Mindmeister

Just planned a short essay using a mindmap I created on mindmeister (h/t Craig). You can create a branching tree structure and have notes at every stage, where you can put quotes, references etc. Worth a look if you're a visual thinker.

office space

I visited the new Optus headquarters today at Macquarie Park to interview one of the directors. It was nice. Lots of space, clean architecture, slick without being cold and corporate.

With my job I visit some really nice offices and lobbies, the best being ad agencies with their decked out staff rooms (pool tables, turntables for night-time parties, stocked fridges, espresso machine, etc), funky loft-feel and great sense of space. My office looks and feels like a call-centre. Yuck!

Here’s what my ideal office/working environment would have:

Timber floorboards (but good heating so it didn’t get too cold)
Spacious desk area
Macs – shiny new ones!
Inspiring artworks on the walls
A big loft space, with open staircases and a mezzanine floor
An in-house world class barista (though to be fair, I already have one of those at home!)
Massive staff room with couches you can nap on
Big windows
A gym! And daycare centre for the working mums
Stocked drinks fridge
Halogen lights
Nice outdoor area with tables and chairs, deckchairs too!

that "click" factor

We’ve been looking at hospitality and welcoming in our bible study the past few weeks, which has raised a few thoughts for me about what it means to fit into a church community.

Generally in life, you meet people who are nice enough, and then you people who you really “click” with, personality wise. The latter often end up becoming friends, who you invest time in.

At church the same thing happens, except that there is a motivation amongst God’s people to reach out to those who are new. Whether you “click” or not with that person shouldn’t stop you from including them, befriending them and sharing your life with them. That’s the power of Jesus and of God’s love. It transcends human barriers and natural tendencies to just stick to the people you feel comfortable with.

But, the reality is that we still live in a world governed by human behaviour. There are still “in” groups at churches and it can still be hard to find the right “fit”, even if the people are as lovely as can be.

I think that was my experience when I first arrived at my current church. Even though everyone was so encouraging and extremely welcoming, I found it really hard to fit in.

For one thing, all the girls had known each other for ages before I joined, so there seemed to be pre-existing bonds everywhere that, understandably, excluded me. It was hard for me to jump from being a congregation member to being someone’s friend (how do you even go about this with people, I wonder? Ask, “Hello, can I be your friend?”). I had also come from a hard couple of years at my old church where I experienced some burn-out, so my confidence when it came to making new female friends was somewhat deflated. As the fiancé of an MTS worker, it was hard not to think of myself as part of a “set” and just rely on Sam to make all the friends for us. At times I grew lazy, hanging on the coat-tails of all the relationships he was building as part of his ministry.

Two and a half years on, things are heaps better. God has blessed me with some lovely friends and both Sam & I have felt so loved by our current church family. However there are times when I till feel like I could do with deeper companionship within my church, the kind of friendship where you can call each other up last minute and just hang out for fun. Perhaps this is something I need to work on initiating!

My previous experience however has made me wonder: is it enough to be a welcoming church in order to build a sense of community? How do you go from being surrounded by lovely people to being friends with them?

I used to think that my past concerns over making friends was just my neurotic shyness, until two good friends of mine revealed they are going through the same thing at churches they've recently moved to – great service, lots of nice and friendly people, but no “click” factor. These aren’t crazy or socially inept people either; they’re nice, interesting, mature Christian women, really lovely people who have just happened to change churches.

When I think about all the strong female friendships I enjoy, most of them have that “click”, or if not that, a shared history and experiences, a willingness on both parts to invest in a friendship, not just a one-off act of welcoming. Is it possible to replicate this in a church setting, when you have no shared history, no shared experiences and perhaps even no “click” factor?

How do you go from acquaintance to a friend?

Coffee in Canberra.

The first of the swirling posts:)
Each morning in Canberra, my folks and Soph & I headed out for coffee. The place we went on Sunday morning was worth reporting on. If you're down that way, and on the 'south side', the place to check out is 'Kingston Grind': a bustling, but friendly cafe.

