todays notices

I have managed to spend 1.5 hours looking at blogs! yay! this is my favourite type of political science study. Watch me go!

New blogs on the block
Dan in Australia
My brother on his holiday to the Dark Country
Not so new
Himbo's blog!

YOU MUST COME TO THIS:
WEDNESDAY 23RD MARCH
ST CHRISTOPHERS ANGLICAN (just down the road from our house - Avonhead Road)
7.15
ADRIAN PLASS...
yes! the man himself! the sacred diarist is coming to NEW ZEALAND!
BE THERE!

So really, what is michelle?

According to Michelle, and not Google, What is Michelle?

Music
-Jennifer Knapp
-Shawn McDonald
-United
-Switchfoot
-Sanctus Real
-Kutless
-Paul Colman Trio
-Delirious
-Classical music, in particular: Dvorak, Debussy, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, Greig, Bizet


Animals
-Squirrels
-Bats
-Weasels/ferrets
-Moles
-Monkeys
-Foxes

Things I wanted to be when I grew up
-Indy/Rally car driver
-School teacher
-Hairdresser
-Historian
-Museum worker
-Translator
-DOC worker

Colours my hair has been
-Ginger
-Blonde
-Pink
-Green
-Blue
-Purple
-Auburn
-Black
-Plum
-and of course, Brown

Relatives
-9 auntys and 9 uncles
-13 cousins
-One Gran and Grandad still alive
-One great Grandma
-One father, mother, and brother

People who mean the most to me
-Aunty Diane (who has turned to the darkside and is in Australia)
-Dan (who is turning to the darkside and moving to Australia)
-Ruth (reader of my epic letters and whinging over the holidays)
-Nathan (a right good dude)
-Helen (someone i can be really honest, and silly, with)
-My parents (just because we dont get along doesn't mean i don't totally love and appreciate them so much)
-Haley (she has been around since i was 16 and keeps in touch with me)
-Debbie and Glen Fraser (Deb is my mentor and man i wanna be like her when i grow up!)

This week's plans for the future
-Next year: go do Work France or Work Ireland to pay off my student loan (which will be about $5000 ) and earn money to travel/ do a mission
-After that, go to Africa and South America and work with street kids, orphans, teenagers, and ladies.
-After that, 2006/7 ... blank canvas =)

Clothes
-Jeans and a t-shirt
-knee-length skirt and pink top
(thats all you need for a good wardrobe)

Passion
-Africa..............
-Children
-Loving other people
-God. Man i wanna be like Him.

What defines me?
-Love and care
-Hugs and kisses
-God
-passion
-Silliness
-Makeup
-being late
-squirrels
-showing others that i care by supporting them, and when they do the same for me it really uplifts me.
-bad, yet earnest, singing
-compassion
-being unsatisfied with everything!
-listening to passionate music
-Alone/recharging time

There you have it. Me in about 200 words. Of course missing many important details! (as you can tell i'm bored! need to find ways to waste time!)

I'm also hungry, dammit! I'm sick of cooking for myself!! Who wants to cook for me? Woah! One at a time, please!

Sad post

No apologies for the blatant sadness contained in this post. Deal with it.

I'm not happy.
I don't want to be at university this year.
I don't want to be in New Zealand this year.
I don't want to be in CU this year.
I want to have a perfect house/flat
I miss my aunty and cousins who are in Australia
One of my best friends is moving to australia.
I'm sick of working at the place where i work.
My neck hurts.
I'm tired (not tired as in sleepy, but tired as in fatigued) (i want a rest)
And now i'm grumpy.

The God card

The God card has been played a lot lately. Rather like any game of cards, it confuses me.
How does the God card work? What happens when the God card is contradictory? Does that mean that it's a fake God card, or that multiple cards can be played at once?
Is the God card something that is used too often? or perhaps not often enough?

What exactly is the God card?
Maybe everyone has a different conception of what it is, but in my understanding it works like this:
Someone tells you something, and says that it came from God, or that they think God prompted something,
eg
-"I feel that God told me..."
-"This is such a God thing!"
-"I don't know about you, but I'd say this is divine!"

