Revenge for Friday Fish Frys

Kermit's Big Brother

Details here. I wonder how the French feel about this bruiser!

Middle Name Meme

Karen at Драгоценные об океане tagged me!
Here are "da rules":

1. You have to post the rules before you give your answers.
2. You must list one fact about yourself beginning with each letter of your middle name. (If you don't have a middle name, use your maiden name or your mother's maiden name).
3. At the end of your blog post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged.)

For better or for worse, here's de middl name:

Even: I have an even number of digits (10)
Drunk: I've never been drunk; buzzed-yes, drunk-no
White: My apartment walls are painted white
Airport: I live within 1 mile of LAX airport.
R: my last name begins and ends with the letter 'R'
Do: Do I need to come up with another 'D'?

I tag Angela , Kit , Martha , Kasia , Steph , Puff & Bear

An Ash Wednesday Reflection

This is a reflection I did for an Ash Wednesday service in 2004. Recycling is good for the soul....

When I was in grade school, my Catholic classmates and I would joke that one could round up all the Catholics on Ash Wednesday due to the black spot on their foreheads. Over the years this mark on my brow has been mistaken for a bruise, a birthmark, and in a bow to the computer age, as residue from a toner cartridge from a laser printer. But it begs the question, is there a better way to identify a Christian?
This reminds me of a statement that was popular a few years ago: If it were illegal to be a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Today’s Gospel reading might suggest that there should NOT be any direct evidence! Rather, one should take great care in not drawing attention to oneself when practicing acts of piety. The lines "When you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing" and "When you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that no one will know you are fasting" are but two examples given by Christ which implore us not to draw attention to our acts of piety and thereby deflate their value. I like to call this attitude acting as a secret agent for God.
But does this type of behavior really go unnoticed? I would say "No" for two significant reasons. First, as the Gospel states, God sees all we do and "your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you." This might seem to be advocating an attitude of "buying God’s favor". I would suggest, as a contrasting point of view, that it is rather an act of faith in God’s Providence. For example, the Christian act is not the placing of ashes on one’s head, which we share with other cultures and religions, but when we remove those same ashes remembering God’s mercy as already being realized.
The second reason I do not believe our "hidden" acts go unnoticed is that all our actions ripple throughout Creation. This ripple effect is the basis of the popularity of the Practice Random Acts of Kindness bumper sticker a few years back. My maternal grandfather practiced his Catholicism diligently, but was more popular for his generosity with his time. He was the Pied Piper of his neighborhood, and was known to be attentive to the needs of those around him. But he never tooted his own horn. His clarinet, yes, but never his own horn. When it came time for him to meet his Maker, his funeral Mass was one of the best attended I have ever seen. There was not a seat to be had in the Church. And the effects of his life are still felt in the lives of his friends, children, grand-children and great grand-children to this day. This ripple effect was cited by the Early Church Father Tertullian as the reason for his conversion when he said "see how these Christians love one another".
Is this hidden life of the Christian at odds with the wearing of the ashes then? I will answer "no" for two reasons. First, we experience life through things we sense, especially through the senses of touch and sight. We need a tangible thing to mark the beginning of Lent, a season in which we are called and re-called to a fundamental actualization of what God has done for us in Christ. Second, it is a communal sharing of the realization of where we would be without Christ, and that we are not alone in this Lenten journey of ours. We must not see the ashes as an end in themselves or as a magic talisman. Rather we allow the entire practice of Lent shape us in the light of Easter.
Finally, let us not forget our brothers and sister this Lent. After all, St. Paul in the second reading calls us to be "ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were appealing through us, and the appeal that we make in Christ's name is "be reconciled to God." The ashes remind us where we would be without Christ, and we should remember those who are without the hope Christ brings. Also, pray for those in the RCIA program as they prepare for their joining our Catholic family. Lent was originally celebrated for those converting to Christianity, and sometimes I think we forget the freshness brought into the Church by these newly reborn souls.
May God bless us in this Lent, and may we be together to celebrate a Joyous Easter!

Prayer Desperately Requested

Adrienne at Adrienne's Catholic Corner has continued a prayer tree for
Melissa who needs a bone marrow transplant. Please pass this prayer request along....

I've Been Visited by Bill & Ted

as nominated by SwissMiss. I'm supposed to nominate 10 so concider yourself nominated!

