While the cat's away . . .

. . . the mouse goes "Click, click, click!"

I read a funny story on Mark Roberts blog recently, in which he tells about rehearsing animal sounds with his young son. "What does a cow say?" "Moo!" "What does a cat say?" "Miaow!" What does a mouse say?" To which is 2 year old replied, "Click!" No kidding!

By the way, Mark Roberts was one of my lecturers (American speak: professors) for a New Testament class at Fuller Seminary . He's an excellent teacher, very intelligent (Harvard BA and PhD), very faithful, pastor of a good church (Irvine Presbyterian in Orange County, California). I commend his blog to you. He does some great series on it -- currently looking at the TNIV translation.

Mike is at Wycliffe Hall all day at a "Could it be you?" event. I.e. could you be called to ministry, specifically in the Anglican church and more specifically training at Wycliffe. We had decided he should go to this event before the job offer came up. It's part of the exploration of the larger question of God's call in his/our life.

So what am I doing? Trying to figure out how to post links to other websites in the text of my post and not just in the title of the posts. Then I'm going grocery shopping IN THE CAR!! This is a first for me, as I've never driven to a grocery store in the UK yet. Okay, Mike and I have done some grocery shopping with friends who had cars and also in a rental car. But I was never the one driving. It's been 6 1/2 years since I've driven to the grocery store, shopped, put groceries in the car, and driven home. Uh, other than some trips back to the US . . . I know this sounds wacky to some people, but I just can't tell you how different it will be from getting groceries home any other way -- on the handlebars and basket of my bike, walking a mile or so, or walking and taking the bus.

Well, I guess I better get to it!

Oxford Aviation Training

Here's the link to the company that is offering Mike a job. Just click on the title of this post.

They train not only airline-pilots-to-be for BA, bmi, and all sorts of European airlines, but also regular private and commercial pilots, and . . . the Algerian Air Force transport pilots, Omani and Kuwaiti police pilots (I guess that probably means helicopters), etc. Given the demographics of a good portion of their clientele, they have a mosque at the airport.

Still no word from the other company, which is (oddly enough) near Heathrow Airport. It would be about 45 minutes further each way to commute, but quite a bit more salary. Quality of life vs. quantity of cash! Back to the old prayer, "Lord, open and shut doors."

Great news!

My husband Mike will be getting a job offer from Oxford Aviation Training!!!! He's been looking for work since he married me and moved to England over a year ago. They haven't sent the formal letter yet, but it's coming at the end of the week, according to their HR manager. He's still waiting to hear from another job possibility that was presented to him by a headhunter. All in all, a very interesting week! And, by the way, it's snowing! It almost never snows in Oxford--it's too much of a swamp. But it has been snowing since Monday, when we bought our car and Mike had his second interview at OAT. Mike opened a bottle of Amarone tonight after we got back from a meeting and we had some Boursin on oatcakes (which would be sort of oat crackers in the US) in celebration of the good news. Oatcakes, OAT... I can't help eating punny food!

Just need some space

Well, I've published the world map and the US map, but can't figure out how to resize them so that they don't block the sidebar on the right of the blog! So I am creating another post just to try to scoot the maps down the screen a bit so that they pass the sidebar and settle into the wider lower half of the page.... I haven't a clue how to do HTML, so this is all a bit ad hoc for me. I would like to figure out how to add in more sidebars with links to other blogs and websites, maybe a "Books I'm reading" column, that sort of thing. Or maybe I should just go do my work! (Ooooh, I heard an "Amen!" out there!)

Mike's just gone off in our new car (well, new to us!). It's the first car I've had in 6.5 years. Okay, I did have a car that I lent and then leased to some friends while I was in Croatia, finally selling it to them at the end of two years of the more temporary arrangement. So technically I owned a car 4.5 years ago. I just didn't get to drive it very often! The new car is a blue (very important detail to Mike, who gave up a blue Jeep Grand Cherokee to marry me!) 2001 Peugeot 306. For Americans, I might have to explain that that is a French car, a brand not sold in the US. Before you boo hiss us for buying French, I ought to explain that the car was actually manufactured in the UK and we bought it from some very nice English people! So that makes it only vaguely French.... Mais c'est vraiment belle, notre petite voiture!

Where in the US is Fido?

That seems to be 40 out of 50. I'm pretty sure I've been to some of the other states too, but can't quite remember which ones, as I was a child! We made a three-week trip around the States when I was about 6 years old, for example, as well as various other journeys. I'll have to doublecheck with my mom, who has an amazing memory for that sort of detail.

create your own visited states map

Where in the world is Fido?

Maybe I should start by looking in the countries I've been to.



It supposedly adds up to 41 countries, or 18% of the total. But they counted the Channel Islands as a country, for example. And the only place I was in Japan or Fiji was the airport for changing planes or refueling! Nowhere in South America or Africa yet.... The islands of French Polynesia, where we spent two weeks for our honeymoon, barely show up at all, swallowed up in the ocean of blue.

create your own visited countries map

Where's Fido?

Welcome to my blog! I've recently discovered some friends of mine have blogs, and wondered where my blog was.... I'm not sure how this will go, but I thought I would give it a whirl.

Has anyone seen Fido?

- Susan