Comhrá - the general chat thread

[JaneJeffer]

Hi Craicnetters!

I was looking for the other thread and see it's fallen way down the list so I decided to make a new one for all our daily musings ☘️

Carriemac ·
And Connor McGregor is seen as a role model to kids in some areas

I think MMA [Mixed Martial Arts] which is what 'made' CMcG is problematic. I made myself watch a few fights on TV so I could form an opinion of MMA based on seeing it myself.

It involves two people beating the living daylights out of each other with few rules of engagement - hitting, kicking, elbowing, choking, pounding someone who is lying bleeding on the canvas, all the elements of a vicious criminal assault. It goes way beyond boxing in terms of inflicting injury.

I couldn't watch any more when I realised that what I thought were random patterns on the canvas floor was actually the pools of blood from previous fights..

There are of course rules, and there's a ref, but it takes great discipline to be so incredibly and mercilessly violent inside the octagon, but not outside. I'm sure many MMA fighters can switch off the aggression and behave responsibly in everyday life.
McGregor seems unable to do this, he seems to carry the aggression with him everywhere.

So his hero status in MMA [which didn't actually last that long, did it?] is now transferred to the Big Man who throws his weight around, gets what he wants, flashes the cash, and treats women like playthings. It all sounds a bit Andrew Tate, doesn't it? who is also seen as a hero and a role model by some.

He's just been found guilty by the jury.

I don't understand why it was a civil trial based on the evidence of the witnesses.

The wind and rain last night was crazy between 4-5am - neighbour’s wheelie bin went flying down the road with quite the clatter 😳

Are we all going voting? None of the candidates are very thrilling. Only one knocked my door, I think they should have held the election a few weeks earlier .

Yes, I voted first thing this morning. Just put a 1 and 2 and left it at that. It will be an interesting result that's for sure. My postbox has been stuffed full of crap leaflets but nobody ever knocked the door to speak to us!! I'm glad its over but God only knows what we'll be dealing with this time next week.

Good morning! Yes! I went voting with my DD before she went to college. We were at the polling station soon after they opened. The earliest I have ever cast a vote! I hardly knew my own name never mind anyone else's!

Yes Egg. The only big change was not to have Simon Coveney on the ballot. We had one knock on the door for the young McGrath brother of Michael, Séamus. Michael is moving on to Europe.

We will see. Looking forward to the exit poll at 10pm.

I'll vote later, still undecided apart from the first two candidates.

We had a lot of canvassers here and lots of leaflets especially from the Green candidate who sent numerous leaflets from before the election was even called. Such a waste of resources and not very green.

I know a couple of candidates...not sure if they know me! They both live and work locally, both pleasant enough...should I vote for them for those reasons?
All of them promise to sort out housing, hospitals, education, disability services, carers, transport, climate change...
I will suspend my disbelief...

The should have given themselves a longer time for campaigning, they were all seriously overtired and stupid in this last week. I voted at about 9.30, it seemed as busy as could be expected (ie slow trickle). Bad for turnout - the weather; Good for turnout - pension day.

I know a few candidates including one who I sometimes met because we had shared interests in wildlife conservation but who alarmed me by thinking the law didn't really apply to him because his intentions were pure. Didn't hear anything about him for years and then he popped up harassing terrified asylum-seeking woman and children.He didn't get any of my numbers.

He doesn't sound very nice at all! I know the date had to fit in with the budget and toy show, but it's a gloomy time of year.
My dh has gone to vote without me...10 minutes peace from him wfh. I'm waiting for a delivery so will go on my own. Another 10 minutes peace!

First Exit polls showing it's close between Sinn Fein and FG...

Will be an interesting day for watching the results come in..!

I'm listening on the radio.
It's much better on telly.

This place is currently a bit bonkers.
I can't believe it's nearly Christmas. I need to believe and get organised.

I can't Christmas until I've cleaned the place. At least slightly.

We finally put the tree up yesterday 😁😁 youngest DD had been ill so didn't have a minute plus even though she's disabled she's a little divil for pulling it down, we can't have any decorations down low so the house looks a bit weird with only the upper parts of the house decorated😂 it all seems to be flying in now, even dreaming of it keep waking up in a sweat because I have dreamt I didn't buy anyone presents 😲 I swear the more I clean the dirtier the house gets, every time someone uses something I'm giving them daggers. Will of course do the mad cleaning dash Christmas eve.

I tidy by moving stuff around, so there are piles of stuff everywhere.
Not even tidy piles. Adult kids are coming and going between now and Christmas, one bedroom is full of random Christmas shopping and I have to sort that.
Then get decorations sorted. Adult children live in tidy houses, fully decorated.

I love the madness of Christmas! Our tree etc is up but our house is small and DH has a hobby with lots of 'stuff' that just gets piled up and drives me mental, so the house looks festive but messy. I love it from late afternoon on, when the twinkling lights makes everything look better but in the cold light of day it would give you a fright!!

@Wendysfriend hope your little DD is much better now. I miss my kids being little, although we all still love Christmas it's really not the same without Santa. We even had the elf on the shelf for a couple of years and I miss that little git too

I'm about half way ready for Christmas.
I only get properly interested in it until a couple of days before. I like Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Stephen's Day the most. I promise I'm not a Grinch! 🧑‍🎄

My husband is obsessed by Christmas cards arriving, who has remembered and who has sent a musical email thingy.(Two German colleagues, they tinkle away for ages).
He doesn't go to the shop and choose lovely cards, go to the post office and queue for stamps, write and address the cards...I do all that. Once I have found the address book.
Because I have a policy of two years of cards, and if no card received I strike them off the list.

I'm going to Australia for the Christmas holidays and will be away for 4 weeks so I won't be putting up decorations this year.

I did decorate the kitchen table with as much bling and things that light up on Monday for the Christmas dinner I did for the children I mind. I'll put it all away again tomorrow.

Hope you have a lovely time @honeyrider

Have a wonderful time @honeyrider 🥳

Summer in Australia is very appealing!

Have a great holiday @honeyrider
You lucky thing.