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[Drama-Committee] Idea by Conor Farrel...
by Roibeard O Mhurcu 19 Jul '05

19 Jul '05

Ahoy gang, lemme know what you think.... Bob Hey there, Conor sent me this a while ago. A fuckin' great idea. A few "CS-ers" on MPS next year which means camera's will be a piece of piss...On top of this, we can use this as a 'promo' of sorts, i.e. for sorting out sponsors- showing them what DCU DRAMA is like and how keen we are. See what you make of it... Possible Committee message? I think, if we did it properly, this could look very professional. Worth a look. Here's his message... Well hey. An idea came to me this morning: "DCU Drama presents: Selected Scenes". Basically, we pick a few scenes from various Drama productions and make them into short films. Bang them onto a DVD and Bob's your uncle/chairperson. This way, we're not tied down to any time deadlines, and we can do scenes we like, while avoiding 'boring' scenes that'd just be a pain in the arse to film. It'll also give everyone involved a taste of on-screen production and acting. What do you think? Conor Farrell -- Roibeard O Mhurcu # 54144094 CS1 Class Rep. DCU Drama, Chairman (Chairperson/Chairthing, y'know like, whatever). www.dcudrama.ie "They have the Internet on computers now?" "Okay, brain. You don't like me, and I don't like you, but let's get through this thing and then I can continue killing you with beer." "Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!" "Do I know what rhetorical means?" - Homer Simpson, America's second biggest schmuck -

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[Drama-Committee] Next Year
by Roibeard O Mhurcu 11 Jul '05

11 Jul '05

Hey gang, Things that I feel should be addressed over the course of the summer... In order of importance: Orientation week: We need to sort out exactly what we are doing fo this week, as you all know I won't be back in town until the wednesday of that week, so lash a few ideas together and ghet back to me! The Bloody Musical: Yes, the bloody musical. We need to get in contact with the owners of the rights for those musicals we discussed, sort out dates and venues (elaine? the helix? etc), get our producers confirmed (Conor/Lennox??) and find out how much all of this is gonna cost us. The sooner the better. I realise that there's not a whole pile that I can do while I'm over here in New York, so I'm counting on you guys to drive the bus while I'm away. The last thing I wanna hear when I get home is "we were waiting for you, Bob." Just get on with it and keep me informed. Dave was to get in contact with the musical rights owners - any joy there?? Website - Charlie, I rrealise that you're probably v.busy being a software intern/monkey up there in Boston, drop me a line and let me know when you and igy are thinking about coming down to NY. I'm house sitting for my cousin from the 17th of July to the 30th and will therefore have a place to crash for you guys, complete with free wireless. Temtping or what? But seriously, the website DOES need to be updated over the summer, so that when we gather new recruits in September, they'll have a spanking brand new website to look at, making us look shit-cool in the process. Shelly: how goes the sponsorship drive?? Talk to me here girl. Grant Apps: Shane/Elaine are working on those, and as soon as I have full details on the proposed Broadway trip, I'll send them on to you guys. The sooner we get those details in the better. Aer Lingus have quoted us €299/head return for flights from Dublin/JFK from the monday after the exams to the following friday - that gives us Monday/Tues/Wed/Thurs night in NY. I'm thinking of going to a show Tues night, Wed matinee (Spamalot should be available, it's much tougher to get tix for the evening show), possibly wed night and maybe thursday. Right, that's it for the moment - hurry up and get back to me!! Hugs and Kisses Bob -- Roibeard O Mhurcu # 54144094 CS1 Class Rep. DCU Drama, Chairman (Chairperson/Chairthing, y'know like, whatever). www.dcudrama.ie "They have the Internet on computers now?" "Okay, brain. You don't like me, and I don't like you, but let's get through this thing and then I can continue killing you with beer." "Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!" "Do I know what rhetorical means?" - Homer Simpson, America's second biggest schmuck -

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[Drama-Committee] Broadway Trip
by Roibeard O Mhurcu 30 Jun '05

