TradCats

We're not dead....

2012-01-07T12:51:00.002-06:00

I promise. Just very busy with school and life and such things.

But to break a long silence, after wishing a happy new year to our readers, here is a concert review from the Tampa Bay Times of this weekend's performance of two major works by Frederick Delius, an English composer who found his musical voice in Florida! The Master Chorale mentioned.... yeah, I'm there. :) Just one lowly little Soprano II who loves being part of it.

http://www.tampabay.com/features/performingarts/florida-orchestra-master-chorale-stage-recorded-performance-of-delius/1209585

Hopefully more posts will happen sometime now that I've decided to actually post something, even if they are short!

R-O-C-K M-U-S-I-C

2011-03-01T21:29:00.002-06:00

Hello random thoughts about the dumb rock music my friends keep posting on there status on GMail. Please feel free to expound on it any, and comment of course.

R-O-C-K M-U-S-I-C
( Retards-On-Crack-Kocaine , you, Must-Use-Suitably-Instituted-Chemicals to understand it)

these modern rock lyrics are so weird... these attempts at "beautiful, abstract, meaningful poetic lines" are kinda dumb; they're just staccato lines that are all....

" yes baby I love you/time is too short for long good byes/we gotta remember tomorrow's another day/ carefully hold the hands of the clock that guides our life/realize baby that I'll always find you no matter what happens/ even time's lanky arms can't keep us apart"

it's like...
WHAT!?! What on earth is it supposed to mean!!?! it's not deep or majestic and beautiful like everybody thinks it is. Is it "fun" or entertaining.. sure... is it cool... if that's you're cup of tea, I suppose. But it's not Beautiful, or deep. perhaps it is beautiful/deep/majestic according modern man, but modern man is pretty messed up...

Just for kicks and giggles...

2010-12-09T21:30:00.002-06:00

Here we have a marvelous musical joke. Even our non-musicians should enjoy:

Beethoven's Ninth
The symphony orchestra was performing Beethoven's Ninth.
In the piece, there's a long passage, about 20 minutes, during which the bass violinists have nothing to do.
Rather than sit around that whole time looking stupid, some bassists decided to sneak offstage and go to the tavern next door for a quick one.
After slamming several beers in quick succession, one of them looked at his watch and said, "Hey! We need to get back!"
"No need to panic," said a fellow bassist. "I thought we might need some extra time, so I tied the last few pages of the conductor's score together with string. It'll take him a few minutes to get it untangled."
A few moments later they staggered back to the concert hall and took their places in the orchestra.
About this time, a member of the audience noticed the conductor seemed a bit edgy and said as much to her companion.
"Well, of course," said her companion. "Don't you see? It's the bottom of the Ninth, the score is tied, and the bassists are loaded."

Seven Quick Takes Friday

2010-11-19T14:33:00.003-06:00

Wow. It's been a looooong time. So here are seven highlights of the past couple of months.

1.
From October 15-17 Angelus Press hosted a series of conferences in Kansas City to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Society of St. Pius X. I went, and so did Edward and the Devil's Advocate. We found many familiar faces, and every time I looked at the ocean of cassocks, habits and veils I felt ready to explode with happiness. The speakers were Mr. John Vennari, Dr. Andrew Childs, His Excellency Bishop Fellay, Father Cyprian OSB, Father McMahon, Father Novak, Father Gardner, Father Rostand (District Superior), and Father Iscara. The conferences were amazing. I took copious notes and I wish I remembered every word they said, but if I did it would take me months to type it all out! The conferences were recorded, however, and Angelus Press has them for sale. Of course I couldn't let the occasion pass without writing a poem. I'll post it at the end, along with the link to the setting that a fellow-musician made of it, recorded by the St. Melchior Schola of LaSalette.

2.
The Music Department faculty chose me as this year's recipient of one of our named scholarships, the Sister Alice Eugene Tighe Scholarship. It isn't huge but it's a scholarship, and a great honor! I was surprised but delighted when the letter came to tell me about it. Deo gratias.

3.
Last Saturday I went to hear the regional round of the Metropolitan Opera Auditions. It was pretty awesome. I enjoyed hearing a variety of beautiful arias, and I was right about one of the three winners. Not bad - I had a one-in-eight chance, since I didn't hear the first half!

4.
This afternoon is the Aria Competition at Webster. Four of our wonderful senior voice majors are competing - two sopranos, a mezzo and a baritone - and I don't even know which one I want to win; they are all good friends of mine and they all have glorious voices!

5.
Yesterday I went to St. Charles, to the opening of my friend's art studio. She does pastel portraits, and they looked beautiful on her walls. She was a piano major with me here at Webster, but she was always a fine painter as well and so I am not surprised that she was chosen to fill the open studio at the Foundry Arts Center.

6.
Sunday is going to be a musical day. I'm playing Dussek's Piano Quintet Op. 41 with an excellent quartet from the Community Music School at three; then at seven, Mr. Schene is playing (for the first time, as he told me last night), Chopin's Piano Concerto in F Minor. Oh the awesomeness...

7.
I have to talk to Mr. Schene next Wednesday about recital repertoire, grad school applications and auditions, and other such things. I can't believe I'm a senior already...

****

Here are the words to the song I wrote, and here is the St. Melchior Schola's performance of Billy's music. Enjoy:

A Trad Anthem
in honor of the SSPX's Fortieth Anniversary

Behold us here, true trads and bold,
All gathered at the Hilton
To show Tradition's flame-red rose
Is very far from wiltin'.

In cassock, veil and habit see
Our Fathers, Sisters, Brothers,
And our beloved Bishop too,
The head of all the others,

To celebrate the fortieth year
Of our Society,
Founded that fair November first
Of nineteen-seventy

By our Archbishop brave and bold,
Our dear Marcel Lefebvre,
The holy founder whom we all
Must love and thank forever!

We fight as one for truth and faith
And for the holy Mass,
And valiantly we face the storm -
We know this, too, shall pass.

Led by our founder's spirit,
We carry on the flame,
For God's eternal glory
And the honor of His name.

Our faith be clear, unmoving,
Set down in deathless stone,
For many souls' salvation,
For God - for Him alone!

Until the foe is conquered
We hold our flag on high,
The Holy Mass our banner,
"The Mass!" our battle-cry.

So shall we fight as soldiers
Of a Captain sacrificed
Until, the battle ended,
All is restored in Christ.

Two amazing bits of music.

2010-10-28T13:08:00.004-05:00

Here is one of the loveliest motets I've heard in a long time, in Italian: Leo XIII's poem Neve non tocca, to the Immaculate Conception, beautifully set by Father Lorenzo Perosi (a dear friend of St. Pius X and composer to the Vatican during his pontificate.)

And here is Edvard Grieg's marvelous Ave Maris Stella.

Top Ten Signs You Know You're In St. Marys

2010-10-08T19:29:00.004-05:00

10) Wearing pants makes you the talk of the town.

9) You haven't seen a pagan in weeks. (Kidding! That one's kinda harsh)

8) Social functions include multiple priests.

7) You walk into a restaurant and are greeted with the sight of a statue of St. Joseph.

6) You show up to Mass on Sunday and half the office is there.

5) You can't go ANYWHERE without running into a Trad you know(and this is both a blessing and a curse, lol).

4) You have company prayers every morning.

3) You look over and see your boss reading the biography of St. Joseph on his lunchbreak.

2) You go to view an apartment, and see that it comes pre-marked with the epiphany chalk-marks on the doorway.

And the number one sign you've hit the Trad big-time:

1) You wake up and decide you'll scoot in a bit late, because what the hey? It's Tuesday 11AM mass, but then get there and realize with dismay, that it's standing room only.

NOTICE

2010-10-01T09:52:00.003-05:00

After an examination by blog-physician Stick Figure Girl, this blog has been pronounced dead. However, a series of Blog Resuscitation Exercises could possibly revive it. Fortunately it is not all dead, but only mostly dead. The resuscitary process would require each member in turn to provide a post of some kind of relevance to the original topic of this blog. However, if this maneuver is not performed soon this blog will go to being "all dead" as by the standards of "Miracle Max" of "The Princess Bride."

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Todd Rundgren in town...

2010-09-13T11:52:00.004-05:00

The rock singer Todd Rundgren dropped into St. Louis on tour last Friday, and Webster University's choir director was asked to provide a group of singers. Among the group was yours truly. I've already heard countless reactions on telling my friends, mostly summed up in: "Agnes did WHAT!?!!!?"

The theatre was packed, and we all had, as the Post-Dispatch article of the following day remarked, "the time of our lives." It was loud, it was wild, and it was a blast. Maybe not something I'll repeat often (to save my ears! We were right in front of the drums!) but certainly a night to remember, enlivened by some amusing repartee with the bass player who kept telling me not to smile (and as those who know me know, it's pretty hard for me not to smile!)

The full article is below.
****
http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/music/reviews/article_62ab043b-f644-5a01-b734-a7182af69154.html

Rundgren concert is magical
By Daniel Durchholz • Special to the Post-Dispatch | Posted: Saturday, September 11, 2010 8:00 pm |

What seemed like a fairly esoteric pursuit for Todd Rundgren turned into a magical musical night on Friday at Roberts Orpheum Theater, where the veteran recording artist played two complete albums from his distant past: 1974's "Todd" and 1981's "Healing."

Both are regarded as being among Rundgren's more insular works. Despite a few lush ballads and straight-ahead rockers, "Todd" is rife with sonic experimentation and studio tomfoolery; "Healing" is a synthesizer-driven concept album about spirituality.

But in concert, Rundgren brought them springing back to life by turning the stage into a time capsule. Psychedelic costumes as well as period lighting — vintage lasers and a primitive video screen — recalled the eras in which the music originated.

More modern contrivances — wireless instruments, headset microphones — as well as rollaway carts for the drum kit and keyboards allowed Rundgren and his five-piece band to come and go as was necessary, giving the stage a constantly evolving look that added to the presentation's theatricality.

The show's first half — the "Todd" portion — was a potent reminder of that album's eclectic nature. As it unfolded, Rundgren embodied the smooth, soulful balladeer on "A Dream Goes On Forever" and "The Last Ride"; the bold but trippy guitar hero on "Everybody's Going to Heaven/King Kong Reggae" and "No. 1 Lowest Common Denominator"; and the willful nut who thought it would be a great idea to insert Gilbert and Sullivan's "Lord Chancellor's Nightmare Song" into the middle of a rock album. Despite an early vocal flub, he eventually mastered the song's machine-gun verbosity.

True to the album's spirit, Rundgren even brought out a tap dancer for a few rudimentary steps during "Useless Begging." But he judiciously excised the tedious synth workout "In and Out the Chakras We Go" from the proceedings, and the first set ended with the gorgeous, downbeat "Don't You Ever Learn?"

For "Healing," Rundgren and his band were occasionally joined by some singers recruited from Webster University. Not only were they terrific, they seemed to be having the time of their lives.

As Rundgren sang the album's probing lyrics, he paced back and forth and gestured significantly, as if he was rethinking anew issues addressed in songs such as "Flesh," "Compassion" and "Time Heals."

Out of sequence though it was, "Sons of 1984" — actually the finale of "Todd" — served as the show's encore. As the curtain came down and the band dropped out, the audience continued singing its chorus for some time — a remarkable ending to a remarkable show.

****

So you think I could do this in a skirt?

2010-09-10T17:50:00.002-05:00

I was doing my usual reading of the blog Conversion Diary, when the author mentioned being locked out of her car, and someone suggesting that she get into it "Dukes of Hazzard" style...having never seen the show I googled it (yes, I AM a child of the technological age) and saw this video to enlighten myself:

WOW! I'm SO inspired...

Back again!

2010-08-31T20:21:00.005-05:00

"Well, I'm back," as Sam said at the end of the Lord of the Rings. In the past couple of months we've been nomads, staying for a while with cousins and, in my case, visiting a friend of the family in New York for two weeks. Now I am back at college, comfortably settled in my new apartment with the Devil's Advocate, and classes are already started and going quite well; and the family is preparing to make the final move.

During my visit to New York I was told to look out for the statue of Atlas at the Rockefeller Center, bowing before the Blessed Sacrament he faces through the doors of St. Patrick's Cathedral. I went, therefore, and admired both church and statue; and a while later this sonnet began to take shape, though it has undergone many revisions since.

Atlas

I walked on broad Fifth Avenue one day
And saw a towering form, a Titan tall,
Holding on high the heavens' heavy ball -
Of strength unequaled such a grand display,
I stood and stared. His bending knee I saw -
Bent, though, in reverence, rather than a fall;
What reverence moved this mightiest man of all,
Bearing the heavens, thus to bow in awe?

Across the avenue I traced his gaze,
Past two proud portals, down high halls of stone
By incense dimmed, aglow with candles' rays,
And in the monstrance bright, a sun ablaze -
The One whom Atlas humbly knelt to own,
And whom all creatures even so must praise!

Youtube At Its Finest...

2010-07-28T22:52:00.007-05:00

I came across these two guys on Youtube, and WOW-Here they are making fun of the Backstreet Boys:

I think I actually like this video better, though....

I about fell out of my chair laughing...They are SO expressive!! :D

Beards!

2010-07-27T23:05:00.003-05:00

This is for our bearded readers to enjoy... or beardless, for that matter...

http://ubersuper.com/uploads/2010/04/the-trustworthiness-of-beards.jpg

The Charge of the leaf Brigade: By Tom

2010-07-25T09:41:00.004-05:00

Here is something I wrote thought y'all would enjoy. I couldn't remember if I posted it before... I couldn't find it anywhere so I guess I did not. its a play on Alfred Tennysons "the charge of the Light Brigade" but I have never actually read "the Charge of the Light Brigade" I have only heard it a couple of times......

On the cold pavement could
could be heard the gallop of there feet
"Charge!" cried the head one
as they thundered down curb steep

And charge they did out of obedience to there king
for there deaths shall not be remembered and of them no-one shall sing

Over the pavement they thundered
crushed by Good-Year tall and strong.
Some cried "stop you damnded fools
or your charge it will not be long!"

