Dumps

I'd rise early most mornings. An old habit from my working days. This morning I made a visit to the bathroom and above my head, peering in from a skylight was a depressing sight. Bare branches, a window speckled with rain and a sky taken from some visual obituary to doom. I soon found myself back beneath the covers and didn't stir again until eleven. Unemployment affords you such luxuries some days.

Days seem endless at the moment. Yet, when one looks for the time of year, it amazes how quick that other deviant of time, the month, seems to be whittling away. We are only a day and a bit away from fooling everyone once again. I wonder do Hallmark do a card for that? I spent the afternoon checking on some Volunteer opportunities that may make the house and I part for at least a few hours a week. I then started on another draft of my novella, Cripple, an old screenplay I've re-written. I'll put it out in the Summer sometime.

It's hard to find the good news these days for some reason. The TV doesn't seem to be in that business any longer. Maybe that comes with recession and a feeling that there is no-way-out.

On the national front, the debate into Michael Lowry will end tomorrow with a motion to censure him to be carried without a vote asking him to resign of his own accord. Lowry is not going to do that, so another few days wasted in Dáil Eireann. The former tax-evader will hang his head high and promises that by the time he is done, he will lay the Moriarty Tribunal as 'a scandal of truly epic proportions.' If Lowry doesn't manage that, he should be jailed for arrogance alone. But alas, their is no law against that. Neck, I think they call it.

I like the way Enda Kenny has handled himself in his first few weeks in office. That is despite the claims of his party receiving political donations from Denis O'Brien. I think all political parties are guilty to receiving payments of this kind so its hard to single them out. The continuing bombardment on that front from Michael Martin is laughable. His time would be better spent rebuilding his own ranks on more credible grounds. They certainly will never be regarded as many people's saviour again.

With the new Dáil barely reconvened its been an interesting start to say the least. The most notable thing for me is watching the proceedings in a half empty chamber. It's good to see TD's getting back into the swing of things so early in their tenure. It's also a more casual affair in the fashion stakes. I never have a problem with that, Mick Wallace is certainly the loudest and who knows, may cash in as a catwalk model somewhere down the line. Other members have also decided the noose that is the necktie just doesn't cut it anymore. It's the person in the suit that always spoke to me. Never the suit.
I've been impressed with Gerry Adams start, despite his suit colour, which is a little out of time I felt. I was glad to see him later today with his jacket off and sleeves rolled up. That's the way to do business I believe. He may make a more credible opposition leader in the long term if Fianna Fail don't get off their ethical trip. They must think Irish people have short term memories. Maybe we do, but never that short Michael.

Ireland's latest distress will be felt tomorrow with the publication of the results of the bank stress tests. What should be clear, after the 'shock' will be that Ireland's debt burden is unmanageable. The vultures are still circling Lisbon and the Euro is in deep trouble. There's talk of pulling more zero's from the sky to create a bigger bailout fund for troubled states. Here's one for them? Why don't you's all go home to your own countries and we'll go back to what we were before they implemented the second Lisbon Treaty against the will of the entire European population. The Irish had them dancing in the streets when we told Lisbon 1 to feck off, only to be feared into accepting it the second time round causing the dancing to cease and the protesting to start. Ever feel the world needs a new model to work from.

'A New World Order,' the reptile said, displaying a weird sign with his three-fingered claw.
'I didn't know lizards could talk,' Citizen Zero said.
'Only if they're Bushes.'

Yeah I know. Crap! Sci-fi was never my thing. But the dark worlds of Huxley and Orwell, and other notable practitioners in the creation of futuristic draconian worlds, feels sometimes like they may have more truth in them than humankind would like to believe.
And yet, behind all the bad news, we still find things to laugh at and amuse ourselves with. If you are a writer who doesn't like negative reviews, well here's a thread to read over on how NOT to conduct yourself online. As one poster said, Charlie Sheen Syndrome. I wish they'd leave Charlie alone. Wait until he starts talking. You won't find entertainment like it. Not even in Ireland.

Right, I better be off to prepare myself for tomorrows stress test results. See how much more debt me and everyone else are burdened with so we can bailout and spare the those who gambled away many futures and I'm sure lives. Sickening situation, however you look at it.
It wouldn't be so bad if they'd help you get yourself into a position to start contributing in the pay back. But when they don't, you really have to begin to wonder.

I think I'll finish my day the same way as i started it. I'm sure the view is better at this time of night. I may even have a little sit down. Bring the old laptop with me and write about the thing that's in my head at that very moment for the duration. Date them, write them over a year and publish the best of them in a book called 'Down In The Dumps.'

Might be a bestseller!