Una's new ink (weirdly taken close-ups) 

This is a favourite picture of mine at the moment. It's just so...weird. Doherty looks like he's waiting in a completely different setting than what reall surrounds. Anyway, my favourite song at the moment is 'John Wayne Gacy, Jr' by Sufjan Stevens. I have an "unusual" (as a psychiatrist friend once told me) "interest" in serial killers. And this song, about one is so tender and compassionate. It's really sweet. I think it speaks to me, because I'm reading a bit of a sinister book called 'The Beast' about a paedophile, and media hysteria that surrounds child rape cases. Anyway, the book is written by Borge Hellstrom, an ex-criminal who now helps rehabiliate young offenders and Anders Roslund, a Norwegian journalist. And, to come full circle, for some strange reason, that book and that song remind me of this photo. Perhaps it's the confusion, the alienation, or the surreal blankness... or maybe it's because the cigarette is about to burn his fingers. 

Merry Christmas! 

lighting candles 

It all gets a bit too much for Pico 

me and my hat 

Christmas dinner 

Christmas breakfast 

Gigs This Week

Monday
The Urges @ Eammon Dorans

Tuesday
Anthony @ 4 Dame Lane
One Track Records Party @ Sugar Club

Wednesday
King King Club Xmas Party @ Pravda

Thursday
Dr Bob Jones @ Bia Bar

Friday
Felix Da Housecat @ Spirit
Mylo @ Temple Bar Music Centre

Gigs On New Years Eve

Old Skool Reunion @ Ambassador

Remedy NYE @ Brasserie Na Mara
Dr. Bob Jones, Billy Scurry, Anthony Mooney, Darragh Hurley, Razor

Radiator NYE Ball @ Eammon Dorans

The Mighty Stef, Soviet Filter

The Stone Roses Experience @ The Olympia

The Chalets @ Whelans

Got Ink?

Me and Sarah got new ink. Rock on. Photees will follow.

listening to: Jose Gonzalez - 'Put Your Hand On Your Heart'

Una

Twas Christmas Eve, Babe

Happy Christmas everyone!

The last few days have been a festive blur. Thursday night rang in the marathon office party which featured far too many vodka & red bulls, good goats cheese starters, kareoke machines, and of course, ending up in Reynards. That very same eve (although much later for me) featured the AWESOME Sprangers Yard Xmas Bash Bonanza, and then MUCH later I stayed at my new apartment for the first time. Busy busy.

Last night involved very hungover champers in the Ice Bar with my fantastic sistas. And then chips and onion rings. Good juxtaposition with that one.

Check out Lili's awesome festive card. It says it all really:

Una

Dirty Dozen: Vol 21 - Cover Your Tracks

1. Arcade Fire - 'Maps' (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)

2. Jose Gonzalez - 'Heartbeats' (The Knife)

3. Calexico - 'Love Will Tear Us Apart'(Joy Division)

4. Cat Power - '(I Can'r Get No) Satisfaction' (The Rolling Stones)

5. Danko Jones - 'I Want To' (Ray Charles)

half a dozen. Elliott Smith - 'Jealous Guy' (John Lennon)

7. Low - 'Nowhere Man' (The Beatles)

8. L7 - 'Hanging On The Telephone' (Blondie)

9. Neutral Milk Hotel - 'I Love How You Love Me' (Phil Spector)

10. Sufjan Stevens - 'The One I Love' (REM)

11. The Decemberists - 'Wuthering Heights' (Kate Bush)

dozen. The Postal Service - 'Against All Odds' (Phil Collins)

Una

Babyshambles - 'Down In Albion'

a review by me

Una

listening to: Arcade Fire - 'This Must Be The Place'

I haven't had time to think about Christmas...

...and even worse, I haven't had time to think about the END OF THE YEAR.

listening to: Death Cab For Cutie - 'Title And Registration'

I like thinking about THE END OF YEARS. A couple of months ago, I got 'an email from the future' that I had sent to myself last year. And today, in the midst of being too busy to actually get anything done at work, talking to Lili in Germany and wondering if Burco was home today (given that I've no idea what's going on, since this week is a calender in limbo) I reflected, as you do, about how different things are this year. One year from then.

listening to: Badly Drawn Boy - 'Ticket To What You Need'

Because this time last year, I was packing my bags in Boston, getting ready to come home after spending a semester running for the T into Boston University - actually working in college for a change. Hanging out with Jenna, going for dinner with Morgan, partying the weekends away with Carolyn in New York, going to Common Ground 80s night on Thursdays, going to Paradise Rock Club Blackout Bar on Wednesdays, crashing parties in Scott and Scott's, keeping up with rent, running to the off license for 40s of malt beer in -15 degrees.

