Day 304 - Monday, October 31st, 2011

The last pre-Christmas Bank Holiday of the year was seized with vigour, with a rigorous regime of vegetation the order of the day! As I couch-surfed, I toasted (with toast, not booze) the thousands of energetic souls that ran 26 miles around the city today in the Dublin City Marathon. Good on yiz!

The joy of apartment living meant that there were no trick-or-treaters darkening the door on this, Hallowe'en night, although the night air resounded with Baghdadian booms for many an hour.

Contentment : 12.5 / 25
Excitement :    0 / 10
Memorability : 0.5 / 15

Overall Score : 26%  

Day 303 - Sunday, October 30th, 2011

Mum and Dad were up from Cavan for the day so we had a very pleasant lunch in a restaurant whose name escapes me (gasp!) where the service was slow but the food was d'lish. Nephew Adam is now a quarter-year old, and is getting more alert and cute by the day.

Later in the evening, I met up with some of my old friends from DCU, on the occasion of the Bank Holiday Sunday, but more importantly to remember the 10th anniversary of the death of Denis McCarthy, who was lost to us 10 years ago in a car accident. Outrageously-good banter and copious pints of Heineken were enjoyed in his honour for several hours at Bruxelles Drinking Emporium off Grafton Street, which was stuffed to the gills with revellers in yet another sign of the devastating effect that this recession continues to have on us all. The streets were lively and awash with boisterous young ones, bedecked in Hallowe'en finery. All wonderful examples of the enjoyment that life gives, life that Denis sadly no longer possesses on this earth, but life which he continues to inspire in others.

Contentment :   16.5 / 25
Excitement :      3.5 / 10
Memorability :   6 / 15

Overall Score : 52% (28th out of 303)

Day 302 - Saturday, October 29th, 2011

Given the arduous early-hour socializing of the previous two nights/mornings, it was entirely fitting that today be decreed a Day Of Vegetation. On the glorious bill of fare was The Couch, Trashy Food (hash browns with lashings of hot sauce for breakfast, Bombay Pantry take-away for dejeuner) and Sporty TV with accompanying sports investment punts. Truly heavenly ingredients.

Contentment : 14 / 25
Excitement :    1.5 / 10
Memorability : 1.5 / 15

Overall Score : 34% (202nd out of 302)

Day 301 - Friday, October 28th, 2011

Firstly, Happy Birthday (sister) Olivia!

The day snailed by but along came the evening and time to visit The Ally Pally for the second night in a row, this time for TNDC 104, where no less than 11 athletes turned up to vie for the title and for precious TNDC World Championship and World Trophy points. In mid-December the Top 12 seeds will make it through to the final stages of the World Championships, with Seeds 13-16 entering the first round of the World Trophy. Trophies and prizes to the value of €300 will be competed for, thanks to generous sponsorship and the players paying a whopping supplement of €1 per week attended.

On the night, John "The Equaliser" Delaney garnered another title, whilst "English" Niall English (who isn't English) catapulted himself into the World Championship ranking positions. Action continued until after 1am, at which point a mouth-watering curried chips and quarter-pounder with cheese was summonsed from the Roma II chippy, before swiftly hailing a taxi.



Contentment : 16 / 25
Excitement :    3.5 / 10
Memorability : 4 / 15

Overall Score : 47% (71st out of 301)

  

Day 300 - Thursday, October 27th, 2011

300 days a-blogging! It feels like every one of those days, if truth be told - this blog is a slog!

This evening saw the staging of the 2011 Maples Pool Championship, and after a pre-event reception in Harry's On The Green, we ventured to The Ally Pally on Camden Street, which had been anointed as venue for this magnificent event. 8 athletes participated and after everyone played everyone else, it turned out that I had squeezed into the semi-final, where I disposed of young Ronan, before agonisingly losing out to Dr. Nick Watson in the Grand Final. I had won many frames by cheekily looking at my opponent whilst potting the black, and this was performed unsuccessfully in the final!

After introducing the athletes to the skilled art of darts, a few of us headed upstairs, complementarily, to the wonders of The Palace nightclub, where Jagerbombs, Supersplits and other delightful concoctions were enjoyed until the wee hours!

Contentment : 16 / 25
Excitement :    3.5 / 10
Memorability : 5 / 15

Overall Score : 49% (53rd out of 300)

Day 299 - Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

Pleasant as it was, today had no distinguishing features to it, so time to have a brief word about the delicious Chicken Fillet Baguettes (€2.29) from Dunnes Stores that have become a luinch staple of late, together with a soft-drink-cup full of wedges (€1.70). That is all.

Contentment : 12 / 25
Excitement :    0 / 10
Memorability : 0 / 10

Overall Score : 24% (266th out of 299)

Day 298 - Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

There was only one topic of conversation in the city today - yesterday's liquid tempest. The journey to and from work was negotiated with ease though, and the evening consisted of a duet of cinematic pleasures. First up was We Need To Talk About Kevin (7 / 10). A couple of years ago, I tried to read the book, but failed after about 20 pages as I found it interminably boring, but the film was great, with Tilda Swinton surely deserving an Oscar nominee nod come January time. Surprisingly good too was Footloose (7.5 out of 10), a remake of the 80s classic that is very possibly better than the original!

 

Contentment : 13 / 25
Excitement :    1.5 / 10
Memorability : 2 / 15

Overall Score : 33% (209th out of 298)

Day 297 - Monday, October 24th, 2011

I had today off and had many plans for it - cinema, hair-cut, darts trophy-hunting to name but three, but all of this went out the window with the fact that it was the rainiest day for over 40 years! Apocalyptic torrents of water lashed down all day and did not relent in the evening time, when I rather foolishly attempted to drive over to Austin Joanne and Adam across the city. I just about managed to cross the bridge before meeting total gridlock,and promptly turned around, but still spent over 80 minutes in the car for a journey that had no actual destination, unless you count the starting point! There were floods in many of the places that I passed, and Youtube had quickly-updated clips of water flowing down the stairs of Dundrum Shopping Centre - eek!


Dundrum Shopping Centre

Contentment : 11.5 / 25
Excitement :    3 / 10
Memorability : 5.5 / 15

Overall Score : 40% (148th out of 297)

Day 296 - Sunday, October 23rd, 2011

Despite the late retirement to quarters last night, breakfast was successfully negotiated, and with aplomb. The Newgrange offered a host of buffeted delights, with swathes of cereals, fruits, breads and freshly-fried slaughted meats to enjoy. After check-out, we sped to nearby Moor Park Golf Club - a basic but hilly and pleasant course for a round that started out pleasantly but soon turned inclement, with lashings of rain pouring down upon us. After 11 holes of penance, three of the four athletes decided that they had had enough, much to the fury of Daniels, who was having his best round of the year. There was little sympathy for him though, as he had prised over €30 from us by that stage. And as it turned out, the rain just got heavier and heavier.

