If you watched Brendan O’Connor on last night’s Saturday Night Show (I know, I know, you had better things to do…), you’ll know already that the one Irish person who got a one-way ticket on the next available flight to Mars is Ryan ‘Tubs’ Tubridy – or so Brendan wished. Judging by the reaction he got from the audience, he wasn’t the only who’d love to wish Ryan all the best for his new career on Mars TV. But (and isn’t there always a but?) this morning I discovered a Late Late Show clip from 13 September of last year of a performance demonstrating the best of what a Late Late Show can produce. Maybe not all is lost? I guess, Ryan will have a bit of time to re-consider whether he really wants to leave or not. I cried watching this clip…

We were listening to German NDR radio and they were playing Avicii’s song ‘Wake me up’, which – in addition to making me look up the Late Late Show clip – also made us remember that Seo Linn – who have an Irish version of this song that has attracted 3.3m hits on youtube – will be playing at a concert that friends of Pádraig will be organizing for him.

When I watched the two videos, the original Seo Linn video and then their performance on the Late Late Show, I was in awe watching the fun, energy, and carefree-attitude on display here which are just incredible. And how apt: WAKE ME UP!

‘Feeling my way through the darkness
Guided by a beating heart
I can’t tell where the journey will end
But I know where to start’

Wake me up…

This morning, we rang the hospital and were told that Pádraig was well, everything was getting back to normal, and that he had been recovering well from the operation. What a relief! When we went to see him in the afternoon he looked well and seemed to be well on the road to recovery. His nurse was one of the kindest people you could meet. He said Pádraig was about his age. He then showed us how to do his mouth hygiene. We used about two dozen special swabs and two toothbrushes to clean Pádraig’s mouth using special liquid – all readily available in one of the many drawers in the cabinets of Pádraig’s room. The scary moment came when the nurse asked whether I wanted to shave Pádraig. I had never in my life done anything like it to anybody else – it’s bad enough to end up with a bloody face myself every so often. But it worked out fine, and as strange as it may sound, it felt good. Although it was really nothing, it was so good to be able to do something concrete for Pádraig. And I was really grateful to the nurse who had – instead of sending us out, as usual – decided to make us part of caring for Pádraig.

Two of his friends arrived later in the afternoon from Dublin who are taking out time from work and exam preparations to spend time with Pádraig. Friendship!

Today was a good day.

Today’s German Music Tip
Avicii (feat. Aloe Blacc), Weck mich auf (2013). Of course, this version is not by Avicii, but by a German singer (and his friend); you can check out the lyrics here. The really interesting bit is the contract between the German and the Irish language versions:).
What’s hot
Waking up
What’s cold
Worries
The German word/phrase/verse of the day
Litfaßsäule – something I had completely forgotten about, not just the word but also the concept, until I saw two in a row this morning when I was walking to the Bäckerei.