unironedman

Thanks to Jim who blogs here for the Liebster Award nomination. Jim is as fearless in his blog posts as he is on his bike, though he lives in Michigan, and I’m in Ireland, so we don’t ever share the fun of cycling together. Though I would be hard-pushed to keep up, truth be told.

If, like me, you are clueless about this award, then check out this link for a good explanation.

Apparently, the idea was to answer five questions, but as with many things online, this has morphed into 11 already. I’ll do my best to answer them:

1. What makes you cry with joy?
   The birth of my two kids. I have also had some crazy, hard-to-breathe, tears of laughter moments with the family (same two crazy but older kids) playing Cards Against Humanity, but I don’t think that is exactly what the question is getting at. But given that this is my blog, I feel I can bend the rules a wee bit. If you haven’t played, I suggest you do. It’s truly wicked.
2. Favourite book and why?
   Aw shucks. I have lots. Depends on the mood. As a youngster, I think the book that had the biggest impact was Watership Down by Richard Adams. Full of live, buzzing nature, and talking rabbits. And a seagull that cursed. And quite the sinister undertone (that the same author captured with Plague Dogs, for the slightly older reader.)
3. Describe your perfect moment of the day – real or what it would be to be perfect.
   Best moments of the day are with Saoirse, Dallan and Tamsyn sitting around the dinner table, yacking. Or watching a film together, as a close second. We should do it more often. Third is with good friends, making home-made pizza.The other moment is drinking pints of Guinness with Saoirse on our honeymoon on Inishbofin. It’s a lifetime ago. But it’s a cherished moment.
4. Your best quality?
   Emmm… that’s the kind of question you would rather someone else answered on your behalf. I would rather give presents than receive them, how about that?
5. Is there anything you struggle with that you’re continuously working on overcoming?
   Every day is a school day. Life is constantly offering free lessons. Given that we have to shell out for everything these days, why not avail of these freebies? I am trying to be a more honest person in all aspects of life. And more productive. Creativity is the essence of life. If you have a sketch pad, fill it with drawings. If you have a bike, ride it. Regret is the lake not swum.

   I’m also really shit at accounts.

6. The best piece of advice you ever received?
   We have two ears and one mouth for a reason.
7. Describe what ‘hope’ means to you.
   Hope is what keeps us all going. It’s the universal ‘glass is half full’. Without it, we are drifting.
8. What is the bravest thing you’ve ever done? For the record – I mean true bravery! Doing a sky dive isn’t brave if it doesn’t scare you. Bravery is doing something that scares the shit out of you! 
   I can’t say. Not that I don’t want to say; it’s just that I can’t really profess bravery, as most of the stuff I have done over the years doesn’t qualify. Stupid sometimes. Daft, on occasion. Required, as part of my job. (Running into burning buildings is actually quite a buzz but fortunately not something I have to do regularly). Brave? Sometimes being honest with myself. And with S. But then, that is probably as a result of stupidity, so again, not a great answer.

   From the perspective of this blog, and its general vibe about running, triathlon, etc. then I suppose finishing the Connemara 100 when everything went Pete Tong at mile 65 is something I could cautiously place in the ‘mildly brave’ category. But then, it also ticks many other boxes, such as ‘hugely pig-headed’ and ‘too stupid to quit’.

    

9. What did Little You want to be when he/she grew up?
   A vet. See answer to question 2. Still have a love for wildlife.
10. Looking at a photo of Little You, what advice would you give him/her?
    Hey little dude, no worries about the vet thing. I’ve been watching a few vet documentaries on the telly lately, and every single one has a vet with their arm up a cow’s arse. You probably made the right choice there, kiddo. But I would also add that you should read more books, and bunk off school a little more. And don’t cut your own hair. That never works out. Ever.And having done something very similar to this a few months ago (what advice to the younger you), I think I would be a bawling mess of snot and tears. It’s a barrel of laughs. But in general, worthwhile, if you are in the right place, physically and emotionally. In your life ledger, try and reduce the amount of entries into the regrets column.
11. ….and what advice would Little You give the you of here and now?
    Stop watching vet documentaries, and stop bunking off from the office when you should be working. There’s bills to be paid! I’d also remind me to be kind.

And there you have it. It’s just a snap-shot.

I will mention a few bloggers, if they are interested, but I fully respect that you have other stuff to do. I won’t be upset if you choose to ignore me. Honest! 😉

And you can answer the questions I did, or make up new ones, if you do choose to blog your answers, and send on the love to some of your blogosphere colleagues.

https://dreadmillblog.wordpress.com/

http://risaaratyr.com/blog/

https://ceejaykayfit.com/

https://petescully.com/

http://rubbishrunner.blogspot.com/

https://timetotriharder.blog/