Home by 4pm, the rest of the day was spent in an utterly splendid state of vegetation.

Contentment : 13.5 / 25
Excitement :    2 / 10
Memorability : 4 / 15

Overall Score : 39% (123rd out of 296)

Day 295 - Saturday, October 22nd, 2011

At 9.30am, Al The Almera was summonsed from motorised slumber to whisk myself, Conch-Shell, Daniels and English to the Metropolis of Navan for another epic golfing mini-break. After a warm-up on the driving range and restrained negotiation of George The Cantankerous American Club Pro, we were off and running down the 18 holes of Navan Golf Club - a longer-than-most racecourse-side affair. Thanks to magnificent play from Conquer, Team Trance notched up a magnificent and recently-rare win over a battling Team Ski. Conditions towards the end of the round were utterly vile, but this intensified the lustfulness for Guinness, which were wolfed down at our lodgings for the evening, the Newgrange Hotel. Dominoes were naturally the order of the early evening, and Team Trance reorded a sensational double victory on the day.

Eager to explore our environs, we moseyed outside and down to Smith's very fine tavern, which was in possession of a dartboard, ensuring hours of fun. Whilst at the bar, I missed out on 70th Birthday Cake that had kindly been distributed by the concelebrants in a nearby area, and took out my absolute fury on repeated wins at the oche. Smith's apparently are in no hurry to close of an evening, it would seem, for it was 3am when we returned to the Newgrange Residents' Bar for a nightcap.

Contentment : 17.5 / 25
Excitement :    5 / 10
Memorability : 6.5 / 15

Overall Score : 58% (10th out of 295)

Day 294 - Friday, October 21st, 2011

It's always nice to have an alcohol-free Friday evening, now and then, and today fulfilled this category, aided by a duet of cinematic offerings at Cineworld. First up was the utterly dire Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark (3 out of 10) with paper-thin continuity, hammy acting and a nonsense plot. Unbelievable that Guy Pearce would allow himself to be involved in such muck, and the child actor deserves repeated slapping, regardless of whether she was acting or not.

Thankfully cinematic redemption was close at hand with the opening-night viewing of Contagion (7.5 out of 10), an excellently-constructed disaster/epidemic movie about a flu virus that kills millions. The all-star cast, including Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Laurence Fishburne, were all excellent, with the exception of Jude Law, who wasn't quite believable in his role as a world-renowned blogger / excrement-stirrer. Although made by people who seem to believe that anywhere outside of the USA must be completely backward (especially China), the ability to create a believable scene of total chaos and disaster was very impressive.

Dinner afterwards of Big Mac & fries for €3.80 was utterly lush!


Poor Gwynny, under the weather

Contentment :  13.5 / 25
Excitement :     1.5 / 10
Memorability :  2.5 / 15

Overall Score : 35% (183rd out of 294)

Day 293 - Thursday, October 20th, 2011

This evening Doolan's simply witnessed a feast of athleticism, with no less than 14 competitors deciding to tog out for TNDC 103, the highest number since April of this year. John "The Equaliser" Delaney proved that his recently brush with the professinal ranks in Killarney has done him the power of good, with a 2nd title in a row, and another maximum 180 score, matched by Dean "The Dinosaur" Brennan. There were exciting scoring debuts for young Italian talent Daniele "Cornetto" Olmetto and the Pride of Kilnaleck, Garda Martin "G-Force" Donohoe.

The evening also saw the return of Austin "The Iceman" McEvoy after extensive paternity leave, and he brushed off the tungsten cobwebs with ease to gain 4th place on the night.

Contentment : 15 / 25
Excitement :    3 / 10
Memorability : 4 / 15

Overall Score : 44% (99th out of 293)

Day 292 - Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

In this new era of refreshing blog brevity, it is entirely sufficient to tell you that I woke, I worked, I walked home.

Contentment : 12.5 / 25
Excitement :    0 / 10
Memorability : 0 / 15

Overall Score : 25% (258th out of 292)

Day 291 - Tuesday, October 18th, 2011

Today I forayed to Dublin City University to facilitate some follow-up sessions for the strategic review of the Office Of Student Life, which oversees all of the clubs and societies in DCU as well as its Students Union. With its Student Centre, leisure complex, and any other relatively-new facilities, the campus is virtually unreconisable from those of us who frequented it in previous decades. Huzzah for progress!

Contentment : 13.5 / 25
Excitement :    2.5 / 10
Memorability : 3 / 15

Overall Score : 38% (161st out of 291)

Day 290 - Monday, October 17th, 2011

Interesting note of the day is that a major Bollywood film was filming up the road from my place of work at lunchtime today. In the particular scene that I caught a glimpse of, dozens of spritely young extras, full of the joys of spring, were performing an elaborate Bollywood-style street dance. Good luck to them!

Contentment : 12.5 / 25
Excitement :    0.5 / 10
Memorability : 0.5 / 15

Overall Score : 27% (247th out of 290)

Day 289 - Sunday, October 16th, 2011

Off it was to the INEC again after another splendiferous breakfast for The Big Event - the £35,000 PDC Players Championship. The board that I was marking had a vast range of players in terms of ability, from the nervous duo who produced a leg that was won in 47 darts (with 95 darts thrown in the leg, counting both players), to the sublime Gary Anderson who raced through his matches with high-scoring ease. Gary very kindly offered to buy me a drink (the ultimate honour from a Scotsman!) on more than one occasion but as I had driving duties later, I politely declined.

Once again, I was kindly invited to take to the stage to mark the semi-finals and final, where Justin Pipe pipped Gary to win the title and the £6,000 first prize, and it was a fantastic thrill as ever.

Matters concluded, it was time to make the 3 and a half hour journey back to The Lighthouse, reaching there on the stroke of midnight.

Contentment : 16 / 25
Excitement :    4 / 10
Memorability : 5.5 / 15

Overall Score : 51% (33rd out of 289)

Day 288 - Saturday, October 15th, 2011

After a very splendid fried breakfast, we headed back to the Killarney International Exhibition Centre for the Ladbrokes.com John McEvoy tournament, which featured over 300 competitors. As an official for the day, my main task early on was to find players and get them to their dart-board to play (there were 32 boards in total in order to whittle down the players down from 320 to 1).

