tonight marks another sombre occasion in my life - one of the people i led for a time in youth group is getting married. i'm overwhelmed with joy for the couple in question, and i have nothing but hope and prayer for a joyful and fruitful life together, filled with peace, and forgiveness, and reconciliation. as an early thirtysomething who's been feeling ready to settle down for about 25 years, it's hard not to feel a bit left on the shelf - but that's self pity and i haven't got time to really dwell on it these days. i note its passage, and hopefully that's all.
so it's an evening wedding on a weeknight, even though it's not a school night, and i think that's kind of funky. you can make a good start tomorrow after a nice lie-in, people leaving the reception/supper after the service can roll on to wherever they like, and it's a bit of a standout in that when was the last wedding you went to... on a weekday... at night? very nifty.
you should have seen the invitations! how awesome were they? i've been telling customers about them, although i'm going to have to bring it in to work just so's they can get a clue of what i'm talking about.
i'm sure tonight will go well, and i hope and pray that tonight is as bad as their life together gets - that it's only onwards and upwards from here. God bless you two crazy kids!
Friday, March 31, 2006
Thursday, March 30, 2006
... not one ... but two
today, two things i feel are marvellous.
i went to the movies with my housemates last night, almost a marvel in itself in that it doesn't happen very often (i think we've all been out together maybe two other times), and we saw proof with gwyneth paltrow, jake gyllenhaal(?) and anthony hopkins.
hope davis put in a very believable performance as an annoying, own-guilt-appeasing older sister, and anothony hopkins was okay, but not his best work, alas. jake and gwyneth were the two standouts, gwyneth reminding me a lot of sliding doors and se7en, two movies i very much liked her performances in. i haven't yet seen the royal tannenbaums, but i'm guessing it's probably as good or better than this. jake reliable as always; i like him the way i like brenadan fraser, but i think jake is edgier than brendan, who needs a few more "quiet american"s before his going to prove himself as an edgy actor for me.
the second marvellous thing was the discovery of a pasta place called "pasta resistance" in clarence st in the city. my train from work into the city ran late and i missed the bus that would get me home in time to shower and change to come back into town. frustrated, i decided to salve my frustration with food (i know, i know...) and en route to oporto i passed this restaurant.
at ten minutes to 8, while they were cleaning up, they were kind enough to serve me dinner, let me sit while i ate it and they kept up cleaning, and told me a little about the place. it's great, not too expensive and i was quite happy paying what i paid for what i got. a little more garlic on the garlic bread and my dining experience would have been complete! they're open 7-8 m-w, 7-9 th-sa (i think). i'm looking forward to going back, maybe working my way through the menu!
i went to the movies with my housemates last night, almost a marvel in itself in that it doesn't happen very often (i think we've all been out together maybe two other times), and we saw proof with gwyneth paltrow, jake gyllenhaal(?) and anthony hopkins.
hope davis put in a very believable performance as an annoying, own-guilt-appeasing older sister, and anothony hopkins was okay, but not his best work, alas. jake and gwyneth were the two standouts, gwyneth reminding me a lot of sliding doors and se7en, two movies i very much liked her performances in. i haven't yet seen the royal tannenbaums, but i'm guessing it's probably as good or better than this. jake reliable as always; i like him the way i like brenadan fraser, but i think jake is edgier than brendan, who needs a few more "quiet american"s before his going to prove himself as an edgy actor for me.
the second marvellous thing was the discovery of a pasta place called "pasta resistance" in clarence st in the city. my train from work into the city ran late and i missed the bus that would get me home in time to shower and change to come back into town. frustrated, i decided to salve my frustration with food (i know, i know...) and en route to oporto i passed this restaurant.
at ten minutes to 8, while they were cleaning up, they were kind enough to serve me dinner, let me sit while i ate it and they kept up cleaning, and told me a little about the place. it's great, not too expensive and i was quite happy paying what i paid for what i got. a little more garlic on the garlic bread and my dining experience would have been complete! they're open 7-8 m-w, 7-9 th-sa (i think). i'm looking forward to going back, maybe working my way through the menu!
