Thursday, September 11, 2008
Monday, September 08, 2008
Whistler Summer
The last week has been hectic - long days and late nights getting summer school assignments finished, so I haven't yet had a chance to write my follow-up post on why I am impressed with Level Ground Trading. Having worked hard all week, we thought we'd enjoy a few days of Whistler in the summer-time before we start classes again today.
I spent a ski season in Whistler in 2002, but after three days of mountain biking through the valley and hiking in the alpine, I feel like I have discovered so much more of this spectacular place than I got a chance to experience in the winter. There are endless mountain bike trails, both paved and off-road with skier type difficulty ratings (Green, Blue & Black), which wind you along streams, golf courses, railway tracks and to beautiful lakes, parks and vistas throughout the valley. We spotted a HUGE black bear from Green Lake lookout, wandering through the 'Golden Bear's' Nicholas North Golf Course.
Hiking the High Note trail (see map) from the top of the Peak chair through the alpine and meadows on-top of Whistler mountain was incredible! Wildflowers were abundant, views of the 'Black Tusk' and Cheakamus Lake superb, and finding a posing Hoary Marmot a real treat!
After an energetic few days of hiking and biking in spectacular Whistler, we are now feeling ready to start the Fall semester at Regent College...
I spent a ski season in Whistler in 2002, but after three days of mountain biking through the valley and hiking in the alpine, I feel like I have discovered so much more of this spectacular place than I got a chance to experience in the winter. There are endless mountain bike trails, both paved and off-road with skier type difficulty ratings (Green, Blue & Black), which wind you along streams, golf courses, railway tracks and to beautiful lakes, parks and vistas throughout the valley. We spotted a HUGE black bear from Green Lake lookout, wandering through the 'Golden Bear's' Nicholas North Golf Course.
Hiking the High Note trail (see map) from the top of the Peak chair through the alpine and meadows on-top of Whistler mountain was incredible! Wildflowers were abundant, views of the 'Black Tusk' and Cheakamus Lake superb, and finding a posing Hoary Marmot a real treat!
After an energetic few days of hiking and biking in spectacular Whistler, we are now feeling ready to start the Fall semester at Regent College...Thank you to the various 'sponsors' that helped make this trip possible: H. Ross (Truck loan), Sung-Ock (Hostel $), Pinpoint (Universal Gift Card for food), UBC Lodge (Cheap beds for Regent students), Intrawest (Free tickets to the Peak).
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
summer school + relational trade [part 1]
If you read our blog, you could get the impression that all Jess and I do is spend time in places like Hawaii, the Rockies & the vineyards of South Australia – it isn’t true… so here is a post that branches out from one of my Summer School courses a few weeks ago.
The one-week course was called The Christian Leader in the Secular World of Work, which I took for my marketplace concentration. Peter Shaw, a former senior British public servant who is now an executive coach, ran the course. Peter has written extensively to both Christian and secular audiences looking at the life of Jesus to see what we can learn about how Jesus lead (as a visionary, servant, teacher, coach, radical and healer), made difficult decisions, used conversation as a tool, and made the most of each moment. While enjoying the discussion, at times the approach was perhaps a bit too reductionist and had the danger of straying into ‘eisegesis’, or reading stuff into the text.
The highlight of the course, however, was the discussions that Peter facilitated, which formed a solid chunk of our time together. The group consisted of about 25 people including a former big business CEO, a CFO, a high profile Vancouver lawyer, several management consultants, senior pastors and a teacher. This mix of people brought wonderful insights from the range of experience people had, which was truly valuable. Each day we sat in a different seat and in pairs got to share parts of our leadership and workplace journeys. By the end of the week, I got to know five people well.
One of the guys I got to pair up with was a CEO, this time of a smaller business. Hugo was part of four families who formed Level Ground Trading, a fair trade company, established in what seems to be the pioneer-days of the fair trade movement, in 1997. Hugo was a fascinating guy, and it was great to hear about his experience as well as his values for operating in the marketplace. Hugo’s business really impresses me too, and not just because he’s buying coffee beans at a price that is fairer to the farmers who work hard to produce them. In my next post, I’ll explain why I am so impressed with Level Ground Trading.
