A stitch in time...

...saves 9. I definitely regret not going to the doctor about my knee before now. I won't have a chance to go to the hospital until Tuesday and I really hope I haven't caused some sort of serious damage. I still think it's just a twist and needs a bit more time... I couldn't really sleep comfortably last night with the pain and, with an early wake up call (9.30am on a Saturday morning IS early!) from cockroach repellent sprayers (a preventative measure), there was no way I could go to my friend Yeodi's wedding earlier today. I'm really gutted that I missed it and I hate not doing things that I said I would and getting the tag of being undependable. I think I have a habit of saying I can do things because I really want to rather than considering whether or not I actually can. It's something I dislike in others, probably because I'm so guilty of it myself.

As a result, I was in a bit of a mood for some of today with my knee swollen and sore and crossed wires over plans with my girlfriend. I've always been fond of the adages, 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' and, 'familiarity breeds contempt' and I think there could be a case of that going on since she moved closer to where I live. Of course I'm a very independent man and I value my own time. Obviously I love spending time with her and it's great that she's so close but it's a matter of finding the balance.

I had another result in for an essay I handed in last month - a nice 80, or A- for you North Americans. I'm expecting to have all my results for the year in by August and my gut feeling is that I will be right on the line between a first and a 2:1 with two-thirds of my MA done. I started the MA hoping to get a 2:1. I think that is creditable given that I'm doing it part-time with work and other commitments. However, now that I'm close to getting a first, I'd probably be a little bit disappointed if I didn't. It's still a huge ask though. I joke with friends that I wish my average was about 5 marks lower so I could relax and be content with a 2:1. I don't think I have ever really stretched myself during my 23-year academic career, so I often wonder what I might achieve if I did. For those of you who are interested, I'm doing my MA with the University of London, Institute of Education in Citizenship Education. Distance learning really works for me but I guess it depends on what kind of learning style you prefer and thrive in.

There are many things I love about being in a band and one of the things I've been missing most is learning new songs to cover. I guess U R Seoul wasn't always as prolific as we might have been in terms of the amount of new songs we covered. That's due to the fact that, in Seoul, there are so many other demands on our time and frequently a band member is out of the country for a spell from time to time. I spent a few hours today going through new songs for what will hopefully turn out to be my new band. Everyone contributed ideas and I think it's shaping up to be promising but perhaps less mainstream than last time around. My own focus is to achieve better accuracy and challenge myself technically to be the best singer I can be. U R Seoul were very performance-oriented and, although entertaining and enjoyable, sometimes the quality suffered (from me, personally). Hopefully this new outfit can find a middle-ground and I know a first step for me as the singer is that I think about the songs more deeply and spend time out of band practice working on my technique. I think it might also sometimes involve just saying, 'no' to a song someone wants to cover, on the grounds that there are songs that simply are out of my vocal range. I'm really looking forward to band practice tomorrow. I'll be sure to update you on how it goes.

Four paragraphs and I haven't even mentioned the World Cup!? That is, in no way, an indication that I have lost interest or that it hasn't been dishing out as much excitement as it had been since June 11th. What more can be said about England's tepid draw with Algeria? The Desert Foxes were OK but England just looked terrified and overawed by the demands of a nation. In some respects, I can't blame them. I (unusually) had coverage from the UK online last night and some of the criticism was far out of proportion to the seriousness of the situation. The bottom line is that if England beat Slovenia then they will still qualify and then, who knows? I have seen a minority of comments on BBC's 606 advising people to get over Rooney's foolish tirade, pointing out the pointlessness of booing, and urging people to support the players in their final group game. That's my feeling too. Of course, being Irish, I'm not crazy at the thought of the English doing well (at football), but I don't really want to see another group of talented players exiting the competition before their time. I hope Capello makes a few changes, England qualify (although not too emphatically) and go on to challenge some of the likes of Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Italy and Holland. Which game would you prefer to watch: England V Argentina or Slovenia V Argentina? Honestly.

I have kind of coasted through the two games tonight. Holland V Japan turned out much as I expected and I just couldn't seem to make myself care much about Ghana V Australia. My girlfriend did her teacher training there so she got pretty animated. The thought of Denmark V Cameroon isn't sending my pulse racing either. Perhaps not missing a single match since Germany V Australia (last Sunday) is finally taking it's toll? I doubt it. Amazing news that France have sent Anelka home. Surely the rest of the squad will be following pretty soon. I doubt employers will be queuing up to offer Domenech a job when Blanc takes over the reigns of the national team. Pitiful performance for two tournaments running.

Now I'm going to attempt something I've not done on my blog before and add some videos. My co-worker Bob was showing me a spoof rock band he likes and it reminded me of 'The Darkness', who I haven't thought about in ages. Did you think they were spoof or a proper band, at the time? Have a look and see what you think now. I even covered this song once with my old band 'DayRelease' at Sally Long's in Galway probably in 2004. As you probably noticed, I couldn't figure out how to add the video here so you'll just have to use the link provided.

Finally, if you're in need of a laugh then I recommend you watch this old sketch from Catherine Tate. She is pretty convincing as a stereotypical Belfast mother and even reminds me of an ex of mine here. Thanks to Catherine for sending me the link last night.

I see the viewing figures going up every day on my blog so PLEASE leave a comment or email your thoughts. I still haven't told most people that I'm doing this because I'm not sure what it's like or what it's even supposed to be like. One thing that is for sure is that it fills that awkward gulf between the second and third World Cup matches of the day. 25 minutes until kick-off. I hope you're enjoying it all as much as I am.