What's green, 50 feet tall, has 11 legs and snores when awake?

Answers on a postcard...

Ever noticed how I often say I'm going to update more often - and then as if by magic months go by without a sniff of an update? I wonder why that is.

Life=good.
We have had a real mixed bag of weather here; from blazing sunshine, to cold and thunderstorms. With just one or two exceptions we've had a sample of all the weather we get around here. It was nice, becase it reminded me that no matter whether it's raining, stormy, cold, warm, or hotter than you'd really like - every single day is beautiful.

Working hard (complete change of career since my last post - bboying is on the back burner, teaching has stopped, but it's not so bad because I'm enjoying myself anyway) so can afford to go away this summer - taking along a friend too. It will be the first time I've really properly travelled with someone else (other than my family) so I'll be interested to see how that goes.

Surfing on the west coast of France - it's about time I learned. Hopefully it won't take too long to get to grips with. I won't be likely to catch any big waves for a long time yet - but I've been to that stretch of coast once before and 5 foot waves aren't too uncommon in summer (unless I saw and swam in a rarity). I'd rather get started on something a little out of my depth than spend a week in mush and white water.

Other than that we're just going to wing it. We have a route loosely planned to take us around most of Europe - and if I'm right we'll probably ignore most of the route and just go where the mood takes us.

I've got a few musings going on (as I usually end up posting in these occasional entries) but nothing to post up right now.

Actually I've just changed my mind. Here's something I do want to say.

Whether you call it the Sabbath, the weekend, or something different entirely. Whether you practice it on Saturday or Sunday.

TAKE A DAY OFF.

I've learned this since working for myself. It's easy to work 7 days a week, it's easy to work erratically. It actually takes more discipline to not work on one particular day, no matter what.
Without getting into the intricacies of what work is defined as. I can't say I have a problem with turning on lights and walking while carrying things - but maybe the people who do have it right. I don't know. Either way, taking a whole day and setting it aside for things other than work is an amazing thing.

I've had deadlines piling up and the phone ringing off the hook for late work, the kind of situation where an extra day working could get you out of a real hole, yet have still taken my day off.

What a feeling! I now have a much clearer idea of what Sabbath is really about. What better way to live out the old addage that "there is more to life than work"?

Sabbath as a word obviously has some rather heavy (and specific) religious weight behind it, but please don't let that put you off.
Secular society (and for some readers of this, maybe atheism) has done a quite profound job of throwing away first the basis of religion, then the values and benefits.
So why do I call it Sabbath?

Well as secular society has thrown the idea away almost completely, and some religions declare "the Sabbath is only for the Jews so it's not for us - but try to make the prayer session..." (paraphrased I admit), it has lost something truly brilliant.
Simply put I believe that Sabbath is a gift. A gift to all of mankind to be enjoyed, and even celebrated.

I pressured an onld employer of mine to guarantee me Sunday and Monday off work (I was bartending at the time) and succeeded. Then it was more to build a bit of structure into my week - but now I work 6 days (60 to 80 hours) and take the whole of Sunday off. Because my reason is now different - I'm taking my share of the gift given to all of us (now THERE is a multi-faceted statement - meant in Sabbath terms this time, though feel free to take the other main connetation some of you will know I'd put upon it) and having my day off.

So can a business work if it closes down for one day each week? Without question - YES! One example I'll give is a garden centre in the south of England - the biggest in the area I believe. You'd think that for a business like that - opening all weekend would be essential, I mean it's only logical, don't most working people do their gardening at the weekend? well maybe they do - but this business closes every single Sunday without fail - and yet is the biggest and best (read: most successful) garden centre in the whole area.

Try it - see how it feels to suddenly have no pressure to work for an entire day. See how it feels to suddenly have free time where you never did before. See how it feels to wake up on the same morning evrey week and realise that today, you are totally free from the rat-race. See how it feels to approach work with a whole new enthusiasm (something I never expected to happen). See how it feels for your whole week to build up to a day of rest, relaxation, prayer, family, whatever it is to you - instead of a week of wishing you didn't have to work today.

So, today or tomorrow...

Have a good Sabbath. :)

God bless you.

"Pay no heed to the length of your life, just that it is fulfilled."

That's my thought for the year. The thing you have to ask yourself though, is: "How do I fulfill) my life, my purpose, when I'm too busy doing nothing to make it happen?"

None of us really know how much time we have, and most of us don't realise how easy it is for your time to be up, but when you think about it - rather than just give up hope - that should be a driving force.

Rather than just wishing for/dreaming about/wanting something better - or even just wanting something - do something about it.
Don't think "I'll do it soon" - Do it now!

The sooner you get started - the sooner it will happen, and the sooner you'll be where you belong!

Through it all, be honest with yourself and with those around you. "Love one another as I have loved you" - I could go on quoting, but that's not what I'm here to do.
Be fair. Be righteous.

I sat at this keyboard not even expecting to post here today, let alone what to post or why.

I do know a few people get alerts when I post in this thing, and as far as I know, they could be the only ones who ever get to read this, but that's okay.
No man knows the day or the hour.
"The end is nigh"? - Well yes, it's always on the horizon, but you just never can tell how far away that horizon is until you're at it, and then it's too late.The only thing that is certain, is now. So take care of now. Turn now into action. Turn now into the first step you make to fulfilling whatever it is you were put here to achieve. Turn now into making a difference in your own life, and turn now into making a difference in the lives of others. If given a choice - do the latter.

Are you still here?
Haha! (see - not all serious) You didn't listen to a word I said did you?
Oh?
You did?
Well I'm glad to hear it. But now, what are you going to do about it?

Are you going to make now different, stand up and take what is rightfully yours? Or are you going to let now become just another moment in your past where you could have made a better choice?

One Truth.
One God.
One Love.

God Bless You.

Spare a thought for those left behind.

Known and respected through the entire UK bboy community and also known to many worldwide, James "Break DJ" Lacey, died on Thursday 14th October 2004.

A real loss to the hiphop community. James was a very well respected man, and well loved by those around him. He served as the inspiration to an entire generation of British DJ's who dig through the crates day in and day out as he did, looking for the next beat to unleash on the bboy masses. He was responsible for unearthing some now worldwide bboy anthems, and making mixtapes that will continue to be played at bboy practices nationwide.

As a DJ, few came close. He brought love and happiness into the lives of those around him, and to those like myself who knew him by the music he found and played, he made the world a better sounding place.

God bless you James.

Stiff is currently: Tired and bloody sore.

Last night was wierd. I'm saying no more than that. Came totally out of the blue though.

I'm sitting in the university setting up the website and other nonsense for the classes we're running here. Hit a bit of a mental block so I'm on here to spout some more nothing. If everything goes well we might be getting some awesome rooms to use for practically no money - which is a big fat Brucey Bonus.
I'm really at a loss as to what to think just now - events of the past few days have kinda thrown me - really odd feeling.

Welcome to upside down day.

I'm currently in videogame overdose mode.
I just bought Tenchu-Wrath of Heaven and played that for a long time last night, (yea - I know it's an old one - I don't care)
And my sister's fella just got Starwars Battlefront (if that's what the newest one's called) - I think there's going to be a weekend-long session of playing that thing aswell now.
Bring on the junk food.