Christian Hip-Hop Artist's Lyrics Too Theologically Complex for Rap Fans

NEW YORK ? As the hip-hop industry's tradition of wholesome, thought-provoking lyrics has slowly decayed since the 80's, one artist wants to buck the trend by adding a new level of linguistic complexity to his lyrics. Tru Dawgma, a self-proclaimed "exegetical elaborator," insists that his new style will help counteract hip-hop's recent reputation of promoting only superficiality, sex, drugs, and violence. But not everyone appreciates Dawgma's approach, as God's Fro Records recently terminated his contract and stated, "Most of our listeners don't have a GED, let alone an M. Div.!"

the holy observer has a new issue including this article - more here

nothern lights

got through the first 140 pages in an exam i've been sitting in - it's one seriously engaging, dark book.
it's imagary is so well done - i cant think of another book i've ever read that is so able to put you into the story to the point you can hear, smell, see the things going on around it. the fantasy of its background walking a perfect balance between reality and alternative. the communities created, the mysteries, the characters, relations, the creativity of a similar universe thats different in the most magical ways.

cant believe its taken me this long to getting round to reading it. i'm thoroughly impressed.

kate rusby cntd.

at last she has a new website - her previous one really was pretty poor - even i could've done better. but no. the new ones a lot nicer - at: www.katerusby.com

glasses fixed

and at no cost to yourself mr wilkins.
arent you lucky?!

kate rusby dvd

hmm. Just discovered Kate has a dvd out. Might have to get it.

Just extrovertly processing.

Last night was thoroughly enjoyable though - good to be at a gig again - even though mr wilkins broke my glasses (currently held together by a piece of paperclip) - thankfully he did say I can add a 4000% mark-up on any repairs that needed doing when invoicing him.

nostalgia...

Have been clearing out our loft space and under the cabin bed ready to
dismantle it and came across not only (matt p’s I think) N64, but also my
old SNES. Including a Legend of Zelda (ocarina of time) for the N64 and
Mario cart on the SNES, it was all just a bit much so I had to go down and
play a bit on them.

Has brought back loads of old memories from those days too.

oo yes - and this post was done via email, not blogger - how exciting!

What a lovely weekend!

Andy and I had a really lovely weekend. We went down south to visit Andy's Granny and then his mum and her partner mike. All the food was fabulous and the weather was amazing.

yesterday we came back via Coventry where we visited my best friend Sam who is doing her finals. and then homeward bound to plant out some things we pinched from Granny Dot's garden.

i still need to plant out my tomatoes - I have lots of compost ready and this year I have even got some water retaining crystals because I often forget to water!

jolie holland: escondida

being someone i'd heard of through the be good tanyas, i brought it a couple of days a go (well, actually swapped it at fopp for the blanche album which i wasnt too impressed with), and bea and i have taken quite a liking to it since.
its very much old style blues-jazz typed stuff, with slightly bluegrass tinged vocals, but only released a couple of weeks ago.
some songs to listen to:

old fashion morphine

mad tom of bedlam

amen

(although i think they just take you to the amazon.com page, but that's a good place to have a listen to her.)

strange things afoot!

Yesterday in particular was a very odd day. Andy and I were walking into work and as we walked past the Winter gardens a man in a wheelchairt was wheeled out and then carried down the steps. In itself, I suppose this is not too odd except for the fact that there is a wheelchair ramp just a couple of metres away! Then, wakling home, I crossed the road in town and as I stepped up onto the kerb I lost my balance and fell over. this morning I nearly fell over twice in the garden but there were things to grab onto to steady myself. So, having fallen over in the street, I got the tram home and couldn't face the walk up the hill (this now takes me about 15 minutes compared to the 5 minutes before I was pregnant!) so I rang the lovely Jen who gave me a lift. We came in and made a cup of tea, and as we went into the lounge I saw a pigeon sitting on the sofa. Then the pigeon went a bit crazy (it had come down the chimney) so I got a towel and Jen manged to catch it and put it outside. All very strange.

But in it all, God is so good:

1. There are miracles happening at work cos I am relatively calm and I am completing tasks in hugely unrealistic times.
2. When I fell in the street, I landed heavily on my hands and elbow but there are no scratches or even bruises.
3. The pigeon pooed but only on wipe-friendly surfaces, such as the leather sofa and the window sill and no soot from the chimney came down onto the new carpet etc.
4. My nextdoor neighbour, Vicky, is amazing. She is ready just at the right time to help me hang out washing or put the bin out and we are doing communal gardening which is great.

maternity leave

I have finally agreed a leave date with my boss!! woo hoo!! I shall be leaving on 9th June with the possibility of coming back in for a few days to hand over to my maternity cover. this is amazing - I now have a definite date to work to! Praise God for sunshine and good bosses called Paddy!

dreads! everywhere!

there are odd nights at the dev cat where you seem to notice a proliferation of a certain people group - normally its metallers on a friday and saturday night (corporation being roud the corner), occasionally its raver types (headcharge AKA head candy, at the same place), but last night there was a welcome collection dreads everywhere - then a few people from work (uni that is) came in and were off to a bob marley night (yet again, round the corner).

hence all the dreads, and come to think of it, a very slight smell of pot.

I got a letter today from the hospital to say that I have too little iron in my blood. Although it's not great to be anaemic, it is common in pregnancy and easily treated. In particular what it means is that I can get on iron tablets and hopefully it will have a positive effect on my tiredness and my wobbly emotions. Then when I eat my placenta I'll get such a fantastic boost of iron that you won't be able to slow me down!

hot dang! ben folds at the octagon?!

on the 18 november, bea, myself and baby are going to see ben folds play at the octagon - if you fancy coming, tell us, but do it soon, cause we want those tickets, and we're not waiting around on this one.

it gonna be good though!

at last.

we finally have blogger up and running properly again.
it looks like we've all had constipation - stuff building up and finally released...

pinks stag weekend

was very good - might try and get some photos up on there too.

the clay pigeon shooting was especially good and depending on how you scored i even got the top score.

and also...

matt p's blog

generally i completely agree with all that stuff. a "few" things: (well, a few, long things!)

