My entry to the Nerd-Off...

Books/Plays:

     Shakespeare:
“To be or not to be?”
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and temperate.”
“The sun itself sees not until heaven clears.”

     Harry Potter:
“And now I’ll leave you with a few words: nitwit, blubber, oddment and tweak.”

     The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy:
“Secondly, it has the words ‘Don’t Panic’ written in large, friendly letters on the cover.”
“Very deep. You should send it in to the Readers’ Digest. They have a page for people like you.”
“Drink up…The world’s about to end.”
“You got a towel with you?”

YouTube:

         Videos:

Alex Day reading Twilight:
“I hate Lauren. Who’s Lauren?”
“Well that’s a pointless description; we don’t know what her mum looks like!”

Charlie McDonnell – Purple Man video:
“I’m the purple man, I’m the purple man. That is what they call me, ‘cause that is what I am. I’m the purple, purple man; The purple, purple man. What does the purple man do? He lives inside of you. With his big blue eyes (they should really be purple too.)”
“That’s the thing about purple men: they bleed purple blood!”

Wheezy Waiter:
“I love it when the coffee’s done.”
“Craig-iddy-Craig, Craig with a wig.”

       Memes:
“Double rainbow all the way across the sky... so intense... what does this mean?!... It might even be a triple rainbow!”

“Leeeeroy Jeeenkins!”

“Geddan”

TV:

     Merlin:
“In a land of myth and a time of magic, the destiny of a kingdom rest on the shoulders of a young boy. His name... Merlin.”

Doctor Who:

     Rose:
“Run!”
“Most planets have a north!”
“But do you know what I have got? ... Junior school, under 14s gymnastics championships: I got the bronze!”

     The End of the World:
“Platform one forbids the use of weapons, teleportation, and religion.”
“‘They’re blue.’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘OK.’”
“I give you the gift of bodily saliva.”
“I give you the gift of air in my lungs.”
“Moisturise me!”

     (The Unrequited Dead)

     Alien in London/ WWIII:
“Do you mind not farting while I’m saving the world?”
“‘They’re green.’ ‘Narrows it down!’”
“900 years old and I’ve never been slapped by someone’s mother.”

     (Dalek)

     The Long Game:
“‘He’s your boyfriend!’ ‘Not anymore!’”

     Father’s Day:
“Who says I’m not? Red bicycle when you were twelve.”
"Don't touch the baby!"
"Everyone get behind me!"
"I'm the oldest thing in this building."

     The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances:
“Give me some Spock. Just this once, would it kill ya?”
“I like bananas.”
“GO TO YOUR ROOM!... I’m so glad that worked, they would have been terrible last words.”
“I’ve got a banana and you can put up shelves at a pinch.”
“Rose, I’m trying to resonate concrete.”
“I’ve remembered! I can dance!”

     (Boom Town)

     ?/ Bad Wolf:
“You looked into the time vortex and no-one’s meant to do that.”
“You were fantastic. And you know what? So was I!”
“Now, where were we? Oh, that’s right! Barcelona!”

     The Christmas Invasion:
“Am I ginger?”
“He gets hungry in his sleep!”
“Not bad for a man in his pyjamas: Very Arthur Dent.”
“No second chances; I’m that sort of man.”

     New Earth:
“I’m a chav!”
“Two hearts, ooh, baby, I’m beating out a samba!”
“You. Are. Not. Alone.”
“I’m a walking doodle!”

     Tooth and Claw:
“‘Och eye. We’re oot and aboot.’ ‘Er, don’t do that.’”

     School Reunion:
“I’m the tin dog!”

Girl in the Fireplace:
“‘Temporal spatial hyperlink.’ ‘What’s that?’ ‘I just made it up, I didn’t want to say magic door.’”
“‘Cool: ice gun!’ ‘Fire extinguisher.’”
"'What's a horse doing on a space ship?' 'Mickey, what's 18th century France doing on a space ship, get some perspective!"
“A door, once opened, can be walked through in either direction.”
“I think I just invented the banana daiquiri a couple of centuries early.”
“Always take a banana to a party Rose. Bananas are good!”
“Oh, you’re beautiful.”
"You're not keeping the horse!"
“That’s a point, where do you get money?”

     Age of Steel/Rise of the Cybermen:
“What am I doing here?! What am I doing there?!”
“Delete, delete.”
“What’s wrong with a van? I once saved the world with a big yellow truck.”

     ?(the one with the wire):
“Are you sitting comfortably? Good, then we’ll begin.”

     (The Satan Pit/?)

     Love and Monsters:
“‘What’s the twin planet of Raxacoricofallapatorius?’ ‘Clom.’”
“Elton, fetch a spade!”

     (Fear Her)

     (?/Bad Wolf Bay)

     The Runaway Bride:
“With this ring, I thee biodamp.”

     Smith and Jones:
“Judoon platoon upon the moon”

     The Shakespeare Code:
“To be or not to be? Oh, that’s quite good!”
“Good old JK!”

