The thoughts, ideas, findings, and fancies of a Catholic student at Our Lady's University.

Friday, July 29, 2005

Bragging Rights

Having finished judging for our 4-H projects at the County Fair, Jen, Nick, and I have decided to take a brief opportunity to flaunt our accomplishments this year. Between the 3 of us, we got:
  • 21 blue ribbons and 1 red
  • 4 Grand Champion ribbons
  • 3 Reserve Champion ribbons
  • 1 Award of Merit
  • 4 State Fair trips, including Nick's first trip (though he can't take a trip until he's in 7th grade)
  • 2 projects on the Alternates list

We now return you to your regularly scheduled (and hopefully more humble) programming.

Entering the home stretch...

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but right now, we're in the busiest part of the year, hands down. Vacation Bible School and 4-H projects for the County Fair would be enough to keep us busy, but we've got a few extra things this year. So, to show you why I probably won't be posting for the next couple days (and for my own reference), I present my schedule for this weekend (and don't forget to add 30-minutes of travel time of either end of everything):

Saturday
8:00-10:45: VBS set-up at church
11:00-2:00: 4-H Fashion Review at the County Fair
5:00-10:00: Work
7:30: 4-H State Fair meeting at the County Fair

Sunday
8:30: Mass
10:00-12:30: VBS set-up at church
1:00-6:00: Fund-raising benefit for a family we know whose mom has terminal cancer
7:00: Pick up 4-H projects from Fair

Add to that the fact that Grandma & Grandpa are coming for the weekend, and I probably won't see too much of my house, let alone the computer, for the next couple days.

Monday, July 25, 2005

It Just Keeps Getting Wierder and Wierder...

The musical amusements at Mass just keep getting better. Yesterday, we saw something that may just top the list. We had a flautist who danced while playing. To continue with the Cowbell Sketch comparisons, she looked strikingly similar to Will Ferrell playing the cowbell, except that she stood in one place. To make it even stranger, when she wasn't playing the flute, she clenched it tightly under her arm and very energetically shook a little rattle/noise-maker thingy. I believe she also sang during those songs as well. It takes quite a bit to make me laugh out loud in the Sanctuary, but that did it. I'm laughing even now, just picturing it.

A note to those who think I'm exaggerating for the sake of notoriety: I have witnesses. Three of them.

Thursday, July 21, 2005

Roberts' Son Excited At Prospect of Having a Supreme Court Justice for a Father



Does anyone really blame the kid? That's probably what I'd do if I were a 5-year-old boy on national TV, though I don't think we can rule out the possibility that he's just getting revenge on his mother for making him wear a seersucker suit and saddle shoes (again, that's probably what I'd do). My first impression was that the 2 kids - intentionally or not - bore a rather striking resemblence to JFK Jr. and Caroline Kennedy (including the clothes), and then I discovered that John Roberts' son is also named John Jr. My repressed inner conspiracy-theorist cries out...

Ave Maria University Unveils New Design Plans of Oratory



I admit that I have absolutely no knowledge of architecture, and thus my impression of churches is based solely on my personal taste, but I don't like this one. Granted, it's infinitely better than the glass proposal, but it still occurs to me that if you looked at it straight on, it would look like...well, it should be pretty obvious, based on the other picture I juxtaposed there.

Sunday, July 17, 2005

Mr. Tambourine Man (or: "I have a fever, and the only prescription is MORE COWBELL!")

I rather amusing set of coincidences has occured since I posted a few days ago about cowbells during Mass. First, last night's episode of Saturday Night Live happened to be "The Best of Christopher Walken," and the Cowbell sketch was the second one featured (incidentally, I looked up the lyrics for the song featured, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," and it's rather creepy). Then, this morning at Mass, we didn't hear any cowbell, but there was a very amusing tambourine player (an aside: I realized this morning that the tambourine is actually more distracting than the cowbell). I assumed that, as usually happens, the tambourine player was also singing. When we walked past on our way out of the Sanctuary during the post-Mass song, Em and I observed that said tambourine player bore a striking resemblence to Will Ferrell as the Cowbell Player. Thankfully, the tambourine man wasn't dancing around - at least, not when we walked past - but he seemed very focused on what seemed to be his only purpose at the moment: shaking that tambourine. Of course, as Jess pointed out after Mass (and I'm paraphrasing here): "Tambourine players are very serious about what they do."

Saturday, July 16, 2005

A Phenomenon I'm Not Sure I Fully Understand...


















To no one's surprise, Harry Potter has apparently had no trouble selling in England. While I've read all of them - and even enjoyed a few of them - I've managed to keep myself from getting caught up in the mania. Actually, the whole thing rather amuses me. You see, it occurs to me that people have spent virtually the entire time since the last book came out pondering what will be in this one. And now that it's out, the buzz will quiet down for approximately the next 7 hours (or until everyone who bought it at midnight has finished reading it), and then pick right back up again, pondering what the next book will contain. So basically, having had our "long-standing" questions (and in our society, I believe 2 years does count as "long-standing"; how many marriages last that long?) answered, we will be satisfied for the briefest period of time, and then move on, back to dissatisfaction. Curious phenomenon.

Friday, July 15, 2005

76 years left...

...if this is any indication. I guess I won't complain any time soon about how old I feel.

(via Amy Welborn)

"The last time I checked, we don't have that many songs that feature the cowbell!"

I linked this video for two reasons: 1) because it amuses me, and 2) because it kind of reminds me of some of the music we've had a Mass lately. There are some instruments that just shouldn't be used in sacred music, and the cowbell has to be one of them. I'm still trying to make up my mind one way or another on the mandolin...

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Vatican Budget Figures Show $3.7-Million Surplus

Well, that's good to hear. At least we know that the Vatican won't be experiencing a catastrophic government shut-down like the one our fair state recently went through. I mean, let's not kid ourselves, fellow Minnesotans, who didn't acutely miss the implementation of the 2% biodiesel requirement, being able to report pollution control compliance violations, and rural travel reimbursment, among the plethora of other vitally needed state government functions that we were so cruelly deprived of for over a week? (Honestly, what is the 2% biodiesel requirement?)

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

You Are 77% American
You're as American as red meat and shooting ranges.
Tough and independent, you think big.
You love everything about the US, wrong or right.
And anyone who criticizes your home better not do it in front of you!

Friday, July 08, 2005

I just got done updating the links on my sidebar, and I think I remembered to add everyone I meant to. If I forgot anyone/screwed up a link/anything else, please let me know! Having said that, I have to leave now to take Jen & Nick to see Madacascar (the rest of the family is at a wedding tonight).

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