Cover Me Up (part two)

So, I know I’ve posted a few of these bits on my favourite covers, and they always seem to go down quite well. I’ve been asked by a few people over the course of the last month or so, to make another one.

This time around however, I am taking a slightly different approach. Whilst the songs named below alongside their original scribblers are likely to be familiar to most, the bands that perform them, may not ring such a bell. Well, in some cases at least.

I've gotten into this habit lately, where if I come across a band that I like, I'll do a search to see the sorts of songs that they have done covers of. A few of the below are as a result of this. Others, i've come across in one way or another over the years.

So, here goes…

Elbow covers Teardrop, by Massive Attack

Peasant’s King covers Stay, by Rihanna 

Kodaline covers Latch, by Disclosure

Matt Corby covers Lover You Should Have Come Over, by Jeff Buckley

Passenger covers Sound of Silence, by Simon and Garfunkel

The Head and The Heart covers Go Your Own Way, by Fleetwood Mac

Nada Surf covers Enjoy the Silence, by Depeche Mode

Amanda Palmer covers Fake Plastic Trees, by Radiohead

The Tallest Man on Earth covers Graceland, by Paul Simon

Peter Gabriel covers Flume, by Bon Iver

Lisa Hannigan covers Somebody That I Used to Know, By Gotye

Tom Odell covers I Knew You Were Trouble, by Taylor Swift

Oh, and the bonus track… Nirvana covers The End, by The Doors. While they have a bit of a laugh with this, it is still fantastic to listen to. Perhaps even more so for that very reason. It is rare too, I believe they only did this once.

B 

Harlem Aches - my rant

Do you ever stop to think about the sheer magnitude of excellent, musical talent there is out there?

This is a question I asked a good friend (and fellow music lover) of mine earlier on today. His response was - “I had given it some thought before, but never in a long/medium term sense. Was always just ‘wow, a lot of good albums out at the mo’, then I'd forget, then rinse repeat! It is vast. It’s kind of jaw dropping in fact, to think there are so many endlessly talented people out there making excellent ear porn”.

Well said. 

Now, with this in mind, do you reckon anyone has ever said something similar with the likes of Gagnam style in mind? *Cue the harsh sound of a sudden stop of a spinning vinyl record*

Nope, me neither. I’ll explain why I am bringing Gagnam style into this a little further on.

I spotted a tweet from someone earlier today, which read, “Sound-tracking my Monday afternoon – [insert YouTube link to the animal song he was on about here]”. It got my attention straight away. Love a good song recommendation, me. I clicked through to discover a beautiful tune by a chap called Mike Rosenberg, AKA Passenger, entitled ‘Let Her Go’. It took me all of about 4 seconds into the song to give it the old ‘closed eyes nod and smile’ of approval. And so began quite a chilled afternoon in the office, the playlist for which, was the aforementioned. Thanks to Mike S for that tweet.

As I was working away, another Tweetdeck alert caught my eye. Quite a different sentiment this time, though. Yet another person was wanking on about how "This one is DEFO the best of the 234 Harlem Shake videos I've seen so far… blah, blah, fart" etc [insert YouTube link to brain-cell depleting video of people who appear to be having fits here]. This was probably the 50^th tweet of it’s kind that I had seen in the last 24 hours.

Chalk, meet cheese. Cheese, this is chalk.

I’d like to say that it baffles me, how much airtime mind-numbing tripe like the Harlem Shakes and the Gagnam Styles of the world get, when there is so much excellent creative content out there for us to consume, and enjoy, and share, and discuss, and of course… recreate. But this doesn’t baffle me. I get it. I work in the comms/media industry and I understand the appeal of this kind of thing. I even understand its 'mass' appeal. I understand that you simply cannot compare this kind of thing to, let’s say, a touching acoustic rendition of Black Key’s Lonely Boy. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

YouTube estimates that by the end of last week over 40,000 versions of Harlem Shakes had been uploaded and collectively they have been viewed over 175 million times. The song is currently at number two in the UK charts… and I have been invited by no less than two different groups of friends to be involved in a Harlem Shakes video.

The University of Georgia’s men’s swim and dive team did one under water. The Norwegian army did one. There are (at least) two Star Wars-themed Shakes. There’s also now a Harlem Shake Roulette single-serving site that will pull a series of the videos one right after the other, Chatroulette-style. This is the stuff of internet dreams, people. Is it, though? IS IT?!?!

