running plan

Complete lack of discipline and excessive chocolate comsumption has caused me to put on a few kgs in the last month or two. Nothing at all drastic, but it would be good to take control now. I need a bit of focus for my exercise, something new to aim for. I'm not a runner at all (a year ago I couldn't run 500m) but I've decided to set a running goal. My aim is to get to 5km in 30 minutes in 4 weeks. I can now jog 4km but I'm very slow.

I've adjusted a training schedule from here. Here is my plan:

Week 1

• Monday = Pump class
• Tuesday = Circuit class
• Wednesday = 30 minute run/jog
• Thursday = rest day, nothing.
  
• Friday = attack (cardio) class
  
• Saturday = 30 minute run/jog
• Sunday = 30 minutes run/jog

Week 2

• Monday = Pump class
• Tuesday = Circuit class
• Wednesday = 30 minute run/jog. After the run ask yourself how you felt during the run and whether you enjoyed it.
• Thursday = rest day, nothing.
  
• Friday = attack (cardio) class
  
• Saturday = jog/run for 15min then 5min at the pace you would like to run your 5km's in then followed by 10min easy jogging.
• Sunday = 30 minutes run/jog

Week 3

• Monday = Pump class
• Tuesday = Circuit class
• Wednesday = 5min jog/run then 15min at the pace you would like to run your 5km in, then followed by 10min easy jogging.
• Thursday = rest day, nothing.
  
• Friday = attack (cardio) class
  
• Saturday = an easy day. Only 30min jog/run. Can you see your improvement, if not then you need return to week 2 of this schedule.
• Sunday = 30-40min light jog/run TALK TEST

Week 4

• Monday = Pump class
• Tuesday = Circuit class
• Wednesday = 5min jog/run then 15min at the pace you would like to run your 5km in, then followed by 10min easy jogging.
• Thursday = rest day, nothing.
  
• Friday = attack (cardio) class
  
• Saturday = 20 min light jog/run TALK TEST with exercises after
• Sunday = Go for your PACED 5km run and enjoy.

I remember...

... back to those days when I wasn't cold. Seems a long time ago.

June in review

Just as well I pulled out of the blog off. I would have gone down big time. Nathan and Ben, I think you are inspirational bloggers. (So are you, Naomi!)

I made this cool graph with create a graph. Despite my blog-off resignation, I've not lost my commitment to quantity over quality with regards to posting.

June 09 has been my biggest month yet for posts and comments. Highlights? Not many. A big comment catcher regarding church song lyrics and copyright, much shameless promotion of god unlimited, wonderings if, and today, regretting anticipation. Thanks for reading and commenting.

I watched Sea Patrol tonight

How many dangerous complications can there be in one episode? About 10?

But what's a bit of radiation exposure anyway? Chances are most of them will be dead by the end of the series.

Doctor Who

The kids are watching Doctor Who episodes that are older than me. From 1973. Starring Jon Pertwee as the doctor. They haven't the spunk factor of the David Tennant series'. And the special effects aren't so special. Daleks haven't changed much, though.

how good are school holidays?

...even more time to visit blogs that annoy me.

anticipation and regret

anticipation and regret
are separated by a narrow stream
walking along the edge I forget
when my feet got wet

crossing was almost accidental

there's still a step between and yet
from the sinking shores of regret
anticipation seems
a distant dream

sar 2009

Need a Sophie Hannah fix?

Lots of poems here.

yay yay yay...

...for school holidays!

Posting may be less regular. Or more constant.

Not sure.

If you're at home with kids, do you have any plans?

I am a legend

Since blogging last I have vacummed and mopped the house.

In case there was any doubt remaining of my awesomeness, I also made pita bread pizza for lunch.

The floor really needs cleaning...

... so why don't I just vacuum it?

I'd rather vacuum the floor than:

(in no particular order)

• go shopping
• do the washing
• clean the bathroom
• put stuff away
• do anything to the yard
• clean under the house
• fill in any kind of form
• do any kind of paperwork
• go to medicare
• do banking
  

things I'd rather do than housework:

(in no particular order)

• read the public notices in the newspaper
• read the phone book
• listen to bad cds
• watch tele-evangelists or infomercials
  
• pump weights with already fatigued muscles
• work (though perhaps not at THAT school)
• make mess
• write pointless blog posts

My favourite things...