This morning, our coffee beans had run out, so I went to our cupboard and reached for the new two-pound bag that we bought last week. I got a pleasant surprise when I realised that we have been drinking Level Ground’s Café Mbeya
since March. We were astounded to come across Fair Trade Coffee at Costco (a large wholesale chain in North America) and we were even more surprised at how good this organic dark blend from Tanzania tasted, and at the great price of $15. When I first came across the coffee’s packaging, it was the big bright pictures of the local communities, their stories, and a map showing where the beans were from that stood out to me, and not the Level Ground Trading logo. As a marketer, I could critique this as a mistake, but after learning more about Hugo and his company, I think the packaging’s emphasis is just right.
More about Hugo and Level Ground Trading next time… but in the meantime, I invite you to check out levelground.com, which is a beautifully presented website and really informative too.
The one-week course was called The Christian Leader in the Secular World of Work, which I took for my marketplace concentration. Peter Shaw, a former senior British public servant who is now an executive coach, ran the course. Peter has written extensively to both Christian and secular audiences looking at the life of Jesus to see what we can learn about how Jesus lead (as a visionary, servant, teacher, coach, radical and healer), made difficult decisions, used conversation as a tool, and made the most of each moment. While enjoying the discussion, at times the approach was perhaps a bit too reductionist and had the danger of straying into ‘eisegesis’, or reading stuff into the text.
The highlight of the course, however, was the discussions that Peter facilitated, which formed a solid chunk of our time together. The group consisted of about 25 people including a former big business CEO, a CFO, a high profile Vancouver lawyer, several management consultants, senior pastors and a teacher. This mix of people brought wonderful insights from the range of experience people had, which was truly valuable. Each day we sat in a different seat and in pairs got to share parts of our leadership and workplace journeys. By the end of the week, I got to know five people well.
One of the guys I got to pair up with was a CEO, this time of a smaller business. Hugo was part of four families who formed Level Ground Trading, a fair trade company, established in what seems to be the pioneer-days of the fair trade movement, in 1997. Hugo was a fascinating guy, and it was great to hear about his experience as well as his values for operating in the marketplace. Hugo’s business really impresses me too, and not just because he’s buying coffee beans at a price that is fairer to the farmers who work hard to produce them. In my next post, I’ll explain why I am so impressed with Level Ground Trading.
This morning, our coffee beans had run out, so I went to our cupboard and reached for the new two-pound bag that we bought last week. I got a pleasant surprise when I realised that we have been drinking Level Ground’s Café Mbeya
since March. We were astounded to come across Fair Trade Coffee at Costco (a large wholesale chain in North America) and we were even more surprised at how good this organic dark blend from Tanzania tasted, and at the great price of $15. When I first came across the coffee’s packaging, it was the big bright pictures of the local communities, their stories, and a map showing where the beans were from that stood out to me, and not the Level Ground Trading logo. As a marketer, I could critique this as a mistake, but after learning more about Hugo and his company, I think the packaging’s emphasis is just right.More about Hugo and Level Ground Trading next time… but in the meantime, I invite you to check out levelground.com, which is a beautifully presented website and really informative too.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Road-trip through the Rockies
After putting my mum to work for a week painting our unit in Vancouver, we figured it would be good to go and do something fun together. So, a couple of days after my dad arrived (yes, we put him to work during those two days too!) we took off for the Canadian Rockies. Now, I was the only one of the group who had never been through the Rockies here in Canada, so I had no real idea what to expect. After a long day of driving, we arrived at the edge of Jasper national park, where we spent the night. The highlight of that evening was certainly the surprise waterslide at the hotel pool. At three stories high and far faster than I imagined, the slide was good fun and Andrew, dad and I queued up with the 10 or so kids to make use of it.
While many visitors to the Rockies never get to see Mt. Robson, which is just outside of Jasper, we were blessed with a spectacular blue sky and sunshine to see Robson in all its glory. In many ways, this set the tone for the rest of the trip, in which our timing seemed to be right for viewing just about everything, from the kamikaze kayakers who took on a waterfall to our 8 bear sightings in two days.
