Update on... Well, on everything

Hello. I've been bad, I know, not updating for ages. But I've been kind of busy/tired/couldn't be bothered. Sorry.
So. What to write. I'm listening to CrossRhythms. I'm tired. I've walked five miles today, to college and back. I also walked into town today at lunch. My sociology teacher wasn't here, I finished the work really fast, but I still had to hang around for ages and wait for the end of the day near enough. Pity the sub couldn't come in earlier and let us go.
Mum's getting better. They've started letting her eat stuff, and she's not on the TPN tonight. Nana's gone into hospital though, don't know why.

Act of God

This one was non-fiction, and very, very interesting. It was all about the mystery of Tomb 55, a tomb designed to keep somebody in, and the evidence for the exodus of the Israelites. Believe it or not, there is evidence that the Red See actually did part, through a tsunami, which bared the ground for the Israelites to cross and then swept back and removed all the Israelites. It also gave historical evidence for the plagues, brought on by an erruption six times more powerful than Krakatoa. Well worth reading, it set the facts out clearly and gave reasons for all the conclusions. I learnt a lot from it, and really enjoyed it.

Crossrhythms

Ok, so this is a new one on me. I'm reveiwing a radio station. But seriously, if you're like me and absolutely sick of the rubbish the media is feeding you through song lyrics that equate love to sex and imply that girls kissing girls as an experiment is a wonderful thing to do, then Crossrhytms is brilliant. The music is modern and really good, and there is no rubbish perpetuated in the lyrics. They aren't all overtly Christian, although much of it is. And I love it. My only complaint is that I can only get it online. Oh, and I'm a bit annoyed that I've only just found out about it. I'm listening to it now actually. Oh, and Stellar Kart, who're one of my favourite Christian bands, have just released a new album. Shall have to try and find it somewhere. The one I've heard on the radio is amazing.

Fool's Errand

Wow. This book kept me up till half two in the morning. I literally could not put it down. It was incredible. The first book in the second trilogy about Fitz, now Tom Badgerlock. I cannot believe that... Well, I don't want to tell you, because it might spoil it. But it involves Nighteyes, Fitz's wit-bond partner. I absolutely loved it. It's fairly long I guess, but it's fantastic, really recommend it. Robin Hobb is definitely now one of my all time favourite authors. I don't want to write too much and spoil it for everyone, it's too good for me to dare tell you how it goes. But basically, Fitz is found again and taken to find the Prince who has run away.

Update on Mum

So, she's still in hospital.  They fried her intestines, so she can't eat.  However, she's making progress.  Today, she had a cup of tea.  Her first drink bar water for ages, and she's only been drinking teeny tiny bits of water.

So, that's where things are at.  Improving slowly.  Hopefully she'll be home again soon.

Chrome Beta

Ok, so I'm moving on from reveiwing just the 'normal' stuff like books and films and so on, to browsers. I'm not a computer geek, honest, I just don't really like the fact that Microsoft has taken over the entire computer world.

So, google's browser. Maybe I ought to be nice about it, because this is hosted by google. They may not appreciate me knocking their products. But I won't anyway. It's pretty decent. Very open, the stuff at the top etc is not too in your face. I like the favourites bar a lot, pretty nifty feature. Took less time to download and install than Firefox did. My complaints? Took me a few seconds to realise the star icon was to bookmark something, and it doesn't seem to be spellchecking the text of this post, although it did do the text I was talking to Rachel with. Which is weird. Having said that, Firefox's spellchecker started doing random and unpredictable things on here too. Maybe it's blogger rather than the browser. Don't know. Anyway, it's worth checking out. I want to do a little more experimenting before I decide 'this is the browser I want to use', but right now, it seems pretty decent.

Oh, I like the little thumbnail thing whenever you open a tab with suggestions of what pages you might like to use. Seems a pretty good browser. Better than internet explorer for sure.

The Visitor (Lee Child)

Another Jack Reacher thriller. Reacher looks like he might be starting to settle down. He has a house left to him by an old army buddy, he has a steady girlfriend who he's known for years, and he has a car. Ties that he's not used to. And then the FBI pulls him in, and he's trapped into a maze of deceit and murder and bluff and double bluff. The ultimate conclusion? Well, he wanders off again, of course, and leaves a lot of bodies behind, but that's never really in any doubt. After all, there's more to the series after that. Anyway, it truly is full of twists and turns and I love the series. Want to find the whole lot of them. Which may take a while, as I can never seem to find them, no matter how much looking I do. Well, I suppose that's not true. I've found three, plus one I borrowed from the library and one I had on tape which I never finished listening too. Not because I wasn't enjoying the story, but because I really don't do listening to tapes. I can't sit still and listen to them, drives me scatty. I listened to about ten CDs, maybe 11, out of the 14 while I was tidying my room, but there's a limit to how much of that you can do. So I gave it up, and now I really want to know how it ends, so I need to find a 'proper' copy of it somewhere.