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
... new blog
i don't know if anyone's noticed, but i've got a new blog... the link is off to the side here ------------->>>
it's borne of a txt message i sent to a friend, and i'm half-wondering how many things could be in it...
it's borne of a txt message i sent to a friend, and i'm half-wondering how many things could be in it...
... peeve
what is it with people who catch the bus? is it such a chore to sit next to the window? i understand that sometimes you need to get out in a only a couple of stops, but when you see that the bus has, oh, about three empty seats left and one is next to you (facing backwards, at the front of the bus) and the other two are in the back corners of the back seat of the bus, next to three ... large ... guys in business suits with briefcases, why don't you stand up??? either stand for a standing woman, or move over.
it doesn't help that the guy had one of those little tailored goatees that make me want to slap him and poke him in the butt with the trident he should be carrying... but really.
it doesn't help that the guy had one of those little tailored goatees that make me want to slap him and poke him in the butt with the trident he should be carrying... but really.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
... ruminating, regurgitating
i was reading in my journal this morning and saw an entry for almost a year ago, at a time when i was feeling rather sorry for myself.
Thank you God that you love me so much; that if I ever doubt it, I can read your Word, and pray, and spend time with my brothers and sisters; that my doubts do not change how much you love me.
Thank you God that you have surrounded me with people who care; near and far, despite my best efforts and worst behaviour, they continue loving and prayerful, more or less; that by their example and in their love you show me glimpses of heaven.
Forgive me Lord for all my sins; for where I do wrong, for where I do not do right, and for my nature to continue to do so; for continuing to live of the world and not merely in the world.
Lord, do not give me over to my sin as I deserve, but restore me according to your promise; increase my faith, and help my unbelief; lift my eyes to heaven, and save me from myself.
Amen.
Thank you God that you love me so much; that if I ever doubt it, I can read your Word, and pray, and spend time with my brothers and sisters; that my doubts do not change how much you love me.
Thank you God that you have surrounded me with people who care; near and far, despite my best efforts and worst behaviour, they continue loving and prayerful, more or less; that by their example and in their love you show me glimpses of heaven.
Forgive me Lord for all my sins; for where I do wrong, for where I do not do right, and for my nature to continue to do so; for continuing to live of the world and not merely in the world.
Lord, do not give me over to my sin as I deserve, but restore me according to your promise; increase my faith, and help my unbelief; lift my eyes to heaven, and save me from myself.
Amen.
Monday, March 27, 2006
... mighty mighty show
on friday evening, after what felt at that stage like a long day but was actually a pretty easy day, i stopped into my favourite gloria jean's coffee shop at crows nest. since i moved to the north shore, i've found the team at crows nest to be friendly, efficient, and have a warm sense of humour that shows through, even when they're looking as focussed as only a barista in a rush can. i love stopping in there - many of the staff recognise me, laugh when i (occasionally) order a different drink, and know not to offer me cream on my coffee.
last friday, aleyce simmonds was performing a small gig there. i say a small gig, but she sang about 20 songs in the two hours of the performance to a warm reception from people who had the good courtesy (most of the time) to talk under the music and not over the top of it. aleyce performed three songs from her debut single, mighty mighty love, omitting the cover of even when i'm sleeping - a shame, really, because it's such a good effort and i like it above the original because it has more body to the music. but that's me.
a few other songs aleyce wrote herself, a few others not. her performance of the letter was great, a song i'd almost forgotten until i heard her sing it.
altogether, a marvellous night. i really enjoyed myself.
last friday, aleyce simmonds was performing a small gig there. i say a small gig, but she sang about 20 songs in the two hours of the performance to a warm reception from people who had the good courtesy (most of the time) to talk under the music and not over the top of it. aleyce performed three songs from her debut single, mighty mighty love, omitting the cover of even when i'm sleeping - a shame, really, because it's such a good effort and i like it above the original because it has more body to the music. but that's me.