Coffee was a house blend, and I assume they offer a single origin too, as they had a few grinders, but I couldn't see a sign for them. My flat white was wonderfully rich and chocolate-y, and a sweet rosetta covered the whole surface of the cup.
As for equipment, this place was packing some nice stuff. A fully equipped kitchen/bakery (they sell their muffins out of the baking tray!). The counter was decked out with a beautiful La Marzocco, and a couple of Mazzer super-jolly's.

There was plenty of space to sit, the smell of freshly baked muffins, friendly staff and a nice sunny courtyard outside if you can stand the morning chill.
Two thumbs up from me.

My primary school burnt down.

See here. I remember wishing for this kind of thing when I was a kid. Now I think it's really sad when fires happen. That mural was on the wall of my second grade classroom.

sisterhood only goes so far

A moving story on what it's like being the daughter of feminist and author of The Colour Purple, Alice Walker.

Thanks Craig for the link.

linked by the ABC.

Here. Our hits spiked massively over the weekend. There are a lot of people reading the ABC online...

Lots of posts swirling around in my head

We've been away for the weekend and had a great time. I've seen lots and had some interesting conversations, many of which have given me ideas to post about. Here's some (more for my benefit) of them so that I don't forget my thoughts.

Why evangelicals need to spend time in art galleries.
Have we failed the baby-boomers?
Coffee in Canberra.
Is 'reformission' a sleight of hand?
Real men need big garages.
The NSW state government sucks.

Stay tuned.

weekend trip

...on the subject of art, Sam and I are going away this weekend with his parents to see Monet to Turner at the NGA!

I'm very excited!

knee-jerk?

Bill Henson's latest exhibition has been shut down by the government, following accusations of sexualising children in his images and questions of the legality of his work. Read more here.

I have long been a huge fan of Henson's photographic work - eerie, atmospheric, gothic images of mythical landscapes and disassociated bodies - a lot of which include topless teenagers which Rudd finds "absolutely revolting". In fact, my Year 12 major work, which also featured nude portraiture, was inspired by an early body of his work.

It hard to know what I think of his work now, in light of these accusations and the current crusade against sexually explicit imagery. I have seen a lot worse in art - in film, paintings, photographs, even in real-life installations, so a few naked pictures have never bothered me, though maybe it should.

The measure of whether it falls into "art" or "pornography" (so we were taught at university) is whether the work is engaging in societal critique, or indulging in sexually explicit images for the sake of it.

It is here that Henson's work walks the fine line. On one hand they have an sensual quality akin to eroticism that makes us uneasy - it's hard not to cringe when his works are reminiscent of that dark night when disgraced MP Milton Orkopolous picked up a young homeless youth to abuse and ply with drugs.

On the other hand, Henson's work reveals the dissassociation and dislocation many people - particularly youths - feel in today's society. Their bodies and limbs, removed from any sense of personal belonging or investment, become corpses (at least that's what I think of when I look at them), scattered on a wasteland where there is little meaning and everything seems like a dream.

There has been far too much discussion of the former and far too little understanding of the latter from the government and lobby bodies who banned this exhibition (shown in a private gallery. Perhaps they could have restricted viewing to adults only, if they were concerned about children being exposed to mature content). Many works of art which inform our culture and allow discussion of hard topics like the exploitation of youth use confronting imagery to "shock" us into awareness. Unsuprisingly, in countries where censorship is rife and knee-jerk reactions to societal problems has given way to senseless lobbying, the only solution is for such works to go underground; they rarely go away.

While I'm not necessarily putting Henson's work into the category of social critique, it would be a shame to dismiss his work without having that conversation, without asking what these images stand for and what the artist is trying to achieve. I'm sorry Mr Rudd, but "I find these outrageous" and "Kids should be allowed to be kids" just isn't going to cut it. The fact is, kids these days aren't just allowed to be kids, giving way to the drifting, haunted figures in Henson's work. Banning an art exhibition is not going to change that.

Yes, let's protect our children from being exploited via imagery, by all means, but let's not destroy art and freedom of expression in the process.

Petrol to hit $2 a litre.

I reckon this will be enough to make us seriously consider selling our car.

