Saturday, September 30, 2006

Season 4

Meanwhile, in the USA, season 4 of One Tree Hill has premiered while I am awaiting the arrival from the States of the third season on DVD.
It's really hard not to read up on what has happened. Having only seen five episodes of season 3 (of 22 or 23) it would be unfair of me to read ahead and cost myself the experience of the drama, comedy and interesting storylines that are surely ahead, based on what I have seen.
The big question will be, how many more seasons will there be?
I'm a big fan of TV shows ending before they start to go downhill. So far with OTH the bar has been raised each year (based on what I can tell from season 3). The characters are well established and once that has been achieved they can be taken to all sorts of interesting places.
I won't bother bagging Channel 10 (which has the rights here) for their lack of interest in this show. Basically if it isn't reality TV or The Simpsons, 10 aren't interested in giving it a go.
It's a shame because they have both One Tree Hill and Veronica Mars and have butchered both of them. I'd say I'll own season 4 on DVD before the third hits TV here.
Hopefully, in a week or so, season 3 will arrive on my doorstep and I will again be engrossed in the lives of the people of Tree Hill.

Friday, September 29, 2006

Welcome to the world

Hello to Nathan William Joyce, born yesterday morning to my friends Rod and Meaghan.
Welcome.

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

An Inconvenient Truth

Whether you agree with him or not, Al Gore makes a very strong case that the global warming crisis is reaching a critical stage in his documentary An Inconvenient Truth .
And what he says is very plausible.
Backed up by statistics and studies into global warming dating back decades, Gore lays out the trajectory we are on and, if he is right, we're in big trouble.
Even if he only half-right we're in big trouble.
Included in the film are tidbits of Gore's personal life, from stories of his childhood growing up on a farm to a near tragic accident suffered by his son when he was six. On one hand you wonder why he includes these things but on the other it's clear that you need to know his motivation for devoting much of his life to this crusade.
Most interestingly, and alarmingly, for Australia is that we are one of only two nations (the other being America) to have not signed the Kyoto agreement.
while the USA hasn't signed the agreement, Gore says many US cities have signed themselves up to participate in the program. Perhaps that's something that Sydney and the NSW Government should look at.
Clearly, our Prime Minister isn't going to go against the US and sign the agreement. And he is solely responsible for our part in what is going on around us. I just hope he can sleep at night.
Al Gore's interview on Enough Rope was riveting and the transcript is worth a read. You can also watch a clip from it or download a sound file.
Even if you're skeptical, the film is worth seeing. But more importantly find out the truth for yourself, don't just accept what a bureaucrat tells you. They have vested interests.
But above all that, we all have a vested interest in ensuring the planet is livable. Surely that's more important.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Jockeying for souls

Joe Smith has written a great article on Sydney Anglicans, and in the October edition of Southern Cross, called Jockeying For Souls , about outreach to the racing industry.
I also give my experience of working in the racing industry as a comment adjacent to Joe's yarn. Good work mate!

Monday, September 25, 2006

Trials

We all go through them, some are very tough some not too bad. But trials are a part of life.
DS gave an excellent sermon from 1 Peter last night dealing with coping with difficulties and I have been thinking about it today.
Most people in their early 20s won't have had to deal with a major life event but once you hit your 30s just about everyone will have been through such a time.
(Some people DO have to deal with things earlier than their 20s but as a majority thing I think it was fair to generalise to say the above).
It's true for me anyway, in my 20s I didn't have a lot of major difficulties, a few relatively minor things in the late 20s but it wasn't until just after my 30th birthday that one of the aforementioned major life events occurred.
How do we deal with them?
As a Christian I found it immensely helpful knowing that God was there for me even at the times when I thought `this is too hard'.
Does God cause the trial? DS argued that God doesn't necessarily cause a trial to occur in your life but he does let it happen. This can be confusing. Why would God let something bad happen to one of his people? On the other hand though, what makes me so special that I should be spared any trouble in life.
The key is to know that God is allowing the trial for a reason, and I think the reason it to see how you react. We are challenged to rejoice in any trial for God is working for our ultimate good.
This isn't easy to work with, I know. Check out the downloads page at CITM for a listen.