     (42)

     The Lazarus Experiment:
“He’s changing what it means to be human.”

     Human Nature/ The Family of Blood:
“This watch is me.”

     Blink:
“This is my time-y whim-y detector. It goes ding when there’s stuff. It can also boil an egg at thirty paces. Whether you want it to or not come to think of it so I’ve learnt to stay away from hens; it’s not pretty when they blow!”
“It’s a big ball of time-y, whim-y… stuff.”
“I have until the rain stops.”
“The angels have the phone box. I’ve got that on a t-shirt.”
“ ‘Look to your left.’ ‘What does that mean? ‘Look to your left.’ Me and the guys think it’s a political statement.’ ‘He means you, you idiot.”
“Don’t blink, don’t even blink. Don’t turn your back, don’t look away and don’t blink. Good luck.”
“I’ve got this thing. Well, four things. Well, four things and a lizard.”

     Utopia:
“Chan, Chantho, tho.”
“They say the skies are made of diamonds.”

     ?/?:
“Laser screwdriver, who’d have sonic?”
“Here. Come. The drums!”

     (Christmas special)

     (Partners in Crime)

     Planet of the Ood:
“Donna, Doctor, friend.”

     The Unicorn and the Wasp:
“‘Ginger beer, I need ginger beer!’ ‘The gentleman’s gone mad!’”
“Is Noddy real? Tell me there’s no Noddy!”

     The Sontarum Stratagem/The Poison Sky:
"Sontar-ha, Sontar-ha"
"Mr conditional clause."

     The Doctor’s Daughter:
“Hello Dad.”
“Taking a cell sample at gun point is hardly what I call natural parenting.”

     Midnight:
“‘Is this chicken or beef?’ ‘I think it’s both.’”
“‘Knock, knock.’ ‘Who’s there?’”
“Throw him out!”

     Turn Left:
“‘What did she say?’ ‘Two words: BAD WOLF’”

     ?/?:
“Now we’re in trouble, and it’s only just beginning.”
“Did you know you can fix the chameleon circuit if you just try hotwiring the fragment links and superseding the binary, binary, binary, binary...?”

     The Next Doctor:
“TARDIS: Tethered Aerial Release Developed in Style.”

     Planet of the Dead:
“He will knock four times.”

     (The Waters of Mars)

     ?/?:
“I don’t want to die.”
“Geronimo!”

Other Doctor Who quotes that I can’t remember what episode they’re from:
“‘Rickey.’ ‘My name’s Mickey.’ ‘No, it’s Rickey.’ ‘I think I know my own name.’ ‘You think you know your own name, how stupid are you?!’”

(I am aware that I have missed out a few episodes and totally failed to include the series with Matt Smith but I’m afraid I haven’t had time to rewatch all 13 of those episodes at all to commit any quotes to memory. Oh, except this one: “An image of an angel does, itself, become an angel.”)

DFTBA music:

Alex Day – Georgia
“Georgia, I wish I knew who you were”

“What if you were gone tomorrow, how would I know?”

“Do you want Georgia to leave? NO! NO! NO!”


Alex Day – Heart On My Sleeve
“I’d wear my heart on my sleeve.”


Alex Day – Holding On
“I’d bake a chocolate cake for you with tiers up to the roof
Because you taught me how it’s done, like you told how to fall in love.”

“I’d ride across the sky on a bicycle built for two, if you teach me how to ride, like you taught me how to feel alive.”


Alex Day – The World Is Mine (I Don’t Know Anything)
“They say time’s a healer but my watch can’t tell the time,
The left hand stuck six months ago and I can’t find the right,
I don’t know anything”


“The pen is stronger than any sharpened sword,
But every word I write to you makes me feel like a fool,
I don’t know anything.”


All Caps – Delete You
“It started with an email; you signed it with an X.
Don’t try and deny it, you knew what would come next.
You were charming and funny, and you even called me doll.
I can’t believe I bought it. You knew that I would fall.”


“It ended with an email; I can’t believe you took that road.”


“I JUST WANT TO DELETE YOU!”


All Caps – Do You Like Me?
“Do you like me, yes or no?
Do you think that I am cute?
Would you date me, you can say maybe,
I just have to know.”


“I drew in, two boxes.
Put a check mark on your answer.
Please don’t mark no.”


All Caps – I Love Brains
“I warned them of this terrible meeting but they, err, didn’t listen to me. No one listens to me.”


All Caps – I Love You
“Oh man I hate, hate, hate frigging zombies”


“You take a shot and that’s another one down but we’re out of shells and there’s still zombies around.”


All Caps – Oh Hey Kristina
“I like this nerdy girl who does nerdy things,
Who likes John Green and goes to book signing,
And while I don’t claim to be,
The awesome nerdy guy she might need”


“I’d take you to a renaissance fair,
This year there’s a dragon’s lair and
I’ll be your dashing knight,
You’ll be dressed in white and I’ll ride into the night to your rescue”


Chameleon Circuit – An Awful Lot of Running to Do
“As a full time companion he gave me a key,
A phone with a signal in every galaxy.”


