The new balance

Do read George's account of his birthday weekend here. I'm priviledged that I'm allowed to mess up as often as I do and a sincere apology is all that is required by my good friends before we are all free to continue (albeit not quite as planned).

I double-booked my Saturday evening. That put to rest our original plan that had involved 1200 miles' driving for George. Instead, in a measure not intended purely to vindicate myself, I offered to arrange a party for him here. He acquiesced and you can read about the interesting goings-on in his article, which is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. His turn of phrase is quite inimitable...

I used to hold the new Vice Chancellor in high regard. He is a frequent attendee of Orchestra concerts and I've met him on several occasions, like the Marden formal where we were able to talk for a little while.

Sad, then, that he has put his name to such a dreadful approach to university cost cutting as he has. Let me explain. Read More

Whilst {browsing|surfing|trawling} the web as I am wont to do, I stumbled apon a text from Around The Wicket Gate by C H Spurgeon, the highly influential London evangelist of the mid-1800s. For people who have issues about the validity of what they have heard from Christians about death, this text puts it in a quasi-factual light, making comparisons and drawing analogies that most will understand. "I am the Bread of Life" comes to mind.

Have a read, and try not to get upset. If you want to chat, e-mail or Skype me, telling me in the authorisation box that you want to talk about this.

As some of you are aware, I've been playing around with Skype for long and short distance voice communication. I've just signed up to be a beta tester for some guys who are developing a voicemail service for Skype. Curiously, I tried to skype them to ask about the service, and couldn't get through: it didn't even ring and simply said the name was unknown. Curious.


Anyway, have a look at this VOIPail thing. I'd have called it VoIPmail, as well. VOIPail makes me think of buckets. Maybe that was their intention: buckets of voicemail...? Nah.

[From now on, I'm going to keep some entries very brief. This is just to keep me posting without feeling I have to write pages and pages.]


The DebSoc motion this evening was 'This house would make the UK a secular state'. They even got in the president of the National Secular Society, Mr Denis Cobell. Although I valued his contribution to the proceedings (he is a good speaker), reading his annual report on the site is sufficient to lead me to believe that his society targets religion (well, Christians rightly do this anyway; Christ isn't about procedure and rules), but expands its meaning right into the core of my faith. A society to ultimately undermine my right to practice my faith? If there are secularists out there reading my blog (George for one), they should come and flame me right now. It's all I deserve...

Oh, and I found a picture and a mention of me on the Lex website. Not that exciting, I know, but there you go. Must have been right after I came off the bike, as you can see my sore chin even at that resolution.

Today I enjoyed two opportunities to display my knowledge of the subjects of employment and trust law. 'Enjoyed' in the sense that these 'formative assessment' [Google Cache] opportunies rose and I took them, rather than in the third sense that Roget's offers (the one that springs to mind).

The reality of it was that I spent an hour or two in rigid disbelief that I knew so little. It all becomes crystal-clear when the answers are read out, but that's of no particular use because it allows me to slip back into my glowing fantasm of self-belief. Ahh well.

Tonight's the night the EUSO Dinner Dance, and the Jazz Band is the only entertainment: no DJ at the end this time: we're playing straight through.

Spontaneity seemed to be the order of the day. Having intended to rise early, I actually escaped from the glentle clutch of slumber at approximately 1130, there being no particular schedular pressure. In the last few days I've been up very early, so I had no qualms with a late morning appearance.


Public International Law was the subject of the two-hour lecture that greeted me on arrival at Amory at 1400. Got chatting to a friend in Christ who was experiencing a little networking trouble, so I offered to assist afterwards. We decided I would accompany her to a bit of fellowship at the Imperial where the CU had organised another of their regular Wednesday meetings of which I have prior experience. In fact, if you're ever in the Imperial on a Wednesday afternoon, pop in to the room on the right sometime after 1730. The Spirit moved a lot of us in those couple of hours as Becca told us the Good News and started a bit of discussion. People who know me will know that I give organised religion a bit of space, but the CU isn't like that and it's good to see folk getting interested in Christ and seeing some good work going on.


Read on for some insight into my Christianity. Christ makes me who I am. My usual florid blog-language will dissolve at this point. Christ deserves a greater clarity of expression. Read More