Over the road of death
did charge the light Four-score
smashed form right and left
by black and Grey Four-doors

Half-a-yard, half-a-yard, half-a-yard onward.
Through the pavement of death the leaves they did thunder.

Charged they over the medion
Charged without rest
Charge they cried
as the next curb came abreast.

again downwrd they stormed
with the wind at there back
"Give 'em blood and thunder!"
cried they at attack.

Then came a Fifteen passenger,
with a large sliding door,
and that was the death
of the remaining two score.

Half-a-yard, half-a-yard, half-a-yard onward.
Through the pavement of death the leaves they did thunder.

and on cold winter nights,
when the trees they do sigh,
is remembered the leaf brigade
and how they did die.

A good one from a friend on facebook

2010-07-21T23:51:00.003-05:00

‎"When someone asks you 'think about what Jesus would do', remember that a valid option is to freak out and turn over tables" -- Unknown (HT to @Aquinas and More)

N.B. HT means "Hat Tip", that is my facebook friend is crediting the folks at Aquinas and More...

This was too good to pass up...

2010-07-21T11:53:00.001-05:00

A husband and wife are shopping in their local Wal-Mart.
The husband picks up a case of Budweiser and puts it in their cart.
'What do you think you're doing?' asks the wife.
'They're on sale, only $10 for 24 cans he replies.
'Put them back, we can't afford them demands the wife, and so they carry on shopping.
A few aisles further along the woman picks up a $20 jar of face cream and puts it in the basket.
What do you think you're doing?' asks the husband.
'It’s my face cream. It makes me look beautiful,' replies the wife.
Her husband retorts: 'So does 24 cans of Budweiser and it's half the price.'

On the PA system: 'Cleanup on aisle 25, we have a husband down.'

Seven Quick Takes -- Saturday!

2010-05-29T10:55:00.005-05:00

Summer vacation. Sigh. Now that my life isn't ruled by an academic schedule I feel like I'm not getting anything done. Now that I have time to practice four or five hours a day, I need to actually sit down at the piano and not leave it until I know I've gotten something productive out of the music. Of course, I suppose the productivity would depend on my state of mind after a couple of hours, but my fingers can certainly manage.

Next week I am going to be in New York for a concert and the graduation ceremonies at BVM Academy, from which a few friends of mine will be graduating that weekend. It is going to be a blast! We're planning all sorts of music for the concert, covering the whole gamut of musical periods from Baroque to twentieth century - from piano solos, duets and duos to violin-and-piano and violin duets, to arias and even a double mandolin concerto by Vivaldi! I hope it is recorded, because it promises to be an impressive piece of work, showcasing the parish talent as well as a few "guest artists" from the Jam Session group.

I can't believe we are so close to moving day! Only a few weeks. After that I may not be able to post for a short while but when we are settled I will see if I can do a post on "Moving After Sixteen Years!" That one should be interesting!

I've begun to work seriously on Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto and a couple of Chopin's Etudes. They are crazy hard, but oh so gorgeous! Here is Murray Perahia playing part of the first movement of the Concerto (this actually begins around the middle and the first part is not posted but it is still awesome!):

I discovered that a couple of my friends who graduated Webster last year (and had been dating for a couple of years) are getting married in June. I am so happy for them! Of all the pairs I saw at college they seemed to have one of the most solid and happy relationships - I was wondering when they would get married and I am delighted that I'll be around for it. Here's to Chris and Alyssa - may they have many happy years!

My little sisters are watching "The new Adventures of Madeline," imitating the style of the original Ludwig Bemelmans stories. They are pretty cute, but I prefer the originals. You really can't beat the first tale of "the old house in Paris that was covered with vines..." and Madeline's attack of appendicitis. I used to be able to recite it from memory... ah, those were the days... :)

The Viking and family and our friend JuxtaCrucem are over to dinner tonight. Oh, the fun!

End of the school year

2010-05-26T21:00:00.002-05:00

Tonight, another school year at Queen of the Holy Rosary ended. For my younger siblings, it was their last, as we will be leaving St. Louis soon. For me, there will be another year as I finish college at Webster, but I will miss my little brothers' smiling faces (and their occasional teasing) in class.

The evening began with the entrance of our students singing "O Queen of the Holy Rosary," which has been, up to now, our unofficial school song. Father Kurtz made a few remarks and then each class came up for a short performance. My kindergarten/first grade class gave a charming rendition of two little songs, "The One-Tune Piper" (the title leaves little to be said about the song) and "It's Fun" (about the delights of singing in solfége!) The second and third grade recorder class followed with "O Sanctissima" in two parts, and then the fourth and fifth graders performed "Dona Nobis Pacem" as a three-part round on recorders, followed by a hilarious poem about the end of the school year. The seventh and eighth graders closed the performance half of the program with "Sick," by Shel Silverstein, which was very funny.

The second half of the program consisted of awards - beginning with the kindergarten graduations, of course, and going on through Jog-A-Thon awards and certificates of excellence to the graduation of our single eighth grader. Unfortunately, the notes of his valedictory speech were misplaced so he simply thanked the teachers who had helped him through the years and then Father Kurtz handed him his diploma. After presenting bouquets to the volunteer teachers (my white and yellow roses will have to go in front of Our Lady after I post this!) Father gave the children "the last lesson of the year," a well-worded sermon on the Last Judgment -- "the final exam that we'll all have to take, and cramming is not going to help for this one." Then the whole school took the stage for a rousing rendition of the "Alma Mater" Father had written for us to the tune of the New Zealand national anthem - "Regina Coronae." The children had learned it solidly in a week, and it sounded beautiful. Then Father led a last prayer, declared the school year officially closed, and we scattered about the gymnasium to have refreshments and chatter. I was quite proud of my musicians and received several compliments on their progress; and after a while we all piled into the van and came home.

I'm glad I have another year to teach these children. Like any children, they can be a bit rowdy sometimes, but they are delightful to teach and I love hearing how they progress. The biggest jump this year was doing a lot more sight-reading with the older recorder classes. They took to it very quickly and next year I hope to give them some real recorder music by Telemann or Vivaldi, or possibly some Renaissance dances. The sky's the limit... :)

7 Quick Takes: Glo-style

2010-05-21T09:01:00.001-05:00

1) Can't take my OCD clients....can't go onnnn....On Tuesday I was informed (via the oh-so-personal medium of... The Written Note) that there were streaks on the floor (I challenge her to prove this-I'm a pretty OCD cleaner myself) of my clients' home and that she now wants me to use not only a different cleaner, but also a different mop. Which, by the way, was a totally crappy mop. So I do what she says and noticed that her method has now added an additional 15-20 minutes to my cleaning routine...GRRRR!!! I can practically FEEL the days of Purgatory being lopped off as I work....

2) I'm into manga! Cue the nerd music....I've always liked Bizenghast and a friend has recommended to me another good manga called Bleach, so we'll see how it is. Considering I am a cleaner-I suppose this is a fitting manga for me, hahaha, although I read the first couple pages online and it seems to be about fighting...hm..my friend happened to be a guy, so this might explain something :)

3) I found a new Gothic Lolita outfit that I want to buy!!! Yay!! Happiness, happiness...here it is: (it's a jumper)
http://www.qutieland.com/products/big/DPS0014-10.jpg

With this shirt worn underneath (I think the bow-part will hang down over the jumper quite nicely):
http://www.qutieland.com/products/big/SGB0003-7.jpg
Now I'll just need to call some Swedish Banks and arrange The Funding...mwahahaha ;)

4) I'm going on a trip! My sister is graduating next Thursday, so I'll be hopping on a plane next Tuesday and be out in Cali the rest of the week. Yay! I haven't been in Cali in ages....I miss the "homeland", haha (not to mention my family-duh..that kinda goes without saying.) By the way-if anyone wants to be the epitome of coolness and give me a ride to or from the airport, please feel free to let me know ;)

5) I made a grub-tacular Potato Gratin for a potluck on Sunday! I used this recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/scalloped-potato-gratin-recipe/index.html
And just substituted a bag of coleslaw for the shredded cabbage and two handfuls of Bacon Bits for the bacon. The general consensus was that it was definitely yummy...which is good, considering I had never made it before. :D

6) Speaking of Sunday, Stephanie and Ryan's baby got baptized! Yay...

7) There's a Pirate exhibit at the Science Center!!! :D Must!! See!! Pirates!!

Confessions of a Procrastinating Sanguine Perfectionist Control-freak

2010-05-18T22:38:00.002-05:00

Disclaimer: Yes, everyone, this is another question-post. At my age I'm all questions and no solutions. However, the sooner some of you people start answering my questions (cough-inpostform) the sooner I'll become a wise person capable of writing intelligent posts.

The Perfectionist

I think I've always been a neat freak....but lately the little neat-freak in me has been developing into one of those huge monsters that control your life. In the last year this little neat-freak became an enormous incontrollable control-freak. Apparently this is inherited and I had decided that genetically inherited traits are not your faultand are therefore to be excused. However, I have decided that I need to improve this. First of all, this control-freak thing is getting out of hand. When our house was prepared for the first open-house and I saw the sparkling neatness and perfection I was dazzled. Immediately I told myself that with a little maintenance the house could always be this neat. From that day I was a girl on a mission to keep the house what came to be known as show-the-house-clean at all times. But I'm not talking about neat, I'm talking about:

"oh my gosh there's a dirty fork in the sink! It's making our house look SOOOO HORRIBLE!!! MUST WASH IT IMMEDIATELY THEN DRY IT AND PUT IT AWAY!!!"
I didn't realize the ridiculousness of this until recently. Obviously there's a dish in the sink, twelve people live in this house for Pete's sake. I am becoming completely perfectionist about the house's cleanliness.

The Control-freak

Then there is also the Control-freak part. This is, I now realize, a direct result of the perfectionist in me. I am firm in the belief that if I didn't do it then I probably need to go make sure it was done correctly. This is often true when it comes to the cleanliness of a bedroom for a showing. For example, just because you sort of stretched out the sheets doesn't mean that the bed is made. The sheets can't be hanging to the floor and the blanket cant be all crumpled up. Obviously, though, like with everything else in my life, I go to the extreme. If my mother hired a cleaning lady I would follow her around and things would go as follows:
Cleaning Lady: cleans bathroom
SFG: puts soap bottle in different corner of sink, straightens towel

CL: dusts piano
SFG: turns little statue on piano to a slightly different angle, takes music off and puts in piano bench

CL: cleans kitchen
SFG: moves a few things around, centers napkin-holder on table, straightens out benches.

This is not an exaggeration. ASK ANYONE.

The Sanguine

This is the worst one! I can't do anything for more than a few hours tops. None of my posts, for example, ever get finished because I start another one. And so for example, I am in my room. I pick up a book and put it away. I throw some laundry in it's basket and tidy a few other things but suddenly-- I'm tires of cleaning in here. Instead I shall begin a deep clean of my brother's bedroom. I do that partially until I decide what really needs my attention is that downstairs bathroom. The bathroom is almost clean when I get bored...I suddenly remember we need to mow the lawn! You get the idea.... Anyhow somewhere in here someone walked by the bathroom and decided to finish up since it's almost clean. I rush to stop them, hastening to explain that it has to be done just so...let me do it please. I can't clean just one thing....I run around until eventually everything is clean. By the end of the day I am exhausted and so I lay on the couch and ponder the wonder that no one but me ever cleans anything.....I wonder why.

The Procrastinator

Yes, on top of this all I procrastinate. I leave things unfinished for later...but I want no one to finish them for me....after all, only I can do it right.

I know that I've got issues, but you guys are pretty messed up too...

And why have I written all this? Well, because I am intelligent enough to realize that while I have issues, everybody else is messed up too. That means that I can count on finding someone with each of my problems. And these people usually have advice on improvement. I know that every single one of these issues lead to occasions of sin. My perfectionist self needs to relax because after a day of trying to perfect a house with 11 children I am exhausted and grouchy. My control-freak is giving me millions of occasions for private pity-parties. I sit there and grouch about how "I do everything." My sanguine is just plain distracting, and my procrastination leads to sins of negligence since I obviously procrastinate my more important duties. So, with all her heart a Stick Figure Girl with issues is asking her messed up friends for advice. Help!

Guest Post, courtesy of Bubblefeet.

2010-05-18T19:59:00.002-05:00

Bubblefeet wanted to do a post on some of the things she and her friends do when they're bored at recess. Enjoy.

Five Things to Do on a Swing

At recess at school my friends and I did all sorts of things on the swings(until the teachers banned them, not so much for our safety as for the little kids' safety). Here are five of them (ordered from least fun to most fun).

One interesting thing is having shoe flinging contests.( Beware, anyone passing in front of us!)
We can also swing side to side and try to grab on to the poles and each other and usually ended up running into each other.This was fun until someone ran into someone else.(Then it gets hilarious,yet painful. :P)
A two-person thing to do on the low swings is to twist around each other's chains, then have someone else push you so you untwist, and sometimes run into a pole.:P
One of the first things we came up with is to put the swing on your hips and keep your legs straight so they don't hit the ground and get pushed that way.(see diagram)

5.Last and definitely not least what we call the "three swing thing". You put one person on each of the outer swings(our swingset has three sections of three swings each)and they put their feet together on the middle swing. Then the third person pushes them one at a time so they go crazy and swing back and forth and jerk around.(if you can't get a mental image, see diagram)

7 Quick Takes Friday (Late sorry!)

2010-05-17T13:44:00.005-05:00

----1----

I really wish all your extensive comments were in post form.... Guess what people? This is called a blog. One puts posts on it. Yah...just FYI.

----2----

I want to write a post about avoiding procrastination....maybe tommorow....or the day after that.....

