Busy doing nothing.

What's cooler than being cool? Living here!

2012-02-13T19:50:00.001Z

Lads! It has been so freaking cold here lately, I mean the temperature has been nowhere near zero or above zero for weeks! Luckily I have a lovely free heated apartment so I've been lovely and warm before y'all start worrying about me ;) Past few weeks have been nothing special really, apart from that one time I flew to Dublin and got to celebrate a 21st birthday of one of the greatest people on the planet!

It was fantastic! Ciara hadn't a clue I was coming over and the look on her face when I walked in her door the night before the party is one I will never forget! Kudos once more to her boyfriend Eoghan for making it happen :) We had a super night! Pity I couldn't stay longer! Not gonna lie folks the past week or so I've been feeling flump. Yes that bastard is like herpes! Comes back to piss you off at the most awkward of times! So the reason I haven't blogged in a while is cos of the flump, I've been a little stressed work wise and suffering from headaches. Not so fun! Things at the school look like they're finally getting sorted and I'll be able to meet my new students and get into the groove of my new time table! Like YAY and stuff! But WAIT! There is yet more good news, in a mere ten days from now I'ma be in PARIS with the lovely and also tall Tom! :) I smell magic in the making and I for one can't wait! =) After Paris I'll be enjoying some RandR Lille style before hitting London.

I'm really excited about London too because I get to spend some time with family I haven't seen in a really long time, needless to say this will also be fantastic! It's always good to have something to look forward too, I'm fortunate enough to have many things to look forward to at the moment but if some of you are feeling a little flump at the mo and you think there's nothing interesting/fun on the horizon for you look a little harder and I'm sure you'll find something! Even if it's something small like a cup of tea at the end of the day...believe me it's the little things that will keep you going more than you know! In fact I'ma go and have some tea and chocolate now...after all I've earned it ;)

Short update I'm afraid maybe the next post will bring bigger and brighter things! =D Have a great week you beautiful people!

Peace, love and all things groovy!
Karen x

Daddy, Daddy cool

2012-02-01T15:10:00.000Z

My dad's a pretty cool dude. And it's not secret to any of the people that know me really well that I am incredibly close to my dad. I'm blessed to say that he and I have a really special relationship. We're each other's soundboards and are forever venting to one another about everything that goes on around us. I'm really grateful that we can do that because if we couldn't I think both of us would be in a lot worse shape.

Dad's given me a lot of things over the years and we do share a lot, the greatest thing we share without a doubt is our love of music. Music is a big deal to my Dad. He appreciates all kinds of music, from Alicia Keys to George Michael and Linkin Park! He'll pretty much listen to anything. I always remember one day a few years back we were in HMV (the only shop he's willing to stay in for more than 10 seconds) and he stopped for a second turned to a sales assistant and said "Excuse me but the song that's playing...what album is that from and by who?" He bought the album! He's taste is the most eclectic I've ever seen and I hang around with some serious music fans. He really enjoys listening to music and I mean really listening to it.

On the morning of Christmas eve Dad and I were the only two in the house and he had started talking and once he starts it's hard sometimes to make him stop, but on the other hand when he gets like that I can't help but stare and take everything in. I'm such a Daddy's girl that I really do hang on his every word. Anyways, he had begun to discuss the recent events that had taken place within our family over the past few months, he told me how quiet the house is when I'm not around and how much everyone misses me when I'm in France and then true to Gerry Blaney form he turns to me and says "And there's this song, and it always reminds me of you. And whenever I hear it I think of you" Not the first time Dad's said that to me and I'm sure it's not gonna be the last. See he appreciates music so much because he takes it seriously, music has always provided dad with comfort and hope when he needed it. When my brother was 3 he had to undergo major surgery and my dad told me..."I just heard a song back then and I knew he was gonna be ok" The day of my nana's funeral dad took me to one side took out his ipod and said "Just listen" It was a song by Sting called Ghost I think, and in that moment with my dad everything I had been feeling around that time was summarised in that song.

That's why I respect my dad so much, he gets it. More than that though he gets me and how I work and how to cheer me up through these songs. It really is a gift. It's awesome to think that he and I can share that. He's a huge influence on me and the music that I listen to. He's the reason I was the Fugees biggest fan at the tender age of nine. So if you have time I urge you to listen to "The night will always win" by Elbow. That's the song that reminds my dad of me. When I sat down and listened to it a few weeks ago it made me laugh, smile and tear up all at the same time. A beautiful piece of music by a wonderful band and another fantastic suggestion. Like I said my dad is a pretty cool dude. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFUdxnd-LAQ

Finally dusting off some cobwebs.

2012-01-19T21:13:00.002Z

And by cobwebs I mean the cobwebs on this here blog and not the cobwebs in my room....I'm far too lazy to do that. They're on my ceiling and my ceiling is high and I'm short and EFFORT! So I thought writing a blog would be far better and I'm hoping all of you lovely people agree with me! Let's talk about card games!

Ever hear of a game called 52 pick up? Suppose it's not so much a game as it is a prank whereby you ask a friend (or someone you don't like) "Wanna play 52 pick up?" and if they're foolish enough to reply "Yes" you then throw a deck of cards in the air and watch your friend scramble as they try to pick up as many cards as they can before they hit the floor. The reason I'm talking about 52 pick up is because it's the best way I can describe how the past few months for me. I realise it's been a very long time since I've blogged and without going into too much detail over the past 3 months I've felt like someone has thrown a deck of cards in the air and I've been scrambling to try and catch them and terrified to let them fall. But that's the thing about 52 pick up. It's impossible to catch all the cards at once, you gotta just stand still with your feet planted firmly on the ground and let the cards fall into your hands. Then you take it from there.

I won't lie I've had a manic few months with some devastating and hard times, but as well as that I've had some truly beautiful moments with family and friends and I've turned a corner. Still in France doing my thing and not doing a bad job! (Even if I do say so myself). The scrambling and being terrified thing isn't good but sometimes when bad things happen that's the knee jerk reaction you have to just start running and rushing and reaching for things that are unreachable. It happens sometimes and sometimes it's out of your control but if you just wait a few seconds clothes your eyes and take a breath you'll realise that you have enough time to pick up all the cards and stack them accordingly. That's what I did and it's worked pretty well. 2012 is being good to me so far and long may it continue. I have lots to look forward to and that's what keeps me going really :)

Well that's all I have to say! I will definitely try to make posts slightly more regular. Now if you'll excuse me I've got a poker game to get to ;)

Have a great week
Peace, Love and all things Groovy.
Karen x

And now for something completely different.

2011-11-18T11:30:00.001Z

So it's been a while. This is gonna be a very short post. I give you a poem.

Bound by love and where it has led you.
Bound by cells and the way they have treated you.Bound to change in a place that stays the same.
Bound by words and how they control you.
Bound to get better some day some how,
By deity, by hatred, by compassion,We are bound.

Read it. If you like it sweet! If you don't that's cool too. There'll be a better post in the near future! Have a great week.Peace, Love and all things GroovyKaren x

Meanwhile in France.....

2011-10-15T18:33:00.000+01:00

Bonjour! Yes it has been a RIDICULOUSLY long time since I posted a blog and I can barely remember what my last one was about and I am very sorry for leaving it so long but as you're all aware of by now I was really busy trying to get myself and all my shit together and haul ass all the way to France and Quel Surprise I'm here, and I've been here for quite a while too so I thought sure I may as well give all y'all a bit of a well overdue update! On y va!Well myself and the mother arrived in Lille on the 19th of September and we were met by a lovely French man by the name of Jean-Marie. He picked us and all of our stuff up and brought us to the hotel, he stopped by Gondecourt first though, which is the town I currently live in. It's TINY. I mean really small, like you have a church, post office and the school I work in and that's about it! There's also a tiny bar which is nice if you want a few quiet drinks. Not gonna lie arriving here first was more than a little daunting. The apartment that I live in is pretty basic but it's free and my room is nice and cosy and there's free heating so I can't complain! Plus it's literally around the corner from where I work! Everything's coming up Milhouse baby! Gonecourt is basically the complete opposite of Dublin but I really believe that change is good =D Plus my first two weeks here resembled a Samuel Beckett play i.e sitting around saying "Rien a fait" which I think is just hilarious! So I'm living with the Italian assistant and cos we gots the biggest apartment the Spanish and German assistants spend a lot of time here too which is cool cos we can have a bit of banter and mostly speak French with each other which is one of the main reasons why I'm here! The other reason of course is to be a teaching assistant.I haven't officially started yet and won't until Monday, so far all I've had to do is attend classes with the English teachers and observe and of course introduce myself to the students. That was rather intimidating, some of them are more cheeky than others but on the whole they're not the worst kids in the world, some of them don't like English but I'm hoping I can change their minds, even just a little bit :) I'm a little nervous about flying solo but the teachers are really helpful and I know if I need anything I can just ask them. I have the freedom to do whatever I want with the students which is nice, I have a couple of ideas and bucket loads of material to work with so the job is oxo! Not gonna lie, after my mam and I said goodbye to one another and I had to stay by myself before the others arrived I was freaking out and nearly convinced myself that I was in over my head and I'd prob be better off just going home, but that was just me being very stupid. It's all gravy baby! I'm enjoying it, Lille is an amazing city and there always seems to be something happening which I like a lot. There's constant opportunities to have super happy fun times and I intend to make the most of the opportunities! Liking buying a bike for €20! It's old and the back break doesn't work but I used it yesterday and didn't die so I'll keep it until it falls apart, which will be sooner rather than later! I'm meeting new people from all over the world all the time too which is great, it's comforting to know that there's someone else here going through the same things you are and feeling the exact same way. Makes things that little bit easier. Although I'm making new friends I miss everyone a ridiculous amount, but thankfully I has the internet to keep me up to speed and such and Christmas is fast approaching so I'll be able to see some well missed faces then! Well I think that's about it for now! The posts will become more regular again I swear! Have an awesome week beautiful people!Peace,Love and all things Groovy.Karen x

I love the smell of Blog in the morning.

