The last couple of weeks have had some very different feels to it. One week I was feeling very American as I took pictures of the Gheev-a-tron pitching a game of baseball, then yesterday felt very British as it poured down rain in Bowral, yet failed to dampen the mood of the lovely wedding of Jody & Eugene.
A picture speaks a thousand words?
Well the following will just about be a thesis length essay then!

Gheever waits for the call before bringing the heat…

And here it comes. It was a shame that the plate was in the shade area, otherwise you could see the ball a lot better (hovering above his left arm)

The way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon.
And now to switch speeds…

The official photographer was setting up J&E for formal shots, which freed me to snipe from the sidelines.

It’s always lovely to see a happy bride!

Jode’s now has both the rock and the band!

“Brother D” and his lovely wife Christy (who was a bridesmaid)

Somehow my gorgeous fiance wants to marry this!! (Though, she took this photo, so she only has herself to blame…)

I do like the subjects that stretch my brain. I also have to admit that I have a bit of a thing for the subjects where you have big words. Theology is always good for that. Today we discussed the benefits of Supra-lapsarianism vs. Amyrauldian-lapsarianism!
Organisation will prove to be the name of the game as bits & pieces of work keep flowing in. Lots of stuff to do & little time to do it!
Life at college is proving to be fun though. The guy living opposite me is a young Canadian bloke who is slightly insane, but very fun! Between him, lots of hang time with Dan & hanging with the rest of the dorm, it is all good!
You know, I have a question or two to pose people, but I am feeling a little snoozy & think I should probably read an article or two before I Dan & I go for a walk.
You’ll have to settle for a self-take instead…

The “Busy” button has been well & truly pushed!

OK, the following post will be quite boring for anyone who is not
A) A Bibliophile, and
B) Into Theology.
If this is you, then you can skip to the two photos at the bottom of the page. Otherwise, read on!!!
I’m excited because I have been ordering some books for my final year on Amazon. I’ve got some good stuff coming my way. Have you read any of these? Got any thoughts? Any suggestions of books that might have a simlar focus?
“Ethics” by Deitrich Bonhoeffer et al. : A handy start for my “Christian Ethics” subject next semester.
“The Gospel of John: A Commentary” by Craig S Keener: 2 Volume commentary. Apparently he is very good, plus he is theologically sound, but comes from a more charismatic background. I am looking forward to this one.
“Daily Bible Commentary: Genesis – Job”, by David Payne & Derek Kidner Et Al.: OK, so it wont be deep enough for a Wisdom Lit subject, but I bought it anyway, firstly because I like Kidner & secondly because it cost 45 cents!!!
“Saved by Grace” and “The Bible and the Future” by Anthony Hoekema : These two are for my Soteriology and Eschatology subject. Apparently one of the only things better than Hoekema’s writings is pronouncing his name!
“A Rulebook for Arguments” by Anthony Weston : Sam Chan says it is Gold for understanding the foundations for people’s arguments, particularly theological ones, which should be good for Apologetics too.
“Philosophy for Understanding Theology” by Diogenes Allen: Come on now! Who wouldn’ want to read a book with a title like this? There’s a dinner party conversation if I ever saw one!
“The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation” by Bruce Demarest: I got told “If you are going to buy one book & cram through it for the “Soteriology and Eschatology” subject, then this is the one. Just steal your ideas straight from Demarest! Betwen Hoekema & Demarest, I should be doing OK.
Well, there you go. A fair bit of reading to keep me going on top of the thousand other irons I have in the fire. All part of the fun of full-time study I guess!
Here are the photos as promised. Nici & Nai, two of my best buddies at college, though they have also proven to cause me more trouble than just about everyone else in this place combined!

