Making Perfect Milk with Miss Silvia

Actually, the perfect bit was just a hook. I'm not at all confident that I am yet making perfect milk with my Rancilio Silvia, but I thought that I would write down some of the things I'm doing in my pursuit of a better cup of coffee. This article is probably of little interest to those who don't like coffee, so I won't feel offended if you push off at this point ... honest.

1. The first thing I am doing is trying to give myself a little more steaming time to get the milk right. I keep my milk chilled and the milk jug in the freezer. I reckon this gives me a few extra seconds to get the milk right before it's "cooked".
2. Next, I am making sure that the steam is dry before starting steaming. At some point after flicking the steam switch on and before the heating light has gone off, I am turning the steam handle and letting it run into a spare jug or cup. I do this till the steam runs dry.
3. Once the steam light is off, I am pouring my milk into the jug I have just removed from the freezer and beginning steaming. To start with I steam to get as much volume as possible while not letting the bubbles get too big. I'm aiming to have the steam wand just below the surface so it makes a sort of slurping noise, while having the steam wand at the lower left corner of the jug so that the milk swirls round the jug in a fast whirlpool. If the bubbles start appearing to large, I lower the steam wand a little.
4. While doing this I keep my hand under the left hand under the jug to measure the heat. Once it's too hot to touch I assume the milk will be at perfect temperature with another few seconds steaming.
5. I am aiming (for a latte anyway) to get milk where the volume has almost doubled, but I can see no visible bubbles. The surface of the milk should have a velvety sheen. If I get these two factors, plus the milk isn't too hot, I figure I have done a good job.

Thats how I do it anyway. Let me know if you have any tips for me, or you do it differently.

Coffee with Miss SilviaCoffee Silvia RancilioCoffee Milk

A Real Coffee Hit

Sure, coffee is a drug. Mostly safe, but a drug all the same. Mind altering, delivering positive feelings like "mmmm, nice coffee" and "ohhhh, I feel awake now" and so on. But given its street price is somewhere around $3 a hit, and its not just sold by heavily tatoo-ed men at night clubs and and rarely sold by seeding looking individuals in parked Monaros (a type of iconic/infamous Australian car for those of you out of town), I've not felt too guilty in obtaining and taking this particular drug. Granted, thats not much of a rationalisation, but its still only $3 a cup. Well, no longer. Check this one out! $50 bucks a cup. If I get hooked on that stuff, I could just find myself nipping over your back fence with your DVD player and CD collection. Dave Barry has something to say about this in an article delicately entitled, "Java weasel makes fine poopacino". Read and enjoy friends.

Expensive CoffeeExpensive CoffeeChristadelphian Online

World's Biggest Cubby House

I've often felt it would be nice to have a little log cabin somewhere, a place to get away from it all. I guess in a way, there is a touch of nostalgia in the idea of the log cabin, looking back to those fantastic autumn days building a cubby house or a tree hut. However, this gentleman has taken it to an ridiculous (and totally awesome) extreme, as reported in the Daily Telegraph! Rather than bearing any resemblance to a tree house or cubby, this more closely resembles Sarumon's Tower in Mordor, picked out in timber. Awesome. Actually, the other thing this reminds me off is the Bell Tower in Perth ... or as I like to call it, the Hell Tower. Putting WA on the map (for amazingly sinister architecture).

Footnote: No picture for the cubby as I am confident that the picture out on the web is owned by the Telegraph. Let me know if you find a good picture of this so I can post one.

Also, if you got here looking for the world's largest house, follow the link.

Wood CabinWood CabinChristadelphian Online

The Bible on a Budget

As many of you will be aware, E-Sword is a fabulous tool for Bible Study, and is made even more fabulous by its free-ness. The free modules available with E-Sword are what puts it in a league of its own, many of these being costlessly available on the E-Sword site itself. However, for those of you looking for a little more, I thought I would give you the list of a few of the additional modules that I have found on my travels - the ones that I really like.

• TDNT - For those of you with no memory for acronyms, this is the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. It's an abbreviated version, sadly, but a good start all the same.
  
• TWOT - Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament - This is the gold standard dictionary for Old Testament words. It's keyed to Brown Driver Briggs, so you will need that first. For this one, you will need to sign up for an account at DNSPAD.com and then, once logged in navigate to the Downloads section and from thence down to E-Sword Dictionaries. Get this one!
  
• Strongs with Tenses - Again, this one is to be found on DNSPAD.com. Navigate as for TWOT.
• Amplified Bible - A free version. The one on E-Sword is not free.
• Rotherham's Emphasized Bible - For those of you who want a version you can really get your teeth into.

OK, that's 5 I like for starters. If you've found some others that you really like and they are not on the E-Sword site, drop me a line and I will add them to this post (eventually ;). Actually, I won't be surprised if nobody reads this post.

Christadelphian E-Sword ModulesChristadelphian E-SwordChristadelphian Online

Diving into the Blue

I think I mentioned that while on our honeymoon, we went diving. In fact, we learnt to dive and got our divers licenses (there's a joke lurking somewhere in this but I will refrain). We did our divers course in 3 days with 1 day spent in the swimming pool of a local resort (there were some very surprised swimmers as we popped up from the deep), and 2 days of boat dives. Actually the pool wasn't very deep. Less than 6 foot at the deepest point. This made the whole diving thing a little tricky, as every time we plunged into the not so murky chlorinated depths we hit the bottom.

Our 2nd and 3rd days were fantastic. Exhausting but fantastic. We had an early start, catching a big catamaran to Koh Tao, a smaller island ideal for diving. The boat trip took about 1.5 hours each way and this provided time for us to review the theory that we had had to study the previous evening. On the final day, on the return trip we did the theory test for our Padi Open Water Diver tickets, which was an excellent use of time. The only tricky thing about doing it on a catamaran was that that particular trip was quite rough. Consequently, Mr Heroic (me) got sea sick. It's a touch distracting needing to race outside for fresh air every few minutes while trying to take an academic exam. Still, the Madeline Barnes, our instructor was brilliant and we can highly recommend the company that ran our dive course, Searobin. The course was very time efficient, and we felt like we had the complete, undivided and supportive attention of our instructor.

Diving off Koh Tao was great. Our first dive was just off the island. When we arrived at the island, we boarded our dive boat and were dropped near the beach. We did the dive and finished on the edge of the beach and walked up the sand to the island restaurant for lunch.

Our second dive was in much deeper water and was a lot more fun. The dive boat was shared with a Japanese company, and for some reason they had preferential treatment, making the decision as to where would dive. This wasn't too much of a problem though, as they were keen to dive at cool places.

