Ramblings

An Adventure!

2010-06-10T13:54:00.007+10:00

Winter is here, and its cold in Canberra. Very cold. Most of the Autumn colour is gone from the trees (except the English oaks in the next street, which are refusing to acknowledge the nightly sub-zero temperatures).

I am excited that its winter, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, because the Ski Season starts this weekend (and there is actually enough snow at the resorts for them to open). Soon, husband man and I will be doing the regular commute to the ski fields every Sunday that we can.

Secondly, I'm excited because I'm on winter break from Uni. Semester two does not start till August, and assuming that I passed my final essay and exam, I'm a quarter of my way through my masters!

And finally, I'm excited that its winter because I am escaping to the northern hemisphere!

That's right, at the end of this month I will be exchanging cold Canberra for the Lake District and Scotland!
Now, it may not be much warmer and there is likely to be plenty of rain (1 in every 3 days is a rainy one) but its going to be such a great adventure. Husband man and I will be taking our Greenspeed recumbent trikes and cycling 500 kms, from Whitehaven on the West Coast, through the northern end of the Lakes, across the "Rooftop of England" to Tynemouth on the East Coast. We'll be dipping our wheels in the Irish Sea at the start and the North Sea at the end.

At Tynemouth we turn North, and ride up to Edinburgh, where we stay for a couple of days.
We'll be following the Coast and Castles route through the old border region between Scotland and England.

After the cycle tour, Husband man has a conference at Warwick university. On the way from Edinburgh to Warwick we are going to stay at Windemere, which is a place of significance for anyone who has read Authur Ransome's Swallows and Amazon books.

So a super adventure coming up, a mixture of castles, beautiful scenery and a wild variety of accented English. Will try and keep this blog updated!

Blog Action Day '09...and the power goes out!

2009-10-15T19:51:00.005+11:00

This morning I slept in accidentally. Well, it wasn't a complete accident. My alarm went off as scheduled at 7:30am, and I reached out and hit the snooze button.

Ten minutes later it went off again, and again I hit the snooze button.

Ten minutes later I hit the snooze button again.

Ten minutes later, I opened my eyes a bit more and hit 'dismiss alarm'.

My next cogent thought was looking at my watch and realising it was 10am.

This was a little annoying, but I'd enjoyed the extra sleep.

I started my morning routine. Washing my face and waking up and walked into the study to check my email. It was then that I noticed the quiet and the cold. My laptop was displaying an alert that it was on low battery and there were no lights on the modem.

The power was out. This was annoying, I had things I needed to do that required the use of power.

And then I remembered. I had received a letter about this power cut weeks ago. I found the letter and read that "power will be cut between 8:15am and 3:15pm on Thursday the 15th of October".

I had known that the power was going to be cut....but had forgotten.

If only I had gotten up earlier I could have made breakfast. If only I had gotten up earlier I could have checked my email and gotten some work done.

But I had ignored the repeated alarm. I had not only 'snoozed' I had 'dismissed the alarm'. Because of this the heater had not kicked in, the appliances were not functional and the lights didn't work.

Because I had not listened to the alarm and had not paid attention to the advice from the power company I was left cold, hungry and in the dark.

One of the things I had planned to do on my computer this morning was write this blog post. Because today is Blog Action Day '09.

And the topic is climate change.

Something that we have been warned about, well in advance. We have had alarms going off for ages, but there is always the temptation to hit 'snooze' or 'dismiss' to the alarms that are telling us to wake up and do something before its too late.

Before we are left hungry, in darkness and at the mercy of the weather.

The power going out on a day I was going to write about climate change...how ironic.

And profound.

One Tree Hill

2009-03-02T22:04:00.002+11:00

RULES:
1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS**.

**I've got a few audiobooks, so I'll be skipping those ones, because "chapter 3" doesn't really work for this!

IF SOMEONE SAYS 'ARE YOU OKAY' YOU SAY?
Da Pacem

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
When I Survey the Wonderous Cross

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Lucky ball and chain (They might be giants)

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Filippa Giordano (Bellini)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Improv 1 (They might be giants)

WHAT'S YOUR MOTTO?
You Already Take Me There (Switchfoot)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Singin' Acapella (The Idea of North)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Erosion (Switchfoot)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Prelude in Eb Minor (J S Bach)

WHAT IS 2 + 2?
The Great Escape March (I really wish this had been my life's motto!)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Over the Rainbow (Sheona White & YBS)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
We Want A Rock (They might be giants)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Elevation (U2)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Raindrop Prelude (Chopin) - that's rather nice, seeing its one of my all time favorite songs...

