Day 4 of MOvember

Last night, I told @MOvember on twitter that today's post would be oustanding ( yesterday's lacking length and substance, maybe) but, as it turns out, today's may be even worse.
I'm extremely tired, sad and preoccupied with a dear friend's health: tired because I went out last night ( not asking for pity here) and slept very little; sad because I just heard of 11-year-old Shannon Tavarez's death from leukemia and preoccupied because it is of new pre-cancerous cells ( my friend is already an amazing cancer survivor) we are talking about here.
So no jokes today. All I want to ask of you is to discuss cancer, all cancers ( well, maybe male cancers in particular) with your loved ones and encourage them to get involved, to join the fight. Remember to mention AWARENESS, EARLY DETECTION and DONATIONS (both of cash for RESEARCH and, more importantly, of BONE MARROW)

Help save other lives. Tomorrow it could be yours in need of saving.
We are 2 days too late for Shannon and time is ticking for so many others

Day 3 of MOvember

3 is the magic number... or so the song goes.
I'm writing this from my school desk, during lunch break... and this is what I call DEDICATION!!
Well, you are all worth it, specially if you are a MO bro with an itchy upper lip. I love you. I truly do.
If I sound a bit nuts today is because I've looking for information on Testicular Cancer to add at the end of this post... if you catch my drift ;)
(Some hours later...)
Remember boys: with all the info out there, your excuses for not taking better care of yourselves are just BOLLIX!!!
I must run. Going out for some... ehem.... donors!!?? ;)

Day 2 of MOvember

Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain...rain. Then again, this is Ireland and spirits remain high in spite of the low-pressure front's efforts to rain on my parade.
On day 2 of MOvember I have to report that I'm a little bit wiser than yesterday... yet a lot more ignorant than I suspected (around the same time?) and ...guess what!!??: SO ARE YOU!!
Anyways, I thought I would share some random facts on Prostate Cancer here in Ireland:

Irish Cancer Society consumer research has shown that only 20% of Irish men know that they have a 1 in 3 chance of developing cancer during their lifetime and only 26% go to their GP for regular check-ups. Research also tells us that an Irish mans life expectancy is almost five years lower than that of an Irish woman

The Irish Cancer Society revealed some 2,758 new cases were confirmed in 2009, a rise of 85% over a decade.

Frequent urination, inability to urinate or a burning sensation when urinating are the symptoms which indicate it is time to seek medical help. These symptoms are due to an enlarged prostate gland but are coincidentally associated with prostate cancer only if the tumour is large. Most cancers of the prostate are initially too small to cause any symptoms.

For more information visit MOvember or Action Prostate Cancer 

Also, I'm happy to inform that  the first annual prostate cancer seminar will be held at the O’Callaghan Alexander Hotel, Dublin 2 on Saturday, November 6th, 2010 from 9.00am. Register here

Finally, please don't forget to visit my MOspace and leave a kind message and/or a donation, however small.
Thank you :)

1st of MOvember... again!!!

Yes, yes, yes. It is the 1st of MOvember and the Face of Men's Health in Ireland is about to take a turn... for the hairier.

This year is somehow different for me with no Glam Parties to report from, no red carpet or free booze but the same old buzz that has seen me jumping up and down with anticipation and jealousy (green envy) for the last three months as our American and Canadian friends (foes for the month) geared up for the occasion with tales of gatherings and good times.

Let the Games begin. May the best MO in Ireland be crowned in Dec and may the best MO sista become the rightful queen.

BUT... whatever you get up to, don't forget to talk about Prostate and Testicular Cancers. Get the men in your life to visit their GPs and discuss screening (if over 40 or if suspicious of something 'not being quite right' with their general health)
We love our boys. We need them healthy.

P.S.: If you wish to donate, any contributions will be greatly appreciated. All proceeds go to the Irish Cancer Society

Odds

I don't know if you are the type that has to read anything containing a text, any text, put in front of them. I am. I read the cereal box info while having breakfast. I read facial cream directions while doing my business in the bathroom. I read every sign put up in a public place if I'm around... You get the picture.
Most of the time, it's not even a concious decision. I'm half-way reading it by the time I catch myself in the act. I just HAVE TO do it in case I'm missing out on something valuable to me.

In computers, if you know the Scribus program, you will be familiar with the sample texts it uses to help you configure your choice of a lay-out for a newspaper/magazine type of page. For each language, there is a different text- or so I gather from the ones I can make out.

Well, when I first used Scribus I, naturally,  came to read the sample text in English I was using to create an in-shop fashion magazine for my doomed clothing company as a farewell memento for my colleagues. At the time, I remember thinking I should find the book that text came from: I was intrigued about the type of books the Scribus programmer would have chosen to include in his program. This particular one seemed interesting enough.

But I went about my business as I had an impending deadline: the closing date of a business after 25 years of trading. Sad and uncertain days ensued. Days of too much time in one's hands and nothing much to do but read. Glorious reading to keep me sane -much needed reading as the days went by and insanity loomed.
I forgot about Scribus and its sample text but one day I decide to download Acrobat Reader and see which PDFs might be available for free. I went for Alice in Wonderland, a favourite of mine I had only read in Spanish before, and Dracula, a book I'd never read despite having lived in Bram Stoker's city of birth for over 9 years.
Logic had me turning to Dracula first -the novelty of it being too powerful to resist. As I opened the PDF file, there it was: the long time forgotten now sample text from Scribus. Spooky?? Wait until I tell you that the 'One city, one book' campaign by the Dublin City Library, which runs every year during the month of April, started the following day. Do I have to tell you which book featured that  year? I guess not ;)

Eco House

Tiny feet running around -Wipe the silly smile off your face. This isn't about children- . Little jumps. Bathroom. False ceilings. Creepy noises. Squeaking. Rats. Old house by the Canal. Old woman. Forget pest control. A subtle invitation to abandon ship. Hell no! Old woman travelling. Girl left to face the ... rats. Mata-hari eyes through the kitchen vent. No. Not the kitchen, please! Nightmares. Silence next. A dying ground for a poisoned rat? Honoured. First comes the smell. Crescendo. Disgusting flies. One. Three. Six. Windows closed. A fly struggles inside a ceiling-lightspot. Mistery solved: the vent. Smell diminuendo. Old woman returns. Rice grains in the bathtub, moving. Escaping through the gaps in the skylight: maggots. No point in throwing up. Let the old woman deal with them. She does. Episode never mentioned. A dried-up corpse above their heads.

mammoths and hairdressers

A foreign city. Darkness. Rain in buckets. Soaked feet. Narrow streets. Open doors leading to a patio. Mammoths. Unisex hairdressers advertising male cuts for €16. Two strangers go in. Three languages spoken at that improvised Tower of Babel. Boy needs a haircut. Girl seats on spare chair. Hair is washed. Boy is quiet. Scissors next. Boy instructs girl. Girl instructs hairdresser. Boy looks serious, focused. Girl thinks she's never been waiting at the hairdressers for a boy before. She might never do it again. Fishnet tights and a short dress. A pull in the fine mesh. Girl plays with it and smiles at the boy, reassuringly. Hairdresser's doing a good job. Boy remains silent. He is quiet, maybe shy, and looks sad - not at all the girl's type but she's at the hairdressers with him. Girl wonders what that means. Job is done. Boy asks the girl what she thinks. She wants to run her hand through the recent haircut and kiss him. Girl smiles: ' I love it'. Rain is taking a break as a boy and a girl walk out into the dark, narrow street holding hands.
It happened a hundred years ago. It happened today.