h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Bah! I woke up at 1am with the symptoms of a cold. Bleurgh. I feel pretty bad.

Still, it's House Church tonight and I have told God that if he wants me to apply for the assistant pastor's job, someone will have to raise the possibility of my doing it in the group tonight, or at prayers tomorrow. Douglas (of Mustardland and Hootoo, not Douglas the Rondebosch minister) has suggested doing voluntary work, but I need the money to pay for things like health insurance and my medication, which is looking like being about R800 plus a month - that's about eighty quid. Not cheap.

I took the car in and Julian at Quality Motors at Plankenbrug found the problem. It isn't the gearbox apparently, but a purely mechanical thing to do with a fitting obstructing the free play of the gear lever. The solution is to remove the fitting. It looks ugly but it seems to work. After my internet session this morning I'm shooting through to Cape Town to check it out on a long journey. Let's hope it works OK and I can engage 5th gear without any problems even after a whizz on the motorway. I think I will go into Claremont and see about organising a credit card to link in with my bank account here. And I have run out of salt liquorice too.

Renee, the very pretty girl is at the internet cafe today. She works here... I wanted to take her out but God said No. In no uncertain terms! The Christian disciple has to be chaste, not chased. That is an old one but it is still true, no matter how many people fly in the face of it these days.

But what can be wrong with a single Christian gentleman taking out a single lady??

Misty, my intentions are NOT honourable. The only way for me to stay chaste is to stay away from intense situations with hot blooded young ladies. I don't know what the normal Christian approach is, but God knows all too well that we'd be jumping into bed at the first available opportunity. And sex before marriage is out... it has been, for me, since about 1994 when I finally got serious about my morals before God. I don't deceive myself - my attraction to Renee is mainly sexual.

Anyway, the good news is that I took the car to Cape Town and it works fine. No problem with the gears. I still don't know whether the problem arose when they fitted the gear lock. But now I've got it working I don't care.

When I was at the Archers Summer Treat in Brum I bought a bumper sticker with a musical staff on it and the words "Dum-di-dum-di-dum-di-dum" on it with a few musical notes for decoration. The question is now, do I stick it on my lovely new (well it's second hand actually but it's new for me) Corsa? It might spoil the rather attractive bum of the car.

Hello again!
I'm so pleased to hear that the car is working properly again, and I would say YES definitely put on the bumper-sticker!

With regards to the young lady, I hope that you get to meet one where you feel you can just be friends to begin with, and simply enjoy each others' company!

I hope that your cold has either disappeared or at least retreated during the day!
'Bye for now,
~~Misty~~

You have to stay away from young ladies just in case you get the urge to jump on them?

It sounds as if you will get very lonely. Are you going to restrict youtself to contact with church goers, then hope that they are as committed as you are?

perhaps that should be 'may be wanting to jump into bed', it's not compulsory that you actually do it. If you're never tested, you'll never know if you've passed.

I'm sorry if you find this offensive, it's not meant to be. I just don't know how you're going to meet someone (if that's what you want) when you'll not allow yourself to get to know someone who catches your eye, perhaps you should have more faith in *yourself*.