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Piano Concerto 1 (Chopin) - not a very easy song to dance to... good thing I didn't dance at my wedding!

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Carol of the Bells !!! (Canadian Brass)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Finale (Handel) This would have been much cooler in the above question!

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
Poparazzi (Switchfoot)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Theme (Elgar)

WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW?
Overture - The Force of Destiny

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Trip Through Your Wires (U2)

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
One Tree Hill (U2)

The "shuffle" software seems to get stuck on bands. I did this on fb a couple of months and there was no TMBG or Switchfoot then, and it seems to be strangely dominant here... odd

Eating Cake '08

2008-10-15T22:59:00.003+11:00

Tomorrow is Cake Day. 5 years ago when a friend of mine noticed on his calendar that World Food Day coincided with the execution date of Marie Antoinette (Oct. 16, 1793) he decided that we should eat cake in honour of her alleged statement* "No bread, why don't they [the poor] eat cake?"

And so that is what our social group did. We ate lots of cakes, wearing homemade shirts inscribed with the date and the words "Let Them Eat Cake".

As each years' celebration has gone on - each with its own shirt - the event has become bigger, and sadder.

Sadder, because some 200 years after the dethroning of the French monarchy who were infamously out of touch with their starving people, we remain largely ignorant and out of touch in the "western" world about the plight of so many who survive on basically nothing.

Sadder because some 200 years after the abolition of the slave trade people are still in slavery.

Sadder because so many people in the world don't know what cake tastes like, and have not tasted their "daily bread" for quite some time.

Sadder because in a world we refer to as a "global village", where people live DOES decide whether you live of whether you die, no matter how loud rockstar-activists sing that it shouldn't

Today is Blog Action Day and the theme this year is poverty.

Poverty is a symptom of two great spiritual diseases of our planet: selfishness, and greed.

Selfishness and greed because we benefit financially because others don't. Goods are cheap because people are paid poorly, food is plentiful for us because it is not for others.

We cannot just assume that by throwing money at a third world country, poverty and hunger are going to go away. We need to start realising that resources - including food - are finite, and to share the wealth around, we need to have less!

So this evening, as I ate cake with friends in anticipation of more cake tomorrow, I swallowed uneasily, thinking of all those who don't look forward to tomorrow, and the 26500-30000 children under 5 who died today simply because they were too poor

"According to UNICEF, 26,500-30,000 children die each day due to poverty. And they “die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death.”#

Just now, I tried to read the above to my husband, and could not finish the last quote as I was emotionally overcome.

Poverty is such a huge problem (half the world lives on less than $2.50 a day and 80% on less that $10) that it is easy to be overwhelmed and turn away.

But I refuse to turn away. I choose to do more than cry about the fact that some people have nothing, I choose to donate, to advocate, to give of my resources and time to help those less fortunate than myself.

And most fundamentally, I choose to consume less and to consume wisely.

Be Informed, Be Aware, Be Alarmed, Be Active.

*except she didn't say it - this statement was originally attributed to "a certain princess" by Jean-Jacques Rousseau 20 years before Marie Antoinette's birth....

#http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats

Relaxing in the crash zone

2008-09-15T18:24:00.005+10:00

Had a bit of a painful experience over the weekend.

On Saturday morning, Lachlan and I woke up to a glorious day and decided to act on our previous resolution to head down to Floriade before church. It was the opening day, and while we were not expecting many flowers to be out, we thought it was worth a peek, seeing we are so close.

As the day had turned out so nicely-it was 17 degrees at 7am-we decided to follow through on our other resolution: to ride our bikes there. A very Canberran thing to do!

We got into our riding clothes, and I noticed the holes in Lachlan's riding shirt from his fall earlier in the year. Leaving our cat forlornly in the window, we set off on the ten minute road-ride to the park.

