All Retreated Out

I got back from retreat about an hour ago and after a restorative nap I feel compelled to tell you some of the highlights of a wonderful spirit filled time.

We began last evening with a Reconciliation Service which was built around the Parable of the Forgiving Father (or Prodigal Son, depending on your age) . We had a copy of the Rembrandt picture up on the prayer table to remind everyone of the point (conversion being the point, DUH). Then there was a chance for Reconciliation. While the candidates and sponsors went to the sacrament we had a prayer service with the Elect in which they experienced God's forgiveness and conversion in their lives through a sin burning. (cool if you have never seen one done and very powerful as an image of an oblation to the Lord)

This morning I gave a talk on Discipleship in Transition using Mary Magdalene as my example, and talked about my ministry with my mother. It was a very difficult talk for me to give but lots of people came up and thanked me afterwords for sharing, and felt that it was very powerful.

To be honest, the rest of the day is a blur for me of activity. One of the later highlights was the Candidates and Elect were presented cards made for them by the Families Growing in Faith group at the parish and one girl got a beautiful card that told her to be filled with a Happy Spit!!!!! We all laughed so hard we could hardly stand it. She absolutely loves the card and thinks she is going to frame it.

So, my elect, Emily is all ready for her Baptism on Easter Vigil. In fact she can hardly contain her joy at the thought of what is about to happen. She was practically floating as she left the retreat today. Keep her in your prayers this week, her last week before she enters the waters of Baptism and joins us at the Table of the Lord for the very first time.

Pax

Isn't Ironic at all

I noticed something very interesting today when I was doing my weekly prayer vigil outside our local abortion mill. The wonderfully "helpful" escorts that are stationed there to "protect" the women who come to avail themselves of the services at the clinic are very solicitous when the women arrive at the clinic. They walk directly up to the car and escort the women all the way from their cars to the door of the clinic, holding the door open for them.



When these same women have completed their business at the clinic, presumably having just ended the life of their unborn baby one would think that these "escorts" would be just as helpful and meet them at the door of the clinic and walk them back to their car, making sure that they arrive safely. This however is not the case. Once the abortionist has the woman's money and has completed the business transaction the poor woman is on her own. As far as the escort is concerned she may as well not even exist. The escorts barely even speak to the women who are leaving the clinic.


How sad is that?

At least our prayers go with these women the entire journey.

Pax

SPAAAAAAAAAH!

So mrangelmeg got me a gift certificate for a day at a local spa for Valentines Day. I saved it up until I could take advantage of open toed shoes after the pedicure since it was snowing on valentines day. Today was the day I selected to be pampered beyond my wildest dreams.

I went to Carmen Delgado Oasis Spa and Salon where I was treated to a half hour Swedish relaxation massage. Then I had a deep pore cleansing facial, and to complete my day of pampering I had a manicure/pedicure.

I am in heaven, and I look pretty darn good too.

I probably got so relaxed that I fell asleep at least four times while I was being worked on. It was just so nice. Especially the massage, which was the thing I was dreading the most because my back hurts so much.

My massage therapist gave me some great tips, and encouraged me to take better care of myself where my back is concerned and not live with pain. Duh, you would think I wouldn't have to be reminded that little piece of advice.

So, sitting up straighter, walking with better posture, throwing out shoes that don't give good support, and doing exercises to strengthen my core and back are all things I am going to add to my daily routine. And I think I may have to make a few return trips for future massages, but lets not tell mrangelmeg that just yet.

Pax

Spend Time With Kids . . .

Peyton's Monologue, check out the respect he gives to his mom, It brought tears to my eyes:




This was the United Way spoof, definitely rated PG, but worth it I promise.





Pax

Fun With Podcasts

Have you ever wanted to . . .

Learn a new Language in quick 15 minutes lessons?

or

Discover exactly what a Papal Document was all about by listening to a very knowledgeable Cardinal discuss his views on the subject.

or

Get the latest Hollywood News in a quick Headline Rap

or

Keep up-to-date with your favorite sports stories.

or

Get tips on how to get rich quick on the Internet?

or

Hear the latest Bands or Books before they are even released to the public?

All of this and more is available to you totally free of charge via the wonderful world of Podcasting. All you have to do to enjoy it is to download ITunes onto your computer, and look on the Podcast page of the Istore. From there you can register for any podcast you like; most of them are free.

