Have You Ever Wondered?

Almost everyone has word verification programs in their comment boxes to keep them free from spam. They usually contain a radom string of letters that one must type correctly in order for ones comment to post.

At times I have felt heavy drops of sweat bead up on my forehead as I type the long list of letters necessary to allow my witty and salient comments to be added to someone's blog post, because it brings flashbacks of high school typing class. Often in my head I can even hear the wonderful southern drawl of my Typing teacher shouting out each letter as I try to type it. There are times when I have to make two and even three attempts at a string before I can get my dyslexic brain to get the letters into the correct configuration for my comment to successfully post. It can be maddening.

Ironic Catholic has found an even more sinister basis for these strings of letters though. Whew, now that I know it is the evil one behind these messages and not some infernal, never-ending typing mid-term, I can relax. St. Michael the archangel, defend us in battle, even against the minions of the com-boxes.

Thanks to Curt Jester for the link.

Pax

This Day is Getting Way too Technorati For Me

So, I decided to add a few little embellishments to my blog this morning. I added a com.ment tracker and joined technorati. The only problem is now that I have done those two things I have exhausted my technological muscle, and I have no earthly idea how to use my new innovations.

Oh well, I guess it will be like every other computer software toy I have ever found, I will learn by using, or by just leaving alone until someone shows me how to use them.

Have a wonderful 5th of July. We all happily survived the evening with all of our fingers and toes intact and more bottle rockets still left to shoot off than we will ever be able to use. I don't know what the kids where thinking when they bought that many, except they were cheap cheap cheap.

I think I need a nap already.
Pax

My Name is Angelmeg, and I am a Larkaholic.

The July issue of the Lark is available.

I laughed until there were tears in my eyes.

I wonder if I can convince our parish council to get a mascot?

Pax

It Starts!!!! Where Did I Put Those Ear Plugs?

America, isn't it a great country? We celebrate our independence from Britain by blowing things up! The only thing my kids think about for at least two weeks prior to the holiday is how much stuff can they afford to buy that they will be able to blow up. It is the highlight of their holiday.

Don't get me wrong, they do go to the parade and celebrate the democratic process. But, as we live in a college town that leans to the liberal side of the spectrum our parade is a mixed bag. We have a healthy representation of both major parties, and every office holder and major candidate in the county. Our Parade also celebrates veterans of every war, living and deceased. We also get to see every scout troop, dance academy and Karate school in town, which is as it should be.

Butt then along with these staples of most small town parades we are blessed with the fringe parties, such as the green party, the libertarians, and the tree huggers. Then we have the floats for the Society for the Legalization of Hemp, and the Society for Creative Anachronism, and Miss Gay IU (A beautiful? Drag Queen, explain that to your four year old). Then we have this group called Beanpole -- they worship pointless behavior and come up with odd costumes every year.

My kids endure the parade each year because they know that their reward for living through the heat of the parade is that when the sun goes down, after the fireworks are over they will be allowed to blow things up.

Just as their forefathers intended. It has to be one of those constitutional rights doesn't it?

Pax

Lighten-Up Friday

Karen Hall, has created a Silly Meme to go along with this day: five silly things about yourself:


1) I salt almost every type of food, from apples to buttered toast. It is a quirk I have had since I was a child. I hope I never have to give up salt or I might have to give up eating.

2) I am a pretty sarcastic person, and the more tired I get the more sarcastic I get. I have a wonderful little saying: If you don't have anything nice to say about anyone . . . sit next to me!

3) I am not as a general rule a doodler unless I am really really bored. If there is doodling on a page of notes from a meeting or a class I have been in I know that my mind was not being stimulated. Otherwise I would have taken straight notes.

4) I am really not a fan of scary movies unless they have happy endings; meaning the protagonists survive the horrors somehow. Don't even get me started on the time mrangelmeg kept telling me that The Woman in Black had a happy ending as I was watching. I still haven't forgiven him for subjecting me to that one.

5) I don't have the slightest idea what it would be like to read one book from beginning to end before beginning another book. I am always reading four or five books at one time. Don't get me wrong, I have been known to stay up all night and finish a book in nearly one sitting, but I still have other books that I am in the middle of at the same time. If I ever get to the point where I have read every book that I own I don't know what I will do with myself. Probably buy more books.

I will pass this meme on to anyone who would like to play along on this Lighten-up Friday.

Pax

Pre Traumatic Stress Disorder

I am fairly certain that I will die someday,

and that scares the hell out of me.