One of the great features of Canberra is its cycleways. All major arterial roads (that I know of) have at least a marked cycle lane (a lane, not a piddly little line like in Sydney) with many having an off road tar-sealed bike paths.

We got on to Northbourne Avenue and went around the big roundabout. We watched some more serious riders head off down towards Commonwealth bridge, and we headed the same direction at a respectable 30km/hr.

Coming down toward the turn-off onto the bike path that heads up into the park, I noticed that the traffic lights had turned red and there were cars accross the bike lane.

These traffic lights are a special feature of Floriade, as the main parking area for the festival is accross the 6-lane road. The turn off into Commonwealth park (for cars) is normally just a left hand turning lane that crosses the cycle path, but as the lights are placed before the turn can be executed, two cars had (seemingly at the last minute) decided that rather than wait to turn, they would pull accross the bike path.

I decided that slowing down was a good idea and so lightly pulled back on my front brakes. Or so I thought...

The next thing I knew, my bike had stopped and I was hurtling forward. I must have closed my eyes because I don't remember seeing the tar come closer, but I did hear my helmeted head bounce on the surface. I opened my eyes and started crying out. For a minute I thought I had broken a rib, but quickly realised I was just badly winded.

I've never been so badly winded before, I couldn't seem to get any oxygen, or stop the groans. Lachlan pulled my bike off the road and picked up the visor part of my helmet which had snapped off.

I wanted to get up, but could not. Lachlan didn't try to drag me, which was a smart move, as he had no idea if I'd injured my neck or back, he actually thought I had broken my arm as I was gripping my shoulder (I'd landed on it). One of the first things you learn in any kind of first aid training is to not move someone who might have a neck of spine injury.

So there I was, crying out in pain in the cycle lane. I was just starting to get my wits together when a few cars came driving past. At this point, someone felt it important to wind down their window and yell out "get off the road!"

Thanks, so much. I really needed that to be pointed out. I wondered (later) what they thought I had been doing? Having a nap? Relaxing on the road...? I also wondered if they thought at all about whether I was hurt. I wondered if they would yell that to someone who had been in a car accident. I could understand it more if I was blocking traffic, but I was still inside the bike lane...

In complete contrast to this rather unfriendly reaction, some pedestrians came running a few seconds later as I started to drag myself up the gutter (they had obviously heard my moans of pain...) And asked (in quick succession) "Are you alright, are you hurt? Do you need us to call an ambulance?" And then (maybe they too had heard my heckler) "Did a car hit you!?"

This made me smile. It was nice of them not to assume that it wasn't my fault. I tried to explain that I was ok, that it was just touchy brakes. They looked mostly convinced and walked up to the park entrance.

After sitting for a while, we slowly peddled up to some bike racks, and I took off my gloves to discover that my wedding ring was missing. I quickly remembered that I had been moisturising my hands the night before and tried to convince myself that my ring was beside the bed (which it was). I checked out my throbbing knees and noticed some nice looking abrasion marks which impressed me (blood without tearing the fabric is pretty cool).

We had a look at the flowers and then rode home - without incident.

At church that day I spoke to one of my parishioners who had fallen off her bike at a similar speed earlier in the year. She didn't hit the pavement - she met a tree, and broke both wrists and her cheek bone. She still has not got full use of her hands, months later.

I'm feeling pretty thankful that I didn't end up in hospital. I have only been left with a few sore spots: My right shoulder is red and grazed (again, no fabric damage), I have a braise (Lachlan's term for a bruise and graze in the same spot) on the right side of my chin, bruises on the heels of my hand and braises on the tops of my knees. This all makes sense as I landed on my right side - hitting shoulder first and then bouncing my head.

What I couldn't figure out is the large bruise on my left thigh. Lachlan thinks I may have hit the edge of my handle bars, and with its perfectly round shape, I'm inclined to agree.

The sore spot that is causing the most trouble is my bruised rib. There is nothing to show for it, but every cough and laugh reminds me to be more careful next time, and always make sure to always squeeze both brakes!

I wish I could wear clergy shirts

2008-08-14T22:38:00.002+10:00

One of the things that really annoys me about being a woman in ministry is clothes.