*Giant face-palm*

Whilst I am happy with the thought of Harlem Shakes becoming yesterday’s news quicker than you can say the words, “New Pope celebrates appointment with Horsemeat sandwich and PS4 tournament”, what remains is the lurking feeling that something else will come along to fill the void. And at this rate, god only knows what that will be.

Nice words

"Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that may never come true, goals that were never achieved, and the many disappointments life has thrown at you.

When something wonderful happens, you cannot wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting, or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself.

Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are.

The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of a daily life. A phone call or two during the day helps you to get through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face.

In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to your mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon.

You open your heart knowing that there is a chance it may be broken one day and in opening you heart, you experience a love and a joy that you never dreamed possible. You find being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life."

.... Bob Marley. Who knew?

A Song to Stop You In Your Tracks

Do you ever hear a song for the first time, and it just kind of stops you in your tracks? Like it significantly impacts how you are feeling at that moment in time, if even only for a quick flash?

Enter Matt Corby's 'Brother'.

I couldn't help but do some digging when I came across this song this evening, purely by accident, I might add. Almost immediately after I heard it, I wanted to find out what Corby was writing about. When an artist composes something as unrestrained as this, there must be some significant, personal emotion attached.

I came across an interview with the man himself, where he talked about what the song meant. Apparently, this is something he never, ever does. So I am lucky to have found it.

"Lately, I have come to realise that a dear friend, one with a great influence on my life, might be drifting away. Because of certain decisions he is making in his own life. And because when we were friends, I never really had the guts to tell him about the weaknesses I saw in his life.

It’s heartbreaking. And a lesson I’m slowly grasping. That I do not want to live in a world where people cannot tell me I’m wrong. Or where I will not listen to others who dare to put their heart on the line, and tell me something’s amiss.

May I learn to speak out with courage and love. And receive instruction that strengthens bonds, not frays them."

This song is essentially a dynamic, powerful and somewhat explosive musical journey that is condensed into a few minutes.

At the beginning you think to yourself, ‘yeah, this is good stuff’. You know it’s good, but you don’t know why. And then suddenly, a couple of minutes in,  as one critic put it "it grabs you by the shoulders and shakes you really hard". It’s good stuff because you can feel it, really feel it, and that’s something that makes this song extraordinary. That is, its ability to captivate and intrigue, in an incomprehensive, other-wordly kind of way.

Corby seems to have an inner fire, and in "Brother" he unleashes it to the world - especially in the last twenty seconds of the song, which are definitely worth putting the spotlight on. 

My instructions? Listen, rinse, repeat.

My Christmas List... The musical one

You know that token question you get asked at a family dinner, or a job interview, or a rubbish first date..?

"If you were stranded on a desert Island, and you could only have three things in your posession, what three things would they be?" I've always, always struggled to pick the full three, but have never failed to get the same ONE item on the list, every time. 

Music. I would bring music. When this question comes up, people tend to get into the nitty-gritty, saying things like, *cue exaggerated annoying whiney voice* "but you can't just say 'music'...  and you have to include earphones, and that would then be two things. And then what about battery power? And what if the sand broke your iPod? Or it over-heated in the sun? 

To those people, I say, get the f*ck off my island.

So, without further adieu, here it is... Round two of some of my favourite covers. A lovely little playlist, which, given the time of year is a bit more... specific.

Merry Christmas (I don't wanna fight tonight) - The Ramones

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - U2

Fairytale of New York - Matthew and the Atlas

Jingle Bell Rock - Arcade Fire

Blue Christmas - Bright Eyes

Father Christmas - The Kinks

Silent Night - Alexi Murdoch

Baby it's Cold Outside - Tom Jones and Carys Matthews 

O Little Town of Bethlehem - Sarah McLachlan

Santa Claus is Coming to Town - Bruce Springsteen

Little Drummer Boy - Jimi Hendrix

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Frank Sinatra

Have a Yule-iscious one x

B

Cover Me Up

In the world of music, there is nothing worse than being subjected to a diabolically bad cover of what was originally a decent song. A few examples of this that spring to mind instantly for me, are Madonna's 'American Pie', Jessica Simpson's 'These Boots Were Made for Walking', and let us not forget (please God, let us) Britney Spears' atrocious butchery of Joan Jett's 'I Love Rock and Roll'.