...dinner with good friends.

Why is pastoral ministry so stressful?

"The reasons may be as numerous and unique as there are pastors. However, recent research is unanimous in citing the following problem areas: the disparity between (somewhat idealistic) expectations and hard reality; lack of clearly defined boundaries - tasks are never done; workaholism ('bed-at-the-church' syndrome); the Peter Principle - feeling of incompetence in leading an army of volunteers; conflict in being a leader and servant at the same time ('line-support contamination'); intangibility - how do I know I'm getting somewhere?; confusion of role identity with self image - pastors derive too much self-esteem from what they do; time management problems (yet pastors have more 'discretionary time' than any other professional group); paucity of 'perks'; multiplicity of roles; inability to produce 'win-win' conflict resolutions; difficulty in managing interruptions; the 'little adult' syndrome (Dittes) - clergy are too serious, they have difficulty being spontaneous; preoccupation with 'playing it safe' to avoid enraging powerful parishioners; 'administration overload' - too much energy expended in areas of low reward; loneliness - the pastor is less likely to have a close friend than any other person in the community." Roland Croucher

A few pointers for parents

- If your kid is medicated for ADD or something, talk to your doctor before cutting his/her medication
- If you do decide to cut the drugs against medical advice, maybe cut the afternoon/evening tablets before you cut the morning tablets so that you can see for yourself what happens.
- If you do decide to stop the medication against medical advice, don't blame the school when your child gets an E on his report card for behaviour.
- If you are asked to come and collect your child early from school because of his inappropriate behaviour (perhaps caused by changes in medication), do not complain.

sports day today...

... at the school where I'm working. Let's see if I can knock myself out again with the high jump pole.

words I don't want to hear again #2

'Holy' pronounced 'hoe-ly'. It just sounds pompous.

Report Cards

Our kids have been blessed with excellent teachers this year. Joel's two teachers are particularly good. They've put a lot of thought into how to teach him (much thought is needed!) and his report card includes many insightful comments.

His English comment amused us.

'Joel's oral reading is quite fluent and he has a good understanding of what he reads. He uses some good strategies such as re-reading, self-correcting and he makes meaningful substitutions if he does not know a word. The only strategy lacking is using phonics* to decode unknown words.'

*phonics = sounding out words

Body Pump 70

I've done this for a month now. About time I wrote it up...

Body Pump #70

Warmup: Don’t Leave me with the Light On – Danzel

standard, nothing too special.

Squats: It’s All Your Fault – Pink

Love the song. A little shorter than normal, but still fairly intense.

Chest: Infinity 2008 – Guru Josh Project

Horrid. The song works in 5 bar phrases which are hard to get used to. There are a lot of extra slow presses using the whole 5 bars to go down then up, but then the singles... Ouch. I've recently put my weights up (20kgs) and if I'm still alive at the end I'm doing well.

Back: True Believer – E-Type

Don't be tricked - there's a false ending about 90 seconds before the real end. It's hard work and there are not many breaks.

Triceps: Keeps Gettin’ Better – Christine Aguilera

No bar (which I like). Pushups, kickbacks, overhead plate thing.

Biceps: Gotta Be Somebody – Nickelback

This one's not too bad. Pretty standard.

Lunges: Raindrops (Encore Une Fois) – Sash! feat. Stunt

Hurts. One leg then squats (feels unco since one leg is fatigued) then other leg. Lots of bottom half pulses.

Shoulders: Thunderstruck – Hinder

Terrible. Really bad. Side raises till you die then mac raises then bar over head.

Abdominals: Love Lockdown – Kanye West

Interesting stuff with plate then side hover rotation things. Tough.

Cooldown: If I Were A Boy – Beyonce

Yeah.

Overall, hard work. Good music.

sentimentality

A friend pointed this out today. Worth sharing, I thought.

