I'll be blogged...again

The important life questions...

Why do certain NT scholars writing technical commentaries exegete the greek text by using latin phrases? Oh, and look... right there on pg 8... german too.

Where did I put that really important piece of paper that I won't be able to replace? More to the point why don't I remember actually receiving that important piece of paper which I'm assured was placed into my hand months ago?

Will the extensive written statement and copious amounts of documentation I provided to Centrelink today actually mean the problems are resolved?

Why is there nothing decent on Thurs night television at the moment? How on earth do they think I am going to procrastinate in front of the TV with that line up?

Why does life just feel so very blah at the moment?

How many updates of your Facebook status per day is just out and out excessive?

Is Haigh's hot chocolate with a best before date of Aug '05 still OK to drink in Aug '07?

What happens when you make said hot chocolate and then proceed to spill half of it over your desk and laptop?

I think I should just go to bed.

About the funniest thing you will ever watch

glumbert.com - Laughter is contagious

Can I just say...

Centrelink - ARGH!!!

Fidelity

13 days...

Much has happened:

- I got way lost trying to drive from Ryde to Carnley Heights
- I discovered that my DVD played apparently doesn't want to play sound anymore
- I finally got a wireless card put in my 'puter (though seems that we still can't get a decent reception in MAC)
- I called Unwired again in complete despair about their terrible lack of service
- I discovered the Macquarie Centre
- I cooked a very yummy potato gnocchi with pumpkin and pine nuts meal
- I went to the Blue Mountains
- I had flowerpot scones at the Wayzgoose cafe
- I tried to start a fire in the fireplace and failed (I'm thinking this is one of the God-given roles of males)
- I tried to turn on the central heating and failed (ibid)
- I discovered fries with aioli
- I read 3 fiction books
- I'm onto my 4th
- I watched The Notebook and cried.... again
- I watched Casino Royale and laughed a lot
- I watched Bride and Prejudice again and have been singing 'No life (doo doo dodo doo) without wife' ever since
- I had Christmas in July
- I got a brand new hair makeover
- I went to Ikea
- I discovered where countries such as Estonia, Moldova and Malta are on the European map
- I watched 28 Days Later through the fingers which covered my eyes for most of the movie
- I bought a new necklace
- I had pancakes for breakfast this morning
- I bought and received a Kris Kringle present
- I still have no idea what's going on with Lost
- I laughed a lot at The Poo's new dating show
- I spent some good quality time with friends
- I spent some good quality time by myself
- I spent some good quality time with God
- I thought a lot about the amount of work I have to do this week

Exploding Ovens

Well, I'm house-sitting at a friend's place for a week and enjoying some time out from studying at college, living at college, eating at college, and looking out my window only to see college :) The house I'm staying in is charming... although the oven presented me with some problems tonight.

You see, I grew up in a house which had an electric oven. None of this gas stuff. Over the years I have learnt to manage the gas burners... although I still turn the dials and flick the lighter with some trepidation. But I seriously couldn't not work out how to get my friend's oven working tonight. After 15 minutes I decided to phone a friend.

I called my mum first... she couldn't help me - she still has the same electric oven and is as useless at this gas stuff as I am.

I called my nanna (who has a gas oven) and after we eventually established exactly how hers worked we also established that my friend's obviously didn't work the same way.

Finally I called another friend who had stayed here before and asked if she had even used the oven. She hadn't.

But after I found a little switch inside the oven which started pumping the gas out she convinced me to do the very thing which I was hoping to avoid - stick most of my right arm in towards the back of the oven with the lighter and see if that worked. She told me she would stay on the line whilst I tried it, just in case the oven (and I) exploded.

It seemed that was a fairly pointless exercise since by the time she heard the explosion it would have been a tad too late for me. She replied that at least this way someone would know both the oven and I had exploded rather than, I presume, someone finding my charred remains days later.

Needless to say both the oven and I emerged from our initial 'getting to know you' phase relatively unscarred, and I finally got to eat my chicken dinner.

Baaaaaaaaaaaa

Yes. I'm a sheep. I readily admit it. I find it all too easy to just follow the crowd.

And so after my umpteenth invitation to join Facebook I bit the bullet and joined. A friend told me it would only take me 5 minutes to do so. 3 hours later I'm still on it trying to track down old and new friends in all manner of creative ways.

