This is certainly a picture of me in my happy place.
I was in Edinburgh, I had a new bride sitting opposite me & a pint of Guinness sitting in front of me. Can a man ask for more?
College. That was another happy place for me too. Right about now, everyone is going back to SMBC & jumping into the study.
I feel a little homesick for College & I definitely miss Scotland at the moment (hot days suck!) but I certainly wouldn’t say that I have been robbed of my “happy place.”
It turns out that life here on the Central Coast is pretty good. The congregation here is incredibly friendly, the teaching is sound, my boss is great, and I think there is almost unlimited potential when it comes to my job here. It all feels a little overwhelming, but that is OK.
Our house is also pretty nice. The good thing about living in a Townhouse as opposed to an apartment is that we really feel like there are different spaces. My study is a legitimately separate area, so Shona is free to watch TV & not feel like she is bothering me. Even better, I have my whole library together for the first time in years. Rest assured there will be pictures of the house coming very soon.
Anyway, I think I might be changing the tack of this blog in the near future. Maybe making it more about reflections on my time here, the stuff I am doing & the stuff I am reading. I’ll have a think about confidentiality, about how much grovelling I will have to do to the always-generous Chris to help me give things a new look, then work out what is going to happen with photos & the like.
This might also give me more to write about on the blog, since I have really slackened off in the last 6 months or so. Of course, when we get the internet at home, that will make a huge difference too. Who knows when that will be though.
In the mean time, Wyoming is a happy place. Here’s hoping it continues to be so.
Oh, I thought I would steal a leaf out of Veltmeyer’s book & make this a prayer point blog for those who pray too. Here’s a couple to start with.
Shona: Pray that she might be able to find work for the couple of spare days that she currently has.
Tim: Pray that I could learn people’s names as quickly as possible & that I could find a good rhythm with all the different tasks in my calendar.

I’m dying here people.
We had the internet all sorted out at our new house, but then the local exchange ran out of phone numbers!
Who the heck runs out of phone numbers?
Well, Wyoming has, and that means that in the mean time I don’t have a number & I don’t have the internet. I’ve poached my work’s computer for a couple of minutes, but photos & things like that will have to wait for a while.
Just to put some of you at rest, Shona & I have made the move to the Central Coast, I’ve started work & things are going well. Drop me a line at tim [at symbol] timgoldsmith.com if you want to come up & visit. We have lots of spare beds, so bring it on!
OK, I have to go get introduced to Glorea Jean’s!

OK, so here I am again, apologising for my slackness. In my defense, we have no internet access at home, and since I am not at college, or Dural anymore, I really don’t have access anywhere. At the moment, I am hiding out in a room at college, using the internet before my student number is removed from the system.
The good news is that Shona & I move up to the Central Coast on the 15th, and we should be getting the internet at home! Back to posting, back to putting up some pictures & back to the good life! I can’t wait.
In the mean time, it will be all quiet on the western front again, while I get some serious packing done.

It’s not often that I respond to these info things, but since the Schnitzel gave me this one, I couldn’t resist.
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I have to say that I go bags on occasion, because I am a horrible wrapper, but I do prefer the paper.
2. Real tree or artificial? Real tree fo sho! My brother & I used to sleep under the tree pretty much all of December! I just love the smell!
3. When do you put up your tree? We gave it a shot this week, but we’re missing the base (I am sad to say it is artificial). In future, I’ll get in early!
4. When do you take the tree down? If it’s real, then make it last. If it is a fakie, then as soon as you can be bothered packing up the decorations.
5. Do you like eggnog? I don’t know how often I have had it, but I’ll give anything a try
6. Favourite gift received as a child? Gosh, I don’t know. The boardgame “Cricket” was pretty fun. I don’t remember too many of my childhood gifts.
7. Do you have a Nativity scene? Nup.
8. Hardest person to buy for? My parents. They seem pretty well set up.
9. Easiest person to buy for? I don’t know. I think everyone is a challenge. But when you see the perfect gift, you see the perfect gift!
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I remember receiving a pen that looked like it might have been given as a cheap promotional freeby to the person who gave it to me.
11. Mail or email Christmas cards? I’m about personal contact. Cards are nice, but I never get around to them.
12. Favorite Christmas movie? When Summer came to the North Pole. Really, anything by Rankin & Bass kicks Ass
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?We knocked off most of our shopping in November, but I am still doing little bits & pieces now!
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Nah. I think I would worry too much about being caught.
15. Favorite things to eat at Christmas? Gosh, everything is good at our house!
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Coloured, pulsing..
17. Favorite Christmas song? “O Holy Night”, particularly the Brian Setzer version. Otherwise “Christmas in Hollis” by Run DMC
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I’ll be heading to my parents place, but I’ll get there on the night of the 23rd.
19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? I I could start with Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Comet, vixen, & Rudolph, but I suspect I’d end up naming the dwarves from the Hobbit instead.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Whatever’s there. I got given some lovely ornaments from a family at Church. I can’t remember which they gave me, but I do remember it was cool. I’ll use what they gave me!
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Morning, for the family, then around lunch for everyone else.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? I guess the fact that people like to attach a big myth/lie to the most important of truths. Surely it can only serve to cheapen the meaning of Christmas.
23. What is the “corniest” family tradition you do, or miss doing? For years my Aunt and I would mock-fight over our shared-favourite Chocolate from the box of “Quality Street” chocs that my Grandma would always bring.
24. Ugliest Christmas Decoration ever invented?Snow in a can. I ruined a lovely smelling Christmas tree one year, but essentially spray-painting it.
25. Which looks the best, theme trees or homey trees? What the hecki?
26. What does Christmas mean to you? An all-powerful God humbling himself to save a sinful people.
I don’t suppose Chels, J-Moff, and my big sister Amy want to be “Dobbed in”?

