The Blog Awards last Saturday night were a memorable occasion. It was fascinating to meet and listen to the ‘real life’ people behind the various blogs. I say listen because I have to admit I am not a blogger, not a real one anyway. I was lost to a good extent when conversation turned to the technical side of things and I have never been bitten by the bug of surfing through the blogosphere.
Gavin (my nephew) over at Gavinsblog and The Story, set up and maintains Public Inquiry. He is also a source of great encouragement and inspiration, especially when I’m suffering from a serious bout of procrastination. The bottom line is that I see blogging as a means of getting across the message on Irish corruption. Doing this on a public forum forces me to think carefully about quality of writing and accuracy of content, and thus, I hope, improve my writing/communications skills.
Was it coincidence, I wonder, that the event occurred on the night of a lunar eclipse? Do such astronomical events trigger the bloggers psyche onto a higher astral plane? (All queries to the event organizer, Damien Mulley, who was universally and deservedly acclaimed on the night).
Certainly, the ‘after’ socializing at the aptly named ‘Howling at the Moon’ pub/nightclub would indicate that there is some truth in the idea. I was anxious about this part of the night as I was obviously the ‘most senior’ member of our party and knew I would not be comfortable in the standard nightclub environment.
But Howling at the Moon turned out to be an experience in itself. A four storey Alice in Wonderland type labyrinth of oversize furniture, massive chandeliers, outsize (real) plants and heavy velvet curtains created a Victorian like setting for the large, buzzing but not crushing crowd The setting made it possible to enjoy the music but still engage in good conversation and the craic.
As I mentioned, the whole experience was a memorable one and I certainly look forward to next year’s event.