I pondered over this for a while, had a look at the aforementioned monstrosities and face-palmed the sh*t out of myself... I had nearly resigned myself to the idea that a higher power (Simon Cowell?) had decided all good music, at some point in its life, was destined to be tainted....destroyed... by messed up, female, blonde pop starlets.

Then I got sense, and started thinking about covers I like. The very first one that popped into my head was Nirvana's version of 'Jesus Don't Want Me for a Sunbeam' by the Vaselines. The V's took the song - an old Christian folk song, which is actually called 'Jesus Wants Me for A Sunbeam' - and re-recorded it under the new title. Cobain wanted to cover that version, so that's what he did. And boy, did he do it well.

See, this is a prime example of the goodness that can come from cover versions... And when I started thinking about this more, let's just say the floodgates opened... (thanks to a few friends for assisting with that via Twitter - I had a field day).

Some of the most superbly composed songs have been covered time and time again, by recognised, accomplished artists who have done (in my opinion) a beautiful job of making a song "their own". Side-note: One of the reasons I'd rather X Factor didn't exist, is that it is diminishing the kudos deserved for a good cover.

So, with all of this, I thought i'd pull together my own list of covers to share with you good people. All 3 of you reading this... Hi mom. Now, this list was long, but i've whittled it down to these few because let's be honest, you don't have all day.

The ones most people will be familiar with...

Leonard Cohen, Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley's version

Nine Inch Nails, Hurt - Cover by Johnny Cash

The Beatles, With a Little Help from my Friends - Cover by Joe Cocker

Nina Simone, Feeling Good - Cover by Muse

Kate Bush, Running up that Hill - Cover by Placebo

Bonnie Raitt, I Can't Make You Love Me - Cover by Justin Vernon

Bob Dylan,  All Along The Watchtower - Cover by Jimi Hendrix

Some others I adore, which may not be as widely known...

Hank Williams, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry - Cover by Seasick Steve

Ben Harper, Waiting on an angel - Cover by Joshua Radin

Tom Petty, I Won't Back Down - Cover by Benjamin Leftwich

Tracey Chapman, Fast Car - Cover by Foy Vance 

Joni Mitchell, A Case of You - Cover by Diana Krall

Oasis, Wonderwall - Cover by Ryan Adams

Elliott Smith, Between The Bars - Cover by The Civil Wars

Arcade Fire, My Body is a Cage - Cover by Peter Gabriel

Bob Dylan, My Back Pages - Cover by The Byrds

Robert Knight, Everlasting Love - Cover by U2

Gerry Rafferty, Baker Street - Cover by Foo Fighters 

Here are some covers I came across thanks to some friends with excellent taste in and knowledge of, music...

The Rolling Stones, Gimme Shelter - Cover by Merry Clayton

Bob Dylan, Man In The Long Black Coat - Cover by Mark Lanegan

Ricky Nelson, Lonesome Town - Cover by Richard Hawley

Bob Dylan, Times They are a Changin' - Cover by Odetta

Tom Waits, Martha - Cover by Mick Flannery

The Beatles, Twist and Shout - Cover by Shaka Deemus and Pliers

And the beauty of a good cover..? On the rare occasion, it can actually be an improvement on the original. Evidence of this is right here. 

Carly Rae Jepsen, Call me Maybe - Cover by Ben Howard

LMFAO, Sexy and I know it - Cover by Jimmy Fallon and Bruce Springsteen

JoJo, Too Little Too Late - Cover by Daniel Rossen of Grizzly Bear

Katy Perry, Hot n' Cold - Cover by Los Colerados

Happy Listening :-)

My NYC Twenty-Six Point Two

About two weeks ago, Hurricane Sandy lambasted her way through the east coast of America, and left behind scars that will have impacted thousands, in ways most of us will hopefully never have to experience.

Because of the damage the storm caused in New York, particularly downtown and on Staten Island, Mayor Bloomberg announced that the ING 2012 NYC Marathon would not be taking place as planned. I will be the first person to say that I completely agree with the reasons for this decision - When people have been left homeless after their houses have literally been blown away, there is no hesitation in my mind that any attention, support and relief efforts available should all be focused on where help is needed most. I do however think the media, in its typical fashion (Fox, my finger's pointing in your direction), painted a more negative picture than was necessary. I mean this in terms of how marathon organisers NYRR (New York Road Runners) were portrayed in the days before the cancellation of the marathon. Generators were originally being used by NYRR (as they are every year) to power entertainment stages / toilet stations etc. along the course route. NYRR came under a huge amount of scrutiny for this, as some reporting on the storm depicted it as wreckless and inconsiderate planning - casting a view that the same generators being used to support a city event, could be better used to provide power/heat to those in areas most affected by Sandy.