In my denomination, there is no "clergy dress". We don't wear robes to preach, and we don't wear tabbed shirts at other times. I have to say that I agree with Ken Collins on some of his points about clergy-wear, but don't think my church will see it quite the same way (http://www.kencollins.com/pray-26.htm).

In light of the fact that I can't fall back on "uniform", I have spent the last 18 months trying to work out the right kind of thing to wear when out and about.

Power dressing just doesn't work, its far too much. And while jeans may work for a bible study with a group of teens, its not really appropriate for a hospital visit. Its so much easier for men! There are mens clothes that actually fit in the gap between executive and party-wear. Where is the female version of dress-slacks-and-button-down-shirt-tie-optional??

If I was in a situation where clergy shirts were available, I know where I would get mine: http://www.mariasjodin.com/sv/priest.asp . They are rather beautiful, I think.

But as I am not in that situation, the search will continue. I'm thinking a whole lot of black shirts and tan pants are in order....

Mothers' Day

2008-05-09T18:50:00.002+10:00

Over the last few weeks I've been spending a bit of time organising a mothers' day service for church this weekend. I've always felt a bit...funny about mothers' day. Its so commercial.
When I was younger I used to hate mothers' day as it always fell around my birthday and it would mean that slumber parties didn't work because everyone had to be home early on Sunday morning to make their mum's breakfast in bed. (My mum could never stay in bed long enough for me to make her breakfast in bed, but I did try to do it ever year!)

I've been trying to avoid the cliche's of mothers' day, and also have been trying not to make the service irrelevant to all the women out there who don't have children (through choice or circumstances).

As I scoured the internet for ideas I came across the text for the Mothers' Day declaration made in 1870 by Julia Ward Howe. It took my completely by surprise.

I think its one of the coolest things I have ever read. For your enjoyment, I have posted it here:

"Arise, then, women of this day! Arise all women who have hearts,
whether our baptism be that of water or of fears!

Say firmly: "We will not have great questions decided by
irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking
with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be
taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach
them of charity, mercy and patience.

We women of one country will be too tender of those of another
country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs. From
the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own.
It says "Disarm, Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance
of justice."

Blood does not wipe our dishonor nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons
of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a
great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women,
to bewail and commemorate the dead.

Let them then solemnly take counsel with each other as to the
means whereby the great human family can live in peace, each
bearing after their own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
but of God.

In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I earnestly ask that a
general congress of women without limit of nationality may be
appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient and at
the earliest period consistent with its objects, to promote the
alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement
of international questions, the great and general interests of
peace."

Julia Ward Howe
Boston
1870

I only wish that Mothers' day could return to these roots!

Following Charlemagne...

2008-04-19T16:51:00.004+10:00

I've been in Europe for the last three weeks on a bit of a wander from Bavaria through Zürich and Zermatt (Switzerland) to Carcassonne, up to Paris, across to the Keukenhof and then London and Bath.

In two weeks.

It was a bit of a dash, but lots of fun.

There was one strange thing though: it seemed that almost every famous monument-y place we visited had some sort of connection to Charlemagne.

In Zürich a large "likeness" of the well traveled King is atop one of the towers of the Grossmunster. Apparently Charlemagne founded the cathedral above the graves of two Roman martyrs.

And then in Carcassonne we discovered that not only did Charlemagne lay siege to the city, but according to legend, one of his men gave the town its present name.

And on to Paris where a huge statue of Charlemagne astride a horse greets visitors to Notre-Dame St Michel. Not only does he greet visitors, they greet him...

As we stood in the square, two young school boys ran to the statue, stopped, raised their hands and shouted "Charlemagne!"

Odd.

A funny thing happned the other morning...

2008-03-27T15:05:00.003+11:00

In the last couple of weeks I received a letter from ActewAGL, the ACT electricity, gas and water supply people. For once it was not a letter warning me my power was going to be cut off because of some stupid clerical problem, but rather a letter informing me that they needed to check all the power lines coming into the property.

I put the letter in the scrap draw and didn't think anything more about it.

Didn't think about it, that is, until the other morning when there was a knock on the door...

I opened it up to discover a guy in yellow and blue work clothes from ACTEW who told me he needed access to the power pole out the back of the church (on the same property as my house) which was behind a locked wire gate. He politely asked if I could unlock it for him.

