demented skypetherings

[19:31:15] JB says: Hi love xx
[19:43:54] eco says: hello Johnny brain
[19:44:01] e says: how is the voice
[19:44:18] e says: are you all husky
[19:45:47] JB says: I've got a sore throat alright
[19:46:05]  e says: poor J. no I really mean it
[19:46:16] JB says: how are you Poooor Debbie?
[19:46:19] e says: how was it today
[19:46:41] e says: I am well thanks. a bit busy. but Rudolf is nearly finished! hurray
[19:47:01] JB says: Great.  Oh, I met that man John from NCAD in TCD last night.
[19:47:23] e says: man John? with the funny beard?
[19:47:43] JB says: Yes!  He was asking for you
[19:48:10] e says: oh! yes we have a mtg to discuss the evening students show. paffouy
[19:48:28] e says: I am a DAY student now, with all the attendant pretentiousness
[19:48:42] JB says: Yaw! Yaw!
[19:48:53] JB says: How was the rest of the week in NCAD
[19:49:05] e says: well, more like, Man, I am like so angry!
[19:49:41] JB says: Ah, the angst of the student
[19:49:42] e says: it was good. the other students are awfully young, but I suppose when we get working I won't notice it anymore
[19:49:58] e says: I think I am glad to be out of my twenties.
[19:50:07] JBsays: So am I!
[19:50:18] e says: a while now of course. no smart remarks please
[19:50:29] JB says: Beauty Debbie xx
[19:50:36] e says: I haven't tackled the thorny issue of my age or marriedness with them
[19:51:02] e says: will shock them with that later. you know the way they think anyone over 30 is like
[19:51:05] e says: ANCIENT
[19:51:07] JB says: Thorny - Married??? Ah, pooor Johnny
[19:51:23] e says: Horny in your case!
[19:51:31] e says: can't believe you said that!
[19:51:37] e says: you are so rude
[19:51:48] JB says: In all horney honesty I can't deny that
[19:52:03] e says: oh poooooooor JB
[19:52:10] JB says: Poooor Debbie
[19:52:11] e says: look to yourself darling
[19:52:21] e says: you have my approval
[19:52:30] JB says: I ... I ... have ... been
[19:52:38] e says: yes, I thought so
[19:52:53] JB says: I can't belive I just typed that
[19:53:10] JB says: Please send on Rudolf when its finished
[19:53:15] e says: belated shock at his own audaciousness
[19:53:23] e says: a characteristic of the JB
[19:53:44] e says: I will send it now. v slow though. I hope the folds work
[19:54:02] e says: the printer will have to be good. and normally they are chancers
[19:54:10] e says: why were you in TCD
[19:54:39] JB says: After I finished in DCU I had to go in there till 9 and read up for todays lectures
[19:54:58] e says: poooor JB
[19:55:00] e says: ar eyou tired
[19:55:01] JB says: 20 hours per week, never again
[19:55:09] JB says: never ever
[19:55:19] e says: have you done the 20 this week?
[19:55:51] JB says: Yes
[19:56:09] e says: knackered? dying for weekend?
[19:56:26] e says: which was the worst?
[19:56:40] JB says: I must admit I'm kind of glad its here.  But I'm still working on the papers, and uploading stuff to the DIT and DCU webs
[19:57:21] e says: that's my (compulsive workaholic) boy!
[19:57:25] JB says: Did some good work on the papers this week with David.  Best papers I've done
[19:57:38] JB says: Did you go riding?
[19:58:06] e says: oh! well done kooky.