On the second day of boat dives, we again did the first dive in shallowish water (less than 10m) due to having to finish a lot of the practical material for our PADI tickets.The second dive was to have been off Sail Rock but sadly, the boat broke down before it picked us up after lunch. We could see it just 15 metres away over the water from the jetty, but no boat, no dive. Eventually it arrived, wheezing and literally fountaining oil from a hole in the engine. One of the boat staff sat in the engine bay and poured more oil in the top while the other drove us just a little way from the jetty for our final dive.

Overall, we had a fantastic experience and loved every minute of it. Well, apart from trying to find masks that worked for us. Neither of us could find a mask that fitted perfectly, so we spent some of our time each dive clearing them. All the same, to see another world like that and to realise afresh the brilliance, versatility and sheer creative genius of the our God was a great experience. Can't wait till we can dive without all the Scuba Gear.

Arielle Jolly Koh Samui Honeymoon is my babe!Christadelphian Honeymoon Jolly'sPADI Open Water Samui

White Noise

OK, so when I left you in the lurch with this long winded and needlessly wordy story, we were in Vietnam, enjoying the amazing scenery of Halong Bay ... Actually, here is a photo that I took while on Halong Bay, from the deck of our Junk, the inaccurately named Jewel of the Bay.

After enjoying the bay, we returned to harbour and then were driven back to Hanoi. We spent a day shopping in Hanoi (actually looking for shops would be a more accurate description. Hanoi, being a Communist city in a Communist state, hides its shops, disguising them from the enemy eg me) and then back on the plane to Bangkok (just for a change). From Bangkok we switched planes and flew through the night down to Melbourne.

Of course this all sounds straight forward but glosses over the 2 uncomfortable hours spent on a park bench on a crowded Vietnamese harbourside, waiting for a bus to show up in the sweltering midday sun, an altercation with a would be extortionist bike taxi driver and the frantic race through the airport to catch the plane in Bangkok due to delays exiting the plane from Vietnam. Still, all good to have a laugh about later. Or not.

Now, about this stage you are either saying "I am sick of this honeymoon, and it's old news anyway" or "Why call this post 'White Noise'?" To the former I say, "May your olives drop off" (an ancient Hebrew curse that is all bark and no bite to those of us without olive trees) and to the later, "I'm glad you asked."

Once in Melbourne, we got through customs, exited the airport, picked up a car (managed to scam a racier vehicle than we payed for ... Yep a pumping 4 cylinder internal combustion engine rather than a 3 cylinder goat powered go cart I had payed for), did some shopping, dropped through a friends house to pick up a snow board and then off to Bright. For we are snowbound, hence the title. OK, I admit it. I'm tired and can't think of anything better to name this post. Go away.

By the time we arrived in Bright, I had been awake for something like 30+ hours (all day in Hanoi, all night on the plane, all the next day and then driving till about 12pm to get to Bright). At Bright, the directions I had been given to our chalet suddenly stopped making sense and we drove in circles, bewildered and dazed like a bird whose lost and is driving his car in circles, until I was pulled over by the Highway Patrol. The officer was probably fairly surprised to have someone so abjectly happy to be pulled over at 1am ... Luckily he knew our way, and soon after, so did we.

So we stopped for one night in the Buckland Valley just outside Bright in this little chalet. Its one of 4 obsessively German, beautifully appointed chalets. Modern minimalist interiors, fantastic views and great design. Nice for couples, not so good for families - ours, at least, had only one bedroom and one bed.

Next morning, after a bit of a recovery sleep in, we rose and headed in to town, picked up some snow gear (I bought my beautiful wife a snow jacket) and then headed for the hills.

The ski season at Mount Hotham this year was disappointing, but we still had a great time. My wife had never been snowboarding before, so it was all new to her. I found it a little more difficult as all the runs that I wanted to do were closed due to poor cover. Still, we had a great time.

To keep the consistency of this chronicle of ours, I include a shot of the place we stayed at while at Mount Hotham, the brand new Chalet Hotham. More precisely, a shot out the window towards the ski run. For those of you famailiar with Hotham, the Summit run in on the left there, Heavenly Valley on the right and just below our field of view (somewhere nestled amongst the cushions, is the Basin Run.

Commanding fantastic views out over the Mount Hotham and being situated literally, a slip, a swift slide, and solid thump at the end from the start of several good runs at Mount Hotham, this place couldn't be situated better.

Anyway, we spent 5 days, up the mountain, loving every minute of it. Well, apart for the acute pain brought on by a hard days snowboarding ;)

Well, gotta go. Said enough for tonight. Loads of love to everyone. Or not.

Arielle Jolly Halong Bay Honeymoon is my babe!Christadelphian Honeymoon Jolly's

A Load of Junk

Where then? Back on another plane, through Bangkok (actually in all, we went through Bangkok 4 times) to Vietnam. Flew in Hanoi late in the evening, caught a taxi into the city and stayed the night at one of the world's ugliest hotels. The Hotel Melia looks, from the outside, much like one of those blue, red and white woven plastic bags vagrants use when collecting cans from bins ... Classy! Inside the decor is even more horrific, managing to mix ugly extravagance with chaotic bad taste almost effortlessly. Impressive.

Next morning we caught a bus to Halong bay and spent two nights out on the bay sleeping on a junk. The accomodation was a little more rustic than some of our other digs during our honeymoon, but not appalling. There were a total of 10 guest (including us) on the boat, and 5 staff, so we were pretty well looked after


And the bay is absolutely ravishing. Hundreds of small but precipitous limestone islands jutting out of the sea. Absolutely fantastic ...

Arielle Jolly is my babe!Christadelphian Honeymoon Jolly's

It's Been A While

I promised I would inform you of our next destination, yet somewhere along the way, everything got a bit busy and the rest of the story got postponed. The next destination was ... Thailand again. We headed back up to Bangkok and from there hopped on a little plane down to Koh Samui.

Koh Samui is a small island in the Thai sea. Lots of white sand, palm trees and very blue water. Nice. We stayed at this little place. Actually, this could be a photo of our ... not sure what to call it ... hut, chalet, compound. Called the Sala Samui and highly recommended if you're anywhere in the vicinity, or even amywhere within say 10 hours flying..

This hotel is built on a little beach with 5 or 6 restaurants on the beach front and little else. During the day one can swim in one of the hotel's pools, swim in your own pool, or even throw caution to the wind and swim in the sea. Alternatively, one can lounge on the beach, have a massage (not quite as relaxing as it sounds, I found. Thais seem to see massage more as a full contact sport or an opportunity to take revenge for some imagined grudge), or sit in a restaurant and drink cold cokes or bad coffee. In the evening, the restaurants put little tables out on the beach, and you can spend a very romantic evening eating great Thai food while wriggling your toes in the sand.

