Notebook – to write stuff in. This is stating the obvious, but you need somewhere to write down stuff when it occurs to you. Ideas, quotations, lines of copy, jokes, nonsense, names telephone numbers. (That’s a failing of mine, writing down random telephone numbers without noting who they belongs to. Chances are I have your number but I don’t know it’s yours!) Moleskine variety preferred although the binding can fall apart which is annoying.
Also, a hard copy diary, again the Moleskine variety – the binding hasn’t fallen apart. Are the diaries different?
Thermal mug for drinking tea, keeps it piping hot in case I’m busy and I forget to drink it. Still find half full cups of cold tea about the place (note half full, not half empty – used to be half empty).
My glasses – eyesight not as bad as it was I feel, but I still need them.
iPhone – no-one rings me on the landline very much. Most irritating thing – the reception in the office is patchy. My iPhone has access to most of the info I need, much to the frustration of a few people!
Macbook – one of the best things that I ever bought and getting better. Linked to wireless Time Machine wireless backup yoke. Currently road testing Apple’s MobileMe. We’ll see what that does apart from duplicate all my phone entries which irritated me.
Bose Wave speakers – another great buy. Music is the order of the day when I’m working or serial time-wasting. Broadcast direct to the speakers wirelessly. Great job.
Vanilla candle – spark it up, essential part of the day.
Oxford Dictionary, Dictionary of Quotations, Dictionary for Writers and Editors and so on – need to be within arm’s reach.
Printer ink – expensive, annoying, indispensible.
Paper – see above.
Decent pen – don’t have one. Still mourn the loss of my father’s pen my mother gave me. I’m a bollix.
Four walls – various photos, signed Tyrone & Kilkenny shirts, scraps of paper, print of Picasso’s Lunatic (reminds me of my friend Micky). Photo of myself and Decky Coyle. Myself and Sr Anne. Picture of me da. Signed Peter Canavan football. Collage picture of Eoghan Rua senior camogie squad from 2009 – from Dubai to Dublin. Highs, lows, Gráinne’s All Star, Méabh’s sheer enthusiasm, Ulster Premier & Derry Premier League Winning team. Great times. Photos of Angela & weans.
Armchair and sofa, when sleep beckons I’m ready. Great believer in the recuperative power of a Scooby sleep. And I used to slag Angela for sleeping on the sofa. Now I can sleep anywhere. Some places I’ve slept? Copenhagen Zoo. Seated in Croke Park. KFC in Dubai. At the NW 200 last Saturday (tells you all you need to know about my attitude to motorbike racing!)
My desk – £26 in IKEA.
Two guitars on stands, beckoning me to please, please come and play. Rarely happens.
Extensive array of sports books, novels, poetry, loads of (best inspiration for writing I believe, helps you find the right word) DVDs and other odds and ends that mean something to me but little to anyone else.
The Irish News. No day is complete without it. Read from the back cover of course.
Every day’s different but some things stay the same.