Above are some of the ones I currently subscribe to, (and some I don't, you can try to decide which ones are which). Then ITunes will download them onto your computer and you can listen to them whenever you like.

If you happen to have an MP3 player (like the one mrangelmeg got me for my birthday, lucky girl that I am) you can take them with you. It is really cool to be able to listen to Cardinal Arinze's analysis of Deus Caritas Est as I am waiting at my daughter's school for her to get out. It actually makes the waiting much less of an imposition.

My favorite find has to be Coffee Break Spanish, which I listen to while I fold laundry. This one is really cool. It is taught by a man from Scotland. I am being taught to speak Spanish with the pronunciations that are used by people who live in mainland Spain by a man with a decidedly Scottish Burr. Only in cyberspace would this be possible. But hey, the next time someone comes up to me and asks me my name in Spanish, I will know exactly how to answer.

There are tons of podcasts out there for you to try and you can unsubscribe just as easily as you subscribed if you find them not to your liking. What do you have to lose?

Pax

See Me . . .

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

h/t to Ironic Catholic for the link

I Know Where I Will Be . . .

at 11:30 p.m. tonight,

in front of my television.

I have yet to even see a promo, because we have our ballroom class on Friday nights. So I am really excited about getting to see this week's skits. I think if they write to his strengths, and he is self deprecating enough to be able laugh at himself (have you seen his commercials?) this could be about the funniest of any of the other sports hero SNL weeks.

Pax

Proud to Call this Man "My Coach"

This Speach may get Colts Coach, Tony Dungy in hot water with a large portion of the free press, but it is one of the reasons that I am proud to call him the coach of my favorite team.

He isn't afraid to stand up for exactly what he believes no matter who might be offended, because he knows the truth will set him free.

Pax

Just Wondering . . .

Why would anyone want to eat Natural Foods?


People are dying of Natural Causes all the time!!!!!




h/t to my big sis who sent that to me in an email.

Pax

Happy Birthday To Me!

+As is the Tradition on my birthday. I am giving gifts.

This one is thanks to Loyola Productions (and Mark Mossa who showed me the way to the awesome link).

Click on the picture below for a QuickTime movie of Saint Patrick's Breastplate.

Enjoy my Birthday.

Pax

Angelmeg Raises her Voice!!!

Okay I have decided it is time for me to speak up against the "Drink-Green-Beer-Until-You-Puke-Fest" that the celebration of my birthday has become. Or "Amateur Night" as a dear Irish friend once called it with derision.

I really don't mind sharing my birthday (St. Paddy's Day, don'tcha know) with a country full of revelers, my only wish is that a little more restraint were visible. I don't even mind if you all wish to be considered Irish for an evening. We can't all be blessed with perfect genetic patronage. I do mind having to step over your besotted bodies and worrying about the condition of my shoes as I make my way back to my car after I attempt to enjoy my celebration.

I have given up any chance of spending my birthday in or near a bar for the evening, but it might be nice to, you know, be able to walk down the street without taking a chance on stepping in something disgusting, or worse yet being the target of a torrent of projectile fluids.

So, in case you ever wondered exactly what it is that you are celebrating (at least in the US) This is a pretty good article about the New York celebration's history and present state. It also gives some wonderful tips on how to do my birthday up with class.

I just ask that you use some restraint. Drink good spirits, in moderation. Raise a glass to your favorite blogging Irish Lass Angelmeg on her birthday. And go home only slightly tipsy for a change.

h/t to Mark Shea for the link.

If I see you out and about and you aren't puking-green-beer, I will wish you well. If you are I will cross the street to save my shoes and say a prayer that you get safely home.

Pax

New Dryers and Old Tunes

So I have good news and more good news today!

The good news is that the new dryer is installed and happily drying clothes as I type. It will be drying many loads of clothes to get caught up after not having a dryer for two weeks, and my only getting to the Laundromat twice to dry 10 loads. That is nothing in this family.

I couldn't convince mrangelmeg that the matching washer was a good idea, so I am still washing smaller loads than I might have been had I gotten the pair, but this will do nicely. I am so very happy to have it installed and working again that I can want what I have and not dream about what I don't.

The more good news is that I am getting an IPod for my birthday. I ordered it yesterday and it should arrive by Monday. In preparation for that happy event I have been loading all of our Cd's into ITunes so that I will be ready to download all of my music (and some of mrangelmeg's) just as soon as it gets out of the box and I can get it up and running.

