I love it when they grade on the curve!

The White Stone Name Seeker and A Thorn in the Pew both really like my blog so they were being liberal in the good sense of the word. Thank you!

Here's the deal:

By accepting this Excellent Blog Award, you have to award it to 10 more people whose blogs you find Excellent Award worthy. You can give it to as many people as you want-even those that have received it already, but please award at least 10 people. You don't have to say why you're giving the award but I thought it would be fun to.

I would like to award, in addition to tagging back WSNS and Thorn:

1. Swiss Miss for her infinite patience in trying to get me to abandon all thoughts of the historical critical method of bible study. So far, neither of us is giving in.

2. Paul at Side of the Angels for still speaking to me after virtual ash tray throwing fights. What fun would it be if everyone agreed with you? I love his logic quizzes and his quirky sense of humor, or in his case, humour.

3. Digihairshirt ... BECAUSE. I need help to bury that Hawaiian "thing" in our sacristy and I might need a good lawyer some day. :-D

My "troika" priests:

4. Fr. Ray Blake of Brighton, who always asks the interesting question. I wouldn't be his campaign manager for cardinal for free otherwise.

If I were casting a Fr. Brown movie, I'd have Fr. Blake play Fr. Brown. Humble, philosophical, and he would know just when to pull the twitch upon the thread. He's not allowed to face away from the camera too much though, because I'll have the director ride herd on him in a New York minute if he tries to pull that stunt. I just hope I can meet his "quote" and that he's not secretly some prima donna that's going to demand ONLY red and tan M&Ms and live lute music piped into his dressing room.

5. Fr. Tim at the hermaneutic of continuity or however the heck you spell it. I learned a new word from him the other day. The ambularium or ambulatorium or whatever it was for that fancy schmansy walkway they use because they do not like to get wet and cold and it's a "churchy kinda thing" so it has to have a Latin based name. I bet ambulance and ambulatory come from the same root.

Fr. Tim gets to play the "genial host" in the film. He hosts a conference of priests, and naturally one of them is the victim. In this case, Father Z. -- because you have to kill someone famous to get real notoriety. Father Z. shouldn't mind. It's only "pretend." And you need someone whom other people have a lot of motives to "off" to be the vic.

6. Fr. Stretch Boyle, because charmingly he had no idea why I called him "Stretch."

I'm casting him as the "Perp" -- you have to have someone no one would guess in a million years would be the killer. It's a good part. If Fr. Blake gets tired of playing Fr. Brown and vice versa, I could make it a stage play and they could alternate like Othello and Iago.

And then there's the all-American "go to" guy:

7. Fr. Erik -- well, damn it, HE'S the NRA. I'm not going to fool around with him. I'm afraid not to award him. He's a Freddy Mercury fan to boot.

I'm casting him as the American guest who stumbles across the body when he's out pheasant shooting or hunting whatever game the laws of England now allow. Hopefully, he can still be out with a matched set of Purdeys, rather than ferreting out rats with a stick when he's in the fen country. [I'm giving Fr. Tim a palatial place in Norfolk, I hope he doesn't object.] He'll also be the one everyone suspects at first...because you know those gun crazy Americans.

8. Mac the Mulier Fortis because mantilla twitches are cool.. She gets to be housekeeper in the film and has most of the smart-ass lines (along with Fr. Erik.) Somehow I feel she will require very little direction.

9. Fr. Justin - because he has a blast and supposedly "nobody" knows who he is. Like an obscure member of the royal family. I'm casting him as doing the funeral in the movie, because he already knows camera left from camera right.

10. Ma Beck - For her prolific wide ranging interests and great Chicago style.

11. Esther - Always has an interesting twist on everything. And I'm putting the world on notice: I'd like an "Aloha attire" funeral. Ask Esther if you don't know. I will haunt anyone who holds hands at the Our Father. I promise.

12. Adrienne - Way the heck up in Post Falls, Idaho. What's not to like about a woman who has a nursery and was once a dance instructor in Fred Astaires studios? Maybe she can succeed in teaching me a triple time step after I get new knees.

13. Tara - Any nurse that runs around in pajama bottoms in cold weather is a force to be reckoned with.

14. Adele at Journey to Therese - I love her antics with the 4 munchkins.

15. Jackie Parkes - Whatever she's on -- I want some! After the movie has its run and goes to TV, Jackie can be the energizer bunny in the commercials.

16. Philip - Calm, cool, collected, ever charming and a real nice guy! Dog lovers are like that. Siena has a bit part in the movie as Fr. Erik's gun dog. Yes, I know German Shepherds aren't usually gun dogs, but the spaniels and labradorks are threatening to be out on strike. Philip gets the behind the scenes job as "wrangler."

17. Angela Messenger - That is one heck of a roller coaster of a conversion story. I'd love to have her for a neighbor.

The other priests on my blogroll also get parts because you have to have lots of interviews and suspects!

Oh, jeez, now to be nice I should tag you guys. I think that's optional but probably a nice heads-up. Try not to hold it against me if I bail out for a gin and tonic before completing that final task...which means, Angela dear, that you have almost no hope in hell of me making it that far, but you pretty much read my blog almost every day, unless there are two of you insane people up there in the frozen tundra who read it.
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