1. d-f: since writing/ thinking that, i've been thinking about that a lot more than before and am starting to get lots of ideas about how it could work etc. will be trying some in near future i think.

1. g: whilst i'm really not questioning St Toms willingness to follow God's leading in things, your statement does still assume that anything and everything that God asks of any of us people (obviously incl st toms leadership) is carried out to the T. not saying this is a common problem at all, just stating (in a really pedantic and so not wishing to cause offence kinda way) that i think that particular point could simply be re-writen slightly better... really no offence meant by that.

1. h: i dont think certain people are saying that "musical/singing act of worship is all we'll be doing in heaven", (neither do i think you think they do either), its just the whole exclusivity thing. singing'll be a part of it, just not the whole part of it. crap point i made there. perhaps forget this one. might delete it...

2. b: (skipping forward a few lines) how is "protection in numbers" such a great thing to uphold? dont get that one...

but the main point of this whole blog, (and this unfortunately is making an assumption that you are referring to myself on this one. if not, then this is an unfortunate problem of blogging conversations and misunderstandings. if you are referring to me [(and i dont want it in this case to be a bad thing between us or anything - i definitely (in fact even more so) want to remain in conversation about this whole thing with you matt (maybe even set up a blg for this very purpose?!))whoah - to many brackets here.... square brackets to give closure to that sub-discussion), ] and possibly to others as well, i'l just speak for myself, not wanting to get others into trouble on this one, so here goes...)

i dont consider myself to be "operating in 'churchless faith' ". a lot of what i've been going through over the past year or more has been about re-defining what "church" is. whilst i would easily be able to say i have been operating in a largely (although not complete) "st tom's less faith" (or at least trying - having been a part of it (and only it) for so many years, its unbelievably hard knowing where my belief in God and belief in St Toms differ (if that is your point then this is a whole other conversation! assuming not...)). when i see the body of christ, i see a very large family of people that have common beliefs - not all agree, but are all seeking after the unbelievably huge heart of God. going to greenbelt last year (in retrospect only) was probably one of the most profound things to change and challenge my faith in God in a very long time. still trying to come to terms with it all now (having brought tickets for this years event), the ways it widened my eyes to what God's about and more importantly, who God is, i'm only just beginning to touch the tip of the iceberg now.

seeing a God thats into so much more than what i thought he was has completely refocused how i see so much of life, i hardly know where to start. whilst God is completely into, and in love with, the evangelical movement of his body, i've suddenly seen how he's into the other parts of his body. dang - this is going to start sounding liberal in a moment, but i've started to see what the liberals were all banging on about too. jesus DID die on a cross for our sins, to give us forgiveness, to reconcile the relationship we messed up with our Father, BUT he did also came to bring justice to the world right now, to get a bit political, to set us free, to be creative with who we are, to accept all the screwed up people in this world loving them as they are, and (dare i say it) get a bit fuzzy round the edges. generally speaking i dont think you disagree with me on this one (realising that is probably best said in an email to you matt, but its also where i'm at as a person, so can also be said on a blog), and also agree that we should be accepting all the messed up people of the world, but i think an inherent problem of all the different other parts of the church is that the various groups dont overlap very easily; but i'm not sure God minds that much. he loves all the parts of his bride, so surely we should to. i dont think any of us (neither personally nor types of churches wise ( i know there's a good churchy word that says that...)) have or ever will get it right and be a perfect representation of what the bride could look like, but i dont think we should be persecuting the other parts of the body just cause they look different ("ear says to hand" etc...).

eh...

i dont know if any of this is making sense. if we are all on a balance/ tension between the values of vision and grace (is that right? its been a while), all our life's gonna be is a constant state of change trying to get the balance right between 2 opposite but equally good/ God things. i mean we see things through very different spectacles, but i think we both think we are seeking the same thing, God and his heart for his people.

maybe i'll get a bit more clarity on this thing in a few days once i've ahd a bit of rest.

any way - off again for part 2 of pinks' stag w/e again at 7.45 tomorrow morning and the time is:

go to...

ruth's blog to read some really great stuff about all the Heidi Baker stuff.

Thank you to all of you who have been praying for me in my emotional vulnerability and wobblyness! I am doing a lot better - I have been wrestling with God lots but I am now in a place of saying (in relation to Ezekial 47),"Go on, then, drown me, cos I want the resurrection kiss and then to be posessed by your Holy Spirit" which is a good place to be.

axis & allies

had a delightful evening at mr rob "homicidal" prides house last night with mr lol "axis of evil" keith. see him shaking with fear at the righteous judgement about to fall upon him.

hang on - he was america wasnt he..?..

thats a photo taken on my diddy little £10 digital camera.

continuing on from the comments on the post down there about the heidi baker evening....