I got tagged by a book meme

Puff & Bear of The Spirit's Sword tagged me with a meme. Here are the rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book ( of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

Here's my quote:
Still there was no answer.
"Just like a girl," said Edmund to himself, "sulking somewhere, and won't accept an apology." He looked round him again and decided he did not much like this place, and had alnost made up his mind to go home when he heard, very far off in the wood, the sound of bells.

The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
(My other books are in storage)

As for the tags I choose the 1st 5 people who can tell me what Aslan means (yes His Name has a meaning) and what language it is from.

Hymn for Mass on Super Bowl Sunday

For All You Father Types...

responsible for young ladies approaching dating age...

Why Taking Your Child to Work ...

is a BAD IDEA
Click on the link and view the ad "Bank Brat". I busted a gut when I saw this on TV! I tried downloading it to this blog but for some reason it wouldn't save

I guess only Jesus Saves BTW Did anyone else notice the kid sends $50.00 worth of quarters thru the tube?

WARNING! Hazardous Waste

Forwarded to me by my ever observant niece Jen!

The 1st Dance...

I got tired of waiting for the invite to Karen of Gemma del Oceano's wedding, so I built a time machine and went forward in time to the Reception. The moose has been served (the BBQ sauce was a nice touch!) and the cake was cut, and here's the newlywed's 1st dance. (It gets interesting at about 1:25 into the video). It's a long video (6+ minutes) so you might want to download it & keep it in your wedding album!

Weding Party - video powered by Metacafe

Spread the Luuuuuuv Award (I now have 3!)

I've been awarded this by Karen over at Gema del Océano. Now I'm supposed to pass it on to 8 others, but I can see from the list on her site that there is a great deal of overlap in our contacts. So I'm tagging the 1st 8 bloggers who think that Love is a Great Spread with either Peanut Butter or with Baloney. ;-P

What classic sitcom character are you?

Venus Flytrap
Take this quiz!

Charles Schultz Philosophy

My niece forwarded this to me (her email had some of Mr. Shultz's images but I couldn't cut & paste them. Sorry!)

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read the e-mail straight through, and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America Contest.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do? The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. They are not second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are NOT the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones who care.

Share this with those who have made a difference in your life. I just did!

Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia. (Charles Schultz)

I've been Blessed (in More Ways Than 1!)

I was blessed by SwissMiss over at St. Monica's Kneeler, and as with any blessing its effectiveness is directly proportional to how well it is passed on. (BTW Swiss, I've been told that the Carmelite way to say Thank-you is to say God reward you with the unspoken, facetious, tongue-in cheek extension as only He can! with all the possible meanings of it intended! ;-) )

Her original posting follows:

I hope that it becomes a means of blessing that you will enjoy bestowing upon others. My hope is that this becomes like the traditional tag game we all play on our blogs from time to time, except that the recipient can only tag three people and that the purpose of this exercise is to see how far this can go and how many people we can bless in the blogsphere.In other words, rather than being a me me me meme, it’s actually all about someone else, which I suspect for most of us, will make a refreshing change.It’d be great if we could stretch it all around the world, it would be like joining hands around the earth’s circumference, only electronically!

But hey, that may be a little ambitious!It’s going to be a slow game.And that’s okay. If all it encourages us to do is to spend five minutes in prayer for someone else and to brighten their day by letting them know that they touch our hearts and minds and souls, then isn’t it worth it even if it only reaches the end of the next bus stop? I reckon so.

So how does it work? While it is my wish to bless all who read this blog, for the purposes of starting this little endeavour it is necessary that I ‘bless’ 3 blogfriends, who may in turn ‘bless’ 3 blogfriends.Let’s use a simple format, and let’s make it even simpler by suggesting that the recipient simply copies and pastes the following section when they become the recipient of a bloggin blessing themselves, as
follows…

+++

The idea… it’s a game of tag with a difference, rather than looking inwardly, we look outside ourselves and bless, praise and pray for one blog friend. By participating in this endeavour we not only make the recipient of the blessing feel valued and appreciated, but we are having some fun too. We’re going to see how far the bloggin’ blessings can travel around the world and how many people can be blessed! Recipients of a bloggin’ blessing may upload the above image to their sidebar if they choose to. If you receive a bloggin’ blessin’ please leave a comment on this thread here so that we can rejoice in just how many blessings have been sent around the world!

May God bless:

Puff the Magic Dragon, for being the 1st to put me on a blogroll (thank God she spared me the onions!)

Dawn Eden, for being a blogger who, like me, tries to prove that the pun is mightier than the sword

Stephanie, who is proof positive that God is a dog lover!

