Back to Homilies

For a long time, the principal driver of traffic to this otherwise utterly obscure site has been [the wonderful] Jenee Woodard’s The Text This Week resource. As I settle back into parish ministry, it makes sense for me to resume my once-upon-a-time practice of posting my sermons here. I’m not preaching this Sunday, but beginning with an Ascension Day sermon I’ll post my sermons (even as they’re available in audio or video from St Helen’s, and in audio from St Nic’s. (Those include my last few sermons, so if you’re an AKMA completist, you can catch up via those links.)

Friday MarkDay

No run on this rainy morning; coffee and fruit, put the bins out, laundry, Morning Prayer, pastoral care business, then home to catch up on marking, maybe a little Perdido Street Station as a reward if I make progress.

This morning Señora Flora Dora Dinosaura (the Big Burrito) goes in for an op, so we’re concerned about how that works out, and concerned about how that may affect Minke’s anxiety — so it may not be a matter of genocide or the violent suppression of free speech, but we have local cares on our minds.

April Tunes

My April iTunes listening according to last.fm:

1 Billie Holiday 7 scrobbles
2 Bruce Springsteen 7
3 Sleater-Kinney 7
4 The Beatles 7
5 The Style Council 7
6 They Might Be Giants 7
7 Elvis Costello 6
8 Florence + the Machine 6
9 PJ Harvey 6
10 R.E.M. 6

As always, the I’ve bracketed the Mountain Goats, else they would dominate every month’s charts both because I’m a big tMG supporter, and because John Darnielle releases not just a constant torrent of new material, but also an ocean of live recordings. tMG are in a special category of monthly frequency (13 scrobbles this month).

I might add that I almost always listen to iTunes on a semi-random shuffle, because I love so much music, and I want to hear unexpected things mingled with the cuts I know and cherish, so Shuffle is my favoured solution. I wish iTunes offered a better solution for weighted shuffle; my usual playlist involves an arcane combination of nested playlists that give extra prominence to women, to tracks I haven’t heard as recently, and to favourites of mine (since I do actually enjoy listening to my favourites). It would not be rocket science for a music player to offer this functionality — but since Apple will not let go of iTunes (presumably as a feeder to their music store), and alternatives don’t suit me for other reasons, there we are.

2 Yesterday, Thor Today

Yesterday I ran two good miles, came home for a shower and hot breakfast, then Morning Prayer, then I did some marking, Chapter Meeting, and home for more marking and reading, and even took a nap.

No running this morning, among the rain- and thunderstorms. I’ll have a fruit breakfast, go to Morning Prayer, then on to Oxford for a tutorial and lunch, and home again.