Apologies firstly for the use of vernacular in the title. It would seem though that as a result of Tourism Australia’s “where the bloody hell are you” campaign the word bloody is now an acceptable, but slightly cheeky, piece of Australiana. Actually I should really be apologising for a reference to a U2 song. I guess it’s a song from before they were middle aged political activists trying to be cool while writing inoffensive, sugar sweet pop music that you could play your gran (hi gran if you’re reading this again). How cool is my gran – she posted a comment on a blog. I bet your gran doesn’t do stuff like that.
This is my first blog post on a Wednesday. Wednesday’s have traditionally been lambasted as terrible office days – the furthest point from a weekend. In fact right now, in the middle of the day, must be the absolute middle of the week. How significant. Today I didn’t want to get out of bed. It was drizzly, my airconditioning and quilt were combining to keep me at optimal sleeping temperature and my alarm clock was just a distant buzzing problem which could be solved by a quick press of the snooze button. Or several quick presses of the snooze button. Luckily after 22 years I know myself pretty well so I set my alarm to go off much earlier than it has to.
The post cyclone activity cycle is on the down hill run now. We had Fran Bailey, the Minister for Small Business and Tourism come through town yesterday. She addressed a power lunch/forum on the issues in her portfolio post cyclone. I got to go. My free meal count for the week is up to 4. It could have been 5 but I blew off a church dinner arrangement last night to do important other things (nothing really, well a phone call or two and a DVD – I bought Run Lola Run from the local Video Ezy for $10 – a bargain at twice the price, unfortunately it was a badly dubbed version rather than the subtitled version… but I digress. End Brackets.). So far I’ve had sausages, bacon, eggs and croissants for breakfast at an animal park, crab, chicken and prawns at a resort, a roast at the church’s youth minister’s house, and Atlantic Salmon followed by a cheese/fruit platter at the casino. I capitalised Atlantic Salmon because that’s the way it should be served, as a proper noun.
Free food aside, it was interesting hearing from the Hon Fran Bailey MP. She spoke about baby boomers hogging all the good jobs in traditional big business. This has apparently forced the youth of today into more entrepreneurial roles. Big business now outsource a whole lot of niche things like training and stuff. So I quit my job and started a company. Well I didn’t. But if anyone has any good niche ideas that come with free food…
The dinner at the youth minister, Dave Hopper’s house was good. We’re/we were discussing the direction to take young adult stuff at the church in. There’s a bunch of uni student types who are so heavily involved in AFES stuff they’re not doing anything at church and there’s a shortage of people involved in leadership roles for teenage and children’s stuff. Which brings me to my favourite topic at the moment – the relationship between church stuff and parachurch stuff. I think one day I’m going to write a book on the whole church vs uni ministry conflict. It’s bizarre that it even operates as a conflict – surely as part of the one kingdom or wider church there should be a more synergetic or symbiotic relationship between the two groups. Anyway, it’ll be interesting to see how that pans out. Both the AFES staff workers up here go to Willows so there’s this occasionally tense undercurrent somewhere in the background (which I assume is where most undercurrents operate.)
So there’s a rambling update free of fake news (not that my stories about breaking an artwork and killing a national icon were fake it’s just that as Matt so rightly pointed out in his comments, or at least the sentiment in those comments pointed out – they weren’t really news. Actually I’m not sure his comments were pointing that out at all – I just wanted to put his name in the main bit to encourage further comments so did it in a way that vaguely supported my original point. I’ve been spending too much time with politicians.)
Comments
It’s Gran here again. It’s fun to be able to come to the library and read your blog. I wish I was more of a computer buff. I am very impressed by what you had to say. So is your father, who is typing this for me. Having only had one letter from you in all your life, I didn’t know you were capable of writing so much.
Cyber-Gran
Very much enjoying your blog. But is it strategic to highlight the undercurrents you’re swimming in?
Everyone acknowledges the undercurrents are there. I’ve promised to write a book on the issue one day. I get all my political lessons from my father. I notice he wasn’t asked to be the new moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Queensland.