While here we spent a lot of time on the beach and the rest of the time learning to Dive. We did our Padi Open Water Diver certificates which was fun but utterly exhausting.

So all in all, this place was probably the highlight of the honeymoon. Well for me anyway. And then on to ...

Stay posted ;)

Arielle Jolly is my babe!Christadelphian Honeymoon Jolly's

Next Hot Commodity? Arabica Coffee Beans

Forget oil! New York, home of the $4 cup of coffee, may be where the commodity gets its next price jolt. Prices for arabica coffee beans on the New York Board of Trade could climb more than 20 percent in the next 12 months and outperform some of this year's best commodities investments, including copper and silver.

read more | digg story

In Need of Some Renovation

From Bangkok we flew off to Cambodia, Siem Reap to be precise. Flew in through the evening deluge, walked in through the gates of their brand new and very cool International Airport, and were picked up by limo service ... oh and my wife was almost crushed by a falling tree ... same old, same old.

Anyway, stayed at the Hotel de la Paix. Definitely the most mod, funky, cool, art deco, cool, funky, mod hotel we've ever stayed in (but I repeat myself). Ipods in every room, wireless internet, hanging table swings in the outdoor restaurant, and bowls of fire at night.

And why come to Siem Reap, we hear you breathlessly query? You may well ask. Temples. Big ones, little ones, old ones, new(er) ones, treesy ones, ones with big Buddhas, ones with Buddha masquarading as Vishnu the Hindu Everything god, ones with Vishnu cunningly disguised as Buddha ... Angkor Wat is huge and awesome, Bayon with its serene Buddhas is cool, and Ta Promh (the Jungle Temple) was our favourestmostest. It looks like Mansions of the Gods in Asterix (for you lovers of fine literature) ... As if the marauding jungle has just eaten the Temple. Trees grow out of roofs, through walls, around stairways, as little by little, the jungle reconquers its own territory.

Spent two days touring the temples with our own private guide (thank you Samnang) and then ... on to our next destination ...

A Room with a View

We left Margaret River behind us, and drove back through the rain to Perth. We stopped for the night at a little place called The Outram (thank you JL for putting me on the track with this one). Little as in only 18 rooms, but very funky and nice. We mentioned to the Concierge (who later turned out to be the owner) that we would be leaving at the crack of dawn, and he arranged for a couple of choccy brownies and lattes to be delivered at 5am. Nice touch!

Then down to the airport for a flight to ... Bangkok (and yes, we know that some of you are not surprised. Well done!) Spent 3 nights at another little hotel called the Sofitel Silom. Think a room 300m plus up in the air with a wife who is scared of heights! We were on the 26th floor in room 2607 and there were another 12 floors to go till you hit the top. Got upgraded to a very nice room with an awesome view, and what with the included breakfast (read 'feasting session'), did quite nicely (read 'fatly'), thanks.

Day 1 - Shopping at the Happy Birthday King of Thailand 20 - 60% Off Sales (I think that's what they were. Not real good at reading Thai script yet.)

Day 2 - The markets ... A gazillion little booths selling everything from fairy lights to oil paintings. Loads of fun, in a very "I'm so lost and can't speak the language" way.

Day 3 - Went to the Blue Elephant for a course in Thai Cuisine. Took a tour of a Thai market, watched 5 cooking demonstrations and cooked Phad Thai, Green Curry Chicken, Tom Yam Soup and had heaps of fun. Tasted fantastic! Incidentally, the Blue Elephant Restaurant and School in Bangkok is in this very cool, colonial style building that looks like it washed ashore back 2 centuries ago and somehow became trapped amongst the highrise and sky ways of Bangkok. Weird.

Arielle Jolly is my babe!Christadelphian Honeymoon

Got Married

This post is for those of you who know us ... So the rest of you, keep moving, nothing to see here, OK.

Anyway, as you know (and as already noted, if you didn't already know this, this post is not for you so saddle up and move on, pardner), we got married recently. As in very recently. So we are currently on our honeymoon and thought some of you might like to know where we got to. While attempting to keep somewhat of a shroud over proceedings, our honeymoon is going great! Our first couple of nights were spent here, and while it bills itself as an "Eco Resort" there aint nothin eco about it. Not ecological (not a greenie in sight as burnt our way through excessive quantities of old growth logs on the big wood fire) or economical (wince) ... Still, very very nice ... Think big wood fire, low lighting, spa, candles, hammock and listening to the rain in the forest outside and no one else in sight ... Priceless.

We then headed down to Margaret River for a few days. Stayed at this place for those of you who care. You know how some places look better in the advertising than in real life? Not so this place. The pictures are pretty accurate ... except for the somewhat middle aged looking couple in the spa ... No middle aged couple in the spa in our lodge anyway. If there had been we would have had to ask them to leave I think.

Again, think fireplaces, rammed earth, big spa under a huge sky light, in easy driving distance of about a brazillian wineries, cheese factories and other culinary emporiums. And did I mention the spa?

OK. Enough for one day I think. I'll drop you all a note later. Hope you are all jealous ;)

Arielle Jolly is my babe!Christadelphian Wedding

The New Blak

Despite the fact that I am reliably informed that pewter is the new black, while black is the new grey (ok, I have no idea what that means either), Coke is forging on with their release of Coke Blak (I guess a label like Coke Pewter might be a bit much to swallow). Just thought you would want to know ... especially after I told you about it months ago here.

The Omnipresent System - A New God

This is the beginning of something I have been talking about for some time .. the omnipresent system. Access to my home computer everywhere ... More on this later. Here is what I had to say on the subject over 12 months ago ...

Arielle Jolly is my babe!Christadelphian Return of Christ

Crazy Weather Still

The weather is still mad as a hatter with a chicken up his shirt ... A great big sack full of crazy type crazy. See this.

NSW's lowest May rainfall in 50 years has compounded the crisis farmers face, with 89 per cent of the state in drought.

Hey, I'm just saying. Keep looking.

Arielle Carder is my babe!Christadelphian Weaather Christ

Not Sure I Want to Know This

An excellent article on how to become an early riser. The faithful all "rose up early". Me, I rise up early only if I really have to. This needs some thinking through, and in my case, some serious rationalisation to show why this article is rubbish ;)

Arielle Carder is my babe!Christadelphian Faithful

Great Minds Think Alike?

