Sick and Toothless

Things are quiet because me and the fam are all sick. It's been pretty sucky. And to top it off, you know how I had that dream about my teeth falling out? Last night a big tooth chunk fell out while I was eating popcorn. I thought it was a kernel and swallowed it. I'm not happy.

Hopefully back to regular programming soon, friends.

Thursday Peanuts

A Good Day Off

I had the day off yesterday. We barely slept the night before, as little e has been crook, so I just had a day at home with the girls. It turned out to be a surprisingly enjoyable day actually. I made some dampa with the kids, and we ate it out in the sunny backyard with golden syrup and a cuppa. Dampa is good, I should remember to make it more often.

While the kids were having a rest I drove over to the Sydney Wildflower Nursery at Heathcote, which I've been wanting to go to for ages. Gotta say, wandering about in there, I was the most relaxed I've been in ages. The trees over head, the sound of birdsong, and just lolling (?) about inspecting plants... just about my favourite pass time.

I fell in love a bit with natives. Never been particularly into natives, but am trying to get familiar with them as I want to get plants for our place that won't die the day after I plant them. I bought a beautiful little paper daisy, and also a spiky little native thing with a weird name that I'm going to turn into a bonsai. I'm feeling the bonsai love again and am excited to finally have a yard to do that stuff in.

Then just pottered around in the yard in the arvo. Planted the paper daisy, and prepared the ground in my veggie patch where I'm going to plant garlic and shallots on the weekend. Happiness.

We Don't Need Another Hero

With Master Chef nearly over with, I was looking forward to being done with that annoying phrase "hero of the dish" for another year. It's not a hero, it's just a piece of salmon. It has done nothing particularly heroic, so why encourage delusions of grandeur in a simpleton fish who couldn't even keep himself off a fishing hook. Ka-BAM! In your face, salmon!

But back to the point, my hopes were dashed when last night on that new show The Renovators they kept earnestly referring to a chair as the "hero of the room". Geez. It's a chair. If it weren't bad enough having all this puffed up salmon everywhere, now we're going to be over-run with conceited chairs.

Remote, please.

Tooth Hurty

I had a very distressing dream last night that I was fiddling with my teeth, and plunk! I accidentally pulled out my two front teeth, and also one of those canine ones.

Time to see a dentist, I'd say.

The Quiz

1. Do you wear a watch?

2. How many piercings have you had?

3. Something you're working on

4. A movie that makes you laugh

5. A movie that makes you cry

Amy Winehouse

I was really sad to hear about Amy Winehouse's death. She had a lot of talent, and a remarkable voice. It's sad to see someone caught in the public eye so derailed and bent on self-destruction.

A Boring Football Post

Tige's notched up another win on the weekend. I say 'notched', which is probably being a bit dramatic after winning two games in a row. But as a Tigers fan you take what you can get.

The next two games are going to be hardies- Manly and St. George. If we win even one of those, THEN I'll get excited.

Poll Now Closed

Thursday Peanuts

The Visitor's Book

Well, I've seen it all. Kill me now, and lay me smiling in my casket.

I went to the IGA supermarket near my work this morning to buy a bread roll and some ham (not vital to the narrative, but important scene setting), and as I was leaving, at the exit way, there on a bench thing, was a leather-bound book. On the front, in a fancy script were the words, 'Visitor's Book'.





(Stunned silence)





Dear IGA,

Thank you for having us! We have had a wonderful stay! Your aisles were just delightful, and in particular the canned veg section was breathtaking! We feel very relaxed and invigorated after our romantic stroll down aisle seven-- just what we needed after a long commute.

The cold linoleum floor was just to our liking- (particularly that little slippery spill near the meat section- a lovely touch:) -and that AM radio muzak simply took us to another place. Rest assured we'll be telling all our friends about your beautiful property. And of course we'll be back soon- maybe this afternoon!lol:)

Kind regards,
Kevin and Judy xx

More Social Networks Than You Can Poke A Mouse At

Could somebody succinctly describe to me what tumblr is and how it differs from say, a blog?

