Big News!

Remember a short while ago, I mentioned I had just bought a season ticket for Galway United's upcoming Premier Devision season? Well what a difference a few short weeks makes. I approached the club early in the new year offering my design and illustrative services on a volunteer basis, should they have a need for them. You see, the vast majority of professional football clubs in Ireland are struggling on a weekly basis to stay alive. If I could help in any small way, I wanted to. Well they got back to me and I've worked on a couple of small pre-season design jobs thus far, not too much. Well Monday last, a few mere weeks before the start of the new season, Galway United were notified that they would not be granted a licence to play football this year. An appeal was possible but things looked pretty darn hopeless to be honest. The club naturally agreed to an appeal and had a few short days to compile their case before the hearing early Friday morning. It became clear that the failure to grant a 2011/12 Premier Devision license stemmed from a simple piece of paperwork that due to exceptional circumstances, hadn't been submitted on time.

Thursday night on the eve of the hearing an Extraordinary General Meeting was held by the Galway United Supporters Trust. All fans were invited so I went along. In a brave and selfless move GUST have taken over the job of running the club. All on a completely voluntary basis I might add. The prior management had run the club into a loss making rut and if the club was to continue trading, this drastic move was it's last hope. 

Long story short Thusday night at the EGM a management committee was being established to run the club in the event we won the appeal. Chairmen, Secretary, FAI Liaison etc. Approximately 10 specific positions needed to be filled along with an additional 5-7 title-less committee spots. 

Well you might have guessed where this is going. I am now one of  the members of the 17-man Management Committee, tasked with running the club for the foreseeable future. It's a huge honour. I'll be working closely with the PR officer Sean Flaherty and his assistant officer Vincent O'Connor Jr. specifically in relation to marketing and the club program.  I can't wait. I have a lot of ideas, and genuinely feel I can contribute a lot to the club in the years to come. I've said this already but I am honestly very honoured to be in such a position. Especially considering the fact that a few short weeks ago I was just another fan.

Are we addicted to the internet?

Are we becoming addicted to the net? I don't know about you but I definitely spend more time online than I'd like...What websites do you frequent the most on a daily/weekly basis? Do you have an online routine? Fruitful, fruitless or downright embarrassing - feel free to leave your list below? My sites in no particular order are...

Blogs

My Art Blog: 

My Personal Blog: 

My wife's blog:

(Plus any newly updated blogs on my blog list)

For Fun

DeviantART: 

/Film: 

Youtube: 

Auto Express: 

Football Shirt Culture: 

Comic Book Movie: 

My Nintendo News:

Bulbapedia: 

Work

Google Search Engine (.ie and .com)

Wikipedia:

Thesaurus:

Dictionary: 

Wordhippo: 

Gmail log-in:

To Shop

Book Depository:  (Books)

7-Digital: (Music Downloads)

Ebay: (Stuff I don't need)

CD Wow: (CD'S and DVD's)

Lego Pokemon

I stumbled across this project by Filip Johannes Felberg. He has created over 100 Lego versions of popular pokemon characters and has done an amazingly brilliant job...I am genuinely in awe of his creative ability. If you appreciate the art of Lego construction or are simply a fan of pokemon, be sure to check out his Flickr or Youtube accounts. (Illustrations © Nintendo - Lego creations © Filip Johannes Felberg)

Thorns

Sora our long haired cat is always coming home with all sorts stuck to her. This weekend was no different. Saturday morning as usual she hopped onto our bed.  Groggily I rubbed her back from fluffy collar down to her bushy tail. I noticed a clump of fur in-between her back legs so I sat up, found a scissors and proceeded the cut it off. In doing so I pricked my finger. Obviously I wasn't dealing with a run of the mill hair ball. Sora calmly and cooperatively flopped on to her side. (She is quite used to me removing knots from her coat.) I snipped off the unwanted accessory and on examination found she had a cluster of thorny branches matted in her fur...It must have been pretty uncomfortable to walk with.

Found Ya!

