I wasted my 500th post for this?

From our local mentirologo:

Rockdale County

Heat Advisory:

Issued at: 3:04 AM EDT 8/8/07, expires at: 11:15 AM EDT 8/8/07

"Heat advisory remains in effect from 1 pm this afternoon to 8 pm edt this evening, heat advisory in effect from 1 pm to 8 pm edt Thursday. A heat advisory remains in effect from 1 pm this afternoon to 8 pm edt this evening for much of central georgia, generally west and south of a line from chatsworth to marietta to athens. A heat advisory has also been issued from 1 pm to 8 pm edt on Thursday as these dangerously hot conditions are expected to persist. High temperatures this afternoon will be in the upper 90s to near 102. Combining these temperatures with relative humidities of 35 to 45 percent will produce heat index values in the 105 to 110 degree range.

These conditions will likely persist through the late afternoon and early evening hours. A heat advisory means that a period of dangerous heat is expected. The combination of hot temperatures and high humidity will create heat index readings of at least 105 degrees and very warm overnight temperatures."

Who put the ME in media?

David Kemper of The DIGITAL Archive gave a fantastic interpretation of what he calls the new ME-dia at his blog, and I encourage those of you interested in this phenomena to check it out.

I've had numerous conversations with Greg where I pose the same question: who are these people and why are they watching you on ustream?

I have to admit, I'm usually the first one there. That I have a vested interested in the project is obvious, but beyond that, I think I have a real fascination with the whole ustream thing. I mean, I watch this live broadcast, and at the same time, am participating in a running commentary with people who sometimes only have an anonymous number identifying them, generally have a nickname, and in a few cases, reveal their real names. It's crazy!

And engaging.

It's true that a virtual community has arisen from this, and the people are as real as me. And you.

Check it out. Once you get past asking the question, like me, it becomes really fascinating and fun.

I could work for Discovery Channel!

OK, maybe not, but tonight we had a really cool experience. We were sitting around after dinner and Jonathan went outside for a moment to check on the pool. He came back excited and told us that there were some deer outside snacking on the grass (or whatever). We all got up and ran for the big window in the living room, and sure enough, two young deer were just hanging around.

I tried to take pictures on the ancient Kodak, but my hand wasn't steady enough with the exteme zoom, and then, the picture wasn't very clear because of distortion, but this gives you an idea. We walked outside very slowly and stood at the top of the pool deck for the picture and I was able to get some video, which is a little better.

What's the name of this blog?

Check out this incredible article that says coffee is actually good for women. I am in heaven. Here's an excerpt:

They found that women who drank more than three cups of coffee per day,
orits caffeine equivalent in tea, retained more of their verbal and -- to a
lesserextent -- visual memories over four years.

These women had a 33 percent lowerodds of having verbal memory declines and
18 percent lower odds of having visualand spatial memory declines, compared to
women who drank one cup or fewer perday.

My Book Arrived! ! !

Witness the enormously cheesy look on my face. You can check it out here.

Woo-hoo, another episode

You guys enjoy the show--I'm gonna go get a glass of water.

I'm exhausted just thinking about it

The Duggars had their 17th child. I can't even wrap my mind around that. Michelle Duggar has been pregnant for 126 months out of her life. That's 10 years.

Vaya.

get your fix on Monday

A little blogger goodness

Rob, the Tupelo Catholic, found me! I am so relieved to know I have a place in this great little mosaic. See below.

Go read his blog and listen to his show! He has skillz.

Twitter Mosaic is Awesome

I've been featured in this awesome mosaic. Can you find me? I can't

find me, so if you do, I'll...I'll...I'll do something really cool for you. Maybe. If I can. And it's not weird or anything.

Who is the cutest birthday girl today?

Have a great day Anna!

Web 2.0 and burgeoning communities

A couple of things happened today that really had me thinking about community, and they are connected with a pretty unusual tie-in--namely Catholicity and a coffee shop. Weird? Let me explain.

