If you’re curious about number five then check out Your mom knows kung fuu. It’s really good news!
Tag Archives: Donncha
5 Things You Didn’t Know About Me
Collin tagged me as did Toni to reveal five things you didn’t know about me. Frank left a comment here ages ago asking something similar so it’s about time to dish up the dirt on me!
- I’m slightly alergic to dairy products. So are most people. If your head is all stuffy and it feels like you have a cold, all year long, then you might be too. Especially after eating Black Forest Gateaux, or another rich creamy dessert the previous night! It started in my early twenties, and it wasn’t until I met my wife a few years ago that she recognised the symptoms.
- It’s true that you’ll notice cars you’ve owned before, and I take special care to look at the reg plate of any Green Toyota Yaris that passes. I spotted the one I owned around town a few times and when bored in traffic I’ll add up the numbers on the registration plate of the car in front of me. For example; 06 C 253. 2+3=5.
- My mother was a school teacher and I wanted to become a teacher but thankfully I was five points short (about one grade too low) to do that course in college.
- I worked 4 days in a pub, several August months in a school bookshop, and a summer as a porter in a hospital operating theatre. (and recognised people years later when I went back for an operation!) I like Scrubs.
- 2006 has been a wonderful year, but 2007 is going to be even more special. I’m going to leave no.5 for a little while longer.
Pass it on: Mark Matt, Donal, Ryan, Screaming Lady and Haydn.
Is your Macbook spying on you?
I’m typing away here, working on some bugs, fixing them, not creating them! I sit back thinking about one bug in particular and I look up and see that black square above the screen and I wonder, “Is anyone looking at me?”
If you are spying, here’s me! Hello World!
Post your spy shots and tag them spybook!
What’s my name?
Gather around, let’s all say it together.. it’s Donncha, not Donna, never have been a Donna, never will be. It’s weird how people reply to my mails or comment on something privately, saying, “Hi Donna” when there’s no mention of such a person on this site or any other I run, well, apart from this post of course.
How do you pronounce Donncha? If you’re an English speaker, it sounds like “dunaka”, not dunka, or donsha or bert or ernie. Err. Not sure how that will sound in other languages but there ya go. Best I can do for the time being.
For future reference, here’s a pic of me with Podz and Andy taken in San Francisco a few weeks back. I’m in front holding the camera with the insanely wide lens. If you see me on the street with my 20D just say hi. I won’t bite (much).
Our Family Cat, Puss
You know, we never named our cat. I like to think it’s because cats are always half wild and you’re never sure what they’ll do. That’s certainly true for Puss. One moment you’re rubbing her soft fur, or scratching behind her ear, she’s purring and you’re relaxed. The next moment she has her claws into your wrist and her jaws are going for the flesh between your thumb and first finger.. ah.
Come to think of it, that pain doesn’t compare to the time she got caught up a tree in a gale. Yours truely had to go up fetch her down. As I dropped her down to my brother on the ground she did not want to let go of my hand at all!
She was a damn lucky cat too. While holidaying with my aunt, my brother and sister found her in Co. Cork up the side of mountain trail. She was meowing and thin and looking for food. For some reason they took her the many miles home to Cork. In the late Summer of 1989 we didn’t have a pet, never had one, and weren’t going to have one. However despite that, it was clear from the start that she adopted us.
“I want food!” “Give me attention!” “Go away, I’m tired!”
Such is the life of a cat.
Did I say she was lucky? She’s had her scrapes. On St. Stephen’s Day (Boxing Day) 1990 she jumped out of her box late at night. Unfortunately there was a fishing hook hanging down from the shelf above. She got caught in it and raced up the garden in great pain. When I heard the commotion, the meowing and the crying, I raced outside in pijamas, picked her up and cradled her as I took her indoors. The hook had lodged in her belly and her paw had stuck in the briars at the other end of the hook. I cradled her for what seemed like ages while my father rang a vet. I’m not sure at this stage did he call out to us, or did we call to his surgery, but he sorted her out. We continued to bring both Spring and Puss to the same vet for the last 14 years.
I rang home last Saturday to hear bad news. Unfortunately, Puss hadn’t been too well of late, she wasn’t eating, and was very lethargic. When I left for Chicago I guessed there might not be too much time left for her. I was right.
She was put to sleep last Wednesday. It must have been very hard on my father and brother to bring her to the vet, but it was the only humane thing to do.
Cats are known to be solitary creatures, they like their own company and shy away from human contact. Maybe that’s true in the wild, but I wouldn’t believe it for a moment when it comes to domesticated cats. Puss was part of the family, as was Spring.
Tooth Ache
Some Thoughts:
- When you have a tooth ache everything else takes second place.
- Oh, and the tooth ache always happens on a bank holiday weekend, to ensure maximum pain, and remind you to go to the bloody dentist more often!
- Vodka, rubbed onto the infected gum/teeth is a god-send for pain relief. It lasts almost 3 hours and it’ll let you get some measure of rest at night.
- Have an understanding partner who’ll take care of you and fuss over you.
- Brush, floss and see your dentist more often.
- Brush, floss and see your dentist more often.
- Brush, floss and see your dentist more often.
- Brush, floss and see your dentist more often.
I’ll probably have to get a root-canal next week, the tooth is dead so hopefully it won’t be too sore. (I’m not too hopeful though..)
Spring, 1989-2003
It's strange. Something's amis …
It’s strange. Something’s amiss. I come in the front door and there’s no scuffling sound from the front room. No sound of padded feet hitting the carpet off the sofa. No sight through the distorted glass door of the fuzzy white/brown shape lying on the kitchen floor. Nothing to step over when I want to sit down at the kitchen table. Nothing lying under there asleep. Better be careful opening the door, bet she’s sleeping there.
It’s strange. I get my breakfast cereal and almost say, “Good girl Spring, we’ll go for a W-A-L-K in a minute”. She dosn’t know how to spell you see. A part of my brain says that, yeah, Spring would like the scraps of my dinner. She likes fish. My brain says, “look around, she’s there somewhere!”
It’s strange. What a sh*t day at work. I’m wrecked. I just want to veg. I don’t want to talk to anyone. “Hi Spring! Waiting for me at the front door are you?”
She’s the only dog I know who’d give both you paws. I trained her many years ago in our kitchen using raisons. “Sit Spring! Sit! Good girl! Now, give me the paw. Good girl. Give me the other paw. You’re a greeaaat girl!”
Walkies!
Goodbye friend.
I'm at home today so posting w …
I’m at home today so posting will be light. Spring will be put to sleep later.
Walkies! That's a word likely …
Walkies! That’s a word likely to get many dogs running around in circles excited at the prospect of a walk. My dog Spring is the same.
Last week we took Spring to the vet because she hasn’t been eating well. After a blood test was taken it turns out she has some kidney damage and well, she’s growing old. She’s a 13 1/2 year old Springer Spaniel.
The vet gave her several injections and she’s feelng much better now, and she’s on a special diet low in protein, and high in phosphorous (I think). It all helps, but time is ticking away and we’ll have to make a hard decision in a few months time.
This afternoon I took her out for a walk down to the Atlantic Pond here in Blackrock. She had a great time! I snapped plenty of photos, and even used the movie function of my camera to capture a few moments of her showing a stick who’s the boss. Up until today I never used the movie function much, but I’m glad it’s there now!
Anyway, that was a completely non-techie and non-current-affairs update from me this time. I’ll likely post some photographs in a few days.. I snapped a few nice ones.