Things That Have Happened, or How The Dog Got His Wings

Dogs don't have wings. That's the joke.

There are some Things That Have Happened that I won't tell you about because they happened a while ago now and besides, you should just go over to Vicki's blog, helpfully linked here for you, because she was there for all the bits I was and some extra bits too. I am mostly talking, of course, about Momentum 2009 and Sarah's Bowling Party. Look them both up, Vicki writes more better than what I do so it'll be a fun experience.

A Spooky Thing happened this week, but was also a Pretty Cool Thing if you think about it. I was waiting for the train (at the train station) so I could go to work and earn money, when I thought about a friend of mine who shall remain nameless here, although it would be more accurate to say their face flashed in my brain. I then had the thought that I ought to text them. I should note here that, to my shame, this is not a person I regularly contact and this wasn't a guilty "Sorry it's been so long!" text, it was a real feeling that I ought to text them. So I did, although it wasn't until I had reached work and was slogging up the hill to the changing rooms that I received the reply. When I did, my mind kind of froze with 80% shock and surprise, 20% embarassment. Here is the relavent part of the reply (spelling improved for my discerning audience):

"Things aren't great right now. Don't know if you saw in the news about three Brits killed in a car crash in New Zealand? That was some very close friends of my family and mine. So not having the best time of it, but we're getting there."

Here is the relavent story on the BBC News website.
Now, some of you are probably sitting there going "Awful, awful. But Tom! It was coincidence!" Some of you might be going "Awful, awful. It must have been the Earth spirit, Gaia!" But I know there a number of you out there who probably feel as I do, that God prompted me into finding out about my friend's situation and He wanted me to know about it. After finding out I searched for the story in newspapers and waited for it to appear on the TV news, but I didn't find it. I don't exactly make a point of checking any news websites, so there was no way for me to find out about this incident except from someone who was involved in some way. So the one person I know who was connected just happens to be the person whose faces flashes into my mind less than a week after the event occured, and without me knowing about the event at all? I'm not buying it, this has God written all over it.
I'm praying for my friend and their family, and the families of those 3 who died, that they would be comforted and be able to grieve adequately. I'd encourage you to do the same.

And Al Gordon's album Future Sound started playing while I was typing this :) That probably was coincidence, but it's still cool.

In other news, I'm pretty much good to go regarding a permanent contract at Windsor Castle. It's kind of my fall-back option, but it's not like it doesn't have its benefits - over winter I'll only have to work about 5-6 hours a day, and if I make it up to Christmas without moving to a job somewhere else I get to receive a pressie from the Queen. Well, technically from her personal maid or whatever the job title is, but I'll get to shake Liz and Phil's hands which is 40% super exciting, 60% trouser-wettingly nerve-wracking.
Many people are abandoning the Castle and returning to uni, but many people are all done with uni and have started at the Castle, so it all balances out.

My next blog will probably be when I realise I've properly left education. I'll get to mid-October annd think "Hang on a second...I should be learning something about now." I'll have to start buying Dorling Kindersley.

Blogged to the sound of: Fur and Gold, Bat for Lashes; Future Sound, Al Gordon; Greatest Hits, Guns 'n' Roses.
What? It took a while to type up.