First of all, I got the news that a blogger and Rosary Army forum member passed away last night. I never met this woman, yet she has been a fixture in my life in one way or another, either by posting in a forum that I frequent, or through my occasional commentary on her blog. She had a lot of interesting things to say, and shared a bit of her life, too. It broke my heart to hear the bad news, but then again, she's really in a better place--sounds trite, but it's what we believe as Christians, no? God rest her soul.

Then there's the Kaiteur Coffee House, my most favoritest place around town. Check them out, they have a blog. If you have a keen eye and know who you're looking for, you'll catch me in a couple of the pictures posted in the Espresso Shots feature in the blog. How funny is that? I've even posted some comments over there.

So why are these two things together making me think of community? Well, the obvious one is the coffee house, because it's about real people interacting with each other in a comfortable setting. It's really about being civil and talking to human beings, instead of being a drone at a drive-thru window. Sadly, those drones really are human beings, we just tend to forget it. Sad.

The other thing is the sense of community in the various internet media--things such as blogs, facebook, myspace, forums--and other stuff like podcasts and videocasts. There's so much going on I can't wrap my mind around it. This isn't yesterday's stereotype of a creepy pervert in a chatroom [although I'm sure that still exists] but rather a fascinating way that communication is being exercised.

I am intrigued by it because it seems so fluid. It is at once anonymous and transparent.

So that's it. I probably haven't offered you anything new to think about. After all, if you're reading this you are either my mother, or somebody with a decent enough understanding of the internet to get what I'm saying. Still, I feel like there needs to be at least one moment every once in a while where we become aware of this discourse, if only to contemplate how far we've come since that first communication so many years ago, reputedly stated by Alexander Graham Bell, "Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you."

Blog Cross-Pollination Post

Check out the exciting news about the new Walmart line of specialty wines. I'd love to hear which one is your favorite in the comments.

First day of school

*Can you see what Christy is holding in her hands? Yep, the car keys....

humiliation is fun!

Check out the fire extinguisher in Jonathan's hands.

adding indignity to injury

After a trying week that included, how does one put this delicately, unemployment, a three-vehicle pile-up (no injuriues, thank God), a failed emissions test, and culminated with the dog dying, I awoke this Monday morning feeling confident that things would turn around this week.

One could say that I am channeling positive thoughts. Then I found out that the cannibalistic cyclids attacked the angel fish over night, and he was dead this morning, half-eaten.

Not to be deterred, I proceeded with my day, fearful that I would fail the emissions test this afternoon. I have a mechanic par excellence, and he came through for me. The Loser Cruiser passed the test. The State of Georgia was once again able to stick it to me with the tag renewal fees.

And then, while leaving the tag agency, perhaps too cocky after winning this particular round against the fates, a bird shit on my head.

"Oh, the pain, the pain."

Dr. Zachary Smith, Lost in Space

Look who turned five-oh

oh, oh.

Play time: I look hot as a super hero

Your Superpower Should Be Mind Reading

You are brilliant, insightful, and intuitive. You understand people better than they would like to be understood. Highly sensitive, you are good at putting together seemingly irrelevant details. You figure out what's going on before anyone knows that anything is going on! Why you would be a good superhero: You don't care what people think, and you'd do whatever needed to be done Your biggest problem as a superhero: Feeling even more isolated than you do now

What Should Your Superpower Be?

---

Unfortunately, this is more like it:

Human Rights violation?

Or just a violation of good taste? Is this catechesis or calisthenics? Check out these prisoners who exercise with dance. Maybe not a bad idea after all, only you gotta wonder where they got the scapular for Whoopi's character.

If you're bold, they do Michael Jackson's "Thriller." I have nothing more to say.

The experiment is over!

I am happy to say that after two years, I finally got around to finishing the Ink 'n Doodles challenge--I don't even remember what it was, teehee. Anyway, if you like it, thanks, if you don't, blame Rob.

It'll be available for a limited time while I decide what to do with it, so pop in and check out the free preview at the link. Just click on the cover.

Is it stealing if I give the dead guy credit?

