Just when I thought I could not have any more bad luck here in Dublin - it has hit again. When you see me next I will have a 4cm long scar (6 stiches + one internal stitch) on my left cheek thanks to some drunken idiot in a club in Temple Bar.

Here's the story...kind of so you all know and feel sorry for me and partly for my own memory and to get it out of my head... (if you don't like blood stop reading!)

I was in Bobs in Temple Bar celebrating a friends 21st birthday. I was standing talking to Karen and her firend Chris and I hear someone (I think a girl?) shouting "You f***ing spilt my drink". She must have retaliated and thrown her drink at the person who had spilt hers, only she missed and the next thing I know I felt my top get saturated with beer followed closely by the glass hitting my face. I put my hand to my face and felt a big flap of skin with blood spurting out everywhere. It was very crowded and dark in the club so I was screaming and trying to get someone to help. I couldn't see who did it but remember seeing a couple of girls standing where the glass come from.

Finally I got help and was ushered into the managers office and the ambulance was called. I got to hospital (the ambo's had Fire Department written on their uniforms!?) at 1:35 and was patched up. The nurse was horrible pointing out to me that I would have a big scar on my face (like I didn't know that!) and then refusing to belive before she took my blood pressure that I was going to faint. After 20 minutes on a bed regaining my blood pressure I was out with the drunks in the waiting room. Luckilly my wonderful friends Neal, Karen and Derval were there to sit with me. Neal stayed the full 9 hours till I was seen at 9:30am and hung around while I got stiched up. Don't know if I would have coped without you guys!

St James hospital emergency room was an experience in itself. I was in with the drunks and the knackers all with self inflicted assorted injuries as results of falls or fights. One guy there said to me " I had a few jars and fell off a bunk bed" He broke his nose and wrist. There was a young guy there who when he walked in on the arms of a few friends looked like was on some pretty heavy drugs. In the morning he was bouncing off the walls and informed Neal and I that he had "tried to kill himself with alcohol and fell over and cut his head". Some of the patients got a bit annoyed at the long wait and were constantly causing trouble in the waiting room. Needless to say it was not a very pleasant night.

Apparently after I left the club Zena insisted that the guardai were called and they took down numbers. I called on Sunday night and reported the incident and have an appointment with the duty sergent on Thursday night. Tomorrow I have to go to the trauma clinic at the hospital where I will see a plastic sergeon. Hopefully the scar will not be too bad as it is almost a clean cut - I only lost a tiny amount of skin. Reguardless I will be speaking to a solicitor about recouping any money from the club.

This is all really terrible timing with the festival opening last night (I missed out on my opening night tickets to Oyster :( - I am going tonight though so it's not too bad). I am unemployed again in two weeks too so hopefully my scar is seen as tough and not a potential liability to future employers.

Thanks to Neal, Karen, Zena, Derval (my new next of kin!) and everyone else that has rung or helped me.