tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40320662024-03-08T22:34:41.204ZGUBUAn Irish woman's social, political and domestic commentarySarahnoreply@blogger.comBlogger477125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-45248623415975143092008-07-31T16:46:00.005+01:002008-07-31T19:27:21.886+01:00the old and new gubuHI everyoneMy sarahcarey.ie crashed big time this morning when some US and UK tech blogs linked to me. We're working on getting it back up. In the meantime thanks for the emails and support. Apparently a row is taking place on sites as to whether or not strawberries and muffins are an appropriate motivating tool for employees.Update: Cuil has made this announcement. http://www.cuil.com/info/Sarahnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-1131385403668484442005-11-07T17:40:00.000Z2005-11-07T17:43:23.680ZBlog moveBlog moveThis blog is moving! I have moved to a new site! (www.sarahcarey.ie). Hope you all approve. The new site gives me a bit more functionality and it's kinda nice to have my own domain name. The entire blog has been moved so old posts will still be there, altho, the comments didn't migrate, and I haven't categorized all the posts yet. If you have my blog on your blogroll, I'd appreciate it Sarahnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-1131111928533168012005-11-04T13:42:00.000Z2005-11-04T13:45:28.550ZSarah's blogSarah's blogI am planning some changes to the blog - all will be revealed soon. But one thing that came up was the name of the blog. Irish readers will be familiar with the meaning of the name GUBU (grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecendented, as per Haughey's famous statement when murderer Malcolm McArthur was found in the home of the Attorney General). But I am not sure if this Sarahnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-1130850412732649882005-11-01T13:02:00.000Z2005-11-01T13:09:43.776ZWhat's a modern girl to doWhat's a modern girl to doMaureen Dowd in the NYT elaborates on women in the movies. A long article, but here's a relevant bit. All about how men still want to marry down and women want to marry up."Moviemakers these days are more interested in exploring what Steve Martin, in his novel "Shopgirl," calls the "calm cushion" of romances between unequals. In James Brooks's movie "Spanglish," Adam Sarahnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-1130849954884256162005-11-01T12:50:00.000Z2005-11-01T12:59:14.943ZTrick or TreatTrick or TreatHallowe'en has passed and I am outraged. I hate to begin rants with "when we were young" BUT when we were young all the children on the road got together weeks beforehand and began our preparations. We collected stuff for the bonfire and sorted out our "puca". There should be a fada on that "u" and it's pronounced pooka for the non-Irish speaking reader.We created a whole Sarahnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-1130846455449640932005-11-01T11:48:00.000Z2005-11-01T12:00:55.503ZDomestic updateDomestic updateFirst: a triumph. I want to formally acknowledge the brilliance of using washing soda as a stain remover. Previously I used it solely to clean out drains: pack into the bath or shower drain, pour on boiling water or for impressively explosive results, boiling vinegar, and hey presto, clean drains. BUT, recently started to use it for those nasty tomato type stains that NEVER come Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-1130796609900867322005-10-31T22:07:00.000Z2005-10-31T22:10:09.920ZMarathonMarathonOut and about today and I came across the Dublin Marathon. I had time to watch the runners painfully drag their feet along in the rain. And I thought. Why? They were suffering. It was so utterly stupid. I just don't get it. Go home. Run a few miles a few days a week. But marathons are for the deranged.Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-1130787785511560412005-10-31T19:31:00.000Z2005-10-31T20:43:42.620ZLawlor/Journalism/WatersLawlor/Journalism/WatersJohn Waters has written the oddest column. As usual it starts out really well. "Several of the editors and publishers of newspapers which carried the story have apologised to the Lawlor family for the pain and distress caused to them. But such pain and distress would have been even greater had the story been true. Doesn't journalism have a responsibility in this regard Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-1130706156245379852005-10-30T21:01:00.000Z2005-10-30T21:02:36.250ZEntreprenuersThis week's ST - They’re only entrepreneurs, not gods Every time a pin-striped politician spouts platitudes about our great fortune to live in a democracy, I feel like spitting. Who lives in a democracy? Perhaps we do for the few hours in the evening that we crash out in front of the telly. For the rest of the time we live in an autocracy. We exist at the mercy of a brutal dictatorship that is Sarahnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-1130705727871351302005-10-30T20:19:00.000Z2005-10-30T20:55:32.576ZFerns ReportFerns ReportEveryone is still reeling from the Ferns Report but the consensus is that the Bishops are the ones with the real case to answer for protecting the monsters (and there is no other word) who abused the children. There is more to come. Apparently Maynooth College would provide a report in itself. This has got to break the hierarchy. They deserve to be broken and I hope they have to fork Sarahnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-1130526145480504532005-10-28T20:00:00.000+01:002005-10-28T20:05:24.066+01:00Harriet MiersHarriet MiersDid she withdraw or was she told to withdraw? Scott McClellan made an interesting slip in his press briefing this morning:"She called the President last night at 8:30 p.m. He was in the residence when she called him, to inform her -- inform him of her decision."Maybe he did inform her....and a little later"He [Bush] is deeply disappointed in the process. He will move forward in a Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-1130500959379059262005-10-28T13:01:00.000+01:002005-10-28T13:02:39.400+01:00Dave Fanning showDave Fanning ShowUntil next Tueday you can listen to me (oh joy!) on Tuesday's Dave Fanning show talking about the Bridget Jones/women on telly thing.Sarahnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-1130274195207522662005-10-25T21:45:00.000+01:002005-10-25T22:03:15.283+01:00LawlorLawlorI've had complaints that I haven't yet commented on the death