1 new LCD inverter
Several new key caps
Fans cleaned and re-pasted
Smelling of a pleasant sort of polish
All for the grand total of……. Nothing. How I love a three year on-site warranty, except for it taking over a month to fix!! At least I have a little bit of my work back, now I just have to wait for news of my back-up disk with *all* my work on it!!
The T’s send all their best wishes to Jeff and Sarah Martinez, who moved back to the States on Monday. We’ll really miss you both. We attended a lot of Jeff’s gigs and recommend his album “Trips to the Empire State” which you can download on iTunes. This is one of his newer songs which he has just made a video for:
All the best guys!
Woke up with one of my favourite tunes in my head…… Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack. I love this tune it is so atmospheric and can be listened to in almost any situation. The best situation is walking through a city at night that has quietened down for the evening but is still alive, do you know the sort of atmosphere I mean? I hope it brings a little ambience to your day!
Saw this ad on Facebook…
If you won three grand to spend in Primark you could quite conceivably buy the entire shop!!!
Throughout my secondary school years, I was heavily involved within the musical life of the school. This included a Christmas carol service, where there would be all sorts of different music, ranging from a slightly painful school orchestra, to a soul band, to a choir. One thing that always made Christmas begin for me, was when Ellie sang a solo at the carol service, which she did every year that she was at the school (I think?!) For those of you who have never heard her sing, Ellie has a beautiful voice. I loved all of the solos that she did, but these two had a profound impact on me. The first is O Holy Night, one of my favourite ever songs. There are many terrible renditions of this but this one by Il Divo (legends) is a good one.
The second, is a version of Ave Maria - in this case, sung by Hayley Westenra - unfortunately the sound quality makes it a little piercing, but I have a recording of it that is beautiful.
As some of you will know, I have been doing some branding work for Dale, Forty & Co. Ltd the piano company. There are some beautiful new models in the Cheltenham Piano Centre - go and check them out!! In fact, go crazy, buy one! The top of the range piano sounds stunning! Excellent bass notes and taller than the others.
The Dale Forty pianos have a variety of finishes including this very smart black and chrome:
You can’t really see from the picture, but the logo and metal work are all a bright silver colour. Anyway, couldn’t resist posting the new Christmas model, it just makes me want to go in and play some blues music!
Last night the curtain rail, which has been teetering spectacularly on the verge of breakage for some time now (it has been distinctly triangular rather than straight for many months because our walls are so rubbish - hence the kitchen cupboard incident also!) fell down with a dramatic thud and snapping of wood. We now have no bedroom curtains. Nightmare! I will try my best to remember to get dressed out of sight of the two windows but apologies to anyone passing if there is a freak show occurring. I intend to visit The Range asap and get a new rail.
We’ve had problems with the rail ever since we took it down to decorate. I put lining paper over the original holes and JT had to drill about 7 holes before he could find a place where there wasn’t brick or metal. We also need polyfilla……
I am doing a funny project at UNi this year about the little notes that people write to each other. I think it will either be called “Note to Self” or “To you, love me”. Anyway, do check your desks, fridges etc and if you have any gems I would love to steal them. Found this one in my filing cabinet from a while ago and, now that it is not current, it is hilarious:
I had to write a piece the other day for the diocese on equal opportunities for a slightly tiresome manual that we were putting together… I hope I didn’t commit heresy!
“Equal Opportunities” is a phrase that has become emblazoned upon the brow of popular culture in recent years. Research and development in the fields of science, medicine, cultural studies, freedom of speech, and significant developments within the world of networking and communications have allowed and encouraged our cultures to be a little more diverse in their conduct and treatment of the many aspects which were once signalled as ‘different’… Or so we are led to believe.
It is only when you take a moment to question these ideals that you begin to realise what a challenge it can be to truly provide “equal opportunities”. Theoretically, we would all agree that it is a correct policy. God looks at us all and loves us unconditionally and so our attitude should, unquestionably, be the same. However, there is a difference between an attitude, practice of that attitude or philosophy, implementation of physical measures to ensure that the policy is adhered to, the operational, and also the financial and organisational measures that will be required in order to maintain such a standard.
For example, I have an illness that classes me, at University, as a ‘disabled student’. I am incredibly grateful for the implementation of equal opportunities at the University, because, whilst I have the mental capacity to complete a degree course, the ability to complete the work on time and the skills required, I cannot always attend lectures. A huge amount of money has been spent on people (I have a note taker in every lecture) and specialist equipment in order that I can complete my degree like everybody else. I can say with conviction, that this is an organisation that truly understands the importance of equal opportunities and one that implements its policy with a standard of sheer excellence.
However, it is not always easy to convince the rest of the world, or those without that policy, to react in the same way. As a disabled student you can feel like a social outcast, because it is easier for people to ignore a problem than to confront it and plan everything they do around it and actually, as one with a ‘disability’, I would not expect anybody to do that for me. Also, in the rest of the world, the illness that I have does not class me as a ‘disabled person’, meaning that there are a lot of very ordinary things in life that are very difficult for me to achieve. However, it would not be a ‘disability’ if it did not disenable me from doing certain things, so I do not expect to be provided for in every sector at a huge sacrifice financially, organisationally and operationally to others. All I would ask is that people would remain open-minded and if something can be done, that they would be willing to explore that.
I think that this is where the challenge lies with all areas of equal opportunities. It is not that people
believe, principally, that equality shouldn’t exist, but it is finding an appropriate measure of how to
balance equality with suitability and where the boundaries are between those two entities. For example, you might not have a non-believer in God in church leadership as it would be deemed ‘unsuitable’, but you might allow them to serve in a role where they are not leading or influencing others, such as serving coffee, if you believe, that in terms of ‘equality’, that we are all on a journey and should all be accepted.
The trouble with the world is that political correctness seems to have gone a little overboard, because the basis of our morality is disintegrating. Now man makes a rule wherever he sees fit and before you know it, you are getting swamped by paperwork and policy procedures. As the church, we should be leading the way with equality, with our basis for morality being the Bible. Morality and equality is not always about giving people what they want, it is about being just and fair and doing what is right and responsible.
As I have mentioned before, it is essential, that as the church, we lead the way with an attitude of
equality since God is merciful to all.
“For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so that He could have mercy on everyone”
Romans 11:32
Not one of us is perfect. Romans also states that we should owe people nothing except our obligation to love them, which will fulfill all associated commandments in the one command to “love thy neighbour as thyself”. This is the ultimate instruction to live with an attitude of equality.
We must make every effort to make a distinction between ‘equality’ meaning “I love you as I love anyone else” and not “you can do everything that anyone else can do” because this is not biblical. God gives different gifts to different people and in order to exercise true equality and unconditional love, we must celebrate the gifts that people have been given and give them the opportunity to use those gifts.
In conclusion I would suggest that it is imperative to look to God and to the Bible when making decisions about equal opportunities. God’s equal opportunities policy is simply “Love thy neighbour as thyself”. This way you will keep every other commandment.