"Sure" I said. Realising that I was still in my flanellette PJs, dressing gown and ugg boots.

I gallopped back to the bedroom in a panic and grabbed the quickest outfit I could find. This happened to be old TIGHT hipster jeans and a Wallabies Rugby jersey. Classy

I rushed out the back door and tried to open the gate before they brought the car around.

I was still working on the pad lock (my church master key went in but didn't turn) when the work truck came around back, with TWO workmen in it. My hair had fallen out while I was getting changed, so I was trying to unlock the gate and shaking out my waist length hair at the same time.

Out jumped Actew man number 2 "Good morning Ma'am, we are here to check the power poles..." number one cut him off with "I already told her" and I said "that's why I am trying to unlock the gate...but I think its one of your locks."

While number 2 went to unlock, number 1 looked at me really steadily and asked "SO, you the priest?"
"Yes" I replied "of sorts..."
"Well, Pastor then" he ammended. Not a lot of lady pastors around, are there?"
"Not really" I smiled "the anglicans have quite a few..."
"Got the lock ok?" I asked number 2
"Yep" he said
"Great" I said "I'll leave you to it, knock yourselves out"

I thought to myself as I jogged back around the front, that you probably don't tell power supply workers to "knock themselves out..." I actually said aloud as I was jogging around the corner of my house "my life gets more interesting all the time..."

Things I miss

2008-01-31T10:08:00.000+11:00

I was lying in bed this morning, refusing to get up, and thinking of all the things that I miss about being at University. Here is part of the list:

My peaceful room. I really, really, liked my room in the dorm. I loved my bedspread, and my curtains, and my mosquito net. I also loved that for the first time in my life, I had a space that really was just mine.
The Cafeteria. Lots of people complain about caff food, but there is something wonderful about having one's breakfast cooked for you every morning, and being able to roll one's dirty dishes through the dishwash hatch and not have to do them. I know, terribly lazy of me. I'm salivating thinking of hot granola, juice and cheese toast - eaten during an 8am lecture. Those were the days.
The smell of the factory. The estate our campus was on shared its grounds with a health food factory, which makes very well known breakfast cereal. You couldn't get away from the smell. When I was younger, and would visit the place with my parents, the smell was the most distinctive thing. After about 4 months of living on campus, you couldn't really smell it anymore - but if it started raining, or got misty, you'd smell it all over again. Lots of people hated it, but for me, its a safe, homey smell.
My lecturers. Again, a strange thing to miss. They were the deliverers of assignment deadlines. But they were fun, and classes were great, and they let me nap in the hallway
My friends. For 3-4 years, we all lived within a few minutes walk of each other, ate nearly every meal together, saw each other in the libraries and College Hall of an evening, got up to mischief together, and now we are scattered all over the country. And none of us are very good at keeping in touch.
My dorm neighbours. I miss sitting together in the TV room watching Alias, and Boston Legal, and Scrubs, and Grey's Anatomy (yes, I actually did watch that show...shame!), and Stargate, lol. I think one of the reasons I really don't care that we don't have a TV is because TV became a social event. It was an escape from assignments and isolation, and a chance to have a chat.
The computer room. I didn't really go down to the basement computer room in my final year, because the dorm finally got wireless internet. But when I lived in the basement in 2nd year, the computer room was a great hangout. Adele, Jess and I used to get into all sorts of crazy clothes that we found in the "free" box. (Actually, I think that might've just been Jess). I'm still sad I wasn't around to see anyone's reaction to the computer that we dressed up.

And so much more.....

Rememberance Day

2007-11-11T21:46:00.001+11:00

Today is the 11th of the 11th and the 89th anniversary of the day the guns went quiet on the western front in the Great War.

Today at 11am I sat on the lawns of the Australian War Memorial to commemorate this. As we sat waiting, I mentioned to Lachlan the medal my grandfather had received for construction service in WWII.
Last weekend we had visited Grand-dad in the nursing home. He had recognised me when I arrived, but then lapsed into semi-sleep broken by occasional wakefulness.
Every now and then he would reach out towards my grandmother, and when she took his hand, he would try to pull himself up. He seemed to hate being stuck in a chair.

