Chatting in the East Village

No time to write so some more photos from my trip to NY. This is on the corner of 6th and A in the East Village (the best breakfast place in NY is the 7A on 7th and A). I used to live on 8th and B eighteen years ago, and I always try and take in breakfast at the 7A when I am in town. I was walking around the neighborhood, which has been cleaned up dramatically since I lived there, when I came across a little outdoor stage with a jazz band playing. The couple in the photograph were hanging out nearby.

Single speed bikes like this are the new toy for urban hipsters. Even in hilly San Francisco they are very common. Simple, sleek, light and elegant, almost maintenance free. In relatively flat NY they are the perfect commuter vehicle. Most often the rear gear is fixed, i.e you can't coast, no freewheel. This means the bikes often do not have brakes, or at most a front brake (in this case a rear brake). You slow down by slowing your pedaling. This takes a little time to fully master, but it makes for a very efficient pedaling stroke when you switch back to a freewheel bike. You have to be able to pedal around corners and downhill, when many on freewheel bikes would coast.

Not wearing a helmet seems to be the norm when riding a fixie. Helmets will never make you look cool, but I've witnessed many bike crashes where severe head trauma was avoided by wearing one, and seeing people ride on busy city streets without one makes me cringe.

Brooklyn From a Taxi

Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge

You can't but feel happy looking at this. At least I can't. It looks like crossing this bridge on a bike more regularly is in my future. More anon...

BTW I am getting pixelation when I upload photos - doesn't matter whether I use Flickr, or upload directly, I'd love to know how to fix it. There is no pixelation on the originals. It's driving me crazy, I've compared html with other photo blogs, especially those where they posted from Flickr and I cannot find any difference. Any ideas out there?

Need For Speed

This is my usual view of my mate C, whether we be on the flats or the hills.

My Uncle, The Maigue Poets, John Shinnors and the Hilton Hotel

When I was in Limerick a few weeks back, my father and I were walking over Sarsfield bridge to meet my mother for lunch in the new Hilton Hotel on O'Callaghan's Strand, when I wondered a loud what had happened to the painting. The Hilton was built on the site of the old Jury's Hotel and about twenty years ago my uncle Eamon (Eddie to his friends), was responsible for creating a Limerick-themed bar in the hotel - there was also a similar themed bar for the Cork and Dublin Jury's. Eamon had a career that veered from being an adviser to Ireland's Minister for Finance in the 60's, George Colley, to being broke and ill in the late 80's. The Jury's bar project was a kind of comeback, the fruit of a very active mind. The bar was themed around limericks - the rhyme. It is believed that this rhyming structure originated with the Maigue Poets in County Limerick in the 18th century. In fact, it's not far off the mark to say that the Maigue Poets were the original rappers as they would have public limerick roasting competitions pitting one poet against the other to see who come come up with the best rhyme.
As part of the project, my uncle commissioned the famous Limerick painter, John Shinnors, to paint a large scale painting of the poets competing. When he did this he used the faces of well known extant local Limerick characters for subjects in the painting.The main character, a poet with a piece of paper in his hand, from which he was reciting - was my uncle. He captured him perfectly, my uncle was fond of hold forth in his local hostiliery, and due to a hip replacement, would often lean back against the bar as depicted in the painting.

Anyhow, as we walked over the bridge, my dad said he didn't know what had happened to the painting, but mentioned that my aunt had seen it tossed carelessly aside when they began the demolition of the old hotel. I couldn't believe that such a great (and very large), painting could go missing, and just as we walked into the new hotel I turned around, and there it was, hanging in the foyer.

It was great to see it, and my dad was thrilled it was still there. My uncle lost a long battle with cancer a few years after the bar was complete. A larger than life painting is a nice way to remember a larger than life character.

Fishing in the Shannon

Used to occasionally fish here myself a long time ago. Never caught much, although if you know what you are doing apparently there are plenty of Trout and Salmon.

Manhattan

I've been traveling, hence zero time for blogging. I spent a very pleasant weekend in Manhattan, (followed by London and Ireland). Actually pleasant is probably not the right description of a weekend with an old college friend who was over from Ireland visiting his brother. Mildly debauched, actually on Saturday night it was quite debauched. It's been a long time since I was last up late enough to see the dawn. All in all it hit the right notes of drinking, eating, catching some music, sight seeing and shopping.