Perhaps the highlight of the trip, though, was in the realisation of my father’s dream to spend the night at the Chateau Lake Louise. Andrew and I volunteered to camp so that my parents could enjoy the 7th floor suite and full-lake view on their own, but (fortunately for us) they wouldn’t hear of it! In classic student fashion, Andrew and I made a dinner on the ‘free’ hors d’oeuvres and tried to use every single available amenity, even taking quite a few of their signature teas as a souvenir. After High Tea in Banff Springs Hotel the following day and a “shortcut” through the BC backcountry where we found wild raspberries and more bears, we returned to Vancouver and our freshly painted walls, new light fixtures, and heaps of other decorating touches thanks to my mum’s hard work. Now, Andrew and I are enjoying being at home, just the two of us, for the first time since April 21st (that’s 4 whole months!). Needless to say, there’s no place like home...
On YouTube: Kayakers on Overlander Falls & Grouse Mountain Grizzlies
While many visitors to the Rockies never get to see Mt. Robson, which is just outside of Jasper, we were blessed with a spectacular blue sky and sunshine to see Robson in all its glory. In many ways, this set the tone for the rest of the trip, in which our timing seemed to be right for viewing just about everything, from the kamikaze kayakers who took on a waterfall to our 8 bear sightings in two days.
Perhaps the highlight of the trip, though, was in the realisation of my father’s dream to spend the night at the Chateau Lake Louise. Andrew and I volunteered to camp so that my parents could enjoy the 7th floor suite and full-lake view on their own, but (fortunately for us) they wouldn’t hear of it! In classic student fashion, Andrew and I made a dinner on the ‘free’ hors d’oeuvres and tried to use every single available amenity, even taking quite a few of their signature teas as a souvenir. After High Tea in Banff Springs Hotel the following day and a “shortcut” through the BC backcountry where we found wild raspberries and more bears, we returned to Vancouver and our freshly painted walls, new light fixtures, and heaps of other decorating touches thanks to my mum’s hard work. Now, Andrew and I are enjoying being at home, just the two of us, for the first time since April 21st (that’s 4 whole months!). Needless to say, there’s no place like home...
On YouTube: Kayakers on Overlander Falls & Grouse Mountain Grizzlies
serious about food
If you spend anytime with Jessica’s family, you will quickly come to see that they are serious about their food! You will often hear certain dishes reminisced about as “the best I have ever had,” where the particular ingredients in a sauce were brought back to the taste-buds years later. When planning a road-trip, you are almost certain to be told of great places to eat along the journey (and encouraged to plan your trip around these stops). The Boyles have also been known to drive 2 hours one-way to eat at a particular restaurant – now that’s commitment!
So in a week of culinary road-tripping with Steve and Linda through the Rockies, I was privileged to sample: caribou steak, bison burgers, venison hors d’oeuvres and a saddle of rabbit. Not bad for a ‘practical vegetarian’ like myself who rarely gets to eat meat.
While there is much eating-out to embrace this culinary passion, the Boyles don’t sit back and let others prepare all the food. Rather, at the sight of wild berries off a dirt-road, they are likely to screech the car to a halt, jump out and start picking wild raspberries for the next mornings muffins (they were incredible!).
It’s not all about fine-dining either… without a doubt, if were an In-N-Out Burger in Canada, we would have stopped for the customary animal-style burger, fries and chocolate shake.
It’s safe to say… I always enjoy eating with the Boyles!
So in a week of culinary road-tripping with Steve and Linda through the Rockies, I was privileged to sample: caribou steak, bison burgers, venison hors d’oeuvres and a saddle of rabbit. Not bad for a ‘practical vegetarian’ like myself who rarely gets to eat meat.
While there is much eating-out to embrace this culinary passion, the Boyles don’t sit back and let others prepare all the food. Rather, at the sight of wild berries off a dirt-road, they are likely to screech the car to a halt, jump out and start picking wild raspberries for the next mornings muffins (they were incredible!).
