Historians

OK OK OK! I'm sorry I haven't got History Soc written up yet...apparently people are complaining.

All I can say is that such an epic night can't just be written up....this need care so a true and indeed epic record can be produced.



Hopefully tomorrow.

Tick Tick Tick

I'm not saying I'm bored but I went out last night and there was no one there. The Stag premier Student Bar in Southampton was empty!

The University has gone quiet and I mean quiet. It seems that tuition fees have taken their toll and now everyone is reduced to working. The only ticking round here is the clock.

The trouble is that just ruins my job. I mean for goodness sake, the University has taken away everyone I talk shite too.

Even Andy who is a veritable linguist of copious crap buried himself in a Chemistry Book today.

I mean Chemistry what's he going to do with that? Apart from get a degree and a job and a mortgage...but apart from that what's he going to do with that.

So this is it I am reduced to sitting in my office downloading music videos on You Tube.







Still it wasn't all a lonely day. I went out for a walk just as the exams were finishing, I went into the canteen and met someone from the Taiquando Soc. Then into the Stag and because exams were just over was full. So I chatted to a couple of Games Soc and then...wait for it...met some of the Ladies Football Club and yes they're up for a ticking.

Then saw Kat from Showstoppers. She it turns out is part of Ballet Soc and she has not only invited me along but found me a pair of tights to wear.

I know.

Above and beyond the call of duty.

More ticks clearly coming soon.

Church of England Chaplain University of Southampton The Big Tick Southampton University University Soton Uni

Volunteering

So the term was at an end.

The final score was 10 societies visited in 3 weeks. Which is not bad. During the last three weeks of term I was out nearly every night and following which I was quite ill and exhausted....

But that's not what's important right now...because there is a reason I'm doing all of this and that is 'Liberty Child'

I'm doing this to raise money for this local charity. They basically provide holidays for local children. Now you are probably sitting there wondering what you can do to help? Aren't you? Well maybe not.

But if you are then there are two things you can do.

1) Sponsor me. Details on my web site (under Big Tick)

2) You could also offer your services to Liberty Child.

They are always on the lookout for volunteers to make their holidays work. What they need are adults with some experience of working with children, particularly those with a nursing or care experiences they also need you to do a CRB check.

In return you get your travel expenses and free food and accommodation while helping to make a holiday the best possible experience for a child. You also get experience so it does look good on your CV if you were, say, going into the nursing profession.

If you are over 18 mature and able to work in a team then by all means get in contact with them on their website they have a volunteering section or you could e-mail them volunteers@libertychild.org.uk.

Oh and if you don't have care experience then I am sure they can use you for other things...clerical...IT or whatever skills you have to offer.

Get in touch and tell them I sent you.

Church of England Chaplain University of Southampton The Big Tick Southampton University University Soton Uni

Car Crash TV

Last time I was on the phone to Bethnal Green Dave talk turned to motor vehicles.

Bethnal Green Dave it turns out was just about to scrap his car and not buy another. Well fair enough when the London Underground practically runs through your living room and everything you need or want is found within a 25 mile radius I can see why paying car insurance might seem more like a luxury but I live in Southampton.

(oh no I've just pissed off the greens as well now, haven't I? More hate mail *sigh*)

Anyway as we were chatting B.G.D. asked me what car I drove.

"A Renault" I replied "Because you get a lot of car for you money"

I said that, not because it's true, but because it sounds like the sort of thing that Jeremy Clarkson would say.

"When people say things like 'You get a lot of car for your money' I start to glaze over" said Bethnal Green Dave, who is clearly not a acolyte of the God of high octane motor journalism.

That is the difference between me and Bethnal Green Dave. I actually like cars, which is why if I wasn't an Anglican Priest I'd probably watch Top Gear every week.

This week I've had a weekend off. So I've had a chance to catch a bit of weekend tele and it got me thinking. You see Sunday kicks off with 'The Heaven and Earth show' and ends with 'Top Gear' but despite sharing a day the two shows are not really even operating in the same universe.