Chameleon Circuit – Blink
“Sally Sparrow I wrote you a letter to make you feel better about the fact that I’m gone.
I may be stuck in the past but the future is vast;
Don’t go looking for me, girl, you have to move on.”


“Now listen very carefully to what he’s got to say:
Don’t turn your back and don’t turn away.”


“I’m sure nothing would happen, if I were to blink.”


Chameleon Circuit – Exterminate, Regenerate
“You know that it is not too late, to hop into my ship, and leave time turning.”


Chameleon Circuit – Gallifreyan History 101
“Good morning class, I’m you’re professor, I’m going to be giving you your lecture today. Now just so that we’re all clear, this is Gallifreyan History 101, so, please make sure you’re in the right class. There’s always one, isn’t there. Right, we’ve got a lot to cover, so, let’s get started.


At first we were just Gallifreyans and that was fine.
Taking up space and biding our time.
Then Rassilon, came along,
With his ever present sense of right and wrong.
He was strong, he was mighty,
He was the founder of Time Lord Society.”


Hank Green – A Song about an Anglerfish
“Yeah, the deep sea anglerfish has no reason to be happy but she has no frigging idea, what else to be.”


“The deep sea anglerfish never has to find a mate.
They are always there together when it’s time to procreate.
One night a young male will bite a female on her side and soon he will become a sperm producing parasite.”


Hank Green –You’re not Edward Cullen
“I can’t love you because you’re not Edward Cullen”


Mike Lombardo – Abbey Never
“They said ‘Always call when you get there’ and she always called but they watched her all the time, and Abbey’s always fine.”


Mike Lombardo – That Will Be the Day
“It’s not fate if you’ve worked all your life just to make it real.”

The Oceanic Six – Monster Ate the Pilot:
“Monster ate the pilot and the power healed Carla.
Numbers been repeated now for sixteen years non-stop.
There’s something about this island that I
Can’t quite explain.”


“Polar bears are native to these subtropical climates
And there’s a fugitive aboard with a history of violence.
Smokey chased me through the jungle
Now I’m counting backwards from five.
All that’s left to say is:
Guys where are we? We’re lost”


“Woa oh, waoh oh, 4, 8.. 15.. 16, 23, 42.”


“I’ve seen Jurassic Park enough to know I should be worried,
But all that comes to mind to say is:
Guys, where are we? We’re lost.”


Tom Milsom – Indigo
“Orange, yellow, green and malachite, ultramarine, light plum and eggshell white. International Klein, blue, maroon, azure, magenta, midnight blue, harlequin and heliotrope, tea, tan, turquoise, teal and tope, amaranth and ivory; cosmic latte, tangerine.”


“If I matter to you, then all I would see is indigo for you.”


Tom Milsom – Olivia Deliberated (Cat song II)


“We’ve talked about the birds and bees, so why you hiding this from me-e-e”


Tom Milsom – Porphyrophobia


“When you’re looking for that someone and then someone comes along it never enters in your head that that someone could be wrong.”


Tom Milsom – Trockstuff EP


“We’ve reached the end, but it’s not the final curtain.
In fact I’m almost certain, a new world’s opening for me.”


“The Doctor said that aliens exist all over
From Margate to Moldova
If you know just where to look.”

May the best nerd win... DFTBA

If I had a TARDIS I would…

• Go ask my friends the times when they were alone and needed a hug and go back to give them a hug.

• Watch a genuine Shakespeare play at the globe.

• Visit Earth in 100 years and then 1000 years, just to compare.

• Visit Raxacoricofallapatorius … and Clom.

• Tell 15 year old me that I can survive without a boyfriend.

• See how they built Stonehenge

• Watch the beginning of the world.

• Show the writers of Doctor Who!

• Take my old mechanics class on that trip I mentioned in my fan-fiction…

• See if Busted were right about the year 3000

• Find out if I ever get married

• Watch my parents’ wedding

• Sit and listen to the sermon on the mount

• Visit CS Lewis

• Visit a parallel universe

• Sleep whilst flying through the time vortex so as to not waste any ‘real’ time.

• Make it possible to be in two places at once

• Listen in on Spurgeon

• Learn how to fix the Chameleon Circuit so I can finish the sentence!

• Visit the places that I don’t have the time or money to go to now.

• Go to VidCon

• Find the place which sells actual sonic screwdrivers and buy one

• Watch the big Bible events like the parting of the Red Sea, the fall of Jericho, David and Goliath, the flood, the feeding of the 5000.

• Set a ‘trap’ to meet the Doctor.

• Check the weather to make it easier to make long-term plans

• Find a way to visit old Gallifrey.

• Worry intensely about creating multiple paradoxes and the theological implications of owning a TARDIS!

NERD-OFF!

