Woof, woof

You are a Labrador!!! You are outgoing and always
aiming to please other people. You come in a
variety of colors and are quite athletic. You
like spending time with your friends and almost
always happy. You are very popular, not to many
people dislike you.


Which Breed Of Dog Are You?
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Soup is huge

You are vegetable soup. You have old fashioned
family values. You are robust and stand out in
a crowd.


What soup are you?
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Oh yeah, a prize to the first commenter who can give the derivation of the esoteric headline/caption. Seriously.

I’ve often mentioned my new-found appreciation for TMBG. It wasn’t until late yesterday, though, that I knew about the song “She Thinks She’s Edith Head”. Just that song would be enough to make this one of my favorite bands ever. They’re the James Lileks of contemporary music. I doubt many musicians would even know to drop that name, let alone how to do it so smartly. Besides that, it’s one snappy song!

Bill Cork has a link to an archived debate between two LCMS clergy on church polity. They mention recent cases of LCMS seminarians leaving to become Greek Orthodox. I was raised LCMS, went through LCMS schools through my BA degree and served two years as an LCMS “commissioned minister” (a teacher in a LCMS school with the tax status of a clergyman). It took a long time for the Truth to get through my thick skull, but part of it had to do with a college roommate who converted in 1983. I’m also in (indirect) contact with a college classmate who was LCMS and is now an eastern (I forget just which branch) monk. There were just over 200 students there at the time, so those numbers are significant. Most the LCMS churches in the city of Denver are looking at the possibility of going out of existence as their constituency is much more suburban. It will be interesting to see if the LCMS makes it through the 21st century.

Let fly all manner of venom

mister victor lams has a funny post about possible new songs for OCP and GIA. He had one title "Let us be links in the great chain of life". I'm a bit shocked that mister victor lams would be so insensitive to dissenters by including a divisive word in the title of a possible liturgical song. So to make up for that, here's "Let us be links in the great chain of choice"

(CHORUS) Let us be links in the great chain of choice.
If you will be a link in the great chain of choice,
Then we will have a whole circle of choice.

(V1) If the chain has a missing link,
It cannot make a whole circle.

(V2) If the chain has a broken link,
It will soon have a missing link.

(V3) If the chain has a weak link,
It will soon have a broken link.

(V4) If a link isn’t wanted,
It will soon be a weak link.

(BRIDGE) Dissent is our path.
Don’t ever stand in the way of progress.
You’re not the boss of me!
No one is the boss of me!

Nota bene: the above is meant as PARODY of those who seem more attached to being "progressive" than to anything else.

Aint it the truth . . .

You are Pope Paul VI. You don't get no respect.


Which Twentieth Century Pope Are You?
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Well, the family did live there from the reign of Catherine the Great until the 1880s

Russia -
Once a worldwide superpower, its days of power are
now gone. Barely able to sustain itself, it
was once feared, lauded and powerful.


Positives:

Powerful History.

Nuclear-Capable (Barely).

Militaristic.


Negatives:

Poor.

Alcoholic.

Stereotyped and Badly Represented.



Which Country of the World are You?
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From the department of: you've probably seen it already, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention it

T.S. O'Rama has some great observations on temptation.

Given the color combo, could there be any question?

The Riddler. You're a genius, but your latest idea
sounds a little unethical. You may be
unbalanced. In fact, you probably ARE
unbalanced. But you have a lot of fun, and
jackets with electric lights are cool.


Which Batman Movie Villain Are You?
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I’m not quite that old, but . . .

Russ Columbo


Which early-1930's crooner are you?
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Lyrics of and thoughts re: TMBG and TMBG’s John Linnell.

Woman wonders who’s your itchy friend.
Woman says, ‘I thought he was with you’.
Woman says, ‘I thought he was with you’.

They slowly back away from him.
At best, he’s very interesting.
His brushes with success were just an accident.

****

Never to part since the day we met
Out on Interstate 95.
I was bent metal,
You were a flaming wreck
When we kissed at the overpass.

***

I could never sleep my way to the top
‘Cause my alarm clock always wakes me right up.

*****

I shouted out, “Free the Expo 67!”

***

Purple toupee and gold lame’ will turn your brain around.

***



I’ve been listening to these guys a lot over the past few days. It’s unusual for me to listen to contemporary musicians.