The trouble is that religious broadcasting is just so sodding inoffensive. Whereas Top Gear is actually worth watching. The problem is that Broadcasters have to have religious broadcasting and so it doesn't matter if anyone actually tunes in. So they just make sure they don't upset anyone.

Where are the risks? Where is the entertainment? Gloria Hunniford is lovely but at least Clarkson makes you form an opinion.

I tried getting involved with religious broadcasting once but the problem was the very nature of the thing was boring. We were on during the graveyard slot and we said nothing that could ever upset anyone. Would we talk about the stuff I speak about here. No way. Better to talk about the Da Vinci code and Christian music. Or let's meet some Christian bloggers. OH PLEASE!!!!!

Please can we have some decent religious broadcasting? Or better still stop religious broadcasting being compulsory. Then it will have to complete to get the airways and it will either get better or die a natural death. Neither of which is a problem.

J is for (wait for it) 'J' Soc

So the next bit of this story is another on-the-spot journey.

It's mid December which on Planet Yellow is Advent, all around the University is doing Christmas but there is a little corner of the University that is definitely not doing the birth of the messiah.

Happy Chanukah!

J Soc or to give them there full name "Southampton University Jewish Society" are hanging around in Chaplaincy again.

There are there because of Chanukah. It's a Jewish festival that often comes in December. J Soc have been given money to buy donuts. This is to raise awareness of Chanukah. That's the thing about the Jewish community they don't want to convert you quite the opposite they just want you to know they're there and they want to feed you too.



So I turn up for a ticking and also to learn a thing or too. Wondering just what the festival of lights has to do with donuts. Alex Segall explains:

"It's like every Jewish Festival, they tried to kill us, we won, let's eat!"
"That's it?" I ask
"That's it!"
"What about Yom Kippur?" I venture.
"Ah" he says "That's unusual. It's more: 'We've sinned, we're sorry, let's not eat."
(Pause)
"OK Now let's eat!"
"So it's all about eating?" I ask.
"Pretty much" he says.
"Fair enough! Christianity is all about not having sex."
"This is different" he says through a mouthful of dough. Seems rounded I think. He hands me a donut and I join him in celebrating Chanukah. I am now Chanukah aware and it tastes great.



Emma decides to fill me in on the details which Alex's masterful exegesis seem to have skipped over.

Turns out that this is all about the dedication of the Temple and the fact that the lamps burned for 8 days despite the fact they only had one days worth of oil in them. Hence the need to celebrate with fried food - Sufganiyah or donuts to the likes of me.

So we're out and about giving out donuts in order to raise chanakah awareness. And you can't give the little bastards away. It takes some real sales pitching to get them out. I can't believe how cynical people are. If we were charging I bet we'd get rid of them.

"Have a Chanukah donut!" says Alex in his best sales pitch voice to one woman.
"Oh No! But Bless you and Merry Christmas." she says in a really patronizing tone.

OK wrong on sooooo many levels luv.

Eventually we decide to make the University Chanukah aware at it's very core so it's off to the Vice Chancellors office. He turned out not to be there but we left his donuts with his secretary (I'm not convinced he got them!)

The best bit about the whole experience is actually the chance to chat and hang out together. We talk about Uni. We talk about life. We talk about dreidals which I'm not really clear about. Perhaps some kind Jewish person could enlighten me via the comments. We also talk about Judaism.

It's really hard, on one level, to get a handle on Judaism. So many generalizations don't really work. Is it about involving God in all the areas of your life. It is just one big celebration of culture? Is it about the Torah?

Having spent a day with the descendants of the world's most famous wandering Aramian I think it's about people.

The Jewish Scholar Nicholas De Lange says that Judaism is not a religion like Hinduism or Chrisitanity. Nor is it a nationality like being Danish though their complex history is intertwined with Eretz Yisrael. Rather to be Jewish is to be, in Hebrew 'Am, a people. To identify with a common history and story.

