Can she really upload video??

If this works, that'll be so cool!!! Six seconds of nothing but the cat ;-)

ALT's Meesa Back Tag

Not sure if ALT was throwing out a tag for anyone, or responding to a tag...but hey, I'll play anyways.

1. What is your favorite flower?
Lilies.

2. What word in the English language do you wish you had invented?
Loving-kindness.

3. What do you miss about your childhood?
My Star Wars action figures, along with my Justice League dolls.

4. What is the main fault in your character?
Perfectionism.

5. Describe how you kiss in one word.
Present.

6. What in the world do you least desire?
Violence, discrimination, and monetary debt.

7. Finish this sentence. "Happiness is a thing called..."
now.

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Have a safe and merry New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

Anniversary Celebration

So, my wife and I have been talking about going up to the altar rail for quite awhile, and due to a chain of events, such as, our Pastor saying all are welcome to have clebrations blessed - today was the day we went up for our 3.5 year celebration blessing.

My poor wife kept wanting to hold my hand and I kept needing to wiggle free, but luckily for me she didn't let go :-) So we were up at the rail with one birthday and another anniversary of 38 years. So our Pastor gave the celebration blessing, and normally our church claps right away after the blessings...well, there was about 2 seconds of utter silence, then bless him, our Pastor started clapping, then the people at the rail starting clapping, and then the congregation joined in.

Afterwards, a friend asked me if I felt the Holy Spirit during the blessing, to which I replied "No, I was way too nervious." I felt like I did the day my wife and I got married, extremely happy and a bit weak in the knees. My wife just beaming at me (which was awesome) and supportive quiet laughter at my 10 minutes of deep breathes afterwards.

It's telling and sad that not one of our LGBT parisheners uttered one word to us after church, but a number of straight parisheners did. And I don't know if it was coincidence or intentional but one lesbain couple got up and left once we got up to go to the rail, and didn't come back until after the blessings - I'm sure I'm just imagining things.

So that was my fourth Sunday of Advent.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

'Sup with Me

Well, I finished crocheting my wife's scarf last night - yea. It will go very nicely with her winter jacket. My next project is to use just the knit stitch to make another scarf so I can get some fluidity before moving onto knit 1 pearl 1.

The EFM group liked my homily :-) It was a wonderful evening of fellowship. And when I arrived at home there was one of my wife's best friends all the way down from CT. So that was a very nice end to a really nice evening.

I got cd's that are designed to teach you Spanish while driving in the car - very exciting. So let's see if the cobwebs get swept away cause deep in the recesses of my brain, there are years worth of vocabulary and sentence structure buried in there.

Totally random - I got a new cowboy hat, so I'll see if I can remember to take a picture of it. OOhh, and one of my Christmas presents is a digital video recorder - nothing fancy, on the way low end, but it was priced in bargan bin numbers. But I don't get to use it until after Christmas Eve (which is when we open our presents). But when I do, I'm going to play with posting "videos" to zeh blog - or at least thta's my thoughts for now. Wouldn't y'all love to see a videos of my dogs ;-)

First Homily

So, I wrote my first homily for my EFM group's Christmas Eucharist Celebration. We each picked what part we would have in the service and what foods for the shared meal afterwards. Our theme we were given, or maybe we chose, I can't remember now, is gifts. I don't know what any of the readings will be to include the gospel reading, and the only other requirement be that it was between 2-3 minutes in length.

Sermon in a sentence, not quite, more like snippet of scripture to work from, and it's pretty obvious what that snippet is. So, here it is:

…For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable…how true is this - for us in our lives, as we go out everyday into the world? How easy it is to get lost and overwhelmed by hopelessness and sadness…especially during the season of giving. Holding in tension the joy of giving to our loved ones and knowing there are so many who go without everyday.

News stories about Iraq, Afghanistan, CIA torture techniques, Darfur, killing sprees in Colorado, severe weather causing deaths in the mid-west, Guantanamo Bay, habeas corpus, who will be the next president, deficits, talk of recession, out sourcing, consumer confidence, Just hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring ting tingling too…

…For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable…cannot be undone, revoked, unalterable…how amazing is that? That God gives and does not take away. He is always there waiting for the ‘Here am I’, that entrance into our hearts. That entrance into the realm of it is possible to change the world. It is possible to live this life as though it is the kingdom of God right now, right in this moment, that every moment is a moment to bring God’s love for us to another…one word, one touch, one acknowledgement, one courageous act of love…

Imagine a world without borders, without fences…Imagine a world where ethnicity, sexuality, gender - didn’t matter…Imagine a world that saw instead Christ in each hello, good-bye, come again, how can I help you, thank you, peace be with you…Imagine a world where people had the courage to say no to violence even in the face of their own imprisonment or death…

…For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable…how often do we think, I’m just too tired, I’ve done enough, and felt guilty for not doing more? How often do we turn away only to hear and feel God gently nudging us, encouraging us, surprising us…

I look at the people in this room and feel humbled by all of you. Each of you in and of yourselves gifts; teachers, healers…treasured for your sharing, compassion, and companionship along my own journey. I look at each of you and find courage – strength – and most specially, laughter. You help me remember each week that it is possible to accomplish anything with God’s help.

