Well! As our good Jude Emblem suggests that when we have an interesting day we tell about it, I will tell you all what happened yesterday.

The morning was pretty normal. Chilly and a bit damp; I drove the Vespa down to college and as it turned out, my 9 am class was cancelled due to a power-outage, (which was mended by now but we still didn't have class). I did my hour's stint at the front desk of the Community Music School, then practiced; went to choir rehearsal (we are performing Karl Jenkins' L'homme Armée: A Mass for Peace, a very interesting work, just gorgeous in places and a bit weird in others); had a bite of lunch; counterpoint; and a wonderful though somewhat short piano lesson, as my teacher wasn't quite well. Then I headed home, taught a piano lesson, and headed off to Opera Studio rehearsal (the last dress rehearsal before our performance Friday.)

It was misting heavily now, with occasional big drops splashing. I drove slowly, and made it to college without incident; but as I swung into the parking lot of Webster Hall, I found that the motorcycle spots were taken up by cars. How irritating! I turned and headed out, assuming I'd have to park by the music building and walk... and I was late already.

But as I slowly turned the corner of the driveway I met a car coming in... and so sudden was its appearance that, startled, I braked sharply, skidded and went down with a crash. I felt the Vespa come down on my right foot and as I jerked free I thought "Oh, this is not good..." through a blinding flash of pain.

I lay still for a minute, trying to get my breath, until I heard a voice call my name and found that the driver of the car was one of the girls who did our make-up for opera. Coincidences... She and a kindly professor who happened to be there helped me up and we parked the Vespa (unharmed barring some scratches) and waited for Public Safety to show up, since the professor had called them. They took my name and number, made sure I was all right (was I? I don't even know) and then I parked the Vespa properly and went in through the back-stage door which a very repentant make-up girl opened for me. An hour and an ice-pack later I got into my costume and made it through the scene, without shoes and with a throbbing foot; but evidently I can act better than I think, for none of the directors noticed that I was limping. (Stage makeup must make all the difference.) :)

Performance over, I got myself back into my own clothes and shoes and drove the Vespa very carefully over to the Community Music School half a block away, where I sat at the front desk till midnight (oh, work-study!) and then drove home to bind the hurt foot and collapse into bed. Today it still hurts pretty badly but continuous icing is helping and I am sure I will be good as new in a couple of days. Deo gratias, it wasn't any worse.

Here is a picture of the five girls who became brides of Christ in Wanganui on the Feast of the Epiphany! From left to right, they are Sister Mary Jacinta; our very own Sister Maria Lucia; Sister Mary Raymond (first vows); and then Sister Mary Catherine and Sister Mary Rose who took their final vows and received the wedding ring (of course Sisters get one too - how cool is that? :) )



God bless them all!

Earlier this month while visiting with friends I overheard someone mention that something was not art. I had not caught exactly what object was in question, but I did tune into a stated opinion and that was worth exploring! While the conversation is more or less accurate, I have taken the liberty of changing the format to make it easier to read and follow. Enjoy!

(Approaching the opinionated lass)

I: So what IS art?

Her: Art is something that evokes a noble sentiment.
(Interesting reply... still needs clarifying)

I: What do you mean by noble?

Her: That which is beautiful.
(Aha! Now we are getting somewhere!)

I: So what is Beauty?

At this point a third member joined the fray and when no one could furnish a clear definition of Beauty, we headed to the encyclopedias. Alas, all we could come up with were subjective notions i.e. beauty is that which pleases the eye, beauty is in the eye of the beholder etc. With the notion of subjectivity on the table we return to questioning.

I: Do you agree that Beauty depends on the person/artist?

They: That would make Beauty subjective. Beauty can not exist subjectively.

I: Agreed! One person says something is beautiful and his neighbor disagrees. There is a clash of opinion and they cancel each other out. Beauty does not exist subjectively.
(Such fun!)

I: So, does Beauty exist?

They: We believe it does.
(Perfect!)

I: Then Beauty exists objectively.

They: How?

I: Well, from our knowledge as Christians of God, being the source of all Goodness, we know that since Beauty is a good thing it must come from God. As we are a fallen race we can not possibly know the fullness of God or His Divine Vision, so we look to His creation for some semblance of Beauty. We find Beauty in God's creation as intended and in the order that He ordained.