It is a people, thanks in part to two very well known Jews, Yeshua of Nazareth and Shaul of Tarsus, and some not so well known namely J Soc, who I increasingly find myself identifying with.

J Soc. Oy Vey Tick!



Church of England Chaplain University of Southampton Manga The Big Tick Southampton University University Soton Uni Judaism

Time Machine...

There is a photo of me on Facebook. Taken last year when I visited Surge with Tom. Anyway Andy and I were looking at it...

Here it is.



Then Andy said...well rather than tell you what Andy said I could just illustrate it.







We could have stopped there but I said






Then we realised we'd invented a backwards and forwards time machine.

That's what happens during exams when hardly anyone visits the chaplaincy and Andy is trying to avoid chemistry revision.

University of Southampton Southampton University University Soton Uni Jesus Tunnel Premature Balding

Ok I'm ready for my Doocing now.

It's a funny thing having opinions.

Sooner or later if you have enough of them someone will not like them. When you write something like this sometimes you spend hours forming your opinions. Sometimes weeks. I've got an entry I've been working on for ages.

Sometimes you just say something.

Like Jade Goody. I considered blogging about her only I didn't because it seemed that writing 'Jade Goody' on a blog was a desperate plea for attention for search engines.

Leaving that aside it seems to me that Jade Goody isn't a racist, she's a bully. She felt insecure around Shilpa Shetty and so she responded by trying to put her down and the only 'handle' she could get on her was her race. She didn't think that she was a racist she was only trying to make Shilpa feel small. If we recognise that then we can see that there isn't something out there called 'racism' there aren't people who 'are' racist in an almost ontological sense, we're all capable of that every time we feel insecure around difference.

Now that's not a well formed opinion I just thought it up as I was writing it down.

I could be wrong. Maybe if I spoke to someone I would change that opinion, in fact that's true of virtually everything I believe. In fact I think you start down the road to bigotry when we say 'no matter what I see my opinion stays the same.'

Then you have to start adjusting reality to fit your opinions not the other way round. And as we all know reality has a well known liberal bias.

The problem with blogging though, rather than just walking round having opinions is that people can't clarify what you believe so they just get upset.

So....do read. Do form your own opinions. Do comment I tend to publish most comments unless they are too personally offensive or libellous. (don't write 'How dare you defend that evil monster Jade Goody - you re-incarnation of Vlad the Impaler' because that's just gonna hurt. Jade Goody is a person damn it!)

Don't imagine that because I’ve written stuff that behind it there are a whole bunch of other offensive opinions just waiting to get out. So for example, addressing the fact that I am linked off a pro-cu and anti cu facebook group, if I write one thing that is critical of UCCF it doesn’t mean I hate evangelicals. I am one. If I write one thing that is fully supportive of the CU it doesn’t mean I have an A3 picture of Pete Hartwell (CU pres) on my wall.

It’s on my desk and it’s only 6 x 4.

If you think I have said something wrong, try imagining I am actually a nice person. Even though I have actually written about what a total scumbag I really am. Try not to think about that and maybe you wont be so angry.

Anyway I got a mail from someone today we discussed my opinions on the phone and then I agreed that he can guest blog here at some point. I have to say, just to cover myself that writing to me and telling me I am wrong will not generally get you a guest blogger slot. If you want to see your words here I think it’s probably more likely to happen if you begin your e-mail “I really love your blog”

Anyway the person who complained found my blog because he had the same name as me. And now I know there is someone else in the world called Yellow I don’t feel so lonely any more.

What? What did I say? Why are you looking at me like that???

This week in chaplaincy...

...a 1st year historian gave his life to Jesus and became a Christian.

Please pray for him

I asked him what started his journey to Christianity. He replied softly with two simple words:

"Tunnel Soc."

University of Southampton Southampton University University Soton Uni Jesus Tunnel

Grammer

The whole facebook thing is solved. Apparently there is an pro-cu facebook group oh and an anti-cu one as well. Apparently they both link here!

While reading one of them I saw my blog described thus...

"Interesting blog, despite the occasional grammatical error (one comes to expect that nowadays)."