As much as their lyrics satisfy, what really impresses me with this group is their musicality. They do more interesting things with rhythm than anyone since the late Cal Tjader. They’re actually more melodic than even Elvis Costello – my previous contender as the best pop melodist of the past thirty years. They have a great grasp of harmony. They can make any of dozens of distinct musical styles work for them. They use tubas, calliopes and other underutilized instruments. That being said, some of their vocal traits get my goat. They sit on the letter r. Didn’t anyone ever tell them that the way to sing the letter r was to think about it for about a tenth of a second at most? They also do some funky things with the long a sound.

Oh yeah, they’re also an obvious musical influence on St. Blog’s own musical genius, mister victor lams who, I have on good authority, is not particularly likely to be a giant himself.

The new champion . . .

in the contest for ugliest motor vehicle on earth is the Porsche Cayenne. I had seen a few pictures when we discussed Porsches’ entry into the SUV market in a management class. There are no pictures that can convey how spectacularly ugly this SUV is. Its proportions are so odd that it actually looks much bigger than it is. The two fellows in it looked rather embarrassed.

See, it’s really my job to be paranoid.

My job is to parse the contracts our customers propose and describe all the things that could go wrong. I have to find the dark clouds for every silver lining. Being a bit of a contrarian by nature anyway, that fits me pretty well.

The firestorm over Senator Santorum’s remarks and many other relatively recent comments about some of the differences between the contemporary West and Arab culture prompted some rather dark thoughts on my part. Here’s hoping I’m just engaging in wildly speculative pessimism, but here goes.

Just as World War I started as a clash between two blocs of mercantile empires but eventually became the war to “make the world safe for democracy”, the current war on Islamofascism could eventually be framed as the war to “make the world safe for sodomy” (er, if that word isn’t banished from the surface of the earth). When pro-homosexual activists complained about western involvement in the Arab world, even ostensibly conservative commentators would approvingly cite western lenience toward homosexuals in pointing out the inconsistency between supporting preferential treatment for homosexuals in the west while supporting the maintenance of regimes in other countries where homosexual conduct is still a capital offense. Earlier this week came reports that one of the President’s closest advisors was meeting with homosexual activists. Nothing good can come of that. If things continue down this path, it won’t be long before Christians in America are facing a major persecution.

BTW: there are loads more quizzes coming in the days ahead. Forewarned is four-armed. Or something like that.

Oddly enough, democracy was the one that was turned out to be entertaining

You are Theseus! You have been credited with
inventing democracy...and wrestling. You were
at least somewhat responsible for the deaths of
your father and son, but you've also had some
great adventures. You're very well-rounded--
smart and strong--and always have a plan to
defeat whatever monster you're up against. To
read more about yourself, check out Mary
Renault's "The King Must Die" and
"The Bull from the Sea", Plutarch's
biography, and Ovid's Metamorphoses.


Which Greek Mythological Hero Are You?
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Apropos of a previous quiz

you are 'casablanca'!


which old movie do you belong in?
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Dylan's most recent post links to one of the funniest things I've seen in a very long time.

What would Mr. Stuttaford or Mr. Dreher say?

A few days ago, as I walked Mr. Puppy to the park, we were chased for about 40 yards down the hill by a rolling Dr Pepper can. It made quite a racket too. The swirling wind blew it across the street away from us and back to our side of the street before it finally came to a stop. As we walked by on the way back, it was gone.

Generally speaking

Yesterday at work I was in a lengthy meeting with, among others, a retired general that the company’s hired as a consultant. He was an impressive fellow, which didn’t surprise me. I’ve always had a great deal of respect for the military. Some of that comes from knowing that I’d be a very bad soldier (or sailor or airman). Obedience is very difficult for me – particularly when I don’t know the reason for the direction in question. There are several of the Church’s teachings (not core dogmas of the faith, but positions on some contemporary social issues) that I’ve had a very hard time with. For example, I still really have a hard time with what the Catechism says about discrimination against homosexuals, even though that’s an issue that doesn’t have a whole lot to do with how I live my day-to-day life. So when I see someone who has the discipline to succeed in the military, I am amazed.

Yesterday right after work I attended the “Happy Hour Bridal Shower” for a sweet young girl at work who’s getting married on Saturday. ‘Twas pleasant to celebrate the upcoming happy event, to have a pause for refreshment before school and to discover a great new place to enjoy food and beverage. The latest fad food – fried olives – deserves substantially wider popularity. The kalamata olives sautéed in olive oil with rosemary were absolutely amazing. More importantly, it was nice to meet the bride’s family and get to know them a bit before seeing them at the wedding. Unsurprisingly, they’re good folks.

