New You

 Overall it has not been a great few days, I noticed that MyTaxi took €23 out of my takings without telling me. I went into the office and dropped in my request. As I had not received a call I turned off my App. That is a mistake as well as there are no calls for work coming in any more.
Then later in the day I went out and turned on the app again and went out towards Malahide, not a bad job at all.
On the way back into town I got a job back into the city center.
When the journey was nearly over the customer said.
"I am only giving you €20 because you went the wrong way!!!!!
So they got out.
Then I settled up the Mytaxi payment and BINGO it was on credit and I had charged her another €20.
So I sent in 4 requests that they contact me and that they only credit her €15.
You know what
They gave her back the full €20 and told me to be more careful the next time !

So I am hanging up my saddle for the moment.

Drivers are nothing to the big organizations.
In really I can live without giving them 12% of every job, especally when there is a problem they won't contact me at all.

Here is something.

Look for a book called The top five regrets of the dying.
She had a blog called "Regrets I've had a few"
She worked in a hospice in Australia and spoke to the dying.
Their regrets
"Why did I not spend more time with my kids?
I was a great painter, pianist, author and I just stopped that for my for work"

If you find the blog or read the book.

There is much more to life than work.

When I was in my 20s my father accused me of taking £800 from our family business, nothing would convince him that I had not taken the money.
I went to work in England.
My mother brought in the accountant to go back through the books and  found an accounting error.
He being an Irish father never ever forgave me.

In his mind I had stolen the money, which never existed ,he was shown the error BUT.

He never went to my wedding or played with my children and in many ways we both suffered.

Forgivness is a thing that comes hard to the Irish.

So listen to the following









Tango perhaps



Tango is great !!!!!!!!1

USA Happy thanksgiving

 While today is not a holiday here, it is quite often comes to light.
A lady going to the Gresham hotel to eat PumkinPie.
Friday is BLACK FRIDAY !!!!

Stress can kill

The OLD money, this was worth something

A car nut told me that this car was worth 1/2 £million

Tom Creans pub, that man had anti freeze in his veins instead of blood (look him up)

A number of years I had symptoms which have now come back.
I need to chill out.

I have pins and needles in my feet and when I walk my right leg drags on every 4th or 5th step.
The last time this happened my doctor sent me to a neurologist in Beaumont €120.
She never laid a hand on me and asked me around 30 questions.
"Why did you not just send me the questionare and I could have filled it in on line?"
(A fair Question) "Oh no I needed to see you in person" she said.

Then to the Mater private to the consulting rooms of a bigger conman.
I forget the exact time, say the appointment was for 10.30 am.
The waiting room was full when I got there and then our Hero arrived at 12.30 !

"Sorry to have kept you all waiting, I had to stabilize a patient in Blackrock Clinic and the
wind was against me as I was coming back on my bicycle."
So he had kept me waiting for 2 hours and the others for much longer.
So when it was my turn to go in I let him have it. 
What about getting a taxi back to here? 
Why did you not put your bicycle on the Dart?
Do you think so little of us all that you couldn't phone us and let us know you were running late?
He did not like this one little bit and he told me so, he was going to decline the examination, but went ahead anyhow.
35 Questions and a simple shock testing thing he reached his conclusion.
"At least you don't have multible sclorosis."
"Is that it?"
He told me there would have to be more investigations and to pay the girl on the way out. 
I told her to post me the bill as I thought that the visit was covered by my health insurance.
The bill came, and another reminder.

The week or so after this I had a very clever man in the car.
"Did any of thes experts ask you what you worked at?
Taxi driving is way up there in stress levels with an  airline pilot, more like a fighter pilot.
30 to 70 discisions a minute, to go this way or that way. It is constant and when each job ends the chase for the next job begins.
Stress can kill you John.
How many days a week do you take off?"
"I work every day, not all day, but I work between 5 and 8 hours every day" 
"When did you take a day off ? and what did you do?" he said.
"I took a day off around 6 weeks ago and I painted the sitting room"

"Take 3 weeks off, no driving at all, no painting, take a few walks with the dog, watch a few movies, 
meet a few pals for coffee, that kind of thing."
After 5 days it all cleared up.

The doctor in the Mater sent me a final demand for payment with a threat to take me to court.

