Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category

Too busy to post

I’ve been far too busy over the last while to post anything.  This situation will hopefully resolve itself once I’ve finished my current undergraduate degree, BSc in Energy at University Limerick.

Critical thinking

The 5 Why’s is the best tool ever for making people think about a process.  Having conducted and mentored a large number of projects using six sigma process improvement methodology, I can honestly say that the thing that used to make senior managers stop and think about what it was that they were doing wrong was the 5 Why’s.  Process mapping ran it a close second in my mind.

An example of unsustainable transport

I’m only putting this up as an example of unsustainable transport you understand.  4 x 4 Ferrari anyone?  Wonder when we’ll see the first one of these on the school run? 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkYzxSW5hn4?rel=0&w=480&h=300]

Turn up your speakers to hear what CO2 sounds like.

Cheeky Pups

The boys goin’ for a wander along the wall.  I’m going to have to block off the easy access up on to the wall that’s there at the moment at either end of it.

Feeding the Duckies

Took Eve to Dromoland today to feed the duckies. 

Beautiful mother and daughter:

Mum would be proud of me.  Yes, I took photos of a flower:

Granny Prendergast sitting happily in Dromoland’s walled garden:

At last

Sign changed this morning from For Sale to Sold.  Happy days.  Nearly didn’t though.  When I cleaned out the house I left things like spare tiles and spare carpet, spare shelves etc. so that in the event there was any problems the new owners had the right tiles or carpet to carryout any repairs in the future.  But the buyer wouldn’t accept the house until I had removed these items.  Well actually, just the tiles.  Makes no sense.  But then again it was the City Council that bought the house.  Civil servants don’t need to make sense.  Hope there’s a leak in the bathroom. 

While I was on my way to remove the tiles, my car expired at the side of the road, just on the edge of Quin.  I reckon it thought that it had done enough.

Little nugget of Eve

Sat in bed this morning in stunned silence. Little Eve was sitting up on my chest, smiling and looking at each of her feet in turn, wiggling her toes on one foot, then looking at the other foot and wiggling the toes on that foot. We were actually watching her discover her feet. How cool is that?

Famous last words part deux

Courtesy of the Sunday Independent -

“Finance Minister Brian Lenihan claimed yesterday that the residential property market will stabilise following the transfer of toxic debt from the banks to Nama — and predicted that people will now begin to buy houses again. 

Yesterday, Mr Lenihan told the Sunday Independent: “One of the good things about the steep discount, averaging 47 per cent, is that the residential property market will now be stabilised at a realistic level.”

He added: “You can now buy in confidence that the price is realistic.”

The Finance Minister’s belief that the property market has hit the bottom will come as a surprise to a number of economists, and other observers of the market, who recently predicted a further decline.”

The Minister just can’t help himself, he’s obviously bursting with pride over his new child, NAMA, that he feels compelled to make even more fantastical predictions.  Famous last words.

NAMA & Mr. Lenihan

Famous last words.  I don’t normally do this, but this is a very important issue for the country.  Today, 30th of March, the NAMA discounts were announced by the government.  It’s been an interesting day and it looks, at least on the surfacce that the government is being a little bit more realistic in valuing the bad loans that NAMA are going to take on.  A fact for which they are being critisied for as reports indicate that the various bodies are in shock at the high rate of discount applied.  I can only say that I’m very, very glad.  Personally I think they could have probably gone a bit further, but I suppose you could say that the aim of NAMA is to get money back in to the banks, so they couldn’t be doing the dog on the discounting.  However, I think Mr. Lenihan may have gone a tad too far this evening.  He said that Nama and the regulator had been told to be very conservative and cautious.  “All the downside risk has been taken into account,” he contended.  Famous last words.

Some frame shots