It was pissing rain while I was in the taxi from JFK, and the freeway was at a standstill. The driver decided to take local streets through Brooklyn to get to the East Village, where my mate was in a bar and had a pint with my name on it. It was the right decision, we made it from the airport in 40 minutes. I snapped this as we traversed the Williamsburg Bridge looking towards Midtown.

Luckily the weather eased off and was perfectly pleasant for the rest of the weekend.

A New Hope

Shootin' Pool

Tide Log

I took this just before Christmas, while we were out at Crissy Field taking a family photo for our Christmas card.

Bubble Monsters

Ski Boundary Area

Winter Birthday

This morning on the way to preschool, she hopped out of the car, stopped the first stranger she saw, and proudly proclaimed," My name is Maya, and I'm FOUR!" Not shy, our daughter. At all. I can't believe it's four years since we were shopping for a dining room table and I had to convince my wife that she was going into labor (she was really dead set on getting that table that day). I had to gently explain that despite her fervent wishes, our second baby was coming early. Tash, being experienced at this, said one thing when we got to the hospital: "Epidural. NOW!" My grasp of the written word is not sufficient to describe the look on her face when the doctor told her that the anesthesiologist was two floors down and things were too advanced, so the baby would be well on its way into this mortal coil by the time pain relief arrived. So, Maya said no to drugs and came happily into the world - and has remained that way since.

She's a clever little girl, but a space cadet. You can repeat yourself a million times, but if she's distracted, you might as well be an invisible mute. You could also grow old waiting for her to get dressed in the morning, and there are already mommy-daughter tussles over choice of clothing. Maya is quite happy to kick a soccer ball, or climb a tree, or beat up her younger brother, as long as she is wearing a dress, or skirt, in either pink or purple with matching tights and top. Her favorite item is a pair of pale pink Ugg boots my mother bought her. No matter the weather, the very idea of wearing pants is repugnant to her. And she will stand her ground on that matter. Her teenage years will be interesting. She already has to get the last word in.

My parents own a huge Alsatian (really huge), and he is like a little puppy around her. He took a total shine to her and is quite happy to follow her around. They make quite a pair.

Brandon Bay

I've been as sick as a dog the last few weeks. Sinus infection. After I got sick of sleeping, TV and reading, I began playing around with Photoshop, (as you do). This is a photo I took in Brandon, Co Kerry, this time last year, while home on vacation. I wanted to make it look like a painting, as I intend have a Giclee print made of it. I am pleased with it, but I am a Photoshop novice, so any Photoshop gurus out there, feel free to make any suggestions.

The Auld Town

Happy Christmas!

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Hope everyone out there has a good one!

Winter Fun

We are back on the East Coast, for Christmas, at my in-laws. To the kids delight there is snow on the ground, although a few days old and a little icy, but good enough for these Californian kids unused to such delights. Shane has to be dragged back into the house for meals, every waking moment is spent sledding down a small slope outside.

Limerick Bicycle

Limericks Eco-Christmas Tree

I wasn't long back before I had heard about Limerick's eco-Christmas tree. It sits slap bang in the middle of O'Connell St, Limericks main street. Thomond Park, Limericks hallowed rugby ground is undergoing some major construction to increase the amount of seating and amenities available, and the tree was constructed from scrap metal left over after demolishing the old seating. As you can see the LED lighting is powered by wind, (not in short supply this time of the year, you could barely stand straight last Saturday night).

I applaud the effort, and it is nice to see my home town leading by example. People seem rightfully proud of the idea. That said it's not the prettiest "tree". It's kinda unceremoniously plonked on the street, and I think some variation in the colour of the lighting would make it look better. But, like all good ideas it always takes a few iterations before the ideal is attained.

Michael Stipe

The Sundance TV channel has a program called Iconoclasts, where by their own description they pair visionaries and innovators, and have them discuss their motivations and methods.

I took this photo of the TV during the episode that paired Stipe and the chef Mario Batali (whom I had never heard of before). Personally I found Stipe the more interesting. He is genuinely quirky and odd ball, but likable, thoughtful and confident. However it was a bit jarring that this defender of the environment is seen driving around Manhatten in a Cadillac Escalade, and jetting off to a U2 concert in a private jet.

