Docklands: 9/2/1996

Irish or British
Does it matter?
We speak the same language,
Share the same heritage.
Let the past be the past
We all want peace.
All?
A handful of mindless bastards
Seeking their own ends.
Not what the people want.
Their own personal glory.
Their selfish ways
Leads to pain for the innocent
Leaving children crying.
Fathers are dead;
Mothers are dead
A minority leading us all
To our own Armageddon.

11th February 1996 - Uxbridge, Middlesex, England.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"The Periodic Kingdom" by P.W. Atkins. A book trying to get across the principles of the Periodic Table of elements in a straight forward way. It did an ok job. For me, however, it was more of a trip back into the branch of Chemistry, inorganic, where I am much more at home rather than the Pharmaceutical/Organic branch I now deal with nearly 100% at work.

-Richard

I listened to:

"Seven Last Words from the Cross" composed by James MacMillan and performed by The Britten Sinfonia and Polyphony conducted by Stephen Layton.
"On the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin" and "Te Deum" both composed by James MacMillan and performed by James Vivian (organ) and Polyphony, conducted by Stephen Layton.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"We Never Make Mistakes" written by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. This comprised of two short stories: "An Incident at Krechetovka Station" and "Matryona's House".








-Richard

One of the most rewarding things that I do occasionally is to help teach a Basic Computer Class to residents of the Raleigh Rescue Mission. I've done this for a few years now. It is great to try and show people who have not had it easy, but, are so enthusiastic, so grateful but above all want to really try and start again new skills. For example when I was there yesterday I bumped into a student from a previous class. He is now going to college to attend culinary arts. It's so refreshing after all the negativity we here all around us and yet these folks who do have nothing are so grateful it really makes one think.

The other cool thing about the session that I have just done is that I did it for the first time with Jenn. Each class has an instructor and assistant. My previous assistant just had a baby so Jenn stepped into help and enjoyed it. She should actually be doing the teaching as she is the one that taught me most things that I know on the computer.

The class is always started with a short devotional as the goal is sharing Christ in a practical way that can apply to people's life. Yesterday's which was unplanned happened to be my favourite: Joshua 1 vs 9...paraphrased by me "Be Bold be Strong because the Lord Your God is with you"

-Richard

I finished reading:

"The Great Rehearsal" written by Carl Van Doren. An interesting read on the evolution of the Constitution of the US.







-Richard

I listened to:

"Birthday Sleep", "Butterfly Dreams", "The Second Coming", "Schuon Hymnen", "As one who has slept", "The Bridal Chamber", "Exhortation and Kohina" and "Shunya". All were composed by John Tavener and performed by Polyphony conducted by Stephen Layton.

-Richard

Yesterday "My" New York Giants reached are very unlikely Super Bowl beating Green Bay, in an extremely cold Lambeau Field. It's been a very exciting end to the Season and the next couple of weeks will be fun. However, its kinda like a poisoned chalice having to play arguably the greatest team in the history of the NFL - the 18-0 New England Patriots. A team driven by history to achieve only the second ever perfect season on the the first team to reach 19-0. The Giants pushed them very close in the final regular season game losing 38-35 so you never know!!!

-Richard

I bought Jenn a new digital camera for her birthday and I "inherited" her old one. She has an account on flickr were she takes a photo a day. Whist I certainly will come nowhere near a picture a day I am going to try and take some regularly of relevant things and post them on here.

-Richard

Christmas in Texas

Kids running wild
Christmas music playing
Tills jangling
Christmas trees decorated
Presents being bought
Snow outside?
No, seventy degree heat.
It is Christmas. Isn't it?

25th November 1995 - San Antonio, Texas, USA.

I finally joined one of the trendy technological revolutions. I bought an I-pod!! With the traveling I have had to do and will probably have to do it is something to pass the time more quickly.

-Richard

On Monday I went on another work trip. This time to Vandalia, Ohio and then to West Lafayette, Indiana. In the process I used three airports I had not been to: Dayton, OH, Indianapolis, IN and Washington-Reagan as well as Cincinnati which I have been to previously. This got me thinking about how many airports I'd flown in and out of:

Europe: England - London - Heathrow, London - Gatwick and Teeside
France - Paris -Charles de Gaulle
Holland - Amsterdam
Denmark - Copenhagen
Sweden - Stockholm
Russia - St. Petersburg

Rest of the World: Jamaica - Montego Bay
Sri Lanka - Colombo
Oman - Mascat.

USA: Alabama - Mobile
Arizona - Phoenix
California - Ontario, Orange County, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Fransisco, Oakland and San Jose.
Massachusetts - Boston
Florida - Miami and Fort Lauderdale
Georgia - Atlanta
Illinois - Chicago, O'Hare
Indiana - Indianapolis
Kentucky- Cincinnati (the airport is in Kentucky over the State line from Ohio)
Minnesota - Minneapolis
Michigan - Detroit
Nebraska - Omaha
New York - JFK and White Plains
North Carolina - Raleigh/Durham
Ohio - Cleveland and Dayton
Texas - Houston, George Bush and Victoria
Utah - Salt Lake City
Virginia - Washington Dulles and Washington, Reagan.
Wisconsin - Madison

-Richard

I finished reading:

"The Siege of Leningrad" written by Alan Wykes.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"The Wealth of Nations" written by Adam Smith.

-Richard

PC-World

Machines rule.
Man subservient.
Everything must be done
By the press of a key
Causing electrons whizzing
Programs running.
Crash!!!
It goes wrong
What do we do?
Nothing!
We can't.
We don't think anymore
We're lost:-
To the rule of the computer.

17th October 1995 - North Acton, London, England.

-Richard

As my meetings in LA finished early on Wednesday I decided to a little sightseeing and find the "Hollywood" sign. After driving down such iconic roads as Sunset and Hollywood Boulevards driving past Santa Monica and Mullholland I found the sign. I took a picture on my cell phone, which is not to clear. It was an amazingly humbling experience. How did a guy from Hartlepool, in the North-East of England end up here? My only answer is an could be blessing from God. I have worked hard, but, nothing could have been accomplished with out God and I am really, really humbled.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"The Fall of the Russian Monarchy" by Sir Bernard Pares.

-Richard

Back to California. Here, I am sitting in a hotel room back in CA. This time it is not the Bay Area, it is SoCal!! I am staying in Agura Hills, just north of LA. Of course I had to wear my San Jose Earthquakes shirt and jacket for the trip over. Strangely enough this is the first time that I have flown into LAX.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"Summer of '49" written by David Halberstom

-Richard

I listened to:

"Symphony N0.5 in B flat, Op.100" and "Ala and Lolly (Sythian Suite) Op.20" composed by Sergei Prokofiev. They were performed by The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.

"Symphony No.5 in E flat major, Op 82" and "Symphony No.6 in D minor, Op 104" both composed by Jean Sibelius. The were performed by The London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Colin Davis.

-Richard

Happy New Year!!!

So, what does the New Year hold? That's a good question. I think the only certainty is that it will be interesting.

What I would like is for a year of stability at work where the new job is consolidated and hopefully I will be doing the same job this time next year as I think it will take at least that long to get it to position I want to allow growth to happen.
We will be reducing the amount we do for Snowflake slightly and I would like to do more work in the community in some form tutoring or teaching.
I think that's it really. A year of stability where at this time next year I will be able to say that it was a good year and I really did God's will and I have made Him proud and given Him all the Glory.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"Alexander II and the Modernization of Russia" written by W.E. Mosse.

-Richard