clueless ramblings

an illusion of here-ness!

2007-06-08T18:46:00.000+10:00

it's been a while since i have been around these parts.

a friend has started up a new blog called http://emmausroadaustralia.blogspot.com/ so i may be popping in from time to time.

sumara - you should check him out. (it's 'the lutheran' *grins*)

hello all of you who i've been so hopeless at keeping in touch with. don't know if anyone will be checking this up after all this time, but if you do, please pop on and say hi.....

cheers all,
jo

ouch sumara tagged me....

2006-10-02T12:39:00.000+10:00

ok. i've already done this whole thing and then it didn't publish it!!!!

but since it has been SO quiet here for so long, and since it was the ever gorgeous sumara who tagged me, i shall try again....

so here is the meme thang.... again......

If you could build a house anywhere, where would it be?
half way up a hill in wales, uk.

What’s your favorite article of clothing?
at the moment it is a pair of brown velvet jeans

What’s the last CD that you bought?
it was SO long ago, i honestly can't think.
now that is just SO terribly, terribly sad....

Where’s your favorite place to be?
half way up that hill in wales... or in a cuddle with my babies.
ideally it would be both

Where’s your least favorite place to be?
running errands...

What’s your favorite place to be massaged?
again, i have to reach far back into the recesses of distant memory, but i seem to recall enjoying both foot and scalp massages...

Strong in mind or strong in body?
if i had to choose, it would be mind

What time do you wake up in the morning?
too bloody early!!!!
presently it is between 5.30am and 6.30am

What is your favorite kitchen appliance?
kettle... or dishwasher.... hmmmmm

What makes you really angry?
hatred. pettiness... world politics.
actually all of those things have a lot in common...

If you could play any instrument, what would it be?
i presume this means apart from ones i already play?
celtic harp.

Which do you prefer…sports car or SUV?
not fond of either to be honest...

Do you believe in an afterlife?
i THINK so......

Favorite children’s book?
i'm going 'picture books' here -
'sometimes i like to curl up in a ball' by charles fuge
and absolutely ANYTHING illustrated by julie vivas

If you could have one super power, what would it be?
to communicate telepathically

If you have a tattoo, what is it?
one day when funds allow and i get the nerve, i shall get one for each of my babies

Can you juggle?
no

The one person from your past that you wish you could go back and talk to?
that's too heavy a question to answer today

What’s your favorite day?
saturday

What’s in the boot of your car?
spare tyre, picnic rug, spare clothes, hats, towell, water bottles.
now before you laud my efficiency and forethought, they are all either used, dirty or empty, and awaiting replacements ...

Which do you prefer, sushi or hamburger?
SUSHI!!! yum.
but there is this one place that makes these marvellous real hamburgers...
i would rather vomit than eat a macca's burger.

R.I.P. steve irwin

2006-09-04T16:11:00.000+10:00

as much as the guy was a bit of a wally sometimes, i had the utmost respect for his passion for animals and his family life.....

he was a fellow sunshine coaster and homeschooler and he will definately be missed.....

health dramas

2006-08-28T13:19:00.000+10:00

i now have experienced the horror of seeing my child have a seizure.
it was seriously scary business.

he is ok now, of course, and all is well, but the trip in the ambulance and hospital stay - complete with very scary tests for a 3 year old - were not my idea of a fun way to spend the weekend.

aghast!

2006-08-25T16:40:00.000+10:00

well, today i discovered another depth that people can sink to in their darkness, their smallness, their hatred, their vindictiveness and stupidity.

the fact that it is wrapped in a facsimile of christianity and putting words into god's mouth made me more furious than i have been in a long time.

i hate that i was brought to tears by these people. and their effect on good people. people who live with the knowledge that others want them dead!?! it's insane.

we're so sheltered here in australia.
we hear the news.
i know what is going on in the middle east.
we see the movies.
i've seen 'mississippi'.
i have jewish ancestry so i know this stuff in theory.

but i'm still shocked how people can react against people for who they are.

i'm aghast.

i shouldn't be surprised.
why on earth was i so surprised?

ok. rant over.

happy birthday rupert grint.

2006-08-24T19:01:00.000+10:00

the lovely rupert, who plays ron in the potter movies, was 18 years old today.

happy anniversary to us....

2006-08-24T18:59:00.000+10:00

well, i had miscalculated. i've been thinking this was 15th and it was 14th. oops.

so it arrived, and we both started the day by forgetting about it.
possible tension and despair was avoided when we both remembered in time to save face.

pizza and a bottle of wine after the kids were in bed was quite a nice way to spend a tuesday and all was right in the world.

amazing to think we've been 'together' since early 1988. we're almost talking 'decades' here folks.
YIKES!

my sister's keeper

2006-08-17T20:13:00.000+10:00

"my sister's keeper" by jodi picoult

i wasn't going to read it, and if i did, i certainly wasn't going to like it.

it was for a new bookclub (some of the homeschool mums are going to do a thing after the kids' literacy group once a month).
this was the book decided on for the first one.
when my reserved copy came in at the library i took one look at the cover and went EEEEK!

when my dh read the blurb on the cover he just looked at me and said 'no way are you reading that!'.
now he's not the bombastic sort, just that he didn't think it conducive to my mental health and the stability of the family (or the likelihood of him getting any meals prepared for him) if i read a book which was asks

if you use one of your children to save the life of another, are you being a good mother ... or a very bad one?

he knows i've never quite recovered from 'sophie's choice'.

still, i didn't want to decide against it without even dipping in, so i did.

i hate it when i like popular things. i feel so normal. (just kidding).

i really enjoyed this book.
it's got quite a light touch, regardless of the soul numbing horror it's dealing with.

the different voices were all distinct and believable, and i was moved by the unexpected insights each of them had.

i was so ready to hate sara (the mother) and yet, her viewpoint made me sympathetic despite myself.

jesse (the delinquent brother) is my favourite character.

cheers all,
jo

british article on LUMOS

2006-08-07T07:28:00.000+10:00

well, this would have been an even better article if the person HAD actually read all the books in preparation for covering the conference, but still, there are some interesting observations.

MERLIN, interested in hearing your response to this article.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,1837941,00.html

jo

tagging the franoggle

2006-08-03T13:31:00.000+10:00

tagging the franoggle too

i am all things evil, and have bullied my sister into getting a blogspot identity, so that i can talk to her online too.

so i am adding her to my tags for this book meme as i am really interested to read her answers.

so frannoire, post a comment here with your answers.
(cut and paste from my one below and then replace the answers with your own)

big kisses and stuffjo

YIKES i've been tagged! - books

2006-08-02T16:06:00.000+10:00

1. One book that changed your life:
"Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl ( i think i have spelt that correctly)

2. One book that you've read more than once:
ummmm everything i've owned?
ok..
have to be from the Harry Potter series, I think.
"HP and the Half Blood Prince"

3. One book you'd want on a desert island:
am i allowed to say The Bible? or is that cheating?

4. One book that made you laugh:
"Hitchhiker's Guide to the Gallery"

5. One book that made you cry:
"To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee

6. One book that you wish had been written:
"World Peace for Idiots"

7. One book you wish had never been written:
"On Becoming Babywise" by Gary and Marie Ezzo - please no hate mail.

8. One book you're currently reading:
just finished (again)
"Bono on Bono" Conversations with Michka Assayas

about to start
"My Sister's Keeper" for book club. am dreading it actually.