[19:58:21] e says: that's great. you are a star
[19:58:42] JB says: Ah, I hope someone out there likes the papers anyway
[19:58:52] e says: no, no riding. am a mere humble artist but am a bit busy you know
[19:59:06] e says: that image has gone to you. you shd get it now
[19:59:15] JB says: Great
[19:59:40] e says: **stands by, waiting for praise to be heaped upon her
[20:00:09] JB says: Get read ... here it comes
[20:00:16] e says: actually it is just a bit dull, have to think of a way to make it more interesting
[20:00:26] JB says: Fantastic!  it Looks Fantastic love
[20:00:30] e says: but am a bit jaded today
[20:00:38] e says: maybe tomorrow. thanks Koo.
[20:00:42] e says: Koo koo  koo
[20:00:53] JB says: kooooo kooooo
[20:01:26] e says: tried to put a red nose on the O in rudolf but it looked weird
[20:01:38] JB says: They look so happy Rudolf and the Bear
[20:01:59] e says: I'll be happy to resume normal life next week, esp with Rud is gone
[20:02:55] e says: will be a bit busy, but will be easy enough without mad commute from shticks
[20:03:03] JB says: It looks beautiful
[20:03:08] e says: thanks.
[20:03:31] e says: L is having more probs with [large image vendor]. they passed on her case to debt collectors
[20:03:40] e says: but the advice is still to ignore it
[20:03:45] JB says: Noooo
[20:03:50] e says: but it's not much fun
[20:03:51] JB says: No way?
[20:03:54] e says: way
[20:04:01] JB says: Heck.  That is a worry
[20:04:12] e says: heck? who are you? a Walton
[20:04:22] JB says: I'm John boy
[20:04:31] JB says: who are you?  Mary Ellen?
[20:04:33] e says: Goodnight John Boy
[20:04:43] JB says: Good night Mary Ellen xxx
[20:04:49] e says: Sheesh I never watched it. we had BBC
[20:05:15] JB says: That a little house on the Prarie was all we had in poooor Kerry
[20:05:31] e says: it explains alot alright
[20:05:41] e says: bosco and little house on the prarie
[20:05:54] JB says: Yes, ah the frugal life in the west.  I could so relate
[20:06:08] JB says: Bosco?  Well I never!
[20:06:09] e says: because you were living it in first person!
[20:06:27] e says: that's not really relating is it
[20:06:41] JB says: I guess not
[20:07:02] e says: Koo I will be back on Sun so we can continue this witty banter
[20:07:18] JB says: Sure love.  See you then xxx
[20:07:20] e says: are you going to J Skelly?
[20:07:40] JB says: J Skelly?
[20:07:58] e says: ma and da back tomorrow night late so will stay till sun morn
[20:08:02] e says: the gym
[20:08:33] e says: I am curious
[20:08:34] JB says: Not yet.  But I might have a look there tomorrow.
[20:09:05] JB says: I've really not been in Beggars Bush till about 9PM most nights
[20:09:24] e says: let me know. although I suppose I missed the special offer. maybe they put it on again
[20:09:37] e says: poor sweetie. I really mean this.
[20:09:53] JB says: Sure.  Its so close it should be great
[20:09:57] e says: you must be exhausted. have a nice rest tomorrow okay? no work
[20:10:07] JB says: No work for sure
[20:10:19] JB says: Loooove you babe xxx
[20:10:23] e says: okaydokey kooky. I miss my boy
[20:10:29]  e says: xxx
[20:10:30] JB says: xxx
[20:10:35] e says: love you
[20:10:47] JB says: love you

