Entry: Magical Abrakebabrakal Numbers!!! Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Spent much of Monday catching up on bits and pieces -- post to be answered, emails to be replied to, etc. Started watching the final series of The Sopranos, which I've been looking forward to greatly! I was going to wait a bit longer, but I couldn't hold back -- it's time to find out how it all wraps up!!!!

Went to Dolans Warehouse later to see The Magic Numbers. I loved their debut album, and although the second one was a bit disappointing (the songs go on too long!!!), it still featured a few lovely songs. I saw them live once before, and they were great, so I went with high hopes. And all those hopes were realised!!! They played brilliantly, they performed a nice mix of songs, they threw in a couple of cover versions for fun, and ... well, it was just FUN!!! They're one of the most entertaining bands I've ever seen -- real make-you-grin stuff! And it's not that they're a cynical, highly polished machine like so many smiley-happy bands -- you just get the sense watching them that they're having a good time and enjoying their connection with the audience. Dolans is also a great venue for a band like that -- tiny, intimate, no barriers between the band and their fans, no sense of violence. At one point, the lead singer mentioned that it was somebody's birthday. Bas yelled out, "You should play Happy Birthday!" He agreed that they should, but invited her up to sing it!!! She probably would have gone up, except there were lots of wires stretched across the front of the stage and she was wary of being electrocuted!!!! But when they saw she wasn't going to rise to the challenge, they went ahead and played it themselves -- you'll never get a moment like that in a concert arena!!!!! I've been lucky enough to attend all sorts of great gigs over the years, in a variety of venues, but I have to say honestly, as biased as I may be, that Dolans is pretty hard to beat. When you get a top notch band there, like The Magic Numbers, Kasabian or Ash, you get an experience second to no other. It's the way live music should be -- great, established, popular bands in small, personal venues -- but almost never is.

We were in such a good mood after the concert that we went and got kebabs from another Limerick institution, Abrakebabra!!! The brilliantly named kebab chain sports shops all over Ireland, and although the food they serve up is probably ridiculously unhealthy, it's damn tasty, and just the thing when you come out of a great gig and want to top up!!! You might feel guilty the next morning (as we both did -- I couldn't even go near the scales!!), but what the hell, life has to have at least the occasional guilty pleasure, right?!?

Did some more bits and pieces today, including writing a short foreword for the Taiwanese edition of Demon Apocalypse which comes out in January. Also went and got a Christmas tree, and decorated it once we got back. While I'm not a huge fan of Christmas, I have to admit a soft spot for Christmas trees -- they just look so magical!! I don't remember most of the presents I got for Christmas when I was a kid, or what I did on Christmas Days past, but I've very vivid memories of the trees we used to put up, decorating them, staring up at the lights and tinsel and ornaments, dreaming of Santa and magic and wonder.

Oh, by the way, Bas was fooling about online yesterday and devised the following little dance routine. I don't think much of it myself, but she's been rolling around in fits of laughter ever since, watching it over and over! So if you enjoy ritual, silly, childish humiliation, this could be just the thing for you!!! DARREN SCROOGE

   7 comments

maitlin
December 15, 2007   01:08 AM PST
 
http://www.scroogeyourself.com/?id=1408895132

here! thats my "scrooged" up self

ghoulishly yours,
maity
<3***yrmso***<3
maitlin
December 15, 2007   01:01 AM PST
 
OMFG that was so f**kin HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sooooo funny, i did it myself!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i sent it 2 all my friends and they were like cracking up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ghoulishly yours,
maity
<3***yrmso***<3
Rajdeep Dhadwal
December 13, 2007   12:24 AM PST
 
Do you write the foreword in Chinese or in English? o_o

If you write it in Chinese then..I didn't know you knew Chinese! XD
Deadlikeme17
December 12, 2007   09:03 AM PST
 
that was a funny link :P

Im 18 now and xmas doesnt feel the same, for me its lost its zest that it had when i was young, thats why i see it as an event for kids to enjoy the same with going on holidays to disney land and such is more the kids than for you but still get a good kick out of it. Mind you i still looking forward to christmas meeting long lost relatives that you havent seen in goodness knows how long is always fun to catch up on. Just goes to show time flies.

Merry christmas :P (P.S. I thin you would do well dressed up as a great santa. :P)

- First you believe in Santa
- Then you become Santa
- Then you look like Santa
Kathryn Winstanley
December 11, 2007   11:46 PM PST
 
Hi Darren! :)
I'm really glad that you and Bas had a good time at the concert! It sounds like it was a lot of fun! :)
Gosh, I can't belive its only two weeks to Christmas now, I can't wait! :)
Haha! That link was so so funny! I couldn't stop laughing!
I hope your doing well! :)

From your huge fan Kathryn :)
Sarah McGovern
December 11, 2007   10:27 PM PST
 
I must agree that it is funny ^^
Curious Magician/Lila
December 11, 2007   09:36 PM PST
 
Dude. That is freakin' HILARIOUS! ARgh! I love it!

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