9. One book you've been meaning to read:
all the things on my list from merlin - i'll pick ....
"The Great Divorce" by C.S. Lewis

10. Now I'm supposed to "tag" 4 people.
- i don't think 4 people even read this blog... Merlin's had his go, so

* Sumara
*My Boaz's Ruth
*Narelle
*Katef

make sure to leave a comment if you get the tag so i can go sticky at what you say!

jo

it's been a while

2006-07-31T21:54:00.000+10:00

thought i'd better say something in case it looked like i was no longer here!

all the action has been goin on over at muggle matters, where merlin and sumara are obsessed with pirates of the caribbean.
merlin has also been at 'lumos' the harry potter conference.

for me here in boring land i've been dealing with flues (as opposed to 'floos' ) and sore legs and fascillitating a bookclub.
homeschool this term is hectic with lots of fantastic activities happening, including gymnastics classes, clowning workshops and science clubs.

there is sadness on the horizon with my favourite aunty succumbing to a cancer she's battled valiantly for the last few years, along with her m.s. i long to visit her, but the uk is just too many dollars away. *sniff*

my children are divine and challenging, as is my husband. anniversary this month! yikes....

well, we're all caught up now.

ciao

jo

ps. happy birthday to harry potter and jo rowling. :)

christians and jkrowling

2006-07-18T22:17:00.000+10:00

well, you all need to go and read this post at www.mugglematters.com

http://www.mugglematters.com/2006/07/good-or-bad-symbolism-debate.html

it's a nice look at a part of the 'should christians read potter?' issue.

i will be printing it out and just handing it to the next person who queries me on it....

merlin, check this out!

2006-07-15T00:51:00.000+10:00

more quotes! have found all these interviews with jkr. fun game to go through them all.

this quote should make merlin (from muggle matters) feel very chuffed.

taken from
"JK Rowling talks about Book Four," cBBC Newsround, July 2000

And how vital is book four in the whole seven book series to Harry?JKR: Crucial. The fourth is a very, very important book. Well you know because you read it, something incredibly important happens in book four and also it's literally a central book, it's almost the heart of the series, and it's pivotal. It's very difficult to talk about and I can't wait for the day someone's read all seven and I can talk completely freely about it. But it's a very, very important book.

'nuff said....

2006-07-15T00:25:00.000+10:00

J.K. Rowling interview transcript, The Connection (WBUR Radio), 12 October, 1999
Transcript Courtesy Sugarquill.net's Transcription Project

There’s an important kind of redemptive pattern to Snape

JKR: He, um, there’s so much I wish I could say to you, and I can’t because
it would ruin. I promise you, whoever asked that question, can I just say to you
that I’m slightly stunned that you’ve said that and you’ll find out why I’m so
stunned if you read Book 7. That’s all I’m going to say.

gambon again

2006-07-10T22:12:00.000+10:00

he's really not that bad in poa.
still no 'self possession', but he almost gets the whimsical bit i guess.

what went so wrong for goblet?

birthday boy

2006-07-08T18:58:00.000+10:00

happy 3rd birthday quinn.
love you so much. you are my bright and shining son. you have made my heart bigger, and taught me so much.

love and hugs always,
mum

sister jude

2006-07-04T20:16:00.000+10:00

hey 'sister jude'.
if you have managed to find your way here - congratulations on your hi tech skills. *gold star*

press "comment" and say hi so i know.

miss you.

jo (aka sister kate)

going away

2006-06-30T14:33:00.000+10:00

for a few days.
be back tuesday.

jo

bono and adam do a harry and ron

2006-06-24T21:40:00.000+10:00

(from 'bono on bono' p 121/2)

describing a concert in arizona in the late eighties, after they received some death threats because they campaigned for martin luther king day.

There was a specific threat: "Don't go ahead with the concert. And, if you do, don't sing 'Pride (In the Name of Love)', because, if you do, I am gonna blow your head off, and you won't be able to stop this from happening."

Of course you go onstage and you put it out of your head. But I do remember actually , in the middle of "Pride", thinking, for a second: 'Gosh! What if somebody was organized, or in the rafters of the building, or somebody, here and there, just had a handgun?"

I just closed my eyes and I sang this middle verse, with my eyes closed, trying to concentrate and forget about this ugliness and just keep close the beauty that's suggested in the song.

I looked up, at the end of that verse and Adam was standing in front of me.

also a bit department of mysteries with them closing in around ginny.

:) hey i can make any comparisons i want to. it's my blog.

jo

neville

2006-06-20T21:15:00.000+10:00

read a fan fic about neville.

it's so interesting this whole fan fic thing.

at first i was just bewildered that people would bother. writing stories about characters they didn't even create! it all seemed very adolescent.

however after reading for a few weeks, i have decided they fall into a few categories.

1. the adolescent ones - mostly harmless. sometimes really baaaaad.

2. some really beautiful writing.
using the known characters taps into the connection you already have with them.

3. a place to try out theories etc

this third one has intrigued me. i have read a few things and it's gotten me thinking theories and plots etc in another way ( along with blog entries, essays, and forum conversations. )
it's like exploring the idea in full colour instead of black and white or something.

so.....
this particular neville fic has him being treated for an overly strong memory charm placed on him when his parents were tortured into insanity.
thus explaining his poor memory and general goofiness.

this is quite plausable canon wise. bertha jorkins in gof goes all scatty after her memory is forcibly erased to protect the crouch's secret.

there is this sense about neville that there is more to him thanmeets the eye.
he is also potentially significant as the 'other choice' for chosen one and also - could there have been some valuable info held by his parents for the horcrux/relics?

breath, jo breath!!!!

2006-06-16T09:50:00.000+10:00

my sense of being a round peg trying to find somewhere to fit in a board full of extremely square holes has increased in the last few days.

even while i'm conscientiously taking all my herbs lol.

i know i seem to live hopelessly in the shades of grey, but honestly! what is the deal with all these false two option choices society keeps offering?

firstly there is the 'potter versus god' thing. for goodness sake. (i'll take both thanks)

then the supernanny inspired ' you have to choose between being punitive or permissive' thing. (ummm neither thanks)

the how do i love my husband (as in how do i function on a daily basis) when he's being a jerk thing. (i don't think i'm a door mat or a harradin. so what do i do?)

it doesn't help that i am having some true crises (crisises??) of faith and have no one to ask about them as all the people i know are locked onto whatever 'side' they perceive of many of the issues. i want to hear from people who actually look at the information and consider things with a view to finding truth and not just defending their position.

aaaaggghhhh.....

steam over... for now.

emotional dd

2006-06-14T18:14:00.000+10:00

just getting a taste of what the future holds i guess.

she just gets really teary about stuff out of nowhere! freaks me out really, as she's so bouncy most of the time.

her eyes go really wide and brimful of tears, and she presses her lips together to hold back. break a mother's heart or what!

first thought of course - eek what if it's THAT already!!!! it's not though. she's got to be too young, but it gave me pause anyway.

before i know it they'll be teenagers - *sob*

jo

glutton for punishment

2006-06-13T20:02:00.000+10:00

connections! that is just SO TRUE!!! lol

Your Brain's Pattern

Your brain is always looking for the connections in life.You always amaze your friends by figuring out things first.You're also good at connecting people - and often play match maker.You see the world in fluid, flexible terms. Nothing is black or white.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

glutton for punishment

2006-06-13T20:01:00.000+10:00

connections! that is just SO TRUE!!! lol

Your Brain's Pattern

What'>http://www.blogthings.com/whatpatternisyourbrainquiz/">What Pattern Is Your Brain?

don't know why i bother

2006-06-13T19:56:00.000+10:00

either things don't post, or they do 3 times, or weeks later.... what is WITH THAT?!?!?!!

fume.

hope this doesn't mess with the blog...

