Sugar??

Several times today I've been asked if I'd had too much sugar in my coffee this morning. It's not even like I had lots of sleep last night. Could it be that I can see an end to some of the horrendous workload of the last year+??? I dunno, but today was a good day.

I've been playing with the html a wee bit too... found that cute quotes site - no idea what they're gonna be like, but am willing to give it a good shot. I like the one for today - "the first duty of love is to listen" - so if they're all like that, well, it'll be interesting!

A week and a half ago I flew to Wellington (yes, again) for a birthday party (yes, again) - my great aunt's 100th. I also met my 3 week old great niece while I was down there. Imagine that. One day I'll be able to say to her (one day, soon, hopefully the poor tot will have a NAME!!!) "on September 2nd 2005, I gave both you and your 100-year-old great great great aunt a hug and a kiss".





This is what a telegram from the queen looks like:




and this is the great aunt's great great great niece and moi

2 in one week

Based on my recent record, this would have to be a miracle.
I'm avoiding marking exams at the moment, although I have one lot half completed, and another are threatening me from the sofa.

Speaking of the sofa...
My big discovery of the day was this:
I have a cat (no, that's not the discovery).
My cat likes to sit on me.
When I won't cooperate (or go conveniently - to her - to sleep) she likes to sit on furniture near me.
My gorgeous blue sofa collects cat hair like it was worth a fortune.

(that's the photo from when I bought them on Trademe)
I've tried vacuuming it, but it sticks like glue (or, at the very least, cat hair)
So, sometime during the week, I had a brainwave. I thought of the bath glovey things I have, that are like wearing a scrubbing brush on your hand, like this
And I thought that it might work really well against the cat hair.
And do you know what??
I was right. It was brilliant:):)
While I listened to and watched the memorial service for David Lange this morning on the tele, I managed to get most of the evidence of Honey off the sofas. Yay!

Yeah, yeah......

Still chuckling at Pete's comment in the last post....I think I woke up the neighbours!
I can take a hint.
Yes, I'm still alive! Haven't felt much like making the effort, sometimes it seems like there's not much happening, and yet, when I look back, I know I've done heaps.
The students are preparing for mock exams starting tomorrow, so it's been full-on getting them ready. (and the students too). At least I only had 2 year levels to organise this year, but I got them back from the printer yest afternoon, and discovered I had forgotten to put the number required on one year level, and so back they go to print some more. I'm glad I didn't discover THAT on the morning of the exam!!!

Oh, and Jupiter is still a feature, yes.... "During August Venus and Jupiter will present an interesting view in the evening sky as the two draw closer and closer together. By the end of the month, they will only be a couple of degrees apart." from RASNZ and here's a northern hemisphere link.

Actually, one of the things I did last week was to set the alarm and get up to watch the shuttle land, on NASA tv on the internet. It was exceptionally cool to hear the conversation between Houston and the Discovery, and I really did feel for them the night previously, when they were put off twice. Eileen Collins managed to not sound too stressed or disappointed, but I bet she was wishing she was home already! Someone at work had told me when to look in the sky to see the 2 of them (Discovery attached to the ISS) going overhead, a few days before, so I was out in the garden in the freezing cold, watching the right point in the sky at the right time. It was amazing - to think how fast they were travelling, to see them, and to go inside and see what was happening, live, on tv. WOW.

Nora - I'm turning into an astronomical-geek. My year 11's have opted to do astronomy for their final module, so *warning*.. it could get worse before it gets better!!!!!

Occultation of Jupiter

I didn't know that was what it was called, but it happened on Thursday night. Jupiter (the tiny dot)was seen to move behind the moon from the dark side. It reappeared on schedule about an hour later.

I tried out all sorts of combinations of settings on my camera, and this was the best result. I was pleased with it, anyway!

PS..

I came 4th= in the rugby picks competition. Feel VERY pleased with that. The top 4 were all women - the guys on staff didn't get a look-in! I'm sure they'll say that was because they were far too busy playing to spend time thinking about their picks.

Not much..

..to post about at the mo. It's all work work work.
That may change next weekend, of course. The big party arrives. All us family members with our round birthdays & a big get-together in Wellington. We've done quite well in the last year or two for getting together in one place. The intervals between events are getting smaller. Sometime between now and then I must find a. a memento of my favourite decade (what on EARTH am I going to take???) and b. a bunch of photos for a montage - eek!! Oh, and WHAT to wear????? I feel quite special, as a number of friends are making quite an effort - 2 flying with me from Auckland, and one coming from Dunedin, along with those who are more local to the party venue.

20 years

How can you compare this:

"Twenty years"

with this:

"Twenty years"??

Take a quiz...

Found this quiz on Darren's and Pete's blogs...
I'm highly amused! Imagine being as fundamentalist as you are existentialist??!!!!

You scored as Cultural Creative. Cultural Creatives are probably the newest group to enter this realm. You are a modern thinker who tends to shy away from organized religion but still feels as if there is something greater than ourselves. You are very spiritual, even if you are not religious. Life has a meaning outside of the rational. Cultural Creative 88% Idealist 44% Romanticist 44% Postmodernist 38% Existentialist 31% Fundamentalist 31% Modernist 13% Materialist 6% What is Your World View? (updated) created with QuizFarm.com

Pentecost.....

It's amazing how sometimes everything knits together to give a bigger picture sometimes. This weekend seems to have had a theme - but it's only in looking back over it that I can see it.
It started with Hot Air Ballooning (at last!!!) at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning. The balloon depends entirely on the wind currents, and it is the skill of the operator, causing it to rise or lower to catch the wind going in the desirable direction, which causes the balloon to have any direction at all.

Then, this morning, I drove a close friend out to the airport, to travel to England to live for a while. When she ticked the "leaving the country permanently" box, I cried, and again when she went through the gates. I will miss her a lot - we have had much common ground in our family histories, and shared a lot of hard times. The mastery of flight, and utilising the aerodynamics and lift and all that stuff, means she's now nearly in KL, and probably more than ready to hit the bed in her hotel.