Memory Lane

Somewhat inspired by Craig's `retro songs' posts, I present the music I was listening to at this time in 1996, and also in 2001.
(How do you know what you were listening to then, you might ask. Well, for many years now I have been keeping my own music charts. It's been a good way of keeping up with the music of the day. It is getting more difficult now because the music isn't as good as it used to be.)

So, on the week ending 28 September 1996, my top 10 were as follows (bear in mind this is potentially very embarassing).
1 - I Live For You-Chynna Phillips
2 - I'll Be There For You-The Rembrandts
3 - You're Makin' Me High-Toni Braxton
4 - I Want You-Savage Garden
5 - Closer To Free-Bodeans
6 - Macarena-Los Del Rio
7 - Not An Addict-K's Choice
8 - Se A Vida E (That's The Way Life Is)-Pet Shop Boys
9 - Independent Love Song-Scarlet
10 - Forgiven Not Forgotten-The Corrs

And, on the week ending 29 September 2001:
1 - Can't Get You Out Of My Head-Kylie Minogue
2 - All Rise-Blue
3 - Hanging By A Moment-Lifehouse
4 - Out Of Reach-Gabrielle
5 - Don't Stop Movin'-S Club 7
6 - Real Sugar-Roxette
7 - Starlight-The Supermen Lovers
8 - Drops Of Jupiter-Train
9 - Let's Dance-Five
10 - U Remind Me-Usher

Sunday, September 24, 2006

What's over your shoulder?

Metaphorically speaking, of course, what is over your shoulder when you have a look?
This interesting question was raised for me yesterday when I met Pat Day, a former champion jockey from the United States. He's in Australia to meet with the Australian Racing Chaplaincy for a few days and he really is a passionate man.
After an amazing career in horse racing he retired a few years back and has been preaching the word to the racing industry in the USA ever since. He never tires of it. He'd prefer people remember him for the work he is doing now rather than the records he broke in racing.
`The records will always be there but people's memories of them will fade with time,' he said*.
`The way I look at it, when I finished riding I took a step up to what I am doing now, not a step down.'
He said most people put off thinking about the reality of life, preferring to see themselves as immortals who will be around forever.
`When I look over my shoulder I know that I have done business with the Lord,' he said.
`Only when someone gets sick or dies do we stop and think about our own mortality. Most of the people here have put all that aside, until later.'
It was inspirational to meet such a person, someone who spoke with genuine concern for saving people. He's in a tough business, where ego and money rule and he is making inroads.
As an aside, I was invited to attend a conference in Louisville, Kentucky nexy year. While it's unlikely I will make it, it was great to be asked. There are several issues to consider before I even think about whether I can go, if you know what I'm talking about.
But, nevertheless, meeting Pat did again force me to consider what I see when I look over my shoulder.

* This is the essence of what Pat said, not exactly word for word as I wasn't taking notes, it was an informal conversation.

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Breaking the silence

A week is a long time, so they say, but this one has gone fast and in somewhat of a blur due to an oversupply of work.
Without going into it too much, we've had an absentee in the office and I ended up doing all of his work. It's something (his work) I hope to be able to do more of, so in one way I wasn't minding doing the extra stuff because it proved to everyone that I was capable of filling that hole should it become available in the future.
Away from work, I had another trip to the dentist this week (bring on the Medicare coverage for that!) and it appears Orthodontics is the next step. Interesting.
In disappointing news, I was unable to secure tickets to the John Mayer concert here in November as they were sold out in five minutes. I'm told another show will be added so I'll just have to try harder (and faster) next time. I guess I was a shade naive in thinking that it wouldn't sell out in such a short time.
I'm heading out to Rosehill Gardens today for the races, we have a corporate box with an awesome view and with about 30 degrees expected it looks like being an awesome day. Hopefully I can pick a few winners.