----3----

I think that if my mother ever hired a housecleaner I would have to be chained in a dungeon miles away or she would leave within five minutes of their arrival. Why? I am, unfortunately, a control-freak. My philosophy is as follows: If I didn't do it, it hasn't been done correctly. The house-cleaner would go insane while I instructed her in what to do and explained to her that such and such thing was not done correctly, etc. I wish this was something I could restrain, but it isn't. (ask D.A.) And so I would sit struggling in my chains while everything got cleaned without my help (gasp!) I know this may not seem like a big deal to you normal people, but for me this would be a trial equivalent to the Chinese water torture. I know this is random but whatever.....

----4----

Speaking of control-freakness,

I'm working on this post....

----5----

We have superheroes!!!! Yah, I know, I'm relieved too. Check out the ones who usually save me!Why do they qualify as superheroes? Well, they are extraordinary people who do incredible things to save people in need. It's wonderful to know that no matter how great our problems, there are heroes only a prayer away. Don't forget to call them next time you need help!

----6----

I'm going on a pilgrimage next Saturday. Please pray for me and I will pray for you guys! I love pilgrimages. I love pilgrimages.

----7----

Anyone make their own chocolate icing? I made some today with this recipe. Very tasty...try it! However, prepare to do some division problems....This recipe is huge!

Seven Quick Takes Friday, Vol. 3 - Inés-Style

2010-05-07T18:32:00.010-05:00

Here I go again! This week was Finals Week for me so I may as well give you a day-by-day breakdown.

I'll begin with last Saturday, which was rather a bittersweet day. I taught my last lesson to my student at the Community Music School, whom I was teaching through my Pedagogy class, and we were both rather sad to be parting. She's a bright little lass and I think she will do very well with whatever teacher she is assigned to next. That night, the choirs and orchestra gave their All-Bach performance which doubled as our Dr. Bowers' farewell concert. She has been directress of choral studies and music education for twenty-four years and her departure will leave a big hole in the Webster family. We began with the magnificent Cantata No. 11, a.k.a. the Ascension Oratorio; that was followed by the beautiful Mass in A Major. After the intermission the Chorale alone led off with the motet Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied, "Sing ye to the Lord a new song." I sang the soprano part in the second movement's solo-quartet and received a good bit of praise for my singing afterward. The concert ended with a hysterical rendition of P.D.Q. Bach's mock-oratorio "The Seasonings." I think the audience had fun with that - we certainly did!

On Monday I had Orchestration Review, where we listened to the recording of our final projects as performed by the Chamber Orchestra the Thursday before. We didn't get to mine, sadly, but the ones we did hear had turned out very well! That day I also finished and turned in my Piano Pedagogy final, which was a take-home due on Tuesday. (WHAT?! You mean Inés didn't procrastinate till the eleventh hour and fifty-ninth minute? Miracles will never cease.)

Tuesday, since I'd already turned in the Pedagogy final, I only had to be at college for a few minutes - the length of time it took to sing my voice jury. I sang Er, der herrlichste von allen from Schumann's beautiful song-cycle Frauenliebe und -Leben and Joseph Szulc's setting of the marvelous Verlaine poem Clair de lune. It sounds like moonlight and I love it. That night Tata came home from Argentina and handed out some gifts from the journey - new Jules Verne books for the Three Musketeers, a fan for Stick, a book on Rosas for the Devil's Advocate, and for the rest of the girls, a small heap of jewelry which had been his mother's (R.I.P.) Since we share our collection, these will probably be worn by all of us at some point or another and will be a lovely reminder of our Yaya. To his dismay, however, Tata discovered he'd left behind the pile of Piazzolla and Ginastera scores he'd acquired for me in Argentina. Ah well... now I have something to look forward to from the next trip!

Wednesday was the day of the Eighteenth-Century Counterpoint final and this was the one I was most nervous about, simply because there's so much information to remember - composers' dates, treatises on counterpoint and their authors and dates/places of publication... crazy. However, I acquitted myself well according to our professor, (though he hadn't graded them yet, he'd had time for a look at mine before I asked him,) so I am happy. That afternoon I also taught a piano lesson to my new student Kyle, whom I've been teaching for a month now. At fourteen, he is the oldest of my small group of students; he is doing very nicely and I enjoy teaching him.

5.

Thursday was really rather uneventful. Since all my finals were over, after teaching my recorder classes at Queen of the Holy Rosary I stayed at home to help Maria with the babies, since Mami and Tata were off for a conference Tata's giving in California. In the afternoon I did head over to college for a bit and rehearsed my Beethoven sonata and concerto for a couple of hours before going to meet the children at the Viking's, because the house was getting inspected and we couldn't return until later that night.

6.

Today I taught music at Q.H.R. again, talked to Father Kurtz about music for First Communions this upcoming Sunday, and then came home and helped with the babies until it was time to go to Webster one last time -- this time, for the Senior Honors Ceremony for the College of Fine Arts. I drove the Vespa, and as I parked a little way from college, it started to rain in big, heavy drops. I thought wildly, "Oh gosh... if the road's wet I'm going to get killed going back. Please God, don't let it really storm till I get home." And indeed, the rain was gone by the time I walked into the Community Music School building. The Dean announced the names of those from all the departments who had "Latin honors" and then, between performances by some of the students, the chairs of the several departments went to the microphone and called, one by one, the names of the students of their own department who had been chosen by the faculty. Each one received a white silk scarf with the name of the department on it in black. The program ran thus:
Welcome by the Dean -- Art Department Honors -- Ryan Carpenter, piano, performing Messiaen's Regard de l'Esprit de joie -- Alison Brandon-Watkins, dance-major, dancing a piece she choreographed -- Dance Department Honors -- Music Department Honors -- jazz performance by Pete Lombardo and Andrew Miramonti, jazz honor students -- Conservatory of Theatre Arts Honors -- Meadowlark, by Courtney Halford, soprano, accompanied by Ryan. (I was incredibly proud of him when she announced at the beginning of her piece that since her accompanist was sick, Ryan had been handed the accompaniment at the last minute and figured the thing out in half an hour - and it was not easy!) Then the Dean gave another short speech and I headed for home, looking nervously at the menacing clouds from time to time. God is good, for the threatened storm didn't break while I rode... and indeed, it hasn't yet!

7.
To crown a glorious day, the Devil's Advocate and I went to hear the Cuban concert-pianist Horacio Gutierrez play Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra at Powell Hall. The piece always makes me cry and this time was no exception, though instead of tears, this time was more like silent, dry sobs that made my throat ache. I wouldn't have traded it for anything though... the music was pure glory from beginning to end. I could see very well why Gutierrez is considered one of the greatest pianists in the world today. His technique was flawless, but it wasn't just that. Anybody can play the notes right, but he made the piano sing like a living being. It was magnificent.
The second half of the program was Ralph Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony, for baritone and soprano solos, chorus and orchestra. As usual, the Orchestra and the Symphony Chorus performed magnificently, but the piece is not one I'd choose to hear again. (Coincidentally, however, the premiere performance of this piece was paired with no other piece than Rachmaninoff's Second Concerto... with the composer at the piano. Now, for that, I'd go through the Vaughan-Williams again! Anybody got a time machine?)

Feminism: Driving Down Wages Since 1965

2010-05-04T20:41:00.002-05:00

As I sit here working out a business plan and balking at the sheer complexity of it, I really start to resent the Feminists. This is THEIR fault. Yep..I should be picking out curtains and baking bread, or at the very least, mildly answering phones in some nice, decently-paying secretarial job, but NO. Thanks to Feminism I have very few choices when it comes to getting that decently paying job, and am forced to practically do financial gymnastics just to make ends meet. Why is this, you may ask. Why not get that decently paying secretary job-they still exist! Um, no...for someone with no college degree. No...they don't. And this is why: thanks to the mass exodus of women entering the workforce, the wage pool has been polluted with legions of "hobby workers".

Since Feminism has sold women the lie of "a job is what you need!", we now have loads of married/or otherwise provided-for women working. And yes, I have a BIG problem with that, and here's why: if I go into an office and apply for your basic entry-level job (since I have no degree, that's pretty much all that's open to me) and I get the job, I will be offered about $10-12 an hour, if the boss is generous. This is not a livable wage. (Leo XIII would be turning in his grave) With today's inflation-ridden cost of living, $80 bucks a day (BEFORE taxes, mind you) ain't gonna cut it. But bosses get away with offering these joke wages because of simple economic supply and demand. Going back to the above example, if I try to negotiate for a higher wage, the boss has very little incentive to pay me more because there are plenty of (hobby-)"working women" who are more than willing to take the job for those wages. Why? Because in their mind they don't HAVE to be paid "a livable wage". In their mind, when they think of food and rent, it's "oh, well my husband'll pay for that." Women aren't really working for wages-but for the grown-up girl's version of "spending money". Which thus drives down wages for those of us who DON'T have a husband and who DO have to worry about how food and rent will be covered with that kind of pay.

Let's face it: most women today are working because they are bored and lack the ability to decide on their own how to spend their time productively. They are seeking a job because they are bored-and work is NOT for bored people. Work is for hungry people. When we have a whole segment of the working population working because they are looking for a diversion, then work itself becomes a twisted caricature of failed duties and dodged responsibilities. The health of the business (and by extension, the economy, as the business is the basic unit of the economy) is threatened because these workers are not really "working"-they are "playing" in a sense. They don't have the drive and commitment necessary to sustain the hardships required to do the job right. If these women are bored (whether they are living at home with parents or married) then I say to them: take up a hobby! Volunteer in a soup kitchen! That's what women USED to do when they were bored! They didn't go run into the workplace and drive down everyone's wages. Do everyone a favor: stay home and let those of us who are working because we have to put food on the table do our job and be paid fairly for it.

So as I finish my rant and go back to sitting here staring at my business plan, it hits me: I might have to actually HIRE these silly women... O_O Uh oh...cue the "Psycho music" (deet deeett!!)

7 Quick Takes (Can't Really Say Friday huh?)

2010-05-01T19:44:00.000-05:00

Wow what a week! I knew it would be busy so here goes.

-7-

Last Sunday I went to an end-of-year party for History majors and/or members of Kappa Delta History Club. The funny thing was that there were only three of us from the current program that showed up. Most everyone that were there were from previous years at DYC. We had a good time regardless and I even got to play on their baby grand Bosendorfer. It was the night before my senior thesis rough draft was due so my professors kept joking about how much they were looking forward to reading it. Maybe I shouldn't have had that third beer...

-6-

Thursday at work the guy I was with was high on something. He kept asking me what my name was even though we had been working together all week. He also could not remember a thing more than two seconds...literally. I would ask him for something and he would turn and ask what I needed over and over. It was kind of funny until he came down sick and had to leave early. At the very least it gave me an excuse for calling in sick on Friday.

-5-

Yesterday we had our Spring Formal at DYC. It was held at the Pearl Street Grill and Brewery in downtown Buffalo. I went with a friend of mine, my roommate, and his girlfriend and the four of us had a good time. The food was excellent and we all left with huge amounts of candy from the bar. It was a decent turnout with about 60 or so people. The music could have been better and didn't seem to slow down in tempo until we were leaving.

-4-

Hockey practice on Friday morning consisted of five guys and one goalie. we ended up playing two on two for about 45 minutes before calling it a day. The team looks to start their season in a few weeks. I will only be able to play once in a great while over the summer since all the games are during weekdays at night and I work at that time. Hopefully I will have time to play next season.

-3-

I only have one week of classes left! One last week of undergrad and then one last year of graduate studies before I will be finished. For those of you who don't know me I will complete my Bachelors in History this month and next year I will start graduate courses in Adolescence Education. I did find out from my adviser that I have to take 6 courses next fall in order to start student teaching in the spring. It's not the course load that worries me so much as it is the cost. God's provided me with everything I've needed so far and I continue to entrust my academic endeavors to Saints Benedict and Scholastica. So far so good!

-2-

Tonight I am playing in a scrimmage game for my old ice hockey team. Not much to say about that besides the fact I love to play hockey and it was nice of them to remember me. Go Encore!

-1-

In senior research class on Thursday we went over our rough drafts with the History professors. I have never heard so much harsh criticism from any of them and to hear it from all three all at the same time was a little much. Even though it was a general criticism it didn't lessen it any more. Then they proceeded to go individually and rip people apart. It was sad to watch and even harder to sit and wait your turn. Some people didn't have good direction in their papers. Others didn't use chronological order and some would lose the story and pick it up later on etc. When it was my turn I had made a list of minor mistakes I had made (I forgot to add page numbers, and there were extra spaces in foot notes etc) and I told them that I was aware of the mistakes I had written down. So what else was wrong that I needed to fix? I braced for the worst. They paused and looked at me. They then went ahead and told me that honestly they loved the paper, that it read beautifully and that I expressed my point very well. They even highlighted certain parts they liked in particular. I was stunned. Even I had thought my paper lacked focus, but they didn't think so. With a few minor errors (already fixed) I left and floated my way through the rest of my day. I was so very happy and now I can concentrate more on the rest of my classes to catch up on a few things. Overall, not too shabby a week. Graduation in 21 days!

Seven Quick Takes Friday (Volume 2: Glo-style)

2010-04-23T08:52:00.004-05:00

NOTE: I've been on a major business/finance mental odyssey with a lot of book-reading going on, so a lot of my quick takes are gonna revolve around that. :)

1) In the book, Conspiracy of the Rich, Robert Kiyosaki says that we are headed for a full-fledged Depression in the next few years. Uh-oh...I guess it's time to step up my game (business game, that is).

2) In that vein, I'm kicking around the idea of expanding my housecleaning into running crews or possibly starting another business and phasing out housecleaning. Who knows? In any case I'm restless and need a new challenge. :)

3) There were gay guys KISSING outside my house yesterday morning!!!! I was SO grossed out, I didn't know what to do!!! (Am I allowed to call the cops on them?)

4) I have become a Donald Trump fan. Yes. That's right. THE Donald Trump. I used to think he was just some dumb rich guy, but then I read a book he co-wrote with Robert Kiyosaki (who is one of my absolutely favorite authors) and I found DT to be surprisingly down-to-earth, so...

