Recent news

Well to those of the family who have asked what the hell has happened since I blogged previously in March here is an up to date edition of the family news.

Thomas is the clubman of the year at his rugby club in the u10 age group. I have subject to final clearance got a place on a PGCE to be a teacher and will be a student again from September. The only worry there is will there be jobs when I come out.

Alison came to a rugby match and didn't implode. Met up with some friends that we hadn't seen for ages.

Been to Edinburgh. Bought a cassette converter which will save me £500. Will be doing some rugby training myself in a couple of months. Carried on doing Marriage Preparation classes.

Jenni has glasses and will possibly be wearing a very fetching eye patch by the end of the week.

Got Skype and know how to use it. Found a new speccy emulator.

New government. Some quarters should see the cuts as an opportunity rather than a problem.

That about covers everything of note.

On a lighter note

I have recently started to read books and watch programs about science. At school I was average in my scientific ability but since leaving school I read books about quantum physics, watch television programs on vulcanology and astrology. This phenomenon is not restricted to science but also to things like history.

Currently I am reading Hyperspace by Dr Michio Kaku, in addition to my fiction by Eric Van Lustbader. I first discovered Dr Kaku when he presented a series called Time, on the BBC. His style delivers the subject in an enthusiastic way. This engages me on an interest level in the subject but also from a professional interest as I am about to train to be a teacher. I often ask the question about people like Dr Kaku " Why couldn't you be my teacher?". Another scientist who has this enthusiasm is Professor Brian Cox who recently presented the series Wonders of the Solar System. Series like Horizon have always gripped my interest when they are on subjects in which I have a passing interest.

In the historical field people like David Starkey, Simon Schama and John Romer have an enthusiasm for the subject which comes across through the screen.

I have even tried to read A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. I think he should stick to The Simpsons because I lost the will to live fairly quickly once I had started.

Science and history, in fact any subject, need not be boring or unapproachable if you have an enthusiasm for the subject. I hope to take some of this enthusiasm into the teaching profession

Living life to the full

At Mass this morning our priest gave a sermon about how mankind spends its time trying to accumulate wealth power and possessions in a futile attempt to stave off the ultimate outcome of this existence. He remarked on how people fear death. This particular priest is an excellent preacher, he used to be a teacher, and is usually right most of the time with his observations of the human condition.

Whenever, I listen to his sermons I always come away thinking. I am very sanguine about death this is because I have a condition that can at a moment's notice cause my death. The condition of itself is no more fatal than actually being alive, which is 100% fatal in all cases unless I haven't been paying attention recently. How has this knowledge affected my life? Do I live each moment as if it's my last?

I have to admit that I have not managed to crack the second question yet and am still searching for something. My vices are music, films and books. It might have been nice to give sex, drugs and rock n roll a proper go but when I was still young enough to appreciate them my condition held me back. I don't do drugs because I have to take them every day until the day I die. I was allowed to sample alcohol under controlled conditions and along with my medication never saw the point of getting drunk. As for rock n roll I had a passing flirtation with bass guitar more as an academic exercise than as a real attempt to play seriously.

The turning points that helped me control my condition were twofold. Firstly on a BBC science program called QED which showed a fellow sufferer who refused to let his condition master him or let anybody else tell him how he should live his life because of it. The Rev Lionel Blue described the condition as like an evil cousin who visits occasionally and causes havoc. The second turning point was a teacher at my secondary school who on discovering my condition, which he shared, advised me how to deal with it.

The condition is epilepsy and you can live a normal life with it. As long as you take reasonable steps there is no reason to let it hold you back.

Back to the point of the post. If you can live your life to the fullest and being a Catholic does not have to mean living a diminished life in search of the eternal goal that we believe in. My advice to one and all is embrace life as you only get one go at it. Death is merely part of the process. The best we can hope for is that the death is peaceful or has purpose. To my friend who is having problems at the moment all I say to you is do not go quietly into that good night.

TTFN