Gone to America

Saturday 27th 2007f January 2007

A Note From Thomas

, posted by Anthony in the late morning.

So, here finally is Thomas’ guest entry. Three months later! To be fair he did send it to me last week and I’m just getting around to putting it up now. And I’m really in no position to give out about irregular posting.

My attempt to buy an apartment in Brooklyn is lurching from disaster to disaster. Hopefully it’ll all be over soon, one way or the other. When it’s finally done I’ll post the whole sorry tale. It’s lengthy and tedious.

And now, without further ado – Thomas!

My first trip to New York and my first trip outside of Europe for that matter took place at the start of October, from the 1st to the 10th. I remember the excitement and anticipation that I felt on the way over. Then it happened – I arrived in JFK. Luckily I did a little research on the taxi situation in JFK and was fully aware that I was been ripped of when the first person that approached me regarding a taxi quoted $70 to take me to Manhattan. After about 15mins we I finally came to a more reasonable fee $40 between me and Cathal my partner who joined me on the trip. Then we where on our way off to Anthony to catch up with all the news over the last year and to get advice and the low-down on the most hip spots in the city that never sleeps.

Immediately like many people I felt at home in New York. Like I had arrived in a city with energy and life ( it reminded me of my other favourite city Berlin). I liked the people to. Although sometimes abrupt I never found them rude and for the most part I found them interesting and charming. The trip for me was all about broadening my horizons and the opportunity to catch the world famous Metropolitan opera was great for me even thought the opera “La Giaconda” wasn’t my favourite piece. However I loved a trip to the New York city opera as well as two concerts in the Lincoln centre as well (maybe you have gathered I am a music buff at this stage).

As well as meeting up with Anthony I also got the opportunity to meet up with my partners brother (also called Anthony so rather confusing) so I had lots of good advice on places to go and visit. The trip as well as involving concert going involved the usual touristy things like visiting Staten Island and the empire state building not to mention shopping.

Perhaps the most eerie experience was visiting ground zero. As someone who never saw the twin towers I felt that perhaps I couldn’t fully appreciate the full devastation of what had happened but nevertheless the huge bunker that was in such a built up area was strange. Also the fact that so many people lost there lives and were resting there even now was strange. Over all I found the trip to be an amazing experience and defiantly one that I will have to repeat. The opportunity to enjoy and amazing steak dinner with amazing creamed spinach in Smith & Wollensky’s is worth the trip alone.

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Comment ID: 44158
At 10:50 am on Tuesday 30th 2007f January 2007, Mr. Sparky's Da was inspired to add

Has anyone ever watched a movie that they once thought cool and then seen it again and thought it’s a bag of piss?

I saw Gangs of New York recently on the telly. I have seen it twice in the flicks and thought it was excellent – initially… but now, having seen it again, I honestly think its mediocre. Boring. A little cheesey. And De Caprio and Diaz are shite!!!!!!!
So there now!
Comment ID: 45136
At 12:23 pm on Sunday 04th 2007f February 2007, Ivan announced

I always felt that way jimi. Di (boy who looks like a girl unless he has dodgy facial hair) Caprio redeems himself in the departed quite remarkably, marky markably actuabably.
Comment ID: 45341
At 2:50 pm on Monday 05th 2007f February 2007, Eleanor wanted everyone to know

Happy Birthday! and Hi Mum and Dad, Aoife is rolling onto her side and drank from a cup. More milk went on her then in her mouth, but she seemed to enjoy the experience.
Comment ID: 45575
At 6:07 pm on Tuesday 06th 2007f February 2007, Ivan decided it was worth pointing out

re. children of men comment previous post, I concurr, awesome is the correct adjective.
Comment ID: 45681
At 9:02 am on Wednesday 07th 2007f February 2007, Mr. Sparky's Da imparted

I sometimes pour milk all over myself and roll around and i concur it really is truely enjoyable…. word of warning though: make sure the milk has first reached room temperature, as straight-from-the-fridge-milk can cause unwelcome spams.
Comment ID: 45683
At 9:05 am on Wednesday 07th 2007f February 2007, Mr. Sparky's Da blurted

PS Anthony, My Rockstar jacket looks great. Although I must admit i wear it with a leather jacket to give it a more meaner, less gayer-mork-and-mindy-kind-of vibe.

