The prospects of Mr Rice

I did a career/personality profiling quiz thing on Thursday. It was a three hour set of different quizzes with columns upon columns of multi-choice answers about my different interests and preferences. They will apparently confer to a man who knows how to read them what would be a suitable occupation for me. It started with a timed thirty minute IQ test which I'm pretty sure I nailed, so I'm hoping the career quiz man will tell me next Friday that I am a genius, presenting me with a selection of very lucrative job offers from high paying companies that will suit me perfectly! That would be nice. I somehow doubt that though, so will settle for just learning some hopefully interesting and informing information about myself, so I will have some good hints as to which direction I should head. Direction... Oh how I long for a clear lead!

There are a few things I've been thinking would be quite fun to do with my life.

1. I'd love to design and own a swanky (wanky?) book shop and cafe near the Auckland universities for predominantly scholars, but also just reflective folk, to come in, buy a coffee and sit down with a good book and get lost in thought. I'd create different spaces: quiet, cosy, comfortable ones with cushy armchairs and lamps and tea pots for those seeking quiet and solitude, and group spaces with tables and chairs for people to delve into deep debates and discuss meaning and important things like that. I always imagine it'd be like the Queen Street Borders, because I love how you can get lost in there and find a nice nook to sit and read a random book that's caught your eye. That's what I used to do when we went with our family. I could just spend hours there! My shop would be like that, but even more difficult to navigate and less commercial. People could just chill there. I'd probably want to sell records there too. It'd be called 'thinkspace.' (C) I wouldn't actually have to do much of the running of it either, I'd just get to spend my days in there, talking politics and philosophy and theology and architecture and whatever else with the many interesting people who would also enjoy my shop. Haha, dream on...

2. I think it'd be fun to be a politician. At Life Group the other night, Murray put out the question, who do we know of in politics who is a sold out evangelical Christian? Maybe they're in there, but I don't know. Most of the politicians I see on TV seem to be fairly rubbish, way too... well... political! I'd want to get in there and shake things up! New Zealand needs more real people in politics, who make things happen. Too many of the politicians I see aren't so much concerned with achieving the goals we voted them in to achieve, but with merely getting themselves back in next time. They enjoy the power just for the sake of being in power, not what they can achieve with it! So all this week I've been tuning myself into the news, learning about the things that matter to New Zealand, and finding out what our politicians are doing. Even if I don't end up down that path, I think it's good to know a bit about it so that I can make an educated vote, and so I can let them know what I think they should be doing. It's good to care about this country and the direction our leaders are taking us in. In the quiz I totally answered the questions so that the guy will tell me I'm going to be a brilliant politician. Cheeky.

3. I could be a pastor. Working in the cafe I get to see quite a bit of our pastors, as they meet up with many different people to discuss things over coffee. When they're not meeting people, they're in their offices, reading books and researching for their sermons, writing them, planning events, writing reports and articles... I don't really know but it seems they get a great mix of people stuff and quiet task work. And their role is in leadership: I love that! Pastorship is definitely a path I could imagine going down. However, I don't think at this young age it's where I would head straight away. Personally, I'd want to live in the world first, so that I could lead from experience. It's easy inside the church to be sheltered from the realities of life, so I'd want to live in the reality the majority of people experience first, before I could encourage them as their church leader.

Take a vote everyone! What should I doooo?

Sorry this has just been about me. Not the deep stuff you all seem to love, but I'll leave you with this. It'll make up for it. My flatmate Ben showed it to me a while ago. Sorry it's a little rude, but so well done, and soooo hilarious!