It’s not all about fine-dining either… without a doubt, if were an In-N-Out Burger in Canada, we would have stopped for the customary animal-style burger, fries and chocolate shake.
It’s safe to say… I always enjoy eating with the Boyles!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Aloha: Hawaii stop-over
On the way back from our 10 weeks working in Sydney, we had to fly through Honolulu. On our last visit to Honolulu in December, we spent the night in the airport - this trip, we thought we'd spend 4 days seeing Oahu.
On advice from some Hawaii residents that we know from Regent, we stayed well clear of Honolulu city and Waikiki beach, and instead spent most of our stay on Oahu's beautiful North Shore at Shark's Cove - Waimea Bay was only a 10 minute walk to the east, to the west Sunset beach and Pipeline were very close by, and across the road we had access to some great snorkeling with abundant fish life in one of HI's top shore Scuba diving spots.
We ate most of our meals at the local 'shrimp vans' that operate out of camper vans that are parked in nice locations around the North Shore. The food was tasty and cheap and served local produce cooked in typical HI style, our favorite being the shrimp and vegetable shish-kebabs. One van served it's food using exciting new 'disposable' plates, cups, straws and cutlery... made from corn or potato starch, with no petroleum and 100% compostable (visit Styrophobia.com). The use of these products over wasteful plastic was representative of our experience of North Shore locals, who all seemed very concerned to look after their beautiful corner of the world.
It was nice to visit a place outside of Australia with truly magnificent beaches! Waimea Bay beach was our favorite - the water lapped the shore in an amazing array of tropical blues and greens, the sand was bright and clean, and you could stay in the water and feel refreshed, but not cold, all day long. During the summer, the North Shore beaches are calm, which is hard to reconcile with the winter swells that bring some of the largest waves crashing down on their shores.
On our last day, we hired a car and drove around the islands. Lunch in Waikiki was enough time there, see the 'zoo' photo. We climbed the extinct volcano crater, Diamond Head, and took in some amazing views of southern Oahu and were refreshed by some 'shaved ice,' a local treat, at the bottom. The mountains on the west side of the island were also spectacular - these scenes have been used in many movie and television settings, because of their lush green coverings, and their long and steep descents that seem to plunge from the sky into the sea - quite spectacular!
Just before we flew out for California, we were able to visit the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. 1177 young men died there on 7 Dec 1941 - the memorial was a moving tribute to a horrific tragedy. The museum and a 20 minute video were quite informative, revealing, in hindsight, a series of errors that left the American forces fatally exposed.
Mahalo Hawaii!
On advice from some Hawaii residents that we know from Regent, we stayed well clear of Honolulu city and Waikiki beach, and instead spent most of our stay on Oahu's beautiful North Shore at Shark's Cove - Waimea Bay was only a 10 minute walk to the east, to the west Sunset beach and Pipeline were very close by, and across the road we had access to some great snorkeling with abundant fish life in one of HI's top shore Scuba diving spots.
We ate most of our meals at the local 'shrimp vans' that operate out of camper vans that are parked in nice locations around the North Shore. The food was tasty and cheap and served local produce cooked in typical HI style, our favorite being the shrimp and vegetable shish-kebabs. One van served it's food using exciting new 'disposable' plates, cups, straws and cutlery... made from corn or potato starch, with no petroleum and 100% compostable (visit Styrophobia.com). The use of these products over wasteful plastic was representative of our experience of North Shore locals, who all seemed very concerned to look after their beautiful corner of the world.
It was nice to visit a place outside of Australia with truly magnificent beaches! Waimea Bay beach was our favorite - the water lapped the shore in an amazing array of tropical blues and greens, the sand was bright and clean, and you could stay in the water and feel refreshed, but not cold, all day long. During the summer, the North Shore beaches are calm, which is hard to reconcile with the winter swells that bring some of the largest waves crashing down on their shores.
On our last day, we hired a car and drove around the islands. Lunch in Waikiki was enough time there, see the 'zoo' photo. We climbed the extinct volcano crater, Diamond Head, and took in some amazing views of southern Oahu and were refreshed by some 'shaved ice,' a local treat, at the bottom. The mountains on the west side of the island were also spectacular - these scenes have been used in many movie and television settings, because of their lush green coverings, and their long and steep descents that seem to plunge from the sky into the sea - quite spectacular!
