NYC Marathon

Here’s a picture of the marathon – the runners are going over the Verrazno Bridge that connects Staten Island to Brooklyn!

On Friday, my boyfriend Conor is heading over to New York (am I jealous? HELL YES). However, he’s not going to merely shop or sight-see – he’s going to run the 26 miles of the NYC marathon with 37,000 other runners. Going with him are a group of over twenty – including his Mum and Dad. Conor’s group are all running the marathon in aid of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Ireland and have already succeeded in raising over €22,000 for the charity. They’ve all been working super hard to be ready for the race.

If you would like to donate to the cause (and any donation no matter how small is appreciated) click here.

Also, the NY Marathon is the largest marathon in the world (in terms of the number of people participating) and it really is a spectacle to behold. If you wanna catch it live – its on Sunday November 2nd. To watch click here.

I don’t think I’d ever have the endurance and willpower to run 26 miles. I wonder if I could do the equivalent in dance? …now 26 miles of dancing I could do.

Next season on Strictly Come Dancing

…and back to politics…

My sister sent me this! The photoshopping is class.

When I Grow Up

Just so that my blog doesn’t turn into a complete political rant-fest, I thought I’d write all about my fantastic week in college.

This past week my class was block booked into IADT’s Television studio and oh my god, it rocked my socks off! We spent a day being told what all the buttons do – and then we were told to “go play”. It was a great laugh getting to feel around the equipment and try everything out. Little did we know that we would be in for some INTENSE television project work!

The next day we were given a simple script (or so we thought) and told that we would be shooting it seventeen times – each of us getting to take on all the roles of a production team! We started off slow at first, trying to figure out how everything works and what lingo to use. But by the end of the day we were taking the time to be original and shake things up with the script a bit. At the end of Tuesday, we were given a tougher, quicker script for the next day of solid shooting.

Wednesday was very quick indeed. We were no longer allowed to feel stuff out for as long as we want, and our lecturer Michael McNally called out “10 minutes left director” – every once in awhile…adding to the pressure but making it more realistic!

Finally, on Thursday and Friday, we were given a final script with an interview. This meant that the director would really be put to the test – as interviews can’t really be scripted solidly! It was great being challenged.

Out of all the jobs I did, I felt most comfortable Vision Mixing (putting the shots up on the screen at the director’s command), presenting (all those years of DCU Drama are paying off) and being Production Assistant (keeping track of the timing and assisting the director). How did I fare as a director? Not too bad – I tried to be adventurous with shots and stuff..but I’d definitely need a lot more practice to be comfortable in that chair!

The best part of the week was watching our takes back. Some of them were HILARIOUS. Think presenters cursing, camera people not concentrating and generally mistakes that you wouldn’t notice until you watched back the footage! For the most part though, we came leaps and bounds from Monday morning.

It was great to see our class functioning as a team as well. They’re a savage bunch of people.

Other than the new skills I picked up, the most important thing I realised this week was that I would be happy doing this for the rest of my life. Fingers crossed I’ll get there when I grow up!

Stupid, stupid women.

“Oh my god. She has a vagina. We need to vote for her”

Don’t get me wrong – I’m very passionate about women’s rights, but this is just ridiculous. Ladies, are ya serious!?

Photo from the Irish Times.

Has the government completely lost it?!

Anyone reading the papers or listening to the news will have no doubt heard of the state of affairs facing the world. The economy is scaring the bejesus out of everyone, wars are raging, homelessness is on the rise, and no one can seem to decide whether Global Warming is a legitimate threat.

I’ve only lived in Ireland for the past five years, and to be honest, I never really took an interest in Irish politics…until now. The more I read about the government, the more pissed off I get about how these people run the country. Should there be an election? probably. Would there be a government suitable to replace the one thats currently in place? probably not.

After last week’s budget announcements, I was shocked and appalled at people’s reactions. Everyone knows we’re going through very tough times economically and we’ve all had ample warning that the Celtic Tiger is on the way out – so why were people so utterly flabbergasted to see a tight budget being proposed?!

One thing that seems to be making headlines is the proposal to means test medical cards for over 70′s. The medical card “contraversy” as its now being called, is the thing that makes me most angry. And not for the reason it seems to make everyone else angry. How come everyone over 70 didn’t seem to read the provisions on the new medical card requirements? I read them and I’m only 22. The proposed strategy would have taken away medical cards from the top one third of over 70′s in the country. The people who can most certainly afford to cover their own medical costs. But, somehow, the entire group got it into their heads that they would ALL be at a loss and suddenly everyone all over the country is up in arms about taking care of our seniors. The people who have voted Fianna Fail time and time again.

My question is, what about the future of the country? What about the provisions in the budget affecting Irish education? It may be the over 70′s that are going to vote in another Fianna Fail government, but it is the Irish Youth that will be running the country in the future. The government is proposing to make Irish classes the largest in Europe – affecting children’s education. Also, there has been a proposal for a 67% rise in third level registration fees, which are already bordering on €1000 for some courses! This, coupled with Bat O’Keefe’s suggestion that we bring in full fees and a loan scheme spells complete discrimination against the students and future students of this country. As the students put it so aptly today, “more fees, less degrees”.

Today there were two protests in Dublin City Centre. Only one of them was covered fully by the Irish media and that was the one where the elderly demanded a medical card. The 15,000 students marching on Leinster House were virtually ignored in the morning papers and on the radio. The government didn’t even send a representative to the rally. They’re having a complete LAUGH.