…For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable…can it really be that each of us is gifted…as the days on which the Jews gained relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and presents to the poor. What are our gifts? And when we embrace them, what will we do with them?

Christmas and other stuff

Celebrated Christmas with my wife's family early. It was a wonderful weekend that went too quickly. My favorite parts were (a) my mother-in-law's awesome cooking (b) the long walks down country roads (c) falling a asleep on the back screened in patio watching random birds come to feed.

It felt really good to leave the stress behind and forgotten for a couple of days. We took tomorrow off to shop together for the kids' Christmas presents, as well as run a few errands. I'm sooo excited about not going to work tomorrow.

Lastly, the resume is out there, so here's to finding a new job sometime soon.

YouTube Fun

Eddie Izzard and Anglicanism, way funny.


Eddie Izzard and his Star Trek commentary, too funny.


I do hope you enjoyed.

Dante Inferno Quiz

So, I bit and took the quiz that ALT took, and the results are...

...the Dante's Inferno Test has sent you to Purgatory!

Here is how you matched up against all the levels:
Level Score
Purgatory High
Level 1 - Limbo Moderate
Level 2 High
Level 3 Low
Level 4 Very Low
Level 5 Low
Level 6 - The City of Dis Very Low
Level 7 High
Level 8- the Malebolge Moderate
Level 9 - Cocytus Low

Purgatory: You have escaped damnation and made it to Purgatory, a place where the dew of repentance washes off the stain of sin and girds the spirit with humility. Through contrition, confession, and satisfaction by works of righteousness, you must make your way up the mountain. As the sins are cleansed from your soul, you will be illuminated by the Sun of Divine Grace, and you will join other souls, smiling and happy, upon the summit of this mountain. Before long you will know the joys of Paradise as you ascend to the ethereal realm of Heaven.

Level descriptions: http://www.4degreez.com/misc/dante-inferno-information.html
Take the test: http://www.4degreez.com/misc/dante-inferno-test.mv

First Crocheted Shawl

So, crocheted shawl? Doesn't she mean knitted? Weellll, knitting is going to have to wait a while. I got the basic knit stitch but I was so tense through the shoulders that instead of being relaxing and meditative it was stressing me out. I crocheted years ago and decided to see if I could pick it up again. And well I did. Crocheting is so much easier for me, and I enjoy it. I found a nifty prayer shawl pattern book. So the shawl I put together is based on a pattern in the book, but slightly modified. I do wish I'd gotten the width longer, but ah well, next time.

I made this one for the kids grandma, I hope she likes it. I can't wait to make another one :-)

Been Tagged

Two names you go by (besides your given names)?
1. JS 2. Mama

Two things you are wearing right now?
1. Blue jeans
2. Brown and tan sweater

Two longest car rides?
1. Non-stop from Texas to Pennsylvania for a funeral
2. Anytime I ride in a car with my mom driving

Two of your favorite things to do:
1. Hike with my family and take photos
2. Read

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. More time with a healthy dose of patience
2. Toss up between more books and camera equipment

Three animals you have or have had:
1. Diego, my six year dog.
2. Sparky, a dog who adopted my wife then the rest of us.
3. Darth Vadar, my wife’s cat.

Three things you ate today:
1. Raisin Bran cereal
2. Donut
3. Italian sub

Two things you are doing tomorrow:
1. Going to work
2. Preparing for EFM

Two favorite holidays:
1. Christmas
2. Easter

Two favorite beverages:
1. Hazelnut coffee
2. Orange soda pop

Added question - Two favorite words:
1. Plethora
2. Serendipitous

I tag: Anybody who wants to play and hasn't been tagged yet.

