Archive for March, 2009
Saddest verse?
Read this today at lunch.
“Your holy people possessed your sanctuary for a little while”
Isaiah 63:18
It struck me as one of the saddest verses of the bible. It’s talking about what a short period in history it was that everything was going right in the nation of Israel.
It made me think about my own life. How many days do I go to bed at night content that I have served the Lord consistantly and faithfully through the whole day, without stain or blemish? Not as many as I would like.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Monday
So last night everyone slept well, no one was up in the night, no one had a high temperature, no one needed extra juice or paracetamol. Woohoo!
It was strange. I was actually pretty shattered at work today. Sometimes I think I run on nervous energy while the crisis is going. Now everything is back to normal I could happily sleep.
I’m on call this week. So no swimming trip with JM and Becca. We went to Borders cafe instead – it’s a clothed activity so if there is a work crisis I can dash back home again with no drying and getting dressed type delay. JM is pretty understanding of the on call thing, which is lovely of him. We had a mooch round the cookery books, and the tank books, then went upstairs for snacks. They do a poor selection of child friendly drinks, including a complete lack of orange juice without bits in. We plumped for cranberry and raspberry and spring water juice, which I think was selected by Becca because it looked the most pink. I was convinced it wouldn’t get drunk. The nice man serving the drinks got them extra ice cubes (colds) which went down well, and they both decided the juice water stuff was excellent. The slummed out on the comfy chairs and looked over the rail. JM and I played a game where we picked a section of the bookstore and decided where the magic door from that section would lead, so the crime section would lead to the police station where a murderer was getting arrested, etc. It was a surprisingly lovely trip out.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Conflict
So it was part three of The Marriage Course that we are doing with friends at church. This week’s subject was Resolving Conflict.
Made me think that my response to conflict was strongly shaped by the environment I grew up in. My few early memories of growing up are of sitting at the top of the stairs while my parents shouted and threw things at each other downstairs. This has left me with an instinctive fear response to raised voices, which I dont suppose will ever change.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Nations
“No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham;
For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you”
Genesis 17:5-6
I’m very struck by the plural word “nations” Abraham was the father of the nation of Israel, of which the Jewish people of new testament times seemed to be rightly proud (eg John 8:39). But the promise to Abraham is not that he would be the father of a great nation – but of a multitude of nations. Surely this is the great multitude in Revelation 7:9. God, from the very beginning, intended his blessing for the whole world. The nation of Israel was just supposed to be the first of many. This didn’t come in with the New Covenant – it was there right at the start.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Cyteen
“Pain and pleasure, sweet, are so thin a line. You can cross it a dozen times a minute, ande the pain becomes the pleasure. I can show you. You’ll remember what I can do for you, sweet, and nothing will ever be like it. You’ll think about that, you’ll think about it for the rest of your life . . . and nothing will ever be the same . . .”
His heart jumped and started hammering.
. . .
“I’m off to the office, sweet. You can sleep in, if you like”
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Ten pin
So I decided last night that we should go bowling today. It’s not one of Jane’s favourite things, but she graciously came with us. Her back is still not happy so she couldn’t participate but they had tables at the right height to lean up against.
Most important news out the way first – I won. I actually did pretty poorly, so only just managed to beat a bunch of little kids, but a win is a win and I’m gonna claim it.
JM and Matt were neck and neck though the game. Matt got it with his last bowl, and poor JM burst into tears. He was really looking forward to be ating his big brother.
Peter and Becca did less well, and had far more fun. Peter took it all in his stride. Becca hugged everyone after every bowl. And she thought her special shoes were the best thing ever. The only down side in her eyes was when she had to give the shoes back at the end.
Maybe next time I’ll just take the younger ones. Prob a lot less stressful!
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Insurance
So last night I finally got round to sending the letter to the insurance company about the break in at christmas. We’ve talked to them on the phone but they wanted the final details in writing.
I’m not sure why it was so stressfull to do. Maybe cause it was so official. It’s different getting general advice over the phone. Something about putting it down in black & white is offputting. Add to the fact that me & Jane had been having an implicit argument about it. First she was going to do the letter, then I was going to, then neither of us actually did it, then we couldn’t find the receipts, then we couldnt find the bank statements.