Hopefully, all the readers of this site are aware that I am a Christadelphian. This is a Christadelphian blog. I just happened to be going for a stroll in a quiet corner of the world wide interweb, searching on an unrelated topic and came across the Wikipedia entry for Christadelphians. I thought this quote might interest you.

“There have been small groups of believers down the centuries, and particularly since the Reformation, who held unorthodox views. Groups such as the Anabaptists, Waldenses, Socinians, Racovians and the Polish Brethren shared some or even many beliefs held by Christadelphians. Isaac Newton, Joseph Priestley, John Locke, William Tyndale all appear to have held beliefs close to those of Christadelphians on the unity of God, the mortality of man and the role of the Jews in God's purpose.”

Now the point I thought might interest you was that great minds such as William Tyndale (translator of the Bible), Joseph Priestly (co-discoverer of oxygen) and Isaac Newton (inventor of gravity ;) share beliefs with the Christadelphians. In fact, Newton wrote more on the Bible than on physics. Again, quoting Wiki, “In his own lifetime, Newton wrote more on religion than he did on natural science.”

If great minds like these devoted attention to the scriptures and ended up with views similar to those of the Christadelphians regarding the mortality of man (Christadelphians believe that man does not possess an immortal soul), the humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ (Christadelphians are Evangelical Unitarians and believe that Christ was a mortal man although the Son of God) and the promised reward (Christadelphians believe this is resurrection to immortality in the kingdom of God established here on earth), surely that is an encouraging indicator. Not by any means proof, but worth thinking about.

Let me know what you think.

Arielle Carder is my babe!Christadelphian Doctrine and Newton

That Creationism Fad

Yet another supposedly religious person, denying the very God they "claim" to worship. Posted on this a few weeks beck, here.

"...for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." - II Thessalonians 2:11-12

Enough said.

Arielle Carder is my babe!Christadelphian Creation

Criminal but Otherwise Cool

Enjoyed this article. Can't be bothered jumping? Here's something to whet your whistle. GANG of anarchist Robin

Hood-style thieves, who dress as superheroes and steal expensive food from exclusive restaurants and delicatessens to give to the poor, are being hunted by police in the German city of Hamburg.The gang members seemingly take delight in injecting humour into their raids, which rely on sheer numbers and the confusion caused by their presence. After they plundered Kobe beef fillets, champagne and smoked salmon from a gourmet store on the exclusive Elbastrasse, they presented the cashier with a bouquet of flowers before making their getaway.

Please ... this is not an endorsement of crime.

I love Arielle Carder!Christ's Theiflike Return - Christadelphian

More for Fridge Fashionistas

I commented, back in August last year on fridge by LG, which they had humbly given the name DIOS or god, in the common venacular. At that stage I suggested the next step in the inexorable evolution of the fridge would be to not just make the outside blinged out, but make the food look sparkly too. Well, this crowd must have misheard and gone one better in making the outside look better. I guess, if your market research suggest a fridge is the sort of thing that should be supplied with a lanyard and safetly instructions for purchasers who wish to wear it hanging from their neck, well, what can you do? They did it! Those sparkly bits are Swarovski crytals ... seriously. 7000 of them, each painstakingly hand embeded by Zen monks from the Wantoa Mountains, and blessed with an ancient mountain blessing, granting long life and luck on the owner. All true! Apart from the monk bit.

I love Arielle Carder!Christadelphian

A Strong Delusion

Just in case you have ever wondered, ever had a doubt, or just felt that they seemed like such nice people ... Here is an example of the strong delusion spoken of by Paul. Quoting from the Register article,

Dr Williams's comments indicate he believes that creationism and evolution are not two sides of the same coin, however. He said: "I think creationism is...a kind of category mistake, as if the Bible were a theory like other theories. If creationism is presented as a stark alternative theory alongside other theories I think there's just been a jarring of categories."

One wonders how a "minister" can do so much to deny the existence of God, and undermine the worship of the God he claims to obey. Whoever he is "ministering" for, it is certainly not the God I worship ...

Arielle Carder is my babe!Christadelphian Creation

suppose

Today, a piece of poetry from one of my favourite poets ...

suppose
Life is an old man carrying flowers on his head.

young death sits in a cafe
smiling, a piece of money held between
his thumb and first finger

(i say "will he buy flowers" to you
and "Death is young
life wears velour trousers
life totters, life has a beard" i

say to you who are silent. - "Do you see
Life? he is there and here,
or that, or this
or nothing or an old man 3 thirds
asleep, on his head
flowers, always crying
to nobody something about les
roses les bluets
yes,
will He buy?
Les belles bottes - oh hear
, pas cheres")

and my love slowly answered I think so. But
I think I see someone else

there is a lady, whose name is Afterwards
she is sitting beside young death, is slender;
likes flowers.

-- E. E. Cummings

Arielle Carder is my babe! Arielle Christadelphian

Weather Still Deranged

I've been harping on about this for a while now, but I think we really should be paying attention. Last week saw Texas struck by the worst fires in it's long and Lone Star-ish existance, while this week, Queensland, Australia, home of the Great Barrier Reef and suntans is threatened by the "worst cyclone" in decades (I thought it might amuse you that one article is taken from the Scotsman and the other from India ;) Somebody, tell me I'm making this all up, ok?

Arielle Carder is a babe! Arielle Christadelphian

The Lazy Watchman

I'm confident that you are all watching the signs of the times, but sometimes its a little hard isn't it, just to keep up to date. So here is the lazy wathman or watchwoman's dream. This site present all the news on one page ... I'll post this on my sidebar incase you want to get back to it ;)

Arielle Carder is a babe! Arielle Christadelphian

Music for the Masses

Every now and then, a song comes along that epitomises an era. Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance, Waltzing Matilda, The Day the Music Died and now this ... A Girl Innovator Dashing Like A Steed. Lovely title and I can't wait to hear it.

Arielle Carder is a babe! Arielle Christadelphian

More Stuff Folded Here

For no apparent reason, another link on folding stuff, this time letters. As opposed to t-shirts, or sheets. Just cause ...

Arielle Carder is a babe! Arielle Christadelphian

I Fold 2

A couple of weeks ago, I commented on ones (eg my) inability to fold t-shirts to a commercial standard of niceness. Even more challenging are those fitted sheets ... curse them to the bottom of their ruffle edged hearts. Anyway, tidy freaks rejoice, Target, pruveyor of all things chinese, has a solution. Follow the link, children, and learn.

Arielle Carder is a babe! Arielle

Consider ...

I hope life isn't a big joke, because I don't get it.