Web

I never got to see the spider, itwas hiding somewhere under the deck. Given the size of the web, I wasn't terribly keen on meeting it.

Bush Killed JFK

Halloween night. At first I thought he was a wacko, but then I realised he was handing out fliers for a poetry reading. Guerrilla marketing at its best. It was working, he got a lot of attention.

Not So Mellow Yellow

Some sort of emergency vehicle on the freeway leaving Tokyo. I just happened to be taking some shots out the window of the airport bus when it flew by. It went by so fast I didn't catch what kind of vehicle it was.

All You Need Is Love

This was taken through the "V" in this:

Signage

Shinjuko Train Station

Tommy Lee Jones

Like many American actors, it looks like he has been making a few extra shillings doing advertising in Japan.

Shrine Arch

This is the entrance to the Meiji Jingu shrine.

Tokyo

I am in Tokyo at the moment. To prove it, here is a picture (from my hotel room), of the Tokyo Municipal Government building, which is much more imposing than it is pretty. It's right outside my window. I have never been here before, so even though I have to work, it's been very interesting. The Japanese are extremely friendly, and to my surprise, despite its huge size, Tokyo is a pretty mellow city. Everyone seems to take their time and there are lots of people walking the streets and hanging out in the noodle shops and cafes - I was surprised, given their work culture is geared towards long hours. Surprised, too, are my Japanese colleagues when I told them I expected it to be more manic.

At lunch time today, one of my team members brought me to the Meiji Jingu Shinto shrine, which is near the office. It's a beautiful, peaceful place - you wouldn't believe that you are in the middle of a huge city, once inside the grounds. The temple is made of Japanese cyprus and then woodwork is stark, precise, and beautiful. Also, it seems like the Japanese gods like a good knees up, based on the size of the Sake offering below (one of several).

As luck would have it, some of the company brass were also in town yesterday, and I was asked to tag along to a dinner at the top of the Park Hyatt hotel. If you have seen the movie Lost In Translation, you might recognise the restaurant. The characters were staying in the hotel. One of the scenes has Bill Murray and Scarlett Johanssen drinking in the restaurant, with spectacular night time views of Tokyo as the back drop. I actually didn't cop on about the movie myself until someone mentioned it to me. The food was amazing and the conversation interesting, and despite having my camera in my bag, I never took any pictures of the view. Doh! It only dawned on me when I got back to my hotel.

Swan

The company I work for has a campus just outside London. While the main building is new, the grounds are those of a 15th century country mansion. The mansion is still standing and in perfect order, and there is a little river running nearby. The weather was beautiful, so I decided to forgo the shuttle from the hotel, and walk to work. The mile or so meander through the gardens around the house is a very nice way to start the day. This lone swan was preening in the river as I passed over.

Limerick Moon

I took this when I was back in Limerick a few weeks back. It was a gorgeous harvest moon hanging low over the city. Unfortunately I didn't have time to grab my gear and head outside to someplace where I would have been in a position to take a shot that included the moon and the city.

Birthday Boy

He's all of two today, our Cian. A rambunctious, boisterous, good hearted little boy, if ever there was one. Tash has taken to calling him Taz, after the Tasmanian Devil in the Bugs Bunny cartoons. In him, I may have found my little musician. He is obsessed with the guitar, and insists on being in the studio with me whenever I play. He will demand a pick, and strum one of the other guitars while I practice.
He has no awareness of his place in the sibling hierarchy. As far as he is concerned, even if he is the youngest, he is the King, and demands that respect be accorded him. His older brother and sister, who delight in his charm, are happy to play along...up to a point. There have been some older sister younger brother standoffs.

He had clonked his head while playing a few minutes before this photo was taken, hence the tears. He had been comforted before I took it, I'm not that cold hearted!

Kerry Sky

The vast skies of the American West are spectacular to see, but for my money, nothing beats the drama of the Dingle Peninsula. The light is constantly changing as the North Atlantic clouds mesh and break on the mountains. Blue skies quickly give way to temperamental storm clouds, and frequently, sunshine and storm coexist in the same patch of sky. I have taken hundreds of photos of the scene above, and no two are alike. The offshore wind sends rain-laden clouds over the Sliabh Mish mountain range, where the granite hills drag the watery bounty onto their steep slopes, filling the myriad mountain streams and lakes in the process. You can sit sunning yourself on the beaches of Brandon Bay while watching the rain falling on the mountains barely a half mile away.

