shocKing

i read yesterday that jonathan king has been boasting about the underage boys that he has had sex with. he claims these relationships were consensual. he must be a very sick man - overwhelmed by his own ego. i honestly think that some teenagers will consent to have sex with adults (for a whole range of reasons - wanting to be accepted, infatuation, eagerness to please - but almost never for helpful, positive reasons) - it is the adult's responsibility to protect the teenager's interests by refusing sexual contact. i wonder what these consenting teenagers think of their "lover" now?

su doku

it's all nick's fault - i have become hooked on the times' number puzzle 'su doku' (in the t2 every day). i'm sure it is very good for me. not the kind of puzzle to do when you're tired, because they take a lot of concentration (or they do for me, perhaps i am doing them wrong?!).

holidays

teaching really is a fantastic job - i'm on holiday again! (hee hee hee)

water works

i have a wee leak. very annoying, particularly seeing as the water is leaking into someone else's flat, and not mine.

godsons

went to visit ben and alfie (oh and managed to snatch a few minutes with colin, maria and joe...) in sunny farnham. actually the 'sunny' is very sarcastic indeed seeing as it drizzled all day and was very cold. played yahtzee and did pretty well (without cheating, maria). good to see the boys and to catch up with colmar.

explosive jazz

went to a club last night for a big charity jazz event ("seone" - or was it SE one?). very mixed quality performance - a few painful renditions of elton john (don't remember elton writing jazz), but also a few gems. rounded off by the explosive sounds of sam chaplin and the jazzbomb. lots of fun was had by all. also saw pablo (ow), which was a little freaky.

writing features

had a great easter sunday. "champagne" breakfast before church, which was very nice and sociable. then a celebratory service complete with gospel choir and rousing easter message from stefan hunce*. then lunch at the duke of deffonshire* in balham - with (amongst others) alix*, her cheeky safa man tomm*, som janes*, bicca* and nyck wike*. random conversations included listing films with numbers in the title (this kept us going for a good few minutes). our resident food expert (and features writer for the times) nyke* declared the risotto "adequate" - so much for the "delicious hot and cold food" sign outside. *names have been changed to protect these persons' identities. they are too important to be named on this site.

easter wedding

went to oona and jim's wedding on saturday. all in all a very nice day. took some photos, although don't know how they've turned out yet. i'm not very good with indoor shots - ought to get some advice, or go on a course about that.

hyperlinks

let's try this www.yfc.co.uk/labyrinth/online.html

feeding the one hundred

just got back from organising a labyrinth at the ascension. it was a fantastic experience. i love the labyrinth anyway - but was particularly brilliant to set it up for people i love so much. and over 100 people came and really participated. the mood was very reflective and meditative. if you haven't done the labyrinth there's an online one. i would do a hyperlink, but i don't know how to do that yet.

good friday at the ascension 

good friday labyrinth 

i am emerging

sounds hilarious to say i am emerging! not sure exactly what i mean by that - except to say that i continue to be really excited by the possibilities of getting back involved in the e.church (or whatever label we are going to give it). headspace reminded me last night of all the great times we had at epicentre (carey and i were reminiscing about the stations of the cross we did one easter) and everything it meant to me. i like the idea of "emerging" because it suggests a process. i am certainly not diving straight in there - i am taking my time, learning what is good and true, and trying to hold onto that.

easter events

well, it is holy week, which is a busy season for the creative arts folks in churches up and down the country. today i am preparing for a labyrinth that we are putting on at the ascension. i am very excited about it as i have always found the labyrinth a fantastic, reflective experience. also went to headspace stations of the cross yesterday. great to see several different people's interpretation of the events of good friday, including some local school children.

ceroc

at school we have been learning to dance. all very odd in a boys' comprehensive school, i know. the idea originally came from a member of staff, and has snowballed so that now we have 40 students and 12 staff learning to ceroc dance on a monday evening. we have a mixed sixth form, so boys don't have to dance with each other - unless they want to. it has been a brilliant laugh - and a good way to reconnect with some of the staff that (despite the fact we work within 100 metres of each other) i haven't seen properly in months.