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Expectations

Without a doubt one of the hardest things to comprehend is how expectations and reality compare.
It's something that almost always trips me up, I'll expect something of a situation or a person that is unrealistic (in hindsight, nothing is ever unrealistic the first time) and am ultimately let down. Time after time it happens.
Everyone likes to think they have two feet on the ground but when it comes down it, I am a dreamer and a romantic and an idealist. I'm not sure whether those three things can co-exist and sustain a healthy (emotional) person.
Dreamers get caught up wild, futuristic hopes and, funny enough, dreams, that are rarely grounded in any kind of reality.
Romantics like to see the best in people, can often block out obvious flaws, particularly when there are feelings involved (this can be a good thing and probably aids relationships). Also they go to a lot of trouble for others and can often be disappointed when the effort is not appreciated. They love films like Sleepless In Seattle, where spectacularly unlikely situations always work out.
Idealists get caught up with how things `should' be. `In an ideal world.....' is a catchphrase and this can cause problems when the ideal world and the real world don't match up. Which they rarely do, in my experience.

Sound familiar?

Expectations, even though a lot of the time they are unsaid, are always there.
I expect things of certain people and at times that has led to rifts, albeit usually temporary ones, and while they are yet to cost me a friend they have the potential. With a couple of particular friends I think I have gone pretty close to the line a few times.

The problem here is that you rarely realise that your expectations are the problem. It's always the other person. Why don't they see things the same way you do?
Another problem is we rarely tell others what we expect of them. On a very basic level, I expect people who are friends to be encouraging and supportive but also honest. I try to be the same, but like many others I'm sure can get too caught up in my own issues.

Any thoughts?

In Repair

I reckon a lot of people must feel like this.
I think this would best describe where I am at.
(Song lyrics from John Mayer's In Repair, already one of my favourite songs.)

Too many shadows in my room
Too many hours in this midnight
Too many corners in my mind
So much to do to set my heart right

Oh it's taking so long
I could be wrong, I could be ready
Oh but if i take my heart's advice
I should assume it's still unsteady
I am in repair, I am in repair

Stood on the corner for a while
To wait for the wind to blow down on me
Hoping it takes with it my old ways
And brings some brand new luck upon me

Oh it's taking so long
I could be wrong, I could be ready
Oh but if I take my heart's advice
I should assume it's still unsteady
I am in repair, I am in repair

And now I'm walking in a park
All of the birds they dance below me
Maybe when things turn green again
It will be good to say you know me

(Chorus)

Oh I'm never really ready, I'm never really ready
I'm in repair, I'm not together but I'm getting there.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

An explanation

I should explain myself a bit, regarding the post last weekend.
When you're feeling a bit frustrated and disappointed sometimes silly things come out. I don't intend to backpedal on what I said, I still mean it, but some people who read this page may have unintentionally felt I was pointing the finger at them.
I wasn't. And if you thought I was I apologise.
Alison's comments were very helpful. I can't force people to understand what's going on, but I am grateful to those who have sought understanding of their own volition. They have no idea how much of a boost that has been.
I thought it was a good idea to seek some kind of release from what I was feeling at the time and I think it was helpful, but next time I'll put a bit more thought into it.

Monday, September 11, 2006

September 11

It's been a heavy week. First Steve Irwin, then Peter Brock, now we come to the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
Five years, and the world has changed remarkably and not for the better. We are all too aware of the threat of terrorism that was sparked by the fall of the World Trade Center.
Like most people I watched in horror as the second plane crashed into the tower and then as both towers came crashing down. It was so surreal sometimes you wonder whether it really happened. Watching the footage I find myself in amazement, with my mouth open, and disbelief.
These things just don't happen. But unfortunately they are all to real.
It started to hit home when I saw United 93 at the movies last month. For a review see here .
I'm sure we won't ever forget this day.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Warning, venting imminent

I'm a bit on the mad side and in need of letting it out.
Without pointing fingers, I'm tired of some people not being supportive when support is needed. This relates to a few specific things that I won't go into but some friends have really disappointed me in that they have attempted to push me to do things that clearly I am not ready to do.
If things aren't hard enough most of the time, I don't need pressure from people who should be looking out for me. Perhaps they don't realise they are doing it, perhaps they don't know that I am offended, I guess.
Explaining any reasons for deciding not to do certain things doesn't seem to make any difference and it doesn't make it easy to have good conversations and make the most of time.
I know the bible says not to let the sun go down while you are angry, so how do I approach these situations when they come up?