I said that his competence was being called into question. 
The account was in dispute so it could not be sent to a debt collection agency and that he had wasted 3 hours of my life, time I could never get back.
Therefore I was not paying him and I looked forward to seeing him in court, if he could make it there on time.
End of story

A multi Billionare also told me that stress can kill you as quick as a bullit.

But he talked me through a few things.
Make a list of things to do.
Do 2 or 3 things every week...the hardest things first. 
Cut the people from your life who demand and contribute nothing. 

Good Night I am off to bed 

World war 1. 100 years on

A statue to the first world soldier, from the second photo you can see that it is made from scrap metal

A first world war recrutment poster. A display in the national gallery.

Today on Sunday we celebrate the end of World war one.
On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day on the eleventh month 1918 the guns fell silent.
All the dead were gathered up and buried. The injured and shell shocked were shipped home.

What was it all for?

While the Irish who answered the call were away fighting in France a revolution took place here in Irieland we revolted against the British, the returning soldiers were not treated as heros they were treated as traitors because they fought for the British.
The whole epasode caused a great rift in Ireland and it was the biggest waste of young lives of all time in history
When you visit Normandy there are war graves which go on for miles, very emotional.

I normally only play this at Christmas I will play it now and I will give it a rest this year.










So there you have three of the best anti war songs about the first world war

Peace brother 

So Virginia got the ring

Time for Coffey in Cafe Java in Sandymount

Virginia from Brazil bought a Barn Brack and at Halloween there is a ring in it, she got the ring (She will marry soon for sure ) and went mental thinking that the baker had dropped the ring into the bread by accident.
She took some convincing for her to calm down.
4 Americans were amazed how we celebrate the festival.
"But this is a Celtic tradition not an American one"

Halloween went off with a bang.
Fireworks are illegal here so they buy them in Northern Ireland or from the dealers on Moore St.
It was like the 4th of July in Boston, with all the bangs and flashes.
My poor old dog used to go mad with the noise and the local vet used to sedate some of the more nervous dogs.

There is someone who has a shop in Liffey Valley and she asked me if I could find her someone to help her to work there.
I asked a really decent taxi driver if he knew anyone and his answer floored me.
"I have 3 sons and they are all useless, all drug addicts. The eldest lad is just out of prison again and he broke the terms of his parole, so he is going back down tonight.
God knows I did my best with them, they are 3 skeletons. no flesh on any of them"
He is a very decent hard working guy you would never think he had that kind of problem.

If everyone went to the magic table and put their problems on it.
You could view everyone's troubles.
You could take someones problems home instead.
Then you could see what problems the other people put down, you would be happy to take your own problems home.

There are a hell of a lot of Sex crimes coming to trial at the moment.
A Priest in his 80s went down and a father went to prison for having sex with his daughter from the age of 9. There was another similar case of child sexual abuse as well.
I hope there is a special hell for anyone who would destroy a childs life in  this way.

Anyhoo as they say in Canada.
Here is some simple advice from a fool. (Me)

Magic Convention ??

The Titanic center in Belfast

On sale in MrPrice, hurry while stocks last

Ignorant Irish for sure

Blackpool tower.
Move over Paris

Computers are stupid or is it me?
No comment required.

I had a video loaded and now its gone.

I love magic and magicians meet at magic conventions all over the world from Las Vegas to Beijing to Blackpool.
The Blackpool magicians convention is the biggest in the world !!
Dealers come from all over the planet to sell books, DVDs, and props Blackpool will have 150 stalls.
The comedians in the shows are fantastic.

So take it up as a hobby, after all it's a disappearing art.

Tonight in our neck of the world the clocks go back and hour tonight.

Tomorrow Sunday its the marathon. 

This is the kind of thing that goes on at magic conventions, they carry on into the wee small hours





Look up this movie. Its based in Blackpool and is in my top 10 movies of all time
 

Tallagh

This beautiful garden is 400 meters from my front door and it must be 3 years since I last went in

A few weeks ago I got a job out to the square on Tallagh.
Called in by her job and the journey would be paid by the boss.
So I turned around and got another job around 3 miles away,
Dropping her off I heard someone whistling and this guy with short cropped blonde hair asked me
"How much back to the square?" I said €5 and he jumped in.

