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Now you too can don a virtual balaclava, sell drugs, bomb cars, throw petrol-bombs just like a Northern Ireland paramilitary would! No more sitting at home wishing you had the courage to run your own prostitution ring! Well, I suppose you’ll still be sitting at home…

I’m gonna try it tonight…

I biked down the Falls Road the other day and took photos of all the murals I came across, which I’ve added to the collection. Click the image below to view the whole shebang!

In other exciting news, Kate was accepted into the school of Social Work she wanted for next September, so 3 more years of edumacation for her!

We also bought a fancy new tv, and I’m hoping to buy an amp for my guitar in the next few days. And maybe a keyboard of some kind, after which I probably won’t buy another piece of electronic equipment for 3 years. That’s how it seems to work anyway. Though I’m hoping if I’m a good boy I’ll get an xBox from the tooth fairy. Might have to pick a fight on a Friday night at the Laurel Leaf to lose them, but it’ll be worth it…

Northern Ireland went smoke free this weekend, which is a blessed day I’ve been waiting for every day since I got here. It’s hard to go from smoke free drinking holes back to ye olden emphysemic ways. Of course the regular hard core smokers have been kicking up a fuss, but it doesn’t seem to be nearly as big a deal as when Canada or the Republic of Ireland went over. Of course that’s probably because the Republic of Ireland went over. I think Wales went at the same time as us, and Scotland a few weeks ago with England still to go.

Also, James sent me the new Spinal Tap video. I haven’t actually watched it yet, but if history has told us anything it’s that Tap are great.

Watches to be made from bits of the Titanic. It just leads to all sorts of bad and/or esoteric jokes, preferably with someone like Pierce Brosnan saying them as though in a commercial:

‘A stopped watch is right twice a day, unlike the Titanic which just sank.’
‘Why no, it’s not actually waterproof.’
‘No ice in my drink please.’ (points to watch)

Changing the topic somewhat, I wonder how many years have to pass before it’s ok to crack jokes about an event that killed hundreds of people. Probably about the same amount of time that has to pass before you can dig up pieces of what is essentially their grave, and turn them into watches.

Changing the topic again, check out what they’re planning to do with the Titanic Quarter here in Belfast, and then look at the satellite image. That’s what’s called ‘thinking big.’

I didn’t know this, but apparently Spinal Tap are reforming to fight global warming, and apparently are releasing a new film to boot! Look for it here once it gets to YouTube, as I’m sure it will. In the meantime, here’s Spinal Tap on Arsenio Hall:

That’s not something I get to say often enough.

Aug 2006 - Dave arrives in Northern Ireland

Mar 2007 - Northern Ireland has all 10 of the top 10 towns with the highest percentage increase in housing prices.

Coincidence?

Craigavon leads the way with a 55% increase in the last year, which is remarkable if you’ve ever been to Craigavon. Apparently there’s a lot of roundabout lovers out there. Kate’s hometown of Armagh is on the list with a 44% increase. And sunny sunny Belfast ranks in at 40%, with the average house costing £184,579, which is Cdn$414,431 for you Canuckleheads out there. But wait, you say, that’s less than Vancouver! I think Belfast is a great city, but let’s not get carried away here. There aren’t places in Vancouver that you literally couldn’t pay me enough money to live in for fear of having a petrol bomb thrown through my front window.

Bring back the Troubles, or I’ll never be able to buy a house!

Sorry I haven’t been posting much lately. There really hasn’t been much happening round these parts that’s exciting. I was sent over to Newcastle (Upon Tyne) for work, but I was outside of town, and it was only for a night so I didn’t get any chance to look around. I’ll try and post a bit more, honest. In the meantime, amuse yourself with Clarke

And so it begins. With the newly crowned government forming a sort of pinnacle for the peace movement, I figure it’s only a matter of time before the murals that are so unique to Northern Ireland are gone. And as a first step in that process, this mural has now been painted over and is some sort of community outreach billboard.

Too bad, it was one of my favourites, anything with a circle around it, and a bar through it, is alright by me…