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Continuum: the first review

As anyone who reads this page would know, I've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new John Mayer CD Continuum. So here's the review, having scored a copy of the album a day before its release.
Things have certainly changed in the few years since the days of Heavier Things and Room For Squares. Mayer's third studio album is not the instantly likeable pop stylings of songs like Your Body Is A Wonderland and Bigger Than My Body, the hit singles from those previous albums.
That doesn't mean I didn't like it. When you're a fan of any singer or band you'll give anything they produce a decent listen.
So with the knowledge that the lead single from Continuum, Waiting On The World To Change, was nothing like his previous hits, with a jazz/blues type sound while still retaining remnants of pop music, it's an addictive song.
Talking about a generation that feels like it's out of control of the world, waiting for the time when that generation will call the shots, Waiting On The World To Change is a clever mix of social commentary and infectious hooks.
The second track, I Don't Trust Myself (with Loving You), and the third, Belief, delve into deeper territory of relationships and questioning. We then come to Gravity, a sparse moment few on words high on emotion.
The trend continues as Mayer goes deeper into relationships before coming to In Repair, a realisation that things are awry and in need of fixing. It's really quite moving.
We close with I'm Gonna Find Another You, which is a nice song although I kind of wish he had finished with In Repair. But that's just nit picking.
Not everyone is going to like Continuum because it is different. The fact that it is different shows that as an artist Mayer is growing and evolving and that does require change. I'm sure he could quite easily pump out great pop albums like Room For Squares. I'm glad he hasn't. If you like John Mayer give this one a try.

The Fray - live

Last night I had the pleasure of catching the US band The Fray in concert at the Gaelic Club.
Thanks to work for the free tickets, but I would have paid to see them anyway. A couple of weeks ago I bought their CD How To Save A Life and it was great to see how that translated into a live show.
They threw in a couple of covers, such as the Beatles' Eleanor Rigby and You've Got A Friend In Me, which I believe was on the Toy Story soundtrack and sung by Randy Newman. Interesting. Another innovative thing was how they spliced their own songs with some well known ones, like going into `Look After You' with a chorus of We Will Rock You, the Queen classic.
My first concert in a couple of years was an excellent experience and the venue, though a shade small, wasn't bad either.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

The best game show ever

If you're a guy you'll know how these poor souls feel. But you'll also be able to laugh at them. Seriously, this is one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

Check out the best game show ever!

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Job update

This is the latest with what is happening with the new job.
It will be on hold until the spring carnival is finished, by the looks of it, with a swap occurring in a couple of months time.
I'm reasonably OK with this as we have some major things happening this month and me leaving my position would be inconvenient. I just wish they'd told me this straight up.
It would be very different if I was leaving the company all together instead of moving sideways.
So the good news is it is happening, just exactly when it is happening remains to be confirmed. I'm told there is some big meeting today and that we'll know more then.

Monday, September 04, 2006

Six months later...

Today was my six monthly check-up with my specialist and it went pretty well.
Basically as well as I could have hoped for. My blood test results were excellent, suggesting that all is working as it should be.
I was a shade concerned about the prospect of going onto some more serious drugs than my current ones but he saw no need at this point as he feels the situation is being kept in check as is.
The good points: risk of the disease progressing is low, he feels I don't need to be as concerned about what I eat as I am just to keep within the `healthy diet' boundaries (this means not so good food is okay occasionally) (actually I had pizza for dinner last night for the first time in over 18 months), and as I said the blood tests continued their trend of being good.
Bad point: I wasn't informed that I needed a new referral and thus have to wait to get a receipt sent to me to claim some money back.
Future: I asked about the possibility of using Chinese herbs on the side and he said there was no real problem there although there was some risk of making things worse. Not sure what I'll do there. I also asked about when I needed to start screening for bowel cancer. The reply was probably not until 2010 at least and that the risk, while still higher than the average person, was still low at this stage.
So it's all good as it stands. I really hope that sinks in properly because I could use a break from the anxiety symptoms that this whole thing has caused.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Clerks 2