Just as I was about to leave, he reached out towards me (I was sitting next to him) and when I took his hand, he just held it. There was no attempt to stand, it seemed that he just wanted to hold my hand.

After Lachlan and I left the war memorial I turned my phone back on and listened to a voicemail from my dad. As it turns out, I was talking about my Grand-dad when he died.

And although I sit here crying, I feel so privileged that I got to see him last weekend, and for the 23 years I have had him.

Goodbye Grand-dad, I will remember you.

11-11-2007

Thieving Crows!

2007-11-08T21:41:00.000+11:00

I've never really liked crows much. Those big, heavy black birds, with their long wicked looking beaks. As of Tuesday, I like them even less.

This year, on the first Tuesday in November, the ACT held its first "Family and Community Day" public holiday (conveniently synced with the Melbourne Cup).

As Lachlan and I don't follow horse racing, AND don't have a television, this was simply a day together.

One of our friends had the bright idea to call a picnic in Commonwealth Park. We decided to brave the cold and blustery weather, mainly to see how different the place looked post-Floriade.

Dodging the bobcat that was preparing for turf laying, we found the picnic spot. There was only us, and Nathan, who had called the picnic. We had a nice lunch, and then decided that it was a perfect opportunity for a games of Boules. So, out came the carry bag, it was zipped open, and we each chose our markings. I went with the single lines, Lachlan chose wide double lines, and Nathan the narrow double. We tossed the little wooden jack and began the fun.

After several games, we grew rather silly - throwing all at once etc. I decided that we should wrap up. "Last game" I called. I tossed the jack and instantly, one of the large crows that had been hanging around swooped down and flew off with the jack!

I followed it and saw it land and start wildly pecking at the small wooden sphere. Another crow joined it, and it was momentarily distracted by its competition. I shouted, hoping to scare them both off and reclaim the jack. Alas, I managed to scare them both, but the evil bird took my jack with it!!!

It flew out of sight, the little jack in its beak. Nathan and Lachlan thought we should walk around and look for it, but after a circular walk around the park, we returned to pack up our picnic.

I thought how clever it would be for thieves to train crows to steal something small and insignificant (but frustrating) to get people away from their valuables and make off with them. The most valuable thing we had however was our picnic bag. Maybe the sight of Nathan's beetroot and cashew dip scared them off...

Bad Photos

2007-09-05T13:23:00.000+10:00

It looks like this is my monthly check in.... anyway, to the topic at hand: bad photos.

Why do people feel compelled to take them/print them/share them?

I went over to the primary school (as I do every third Wednesday) to take chapel. On arrival I was called into the principals office, not because I had been a bad girl, but because she had photos for me. Photos? Well as it happens, South Canberra Church has one of "those guys". A photo taker.

He had taken photos of me a few weeks ago when I had taken a sermon. So here we have 4 photos of me - blown up to almost as big as my computer screen, all of them are out of focus, and in every single one I am pulling my mouth into some weird shape. They are hideous. Well, they are ok,. But why do they need to be SO BIG??

And why do people print all of their photos. Now I sepak of "general, not specific evils" (thank you Elizabeth Bennet). There are two things about digital photography that everyone seems to be excited about, but nobody takes seriously.

You only have to print the good ones. This is, indeed, a great advantage over film photography. It also means that people take thousands of photos. And print most of them - blurry, wonky, on a slant - it doesn't matter. Forget being subjected to someone's sideshow from their recent holiday - slide film is expensive, people can only afford so many. But digital photos are cheap and you sit through hours of agonisingly poor and disturbingly similar shots. "Here's aunt doris with the poodle, here's the poodle and aunt doris, here's aunt doris and the poodle again".
We can share photos so easily. Why is it that with technology that can be so easily shared people all feel the need to take their own photo of any event? Why can't we share the photos around. That way, the subjects of the photo don't have to smile for five minutes and keep looking different directions. Example: at the recent pathfinder camp we had a little awards ceremony, during which Lachlan took photos of the kids receiving their awards. After the first group was photographed, every one seemed to catch on to this idea that taking a photo would be a good thing. And so out came the cameras - everyone needed to take their own shot. So now, rather than one photo of an event, we have ten that are essentially the same. Why not just take one and share it around? That way, with a little more time, and a little less stress for the subjects of the photo ("ok, now look over here, look at this one next...") everyone might end up with a copy of a decent photo. As it is, everyone will share the photos round and will end up with 10 mediocre shots of the same thing.

