The Friday Album Cover #20

I was sure album cover #19 wouldn't last too long and with the benefit of hindsight I think it's fair to say, I may have been misguided in that particular belief.

So, confidence shattered and stuck for time, this week's cover is simple and (possibly more importantly) world famous. A real early bird's one!

Cue sheepworrier in 5...4...3...2...1...

The Friday Album Cover #19 (Side B)

No takers on Fridays effort then?

It was meant to be 0898 Beautiful South by The Beautiful South (who split in 2007 citing"musical similarities").

Here is the original:


I thought it was a pretty decent likeness myself.

The wind was sighing, and the day was dying

At lunchtime on Saturday, while walking along the banks of the canal near Mountjoy Prison , I looked up and was surprised to see three normally nocturnal birds perched in the branches of a nearby tree.

One sat near the top of the tree while the remaining two were on branches lower down.

The owl triangle!

The Friday Album Cover #19

It has been a good week.

The new albums from Duke Special and Ben Folds have been purchased, listened to and thoroughly enjoyed.

I did a gig last night and managed to fill 15 minutes without using any material - and it was good too (which caught me by surprise). Of course, it helps when the guy from the anti-litter ad (the boys and the girls in the fashion parade) and a woman who works in Arnotts lingerie department are in the crowd. Sometimes it all falls right into your lap.

The only downside was my complete un-preparednesses of this weeks album cover which comes from the early 90's. If the face in last weeks obfuscated matters then the outlook is bleak.

And now, on with the show....

Vitamin V is good for me.

I have just received what may be the funniest spam e-mail I have ever had the privilege to read.

Menthol Viagra - fresh breath and fresh impressions!

I'd love to see the television ad for that!

A sprightly looking pensioner, dressed casually in chinos and a blue cotton shirt, walks into his kitchen carrying 2 empty wine glasses. As he does so, he looks back over his shoulder and calls "more wine dear?".

An unseen female companion replies seductively - "oh yes please!"

While pouring the wine he addresses the camera:

"You know, they say life begins at 40 but its hard to maintain that Joie de vivre when Mother Nature won't let you enjoy the.... finer things in life to the extent to which you are accustomed . Regular Viagra helped with some things but my chronic halitosis was another problem entirely. Then I found these...."

He picks up a bottle of the tablets, displaying them to the camera before giving the contents a rattle saying...

"Menthol Viagra.... it has all the magic of regular Viagra...AND it freshen's my breath. Not only that, but I save on my monthly prescription costs as I don't need to buy mouthwash to treat my halitosis"

Making his way back to his companion he pauses before entering the room and says "Menthol Viagra - fresh breath..."

He pauses to give a conspiratorial nod and wink before resuming with a slight inflection in tone.

".... and fresh impressions."

He smiles and we see a twinkle (complete with customary ding sound effect) from his sparkling white teeth.

Some days have bouncers and won't let you in

Negotiating Dublin's rush hour on two wheels can be a tricky ordeal at the best of times. Your time is spent, constantly on edge, wondering is she too busy putting on make up to see me, does he look like he's about to change lanes without looking or will I fit through that gap (and if I won't does he look like somebody who would be upset if I took his wing mirror with me)?

When filtering through traffic in this manner, what I like to call "catching a bee-baw"^* is probably the finest thing that can happen. Essentially this is when some vehicle with blue flashing lights and a screeching siren zooms past, allowing you to travel unfettered in its wake as other cars, trucks and buses part like the Red Sea before it.

Of course, things don't always work out as planned - for example, a bee-baw can break read lights while I, as a rule, don't like to.

Or, you could decide to sit in behind a convoy of garda motorbikes, army land rovers and a Paddy Wagon transporting John Gilligan from Portlaoise to Dublin for a court hearing. (It would appear gardaí suffer from severe paranoia when a man on a black motorcycle, dressed all in black with a dark visor on his black crash helmet suddenly begins following their little convoy - but that's a story for another day).

There there are the days, like this morning, when you find yourself behind a garda biker in no particular hurry to get anywhere. On such occasions, the man on the bike with the blue light becomes the world's ultimate authority on where that fine line between filtering legally and riding recklessly lies.

There were 6 of us, tootling along behind him like the best behaved bikers the world has ever known.

It felt like the journey in took a month!



^* In all likelihood nobody else has or will ever call it this.

It's a kind of magic!

My mastery of mathematics ain't what it used to be.

The revocation of automatic medical cards for over 70's in the budget speech was implemented in order to save €100 million.

Following the subsequent (and apparently completely unexpected) public outcry, the weekly income limit for eligibility was increased to €240 per week for a single person. This may have been a panic measure but it certainly wasn't a U-turn as it was in keeping strictly within the parameters outlined in the budget.

Today, in another non U-turn (no... really!), Brian Cowen announced that the income limit for a single person is to be increased to €700 per week. In addition, the government will enter into negotiations with the IMO for a reduction in the fees received by GPs who treat over 70's medical card holders. All of this, according to this morning's statement, will ensure the "savings required by the budgetary framework" are maintained.

So, 95% of over 70's will be entitled to automatic medical cards and some future negotiations may see some reduction in the fees paid to GPs, yet they can claim this non-U-turn is budget neutral (i.e. it will still save €100 million).

Mathemagicians!