I thankyou.

Hope you’re well..

and the family too..

Mr. Sparky says hi to Maggy by the way.

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Sunday 07th 2007f January 2007

Happy New 2007!

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, posted by Anthony in the early evening.

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I need to get something off my chest. I haven’t been going to many movies lately, so I decided that I should make more of an effort. This morning I got up with the intention of going to see one of the movies out at the moment that looked interesting: Children of Men and Pan’s Labyrinth. I saw that Children of Men was playing early at the AMC near Lincoln Center -11:20am for $6 – so I went for that. It’s awesome. As I was leaving the theatre and heading for the exit I happened to glance at the screen opposite – Pan’s Labyrinth, 1:35pm. I checked my watch – 1:25pm. There were no ushers about. I could just walk straight in. So I did. It is also awesome.

And now I feel bad. I’ve never done this kind of double dip thing before, although I know some people who make a habit of it. I did buy a ticket to another film and then sneak into Goodfellas, but that was strictly out of necessity – I was too young to see it. It’s the cinema’s fault, right? By only checking tickets at the front aren’t they tacitly just sellng you a day pass to the whole screening area? It’s not my fault that this weekend’s receipts for Pan’s Labyrinth will give an inaccurate picture of how many people actually saw the film. Hey, maybe somebody else bought two tickets by mistake, right?

I think I’m just going to have to buy the DVD when it comes out. And shoplift Children of Men.

As usual I stayed with my parents when I headed back to Dublin for Christmas. As unusual they didn’t actually have a place of their own to put me up in. Work on their new house has been going – how shall I put it – backwards, so they’ve been living in a rented apartment for the past couple of months. The apartment next door was vacant so the landlady let them have it for me, my sister, her husband and her baby, which was very generous of her. So I got to meet my niece. She seemed kind of indifferent, but I’m pretty sure she preferred the teddy bear I got her to all her other teddy bears. I could just tell.

Eleanor, Jim and Aoife were only over for a couple of days for my Dad’s 60th birthday on the 28th. There was a big buffet lunch in a room in the Radisson Hotel in Stillorgan which was very pleasant. There was a lot of family there, as my Dad is a twin and so it was also my aunt Stephanie’s birthday, although I hasten to point out that she’s nowhere near 60 yet. When they went back to Newcastle they took my parents with them, and my grandmother. Bereft of immediate family I took myself off down to Galway for New Years. Daragh drove me down and we stayed with James, both coincidentally prime commenters here (you may know James as JIMI, M.A Hons – yes, that troublemaker).

I managed to catch up with a fair number of friends this time around, including a couple I hadn’t seem for a number of years, but I felt constantly behind the curve. There were a lot of people I would have liked to have touched base with but didn’t – I guess I could have stayed in Dublin for those extra days rather than head down to Galway, but I would have missed out on people that way too. I made the mistake of going to bed as soon as I arrived at 6am the first morning for too long and the jetlag stayed with me for an unreasonably long time. I had to keep myself to a schedule to fit in as many people as I could and it really started to grate on me – always looking at my watch, limiting the amount I drank so I could be reasonably sober for the next person or get up the next morning. By the end I was grumpy and drained.

All I really want for my next vacation is to go somewhere I haven’t been before and do very little. But I only get ten days holiday a year… Maybe I just won’t go to Dublin for Christmas next year and use them somewhere else.

Things that happened that I didn’t blog about: Christmas Day, presents, getting thrown out of a restaurant, small DLCAD reunion, New Year’s Eve in Galway, the frightening night life in Moycullen, the surprising quality of the Chris Tarrant Who Wants to be a Millionaire DVD game, almost blowing a surprise party, meeting an old schoolmate on the plane back, my new PS3.

Things on the new apartment front are moving slowly. We have a problem with the contract, which I hope can be resolved in the next week. I really don’t want to start looking again. While I was away the building two doors down from me partially collapsed killing somebody inside. I walk past that building every time I leave my apartment.

Happy New Year, everybody!

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