Sigh... as I have said many times before: Digital Photography - making bad photographers worse, and good photographers lazy.

/rant

Thieves and the AFP

2007-08-06T19:10:00.000+10:00

I went to the gym this afternoon.

When I got there, I secured my new, present-from-Lachlan, shiny black bicycle to a 10 foot yellow post with my bike chain and then went into the gym.

45 minutes later I came back out on the street to discover that my bike was gone. They had even taken the bike chain.

The shop opposite the 10 foot post was a glass fronted cafe with three staff and no customers. Hopefully I strode inside. I explained the mysterious disappearance and asked if they had seen anything. They hadn't seen a single thing, and suggested that I file a police report.

So away to the police station I walked, helmet under my arm.

The middle-aged lady at the counter of the Federal Police Station was very nice, took all my details and promised that they would start working on it tonight.

I'm not very hopeful, or happy. Someone in Canberra is probably having a good night thought, they've just scored themselves a $700 bike...

I don't like chairlifts

2007-07-24T17:17:00.000+10:00

OK, so last weeks accident was catalogued in my post below - this week I had another interesting (painful) experience that was totally not my falut!

We'd just skied down down lower roller coaster to the Ridge Quad chair at Blue cow. I was standing in one of the gates at the front of the lift queue and a chair swung around in front and the gates opened. Just then the chair lift slowed right down, with the chair in a really awkward place, but because I was leaning against the gate I started to move through slowly (I didn't want to smack into the back of the chair. The gate, which is obviously only tied to open when the chair passes a certain place, not to stay open till the chair is in position, swung closed with me inside it.

My right knee was clamped between the metal post and the gate, and the pain caused me to double over - so I was lying on the ground, with my right leg suspended in the air. And the lifty didn't notice!

After the shouts of several people in line and one of the guys on the slowly swinging chair let the absent mided fellow know with "hey, there's someone stuck back there". The lifty ambled back and prised the gate open. I was able to stand up thanks to the lady behind who had kindly uncliped my ski - taking the strain of my knee and ankle. The lift sped up again and we were whisked to the top where Mel asked me "was that you going argh arghhh down there?"

Hrmph

Of snow and soreness

2007-07-16T09:56:00.000+10:00

Ahh, what fun yesterday was.

Husband and I arose at 4:45am, filled our thermos', and jumped in the car. We stopped in Jindabyne to grab our skis and were on the slopes by the time the lifts opened.

The weather was perfect. Blue skis, minimal wind, dry, deep snow. It was minus 5, but hey, that's what scarves are for...

We explored all over blue cow and perisher, finding fun little places, and fast slopes. All was going well until mid afternoon when (somehow) Lachlan's skis ended up on the front of mine. Somehow, in the confusion (in the middle of a blue run that was thankfully deserted) my inner edges dug in and my skis (with legs attached) went different directions. Suddenly I was doing what I had always wanted to do, but never been flexible enough: the sideways splits!

I lay there moaning (Lachlan wondered if I had broken my leg). Of course this happned right next to the t-bar and a friendly yell of "are you all right" was (thankfully) answered with 'yes'.

No bones broken, only two nearly dislocated hips, and a little bit of hurt pride.

The best stack of the day, however, has to go to Lachlan - not everyone can somersault quite so stylishly. And the wonderful sub-zero temp. left ice crystals nicely decorating his beanie for the rest of the day!

Back from the depths

2007-07-02T12:23:00.000+10:00

Its been a while.

Althought I severely doubt anyone has noticed, I'm not the world's most prominant blogger.

SO, since November last year I have (in reverse order)
- gotten married
- moved to Canberra
- been given a position as a volunteer minister

Life is a little different from 7 months ago. Good different and bad different.

Lachlan is working on his PhD, and I am working on sermons and bible studies and class worships and meetings and learning how to be a wife :)

Its good, I'm glad we are finally married, and settled here in Canberra. I can't say we are living in our dream house and dream location. But is pretty awesome living so close to the uni and the city.

