Good Times

Spent the weekend in Pennsylvania with my family: mom, dad, brother, nephews, my kids, tons of cousins and their kids. Here’s some pics – sobriety was NOT guaranteed. Much fun was had. It was AWESOME. I luf them! Heeeee!

The Whole Fan-damily!

Jake and my nephew Liam

Me and my brother

Open Mouth Moment of the Morning, brought to us by the AM News

Wednesday morning Jesus and Mo on Strident Negativity in Atheisits

Something to chew on from Morning Prayer today

I most often use the Mission of St. Clare website each day to pray morning prayer. Today James Kiefer wrote about Cyril, a man for whom he has ambivalent feelings at best. In response to those ambivalent thoughts, James posted a bit of an exchange he had while writing this piece while riding in a cab, between himself and the taxi-cab driver about what he was writing. It’s very unusual for James to include a personal nonsequitor in his presentation of the saint for the day, but it was definitely food for thought.

But it is as a theologian and a scholar, not as a bishop or human-relations man, that Cyril is honored. I do not find him on any Anglican calendars, and I think I know why.

But on the other hand….

As I was taking a cab back from the airport (thank you, William Raspberry), the driver asked me, “What are you writing there?”

I said: “A biographical sketch of Cyril of Alexandria.”
He said: “Not an altogether enthusiastic appraisal, right?”
I said: “Of course not.”
He said: “That figures. What do people like you have against Cyril anyway? Why can’t you leave the guy alone? He was a great theologian!”
I said: “He was a bigot and a tyrant. To start with, he forcibly closed the churches of the Novatianists.”
He said: “That was not a matter of forcing men to give up their faith. The Novatianists held exactly the same beliefs as other Christians in Egypt. They just couldn’t stand to worship with others whose ancestors had a less pure record than their own ancestors. When the government integrated the public schools and made the children of former slaveholders go to school with the children of former slaves, did you wax indignant? I thought not!”
I said: “Next thing, you’ll be defending the murder of Hypatia.”
He said: “Last time I checked, there was no evidence that Cyril had anything to do with the murder of Hypatia.”
I said: “Not directly. But his sermons and denunciations created the climate of hate that led to her murder.”
He said: “Climate of hate, indeed. You guys always trot that out when it suits you. After the Oklahoma City bombing, you said that anyone who had complained about the government’s actions in Waco was guilty of creating a climate of hate that caused the bombings. When an abortionist was shot, you said that anyone who talked about abortion as the taking of innocent life was responsible for creating a climate of hate that encouraged the shooting of abortionists. Do you ever put the shoe on the other foot? Have you ever written a column saying that people who complain about police brutality or complain that blacks in the United States face systematic injustice are responsible for creating a climate of hate that resulted in the Los Angeles riots after the Rodney King trial or the Watts riots in 1965 or the Detroit riots in 1968? Do you say that people who raise concerns about battered wives are responsible for creating a climate of hatred that leads women to mutilate their husbands or set them on fire while they are sleeping? Just when does this ‘climate of hate’ argument apply and when doesn’t it?”

I gave him less than my usual generous tip. If there’s anything I can’t stand, it’s an uppity cabdriver.

Interesting line of argument from the cab driver…I’m mulling it over. Care to join me?

Salve Regina

Salve Regina, mater misericordiae: vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve. Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevae. Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes in hac lacrimarum valle. Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte. Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.

O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria. Amen.

V. Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genetrix.

R. Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.

Thought of the day

You know, I’m thinking outloud, which I know is dangerous, and I’m thinking that the Ten Commandments, like the Pirate Code, are really more like a sort of guideline.

I know this isn’t a new thought for me, but in light of the political events of the past few days, with yet another Conservative Christian politician showing off their basic underlying humanity in all its messy splendor, it occurs to me to reiterate.

Life is way too nuanced for a hard and fast code – yes it would make it easier to have black and white rules to live by, but it is utterly unrealistic to think 10 rules apply to all human situations uniformly. All laws are open to interpretation in light of the context of their application.

I’m feeling a strange amount of empathy today for Mark Sanford, when normally what I’d feel is schadenfreud. However, recent events in my own life have newly colored my perceptions – I’ve been where Mark is, but by the Grace of God, without being a politician and without having to contend with and swallow my own high handed moral sanctimony on the upfront. I’ve walked some of this walk and can attest to it’s painfulness.

Rachael Maddow has an interesting few segments on the Sanford Press Conference, and Salon’s Gary Kamiya has interesting article up on the “different” quality of Sanford’s press conference, in terms of perhaps giving a glimpse at Sanford’s humanity.