This was not an accurate picture, at all. As soon as NYRR realised the devastation caused by the storm, particularly in the areas along the run route, they immediately made the decision to cancel, and offered up all and any support they could to their wounded community. 

When I found out about the cancellation, I was pretty devastated. I won't deny that it was a hard pill to swallow - I don't think I have dedicated myself to something in the way that I have this past year, for both training for the run, and raising money for our charity, the IDEAL School. But it felt wrong being angry about it. OK, so the marathon wasn't going ahead and that was shit, but I was healthy and well, as were my family and friends. My "America Grandparents" live right on the coast of New Jersey Shore, and unfortunately their house and virtually everything in it had been destroyed by Sandy, but they were safe.

In the hour or so after Bloomberg's announcement, I had pretty much made a decision in my little round head, that be it official or otherwise, I was going to do a 26.2mile run before we left New York. I didn't want it to be a spiteful thing, I didn't want to come across as if I wasn't seeing the bigger picture. I did, with my own eyes. I saw some of the destruction in lower Manhattan, and I saw how neighbourhoods were coming together on street corners to pool any donations of food, clothes and other things for people effected in adjacent boroughs and cities. But we had a goal in our sights, that had been there for close to a year - to run a marathon in New York in aid of our chosen charity, The IDEAL School. It is a very uniquely ran facility originally founded by my aunt and uncle in New York City, which caters for children with and without learning disabilities, all under one roof. 

I talked to my uncle John - who I was due to do the marathon with along with my cousin Aoife - about wanting to go ahead with a run, and we both agreed we still felt we had to do something to honor the very generous donations we had received. 

My champion of a mother, who had travelled all the way from Dublin, with my bestest sister, was 100% behind me from the moment we made the decision. Well, I really should mention, she was 100% behind me from the day I got my place in the Marathon back in February. In fact, the week after I got the news she booked flights for herself and my sister to come along for support AND went and paid for my flight as a "well done for doing this", gift. Legend. Love you mum.

So, we came up with a DIY Manhattan-based course that went from the upper west side to the southern tip of Manhattan and back again, into Central Park for two loops of the perimeter road ending at 81^st and Central Park West. Sunday, the original day for the official Marathon, was a perfect day for running - Dry, no wind, sunny and cool. 

My lovely sis sorting the marathon do out... quite important when you have as much hair knocking about as I do

Woke up at about 7.30am, unaware that it was actually 8.30am with the time-change. We chowed down some brekkie - good aul Flahavan's porridge (Thank you Zabars!), bananas and honey - sorted out the running playlist (80's whipper tunes galor), did a bit of stretching and light-walking to loosen up, and set out at about 11.30am. Yep, by this time we'd figured out the timing miscalculation.... Extra time for my sister to sort my out of control hair out.

We were incredibly lucky to have "the man, the legend" - photographer/biker support/phone coordinator extrordinaire, Mr Gary Murphy, on the mountain bike with Gatorade, gel, gloves, iPods, bagels, bananas and more encouragement than either of us ever anticipated could fit in a backpack...

Here's the route we took -

  

26.6... to be exact ;-)

When we set off, we knew that while we were planning on a full marathon distance run, it wasn't going to be the same as the real deal. There would be no big crowd cheering us on from beginning to end, no water/toilet facilities, no blocked roads or controlled traffic flow. The first half was much like any of the long runs I had been doing as part of my training, with the exception of it being with my awesome uncle, in my favorite city in the world, with a slightly busier running route than i'd become accustomed to - there were a LOT of runners out doing what i'd guess to be the very same thing we were. 

Heading south...

I don't think either of us were prepared for what was to come when we hit Central Park for the second half of the run. The official Marathon may not have gone ahead that day, but what took its place was something truly surreal, something we will always remember as a completely unique and special experience. 

Part of the route for the official run, which loops the internal perimeter of Central Park, was packed to the gills with fellow runners, much more so than the route we had taken for the first 14-15 miles. You'll see in the pictures that I am wearing a bright orange running vest - this was given to all runners at the registration expo before the run was cancelled. I wasn't going to run in it as I had my kit all picked out, but under the circumstances I thought it'd be nice to fly the flag for the event. When we entered into central park we were met with a sea of orange! Hundreds (probably more like thousands over the course of the day) were out making their unofficial marathon mark, just like us. Along with the runners themselves, were their support teams rallying along the edge of the running track with flags and banners - cheering their own along with everyone else running by, like their lives depended on it.... 

