Gee, my favorite candy too.

how did "they" guess?!

Reeses Peanut Butter Cups

Very popular, one of you is not enough. .

What Kind of Candy Are You?

Grabbed this one from catholicfire.

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Double Header

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I'd like to be able to say I saved the planet, cap- tured Osama bin Laden, and ended heartbreak of psoriasis. But I didn't although I did go to the theatre twice today. One perk of being single is that if you have a hankering to do something at a given time you just go and do it.

Karen: Would you like to go to the theatre twice today?
Karen: Splendid idea.

Here's a link to a Tony Broadcast of a bit of "Forget about the Boy" from "Thoroughly Modern Millie" to give you an idea of what the first was like. And suffice to say the Neil Simon's "Rumors" had enough laughs to go around for a pack of hyenas. It's a safe bet that if you go to a play and there are a lot of doors, it's going to be a funny play. TMM is running playing at a local equity house, and Rumors is ending its run at Grossmont Community College. Extremely well cast - I'd been to see it last week and came back for seconds this week.

I was delighted to run into some high school kids next to me who'd taken in the later performance. Seems their school will be putting on a production of NOISES OFF -- and I had been wishing some venue was going to be doing it locally. Two of the kids I met are playing leads and another will be stage manager. They even said that I'd better come back to say "hi" to them after the show. Such nice kids we have in our area. Too bad sometimes the "bad" kids get all the attention. Much as I love Carol Burnett, burn the movie version, the editing and direction destroyed the required sight lines - go see a live production. I don't care if someone is putting it on in his garage, just go.

There's nothing like live theatre for entertainment. I always had a laugh at Robin Williams interview on The Actor's Studio some years back: "You have a strange urge to put on other people's clothes and pretend to be them. Normally they'd lock you up, but somehow, the theatre calls."

The linked clip from TMM is 3 minutes and 42 seconds.
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The Nimble Tread of the Feet of Fred Astaire

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whenever I need a smile



You're all the World to Me

this number from Royal Wedding never fails to do the trick. (Yes, it's in the public domain-no need for the net police.) Brownie points for you if you know the real life name of Fred's love interest in this film. Ditto for the patron saint of actors, and the patron saint of dancers. Enjoy.

This clip is 4 minutes 48 seconds in length. For slower connections, right click and copy url, then paste to www.youtubex.com to save and watch at leisure with flash player. (You can get a free one here.)
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There's something decadent

about just kicking it


on a Wednesday afternoon. Everyone else in town is at work in the salt mine or slaving under the lashes of the schoolmasters, and you are taking a "ditch day." In this case "the bosses" decided it would be a bit of a morale lift to kick it this afternoon for an office picnic. The weather was perfect - just the tonic as the days are getting shorter. What say we to busting out the burgers, dogs, potato salad, "beverages" and a little "friendly" game of touch football?

Forgot to bring my camera to work this morning - it's amazing enough I get myself to work in one piece. No matter, this google earth pic is just about exactly what we experienced - even the lack of crowds. At the top of this picture is the Pacific Ocean, and this oasis of a park the park is the SW corner of Mission Bay Park. The inlet is the Mission Bay Channel. Mission Bay Park is the largest man-made aquatic park in the country, consisting of 4,235 acres, approximately 46% land and 54% water.

Maybe it's me, but there's something slightly intoxicating about the smell of clothing, hair and skin imbued with smoke from the grill, sunshine and just a little sand and grit. It's the Chanel of nature.
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I don't even know if it's really a conundrum

Orthometer: Partisan joke (so sue me)

Don't miss Fr. Erik's conundrum regards the Hildabeast.

To add to this one:

One day while Bill Clinton was president, he was walking along a cliff and pitched over the side and was precariously clutching to an outcropping. Three Boy Scouts were nearby and heard his cries for help and rescued him

Clinton said: Boys, you've saved my life, as president, there are a lot of things I can do to thank you. You each get a wish.

Boy scout #1 says: My dad was in the Navy, I'd love it if you could give me a presidential appointment to the Naval Academy when I'm old enough to go off to college. Clinton says: Yes, of course. Consider it done.

Boy scout #2 says: My dad was in the Army - can I have your appointment to West Point? Clinton: Done.

Boy scout #3 says: My wish is to be buried in Arlington Cemetery.

Clinton was astonished that one so young would be thinking about death. He said to the boy: Son, you have your whole life ahead of you, why would you be thinking a thought like that now?