2006-06-13T19:54:00.002+10:00

loved this enough to try and post it.....

You Belong in Amsterdam

A little old fashioned, a little modern - you're the best of both worlds. And so is Amsterdam.Whether you want to be a squatter graffiti artist or a great novelist, Amsterdam has all that you want in Europe (in one small city).

What European City Do You Belong In?

hope this doesn't mess with the blog...

2006-06-13T19:54:00.001+10:00

loved this enough to try and post it.....

You Belong in Amsterdam

What European City Do You Belong In?

hope this doesn't mess with the blog...

2006-06-13T19:54:00.000+10:00

loved this enough to try and post it.....

You Belong in Amsterdam

What'>http://www.blogthings.com/whateuropeancitydoyoubelonginquiz/">What European City Do You Belong In?

this was a really fun one.

2006-05-29T20:17:00.001+10:00

this was a really fun one.

2006-05-29T20:17:00.000+10:00

and quite interesting in it's observations.

late night music

2006-05-22T07:06:00.000+10:00

latest favourite song - carol king "up on the roof" - live version with ... is it ? james taylor?

love it.

a gem from my dd

2006-05-13T15:05:00.000+10:00

yesterday we went to a 'read, write and share' day with the local homeschool crew.

one of the activities involved the children each drawing 5 symbols or little pictures across the top of a page. they then wrote a few sentences/ story including them. they would then swop pages with another and it continued until they had written on all the various pieces.
it was interesting to see what similarities and differences came out in interpreting the symbols.

one of the mums leading the activity talked about the beginnings of written language and heiroglyphics etc, and refered to the symbols as 'keys'.

my dd (7) moved her arms indicating something small becoming larger, and said
"they are keys. they are keys that open a box. in the box is ideas and inspiration."

gotta love it.

been a while

2006-05-07T08:01:00.000+10:00

thought i'd make an entry since it's been a while.

currently i've been trying to write some stuff for the local homeschool group's website.
it has really brought my insecurities into sharp focus.
i have NO idea how to write anything!!!! wah!!!!!
i need to find some course or book or something to help me get away from the "i dropped out of school so i'm a dunderhead" mentality. i just need some practical stuff about how to shape an essay and what the 'rules' are.
particularly poignant since one of the things i'm writing about is how school isn't necessary to education. lol.

i'm reading an interesting book that my sister got for me. it's a publication from new zealand. i just loved the cover and title - made me all gooey inside. lol.
it's called
"He'll be OK. Growing Gorgeous Boys into Good Men." by Celia Lashlie.
i'm not going to buy it all hook line and sinker. she's rubbed me up the wrong way already with a couple of statements, but i love the main gist which is about giving boys the space to enjoy being male.

one section was about 'living in the moment', and the dangerous stuff that can be done in the spur of the moment. particularly when they despair.
here is an excerpt. describing a conversation with one young man in a school she visited.
"he acknowledged that he could understand our fears so I then asked him what he would tell despairing young men if he was one of us, the concerned adults. Without hesitation, and with extraordinary wisdom, he replied, 'You just have to keep telling us there'll be more moments.'
i think this is advice i've taken on board for my dealings with my own good man! (the 'grown up' one).

also enjoying some ursula le guinn. her turn of phrase gives me a physical thrill. some of her pseudo anthropological stuff needs diagrams to go with it (lol) but the beauty i stumble on in the midst of these stories just makes it all worth while for me.
Here's a few gems.
The Birthday of the World and other stories.
The Matter of Seggri - p65
"His authority was in fact immense, but he never stood on it. He sat down on it, comfortably, and invited you to sit down with him."

Solitude - p 141
"I said, 'I learned something in my education here. In one of the songs, it says' and I hesitated, trying to translate it into Hainish, 'it says, thinking is one way of doing, and words are one way of thinking.' "

exciting for me - a friend's husband works at the local hospital. someone left a book in the ward and they couldn't get it back to the owner, so he brought it home. so now it's MINE ALL MINE!!! lol.
yes it's "Half Blood Prince". i own it. i own it. i own it.
my dh thinks i really need to get a life if that makes me so excited. hehehe.

of course the fact is that i HAVE a life. and it's a very satisfying one. just doesn't make great copy.

geldof again

2006-04-22T12:52:00.000+10:00

another great australian interview. i usually think richard wilkins is a bit of a wally, but this is worth listening to.

i don't know if these links work, or stay 'active' or whatever, but i'll keep it here for the future just in case.

http://ninemsn.video.msn.com/v/en-au/v.htm?g=1d041bbd-98bf-4049-b348-9c9bbefecfaf&f=39

http://ninemsn.video.msn.com/v/en-au/v.htm?g=62b282f8-b90d-4536-aa55-127a38005a79&f=39

http://ninemsn.video.msn.com/v/en-au/v.htm?g=79391969-ccca-4c20-abad-06d2ee797b98&f=39

how to dismantle an atomic bomb

2006-04-17T22:56:00.000+10:00

i have been listening to this album over and over and over again.
what a fantastic album. i know i'm a die hard fan, but i'm pretty blown away.

i found it unpacking a box. we have moved a LOT. too many times to mention. my dh is pretty haphazard in his packing tecnique. (lol, mentioned this in a previous entry on this blog). so i was looking for something else entirely and there underneath an old chip packet, pair of socks - yes more socks, dobby would be overjoyed - here is a brand new copy of this album that i have LONGED to own.
i run - somewhat bemused - to ask steve how this got there and he says off hand "oh, yeh. i bought that for you a couple of years ago. was wondering what happened to it." o_0.
unbelievable.

still, this might take away some of the devestation of missing out on tickets to the (sadly postponed) concert in brisbane.

i can't even start listing great moments here cos i will just start gushing, and i really don't like gushing.

ah, well. happy dance here right now.

goblet of fire movie

2006-04-10T16:38:00.000+10:00

well i got to look at the gof movie on dvd on the weekend. i really enjoyed the extras (not the games - yawn) but then i'm a sucker for behind the scenes stuff.

my first impressions of the movie pretty much stand now. i think it's a sophisticated fan fic.

i *wish* i could really love it. there are so many elements that are wonderful, but i just was left a bit *humpfh* about it all.

