Passin' through the Hood.

Yet another counselor day.


I want talk much about all that cause, its usually more of a downer and not much of a story.


Instead i will regale you many a tale of hoods and keepin' it real.


I started my day in the big smoke in an internet cafe. A 24 hour joint that serves coffee, slots and slow bandwith. The sky was grey but the morning had started dry and warm, the mere illusion of summer had tourists, commuters, and hot hipster chicks dressed down, despite the slow creep of cold.

After betraying my lo-fi hommies and PC-die hardz i opted to use Safari on the ailing mediocre XP machine i paid the big coin for. Compared to IE and old bulky copies of the fox, surprisingly i got some usability out of safari. It did the job i wanted at seeds that wouldn't lead to alopecia.

After surfing my turf and representing my web presence i opened up the games chest of this communal restroom of a computer. Low and behold a game the other computers rarely had, GTA San Andreas. What was even better was this sucka had sound! My crack whore of a copy could only give me the animalistic basics, no dialogue or radio. So i was stoked to finally play with the big stuff, the semi-real deal.

I busted caps, pulled wheelies, tagged my mark on the hood and lived it up in 1992 for a good 50 minutes. It was good hommies, it was good.

Then off in the almost rain. A spot here or there but unbroken cloud. I popped my head into phone shops and other haunts of interest. I tempted myself with gadgets and gizmo's, shopgirls and salted popcorn.

But it was time for the Luas.

So i went down the O'C and onto Lower Broadway. A vagrant hung at the edge of the ticket machines and i slipped him my change, only 70 cent, but one step closer to the coffee that will compliment the lack of food on top of Benzo's to offset the kick of Methadone or crack or even another lost peripheral vein to Heroin and shared needle's. Or maybe just a McCoffee or tin of turpentine...

I rode all the way out to Tallaght-fornia. I had wage's burning a hole in my pocket and i was overcome with thoughts of spending my dough on an INQ Chat, if i could haggle down to less than 99, but that was unlikely. I however spotted the PC world on the top floor and remembered that they had those small HD handheld camera's that bloggers and journo's love oh-so-much. The cheapest price's as i remembered were usually good.

To my dismay they were gone. The entire shelf was empty, even the security tags and magnets were gone. An empty white shelf. The most prominent camcorders started at 130 or so, ie fuck that shit.

Several employee's mopped about the store, all lost and helpless. I didn't get any of their attention, i usually avoid them. But i had questions, and was looking for something specific. I noticed the cute blond who seemed to be patrolling the camera area. At one point she had picked up a mini-SLR shaped one and gawked at it with childish wonderment.

I then spotted it. In a glass case beside where the old candybar HD narcisism machines had been. A 60 euro sleek black camcorder, minimal specs, but 60 euro. Beside it the last remaining HD youtube makers, all twice the price and somewhat more ridiculous looking than the normal members of their ilk. I was intrigued, 60 euro you say!

But no shop assistant had approached, and i was still loosely mulling over the calculations of how i could afford such a thing. I know i needed a camera, for my amateur film idea, and this one spoke to me. If it could speak it would say, "Buy me, Use me, Adore Me, make magic! But eh, don't use me for certain kinds of home movies..."

By-joe it was right, i must make magic.

But by this time i had descending to go and look at the INQ Chat, it's been calling me for months, it wants my thumbs so it does. But 99 euro was still to far, and i wasn't willing to haggle. No it had to be the camera!

I returned, teaser displays of Inception playing in unison beside me on the Lazy-o-later. Can't wait for that mind fuck...

I stood at the case, i pined, i weeped, i wasn't going to perish but damn it i wanted to purchase! (Joesph Gordon-Levitt Reference btw)

I stood in its beautiful beckoning presence for a minute or two. I also had watched the shy and patrolling retail Sentry of the cute blond. She attended to a Mac Pro's iTunes playlist from time to time and then a familiar album artwork was up next, and i was sold.

30 Seconds too Mars (A beautiful lie) rang out as i beckoned her over and asked if they had the camera in stock. He muted and quiet replies were hard to hear, despite a quiet store and moderate sounds of Progressive brilliance emanating from the very machine i loath. She looked at the number and went off to a computer to check. She and said it was in stock, oh joy. She then muttered more that i barely heard but i gathered that my answer should be to a question i wasn't even sure was asked. Yes i want to buy it.

I followed her to another employee' she was looking for keys. To what i wasn't sure. Then she went somewhere else and i briefly waited before turning back and looking at an upper range camera while in my forward periphery she opened the case and retrieved the soon to be mine camera.

I approached her and took it from her hand as she gestured it to me. Then more soft spoken words about memory cards. I have plenty at home, but now she was making a sales pitch. I followed along. She showed me to the cheaper ones and annoyingly the 4gbs were only 15 euro, but all gone. So i was left with 2GB for 13, my kingdom for anything more than 2GB, every fucking card i have is 2GB!



To the sales desk!



She asked for my name to put on the Receipt/warranty. I gave it in full, but she only needed the initial and my last name. She then typed my last name and asked if she had spelt it right in a soft way, i simply reached out and punched in the K to make it a real name. She smiled a little.

Then another sales pitch, 3 year warranty for an extra 20 euro. Multiple replacements at no extra cost no mater what the fault or cause. It was damn promising. But i had to think. Eh... my wallet won't like me. How will i live, even if i am accident prowen and could break the speed of light if i wasn't paying attention, could i pay that little extra...

