On Saturday, Ange and i welcomed a new member to the family. He is awesome.
Let me spin you the yarn of how Gerald became Big Red.
It all began with a trip to Mitchenbury.
There, we were spotted, wandering the car yard... CarCity... by Eddie.
In my gut, I'm pretty sure Eddie was kind of dodgy. He noticed that we were eyeing off a low-kilometer, shiny, red Hyundai Lantra.
I took a test drive and must have had that "I'm gonna buy" look.
Enter Gerald.
Gerald is my old, crappy, broken, money chewing, fuel guzzling, few-to-many character flaws Commodore. Gerald is the car we drove to the car yard. Gerald is the car we took to get traded in...
When my mate Eddie saw Gerald, he thought "his boss" may give me two-grand for him. "His boss" thought otherwise. He said 750 bucks.
I tried to haggle. I wondered for a while... I pondered aloud about 1500... or 1200... or 1000...
My haggling failed. I took $750.
So, with emptied bank accounts, credit extensions granted and a touch-and-go eftpos transaction i drove away in a new car.
I traded (along with a few thousand dollars) a 1989 Commodore for a 1996 Lantra Sportswagon.
I traded a car without a radio for one with a fully sick system.
I traded a car without a drivers-side door lock for a fully functioning car.
The only down side? I could have got a whilte Cressida. Another Cecil.
But my wife said no. No way in Hell.
DISCLAIMER: ALL RAMBLINGS ARE MY OWN. THEY IN NO WAY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF ANY CHURCH OR ORGANISATION THAT I HAVE WORKED FOR OR AM CURRENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH...
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query gerald. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query gerald. Sort by date Show all posts
Monday, August 10, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2026
Random Graham Revisited
Back in 2011 I did a blog post called Random Graham. It was a post about small somewhat-interesting tidbits about me.
I found the post a stumbled over the post while looking for something else and, a decade-and-half later, I figured it was time for a revisit and - where needed - additions and amendments. The amendments will be in italics.
1. My first ever sermon was given at Katoomba Anglican Church. The passage was Hebrews 12:1-2. I had the entire sermon memorised.
2. My first pet, a bird named Sam, was found hung in his plastic ladder by my sister when she was around 10 years old. He is still buried in the back garden with the ladder around his neck.
3. I've owned three (now five) cars in my life. Cecil, Gerald and Big Red. Gerald was crap. My last car was named Speedy and my current car is named Ernie.
4. I've kept a daily diary for the last 14 years. (I actually gave this up a few years after this post. But, I’m still hoarding all my old diaries)
5. I chew quietly to myself when I sleep. I'm told, so does my sister. It must be a genetic thing...
6. My first kiss was in a park. Her name was Rachel.
7. My first kiss was my (ex)wife was on a dance floor. A seedy, seedy dance floor.
8. The place my parents got married is now a car park.
9. I went on schoolies three times.
10. I returned from my first schoolies with bright yellow hair.
11. Subsequently, I had bright yellow hair on my 18+ proof-of-age card.
12. My first cat never died. He just disappeared.
13. I used to wear one hard contact lens in my left eye.
14. I wore glasses in primary school. To help strengthen my lazy right eye I had a yellow smiley patch over my left. The look was not attractive.
15. I almost always cry when I watch Forrest Gump or the final episode of M.A.S.H.
16. I've kept all the letters my (ex)wife has ever written me in my bedside table. I’ve still got a few of them, but I also keep every letter from my current wife.
17. I still have the sign in sheet from my first week at youth group. I was in year 6.
18. I once had the name Graham Baldcock on a boarding pass. When this is a rugby trip, the name sticks.
19. When I was a teenager I cut up a heap of my childhood photos to make a collage for Mum. I never did make the collage.
20. When I was a kid I slept with a seal.
21. I used to be deathly afraid of Freddy Kruger as a kid. I watched "Nightmare on Elm Street 3" at my sister's birthday party.
22. I can name every WWF/E champion from 1978 to approx 1999. I can also name every Wrestlemania main event for the first 20 years.
23. My Mum would stroke my nose to put me to sleep. It still works to this day.
24. My first job was working at a deli.
25. I had the name "weasel" on the back of my year 12 jersey.
26. I sing in the shower.
27. It annoys me that I can't pronounce my name.
28. When I cry at my child's birth it will be as much about become a father as it will be that my Dad won't be around to see it. (Actually, it was more of a solitary tear, not a weepy flood.)