i don't really understand how you can care about the books so much (as the producer and some of the actors obviously do) and just kind of miss it.
now before everyone jumps up and down and says "it's an adaption" i KNOW that. i am quite comfortable with lots of the cuts they made. i think that it was a mighty task to bring such a huge story to the screen in anything less than mini series length.
some of the cuts/changes i am quite comfortable with.
eg.
*barty junior's backstory
*SPEW
*layered plot elements in the maze
*less quidditch world cup (sad but ok)
*voldie's eyes not red - you needed fiennes' performance

but i DON"T understand -
*why they had to totally change the point of the dragon sequence and make some time sucking chase when they were so short of time to start with! it could easily have been half as long (though after my dh worked in post production at a disney studio for a while i can totally understand some exec saying 'we've spent $x developing that dragon, let's get our money's worth)
*sirius in the fire was just RIDICULOUS i was embarassed.
*what was with barty crouch and the tongue thing? surely he could have twitched his shoulder or something else for his dad to recognise him. the tongue was too confusing with nagini etc. enough snakes already!
*butchering the mood at the end, like harry just kind of 'got over it' really quickly was awful. i've read about the 'film making rule' that after the climax you have to wrap it up in x minutes, but i was still disappointed.
the depth of harry's experience is expressed so much in the caring of sirius, mrs weasley and ron and hermione. it was so diminished.
*hagrid would not GROPE madame maxime. he's a hot blooded giant and all, but his shyness would surely not allow him to cop a feel in front of dumbledore etc!!!!!!

regarding the performances:
gambon ..... *sigh*
i kept an open mind for this second viewing. i put harris out of my head all together. but when he came rushing in and shoved harry up against the cabinet... i mean HONESTLY! and even more offensive was how he was draping himself over fleur delacour before the third task. i do like that he was more energetic and had the sparkle that poor old richard was lacking in cos due to his ill health, but he had none of the self possession and dignity of dumbledore. he had none of the aura of great wisdom. yes, he is troubled about events and finds himself without all the answers, but he wouldn't be falling apart all over the place!

emma watson.
her eyebrows were distracting me!

rupert grint.
i love him as ron. his querelous "where!?!?" when told to hold professor mcgonnagal's waist was priceless. he has been limited by the movie characterisation i think, but has it down imo.

dan radcliffe.
he's not the greatest actor of the age, but i buy him as harry. he captures something of his inner world i think. given the material and the way things are cut i think he does really well. the next movie will really show if he has the goods or not.

maggie smith.
perfect

tom felton.
it annoys me that he doesn't have the same accent as his father. (who is also spot on imo)

gleeson
i liked his moody. he was cantankerous and quirky. i could see why harry would trust him and feel betrayed by him.

fleur (can't remember the actor's name)
just not veela enough. gorgeous in a very human way, but not statuesque and intoxicating!

SO
the flow from one thing to another just didn't win me over. i didn't get swept up. i couldn't suspend my disbelief. i don't mind fast pacing, or slow pacing or whatever , as long as it works. i wish i loved this movie, but somehow the whole just didn't end up greater than the sum of it's parts to me.

however, not everyone agrees with me.
here are some thoughts of others more learned than myself.
http://swordofgryffindor.com/2006/03/21/goblet-of-fire-pensieve/

http://www.mugglematters.com/2005_11_01_mm_archive.html
scroll down about half way to these two posts
Worth the Price of Admission - and then some
Merlin's Movie Review of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
and
A Couple other Notes About the Goblet of Fire Movie

melencholy

2006-04-10T13:00:00.000+10:00

it is the pits really. and it's all because of possibilities and lost opportunities. true grief has a purpose i can embrace. but this melencholy has no bounds and benefits nothing.
aaaagghhhhh!

hp course

2006-04-06T12:26:00.000+10:00

travis at sword of gryffindor has been posting the lessons from a literature course he's taking at a local college. it has some good questions as a starting point for looking into the harry potter series.

http://www.swordofgryffindor.com/

gryffindor the brave

2006-04-01T18:55:00.000+10:00

i was reading a part of a discussion about the 'train incidents' in HP. some people were referring to the fact that on a number of occassions, a higher number of gryffs hex a lesser number of slytherins (one scenario citing 5 to 3). the comment was then made "how's that for so called gryffindor bravery?". several other comments along the same lines also referring to the less than perfect morality of some character's actions.
it was bugging me and i think i have worked out why.
there is a mistaken assumption made in using the word 'bravery' to mean 'nobility'. these two things are quite distinct i think, though often overlap in the execution.

it's good to work that out.

cheers,
jo

for merlin

2006-03-28T15:32:00.000+10:00

wanting to acknowledge what has happened i guess.
i am praying for you as you and your family struggle to make sense of it all and to recalibrate your bearings on the world in this next phase.

going on from what i said in my response on the other thread (bi partate etc) - i guess it doesn't get any realer than this. i am also reminded of the conversation we had a while ago about 'dying well'. i hope that the relationship and knowing you shared with your dad was fully experienced when it was refined down to that moment.

warm hugs.

jo

trying again

2006-03-28T09:52:00.000+10:00

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/mrsramjet/georgiaspics019.jpg

thoughts on grace

2006-03-28T09:48:00.000+10:00

enjoying some reading i found following a trail from travis at sword of gryffindor

http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/jesussalvation

excertp
At the same time, I do not want a “salvation is a transaction” or “salvation is a mathmatical calculation” approach. ...............
I believe that anyone who has clearly seen the glory of the Biblical Gospel has avoided “mathmatical” descriptions as insufficient. Discussions of God “choosing a number of the elect” do not interest me because my own encounter with Jesus NEVER EVER leads me in that direction. The “math” of the Gospels is the math of God leaving the 99 and going after the one. It is a hundred fruit from one seed. It is a mass of humanity that no man could count. It is feeding all of the five thousand and all of the four thousand. It is not “the blood of Jesus covers this many” or any other limiting, quantitative description of the grace of God.

and then here

http://www.internetmonk.com/articles/G/grace.html

happy 5th birthday

2006-03-28T08:22:00.000+10:00

let's see if i can post a pic here....

for my beatiful boy who turned 5 yesterday.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/mrsramjet/georgiaspics019.jpg[/IMG]

awww sweet!

2006-03-27T09:37:00.000+10:00

Oh, the comfort--
the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person--
having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words,
but pouring them all right out,
just as they are,
chaff and grain together;
certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping,
and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.

-- from "A Life for a Life", Dinah Maria Mulock Craik (1826-1887)

AB-ers

2006-03-26T23:30:00.000+10:00

if any of you lovely ladies take a peak here, feel free to say hi.
should i leave the link at AB? *bites fingernails*

jo

excerpts from healing themes

2006-03-25T23:25:00.000+10:00

since that post is so hard to read in one lump like that i thought i'd isolate some tidbits. it would sadden me to think of them being lost in the mass.

"A lot of how I see the series turning out is because it seems to me that this isn't a 'Lord of the Rings' style epic of warrior heroes; it feels a lot closer to 'The Secret Garden' or 'Little White Horse'or even 'Great Expectations'-- a darker, more elaborate version of thechild healer story. "

JKR says she didn't set out to write achildren's story-- I think she set out to write a story that requiredchildren, as symbols of renewal and the possibilty of starting again.