The World Is Too Much With Us

William Wordsworth (I don't even like the Romantics)

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon,
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers,
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not.--Great God! I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.

Penance Post

I am emerging from my self-imposed information superhighway diet to post this birthday greeting for She-Who-Is-Bitter-I-Did-Not-Post-A-Timely-Felicitation yesterday.

Evidently, a midnight call was insufficient, and to be fair, this oversight was a slight, well...slighting. Nevertheless, I did spend all day, from said midnight hour to 6:20 pm yesterday, recalling every pang, every insecurity, every indignity of 23 hours of labor that brought forth my beloved first born.

If she complains that she suffers the indignities of all my anxieties with a first born, i.e., a reluctance to let her do things on her own, the fearful cutting of the umbilical cord (it's still attached, although she comes at it with a chainsaw), and my own misgivings about watching her grow up and become the lovely young adult that she inevitably has become, she should be somewhat consoled by the fact that I loved her first.

Happy Birthday, Vic!

here she is, the center of attention, as it should be (no doubt she thinks it)

Pop Culture is Tomorrow's Classics

I'm betting that Harry Potter's saga will be become required reading in some curriculum hundreds of years from now--it already is the stuff of college courses and Ph.D. dissertations, so why not?

This little piece that I have here for your listening pleasure comes from Nintendo--some guy has arranged a classical interpetation of the theme from Legend of Zelda. I played the game when I was younger, but always preferred Super Mario Brothers. Nevertheless, I recognize what to me, was often hypnotic pieces of the game, but here, produced so beautifully.

Even if you are clueless about Zelda, I think you'll really enjoy this.



Of course, I had to include the beat-boxing flute:

I love Snape

Alas, 11:30 pm, and no chance I'll have the book until John and Jonathan have read it first.

I'm going on the record that Snape is not a complete shit, and will have some redeeming quality. Too bad an essay I wrote on the topic has now become obsolete.

As for Harry's fate--good prevails, although I suspect that following the literary mythological canon that Rowling has written leads me to believe that Harry dies in order to save the world from Voldemort.

But who is the second character?

Perhaps it is Voldemort---does he count? They go down together. Anyone else will be nonsensical, unless Snape ponies up. That would be classic, and classy.

good stuff

Reading a variety of blogs ultimately leads you to finding the occasional gem, which is what I'm gonna share with you today--the gem that is. The blogs I read regularly are already gem-like, but since I read them regularly, it's not like I could point you in their direction all the time if you don't choose them of your own volition because I listed them here to the right. It's that whole horse and water problem...

But you're here already, and evidently still reading [a fact that continues to amaze me, btw] so I'm hijacking you today to check out Nickerblog's post of "30 random ways to a happier life." I've always felt that happiness comes with simple things, and I'm a sucker for random things, so here's a sampling:

1. Learn early on to enjoy warm soda. Trust me, it comes in handy. While you're at it, learn to drink black coffee. [emphasis mine--sage advice, indeed]

***

11. Cut out people that bum you out.

***

17. Get rid of the stuff you're hoarding. It's an emotional drain.

***

25. Treat yourself to nice underwear. Life is too short.

It ends rather cleverly, and some dumb poster didn't get it because he was looking for item #30, ha! He saves the best for last.

what I did instead of laundry

Too cute.

Oh-Oh, Look Who Got Older

It's Christy! My Friday the 13th good luck charm. I love you!

12 of 12 (sort of)

Unfortunately, I left my camera locked in my filing cabinet, so, in the spirit of insanity, I used PAINT to draw my stick-figure day. Evidently I didn't have enough coffee today....

That Catholic Show! Again!

I love this show. Check out Jaime Father Jaime during his ordination. And this go round, definitely hang around for the out takes.

Nerdada

What happens when three grown people in the same house log into a chat room to, well, chat.

Menopause: The Blog Post

Warning: The title should have already put off the weak, the scared, and the male. Anyone else that sticks around is definitely a glutton for punishment, or engaging in that nasty little brand of schadenfreude that revels in other people's misery.

Which one are you?