post grad welcome day

I wonder how long this masters reportage will last?

There was some blah blah blah. A whole day of listening is a great deal of it. After 40 mins I find I am rerunning conversations I have had with people in my head, or running future ones. (Now I think of it I spend a lot of time doing that actually. Funnily enough, I never rerun JB chats, in that same OCD checking way, anyway. Sometimes I think of things we've said, and I think ah, that was funny or that wasn't very nice. But not neurotic checking.  I think I am able to live them as they happen. There is no pressure or performance. Which was an aside.)

Aside from the aside, the talks were interesting. Some PhDs and MAs presented their work. One guy had got himself a job in Art in Hospital, someone else was studying Seamus Murphy (Cork sculptor), loiiike, from Co-ork, Declan L (potential suitor for M?) talked about art in urban spaces in Northern Ireland.
Now my brains are fried spaghetti and I am eating pudding that tastes like it was made from sour milk.
At 4 I ran off home because Smokey was hungry.

Art College lingo

Students are advised to become familiar with the following vocabulary so they can nod in a knowledgeable way and pepper their conversations with them:

cohort
practice-based research
research-based practice
contextualise
lads
self-reflective

and so on. I could go on, but on the other hand, I couldn't, because I have been wrangling reindeer and solar systems all today, apart from the time I went to get some hay and for a walk in the woods. Wowsa though, it's amazing what you can do with them. Our head of dept, a black clad man from the Isle of Man, also rumoured to be a performance artist, sequenced and conbobulated them to STINGING effect after Shane Cullen's presentation. It sounded so much better than: You are a charlatan who would jump on any bandwagon, as long as it was hot, to promote your pathetic empty meaningless career. And you don't even know how to present it. Which is what he was really saying. Ouch.

It augurs well for our crits.

getting to know

Moodle. Looks good. You can use it as a repository for your work and ideas.
Then there was a looong break till 2. I went to town and ate in the IFI.

And more about Practice-based research and Research-based practice. I can't quite remember which we are meant to be doing. Basically it means you look at other work and books and stuff and be influenced by them. So that's alright.

Been doing that all along.

Now I am working on Rudolf and watching the rain hit the kitchen window. Smokey is in his house.

Master of the universe

We started today, me and the Young People. I went up on the LUAS, which I must say was a smooth and stressfree experience. It glides, the LUAS. Then, given the early hour and the achievement of getting there and doing things, I bought myself an almond croissant in the Boulangerie which really makes an effort to be a leetle piece of La Fronce.
They actually gave us actual lectures. Apparently this was to show They Mean Business. A woman talked for a time about Practise-based research and Research-based practise. Hmm. Yes. And a man talked for another time about Francis Alys the Belgian community activist/shameless exploiter of people's misery (according to point of view). He arranged for 500 volunteers to move a mountain (a sand dune in a shanty town area of Lima).

And we had a tour of the equipment. Pretty good. I can imagine how my project will expand into a mad beast and devour all the machinery and technicians.

I am back in Mom and Pop's now. It is black outside after a warm day.

school reunion

and all that teenage foreboding that it brings with it. Once you get over that, though, and realise the human element is what is left, it was better. The old insecurities were (kind of) redundant. (This is obviously not the case at the 10 year one. There, people are madly competing. Unseemly).


So poignant and interesting to see all those faces changed and not so changed (refrain of the night: the women look so much better than the men) but still recognisable, still themselves. And we all reverted to our old groups of friends, because yes, we are more confident and socially able, but still really have more to say to certain people. Some who had been minor shyer characters in school had emerged as self-introducers and maintainers of conversations. Some had settled contently back into their conventional life paths. Most. Some had gone for adventure. There was an Aid worker who'd come from Pakistan, an ex-Nuala, (who knew?), a surgeon who lived in Newfoundland. There were various doctors, a vet (Emma!), a tractor salesman from Longford (Jimmy), some landowning types, some farmers, at least two teachers, quite a few financial types, a social worker.



Whenever anyone would ask for your bio, you'd compress the last 20 years into 2 sentences. Mine were:
Animator (helpful circular drawing gestures), mostly backgrounds. And illustration. No, nothing you heard of. Children's books? not yet. Married to a Kerryman, recently. No children.
(Unless you count Smokey. Which most people wouldn't, it's fair to say).

(The reunion represented a complete middleclass Protestant privileged population explosion there btw. Two children seems the requisite number but some had 3 or 4. Amazing.)

I was glad to have gone. It made me feel happy to go back to the present to the life of now. Very lucky.

Thank you universe.

sue and meike

banner for edu-company

ah! a group of mature Irish students!

Indian JB