2011-07-29T10:06:00.000+01:00

That may well be the LAMEST title for a blog I have come up with to date. I am very sorry but it's twenty past nine in the morning and I am still quite sleepy, but I realize how long it's been since I last updated and I thought sure I may as well write something! Once again I have had another hectic couple of weeks, dam you summer.....you is wearing me out something fierce! I couldn't update on Sunday because I was at the epic Knockanstockan festival to watch the amazing Fox.e and The Good Hands.

It was a long but also an awesome day full of random jokes and lots of alcohol and of course some pretty great vibes. Those great vibes made for an awesome Fox.e show! It's the best I've seen them play so far the crowd loved it and so did the band. Twas nice to able to see them, fear not though! They have lots of other gigs coming up and I highly recommend you look them up and check them out. After the show a 12 hour sing song and session followed, having finished my last drink at about nine in the morning I decided it was time to make the trek home. Nap time on couch was had and I went to bed super early that night to catch some serious z's and the next day I felt fantastic :)

Above is just one instance of all the craziness that has been my life over the past few weeks. I've been hanging out with my awesome awesome friends having the chatz and the lolz and all that good stuff. As well as this I've been trying to get my shit together for France and while the thoughts of it all scares the bejaysus outta me I can tell you all that the plans are FINALLY starting to come together (right noooowwwwwwwww. Over me.) Time is flying by and it is kinda freaking me out but at the same I have to admit I'm loving it. As most of you know I can get
really restless sometime and when this restlessness hits me I tend to wanna do lots of things....mainly I spend time in town and going out for some Super Happy Fun Times. Although I'm tired right now it is definitely worth it. Now I know some of you have been really busy with work and things and it's not been the easiest time for you guys and I miss all of your faces because of it but don't worry I know you people and you guys certainly know how to have some fun ;) so when you do get the chance you know what to do! TEAR SHIT UP!

This week has proved to be somewhat uneventful....however, I do have an inappropriate pants off dance off to attend this evening so I have no doubt that's about to change. I dunno what it is but lately I've been in a great mood and apparently it's showing! Hopefully my cheerfulness isn't bugging you but I can't help it. I just have all these good feelings and I'm hopeful about everything and everyone :) I just sorta feel like we're all on the cusp of something amazing trust me I'm Karen Blaney. So don't worry about it guys if you're feeling a little flump s'all good. That's allowed I'm sure it'll pass. When it does you make sure you party hard! Oh and have a nap! You're gonna need to believe me :)

Well that's it for now! Have a good week!
Peace, Love and all things Groovy
Karen x

Stop dreaming of the quiet life cos it's one we'll never know.

2011-07-17T15:58:00.000+01:00

(....IN A TOWN CALLED MALICE! OOOOOHHHH YEEEEEEAAAAAHH!!!) Today's blog title is taken from that belter of a tune by The Jam, it's one of those songs that you all know so check it out right now and ya'll can thank me later ;) Yes I know what you're all thinking it's been a little while since I did an update but it's not my fault. ok. Maybe it is but I'm going to blame the universe cos I can!

The past couple of weeks have been somewhat hectic to say the least! The summer has really started picking up some momentum and I've just been running around all over the place. Ok most of my traveling has been back and forth to town, and sometimes from town to Naas. It really can take it's toll on a girl. Fear not readers I've been having myself all kinds of fun ;) Karma has been extra lovely to me of late and I must say I really appreciate it. I have been having some seriously Super Happy Fun Times. Thanks to some beautiful people! Sadly though I need to see certain faces that I have been missing long time! Never fear! I'ma work something out soon and haul ass to selected parts of the country! That alright with everyone? =P

In the past couple of weeks I've been to OXEGEN! Which was awesome, Pendulum rocked my world and even though I got a bit bashed up it was totally worth! As I've said I've been back and forth to town and hanging with friends and truth be told today has been the first day in a while where I've been able to sit down and chill. *and breathe* :) I'm having an awesome time of it lately and Karma is being pretty great to me so I really can't complain! What I should do though is have some tea and nap, I'm worn out right now, hence why this post isn't the best in the world but I'm just checking in to let you know that I haven't forgotten about the blog and hopefully neither have you guys! :P

So here's to another fun filled week, lots of fun to be had! Get up or get down! Whatever you do have some fun and I'll talk to you all soon!

Peace, Love and all things Groovy
Karen x

In the Red Zone.

2011-07-03T21:03:00.000+01:00

Hi-didly Hi Friend-a-rino's! So yes once again there has been a severe lack of blog. It's proving quite difficult to keep up with weekly posts mostly because of timing issues (I have no time to sit down and do it) and also because some weeks I just don't have anything interesting to say! I know I find it quite hard to believe myself sometimes. So anyway the past couple of weeks have been somewhat tumultuous to say the least and this blog is about to explain why! Brace yourself folks!

So last week there was some super happy brunch times as usual they are quite fun, as well as this though there was also some face missing and by some I mean MAJOR face missing (this is possibly the only bad part about summer) faces are still being missed big time but that shall be rectified soon! I promise! There was also some good news! Yours truly managed by some miracle of the highest order to pass all of my exams! BOOM BABY! Congrats to those of you that also passed and received your degrees (well deserved). To those who didn't pass don't fear and don't give up just yet I'm sure the August exams won't know what hit them! I believe! So yeah there was some good news that made me very happy and then by the end of that week I was not so happy. *AWKWARD PART OF BLOG UPCOMING!*

There was a break-up. I am no longer part of a couple. It was not a good feeling. Breaking up is never easy as we're all aware. No matter how nice the person doing the breaking up is trying to be they cannot avoid hurting the other person. They can't. There is always going to be someone left heartbroken and upset and in this case it was/is me. After taking a couple of days to try and process everything that happened and try and understand I still can't and it sucks and I've been getting more frustrated about it by the day. Don't get me wrong thanks to my amazing friends I've been able to have some fun but at the same time I can't sit here and say that I'm okay with how things ended and my confidence hasn't been totally shattered because it has and it's gonna take a while before I'm fully back on my feet cos I guess that's how break-ups go and you have to handle them as best as you can. Lovely tall boys with ice-cream and apathetic ipods are a major help ( I love you more than you know) as well as some celebrations and what better excuse to have to celebrate than MY BIRTHDAY!!! WOOSH!

I'm old. :( I'm 20. So old! Right, so I'm not that old really but still not being a teenager anymore is a bit lame. Thankfully I had my awesome people and Dublin's fair city to keep me happy and boy was I happy! It was an awesome birthday and everybody had fun! Sure we walked the length and breadth of the city and I'm pretty sure I pulled a muscle in my leg dancing but believe you me it was totally worth it! In fact I've decided that I'm going to have one of those birthday things EVERY YEAR! HOOORAY! Also my birthday brought good news! I gots me free accommodation in France! I'll be leaving on the campus of the school where I'll be working, j'ai de la chance non?

Busy couple of weeks with lots of ups and downs and some changes! I am now a red head and I am totally ROCKING the look (even if I do say so myself =P) I've also discovered that red heads have a lot of fun ;) I just hope the french boys like it! Not gonna lie I wanted to kinda lie low for a while and hide away from the world but then I remembered that that's so not me and not who I ever wanna be so I'm gonna go out head held high and be super happy and fun! I suggest you all do the same! Chat soon guys!

Peace, Love and all things Groovy
Karen x

Blah Blah Blah Blog.

