Man’s best friend

I’m planning to get a dog, a Siberian Husky to be precise. My parents and relatives all think I’m mad to throw away my independence in order to look after a canine. But to be honest, living on your own, being responsible to no one but yourself, kind of messes with your mind. Not just the loneliness, but it gets far too easy to toss personal discipline out the window and vegetate in front of the telly or computer. I think having a dog would be good for me, both for company and to devote time and energy to. The Siberian Husky’s wolfish looks are what drew me to this breed. I’ve since done some research on their temperament, and now I want one more than ever.

Last Friday a friend put me in touch with a Sibe owner. I went round to visit the dog and see one first-hand. Dakota is a two-year old Husky. Outdoors, she plays a game where the green belongs to her, and anyone who’s on it gets pushed off (in a friendly way). Well, I tried the game. The dog rushed towards me like a bullet and knocked me right off my feet. I landed heavily on my shoulder and could sleep that night till 3.00am with a sore neck. And if that hasn’t put me off Siberian Huskies, nothing will!

Filmmaking update

Editing on Don’t Look in the Attic is now complete. It’s down to me to get the music composed and to sort something out for the title sequence. After that we’re pretty much done. It has turned out to be around 30 minutes; ten longer than expected - which is good, because I didn’t like the idea of organising a premiere for a mere 20 minute feature. This year’s Film Club at Clounagh Junior High is also going strong. The original band of about 20 pupils has narrowed to five or six regulars. It’s a pity, but it’s really more manageable. Also, one of the pupils in particular has heaps of enthusiasm and has taken it upon himself to direct. This is a breath of fresh air for me, because it means I can let them get on with it instead of having to drive the thing forward myself all the time. The movie will be available for download close to the end of term (June). This summer, the plan is to put filmmaking out of my head for a year and knuckle down to writing my second novel. I say this with some hesitation, because I’ve had a few false starts, but we’ll see.

Belfast City Marathon

Five members of staff at Clounagh Junior High (including myself) volunteered to take part in this year’s Belfast City Marathon. The pupils who are going on next year’s ski trip are using this as an opportunity to raise money for Katya Vanchev Orphanage in Bulgaria. Last year I think they raised about 900 pounds. It’s great to know the money will be going to something very specific which will make a big impact on a few people, rather than spead far and wide where you never quite get a feel for what your money has achieved. I was very happy to do my bit. On the relay, the leg I ran was 4.9 miles, but ended up being six because there was a bombscare and we had to re-route. Our team did well in the relay, coming in 179th out of almost 1300 teams. This was my first go at a marathon relay, and I’d definitely do it again. As for doing the full 26-mile marathon, forget it!