Saturday, November 14, 2009

Daddy (by Joel)

daddy is a bady
who lives in a cloudy
meger monstres bomb proof
closit that was boosed
into outer spacs were the monster
truck blue it up

Joel R.

[daddy is a baddy
who lives in a cloudy
major monstrous bomb proof
closet that was boosted
into outer-space
where the monster truck
blew it up.]

At least I'm not the only evil parent. I like Joel's short 'o' assonance through lines 3 and 4 and half-rhyme end of line rhymes.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Idol

Nathan's gone. Oh well. For the first time in AI history, I think the top 3 are actually the best 3.

Why did Hayley try to do U2?

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Annoying Mummy

Of course, I am the worst mother in the world. Joel wrote this today. I was sitting next to him making him do spelling. He might have started out a little angry, but he finished up with a big smile on his face. Nothing like a rant-poem to get it all out of your system. Enjoy! I did.

Annoying Mummy


Mummy is annoying day and night,
Sometimes I don't like to be in her sight.
She bans me from the computer,
She definitely can get a bit cuter,
She smacks really hard.
When I just might win
She calls in reinforcements.
Daddy shuts me in my room
and the door bangs, BOOM!

by Joel R. (age 8)

I particularly like lines 6 and 7. Does Joel really think there's a chance he might win? Against me? If things have gotten to the 'reinforcement' stage, he's got no chance. Kind of fun seeing your parenting from your kid's point of view!

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

having a great holiday...

...but wifi caravan park internet is just not worth the fuss. I'll check in on friday.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

holidays!

Saturday, October 31, 2009

top 5 things that I don't do

1. Tax returns
2. Bill paying
3. Car packing
4. Planning for any holiday except our regular trip to Caloundra
5. Yard work

If Andrew died, I'd have no access to cash (my fault, not his), no electricity, no gas and no internet (!). We'd go on the same holiday each year, but everyone would need to gather their own stuff. The yard would be overgrown. Eventually the tax office would catch up with me, but it would take them a while because I wouldn't open the letters they sent.

None of this would be Andrew's fault. But I'd probably blame him anyway for enabling my helplessness.

Oh blogging king, we humbly bow before you...


Simone - green
Ben - purple
Nathan - orange

ratio


I got this book for my birthday last week.

Used it last night to make biscuits by the 1:2:3 sugar:fat:flour ratio. It makes sense. I know how that ratio works, now I tinker it to get a batch of biscuits just how I want them.

Now I need a decent set of kitchen scales. Maybe for christmas.

Blogging graph


Just because I could.

This graph compares my number of blog posts per month (green) with Ben (purple), Al (orange), Andrew (brown) and Izaac (blue). I really wanted to put Nathan on, but I can't easily get monthly data off his blog. You can see the June blog-off spike clearly on Ben's line - mine is not so clear since I pulled out on day 8.

November should be a dip for me since I'll be away for half of it. See you all soon.

top 5 things I like about halloween

1. Jack-o-lanterns

2. Jack-o-lanterns

3. Jack-o-lanterns

4. Jack-o-lanterns

5. Jack-o-lanterns

top 5 problems with halloween


1. It's an import. Not really part of our culture.
2. The idea of trick or treat is nasty. 'Give me a lolly or I'll do something bad to you!'
3. I'm good with dress ups and make believe, but it is a bit silly if you take it too seriously - as many people seem to.
4. I saw halloween pumpkins on sale for $24 each. This is a rip off. Another shop had the same pumpkins for $10 each. Could the whole event be about money?
5. I felt silly going into Kmart yesterday and buying a book in the twilight series from a checkout girl dressed up in her halloween vampire gear...

holidays!

Andrew is home after his longest ever absence - 6 days - and we are on holidays.

I won't post much during the next couple of weeks.

Tomorrow we are going camping here. I've been a little hesitant at the thought of using up a week of holidays camping, but this is 5 star camping. Resort camping. We'll be sleeping in tents, but that's about where the camping bit ends. I'll be swimming in the lap pool, using the gym, sitting undercover and ignoring the kids (they'll be able to amuse themselves pretty well on the water slides, in the indoor and outdoor playgrounds and games rooms).

Next Sunday we are going up to Caloundra again - staying at kings beach for the 8th year in a row!

