Trust Tommy

John recently linked me to an article by Paul Graham entitled “What You’ll Wish You’d Known” – it’s a phenomenal read. I’m going to summarize and quote from it in this post, but I seriously urge you to read it in full here.

Before being vetoed by the school authorities, Graham was to give a talk for a high school, where he planned to speak about the misconceptions about school and the future that many high school students have.

I’ll start by telling you something you don’t have to know in high school: what you want to do with your life. People are always asking you this, so you think you’re supposed to have an answer. But adults ask this mainly as a conversation starter. They want to know what sort of person you are, and this question is just to get you talking. They ask it the way you might poke a hermit crab in a tide pool, to see what it does.

He goes on to explain why plans per sé aren’t what’s important in high school – they come later. What is important and what you should be focussing on in high school is discovering what you enjoy doing. You have to work on things you like if you want to be good at what you do.

He goes on to explain that one of the difficulties in doing this because it’s hard to get an accurate picture of most jobs – after all, being a doctor is not the way it’s shown on TV. That said, it’s not impossible either – you can watch real doctors by volunteering in hospitals.

One might also run into a problem in that there are some jobs that you can’t learn about, because they don’t exist yet – most of the work I’ve done in the last ten years didn’t exist when I was in high school. The world changes fast, and the rate at which it changes is itself speeding up. In such a world it’s not a good idea to have fixed plans.

He goes on to talk about how the “Standard Graduation Speech” isn’t so much wrong with its theme of “don’t give up on your dreams”, so much as badly phrased, because it implies you’re mean to be bound by some plan early on. The computer world has a name for this: premature optimization. And it is synonymous with disaster. These speakers would do better to say simply: don’t give up.

The article goes on to talk about college admissions, motivations, the importance of projects and how the successful people aren’t always ridiculously clever.

I think that last point is actually one of the best parts of the article:

I suspect if you had the sixteen year old Shakespeare or Einstein in school with you, they’d seem impressive, but not totally unlike your other friends.

Which is an uncomfortable thought. If they were just like us, then they had to work very hard to do what they did. And that’s one reason we like to believe in genius. It gives us an excuse for being lazy. If these guys were able to do what they did only because of some magic Shakespeareness or Einsteinness, then it’s not our fault if we can’t do something as good.

There is some variation in natural ability. Most people overestimate its role, but it does exist. If I were talking to a guy four feet tall whose ambition was to play in the NBA, I’d feel pretty stupid saying “you can do anything if you really try”.

I think this article should be compulsory reading for all those in high school now (or those who will be soon) as well as those who teach in schools. Maybe this generation will be the first whose greatest regret isn’t how much time they wasted.

Full article by Paul Graham here.

What do you wish you’d known in high school?

There’s nothing like a Friday evening to get you in a really good mood. It was a reasonably good day down in Limerick here — not quite tshirt-and-shorts weather but it wasn’t pelting down. We even saw the sun for a while during the day! Mum’s right — Spring is here.

People talk about how their life dream is to achieve happiness.

They’re trying too hard.

Happiness isn’t some tiny dot on the horizon – it’s an every day thing attainable by all. Seriously, don’t be afraid to be happy. Or rather, recognize the fact that it’s possible to actually be happy in every day circumstances.

Last weekend, I went to Wexford to see some friends. It’s not somewhere I go very often but it’s a lovely place when the weather’s right (isn’t everywhere?) and I thoroughly enjoyed my short time there.

I was there to see Orla and Áine, and while we were all together we decided to see County Wexford Youth Theatre’s production of rock opera RENT.

How was it?

Simply put, phenomenal.

After seeing it in America back in November, one would think that the original cast would trump all. Like a friend put it, why go see a Rolling Stones cover band after seeing Jagger live?

Because sometimes Alan McHale (Mark in this production) can better Mick Jagger… or Anthony Rapp (original Mark on Broadway) as the case may be.

Everything about this production oozed perfection. The leads brought freshness to their roles without neglecting core aspects of their characters while the ensemble were a mighty engine roaring behind them and supporting the entire show from Tune Up #1 right through to Finale B.