As a self confessed nerd, most people know my ability to quote Doctor Who with no warning and my tendency to refer to Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy or do the Nerdfighter sign in the middle of the school corridor. However, I may have met my match in Josh.
We have proposed to have a nerd-off. From 8am Wednesday we will be scribbling down nerdy quotes without reference to nerd-sources and seeking to find the best nerd-quoter. By 10pm on Thursday, our blogs must be presented, ready for you, our “loyal” readers to comment and decide who is the nerdiest.

Some pointers with voting: accuracy and ability to reference the source should earn extra ‘points’ and maybe variety too. Nerd-quotes can originate from a whole range of sources including the realm of Nerdfighteria. (So, Terrie, you might need to help judge on that bit.)

Now, get ready for a long list of quotes appearing on your computer screens and get ready to vote!!

“So long, and thanks for all the fish.”

Me and my heart we have issues.

My recent blogs all seem to be really serious at the moment. Telling the problems I’m too afraid to share directly with my friends to the internet; because it seems that it somehow makes things easier to say.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about decisions I’ve made in the past, decisions that I’ll be making in the future, and the decisions that I’m making right now. Thinking about the past decisions I’ve made makes me worry about the future ones (despite Jesus’ words: “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”) Because I can see how I listened to my heart when my head was telling me the opposite is a much better choice.

Getting the balance between head and heart isn’t easy and trial and error is a method that, in this situation, can hurt a lot. I once read somewhere that people find it harder to get over missed opportunities than times when saying yes has hurt them. I guess that’s true in some cases but I think it’s more complicated than that. Are you saying yes to your heart or your head? Or rejecting an opportunity from your heart or your head?

Your head, your voice of reason, should really be listened to more. At least, I should listen to mine more. Sure, what my heart suggests may seem good, it may look like it’s going to make me happy but am I following my heart for the right reasons?

I feel like I’ve let myself say yes to my heart before I’ve properly consulted my head too many times. I’m still struggling with that battle and my inability to share doesn’t help. Maybe putting things on my blog helps me find the ones who care, or maybe it’s sharing that helps, even if this is mainly one way. I guess one way is the way of sharing without the hurt. Or maybe it’s just the first step in standing above the pain and being prepared to take the hits that occasionally come in amongst the supportive feedback of sharing.

I’d wear my heart on my sleeve but it’s too well embedded in my pocket

I’m not very good at expressing my feelings verbally and even when I write them out I still manage to skirt around things. I avoid saying the things that I truly mean and I fail at telling people I love them. I so often feel awkward talking about feelings and such and I have to be in just the right mood and talking to just the right person for me to ‘let it all out’. With very few people will I tell them how I truly feel and if you’re one of those people, you’re very special. Not that I ever tell you that. I can’t even tell them absolutely everything.

I guess, in some senses, I am putting my heart on my sleeve here; putting how I feel out there for people to know. However, I still avoid things when it truly matters. Instead of letting a conversation drift into more personal subjects I may bring up sheep (not that my every mention of sheep is me avoiding a subject) or I’ll answer a question indirectly rather than dealing with the subject on hand. So often what I want to say is left trapped in a corner of my mind that I am incapable of attaching in any way to my vocal chords. Maybe I’ll text it later but that never seems meaningful enough and sending a letter is so often not practical. (Although, if I knew more people’s addresses, it would happen a lot more if you remember my last blog...)

I’ve never been very good at sharing how I feel. I guess I’ve always got scared of people not understanding how I feel so I bottle it up, keep it to myself. Sure, I’m gradually getting better but I’m still hardly ecstatically spouting the things of my heart to the world. Sometimes this saddens me a lot. I mean, I want to tell people what God means to me. I want to tell people what he’s done in my life and how he’s helped me through hard times but I find it hard to share things that are that personal: The paradox of so badly wanting to share the most important thing with the world but so often being unable to utter a word.

It’s not just the answers I find hard to give, I’m also terrible at asking the question, some of which probably need to be asked. Sometimes it’s because I feel like I’m invading someone else’s privacy, other times it’s just because I know the conversation will be full of emotions and feelings that I just can’t handle. Why did you break up? Can we still talk and be friends? Why did you end it like that? Do you like me? Are you a Christian? How did you become a Christian? Did you really love me? Should I have said no? Why didn’t you stop me? What would you have done if I’d said yes? Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Why couldn’t you have phoned me instead? Can you explain why you like her? Why don’t we talk as much as we used to? Why did you go against what you always told me? Did you really do that? Is it wise to start this relationship? Why didn’t you listen? Some of the questions I’ve left unasked and therefore, unanswered.



I almost want to delete this and not post this. This cuts pretty close to home and I guess it’s sort of self explanatory why I want to delete it. But I won’t. However much I’d rather just curl up and cry. Maybe this is the first step to really sharing. But sorry friends, I think this is only the beginning of me being able to share more with you.