‘Sentimentality is subtle. C.S. Lewis once told a young writer: “Instead of telling us a thing is ‘terrible’, describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was a ‘delight’, make us say ‘delightful’ when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (‘horrifying’, ‘wonderful’, ‘hideous’, exquisite’) are only saying to your readers, ‘Please will you do my job for me.”’. Lewis complains that authors of gushy and sentimental words are tyrannical because they tell the readers how they must feel rather than letting the subject work on them in the same way it did the author. Sentimental worship leading works in exactly the same way that Lewis describes. With typical comments – “Isn’t he just wonderful?” “Isn’t it such a blessing?” – the leader tells people how they ought to feel about God instead of telling them about God.

Tim Keller in ‘Worship By The Book’ edited by Don Carson (p209-10). CS Lewis quote comes from Letters of CS Lewis ed. WH Lewis (New York: Harcourt Brace and World, 1966), 271.

something I found out today

We shouldn't have drums in church because they give women orgasms.

[Just letting you know.]

public melt down

We do chess on Tuesday morning. We get to school at 7.30, Nathan goes off with the big kids and I sit with Micah and Joel and help them play.

Today we were playing a training game called 'must take' where the aim is to lose all your pieces first. If you say 'must take' your opponent must take your piece. Joel was brutal to his poor little brother and Micah was upset when he lost. Oh well, that happens. After Joel had gloated just a bit too much, I offered to take him on. He was keen. Perhaps I was a little too aggressive, but the morning finished with Joel storming off crying saying that I didn't play fair. Things didn't improve when his worst enemy asked him why he was crying.

Oops. What a way to start the school day.

I've made a new facebook quiz

Which TV show are you.

Clearly, I don't have enough to do.

Come try it!

blogger ADD

Bloggers who study their stats probably know that I check in a lot. Don't think I'm spooky. I'm not. Most times when I click on your site I click on something else before the page has even finished loading... because I realise I've already read everything I care to read. I'm ADD behind a computer. I've currently got firefox open in 3 windows and 3 tabs going on my current screen. I click around alot when I'm bored. The sites I click on the most are those in the middle of my bookmards column. These include Nathan's old blog (which he hasn't used for a year) and my sister-in-law who posts once a semester. And yours is nearby too.

I have a reader but don't use it. I like reading your posts in their native environment.

I'm not stalking you. I'm just bored.

And I don't care how often you click here.

cliche alert

Describe God's love. What are the first 3 words that come to mind?

Chances are one of them is our today's cliche alert word. While singing in church yesterday, I realised that this adjective has lost its meaning. Sad. It used to make a picture come into our minds. We'd imagine a beautiful, mysterious [...] Now we imagine nothing at all. The image has been worn thing. It's now just a word.

What a shame. Perhaps in a couple of centuries song writers will be able to use it again.

[5 points to the first person to guess the word.]

It's good to know your limit.

My limit is half a grocery shop. I exceeded it today and did three quarters of woolworths. I now have a car full of groceries and no motivation left to cart them up the stairs and put them away.

Okay. I can do this. If I can get them all put away and the floor vacuumed by 11.00, I will give up housework for the day and go sit in a coffee shop till pick up time.

I can do this.

The Pros and Cons (Sophie Hannah)

I like this poem.

[stamp feet, scream]

Joel brought a term's worth of pottery projects home from art class today. One of them - Grumpy old Grandpa - was quite good and his teacher wanted to display it at an exhibition. Joel wasn't into that. He wanted it at home to give to Andrew. We negotiated and decided we'd have it at home for the week then take it to the exhibition next weekend. Good.

We put it up on the top of the bookshelf. Ten minutes later it was knocked off and a broken (just a bit).

Joel handled it very well. Better than me. I am angry and frustrated.

comment record

47! Feels like a lot till you break it down and see that without Nathan's 24 and my 12, there were only 11.

Primary school inter-school sport is...

a.) A fun time for kids to play sport
b.) A fun time for students and teachers
c.) A fun time for bus drivers
d.) A phenomenal waste of time

Today I taught year 5. Kind of. Here's how the day looked.