Arielle Carder is a babe! Arielle

Stars in my Eyes

Nah, actually, the title doesn't mean that much. All the same, you know how when you look at a street light at night, it sort of looks all starry, with streaks of light coming off it? These streaks a caused by high level abberations in our eyes. Tiny pits and flecks in our eyes create small flaws in our vision ... and it really hacks me off.

Anyway, I just read a really cool article about a company that is developing glasses that don't just correct your low level sight abberations (eg short-sightedness, astigmatism) but also corrects this too. They claim it can give you better than 20/20 vision. I want that now!

Update : BoingBoing just posted on this ...

Arielle

The Altogether Lovely One

Just a fragment of poetry, which I read the other day, and thought applies so perfectly to our Lord as the suffering servant.

How beautiful, if sorrow had not made
Sorrow more beautiful than Beauty's self.

It's from the poetry of John Keats, Hyperion, Book I.

Arielle

Pedestrian Humour

I have no idea why I find this funny ... In fact, its kind of macabre. If you have any idea what it might be about this article that tickles my funny bone, let me know.

BEIJING: A Chinese newspaper editor has died from injuries months after traffic police beat him up for an expose about exorbitant electric bicycle license fees, a New York-based press watchdog said.

Arielle

Disaster Strikes

To all my faithful readership (you know who you are, Mr Imaginary Man and Dream Girl) my blog had a bit of a terminal episode ... The consequence is that I lost all my side bars and stuff ... Will rebuild that when I have the time.

Arielle

I Fold

You walk into a store. The T-shirts are in a very tidy tower. You select your size, take it to the change room, and and try it on. Nup, no good. Now to fold it up again. But do you know what? You can't! I can't, anyway. Usually, I make this kind of sad effort at refolding it and then put it back on the T-shirt tower, a crumpled wreck of a once tidy t-shirt before the proud folds of the untested tees.

Well, no longer. I am going to take one of these with me when t-shirt shopping. Its a t-shirt folding machine! The wonders of the steam age!

Arielle Carder is a babe! Arielle

A Dedication: To the Unknown julia

I had been blythly posting away, confident that I had somehow slipped under the net-radar and no-one was reading my posts. It was a kind of cosy feeling really, like being in bed on a rainy day with a good book and no-one else within a million miles ... And then julia shattered my confidence by posted a comment. She may not have been the first but she was definitely the first I noticed (yup, I wasn't watching very closely).

So this post is dedicated to julia ... For three reasons. She:
1) Very kindly congratulated me on my engagement
2) She is my firstest and most frequentest commenter on this blog ... She has commented at least twice! (She actually informed me she had already comment on a post ... Which I have mislaid ... Its probably down the back of the sofa cushions with the remote control, a small colony of loose change, and that banana that went missing last summer) ... julia this gives you the extreme dubious honour of being my greatest fan. If I were you, I'd change my name right away, move to another country and pretend it wasn't me ;)
3) Just tricking. I only had two.

julia ... Thank you! May your screen always be bright and glowy, your mouse run smooth and your link be fast and true.

Arielle Carder is a babe! Arielle

Naaman's Life experiences non-hostile takeover bid

Yep, got in engaged. Tried to do it in style ... Imagine (if you are so inclined. Otherwise, you might like to stick your fingers in your ears for the next few lines and go "not listening na na na na" or words to that effect) sunset, just off a sand surrounded island, aboard a 40ft cruiser, bound for Fremantle. Diamond, rose and chocolates all in order. Anyway, here is the boat we got engaged on.

Arielle Carder is a babe! Arielle

Sesame Street brought to you by the word "Zeitgeist"

Ha! I managed to spell it, you have to pronounce it. Zeitgeist! There, spelt it again. For those of you a bit lost at this point, you will be suprised to learn that this word is not actually English! I know, you'd have never guessed. It is in fact, one of many words pillaged and plundered by the linguistically ruthless Angles and Saxons from the defenseless Germans. It means, literally, "the spirit of the times". And why, you ask, am I inflicting upon you sub-standard foreign manufactured words? Because Google, have done a bit of a straw poll and come up with the most popular searches of 2005. Of particular interest is this page, graphing global interest in world news based on web searches in 2005 ... In other words, the zeitgeist of 2005.

Arielle Carder is a babe! Arielle

Toasty Fascination

OK, that is a very mangled title. However, I am trying to alert you to the fact that my fascination with the "Internet Toaster" continues, unabated. More news, recently. You might just want to pop into this site as you butter your crisp and tasty this morning. And perhaps this one might add some zibidee doo da to your morning ritual. Actually, that one has been around since 2001, but continues to intrigue. Build it already someone!

Arielle Carder is a babe! Arielle

My feelings...

Love is not a victory march!

Arielle Carder is a babe! Arielle

Fire to Dawn

A poem from me ... Written chain of conciousness as fast as I could get the words down ...

Fire burning light as night falls,
And yesterdays are spun,
Into new memories, and stories,
About when time begun,
And dreamtime seems to linger,
Wisps float in the light of day,
And at night time, the ancestors
Footfalls are heard as they stay and stay,
Because we remember them,
And they will not forget us,
When the western world is lost,
The sea reclaims, it turns to rust,
Then they will still be here,
And in fire burning light they will talk,
Of days long gone as just passed,
And of long journeys like a walk,
Outside where it’s almost morning.

Arielle Carder is a babe! Arielle

Coke, the new Black

Something new becomes the new black, every day. At some point brown was de rigour, grey was the in thing, and no doubt pink spent it's time in the sun as the new black. New Coke, diet coke, classic coke have all come and (one hopes) gone (by the way, when I say one, I mean me. Just helping you out here). But now, Coke want's to become the new black in a much more literal way, releasing Coke Black, sometime soon. It appears from their media release that Coke Blak will be a "lightly carbonated coffee" ... Hmmm, but will the hoi polloi like it, we ponder (by we, I also mean, me)? Follow the link, Alice.

Arielle Carder is a babe! Arielle

Attention: New Seating Policy

Australian airlines are taking a fair bit of flack at the moment over their policy banning men from sitting next to unaccompanied minors. There seems to be plenty o' talk about how discriminatory this is and how its all a ploy by the feminist lobby ... Not so I say. I think I speak for all men when I say we are delighted with the airlines’ policy of seating us away from unaccompanied minors on all flights. This whole paedophile scare is in fact a cunning ploy by the male sex to help them avoid contact with the irritating little punks as much as possible. Perhaps one day, the truth will leak out and the feminist lobby will realise that they have been fooled, hah! fooled I say, and that the vast majority of men are actually decent and safe. But until then, guys, keep them guessing!

Arielle Carder is a babe! Arielle

A Rose By Any Other Name

Cool shots of a liquid nitrogen dipped rose being shot ... Don't ask why (it should be obvious).