There was a time when I would have laughed at older women in my life, had they been as open about this fascinating phase of their lives as I'm about to be. There's still time to go read about Paris, instead.

Inexplicably, you are still here, reading, no less. Well, welcome to my nightmare. And a nightmare it is. I haven't slept through the night in a couple of years. It has resulted in some really weird dreams, let me tell you. Not as weird as Vicky's recent dream involving a moose, my van, and a dead pedestrian, but pretty darn close.

The dreams, however, are not as bad as the night sweats. Sounds disgusting, huh? You have no idea. Waking up in a pool of sweat is no fun. I confuse the husband by sleeping at the foot of the bed, like a puppy, because it's cooler there. Go figure. If anyone ever catches me panting with my tongue out, walk me, or slap me back into my senses.

There are other indignities that I will spare you here, but I assure you, I already went through puberty once, this second go round, blessedly without the acne, is no less emotionally challenging. Teenage angst and middle age angst are kissing cousins. Instead of yelling at my parents, I yell at my teenagers.

There's actually a certain amount of satisfaction in that, although I've lately noticed the conspiratorial glances exchanged when I go over the top and ground a kid until 2037 for not folding the socks properly, but hey, I figure I have to give them something to tell their therapists one day.

The consolation that this, too, shall pass is no consolation at all. Maybe it has something to do with the misnomer--I mean, meno-pause? I'm not liking these "pauses." I need it to end. Definitely. Permanently. And now.

I'm thinking, everybody who lives with me is thinking the same thing, times 10.

coffee obsession? um, what's the name of the blog?

So, in an admittedly weird move, I am posting a link to MY MOST FAVORITEST COFFEE SHOP ever, the Kaiteur Coffee House, just around the corner from where we live. Yes, a real frou-frou coffee place, that get this, actually has human beings that work there and engage you in live conversation of the congenial kind. They even get your name right.

Yummy.

So here's an invitation to join me for coffee there. Unfortunately, most of you who read this are, like, 700 miles away, but I know of one very local coffee drinking friend of the bestest kind who will let me buy her a cup.

Achito? Mace?

Mace Windu, bad-ass with a purple light saber.

Achito, dumb-ass silly-goose with a Treo.

I LOVE YOU ACHI! ! !

---

looks sexy--don't forget the sunscreen!

Another post?

Told ya it was a lazy Saturday, and if you read my previous post on editing my novel, you'll recognize this as some more avoidance.

Anyway, read this brief article about J.K. Rowling, who reveals she changed the last word of the series. For years it's been reported that the last word was going to be "scar." She says she changed it.

I'm declaring here, publicly, that I bet it's gonna be LOVE.

Betcha. It's what I'd do, only what do I know...she's the gazillionaire, and I won't edit my damn novel.

A Neil Sedaka morning

I'm listening to Neil Sedaka's Laughter in the Rain from Rhapsody, which is no big secret, but some of you may want to check it out, so here's the link. It's The Definitive Collection, so go figure that it's another name for Greatest Hits. It's perfect for my current mood.

It's kind of rainy this morning, enough to keep us indoors and avoiding yardwork (aw, gee, see the disappointment?), so instead, He-Man went to get bagels, and after loading up on the tasty treats, we've settled into a lazy Saturday. That means nobody is doing anything signficant.

Except me. I still have to cook tonight. Oh, and Chrsity is baby-sitting. That kid is racking up the bucks. I should start moonlighting.

And then, there's the ubiquitous laundry. Gah!

But first, let me point you guys in a diiferent direction today. A couple of months ago, it seems, I got this random twitter invitation from someone I didn't know, and checked him out. He goes by JazzyChad, and he's got an absolutely BRILLIANT project going on at http://www.twittermosaic.com/. It is awesome. He has taken all his friends and followers and made all kinds of really cool mosaics from the pictures people use for their accounts. There's even a link to the mosaic software, so I might give it a try this weekend. In the small world of six degrees of separation, it turns out that Vicky knows the guy from the band. How weird/funny is that? Small world. Which, by the way, is the latest mosaic.