30 Jun '05

Ahoy gang, I haven't disappeared off the face of the planet, as some of you may have supposed - I finally got a couple of jobs and am now working like a motherfucker, so have less time to scribble monster emails. *breathes a sigh of relief* Anyhoo, I've been doing a little research into the Drama trip for next year - I've been in touch with a couple of hostels about 4 nights accommodation for a group of 20-30 (depends on interest). The shows I've been looking into are: Movin' Out (the Billy Joel musical) Rent The Lion King Fiddler on the Roof The Producers Wicked Spamalot Phantom of the Opera Chicago Avenue Q (the only musical that features FULL Nudity**) The cheap seats to these shows average about $40, so they are VERY affordable :) I've also contacted a couple of airlines about group rates from Dublin-JFK return. As soon as I hear back from them and have a better idea of what's happening, I'll be in touch. So what's up with you guys? Dave, what's this I hear about ties with another Drama Society (and possible prop borrowing)? Talk to me here! AND good luck with the exam results (not that you guys need it), let me know how you get on... Bob! **MUPPET nudity -- Roibeard O Mhurcu # 54144094 CS1 Class Rep. DCU Drama, Chairman (Chairperson/Chairthing, y'know like, whatever). www.dcudrama.ie "They have the Internet on computers now?" "Okay, brain. You don't like me, and I don't like you, but let's get through this thing and then I can continue killing you with beer." "Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!" "Do I know what rhetorical means?" - Homer Simpson, America's second biggest schmuck -

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[Drama-Committee] Links and Mics
by David Grimes 25 Jun '05

25 Jun '05

Hey folks, Hope the summer is going most awesomely. I have been busy forging links with some pretty decent North Dublin Drama groups, namely the Marian Society and The Millbank players. They have over 25 years of experience and I decided it would be handy to get in on it so we can get their help next year for our big productions (these groups have a very wide network, and it would mean more people for our shows at least!) Anyway, they have a production running in the Millbank Theatre in Rush on the following dates Thursday 30th June - Sunday 3rd July and Thursday 7th- Sunday 10th July, with 12 shows in total between those dates. We are thinking of lending them 4 Radio Mics for the show, and taking theirs when our shows come up if needed (they have 2 at the moment, from September they are getting alot more). Our Radio Mics should be covered under the Millbanks insurance for the show, and I have discussed this with the techies and some other drama people. This alright for everyone? The other question is does anyone in drama want to get involved in the techie aspect of the show? Mail me and I'll do what can be done, I've sang our praises and they think we're really professional ;) Also talking to a guy from Glasnevin musical society too hint hint ;) All feedback, please direct this way. Lets do something damn it! Happy Summerage, Dave ~Non Curo Hombre.. Si Mentrum non habet, non est Poema!~

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[Drama-Committee] J1 Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Shit...
by Roibeard O Mhurcu 20 Jun '05