Soph and I already walk most places when we can. I haven't filled the car up for almost four weeks now, and we've still got half a tank left. But next time I fill it up, it's going to cost somewhere around the $80 mark, as the pug takes premium and has a 50 litre tank. We simply couldn't afford $100+ a tank.

I'm sure other families with more money than us will be able to weather the storm a little longer, but at some stage it'll become unsustainable. It'll be interesting to see how a change like this will affect our society. A lot of my family and friends don't live near public transport. Lots of people depend upon their cars to get to work each day.

I can remember my grandparents telling me how cars were once upon a time a luxury item that only the really rich could afford. I wonder how long it'll be until that's the case again?

Blogging for almost 2 years.

I just realised as I read Ruth's blog that The Fountainside has been up and running for almost 2 years. Soph made her first post here on the 30th May 2006 and I joined in the blogging a few months later in July. Since then we've put out 669 posts, and had some 53,107 hits. I can't work out how to add up all the comments.

I was just reading back over some posts in the archives - it's like a commentary on our lives. Kinda cool. Also interesting to see who was reading and commenting back then. Nixter and Ruth commented on the very first post. I think they're still reading too - so I guess we've done something right...
I wonder how to celebrate a blog's birthday??

Screenshot Plus

Is a handy Mac OSx widget I use almost every day. It can capture a full screen, windows, widgets, and partial screen shots. Check it out.

2/3 aint bad...

...but isn't great either. I've just been testing myself for this friday's half yearly greek exam using provoc. Having not looked at my vocab at all during the last two weeks, these were my results.

The cool thing is that I can now separate out the words I got wrong and focus only on them. Sweet.

Shouldn't take too long to nail down 100 words, most were silly mistakes anyway...

confrontation.

"We would never want to have dinner with you and your husband because, no offence, but we are atheists. In fact, my boyfriend hates religious people and I know you just wouldn't get along with him. It would be too weird to hang out with you outside of work."

A confronting comment from a friend at work. It sounds crude on its own and shocked me when I first heard it (I thought we were meant to be the "intolerant" ones!), but it was in the context of a candid chat; an honest moment between workplace friends.

I had my way of handling it.

How would you?

headaches

I’m a migraine and chronic head-ache sufferer, something I think I’ve genetically inherited from my mum.

I used to be totally against taking pain-killers of any kind, believing it bad for the body, until I went to a GP last year after five days of constant headaches/migraine and she asked why I hadn’t taken something earlier. My sheepish reply of “I don’t like taking pain-killers” was met with hasty chastising and a prescription for the good stuff (one drug for the pain, another for the nausea). I now have both handy in the medicine cabinet at home, as well as lots of nurofen, panadol and panadol forte.

I’m not sure why I’ve been so anti-pain killers. I hate the stuff and dread taking it. I’m sure there’s some childhood hang-up somewhere there, but I think a lot of it has to do with feeling “weak” for suffering so badly from a headache, like it wasn’t a serious ailment and I should just be able to snap out of it.

However, lots of women I’ve spoken to suffer from chronic headaches and migraines. So many times I’ve brought it up, only to have people say, “oh me too, it sucks”. Is it a hormonal thing?

Medication aside, there are other things which I find help keep the gremlins at bay. Regular cardio exercise. Lots of stretching every day. Regular visits to the chiropractor for my stiff neck. A limited amount of sugar and preservatives in my diet (I try to cook mainly fresh food, lots of veggies). Good posture while at my desk at work. Better stress management.

Any other tips from chronic headache sufferers?

Reading...

Bible: Jeremiah (which I'm finding fascinating) and Lamentations.

Bed time: The Nanny Diaries by Emma Mclaughlin and Nicola Krauss

On the side: The Radical Reformission, Mark Driscoll, though I've only picked it up once in the last week, but not for lack of want - just too much study this week.

Highlight from this weeks college stuff: 'Mark: story-teller, interpreter, evangelist' by Francis Maloney.

You?

Fair Trade

A discussion on the Sola Panel. I am glad for voices like John Sandeman in these kind of discussions!

I do get worried about the nature of some of the discussion in the comments on this post though. Not so much worried about attitudes to fair-trade: I agree there are other approaches to the problem. More the manner.