Click on the mosaic and it will take you to his awesome site.

Avoidance post # 247

I'm supposed to be editing Darknet. Please, don't anybody hold your breath. Instead, I first looked up "avoidance" on-line, and now I am going to share with you what I have found:

In avoidance, we simply find ways of avoiding having to face uncomfortable
situations, things or activities. ... Avoidance may include removing oneself
physically from a situation. It may also involve finding ways not to discuss or
even think about the topic in question.

Well, I suppose I'm doing that quite well.

Then, it says:

Avoidance is a simple way of coping by not having to cope. ... According to
the dynamic theory, avoidance is a major defense mechanism in phobias. Procrastination is another form of avoidance where we put off to tomorrow those things that we can avoid today.

Oh. So I'm afraid of finishing. That must be it. You might like it. Hmmm. You might hate it. You might think it is stupid, and poorly researched, and boring, and an awful story. You might think I'm stupid. Or a hack!

OMG! ! ! I'm having a panic attack. Must. Breathe. Deeply.

Yeah, thanks for stepping inside my head today.

We'll resume regular programming tomorrow.

note: you may check out the link to today's neurosis information here.

Here are Frick and Frack

I have to ask, why is it that the male of the species is always prettier? Unfortunately, it has resulted in some extreme make-overs, notably, what some crazy Southern women do to achieve big hair and colorful coloring.
Well, does anybody think Disney modeled Ursula after Divine? I'm just sayin'.

OK, that's it. Clearly, this blog wins the random tangent award. Maybe you'll have clarity tomorrow.

The Break-up is Final

Splish will have nothing more to do with Splaish. In fact, she won't return his phone calls, answer his mail, or even whisper his name. It's over.

She has now bonded with the little blue shark that leans against the No Fishing sign in her tank. Frankly, the shark is not her type, but he treats her well.

Meanwhile, He-who-shall-no-longer-be-named seems to be withering away in all that room. We think that he's been running through the garish plastic plants and scratching his fins. What a goober. Serves him right, I say.

I think he's just a confirmed bachelor. Isn't that code for something else?

---

Stay tuned for the continuing Chronicles of Splaish and Splish.

Crazy Monday

Registration today--who knows when I'll get out of here, hopefully, alive.

As you know, Jaime was ordained this weekemd. Check out my Monday Musings over at Rosary Army for some of my thoughts.

The Chronicles of Splaish and Splish

In this chapter, an intervention, isolation, and adoption:

Splaish has adapted to his new environs swimmingly well. In fact, that's what he does, a lot of swimming. Up and down and around and around. He seems to favor a little coral cave, but is also fascinated by the garishly green plastic kelp. Did I say garish? There's nothing natural about those colors, especially the gravel. Somehow, though, the total effect is quite colorful and inviting to the eyes.

The instructions for this new tank stipulate that one is to turn on the light only when "enjoying the fish." As this one has no enjoyment in pets, it became a curiosity to discover what this means. After spending 15 minutes watching the fish swim up and down the tank, I was beginning to think he was also watching me. It was a very weird moment, but there you have it. Evidently I was enjoying the fish, and he, me, because I turned off the light and went back to the interminable laundry.

Eventually Princess Neptune arrived with her little fish net, a striking number in the same blue as Splaish, and introduced the girlfriend, Splish, into the tank.

It was a very chilly reception.

The rest of the day I didn't so much enjoy the fish as watch in mortification as they play a game of chase around the tank. Since I have a life, I didn't enjoy them very much, and definitely without the lights. Eventually, however, their owner arrived and proceeded to enjoy the fish.

There was no real enjoyment going on. You see, Splaish seems to have some anger management problems. Apparently, we failed to see the "doesn't play well with others" designation. Let's just say he's not on anyone's favorite's list today.

He attacked Splish. The bastard.

The handy dandy net was immediately commissioned to rescue Splish from that dastardly domestic violence perpetrator, and she was removed to the safe environs of the smaller tank. I adopted her on the spot. That Splaish is a bully, and I shall have nothing more to do with him.

