, travelling to play Scotland and Italy. Fingers crossed that we have no more injuries, and that O’Driscoll is back quickly. And that O’Gara’s ankle injury is the nothing they are all making it out to be.

There are more photos on flickr but they aren’t great quality, too far away. I need a shiny new camera. And also, tickets to the Ireland V England match would be lovely, you know, if you have any to spare.

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Talk about a blood injury

I’d say he had to change his jersey and all before he came back on.

And now for something somewhat different:

A Chara, - How ironic that in the week when we finally have had to accept that we are killing the planet with our over-use of energy, the main cause for celebration should be the playing of a football match under a megawatt blaze of floodlights, following a beautiful sunny spring afternoon.

The challenges of the years ahead in saving the planet will indeed be painful. - Is mise,

And it is terrible, I sorta agree with him. Not entirely though, cause yes, waste of energy, but dude, “the Stadium of Light” looked fantastic. And they did need a proper game to test the floodlights, and if you really want to moan about a waste of energy you should complain about all those shops who leave lights on 24 hours a day, just so you can see their fancy displays when you are coming home drunk from the pub.

Of the ones who feature tvs in their window displays, and leave them playing films all night long too.

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Well, obviously enough, with the weekend just gone my first topic of this post has to be… the role of the Catholic Church in the political life of Ireland.

Or maybe not.

I’d much prefer to ramble on about the rugby. I didn’t catch any of the England-Scotland match, though I hear Wilko was fabtastic, but his try wasn’t one. I am a fan of Wilkinson, and in one way I do hope his road to recovery is straightforward, but then again, we play England fairly soon and I really want to win.

I didn’t see much of the France-Italy game either. Was at the aunt’s having lunch. But I’m very disappointed in Italy. This was to be their year to win a game, but they played horrendous rugby^[1] and it’ll be the Wooden Spoon if they continue on like that.

And so on to our match, and could you get much more intense than that?
And yes Ireland were lucky not to have O’Callaghan penalised, but there were more than a few occasions when I saw Wales not releasing the ball when tackled. Turns and roundabouts. Three tries to nil means we finished better on the day. And on a day when O’Gara had a horrible first 40 minutes that says a lot.

Injuries now are the big worry for Sunday against France. Darcy is supposed to be fine, O’Driscoll may make it. Although that might just be talk to keep the French guessing. The big worry is Stringer, who has a hairline fracture in his hand.

We’ll see what happens.

In today’s weather update it looks like winter has finally arrived now that it is spring. Bloody freezing out this morning so it it. And the last half an hour or so on the drive home on Saturday was through freezing fog so dense that you couldn’t see nuttin’.

Still the trip home meant I was finally able to stick all the music on the mp3 player. Only around 2,500 songs or so, but while I was adding them I also spent a few hours^[2] deleting all the duplicates from the PC. I’m not really sure why we needed ten copies of some songs on the hard drive, though I’m sure there was a very good reason for it.

And you’ll all be pleased to know that the newest cat is still alive. And as stupid as any cat. Put out by the mutt leaping about the sitting room chasing a ball she decided to leave the room, but as she jumped down from the chair she slipped on the wooden floor and smashed into the ironing board, but instead of realising that she was the cause of her collision she promptly turned and blamed the innocent hound. Spitting at him until he nosed her out of the way.

The gasúr had his birthday while I was away. He is a whole year old now^[3] and taking a few steps, though he prefers to crawl.

How was everyone’s weekend?

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Both O’Driscoll and D’Arcy are out of tomorrow’s game against Scotland.

“The Leinster centres both picked up hamstring injuries in
Ireland’s 28-17 win in Italy last weekend and captain
O’Driscoll was ruled out on Thursday night while D’Arcy
failed a fitness test on Friday morning”

Still, Maggs and Horgan’ll be grand. We’ll still beat Scotland… I hope.

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No moaning from those not interested:
From the Irish Times, I hear that it is looking more and more promising for O’Driscoll and D’Arcy in next Sat.s match

Despite his current ill-health, the powers of the Pontiff
clearly remain undimmed. How else can one explain the 
Irish squad's unscheduled two-hour delay in Rome and the 
ensuing news that both Brian O'Driscoll and Gordon D'Arcy
have been pencilled in for Ireland's RBS Six Nations game
against Scotland?

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