Now. Now, I have a full time job. Eek. Tomorrow I sign a lease on an apartment.

And in the meantime, I've graduated from college (how!?!)

So, for once, going back to the future to 365 days ago, the phrase "this time next year" does seem to have some gravity.

Elaine and I decided in January past that 2005 was going to be a shit year. And we weren't too far off. There were extremes. The good things leaped, and that bad things hit chasms. It is in the context of such a memory that I refuse to make a forecast on this coming year. Other than to take it one day at a time. And while doing so, not to take those days too seriously.

Listening to: At The Drive In - 'This Night Has Opened My Eyes'

Una

heartbeats

It's Tuesday, BUT it's Thursday

listening to: The Fades - '1995'

Today is Tuesday. But not in my world. Because the paper goes to print on Thursday, we've renamed the days so as not to confuse anyone. So Thursday is Saturday, which means tomorrow is Friday, yesterday was Wednesday and today is Thursday. So Friday is Sunday. Yep, so not as to confuse anyone.

listening to: Sambassadeur - 'Between The Lines'

So we're all waiting on tender hooks for the apartment to come through, I just want it to be ready in time for MEGA X MAS PARTY TECHNO TECHNO THURSDAY CWAZY night on Thursday (which is actually Saturday). So I can have somewhere to crash beeeeg style. That's why I want it ready.

On Friday (Sunday) I will start my Christmas shopping. Last minute. Holla.

listening to: Death Cab For Cutie - 'President of What?'

Next week, I have off, thankfully. I shall be flying to Barcelona AT LAST to see the wonderful Burco. She's promising severe partying, and a tradition that involves eating 12 grapes in the alst 12 seconds of the year. I'm game. Only going for a few days, so we'll have to leave the peyote expedition at the hippy commune where Damien Rice lives til another time. It's gonna happen. And when it does...well, all will be revealed, I'm sure. Unless my 'spiritual guide' chases me out of the country and I end up renaming myself 'Uma' and taking up a scrubbers job on a small fishing vessel. Stranger things, people, stranger things.

Today, for some reason, a researcher for The Big Bite on RTE called me and asked me to go on TV to talk about 'break ups'. How odd. I said no.

Una

this song...

...rocks

Una

Dirty Dozen: Vol 20 (half awesome, half Christmas)

1. Bloc Party - 'The Marshals Are Dead'

2. James Brown - 'Shhh For A Little While' (David Holmes mix)

3. Hope Of The States - 'Sing It Out' (live @ Buffalo Bar)

4. Cooper Temper Clause - 'Our Eyes Are Bright'

5. Elliott Smith - 'Stickman'

half a dozen. Arcade Fire V Black Eyed Peas - 'Hump My Tunnel'

7. Wham - 'Last Christmas'

8. Mariah Carey - 'All I Want For Christmas Is You'

9. Fairytale of New York

10. Death Cab For Cutie - 'Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

11. The Walkmen - 'Christmas Party'

dozen. Polyphonic Spree - 'Happy Christmas (War Is Over)'

Gigs This Week

Sunday 18th
Chuzzle @ Whelan's
The Bray Vista @ The Cobblestone
Redneck Manifesto, Decal @ Crawdaddy
Whipping Boy @ The Olympia
Starsailor @ The Village


Monday 19th
Fair Verona @ Crawdaddy
Blondie @ The Olympia
Kerbdog @ Temple Bar Music Centre
The Blizzards @ Whelan's


Tuesday 20th
Blondie @ The Olympia
Foo Fighters @ The Point


Wednesday 21st
Doves, The Immediate @ The Olympia
8Ball @ The Sugar Club
Oasis @ The Point
The Frank And Walters @ The Village


Thursday 22nd
Soul Food Xmas Party w/Luke Unabomber @ Bia Bar
The Mighty Stef @ Temple Bar Music Centre
Oasis @ The Point
Kila @ Vicar St


Friday 23rd
Tokyo Project @ Crawdaddy
The Immediate @ Eamonn Dorans
Roger Sanchez @ Spirit
The Pogues, The Dropkick Murphys @ The Point
Mundy, Neosupervital @ Vicar St
Stand @ Whelan's


Saturday CHRISTMAS EVE

Sunday CHRISTMAS DAY

Una

Dirty Dozen: Vol 19 - Weekender

This weekend, I only have one day off (Sunday), so it's time to fit in as much party music as humanly possible

1. Third Eye Foundation - 'Urchin-Snuffed Candles'

2. Miss Kittin & Hacker - '1982'

3. Blondie - 'Hanging On The Telephone'

4. The Knife + Jose Gonzalez - 'Heartbeats'

5. They Shoot Horses Don't They? - 'Empty Head'

half a dozen. Love Is All - 'Make Out Fall Out Make Up'