I am so excited about this. especially because the weather is getting nicer and I plan to start walking outside and maybe even getting my old bike serviced and taking it out on a few of the bike trails (we have some wonderful bike trails that are nicely paved and very safe for the novice biker here in town.)

So, my day has just been packed, to say the least.

Pax

Psalm 139

(NAB translation)


LORD, you have probed me, you know me:
you know when I sit and stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.

My travels and my rest you mark;
with all my ways you are familiar.

Even before a word is on my tongue,
LORD, you know it all.

Behind and before you encircle me
and rest your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is beyond me,
far too lofty for me to reach.

Where can I hide from your spirit?
From your presence, where can I flee?

If I ascend to the heavens, you are there;
if I lie down in Sheol, you are there too.

If I fly with the wings of dawn
and alight beyond the sea,

Even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand hold me fast.

If I say, "Surely darkness shall hide me,
and night shall be my light" --

Darkness is not dark for you,
and night shines as the day.
Darkness and light are but one.


You formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother's womb.

I praise you, so wonderfully you made me;
wonderful are your works!
My very self you knew;

my bones were not hidden from you,
When I was being made in secret,
fashioned as in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes foresaw my actions;
in your book all are written down;
my days were shaped, before one came to be.


How precious to me are your designs, O God;
how vast the sum of them!

Were I to count, they would outnumber the sands;
to finish, I would need eternity.

If only you would destroy the wicked, O God,
and the bloodthirsty would depart from me!

Deceitfully they invoke your name;
your foes swear faithless oaths.

Do I not hate, LORD, those who hate you?
Those who rise against you, do I not loathe?

With fierce hatred I hate them,
enemies I count as my own.


Probe me, God, know my heart;
try me, know my concerns.

See if my way is crooked,
then lead me in the ancient paths.

Pax

Wish I had Taken a Picture

So the family went to a neighboring town in our Deanery for the reconciliation service at the parish there because neither mrangelmeg or I were available when we had our parish penance service.

I always wonder if my kids take the whole thing seriously or just "go through the motions" twice a year because I make them.

Well, tonight after our son who is 22 came out of his private confession he met our angelbaby who is 10 and they hugged each other and were talking quietly and smiling at each other. When I came up to them I could hear what they were saying and they were actually talking about how nice it is to be free from sin, and discussing how long they thought this state of grace might last.

Wow, do you suppose I actually raised them right?

Will wonders never cease?

Praise God!

Pax

Wedding Meme

Suzanne at Sincerely my Thoughts left out a Tag

(you know me I can't resist a tag for a meme when there is anything remotely more boring I might otherwise be doing) Actually mrangelmeg is away on a business trip and I miss him terribly, so perhaps a bit of nostalgia will make me miss him less.

1) Where and how did you meet?

The version we tell everyone is that we met at a Fraternity (his) party. Neither of us being big for mingling we had both migrated to the safety of the kitchen and began a conversation about the merits (or unmerits) of the local Catholic Church that was supposed to be doing Campus Ministry. This was the parish I liked to call Our Lady of the Nuclear Winter because the priest had a penchant for twisting every gospel message into one that decried nuclear disarmament and the joys of liberation theology. I had left there about a year before for a wonderful parish not far away and was telling him that he should come to my church for Mass.

We actually met about a year earlier because my sister was dating his best friend's room mate. I stopped by their apartment one night to retrieve something from my sister. While I was there he happened to be working on a school project with said best friend. Before I left I stopped at the door of the friend's room and told the most foul off color joke I had recently heard and then left. Who on earth was that, he asked his friend. I don't know his friend replied, the psycho sister of Bill's girlfriend I think. That was our first meeting.

We figured out that we had met that time much later. In comparison you can imagine why we tell the first story.

2) How long have you known each other?

In the fall it will be 25 years. from the second story. I suppose it must be close to 25 years since the first chance meeting.

3). How long after meeting did you first date?

He came to Mass with me that next Sunday, October 11, and we ended up spending most of the day together on and off, but our first official date to a restaurant was October 16. BTW: Maximilian Kolbe was canonized October ll, 1982 so we have always counted him as the patron saint of our relationship. St Max has been a dear friend to both of us over the years.

4) How long was your engagement?

We got engaged in November, a month after we started dating. He asked me to marry him sitting at a stop light in his old red truck. Those quiet engineer types work fast. I got my engagement ring on St Nicholas Day December 6, in my shoe. We were engaged for the required 6 months that the church stipulates.