In the past few weeks, the God card seems to have been used a lot. I, myself, used it when I first found the Avonheadroad flat
"Wow... Landlady is a Christian... This must be God!"
Later the landlady was to muck us around a bit. Suddenly I was wondering if a God card had actually been played or whether it was merely a trick one.

The God card was again used when one of my flatmates told me that she felt God wanted us to have the avonheadroad flat. In my head, i wanted to be as far away from the flat as possible, as the whole place and its atmosphere really upsets me, but what if the flatmate was right and God did want us to live there? I had felt that we shouldn't be at the flat as a result of all the bad things that had happened there. Now i was contemplating reconsidering my viewpoint as a result of the playing of this God card.

Even more recently, I got a text message from a girl i really look up to. She was inviting me to flat with her. When i went around to meet her and the other flatmates, she told me that a few days earlier my name had popped into her head, and two days later, one of her flatmates announced that she was leaving.
"I think its divine" the girl told me.
Before i left the house, we all prayed together. Two of the girls prayed along the lines of
"Thankyou, God, for bringing Michelle along. Its clear that she's the right person for our house. We hope that you would find another person to take her place at avonheadroad"
Wait a minute!! I had made no decision either way, yet these girls were telling me that God seemed to want me in their flat, and that it was a divine thing. This God card added to my confusion. Maybe they were right and I ought to be living with them.

In some ways, the God card feels like a guilt trip to me.
"God said this..."
or "I think God wants you to..."
How come if God says or thinks something about a thing that i'm involved in He doesn't just say it to me? That would be a whole lot easier!
I know that God does work through other people, but just how often? Is this where the gift of discernment comes in? Or should I just trust the way others play this card?

So when the God card seems contradictory, how do you know which usage is the correct one? If I'm supposed to be at both flats, then why can't i just cut myself in half?
Maybe i shouldn't be at either! Maybe I should go live on the moon with a giant potato and a ten-toed lemur. That would be the solution to all my problems. I'd have company, food, alone time, and eons of time with God! Er anyway...

Playing cards is just confusing. Perhaps we should stick to board games...

Michelle is a lot of things

Michelle is...

Wednesday 16th February

Dear Friends,
Your sisters in Christ, Ruth, Ray, and myself, are having a few issues with our dwelling. We have only one key, the floor is mildly wet, and the landlady has changed details in the tenancy agreement. We are in good spirits, however your prayers would be appreciated at this slightly trying time.
Blessings,
Michelle


Dear God,
Help, I need you. I don't know where you are and what you are doing, but i'm scared. I've had abuse screamed at me by the former tenant, the lease date has been changed by two weeks, the landlady wont write a carbon copy of the tenancy agreement, the last tenant has 3 sets of keys to the house, he flooded the kitchen, dining room and hallway (which is sopping wet and smelly), the landlady "doesn't like the way we are going about this", etc etc.
Are you trying to teach us something? Or are we not meant to be in this house? If not, where is another house for us to live in? Should we get a 5 bedroom place for cheaper and get 2 boy flatmates?
I've been so stressed out since looking began in December last year. Thats almost 3 months of constant ringing and driving. And rejection. Nobody likes students. Why didn't i get that perfect house in Ilam road? Why didn't we get the house in Truman road when there were four of us? Or Ilkley place?
I DON'T UNDERSTAND, GOD!!! We are upset, and losing hope, and I can't see you.
I don't understand, God, and I'm so tired.
Your daughter,
Michelle

Take heed all you sunbakers!

"Melanoma is related to intermittent, excessive sun exposure, such as that experienced during recreational activities and holidays. Melanoma is also related to sunburn in childhood and adolescence.
There is no health advantage from levels of ultraviolet exposure that result in tanning or burning. This is the case whether the untraviolet radiation is from the sun, or from sun beds or lamps. Some suggest that if we become too vigilant about sun exposure, then we may become vitamin D deficient. However, the truth is that our vitamin D requirements can usually be met with exposure to the sun during short periods outdoors such as usually occur in everyday life.
In summary, the way to prevent skin cancer is to reduce excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation. A change in attitude towards tanning would be an excellent start."

From todays Press article 'Combating skin cancer' by Dr David Langford.

jumble sale

Yay - i smell like a man again! I am at home (Rangoon) and i've 'borrowed' my brother's Lynx Anti-Hangover, plus i am wearing Java roll-on. Brilliant!!