...it did bring up some good stuff on worship though.

there's kinda an attitude that says that even if you're not into singing songs, or dont feel like it, God still loves it when you do it out of sacrifice.

but on the other hand, i just dont think God made me to worship him in that way (at least primarily). so what ways do i feel i can honour God and give him worth?

something said in a book challenged me for example to treat cooking as an act of worship. how much effort do you put into it - do you cook as if God's eating with you or just eat out of the saucepan? this then extends to issues such as what quality of food do you use? which also moves into fairtrade, waste and recycling, using cloth nappies instead of disposable ones, ethical shopping and so on. so all this stuff is part of the bigger picture of what worshipping and giving worth to God.

so why is none of this presented or lookied at as a part of a life lived in worship of God? (admittedly it could've been in my 6 month church detox, in which case ignore everything here) why do we still keep singing songs and not think about anything different - why dont we think of cooking as an equally valid, and more to the point, equally vital part of worship? maybe we do, but there seems to be no encouragement to include this in our daily lives - it feels like something else, something that's latched on to the other "more important " things as a secondary, optional extra.

yet people are happy to call worship just singing songs.

bit like how "church" has become such a noun in the west, we dont think of church as something we do.

we see worship as so confined and limited.

and i dont think its just that we're missing out on other froms of worship, but God's actually missing it to.

and maybe thats more the point.

i am feeling very emotionally vulnerable and wobbly. I don't know if it's hormonal or if it's a God thing. I need prayer and I need to know that I am loved and supported - this is one of the things that I forget most easily and it is a bit of a big step being so open about it.

i would also like you to praise God for my boss 'Paddy' who is amazing - understanding, empathetic, clear in communication and releasing. Pray that he'll see Jesus in me (as will all my colleagues) because I'm sure with human eyes all they see is a tired wreck!

heidi baker evening...

last night was a little crazy. i had a really intense experience (as did others although it sounds like we were all affected in different ways). today i feel incredibly emotional - I'm not sure if it's a God thing or a pregnancy thing. For the moment I'm going with the former but I feel like I want to cry al the time for no reason!

please pray!

not anymore

just got an absolute soaking.

when i set off this morning, i was unsure whether to wear my light canvas baseball shoes today or flip-flops - kinda wishing i'd gone for the flip-flops now.

not been this wet since i was 10.

summer is coming...

...and the barbeque's getting hot.

shame on the BBC

well...

Andy and I were picked up by our BBC ordered car and dropped at the IBIS hotel at 7.55 this morning. I was told that Richard would be there to meet us and chat to us before interviewing us. So we waited, and we waited and we waited but Richard didn't turn up. The BBC van was empty and although they were filming stuff up on the bridge I had been told to wait at the IBIS so we did. Then at 8.25 another car came to take us to work so we went to work. Many apologies to those of you who had your videos set for my minute and a half of national fame!

As an aside - the incident has thoroughly challenged me about my boundaries and things. I actually cried because I was so worried that people would feel like I'd let them down. Andy kept affirming me like he does because he's a wonderful husband. I've rung the BBC and they've apologised for wasting my time so things are looking up and the weather is blissful.

I'm a celebrity, get me out of here!

tomorrow morning it is likely that I am going to be on TV!! It will be the BBC Breakfast show and I'll be talking about trams. I'm waiting to hear about when a crew is available so I'll get some details up when I can.

Proud of myself!

how exciting to have so many comments on a post that contains the word clitoris, yet none of the comments refer to that in any way. i must be somewhere near the top in rankings of comments achieved and definitely i must have had the most celebrity visits.

is there a prize for people like me?

Hooray!

I am developing a theory based on very scientific grounds. I have observed that when a new mini leaves an area, another one will turn up withing a very short bit of time. I think there may be something in this. It is obviously to do with the same law and theory that explains why there are only a finite number of plectrums in the world and they have very transient lives which means you rarely ned to buy a new one becaus ethey just turn up.

The baby is wriggling lots and lots. It particularly likes the right side of my body and it can be quite tender when it kiclks me all the time! Last night I went (alone - boo hoo) to our first antenatal class. We had to label a drawing of a full-term female cross-section and the final label was the clitoris which no-one else (particularly the men!) wanted to deal with so I stepped in to the rescue.

Anyone want to help with the aesthetic development of a dug and filled pond? I can't do it on my own and Andy is not interested one jot! let me know.

oh my word!!

just been catching up on blogs, and wardy's post on souped up cars had this awesome site you have to see, espesially any star wars fans out there

of course theres more stuff on the uk versions at chavscum.co.uk

back up and ruuning.

...at last!
so is email.

the girl next door (again)

was just as funny, in fact possibly even more enjoyable than the first time.

the girl next door

was actually a very good film - a lot better than either of us were expecting it to be.

sure it wont pass the pete david film purity laws, but for everyone wanting a less gross/ purile, more sentimental film like american pie, this is perfect.

plus, the lead guy looks like andrew hodgson, which makes the film even more amusing as it goes on!

hmmmm-

not sure quite whats happening.... prob something to do with re-registering our moogaloo.com site etc. which is why you cant get to this site easily, and i think has meant we've both lost any emails sent in the past few days to our moogaloo accounts. oops. still available at the lofter one for now.

anyway.

we're back in the uk now. will be good to see people again.

off to switzerland

we're back on thursday. but in the meantime, i can check my emails at [my name beginning with a, ending in y] @ lofter (dot) tv.
obviously that's not literally the address, but you know how we all get protective of our email addresses on public blogs.

think of it as a riddle... and ant's got the answer if you dont.

anyway, seeya all when we get back.

happy easter

Sorry for the silence!

Well, I've been really poorly. I've had a nasty middle ear infection in both ears which has left me with (temporary) partial hearing as well as a noise in my right ear that sounds like the brushing of a yard! I've been controlling the pain with Codeine and paracetamol but there have been lots of tears.

Last week I went down to my parents house and hung out with my brother on the Thursday evening. We had a lovely time - it's amazing seeing how reconciliation is continually being woven into our relationship. that night I got really poorly and dad came back from skiing the next day. he took me out for a meal in the evening (just the two of us) which was so special. It was almost more special than the glass of champagne we shared tofgether immediately before I got married. The weather was lovely too so we walked to the restaurat. Despite feeling rotten it was great to go for a stroll where the land is flat!

Andy has been a lovely husband while I've been ill. It takes him a few days to get into it but when he does he's great! Yesterday I felt great compared to what I have been feeling. I went to the garden centre and brought plants with my birthday money and then spent two hours gardening. In hindsight this was alittle too much but the garden looks cool! Good housekeeping magazing recommends you go to the garden centre each month and buy a couple of things in flower. That way you have a year-round garden to enjoy!