Just before we flew out for California, we were able to visit the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. 1177 young men died there on 7 Dec 1941 - the memorial was a moving tribute to a horrific tragedy. The museum and a 20 minute video were quite informative, revealing, in hindsight, a series of errors that left the American forces fatally exposed.
Mahalo Hawaii!
Monday, June 09, 2008
Adelaide quick-trip
The Queen's birthday seemed like the perfect opportunity to take-off for Adelaide to visit our Regent College buddies, Matt & Leanne, and to enjoy some of South Australia's delights with them!
Adelaide is blessed by being surrounded by world-class wine regions that include the Barossa, Clare Valley, the Adelaide Hills and McLaren Vale. We were able to enjoy being with Matt & Leanne as we taste-tested our way across the country-side from winery to olive grove to winery to boutique beer-house and again to more wineries... it was a taste sensation!
The pick of the weekend for us was Coriole's Fortified Shiraz, which went down really well with some 70% Cocoa Lindt chocolate for dessert. For beer lovers, the Porter and American Pale Ale from the Lobethal Bierhaus were really good. The Olive Grove was a great spot for lunch, with locally sourced food platters, their 2005 McLaren Vale Shiraz exploded with flavour, and the Shiraz Jam was brilliant, but perhaps a little too indulgent for the humble piece of toast on a daily basis.
On Sunday, we were able to visit Glen Osmond Baptist Church where Matt works part-time, and later have lunch at a missional cafe, Soul Food Espresso, connected to Matt & Leanne's church network that is seeking to build relationships with the local community over good food and great coffee.
Thanks Matt & Leanne for a wonderful weekend away with you guys!
Adelaide is blessed by being surrounded by world-class wine regions that include the Barossa, Clare Valley, the Adelaide Hills and McLaren Vale. We were able to enjoy being with Matt & Leanne as we taste-tested our way across the country-side from winery to olive grove to winery to boutique beer-house and again to more wineries... it was a taste sensation!
The pick of the weekend for us was Coriole's Fortified Shiraz, which went down really well with some 70% Cocoa Lindt chocolate for dessert. For beer lovers, the Porter and American Pale Ale from the Lobethal Bierhaus were really good. The Olive Grove was a great spot for lunch, with locally sourced food platters, their 2005 McLaren Vale Shiraz exploded with flavour, and the Shiraz Jam was brilliant, but perhaps a little too indulgent for the humble piece of toast on a daily basis.
On Sunday, we were able to visit Glen Osmond Baptist Church where Matt works part-time, and later have lunch at a missional cafe, Soul Food Espresso, connected to Matt & Leanne's church network that is seeking to build relationships with the local community over good food and great coffee.
Thanks Matt & Leanne for a wonderful weekend away with you guys!
Saturday, May 17, 2008
pay-cheques: big, small, and not at all
On the 28th July 2006, I worked my last day as a Marketing Professional. 21 months later, I have made a return to my old employer for a 9 week 'summer holiday' stint. I've had to do some hack-work for sure, but I am also managing a project for a high-profile financial services company - so it has been interesting and challenging work to be involved in.
While not "working full-time" as most people would regard it since July '06, I feel that I have been working harder, longer and better ever since. My work has involved a full-time study load, 2 part-time jobs, plus a paid ministry position. Jess and I work very hard, and really enjoy the work that we are doing in these chapters of our lives.
I am also using my 'summer work' in Sydney for my Masters degree requirements, which involves a workplace placement, quite consistent with one of Regent College's goals of teaching and modeling holistic living. So right now as I type, I am actually meant to be working on a journal entry, communicating my experiences of "re-entry" into the marketplace - the challenges, frustrations and compromises that I am experiencing in my 9-5 (or 8:30-7) job [blogging should help the writing juices flow... that's my justification anyway, but I am sure Jess wont be happy with me for writing this and not my journal entry].