seder

tonight i went to a demonstration seder (passover) meal at the wimbledon synagogue (missed out on st patricks day this year). i wanted to go because jewish culture and ritual interest me - partly because i think we (as christians) use many symbols and rituals that we have inherited from the jews. the seder meal is probably the most important community meal for jews, so it was great that the synagogue opened it up for anyone to attend. the problem was that it ended up being a bit boring - for a start the average age of the group was at least 60 - where are all the young people? how come the wimbledon council of christians and jews is made up exclusively of retired people? the demonstration seder would be a fantastic thing to put on in a dynamic, energetic way - surely there must be some young, energetic jewish groups out there? will have to look out on the net. the seder meal is made up of a number of symbolic foods - mainly marking the exodus and the passover - times of deliverance and blessing. a large part of the meal is also about not forgetting that we were slaves and have all been in some way delivered from this slavery. there was a lot of singing, and a few (pretty cheesy) jokes. i imagine in a small, family setting it would be a wonderful event.

west side story

so it is the school play this week - a rather ambitious "west side story" this year. went to see it yesterday evening - opening night. it was fantastic! despite the fact that the leading lady (maria) was in hospital with suspected glandular fever. mrs dennemont courageously stepped in as understudy - learning the lines in 24 hours and delivering a near faultless performance. bravo everyone!

theft therapy

so i have received my replacement mobile phone and sim (although managed to block the sim by entering my old pin code...), which is great. shame it doesn't have all my fun photos on it, but now i have an excuse to take some more. my cash card still hasn't arrived.... urgently need a therapeutic spending spree.

emerging theology

just back from the pete rollins theology day in london - i heard pete speak at greenbelt in the summer and was really inspired by what he said (i have become a theology groupie). so i was very excited to hear he was coming to do a day in central london. it was titled "marks of the emerging church" (although there was some discussion about the usefulness of the term) and was a continuation of his exploration into "becoming church". he made some fantastic points - drawing on his rich knowledge and understanding of a wide range of philosphers' work. i suppose in a nut shell he was saying "e.church" should be a space where god can give god. we should be less didactic, and more open to discussion. we should be purposefully provocative - a "health warning" to the church. there was some discussion about whether a new theology was needed (i don't think so and agree with pete that the e.church should be a place where all theologies are welcome as long as they are open to dialogue with one another). it was great to go - looking back, pete's seminar at gb04 was a real moment of re-awakening for me, and led me directly to reading the prodigal project and other books. more on this later, once i have fully digested everything that was said.

pete rollins at moot 

the home office building 

london architecture

in the same way that i like all beautiful things, i am also interested in architecture - mainly just looking at it - i am not very good at reading about it or whatever. i did go all the way to bilbao a few years ago to see frank o. gehry's guggenheim museum, though. i have posted a photo that i took today of the new home office building in westminster.

shoes

i am enjoying reading other people's blogs, and i am feeling mine is very ego-centric and maybe not that interesting... am wracking my brains to think of a meaty, intellectual topic to discuss, but almost always, at some level, i am thinking about shoes. the other things that might be going on in my mind are pretty much unmentionable.

uncut magazine

i'm not a great one for reading music magazines (i'm afraid i'm addicted to women's glossies - which are magazines, and not dodgy knickers) - but my friend and colleague pointed out that rufus' album "want two" is uncut magazine's album of the month. must be a quality read.

the london debate

is london the greatest city in the world? you know, there's no debate about that one, because london is far and away the greatest city in the world. i have been to some fairly remarkable cities (my favourites being new york and sydney) and i am still always excited to be back in london. tonight i re-visited the ica (institute of contemporary arts) bar, which is in an amazing location on the mall. the bar is open til 1am and is very cool. one of the best things about it is that it manages to be cool without being crowded. a very happening place to be. but don't tell everyone, otherwise it will be crowded.

jealousy and dinner parties

i have noticed a weird post-theft phenomenon - intense and irrational jealousy, especially when i see people with "my" phone. how dare they use their phones in public when i can't?! it has made me slightly tempted to steal them (which, of course, i would never do). life is so unfair! on another note, - went to dinner at christina's (mother of my beautiful bouncing god-daugher jessica p). lots of laughter, a game of boggle - and a chance to toast zoe and jez' engagement.

separate tables

went to see a play on tuesday evening in camden town. it was at a small theatre called theatro technis (i think that's right). the play is by terence rattigan and is a very interesting (and brilliantly written) commentary on relationships and prejudice. i won't go into the plot right now. the production was excellent - i forgot where i was halfway through because i was so absorbed in it. it runs til saturday 12th march if you're around.