20 Jun '05

It's always a bloody feast or a famine, isn't it? When you last heard from your intrepid scribe (me, duh..) I was extremely frustrated, having spent two solid weeks wearing the soles out of my shoes, arsing all over Manhattan, vainly searching for a job. I became quite used to hearing the phrase "We're not hiring right now, but if you'd like to leave your resume (CV), that'd be great…" Bastards. Mark was trucking along nicely over at Mars 2112, slinging cocktails and making a few shillings. Joe was finding things a little tougher, as the nice restaurateurs of New York aren't quite willing to take on a new employee who a): is only in town for a few months and b): has zero experience. Bummer. I'd had a good conversation with Barry, the owner of McCormack's on 26th and 3rd, who informed me that there was a spot (4 days a week) opening up and seeing that I was the only guy who'd contacted him with experience, that it was mine. Woo Hoo!! However, the job wasn't going to open up for another 3 weeks. Ah crap. He advised me to keep looking and if I hadn't found anything in the meantime, that he'd hold the job for me. Of course he was looking for someone long-term, so I sorta forgot to tell him that I was only out for the summer. (Job offer number 1). Well that's something at least… Well, that was about three weeks ago. Jimmy, my old mate from Sally's, put me onto Mullin's on 7th Avenue, saying they might have a gig going for 4 days a week. I wandered into Mullin's and spoke to Kevin, the owner. He's an older gent, full of great stories – the kind of guy who traps you in conversation and holds you there. He could talk the ears off a bloody donkey, this chap. BUT he did say there would be a spot coming up (in about two weeks), that one of the guys was going out sick for an indeterminate amount of time. I said that I was only going to be in town until September, and he was cool with that. And then another guy would be getting married, so there would certainly be shifts there for me. Mullin's is a good stick, busy enough, and has a large function room that does great business. (Job offer number 2). Well, that was about two weeks ago. In the meantime, I called back into Seven, where the new guy behind the bar told me to check out Dom Giovanni's at 23rd and 10th, that they might be hiring. I figured to myself "Hmmm, an Italian Joint? I'll try anything at this stage…" So I ankled it over to the West Side and stuck my head in the door. The manager asked me for my resume and then asked me to wait while he went over it. I stood there nervously, thinking that I was going to get the same old "We're not hiring…" line, UNTIL he started making phone calls and faxed it off to someone else. Hmmm… I managed to eavesdrop on snippets of the conversation – things like "good looking resume" and "lots of experience" and the manager kept looking me over as if I was a piece of prized beef. About 10 minutes later, when he finally got off the phone, he asked me if I had a black t-shirt! I said that I didn't have one on me, but I could go and get one. His reply was that I should go and get a t-shirt and report back to him straight away for training!! (Job offer number 3) Praise Jesus, Buddha, Allah (insert suitable deity here), I had myself a job! It's an old style Italian Joint (they've even got an autographed photo of John Gotti hanging on the wall) and the menu is large but simple. About three hours into my training I met the owner, Kimi (who's a bit of a hottie). She was STILL looking at my resume, possibly not a good sign, I reasoned to myself. Then the hammer fell. Although I had previously explained that I was only going to be around for the summer, Kimi took me aside and explained that she was really looking for someone long-term. Ah crap, can't a guy get a break in this bloody city? But Kimi wasn't done. She asked me if I would be interested in working in her friend's place downtown. Hello? A job is a job, for crying out loud! Of course I didn't say that, but quietly agreed that it sounded interesting. She said that he owned a Spanish Tapas place near the World Trade Center, and that she'd give him a call for me. Two seconds later, she passed me the phone – I spoke to this guy and he asked me to come in the following day for training! Job offer number 4 (it's best to keep count). Kimi seemed very eager to hire Irish people – in fact she kept asking me if I knew any Irish girls looking for jobs, and said that she always had good experiences with hiring them. I said that I knew an Irish GUY (Joe) and was brutally honest with her. I said that Joe was new to New York and had very little experience in the restaurant industry (does McDonald's count?). But that Joe was a good worker and was eager to learn. Kimi gave me her number and said to get Joe to call her, she might be able to sort out a busboy position or something. This woman's a bloody legend! (And did I mention that she was a hottie?) Skip forward to the following day – I arrived at Azafran (Spanish for Saffron) decked out in a nice black silk shirt ($11 at Macy's – I LOVE New York!). I walked into a beautiful, post-modern and chic restaurant and met with the manager Pablo. He didn't seem to be aware of the fact that I was only over for the summer – I think he wanted someone to run the bar for him, get things organised and make the bar run smoothly. I had a look at the wine list (very extensive, about 80 bottles and ALL Spanish) and the menu (very cool, and again exclusively Spanish Tapas), and agreed to give it a go. It's a fantastic place, looks great and has an excellent menu. So what's the catch, I hear you ask? It's not very busy, that's what. But at the same time, I would be the only bartender on duty, so I would be working flat out. There was also the matter of the 5 page test I would have to take before they would agree to hire me – all about Spanish appellations, tapas, and all manner of other stuff that I would have a fair idea of, but not encyclopaedic knowledge of by any stretch of the imagination. There was a niggling sense of doubt about the whole thing in the back of my mind. It's not that I'm afraid of work, but I'd rather work my ass off and make money doing it, than work my ass off for nothing. The spot over in Mullin's on 7th Avenue was looking more and more attractive… THEN I got yet another phone call… Mustang Harry's, a place owned by my former employers, had just lost a waitress, and had shifts available! I spoke to Dee, the manager there, and explained the whole Azafran/Mullin's thing. Dee said that if I got the gig in Mullin's that she would give me shifts in Harry's to work around my hours over there. Perfect! (Job offer number 5, sheesh…) The opportunity was now there for me to work 7 days a week and make pots of cash doing it. Again, Woo Hoo! So I decided to knock Azafran on the head, and accept the two part-time positions in Mullin's and Mustang Harry's. I don't need a day off until the 4th of July… heh heh heh. I did feel a little bit guilty about leaving Azafran, especially after Kimi hooked me up there, but sometimes you gotta look out for number one. So there. And besides, the guys at Azafran were very understanding about the whole thing. Joe went up to Dom Giovanni's at 44th street (they have two locations) to begin his training the other day. Unfortunately for Joe, he kinda forgot to eat much of anything the previous day, and skipped breakfast that day too. Less than an hour into his training shift, feeling a bit light-headed, Joe went and "pulled a Bob." Yup, one minute Joe was feeling a little woozy, the next minute he woke up in the office with the managers looking at him in a very concerned manner. He had managed to pass out on his first day at work! Oops. The owners (including Kimi) were very worried about Joe, wanting to know if the reason that he hadn't eaten was because he had no money. (It wasn't, he just forgot to eat, the berk). Nevertheless, they gave Joe some money and a big bag of food and sent him home. Legends! Joe was a bit worried that they wouldn't want to hire him (would you?), but once again, the owners proved to be uncannily generous, and invited him to try again the following day. So Joe has been training all week and it looks like he's got himself a job. Yay! As for me, I went back to the nice people at the Social Security office, sheaf of documents in hand. I was served by a different, slightly more pleasant lady who asked me why I hadn't applied sooner. Aaaargh. I patiently explained about the previous "pleasant" lady and her dismissal of my application, after which she looked at me a bit dubiously. Not to worry, she accepted my pile of paper and said I would have my SSN in two weeks. Yippee. I start this week in both Mullin's and Mustang Harry's – so I've got myself sorted with a couple of jobs too. Thank f*ck. The hard slog of pounding the streets of Manhattan for what felt like eternity resulted in a total of 5 job offers in the space of just a few days. The biggest dilemma I faced was which ones to accept… And so I'm off to work. Woo Hoo! -- Roibeard O Mhurcu # 54144094 CS1 Class Rep. DCU Drama, Chairman (Chairperson/Chairthing, y'know like, whatever). www.dcudrama.ie "They have the Internet on computers now?" "Okay, brain. You don't like me, and I don't like you, but let's get through this thing and then I can continue killing you with beer." "Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!" "Do I know what rhetorical means?" - Homer Simpson, America's second biggest schmuck -