They: So Beauty is that which reflects the natural order of God?

I: Correct. And that leads us back to the original question at hand, what is art. Art for art's sake is merely the expression of an idea or emotion through a medium such as music, paintings, literature, etc. Meanwhile the best art, or highest art, is that which best reflects the visible order created and intended by God.
(Exeunt stage left)

Dear TradCats,

I take advantage of our cyber-friendship to ask for your prayers. Our grandfather on the de Erausquin side passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday from a heart attack, and our grandmother has been in the hospital since St. Stephen's day from similar causes and is not doing well. Your prayers would be really appreciated. God bless you all.

This hilarious joke was forwarded to me in an email. Enjoy!

Bacon Tree

Two Mexicans are stuck in the desert after crossing into the United States, wandering aimlessly and starving. They are about to just lie down and wait for death, when all of a sudden Luis says.......

"Hey Pepe, do you smell what I smell. Ees bacon, I theenk."

"Si, Luis, eet sure smells like bacon. "

With renewed hope they struggle up the next sand dune, & there, in the distance, is a tree loaded with bacon.

There's raw bacon, there's fried bacon, back bacon, double smoked bacon ... every imaginable kind of cured pork.

"Pepe, Pepe, we ees saved. Ees a bacon tree."

"Luis, maybe ees a meerage? We ees in the desert don't forget."

"Pepe, since when deed you ever hear of a meerage that smell like bacon...ees no meerage, ees a bacon tree."

And with that, Luis staggers towards the tree. He gets to within 5 metres, Pepe crawling close behind, when suddenly a machine gun opens up, and Luis drops like a wet sock. Mortally wounded, he warns Pepe with his dying breath,

"Pepe... go back man, you was right, ees not a bacon tree!"

"Luis, Luis mi amigo... what ees it? "

"Pepe.. ees not a bacon tree.


Ees



Ees



Ees



Ees



Ees a ham bush...."

Here's that picture I linked to in my last post:
"Enjoy your Modernism while you can-The Day of Reckoning fast approaches!"

This poem began in my head as I lit a candle in front of the Nativity scene after High-Mass today.

At the Créche

My little Savior, here for Thee
I light this little flame,
That its bright tongue may speak for me,
Whose tongue cannot sing worthily
The praises of Thy name.

Inflame me also, Infant dear,
Here cradled in the straw,
That I may burn with holy fear,
And love of Thee who liest here,
And reverence of Thy law.

Before Thy crib, my Lord Most High
Laid low in humble hay,
O let me live and let me die,
To shine in Heaven's light, as my
Small candle burns today.

- January 10, 2010
Feast of the Holy Family

A few posts ago, Jude E. brought up a good question: Is it cool to be Catholic?? This is a subject very close to my heart, and I answer emphatically in the affirmative! YES-Catholicism is brimming over with Coolness! We are the source of all coolness!! Some reasons:

1) Beer-invented by monks.

2) Chocolate-invented by monks.

3) A more philosophical reason: Just as God is the source of all good things, and Coolness is a good thing, so God is the source of all Coolness (haaaaa-cue the theme music..) And since God Himself founded the Catholic religion, what religion is cooler? And thus, the adherants of said religion would be cooler than others.

So...Catholics wrote the book on cool!!!! Not convinced? Let's ask ourselves a few questions: Who is more rebellious (given our current culture), more dangerously living (martyrs ) more innovative (St. Thomas come to mind) more sure of themselves (good conscience= high self-esteem), more independent of peers (attachment to creatures? Say what?), more mysterious (the mystics, anyone?) and more "untouchable" (well, when God cooperates and gets us narrowly out of danger)??!! You just can't beat that! Seriously...there's just something about a Catholic saint that can't be faked. That "something" is participation in "the divine coolness", if you will.

Catholicism IS coolness!!! Anyone else is merely participating in our universal "coolness principles"!

And now, a visual image of ultimate Catholic coolness: (drum roll, please...)


"Enjoy your Modernism while you can-The Day of Reckoning fast approaches!"

As of five this afternoon (St. Louis time) we deErausquins have a Sister squared (= Sister sister.) Lucia is now Sister Maria Lucia, O.P.!

And I discovered a very fitting TradCat, and as we haven't had one for a while, here we have -- er, heer we haz it.






























And then, lo, I discovered another that was too good to pass up.