Hope you have a fantastic couple of weeks.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Top 5 rules for coping with adversity and leading a less offensive online life

When a bad thing happens...

1. It may feel good to yell the details to the world in a cathartic blog post. Don't do it. It will only make things worse.

2. You may think you'll just write the blog post to get things off your chest but not actually publish it. Mistake. Once it's written, the post will scream out to you 'Publish me, publish me!' It's cries will get louder and louder and more and more unbearable until you hit 'publish'. And don't kid yourself. If you've written the post, you will publish it.

3. If you really need to write something, use paper.

4. If paper doesn't satisfy and you fingers are itching for the keyboard, frame your thoughts in a list.

5. If the list doesn't satisfy, nothing will. Either slit your wrists or break rule 1.

andrew comes home tonight

11pm.

till then ...

blogging

Kutz called my blog 'lovely and personal'. I don't think I aimed to write a personal blog when I started out. I used to scoff at blogs that dwell in the minutiae of life*. And now I have one. But 'lovely and personal' makes it sound almost virtuous. Like a delicate flower...

*Just so you know, I had weetbix, allbran and strawberry yogurt for breakfast this morning.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

lonely

I'm a LOTE teacher today!

Doko e ikimasuka?

School ni ikimas.

That's all I've got.

We might do music instead. Or maths.

My muscles are turning to jelly!

I haven't lifted anything heavy for 9 days. I haven't jogged or jumped since last week.

I've done 2 decent swims, but that won't help much.

Andrew, come home!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

wondering

I have quite a few fb friends that I barely know. I'm good with that. There's one guy I'm pretty sure I don't know at all. His friend request sat waiting for me to respond to for ages, then the other week I clicked yes just to get rid of it. He has 1400 friends and we have 6 in common. His initials are RB and he describes himself as a 'Sydney-based ethicist'. Does anyone know him? RB, do you read this blog? Do I know you, or are you just a random friend-collector?

top 5 dos and don'ts for wives

Ben points us to MD's marriage and men talk in which men are given a real beating. MD also has a marriage and women talk, in which he says some strongish stuff, but nothing compared to what he says to the men.

It's marriage prep season, so Andrew and I are doing quite a bit of thinking about marriage at the moment. If I had to give a talk to wives (ie. myself) and I wanted it to be fairly cutting, these would be my top 5 don'ts for making your marriage better.

Top 5 don'ts for wives

1. Don't be a cold hard b**c*. Look at your husband when he speaks to you. Smile at him. Be warm. Make an effort.

2. Don't be manipulative. Say what you mean. Mean what you say. Don't play nasty games.

3. Don't hide stuff. Hiding something from your husband is a fairly good indication that you've crossed a line and done something wrong. If you don't want him to see the shop receipts or whatever, you probably need to repent*.

4. Don't be critical and naggy. Especially in front of others. It is disrepectful and unattractive.

5. Don't be lazy. Sometimes he'll need to carry you. Sometimes you'll need to carry him. That's okay, but make sure you are pulling your own weight whenever you can.

And here are my top 5 'dos'...

Top 5 dos for wives

1. Assume the best of your husband for as long as you can. Interpret his actions (and inactions), intentions and motives in the best possible light.

2. Make encouraging words your default.

3. Be affectionate and enthusiastic.

4. Have fun together.

5. Act or overlook. If he has a habit or something that irritates you, work out if it's worth speaking to him about. If it is, speak to him about it. If it's not, learn to overlook it.

Note the point that I didn't make. I think that one comes into #1, #2 and #5 of the 'don't' list, and #2, #3 and #4 of the 'do' list.

Pray for him as well.

Do you agree with my lists? What would you add/subtract?

*Hiding birthday and christmas presents is okay.

psalm 84

1How lovely are Your dwelling places,
O LORD of hosts!
2My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD;
My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
3The bird also has found a house,
And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,
Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
My King and my God.
4How blessed are those who dwell in Your house!
They are ever praising You. Selah.
5How blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
In whose heart are the highways to Zion!
6Passing through the valley of Baca they make it a spring;
The early rain also covers it with blessings.
7They go from strength to strength,
Every one of them appears before God in Zion.
8O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;
Give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah.
9Behold our shield, O God,
And look upon the face of Your anointed.
10For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
12O LORD of hosts,
How blessed is the man who trusts in You!