Cheers dahlin'
 

... And along with those support teams, were a whole host of local New Yorkers, out in force, lining the roads to motivate everyone running by. People were passing out bottled water, bananas and energy bars, and kids were handing out sweets (I probably consumed more of those "for energy" than was really necessary). 

Just when I felt like I was nearing the dreaded "Wall", i'd get a massive burst of energy, from seeing total randomers holding up the most adorable signs, emblazoned with quotes like "NY welcomes you- We're all in this together", and "Run like its the real thing and we'll cheer like its the real thing", and "Run like you're a politician" (Presidential election day was taking place on November 5th). I don't think i've ever gotten so many high-fives in such a short space of time in all my days - Token Americana deadliness. I have no doubt the presence of these awesome strangers, along with some of our amazing family and friends, contributed to us being able to keep smiles on our faces right through to the very end.

Now, I must mention that even though my champ uncle is "a few" years my senior, it was his energy and banter that had me laughing my way up the final few hellish hills on mile 25/26. The guy made it look easy. He is someone I already admire and look up to a lot for many reasons, and this just reaffirms his awesomeness.  

Mile 23... Feeling it!

We were using John's GPS to navigate our route, and keep track of our distance. Needless to say, the number one goal was to ensure we actually ran 26.2 miles. Toward the end, John realised that the GPS has stopped tracking us for a small portion of our run so far - about a mile and a half or so (I think), so being the hero he was, whilst running - and bear in mind this was about 23 miles into a killer run that needed a certain pace to be maintained  - John figured out the appropriate distance we needed to go, to 100% ensure we covered at least 26.2miles. 

DONE!

We had passed the family/friends support team back at mile 21 in the park but much to our surprise, there they were again, about a dozen of them, waiting to greet us at our finish line. Heroes.

That was that. We had completed a 26.6 mile run, in a pinch over 4.00 hours.

So, yes, the official NYC Marathon didn't go ahead. But what happened in its place, was something few people will ever get to experience - An unofficial, inpromptu marathon, an incredibly resilient community coming together to make the most out of a very unfortunate situation, a pretty awesome demonstration of determination.

I raised over 5.5K for the IDEAL School to date (a Massive Thank You to my amazing Papa Bear, Kevin Fennelly, for being an energiser bunny of a campaign manager back on the homeland - I wouldn't have raised this much money without his support and dedication).

New York City stole my heart a long old time ago, and every single time I visit, the crush gets bigger. This time was no exception.

11 months 2 weeks to go until next year, when we make it official :-)

B

How I Find New Music

As previous blog posts will indicate, I am due to run the bejayzuz out of the NYC Marathon next week. A big onset affect of this 26.2 mile sized commitment, is the increasing amount of “nights in” I am having at the weekends… and during the week, if truth be told.

I do miss that aspect of my social life, but when one door closes…..

Something I have ALWAYS been massively short of since moving to London - is some good, old-fashioned ‘Me Time’. This city is manic, and to add, I happen to have quite a demanding job and a fair amount of other commitments to keep me busy, so it can be quite tricky to find the down-time.

Amongst other things, I’ve used quite a portion of my newfound spare time to sort my mammoth music collection out – God knows it needed a clean-up. I’ve also been adding to it, and have been lucky enough to uncover some of the best music I’ve listened to in a while…. And just when I was losing faith in the music industry.

Perhaps it because I am steering clear of just that – the Industry. Well, at least what it has become.

Personally, I have absolutely NO method for finding new music. It always seems to happen unintentionally. In saying that, there are definitely a few ways to go about the tune-hunt.

Lastfm.com searches work a treat  -  By using the ‘similar to’ tool you can search for new music via artists you’re already into. I highly recommend this to anyone who knows what they like and are keen to find more of it.

Friend benefits – No… Not THAT type of friend benefit. I am lucky enough to have a fair few palzos with awesome taste in music. I’ll always check in with the inner-circle to see if there’s anything on their radar that may have missed mine. Music is one of my favourite topics to chin-wag about with friends. I could literally do it all day long.