The semi-finals and final were played on the stage, and I was one of the 2 markers, which is always a great honour and thrill. In the final, Mark Walsh won the €5,000 first prize, beating Paul Nicholson.

We moseyed into town again afterwards, but as it was after 10pm, the choice of restaurants was poor. A rancid starers platter was followed by vaguely passible spaghetti meatballs, washed down with a vile house red. Uninspired by the cuisine, we walked back to the B&B without troubling any further alehouses and had a relatively early night (if 1am is to be considered as early).

Contentment : 15.5 / 25
Excitement :     3.5 / 10
Memorability : 4.5 / 15

Overall Score : 47% (67th out of 288)

Day 287 - Friday, October 14th, 2011

A day off work today, in order to head down to Killarney for their annual Darts Festival, accompanied by TNDC's top athletic talent, Mr. John Delaney. The four-hour drive passed without incident, except for a stop in the surprisingly-large Limerick town of Abbeyfeale, where a very enjoyable Lasagne and chips was hoovered up with relish. Onward to our bed and breakfast lodgings for the weekend - central, highly adequate, and a steal at €25 per person per night.

On our walk to the venue, we met my visual twin, Paul "The Asset" Nicholson and his girlfriend. Tonight saw a qualifying competition where the Top 32 get through to Sunday's main £35,000 event. John came up against Pat Molyneaux - a fiendishly tough draw, but he managed to register some good scoring in his 5-0 defeat, and amass excellent experience for the future.

The tournament was over by 9pm, so we headed into the lively town centre and enjoyed ales in many an establishment, all of whose names now escape me. The evening finished off at a chippery where the finest beef patties and chipped potatoes were enjoyed in the company of Antipodean ladies.

Contentment : 15 / 25
Excitement :    3 / 10
Memorability : 4 / 15

Overall Score : 44% (96th out of 287)

Day 286 - Thursday, October 13th, 2011

High excitement during lunchtime where I came across a galaxy of famous and semi-famours people, including Presidential Candidate and Eurovision Song Contest winner Dana, out campaigning on Grafton Street. Then whilst browsing in Top Shop, who should also be present but Chatty Man TV show host and comedian Alan Carr, relaxing ahead of his sell-out show at the O2 this evening. We exchanged "Hello"s but I spared him having to engage in any further small-talk or photography sessions. Completing the gala list of stars (snigger) was Aongus McAnally,  former TV snooker and Saturday youth programme host, now working as a DJ on Lyric FM methinks. He was outside the Gaiety Theatre hosting a live open broadcast.

At Thursday Night Darts Club 102, a moderate attendance of six athletes battled it out, with John "The Equaliser" Delaney notching up another title, scoring a maximum 180 in the process.

Contentment : 14.5 / 25
Excitement :    2.5 / 10
Memorability : 3 / 15

Overall Score : 40% (142nd out of 365)

Day 285 - Wednesday, October 12th, 2011

As the autumn is upon us, so increases the number of films viewed at Cineworld, and today, it was a double cinematic treat. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (6.5 out of 10) was enjoyable, but was hard (for me) to follow at times. Next up was Drive (8.5 out of 10), which is the best film that I have seen in years - frsh, brilliantly stylish and with an incredible performance from Ryan Gosling, who is fast becoming the De Niro / Pacino of our time. He was backed up by a very strong cast too, with Casey Mulligan and Bryan Cranston (Hal from Malcom in the Middle) particularly good. Film Of The Year, methinks!



Contentment : 13 / 25
Excitement :    2 / 10
Memorability : 2.5 / 15

Overall Score : 35% (177th out of 365)

Day 284 - Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

Today's major event was the qualification of the Republic of Ireland soccer team for the play-off stages of the European Championships after a nervy win over Armenia. Win the play-off and we qualify for the Finals in Poland and the Ukraine next summer, which would be fantastic, and which I will be very tempted to attend in some shape or form.

Contentment : 13.5 / 25
Excitement :    2 / 10
Memorability : 2 / 15

Overall Score : 35% (177th out of 284)

Day 283 - Monday, October 10th, 2011

Lunch was enjoyed in The Clarendon, fortifying me for my 2nd and final bout of lecturing at the Institute of Bankers, where a captivated audience of 150 people or so hung on my every word regarding the concepts and conventions of accounting. Truthfully though, they were very participative and cooperative, with absolute no-one spending any time whatsoever on the naughty step!

Contentment : 15.5 / 25
Excitement :    3 / 10
Memorabililty : 3.5 / 15

Overall Score : 44% (96th out of 283)

Day 282 - Sunday, October 9th, 2011

A lazy day which got slightly more active when I drove out to the Citywest Convention Centre for the final of the World Darts Grand Prix, betwixt Phil "The Power" Taylor and Brendan "No Nickname" Dolan, the latter of whom was the first Irishman to have achieved a place in the final. Although he didn't triumph, losing by 6 sets to 3, he did pick up a cheque for £45,000 - not a bad week's work! The atmosphere was good at the start, even though the crowd size was disappointing, numbering about 500.

Contentment : 14 / 25
Excitement :    3 / 10
Memorability : 4.5 / 15

Overall Score : 43% (104th out of 282)

Day 281 - Saturday, October 8th, 2011

A wondrous day of leisurely pursuits today, starting with a number of pints in the recently re-opened Cassidy's in O'Connell Bridge - a hostelry that comes under the category of "proper boozer". There in accompaniment were Conch-Shell, JD and Danny Son Of Hoon, and an Oscar-nominee quiz courtesy of Wikipedia provided the entertainment.

From there, a taxi to the RDS where Leinster were playing Connaught - walking in, we met the isolated forlorn figure of presidential candidate Gay Mitchell who decided to look the other way rather than greet us, even though no-one else was around. Tool.

The rugby game was highly entertaining, with Leinster overcoming a half-time loss to win comfortably. We then headed back to Conch-Shell's apartment in Bloodbank House for a Vacating Party, for indeed he is being evicted from there soon. Before the B-Listers arrived, we enjoyed some cannery and also witnessed Brendan Dolan's 9-darter at the World Grand Prix - the first double-start 9-darter ever seen on live TV!

The guest list for the Eviction Party was gigantic, judging by the number of attendees, which packed out the reception, kitchen and hall chambers, leading me to the discovery that I am quite claustrophobic, for their is no other reason that I would leave a party at 1.20am!