"Well" I thought to myself "fair enough if you've read 'eats, shoots and leaves'" however don't just get frustrated. If you hate bad grammar do something about it.

Feel free to go through this blog with a fine tooth comb and then use the comments section to bring grammatical sins to my attention. I will then purge them from the blog.

Oh yeah if you were going to ask whether it disturbs me that I'm linked from the pro AND the anti...then yes it sooooooooooooo does!

University of Southampton Southampton University University Soton Uni Grammar

Here we stand...

Do you realise that Boldrewood Tunnel Soc. is nearly a whole year old?

No well it's over a year since I wrote the famous e-mail calling for the re-opening of our now beloved Tunnel. So I though given that I seem to be costantly fighting against student apathy I was put together a series of demands.

Let's formalise the process. Not just a general campaign but some specifics.

This is very much a first draft it really needs to come from the membership so please use the comments section to give us your suggestions. The final draft will go on the BTS web site.

Boldrewood Tunnel Soc Demands

1) We demand the full refurbishment and immediate re-opening of the Boldrewood Tunnel.
2) Following the move of the biomedical sciences from this campus we wish the tunnel to remain open for ease of access to Glen Air.
3) We demand the campuses of the University of Southampton should be renamed after the members of S Club 7 in honour of our childhood.
4) Once this is implemented we will change our name to Bradley Tunnel Soc.
5) Due to the closure of New College the University should open a new Jo O'Meara Campus as soon as possible.
6) However if the University closes further campuses we would be prepared to compromise and settle for a naming scheme based around the original line up for Take That.
7) Switzerland should be offered EU membership.
8) We demand SUSU subsidized drinking in the Stile.
9) We think this subsidy should take the form of SUSU Sabs standing at the bar with a wad of 50s.
10) In order to facilitate the easy identification of wad carrying Sabs they should be dressed in panto costume.
11) We are particularly keen to see Chris Whittaker as Window Twanky.
12) We also seek subsidized travel between Winchester and Southampton to enable Art students to spend more time in Rachael Stevens.
13) Bill Wakeham wears jeans.
14) The key to the modern University is interdisciplinary study. Therefore we demand that all staff in this university should wear a jumper with their subject emblazoned across it (eg ‘Chemstry’) and that each department should be assigned a jumper colour (eg ‘Orange’) this will make it instantly obvious when and where interdisciplinary activities are taking place. We feel this can only enhance the international standing of our university.
15) Top up fees are shit.
16) Free education is not shit and costs much less than pushing the middle east to brink of Armageddon.
17) SUSU must affiliate BTS immediately.
18) If you are a bloke reading this we demand you stop picturing the AU Pres dressed as Peter Pan.

University of Southampton Southampton University University Soton Uni Tunnel

K is for King Fu Wu Shu Club

The Big Tick one priests obsessive quest to join every student society in the world ever continues.

Kung Fu Wu Shu Club. The ancient Chinese art of beating the crap out of people.

Say what?!?!?!

It took me several goes to even here the name let alone get round to remembering it.

Hugo patiently and slowly repeated the words to me...

"Kung Fu Wishy Club?" I tried.

"No. Kung Fu Wu Shu."

"Right. I'm not sure I'm going to get this." I said

I admit this was the Stag but I hadn't actually been drinking that much. No really, I hadn't. This wasn't a History Soc Armageddon style social this was just a quiet drink and there I met Hugo who introduced me to the Sensi....or whatever they call them.

Turns out that as part of safer student week (good move there SUSU!) students were going to get the chance to beat each other up one December night and then receive a free panic alarm. With an offer like that I could hardly refuse and as always there was the need to tick.

So I turned up and learned how to defend myself. Self defence is all part of what Kung Fu Sho Mi is all about. Their poster boasts "Learn self defence against real street fighter situations" or something like that which makes it seem like one of Michael Jackson's videos from the early 90s.

"Are you bad?"

"Yeah, I'm bad!" cue music.