I do actually remember the one letter I sent you Gran – unless there were two. I believe it was from a holiday in Noosa. At least my typing is legible as opposed to my scrawling handwriting. You’ll have to get dad to give you a lesson before he leaves.
Long posts deserve long comments. I have one point per paragraph:
(a) I think your gran is cool. My gran is also cool – she sends me text messages with stuff like luv 2 u from gma.
(b) Wednesday is also known as “hump” day, which rhymes with “slump”. These two words can be shown diagramitacally to describe something like a mirror image. Cool, huh?
(c) Are you saying there is such a thing as a free lunch?
(d) No surprises there, baby boomers hog everything.
(e) Maybe you could include the AFES mob in your future directions discussion.
(f) Don’t poke too hard, you’ll wake the sleeping tiger…
“Lola Rennt” is a brilliant film… except when it’s dubbed. Dubbed foreign films are dumb. Subtitles are awesome. In opera we use surtitles. They are different. They go above the action, not below like subtitles. But I doubt they have opera up there. Ah.. good old QLD…
hey smiles, it’s jagoe – technologically illiterate but able to access your “blog” with the help of matt lyndon. stuffs good, things are ok, and life is on the up, though the sun is long down – soon to rise – so i am weary. work happening with me. labouring. your tourism sounds cool. remember to be positive about the place that supports you. i’ve had many a beer for you – so you’d be an alcoholic and i must be….
take care, take out that unsaid girl, take tournsville for a spin and let me know when you take yourself south to share said beers. cheers. Jagoe
AYO word wats cracking, check. word is your having a good time in the north. much respetca. aight peace bro. nat…..is it cause i’s black??
as you can tell, we’re writing this after bible study. But this year, the leadership quality has increased vastly…. jokes. (matt says its not a joke actually) Maybe you can inflict your intellectual obscenity (Matt Lyndon’s word) on the poor folks at townsville.. they may need it. Hope its going well up there!
Hi, amy here (typing through melissa). Does this mean I am as cool as your grandma, having a typist and all? She is a very cool nanna!
Hey Smelly, can’t tell your an educated journalist… not at all writing all this short as posts.
So was Run Lola run any good? You should have tried it without any subtitles and dubbing.. what kind of dodgey dvd was it btw that doesnt have different sound tracks? (speach tracks)
Now I have to give my sister her computer back as she have become addicted to Lost..
Hello. Matt made me post this comment. In fact, he’s actually typing it too. Hope you are well. Don’t meet any nice girls there because you are supposed to come back to Brisbane in the near future.
Cathy L
See above for vindication of your decision to place my name in the main bit to encourage further comments.
amy – are you some sort of “unclean spirit”?
Can I just post because everyone else is?
Hello all,
Thanks for your comments. I’m glad you’ve got nothing better to do with your lives.
Matt, the plan is to ask the AFES staffworkers to lead groups in the new improved young adults program (we’ve pretty much stolen the latechurch bible study model – or at least my version of it). I was aware of the “hump day” name – I was going to make a Black Eyed Peas reference but decided that wasn’t cool. I couldn’t mention them and U2 in the same post, people might start to think i’m lame or something.
Andrew – I’ve seen the non-dubbed version, I saw it at the cinema – I’m so cutting edge and cool – it was at the Dendy. Hopefully that erases any lameness I may have picked up mentioning the BEPs or U2.
Cathy – given that i may have come up here chasing a nice girl already it might be a little too late for that advice.
Mel, Amy, Sam, Nat and Mattias – hello. I’m not sure there’s any other appropriate response to your comments.
You should get some sleep!
Hey Nath!
I’m just posting to boost your ego, and because yo told me to.
Oh the battle between uni and church rages on. I would very much like to read your book on this. As I recall, you were too good for QC for a while because of MPC. I think I managed to beat that out of you.
I think matt’s gma is much cooler because she knows how to sms with all the lingo.
how rude! Your site makes my name go lower case. That’s just not on! Names should start with capitals I tell you!
We who watch foreign films are probably already lame… but not as lame as BEPs.
I’m all for synergy.
As long as it works at different levels.
I can’t believe you used the word “synergetic”.
You spent too much time at QC.