2011-06-19T15:05:00.000+01:00

HELLO INTERNET! It's me again :) Happy Sunday afternoon ladies and gentlemen, I certainly hope you all are well today. I'm doing great. Exhausted after what has been another busy week. I got my nerd on in a big way this week. My days and evenings were filled with Harry Potter movies, Donkey Kong and Super Mario as well as reading up on the awesome adventures of Arthur Dent in the Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy (I highly recommend it). Don't worry folks I also managed to squeeze some partying in as well ;)

Festivities kicked off on Thursday with a trip to a pub in Drumcondra called The Ivy House. It's like another version of a place called Quinns except it's more claustrophobic with a slightly older crowd...kinda. It was fun though! I was introduced to two lovely American guys. They liked to party which is always fun :D We showed them how we "get down" and I think they really learnt something! Although we couldn't tell them the politically correct way to order and Irish car bomb...does anybody know the politically correct way? Let me know! So we boogied away into the wee hours of the morning. I woke up the next day hangover free (Woosh) and began to prepare for my little adventure.

Friday afternoon I got a Luas to Hueston Station and then on to a train to Clara Offaly. (Yes it's a real place =P) It was my good friend's Dylan's birthday so I decided to go and I didn't regret it :) Now I have to admit I was a little apprehensive at first because I didn't actually know anybody else there. It got easier however thanks to lots of beer and some awesome tunes! Everyone was amazing and made me feel really welcome! I had an awesome night and even managed to get a decent sleep too which is always good :D I arrived home yesterday covered in mud and a little tired, it was cool though I chilled out and got some more sleep and here I am today refreshed and unimpressed with some of the photos of myself on Facebook. Ah well! More memories I guess :) So it's all gravy in Blaney-world (Idea for a theme park perhaps?) I have a movie day with Tom tomorrow and I cannot wait :) More partying to follow. Talk to you shiny happy people soon!

Peace, Love and all things Groovy
Karen x

We like to bounce.

2011-06-12T18:24:00.000+01:00

DUDES! Apart from the fact that the weather is absolutely horrendous I am in fine form and I hope you all are too. Summer has not let me down so far! It's been all kinds of crazy good fun and it looks like it's going to continue :) I love random days/evenings. They're what makes summer pretty awesome take for example last week!

So after having some good clean fun and bible study with two truly wonderful people I was very sleepy having had only 4 hours sleep. I had planned to hit the hay early that night but alas it didn't happen. After some persuasion from Paddy I decided to raid the fridge for some beers and head down the road to my friends house. Upon arriving I walked straight out to the garden where the Fleetwood Mac was playing and generally people were being cool! The garden next door had a bouncy castle and they said that if we (the group of 6 teens with alcohol) wanted to bounce then we could. Bouncing was awfully good fun =D I highly recommend it to you all! It was a pretty awesome way to blow off some steam!

You know what's not awesome? Being horrifically hungover. All this time I thought vodka was my friend well that Russian bastard stabbed me in the back last night. I was in a bit of a jock this morning! It hurt to be :( Thankfully though after a huge meal in an awesome Italian restaurant I was myself again! All I need now is some tea :) So yeah not a lot to report I know but it's all good cos Summer won't be over for a while and we have a lot of plans to make and execute. Road trips for the win! Have a good week guys!

Peace Love and all things Groovy
Karen x

Couch.

2011-06-01T11:30:00.000+01:00

Ok, so I'm updating my blog on a Wednesday and I know this is very unusual but I've been a little bit busy lately first with exams, then celebrating the end of the exams and then my couch. I love my couch. I love it so much. It makes me happy, being all comfy and lovely and providing me with a place to flake out and watch some t.v. A place where I am happy and content and chilled. It's ok if I have to go places though, couch understands and is always waiting for me when I get back!

Right I certainly think that's enough about my wonderful couch. It really has been a hectic couple of weeks. The exams were more soul destroying than I thought they would be. Thankfully I got through them relatively unscathed. I'm sure we all did. Some of you guys sat your final exams ever and that is a pretty big deal. Congratulations guys! :) I have no doubt that you all did well and are on to bigger and brighter things for the future. Even if you don't think so you gotta believe me...cos.....you know! It's crazy to think that my second year in college is over already it really has flown by and has been without a doubt an interesting year!

It was year full of laughter and tears there was heartbreak but there was also new love too :) Friendships changed a lot I think. Some for the better and some stuff got pretty heavy and intense but once again we all pulled through it and came out the other side. I think that goes to show you how awesome we all are! I mean my second year was pretty difficult for me for a lot of reasons and sometimes I really wasn't all that enthusiastic about going to college at all. Thankfully I had my friends there to put things into perspective and help me through it. Thanks guys! I owe ya one =P It's been an interesting year for all of us and I think we've done well to get all of our assignments done and sit our exams! It's great and I think we deserve to celebrate! Super Happy Fun Summer Times! HOORRAYY!!!! I have a feeling it's gonna be pretty awesome! We deserve we're like totally awesome and stuff! I kinda have to have lots of silly teenage fun because come 30th of June I'll no longer be a teenager and that's pretty sad!

Anyways! It's gonna be a fun few weeks and we all have a lot ahead of us to look forward to. I guess I feel like we're all at a point where we gotta make important decisions and sometimes that can't be fun but we have to trust our own instincts and if you're feeling bad about a certain situation then you have to make the decision that's best for you. Don't look back. Think of all the good things and if you can find a couch a t.v. and some chocolate digestives and you are sorted my friend!

Till next time
Peace, Love and all hings Groovy
Karen x

Bitches Don't Know.

2011-05-15T22:11:00.000+01:00

Evening lovely ladies and lovely men! Very happy and healthy Sunday to you all during these very stressful times. Exams are being a bit of a buzz killington killing all the buzz. Fear not though fellow academics! It's going to be over sooner than you think then we can go Part-AY! (hey, ho, hey, ho!) So I hope you've all had somewhat of a relatively good week. My week was weird!

Yeah so I woke up with a serious bad case of the fear on Monday morning. The fear occurs after a day or two of alcohol consumption and you wake up and BAM! FEAR. You just feel a little jumpy and scared of the world really! It's quite an usual and unsettling feeling and it hit me quite hard, so I got back into bed for a couple of hours so all was right with the world again. Sweet. The rest of the week was rather weird, but in a kinda sorta good way. Words were exchanged! Pints were had and perhaps a friendship rekindled? Although it's still early days. Today was particularly great, I got into the cinema for free (connections for the win!). The film had an epic soundtrack that I must own immediately and I had epic tea and an awesome chat, winning all over the place people! Just what I needed.

I went to mass last night for the first time in ages. It was a special occasion. Wednesday will mark the ten year anniversary of my grand-father's death. As most of you will have noticed by now, I don't talk about him a lot and well the reason is because I find it difficult to talk about him. I was only 10 when he died and although at the time I wasn't fully aware of the circumstances around his death and was a little young to try and deal with the concept of death it affected me in a very real way. He was a great man and had this amazing presence about him. He was a hard worker all his life and worked for the benefit of his whole family. He was selfless and really sensitive too. Grand-dad always seemed to have such a great rapport with children. He and I had an awesome relationship, every time I walked into my grandparents house he'd exclaim "Oh no not you again! I have to start locking the door!" He and I both knew that he was joking and we laughed every time. I was his little doll (I was a tiny baby) and we used to always sit in the kitchen together and watch cartoons. He loved cartoons and I loved sitting there with him, I may have only been a kid but I knew then that there was something special at work there. I cherished those moments and I miss them a lot. I miss him a lot too, he was taken from me too quickly and when he was gone I had never felt that awful about anything before. One day he was there, this great stoic amazing man and the next he wasn't around. It was hard to take in for all of us, he was the rock on which the family was built. But we got through it. I don't think his presence has ever truly left us. There's a huge portrait in the sitting room of my nana's house of him. He always there to and never forgotten and he never will be. Grand-dad loved all of the disney movies. His favourites were the jungle book and the lion king. He kinda reminds me of Baloo in a funny way, I haven't watched either of those movies since he died. I don't know if I can, maybe I will after a while.

A lot has happened in the past ten years, I wish he could have been around to see events unfold. There's been times where I've sat back and wondered what he'd say or do if he was still here. He was the reason I learned how to play the piano, he got me my first one and always encouraged me to keep at it. I haven't let him down there and I would hope that I've made him just a little proud if he could see me. We all miss him everyday, but any time we see a butterfly we think it's him, just dropping by to check in and whenever anything good happens even something small we thank him for it cos he always wanted to do good by us and we've always tried to do good by him. He really was an amazing man with an amazing life and he enjoyed every minute of it, he enriched mine so much and I will always be grateful for that. This blog isn't really a fitting tribute to him, if I wrote a book it still wouldn't be enough. For now though it's the best I can do. You now all have an insight into what was and will always be a major part of my life.
Bernard Smith R.I.P. x

Peace, Love and all things Groovy
Karen x

When I have fears that I may cease to be.