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[Drama-Committee] New Jersey, here we come!
by Roibeard O Mhurcu 10 Jun '05

10 Jun '05

Do do do do do… Do do do do do do dooo… Oh, New Jersey here we come, Yeah, New Jersey here we come… New Jersey, New Jersey, Here we cooooooooome!!! Nah, it doesn't quite have the same ring to it as "California here we come," now does it? But New Jersey it is, so be it. Mark and I arrived last week and finally managed to trek all of our crap up to Damian's apartment in Jersey City, where Mark got the futon and I got the couch. I ain't complaining, the couch is dead bloody comfortable! And besides, give my current daily task of walking all over Manhattan begging for jobs, I'm too knackered at the end of the day to care WHERE I sleep. The job front is hell. Absolute f*cking hell. Although my former employers didn't in fact have a job waiting for me when I arrived, they are making calls on my behalf and trying to locate something for me. My usual sense of luck and timing has applied in my thus-far futile search for gainful employment. I missed out on a job in Thady Con's (49th & 2nd) by a week. Patrick Conway's (44th & Vanderbilt) by three fecking days. Oh well. The chef at one of the places where I used to work made a call for me to a fancy schmancy restaurant up in Central Park called the Boathouse. So I went up there to do an interview and met a bloke up there that I used to work with! He was a manager there so I figured that I was well in. I did an interview with the GM and wowed him with my well-patented line of bullsh*t. He was well impressed and asked me to come in the following day for training. Sweet. He did mention the possibility that there could be an issue over my Social Security Number (I don't have one yet), in that the company might not be able to employ me without one. Hmmmm. I quietly explained that under US employment law, it was perfectly legal to employ me as long as I had APPLIED for my number. He didn't seem to buy that, and mumbled about having to check it with the main office. But we agreed that I would start training anyway. Kickass. So off I went to the Social Security Office in Jersey City, with a veritable sheaf of documentation under my arm. After getting there a half hour before it opened, I only had to wait in line for about 45 minutes to be served. I'm not surprised why some people snap and walk into McDonald's with machine guns, I'm really not. Anyhoo the very "pleasant" lady behind the desk took the most cursory glance at my passport and said that I was ineligible to apply yet, that I had to wait until the 17th of June, when I had been in the US 15 days. I protested that by then I would have been in the US for 20 days and that with out at least applying for my SSN, I wouldn't be able to work. She listened patiently to my earnest and logical statement, and replied "NEXT!" Boy, is my trigger finger getting itchy… I looked up the legal letter that I got with my J1 package from USIT and lo-and-behold, it seems that I am legally cleared for work in the US even without applying for my SSN. All I have to do is advise my employer of my number as soon as I get it. Nice. So I trekked back up to Central Park, all dolled up for my training session, and met with the GM. Again. He took all of my information (passport, work visa, various letters, including the aforementioned legal letter) and said that he had to fax it all off to the main office. He'd get back to me in about ten minutes as to whether I would be permitted to work there. I patiently explained to him about the whole legal letter thingy, and he looked a bit dubious. After sweating for ten minutes, he came back to me and informed me that US law would not allow me to work without a SSN. After I showed him the legal letter stating the complete opposite, he changed his tune and said that it was company policy that all employees had to have SSNs. Ah b*llocks, I said to myself. He then "kindly" offered me a job as soon as I had my SSN, which usually takes anywhere between 2 and 12 weeks!! Aaaaaargh. So I went back to the drawing board. Yuck. So for the last five days I have been walking the streets of Manhattan in record-breaking weather (90-95 Fahrenheit, which roughly translates to 32-35 Celsius and a whopping 100% humidity), which makes walking across the street something akin to a stroll through SOUP. So now imagine walking for 5-6 hours a day, in a shirt and tie, with a bag of CVs on your back. Got that mental picture in your head? Good. Now imagine how I smell at the end of the day. After you finish throwing up, you can read the rest of this email ☺ Last night, Damian, Mark and I had the moving job from hell. Damian owns two apartments in the building next door, and lives in rented accommodation. Clever boy. But one set of tenants are a bit high-maintenance, so to speak. They called Damian up, whinging about how their fridge wasn't cold enough. Gits. The solution? Damian, Mark and I sweated, swore and struggled to carry the world's biggest fridge down THREE flights of stairs, across the street, and up TWO more flights to the tenant's apartment. There are precious few elevators in older apartment buildings over here. If that wasn't bad enough, we then had to carry an even bigger fridge down the same two flights, across the same street and back up three more bloody flights! Yup, that's right, Damian solved their fridge issues by swapping his fridge for theirs. Americans like their fridges big. You could set up a decent sized apartment in one. We managed to replenish the lost body fluid (i.e. rakes of sweat) by inhaling a case of Heineken. Yummy. At the time of writing, I am still looking for a bloody job. I did an interview today with a theme restaurant in Times Square called Mars 2112. A bit kitschy, but at this stage of the game, a job is a bloody job. Besides, they gave Mark a job in the bar (he started today). And my old boss Ian made a call to a busy bar near Madison Square Garden called Tir na nOg for me and I'm going in there tomorrow to talk to the owner. Fingers crossed! More news as I get it, Talk soon…. -- Roibeard O Mhurcu # 54144094 CS1 Class Rep. DCU Drama, Chairman (Chairperson/Chairthing, y'know like, whatever). www.dcudrama.ie "They have the Internet on computers now?" "Okay, brain. You don't like me, and I don't like you, but let's get through this thing and then I can continue killing you with beer." "Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!" "Do I know what rhetorical means?" - Homer Simpson, America's second biggest schmuck -

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[Drama-Committee] Hello and hi from here (NY)
by Joseph Murray 10 Jun '05