I want to see more of what Dave Miers calls 'humble orthodoxy'. There is a tendency within Sydney Anglicanism towards 'hyper-critical-ness' (that's my term for it). We are so committed (and rightly so) to preaching Jesus alone that we are the first to relentlessly cut down anything that isn't explicitly gospel preaching.

I'm all for preaching the Christ and him crucified; to preaching him 'of first importance', but I don't think this means we need to demolish every attempt to be culturally relevant in order to achieve this.

Skunkhour

Skunkhour are a band I love listening to still. Their music is pretty hard to classify - with two vocalists and a band playing funk, acid jazz, rap, hip-hop - a bit of everything really. Check out some of their tracks here. Great stuff.
Sadly I really only discovered them after they broke up in 2001. I reckon going along to a few of their gigs would have been awesome.

Is there a band you wish you could have been alive/aware of to see in concert?

a 20 minute nap...

...really can make all the difference sometimes. I was finding it pretty hard to get started with study after lunch, despite the pressing deadline of an exam tomorrow (and Bible Study tonight). So I decided to have a quick nap from 2:40-3:00 today, and have put in the most productive hour of study since then. Sweet.
Starting to think the exam may actually be okay...

Are you a 'napper'?

The devil has a microphone...

...in Town Hall Station.

I remember once watching someone get their bag caught in the closing doors, flail about in horror as the train started moving, then released shortly after, followed by a voice saying, "to the person who just got caught in the doors, that's what you get when you try to crowd the train".

I hate to think what would happen if someone fell onto the track during peak hour - not impossible given how crowded it is!

Coffee Extravaganza

Guthers and I spent a few hours snobbing it up on Saturday arvo, working hard at our extractions and latte-art.
Shout out to Lovell Roasters for the kilo and a bit of 'Special Blend' they whipped up for us and for letting me see them in action last week.

Guthers was in fine form behind his Boticelli, although the little machine wasn't too happy at the end of three hours, struggling to keep the element hot. Here's some of his stuff:

I was super happy with the improvement in my extractions, but not totally content with my latte art. Will have to work a bit harder next time! Here's some of my work: If you'd be keen to join us next time let me know.

All mankind last night.

The Vanguard is a really swish venue, and All Mankind rocked it out last night. They played pretty much their whole new album, plus a couple of extra tracks on the way.
If you get a chance, you really should catch these guys in concert - playing live they've got a great, full, sound and they know how to put on a show. Richard looks really comfortable as the front man - he has grown quite a stage presence. I get the feeling he's watched a few U2 concert DVD's - there is a bit of a Bono-esque style about his performance. I like the new sound of the band too - electric guitars all round, although it was sad not to see that sweet Maton acoustic come out at any stage. Lots of delay on everything (love it) and of course lots of crowd interaction. Good times.

Wanna hear some of their stuff? There are a few tracks here, and you can download a free song to keep here.

coffee snob.

Have you ever had one of those embarrassing moments that live forever in your memory, the kind that, even thinking about it now sends a slight shiver down your spine?

Mine happened when I was interviewing for my first journalist job, straight out of university. I was twenty two and wanted to work in magazines, so went for a job at a major publishing house for a swish, up-market title. The position itself was low on the career ladder – editorial assistant – but in true Devil Wears Prada style, promised experience and connections galore. So with trepidation I let a bald, wiry looking man lead me into a fishbowl meeting room and put on my best, most winning smile.

From the first two minutes of the interview, it was clear that it wasn’t the job for me. They wanted someone extroverted, ambitious, a real go-getter. I smiled and tried to look like all those things, until came the clincher.

“Now see this is a luxury title and our readers, well, they’re of a certain style, a certain demographic,” explained the editor. “Therefore, we’re after someone who can match that style, you see? For example, have you travelled much?”
Travelled, as in outside of Sydney on-a-plane travelled? The only trip I could boast of was a brief stint in China visiting Christian churches, hardly the pinnacle of sophistication. I managed to fudge that one, until the next question.
“Where do you like to eat? What are the best restaurants? Or hotels? We need someone who has taste”.