This will be the second time this year for a co-worker’s wedding. In January another sweet young girl from work got married in a conservative Lutheran church. Saturday’s will be in a “progressive” Episcopalian church in the mountains. It will be my first time in an Episcopalian church in about three years. I hope the next wedding I go to is Catholic! Although it isn’t so bad going to Lutheran and Episcopalian events as I’m at least in familiar territory. If this were a Pentecostal event, we could have a big problem.

You’ve probably seen these, but . . .

Two great posts in the past couple of days from Kathy the Carmelite on Hezekiah and Josiah. (Aside: impressed that spell-check knows both of these names!). One of the few bones I pick with the Church is her relative reluctance to use the Old Testament histories, at least for events other than the Exodus. OT history is rich with moral lessons for us – though not with science lessons – and we’d do well to take advantage of this treasure.

Arrrght!

First Blogger eats a picture off of Dylan's blog, now it's eaten the whole right side of my blog. I guess it's time to again look at whether MT would make sense for me.

Given my motto, how could one question this result?

You are The Mad Hatter


One thing is for sure- you're as mad as a hatter.
You have an obsession with time and if tea time
were to ever cease, you would probably be even
more confused.


What Alice in Wonderland Character Are You?
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Here's a quiz I can really jump for!

You are the Keeper of the Bridge of Death. You are
a sadistic bastard who likes to chuck people
into the gorge of eternal peril. Just be sure
that you can answer the questions equally as
well youself. Consult the National Audubon
Society for information on swallows.


Which Holy Grail character are you?
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So why so many quizzes?

A falling-out with a dear friend has sapped me of the desire to do much of anything.

Look – another quiz!

Freyr (Fro Ingwe) is Freya's twin brother. He is
the horned God of fertility, and has some
similarities to the Celtic Cernunnos or Herne,
although he is NOT the same being. He is known
as King of the Alfs (elves). Both the Swedish
and the English are said to be descendents of
his. The Boar is his sacred symbol, which is
both associated with war and with fertility.
His golden boar, "Gullenbursti", is
supposed to represent the daybreak. He is also
considered to be the God of Success, and is
wedded to Gerda, the Jotun, for whom he had to
yield up his mighty sword. At Ragnarok, he is
said to fight with the horn of an elk (much
more suited to his nature rather than a sword.)


What Norse God Are You?
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Quiz-a-palooza continues

You are Victor Laszlo. "Shall I remain here
in our hotel room hiding, or should I carry on
the best I can?"


Which Casablanca character are you?
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Well, I doubt that Old Oligarch was an option . . .

Thales of Miletus


Which Ionian Pre-Socratic Philosopher are you?
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Well, that's no surprise

Times New Roman - You can come off slightly stodgy.
You are often found in intellectual circles,
but the average person finds you boring.


What Font Are You? (Standard Fonts)
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How happy it would be . . .

if only this means what it appears to signify. May the SSPX and all the separated brethren soon be brought into full communion with the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church!

More leftovers and a new purpose

I enjoyed seeing Jonah Goldberg last week. The speech was good. The big Q&A session was better. Visiting with him afterwards was best. He’s a most pleasant fellow. He noted the appearance on the Corner, noting particularly the sartorial distinctions between his supporters and detractors. The Corner fans that asked questions were in dress shirts and slacks. Nearly all of the ladies who were applauding Jonah were dressed quite nicely. I was dressed for work (button-down shirt, tie, slacks, wingtips – no jacket as it was a warm day.) One angry questioner seemed to be wearing pajamas*. Another was in a torn t-shirt, tattered cargo pants and a dirty bandana tied over his unruly hair.

*Eureka! Just as Old Oligarch rails against Pandas, I shall henceforth rail against pajamas. I could then be the Panjandrum contra Pajamas!

Stuff from last week that I just didn't want to post during Holy Week

Being that I’m a curmudgeonly old fart, I really don’t go out of my way to listen to music produced since somewhere around my third year as an undergrad (1985). I made an exception with Victor Lams.