Yours, in quiet anticipation.
B

Book Review Wednesday by Crazyjedidiah

Sultana
By Lisa J. Yarde

Reviewed by Crazyjedidiah

On the night after her wedding, 8 year old Princess Fatima is kidnapped. Her mother Princess Aisha takes her so that she will escape the wrath of the Ashqilula who are angry that Fatima was not married to one of them as had been the custom for the Sultan's family. Fatima witnesses her mother's murder by the Ashqilula who have found them. She is then helped to escape and manages to get back to the palace where she lives. Fatima over time learns to love her new husband, who is ten years older than her, despite many separations due to the many battles in the civil war between the many groups of Moors as well as the Christians. There are also many intrigues and incidents back at court involving Fatima and her family.

This is a really interesting book set in among the Moors during their time in Spain. It was something that I had heard about before but had never really thought about reading before. However I really enjoyed it and it gave me another point of view on something that had happened in the history of this world that I live in.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable read and I would recommend it to anyone interested in Historical Fiction and especially European History in particular the history of Spain.

Thanks for the review! Crazyjedidiah blogs at Gibberish.

Referendum!

I received a call from the combined governments of The World the other day (I know, amazing) asking me to use my role as Voice Of The People to glean important intelligence from The EveryMan and/or Lady, information and opinion that will eventually shape the Civilization in which we live. Sound heady? It is.

If you look at the top of the sidebar on the left, you will see the first of these important referendums. Time is short. Your vote matters.

Have your say. Speak now so that in turn your children, heck, so that your children's children may too one day be heard.

Q&A

I thought John Lennox did a great job on Q&A last night. Any question he was given, he answered clearly and purposefully, getting straight to the gospel each time. I also thought he came across as really gentle and prepared to listen to the other panelists ideas.

I thought Eva Cox on the other hand was great at frowning and huffing and puffing at what other people said, but didn't really have anything solid to contribute to the argument. Saying that you 'feel uncomfortable' about there being a God doesn't really do a great deal to discredit His existence.

Clothing Bin Ettiquette

So tell me.

I come across a clothing bin thingo, and there are two cardboard boxes of books sitting beside it.

Is it wrong for me to have a look through the boxes for treasure?

Kumbaya

We had a great arvo/night yesterday. Friends came over and brought a brazier (which is kind of a cage thing on a stand that you make a fire in) and we had a bit of toasted marshmallow/ campfire scenario. the brazier was great- I've gotta me one of those badboys.

In the absence of a BBQ, we made hamburgers inside and ate them around the fire. Good times. All the kids loved it, and we loved it too. Nothing like sitting around a fire with friends.

The Quiz

1. What 'social networks' do you use?
2. How do you go with chopsticks
3. A smell that makes you happy
4. Favourite animated movie
5. Favourite driving CD

On A Dark Night, Long Ago

Well, here's my story, as requested. Brace yourself.

Okay, so I'm about 10, and I have this mate at school called Myles. We are not besties or anything, but we hang around a bit. I am small for my age, a little bloke with boofy curly hair. Myles is big for his age, a round, tall sort of kid with squinty eyes and sandy hair. You wouldn't say either of us are supremely popular.

Anyways, one Friday night I go to his place to stay the night. His Mum picks us up from school, and we drive a long way, to some part of Darwin I've never been before. I feel kind of out of my depth, as it's my first sleepover at Myle's place, and I'm in a new place, and all.

The afternoon and evening is uneventful, I don't remember any of it. The memories come back around bed time. Myles sleeps in his bed, and I am down on a mattress on the floor. After the usual chatting and playing up before going to sleep, we are out to it.

And then, I'm dreaming, or half dreaming. Boy, I would really like to go to the toilet. Not the quick kind of toileting, more the sit down kind. It's very dark though, I can't really see anything. And I can't remember where the toilet is even if I was brave enough to venture out. Myles is kind of snorey and dead to the world, so I won't wake him up. Oh well, just try and sleep.

I'm asleep again properly, and dreaming. Now I'm up out of bed, and walking to the toilet. Down the hall I go merrily, for there is some nice lighting to show me the way. Phew, what a relief. I get to the toilet, and one thing leads to another.