Trust me, I would hate to see an older person have a medical card taken away from them – when they cannot afford to keep up with medical payments. I would hate to end up in that situation myself in 50 years time. However, if I am able to afford to pay for my own health – why should I cost the government money it could be putting into my children and grandchildren’s education and well-being?

Something Every Parent Should Know

Found this in Denis Staunton’s (Irish Times) Campaign Trail Blog. I think its such a clever ad! How refreshing to see something that breaks from all the negative campaigning we’ve seen lately. It’s a shame that it’s only being shown in North Carolina!

Life after Undergrad

Lots of things have changed since I finished my degree at DCU. It was and still is a bit of a weird transiition. I was the DCU student who completely threw herself into campus life. Not only in a society capacity – but just in general. Heck! I lived on the campus for three years and had most of my nights out in the student bars there. I knew most of the faces around the place and Tuesday nights in the hub were like a family gathering. When I wasn’t in the bar, I was rehearsing somewhere within DCU’s walls, at the gym, in the chemist, at the shop or in someone elses apartment. There were even week-long periods of time when I didn’t have to leave the bubble at all. Everything I needed was there for me.

Now, I’m in a big old house in Blackrock, living with two brand new people and going to a different, much smaller college. I’m on the opposite side of the city. I’m paying gas, electric and eircom bills. I’m worried there won’t be hot water for the shower. I only found the nearest shop the other day (and I’ve been living there for 3 weeks). I take the bus or Dart in and out of town and it takes more than 15 minutes. Most importantly, I’m studying for my Masters in Broadcast Production for Radio and Television and loving every second of it.

At first I had my misgivings about doing a Masters. I was jealous of my friends who had gone out and gotten jobs. I longed to be earning a proper living (and not living off part time work!). But the minute I started this course in IADT, I knew it was the place for me. It was the next step.

In DCU, my class was 60 or so students (all of whom were fantastic people and most of which I would have loved to know more!). My class in IADT is much smaller with only 20 of us sharing a large table in a classroom. The lectures are intimate, focused and very career driven. The practical advice I’m receiving on a daily basis is priceless and our lecturers are legends in their fields! The best part about it is being constantly thrown in at the deep end. Ok, we’ve learned the theory, now we’re expected to do it. And we’ve only got an hour! CRAP. 

We covered the basics of journalism and reporting and were suddenly sent out to find a story on the IADT campus. 100 words in one hour. This was made slightly more difficult by the fact that most of us hadn’t a clue where we were going! 20 of us went out – and sure enough there were 20 different stories when we came back! Most were very serious; mine was on National Condom Week haha. In addition to journalism, we’ve learned alot about on air interviews, programme genres, listened to and seen some of the great classics in TV and Radio and gotten to see “The Tudors” being filmed at Ardmore Studios.

I love my class. They’re all so driven towards what they want to do. Which, I suppose is why they’re all doing a Masters in the first place. Being so small, we’ve all had the chance to bond and we’re really getting to know each other now.

So, although I miss DCU loads, I love this new phase in my life. I will however keep a link to DCU open and revisit whenever I can. People defintely change as the years go by, but it has been my experience that friendships adapt with those changes (thank god!).

“Henry Cavill is a total babe”

Guess I’m not the only one who loves “The Tudors”. Clearly the writers of Gossip Girl have spotted its addictive properties as well! This week Serena impresses a Yale professor with her knowledge of Papal history and admits to Blair that she loves the programme.

I have to say, its an excellent learning tool. Especially with the likes of the lovely Henry Cavill teaching!

Mavericks?

Watch Another Stakeout and you’ll see what I mean!

PS. Strangely enough, Richard Dreyfuss is slated to play Dick Cheney in a future film. Perhaps he should hold out for John McCain: The Movie.

Gossip Girl in the 16th Century

I have a new addiction and it comes in the form of the Showtime production, “The Tudors”. I started watching it on and off last year sometime but never really found the time to devote to it. Now, I watch a few episodes a day! It’s one of those programmes that leaves you hanging at the end of an episode and you just HAVE to know what happens!

Last Wednesday, my Masters lectures were cancelled (more on my amazing MA later) and the whole class were priviledged enough to go to Ardmore Studios in Bray to go on set at “The Tudors”! It was so amazing to see how the show is produced. The sets are unbelieveable and are constantly changing as the team makes use of the small space they have to work with. All the props and costumes look completely authentic and its clear that a lot of research was put into them. We even saw Joan Bergin’s two Emmys for costume design just sitting there…ya know, hanging out in the costume dept.

We were fortunate enough to speak personally with Morgan O’Sullivan, the show’s Executive Producer. He explained how the show grew from an idea to the massive hit it is now. Apparently “The Tudors” is in the top five programmes ratings-wise in over 70 countries! Its funny, Ireland is one of the countries that doesn’t rate it highly!

“The Tudors” is one of the biggest productions Ireland has ever seen. The scale of it is just incredible. The majority of the crew are Irish – which made us delighted because if “The Tudors” continues to do well, other productions may follow and lead to jobs for us: HOORAY!

The programme follows the life of Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys Meyers…who wasn’t on set that day. Damnit.) and his various marriages. Not only does it cover the scandal of Henry’s love affairs, the show carefully chronicles England’s relationships with France, the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor. Also covered are the religious contraversies of the time. Plus, it has really, really pretty costumes!

So, if you haven’t checked the show out – definitely do. It’ll have you hooked as well!