There’s a sweet young girl whose cubicle is adjacent to mine who went to college with Victor, so I lent her the CD. She liked it and said it reminded her of the band They Might Be Giants. I said that Victor had indeed mentioned them on several occasions, but that I’d never heard any of their stuff. So I got to listen to lots of their stuff (the CDs “Flood”, “Dial-a-song” and “State Songs” – which arguably isn’t really TMBG, but is certainly in the same spirit) over Palm Sunday weekend when my better
half was out of town visiting a sick aunt. I really like this band! My co-worker gave me a copy of "Flood", which I enjoyed so much that I went to the used record store to get the others. Oh yeah, I also got a cassette of Laura Fygi. Great voice, but someone needs to give her some lessons!

Nice to see such venerable musical artifacts as canon and march used in a contemporary setting!

A sampling of favorite lines:

“I’ll never see myself in the mirror with my eyes closed.”
“She’s actual size, but she seems much bigger to me.”
“Been a long time gone, Constantinople.”

Highlights of the Triduum

Thursday morning (not really part of the Triduum, but it sets the stage), I went to confession. It was a difficult confession as I’d repeated a grievous sin, largely because of my inordinate pride at a small measure of success in reducing the incidence of a slightly less serious sin. The good priests of Holy Ghost had set up extended hours for confession on each of the last three days of last week. I had hoped to go earlier in the week, but found the lines too long. As I mentioned in a Thursday post, my confessor gave me very wise and helpful counsel. I have a degree of hope that I had not previously experienced.

Thursday night we went to the first Mass of the Triduum. We didn’t go to Holy Ghost. In fact, the presiding priest was my confessor’s sacerdotal antithesis – a man that I don’t like for myriad reasons. I was able, though, to seize the opportunity for prayer and to see the sacrament rather than the minister who prepares the sacrament. The Mass ended with Pange Lingua.

Friday I attended Holy Ghost at noon. The church was nearly full. The veneration of the cross was particularly moving.

Saturday was busy. The day was cool, overcast, drizzly and windy. Our parish does a reception after Easter Vigil to which all are invited. My wife and I help with it a bit, but another couple does most of the work. Since one of the scheduled lectors had something prevent his participation, I was given the privilege of proclaiming the Epistle (from Romans 6). When I went to confession in March, my attention was directed to that very chapter. We spent a couple of hours Saturday afternoon getting the room ready for the celebration to come. The Vigil Mass was, as always, profound. This year the priest (who is a wonderful singer) chanted the Exsultet. We used the contemporary music that’s common for the parish, but the Becker Litany of the Saints stood out for being surprisingly good musically. I’m a bit puzzled by the inclusion of Origen and Wenceslaus, but that’s a minor matter. There were twenty-nine people received into the Church. Since I was serving as a lector, we sat in the very front pew and I was able to hear most the dialog as to what confirmation names had been selected.

Sunday stood in stark contrast to Saturday. It was sunny and calm. I took the dog for our morning walk surrounded by Alleluias of color from the sky, the grass, the flowers and the trees. The park was vacant enough that I quietly sang a Te Deum and a litany of the saints as we walked. When I finished, a convocation of birds took up their song. When we got home, I started to prepare for my privilege of proclaiming the Epistle (from I John 5) as lector on Mercy Sunday.

Alleluia!

Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him.

An excerpt from an outstanding, but obscure, hymn appropriate for today

1. O dearest Jesus, what law hast thou broken
That such sharp sentence should on Thee be spoken?
Of what great crime hast Thou to make confession, --
What dark transgression?

2. They crown Thy head with thorns, they smite, they scourge Thee;
With cruel mockings to the cross they urge Thee;
They give Thee gall to drink, they still decry Thee;
They crucify Thee.

3. Whence come these sorrows, whence this mortal anguish?
It is my sins for which Thou, Lord, must languish;
Yea, all the wrath, the woe, Thou dost inherit,
This I do merit.

4. What punishment so strange is suffered yonder!
The Shepherd dies for sheep that loved to wander;
The Master pays the debt His servants owe Him,
Who would not know Him.

5. The sinless Son of God must die in sadness;
The sinful child of man may live in gladness;
Man forfeited his life and is acquitted, --
God is committed.

6. There was no spot in me by sin untainted;
Sick with sin's poison, all my heart had fainted;
My heavy guilt to hell had well-nigh brought me,
Such woe it wrought me.

7. O wondrous love, whose depth no heart hath sounded,
That brought Thee here, by foes and thieves surrounded!
All worldly pleasures, heedless, I was trying
While Thou wert dying.

8. O mighty King, no time can dim Thy glory!
How shall I spread abroad Thy wondrous story?
How shall I find some worthy gifts to proffer?
What dare I offer?