And tonight we celebrated Pentecost. The imagery people often have is the flames, but I think of the rushing wind. During the course of the prayer stations, I thought of a poem I met in my youth, by Ulrich Shaffer, from Into your Light. I don't think I am remembering it correctly or completely, but here goes:

"I am persuaded by the dandelion
to take the wings of the updrift
to fly
to parachute into enemy territory
to fall to the ground
to be trampled on
to die
and so
to give birth to a whole generation of flyers."

from yesterday morning:

ANZAC

Just returned from the dawn ANZAC service at the Auckland War Memorial - brrrrr. Autumn has definately arrived. We followed the full moon all the way to the domain, and were gobsmacked at how many others were following the same path. The 10-year-old God-daughter and I had a bit of a walk, to get to the Cenotaph, and we missed the arrival parade of veterans. However, it was pretty special just to be there, in the cold dawn, with so many others. The Herald estimates 2000, but I think that's extremely conservative. I'd say more like 4 or 5000. (there were FAR more there than the population of my school, which is 2200-ish). Still nothing like the 20,000 estimated to arrive at Anzac Cove in Turkey this year.
It was pretty amazing to stand while the last post was played, and the flags on top of the Museum were lowered to half mast, and have that many people silent for a whole, precisely measured, minute, and then to turn round and see the dawn breaking over Rangitoto. Click here for Dick Hubbard's dedication, and here for the address by the Governor General, Dame Silvia Cartwright.

We left our poppies planted in the ground in this cross, only to discover most others were placing them at the foot of the cenotaph where the wreaths had been laid.

On the way home I spotted a cat on the road, which I could see was obviously still alive, but looked unable to move. It was dreadful - we did a U-ey round the roundabout and went back to see if there was anything to be done. I lifted him off the road (a GREAT big grey fluffy tabby), and he squirmed away with only his front end working. Poor baby. Went door knocking (at 7am, you understand!) till I found his owner, who was understandably distraught. By then she had a couple of neighbours to support her, so off we went, and off they went to the vet. Spare a thought for some random woman called Allison, who will be feeling very sad this morning - I don't know if "Fester" (what a dreadful name!) will make it. My Honey got hit by a car about 5 years ago, and she's as bouncy as anything now - well, apart from that she's now 10, and sleeps most of the day on my bed in the sun. I would have hated if she had been left on the road like that for someone else to run over later.

Ballooning

Have returned tonight from the "Balloons over Waikato" festival. I was particularly keen to see the "night glow", where they inflate a bunch of the balloons, and then light them up in time with various music clips. There was a scarecrow, a barn complete with animals and grain silo, an enormous bunch of tulips in a vase & a bunch of others, including the one we are going up in today fortnight - all being well this time with the wind!



This morning, we got up at some ridiculous hour and chased the balloons across the city to where they were all landing on a park across town. All, that is, except for the one that landed in someone's front drive, and the balloon itself seemed to swallow up the cars on the road as they hurried to deflate it and pack it up. Highly amusing.

Not as amusing, apparently, as the sight of me in nighty and dressing gown skipping across the bridge to get a better photo from the other side. I made sure at least one of my photos included a woman in her pj's, just so I could demonstrate I wasn't the only one to leave the house in a hurry!!! The view of the balloons along the river was brilliant, and we found a series of bridges to view them from. It whetted my appetite for our expedition coming up!

Tops!

Wow! one of the most amazing students I have ever had the pleasure to know, has just been announced as top scholar for the country (secondary school). (and of course it looks good for my school, too!!!) It's worth $15,000/year for the next 3 years. Again WOW!!! I am so thrilled for her, and a more personable, thoughtful and conscientious person you'd be hard pushed to meet.

WOW!

Just connected my broadband modem. Cor - who'd have thought the internet could be SO fast!!

Sigh...

Not impressed at waking not long after 3am this morning, and now here I am, up & at 'em. Grrrrr. I gave up about 4 and started reading. And now, since I'm still not apparently getting back to sleep, I thought I may as well get up and do some work. Grrrrr!

Oh well....

Tis all very well to have had a front row seat, at the best match the local team have played all season......


BUT...


I hadn't picked them to win, in the aforementioned competition. What a strange feeling, to be so excited about the (nearly) try-scoring happening right in front of us, yet well aware that this amazing and excellent slaughter of the team leading the competition was being matched by my own toppling, as I'm sure that most of the rest of our staff will have loyally picked the local team to win. Won't they??

Rugby

I'm amusing myself, at present, as much as anyone else, by being in the (co-)lead for the 4th week running (out of about 40 people) in the ongoing Super12 picks competition we're having at school. It helped that one week I got all my picks right, and hence 2 bonus points. I think the greatest joy is beating the pants off the coach of the 1st XV. He & I are on duty before school Friday mornings, over in the underground carpark at the shopping centre across the road, so discussing our picks for the week has become a hot topic of conversation. It's pretty entertaining. Much more entertaining than interrupting whatever deals and blegh behaviour we are there to prevent!

Annoyed...

I wrote a post on Tuesday, which seems to have got lost in cyberspace. Ah well.. here goes again!
Last weekend, we put on a service on Friday night, based around the seven last sayings of Jesus on the cross - the UK REJESUS website was a rich resource, with thanks to Mark Pierson for the loan of his copy of the CD.

I was responsible for the station for saying #6, the one where Jesus said "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit". Interestingly, the interpretation on the Rejesus site was of Jesus being angry, but I chose to interpret it along the lines of there being no safer hands that he, or we, could be in. So my painting was titled "No Safer Hands":


Now, of course, I'm not quite sure what to do with it. I'm thinking I might try and sell it on TradeMe!!

Jumped..

...ship, that is, to Firefox.
I went to a conference the other week, and the speaker at one of the workshops I went to introduced us to it. Up till now I'd just heard of it, but now I'm converted! I love the tabs. I love that my taskbar is uncluttered. I like the look, and I was really impressed at it importing my bookmarks & history and passwords. wheeeee!!!!!

Yummy Washing

How sad is this?
Recently, I was being visited by a travelling Brit, who asked what I'd like him to bring me, that I couldn't get here.
So, the thinking cap went on, as it does, on these occasions.
Sure, McVities Gold bars are scrummy.
Horlicks Lite & Ribena Lite likewise, and both unavailable here, although their non-lite counterparts are.
But, I think I really had him when I asked if he thought he'd have room for Ariel Liquid.
I could almost hear the communal familial headshaking and shouldershrugging going on.
My ears were even a bit pink.
However, it has to be said, there is NOTHING available on the shelves here (in the liquid laundry detergent range) that doesn't smell totally foul and toxic.
So, I shall continue to enjoy the yummy washing smell, until the bottle is all gone, as I contemplate how on earth I'm going to access an ongoing supply!

FINISHED!