Anyway the instructor starts the lesson and I we learn about self defence. He turns out to be one of those people who a drawer full of aphorisms that he brings out throughout the lesson.

"It's all about getting you home." he explains. "Just do what's necessary and get out of there."

He explains that there are various places to get someone.

"Can't see, can't fight, can't breathe, can't fight, can't walk can't fight." So basically that's what you have to do to your opponent before running away like a big school girls blouse. I don't know why I'm explaining this to you. It's not like I actually know this crap. I just listened to him. Don't take my word for it you should maybe turn up if you want to know this stuff.

Anyway I learned that hitting someone with your fist is not nearly as effective as using the palm of your hand.

And he says "Some of this stuff is nasty...but it's better to have your day in court that not make it home...better to be judged by 12 than carried in a box by 4." that was one of his favourite aphorisms.

He demonstrated how to punch someone in the chest.

"Like this he says" demonstrating on me. I try it. "No" he says like this demonstrating on me again. I try again. "Not quite more like this" he says demonstrating on me again. "Ow" I start to think.

Jesus taught his disciples to turn the other cheek and if you go to shu ku fu wi then that can be an option. Whereas for me it's compulsory because basically I'm a bit of a wimp.

After the lesson was over to prove this I had a fight with a girl.


She's called Thirza and here she is demonstrating the kick to the genital region.




And the punch to the face.



I'm not saying she's hard but if you're a mugger based in Southampton just keep walking.



I got home and found Hugo had sent me a facebook message reminding me of the name of the club. Seriously I so remembered

Hung Leng Kuen Wu Shu Kung Fu: Punch, Block Tick

Church of England Chaplain University of Southampton Manga The Big Tick Southampton University University Soton Uni Kung Fu

Facebook

I was glancing at the stats today. It being my day off... and while I don't want to go on about this...I'm confused. It seems that I'm getting quite a few hits from facebook.

Facebook the centre of the virtual student universe.

I forget how many times a day someone says "Facebook is so addictive" to me. Apparently so is Myspace and MSN and blogging.

Maybe the Internet is more addictive than even pringles. Boldrewood Tunnel Soc is on facebook. So is chaplaincy.

But while I would expect a couple of hits off that and even a couple of soton.facebook.com which is the Southampton University Network over the last few days I have got hits off these facebook networks:

Exeter University

Nottingham University

Glasgow University

Sheffield University

Strathclyde University

Edinburgh University

and a whole bunch of others.

I admit to confusion. If you came here from Facebook could you maybe let me know???

Only it's driving me nuts.

Church of England Chaplain University of Southampton Manga The Big Tick Southampton University University Soton Uni Facebook

SOR II

One final thing on SOR...and that concerns Christian adoption agencies that claim they are going to have to close their doors when this one comes in.

I only want to say one thing here.

If you run an adoption agency you have one overiding principal which should shape everything you do:

THE WELFARE OF CHILDREN

Just show me one shred of evidence that shows that children are worse off being adopted by gay couples? Just one piece.

Because option B is going back to care and there is no way that that can be better for a child.

By refusing to operate under SOR regulations Christian Adoption Agencies are placing the care of children second.

Wrong.

Unchristian.

Unbelievable.

Church of England Chaplain University of Southampton Manga The Big Tick Southampton University University Soton Uni Sexual Orientaion Regulations

SOR

**Disclaimer Proclaimer** The author of these words is a Christian and accepts the Bible in its entirety as scripture and as the supreme authority in his life.

It was while reading a story about a Christian couple who had been awared £10,000 by the police for having had their collar felt that I first felt a bit uncomfortable.

The problem with the way this story is reported and with the current Christian reaction to the Sexual Orientation Regulations is that it seems to make homophobia an article of faith. Let's be clear what were talking about here: This law outlaws discrimination. Christian's reaction to this is to declare that if they aren't allowed discriminate then their freedom of religion is under attack.

Once again there are screams of 'Persecution!'. Lets be clear on this when I get to church to find it has been closed by order of the government. When I am arrested for owning a Bible or taking part in Christian Worship then I will yell persecution.