Arielle Carder is a babe! Arielle

Wilma goes troppo

The records continue tumbling. Here is another to put in your pipe and savour at your leisure - Hurricane Wilma has been declared to be the most fiercest-most Caribbean hurricane since ever! Check it out. The weather records just keep tumbling. As I have said before on several occasions, perhaps when Christ told us the there would be signs in the heavens signalling his imminent return, he did'nt just mean in the political heavens of our sorry world. Perhaps we should be looking at the weather map for signs of a season change - the winter of the kingdom of men to the spring of Christ's return.

Keep watching!

Bird Flu ...

Just some thoughts for you ...

The world seems to be panicking at the chance of Avian Influenza becoming a human pandemic. And with some justification. Here we have a virus, which the human immune system is blind to ... given it's not a human virus yet. If it breaks out, the speed of international travel today may guarantee its swift transmission. Even if governments act to close borders to quaranteen the virus, its spread is virtually unstoppable ... Because it's a bird virus. It main vector can cross borders and seas, bypassing all normal immigration controls. And it could kill 150 million people according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), according to this WHO article on Vaccine Supply. WHO have released a fact sheet on the virus, and continues to express its growing concern.

The media is equally concerned (apparently). Melbourne's Herald Sun discussed the impact of bird flu in Victoria, if and when it strikes.The Sydney Morning Herald described Queensland's preparations for the disease. CNN reports that researchers have recreated the flu virus of 1918, a virus that killed over 30 million after WW1, was also a bird flu, and bears an uncanny resemblence to the plague threatening the world today ...

What is going on? Does this have any relevance to the most important question of the generation - When will Christ return? Think about this ...

Zechariah addresses the subject of the battle of Armageddon in his 14th chapter and he notes in the 12th verse that:

And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.

Think about it.

Arielle Carder is a babe! Arielle

Where have you been all my life ...

You know your electric toothbrush ... Ever wondered how it charges? I mean, there are no contacts or anything ... How does it do it? Nuclear batteries? Concealed midget hamsters running on wheels? Magick? The power of love?

Nope! The answer is induction. Charging via induction means that there is no need to plug the item to be charged in, no need for dangerous electical contacts and it can all look very cool and mod. So why can't I have a coffee table that charges anything I put on it, I muse. Apparently, eager reader, now I can ... Just follow the link!

Buy me this ...

Dear reader. This is daylight robbery. I would like you all to pool your money. Yes, that's right, even you sir, sitting in front of the white glowy thing with a surly look on your face ... Remove your wallet, nice and slowly now. Take out 5 dollars ... Then give the rest to me ... Or just go out and buy me one of these ... Now please!

Yet more crazy weather ...

Hey, long time, no blog. Been busy, y'all. Anyway, grabbing a moment or two today to put pinky to keyboard and scribe you a missive. Once again, it a has been brought rather forceably to my often wandering attention that the weather is crazy at the moment. I've noted before that this is, I believe a sign of Christ's return ...

Well, here is a new one ... You know that place with a huge river, millions of square miles of untouched jungle, lush, green and vibrant, huge rain fall and poisonous frogs. If you thought I was talking about the Amazon, you are apparently wrong. According to this article (tragic sign up required), the image we normally have of the Amazon is drifiting from reality. Here are a couple of quotes to whet your no doubt parched Amazonian whistle:

"It's the worst it's been in 60 years," said Elpidio Gomes da Silva Filho, head of the Administration of West Amazon Waterways. "The journey along the Madeira should take six days. Now it is taking 15 because only small boats can pass."

Large parts of the Amazon rainforest are at their driest in living memory...

"Before this year I'd never seen the river less than 10 metres deep - now its only 2 metres. This is the biggest drought in our history."

Yet more crazy weather to wake us up and tell us that Christ is almost here ... I'm sure this is not exactly what he meant, but these do seem to be signs in the "heavens" ...

See also this article and this one and this one ...

Weather again ...

You must be wondering "What's going on?". The weather has gone completely crazy as if an angry Gaia were attacking its passengers. Does God hate us and if not, what is He trying to let you know?!

People ... this weather thing keeps coming and coming. I've said this before (here and here), but as a Christadelphian, I believe these things are signs. God is sending us sign after sign after sign that "something is rotten in the state of Man".

Christmas ... The tsunami
January to August - Weather records fall world wide
June 1 - First ever snowfall ... in Somalia!
August 10 - First snowfall in Melbourne in over a decade, heaviest snowfall since 1951 in other areas
August 29th - Hurricane Katrina wipes out New Orleans
September 8 - Typhoon Nabi kills 18 in Japan

Toss in a generous mixture of snowfall in Saudia Arabia and France in mid summer and Brazil, droughts causing huge fires in Southern Europe (20,000 fires in Spain, the worst since 1947) and you have a weather pattern gone mad.

God is demanding that we look up. That we get our lives in order. That we be those servants watching and waiting for His Son's return. Jesus is returning to earth and soon. Get ready. So do it, already!

Arielle Carder is a babe! Arielle

Been away...

Well, I haven't been around lately. In fact its been over 3 weeks since I last posted anything ... Did you miss me? Of course not. Didn't even notice that I was gone. Sigh! Anyway, one piece of news for today ... Apple have released the Apple Nano ... Sweet!

The Dream ...

In all my dreams of a post apocalyptic future, I see one device as being the epitome of "future-ness" ... The Internet toaster. For some reason, while almost every other home appliance has made a point of rushing headlong into a high tech future (images of a internet screen bearing fridge urging on its small compatriots, irons with legs that stop it from burning your fav. #insert garment name here# , kids toys that talk and are almost sentient and the like), the toaster has remained defiantly lo-tech. With its rattling interior and its thin glowing wires, it provides us with toast ... some times over done (read incinerated), occasionally undone (read raw) and just now and agian, perfect ... Anti-Luddites rejoice, the future is here ... The Internet toaster ... No doubt the beginning of SkyNet.

Crazy Weather ... Again

A month or so back, I posted on the crazy weather that is going around ... Well, it hasn't stopped, and I just thought that if you had maybe managed to get your head jammed under a very well weather proofed sand pit, you might like this little heads-up ... Anouncement, announcement. Ahem! The weather is nuts ...

For example ... It snowed on the Parliament today ... And by the way, I am not refering to the Parliament of some TPLC (Tin Pot Little Country), but the Parliament of this Tin Pot Big Country ... Aussie land. Yep, think beaches, searing heat, snakes, kangaroos and big skies ... And snow in our capital ... More info at SMH, but just a quick quote ...

