Cold Turkey? Over the last few weeks I've come to realise that while my task in MLPK is not one of constant driving intensity, with high expectations from high numbers of people to do many, many things, it is one of high stress, a task of enormous size for which my finite resources are all too finite, and often my reliance on God not being complete enough (and I know, we never can make that grade anyway).

However, although we're not rolling down the shutters until a bit later this week, this will be the last blog for a while. Andy has some very well-reasoned thoughts for his break, I wish I was as well-thought through. Hopeful Amphibian continues to write with insight and clarity, and I'm really looking forward to dissonant bible. Good in Parts has the moving observations.

And me? I just rattle out fast despatches - even this one.

I need a break - so that will be good. I need to drink less. I need to shout less. I need to be wound up by my daughter less, and play with, and praise her more. Maybe most importantly I need to leave behind this little one-eyed god, the monocular oracle that is the computer VDU.

So that's it. I will go through cold turkey over the next ten days or so. The wired world will continue fine without me for a while. I will be back, and I hope a little more reasoned, and de-stressed.

Maybe then I will be ready to enjoy Greenbelt and meet some of you. You've not heard the last of me. And maybe you will discern from afar the desparate, frenzied efforts of Dr Moose to relax and be...

Shalom.  ¶ 8:30 pm 0 comments

  Holy Catalysts Kester Brewin, over on his blog, has been posting a series of thoughts over the role, place and nature of tricksters in society. The Trickster, in case you've not come across the concept, is the character who by defying the established boundaries brings new things and possibilities into being, and often makes a fool of him or herself along the way. That's a very rough and ready definition, and I'm not sure that it's totally right, even though I've been dipping into Lewis Hyde's excellent book, Trickster Makes this World: Mischief, Myth and Art on and off for months now.

Most often the concept seems to be found in the myths and stories of native peoples around the world, but has curiously escaped, or even been expunged, from the Western mind-set as mediated by the Judaeo-Christian world-view. The Norse god, Loki, who as far as I'm concerned is the patron of computer technology, is the most obvious European example I can call to mind at present, although Prometheus who stole fire from the gods of ancient Greece is another example.

Kester's real line of thought though is that of seeing Christ as Trickster , and by extension us, as he puts it "the body, mind, walking, breathing, blood and guts of Christ."

(That in itself might be a postmodern paraphrase of the words of St Teresa of Avila, who write IIRC, "Christ has no hands but yours.." and went on to eyes, hands and feet.)

Anyway, go read, think, engage, post.

And for those of you who I keep disappointing with my lack of Role-Playing Games references, you could try looking at the nature of Eurmal in Glorantha. That link should be a starter... I really will get around to more RPG-related stuff sooner or later (probably later at this rate). In the mean time have you read this?  ¶ 11:51 am 0 comments

  Tenuous Links Seven Degrees of Separation, was IIRC, a film (which I have never seen) some years ago that worked around the premise that everyone in the world was no more than seven connections away from anyone else.

I know for a fact that the author of Nouslife and I are connected through Rev. Dr Alan Bartlett, my tutor at Cranmer Hall, (before whom I was tutored by David Greve, him of the occasional poetry on this blog) and IIRC, Nouslife's Andii's wife's. In a similar vein I trained with Emergent Like Slime's author Andy Griffiths at the same vicar-factory and share a common connection of Greenbelt with Good in Parts author Kathryn, whose former parish was served by a near neighbour to me as incumbent some time ago. I met Maggi (from a distance) some years ago at Greenbelt, and as a frequent pilgrim to that event will have encountered Kester Brewin during his time involvement with Vaux.

So, who else will admit to a degree of connection (or separation) - and if we reach seven, do we make up the population of the world? Discuss.  ¶ 6:48 pm 1 comments

  How much a life? This reminded me just how lucky we are in the United Kingdom to have the National Health Service, and served as a timely reminder that there are folks still willing to value life when so often the reports coming out of the US have seemed so negative.

A worthy destination for some of the financial blessings my eBay sales have brought to me. I think someone else needs it rather more.

Now there's just the small matter of the population of whole nations living and dying on the edge. Something has got to change around here....

Kyrie eleison  ¶ 9:58 am 0 comments

  Cancel Tuesday. "Vicaring" does have a number of advantages. Working from home can be a mixed blessing, especially when you share the house with a three-year old (roll on Pre-School in September!) although the lack of travel-to-work time is rather useful. Best of all, at least at the moment, is being master of your own diary. While I do have jobs, and deadlines, it does mean that when TIF (Total Inspiration Failure) or TMF (Total Motivation Failure) strikes you can stop.

I am just so tired. Call it laziness, call it need for a holiday. Call it whatever you like. Even tell the truth and say it was too much Italian lager last night. Tuesday afternoon is hereby cancelled. I shall be a human being for a change and I'll make it up later.

Just wish I could think of someting more controversial, or humourous, or wise to write, even something role-playing game related - although as a parting shot, here's an observation. If you put a newsworthy word in your blog post title (like I did with "Al-Quaeda" a while ago) it does wonders for the number of hits you receive. Maybe I should try "acetone peroxide" - although on that theme, I did Google it - and found three different recipes for the homebrew explosive of choice in a fraction of a second. A bit scary. How come whenever I want to find something useful - like how to get the Data Protection Commissioner's Office to come down like a ton of bricks on those companies who still insist on sending junk mail for Mr H a full eighteen months after he's left and after having been frequently informed by the new resident - how come then the stuff just isn't there? (And no suggestions involving direct action using the aforementioned explosive substance please...)

There certainly is some possibility for thoughts there - like issues of freedom of information - or even freedom of disinformation, and how the Internet is one giant whirl of gossip, supposition and opinion masquerading as concrete fact. Just like this blog post!

You never know, something useful might strike me soon. Or knowing my daughter it might just be a balloon. I'd better go and find out...

Happy Tuesday!  ¶ 2:07 pm 0 comments