Off to view a push chair which is being sold by some people who frequent the pub where Andy works. It's been an odd decision whether to get a pushchair but i expect it will be useful when the kid is geting older, or for going to local shops or for other people to take the baby out. Andy and I are going to use a baby sling.

No Camper Van yet as we still haven't sold our car. Not that we've been trying I suppose!

Anyone up for Greenbelt?

the holy observer

"God to Intercessors: Just Stop Saying 'Just'
Linguistic grace no longer applicable to mutually exclusive prayer requests" - something bea and i have been noticing ourselves and getting a bit annoyed by too.

thanks to si wilkins for the mention of this site - there's some pretty amusing stuff on it too.

for the completely rediculous ("the easter bunny - a dangerous and deadly trick from satan"), go to landover baptist's site

trojan condoms? catherine zeta jones?

has anyone noticed those new ads around town for trojan condoms, with a picture of a very happy woman who looks suprisingly like ms zeta-jones? i s'pose it could be, but then maybe she'll take me to court for suggesting such a thing... hmmmm....

"the meatrix is all around you leo"

the meatrix - although ripped straight off wardy fireball's blog, this's dead good. shame its american and so cant help us in england so well, but still "food" for thought; tackling a "meaty" issue...

wicked. ayeeit!

found this awesome website (actually mentioned in todays metro) called www.chavscum.co.uk, a site dedicated wholly to "britains burgeoning peasant underclass".

amongst many other things on there is a townie baby name generator. the better ones being, phoebe mercedes, sapphire chardonnay or charmaine daniella marshall for a girl and kyle dean or jake dean marshall for a boy, based on mine and bea's names.

theres also a helpful guide to spotting townies with a section on "chav attire", chav culture (including music points), celebrity chavs, a discussion forum, a shop and a chav of the month competition. the section of chav culture i found so funny i've had to stop reading it as i was supposed to be in a quiet study computer room and the laughing/ hyperventilating/ falling on the floor could be considered inappropriate.

truely a special website.

a few more amusing ones: RaChIe'Z wEbSiTe, banbury massive, goldie lookin' chain

doctrinal pluralisms and other wierdness...

something matt p has just posted up makes for very interesting reading. i say that in that he's describing something i've had rumbling around in my head for a good few years now.

read it here. the passage from the last battle was especially awesome - has anyone got a few of the narnia books - think i need to read them on the strength of that excerpt alone.

GREENBELT 2004

Last year's Greenbelt was fantastic (even though I was having a dreadful time!). I'm organising a block booking before 30th April - that way we get big discounts on tickets. If we buy before 30th April they cost only £65 (£45 for concessions) and under 5's go free. To find out more info go to www.greenbelt.org.uk and let me know how many tickets you want asap.

An evening of high culture and fine wine in aid of Kosovo - a poem written especially for the occasion by Messers Marshall (AM) and Wier (AW)

AM : What, When, Why, How?

. Is that the cries of a pregnant sow?

AW : Who, where, with whom, whence?

. That high octane duck flew over that fence.

AM : Pregnant pigs

AW : Flying ducks

AM : That porker does ride like Lord HawHaw does read.

(pause)

AM : How now you pregnant sow

AW : Chuck chuck you flying duck

AM : From whom did you receive the life you bore within you, you filthy beast?

. Was it that goat in the plot next door?

AW : From where did you come in that flying V?

. Like a squadron of Jerries riding those clouds.

AM : Our origins are known, laid before us.

AW : These pleasures of our flesh are the fancies of our mind.

Both : And now we paupers leave, to other pleasures find.

Andy Marshall and Andy Wier, 8/5/99

coupl'a things

didnt get the job

baby's got a new pic

job interview

had it this morning for the post of clerical assisstant in the finance dept of the learning centre at hallam uni...

went pretty well i think - i was pretty calm and relaxed about it all, and although i forgot a few things i could've said, i did about as well as i could expect to. its only between me and 1 other person, so i guess its pretty good odds.

will find out this afternoon whether i've got it or not.

Bored

work is really quite slow at the moment - i am particularly struggling with the lack of momentum. there's work to do but it's difficult to get on with it and then there's stuff i'm trying to get on with but it's just not happening!! this job seems to be either too hectic or too slow!

wasn't doing so well by the end of Friday as a few more things came down on me after the coffee shop disappointment. There's still a flicker of hope inside me but it's definitely in need of fanning into flame! sometimes i just wonder whether i dreamt up the whole coffee shop vision - that it's just been there for the last 6 years as a form of distraction - that my imagination is just very effective!

our garden is looking quite colourful at the moment which i'm really enjoying and i think i'm going to have a go at some geranium cuttings after Mary has inspired me. i also have some seeds to sow but trying to work out whether to do it in trays or direct into pots.

does anyone want a cabin bed for 6 or 7 years?

coffee shop

well, I've been looking into this really cool premises near where we live which has just gone up to let. the area is up and coming and the rent is reasonable. the guy in the property company has been really helpful but the owner has gutted me! he doesn't want the premises to be used for anything after 7pm and he also wouldn't want there to ba any form of alcohol sold. this is really gutting because it felt so exciting to suddenly have some light at the end of the coffee shop tunnel. if God says anything to you when you pray about this please let me know...

Thank you Val (and Derek - i think this passage confirms your lovely email)

The Return of the Redeemed to Zion

35 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus
2it shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the LORD,
the majesty of our God.
3 Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
"Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense.
He will come and save you."

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
7 the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,a
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

8 A highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Holy Way;
the unclean shall not travel on it,b
but it shall be for God's people;c
no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray.
9 No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.
10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return,
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

baby likes folk and grunge update

not posted much up really, so thought i'd quickly say that the baby seems to enjoy music. not only did it get all active when i was playing a mandolin, but it was literally leaping round the place whilst we were playing soundgarden, pearl jam and mudhoney this morning - you could actually watch bea's tummy jumping around!

all good signs...

unless its protesting... but i doubt it.

