So.
The Australian version of So You Think You Can Dance is on Sunday nights and I kid you not, if it wasn't for Crossfire I would seriously consider going to morning church for the duration of the season instead of night church.
I'm also looking forward to The Biggest Loser. There is nothing like ordinary people trying to conquer their demons with push-ups and a low fat diet, all to the sound of Shannon Noll.
Love it.
A friend of ours introduced us to 'Flight of the Conchords' on the weekend. They are a comedy/folk duo from NZ. Funny stuff.
I was sad to hear that Adam Gilchrist has announced his retirement. I always enjoyed watching him whenever he played. He's a pretty funny guy, especially when he commentates, so I hope Channel 9 snap him up for the commentary team. This is a pretty funny example of him commentating while on-field in a Twenty20 match.
I've been reading so many words the past few week, both at work and at home.
I'm adjusting well to my new job, but still trying to find the right balance between work and rest. The culture in my office seems to be work-hard, play-hard and slog away until 7pm at night. Although I often don't stay back that late, I am working longer hours, skipping my lunch break and having a few more late nights. I'm just not used to it. Getting home later means that by the time I've cooked dinner and eaten with Sam, I'm exhausted and ready to go to bed. Added to that, I've taken on some freelance work which is proving more complicated than I first thought. It might take some time before I get used to everything.
There are lots of people who may read this and think I'm being a bit of a baby (6 or 7pm finish being the norm for them), but when did working past 5pm - especially if you're organised and capable of getting your work done during the day - become just part of the norm? I wrote a post about this a while ago, which I might put up later.
But back to words. I've been reading a lot of them, some of which are not work-related:
*A great opinion piece about the closing down of the Bulletin. I liked reading this mag while I was at uni and my income was disposable. I don't think there's anything like it in Australia (with the exception of The Monthly which I've never read) and I'm sad to see it go.
*Alex the Girl's blog - scroll down to read about why she likes wearing skirts and dresses (so do I!).
*Atonement by Ian McEwan. I'm really enjoying this book and trying not to rush it.
* The book of Romans in the Bible - also trying not to rush this one!
Sylvester Stallone thinks he’s tougher than today’s action heroes.
The action movie of the 80s and 90s is rare in cinema today. Films like the Bourne Identity series are smarter and more unpredictable. The storyline is clever; scenes are cut together in sharp sequences; the director is a lot more creative with the film's concept of time. Non-Hollywood films like Run Lola Run were already doing this in the 90s, but now it’s mainstream practice. Today’s media consumer’s a lot savvier and old formulas don’t surprise them anymore.
The aesthetic of the action hero has also changed. In the past, they used to come charging into the fight scene, guns blazing and muscles rippling, causing havoc and battering the bad guys. These days they move across the screen like panthers, all sleek and sexy (not in the sex appeal sense, but in a “ooh that’s a sexy nokia phone” sense).
Plus, they don’t always get the girl.
I found out about Naked DSL last week. Basically it's a new product from Iinet where you can have ADSL internet through your home phone line, but are not forced to pay for home phone line rental. Instead you set up an internet phone which gives you free national and local calls with no monthly fee!
For us it's going to mean a saving of about $30 each month. Has anyone else used it yet?
I learnt something new at church last night.
Last year as I was reading through the book of Genesis in the Bible, I came across the chapter on Jacob’s dream in Bethel (Ch 28), in which he sees a stairway reaching into heaven:
He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
It’s a beautiful vision, but I never fully understood why God chose to give Jacob this dream. Last night, Dominic drew a comparison between the staircase in the vision and the building of the tower of Babel:
They said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." (Ch 11)
With Babel, humans tried to pierce the heavens and reach God by their own hands. Their efforts proved fruitless after God frustrated their attempts by confusing their language.
Later on in Israel’s history, God revealed to Jacob that the path to heaven was not to be strived for by human effort, but freely provided for by God himself. Instead of toiling to bridge the impossible gap, God broke the barrier himself and provided a staircase stretching from the earth to the heavens. It’s a beautiful, breath-taking image of a Father reaching down to His children, of God providing a way for humans to dwell with Him.
And this stairway is ours. Jesus said:
I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.
It's a truth I've heard many times before, but it still makes my heart leap with joy.
I started my new job on Monday.
So far I'm loving it. My official title is features writer, but in reality I'm spending 40% of my time writing articles and the rest running the features desk as an editor. I've already been given a lot more responsibility, including designing the weekly flat-plan, giving the final proof on pages and commissioning my own features. This may not sound like much if you don't work in publishing, but it's pretty exciting for me.
This week, I have learnt a few things about myself. Firstly, that I work best when I'm not micro-managed. At my last magazine the leadership style was very hands-on, whereas now I'm given a lot more room to make my own decisions. Part of that is the difference between working on the news and features desk, but I have a great boss who seems to trust me, which means a lot. I work so much better when I have room to breathe.
Secondly, I really enjoy working on magazines. Last year I wasn't too sure where I wanted to go when my contract runs out in Jan '09, whether I wanted to move into newspapers or mags. I've realised that I'm not the news hound at all. I prefer exploring issues in depth with a feature, as well as the creativity working on a magazine affords.
Check it out; she looks so happy.
She's had a hard time with miscarriages so I'm really pleased for her (as much as one can be pleased for a celebrity they've never met without bordering on the creepy and vicarious).
