Been to church this morning.
I should explain that when I left Leukaemia CARE Alex bought my car by paying off the remaining finance, relieving me of the monthly expenditure and in exchange he also gave me his knackered old fiat Punto. On Christmas eve the fiat gave its last gasp and came to a shuddering halt as I drove home from visiting Hannah in Wolverhampton. The Fiat (an acronym for Fix It Again Tomorrow according to Dave, the mechanic on our road who has already made a pretty penny out of it fixing it several times) was got shot of last weekend for a grand sum of £160; the Mighty Dave taking it off our hands for whatever market value we could get from the scrap dealers. So, ever since Xmas I've done a great deal more walking, tying neatly into the grand-lose-weight-master-plan.
So today as I walked to church I called mum for a short, a mere 20 minute, conversation. We talked about her friend Gisela in Wuppertal who is recovering from a hip operation and about Nan who actually outlived the batteries in her pace-maker and had to have new ones fitted a coouple of weeks ago. I hope she had duracell fitted because she's still firing on all cylinders, god love her. Then the service was one of those where everything seemed to tie into the same theme. At the start Rob welcomed a family who had brought their sickly baby with them. Only a few months old and waiting for a big operation but cheerful and bright-eyed as you like. During communion Rob left the front to give her a special blessing, cradled in her mum's arms at the back of the church and displayed the courageous and simple generosity I think all the church members love him for. Then the reading. It was 1 Corinthians 12:
12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
Then at the end of the service Rob announced that half way through a lady called Sheila had been taken ill, looked after by the sidespeople and sent off to hospital without any fuss. So just out of instinct he changed the end of the service to say a little prayer of support and thanks for the lovely Sheila which I'm sure she'd appreciate.
26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
As I walked home I walked past 12 people including two police officers and a cyclist. I didn't look at my feet cause usually I try to look people in the eye and give them recognition instead of walking towards and past them as strangers. Today, unusually old and young looked back. No one avoided looking over, and I even got four smiles from complete strangers who for that fraction of a second were not strangers any more.
Last night We watched a Kevin McCloud programme called Slumming It about the slums of Mumbai and about how those people have a community spirit that most westerners would kill for. Today, for an hour and twenty minutes the world seemed very friendly; all one body as it were.
I love Sundays.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Starving penniless and straight-jacketed
Just when we'd all got thoroughly bored of the snow (and in my case I didn't even get a day off work - Travel West Midlands ensured that the buses kept going regardless of the weather which was quite amazing) it magically disappeared and even though other parts of the country have suffered with it since we've been free of the stuff. Hurrah! You know you're getting old when you're relived to see the back of the snow.
This year we are celebrating some pretty awesome anniversaries; mine and Al's 30th birthdays, his mum's 60th, my mum's unmentionable and the birth and first birthdays of some pretty special new additions later this year. So far we are just enjoying getting a spring in our step and getting used to writing down 2010. 2010: do we say two thousand and ten or twenty ten? I'm going with the latter.
Meanwhile I have been getting friendly with the gym staff, having seen them four times last week. And the security guard at work keeps challenging me to go more and more every time I step through the door so something tells me even if I wanted to get away with it I couldn't stop going now! Quite impressed actually. When I started swimming it was a struggle to do 10 lengths but it's been getting easier and I've had to set myself new challenges. On Friday I did 20 without stopping then a further 10 lengths, or I'll do 10 using a float and just kicking my legs (using the thought of my cellulite as motivation..!) I was 12 stone three pounds after Christmas I am now 4 pounds under 12 stone. Not eating helps. Well not much.
Also I am, as the title would suggest, penniless. The overdraft is the only thing I'm living off. That January pay packet is not going to last long - another reason not to bother eating! But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Alex has set me a challenge that if I succeed he'll take me on holiday all expenses paid and give me spending money. If I fail I'll have to pay for myself which isn't an option right now. The good thing is it is entirely within my power to succeed, the bad thing is it is something I have failed at every year of my life to date but then Alex hasn't tried the carrot and stick approach yet. Don't ask me what it is because I won't say, just wish me luck.
Theatre has finally got going again after a few missed weeks due to the snow. Our director Iain has chosen an Alan Aykebourne play that he says "offered parts to established and new actors; was a challenge and worthy of putting on at the Old Rep; and was "modern".
A simple requirement! but I have come up with a play that hits all the buttons and is very funny. The play is Comic Potential by Alan Ayckbourn. Written in 1998, it is based on the idea that in the near future, actoids will have replaced actors in the run of the mill soaps that are the staple diet of TV schedules. The story follows one of those actoids - JCF 31333 (who is given the name Jacie Triplethree by the humans) who seems to have a semblance of human characteristics - a sense of humour and a capacity to love. It is a Pygmalion style story, as she is taught human actions and feelings by Adam, the nephew of the studio owner.. She is also supported by Chance, the embittered ex Hollywood Director who has sunk to directing the androids. Opposing them is Clara, the tough Regional Director."
The play has typical Ayckbourn moments of superb farce followed by poignant scenes, There are many characters, with quite a lot of doubling up - There will be 14 actors involved and I found out on thursday rather excitingly that my friend Leon who just joined and me have both been given parts! My character is Prim. That's all I'm saying for now... except to say yey!
