Wasted time

Well, today was a pleasant and relaxing day in many ways, but also annoying owing to self-inflicted problems.
Tutor group: fine. I had the bright idea of using the data projector to pull up Youtube to show the latest hit clip - the JKWeddingMarch - basically a young bridal party doing cool moves as they all dance down the aisle in pairs etc. So we all enjoyed that.
Yr 10s - drafting their satirical narratives. No big dramas.
Yr 12 - drafting their resumes and letters. Several away, including the slackest baddies, so class ran pretty nicely, despite my need to confiscate a couple of phones during the lesson - they don't like that!
Then 8 RAVE times 2: finishing off Evan Almighty which has really grown on me as a film - not at all offensive, and if I may say so, a bloody good choice for a Yr 8 RAVE unit! Need to follow it up with a discussion of discipleship etc next week.
Then a lunch duty where I was somewhat incensed by 5 year 8 boys who crossed my path brawling and being stupid - they soon came to regret the error of their ways as they accompanied me on a big litter pick-up. Silly stuff!
Then lots of spare time this afternoon which I mainly misspent playing chessmaniac games - continuing my winning run but making I think a fatal error in at least one game, so I suspect I'm going to be a dead duck there. I was disappointed to find the afternoon had disappeared in that way, but maybe I needed the wind-down time after being amped up at lunchtime!
When Nigel and I finally took off and made our way home for the umpteenth time, something incredible happened.
We got to the big roller coaster section of the road at Mt Crosby and we were listening to basically an announcer's comedy routine when suddenly there was a boom on Nigel's side of the car and I found myself shocked to realise I had actually veered slightly too far over and had actually bounced off the guard rail! I was able to immediately pull over safely and we both jumped out. There's a long thin mark along the side of the car and perhaps a slight depression, but no major damage, which is pretty lucky. I felt incredibly stupid - how easy it is to lose concentration and of course having a passenger on board was embarrassing. It certainly could have been a lot worse in many respects. We got back in and took off and I was a little surprised at how calm I felt as we drove along - but then again maybe I am just a cool customer who's become used to adjusting to strange circumstances.
Haven't told Al about it as yet but probably will tomorrow - would be good to see if I could clean it up before she sees it, but I'm not sure that will happen!
Bed now - absolutely intent upon getting as close to 8 hrs sleep each night as possible from now on. Must get back into the gym routine as well, but I don't think tomorrow morning will be the day!
With prayers for a good, productive day tomorrow, ciao.

Just a quickie...

Knee is going well - starting to feel a few little itches etc, so more ibuprofen going down. Had first shower ever with plastic bag tied around the bandages but all good. Meant to do about 100 leg lifts a day which seems a little weird - not sure how it works upon the knee, but I guess it's about thigh stabilising or something.
What else? More schoolwork - spent a fair amount of time on Youtube and got on to old Rowan Atkinson and Fry & Laurie clips which were a very pleasant memory or else brand new to me. Trying hard to see if I can use them in RAVE - if not, Yr 10 Satire for English will have to do. "A Warm Welcome", "Songs of Praise" and "Apostle's Creed" all have potential, but as they say, all need to be used "carefully". I really wanted a nice clip on Francis of Assisi for Yr 8, but as I feard, the clip which came up features good old Donovan in 'Brother Sun, Sister Moon' stripping off and I fear bare male buttocks won't fly in Yr 8 RAVE classes - I think. Same problem with Jesus of Montreal, probably my favourite movie of all time - just a couple of sequences which might get me some complaints - disappointing, but that's the reality of schools today.
Time to confess I did waste some time playing more online chess at www.chessmaniac.com but must immodestly report I played some of my best chess ever! I won my last three games and must say this site seems to be much more my speed than freechess. The next step is to join one of their teams and meet some other like-minded chess nuts. Looks like a team called the 'Chess Fiends' are seeking my services.
The only downside of Youtube I have yet found is the number of 'militant atheist' videos. There was one which has had more than 6 million hits by a particularly obnoxious sounding American who wants to know why God doesn't cure amputees (!) There was a rather nice rejoinder in another clip where a man asked why the first guy is so sure amputees need to be cured etc. So much of the atheist clip was asking why we can't just use our rational intellect and get over the delusions of religion. I guess if the original atheist had something positive to offer, we'd be onto something. Still, there are good arguments for all sides.
Watched Chaser again tonight - had a few chuckles. The scary part was when they showed genuine middle Eastern news clips featuring Arabs saying the most outrageous things about Israel and the US. I suppose the US Fox Network is almost as bad, really. It strikes me as crucial that 'sound' liberal Anglicans like myself try to become the voice of reason at these times, but will we be drowned out by the extremists on both sides?
Tomorrow, I vow - minimal chess, maximum school work. May even need to try to drive to school to get things, check the office, see if Lizzie has moved in OK, etc. Thanks God for friends and for you and all the good things you have to offer this world. Night night.