The Rock

Yet another Alcatraz photo. The blog has turned into a photo blog lately. I'm too busy to write anything at the moment, what creative energy I have left at the end of the work day is going into recording some new songs. I've also been practicing the guitar quite a bit, I have to play some classical pieces, (and I am not a classical player), at an upcoming wedding, and rehearsals with yet another new bass player in our band are ongoing.

Window to San Francisco

While walking around Alcatraz, I noticed this little window with a picture postcard view of San Francisco. I couldn't help but wonder if this was put there to torture the inmates, or to give them some hope. It was unusual in that there were no other similar windows in the building, and it was at face level, which also seems out of place in a prison, and it was so small it didn't let in much light. It seems it's only purpose was to provide a view of the city.

There weren't just visual stimuli, apparently on a still clear night the inmates could actually hear the revelers in North Beach.

Indians Welcome

Jail Bird

Its been a busy few weeks. My brother has been in town for a prolonged visit before he goes back to college to do a Master's. His trip here coincided with one of my college friends arriving for a week. Natasha and the kids were still on the east coast, so a rip roaring rampage of rambunctious revelry was had. Imbibing, ingesting, and inhaling were indulged in. By that I mean we ate some amazing food, began drinking in the late afternoon everyday, and I reverted to the occasional cigarette. Both my brother and Richie smoke so...
I took the week off and we did a lot of touristy stuff, which I really enjoyed. It's been a while since I saw San Francisco through the eyes of a tourist. One of the highlights was a trip to Alcatraz, which I have visited twice before, but it never gets old. The park service really bring the prison alive. It's a sobering place: an awful prison with the best views of one of the world's most beautiful cities. That must have sucked. Big time. The weather was amazing, and despite some major camera problems (I got dust all over my camera sensor and fixing it involved some open heart surgery on my Canon 30D - this deserves a post all on its own), I got great photos. The Rock is a haven for birds, and this seagull obligingly posed for me.

Nectar

I was trawling through my photos when I came across this from a trip to Ireland last year.

One Toddler and the Ocean

It's not the same is it...

Manhattan seems so much smaller without the Twin Towers. It still throws me a little when I see it.

We spent the last 10 days on the East Coast. The first weekend at my brother-in-law's wedding in Connecticut, which was great fun, despite the incredible heat and humidity. My parents, one of the brothers, my sister and her husband were all invited, so after the wedding, we took the kids and the gang of us spent a week in a rented house in Spring Lake, a beautiful little town on the Jersey Shore. The kids had a blast. We spent most of our time on the beach, or in the water. Shane even learned to boogie board.

We headed back to Connecticut last weekend, and on Saturday we jumped on the train to Manhattan, and took the Circle Line cruise around New York harbor. In all my times in NY, I had never done this. In fact I am not sure I have ever seen the Statue of Liberty before, even from the shore!

The picture of the Staten Island ferry reminds me of a joke.

Apparently Staten Island was named by a Limerick man. He was working as a sailor on a Dutch ship exploring what would become Long Island sound. It was extremely foggy, and it was his turn on look out. Seeing an object appearing through the murk, he peered out into the distance and shouted back to his shipmates:

" 'stat an island?"

Knowledge of the Limerick accent makes this funnier.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for...

22nd St. Market

Uncle

This is Shane and Maya with my bro-in-law, Rahul. I love this photo. The kids have developed a sense of humor all their own, hence Shane's crossed eyes. He was cracking himself up, and despite my exhortations to desist, the second I would click, he would cross them again. This does, however, make a break from their standard scatological humor which consists of them saying "poop" "butt" or "fart" to each other over and over, and then laughing uproariously. They can do this for hours. The same night that I took this photo, I let Shane use my little digital camera. I heard some giggling from out in the hallway, and when I went to see what was going on, I found Maya with her pants around her ankles, telling Shane, "Take a picture of my butt!"

Here Comes The Sun

The sun has finally shown itself in San Francisco. In my 14 years here, this has been the coldest, windiest summer I have experienced. On Friday night, I went out for a few drinks with some friends, and it was so cold that I had to bundle up like it was the middle of December. However yesterday things changed, and although not quite hot, it was warm enough for the entire family to spend all afternoon in the back garden.