Just a couple of pictures. Just letting you know I’m still here (and looking forward to having my own internet at home).

Fun times on the “Bucks Night” for “The Raj”. I’ll tell some stories about the manequin some time…

And here he is getting married…

I like this seed pod picture & I don’t know why…

For those college people who have been waiting, there are some pics from the Graduate’s retreat here.

This is the crazy look you get when you are free from classes…. or the look you get when they have all-you-can-eat prosciutto at the graduates retreat. Dan & I were similarly enthusiastic about that one!
So, it has been a week since I finished up at college and have rediscovered reading for pleasure. So far I’ve read “Band of Brothers”, the book that my favourite TV series was based on. It was worthwhile reading, even though I knew the story intimately, having watched the series about a zillion times. I’m also part way through “The Flying Scotsman”, a biography of Eric Liddell, the man they made “Chariots of Fire” about. I’m definitely a fan of Eric’s. One of the greatest sportsmen ever, and an inspirational Christian too! I’m also thinking that I’ll start “Becoming Conversant with the Emergent Church” (Don Carson) soon, as a prep for next year.
I’ve also discovered working for an income! I’ve had a couple of days working for Anglicare again with the “Toys’n’Tucker” appeal. The first day I did a bit of ferrying in a station wagon, but today we got to pick up our vans. Big 1.8 tonne mammas! It certainly was fun today getting used to my van & trying to park it properly when doing pickups in the middle of Cronulla, then the middle of the Sydney CBD! That was a challenge!
Over the weekend, I enjoyed the pleasures of grad-celebrations and Bucks nights. Friday was college dinner, Sunday was grad ceremony. Saturday was Dave Kerridge’s bucks, which involved Summer Hill Pub, Enfield Park, Absinthe, A shop Manequin & A police officer. Of course, this sounds very questionable, but I can assure you that it was all above board. Nice to have a bunch of guys together goofing around in a good-natured way, and I particularly liked praying together with the guys for Kerridge at the end of the night.
Otherwise, not too much to tell. We have a new Prime Minister, but I’ll leave discussion of such a matter to those people more politically astute than myself. Oh, as promised, please find some more pictures. These are from the Sculptures by the sea exhibition.

Probably my fave sculpture & my fave picture from the day. I really liked the rusty colours in this.

“Attack of the Ants.” These were pretty amazing. I particularly liked that each ant, made of machine parts, actually looked like it could have run as a real engine.

“The Master at Work.” The morning was made by Joel coming along for photos too. He’s a good man & a fun guy to take snaps with.

“Scary.” This isn’t from “Sculptures by the sea” and it certainly isn’t a good picture of me, but it’s important to be humble enough to put up the occasional “ugly, but interesting” shot right?

Yay!

So this photo is from Friday.
Joel & I went to the “Sculptures by the Sea” exhibit to take some photos & check out what’s new. I’ve been there each of the last three years during exams. I think this year was pretty good!
Anyway, I am sure I will post some pictures of the sculptures themselves, but first off, there is the blood.
I am fortunate that giving blood really doesn’t bother me. My veins are easy to find (apparently). I bleed really quickly, so I don’t take up too much time. To top it all off, I’m not really queasy about needles either, so it is interesting to watch something slip into your flesh & then see your lifeblood slowly seeping out.
However, I am busy, and I am lazy, so this means that I don’t give blood nearly as often as I should.
So, back to the story. Joel and I had gone & taken photos on Friday morning. We had also enjoyed the yearly stop at a place in Bondi that has $6 big breakfasts (and I have to say, on this occasion, it tasted like it barely made the $6 value), then we headed into the city to check out a “Lomo” store. I found out the address in Elizabeth street, then we decided to walk there. Joel & I walked for about half an hour, but when we got to the right number on Elizabeth street, there was no Lomo store there…. wait for it….
But there was a blood bank!
It had just opened, it was new and shiny & we had some time to kill. I’d been meaning to give blood for months, but had not found the time to head down to Parramatta & do it. It was fun & nice to help out!
Anyway, there is a sign of God’s sovereignty in the small things. I don’t think I will use this story in my Old Testament Apocalyptic exam that I sit in less than two hours, even if it does fit with the flow of God’s revelation in Daniel as both worldwide and personal….
Instead, enjoy another picture of my arm, if you are the praying type, then pray for my exam today, and if you are of age, then get off your butt & go & give blood. For those American readers out there, this is particularly aimed @ you! You suckers can even get paid for it I believe!!!!
Peace out!
(Oh, and I just remembered. The reason for the blog title is because this is my last exam before graduation! Praise the Lord!!!!)

Don’t worry dear reader (both of you), I am not talking about my blog. I am talking about College! Here I am, again, preparing for exams (and posting the obligatory study photo). This time, the ride is proving to be a fairly smooth one. Only two exams to write, only five essays in total. I also have my ethics reading to do, but as the previous post notes, I am enjoying that a fair bit.
In other news, we took a trip up to the Central coast yesterday. It was a chance for Shona to have a look at the church, the area, meet my new boss & finally to come along to an evening service. It was good to do all of these things, but I would say that the highlight had to be a lunch-break at “The Skillion,” which is a sticky-outy (technical term) bit of land at the end of Terrigal beach. We sat and ate fish & chips & stared out over the ocean. Of course, this was all less than 20 minutes away from our parish, so you can rest assured that many days (and millions of photos) will be spent at this place in the future!
Anyway, I’ll give you another picture of some books (just for good measure) then it’s off to compare Calvin, Luther & Zwingli’s views of the eucharist! Oh, the fun never ends!