Contentment : 17.5 / 25
Excitement :    4 / 10
Memorability : 7.5 / 15

Overall Score : 58% (10th out of 281)

Day 280 - Friday, October 7th, 2011

Holiday! Celebrate! Even if it is just a solitary day. The afternoon's festivities commenced at the Dark Horse Inn, where the Guinness wasn't great and one of the two customers apart from myself and John was the habitual drunkard who apparently lives there. He had a giant Elastoplast on top of his head, and his face in his hands - not the prettiest sight in the world. Onwards to the Sub Lounge, where the €3.20 black porter was eminently more tasty, the clientele more eye-pleasing. Next stop - MacTurcaills, for more porter, and their rather excellent €5 beef bourgignon special. Joined there by Danny Son Of Hoon and Conquer von Concacaf, our party was now fully assembled and ready to taxi it out to the CityWest for World Grand Prix Quarter Finals night.

The crowd was bigger (about 2,000) ensuring an excellent atmosphere, and the €15 pitchers of Coors Light were emptied with aplomb. First up was Brendan Dolan who got the home crowd going with victory over John Henderson (kind provider of my 9-darter dartboard) to become the first Irishman to reach the Semi-Finals of a Darts Major. The evening also saw wins for James Wade, Phil Taylor and Richie Burnett.

Another taxi back into town, where we headed for the cocktail delights of Lafayette, and we were joined by Gar von Milky Bar and his advancely-refreshed brother-in-law for magnificent banter.

Conquer and Son of Hoon clutch a picture of their beloved Andy "Pieman" Smith

Contentment : 18 / 25

Excitement :    4 / 10

Memorability : 5.5 / 15

Overall Score : 55% (16th out of 280)

Day 279 - Thursday, October 6th, 2011

In a new zero-tolerance approach to verbal faff, I'm going to restrict my blogs if diddley-squat happens. So let me reveal that today, pleasant as it was, saw the making of a large omelette as its most notable event. Nuff said!

Contentment : 13 / 25
Excitement :    0.5 / 10
Memorability : 0.5 / 15

Overall Score : 28% (165th out of 279)

Day 278 - Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

Time for the first trip of the week to the World Grand Prix at Citywest, where delightfully I was on the guestlist thanks to my travelling officialdom over the past couple of years. Accompanying me this evening were brother Austin amd Mark "The Spark" Delaney, who joined me on the Luas at St. James' and Belgard tram stops respectively. With time to spare upon arrival, we moseyed up to the Players Lounge where the sole remaining Irish representative in the competition Brendan Dolan was in the process of getting his game face on, through the gentle gradual sipping of bottles of finest American rice-juice. (that would be Budweiser)

We then headed down to the auditorium itself, where the audience numbered about 400 and enjoyed a quartet of matches, the highlight of which was Brendan's 3-1 win over former World Champion John Part, putting him into the quarter-finals and guaranteeing him £10,000. Nice work!

Despite the action not finising until 11.40pm, there were still LUASes running back into town, so we hopped on one and disembarked at various points, me going to the complete other end of the line, bar one station. Handy out!

Contentment : 16 / 25
Excitement :    3.5 / 10
Memorability : 4.5 / 15

Overall Score : 48% (48th out of 278)

Day 277 - Tuesday, October 4th, 2011

The sheer joyousness of Tuesday Night Golf Club manifested itself once again this evening, with Neil "Dutchy" Holland streaking away with the title by a margin of 6 points. Traditionally of late, I played utterly appallingly, garnering a mere 16 points, but the ache of last place was soothed away magically by cold frosted beer from the Netherlands, and luscious Irish stout in the post-event reception at The Oarsman. I hosted another impromptu Academy Awards Nominees quiz which went down a storm, and if memory serves me correctly young Conquer de Conch-Shell emerged triumphant over The Dutch One.


So sue me, Academy....

Contentment : 15 / 25
Excitement :    2.5 / 10
Memorability : 3.5 / 15

Overall Score : 42% (104th out of 277)

Day 276 - Monday, October 3rd, 2011

A change of pace this evening, with the annual delivery of the first of two Introductory Fund Accounting lectures to the 150 or so students of University College Dublin & the Institute of Bankers' Investment Fund Certificate. Caroline and Shane from work are taking the course this year, so there was company for the half-hour walk to the lecture theatre. Yapping incessantly for 3 hours is deceptively hard work, and I was exhausted and hoarse-throated afterwards!

Contentment : 13 / 25

Excitement :    3 / 10

Memorability : 2.5 / 15

Overall Score : 37% (141st out of 276)

Day 275 - Sunday, October 2nd, 2011

Another record was broken today, travelling from Lighthouse pillar to PDC tournament post in a record time of 21 minutes thanks to Al The Almera, the Dublin Port Tunnel and the M50. The stars of today's board were Wes Newton, strolling to comfortable wins over Michael van Gerwen (6-1), Roland Scholten (6-3) and Andy Simth (6-2) with phenomenal scoring, and Roland, who edged out Andy Hamilton (6-5) and comfortably accounted for Stephanie Luck (6-0) before losing to Wes. In the first game of the day, MVG beat Kirk Shepherd 6-4 in a game that was even closer than the score suggests.

There was delight for Chizzy Rascal, who was well rewarded for his travels by marking Barney's 9-darter against Phil Taylor - he'll get the signed dart-board for that. Today's winner was Justin "Speedy" Pipe, whose advancement through the ranks continues in leaps and bounds. People focus on his pace, but it is his scoring and finishing which is doing all the talking. The Top 16 beckons for him next year, without doubt.

Afterwards, I brought Scott (Gibling) and Andrew (Davis) into town for a guided pub tour. After callously dumping off Al The Almera, the first port-of-call was the ship-turned-pub the Cill Airne (Irish for Killarney, fact-fans). After a brace of finest ales there, we perambulated leisurely along the Liffey down to the Oktoberfest, which bizarrely was shutting down already, at 8pm. Far from crushed with disappointment, we hopped on a LUAS and took an ale at TP Smith's before corssing the river into Temple Bar and Fitzsimons' pub, which was very busy for a Sunday night. Next liquid port of call was The Foggy Dew, where a rather good SKA band were playing, before a final brew at Pravda before calling in to Supermac's for a Smokey Bacon Burger and curried chipped potatoes.