As we all know, sequels can be a bit more miss than hit.
So it was with some reservations, based on rather universal disdain among reviewers, that I saw the sequel to the cult hit of 10 years ago, Clerks.
A decade ago writer and director Kevin Smith introduced Dante and Randal as two, rather foul mouthed, emplyees of the Quick Stop convenience store where they spent their time discussing trivial things and annoying the customers.
The original, despite its explicit language, had an undeniable charm drawn from the rapport of the two central characters.
Smith followed Clerks, which was shot in black and white (very cool) and on a very tight budget, with Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma and Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. All these films were connected by characters or events in some way and also linked by the ultimate slackers Jay And Silent Bob.
Clerks 2 kicks off with the Quick Stop burning down and forcing Dante and Randal to find new employment. They do so at the local Mooby's restaurant. It seems little has changed except that Dante is getting married and leaving town and they have a seemingly Christian co-worker Elias to tormet. I'm sad to say the corrupt him shamelessly.
Randal still steals the movie, as he did in the original, with his wry commentary on Lord Of The Rings and Transformers, both of which Elias is obsessed with. I must say his 60-second run down of the LOTR trilogy was both hilarious and, in many ways, disturbingly accurate. (Sorry if you're a huge rings fan). I just loved his `don't point your preciouses at me' remark.
A couple of cameos from Smith film stalwarts Ben Affleck and Jason Lee (better known now as Earl in the sitcom) were nods to the previous films and particularly in Lee's case very funny.
I went in with low expectations and, aside from one very disturbing scene, was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed myself and the end was actually quite touching and showed a side to Randal I don't think anyone expected.
It's not a patch on the original but I think it's as good as a sequel made 10 years later can be. Sorry David but I'm giving it 7.5 out of 10. I had a good time, and the soundtrack rocked, particularly Smashing Pumpkins' 1979 and Soul Asylum's Misery.

Saturday, September 02, 2006

Sydney at night

Over at Urban Stone Jono, one of the most promising photographer/trainee ministers going around, has some awesome shots of Sydney at night.
They are well worth checking out. In fact they rate as some of the best photos I have seen of the Sydney skyline at night.
I may even ask him for a print (hint hint), but given his college status I will have to offer some compensation should I gets my hands on one.

Friday, September 01, 2006

I have a new job!

I don't think I am jumping the gun on releasing this news but - I have a new job!
And I'll be moving about five metres from where I currently work.
If you're confused, I'm not leaving NewsLtd rather taking up a different role within the company at another paper owned by News. It's called Sportsman and is entirely devoted to horse racing.
Now I've been trying in one way or another to move over to that paper for a while because I believe that is where my long term future lies. I may be wrong.
My reasons for the move are simple (aside from I really wanted to).
It was becoming clear that my role, in its present form, at the Telegraph was unsustainable, in that when I would be in the fill-in role for someone who was away I was working ridiculous hours and effectivly two jobs - and it was making me sick.
The pressure when this was happening was far too much and high stress is really bad for me in my situation.
It should generally free up weekends (in that it's a Monday-Friday job) for me to go to the track, or attend church events that I otherwise haven't been able to. (On the negative side I do lose my Mondays off but it's a small price).
I can write about what I want rather than what I have to and the paper is a racing paper less concerned with `the issues'.
As far as I know I start on Monday week but that could change, depending on when someone to fill my role is secured. But whatever happens I'm looking forward to it, for if nothing else the enjoyment should return to work and it should be easier from a health perspective.
I haven't told many people about this in the last week or two so if I haven't told you don't take offence. In one way I just wanted to keep it to myself and wait for some confirmation because it sounded too good to be true and I didn't want to get disappointed.

The Falling Man

An excellent documentary on the ABC last night titled `9/11: The Falling Man'.
Still eerie after five years, and why shouldn't it be, anything to do with September 11 still fascinates me, horrifies me and intrigues me and this documentary was no exception.
Aiming, as the title suggests, to identify the person in one of the more telling images of that day. It was a photo of one of the `jumpers' which came to sum up the desperation of the moment for the people trapped in the burning towers of the World Trade Center.
It turned out that according to either the coroner or the police, no-one jumped from the buildings. It was a denial that this event, which many people witnessed, occurred.
It remains unclear whether a positive identification has been made of the man in the picture, there was a very likely scenario painted, they have pinned down the person they believe it was but can't confirm it conclusively.
However, in one way as the documentary highlighted the picture can have greater effect as a representation of the day, similar in some way to the unknown soldier.
Whoever he was, I'm sure he did the right thing in his mind at the time. I'm sure no-one would hold it against him.