jessica pearl and her godmother 

so annoying, and a little upsetting

after a fantastic night (u2 cafe style evening at church) i got my bag stolen from the pub. you don't really realise how much of your life you carry around with you until its gone. my precious phone - not just all the phone numbers (why didn't i write them all down?) but the photos i took on my phone and haven't downloaded. and the phone itself, which is probably my favourite possession. and my diary! help.... have cancelled all the bank stuff and the phone. my car and house keys were also in there, so i'm still a bit worried. still, need to be grateful that i wasn't hurt, and that i still have so much - my car, my flat, my internet access (which will have to be my lifeline until i get a new phone).

josh, dave and sam singing eternal flame 

sam, alice, dave, vikki, rhian, becca, lizzie, rachel, ben, josh and gabby 

becca, sam (looking fierce), me and josh 

josh's farewell

just got home from the first farewell do for josh. we went on the london eye (13 of us) and ended up having a pod to ourselves! fantastic stuff. the view of london at night is breath-taking, and i think everyone had a good time. we had then planned to go to a bar called cubana on lower marsh. its very cool - in fact so cool that we couldn't get to the bar! so we spotted the sussex arms (old man's pub across the street). unbelievably, only about 10 people in there when we arrived, and no queue for the bar. it was karaoke night with their resident star jojo (sounds like a stripper, but she kept her clothes on for all the time we were there!). everyone in our party rose to the occasion and took turns on the mike. highlight of the night would be our rendition of enrique englesias' chooon "hero" for joshua. there was barely a dry eye in the place. thanks to all, and farewell josh, we'll miss ya.

films i like

not sure there's going to be loads more films. i like touching the void (but i've already said that). i like my films to be very beautiful if possible, and if not beautiful, then very clever. i like 'in the mood for love' because every frame is totally beautiful - the settings, the clothes, the people - all captivating. similarly 'indochine' is stunning - catherine deneuve is lovely to look at and there's a couple of lovely young men to look at too. very clever films include 'american beauty' (also achingly beautiful in parts) and 'usual suspects'. admittedly i am also a sucker for a feel-good movie (about a boy, bridget jones, moulin rouge). enjoyed 'sideways' (recent release) - not sure which category it fits into, but it was a reasonably intelligent take on the usual road movie.

music i like

yes, well like the books, i have been thinking about bands and musicians i like but haven't mentioned yet. first would be lamb. ambient trip-hoppy cutesy lamb. great to see them live. love them. also like portishead, but my first love remains lamb. just bought the new athlete album and am planning to see them in april. just recently got into joni mitchell and am building up my collection of her albums. i'm into quite a lot of older music - i love dylan, jim croce, buddy holly, eric clapton (as well as paul simon). i would love to be janis joplin - can't get enough of her raw blues. (one good man, it ain't much, it's only everything, every little thing). who doesn't love ella and billie? my musical tastes are fairly broad as you can see. i love it when people say "i heard a band you'll really love" - and its always good to hear someone new.

more books i like

i've been thinking about some of the other books, music and films that i like. it's funny - when you're asked at the beginning to write down the things you like, you're in rush and later you realise you've missed out some important stuff. other books i've read recently that i have really enjoyed include rbc pierre's vernon god little. so fantastically well written - i highly recommend it to everyone. also the curious indicent of the dog in the night-time (by mark haddon? not sure of his name!). i read jane eyre recently, although it didn't blow my mind. i love dh lawrence's prose (particularly love lady chatterley). have also enjoyed flaubert (translated into english - i'm not that pretentious) - sentimental education and madame bovary. i have read the regeneration trilogy (pat barker) and discovered an interest in first world war literature (hence also enjoying birdsong). in the non-fiction category (although i don't read much non fiction) i really enjoyed 'touching the void' by joe simpson (and the recent film also), and have subsequently read a couple of his other books. you wouldn't think i would be into mountaineering, but there you go. have also read 'the prodigal project' - quite an old book about emerging church projects around the world.

rufus frickin wainwright

well, hello. so, rufus. rufus, rufus, rufus. we went to see him at islington academy. it was my second rufus gig, and was every bit as amazing as the first - different (smaller venue, smaller band) but obviously wonderful too. i highly recommend rufus to y'all. the music itself is spell-binding (and very difficult to pigeon hole - all i can say is he is immensely talented, and has a great voice), but he is also a natural performer. seeing him live is something else - he is very camp and has the naughtiest sense of humour. enough already about rufus.