Well, finished "a" task, anyway!!!
At 5.15pm I completed the 44 page Annual Report to the Board for my department. I've been working since 5.15am today, so am I EVER glad it's a LOOOOOOONG weekend. Whatever trick of the calendar saw fit to give NZ schools Easter Tuesday off as well as Monday, I'm ever so thankful to it!!!
I couldn't really start on my report till I had worked with the new Head of Faculty on the faculty report, since that was my baby, effectively, till he took over in January. Boy, are we having some trials at the moment, but I'm soooo pleased with the way we are working as a team to deal with them! It's my very real hope that now this hurdle is out of the way, things really will, finally, settle!
boy, I sure do hope so.
My Mum gave me a cool book of "hopeful sayings" for my birthday - I liked this one:

"Hope is the feeling we have that the feeling we have is not permanent"

credited to Mignon McLaughlin
(cor!!! what a cool name.. reminds me of a scotch-cut sirloin steak!)

Sunrise

It's me! I've surfaced for air, briefly!
just wanted to share this:



This was several photos blended together into a panorama, taken on Saturday morning about 7.30am, on the day I failed to go hot air ballooning:(
This was the treat to make up for the significantly round birthday this month. However, there was too much wind, and so we've had to rebook for May. Darn!
Never mind.. the sunrise across the city was lovely, and the brekkie was pretty nice too!

Meanwhile, it's all manic, as can be intepreted from the massive silence! Tonight I really should be working on my board report, since the final final final deadline is tomorrow, and it's now 2 weeks overdue. But, after getting 143 year 12 students through their practical chemistry exam today (starting at 0745), having been at school setting up till 8.00 last night, racing 25km each way to attend a moderation meeting, coming back to a couple of hours of parent interviews, and seeing off my old lounge suite just now after a 15 year acquaintance, I'm just a tad knackered!!!!

And that was a quiet day!!!
catch you soon, hopefully!!!!!!!!!!!

Blue light.....

It's my week for the Graceway lamp. I know this, 'cos Gareth said so when he handed it to me tonight. (thanks, G) This lamp was given to us just over a year ago, when Mark was inducted as our pastor. Can't believe how fast that year disappeared!
I look at it, and think of our community. This was a good week for it to come to me - I need reminding about belonging. Like the cane we are all woven together. It also reminds me of the reading we had from Mark tonight, where Jesus called the fishermen. I like the light shining through, and I like the shadows it casts on the wall behind. I like the way it comes to church, is part of our visual worship environment, and then it goes home with someone different. I like that Gareth thought to give it to me, and I like that I have a week to think about who to pass it on to next. I like that it's no big deal if I forget to take it next week, or if I want to keep it for an extra week.
I am glad that I have this visual reminder of who I am and where I belong, to shine in my home for this next week.
(ps, I'm not still grumpy, but I am very tired!)

Grumpy

It must be a factor of being Friday night. I'm decidedly grumpy and out of sorts with the world. Too tired and feel pressured from all angles. Blegh.
This afternoon I was trying to write a job description for a "body" to take over some of the responsibilities I had last year before they increased exponentially. This is a delightfully good thing, but last thing on a Friday, with a shout down in the staffroom courtesy of the Athletics day organisers, not something I really wanted to be doing. The sooner I polish it to my satisfaction (my one big chance to dot all the I's and cross all the T's), the sooner we have someone else sharing the load. It's that wonderfully "Catch 22" situation, where you're soooooo frantically busy that there's no time to actually try and delegate effectively. It'll happen, I know it will, and soon. Meanwhile....
(did I say I was grumpy??)

HOT!!!!

Today was a blisterer! Just perfect for the whole school to gather across the road at the large sports domain for the athletics sports. One of the senior boys broke a javelin record that had stood since 1988, and he didn't even look like he was trying. He smashed it by 11m!!!! I got to be solitary crowd control on the highway at day's end, with several hundred bodies descending on my crossing at once like lemmings. "NO, stoopid, do you have a death wish?? Do NOT cross those 5 lanes of traffic until the lights change and the crossing buzzer goes!"

Concerts in the park

Finally got around to offloading from my camera the photos from Goldenhorse gig in the park a couple of weekends ago. Good to hear some stuff off the upcoming album, & to enjoy the time with friends. Mark got into the groove, and proved it's never too early to introduce the next generation to good sounds!

(not that you can see all that much of Soph!)

Photobucket

This is a test post from Photobucket.com

~*~ Mother Teresa's Prayer ~*~

I came across this prayer, this weekend. I will try and hold it in mind throughout Lent. I'm a pretty slow learner, though.

 

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
...Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
...Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
...Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
...Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
...Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
...Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
...Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
...Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

When I was looking for that one, I also came across this saying, by Mother Theresa. I rather liked it also:

    "Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."

I've been thinking about being kind, recently. To myself and others. About what it is in relationships with those we care about that make them different from those with people we know as acquaintances or colleagues. I think there's a lot of kindness involved when someone knows your heart. I am touched when the people I care about reciprocate in grace and kindness, and I must be more prepared to follow the words in the prayer, when they don't.

a bit of a plug...

... for those of you living within a bulls roar of Auckland, you really really ought to go and check out Maladict's Fix, a great new cafe my friends recently opened at Clark's Beach. Complete with permission from Terry Pratchett himself, it is named after the vampire character in one of his books who has given up his addiction to blood, and turned to coffee instead.

I went out last Sunday, taking a friend, and you couldn't get friendlier service anywhere else in Auckland. Not only that, but it's backed with a silver medal in the BP New Zealand Coffee Festival last year, in the espresso category. WOW!!! Can't say fairer than that! Get your butts out there and check it out. And there's no excuse, either, if you're not local - check out the link in my previous post, and you can order online!

no whinges today

Yeah, that's right. It's Saturday morning, I'm drinking a fine cup of Zeke's Howler Monkey blend, it's raining (which means that at last it's a bit cooler, yay), and although it turned quite sour in the middle, my week finished well.

The car turned out to have a broken alternator belt. Which, in it's turn, turned out to only be worth $18 ish to replace, + labour. I phoned a colleague to get her recommendations for a local service garage, one that I can easily access from work, and as a result have scored a real "find". Fantastic service, trust & reliability. I got held up at work the next night (that's a whole different story.....), so they just left the keys at the petrol station in front for me to pick up. All this without ever having sighted me - all done over the phone. They were fine about me coming in the next day to pay. WOW!!!!! Have booked it in again for next week for a service and some other bits and pieces I've been putting off.