9.00 - Assembly
9.20 - get kids back to class, mark roll etc
9.30 - Maths
10.15 - Spelling test
10.30 - Grammar
10.50 - Story and game
11.00 - Lunch
11.45 - Get ready for interschool sport
12.00 - Walk to bus stop, get on bus for ISS (I was responsible for yr 5-7 netball and touch girls teams)
12.20 - arrive, warm up, sit and wait
1.00 - touch girls play for <15 minutes, have a half hour break then play for another <15 minutes, meanwhile half the netball girls play for 40 minutes and half sit and do nothing because they have a bye.
2.00 - sit or muck around while waiting for the bus
2.15 - get on bus
2.35 - free time until bell (I have kids from 3 different classes.)

Are there any sympathetic smirkers out there?

Ever come across one of those names that you think is so funny it has to be a joke... then find it's for real and nobody is laughing but you?

What does one do in such a situation?

Is it rude to point out the joke?

Should one just smirk quietly to oneself, then forget it?

Are there any sympathetic smirkers out there?

changing song lyrics

I was a bit late to the party on this one, but there was a post last week on the Sola Panel about changing song words.

I could start a long and angry rant here about the presumption of changing someone else's lyrics, but won't because it's too late at night.

But here are a few points:

• lyrics are carefully chosen. The lyricist is probably a better writer than you are, so leave them as they are.
  
• lyrics say what the lyricist wanted them to say. If you don't like it, chose another song.
• lyrics belong to the lyricist. Even if you have bought a copy of the song it is still not yours. Don't mess with it.
• lyrics are copyright. You are breaking the law if you change them.

You wouldn't try to change the colour of my baby's eyes, would you? Don't change the words of my songs.

There is an argument that always seems to pop up that says that songwriters should give their songs to the church for free and that there should be no royalties of any sort. Such an argument is stupid. Here are a few facts.

• If you want to make money, go work at Woolworths. It pays much better than songwriting. We don't do it for the money.
  
• Organisations that don't collect royalties generally don't have their songs sung. The sad truth is that it costs money to get songs out there. If evangelical songs are not properly marketed, charo songs will get more and more of a market share and the church will not be served well. We would not be doing the church any favours by not selling our songs.
  
• By rights, we should get paid a whole lot more than we do. If we were secular songwriters we would get money everytime our songs were performed - each week in church. We (willingly) get none of that. The CCLI system where churches only pay to print off the words and music is very generous to churches.
  

I could go on, but won't.

God Unlimited Now Available

Anyone got a copy yet?

anyone want to be hypnotised?

I've learnt how, now I'm looking for a subject. Anyone? Anyone?

I'm bribing my kids...

They get 40c put into their money boxes when they can play a tune from their piano book. When they finish the whole book we cut open the money box and they get the money.

It's a new system. I was convicted at twist that I need to get our kids learning music. Unless I teach them, they won't learn how to play. I need to push through the whinge. (As a child, I was a chronic piano practice whinger. Glad my mum pressed on!)

But there is no whinge today. The kids are all very keen about the monetary rewards. And I'm exhausted. How many lessons can I teach in a 24 hour period? So far, 6. It's intense, but I'm sure it won't last. By next week I may have to raise the pay.

"I'm entitled to some gratification when my life is falling down around me."

That's what a man said he was thinking when he committed child sex offenses. 'Bob', who spoke on 612 ABC radio this morning, considers himself rehabilitated (though still troubled) and is living in a closely monitored half-way house after serving many years in prison. Bob spoke about the difficulties of post-prison life, the harsh (and often ill-informed) community attitudes against sex offenders, and the need for ongoing support.

It was an interesting and deeply sad interview. As a society, we have no idea how to cope with people who have so clearly and atrociously sinned. Self righteousness abounds and everyone is quick to point out that they could never do such a thing!

But what grabbed me was the entitlement thinking which Bob said he used to justify his actions at the time. Bob acted out in the way that he did because he believed he was owed some gratification, given all that he had to live through.

I may not have committed sex crimes, but this entitlement thinking is so familiar. I'm entitled to this, I deserve something, the world owes me, I've been hardly done by... These ideas are everywhere- behind each sinful indulgence I allow myself, each outburst of temper.

But the world owes me nothing. I don't deserve anything. Every mouthful of air is grace. Every minute a gift from God.