2011-05-01T21:37:00.000+01:00

Well that was an incredibly long day! Although considering I only got home at four and woke up at ten I'm not as tired as I though I would be by now and I even managed to get a lot of work done for my final English essay! So yes, I've been working on English all day hence the title of this week's blog. Keats...I'm feeling you bro! (Pay attention children it's about to get real!)

I have a fear, it's a stupid fear and some may argue that it's an irrational fear but I still have it. It's there all the time. It's not a fear that somewhere there's a duck watching me.....although I have that fear NOW and can look forward to a sleepless night. Dammit Janet. The fear that I have is the fear of never being good enough. I'm always afraid that no matter what I do it's not enough. That's why I'm always so hard on myself when things don't go exactly my way or I don't get the results that I want. I try not to let this fear consume me completely, I tend to use it as a driving force to keep me going, I never wanna slip up and will do everything in my power to avoid it. Of course though it's not always like that. I know that I've fucked up royally along the way but all I can do is apologize. It was never my intention and I'll do my best to make sure it never happens again. So yeah...the fear....I'm sure some of you think that it's just the most ridiculous thing ever but it's just the way I've always been, I'm trying to keep myself in check though.

Thankfully I have some awesome friends and a very pretty young man to help me out when I'm being just a little bit too silly. I think we all have a bit of a fear like that, it's not always the worst thing in the world either. Sometimes it gives you the momentum you need to power through and beat the flump. I mean we don't really have anything to fear, we're young and have our whole lives ahead of us! So if you're scared or worried use it and turn it into the motivation you need to succeed and once that's done you can party! So when I have fears that I may cease to be I stop thinking like that take a step back and a couple of deep breaths and go with the flow I highly recommend you all do the same! Catch you lovely people on the other side!

Peace, Love and all things Groovy
Karen x

Super Happy Fun Times!

2011-04-25T12:34:00.000+01:00

Greetings and salutations to all of you shiny happy fun times! Apologies for the lack of the blog over the past couple of weeks, I've been quite the busy be and really just haven't had the time but I'm going to try and make it up to you right now with this post!
Since I've been so busy being totally awesome and bi-winning at life I can't actually describe everything because this will turn into the longest blog ever and I can't actually concentrate for that long so I'ma go and makes me a list! This is the list of awesome things I've done/learned/that has happened to me over the past couple of weeks.

1. Gots me a new haircut! (It's basically a better version of what it was).
2. Powered though all my college work and now I only have one essay left =)
3. Realized that cracking open a bottle of wine at 3 in the morning and listening to certain kinds of songs leads to very interest and entertaining conversations ;)
4. Positive energy and gospel choir are an awesome way of cheering yourself up!
5. After 15 pints of heineken and a vodka I am funnier than a lol cat!
6. There is NO show like a Joe show!
7. Bouncy castles are awesome.
9. Jacuzzi's for the win.
10. My family are an amazing bunch of people who never fail to entertain me and make me laugh/dance/drink. I'm blessed!

It's been an interesting couple of weeks with some stressful moments! Never underestimate the power of super happy fun times! Some more hard work this week and maybe some more play time for me! C'est la vie! Oh and btw I have a sinus infection, =( Not so fun! Ah well....self medicating is always grehyt! =D

Peace, Love and all things Groovy.
Karen x

I gots me some new shoes!

2011-04-10T18:29:00.000+01:00

What's the beef beautiful boys and girls?! Happy Sunday to you all! So first off I wanna start by saying I got new converse and they are rather awesome and I shall be showcasing them around college soon :)

Yet another week has gotten by me and I honestly dunno where the time keeps going! Whoops! Well it's been another kinda sorta busy week with lots of super happy fun times. I decided to blow off some classes on Tuesday and go for a lovely drive with my lovely friends. Tom we will be undoubtedly doing that again this week...perhaps a visits to nana's? Who knows! Should be fun though, I love how the weather can change people's moods in an instant, it is rather distracting cos I need to get some college work done and that just won't happen if I'm sitting outside drinking a milkshake and listening to choones! (Which I fully intend to do btw! =P) I guess the college work will get done too at some point....maybe! I'll probably fall asleep before i get a chance to do any of that though! Fibbers kinda wore me out!

It was a good night. Thankfully Gemma didn't wear the pink dress....she would have been murdered...trust me. It was a fun night I must say although Fibbers isn't as fun as it used to be (it's tragic alright but the drinks are still cheap so I'm guessing we'll be heading there all the time!), one of the best things to do when you find yourself in a pub where the atmosphere isn't great is to play the fun game of people watching! It's simples! You sit there and watch all the other crazy drunk people around you and you laugh. EVERYBODY WINS! It can be somewhat dangerous though as my dear friend Gemma proved.

There we were sitting around...talking and all of sudden Gemma spots this rather large breasted blonde chick I mean her boobs were HUGE and spilling out of her very tight black top and she completed the outfit with ill-fitting jeans and high, pink hooker heels with diamonds all over them, Gemma immediately turns to me and a few others and says "See this is why I hate coming her just look at the state of your one over there dressed like a slut". You can imagine Gemma's surprise when said slut approached Gemma's boyfriend and gave him a hug...Queue Dave singing "It's a small world after all"....so yeah needless to say Gemma was kind of dying for her existence at that point.So PLEASE be careful cos you never know you who knows you or who knows the other people you know, you know? Hilarious times followed in Mac Donalds twas awesome =D.

So it was a good week with another good one to follow but before I leave you I have a proposition for all of you lovely people! Click on the link I have pasted and join myself and one Miss Laura Kennedy in attempting to break the world record for the most Wallies (As in Where's Wally) in one place. As you all know I am quite the fan of the books and I think this would be an awesome adventure for all of us! We can do it! Go on you know you wanna! Let's make it happen people! I'll see you next week :)

Peace, Love and all things Groovy
Karen x

I can has coffee.

2011-04-03T20:07:00.000+01:00

Ok so this may be the shortest blog ever cos I have run out of things to say! It would appear that the days and weeks are running into each other and I can't keep track so everything is going by in one big blur. It has been a rather quiet ish week which is kinda good I suppose.

I was struck down with a cold in the middle of the week but fear not! I am recovering rather well thanks to some epic nomming at Nana's. I really dunno what it is about that house but whenever I'm there I eat a sickening amount and practically inhale tea and coffee (sometimes both and yet I still can't fight the sleepy!) We went to nana's today so mammy wouldn't have to cook what it with being mother's day and all. I love my nana's house. Some of you reading this may have been in the house so you'll know how awesome it is! As a kid I spent a lot of time up there and as I've gotten older nothing's changed really! It just seems that time stands still or slows down or something there. Inside those walls I feel safe and happy and always well fed :) That's kinda my safe place, whenever something bad happens we always end up in nana's immediately for some comfort and advice and lots and lots of tea! =D I love that house, I always have and I always will and the best part is it's always going to be there!! Fantastique non?

I think it's important that you should have somewhere to go when things get to be a little bit tough to handle, like a safe-house type thing. Make sure it's sturdy, warm and full of the things you love like your family and more noms than you can handle (but let's be honest you can handle a LOT of noms) It's always reassuring to know that when things go tits up (hehe) you have somewhere to go to and forget about it and just chill. It's always comforting when you can walk out into the beautiful spring sunshine and know that you've left all your worries behind. So if you haven't got a place like that yet I suggest that you find one because they can prove to be very useful! Trust me I know what I'm talking about =P

Well that's it this week, I gotta go get ready to take my mammy out for some drinks (results may vary). cos she's so lovely :)
Have a good week!

Peace Love and all things Groovy
Karen x

Pointy Triangular Nipples.

2011-03-27T15:33:00.000+01:00

Afternoon ladies and germs! As you may have noticed I didn't write my blog last week, sincere apologies for those of you who were waiting eagerly by your computers all day (all one of you). I did intend on writing one last week but ironically enough I had a lot to say and just couldn't put it into words. I'll give it a bash now.

There comes a time when we're all hit with obstacles some are easier to get over than others. Some however, shake you to your core so much that you just don't know what to do. You want time to stop so you can remove yourself from everything going on around you lock yourself up in a box and just scream/think about everything and try and come up with a solution. You can often experience things that make you feel so numb, like watching your loved ones suffer. This is undoubtedly the hardest thing any of us will ever go through. It's truly devastating to have to sit back and watch someone else's world (someone who is a part of your world, and a big part at that) crash especially when they've done everything in their power to protect, you can't always be protected and as much as it sucks to say it it's true and I'm not for one minute trying to be cynical or bitter I'm being realistic, the world is a scary place sometimes, and it hurts you and you can do nothing but let it happen, the trick is I suppose, not letting it crush you. Sometimes being strong is difficult, sometimes you let the bad stuff weigh you down because it hurts you so much your body is literally heavy with the pain. Talking it out can scare me sometimes, i guess that's why there was no blog last week I was too scared to read the words that I would have wrote,thinking about things is one thing, giving your thoughts a voice is different but ultimately it's the best thing to do because then you can start working on it and have a game plan.