9. For vainly doth our human wisdom ponder, --
Thy woes, Thy mercy, still transcend our wonder.
Oh, how should I do aught that could delight Thee!
Can I requite Thee?

10. Yet unrequited, Lord, I would not leave Thee;
I will renounce whate'er doth vex or grieve Thee
And quench with thoughts of Thee and prayers most lowly
All fires unholy.

11. But since my strength will nevermore suffice me
To crucify desires that still entice me,
To all good deeds, oh, let Thy Spirit win me
And reign within me!

12. I'll think upon Thy mercy without ceasing,
That earth's vain joys to me no more be pleasing;
To do Thy will shall be my sole endeavor
Henceforth forever.

“O Dearest Jesus, What Law Hast Thou Broken"
By Johann Heermann, 1585-1647
Translation From:
THE LUTHERAN HYMNAL
(St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941)

Today, in speaking with the priest who has been more helpful to me than any other, my attention was drawn to a few verses in the third chapter of the Gospel according to St. John that I hadn’t really paid heed to in the past. Now, having been raised a Protestant, I had memorized the most famous verse from that chapter in the first grade, if not before. I’ve been through the “born again” verses over and over too.

I hadn’t really looked at verses 19 – 22 before – at least not that I can remember. I reproduce them here from the Douay-Rheims: “And this is the judgment, because the light is come into the world and men loved darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light and cometh not to the light, that his works may not be reproved. But he that doth truth cometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest, because they are done in God.”

I’ve long struggled with St. John’s light and darkness passages, being acutely aware of the darkness of my own heart – hence my use of the prayer Summe Gloriose Deus. Here, though, there is a place between that light that shines in the darkness that the darkness does not comprehend and that darkness in which there is wailing and gnashing of teeth – there is he who “cometh to the light”. By implication, he isn’t there yet, but he’s on the way. There’s hope.

Like the apostles who proclaimed their love for Jesus only to deny Him in His darkest hour, and even more so, I’ve done evil. Yet I am still drawn to the light. I shudder at the thought of things I’ve done. I don’t love the darkness. I want the darkness to be dispelled. May God in His infinite mercy grant me the grace to persevere in coming to the true light!

Even though it doesn’t look like it at first, this really does pertain to Holy Week

The first family that owned our house did lots of great things with it. As a result, we have 20 trees and nearly that many shrubs. During the past few days, I’ve started inspecting how some of them have fared through the drought and the blizzard. The results are decidedly mixed.

We have two spruce trees. One looks terrific. The other looks good until about two-thirds of the way up, when it suddenly starts bowing (alarmingly enough, it bows roughly toward Mecca). We have three forsythias. One was smashed by the snow, but is overloaded with blossoms. Another is perfectly shaped, yet with only a few leaves and no blossoms. The third is a mass of unruly stalks with a few blossoms. The leaves on the maples and the linden are coming out so quickly you can nearly see them unfurling as you watch. The four walnut trees look just as dead as they did in February. Leaves and buds are festooning the lilacs while other shrubs show no outer sign of life. All four lodgepole pines have dangling shattered limbs – on a pair of them, it’s the top of the tree that’s been displaced.

So it is with my soul. In some areas, I look to be doing relatively well. In others, I am plainly broken, like a shattered tree limb. Some of my thoughts, words and actions are indistinguishable from someone who is completely dead in sin.

May God in His infinite mercy bring about new life in all of my life, especially those areas where I have clung to sin, while preserving those areas where there are flickers of life.

Corner readers:

There probably will be very few posts by Jonah Goldberg in the Corner today as he’s going to be speaking here in the dusty cowtown. I hope to go hear the talk, even if he is well to the left of me politically.

Wish the timing were different, but . . .

After Mass a family was in the vestibule selling cookies made by the Capuchin Poor Clares of Our Lady of Light Monastery. The cookies are the sole source of income for this community. I got a box. They’re exceptionally good. Of course there are no preservatives, so if you get some, you’ll have to eat them right up.

Take a Flyer

Since Mass at Holy Ghost was a Latin Mass, the nearest SSPX group (which isn’t really close by) decided to leaflet the cars in the parking lot. (An announcement was made warning us about it and about the schismatic nature of the group.) The leaflet is worth some attention – if I had handy access to a scanner, I’d give some thought to scanning and posting it. It was a letter-sized page printed in full color on both sides. It’s an attractive flyer that would certainly catch your attention.