The crew must also be commended for their part in the awesomeness too. The stage was magnificent — the metal structure-cum-christmas-tree-cum-church-steeple was an excellently put together piece of scenery that jumped out at everyone the moment they walked into the theatre.

The band also get major kudos. The drummer in Providence had a screwup caused by either overeagerness or simple sound problems which caused him to be louder than everything else, leading to the vocals in songs like Out Tonight and What You Own to not so much be drowned out as obliterated in a cataclysmic explosion. Guitarists and keyboardists in the Wexford production were fantastic too, as well as the little mentioned operator of the sleigh bells during Christmas Bells. :)

Finally, special brownie points go to whoever controlled the lights during the show. Truly spectacular things were done with those lights, including during Seasons of Love as you can see in the picture.

The show’s going to be in the Cork Opera House from 3-6 March, and I wholeheartedly recommend going to see it. Tickets available here from €21.

Last year, pancakes were kinda ‘my thing’. It was what I was known for. I was the ‘pancake tsar’ who ‘ruled with an iron ladle’ Since it’s pancake Tuesday (already? seriously, time flies) I think it’d be apt to show you how I make pancakes.

You will need:

- 2 eggs
- 110 grams of flour
- 300 millilitres of milk

Firstly, put a pan onto medium heat.

Place them all in a bowl together and mix. If you have an electric mixer, well and good, if not, try this:

Place/Pour the mixture into a jug and put a sieve over the bowl. Pour the mixture onto the sieve and use a fork to work out the lumps.

Once the mixture is fully liquid, use a piece of kitchen paper to rub a small amount of butter onto the pan. Using a ladle, add mixture to the pan. The amount of mixture in each ladle will depend on how thick and big you want your pancakes to be.

Watch the pancake cooking as it changes from white-ish to golden brown. When it’s fully golden brown, flip (or otherwise turn over) your pancake.

Use your flipping skills or a spatula to transfer your pancake to a plate. Add sugar/lemon/nutella/honey/maple syrup as desired.

The quantities given make four medium sized pancakes. To make more, simply double the mixture as needed.

After seeing a tweet from Marie, and being the impulsive person I am, I decided to make brownies, using a recipe from the Look and Taste school of cooking.

Tasting is an integral part of the process.

Cook for 20-25 minutes? Gotcha.

Serve with New Yorker and side of Twitter.

Om nom nom

Yesterday, myself and Dad went boating with friends of ours. Here’s some photos from that escapade:

By order of Orla, this photo was to go first.

This was a shot of some birds by the water. With 12x zoom, the old stereotype of nature photographers having to be this close to animals to get photos of them are gone — I was 50 paces away taking this.

Bridge/boat shot.

The bad weather and cold did little to dampen the spirits of the five of us. Just as well — it was very cold.

A view from the very front of the boat.

Lough Derg gives lovely views of the surrounding country-side. To do: boat my way down the Shannon. I’d say that during the summer it’s a grand old journey.

The sunlight was so brilliant that day, you could’ve cut it with a butter-knife. It was June, and I was in the car with John, driving home from a weekend with my cousins. We had just left when John turned on the radio, switching it to CD mode. “I made a new one” he called over the roar of the air passing outside the open windows. Without looking down, he adjusted the volume so that it could be heard. I wasn’t sure what to expect, having recently been introduced to The Blizzards, and not liking them.

Piano playing filled the car, but I quickly realized that this wasn’t a Debussy concert. Before long, drums entered with thunderous energy. The female’s vocals seemed jumpy and restless, but I was sold. The diehard drumming monkey inside of me loved this. The drums weren’t some refined background noise – this band (whoever they were) brought percussion to the forefront. From what I could make out, there were two people in the band – a woman and a man – drums and piano. Their style was incomparable to anything I’d heard before – they certainly weren’t gonna draw any ‘pff, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Green Day.. they all sound the same’ complaints from my corner. As I write this, over a year and a half later, I still can’t equate them to any band I know, and my music tastes would be a lot broader in 2010 than June, 2008. Then again, how many bands do you know whose genre (as I found out later) was ‘punk cabaret’?.