I may not have had a game plan last week but what I did have were my friends. I know that I have always been blessed to have the friends that I do but last week really reminded me just how lucky I am to have each of them in my life. I can honestly say that without them I don't know what would have happened to me but I doubt it would have been good.I wish I could go on about all of you amazing people longer but they haven't invented to words to describe how much you mean to me and how each of you have helped me over the past while and I hope that I can do the same for all of you whenever you need, Thank you.

The past couple of weeks have been somewhat of a whirlwind for me but they have settled down, I've had time to sit back and regroup and think a little more clearly about things. While I understand that the next few months will be a little difficult to say the least but I'll be surrounded by love and awesome people so I think I'll be alright :) and to anyone else who is experiencing some hardship at the moment don't be afraid to turn to your friends for help and just keep the faith, it can't rain all the time! It's not always easy but it's just the way it goes, don't panic. Deep breaths and some ice cream always helps too.

Have a good week,
Peace, Love and all things groovy
Karen x

What were we like?!

2011-03-13T15:14:00.000Z

Heeeeyyyy-hoooooo-heeeeeeyyyy-hooooooo!!! Howdy and happy Sunday to each and everyone of you. My chicken isn't quite cooked yeah so I'm gonna chill and write this blog until I can get my nom on! I'm actually starving! =(

So this is the end of what has been a very long week for everyone. Thursday just never seemed to end but thankfully there was a soft fluffy bed waiting for me at Nana's! I loaded up on tea and caught up on some seriously needed sleep. It was awesome. Ok guys it's my general understanding that this week wasn't that fantastic for everyone but thankfully we have a week off to chill and catch up on a lot of college work. Apart from Wednesday. I am not doing anything on Wednesday for reasons understood by most and will be explained by myself at a later date. Anyways! This week ended on a fun note I must say =D

I met up with two dear friends of mine for dinner. Steph, Niamh and I went to school together and decided to hang out for a much needed catch up. The conversation soon turned to "The good ol' days" and we talked about who we used to like and what we used to do for entertainment before we discovered alcohol and facebook. It was awesome and I began to think about how cool we used to think we were =P It's hilarious when you look back on the way you used to dress and the things you used to do and how much things have changed, I don't think I'd take any of it back though. I mean I know I've made some mistakes along the way but each of them kinda shaped the way that I am now and I think that's pretty cool =D. Some of the stuff we talked about was truly cringe worthy (ah to be a young teenage girl again =P) and some of it was just hilarious! The best part of the conversation was that I could share it with people who were there with me at them time. I love all of my friends and I love that we can still talk about it and create some even more memorable tales =P Who knows, in ten years from now I could look back on this blog and cringe and say "What was I thinking?!" but for now I'm enjoying it and I hope all of you are too.

I also hope you're all enjoying life at the moment, I understand that the flump can creep up every now and then but you don't wanna have flumpy memories cos they suck! So live love laugh eat and nap! If you have any time left after that I suggest you round up your friends and talk, create some awesome memories and appreciate everything you have, and I'll see you next week =P

Peace, Love and all things Groovy
Karen x

"Two people in love, alone, isolated from the world, that's beautiful."

2011-03-06T11:30:00.000Z

Good morning! :) I couldn't sleep so I decided to write my blog now and hopefully catch up on some college work and read about damaged Victorian sexualities. Sweet.

This week really has gone by in somewhat of a blur, hopefully next week will too cos then I gets a week off and it'll be glorious! Maybe there'll be a trip to the zoo (yes Conor that is in fact a MASSIVE HINT). Ok so this week was hectic but fun things have finally started to chill out and everything's been coming up Milhouse so I is quite happy at the moment. Aislinn busted some serious balls at Thursday's hustings and I think it's gonna be a close race :).

The weekend kicked off with a 21st and about 30 teenagers standing outside and off license drinking. We then realized that the guards would have a field day if they walked by so we thought drinking on the bus was a much better idea. Some people pre-drank heavily meaning by nine o clock that night one of my oldest friends felt it necessary to scream in my ear to "GET ON THE DANCEFLOOOOORRRRRRR!!!!" I did but only because she would have bitch slapped me if I didn't. It was a fun night and informative. The secret to eternal youth is in fact a lot of drugs....and a bit of nivea =P the results are rather impressive. So yeah I had a lot of fun and no hangover so that was awesome :D.

Yesterday was pretty cool too, it was my parents anniversary. The four of us were up early and I got into bed between them to wish them a very happy 34 years together. We went out for breakfast and it was lovely :). I really admire my parents. 34 years is literally a lifetime. They've lived with each other longer than they lived with their own families so they know each other better than they know anyone else. It was Friedrich Nietzsche that said "It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages." Thankfully my parents are lacking neither. Over the past few years it has become apparent to me just how much they love each other. They are each other's rocks and yes I know they don't always get along but at the end of the day they will stand by and support each other no matter what. Theirs is a marriage that has withstood a lot of pain and heartache but with that there has been a lot of happiness love and two decent kids (I think =P). They have thought Steven and myself a lot of things. Family first no matter what. They have thought me how to be happy how to treat others and above all they have thought me how to love and for that I am eternally grateful :). I think after 34 years they're doing alright :D. I respect my parents a lot and in 34 years if I'm half as happy in my marriage as they are in theirs then I'll count my blessings. Another great week and I hope next week will be just as good if not better, so don't forget "We love the things we love for what they are." Hopefully they'll never change :) Have a good week!!

Peace,Love and all things Groovy
Karen x

I'm attached to my hair, it's just not always attached to me.

2011-02-27T18:25:00.000Z

Hi everybody! I needed to take a break from my college work to relay the events of the past week. It's been a good un I must say.

After a slow start the week had somewhat of a bang on Wednesday when my mother called to inform me that the concert I was supposed to be attending that evening was in fact in an hours. I did what I had to do, which was skip English grab a train and meet my cousins at the venue. Turns out that the gig itself wasn't too shabby (apart from my youngest cousin almost bursting an ear drum with her girlish screams). Wednesday evening was followed with a sleepover in Nana's! Good times and lots of tea. Twas well needed. Then Friday came along.

I started my day with a haircut and was told by my hairdresser that I need to calm down more or my hair will fall out more frequently and in bigger chunks. I guess I've been under immense pressure/stress over the past couple weeks and it hasn't always been fun but I'm beginning to see the brighter sides of things, I think that's largely down to the power of words. Words are something we use everyday and have a major impact on us. Sometimes words can lift us up and make us feel strong powerful and often make us feel loved and safe. Often words tear us apart and make us feel like the smallest person in the world and (as I have learned over the past few weeks) when the words are kept bottled up inside of us they often make the most damage because words that go unspoken are the meanest and harshest words of all.

When these words are eventually expressed they can often offer you some clarity. Expression is required by all of us be it good or bad it's something that each of us needs to make the day to day easier and in the long run makes us happier. Friday was the day I used the words I needed and listened and finally got some clarity. I have no doubt that this will help me keep my head on my shoulders and my hair on my head :P. Well that's enough words for now so I hope you have a fun filled week and don't forget.... http://www.facebook.com/aislinn4comms Well I've said enough but before I go I'll leave you with a few more words.

Peace, Love and all things Groovy
Karen x

Why didn't I say something sooner?

2011-02-20T15:42:00.000Z

What is up party people? Hope you're all having a lovely relaxing Sunday after what has been another tumultuous week, this whole life thing really has me worn out folks but sure I ended the week on a high which is always good to do considering I had a bit of a bad start.....

So yeah turns out I failed french, there I was sitting in front of this very computer looking at my results and thinking "Why hasn't it changed yet? Why have I not passed?" Then I started to cry. This has always been somewhat of a problem for me whenever something goes wrong or doesn't go exactly according to plan I automatically think the worse, so needless to say that when I saw that lame ass mark I immediately heard the four horsemen coming to take me away, my trip to France went completely out the window. It's a terrible habit really because lo and behold they let me pass! Thanks to a meeting with my lovely year head Anne. "Now Karen do you think that you would have passed if you weren't sick?" "Well yeah you know, considering it was a tape test and I had codine coming out of my ears that day......" So yeah I passed by compensation which is always good but needless to say I don't like failing, and yeah my confidence has taken somewhat of a hit but sure onwards and upwards as they say! Of course the crying and upset could have been avoided if I had have simply let the department aware of my circumstances.