"Freezing Antarctic winds have dumped snow at Parliament House in Canberra and on at least two low-lying south-west Victorian towns.

Canberra was showered with a series of flurries about midday, while the Victorian towns of Heywood, just 27 metres above sea level, and Winchelsea, which is also close to sea level, have also acquired white blankets.

Both towns are less than 40 kilometres from the ocean.

"It's very unusual," said Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Scott Williams.

"If you look at it on a Victoria-wide scale, it looks set to be the coldest day this winter."

So there you are ... The point is this. We know that the return of the Lord Jesus Christ is not at all far away. Luke 21 tells us that when Jerusalem is no longer trodden down by non-Jews, and when peoples hearts begin to fail for fear and when there are signs in the sun, moon and starts, then get ready for the return of the Lord. In 1967, the Israeli people regained control of Jerusalem after its 2000 year caretakership by non-Jews, we see people in all countries assailed by terrorism (those that make fear) and now, the weather has become very unpredicatable ... Are these the signs we are looking for? Leave me a note ...

Arielle Carder is adorable!

How to Post a Google Sitemap from Blogger

As most of you probably know, Google has released a tool called Google Sitemaps to help them index our sites ... Those good public spirited souls. However, if you are like me, you have had no end of dramas trying to get your Blogger site indexed to start with, and almost as much trouble posting a sitemap to Google.

So I thought I would tell you all how I did mine ...

Step 1) Create an XML Sitemap. I used the sitemap tool here. Yeah, the interface looks a bit 1983 but it works well, and charges the best of all prices ... Free!

Step 2) Once you have created your sitemap, cut and paste the XML bit to a new text document (Right click on your desktop, select "New" and "Text document"). Save the text document as something like "Sitemap.xml" or, if you want, "Elmos_BloggerSitemap_That_Has_Cool_Stuff_Please_Index_Me_ Google_Lords_Please_Please.xml" ... Hey, it's up to you)

Step 3) Upload this file to somewhere on the web. The most simple and easy site I have found is Filehut. It has the outstanding qualifications of qorking properly, being completely free and providing you with a standard URL to the file, not some smarty-pantys uber-hidden-internet-type-magic link.

Step 4) Tell Google you have the site map and let them index it.

Of course, the other way (and much easier), is just to point Google Sitemaps at your rss feed ... For example, point Sitemaps at http://grailboy.blogspot.com/atom.xml (You might want to change the "Grailboy" bit, but if you don't, hey, I'm cool with free publicity...)

Let me know if it works for you, or if you have found a better way (I bet you all have, and not told me ... Sheesh!)

Arielle Carder is a babe! Arielle

For the Fridge Afficionados Out There

(Is there such a thing?)
This is very very sweet (and completely insane, by the way). Its called the Dios (God) and it's an eye full of flashed out food chilling goodness ... LG have gone to the time and effort to completely bling bling out a fridge! The ultimate accessory, looks good with your Rolex and your Platinum Plated Audi ... The sort of fridge one wants to take to parties ... But is it too much? Can one ever have too much ostentation? Product suggestion here ... they need to work out a way to make the food inside look sparkly too!

Arielle Carder is completely loveable!

The Coffee of Love

Yep, that is possibly the world's most "twee" title. Tough! Anyway, I was kind of thinking of getting my girlfriend a coffee machine for her birthday. She really likes coffee, I really like coffee, I want a coffee machine and I think she might like one...

In case you are wondering, the coffee machine in question is Rancilio Miss Silvia ... A very nice device indeed ... So that bit of it is not cheap. and I have been contemplating purchasing myself a coffee machine for some time now. The question is, would it be completely scrougley and cheap of me to buy her a coffee machine seeing I wanted to buy it for myself (buying it for her, after all, is a back handed way of giving myself one) ... What do you think, people. Bless me with the benefit of thy wisdom.

Quick update: Boing Boing has got a big post on the Silvia today ...

Arielle Carder is a loveable!

Sent packing

Have you ever noticed how that whenever one goes travelling somewhere, nay, anywhere, some small and easily forgotten but vital piece of equipment gets left behind. It will never be something obvious and "mission critical" like your trousers or wallet ... but will be something very very inconvenient ... All your socks, one of your running shoes or perhaps a single dredit card from your wallet ... the one that is used most ... Sigh!

Well, perhaps if you are geeky enough (and I know that you are ... you want proof of that? My best mate downloaded instructions off the Interweb for performing that most 1800s of digitally challenging exercises ... tying the full Windsor tie ... What is the world coming to ... But I digress.) you could use this little web toy to create a packing list for yourself, and ensure nought is forgotten.

BTW, if this site provides you with a faulty or unsatisfactory packing list, I take full responsibility and will happily refund your click ;)

Dear all ...

Please accept my deepest apologies and sincerest regrets for the errors in the inscription of the text in the previous missive ("concealled" ... sigh. Don't they teach these kids anything anymore?). I gave the clearest dictation regarding this but my typing pool let me down and not one of my proof readers picked it up during revision. I’ve expressed my disappointment to them in the strongest of terms and emphasized this by having them all taken out and executed ... It may interest you to know that I used this as a trial run for the Death of 472 Goldfish Bowl Ornaments... A method of execution that exceeded all my wildest expectations ... The expression on their faces when I solemnly pronounced their doom was priceless. I hope this placates your wrath ;)

Just out of interest ... if you were an evil dictator, just how would you keep the hoi polloi in their place? What would your chosen means of "deterance" (we malignant dictators like our euphemisms)?

Oh, by the way (and this completely unrelated) ... found this cool link. A web app thats shows you what's hot at the mo. on del.icio.us ... give it a whirl ...

Google is driving me crazy ...

OK, so those of you who know me, will know that that is a gross exageration. Google is driving me to a destination called "Slightly more crazy". I've been trying to get this blog listed on Google. The site appears, but merely as a most well concealled web link with no key words or anything. Well, at least that was the situtation for the 6 months up until late last week, when after adding a sitemap to Google SiteMaps, suddenly, this site, Naaman's Life was appearing in the listings ... Hurray.

However, as with all things on the Infernal Interweb, my rejoicing was short lived. Lo, swiftly did come sorrow, chasing the heals of gladness like the dreary wet puppy of sorrow chases the big bone of delight (the sad simile is a freebie ... I was inspired by reading the WWW - World's Worst Writer Awards today). Today, I'm back to square one ... Sigh! Its a difficult line I walk, trying to maintain Net Anonimity and get web fame for my site ...

Ubiquity and Blaming the Box

#An old article copied over from my blog at 20six#

"Woah!", I hear you say. "What's with the hip mounted Oxford dictionary" ... I'm far to lofty to answer that question. But (for your information) ...