The boy said: Because when my father finds out I saved your life he's going to kill me!

Chutzpa

it has come to my attention that the San Diego Union Tribune notes in an October 6th article that Bishop Brom will be asking clergymen and all lay Catholics in the diocese to make a special donation to cover the nearly $200 MILLION dollars to be paid out to the alleged 144 victims from the priest abuse scandal in this diocese. He wants each priest to donate a month's salary. And for retired priests to kick in too. Pardon me all to hell and begone, but this smacks of blackmail. What's he going to do to the priests who aren't rolling in dough to begin with who don't want to kick in? Currently a pastor grosses $1,535 a month, and an associate a little less. Peanuts. And their boss wants 1/12th of it.

You can see the bishop's letter here. My first thought was of the 1st cut on the Aerosmith's Greatest Hits album.

Mind you, this was the guy that caved in and said yes to everything, rather than fight some rather questionable allegations in some instances. He also decided it was a brilliant idea to declare the diocese bankrupt. This blog does not in any way mean to imply that there weren't victims who deserve to be compensated. But I am saying that this bishop has shown monumental ineptitude. Other dioceses, like Pittsburgh, settled for 80k per victim. Here it was $1.3 million per victim. DUE TO INCOMPETENCE. He wants to heal this diocese? He can start by RESIGNING. Then "we'll talk."

Until then: BUPKIS

Warning! Playing with Google Earth

is highly addictive to the n-th degree

This is my parish from a 521 ft. bird's eye view.
My parish takes up the lower portion of this city block in the Old Town Area of San Diego. I've noticed google earth can sometimes skew things a bit...what's labeled "SerraaHall" is actually a small Mexican walk up restaurant.

The parish buildings are all under those red roofings.


The church itself was finished in about 1917, it's the building at the left that the two big palm trees are casting shadows on. The sacristy is behind (newsflash there) and it is connected by a walkway to the rectory, which was built in the mid 1930s. Just to the right of the rectory, is the large social hall, which has two levels. The large upper level, includes a kitchen and a stage area and storage, plus a good sized hall. And there is a small lower level which contains our gift shop and some office space and smaller rooms. The hall was completed in the fall of 1977 as I recall. It replaced the much smaller Gregory hall, of late and happy memory. The top right building is a garage & apartment.

We now have a fairly small parking lot, to the right of the hall and garage, but the "old timers" (I'm talking about folks in their late 70s and older) told me the church used to own the whole city block. Pity we didn't keep it, because we could have made a fortune in car park fees and had no church debt EVER. The large lot is state or city owned now. At least the parking is free.

Close to the edge of the street behind the restaurant and to the right of where the rectory is, we had a few tiny bungalows where we used to teach CCD when I was in college in the 70s. We had a blast tearing them down, more fun than an old fashioned car bash. Sledgehammers are fun! [In pre PC days high schools used to often have an annual car bash fund raiser. I say this for the benefit of my UK and other overseas readers. I don't know if high schools do this or not any more, I expect the nanny police worry about flying glass and things like that.]

In the early 90s the church was really made a lot more earthquake sound. And they did a terrific job with the latest and greatest engineering techniques without the diocesan wreckovation committee ruining us. Because now, when you have building committees in to do needed major repair/maintenance the diocese wants to see what it can do about screwing up your "worship space." A few diocesan dweebs showed their faces about the time we were having to renovate the church, but they were met with lit torches and a few hand grenades and the only casualties were the dweebs from the diocesan wreckovation committee, who were forced on their own swords. Yours truly lobbed the first hand grenade. I think Sherman might have received a better reception in Atlanta.

Astute readers will note I haven't used the name of my parish. I don't mind if anybody from the parish stumbles across my blog in the blogosphere, but I'm flying under the radar, for now, anyway. Eagle eyed readers, can see the name of the parish in the picture. I will say the parish is named after the patron saint of the United States. Hush now. Don't give the game away. Otherwise the pastor might say: "Why don't you write about this, that or the other." Let him get his own blog!

And if you think it might be fun to post a pic of what your parish looks like from bird's eye view, consider yourself tagged and this post a meme.

How do you Envision Heaven

Father Ray Blake of St. Mary Magdalene in Brighton asked us to share thoughts about what we think heaven will be like.

