It’s dark, cold, and a bit like Silent Night Christmas Eve here tonight. Eiskalt, -6oC. But there is something in the air, and a tweet from a friend Ag gig ar son na cúise dochreidte, @ForPadraig Ceol álainn ó Cholm Ó Snodaigh. We were watching Seo Linn, Kila, and Trinitones with Pádraig all night ’till they threw us out. Closing time. At 8pm. The gig in Dublin hadn’t even started. But it was magic already. Pádraig’s room filled up with music, our eyes full of tears, his hands trying to hold on to ours, the expression on his face saying: I know all this! I recognize and remember this! I am right there, in the middle, kind’o hard to miss. Having the time of my life. Next time, next time, next time, not only will I be there again, right in the middle, in front of the stage, I’ll sell the tickets, get the t-shirts, and get really mad at the people who just don’t get it! (Of course, in a nice way:).
He was listening. Listen.
We had to honor today to be called to the door by the Chefarzt. He didn’t want to enter the danger zone, I suppose. It’s a bit like being called by the principle. When it happens, and even though you know you haven’t done any wrong, you get nervous. He told us that Pádraig had a thrombosis in his groin. Instead of instantly treating it with powerful anticoagulants he asked if it was ok to wait until tomorrow, to give them time to assess the situation better, and to allow them to talk with the surgeons and thorax experts in the UKE. The good news is (there is a bit of good news, as strange as it might sound) that the thrombosis does not seem to be very new (which would have been a bit more dangerous), it looks very safely deposited and not particularly loose, and it will not stop therapists from moving him or sitting him up in the Thekla. – I am going to do a few Google searches tomorrow morning to see if there is anything, anything at all, that Pádraig hasn’t got yet.
The Oberärztin said, trying to make a joke, that they like him so much on this ward, they don’t want to let him go. Before Pádraig could intervene telling her not to try, ever, to tell a ‘joke’ ever again, because German jokes do not work, as he told me frequently too, she corrected herself and aplogolized – of course, they want to get rid of him asap, and send him over to Haus 3 for early neuro rehab, the German-intensive kind of stuff. – That made it two failed jokes within a matter of minutes.
A picture can tell a thousand words. Look at this picture, closely. See you the distance between the windows and the footpath gets smaller and smaller, the hill seems to grow into the houses. We were laughing today, thinking about how people react to snow in Dublin: you’re out with your water bottles, trying to get rid of the snow. Creating dozens of local ice-rinks in the process. People slipping and falling being shown on RTE TV. Offices closing down, schools off for the week, and electric fires nowhere to be had. Instead look at the straight line of clean, snow-cleared German footpath: it was created by a machine with strong brushes in the front to brush the snow out of the way, and grit being thrown out at the back – all operated by a really bored looking driver.
Don’t forget Friday’s ‘other’ Table Quiz – a night most definitely not to be missed!!! And next Wednesday in his old secondary school Coláiste Eoin: Ceolchoirm ar son Phádraig i gColáiste Eoin.
Send us a few pictures, short videos, brief reports, interviews with the bands, and I’ll post it on the website!
There it was again – a burst of energy, drums, richtig gute Laune eh, and the good vibes! Keep all of this coming!!!
Today’s German Music Tip
Die Toten Hosen, Liebeslied (2007). Doesn’t sound like and the video doesn’t look like this was a ‘love song’…
What’s hot
Reha
What’s cold
Thromosis
The German word/phrase/verse of the day
Liebeskummer (gibt es nicht, My Darling – it’ll be tomorrow’s German Music Tip)
Twitter: @forPadraig
#caringforPadraig
http://www.caringforPadraig.org
Upcoming events: http://www.caringforPadraig.org/events
Hospi-Tales 
Hi Reinhard,
Your writing is beautiful. It makes me both cry and laugh. Last night was lovely. Pádraig has great friends – I am truly moved by their loyalty. It reminds me of my own crew in the music world.
I spoke to a friend of mine from an organisation called Special Effect – http://www.specialeffect.org.uk/ – in England and mentioned Pádraig – (judging from your writing you would really enjoy the company of the boss there, Mick Donegan). Special Effect specialises in communication devices and solutions (I understand that sounds a bit corporate) and perhaps Pádraig could benefit from their wisdom. And I use that word on purpose because Mick is a man of profound integrity and wisdom. Special Effect is also a charity and Mick wins money from Europe (grants etc) to travel, help people and spread the word, so to speak.
If you do get in touch with them write to Mick (the contact details are on the website) and mention my name and even leave a phone number and he’ll get back to you straight away.
Please forgive me if writing this is a little out of turn.
Glad Pádraig felt the vibes last night. Glad music is such an ephemeral mysterious non-matter that it can permeate hundreds of miles effortlessly!
Le meas
Colm
Colm, a chara – we never met, but you feel so close. Laughing and crying are emotions that seem to reside on the opposite side of the spectrum but, at the same time, are so close together. Being able to laugh in a situation that sometimes is so desperate that you don’t know what to do make you a human again. Thank you for making the connection with Mick, I will write to him. – Music moves, connects, and energizes. You are so lucky to have this very special gift of words and music, and conviction and sincerity. There are plenty of reasons to be angry and to feel down – none of them are particularly exciting. What is inspiring is that people help each other and support each other in difficult times. Keep the music, this ephemeral mysterious non-matter permeate distance, time, and spaces, going, Colm, and keep sending it right into our hearts and minds. Le meas, Reinhard Thank you for everything!
I wonder if today Pádraig made any new movements,… We send you lots of abrazos y besos. Ojalá supiera escribir tan bien para enviaros mejor nuestros mejores deseos.
Ánimo, vais por el buen camino!!!
No new movements, Ana, but he keeps making them! – Reinhard
Hello, Reinhard. So sorry to hear of yet another obstacle to be overcome, and I wish Pádraig all the very best with this one. He, and you, do not deserve such suffering, to put it very mildly indeed.
My team is lined up for tomorrow evening, and some people who can’t make it have been directed to the website. The ticket for the concert in Coláiste Eoin has arrived in the post. Pádraig was prayed for (again) at Mass in DCU. I think he has made a lot of us into better people (no easy task), but the person we want to benefit from all our good will is of course himself.
With best wishes, Louise.
I am still struggling with what he’s doing to me, changing me into, Louise. Not sure what it is, Louise, but I know it’s not just different, but better. I am thinking of you (and your team) tonight. Hope you’ll win! Let us know how it all went tonight! – Reinhard
Hello, Reinhard. Well, we didn’t win, but we were very happy to have the opportunity to support Pádraig. There were so many people from so many walks of life … my friends and I decided that we would visit our former school principal, an tSúir Ekbhlín, who now lives in Belfast (if this is convenient for her). She and her community will pray for Pádraig, if they are nor already doing so. I strongly recommend the Dominican sisters for an intelligent, liberal education. With best wishes. Louise.
Yes, Louise. Pádraig is bringing people together who would otherwise never have met. I only experienced Dominican education second hand – but it seems to have done the trick:) – Reinhard
Eibhlín