I will not in response to the SOR because homophobia is not an article of faith. The Nicene creed does not end

"And I reserve the right to call a spade a spade especially if that spade is a screaming bender with no more right to live on God's clean Earth than a weasel"

NO! The Nicene creed ends with Amen.

Amen to that.

Let's also be clear on what the SOR is trying to achieve here. At the moment a woman walks into a print shop to get some cards printed, something like;

"Clair and Amy invite you to a house warming

at 24 Croxeth Road, to celebrate our move and our 5th anniversary"

and she can get a call 20 minutes later telling her to "come and take away this filth" because the printers refuse to "do that sort of thing" and she can't do anything about it.

Surely outlawing this is sort of thing is a brilliant thing that Christians should whole heartily applaud. Isn't it? Isn't bigotry horrid? Why aren't Christians celebrating?

It seems that following Jerry Springer the Opera that Christians not only want the right not to be offended, but they demand the right to offend others. And that's a religious right because offending people seems to have become part of the Christian faith.

Well it isn't part of the faith of this Christian.

This law does not mean you cannot believe what the hell you like. You can even tell people what you believe. You can also tell them to be just like you and you can threaten them with burning in hell for all eternity if they aren't.

All it means is that a gay couple who want to book a photographer don't have to worry that they will face prejudice. GOOD.

Look, if our fictional Clair and Amy go back to King of Kings Printers Ltd (KKP) past the large poster of a cute animal with a Bible quote printed under it. Up to the desk where the owner is wearing a large cross (as he has the right to do at work) and he says:

"I was reading your invitations and I saw you've just moved house. Expensive business that so I've knocked £10 off you bill"

Do you not think they might go out a bit more open to the Christian religion?

Or do you prefer it your way? Is that because you want to be hated for being a Christian so you can claim persecution but you live in a tolerant society that refuses to hate you? And you noticed that they don't like homophobia so you'll buy into that and claim your being hated for being a Christian?

Sorry persecution is about suffering for your faith, not your prejudices.

SOR is good. Live with it.

Church of England Chaplain University of Southampton Manga The Big Tick Southampton University University Soton Uni Sexual Orientaion Regulations

70s Style

Well here we are back for another term. I don't feel quite ready.

It's exam time so Chaplaincy is dead. As a result we're all quite bored!

So today spured on by Leo Sayers recent Big Brother related revival of Leo Sayers career we decided to see who could make the best 70s pop star.

Tom Tarling gave us a brilliant Leo Sayer





While Andy proved to be the very mirror image of miserable northern git Gilbert O'Sullivan





Why don't you play this game at home. See what 70s superstar you could be.

It's much more fun than revision.

Church of England Chaplain University of Southampton Manga The Big Tick Southampton University University Soton Uni Leo Sayer

S is for STAR

It was a cold dark December night when I met him...

Dressed in rags and unwashed he obviously had not eaten well for some time. He was standing in the 'Stag' with a pint.

Clearly a student.

Boldly he approached me and asked me for money. Now normally I don't give money to students standing in a pub. No matter how malnourished they look. He explained that it was for charity, which is a novel way of asking me to buy a drink, but I've got wise since the last time so initially I refused. Until he explained that it was really for charity. This was how I met S.T.A.R. Student Action for Refugees.

They were spending the week living like destitute asylum seekers. Not because their student loan had been late in coming nor because their landlord had decided to pack 58 of them into a 3 bedroom house claiming the cupboard under the stairs was 'a modest sized bedroom'. No these lot were choosing to do that to raise money and awareness.

It had been something of a steep learning curve.

"I was OK for the first couple of days" said one "you could beg a meal of one of your friends and kip on their floor but after that... well people start avoiding you, because you're going to beg food off them and you don't really like to keep doing that."

Of course real refugees go through not just the total humiliation of not being able to provide for themselves or their families but also the prejudice of the society around them. Check out this short list

With globalisation comes mobility and we on this island feel migration so much that now anyone tempted to use the 1951 Convention to gain access to this country will face almost impossible odds not to mention xenophobia and downright hostility.