A Prayer for Puff, Dawn, & Steph:

May the Blessing of Almighty God;

the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit;

descend upon you and remain with you forever.

Amen.

+++

and that’s it, nearly…

So, all these three have have to do is to:

• 
  
  Bless 3 blog buddies each.


• 
  
  Include the ‘God Bless you’ image in their post.


• 
  
  Explain briefly why they are blessing the people they are blessing.


• 
  
  Pray/include in the post the prayer for the recipients of the blessing.


• 
  
  The recipient/sender of a blessing should type in the com box of Deb's original post that a blessing has been sent to them so we can keep track of how many blessings are being given. For easy reference a link to her post will make it into Deb's sidebar.

Sounds a bit confusing, I know. But it could be fun, we’ll soon see!Thanks for playing along!

The larger ‘God Bless you’ image can also be sent as an E-Card from Deb's Credo Christian E-Cards website.

God Bless you!

I've Been Meme'd (and It's Giving Me a Case of the Screaming Mimi's)

(For those with inquiring minds, apparently there's quite a history behind the word meme.)

I've been tapped by Puff the Magic Dragon & Bear-i-tone over at The Spirit's Sword. Now, I'm not a big theater visitor when it comes to movies, so I often don't see them until they come on cable. Here's my response to the meme:

100 Film Meme

1. Your favorite five movies that are on the list.
I. Citizen Kane
II. Raiders Of The Lost Ark
III. It’s A Wonderful Life
IV. Dr. Strangelove
V. Blade Runner

Honorable Mentions:
12 Angry Men, Casablanca, The Grapes Of Wrath, High Noon, The Maltese Falcon, Rear Window, Star Wars, To Kill A Mockingbird, Toy Story, The Wizard Of Oz, Yankee Doodle Dandy

2. Five (six) movies on the list you didn’t like at all.
2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, The Godfather, Rocky, Titanic, Tootsie

3. Five movies on the list you haven’t seen but want to.
Only 2: Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List

4. Five movies on the list you haven’t seen and have no interest in seeing.
Annie Hall, Do The Right Thing, Gone With The Wind, Midnight Cowboy, Pulp Fiction, The Silence Of The Lambs

5. Your favorite five movies that aren’t on the list. (in no particular order. This list could go on much longer than 5)
Scrooged, Harry Potter (all), Casino Royal (with David Niven), Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, A Man for All Seasons, Man of La Mancha, Fiddler on the Roof, The Road Pictures (Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamore), Going My Way & The Bells of St. Mary’s, Lilies of the Fields (the original)…

I think all the bloggers I normally visit have been meme'd with this one. If you haven't been, concider yourself meme'd.

Prayer Request

I was just contacted by an attorney claiming to represent a collection agency about a debt I can't afford to pay. I need some guidance from the Holy Spirit as to what to do next. Maybe St. Matthew (patron of bankers) can intercede too!

Is McGarrett in the house?

(Cue the music, the hula dancer, and the breaking wave...)
Yesterday was my big five-oh.
When I was diagnosed with diabetes when I was two, my mother was told I would be lucky to see my 16th birthday. However, my mother was an RN who had been trained at a nursing school associated with the Mayo Clinic, and had been there when the clinic was doing diabetes studies. In addition, her mother was Polish to the core, so you never gave Mom a challenge she didn't want to hear. So here I am having beaten that deadline 3 times over, and while my health could be better, I have not been a victim of most diabetic side effects of kidney failure, blindness, and loss of digits.
I have always have had fix feelings about the timing of my birthday. Because of its proximity to Thanksgiving, my family often moved the celebration to the holiday so I've had turkeys and pumpkin pies with candles on them. (Parents, if you have children whose birthdays are close to holidays please keep the birthday distinct from the holiday and special in its own right. In my case, the birthday was celebrated second to the holiday so the special-ness was lost).
My worst birthday was my sixth. It was the day after November 22, 1963.
But now after a half century of life, I can appreciate how blessed I have been. I've seen men on the moon, I have been involved with personal computers from the beginning, and I had one of the first money machine cards. I can also proudly say I have never owned a cell phone! (although my phone service is over the Internet. Geek 2 da core!) I have seen my nieces and nephews grow from mere gleams in their parents' eyes to fine young men and women. And I've earned every grey hair in my beard!
Will I see another 50? God alone knows, although my doctors are pestering me into lifestyle changes so I may get the chance.