There are loads of things you could say about shapes. At the end of the day, you can’t argue about taste, right? The shape of things to come. The shape of things. The shape of yourself. Shape.
So, today is my birthday. And I have one wish. Tonight we went out for a meal: five, the ‘five’ is in my age now, too often, Irish: one living in Australia, one just back from Australia and New Zealand, one originally a German, one living in Germany, and one living in Ireland; including myself; in Germany; in a Greek restaurant; with a waiter from Southern India, a Sikh. And I have one wish. Somebody tell me that the world is actually not completely and utterly confused, upside down, turned inside out, mixed up. We had a lovely evening. Remembering our trips as singles, down to Greece, on the train, and on to the islands. Shirley Valentine. Mama Mia. Oh my God. Back home, an old friend (both really old, and old in the sense of long) rang. I never hugged him (and probably never will:), but tonight I felt like doing it. Good job, he didn’t know, and I will never tell him. I have just one wish.
Down at the hospital, Pádraig is doing ok. Pat and I were trying to nail down in our own minds, how we see him improving. He opens (at least) his left eye when one talks to him for a few minutes, he has moved his head and can sustain it, he moves his leg/foot just a little bit (we think to the music), and there is definitely a great sense of presence there that hadn’t been there before. – The other good news today was that a music therapist was there to see Pádraig today.
So, we are looking for music Pádraig likes. We have our own ideas, but would welcome any advice you could give us!
I have just one wish… And – talking about music: a very good friend recorded parts of the Concert for Pádraig of Wednesday, 05 February 2014, in Coláiste Eoin. Tonight, I listened to The Bonnymen, who created and played a wonderful song about one of the blog entries: the dream boat…
It was the best birthday present ever!
Today’s German Music Tip
Berthold Brecht, “Die Dreigroschenoper (The Threepenny Opera): Die Ballade von der Unzulänglichkeit des menschlichen Lebens” (1928).
Ja; mach nur einen Plan
sei nur ein großes Licht!
Und mach dann noch´nen zweiten Plan
gehn tun sie beide nicht.
What’s hot
Birthdays
What’s cold
Birthday presents
The German word/phrase/verse of the day
Körperfettwaage (what my sister in law dared to give me as a birthday present!!!!)
Twitter: @forPadraig
#caringforPadraig
http://www.caringforPadraig.org
Upcoming events: http://www.caringforPadraig.org/events
Hospi-Tales 
Reinhard – Happy birthday!! How lovely to spend it with (hopefully) good Greek food and reliving memories of adventures past in Greece and the islands .
What an unfortunate gift from your in-law…! (Perhaps you should write up a list of Acceptable Gifts for future birthdays, since they clearly need some guidance! 😉
May the coming year bring peace and happiness, excitement and joy — and all the other wonderful things you deserve. If the current situation has taught us one thing, it’s that our time is precious (regardless of the numbers), love and nurturing between beings is what it’s about and spreading kindness and joy. Also receiving kindness and the gifts that others give.
Next time you see your old friend go ahead and hug him. Everybody can use a hug… and it’s good to shake up the social order and expectations! Reminds me of a popular humorous card going around:
“Tell someone you love them today, because life is short. But SHOUT it at them in Greek*, because life is also terrifying and confusing.”
(* the original says German, because it’s unthinkable that an American would know German, so I substituted.)
I hope my relatives are reading your comments, Diane 🙂 – Hugs are great, you’re right! Though the shouting probably works brilliantly in German, it’s the kind of language that was invented for shouting:) – Reinhard
Dear Reinhard,
All the very best for your birthday. I know you would wish to celebrate it in different circumstances. However it is very good, as always, to hear how Pádraig is doing.
All the very best,
Louise
Hertzliche Glückwünsche zum Geburtstag Reinhard!!! Hoch soll er leben, hoch soll er leben drei mal hoch. Hoch! Hoch! Hoch!
The ‘hoch, hoch, hoch’ would have presented you with a challenge, Ana, at least if you believe my new ‘Körperfettwaage’. But I think it’s actually broken. I might just give it back so that whoever bought it can at least get their money back 🙂 — Reinhard
I remember well from last May when we finished our finals from college “little talks” by Monsters and Men was the song, Pádraig was always requesting. I hope to get up to Hamburg soon to see him again.
Ich wünsche dir auch alles Gute zum Geburtstag Reinhard! Grüße aus Köln, Seán!
go raibh míle maith agat go mór, Seán. You should get a one way ticket out of this town. Carnival is coming up! – Reinhard
Alles alles Gute, Reinhard!! The last time a German was telling me he was in a greek restaurant it was 2010 nd the story finished with the line “and then when he asked if we wanted the bill,I said,” what bill? Germany has just footed the Greek bill!”…! I everyonr has a Pádraig playlist (youre in no way short of song suggestions!) but i distinctly recall pádraig claiming ‘Wagon wheel’ by Old crow medicine to “probably”(!) be one of his favourite songs ever.
Also another one that comes to mind is ‘time to pretend’ by mgmt-in 1st year of college, we were talking one night about how much we both really liked the song and then one morning a while after this i awoke to see that I had a voice msg from padraig consisting solely of this song being performed live at their concert! Please tell pádraig I was asking for him nd am currently picking dates for a spring visit! Hope you’re all keeping well nd are finding the new abode a bit cosier (Durchzug hin oder her.. ..!). Such great news from today-thanks for sharing, really appreciated nd gives such a lift!
Truth is, Deirdre, that the ‘Greek’ restaurant we went to had an Indian waiter (trying to look Greek), so maybe, the Greeks owning this restaurant originally had been bailed out but made to hand over their business in the process. In the end, it was the German (!) who paid the bill – sounds familiar, doesn’t it? 🙂 Die armen Deutschen.
Thank you so much for passing on the song titles – they are on the list now! The MGMT story is one not to forget.
I discovered that Durchzug is one thing, a constant Draft is another thing altogether when I went home last week and was freezing the whole time… had forgotten all about what cold days are like in Ireland.
I’ll tell Pádraig about your plans for the spring break. Can’t believe that the sun is shining outside. – Reinhard
Breithlá shona, Reinhard. I take it that I can welcome you to the ‘Big Five O Club’!!! It was so nice to spend time with you last Thursday. Warmest wishes and hugs (yes, hugs work!!) to you, Pat and Padraig. Le grá mór, Siobhán (Coláiste Eoin)
Go raibh míle maith agat go mór, Siobhán. I wish it was ‘just’ the big Five O 🙂 It’s more like a double Five – years ago I would have received free Dublin Council Leisure Centre membership now, they stopped that scheme when they saw me coming… Nice to hear from you, Siobhán, and it was lovely to see you last week. – Reinhard