5)How long have you been married?

23 years. Our stock answer is some of them happy. Lately I would change that to most of them happy. We knew nothing when we got married about how to be married but I think we have done a great job of finding our way.

6) What is your anniversary?

We were Married on May 21, 1983. The day after my mom's birthday. Interestingly we were originally going to be married in August, and my sister and her fiance were going to be married in May and somehow we all agreed to switch dates. I'm really glad I don't think I would have wanted to wait till August. (Oh sorry that probably constitutes TMI from a good Catholic girl)

7) How many people came to your wedding?

Honestly I don't have a clue. I think we invited somewhere around 75 or so. I know that one of my sisters and none of my three brothers were there. All of mrangelmeg's family was there. It was small but fun.

8) What kind of cake?

White cake with rose and ivory frosting and flowers (or cream and crimson if you ask mrangelmeg who is a HUGE IU Fan and bleed cream and crimson)

9) Where was your wedding?

St Benedict Catholic Church in Terre Haute IN

10) What did you serve?

My mom and sisters did the entire reception meal of sandwiches and salads. My two oldest sisters served the food and did a wonderful job and made everything very special.

11) How many were in the bridal party?

Six a groomsman, a bridesmaid, a best man and maid of honor and then male and female Cathlolic witnesses for our marriage license, because our best man and maid of honor weren't Catholic. I don't know why but at the time it was a big deal for us to have Catholic witnesses.

12) Are you still friends with them?

We are related by marriage to some of them. some we haven't seen in years. I would like to think that even though we haven't seen them in a while we are still friends with them.

13) Did your spouse cry during the ceremony?

No, I cried before, but that will be explained in later question.

14) Most special moment of the wedding day?

When the rear door of the church opened up and I looked into the Knave of the Church and saw mrangelmeg's smiling face waiting patiently for me halfway down the aisle. Nothing could ever take that image away from me.

15/16) Any Funny Moments/big disasters?

surreal might be more appropriate: Five minutes before the wedding was supposed to start I was in the brides dressing room and still hadn't put my dress on yet. We were trying to get a crease out of my veil and had plugged in an iron into a wall socket when all the lights (all the electricity) in the entire church went out. The fuse box was in the Bride's room, so the maintenance guy had to come in there and I had to stand in the bathroom stall in my slip while they rummaged around with the fuses to figure out how to get the electricity back on so that the organ could play and the lights and sound system could come back on.

While I was standing there in my slip peaking over the top of the stall door, my sister came over from the church hall to tell me that the woman who was delivering the cake had accidentally tripped going up the steps and had crushed an entire layer of the cake, she couldn't use it to set up the cake to display, but it was still edible. Why my sister thought I needed to have that information under the present circumstances I will never understand, but that was when I broke down in tears and decided that maybe we should just take a pass and try again some other day.

UNTIL

the fuse got fixed, my veil got ironed, my dress got put on and they opened the back door and I saw mrangelmeg waiting for me in the church.

It was then I realized what was most important that day had nothing at all to do with all the external trappings. The church could fall down around us, so long as he was there and I was there and we said I DO in front of God and the Priest who was witness for the Church it was the most beautiful day of my life.

BTW: The cake looked one tier short but just as beautiful, and the woman who baked it tore up our check so it was free. To this day I have always said that my dad (he died when I was 13) tripped her on her way up the stairs so that he could pay for the cake.

17) Where did you go on your honeymoon?

It was a well guarded secret from his fraternity brothers, exactly which hotel we were staying in that night. I suppose all these years later I can safely tell you all that we were in the Sheraton. We were told later that one particular very drunk brother tried every trick in the book to find out where we were staying but to no avail thank heavens.

Our actual honeymoon was in 1993, mrangelmeg and I went to Gatlinburgh for the weekend without the kids. It was the very first time we had gone anywhere just for pleasure (the other times I had gone with him on a business trip.)

18) If you were to do your wedding over again what would you change?

Two things,:

We had a "Friend of my sister's do the pictures and I would hire a professional photographer. Every time I look at our wedding album I regret that we don't have professional pictures, we just have snapshots from an amateur and some of them are out of focus and some are just missing because they were so bad we couldn't use them.