I should be thankful I have this day to live, a roof (however small) over my head, footpaths to walk on that I didn't make, shoes to wear that I could never have designed...

Could thankfulness keep us from sin?

Conference for the Academy and the Church

QTC is hosting the first Annual Conference for the Academy and the Church at the end of this month. The speakers and papers look good. Andrew and I are trying to work out how we can both make it along to some of the sessions. Brisbane readers should check it out.

Creflo Dollar on Matthew 11

Unfortunately, this one is for real.

'him that pisseth against the wall'

I found this sermon ages ago. Just came across it again.

[It's so bad that it couldn't be serious... surely...]

sex is trivial

An interesting discussion. Funny. Seeing sex as essentially trivial frees us up to use (or not use) it appropriately. It is not some transcendent wonder unlocking the secret soul of me.

"...If the One who, in his life, crucifixion, and resurrection defined and actualized for us the very definition of humanness, what does that say about humanness? Clearly it says that marriage, sexual activity, and bearing children do not have any central place in the definition thereof.

Let us be absolutely clear on this point. If Christ is truly the fullness and definition of authentic humanity, we must say categorically that marriage, sex, and parenthood tell us nothing whatsoever of ultimate significance about humanness. If marriage, sex, and parenthood are somehow the fullness of humanity we are forced to say that Christ, far from being the true human as the Christian tradition proclaims, was in fact, sub-human. To grant sexuality any sort of ultimacy with respect to the definition of humanness is to deny that Jesus is the true human being.

So, if we take a Christological defintion for the meaning of humanness, sexuality by definition tells us absolutely nothing about the ultimate meaning of humanness. It may, through the gracious operation of the Holy Spirit be comandeered and become in many and sundry ways a parable of the kingdom, just as many of the trivial aspects of human life are open to God’s interruption and transfiguration. But, insofar as the meaning of authentic human existence, sexuality tells us nothing. Not if we really believe that Jesus defines for us what it means to be be human. And, further to this point, only when we allow sex to be truly and wonderfully insignificant, to be trivial, will it be able to be received as a gift rather than gulpingly grasped in an idolatrous fit of fetishizing." by Halden at Inhabitatio Dei

Aaaarrrggghhhh!

Our church's website has been hacked into.

on the way to school pick-up...

... a car smashed into the back of me. I was stopped waiting to turn right off Sandgate road. It was raining. My sunglasses flew off my face and hit the windscreen. Glad it wasn't my head. Our car is still driveable - but is smashed up at the back. The other car needed to be towed. No one was hurt.

an idea

I'd like to write a set of poems or song lyrics on the planets. The sort of thing I did for jupiter (back here) I'd like to do for each of the other planets. The idea is that I spin a tale around a few (very romanticised) facts. Currently thinking about poor old Pluto. I experimented with an idea here (I know it's obscure. Ten points for anyone who worked out that it was an acrostic!) but would like to expand it into something longer. What do you think?

daddy date

Why I don't want to hear it.

• It's an Americanism.
• It's a Driscollism. I like MD. But really, if he jumped off a bridge, would you?
• The alliteration was cute the first time, but has since worn off.
• Telling everyone that you're off on a daddy date is a bit like telling us all what a great dad you are. I'm glad for you if you are a great dad, but maybe keep it to yourself so you don't make other less-awesome dads feel bad.

because

Planets should spin straight
Little is not big enough
U r not like us
The edges are dangerous
Orbits matter

sar 2009

I twisted!

It was fantastic. My 5th twist. Possibly the best. Highlights?

• Singing with 100 people who love to sing, being led by minimal (but exceptional) instrumentalists.
• Staying up late watching Andy Judd and Sarah Bailey muck around with one of my lyrics and set it to music. Amazing process. Andy played chords and Sarah made up stuff over the top. After a couple of hours we had a demo verse and a demo chorus (they didn't match so well, but it's a start.)
• Leading the songwriting elective. Was heaps of fun. Watch out for up and coming songwriters!
  
