Sorry I'm Late

Ok, so we're sneaking up on a month now since I last posted anything, and I realise that in the blog-world this essentially means that I am de facto deceased and will have to rebuild by empire from scratch... and boy am I itchy!

I would love to be blogging lots, but to start with something of a pessimistic tone, I'm not sure there'll be very regular postings from me over the next little while as I have poor access to technology at present. But I'll cerainly try not to let it go over 3 weeks if I can help it. Ok?

So what did I promise you again? Yes, it was, "On marriage, on a new flat, on a fun job, on new piercings and miscellaneouos happenings."

Let's go then.

On marriage
Yes there was a big ol' marriage in my family and a mighty event it was. This was back on the 7th of May, and I was all dolled up in finery for the event as I was a groomsman. I was essentially there to fulfill a primarily aesthetic role as my responsibilities were few. As it was not my wedding, I'm not quite so inclined to go into it in any "she-wore-he-said-they-drank" kind of detail, I suppose the reason I thought I might give it a mention in this little forum was that it changed a long-standing opinion I had on the merits of a marriage ceremony.

I still wouldn't have any plans to be married in a Catholic (or any other Christian) Church, but I have developed a new-found respect and admiration for the institution of marriage (as they say). It's a very, significant and symbolic event and I think that inviting a whole heap of people from your best mates to your Aunty Nora, adds a weight to the occassion which allows it to swell to the Jabba the Hutt proportions that is only fitting (or rather bursting at the seams) for such an event.

Departing somewhat from the current metaphor, we all looked pretty darned attractive on the day which also seems to be a matter of great concern at such an event and I shudder to think of what the final bill for fitting out the family (particularly the women) was. Praise the Sweet Lord Jesus (fiuratively speaking) that I didn't have to pay it!

And staying on the financial aspect of things, it's a good job I'm likely to be another 6 or 7 years from marriage myself at least, as my parents won't have two pennies to rub together for quite some time. And nor will I for that matter, being the ne'er-do-well perpetual student that I am. But before I finally leave this little topic, let me advise anyone who has to go to a wedding in the future and is, like I was, not all that au fait with the requirements, I have for you the following advice: get a date. Any date. Buy one if you have to. "Where's the girlfriend James?" was a question I had grown tired of before it was even asked once, and it is the amount of times that I was asked this question that I will blame on the fact that I passed out on a plate of wedding cake (note the latter part of this story didn't actually happen - but seriously, you need a date or you won't hear the end of it).

On a New Flat
I'm now living in a duplex apartment with a very nice view of this place and right outside my door is the only surviving gate in the old city wall which dates to 1270 or so and looks like this. It's a really picturesque location in short and I can also see the liffey and the four courts from my balconies. It's a very comfortable place, plenty of room to have a few monkeys and friends over, and now that I have got a hoola-hoop, I can also treat any visitors to the place to a show. The show still needs a little work, I have to admit; I can't seem to hoola-hoop without doing a porn-face, and in the wrong outfit, it just doesn't work.

On a fun job
So I had 3 days between finishing my exams and starting my job, which is in Kilmainham Gaol, and involves me taking tours of between 40 and 55 people around an old prison where many irish nationalists and republicans were imprisoned and some executed. It also held poor Irish kraturs who were arrested for stealing and begging and murdering and stuff, about 4,000 of whom were ultimately sent to Australia and New Zealand, and a smaller number hung from the gallows.

I do enjoy the work but had a tough first week as I had a man collapse on my tour when I had a claustrophobic on the tour to take care of and the batteries in my walkie-talkie had died. I also had an incident with a woman walking onto a grated walkway with stiletto heels with predictible results, but thankfully she wasn't hurt. In general it's also a bit stressful trying to remember all the history and to deal with it eloquently, succinctly and accurately at a volume that is just shy of screaming and would perhaps be best described with a word like 'hollaring' or 'bellowing'.

On New Piercings
Don't have any yet, but will probably get the top of me ear done when the pay-cheques start coming.

Miscellaneous Happenings
Come now, surely surely surely this blog is long enough without going and asking me to talk about miscellaneous happenings as well isn't it? No? Well, I'll tell yis what, here's what Buckley didn't particularly enjoy in May: exams, and here's what Buckley is particularly looking forward to in the month of June: M. Ward Concert on tuesday, and the Corpus Christi College Ball in Cambridge on the 24th.

Apart from that it's all work drink work