Contentment : 17 / 25
Excitement :    3 / 10
Memorability : 4.5 / 15

Overall Score : 49% (41st out of 275)

Day 274 - Saturday, October 1st, 2011

An early start to the day and at 9.30 I walked for 7 minutes to Spencer Dock LUAS stop and boarded the tram to Saggart, and an hour later had reached a Darts Players Championship venue in the quickest time ever on public transport - huzzah! Along the wa I was joined by my good friends Johnny Delaney (an avid darts fan and up-and-coming player) and Mike "Chizzy" Chisnall, who became only the 2nd person to "do a Damo" and travel across the pond to mark a PC event - fair play to ya Chizzy!

It was good to be inside in the Citywest, particularly as the weather outside was apocalyptic, with the nearby golf greens and bunkers resembling duck ponds. Myself, Chizzy and 10 other volunteer markers headed to the boards at 12 noon upon Baron Thomas Cox's beckoning, and the action was underway. In my first round matches, Darren Johnson fought off a spirited challenge from Reece Robinson to win 6-4. A top bloke is Darren, taking the time to compliment my marking and offer a pint. Reece was once again graceful in defeat, and I hope his record of Won 1 Lost 3 on my boards soon improves. Next up was a full-of-chat Peter Manley against Ali Powell, who joined the world-famous No-Mr.-Shakey-Hands Club after his 6-3 defeat, although most local players don't seem to know to observe the practice.

Next up, Mark Webster was in high-scoring form in his 6-1 win over Darren, whilst the years were rolled back with the clash between Terry Jenkins and Peter Manley, and a very tight contest it was, resulting in Terry winning in the deciding leg. Before the contest began, Terry chortled : "We've got Paul Nicholson marking for us!" He wouldn't be the first to say this, but it's AOK, as The Asset is a good-looking bloke!

In the Board Final, Mark beat Terry 6-3 and had many missed double chances in his 6-4 defeat to Michael van Gerwen. Match of the day for me was MVG's 6-5 win over Gary Anderson, which had it all - phenomenal scoring, finishing and excitement. My marking duties now done, it was time to sit back, relax and enjoy many pints of Heineken (even if they were €4.95, which had Kirk Shepherd absolutely fuming). Phil was back in imperious form as he claimed the title with a 6-3 win over MVG.

We stayed on to watch some of the youth games, the highlight of which was MVG's narrow 3-2 win over Paddy Meaney, where Paddy had a couple of darts to win the match and stake a serious claim for a spot in the World Youth Championships next month.

Time to hit the town, so Coynedexter, Chizzy, JD and I summonsed an 8-20-20-20 taxi which arrived in no time, and whisked us to the city centre for a mere €22 in total, including their fantastic 20% discount. We headed to the magnificent Bliss restaurant, who were still offering their 2-course-meal with tea or coffee for just €9.99. For me, their divine soup and brown-bread followed by Chicken Piri-Piri, washed down with half-a-bottle of Tempranillo. Chizzy, a hungry lad, went for 2 starters and 2 main courses and polished them off with ease, although shamefully he left a grain of rice behind on his Malaysian chicken dish, as the photographic evidence below clearly shows.

Off to what we in Ireland call The Ally Pally - The Palace in Camden Street, which is one of the rare establishments in the city centre that houses a dartboard. Coynedexter and Chizzy were introduced to the staple game delights of Thursday Night Darts Club (TNDC), such as Lives, Reverse Lives, Highest Score Out, Lowest Score Out, and such-and-such, all over several delicious pints of the finest Guinness, retailing at €4 a pint. Dave emerged as champion but JD was a respectable 2nd, Chizzy a distant 3rd and me 4th. :-)

The time is 12.30am now, so time to show the tourists (shamefully it was Dave's first night out in Dublin as well as Chizzy) some more of the Fair City's nightlife. Across the road then, to Flannery's, both of whose floors were heaving with the loveliest of ladies, including some Canadians who caught our attentive eyes for much banter, none of which I remember. This may possibly be due to the copious amounts of pints, Super-Splits (Captai Morgan and Fanta) and Cointreau consumed.

3.15am now, and we make it up the street to Dublin's finest kebab shop, Zaytoon, where the queues are long but the end-produce is sublime.

Shameful wastage as Chizzy leaves at least 3 grains of rice behind

Merriment Personified

A jam-packed Flannery's

Contentment : 18 / 25

Excitement :    5 / 10

Memorability : 8 / 15

Overall Score : 62% (3rd out of 274)

     

Day 273 - Friday, September 30th, 2011

Our Summer Swelter for 2011 seems to be at an end, with blue skies turning grey this evening and torrents of rain pouring down on the walk from work to the bus home to the Lighthouse, for yet another relaxing Friday evening, although no doubt a highly sage move ahead of expected buoyant magnificence in the Citywest this weekend and during the week ahead.

Earlier, lunch was enjoyed in Dicey's Garden, where more and more hordes seem to hearing about their €6.25 carvery special, judging by the long but fast-moving queues at the food counter. Course of choice today was the lasagne, with lashings of vegetables, potatoes and chips. Outstanding!


Delightful torrentz

Contentment : 11.5 / 25
Excitement :    0.5 / 10
Memorability : 1 / 15

Overall Score : 26% (221st out of 365)

Day 272 - Thursday, September 29th, 2011

Nine athletes went to post at Thursday Night Darts Club 101 in Doolan's where its pints of Tuborg at €3.30 went down a particular storm. In top form was Gar "Milky Bar" Kiernan, who romped to the title with a magnificent tally of 54 points, which means he is a mere 2 points away from gaining the Number 2 Ranking in the TNDC from yours truly, who amassed the grand total of zero points this evening - an historic first!

Contentment : 13 / 25
Excitement :    2 / 10
Memorability : 2.5 / 15

Overall Score : 35% (146th out of 272)

Day 271 - Wednesday, September 28th, 2011

Incredibly, today was the hottest day of the year (so far) in Dublin, with the mercury rising to 25.9 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit). Spirits were noticeably high in the city centre at lunch-time, and luckily I had the forsight to prepare some incredible home-made ham, cheese, tomato, coleslaw and scallion sandwiches that were thoroughly enjoyed in the St. Stephen's Green sunshine.

After work, I CityBiked and strolled along the canal to Mount Argus for a visit to Joanne, Austin and Adam, who intensely eyed up his present of Sully from Toy Story (in teddy form) and will likely make a decision in due course on whether he likes it or not but the signs are good. He is growing and getting ever-alert, and was in great form all evening. Austin cooked up a Chilli Con Carne storm and highly delicious it was too.

