The question tonight is which way to go?

More extemporising about the nature of blogs? About the comfort and the joy of feeling lost?

Or some rambling about stuff that happened to me and current events?

Wow, tough call...

*peers into the stage lights trying to see which way the audience want me to go?

Can't tell... Gosh, its quiet out there...

Anyway, how about a story about a taxi driver?

While writing the following I will mostly be listening to Carter USM "The Only Living Boy in New Cross", "Sherrif Fatman" and then a selection from Weezer

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So, I had ordered a taxi - and is the way of these things, it took forever to arrive, this was to be first of two taxis today...

The taxi man buzzes the door and I wander down the stairs from the office. Sure enough there's one of those crappy van taxis, blue in colour, parked by the kerb...

A sign on the door says "Pull Handle out to open" - so I'm thinking - it's going to be one of those difficult entrances...

So, once I'm in, I give it a good old slam to make sure its closed...

And the bloke, who was grey haired, bearded, beglassed and wearing a Celtic tracksuit turns and gives me a look...

Now, sometimes when you meet someone for the first time and you make initial eye contact with them, you get a sense of whether or not you're going to get on... We were not going to get on...

He continues to give me the look...

I'm a little confused by the look - which was special...

So, I say "Taxi for Liam?" and he grunts...

I'm still puzzled...

"You gave that a good fuckin slam didna ya..." opines the taxi driver...

Hmm... we are definitely not getting on...

"Well", I say "sometimes those doors are tricky..."

"Hmmph" says my new best friend...

"Better go the toll - look at the fuckin' state a tha" he says, eloquently demonstrating with a single gesture the heavy traffic on one side of the road...

Obviously, I'm delighted to be in the hands of such a polished and professional driver and tourist guide, so I say "Yeah"

I don't feel like we really connected...

I cheer myself up by admiring the commemorative celtic coins or medals, I'm not sure which, it's not really my area... Anyway, they were glued to the inner windowsills in the back on both sides...

You might think an odd decorative decision... but you're forgetting the sounds of the WolfTones drifting from the stereo as they sing "Give me the Irish Republican Army"... Altogether it set quite the tone...

Anyway, we exchanged numbers, he's going to meet me in the Kneecap Inn for a pint at the weekend...

So, sometimes I think I made a fundamental error with this Blog.

The fundamental error?

Telling anyone about it.

I think thats the challenge really as a Blogger - you've chosen to become a self published author, one of an army of ten million or twenty million or whatever number - but are you prepared to let the quality of your writing stand on its own two feet?

Do you believe that what you're writing is good enough, compelling enough and unique enough to stand out?

To let someone discover it and tell a friend, to experience that real time, human chain reaction?

Or are you like me? a weak willed egocentric human being who has no great story to tell and hopes to compensate for the lack of original and compelling stories by telling your friends about it and getting linked on other blogs?

It's a cheap thrill...

And worst of all - if you ever did have great stories perched in the darkest part of your soul, you can't get over the thought of people involved in the story reading it...

Really, this is where I secretly start another blog and tell the real stories in my head...

or maybe not...

Damn

I've just been watching BBC2 and a very entertaining although not particularly indepth show about Ebay. It seems like I missed something. Must investigate...

So, I've started writing again. Good news for me I guess and maybe one day I'll post some bits of what I'm working on.

Let me recommend an amazing book "What Lie Did I Tell" by William Goldman. He's a screenwriter - who has written an extraordinary number of screenplays, won 2 Oscars and is frank and honest about how it all works and why it all works and most importantly why it doesn't work...

All in all it drove me to get up off my ass and start putting words together...

And you know what? It helps...

I'm working on a thing - I'm not sure what it is yet - but it's called "Her"

Anyway, that aside... there are days when I really cannot stand either my job, the people I work with or any element of my life... Today was very nearly one of those days...

Luckily I redeemed myself by cooking and eating and switching off... But it is difficult sometimes to maintain a balance - I just wanted to shout and scream and walk out in a huff - but, I'm not 7 years old - so it's not really an option...

I wish I was 7 though... just for half an hour...

No, not a month long walk - and yes it has been a while...

Anyway, today my Ipod and I took a two hour walk around Howth head and I enjoyed the music thrown up from My Top Rated Tunes list so much, I thought I'd share it...

So here it is

1. Weezer - Hash Pipe
2. Blur - This is a Low
3. White Stripes - My Doorbell
4. Basement Jaxx - Rendez-Vu
5. U2 - Vertigo
6. That Petrol Emotion - Hey Venus
7. Jay Z - 99 Problems
8. U2 - The Ground beneath her feet
9. Goldfrapp - Strict Machine
10. Garbage - Queer
11. The Specials - Pressure Drop
12. Suede - Filmstar
13. U2 - Lemon
14. White Stripes - You've got her in your pocket
15. The Clash - Rudie Can't Fail
16. Leftfield - Open Up
17. The Zutons - You Will You Won't
18. Suede - Trash
19. Blur - Coffee & TV
20. Mirwais - Naive Song
21. Mory Kante - Yeke Yeke
22. Coldplay - Fix You
23. Snoop - Who Am I
24. Tricky - Black Steel
25. Zero 7 - Destiny
26. Weezer - Island in the Sun
27. Basement Jaxx - Romeo
28. The Killers - All These Things that I Have Done
29. Faithless - Don't Leave (a track I don't really know anything about and it's very Un Faithless - but great)

I wish I knew a radio station like it....