Obviously...

Compared to other ice creams, coffee ice cream has a strong flavor, and it's packed with caffeinated sweetness. You're like that, too! You're always busy, and determined to stay focused as you move from one task to the next. You get frustrated when other people slow you down or hold you back, but when you're in control, you can find ways around any obstacle.

H/T Tara @ Loved Sinner

6 Word Epitaphs

I first saw this on The Digital Hairshirt but its been floating around the blogsphere. None of mine will pass the censors (yes, there are rules what can go on your grave marker in a Catholic cemetery) but I kind of like some of them

• I was too young to die
• Who the Hades let me in
• I should have eaten more chocolate
• Do they serve cappachino around here?
• Cathy_of_Alex's in the next plot over? (snark!)

I'll add to the list as I come up with them

I'm worth more dead than alive (sigh!)

$4800.00The Cadaver Calculator - Find out how much your body is worth.

Manic Monday.

I hate Monday mornings. Here are 2 videos which celebrate that attitude:

Or:

Killing 2 Birds With...

1 Stone (14 lbs. for those on the English system, 6.350293 Kg. for those on that funny system the French made up)
Easter must be officially over as the memes have started appearing like rabbits. I've been tagged multiple times for two memes so I'm going to answer both in 1 post (instead of doing that income tax thingy)

First: 5 Critically Named Movies I Detest Meme
Tagged by KitBrookside and Gem of the Ocean

1. 2001: A Space Oddity


2. Last Tango in Paris


3. Clockwork Orange


4. Apocalypse Now


5. Moulin Rogue (Nicole Kidman version, I like the Jose Ferrer version)

Second: Seen under various names, I call it the What Business is It of Yours Meme
Tagged by: Digital Hairshirt & Swiss Miss

Rules:

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.


2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.


3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Then their head explodes.

1. What was I doing ten years ago?
   I can't remember what I was doing 10 minutes ago. 10 years ago I was starting to make programming changes for Y2K (remember that?)



2. Five Things On My To Do List
   Coffee
   Income Tax
   Coffee
   Sleep (yes I can sleep after coffee)
   Coffee (duh!)



3. Favorite Snacks
   Chocolate truffles with (say it with me) COFFEE!



4. Things I Would Do If I Were a Billionaire
   Pay off my debts then go get a Theology degree. Build myself a modest house with Lots & Lots of bookshelves & computer screens that fill a whole wall.



5. Three of My Bad Habits
   TV, TV, TV



6. Five Places I Have Lived
   Albuquerque NM
   Los Alamos, NM
   Idaho Falls, ID
   Escondido, CA
   San Francisco, CA



7. Five Jobs I Have Had
   Shoe Salesman - Kinney Shoes
   Dishwasher - Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor (1 week)
   Salesman - Radio Shack
   Store Manager - Radio Shack
   College bookstore book stacker

As for tagging those 5 additional victims, I ain't gonna as I'm a spoiled brat (& I'm doing this instead of what I'm supposed to be doing!)

A Girl After Me Own Heart....

A Girl After Me Own Heart....

My Guardian Angel Has Loaned Me This...

On a recent post the mention of “a 24 carat Gold Plated cast iron skillet 1st used on a certain apostle on his way to Damascus”, namely my guardian angel's favorite method of gaining my attention. As you can see, it has been used with some frequency. As it can only be used by angels, you may direct your guardian angel to this blog to collect it for use to your benefit

Breaking News: My angel has posted this on PhotoBucket (besides selling them on eBay) so if you want one let me know & I'll post the link!

Do U Have Any Hairy-Ticks 4 My Spider?

The Nominate Yourself Award

This seems to be the season for awards , and I'm not one to buck the trend. There are a number of deserving people out in the blogsphere, and you know who you are. I don't want any one of you to be overlooked, so I created this generic award. You nominate yourself for whatever categories you want, and when you have given yourself enough votes, award yourself this award. You now don't need a reason to get an award! Any reason is valid! Just enter your blog listing in the combo box so we can all come by and congradulate you!