29. I flirted with the idea of getting tongue surgery to fix my speech impediment.
30. I only had one girlfriend before dating my wife.
31. I used to steal cigarettes from Mum and Dad to smoke at the park in year 6.
32. I used to steal loose chance from Dad to buy micro machines.
33. My two favourite authors are Agatha Christie and Valerio Massimo Manfredi. And Mary Beard.
34. I have a chipped tooth. I chipped it biting into a chocolate freckle.
35. I can't ride a bicycle. (WRONG! I just can’t a bike confidently. Every holiday I’m dragged bike riding by my wife. I can do it just fine as long as the terrain is flat. I can’t really do the whole out-of-the-saddle-so-you-can-ride-up-a-hill thing.)
36. I couldn't swim confidently until I was 17.
37. I've read through the entire bible twice. The first time took me 1 year, 8 months, 10 days.
38. I've never been in a fight.
39. As a kid, I once put a knife into a toaster. There were sparks.
40. Years ago, I got a mobile phone from Dad when mine stopped working. It still has a video he took of my niece. You can hear my Dad's voice in the background. I miss his laugh.
41. My Dad and I both got snooker cues for my 21st. I beat him at snooker. Often. (The snooker cues are now missing. That makes me a little sad)
42. I once broke a water pipe connected to someones water meter. I just kept walking.
43. I was paralysed for a short time when I was hit over the head with a pillow.
44. I've had my appendix removed. And three of my wisdom teeth.
45. I've never used a razor to shave my face. (WRONG! This is now all I use. I converted from electric around 2016)
Now… some new random facts.
46. I used to carry in my wallet a small army figurine from my childhood. I found it when I was cleaning my bedroom while I was till living at home. He was the last survivor. I carried it around as a reminder that I’m a child of God. I had that in my wallet for around a decade before losing it.
47. I used to have the newspaper obituary from my dad. It was kept in a pile of papers stored at my mums. It got water damaged when her garage flooded and then fell apart. I wish I still had it.
48. I’ve been “learning” German on Duolingo for approximately 6 years. My current streak is 2321 days. Honestly, I’m still functionally illiterate, with my vocabulary far excelling my pronunciation or grammar. I suspect I’ll finish the entire German course by the middle of the year. I’ll then aim to do a course face-to-face.
49. The next language I want to learn is Latin. It must be the historian within me…
50. I’ve been doing the same bible reading regime (working through a book/segment of the bible my reading it and then studying/reading a number of commentaries) since 2022. To complete the entire bible will take me until the end of 2027.
51. I’ve now written over 2200 Tiny Bible Bits, touching on approximately 2500 bible passages.
52. Everyday at work I wear socks with some kind of animals or characters on them. I have students guess what they are when I need to “select a person at random”. Friday is always flamingos 🦩
53. I start each school day by handwriting my timeline for the day on a notepad I bring with me to every class. Other teachers, rightly, make fun of this.
54. I’ve been landscaping the garden at my current home for the last 13 months. It won’t be complete until the middle of the year.
55. I’ve mapped out my reading schedule (bible, theology, leadership, history, bible reading plans) until 2055.
56. According to the schedule, I should read over the entire bible (using various methods) in 2029, 2033, 2037, 2041, 2044, 2049 and cycle back to my current 6-year study plan in 2050.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Random Graham
I previously mentioned a blog here which also has a post tiled "100 truths about me." I'm not inspired enough to write 100, but wanted to give you a greater insight into who I am and the list I came up with this morning was...
1. My first ever sermon was given at Katoomba Anglican Church. The passage was Hebrews 12:1-2. I had the entire sermon memorised.
2. My first pet, a bird named Sam, was found hung in his plastic ladder by my sister when she was around 10 years old. He is still buried in the back garden with the ladder around his neck.