a few other songs aleyce wrote herself, a few others not. her performance of the letter was great, a song i'd almost forgotten until i heard her sing it.
altogether, a marvellous night. i really enjoyed myself.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
... a few things i marvelled at
* a woman on the bus whose foot in her oddly-coloured shoe had skin so delicate i could see the veins beneath the skin
* tiny buttons an another woman's shirt that reminded me of the scene in french kiss when kevin kline's character is paying out on meg ryans character on the plane just before take-off...
* an indian guy who looked like he should've been weightlifting in melbourne - short, nuggety, broad, very powerful-looking
* a book someone was reading, by helen garner, about some drug dealer (?) murdered in canberra? (should i get the book? "joe cinque's condolance" i think)
* how fast some bus drivers drive their buses in traffic you couldn't pay me enough to even attempt to drive in
... and WHAT the heck is up with driving past the depot? is there a point?
* tiny buttons an another woman's shirt that reminded me of the scene in french kiss when kevin kline's character is paying out on meg ryans character on the plane just before take-off...
* an indian guy who looked like he should've been weightlifting in melbourne - short, nuggety, broad, very powerful-looking
* a book someone was reading, by helen garner, about some drug dealer (?) murdered in canberra? (should i get the book? "joe cinque's condolance" i think)
* how fast some bus drivers drive their buses in traffic you couldn't pay me enough to even attempt to drive in
... and WHAT the heck is up with driving past the depot? is there a point?
Thursday, March 23, 2006
... i need a rest
not feeling physically tired as much as i was, but feeling... i don't know... brain-tired? not quite brain-dead, but i'm certainly a good way along the road to turning grey and craving live flesh.
i wonder why that is. it continues humid in sydney. i blame the humidity. it enervates me incredibly. while i was on holidays in the u.s. i felt i had more energy than i've had in ages... the only time i felt tired at all was while i was wandering around new york in the rain - humidity again. ithaca was great - cold and dry... i couldn't have asked for better weather.
so who's going to give me a job in antarctica?
i wonder why that is. it continues humid in sydney. i blame the humidity. it enervates me incredibly. while i was on holidays in the u.s. i felt i had more energy than i've had in ages... the only time i felt tired at all was while i was wandering around new york in the rain - humidity again. ithaca was great - cold and dry... i couldn't have asked for better weather.
so who's going to give me a job in antarctica?
... to the rescue!
not terribly marvellous, but a couple of friends of mine commented on the dearth of ironing boards in their house the other day, to which i rejoined that i had an ironing board that they were welcome to, should they wish to relieve said dearth of ironing boards. they said, thanks, but we'll probably be ok...
well, they mentioned a little more recently than our initial conversation that they were curious if my ironing board had yet found a home; i replied, no, it was yet pining away in a corner, unused and unloved. i expect it has already seen more use now than it has in months... and i'm glad.
well, they mentioned a little more recently than our initial conversation that they were curious if my ironing board had yet found a home; i replied, no, it was yet pining away in a corner, unused and unloved. i expect it has already seen more use now than it has in months... and i'm glad.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
... not very marvellous actually
two things, one less marvellous than the other, i think, although i'll leave it to you, dear reader, to decide which is which.
when i posted yesterday, i forgot to adjust the timestamp for the post, and it thus appears that i posted on sunday. i did not. i posted at lunch on monday, 20th march.
second, i went to go see aeon flux last night. dave posted about it on cafedave this morning/last night, indicating his distaste for the film. i agree in general, but have more specific reasons for what i liked and didn't like about the movie.