7. The Rapture - 'Sister Saviour' (Blackstrobe remix)

8. Le Tigre - 'Fake French'

9. Red-Eye & Andrewz - 'I Need You'

10. Justin Timberlake - 'Rock Your Body' (house mix)

11. Blur - 'Boys & Girls' (Hoxton Whore remix)

dozen. Jukeboxheroes - 'I Love Rock And Roll' (flim flam club mix)

Una

These are my favourite albums of 2005

This has nothing to do with a populist contest. Even some, I list higher than others, knowing that they other is objectively 'better' as a record, but it's MY blog and I'll cry if I want to. Anyway, in order of descent, these are the albums that meant something to me this year. Feel free to comment, criticise, commend and clap. Your hands, say yeah.

10
Vitalic - 'OK Cowboy'

Polkamatic

9.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - 'Clap Your Hands Say Yeah'

...Lost And Found

8.
Damien Marley - 'Welcome To Jamrock'

Welcome To Jamrock

7.
Editors - 'The Back Room'

BBC 6 Music Session - Munich & Fall

6.
Sleater-Kinney - 'The Woods'

Jumpers

5.
The National - 'Alligator'

Abel video

4.
Antony & The Johnsons - 'I Am A Bird Now'

Hope There's Someone

3.
Sufjan Stevens - 'C'mon Feel The... Illinoise'

Casimir Pulaski Day

2.
Bloc Party - 'Silent Alarm'

She's Hearing Voices'

1.
Arcade FIre - 'Funeral'

Wake Up


Those who really quite narrowly missed the cut were (in no particular order)
Isolee - 'Wearemonster'
White Stripes - 'Get Behind Me Satan'
Bright Eyes - 'I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning'
Kanye West - 'Late Registration'
Kaiser Chiefs - 'Emplyment'
CocoRosie - 'Noah's Ark'
The Chalets - 'Check In'
Common - 'Be'
Devendra Banhart - 'Cripple Crow'
Maximo Park - 'A Certain Trigger'
My Morning Jacket - 'Z'
Death Cab For Cutie - 'Plans'
Laura Veirs - 'Year Of Meteors'
Babyshambles - 'Down In Albion'
Hard Fi - 'Stars of CCTV'
Jose Gonzalez - 'Veneer'


Una


Disclaimer - some of these records may not fall into the strict release dates of 2005. Some are yet to be released in Ireland, some were released elsewhere last year, and only got here in 2005. But I list them as I come across them, and anyway, if you really think that, go be pedantic elsewhere... THROW ME A FRICKIN BONE HERE SCOTT.

I found an apartment!

It looks exactly like this*

And it's close to work, and I get to live with my homies Laney and Ro Ro, and it rocks. YAY!

Una

listening to: Devendra Banhart - 'Dogs They Make Up The Dark'

*lie

The aftermath of comedy

Sarah calls it 'Danger Bay'

Corina says 'Congrats Una'

Una


listening to: Antony and the Johnsons - 'You Are My Sister'

I won the duck!

listening to: Antony & The Johnsons - 'You Are My Sister'

Last night, on my stand up debut, I beat off the competition to win. The prize, a duck. Before going on, I was more nervous than I can really remember for a good old while.

listening to: Levy - 'On The Dancefloor'

But I won.

And then we went to 4 Dame Lane.

And partied.

Mucho gracias everyone who came along

xx

Una

I win! 

me looking freakish on stage 

Every Move A Picture are recording their album

you can check out their recording diary on myspace...

"Studio Diary: Day Three

Hey! It's Joey again.

The tracking is moving along really well due to the fact that we've played the songs about 900 times over the last two weeks of touring the UK. Seems we pretty much know this stuff inside and out. And, as an added bonus, my Tiger Woods PSP game is improving. Brent frequently flips the PSP the bird, but he's getting better (he just said "what, bitch?" to me. He always says that).

Today we tracked You're So Predictable, The Best Is On The Outside, and Heart=Weapon. That last one is pretty new and unless you saw us in Oldham, England, Glasgow, Scotland, or Spaceland in Los Angeles, you've never heard it. Ooooh...

Rock and roll is hard work friends, and I think it's time for a beer. Brent thinks today feels like a whiskey day. He always says that.