I am not a cake person. I think I would have gone with my gut instinct and had a cheesecake instead of traditional wedding cake. You see that all the time now, but back then everyone had traditional wedding cake. I would have been much happier with a rich chocolate cheesecake or ganache than I was with a white sheet cake (although our cake top for our anniversary was chocolate, only we knew that)

19) What side of the bed do you sleep on?

Lying in bed mrangelmeg sleeps on the left and I sleep on the right. We even do this in hotel rooms. I think after this long it would be very hard to change to the other way around. I can't speak for him but when I am alone I sleep on the right side of any double bed.

20) What size bed?

Queen

21) Greatest strength as a couple?

Always remembering what makes the other person happy. Also I think knowing without a doubt that we are stronger together.

22) Greatest challenge as a couple?

I would have said making time to be together, but this year with out weekly dancing date on Fridays we are doing a good job of that.

23) Who pays the bills?

mrangelmeg does all the financial stuff because I am dyslexic and get numbers and dates confused which isn't great for checkbooks or deadlines. Ever since he took over our finances we are in really great financial shape and he doesn't mind doing it. He just tells me when to stop spending money and most of the time I listen.

24) What is your song?

We were just joking the other night thatJohn Anderson's "Just a Swingin'" was our song. I like to think it is something a little more romantic than that though.

I nominate I Found Somebody by Glenn Frey besides great lyrics we can dance the nightclub two step we just learned last Saturday to it.

25) Describe your wedding dress

As you can see in the picture (that is a rare picture of me by the way) my wedding dress was a very simple Gunne Sack off white old fashioned Prom Dress actually. It was extremely inexpensive and I still have it in the back of my closet.

26) What kind of flowers did you have?

Going along with the rose and ivory (cream and crimson) theme of the wedding I carried a bouquet of silk roses and babies breathe that I also still have in a box in my closet. I threw a smaller "tossing bouquet" that I made so that I could keep my carrying bouquet. If that isn't the way things are done it should be. The girl who caught my bouquet wasn't upset at all that the one she caught was slightly smaller and I got to keep mine forever.

As to passing this along, if Ashley is reading this and wants something to keep her mind occupied as she stays supine and "resting" I would like to tag her.

Pax

Someone Needs a Remedial Math Lesson

According to an Associated Press Article in this morning's paper Hillary Clinton says that the "vast Right Wing Conspiracy" is still around. On Tuesday she cited a New Hampshire case against three Republican elections workers who were b tried for phone jamming durring the 2000 election (two pleaded guilty and one was convicted).

I don't know where she is looking, but I can't remember ever seeing a Math book where three of anything was considered a vast amount.

But then I live in the real world.

Pax

Now I Can Dance All Night

I went looking for dance shoes today. Specifically I was going to get open toed shoes because when I dance for a few hours (or till the end of dance class actually) my toes get really soar in the shoes I have been dancing in. But I tell you what, when I tried on the pair of shoes that look like the ones in the picture they felt like buttah.

The very knowledgeable lady at the store said that it is because of the construction. The arch and the instep and the leather upper all work together to baby your foot as you move so that your tendons and ligaments and bones are all moving exactly the way they are supposed to move. I agree with her 100% and can't wait till my next class so I can try them out.

She also gave me a hint about the proper leg wear. I have a tendency to dance bare legged because I don't like hose. She said that there is a reason to wear stockings, and the more support the better. She said that the support of dance stockings (or support hose) work to continually invigorate your legs as you dance. It is as if the movement of the dance is continually giving your legs a massage because of the support of the tights. Makes sense don't you think?

While I didn't buy a pair of dance tights, I may go in for a pair of sheer support stockings. Now all we need are a few more moves and we will be all ready for the next dance.

Pax

Working Together to Work Things Out

My Three sisters and I who together are taking care of my mom are here at my mom's house (well two live here full time and one sister and I come in when we are needed) this week to make changes in her daily routine and care.

Mom is moving into a new level of confusion in her disease, and it is very wearing on all of us. It is especially hard on my sister Tina who does most of the full time care. Right now mom keeps insisting that she has to go home every few minutes. I even took her out for a walk and "walked her back to her house" this afternoon. When we got back here she thanked me for going out of my way to take her home.

Tomorrow is a big day, we are getting a hospital bed delivered for her to sleep in because she has been falling out of bed a lot lately. This will be very difficult for her because it will be a change from what she is used to and any change is hard for her. I think it will take all four of us to get her through this.