So, got held up at work... We've been trying to sort some classes this week, it becoming more and more urgent as the day approached when we began full timetable. It became more and more obvious that things weren't working, and on Thursday afternoon, when I sat down with the new HOD to check stuff, it didn't take us long to realise that we had to start again from scratch. This being mainly cos of the duff data I'd been supplied by my last year's 2IC. I should have known that I ought to just start from the beginning again myself, but I have this naturally gullible streak that wants to believe that others are competent. Ah well. It made me look really useless, but I have the satisfaction of knowing that I'd done my best with what I'd been given. And, not only that, it was finally something for new-boss to get his teeth into, and it felt SO GOOD to walk out at 6.20 and know that for once I was leaving someone else to do the work! Yayayayayayayay! The upshot was that on Friday we started timetable, and basically had to tell that year level that we were just filling time for that period, and they'd be with their "real" teacher next week. Oh, and new-boss is sorting the workload issue for me, too, it seems. Well Hallelujah!

So, it all ended well. I walked out on Friday afternoon, knowing that I still have 1001 things to do, but that I'm not in the front of the firing line any more. SO pleased:)

where to start...

So, this is the year that everything is going to be better, right?
Yeah, right, as Tui would have it.
I don't know if I can be bothered working too far backwards from tonight
(although at some point I will rave about what a great summer it was - it
just seems an awful long time ago now, and has been well eclipsed by the
huge hours I've been working again at school).
Tonight my fanbelt broke, when I was halfway down the Highway. It took the
AA towtruck about an hour and a half to get there (in the meantime my friend
appeared to rescue me with KFC), and I felt quite bereft!
Friend said "I wish I'd brought my camera", and I realised "ooh... I have
one on the phone". so I amused myself while nice bloke was loading it by
taking photos. I do like to watch men work. Well, anyone, really, who's not
me. cos it just seems that in the last 2 weeks, all I've heard about is how
much people are enjoying this wonderful weather we are now having, and I'm
stuck in a pokey office, behind my computer. Started feeling QUITE
resentful.

On the other hand, I do need to say that new-boss is going to be great.
Really great. He's Irish, but most recently been teaching in a private boys
school in Surrey. Has a SCREAM of a sense of humour. It just takes more time
than I'm currently wanting to know about to transfer all the information
about stuff that has to happen yesterday. But I know it will get better.
Till tonight, I didn't think it could get any worse!

Phew!

At last, a bit of a slower pace...
It snowed on me in my travels, in spite of it supposedly being the height of summer, and then this morning it hailed!
I had enough time yesterday to finish putting together a cool-as bead angel I was given quite some time ago...

Took my mother and our 96 year old ex-neighbour out to look at the lights last night. We started at the house where I grew up - never seen it looking like this before!!!

so good to be not doing much at all!

Finally

... Yep, finally, nearly 2 weeks after some of my friends, I have finished school. I was so determined to be out of there today that I was up until 2am working, and then, after not really being able to sleep, back at it again at 7.30 this morning. But, at last, at 4.45 this afternoon, I did the last task that HAD to be done before I could leave. There is, of course lots more that I didn't do, but it can and will have to wait. I need this break. This has been one of the hardest working years I have ever known. At the same time it has been challenging and stimulating, but I'm totalled now. Illustrated vividly by more tears at the end of last week.

What am I planning for the summer? Well, it seems to get shorter and shorter all the time - I have to be back for a 2 day intro for the last course in my diploma, which is sure something I could live without. And I have to be back at school a week before everyone else. But other than that, the bit I'm looking most forward to is a week at a beach. Not the same beach as last year, but just as nice by all accounts. I'm looking forward to the long long evenings strolling along and collecting shells and driftwood.

Boy's toys...

My brother cracks me up. He is the epitome of playing it close to the chest. He's off this weekend, to run the Kepler Challenge Mountain race for the 17th time. Last year was a really slow one (11-ish hours to do the 64km), so he joked at Christmas that this year he'd be going for the most improved time. So I wished him well in his endeavours. What do I get back but an email, not about the mountain race, but about the trip down the West Coast to get to the mountain race, and how he was going to have the most improved time for that. How come?
Well... I had to

look in the rear view mirror:

.
.
.
no, closer... in the wing mirror:

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
and then gaze out the front, at the beast disappearing into the distance:


So, apparently he won one of the limited edition Ford Falcon XR8's with personalised All Blacks number plates. Someone remind me again why I don't buy Lotto tickets??

How long....????

It's always the oldies that I go back to when times are tough, as they are at the moment.

Every cry is a song
Every song is a prayer
And our prayers must be heard
To fill the air

Help us make peace
Amazing grace, Morning has
broken, Imagine, Trumpets, Knocking
on heavens door, in the garden,
Forever young, No woman no cry, Ag
criost an siol, Open up, open up,
open up the doors to your heart, You
might need somebody. Thank you
for letting me be myself again.

I'm looking forward to "being myself" again. Dunno when it's gonna happen, still can't see past the next 2 weeks. In fact, at the moment, I'm lucky if I can see past the next hour. A couple of good people have popped out of the woodwork yesterday and today, to fill the vacuum of isolation and speak love to my broken spirit. After these 2 terms, I don't think I'll ever be the same "me" again. I've learnt a thing or two, some things that I never really wanted to learn, or see. Some has been rewarding, some has been very disappointing. I hope I'm a stronger person when it's over.

Fame

How sad it is when we grasp at tenuous links to perceived fame...

Loosely translated as "the school magazine was out today, and I have found my picture (4x) and reference to me (2x)".

Is this where we set goals for next year??

2.5 weeks to go in this academic year, and I probably still have about 6 weeks work. Still not quite sure how I'm going to do it, but there's nothing surer than that time will pass! Somehow, too, I also have 2 massive assignments to finish, of which one is a website, so I may be brave enough to post a link, when it's done. (might.)

(or not!)

Grrr!!!

Why?
1. It's 4.52am and I'm not asleep. I got up cos I'd been not asleep for about an hour and I'm bored.
2. I just got error messages from haloscan saying I didn't have permission to access my member page.
3. Consequently comments have vanished, at the moment, anyway
4. Why not?
5. Marking exams, writing reports, budgets and reports to the Board are not things I want to be thrashing about at this time of the morning. Ever.

Review

Found this in the Herald this morning. I'm glad I'm not the only one who enjoyed it! (although that was very obvious by the demand for encore after encore, which they were kind enough to fulfill)
Most amused at this reference to the chandelier thingys I mentioned already: The giant creatures-of-the-deep-like chandeliers from the workshop of Neil's wife Sharon were certainly flash.
I must just add, tho, that I HATE the St James Theater - it has got to be the MOST uncomfortable venue in Auckland. I was on the mezzanine floor, nearish the front, wonder how close I was to the rest of the Finn clan?!

Bit of a play

Well, instead of doing 1000's of other things that were really far more necessary, I've had a bit of a play with colours and stuff. I liked one of the other templates, but I lost my other settings, so I won't play with that until I have time to fiddle properly.