Then the dream starts to float away all of a sudden, and reality starts trickling back in like a foul black poison. I open my eyes, and there is no warm light, just shadowy shapes. I am no longer laying on the mattress, but am instead next to it on the floor. Crouching. Balancing precariously over something foreboding. My jarmies are around the ankles.

When you find yourself in this kind of pickle at age 10, there's not much to do but cry. So I cried. First a whimper, and then in to a bit of a bawl. Soon, Myles is awake and turns on his lamp. As my eyes adjust to the light, I look over and see him. He is resting on one elbow in his bed, looking down at the floor, eyes wide with horror, mouth agape. And then after a small pause, he's yelling at the top of his croaky voice.

"Mum!!! Ben $#!^ on the floor!!!"

His Mum's there in a flash, she whirls into the doorway, looks at Myles, then at me, then at the floor. Shock, awe and horror flash over her face, before she steels herself and switches to mother mode, comforting, removing me from the scene of the crime, getting a mop. And a priest and some garlic.

All I remember is me crying, and saying sorry a bazillion times, and just wanting to be at home. Suffice to say, the friendship wained somewhat after that. There were certainly no more sleep overs.

And that, Dear Reader, is but one of countless eroding winds that have shaped the husk of a man that stands before you today. My story serve as a warning, as you go about your business. Especially just before bedtime.

Braids and Spitting

These two fellas I saw the other day represent another strange branch of the gen y male species.

What the bloke on the left is saying is word for word what I heard. That's the thing with this particular gen y male- even though he is very focused on his hair style (in this case a bizarre, frizzy ginger mullet shaved off at the sides), in order to discuss it with his mate, he needs to swear enough to over-ride the inherently feminine subject matter.

Other attributes include-

-wearing singlets in the dead of winter
-wearing footy shorts or tracksuits
-not wearing deodorant
-not treating acne
-not shaving bum fluff
-swearing as much as possible
-all manner of bad mullets
-always having legs open at obtuse angles when sitting
-not looking at each other when talking
-spitting after each sentence
-playing rap music on mobile phones, and trying hard to rap along, but only really nailing the swear words
-taking up seven double seats on a train when there are only three of them
-frowning.

Offspring

I'm really enjoying Offspring. I never thought I'd say that, as I usually avoid Australian dramas like the plague (and that show Winners and Losers is a great example of why I will continue to try and avoid them).

But, Offspring is a really good show. Very well written, very well acted, and Asher Keddie makes a great main character to identify with. Good stuff. Anyone else like it?

Twitter Update

So I've been trying to get into Twitter the past week, to see what it's all about. I'm realising you don't really get the worth of it unless you kind of commit properly.

Also realising that it's less about what I have to say and more about making a network of all the things I'm interested in so I can get to the minute updates about those things. So that part of it I'm finding pretty cool.

The Sleepover

Little e is having her first sleepover tonight, staying at her cousin's place. It feels like a bit of a big deal, you know, one of lifes' little sign posts.

I hope she goes okay and doesn't wake everyone up in the middle of the night (as she's prone to do at home).

My childhood memories of early sleepovers are mostly happy, if occasionally traumatic. Have I ever told you about the time I stayed at my friend Myles' house? That is an epic story right there. It involves dreaming that I was going to the toilet on the toilet. Whereas in reality the 'toilet' was less an actual toilet and more the middle of the floor in Myles' room...

Tell me if you haven't heard this one, because it's a story worthy of a proper post.

Book Review Wednesday by Belle

The Thrifty Cook
by Jacki Passmore

Reviewed by Belle

Though I love my Donna Hay, Marie Claire and Stephanie Alexander cook books, when it came to planning regular family meals I found the recipes frustratingly impractical. Sure, there are times when quail stuffed with fig, dark chocolate and truffles* is a fun challenge, but most of the time I don’t want to know how to cook classy food, I want to know how to cook meatloaf.