5) I read the book "Think Big and Kick Ass In Business and Life" by Donald Trump, and well, he's not Catholic, so obviously I didn't agree with everything he said, but for the most part, the book RAWKED!!! I plan on reading it again! :)

6) Wednesday was the Day of Grossness: I dropped my tweezers in the toilet and had to fish them out, and then I found a huge bug on my kitchen floor. Apparently he had passed on, thank God, haha..so all I had to do was sweep him up, but still, it was GROSS. Bugs-Ew!!

7) My Easter dress STILL isn't here, boohoo. Although according the the EMS tracking site, as of April 20th it is currently in Shanghai. Sigh...the wait continues.

Is Mechanical Repetition Prayer?

2010-04-19T18:04:00.004-05:00

One day as I finished the grace before meals I stopped in the middle of my sign of the cross as I was struck by a strange thought. Did I really mean the words I just prayed?

Often, as I realized in that moment, my grace before meals is a recitation of words which are not backed by any mental emphasis. Empty words, like a schoolgirl reciting a poem. I was shocked by the fact that I rarely mean the words of the grace before meals, and then I was puzzled with a question whose answer I have not yet found completely: If my prayers are said without any meaning to them, are they worth anything?

I need some answers please!!! If not in post form at least in comment form

Father Baker's Box

2010-04-18T15:44:00.000-05:00

Here is a question I found while doing senior research on Father Nelson H. Baker. He printed a monthly newsletter called The Victorian and inside he would answer questions about the Faith among other things from jokes and anecdotes, to recipes and information about his Charity Homes. I thought this was interesting coming from a January 1927 issue.

"Why cannot a girl serve mass; why must a girl wear a hat in church?"~J.B.

A girl may not serve mass because the Church has decreed that only men and boys may do so. It is in the mind of the Church that her services be carried on and executed by men. Our Lord in instituting the Priesthood chose men and the Church following His example has chosen men to fulfill the function of the ministry. A server in assisting the priest at mass is taking the part of a "minister" or helper who in the early ages of Christianity was known always as an acolyte and who received a special blessing or ordination for his office. The order of acolytes is still a "part" of the ministry of the Church. It is a sacred tradition the "women must keep silence in the church." That is, take no active part in the performance of the public liturgy. This is meant, not as a slight, but as an expression of the Divine law that men were "created to rule." It would be unbecoming for women to go out of their place to take the place meant especially for men.

St. Paul made it a rule that women should keep their heads covered while in church. In formulating this law the Apostle meant to show the respectful attitude women ought to display when in the presence of God and also in the presence of the "stronger sex." The custom is only one of the particular enumerations of eastern legislation which always made it imperative for women to veil themselves when in public. "The man ought indeed to cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of the man." (1 Cor. xi: 7) Whether this is agreeable to the modern spirit of emancipation of women, we leave to others to decide.

Baker, Father Nelson. The Victorian. January 1927 issue.

(The pictures I supplied myself and were not part of The Victorian)

Seven Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 1)

2010-04-14T21:35:00.006-05:00

---1---

I'm going to start posting regularly enough as to pose a potential threat of my taking over the blog...lets see if I can scare some of you guys into posting. *hint hint*

---2---

I'm sewing a larger version this great bag to hold my dance gear. The pattern is very cute in any size. I think the best part of sewing your own purse is that you can add pockets for your own personal needs; for example to fit your cell, water bottle, or whatever. Besides, sewing is so trad!!!! Can't wait to see how mine turns out!

---3---

I stumbled across this neat idea on a blog. To help aid contemplation of the mysteries during the rosary, compile a booklet of your favorite pictures of each mystery and look at them during each decade to keep you focused. I'll have to try it.

---4---

I've been reading a biography on the life of Pauline Jaricot. It's incredible the things her Society for the Propogation of the Faith and Living Rosary have accomplished. Actually I'm surprised how little attention these societies now receive among Catholics today. I'd never really heard much about them before I read this book. They require so little of us! I want to join at least the living rosary. I'm beginning to see the great importance of reading the lives of the saints.

---5---

I've concluded that no matter how hard I try, my banana bread will never taste like the Viking's wife's banana bread. Even so, the recipe she uses is still too good to pass up. That is why I, in my great generosity, am going to share it with you. Here it is. Cook it for exactly1 hr 15 min. That''s very important. Also don't forget to let the butter soften on it's own. Don't nuke it!!!! It does make a difference.

---6---

My new obsession is my backyard's lawn. We've tried anything and everything on it. Finally, we decided that the expensive grasses didn't work. In one seeding of cheap grass and some invocations to Saint Isidore (by the way I known planting grass doesn't count as farming but whatever works..) our yard has gone from virtually no grass to what you see in this picture....not perfect, but much better!

---7---

Trivia Question!!!! What are the little yellow strings of pollen-y-looking fuzz that get everywhere in the spring???

"Because A Thankful Heart Is A Happy Heart"

2010-04-13T19:40:00.005-05:00

My little sister's have been watching a lot of Veggie Tales lately. Well, perhaps it would be more accurate to say they've been watching one Veggie Tale a million times. Anyhow, the video they've been watching is a story of thankfulness entitled "Madame Blueberry"

The basic story is that Madame Blueberry is a very blue berry because she doesn't have all the wonderful things her neighbors have. She spends her days crying and staring at her mantle piece where she keeps pictures of the things her neighbors have that she wants too. One day a store called "Stuff Mart" opens down the street and some salesmen pay her a visit. They convince her that if she buys more stuff that will make her happy. However, after a long chain of events (you can watch the movie if you want to know) Madame realizes that "a thankful heart is a happy heart.

After I watched the film for the first time my thought process was something like this:

"Very cute....my brothers should watch this.....wow i guess a lot of people could really use seeing this......of course not me, I'm thankful......I mean I'm not one of those ungrateful people who hate their parents or anything......"

A few years later.......
I'm sitting on the couch trying to think of something to post about. I think I'll write something about Veggie Tales....I bet if I look and study hard enough I can find some philosophical ideas in the story!! So I start thinking. I think about how "I don't need this since I'm already thankful. I think. Wait. Am I? Of course I am! Wait, maybe not. Um.....I'll think about this later. No no....I should think about this now. I know, Ill make a list of all the ways I show God and my parents gratitude so as to reassure myself!"

After much thought I drew the conclusion that I am a thankless wretch. My ways of showing gratitude to Mami for all she does for me is to grumble when she tells me to clean something, and claim she makes me do everything. I show gratitude to Tata (my dad) for the trips he's making every weekend until we move, from his job in Boston back home to see me is to spend the weekend at a friend's house. I thank God for the beautiful house we have by grumbling that our grass has weeds and that it rains too much, or it is too hot, or the mosquitos are driving me crazy. I am thankful for the family's extensive collection of books by complaining that there's nothing to read. I am thankful for my brothers and sisters by fighting with them, or by refusing their request to play risk or boggle. The list goes on.....

Don't think that I am completely ungrateful. When I stop to think about everything I have, I am grateful. The thing I've just realized is that that's not the only thing that counts. Madame Blueberry showed me it isn't enough to simply say you're grateful. You have to show your gratefulness too. I'm going to try to work on showing thankfulness, but it's difficult to always remember. Anyone have tips on how to remember to show you're grateful every day?

Alleluia!

2010-04-04T18:36:00.002-05:00

A happy and blessed Easter to you all! Here's another hymn-translation to celebrate the Feast:

All together, joyfully
Making woe and sadness flee,
Let the Church be joined to raise
Mary's honour and her praise:
Virgo Maria!

Who in joyful, glad surprise
When the Lord again did rise
Flowered like the lily mild,
Seeing her arisen Child:
Virgo Maria!

Whom with glad united lays
All the choirs of heaven praise;
So we join the heavenly throng
In a new and gladsome song;
Virgo Maria!

O thou Queen of Virgins fair,
Hear thy children's humble prayer;
When the strife of death is o'er
Grant us life forevermore,
Virgo Maria!

O thou glorious Trinity,
Undivided Unity,
By Maria's merits free
May we saved forever be:
Virgo Maria!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T12:33:00.000-05:00

May you all be filled with the joy of the risen Lord and may He shower you all with His grace! From the Sequence in today's Mass:

Forth to the paschal Victim,
Christians, bring your sacrifice of praise:
The Lamb redeems the sheep;
And Christ the sinless One,
Hath to the Father sinners reconciled.

Together, death and life in a strange conflict strove.
The Prince of life, who died,
Now lives and reigns.

What thou sawest, Mary, say,
As though wentest on the way.
I saw the tomb wherein the living one had lain,
I saw His glory as He rose again;
Napkin and linen clothes, and angels twain:

Yea, Christ is risen, my hope, and He
Will go before you into Galilee.

We know that Christ indeed has risen from the grave:
Hail, thou King of Victory,
Have mercy, Lord, and save. Amen. Alleluia.

Sister Maria Lucia...

2010-03-27T16:50:00.003-05:00

This nice picture of Sister M. Lucia doing the laundry (one comes from the convent blog, http://dominicansisterswanganui.blogspot.com/

My Random Thoughts Are Randomer Than Your Random Thoughts

2010-03-26T14:37:00.003-05:00

If a pig eats jelly, what is the probability that it rains the next day?

Does anyone know how to make bushe de noel?

Did you know that the first masking tape was invented in 1923?

Apparently some people eat american cheese melted on their bananas...

A Few Random Thoughts

2010-03-25T20:41:00.002-05:00

As many of you may have noticed the site now looks near finished. Thanks to Glo who helped insert the posting date in the upper left-hand corner of every post! She is now the honorary TC tech support member. Yay for Gloria!

If a person lives each and every day like they were fasting (one regular meal and two smaller ones not combining another full meal) does it still count when they fast during Lent? Would it be better to force this individual to eat more instead of less? What do you think?

I understand that you girls like to check up on the site daily, but 200,000 hits since last month seems a little excessive.

Happy Feast of the Annunciation!

2010-03-25T11:09:00.004-05:00

In honor of the feast, here are two of the loveliest carols on earth: the Basque carol Gabriel's Message, which is usually sung as a Christmas carol because of the last verse, but works equally well as an Annunciation carol; and the marvelous medieval carol Angelus ad Virginem. I love the elegant poetry of it, which is harder to appreciate if you don't know Latin, but there is a very good translation, Gabriel from heven-king, with a variant of the same tune.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5GUdUYUF8A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM7kR66pICI

Happy St. Joseph's Day!

2010-03-19T18:23:00.008-05:00

In honor of the day, here is a new translation: the lovely hymn Te Joseph Celebrent. The translation is not as literal as I would have it, but I think it gets the point across.

Te Joseph Celebrent

Joseph, the hosts of heaven give thee praise;
The Christian choirs to thee lift their lays,
Who by thy shining merit didst deserve
The noble Maid to chastely wed and serve.

Thy Bride, with child by grace, when thou didst see,
And doubting filled thee with anxiety,
An Angel came to tell thee, "O believe,
That by the breath of God she did conceive."

The newborn Lord embracing tenderly,
To Egypt far away with haste didst flee;
And sought Him in Jerusalem with fears,
And finding, mingled gladness with thy tears.

The dead are blest by happy destiny,
Who earn the glorious palm of victory;
But thou wert happier, who living still
Set eyes upon thy Maker, by His will.

Have mercy on us, Trinity most high;
By Joseph's prayers to heaven may we fly,
That we may lift to thee our grateful song,
Above the stars throughout the ages long.

-- tr. Inés de Erausquin, March 19, 2010.

Laetare Jerusalem...

2010-03-14T15:44:00.004-05:00

Since today is Laetare Sunday, here is the sonnet I wrote last year, based on the Introit and its Psalm (121), plus one verse of Psalm 124. I wish I remembered exactly how I connected the other Psalm to this Introit; but they seem to fit together very nicely. The original Latin is below; the parenthesized phrase is the one I couldn't quite fit into the rhythm/rhyme scheme.

Laetare Ierusalem

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, rejoice!
Let all who love her be united here;
Ye who in sorrow once did lift your voice,
Rejoice, rejoice with gladness and great cheer,

That you be filled from comfort's breast! Be glad,
Jerusalem; her lovers, gathered be;
Ye who before were wretched, weeping, sad,
Exult with merriment and gaiety!

I was made glad by what was said to me,
Into the dwelling of the Lord we go!
And let abundance in your towers be;
Let holy peace be in your strength, also.

O, they who trust in God shall ever be
As Sion's Mount - unmoved eternally.

Laetare Ierusalem: et conventum facite omnes qui diligitis eam: gaudete cum laetitia, qui in tristitia fuistis: ut exsultetis, et satiemini ab uberibus consolationis vestrae.
(Psalm 121) Laetatus sum in his quae dicta sunt mihi: in domum Domini ibimus. Fiat pax in virtute tua, et abundantia in turribus tuis.
(Psalm 124) Qui confidunt in Domino, sicut mons Sion; non commovebitur in aeternum, (qui habitat in Ierusalem.)

Edited to add: the "Fiat pax" and "Qui confidunt" are added to the "Laetatus sum" in the Gradual. (Three cheers for my faithful Liber...)

Prayers for Susie

2010-03-09T20:00:00.003-06:00

Okay, sorry guys-I hate to double-post and all, but my sister Susie went to the hospital today and was diagnosed with some weird form of diabetes. Would you all mind saying some prayers for her? She woke up this morning in some kind of shock,(hyperventilating, severe kidney pain etc.) and my other sister Molly and my brother took her to the hospital (my parents were out of town), and the doctor pulled Molly aside and told her that it was a good thing she took Susie in, as she would have died! (Her exact words were "You saved your sister's life") Susie is in stable condition now, but whew! Thanks in advance for the prayers, I appreciate it!

A Review: Alice In Wonderland (4.5 Stars)

2010-03-09T17:07:00.002-06:00

((Spoiler Alert!))