 

Contentment : 15.5 / 25

Excitement :    3 / 10

Memorability : 4.5 / 15

Overall Score : 46% (68th out of 271)

Day 270 - Tuesday, September 27th, 2011

September's usual Indian Summer did not materialise - until today, when decent sunshine and blue skies were the order of the day. Lunch of Vegetable Soup and Spaghetti Meatballs was enjoyed in The Clarendon, with entertainment provided in reading form, by the "i" newspaper - a UK compact tabloid which costs only 30 cents (20p in the UK), and provides a fantastic summary of international news, entertainment, business, sport and puzzles. Try it if you reside on These Isles!



Contentment : 12.5 / 25
Excitement :    0.5 / 10
Memorability : 0.5 / 15

Overall Score : 27% (215th out of 270)

Day 269 - Monday, September 26th, 2011

The autumn is in full swing and the nights of winter approacheth, meaning that cinema attendance is likely to return to levels previously enjoyed earlier in the year. For the moment though, it remains sporadic, but this evening saw a visit to see Warrior (6.5 out of 10), doing what The Wrestler did for wrestling and what The Fighter did for boxing. Jolly enjoyable it was too - even if the background story was highly far-fetched, the fight action was superbly done, and there were superb performances from the two main leads (Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton). Bryan Dennehy, not so much.



Contentment : 13 / 25
Excitement :    1 / 10
Memorability : 1 / 15

Overall Score : 30% (178th out of 269)

Day 268 - Sunday, September 25th, 2011

Unusually fresh as a daisy for a Sunday morning, I was up with the lark before setting off in Al The Almera to the homestead of Gallonbawn, diverting slightly to Glasnevin to collect my aunt Stella, who was diagnosed with leukaemia over 5 years ago and has battled it fantastically well. It was her first time to meet her new grand-niece Rihanna who was brought over by her parents, including birthday-boy Shane. Rihanna was in great form at first, but ultimately succumbed to trapped wind - an affliction of practically all  4-6 week old babies. Poor lil' mite! As ever, the return trip has some welcome additional home-produced goods in the guise of scallions, tomatoes and lasagne - huzzah!

Contentment : 14 / 25
Excitement :    3 / 10
Memorability : 3 / 15

Overall Score : 40% (110th out of 268)

Day 267 - Saturday, September 24th, 2011

Every now and then I convince myself that a banal weekend must be had, to recharge batteries and increase Soul Power. Well, today certainly fits into that category, indulging in exciting tasks such as washing clothes and hanging them out to dry, depositing suits at the dry cleaners, filling up with petrol, and such-and-such. Outlandish rebellious behaviour!

On the bill of entertainment fare this evening was a rare viewing of a DVD, and the film in question was Son Of Rambow (6.5 / 10), an endearing tale about two lil' squirts who make a home Rambo movie, engaging in many jolly japes and scrapes upon the way.

 

Contentment : 11 / 25
Excitement :    0.5 / 10
Memorability : 1 / 15

Overall Score : 25% (230th out of 267)

Day 266 - Friday, September 23rd, 2011

Lordy, this daily blogging is getting mighty hard to do - I'm falling way behind. There are 100 days left, and I'll be struggling to complete it I can tells ya. Not helping matters is that today was utterly dull and the weekend as a whole promises similar fare. No social invitations were issued or received this evening, ensuring a night cooped up in The Lighthouse, playing Bejeweled Blitz, to which I have become entirely addicted. Gaaah!



Contentment : 11 / 25
Excitement :    0 / 10
Memorability : 0 / 15

Overall Score : 22% (248th out of 266)

Day 265 - Thursday, September 22nd, 2011

Today was the most wonderful of all manufactured days - Arthur's Day - where everyone goes out, drinks Guinness, and drinks Guinness. It meant that Guinness at Doolan's was just €3 per pint all night at Thursday Night Darts Club, which attracted 10 thirsty athletes. After many weeks in the darting doldrums, Jimmy "The Peach" Leach easily won his 10th TNDC title with a wondrous scoring display that included a 180 and 5 140s. Gar von Milky Bar also scored a maximum, making it the first ever TNDC where more than one athlete scored 180s - great success!

Infused with elation and success, The Milky Bar Kid insisted on continuing the festivities and thus we moved into town for a few Mojitos in Lafayette followed by a number of Super Splits (Captain Morgan and orange) at Q Bar until the wee hours.

Emotional, but certainly not tired - Milky Bar, The Dark Destroyer and The Anto-Christ

Contentment : 15.5 / 25

Excitement :    3 / 10

Memorability : 4 / 15

Overall Score : 45% (78th out of 265)

Day 264 - Wednesday, September 21st, 2011

Today I had the pleasure of lunch with my Aunt Elizabeth who is back from South Africa for the first time in a few years and was on a day's visit to Dublin. The eldest of 13 children, Elizabeth became a nun aged 16 and has spent fifty years in South Africa, working as a school principal in a township there, and now with Saint Vincent de Paul - a strong, courageous and inspirational woman.

Saba was the lunch venue, as we had eaten in its predecessor called Rajdoot over 10 years ago. We both had the Thai salmon starter which was huge and deliciously zesty. For mains I had the Thai beef noodles which were well tasty whilst Elizabeth polished off her Vietnamese Chicken Salad with aplomb.



Contentment : 15 / 25
Excitement :    3 / 10
Memorability : 4 / 15

Overall Score : 44% (88th out of 264)

Day 263 - Tuesday, September 20th, 2011

Figuring that after several weeks on release that all the empty vessels making most noise would have seen it, I ventured to see The Inbetweeners (6.5 out of 10) at the cinema, and my theory thankfully proved correct, with 30 well-mannered chaps and chappesses in the cinematic house - huzzah!

The film was full of laughs, most of them highly inappropriate, whilst the continuity and believability factor was largely wafer-thin, but no-one cared.



Contentment : 12.5 / 25
Excitement :    1 / 10
Memorability : 1.5 / 15

Overall Score : 30% (152nd out of 263)

Day 262 - Monday, September 19th, 2011

Nothing beats the start-of-week blues better than a spot of home cookery and with Dunnes Stores better-value-beats-them-all just yards away from my place of work, a quick diversion there on the way home provided all the required ingredients for a monumental beef stir-fry - 650 grams of steak, jar of pasta sauce, 200g of mushrooms, 5 red and green peppers, 3 large onions, fresh basil, 2 cans of chopped tomatoes, 400 grams of fresh stir-fry mix, half a bottle of hot sauce, coriander, chilli powder, curry powder, black pepper - epic win! And here it is!