Enter The Thrifty Cook by Jacki Passmore! While this recipe book is aimed at those cooking on a budget, a lot of her tips and dishes seem as though they’d be handy additions to any normal person’s/family’s weekly menu. Passmore’s recipes include ingredients that are likely to be found in the average pantry/freezer, calling for fewer trips to the supermarket and fewer moments while there wandering the aisles wondering where one would be likely to find crème fraiche (what is that?!). There are also fun hints for things to do with leftovers, such as wrapping up Tuesday night's curry in shortcrust pastry to make turnovers rather than redoing the same meal (yummmmmmmm).

One criticism I have of this book is the lack of vegetables in many of the main meals – one of our favourites, the Claypot Chicken Rice, contains only mushrooms and spring onions. We’ve had to be a little creative in working out what vegies to add to some of the meals we now eat regularly, and it would be nice if these extra ingredients were typed in the funky orange font along with the rest of the recipe, rather than scrawled in my husband’s messy handwriting in purple pen (deep breath in... and breathe out).

I highly recommend The Thrifty Cook as a gift idea (does anyone buy recipe books for themselves?) perfect for weddings, birthdays or Christmases, unless the giftee is likely to be offended by the title’s suggestion that they need to spend less money on their food.

* As far as I’m aware, this is not an actual dish. I have no idea if these ingredients actually taste any good together, I merely thought of four random foods I’d seen recently on MasterChef. I accept no responsibility for any culinary disasters caused by people experimenting with this combination as a result of this post.

Thanks for the review, Belle! Go check out Belle's Elbows.

Twitter

I'm with Soph. I'm on Twitter, but still don't get it.

Been on there for ages, but don't really get the appeal or the point.

Wrap Schmap

You know what I have no time for? Wraps. When did wraps start getting more cred than a regular sandwich? Probably the same sick and twisted day that those ridiculous seaweed crackers overtook the tried and true Jatz. What a joke.

Wraps look all fancy and healthy, but they have no taste. At least bread has taste. Chew for a minute and it's just a mouth of gross dough. And unless you eat a wrap within twenty seconds of actually making it, it tastes rubbish. It gets all wet and sloppy at the end with tomato juices and whatnot. Foul.

I feel strongly about this, and think some sort of anti-wrap campaign is in order. Maybe a petition. Possibly a march. Who's with me? I'll meet you at the old mill at midnight tonight.

The Quiz

1. I'm happy when I'm in..
2. I'm not happy when I'm in..
3. If you had to put a sticker on your car, what would it say?
4. Your favourite beach
5. Last time you got asked for id

Embracing Your Position As A Chinese Take Away Container

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. (2 Cor 4:7-10)

The minister preached on this at church yesterday, and I really liked the context he gave to the whole 'jars of clay' thing. I've never felt offended at being called a jar of clay. It sounds kind of cool and poetic. And aesthetically pleasing. As my minister said, we dig up these old clay pots from thousands of years ago, and put them in to museums. But back in the day they weren't special at all. They were the most common-place, boring sort of container around. They were like the Chinese take away containers of the day.

So the point is, sure, the vessel is crumby, and not worthy of any notice whatsoever. I am a Chinese take away container- probably a cracked one with a warped lid that won't close properly from being put in the microwave.

But it's all about the contents. I carry around the death of Jesus, and I carry around His Spirit in me, and that's what matters. It's never about me, and that's a relief.

My, What Sincere Emails You Have

You know how sometimes an email or a letter will be signed, 'sincerely, so and so'? That's always set me a little on edge, to be honest.

If you have to tell me that you're being sincere, it's just going to make me think that you're not. It's Shakespearean really- methinks you protesteth too much. I am sincere, really, really and truly I am.

And also, it makes me think, okay, you are being sincere NOW, but what about all the times you don't say 'sincerely'? Is that when your wooing me into your web of lies? Huh? Answer me that.

People Watching

Nobody likes stereotypes.

Except me- I love the darn things. So I give you a specimen of Gen Y male who I see at least a dozen of, on any given train journey.

Community

I liked this bit in Al's post about the future of the blog, in response to the idea that blogs might be dying-

'..could be right about the blog community generally. Just not this one.