Camper Van

Andy and I are tracking a couple of camper Vans on ebay. We're looking for one of the high-top ones so Andy has some chance of standing upright and it also means you get extra sleeping space.

Pray for us - wisdom would be good! Really think God wants to bless us with a lovely camper and we'd be exchanging it for our current car (anyone want to buy a Rover 220 SD turbo?).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEREK!

I love what derek and Amy have been blogging the last couple of days. Yesterday's blog in particular just reinforced what they had shared with us when we were blessed by hanging out with them a few months back. It's so cool how God uses them to make stuff clear but without removing the mystery - it stays mythical and if myths are good enough for John Eldridge and C.S.Lewis then they're good enough for me!

(thanks Andrew Jones for showing me how to adda little bit of Derek to my blog)

happy birthday bea!!!

Bea's Birthday

Hi Folks

Barnaby and I are taking hold of a rare opportunity and we are going to be sharing a MASSIVE joint birthday party on Saturday 27th March at the Marshall Residence. B is coming up from London the day before (his actual birthday) and has made it very clear that he expects to see all the old crowd present and correct for his big do!

bring many bottles!

its snowing!

again

fishing4ajob

had a look - apparently there arent any jobs within 10 miles of sheffield for a desktop or graphic designer.

might start messing round with the website design again soon

dogville

saw last night - it started off unbelievably dull and boring and really hard to engage with but the last 15 minutes or so turning into scarily engaging film. really challenges your perceptions of anger, right & wrong, abuse, death etc...
not an easy film to watch at all, but certainly thought provoking in a way no other film i've seen is.

the be good tanyas

the littlest birds sing the prettiest songs.

think i'm catching the america bug too...

last night

watched spellbound - a documentary type film about the american national spelling bee championships - a little scary at times, and pretty funny too.
a good film

dvd night:

round ours tomorrow (wednesday) night, 7.30pm onwards.

not sure what yet - shall see when we get there.

andy & bea

last night was amazing....

didnt think so many people would turn up - it was like the good ol' houseparties of years past, only in a pub not a house.
thank you to all who turned up, and sorry if i didnt get to talk to you!

i love bea i do

Long time - no post

I'm so busy with work that I rarely get time to post. Today it took ages to get into the uni and i was expecting lots of messages from interpreters to say they couldn't get in because of the snow - they're all in! it's a miracle!

there's loads of snow in sheffield and we woke up to the coolest thing - a message in the snow under our window on the pavement that read 'morning bea and andy'! i went to break the ice on the pond and managed to put my foot straight through into the water! fortunately i had my kingdom shoes that kerry and diane bought me and my feet are STILL dry!!

i'm reading loads at the moment - so far i've gotten through nigel slater's 'toast' (8/10), james elroy's 'the black dhalia' (8.5/10), ian mcKewan's 'atonement' (9/10), sylvia plath's 'the bell jar' (7.5/10) and most recently mark haddon's 'the curious incident of the dog in the night-time' (10/10). just about to start 'the god of small things' by arundhati roy (?) which was part of my 3 for 2 purchases in waterstones a few days ago!

also reading john eldridge's 'waking the dead' which is awesome - lots to digest. makes the back-drop of war and the Christian faith make so much sense and even on a micro level of daily life. i'll get my thoughts together and blog more soon.

off to London today to visit the jones' for the weekend - can't wait to see them all. apparently the trains are running well which is a relief - don't much fancy being stuck in a carriage somewhere!

big fish

quite an odd film we thought - not too sure whether to recommend it. its kinda mixture of o brother, moulin rouge, sleepy hollow/ edward scissorhands (no surprise there), and a few other films i cant quite place, but at the same time is nothing like any of them. the point of the film kinda eluded us both, but was sort of there at the end of it all - i guess pretty typical tim burton stuff, just not as visually dark as usual (although there are a few moments...)

a film they were trailering that looked really interesting was "eternal sunshine of the spotless mind" which looks kinda crazy, but pretty cool too. got jim carry, kate winslet and elijah wood in it, and something to do with having bits of your mind erased.

had a much better day yesterday

nice easy shift at the cat (and a drink brought for me!), dan, kate and bea came in at the end for a drink, prayed for dan, saw school of rock, had a good chat with mitchell, and several other good things...

Thank you SOFA

Hi SOFA people

Just wanted to say a very big thank - you for last night. Andy and I were blown away by the words and then in the post this morning we received a magnet that said 'be free' which was cool!

If you can, it would be great if you could write your words down for us as it's hard remembering them all.

See you around!

hooray for leffe brune

i reckon leffe brune is better than grimbergen double, and probably la trappe dubbel too.

not sure why we dont sell leffe bottles at the cat.

not so bothered by the draught stuff though.

si wilkins....

where are you?

no sound from him in ages. i'm very sad.... :(

film times and dates

i have now added the rough months at which we saw the films down the side, based on all the ticket stubs we keep - i dont think that bea and i are horders, so much as overly sentimental....

i've also added a link to the days ugc cinema times down there below the film list, as well as the o2 website where you can send free texts from the web.

schneider aventinus

i noticed the other day that the safeway down on infirmary road is currently selling the above beer. mmmmmmmm.... yummy.

and i also found out form someone at work that the guy on the front of the bottle is the patron saint of beer!

i think we all need a party soon - feel like we've not had one in ages....

cabin bed for long term loan

andy and i have a cabin bed in our attic which we really don't need presently. with a baby on the way it would be nice to be able to have it back in 8 years or so but if anyone would like a cabin bed then let us know. it's quite big - my siblings and me used it til we were all nearly 18ish.

belgians beers!!

westmalle triple

chimay blue

leffe

la trappe dubbel

timmermans peche

timmermans gueuze caveau

liefmans frambozen

saison silly

duvel

kwak

brugs witbier

de konick

got to try a smallish wine glass of each of the above beers, over the course of an hour & a halfs training at the dev cat this afternoon.

makes it all worthwhile....

for it was good...