of Liam Lawlor! Firstly it is with great pride that I must observe that The Sunday Times chose not to publish any of the details about the so-called hooker. Unlike the entire O'Reilly stable, SINDO, Sunday World, and even the Trib. Ireland on Sunday published that there had been reports that she was a hooker but conflicting Sarahnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-1130092047035900512005-10-23T19:24:00.000+01:002005-10-23T19:29:27.686+01:00ST - PensionsST - PensionsI don’t have a private pension and I haven’t the slightest intention of taking one out. My finances are tight enough as it is. With a growing family and a mortgage, my daily expenditure is at its peak. Why should I divert funds from our budget so that executives in Irish Life or Eagle Star can pocket big commissions and drive fancy cars? You’ll have noticed that none of these Sarahnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-1130010612389832512005-10-22T20:29:00.000+01:002005-10-22T20:50:12.500+01:00BetrayalBetrayalA report on last night's visit to The Gate for the Pinter play Betrayal. The bad comments first. Typically the actors (possibly under poor direction) ruined it. Emma, the heroine (played by a woman who used to be the vet in Glenroe), was terrible. She had the most affected manner of walking and standing around I've ever seen. I am not sure whether she was told to ham it up a bit, or Sarahnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-1129979232730533202005-10-22T11:59:00.000+01:002005-10-22T12:07:14.153+01:0019161916Cannot believe that after my so recent mention of Garret FitzGerald's revolutionary roots that bloody FF manage to hijack 1916 for themselves. How do FF supporters so conveniently ignore the fact that the biological and political descendants of the 1916ers mainly ended up in Fine Gael? Christ, even my favourite creep Michael McDowell has a right to commemorate it without having to get the Sarahnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-1129822084949277692005-10-20T16:20:00.000+01:002005-10-20T21:29:19.553+01:00Multiple personalityMultiple personalityFor some years now the National Lottery's Telly Bingo programme has been presented by Shirley Temple Bar, a drag queen previously best known for her/his acts in the gay bar The George. It was always slightly disconcerting to watch this freakish creature host a programme watched by elderly people. However, it is even more disconcerting to watch the real person, Declan Buckley, Sarahnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-1129810354881061412005-10-20T12:59:00.000+01:002005-10-20T21:28:35.533+01:00Garret the GoodGarret the GoodI had cause to consult Garret's autobiography today (All in a Life) and came across this passage. He had been describing his early childhood, how his brother Fergus taught him to type at the age of 7 and other such gems. He then talks about Nurse O'Neill having charge of him until age 5 when she was replaced by a governess Miss Cuddy until he was sent to an all-Irish boardiing Sarahnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-1129797410655240772005-10-20T09:35:00.000+01:002005-10-20T09:36:50.663+01:00Radio RowsRadio RowsI was most fortunate to hear this live yesterday. Play this and fast forward to 22 minutes. Will go down in the annals as one of the best rows ever on radio between Joan Rivers and Darcus Howe.Sarahnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-1129629910505823222005-10-18T11:03:00.000+01:002005-10-18T11:05:10.513+01:00Pinter and SeinfeldPinter/SeinfeldPO'Neill makes the link between Pinter and Seinfeld...who would have thought it...now I can watch The Betrayal on Friday having seen its offspring on the small screen. Soooo post-modern.Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-1129576049501967562005-10-17T20:05:00.000+01:002005-10-17T20:07:29.506+01:00PinterPinterI will confess - last week I knew practically nothing about Harold Pinter. In fact, I knew less than nothing - I thought he was Scandinavian. But! I am researching and I am going to see his play Betrayal on Friday. Turns out we are on the same wavelength. He has been conducting a massive anti-war campaign. The Guardian published a series of "letters to Bush". Here is Pinter's.Dear PresidentSarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-1129554206113381502005-10-17T13:58:00.000+01:002005-10-17T19:53:13.280+01:00Doh x 1000Doh x 1000I continue to be defeated by household so-called technology.In a state of high hassle, I was trying to get them organised for a walk because the baby wouldn't sleep and a stroll in the pram was the only solution. I tried to pull up the release handle to make the back seat of the double buggy lie flat. I pulled and pulled and it just wouldn't release. So I forced the back down anyway. I Sarahnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-1129550508645361122005-10-17T12:55:00.000+01:002005-10-17T13:01:48.656+01:00ST on Bridget JonesST on Bridget JonesHeroines today are pathetic, with one kicking exception Bridget Jones is back. An Irish newspaper is running a weekly column about the eternally thirtysomething ditz who still can’t get her love life sorted out. Now I don’t mind the author, Helen Fielding, milking her Jones character for every available penny, but I do mind that the most popular female heroine of the past 10 Sarahnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-1129239568980698852005-10-13T22:35:00.000+01:002005-10-13T22:39:28.986+01:00CommentsCommentsHow I would love to adopt this policy from Wendy McClure's blog on comments. SHE got a book deal from her blog! So it appears I am not the only one whose blog actually helped them. Must explore Blogger's help section to see if I can censor comments BEFORE they appear on the site. I have started deleting the very abusive ones and as you may have noticed I had to introduce word verificationSarahnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4032066.post-1129207368558058402005-10-13T13:18:00.000+01:002005-10-13T13:42:48.623+01:00Councillors and ConferencesCouncillors and ConferencesToday's IT reports : "Councillors have been banned from claiming expenses for attending conferences organised by political parties, under new rules issued by Minister for the Environment Dick Roche. The measure follows controversy after Fine Gael councillors were last month forced to drop plans to claim State expenses for attending a party conference in Athlone.....LastSarahnoreply@blogger.com2