One thing nearly all of Rowling's favorite books have in common ............ is that they're dramas of recognition, or re-cognition-- the central event is the protagonist going back over events that she saw one way, with one set of assumptions, and re-thinking everything because of new knowledge about the past and about people'smotivations.

that is the clincher for me. that rings SO true. HBP was all about that. going over a lot of ground in more depth that had been covered in previous books and seeing more significance in them.

i think re-seeing the past is going to uncover the horcruxes and give all the clues that dumbledore has left with harry. all the things he ALREADY knows.

jo

healing themes on hpfgu

2006-03-24T22:09:00.000+10:00

going to share here a post (with permission from the author - thanks sydney) from the harry potter for grownups list.

it is set up by a quote from a previous post on snape's situation - being stuck basically in the past, unable for whatever reasons (bitterness etc) to move on towards a redemption and resolution.

Sydney:Oh, man, this goes right to the heart of the themes of the series,doesn't it? So many of the adult characters are stuck in thissituation that they can't move on from. Like Sirius couldn't leavehis mother's house. Snape can't break away from these repressed darkfeelings of hatred-- represented by being a spy on the Dark forces. Lupin looks like the first one to actually start something new-- hewas in this space where he was holding himself apart from otherpeople, because he's afraid he'll hurt them. And Hogwarts has thisunresolved issue going back, like, a thousand years, of an angrybreakup, fragmentation, something that was broken and hasn't beenfixed. And how did this unresolved stuff come out? Overflowingblocked pipes full of snakes, that's how. Rowling doesn't have a bigbook with "Freud" on the spine for nothing!A lot of how I see the series turning out is because it seems to methat this isn't a "Lord of the Rings" style epic of warrior heroes; it feels a lot closer to "The Secret Garden" or "Little White Horse"or even "Great Expectations"-- a darker, more elaborate version of thechild healer story. I just finished "I Capture the Castle", anotherbook JKR's cited as a big influence, and it's the same sort of thing--at the heart of the story is a blocked writer, who needs his childrento break through these badly healed scars, get the blood flowing, andrecover in an organic way. JKR says she didn't set out to write achildren's story-- I think she set out to write a story that requiredchildren, as symbols of renewal and the possibilty of starting again. I read an interview once with the great animation director Miyazake,who was asked what the difference was between children's movies andadult movies. He said that in an adult movie, you have to make do andstruggle on with all your crippling mistakes; but a children's moviealways has this feeling that everything can start fresh and clean again.One thing nearly all of Rowling's favorite books have in common--"Little White Horse" and "Pride and Prejudice" and "I Capture theCastle", is that they're dramas of recognition, or re-cognition-- thecentral event is the protagonist going back over events that she sawone way, with one set of assumptions, and re-thinking everythingbecause of new knowledge about the past and about people'smotivations. This has the same sort of thematic movement as a healingstory, because it's all about opening up festering wounds and lettingout all the toxins, as it were, to the air, so they can heal properly.People seem to be speculating about big battles and the Horcrux-huntbeing an Indina-Jones-type-thing and everything sort of going along anaction-adventure, destroy the baddies thing. I don't think it's goingthere at all. I think book VII will be packed full of backstory, ofmisunderstandings cleared up, of things that were broken being puttogether. I don't think the Locket is going to be the first Horcruxthat's going to turn out to have been already taken care of in someway. What's needed isn't destruction, it's recognition, or un-burial. I mean, not there won't be a lot of derring-do and such, but with atwist. I wish there was another thing coming up where we could putquestions to JKR, because I'm longing to ask her if she has put inTarot stuff other than the Tower and the Hanged Man. Because shortlyafter the Tower appears in the deck, the Judgement card shows up-- acard showing people joyfully rising from graves. I'm certain at leastone character we thought was dead will be alive; whether it's Regulusor Emmeline Vance or even Dumbledore (though I doubt it will be him). I dunno... I don't really have enough coherence to put together anactual post on this. Random thoughts--I LOVE Magpie's idea of Draco paying back Snape's life debt by savingHarry. It's so appropriate to the genre, that the children have tostep forward, because the adults are just plain stuck. Snape is thepast; Draco is the future. I think there's something important to the Sectumsempra healing spellsounding like a song-- Phoenix song? I wonder did Snape learn it fromFawkes? Dumbledore tells Harry in CoS that only true loyalty couldhave called Fawkes to him-- is this how he's so certain of Snape'sloyalities? I'm just sort of riffing on suicidal!Snape, because itwould be so like him to express this extraordinary remorse Dumbledorespoke of by trying to destroy himself, rather than by healing. "Sectumsempra" means to "cut forever", it seems very appropriateChristina symbolism that the Phoenix can heal even that which seemscut forever. "Sectumsempra"-- wow, that spell is just Snape in anutshell- the idea that things can just be cut off and that takes careof them. Sorry to stay on Snape, but, I mean, he does seem to appear at theheart of the thematic stuff! There has to be some connection here tothat damn DADA job. The job is cursed by Voldemort, the embodiment ofDark magic, that is, hatred and fear. Snape seems to be pursuingthis-- I dunno, Snape thematically is so tied in to the ideas ofrepressing bad feelings and lashing out against them, rather thanembracing and healing them-- spying and Occlumency and non-Verbalspells. This whole thing bugs me, I can't quite figure out whatmeaning it's meant to have. But the disagreement between Snape andDumbledore on that job seems to go right to the heart of the symbolicstuff.On Snape's crimes and redemption generally: I think whatever Snapedid as a DE will likely remain offscreen, like what the centaurs didto Umbridge, where people's imaginings can be as lurid as they like. Personally I have a hard time picturing Dumbledore twinkling atsomeone who'd tortured helpless people to death, and offering himvulture hats because he takes himself too seriously. But then, somepeople think Dumbledore's a lot more of a psycho than I think he is! Anyways, I'm pretty sure the question with Snape isn't one ofredemption, in the sense of what side he's on; I think that's alreadyhappened. All the symbols Rowling puts around him seem a lot moretied into the idea of recognition, of bringing out the hidden. Ireally see Harry's role here as one of being able to say, even ifSnape doesn't change a hair, "I trust Severus Snape completely",because he'll have attained this Dumbledore-level integration with hisdark side. Just my feeling. Anyways, random long disconnected post.. -- Sydney, feeling both expansive and incoherent at the same time, nota great combination.

bi partate, tri partate, immortal,, eternal..... huh?

2006-03-24T14:36:00.000+10:00

continuing for merlin.......

http://www.mugglematters.com/2006/01/same-side-of-two-coins-complimentary.html

reading chaim potok

2006-03-23T07:40:00.000+10:00

how do you do this without your heart breaking huh? :P

have finished the short stories and moved on to 'old men at midnight'.

i don't think i cope very well with short stories. each one ends and i feel like i've slammed up against a wall i didn't see coming......

variations on a theme - geldof

2006-03-21T17:24:00.000+10:00

on the archives for 'enough rope' i found the interview last year with geldof, which i will provide for your entertainment and education as well!

should i put a language warning or does that go without saying?? lol

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/enoughrope/transcripts/s1343226.htm

(there's a link to the footage too)

if you can make it through the 'shagging' part of the conversation to the later sections it's well worth it imo.

jo

bono and enough rope

2006-03-21T09:09:00.000+10:00

i was severely peeved to discover i had missed out on watching bono being interviewed by denton on 'enough rope' last week, but thanks to the joys of the internet found this transcript.

great interview.
andrew denton (possibly unknown outside of australia) is a seriously good interviewer. too bright and witty for his own nerdy good. i'm a great admirer!