Favorite Quote:
"Come, come! We simply MUST commence with the slaying and such!"
-The Mad Hatter
(speaking of the Red Queen and said in a cheerful tone and at a tea party, no less)

I have not seen the Disney cartoon of AIW since I was about eight, nor have I ever read the books, so it was with a pretty fresh mind that I went to the Tim Burton remake last weekend. The movie opened last Friday and is the "continuation" of Alice In Wonderland. It answers the question of what would happen if Alice ever grew up and came back to Wonderland. Although it is released by Disney, don't expect too much sugary "cuteness"-Tim Burton definitely leaves his mark on the film by adding a dark element to everything. I really like some of Tim Burton's movies, (Nightmare Before Christmas BABY!! What, What!?!?) so I loved it, but some might find the movie distractingly morbid at times.

The storyline is pretty good, although it moves quickly during the first forty-five minutes: Alice goes to a stuffy aristocratic party, faces a perplexing decision, and then (surprise, surprise) falls down a hole en route to chasing down a white rabbit. She arrives in Wonderland only to be interrogated by the inhabitants over whether she is indeed the RIGHT Alice, finds out that The Red Queen has usurped the crown, and that a "Champion" is coming to slay the "Jabberwocky" and put everything right again. Everything is still as strange and unusual as the first time she was there, it's just now everyone is oppressed and miserable (and wants HER to fix it).

The characters were extremely well-done: the Mad Hatter isn't just a chaotic wacko- he actually has observable motivations and you really feel sorry for him at times. The Red Queen is...well....absolutely terrible, just as she should be. The White Queen was beautiful and graceful, so much so, that it was purposely hilarious at times. And finally, Alice was very well portrayed: I really liked how they showed her as brave and smart, yet not in a feminist kinda way. I especially liked how her suit of armor had a little skirt on it- even though she's kicking butt, she still kept her femininity and the similarity to St. Joan of Arc was striking, at least to me.

There are really only two things I didn't like about the movie: the soundtrack could have been better-it was done by the very talented Danny Elfman (who did an AMAZING job on the soundtrack for The Nightmare Before Christmas) so I was disappointed when there seemed to be a lot of "ripped off" music: there was very Lord of The Rings/Howard Shore-esque music during the climactic last 30 minutes and other parts were strongly similar to the soundtrack for Black Beauty (1994). The other thing that I didn't like was how the proportions seemed to be deliberately off, to the point of being distracting and taking away from the pacing of the movie: The Mad Hatter's eyes were abnormally huge, and the Queen's minion/right hand man's legs were abnormally long and lanky. Although, knowing Tim Burton, I'm sure he did this on purpose. The Red Queen's head was also waayyy out of proportion to her body, but for some reason with her it wasn't annoyingly distracting-I rather marveled each scene at how on earth did they do that? The White Queen was also very distracting but for a slightly different reason: her "cosmetic proportions" were off: dark brown eyebrows with whitish-blonde hair?!? Hello?! Although maybe they had to do that to balance out the PLUM lipstick....she's definitely a Tim Burton heroine. ;)

Anyways, music and proportions aside, I'd say the movie is excellent and definitely worth your money (I saw it twice, and plan to see it again). Although if you are a loyal fan of the books and/or dislike the "artistically morbid" style of Tim Burton you probably won't like it, regardless.

Rating: PG
Run Time: 1 hour, 49 minutes

A Poem of St. Teresa of Avila

2010-03-06T01:12:00.012-06:00

I translated this wonderful ballad of St. Teresa the year before last, for my 'Creative Writing: Translation' class. In this Lenten season, perhaps it is fitting that I post this beautiful prayer for complete resignation to God's holy Will.

THINE AM I.

Thine am I, I was born for Thee;
What is Thy command for me?

Majesty most sovereign,
O Thou wisdom without end,
Goodness, to my soul a friend,
God most High, that e'er hast been,
Look on the vileness and sin
That today sings Love to Thee.
What is Thy command for me?

I am Thine, that Thou didst make;
Thine, redeemed, O Lord, by Thee;
Thine, for Thou didst suffer me;
Thou didst call; my self, then, take.
Saved by thee from hell's dark lake,
I went not astray from Thee;
What is Thy command for me?

What, good Lord, dost Thou command
That this worthless servant do?
O, what work is given into
This, Thy sinful servant's hand?
See, sweet Lover, here I am,
Lover sweet, I come to Thee;
What is Thy command for me?

See my heart, O Lord - I place
It within Thy hand. My soul,
Entrails, life and body whole,
All I fix upon Thy face;
Sweet Redeemer of our race,
Since I gave myself to Thee
What is Thy command for me?

Give me death or give me life,
Health or sickness give to me,
Honor give or infamy,
Give me greater peace or strife,
Strength or weakness to my life,
I accept it all from Thee…
What is Thy command for me?

Wealth or poverty be given,
Consolation, misery;
Joy or sorrow give to me,
Give me hell or give me heaven,
Scorching sun or joy of living,
I surrender all to Thee;
What is Thy command for me?

If Thou wilt, give prayer to me,
Or give dryness in its stead;
Pour devotion on my head,
Or if not, sterility.
O Thou sovereign Majesty,
I find peace in none but Thee;
What is Thy command for me?

Wisdom, knowledge, grant to me,
Or for love, give foolishness.
Give me years of thy largesse
Or of starving scarcity;
Cloudy days or clarity,
Whirl me hither, thither, free.
What is Thy command for me?

Wouldst Thou have me leisure lie?
I will laze for love of thee;
If my labor thou wouldst see,
Laboring for thee I'd die.
Tell me when, where, how and why,
Tell, dear Lover, tell to me,
What is Thy command for me?

Calvary's pain or Thabor's light,
Desert land or fruitful rest;
Be I Job in deepest plight,
Or John at his mother's breast;
If a fruitful vine I be
Or unfruitful, pleasing Thee,
What is Thy command for me?

Be I Joseph bound in jail
Or as Egypt's ruler great;
David suffering great travail,
Or David in royal state,
Be I Jonah in the whale
Or from his dark prison free,
What is Thy command for me?

In my speech and silence too,
Be I fruitful, be I not,
Let the law show me my fault,
Let me joy in Gospels true;
In my joys and in my woe,
Thou alone, come live in me;
What is Thy command for me?

Thine am I, I was born for Thee;
What is Thy command for me?

-- St. Teresa of Avila -- tr. Inés de Erausquin. Oct. 19, 2008.

prayers...

2010-03-04T13:34:00.002-06:00

In your charity please pray for the soul of our grandmother, Muriel de Erausquin, who died on Monday, Feb. 1. Many thanks...

What Is This World Coming To?

2010-03-02T20:04:00.003-06:00

The other day I was reading the labels on one of those Franzia wine boxes that someone had brought to a party at our house. As I examined the top of the box I saw a sign that almost made me pass out:

BEST BY:
DEC. 11TH 2010

They make perishable wine now!!!!!!!! That is probably the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!!!! I've heard the old people griping about how "Nothing lasts any more" and "It's broken almost right away" and "In my day things were made to last," but PERISHABLE WINE???? Isn't that going a little overboard?

So, I have made a new saying.

Unfaithful friends are like Franzia wine. Nice at first but after a few months they spoil and you have to throw them away."

Is anyone else disturbed by this? Is wine even wine if it can't be allowed to age? This is quite the historical event...I can't believe this hasn't received more publicity. In fact, that's why I wrote a post about it.

I believe we tradcats must be supporters of the traditional, ageable wine.

Lefebvre - the Movie!

2010-02-26T23:54:00.003-06:00

Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre – A Bishop for the Church

A movie on the life and work of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, scheduled to come out in late 2010: here is a link to the trailer!

http://www.lefebvrethemovie.org/?page_id=9

Laugh and grow strong...

2010-02-26T21:16:00.002-06:00

This one was too good to pass up.

The Perfect Worker

1 Bob Smith, my assistant programmer, can always be found
2 hard at work in his cubicle. Bob works independently, without
3 wasting company time talking to colleagues. Bob never
4 thinks twice about assisting fellow employees, and he always
5 finishes given assignments on time. Often he takes extended
6 measures to complete his work, sometimes skipping coffee
7 breaks. Bob is a dedicated individual who has absolutely no
8 vanity in spite of his high accomplishments and profound
9 knowledge in his field. I firmly believe that Bob can be
10 classified as a high-caliber employee, the type which cannot be
11 dispensed with. Consequently, I duly recommend that Bob be
12 promoted to executive management, and a proposal will be
13 executed as soon as possible.

Addendum:

That idiot was standing over my shoulder while I wrote the report
sent to you earlier today. Kindly re-read only the odd numbered
lines.

Caution: Men (and Women) at Work

2010-02-24T00:51:00.000-06:00

Hey TradCats,
As you may have noticed we are currently in the process of redesigning the TC site. We are experimenting with different themes for the site and your feedback is important to us. Please excuse any inconvenience during this period and please feel free to comment on anything you might like to see from this site that we don't already have (music player anyone?), or any suggestions for how you would like the site to look. Thanks for all you've already done and continue to do! God bless!

First It Was Jesus Christ, Now It's Superman....

2010-02-22T18:46:00.003-06:00

For cryin' out loud.....

I just want everybody to know: I did NOT vote for this dude.....

This is S.A.D.-seriously....

2010-02-16T17:18:00.002-06:00

Warning: Rant to follow, but I just HAD to get this off my chest.... >_<

Okay, so I'm checking my email a few days ago and I get an email telling me that February 14 is S.A.D. day. Yes, that stands for Single Awareness Day. The first thing I think is "No way...you have GOT to be kidding me..." Are we this pathetic??!! I mean, come on! I'm single, yeah I'd LOVE to have a man in my life, but that doesn't mean I'm going to try and hi-jack the couples-day! Are we this immature as a society that the single people can't stand to experience a day devoted to romance without trying to turn the focus on themselves?! This would be like all the childless women declaring Mother's Day the new Infertility Awareness day!! I mean, come on...I didn't even remember it was Valentine's day until about half way through Mass (and Mass is at 10am out here...) Geez....

Gasp, gasp...okay, I'm done now...on another note, my internet is going to be up and working this Thursday, so expect to see more of me around this blog... mwahhaha

A poem by Tom.

2010-02-08T23:00:00.003-06:00

Hey Howdy, here's a poem I wrote on my way back from a trip to Tomball(North Houston). Sorry for some reason my line spacing is weird. Enjoy.

Here I sit in silence killing,

the Whiteness of this pageI'm stealing.

all for rhymes that equal what?

Here I sit with no direction

giving random word selection,

saying things that equal what?

I could use this time of writting

to write on ships or seagull sightings,

but alas in Tomball I can not.

Maybe I could write of that forest wall

built of pine trees straight and tall,

but instead I sit here writing squat.

A Word Game

2010-02-06T23:30:00.000-06:00

Ok, here's the rules. Take the name of our blog, TradCats, and see how many words you can make from it. Points are awarded for each word according to the number of letters used i.e. a = 1 point, at = 2 points etc. A bonus of 10 points will be awarded for the longest word. Have fun!

St. Valentine's Day Contest!

2010-02-05T23:54:00.002-06:00

Greetings TradCats! In light of the upcoming feast of St. Valentine (and the lack of recent articles) we are going to host our second article contest and first of this year. The theme for this contest is, you guessed it, St. Valentines Day! There is so much to talk about with this one subject that it should be rather easy to think of something to share. i.e. Why doesn't anyone say Happy St. Valentine's Day like they do for St. Patrick? What is the modern view of love and why is it wrong? Who is St. Valentine? What is the origin of giving/receiving valentine cards? etc. The deadline for the contest will be St. Valentines Day, February 14th, 2010. All articles will be reviewed by a panel of judges in funny white wigs. The winner of the contest shall receive bragging rights and a spiritual bouquet of 15 decades of the rosary (like I said before, I'm a poor college student). God bless you all and may St. Valentine guide your key strokes!

A family in need.

2010-02-01T21:05:00.002-06:00

Some friends of ours, the Romo family, have had some complications regarding their Visas. They are here legally, they are a very loving, very generous family; they let us stay with them for three weeks after hurricane Ike, when we had no power. They fed us, helped us during our stay with them. Now through some complications with their children's visas they may have to leave the U.S. They are having their hearing tomorrow morning at 7:00 am; they can use all the prayers they can get, so I ask y'all to please remember them in your prayers.

-Tom

Ready for Some Fun?

2010-02-01T10:05:00.004-06:00

TradCats! I will be posting a new contest this Saturday, February 6, 2010 at 12:00 AM here on TradCats. The winner will receive bragging rights and a spiritual bouquet (sorry, I'm a poor college student). That's all I can tell you at this time so be sure to check the site bright and early Saturday morning! As always, tell your friends about the site so they can take part as well! À samedi matin!

Baseball vs. Soccer

2010-01-25T14:15:00.006-06:00

I don't claim to be a poet... nevertheless with the World Cup approaching, I thought I would share this amusing piece I wrote in late June 2006. It was in preparation for hosting a mid-summer sodality meeting with several professional gentlemen--and myself, at my home. One of the attendees to my mid-summer soire, which included smoked pork ribs Chez Kokenge, is an Argentine and kickball--uh, I mean soccer lover.

The photo is that of Nolan Ryan, the all time strikeout king (5,714...#2 on the list has 4,875 and he is retiring) after having taken a baseball off the face. . .

It’ll be the fifth day of Juillet

and none a cent to pay

to eat, drink and be merry

no world cup talk shall I carry

the boredom! please take it away!

The drone and talk of the ‘universal’ game

really, no point scoring its just quite lame

‘The Germans will surely win the cup!’

the home turf the krauts won’t give up

Boca, River, AFA, no reason for shame

Men and boys in powder blue stripes

gave it their all, Maradona’s old yikes!

Italians, and Aussies, Poles, and Croats

Fans from all over, eating their brats

Watching for a ball between the pipes

90 minutes 3 times a day

Please kick a goal, we pray!

For heaven sakes, it’s a game

But, not a yellow or red how lame

Turn off the TV and walk away

Come to my house if you understand French

I got a grill in the back and a white painted bench

make sure you get the date right

and try with all your might

cease the talk of the sport perfect for a wench!