The first side I saw was arranged in three columns.
Column 1: a vividly colorful late medieval depiction of the crucifixion under the title “Parish Mission on the Passion of Our Lord at St. Isidore the Farmer Mission”;
Column 2: a brief exhortation about the “parish mission”, a map to find the location and a dress code;
Column 3: a photo of a stained-glass depiction of the Archangel Michael, a blurb of text that requires separate attention, and a small photo of a priest in a pulpit.

The second side was also arranged in three columns.
Column 1: an artist’s rendering of the building’s exterior, a captioned illustration that deserves separate attention and a longer exhortation about attending the mission;
Column 2: the schedule of the first five days of the mission;
Column 3: the schedules for Good Friday and Holy Saturday, a dress code (again!), a peculiar little illustration and a photo of the interior of the building captioned “the Mission of St. Isidore”.

Seems to me that the things of the greatest importance to the writer would be made most prominent and perhaps even be repeated. The dress code was mentioned twice. As a former boss would say, “That makes its own quiet statement”.

The artist’s rendering of the exterior is captioned: “St. Isidore Catholic Church, Watkins, Colorado SSPX”. By the way, that’s the only place on the entire flyer that mentions SSPX – where most people would expect to see a zip code. The location’s far enough out in the country that they might even use alphabetical characters in zip codes too. Apparently they didn’t find it important to tell the recipients of the flyer that they’re in schism. Certainly that’s not as important as either version of the dress code.

The image of the interior is remarkable mainly in that the altar rail has a very high degree of contrast to its surroundings, making it unusually conspicuous in comparison with the altar rails I’ve seen in many churches. The interior is quite nicely done.

The next illustration is one I’ve seen on integrist sites, it’s an old depiction of a priest in an old-style red chausible, with an altar boy kneeling at his side, at the major elevation ad orientam presenting the Host to Jesus who appears to be hanging from an invisible cross just inches away from the priest. The caption: “The True Mass at which is found the True Cross of salvation.” No explanation is given for this caption, although I wouldn’t be surprised if such would be made during the course of the week.

The third illustration is a tiny image of St. Maximilian Kolbe. I wasn’t aware that the SSPX even recognized his canonization. Seems disingenuous to me for them to use his image. Why not an image of, say, St. Pius X?

I find it interesting that on one piece of paper there are three distinct names used for this group. Can’t they settle on one? And why call it a “parish mission”, when it isn’t really a parish at all? OK, a “mission mission” might sound funny, but I’m sure there’s an appropriate Latin phrase that could be applied.

The blurb gives a brief insight into something that would be useful for SSPXers. “Redemptorists and other great preaching orders from the past used to travel from parish to parish . . . “ Now if orders from the past could travel into the future to preach, wouldn’t it be great if SSPXers from the present could travel back in time? Perhaps that could disabuse them of their exalted opinions of the state of the Church in the past. (Then again, I would certainly like to hear a sermon by St. Anthony of Padua when he next travels into our time!)

Second Holy Week Observation

The High Mass at Holy Ghost is unusual in the quality and reverence of the music. The music selected for use is good music and the musicians take care that their contributions to worship are of high quality. That’s too rarely the case.

Yesterday we sang the great hymn of St. Theodulf. I was the conspicuous Protestant convert since I not only sang along very audibly, but I sang the bass line rather than the melody. Shouldn’t harmony be something that the Church at least encourages?

First Holy Week Observation

This past weekend my better half was out of town to visit her ailing aunt. I took the opportunity to attend the High Mass at the church downtown. Several of the principal parts are sung and some of those in Latin, but it is Novus Ordo nonetheless.

I sat off to the side, near the confessionals. There were signs on most of them saying that, due to the length of the Palm Sunday liturgy, confessions would not be available on Palm Sunday. One set of booths, though, had yellow hazard tape – like you’d see at a construction site -- tied across the doors. Of course it was the set I’ve used most recently. Got me to wondering if those confessionals may have been out of order and my last absolution was defective. That would be a more pleasant explanation for my sin, but of course as always the sins are mea maxima culpa.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the chief of sinners!

Apropos of nothing in particular

On this date 29 years ago (which was Easter Sunday that year), we had my teacher and her husband over for dinner. I broke my left arm on the trampoline. There were very few other people at the emergency room to hear me scream when the doctor set the fracture.