Top 5 things I don't like about being a single mum

1. I can't go to the gym in the morning or the night
2. I eat chocolate slice for dinner, because I can't be bothered cooking.
3. I have to take the kids out on all the little errands. My usual practice of 2-3 trips to Woolworths a day is not viable.
4. There is no natural end to the day - normally Andrew will finish work and come upstairs.
5. There is no one else to tell the kids to be good. I unpacked the dishes myself because it was less draining than getting one of the kids to do it.

[Andrew is away for a mere 6 days. My list might look different if it was permanent. The items are in the order I thought of them.]

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

music and lyrics


I've held off watching this movie because I thought it would be dumb.

I've watched it now and can confirm that it is dumb.

Highlights? Um... Can't think of any. Maybe I missed them. I slept through probably a third of the movie.

Monday, October 26, 2009

something I learned today

When two eleven year old boys are talking about whether uncircumcised looks better than circumcised, it's not necessarily a conversation you need to shut down.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

wuthering heights


A few initial thoughts on Peter Bowker's adaptation of Wuthering Heights which was on the ABC tonight.

  • Burn Gorman was fantastic as Hindley (but I'm a torchwood fan...)
  • Cathy's character was given a very generous interpretation. Only once did she come across as a spoilt, selfish brat. Her love for Heathcliff came across as a deep and pure affection - rather than as the twisted thing it is in the book.
  • From part one at least, Healthcliff is some kind of romantic hero. In the novel, the reader tries to position him as this and fails.
  • Nelly comes across as more intelligent and insightful than she is in the book.
  • Visually, very attractive.
  • Thought the flashbacks were done pretty well.
Looking forward to part 2. Anyone else see it?

Sydney

Andrew and I had a fantastic couple of days in Sydney. Andrew is still there - stressing about an assignment he has to put in tonight. I'm home alone for the week, realising that I can't do basic things like unlock the downstairs to get to the washing machine... Can we hold out till Friday?

Highlights of the weekend
1. Going round the harbor on Lara's dad's boat with Philip and his UK friends, Lara and Ben.
2. Introducing Andrew to my emu friends.
3. Having such a great time that Andrew and I both forgot it was my birthday. Surely, the best kind of birthday.
4. Singing at twist. Always good, but a little different this year. More piano - and a very nice piano, very nicely played.
5. The songwriting discussion thing that I was a part of with Micheal M, Rob S and Philip P. Jodie McNeil interviewed us and we chatted together about the songwriting process. We were worried it could be a bit self indulgent and boring for people to listen to but it was heaps of fun - for us at least! MM showed us the evolution of come hear the angels sing - which was so interesting, Rob introduced a new song (it had some nice alliteration), I spoke about traction in lyrics and Philip told us his AABA + x factor method.
6. Micheal Jensen's workshop on musical styles and church music and stuff. All good fun to argue over what it means to transform cultural styles for the gospel... Remains to be seen what practical use the discussion will be.
6. Fish and Chips at Manly. Thai with Rob and Claire.

Idol top 5

Kate had to go. Next week Toby should join her. Please.

James
1. Moved well. Good vocal. Overall, just not as gripping as it could have been. They say he's getting better and better, but I'm getting more and more bored.
2. Guitar playing not completely pointless. Should ditch the band, do it all himself. I'm less bored.

Toby
Nice guy, but so dull. Can we move on?

Nathan
1. Poppy and pitchy. Needs to gain 5 years and lose 5kg.
2. Better. Pitch still not there.

Hayley
1. What a star. Owns the stage and makes the backing singers look 5th rate.
2. Can we just say she's won now?

Stan
1. I sigh at the song choice but he did it okay. Pretty good in spots.
2. Dancing odd.

Order - Hayley, Stan, James, Nathan, Toby.

Dragged a bit. Could have done it in an hour. Don't care about their joy in seeing home again.

What did you think?

home

twisted and tired.

Friday, October 23, 2009

andrew and I are on a plane

to Sydney this morning.

A big wave to southern readers.