Friends

I don’t think I could function without friends. Some people say they’re the family you can choose and I suppose that’s true on some levels but really, they’re just the people you enjoy being with. The more you can share with them, the closer you tend to be. Friends are the ones who understand where you’re coming from when you say something that makes others just give you a funny look. Friends are the ones you want to spend all your time talking to and spending your time with and that’s what sucks about having most of your friends live too far away to just pop round and say hi.


I mean, even my school friends don’t live particularly close. A half hour drive isn’t close enough to just go ‘hey! I know! I’ll pop round to so-and-so’s and see if they’re in.’ NO! You have to go ring them up and check they’re in to make the journey worth it which totally spoils the surprise. Plus, until I pass my driving test, I have to either catch a bus (which where I live seem to run only every hour) or bug my parents to take me.

However, the thing that sucks the most is that most of my closest friends live miles away. All the amazing friends that I’ve made on various Christian camps I’ve been on are the ones that I love spending time with and the ones I trust the most. (No offence school friends.) They’re the ones who understand how important my Christian faith is in my life and they’re the ones I can talk about it with, whether it is problems I’m having or amazing things God has done. Yet it’s not the same talking to them over the internet or by text. Long distance friendships are hard and it’s even harder when the best friends you have are the ones that live too far away to visit without some long, thought out plan of when and how you’re going to meet up.

It’s even more frustrating when you meet friends like Josh who I met at Roothill. He’s one of the few friends that I can talk with about the two big sides of me: the Christian side, and the nerd side. Sure, I have some great Christian friends and sure, I have friends that I can indulge in my nerdiness with but, in the words of Josh, to have a Christian Nerdfighter (or at least apprentice Nerdfighter) friend is ‘most excellent’. Except, Josh is also one of those friends who lives too far away to just ‘pop round’ and when he goes back to university he’ll be even further away.

Also, I’m rubbish at keeping in contact with people. Anyone who’s got me added on msn or Facebook chat, or has even ever given me their mobile number, knows I’m pretty rubbish at making an effort to keep in contact. It’s not that I don’t want to talk to my friends, definitely not, but textual communication is just not the same and, I’m embarrassed to say this, but, I have a slight irrational fear of phoning people. You’ll be pleased to know it’s getting better but it still tends to make me think twice about calling someone up without a specific purpose. I so easily lose contact with friends if they don’t initiate communication themselves and make me talk to them! In some ways, I blame the internet. While making talking to my long distance friends easier, at the same times it has made it harder. It makes me think, ‘oh, I could say hi to them tomorrow, no need to do it right now’ and it’s been a month or two since I last spoke to them before I even know it.

I do have some friends who live closer. The occasional few who live in the same town as me but I’m no better at keeping in contact with them either. If I don’t have school or church to make sure I see them, I have to organise something myself. I’m not good at doing that and I realise I could have popped round to visit them at the end of a day that I’ve just whittled away reading or Youtubing. I am terrible at making a conscious effort to see people and for that I apologise profusely to my friends.

I also think life would be better if people sent each other letters more often. So much more thought goes into a letter than it does a text or even an email but it saddens me how few of my friends addresses I actually know. I’d love to be able to send them letters and it would be just as awesome if they sent one back. Recently, the majority of my post has been from universities. (St George’s University, Grenada, West Indies, has a particular obsession but I don’t fancy going there because then I wouldn’t even be able to pop to London for a camp reunion. Plus are there any Nerdfighters there?) However, it would be much nicer if even one of those letters was instead from a friend. Although, I have an idea: if you concider me your friend, send me an email with your address and I promise I’ll send you a letter. I guess that’s the only way to start this! Even if you think I have it anyway, send it to me and I’ll try and revolutionise the way we talk. Sure, it won’t replace the internet but if you’ve ever received a letter from a friend in the post you’ll know what I’m on about.

You see, I love my friends but I’m terrible at showing them that. I feel like I ignore them and never talk to them. So, friends, I am sorry; Very sorry. I’ll try and make more effort to talk to you but I need your help.

“So long, and thanks for all the fish.”

Crazy Aunt Purl

Almost everyone who’s been at my school for a good length of time knows that our head of sixth form loves cats. I mean, absolutely adores cats. Her office is full of cute cat pictures (in the spaces where there aren’t pictures of her family), as an art teacher, she uses cats as examples often, and many informative emails sent out to us sixth-formers contain cat references or pictures.


A little earlier today, I received one such email. It had this photograph at the bottom:

Normally, I’d just smile and make a mental note to do whatever the email said before deleting. However, this time I clicked on the photograph. I’m not sure why, and I have no idea what I was expecting. Probably just for the image to appear larger in a different screen.

However, a blog entitled “Crazy Aunt Purl” popped up and I’m now left wondering whether I have found what our head of sixth form does when surfing the net. (It would also explain where she gets all the cat pictures from.) OR, maybe, this is actually her own blog. Not that she’s called Purl but that may be to protect her identity. Either way, it made me smile and I like to share with you things that make me smile.

“So long, and thanks for all the fish”

Grace and Caffeine [Part II]

Here are the other ones I really liked.