The Little Flower Market

I finally got to the LFM in southeast Denver on Saturday. Very highly recommended. The store is:

a. a florist’s shop that isn’t especially big;
b. a hotbed of devotion to St. Therese of Lisieux; and
c. a little oasis.

The shop is filled with reminders of the lasting things, in contrast to the plentiful but ephemeral flowers. The two things that struck me the most were the image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and, the book of prayer intentions. Oh, the flowers are probably the best I’ve found since Los Angeles. Hie thee thither!

Courtesy of Dylan, who (per his customary courtesy) gives a fuller derivation of sources

You are French-press coffee. You are full of body
and sensuality, and you love to be sipped and
savored at leisure... though you can get cold
rather quickly.


What Kind of Coffee Are You?
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Friday five

via Dylan & T. S. O’Rama

1. What was the first band you saw in concert?
Beach Boys at Mile Hi Stadium in (I think) 1977

2. Who is your favorite artist/band now?
Louis Prima (with Keely Smith)

3. What's your favorite song?
Theme from Peter Gunn

4. If you could play any instrument, what would it be?
Vibraphone

5. If you could meet any musical icon (past or present), who would it be and why?
J. S. Bach, to try to get some insight into pure genius.

So don't go looking for no consistency, eh?

We’re heading in to (officially non-partisan) municipal election season here. Term limits are going to bring about a housecleaning in the mayor’s office and to most of city council. There are seven candidates for mayor. Assuming no one gets an absolute majority, the two leading candidates will meet in a run-off.

Ari Zavaras – former chief of police. In his campaign has advocated making it easier to increase taxes. Talks a lot about his grandsons. Got lots of glowing press for an appearance at a “gay” bar with a transvestite sitting on his lap. Got bad press for apparently disingenuous answers about being kicked out of college and police “spy files”.

Don Mares – current city auditor and former state legislator. That’s the same CV our current mayor had when he was first elected. I know this candidate as I once worked for a man who had been a previous business partner of Mr. Mares. Mr. Mares proudly notes that he has served on the board of directors of Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood.

Elizabeth Schlosser – historic preservationist. Most people haven’t heard of her. That will probably still be true after the election.

John Hickenlooper – successful businessman. His name is fun to say. He raises lots of campaign money out of state. Has cute commercials, but doesn’t address substantial issues in them.

Penfield Tate – no, that’s not an accounting firm, he’s a former state legislator – actually the most left-wing of all members of that august body. Uses a merge sign as the graphic for his campaign. Doesn’t anyone else find that significantly creepy?

Phil Perrington -- former state Democratic party chairman. The media says he’s pro-life, but nothing on his website would back that up. He does seem to be very confrontational. Perhaps that’s why the media has chosen to besmirch his reputation with the Demos.

Susan Casey – former city council member. Wants to use the mayor’s office to strengthen the public schools. Given the responsibilities of the mayor, that makes about as much sense as saying she’d use the mayor’s office to strengthen the U. S. Air Force. Perhaps she should consider running for the school board.

So yesterday the Mastercard bill came. As usual, it included several ads. One was truly odd – the PajamaGram. I just can’t envision a circumstance under which I’d feel moved to send someone pajamas by mail – even if they do come in a “keepsake organza hatbox”.

What’s the message here?
- “You need to be lazier”
- “You dress too well.”
- “You need to cover up”
- All of the above.

Not really gift related sentiments, eh?

The whole thought moved me to poesy (with apologies to Mr. Eliot, but it is April after all.)

I grow old, I grow old;
Yet I’ll never make the news above-the-fold.

Shall I dye my whitening locks?
Do I dare to seem a grouch?
I shall wear my new pyjamas
And laze upon the couch.
I have heard the mermaids,
But they’ve just said “Ouch”.
I do not think that they’re aware of me.

Great new quiz!!

You are Dogbert.
You are Dilbert's dog, but he's your bitch. You
play him around like a puppy. You consider
humans to be inferior and habor plans to take
over the world and enslave them.


Which Dilbert character are you ?
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Congrats!

to this happy fellow and best wishes to his newly betrothed!

I was remiss . . .

in posting regarding a patronal day yesterday. Fr. Sibley made up for my negligence here.

were it really that simple . . .