---

Stay tuned for the continuing serialization of the The Chronicles of Splaish and Splish.

I don't like pets

And while Splaish has grown on me in the same way the algae tends to grow on his tank, it was I that had to ascertain which little shrivelled piece of matter in the sink, alongside bacon, onions, and noodles, was the unfortunate little fellow that had leaped out of his little bag in the transfer to his new condominium.

Yeah, add Coast Guard to the long list of hats I have to wear as a mother. Where was his mother? Oh, she was the one squealing and giving her father a heart attack.

May I suggest the pretty little net that most civilized people use when transferring fish? I'm sure it won't break the bank.

The excitement over, and the fish doing whatever it is that fish do, we settled back to admire his new digs.

---

Stay tuned for the serialized adventures of Splaish, and his new girlfriend, Splish, who is currently a little undone by the whole experience. They are living in separate homes until the courting period is over and she is introduced into the condo....

tomorrow is Jaime's big day!

That countdown to the right of this blog has been counting down to his ordination in the morning. I'm sure it's been an incredible journey for him. It's a pretty irreversible commitment that he's making, and so, the lengthy process of discernment comes to an end, and in less than 24 hours he'll be starting a whole new one.

LOL, isn't that life? We get out of one pickle in time to jump into a whole new pickle.

I am confident that he will do his best. Best wishes and always, always, prayers.

Check out these Men in Black.

it's all about me!

Not one for gratuitous self-promotion...ok, now that the laughter has died down...check out Wency's blog "Let's Go...Slaho." It's funny and entertaining, and best of all, dedicated to me today.

Yeah, give the guy some traffic, post a comment or 10, give him some love. Anybody with a name long enough to get two nicknames deserves the attention.

After all, his name is Wenceslao.

Don't ever make a snide comment about my name.

today's crass moment brought to you by...

The Missing One, who is technically not quite missing, i.e., she's living at home. She's still The Missing One, because between working late, and living the Late Night Vida Loca (public admission from me: not as late as she'd like as she is trying to be considerate of the whole family dynamic thingie) but still late for me.

Well, hell, anything past 7:30 pm is late for me....

I digress--we were discussing crass comments. Those of you easily offended, or too curious to back away, here's the story, unedited: we tend to call breasts around here, well, breasts. Not boobies, not ya-yas, and certainly not that other word that interestingly enough offends the eldest to the point of anger. Strange issues, but I'm digressing again.

Anyway, vocabulary now being established, we can move to the scenario this evening. Those of you who know the three women in this household may have delicately, if discretely noticed that we are not wanting in the breast area. Oh sure, delightful when the ladies are young, but I...sorry...I do seem to go off on tangents today....

Anyway, back to the story at hand. Being an affectionate family, we do tend to hug an awful lot. The physics of the situation require a bit of forethought in order to execute a hug that actually resembles a hug, instead of one of those awkward "kindof" hugs, and as a result the middle one and I have taken to calling a position, top or bottom, for the placement of ...well, I think you get the picture. What can I say? It entertains us, and serves a practical purpose after all.

Today, as the tallest went to hug the shortest, I heard from afar that there was no need to call it.

"I have the Alpha-breasts. I'm always on top."

You can't say I didn't warn you.

Another episode of That Catholic Show!

Can't begin to tell you how much fun this is...check out today's episode. Ever wonder why Catholics have statues and icons? For the same reason you carry around a picture of your sweetheart or kids.

Oh, and pay close attention to the Holy Land Paparazzi. Ha!

reason #1,742 for why I love my kids

They make me laugh, especially when I need it most.

I got nuttin

But it gives me a great deal of pleasure to connect with you guys, reading this goofy post.

Hi!

Meanwhile, I'm not up to anything at all. Ate a filling, if totally forgettable dinner, and I think I'm going to go to bed early. Maybe I'll pop in a movie and watch a director's commentary. I know, it's a weird thing to like, but believe it or not, I really enjoy listening to the creative process as explained by these people--I especially like the writers. The one thing they all have in common is their discussion of the number of rewrites.

