Mardi Gras

Today I learned something new: Mardi Gras is French for Shrove Tuesday. Here is the table laid ready for tonight's Pancake Party. I invited some friends round for a bring and share supper and enjoyed the evening so much I'm planning another one soon. I supplied baked potatoes and my friends brought tuna mayo, grated cheese, moussaka, salad, etc. Dessert was of course pancakes (served with a choice of ice cream, cherries, strawberries, maple syrup, lemon juice and sugar). All very simple. Entertaining made easy.

The significance of silence in the Buddha Dharma

The day began with a really good workout at the gym. I joined the 'Body Blitz' class. I'll confess I made a mistake - I thought I was going to a 50+ keep fit class and anticipated it would be fairly gentle. No such luck! Going to a class like that on a regular basis would soon sort out the extra pounds, I think I'd sweat it off in no time. It's strange how energetic I felt afterwards.

Later I had an appointment with an employment specialist to go through my CV and fine tune it to give me a better chance of getting interviewed. I've sent off applications for 12 jobs so far, received 3 outright rejections and not had any invitations to interview as yet. That contrasts strongly with my previous job-hunting experience. Someone has suggested I'm underselling myself.

In the evening I hooked up the trusty satnav and found my way to the Friends' Meeting House at Woking for a talk on the significance of silence in the Buddha Dharma. (Following the link will take you off this page to the Woking Quakers' website, and you can scroll down to an article about the talk). It was very interesting, but the wooden bench I was sitting on wasn't exactly comfortable for a prolonged sit, and as the time wound round towards 9.45 pm I just wanted to head for home. Eventually I decided there was nothing else for it but to stand up and thread my way carefully past the other attendees (the room was packed and I was sitting just about furthest from the exit). Back in the comfort of the car I re-programmed the satnav to take me home ... but there was a road closed and the diversion took me well off track. Now this is the kind of situation which makes me very thankful for the satnav and ultimately it did get me home safely. You noticed the word 'ultimately', yes? The route was very ... how can I put it ... 'interesting', involving extremely narrow country lanes and a dead end which the satnav seemed to think was an acceptable route. Those bollards looked pretty solid to me! As I turned in the road and drove back, the satnav persisted in instructing me to 'perform a U-turn, perform a U-turn'. I don't think there's a button you can press to tell it it's made a mistake. Oh well, once I'd found my way to the nearest main road, it got me back on track so we're still friends.

Cautionary Tales

On Sunday I visited the local church. One of the readings was from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 11 v37-52; to put it in context, Jesus had just been talking to a large crowd. A Pharisee (a Jew who was so well versed in the Old Testament he was recognised as a practitioner and teacher of law) invited Jesus to come and eat with him. Jesus accepted the invitation, went in and 'reclined at the table' with the Pharisees' guests. The Pharisee is surprised when Jesus doesn't wash before the meal as was the Jewish custom.

As a Christian I've been accustomed to reading this story from a perspective that says more or less 'Jesus is the perfect shining example of all that is good and can do no wrong'. However, for some reason upon reading it this time I was able to step out of that mindset and see how it would look if I was reading a story about myself as the 'named character'. So I've just been out addressing the crowds and getting my ego stroked by being the centre of attention, and someone important, someone others respect and look up to, compounds that by inviting me to enjoy his hospitality. Wow, am I doing great or what? Accepted into the 'highest' circles! So I go in and I'm familiar with the custom of washing before eating but today I just go to the table and take up my place. Now is that because I'm hungry and can't wait to eat, or because I understand the reason for the rules and have faith that I'm not going to suffer on this occasion through throwing convention to the winds, or because I want to make a point, or some other reason such as being so caught up in what happened outside that I simply forget ... on this point the story is silent. The consequence, however, is that this important person who has just extended me the acceptance of being his equal now finds his notions of equality being challenged. He who has exhibited his adherence to the rules through his outward habits is now faced with someone who seems profoundly 'other'. Where there had been acceptance of the 'we' position, now he is feeling surprised by this glaring difference between us. A simple omission on my part signals the underlying 'me, you' sense of separation as the Pharisee fails to recognise himself in my action. What happens next? Rather than taking some action that will reconcile us, smooth over the awkward moment and switch us back into brotherhood, effectively I emphasise my own sense of the difference, and more: of my sense of being superior to my host and his colleagues. Ungraciously I lambast them about their behaviour. Now here's the point that really caught my attention. In the speech Jesus is quoted as saying:

" Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your forefathers who killed them.
So you testify that you approve of what your forefathers did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs.
Because of this, God in his wisdom said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.'
Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world,
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all."