I have now defined my underlying ailment
thanks to a new find Korrektiv

Pax

Comfort, O Comfort My People

Last October I went on a Retreat at Bellarmine Hall a Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington Illinois (near Chicago). I was using the time as discernment about the changes in my work situation. One of the activities that my spiritual director invited me to do as part of the retreat was to write a letter to myself from God that he would keep for me and then he would send it to me in the spring.

Actually, this is an activity of which I am quite familiar. I often do this in adoration or journaling. In those times I usually begin with a letter from me to God and then with a response from God. I don't pretend that it really is from God, but I do open myself up to allow for the fact that the response isn't wholly from my own conscious thought process. Often when I do this, the response gives me insight in a way that I never would have allowed myself if I had tried to think of it on my own.

So I did this very same thing when it came time to write a letter from God. I opened my heart and tried to empty myself of myself and tried to let the words flow onto the paper without even looking or thinking about what I was writing. Then I closed the envelope, wrote my name and address on the outside and handed it over and never (and I mean this NEVER) gave it another thought.

A little over a month ago that letter came to my house. I have read it probably ten times in the last month. Considering what has happened; my leaving the parish and the hurt feelings I have carried due to how my leaving has been handled at times, the words in this letter are really amazingly prophetic and lovingly consoling. Even mrangelmeg sees them as such.

It just proves the old adage that God is good, all the time.

Pax

Connections

Tomorrow is my official last day as a working woman. After that my contract with the diocese will be officially over.

Today I received a call from my supervisor from the diocese asking if I would be willing to remain a contact person and facilitator for a workshop on using the Archdiocesan Religion Curriculum ( a workshop I helped to develop and have presented a time or two in the past). He thought since this workshop was going to be required for all Catholic school religion teachers in the fall he might need a few more facilitators in the outer areas away from Indianapolis. I told him that I would be more than happy to offer my services to present this workshop to any group that called me. He said that it would bring in a little money (each group is supposed to offer a stipend,) but that isn't why I agreed.

I have always been a big proponent of using the Archdiocesan Religion Curriculum in my program. In fact I usually spent the summer preparing the program for the next year so that each catechist would know which Standards of the curriculum we were focusing on each week and making sure that we covered each standard thoroughly. I believe in a holistic approach, and I think that if the Archidocesan curriculum is used correctly a good 2/3rds of the work is done for the catechists.

So, I may be doing workshops for neighboring parishes and schools in the fall, or none may call, but at least I have done my part to further the goal of good religious education for all students.

It was really nice to talk to my supervisor as well. He invited me to continue to access the OCE (Office of Catholic Education) website in the diocese, and attend any workshops that I wanted to in the next year. I told him that I might be interested in attending the Indiana Conference of Catechetical Leaders (the biannual conference for all five dioceses in the state) as a way to network for future positions and to see colleagues. He thought that was a great idea and encouraged me to follow up on that.

I may just do that.

Pax

I LOVE YOUTUBE Philosophers Drinking Song

I found the Philosopher's Song as well,

I didn't upload it to my site though, because it contains R rated content. If you want to follow the link you can but beware there is rough language at the start before the Philosopher's Drinking Song comes on.


Pax

I LOVE YOUTUBE The Philosophical Football Match German's Against the Greeks

Philosophy Can Actually Make Your Brain Hurt . . .

Who Knew?

Since prior to my changing my major my only overt brush with philosophy, outside of knowing that my father had majored in it in College was the Monty Python sketch of the football match between the modern philosophers and the ancient philosophers. Well, that and the Philosopher's Song from Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl. I really didn't know what to expect before I ventured into the study of Philosophy this month for my Gradual School Class.

After my first weekend, which consisted of 20 hours of straight lecture over 2 days on Modern Philosophy. Well, that isn't actually true, while that is what it was supposed to be, but it was actually a mish-mash of topics from the ancients to the moderns. The funniest coincidence of the entire weekend happened when we discovered that in our reading of Descartes he actually disappears on page 269 of the text (in a proof of something he is quoted as saying "I think not") If you get that joke you are know enough philosophy to deserve the laugh.

In our lecture we never got past Descartes, even though we were supposed to have progressed through Spinoza and on to Leibnitz this weekend. All of the Rationalists. I came away with a notebook full of notes and a headache that still hasn't gone away.

I know that I will be able to assimilate this stuff, I may just have to read more than the assigned text to get a handle on it.