charlize theron did a pretty good job as aeon; it's a pretty physical role, and i noted she had a physiotherapist for the movie in the credits. alas, she didn't have the same hairdo (and that hairdo is a totally signature thing for aeon, especially given the cartoon episode where trevor goodchild clones her). kudos for an excellent sithandra, although i agreed with dave that the effect of having her feet replaced with hands may have used up their SPFX budget earlier than anticipated. marton csokas isn't really well-known enough to bring a presence to a role, and trevor goodchild wasn't written well enough, i thought, to bring the best of his character out.
we see WAY to much of trevor goodchild's intentions in this film, and the same with aeon. part of the attraction for me with the cartoon was that you never really know what aeon in particular wants. trevor wants control - we're just never really sure why. aeon takes NO side (listen to the cartoon opening credits!) and here she does. a bit sad, really.
peter chung admits that extending the 5-minute cartoons to a half-hour show was always difficult. i think the translation to the big screen has failed because they've tried to explain too much, rather than let the audience interact on their own terms. a shame really. more interaction on the audience's part would give a good reason for repeat viewings...
when i posted yesterday, i forgot to adjust the timestamp for the post, and it thus appears that i posted on sunday. i did not. i posted at lunch on monday, 20th march.
second, i went to go see aeon flux last night. dave posted about it on cafedave this morning/last night, indicating his distaste for the film. i agree in general, but have more specific reasons for what i liked and didn't like about the movie.
charlize theron did a pretty good job as aeon; it's a pretty physical role, and i noted she had a physiotherapist for the movie in the credits. alas, she didn't have the same hairdo (and that hairdo is a totally signature thing for aeon, especially given the cartoon episode where trevor goodchild clones her). kudos for an excellent sithandra, although i agreed with dave that the effect of having her feet replaced with hands may have used up their SPFX budget earlier than anticipated. marton csokas isn't really well-known enough to bring a presence to a role, and trevor goodchild wasn't written well enough, i thought, to bring the best of his character out.
we see WAY to much of trevor goodchild's intentions in this film, and the same with aeon. part of the attraction for me with the cartoon was that you never really know what aeon in particular wants. trevor wants control - we're just never really sure why. aeon takes NO side (listen to the cartoon opening credits!) and here she does. a bit sad, really.
peter chung admits that extending the 5-minute cartoons to a half-hour show was always difficult. i think the translation to the big screen has failed because they've tried to explain too much, rather than let the audience interact on their own terms. a shame really. more interaction on the audience's part would give a good reason for repeat viewings...
Monday, March 20, 2006
... car pool
wow! how amazed was i to see this morning, not:
* a woman painting her toenails while driving across the harbour bridge
* a man reading the sydney morning herald while driving across the harbour bridge
* a motorcyclist drinking a coffee while riding across the harbour bridge (granted i've not ACTUALLY seen this, but some must have done it by now, SURELY!)
... but four women, in ONE car (a toyota tarago, no less), carpooling to work! wow. i didn't know people still did that. they seemed to be happily chatting away, the driver staring steely-eyed into the traffic in front, but still adding to the conversation.
marvellous!
* a woman painting her toenails while driving across the harbour bridge
* a man reading the sydney morning herald while driving across the harbour bridge
* a motorcyclist drinking a coffee while riding across the harbour bridge (granted i've not ACTUALLY seen this, but some must have done it by now, SURELY!)
... but four women, in ONE car (a toyota tarago, no less), carpooling to work! wow. i didn't know people still did that. they seemed to be happily chatting away, the driver staring steely-eyed into the traffic in front, but still adding to the conversation.
marvellous!
Saturday, March 18, 2006
... look up
marvel this morning... i stepped out of my house and looked up into the western sky over chatswood cbd and i saw the moon, hanging low and fat and full in the sky.
gorgeous.
(well they don't have to be profound...)
gorgeous.
(well they don't have to be profound...)