3. I've owned three cars in my life. Cecil, Gerald and Big Red. Gerald was crap.
4. I've kept a daily diary for the last 14 years.
5. I chew quietly to myself when I sleep. I'm told, so does my sister. It must be a genetic thing...
6. My first kiss was in a park. Her name was Rachel.
7. My first kiss was my wife was on a dance floor. A seedy, seedy dance floor.
8. The place my parents got married is now a car park.
9. I went on schoolies three times.
10. I returned from my first schoolies with bright yellow hair.
11. Subsequently, I had bright yellow hair on my 18+ proof-of-age card.
12. My first cat never died. He just disappeared.
13. I used to wear one hard contact lens in my left eye.
14. I wore glasses in primary school. To help strengthen my lazy right eye I had a yellow smiley patch over my left. The look was not attractive.
15. I almost always cry when I watch Forrest Gump or the final episode of M.A.S.H.
16. I've kept all the letters my wife has ever written me in my bedside table.
17. I still have the sign in sheet from my first week at youth group. I was in year 6.
18. I once had the name Graham Baldcock on a boarding pass. When this is a rugby trip, the name sticks.
19. When I was a teenager I cut up a heap of my childhood photos to make a collage for Mum. I never did make the collage.
20. When I was a kid I slept with a seal.
21. I used to be deathly afraid of Freddy Kruger as a kid. I watched "Nightmare on Elm Street 3" at my sister's birthday party.
22. I can name every WWF/E champion from 1978 to approx 1999. I can also name every Wrestlemania main event for the first 20 years.
23. My Mum would stroke my nose to put me to sleep. It still works to this day.
24. My first job was working at a deli.
25. I had the name "weasel" on the back of my year 12 jersey.
26. I sing in the shower.
27. It annoys me that I can't pronounce my name.
28. When I cry at my child's birth it will be as much about become a father as it will be that my Dad won't be around to see it.
29. I flirted with the idea of getting tongue surgery to fix my speech impediment.
30. I only had one girl friend before dating my wife.
31. I used to steal cigarettes from Mum and Dad to smoke at the park in year 6.
32. I used to steal loose chance from Dad to buy micro machines.
33. My two favourite authors are Agatha Christie and Valerio Massimo Manfredi.
34. I have a chipped tooth. I chipped it biting into a chocolate freckle.
35. I can't ride a bicycle.
36. I couldn't swim confidently until I was 17.
37. I've read through the entire bible twice. The first time took me 1 year, 8 months, 10 days.
38. I've never been in a fight.
39. As a kid, I once put a knife into a toaster. There were sparks.
40. Years ago, I got a mobile phone from Dad when mine stopped working. It still has a video he took of my niece. You can hear my Dad's voice in the background. I miss his laugh.
41. My Dad and I both got snooker cues for my 21st. I beat him at snooker. Often.
42. I once broke a water pipe connected to someones water meter. I just kept walking.
43. I was paralysed for a short time when I was hit over the head with a pillow.
44. I've had my appendix removed. And three of my wisdom teeth.
45. I've never used a razor to shave my face.
1. My first ever sermon was given at Katoomba Anglican Church. The passage was Hebrews 12:1-2. I had the entire sermon memorised.
2. My first pet, a bird named Sam, was found hung in his plastic ladder by my sister when she was around 10 years old. He is still buried in the back garden with the ladder around his neck.
3. I've owned three cars in my life. Cecil, Gerald and Big Red. Gerald was crap.
4. I've kept a daily diary for the last 14 years.
5. I chew quietly to myself when I sleep. I'm told, so does my sister. It must be a genetic thing...
6. My first kiss was in a park. Her name was Rachel.
7. My first kiss was my wife was on a dance floor. A seedy, seedy dance floor.
8. The place my parents got married is now a car park.
9. I went on schoolies three times.
10. I returned from my first schoolies with bright yellow hair.
11. Subsequently, I had bright yellow hair on my 18+ proof-of-age card.
12. My first cat never died. He just disappeared.
13. I used to wear one hard contact lens in my left eye.
14. I wore glasses in primary school. To help strengthen my lazy right eye I had a yellow smiley patch over my left. The look was not attractive.
15. I almost always cry when I watch Forrest Gump or the final episode of M.A.S.H.
16. I've kept all the letters my wife has ever written me in my bedside table.
17. I still have the sign in sheet from my first week at youth group. I was in year 6.
18. I once had the name Graham Baldcock on a boarding pass. When this is a rugby trip, the name sticks.
19. When I was a teenager I cut up a heap of my childhood photos to make a collage for Mum. I never did make the collage.