Where’s the barrister of the gov’ment

Sullivan come to our aid in this moment

Please all baseball lover’s unite

and give this futbol’er’ a fright

To say soccer’s glorious I’m hell bent

A man's sport requires speed

leather, pine tar, bats is what you need

or a ball up and in now that's intimidation

a deuce on the ribs, even music to the chin

could make a man a boy and take heed

Gibson, Koufax, Williams, and Ruth,

men with real guts, an example for youth

not running incessantly and kicking a ball

all that action and no scoring at all

Futboler's are actors y’all know it’s the truth

Gehrig, Maris, Hornesby even Shoeless Joe

they'd never settle for that sort of show

faking it and making it seem like a trip

and that long hair they wear is just not hip

Psst! Beckham’s really a girl I hope you know

Quelle aventure!...

2010-01-21T14:10:00.003-06:00

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.

Sponsae Christi

2010-01-21T00:41:00.006-06:00

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!

In Artful Conversation

2010-01-16T21:55:00.005-06:00

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)

A request for prayers.

2010-01-14T11:40:00.002-06:00

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.

For a laugh

2010-01-13T23:12:00.000-06:00

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...."

The Picture

2010-01-11T11:49:00.003-06:00

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

At the Créche

2010-01-10T16:52:00.003-06:00

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

Catholicism and Coolness (A bit tongue-in-cheek, but enjoy...)

2010-01-06T12:17:00.001-06:00

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!"

We haz a Sista-sista!

2010-01-05T23:23:00.001-06:00

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.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-30T00:25:00.000-06:00

Yes, I know 'tis a bit early. But, since Jude, Edward, DragonLady, Devil's Advocate and I will all be off at the Jam Session in Syracuse on New Year's day, I figured better early than late or not at all.

To all our readers, then, I wish

a happy, holy and grace-filled New Year!
God bless and take care!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-26T03:03:00.000-06:00

My little King, my mighty Lord eternal,

Thou who wast born today, and ever art,

How is it that thou comest to my heart,

Before whom tremble all the powers infernal?

Dear Lord, who art so great and yet so small,

So humble and so high, so strong, so weak,

I look upon thee and can hardly speak,

Thou who art God and yet art Man withal.

My loving Lord, thou Love, whom I behold,

Teach me thy great humility, I pray,

That I may be as low as now thou art;

For thou, whom all creation cannot hold,

Hast yet become, upon this Christmas day,

Little enough to come into my heart!

---Christmas 2009

Out of the Mouths of Babes

2009-12-23T16:36:00.000-06:00

Girls go to college
To get more knowledge
Boys go to Jupiter
To get more stupider

(Silent) Hallelujah!

2009-12-18T18:04:00.000-06:00

Saw this video linked on Angelqueen. Pretty funny. :)

If only Lucia could see this one...

2009-12-18T16:36:00.001-06:00

This pretty much sums up Lucia's opinion on movies-made-from-books-we-love (the Lord of the Rings in particular!) , though with an exception or two. (Bedknobs and Broomsticks is one of those. Rather an awful book, but a hysterical movie!)

To Be Catholic, Or Not To Be

2009-12-17T00:28:00.000-06:00

What happened? Where did we go wrong? How is it that a college named after a saint, with Catholic foundations, and a President who is a nun could, wait... oh never mind.

I knew right from the start that D'Youville College was not a Catholic college, but I had no idea how far they had fallen until this year. As a Student Association Senator, classmate, and overall nice guy (don't laugh) I have had the chance to talk with or overhear people's concerns and questions regarding the College and it's Catholicity. One of the most frequent questions asked is whether or not the school is actually Catholic. If you need to ask that, then the answer is no. But for all intensive purposes here are a few pointers.

Last year the school paper, which I write for now, apparently published an article which gave the pros and cons of abortion. That's right, PROS and cons. At least the report is that President Sister Denise flipped out so there is some hope I guess. After that incident the paper has been more careful to not touch on such "controversial material". But the mentality still exists within the school.

During our last Student Association meeting there was a club representative present to bring forward their club constitution and to be considered for school recognition as an official club. Without going into too much detail, the club's name is Alliance and their logo involves a whole rainbow of colors. After minimal discussion in which it was clear that my fellow senators had no idea of the ideals and beliefs of St. Marguerite D'Youville they took a vote. The club was accepted almost unopposed. Open the closets! Hugs all round!

The saddest point is the total renouncement of Catholic upbringing by my classmates. In a conversation before class it was discovered that several of my classmates had been baptized "against their will". Okay, 1: what will did you have at that age and 2: If you really don't believe in any of it what difference does it make to you whether you were baptized or not? Why do you have to make being a Catholic sound so uncool? What's not cool about being a Catholic? If you're reading this I want you to comment on what makes being Catholic cool. But I digress. It seems as though Catholics are almost second class citizens or evil or something. Why all the hate?

I'm not saying that I expected D'Youville College to be Catholic when I applied here. I would have as easily gone elsewhere if they had the same program I am in right now. It's just I don't like it when people are shown vestiges of something that is not there, namely Catholicism. For anyone who is considering becoming a nurse or a teacher, the school has great programs here. Academically it is pretty good and, taken with a large grain of salt, will be very useful. I just wouldn't come here thinking of making lifelong friends or meeting soul mates (typically either an MR or MRS degree). Isn't that what St. Mary's is for? j/k

One more sonnet

2009-12-12T15:40:00.000-06:00

The poet returns! This one was inspired by the awesome winter sunsets, all pink and purple and gold... what else would a Catholic think of but the liturgical colors? :)

How glorious is the sky, though chill the air!
A liturgy celestial I behold;
A heavy curtain, violet, rose and gold,
Is draped across the towering branches bare.

Darkness is setting in; we must beware,
For in the dark of midnight and the cold
Our evil enemy, our foe of old,
Roams round and round, to see whom he may snare....

But we who love Our Lord will not fear night;
In blackest dark, we better see the light
That sprang from a poor stable's lowly stall,
And turned the night of fear to one of joy:
The Babe is born that will all sin destroy,
And be the loving Savior of us all!
--- Dec. 10, 2009

A call to Men...

2009-12-10T16:24:00.001-06:00

Advent

2009-12-03T20:37:00.000-06:00

This is the GREATEST POST EVER!!!!

Breathing With The Body of Christ by ConversionDiary

The simplicity of a child...

2009-12-03T11:38:00.001-06:00

in the Webster Journal

2009-11-28T15:37:00.000-06:00

This article was printed last week in the Webster Journal, our student paper. It talks about the concert the Chorale and the St. Louis Chamber Chorus performed at the beginning of November. The concert was a lot of fun, and I was pleasantly surprised when I was asked to answer a few questions about Dr. Bowers and the concert for the Journal. I'm in the picture too; it was bigger in the printed version, but I think I'm pretty visible there on the left end of the picture -- the girl in the gold scarf and plaid skirt.

http://media.www.webujournal.com/media/storage/paper245/news/2009/11/18/Lifestyle/Wu.Music.Professor.GuestConducts.Concert-3836228.shtml

a frozen colluage, By Tom

2009-11-21T11:53:00.000-06:00

I was looking through some stuff and I found something of interest, it was an earlier piece I wrote; it was my fist stab at symbolism, tell me what you think. and plus now that the weather is cooling off I thought it appropriate. you'll have to forgive me it was I think the 4th poem I ever wrote; so its not very good, but its wintery......

Searching for true Happiness
By
Tom

The wind howled through the frozen vale,
or is that the wolves? no one can tell.
We trudged through snow five feet deep.
Oh how many lives did that winter reap!

Of fire we do dream,
of warmth, and home 'n many things
We left these in search of what?
something that this world can give us naught.

Oooohh yah and while we're on the subject of winter here is another one that I really like and I don't think is half bad, but its very short and has no title, please enjoy.

His body was stiff as frozen steel,
his face was clouded gray,
as he entered into eternal sleep
caused by the wounds received that day.

well y'all asked for posts so here was my little colluage of frozen pieces.

The Essay Contest

2009-11-20T23:23:00.000-06:00

The Viking, as those who have been following the comments on the Judging post may (or may not) have seen, has stepped down with this gracious (or impatient! ;) little comment:

Just give the win to stick-figure-girl...I voted for her....

and therefore we may proclaim the

Stick Figure Girl
Winner of the Halloween Essay Contest

Congrats Stick! And, in the wise words of our good friend Thomas,

Keep on keepin' on. Don't do in milk, stay drugs, and drink your school.

Three cheers for the Stick!

A Suite of Poems

2009-11-20T00:27:00.001-06:00

Here I double a post from the Steel Lily, to see what the trad-cat readers think.

Last week, in the usual Thursday-noon recital, a fellow-piano-major and I played Debussy's beautiful Petite Suite for piano, four hands. For the first two movements I played the upper part and he the lower, and for the other two, we switched places. We received a good deal of very flattering praise; it was, by all accounts, a pronounced success.

The suite, and some of the things Mr. Schene has said about it, were still turning over in my head after the recital; and when I got home I wrote down this little "suite" of verses. The music can be found on youtube (I'll put links in the titles). My readers may listen to them, and tell me how accurate my little images are.

I. En Bateau

The paddles slice the waters silently,
And in the peaceful golden light of noon
We glide along the river easily,
Far from the faintest thought of dark or ruin;
No ripples on the glassy water lie
To mar its softly pointillistic gleam,
And even the breeze sings, as it whispers by,
A tune I half-remember from a dream...

II. Cortége

The fairy-flutes are piping, far and high,
Sweet as the laughter of the elfin crowd,
And as their small procession marches by,
We cannot help but smile at them - so proud,
Tossing their braids, or curly-tops held tall,
Waving the spoil of a successful raid,
Flowers and nuts from some King Squirrel's hall,
Borne in a gay victorious child-parade.

III. Menuet

Cast off that melancholy from your face!
Upheld by an enchanting violin,
The pairs advance with charming ancient grace;
The minuet is going to begin.
The pipe and viol their harmonies unfurl;
Across the sward they sweep unerringly -
Balance together, step and step and twirl,
And we dream on, lulled by the melody.

IV. Ballet

One rich-voiced cello guides the airy tune,
And trippingly the children whirl away,
Carefree small fairy folk, beneath the moon,
Light-footed, lighter-hearted, bright and gay -
Until the waltz, with passionate romance
(That music is inebriety divine!)
Lifts us, who love, aloft into the dance,
Soaring on wings of song, of love and wine.

"Twas The Month Before Christmas"

2009-11-17T17:04:00.000-06:00

I don't know the author but this is a great poem.

*Twas the month before Christmas,
*When all through our land,
*Not a Christian was praying, nor taking a stand.

See, the PC Police had taken away,
The reason for Christmas - no one could say.

The children were told by their schools not to sing,
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.

It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say
December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.

Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!

CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod
Something was changing, something quite odd!

Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.

As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.

At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears
You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.

Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.

Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!

At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.

And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace

The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.

So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.

Choose your words carefully, choose what you say
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS, not Happy Holiday!

JUDGING

2009-11-10T15:44:00.000-06:00

Now that the deadline for the first-annual? weekly? biweekly? post contest is well past, the time comes to pick the winner. Shall we put it to a vote? Everyone ask any of their friends who might be interested and have them vote. All votes must be in by November 16. Bribing a voter (especially with Halloween candy) to chose your post is prohibited. Voters may vote on the comment section of THIS POST.

LATE ENTRIES are allowed but I suggest you enter before the voting starts.

Voting for "yours truly" is allowed.

Halloween and the like...to the innocent, all things are pure.

2009-11-09T16:43:00.000-06:00

I Corinthians 13, 11

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But, when I became a man, I put away the things of a child.

Samhain, All Hallows, and the Walmart's Shake and Bake

2009-11-08T21:34:00.000-06:00

SAMHAIN

The Celts used to celebrate the festival of Samhain, which marked the change from the light days (summer) to the dark days (winter). The belief was that at the time of year of Samhain, the barrier between the world of humans and the world of spirits was lowered, allowing spirits to pass through. The belief was that if one disguised as an evil spirit, they would mistake you for one of them and therefore escape harm. The local witches and sorcerers of the village would go from door to door shaking an empty pumpkin to make the seeds rattle. At each door he/she would ask for food. If anyone refused them food they would lay a curse on the house. In this way, the sorcerer gathered food for the winter.

ALL HALLOWS EVE

There is an old European tradition to go "souling" on the eve of all saints. The "soulers" (mostly children) would go from house to house praying for the souls in purgatory. The owners of the home would give the soulers "soul cakes" in return for their prayers for the dead members of that family. Each "soul cake" was supposed to represent the soul who was released from purgatory by their prayers.

WALMART'S SHAKE AND BAKE

So what on earth happened to the beautiful tradition of "souling"? The souls in purgatory must be furious. My guess is that Walmart (they find a way to ruin everything) decided to celebrate the holiday too. So they called a board meeting and said
"OK guys. Will we make more money selling costumes or selling soul cakes?"

Then some idiot goes "Hey lets sell scary costumes for the kids to wear when they go souling."

And another one says, " Hey great idea but "souling" sounds to Catholic, lets hand out candy instead of soul cakes so everyone will celebrate it."

"Fine by me. hey! Mabey we can have some decorations for sale too!"

Etc, Etc, Etc. The point is, Walmart ruined the souling tradition, stole Samhain (but thats fine by me), AND made loads of money.

While Halloween is an originally pagan holiday, it also has roots in Catholicism. However, thanks to Walmart, the Catholicism is mostly gone. So should we stop celebrating Halloween? Trick-or-treating doesnt make you a pagan. It's not exactly the same as walking into your local synagogue. Anyway trick-or-treating has Catholic roots. So I dont think Im gonna stop going and getting free candy any time soon.

