IRISHMAN FOR HIRE

As I fluttered my eyelids a few times while trying to wake up, I could hear my daughter had climbed into bed with us and was trying to be snuggly. I adjusted my eyes on the picture hanging on the wall, rubbed my right hand over my forehead and then through my hair as I rolled over to see my smiling four year-old staring at me.

“Good morning, Daddy!”

“Good morning, Chloe,” I mumbled as I stared exhaustedly at the ceiling. “What time is it?”

“6:45,” came a response from Stephanie who was still trying to pretend to be asleep on her side of the bed.

“Guess what, Chloe?”

“What?”

“I have a surprise for you today. Go see if you’re brother is awake.” And with that pronouncement, Chloe jumped off of the bed and ran into Josh’s room. As the door slammed full force against his bedroom wall with a loud thud, I turned to Stephanie and quipped, “Josh is up now.”

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In 2008, I decided that at the end of the awards season (The Golden Globes, The Oscars, The Grammy’s, etc.), I am going to give out a single award here at Irishman For Hire called the Blarney Stone Award. The Blarney Stone is a block of bluestone atop the Blarney Castle in Ireland and it is widely believed that anyone who kisses the Blarney Stone (different link) will be endowed with the “gift of gab (great eloquence or skill at flattery).”

The criteria for the Blarney Stone award is simple, “Thank those who have had an impact on my life before it’s too late to express the gratitude that I have for them.” I cannot guarantee that the recipient will become eloquent or a great speaker but the fact of the matter is that it was the eloquence of their actions that has spoken volumes to me in my life. We always intend to tell those important people in our lives what they have meant to us but more often than not, we never get the chance to say to our friends and family members what we truly feel in our hearts until it is too late.

The inaugural Blarney Stone Award was given to my Aunt Renate and last year, the award went to my Mother-in-law.

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“I wanna run through the rain/dance on a cloud/Steal a kiss and then laugh out loud/Feel those butterflies in my soul/Catch butterflies one by one/Sprinkler underneath the sun/All those things from the days gone by/ I wanna wake up and start living life” is the powerfully poignant theme that is the driving message of Lee-Ellen’s debut album Falling Up. As a teacher, wife and mother of two, Lee-Ellen never thought she would be choosing this moment in her life “to wake up and start living life.” And although Lee-Ellen has had to face her fair share of adversity throughout the years, she has found the strength to persevere and overcome the obstacles that have stood in her way.

Lee-Ellen went public with her debut album Falling Up at her CD release party over the weekend. As I listened to the album over the past week, I became engrossed in the imagery of her lyrics as they flowed effortlessly from her heart. And unlike so many freshman records that seem to be thrown together as a smorgasbord of musical eclecticism, Falling Up is cohesively woven together like a melodic kaleidoscope that invited me to share in the beauty of the emotions that Lee-Ellen hauntingly invokes.

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“Correct me if I am wrong, but isn’t it true that when a new President is elected, the First lady designs a new rug for the Oval office?” I asked Seth.

“I don’t know…” Walt replied.

“… I haven’t heard anything like that,” interjected Seth. “I know there was a big deal made about Laura Bush decorating a new rug a few years ago but I am not aware of there being any type of tradition regarding the rug.”

“It’s true,” came a voice from behind us. “Whenever a new President is elected, the First lady designs the rug for the Oval office. This rug is actually the rug designed by Laura Bush because Ms. Obama has not completed hers yet.”

As we turned around to see who was answering the question, we were staring right into the face of the Secret Service Agent stationed in this section of the West Wing. He was physically menacing. He was six feet six inches tall and was chiseled from head to toe. As he was talking to us, I couldn’t help but think that this guy could break me in half with his pinkie finger.

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