But I don't always like doing that, I don't wanna use stuff as an excuse like, I mean I don't really need to cos most of the time it doesn't affect me I'm quite happy to float around and take things as they come, but I suppose sometimes it's easier to face the facts than to pretend that everything is ok and not affecting you when it is and more often than not if we do discuss what's going on you may find that you have nothing to worry about in the first place. The France plans are back on so I shall see you biatches in the vineyards =P.

Apart from freak out and then eventually calm down I also did a lot of thinking this week. It's always frustrating when you have one thing in the back of your mind that you cannot let go of until you get some closure and so help me God I am going to sort it out soon. It's one of those things that makes you question everything, and I found myself questioning a lot of things "Why didn't I say something sooner?" "Why am I still getting so annoyed at this thing?" but more importantly "Why Didn't I go to Propaganda sooner?!?!"

I didn't realize and indie disco could be so entertaining...on sooooo many levels! There was checked shirts everywhere to begin with (I was wearing one too...to be really hipster and indie by conforming....fucks your mind I know) the music was epic and to top it all we witnessed an awesome dj battle. It started off well with Today fm pumping out the beats followed by Phantom fm pumping out some equally awesome tunes then Phantom busted out the big gun...Rage Against The Machine...Killing In The Name Of....my neck is really sore now but it was totally worth it =). I also learned a valuable lesson from last night...I am more indie than I though. Sweet. I guess. If you like that sorta thing. Whatever. So although my week didn't start off well it sure did end with an awesome bang. So if you find yourself in a stressful situation you just gotta calm down maybe take some time to yourself and don't always think the worst is gonna happen cos I can almost guarantee that it won't cos life is pretty groovy most of the time.

Well I've said far too much, I'm gonna go eat some junk food and do some work! It's about time too. Have a fab week!

Peace, Love and all things Groovy
Karen x

Glitter, crayons and everything in between.

2011-02-13T19:29:00.000Z

Howdy partners! I've returned from a rather long but really enjoyable day in town and ended up buying an awesome hoodie. Most definitely been one of the highlights of the week but not the best part =D

It was a week that saw yet more ridiculous blown out of proportion drama. Tempers flared and the flump came back and brought it's only sister the grump with it. So NOT groovy my friends. This week has shown that tension can build and things can be said that completely throw your off your path and it's all you can focus on and the more you focus on it the more you focus on it the deeper you fall into a digression of nothing but bad thoughts and bad feelings. I was discussing this issue with a friend last night and began to think that if we were to take a minute and strip everything back do we find that we've been angry over something entirely trivial or do we find something even deeper than that, something that makes you question everything. I dunno man!

So rather than focus on that for the entire week we broke up the boring college days by scrap booking! We compiled some truly awesome stuff and wrote some truly soppy funny and lovely messages to Niamh for her birthday. It was a great group effort and the birthday girl absolutely loved it! Guess it goes to show you that when we're not being mental and our heads ain't melted....we do alright!

With the awesome scrapbook presented we headed out to town. There was some awesome tunes played by two lovely young ladies and a purple violins, naturally we gave them a helping hand and added immensely to their performance even if I do say so myself =D. The drinks flowed as did the conversation (some more serious than others) but in all it was a great night out and needed by all. I'm hoping with the some steam blown off we can all get back in to our own personal awesome grooves again. Don't forget that tomorrow is a day of love so pass it on and be as lovely as I know you all can be! Here's to a better week for all!

Peace love and all things groovy
Karen x

There was Hipsters everywhere! O.o

2011-01-23T16:11:00.000Z

Is it Sunday already? That must mean that I only have one more week off before college is back? Hmmm....bittersweet methinks! The week brought the end of exams and some much needed partying. What fun it was! =P

We hit the city, a little dive of a place that we hadn't been too since the summer because we were too...ashamed...it's not my fault! What would you do if a tall guy wearing a blazer was buying you double vodkas cos you were minding his headphones...I tell you what you do if the scenario arises...just say no! Anyways...we went back to our lovely little rock bar where the booze was oh so very cheap and made all the more delicious because of that fact =). I think I speak for everyone when I say it had been too long since we were there and man how it changed, those who were there for the first time were suitably freaked out.

The floor wasn't sticky anymore and then I suddenly looked up and saw...Hipsters...everywhere! In the middle of a heavy metal bar? *FACEPALM* I mean this is where we we go to listen to loud music get drunk on headbang so you can imagine my dismay when Lionel Richie's "Easy like Sunday Morning" Comes on followed by a load of young girls clearly dressed by urban outfitters. For the love of Metallica! Thankfully order was restored when I friend of a friend who was wearing slacks and dubes (yes he is the biggest ass on the planet) came over to us and said "I was just in the jacks and I swear to God a 6ft biker lookin guy wearing black just walked through me!" I breathed a sigh of relief and proceeded to drink :)

It was rather a fun night with shots epic and not epic but fun tunes and Paddy gave his shirt away. Then it was off to Mac Donalds where a friend of mine had rather horrific and hilarious hiccups =P and I bumped into someone I knew who had had a rather boring evening (cos he wasn't out with us =P) In all it was a super way to celebrate the end of exams and have a laugh with your friends.

I'm hoping this week will lead to some more sleep another awesome night out, no hangovers and maybe a trip to the zoo! I recommend you all to do same cos if you don't you'll be in college (skipping lectures) and dying for some fun! So gerrup outta it and have some fun and I'll see you next week

Peace, Love and all things Groovy!
Karen x

Can't Stop. Addicted to this shindig?

2011-01-16T14:18:00.000Z

*yawn stretch* Howdy party people! It has seems like such a long time since I last wrote in this but it's only been a week, right? Or did I pass out again....? Quick update on the last week. Not much has happened I've been chewing on some chill pills so everything's groovy but there is just one nagging thing in the back of my mind.

TIME! Annoying little thing ain't it? I was talking to a dear friend recently and she seemed a little stressed talking about her and her boyfriend were talking about when they are eventually getting married how they were going to do it, two things occurred to me in that moment. One being that I admired my friend for having it all figured out and the second thing was Holy shit should I be thinking about all of this kinda stuff too?! I mean there's a part of me that sits back and just goes with the flow but then there's a part of me that feels guilty like I'm constantly running out of time. Anybody else feel the same or am I just alone in my craziness?

Maybe we feel like this (yeah I'm presuming I'm not alone!) because deep down we know that we're on the brink of something awesome and awe inspiring in our lives so we either wanna rush through our lives and get to the good stuff as soon as we can, but by doing that are we running risk of missing out and the little things? The everyday? You know...the good stuff? Or is it just that we know that no matter what happens it's all gonna be ok, as the saying goes "Everything will be ok in the end, if it's not ok it's not the end". So I guess that means we just gotta wait and do whatever we wanna do or whatever makes us happy in order to pass the time a little bit quicker. If you're lucky enough to have someone you love to share it with well then that makes the time much more well spent :)

I'll be the first to admit that I have been guilty of rushing through everything on a day to day basis and to be perfectly honest it's caused me nothing but stress and came between me and my sleep (never good). So I've tried to chill out and take everyday as it comes and enjoy all the laughs and deal with all the bad stuff as best I can. Time waits for nobody so I reckon we should let it do it's thing and we can do ours :)

Right I'm off, still Waiting For Godot! One more exam and then I shall be returning to the mothership, tune in next week you won't wanna miss it! ;)

Peace Love and all things Groovy
Karen x

Haiku's are easy, sometimes they don't make sense, refrigerator.

2011-01-10T19:13:00.000Z

Bonjourno tutti! (Multi lingual don't you know! ;)) Apologies once more for the late blog. But as I was kindly reminded by a dear friend no one really cares if the blog is late or not so perhaps there is no point in me writing this thing, and up to now it has been a complete waste of time, but I need a distraction from studies right now so for once this wee little blog of mine has a purpose Wooohoooo! =D

So yeah exams are shit! They do not agree with me at all! They get in the way of fun, alcohol consumption and you know sleep! I don't know what it is but every time exams come around I turn in to a crazy stressed out exam hating nut bar! I don't like it, I don't like it at all man!I mean I don't look or feel good and keep getting all these mad annoying headaches and I'm starting to lose the rag over the simplest things like...."my pen keeps wasting..dammit janet....ok I don't know how to answer any of these questions...and OMG IF THE BASTARD DOWN THE BACK DOESN'T STOP COUGHING I'MA SMACK A BITCH!!" Yeah they make me nuttier than a fruit cake...I don't think I'm not the only one though so that makes me feel a little bit better :)

Exams can cause a bit of tension alright and if you're not careful you can find yourself facing the flump or the flumps annoying cousin...black outs! Not so cool. Just take comfort in the fact that the exams will be over before you know it! Then you have time to chill and sleep and eat and drink and sleep and eat and eat some more and sleep again! It'll be awesome =D. So chin up chucks we can do this! And if we can't there's plenty of distractions around like pretty boyfriends who introduce you to the wonderful world of CityVille! (There goes semester 2 thanks darling! =P)
And food is a distraction funny songs like Tim Minchin! Or when you get a chance SLEEP! SLEEP LIKE YOU'VE never slept before! I best be off there's tea to be drank!