Killing Floor

This is the book which first introduces Jack Reacher, and it's a marvellous first book. I absolutely could not put it down and was reading till one this morning. *Smiles innocently*. Decent size, took me four hours, give or take a bit. But I read really fast.
Anyway, it's absolutely fantastic, twist piled upon twist. This series is definitely one of my favourites, although I think favourite ever book goes to Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb.
I can't really tell you much about the book without giving stuff away that it's better to find out while reading. Basically, Jack Reacher has left the army, six months back, and now he's wandering without any routes. He walks into a town pursueing a thread of an idea--a hunt for a long ago deceased guitar player his brother mentioned years back--and is instantly pulled in for a murder. But things get more complicated, and one murder turns into two. He's able to prove that it wasn't him--he was miles away when it happened--but circumstances mean he decides to stay and see the thing through to its final. I won't tell you what the circumstances are, they shocked me and I think they'll do the same for you. It's good.

From Russia with Love

Ok, I've been really bad about doing this, sorry. I actually read this book a couple of days ago, but hey. It's being reveiwed now, that's what counts, right?
It's a James Bond book, and I don't care what you think of the films, this book was really good. Just forget your preconceptions. It's an intrigueing plot line, plenty of action, and one interesting feature I think is worth noting: you don't actually meet James Bond until well into the story. It starts off with the evil bad guy, a psychopathic killer who works for SMERSH, a Russian spy-killing thing. An author's note at the front says that agency is for real. I wonder how he knew. I mean, it's not exactly going to be common knowledge, is it? Anyway, I really enjoyed it, and shall be looking out for more James Bond books. Including the Young Bond, possibly the last in the series, which comes out this month. Along with Brisingr, Oath Breaker, and a whole host of other books. Seems like this month is the month for releasing books. I would've thought just before summer would be better, to get them for summer reads. Still. I'm not a publisher, or an agent, or even a published author. Yet.

Something interesting I thought I'd share with you

So, on Sunday night last week, we forgot the sermon at church again. It happens with no particular regularity, sometimes a couple of nights in a row, sometimes not. Anyway, we all went down to the bottom and stood in a circle and we were annointed. We were praying for bonds to be broken. While we were praying, I saw my mum in the middle of the circle, lying there. She's still in hospital, and she was there with us in a way, in the middle.
All Sunday I'd been getting really nervous about my first day at Newman. My stomach was knotting up and so on, I was getting to the point where I was starting to feel sick with worry. I get like that sometimes. Anyway, this is the honest truth. Not once on Monday did I feel the tiniest bit worried. I was just filled with this incredible peace. Think what you like, but that's how it was. I was not scared about it, I was not worried about it, and because I went in there happy, expecting to enjoy myself, I did. I've had a great week. Just thought you might find that interesting, anyone who happens to read this. I won't force my opinion on you--as far as I'm concerned, that was God at work in me--but that's a truthful account of what happened.
Oh, and at the prayer meeting on Monday night, we were praying for all manner of stuff. A lot of it was for husbands/wifes/boyfriends/girlfriends for various people in the church, including me. So watch this space, there could be a spate of weddings in our church next year...

First Day at College!!!

I had a pretty good day. Didn't know anyone at first, but then I saw Conor and Becky, who are both in the year above but were in today as guide people. I met a bunch of people in my lessons, and I think I should settle in fairly well. It's going to be heaving as of Wednesday though. We only had half of my year in today, there's going to be four times that on Wednesday. Ahhh!!! I managed to lose my umbrella, and of course it rained coming home. Thankfully Aunty Lynne drove past when I was about five/ten minutes from home and gave me a lift the rest of the way.
My Literature teacher seems really good. Plus we have a crazy Scottish guy in charge of the chaplaincy. What is it about the Scottish and church work? I swear, three quarters of the pastors I know well/expect to know well (Buster, Clark, Mr D, chaplaincy pastor) are Scottish. Guess which are which...
Anyway, I can't wait to start properly in many ways, although I have a sneaking suspicion I'm going to get swamped with homework. Five hours a week is what some subjects are claiming. Maths claims a little less though, only eighty minutes per week, and I work fast at maths so hopefully it'll be a bit less than that even.
We're reading the Great Gatsby for English, wonder what it'll be like... Perhaps I should post the essay I ultimately do on here.