On the most serious level, I'd have to say that I try not to dwell on the physical aspects of heaven too much, because whatever I envision is likely to be wrong. If I am in heaven, then I'll have likely have been in purgatory. Having been there, my soul being purified, when I reach heaven I will have no enmity or pride and I will be able to do God's will 100% and as St. Therese said "love is all." [If I make it straight in the door with out any pits stops, I'll be amazed.]

I expect that God will want me to assist with the salvation of those on earth in being "a friend of the court" as the saints in heaven do today. Having yielded 100% to the will of God, I trust in God that I will be totally happy. After the final judgment of all (and before) I trust in God that I will have the eternal and uninterrupted feeling of peace that comes from being in a state of grace after having received Holy Communion and resting in front of the tabernacle. But this time without earthly cares or worries, or physical pain.

I pray God that my loved ones be also there. But I have utter faith that whatever heaven is like I trust it will be better than I ever could imagine.

I have often wondered why we would need a body after death, but as Jesus said there is a bodily resurrection, who am I to question? Perhaps it is that we are all masterworks, as "God doesn't make junk." And the Artist, having created does not destroy the work. The work may be transformed, but it is not destroyed. God loves physical matter, otherwise we'd have not been created. On a personal note, I hope there's no more cellulite. :-D On the "pet issue" I'd just like to ask God: "Is it okay if you bring them back just so we can see them and they can see us? You don't have to let them see the 'beatific vision' - but you made them too... just saying...." But I still trust Sister 1st grade on this one: "You will have ALL you need in heaven to make you happy."

I am glad God gave us all free will, but I have to say it bothers me that God made angels, and some of them, who were given all they needed, rejected God's eternal peace, love and happiness - and Hell was initially created for them. I guess God gave them a choice too. And it frightens me that creatures who were given all that on a platter threw it away. God came down to earth to die for me, and I don't want to throw eternal salvation and happiness away.

On another note, I have always accepted the Trinity, but I never knew why it was necessary for there to be God, the Holy Spirit. My priest had and gave the simplest and best answer: "God didn't decide to be - God just IS."

Uber Cool Nerd Gods don't bow to Mere Nerd Gods

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It's a rule





I expect I scored low on the "dumb / dork / awkward" portion was because I have had a date in the last 10 years and do not have a dead spider collection, or wear super man underwear.

I confess I did take the test to see if I would score higher than Fr. Erik on the nerd quiz.
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Tough Nut to Crack

A favorite Moment from Life With Father


It transpired that Mr. Clarence Day, Sr. had not been baptized. This revelation came after an inquisitive visitor had been asking about the Day family's religion. Mrs. Day was shocked, as she had assumed that "every decent person is baptized." She wondered if she had ever been really married and took her problem to her Episcopal priest. That Sunday, as anyone could predict the good Dr. Lloyd preached a hellfire and brimstone sermon of the necessity of being baptized. Mr. Day, one of those self-made men of the 1880s, took exception, muttering in church "what is he up to?" The following conversation ensued after services:

"Clare, you know I didn't ask Dr. Lloyd to do that."
"You must have said something!"
"Well, I had to find out from him if we were really married."
"I AM married, and I am not baptized, and as far as I'm concerned the whole congregation can know it."
"They certainly know it now."
"That suits me, I don't go to church to be preached as as though I were some lost sheep."
"Clare, you don't seem to understand what the church is for!"
"Vinnie, if there is one thing the church should leave alone it's a man's soul."

Mother wins. Eventually....

St. Therese and Tom

a spaniel after my own heart

So many people have posted wonderful things about St. Therese - I thought I might do a little twist on Therese for the dog lovers among us. As many of us know from reading Story of a Soul, Therese was given a dog.

I'd known she had a dog named Tom, but I never knew what kind of dog he was until I went on a pilgrimage to Lisieux with my mother in the spring of 1990. I was delighted from seeing various pictures that Tom was a spaniel too - not unlike my own dog. To everyone else Therese sends roses, to me she sends spaniels.

This photo of Tom is in a book called "Therese and Lisieux" by Pierre Descouvemont and Helmuth Nils Loose. It has many photos of places she frequented, people she knew and artifacts she owned and family pictures not found elsewhere. I highly recommend it for St. Therese fans.

In one of the Therese books, I read that when she was in the convent and was on the "turn" that day to let a workman in, Tom happened to be passing by the convent. Tom ran to Therese and put his head under her skirts and was overjoyed. Therese was somewhat overcome herself and did shed some tears. Our families may understand us "leaving the world" but our dogs don't! I found that little vignette very touching when I came across it, because as a child I loved my pets too and I wondered how Therese handled leaving her dog.