Till next week when I will be sane (sorta) again!
Peace Love and all things Groovy!
Karen x

You had my word...and now your blog =D

2011-01-01T14:49:00.000Z

Hey-lo everybody! This week's blog is by special request and before you ask I'm only doing it this once cos its for a very dear friend of mine and they asked me to write about them so nicely. Here goes nothing =P

So I have this friend, one of the coolest people on the planet! I'll never forget the day I first met her (it was like it was just yesterday). I found myself in the college common room with some friends when in came this chick who came over the where we were sitting,then Tom introduced us. She was a little stressed to say the least, in desperate need to print off a psychology essay and was still bulling over the fact that a well known fast food joint had screwed her out of a free pizza! She was funny and we got on well from the get-go!

I think that's the best thing about our friendship it kinda happened over-night but at the same time developed well over time. Gradually after many 4 hour lunches in our home away from home, late night chats and copious amounts of text messages I'm happy to say without a doubt we are most definitely best mates! (How funny would it be if she didn't feel the same way at all?!) I've always been blessed to have a group of incredible friends and this lady is paticularly special. This girl has many talents including some epic guitar skills and a voice that with put most professional singers to shame! She is absolutely gorgeous and doesn't even realise it!

I haven't had the easiest year in 2010 but luckily she was there to support and help me whenever I needed it and I'd like to think I've done the same for her and will continue to do the same for her for as long as she needs me :) She takes the piss out of me but it's entertaining :P She has an awesome sense of humour and we bounce of each other really well, dare I say it we even compliment each other. She is the kinda person you wanna keep in your life and the type of person you don't mind writing a blog about cos you know she deserves so much more than that. In short she is the coolest of beans and I hope she sticks around!

So there you have it! and you can tell everybody that this is your blog....it may be quite simple but now that it's done I hope you don't mind I hope you don't mind that I put down in words....how wonderful life is while you're in the world! (Elton John ain't got nothin on me bitches!)

Happy New Year Everybody! 2011 Let's be having you! Till next week!
Peace Love and all things Groovy
Karen x

Merry Christmas and a Happy New (albeit late) Blog!

2010-12-27T14:32:00.000Z

Hola Muchachos! Apologies for the lateness of this latest post but I 15 beers later and I completely forgot all about my wee little blog! So here I am happy and healthy and about two stone heavier. Gotta love Christmas! XD. Hope you all had a really good day and whatever you did I'm sure you enjoyed your day. I know I did!

Christmas is a big deal in my family and I take it very seriously. It's the one time of year where we all get together to meet up and drink =P and every year we meet up in the same place...Nana Mag's =D. The house was manic all day, and of course over seeing everything from her rather comfy chair was the woman of the our herself. I dunno how she did it but nana succeeded in having all of her family running around getting her presents for her and making sure the dinner was cooked properly. That was probably the funniest part of the day. Despite raising four kids between them Nana didn't think mam and aunt Theresa were capable of cooking a dinner...."boil the water for the vegetables...add salt..." it got so bad (and hilarious) that Theresa handed my mother the apron and threatened to smack a bitch...good thing the Tia Maria was close by!

I amused myself with my new camera and chatting away to my hilarious cousins...finally things died down and 13 of us sat down to a fantastic Christmas dinner. Who knew my mam and aunt could cook eh? Crackers were pulled and horrific jokes were told. It was awesome. The best part was watching my nana sitting at the top of the table surveying everything...she was happy and so were we. Fantastic Christmas altogether. After the year we've all had it was nice to surround yourself with the people that love and care about you most and talk and eat and love. All in all a nice way to end the year.

Unfortunately our Christmas came with a pinch of sadness this year. A friend of my nana's and all of our family Mrs. Theresa Lawless died yesterday morning. She held on long enough to spend one final Christmas with her family. She was one of the funniest characters I've ever come across in my 19 years here. Theresa was a good woman with a good family who supported not only her own family but ours as well. Through my grandfather's illness and death and nana's fight with cancer Theresa and her family have been there for us...all we can do now is return the favour and offer them our support. God really does take the good ones. We'll get through it though together.
There's a pillow in Nana's house that's embroided with the phrase "In times of test family is best". It's something I've truly learned to understand this year, and although we've ended the year on a sad note Nana's getting stronger everyday so we'll face the new year with hope and faith and some good times!

Well this is my last blog of 2010! I'll talk to you all next year!

Peace Love and all things Groovy
Karen x

27 inch waist and a head full of junk.

2010-12-19T13:50:00.000Z

I will eventually start and finish my English essay I swear. I've been busy! Christmas is nearly upon us and yours truly has been stressing out big time! Luckily enough I managed to get it all done and had money to spare to buy some new clothes for the big day..yes I am that fantastic =P I love Christmas just not the whole stressing out before hand...I've been wound up and cranky a bit and I'm hoping the shiny expensive presents I got for my family will suffice as an apology cos if not my mammy can just give €150 and I'll keep being a bitch! Least then I'll have some cash!

I gotta say I am really looking forward to Christmas and I've found myself to be in a much better mood. Thankfully this week I was able to go and finally see some friends again. I missed them dearly! It's good to be back and I'll try and not get sick and leave them again because I don't think it'll go down to well if I do! Apologies again guys! Being around friends always puts me in a good mood, especially when alcohol and DMCs are involved. Its the perfect mix for a great night. I've said it before and I'll say it again...surround yourself with beautiful people and beautiful things will happen. Trust me I know these things =P

With Christmas fast approaching now is the perfect time to take stock of everything around you, the important things and the important people and try and decide what's best for you for the coming year. Be strong stayed focused eat drink and be merry! Cos that's what I intend to do......and even if my new 27 inch waisted jeans don't fit come the new year I don't care cos I know it'll be worth it =D
Enjoy Christmas week, soak up all the atmosphere....get your shopping done! Don't be cranky and have a nap!

Right that's all for me...I stayed up till half five this morning...but for the best reasons possible =) now I need more food sleep and gotta do that essay! See you next week for my festive blog haha.(I'll more than likely be drunk).

Peace Love and all things Groovy!
Karen x

I'll be there for you! When the rain starts to pour. I'll be there for you, like I've been there before!

2010-12-12T14:56:00.000Z

Hey there Delaware! Happy Sunday to you all, I would have wrote this this morning but I had blood in my mouth and had to do Christmas shopping, kinda got distracted.....ANYWAYS!

I've had a relatively good week. I was finally able to leave the house and get out there to the big bad world...I missed it =). While I'm back on my feet I haven't quite gotten round to see all my friends yet and I am missing faces BIG TIME. That shall be resolved though :). Friends are awesome, well mine are anyway =P and friendships can be tricky sometimes. In my opinion though that's the best part.

Ok so the reason we have friends is because we find people that share our likes and interests, they support us whenever we need them and we hang out with them because their generally fun people. They're special too though, I mean friendships are rich and full of love and understanding. Friends are the people who you care about most and who care for you so much they would do anything for you. At a certain point you may not always see eye to eye with your friends and you don't always get along (or even like it each other all that much) but that's when the good part really kicks in. Your friends may argue and fight with you but they may also make you think about things in a way you've never thought about something before.

They make you feel safe and happy and they pick up when you're down and more often than not they make you feel so high and like yourself so much you feel like you can do anything and take over the world! Your friends are also the people you can go weeks without even seeing but you know when you sit on their couch the conversation starts flowing it feels as if time hasn't even past <3.>

Well its about that time for me to go and rock out with my socks out! Have a good week =D
Peace love and all things groovy

Karen x

It's all good in the hoodie.

2010-12-05T21:18:00.000Z

Ah woe is me! Or rather sick is me! Sorry for the lateness of my post today I've had one of those "I want the ground the open up and swallow me whole" kinda days. The reason for this is because I've had my tonsils taken out during the week and I haven't bounced back as quickly as I would have liked or hoped! To the top things off today I fell down the stairs and have severely injured my back and moving is proving to be quite the issue. Good thing I can't leave the house for another few days. Dammit Janet!

So yeah if you have your tonsils keep them! Keep them forever! Leading up to my operation I was reassured that it was a simple procedure and I won't know myself after it. Fair enough but I had to get up reaaaaalllly early on Wednesday and it was cold =( so we were already off to a bad start. On arriving I was weighed which was a scary enough way to start off your day, then I met the fabulous Nurse Bernie, who took my blood pressure and kindly asked me to pee in a jar....I obliged (as you do). Then there was a little waiting around chatting with mammy and trying to be cool.