10 Jun '05

Howdy one and all. Firstly, if i forgot to send this to anyone, sorry - i made this group in 5 mins so i probably missed loads o' folks!! :) (let me know) As I sit here in New Jersey, i'm trying to send out my first mass email before bob sends out his second!! :) THE RACE IS ON!! I think he doing a poem of some kind?? Anyways, we all know that bob is small, old and unimportant so lets move on!! :) Anyway, i'm in NJ because NY rejected me :) Got to NY last week. Went to a hostel. Stayed for a week. Unfortunately, after a week i'd used up a lot of money and was also told that there i could only stay at that hostel for a week max. - So, off to another for last night and for tonight i'm at bobs. As far as jobs go...people really don't want to hire me. Can't think why? My McDonalds experience was, I believed, something which qualified me for everything?!! Ah well...worst case scenario, there's at least ONE thing i'm trained for...McDonalds!! :) Yay(!!) Ah well. On apartments. Hmm. Well, needless to say, trying to find a place for just 3 months (and under $650/month) isn't the easiest thing to do. I did however get a couple responses. One was an older "gentleman" who was looking for a little more than a roommate (i'll say no more), the other was ok - but when it came to me looking to rent it, he turned it into a "we'll call you" thing - still waiting. Ah well, to put it as one might say, "It'll be grand!!" :) Anyways, think that's bout it...i'll keep yall up to date. >From NY (or rather NJ) Laters, Bypers and ttyl!! P.S. - Yay!! I Beat Bob!! :) Joseph Murray (AP2) DCU Music Choir Officer

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[Drama-Committee] New York, New York!
by Roibeard O Mhurcu 30 May '05

