Explanation mark

One of my children, I can’t remember which, at some point misheard the word “exclamation” and asked what an “explanation mark” was.  So we came up with this idea – that if you write something incomprehensible you can just add an explanation mark at the end, and all will become clear.  However, this is a lot of work for one punctuation mark to do, so perhaps we should adopt the very sensible Spanish custom of putting it upside-down at the beginning of the sentence.

Not sure what it would look like.  Any ideas?

Liz

PS Mark says that this should be his nickname, since he can’t stop himself explaining things to people.  Even though they are sometimes less enlightened after his explanation than before.

D I Wife

Excellent philosophy session this morning about left/right brain activity, tendencies in gender – and Maths!  I am not terrified of maths as I used to be partly out of sheer bloody-mindedness ie I refuse to be frightened by anything that doesn’t have a central nervous system and an array of very sharp teeth – and partly – if I’m honest – because of The Husband.  Yes, it’s true – his interminable burblings on the subject have penetrated the densely-packed Artistic grey matter of my  mind, and I now have a different perspective on the subject.  Couldn’t tell you anything about it, but it feels better.

So, as part of this discussion on gender tendencies one woman said she had recently put up a garden shed, and I commented on my DIY activities and the fact that they are due to said spouse’s lack of ability in this area.  To which Mark responded, when I told him, “DI Wife”.

I thought that was quite good.

Last night went to see a film at a local church about Christianity and homosexuality.  I’ve never had a problem, not being gay myself, though I have had problems with Christians and yoga, as I said before.

that’s all.  Om shantih

Liz

PS Just want to add, in the light of June 16th’s posting, that the film was very definitely sympathetic to gays and lesbians and in no way condemnatory.  Unfortunately, it was American and therefore not so relevant to this country as it might otherwise be (“it’s here they’ve got the range and the machinery for change/it’s here they’ve got the spiritual thirst”)*

* Quote from “Democracy” by Leonard Cohen.  Great song!  I laughed out loud when I heard the line, at the end of a long first verse:

Democracy is coming

to the USA

So farewell then, Terry Wogan

So: Terry Wogan is no longer doing Eurovision.  Difference this will make to my life, expressed as a percentage: 0%.  Expressed as a fraction:0/0.  Expressed as a decimal: 0.0000… you get the picture.  I don’t care.  I even wish I hadn’t written several lines expressing the extent of my… erm, expressing how little I … no, what I mean is, how much I – bugger!  This is where we need Friends.  By which I mean the sitcom.  Because they introduced the use of the word “so” in situations where extent or degree had not been hitherto expressed.  As in:  “you are so fired”; and, more importantly, the use of it in the negative: “I am so not interested”.  Thus: Terry not doing Eurovision will so not make any difference to my life.

I needed that!

Today I am going to the chalet.  I shall be back on Saturday since Mark and Holly may be going to Nottingham.  On Sunday there is a film and discussion at St Nick’s about Christianity and homosexuality>

Does God hate fags?  No.  Although I think he’s probably not keen on the effects of smoking.

Have a good day.

Oh, one more thing: last night I had an idea for a poem based on dance, to be performed in words and movement.

Needs work, but I like the idea.

Oh, and another thing – last night we went to home group/house group/cell group for the first time.  Remarkably OK and not at all freaky.

TTFN!

Oak Field Update

Oak Field being the name of our chalet.  I have now decorated the kitchen (green with leaf stencils) and the sitting room (paler green with clouds on the ceiling, grass and flowers on the walls).  Looks good.

I will be having a party on June 13th for my birthday.  Invitations will be sent out soon

Liz

PS No I won’t.  We are going to see Bach instead.  Actually, not Bach himself, but the Bach choir.

And another thing…

Here’s another thing that annoys me.  Actually, before I go there I must mention a media phenomenon (yes, phenomenon is the singular, not phenomena, as so many people say who should know better).  The phenomenon is this:

“These numbers are very worrying for the government…”

“…when you look at the numbers…”

“the economic numbers don’t add up…”

It’s “FIGURES!!!!”.  I jump up and down and shout.  Figures!!!  Figures!!!

I can’t explain why this makes me so angry.  After all, language changes all the time – why should it bother me so much?  But it just seems wrong.  Numbers, as I explain to the radio on a daily basis, are a mathematical symbol standing for something in the real world: figures are an accounting phenomenon (sic).  I think it really has to do with trying to appear “down-to-earth”, adopting a “back to basics” or “down with the people” attitude.  Not sure, but that is what occurs.  Anyway, I hate it.

I’ve seen the future

So, the other thing that annoys me (if you still care) is people making statements of fact about the future:

“robberies will increase by 1/3rd” a police spokesman asserted confidently not five minutes ago in this very boutique (sorry, the parrot sketch got in there by mistake).

People do this all the time and what they really mean is, “if current trends continue” or ” I believe that this will happen”.  They don’t actually know.

Reminds me of a story.  (Nasruddin is a character in India who is synonymous with a foolish person and there are a lot of stories about him).

One day Nasruddin was pruning a tree.  He was sitting on a branch and cutting it at a point between him and the tree.  Another man came along.

-  If you carry on doing that, you will fall, said the man.

“this is some foolish interfering person” thought Nasruddin – and he carried on.  After a while he cut through the branch and fell to the ground.  He got up, dusted himself off, and remembered what the man said.

“That man knows the future!” he thought, and rushed after him.

Take twice daily and apply topically

TTFN!

Liz

It’s the bloody Christians

When we started to go to the Martyrs I had a conversation with one of the regulars:

-  I’ve had problems with Church before, I said.  You know, people being intolerant and disapproving of me because I teach yoga.

-  Yes, she said.  It’s not Christ, it’s the bloody Christians.

Here’s how it is: if you’re an open-minded Christian you often get it from other Christians about how other religions are evil and yoga is the work of the devil.  But sometimes it’s worse outside the church.  Sometimes the very act of admitting to being a Christian means you become the spokesperson for all manner of absurdity, wackiness and sheer nastiness which is perpetrated in the name of Christ.  It’s like going into some racist area and admitting to being a Muslim: they’d call you Saddam and ask when you’re going to bomb the pub.  Actually it’s not as bad as that – but I fail to see why should be called upon to defend some bloke in America who maintains that “god hates fags” just because he calls himself a Christian.  Personally, I don’t think god hates fags, although I think s/he is probably not keen on the effects of tobacco smoking.

ho ho.

Evangelism is a problem.

Let’s finish with St Francis (my favourite saint)

“Talk about God all the time.  Use words if you have to”.

Ob, and here’s a great definition of Christianity:

“If you don’t love, you might as well be dead.  If you do love, they’ll probably have to kill you.”

RIP Gandhi.

PS Is that a bomb in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?