If you go back and read the note from my friend Beth, this one is oh so true. Reinforcing my "Trust God, you idiot" policy.

This is why we have to deal with the problems at the root!

This is an awesome analogy but I'd also like to add this: we're also incapable of getting that dish clean.

So need to be reminded of this. Heaven is where the true  treasure is.

Now this truly is a bargain we don't deserve.

I complain way too much. I think I tread a fine line when I claim it's stating an opinion or mentioning facts.

Nothing beats singing in the dark with a group of other Christians. Whether it's around a bonfire or on a midnight walk.

This can be a problem. Although, without being big-headed, I prefer thought out, cheap gifts to more expensive, materialistic ones. Although that could create another form of materialism...

It's a legitimate question. We just don't know what heaven will be like. It is certainly unimaginable!

Not that I like tea... But it's so true. 'Christians' who don't believe in Christ or don't put his death central are missing the point.

I just very much liked this one. You can't argue with God, however much we like to think we can.

Someone remind me to try this next Easter!

Exactly how I felt after Roothill! (That's the bonus of Easter with Crowborough: bonus of actual rooms instead of tents!)

The truth in this one actually saddens me. Although I think some churches have it worse than others.

I just liked this one for the Doctor Who reference =)

And this one for the sheep... (oh, and if you don't get it, hint: it was made in December.)

This one made me laugh. It's silly how true it is!

 Before I was baptised, I was very scared of breathing at the wrong time. Obviously, I had nothing to worry about. Despite being called 'baptismal classes' it's really the Christian life they're helping you prepare for and helping you with. Any church that doesn't do them before baptisms should definitely start them. I know they were a big help to me. Oh, and the image? I thought it was funny too.

 Cheesy but oh, so true. We might not understand why God let the government be how it is, but God planned it. We just have to be patient to find out why.

 The funny thing is, I've seen so many microphones get so close to getting soaked. That would really detract from the actual baptism!

I couldn't ignore the very last one! Plus, it's inspired me to doodle more meaningful things. Maybe next time I'll go for something Biblical rather than a SockPup, or Flewingo...

Thank you very much Matt! All the credit goes to you!

http://graceandcaffeine.webs.com/

Grace and Caffeine (Or the works of someone who I'd love to have met sooner) [Part 1 because I can't narrow down my favourites enough]

Yesterday, I went through the whole archive for Grace and Caffeine. Grace and Caffeine is a Christian comic strip written by one of the awesome new friends I met on Roothill and they are awesome. Some put across a really important message, some make those of us who are Christians think about whether we care about the right things, while others are just plain funny; And a good funny, not like a lot of tainted stuff around that claims to be funny.


So, I thought I’d share with you some of my favourites. Putting all 178 here would be silly seen as they’re on their own special website but I’ve chosen those which I really like and I’ll add a little comment for some of them too. (Be sure to check out Matt’s comments and some colour versions on the actual site too.)

 I think it's really silly how some churches can fall out over such silly things. Nevertheless, I have been in some church meetings with genuine problems and that makes you thankful for the times the arguments are just over the colour of the wall or something.

 There is actually quite a serious point hidden behind this one. Many people reject the gospel because it makes them think of things they don't like to think of. Like the fact we're not perfect and we can't save ourselves, and death. However, I don't think making the gospel shiny will help; only God can change hearts permanently.

 The number of times I've seen church floors get a soaking after a baptism! Although, at my friend's baptism, her jeans decided that covering the floor with water wasn't enough; we needed blue denim dye too, obviously!

 I like this as a follow up to the previous one I put on here.

 And people think that DNA happened by chance... Enough said...

 This one made me smile due to the number of times I've noticed mistakes. We're only sinful humans after all.

 Us English Christians worry about which version to use when other parts of the world don't even have the whole Bible translated into their own language. As long as it's not some silly paraphrased 'street Bible' *cough*, we should be so happy that we have a version in our language so we don't have to learn Hebrew/Greek etc. Although I like the idea of the waterproof camping bible...

 This one I particularly liked because I've got my driving test very soon. If they judge that with God's standard's, I'm never going to pass!

 I'm a sucker for metaphors and similes and although I think Matt was trying to get at how confusing some of the hymns can be, this is too, in itself, a metaphor. Oh, and I like the drawing.

 I like my spiritual food. I think turning up to a restaurant and not getting any food is disheartening but also, not turning up to the restaurant and still expecting food is stupid.

 Considering the time of year and the number of imminent changes in my life in the next year, I'm so thankful that God's word will never, ever change.

 See!! Science does support the Bible!!

 As much as I love computers, I agree, you cannot beat a good, solid book. Sticking to the book metaphor also means that there wouldn't be problems with a power cut. Not that heaven would have power cuts... but you get my point.

 I like this one because I didn't realise the dates coincided. Even if I did spend last year studying Martin Luther as part of As history... well, that would explain the grade.

 Maybe, Christians, we should compete with the shops by starting to pray for Christmas evangelistic evens before they put up decorations. Just saying.