So starving, penniless and straight-jacketed I may be but definitely optimistic. Just as long as there's no more snow.
This year we are celebrating some pretty awesome anniversaries; mine and Al's 30th birthdays, his mum's 60th, my mum's unmentionable and the birth and first birthdays of some pretty special new additions later this year. So far we are just enjoying getting a spring in our step and getting used to writing down 2010. 2010: do we say two thousand and ten or twenty ten? I'm going with the latter.
Meanwhile I have been getting friendly with the gym staff, having seen them four times last week. And the security guard at work keeps challenging me to go more and more every time I step through the door so something tells me even if I wanted to get away with it I couldn't stop going now! Quite impressed actually. When I started swimming it was a struggle to do 10 lengths but it's been getting easier and I've had to set myself new challenges. On Friday I did 20 without stopping then a further 10 lengths, or I'll do 10 using a float and just kicking my legs (using the thought of my cellulite as motivation..!) I was 12 stone three pounds after Christmas I am now 4 pounds under 12 stone. Not eating helps. Well not much.
Also I am, as the title would suggest, penniless. The overdraft is the only thing I'm living off. That January pay packet is not going to last long - another reason not to bother eating! But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Alex has set me a challenge that if I succeed he'll take me on holiday all expenses paid and give me spending money. If I fail I'll have to pay for myself which isn't an option right now. The good thing is it is entirely within my power to succeed, the bad thing is it is something I have failed at every year of my life to date but then Alex hasn't tried the carrot and stick approach yet. Don't ask me what it is because I won't say, just wish me luck.
Theatre has finally got going again after a few missed weeks due to the snow. Our director Iain has chosen an Alan Aykebourne play that he says "offered parts to established and new actors; was a challenge and worthy of putting on at the Old Rep; and was "modern".
A simple requirement! but I have come up with a play that hits all the buttons and is very funny. The play is Comic Potential by Alan Ayckbourn. Written in 1998, it is based on the idea that in the near future, actoids will have replaced actors in the run of the mill soaps that are the staple diet of TV schedules. The story follows one of those actoids - JCF 31333 (who is given the name Jacie Triplethree by the humans) who seems to have a semblance of human characteristics - a sense of humour and a capacity to love. It is a Pygmalion style story, as she is taught human actions and feelings by Adam, the nephew of the studio owner.. She is also supported by Chance, the embittered ex Hollywood Director who has sunk to directing the androids. Opposing them is Clara, the tough Regional Director."
The play has typical Ayckbourn moments of superb farce followed by poignant scenes, There are many characters, with quite a lot of doubling up - There will be 14 actors involved and I found out on thursday rather excitingly that my friend Leon who just joined and me have both been given parts! My character is Prim. That's all I'm saying for now... except to say yey!
So starving, penniless and straight-jacketed I may be but definitely optimistic. Just as long as there's no more snow.
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Post Christmas news
There's been so much going on to tell you all about. Biggest news is the rate at which my best friends are multiplying... Firstly my cousin Laura had her first baby, a boy named Eric on December 23rd and everyone's thrilled for her and Luis; well done guys Dan and Rach had their second, also a boy, called Samuel on the 5th Jan. Emily's due sometime this month too and our best mates Nathan and Laura are now expecting their number two too! It's amazing... Best of luck to everyone and lots of love and best wishes!
Then there's the snow... I work on the 8th floor of the Colmore Square building in the centre and normallly the view is spectacular: but this last week it's been like this:
Waiting for the bus has been fun... but not too bad if I'm honest. Unlike the road network for cars (which has been a nightmare) the journey into town on the bus has been relatively stress free; which is a good job since the snow is set to continue!
Just before Christmas me and my parents took a trip to the German Christmas Market in the town centre which comes every year from Frankfurt. It was really nice and much bigger than I remembered. We had mulled wine and some schnitzel, then mooched around the stalls for a couple of hours before parting. I took photos of us having mulled wine in the traditional cups...
But after the indulgences of Christmas - and there were many - I have decided to lose a stone. I joined a gym just prior to Xmas but put all the weight I'd lost back on... so this week I went three times before work, in the snow. I appear to have lost a few pounds so I'm on my way, wish me luck!
Then there's the snow... I work on the 8th floor of the Colmore Square building in the centre and normallly the view is spectacular: but this last week it's been like this:
Waiting for the bus has been fun... but not too bad if I'm honest. Unlike the road network for cars (which has been a nightmare) the journey into town on the bus has been relatively stress free; which is a good job since the snow is set to continue!
Just before Christmas me and my parents took a trip to the German Christmas Market in the town centre which comes every year from Frankfurt. It was really nice and much bigger than I remembered. We had mulled wine and some schnitzel, then mooched around the stalls for a couple of hours before parting. I took photos of us having mulled wine in the traditional cups...
But after the indulgences of Christmas - and there were many - I have decided to lose a stone. I joined a gym just prior to Xmas but put all the weight I'd lost back on... so this week I went three times before work, in the snow. I appear to have lost a few pounds so I'm on my way, wish me luck!
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