It’s not long now until the Culture Night is back!

This year, on Friday 24 September, a staggering 132 venues will be welcoming late evening/night visitors across Dublin. In order to run the event successfully, the Temple Bar Cultural Trust is currently looking for volunteers to help out as:

• Guides on the Culture Night buses
• Assistants at Information Points
• Assistant stewards with the outdoor events
• Assistants at the Temple Bar Cultural Information Centre

If you would like to get involved please download an application form and forward to volunteer@templebar.ie or contact 086 041 2613.

Sure it was raining this morning but the sky is clearing up. In Ballsbridge across from the RDS, life’s astirring with stands set up to greet throngs of fans and visitors of both Leinster and Ospreys. The blue flags in support of Leinster is evident (hey, home ground, of course!) in the neighbourhood, and soon enough the pubs in the area will fill up with excited fans.

This is our last chance of the season to win a silverware of some sort. After a disappointing Six Nations campaign, and crashing out of both Leinster and Munster in Heineken Cup at the semi-finals, we want a victorious game of the Magners League Grand Final! Let’s give Malcolm O’Kelly a triumphal sent-off before his retirement!

Goooooooo Leinster – come on boys, you can do it!

This is probably the kind of time we wish we’re connected by road or by rail to mainland Europe. UK has its saving grace in the form of the Channel Tunnel. Or as my friends call it, the Chunnel.

I am no meteorologist but is the volcanic ash from Iceland also causing part of the chill today?

Ps: does that mean any tourists who want to go out to Iceland right now to witness the eruptions (amazing isn’t it, how such a phenomenon is drawing in all the visitors to Iceland at the moment) or those already there are essentially also stuck in Iceland with no way in nor out either?

The list of events organised in conjunction with the initiative is impressive, from theatre performances to novel readings, from walking tour to self-portrait workshop. Many of them have free admissions, often booking not necessary.

If you’re unfamiliar with the story and don’t think you have the time to read the book (but hey, a whole month, surely there are some time you can spare?) you can check out the movie Dorian Gray which came out last year, starring Ben Barnes, Colin Firth and Rebecca Hall. It was a pretty good one in my opinion.

Amidst the spring shower and grey, dark clouds, occassionally bursts of sunshine bring smiles to everyone’s face and there’s nothing like a blue sky with white fluffy clouds to stop you in the track, to take in the fresh air and lift your head up high.

We apologise for the lack of news on Dublin Metblogs recently. I have been away from Dublin in the last couple of months, but due back later in the week. Will be catching up accordingly when I’m in town again.

Have you checked out the Love Lab over at Science Gallery? Participated in the survey and tests? Contributed your face for the construction of the reputedly most beautiful average face? Or attended either the speed dating or scientific blind date event? If so, what’s your verdict?

Anyone who hasn’t yet drop by should do it now. The exhibition is winding down, with many of the once-off associated events over now – but there’s still the Kiss and Make Up body casting event tomorrow, which will be interesting to attend.

Love Lab ends next week, on Friday 12 March 2010. So go on, measure your love temperature there.

This card landed in my mailbox and my first thought was, really?

A way to earn more money at time of economic downturn is by contacting someone whose email says freeholidays (presumably as an enticer)?

Please excuse my scepticism.

Early in the week, Carluccio’s shut its door at the wake of failure to meet its rent commitment after unsuccessful renegotiation of rent with its landlord. However, last evening, a new deal was struck and they will reopen again next week. What a week, eh?

I remember reading, when they first opened on Dawson Street, the extraordinary amount of rent that they’ve agreed to per annum. But of course, that was at the height of waves just before everything came crashing down. The old agreement saw Carluccio’s paying a rent of €680,000 per year, which works out to just under €1,900 per day. Yup, you read that right, per day! I don’t know if this kind of rate is the norm for properties on Dawson Street, but by goodness, that’s more than my monthly housing rent. And to think, given the economic downturn and the landlords were initially resisting a reduction in rent payable, that’s simply absurd. I can’t imagine they’ll be able to find a new tenant that would pay that amount should Carluccio’s vacate the premises. No one in their right mind should! Premium properties at city centre location, sure. Unrealistic rent overhead, nooooo.

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On other eateries coming and going in the city (while I was cocooned with work craziness), the Bang Cafe on Merrion Row has shut down last month – this most probably explains the removal of Michelin’s Bib Gourmand recognition – with some major mismanagement hanging over the head of the owners, the Stokes brothers. And the bad news is, it’s not just mismanagement of the cafe but also of their private members’ club on St Stephen’s Green. It is such a shame, since they formerly also ran Clarendon Inn and between that and Bang Cafe, they have served some really delicious grubs over the years.

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Latest news on the news today – Patrick Guilbaud is stepping down as director of his namesake restaurant that currently holds two Michelin stars. Now, this is one restaurant that still posted profits in 2008 (not sure about 2009 yet), but I do wonder what’s the implication now that he’s stepping down from his directorship.

One of the latest introduction is that of speed limit of 30 kilometres per hour in city centre area. Really? The whole city is going to be crawling. Not to mention, there are already plenty of stretches where it’s unlikely for vehicles to be going over 30km/h, and in general, road safety in the city centre has been good. Road accidents are more likely at places where there are long stretches of empty road ahead, which tempt some drivers into speeding and being careless. But in city centre? Additionally, the Garda resources are already limited and now they have to be stretched further to monitor really small speed discrepancies? And the government in general will also have to spend more money to put up the speed limit signs everywhere? Many opined that this brings on board more cons than pro argument. For now, I’m inclined to agree.

Recently, a blasphemy law was also passed, and I’m afraid I still haven’t quite get the point as to why this is necessary despite the changes in the faces of the society. How much time was spent debating the points of this legislation which can be better used to sort out other problems, such as harmonising public transport ticketing system, or improving health care, or fight against anti-social behaviour? PZ Myers, on invitation by Atheist Ireland, will be speaking at Buswells Hotel tonight, at 7.30pm, on this issue. The public is welcome and the entry is free.

Do you think these laws are unnecessary and wasting tax payers’ money? What’s next that’s going to be on the list of more frivilous laws?

It is a common sight at the airport, people struggling to redistribute items in their bags, between check-in and cabin luggage, or between cabin luggage of two or more people travelling on the same itinerary etc. Why? They’ve inevitably went overweight with one of the bags and trying to find a solution without incurring further charges.

Of course, it takes an entrepreneur (or two) to identify a gap in the market and be innovative. Introducing Flylight, a self-weighing luggage. Yup, luggage with built-in weighing scale so that travellers are not left guessing the total weight before they even get to the airport. Particularly handy when one doesn’t have a weighing scale at home. (Watch the video on their site to see how to use this nifty weighing function.)

Brainchild of Noel Regan and Pat Madigan, Flylight come in sets of twos – one suitable for cabin luggage (even by Ryanair’s measurement) and one larger size for check-in luggage. Retailing at €79.99 per set, it does seem good value although it may be a while before reviews come in to evaluate how sturdy are these weighing scale, particularly for check-in luggage which are liable to be handled roughly by baggage handlers.

If you have any experience using Flylight, let us know how they fare. Are they providing good value for money? Are they durable? Is the scale accurate? Would you recommend this for frequent travellers? Leave us a comment below.