Noticed at Easter Morning Brunch

From the Easter Etc. File

Happy Easter All! Some miscellaneous Easter images/thoughts:

1. Heeee's baaaack! (Think Poltergeist)
2. Why do female cantors always sing at the top of a soprano's range so no average congregant can possibly sing in key?
3. Why do organists play Alleluia hymns like funeral dirges?
4. And (for fun) what does an Internet aficionado do for exercise? He/she takes a walk around the Blog!

The "A" Word is Back!

The "A" Word?

ALLELUIA!!!
of course! Or as Mozart put it :

To All My New Brothers & Sisters in Christ

As you approach the Vigil you are probably asking yourselves, "Am I doing the right thing?" The correct answer is

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rest assured that my prayers and those of a good many saints, living and in Christ, are with you tonight. And,

Welcome to The Family!

The Sounds of Silence

Holy Saturday 2008
Silence.
The theme for Holy Saturday is silence.
There should be no Sacraments today (except in emergency) until the Vigil this evening.
Today we are running around, polishing our shoes, ironing our Sunday best, cooking our Easter dinners. Those entering our Catholic family are worrying "Am I doing the right thing?" (You are.) or "What is that second question and its answer?" (Don't worry, the rest of us don't know either. Your first lesson as a Catholic, if you don't know, act as if you do.)
But consider that first Holy Saturday. Jesus's disciples were Jews. It was the Sabbath, and a particularly solemn one during Passover, so unless they went to the Temple or a synagogue they didn't go anywhere and they didn't do anything. And their Leader was gone.
Our Lady wasn't sure what was going to happen next. She knew Something was coming, and coming soon. The Indwelling Spirit within her was telling her so. So she went around encouraging the others.
Mary Magdalene was sorrowing. She was making lists in her head so that she would be ready to anoint His Body, and she was steeling herself to see her Beloved's body one last time.
Peter was in grief as well. The One who made Peter something was gone, and Peter had betrayed Him. News of Judas's end had come to them, and Peter was wondering whether if Judas had been the braver one for incurring damnation rather than living with the interior shame of betrayal. Would Peter follow Judas's act the next day? Or could the dead Jesus yet forgive him from beyond the grave?
And what of the others? What were they thinking? What was Pilate thinking? And Caiaphas? Were they planning on sending soldiers to arrest the rest of Jesus's band?
And the disciples, were they waiting for arrest the next day? (The soldiers wouldn't come today, would they? After all, it was the Sabbath). Two were planning to leave for Emmaus as soon as they could leave.
What would you be doing? How would you reflect in the long Silence. You know now the Next Scene. But pretend you don't, and ask yourself the question "What would I be thinking?" Take some time today and experience the Silence. Feel the World leaning forward in its seat, like at an Indiana Jones movie, waiting with held breath for the climax approaching. And when the Easter fire is lit tonight....

Images of the Crucifixion

Last week, when we were praying for Tara of Loved Sinner & her daughter Cheryl, a comment by Angela M mentioned a scene from The Passion of the Christ where the Crucifixion is viewed from the Father's perspective. It reminded me of a painting by Salvador Dali I thought was called The Father's View:

The title is actually Christ of St. John of the Cross. It is my favorite Crucifixion painting, and the lesser surrealistic of Dal's two Crucifixion paintings (of which I am aware). I learned it was based upon a sketch made by St. John of the Cross of a vision he had, and I was able to find this picture of the sketch:

I Beg Your Pardon, God Didn't Promise You a Rose Garden

For those of you who don't get the reference:

This time of of the Catholic Calendar, this song comes to mind, especially the week before Holy Week, although I would mention that He did promise a Garden of Gethsemane. I've seen it happen year after year, and judging from the blogs I frequent its happening this year too, that for those who are at least attempting to follow a Christian way of life, the s**t is hitting the fan. I don't know if its God allowing us to participate in His Sufferings to make us become more like Him, or if its that muckraker from the nether regions of existence. I know cow manure does make good fertilizer, but does anyone know if this s**t is good for rose gardens? This inquiring mind wants to know... LOL

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!