I feel as though the blog community I'm a part of is alive and vibrant. And it seems as though I've got to know you pretty well even though I haven't met most of you.'

I agree with that. I feel like I'm part of a small community, and that kind of unexpectedly it's solidified into something that feels pretty permanent to me. Obviously we all read different blogs and therefore our 'communities' might differ a bit. But I feel like there is a group of people out there, that come here, and I read their stuff, and we bump into each other around the traps online. And occasionally in my dreams.

I like that.

Thursday Peanuts

It Runs In The Family

Saw this picture of Mitchell Pearce in the paper this morning. It reminded me of this picture of his dad Wayne after the Tige's lost the '89 Grand Final.

Ouch

I can't talk about it yet.

It's still too raw.

Calling a Spade a Spade

It is time for us Christians to face up to our responsibility for holiness. Too often we say we are "defeated" by this or that sin. No, we are not defeated; we are simply disobedient! It might be well if we stopped using the terms "victory" and "defeat" to describe our progress in holiness. Rather we should use the terms "obedience" and "disobedience."

When I say I am defeated by some sin, I am unconsciously slipping out from under my responsibility. I am saying something outside of me has defeated me. But when I say I am disobedient, that places the responsibility for my sin squarely on me. We may, in fact, be defeated, but the reason we are defeated is because we have chosen to disobey.

-Jerry Bridges, 'The Pursuit of Holiness'

Behold..

My silverbeet.

The Planets Are Aligned

Origin III is on tonight. And Bible Study has finished for the term, so I am willing and available. My excitement cannot be fathomed, measured or contained.

I'd invite you over, but we only get Channel 9 in the bedroom, which seems like an awkward and overly intimate context for us to watch football together in, especially if we've never yet met face to face. I'm sure you'd agree.

But know that in other circumstances things would be vastly different.

Go you Blues.

The Quiz

1. Are you mostly dreamer or mostly do-er?
2. What did you want to be when you grew up?
3. Did you pursue that as an adult?
4. Do you have any obsessive compulsive traits?
5. Would you like to be thrown a surprise party?

Weekend Highlights

-relaxing with the girls
-E's French toast on Saturday morning
-Browsing Salvo's/The Word bookshop/Bunnings on Saturday morning
-planting lavender and strawberries and pottering in the yard
-making soup (sort of a lamb, rosemary and veggie kinda thing)
-driving out to Bundeena after church for the markets and a sit on the beach
-putting new strings on my guitar (for the first time since 2004) and bellowing out a few toons
-watching Marley and Me in bed
-reading Bone #20 and #21 to little e
-Grand Designs and Downton Abbey last night

The Other Side Of The Coin

Now here's a better article about Banana's.

From the SMH as well, the same one that assembled the lynch mob last weekend.

Listening To..

From 1983. This one's on very high rotation this week.

Song Leading

I'm just starting to song lead at my new church, and I went to my first practice last night.

It felt really, really good to get back into singing, it's been yonks. I love to sing about as much as I like to draw, so it just felt relieving to sing with a band again.

Nice to sing some songs I'm not super familiar with too. Last night we did God Of Wonders, Amazing Love (You Are My King), Lead Me To The Cross and Your Love Oh Lord.

My verdict:

God Of Wonders- a good song, and fun to sing. Has a nice build.

Amazing Love (You Are My King)- I don't like this one. I find it boring and flat, and the country twang is a bit irky. The verse is kinda average, and you look forward to getting to the chorus, but then you have to go back and repeat the verse a second time first. Nuh.

Lead Me To The Cross- I really like this one. I like Brooke Frasers' songs a lot (my favourite is None But Jesus). The chorus is really nice. I just wish it could be sung a bit higher.

Your Love Oh Lord- I'm surprised that I've come to really like this. I heard the Third Day version, and didn't like it. The vocals reminded me of that awful early Noughties post-grunge Triple M Creed and Nickleback sound. Ech. But it's really enjoyable to sing, especially the chorus.

Anyways, all that aside, it just feels good to be finding my feet at a new church, and finding ways to be more involved