I miss college, and I miss living with so many friends and in such a nice, quiet place. I know that the end of last year I was ready to move another place. But I miss people so much. I miss having a social life which is only just starting to reform with niew people and new activities. Less random conversations and more skiing...

Its interesting to me how hard it is to really get to know someone when you only see them one day a week. At college, seeing people everyday created an accelerated level of acquaintance, which had its bad side.

On the whole though, its been a good move. We are close enough to our families to see them if we want to , but 3-4 hours drive is a nice buffer to start our own lives and our own routines.

Sabotage

2006-11-15T15:25:00.000+11:00

I think I am sabotaging my graduation.

I have one assignment to go, one, yet I can't seem to do it.

It all started last semester when things got weird and I had to overload for the first half of the year and underload in second semester. This was done with the understanding that I would take second semester to do the major essay for one of my subjects.

My lecturer and I sat down and set the date for handing in the essay: the second last week of mid year break.

I got sick, and so he told me not to worry about it, and to hand it in when I could.

That was 3 months ago!!!

Somehow, it is not done.

This just isn't right, I should be able to do it! Am I not the girl who can write a major essay in 2 days??

Why then can I not do it?

The only answer that I can come up with is that I am sabotaging my graduation. If I don't finish this essay this week I don't graduate.

That would be bad.

Alive-ness

2006-09-06T23:08:00.000+10:00

I can't believe Steve Irwin has died!

Its not like I was his biggest fan or anything, but I am genuinely upset. And its not because he was "the greatest Australian ever" as the media circus would have us believe, its not because I agreed with all his ideas and tactics, but there was something special about him.

Maybe I feel more upset about this than I would expect because I am so close to being married that the idea of loosing a partner is so incredibly tragic. Perhaps its the empathy for children loosing their father. But I don't think that's the only sad thing.

Steve Irwin was more alive than the average person. He was excited, he was genuinely passionate about life, his family and what he did.

So many people are only half alive, so many people are hardly alive, and so the loss of someone that was so passionate about living is tragic.

The loss of someone who was actually excited about getting up in the morning... we can't really afford losses like that sadly.

Study Gremlins

2005-11-16T14:38:00.000+11:00

2:30 am is definately too late to stay up doing an assignment!! And then getting up at 7:45...it should really leave one with a tired and vague outlook, but somehow I feel fine. A little tired, but then I normally do.

The gremlins were out to get me last night, I was down in the Physics lab studying away, and as long as I was inside it was all fine, but as soon as I went out to the courtyard I could see faces hiding in the bushes.

It used to happen whenever I had to trun the lights off downstairs: I would get half way up the stairs and then imagine a scary little face at the window and go hammering up the stars. Last night I would get half way across the courtyard and then all of a sudden break into an uncontrolable run because I could just tell they were coming for me!

I suppose I should have grown out of being scared of the dark a long long time ago...

Apocalypse Night

2005-11-15T09:39:00.000+11:00

Last night was interesting...
I was really tired, but when I finally went to bed I couldn't sleep because I had the "feeling" again.

Every now and then I get this overwhelming apocalyptic feeling, and I wonder: Is it all worth it? Its all so miserale, why don't I just go to sleep and never wake up?

Last night was particularly bad...

I think I am just a tiny bit depressed at the moment.

I also think that I am procrastinating...but procrastinating is so much fun, as all delusions are.

ho hum

2005-11-06T16:15:00.000+11:00

Feeling very flat at the moment and am not completely sure why.

I think I may have become allergic to study. Earlier this afternoon everytime I looked at my computor screen or the book I am reviewing I was nearly overcome with a feeling of nausea. I wonder if you could get an extension on an assignment due to a sudden development of study aversion...

Somehow I don't think it would go over too well with the dean.

All I want to do is listen to music and lie staring at the clouds. But I can't. I am trapped in the library with a rather disturbing looking spider running all over the outside of the window.

Sigh... 4 more weeks!

Succumbing to fashion

2005-11-03T20:49:00.000+11:00

Sigh... I really didn't want to join in the blogging wave, but somehow, someWHY I have.

SO here it is, the very first post....

And it may be the last, we shall see, we shall see if anyone reads it!