But the more I ponder the whole concept of Facebook, the more I am convinced it might be a helpful tool for people like me - that is, people who are slack at keeping up with friends they don't see terribly often (or who even lose the contact details of friends they don't see terribly often!).

Yes. It's true. I'm a sheep and a terrible friend.

So, fair reader, if you are already a member of Facebook then add me as a friend (please? My self esteem needs a bit of a boost at the moment). And if you are not a member then please consider my humble suggestion that it might be worth the 3 hours it takes to get going on it (ignore the 5 minute rubbish everyone else tells you)!

Laughter is Contagious

It's official

The hebrew vowel system is the current bane of my existence.

Watch'ya learn in Kids Church?

Yesterday evening, after our 5pm service at church I ran into one of the little kids from our congregation... well to be more accurate he ran into me.

I crouched down and said to the 3 year old, "What did you learn in Kids Church tonight?"

He jumped up and down on the spot for a few seconds thinking about it and then in a very decisive voice he answered "Noah!"

"Cool! Noah! What did Noah do?"

More jumping. More thinking.

"He died on the cross!"

------

(I found out later that the lesson had been about Jacob and Esau!)

Yeah, Yeah I know

I'd say sorry but that would presume that there are people actually disappointed that I have not posted anything in over a week!

So what's new? My answer is still 'Absolutely nothing'. Life goes on. Decisions have to be made. Conversations have to be had. Afternoon naps still look very appealing. Hebrew must be learnt. Car still must be fixed (for the 4th time!). Design work must be done.

And holidays cannot come quickly enough.

So nothing fun, new, exciting, quirky or interesting to share with you. But if you are really bored then go check out this video to remind you of how great it is to be human (as opposed to a lion, crocodile or buffalo)

Lost for words

Well, after a very intense weekend my ethics essay made it into the box on time this morning. One of my problems in writing essays is that I am too verbose and always end up over the word limit. This of course entails additional editing time trying to work how to cut out content without losing the logical flow of the essay. Hence the 2am finish this morning.

Whilst I am never lost for words when it comes to essays, I am currently lost for words in a far more literal sense. My flu has developed into a fairly amusing case (at least for some) of laryngitis. I think trying to keep 30 kids under control in Sunday school yesterday with a voice that was fast fading was the final straw. I'm hoping that I will sound less like a very husky drag queen by the time I lead the service at women's chapel tomorrow morning!

Pray without ceasing...

Will you please pray for little Georgina and her family?

I received a forwarded email a few days ago asking for prayer for them (though I do not know them personally), and upon reading their story, I was both greatly distressed and enormously encouraged. Greatly distressed at the pain, uncertainty and sorrow that is filling their lives at present. Enormously encouraged at their utter dependence and trust on God and his purposes in all this.

It's an incredible and humbling witness. Praise God for his sustenance of them in this! And please petition God that, if it be his will, he would heal little Georgie and restore her to her family in full health.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. - 1 Thes 5:16-18

Chaaaargeee!!!!

Yep. It happened. The bad cell-thingies launched a ferocious attack around midnight, whilst the good-cell thingies were apparently sleeping on the job. They initially invaded the throat area which made swallowing something akin to breathing down razor blades and consequently also made an indirect (though very successful attack) on any chance of a good night sleep. This morning they decided to divide and conquer, with half their number moving up into my sinuses and head and the other half marching down to my legs where they have been continuously torturing my muscles throughout the day.

The good news... the second part of Anne of Green Gables was the midday movie today.

Ahhhh... Gilbert Blythe. *sigh*

How ethical is being unwell?

My body apparently can't decide if it is unwell or not. Every second day I end up with a very sore throat and a headache... and then the next day it is gone. So I'm stocking up on the vitamin C tablets and cold & flu capsules in anticpation of the imminent day when the bad cell-thingies invading my body, overpower the good cell-thingies which are normally in residence (yes... I did drop all science classes at the end of yr 10).

In the meantime I'm trying to get moving on an ethics essay due next Monday. I'm engaging with the ethics of a dude called Gilbert Meilaender, a protestant ethicist who certainly has some very interesting and challenging things to say.

If you've got a spare couple of minutes, or are looking for some productive methods of procrastination then you can check out some of his articles online:

Begetting & Cloning
Stem Sell Job
The Drive to Have a Child "Like Me"

And you can see and hear him here.