I don't own enough warm clothes for this trip.

So it's Monday and I'm going to Griffith tomorrow. It looks to be a very exciting place. Jo's Dad grew up there or something. He told me last night. They prayed for me in church last night. They prayed that Griffith would go well. I'm not really in the headspace yet to spend a week in the Mafia capital of Australia proclaiming the gospel. Oh well. I'll get there.

I have to write my talk tonight. I kinda know what I'm gonna say. Yeah. It'll be kinda like what I planned to do on Friday night except that the kids were too badly behaved. Well, I better get to work.

Well yesterday, again.

Yesterday was a good day. I got up at the appalingly early hour of 8am (got up at 7am today, terrible). Did my morning thing. Didn't have breakfast. Planned a workshop. Drove to church. At church I met Helen with Rob's camera and a dodgy old tripod and we discussed what we were going to do in the workshop that was starting in 15 minutes. We were workshoping so that we could fill roles for The Opposite of Being Self-Centred video.

We had five people turn up, Matt, Jill, Sal, Lauren and Delle (Isn't it as shame not one of them have a blog, how am I meant to make my posts colourful?). I had never met Delle before. She seemed like a nice person. We got them to play Soundball and Aliteration Alistair as warm ups. Aliteration Alistair was a game I made up while lying in bed awake the night before (as I'm back in the habit of doing). It was ok. Could be tweaked a bit. We followed this by making them mime to various pop songs to see how they looked as pop stars. They were quite funny. We all had a good laugh. Ho Ho Ho.

Then we workshoping the first scene of the script. It was good seeing something I had written happening. I like that feeling. Especially when it works and starts to take on a reality of its own, if I can sound wanky for a second. We swaped characters around and changed the scenes situationally (environmentaly, relationally and emotionally) each time. It made it interesting to see how each change changed the scene and how each actor adopted the changes into their behaviour.

The last task of the day was to send them off for ten minutes alone with the last scene of the film. The scene is a funeral scene and we gave them the eulogy to do. They all did very well. I was impressed at how brave they were. They it would be scary to play that scene. But they went there and that was good. I was glad that no-one started crying or I would have felt very awkward. It was good to see different people's take on the same scene. Some people came at it from emotionally different angles others and that was good to see.

Anyway, the workshop was lots of fun, and we now have lots of good stuff to work with. It's nice directing again. I have missed it. I'm hoping I don't have another Pure Joy on my hands.

Following this Jo met me at church and we headed off to Hornsby for David's party. We had some people come around to watch the video. There was mildly cold Coke to drink. The video went ok. It wasn't as good as I would have liked. I would have liked to have tightened it up a bit. Maybe people would have laughed more. Maybe spent more time on the "Acting with David" segment. That could have been better. But it wasn't bad. I think David liked it. We had a lot of footage for such an elusive fella. Robert will be easier.

We headed to the city by train and I reversed into a carpark at the station, before we caught the train. (There's a badly constructed sentence) In the city we watched The Hulk. It was alright. It had some good transitions, I liked the way they went for the comic book feel. Maybe there were too many of the transitions. The movie was a bit long and I go bored. The Hulk was good looking I think though. Ang Lee made it very serious.

We went to Bar Reggio in Darlinghurst. Hung out with lovely people. Jo and I tied Tinku's shoes to our chairs. He didn't mind untill I put the garlic bread up his trouser leg. Then he had a very noisy, and quite funny reaction. Ha ha. Ha.

Robert and Chris pretened to be all friendly with me, but were setting up to tie my legs around the table. They dogged me. I was a little stuck and everyone had a good laugh. It was only when my lovely sister came along that she saved me. We had fun at Bar Reggio. It was good of David to turn 21. Yay for David. He's a good bloke.

When I got home I went to bed. Hannah's bed because Robert was editing in my room. Hannah's bed was very uncomfortable, very soft and saggy. I didn't sleep. After an hour of rolling around and getting nowhere, not that anyone every really gets anywhere in a bed (except that's how most of us got here), I moved to the floor on a crappy little fabric covered foam mat. From there I slept un-soundly, but at least it was sleep.

I wrote such a long post at work about yesterday and my work computer and blogger being in cahoots and both dodgy, decided they wouldn't let me post it and would lose the post. Grr. I might start again.