• Eating more junk food in one weekend than I've eaten in an entire year. There was chocolate everywhere.
• Being at the beautiful Port Hacking.
• Coming home to find that my blog's continued without me!
  

word combinations I don't want to hear again #1

Daddy date.

winter

I'm cold cold cold. I can't get warm. I'm sniffing and sneezing. Nothing's as fun as usual. Bring on spring. Lucky it's only a few weeks away. I feel sorry for you southerners who have this for half the year.

I am his? I am your? I don't know!

As part of my songwriting workshop material, I've written a song evaluation sheet. I think of it as the evaluation sheet from hell. Strictly for use on your own songs, not on the songs of others (if you want to keep friends). I think I should tone it down a bit before I print it off. It's brutal. Unencouraging. I wrote a lyric on the weekend and haven't until now posted it here because it badly failed the evaluation. [I sent it to my tune-man and haven't heard back. Not a good sign.]

I am his

A voice, like thunder in the night
he spoke a word, the darkness turned
the world was brought to life.
He formed us from the ground he made
and when he breathed on me I lived
so I am his

take my hands, my feet to serve
take my lips my every word
oh my maker, my redeemer I am yours
you created me in love
you have bought me with your blood
oh my maker, my redeemer, I am yours.

A ransom placed upon my soul
the price, my saviour's flowing blood
no less would pay the toll.
There is no greater love than this
he gave his life to purchase me
so I am his

A name engraved upon my heart
twice bought, now I belong to him
and can't from him depart.
Each action, every thought I give
each day, each moment lived for him
for I am his

sar 2009

My lyric suffers many inadequacies. There is a clunky turn from 'us' to 'me' in verse 1, cliche images with no tread all the way through, and some confusion about whether God is 'him' or 'you'. Worse still, I've set up a confusing two hook situation - 'I am his' vs 'I am yours'. But most deadly of all is the lack of x-factor. My evaluation sheet tells me this needs a lot more work.

kaicei-lei

how would you pronounce this name?

Nice name. Ridiculous spelling.

No Wonder

I want to be SH when I grow up*.

No Wonder

This love looks set to grow extremely tall.
I chart its weekly progress on the wall

the way my mum made pencil marks above
my sister’s head and mine. I’ve called it love

since it began, but now I have some proof -
infatuation stops before the roof

while love climbs bravely up to bash its head.
The bleeding starts. No wonder hearts are red.

Sophie Hannah

* Maybe not really. But I would like to write like her.

list of clichés

This delightful list of pop clichés, came from this really good lyric writing book. Back here I wrote a song using only cliché phrases. Actually, I didn't write it. It wrote itself. Andrew wrote one this afternoon. I think it expresses the depths of his heart. You should give it a go. Choose the cliché you like best for the first line of your chorus, then build the song aroung that line. You can't go wrong.

deep inside
hand to hand
face to face
back and forth
walk out that door
feel the pain
gotta take a chance
touch my (very) soul
heart to heart
side by side
up and down
we've just begun
can't stand the pain
give me half a chance
such a long time
take my hand
eye to eye
in and out
by my side
hurts so bad
can't take it
last chance
night and day
take your time
the rest of time
end of time
no one like you
say you'll be mine
how it used to be
it's gonna be alright
set me free
work it out
true to you
kiss your lips
falling apart
taken for granted
lost without you
safe and warm
broken heart
all we've been through
end of the line
always be true
pay the price
right or wrong
what we're fighting for
you know it's true
hold me close
forget my foolish pride
drive me crazy
all my dreams come true
all night long
rest of my life
no one can take your place
losing sleep
made up my mind
get down on my knees
end it all
had your fun
done you wrong
back to me
make you stay
asking too much
give you my heart
aching heart
want you / need you / love you
hold on
never let go
rise above
all we've done
worth fighting for
nothing to lose
losing sleep
treat me like a fool
going insane
rhyme or reason
test of time
someone like you
all my love
lonely nights
I'll get along
calling out your name
more than friends
fooling around
heaven above
break these chains
take it easy
can't live without you
somebody else
break my heart
try one more time
can't go on
keep holding on
now or never
over the hill
know for sure
hold me tight
tear me apart
play the game
see the light
O baby

when God's word is not enough

It seems that it is no longer enough just to preach God's word. To be really hip, what you have to do is package God's word up with a gems of wisdom that you've gleaned from your life. How to run your household, how to manage your finances, how to plant carrots in the garden. Now, of course, there's nothing wrong with wisdom. But when someone stands up in church to give a bible talk, that's what they should do. Give a bible talk. Tell me what the bible says and show me the applications that come out of this week's passage. If the bible gives guidelines about managing my household or finances or carrots - great, preach it. But if not, don't. Give proper attention to what is in this week's passage - even if it doesn't seem all that relevant - and then leave it there. Extra stuff, above and beyond what the passage says, is unnecessary.

