Lorg! Gaelic for..."I'm back!" Is it from one of the Terminator movies? With Ahhhnold? Or is it Randy Quaid in Independence Day? Or...I think there are many.
Lorg! I'm back! Well, back to blog!
Diana and I were away on holidays for three weeks. We spent most of that time in B.C. Much on Vancouver Island at Parksville and Ucluelet. And several days coming back in Penticton to warm up and dry out...though really, the weather on the Island was quite good too.
We stayed at two places in Parksville. Before and after going to the west side of the Island. Both of these were on Rathtrevor Beach. It is one of our favourite places. When the tide goes out, you can walk for kilometres on the sand looking for shells and other little sea critters.
A friend of ours from our time on Rathtrevor
We also saw some bigger sea creatures. Many sea lions would poke their heads up to say hello and on two different days we saw whales come up to the surface. It seems to have only been video that I took of those wonderful mammals, so no picture here.
While the east side of the Island was calm through most of our time there, on the other side, the waves were quite wild.
Florencia Bay at Pacific Rim National Park
We returned last Sunday. I was registered this week for a seminar from the Achieve Training Centre. "Assertive Communication." It was an interesting workshop. There were 13 of us plus the instructor. I was the ONLY male. And we won't discuss the age differential between me and most of the other students, thank you very much!
Coursebook
According to the course, people can be divided into three categories by the way that we communicate. There are aggressive communicators. Often we can tell these by the loudness of their voice...how close they stand when talking to you...and sustained eye contact. They are self-focused and need to maintain control.
Passive communicators often keep quiet and apologize when they express themselves. They usually avoid eye contact, speak softly, and use retreating, small body language. They find it difficult to express their needs, wants, feelings, and ideas.
We want to be assertive communicators. Assertive communicators believe in their ability to express ideas and opinions openly and honestly without denying the rights of others. They express their needs, ideas and feelings clearly and respectfully. They do not assume that their perspective is the only correct one. Their body language is relaxed and casual, their eye contact is natural and inviting, and their voice is appropriate to the situation.
We practised being assertive communicators. Practice...small group...one on one. We introverts LOVE small group and one on one. (For those of you who are extroverts, that last sentence was dripping with sarcasm. I realize that may be difficult to comprehend!)
It was an enjoyable seminar. Much I knew already, but it was good to hear it in different language and expressed in different ways.
Celtic Christianty...yes...I did some more work on that this week too. Before leaving on holidays I requested two books on inter-library loan. I was told that they could take three weeks to come in. Great! Perfect timing. They came in a week and a half and Caryn picked them up for me so that they would not send them back before I got home. Book number one...due on October 23 and I can renew it if I want. Book number two...due on October 9th. This past Thursday...4 days after I got it into my hands...can't renew it...it came from the University of Calgary and I assume someone else requested it...and late fines...$1.00 per DAY! Sigh...I read fast. Fortunately, it is the other book that I think will be more interesting. I spent Friday reading and paid one day's fine.
In one day, you can tell if you want to request it again or not.
I think I will pass.
Ian Bradley starts off in a similar way to a couple of other books I have read so far on this sabbatical. He speaks of the original Celtic Christianity from the 6th and 7th century. Other writers then jump to the late 1800s to start speaking about scholars and others becoming interested in the Celtic way of doing church. Bradley sees things differently. He sees six different times in history when interest in Celtic Christianity was piqued and scholarship researched the topic. Many of the early works centred on the lives of the men who became saints...Patrick, Columba, David, and Cuthbert.
Bradley talked more about the scholarly pursuit of Celtic Christianity than the Celts themselves. I think the book that I have for this week will tell me more about those saints and the growth of the church that they built.
Until next weekend...slan leat an-drasta.
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