Cool Runnings

First of all, apologies for deleting the blog with all of your comments about the Brady Bunch. I do sympathize with those unfortunate students who are at the coalface as the changes are implemented, alas this must be a necessary evil. Modularisation is the way forward methinks. At any route, as Stephen pointed out, there can be very little wrong with undergraduate medical students being allowed to take a course in sociology. It might, for example, broaden their...nah, fuck it, I won't go there! However, it is nice to see that debate on this topic can be civil; the academic divas are behaving like children, so it's nice to see the children behaving with dignity.

Anyways, I've started running. Those who have known me in any context over the last few years will be picking themselves up off the floor as they read this, because my lifestyle has, at times, been perhaps less than prudent.(And the award for greatest understatement since mata harney said the health service 'had its problems' goes to...). Over-indulgence was the byword for as long as I can remember and this came to a head with my joining a folk band in November 2004. New depths of notoriety and wicked decadence were plumbed as we embarked upon a journey that can only be described as hallucinogenic. Fun but hallucinogenic. Collapsing after a gig in April forced me to consider my options; Carry on and die, or get my shit together. I opted for the latter.

So out went the heavy intake of everything - well, except booze, but even that has been curbed to some extent- and I'm now off the fags for nearly seven months. Two months ago I headed off on a run around Dingle in Kerry and I haven't looked back. Today I ran for five miles for the first time. Apart from the searing pain in my right leg, I've never felt better.

The point of all this is that, while harping on about the dire state of our national psyche for as long as I remember, it has only dawned on me recently that I was, perhaps, one of the most ardent proponents of the fuck yourself up now, think later philosophy that pervades Ireland, and perhaps the world, today. I think we all do it. I think we all stroke our chins and talk about the booze culture, and the sadness inherent in this crazy spiral of consumerism and mass gluttony we've got caught up in, without ever stopping to ask ourselves, are we adding to, or subtracting from, the problem?

This isn't a Road to Damascus moment, and I'm not trying to play the 'I've seen the light, My life is perfect now' card. I don't believe in any of that. What I am saying is that life is more interesting when you're taking care of yourself. We all strain to find some niche of individualism that we can inhabit, in order to make our existence worthwhile. If you ask me - and yes, I'm aware that no-one has! - try this for individuality...Don't spend your life fucking yourself up!!

What got me thinking about this is the advent of a new book on Irish shelves, as of last week, Declan Lynch's The Rooms. Any of you that are not familiar with his work, especially if you have any sort of passing interest in where were at as a society, are sorely missing out. I buy the Sunday Independent every week. I'm not proud of it. In fact, I hate the paper with a passion I usually reserve for taxi drivers and McFly. But I buy it. Because Declan writes for it. And the man is a genius. Check him out. The book, incidentally is about recovering from alcoholism. I haven't read it yet, but if I know Declan, I know it'll be as profound as it is funny.

Finally, have been listening this week to a CD an old flatmate gave me, The Best of the Last Word wit Bill Cullin. I'm wondering are there any fans of this comic work of art out there? For the uninitiated, Renault boss Bill Cullen, of Penny Apples fame, was subjected to the most riotous parody by Tom Dunne and Stuart Carolan for about a year on The Last Word on Today FM while the Dunph was still in the hot seat. I will gladly burn this collection for anyone who is interested, as it is the funniest take-off EVER. I hope I'm not alone.

I'll leave you with a really, really bad joke that cracked me up when I heard it last weekend. Later Dudes

Two Protestant Ducks are walking anxiously down the Falls Road after dark.
One of the Ducks says 'Quack.'
The other responds,'I'm goin as quack as I can.'

Easily the worst joke I've ever heard. I nearly died laughing