I'm worried that preachers who feel they need to go beyond the passage at hand are displaying a lack of trust in God's word. There is enough punch in the bible. Our pearls of wisdom and our smooth, self-depreciating (or self-appreciating!) anecdotes detract from our preaching of God's word.

I think I might be an introvert.

I've had a fantastic weekend without my family.

The highlight? 5 hours in sizzler by myself. All by myself. A couple of hundred people moved in and out around me, but no-one spoke to me. And no-one sat at my table. I only had a few plates of food (mostly salad) over the time. After an hour and a half a waitress came and gave me mints and said thanks for coming. It was a hint to leave which I politely ignored.

I could see people looking at me curiously. Why was I by myself? What was I doing with a pencil in my hand and 3 books open in front of me? What was I writing? Why wasn't I eating? One couple felt sorry for me. I felt sorry for them. They didn't have anything to read and they had to talk to eachother.

Selfish? Maybe. But on Saturday I carefully read 5 chapters of the bible, studied about 50 hymns, listened to 2 sermons and 2 lectures on songwriting and wrote a three verse one chorus lyric. On top of that I went to the gym, took the dog for a walk and cleaned the house.

On Sunday I had a social day: church, a friend over for a long lunch, a jog, and take-away Indian and a movie with the camping widows at night.

Today I wrote my material for Twist Away next weekend. I'm running the songwriting strand.

Andrew and the kids came home at 2pm and my parents dropped in for a visit. The boys were dirty (it was very muddy and no baths or even changes in underwear had taken place over the weekend (ew!)) and so keen to tell me about how they fished a dead calf out of the river (ew) and got covered in leeches and ticks.

I'm pleased to have them home and am buzzing with the great feeling that comes from having had lots of cave time. Am I selfish? Am I an introvert?

blog off off

For me, anyway. Don't care if Nathan wins.

I'll post when I have something to say.

The number of posts has gone up...

...and the quality has gone down. Sorry, everyone, for the tedium.

part-time parenting

My parenting feels seriously part-time at the moment. I've been working quite a bit so Andrew has been doing most of the drop offs and pick ups (but I've have the kids from 3.15). Andrew is taking them camping this long weekend and next weekend I'm off to Sydney for Twist Away. I feel like I'm on a 40% custody plan. Andrew and I are hoping to see eachother at some stage. This afternoon we met at the shops for a couple of minutes while he handed the kids over.

Me? A PE teacher?

So it looks like I'll be a PE teacher next term (for 6 days spread over a few weeks). Hm. I'll be teaching dance and ball games. I can't catch a ball and definitely can't throw one. But I'm pretty good at aerobics classes. How different could dance be?

I'm taking the job because it's at the kid's school. Everyone wants to teach at their school because it's in a good area and the kids are bright and (mostly) under control. This is where I want to be long term. It's a foot in the door and I'm hoping not to blow it. But PE?

[I was also offered a music contract but said no because the days clashed with bible study and RE. It was the right thing to do, but it hurt.]

priorities

Mel and Wendy have been concerned that all the work I'm doing is impacting upon my blog. I admit that I've been thinking the same. I have to draw firmer lines to ensure that work does not become a higher priority than it should be. This is where things are really happening. Right here, online.

I'm free!

Andrew is taking the kids camping this weekend with a bunch of guys from church. I will be all alone Saturday morning till Monday afternoon.

Brilliant!

What should I do?