I know that each day with mom is a blessing, but some blessings are mixed. We love mom, and we want to keep her safe here in this house because we know that this is a better place than any nursing home will be. We are willing to do everything that we have to do to keep her safe. The problem is that in doing so we may have to suffer a lot of abuse in order to get through this.

I trust that God will be with us as we go through the refiner's fire.

Pax

Turn Turn Turn

I guess my "retirement" may soon be coming to an end. The Newman Center at Indiana University is looking for a Campus Minister and I really feel that this is a job that is perfectly suited for my skill set. Besides that, I have been volunteering there in the RCIA program all this year, so I know the priests, and some of the students, and I really love the program.

So, I have been working for the last week to write a resume and get my references in line so that I can submit everything next week. I don't know if I will be hired, but I have as much chance as anyone else that will be applying. I have everything they are asking for in their job description (or will have as soon as I complete my Masters work).

Please say a prayer for me. I know that I will be disappointed if I don't get this job. I want to feel as though I am doing God's will be applying for the position, and be able to leave the decision as to whether I actually get it as God saying that perhaps it isn't quite time yet for me to return to work. Please pray that I have that type of detachment from what happens.

Pax

It Could be Worse . . .

So a week ago the dryer stopped putting out any heat and we called a local mechanic to come and fix it. He charged us almost 70 dollars to tell us that we have a burned out heating element and he would have to order a new one, which would take a day or two .

Fast forward a week and we still haven't heard from him so I call him back and he says, "Oh yeah that part must be in I will check when I get back to the office this afternoon." When he never called back yesterday I got out the big guns and had mrangelmeg call him. He promised that he would be out this afternoon to put in the new heating element and get us back up and drying.

So, we waited almost all afternoon. It was after five before he finally showed up. He pulled out the dryer to install the new heater motor and found that the vent on the back of the dryer is totally corroded all the way back into the dryer. He says that he has never seen this kind of thing in 30 years of appliance repair work and this is not something that can be repaired, the dryer is not worth fixing it is a lost cause. So I have to go out and get a new one.

I wish he had found that out last week when he was here, it would have saved us 70 bucks.

I guess I know what I am getting for my birthday next week.

Swing Swing Swing

Last night was the first night of our new Ballroom class. There are only three couples in the class and about as many instructors, so we are really stoked. The emphasis this class is on Swing, which we really liked from last session, so we got right to work last night dancing.

We practiced what we had learned last session, and then we learned a few cool new moves.

If you follow this link and click on the video you can see most of the steps we worked on last night. (Of course mrangelmeg and I do them that smoothly too).

We had so much fun but I was totally exhausted by 7:45, and the class usually runs till nearly 8:30. I am going to have to get in much better shape if I am going to keep up with mrangelmeg, he was dancing my legs off.

I would totally encourage every couple out there to go out and take a dance class together. There is absolutely nothing better for your marriage than to dance together. You have to communicate, and work together and spend time in very close proximity, and to top it off you are having a really good time.

On the way home we stopped of to buy some swing Cd's so that we could practice during the week so that we will be ready for next week's class. Wow is that only a week away, I had better start getting ready.

Pax

Hey Peyton Manning, You've just had the best season of your career!

What are you going to do now?

I can't wait. I am sure it will be as funny as his commercials are.

Pax

Shameless Self Promotion

So part of my Lenten promise to myself was to become more intentional about writing. In an effort to do that I joined a website for writers where I can write short articles and post them for other people to read and in a way critique them by ranking them against other articles on the same subject.

So far I have written three articles on Religious or Spirituality topics. I find it quite challenging, and a good exercise. It is just what I need to keep me writing and is just non threatening enough (no real rejection because I don't ever get an article turned down for publication, though I might get one that comes in last in a category).

I am pleased to say that of the three articles I have posted, two are number one in their respective - but small categories, while the one I posted this morning is solidly in the middle of a rather much larger pack.

I am going to post a link to one of them

Here

NOTE: On this site I am writing under my real name, so if you have never seen it before it is Maggie Geene, if the article that comes up isn't by Maggie Geene, then someone else has displaced me as number 1, and you will have to click on my article.

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

In case any of you are writers, this is a very fun site, and it actually purports to pay you for your work (as of right now I have made a whopping .01 for all of my hard work. )

Anyway, I just wanted to share with you, because one of my favorite Gradual School Professors said I should be writing for publication more often. I am not sure that this is quite what he had in mind, but for the time being will do quite nicely.

Pax