I seemed to think to long, i was also starng back and forth between the blue strips of paper barely jutting from my wallet and her face, then her name badge, then she sold some more. But i was to skeptical, it was buttons, but not now, i can be extra careful.

She then passed me onto the cashier girl. Who also asked was there any 4 GB cards, and even went a brief hunt for one, alas no cigar.

My receipt was my 1 year warranty and i could apparently return anytime for the 3 year one. Hmm, i'll keep that in mind. By this stage the cute/shy blond had switch from 30 Seconds to Mars's most recent album(This Is War), and it was Kings and Queens straight away. Swoon.



Back on the Luas.


As i walked back to the Tram stop, the next one was pulling out of the shunting area and up beside me.

Ahead of me a group of younger rock chick type girls were walking up to the pay station. They didn't seem to be the sort of people you would stereotypically and prejudicially expect to see in Tallaght. A few had vibrant dyed hair colours, and i could read the grey hoody of the one closest to me which read " Tegan _ Sainthood_ Sara". This connection and the fact she was attractive put me at some ease. Further along this gaggle of younglings another girl was wearing a bluer grey hoody with a Triangle Shape with a line in it. It looked familiar, i think it may be associated with 30 Seconds to Mars's self titled first album.

I passed them and sat at the very front of the Tram, in order to get a head start at my stop and hopefully use the Tram as a means to cross a busy intersection and guard me from the traffic.

Behind me sat some very, ahem, obvious locale's.

They sat across the aisle from each other both tacking up 4 seats each and putting their feet up. The one directly behind me took out his phone and started playing music.


"ooohh aye, i just died in the road to-noite! Ye know this song, feckin' classic man."


Oh here it goes i thought, and it did.

The song continued to blare from what i colloquial call a knacker-speaker, that many phones, even mine, have. I relatively poor quality loud and sparkly form of Audio supply that really must be a pet peeve of Hi-Fi buffs and vinyl fanatics. (on a side note the one on my INQ is great, clearest i know of, no not my usual plug of INQ....just a fact and tip)

"Have you seen "Joe" (name change on purpose, for later obvious reason's) about lately."

"Joe? He's back in de locke upp, last i herd."

"The locke up, wasn't he out on satur-day, or on remand or sumt-in?"

"Oh Joe Blogs, Joe Smyth is in locke upp, Joe Blogs is fuckin' eejit anyways. Give Mickey a blow there"

"Hey do ye know this one, 'ooooohh, I, I just Died in the road Tonight.' "

"Hahah ye made eejit!"

"Yo, ha, ye know that one, ye anyways, i herd you had a fifth on ye, where are we meetin' ya laters, what, what, are ye there? Fecker hung up."

"Ah he's always doin' that he's a sciving fucker.

'ooooh, aye.....'

Ah will you stop that, i'll feckin' sciv ya. Scivy-sciv-sciv!"



And on it went.

I then went to the cinema and saw Brooklyn's Finest.

A rather good movie that came here a lot later than it's stateside release.

It was really good, some great gritty stuff.

Ethan Hawke played a Catholic narc cop (Training Day...) who kill's a CI in the first scene in order to get money for his family. His house has mould, his wife has asthma and an associated infection while pregnant with twins. They already have 4 kids. So effectively he has it feckin' rough, but ye know, "Every Sperm is Sacred".

Don Cheadle play's a DEEP Undercover in the Projects in Brooklyn. This Cat is rockin' the bling and dealin' the dope etc But he's also a bit lenient and community friendly, makin' sure his dealers make their Court Dates and get good lawyers etc He also has to check-in with his handler who promise's him a promotion and an end soon enough. He get's propositioned by yer wan from the Closer, playing an FBI Uber-feminist aiming to become Head of New York or President, i'm not sure which. She want's Don to Set up Wesley Snipes to go down even further and take out the whole operation. But Cheadle feel's for him, He's taxes to pay, he needs more screen time, and Blade Trinity wasn't that bad...

Richard Gere play's a hard ass old cop 7 day's from Retirement. He drinks Irish Whiskey just to wake up, he's bullied by the more Brotherhood type cops who want to weed out the weak links. He brushes it all off, he's waiting for his Pention. Treating "The Job" one day at a Time, instead of his alcoholism. He get's stiffed with a Young Recruit as part of Publicity. The Recruit was a former Marine, Not even born When Gere started as a cop,  8 028 days ago. (7 days short of 2 years) They don't get on and he gets transferred. Gere seeks his only reprieve from a whore and witness local scum but does nothing. The Rookie ends up dead, and then Gere Notice's a girl he saw being ruffed about by the scum is a missing girl. However Gere's seven days are slow, like most of the pacing of his segments, they take a 3rd seat to the other plots.






Gere get's another Recruit, who screws up, and theres some sick politics he won't play along with, because he's got his pension coming. He has Retirement, no more days on the job. He trys to take the blame for it, he knew it wasn't going to work, the Board and Politician's wanted to make it out the civilian affected had Priors and drugs (which he did) and that the fuck up was justified. No dice. Gere want's to wallow in his own misery.


Overall despite taking what seems like less screen Time, Gere has an almost better movie. He eventually goes all Taxi driver in the Denouement. And even gets the last seconds of screen time.


Ethan Hawke ends up being a comedic sketch from Monty Pythons the Meaning of Life. Catholic woe etc. He tries to steal drug money to survive and makes loads of mistakes.




Don Cheadle basically recreates the over-all theme of The Wire, and Try's to save Wesley Snipes Film Career, but it's too late. The movie had to fuck it all up and pop a cap in most of the African Characters collective asses....