October 31 - Vigil of All Saints

2009-11-08T13:28:00.000-06:00

Since we are having a series of posts about Halloween, I thought it would be appropriate to quote something about the liturgical spirit of the church around this time (emphasis added):

Let us prepare our souls for the graces heaven is about to shower upon the earth in return for its homage. Tomorrow the Church will be so overflowing with joy, that she will seem to be already in possession of eternal happiness; but today she appears in the garb of penance, confessing that she is still an exile. Let us fast and pray with her; for are not we too pilgrims and strangers in this world, where all things are fleeting and hurry on to death? Year by year, as the great solemnity comes round, it has gathered from among our former companions now saints, who bless our tears and smile upon our songs of hope. Year by year the appointed time draws nearer, when we ourselves, seated at the heavenly banquet, shall receive the homage of those who succeed us, and hold out a helping hand to draw them after us to the home of everlasting happiness. Let us learn, from this very hour, to emancipate our souls; let us keep our hearts free, in the midst of the vain solicitudes and false pleasures of a strange land: the exile has no care but his banishment, no joy but that which gives him a foretaste of his fatherland.

The Liturgical Year by Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.

Halloween and Ugliness

2009-11-06T16:21:00.000-06:00

Now that Halloween has passed and we've been greeted by the usual onslaught of blood and gore, it leads one to think about why our society is so enamoured of all this ugliness. Every October we are bombarded by blood, death and violence: the stores sell everything from dismembered limbs to rotting gravestones, Hollywood releases its most violent movies and occultism temporarily becomes mainstream. Why this fascination? One significant reason has to do with Satan. Where he goes, ugliness follows, and a society as steeped in sin as ours can't help but be inclined to wallow in it. Just as beauty uplifts the soul, ugliness pulls it down, and this is why Satan tries to destroy anything beautiful and replace it with filth. He uses ugliness as a tool to distract those he wishes to lure away from God.

But the fascination with ugliness isn't just a sign of being associated with Satan-it can also be a sign of the despair one feels at not finding beauty (or truth, for that matter). The more one desires the good life, the more poignantly one feels the lack of it. Then in anger and despair the soul says, "Well, if this is all there is, I might as well revel in it." And so the degree of reveling is in direct proportion to the intensity of the frustrated desire. It's partly what they mean when they say "The propensity for evil is equal to the propensity for good." So we can never judge someone who seems given over to ugliness, whether visual or otherwise-we don't know what's in their heart and whether they are merely frustrated in their longing for the good, the beautiful and the true. As Catholics, we have the duty to bring them to the fulfillment of that desire, and away from the ugliness.

Finally, there is also one major reason why ugliness (merely in itself) can never be totally despised: Our Lord Himself embraced ugliness at the most crucial point in His life: Death by crucifixion was the most violent, disturbing and well..just plain UGLY death in existence at that time in the ancient world. But Our Lord didn't just die on a cross, which would have been bad enough. No-first He was scourged to a bloody pulp and THEN crucified. This is what the Psalmist is referring to when he says "But I am a worm and no man..." (Psalm 22:6) So the "good" ugliness can't be totally despised because if Our Lord embraced it, and we are to imitate Him, then we must embrace the "ugliness" in our lives also. Sorrows, loneliness, disappointments, and even failures are all to be accepted (and even LOVED, if you can manage it ;) ). Then we can truly imitate Our Lord and really be worthy of Him.

"There is no beauty in him, nor comeliness...there was no sightliness, that we should be desirous of him." Isaiah 53:2

POST CONTEST

2009-11-02T13:17:00.000-06:00

THIS IS TO NOTIFY ALL MEMBERS OF TRADCATS THAT THERE IS A POST CONTEST NOW IN SESSION. WHO CAN WRITE THE BEST POST? JUDGING TO BE FIGURED OUT IN COMMENT SECTION OF THIS POST.

TOPIC: HALLOWEEN

DEADLINE: NOV. 8TH

Another Irish Song...

2009-10-30T13:01:00.000-05:00

The Viking's posting of "Black and Tan" reminded me of this song... the very definition of sarcasm! I love it... Lyrics below the video.

Oh, I'll tell you a tale of peace and love
Whack fol the diddle o the die do day
Of a land that rules all lands above
Whack fol the diddle o the die do day
May peace and plenty be her share
Who kept our homes from want and care
Oh, God bless England is our prayer
Whack fol the diddle o the die do day

Chorus:
Whack fol the diddle o the die do day
So we say 'hip hooray'
Come and listen while we pray (1st chorus only)
Whack fol the diddle o the die do day

Now our fathers oft were naughty boys
For pikes and guns are dangerous toys
At Ballinahabwee and at Peter's Hill
We made poor England cry her fill
But old Brittania loves us still

God bless England so we pray (remaining choruses)

Now, when we were savage, fierce and wild
She came as a mother to her child
She gently raised us from the slime
And kept our hands from hellish crime
And she sent us to heaven in our own good time

Well, now Irish men forget the past
And think of the day that's coming fast
When we shall all be civilized
Neat and clean and well advised
Oh, won't mother England be surprised?

Tesla and Agnes have an Adventure

2009-10-26T19:44:00.000-05:00

I hopped upon my Vespa today to drive down to a local music school where I was going to interview the lady who runs it, who offered me a place as a piano teacher. It was slightly rainy, and the ground wet. I kept to the speed limits carefully, usually below them, in fact; but as I hummed along, I suddenly hit a slick spot and found myself spinning across the lanes....

By God's grace I didn't hit anyone, or vice versa, and when I disentangled my cloak from the Vespa and picked us both up with the help of the two kind ladies behind me, I discovered I had escaped with two scraped knees, a bruised thumb and a bad shaking. The poor Vespa fared worse, with a badly scratched right side and the handlebar bent to the right, so when I remounted I had to hold the handlebar sideways to keep the front wheel straight. But I made it to the music school, albeit somewhat late, as it's not very well marked and I passed the building three times before finding it with the help of a kind lady (who happens to send her children there, though I didn't find that out till later.)

The directress was very kind about my lateness and my student's mother insisted on my resting and not teaching that day, so I played a piece for little Dylan (who, though hopping up and down with excitement, professed himself willing to wait a long time -- "I can wait three months!"-- for his lesson,) and then gathered my things and climbed into the car of a Webster alum who teaches guitar there and was kind enough to drive me back to the University. The Vespa was parked inside the real-estate office downstairs, whose kind secretary let me keep it there until I can go get it tomorrow.

The long and the short of this is that I owe St. Raphael and my guardian angel a big BIG BIIIIG BIIIIIIIIIIG thank you for keeping me from worse harm and letting everything come out pretty well. I have little doubt I owe it to the prayer taught me by a dear friend, which I pass on to all of you.

Sanctus Ioseph cum Maria,
Sanctus Raphael cum Tobia,
Sanctus Michael cum caeleste herarchia,
Sint nobiscum in via.

Which I translated, with some little freedom, as:

Holy Joseph and his Bride,
Raphael at Tobias' side,
St. Michael and armies heavenly,
On my journey be with me.

Say it. It works. Believe me.

And on that note...

2009-10-21T16:46:00.000-05:00

I was born on a Dublin street
Where the royal drums did beat
And the loving English feet walked all over us,
And every single night
When me father'd come home tight
He'd invite the neighbors outside with this chorus:

Oh, come out you black and tans,

Come out and fight me like a man

Show your wife how you won medals down in Flanders

Tell her how the IRA made you run like hell away,

From the green and lovely lanes in Killeshandra.

Come tell us how you slew
Them ol' Arabs two by two

Like the Zulus they had spears and bows and arrows,

How you bravely faced each one

With your sixteen pounder gun

And you frightened them damn natives to their marrow.

Chorus

Come let us hear you tell

How you slandered great Parnell,

When you thought him well and truly persecuted,

Where are the sneers and jeers

That you bravely let us hear

When our heroes of sixteen were executed.

Chorus

The day is coming fast
And the time is here at last,
When each shoneen will be cast aside before us,
And if there be a need
Sure my kids will sing, "Godspeed!"
With a bar or two of Stephen Behan's chorus.

Men in skirts: Part 2 By tom

2009-10-21T10:26:00.000-05:00

Hi here are some pictures of my pictures of the ball( actually there the Haughts pics I just took them)

Here I am with Emma, and on the left is Chad (Ladner) and THATgirl

From the left: Chad, Maryanna, Thomas, Emma Haught

Here I am with Emma just before the first waltz, Don't ask about the hand gesture I don't get it either........

see the waltz starts right after the grand march, but I forgot to put my dance shoes on, so I had to go to the side and put them on; at which point Mrs. Haught (Emmas mother) got a picture of us.

Heres me again, actually waltzing. hopefully you won't notice how bad I look. and if thats enough of burning the eyes out of your sockets with my pictures of me. here are some of some pretty people.......... I mean the next ones

This is one of our protestant friends Nathan, and the back of the head is a trad Micheal smith

From the left: Nathan Harris, Micheal
Smith

There's my Cute little brother in the front dancing with the instructor a Mrs. Blackhall-Peters

And here's our beautiful friend, Ali Sentmanat

Here is some of us in our kilts, don't ask about the leg thing I don't get it either, I didn't realize they actually got a picture of that.

Here I would like to end My parade of pictures the same way we ended the ball with a few rounds of what do you do with a drunken sailor, and The mermaid.

See kilts are awesome. And maybe if y'all are in town in may we can all go to the highland games together. ( or November for the Armond Bayou fall festival)

there are about 80 more picture of the ball that other people have but I can't post them all.
and while were talking about scottish stuff I'll close with a Poem I like( though didn't write)

music first on this earth was heard
in Gaelic accents deep,
When Jubal in his Oxtar
Squeezed the Blether of a sheep.

Men in Skirts

2009-10-20T16:04:00.000-05:00

Apropos to the recent conversations, here we have some men in skirts from a dance Thomas, I, and many other trads attended on Saturday.

Unfortunately Tom's skirt is not showing clearly in either of these. Maybe he will upload his own pics. I would upload more from other years, but I don't want to overwhelm y'all. Let me know if anyone wants to see more. IMHO, kilts are dashing.

A guy in a kilt is generally made very happy by the kilt.

They are very serious about their kilts, especially the young ones.

They strongly advise you not to make fun of their kilts.

And for those of you who have not seen the Car Crash girls, or haven't seen them since before the crash, here we are.

I think we have now solved the world's problems. Not only women, but men too must wear skirts in order to be holier than thou! We will ALL wear plaid skirts! And turn our noses up at those who don't!

A new sonnet

2009-10-20T11:42:00.001-05:00

After enjoying all those deep posts on modesty, though not necessarily because of them, I came up with a sonnet to Our Lady under one of the many wonderful invocations of the Litany of Loretto, which seems apt for the pianists because we play on it all the time.

Turris Eburnea

Thy glory is too great for pen to write,
Thy heart too high for mortal speech to say;
Thy grace too grand, thy soul too shining white
For us to praise, who are too poor to pray.

Our voices dare not sing to thee, whose song
Was the Magnificat; O how can we,
Without a fear of offering some wrong
To such a singer, sing thee worthily?

Nay, wordless is our prayer; on gleaming keys
Of that material made more noble by
The name thou'rt given in the prophecies,
We let our hands, to give thee honor, fly,

And name thee Lady of our minstrelsy,
Queen of our keyboards, Tower of Ivory.

Oct. 19, 2009

Update on Post About Skirts II

2009-10-19T22:00:00.000-05:00

Question 168. Modesty as consisting in the outward movements of the body

Article 1. Whether any virtue regards the outward movements of the body?

Objection 1. It would seem that no virtue regards the outward movements of the body. For every virtue pertains to the spiritual beauty of the soul, according to Psalm 44:14, "All the glory of the king's daughter is within," and a gloss adds, "namely, in the conscience." Now the movements of the body are not within, but without. Therefore there can be no virtue about them.

Objection 2. Further, "Virtues are not in us by nature," as the Philosopher states (Ethic. ii, 1). But outward bodily movements are in man by nature, since it is by nature that some are quick, and some slow of movement, and the same applies to other differences of outward movements. Therefore there is no virtue about movements of this kind.

Objection 3. Further, every moral virtue is either about actions directed to another person, as justice, or about passions, as temperance and fortitude. Now outward bodily movements are not directed to another person, nor are they passions. Therefore no virtue is connected with them.

Objection 4. Further, study should be applied to all works of virtue, as stated above (166, 1, Objection 1; 2, ad 1). Now it is censurable to apply study to the ordering of one's outward movements: for Ambrose says (De Offic. i, 18): "A becoming gait is one that reflects the carriage of authority, has the tread of gravity, and the foot-print of tranquillity: yet so that there be neither study nor affectation, but natural and artless movement." Therefore seemingly there is no virtue about the style of outward movements.

On the contrary, The beauty of honesty [Cf. 145, 1] pertains to virtue. Now the style of outward movements pertains to the beauty of honesty. For Ambrose says (De Offic. i, 18): "The sound of the voice and the gesture of the body are distasteful to me, whether they be unduly soft and nerveless, or coarse and boorish. Let nature be our model; her reflection is gracefulness of conduct and beauty of honesty." Therefore there is a virtue about the style of outward movement.

I answer that, Moral virtue consists in the things pertaining to man being directed by his reason. Now it is manifest that the outward movements of man are dirigible by reason, since the outward members are set in motion at the command of reason. Hence it is evident that there is a moral virtue concerned with the direction of these movements.

Now the direction of these movements may be considered from a twofold standpoint. First, in respect of fittingness to the person; secondly, in respect of fittingness to externals, whether persons, business, or place. Hence Ambrose says (De Offic. i, 18): "Beauty of conduct consists in becoming behavior towards others, according to their sex and person," and this regards the first. As to the second, he adds: "This is the best way to order our behavior, this is the polish becoming to every action."

Hence Andronicus [De Affectibus] ascribes two things to these outward movements: namely "taste" [ornatus] which regards what is becoming to the person, wherefore he says that it is the knowledge of what is becoming in movement and behavior; and "methodicalness" [bona ordinatio] which regards what is becoming to the business in hand, and to one's surroundings, wherefore he calls it "the practical knowledge of separation," i.e. of the distinction of "acts."