Gigs – Self-explanatory… Or is it? It’s one thing going to a gig if it is to see an artist/band you are familiar with and a fan of. It is a totally different thing to head along to one where you might not be so accustomed. This, is one of my favourite things to do, especially here in Londink. Doesn’t have to cost much, as usually you’re heading to the lower profile gigs, where it tends to be anything from a £3 to £10 door fee. Best ways to find out about these gigs? Get to know the venues that are home to them. Keep an eye on their events calendar. Follow them on Twitter. 1 + 1 = 2, would you believe.

Twitter – This is a no-brainer. Follow artists you like, music publications and industry bloggers, decent radio DJs and the stations they frequent… XFM and a fair few of their jockeys (Maryanne Hobbs is noteworthy) get my vote here in the UK, but there are also some random smaller stations based across the pond in America – the further south, the better. Some of the unplugged sessions I’ve come across from checking these fellas out, are ridiculous.

TV Shows – I’m not ashamed to admit, that some of my favourite bands have been introduced to me via TV shows like the OC, Grey’s Anatomy and One Tree Hill……. Most shows will have a dedicated site that lists all music played in each episode. Easy-peasy.

SoundCloud – Most people I know are under the impression that SoundCloud just caters for those on the music performing/producing side of the music world. Now, I may never record my own song and put it up on SoundCloud for all to see. But, I still have an account, and I love snooping around other profiles to see if I can find any random winners.

YouTube - I use YouTube a fair bit, to compile playlists and... you guessed it, search. I can't count how many times I've come across new music, simply from checking out the videos listed in the tab on the right of the video i've initially been searching for. Always seem to find some awesome little recordings of the song I may have been searching for in the first instance. A perfect example of this - only days ago, I was looking up some Tom Petty, and came across an excellent cover version of 'I Won't Back Down', by a chap called Benjamin Leftwich. 

It's late, and I have a marathon to run in a matter of days, so sleep is (supposed to be) my best friend at the moment. It's a bit of a forced friendship, but we're making it work.

Bee

One week and counting

One week to go until Marathon Day....

I have one week to go until I take to the streets of New York City and run my slightly shrunken ghetto booty through 26.2 miles of it’s beautiful, bustling streets. As I enter the “rest period” of my training, the level of excitement continues to grow, along with the level of “shittingmyselfness”.

I guess, at this point I have done all that I can do in terms of preparation – the only thing to focus on between now and run day is resting up, carb-loading (gotta be careful on that one… HashtagSnort) and packing! I am actually finding the resting part trickier than I, or any normal person for that matter, would have anticipated. I guess, when your body is very used to being active for a larger % of the week, it is hard to come down from that.

I did a six-mile run today, and it felt too short. I guess that’s a good thing, right?

I hop on the old familiar early morning Delta flight to JFK on Thursday, which means I have three days in the large apfel before run day – November 4^th – to revisit some of my favourite NY running routes, 75% of which, involve Central Park. I adore the reservoir lap, and cannot wait to do a couple of early morning rounds there.

I say now, 1 week BEFORE the epic legathon, that I’ll do a fair bit of running afterward. I have a whole week to spend in the City before heading back to Londing. If I put my realist helmet on (god, it’s heavy, and it makes me look fat), I can’t help but think that the only running I’ll be doing that week, is to and from the bar of the many, many, MANY pubs I plan on getting rather merry in with buddies and family from NY. I am massively looking forward to catching up with everyone over there. The big bonus? My mum and sister are also coming over for the duration, to be my personal cheerleaders… OK, maybe there’s more reasoning to their trip than to simply shake their pom-poms for Becca on November 4^th, but still. I feel loved. I am so, so chuffed that they’ll be here. There'll be quite a bunch of us actually... Between all the family and friends I have living over there, and the family coming from Ireland for myself and Aoife..... Yep, I feel loved.

I am running the Marathon with my cousin, the aforementioned Aoife, my Uncle John (lives in Manhattan with my Aunt and three awesome little cousins), and a heap of other people I’ve not yet met – all associated in some way, with the IDEAL School, the foundation of which I am raising money for. When I say “running the Marathon with”, that basically means we will start out together but I plan on being a lone ranger for 99.5% of the route.

The whole training experience has been quite rewarding. I am certainly at my fitness peak, I don’t think I’ve ever felt healthier. But it is true what they say – “What is good for the body is good for the mind”, and my mind feels..... minded?

B

Train-a-thon

So, it's Saturday night and I am curled on the couch with Wossy on the box, wrapped up in a lovely knitted blanket that my mom sent over when I moved into my new place last month. It's near 10.30pm and I am quite aware of the fact that I should be going to bed in the next hour if I know what's good for me...