Despite feeling it was a bit rich to be asking for my opinion on five star hotels when the position only paid 28 grand, I talked around the topic and ad libbed, until I remembered numerous conversations I’d had the guy I had just started dating.

“I’m a massive coffee connoisseur,” I blurted. I could see interest rising behind the thick rimmed glasses.
“The coffee culture is definitely on the rise in Sydney and I think your demographic would be interested in knowing where you can get a decent espresso.”
“Really?” he replied, smiling in approval. “Which coffee would you recommend?”

Frantic thinking ensued. My mind raced back to dates and cafes we’d frequented, names I’d heard, terms associated with silk, extraction and double rosettas. Despite my recent crash course, I could not think of a single brand, a single café, a single name, to offer up to this man in proof of my upper-class cred.

I began to panic, so I said the first thing that came to my head. An awkward silence followed. I didn’t get called back for a second interview.

There is no way I will ever reveal what I said in that interview. That will go with me to my grave. But to this very day, when I see that word emblazoned on an umbrella or café balustrade, I cringe and turn a bright red. Although it's not my most embarassing moment at all, that interview will remain with me for a long time.

Great song.

We sung a new(ish?) song in chapel this morning - called 'He is Holy'. It rocked, and I'd love to see it introduced at church, but I can't seem to find it anywhere on the web. Does anyone know the song I'm talking about? I'd love to know where I can get a copy of it.

moment of insanity

This morning I woke up with a blinding headache, the thumping kind that hurts every time you move. I get headaches now and then in the morning; Sometimes I don’t sleep well, have sore shoulder muscles and used to get migraines quite a bit, so this is nothing new.

But as I was getting ready, I had a fleeting moment of panic. What if a blood vessel burst in my brain* or I passed out from the pain, and no one was home to call the ambulance for me? Sam wouldn’t be home from college until mid afternoon. What if I was left unconscious in our bedroom, blood seeping from my brain and killing my brain cells, so much so that by the time anyone found me I’d be permanently brain damaged and have to wear one of those voice recognition gadgets like Steven Hawkins (though without brilliant theories into physics and the universe).

I figured I only had half an hour until I got on a train where hopefully a kind passenger would call the ambo for me, so I sent my husband a message:

Hi babe, how’s your morning going? (trying to sound casually flippant), nothing to worry about, but can you call me in half an hour just in case I pass out and there’s no one to get the ambulance? Should be okay, just a precaution!

Hmmm. Realise now I am quite insane. I feel a bit better though after a coffee, panadol and lots of water.

*I realise that if in fact blood vessel had burst in my brain, I would be instantaneously dead and therefore no amount of ambulance-calling would help me.

All mankind

Going to see these guys at the Vanguard in Newtown tomorrow night. I haven't heard much of their new album, but I'm a big fan of the Richard Beeston stuff. Haven't been to a concert in ages - looking forward to it.

What was the last concert you went to?

Don't call me baby

A rant in today's SMH about being called "babe".

Personally I’m okay with terms of endearment. Some people really overuse them, calling people “honey” and “sweetie” all willy-nilly, especially in advertising. Although it gets a bit pretentious, it doesn’t really faze me.

The Radical Reformission...

...is definitely a page-turner. I started reading it this afternoon, and have already knocked off about a quarter of the book.
I'm enjoying it on the whole, though one question keeps coming up in my head: How close is the church in Sydney to Driscoll's assessment of many established American churches? I'm certain we're not the completely the same (that's obvious) - but where are we similar? What lessons and challenges to change can we take away?
And where are we doing well? Where should we press on because we're on the right path?

Here's a quote from the first chapter. Might we in Sydney need to repent from the 'moralism' that he writes of?

"As I left the bar, God convicted me about my proud addiction to morality and my attempt to look like a decent guy so that others would like me. I was so insecure that I feared not only that my Christian friends would see me walking out of a gay bar with queer cowboys but also that the queer cowboys would reject me for being a Bible thumper who, deep down, believed they were running headlong to hell in their cowboy boots. I cared more how I appeared to people than about whether I shared the passion Jesus for those who are lost. That night I learned that reformission requires that Christians and their churches move forward on their knees, continually confessing their addictions to morality and the appearance of godliness, which does not penetrate the heart and transform lives."