Even though the largest group of migrants are legal immigrants.

This is what matters to STAR.

They were completing their week with a rough sleep outside the cube.

I decided to join them



They had sensibly decided to do it on a night when the cube was open. So they had lots of company. It was UNBELIEVABLY cold. One of them had turned up with the inside of a mattress. Which at first site seemed pretty bizarre until you realised option B was sleeping on the concrete.

It got to cube chucking out time and we were joined by a bunch of very happy people with a nice big urn. Perhaps I'll tick them at some point. Our attention was drawn to a slight altercation outside the cube. One guy decided to turn to the bloke next to him and repeatedly hit him. Clearly a situation in need of urgent resolution. Fortunately the security guards were on hand to sit on his head.

Muffled annoyance was observed.

Finally he was relieved of his student card and let go. Whereupon he was heard to remark (and for those of you of a sensitive nature this is the edited version) "I am a bit annoyed".

The rest of the evening progressed without incident. A jolly chap, somewhat the worse for drink decided to join STAR. Not realising the serious message he thought it was about laying around in rubbish and so placed a milk crate on his head.



See, he hardly looks like a prat at all!

I was struck by two things as I journeyed home.

One: Most of the people in STAR had come out wearing several jumpers, scarves coats and they were all wrapped up in sleeping bags. They looked about right for the time of year. Everyone else was wearing virtually nothing. Just for the record...that is nuts.

I had thought to illistrate this point with a photo. However I decided that it was probably not possible to hang around outside the cube taking a photo of all the girls who are wearing the least amount of clothing without having your head sat on.

Two: After all I have said before about student appathy it is nice to meet a bunch of students who actually care. And care enough to go to some real hardship. Even if that is just a drop in the ocean of being a real refugee.

A week latter I went back and this time I took part in a committee meeting.

Which is also something STAR do a lot of.

Student Action for Refugees: Found a home for Tick.

Church of England Chaplain University of Southampton Manga The Big Tick Southampton University University Soton Uni Refugees

Careers advice

To London to see my friend. I used to live in London. I miss it sometimes.

I never managed to get my own carriage on the tube though...



Sadly in order to get to Bethnall Green (where I was headed) I had to get the central line which was as packed as always. For those of you who have never been to London they colour code the lines so you know what tube line your on.... nice touch that.



Anyway I went there. I walked down a street I had lunch and then I came home.



Nothing eventful except on the return journey the Central Line was empty and the Waterloo and City line was packed.







The point is, on one level it was an uneventful day on another it was very significant.

We sat in this cafe and chatted about work. I think I'm having some sort of crisis of faith and I think I've been having it since I started this job. It's a weird crisis of faith because normally they entail not believing in God and actually I am not currently troubled by that sort of lack of faith. It's a sort of lack of faith in my job. I feel disconnected to Church and organised religion, that despite being a minister within the state church so I am the most organised of religious people. It's no good railing against the establishment like some working class comedian, I am the establishment.

It's a mixture of living in an environment in which Christianity plays very little part and being disturbingly at home and knowing that much of what I would like to be part of my job will not ever happen.

I think my friend seemed to be saying follow your heart, if you want to do something do it.

We talked quite a lot about Tunnel soc, we spoke quite a bit about the Big Tick he asked me a very profound question...he asked me what I was trying to do with them.

That got me thinking. What am I trying to do. Because in a sense I didn't really set out to do either of them so I'm not trying to do anything but still as we were discussing it seemed to me that this is a very real question. Are they both there hanging looking for some sort of meaning? Am I subconsciously trying to say or do something?

Should I be doing something else with my time?

Here we are once again. Another few months on and I'm still trying to vocalise something about community, spirituality, vocation and God and I can't seem to say it. Educated to post-graduate level and I can't articulate this. I can only emote it.

Dave challenged me to write down. Just write it down, not for anyone to read, just try and write it. He said that helps him to understand stuff.