This second picture is a blown up portion of a little day book she kept to note important dates. It notes that Tom has come to live with them. In the entry below, Therese records that she had her period. I didn't crop this part out, because sometimes people try to disassociate saints from the physical world - and it's useful to remember that they had to deal with everyday life just as we do. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things. [I'm still not sure if some of my nuns in grade school ever had need of the restroom, but I'll take it on faith that they did!]

Faccio la Mamma nails me...

for having made her learn how to do links. ;-D She tagged me with this meme.

1. Do you attend the Traditional Latin Mass or the Novus Ordo?

Novus Ordo. Given that I'm lector at the 5:15 Sunday Mass at our parish, it's kind of hard to conquer that time/space continuum thing. [If I ever figure it out, you'll be the first to know after the Star Trek people.] Having been old enough to have experienced the Latin Mass myself pre-Vatican II, I can see why people can be drawn to that particular aesthetic, but as my "default" Mass it's not my preference.

The unchangeable Latin parts of the Mass would not bug me. But the changeable parts, I fear DO require diligence on the part of the Mass goer. I'd never be one to sit praying my beads during the Mass. Personally, I think that's all wrong, and it would behoove me to take the time and follow along in "real time." And I'd be lying if I said "Ad Orientem" didn't irritate me. There's a reason Jesus said Mass around a table. I don't understand the whole argument about the priest "not turning his back on God." Kind of hard to when he's got God Almighty in his own hands in front of him. While I feel for priests who may be a little "shy?" to face the people - my guess is "being looked at" goes with the territory.

As long as the priest doesn't "perform" I'm good. Mine doesn't. I do think people who are moved by the Latin Mass have been persecuted by more than a few bishops long enough. I have heard that St. John the Evangelist in San Diego will afford people who are Latin Mass fans the opportunity of regular attendance at a TLM Mass - which is more opportunity than certain bishops, who shall go nameless gave "the people." Beats a cemetery chapel, I dare say. [Can you tell I'm a real big fan of the San Diego bishop? He's not on my Christmas card list, and I'm not on his, but I doubt either one of us loses sleep over it.] In one of my earliest posts on the Daily Telegraph, I wrote about it a bit more, some people may find my priest's own experience with the Latin Mass interesting.

2. If you attend the TLM, how far do you drive to get there?

I don't. But if I wanted to, about 15 minutes, with traffic lights, assuming someone also didn't put his head up his backside while driving on interstate 8.

3. If you had to apply a Catholic label to yourself, what would it be?

Catholic. Period. Any person "not in the know" regards Catholics being the patent holders of the term "Christian" gets a quick lesson.

4. Are you a comment junkie?

Sometimes - especially to encourage.

5. Do you go back to read the comments on the blogs you’ve commented on?

Yes, in case I'm asked a question, or if the topic is a hot one and interesting discussion ensues.

6. Have you ever left an anonymous comment on another blog?

Never any negative anon. comments. I figure if you're going to throw down a gauntlet, it's CS to try and do it from behind a tree. I can see an anon. comment in certain rare instances. For instance, sometimes one of the priests is expounding on a moral point, and for clarification someone may want to post as "Jill of the Amazing Wolverine Tribe" that would be understood. I'm with Fr. Blake though. If you decide to be "anon" for heaven's sakes don't just be "anon" because you and 20 other people may decide to be "anon" and you'd need a scorecard to keep the players straight. Give the poor blogger and readers a break and give yourself a moniker.

7. Which blogroll would you most like to be on?

Oh, I have a wish list, but I don't want to jinx it. There is one person, in particular, that I did wish blogged. And that would be Dr. Peter Wright. I always find his comments interesting, I have a feeling I'd find his blog interesting, should he choose to do one.

8. Which blog is the first one you check?

Mine! Then depending how the mood strikes I either go top to bottom on my blog roll or bottom to top. SOMETIMES when I don't have a lot of time, I go to Mac's blog, to use her blog roll, so I can position my cursor over the names of the blogs we have in common, and I can quickly see who's posted something new. For a while there I wanted to throw Fr. Blake into Fr. Owl and Fr. Owl into Fr. Boyle and Fr. Boyle into Fr. Stephanos and Fr. Stephanos into Fr. Nova and then Fr. Nova into Fr. Blake and Fr. Blake into Tiscali, on general principle, because none of the 5 of them had posted much if anything for a while in September and Fr. Hermaneutic and Fr. Mildew were having to carry most of the "priest blogs" that I regularly follow. I enjoy OTSOTA blog a lot too, but his takes forever and a day to load. And I love Philip's blog. I'd put Mac's feature on my blog re: the "quick check" thing, but then I don't want my blog to take forever to load - it's bad enough when I put a youtube vid up.

