Regular Singular Points

If the children are being a real pain at dinner, I’ll only allow them to say something if they sing it in “fake opera”. I can’t tell you how much this helps their behaviour! Not only that, but it makes everyone smile and it’s especially funny when we have guests. Everyone should try it.

Sometimes, when my wife is in a bad mood, I’ll tell my children that I’ll give them a dollar (or a Euro when we’re in Europe) if they can make her laugh. I’ve never actually paid-up, but it does help. It might work for your family, dunno.

I spent some time in Northern Ireland recently and it wasn’t the experience I had expected. The people of NI have a cultural problem in that they can’t decide if they’re Irish or if they’re British. There, amid the Mountains of Mourne, is set the legendary Ulster cycle, the Táin Bó Cúalnge. The people of Northern Ireland are proud of this this ancient Celtic epic and want to tell you all about it at every opportunity. I’m good with that; everyone loves a good story. Yet some of these people who are so quick to embrace this epic myth are the same people that don their orange sashes every year and march down the street to intimidate the Catholic minority. Until they decide which culture to embrace, they’ll never make much progress.