sustaining word » general

sharpie

jazzmetalman — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 12:36:32 +0000

My sport of choice to watch, now that I’m too old to play, is rugby union – the game they play in heaven! The mighty Western Force is my team in the Super 14, a provincial competition pitting sides across the three great rugby nations of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

It’s tribal, but also nationalistic – in other words competitive to the hilt for players and fans alike.Last night saw the kick-off of the 2010 season, and unfortunately the Awesome Force lost, but it’s still going to a good year.

But what was really good was that last year at a charity auction, I got to bid for a signed shirt by the captain, Nathan Sharpe. Sharpie is an awesome player and a great guy, so I was thrilled to find out that I won it. Add a few photos, stick it in a frame, and here it is – a nice piece of sporting memorabilia.

Who knows, Sharpie may be the captain of the champion Super 14 team for 2010.

twitter 10 commandments

jazzmetalman — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:19:43 +0000

Found these whilst I was stumbling around the web. You may have already seen them, but they’re worth a laugh or two.

If God Texts the Ten Commandments – by Jamie Quatro (here is where I found them)

no1 b4 me. srsly
dnt wrshp pix/idols
no omg’s
no wrk on w/end (sat 4 now;sun l8r)
pos ok – ur m&d r cool
dnt kill ppl
:-X only w/m8
dnt steal
dnt lie re:bf
dnt ogle ur bf’s m8, or ox, or dnky. myob

m, pls rite on tabs & giv 2 ppl

ttyl, JHWH

ps. wwjd?

car shopping

jazzmetalman — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:00:40 +0000

I have spent the last couple of days looking for a car for my 17 year old. It brought back memories of my first car, a 1980 Toyota Corolla station wagon that I bought in late 1983 at a cost of $3,000. That was quite a bit back then and I wasn’t sure what we ‘d get in our budgeted range of $2,500 to $3,500.

Well, we got an awesome car, with a lot of thanks to some friends from our church who more than looked after us. So much so that my daughter and I feel blessed and humbled.

What was fun was the joy I saw in my daughter’s eyes as she looked upon her new car (of which she will pay 50%), but also the feeling I had that we were giving to her something that she will treasure.

It can’t be compared to what our Heavenly Father has given to us, but I can appreciate even more what He gave when He sent Jesus to earth for all of mankind. His love compelled Him to send Jesus, just as our love for our daughter compelled us to help her acquire her first car.

With gifts comes responsibility, something my daughter will start to experience tomorrow when we take delivery of her car.

how long should technology last

jazzmetalman — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:57:00 +0000

Tomorrow, our new oven arrives, less than three years after our current one was installed. The old one could have been repaired, if the manufacturer, Nobel, didn’t go bust. Unfortunately for the Mercer’s they did and we have shelled out some unexpected cash for a new one.

Do you buy European, or “Aussie made”? It seems Aussie made is a misnomer as all these modern whitegoods are manufactured in Europe, with their cheaper, more price sensitive cousins made in South East Asia. Buying Aussie no longer guarantees accessibility to parts in the future. Price, likewise doesn’t promise long-life and customer support as the demise of Kleenmaid proved.

Therefore are we being greedy or unrealistic to expect major household appliances to last upwards of ten years? I don’t think so. My parents’ generation were used to changing the fridges, stoves, ovens etc after 15 or 20 years – not barely 2.5 years. Are we so used to purchasing extended warranties that tacitly we expect our new purchases to break down within five years?

It feels like we now have accepted mediocrity as a standard to aspire towards, rather than excellence. As consumers we have lost our voice, but do we have any power to convince the manufacturers to build better. Have we confused the rapid technological advances in some areas as the reason why all products need to be constantly upgraded?

To me, certain appliances that don’t evolve rapidly still should have a long life – at least ten years.

Here’s hoping our new oven exceeds my hopes.

i’m back

jazzmetalman — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:45:00 +0000

Well, it’s been two years since I last blogged, but now it’s time for me to share my thoughts to anyone who wants to listen!