Lately I've been thinking about quantum physics. A while back I watched Dr Brian Greene's 'The Elegant Universe' and read the book. I watched the TV series 'FlashForward' and when it stopped midway through the series for Christmas, I borrowed the novel from the library and read that. (It draws on quantum physics). I've been watching the extended DVD set, 'What the Bleep do we know? ', learning about 'entanglement' and 'consciousness'. I've been reading books that suggest that the energy we send out comes back to us (also a physical 'law': every action has an equal and opposite reaction). When I look at this tirade and put it in the context of the story of Jesus' life as told in the Gospels, it becomes a cautionary tale reminding me to be careful what I say when I'm in a state of perceiving myself to be separate from others.

The Sunday morning service continued with a reading from Paul's epistle to the Galatians chapter 6 v1-18 which includes the warning: "God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." Sadly from the Gospel accounts, it would appear Jesus reaped the consequences of his words, dying on a cross bearing the responsibility for the blood of the prophets.

Aerogarden

I planted up the aerogarden on January 8th. Along the back row left to right there is mint, basil, dill, thyme. Front row: purple basil, chives, parsley (which so far annoyingly has failed to germinate). Didn't realise until the herbs had germinated that thyme has now been substituted for the coriander (cilantro). Bit of a nuisance as more of the recipes I use regularly call for coriander than thyme.

This morning the sun is beaming out of a clear blue sky and reflecting off the scattering of white. I had planned to go over the allotment but I think it's going to be a cold one! Maybe I should just stay here for the morning and finish the online application I started yesterday for a secretarial job.

Culinary Success!

Tonight's tasty home-cooked meal was Thai Green Chicken curry served with fragrant Thai rice, broccoli and organically home-grown brussel sprouts and mashed swede. The chicken was really tender and delicious. There is still a full row of swede to lift over the allotment before I hand it over to a new tenant.

After dinner I took the digital camera out into the cold night air to try and capture the sight of Mars shining it's brightest alongside the moon. It's possible to just about make out Mars in the photos - maybe my old 35mm SLR camera and telephoto lens could have done better.

Culinary flop!

Not all my culinary efforts are successful. Now you might be forgiven for thinking that the photo shows two respectable Yorkshire puddings. Sadly not. Today is my neighbour's little boy's first birthday so I thought it would be a nice gesture to make him a birthday cake. If you check out the blog entry for 27th December 2009 you'll get the idea. I really don't know why these are such a flop - unless it's because I mixed two types of fat. I didn't have sufficient soft margarine so I made it up with butter. Would that do it?

Anyway, suffice it to say that I abandoned the idea of giving this cake to my neighbour. I had to go into town anyway this afternoon for an interview at the Job Centre so I used the trip as an opportunity to buy the kid a wooden shape-sorting puzzle instead. The present was very well received.

One half of the cake I have used as the basis for a large trifle, the other I gave to a friend for her to do something with. Now I just have to find someone on whom to bestow the trifle. Any takers?

Focusing on the positive

Yesterday's Spiritual Journeying meeting went extremely well, I'm pleased to report. There were 13 attendees and every single one joined in the conversation. It was stimulating and enjoyable (and for me, an answered prayer).

Dinner tonight was also very enjoyable - not to mention colourful and healthy. Salmon cooked in a foil parcel with olive oil, lemon juice, vine-ripened tomatoes and red sweet pepper, served with potatoes and courgettes oven-roasted in olive oil and fresh broccoli. It made up for a wasted afternoon, but I won't go into that. Let's focus on the positive.