In general, there is other "work" that I do too, the house work, D.I.Y. work, some yard work here in Sydney, some web work for Jess' moms ministry, and volunteer work in Mexico last summer. I'm finding that more and more I really enjoy and get great satisfaction out of the work that the market (probably) wouldn't pay me to do (or at least pay very much).
It's a quandary for me, because I enjoy the work 'outside' of my professional work more - I find the work healthier, better relationally and perhaps it contributes more to God's Kingdom. Is part of the quandary living with the curse of Genesis 3, where as a result of sin, for Adam "all of your life you will struggle to scratch a living from the ground"? Perhaps, the Kingdom contribution work isn't as much of a struggle? Then is the challenge, to find work that the market values and builds the Kingdom? Or to turn elements of the market work to the Kingdom's advantage? Or to just see the good things in the market work that contribute to the Kingdom everyday? I also think that a more free-embrace and non-monetary valuing of the other work (which doesn't pay at all) is important too - the implication is that I don't let market forces dictate every choice I make in regard to all of the work I enter into.
I am looking forward to taking a course, starting in September, which will wrestle with a "theology of work." I am sure that being back in the full-time professional workplace for a stint and these reflections on all kinds of work will be good fodder as I dive into that course material. For now, for a short 9 weeks, it's also nice to receive a pay-cheque in the "thousands", rather than the "hundreds" which I have grown use too as a student.
While not "working full-time" as most people would regard it since July '06, I feel that I have been working harder, longer and better ever since. My work has involved a full-time study load, 2 part-time jobs, plus a paid ministry position. Jess and I work very hard, and really enjoy the work that we are doing in these chapters of our lives.
I am also using my 'summer work' in Sydney for my Masters degree requirements, which involves a workplace placement, quite consistent with one of Regent College's goals of teaching and modeling holistic living. So right now as I type, I am actually meant to be working on a journal entry, communicating my experiences of "re-entry" into the marketplace - the challenges, frustrations and compromises that I am experiencing in my 9-5 (or 8:30-7) job [blogging should help the writing juices flow... that's my justification anyway, but I am sure Jess wont be happy with me for writing this and not my journal entry].
In general, there is other "work" that I do too, the house work, D.I.Y. work, some yard work here in Sydney, some web work for Jess' moms ministry, and volunteer work in Mexico last summer. I'm finding that more and more I really enjoy and get great satisfaction out of the work that the market (probably) wouldn't pay me to do (or at least pay very much).
It's a quandary for me, because I enjoy the work 'outside' of my professional work more - I find the work healthier, better relationally and perhaps it contributes more to God's Kingdom. Is part of the quandary living with the curse of Genesis 3, where as a result of sin, for Adam "all of your life you will struggle to scratch a living from the ground"? Perhaps, the Kingdom contribution work isn't as much of a struggle? Then is the challenge, to find work that the market values and builds the Kingdom? Or to turn elements of the market work to the Kingdom's advantage? Or to just see the good things in the market work that contribute to the Kingdom everyday? I also think that a more free-embrace and non-monetary valuing of the other work (which doesn't pay at all) is important too - the implication is that I don't let market forces dictate every choice I make in regard to all of the work I enter into.
I am looking forward to taking a course, starting in September, which will wrestle with a "theology of work." I am sure that being back in the full-time professional workplace for a stint and these reflections on all kinds of work will be good fodder as I dive into that course material. For now, for a short 9 weeks, it's also nice to receive a pay-cheque in the "thousands", rather than the "hundreds" which I have grown use too as a student.
Sunday, May 04, 2008
bridgeclimb
At Christmas the Hugheses gave the sons and daughters-in-law each a gift-certificate to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge together, voted Australia's #1 tourist attraction, to redeem on our return to the beautiful harbour city.
The day was perfect, blue-skies with views to Manly and the Blue Mountains. I was surprised how easy it was to get up to the top, only 4 ladders to reach the 'coat-hanger,' and from there, it really is an easy ascent on stairs and then a flat path to the 'summit,' 134 meters above the water.