Sarah Haskins on the Marketing Value of Lady Friends

I found this to be hysterical. h/t broadsheet on Salon.

The Hangover

My husband and I had a date night last night – something we’ve been much more intentional about doing recently, as part of our relationship repairs. We went out for a quick drink and a bite to eat before going to a movie.

I can’t remember the last movie we saw together in a movie theater. It might have been the Return of the King? At 6′4″, E doesn’t find theaters to be so comfortable, but last night we went to a movie theater that is relatively new, with stadium seating, etc., and enjoyed ourselves immensely.

The movie was hysterical. We went to laugh, and laugh we did. While it’s NOT fodder for the intellectual, it most certainly was funny. Just check your purity and maturity at the door, and you’ll do just fine, as you follow four guys on their trip to Las Vegas for the bachelor party to end all bachelor parties.

Doug is getting married to Tracey. Tracey has a VERY eccentric brother, named Alan, whom Doug has included in his wedding party, and therefore, in the bachelor party festivities. He’s warned not to let Alan gamble or drink too much (yeah, right! In Vegas!). When Doug and Alan pull up at a school to pick up Doug’s friend, Alan looks around nervously and says, “I shouldn’t be here.” Doug says, “What?” “I’m not supposed to be within 250 feet of a school. Or Chuck E. Cheese.” Ooooooooookay then.

His friends are also joining him: Phil is married, with a child – a disaffected teacher who cons money from his rich students to pay his way to Vegas. He’s the instigator – good looking, charming and full of hell. The there is Stu, a dentist who is currently pussy whipped by THE bitchiest girlfriend ever, who basically tells him how to feel, think, act and be and keeps him in constant fear. When the boys pull up to pick him up, they page him by calling out “Calling Dr. Faggot! Dr. Faggot!” Stu tells her the bachelor party is in Napa at a vineyard, and upon arriving to Vegas, tells his friends he wants to marry her. He brought the ring he’s going to give her with him, and he gives it away alright…heeee.

The boys start their night out with Jagermeister shots on the roof, and wake up the following morning to find their suite a wreck, with a Tiger in the bathroom and a six month old baby in the closet – Oh..and the groom to be nowhere to be found. They remember nothing, and spend the rest of the movie trying to track down WTF happened, eventually figuring out they were slipped roofies and did all kinds of stuff, involving an aquired police car, wedding chappels, Mike Tyson and gambling.

The performance of Ken Jeong as the crazy, mean-spirited Mr. Chow is absolutely HYSTERICAL. He is a tiny, no dicked (you literally see this is so) guy who is so mean and warped it’s surreal: someone that little and weird should not have balls like that. He totally stole the movie for me.

Bradley Cooper, who plays Phil, was very easy on the eyes. Nice.

Also, do stay till the end and watch the photo evidence of what transpired during the forgotten evening – truly the highlight of the whole movie. HYSTERICAL.

Ok…so now you all know that basically a 15 year old male adolescent inhabits a large part of my psyche (this is what happens when raised with males). Although…I have the feeling many of you all suspected it anyway.

The Only Times in History it was Acceptable to Say “F”

My aunt sent this to me…I luf her!

There are only eleven times in history when the”F” word has been
considered acceptable for use.

They are as follows:

11. “What the @#$% do you mean, we are sinking?”
— Capt. E.J. Smith of RMS Titanic, 1912

10. “What the @#$% was that?”
— Mayor Of Hiroshima , 1945

9. “Where did all those @#$%ing Indians come from?”
— Custer, 1877

8. “Any @#$%ing idiot could understand that.”
— Einstein, 1938

7. “It does so @#$%ing look like her!”
— Picasso, 1926

6. “How the @#$% did you work that out?”
— Pythagoras, 126 BC

5. “You want WHAT on the @#$%ing ceiling?”
— Michelangelo, 1566

4. “Where the @#$% are we?”
— Amelia Earhart, 1937

3. “Scattered @#$%ing showers,my ass!”
— Noah, 4314 BC

2. “Aw c’mon Who the @#$% is going to find out?”
— Bill Clinton, 1998

and a drum roll please…………!

1. “Geez, I didn’t think they’d get this @%#*ing mad.”
— Saddam Hussein,

Stole this one from PJ

Nothing Ever Hurt like You James Morrison – How’s a nice white boy make hisself sound like that?

(Hmph…since I can’t embed – click and listen – you’ll be glad you did!)