God never ceases to amaze me the way he can do things - even the things he does that are supposed to be difficult can be easy.

in fact, they can be great fun.

like i always say - theres nothing like a ceilidh to remind you how simple life can be, how much fun you can have, and how friendly people can be.

stripping away all the pretense, there's a lot of fun to be had... some people wave flags, others sing worship songs, and others can dance around in circles.

ceilidh....

...tonight.

yay.

work is hell: part 1

it's not that bad actually but it is pretty desperate.

Struggling at work - in need of much prayer.

Am coming under lots of anxiety and fear and claiming scripture and prayer doesn't make any difference. Was up in night and am therefore very tired. Work is crazy hectic and it is impossible to describe how mammouth a job it is. I also have to manage poeple who are also friends - please pray for wisdom in these situations. hard to stay unbiased etc.

Manager (paddy) is very supportive - thank God for him.

Need superhuman, supernatural power and grace to get work done efficiently, effectively and accurately.

Thanks xx

love is hell: part 1

got it in the post this morning - was just about to leave for work, but managed to get it onto the computer and then onto the mp3 player, so have listened to it - really like it - especially the cover of wonderwall - much more accesible than part 2, which is a little odd i think. anyway - not heard much of either yet, so maybe they'll grow on me as they go on.

also ordered common tongue by waterson:carthy (have discovered the joys of amazon's second hand marketplace - everythings dead cheap, quick and in perfect condition) which has 'lowlands of holland' on it which is a great song i've also heard by the levellers... its almost too tempting actually to go and buy back all those levellers cds too....

term's very boring - realised last night i just feel tired - in everyway possible.

ryan adams

got love is hell part 2 by ryan adams this morning. sounds good on 1st listen, but not quite heartbreaker standard. expecting part 1 any day now

also got the new rosie thomas album yesterday - again - not quite as endearing as her first one, but good none the less.

off to meadowhall today, and then another 5 till close shift at the cat tonight.

have been finding several people like to buy you drinks - one merry old chap with a pipe brought me a pint of beer, a girl bought me a tequila, and a cool looking scottish lad bought me a pint of saxon cider - they're all very lovely... support your bar staff and buy them drinks people!

am getting on well there - the people i work with are all easy to get along with (albeit a bit much news of the world readers, a few of them!), and not a great deal of bitching about each other either.

things getting me down at the moment though:

- my employability/ ment situation (being practically the oldest person working at the pub - the manager himself is only 24! plus the process of finding new jobs seems unbelievably depressing and difficult)

- plus i'm back at hallam uni, notetaking - and it seems i have lots of sciency ones - not good when i'm trying to forget those 3 years of pharmacology. but then notetaking itself is pretty bad - coming up to 5 yerars - no one should be in the same job for 5 years.

- my teeth - the cyst that was removed may come back apparently, and it does now feel like it used to, so thats not good.

- something else i cant remember now - obviously not too much of a problem....

but it was good to see emily again/ for bea to meet emily - had a lovely evening on the tuesday (see how little i have blogged recently). she's now in France, but back in a week or so.

none of you know her (apart from emily herself who may well be reading this), but may meet her one day too.

lost in translation

a film both bea and i both loved, albeit for slightly different reason... we both loved the sentimental elements loads, and it kinda reminded us of the 2 weeks we spent at new wine when we first met... not everyone's liked it, but we'd highly recommend it.

the bloom of the ball

But daughter of Megan tomorrow I'm going,

On ocean to sail where the rude billows roar,

I feel my full heart with affliction o'er flowing,

For perhaps I may gaze on your beauties no more.

The daughter of Megan so lovely and blooming,

I met in Glenavonís gay glittering hall,

And high rose my heart, ambition assuming,

To dance with the damsel, the bloom of the ball.

another to remind you of the wonder of prose

by the usual.

read it and weep... new high score

Actual quotes from GCSE essays...

They get better as you go down the list.......


The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a
bowling
ball wouldn't.

McMurphy fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a paper bag filled
with
vegetable soup.

Her hair glistened in the rain like nose hair after a sneeze.

Her eyes were like two brown circles with big black dots in the centre

Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

He was as tall as a six-foot-three-inch tree.

The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you
fry them
in hot grease.

Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the
grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having
left York
at 6:36 p.m. travelling at 55 mph, the other from Peterborough at
4:19p.m.at
a speed of 35 mph.

The politician was gone but unnoticed, like the full stop after the
Dr.on a
Dr Pepper can.

John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had
also
never met.

The thunder was ominous sounding, much like the sound of a thin sheet
of
metal being shaken backstage during the storm scene in a play.

The red brick wall was the colour of a brick-red crayon.

Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only
one that
had been left out so long it had rusted shut.

The door had been forced, as forced as the dialogue during the
interview
portion of Family Fortunes.

Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.

The plan was simple, like my brother Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan
just
might work.

Oh, Jason, take me!" she panted, her breasts heaving like a student on
31p-a-pint night.

He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck either, but a
real
duck that was actually lame. Maybe from stepping on a land mine or
something.

Her artistic sense was exquisitely refined, like someone who can
tell butter from "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter."

She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes
just
before it throws up.

It came down the stairs looking very much like something no one had
ever
seen before.

The knife was as sharp as the tone used by Glenda Jackson MP in her
first
several points of parliamentary procedure made to Robin Cook MP,
Leader of
the House of Commons, in the House Judiciary Committee hearings on the
suspension of Keith Vaz MP.

The ballerina rose gracefully en pointe and extended one slender leg
behind
her, like a dog at a lamppost.

The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because
of
his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a
formerly
surcharge-free cashpoint.