30 May '05

Oh, the madness, the absolute madness. As I write, I'm sitting on Fung Wah's Chinese special bus to New York (only $15 one-way from Boston!!) and gave up trying to sleep, so I decided to scribble the first instalment of my "crap diary" of the J1 Visa Summer Experience. Ho Hum. The fun started back in Dublin last week, when I slowly realised that the average week does NOT contain nine 36-hour days, and that I hadn't enough time to get properly organised before my trip. I sort of unwisely decided to work right up until the Thursday afternoon before my flight (which was at seven am Saturday), foolishly conning myself into thinking that a day and a half was LOADS of time to get fully packed, cart most of my belongings to Skerries/the Bubble/the DCU equipment room, sort out various random college related things, sort out my bike insurance/phone bill/etc, move out of the attractive rat-hole of a dorm that I had been living in since September and get my ass out to the airport. In addition to all of this, there was the small matter of my friend Shelly's birthday session to be attended on Friday night too. "Aaaaargh" is the best word I can think of to describe my situation, or possibly "eeeek." Oh, to those of you who are wondering what on earth I am talking about when I say "the Bubble," I am describing a playful lunatic asylum where many of my friends live. It's a marvellous experience, you should check it out… Anyhoo, our story begins on Friday afternoon, just as I am beginning to realise that I am running out of time. Yuck. I had driven the bike to Skerries for storage (*sniff*) that morning, which was an experience in itself, and made my way back down to the big smoke for about 1pm. Much frantic stuffing of various articles of clothing into my rucksack followed. Then I realised that I had to scrub the rat-hole before surrendering the keys to management, or my deposit would suffer. Ah crap. It's no fun whatsoever spending your last afternoon in Ireland cleaning your apartment. Trust me. I got that done and decided against my original plan of heading out to the airport to drop my bags in left luggage so that I could go out for the night and then straight to the airport. Again, the lack of 36 hours in a day prevented me from carrying out this plan. Plan B was to simply leave all of my things in the rat-hole, leave the pub early, go back and get them and head for the Bubble until it was time to head for the airport (about 3am). Although the flight wasn't 'til 7am, Dublin airport has developed a reputation for horrendously long queues at security, often leading to missed flights. Personally, I'd rather spend an hour twiddling my thumbs than miss the bloody plane. So off I went to Messrs. McGuire for pints at 6pm. I hooked up with my brother Glen, best mate Stu and assorted DCU-ites. The DCU-ites kindly gave me a going away card, which gently reminded me of my age (titled "Old Git"). Bastards. Shelly was looking well (doesn't she always?) and brought out the usual crew of maniacs with her. A few scoops in McGuire's were followed by a few more in Doyle's and then I had to bugger off just as things were getting frisky and interesting. Ah crap, again. What's even MORE fun than having to move out of your apartment at midnight, while ferrying loads of your belongings across the DCU campus? Doing it all while on a four-pint buzz, that's what. But, with a little help from Conor, Joe, Glenn and Dave we got it all done and headed for the aforementioned Bubble, where I promptly fell asleep until it was time to look for a cab to the airport. I arrived to a completely deserted Dublin airport and hooked up with Mark, my travelling companion and partner-in-crime for the summer. We spent an hour arsing about waiting for the check-in desk to open but managed to meet Noel "minker" Menehan (a friend from another life) while we were at it. He was off to Scotland for the cup final, the plonker, wearing (logically enough) his Sligo Rovers jersey. We got through check-in and breezed through security. Well, if you can call having to remove your shoes and every single piece of metal from your person "breezing." Our reward for arriving so early and organised to the airport was, once more, a completely deserted departure area with absolutely nothing open and nowhere to even get a bloody cuppa. Great. So I decided to catch a few zzz's on a couch in departures. Upon my waking, it became apparent that we had done the right thing by coming to the airport early, as by the time I woke up again at about 5.30am, the place was a f*cking ZOO. The departures lounge was jammed with irate travellers and queues were out the door of all the food establishments, bars and even the bleedin' newsagents. I'd hate to see what the line at security was like by that stage… The flight to London was uneventful, with the new-and-improved (read: cheapass) Aer Lingus. Although I think the captain had a little too much coffee (or uppers, who knows?) because the landing was a feckin' disaster. He bounced the bloody plane all the way down the runway, doing his best "Kangaroo Jack" impression and then had the gall to tell us to enjoy our day in London. There were more than a few queasy-looking victims shuffling off the plane that morning, I can tell ya. One overpriced vegetarian breakfast in a smoky Heathrow bar later (remember smoky bars?) and Mark and I were ready to jump on the British Airways jumbo to Boston. What a world of difference there is between Aer Lingus and British Airways. The two just don't compare. We had a nice shiny new Jumbo Jet, complete with pleasant and helpful (i.e. not surly) stewardesses, our