If someone had/has a hot issue going, I usually check that one first.

9. Have you met any other bloggers in person?

Fr. Stephanos a long, long time ago but only in passim and if he remembers it I'd be stunned. [Back in the early 90s I had time to attend evening vespers a lot - work in the early evenings has conspired against me lo these many years since then.] I *almost* introduced myself to him after Abbot Claude's funeral, but he came out to the burial plot to retrieve the holy water and take it back to the church, and I couldn't easily break off then from my friend Michele to hail Fr. S. 20 yards away - I figured I might run in to him at the reception which followed, but didn't.

10. What are you reading?

Bill Bryson's "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid"
Steven Suskind's "Second Act Trouble" (Behind the Scenes at Broadway's Big Musical Bombs) -- nothing fascinates like a train wreck.

I could lie and say I'm reading something really profound, like I finally have almost made it through City of God, but I'm not in the mood for a lightening strike or to fib and pick up a copy of some oeuvre by John Chrysostom. That's "winter reading" and I'm not there yet.

Bonus Question! Has your site been banned by Spirit of Vatican II?

They're not on my radar screen. I get the feeling though that if someone yelled "incoming" I wouldn't bother to duck. [In the same way as it's uncool to dive under a table and become unglued if an earthquake hits. The best thing to do to maintain a SoCal sang froid is to turn to one's dining partner and say: "I think that was about a 5.1, what do you think?"]

And now, like faccio - the greatest challenge; to find five people who haven't yet done the meme!

1. Fr. Stephanos

2. Fr. Mildew

3. Loved Sinner

4. Shoved to Them

5. Swiss Miss

If I missed any of you getting tagged on this one before, "oops" in advance. And if you want to do this meme and haven't done so yet, consider yourself tagged.
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October Gave A Party

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the leaves by hundreds came

Philip over at Carpe Canem notes that as a child he used to be more attuned to the seasons changing and his grandmother's custom of decorating the house with seasonal flowers. I expect he's right in that children can often look with wonderment at natural phenomenon in a more intense way than adults do. Adults are "use" to the changes, so often times we "forget" to really LOOK.

I took this picture in Northampton, Pa in late October a number of years back. I expect I can find better examples elsewhere - but this is a picture I like because you can see scarlet, red, orange, yellow and green all on the same tree.

I can't say I enjoy it getting darker now that fall is here, but I do miss gathering the fall leaves and putting them in a bowl of water to enjoy as I did when I was young. We don't have much of a fall here in southern California - the changes of season being much more subtle - i.e. drought, fire, monsoon, mudslide, earthquake, then drought again. When I was about 8, we were given a small book of poems to memorize. I do not know if children today learn this poem, but outside of Mother Goose Rhymes, this is the first poem I remember learning:

October’s Party
by George Cooper

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came.
The Chestnuts, Oaks and Maples,
And leaves of every name.

The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.

The Chestnuts came in yellow,
The Oaks in crimson dressed;
The lovely Misses maple
In scarlet looked their best.

All balanced to their partners,
And gaily fluttered by;
The sight was like a rainbow
New fallen from the sky.

Then in the rustic hollow
At hide-and-seek they played;
The party closed at sundown
And everybody stayed.

Professor Wind played louder;
They flew along the ground;
And then the party ended
In jolly "hands around."

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St. Jerome - Patron St. of Librarians

and grumpy people

I didn't want to let the day pass without acknowledging St. Jerome. St. Jerome gave us what was to become the Latin Vulgate. I've often been partial to him, because unlike a lot of saints, Jerome wasn't known for suffering fools gladly. He was a great scholar, and wasn't afraid of women with brains, as evidenced by his friendship with St. Paula. I think I'd have liked St. Jerome in real life, and I hope he'd have liked me too. I'm partial to the doctors of the church. I love St. Therese of Lisieux, but I don't think I could have bitched up a storm with her, like I could have with St. Jerome.

The picture's by Colantonio. St. Jerome is pulling a thorn from the lion's paw. They look like they understand each other.

Happy Birthday to my friend Christine, whose birthday falls on St. Jerome's feast day. She's a librarian too.