In a small way it gives me a big validation. Phew--I'm not a loser, everybody does it.

So that's all that's happening. I am totally going to enjoy the fact that I have no looming deadlines (excluding anything that slave-driver Greg comes up with...)

PSA's and other writing

So, after a rather low key weekend spent in gastronomic Father's Day pursuits, I'm ready to get back to the business of slacking off during the week. I've got a few things to finish off before new projects can be started, and most of it is merely the inconvenience of decluttering. Oh, well, we did paint the deck some more, and it looks a lot better. Unfortunately, the unpainted portions are really glaring at me now, though. John got one of those neat little compression air brushes--we'll see how that works between the wood slats. Alas, the work is never finished.

There was a lovely article on Greg and Jennifer (from Rosary Army) in the Rockdale Citizen this weekend, and I even got a little mention in there--it's pretty amazing to see the attention we're getting for That Catholic Show, and it's especially fun to be so behind the scenes that I retain anonymity--I don't think I could hide my disappointment if somebody trashed the show, but that anonymity has gotten me some very nice comments! Awesome!

And so, I posted a Monday Musings over at the HQ page of Rosary Army, and wonder at the internet's role in evangelization, plus give a plug to SQPN. Here's a blurb from today's post:

Those diligent monks who copied and illustrated Bibles and other tomes were the
first Xerox machines. The epistles, especially from St. Paul, were the first mass mailings, intended for a large group as he reached out to newly-formed Christian communities. Can you imagine what Paul would do today with an email address book? Bishop Fulton Sheen, too, used the communications medium of his day to reach millions of people, first with a weekly radio broadcast in the 1930’s, and later with two long-running television shows, in the 1950’s and then again in the 1960’s. He even won an Emmy!

It’s no surprise that our beloved Pope John Paul II should declare that we “enter into this modern and ever more replete communications network with realism and confidence … convinced that, if it is used with competence and conscientious responsibility, it can offer useful opportunities for spreading the Gospel message.”

Anyway, that's part of what I'm doing lately that has occupied what's left of my free time. Maybe I'll be adding some new stuff here in the next few weeks.

Happy Father's Day

Here are random shots of the men in my life--I love you all.

Lest some of you question the pecking order, it's random. I did it that way on purpose. You know who my favorite is [wink wink].

The term is over and while I can't exactly say I have a bunch of free time on my hands, it does release me from the teaching and grading duties, so I hope to be able to pursue some writing over the course of the next couple of weeks. I've really neglected any significant posts here even though there were more than a few bloggable moments (such a cheesy thing to say, sorry).

Anyway, let's look at some really cool stuff that is happening around here. First, take a look at the countdown on the right side of this entry. Jaime will be ordained in 16 days. Sixteen days! How great is that? Yay, Jaime!

Next, of course, is the exciting release of Season One of That Catholic Show. It's available on YouTube, so you definitely should check it out. I'm working on a couple of scripts now, and it's the most writing fun I've had in a while. We'll be filming a scene this afternoon, so if you want to be in an episode, we sure could use the "extras."

Check out the links:
Episode One: Sit, Stand, and Kneel
Episode Two: Candles and Light
Episode Three: Night of the Living Catechism
Episode Four: Charity and Mercy

We've started painting the deck in the back yard, and that has turned into a mission. It's finally raining around here--not enough, but things are wet. Can't paint a wet deck. Sheesh. Yet another unfinished home project. I'm going to give it another try this evening, since it won't get dark for a while (unless of course, we get another thunder storm).

This weather reminds me of the way things were in Miami--a brief and violent thunder shower in the middle of the afternoon that soaked everything, and then--voila, out comes the sun and everything is back to the oppresive searing heat and sun of summer. Sometimes I get nostalgic about that, so I take a stroll down the produce aisle at Publix. There's no lightening, and the thunder is always the same, but I appreciate the light misting.

Well, that's all for the moment. I gotta go to a faculty meeting. I'm sure there's nothing significant to be said there; I suspect it's a headcount to make us come to work. Tee-hee.