What really amazes me is, I am taking these philosophy classes because they are required for graduation. My father on the other hand chose to study this stuff what kind of demented mind chooses to study philosophy? Oh I guess the kind of demented mind that produced me.

Dad, its all your fault, if you have any pull up there in heaven, send me some help with this homework, PLEASE!

Pax

The Best of Luck

These two were joined in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony in the Catholic Faith this weekend. I am really happy for them.

I hope that Nicole Kidman's return to the Church brings her great consolation and spiritual growth. I hope that her marriage to Keith Urban brings her joy and spirutal renewal, and they learn to grow together in holiness.

I have been so impressed at how they have handled every aspect of their relationship in the press as compared to her ex-husband's very public antics.

Pax

Am I Still Dodging Homework?

Nah, I finished reading the assingment and now I am just goofing off:

Your Brain is 80% Female, 20% Male

Your brain leans female You think with your heart, not your head Sweet and considerate, you are a giver But you're tough enough not to let anyone take advantage of you!

What Gender Is Your Brain?

What a relief.

Pax

Stil Not Doing Homework: What a Shock

Found this via a link on Catholic Pillow Fight:

Your Bumper Sticker Should Be

Come to the darkside, we have cookies

What Bumper Sticker Should Be On Your Car?

ROTFLOL

Pax

This is so Great!!!

So I am trying to finish my first reading assignment for Modern Philososphy, I really am. Last night we had a horrible storm and our power went out while I still had 10 pages to read. Darn and Spinoza was really beginning to make sense. (You all thought I was being sincere right?)

So far, in my reading of modern philosophy I have discovered that these poor guys thought way too much.

The power came back on finally after 12 hours (and then promptly went off again for another two hours, welcome to REMC rural coop power companies). But now it is back for good and all. So of course I got right to work doing what was important this morning, my daily blog stroll (You didn't seriously think I would get right to the rest of my philosophy reading now did you?) I came across this on a new blog that I discovered through a link I found on Mark Mossa SJ's Blog. Which just proves my point. Thinking too much can get anyone in a world of hurt.

Oh well, the moral of this little cautionary tale is: if you want eventually graduate from gradual school, they really do expect you to finish the assigned readings before you get to class. I guess instead of doing something fun tonight like watching a movie or going out for drinks I will be holed up in my room with the further adventures of Spinoza and the gang.

Pray for me!

Pax

This Is Wickedly Funny

Toby Inkster has come up with a

Dan Brown Novel Creator. Just use the refresh button on your browser to create any number of new and exciting Dan Brown books that are as well researched as The DaVinci Code was.


What a Hoot!

Pax

Folgers needs to try again.

But hey it was a valiant effort.

Thanks to The Anchoress for the link.

Pax

I Like!

Pachabel may be breakdancing in his grave, but I actually like this interpretation of his cannon:





Kudos to The Peeping Thomists for the link.

What a great break from studying philososphy.

Pax

Happy Birthday Mrangelmeg

My beloved husband will be turning 45 on June 21st and will be celebrating his birthday in the most fitting way he could think of; he will be on the golf course.

This picture doesn't do him justice, but it was the only one I had available here at my mom's, so I used what I had available. It was taken a few years ago in our back yard. Those are the trees of our back forest behind him.

His birthday falls on the first day of Summer; the longest day of the year; and the cusp of the zodiac sign. While he swears that he is a Gemini, in most configurations the dates for the signs will place his birthday under the sign of Cancer. I kid you not, I took one of those silly internet quizzes once where you were supposed to answer questions honestly and come up with your perfect mate's zodiac sign. I came up with Cancer, but I knew mrangelmeg was Gemini so I kept going back and changing answers to try to get it to come up Gemini. I probably wasted forty-five minutes on that silly test until I realized that his birthdate actually falls in either Cancer or Gemini, so I was right the first 15 times I took the stinking test. We were meant for each other. He is too stubborn to agree to the correct zodiac sign and I am too dense to know the difference. Sounds like a perfect match.

Anyway, I sure hope that the day is perfect for golf. I hope his drives are straight and his putts are smooth and he keeps his ball in play, or something like that.

Pax

Please pray for a friend

My friend Suzanne sent a message asking for prayers because her husband Danny was in an accidnet today at work. A big mower fell on him. He is in the hospital with a pelvic injury. I have no other information but I am sure that prayer will help both him and his family.

Thanks.

Pax