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/enoughrope/transcripts/s1591037.htm

ANDREW DENTON: As a man of faith, when you look at Africa, what's your concept of a working God?
BONO: Look on the God thing I have to be really careful because I'm not a very good advertisement and so I don't want to sit there and say, "I'm a man of faith," Yes, I am, I just can't. I recently read in one of St Paul's letters where it describes all of the fruits of the spirit, and I had none of them.
ANDREW DENTON: You fulfil a Christian ideal.
BONO: No, I don't think so. All the commandments I've broken and the ones I haven't I've probably wanted to. But that said, I do have a faith and it is challenged on a daily basis by what I see in Africa. Yes, and yet more than that I have a sense that really people are the problem. We're the problem, really. God gets a lot of bad press. The tsunami was very eloquent in a way, the response. There's a natural disaster, this awful misnomer, Mother Nature, it's just dreadful. But in Africa you have an avoidable catastrophe of tsunami proportions every week. So we have the technology, we have the resources, we have the resources if we have the will.So I've gone through my shouting at God, I've gone through my angry phase but I finally end up looking at my own indolence and fighting with it, an indifference. Because I have it, too. And I feel that I'm not alone in this. I feel there's a generation of people. I kind of realised this isn't something we can really blame God for. This is about us, really. So that's where I am on it.

most likely says a lot about me that i am always so moved by people's honesty about their struggles in living their faith, but i found this transperancy inspiring and invigorating as well as endearing.
and the spotlight on our own culpability in these issues was a lesson i am trying to live.

jo

another quizzy thing

2006-03-19T10:09:00.000+10:00

had to post this. knock me over with a feather. thought i'd be 'hermione' for sure. must be something wrong with this test!

http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q_id=2338

You scored as Albus Dumbledore.
Strong and powerful you admirably defend your world and your charges against those who would seek to harm them. However sometimes you can fail to do what you must because you care too much to cause suffering.
var img_str1="";img_str1="";
var result_str1="";
Albus Dumbledore
90%
Remus Lupin
80%
Ron Weasley
75%
Hermione Granger
60%
Harry Potter
60%
Severus Snape
55%
Sirius Black
55%
Draco Malfoy
45%
Ginny Weasley
40%
Lord Voldemort
10%

what's in a name?

2006-03-19T07:33:00.000+10:00

well, in potterverse, rather a lot i think!

my dad and step mum were over yesterday. grandad got into a very involved conversation with ds(4) about the colours and decoration on a shield he was making out of cardboard. grandad warned him to put the band across it the correct way so as not to have a something 'sinistra'.

so is the astronomy professor a snitch of some sort? they (is it a she?) are only mentioned in passing from time to time, but the astronomy tower is quite significant....

help!

2006-03-03T10:35:00.000+10:00

how do i delete a post? the stupid flower things posted twice and now the whole page is funny.

aaaagghhhh

flowers

2006-03-02T22:21:00.000+10:00

http://quizilla.com/users/FaerieFriend/quizzes/Which%20Flower%20are%20You?

let's see if i can post this blurb properly....

You are an Iris:
You are logical, analytical, dignified, and wise.
You are studious by nature and may prefer
books to people. You tend to be a serious
person but are capable of making others laugh
with your dry sense of humor. Friends always
benefit from your advice.
Symbolism: Over the centuries the iris has come to
symbolize faith, wisdom, hope, and promise in
love.

Which Flower are You?
brought to you by

flowers

2006-03-02T22:20:00.000+10:00

http://quizilla.com/users/FaerieFriend/quizzes/Which%20Flower%20are%20You%3F

let's see if i can post this blurb properly....

You are an Iris:
You are logical, analytical, dignified, and wise.
You are studious by nature and may prefer
books to people. You tend to be a serious
person but are capable of making others laugh
with your dry sense of humor. Friends always
benefit from your advice.
Symbolism: Over the centuries the iris has come to
symbolize faith, wisdom, hope, and promise in
love.

Which Flower are You?
brought to you by

the limitations of type

2006-03-02T17:58:00.000+10:00

here is my post from muggle matters.
http://www.mugglematters.com/2006/02/fluids-and-fluidity-potions-and.html
felt it may have been getting a little off topic so, if you wanted to comment, or continue the conversation, please do so here.....

this is where acadamia frustrates me a little. thouroughly knowing the forms and having a rigourous approach is something i admire and aspire to (though doubt i'll ever have the time/discipline to achieve that!)but it seems that people lose the ability to just receive from something. so it has to fit into this or that box to have merit. i know that sometimes things not fitting can be because they are sloppily done. but sometimes it is a good thing, and can be because they may transcend those boxes, or even be something new altogether!
this has been my experience with music (particularly in the classical world, there are - as you can imagine - some real stylistic snobs out there. i have my own share of cultural snobbism. i'm not immune! but i think i see it *shrug*). there are certain types of music that you enjoy the more you understand, and that can be quite cerebral. i love that. but it's not the be all and end all.

any thoughts?
happy to have my mind changed at any time!

jo

cluck cluck

2006-03-01T11:35:00.000+10:00

.. goes the red hen.

ok. i'm reading this site. and yes it's interesting.

thought i'd check out the essay on hermione...

http://www.redhen-publications.com/Deconstructing.html

a few thoughts:

As for the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake: fish fuzz. She came onto the field determined to excel in order to be SEEN to excel. And by this time she knows damn well that in the wizarding world knowledge is quite literally power. And there is a war in progress! And she belongs to one of the targetted groups. She intends to have the best stocked arsenal in Britain. Knowledge for its own sake, my arse.
but this misses the point that someone who is knowledge oriented (ie. the 5 on the enneagram) would use this search for more info *as* their way of insulating them from danger. so their search for knowledge for it's own sake can also be used for other ulterior motives. this doesn't take away from it being a primary function of the personality.

Not exactly my deffinition of maturity. The kid is is not mature. She is articulate.
SPOT ON!

Ron was upset that Harry had somehow managed to get his name into the Goblet without him. Harry had gone and done it by himself, and then was shutting him out even more by not even having the decency to tell him about it. There was some jealousy present, sure. But he wasn't just jealous. Ron is used to being outshone, he doesn't mind it too much so long as you include him. But now he's been shut out, and rejected as well, and it hurts.