Bed at 11.30? On a Saturday night? Well, yes. With at least 15 miles to run tomorrow, I think a good night of sleep is one of many things I should be considering.

Some of you reading this may be aware (I have pretty much been shouting it from the rooftops - both real and virtual) that in a very short time, I am jetting off to New York City to take part in the NYC Marathon. That's right... i'll be running my not-so-little arse off, through 26.2 miles of the Big Apple.

I am running the marathon in aid a charity that is incredibly close to my heart - The IDEAL School of Manhattan. IDEAL was founded by my Aunt Julia and Uncle John, and its an inclusion school that is dedicated to creating a community that accepts every child from all walks of life, at all levels of ability. It is a school that my little cousin Catherine not only attends, but excels in because of their inclusive attitude to learning and development.

Catherine has Down's Syndrome, and because of the IDEAL School she is given the same opportunities to learn and grow as any other child should. This amazing school will get her and her peers ready for the exciting world that is waiting for them in the most effective of manners.

I've been lucky enough to visit IDEAL on numerous occasions over the years, and every single time, from the moment I walk in through the big beautiful doors of that Brownstone building, I am inspired.

I can't quite get my head around how much I am looking forward to this. On the 4th of November, not even 7 weeks away, i'll wake up to begin a day that I have no doubt i'll remember for the rest of my life. I am both incredibly excited and massively terrified - I'm settling with the fact that this combo is only going to become more extreme as the day draws closer.

"Eeeeek", she says...

The route for the marathon is pretty special. I grew up  being fortunate enough to spend quite a lot of time in New York City (see last blog post) and I have a long-standing love affair with her and everything she has to offer... the good, the bad... the excellent. I have this idea that whilst, yes, running 26.2 is no easy feat, the fact that I am running it in my favourite city in the world, will somehow make it all a lot more doable. 

I've been speaking with colleagues, friends and friends of friends who have either ran the NYC marathon or been in the city when it has taken place, and their feedback is pretty motivating. You know what those Amwuur-ick-ee-aans are like... They'll be out in their droves, cheering like their lives depend on it. I will definitely be taking advantage of the fact that I am Irish, and really milk it...

I've not been a very good blogger of late, it has been a pretty hectic few months. But now that i'm in the home stretch of my training... let's just say i'll have a little more time on my hands on Friday and Saturday nights.

For those of you on Twitter, i've been hashtaging my progress via #twentysixpointtwo. Keep an eye out! Send me some virtual pats on the back, why don't you....

B

It takes a Supermodel to attempt the Impossible in the world of Social Media

I read a great piece in this month's Wired following their interview with eye-wateringly purrty supermodel, Lily Cole.

Did you know that the average Londoner knows just one neighbour? I, an average jane, London resident did not. But model and actress Lily Cole did. She says - "I travel a lot and I'm always surprised by the strong sense of community in some countries. We've lost something fundamentally human and we don't even realise it." I have to say, I couldn't agree more with the alluring ginger lass. I do think that major social shifts in our society have caused us all to morph into what I now dub 'Battery Humans', thanks to the British alternative indie folk band Stornoway. They wrote - 


Where are we goin' this fine morning,
What are we doin' this fine day
We're doin' the same as every morning
We're stayin' inside on this fine morning
Stayin' inside on this fine day
We'll stare at a screen, like ev'ry morning


I'm a pretty outgoing, friendly gal. The fact that I am Irish certainly bodes well for me to this affect. But in the two years i've been living here, I can't help but notice how hard it can actually be to meet new people if you're not willing to really put yourself out there. I find that the majority of people in this city are so busy keeping up with their own daily grind, the grind that involves more than just their obligation to there professional life but to their virtual life too...


During a trip to the Thai-Burmese border in 2010, Lily came up with an idea: a social network built around giving. "Social media is popular because it feeds into our desire to be connected," she says. "I want to transport that into real life, with real value."


Cole's social network, Impossible, has been designed for users to meet and essentially help each other out. Users post requests (say, "I need a haircut"), and anyone in their local network can offer to help. The emphasis is on giving, rather than bartering. "Giving triggers social cohesion," says the 24 year old modelpreneur. "It's also the basis for an economy not based on money. Impossible will facilitate that via social media."