Down a bit

Made a poor decision just now to finish the day with a game of chess at freechess.org - what a mistake. I lost narrowly on time after being in a good position - very disappointed. It tells me that I must try hard to go cold turkey from online chess for as long as possible. What surprises me is that I can win pretty regularly on other sites, but freechess just has too many good players. Particularly when I'm playing under time pressure, I'm just not up to it. I know I should just harden up, but it was a mistake to play it - it just makes me blue!

The day otherwise was quite productive. More Dance clips transferred to DVD, other DVDs copied for school. Lots done on a Powerpoint on Church history for 10 RAVE - wondering why I never did it before! Saw lots of Youtube today too - some great pieces on Luther including raps and polkas which I hope to use; more theist/atheist issues elsewhere - how people have the time to go wandering through Youtube doing nothing but making negative or abusive comments on people's sites disturbs me. Added lots to my favourites for use soon.

Went to chiropractor again tonight with family. As usual, torn between hoping the treatment helps me feel good, and wondering if it really does anything at all - increasingly concerned about the cost as well. Can we afford it? Al will quote my dad and say, 'You can't argue with results.'

Speaking of money, we go to see our new financial planner on Friday and I'll be pretty interested to hear what he suggests, given the GFC etc. Must admit I entered the massive OzLotto record jackpot yesterday, and no, I didn't win $53 million like some other people, but I did get a $13.20 Division 7 prize. Unfortunately my ticket cost $25, so what does this teach you?

Good Chaser and good M. Jackson expose doco on tonight. Good to see a critical Jackson story just keeping the balance there this week, too. What a life.

With good wishes for another solid workday tomorrow,
Goodnight from me.

Atheism and other strange pursuits

Hi ho everybody,
Quick funny moment: leaving Repco I'pilly yesterday after buying new hubcaps for Al's car - forgot it's a one-way street at the bottom of their driveway and turned left... only to be immediately met by a POLICE CAR who honked at me, flashed lights and then waited, holding up traffic while I did a quick 3-point turn and left rapidly (on the 50km speed limit) down the street. Embarrassing!
Anyway, a strange but I think productive day today. Woke up at 8.30am, the latest for a long time. Got dressed to race to Church but then decided against it, planning to go at 5.30pm. We had a long day at Seaworld most of yesterday with our neighbours Tom, Joanna and the boys so we were all pretty zapped. More filing then off to Field Committee meeting for Scott at Richard and Dell's - all good there. Home to stick glass doors on new bookshelves downstairs -not 100% happy with my handiwork, but they are good enough and by golly it's good to get all the books off the floor where they've been sittting for months.
Just finished reading "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom. Didn't like it as much as "Tuesdays with Morrie." It depressed me in some ways and hurt my faith a little - I was thinking, "Well, here's Mitch's view of the afterlife - what makes me think the Church has any better idea of what's going to happen?" At least his picture was nicer than some.
Now reading "Breath" by Tim Winton, finally out in paperback and thus affordable. Loved the opening chapter when I read it ages ago in a shop or a library.. actually I think it was someone's place, maybe Kates and Damian's? It's going well, anyway.
It's 2 mins to midnight and I think I may have to ban myself from midnight rants etc - can't be good.
Just worked on Yr 10 RAVE plan for this term - needs to be something like Anglicanism 101 - more about that later. I went looking on youtube for something on Elizabeth 1 and/or the Elizabethan settlement with which to dazzle the kiddies but instead found some guy called "Militant Atheist" who is, bizarrely enough, a militant atheist - another depressing clip where he has a go at creationists / fundo wackos / etc... ho hum. I suppose if I were living in a place surrounded by fundo wackos, I might start making clips like this too... but what a way to spend your life! Why not spend that time making clips which benefit people in some way, instead of just abusing people for their beliefs and sounding self-righteous? Or is that what he's responding to? Troubling stuff...
OK, beddy byes. Ciao,