own private TV with 18 movie channels and a quality vegetarian meal to boot – curried apricots with couscous. I know it sounds gross, but don't knock it 'til you've tried it. The result of all that malarkey was that we arrived early and refreshed to Boston. Damian hooked up with us at the airport and we were faced with a new dilemma. We were going to the U2 concert that night, but of course Mark and I were weighed down with all of our bags – there was no way we were taking them to the Fleet Center with us. We settled on looking for a cheap hotel where we could dump the bags and crash for the night after the gig. Our previous plan of leaving the bags in left luggage at the bus station was scuppered by the fact that left luggage was to close at the ludicrously early time of 5pm. Bugger. Complications arose when we realised that it was Memorial Weekend in the States, and it was gonna be a bitch to get accommodation. The last time I had been in Boston for Memorial Weekend I was asked to leave Fenway Park during a Red Sox-Yankees game by several burly security types. It's a long and funny story, and some of you have heard it before. Fond memories though… We lucked out and managed to locate a city centre hotel with a three-bed (and monster beds, as it turned out) suite for the bargain-bin price of just $240 for the night. Eighty bucks a head was a small price to pay to rid us of our luggage-based headaches. We got settled in and decided to head to "Cheers" for a swift jar or three before the gig. They've done their best to make the interior look like the set of the TV show, but it's just not the same (it's too fecking small for one thing). And you're almost expecting Norm to turn up at any moment too. Warning to J1-ers heading to Boston: Damian is 31, Mark 24 and I am 30. We got asked for ID in every single bar we went into that night (and there were a few, heh heh). So watch out. Other J1-related stuff: At immigration, I was NOT asked for proof of funds (i.e. how much cash I was carrying), even when I offered, I was told it wasn't necessary. The silly woman DID ask me what I did for a living back home before coming to the US on my student visa. "Um, I'm a full-time STUDENT," I answered, while keeping my best straight face and not sniggering. And you do get fingerprinted and photographed, it's all a bit scary... Mark is mates with Bono's niece (it's good to have connections) and she managed to hook us up with three tickets to a sold out concert, the final gig of the US leg of U2's Vertigo tour. Sweeeet. We got in and headed to the floor section, having gorged ourselves on overpriced draught Miller Lite (yuck) in the arena bar. The support was from Kings of Leon, a perfect mixture of The Strokes and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Bizarre bunch of guys but great tunes nonetheless. I cleverly managed to sneak my camera into the gig (by stuffing it into my underwear, the bouncers were "intimate" to say the least) and filled the entire memory chip with pictures and video of U2's performance. And what a performance! The boys were seriously on-form, lashing out reams of classic tunes to an overjoyed rabid audience. Perhaps it was because it was the last show of the tour, but they stayed onstage for much longer than they usually do, cracking jokes with the audience and playing a few songs they hadn't played live in years. We were treated to a flaking version of "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses," a song they had not played live in ten years! For "One," Bono implored the audience send texts to a number about Third World debt. Within seconds, every mobile phone in the arena was held aloft. I think it's possible that the phone may replace the cigarette lighter as a symbol of appreciation at concerts. It was a little disconcerting (and a little emotional) to see a veritable sea of cellphones being waved about, lighting up the audience like an ocean of undulating stars, casting a green-blue glow over the masses. You may not think that the sight of 20,000 phones lit up and waving about could bring a tear to the eye, but then again, you weren't there… Boston U2 fans are a lot like their baseball fans – knowledgeable and extremely passionate about their idols. They welcomed us into their fold and filled our heads with tales of previous gigs and their various struggles in getting tickets. We were surrounded by them and they made us feel very much at home, delighted to have some Irish kids to talk to. Finally we trooped out of the concert, happy and partly deafened, in search of a decent bar. We settled for a half decent one, having been asked for ID yet again at the door. A few quick Amstel Lights (ah, memories) and some seriously dodgy nachos later and we were set for bed. Our king sized hotel beds beckoned… …and here we are, on the bus to New York City. Woo Hoo! I will be scribbling updates as the summer progresses, although I'll try not to suffer from diahorrea of the keyboard TOO much. To both of you that read all the way to the end of this email, well done and thank you for your patience. As the great Homer Simpson once said: "That's it, I'm outta here." Love and Hugs to all, -- Roibeard O Mhurcu # 54144094 CS1 Class Rep. DCU Drama, Chairman (Chairperson/Chairthing, y'know like, whatever). www.dcudrama.ie "They have the Internet on computers now?" "Okay, brain. You don't like me, and I don't like you, but let's get through this thing and then I can continue killing you with beer." "Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!" "Do I know what rhetorical means?" - Homer Simpson, America's second biggest schmuck -