 Such a serious point. Nothing can be resolved without first finding the problem. Why would our lives be any different?

 I think we should always think more about what we're singing. Not just at Christmas. Some new songs (fewer old as they've been seived out) have really wishy-washy words. Especially after changes. *cough - Praise*

Comforting words. And has God let us down yet?

 I like this one as this is my sort of logic.

 I think I need to learn some new light quotes. I'm afraid I'm guilty of quoting Genisis 1:3 when flicking light switches.

 Just let this one sink in.

 I think there are so many Bible names that just aren't used by Christian parents as they should be. Elijah, Eli, Elisha, Abiah, Jeremiah, Obadiah, Abraham, Isaiah, Adaiah, Amos, Anaiah, Gideon, Noah, Enoch, Naphtali, Nehemiah...

I don't know what's worse, slow, gradually getting slower, or where the words just don't fit the tune.

Right, so as to avoid inundating you with images, part II coming soon!

(Thank you Matt btw =])

Annoyances (1-50)

It generally annoys me that things annoy me and as entertaining as it is to read all my ‘pet peeves’, I feel that to just list annoyances is a bit unbalance. So, for every thing that annoys me, I’m going to list something that makes me smile. =) Annoyances first, smiles after the /

1) People who swear excessively / When I get left a nice comment on my blog
2) My sister interrupting my music with an oboe practice / My sister giving me a hug
3) Mixing sweet and savoury. Like pineapple on pizza / Just hugs, in general, from people I love
4) People who refuse to talk to you for stupid reasons / Meeting a fellow inter-nerd
5) People pushing in front of you in a queue / OAP couples holding hands
6) Really, REALLY slow computers / New videos from awesome YouTubers
7) Spam followers on Twitter / Genuine new followers on Twitter
8) Sitting on chewing gum / Getting an @reply on Twitter
9) Junk email / A well thought out email that is basically a snail mail letter in binary form
10) Receiving university information and prospectuses from universities that don’t do veterinary / Getting post from a friend
11) Finding myself trying to push my glasses up my nose when I’m not wearing them / The noise of group of Christians singing hymns at the top of their voices
12) When the words of hymns and songs are changed beyond recognition / Finding that I’m not the only young Christian who thinks ‘thee’ and ‘thou’ should be kept in old hymns
13) The quietness of Facebook chat’s ‘ping’ when you get a new message / When someone sends me a nudge on msn and it plays a bit of Chameleon Circuit
14) Reading negative Nerdfighter Secrets / Being in a room of Nerdfighters singing along to Trock
15) When school makes you wait around school for over an hour to confirm something that could have been emailed / learning something new and exciting
16) When you can’t delete yourself from a Facebook message thread / Being complimented
17) When your parents wake you up earlier than you need to be woken / Driving
18) When things break. Especially when it’s something you really like / Being bought something by a friend
19) When guys insist on paying for EVERYTHING / When guys offer to pay for something little (Sorry guys, but I’m just being awkward there!)
20) Magazines like Sugar and Cosmopolitan / Solving a 4 x 4 Rubik’s cube (because I haven’t learnt an algorithm for the first bit)
21) People who want to be famous, just for the fame / Musicians who aren’t in it for the money or the fame
22) Forgetting stuff / Alone time
23) Having no signal when you need it / Getting a phone call from a friend
24) Nonversations / Having a really deep talk with your friend, even if it’s just over IM
25) Getting clothes really dirty when they were clean on in the morning / The feel of new socks
26) People writing in my notebooks without permission / starting a new page in a notebook
27) People who are less into Doctor Who just because David Tennant left / A new episode of Doctor Who
28) When biros stop working although they’re still full of ink / finishing a Bic biro right to the end
29) When a newly sharpened pencil breaks / Finding out that a friend has become a Christian
30) Seeing hate comments on the internet against Christian beliefs / The smell of new books
31) When a bookshop or library doesn’t have the book I’m after / Seeing John Green’s books in the Ashford Waterstones
32) When a new edition of a book has the ‘wrong’ cover / When someone understands a nerdy reference
33) When people have a go at me for not liking Harry Potter / Finding a fellow anti-Harry
34) When parents and teachers give you a long answer when you were after either yes or no / Finding messages from my parents
35) When good friends give impersonal and pointless gifts / Well thought out presents (like my scrapbook!)
36) Over-protective girlfriends / Being so comfortable with a guy that he might as well be your brother
37) People who read my blog on Facebook but never visit the actual site / People visiting my blog!!
38) Dog owners who won’t accept that their dog is fat / Vets who let me inject animals and do more than just watch
39) When my favourite clothes start to wear out / When you try something on in the changing room and it fits perfectly first time
40) When I’m called Anna instead of Hannah / When you find money you didn’t realise you had
41) When too many people in one day mention the palindrome nature of my name / Looking at the stars with friends
42) When the H on the end of my name is forgotten / Cloud-gazing with friends
43) When a boyfriend totally fails to notice that you’re upset and another guy friend notices instead / Being given a really long, comforting hug
44) Pointless Facebook groups / Bumping into a friend you haven’t seen in ages
45) Moths and spiders above your head when you’re trying to sleep / Seeing a pretty butterfly
46) Not understanding an inside joke / Nostalgic moments
47) Losing track of the time / Realising it’s an hour earlier than you thought
48) Losing something you were sure you knew where it was / Having the top deck of the bus to yourself
49) Year nines taking the back seat on the bus and being overly noisy / Younger years respecting the sixth formers
50) Having really good blog ideas but not getting them down anywhere so they get lost in the mess of my brain / Posting a new blog