Finns!!

Instead of focussing on how crap the past few weeks have been, I will go to bed tonight and relive the Finn Brothers' concert I've just come home from. They were awesome. (I can't believe I first heard them as Crowded House, in the Manawatu Sports Stadium on 14 January 1989 - according to this phenomenally detailed bio site!. They played a curious mix of Split Enz and CH, that night, from memory.. faint though it is now!!!) These guys ROCK! They could've gone on all night, and still not repeated the same song twice, although I wouldn't have minded a bit if they had. Lots of songs from the new album, but also ones from way back when I was still at school, and they were the Enz.

The backdrop/set was fantastic. They had these groovy hanging chandelier things, which, with the changes in lighting reminded me at times of:
chinese lanterns
ghost ship lights
portugese man 'o war
pin cushion
glow worms
waterfalls
Christmas decorations
orthodox lanterns
and others that I can't remember. I had a go at taking a photo with my phone, but it's really rubbish from that distance & in low light:



It was a real feast of vision and sound. Loved it.

The supporting groups were Gasoline Cowboy, who had a couple of good numbers, but I could take or leave them, and Missy Higgins, on tour with the Finns & her first time in NZ. She had just an awesome voice, and accompanied herself on either guitar or keyboard. I was impressed!! This is a wee article about her that was in the NZ Herald last week.

Sad:(

What I want to know is this. How is it possible that the most alone I feel is sometimes when I am with the person who is my closest friend? What is that about? Is it because the level of expectation of emotional support is higher, and hence the lack of any is more of a let down? Is it because the people you are closest to are the ones that have the inside knowledge and ability to hurt you the most? Is it because answering the question "what can I do do support you in this difficult time?" with specifics and appreciating the effort while it lasts (about 2 days, as a rule) becomes more difficult every time? I really don't know, but I feel quite sad.

Idolblog.com wins

Woohoo!!! Congrats to Rachel and Regan for winning the Best Youth Site award at the Netguide awards last night, for the site they set up for the first series of NZ Idol. It's grown like Topsy ever since, so that now they have 7000 registered members! You go guys!!!!

Today was Labour Day holiday - the first was in 1890, celebrating the struggle for an eight-hour working day, which allegedly NZ workers were among the first in the world to achieve. Someone forgot to tell whoever designed my current job description. I did no work today, in protest, rather than in celebration! I will of course, pay for it during the week!

This weekend also celebrates an anniversary of something else... 10 years ago on Labour Weekend, my father celebrated his last birthday. I can see him now, gaunt as he was, sitting in his wheelchair blowing out some candles on a cake. He most enjoyed the trifle, as I recall, and he did get very very tired. 10 days later, on Melbourne Cup day, he died. At one point as I was sitting in the hospital, I read a quote from Twain, in a Readers Digest, which I have often reflected on in the years since:

"What a wee little part of a person's life are his acts and his words! His real life is led in his head, and is known to none but himself All day long, the mill of his brain is grinding, and his thoughts, not those other things, are his history. These are his life, and they are not written and cannot be written (or shared). Every day would make a whole book of 80,000 words--365 books a year. Biographies are but the clothes and buttons of the man--the biography of the man himself cannot be written."

At the time, it was very poignant, but as time has passed, I have come to understand even more deeply the truth of this statement. How much we see and think and process internally, that never gets recorded anywhere but on the inside of our minds. How much of it is forgotten 2 seconds later, and how much is retained for years and years, only to come back to the surface when we least expect it.

Having read the book John McCarthy wrote with Brian Keenan, about their travels in Chile, I'm now reading "A Ghost upon your path", in which John travels to a remote corner of Kerry, to spend some time, exploring his roots and coming to terms with his mother's death while he was a hostage in Beirut. I came across this passage last night, which had real resonance:

"The late afternoon light darkens, emphasizing my feeling of isolation. I keep the curtains open so that I can see the lights of cars on the road and of the houses across the harbour at Cromane. Many people live like this around here, I imagine. It's very hard to pin down the character of solitude. It is fickle, friendly and frightening by turns, bringing a sense of loss and good fortune almost in the same moment. Vast spaces, whether physical or emotional, can have you shouting for joy or leave you mute and cowering."

Oh dear. Another week gone by, and that tunnel just stretches on out.

On a brighter note, I went to my old school to watch a couple of year 12 plays tonight. I really enjoyed them both - the quality of drama teaching there is magnificent. One of the guys who made the video that won the national nude video competition earlier in the year got his kit off again. (to many wolf whistles from the audience.. the 14yr old members, that is, not us genteel types) School plays have certainly changed since I was in them!!!

Well.
So just when you thought there might be light at the end of the tunnel, that's about when it turns out to be a train. And this tunnel - it has no exits. Been back 3 days, and that is time enough for the work to triple. It's not a case of saying "no" to things... this is just the job, and I'm only finding out bits at a time . So glad I didn't apply for it on a permanent basis. 9 weeks and counting.

I'm ba-ack!!
Well, and how much warmer it is up here! Mind you, the 24 hours of constant and persistent rain on Monday/Tuesday weren't really that cold. Until the snow got deposited on the Tararuas, behind town, just like the picture, that is. Very pretty this morning as I was leaving. And the flight was sooooooo much smoother today. On Thursday, the whole plane clapped when we landed in Wellington - out of relief, I think - it was horrible bumpy!

A big HI to Kelli and to Pete (who linked me, how scary!!) - nice to see the readership on the up!!

One of the people I visited was my great aunt, who was 99 a month ago. She's a hoot! Gives my mum a run for her money!! I discovered she has her own online feature here... which completely cracked me up! Trust her!!!
These photos are off that site:

In summary, they think she's the oldest book recipient of the Wellington Library Housebound service. I've never known her not to be reading. She can beat me in Scrabble hands down, and unlike her, I don't even tackle the cryptic crosswords! (like to see her up against Nigel, eh Pete? I'd bet on my great aunt any day!)

Meanwhile, I continue to track my niece Carlee across Canada... She keeps scaring us with how close she gets to bears. Mind you, this bit from her latest email made me smirk (and not feel like quite such a wuss):

Haven't seen any more bears, though did see fresh prints and poo on a tramp we did. And in one campground we heard a funny huffing noise at night, so i made Dave drive me to the toilets!

Ode to Carlee:

(hee hee...)
OK, that's enough high spirits for one night. Anyone would think that I hadn't been so blonde as to have to phone the airline to find out when I was flying, since I hadn't bothered to either print my eticket, or write it down (DOH!!), or, alternatively, left my scarf in the rental car. I think I need a holiday!!!