Main Entry: ubiq·ui·ty
Pronunciation: -kw&-tE
Function: noun
Meaning: presence everywhere or in many places especially simultaneously : OMNIPRESENCE

Pretty straight forward, huh! Having bored you with a dictionary definition, what's that got to do with Tech/Geek stuff? Read on dear one ...

Technology is working to make media ubiquitous. In other words, the technological direction of our world is moving to make the global media stream available everywhere. Lots of really cool devices are being produced that do just this. MP3 Players that transmit on FM (you can listen to your MP3 player in your car over the car sound system), mobile phones that can receive streaming video (you can watch TV on your phone), Centrino laptops (connect to the internet without plugging in any cables or wires).

What does this mean to us (as Christadelphians)? It means we have to stop blaming the box. For years we have blamed a box for many problems in the ecclesias. We have argued against TV in the home. We have railed against evils of TV. Time to be smarter ...

As long as we continue to blame a specific box (like TV or your internet connected PC), we as Christadelphians will always be just that little bit behind the 8 ball ... you know the situation where you consistently arrive just as everyone else gets up from the table and leaves you the bill ... The technology will keep improving and getting better and smarter. Better and smarter at what? Providing you with whatever media you (read, your non-spiritual self) want/s, wherever you are. We blame one box, and we will be blind sided by others.

So what can we do? Time to start talking, not about TV, or the internet ... but media. The world's media is (as we all know, c'mon now, admit it) is the speaking of serpent minds. It's there to gratify, please and entertain the 3 lusts John describes. Nothing more, nothing less. So lets get with the program people, and start educating ourselves on the danger of the real danger, and stop blaming the box.

Update: It's been some years since I wrote this post, but I was mailed this article today, which repeats exactly what I was saying back then. Not that it was anything that profound ;)

Too geeky

I dunno about you, but I can tell when I've spent too long in front of a screen. It's when you are driving home and see the setting sun glinting on the shining skin of a distant skyrise, filling the horizon with warm lit haze ... And you (in this case, I) think "Awesome ... How do they do those graphics?" ...

Theres other clues, but thats a goodie!

For the love of ...

Been trying to buy myself a snowboard. One of the few sports I am very keen on ... Anyway, do you have any idea how hard that is? Nooo, I thought not ...

Well for me here in Australia, its like this. I live in one of the driest states in perhaps the driest country on the planet ... We recycle 20% of our water here, for crying out loud ... Snow? Not a chance. So unsuprisingly, it would be cheaper for me to buy a medium size ocean going yacht complete with leaping dolphins, that to purchase the middle of the road snowboard I am contemplating.

Luckily, there is this neat thingumy-jig called the internet ... It allows me to see the bargains available to snowboarders in the US and to be shattered by either the price of postage (I've been quoted US $200) or the fact that "we don't ship out side the world ... and by world, we mean the 48 contiguous states of US of A" ... Isn't the world wide inter-shopping mall fabulous ... It encourages my desire and then crushes me, all in 3 clicks ...

(Incidentally ... heres what I want ... Nay, need, my friends ... 156 cm of shiney, snow carving goodness )

Shamus's grave discovered ...

A crime has been committed. We have all received the evidence ... In fact I get emailed the evidence about once a year. Once there were 13 mates, now there are but 12 ... Where did the 13th go to? Who killed him? And why?



I've been baffled many a time, and after a signicant amount of detective work (like about 30 seconds), I usually give this one up as a dead-end case with no leads, my face filled with a cross-eyed look of wonder, tongue out, village idiot style ... Well, someone with way too much time on their hands has actually taken the time to disect the evidence, perform autopsies and the like and come up with the answer to where the 13th man (lets call him "Shamus", shall we?) got too ... After the jump ...

Going to visit her ...

Going to visit my girlfriend on the weekend. Can't wait. Anticipation bubbling up and I feel somewhat edgy. Isn't bizzare how similar loving someone is to feeling ill?

The God's Must Be Crazy

Anyone but me noticing the very strange weather ... worldwide?
Here's some records that have fallen so far in 2005...

• Switzerland – Coldest since records began
• Perth - Wettest autumn in 38 years
  
• Croatia – Coldest night since 1963
• Czech Republic – Most snowfall in 40 years
• France – Colder than record in 1971
• Germany – Coldest in 100 years
• Victoria – Coldest February since 1954
• Victoria – Wettest February since 1973
• South Australia – Worst wild fire in 22 years
• South Australia - Dryest autumn ever
• South Australia - Warmest autumn since 1923
  
• California – Wettest February in over 100 years
• Kenya – Hottest February in 20 years
• UAE – First ever snow fall (Dec 30)
• Boston – Most snow in a month (January)

On their own, none of these is particularly convincing, but together ...

Personally, I think we are being told something ... Are you ready? Am I ready? Let me know what you think!

Naaman's Life Home

Announcement!

I've done it ... I told her I love her ... And it's one of the best things that I have done.

Naaman's Life Home

And Mum always said it was art ...

Remember when you were little? Weeks and weeks ago now, and you drew ... sorry, "drawed", a picture for mum, and it was sooo good that mum asked you to give it a title that she would write on it for you and you said, "OK, it's Super Man and he's jumping off our roof" and she said, "That's so good!" and "I wondered what that green swampy looking object was ... a roof! ... That's art!" and you smiled proudly at your handy-work, there on the Gallery of the Fridge? Remember? OK, so you don't but I still reckon this is way cool ... Go on, have a peak ...

Bus Etiquitte

Have you noticed how there are clearly defined rules of behavoiur for some of the most mundane activities in life that are never discussed yet seem to be widely known. The evidence of the general acceptance of these codes of societal rules is the way "normal people" respond to those who don't obey them. Some examples include the rules of male and female bathroom etiquitte (these two a substantially different) and the rules of bus behavoir.

Take the bus behaviour for example. Have you noticed how its considered rude to look those already seated in the face while coming down the bus towards your seat, while it's perfectly OK for those already seated to look you over? Or how careful we have to be not to touch the other person we are seated next to, even if that means we are hanging pecariously off the seat? Or how you can communicate with the person beside you, but until pleasantries have been exchanged, you can't look at them, necessitating a kind of out of the side of your mouth "Hello?"

Maybe we need to codify these rules for the socially inept. Perhaps we need to document them so that new migrants integration into society is a little less bumpy. What do you think? What are the rules you have noticed that amuse you, and should we have advertise them? Big signs on buses saying "Don't touch and make a friend" or signs in toilets "Look straight ahead!" Either way, let me know ...