Outstanding, even if it be said oneself......

 Contentment : 13 / 25

Excitement :    1.5 / 10

Memorability : 1.5 / 15

Overall Score : 32% (158th out of 262)

Day 261 - Sunday, September 18th, 2011

Another wondrous day of sport, with Rangers beating Celtic 4-2 in the latest Old Firm Derby, and Dublin winning their first All-Ireland Senior Football title for 16 years with a thrilling 1-point win against Kerry. With cabin-fever in the Lighthouse well and truly setting in, I fled to the Woolshed - Dublin's epicentre of live NFL viewing action - to watch my recently-adopted San Diego Chargers succumb to the New England Patriots. Conquer was also on hand to see his San Franciscan 49ers suffer a similar, though narrower, demise. But the atmosphere was excellent with a packed house full of fans of various different teams, and quite a number of advancely-refreshed Dublin football fans in attendance too.


The All-Ireland winners....plus a chancer fan who got onto the pitch afterwards!

Contentment : 13.5 / 25
Excitement :    2.5 / 10
Memorability : 4.5 / 10

Overall Score : 41% (110th out of 261)

Day 260 - Saturday, September 17th, 2011

The Ireland Australia Rugby World Cup game kicked off at 9.30am and was viewed from the comfort of my Lighthouse bed - for the first 15 minutes or so at least, until I burst into the front room to place a wager on Ireland at 10/3 whilst they led 6-3, so convinced was I of their victory. The convinction proved well founded, with the Boys In Green recording an historic maiden World Cup victory against the Aussies - huzzah!

Sports viewing and wagering proved to be the theme of the day, with a wager on Arsenal at 4/1 to score 3 goals or more against Blackburn - they did, but lost 4-3, and a bet on QPR at 5/1 to beat Wolves by 2 goals or more - they did so by 3! I don't think I have ever had such a run of success, so will embrace and enjoy it while it happens!


Victory!

Contentment : 15.5 / 25
Excitement :    3 / 10
Memorability : 5 / 15

Overall Score : 47% (56th out of 260)

Day 259 - Friday, September 16th, 2011

Although it was on Tuesday, today was decreed to be the official birthday of Signorina Lara Della Volpe - that's Miss Laura Of The Wolf for those of you who don't speak Italian. The Birthday Girl anointed the Sub Lounge to be the venue, with its bustling beer garden, DART trains roaring overhead, and most importantly of all, its €3.40 pints.

Beforehand, I met Johnny D in the nearby Dark Horse Inn for a couple of pints of plain, which were retailing at an incredible €3 each - expensive Dublin, my eye! Particularly enjoying the inexpensive alcoholic fare was a 6 foot 6 American, who kept coming up to the bar every 3 minutes to buy a pint, and by his last visit, he was swaying from side to side like a tall building after an earthquake.

Onto the Sub Lounge, and a large crowd as present, with many of them here to pay tribute to the birthday lady herself. Neil "Dutchy" Holland was in the house, as was Lady Zara McMullin, Danny The Swede, Terence O'Flaherty in a triumphant leopard-skin ensemble, Al Carroll, Baroness Ann-marie Ferguson and Trevmeister Underwood - a glittering array of starlets, I'm sure you'll agree.

Shinners and Damiano encircle the birthday girl

A Damiano escort from Signorina Lara!

Contentment : 15 / 25

Excitement :    3 / 10

Memorability : 4.5 / 15

Overall Score : 45% (76th out of 259)

Day 258 - Thursday, September 15th, 2011

'Twas the 99th edition of Thursday Night Darts Club tonight, when only the 10th ever champion was crowned, in the guise of Anto "The Anto-Christ" Macken who deservedly won, throwing solid splendid arrows all night. There was a magnificent turn-out of no less than 13 athletes. I scored one of three 140 scores, whilst an ever-recovering Jimmy "The Peach" Leach registered the high finish of the night with a 116.

Proving immensely popular was the newly-installed Tuborg tap, offering pints of cold frothy Danish lager for just €3.30 - bargain! And the pizzas delivered from next door's Italian restaurant proved as delicious as ever - mine with chicken, peppers and lashings and lashings of chilli flakes proved to be utterly divine.

  The Peach and The Anto-Christ - a deliciously Satanic combination!
Contentment : 15 / 25
Excitement :    2.5 / 10
Memorability : 3.5 / 15

Overall Score : 42% (95th out of 258)

Day 257 - Wednesday, September 14th, 2011

Interesting shenanigans afoot on the River Liffey these days, with the addition of a desert island near the Sean O'Casey Bridge, on a temporary basis apparently, and all in the name of art. Jolly amusing it looks though, and it has done well to survive Monday's near-hurricane! Apparently the artist is living on it for a week - hopefully Sealey the Squealy Seal comes a-calling before he departs.



Contentment : 12 / 25
Excitement :    0 / 10
Memorability : 0 / 15

Overall Score : 24% (227th out of 257)

Day 256 - Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

This evening saw the third major of the year take place at Tuesday Night Golf Club, with Oakland Hills the virtual venue. Yours truly played more appallingly than he or anyone else at TNGC had played that year, despite EAGLING the first hole. Showing his uncanny ability to rise to the big occasions, the trophy was lifted by Daniel "Son of Hoon" Sjunnesson, edging out Neil "Dutchy" Holland by a single point.

For me personally, the occasion's level of splendour increased significantly with a faithful pilgrimage to the nearby Oarsmen, where many a pint of plain was sunk and an impromptu Best Actor Oscar Nominees quiz was roaringly enjoyed.


Fascinating, no?

Contentment : 14 / 25
Excitement :    2.5 / 10
Memorability : 4 / 10

Overall Score : 41% (106th out of 256)

Day 255 - Monday, September 12th, 2011

I was sent a text a few weeks ago offering me 50% off my next Bombay Pantry order - 50%!!!! Alas, the offer expired yesterday but I called anyway to be told "Computer Sez No" by the kindly phone-attendant. I asked for Head Office's number, had a lovely chat with Madam Head-Office who duly promised to immediately instruct her drone to accept my 50% off request - great success!

Naturally, I grossly violated the deal by ordering a feast for 6, and brought the d'lish Indian booty over to Austin, Joanne and Adam, the latter of whom politely passed on the offer, being 7 weeks old and all. The other two, with me, dug in though, and 2 starter platters, fire house lamb, murgh (chicken) chutney and chicken chili masala were duly savaged with lashings of rice. (The other 3 courses were dispersed evenly for cold-storage and future devouring.)