Off to my home town for a few days....Brrrrr!

Still, it's pretty, but!

Just finished a 3 day holiday course for the Multimedia paper I'm doing (2nd to last one to finish the post grad diploma in Education Technology) - & I'm all buzzed, on creating simple VR movies, animations, morphing and generally playing about in a most geekly manner. For the first time, ever, I can remember, an assignment will be FUN!!!!! I'm scaring myself!! Next year's research paper is the one I'm dreading. How does one pick a research topic out of thin air????

COOL!!! Just bought my first "thing" in an online auction at TradeMe...

So pleased. Only 500g, which is just what I was after!

Well, it's the holidays at last. Two weeks of no students. Time to do my "intensive" 3 day course for the Diploma I am trying to finish (2 papers to go... nearly there!), and then take a trip down country to visit my Mum. She's not been well, and she's been very lonely, so it might be more me taking care of her, than the other way round, but as she is fond of saying, a change is as good as a rest! I'll be quite grateful to get back and finally have some time for myself. All 3 days of it!

I found my table today. It's been a matter of faith that it still existed - as the nearest horizontal surface to the front door, it becomes the repository of all things paper. If it had some kind of bounce mechanism, that would refuse to accept a new piece until I'd dealt with a previous piece, I'd be a lot better off! Still, it meant that there was a lot of recycling going on. AND I found stuff I actually needed, which had to be a good thing!!!

Very moving service at Graceway tonight. It was our foodbasket service, when we share food together first (literal foodbasket) and then share from our spiritual foodbasket how God has been moving in our lives. We had the triple bypass scars on view for the kids, and the wonderful testimony of encouragement on the morning of the op, through Psalm 91. We had the testimony of how the reading from "An Alien at St Wilfred's" had been an encouragement in relationship with Jesus a few weeks ago, through a particularly dark time. We heard of a 25 year old friend, who has been diagnosed with a brain tumour. We celebrated 10 years of Graceway. Tears, love, laughter. As Mark said at the end, it felt like we had been on holy ground. I'm glad for what was shared. I have felt a bit spiritually dry myself of late, and it is encouraging to me, to share in our communal time this way.

Gosh I'm tired. It's the end of the weekend, and I feel like I've been working from start to finish. In fact, it's not quite true, but I sure haven't had much time for me. Only one week till the holidays, and typically, the pressure is cranked right up. Then, after two weeks "off", it's only 10 more weeks till I can hand the extra responsibilities over. Which reminds me of the good news. We have a new Head of Faculty, yay oh yay oh yay!!! True, he won't start till January, but just having the end in sight relieves the pressure somewhat. He's Irish, but currently teaching in England, so that'll be fun... I hope he's going to be patient with us getting him to repeat everything he says till we get our ears in tune!
Meanwhile, the ankle is giving me a bit of a rest from pain, thankfully.
Must get back to work. Roll on next Saturday.. I have a massage booked to relieve me of some of the tension I know I'm going to accumulate this week!

Nearly a month since I've checked in. I've been so tired, & working such long hours.
Twas great to take time out these past 2 weekends, though, for Graceway camp, and this last Saturday to catch up with a good friend. So many other things have happened in the meantime...
2 weeks of Olympics
exams (yeah, I know - not on the same scale, but pity the poor students who had to study during the olympics!)
a stabbing at my school
one of the Graceway leadership team having a triple bypass, and being happy to be home again
a discovery that the chronic pain developed in my ankle which has had me hobbling and practically lame by the end of the day for the last 3 1/2 weeks is something that may require surgery to fix (not impressed at all )
and the terrible terrible hostage situation and massacre in Russia.

Two men, both in their 50's, both with cancer. One has small children, and a form of cancer so rare his doctor hasn't seen one like it in 10 years. His drugs have to be imported from overseas, and meanwhile he has to wait, while it continues to invade his liver. The other, adult children, and a growth in his neck. Both these men have had it before. In both cases, they were all clear and getting on with life. Both of them work in a significant role with students, but not at the same school. They are both friends of mine, though they don't know each other. One has faith, and the other believes in the power of setting goals and aiming high. I pray they will both have strength and hope and experience God's miraculous power & healing, along with His comfort for all their friends and families.

I'm feeling really QUITE grumpy tonight. I've been getting, on average, 4-5 hours sleep a night since going back to work this term, and not leaving work till after 6pm, in the dark, most nights, only to do another few hours once I get home! Yesterday we had Open Day, which meant I had to go in and supervise some SUPER seniors demonstrating scientific wonders, and was very much looking forward to a more relaxing day today.
Not so - damn migraine had other ideas. I'm sure if I could have kept the tablets Lynne put me onto DOWN for long enough they'd have worked like a charm, but no such luck. It was a gorgeous day, and I spent most of it in bed. GRUMP! I guess you could say it was an enforced catchup on sleep, but I sure coulda done without it.

3 things tore at my heart strings tonight. (I've dissected sheeps hearts this week, and I know they exist. Good biologists call them valves, but my 14 yr olds thought they looked like parachutes & strings)

The moon, a big yellow crescent, slowly disappearing as the horizon rose to meet it. I raced home to get my camera and this is it over the lagoon.
Walk On, by U2, playing on the car radio.
and saying goodbye to people I've only known 9 months, but in my heart I know we would have become the best of friends, had circumstances been different.
 
They all became one, in my consciousness, and it aches.
It's not every day I meet people with whom I feel an instant, heartwarming, connection. To be on the same wavelength, to share memories, even though they were of events that happened long before we met. And here they are leaving my life again so soon, having touched it deeply. I am a different person for having known them, and grieving for what might have been. I'd have liked longer. And I think I'm also grieving because realistically, we'll never make that deep bond. I hope we'll stay in touch.