I'm posting from work at the moment. I think my Internet Explorer is too old for the new blogger so I have this crappy, strange format to contend with. I'm listening to Crows live which is always beautiful. Ahh.

Home from David's party now. Was fun. Workshop today was fun. That's all I have to say I'm going to sleep now.

My blog is always advertising Bible software and stuff at the top. They must think I'm a Bible nut or something. How rude.

I used to complain that I had no shoes until
I met a man who had no feet. Then I complained
because he got the good parking spot.

(Jim Evarts)

I got that in Ruminations.

Ahhh. Finished David's video now. I was aiming for midnight. I was only 20 minutes late. Praise the Lord.

I went and saw Bruce Almighty with Ryan and Howie tonight. I can see sermon illustrations coming out of that one for a year or two. Just wait till it gets onto video and it'll be the Youth Church Service "let's show a video clip" film of the season. Shoot me if I use it.

It wasn't too bad though. I laughed. It was all a bit make you feel nice. Theologically crap, but really, that's not important. Morgan Freeman is a dude. My nose is running. I have a cold.

At Hornsby Odeon Cinema they are showing Phone Booth, The Matrix Reloaded, Johnny English and Whale Rider. So on the light up sign they have out the from that tells you what's on it says "Phone The Johnny Whale".

I wrote that last post for Ryan. I hope he laughed. I don't want to go starting rumours. I think I only know one Jenny and that's my cousin. I didn't spend all day thinking about her. I only thought about her 30 seconds ago when I started wondering if I knew any Jennies. (Is the plural of Jenny, Jennies?) Actually now that I think about it there are a few more Jennies around in my life but I don't know them very well.

If only it was legal to delete posts, then I wouldn't have had to write this silly post.

Spent all day thinking about Jenny. Thought I might ask her on a date. I'm too scared though. Thought I might make her a mix mini-disk too. Got scared of that idea also. Thought I might send her an e-mail. Too scared. I still thought about her.

Today when I was on my way to the college working bee (I was running an hour later than I'd planned, two hours late for the working bee) I was sitting on Central Station. There were two trains before mine was due. I was sitting in my chair near the lifts. There was a Japanise man sitting on the bench next to mine. I was waiting and I heard this low humming noise. As I listened to the nosie it started to get louder an higher pitched. It was coming from the direction of the lifts. Everyone started looking at the lifts. Some people started moving away from them. While I was watching the lifts incase they blew up or something I felt a poke in my arm. I turned around and saw that the Japanise man had poked me.

"Do you know what that noise is?" he asked.

"No, I have no idea"

He looked concerned, "September 11th" he said pointing at the lift.

"No I don't think it'll be September 11th" I said

"No, no, September 11th" he insisted.

"No, I think will be alright. I don't think we'll get attacked."

"No?"

"No. We'll be alright"

"Oh ok. My train is coming soon. I have to go to Rockdale" He said as a train pulled into the station. "Should I catch this one?"

I checked the indicator board "Yeah that'll be fine."

"What about the next one?" asked the man

"I think you'll be ok with this one" I said.

So the man hopped on the train. The train after it was a Millenium. I have never caught a Millenium. It wasn't my train but I caught it anyway so I could see what a Millenium was like. I was very excited. I caught it all the way to Hurstville. It was less comfy than the Tangaras but more spacious and had better lighting. The woman who announced the stations coming up (I only heard her once) seemed to be very excited about arriving at Rockdale. It was the most excited recorded voice I've heard in a while. It was good to catch the train but I don't feel the need to catch another one. I'll catch it if it's mine, not because it's special.

Update for those who are worried about what happened to the lift. The noise stopped and it didn't blow up. You can rest peacfully now.

Iannis says in Captain Correlli's Mandolin, the movie (probably the book too, which is forty million times better than the film) this. I thought it was nice.

When you fall in love, it is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake, and then it subsides. And when it subsides, you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your rootsb have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the desire to mate every second of the day. It is not lying awake at night imagining that he is kissing every part of your body. No... don't blush. I am telling you some truths. For that is just being in love; which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over, when being in love has burned away. Doesn't sound very exciting, does it? But it is!