Ouch.

This would have to be every young man's nightmare. Did you ever have a close call?

White and Nerdy

More Weird Al - This is awesome. It's a parody of Chamillionaire's Riding Dirty.

Youth Ministry

Have had some ripper conversations with people about youth ministry over the last couple of days. Visited a youth group with Dave on Friday night and spent the car trip chatting through grand plans for the future. Then today I spent some time with Mike Everett at Carlo discussing the status quo in Sydney Youth Ministry. There are so many plans and thoughts swirling round in my head.

Am very keen to see a re-launch of the Youth Vanguard in the future!

Gen X stress while Gen Y chill out…

…according to a story recently published in my mag. Taken from research by ad agencies and marketers:

Gen X (born 1963-1975)
Are the nation’s most stressed generation
Older than previous generations when they started settling down with kids and the house
Live week-to-week financially

Gen Y (born after 1976)
Have a higher disposable income than other generations and are willing to spend
Have a digital DNA – the Internet is a lifeline to their world
Are the least concerned about the environment compared to other generations and are sceptical about the hype surrounding environmental issues

Deadlines make me learn.

Are you in Moore College 1st year? Need to learn the 'Principle Parts' table? Finding it hard without a deadline to motivate yourself to get it done?

A few of us are going to learn 4 lines of it every week. Plan is to grab a coffee at 7:30am Friday mornings at Urban Bites to test each other. Come if you're keen and have learn the 1st 4 lines.

Church was awesome tonight

Con preached up a storm tonight on Ephesians 1 - on the cosmic reality of being in Christ. It was just great - I felt like my eyes were lifted up to see the glory of Jesus - the master of the universe, at whose feet creation bows, and who gave his life for the dust of the earth.
This is definitely worth a listen.

Crossfire Term 2

This morning was a great kick off for term 2. Great to see all our kids again and see how they've continued with Jesus over the holidays. We returned to the sermon on the mount for our discussion groups and preaching, put the silver ball back up for grabs, played the chocolate game (see picture!) and invented a new game - scooterball. It's kinda like soccer brandings, except the person you're seeking to kick the ball at is riding a scooter - hit them and then take their place as target on the scooter. Fantastic. Nice weather for outdoors stuff today too!
The rest of the term is looking great. We're planning a 'double-up' evangelistic Friday night towards the end of term - bring yourself and a friend - plus a social on the long weekend. Keep praying for these guys as they grow up in Christ.

haircut.

I’m getting my hair cut today. Nothing fancy, though I am hoping my hair will look like this picture of Nicole Ritche once the hairdresser is done (though longer, past the shoulders).

Some women are really diligent with their hair appointments. I am terrible. The last time I got my hair cut was right before my friends Christine and Paul’s wedding last year. I never go to the same hairdresser, I never use products aside from shampoo and aside from my red streaks and fudge-styled hair during my short-lived “political” phase at uni, I don’t colour my hair at all. Just a cut please and a wash beforehand – no blow-dry. I honestly just can’t be bothered.

I wish I was more attentive with my hair because nothing beats a really good cut. It makes your outfit suddenly look more fashionable, your face more alive and provides more motivation to put on make-up in the morning (another female ritual I can’t be bothered with, though I am making an effort on this front, as girls in my workplace and the media/advertising generally look gorgeous, so it’s hard to go to work looking like a sack in terms of my self esteem – shallow I know).

I told Sam last week I was getting a haircut, and his reply was: “great! Though don’t cut it short please, I like your hair nice and long”.

I have noticed that a lot of men prefer women to have long hair. Why is this? Is it because it looks more feminine and pretty, in the traditional sense?

Restaraunt Review.

Another one tonight. Da Gianni Trattoria in Annandale - where 3 Clicks West used to be. Dinner's at 8. Nice.

New Timetable

Have just been looking over my week for 'term 2' at college. There's not much good news.

I've now got four 8am starts instead of three, and my Monday now begins an hour earlier as well. Friday is now the most full day rather than the most empty.

But we're starting Church History - which is a subject I'm very much looking forward to. Fun times.