Finally my chariot arrived, comfy little bed and a nice young man who told to me hum while I can cos I won't be singing for a while (reassuring no?). Still he was cool and kept me giggling all the way down to theater. Then I met Jackie the anaesthetist, really groovy lady calm voice really lovely so I was feeling fine...then we went into the operating room.....ugh. Firstly they couldn't find a vein in my hand so Jackie kept flicking my hand....."You ok Karen?" "Well Jackie I would be if you would just STOP FLICKING MY MOTHER FUCKING HAND!" So my patience was wearing a little thin. To add to my frustration they were unable to get my oxygen stats because the apparatus they use to find it wouldn't fit my tiny fingers...they sorted that though...pretty soon I was injected and off to the land of nod and before you knew it I was in the recovery room shaking, having water squirted into my face and being pumped full of painkillers, so it was back to the ward with me....then the fun really started.

I slept for most of the day and before Bernie clocked off she wanted to make sure I wasn't in that much pain...meaning I had to take two pain killers which wasn't too bad and then I was offered and took a morphine injection. BIG MISTAKE! Firstly I was injected in my derriere which is painful enough I know from experience....(but that's a different story involving a cruise ship a hot Eygptian and a itchy young girl). The injection seemed to work until I found myself in the bathroom vomiting up a storm! Thankfully I was let home the next morning and have to remain indoors for another few weeks, it's driving me crazy.

I miss my nana a lot and hate having to go this long without seeing her! At least she's doing well (and she gets to leave her house >.<). I've never been the type to sit around and do nothing for soooo many days in a row it sucks! I'm missing many faces it's rather upsetting. On the plus side I have an awesome family who are tending to my every need and a shiny new boyfriend who brings me epic hoodies to keep me warm and ice cream. He even spends hours in my house telling me how "beautiful" I am even though I'm in sweatpants and sound ridiculous when I talk. So to sum up I am one lucky lady! By next week I'm hoping to be fighting fit and ready for the challenge of Christmas shopping =)

So how was your week? =P Tell me when I see ya! Bye for now!
Peace love and all things groovy!
Karen x

I may have been drunk...but at least I wasn't naked...again.

2010-11-28T12:16:00.000Z

Yet another tumultuous week. In the same day I had the highlight of the week and the lowlight of the week all in the one day. So lets begin with the lowlight of the week. So there I was sitting in the Royal Irish Academy of Music waiting to sit my exam, and before you ask no it didn't go well....it was in fact the complete opposite of well....it was...not well. Nerves got the better of me and I messed up. Le sigh! Thankfully my dad was there to hold my hand and put my mind at rest, and after that there was only one thing left to do...have some fun :), who knew the best way to cheer yourself up was with bad music good friends and cheap vodka? Worked like a charm! I highly recommend it to all of you who are in need of some fun/de-flumping. If that doesn't work here's a thought........

Ever heard of that saying: "To the world you're just one person, but to one person you're the world." I gotta say I am a great believer in this. It's all too easy for us to get lost in our own minds when we're in bad moods and think about all the negative aspects of ourselves and everything that we may not like about ourselves (I'm sure I'm not the only one...right.....RIGHT?!?!) but I think it's important to realize that no matter how bad you may sometimes feel about yourself there's always someone around who thinks you're fabulous, who loves more than you realized, who would do anything for you and wants nothing more than for you to be happy and have some fun. =) Don't ever doubt it either! Now if that doesn't work you gotta bust out some vintage chooooones crack open the vodka and whip your hair back and forth

and if all goes according to plan you'll find yourself in a white chapel marrying your best friend who largely resembles Dianna Ross. (I shit you not).

I must warn you all though...if you do go out and happen to have one too many please be careful when you get home and remember my golden rule:Clothes off...THEN Pajamas ON! It's a valuable lesson trust me...*ahem* =)

Well I think it's nap time folks! Tune in next week when we shall discuss the wonderful world off hospitals and having ginormous tonsils, it'll be a doozy!
Have a good week =D

Peace Love and all things Groovy!
Karen x

Sophomore Flump?

2010-11-21T14:11:00.000Z

Le Sigh! I think these are the only two words that can describe the general feeling of everything this week. It seems to be that there's something in the water that my friends and I are all drinking. We seem to all have a case of the flump! What is the flump I hear you say? No, it's not the new dance craze sweeping the nation it's a word I use to describe the general feeling of being tired and fed up I guess. Over the past week I've noticed my friends and I are suffering from a serious case of the flump. It's odd how it's kinda hit us all at the same time. Maybe it has something to do with the time of year I dunno but we're tired and cranky.

At times like these I think nap time should be introduced into our college time tables I guess we've all just hit a bit of a wall energy wise and in general we're all a bit irritable (some more than others) I dislike the flump a lot. It sucks that my friends are feeling the same cos none of us can do much to cheer each other up. Now I'm not trying to say that we're all sitting around being miserable but it seems that we're all in need of some serious de-flumping! Chill out time is needed by all. Cos when the flump hits it makes you cranky and sometimes you may get pissed or stressed out and start dishing out some tongue lashings making your life full of flump. Not groovy. Not groovy at all.

Fear not, there is a cure for the flump though. Lots of junk food nomnomnom! Some chill out time on your couch bad t.v and video games also help. Mostly just time by yourself to sit back and take some deep breaths is the most helpful thing you can do. That way you can come back de-flumped and ready for the world! Hoooray! The flump has hit us all at one stage so you're not alone if you feel a bit bogged down, it happens to the best of us. Just remember it's not the end of the world, oh and it'll soon be Christmas =) so turn that frown upside down and punch the flump in the face! BAM! Well I've said enough! Till next time!

Peace Love and all things Groovy!
Karen x

It's been too long.

2010-11-14T14:01:00.000Z

So it's been a while since my last post! Apologies folks I've been uber busy! Life has been a bit hectic over the past few months and now the big question is....where do I begin??

My relationship ended...and it sucked at the time but the worst part wasn't that it ended it was that I felt like I completely wasted my time with this guy. I guess I felt like I owed it to both of us to try and make it work and when he decided that he wasn't bothered anymore I was upset and realised there was nine months out of the year that I will never get back. Dammit Janet! Thankfully I am surrounded by an incredible group of friends who helped me through it and provided some serious good times, thanks to them I'm doing alright =P. I managed to meet a new boy. He's pretty :) and lovely and just one of the sweetest people I've been lucky enough to meet and things are going really well so far so I'm hoping it all works out.

So my social life is going a.ok. and I'd like to say that everything is going well but unfortunately my Nana a.k.a Nana mag has had a pretty rough couple of months battling cancer and she's given the whole family quite a scare at times. Nana's doing well now though, over the past couple of weeks she's gotten back to her old good humoured self. Watching her take every day in her stride and give all she has to fight this has really put things into perspective for me, I've learned that you just can't let every little thing eat away at you, you have to get up every day and take each day as it comes and who knows?! you may discover some truly awesome things :) The whole family has rallied together and I see now how much we love and care for each other and we'll always be there to back each other up and support each other no matter what, I am truly thankful for that.

I've got a lot of reasons to be cheerful but I have to admit there are still times when things get on top of me and bring me down, it happens to everyone but I think when that happens its important to sit back and take a look around you at all the things you have, friends family and life in general and hopefully you'll realise the good outweighs the bad. Sometimes we need to simply pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off and take life and all its obstacles in our stride, one way or another things will always fall into place.

Hope this makes up for my absence lately. I'll be back soon I swear!
Peace love and all things groovy

Karen. =D

Baby's First Blog.

2010-07-09T16:44:00.000+01:00

Hello world it's me again, and by me I mean Karen. I'm new to the whole blog scene so here goes nothing! I'm hoping the more blogs I write the better and more interesting it will be. The story so far....well as of last week I entered into my last year of being a teenager, meaning I am 19 =P. I live in a suburb of Dublin notorious for crime binge drinking and teenage pregnancies but thankfully I'm doing alright. Finglas in general does have a bad reputation but I have to admit if it wasn't for the neighbourhood I've grown up in and the people I've grown up with I wouldn't be the person I am today, and that would suck.

I'm hoping that this blog will give you all an insight into my life and the outlook I have on certain things, such as relationships with friends and family as well as more interesting stuff like the things I like to get up to from time to time. As this is my first entry I think I'll keep it short and sweet =) I mean I would like to talk more but I gotta go see two men about cigars and whiskey (yeah you heard me!) So hello fellow bloggers! I look forward to making your acquaintance soon. Hope you enjoyed my little post and will enjoy my future blogs.

Bye for now

Karen :)