Impossible is currently in beta and it is still self-funded. But with advisers like Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and economist Hazel Henderson, the pudding has every chance of being full of proof. Lily admitted in her interview with Wired, that Impossible is a "utopian idea", but she's clearly dead-set on making it reality.


I do hope she's right. I don't want to be a battery human... I was born to be free range.


B

I heart NY

So, I'm sure most of us are familiar with the I *insert heart here* NY merchandise. See, I actually do love New York. A lot. To the point that, when I see people donning the t-shirt, or base-ball cap, or mug, or umbrella.... (the list goes on, and on) I can't help but mutter to myself... They don't REALLY love New York. They don't know it like I do. They are just.... tourists.

Yes, I am a self-proclaimed honorary New Yorker and it pisses me off that the majority of people who'll come to the hustling, busting city will leave without really discovering the most beautiful and loveable things about it. When you really love something, you'll find yourself loving the good, the bad and the ugly. New York is like a person to me, with the most bizarre, infectious personality you could ever imagine.

I've decided to list off a handful of my favourite things about New York. Note to reader: this is in no particular order. In fact, i'm half tempted to number them all, one.

1. The elderly people: You do NOT want to piss off an elderly person in NYC. They are just as protective of their city, as they are of themselves. If you're caught littering, loitering, cussing etc. You will get a whip across the shins with a cane and a stern talking to from at least one octogenarian passer-by. I've witnessed this in the streets and on public transport, many times. It is a spectacle.

1. The uptown dog-walkers: There are these guys who make their living from walking dogs for the rich, famous, lazy, busy, dog-health crazy.. however you want to brand them... and if you go for a walk any more than half a dozen blocks, you are bound to see one of these chappies pacing the sidewalk with anything between 4 and 12 dogs in tow. Their ability to manage up to a dozen giddy, personality filled, attention demanding diva-dogs, never ceases to amaze me. If you're lucky, and you catch of of them taking a water break, they are usually more than happy to let you come up and say hello.

1. Sheep's meadow: This is a field within Central Park, that is one of my favourite places to go in the summer, chill out and people-watch. There is NO WHERE in the world (that I have found, so far) better than Central Park to people-watch - my favourite perch is by Bethesda Fountain. Sheep's meadow is great for this, but its real perk is the friendly atmosphere - you will more than likely be approached at least once by a group playing ultimate frisbee, football, keepie-uppies and asked if you'd like to join in: this usually leads to the following: a) conjoining of beachtowels/blankets with these once-upon-an-hour-ago-strangers to form a giant social blanket network; b) banter over beers/mojitos provided by the one-man-mobile-bar circling Sheep's Meadow with his cart full of ice-cold booze; and c) an invite to a house-party and bar crawl around the Village later in the evening, where you'll undoubtably make at least half a dozen new friends, add them on facebook and see them the following week for more post-ultimate frisbee mojitos.

1. The crazy people: You know when you feel like you are losing the plot completely? That no one else in the world is as mental as you..? We've all been there. There is always someone crazier than you walking the streets on NYC. ALWAYS. And they are only too happy to make their craziness known. I for one, find this refreshing.

1. The normality of seeing a famous person: When grabbing your morning coffee/bagel/juice, or going for a run/workout, it's rather likely that you'll jog by a sweaty Alec Baldwin or Natalie Portman, brush shoulders at the traffic lights with Willem Dafoe, Matthew Perry or Maggie Gyllenhaal, or order the same filling as Tina Fey in that local jewish bagel haunt you love (mine is on the corner of 79th and Amsterdam). But, really, for whatever reason, it never tends to be a huge deal.

1. Access to everything 24 hours a day, all day: Whatever you need, whenever you need it, there is someone who will bring it to you for a price, which may or may not be negotiable. (Or legal.)

1. Mocking the richies: There's no shortage of stupid rich people to make fun of.

1. The F-Bomb is more like the F-hiccup: Yelling "fuck" is just a mild obscenity, if you want to get more attention from passers by you'll need to go past verbal action and bring out the big guns. Not literally of course. That wouldn't be favourable, but unfortunately is a common occurrence.

1. Drunk Drivers are non-existant: There is absolutely no reason to ever drink and drive. Added bonus: Spontaneous, fascinating conversations with cab drivers.

I have a heap more number 1's I could add to this list, but it's late and I've now got a hankering to plan some bits for my next trip to the second home later this year, when i'll be running the NYC Marathon for the very first time. Can't think of another city in the world i'd rather run around until I feel like crying/dying/melting.

B