I've been thinking about whether I should weigh in on the women thing. Perhaps it's more the relationship thing. I don't think I will though. I don't really have anything to say.

On the marriages front though, I've thought a little about that. I don't think that laws are going to make marriages good. But it would be good if it could. I think people are selfish by their sinful nature, and so marriages suffer as a result. And so do the kids. “I don’t love you anymore” is not a good reason to end a marriage. If you don’t love a person, get to work doing it. I don’t figure you can go sixty years “feeling” love for the person you marry. I don’t think you can go sixty years feeling like you’re getting something out of a marriage. I think there are going to be times when you don’t want to be married anymore. You don’t like the person you wake up next to in the morning. But that doesn’t mean that the commitment you made when you got married is void.

When the Bible talks about love in 1 Corinthians 13 it says nothing about feelings. Love does and feels later. From my naïve and immature position, I reckon, that a marriage that relies on the selfless giving of one person to another, is one that is going to succeed. When that breaks down, on either side, the marriage is on it’s way to the dogs. When one person starts looking to their own interests before they look than that of their spouse and family, then there are problems that need to be sorted out.

I also believe that marriage is designed first and foremost to honour God. And a marriage that is first and foremost devoted to God has a better chance of survival. If one person is devoted to their spouse more than to God then they will inevitably be let down. The other person is as dodgy as they are. But God on the other hand is reliable. He is worth being devoted to and He will not let a person down. I think marriage may be the greatest place to practice love for God and love for your neighbour. God first, family second, you last.

So I don’t think laws will fix marriages. I think attitude changes, faith changes, heart and life changes, will fix marriages. I think there is just as much chance of a marriage going bad these days as there was in the past. These days though people have the legal and social freedom to get out of them easier.

But now that I’ve said all this, I don’t really know. I only know about marriage from what I’ve heard and seen, not what I’ve done. I have no proper idea why marriages go bad, and that’s not my problem. I don’t really want to judge other people’s marriages. I have seen way too many failed marriages, and don’t want to judge them. I love and respect the people involved. But I have seen way too many failed marriages and I don’t ever want to go there myself. I think I have as much chance of stuffing up a marriage as anyone else. But the above is what I believe a marriage should be like, and what, at this stage, I intend on sticking too. And by the grace of God I’ll die married to the only person I ever committed myself to, and committed to the only God I ever gave my life to.

I'm using Robert's computer at the moment. It's a bit of a dog. Kinda like my computer at work, although I've heard I'm getting a new one.

My house is a little crazy. Tonight at dinner I was sitting on a wheely chair so I often felt the urge to propel myself across the living room at great speed. These impulses I usually obeyed. Tinku spent all dinner stealing Mum's water and Jo stole Tinku's food. We all talked about our days. It took Dad a long time to get through his day because we were all being silly. Near the end of the meal I got the urge to pretend I was sitting on a dolly and found myself filming dolly shots on my wheely chair with my hands as the viewfinder.

After dinner we had a prayer time around the table where Robert and I giggled a lot. After the prayer time Robert and I started making strange noises, like machines. Mum joined in. Jo followed, as did Dad. Tinku was perplexed. Mum got up from the table to demonstrate the machine game properly. We all joined in. So I found myself tonight in the middle of the living room making machine noises and movements and forming a human machine with the rest of my household. It's usually a theatre sports game, but tonight it was a bit of after dinner entertainment. Tassa jumped around at our feet and joined in.

I came home today and walked into my room and found Tinku in my bed watching an Indian movie. He jumped up and looked very guilty. My Mum is the only one who never seems to look guilty when I find her in my bed. I seem to be often finding people in my bed. No worries. As long as I'm not in it.

I'm about 70 pages into Harry and he's being a little git. Selfish brat. That's what. Although Harry has always been pretty selfish, only endearingly so. And every now and again he does something that is not so selfish for one of his friends.

I bought the book today from Borders and read it on the train on the way to Hurstville where I was having a barbie with some of the people going to Griffth. Mitch picked me up at the station. I'm often struck with what a top quality guy Mitch is. He's top quality Mitch. Id my daughter told me she was going to marry Mitch, I'd say "Good on ya".