First Lizard of the Season

Today started pretty crappily. I have a cold and didn't sleep much last night. It was lashing rain and windy when I woke up and I was very aware and worried about Neen walking to work. I hated seeing her go...I also got a letter in the post I was in no mood to receive, especially today. 

On the plus side I was greeted with the first lizard of the season. He was in the middle of the kitchen floor when I entered to boil the kettle this morning. I'm not entirely sure if it's normal behavior for all lizards but the ones I've encountered play dead when you first find them. They don't budge at all. If they are accidentally overturned they will lay floppy and lifeless on their backs until they no longer deem you a threat. This poor little guy had blood on his nose. Not much, just a dry faint stain. I'm not sure if it was the cats....After a minute or so of lying lifeless and comatose in my hand he suddenly sprang to life and started walking all over the place. He was very friendly and appeared to be in perfect health. I snapped a quick photo and then put him out side in the coal and turf bunker. From my experience it's one of their favorite spots, which they also happen to share with the snails.

Another nice surprise was I received some art from a young talented fan...if interested I uploaded images on my Art Blog here. Off to make some dinner...have a great night!

Galway United

I bought a season ticket for my local football team Galway United today. Really really looking forward to the new season which kicks off March 4th. I used to go to United matches years ago with the lads, before Neen and I met but I haven't been to one since. I was talking to the manager Sean Connor and a couple of the panel today, extremely nice guys. I wish the entire team the best of luck this season.

My cousin Mark bought a ticket today too, he's a huge Galway United fan and it's going to be great going to the games with him. Mark plays football for Renmore F.C (rugby and hurling for his school) and is a super talented kid. I've no doubt he could be playing for Galway United or one of the big English teams in a few years. 

Well I have my Galway United shirt and a brand spanking new season ticket. After last seasons near-relegation scare I'm all set for a clean start and a great season...bring on St. Pat's

A Moment

I was working in the dining room today. It's a perfect spot to write on sunny afternoons as the light beams directly through the window and illuminates the room for a few special hours each day.

There was this one perfect moment where time seemed to stand still. I'll set the scene.

I'm typing. Sunlight bounces confidently off the polished dining room table. Music trickles through the thick padded earpads of my DJ style headphones. To my left the terrapins are basking, eyes closed on their floating island. Necks stretched high and proud the glistening, water tickles their toes. Directly in front of me, sitting on the window sill is Hope the cat. She catches my intrusion and for a split second stares back before returning to her world. Sora is sleeping below her on a dining room chair. Hidden behind several white tiers of drying laundry I can only see her tail. It's a deceptively frosty day outside and the radiator is throbbing wearily, cocooning both the cats and clothes in a steaming pocket of heat. The music continues to flow, quietly and perfectly as both the moment and song eventually ebb away.

I quickly jotted down the following poem in a desperate attempt to capture the moment before it was gone forever.

Sun gleaming.

Brothers vying.

Cats dreaming.

Morpheme tying.

Clothes steaming.

Shadows dying.

Writin', Leapin' and Treckin'

Hi guys! I haven't been doing any bloggin' recently, owing largely to the fact that I have been spending 7 hours a day on an actual writing project. After a day staring googily-eyed at the screen, the last thing one wants to do is write about the experience. : )

Neen and I watched the last episode of Quantum Leap tonight. She has been hugely enjoying the recently borrowed box-set, however I get the distinct feeling she was annoyed, if not a smidge dispirited by the ending. I personally liked the episode, but I understand her disappointed. Neen has been waiting years to find out how Sam's journey ends. Since childhood in fact. In her mind the perfect ending was already written, nothing the show's writers came up with could never have satisfied everyone. Luckily a new movie is being penned by original series scribe Don Bellisario. At least that's something to look forward to. While the original cast members Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell will not reprise their respective roles, they will take part in the production in some facet or another.

Coincidentally I too am nearing the end of a box set. I have been watching All 7 series of Star Trek the Next Generation since last May. I am nearing the end at all all to hasty pace. Only a couple of episodes left...'heavy sigh'! Luckily I have the first 3 series of Star Trek Deep Space 9 (which I have never seen) to move on to so the sense of loss and abandon will be short lived.

Listening to...Ace of Base