I have a million thoughts whirling in my head, and no logical way to write them down. So here goes to fragments

-its awfully hot here in Rangiora at night. And in the day. Actually its our house thats hot (not simply the temperature outside); it holds heat really well.
-I dont have much more stuff to take to chch. I need way less stuff than i thought, so thats great
-Bill, current tenant in our house in Avonhead Rd, hasn't moved out yet, but hopefully will get out this weekend so i can start moving my stuff in!
-I feel so old sometimes ('old' = mature). I don't want boring old waste-of-time conversations; i want meaningful discussions. I know that sometimes you need to relax and talk drivel, but i want more meaning! Heln worked out once that in one week you have 20 hours of time to waste (if you count up the hours between 6pm and 10pm). If you add on, say, 8 hours for the weekend, then you have nearly 30 hours of free time in a week. What do we talk about in this time? bollocks mostly. Where's all the discussions about helping the poor in our community? About the war in Sudan? About the sad state of Christianity in France? About our hopes and dreams for the future?
I know i've already posted about this before, but i want more gravity. Slowly i am moving in that direction.

I want to write more jumbled thoughts, but i'm going to see my mentor, Debbie, to discuss what i can do this year. See you all on Wednesday at the Paul Colman concert! It costs $15. Pittance for what it is!

Potatoes: past, present, future.

Hands up everyone who loves the potato...
You are among the top billion of the world. Read on to discover more about the humble origins, journey, and possible developments of the potato.

Potatoes are a "tuber" or root vegetable. The edible part of the potato plant grows underground. In other languages 'potato' is said "Pomme de terre" (French), patata (Spanish), panbowka (Polish), or yang shee (Chinese).
The potato forms as the swollen end of an underground stem. Its skin varies in color from light brown to purple and the inside flesh varies from white to purple in different varieties. One serving of potato is one medium potato, about 5.5 ounces or 148 kilograms, this serving contains 120 calories. Based on a daily 2000 calorie diet, the potato contains no fat or cholesterol, 20% of daily potassium needs, 9% of carbohydrate and fibre needs.
The sweet potato belongs in the same family as morning glories, while the white potato belongs to the same group as tomatoes, tobacco, chile pepper, eggplant and the petunia.
The potato is about 80% water and 20% solids. Potato is the fourth most important food crop in the world after wheat, rice, and maize.

Potato production represents roughly half of the world's annual output of all roots and tubers. Since the early 1960's, the percentage increase in area planted in developing countries has been higher than for any other major food crop. Production increases have been second only to wheat. More than a billion people worldwide eat potato. The crop also represents an important part of the diet of more than half a billion consumers in developing countries.

The potato originated in the Andes of Bolivia and Peru. It was there, in 1537 that the Spanish conquistadors discovered the potato. From there it traveled to Europe, then back to the United States. Peru's Inca Indians first cultivated the potato in about 200 B.C. This vegetable had many uses to the Incas. Raw slices were placed on broken bones, carried to prevent rheumatism, and eaten with other foods to prevent indigestion. The ancient Inca Indians valued the potato not only as a food, but as a measure of time. Units of time were correlated to how long it took a potato to cook.
The world's only Potato Museum is located in Washington D.C.

Vincent Van Gogh painted four still-life canvases devoted entirely to the potato. Gold Rush miners prized the potato, high in vitamin C, because it prevented scurvy. Men traded gold for the precious potato, ounce for ounce. At today's average gold price, a medium potato would cost a fortune.
The Mr. Potato Head doll was born in 1952 and was introduced to Mrs. Potato Head in 1953. According to Playskool, Inc., the two honeymooned in Boise, Idaho and have 12 children. In 1987, Mr. Potato Head gave up his pipe to set a good example for children.
People in Shakespeare's time viewed the potato as an aphrodisiac and labeled them "Apples of Love." This is an interesting fact because in French, the 'pomme d'amour' (apple of love) is the tomato!

Ruth, Ray, and Michelle will eat lots of potato at their new flat in 2005. Feel free to donate potatoes, or to come eat potato with them anytime.

This essay has been made possible by the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association, the Peruvian International Potato Centre, and Ruth Nordberg. Thankyou Ruth for planting the dream.