Some people will hardly say hello, others will hardly tell you their destination,
But boy did this guy have a story to tell me.
When he was 15 he was walking along in Crumlin when someone ran up behind him and hit him full force on the head with a hammer.
He was in a coma with severe brain damage, for 3 years he remained in a coma.
Then one day he just woke up.
"I was 5 stone weight and couldn't talk or walk or eat.
I had to learn everything again, like new born child".

But look at me now I can't shut up !
He was really great, not looking for sympathy or pity.
I asked him if he remembered anything about the time that he was in the coma 3 years is a long time.
"Just at the time I was knocked out I met my mother, she died when I was 12 years old, I said Mammy I am coming up to be with you.
She held up her hand and said No son, go back its not your time yet" 

You know it is a real privilege to meet people like him. 
He works for a brain injury charity.
One of the good guys for sure. 
Today I met a nurse who works woth brain trauma patients.
She told me that my guy was one of the very lucky ones.
She has a patient who was attacked by persons unknown , beaten and kicked on the ground and left for dead. 
A completely unprovoked attack.
32 years of age and a brilliant electrician.
He sits in the nursing home looking out the window, he cannot speak. 
For stimulus I often read him the children's story of the naughty fox, and he becomes animated at the point where the fox is getting chased.

Boys and girls, say a prayer for the fallen ones. (Even if you don't have a God) 

Today I went to the Coombe and picked up a lady with a cello! 
She also had a big teddy bear. I put the cello on the front seat and put on its safety belt as you do.
She got into the back and she was talking to her teddy bear ?
I was reminded of Mr.Bean!
So we arrived at St. Stephens Green. She was going to the concert hall, but said that she would walk from the corner of the Green. 
So I took out the cello and as she turned for me to put it on her back I saw the face of the teddy bear.. It was a baby in a teddy bear suit.  Off to work with the baby.  

Stats
 

United States	519
Norway	378
Germany	185
Ireland	134
Singapore	53
Indonesia	34
Russia	32
Cambodia	30
United Kingdom	15
India	11

 

No tip !

Dodge 2 door custom coupe 1948

A sign in the toilet at the airport

Crossing the Sam Beckett bridge

Driver we are late!
So they are putting the pressure back on to you.

What do you do?
So the call was to Clontarf Castle hotel and they were off to Dundrum for a funeral.
"We are very late"
I started the meter and then had to explain how the charges were mounted up on the meter.
So I headed for the East Link bridge letting the sat nav take over and at points in the journey I was doing over 70 kph.
We arrived at the church in Dundrum before the hearse arrived.
So she handed me a €50 and then took all her change!

Even a thank you would have been nice. Some people !

Then I realized that I hadn't put on the €1.40 for the toll bridge.

So I crossed back over the city and got a job in Clontarf with a doctor from Soudan going to Beaumount hospital, God she had a wonderful manner and was so polite.
I think I am in love again.
Its a pity I am not 50 years younger or at least as rich as Trump.

Often I think that some people are not people at all

The way people drive is making me mad.
I saw a car have a blowout on the M1 in front of us the other day. he did 360o spin then another 90o and hit the dividing barrier, then yesterday coming back down a police car passed me sirens blaring, then he braked blocking off the fast lane of the motorway.
I turned on my hazard warning lights and then an asshole tried to overtake me on the inside.
He did not know if there were people standing or lying on the road. So I sat on the horn and cut across him until we had passed a 3 car pile up.
He was on my inside and could not even see the crashed cars.

The keyless car system ?
You walk to the car with the key in your pocket, put your hand on the handle and the car unlocks, then you press a button and then simply drive off Danger!
The signal can be picked up and cloned with a Car Relay Attack Unit. 
They pick up the radio signal and then drive off and thieves are having a field day!
So what do I do John?
When you stop your car. Put the key fob into a RF blocker pouch which you can buy from Amazon.
You get out of the car and put on a steering wheel lock which can also be used as a weapon of last resort.
Also from Amazon  
Then you step out of the car and press lock on the door handle.
Holding the handle out you close the door.
Now the car is locked without the key signal escaping. 

On the Times of London newspaper there is a story of a guy who had his car stolen.
He reported it to the police and they uncovered loads of stolen cars..in his possession worth as much as £800,000 All keyless entry high end cars.
I bet he wishes he had kept his mouth shut.