Well, there are 50 things that annoy me (and 50 things that make me smile). I may add to them in a future blog but considering the current time, I think I’ll leave it there. Goodbye!

I don’t know (A note from my friend Beth)

I’m sitting in a barn, on a lumpy sofa, writing a blog. It’s a rare occasion that I ever blog but I guess Hannah’s every-present influence over the past few days has re-kindled the old flame so to speak.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have learnt a number of things, but perhaps most important is that nothing happens by chance or luck or whatever you want to call it. Don’t get me wrong, I knew this already, but the last few weeks have really re-iterated this in my mind. And it’s an amazing thing really, that God is behind every little thing that happens. For example, on Tuesday, I got my GCSE results, and whilst the majority of my friends/peers/acquaintances were stressing out, I was only excited at the prospect of finding out rather than nervous. For I knew, whatever I got, god was behind it; God had planned it and God would fit it into his plan for me.

And so, my title, which I chose at the time because I really didn’t know what to write, is rather fitting because I don’t know, I don’t know anything that will happen in my life, what I will do, where I will live etc. But the great thing is, God does, and that is far more comforting than it being down to luck.

Lord I believe. Help my unbelief.

On Monday, I returned from nine days camping at Roothill; A Christian camp run by Grace Baptist Ministries. Usually when I come back from Christian camps, I spend most of my time raving about the activities and spend hardly any time talking about why I really went: The Christian friendship and teaching.
As much fun as I had going for walks, failing at snooker and crazy golf, ranking sixth in a game of laser quest, being in the best lane at bowling, staying up all night just talking, constantly losing The Game and playing ridiculous game with glow sticks, that is not why I went. No, the best thing about these types of camps is that I get to meet so many Christians my age and learn so much about God. I rarely talk about this side of my life because it feels like I’m exposing myself. Think about the thing you care about and love the most, double, maybe even triple that feeling and that’s how important my faith is to me. Mocking my Christianity isn’t just mocking a fad or phase but my family and what makes me, me. However, the last week or so has reminded me that I shouldn’t care about that. Not sharing what means the most to me is just stupid so if you don’t like it, I pray that you’ll continue reading regardless because this is the most fully me. I can handle a week away from Nerdfighteria, Twitter, MSN, a proper bed, YouTube, if it means I can spend that time learning about the God who sent his son to take away my sin.

I haven’t had the best past six months. I won’t share it on here in detail but everything seemed to be going wrong and, although I put on a brave face, I told hardly anyone and was looking for comfort in the wrong place. Sure, there’s nothing inherently wrong with Nerdfighteria, but not when you choose the internet over what truly matters.

At the beginning of Roothill, I thought I was going to hate it. It felt like the first day of secondary school once again where I knew hardly anyone and everyone was older than me. However, once I got over the shyness which I still can’t totally get rid of, I remembered why Christian Camps are so awesome. I met so many Christians my age and was able to share with them in a way that I find hard to do so with my parents and my non-Christian friends. I especially thank Enoch for praying with me when I really needed it because, although you can talk things through for ages, nothing can beat taking your problems to the all-knowing, all-powerful God in prayer.

I know non-Christian readers may be finding it uncomfortable to read this but the truth is, Roothill reminded me of the unbelievable awesomeness of God. Without being disrespectful, God truly never FTBA and whether you believe he’s there or not, he’s in complete control.

One of the most common questions is “why does God allow suffering?” now, I can’t answer that specifically but over the past week, I have been reminded of this: everything is in God’s hands and, although everything may seem disastrous, trust God. He knows why we’re suffering and we need to look at the bigger picture. In 1 Peter, we’re told that all suffering is ultimately for our good and to glorify god. And if that isn’t enough, we were taken through the story of Esther. She seemed to lose everything; she lost her family, and became the wife of an unpredictable and violent king. It then got worse with the life of her uncle and her people (the Jews) being threatened. At the time, it must have seemed hopeless. It must have made no sense and yet, god let Esther go through this so that ultimately the Jews may be saved and that God’s people would not die out.

I know this is nothing like the majority of my blogs, but when this is what means the most to me, I can’t help but share it. It would be great if everyone was able to understand this, but that is not in my hands. If I could sum up what I learnt at Roothill in one sentence, it would be this:

“Trust God, you idiot”