away in a manger (with pengiun)

ahem.

Angel delight

Presents are good.

See. Here is maha using the fab colour it yourself brolly i gave her. Cool beans.

pregnant women

It amazing to note that pregnant women you pass in the street always look beautiful.

Wow!

Check these images on the side of the ashmolean museum. Taken by the oh so talented theo chalmers. Loving it.

New place

Loving my new room. And my new house. Which is closer to both julie and andrew, am instant bonus. :)

irony of the day

today we have a conference booking in one of our rooms, apparently a number of the delegates have called in sick.

it's on "managing absence".

Littlest hobo

Guess what. I'm moving again. I blame Craig (and Cath). They moved away from the street and living without their presence for the last 4 or 5 days has been unbearable.

(and our landlord put the rent up.)

So yes, off again. Having hoped I'd manage a whole 13 months without moving, I have failed. But on the bright side, I have a cool new housemate to get to know, yet another oppourtunity to cull the huge amounts of trash (for 'trash' read: useful things) I've collected, and will be heading back to the oh-so-very-hip and happening East Oxford Area. WHOOP.

(aight. and other cool street terms. uhuh.) Watch out OX4: i'mback. (in a week or so...)

New glasses

Whaddaya think? Cool huh!

Well quite.

Just had to take this!

Me.

That is all.

Habit.

Yes. These are most of the coke cans i have got through since starting new job in march. :)

tragic

I have a locket and no-one to put in it.

speeding

Last night as I was walking home post-holiday from the station with my cunning little trundle-along case behind me, a man sped past on the opposite pavement. He was doing a fair old rate of knots, and he was on a scooter. A push along scooter.

I know they were v hip for kids and young adults about 10 years ago, but seriously...this guy was 40 ish. and was speeding. on a scooter.

(nb: I couldn't write this last night because a) I inadvertantly had to spend the evening helping my housemate repack her bag into a hand luggage size case and arguing over the number of pairs of pants one needs to take for a 10 day trip and b) I'd forgotten that these things were called scooters, so I had to look it up on argos online. the first one that came up in google was a barbie 'inline' scooter. it is pink and has a slide out compartment under the scooter for your make up.)

Wise monkeys?

HA!

I've changed the template for my blog thereby making it significantly more harderer to read. genius.

I like it.

a lot.

Today (which is officially now yesterday, but for me is still techinically today as I've not been to bed yet to round it off) I:
- went to bed later than planned
- got up later than planned
- did manage to drag my arse (and the rest of me) to 3 hrs of capoeira training
- saw old friends from uni
- went to a drinks party in a lovely garden which had a trampoline in it
- bounced on the trampoline
- was one of the only two adults who bounced on aforementioned trampoline
- went out dancing
- cycled home

All in all it has a been an unexpectedly busy and fun day. (but some bits of me ache a little).

on top on the shelf unit in our bathroom

...there are three plants, a can of hairspray and a light bulb that no longer lights.

Creg

Craig meets death. In borders. Of course.

possible options

Am trying to come up with a name for a company I could one day use to sell any artwork, cards, crafty-type-stuff I do.

I was liking: littlestar, shine-on and several other things for which I could not purchase domain names...

moved onto:

ensignia
bellibutton
jellybutton
awfullyinspired (loved this...sadly also not available)

who are all these people who have bought up my domain names before me? who are you? how did you get to be so clever and quick off the mark? Grr.

shinycamel? not convinced.

Check this beast of a car!

Saw this in salisbury today. Almost inspired me to learn to drive...

not my nose

(wasn't meant to be this way round tho)

oh dear

Have becoming increasingly concerned about the size of my nose.

(and some other more distinctly wobbly bits of my general physique. but right now - given that it is 00:25 BST - when traditionally the more minor paranoias can surface and fester - it's the nose I'm worrying about).

The thing that is especially concerning is that now I'm aware that it is infact (or at least in more and more unflattering photos of me) larger than previously realised, I'm annoyingly reminded that the nose is (like bum, tum and thighs apparently) one of those parts of you that keeps growing even while other bits of one's body move gracefully and (mercifully slowly) into biological shutdown.

But not the nose. My ever increasing scent extractor is just going to keep on growing. oh joy. we are indeed fearfully (and wonderfully...hmmm) made. eek.

patience

God, being love, is patient with us.
When we go our own way and do our own thing,
He doesn’t stop loving us. He doesn’t stop waiting for us. Doesn’t stop wooing us.
Love is patient.
(1 Cor 13)

long day

song I wrote and keep revisiting...please feel free to help with a melody (be the Hugh Grant to my Drew Barrymore...)

Long day, lover, long day
reaching out again with hands so used they're bruised and aching
tired feet lover, tired heart
without shame i fold
the stories my day into your arms
(knowing you will keep me)

will you stay till I am sleeping,
as i fall into this weariness, the blanket of tonight
will you stay till I am sleeping.
hold me, enfold me.
stay tonight.

I love my Mac

For Luke

Luke - you are probably the only other person who has ever read this blog (well done you). As you were burbling about me not blogging here is a post just for you:

I'm back.

The inconvenience of God

I came across a page of my ramblings earlier. Decided I'd upload and throw them out there...

The inconvenience of God.

Recent conversation with two friends of mine led one to ask me: “So, how would you go about persuading me that your religion is true Jo?”

Good question.
Before I could answer we were interrupted, both moment and question passed. But it has been niggling away at me ever since. Now 6 weeks later I think I have some sort of an answer for my friend. I hope I will make the time to say the following to him.

How would I go about persuading you of the truth of what I believe? To answer I need to ask you something:

Are you broken?

Are you lonely?

Are you lost in life?

Are you poor?

Are you desperate?

Are you weak?

Are you in need?

No? Well in that case I would not begin to try persuading you of the truth of Jesus Christ. That truth is what we call the gospel – good news. It is good news only to those who answer YES to any of the above.

The gospel is good news to the poor. It is life to the broken and this gospel is hope for the desperate and dying. Jesus put it like this: I have come to save sinners. I haven’t come for the righteous – why – they have no need of me. Like a doctor, I have come to heal the sick, not those who appear to be in fine health.

If you don’t need it, the Truth of the message of God to the world is not for you. Stop asking – I won’t play your games any more. I will not join in your games of one-up-manship, cynical debate and sneering superiority. Stop wasting my time and yours – there are people across the planet that answer YES to any or all of the above and this precious treasure belongs to them.

To you the matter of God is an added optional pursuit. Is there time in my life for it? No. Can I make time for it? Not really. I already have numerous interests, hobbies or past times - why would (and how could) I make time for more? It is not convenient. God is not convenient for me right now. I don’t have time for salvation, I don’t need saving.