You should all be at Twist tomorrow.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Open letter to Jason from Timmakeacut Information Technologies

Dear Jason,

Thank you for your many emails offering to design a website for me. Although I didn't ask for your services, you have been persistent in your offers to help. In another world, this might be commendable.

I do not now or at any stage in the future plan to take you up on your offer. My reason for this is simple. Your fonting.

It is awful. If you can't chose an attractive and readable font for a simple email, I clearly can not trust you to design an entire webpage.

Please do not send me any more emails. Your fonts choices make me queasy.

If you aspire to be successful spammer, I recommend that you improve in this area.

Yours,

Simone R.

today

1. Thought I wasn't going to survive RPM at the gym. Wondered how many people it would take to carry me out of the RPM room if I passed out and fell off my bike.
2. Said 'no' to three work requests for that school. (Yes, all for work today. Desperate times. Final one came at 8.50am - 'are you sure you can't work today?')
3. Bringing order to a chaotic home ahead of Sydney trip tomorrow. Have tidied, dusted and vacuumed. Still to mop and cook.
4. Need haircut. It's been 6 months.
5. Need to bath dog. She's going to grandma's for the weekend.
6. Friends coming for dinner tonight
7. Playing grown-ups tonight
8. Need to pack kids and us for weekend.
9. Need to work out what song I'll be talking about at Twist on Saturday. Suggestions? (Something I wrote.)
10. Go to bed - leave at 7am tomorrow morning.

I've started something

The other day I posted 12 [sharable] things that I like about my husband. I wrote it after I had written a rather polemical comment on Izaac's blog against people raving about their marriages. Truth is, I hate hearing people (preacher's mostly) dropping comments about how fabulous their marriages are. Especially when they are not balanced with details about how they suck as a spouse. It comes across as very thinly veiled boasting.

Even lists about how great our partner's are is moving towards dangerous territory. Hopefully I didn't cross the line. Nathan's still reading, which is a good sign, because he has a sensitive stomach when it comes to personal sharing.

Anyway, others have jumped on board and are writing lists too. Check out Ben's, Amy's, and Soph's. Any others I haven't noticed yet?

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Glass half full?

We do warm up questions at bible study. Kind of like Ben's Monday quiz, but shorter and without the cool graphic.

This week's questions were:

1. Favourite breakfast food?
2. Why do people smoke?
3. Is the glass half full or half empty?

Here are my answers.

1. Cereal
2. Because they don't give a stuff
3. Neither. It's either overflowing or completely empty.

How would you answer?

on refugees

The way we (ie. people on talkback radio) speak about refugees, you'd think that we deserve to live here in Australia. That it's because of things we've done that we have such easy lives. That we are more worthy of health and comfort than the rest of the world.

I didn't build any of the roads I drive on. I didn't grow the food I eat. Like most Australians, I work a little and have an awful lot given to me just because I was lucky enough to be born here. The prosperity we enjoy comes to us as gift.

We should be grateful and ready to share.

I love...

... the cathartic effect of writing.

Last week I was feeling horrible - depressed, miserable, yuck. I moped for days then wrote six words describing my state: I'm a mess at the moment. Within ten minutes it was over. Back to my normal, chirpy self. Was it the 4 closely occuring 'm' sounds that did it?

Is it wrong to be so [pathetically/delightfully] shallow that a single sentence can cheer me up?

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Peter Jensen Presidential Address

This is great stuff. You should listen.

desperate

I've had 4 calls from here today. Unfortunately, I had to say no four times.

Monday, October 19, 2009

MJ on musical styles

This looks fun. I'm sorry I won't be able to be there - I'm part of the writing workshop at Twist.

Will I see any of you there?

what I hate #397

Married couples commenting on eachothers' blogs. Bleagh!

12 [sharable] things that I like about my husband

1. That he's a Christian.
2. That he's married to me.
3. That he can do stuff, like build a room under the house and hook up a tv and change a light globe.
4. That he's not the slightest bit controlling.
5. That he is tall.
6. That he is stronger than me, even though I work out and he doesn't.
7. That he needs to shave every day and he does shave every day.
8. That he can beat me in an argument.
9. That he is kind and doesn't put me down ever.
10. That we have fun together.
11. That it's 5.32pm and he's fine with the fact that I've made no plans for dinner.
12. That I'm pretty sure he'd choose me again if he had the choice.