Googlying

Now I was googling 'Colse Blog' the other hour and because of my name it is often as 'did you mean Close'... no offence there... that is until I traversed some of the return results pages where I found the below on someone's myspace...

Most disconcerting!!!

Absolute Genius

There are many reasons why I get on with a guy called Robin Mitchell... we share passions for music, coffee, songwriting but most of all we share similar outlooks to life.

This is from a myspace bulletin/blog he sent around and is nothing short of genius:

"Everyone knows what this means, right?
It's a redeemable kiss.

You know, lots of people write me nice messages and put little kisses on the end. I figure, given that it's 2007 just on the horizon and all, I'm owed a fair few kisses from 2006 and I'd like to redeem them all asap. I think I'm actually owed over a thousand all told, that's including guys and girls of all ages but no under 16s, please, thank you.

Anyway, kisses can be exchanged in the location of your choice, just track me down. If you want to know how many kisses I'm owed, I do actually have a database and will be able to tell you the exact amount. Just message me or something. But don't rush all at once...

I await *your* kisses with anticipation. Happy New Year, one and all
x"


For more gems go to:
Rob's Blog @ http://making-sense-of.blogspot.com
Rob's Music @ http://www.myspace.com/rmitchellmusic

Found # 7

30/12/06: Coffee Face with Nigel @ Coffee # 1

Free food in Bristol?

Apparently we give out free food!! Found this online

Christmas Day

Well its Christmas Day, or rather its the end of it. As I write this I am currently at my sisters... but here's a little photo essay of how I spent at least an hour of today.

Also I think there is more evidence for my OCD-ness, check out the way I wrapped my presents!



More here in the gallery

Joel @ Mullers # 4

Yesterday

Slide

Old Church in Redfield

Thursday 14th Nov

I ended up today sat in a Wetherspoons pub at about 11am in the morning. Now I know initially that sounds like an outrageous thing to do, especially on a Thursday but there was a reason. I had to take my car for some attention and for some strange reason there are a lot of car-type people over in Redfield, Bristol.

I had about an hour and a half to kill so proceeded to the nearest establishment that did an all-day breakfast, which by the way didn't have any bacon so I had to go for an extra sausage... which in my mind spoils the balance of a breakfast (not that it really made much difference as pretty much everything bar the toast seemed to be deep fried).

Anyhoos, as I looked around at my fellow patrons. There seemed to be quite a mix of people - (for future reference it opens at 9am) some mothers with kids, a couple in their forties (whom I had one of my brief random conversations with) and quite a number of older folk, most of which were nursing pints of various kinds.

The women behind the bar wasn't the younger pretty student types that you'd normally expect in other parts of the city but an older, fuller lady. I ordered my all-day breakfast with a mug of tea (which came with a little biscuit and three packs of sugar - perhaps that is the standard) and a pint of coke and then proceeded to a window seat in the corner.

The place had a strange atmosphere - it was more of a local cafe feel than some sort chain-pub. And the more I thought about it the more I saw sign signs that. The barlady knew people by name and patrons greeted each other not as strangers or passerbys but as people within the same community.

Community happens in spite of ourselves. We may think that we are 'rocks' or 'islands' but the reality of it all is that people are are the same. We all want to know and be known, we all worry about our friends and family, we all would probably want to be able to leave our front doors open but are all probably scared of the same things.

It is within the very nature of people to want to be with people...

Danner Cow

Someone had to do it!

Men & Women

Not my opinion obviously... but nevertheless quite funny.

St Mary Redcliffe

Had a lovely lunchtime with some of the guys from St Mary Redcliffe... lovely to see some of the Devo guys as well. They Rock!

I made these!

Found # 6

London: 09/11/06

Do I have OCD?

I have just gone through all the postings on the blog and added 'labels' to them - essentially ordering them, 'putting them in neat little boxs'... all of them...

PacMan-PieChart

Shopping list

Today: Folder, Hole Punch, Socks, Pants
Actually bought: Pants


... Pants

Found # 5

05/12/06: Poster(?), Coffee #1, Glos Rd

Joel @ Mullers # 3

Today... Hannah (his girlfriend) actually called me in from another room to take this photo!