And I know it aches
And your heart it breaks
You can only take so much
Walk on
Leave it behind
You've got to leave it behind

Tonight I went to my first Auckland Film Festival movie, Blind Flight - the story of hostages Brian Keenan and John McCarthy, held captive in Lebanon in the late 80's early 90's. I wasn't really aware of these men (along with the many others, also held captive) until I was living in England in 1991. So easy to blindly live unaware of the suffering of others in so many ways. I remember going into St Brides, in Fleet St, to see the candles constantly lit, as a prayer for the release of these men. Brian had been released by then, but John and Terry Waite, among others, were still held. I so vividly remember my tears of joy and relief, later that year, as first John and then later Terry were freed, along with the others released in those months. People talk about defining moments, remembering "where you were when...", and I so remember where I was on both those occasions. The movie was a really honest, sensitive portrayal of the shared captivity of Brian and John. The story of the making of the movie is told beautifully here by John Furse, co-screenwriter and director.
I think this movie really moved me because of a number of things. It was about events which I had partially experienced (as in, they occured at a time and in a way that I felt emotionally involved). It revised for me the contents of their books, both of which I read some years ago (Some other Rainbow, by John McCarthy and Jill Morrell, and An Evil Cradling, by Brian Keenan), and enabled me to visualise with them what it must have been like. It reminded me of the time I spent living in the middle east, and the appalling conditions some people live in, and the vacant, burnt & bombed out houses which I witnessed first hand, often just down the road from palatial mansions (eg the beauty of the King's palace in Amman, virtually next door to a refugee camp). It reminded me there are people still captive today, and seemingly in ever increasing numbers. That in the thick of immense difficulty, faith, joy and beauty may be found within. These thoughts and more are captured beautifully in the "Capitivity" and "Freedom" windows crafted by a glassmaker called John Clark, which he was commissioned to create for a Broxted Parish Church, in Essex. They are really beautiful, and the symbolism used is explained here by the artist. For me, this is a beautiful melding together of traditional church art and contemporary events.

Goodness, what a week! I can't believe how COLD it is in Christchurch!!! How do people survive??
I thoroughly enjoyed the science conference I went down for. My mind was stuffed so so so full by the end that I highly valued a nice relaxing day as a tourist. Hard to believe that I could be moved to tears by a scientific presentation! What I brought back in my conference bag is a mere sampling of what seems to have been stuffed in my head, and I'm gonna need this next week to unpack it all so that I have something to present to the rest of my department. Cor!!!

Meanwhile, I loved the new art gallery in Christchurch, as much for the architecture as anything else. Not being allowed to take photos of the collection, I've contented myself with some of the building itself. And stayed in town long enough to get a night shot of the chalice and cathedral. (did I mention how cold it was??)

see the penguin in the reflection?


'nother reflection shot - this one looking at the panes of glass of the air bridge inside the building refracting the distorted images both through the panes themselves (see the legs) and reflecting the distorted images refracted through the outside wall of the building.. got all that?? Lots of spiritual imagery there:


outside, again:


I loved the mixture of curve & line and texture in the foyer, too:


and here we go: the chalice at night

I got through the farewell speech yesterday ok. It was a real tearjerking occasion, as these things are. I'm really sorry to see my HOD leave, for more reasons than it leaving me in the hotseat. I feel like I'm only just really getting to know he and his wife well, and I think we'd have been great friends. Some people have commented how "cold" and "English" he seemed, to them, and I must say it took a whole term for me to get to break through that exterior, but I'm so glad I did. (Last night I discovered that his wife and I have the same favourite song by Deacon Blue: Dignity... This is no mean thing, as I recall when I came home from living in the UK being immensely disappointed that there was no-one here that shared the same musical history I'd had there. I loved Deacon Blue, the Raintown album was my first and favourite... Loaded is another goodie)


His year 13's got him a labcoat, and wrote beautiful messages all over it, which he was really really touched by.

Off to conference this week, hopefully I'll feel a little less fraught by the time I get back.

Hmm.. I seem to have had a bit of a break. At least I'm over my cold now though.
I'm off to Christchurch next week to a conference, and to visit Steve & Lynne's new church. I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of place gained in our loss!! (yeah, I know, in the Kingdom of Heaven it's not really theft, but hey...) I better be careful not to sound ungrateful about the provision God has made to Graceway in their place. I'm really appreciating Mark (find his story here, courtesy of MootBlog).

I'm just about to embark on a job that I never ever wanted. 9 months ago I applied for a new job, with more responsibility, to be assistant head of department, and was enjoying it immensely until my head of department told me he was leaving. Now I've counted the months, I'm quite amused. It has taken that time to prepare, grow, train, strengthen me, for the new new job I'm about to take on. My head of department is going to finish, in 3 more days, and we haven't been able to replace him. I find myself thrust into the position, short term (till the end of the year), until it is a better time to advertise. I surely hope there is someone just waiting for the vacancy to come up again, and also that my boss isn't right. That in the meantime I won't actually find I enjoy it, and want it after all. All I can see at the moment is the stress combined with a larger burden of responsibility than I've ever desired, ever. I guess time will tell. I'm certainly going to (need to) be ever more aware of the enabling and comfort and refreshing of the Spirit of God.

I've got my fourth cold of the season. So so so sick of feeling under the weather. Tonight I have a truckload of work to do, and I've just given up. I can't think clearly enough for the tasks I need to do.

However, I am back on my repaired laptop. And it was utterly painless setting this one up - the wonderful techo just imported my profile off the loan one I've had for the last 6 weeks, this time. It seems as good as new! I'm so impressed!!!!

Yesterday, my Head of Department gave me the best postive reinforcement that anyone's given me all year. I'll spare the details, but the result was a real boost in confidence. Why do we find it so so hard to build each other up, usually? Why does it seem so much easier to tear down? If we all cherished the way we feel when someone else encourages us, surely we'd be all out to do the same for others? Then again, it seems to come really naturally to some. One step at a time, that's all I can manage!

I think it's been over a week since I blogged. There is some uncertainty in my employment at the moment, and I'd been confiding in a close friend, as one does. I was gutted to be told that some of it had been passed on to others. It feels wrong somehow, in a friendship, to have to define stuff as "personal", when to me it seems obvious. I've pulled in a bit, and stopped sharing. So I've been a bit sad.

My lappie is back from the lappie-fixers all fixed. This means that for the 4th time in a month i'll have to housetrain a new computer. I didn't set up all my little bits and pieces this time.. couldn't be bothered, knowing I'd only have to repeat it all again anyway. It's a bit sad when your desktop feels like "home"!!!!

Oh how hilarious. Some of my ex-students just won a national video competition. The National Nude Week competition from a Sports/chat TV show! They did a spoof on LOTR. Of course, that's not nearly as cool as having taught NZ Idol!!!!

Been playing a bit in Ship of Fools' internet Church tonight. Haven't had much luck getting in as a "real" person, but on occasion I can visit as a 'ghost'.

Tis interesting reading about others' experiences, and I saw this article on XtraMsn, about rude people crashing church and being obnoxious. Takes all sorts, eh!!

Yay... my eyes have been feeling really tired and gritty, and today it occured to me that maybe it was because I was spending too much time in front of the computer, and reading (reading The First Man in Rome, by Colleen McCullough at the moment.. and it's ENORMOUS), and just maybe it would be good for my eyes, not to mention the rest of me, if I got out and went for a walk. Making my eyes do some work on the horizon, flexing the farsight muscles. I ended up down at the waterfront, where the sun was blazing down, and there was fresh sea breeze and fresh sea smell. I stalked a kingfisher, as it was looking for fish.