Adam is in utterly splendid form, with his 3-week spell of windy-pops seemingly behind him - all part of trials and tribulations of babydom!


Viva Bombay Pantry!

Contentment : 15 / 25
Excitement :    2.5 / 10
Memorability : 3.5 / 15

Overall Score : 42% (94th out of 255)

Day 254 - Sunday, September 11th, 2011

Hard to believe that it is the 10th anniversary of the most famous date in recent times - September 11th, 2001. On that date I was in Copenhagen on a 3-week trip around Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, and popped into the pub after a failed attempt to visit the Carlsberg brewery, which was closed. In typically nonchalant Danish fashion, the few people in the bar weren't reacting outwardly to what was going on, making the sight of the collapsing buildings all the more surreal.

Back to the present, and despite early (ie ultra-late) morning retirements, I awoke virtually on time and hauled the others up to make it to the tee about 15 minutes tardy, but this caused the appropriate authorities no real dramas. Conditions were gale-force windy, although mercifully it managed to stay virtually dry during proceedings, where I deservedly registered the grand total of €0 in the Nuremorofen Skins Challenge. Unquestioned victor of the day was Conch-Shell, whose decision to leave his driver in Al The Almera's boot paid rich dividends, with total earnings of €44.

5 miles of walking in gale-force winds combined with ravenous thunder made the chicken curry and chips in the clubhouse taste utterly sensational, even though it would normally have been deemed ultra-bland. The trip back to Dublin was speedy and after dropping all athletes off, recuperation was enabled from 6pm onwards.


Action from the Nuremorofen 4Skins Challenge

Contentment : 14 / 25
Excitement :    2.5 / 10
Memorability : 4 / 15

Overall Score : 41% (94th out of 254)

Day 253 - Saturday, September 10th, 2011

An early start to this particular Saturday morning, with Al The Almera summonsed to go and collect the Three Swashbuckling Golfing Musketeers Danny Son-of-Hoon, Conch-Shell and English to make the hour-long journey to County Monaghan. A slight fly in the ointment presented itself in that the quays were cordoned off due to a fire, so the Musketeers had to make an arduous half-mile journey with their golf bags - utterly heroic!

The weather predictions had been quite horrific but thankfully didn't quite materialise, with cloudy but largely dry conditions at the Nuremore Hotel Golf Course, a very fine challenging affair. I played the most horrific golfing round of my match, which was no mean feat given recent form, and alas Conquer's decent form was not enough to prevent another victory by Team Ski.

Much more pleasing was a foray to the jacuzzi and sauna, which cleansed the body and also the palate for an assault on the hotel bar with its very delicious Guinness and very fine chicken pasta. After a number of convivial games of dominoes, we summonsed Patrick the Taximan to whisk us into Carrickmacross Town for the paltry sum of €2 each, where we sought out a pub with a dartboard for many splendid games, before adjoining to a late bar for banging choons and more refreshments.

The evening/morning was concluded back at the Nuremore Hotel with nightcaps in the residents bar that lasted until the wee hours.


Daniels, English and Damo size up their respective putts


Fine scenery surrounding the 17th fairway

Contentment : 15 / 25
Excitement :    4 / 10
Memorability : 5.5 / 15

Overall Score : 49% (41st out of 253)

Day 252 - Friday, September 9th, 2011

The Friday lunch venue this week was Sinnott's, where one avails of a 10% discount by answering "Yes" to the cash register lady's question, "Do you have a loyalty card?" No production of said loyalty card is required, which was a relief, as I didn't have one, although there were 20 of them on a table nearby. And before you rush to accuse me of outrageous and deceptive freeloading, the discount merely brings the price of Lasagne mash carrots peas and chips to €9.50, which isn't exactly giving it away, tasty as it was.

And that was the height of the day's excitement, as a rare rest-evening was self-declared, featuring nothing crazier than watching Leinster win comfortably in their Pro 12 match on the telly-box.


The downstairs dungeon that is Sinnott's

Contentment : 14 / 25
Excitement :    0.5 / 15
Memorability : 0.5 / 15

Overall Score : 30% (152nd out of 252)

Day 251 - Thursday, September 8th, 2011

"Free" and "bar" - the two greatest words in the English language, nicht? In bold defiance of our recessiveness and in a nostalgic trip down Celtic Tiger lane, the wonderful overlords and ladies of Maples Fund Services treated us to such an exquisite delight, from the hours of 6pm to 10.30pm (or so) in nearby salubrious hip-salon Dakota, replete with deep fried treats such as chicken wings, samosas, spring rolls and wedges which provided ample soakage. The attendance rate was over 80%, exemplifying the uber-high levels of camaraderie in the company, and the banter flowed freely.

Even when the card was finally withdrawn, the socialising continued, and indeed it was after the hour of 1am when we exited - some onwards to the vile Copper Faced Jack emporium, whilst most like me sagely chose the summoning of a homeward taxi instead.


Dakota. When it's empty. Not this evening.

Contentment : 16 / 25
Excitement :    4 / 10
Memorability : 5.5 / 15

Overall Score : 51%  (27th out of 251)

Day 250 - Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

Another blogging milestone - 250 days - and after flagging somewhat in the past couple of months I sense that I may be getting a 2nd (or 3rd/4th/5th) wind to bring me to the finish line that is a mere 115 days away! I have already decided that next year's blog will be a leaner, more direct affair - no harm, sez you.

Lunch was taken at the Clarendon for the first time in a while, and its soup and pepper chicken offering for a tenner (including tip) went down a treat.

Thursday Night Darts Club took place a day early this week, in its regular Doolan's haunt, but its taking place looked in danger until 7.15pm when the necessary 4th athlete arrived. Everyone is obviously saving themselves for the double-ranking event next Thursday, but all present tonight profited well, with Lara "Tryples" Della Volpe making a triumphant return to soar up the World Rankings from 15th to the crucial 12th position, which offers the final berth for the World Championships in December. After a slow start, Conch-Shell "The Conqueror" O'Keeffe ironically slowed his throw to reap his highest points dividend since April, whilst I pipped John "The Equaliser" Delaney by 2 points to lift my first title since May - great success!

Contentment : 16 / 25
Excitement :    3 / 10
Memorability : 3.5 / 15

Overall Score : 45% (74th out of 250)