So he whips himself up into a temper because a 14-year-old boy just can't publicly burst into tears because his best friend has gone off and left him behind like he doesn't even matter!

really good observation.

bbl.

jo

chaim potok

2006-02-26T12:17:00.000+10:00

on a whim checked out the other library the other day and came across two chaim potok books, so i have some more reading material for the week. COOL.

the two they had are
'old men at midnight'
and
'zebra and other stories'

dumbledore in the fans' eyes

2006-02-19T21:51:00.000+10:00

read some of the 'fan-fic' stuff out there this weekend. wow. like a whole world of people writing stories about characters they didn't create. a bit hard to get my head around really. some of them were quite delightful. some ho hum. some ridiculous. lol.

i was struck though with how many of them when written in a 'post OotP' or 'post HBP' fashion are quite scathing in their portrayal of Dumbledore, or rather in the attitudes they give some of the characters towards him.

it does spotlight the frustration with how guarded he was in sharing information with harry, and the rather oblique way he was guiding him. but i was still rather taken aback at this simmering resentment ....
there aren't many (fan fics that i have read - understanding that is a small number of the whole) that take into account the overwhelming affection and devotion he also expresses for harry, the graciousness and faith in what 'lies beneath', and the slightly dotty sense of humour (reminds me SO much of my granny....)

i was just breathless with sadness when i read of his demise in hbp. it was forshadowed a lot (as i refer to in my notes to self post), but still came as a bit of a shock. (if the stoppered death thing comes true in book 7 i will enjoy that immensely i think).
the only other time i remember being so aghast at 'losing' a fictional character was robinton in the pern books, and that was more expected, but still heartbreaking.

so anyway, is this how many hp fans see dumbledore? as a controlling and manipulative person who severely underestimated harry?

jo

going a touch mental

2006-02-15T22:23:00.000+10:00

that would be me.
i've been a touch mental since thinking a little too much about the sulphur, mercury, golden soul thing and the 'ships' in HP.
going about silently listing all the reasons i'm not, but should be more like ginny is a really crazy way for a mature reasonably intelligent woman who will be celebrating her 15th wedding anniversary this year to spend her time.
think i'll spend a little time doing something else for a while......

notes to self: things to muse on re HBP

2006-02-08T21:15:00.000+10:00

HBP finally came back in at the library, so i'm re reading that as well. lol. re reading for me is a bit obsessive. back and forth through the book a few times before i stop hyperfocusing.

so i can see that dumbledore knew his time was coming.
he tells off the dursleys. ( i bet he's wanted to say that ever since harry came to hogwarts )
he makes a point of telling harry how remarkable he is, how much he is valued (by dumbledore).
he gets aggitated (!?!?) until he is confident that harry has really gotten that it's voldemort's obsession with the prophecy which gives it weight, not the prophecy itself.

this frustrates me: in all the other books when there was something harry *should* tell someone (eg. his scar hurting, what the occlumency lessons are really like, what happens in his detention with umbridge etc) he doesn't. in this one he DOES (malfoy) and it's brushed off. i don't think that it is acknowledged enough by dumbledore etc that he is being more open now. that he's not hiding it all away. no wonder he does! with the reception he gets.

now i'm not saying i am won over to this yet (don't get too smug merlin!) but there really are a few references to snape being batlike and swooping about in his black cape etc. so maybe, JUST MAYBE there could be a slight smidgeon of a glimmer of something significant there. perhaps.
(i still prefer the spider imagery....)

in the penseive chapter, when harry goes to the orphanage, the box of everyday objects mentioned. these are souveniers (sp?) tom has taken from those he has hurt/scared. a yo-yo. a silver thimble and a tarnished mouth-organ are mentioned as being 'among them'. so obviously there are more items.
the quote from the end of chapter 13 says
'The ring's gone,' said Harry, looking around. 'But I thought you might have the mouth-organ or something.'
Dumbledore beamed at him, peering over the top of his half-moon spectacles.
'Very astute, Harry, but the mouth -organ was only ever a mouth-organ.'
And on that enigmatic note he waved to Harry, who understood himself to be dismissed.
mmmmmmm could the silver thimble mean anything?

mmm baby crying. better go.

books

2006-02-03T07:14:00.000+10:00

i will not be able to remember all my ramblings from last night about books, but it really did live up to the name of my blog.....

i think i shall try and start a list here of 'must read' books and 'must own' books.

of course i have no idea how/when we will afford any of this but hey a girl can dream!
books are a high priority here, but somehow books for dh (english teacher) and the kids (homeschoolers are always buying books - they're a RESOURCE!!!!) seem more urgent. books purely for my own enjoyment.... well..... there's always something else to buy huh? lol

MUST OWN
the potter books - sick of having to reserve them at the library when i want to check something or re read.

MUST READ
more chaim potok
cs lewis 'the great divorce'

ok mind's gone blank.
will update soon and go searching for all those titles....

feel free to leave any suggestions in a comment!

jo

thread continuation for muggle matters

2006-02-03T07:02:00.000+10:00

from the comments on this thread
http://www.mugglematters.com/2006/01/x-marks-spot-goblet-of-fire-and-chiasm.html

aargh

2006-02-03T06:55:00.000+10:00

made a big long post here last night and it doesn't seem to have been posted.
rats

time wasters

2006-01-28T13:43:00.000+10:00

well i've had a half hour while the kids are playing and gone to the silly ol' tests mentioned on sword of gryffindor ( http://www.swordofgryffindor.com/ ).
quite fun really.

so apparantly i would have

*WAND - 10 1/4", Yew, Veela
You scored 68 wisdom, 22 bravery, 10 emotional, and 11 martyrdom!
A yew wand signifies a wizard of great wisdom and intellect and is very useful in transfigurations. The veela hair as a wand core means that you are slightly unpredictable but very powerful.

think i must be bit of a wuss. unpredictable (no surprise there really i suppose, but i though my emotion would rate higher!!!!!)

* You scored higher than 84% on spells

*The Harry Potter Obsessed Test
You scored 72% knowledge and 52% obsession!

You are neither obsessed nor oblivious about the magical world, but your knowledge is obviously higher than average. You have a healthy interest in all things Potter, but it's nothing to worry about. Your keen intellect and natural curiosity make you a force to be reckoned with.
You can't be expected to pay attention in Binns' class every lesson when you have Quidditch matches and girls on your mind! Just be forewarned - Hermione won't always be able to finish your essays for you. She has enough going through that frizzy head of hers!

fun way to waste some time.

now back to the laundry..............................

neville

2006-01-25T19:43:00.000+10:00

poor ol' neville.
i'm really feeling for him atm.
in the DOM (during OotP) he was hit by the crucio curse by bellatrix.
so that is the same curse, by the same person who did that curse on his parents.

i wonder how it affected him to have such an unpleasant understanding of what drove them to madness.......

wanna give him a big ol' hug!

jo

another HP ? re voldemort REVISTED

2006-01-23T10:58:00.000+10:00

see, nothing new under the sun. no unique thoughts here! i just came accross this editorial at mugglenet.

here is an excerpt http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/editorials/edit-peter04.shtml

Most importantly, what are the implications of a returned Riddle? The most obvious, of course, is there could be the potential for two Dark Lords running around or Tom speeding the resurrection of Voldemort and the two teaming up. Nevertheless, what benefit would this give to the resurrected Dark Lord?

i still have my question if this 'other' voldemort would have the ability to change it's mind (or even repent!!!!) or decide 'other' than the original with the core piece of soul. and if they would share memory.

i will go see the discussion that ensued at cos i think.

jo

sadness

2006-01-22T23:15:00.000+10:00

i'll send this out into cyberspace. it may help. it's difficult to deal with here IRL, when all the family is so busy being upbeat and cheerful....