Doing this with the family was an obvious highlight, but I also really enjoyed all the unique views of Sydney: looking down on the traffic on the bridge, gazing over the curves of the land to different parts of the harbour, and seeing the skyline from a new perspective. I think I could have spent all day up there with my camera, but they don't let you take anything along with you.
To finish the experience well, Mum joined us all at the Australian Pub and enjoyed some pizza and beer together, including a pizza with one of our national emblem animals on it, the Emu. Kangaroo and crocodile were also on the menu.
Thanks Dad!
The day was perfect, blue-skies with views to Manly and the Blue Mountains. I was surprised how easy it was to get up to the top, only 4 ladders to reach the 'coat-hanger,' and from there, it really is an easy ascent on stairs and then a flat path to the 'summit,' 134 meters above the water.
Doing this with the family was an obvious highlight, but I also really enjoyed all the unique views of Sydney: looking down on the traffic on the bridge, gazing over the curves of the land to different parts of the harbour, and seeing the skyline from a new perspective. I think I could have spent all day up there with my camera, but they don't let you take anything along with you.
To finish the experience well, Mum joined us all at the Australian Pub and enjoyed some pizza and beer together, including a pizza with one of our national emblem animals on it, the Emu. Kangaroo and crocodile were also on the menu.
Thanks Dad!
Sunday, April 06, 2008
four weeks
Some of you may wonder what we’ve been doing for the past month, given our silence on our blog. Well, in mid-March we headed to Mexico and San Diego to spend time with our friends in Ensenada and with my family. It was, generally a great time except that my mum gave me the stomach flu. That was bad enough on its own, but my grandparents and aunt and uncle were noticeably smiley and somewhat unsympathetic for the first 24 hours. I later found out that they were under the very false impression that I may be pregnant (I mean, if you are 29, married, and having stomach problems, what other explanation could there be?) Once they realised that the killer stomach cramps, fever, chills, and associated issues were not, in fact a child, but a viral or bacterial infection given me by my mother, the sympathy level increased noticeably.
We returned to Vancouver two weeks ago with four weeks remaining in the term. In those four weeks, we had the following tasks to complete (this represents only a fraction of the work for the term).
Andrew
3000 word (10 page) history paper
2x 1000 word exegesis papers
2500 word exegesis paper
3x 500 word history tasks
Plus numerous small tasks for business ethics
Jessica
3000 word literary theory paper
3000 word thesis proposal
2x 1000 word exegesis papers
2500 word exegesis paper
As well as lead a church retreat and cook on said retreat for 26 people. And work 3 jobs (Jessica) and 2 jobs (Andrew). And we had 13 people for Easter dinner.
As I write this, I have completed, in two weeks, 7,000 (23 pages) of my 10,500 words to round-up the term. Andrew, likewise has finished 5,500 of his 9,000 words, so the end is in sight. The problem is, at this point we are running out of things to say, especially academic things to say, which is why I’m writing a blog rather than writing an exegesis assignment. Fortunately, the end is in sight and we will soon be on a plane back to Sydney, where at least we’ll get to . . . work full-time.
We returned to Vancouver two weeks ago with four weeks remaining in the term. In those four weeks, we had the following tasks to complete (this represents only a fraction of the work for the term).Andrew
3000 word (10 page) history paper
2x 1000 word exegesis papers
2500 word exegesis paper
3x 500 word history tasks
Plus numerous small tasks for business ethics
Jessica
3000 word literary theory paper
3000 word thesis proposal
2x 1000 word exegesis papers
2500 word exegesis paper
As well as lead a church retreat and cook on said retreat for 26 people. And work 3 jobs (Jessica) and 2 jobs (Andrew). And we had 13 people for Easter dinner.
As I write this, I have completed, in two weeks, 7,000 (23 pages) of my 10,500 words to round-up the term. Andrew, likewise has finished 5,500 of his 9,000 words, so the end is in sight. The problem is, at this point we are running out of things to say, especially academic things to say, which is why I’m writing a blog rather than writing an exegesis assignment. Fortunately, the end is in sight and we will soon be on a plane back to Sydney, where at least we’ll get to . . . work full-time.
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