As we drove through Nenagh — stopping in Dromineer for icecream and a rare good look at Lough Derg — we played through the CD. While each song was different, an underlying style could be felt (rather than heard) throughout the album. Each one shared common elements that you only subconsciously registered. All through the journey, John refused to tell me who they were. I was dying to know – dying to get home, get onto my drums and try and accompany this drumming legend through some of the simpler songs — I could tell even without being near a pair of sticks that this was some of the most impressive drumming I’d ever heard. I made a desperate attempt upon getting into the car in Dromineer to find out the name of this mystery band that would have worked if John hadn’t threatened not to put any of the songs onto my laptop. A grievous threat, and one that made me withdraw my finger from the trigger (uh, CD eject button).

When we arrived home (which took longer than usual because we took the scenic route (for once, not a euphemism for getting lost) back from Dromineer), I badgered John until he copied some songs into my iTunes library. I found out that the band who had received my unrestricted love for the past two hours were none other than The Dresden Dolls.

I quickly set to work on learning the drums. I credit the band for being the single biggest influence on my style and also the one that’s taught me the most. Tommy’s Dresden Dolls addiction became fodder for family slagging (I ate, slept and breathed them) but in an ironic twist of fate, I’m the only one out of myself, John and Patrick never to have seen them perform live.

As with most of my obsessions, it fizzled out in the end — although it did last for a good 8 months. Through Spotify, I’ve become reacquainted with them over the last week or so, and they continue to bring forth fond memories from the depths of my subconscious. If you ever meet me and I seem to have a vacant smile on my face, I’m probably thinking about that afternoon in June, 2008.

Dresden Dolls Day, anyone?

Here and here.

The A-Team is getting a silver-screen adaption. One of my favourite childhood TV shows is getting its debut in cinemas everywhere.

The television show, which debuted in 1983, followed a group of Robin Hood-style mercenaries who travelled America helping people in need, usually people in a business in danger of being seriously harmed (never killed, as this was a show aired before the watershed) by rival businesses, and losing their business.

Despite being imprisoned for a crime supposedly committed in Vietnam, the men ‘promptly’ (love it!) escaped prison to the Los Angeles Underground, and from there began helping others in return for a fee. I remember in one episode it being $90,000, and that was about the norm. Pretty hefty.

The show was pretty formulaic. No, it was very formulaic. In a show lasting an hour, even the quarters were mapped out, the first 15 minutes gave the premise – people in need of help and the A-Team showing up, usually after breaking “Howling Mad” Murdock out from the mental institute. The second 15 minutes showed the first run-in the team had with the baddies. The third 15 minutes showed them hatching a plan to save the day, which usually involved building some big machine and B.A using a blow-torch. Finally, the finishing quarter was defeating the baddies, complete with slow-motion shots of the goons being thrown into a dumpster. After that, the US Army would show up, having been tipped off by someone or other, and the A-Team would escape by the skin of their teeth, after receiving their not-altogether-very-nominal fee.

The show’s characters became the subject of cult followings:

Col. John “Hannibal” Smith (played by the late George Peppard), who was the leader of the group, becoming known in popular culture for his cigars, unorthodox but effective plans and his catchphrase “I love it when a plan comes together” (a phrase which Dad still uses sometimes).

Sgt. B. A. Baracus (played by Mr. T, a role which springboarded his career), the grease-monkey of the team, responsible for driving and mechanics. If you open the dictionary and look up ‘badass’, there’s a picture of him. Known for his jewelry, bad attitude and mohawk.

Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck (played by Dirk Benedict), was the smooth-talker of the group, responsible for conning people out of the materials or objects needed by the gang, which ranged from wings or clothes to helicopters or tractor engines. Known for being the smooth-talking womanizer and a sneaky bugger to boot.

Finally, Capt. H.M. “Howling Mad” Murdock (played by Dwight Schultz) was the pilot of the group, and the one who was certified insane. Many a time, the premise of the show involved breaking HM out of the mental home where he voluntarily committed himself. Known for his inane ramblings, his imaginary friend Timmy, and not getting on with BA because of his wackyness. Is responsible for my undying love of black converse.

