NiallOK’s Blog

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I’m not one of those bloggers who writes every day whether he has something to say or not. I don’t compile lists of links to interesting sites (well, not any more) and I don’t tell people how to live their lives so I guess I’ve got less to say than some people do.

Also, I don’t dedicate as much time to the creative process of writing or graphic design as some people seem to do (and they’re bloody good at it), so I guess I only say something when I have something to say (and mostly not even that often)… which makes this post look a bit strange, I guess… as I’ve very little to talk about.

Life is gone a bit quiet for me at the moment. I’ve a new toy to play with (better get a few more gigs now) and I’m working away as a bar manager in a bar only 2 or 3 hundred yards from home (how handy is that?) and saving to go back to college. Still hoping some commercial radio station gives me the call in the meantime of course!

I guess I’ve lost most of whatever independence I had as since moving out of Dundalk (when my ex-fiancèe dumped me). I’ve been living with my family back in Dublin, mooching off their broadband, zoning out, drinking lots of beer (half considered doing what this guy is doing, but then thought again…), watching lots of telly, - working hard though and trying to get back on my feet financially - but, assuming I do go back to college, it looks like I’ll be living with them for some time yet,- probably for another year at least.

It’s just as well that they’re a great bunch of folks.

Anyway, as I’ve little or no more to say, here’s Soundgarden with their song “Nothing to Say”. Peace out, or something.

As reported on RTÉ News, it’s the end of the road for (unaccompanied) unlicensed drivers as it’s now illegal (as of midnight, Monday night) to drive on your own unless you’re fully licensed - and damn right too.

That’s not to say that Irish people won’t moan about this - sure where would we be if we didn’t have something to moan about?
(… Jersey?) One common excuse is bound to be the old “we didn’t get enough warning” chestnut which, I’m afraid, is bollocks. The longest driving test back-log that I’ve heard of was 6-8 weeks (it’s come down a LOT recently) and this new law was announced over 6 months ago, so the truth behind that excuse was being too forgetful or lazy to bother applying for the test not not having enough time !

As I said last October, I’m glad I have my full license myself. I felt sorry for learner drivers back then, but that was because it seemed as if the laws were going to be introduced very quickly and not in fact many months later. I don’t feel sorry for them now as they’ve had a more than adequate chance to sort themselves out with a test.

We’ve always had one of the most lax “ah sure it’s grand” style attitudes towards learner driver laws in the world. As I said in a recent TV interview, it’s always been a case of “just send away for the piece of paper, it arrives in the post and out you go on the road”. This law plugs a gap that has been open for far too long. I’m sure it’ll reduce the number of cars on the roads (better for the environment!) and will annoy a lot of people - well, unlicensed drivers (who have no excuse anyway…) but as long as it helps reduce the level of carnage, it’s worth it.

In related news, I’m closing ShiteDrivers.com. The domain name is due to expire on July 18th and unless someone takes it off my hands well before that, that’s the end of it.

By all means, draw your own conclusions, - but it would seem to me that Jim Corr, guitarist with Dundalk based band “The Corrs”, has far too much time, money and Internet access on his hands.

In a radio interview on Today FM’s “The Last Word” yesterday, he went on a well rehearsed rant about the Lisbon Treaty and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Apparently, he got on the air thanks to his buddy Tony Fenton (pictured with him here).

During his rant, he claimed that:

The Bush administration, with the help of the intelligence community - the CIA, etc., carried out the atrocities in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania

Explosives were planted in the WTC towers in order to ensure that they “collapsed neatly into their own footprint”

Rudolph Guiliani, then mayor of New York, covered it up by shipping evidence (including steel from the towers) abroad

None of the hi-jackers were actually on the airline passenger manifests and at least eight are still alive and free today

We are headed towards a “new world order” culminating in a single world government which he said would be a “scientific dictatorship” - starting with Mexico, Canada and the US merging (and using one currency, the “Amero“) - and those later merging with Europe and Asia.

It all smacks quite clearly of some very well known conspiracy theories which have been circulating on the Internet for the past 6 years (including one in a Google Video which he referenced) - most of which a lot of us have heard (and laughed at, in fairness) before and most if not all of which have been comprehensively debunked.

Oh!- and he also claimed, in a roundabout way, that the Lisbon Treaty will mean the eventual introduction of the death penalty in the E.U.

They’re also talking about this on boards.ie and Damien blogged about this earlier today (but the YouTube video he referenced doesn’t have the full interview)…

So here’s the full interview now:

Oh and Jim’s not alone either…! Won’t we all be kicking ourselves if 10 or 20 years down the line, he’s found out to have been correct all along? Ray D’Arcy said on air today that if that does happen, he’ll publicly apologise to Jim Corr for not believing him but added that he didn’t think at that stage anyone would care about the Louth man’s opinion.

Do we care now? Whatever about Jim’s “sensational” outburst - everyone should get themselves properly informed - there’s only two weeks left before the country goes to the polls in the Lisbon Treaty Referendum.

It’s been a week since I’ve blogged, and it’ll be a wee while before I get back into the “swing of things” properly again as I’m still finding my feet and getting used to my new temporary surroundings after my relationship/engagement broke up and I left Dundalk for Dublin. I don’t know if I’ll be travelling, I don’t know if I’ll be moving somewhere soon, I don’t really know what’s going to happen.

At the moment, I’ve a couple of possibilities I’m looking at - a couple of options I’m chasing - including a potentially dream-come-true job, which I’m obviously not going to go into detail on right now. Still - right now, I’m in a sort of limbo. Despite getting loads done, I’ve still been doing a lot of sitting around and watching a lot of TV (Scrubs… for example). This will change. I’ll spring into action… soon.

It’s strange to see all your “worldly possessions” crammed into one small space (my folks, who I’m staying with, have one of these - a barbecue house - out in the back garden - and it’s basically been emptied out and then filled with my stuff). I’d never realised just how much I had (4 car loads and 1 Transit van load of furniture, DJ gear, computers & equipment, clothes and other stuff) but neither had I realised just how small a space it would all squash into and just how much of it I’d be considering throwing out.

Life goes on. Blogging will resume as normal (apart from the “Crunchy Links” - can’t be arsed with them any more)… soon.

Happy Paddy’s Weekend to you all.