MA NAH MA NA NA NAMA

Every time I hear the word NAMA, I can't help singing the Sesame Street song Ma nah ma na NAMA and it brings a smile to my face. I don't know why maybe it conjures up some childhood memories but I'd place my bets on how ironic it is.

NAMA (National Assests Management Agency) is the governments brain child to rid our banks of all their bad debts leaving us, the taxpayer with all the risk. Now I'm not a financial expert and I don't know if I agree or disagree with NAMA however it does make me feel uneasy that the property developers who made millions perhaps billions during the Celtic Tiger are being bailed out. It's argued that if NAMA wasn't implemented that the country could face dire consequences but what about the dire consequences that we may face in the future because of NAMA.

The government appointed economist, Colm McCarthy, who identified €5.3 billion possible savings from government spending, stated that the Irish Banks could still be nationalised despite NAMA being implemented. Is this some kind of sick joke? We spend billions creating NAMA to help save the banks but might have to spend even more billions nationalising the banks further.

Ever get the feeling that you're in a dark room trying to find your way out with everyone giving different directions, maybe that's how the government feels as none of them are qualified enough to deal with this situation. I can also imagine the ministers sitting around the cabinet table twiddling their thumbs, looking into their department papers not fully understanding the magnitude of the crisis we're in, the impact of NAMA or even gaging public sentiment correctly but one thing is for sure I bet when the going gets tough the burst into song Ma Nah Ma Na Na Nama, Ma Nah Ma Na Na Nama, Ma Nah Ma Na Na Nama just to make them feel better!

Hen Pecking!

Twice last week I came across the term "Hen Week". What on earth is a Hen Week? I asked a friend of mine who was about to go on one of these previously unheard of excursions.

We've all heard of hen nights, haven't we? A group of the girls and a bride to be all get together for one final wild night out before she's tied to the kitchen sink by her apron strings.

Hen weekends have become a more common trend in recent times, were the same group of friends all jump on a short haul flight for a city style break in a European city. Fair enough, some times it's cheaper to get a return flight to London, Barcelona, Karkow or Budapest than it is for a taxi ride home. Hen and stag weekends became the norm.

During a recession and a era of financial instability for many, I couldn't believe that a Bride or Chief Bridesmaid would organise a Hen Week. It would be fair to say in the two instances that I'm aware off, that the social network wouldn't be the most affluent in society, average incomes, average jobs. I thought that this was highly inconsiderate and put people under extreme pressure both financially and organising time off work. What if some in the party had kids? Childminders, school drop offs, and pick ups, etc to be organised

Weddings are expensive enough for guests, new clothes, gifts, hotel, transport, bar bill etc but adding on a week of festivities in a foreign country is taking the biscuit. Isn't it or am I just getting tight in my old age?

A Kick In Yer Boot!

Last Saturday I rose with the dawn to attend my first ever car boot sale, not as a buyer but as a seller. I packed the car with haste the night before with all sorts of goodies ready for the early start. We arrived at the boot sale at 7am and never got our stall set up until 9.30, the queue into the sale totally surpassed all my expectations.

There was a great sense of camaraderie between the sellers when we were setting up our stalls. Among the sellers there were tales of recession, moving home and clear outs. To my right there was a lady next to me was selling Cat and Doggie goods imported from Italy. She was the Irish distributor for these boutique goods for furry animals. Some of the items she was selling were truly fitting for Paris Hilton wannabes. The bags retailed at 70euro, car boot price 15euro. Celtic Tiger cats and dogs! To my left was a fella who was upping sticks and moving back to London, he brought along some helpers in shifting some of the coolest goods in the car boot sale. He had a saxophone, roller blades, mono sticks and an array of antique computer products. I had my eyes on the sax and was delighted when it was purchased by a mother for her kid. It saved me a fortune and if I had of purchased it, it would have defeated the purpose of car booting it in the first place.

I had great craic with some of my buyers, flirting with the old ladies seemed to come natural to me. I love paying them compliments and seeing their faces light up. I explained my Northern accent umpteen times, justifing my being at the sale with "I only live round the corner", which I do. Afterwards I felt energised, positive and ready to take on the world. I got a real kick from the car boot sale and think I've found a new addiction.

I couldn't get over what junk people were selling but guess what, other people were buying it.

Whatever your story I urge you to try a car boot sale before the summer turns to autumn, it was great fun and a few extra euros always comes in handy 'during these recessionairy times' blah blah blah.

It's a hard nut life....during a recession, even for Annie

A week has past since I went to the Olympia Theatre in Dublin to see Annie. The tickets cost the guts of 35Euro each and I expected a top notch production for that sort of cash. It's still getting on my nerves, who do I complain too?

You can just imagine my horror when Annie came on stage with a bob, a Victoria Beckam Bob from the 90's! "Are they being fucking real" Annie has curls, a spiral perm would do if Au Natural was not available from the cohort of young stage school kids around Dublin. It ruined my whole experience of Annie. I just couldn't get over the fact that a casting director would allow this to happen. What was it? The kids mother wouldn't allow the spiral perm or wig and that GHD's were the must have accessory for the all new Annie. No way - there was more to this?

The production was cheap, even the Christmas Tree wasn't in tip shop shape, it was a complete mess. Then the mystery of the bob transpired into a cunning plot. Daddy Warbucks told his PA to do something with her hair (my two friends shouted out get a perm, much to the disgust of the Dublin mothers sitting around us) and out came Annie with a cheap 2 euro wig. It didn't even have the tight curls Annie is known for..

Recession has hit the long time classic Annie, cheap wigs, cheap set, expensive seats. Ba Humbug, it's a hard nut life.

Oh and Daddy Warbucks didn't have a six pack! Ragin I was, Ragin!