Reply to Objection 1. Outward movements are signs of the inward disposition, according to Sirach 19:27, "The attire of the body, and the laughter of the teeth, and the gait of the man, show what he is"; and Ambrose says (De Offic. i, 18) that "the habit of mind is seen in the gesture of the body," and that "the body's movement is an index of the soul."

Reply to Objection 2. Although it is from natural disposition that a man is inclined to this or that style of outward movement, nevertheless what is lacking to nature can be supplied by the efforts of reason. Hence Ambrose says (De Offic. i, 18): "Let nature guide the movement: and if nature fail in any respect, surely effort will supply the defect."

Reply to Objection 3. As stated (ad 1) outward movements are indications of the inward disposition, and this regards chiefly the passions of the soul. Wherefore Ambrose says (De Offic. i, 18) that "from these things," i.e. the outward movements, "the man that lies hidden in our hearts is esteemed to be either frivolous, or boastful, or impure, or on the other hand sedate, steady, pure, and free from blemish." It is moreover from our outward movements that other men form their judgment about us, according to Sirach 19:26, "A man is known by his look, and a wise man, when thou meetest him, is known by his countenance." Hence moderation of outward movements is directed somewhat to other persons, according to the saying of Augustine in his Rule (Ep. ccxi), "In all your movements, let nothing be done to offend the eye of another, but only that which is becoming to the holiness of your state." Wherefore the moderation of outward movements may be reduced to two virtues, which the Philosopher mentions in Ethic. iv, 6,7. For, in so far as by outward movements we are directed to other persons, the moderation of our outward movements belongs to "friendliness or affability" [Cf. 114, 1]. This regards pleasure or pain which may arise from words or deeds in reference to others with whom a man comes in contact. And, in so far as outward movements are signs of our inward disposition, their moderation belongs to the virtue of truthfulness [Cf. 9], whereby a man, by word and deed, shows himself to be such as he is inwardly.

Reply to Objection 4. It is censurable to study the style of one's outward movements, by having recourse to pretense in them, so that they do not agree with one's inward disposition. Nevertheless it behooves one to study them, so that if they be in any way inordinate, this may be corrected. Hence Ambrose says (De Offic. i, 18): "Let them be without artifice, but not without correction."

Update on Post About Skirts

2009-10-19T17:16:00.000-05:00

Another view, as Tata pointed out, is that modesty is an interior virtue. The Roman soldiers took St Agnes' clothes but she was never immodest. It isn't what you're wearing, it's your intention in wearing it.

Woman Trousers and the Liberal Connection

2009-10-16T09:24:00.000-05:00

One Dinosaur Quoting Another Dinosaur

"Bishop de Castro Meyer said that slacks are worse on women than mini-skirts because mini-skirts attack merely the lower man through sensuality, whereas women's trousers attack the higher man by perverting the very idea of woman, by putting her in masculine clothing.
Every time a woman puts on a skirt or trousers, she recognizes within herself, consciously or unconsciously, the difference to her psyche between the two. It is women who tell me that. It stands to reason."

Fashion History

Throughout much of Western history, women's clothing has been very different from men's clothing, and society has made strict rules requiring individuals to dress according to their gender. For the most part these rules have defined trousers as men's clothing. For centuries society's disapproval prevented most women from wearing pants. Though in some Eastern cultures, such as those in China or Malaysia, both women and men have long dressed in trousers, most European cultures have only very recently permitted women to wear them. The trend began during the early 1900s, became more widespread during the 1920s and 1930s, and continued to grow, until by the late 1990s a majority of women regularly wore pants, not only for casual wear but also to work.
It was Eastern culture that inspired French designer Paul Poiret (1879–1944) to become one of the first to design pants for women. In 1913 Poiret created loose-fitting, wide-leg trousers for women called harem pants, which were based on the costumes of the popular opera Sheherazade. (Written by Nikola Rimsky-Korsakov [1844–1908] in 1888, Sheherazade was based on a famous collection of legends from the Middle East called 1001 Arabian Nights.)

Trousers have always been the preferred dress of women who had to do physical work. The arrival of World War I (1914–18) gave many women jobs as men went to join the military. Though women who worked with the public still wore skirts, many women wore trousers and overalls to work in factories. After the war ended women were reluctant to give up the freedom of movement their pants had given them. Another French designer, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel (1883–1971), loved wearing pants herself, often dressing in her boyfriend's suits, and she began designing pants for women to wear while doing sports and other activities. Chanel designed horseback riding trousers for women, who had previously ridden sidesaddle in heavy skirts.

During the 1930s pants continued to be stylish, although they were still shocking to many. Audiences were both fascinated and horrified by glamorous actresses of the time, such as Marlene Dietrich (c. 1901–1992) and Katharine Hepburn (1909–2003), who wore trousers regularly. Though some designers created tailored slack suits for women, wearing pants was still not widely accepted. Some conservatives considered women in pants unnatural and masculine. However, by 1939 Vogue, the respected fashion magazine, pictured women in trousers for the first time, and many women wore pants for playing golf or tennis and riding or bicycling.

The 1940s placed more women in wartime jobs as World War II (1939–45) began, and trousers once again got a boost in popularity.

Although the very feminine look of the postwar 1950s discouraged many women from wearing pants, by the 1960s and 1970s extremely casual clothes were the fashion. By the late 1960s pants on women became completely accepted, first for casual wear and finally for the workplace. Fashion leaders such as Yves St. Laurent (1936–) designed dressy pantsuits. By the late 1990s two-thirds of women in the United States wore pants to work several times a week.
Codified Common Sense

II,IIae Q43, 1 Whether scandal is fittingly defined as being something less rightly said or done that occasions spiritual downfall?

I answer that, As Jerome observes the Greek skandalon may be rendered offense, downfall, or a stumbling against something. For when a body, while moving along a path, meets with an obstacle, it may happen to stumble against it, and be disposed to fall down: such an obstacle is a skandalon.

In like manner, while going along the spiritual way, a man may be disposed to a spiritual downfall by another's word or deed, in so far, to wit, as one man by his injunction, inducement or example, moves another to sin; and this is scandal properly so called.

Now nothing by its very nature disposes a man to spiritual downfall, except that which has some lack of rectitude, since what is perfectly right, secures man against a fall, instead of conducing to his downfall. Scandal is, therefore, fittingly defined as "something less rightly done or said that occasions another's spiritual downfall."

Pragmatic Fashion Questioned

2009-10-13T08:30:00.000-05:00

I believe that all the readers of this blog are of such age that the words below are fitting...if not, then leave now!!!!!!!

While it is profitable to argue the question of feminity when discussing the essentialism of dressing in accordance with one's gender, nothing (in my opinion) is more powerful to drive home the true ridiculousness of pants-wearing-woman than an image.

Doethn't thith man look thsooo nithe in hith dresth? Come on!

What is more important to remember when examining the pants wearing of women is this; women and men are not the same. The physical accidents of a woman are intended as a natural enticement to men. The good God made it this way!

These are best used in accordance with the natural design by being shrouded in mystery. The nature of the design of pants does not allow for the mystery...

As a result, many sins against charity are in danger of being committed when a woman does not veil in mystery that which is intended to be hidden!

I can say this with absolute certainty as I am of the stronger gender! Beware of arguing these topics from an existentialist standpoint...

Nothing is more magnificent in the eyes of a gentleman--id est, an essentially ordered Catholic man, than the mysteriousness of the feminine form properly attired.

Now it must also be said that certain dresses or skirts are also in danger of placing a woman's male neighbor in the danger of committing a sin. Just because it is a dress that does not automatically mean it is modest or hides the physical accidents in the veil of mystery.

In likewise, a woman ought to cover her head while in church. This is because the mane of a woman is an essentially feminine quality that can indeed, when properly displayed simply distract an otherwise prayerful and well intentioned soul from the altar!

So---ladies of all ages, practice charity and keep thyself veiled and permit the testosterone laden gents to remain focused on the virtues taught by Him and His Mother!

The Skirt

2009-10-06T20:17:00.000-05:00

I was thinking today as I chased/pushed/pulled my little sisters around the block. I know,I know.- O my gosh Maria's THINKING!??????? I was actually considering the skirt issue. There are three main arguments on this subject.

View 1: Women don't have to wear skirts, it's not a sin not to. The skirt should be worn in the church and in front of religious out of respect but otherwise it's ok to wear pants.

View 2: Women should wear skirts. It is a symbol of femininity and more modest. However on occasions when it is impossible to wear one (AKA horseback riding, wall climbing, etc.) pants are fine. Also wearing sweats around the house is perfectly acceptable.

View 3: Women MUST wear skirts at all times. It is a sin not to. You can do anything in a skirt anyway and if you can't then dont do it. Wearing pants is unacceptable.

I have always thought of my skirt as one of my characteristics. Im the stick figure girl in a skirt who never shuts up. I have other characteristics but these three dont change much. I don't, however, think wearing pants is wrong.

Ladies, this is an interesting topic. Let's share opinions, have catfights and argue because this blog is getting boring.

Soooo.....

2009-10-04T22:48:00.001-05:00

Does anyone even look at this blog anymore?

Whether there is one "standard" of femininity?

2009-09-28T12:25:00.000-05:00

Objection 1: It would seem that femininity is variable, and defined by whichever woman you happen to ask, since femininity is merely "how women act", and different women act differently. Therefore, femininity is different in each woman, and can't be defined universally.

I answer that:

There is one "standard" of femininity, because God created one feminine nature. This nature is universal, and aspects of it are found in all women. The more women develop this nature, the more they become the creature God intended them to be, and thus, the more closely do they become united to Him and follow His Will.

Reply to Objection 1: If you are using a human-centered view of femininity, it is indeed true to define femininity by what individual women think it is. If you are using a God-centered view of femininity, it is true to define it as participation in that universal nature by which God distinguished the woman from the man, and gave her the qualities which suit her for the particular work He has set aside for her. Since we are to live according to God's definitions, not our own, the true definition of femininity is the God-centered one.

As Promised...

2009-09-17T00:14:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of pictures of me on the Vespa with my grandmother, who demanded a ride!

tearing up the street...

and returning triumphant from a whirl around the block.

The Vespa Has a Name!

2009-09-15T20:07:00.001-05:00

So... tonight, at dinner, I was going to do the drawing as previously planned, but on discussing the names that the four little kids pulled out of the Vespa helmet (a sort of semifinal,) we all hated them, for various reasons -- too long, too blah, didn't make sense (like Violetta, which really means purple... right.) But then someone cried "Call it Celeste," which is Spanish for light-blue (and heavenly), and then someone brought up the fact that officially the color is "Aurora blue."

What's a sanguine to do? Choose both, of course! (And the nerd, Devil's Advocate, should have been happy, because the initials were still ACV.)

But on later discussion with the Devil's Advocate, Edward, LuciaRosa and the Stick Figure, we determined that Aurora Celeste is a horrible name for a bike... yeah, I guess it is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too romantic and fairy-taley.

So Tesla it is. If I feel like making it more girly I can always diminutive-ize and call her Tessie. Which is short for Teresa. Who is a cool saint...

Right.

I guess I'll have one of the Fathers bless/baptize Tesla next time I'm over at the school and one of them has a Rituale handy.

A Birthday and a Departure

2009-09-14T08:35:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was our good Jude Emblem's birthday! Happy Birthday late, Jude!

Quiz: what composer's birthday does he share? Answer tomorrow.

And early this morning, our beloved Dragon Lady headed off to school at the great and wonderful Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God Academy in Syracuse, New York, currently under the direction of FATHER STANICH! (dun dun dun duuuuuuuuuun.........) Hopefully we will still hear from D.L. (they are allowed internet access at the boarding house, though I don't know if she'll be allowed to blog from there.... but let's hope she will still show up on TradCats now and then!)

God bless them both and may they have a great year!

This is a paper I wrote for homeschool.

2009-09-10T16:11:00.000-05:00

Who Done It
by
Maria de Erausquin.

In Book One of Homer's Iliad the obvious theme is the anger of Achilles. Had Achilles restrained this anger, thousands of Greek lives could have been saved, not that it really mattered to Achilles. After all, they were just soldiers. As long as the leaders got their girl nothing else mattered. One could say the disaster's in the Trojan war were Achilles' fault, and yet, where they? After all Agamemnon, his leader, provoked the anger that made Achilles cry for revenge and call upon his mother to plead for him before the great god Zeus. One could blame it on Zeus, for listening to complaining women, or any other meddling god for that matter. Actually, one could even blame it on women, just for existing and causing such disastrous quarrels. Chrysies and Brisies were the cause of the fighting in book one and the entire Trojan War was over Helen of Argos.

Agamemnon was a first class idiot. He was constantly stealing people's wives and yet he got angry when Paris stole his brother's wife, Helen of Argos. He thought that because Achilles had forced him to give up the daughter of Chryses in order to save the army, he had the right to steal Achilles' wife, Brisies. He stirred up Achilles' anger and can be blamed for the entire thing.

After Agamemnon Achilles is most responsible for his anger. Although he outdid himself just by listening to Athena's order to not kill Agamenon for stealing his wife, he still called on Zeus to avenge him which could result in worse than death.

And so, one could then blame Zeus. If he didn't listening to every whining goddess that came his way, there would have been much less blood involved in Greek history. If Achilles had a grudge, he could settle it himself, or obey Athena and just wait until Agamemnon was shamed on his own. Zeus really had no real reason to get involved but we must give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he was really bored.

Finally, one can blame the women. How cliché. Maybe if Greek women weren’t so beautiful the Greeks wouldn’t think they were worth ten years of war. And so you could blame them two ways; for being gorgeous, or for existing in the first place. However, this argument can go the other way. If men didn’t exist they wouldn’t be there to fight over the women.

And so, the men could say, "Don’t blame all of us, it's just Agamemnon." And there the vicious circle would start again. Therefore technically, no particular person is to blame for the wars of the Iliad.