I hate how I get stuck on these jobs. I mean they actually do need doing, and if everything goes to plan we’ll get some money from the insurance company. You would have thought this would be a motivator. But the stress easily outweighs the cash.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 2 so far )“I love you” Sarah McLachlan
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )“and every time I’m close to you
There’s too much I can’t say
And you just walk awayAnd I forgot
To tell you
I love you”
Jane’s ill
So Jane did something to a muscle in her back yesterday, maybe pulled a muscle. She’s taken the non-prescription pain killers she could find, and is off to see the doctor this morning to get something stronger – hopefully those big pink ones. She can lie flat, but gets bored, or stand up straight, but gets tired. She’s off work of course, and I’m working from home to do the children thing.
She’s supposed to be meeting the Bishop this afternoon – not sure what’s going to happen with that.
Will probably cancel our day out tomorrow as well.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )March Fun Day
So there was the Kids Fun Day on Saturday.
This is where we open up the main hall in Hyde Town Hall for 3 hours for local kids & families to come and play. Last month there was a guy doing some nifty craftwork with beads and plastic string, but he couldn’t make it this month, so I did a paper craft table. We had two different sorts of paper airplanes to fold and colour in, and come cut out & tape together cardboard shapes to make. It was all simple stuff, but not too much stress to pull together.
We also took the playstation and the two dance mats, and set them up with a projector, so kids could have a go on them. Peter and John Mark came with me, and helped set stuff up, and were generally unexpectedly helpful.
To start with my craft table was pretty much ignored as incoming kids went straight for the playstation/wii corner or onto the bouncy castle. This was fine as it gave a bit more time to get everything set up. Many thanks to Seamus who dashed out to Asda to get some more kid-friendly scissors for me.
Then after half an hour or so some people started to drift over to see what I was offering. Then there was a pretty constant stream of children having a go. The little fold out helicopters proved most popular. A couple of teenage girls sat down and had a go at each of the craft activities I’d brought with me – you got the idea they were just pleased for something to be doing.
We even survived me spilling my cup of tea over a pile of my printouts!
So next one is 4th April I think. My initial offering for that one will be a table of card games (no gambling involved, so no need to worry!) but I’ll see what Kirsty, who is in overall charge, thinks.
Hope to see you there!
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )False savings
So I’m writing java programs this week. This is more processor intensive than the shell scripts I usually write. And it’s quickly becoming apparent that my work laptop is not really powerful enough for this work. I guess it needs more memory buying and fitting.
And that’s so not going to happen.
Without the laptop upgrade I am less productive. But that’s not a real cost, not one that comes with an invoice. So the policy is to ignore the lost productivity for the sake of saving the visible expense of buying memory chips (which would of course be what, maybe £40?)
So if the company decides not to worry about it, then neither will I. It’s still pretty stupid though.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Office move
So the latest rumour this morning is that the office is going to be closed by HP and those of us who are left will be transferred to an office in Warrington, which is like 25 miles away. Not a particularly good prospect.
But I refuse to stress over something that may or may not happen. I do enough of that already.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )On Creche
So I was on creche on Sunday at church, looking after the cute babies. I love cooing at little babies.We didn’t have many in there, and they were well behaved. No screaming or puking.
It was so cool being on the rota with Mary, just as we’d done on the first meeting of the church when we’d first founded it at the old Parrs Wood school hall. I was on with her for that openning meeting when Dave Holden came as our important guest speaker, and talking for so long we talked about setting the fire alarm off just to bring his preach to an end. That school hall isn’t there now. It was demolished to make way for the new cinema [movie theater] a while ago.
I wonder when it was when we started there? I’m useless at tracking dates. I guess a useful indicator is it was before Matthew was born, and he’s 12 now, so it was prob 15 years ago. Gosh that sounds like a long time. Good job I’m not getting old!
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Database
So I had a load of new, possibily interesting, work lined up for this week. I’d agreed with my boss that I’d put the database work aside for a time, to get on with some more programming I want to do.
Now take a wild guess what I found when I came in today. One of the database servers had crashed overnight *sigh* and no one had bothered to tell us. So I’ve got a load of recovery work to do to get it all working again.
Maybe I’ll get to do my programming tomorrow.
Still, at least I’m off primary oncall for another month. It was pretty quiet all things told. A few calls in the middle of the night, but nothing difficult to sort out. And now I’m off-call I can take JM and Becca swimming. So that will be cute 