The film has a release date of June 11th (one day after my birthday!). It will star Liam Neeson (one of my favourite actors ever!) as Hannibal, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson as BA, Bradley Cooper as Face and Sharlto Copley as Howling Mad Murdock.

Photo credit: www.slashfilm.com/. From right to left, Cooper as Face, Jackson as BA, Copley as Murdock and Neeson as Hannibal

Alan Silvestri will compose the film score, Joe Carnahan directs while according to writer Michael Brandt, the adaptation will be more in vein of Die Hard, The Bourne Identity, and Casino Royale. Original stars Dwight Schultz and Dirk Benedict have confirmed a cameo, while Mr. T admitted in an interview that he’d turned one down.

*buckles seatbelt* This is looking goooooooooooood! :D

And yes, the film is in 3D. :)

This post, originally posted on February 19th, 2008, less than 2 months into my no-chocolate year. John took it upon himself this year to make me eat chocolate. He failed. In honour of this, and of his efforts, which were undeniably good, here’s a reblog of his most dastardly attempt:

Sit back, relax, and attend the tale of the chocolate shampoo.

Yes. You read that right. Chocolate shampoo.

I finally got up about two hours ago, and hopped in the shower. I reach for the green shampoo but it’s empty. I grab the lynx shampoo and click open the top. I pour some onto my hand and a brown cascade flows onto my hand.

Anyone else would think that’s poo, but you guys know Trust Tommy better then that. No, this is John’s latest (in a string of) attempts to force me to eat chocolate.

I look at it.

No. Impossible. He couldn’t. That’s..

I can wonder all I like, but the truth is that, yeah, John replaced my shampoo with chocolate.

It hasn’t touched my hair of face. It’s merely dripping down my arm.

I close the lid and run the shower again, getting it off. Then I pour half of the chocolate down the drain.

I decide on my method of revenge. I get dressed, grab the bottle and head downstairs. John is innocently eating breakfast.

Nonchalantly, I approach him.

“Funny,” I say, in mock concentration, trying to keep a straight face. “When you buy Lynx shower gel, it’s usual for it to contain gel, right?”

By now, I’m right beside him.

“Yeah” I continue. “I’d be almost certain that’s the case”

John smirks. The smirk is quickly replaced with a look of alarm when I lunge forward and pour the last 1/4 of the bottle’s contents all over him.

Revenge is sweet. Hell yeah!

**

And you know what? He had the cheek to send around a photo essay!

As always, peeps, click for bigger versions

Well, Christmas is over. The next big thing we have to look forward to is the coming of the New Year. I think the days between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day perhaps my favourite days all year. No one is working, in fact, no one is doing anything at all really. I think it’s the one big advantage that Christmas holidays have over a summer holidays are any other holidays. And so we have a pretty laid-back lifestyle over these couple of days – seemingly endless games of Hearts (try not to let Mum shoot the moon…again) or scrabble succeeded by intense bouts of endurance reading. Yesterday, we went karting, and today we have some relatives visiting. The former was actually a bit out of place in this lethargic, easy-going lifestyle.

I think that this is why I enjoy Christmas. Being quite nonreligious, I instead enjoy the byproducts of the holiday season – the food, spending time with your family (everyone comes home for Christmas), the time off school. I’m not a Grinch, I don’t hate Christmas. What you believe is between you when your God, and being honest, it’s not so much that I’m a very tolerant, respectful person, it’s just that I don’t really give a huge amount of thought to what others believe.

Photo owned by rinkjustice (cc)

Patrick got the board game Diplomacy for Christmas, and we tried to play a game of this after Christmas dinner. Oh, and who would have thought that playing as 1910 countries could be so fun! I was France, and I attempted to make a crafty alliance with Mom, Britain to double-cross Dad, Germany, and steal his land. Meanwhile we had Patrick, Russia, coming down through Scandinavia to mount a northern attack on Germany. Finally, John went off and did his own thing, as Austro-Hungary, and captured the countries around the Black Sea. I feel sorry for the poor Yugoslavians…

However, in the end, negotiations broke down between countries and we all went off and played Hearts.

That’s totally how happened in 1910, right?