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[Drama-Committee] Slight clarification
by David Grimes 26 May '05

26 May '05

Evening all, So it seems that a mail came from my account outting me? That explains the sympathetic e-mails and the odd texts I've been getting lately so! You have sadly been duped. That was the masterstroke of one Joe Murray, who rightly screwed me for leaving my terminal unguarded! As much as he'd want it otherwise, I'm strictly hetrosexual and that doesn't seem likely to change soon (unless perhaps, Laura Prepon gets a sex change operation!). Anyhow, kudos to Joe on the forgery. T'was most exceptionally detailed and a skilled attempt to playing my style. And now for something completely different! Over and out (well, actually.. :P), Dave. ~Non Curo Hombre.. Si Mentrum non habet, non est Poema!~

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[Drama-Committee] scores
by Claire O'Neill 25 May '05

25 May '05

heya guys i'm trying to get all of the scores, etc from the musical to send them back, and i found out that some of them were missing!! Shane - i know you were in touch with the band, so can you ask anyone who hasnt given back scores for them Joe M - i know you know most of the people from the choir, so can you make sure that everyone gave back their chorus scores. anyway, here's a list of what's missing if you know anyone who might have one of them 4 vocal scores 1 prompt book 1 violin score 2 reed scores 1 trombone score i'll need to get these back to musicscope asap, so if you can hurry up contacting people we can send them back without it being a major team event :) cheers dudes Claire 087 2942137

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