Hello, world. I’m MacDara Conroy, and this is my blog.

Finally getting a listen to the Let It Bleed edition of The Replacements’ Tim and my immediate impression is, “It’s a seventies rock record.” Ed Stasium do Candy Apple Grey next #music #aside

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Received a (legit) invite to breakfast and a clothing launch in Saint-Tropez. Flights and accommodation not included, alas #aside

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Was confused why I can’t book train tickets past 9 December on the Irish Rail site but I think I found the reason: they’ve got a new timetable in the works from the 10th that’s still open for consultation. Note I had to join those dots myself; they don’t make it easy, do they? #aside

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Custom emoji disappeared from the work Slack this morning and it is CHAOS, I tell you #aside

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Late to the news of the death last month of Ed Barger, best known to me as producer on the Meat Puppets’ earliest stuff as well as with the LA art-punk collective Monitor. But he was also producer and benefactor of the embryonic DEVO in their shared hometown of Akron, Ohio. His former partner Laurie O’Connell, one of the brains behind Monitor, posted a touching tribute here #music > Facebook.com/WorldImitation #aside

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Ah, the Rocktober reissues got me again! Just put Fun House, Remain in Light and Marquee Moon on the credit card #aside

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Pretty disappointing to receive a delivery from a shop without the primary items you ordered, sigh… #aside

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Catching up on #AEWCollision and wow, the low attendance is really obvious. And on a college campus, with the first semester well under way? That’s not good #aside

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#NowPlaying Palm - Nicks and Grazes (on fancy limited ‘Away Kit’ vinyl). I completely missed that they’re breaking up and just played their last show two nights ago. What a loss! #aside

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Tomb Mold trying to out-fusion VoidCeremony on their new album, I hear #aside

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Oh, it’s ‘the local kids have bought their bangers from Jonesborough’ season already. Jazzed for the next two months of random nightly explosions… #aside

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So, it turns out Google Calendar has a limit on repeat-forever events, but the Calendar app on my Mac just ignores that and keeps repeating, which resulted in a messed-up duplicate work calendar. My fix was go to the last date of the event in GCal before the duplication starts in Mac Calendar, set the event to end on that date (not before making a note of any subsequent changes from the usual schedule) then start a new repeat event from the next appropriate day (and any edits as necessary) #aside

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Just got stung four times by two different wasps in the back garden. I’m in bits but I’d be far worse if Bee wasn’t here to help me #aside

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Managed to pull the big weeds in the back garden before it got too uncomfortable to carry on. Screw this, we’re making margaritas #aside

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Just walked to the supermarket five minutes from the house and back and I’m pouring with sweat. It’s too much! #aside

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Welp, my bus is already half an hour late so I’ll be missing Jessica Moss’ set supporting BIG|BRAVE tonight #aside

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Unconfirmed report that Stains guitarist Robert Becerra died on Friday. One of the greatest you’ve probably never heard, because the band’s sole album is nigh on impossible to find #aside

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Anyway, it’s #wrestling and I’m still not fully convinced the official statement from AEW isn’t part of some elaborate work, which in fairness would be very much in keeping with the ‘Bret in ’97’ thing #aside

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The #CMPunk drama has been dragging #AEW down but it’s sad that it’s come to this, especially since he had the makings of a good ‘Bret in ’97’ thing going, he was in better ring shape and seemed motivated. He also seems like a person with his heart in the right place but a temperamental baby when it comes to navigating the business behind the curtain #aside

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Just got a promo link for the new #Sprain album (while the vinyl I ordered is on the way). Please note it has not one but two tracks that run over 24 minutes. (This might be a way-off-the-mark reference, but I’m hearing a Mark Eitzel influence on the vocals here) #aside

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No one asked Saraya the easy kayfabe question: she didn’t beat the champion to win the title, so when is she giving Hikaru Shida a shot so she can prove herself? #aside

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#AEWAllIn was a great show but let’s be honest: that Penta injury spot was ethically dubious. And the fact no one has brought it up at the media scrum says everything about that kind of thing #aside

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#AEW missed a trick not having a child outside the stadium saying “Adam Cole is going to win, whether he wants to or not!” #AEWAllIn #aside

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Wild to think that a year ago we were wondering how #AEW might ever get 20-30k people into Craven Cottage when tomorrow they’re running Wembley with a crowd of over 80k #aside

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Blasting the cobwebs out of my brain with this promo for the new Cannibal Corpse #aside

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Rocked by the news about Bray Wyatt. Covid-exacerbated heart condition. He was only 36 #aside

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Five LPs currently winging their way in the post to me from various locations. And one of them’s even a new release! #aside

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Heartbroken to learn Terry Funk is no longer with us. A genuine #wrestling legend, in many ways shockingly ahead of his time. The Grim Reaper is an egg-sucking dog! #aside

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I’d love to get a copy of the Shadow Rules of the Road that drivers in Ireland seem to follow. Y’know, the one that tells them parking on the footpath cancels out a double yellow, or that amber lights mean ‘pedal to the metal’, or that indicating is optional (especially on roundabouts) #aside

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Looking up somewhere for a short pre-Xmas getaway. Yes, it’s one of those mornings #aside

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My work is running a photography contest, and I was going to go out this morning with my ‘good’ camera to find something worth capturing. That didn’t happen, but I did get reacquainted with the camera, a Canon EOS 450D which is 15 years old but works like the day I got it. Now I’m thinking of getting a new lens for it; a basic telephoto doohickey sounds good #aside

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They’re putting in a bottle return machine at the Aldi across from the Marshes. Could’ve sworn Lidl said they were doing it first #aside

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Every year I panic for days/weeks about how to reinstall my website’s SSL cert and every year it only takes a few minutes #aside

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The Rodriguez documentary embellishes a bit to make him seem more obscure than he was, but it’s true that he was a big deal in South Africa and Bee was flabbergasted that I’d never heard of him #aside

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Quite enjoyed the Tekken 7 finals at #EVO this evening. It was more engrossing then most of SummerSlam, I can tell you that much #aside

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Bought a DLC bundle for American Truck Simulator on Steam, then got so pissed off at a route that gave me nowhere to park my poorly articulated load so I could sleep that I immediately refunded it #aside

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Catching up on this week’s #AEW action. I was thinking the Yuengling Center looks like a great place for #wrestling, with the close tiered seating — and of course it has been for decades: it’s the Sun Dome under a new name #aside

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If Google wanted people to use Google less, well, their latest update to Chrome has broken search from the right-click menu so I’ve switched to DuckDuckGo to make it work again #aside

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Went to the cinema yesterday for the first time since *checks notes* November 2019. That special feeling of being in a dark room with a massive screen before you is still there, but it’s trumped by the ridiculous expense (€14 for a matinee screening!) and the hell of other people. On balance, I can do without it #aside

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The only two reasons I’m still on Facebook: friends and family; and Chuck Dukowski just replied to my comment on an old zine ad #aside

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That’s me logged off from the day job for a long weekend #aside

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RIP Adrian Street, one of the rare British wrestlers from the classic ‘World of Sport’ era who was an attraction on both sides of the Atlantic > BBC News #aside

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