What would you do?

working again tomorrow

Three days in a row is probably more than I should be doing. Tomorrow I have year 2. I know the kids. They are a handful - but some are interesting. I've taught them before and have used up all my party tricks. Need to think up some more. Any ideas?

twilight pandemic

I was feeling indulgent at school today and let a year 3 girl (8 years old) prattle to me about how in love she is with Twilight hero, Edward Cullen. She told me how gorgeous he is - pale skin, dark eyes etc, all her favourite parts of the movie, how she'd love to have a poster of him on her bedroom wall, blah blah blah... I felt I needed to be patient with her, given my own recent infatuation. But year 3?!?

Last week I had to listen as year six girls read their ballads of Bella and Edward out to the class. Generally, they were pretty poor but not all that much worse than the books.

This is a pandemic. Parents, take charge!

sizzler cheese toast

Just to show I'm not so petty as to bear a grudge over certain nasty suggestions... I will link to what could be Nathan's best ever post. How to make sizzler's cheese toast.

Show your love for Nathan and go check it out. He's been feeling a little insecure of late and could do with some support.

Share the blog love.

God Unlimited samples are up

Have a listen.

which fictional man do you dream about?

I made a facebook quiz. Amazingly, it's about as dumb as all the other fb quizzes out there. Look on my profile page and you should see it.

SoO

My lounge room is a workshop again with leads going everywhere.

State of Origin is looking good, though.

What's with Colorado pants?

I put on a nicely fitting pair of size 10s. Two hours later they have grown into a baggy pair of size 20s and are down around my knees. AAARRRGGGHHH!

This is beyond a belt.

If you can't do, teach.

High jump. The shame, the embarrassment! As a student, my lack of co-ordination at this sport was profound. Twenty years has not made any difference. I can't do it.

But today I taught it. And I did okay. As well as the next non-PE teacher, anyway.

No one got hurt except me. I was adjusting the poles that held up the bar, stood in the wrong spot and it hit me in the head fox-and-rake fashion. It hurt alot and I have a considerable bruise.












My love of high jump hasn't increased.

God Unlimited

God Unlimited is here. Available June 25.

Love Ben's artwork.

little men...

...really need to talk themselves big.

strange...

My google homepage just jumped back to Friday for its record of what's happening on this blog. Wonder why...

Full full full day

6.00 - gym
7.00 - home, shower etc
7.20 - leave with kids
7.30 - chess club at school, I sit with Micah trying to teach him what the knight does.
8.40 - home, quick email/blog check, pack for rest of day, tidy up etc.
9.40 - leave for bible study
10.00 - bible study
12.30 - RE prep and lunch (church)
1.30 - teach RE at school
3.00 - go to park near library, kids play and eat
3.30 - do homework in library
4.30 - back to park for a jog
5.15 - arrive home, blog, baths
5.30 - kids watch Sunday night's Doctor Who because they have been so good!
6.15 - dinner

Blog Off!

Okay guys. Here are the rules. We need to introduce some handicaps - basically to stop Nathan from winning.

Nathan's first 50 posts don't count. Sorry they just don't. We need a little head start. So Nathan starts at -50. For the rest of us, we start at zero. Blogger with the most posts at 11.59pm on the 30th of June wins.

Wins what? Any ideas?

Oh, and any post that clearly has no point isn't counted. To judge a no-pointer, we look to the blogger's blogging history. If they wouldn't have posted it last month, it doesn't count this month.

Who's in? So far, we have Naomi, Nathan and I...

June Blog-Off!

Down here, Ben suggested that we have a month long post-off. As regular readers will know, I'm all for quantity over quality. Anyone want to join in?

The blogger who posts the most this month will win... um... [any ideas?]

Nathan - this sounds like your kind of thing. Anyone else in?

If

If I'd not nodded, smiled, agreed
made eyes and flirted shamelessly,
would you have fallen in a heap
descended into sorrow deep
or would you, shrugging to yourself,
have quickly paired with someone else?

This love we share, is it something rare
or does it grow in fields of plenty?
Was I one in a hundred years
or one in a room of twenty?
Or a room of five, if half were guys
and half too old or young,
If I'd said 'no' had you far to go
to find another one?

I'd like to claim the stars ordained
our love and life together,
but think that chance's random dance
did as well or maybe better.

sar 2009

With God, nothing is impossible...

... not even godliness.

A great post by MJ.