Nici

Nai

You know, I like Gheever anyway. He’s a funny guy, he loves American football & he is enthusiastic about all kinds of stuff, which makes me get excited too.
The fact that he is a greenskeeper at a prestigious golf course is just an added bonus.
In fact, I was a little apprehensive when he asked me to come and play 9 holes with him last friday. Not only did I have the concern that he is quite a good player & I am not, but I hadn’t even been on a course in 5 years! As with most males, I was worried that my sense of machismo was going to be dealt a fateful blow. As the Gheevatron happily blasted golf balls into the stratosphere, I would relegated to piddly little grounders, struggling to raise above the level of the crewcut-like grass.
The course itself was beautiful, and Gheever, gracious. A quiet and thoughtful comment or two about my stance, and an observation or two about his swing & I managed to connect with a shot or two & rescue my manhood!
Actually, in the end, I left with a great sense of accomplishment. But to grasp this sense of virility, I need to introduce the third player in this little story. That player is Ben Green, or more accurately, the golf clubs of Ben Green.
I knew they were old & had a fair bit of wear, so I was not as nervous about asking to borrow them. The sparse collection suited my playing ability, because my choice of club was restricted to the very few in the bag.
Then on the 13th hole, my opportunity for choice became lessened by one. Taking a big swing at a ball on the fairway, I managed to top the ball & send it flying (flying is a slight misnomer, since the flight gained less altitude than the Wright Brothers on their maiden voyage), followed, enthusiastically by the whole head of the 3 iron, neatly snapped at the point where it joins the shaft of the club.
Equal parts fear (at breaking another man’s club) and pride flooded my brain. I was worried about Greeny being angry, but on the other hand, what kind of monster stroke lay, dormant, behind the man who could snap a metal club?
Feeling like a Titan, I approached the next couple of holes, waiting for my immense power to connect properly with a ball & send it to kingdom come.
But it wasn’t to be.
3 holes later, I had a nice little chip shot to make, maybe 40 meters, to get to the green. The chip came through, the ball flew well, but the 7 iron never left it. On a weak little chip, my second club had snapped clean through, and in a formation that was so comical, that it hardly seems true, the club head drifted off with the ball, till, after 5 or so meters, it overtook it & continued on it’s merry way alone!!!
It turns out that the clubs were old. They had been bought from a garage sale for a couple of bucks & Greeny himself had already snapped an iron himself.
My sense of masculinity returned to its normal state, but fortunately my sense of enjoyment continued on a high for the rest of that afternoon & well into the night.
A good shot at golf can be an exhilarating experience. But far more enjoyable, and far more rewarding is the pleasure of good company over a fun afternoon with a thoughtful and considerate guy who was kind enough to invite me to a course I’d otherwise never be able to enter.
I may not be an steel-snapping tough man, but it’s more than enough that Gheever thought me a nice enough guy to invite along for the afternoon.
Thanks Gheever!

Just part of the SMBC clan from last year (plus a roped in bride & a couple of fiances…)
Mel, Shona, Me, Colin, Cath, Ads, Ed, Megan & Amy.

(Bairdy & the Hamborghini sinking a “Bluetongue” to the view of the Hunter Valley)
The walk down Memory Lane continues.
Boys house circa-2001/02 was good times. Of course, it moved on & so did we. However, in July 2004 a little over half of us found ourselves up at the Hunter. We drank good wine, had good chats, played pool & just chilled. One day we even made it up the mountain behind my Aunts place to enjoy a good view & some great beers.
I’m not going to say it was a life changing experience. I don’t remember any profound conversations, or even comments that changed my life from those days, but that’s OK. You don’t need to have depth of meaning flowing from every moment of your life. Sometimes it’s just fine to have a great time with some awesome guys.
Cheers to the Boys House Boys!

I took about 200 portraits today. All pictures for the Student Handbook (which we call the “Dating form guide”). Not the most creative of endeavours, because they all have to be head shots, they all have to be straight on & no one is allowed to pull faces or anything like that.
Still, it was OK fun & it is a good opportunity to get to meet everyone & stuff. I do appreciate how heavy my camera is, though, once I have had to hold it up for 4 hours. I also appreciate how gutsy some of my subjects are, given their dislike of cameras & the inordinately large size of my camera.
Anyway, I think I will keep all of these pics for the form guide & treat you, dear reader, to a couple from Camp. I have a “Whole of Camp” shot & a great (at least I like it, thought I am not sure why so much) diving shot from just after midnight on New Years eve.
OK, time to start cleaning up portraits…

Today’s reminiscence takes us back to early 2004. I was working for MMR & living in Mangrove Mountain on a campsite. Most of the time the people stayed in cabins & I had my own little house, but on rare occasions you got to trek out somewhere & do some “real” camping.
I do miss a little bit of that. phaffing about in the bush, hanging out with kids, and of course, lighting fires!

Just one of the pictures from K&K’s wedding. You have to love the Cambodians & all their colour!

Not every classic photo has to be well composed, rich in colour and texture. Today’s classic photo for example. This here is the night that my little brother Phil (front left) celebrated the birth of his baby girl Charlotte.
A fantastic day that day, a fantastic night that night, a pretty good cigar & nice port, and finally a badly composed and underlit, yet classic photo to mark the occasion.