Raed tihs... yuor mnid rokcs!

Cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid. Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

my week beats your year

I'm enjoying the new 'Genius' function on the new version of iTunes.

If you haven't got it yet this is what it is: you select a song and ask iTunes to create a playlist for you of similar songs from your iTunes library. You can also see recommendations of similar artists iTunes has for you from its Store (so obviously they are onto a good thing here too).

iTunes gradually 'learns' your likes and dislikes over time and streamlines its selections based on your choices.

Anyway - already this week (through Genius) I have discovered a top new band that I had never heard of before - Telefon Tel Aviv. Not - as you might think - an Israeli electronica outfit (shame really) but a duo from New Orleans. It's really beautiful electronica....lush textures and lots of broken beats etc. - for me there are similarities with Mylo (but less obviously pop-y/commercial) and The Album Leaf. If that's the sort of thing you like then check them out at the iTunes store here. ('my week beats your year' is the title of a track from their album 'map of what is effortless').

Holy Cross Day

So last Sunday was Holy Cross day. This is a major feast in the lectionary but to my mind it's a bit of an odd one!
Unlike Good Friday - when we remember the theological and spiritual significance of the cross - Holy Cross day is when we focus on the actual wood of the cross itself.

It's beginnings are in the supposed discovery of the true cross by Helena - mother of the Emperor Constantine - in 300 and something.

The one thing I do find helpful from all of this is that it's reminder that spirituality and discipleship etc. are about physical things. It's a helpful corrective for when we get too other-worldly and ethereal - which we are all prone to from time to time. Holy Cross day says that God's actions in the world have to do with very solid, physical things like wood and flesh and blood.

So we marked the day anyway in our community and spent some time talking about the cross.

heavy reading

Mondays are childcare days for me.

Lily-Anna and I often end up walking to the Central library in the middle of Oxford - she enjoys being in the children's section, looking at the books etc.

So we picked up some interesting books this morning. Couldn't help but chuckle when I saw them side by side on the sofa!

Which one should I tackle first?!!