James Iha sightings: 0"

Una

Arctic Monkeys - 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not'

new album, out next month.

tracklisting

'The View From The Afternoon'
'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor'
'Fake Tales Of San Francisco'
'Dancing Shoes'
'You Probably Couldn't See For The Lights But You Were Looking Straight At Me'
'Still Take You Home'
'Riot Van'
'Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured'
'Mardy Bum'
'Perhaps Vampires Is A Bit Strong But...'
'When The Sun Goes Down'
'From Ritz To The Rubble'
'A Certain Romance'

Una

yay, i have a new banner 

Niamh is home from Norway - yay! welcome home Niffs hongh hongh hongh 

Apartment hunting GRRRRRR

No joy yet. Aparments are SO FUCKING EXPENSIVE, roughly 2,500 - 8,000 euro of a three bed in town. Laney, Ro and I went looking today, but by the time we got to the one we wanted, it had already been taken by some other fuckers.

www.daft.ie is ruining my life. I will give a free lolipop to the first person who finds me a sweet suite in the city centre.

listening to: Nirvana - 'Come As You Are' (unplugged)

Una

Dirty Dozen: Vol 18 - Big In 2006

Here are some awesome end of year tracks for bands who are bound to make an impact in 2006. Check them out fuckas.

1. Love Is All - 'Make Out Fall Out Make Up'

2. The Bleedin Bleedins - 'Darkest Day'

3. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - 'Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood'

4. The Immediate (4 tracks)

5. [LOST] - 'This Conversation Never Happened'

half a dozen. Medea - 'Capone'

7. Chuzzle - 'The Secrets Have A Life All Of Their Own' (stream)

8. Neosupervital - 'Rachel'

9. Panda Kopanda - 'See If You Like It'

10. Nightmare of You - 'My Name Is Trouble'

11. Levy - 'Rotten Love'

dozen. Surefire - 'Love's On The Inside'

Una

Gigs This Week

Sunday 11th
Embrace, Leya @ Ambassador
Mexican Dog Circus, My Pet Jeep @ Eamonn Doran's
The Infidels @ Slattery's
Estel @ The Long Bar
Blue Side Down @ Whelan's

Monday 12th
Paul Weller @ Olympia
Martha Wainwright @ Temple Bar Music Centre
Jose Gonzalez @ The Village

Tuesday 13th
Anthony Mooney @ 4 Dame Lane
UNA'S STAND UP DEBUT, 9.30pm @ Hapenny Bridge Inn
Paul Weller @ Olympia
Hard-Fi @ Temple Bar Music Centre
Stars @ The Village
Joe Chester @ Whelan's

Wednesday 14th
The Tassel Club Christmas Burlesque Party @ Cafe En Seine
Merz @ Crawdaddy
Damien Dempsey @ Olympia
Leya @ Whelan's

Thursday 15th
Damien Dempsey @ Olympia
Paddy Casey, The Rags @ The Village

Friday 16th
DJ Format @ Crawdaddy
Neosupervital, Miriam Ingram @ The Lower Deck
Ocean Colour Scene @ Olympia
Joss Stone @ RDS
Snakes of Desire @ Temple Bar Music Centre
Stiff Little Fingers @ The Village
Turn @ Whelan's

Saturday 17th
The Sultans of Ping @ The Village


Una

This is what Corina and I were drinking at the Urban Outfitters Christmas party on Thursday. It made us feel ill :( 

Toners

listening to: Coheed & Cambria - 'The Suffering'

Toners is the pub opposite where I work, and I love it. It's Dublin's oldest pub, and we were drinking there downstairs last night, because Stephen at work is moving onto greener pastures on D'olier St. It's small, cramped, smells weird, serves the best Guinness on Baggot St and is a second home to all those at the Trib. The paper's cuttings around the walls are kind of testimony to that. There's no dumb music, the bar men are thin and sweet, there's no fancy smoking area or cocktail list. The sign hanging outside reads 'Toners. A pub.' nuff sed.

And on Friday, they do the best lunchtime curry known to man, woman, or chicken.



listening to: Elliot Smith - 'Cupid's Trick'

Una

COHEED AND CAMBRIA PLAY DUBLIN!

listening to: Sufjan Stevens - 'All Good Naysayers...'

One of my favourite bands, Coheed and Cambria is playing Dublin on February 6th. I am so fucking excited. If you don't know this band, you MUST check them out. They are so great. Heads up to Jenna for alerting me to the gig, which will be (unfortunately) at the shittest venue in Dublin, The Ambassador.

the video for 'The Suffering'

listening to: Editors - 'Fall'

Una

Heidi Hi

Heidi Klum's postpartum strut

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TADHG!!!!

how me and tadhg on a night out begins... 

...how me and tadhg on a night out ends 

I just found a bunch of drunken Brussles photos. Evidence below...

the smallest, and best statue in a capital city 

jimjim et moi