I am 26% evil. Take the test :: koolplace.com

In reference to today’s news from Baghdad:

Te deum laudamus
Te dominum confitemur.
Te æternum Patrem
omnis terra veneratur.
Tibi omnes angeli,
tibi cæli: et universæ Potestates.
Tibi Cherubim et Seraphim
incessabili voce proclamant:
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus:
Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Pleni sunt cæli et terra
majestates gloriæ tuæ.
Te gloriosus
Apostolorum chorus.
Te Prophetarum
laudabilis numerus.
Te Martyrum candidatus laudat exercitus.
Te per orbum terrarum
sancta confitetur Ecclesia.
Patrem immensæ majestatis:
Venerandum tuum, verum,
et unicum Filium.
Sanctum quoque Paraclitum Spiritum.
Tu Rex gloriæ, Christe, tu Patris
sempiternus es Filius.
Tu ad liberandum
suscepturus hominem,
non horruisti Virginis uterum.
Tu devicto mortis aculeo,
aperuisti credentibus
regna cælorum.
Tu ad dexteram Dei sedes,
in gloria Patris.
Judex crederis, esse venturus.
Te ergo quæsumus, tuis famulis subveni,
quos pretioso
sanguine redemisti.
Aeterna fac
cum Sanctis tuis in Gloria numerari.

Salvum fac populum tuum Domine,
et benedic hereditati tuæ.
Et rege eos,
et extolle illos usque in æternum.
Per singulos dies, benedicimus te,
et laudamus nomen tuum in sæculum sæculi.
Dignare Domine
die isto sine peccato nos custo dire.
Miserere nostri Domine, miserere nostri.
Fiat misericordia tua Domine super nos,
quem admodum speravimusin te.
In te Domine speravi
non confundar in æternum.

On the horns of a dilemma

I’ve been at my current job for a very long time, and it seems longer than that. There’s not much of a challenge or of interest. It has worked out well with school for those reasons. Then again, this is my last semester of 3 classes. Just one in the summer and two in the fall and I’m done.

This weekend I learned about a different job that has some great appeal and a few major drawbacks. The biggest drawback is the geographic location: pretty darn far out in the country. The job is to be in charge of ethics and compliance for a hospital affiliated with a company that’s had its share of issues in that area. (In fact, some of the company’s former managers are still experiencing the hospitality of Club Fed.)

There’s terrific appeal in this job. It could be quite a springboard to future opportunities too. I really would prefer it, though, if it weren’t in outer rural nowhere.

As befits someone who thinks the LOTR movies focus too much on action

Thanks to Dom Bettinelli for thei link.

Elvish


To which race of Middle Earth do you belong?
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R.I.P.

Quigg Newton, one of Denver’s best mayors and most unique names.

Nice moment yesterday

On my daily commute, I pass the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center, home to the new seminaries and most archdiocesan administrative offices. I also pass a small florist’s shop called “The Little Flower Market” that is run by someone who I’ve heard has a special devotion to St. Therese. (Whenever I’ve purchasing flowers of late, I’m usually nowhere near that shop. I’m still hoping to check them out in person soon.) Yesterday I saw the Little Flower Market’s delivery van leaving the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center. Nice to think that perhaps The Little Flower herself was showering some attention on the archbishop, the priests, the seminarians and the other folks there.

Sean has a great post anticipating his imminent acceptance into the Church. Most pertinently he says: “Most of the same sins that I was wrestling with in August are still with me today (though hopefully with less frequency and more guilt). I've learned so much about how to live, yet I've utterly failed to put most of it in to practice.”

I still am generally prone to the same sins as I was before being received into the Church. By the grace of God, I don’t engage in them quite as frequently, but it’s still worse than I had hoped it would be. That fault is mine alone. It is very frustrating to keep repeating the same things at confession (although it would be better if the repetition were so frustrating as to keep me from succumbing to the recurrent temptations). I’ve noticed, though, that when I get the most discouraged about my lack of progress, I’m all the more susceptible to temptation.

Huzzah!

Mommentary is back!

Last week I sent correspondence to an abbey asking for the monks’ prayers. I hope they’ve received my request and have begun to act on it as I am sorely beset by temptation. Of course I’d also greatly appreciate any prayers you, dear reader, might offer on my behalf.

‘Tis a privilege to live in Colorado

Yesterday when I got home from work, it was so nice out that I got to wear shorts for walking the dog. This morning I wore a jacket for the walk, but regretted it as I got too warm. Perfectly lovely weather under breathtakingly blue skies. Plenty of squirrels and sparrows for the pup to chase too.