The dandelion swayed in the gentle breeze like an oscillating electric
fan
set on medium.

It was a working class tradition, like fathers chasing kids around
with
their power tools.

He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as
if she
were a dustcart reversing.

She was as easy as the Daily Star crossword.

She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was
room-temperature
British beef.

She walked into my office like a centipede with 98 missing legs.

Her voice had that tense, grating quality, like a first-generation
thermal
paper fax machine that needed a band tightened.

It hurt the way your tongue hurts after you accidentally staple it to
the
wall.

the mysterious cities of gold

in response to si w's latest addition to the musical education of our dear readers, i thought i'd help him out with this piece of our nostalgic musical heritage. right click here and select "save target as"to hear the mp3 of it.

the drugs

i'm sure somethings gone a bit funny with my taste - probably the mouthwash - i cant really taste things anymore - apparently all its side effects will go once you stop taking it - till then, i'm eating wierd things like extra hot pepperami's and coke to try and wake my taste buds up again. even they just taste watery and/or soapy.

very odd.

penguin bashing

you have to check this out - its dead funny - i got 311 on the first go, and not got anything close since. i hear 331 is the highest score so far.

http://1337-face.dk/pingvin.htm

ooh no - just got 321.2

a rose in april

if you've been following the series in folk lyrics by waterson: carthy and kate rusby, here's a particularly good, sad one i've just discovered.

its even sadder when you hear it on the CD, with the music an' all... i was walking down towards philidelphia, listening to it, and was almost in tears. sniff away young clifford...

"Oh can I go to my love's side

Oh let me go this day,

Please let me go to my love's side,

Oh mother, don't make me stay.

I was a rose in April

And still a rose in June

I fear that come the winter,

I shall no longer bloom."

"Oh daughter, daughter you cannot go,

Oh you cannot go this day.

Your father, he forbade you,

And at home you must remain.

You were a rose in April,

And still a rose in June,

But God can send five winters

And I know my rose will bloom."

"Mother, mother, I must away

Unto my true love's side.

Bring to me my white horse,

And away to him I'll ride."

She's rode through fields of barley,

And she's rode throught fields of corn,

She's come unto her true love

One hour before the dawn.

Her father, being awakened,

Heard of his daughter's flight.

He's taken up his dagger

And he's rode into the night.

He's rode through fields of barley

And he's sped through fields of corn.

He's come unto her true love's house

Just before the dawn.

He's found his daughter sleeping

in her true lover's arms.

He's taken up his dagger

And it's deep into their hearts.

"Oh father, cruel father,

You've killed my love, killed me,

But now I'll rest beside him,

Locked in his arms I'll be.

Locked in his arms I'll be."

kate rusby; hourglass

what kind of theologian am i?

"God will not suffer man to have the knowledge of things to come; for if he had prescience of his prosperity he would be careless; and understanding of his adversity he would be senseless."

You are Augustine! You love to study tough issues and don't mind it if you lose sleep over them. Everyone loves you and wants to talk to you and hear your views, you even get things like "nice debating with you." Yep, you are super smart, even if you are still trying to figure it all out. You're also very honest, something people admire, even when you do stupid things.

What theologian are you?

A creation of Henderson

i'm pretty happy with that.

i think on my more liberal days i came out as somebody called karl barth or desiderius erasmus neither of which i've ever heard of.

and out of interest, does anyone out there have our DVD copy of "so i married an axe murderer"? i can give you our video copy if you like...

ha ha! my husband has successfully educated me in the way of music!

Good. You know your music. You should be able to
work at Championship Vinyl with Rob, Dick and
Barry


Do You Know Your Music (Sorry MTV Generation I Doubt You Can Handle This One)
brought to you by Quizilla

elvish names and hobbits names and 70's band names

i think i've done this before, but my name in elvish is Valandil Elensar and as a hobbit is Podo Hamwich of Buckleberry Fern.

all very interesting stuff.

it would also appear that i know a fair bit about music (and not the stuff i thought i did - couldnt really care less about the beatles and david bowie):


Good. You know your music. You should be able to
work at Championship Vinyl with Rob, Dick and
Barry


Do You Know Your Music (Sorry MTV Generation I Doubt You Can Handle This One)
brought to you by Quizilla

a peer of mr si wilkins it would seem.

caleb quaye

having been roving the blogs this morning, i found this post on helen askews blog which referred to an article written by a guy called caleb quaye. "that's elton john's guitarist" i thought. thinking that would be rediculous, i looked up the article and it appears i was right. and out of a sense of completeness, i've copied the page with all the people on it for you to have a look at how they did album sleeves way back in 1970. heres just a pic of the above mentioned guitarist, but click here to see him with all the others playing on it, and here to see elton john, and a few more of the band from this era, where elton was actually writing good songs worth listening to. here's a pic of the album sleeve, tumbleweed connection.

>si wilkins, i hope you're impressed... even if no one else will be...

my first shift,

went well - got all hectic around lunch time, but thats to be expected... cant say it was the first time i've ever pulled a pint though - that was last monday that that happened. have to say though, i do enjoy the job. hardly glamorous, but it keeps my busy, and the others who work there are all dead friendly and helpful (as long as you stay out of the kitchen at lunch times!)

so anyway, last mondays training was kinda overshadowed by the events of tuesday and the grim goings-on that overtook the former part of the week. my mouths not hurting so much now, although eating is still quite a challenge. theres only so much yoghurt and bananas you can eat with you're antibiotics and painkillers, before you start craving a bacon and blue cheese burger at greatly reduced staff rates...

but for now, lunch tomorrow will be spent with my wife and the spritely martin pickles; more than enough to make up for the lack dietary variation, and a whopper 5pm till closing shift to look forward to.

if you fancy a trip out tomorrow, you know where i'll be.

some good news...

