Loire Valley Tomorrow July 22, 2009

Dear all

I hope that you have a great couple of weeks. I will be wearing my “Keep Calm and Carry On T-Shirt”, and “Keep Calm and Carry On Apron” whilst I cook for 82 people on a campsite in the Loire Valley with Oak Hall, and as I then bike-sit, and drive down to Provence on the wrong side of the road, before coming back to get back on track with my projects.

Looking forward to taking up my 0.4 post as a Lecturer in History at the University of Winchester on my return, along with a number of projects to finish! And I suspect I may have a blog entry or two to do.. I’ve set a number up on my other blog: ww2poster!

Bex

Damaris Culturewatch: My Sister’s Keeper (review) July 22, 2009

In My Sister’s Keeper, Kate Fitzgerald (Sofia Vassilieva) is diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia when she is two years old, and the prognosis is not positive. Her parents, Sara (Cameron Diaz) and Brian (Jason Patric), and her brother Jesse (Evan Ellingson) are not genetic matches. Sara, at least, will do anything to save Kate, and Dr Wayne (Jeffrey Markle) suggests, off the record, that producing another child in a test-tube would provide a perfectly matched donor. Anna (Abigail Breslin) is the result. The initial expectation is that only the blood from the umbilical cord will be used, but by the time Anna is 11, she’s undergone a number of medical procedures, including bone marrow transplants, and the latest call is for a kidney.

Read the rest of this article (be aware, it contains plot spoilers), which I wrote.

Bex is totally addicted July 21, 2009

“Bex is totally addicted: she can’t resist a sale sign, can’t ignore a new pair of Prada shoes and can convince herself that she ‘needs’ it all. Shopping to Bex is better than falling in love:

‘You know that thing when you see someone cute and he smiles, and your heart kinda goes like warm butter sliding down hot toast? Well, that’s what it’s like when I see a store, only its better’.

Bex is a shopaholic. She sees shopping as infinitely satisfying, unlike men: ‘You see, a man will never love you or treat you as well as a store. If a man doesn’t fit you can’t exchange him seven days later for a gorgeous cashmere sweater.”

Woah, thought somewas was defaming me, but no, it’s Becca Cockram’s review of ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic‘. I think my friend Kate would say that I’m capable of convincing myself that I “need” what I buy, but after having to hoik a load of stuff around whilst travelling, I’d rather have less “stuff” and have more fun!

Brian Draper: Spiritual Intelligence: Book Launch Speech July 20, 2009

Feels like a conspiracy here tonight.

“A small crowd gathering in an old bookshop, gathering around an idea, spilling onto the streets, albeit in genteel, Winchester fashion, quietly determined, perhaps, to connect, and to make a difference.

Quietly determined to whisper conspiratorially that there must be more to life than slavishly serving money or massaging ego;

Quietly determined to stop sleep-walking through life, and start waking up to the moments of clarity, to the gifts of epiphany, to the glimpses of magic we are all presented with every day, if we did but realise them.

Quietly resolved, perhaps, to try living as if less really is more.

As if you’ve got to lose yourself to find yourself.

As if you’ve got to die, somehow, in order to truly live.”

Read more

Tango in the Aisles July 19, 2009

I’ve just enjoyed watching this video on Sadler’s Wells Global Dance Contest, as a couple of my friends (Karen & Vicky) are in it. I think it’s a well thought out piece, and much better to see on video, than the various Facebook stills I’d seen! Clever!

It’s hard to apologize when I know I’m wrong July 18, 2009

In many ways it's easy to apologise when I know I'm wrong, because then at least I do know why I'm apologising, but many times, it takes a while to work up to saying I'm sorry!! It depends on how badly I think I'm wrong, and how badly I think I might have hurt someone else's feelings in the process..

"Calm Down and Carry On" campaign for @drbexl July 17, 2009

Ha ha, bit of crowd-sourcing continuing (without success yet, but it’s got to happen sometime right!), using Paul Windo’s idea of #freedrbexl, started by @emptybelly, with @Ulfilas coming up with the most appropriate slogan!

[17th July] It worked, I’m back on Twitter @drbexl!

Dr Bex Lewis, awaiting resurrection… of @drbexl on Twitter! July 17, 2009

Still awaiting the un-suspension of my @drbexl account. Still can’t work out why it could possibly have been suspended, aside from the fact that I tweeted roughly every minute for certain sections of the conference! Got the conference guys starting a campaign – well, you never know!!

Check out #freedrbexl!

Christianity in the Digital Space July 15, 2009

http://digitalsymp.blogspot.com/; Churches’ Media Council; CODEC

• http://twitterfall.com/?trend=%23digisymp!%23153548
• http://cmc-newmedia.ning.com/
• http://www.youtube.com/user/digitalsymp
• DRAGONS! I’ll be back with more!

16/7/9

• My Twitter account @drbexl has been suspended due to “suspicious activity” – would that be the 1-per-5-mins tweets going on from my account? We’ll see, currently 6pm, so been down for around 24 hours, I am feeling rather bereft of part of my identity!!
• Mark Howe gives a great summary of the conference, ready to LOL?

22/7/9

My Twitter account came back up after about 50 hours downtime! Meantime, if I’ve missed your blog off the list, please feel free to comment it!

• Brownblog: My thoughts on the Christianity in the Digital Space Symposium
• Windo on the World: Is there anybody out there?
• Windo on the World: What future has the Bible got?
• Windo on the World: Does Church Work?
• Windo on the World: Day 3
• Windo on the World: Walking in a Geeky Wonderland
• Mark Fletcher/Church on the Corner
• Ulfilas on Qik.com
• Darren R Hill: The Weekly Review
• St Pixels Discussion
• Anglican Ecumenical Society
• Church Mouse Blog
• The Digital Sanctuary
• Dave Walker: Bishop to Address Christian Geeks
• Ship of Fools: OK if a Dragon Leads Evensong?
• Kouya: Instant Bible Translation
• Furtherandfaster
• Less than 5% can name the 10 Commandments
• Athiest Ireland: Read the Bible Campaign

13/11/09

• Ben Gibbs, ChurchMCR

Winchester Festival 2009 July 12, 2009

Yesterday, I took a little wander into town to check out the Contemporary Art, Craft and Design Fair (finishes today 6pm), which runs as a part of the Winchester Festival. I find it difficult to find belts that I like, that fit, and that I’m not allergic to (and that I can afford), and I was happy to find the one above from Beaubags. Some great stuff on display in the tent, but you know, not much of a budget at the moment for such things!