I found myself thinking about the people who have been mentors and caregivers to me over the years, being the examples of a loving God incarnate, of a loving friend, of a loving father and mother as well. I am grateful to all of them for the examples they have been to me, and the love and care they have shown me. Some of them I'm still in touch with, others I've lost track of, while some have died. I like to think that the person I am today is better for having known and been cared for by them.

By the time I got home again I felt that many of the cobwebs had blown away, and that in spite of going for a walk by myself, that I wasn't alone. The love of these people walked with me. The love of God surrounds me.

This is important right now, as a time of great change is coming. I find myself having to take on much much more responsibility at work than I want, and must find the endurance and wisdom from the resources I have stored away for such a time. I need to grow more patience for dealing with difficult people, and I need to be more sensible about getting enough rest and about how I structure my days so that I fit everything in. I need to know when it is time to say "no more". I need to work smarter not harder, and I need to learn how. It'll be an interesting journey.

I don't feel like there's been much to blog about this week. I went to see Troy in the weekend, and enjoyed it more than Van Helsing the weekend before. I find it really interesting that there seems to be a major renaissance of epic/mythological/historical movies at present. Arthur and Alexander are both coming up soonish. Is this part of "our" search for "belonging" or "roots", or is it just a giant capitalisation on a perceived "good thing"?

What a funny old week it's been. Tuesday, after that really late night (I'm getting too old for this working late at night on assignments bizzo. Why do I do it to myself??) it was a manically full day. By the time I'd listened to a lecture in our Professional Development session (which I'd have found fascinating at any other time when I could stay awake) been to a meeting during lunch and after classes, and supervised a full on practical assessment, I was SOOOO ready for the massage I had booked.

A friend came round for dinner that night as well. I hadn't seen her since her wedding day, and actually still haven't met her husband other than for about 5 minutes at their engagement party. He has a night class on Tuesdays, and she works out my way, so it worked out nicely. I've been sad to lose touch with her so much since hubby arrived on the scene, but that's the way stuff happens sometimes. Some friends are just as good at being in touch, and others just simply move on to "his" friends.

The week has only got better, really. I so enjoyed my classes today. Watching my seniors make discoveries about the chemical world as they work their way through an individual investigation is quite special. It's so nice to see them becoming a little more independent. And they come up with the most hilarious problems for me to solve for them. Like one guy. Came up with a mortar FULL of raisins (the rest of the bag got slowly consumed when they thought I wasn't watching) to ask if I could think of an easier way to grind them up. Ummmm... have you thought about doing LESS at a time??? DOH! Nope, apparently that hadn't occured to him at all!!! Ever tried grinding raisins?? VERY sticky!

By the time I finished my assignment and handed it in online at 12.30am this morning, I was well and truly fed up. Yay for NZ Idol giving me something to smile about during the evening. Also spotted Rachel and Regan in the Herald yesterday. You go guys!!! Nice showing on the late news as well!
Meanwhile, gotta go earn a crust.....
Tired, so so tired...

Wow!!! Can't believe it. I have a computer working acey pacey, an extension for my assignment from last Monday to this, tickets for the Blues vs Highlanders Rugby match, and got a parcel off to my niece in Canada for less than $20. Seems a lot to send Rashuns across the whole wide world, but needs must!

Now, though I actually have to DO the assignment instead of just thinking about it! Sigh...!

A spiritual bypass?
Found this really interesting article in the current Listener. David Young, the writer, talks about the rise in Maori Spirituality/Ritual in contemporary society (with things like dam blessings, karakia at opening of new buildings and relocation of animals or birds by DOC), while at the same time Pakeha spirituality/ritual has become something not "of our culture".

He says: "In a book to be published later this year* I suggest that many Pakeha have had a spiritual bypass. As more and more have found the church's message less pertinent and voted with their feet, we have met Maori religion ñ which owes much to 19th-century missionary work ñ coming to meet us through the foliage overgrowing the back path to the church. But with what do we greet them?"

and: "But what Pakeha cannot offer and Maori still can is ritual, rooted in tradition that belongs entirely to this land. I suspect that most Pakeha are not comfortable with ritual and have been relieved to be able to shuck off the worst of the formalisms of the societies that our forebears left behind. Yet there are times when rituals that are grounded in this landscape and are of this time are needed. For the most part, however, only Maori seem to be able to fill this gap."

I'm going to be interested in what the book says when it comes out, and in the churches response to it. I wonder if, in the emergent church, some of the answers are already growing in an organic way?

Ha!!! So, it turned out to be the Sassy Sasser worm, which I would have been protected from if the lovely techies had downloaded the windows updates when they were setting up the computer, but ah well. It didn't take tooooooo long to rid it, and at least I got to them first! By the time I left their office they had a pile of about 7 other laptops, which all had it too! I certainly didn't feel bad at all. Mind you, I did spend quite a bit of time last night downloading every update in existence. Things are still a little slow.

And tonight, I christened my fondue set. I was too young (and my parents not young enough), to have had that phase in the 70's or 80's or whenever it was they were trendy. All the recipes wanted kirsch, which of course (because I wanted it NOW), none of the "locals" had, nor cherry schnapps, so I settled for cherry brandy. Ah well. I always wanted a pink cheese fondue! So yummy, tho. We had Two Paddocks reisling, which was delicious, even if it's hard to find. My friend and I had been looking for it (it's Sam Neill's vineyard) for a while, so I was pleased to find it in time for her birthday.

And so, I eventually picked up a new "loaner", and spent a couple of days setting it up the way I like it.
Desktop of boiling mud, from the trip last week.
Imported all the favourites and the address book (haven't been able to access the dbx files the techies saved from outlook express yet tho). Installed the couple of essential programmes I can't live without.
And then, this afternoon, a week to the day since I killed the last one, this new one turned up its toes and died.
Dunno why? One minute I was reading the Herald online, and the next it wouldn't let me load any new pages, and I got an error message when the email went to check for new mail. And it's gone unbelieveably slow and started throwing up some very peculiar windows. Hmmmmm, virus, thought I. Ran the scan, ran stinger, nothing. I give up. It's back in its case, ready to hand back to the techies on Monday, and I'm back to square 1. At least I haven't lost anything, though, yay.

It's rained relentlessly all day. It's been dark and dismal both inside and out. I usually don't mind the rain, but today it just seemed to echo how I felt.