A Grand Day Out

Up at 4am, got a taxi at 5, checked in at 5:30 boarded the plane at 6:45 and landed in Edinburgh at 8. Reached the city centre at about 9:00.


Once there, we walked around for a bit, awe-struck by the grandeur of the city, and went into a cafe called 'chocolate soup' for a quick snack before going to New College for the conference.

There's a new edition of the Greek NT coming out, two scholars from Muenster in Germany spoke to us about their work, new methodology, new ideas. Unfortunately, I wasn't in the best position to fully understand it but I did manage to ask a question -- Chris said it was more like an accusation, it wasn't meant to come out that way. Anyway, it's quite a privilege to have heard from scholars at the forefront of their discipline. (David Parker, one of our scholars in Birmingham is also at the forefront, he and his team are collaborating with the Germans) Particularly impressive is the digital version that will be available. If you're into that sort of thing, you can read a bit about it, and preview some of the features here: http://nestlealand.uni-muenster.de/

We finished at New college at about 4pm which left us with a few hours in which to be tourists.

Then back to the airport, on the plane at 9:30 and back into brum at 10:30. Some people got a taxi, but some of us knew the train would be cheaper, and it was. Unfortunately, there were about 1000 people on the platform. They'd been to a concert at the NEC, a Take That concert! We did manage to get onto the train when it arrived but we had to stand in close proximity all the way to New Street. Finally got home just after midnight, said hello to two of my housemates and went to bed feeling very, very tired.

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Cold Turkey

I was very tempted to buy a can of Coke last night, to help me study. For the weekend I was at home alone and even more tempted by one of the cans of Pepsi that's been lying around for over a month now. But I resisted, and I've rediscovered the joy of Vimto. Just a few more days to go now. Then I can blow my mind with a heady cocktail caffeine and alcohol, not that I want to.

The fly was still there, in the same place on my bedroom wall, must be about six months without moving now. I think it's safe to say it's probably dead. Possibly, it's there to monitor my sleep. If I sleep well, that's a sign of intoxication. If I spend the night restlessly tossing and turning, that's a sign of a caffeine overdose.

Oh, yes, I was going to tell you, I'm going to be confirmed this Saturday at the cathedral in Birmingham. I don't want to make a big thing of it, I think it's a similar step to the one I took when I was baprised, as an adult. It seems that if I want to work within the CofE, confirmation is a necessary qualification.

Tinkety tonk!