just had a chat with the person at the london label thats doing the compliation and wanting to put one of my songs on it- she (georgina) seemed very pleasant and friendly indeed, so thats a relief... they'll be sending me a bunch of cd's to see if i can move a few too. there wont be a great deal of money in it - after they covered the production cost, any left over's likely to be put towards future projects and split up between the artists appearing on it. not too bothered - not expecting it to make me as much as "42" has...(!)... good advert for the album too.

anyway, the painkillers are wearing off, so might have to go take a couple more, and hope the bleeding doesnt start again.

ouch!!!

had one of the strangest and possibly most painfull 12 hours of my life. first having watched a film last night called audition, round at ants - i mean for a start its a japanese horror, so alarm bells should be ringing by now. but it really was the most uncomfortable, unpleasantly graphic film i've ever seen, and would be reluctant to recommend it to anyone unless they have a VERY strong stomach - one of those films, where you kinda wondered wether the film makers really thought about how much they wanted to put you through - those points where you think they're about to do something and pan away for it - oh no - they didnt pan away for it. it was all there. a truely disturbing film. the only other film that has such a difficult content i've seen is kids and that was for a different reason. irreversible i hear is another amazing film with some pretty brutal graphic scenes, again, of a different type, but an excellent film all the same, and one i would "like" (if thats the right word - probably not) to watch.

and then the mornings "minor oral surgery" having found a very small inflamation in my mouth, i got referred to the dental hospital. it turned out i had a little cyst in my gum, one that looked quite easy to remove and was no real worry to the guy i saw about it. someone at the dentist said it'd be like having a filling but without the drilling (which is the bit i hate the most - the scraping sound on teeth). so anyway, there i am a little nervous, waiting, in i go, getting not 1 but 4 (albeit painless) injections. then the scalpel comes out, then the scraping started. probably about 10-15 minutes of the stuff. i thought it was a simple cut and clean.... oh no, there was scarping and more scraping, and someone holding my head still cause they were scraping so much. blood. a bit of pus. then a few stiches. and we're done. it turns out i'm likely to look & feel like i've been punched in the jaw for the next couple of days. i've got mouthwash, painkillers, and antibiotics (amusingly, i should take them with a meal, even though i cant eat anything for a day or so.). i'm also likely to find it hard working for the next day or so.

and it does hurt (although less so if i dont move my mouth/ talk).

an odd time for pain. not sure what was more painful actually - the film or the surgery... i think the surgery.

and as always, a pic. enjoy:



am getting quite hungry now...

gone rightoff coffee since being pregnant but good to kow the following...

Results...: "
You're an Espresso


What Kind of Coffee are You?
brought to you by Quizilla"

for miriam...

a crazy bird of norway for the crazy bird of norway.

the last samurai

awesome - there were several bits in it were i was just so tense, gripping hold of my hands - truely stunning.

actually i think it'll appeal to any bloke who's read "wild at heart" even more than others... not everyone was too impessed with it, but those of us who liked it, really loved it.

a glorious film.

the old churchyard

Come, come with me out to the old churchyard

I so well know those paths 'neath the soft green sward

Friends slumber in there that we want to regard

We will trace out their names in the old churchyard

Mourn not for them, their trials are o'er

And why weep for those who will weep no more

For sweet is their sleep, though cold and hard

Their pillows may be in the old churchyard

I know that it's vain when our friends depart

To breathe kind words to a broken heart

And I know that the joy of life is marred

When we follow lost friends to the old churchyard

But were I at rest 'neath yonder tree

Oh, why would you weep, my friends, for me?

I'm so weary, so wayworn, why would you retard

The peace I seek in the old churchyard

Why weep for me, for I'm anxious to go

To that haven of rest where no tears ever flow

And I fear not to enter that dark lonely tomb

Where our saviour has lain and conquered the gloom

I rest in the hope that one bright day

Sunshine will burst to these prisons of clay

And old Gabriel's trumpet and voice of the Lord

Will wake up the dead in the old churchyard

waterson:carthy

rob

its good to see rob appearing in more photos these days - which is much more likely now he's moved up to sheffield. so its good to see more of rob in general.

today...

i had an interview to work at the devonshire cat and spent half the time talking about different beers we like.

said goodbye to joel and danny who've been staying here for the past week or so. they've left to go up to scotland for a while. was good to see joel again and meet his brother.

have been humming folky songs that have been going round my head since last night's trip to the red house (photos here).

briefly saw martin pickles around lunch time

check me out!

at long last, i have found some big silly slippers. and only £1.99 from a charity shop. bargain.

off to the red house tonight...

1st scan

so heres the 12 week scan we got this morning. its a lot lot clearer whats what when you see it live - you can see lots of movement in it too - at first it looked like it was flapping its arms, or boxing or something.

anyway, for those who can't see whats what, the answers (i think...) can be found here.

and the new eta for the baby is now 16th july.

new years walk

been out to some river place near (or in) rivelin valley - it was lovely - like the end bit of fellowship of the ring when they're fighting the orcs - very similar countryside. took loads of photos of the place too.

kinda odd having watched touching the void yesterday though.

new films

well, cold mountain was a suprisingly good film - very emotional and sad, but sooo well done. renee zellweger was perfect in her role - worth watching it for her alone. kinda gave the inpression they wanted to keep lots of bits from the book (even though i've not read it) - those subtle bits they'd normally scrap when making a film, but here keep it that bit more intriguing and characterful. brilliant soundtrack too - the white stripes' jack white singing bluegrass was particularly good

out of time on the other hand was just painfully trashy. not appalling but kinda stupid.

some photos!

here are some of last nights parties and then the view from out side our back window. how exciting. didnt think it'd snow that much really - very magical.

off to the cinema today to watch out of time and then cold mountain and then going out to the peaks for food and drink in some country pub with hodgson.

it does also have to be said that bea did cook the best ever roast pork last night.

and happy birthday rachel.