Who is the Girl

Who is the girl, who
Stands slightly alone but near enough
Her eyes shift and follow movements
Like breath

Who is the girl, who
Would hold your hurts but doesn’t
Let go of her own

Who is the girl, who
Wants to walk with you but hasn't
Quite figured it out herself

Knitting

ALT got my wife a beginners knitting kit for her birthday a little over a month ago. Once my wife started to get the hang of it I asked her if she would show me too. And it's a good thing she's learning all the stitches first, because there's something about knitting that almost works counter-intuitive to my brain.

My wife is thinking her first project will be a scarf, and I'm thinking socks for mine. But I need to spend some more time with the knit stitch and probably need to learn the pearl stitch before I can begin socks. Oh yeah, and how to increase and decrease stitches.

The wife's next lesson involved knitting with four needles at once - I think she decided to skip that lesson as it sounded intimidating. I'm still trying to imagine how that would work.

I'm hoping to get fluid enough with knitting that I can turn it into a meditation/prayer excerise, but first I need to make more then two rows of stitches :-)

So, next Christmas you know what you all may be getting right ;-) Socks and scarves!

Happy Thanksgiving Early

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ok, Just One More for Today

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

How serendipitous, my wife got me a bracelet that says, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." - Gandhi.

ALT's link to quiz

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

I suppose now I should go watch the movie.

Kid Rock: Rock N Roll Jesus

Kid Rock has grown on me, especially once his music shifted out of (well mostly) prepubescent boy audience lyrics.

I haven't gotten through the whole CD yet (got it late last night) but I do like it. And true to the title, at least thus far.

I don't often get home sick but there's another piece to Kid Rock that brings back parts of home. Kid Rock and I are from the same part of Michigan, his accent sounds like mine, and he reminds me of my brother. The same brownish hair, similiar facial structure, and mostly it's the similiarity in how they carry themselves.

My friend ALT has that effect sometimes, though it's memories of my Grandmother - it's the shape of her eyes that look like mine that look like my Grandmother's.

Quiz: What Breed of Liberal Are You?

You are an Eco-Avenger, also known as an environmentalist or tree hugger. You believe in saving the planet from the clutches of air-fouling, oil-drilling, earth-raping conservative fossil fools.

Take the quiz at www.FightConservatives.com

Find the Man in the Beans

I friend sent this to me, and I founf it fun, so I pass it on to you:

Doctors have concluded that if you find the man in the coffee beans in 3 seconds, your right half of your brain is better developed than most people. If you find the man between 3 seconds and 1 minute, your right half of the brain is developed normally. If you find the man between 1 minute and 3 minutes, then the right half of your brain is functioning slowly and you need to eat more protein. If you have not found the man after 3 minutes, the advice is to look for more of this type of exercise to make that part of the brain stronger.
And, yes, the man is really there!!!


What's interesting is that once you find the man you can't unfind him, if you know what I mean.

Be Grateful for Every Experience part ii

Be Grateful for Every Experience part ii

It’s hard to know what to say about my Cursillo experience, as I’ve only just gotten back and there’s still much to process. I went to Cursillo for two main reasons: (1) People who had gone kept saying I should go, and (2) the people who have gone I have immense respect for. I understand now why fellow Cursillitos get vague about Cursillo, it truly is something that must be experienced firsthand, and to say too much will take away from the experience if you’ve not been. I can say that your experience of Cursillo will be as unique as you are. If you want to live more fully into Christ you should go, if you’re trying to discern your role in your church and the world you should go, if you want to see Christ in others you should go. If you go, plan to eat a lot, cry a lot, sleep a little, and stack the mattresses if your Cursillo is at Camp Capers.

The word devistating from the "part i" post sticks out, and in some ways it was a devistating experience in both senses that the word can be used. I just worry that that particular word will be misconstrued...it was not my whole experience...but it I believe it is that devistation that will bring the most feeling...and for now there will be no more on that...

Be Grateful for Every Experience

I left for my Cursillo Thursday evening, and this was the Weekly Guidance awaiting me on my return from Cursillo, Sunday night:

Eileen’s Weekly Guidance 9.11.07 Be Grateful for every experience‏

Be Grateful for every experience

Be Grateful for every experience in life which draws you ever closer to Me, no matter how devastating that experience may appear to be at the time. I keep telling you that good comes out of everything for those who truly love Me and put Me first in everything. Why not open your eyes and see this come about? Look for the best and see the best come out of every situation. Put your whole faith and trust in Me.

I think right now that’s the best I can do to describe my Cursillo experience. Would I recommend Cursillo to someone else…Yes. Only time will tell if what I think I got out of Cursillo will hold true. So, until then, I need to process the experience, and see what transformation comes, if any, I think I went a butterfly already – but there was nectar there, so I look forward to seeing how that fed me.

De Colores