so my sister has had another "episode" of the ms. several really bad restless nights of insomnia, followed by collapsing on the floor in the middle of the night on her way to the loo. such a miserable image. her lying in the dark. how she must HATE needing someone to help her up. she is the helper. not the 'helpee'......
i miss her bubble and her spark. it's been robbed forever it seems.

the old magic

2006-01-20T22:35:00.000+10:00

well this week i have read 'the lion, the witch and the wardrobe' to dd and re read 'order of the phoenix'. the references to the 'old magic' in both of them (or 'deep magic') have hit home.

my thoughts were running along the lines of a previous discussion with the muggle matters blokes about how god acts always in accordance with *who* he is. it not being a matter of him deciding to do something, more that his actions are always consistent with his nature, his being.
so i am thinking that the 'old' and 'deep' magic are actually references to the very nature of god's person.

i remember hearing someone preach once, that the resurrection was god finding a loophole in his own laws. it always vaguely offended me, but i wasn't sure why.
now i think i have put my finger on it.... the concept of god looking for a 'way out' is so wrong somehow.

i think more that the possibility and opportunity for a sacrificial death in someone else's stead was always inherent in the law, that the greater love is a part of the very fabric of god's character. it wasn't a loophole, but the actual purpose of the law.

or.... i have it all upside down and back to front (for a change -*not*)
jo

fantastic beasts

2006-01-16T19:14:00.000+10:00

'FANTASTIC BEASTS & WHERE TO FIND THEM'
picked up a copy the other day and got to have a little read today.
it's good for a some giggles. i'm enjoying it immensely.

another HP ? re voldemort

2006-01-15T09:34:00.000+10:00

i am wondering whether voldemort has any knowledge of what happens with the horcruxes.

i have read that he will not know if a horcrux has been destroyed. ie. the locket. the diary.

my question.... does he know of what happened in the COS? does he have a memory or knowledge of the conversations he had with harry as the young tom riddle from the diary? does he know that he used ginny weasley? will he be able to make that connection if/when he learns of their affection for each other?

mmmm.....

cool article at mugglenet

2006-01-14T21:45:00.000+10:00

Horcruxes and More in Slavic Mythology
An original editorial by Annabel Lee

http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/editorials/edit-leeann01.shtml

off topic on some muggle matters!

2006-01-14T12:18:00.000+10:00

my husband loves to point out that tangents are my friends! staying 'on topic' definately doesn't come naturally to me.
so i am happy to give space here for some of those tangents that may have come up discussing some other muggle type matters!

in particular the history of different streams of the latin rites catholic churches.

if time and/or inclination allow i would love to continue that conversation here......

one source of anxiety out of the way - the MS link

2006-01-14T08:53:00.000+10:00

had my eye test yesterday. so even though i'll be needing those specs it was good to know that everything else was normal.

something else apart from the initials i share with jkrowling.
happily my mother is still with us, as she has a slow moving form of MS.
the anxiety over the eye test is that it was after an abnormal finding in a similar eye test that my sister took the tests and discovered she also has contracted this insidious disease. her form is also relatively slow moving.

so it looks like i am not to join the ranks in my family of ms sufferers. my mother, her sisters and brother all have it, and now my sister. i have no other signs of it, so it was extremely unlikely that the test would show anything, but i still had a couple of sleepless nights.

i doubly appreciate the profile and resources that jkrowling offers to the search for a cure since it is so closely linked to my family. i wish that similar resources were available to the non mainstream research though, as it looks like all they are looking to atm is use of the drug betaferon.
what about the documented connections to diet and vaccination? what about the possibility of it being a combination of these things (not just 'a cause' but a cocktail of factors) along with the poisons like sulphates and other things commonly used in household and bodily cleaners?

aaahhh well. that would indeed be wishing for the moon..............

homeschool curriculum decisions

2006-01-12T08:14:00.000+10:00

if i write it all here i'll be able to find it!

term 1 - (australian school year is in line with the calendar year - longer summer break over christmas)

the story of the world
book 1 by susa wise bauer
read alouds each day followed by timeline and whatever else we feel like doing from the activity book

math-u-see
finish 'beta'.

keep going through the 'little house' books
journal during read alouds
timeline events
explore tangents that gr hits on

basic australian geography and weather unit studies
tied together where applicable.
take part in the weather study from the uk - recording and journaling max and min temps, humidity, barometric pressure and rainfall.

start to bring together her nockomammal recordings - burn cd? do fictional 'nature book' notebook.

whatever else takes our fancy.

can't decide whether to jump on the bandwagon and 'do' some narnia now while there is all the material online following the movie, instead of next year.
the movie would definately be too scary for her just yet, but maybe after she's famliar with the books we will watch it at home.

haven't heard back re our dispensation yet..... better get it or i guess we'll go unregistered.....

HP question

2006-01-12T08:04:00.000+10:00

reading GOF last night and was wondering:
why does 'false moody' put so much effort into helping harry master the imperius curse, and having discovered his capabilities (one possibility), why does he not let voldemort know of this?

clueless ramblings

2006-01-11T21:06:00.000+10:00

http://www.xanga.com/mrsramjet

clueless ramblings

2006-01-11T20:57:00.000+10:00

clueless ramblings
i've tried to start a blog before, but it was a bit of a fizzer. maybe this will be different?.... i doubt it.
i don't have much to say unless i'm sparked off by others. pretty sad sort of 'i' type i've turned out to be lol.
if i can even find my other blog i'll link it to here.. i think it had about 3 entries on it........

2006-01-11T08:55:00.000+10:00

i've been bullied into this! lol.

clueless ramblings

an illusion of here-ness!

*ouch* sumara tagged me....

R.I.P. steve irwin

health dramas

aghast!

happy birthday rupert grint.

happy anniversary to us....

my sister's keeper

british article on LUMOS

tagging the franoggle

YIKES i've been tagged! - books

it's been a while

christians and jkrowling

merlin, check this out!

'nuff said....

gambon again

birthday boy

sister jude

going away

bono and adam do a harry and ron

neville

breath, jo breath!!!!

emotional dd

glutton for punishment

glutton for punishment

don't know why i bother

hope this doesn't mess with the blog...

hope this doesn't mess with the blog...

hope this doesn't mess with the blog...

this was a really fun one.

this was a really fun one.

late night music

a gem from my dd

been a while

geldof again

how to dismantle an atomic bomb

goblet of fire movie

melencholy

hp course

gryffindor the brave

for merlin

trying again

thoughts on grace

happy 5th birthday

awww sweet!

AB-ers

excerpts from healing themes

healing themes on hpfgu

bi partate, tri partate, immortal,, eternal..... huh?

reading chaim potok

variations on a theme - geldof

bono and enough rope

another quizzy thing

what's in a name?

help!

flowers

flowers

the limitations of type

cluck cluck

chaim potok

dumbledore in the fans' eyes

going a touch mental

notes to self: things to muse on re HBP

books

thread continuation for muggle matters

aargh

time wasters

neville

another HP ? re voldemort REVISTED

sadness

the old magic

fantastic beasts

another HP ? re voldemort

cool article at mugglenet

off topic on some muggle matters!

one source of anxiety out of the way - the MS link

homeschool curriculum decisions

HP question

clueless ramblings

ouch sumara tagged me....