Mr Horse leads the pre Devotion meeting

Ballon Bowl

Thursday 30th Nov (backdated)

I'm currently sat in one of those swanky coffee cafe places, sipping on my overpriced 'caramel macchiato' and tucking into my 'brie and cranberry' foccacia (nice!). I had planned this. Even the sitting and writing part. It was to be my little oasis in what seems to be, or at least feel like, an everincreasingly busy lifestyle of 'working for the church' - in between all the various church meetings ans the running about. A little pause for thought.

Around me are all the various other people you'd expect in such a place - the mothers & babies, the teenaged-giggly-girls, the passer-bys all too busy to even sit down and drink a cup of coffee. You see there's a wierd paradox of things that went through my mind as I sat there with all these strangers.

That afternoon I received a random phonecall from my pastor - he asked me if I would come on a 'pastoral visit' with him (in about 15 minutes time - this is not unusual for him!). We were going to visit a guy called Dennis. Dennis recently wandered through the doors of our church during a conference, a little worse for wear, living rough and suffering a little - he had a real encounter with God and is now trying to sort stuff out (he is as we speak in a little B&B on the other side of the city, tuning in his combiTV/VHS that we just dropped off for him).

His room is probably a quarter of the size of the coffeeshop I am currently sat in and contains a single bed, a chest of drawers and the now aforementioned combiTV/VHS - there are no trinkets, photographs, souvenirs or in fact any personal reminders or affects of any kind.

On our way to find one of those aerial extensions for his TV, we meet Diego - one of Dennis' new housemates. He tells us about his step-sisters birthday and about his extended family. He seems quite a genuiene guy who's more than happy just to chat, more than happy just to share a little bit of his life. It seems odd that I have spent time now with these other strangers here in this coffeeshop than I did with Diego, yet I know more about him.

We eventually managed to find an aerial extension for Dennis before having to rush off again. The visit was brief - a pause in the routines of life. Yet it is one of those things that are help shaping me and the perspectives of life at the moment.

My little oasis has been spent not thinking about the troubles that had previously occupied my mind but here in my unexpected little 'quiet time' I find myself thinking about the opposites of life and how life seems to be more and more held together by tensions. That it isn't one extreme or another but actually both of them and somewhere in between. That life itself is not really a series of fixed points held rigidly together but a series of things held by the elastics and flexibilites of 'love'.

To be honest, I probably could have had some tea nad toast at home... but I didn't. And the cost was probably twice that of the money Dennis borrowed to buy some tobbaco. I'm left feeling slightly guilty and slightly surreal but mostly humbled by the One who gave it all ... for me, for Dennis and for Diego.

Road trip: Dublin - 21/11/06

Myself and Mr Collins decided to take a little trip to Dublin Tuesday before last... not for any real reason but hughely becuase we could... so there!

The whole kaboodle

Christmas Food 2

Remember what I said about Christmas food and specifically Christmas Pizza! ... well flipping Pizza Express had this board outside their restaurant in Clifton... the nerve of it...

Mat Roden's Pegs On Face Challenge

This guy deserves a medal or something..

Found # 4

26/11/06: Tom(?), Kings Arms Pub

Found # 3

21/11/06: Crack in painted window, Guinness Storehouse

Protege Plan @ The Loui

Roberto & Gang took on the Louisana last night and did a sterling job - nice one lads! If you missed them check them out at www.myspace.com/protegeplan.

Genius: Shop in Dublin

Torn

Stole this from Chloe's myspace

Happy Birthday to you...

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Tom Newton-Smith...Happy Birthday to you! Yes Woodies very own Peter Pan turned another year yesterday.

To preserve him (and the author of this blog!) of any embarrassment, we shan't reveal his age but wish him salutations... Tom you're still cool but your taste in accessories might need some attention!

In true 'Smooth' style - five words that describe Tom: Charmer, Blonde, English, Childlike... and er Tom.

Jesus by Banksy

Fireworks last week

Jude & Joe

Joel @ Mullers # 2

From the Tuesday just gone.

Joel @ Mullers # 1

Joel is part of our year team at Woodies and as part of that, he, myself and a few others attend the Muller Training day... to be fair ALL the year team work really hard and they are a lovely bunch. This photo was taken about a month ago.

Childish but funny

CarCrashTV # 3

I can try to account for cultural differences but I have no idea what this guy is doing

CarCrashTV # 2

Simplicity

CarCrashTV # 1

... would you believe it ... Malaysian Idol... oh my gosh

Found # 2

05/11/06: Antique Shop, Clifton

Found # 1

09/11/06: Cornwall Road, Bristol

2 Distortions courtesy of Tom & 1 from me!