Funny enough I got back to Southampton and read Dave's blog. Today he wrote about what he does for a living.

Obviously I got him thinking too.

Church of England Chaplain University of Southampton Covenant for the Church of England

Addicted???

Today in spite of having a new computer...I decided to not to blog anything.

Instead I MSNed students and then phoned my friend Dave.

Blgging Not Blogging

Virtual Chaplaincy back on the air

HEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...

This is Southampton University Chaplaincy coming to you live from Bassett, UK. That's right not Highfield where I work but Bassett where I live.

Just over two weeks after my old computer died and I'm back!

In the end I asked the nice boys and girls from Dell to sort me out. I would have liked to go for an Apple, but I didn't have time to save up. I might have gone for a self build but I needed it here quick...so in the end I went with Dell, being as they are the best at producing cheep, slightly customised machines quickly.

They said it would be delivered by Friday and then actually offered to get it here two days early. They said pm delivery and the driver arrived at 11:50 with an apology "Sorry I'm early, sir!"

So here is the delivery.




Hope you don't mind the green carpets...I wanted a bold statement and I'm not really sure that shade of green quite says "welcome to my house".

So I cleared upstairs of my old comp.




There it is....sadly ready for the scrap heap. It's not fair is it. Just gets the computer equivalent of a cold and has to be euthanized.

Actually since it probably got this from talking to dodgy web sites it's more like the computer equivalent of the clap.

That bit about dodgy web sites wasn't a confession by the way.

Anyway booted it up and it worked perfectly. I haven't been this happy to see teletubby land for such a long time.

Here it is. I've changed the background which is now my old college.




so there we are now I just need to download MSN and virtual chaplaincy will be online. I wonder if there are any students about.

Blgging Not Blogging Chaplaincy Church of England

Wake up Call

Today I went into the office and woke up my old computer one last time.

It was not exactly easy. Windows is no longer functioning. Something called ActiveX has gone absolutely tits up. This means basically that I can't save files, the 'Start Button' does not work...basically its fallen off.

As well as that the computer does not recognise the perifirals or the card reader. Both Internet Explorer and Outlook Express have disapeared from the system never to return. The final insult is that the screen saver no longer switches on.

Having spoken to several ECS students (who ministered to me for a change), an MPhys Grad and an ICT teacher from a local secondary school (who happens to be my friend - yes I do hang around with a few people who already have degrees) the general consensers is that I have some sort of virus.

So I woke the thing up and it was properly poorly and quite groggy and unco-operative as you would expect.

I was there to try and salvage something of my many files which I haven't backed up since 2003. This proved impossible. It wont trasfer files. It wont recognise the memory stick. I even considered e-mailing them to myself 6 files at a time except e-mail doesn't work. In the end just as I was about to give up...something approximating a miracle occured. The CD writer suddenly come online. However my joy was short lived as I realised that I still could not save files.

However once upon a time I spent a term studying computer. Last century in fact in 1990 to be precise. Back then the most powerful machines (286s they were called) ran something called Windows 3.1. Everything else ran MSDos. So that's what we were taught to use.

Totally useless nowadays. However I discovered by using a mixture of DOS and Windows (windows to set up the CD and DOS to actually do the writting reachign back into the back of my brain and finding there commands such as dir /p mkdir and copy as well as all sorts of other useful stuff and now I have 4 CDs which is basically my old computer. The thing can now rest in peace.

*A moments silence*


Tommorrow my new computer arrives.

I have been told that if you fill your blog with lots of technical specs google sends you loads of visiters.

So here goes...

My new computer has a BIG hard drive.

LOTS of memory so it doesn't forget how to run windows.

A DVD drive that goes wizzy wizzy and actually MAKES DVDs.

A graphics card that displays er...lots of graphics

A sound card that goes whoosh BOOOM!

Oh and something called a Pentium duel core 2.88 GHz Processor. Which I think makes the tea.

There you are google. BRING IT ON.

If you want a blog with more computery words in go here.

Blgging Not Blogging