Friday, March 17, 2006
... transportation device vacillation
well, i lasted a whole (how long?) on the wagon before i fell off, and this is how it happened.
i had planned on posting yesterday at lunch. my plan has been to post each day at lunch. but yesterday, by the time i got to work, i had a pounding headache that a couple of hits with paracetemol did little to kill. throughout the day i kept saying to myself, "once i finish processing in these deliveries i'll go home". well, i did - at about 10 minutes to 6. and i missed lunch because of the deeply-held (more likely stubbornly-clung-to) belief that i'd be finished fairly early and could skip the lunch i felt uncertain about keeping down.
so i suppose the marvel today is that despite spending my working life of about 16 years consciously trying not to be the workaholic that destroyed my dad's health, i seem to be becoming that person. at least, working to the detriment of my physical, mental and emotional well-being.
maybe more tomorrow. if i can wangle an entry tonight, i might make up for lost time!
i had planned on posting yesterday at lunch. my plan has been to post each day at lunch. but yesterday, by the time i got to work, i had a pounding headache that a couple of hits with paracetemol did little to kill. throughout the day i kept saying to myself, "once i finish processing in these deliveries i'll go home". well, i did - at about 10 minutes to 6. and i missed lunch because of the deeply-held (more likely stubbornly-clung-to) belief that i'd be finished fairly early and could skip the lunch i felt uncertain about keeping down.
so i suppose the marvel today is that despite spending my working life of about 16 years consciously trying not to be the workaholic that destroyed my dad's health, i seem to be becoming that person. at least, working to the detriment of my physical, mental and emotional well-being.
maybe more tomorrow. if i can wangle an entry tonight, i might make up for lost time!
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
... just lipton's, right?
the thing i was marvelling at this morning was the veritable gauntlet of giveaway people farming out kelloggs just right berry & apple and lipton's green tea samplers this morning at wynyard. ordinarily i jump at the chance for free stuff, especially food, but healthy breakfast cereal i comfortably ignore (i already don't eat just right, so i'd need more than a new flavour to really do anything for me, and i don't eat nutri-grain because i heard it's about as good for you as froot loops... so i eat froot loops on the rare occasions i might otherwise eat nutri-grain, if it's available...) and to be honest i've found the new tea flavours kind of ordinary.
are these people giving this stuff away paid to do it? how much money do kelloggs and lipton's shell out for this kind of publicity? and does it work? i can't think of anytime that i've rushed out and bought something because of a sample i've been given by a stranger... (maybe i just don't go clubbing enough!)
in other news; i've just started getting stumped by the sudoku puzzles in my extreme su doku puzzle book; the new barista at my morning cafe has the same name as me; one of the waitresses has moved on (again) and they've temporarily replaced her with one of the girls from the takeaway bar out the front.
flying pig count: 0
are these people giving this stuff away paid to do it? how much money do kelloggs and lipton's shell out for this kind of publicity? and does it work? i can't think of anytime that i've rushed out and bought something because of a sample i've been given by a stranger... (maybe i just don't go clubbing enough!)
in other news; i've just started getting stumped by the sudoku puzzles in my extreme su doku puzzle book; the new barista at my morning cafe has the same name as me; one of the waitresses has moved on (again) and they've temporarily replaced her with one of the girls from the takeaway bar out the front.
flying pig count: 0
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
... poorly named
i had a friend comment the other day to me that i don't update this blog very often. that's true. i think it's because, while the very fact of putting this blog out there means i must think some of my opinions and thoughts are worth sharing with the big ol' world, i don't feel many of them are worth sharing.
so, from tomorrow, i'm going to make a note of something that i think is marvellous. i'm going to be looking out for this thing, and each day around this time, i'm going to blog it. for a week. from tuesday 14 march to monday 20 march, australian eastern daylight savings time.
i don't know. is there anything people want me to be looking out for?
so, from tomorrow, i'm going to make a note of something that i think is marvellous. i'm going to be looking out for this thing, and each day around this time, i'm going to blog it. for a week. from tuesday 14 march to monday 20 march, australian eastern daylight savings time.
i don't know. is there anything people want me to be looking out for?
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