20. When I was a kid I slept with a seal.
21. I used to be deathly afraid of Freddy Kruger as a kid. I watched "Nightmare on Elm Street 3" at my sister's birthday party.
22. I can name every WWF/E champion from 1978 to approx 1999. I can also name every Wrestlemania main event for the first 20 years.
23. My Mum would stroke my nose to put me to sleep. It still works to this day.
24. My first job was working at a deli.
25. I had the name "weasel" on the back of my year 12 jersey.
26. I sing in the shower.
27. It annoys me that I can't pronounce my name.
28. When I cry at my child's birth it will be as much about become a father as it will be that my Dad won't be around to see it.
29. I flirted with the idea of getting tongue surgery to fix my speech impediment.
30. I only had one girl friend before dating my wife.
31. I used to steal cigarettes from Mum and Dad to smoke at the park in year 6.
32. I used to steal loose chance from Dad to buy micro machines.
33. My two favourite authors are Agatha Christie and Valerio Massimo Manfredi.
34. I have a chipped tooth. I chipped it biting into a chocolate freckle.
35. I can't ride a bicycle.
36. I couldn't swim confidently until I was 17.
37. I've read through the entire bible twice. The first time took me 1 year, 8 months, 10 days.
38. I've never been in a fight.
39. As a kid, I once put a knife into a toaster. There were sparks.
40. Years ago, I got a mobile phone from Dad when mine stopped working. It still has a video he took of my niece. You can hear my Dad's voice in the background. I miss his laugh.
41. My Dad and I both got snooker cues for my 21st. I beat him at snooker. Often.
42. I once broke a water pipe connected to someones water meter. I just kept walking.
43. I was paralysed for a short time when I was hit over the head with a pillow.
44. I've had my appendix removed. And three of my wisdom teeth.
45. I've never used a razor to shave my face.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Try before you buy?
Apologies that I did not post this yesterday, the Internet at chateau de Baldock is being difficult.
So... Try before you buy... Does it make sense in regards to living with your partner before marriage?
If people are to be treated like a used car or a pair of shoes, then sure. Dabble before you make a commitment. Test the water. If you read about my second car Gerald (here and here), then you'll know that I'm more than sympathetic to test driving cars for quality and compatibility.
But people are not like cars. This mantra only works to dehumanise the person you are hoping to move in with and works with the positive slant towards the driver.
Also, you don't bring your baggage with you when you take a test drive and carry some away to the next car. Car's don't care if you reject them. Car's don't have their trust in the next "test driver" trashed if you pack up and walk away.
Furthermore, the divorce rate for those who live together prior to marriage is higher than those who marry first. If "try before you buy" was a successful method of wedding out "incompatible" couples then the rate should decrease.
Seems the mantra isn't all that effective long-term.
So... Try before you buy... Does it make sense in regards to living with your partner before marriage?
If people are to be treated like a used car or a pair of shoes, then sure. Dabble before you make a commitment. Test the water. If you read about my second car Gerald (here and here), then you'll know that I'm more than sympathetic to test driving cars for quality and compatibility.
But people are not like cars. This mantra only works to dehumanise the person you are hoping to move in with and works with the positive slant towards the driver.
Also, you don't bring your baggage with you when you take a test drive and carry some away to the next car. Car's don't care if you reject them. Car's don't have their trust in the next "test driver" trashed if you pack up and walk away.
Furthermore, the divorce rate for those who live together prior to marriage is higher than those who marry first. If "try before you buy" was a successful method of wedding out "incompatible" couples then the rate should decrease.
Seems the mantra isn't all that effective long-term.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
The car that keeps on giving
Note to self... My car is vengeful when you sell it to someone else.
Since i brought Gerald, the name i am flirting with for my new car, he has brought nothing but pain to his previous owner. First it was a parking fine. Now it is a toll violation.
The lesson i take away from?
First, don't think you can do whatever you want the day before you sell your car. It will catch up with you.
And second, make sure your car isn't under a gypsy voodoo curse. It will also catch up with you.
Since i brought Gerald, the name i am flirting with for my new car, he has brought nothing but pain to his previous owner. First it was a parking fine. Now it is a toll violation.
The lesson i take away from?
First, don't think you can do whatever you want the day before you sell your car. It will catch up with you.
And second, make sure your car isn't under a gypsy voodoo curse. It will also catch up with you.
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